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Earth Day 2011

April 22, 2011 By 4 Comments

Leaving the earth a better place for these little ones, as well as teaching them how to better care for it has become an increasing priority over the years

So I am now on my third year of making a conscious effort to think about the way my life is impacting the earth. Back in 2009 was the first time when I really decided that I would be deliberate about the steps I was taking to be a better steward of the earth. This has been a process for me and one that I will probably be re-visiting every year. Here were some of the ways I made progress over the past year:

1. Barely used any plastic grocery bags while overseas.

2. Switched full time to baking soda and vinegar for the laundry.  Last year I had switched from dryer sheets.

3. Have eliminated almost all chemical personal care products from my life.

And in the coming year, here are some changes I would like to try and make:

1. Take a look at some of the plastics we are using in our home.  Instead of using plastic containers to store food in, I am going to aim for glass containers and save glass jars to re-use for food storage.

2. Going to a farm market once a week this summer.

3. Buying my groceries from a local natural foods store.

How about you? Did you make any changes over the year? I think with “green” issues becoming more prevalent, it is easier and easier to make small changes that will over time make a big impact.

Filed Under: Green Living, Health

Struggles of the Basket Life: Losing Weight with a Pro Athlete in the House

March 25, 2011 By 8 Comments

Although I would like to place full blame on the 4 kids for my struggle to stay fit, the baller is going to have to bear some of that blame as well

One of the things it seems I have spent the last 8 years doing (besides having bad haircuts) is gaining and losing weight.  I am a numbers kind of girl, so let me break it down for you like this:

I have spent 39% of the last 8 years pregnant.

I have spent 50% of the last 8 years breastfeeding.

I have had my body to myself for 11% of the last 8 years.

For me, that combination makes for a tough time staying at my goal weight.  I am not one of those women who has weight just fall off of them when they are breastfeeding, instead I always keep an extra 5-7 pounds on until I am done.  But as much as I have the pregnancy and breastfeeding making it tough to keep weight off, I think there is one other big factor that makes it tough to try and stay fit.

Here’s a hint: The factor is that cute basketball player in the picture that burns calories for his job.

When Joe and I first started dating, I was a division I soccer player.  I could easily go bite-for-bite with Joe when we went out to eat.  Polishing off half of a pizza?  No Problem!  Milkshakes every night?  Sign me up!  Joe could eat and so did I.  But I never had to worry about gaining weight because I was burning calories as well playing soccer.  But once I was done playing, I realized it was going to take some work to stay fit (I don’t use the words “thin” or “slim” to describe myself because I don’t really have that body type.  I am not built to be called “skinny”).

I quickly realized it was going to be tough though because Joe still needed so many calories for energy and to KEEP weight on.  He can put away around 3000 calories a day and never have to check the scale (you women who have husbands who are even bigger, they can probably double those calories in a day).  And I couldn’t just keep high calorie foods out of the house because he needed those in order to be able to meet his daily needs.

I have always sort of envied those couples who lose weight together.  It must be nice to clear the house of any “dangerous” foods and workout together.  My husband works out for his job, we aren’t going to go on a walk/run together.  And I certainly can’t keep up with eating enough to keep a small horse alive anymore.  So I am on my own in the battle to fight off the baby weight!

Anyone else feel like their husband’s job is a hazard to their waistline?

Filed Under: Health, Struggles of the Basket Life

It’s That Time of Year for Tired Bodies, Sniffles and Sneezes

March 11, 2011 By 4 Comments

This is that time of year when it seems like all our bodies are just aching for spring to break through. Joe’s body is wearing down from the season, I am ready to get back to the conveniences of my own home and the U.S.A. and the kids are all battling colds from the changing temperatures. I set a goal for 2011 to try and cut back on the amount of medicines we use in our home though. So far, I am completely free of any prescription or over-the-counter medicine for the year. But there are times when you need more than just water, sleep and fresh air to fight what ails you. So here are a few products that have been helping us as of late.

