Over the Hump: Weekly Recap

Hi gang…. I know, I know, I’m a day (or two, by the time this is edited and posted) late in my mid-week reflection.  I guess that’s what a 10 day long vacation can do to your brain.  It takes a while to start thinking like a functioning human being again.  Vacations are like a double edged sword.  They are amazing and awful all at the same time.  Yes, amazing AND awful.  You heard me.  The amazingness is the easy part- the relaxation, the beauty, the time with loved ones and little ones.  The awfulness is the mess that comes along with a vacation.  The mounds of laundry, the exceptions to the rules, the off schedule sleep patterns, and the not so healthy diets.  So, as we come down from the amazingness of our vacation, here’s a recap of our mid-week happenings (over the hump and a day late)….

1. Our baby responded well to the cool midwestern air.  She grew an inch of hair, sprouted 3 teeth, and learned to crawl.  All in a week.  Whew.

2. My nursing days have come to a bittersweet end.  Gone are my late night snuggly nursing sessions (sad).  But also gone are my in-car pumping sessions (bonus).  And I can now wear a dress to work.  Major bonus.

3. As we transition back into reality, we also have to transition back into a healthier lifestyle.  We definitely adopted the midwestern comfort food eating habits, after all, we did find every candy shop, fudge store, and ice cream parlor in town.  Now, we’re going to get serious with some clean and healthy eating.  I’ve decided to follow a 2 week meal plan to clean eating from the amazing blogger over on Bless This Mess, Please We have the steak carnitas tacos cookin’ right now.

4. I am currently suffering from a pretty bad chin splint.  Most likely from running a mile through the St. Paul airport in flip flops, holding my 18 pound baby, trying to keep up with my marathon runner husband, all the while hearing our names blasting over the paging system for our final boarding call.  Learning that just because you are in the concourse does not mean you are close to your gate was a pretty important lesson.

5. We are in the throughs of missing people right now.  With long vacations, come long breaks from people.  Teaching a child how to be present with the people you’re with, while still missing those far away is a hard concept.  This conversation also reminds me of how terribly bad I miss my sister and her crew, whom may have moved back into the country, but they’re still a full country’s length away. Miss you sis.

For those of you vacationing, or coming home, or visiting loved ones, or missing those far away, we’re right there with you.

And for those of you who have a nanny, a maid, and a cook waiting for you when you come home from your vacation…. now, that’s a true vacation.

Much love,

Kristin 

 

Stop the madness

Life has been very busy lately. It seems like we grow in our “busy-ness” as we age, as our children age, and as the days go by. The more we grow and the more we age, the more we decide to take on. Our to-do list is never ending, and projects seem to multiply. We say yes too often and we over schedule ourselves. 

Sometimes, I find myself going from task to task without full completion. Sometimes, I forget what I’m doing after I’ve walked into the room. Even the most mindless tasks seem to add up to endless mountains- laundry, dinner, bills. It’s hard to fit it all in! 

This “busy-ness” is madness. It’s insane. It’s crazy. Yet, it’s become the new normal. 

It // needs // to // stop. 

There, I said it. I forced myself to slow it down, even. I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of not having enough time to catch my breath. I’m tired of constantly chasing my to do list. I’m tired of not having enough time to think straight. 

It’s time to de-busy-fy our life. Yes, I made up a new word (do you like it?). It’s time to stop doing everything. Time to cut back on the to-do list. And time to start putting what matters back into the front of the list. Time to peel life’s layers back, one by one, and get to the root of what makes us tick. So…. Here goes. I’ll keep you posted.

Going bananas over coconuts

Here stands a jar. A shiny, new, heavy glass jar. And inside that jar is coconut oil. Yes, coconut oil. Here stands a lady. A lady that gags with even the slightest smell of coconut. I can’t stand the stuff. Why on earth is it even inside my home, let alone making its way onto my bathroom counter? Mind you, it took 3 days for me to get it upstairs from the kitchen after unloading it from my grocery bag.

I look at this jar every morning and every night and think, now what? What the heck is going to come of this jar? You google coconut oil and a million and one things pop up on how amazing it is. It seems to be the new miracle worker in today’s society. Apparently it works miracles in your home, on your face, in your hair, and even on your armpits. Hmmph. That’s just the beginning.

So, here starts a journey of the unknown. Of a lady and her coconut oil. Let’s just hope I don’t gag when I open the darn jar. And if you want a //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=queeblog-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00KK679FS&asins=B00KK679FS&linkId=VRTTW33ZLM7LPQXM&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>jar for yourself, feel free to start the journey with me!

Picky Eaters: Dealing with the “ews” and the “aghs” of Mealtimes

You would be one of the few parents in this country if you could claim a child who ate everything on their plate every night of the week.  In fact, you would probably be despised by quite a few parents out there.  How nice would it be to dish up a gourmet dinner that you’ve spent (hours) making (hehehe…yeah right, but still) and have your child eat every bite with a smile on their face?  For most, this would be a dream come true.

