It's been a little while :)

Well I sure strayed over the holidays! From my beautiful blog and from my eating habits. We did really well for a year and a few weeks but then the holidays hit and forget it. Someone said to me 'well you need to live! It's the holidays'. I do not feel deprived when I eat the paleo way. I honestly don't. I feel healthier, livelier, stronger, more beautiful, etc. I never feel deprived. In fact, after I've been strict for a while, things like fast food and sweets no longer look appetizing. Like, at all. My body craves veggies, salads, and meats...not cakes, cookies, and pizza.

I stayed probably 75% paleo through the holidays but those few cheats are taking a toll on my body. It's pretty awful. I will spare you the details.

So how was your holiday? Thanksgiving was good. Stayed almost 100% paleo for that. Then Christmas came and we won't even go there.

I got a cast iron dutch oven which I'm pretty stoked about. I also got a cuisinart food processor. Super excited. My kitchen is almost complete. All I need is an Excalibur dehydrator and I'm set!!!!

What did you all receive for your holiday?

Bryce made out really well. It looks like a toy store threw up in my apartment. Seriously. Spoiled rotten :) He's been very entertained by everything though and really 'got' the opening presents thing this year. It was pretty cute.

Guess I'll see you guys next year :)

I'm annoying...?

I know I talk a lot, and I try to joke. I'm loud, obnoxious, and I joke about being annoying but I really never thought that other people thought it too. Let me explain...

Throughout marriage, pregnancy, birth, being a mom, etc...I've joined various forums, chats, and mom's groups. I post occasionally but moreso in stages through these experiences. You're not going to be posting in a pregnancy board while you're chasing a 2 year old- you're going to be posting on the toddler board. Anyhow, I've recently been active on a couple baby carrier sites and established internet relationships with a few moms. We post and banter back and forth about everything and nothing- joke around- chit chat- everything.

Fast forward a couple weeks and I receive a message from someone saying they just wanted to let me know there was a circulating post about me and that I had the right to see it. So I weasel my way in to the closed facebook group and lo and behold there is a post about me and how crazy and annoying and 'ew' I am. OUCH. (The reason for the post and what not goes a bit deeper- it wasn't just out of the blue- it appeared moms were being scammed out of donation money about a week and a half earlier- a few moms freaked (including myself)- turned out it wasn't a scam- I apologized for freaking and I thought it was the end of the story....until this post). My whole issue with the situation is that it was targeting me (because I WAS a bit dramatic about the whole situation) and not anybody else. Furthermore, the post about me was embellished and bedazzled (like a movie) to stir things up. Moreover- it didn't just stop at the drama stemming from the 'not-scam', in continued over in to other forums and posts. They didn't just attack my dramatics over the 'not-scam', they started pitchforking and saying I was so annoying, they avoid me like the plague, 'ew', I comment too much, and that I'm crazy. There were also some straight up rude people nit picking on me using paragraphs and how 'sentence structure is my friend'... it was so catty!

I honestly never thought the words of strangers could hurt me so much. I shouldn't care what strangers behind a computer screen think of me...and I don't really...but it makes me doubt my 'real-life' friends. What if they think these things about me too? Are they really busy or are they just avoiding me like the plague? Do I try to stir up drama in their lives? Do I annoy them? Is this post annoying the reader who casually clicked the link? It's making me feel pretty darn crappy about myself and unsure about my relationships with people. I'm sure I'll come out of this funk soon enough but for now, until I move past this, don't take it personally if I'm a bit monotone for a while. I'm not trying to fish for people to ask me what's wrong- trust me- I'm just really hesitant about things right now.

Funny thing is- the original person who found me so annoying and just felt the need to post about me messaged me after the entire ordeal and said 'I just want you to know that it wasn't me who wanted to post about you, several of us got together and agreed we would all say how we felt etc- but now they are not my friends anymore because they weren't backing me up on the post, so I've learned my lesson and they threw me under the bus, so I'm going to stop posting about you now, I never should have in the first place'

.....what? She actually just messaged me to tell me she's stopping because the other people who were talking about me behind my back were not going to publicly bash me so she's just 'letting it go'? uh...thanks? I guess?

I had to write it all down because it has been bothering me. Now I feel like I can't post on all of the (what I thought to be) supportive boards and if I do, my posts are being shared, judged, and talked about. So I'm just staying clear :)

So on that note- holidays are approaching...what is everyone hoping for from Santa?! I want SeaMonkeys (yes I'm serious, always thought they were so fun) a vintage tea-party book I saw at epcot (glam tea party anyone?!), and maybe some gift cards to target or marshall's :)

Please- be kind to one another- even behind the computer screen...

Beauty is skin deep....

So as most of you know, my family is a biracial unit. My husband is black, I am white, and my son is the perfect mashup of the two of us...(aka he took all my perfect qualities and combined them with my husband's perfect qualities and voila...an amazing kiddo if I do say so myself :) )

Anyhow- it still amazes me how much hate there still is in the world. It does worry me for my son.