Sore Muscle Rub- Extra Strength by Badger Balm- Last weekend I spent most of the day Sunday at a gymnastics competition with Abby. It was in a small gym, so there wasn’t any room for my to bring a stroller or anything for Isaiah to sit in. That meant I held him the entire time. Putting all that stress on my upper back caused my neck to just about totally locked up on Tuesday. I tried everything to get relief. I used the foam roller, the TP ball, got massage from Joe using his hands and percussion massager and nothing brought relief. Finally before bed, Joe recommend using some of the sore muscle rub I had bought for him. It was amazing how quickly I felt better. It wasn’t 100% but it was more significant than anything else I had done. Now maybe all I had done during the day had just finally kicked in. The next morning I put it on again and my neck was again even better, so I am a believer. And I like the smell as well. I am so glad I didn’t go for the ibuprofen

Restful Legs by Hyland’s- Most women who are married to professional athletes know how hard it can be for your husband to get good rest. Overtraining, late schedules, etc. all lead to restlessness. Joe would often reach for the Tylenol PM after a few hours of battling for sleep. But then I ordered some of this Restful Legs and it has helped him to settle down a lot at night. At times he still needs the Tylenol PM, but this has become the first option. Abby also has a hard time settling down at times and giving her the half dose recommended for 6-12 year olds has had her settling down much quicker at night.  Insomnia strikes all ages and professions, so maybe it could work for someone in your home too.

Cold Relief 4Kids with Zinc by Hylands and Coldcalm and Roxalia by Boiron- We have all been sniffling or coughing at some point over the last month. These three products are all wonderful at helping to battle various aspects of a cold for the various ages in our home. Vitamin C and D, extra sleep and water are still our first line of defense, but these have been a great second non-medicinal option.

Anyone else have any good natural remedies to share as we near the end of the winter months?

Filed Under: Health, More Favorites

Have First Aid Kit, Will Travel

November 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

On Monday I talked about that I often bring way too much of something that I don’t end up needing. But one thing that I have never regretted bringing a lot of is first aid supplies. Since being sick while overseas is one of the toughest challenges for me, I always try to stay well-stocked of anything we might need. Here are a few products I have found that travel well.

Badger Winter Winder Balm- These Badger balms come in a little tin and are easy to take with you.  This one works well for stuffy noses.

Badger Healing Balm- This is a great all-purpose balm that can be used in a variety of ways and again comes in a travel-friendly tin.

Boiron Oscillococcinum Natural Flu Relief- I love this brand of homeopathic medicine.  It comes in a light pill form, so there is no issue with spilling and is always my first option when a fever strikes.

Boiron Roxalia Sore Throat, Hoarseness Tablets and Boiron Cold Calm Tablets- Two more homeopathic medicines from Boiron that I like as a more natural remedy for colds.

Traditional Medicinals Organic Throat Coat- A sore throat is one of my least favorite parts of getting a cold, but this tea works like magic for me.  I usually pack a Ziploc bag full of Traditional Medicinal teas (very light so they don’t take up much weight in a bag).

Hyland’s C-Plus Cold Tablets- The Boiron products are not to be used until age 2, but these Hyland’s tablets are a good homeopathic option for a child as young as a year old.  I really like a lot of Hyland’s products.

Triaminic Thin Strips- For a more conventional cold medicine, these thin strips are light and won’t spill like most traditional liquid cold medicines.

Culturelle Probiotics for Kids- We try to keep our tummies healthy by first making sure there is healthy bacteria in the system.  These probiotics for kids come in small individual pouches that dissolve in liquids.

Children’s Chewable Pepto Bismal- If we end up having a stomach issue, these tablets from Pepto Bismal are in our cabinet.  Once again, I choose a product that is light and in chewable form, instead of a liquid.

Of course, the best defense against sickness (drinking water, eating healthy unprocessed foods, sunlight, fresh air, exercise and getting the proper amount of sleep) don’t have to be packed in a bag, which is great for this lifestyle.

Hope you all have a healthy hump day,

Filed Under: Health, Living Abroad

Train Your Body in 5 Minutes

October 28, 2010 By 1 Comment

My goal is to get up about an hour before Isaiah is awake in the morning (around 5am) and get a workout and prayer time in before he is awake.  Otherwise, those two things usually won’t get done in the day.  But that goal doesn’t always become a reality. There are mornings like this morning where I struggle to drag myself out of bed before 5:30am (or later).  On those mornings, I am thankful for workouts that can be done quickly without the use of any equipment.  That is why I like the Train Your Body in 5 Minutes workout from Core Performance.  You can customize it to your level and  it is easy to follow.  Plus it can be done almost anywhere you are in as little as the time it takes to get a shower.  So for mornings like this morning, I was able to warm-up and do a circuit while Isaiah sat and watched me.  Then I caught him yawning, so I laid him down for his nap and came back and did two circuits with no rest between exercises or the circuit.  It gave me a good sweat and a quick workout on a morning when I may be tempted to just bag exercise for the day.  If you are short on time (usually the number one excuse for not exercising), give it a try.

