TGIF

So G woke up at 5:00 am this morning.  She requested (ahem, demanded) to go downstairs and I knew she was up for the day.  Normally I would try to get her back to sleep for a bit, but I figured I might be able to get some work done if I could get her to fall back asleep on the couch.  Silly mommy.

She asked for milk, which I happily gave her, but apparently, the amount I put in the cup wasn't satisfactory for Princess G.  Cut to throwing of her cup, throwing of herself on the ground and lots of yelling and time out.

If you follow me on Facebook, you've already seen these pictures:

But mom, I want more milk in my cup!!!!!!! That's not enough!

#WorstMomEver

After we got Reedster on the bus, I made myself some shakeology and sat down to do my daily reading.  G was playing with cotton balls pretending to take off her nail polish.  (Hey, whatever makes her happy.)  I walked away to grab a little more coffee and when I walked back into the living room, G had knocked my chocolate shakeology onto the floor.

I don't know how she did it folks.  But somehow she got the shakeology in a straight line from the ottoman to the wall.  And there was still some left in the cup.

That's oxy-clean on the stain.... and G putting chapstick on.  More on that in a bit.

Thankfully, I have great ILs who happen to have a steam cleaner.  G and I went to work and got  most of the stain out.  It took a while, but it's much better.

All morning, I had been waiting for a phone call.  I kept my phone handy while I was cleaning the carpet so I wouldn't miss the call.  When I did take the call, G rediscovered the chapstick.... and decided to see what happened when she put it on the window...

Don't get me wrong, that's a fantastic smiley face for a 2 year old!

I should have known a few days ago when I caught G putting lotion (aka butt paste) on her face that this girl cannot be left unsupervised for even a second.

Why so serious?

To make it up to me, G came up to me while I was getting my make up on and said, (I can't make this stuff up), "I love you mommy.  You're the best mommy ever!"

TGIF.  If I didn't have an eye appointment this afternoon, I'd be having a glass of wine with my lunch.

Last day of Kindergarten!

Yesterday was Reedster's end of year performance to celebrate finishing up Kindergarten!  I cannot believe how fast this year went by.  

I mean, really, LOOK AT THIS KID!  So cute.

A doting big brother.

G requested to walk to Mama & Papa's house this morning instead of driving. Even though my legs felt like dead weight from Pilates on Sunday and then Strength and Zumba last night, I agreed and grabbed my coffee to go.  Having my ILs in our neighborhood is one of the best things ever.  They watch the kiddos for me while I'm working part time.  We are so blessed to have them so close by.  It doesn't hurt that occasionally (pretty often actually) my MIL even cooks us dinner on those days!  I love to cook, but anytime someone else offers, you know I'm taking them up on that offer.  

I mean, really, look at those faces.  

Being home has it's perks!  Little helpers are the best!

Walking back home this morning, I spent the quiet time thinking about how much has changed during this school year. Reedster's first day of school was right after my sister Jules got married - we were still coming down from the wedding "high" (or rather exhaustion) on his first day of Kindergarten.  Now we are done with weddings for a while and just spent an awesome weekend with family at Darien Lake.  

Not my best work - but it will have to do.

I thought about how grateful I am for our family and friends and the transition from full time work to part time work and full time mom. Even though I miss my family at ROL, I am so happy to be able to be with my two cuties more.  Just seeing Reedster get on and off the bus for the last 3 weeks has made me realize how precious and short childhood is.  It was an agonizing couple of months of thinking about what I should do leading up to the ultimate decision to leave full time work, but now more than ever I realize that this is what our family needed.  I am forever grateful for the friendships (and family) that I have at ROL and how supportive they were of my decision to leave. And I'm super grateful for the opportunity to work PT for my BIL's business. 

Can you see where EMX wrote "IAN WAS HERE" in the dust - 14 years ago when we worked at ROL over the summer.  (My work husband made an appearance in this photo.)

Your smile(s) for the day

With my new schedule/routine, I'm able to spend way more time one on one with G than I have in the last, oh, 2 years.  Even though I've always said she is a nurturer, and a caregiver, and is SO loving and affectionate, this video just really personifies our little peanut and I'm so happy to be able to spend some more time with her!  This is from last week, but is too cute not to share.

Not to be outdone by cuteness, Mr. Reedster had some huge accomplishments this weekend that I posted about on FB.  He earned his yellow belt last week in karate, learned how to ride his bike on two wheels AND learned how to tie his sneakers.  I cannot believe how fast he is growing up.  Our next task is for him to learn how to tie his yellow belt!    Here is a quick video of him riding his bike up a steep hill at Mama and Papa's house this past weekend.

Monday Musings and Quick Paleo Pancakes

Well, hello.  