Here's what sparked this post. For several months I have been an administrator on a subscription box trading group. We oversee trades and what not but for the most part people trade among themselves, we keep a list of bad trades, mediate, etc. So one of the kid subscription boxes sent out a really cute stuffed doll. As people posted more and more of the dolls up for trade, I realized all the dolls being traded were the (as they put it) 'tan' dolls. Some families got the 'blonde hair blue eyed' doll, and other families got the 'tan-skinned brunette' doll. So obviously white and black (or more 'ethnic' doll). The women said they were trading the dolls because their child would rather have a doll that 'looks like them'. ?????? What 3 year old (or 4 or 5) year old would 'rather' have a doll that looks like them?! When I was that age I'd have been happy with any doll given to me! And the posts were worded like this 'not that it really matters, but I think we'd rather have the blonde haired doll instead of the tan skinned brunette doll'. <---do you see the issue? Where is the mention of the skin color on the 'blonde' doll? She's just blonde, but the brunette is tan AND brunette.

I do think I'm biased because of my family but still. Children need diversity to see that they do not live in an only white bubble, or an only black bubble, or an only asian bubble. ANY bubble.

It's 2014....Jeez

Sweets- you nasty little things.

So...I think I'm addicted to sugar again. It was hard enough to get past the first time! I crave sweets. I don't give in but every once in a while but it does take time for your body (system) to reset itself. Even one slip up can be detrimental to the overall homeostasis in your body. You eat sugar, your tongue and brain like it, it sends pleasure signals through your body and voila- your body wants it again. DUH.

The author(ess) that got me in to Paleo has another book titled '21-day sugar detox'. I'm thinking I need rehab and may need to get this book.

I also haven't started my Whole30 program yet (which is essentially a sugar detox too if you analyze it). I said I would start October 11th but I'm not sure I'm ready. It takes some dedication that I'm not sure I'm ready to give. When we became paleo I felt ready, prepared. This time around (while still being paleo and only ingesting 'clean' foods) It seems like a bigger step.

It is not necessarily a more difficult regimen....but you are supposed to balance yourself. For instance, I eat til I'm full. It works. However my plates have become increasingly sparse and less balanced. Breakfast tends to be lunch (12:30) and I skip lunch because I'm not hungry because I just ate breakfast, then dinner is usually super late (9:30)...so at that point I have only eaten once, perhaps had a couple small snacks, and I never feel hungry. When you starve your body (unintentionally but still the same principal) your body utilizes every ounce of sustenance it is given and stores EVERYTHING. This is how you gain weight...and you're welcome for your 5th grade science lesson. Anyhow- so since I am only eating 2 meals a day and snacking in between, I'm not eating enough. So now I'm gaining weight again because it's screwing with my hormonal balances (which are always finicky due to PCOS).

My dream schedule looks something like this.

7AM-get up
7:15- be at complex gym or some other type of exercise
8:15- back home, showering
8:30- nursing Bryce (yes he still nurses at 2.5, unconventional yet our choice, move on :D )
9:00- cooking breakfast
9:30-eating breakfast (do you see the problem already? You're supposed to eat within an hour of waking maybe somebody can help with this area?)
10:00- family time and getting Bryce outside
11:45- seeing Keith off to work
12:00- Lunch
1:00 Bryce's nap
3:00- Bryce is up
Play time, errands, etc
6:00- dinner
etc....

^^^^ Just don't know how to switch from the schedule we are on (waking at 9, not eating until 11 or 12, never eating lunch (don't worry, Bryce eats food all day, this is lack of eating for Keith and I) and having dinner super late, then going to bed at like 1:30 or 2am...

Help!

Not totally the beach post....

Sorry I did not post from the beach! I did not bring my computer and posting via mobile is not the easiest thing to do.

We honestly needed to get away. I saw a meme that said vacation to everyone who doesn't live in Florida means somewhere else...that is warmer, and most likely Disney- and that vacation when you live in Florida means -to travel somewhere nearer to a beach in a different part of Florida that is away from Disney. This was very true for us this weekend. Normally we are pretty partial to Disney and those that know us know that Disney is close to our hearts. We love the company and they are pretty important to us ;-) However, all of our vacations as a married couple have been to Disney and we had not gotten away since Bryce was 5 months old!

The house we stayed in was a friend's and it was awesome. Split level 3 bedroom fully stocked home. Probably could walk to the beach but it would be a bit far...but literally a 2 minute drive to the shore. You can hear the ocean waves from the driveway. Just what we needed.

