Be Careful What You Say

    How often do we say things without a thought? I know I am guilty of speaking my mind without a filter sometimes. I have a really bad habit of negative self talk... Anyone with me on that?! It is such an ingrained habit that I am ashamed to admit it happens far too often.
   Part of the New Year, New Me is about mental health, not just this physical. It is so much easier to work on the outside and push the mental health to the back burner. I had a BIG wake up call the other day. It's time to focus on emotional health.
   We had only been back from vacation for a couple of days, and we were all still getting used to being back in our "normal" routine. Akira was having a tough day and ended up in big time melt down mode. She went off to her room like a screaming banshee while the dog and her brothers ran for cover. I let her carry on for a bit and when I thought she was starting to gain a bit of control, I went to talk.
     I opened the door to find a heap of 6 year old little girl in a tear stained, puffy-eyed mess. I sat down on the floor with her and asked her what was going on. What she said next was like a punch in the gut. She proceeded to say something about herself that was a direct quote of what I have said about myself when I'm in melt-down mode. Ouch! It broke my heart to see my little girl hiccuping and wiping her runny nose on her sleeve knowing that I had passed on this self-laothing type of thinking. Definitely not the legacy I want to leave.
    Akira and I snuggled there on her floor for a little while and talked about all the good things we see in each other. We were able to talk about the difference between "being a bad girl" and having bad behaviour. In the end, she felt comforted and reassured and I felt determined to turn my own thinking around. I don't want to be a negative impact like that!
   What I learned from that moment? My kids are always listening, even when I think they aren't. I need to speak positive thoughts about myself in front of them. Your words define you, so be careful what you say. It's like the post I've seen floating around facebook recently about the broken plate. You can apologize to the broken plate, but it is still broken. It's my job as  a parent to teach these little people how to make it and how to be okay. I'm looking forward to learning to speak good things and not the bad!

Eating Clean

     I have started this year with the goal to change my family's eating habits and my own mental fitness. We have been doing fairly well, but I didn't realize just how much of an impact our healthy eating had until we went away. I am an American by birth, and my parents still live there. So, on our recent vacation we went to Baltimore to visit them.

     I had full intentions to continue to eat clean while we were away. Unfortunately that only lasted for a few days. Slowly but surely eating out and childhood treats began to take over my carefully laid plans of keeping it clean. For those of you who know me, I am kind of an all or nothing gal. Once I started down the slippery slope of poor eating, I just jumped right into the mountain of mounds bars.... and cheez-its. Man oh man, they tasted so good at the time, but I began to feel kind of gross and grouchy! 

     I am a firm believer in doing my best to be a non-hypocritcal parent and to lead by example. For instance, how can I tell my kids not to spend so much time on "electronic play" if I have my face buried in my i-phone? I feel the same way about eating. How can I say "hey kids, you can have an apple for a snack" while I stuff my face with cheez-its and chocolate? 

    By the last few days of our visit, we were all feeling the effects of how we were eating. Isaac in particular was way off his game. Isaac has ADHD and is on medication (that will be another post all together, our journey with ADHD). He was alternating between wild and unable to slow down, to major melt-downs and outbursts of anger. I didn't even clue in (duh) as to how our eating habits could be playing a part in all the drama.
    The car ride home was interesting to say the least. To quote Forest Gump, "That's about all I have to say about that". Trying to make good time +3 kids + a dog+ and unorganized mom = quickie snack like "meals" full of processed junk. Not a good combination.
      When we finally returned home, I cleaned out the fridge and headed to the grocery store. I was in such a mood by that time I remember threatening to not come home from the store! But alas, I did return with the determination to get us all back on track again. I enjoyed all the tasty treats while we were away, but I did not enjoy the way they made me feel and the way they sent the kids on a tailspin.
      We've only been back a couple of days and I can already see everyone coming down from their processed high. I am less emotional, the kids are sleeping better and less prone to melt-downs. It's really nice! I've always been skeptical about clean eating and mood. Now I am a firm believer! It really is true about how you fuel your body. Keep the engine clean!!

