Teething, What Works for You?

My youngest son is 28 months old, yes I had to count that on my fingers because normally I just say "two". 

Exactly two years ago he and I traveled home to see my family in Northern California and his stubborn little self decided it was time to cut his first teeth at just 4 months old. While I was excited that he was "cutting his first tooth" it also made for a very stressful, un-fun trip. Ever since then, we've been teething. Drooling, meltdowns, mood-swings, cranky pants, you name it. I feel like his perfect little teeth are taking forever to come in but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just this morning I spotted his first of four two-year molars through the gums. Finally! He's been saying his teeth hurt and has had swollen gums for months! It has been a long two years, but I've come to realize and accept that this is part of life and EVERY ONE goes through it {some kiddos and parents just handle it a little better}.

My son hasn't been the easiest teether at all. Aside from what works for us and soothing our cranky baby, I have also learned a lot about myself and patience along the way. It's helped me understand that life is about growth, constantly. I've also learned what works and what doesn't in our house as far as teething goes so I thought I'd share in case you too are in need of something to soothe that poor baby's gums!

What hasn't worked... 

Tylenol, Ibuprofen, frozen bananas or any other cold fruit or ice in a mesh feeder, and distraction. When his teeth are bothering him there is NO distracting him...

What HAS worked...

• Frozen washcloth to chew on always helped, especially when he was a baby. I'd get half of it wet, throw it in the freezer for at least thirty minutes and give it to him to gnaw away! He loved it and it always seemed to calm him down a bit.
• Chilled teething toys were, and still are, a huge hit. Even now, he will ask for his little Sophie teething ring from the freezer and when she's thawed out, he'll ask for a different one.
• A spoon. Yes, I said a spoon! When he was younger, I would plop him in his high chair and give him his little metal baby spoon that has the soft tip and he would chew on that for a good while. He still loves to chew on a spoon now!
• Baby Orajel Naturals on occasion. We mostly only used this at night when he was screaming in horrible pain, I think when he was getting those painful canine teeth. After I'd rub a little on his gums he'd always calm down, so I knew it was working. I used this one because I felt safe since it is free of benzocaine, alcohol, and dyes.
• Staying calm and realizing that this is all part of growth and there isn't anything I or my husband can do about it. Staying positive and patient while he screams in pain is beneficial for us and for him.

What are some things that you have used to help soothe your teething baby or toddler? What worked and what didn't? I'm still looking for suggestions on how to get through these last molars that are taking their sweet time to come in!

***Originally posted on East Valley Moms Blog as a contributor post***

Cool iPhone Apps For Kids

Entertaining our children today has become so different from just ten years ago. It’s no question that some two-year olds can maneuver their way through an iPhone much better than an adult and I have often found myself turning to my fourteen year old for help with changing a setting on my iPad. Smartphones can be a helpful tool for parents when we just need those few minutes to fold some laundry or mop the floors. Little eyes are so mesmerized by videos of their favorite cartoon characters, learning apps that can teach them letters, or even just scrolling through a photo album of family members. My iPhone has come in handy more than once while strolling the aisles at Target or doing my weekly grocery shopping and I want to share some of my favorite children’s iPhone apps with you, because yes, I am THAT mom.

Endless Alphabet, $5.99 

This one is my absolute favorite for toddlers. Children can interact at their own pace, there is no score or level to complete. It helps with vocabulary and learning the ABC’s while engaging the child with interactive puzzles of moving the letters to their missing places. It’s so simple for little fingers to use and the animations are fun and exciting for them! It’s definitely worth the $$ for this one! Endless Alphabet is available from the iOS App Store.

Angry Birds, $0.99 (or there is also a FREE version)

Any time that I have had a conversation about kids and iPhones with another parent, the mention of Angry Birds almost always comes up. It has been one of the top apps since 2009 and with more and more levels always being added, kids will never get bored! While this app is geared more toward older pre-school and school aged children, there are plenty of teenagers and parents playing as well! Angry Birds is available from iOS App Store andGoogle Play Store.

Color Drops, FREE 

Of course children love to color with markers, pens, crayons and paint but this is a mess free way for them to create beautiful artwork! My favorite animated coloring book with so many different categories of drawing fun. Toddlers and older children can create artwork starting with a blank page or choose a coloring page such as princesses, dinosaurs, numbers and letters. The sound effects are super fun for the little ones but might be get a little annoying for the older kids. While the app is free it only includes one coloring page for each category, additional pages are available for purchase in the app. Color Drops is available from iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Toy Story Read-Along, FREE

Everyone loves the Toy Story crew, right? This app is an interactive reading experience that my son just absolutely loves! You have the choice of listening to the story being read or you can cuddle up with your child and read it to them. There are also games, a few pages that you can draw and color, and a music feature that plays everyone’s favorite “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”.  The app is rated for four and up, but my son is two and absolutely loves this one. Toy Story Read-Along is available from iOS App Store.