When we arrived at the house we put Bryce down for a nap. Later that afternoon we went to the beach. Bryce was NOT having it. Something about the whole water rushing at you thing wasn't appealing to him. He played in the water with Keith for a bit but mostly played in the sand. Went 'home' (felt like home) and he went to bed. I was very surprised he was cooperative for sleeping in a new place. Maybe the appeal of a king-sized bed? I know it sure appealed to me! Keith and I spent the evening watching Once Upon a Time (I got him in to the show after YEARS of telling him he'd like it and he finally gave in and now he's HOOKed. <---get it? HA!) The next morning we just sort of lounged around and took our time. Went down to the beach and played for a few hours. This time Bryce gave in to his sea-side and happily splashed around in the deadly rip-currant (undertoe? same thing? I dunno) waves. We had to hold him the. entire. time. Any time we loosened our grip he got sucked down. I am not exaggerating. It was really bad. The BEST part of this event was seeing the dolphins. I know it's probably old news for some but it always seems magical to me to see these wild and amazing creatures swimming freely in the ocean. We came 'home' and showered and put Bryce down for nap again. When he got up we were really tempted to go to the beach again but seeing as how there was sand in places we didn't know we had, we decided to keep our clean showers in their rightful place and find something else to do. We decided to go to Cocoa Beach Pier and see the sights. It was already dark when we got there so we couldn't really see the ocean very well and the pier itself is moreso bars and restaurants. Had it not been our year anniversary of eating paleo- I might have splurged- but we stayed good. We went back to the house and that was that. Took Bryce back to the beach this morning but the rip currant was even stronger and the waves were pretty big so he was not so sure again. He kept saying 'bye beach see you later'. We had an amazing time. Here are some pictures marking the vacation...

Blogging from the beach...

No, not yet. But I will be! A friend has a beach house and we are going there for the weekend. It will be nice to get away for a few days as we have not been ANYWHERE since Bryce was 5 months old....that's over 2 years! We do not have the ways to get to VA to see Keith's mother...but luckily she is able to come down a few times a year. Bryce also gets to Skype with her fairly often and so he asks about her.

Bryce had a playdate today and it went really well...until it was time to leave...but the actual playdate went really well. Luckily the other mom has a very spirited child as well (her older child) and she understands that all children are different with beautiful and unique personalities. Too many times Bryce has been judged by other parents because he's unruly or hits...and the looks would be warranted if I let him get away with it...but I don't. He is reprimanded, sat down, disciplined every time. It's also getting better. He responds MUCH better to positivity rather than negativity. He's just that kind of kid. He stays sad or upset after being disciplined if I forget to hug and kiss him after and tell him everything is ok. From the outside it may look like I'm showering him with affection and praises too soon after a negative action (on his part) but in actuality I'm reassuring him that he and I are ok...that I'm not mad anymore and that life goes on...NOT that the action is ok.

Anyhow- this time tomorrow I will be sitting at a beautiful house at the beach and hopefully sipping water (calm yourself down party girl) and hanging out with my family in a relaxed environment. Maybe even walking on the beach to see the moon!

We are very excited. More later. And hopefully pictures!

Question time-what family vacations have you taken with your children? Any advice for a newbie?

It's time I come clean...

I've gained a ton of weight :( blech. I'm so mad. The thing with my body is that when a normal person (without underlying thyroid, pcos, etc issues) cheats on their diet occasionally they are usually fine. I convinced myself that since Virgil's Root Beer is made with pure cane sugar, nutmeg, etc and that it is all-natural that it was ok to drink one a day. STUPID. LOL. So probably for the last month or two I've had them consistently a few times a week. Then we discovered non-alcohol butterscotch beer soda (aka butterbeer). Oh em gee. These 2 things were my downfall. I also convinced myself that a chocolate bar that was made with fair-trade cocoa and all natural ingredients was ok. STUPID. None of these things are Paleo anyhow. I told myself that because they are 'real' food (aka no chemicals etc) that it was ok. STUPID STUPID STUPID. My body does not tolerate sugars well. Keith has eaten all these things PLUS more and he's still at the same darn weight. Me? Well...yeah. I'm back up to 185lbs :( I also have not been drinking as much water as I should. As of this morning I upped my water intake and already back down to 182.4lbs...but from someone who had lost almost 25lbs...I'm kind of ashamed :( I was from 194 lbs down to 171 lbs so 23 lbs. We will go with the weight I was this morning which means I've gained 11 lbs and/or only lost 11 lbs.

Yup so while I didn't necessarily stop being 'healthy' in regards to fast food or not making my own food etc, I did fall off the good choices wagon. It's pretty easy to do.

So- if you're with me and I do not eat out with you or will not eat your food, please do not take offense to this. Please do not think I think my choices are better than yours. It simply means I need to do what is best for myself and my body. Keith will eat anything, but as I've been discovering, my body reacts VERY differently to foods than his does. I get sick and gain weight from eating dyes, refined sugars, sugar in general, gluten, etc. I need to stick to meats, veggies, occasional fruit...and water lol

Approaching one year

We are approaching the 1 year mark of being Paleo. There have been ups and downs and right now I'm not at my lowest weight since beginning. I derailed a bit (didn't stop eating properly but started more cheats and it cost me) I am hovering around 180lbs...where I had gotten down to about 173lbs. I will continue to work on this and I think to be symbolic, I will continue to do more research and begin my Whole30 on October 11th (the year mark). I think it will feel good to take off like we did with Paleo.

