2018 Resolutions

This is mostly a letter to myself, combined with a sort of public announcement to keep me accountable to the thoughts I’m having today.

This year is happening. I’ve been reluctant to set resolutions in the past, sure that I wouldn’t uphold them. But this year, I’ve felt a shift in me. I want some change. More than that, I’m ready for big change. I’m ready for our lives to look, feel, and be different this year.

Goal Number 1: Contribute to our family income while working from home.

Why –> So that I can provide the extra support that our daughter needs. I love providing my kids with a safe, fun, and clean home environment. I just want to be a mom. A really awesome mom. And I feel like I need to be at home to do that.

Ever since I was a little girl I knew that I wanted to be a mom. I struggled through high school and college determining a career. I spent most of the last two years working part-time outside the home and every time that I came home from work, I felt like things were falling apart. Stress levels were off the roof. Kids were cranky. Meals weren’t healthy. Routines were scattered. Our autistic daughter struggled. We weren’t thriving. I made the decision to quit my job last May, in the hopes that being home would add stability to our family and it has, tenfold. But my first resolution is to find ways to contribute to our family income while maintaining the stability we’ve found with me staying at home.

Goal Number 2: Complete the #JanuaryWhole30 and beyond…

Why –> We’ve been moving in this direction for four years now. We’ve been slowly eliminating items from our family’s diet in the hopes that it would improve our health. My husband has Crohn’s Disease and in 2013 we tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. He lost over 20 pounds in two weeks. It was severely restrictive. The results didn’t last. He didn’t feel better, at least not enough to stick to eating that way forever. We couldn’t continue it. Over the last two years, we’ve slowly given up dairy, all but cheddar cheese which doesn’t seem to bother anyone as much. I try to choose healthy whole grains when shopping, and gluten-free when it’s available and only if doesn’t taste like cardboard. But it hasn’t been enough.

My weight has gone up and down over the last twenty years. My BMI always ranging from overweight to obese. I gained weight during my Irish twin pregnancies and then lost roughly 70-pounds after my son was born. It was my priority. I calorie-counted, restricted, and exercised around the clock. I did Medi-fast meals. I dropped weight quickly. But couldn’t maintain the extreme effort for longer than one year, and over the course of the next year, I gained twenty to thirty pounds back — all while still maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise. I was and continue to be confounded. Looking at my choices, compared to the Standard American Diet, I eat healthily. I exercise regularly. I shouldn’t gain weight so easily. My metabolism is clearly working against me. Sometimes, it feels like I’m in the wrong body. It doesn’t reflect the care and energy and support I give it. Where are the results that I’ve been striving for over the last twenty years? Cue the Whole30.

I recently discovered the Whole30 and it feels like all my researching about health and nutrition was finally put in one simple, healthy, free (amen!) plan. We’re doing it. We’re starting January 8th, because I was sick all through December and I didn’t want to start it on January 1st feeling unprepared. We’re getting ready for it now. The husband is on board. The kids are… going to deal with it. I’ve made my Thrive Market order. I’ve cleared out the pantry. We’re having our “last meals out” that we know we likely we won’t eat at again for a very long time, if ever, because we’re going into this Whole30 with the mindset that we’re likely not going to come out the other side the same people we were before. We won’t be looking to go back to the old foods or go back to less than great habits.

Uh, Stephanie, you forgot to tell us what Whole30 is… Oops, sorry. It’s a thirty-day whole-health reset. We are going to consume healthy animal proteins, tons of vegetables, and some occasional fruit. We are not going to have any grains (oats, bread, quinoa), gluten, added sugar (#goodbyestarbucks), dairy (milk, cheese, cream), beans/legumes (including peanut butter, #shottotheheart).  It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be worth it. I’m going to blog about it. So if you want to follow along on our journey on the #Whole30, please do. There are so many reasons why we are trying this, I’ve only touched on a few, but I’ll try to share more over the thirty-day journey. You can also follow along on Instagram: @senseandstephanie

Goal Number 3: Become a Young Living Oil Expert

Why –> This goal not-so-coincidentally coincides with goals one and two. I’ve been researching Essential Oils for a long time now, and I finally decided to take the plunge. I purchased my first starter kit last November and have been slowly integrating the oils into our daily life. I’m looking forward to seeing how the oils make a difference in our home and health this year. I’ll be launching a separate website all about Essential Oils and how you can learn more about them soon. Stay tuned for that!

Goal Number 4: Do one Pull-Up

Why –> I think this is going to be the hardest goal of them all. Not kidding. But it’s something I’ve wanted to be able to do since, like, Kindergarten. Too many days in elementary school physical-education classes feeling humiliated by my athletic-ineptitude. Leaving that little self-degrading, insecure girl behind. #buhbye

How on earth am I going to do this? Good question. Step one is going to be following through with goal number two and completing the Whole30 and committing to eating Whole30-ish for the rest of my life. I’m desperately hoping that this program will help reset my metabolism and push me forward to being the person I’ve always felt like I could be. Once I get through January and February with food resolutions I’ll be setting some small, achievable fitness goals towards building strength and losing fat. Come June, I’m going to be begging for a pull-up bar as my birthday present. Then I’ll have six months left of the year to re-analyze how to work towards my goal of one pull up.

Goal Number 5: Save more. Give more. 

Why –> In 2012, we took Financial Peace University at our church in Florida. We had just purchased a new car, our first home, had our first baby, were learning about her disabilities, and we were expecting our second child, fearful he would have the same genetic conditions. I had school loans out the wazoo and we used credit cards to purchase things like a new fence. After taking the class, we followed Dave Ramsey’s baby steps and made huge hurdles to saving up our emergency fund and getting out of debt. In 3 years and 6 months, we paid off $51,541 of debt (not including our home) while making between $48,000-$58,000 a year, and became “debt-free!”

Going through that process enabled my husband to quit his decade-long career in retail management and start a new career as an Insurance Claims Adjuster, a job that he loves. It’s what brought us the adventure of moving from Florida to New York! But that career change brought a lot of financial challenges as well. We stayed tight to our budget and have remained out of debt. #wearenevergoingback <– Haha, I just heard Rapunzel’s voice in my head as she leaves her tower for the first time. #momlife But, I digress.

As time has gone on, we’ve gotten a little bit sleepy when it comes to saving. We’ve been squeezing by and haven’t made much progress on saving and giving since becoming debt-free. This year, our church in New York is offering the Financial Peace University class and my husband and I are so excited to be coordinating it. But I’m also excited for the opportunity to TAKE the class again. To recommit to the principles, to reexamine where we are financially, and to move forward with the baby steps afresh.