Some other great children’s apps are Toddler Stamps, My PlayHome, Dora’s Dress-Up Adventures, Nick Jr Draw & Play, WATCH Disney Junior, and a great app for all ages,Candy Crush Saga. There are SO many great apps out there and more are always being added. I feel that smartphone use should be limited and parents should always monitor usage and apps, so make sure you are consistently checking that they are age appropriate. What are YOUR favorite children’s apps?

***Originally Posted on East Valley Moms Blog as a contributor post***

Teenager, Toddler & a Starving Momma

I eat pretty much the same thing everyday for breakfast. It's either egg whites and plain oatmeal OR my yummy RVL shake {I always prefer this one, since it tastes like eating cake}. As you know from previous posts, I love breakfast. It has always been one of my favorite meals and if I could just eat breakfast all the time I would be happy. French Toast, pancakes, muffins, donuts {yes, I said donuts}, omelets, berries, ok... you get the point.

So my teenager is taking a Culinary Arts class in high-school this year as one of his electives. We figured we'd let him take a "fun" elective class for his Freshman year and he can follow through with his three years of a foreign language his Sophomore, Junior & Senior year. So far, I am loving this culinary arts class. At back to school night we had the pleasure of meeting his teacher, who is a total hoot, and she shared with us that by the end of the year, they would be required to cook at least one full dinner meal a week. SCORE!

This week in class they made some breakfast concoction that my son said was fabulous and he wanted to cook it for me. That would be AWESOME! Of course I went to Safeway yesterday and bought him the necessary ingredients that I did not have on hand {such as chorizo}. I have been waiting for this morning of yummy breakfast that my son is cooking for me, all week.

I am a pretty early riser, usually up by 7am on the weekend since my toddler is usually up by then. When I am not doing a fasted cardio workout first thing in the morning, I need to eat pretty close to waking. Like, within 30 minutes or I get shaky. Need my protein!!!

I am thinking that I needed to coordinate this a little better with the teenager who likes to sleep until mid-morning and is also feeling under the weather. I woke up this morning, mouth watering for eggs and pepper-jack cheese with chorizo {which I haven't eaten in over two years, so we'll see what my stomach thinks of that}. But, here I sit at 8:30am, starving.

While waiting, I decided to make some blueberry muffins that I had in the pantry for the toddler. Thinking I'd have eggs to eat I wouldn't want one...

I was wrong. Do you see how yummy they look?

Yes, I ate one. And I'm still waiting patiently for my eggs, as I sit here with a growling tummy. It makes me remember being a teenager and sleeping in until 10am on the weekends without a care in the world. No job {at the age of 14} and no responsibilities other than laundry and cleaning bathrooms. No thought in the world that my parents may be waiting for me to get up and make them breakfast.

Oh to be 14 again...

Herpangina, what is that?

105 fever, lethargy, and grumpier than ever.

Let me rewind a bit.. do you remember my love/hate relationship post about parents bringing their sick children to the gym? Well, if you haven't read it, you can find it here.

Yes, my child has been a bit sheltered for the past couple of years. Is that really a bad thing? It's a large debate among parents every-where and I fall on the side of when the time is right it's right. I would much rather throw my child's immune system for a loop at the age of two instead of six months old. Heck, I'd really like to wait until after his third birthday but c'mon, mommy needs her gym time.

I am a stay at home mom and I do "get out". I just choose to stay away from friends with sick kiddos and play groups where I know a parent is bringing their sick child. My child isn't exactly an "easy" child and when he's sick it doesn't make things any better...

So one week after the first cold (from the gym daycare) came about, my tiny human started acting funny again. By acting funny I mean sticking his hands in his mouth gagging himself. Teething again? Sore throat? Strange toddler curiosity? I thought it was the wicked molars until Saturday afternoon's 105 fever.

A fever we couldn't break.

This, of course, led to a trip to the pediatric urgent care. After taking his temperature (rectally if I might add) and checking his pulse, they said, "oh yes, something isn't right." Really? That's why he is here.

That is when the doctor dropped the possible diagnosis.

Herpangina.

Say what???

Apparently, it's a summer virus that affects wee little ones in the form of a sore throat, high fever and lack of appetite followed by sores or lesions on the back of the throat. Nice. Just another virus that he picked up from the gym daycare, and hopefully one we won't encounter again. The high fever was a bit scary, especially when you can't get it to come down very easily.

Today, he is almost back to normal, bouncing around playing, talking and singing. Of course, says dear husband... waste a whole weekend being sick and as soon as he goes back to work Monday morning, tiny human feels better. The story of parenting!

Now it is Monday and time to get back on track. The weekend ended up being kind of a wash and aside from strolls around the neighborhood, workouts were literally non-existent. 

High School

I remember how nervous I was going in to high school. The school was so big, classes were spread far apart and my biggest fear was that I'd forget my combination to my locker.

My oldest son starts high school next week. Less than a week away and I am pretty sure I am more nervous than he is. He hasn't said much about it, but I'm sure he's a little scared, right?