Paleo has become easier as we've gone along. It's not difficult for breakfast if you like eggs and bacon. Add in some veggies and you're done. Lunch is almost always leftovers. Dinner can be as difficult or as easy as you wish. Last night dinner was grass-fed ground beef burgers cooked in onion and garlic powders. Sauteed in a cast iron pan (didn't want to battle the mosquitos near the grill). I bought pre-packaged organic guacamole (found it at target!) and some organic iceberg lettuce. We also sauteed some organic frozen broccoli in amish butter (my local farmer's market) and garlic/onion powder. What a wholesome meal! So delicious and so filling.

A difficult dinner example would be salmon cakes. The reason I find these difficult is because it is time consuming. I think most busy people can attest to this. An easy yet time consuming meal is the pits. I get canned wild caught salmon and chop onions, garlic, and dill, 2 eggs (whisked), and 2 tsp of coconut flour (to soak up the liquid). Some spices, and some dijon mustard. Chopping takes a while but cooking them does too! I 'fry' them in coconut oil on the stove but getting them browned to where they stick together takes sooooo long.

Easy peasy meal? Chicken. Seriously, douse it in coconut or bacon grease, sprinkle salt and onion powders on it...throw it in the oven, sautee veggies when chicken is almost done and you're done.

Well my toddler is awake from his nap and I need to make the most out of it not raining. More later. Let me know if you want the official recipes!

Coming out of the fog...

Are there any others out there who suffer from anxiety? Honest to goodness anxiety? When people say they succumb to that demon (and yes it IS a demon) it is not just your run of the mill 'I don't want to go to the dentist' feeling. I go through weeks of feeling foggy. It's horrible. Usually these episodes last over a week but not more than two. The entire time I sit above my own body begging to be allowed back inside...wanting to shake myself out of it and yet reveling in it. What I mean by that is that I feel validated by my feelings and it is a viscous cycle. If I come out of my 'episode' (and really that is for lack of a better word) then everyone else is right...and it was all in my head. If I don't come out of my episode then MAYBE just maybe people will take me seriously and believe me. Believe my symptoms are real...believe that something is truly wrong. I read something a couple weeks ago and it said something about anxiety being a poor man's depression or a second cousin to depression and that is VERY true. Anxiety can be just as debilitating as depression has the opportunity to be. It's a creeping demon that hangs over our heads just as depression does.

My anxiety got a lot worse after I had Bryce. I'm not sure if it was the hormones or just the shock of motherhood or if it really was the traumatic experiences I went through during the pregnancy and birth...perhaps all of it. I used to have 1 or 2 day blips of bad anxiety and be fine...but like I said, now it goes on a few weeks. I feel like the anxious girl who cried wolf...except there really is a wolf and nobody else can see it.

Keith and I have been talking about moving lately. We really want to get out of this state eventually. I know it won't happen for at least another 2 or so years but I think we are pretty serious about it. There are petty reasons and valid reasons for the desire. First off, I want my kid to know the seasons. I want him to rake leaves and play in the piles. I want him to roll down grassy hills and see wildflowers. Florida is so ... FAKE. This is coming from a girl who was raised here and loves the heat. Just call me Olaf. But seriously- I don't want my kid to touch the 'nature' around here. I saw them spraying green sh*t on the grass in front of our neighborhood. Really? We are painting the grass green?! Is that why the grass is greener on the other side? Everyone is just painting their grass green? Are we painting the roses red too? Where's the queen of hearts? I want to go to a REAL farmer's market! We went a farmer's market last year and I was so excited to find organic produce. Then I saw her pouring organic spinach out of a sealed plastic aldi's bag. O_o excuse me? That does not scream 'locally grown' to me. The petty reasons abound but one major one is that we feel like everyone has their 'people' already. All the friendships that you take to your grave are used up. We realized that we are always reaching out to others for a friendly hello and nobody reaches out to us. There are exceptions and we are blessed to be truly loved by some. I think we just want more for Bryce. People see this strong-willed boy who throws tantrums and hits his mama and they form their opinion. They don't see the INCREDIBLY smart, sweet, kind, funny, dramatic, and handsome boy. What other kid at 18 months knew every letter of the alphabet ON SIGHT and 1-10? He's now 2.5 and knows 1-20, all forms of letters (upper case, lower case, and each form of the letters (like the different a's and g's). We plan on homeschooling because I am not having some teacher or other students make him feel badly for who he is for any reason. We've had much too much of that already in his 2.5 years and he doesn't deserve it. He deserves people who love him for every ounce of who he is... good and bad.

That was a tangent! Anyhow- we are looking at North Carolina...opinions? Good cities? Towns? Can this Florida girl survive up there? It would all depend on if Keith ever found a job up there....He has a really good thing at Disney and is celebrating his 10-year this year :)

I have not started the Whole30 yet. Will post progress when I do. Probably not the best thing to start considering the food and wine festival is starting in a couple days...

Good night all...and please remember to be kind to one another...you never know what kind of day someone else has had and your smile may mean the world to them.

Whatcha been up to?