On top of that, I’d like to be able to give our family more experiences. I’d like to be able to afford Martial Arts classes for Liam, horseback riding and dance classes for Evelyn, and travel to new places, and heck, I’d like to be able to afford to pay a babysitter so I can go on dates with my husband again. (The drawbacks of not living near family.)

Goal Number 6: Be present. Allow for imperfection, because as much as I’ve aimed for perfect in the past, I’ve never hit it. And I never will. 

 

Why –> My husband would probably tell you that I am always stressed out, that I am always worried, about something, anything. And I think he’s probably right. –> #kids #weather #snow #scheduling #routines #blogging #business #money #health #diet #weight #appearance #makeup #hair #cleanhouse #autism #marriage #organization #motherhood Btw, none of that was in any order of importance. Obvs.

This year I’m aiming to be more present with my family and my friends. To be a better listener. To slow down. And even, to edit myself less. To open up more. I tend to proofread and check myself constantly, in every area of my life. I’ve always been the “silent until spoken to” or “don’t speak unless you have something astounding to say” or “I don’t want to offend anyone” or “better to let them think you’re a fool than open your mouth and prove them right” kind of person. I’m going to try to speak more and worry less. #newmantra

I’m going to try to practice meditating more, and reading my bible more, and journaling my prayers more. #somanygoals I’m getting overwhelmed just thinking about how I’m going to do all of these things. #notenoughhoursintheday #butplentyofhashtagsinthispost

To sum up “all the things.”

 

I have other goals, too. I’ll be setting smaller, more achievable goals throughout the year to help me achieve all of the goals above. But for now, this is a start. #startsomewhere

Happy New Year, friends.

---

 

Connect with Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Turmeric Smoothie

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Update 1/1/2018: This recipe can be Whole30 compliant depending on the almond/coconut milk you use, and if you choose almond butter instead of peanut butter. But I shared this recipe before I started our Whole30 journey, so you won’t see me reference it in the blog!

I love this smoothie in the summer because it’s cool and fresh, not to mention that it’s healthy for you and helps fight inflammation.

My husband has Crohn’s Disease, also commonly known as Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD). Having IBD is a part of who he is, and who we are together, and it makes a big impact on our lives and the foods we choose to eat.

In general, we strive to eat a diet that’s Dairy Free, and we avoid Gluten and Soy when possible. If you have any IBD issues I highly recommend the book, <a href="http://Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. It’s eye-opening and very helpful in understanding how different foods can affect your body. The author, Elaine Gottschall created the diet and coined it, The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s an easy diet, it’s challenging, but my husband definitely sees a difference when he eats according to the SCD and so do I.

Let me also clarify that when I use the term diet, I’m not talking about dieting for weight loss, I’m referring to the dictionary definition of diet: Food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health.

Plus, ever since I read, <a href="http://The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life by Joel Fuhrman, I’ve tried to separate myself from dieting for the sake of weight loss. And lo and behold I’ve felt much better ever since.

Let’s get going with this yummy smoothie business! It’s a lot more than just than the spice turmeric, which is why I say your kids will love it, too. My kids think it’s a peanut butter and banana smoothie. When I started making this for them I left out the turmeric, because it can be quite strong. Then each time I added a little bit more and more and they never noticed. 😛

Moving on. Why turmeric? The spice has anti-inflammatory properties and aids with digestion. You can find more information about it here.

Here’s everything you need to make yours!

8-12 oz Almond Milk or Coconut Milk

1 Fresh or Frozen Banana

1 tbsp Chia Seeds

1 tsp Flax Seeds

1 tbsp Almond Butter (or Peanut Butter if you’re not doing Whole30)

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Ground Turmeric – add 1 tsp at a time until it tastes great to you!

Add everything to a blender, mix until smooth, and enjoy!

Enjoy!

 

An Accountability Chart to Set, Track, and Meet Your Goals

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Motherhood is full of joy and wonder, but it can also be stressful juggling multiple jobs that are all rolled into one. Every mom has different expectations about motherhood. Sometimes, for me, it can feel like society expects me to be able to “do it all” (with grace and strength) and still take care of myself, to boot. I’ve noticed a growing trend that moms are prioritizing their health and devoting more of their energy to self-care in the hopes that taking care of themselves will lead to being a better mother and person, all around. I wholly support that claim. But while it’s true we need to take care of ourselves, as well as our family members, that is easier said than done.

I remember when my daughter was born having an overwhelming feeling that life had not prepared me to be a mother. The only prerequisite I needed to be a mom, was getting pregnant. I didn’t have to study nursing or childhood development or nutrition, and yet I was expected to take home this tiny infant and give it optimal care for all of its needs without any training or education. I couldn’t afford to take those Lamaze and newborn classes at the hospital. I read books. A lot of books. Anyway, I’m getting off topic here. My point is that juggling motherhood, marriage, career, and yourself takes a lot of effort.

Very often when my to-do list starts overflowing, beyond what I feel capable of accomplishing, the first items that get taken off the list are my self-care items, like exercising and eating well. But I know just how much exercise helps me to manage stress, and feel good throughout the day, so it’s important to me to make it a priority.

A little over a year ago I made the decision to stop counting calories and focus more on the quality of food I was eating. But I still wanted some way to be responsible and accountable to myself, so that I could see just how often I would indulge in a sweet treat, or a savory meal out. And just how often was I actually exercising?

Enter: My Accountability Chart

I put the items that I wanted to keep track of on a daily basis on this chart so that I could check them off every single day. For me that includes:

1. Having a protein shake. My morning shake is my little ritual and I love that my son loves them, too, and asks for one every morning. It’s my way to start the day focused and feeling fresh. I don’t have to overthink about what to eat for breakfast either. I use Garden of Life Raw Chocolate with almond milk, frozen bananas, and occasionally peanut butter.

2. Having a salad. This is part of my effort to eat better quality foods and specifically more vegetables. I grew up with a bitter resentment toward all-things-salad because as a child I was constantly dieting and eating terribly bland, boring salads. Which always felt like a punishment for being an overweight child. I’m learning to reinvent my perception about salads by scouring Instagram for creative salad recipes daily. Making salad more exciting has helped me to change my overall diet. Dr. Joel Furhman recommends in his book The End of Dieting (one of my faves, click the link to get the book!) that we should strive to eat at least one big salad every day. So it goes on my chart!

