Drink More Water Mom

I'm quick to take care of everyone but myself in most cases. As moms, you always put your children in front of your own needs (or let's just say most mothers do).

I recall back in November when I was really sick. I couldn't shake it off and lack of sleep was only making whatever I had worse. I was also surrounded by sick people, so my first instinct was to get the Lysol spray and hand sanitizer and try to play keep-away with it and Jase. Well of course he caught it. Too bad there aren't bubbles we can wrap ourselves in during sick season. I know a lot of people that would buy them! 

 
After Jase got better, my biggest worry was he would get it back from me. We're good at making viruses go full circle in this family (yup that includes extended family too!) I went to an urgent care off Windward Parkway on my lunch break and the doctor came in and told me that I looked awful. Thanks doc. 

He kept urging that I take better care of myself and asked why I didn't see a doctor sooner if I was sick (with fever on and off) for three weeks. My answer: I've got a sick child and his health comes before mine. He stopped dead in his tracks, looked at me and said that's the best answer he'd ever heard. 

The same holds true with what you feed your children too. Just because you might eat a double cheeseburger from McDonalds doesn't mean you would feed it to your child. So why not hold ourselves to the same standard of health? 

As a child under the age of three, Jase needs a lot of healthy nutrition for his brain development. 85% of a child's core brain structure will develop by the time he/she turns three. This means kids need to eat and drink proper foods, be active, and keep stress levels low.

I am an avid believer of only giving Jase water and milk. (At least for now) I gave him a splash of orange juice once when he was sick, but it's just an empty calorie that he doesn't need. Studies show that there is a link between early entry of unnecessary sweets and teen obesity.

One day, I handed him his sippy of water and said "drink some water bae". He took a small sip, then ran into the living room. I slowly followed behind him, but he's quick so he was back in the kitchen before I knew it. He looked up and handed me a bottle of water. He smiled from ear to ear and said "mommy, wawa". I chuckled and said "ok I do need to start drinking more water".
 

Water has so many health benefits that adults tend to ignore. Benefits include: clear, smoother, and brighter skin; getting rid of infamous "bloated days" by flushing out the excess fluid our bodies store; helping the body stay hydrated and feel full/satisfied thus minimizing unnecessary snacking; and boosting energy. If you insist that your children remain healthy, then make sure to treat your body the same way. We only get one! 

The day I get my house back

I often look around the house and think "MY GOD! What happened to my house?!" It used to be so clean and Pinterest inspired a lot of the organization that we had. So what in the world happened? I look around the house and see toys, toys, and more toys. I see laundry in baskets getting wrinkled and dishes piled up in the sink. Diapers overflow the trash in the bathroom and nursery (don't even get me started on the dirty ones). Dust builds up on the dresser, the TV cabinet, and the tables. The fridge is a wreck. Our kitchen is now the staging area for food disasters and tiny tantrums. Our cabinets were taken over by sippy cups, bowls, baby food, kid-friendly snacks, and a wide array of infant medicines. 

As someone that has major OCD and germaphobia, this just seems unacceptable to me. On the days that I get a chance to clean...and I'm talkin' that good deep clean...it doesn't take long to go right back to a war zone. They say if you have OCD, it is supposed to disappear when you have kids...or maybe it's "you're supposed to let it go". Easier said than done, but I've come to terms with it a bit. 

I pick up toys most every night after Jase goes to sleep, but the next morning, I'm stepping on the loudest, sharpest freakin toy ever made (you know the one when you haven't had your morning coffee). 

When I go visit my friends that have kids, I look around and realize it's not just me. Then I think, okay my house isn't that bad. That bad! My standards have now changed. Yikes. Yes, to all my wonderful friends with kids, I'm looking at your house and your mess. But I am definitely not judging you because I know what you're dealing with!

But, and this is a big BUT...! I couldn't imagine it any other way. A few weeks ago, we installed new floors in the living room. We had to move every single last little toy into the playroom area. When the floors were done, I stood looking around shaking my head. It just wasn't right. No riding cars. No teethers. No trucks or lawnmowers. No cups anywhere. No toy box. No toys in sight. It was in that moment when I realized life was pretty boring before this kiddo came along.

I quickly ran to the playroom and grabbed all the living room toys and scattered them around the floor. I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that everything was back in its clustered, chaotic place. I thought for a moment and realized that with all the stress and aggravation that comes with the house being in shambles, it also means that the day I get my house back will be a bittersweet moment because it will mean that my little boy is all grown. 

Baby Proofing

So as many of you know, Jase is very mischievous! The boy just wants to investigate everything and nothing gets in his way. Early on, we had to put cabinet safety locks on every cabinet door in the kitchen and bathrooms. Now, I know some people that have never had to do that, but our little man gets into everything...and I mean EVERYTHING! It took awhile to get used to. I can't tell you how many times I pulled open a door in the kitchen only to forget there was a lock I needed to push down. Now that we've gotten used to the door locks, Jase also figured them out and can get past most of them. This left me baffled and thinking what else in the house needs to be made safe.

First thing I thought of were the door knobs. I'm not too worried about the bedroom and bathroom doors, but I did end up buying the door handle covers for the door leading to the basement steps, the back door leading to the porch, and the front door. Here's the problem...I get so pissed at those knob covers! The back door sticks a little, and I tried for ten minutes to get the back door open, then I gave up. After awhile, I walked back over to the door and tried again. After getting beyond frustrated, I ripped the safety cover off and opened the door. I eventually put it back on. 

I thought we were making progress by getting used to the covers and thinking we finally outsmarted our little guy. However, we left one knob uncovered. His closet door has a flat handle and very easy to pull open. I walked into his room and found him rummaging through the shelves of baby lotions and soaps pulling things apart one by one. Off to the store we went! We got a Safety 1st lever handle lock. 

The day I went to install it, I read the directions and realized the door knob needed to be pulled off completely. I sighed, rolled my eyes and dug through the house to get a screw driver. After removing the screws and the door knob, I attached the safety plate and the cover. Once the door knob was back on and everything looked correct, I put it to the test. Jase ran over to it and tried to open the door. Success! I don't know why I got so excited, but I felt like "man, I can do anything if I just try!" Yup, it's the little things.

It's bad enough that I have the entire house on lock down, but the wall outlets are no exception. I covered those before Jase was even born. It's quite a task to remove those every time I need to use an outlet! But safety comes first! I am pretty positive that he will find other things to get into, but I refuse to get a lock on the fridge or toilet! There's just no way I can battle opening either one of those. I do wish there was a toilet paper lock though. Happy baby proofing everyone!