The Whole 30 Wrap-Up

So I guess you could call my plan the Whole-24 as I didn't quite make it to the 30 day mark.  That being said I think I learned a ton about my body and my relationship with food.

I was addicted to sugar plain and simple.  Along with the hidden amounts in practically every food I was eating, I was choosing high sugar snacks in between meals.  Now if I have more than one sweet item at a time I immediately get a stomach ache and my drive for sugar in general is way down.

My cravings have changed as well.  I now think in terms of veggies and protein versus my favorite sweet and savory snacks.  Even after the end of this program, I find myself still making eggs for breakfast everyday.  My dinners still consist of mainly protein and veggies with a few modifications in there.

What has really surprised me is I have no desire to add in dairy and bread back into my diet.  In fact my stomach gets a tad nauseous at the mere thought.  This has blown my mind as cutting out dairy when Mara was born was so hard for me.  I missed cheese so much.  Now not so much.

The other day I did my first non-Whole 30 grocery run and was super surprised as to what ended up in my cart.  I thought for sure I would go back to my old favorites.  I didn't.  I wasn't even tempted.  Sure I added a few things in there.  I got some sour cream and dark chocolate.  But for the most part my cart was mainly the protein, vegetable and fruit standards I was used to.  I didn't even look twice at the soda aisle.

This kind of diet isn't realistic for me in the long term.  One I don't know what it will look like when Josh gets home and two I found some of the rules on the program confining.  But that being said I think I need to eat close to this and want to eat close to this for the long term.  Oh and it didn't hurt that I lost a total of 12.5 pounds and 6 inches.  :)

Mara-16 Months

Wears:  You are still in 18 month clothing with a lot of room to spare.  I'm thinking this set of clothes will get the longest wear yet!  When I put you in disposables you are in size 4.

At your 15 month appointment at the beginning of this month you were 21 lbs. and 29.5 inches.

Wearing Mama's old dress to church

Health: You have been super healthy as normal this month.  You have had a slight runny nose at time but I think that's too be expected with the time of year and all the germs being passed around at the nursery at church.

You now have all your teeth besides the top right molar.  Thus far it doesn't seem to be coming in but we'll see.

First day of ballet.  Unsure but oh so cute!

Says:  Your vocabulary has almost doubled this month.  You now regularly say: "Ut, oh!", "Oww!", "doggie", "no", "Nama" (Grandma), and "I know."

Besides the clear words you say you also seemingly talk in complete sentences in your own language.  You string multiple "words" together when you are talking to Mommy and Daddy and seem to have something very important to say.  

Bath time is still high up on your list

Favorite Foods: This month we have added enchiladas, blueberries, tomatoes, hamburger, and zucchini to the list of foods you'll eat.  I'd still classify you as pretty picky but we are slowly trying to change that.  

New toys from Grandma

Sleep: You STILL haven't slept through the night yet.  Lately your sleep has been a real struggle.  You used to lay back down (even if you were semi-awake) at night and fall back asleep on your own.  Now you've been screaming as soon as I lay you down.  We usually do this dance for about an hour before you resettle back down.  You are probably up 2-3 times a night still.  It's completely exhausting.

Your naps haven't really been affected this month.  You still usually take one longer nap (1.5-2 hours) mid-day.  The only difference I've noticed is that if you fall asleep in the car it's been really hard to get you in the house asleep.

Rocking

Best Moment:  The best moments this month have been having Grandma and Aunt Mary come for a visit.  It was a last minute trip but you had so much fun with both of them.  You chased Aunt Mary around in your Radio Flyer and had Grandma read you a ton of books.

We have also started ballet and music class this month.  It's been a lot of fun watching you enjoy these new classes and start to interact with your peers

Selfies after bath time

Milestones: You raise your hands to be tickled.  You continue to do this although the height you raise them get's less and less the more I tickle you.

You can identify objects in your "I spy" books.

You bend over to look between your legs in a kind of headstand yoga movement.

You have a great memory.  You repeatedly know where you've left things and what things are called.  You know that you get a stamp at ballet and music class and will point to your hand all week at the mere mention of it.