Rescue Pup

   So, as I said in a previous post, we are visiting my parents in Baltimore. We have had a great visit where everyone has stayed up late and slept in in the mornings. It's been great. We've shopped, seen family, been to the movies, and Simon and I even got out for a date! We were also able to be here to support mom and dad as they lost their dog of many, many years; Buster.
     Charlie, my parents remaining dog has been a joy for my kids and has reinforced the feelings that our family is missing a four-legged piece.  We had a shelter dog in the past, Lucy. who was the best thing that happened to my eldest. I always say that my Isaac is an old soul and Lucy was his best buddy to whom he could talk to. She was a soothing presence to his sometimes wired soul. We lost Lucy about 2 years ago, and Isaac will still tear up when he sees her picture.
    Simon and I had a chat (I may have been a bit persuasive) and decided to call up the local SPCA and see if adoption was an option as it would be out of country. The shelter didn't foresee a problem with us adopting, so off Simon and I went to have a look at the dogs. There were many to choose from, but 2 that caught our eye. Maxwell, an English bulldog mix with a HUGE head and  Lombard, a shepherd mix with a sweet face and a gentle disposition.
     We came home with pictures to show the kids. They immediately shouted that Lombard was going to be the one. We had a day to think about things and then we took the kids in to meet the dogs.  Akira was overwhelmed by the noise and Isaac thought it was "stinky" Asher pointed at all of the dogs shouting "tee, tee woo, woo, woo". We took them to the area that housed Maxwell and Lombard and both kids dropped to their knees at Lombard's cage and stated that this was "the one".
    We found the staff person and arranged to meet Lombard in the meet and greet room. He came in very calmly and quietly. Isaac, though we had asked him to restrain himself, immediately put his arms around Lombard's neck and declared his love. Akira was excited about how soft his ears were and Asher thumped him on the head and yelled "tee".
   I knew Lombard was the boy for us. Any dog that was that tolerant of a group of loud, strange kids was a-ok in my books. I also knew that Lombard needed a new name. He was found at the corner of Lombard St, hence his name, but it just didn't suit him.
   We all piled into the car to head home and prepare to bring Lombard home with us. I was anxious and felt like a new parent getting ready to bring home a new baby. And what were we going to name him?! This plagued me and I admit I tossed and turned and chased names around my head all night. Nothing was just right. We had a few that we agreed on, but I never had that "aha" moment.
    We were in the van on the way to pick him up and Simon said that he had had a thought while he was in the shower. He suggested Sauver... french for saved or rescued. It was perfect!!  We arrived at the shelter, signed the final paperwork and prepared to bring our boy home. He hoped into the car like he'd done it a million times.  He alternated between looking out the window and lying down next to Asher's car seat. We had found a new family member.
    He seems to be settling in quite nicely. Now we just have to wait and see how he'll make out on the LONG drive home...

Liebster Award

Liebster Award

I just got nominated for my first Liebster Award so exciting!

Nominated by the lovely Erin Smith at http://www.ekesmom.com

 How it works: You give 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

 You then nominate 11 other bloggers (with less than 200 followers) and give them 11 questions to answer!

11 Random Facts about me:

1. I always dreamed about having a huge family as a child (I wanted 10 kids)

2. I have been skydiving and I LOVE it!

3. I ran 2 marathons simply because someone told me I would never have the discipline to complete one.

4. I am an amateur boxer.

5. I have dual US and Canadian   citizenship.

6. I am terrified of balloons and cringe at going to kids birthday parties as a result.

7. I love NYC and if I was young and single could see myself living there.

8. I am an only child.

9. I have delivered all of my kids naturally and my longest labour was only 6 hours.

10. I lived on Vancouver Island for about 11 years and I think the west coast is beautiful!!

11. I love writing poetry and took many english/lit courses as electives when getting my BN. 

Questions for me:

1. Is your family complete?

I don't know. I have 3 and would be happy with more, but my hubby and I are both "old" so who knows??

2.What is your go-to weeknight dinner?

 I'd have to say chicken stir-fry. 

3.What was your favourite stage of your child's/children's development?

    That's a tough one! I think around age 1 when they are really exploring and discovering and so fascinated with 

everything is pretty cool

4.What is your favourite candy?

    mounds bars5.How did you first meet your SO

   We were in a public speaking competition (I beat him).6.What is you average daily outfit?

    Comfy pants and a t-shirt or scrubs if I'm working.

7.What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

    Sex sent me to the ER on TLC... too funny and too true

8.You are childless for half an hour, what do you do?

      Sleep or shower or sleep in the shower haha

9.Which of your children's toys do you like to play with the most?

     The x-box.... because of course we bought it for the kids ;)

10.What is your favourite new life-hack?

       Hmmmm.... I'll have to think about this one!

11.What is your favourite kind of muffin and why?

       My homemade banana chocolate chip muffins, but I'm not a big fan of muffins in general, so I only make them

 once in a blue moon.

I am a newbie blogger and really don't know anyone here in blog land... I'd be happy to nominate you if you give

 me a shout out!! 

Rules are here ladies : This award is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It works like this: you start by being nominated by a fellow blogger who likes what you have been posting, then you tell 11 random facts about yourself, and answer 11 questions. You then get to nominate 11 fellow bloggers and give them 11 questions to answer. Have fun and comment below when you have re posted I cannot wait to see who you all nominate!