3. Taking my vitamins (which I forget to do more than anything else). This one is pretty simple. I need to take my multi-vitamin, so I put it in the chart. Check.

4. Indulging. Whether it’s indulging in sweets or a big meal out, it can be so easy to mindlessly say yes to a free cupcake at a fair on Saturday, a cookie after church on Sunday, pizza on Monday night after a busy day, and on and on, creating an indulgence snowball throughout the week. Way too late in life, I heard a snippet from Sesame Street about how cookies are a “sometime treat,” and it really struck me.

I recently watched a video that Jen Widerstrom has on her YouTube, about how she doesn’t have cheat meals or cheat days. She says her indulgences are more like moments in time, where she’ll have a small indulgence like a donut, and then it’ll be six months before she has a donut again. I don’t see a future where I go six months without celebrating a birthday with a slice of birthday cake or the random sweet treat because hey, I love sweets. But having the ability to simply make a check mark on the chart when I do indulge helps me be mindful of when my “sometime treats” actually happen. (And I’m also learning more about how to indulge wisely with better nutrition.) I aim to only indulge once per week and I don’t count calories, I just make the check mark and move on. Two days later I might not remember having indulged but it’ll help me to make a better choice because I can say ‘no’ to that cupcake or cookie or pizza because I have a checkmark that says my body is not ready for me to indulge again. Btw, Jen Widerstrom has a new book called, Diet Right for Your Personality Type: The Revolutionary 4-Week Weight-Loss Plan That Works for You (click the link to get your copy). While I’ve just spouted that “I’m not going to diet anymore,” umm…. I’m still going to read this book. Because the term “diet” aside, I am still on a journey to get to a healthy weight, and my thirst for knowledge and to learn from the experts is strong. What books about nutrition would you recommend for me? Comment and let me know!

5. Reading scripture. I didn’t grow up with religion. I’m honestly still not very comfortable talking about my spiritual journey. I will tell you that when I became pregnant with my daughter six years ago, I felt a very strong pull to learn more about religion, and Christianity, in particular. My husband and I began to attend church and our lives have been so enriched because of it. One of the things that I’m trying to do now is read the Bible. Some friends introduced me to an awesome scripture app made by The Bible Project. I highly recommend it! If you’d like to read and learn more about the Bible, or just want to study Christianity itself, it is a wonderful resource. The creators of The Bible Project are incredibly creative in their delivery of the material, they make amazing, easy-to-understand videos that go along with the readings, and they break down reading the Bible into small sessions, making it less daunting… Go watch. They’re awesome. And because making a commitment to reading scripture is important to me, it goes on the accountability chart!

6. Exercise: for all the reasons I listed above. Exercise, especially strength training, makes me feel strong and capable. It sets me up for a more productive day. I’ve had, what I would call an identity crisis of sorts for about the last fifteen years, and here’s why: when my weight started creeping up as a child my parents made me join a gym. I’ve been exercising and dieting since I was at least twelve years old. I have lost weight and gained weight and lost it again more times than I can count. I have had at least five personal trainers. I am constantly reading and researching about nutrition and fitness. I have been to psychologists to discuss potential eating disorders and to physicians about potential medical issues (btw, the Psych said I’m fine, and so has every Doc, so no excuses here.) And yet, I have been consistently overweight throughout the last two decades. Let me clarify, that I’m using the term “overweight” based on my BMI, just one measure of health. My BMI has been in the overweight category for 15+ years.  In the past, I would rarely mention to anyone that I exercise or diet, because I automatically hear in my head what I think their thoughts would be, she exercises? You couldn’t tell. She needs to exercise more. She diets? You couldn’t tell. She needs to diet more. 

So while more than half of my life has been focused on, nay dedicated to the pursuit of good health, exercising, and eating well, and it is a huge part of my personal identity, I’m not sure that many people in my life would really know that about me. I’m trying to change that. Starting with the end of dieting and a true passion for wellness and nutrition, and starting to share with people that, “Hey, I exercise! And I like it! I’m a health-nut! And it’s all part of who I am!”

I’m still working on getting stronger, and leaner, and accepting that this is a forever journey, not an end goal. Each day that I wake up I’m striving to be a better version of myself than yesterday.

7. Notes. These notes could be anything from what type of exercise I did that day to if I wasn’t feeling well or if there was a big event, pretty much anything I want to jot down quickly and remember.

8. The last category, but certainly not the least, is Feel Healthy. Did I make good choices that day and feel good about myself? Even if indulge, even if I miss a workout, at the end of the day, was I happy? I’m aiming to make a checkmark in this column every single day.

My accountability chart has 30 days per page. This is a great way to quickly glance at my progress over a short period of time. I can see if I really did “exercise 5-6 days a week” or if I indulged too many times. Or if I kept up reading my scripture!

Here’s my chart filled in with my categories: Stephanie’s Accountability Chart. Click the link to download the PDF or right click the image below to save the JPEG.

Want to fill in your own categories? Here’s an Accountability Chart with Blank Categories. Same deal, click the link to download the PDF or right click the image to save the JPEG.

What categories would you put on this chart? Comment below and let me know!

The Mother of Accountability Charts

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Motherhood is full of joy and wonder, but it can also be stressful juggling multiple jobs that are all rolled into one. Every mom has different expectations about motherhood. Sometimes, for me, it can feel like society expects me to be able to “do it all” (with grace and strength) and still take care of myself, to boot. I’ve noticed a growing trend that moms are prioritizing their health and devoting more of their energy to self-care in the hopes that taking care of themselves will lead to being a better mother and person, all around. I wholly support that claim. But while it’s true we need to take care of ourselves, as well as our family members, that is easier said than done.

I remember when my daughter was born having an overwhelming feeling that life had not prepared me to be a mother. The only prerequisite I needed to be a mom, was getting pregnant. I didn’t have to study nursing or childhood development or nutrition, and yet I was expected to take home this tiny infant and give it optimal care for all of its needs without any training or education. I couldn’t afford to take those Lamaze and newborn classes at the hospital. I read books. A lot of books. Anyway, I’m getting off topic here. My point is that juggling motherhood, marriage, career, and yourself takes a lot of effort.

Very often when my to-do list starts overflowing, beyond what I feel capable of accomplishing, the first items that get taken off the list are my self-care items, like exercising and eating well. But I know just how much exercise helps me to manage stress, and feel good throughout the day, so it’s important to me to make it a priority.