You blow on your food when I tell you it's hot.

You're the best helper.  You throw things away when asked including the links on our daddy countdown each morning.  You also close doors and put dirty laundry in the hamper.

You know your body parts.  You can identify your head, eyes, nose, mouth, cheek, ears and toes when asked.

You ask for your boo boos to be kissed. :)

16 months

Loves To:  You love to read still.  Books all day.  Your favorite ones are any about Mickey Mouse and farm animals.

You love your stuffed animals.  You carry them around all day and give them squeezes.  You just got a Mickey Mouse one which you haven't let out of your sight.

You love Mickey Mouse.  I let you watch a tiny bit of TV everyday and you always want Mickey.

You love music and dancing.  Every song that comes on you sway your hands and bounce around.

You love to give kisses.  You always give one when asked.

You love buddy.  You always want to know where he is and will go sit by him.

You love drinking out of Mommy's cup.  You prefer this cup to all others.

How is she a 1/3 of the way to 2?!

Favorite Toys: Radio flyer scooter, BOOKS, teddy bear, anything with music, mickey mouse, new farm tractor and safari van

I love that silly grin

Dislikes: not getting your way immediately, diaper changes, when Mama doesn't let you watch Mickey Mouse

A Family Visit

This past week my mom and aunt Mary came down from Illinois for a quick visit.  It was a last minute visit but we were so excited to see them!

Usually when they come down we plan at least one major shopping day but this time we kind of laid low.  The first day we headed onto post for Mara's music class.  Mara lite up having her Grandma and Aunt in the class.  She quickly abandoned me to sit by them.  I have also never seen her more engaged in the class.  She was clapping along and slapping her thighs.

After class we headed out to run some errands around town.  I had a few Christmas gift cards still left and I was ready to go shopping!  Our first stop was Toys R Us for Mara.  What child doesn't love a toy store...especially with your Grandma in tow!  Mara came out with two new toys both of which have animals and music, two of her favorite things.

Loving her new toys

We then hit the book store, another major hit with Mara.  She was in heaven bringing me book after book.  I grabbed a few for myself (I can't remember the last time I read a book) and a few for her.  The last stop of the day was to Lowe's where I picked up a few supplies for an upcoming project for Mara.

Friday was more low key.  Mom and Mary hung out at the house with Mara while I ran to the mall and had lunch with a few friends.  It was so refreshing to be out of the house on my own and I know Mara was  having a blast at home.

Grandma reads great stories

Saturday we planned more shopping (have I mentioned that my mom loves to shop?) I wanted to use the rest of my gift cards at Kohl's, Old Navy, and Target.  The day went off without a hitch.  Mara was the perfect shopper sleeping through Kohl's and chasing after Aunt Mary in Old Navy.  We picked up a few new pieces for me and some clearance items for Mara.  Mara even sweet talked Grandma into a Mickey stuffed animal.  (She has been obsessed with Mickey recently)

Yum Chocolate for dessert

We really enjoyed this trip only wishing it could have been longer!  Mara kept them both running around.  She was super engaged and I loved watching her with them.  By the end of their visit she was looking for them in every room and choosing them over Mama for book reading and playtime.  We are already looking forward to the next visit!  Come back soon!!!

Whole 30 Update

So I wrote about my decision to start the Whole 30 program a little bit ago here.  I'm now 15 days in (or halfway) and I thought it was fitting to record some of my thoughts about how it's going thus far.

The first day was a breeze.  I was motivated to change my eating habits and enjoyed creating new meals from the real foods I was eating.  I didn't really expect to get any true withdrawals or cravings right away but was surprisingly woken up that night shaking and sweating.  It got so bad that I had to get up and eat a banana.

The next day I kept pushing forward and was fine during the day.  Again I was woken up by slight symptoms of withdrawal in the night.  This time I knew it wasn't as severe and was able to fall back asleep.

As the next few days went on I definitely wanted my sweets but I kept strict to the Whole 30 plan. By day 5 I had somewhat lost my drive for sugar.  I didn't expect this so soon but was pleasantly surprised as I was able to easily refuse desserts and sugar infused treats.  Yes!  This was my main reason for doing this plan!