Some of you may know that I have a new job.  Last week was my first week as a SAHM / PT WAHM mom.  I have to say that it was a great week.  It was a little bit of a transition, but really, it was awesome.  I realized quickly how much I have missed and how stressed I had been for the last year.  With a full time job for me, EMX working major OT hours lately, one kid in karate (two nights a week), and a rambunctious 2 year old, and other commitments to church and family/friends and our own fitness commitments, I was beginning to run myself ragged trying to make sure that everyone was well fed (I'll get to that in a minute), dressed, bags packed, lunches/breakfasts/snacks ready, activities/HW complete, etc.

One thing that I just don't want to compromise on is healthy eating.  Yes, we do order pizza (or like last night, ahem, garbage plates) from time to time, but most of the time afterwards, I start to feel groggy, overfull and just kind of gross!

So what does eating healthy look like for us?  For the most part, EMX and I eat a paleo/primal diet.  EMX eats that way as a default since I do 99.9% of the cooking for our family and he has no choice to but eat what I make.  He still does get Bruegger's bagels though once a week and orders Chinese food at work on Fridays.  The kids do eat PB&J and bunny crackers and the like, but I do try and get the healthiest ingredients I can and would rather make something than buy a packaged version whenever possible.  (Even though now Reedster won't eat my PB&J, haha.  He has been choosing fruits, vegetables and nuts for lunch instead - which I'm obviously fine with.)

There have been a few articles and studies released lately that state that there is no thing such as "gluten sensitivity."  So while there may be no scientific proof that people can be sensitive to gluten, I will tell you what I have found in my very scientific research from the last year and a half - from when I did my first 21 Day Sugar Detox in February 2013.

- The first time I completed a sugar detox, I didn't do it to lose weight.  I was trying to find a way to fight the MAJOR cravings for cookies and cake that I started to have while pregnant with Giselle, and continued through the postpartum time while breastfeeding and then continued until she was almost 1, haha.  I initially thought that I would be a raging BRAT while doing the detox but what I found was actually the opposite.  By the end of the 21 days, I was downright euphoric.  I was honestly happy, energetic, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  I had so much energy and was in such a good mood that it was VERY evident that the way I had been eating beforehand may not have been the best nutrition.  While I was eating a lot of fruit and veggies and meats before the detox, the whole grains and sugars in general were just not working for me.  I DID end up losing 5 lbs during those 21 days, which I didn't complain about.  I also did find that my sugar cravings were better controlled.  If I did have a major craving, the best treat to me was anything combined with almond butter. Dark chocolate is a great indulgence, but even a banana or apple with almond butter is DIVINE to me, lol.

- After the detox, I indulged in what I had been craving (or really THINKING I was craving) during the detox - a bagel.  I cut out a portion of the middle of the bagel because I was a little nervous that I may not feel all that great after eating it.  I ate it and probably an hour later, I was groggy and ended up having a sugar crash a few hours later.

- NOW, pretty much as soon as I eat something with gluten in it, I start to crave MORE sweets or breads.  It's INSANE.  Last night we ate garbage plates and even though I was disgustingly full after eating it, I HAD to eat something sweet.  I nibbled on mini marshmallows and then had some chocolate even though I was not hungry.  As a result, I felt pretty gross later on.

So, for me, and for our family, that's why we do eat mostly paleo/primal type foods.  It's funny because EMX can tell usually pretty quickly if I've been falling off the wagon with my eating habits by my mood and demeanor.  I will never ever claim to be paleo perfect.  If I want regular pizza with pepperoni and banana peppers, I'm going to eat it.  But I do try to eat paleo/primal foods 80% of the time.

This morning I was ready to get back on track after a day of eating not so healthy foods.   I saw this pin yesterday for the "best pancakes" - one banana mixed with two eggs and a dash of cinnamon.  This morning I decided to give it a whirl, even though honestly, most paleo/primal pancakes that I've tried haven't really come close to the real deal pancakes (especially the delicious ones we had a church yesterday morning).

The batter seemed a little thin to me so I added a few teaspoons of coconut flour in to thicken it up a little bit.  I think the reason why they tasted so good today vs in the past was a small (pun intended) difference.  Today I made the pancakes on the smaller size.  They were a little bigger than a half/dollar.  This made them cook more evenly.  I cooked them in a little bit of regular butter and topped with real maple syrup (the ONLY syrup in my opinion), and even had a few topped with just almond butter.  

G and I gobbled them up!  So quick, easy and delicious.  Even better, they are a healthy alternative to regular pancakes.

G loves pancakes!

The real test will be to have Reedster taste them when he gets home from school.  That boy is the pancake master taster.  :)

Mommy & Me...