A picky eater is considered someone who does not eat a wide variety of foods or food groups with ease or interest.  Most picky eaters will not eat a specific food group (most commonly known as the vegetable food group) or will not eat a large variety of different foods within a food group.  Although most picky eating habits have little to no impact on the overall nutritional impact of the child’s development (most kids continue to grow and develop), they do, in large part, have a huge impact on the overall atmosphere of the home during each meal.  The negative attitudes, refusals, and disgusting remarks can flat out destroy the happy-go-lucky feeling one has entering into a meal.  Eating is supposed to be a social occasion, right?  How can we be social with one another when we’re too busy negotiating and persuading someone to eat ‘just one more bite’?

Picky eating habits don’t pick a specific gender, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic group.  In other words, kids of all backgrounds have the same rates and risk factors of becoming a picky eater.  Picky eating doesn’t just happen overnight.  Most children show the first signs of “ews” and “aghs” during the first two years of life.  If not conquered, then those stinky-nosed, grossed out toddler faces that were once cute turn into the pouty, sealed-lip, big kid faces that no parent really wants to see at the dinner table.

Each parent, at one point or another, has probably questioned where their child’s picky eating habits have developed.  (*Disclaimer: we are not talking about or referring to children with medical diagnoses that place them at risk or within the category of feeding disorders here). Some children are at a higher “risk” of becoming a picky eater than others.  Where as some picky eaters become picky eaters because they were flat-out allowed to do so.  While this is in no way a slam to any parent out there- it is more of a wake up call and an eye-opener to the impact we have on our children during those initial years (and really every year after that).

Some food for thought as we ponder the development of picky eating, as taken from a 2004 study (Carruth, et al):

• Older siblings have a higher chance of being picky eaters than their younger siblings.

• Children who are placed higher in the weight for age percentile charts are less likely to become picky eaters.   

• Children are more likely to eat the foods that they are exposed to repeatedly within their first years of life. 

And even more interesting tidbits on already developed picky eaters:

• Bananas are amongst the most popular food choice for picky eaters.
• Picky eaters would rather eat their potatoes in the form of french fries than mashed potatoes.
• Picky eaters are less likely to eat mixed food groups or mixed food consistencies than non-picky eaters.
• Chicken is the most preferred meat group amongst picky eaters.

So, what can we do to help overcome the battle of picky eating?  Here are some suggestions and recommendations:

• Kids often need 8 to 15 exposures of a food prior to truly deciding if they don’t like it.  This means that we, as parents, cannot decide for them after seeing them refuse to eat it one time.  When we introduce green peas to our 6 month old, and they make a stink-face, it is not fair for anyone involved to say or think “they don’t like them, let’s not give these again”.
• As your baby turns into a toddler who turns into a big kid, make sure they are orally ready for new consistencies.  This means that if they still cannot eat baby food or yogurt off of a spoon, do not give them mixed consistencies (like soup).

• Set the example.  You are their first vision of what a ‘good eater’ is.  Your eating habits set the tone for the table and the culture of meals in your house. Your children will be more excited to try something if they see you eating it and liking it. 
•  If you don’t like something, don’t make a big deal of it.  Take a bite, eat it, and talk about how important it is to try things.  Then move on.  At least you’ve tried it and they’ve seen you do it. You are now a hero. 

• Take turns eating foods.  “Mommy’s turn to take a bite, now Junior’s turn” is so powerful.  They see you take a bite and then they know what’s expected.

• Praise them.  We praise them for rolling over.  We praise them for sitting up.  We praise them for walking.  Why don’t we praise them for taking bites of new foods?  This may be even harder than those first steps.  Make it a big deal in a big way for them when they have tried something new.  This will make it more likely that they will try it again in the future. 

• Take out the negotiations.  Take out the persuasion.  Offer an incentive (no, it’s not bribery if it’s increasing a positive behavior).  Once they take a bite of green beans, they can have a bite of banana (or yogurt, or cheese, or whatever it is they DO like).  Avoid the bargaining of “please just take one more bite”.  Rephrase it into “you can have a bite of (yummy) after you take a bite of (ewww)”.  Be consistent.

• Think small.  Try encouraging one bite of an ‘ew’ food for one bite of a ‘yum’ food.  Don’t do the “you can have your whole banana after you have your five carrots” exchange.  Try one bite of carrot for one bite of banana.  Think “ew”-”yum”, “ew-yum”, “ew-yum”.  Pretty soon, they’ll think the “ews” are really the “yums” because of the power of positive reinforcements.  