In just two days we'll be going to pick up his schedule, drop some money on books, classes and extra curricular activities. I'm most excited about him getting his Freshman ID card - yes, I still have mine. Of course we will pre-order his year book and pay for him to go to dances.

Dances.

Oh my goodness... didn't even think about dances. Homecoming, Holiday, Sadie Hawkins (do they still do that?), Prom... so many. That topic leaves me questioning, will I chaperone? Will he even want me to? I don't even feel old enough to be chaperoning a high school dance! Of course then I start thinking back to when I went to dances, every single dance except for my Junior and Senior Prom, and feel he probably won't want me there and I'm going to have to be ok with that.

Our babies grow up so fast. Seems like just yesterday he was starting Kindergarten and now he's off to high school. Before I know it, he'll be going to college and my littlest human will be starting school. I want to make a change over the next four years, make great memories and really help my son grow in to the already wonderful young man his is becoming.

Sun, Sand & Waves

Vacation.

We needed it.

So we went. 

To Newport Beach, CA. 

We swam and laid by the pool. 

Travis saw the ocean for the first time... 

...and loved it. 

I enjoyed my beach time, and my beach hair. 

And Travis napped, very little. 

I did cartwheels in the sand... 

And stood with my feet in the sand. 

We jumped for joy... 

And did some yoga... 

Made lots of good memories with family and friends. 

I never thought I'd ever move back to California.... but someday, I just might. I loved the area and will definitely be returning in the near future. 

We had so much fun hanging out at the pool, drinking Margaritas at Fred's in Huntington and being silly on the beach. 

It was by far the best family vacation we have been on yet! 

Five More Days.

It is so hard for me to believe that my little type-A personality baby is going to be two years old in just five days.

Exactly two years ago today, I was scheduling a pedicure for the following day, packing my bags and walking, walking, walking. I remember it all clearly, and can't believe that it was so long ago. Seems like it was just yesterday.

He is amazing, just like his brother. Smart, funny, active and sociable! Everywhere we go, he's raising his hand waving and saying, "hi!" to everyone in his sight. He gets quite confused when the occasional passerby doesn't say "hi" back. I guess I've just learned that some people just don't get kids, like kids or want to be around kids. Others get so ecstatic when he waves, complimenting me on my friendly little boy and proceed to carry on a conversation with him. It's quite refreshing.

He's come around so well... he's sleeping better, eating better and is just, well, happy. No complaints from me. If he's grumpy, it usually means it is because he's tired, hungry or thirsty! Such a difference from the first year of his little life.

On the other branch of the tree... Joey has five days of school left. It's silly that he has to go back for two days AFTER the Memorial Weekend Holiday, but whatever. Once he's done he'll be an official Freshman. Crazy. I remember him turning two and running around with his "gee-kee" (pacifier). Time flies... and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Blessed, thankful and overcoming life's obstacles.

The boys are healthy, Paul and I are healthy and we are enjoying life. That is how it should be. For everyone.

I hear so many people complain daily about this or that, and don't get me wrong, I was there. I get it. But... there is happier, healthier life. Why wouldn't you want to live that way? Things I ponder... Hoping I can help inspire others to want to live happier and healthier!!

The Magic 3's. Two of them to be exact.

I am older, wiser, more stubborn and feeling more confident than ever.

I had another birthday this weekend, yesterday. I am another year older and am excited about this. Not excited about the wrinkles that have shown up around my eyes but I am excited that the older I get, the more relaxed I get.

This last year was particularly hard for me, emotionally. I feel that it had a lot to do with something I haven't talked a lot about with many people for fear of judgement.

After giving birth to Travis in May 2011, life was not easy but it also wasn't as hard as other peoples lives. I am thankful for what I have been blessed with inside and out but I was left with deep depression. One that I never thought possible of feeling.

I sought out help in November 2011, at which point both my doctor and the therapist she referred me to said I was "fine and just needed to get out more".

Ok.

Well, at the time I was running 5-6 times a week and granted I wasn't sleeping or going out with friends (which I didn't really have at the time) I felt I was "getting out".

A few more months went by and I was still feeling these sad moments, happy moments and I had a lot of anger built up inside. Towards what? Who knows..

I sought help again.

This time I met with a therapist once a week for about 6 weeks. She was great and helped to instill confidence in me again. I started "getting out" and actually made some really great friends during this time. I stopped seeing her and it's been almost a year since.

Life is such a learning process. We are constantly learning about ourselves, our family, our friends and where the flavor of vanilla comes from (yeah, I won't go there). I know, looking at the past year and a half that I have battled PPD. So many suffer from it, and so many don't get help. I don't believe you always have to turn to medicine for help but sometimes it is necessary.

Today is a new day and I am greeting it with open arms and new habits. I am going to continue eating healthy and exercising and focusing on me and my family while still moving forward in my journey away from postpartum depression.