Isaiah and I are cheering you on,

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Filed Under: Health

The Snotsucker

October 27, 2010 By 4 Comments

While living overseas there are moments when I feel like I have gone backwards in time. There are various things that perplex me as to why the European society has not caught up on. Garbage disposals for example. They are a beautiful invention and not that recent of a development. I struggle to understand how they can have the iPhone over here in what seems like seconds after it was released in the U.S. and garbage disposals have still not made an appearance. Or take the plumping systems. In Turkey, we were told not to put toilet paper in the toilet because it would clog up the pipes. Huh? This is a developed country and the waste system can’t handle toilet paper (we still flushed our toilet paper after talking to some other Americans living there).

But when it comes to getting snot out of babies’ noses, the Europeans are light years ahead of us Americans. While we are still fumbling around using these terrible blue bulb nasal aspirators that usually do nothing more than cause us frustration and leave us with a stuffed up AND crying baby

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Europeans have been using these for years.

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But now we Americans are catching on and have given it a catchy name: The Snotsucker.  It is so much better than the bulb aspirator.  First of all, you don’t have to stick it into your child’s nasal cavity, which always had me worried I was damaging something in there.  Secondly, you know that there is a negative air pressure situation being created because you are doing it with your own breath instead of wondering if anything is being sucked out by how you are squeezing the bulb.  You don’t have to worry about ingesting snot though because there are little filters that prevent anything but air coming into your mouth (and the one I purchased here in Italy came with 3 extra filters).  It also comes apart so you can clean it easily and because it is see-through, you know that it is clean.  It also works for that 2-3 age where they still don’t quite know how to blow their noses.

Enjoying happier, easy-breathing kids,

Filed Under: Health, Living Abroad

Tricks of the Trade: Contrast Therapy for Recovery

October 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

Recovery is a huge aspect of a professional athlete’s job.  But in reality, we could all probably spend more time in helping our bodies to recover from the daily stresses of life.  One very simple way to do this is by using contrast therapy.  In other words, alternating your shower temperature between hot and cold water to cause increased blood flow.  Joe doesn’t always have access to the best facilities overseas, but one thing you always have is a shower!  I try and do this every morning after I workout and always end with the cold so I am refreshed to face the day. If you are suffering from muscle soreness, give it a try.

Happy recovery,

Filed Under: Health

Earth Day 2010

April 21, 2010 By 2 Comments

I thought March flew by, and it seems April is doing just the same.  I can’t believe that tomorrow is already Earth Day.  I kept thinking I had another week until it came around!

To be honest, last year was really the first time I seriously thought about Earth Day and the way my life was impacting our planet.  In the past, I had randomly thought about ways I could improve my stewardship of the Earth, but last year was the first time I actually set some goals on Earth Day.  Next year I hope to include environmental stewardship as a category in my New Years Goals, which I review at the beginning of every month, in order to keep them more fresh in my mind.

So how did I do with some of the goals that I set last year?

1. I definitely switched to using more natural cleaning products.  Although I am not fully converted, I used a lot more baking soda and white vinegar (even when my kids complained about the smell!)  I made some small changes using a reusable microfiber cloth on my Swiffer sticker, in lieu of buying the disposable wet cloths.  I also cut way back on my paper towel usage.  When we got to Italy in September, Joe had purchased a big pack of rolls, and I never purchased any more in the time we were there.  Once again, not a huge change, but a good small step for me.

2. I did a bit better at using my cloth shopping bags.  I really love the Baggu bags and really just need to purchase some more to have on hand.

3. On the other hand, I don’t know how clear our sockets have stayed.  I wanted to keep less things plugged in, but that habit has not kicked in too well yet.

One change I had not planned on making, but did during the year was the switch to cutting back on the personal products I use and the amount of chemicals in each product.  This really kicked in when I found out I was pregnant with our 4th child and was really convicted about how I had always been careful about what I ate, drank and breathed while pregnant, but not so much about what went on my skin.  I am still a product junkie and am in search of my perfect product combination, but I am using much less now and have definitely noticed a beneficial difference.

