Toxic Foods

On August 17, 2016 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Weight! What an evil word. Weight gain, those two words are even more dreadful to speak and hear especially for those of us who are desperate to kick the gain away. For me, my disdain for the little devil has fluctuated back and forth, much like my weight has since having children. In my younger years, I was loathe to lose weight. I was picked on for being too skinny, and my six feet frame only seemed to exacerbate my low weight. Back then metabolism was also my enemy. I could easily devour a large supreme pizza, a bag of Doritos and a 2 liter Pepsi and my weight would actually DROP! Huh!?!?!? Imagine that. Growing up in the South, with some of the best cooking in the country, I didn’t exactly eat healthy. We were a meat and potatoes family, with the occasional green beans (my favorite) and corn thrown in for good measure. The food was fried and super delectable, and, boy, could my mama cook!

As the years went by, metabolism continued to remain my enemy just in an adverse way. I found myself having to eat less, although I didn’t necessarily eat healthier, and I started running. Mind you, none of this happened until I was in college. Damn you, Freshman 15! Fortunately for me, since I was already super skinny, the Freshman 15 actually made me look good! I went from 135 pounds, at 6 feet, to 150 at 6 feet! I started to look like a buxom broad. Well, maybe I’m going to far with that statement, but I started developing the appearance of a female, with the curves instead of the toothpick I was always compared to.

After college, I stayed in pretty decent shape, but of course metabolism started to unfriend me. I suppose since I had treated him so poorly for so many years, then this was naturally payback. Is it too late to make up and become friends again? It seems so.

When I became pregnant with Davey, I was probably at the healthiest weight I’ve ever been, 175. I was toned and capable of running a 5k race in 26 minutes. I worked a lot, didn’t exactly eat well, and I was also a smoker. Yes, yes, I picked up that terrible habit to impress a boy nearly 20 years ago, gave it up for another boy, and then picked it back up again just to have something to do. Ridiculous, I know! Don’t worry, I gave up smoking well before I became pregnant with Davey.

At the peak of my pregnancy with Davey, I weighed 200 pounds. I gained 25 pounds. I had girlfriends asking me if that was healthy and shouldn’t I weigh more. My doctor assured me that there wasn’t a problem with my weight. After Davey, the weight fell off pretty quickly. I didn’t get back to 175, but I got close, fluctuating between 180 & 185. Two years later, I became pregnant with Henry and at that point I weighed exactly 185. At my peak with Henry, I weighed 206, that’s just a mere 21 pounds of weight gain and both of my boys were pushing the 9 pound mark when I gave birth to them.

After having the boys, I had a period of eating healthier since I was breast feeding. I didn’t want whatever I was eating to osmosis its way some how into my milk and upset the boys, so I cut out some of the fried foods and starches, but not my beloved mayonnaise sandwiches (which by the way can only be made with the best – Dukes Mayonnaise). I immediately began working out after both boys, but unfortunately all of that stubborn weight from Henry seemed to hug every square inch of my body like a leech. I resorted to taking laxatives, increasing my fiber intake, and even starving myself. I relished the days I had the stomach flu, because it was a guaranteed 5 pound weight loss, but it didn’t stay around for long.

book — Rocco DiSpirito’s Negative Calorie Diet

This summer, I’ve been miserable. I started the summer weighing the exact same weight I did when I gave birth to Henry. I cried myself to sleep at night. I apologized to my husband for the fact that his beautiful wife was now resembling Jabba the Hutt. I took more laxatives, exercised twice as much, and degraded myself in front of anyone who was around. On top of that, I became Cruella DeVille to my two boys. So, what was I going to do about this?

A sampling of the smoothies…cucumber strawberry.

I read an article about Mediterranean diets one day, which led me to Rocco DiSpirito, which in turn led me to his Negative Calorie Diet book. Not eager to waste any money on the purchase of a book that I may not stick with, I checked out a copy at the library. I read through it, shared it with my husband, and determined that we could both do this, especially if we considered it a lifestyle change and not a diet.

This was the kale, red onion, and sundried tomato frittata made with egg whites. We actually had this for dinner one night. We’re big fans of breakfast for dinner at our house.