When I say neurotic in my blog title...I mean it. But maybe I moreso mean anxious? I just went through a bad stint of anxiety. I feel so clouded when that happens! I don't even cook...which leads to worse eating habits (not a complete destruction of our good eating habits) but not great practices either. I'm back up to 180lbs!!!! ACK! I really need to start actually working out to be honest. I find it difficult to make the time because Keith works a weird schedule. Morning is basically the only time we get to spend together as a family and I don't really want to pay for a gym that has a day care when I've got facilities here in my neighborhood for 'free'. Perhaps I need to drag my lazy butt out of bed and get there before anyone else gets up in my household....work out, come back and shower, start breakfast...all before my family gets up. Heh. Here's hoping...but it is difficult to get out of bed. Keith and I usually go to bed around 1:30am because after little man is in bed, evening is the only time for us to hang out with each other, catch up on our days and our DVR shows. Etc.

Our diet has remained at least in the 70-80% ratio. Meaning there are a few meals here and there that probably were not fully paleo but we are slowly getting back in to it.

......aaaannnnddddd just deleted my whole post. Absofreakinawesome. Alright, something blah blah I said something about my birthday (I'm 32 now) and how it's great and I wanted to have a birthday party but it's my birthday and I cry if I want to.

I also mentioned that for my birthday I got some money so with it I bought a paleo cookbook I've been wanting. The paleo book has over 100 recipes that are whole30 compliant (Have I mentioned whole30? It is a bit stricter version of paleo, no cheats, (paleo cookies NOT allowed for example-afterall a cookie is a cookie). I'll document this journey when I start whole30...

I went on to say that Bryce was given a gift subscription to Citrus Lane and that we are trying to continue the subscription. If you use my link then you get 50% off on your first box and I get a small credit! Win Win! The products are typically full-sized things (lotions, soaps, etc) and toys, books, art supplies, etc. All age tailored. Your newborn will not get the same as my 2 year old. The products are eco-friendly, organic, etc. I love the companies I get introduced to through the box subscription! You can cancel at any time or pause the subscription (feature we can all appreciate!) So sign up through my link if you're interested or let me know if you have more questions about it!

https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Jennie.Winkle

Ridding yourself of toxins

....and I don't just mean physically.

Sometimes you just have to do a life cleanse. I'm no expert but I feel like in order to live a healthy life, all aspects need to be healthy. Your body, your mind, your spirit. Toxic by definition is NOT good for you so why keep it around?

Sometimes people drift in and out of your life- and what is that saying? Some people were meant to be in your life and others were meant to be lessons? I've learned a few lessons about friendship in the last few years. People you never thought would hurt you, do. People you thought would always be there for you, are not. People you never thought in a million years would be the ones you rely on, are. New people drift in and out and I find myself wondering-will you stay? Will you be one of the old women I sit on the porch with complaining about our old men?

I have started looking at my friendships in a different light the past year or two. Now, I'm not perfect but I do try to maintain my contact with people that are important to me. I ask myself one simple question when I am torn on whether the friendship is toxic or not. Frankly I am too tired to keep up appearances within my actual friendships rather than casual relationships. The question is 'Is my life affected by your absence?' or better yet 'Does my life change at all if you're not in it?'. If that answer is no, well then maybe it is time to reevaluate the friendship. I guess I should insert 'here' that I don't question all of my friendships and no relationship is perfect, but I will elaborate. Everyone has their friends. You know who your REAL friends are and you know who your 'facebook' friends are. You all know I'm right, there's no denying it. There are the friends we hang out with constantly to party with, and the friend or two you run to get coffee with, the friends that you invite over for intimate suppers. To me, the real friends are the ones that you just bring your kid over and hang out for the afternoon, or the bi-weekly shopping trip, the 'hey-I gotta get some groceries, want a bite to eat first and then shop?'... and then there are the ones (from social networking) that you say 'OMG we TOTALLY need to get together like FOR REAL this time' and you make tentative muddy plans that never happen...and that's completely OK with both of you because only 17% of your mind really wanted to. However, the 'question' I ask doesn't really apply to those people because in the last year or two I have not hesitated deleting toxic facebook people. If I literally never see you why would I? So rest assured that if you're on my facebook currently it IS because you bring something to my everyday life. Whether it be a funny meme, or cute kitty pictures, baby pictures, engagement pictures, quirks, etc. These make me smile throughout the day and I thank you.

If I am hurt in my friendships, the friendship is not reciprocated (he/she is just not that in to you comes to mind), the friendship is cut off to me without my knowledge (funny how that happens), or the friendship is not enriching my life in any sort of way-then I'm just too tired to put it in my pocket. I have enough weight to carry around (insert elementary school fat joke) in my day to day life to worry about such nonsense. If a friendship is causing me more grief than joy then consider yourself free of me!

I'm starting my New Year's Resolution early (or late) this year...but I'm closer to the New Year than away from it SO I'm early. What is it? To be HAPPY. To BLEED happy. Cause Happy. Live Happy. It IS a decision. Despite circumstances, despite tribulations you can CHOOSE to be happy (or medicate yourself to be happy- whatever works). Today is my day. I'm free of toxicity...or at least on my way to being free of it. I'm a work in progress.


