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First Day of School

Walker had his very first day of "school" this morning.

Not quite preschool, rather a Parent's Day Out. But they called it "school" on all the forms they sent home, so of course I had to commemorate it with a picture:).

As y'all know, I have the pleasure of being at home with Walker most days of the week. And if he's not with me he's with family or our only sitter - a senior in high school who lives in our neighborhood.

Lets put it this way, I rarely carry pictures in my wallet because the kid is usually hanging from my hip or walking a few steps beside me.

He plays with other kiddos quite a bit through church, playdates and family. But even in those situations I am there for a word and/or hug of reassurance when needed.

Today was scary.

I left him for 4 whole hours - 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

I was a nervous wreck this morning. Concerned that he woke up too early and would be tired. Scolding myself when I almost sent him with peanut butter for lunch (a no-no from the forms). Worrying about whether I should dress him in pants or shorts.

I think the key issue is that I was having trouble coping with the unknowns of the day.

I'm sure he sensed that, although he did pretty well until he recognized the building for PDO and let all of his weight go dead, causing me to do a bicep curl with 30 pounds of toddler - all while smiling at the other parents and staff and pretending I was cool, calm & collected.

They were on to me. I'm sure of it.

We managed to make it to our classroom after a few breakaway moments when I had to sprint after him toward the door. After 20 minutes or so of me playing with him on the rug (b/c we were early), I handed him over to his fun teacher, Mrs. Jill, and ran out of the room. I'm not kidding. I ran.

He was crying. I was crying.

Fortunately, I had a full load of to-dos planned during his time at PDO, which made the time fly. But you better believe I showed up 20 minutes early because I just couldn't wait until 12:30.

When I got there, I poked my head in the gym window to find his class playing with the other kiddos. And guess who was grinning ear to ear, hogging the plastic slide?

Yup, my baby.

Mrs. Becky reassured me that he stopped crying just seconds after I left. And he had a "great" day. It was like all of my anxieties melted away and I felt so silly for worrying so much.

Would you believe that he sang the whole way home? Not sure what he was saying, but he was belting a tune that he must have made up himself. I just smiled in the rear view mirror and thanked God for getting us through such an emotional day (mostly for me!).

I know that Parent's Day Out is going to be so good for Walker. And good for me too.

Making the decision to have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

-Elizabeth Stone

Bye Bye Bubba

So long sweet little baby with a mouth full of bubba...

 

The day we returned from our vacation we let Walker know that "bubbas" are just for bedtime.

If you know this child IRL you know how much he loves his bubbas. He never really latched on to a blankie or a stuffed animal. His bubbas are his lovies. So I was quite nervous about the transition.

I am happy to report that we are almost three days daytime bubba-free and I think it's been much harder for me than him. He still asks for his bubba but he moves on as soon as I remind them they are for bedtime.

Now we can try out some new accessories - like hats:).

Lake Martin, AL

Not many deep thoughts in this post.

Nope.

Just some pictures from our trip to Martin Lake (AL) - where we spent the weekend with the Webb Family prior to our beach trip. They are so much fun!

My son loves animals. Too bad daddy is allergic...

 

First time on a boat - his second birthday.

 

Handsome Webb boys - Winston, Walker & William Webb.

Captain David Webb & his first mate, Brody

If you look close enough, you will see a two year old "swiffering" their back yard.

Nothing like skipping rocks in your birthday suit on your birthday!

The Experiment: Healthy Eating for Children

Welcome to The Experiment, a collection of posts from mommies and daddies doing their best to raise the little people in their lives.

There is only one rule to the experiment: try your best to read the experiences & thoughts of the folks kind enough to share them with an open mind. There will be some ideas you agree with and others may seem different than yours. But I can promise that we will all learn something.

 I am pumped about sharing some juicy healthy eating tidbits from one of my dear friends. Melinda is not only a friend, but she is also an expert in health & nutrition. In fact, she led me through a recent week-long detox (one that I am trying during September as well) and I can say that I have never felt better physically. Now don't hear me wrong, I didn't get my 14 year old abs back. Haha. But I feel so much better when I treat my body good.

Our kids feel better and function better too when they have healthy foods. And I will be the first to admit that I have a long way to go in that category. Hopefully, some of Melinda's tips below will give you a good starting point or further encouragement. This girl is FULL of health tips, tricks & just plain common sense. Now as Melinda would say, LET'S ROCK!

FYI, here are some of Melinda's credentials...

Masters in Holistic Wellness

Certified Weight Management Specialist

Certified Pilates and Prenatal Yoga Instructor

Certified Personal Trainer

Doula-in-Training

Cheers to another tool in the toolbox:)...

*If you are interested in sharing your parenting experiences/thoughts with all of us, please email webbrachel@yahoo.com.