  

References:

Prevalence of Picky Eaters among Infants and Toddlers and Their Caregivers’ Decisions about Offering a New Food; 2004; BETTY RUTH CARRUTH, PhD, RD; PAULA J. ZIEGLER, PhD, RD; ANNE GORDON, PhD; SUSAN I. BARR, PhD, RDN

http://www.asha.org

The Green Machine Smoothie

Anyone else fighting that nasty cold that’s floating around?it seems like every house I go into, everyone has the crud. I have felt it slowly lingering in the back of my throat and as a dull ache in my head for the past week… I’m determined to not get sick. Now if only we could just zap it with a magic wand! So I’ve decided to attack it with the green machine. Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?

There was such a great response from my last smoothie post, I thought I’d share this one.  Here are the ingredients for this supercharged-vitamin C- cold fighting wonder:

(*Disclaimer: this one is definitely NOT sugar free, but it is definitely loaded with Vitamins)

The portions will be slightly estimated, as I make this one in the smaller mixer.

– a handful of (frozen) kale

– half of a banana

– half of an apple, sliced

– a splash of orange juice (until it soaks the kale)

– handful of ice

Blend this beauty up until it looks like one of those scary green monsters. For the link to the amazing blender I use, go //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=queeblog-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B007TIE0GQ&asins=B007TIE0GQ&linkId=XEJORHQYS4PGJCHR&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true“>here

Enjoy!

Follow the yellow brick road

The whirlwind came and went, and just like that, the holidays were over.  The past few months, or really, the past year, has felt like what’s been a tornado of events.  Those events that start out slow, with just a hint of a breeze in the air, then slowly start to bring the sprinkles of rain with change, and before you know it, the world starts spinning because you realize that everything is different.  And then, just like that, the tornado stops, the winds die down, and the rain dries out.  When you look around, you realize that you’ve landed on your feet. And you praise the Lord. 

You see, it started with a positive pregnancy test.  Now, I’d like to say that my first words were of joy and wonder, but they were more along the lines of amazement and fear.   After just a month of marriage, blending this family was just the beginning of our journey ahead of us.  And the addition of a new life would change that journey ten fold.  For this child, I have prayed (1 Samuel 1:27-28).  And we prayed, and we prayed, and we prayed.  We knew that this was the best blessing our family could receive, and it began that journey that we are traveling and experiencing still today.    

We were happy in that little house on big oak street.  We each had a space, and each space had a memory.  But adding one more?  After already adding a grown up?  We were going to make it work.  So we turned the office into a nursery, and began deciding upon what to name this baby girl.  But then came the perfect house.  Well… the perfect fixer upper.  So, we packed up and moved out after selling that cute little cottage in the middle of the desert.  We moved in with the grandparents for what we thought would be a three week mini-vacation.  I mean, who wouldn’t want extra time with grandparents that spoil your daughter, fold your laundry, and keep good company?  Especially with a baby on the way in just two short months.  And then the phone call came.  Nobody looks forward to the phone call from your painter at 6 am on a Monday morning.  Nobody calls that early just to say hello.  Nobody calls that early with good news.  Nope.  And the last thing we expected was our first reality.  Our new house, our new hope, our new home to be, literally washed out.  Nobody told us that three week renovations don’t come easy.  That three week mini-vacation at the grandparents’ house turned into an extended stay-we’re here for the long run-can you keep doing our laundry-and we really do love eating take out-vacation. 

Three months later, with three newly renovated bathrooms, a remodeled kitchen, new ceilings, new floors, and several coats of fresh paint, oh- and an adorable nearly 9 pound healthy baby girl, we were ready to move in.  Just in time for the holidays.  Pure bliss.  Pure joy.  Pure stress.  Now we had the lovely job of unpacking boxes, decorating a house, and decorating for the holidays.  And oh yes- caring for a newborn.  And a four year old. Thank goodness for a good mother.  And a really patient husband.

Nobody tells you when you step out to look at that first house… be careful, you’re stepping out onto the yellow brick road, and you don’t really know what you’ll find along the way.  Nobody tells you that there’s no such thing as an easy remodel.  (Insert laugh).  And nobody tells you just how enjoyable that journey truly can be, because it is what you make it.  When that yellow brick road brings you to a dark forest of flooded floors and fallen ceilings, it’s the people along the way that get you back on track.  Those people that can make that journey along that yellow brick road truly enjoyable, and can turn a disaster into a blessing. 

When the dust settled, the winds stopped, and the rains died down, we found ourselves at the end of that yellow brick road.  And my innocent, bright, blue-eyed four year old asks, “Mommy, when can we go back?”.  In the eyes of my four year old, this tornado of events would eventually bring her back to our little house on big oak.  Because that was her home.  And, in her eyes, this is just a house.  A house that we discovered along the yellow brick road.  One day, I told her, this will become your home.  A home filled with love, with laughter, with memories of joy.  Because that is what a home is.  That is what that little house on big oak brought us in abundance.  And that is what this house at the end of the rainbow will bring us, too.  One day.  In hope, in prayer, and in love, this house will soon become our home.