So now I am officially halfway and I feel like I am at a bit of crossroads.  I'm tired of all the cooking, meal planning and dish washing (oh did I mention my dishwasher broke day 2 into this?!).  I keep wondering what the next day will look like and more importantly what the end will look like.  I don't think I can keep this up.  Nor do I honestly really want to.

But don't get me wrong.  There has been some serious good that has come out of the last 15 days.  I have a WAY better understanding of the food I'm putting in my mouth.  I realize how much sugar I was consuming and how it was affecting my body.  I can say that I will definitely be more of a label reader than I already am and will likely try to make better choices when it comes to sugar and my food.  For example I am baffled as to why sugar is everywhere.  My garlic salt seasoning has sugar in it!  I mean shouldn't it just be garlic and salt?!

So am I quitting?  I don't know yet.  Not today at least.  I will get through the rest of the whole 30 compliant food in my house and then see.  I honestly feel pretty indifferent about it.  I didn't really come into it expecting to go the whole month.  More so I wanted to change how I view food and to see how sugar affected me.  I feel I have accomplished that.  Sure I could keep going and see how it continues to feel but again we'll see.

That's where I am.  Tomorrow it may be different.  By the end of the week I may eat a cookie.  I'm just not sure.

Life Lately

Life has been super busy lately which good and bad.  Mara is enrolled in both ballet and music class on post.  It's been so much fun experiencing these classes with her.  She's been doing really great in both following direction and paying close attention.  She's so reserved in new environments that it's hard to tell how much she enjoys these times quite yet.  On a side note I never would have classified Mara as shy until watching how she has entered into these new experiences.

I just started a new bible study at church.  After about a month break our little women's group is back at it and diving into Mark.  I'm super excited to get started and love Tuesday mornings with these ladies.  Hopefully Mara will do better in the nursery than she did today so I can get more out of it!

My mom and aunt are coming to visit next week.  They decided a few weeks ago to make the trek down and we couldn't be more excited.  Mara is going to LOVE having two more people to read books to her and play with her.  Hope they are ready for it!!

I just got out my new sewing machine and am super excited to start creating!  I was a little nervous about it as I don't know much about sewing machine.  I'm kind of a jump in type of girl and the fact that I had to actually read the directions on this one was putting me off.  Yesterday I finally did it and can't wait to start turning that pile of fabric into fun things!

I'm still trudging trekking along on this whole 30 plan.  The first few days were super hard and I experienced some crazy withdraw symptoms.  The last few days I have just kind of been indifferent about it.  Yes a cookie still sounds good but I'm not reaching for one yet.  The draw of a healthier body is still a bit stronger.  I do have some serious temptation coming up in the form of a few parties and my family's visit so we'll see.  My body seems leaner but I'm not completely sure.  Right now I'm kind of at the point where I'm going to eat all the compliant food in my fridge and then see how I feel (no wasting that expensive produce!) Probably not the best attitude but that's where I am right now.

Tomorrow or more so tonight we're supposed to have freezing rain.  So my northern roots have completely rotted away.  I don't do winter anymore so Mara and I will be hibernating until it all goes away aka Thursday.

So Josh is coming home soon.  We are so excited for him to be back but this remaining time just seems to drag on and on.  Hopefully being as busy we are it will go quickly and he will be in our arms again soon enough.

Mara Starts Ballet

I've never been the mom who dreams of their little girl taking ballet.  I danced in high school but never had any expectations for Mara.  With Josh deployed we get a certain amount of credit for classes on base and they just happen to have a ballet class for Mara's age group.

I was a little surprised that they had ballet for kids her age but signed her up nevertheless.  This past Tuesday was our first class.  I dressed her up in her little black leotard and pink tights (gush sigh there was nothing cuter!) and we headed into the studio.  

The class was structured to be a parent and me class with the parents taking part in every portion of it.  The instructor told us that her main goal was to have the girls follow instruction and develop some rhythm.  

