Tag Archives: Moms

Judging a child by their size

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My mom told me a friend warned her that people assume more of big kids. What that means is, kids large for their age. I didn’t quite understand this at first because I’ve always been a smaller person. People only expected more of me because of my ability not my size.

My 2 year old is in the 98th percentile and has been since he was born. He stands as tall as some 4 year olds. More times than I care to count, I’ve had a mom say to me “he’s not talking in full sentences yet?” When I explain that he’s only 2 and has a handful of words, they get a shocked look on their face and say “oh I thought he was older than that.” I just sort of nod my head and smile.

I understand now what my moms friend meant. I try not to get frustrated with it or let it make me think my kid needs to be further ahead than he is. He’s only 2! And, every child is different. Ryder has always done things at his own pace but he’s always hit the milestones.

It’s hard ignoring people and their comments but when it comes to him I try really hard. Every kid is different. That’s what I keep telling myself 💙

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Judging weekends

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It was a long weekend judging High School cheer nationals. But I have no complaints. I enjoy doing it and I loved seeing the great teams that were there competing. 📖

Monday’s are hard after a weekend of judging. The food they serve us while judging isn’t my normal so my stomach gets all thrown off. Waking up Monday I always feel bloated, achy and slow. Sitting for 12+ hours a day judging definitely takes a toll on your body. We aren’t built to sit that long. The body needs to move and get blood flowing. I do my best to stand or move around for a minute between teams but sometimes it’s just not enough and I still end up sore and achy the next day. 😫

On Saturday I managed to add more pain to that already lingering soreness…… I was tired but knew I needed to stand to help with circulation. So during a break I stood up and just put one knee on a chair so I could sort of stand and lean. Well, I wasn’t paying attention to the type of chair. It was a folding chair. So when I put my knee on the chair and added some weight, the chair gave, seat flipped and I went down! My left leg went through the back side of the chair, front leg stayed at the front of chair and my upper body folded down the left side of the chair to the floor. I was literally laid out on the chair, dangling and stuck. I couldn’t do anything but just laugh at myself. Thankfully a few of the other judges helped me up before they started laughing. I have a lovely bruise on my left leg, and sore inner thigh and stomach from the impact. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

It was a good weekend. I enjoy judging. It’s my way to have a hand still in the cheer world without being fully involved again. However, as much as I enjoy judging on the weekends, I’m happy to be home to my boys and back on a normal schedule. 🗓

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

Independence

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Did you know that as a child becomes more independent, sometimes a mother will non-consciously look for issues to feel more needed?

Mind you, this does not happen to every mother. But it is a very common thing to have happen. It’s understandable that it does. It’s human nature to like to feel needed and wanted. Especially when you’ve had someone like a child, who was so dependent on you for so long, go from heavy dependence to independence. I can understand how it’s a hard switch for the parent.

Sadly this is something that doesn’t just happen once. It’s something that happens often over a child’s life. A baby goes from needing to be carried everywhere, to learning to crawl and eventually walk. Toddlers move into a stage where they start to learn how to do things on their own, so they want to do EVERYTHING on their own. And this need for independence continues through the tween, teen and early adult years.

I can understand why being a mom is hard now. Going from being needed, to not being needed as much or at all is a hard transition. It definitely can take a toll on you emotionally! 🙁

Toddler Finds

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Last night while I was trying to rock the baby to sleep, my 2 year old walked in with a loaf of bread and handed it to me. You would have thought he had found buried treasure by the proud look on his face. I don’t know what he thought it was, but he sure thought it was something important that I needed that minute! 😂 I’ll never understand the toddler mind 🤦🏼‍♀️

Camden’s second flight

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Camden’s second flight!

He did so great on the plane. We booked ourselves on the earliest flight so he slept the entire time and only woke up just a few minutes before landing.

We looked a bit ridiculous when we got our bags from baggage claim. We literally had 7 bags. 😂 But in our defense, one bag was the stroller, one was the car seat, and one was the golf clubs. So technically only 4 of them had clothing and other items. I of course needed his diaper bag, my husband brought his one bag, then I had to bring two bags. I packed Camden’s doc-a-tot in my large bag and it literally took up over half the bag. So a second small roller bag was necessary to fit our clothes. However, it was a bit comical to see two people and a baby with 7 bags. Thank god we flew with two friends because they were able to help us out.

This whole flying with an infant thing is becoming a breeze! As long as you schedule flights around sleep times, it makes it so much easier and less stressful!

TRX Map

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My gym got this machine called a TRX map. I’d watched people use it every so often and they looked ridiculous. But it peaked my curiosity. So with a little push from my husband I tried it.

The machine has you stand in place and do three squats. While doing this it measures your balance, flexibility, etc. When I got my results I was shocked but things made sense.

The results literally told me I’m standing crooked. It’s not obvious to any person looking at me but the machine picked it up. My right shoulder sits higher than my left and my left hip is higher than my right. When I brought my results to the head trainer at my gym he explained them to me. The imbalance is likely due to how I carry my kids. I ALWAYS carry them on my left hip. Hence why my left hip is up more than my right. I’m constantly pushing it up and out. My right shoulder is higher than my left because my spine is out of alignment. This is due to the muscles on my left side being stronger than my right due to the way I hold my kids! So crazy but it makes sense!

