Healthy kid snacks

I wanted to do a quick post about healthy snacks for kiddos, mostly because it's something that is important to me but also because I think it's something moms struggle with.

In our house, the kids want to eat all.the.time. and if I'm not prepared with something I'm quickly being turned on, and it isn't pretty.

So here are a few no-fail snack options that my kids love. I don't buy "junk" food so it isn't even an option. If they get something out of a box it's almost always Annie's bunnies and that is usually for my comfort more than theirs (i.e. a roadtrip or while shopping at Target- two places I do not want to deal with a fussy child). They also get treats on the weekends, at school, or when they are with their grandparents. I'm not super strict- I want them to live- but I do want to make sure 90% of what they eat helps their little bodies and doesn't hinder them.

1. Sliced almonds. This is not an obvious answer, but it's a great one. I discovered one day while baking that my kids love these and I make sure we always have them on hand. These are great car snacks too because they don't make a lot of crumbs.

2. String cheese. Any cheese really. I joke with Madelyn that one day when she turns into a piece of cheese she'll have to live in the refridgerator. She thinks this is hilarious.

3. Lara bars. These are delicious and are literally just fruit and nuts. No preservatives, no artificial coloring, nothing.

4. Fruit fruit fruit. Apple sticks (thinly sliced apples cut up like little french fries), strawberries, bananas, anything. My kids would eat fruit all day long if I let them.

5. Roasted sunflower seeds with dried cranberries. Again, random, but healthy and delicious!

And just so you know that I'm human, I'll tell you that we spent Monday afternoon having treats at Dunkin Donuts to celebrate the start of a good week at Madelyn's school. I think we can all agree that sugar, in small doses, just does you good every now and then ;)

Alive and well

Christmas did our family Good, which is how I will explain the complete lack of recent posts. We holed up in the house together, many days never even changing out of our pajamas, cuddled, watched movies, played, napped together, and loved.every.minute.

Honestly, I often feel like I'm at a place where I only have time to play with the kids/do projects on the house/hang with my husband/cook and not time to do all of those things and then blog about them. And I'm realizing more and more that the kiddos are getting so big so fast I don't want to do anything except soak them up every day.

I'm making an effort to just be with them when I can instead of trying to constantly multitask, which means that when they go down at 8 p.m. every night I'm in go mode cleaning up, planning the next day, making Matt's lunch (a new effort for 2013 to try and make his mornings a little easier), doing laundry, etc etc. And with my phone there are enough distractions as it is. I don't want to look back and feel like I missed my babies being little because I was too busy doing things online.

So I'm releasing myself from the blog for the time being. I'll post when I have time, or if there is something I want to write about, but I feel like if I can let it go for now I'll feel less guilty for not tending to it regularly.

And it fits well with my word for 2013: deliberate. I want to be deliberate with my time, my actions, my words. I want to be thoughtful and present in the kind of wife I am to Matt, the kind of friend I am, and in who I am to myself as well. I'm carving time out for me this year, which I haven't done a good job of in the past. And in balancing all of this on top of my job, something just has to give.

I know this is a short season. When my kids get bigger I may have more time, but right now they need me- a less hurried, distracted version of me. So I'm clearing my plate.

So here's to 2013. Here's to a less clean house, an unorganized playroom, piles of laundry, and lots of time with my babies instead. I can't wait to see what's in store for us :)

Packing simplified

Now, before you judge, I swear I do not have a compulsive organizing disorder. It just so happens that I find comfort in the orderly. And in the midst of the absolute chaos that has been the past four weeks of our life, I had to do something to harness my anxiety.

So this past week my mom called and asked if she could steal Madelyn away for a few days before all of the Thanksgiving craziness began. She lives in Florida but it just so happened my aunt was heading down and said she could take Madelyn with her, so we said ok.

Of course, with impeccable timing, one of the bloggers I follow on Instagram was posting pictures of this amazing idea she used to pack her kids for their vacation. So I copied. It is the highest form of flattery, no?

Each gallon ziploc bag has a full outfit with coordinating hair accessory, panties, and socks where applicable. There is a separate bag for jammies and other misc. accessories. As you can see, hot trends for this winter include pink, leopard print, and Tangled panties.

I wanted Madelyn to be able to pick out her outfit each day, and my mom to have an easy time seeing what was in there. And for me, I got to stand back and admire each outfit- neatly folded and happily compartmentalized.

Now if I could just find bags big enough to hold my clothes...

Life lately

Life lately has taken precedence over blogging, and at this point it's all I can do to keep my head above water so apologies for the lack of posts (I'm talking to you Mom and Aunt Sue).

As the transition into daycare has eased from an emotional standpoint, Davis' poor immune system is still adjusting to the onslaught of daily germs and has been pretty sick with strep throat since this past Thursday, running as high as a 103.8 fever (and greying his mother's hair by the second.) His mother, apparently still still also adjusting to a toddler-like immune system has a double ear infection. We visited four doctors in three days because then I had a skin reaction to the antibiotics. I'm totally fine, D is on the mend, and I'm somewhat grateful I can't take any more meds because it was making me feel negligent when I'd take them with a glass of red. Now I can enjoy my wine guilt free.

We also received amazing news from his cardiologist today that we can drop another one of his meds which leaves just ONE that he has to take daily. His heart looks fantastic, function is great, and we are overjoyed.