We practiced pretty hands and a few feet positions.  We tiptoed and stomped around the room while waving our scarves.  We even tried balancing a bean bag on our head.  

Mara wasn't completely sure, as always.  It usually takes her a bit to warm up to a situation.  She did do well despite this following instruction and making some attempts at the moves.  

Overall I'm glad we have her enrolled.  We found out that there is an end of the year recital in June.  We've already decided to have Mara participate and I cannot wait to see her dressed up in her recital dress on stage!

Play Group

Mara really likes watching older kids and interacting with them.  Recently we've started going to a play group on post for 1-3 year olds and Mara loves it.

Each morning starts with lots of songs.  We sing "The Wheels on the Bus," "I'm a Little Teapot," and lots of other child favorites.  With her love of music, she usually sits enthralled by the movements and sounds.  I love sitting with Mara and going through all the hand motions and body movements.  She probably thinks I'm crazy now but I'm sure in a couple of months she'll be doing them on her own.

Crafts are usually the second activity.  This week we made a penguin.  Mara usually isn't too excited about the assembly of the craft but sure loves coloring it when it's done.  I try to grab her a few crayons so she can go to town on it.

After that it's a free for all.  Army Community Services has done a great job getting a wide variety of toys that keep the kids super interested.  Mara usually bounces from one to another super quickly.  She really loves all the ride on toys and pushing toys.  Recently she has become interested in their play kitchen and the see-saws.

Overall it's a great opportunity for Mara to get out and socialize with other kids her age.  I have started to see her really get interested in the other kids and even try to play with others.  When I'm not chasing after her (which isn't often) it's also a nice opportunity for me to get out and socialize with other mamas.

Bottom line we love it.  It's our favorite way to spend out Mondays!

Whole 30

I was already set to try to get more healthy this year.  You know the typical new year's resolution to exercise and eat better.  Now already knowing myself I probably would have just tried to workout without really changing what I eat much.  I may have lost a few pounds but probably wouldn't have been too satisfied with my results.

Then one of my good friends made it known that she was going to try the whole 30 program again.  She had done it awhile ago and wanted to give it another shot.  Suddenly it sounded pretty appealing to me.  Eat real food.  Real unprocessed food.

The basics of whole 30 are just that, eat real food.  Protein, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats.  No bread.  No dairy.  No sugar.  Of course there is some fine print but that's the basics.

I eat a lot of crap.  A lot of sugar and frankly I'd go as far as saying I'm probably pretty addicted to it.  I crave sweets.  I always get a cookie when I eat out and chocolate is my go to snack.  I'm excited about kicking this habit and seeing what not consuming sugar for 30 days does to my body.

I know this is going to be difficult.  I'm going to have pretty intense cravings but I'm hoping to push through them.  To try to change my relationship with food.  I don't see this 30 day challenge as a life change.  I will probably add some things back into my diet but I am hoping to get better control of my eating habits and jump start my weight loss program.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and stocked up on veggies, fruit and meat in preparation for Monday (Day 1 of the challenge).  I'm excited to see what I can make from these food and am ready to experiment with these foods in ways I have not before.  Today I prepped most of the veggies just to make things easier.  I'm all about efficiency these days and this will just help move things along.  I don't want food to become a stresser for me and I think doing some work before cooking will help.

So yeah here we go.  Whole 30.  There's no more excuses.

Toddler Must Haves

Toddler.  Do I really have a toddler?  It seems just like yesterday I was reflecting on some of our favorite newborn and infant products.

Now that Mara is older our list of must haves has definitely changed a bit.  Surprisingly enough, there are still some products that have withstood the test of time and are still making the list 15 months later.

Here are some of our go to products for day to day life!  *note these are my own opinions and I was not compensated for my thoughts*

Eating

Boon Plates-I'm not sure Mara has an opinion about these plates but I love them.  They have a non-slip edge which makes them harder for her to throw on the ground move.  They have three different sized wells which makes for decent serving proportioning.  Boon also makes these plates in a large size with four wells which we may get eventually!