I also made the switch to using reusable dryer sheets, whcih I really love.  I purchased the Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheets and they will be coming with me overseas from now on as well!  I always missed having dryer sheets due to the static our clothes would retain, and now I can save space by just packing reusable ones.

One other way we are celebrating Earth Day this year is by taking a pledge to go fast food free for 2 weeks.  Honestly, this isn’t a huge step for us as we don’t eat out very often, but the pledge was started by a student in the Connections Academy system of schools that Abby attends.  So it was a neat way to see what other kids are doing for Earth Day and for her and I to talk about the impact even our eating has on the Earth.  Check it out and join the pledge!

And if you are interested, my friend Maria is once again running a contest for Earth Day on her blog.  Go check her out and enter!

Filed Under: Contests, Green Living, Health, Our Family

FAQ: How Do Your Kids Sleep So Much?

March 31, 2010 By 5 Comments

A lot of people find it surprising to hear how much our kids sleep.  In reality, I think they are are in the normal ranges of what most doctors would recommend.  But in this day in age a large majority of children do not get the amount of sleep that they need, so I think that is why sometimes parents find it surprising to hear when our children go to bed and when they get up.  Recently, a fellow basket wife who would like to start trying for their second child asked me to write down my tips for good sleep.  So here is what I came up with:

1. Start with a consistent wake-up time.  I think having a consistent wake-up time is the key to getting children to sleep in a natural rhythm.  Anywhere from 6am-8am is a good wake-up time for a child.  Most parents don’t like seeing their child at 6am, but some are just early risers.  If they are waking up before 6am though, I would try to encourage them to go back to sleep.  In the early days of a newborn, I try to figure out what wake-up time might work well with when the rest of the family is getting up.  So for example, when Isaiah comes along in a few weeks, Lord-willing, mostly likely I will try and establish a 7am wake-up time with him.  Since the other 3 kids sleep until about 8am, this will give me 45 minutes of breastfeeding time with him, as well as time for diaper and clothes changes.

2. Keep stimulation low for newborns and babies. I think the biggest mistake we made with Abby early on was keeping her awake too long and providing too much stimulation during her wake times.  Imagine coming from an environment like a baby does where the womb was warm, dark and relatively quiet.  Then they come out and meet the cold air, loud sounds and flashes of cameras every two minutes.  I would be kind of cranky too!  They don’t need to be introduced to hundreds of toys, be played classical music and shown finger plays all at the same time!  I think as parents we feel like we have to be teaching them or doing something with them at all times or we are bad parents.  A newborn learns so much just by gazing at our face or watching a ceiling fan.  With newborns, we try and keep their stimulation to one activity per wake time and keep the wake time to about 1-1.5 hours (this includes feeding time).  We also try to look for signs of tiredness (for example, rubbing their eyes, avoiding eye contact, smaller pupils, etc.).  By the time they are yawning, you have already missed the window of opportunity in leading them into a smooth transition to sleep (as Dr. Weissbluth recommends, it should be like a gentle wave rolling into shore).

3. Keep day and night times distinctly different. Babies have to learn to figure out when day and night is so they know which time they are supposed to have long stretches of sleep.  When I go to wake a baby up during the day time, I use a cheerful voice, open up the blinds and interact with the baby.  When I go in for a night feeding (or am putting baby to bed) the lights are low, sounds are quiet and I try to avoid interacting at that time.

4. Eat, Awake, Sleep. I follow the cycle of the baby eating, having awake time and then being put to sleep (except for bedtime and night time feedings).  I do my best especially at the newborn stage to keep the baby awake during the feeding so that they can have a nice full tummy and get the hindmilk during the nursing.  I think this helps the baby not to be hungry again quickly (except during those growth spurt times) so that a full nap can be achieved.

5. Aim for a full nap. Anything 45 minutes or less I don’t consider a full nap.  I know a lot of people want to say they have cat nappers, but from what I have seen in my own children, it is usually a sign of being awake too long (as an early wake-up time in the morning is usually a sign of a too late bedtime).  If the baby wakes up before an hour, we usually wait a bit of time to see if they will fall back asleep.  Then we will try and sooth them back to sleep and give them some more time to fall asleep.  If they still will not sleep, we get them up and try to get back on track with the next nap.  Sometimes a whole day is off though and then you just wait to try again the next day!

