Real life, Real food

One of the biggest parts of my day is trying to feed Zoe.  When she was born she was diagnosed with Congenital Hyperinsulinism.  While she does take medicine to help her body balance sugars, we also watch carbs to balance as well.  I sometimes joke that she could live off pizza and birthday cake and be great.  I feel like I am learning nutrition (and a the rest of a medical degree) by fire.  As a mom we always want the best nutrition for our kids while saving time so that we might be able to sit down and enjoy the meal with our loved ones.  I love short cuts! If you have any for the kitchen please share! Here are some of my short cuts that I use for Skyler and Zoe for a usual breakfast.

Both of my kids love eggs.  While Skyler usually has scrambled eggs on the weekend, we always have the Eggland's Best hard boiled eggs in our fridge.  The are so useful!  For school days I send them in Skyler's lunch bag.  He will not eat sandwiches and there is a no peanut or sesame rule at our school, so these give him great protein that he will actually eat.  These are also easier for Zoe to eat.  She is not a huge fan of scrambled, but loves eating the same as her big brother.

With the eggs Skyler had a bagel with cream cheese.  This is also a staple in his lunch bag and an all time fave.  Bagels are a little chewy and thick for Zoe, so she eats a slice of buttered toast.  Pepperidge Farm breads have above average amounts of carbs and taste great!  We love the honey wheat. 

We finish off breakfast with watermelon, another good carb for Zoe, and blueberries.  I know this might not be the most nutritious breakfast or very large.  I am not a dietician.  I am a mom feeding her kids.  Maybe my shortcuts help another mom? Or maybe you have a shortcut that will help me?  Have a great morning!

See you soon!
Love always

A little pamper

With the changing of seasons my skin becomes so dry it is pretty painful.  So, last night I decided to pamper my skin with a Karuna face mask.  I used the hydrating, serum-infused cloth mask.  

My skin is pretty sensitive to products, but I love this mask.  It smells so light and relaxing.  I could really feel it moisturizing deep down.  The instructions said to wear the mask for 10-20 minutes.  I ended up wearing it for about 20-25.  When I took it off my skin felt almost plump from the added moisture and so much better!

Afterwards I moisturized with myFirst Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Therapy.  Such a great moisturizer.  I love how versatile it is.  I can use it anywhere on my body that feels dry for some extra moisture.  

Do you have a favorite sheet mask I should try? Or a moisturizer that helps you get through the dry autumn and winter? I would love to try it!

See you soon!
Love always

Working it

The reality of all mommies is getting back into shape.  I will be totally honest and admit that I wasn't too motivated to work out at first.  I was more focused on the health challenges of Zoe and exhaustion.
But recently I have been trying to slim down and get my energy back.  A couple days a week I do meet with other mommies in the community to walk and motivate each other.  My favorite cardio is taking walks with Zoe.  She drinks her bottle and looks around oooh and aaahhing and things she finds interesting.  Skyler loves rocks and it seems Zoe is amazed by leaves.

She totally does not appreciate the effort.

But she loves looking around.  Especially at Mommy!

Today I walked 3 miles in about 50 minutes.  Each mile was about  17.5 minutes long.  Not my fastest, but still a good time.  I wish FitBit had a "pushing stroller with toddler" exercise function.  It is definitely a great workout!
Listening to music is a must while walking.  I feel like I walk longer and faster to the beat of the music.  Spotify has some great playlists for cardio. I found one that is cardio for bpm and it is so helpful to keep my pace going!  Do you listen to a fave song?  Any tips for keeping the motivation going?
See you soon!
Love always

Hello!

A little about me.

I am a stay-at-home mommy.  Our almost eight year old, Skyler, is in his first month of third grade.  Zoe, our twenty month old is learning and growing every day.  I never realized how true it was until Zoe was born, but siblings are so different! Even their pregnancies we're day and night.  Skyler is blond hair, golden skin, perfect health, and bursting with energy.  Zoe is dark hair, olive skin (my husband's Italian heritage), always in and out of doctor offices, and so happy and chill.
Zoe has congenital hyperinsulinism or CHI for short.  Basically her pancreas produces insulin nonstop.  This, as well as being six and a half weeks early and having pulmonary hypertension in the NICU add up to many challenges in Zoe's life.  While taking her blood sugars multiple times a day, I often think "my poor baby," but seeing her infectious smile reminds me that if she can smile and laugh while living through this, I can too.
I hope this gives you a little intro into my life.
See you soon!
Love always