A little over a year ago I made the decision to stop counting calories and focus more on the quality of food I was eating. But I still wanted some way to be responsible and accountable to myself, so that I could see just how often I would indulge in a sweet treat, or a savory meal out. And just how often was I actually exercising?

Enter: My Accountability Chart

I put the items that I wanted to keep track of on a daily basis on this chart so that I could check them off every single day. For me that includes:

1. Having a protein shake. My morning shake is my little ritual and I love that my son loves them, too, and asks for one every morning. It’s my way to start the day focused and feeling fresh. I don’t have to overthink about what to eat for breakfast either. I use Garden of Life Raw Chocolate with almond milk, frozen bananas, and occasionally peanut butter.

2. Having a salad. This is part of my effort to eat better quality foods and specifically more vegetables. I grew up with a bitter resentment toward all-things-salad because as a child I was constantly dieting and eating terribly bland, boring salads. Which always felt like a punishment for being an overweight child. I’m learning to reinvent my perception about salads by scouring Instagram for creative salad recipes daily. Making salad more exciting has helped me to change my overall diet. Dr. Joel Furhman recommends in his book The End of Dieting (one of my faves, click the link to get the book!) that we should strive to eat at least one big salad every day. So it goes on my chart!

3. Taking my vitamins (which I forget to do more than anything else). This one is pretty simple. I need to take my multi-vitamin, so I put it in the chart. Check.

4. Indulging. Whether it’s indulging in sweets or a big meal out, it can be so easy to mindlessly say yes to a free cupcake at a fair on Saturday, a cookie after church on Sunday, pizza on Monday night after a busy day, and on and on, creating an indulgence snowball throughout the week. Way too late in life, I heard a snippet from Sesame Street about how cookies are a “sometime treat,” and it really struck me.

I recently watched a video that Jen Widerstrom has on her YouTube, about how she doesn’t have cheat meals or cheat days. She says her indulgences are more like moments in time, where she’ll have a small indulgence like a donut, and then it’ll be six months before she has a donut again. I don’t see a future where I go six months without celebrating a birthday with a slice of birthday cake or the random sweet treat because hey, I love sweets. But having the ability to simply make a check mark on the chart when I do indulge helps me be mindful of when my “sometime treats” actually happen. (And I’m also learning more about how to indulge wisely with better nutrition.) I aim to only indulge once per week and I don’t count calories, I just make the check mark and move on. Two days later I might not remember having indulged but it’ll help me to make a better choice because I can say ‘no’ to that cupcake or cookie or pizza because I have a checkmark that says my body is not ready for me to indulge again. Btw, Jen Widerstrom has a new book called, Diet Right for Your Personality Type: The Revolutionary 4-Week Weight-Loss Plan That Works for You (click the link to get your copy). While I’ve just spouted that “I’m not going to diet anymore,” umm…. I’m still going to read this book. Because the term “diet” aside, I am still on a journey to get to a healthy weight, and my thirst for knowledge and to learn from the experts is strong. What books about nutrition would you recommend for me? Comment and let me know!

5. Reading scripture. I didn’t grow up with religion. I’m honestly still not very comfortable talking about my spiritual journey. I will tell you that when I became pregnant with my daughter six years ago, I felt a very strong pull to learn more about religion, and Christianity, in particular. My husband and I began to attend church and our lives have been so enriched because of it. One of the things that I’m trying to do now is read the Bible. Some friends introduced me to an awesome scripture app made by The Bible Project. I highly recommend it! If you’d like to read and learn more about the Bible, or just want to study Christianity itself, it is a wonderful resource. The creators of The Bible Project are incredibly creative in their delivery of the material, they make amazing, easy-to-understand videos that go along with the readings, and they break down reading the Bible into small sessions, making it less daunting… Go watch. They’re awesome. And because making a commitment to reading scripture is important to me, it goes on the accountability chart!

6. Exercise: for all the reasons I listed above. Exercise, especially strength training, makes me feel strong and capable. It sets me up for a more productive day. I’ve had, what I would call an identity crisis of sorts for about the last fifteen years, and here’s why: when my weight started creeping up as a child my parents made me join a gym. I’ve been exercising and dieting since I was at least twelve years old. I have lost weight and gained weight and lost it again more times than I can count. I have had at least five personal trainers. I am constantly reading and researching about nutrition and fitness. I have been to psychologists to discuss potential eating disorders and to physicians about potential medical issues (btw, the Psych said I’m fine, and so has every Doc, so no excuses here.) And yet, I have been consistently overweight throughout the last two decades. Let me clarify, that I’m using the term “overweight” based on my BMI, just one measure of health. My BMI has been in the overweight category for 15+ years.  In the past, I would rarely mention to anyone that I exercise or diet, because I automatically hear in my head what I think their thoughts would be, she exercises? You couldn’t tell. She needs to exercise more. She diets? You couldn’t tell. She needs to diet more. 

So while more than half of my life has been focused on, nay dedicated to the pursuit of good health, exercising, and eating well, and it is a huge part of my personal identity, I’m not sure that many people in my life would really know that about me. I’m trying to change that. Starting with the end of dieting and a true passion for wellness and nutrition, and starting to share with people that, “Hey, I exercise! And I like it! I’m a health-nut! And it’s all part of who I am!”

I’m still working on getting stronger, and leaner, and accepting that this is a forever journey, not an end goal. Each day that I wake up I’m striving to be a better version of myself than yesterday.

7. Notes. These notes could be anything from what type of exercise I did that day to if I wasn’t feeling well or if there was a big event, pretty much anything I want to jot down quickly and remember.

8. The last category, but certainly not the least, is Feel Healthy. Did I make good choices that day and feel good about myself? Even if indulge, even if I miss a workout, at the end of the day, was I happy? I’m aiming to make a checkmark in this column every single day.

My accountability chart has 30 days per page. This is a great way to quickly glance at my progress over a short period of time. I can see if I really did “exercise 5-6 days a week” or if I indulged too many times. Or if I kept up reading my scripture!

Here’s my chart filled in with my categories: Stephanie’s Accountability Chart. Click the link to download the PDF or right click the image below to save the JPEG.

Want to fill in your own categories? Here’s an Accountability Chart with Blank Categories. Same deal, click the link to download the PDF or right click the image to save the JPEG.

What categories would you put on this chart? Comment below and let me know!

Turmeric Smoothie

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

I’m sharing a recipe for the first time! I love this smoothie in the summer because it’s cool and fresh, not to mention that it’s healthy for you and helps fight inflammation.