________________________________________________________

Before I start divvying out advise about how to raise a healthy family, let me start with confessions from my previous self: I used to eat Pop Tarts for breakfast (frosted strawberry, to be specific), wash them down with a pot of coffee loaded with French vanilla creamer, head out the door with a cigarette in one hand and a diet coke in the other, stop for lunch at McDonald’s on the way to grocery shop for Snickers ice cream bars and frozen pizza. It was only after the gentle prompting of a friend that I read some books on healthy living and after the consistent (albeit less gentle) nagging of caring friends and family that I strongly consider quitting smoking that I really took a good hard look at my personal health. It was…gross. So, I started making changes…and I still am incorporating those changes into my life as we speak. I begin this way only so that you don’t envision me as a self-assumed know-it-all that grew up on a wheat germ farm or a vegan member of PETA, or as someone who never craves that melt-in-your-mouth snickers ice cream bar!! That is sooooo not me. Nope, I’m just a girl (can you still call yourself a girl at 35 ½ years of age?) whose journey to health has lead her into a love relationship for healthy living and for sharing the lessons I’ve learned with others (if asked). Even though none of you asked specifically, Rachel did, and so now you’re stuck reading my blah, blah, blahs about some basics of teaching your kids how to be healthy.  So here goes…

• Be a healthy role model. I know that sounds trite, but pouring into your kids out of an empty well just doesn’t work. You have to be healthy and to make good food choices before you can expect your kids to be and do the same. Any parent knows by now that our little ones watch everything we do and say. So what are we teaching them about eating with what we choose to stock our pantries with and to fill our plates with on a regular basis?

• “Let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start!” If you are a parent of a wee one just in the baby food stage of life, get him or her started on the right path. If you can, try making your own baby food. It honestly takes a blender, about a half an hour a week, and leftovers (that is, if you are eating healthy). Plus, you save a TON of money!!!! If you don’t make your own food, make healthy choices when you are buying manufactured baby food. Load up on greens, sweet potatoes, and other fruits and veggies and this helps make for a transition to healthy table food. I almost passed out in the aisle a few weeks ago when I saw jarred baby food dessert. Really?!?!? As a mommy, you gotta set the pace before the pace sets you, and giving your baby’s palate dessert from the get-go will have him or her coming back for more from that point on.

• Know what your kids need to be eating. Some very well-intentioned mommy meal makers just aren’t sure exactly what their kids should be consuming on a daily basis. Here’s a great link that lists the food groups and serving sizes of what toddlers need: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/childrens_health/hic_feeding_your_toddler_-_ages_1_to_3_years.aspx

There are similar resources for kids of all ages that a simple Google search can uncover for you. A close look at what we are really serving up compared to what we should be offering at mealtime may help with grocery shopping and planning for meals and snacks. If you go to the grocery once a week, for example, make sure you are coming home with enough fresh produce, whole grains, and good protein and fat options for you and your kids for that time period.

• Out of sight, out of mind. Okay, so this one really gets my goat. I have a lot of moms ask me, “Can you help me? I can only get Billy to eat chips and sweets!” “Sure, I’m happy to help,” I (would love to respond but never have the guts to) respond, “Give me the chips and sweets and show me the trashcan!” I usually politely offer a solution in a more pc manner, but that’s the real deal answer. A kid can not eat what is not available to eat. Likewise, a pantry full of a variety of healthy food gives a child the opportunity to make a good decision. For example, I’d be crazy to think that my daughter Celia would choose hummus and veggies over cookies. So cookies aren’t an option. Instead, the choices are hummus and veggies OR a kid-size Clif bar OR fruit and a spoonful of almond or peanut butter. Any choice she makes will be a good one.

• Make healthy eating a natural part of your life. When you’re out shopping, talk about the value of foods. “Oh look at all of the yummy oranges!! Did you know that the stuff that God made oranges with helps keep your body from getting sick? You know the letter C that we’ve been working on? Well, oranges have a vitamin in them called Vitamin C! Isn’t that cool?” Buy healthy play foods for them to “cook” with in their toy kitchen sets and talk about what’s good about those foods then, too. When you sit down to eat your meals, carry on the discussion with them, then. It may sound like a lot of talk about food, but just consider ongoing conversations we have with our kids everyday—about manners, sharing, etc. This is just another part of the conversation.

• Find a balance. Yes, we only have healthy options in our home, but you’ve gotta leave the house! At friends’ houses, playgroup, church functions, etc, junk food abounds. What should you do? You don’t want to be offensive or just plain socially weird, right? I get it. But this is a great chance to teach moderation! Allow a little bit but also offer to bring a healthy snack for everyone to share. Make sure to make your healthy treats are yummy ones—kale probably won’t be a big hit at preschool —so that other moms and kids get excited about how they can make healthy choices, too!