6. Find soothing techniques for baby. There are a lot of different ways you can teach your baby to soothe himself/herself.  For both Elijah and Naomi after seeing them suck their thumbs during ultrasounds, I encouraged them to find that digit to offer comfort.  And yes, I know we will have to break that habit at some point.  We also use things like swaddling, white noise machines and rocking and cuddling.  Each child is different in what they find soothing though, just like adults are different.

7. Establish a good bedtime and routine. We go with bed times that many people find way too early, but have made for much better night’s sleep.  As Dr. Weissbluth recommends in his book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child“, we aim for a bed time between 5-7pm for babies.  I know a lot of parents either feel trapped at home or won’t do this because a working parent can’t see the baby as much, but it is a sacrifice we have found well worth it.  Having a good routine at bed time has helped to signal that it is time for that nice long sleep as well.  For us, that includes rocking/cuddling, singing, reading a book and praying.

I realize children are all very different.  I think some are better sleepers than others.  Our three children have been relatively good sleepers, but some better/easier than others.  While I do consider it a gift of God’s grace that they are such good sleepers, I also consider it God’s grace in granting wisdom in good sleep training.  We pray very much for each child’s sleep well before they are born and seek to find ways to help each child get the rest that they need to be healthy.  Who knows how our fourth child may be as a sleeper.  I certainly learn as I go with each child!

Filed Under: FAQ, Health, Parenting, The Kids

FAQ: What is Your Family’s Diet Like?

March 29, 2010 By 4 Comments

Overall, I would say we eat relatively healthy.  Could we eat healthier?  Definitely!  Part of the struggle is that living overseas offers less healthy alternatives in terms of choices and substitutions when you live in smaller cities than what you find in the U.S.  We are continually aiming to improve our eating, but right now, here are a few of the principles we try and live by.

1. No trans fats. This is one that even our kids know to ask about.  If they receive a candy bar or something from someone, they know we are going to check!  This is also one of the reasons that I cook with very few mixes (such as for brownies, cakes, etc.).  Those things can be made rather easily from scratch and you miss out on the trans fats and all the other chemicals that you really don’t need.  I always check ingredient labels and never trust something that says “no trans fats”.  That just means it is less than 1 gram or they have fully hydrogenated the fat.

2. Purchase as few processed foods as possible.  I can’t say we stay away from all processed foods.  We still eat things like pretzels, tortilla chips and breakfast cereals.  But when we can, we try and stick with more natural things like homemade popcorn, oatmeal made on the stove or baked pita chips.  If we are going to have sweets, we try and make sure that it is a treat I make (I usually bake some sort of goodie once a week), instead of buying cookies and things from the store.  We are working on cutting more sugar out of our diet, but our whole family has a serious sweet tooth!

3. Evaluate the kind of meat we eat. Our goal is to keep our red meat consumption to once a week (trying to buy the trimmest available and drain/cut the fat, and when in the U.S. buying grass fed instead of grain fed beef).  We eat chicken and turkey as well.  We are trying to move the majority of our meat consumption to fish that are high in omega fatty acids.  At least once a week our goal is to eat meat free.

4. Choosing good fats. Our goal is to use more monosaturated oils in cooking, less saturated fats and eat good fats in foods like nuts.  We try and avoid high fat meats and dairy products.

5. Focusing on fruits and vegetables. We want fresh fruits and vegetables to be a main source of energy in our meals and our days.  This means more grocery shopping for me and trying to keep them cut up and available, whcih I admit I am not always good on!

6. Choosing whole grains and trying to avoid refined flours and sugars. I do my best to try and cook with whole wheat flour whenever possible and buy breads that are as least processed as possible.  I really like when we are home in the states and I can buy sprouted breads!

7. Water, water and more water. We are big water drinkers and it is about the only beverage we have in the house.  The kids do get about 6 ounces of juice in the morning, which is less and in smoothie form when we are home.  They also have about 4-6 ounces of soy milk occasionally at lunch.  But for the most part our liquids are water.  We each have a water bottle we keep filled for drinking from throughout the day.

Overall, I would say we try to follow the Healthy Eating Pyramid that Harvard’s Public School of Health promotes.  I enjoyed “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy” and is where the goal of our eating lines up the closest.

The current goals we are working towards with eating is to eat less white flour and dairy (we don’t drink cow’s milk, but do still eat other dairy products while overseas) and increasing our consumption of dark green vegetables.  Any tips on getting that done overseas or in the U.S. are welcome!

Filed Under: FAQ, Health
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