My husband has Crohn’s Disease, also commonly known as Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD). Having IBD is a part of who he is, and who we are together, and it makes a big impact on our lives and the foods we choose to eat.

In general, we strive to eat a diet that’s Dairy Free, and we avoid Gluten and Soy when possible. If you have any IBD issues I highly recommend the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. It’s eye-opening and very helpful in understanding how different foods can effect your body. The author, Elaine Gottschall created the diet and coined it, The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s an easy diet, it’s challenging, but my husband definitely sees a difference when he eats according to the SCD and so do I.

Let me also clarify that when I use the term diet, I’m not talking about dieting for weight loss, I’m referring to the dictionary definition of diet: Food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health.

Plus, ever since I read, The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life by Joel Fuhrman, I’ve tried to separate myself from dieting for the sake of weight loss. And lo and behold I’ve felt much better ever since.

Let’s get going with this yummy smoothie business! It’s a lot more than just than the spice turmeric, which is why I say your kids will love it, too. My kids think it’s a peanut butter and banana smoothie. When I started making this for them I left out the turmeric, because it can be quite strong. Then each time I added a little bit more and more and they never noticed. 😛

Moving on. Why turmeric? The spice has anti-inflammatory properties and aids with digestion. You can find more information about it here.

Here’s everything you need to make yours!

8-12 oz Almond Milk or Coconut Milk: I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original, but coconut milk would probably delicious, too, and a little thicker

1 Fresh or Frozen Banana

1 tbsp Chia Seeds

1 tsp Flax Seeds

1 tbsp Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Ground Turmeric – add 1 tsp at a time until it tastes great to you!

Add everything to a blender, mix until smooth, and enjoy!

Enjoy!

 

Mom on a Mission

Hi, Friends! I’m Stephanie. Thanks for stopping by my blog! Here are some quick facts about me:

1. I’m married to an Insurance Adjuster, we’re going on eight years married, and he’s awesome.
2. We have two kids: Evelyn is five years old and Liam is four. They’re awesome.
3. I love singing. Mostly Disney music. I play the guitar, violin, and I plunk the piano. I have a degree in Theatre that I’m not using at all. Well, I sing on the Praise Team at our church.
4. One year ago we relocated from Orlando, Florida to Upstate New York. I actually love it here, but I do miss Disney World (and our family members there, too!)
5. I love coffee, peanut butter, whipped cream, Disney, Target, soft blankets, chick-flicks, Christmas (music, decor, celebrations, Jesus, not in that order), and excel sheets, budgeting, meal planning, nutrition, and so much more. And I plan to share all of it here with you!

So let’s dive into this blog already:

Using the principles of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University my husband and I have paid off over $50,000 of debt in the last four years. We are officially Debt Free!!! In that time I’ve also spent hours days months years educating myself about nutrition. Unfortunately, the topics of finance and nutrition rarely go together. Finance, nutrition, parenting and personal growth almost never go together. Well, here, I aim to do just that. I aim to bring together all the things that I am passionate about in my life: my kids (motherhood, parenting, and autism), finance (our family’s financial peace and security, and dealing with medical bills), and wellness (which can include so much more than just nutrition or fitness, but also spirituality and faith, dealing with chronic illnesses, and this last one is so important, self-love.)

For my first blog, I wanted to share a little excerpt from a blog I wrote in January of 2011, pre-motherhood, and very full of youthful angst. Bear with me. I promise my writing and perspective have improved since then.

 

As a person who has been on a diet since I was twelve, I consider myself well informed about health and nutrition.  I’ve had four personal trainers and been a member of a gym since I was 14 years old. I’ve repeatedly lost and gained weight back. I understand the science. I’m learning to understand the emotional side of “being healthy.”

As a young person in America, I’ve also had to learn about my finances. I’m twenty-four years old and I have roughly $50,000 in debt, thanks to my college education. I am ashamed to admit that I had no real awareness of my financial situation until about two or three years ago. I can now add “I’ve read books on budgets and finances” to my list as well.

Tonight, I had a startling revelation: Most health authors and most financial authors have messages that contrast with each other so much. Nutritionists and fitness experts write books about how to live healthier and to be more environmentally-friendly. Financial experts tell me that if I can’t afford it I shouldn’t buy it, period. Even if it adds value to my health?

I was browsing through Barnes & Noble this evening. I looked through the business books, the finance books, and the health & diet books. Don’t you love how health is always linked to diet? One minute I was reading about how to save a penny and the next minute I was reading about spending more on better quality foods.

I am the family accountant in our house. (I am also the family nutritionist, meal planner, and chef.) Currently we are striving to start a retirement fund (which a year ago would’ve sounded crazy to me and now seems like  if I don’t start it today we’re going to get screwed in thirty years), an emergency fund (thanks, Dave Ramsey, it’s already helped a lot), a baby fund, and somehow pay down debts, have additional savings on top of that, and pay regular bills. By the time I put money away for the future our paycheck is slim. By the time I pay bills, it’s tight. By the time  I buy groceries, it’s zero.

So these health books, for example, The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno and Jillian Michael’s Metabolism Cookbook upset me a bit. Because not one of them tells you how to balance eating nutritionally with balancing your budget. By the time I would purchase the fresh, organic, all-natural, no preservatives, cage-free, Omega-3, no hormones, anti-biotic free food, I would probably spend double my grocery budget.

Some examples:

I shouldn’t eat real sugar, or even sugar substitutes, I should go to my local farmers’ market and get agave syrup which costs nearly four times more. That one gets me. Do you know how to cook with agave syrup? I don’t. They don’t tell you how in those books, either. They just spout out how good it is for you and how sugar is bad for your skin. Let’s face it, your standard-grocery-brand Cheerios cost $1.49 and Kashi cereal costs 4.59… which one is affordable? A dozen eggs are $2.49 but the cage-free, omega-3 (which is good if your planning for pregnancy) is $4.39. The same goes for cleaning products: bleach is cheaper than the non-toxic cleaners. Why does it cost more to be healthier?

 

My point in sharing that blog is to show you that I’m still working on the same issues I faced back then. But what you’ll find on this blog, is how I’m working through them, and how far I’ve come. Folks, I bought agave syrup for the very first time this week. Six years after I wrote that post. To be honest, I’m just going to use it in place of honey for a few recipes I’m trying this week, nothing fancy. But it was still difficult to pay that much money for something I could’ve gotten cheaper. I’m incredibly frugal (how do you think we paid off $50,000!) And here’s some more honesty for you, I probably won’t buy it again. Eating well and budgeting well is a balancing act. Choices must be made.

