Tag Archives: Health

Toddler stages

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Well, we are in that toddler stage where I am constantly asking my child not to put his hands in his mouth or to lick things. Yes, I said lick things. I caught him licking the window yesterday. And the playhouse. And the wall. And the dog.🤦🏼‍♀️ I think some days he does it just to annoy me or see how I’ll react. 🤷🏼‍♀️

With all the Coronavirus craziness, now is the worst time for him to be doing that! I’m following him around like a crazy person cleaning up after him, making him wash his hands, etc.

Good news is, none of us have left the house for anything but essentials. One person (my husband) is the only one who does the essentials run. We follow every rule. We disinfect packages, food packages, and anything that comes into the house. When we go on walks, we stay more than 6 feet away from people. If we see someone walking down the sidewalk towards us, we cross the street to be safe. Hands are washed regularly and surfaces are cleaned more than ever.

When your kid says the “S” word

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Yesterday I took my kids on a walk around the neighborhood. There were a decent amount of people out and about. While walking, my 2 year old started yelling out “sh*t sh*t. I want to sh*t.” Yup, people looked at me like oh my gosh do you hear him? Ya I heard him! And I just laughed! 😂

Normally I’d freak out and tell him to stop immediately and explain to him why we don’t say that. But this quarantine has had me cooped up for too long. Momma just needed a good laugh. And I got one with this, because my kid wasn’t actually saying sh*t. He was saying SIT. He was tired and wanted to sit down. 😂

He’s 2. His words aren’t perfect. So to all the neighbors in Plano that heard my kid yelling out what they thought was a cuss word…..sorry? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Should I have corrected him? Maybe. But again he’s two, is just learning words, and momma needed that laugh 🤭

Lack of alone time

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The worst part about quarantine….zero alone time. And by alone time I mean me, by myself, with no one to talk to and nothing to think about. 🙄

I’m an independent person with more introvert characteristics than you’d think. I like to do things on my own and figure things out for myself. I also enjoy being alone sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids and my husband. But I’m one of those people who needs an hour or two to themselves just to relax and think about nothing important. It’s like hitting the reset button for me.

I lost most of my alone time when I became a stay at home mom. But what little I was holding on to is completely gone now thanks to this quarantine. I can’t even take a shower in peace without my husband opening the door to have a conversation or ask me questions. Or my toddler coming in to hand me a toy or ask for something. I know my child means no harm by it, and it’s sweet he wants to share a toy. But when you just want a moment of silence, a child standing there with the shower door open staring at you, isn’t the most relaxing.

Im trying to stay positive and remember that this quarantine wont last forever. We will go back to normal life eventually, and I’ll be able to go back to the gym and have an hour to myself. And if God wills it, maybe I’ll get an entire day to myself one day too to recover from all this 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

9 months post baby #2

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9 months pregnant on the left and 9 months post delivery on the right. I worked harder this second time around because I had a good handful of people tell me I’d never get by body back after the second baby. Or that it would be harder to get back into shape after the second baby. 🤔

I took those comments as a challenge. When someone tells me I can’t or won’t be able to do something, it makes me what to prove them wrong. So I pushed really hard this time.

I’m not 100% back to my pre pregnancy size. But almost all my clothes are back to fitting and that’s all I really wanted. I honestly haven’t weighed myself in a few months so I don’t even know my own weight. I’ve never been one to care about a number on a scale. I just kept a goal in my head to fit back into my clothes. Why? Because I hate shopping for clothes. I am not a person who enjoys going to the mall. If I have to shop I do it online so I can try things on in the comfort of my own home. But even so, I still hate clothes shopping. So, to avoid having to go out and buy new clothes, I just had to get myself back into my own clothes! And I did!

To the negative Nancy’s who told me I’d never get my body back after baby #2…… challenge accepted and won. What else ya got? 😉🤷🏼‍♀️

Gym etiquette

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I’m a huge advocate of gym etiquette. I do my best to share and not take up space. I observe people around me and watch to see if someone is using a machine before I take it. If someone is using a machine I want to use I’ll ask if they mind me working in with them.