Driving with AppleCheeks

      So although I am a mom of 3, Asher is my first bum in cloth. I've been using AppleCheeks for a year now and I feel pretty comfortable with my routine, but I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about a 2 day car trip in cloth. Let's be honest, it wasn't just the cloth I was nervous about... 3 kids, 2 parents, 1 car could be a recipe for chaos. We have made the drive to Baltimore from New Brunswick many times with no complaints from the peanut gallery, so I was hoping this trip would be the same.
    We started our trip in a bit of a whirlwind. The forecast was predicting blizzard conditions for the day we were supposed to leave, so in true Richard spontaneous form, we opted to pack up and leave the night before. This wouldn't have been a big deal except I had literally not packed one thing yet... Procrastination, Melanie is your name..  I have to give a shout out to my hubby. He had been on days off leading up to this and I had been at work and he managed to wrangle the kids and make sure all the laundry was done, including my diaper laundry. Because of his hard work, all I had to do was throw everything in bags and hit the road.
    We loaded up the kids, clad in jammies and hit the road. I had a duffle bag all stuffed with fluff and a diaper bag which I hoped would be full enough to last the car trip. I knew we were good for the night with a super-stuffed bum. Everyone was settled and blissfully snoozing by the time we hit the US border an hour later.
     I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to travel in cloth. The ease of the applecheeks system was part of what made the trip so simple... just snap and go! I also had a great "diaper" bag, which made storage of our dirty diapers a breeze. I started using a Lulu lemon gym bag as my go to diaper bag a few months ago. The area designated for gym shoes makes a perfect storage area for a small zippered wet bag, leaving a ton of space in the main area for clean fluff.
     We arrived at my parents house with our sanity in tact and applecheeks on the cheeks.  Steel me stole the show for the debut of cloth diapers to Grammy. My anxiety was without cause, traveling in cloth was simple and stress free!

Asher's face when I told him I was thinking about using disposables for the drive...

Our make-shift storage for clean fluff

Why I want to Fight

    Okay, so I am in my (gasp) LATE thirties now.... my word, when did I get to be this old?? Seriously, I feel like I am still in my twenties, and let's face it, I still act like an impulsive teenager on occasion. But the truth is I am 36. I am not a spring chicken any more. So why am I trying to become an amateur boxer? Because you are never too old to try something new.
    I first darkened the doors of KV Golden Gloves 3 years ago. I went to the ladies boxing class to see what the hype was all about. I had friends who had raved about what a great workout this class was and I wanted to see if I had what it took to finish a class. I did, sort of. I truly thought I was going to die. Let's face it, burpees are the devil and I hadn't done a burpee in like a hundred years.
     Despite my near-death experience, I left class that day and bought my own pair of boxing gloves and looked forward to the next class. I was hooked!
     Fast forward to about this time last year... I had been thinking about how much fun it would be to actually get into the ring and spar. I knew that at my age it would just be for fun, because who is going to let a thirty something mom of 3 compete?! Apparently Tim, the man who runs the club, will. What?! It's all fun and games until someone punches you in the face for the first time. Granted, I am all geared up with a mouth guard and head gear, but that first blow to the head made me think for a moment about what exactly I was getting myself into.

     So for the last 8 months or so, I have been faithfully heading to the boxing gym, climbing into the ring, and doing my best not to get my bell rung. I was able to travel to Moncton in December and experience the nerves and anticipation of my very first fight. My first fight, which I am still waiting for. You see, I went all that way, completed the weigh-in and medical and then found out my opponent was a no show.  Who knew that boxing would not only develop my body, but teach me to deal graciously with disappointment.
    Why do I want to fight? Why do I push myself to do just one more or do it just a little faster? It's really quite simple. I am a mom. What does that have to do with boxing? Nothing and everything.  I want my kids to believe that they can accomplish whatever it is they put their minds to do. I believe the best way to lead is by example. So, I lace up my boxing shoes, step into the ring and continue to pursue my goal.
    I may never be a world class athlete, and I may never be anyone's million dollar baby, but I am a fighter. I am a dreamer. I am a boxer.

Resolution vs. Reality

     It has been nearly a week since I "resolved" to turn around both my life and in the process impact the lives of my husband and kids. Well making a decision on the eve of a new year and actually living out the reality are two very different things. So how has this week been? I'd say okay on a scale of crappy - awesome.
     I like to think that as a family, we eat a somewhat healthy, somewhat well rounded diet. When I actually take stock of what we eat perhaps I was a bit generous in my thinking. It is so much easier to reach for a pack of "real" fruit gummies than it is to make something real. Lazy... yes. BUT sometimes when kids are melting down and supper needs to be made and the baby screams every time I try to put him down I want convenience. So, my goal for this week is to have fresh fruit and veggies prepped and ready to be handed out to the wailing masses.
   I also tried almond milk in my coffee today instead of cream (don't judge, it's so delicious). As a die-hard sugar and cream in my coffee gal I think I've come a long way. I have just a sprinkle of sugar now, which is down from nearly 3 teaspoons. I am not sold on the almond milk, but I'm willing to try it again. I also picked up some coconut milk today to give that a try.
    My favourite part of this journey so far has been the excuse to browse Pinterest for yummy new recipies. I made a delicious butternut squash and apple bake which was pretty good (see link to recipe below). I tweaked it a bit, as I do with most recipes... I see them more as guides than set in stone rules. What can I say, I walk on the wild side!
    My weight really hasn't changed and I'd be lying if I said I am full of energy. I know this is the first step in a life long journey, so I don't expect instant gratification.  I am enjoying finding new foods and tweaking existing favourites to make them more "whole".
    I have a long way to go... but I'm in this for the long haul!

"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."

http://healthylivingmaintenance.tumblr.com/post/71247058532/cinnamon-roasted-butternut-squash-apples