It still costs more to eat healthy, in general, but the good news is that the options for healthy, all-natural foods are more available than ever before. And the information is more readily available, too, whether you’re searching for meal plans on google, or recipes on Instagram, or quick workouts on Pinterest. Information is everywhere. What I hope to accomplish with my blog is to bring information from a variety of sources together in one place.

Join me, an average mom, on a journey towards being a healthier, wiser, and kinder mother, wife, friend, and woman. When I learn new things I’ll share them with you here. And when you learn new things please share them with me! Together we can create a community of women improving our own lives and those around us, one day at a time.

Do more. Oh My Goodness, I’m Turning Thirty!

Did you check out that awesome Ariel birthday cake from my sixth birthday? I so wish I could still have Disney Princess cakes! I digress.

I’m going to be forty!!! In ten years, that is. As I approach my 30th birthday tomorrow, Meg Ryan’s voice from When Harry Met Sally keeps ringing in my ears. I’ve always approached birthdays with excitement and I’ve celebrated that I’ve been blessed with another year of life. But when June hit this year (out of nowhere I might add, I had no idea it was coming up so soon) I was surprised to find that I did not feel ready to celebrate turning thirty. All of a sudden I realized that three decades of my life were over, and I’ll never get that time back. I’ve been looking back over the last thirty years in my mind and trying to figure out what I’d change and what I want the next thirty years to look like.

So I’m making my lists of things to do better or more of or less of or for the first time. I’m also taking stock of just how far I’ve come as a human being.

Evelyn

Liam

Mom Skills

I’m pretty proud of my mom skills most days but parenting better will always be on the list. My children are growing up waaaaaay too fast. They’re not babies anymore.  I promise in the next ten years I will finish their baby books. I just want them (the books) to be perfect, but the time really does go by so quickly and I know that pretty soon I may not remember everything as clearly as I’d like. That’s a scary thought in itself.

• Read more to Evelyn.
• Do more puzzles with Liam.
• Give them more grace and patience.
• Give myself more grace.
• Introduce them to more vegetables.
• Be more active with them.
• Cuddle with them more.
• Help them to be independent, strong, confident, and full of faith.
• And on and on it goes…

Health

For years I thought it was “my battle,” but in the last two years, I have had a “healthy-living” enlightenment. I’m fighting for health instead of against myself and my personal demons.

• Learn more about good nutrition every day.
• Be a nutrition and fitness lover, and be okay with that being a part of my identity. I am not the overweight girl I used to be.
• Exercise regularly. For a purpose. Not because I have to, but because I get to.
• Stop reaching for a number on the scale.  Reach for taking more pictures with my family without being self-conscious.

Self Worth

Value Myself. When I was about 11 years old, there was this very pretty girl, (you know the one,) she was popular and perfect in my eyes (most other girls were, I was the only weird one) and one day at recess I literally went up to her and asked her, “Are you my friend?” Can you believe it! She said yes, and I just didn’t believe her. Somewhere deep within me, I was sure she was lying to spare my poor, fat girl feelings. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn’t. I’ll never know. But I was so embarrassed by myself that I don’t think I ever spoke to her again. I just could not believe that someone like her could ever be friends with me.

I was a very insecure girl. Over the years as I made new friends my confidence grew, but the insecurities never truly disappeared. Participating in choir and theater in high school gave me a creative outlet and an escape from family troubles.

That little girl is inside me still, full of doubt and insecurity. There is still a piece of me that wants to ask people, “Are you my friend? Do you really like me?”

• Find value in my own self-worth.
• Learn to appreciate myself and the gifts I have to offer. And offer them.
• Be confident despite fear of failure. Or the fear that people won’t like me.
• Speak my truths and censor myself less.
• Advocate for things that matter to me.
• Invest in my relationship with the Lord more. Focus on my faith.
• Value my worth as a mother and a wife.

Do More

The sky is the limit. I hope that in the next thirty years I will do more. Go more. See more. Appreciate more. Prioritize better. Follow through. Set goals, achieve goals, repeat. Volunteer more. Help more. Learn more. Forgive more. Love more. Be more open and honest. Share more. Give more. Listen more. Be a better mom. Be a better wife. Focus on my husband, appreciate and value him as my best friend, partner, and other-half, always. Be a better daughter, sister, and friend to others.

Let’s get this party started, Thirty, because before I know it, I’m going to be forty!

P.S. We are half way to Christmas. Woot woot!

Living the (Upstate) New York Life

We have officially lived in New York for a little over four weeks now. That seems impossible. I also don’t feel like we live here yet. It feels more like a very long, stressful trip. Not a vacation. Not a relocation. Just lots of displacement.

When we arrived we were placed in an apartment in Henrietta. An employee checked us in and told us our apartment was non-smoking, which was very important to us. Upon moving into the apartment we discovered we had a neighbor somewhere in the building smoking. Our dishwasher was leaking and so I called resident services and complained about the smoker, and the dishwasher; they sent out a maintenance worker who fixed the dishwasher and I told him about the smoker. He told me he would look into it and get back to me. The smoke was only bothersome when the neighbor was smoking, not all day long, which was fortunate. But it was especially bad in the evenings (you know, when the office is closed). In the second week I called again to complain about the smoker; once again I was told they would look into it and call me back, and they never did. In the third week (on a Friday evening) I called again and this time they sent out a maintenance worker who verified that someone in the apartment upstairs was smoking; he said he couldn’t tell her to stop and we’d have to call management on Monday morning.

Monday morning I called management and they told me that I was, in fact, in a smoking building. Now, this was incredibly irritating to me because it took four people to determine that, and on top of that, I would not have known this was a smoking building by the signs on the building that say “designated non-smoking building” or the stickers on the windows to our entrance that designate non-smoking. She informed me that the non-smoking building was the entrance next door to ours, and not to our “section” of the building. And that the stickers on the entrance to our building only meant that you couldn’t smoke in the common hallway. Three weeks and four people later we finally figured out that we were in a smoking building. Then they tell us that they have no available non-smoking apartments.

We called Barkley’s employer, and amazingly they found us a non-smoking hotel that accepts dogs. So that very day I packed up all our stuff moved us over to the hotel. I’m so grateful for this hotel. Words can’t express it.