Yesterday in the gym I went into the back part of the gym where it’s more secluded. There was a man working out BAREFOOT. While I found this incredibly disgusting I tried to just brush it off. I piddled around for a minute to see what he was doing so I could see what items I could use that he wasn’t.

He was taking up a majority of the area with the items he was using but I figured I could still use the cable machine in between his little circuit because it was out of the way.

In the middle of me doing my first set he comes up to me, literally stands uncomfortably close, close enough that I could feel him breathe and says “I need to do pull-ups here.” So I turned to him and said “I’m using the cable, I’ll be done in a second.” He then said “or you could move over there” and points to where I apparently should move for him.” I’m not a witty person and I never have a come back but the words just fell out of my mouth this time and I said “you can have good gym etiquette and share.” Mind you, there are 4 other areas with pull-up bars that he could have used but for some reason he wanted the one I was under. He snapped back and says “or you can just move.” So I smiled, turned back to what I was doing and finished my set. I grabbed my phone, and went to find a gym manager. I reported him for being barefoot in the gym, which is against health code. The gym manager confirmed with me he made the guy put shoes on. Which I appreciate.

I find it shocking that people have no ability to share and can be that blatantly rude. Is it because I’m a female and I was “in your way?” Or were you just never taught to share with others? I guess I’ll never understand. Hopefully the next time I run into him in the gym he says something to me again when my husband is there. Because ladies and gentlemen, barefoot guy won’t stand a chance when my husband gets ahold of him!

Wash your hands!

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Apparently the flu risk is high in Dallas right now. I never used to get the flu shot but after having kids I do. The last thing I want is one of us (or all of us) catching it. I feel like we are more at risk of getting it with them being around other kids now. So many little hands in mouths! 🖐🏻

I’ve been having both my toddler and infant wash their hands like crazy. I’ve also been disinfecting toys regularly, especially with Camden in the teething phase and chewing on everything! Most germs can survive on fabric for a while, so I change their clothes the minute they get back from day care. I’ve been washing my hands more than normal as well. With the Coronavirus flying around I feel like we can never be too safe! 🙅🏼‍♀️

Here’s a couple random facts that might get you thinking……🤔

Did you know that low humidity enables the flu to survive longer and spread faster?! Also, people spread germs more easily in cold weather due to more time indoors together. 🏡

1 in 10 people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. This is one major way we spread germs! We were taught this when we were kids! 95% of people don’t wash their hands long enough to kill harmful bacteria. The CDC recommends washing your hands for 20 seconds. Not sure how long 20 seconds is? Sing your ABC’s twice through at a normal speed. That’s about 20 seconds! 🧼

Wash your hands and say a prayer you don’t catch what’s flying around! That’s about the best we can do. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Speech Therapy Update

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Well, there’s nothing wrong with my kid! Not that I thought there was anything wrong exactly. But I did think he needed a little help with speech. We met with a speech therapist and a child psychologist last week. They said Ryder is incredibly bright for his age and has no developmental or speech delays. What seems to be a delay in speech is due to “choice speech.” Most kids learn single words to get what they want like milk, food, juice, etc. Ryder has learned to say “I want this” or “I want that” and to point to the specific item. So he just says one of those phrases instead of the word. They said with just a little work, his words will come in. We just have to try to get him to say the word rather than say the word for him. If he says “I want that” and points to goldfish, the goal is for him to say goldfish. So we are to ask “what is that” or “what’s the word for that.”

The speech pathologist said, although they aren’t saying he needs speech therapy, working with a speech therapist could help push him along to get additional words quicker. They even have a speech therapist that will come to our home and work together with Ryder and I if we decide we want to do it!

I’ll be honest, it’s a big relief to know Ryder has no developmental delays. Not that it’s a bad thing. I know speech delays are incredibly common. But it’s just one less thing to worry about. I hate the idea of him struggling with anything.