Stay tuned. ;-)

Diagon Alley

Keith and I have annual passes to universal orlando courtesy of a family member as a Christmas present (yearly). It's an amazing present and we use it a few times a month on average. To me, during the months that it is not super busy, it allows me to take Bryce somewhere big where he can interact with a diverse population and run around to get some of his 2 year old energy out! I love the Jurassic Park playground for the kids. While he and I can't really ride too many rides together until he's older, it's just plain fun.

All that said, we've attended 3 out of the 5 days of previews for Harry Potter's Diagon Alley and OH EM GEE it is AMAZING. It surpasses everything you've ever thought a theme park could give you and then doubles and triples your expectations. When I walked in to Diagon Alley from muggle London I literally stopped and gasped. The amazing part (that only theme park junkies will truly 'get') is that you're completely immersed in this land. It is even more remarkable if you're a Harry Potter fan-but that truly is not the most important aspect. You could hate HP and still love the theme park revolutionary part. We happen to be both (myself more than Keith) and wow. Just wow.

After I got over the initial shock of how amazing it all looks, we went in to several shops....It was like we were IN the movies! We ate at the Leaky Cauldron and the food was awesome...then we topped it off with butterbeer icecream. I do want to warn you families with kiddos though...the dragon that perches her fire-breathing body on top of Gringott's Bank...yeah...she's a bit intimidating. Bryce does.not.like.her. He's a bit terrified. We've tried playing a game of telling her to 'be nice' when she breathes fire but he still begs to go indoors when she starts growling. So be aware that she's incredibly realistic and...well she's been trapped in the vaults of Gringott's for years so....she's a bit pissed (and rightly so).

The icecream flavors are inventive and NOT paleo (heh) and every other aspect is amazing. I can't boast about it enough. We will not be returning this summer however because of the crowds it will create. We feel blessed that we were able to enjoy it for previews and we look forward to returning in fall after school resumes.

Have you been? Do you plan on going? Let me know what you think :)

Toddler Mom

There are a lot of things I could say about being the mom of a toddler.

You might be the mom of a toddler if more than one of your friends has almost peed themselves because they cannot open the toddler lock on the toilet.

You might be the mom of a toddler if the sentence 'DO NOT PEE ON THAT CARPET. NO! DON'T LICK THAT! OH EW! OH GROSS! I GUESS NOW I REALLY NEED TO GET OFF THE COUCH' has come out of your mouth. Or face it, insert any other word with pee and it will apply. You're probably also the mom of a toddler if 5 seconds later they do something so cute that all is forgiven and forgotten. Until you step in it.

You might be the mom of a toddler if chicken nuggets are your health food of choice for him/her. The thought of all the fresh fruits and veggies that you feed your own body with make you cry because they sit uneaten in the cute zebra bowl that you thought would entice him to eat said health foods.

You might be the mom of a toddler if you hear the words 'limp' and 'noodle' and immediately sympathize while rubbing the bruises on your shin from yesterday's limp noodle episode. (aka when the toddler doesn't want to do something and suddenly has no bones)

You might be the mom of a toddler if your child-free friend's suggestions of 'what might be wrong with the grumpy child' make you want to set them on fire and then ask THEM what is wrong with them and why they are grumpy. (Yes we know you are trying to help...but please please PLEASE just accept the fact that sometimes it is nothing. Literally nothing. Toddlers YELL at the top of their lungs for fun. It is so fun to scream bloody murder for no reason while mommy is driving so that she almost kills everyone when she swerves from the not-so-dangerous plastic bag in the road)

It's really surprising to me how intolerant others have become towards children. Children is a blanket term but I have a toddler so we will just go with that. People are incredibly intolerant of kids being kids. Kids are loud, messy, loud, fun, loud, cute, loud, and awesome. Families that choose to be child-free are also fun but I think it becomes a 2-way street at some point. When did it become acceptable to drop off the face of the planet when a friend gives birth? Just in passing it has been suggested that people with children expect people without children to change for them. I don't expect people to uproot their lives to accommodate my child or my choice to have a child but where is the line? What I mean by that question is where is the compromise in the friendship? Is it expected that things with friends remain completely the same and people with children have to find a sitter 'or else'? I thought a good compromise would be a half way meeting for coffee or something (because I stay home) but it has been suggested that it is still requiring a change out of a friend because now there is a child involved. I'm not complaining at all, I am truly asking what the line is...where is the acceptance? Is it all a wash? Do I give up and accept that certain friendships are over? Do I keep trying?

Here is the REAL question. When these individuals have children of their own-is it bad that I am looking forward to the unspoken apology that I see on their faces after the first few times they attempt to go out 'because their future 6 month old will LEARN to listen and not throw a fit at the table'... Is is BAD that I am looking forward to that? I'm not looking forward to their stress but I am looking forward to the realization...Who am I kidding? Because I said all that the rest of my friends will have that handful of kids that are super calm and collected! No seriously though...all kids have their quirks and unique personalities so until that day comes I'll just sit back and drink my tea all by myself daydreaming about their future children smashing a fist full of jelly and oats in to the carpet because there was a tiny speck of 'unknown debris' on said cereal bar...that reminds me. Cleanup duty calls.