Snap Bibs-This WAHM started this company after seeing a need for her own child.  I stumbled upon these bibs after seeing how difficult the standard bib was clean and how easily Mara could take it off.  I've never looked back.  These are my go to, all around favorite bib.  They have a sturdy snap that Mara cannot get off and wipe clean super easy.  My favorite aspect of this bib is that it can be thrown in the wash!


Sleeping

Tight Fitting PJs-After reading about flame retardant that is now common on children's pjs, I was adamant about Mara's pjs not having it.  We don't have a favorite brand per say but Mara owns numerous pairs from Children's Place, Carters and Old Navy.  We have recently moved away from footie pjs for the older two piece option.

Bathing

Rubber Ducky Tub-We have had this tub since Mara was old enough to sit up in her infant tub.  We use it everyday as a water saving alternative to the larger bath tub as well as a convenient travel option.  The tub easily deflates and packs really small in a suitcase.  We tried to move Mara to the big tub after she stood up a few times but she was really terrified so we reverted back to the duck!

Hooded Towels-Again we don't have a favorite brand but I love to wrap Mara up in a hooded towel after a bath.  We have a few in fun animal prints and even a few from my childhood that still fit her.

On The Go

Ergo-The Ergo has been on my baby must have list from the beginning.  It is my all time go to for long carries and now that Mara is on the move, containment.  In the toddler years all Mara wants to do is run around on her own.  I can pick her up kicking and screaming, throw her in the Ergo and she instantly calms down.

Ring Sling-I have had my sling since about 5 months and I still love it 10 months later.  I can still comfortably carry Mara around in it for shorter periods of time and regularly still use it as a nursing cover.

Britax Stroller-With Mara getting bigger, I find myself utilizing our stroller more and more.  Mara does awesome while the stroller is in motion so we regularly use it for long walks and shopping adventures.  The Britax B-Agile is a perfect blend of an all-terrain and a regular stroller and definitely meets our needs.

Playtime

Radio Flyer-We bought this ride on for Mara's first birthday.  It took her about a month to figure out how to use it but now she flies around the house on this thing.  I love watching her burn out around corners and get up to speed.  The best part of this toy is that it will grow with her.  Not only does the handle bars raise as she gets taller but the whole ride-on will convert to a scooter when she is ready for it.

Music Table-We have had this toy since Mara was 6 months and she has loved it the entire time.  We started without legs when she couldn't stand.  Put the legs back on when she could stand and now watch her push it around the house.  She still loves all the music and dances along as she pushes the buttons.

Books-We are obsessed with books in this house.  Picture books, sound books, board books.  We have them all.  Mara loves to be read to as well as read on her own.  Our library is constantly growing and I love watching her so intent on the story within the pages.

Push Walker-We got this push walker for Mara when she was around 6 months as well.  At that point she could sit by it and play with the things on the front.  Now she mainly uses to run around the house.  It was essential when Mara was learning to walk to give her stability and she loves using it to chase Buddy around the house.

2015 Goals

I really don't like resolutions.  I don't know if it's the word or the definition but to me it just sounds like you're setting yourself up for failure.

That being said I do like to try to make a few small goals for the upcoming year, a few things I'd like to focus on and improve on.  I try not to give myself too many boundaries just general things that I know I can do better.

1. Be physically healthier.  Eat better foods.  Less junk.  Move more often.

2. Be the best Mom I can be.  Savor the small moments and don't fret about the little things.  Remember that I will never be perfect nor do I need to be.

3. Organize the disorganized areas of our lives.  Sort through things we don't need.  Find systems that work for our family.

4. Take time for myself.  Realize that this is necessary for a healthy mama, wife and me.  Do more things I love: craft, read a book, blog, organize, etc.

5. Be the best wife I can be.  Be aware of his needs.  Express my needs more.  Communicate.  Savor the small moments.

6. Bless those around me.  Give more and expect less.  Find little things to do for others when they are least expecting.

7. Grow spiritually.  Dive into my Bible more.  Take time for Him.

8. Dive into a new passion.  Sewing?  Cooking?  Find time to explore some things I've been wanting to.