The first 10 days had us on a cleanse, which consisted of 3 smoothies a day and soup or salad from Rocco’s book for dinner. We had to cut out coffee, dairy, breads, starches, and refined sugar. And, oh yeah, those evening cocktails we had on the back porch after the boys went to bed, those had to go as well, at least for the first 10 days. I thought, 10 days, why not? I could do this. Easier said than done.

dinner 1 — This has easily been my favorite dinner, by far. Flank steak, with sautéed collard greens, onions, and mushrooms with horseradish.

The first two days were sheer misery for me. I have spent the better part of my adult life thriving off of my coffee every morning. It has always been the first thing I’ve started my day with, not to mention the fact that I’m a huge fan of Starbucks, and there’s just something about those mocha lattes that hit the spot. I suffered debilitating headaches for two days, brought on by my caffeine cleanse. It was as if caffeine had become my drug, and now I was detoxing. Miserable is an understatement. I was tired, cranky, and my kids drove me bonkers just by breathing. The first two days were not for the faint of heart.

chef salad — Chef salad is phenomenal. I will be making his cranberry vinaigrette dressing for ALL of my salads moving forward. No more store bought dressing!

Of course, there was also the fact that I felt like I was starving because I’m not a huge fan of green veggies and all of the smoothies were calling for greens of some sort. I wanted a bowl of pasta. I wanted my mayonnaise sandwich. I wanted those chocolate chip cookies, and while will power has always deserted me when I needed her most, she hung tight this time around. By day three, I was feeling pretty good.

Another favorite has been the meatballs with the kale and mushroom “gravy”.

In the first week, I lost 8.6 pounds, and that had me really reviewing my past food intake and what was going on with my body. Until this, I never really knew just how toxic certain foods are to the body, mind, and spirit. I always thought as long as I kept my portions down, then I could eat anything I wanted. Not true. I found that once I was eating the whole fruits and veggies and cutting out the sugars and processed foods, I legitimately had more energy throughout the day. I enjoyed doing things with my boys. I wanted to go hiking with them, to go blackberry picking, to go to the pool. I wanted to get out in the backyard with them, and I was able to focus more. I was able to keep my patience more in check and I was able to sleep more fully at night. So, all of this time, it wasn’t the quantity of food, but the QUALITY of what I was eating.

mustard chicken — This was last night’s dinner. Chicken with mustard greens, quinoa, and oranges.

We’re two and a half weeks into this lifestyle change and I’m down 13.5 pounds, my husband is down 18.6. I’m happier, less hungry, and more focused. We make our dinners at night, and while the boys are required to try everything, I always have a standby for the two of them. We have; however, found that Henry is a huge fan of collard greens and mushrooms! Another perk to this lifestyle change.

spinach pasta — And finally, I know how to make spinach pesto pasta. We didn’t follow Rocco’s tomato sauce recipe, but instead used my husband’s. We substituted Monk Fruit in the Raw for sugar.

Do yourselves a favor, my friends, and look at what you’re consuming every day. Ask yourself is it really worth it?

Flying the Friendly Skies

On July 3, 2016July 3, 2016 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Travel day comes along much too early. Regardless of how early you may get in the bed, eager to rest your weary bones before a day of travel, the time to arise and begin the excursion comes much too early. For me, travel day is the most exhausting day in the world, beating out the days when my children were born. I typically set 3 alarms; my ancient clock radio, my cell phone, and either a battery operated clock or one that you wind up. I have this immense fear of missing a flight, so I always have a back up and a back up for my back up, but even then I don’t sleep well. I’m still too nervous that all of my alarms will fail.

So, needless to say, Wednesday, June 22nd, I was wide awake at 3 am, 45 minutes prior to my alarm clocks going off. My children and I had a 6 am flight to make our annual two week summer vacation in Rochester with my in-laws. Instead of dilly dallying, I got up, made an extra strong cup of coffee, and began getting dressed. Our plan was to leave at 4:30 so as to get to the airport by 5 am, we actually ended up leaving at 4:15, with the bright moonlight illuminating the road ahead and a 5 Hour Energy in my system.

This is my second time flying solo with my boys. This year also marks the first time in which we have to pay for Henry to fly, meaning he gets his own seat. It’s also the first time we haven’t flown Southwest (since they’ve decided to cancel their flights from Greenville to Rochester). United won out on the bidding wars of flying. So, we were navigating new territories, or perhaps some just a bit unfamiliar.