The trainer recommended that I foam roll my hips, back, and glutes more regularly. He also recommended I try to use my right side more when carrying the kids and stretch after workouts.

I’ve been foam rolling daily and alternating sides when I carry the kids. I’m not the best about stretching but I’ve been trying to squeeze it in here and there. I could actually feel a difference in my hips within two days of making the change.

I’m going to retest myself on the machine in exactly a month and see if there’s much of a difference in my results. I’d assume there would be since I can already feel a difference but we shall see! 💪🏻

Traveling with an infant

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Traveling with baby can be super easy, or incredibly stressful. I wanted to make it as easy as possible so I was the psycho crazy lady planning everything down to the minute. ⏰

We took the 7am flight out so Camden would sleep a good amount. He typically sleeps in till 7:30/8am as it is. Then naps about an hour after waking up. So I knew if we were on the plane at 7 he would sleep for at least an hour, wake to feed then go back to sleep. We got to the airport an hour and a half early, found the nursing room and cozied up. He fed and got a diaper change in a quiet room away from everyone. I made sure to feed him again right before take off to ensure the pressure didn’t bother his ears too much. If they’re swallowing it helps reduce some of that pressure they would feel.

I brought his boppy feeding pillow along. It’s kinda big and was just one more thing to carry, but he loves it. He loves to just lay on it when feeding or napping. I knew it would be a homey feel for him so I had to bring it. It actually made it easier and more comfortable for me to hold him on the plane. I put it in my lap and laid him on it. That left my hands free to reach for anything he or I needed.

He slept the first half of the flight. He woke up midway so I changed his diaper. SO glad they have put changing tables in airplane bathrooms! I was actually fearing changing his diaper till I saw the changing table. I literally was plotting how to position him laying on the toilet seat cover. 🤦🏼‍♀️

He fed one more time then fell asleep again and slept till just before we landed. When the plane started to descend to land, that’s when he woke up. He didn’t seem phased that he was in a new place. Just looked around at the people and next to us.

Strollers and car seats can be checked free. I checked mine before security instead of taking them all the way to the gate. Instead I brought my Bjourn front carrier and put Camden in that to go through security. It was easier than having to deal with the stroller. I would definitely recommend using a front carrier with an infant instead of a stroller if traveling alone.

I know everyone is different in their likes and needs, so to each their own! This is just what worked for me! I had zero stress, and I’m a high anxiety person typically. Planning out the trip around sleep times really is a must. And making sure you can travel without dealing with lots of unnecessary items is a huge help.

Amazon Finds

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Recently I bought an organizer for my LV Neverfull. BEST DECISION EVER! 👛

I wish I’d bought it sooner! I got a really thick felt one that will keep spills (heaven forbid that happen) from leaking on to the lining of the purse. It also has TONS of pockets! My neverfull has zero pockets to it so stuff just kind of rolled around all the time. I’m such an organized person, it’s crazy I didn’t buy this sooner! 🤦🏼‍♀️

If you have a bucket style bag that needs pockets or organization help, go to Amazon! I got mine for $27. The one I got comes in 8 different colors. I got the solid black in a size large. It fits the LV Neverfull MM perfectly! It’s made by Lexsion and it’s called “felt purse organizer.” 👜

Post baby

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2 months pregnant vs 2 months post delivery. 💃🏼

I did all weights and little cardio this time around. It made a HUGE difference! With Ryder I did mainly cardio. I was tired a lot and it took me a good 6 months to really get my body “back.” This time around I focused mainly on weights and did a little cardio here and there. I had so much more energy this time around and I could feel a difference in my strength. I was heavier, weight wise, but visually looked thinner. That’s because I put on more muscle instead of fat this time so I was leaner in my pregnancy. (Muscle weighs more than fat!) Because of the added muscle and weight routine, it’s been easier to get the extra baby weight off. I still have some lingering weight but it’s not as obvious as it was the first time around. 💪🏻

This second pregnancy, I was back in the gym working out (light workout) at 4 weeks. With Ryder I struggled to get myself into the gym at 2 months! Before anyone goes off telling me I should have waited till 6 weeks to start working out, let me just tell you that that is old school thinking. My doctor agreed. She told me if I worked out up until the day I gave birth, that I should be perfectly fine to go back to workouts whenever I felt I was ready after birth. With that being said, she did say don’t try to workout the day after labor! But come on, I’m not that much of an idiot! Lol I let my body heal for 4 weeks. When I felt I had strength and energy I started back but very slow and with light weights. 🏋️‍♀️

I can honestly say I’m in better shape at 34 after two kids than I was in my 20’s. Don’t get me wrong, I had a few years where I looked amazing in my 20’s. But I didn’t have the muscle I have now. That just goes to show that it’s not to late to get the body you want. It just takes a little hard work and focus! 👍🏻