• Experiment. Although kids would live off of mac-n-cheese and goldfish if we let them, there are tons of other options out there for meals and snacks. A few ideas:

  • Veggies: Try mixing in broccoli with their mac-n-cheese…nice trick. You could even call the broccoli “little trees”—hey, whatever works. Sweet potatoes are easy and delicious and can be baked ahead of time and then nuked in the microwave for a minute or so for a quick meal or snack. They are great just plain, but you can add some cinnamon. (Kids don’t know we’ve come to cover up their flavor with brown sugar, so there’s no need to even add that.) For prepared foods, there are these really great things from a brand called Dr. Praeger’s (Whole Foods carries them)—broccoli littles, spinach cakes. They are shaped like dinosaurs and stuff and are (yes, I've tried them) YUM! We drink a greens formula drink around here that gives a full day’s of greens servings in a fruit-flavored powder mix that I just add to Celia’s water (and mine) when we just don’t get our veggies in for some reason.

  • Fruits: These are usually an easy sell for kids. Just make sure you are offering a variety of fruits so they get all of the benefits of these super powerful little things called phytochemicals that are unique to the different types of fruit.

  • Protein: Try different nut butters—almond (my husband Ben’s favorite), sunflower seed butter, and of course the old standby peanut butter mixed into oatmeal or on whole grain crackers or celery. Serve edamame (soybeans…and a complete source of protein) as a side or snack. If you do meat, offer what you are having, too, instead of relying on “kid meat.” Think outside the box…of chicken nuggets. Rice and beans are a hit around here, too.

  • Grains: Choose whole grain breads and crackers. Brown bread does not equal healthy bread. “Enriched bread” just means the company added some of the vitamins and minerals that are stripped from the whole grain during the milling process of the grain, so don’t be fooled by Rainbow “Iron Kids.” Getting 100% whole grain bread gives you the benefits of, well, the whole grain. Also, try other grains—quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat.

  • Fats: Again, the nut butters are a good choice here. Avocado is a great plant fat, so it’s full of the good fat with not the bad!

  • Dairy: We drink almond, rice, coconut, and soymilk here. If we ever do use cow’s milk, it’s organic. It’s fun to try the tastes of different milks, and there are tons of benefits to rotating dairy and dairy alternatives (way too many to go into here).

  • For a treat: Make your own popsicles with fresh squeezed juice or V-8 Fusion juice. Blend a frozen banana, a bit of almond or rice milk, and about a tablespoon of nut butter and serve like ice cream. For a store bought cookie, opt for Kashi’s cookies. There’s no artificial junk in them (like high fructose corn syrup) and they contain whole grain.

Okay, so that’s the tip of the ice burg! Hope it’s helpful to you and your families!

Cel picking fresh garden tomatoes for lunch at her Mimi and Big Dad’s House!

Celia enjoying Organic Eggs (raised by her Poppaw), Edamame, Rice Milk, Soy Yogurt, and Whole Grain Graham Crackers. YUM!

Celia playing “Grocery”—checking out whole grain cereal and fresh produce.

Cel enjoying a V-8 Juice Popsicle we made!

Annie Styles (7 ½ weeks) – who gets the most perfect food there is: Breast Milk (but that’s a whole different blog post! )

 

Back from the Beach

I've been keeping a little secret from y'all - mostly because I don't want strange people showing up at my house in my absence stealing our precious family videos - cause you know that's the most valuable thing we have:).

We've been at the beach.

Which beach?

Seagrove Beach - down by Seaside/Destin Beach

With my handsome boys

Soaking in the moments

That make life sweet

But I will admit that it feels oh so good to be home sweet home with a camera full of pictures and a head full of new memories.

I'm Not Ready

...for summer to end.

Swingin Sticks for the Cats

This past weekend, the Shelby County UK Alumni Association hosted a UK vs. UofL Golf Scramble to raise money for college scholarships for local students attending our great alma mater.

The weather was perfect and lots of money was raised - it was an all-around amazing event. Great job to the local alumni board!

Lee played in the scramble with two of his great friends (Brad & Mike) and one of Mike's friends.

Walker couldn't help but join in on the action - after all, there were balls involved!

You don't have to be a graduate or even attend the University to get connected with fellow UK fans. If you are a alumni or friend of the University, I encourage you to join the UK Alumni Association.

You get invitations and discounts to great events like this, game watches, dinners, service opportunities, campus events...you name it.  You also get discounts to tons many great stores (that alone will pay for your membership).

This is a great gift (I'm thinking Christmas already) for you or someone who shares your big blue love.

One of my favorite benefits is the fact that I receive a copy of Kentucky Alumni in the mail every quarter, which gives updates on what former students from my class are doing, happenings at the University, career tips and much more.