I’d quizzed all my Facebook friends (my measly 300) and inquired about the wait times for TSA which I’d seen on the news over the past couple of months. People were missing flights, lines were atrocious. While I’ve never had a problem with security in Greenville/Spartanburg, I still asked if anyone else had experienced long delays. With a 6 am flight on Wednesday, on a non-holiday, I was told by everyone it should be pretty easy. So, we arrive at the airport to check in at 5 and I’m told we had just made the cut off. What? Surely this woman was jesting. Nope! The boys and I stood in an almost 45 minute line at TSA security and we were one of the last ones to board our flight. This should have been an omen. I should have heeded the signs that this was not going to be as I had hoped it would be.

We were not the last ones to get on the plane, about 8 more people followed, and as I’m getting the boys seated and ready to go, iPads queued up with movies, coloring books and crayons at the ready, my darling oldest, the one who made me a mother, the apple of my eye, sees a rather well endowed woman in the physical weight arena and shouts out, “Mom, have you ever seen a lady so BIG?”

My mouth dropped open. I could feel the stares of all of my fellow passengers, some I know were chuckling, others were mentally scolding me for not enforcing that age old rule from my parent’s generation, “children are to be seen and not heard.” As the lady got closer, I felt the sharp knives of her contempt stabbing my body. I did my best to diffuse the situation by explaining to my son that everyone seems large to him because he’s a little guy. You know, the whole relativity/perception thing. That didn’t work. “Everyone’s not THAT big, mom.” I smiled at the faces around me and buckled in for what I was sure was to be a torturous ride. There would be no escape, but if this were the least of my problems, then I would survive. Problem was, it wasn’t the least of my problems.

flight 2

As we taxied down the runway to take flight, I caught a distinct whiff of poop, and since I was pretty certain that no one would have crapped themselves, I knew it had to be my sweet little Henry who had chosen NOW as the time to have a movement. At least it was in his diaper and once we were in the air, I could go to the bathroom and change him, or so I thought.

The engines on the plane opened up to full throttle and we began speeding down the runway as Henry decided to reach his hand in his pants, and pull it back out, covered in pooped! I frantically looked around me, eager to find something to wipe his hand with, but the only thing I could find was a vomit bag and before I could use it, my sweet little angel, decided to wipe his hand on the seat back in front of him!

flight 3

The seconds ticked by slowly as I kept trying to bide my time for when I could unbuckle and haul my child into the bathroom to change him. After what felt like an eternity, we were at a safe cruising altitude and the seat belt sign went off. In one swoop, I grabbed the diaper bag and my child, tried to divert my eyes from the offended large lady as she humpfed at me, and went to the lavatory that is smaller than the size of our coat closet (which can hold about 10 coats). Imagine being inside a Pringles can and attempting to change the diaper of a 35 pound 2 year old. And what’s worse, the poop had leaked out onto his shorts. So, from that point forward, for the rest of our travel experience, my son would be walking around in his diaper.

So, three things had happened…the long delay at TSA, my vocally observant 4 year old, and my pooping 2 year old. They say everything happens in threes. Surely, I was out of the woods, right? One would think!

flight 4

After arriving in Newark, and just as we were attempting to board the last leg of our journey, I was stopped by the ticketing agent at the gate who inquired as to if Henry was a lap child. I pointed out the ticket she was holding in his name and at that point she asked if he didn’t have any pants because United requires ALL passengers with a seat to wear pants. Excuse me? No! He didn’t have pants, he had soiled them. To this she asked, “well, aren’t you prepared for instances like this?” No I was not prepared because the last time Henry had done something to this magnitude, he was 6 months old! She held the tickets for a minute, looked down at my boys, smiled at them, then looked back at me and frowned as if to shame me for being unprepared, and finally let me on board.

I see people flying with children all the time. It seems to be flawless, but it never is with me. Why is that? The only good side to our flight was that we made it into Rochester a half an hour early. That’s 30 minutes less of being inside a tin tube with my children and no escape.

Next week, we fly the friendly skies back home. This time daddy will be along for the journey, whose patience is quite a few levels lower than mine.