NAILED IT!

Fist Bump for the breast pump

I LOOOOOOOVE that Kristen Bell is most proud of her accessories - her high heels and her breast pump.

Last summer, I was fortunate enough to be asked to be in two weddings!    Giselle was still nursing, so my handy dandy breast pump came with me to 2 bachelorette parties, 2 showers, and 2 weddings.  I pumped in the back of a "limo" on a Prom Dress Wine Tour.  I pumped while riding in a car on the way to and from Boston.  I pumped in a spa in Geneva before getting a manicure.  I pumped in the car (EMX was driving) on the way home from a Dave Matthews Concert. I proudly carried that pump everywhere I went if G wasn't with me.  I totally related to Kristen Bell when I saw this article!

Nursing wasn't easy for us.  It was SEMI easier knowing that it would be difficult though.  When I had Reed, I had no idea how many tears would be shed, only to stop nursing after a week, and then exclusively pumping for 4 more.  Ultimately, I did stop pumping with Reed because my body was just not healing well from birth.  I wasn't enjoying my time home with him, and that was more important to me than getting a few ounces of breast milk here and there.  With Giselle, I made a promise to myself that I could make it 6 weeks.  And then 8 weeks.  And then, what's another 4 weeks?  With the help and support of a lactation consultant (Donna was seriously a Godsend) and my family, slowly I kept pushing my deadline out and ultimately, after 6.5 months of nursing, I did stop.  It definitely took a toll on my body - 3 bouts of mastitis (I've written about that here before), each one worse than the previous, an ER visit before hosting a birthday party, major hair breakage, vitamin D deficiency, and an emotional roller coaster with hormones all over the place.  But I don't regret one second of it.   I feel a very strong emotional bond with Giselle, which I'm thankful for, because with Reed, it felt like it took much longer to have that strong bond.  (Maybe it was the c-section drugs?)

Moral of the story:  I tell every expectant mom the following if the conversation about nursing comes up.  It's HARD.  If you want to stop, stop.  You will feel guilty.  But guess what, you will feel guilty for EVERY decision you make for the rest of your life.  Going back to work?  You'll feel guilty about leaving your child.  Staying home with your child?  You'll feel guilty about not "bringing home the bacon."  There is no right answer. Do what works for you and your family.  Everything will work out just fine.  :)

The Double D

OK.  So this post isn't about cooking - and it isn't even really about "food."  But I'm feeling very hilarious today (or as EMX calls it, corny) and felt the need to write and share.

If you are a mom, and have breastfed, and have had the devil infection called mastitis, you can totally relate.  If you are grossed out by nursing, you may wish to close your browser window now.  :)  That was your warning.

So I've been proudly nursing Giselle for 6 months.  Actually - 6 months today!  My original goal was 6 weeks.  Which is one week longer than Reed drank breastmilk.  During the first 6 weeks this time, I was lucky enough to get mastitis twice.  AWESOME.  (Sarcasm!)  The first time was actually not bad because I caught it SUPER quickly.  I knew what to look for having had it once with Reed, just a mere week into his life.  The second time, however, was probably one of the worst few weeks of my life.  I won't get into details about it now, but I literally thought I was dying.  I got past that (THANK GOD) and continued to breastfeed semi smoothly until this past Sunday.  I woke up tired, but felt fine, and then a few hours later - BAM.  I knew I had mastitis.  Went to urgent care and immediately got on antibiotics.  It took a full 48 hours for me to feel human again, however, the nasty little (big) blockage has decided to keep on keeping on.

I've tried compressions, massage, heat, no heat, pumping, nursing.  You name it, I've tried it.  Nothing is working.  So yesterday, I gave a call to Dr. Google to see if other moms had some suggestions.  That is when I came across this advice... which I wish I could say worked for me, but it hasn't yet.  It has however provided me with some laughter over the past 24 hours.

A few moms recommended letting gravity work with you, and said to do the following:

Get on all fours and place your baby on the floor.  Position yourself over the baby and let the affected breast "dangle" over the baby while she nurses.  That should hopefully help dislodge the blockage.

So.  Cut to me last night.  I had to go away from my other loving family members so that I could concentrate (read: not laugh).  Another tip I knew about was to position the baby's nose toward the blockage to help drain it.  So our position was me on my knees and left elbow, with Giselle's toes near my head, and my right hand compressing the heck out of the dangler.

It was like some kind of weird yoga pose, involving balance and strength.  So, to commemorate the pose, I decided to give it a yogatastic name.

The Downward Dangle.  Or - the Double D.

I hope you laughed.  I know my cousin K will when she reads this.  She gets me.

You're welcome.  :)

What is the weirdest thing you have found yourself doing since having kids?