Another hiatus

I decided to take another facebook hiatus. I hate doing it because of my Paleo Transition page but it is something I needed to do for me. When a social networking site becomes more of a burden than a blessing, more of a stress than a joy, or more of a heartache than friendly interactions, it is time to step back.

There was a game on facebook I used to play. For the life of me I can't remember what the name of it was but I became addicted. I would stay up until all hours of the night on it and pay money to buy extra things for the game. Ludicrous right? I think back and say 'wow'. This was not the exact case for me this time but facebook started to become something other than sharing with family/friends for me.

I recently deleted a handful of people as well. Lately I've thought about exactly how people affect my life and I decided that if you are not making an effort to be part of my life, making my life more positive (even only via positive facebook posts) etc...then I don't need you. The funny (or sad) thing is-my life is not changed in any sort of way by these people being removed...these are people I considered to be good friends too. I've looked back through texts and facebook interactions and IF there were any correspondence in the last year or so, it was always initiated by me and furthermore, no 'likes' 'comments' 'posts' or etc. I call BULL! I have friends that live in other states that make more of an effort to be part of my life than the people who live down the street. If I tried to take the blame and say I became one of those 'disappeared after she had a baby' parents, I'd be lying. I didn't become one of those- but I do have a (now) toddler in tow, no money for a babysitter, no grandparents around that can babysit, and I AIN'T COMPLAININ. I absolutely adore my son and love having him with me for everything. Would I bring him to a cocktail hour? Nah-he'd steal all the attention from the drinks! But when it comes to something such as--oh--a pool party? Heck yes I expect to bring him. Anyhow-back to the studio-my life is better without certain individuals because when I become sick over posts related to so-and-so meeting up and I wasn't included-it's time for me to put my big girl panties on and do what is best for myself and my family. I need to heal from my wounds and also realize that these people are not worth the heartache or my thoughts.

I am also coming to terms with the fact that I apparently cannot post anything that is of interest to me. Yes I have opinions, but I do not interject them to people unless I am asked. I do however, post articles on things I deem interesting but nowhere in my status will you read 'you should do this because it is right otherwise you're a douche nozzle'. What happened to 'friends' respecting other friend's opinions and discussing like friendly adults?

NEWSFLASH--MOST OF WHAT I POST IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY

Gosh- if I had like...$5 for every time I was kidding and someone took me seriously I'd have bought France. Or maybe some French food...love me some snails. I seriously should have been an very unsuccessful comedian because they seem to offend everyone by joking.

What else is new? Keith is almost done with his Bachelor's in Sports Management! I'm so proud of him. Straight A's and B's this one has!!!! Also- we've been Paleo almost 5 months now and I'm at a bit of a standstill in my weight loss journey. One thing I need to do is make my portions smaller and Keith's bigger. We've lost the same amount of weight but being that Keith didn't need to lose weight, you can see the problem. He is not too skinny but he's on the way there. I am too fat so .... thus the problem. I am hoping that once I start working out (which I keep saying I'll do) that it will help. I'll be burning more calories and still eating healthy. I should also probably stop eating handfuls of enjoy life chocolate chips. That might help. Oh and taking swigs of maple syrup...totally a natural sugar but yeah. MIGHT be contributing to the standstill. A bit. *sobs*

Bryce is growing leaps and bounds. He's so freakin amazing...and frustrating. He will be 2 in about 2.5 weeks (don't rush me) and is starting to say 2-3 sentence words...he's so curious and intelligent. He knows all his letters in and out of order which I think is pretty impressive for a less than 2 year old. Also started singing songs...which is so cute that it makes me want to nom nom on his cheeks!

Hope this update finds you all well. I haven't put a time on this hiatus--but I am really itching to share photos with my facebook family so maybe a couple more weeks. Last time I did a 30 day stint but we will see. Also- for any of you that are still reading- I will post pictures sometime in the next day or two. Obviously Bryce pictures ;)

It has never occured to me...

It never really occurred to me that I would be judged by my friends. Friends is the definition of thick and thin. Friends are also supposed to tell you the things you don't want to hear. If they find something wrong with the things you are doing in your life then they should say so (if they are good enough friends). I don't feel like I should have to explain myself to anyone but if you are not part of my life on a continual basis- you do not see the goings on in our everyday life, then there is no reason for you to judge. On that note I would like to address one issue that the people on the 'outside' may find interesting.