A Travelling We Go

On December 1, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Travelling with children is loathsome for me, be it plane, train, or automobile. I spend a solid month preparing myself for it, mentally and physically. I go through a checklist with things I may need for every possible scenario and for each child. The boys have their own back packs now, so I do my best to load them down (without tipping them over) with every book, movie, colored pencil, and stuffed animal they may need. Still, I’m not as fully prepared as I’d like to be.

When we go to Rochester to visit family, we fly, ALWAYS fly. Being cooped up in a car with my two boys for 12 hours or more is not my cup of tea. With flying, it’s usually five hours total, with a two hour layover built in so the boys can at least walk around, in their cases run, and expend some energy. Of course, at times there are delays at the airports, thereby extending my time of misery as I find myself sprinting to catch up with Henry as he’s climbed onto the moving sidewalk and is strategically trying to look into other passengers’ bags. Fortunately, most people just smile at the boys, while giving me an “I’ve been there before” pity look.

flying

This past Thanksgiving’s travel started out cumbersome and was a bit foreboding. We arrived at the airport early, about an hour and a half before our flight was to leave, only to find out that it was delayed an additional two hours. Unfortunately, we didn’t find out about this delay until AFTER we’ve already gone through security, meaning we were stuck in the terminal with two overly excited and rowdy boys. I was at my wit’s end and needed a drink. Actually, I was tempted to have my flight, and ONLY my flight, moved so that my husband could experience the joy of flying solo with the boys. I’ve been there and done that.

Henry didn’t sleep during that flight. He cried a lot, wanted to roam around the plane, kicked the seats in front of us. Davey watched his movie on my iPad before finally laying his head on my lap and falling asleep. Thank goodness!

pre flight

So, Saturday morning, as we were busy packing, I went back through my mental checklist, bringing back everything bothersome that had occurred on the flight up, and a solution for those problems.

Unlike the flight up, I was not given a pre TSA boarding pass for having an infant in my lap. Side note…Rochester, NY is HORRIBLE with their security. HORRIBLE!!!!!! So, I had to practically undress myself, including my vest, which the TSA agent called a coat and I nearly lost my cool as I wanted to yell, “it’s not a coat”, and encourage Henry to walk through the metal detectors and wait on me. After we made it through and were fully clothed and loaded back down with our carry ons, I needed a coffee, and here’s where the adventures began.

hello Baltimore

While getting my coffee, the boys sat at a table howling like dogs, their howls reverberating and bouncing off the walls in the terminal. Both sat with their heads towards the ceiling literally howling. I pretended not to know them for as long as humanly possible. Once we were in the lobby area waiting for our plane, I gave the boys my iPad so they could watch “Land Before Time” (I love that they love what my husband and I watched as kids), along with their own personal headphones we’d just bought. It went off swimmingly for about 15 minutes, before Henry wanted to shove Davey and take the iPad from him. Of course, once Davey fought back for his fair share, Henry took off the headphones and went for his normal sprint through the airport.

Once we were on the flight, Davey watched another movie, Henry and my husband napped, and I was actually able to read a book! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t. The last time I was able to read a book on a plane, that wasn’t about dinosaurs and knights, was on our last cruise in 2010. It was nice, so nice.

on the plane

When we landed in Baltimore for our standard two hour layover, we found a restaurant carrying the Clemson/Carolina game. Naturally, we had to stop there, but the downside was that all the tables were high top, and there were no booster seats or high chairs for Henry. We weren’t going to be enjoying our lunch and game in peace. Nope. It’s quite exhausting trying to eat with one hand while using the other to keep a busy toddler in place.

trying to catch the game

During our layover; however, Davey did what he does best…he made new friends. This time they were fellow Clemson Tiger fans, decked out in their orange, much like my entire family was. Davey did his C-L-E-M cadence cheer, and the sweet lady gave him her Tiger Rag!

Davey and tiger rag

We killed a bit of time before boarding the final leg of our journey by walking the boys back and forth on the moving sidewalk. Finally, when boarding the plane, the flight attendant did something that I despised her for the entire flight. She asked Davey if he’d like to sit in the cockpit and get his picture made when we landed. Why oh why, would you ask a child, MY CHILD, this and expect him to not want to do it? So, for the hour and 15 minutes we were in the air, Davey whined off and on about wanting to go into the cockpit right now. Couldn’t she have asked this as we were exiting?