My work is particularly demanding right now as I prepare for a trip to Barcelona to help with a very large and very difficult five day meeting. I'm basically working every night once the kids are down until I go to sleep....and I wonder why I'm sick...

I am excited for Thanksgiving, but even more excited for Christmas because I am planning to really unplug. I joked with my boss that for those last two weeks of the year I was going "off the grid" and that I wouldn't be reachable by cell or otherwise. I said it jokingly, but it's awfully tempting.

I have tons of fun projects I hope I get around to sharing eventually- lately I've found comfort in crafting and organizing and while I've successfully convinced my sister I have a serious disorder, I'm ok with that. She's probably right.

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and healthy holiday!!!

Please keep those families in your prayers who may be spending theirs in the hospital. I never stop thinking about them.

Being a mom is hard

Being a mom is hard

Like, really hard. The people that tell you that, your mother who often reminded you of that- they weren't lying. It's actually really fascinating how you can feel such emotion for someone that isn't you.

And it's hard for reasons you don't expect. It's not just the sleep deprivation, or the semi-loss of a social life, or the inability to leave the house in something that's not dirty or wrinkled. It's hard because of the worry. Because when you have to let go a little you can actually feel your heart break. But really because of the worry.

Yesterday I took my sweet little miracle boy to daycare and it has not gone as I would have hoped. He's scared, he doesn't know anyone or understand why his mommy is leaving him in this loud, scary place. He cries a lot. He won't really sleep and barely eats—and nothing is more uncharacteristic of Davis than not eating. When I picked him up yesterday his face was red and swollen and I could not squeeze him fast enough.

And today when I left he cried and cried as a stranger tried to calm him down and his mommy walked out the door. And I came home and cried and cried because my poor baby thinks I abandoned him and he doesn't feel safe, or comforted, or understand at all why he is at this weird place.

I know it sounds ridiculous. People take their children to daycare every day, he just needs to get used to it, he is safe and he will be fine. I get it.

But he's not just another baby. He's my baby. And when he is upset, I am upset. And I feel like I've failed him. And that is why being a mom is hard.

You have to make hard decisions, and sacrifices, and it isn't always fair. In the midst of that, you have to feel emotions that you can't comprehend or even control most of the time. You doubt yourself constantly and there is nothing you can do about it. And some days it's just hard, and there's nothing you can do about that either.

That really happened

So, I guess I'm a cliché now. I'm the mom who took care of everyone but herself and embarrassingly ended up in the ER this past Saturday for dehydration. I like to think of it more as exhaustion like the celebs say, but you can call it what you like.
Remember the neck spasm? And Madelyn's four day viral bonanza of excretions? Well, I got that virus. I'll spare you the details, but I never actually got sick, I was just so nauseous I laid in the fetal position for a few days and barely ate or drank anything. Like, anything. I had three crackers and a Gatorade all day Friday. I was busy taking care of the kids, I felt like crap, and the last thing I wanted to do was eat or drink.
Cut to Saturday night when I got really weak and tired and then started shaking uncontrollably for about an hour. My sweet husband that I'm quite sure I scared to death took me to the hospital and luckily, they saw me right away since my heart rate was high. After a nice big bag of fluids, some anti-nausea meds, and potassium (mine was low) they sent me home. They also kindly confirmed that I am not, in fact, pregnant, which I informed them would have been a massive failure of the pharmaceutical industry.
It took five days in total, but Tuesday I felt Amazing. I had so much energy, I was thrilled to be working, I wasn't the least bit nauseous. And from now on I'm going to be that girl that walks around everywhere with her big bottle of Smartwater.
It has been a bit of a wake up call for me, for sure. I can't be a good mom to the kids if I don't make time for myself. It seems logical but it's easier said than done, though I can see now, absolutely necessary.
So, to close, I think we've learned a few valuable lessons: you may be a mom, and you may be insanely busy, but you are important and your kids will really miss you if you have to spend your days in bed sick and dehydrated. So eat and drink on a regular basis, please. Oh and also, I could never be anorexic. Like, ever.

Is it Friday yet?

This has been a week. And it's only been 5 days since I started counting. Here is a brief recap of what's been going on at casa Marden.

**I had a bad neck spasm (I am secretly 67 years old)- spent a day in bed and the past four in a neck brace


**Madelyn fought a four day stomach bug, including her first several bouts with vomiting which is just terrible. This same virus also prompted a visit to the doctor as she became limp and listless from dehydration. We're going through a lot of Gatorade and crackers up in here.

**I had to move the trash can from the kitchen out to the garage because my insatiable son opens it and eats food out of it every time I turn my back.

**The kids pulled the drapes down from Davis' wall. Apparently they were in the way of their chase game.

**I woke up at 2:15 in the morning with a ROACH ON MY FACE. I swear I could have handled a python on my face better than that. I now sleep with the sheet pulled up right under my nose. Seriously. ON.MY.FACE.

In these times, when we don't feel well, and are literally in survival mode:

**I'm grateful for amazing health insurance and the fact that I don't have to worry about how I'm going to take care of my family when we aren't well

**I'm grateful for a son who is getting so big and is so healthy he literally cannot eat enough, and for a husband who effortlessly takes care of everything when I need to rest

**I'm grateful that Madelyn and Davis love to chase either. Their giggles and shrieks are my favorite sounds of the day.

**And in regards to the roach, there isn't really any redeeming factor there, except for the nice young pest control man who thoroughly treated our home yesterday and I'm quite sure is forever scarred by my story. As am I. Eww.