We did not start eating paleo on a whim. We did a lot of research, talked to many Doctors, consulted a nutritionist, etc. Maybe I should back up. All of you probably already know I have PCOS (yawn old news) but did you know that PCOS is not just something that makes it difficult to get pregnant? Let me educate you. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a term that is thrown around a lot. In fact, a large amount of women that 'have' PCOS do not really have it. You do not have to be 'fat' to have PCOS. There is no bloodwork to test if you have it. It is a process and inclusions of eliminations if that makes sense. Ok- so over the years I have had series and series of panels, discussions, tests, you name it, to finally come to my diagnosis. PCOS can also be a cause of heart disease, strokes, heart attacks, etc later in life. I too am sick of obesity being the culprit for every ailment on the planet-so rather than saying 'you're sick because you're fat' how about 'you're overweight because of a potential underlying problem-let's try to work together to fix it'. In my case they first thought I was only hypothyroid. So I was medicated for that. Then early in my infertility treatments my Doctor noticed over 15 cysts on each of my ovaries as well as a large dermoid tumor on my left ovary. He immediately ordered more blood work to confirm a PCOS diagnosis. PCOS also causes insulin resistance which is a big reason that PCOS women are overweight. I have linked a medical page about insulin resistance. Notice the insulin resistance page also includes diabetes. Why you ask? PCOS mimics diabetes. PCOS can lead to diabetes but is not diabetes in itself. PCOS can also lead to fatty liver disease. When Bryce was about 7.5 months old, I started not feeling right. My Doctor started investigating and found that my liver enzymes (AST and ALT) were both 6x the amount they should be. The AST was in the 240's and my ALT was in the 330's. Keep in mind these are 6x the amount of the UPPER limits. Fast-forward and series of blood work later, a GI specialist confirmed that I not only have fatty liver disease but that my liver was inflamed and had lost 5% of its function ability. Eventually it could lead to cirrhosis if I 'didn't lose weight'. Well I told him I'd been trying to lose weight for years but that the PCOS made it incredibly difficult. He was un-sympathetic and pushed me out of the office saying 'well try' and if you can't lose weight in 6 months I'm doing a liver biopsy. Well the 6 month mark from that appointment was in September and I had not lost weight and I did not go back. So amidst all of this, I had been doing a lot of my own research. For a very long time I was convinced my body was failing me. Overweight, infertile, hypothyroid, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, honestly aches and pains all the time, tired, etc. I felt worthless, fat, lazy, helpless...lost cause. Then I started reading of other women having success with a low-glycemic diet. Basically eliminating grains, sugars, etc...no brainer right? Also- notice, the article specifies that it is good for people with diabetes-aka-insulin resistance-aka-PCOS. A classic example of a LGD is the Paleo lifestyle. There are ways to make it expensive and ways to make it cheaper. We stick to organic for the dirty dozen and the rest we buy conventional. As for meat, our beef is grassfed (much more nutrients) and our poultry is always antibiotic/hormone free...etc. What I don't get is WHY is the latter more expensive? If you're not injecting my meat with costly pharmaceuticals then why is she more expensive? (mass production of hormone injected chickens, 1,000's of chickens in closed cages, short life spans due to hormones, etc I get it...more of a rhetorical). Our fish is always wild caught. So Paleo is LGD. I haven't been able to lose weight in 7 years. I have steadily crept up in weight. I have been Paleo for 2 months and I've lost 10lbs. I haven't seen this weight in YEARS. I'm not even working out yet and I've lost 10lbs. So to elaborate- yes we spend an ample amount on groceries but what does your dinner plate look like? Mine looks like different cuts of chicken, or canned salmon cakes, turkey meatballs, fish, and then usually cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, or a green salad. Usually the salad because it's super easy to prepare. I calculated it out. Our chicken legs cost $1.70/e. The salad tub split up over 8 meals is about .50cents/per serving. Add in spices, a lemon and olive oil for the greens (let's say .16cents for the spices, .50/lemon, and .18cents for olive oil. My Paleo meal comes to $3.04 per serving and it makes about 5 servings. When is the last time that 5 people when out to eat for $15.20 and it was all fresh-no preservatives, organic, and the like?


We did not pick Paleo as a fad or because it's the latest thing. It is by far not the most/least expensive way to eat either. Fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, are going to add up. Period. We do not eat out and we do not buy pre-packaged foods etc.


I am breaking this down for a few reasons. For one, it has come to my attention that some people out there think that because Keith and I have financial difficulties (boo-hiss, did I just talk about financial struggles publicly? Better throw me to the dogs!) that we should not be eating this way. Did I make my point enough above? My life was literally on the line if something didn't change. Literally. My health was spiraling downward and I'd heard from more than one Doctor that I needed to lose weight. I have now been off my blood pressure medications for 3 weeks and it has stayed down all on its own! I have been on them for almost 2 years and to say I am ecstatic is an understatement. I believe it has to do with not eating highly salty processed foods. Not just the weight loss.


So- if this is the lifestyle that saves my life...I'll stick to it. Nothing else was helping. Before we got pregnant with Bryce, I consulted another nutritionist and he put me on a very specialized diet that 'works for everyone'. I followed it very strictly. Counted carbs, grams, proteins, sugars, etc. I was working out 6 days a week, 3 hours a day. Yoga, zumba, hot yoga, pilates, karate, etc. I did this every day for 3 months. I did not lose one pound.

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect-and I don't live to be-but before you start pointing fingers...make sure you hands are clean!”― Bob Marley