Before we moved to the hotel, though, the kids did get to see snow for the very first time! Evelyn just sat down in it and said over and over, “It’s so beautiful.” Melt my heart. They have enjoyed playing in it, but we can only go out for a few minutes at a time because we don’t really have the proper snow gear yet. And since it’s March/April stores aren’t selling winter gear anymore!

First snow!

All smiles!

I tried.

I feel soooo much better now that we are in a hotel. On top of there not being cigarette smoke everywhere, the hotel also provides complimentary breakfast every morning and coffee all day long.

COFFEE. ALL. DAY.

Hotel breakfast, yum!

I’ve been trying to exercise regularly since we arrived. At the apartment I was having to walk in 25-degree weather across the complex at 5:30 in the morning to get to the gym. At the hotel, I get to walk down a cozy, warm hallway. A-mazing. And the elliptical is brand new and full of cool functions I could never have imagined. I want one.

 

Perfect mini-gym with the elliptical of my dreams!

 

We are hoping to close on our house in two weeks, and (is it crazy to say?) I’m incredibly excited that the previous owner is leaving behind a treadmill. We are planning on setting up a little home gym space in the basement. This is going to be awesome because I’ll be able to workout in my own private area before the kids wake up every morning.

We are a little frustrated with the process of closing on a house in New York and I’m afraid things will be delayed, but fingers crossed, we will be in our new home soon.

First glimpse of our new home!

Evelyn and I have a cold; Liam had it but recovered very quickly and so far, Barkley has been spared, as usual. Despite it, Barkley, Liam, and Evelyn played in the hotel pool last weekend, as there wasn’t much else to do. Liam started swimming on his own with his new floaties. We haven’t done much swimming them, despite being from Florida, so I was glad to see him enjoying it so much. In the past, Evelyn really didn’t like getting in swimming pools. She really doesn’t like it when water touches her face. At first, she got a little upset, but after a few minutes she really started enjoying it, even when her face got wet. It’s been amazing to see Barkley and the kids get closer now that they have a regular schedule and routine, and they’re getting to spend so much more time together. Family bonding!!!

 

We’ve done very little sightseeing outside of searching for a home, mostly libraries and parks, lol. We visited the library that’s closest to the new house, and I couldn’t help but be a little bit sad as I miss our library in Florida where I spent so many days with the kids. This library is super small but quaint and cozy. The kids liked it! I’m hopeful we’ll have many fond memories here, too.

We went to Powder Mills Park and fed fish in the Hatchery there. It was fun for about five minutes, but I was terrified the kids were going to fall in the ponds. Lol.

Last weekend we went to Gennessee Valley Park which had a gorgeous river with trails, bridges, pavilions, and a playground.

Genessee Valley Park

The weekend before Barkley went to play basketball with some of his co-workers and he tore a muscle (or sprained a muscle, I’m not sure what the doctor said) in his knee. He’s recovering slowly but doing okay. No MRI needed for now. Just long walks in parks and swimming in our free time.

I’m trying to think of any other adventures we’ve had since arriving in Rochester. Nothing else comes to mind.

This week and next are busy with several appointments for Evelyn’s evaluations for physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Prayers that we are led in the right direction and find the best caretakers to help nurture Evelyn and help her grow. This is such an exciting and terrifying thing for me, as a mom.

Speaking of moms… Mine is scheduled to come visit in two weeks, assuming we close on and move into our house on time. Of course, I’m counting down the days to her visit and so looking forward to seeing her. I think Barkley is looking forward to having her here to babysit so we can have a date night (and because he misses her, too, of course). And I’m planning on taking her to a tearoom that I’ve had my eye on since we moved 😉 We might even take the kids to see Zootopia, which would be their first official movie in a theater!

More on our adventures in New York soon!

A Forgotten Post… About Being a Mom

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Very often I start writing a blog and then I save it as a draft and come back to it later. I’d say 1 out of every 5 blogs I write actually gets posted. I realized that I haven’t posted in a few months and thought it was time to get to it! Low and behold, while skimming through old, unfinished posts I came across one that I titled “I’m a Mom.” Now folks, when I say it’s an old post, I mean it. I wrote it over a year ago. And just like reading an old journal entry it was interesting to see where I was at the time compared to where I am now. I thought it might be interesting to share the old, forgotten post and then follow up on it today.

Without further ado.

“I’m a Mom” – July 2013

For the past three years, essentially since our wedding, we have been getting on a budget, paying down our (my) debts, and becoming adults. You know: starting a family, buying our first house, all those very “grown-up” things.  You’d think that being married with two children would make me feel like an adult, but in truth sometimes I still feel too young and ill-prepared to handle being an adult.

I have two children and I am a stay-at-home mom, but the reality that I am someone’s Mommy is still surreal to me. I was given the title the moment she was conceived, and I earned it through nine months and one tough labor and delivery. But while I identify myself as a daughter, sister, wife, friend, musician, and artist, I’m still astounded that I am also a Mom. Even more astounding that I am a mom of two! Perhaps it will hit me when my children call me by name. For now Evelyn calls everyone Dada. That’s not one bit frustrating… I digress.

I am a Mom. And by all means, my age and life choices, I am an adult. I make adult decisions. I have adult responsibilities. I am a role model to my children. I am judged by parents and non-parents alike every time I enter Target or Publix. How will her children behave? Some days passersby marvel at how well behaved my babies are. Other days… Well, let’s not think of those days.

Dave Ramsey calls the stage we are in living like no one else, so that later we can really live like no one else. It means that we are attacking our debt with every dollar we earn. It means we live on less than we make. It means no movies, no dates, no travel, and no unnecessary purchases. It means people look at you funny when you pull out a stack of envelopes filled with cash and choose the one labeled FOOD when you buy groceries. It means saying no to yourself a lot. Every day. But every time I say no, I feel a little bit more like an adult. I know that in three years when we are debt free I will thank myself for saying no and I am so looking forward to that financial freedom.

Present day – 

I am a MOM!!! And I feel like it. What a difference a year can make. Both my babies call me mama and it’s the best sound in the world. I have navigated my way through two and half years of dirty diapers, first foods, nap times, playground boo-boos, midnight fevers (and ER trips), MRI’s and numerous Specialists, and come out the other side a much more confident, stronger person. Dare I say it, an adult. There are still days filled with parent-doubt, mom-guilt, and fatigue, but overall I can say that I’ve grown as a human being.

Reclaiming passion, purpose, and sanity. Sounds good to me!