Post Baby Hair Loss

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I guess it’s a common thing for moms to lose some of their hair post baby. I’ve had friends have hair come out in massive chunks. I’m not sure what I’m doing differently but my hair hasn’t fallen out any more than it’s usual shedding. May hair actually looks better now than when I was pregnant. With my first baby I never had any hair loss problems either.

I continue to take my prenatal vitamins as well as my fish oil. Even though I’m not pregnant, the prenatal vitamins have that extra bit Camden and I need while I’m still nursing him. Outside of those two vitamins I workout, drink lots of fluids, and eat lots of protein. I know protein aids in the hair growth process so maybe that mixed with my continued consumption of iron, zinc, etc in my prenatal vitamin is what helped keep my hair strong and full.

If that’s not it, then I guess I have my luck to thank!

Cardio vs Weights

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Pretty proud of the progress in these pics. The one on the left is from 2014. I did two hours of cardio a day (one in the gym and one walking the dog), little to no weights and was super restrictive with my diet. I weighed my food, counted calories and avoided oils, salts, sugar, etc.

The picture on the right is current. I do all weights, very little cardio (used as a cool down) and eat what I want (within reason.) Plus add in taking care of an infant and chasing around a toddler as my extra exercise. My diet consists of lots of protein, veggies, fruit, carbs, etc. I don’t avoid anything. I have something sweet maybe twice a week. I don’t drink sodas or juice like drinks, but honestly I’ve never been a fan of them so that makes it a bit easier.

My degree is in Sports Sciences. I took nutrition and biomechanics classes for years. I knew better than to do two hours of cardio and diet restrict. But I still did it. When I was in my 20’s I was impatient. I wanted quick results. Now at 34, I’ve learned when it comes to health and fitness you have to be patient. I’m finally taking my own advice. The advice I gave to people for years but ignored myself. Better late than never! Lol

Making time for the doctor

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Something I’m trying to get better about is doctors visits. Especially ones to my dermatologist. Last week I went to the dermatologist for my yearly skin check. She told me I had 3 spot on my body she was worried about. One was on my shoulder, one on my back and the other on my arm. They did a biopsy on all 3 and sent it off to the lab to check.

I’ll be honest, I had a tinge if fear in the back of my mind. I know I’ve done a number on my skin over the last few years. Especially in my teens and early twenties. I was an idiot back then about skin care. You couldn’t pay me to wear sun screen and I went to the tanning bed religiously. I was so stupid. 🤦🏼‍♀️ It wasn’t till I heard about a girl I went to college with getting skin cancer (she was in her 20’s) that I had a major reality check! If someone that young could get it, I obviously wasn’t in the clear! No joke, the day I heard about her, I went to the store and bought spf 50 and a face lotion that included spf for every day wear. I also stopped going to tanning beds. I switched over to self tanner and airbrush tans instead!

Last week when the doctor said she was worried about some spots, a little voice in my head said “you have no one to blame but yourself.” (Lol I’m pretty hard on myself) Worst case scenario ran through my head. What if I had skin cancer? Will it be curable? Is this how I go? What will happen to my family if I die? Will they be ok without me? Literally this all ran through my head in a matter of seconds. However, I made my attempt at pushing the thoughts out and just focusing on my kids in that moment. They’re always a happy thought for me. I didn’t want to let results of a test that I had no control over and knew nothing about yet consume me.

Luckily for me my biopsy results came back negative for skin cancer! THANK YOU JESUS! While I know the treatment of cancers have advanced, it’s still a scary thought. I do wish I’d been smarter about skin care when I was younger. However, what’s done is done. No take backs unfortunately. Lol So I’ll do the best I can now to prevent any further damage. I’m also attempting to instill positive habits in my kids regarding skin care. I don’t want them to ever have a scare like I did. I want them to be perfectly happy and healthy! 💙