Speaking of career tips, being a member of the UK AA also gives you access to a career counselor.

And there are also athletic-related perks like the recent chance to meet Coach Calipari in Shelbyville, K Fund points and the chance to purchase football and basketball tickets (limited basis).

But the #1 perk is that you get to connect with local UK supporters from your area:).

Click here to read the full list of benefits. And click here to learn more on how to join.

Also, you can follow UK Alumni Association on Twitter.

Become their friend on Facebook.

Or connect on LinkedIn.

See Blue.

And check out this cool Ad Age story about how UK is using facebook on campus - so creative!

Last Pic

How random it is that this is the last picture that I have of my one (now two) year old?

I didn't even think to get a shot right before he went to sleep. But I think this pic probably captures his final pre-preschool hours just fine:).

It also just happens to be taken right before he broke my $3.90 Forever 21 sunglasses. Let the two's commence, huh?!

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Happy Two Years

Happy birthday to my sweet, loving, strong boy.

You make me a mommy and you make me oh so happy.

Thank you for always giving me a smile in the morning.

And for teaching me patience.

And for never judging me or what I wear on the days when it's just me and you:).

And for giving me 1,000 reasons to take lots of pictures and video.

And for reminding me how God sees me as his child.

And for helping me to clean up, even if it does mean you hand me a booger on occasion.

And for reminding me how to have fun.

And for just being YOU.

You are a blessing. I am not worthy. But I am oh so grateful.

I love you,

Mommy

September 4, 2010

The Experiment: Picky Eaters

Welcome to The Experiment, a collection of posts from mommies and daddies doing their best to raise the little people in their lives.

There is only one rule to the experiment: try your best to read the experiences & thoughts of the folks kind enough to share them with an open mind. There will be some ideas you agree with and others may seem different than yours. But I can promise that we will all learn something.

 Walker has alwasy been a pretty good eater, but we certainly go through spurts where I lose creativity and he loses interest. My friend, Ramsey, sent the information below in response to a friend's request for advice on our local mama experiment discussion board. I thought it was very practical and easy to implement. Ramsey also happens to be an amazing photographer. Check out the sweet pictures she took of her kiddos.

Cheers to another tool in the toolbox:)...

*If you are interested in sharing your parenting experiences/thoughts with all of us, please email webbrachel@yahoo.com. ___________________________________________________________________

Ramsey is the mother of three precious children - Devon, Mollie & Jane. The message below was written in response to an e-mail seeking advice on our *mama experiment discussion board. Good stuff.

"A couple of thoughts...

First...there are kiddos that get their energy from proteins and tend to eat
protein rich food. Others get their energy from carbs...and again, tend to eat
carb rich foods. Carbs aren't bad as long as they are "burned" off. If he is
active, carbs won't build up in him like they do us. I've got one that is a
carboholic, another that is a total meat girl and another that eats anything and
everything.

Second...do you limit snacking? I learned the hard way with baby girl #1 that
snacking must be limited. I would have a bowl of cheerios, goldfish, etc out
for her ALL DAY long. She'd graze. Then when it was time for dinner, she had
NO interest. When I realized that the snacking was getting in the way of her
actual meals, I stopped the grazing. She would have breakfast, a snack around
10, then lunch. If she finished all of her lunch, she was allowed a snack
around 3. If she didn't finish all of her lunch, she wouldn't get a snack. It
took us about 3 weeks to get into the groove of things but once she figured out
what her new schedule was...she began eating actual meals. She was 15 months
when we started that process. Baby girl #2 and baby girl #3 have been on the
same schedule and we've been satisfied with the results.

Third...when we presented meals, we did "courses". First course had to be eaten
before the next course. The least favorite course was first...the final course
was the favorite. That worked really well for us. Presentation is also
important. Make your courses fun and inviting to eat.

The last thing to consider is that your little one may not be growing right now
so his caloric needs aren't as high as they usually are. It's also between 13
and 18 months that children really begin to figure out "boundaries". They
usually pick food as their first battle because that's one of the few things
they have control over. You can't FORCE them to eat and they know that.

Be firm in your eating expectations and gentle in your consequences. I know you
can feel AWFUL when you know your kiddo didn't eat his lunch and is STARVING by
mid afternoon. But know that he'll be REALLY interested in dinner as a result.
Explain to him the reasons you have for doing what you're doing...and be
consistent.

Hope that helps."

Here are some shots of Ramsey & Michael's girls - Devon, Mollie & Jane.

Devon

Mollie & Jane

 

*The Mama Experiment discussion board is private and open to members only. If you are interested in joining to share and hear the advice, experiences & opinions of local mommies and/or get invited to our super fun mommy's night out, send me an e-mail at webbrachel@yahoo.com. Thanks:).