I’ve set a new goal to read one non-fiction book per month for the next year. This month’s book is The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers by Dr. Meg Meeker. The first chapter alone has struck a chord with me. It’s about accepting my value as a mom and understanding my self-worth. We, moms, are in a constant state of worry about our children: their health, their safety, their happiness, and if we are getting it all right as a parent (all the while knowing we are doomed, because there is no way to get it all right. Not to mention that we all have a different perception of what is right.) 

It is liberating to read that my value to my children is simply my being with them and not how many words they know or how much organic food they eat. We each have strengths and weaknesses, and as a mom, it’s a relief to know that even if I’m not getting it all right I can still celebrate my strengths as a mom and work on my weaknesses, too. So I want to take a minute to boast. It’s unlike me to do so, so bear with me. It is so easy for me to recognize all the things I wish I did better as a mom, but instead, I want to recognize five things that are important to me as a mom that I feel like I’m doing well with my kids. 

1. Schedule – My kids (and I) love a good routine. We have our routine down-pat and we are all happier when we follow our routine. But if we miss a nap… watch out! (Notice I said we.)

 

Story Time!

2. Reading – My kids love books! I can’t take credit for Evelyn, I think she would read books all day long even if I wasn’t there. But I’m so proud of how excited they get when we read books. It’s the best part of every day.

 

3. Clean/Messy Ratio – Kids will be kids and that means that messy = fun. That said, I think we’ve been doing a great job of learning to clean up the fun at the end of every day. They’re learning the difference between messy and organized. And why it’s important to stay organized (Evelyn thinks it’s so you can always find the book you want to read. So true, so true.) And I’m learning why it’s important to get messy, to have fun, and laugh more.

4.  My nutrition and health – Getting my kids to eat healthy food will probably be an ongoing process for many, many, many years. Some days they do very well, other days it’s PB&J and Mac n’ Cheese. However, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made with my health since my children were born. In the last year and a half (since Liam was born) I’ve lost over 70 pounds. Learning to live a healthy lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight, but because I have two happy children looking up to me every day I’m making huge strides.

5. Memory keeping – I’m doing my best to stay somewhat organized so that my kids will have tons of photos, videos, and books to look back on their wonderful childhood. (This is probably mostly for my sake, though.)

Now I’ll go work on our organic meal plan just to throw it aside and have mac n’ cheese.

What strengths are you proud of as a parent? Comment below and we can empower each other!

Updates on the Lil’ Ones

We got the great news on Thursday that we are having a boy! I’m twenty weeks along (half way through the pregnancy) and feeling pretty good, albeit exhausted. Our little boy will be named Liam Barkley Finsterbush! So far he is doing very well; functioning organs, good spine, steady heart beat, four limbs… everything this Mom wanted to hear. I’m very excited to start planning a baby shower for him in January and to start picking out handsome little outfits, too!

If you’re friends with Barkley or me on Facebook then you’ve probably seen Barkley’s latest status update asking for prayers for Evelyn. I’m sure many of you are curious to know why we asked that of you, so if you’re interested, here are more details.

At Evelyn’s four month visit to the pediatrician she weighed in at 16 lbs 2 oz. Up until then she was gaining weight steadily and in the 95th-100th percentile for her weight and height. A week or two before her six month visit she had her first cold. We took her in to see the pediatrician early and she weighed in at 16 lbs. She should’ve gained a minimum of two pounds between four and six months.
The pediatrician said the lack of weight gain could be because of the cold and she returned a week later for her regular six month appointment for vaccinations, with no change. He then asked that instead of waiting to see her at the nine month visit, he wanted to see her back at seven months to ensure that she started gaining weight again. Yesterday we returned to the pediatrician with high hopes, but unfortunately she weighed in at 15 lbs 11 oz. So now she’s losing weight and is in the 25th percentile within a matter of 3 months.

Our pediatrician has offered many possible reasons for this, including the fact that my pregnancy began around the time she stopped gaining weight, which means my breast milk might not be providing enough nutrients for her, because they’re all going to Liam. Secondly, the weight issue coincided with her starting solid foods, which means she might not be digesting her solids well.  Hopefully, with some adjustments to her diet and beginning to supplement with some formula, we might see some improvement.

In addition to her weight plateau, and now loss, Evelyn hasn’t been meeting all of her “milestones” on time. For example, she’s supposed to roll over in one direction by six months, sit up on her own by seven months, and be babbling consonants like da-da, ma-ma, goo-goo, etc by now. She is still struggling to do all of those. After examining her yesterday our pediatrician concluded that her muscle mass was weak and could be contributing to her having difficulty in those areas.We’ve been referred to a Pediatric Neurologist for further testing. The Neurologist will be better able to diagnose any early signs of muscular disorders or provide us with answers about her weight loss. So that’s where we are right now. Waiting to see a neurologist for further help.

I’d like to assure everyone that aside from her weight and physical development she is doing very well. She is meeting most of her other milestones, especially the cognitive ones, which is very important.

I had suspected that her odd sleeping patterns (which she has dictated herself up until now) were not allowing her to get enough rest (she needs 13-14 hours a day).  She was very often cranky and irritable. A few days ago Barkley and I decided to try some sleep training techniques via the book The Sleep Easy Solution. It requires us to be very strict in the timing of her naps and bedtimes and wake times which is a bit challenging for us. Barkley’s ever-changing work schedule always throws us off and it limits our ability to go anywhere. I say that knowing that we’ve only been doing this for two days.

Get the book on Amazon here!

 

The very first night required that I let her cry in her crib a lot longer than I normally would have liked, but by yesterday she cried significantly less, and last night (night 2) she slept from 7 pm to 6 am without a problem (I still have to set my alarm every 2-3 hours to rouse her gently and nurse her, though.) In comparison, before she would go to sleep in our arms, any time she liked between 8 pm and 11 pm. And then cry to wake me in the middle of the night to nurse. I think she was only getting 10-11 hours of sleep before, including daytime naps and nighttime, and now we’re guaranteeing her 14 hours every day. She’s taking her second nap of the day today, as I write this blog.

I’m amazed at how quickly she’s learning to soothe herself to sleep. I can tell already that the extra rest has helped her disposition. She’s hardly been cranky today, and seems to enjoy playtime and exercise with a lot more interest.

Oh, and last but not least, she cut her first tooth last week.

I think that is a complete update of everything! We really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers for Evelyn’s health, and for Liam’s continued health and steady growth. Love to everyone!

[UPDATE 2017: Read how the Sleep Easy book really helped us here!]