Davey in cockpit 2

We were the last ones off the plane, which is usually the case, and as we were exiting, the same flight attendant said to have a great weekend, while looking at us and not registering who we were. Seriously? I’m the tallest female on the plane, you looked at me when you asked Davey about the cockpit, and now you act as if you don’t recognize me? Naturally, I reminded her and she happily got the pilot and Davey was allowed the chance to see in the pilot’s seat. The pilot let him grab the yoke and even told him what buttons to push, as I cringed the entire 3-4 minutes. Please don’t tell my 4 year old he can push the buttons on a multi-million dollar plane.

Davey in cockpit

So, for now this adventure and the travels that go along with it are over, and not a minute too soon for me!

Highlights Of His Life

On August 7, 2015 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

When I was a kid, one of the most exciting parts of the day for me was when the mail would arrive. I loved going out to meet the mailman, to get the mail directly from his hands, and to come running inside with our treasure trove of bills, mail outs, magazines and cards. It became much more exciting for me when I started receiving my own personal mail.

There’s something about seeing your name on an envelope or on a label on the back of a magazine. It seemed like everyone knew my mom and dad, and didn’t just know them but also knew their entire names, even names they didn’t go by in normal day to day conversations. I thought they were famous because of all the mail they would receive and when I finally received my very own first piece, I genuinely thought I had joined the ranks of the rich and famous!

My first piece of mail came in the form of a magazine for children, Highlights. I’m sure many of you have heard of it and if you’re from my generation, then you likely received the magazine on a monthly basis. Back then it was only one magazine bursting full of games, riddles, stories, and stickers. By the time I started receiving my first subscription, I was old enough to actually read the words.

I used to sit on our couch at home, cross my legs one over the other, and put on my fake plastic glasses as I read through my magazine. I usually had a cup of chocolate milk alongside me that I liked to pretend was my own cup of coffee, just like my dad’s, and read through the “news” of the world, or at least the news of a kid’s world. Hidden pictures were my favorite. I would never actually circle the pictures when I would find them because I wanted to make sure I could reuse the magazine.

These days, Highlights has progressed. They now offer three different levels of the magazine, starting with “Hello”, which is geared towards the 0-2 age set, “High Five” for the 2-6, and “Highlights” for the 6-12. We started a subscription for Davey before he turned one. At that age, he didn’t really understand the excitement of getting mail, but I was looking for additional ways to boost his brain power. Once he became two, we graduated to the “High Five” subscription and it’s been a tremendous success.

He loves his Highlights magazine. He’s come to expect it, to actually ask for it on a regular basis. Sometimes, when he’s getting the mail from our postman, he inquires, “do you have my magazine for me?” It’s sweet actually and I love that when he does receive it, he points out his name on the back and then immediately wants to drop everything so that we can read it and do the puzzles. And just like his mommy, hidden pictures are his favorite.

I keep all of the magazines, as I’m eager to recycle them for Henry’s use. We’ve started reading the “Hello” issues to Henry. He loves the size, as they are perfect for fitting into his hands. He’s learning the various words and can even find a few of the hidden pictures in those.

Highlights has also progressed to a level of offering up puzzle books and other little ways of learning and encouraging our children. We subscribe to the puzzle books as well, another exciting anticipation for Davey. The puzzle books offer up stickers that you can use to complete a picture, as well as word finds, rhymes and riddles.

I love that things I adored as a child are still around for my children. As with most anything, they’ve progressed with the times, but they are still around. Occasionally, Davey will ask, “is this what yours looked like, mommy?” when he starts reading one of his new Highlights. I tell him it’s close and then I remind him that I had just as much fun with mine as he does with his.

Musings From a Rivalry Football Game

On November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

My husband and I awoke this morning a little earlier than normal. For me, I couldn’t sleep. Today was the day of the Palmetto Bowl, the biggest rivalry game in the state of South Carolina. My beloved Clemson Tigers were home and squaring off against our rival, the Carolina Gamecocks. We’ve lost to the Cocks for the past five years and I told my husband that this couldn’t go on forever. So, I refrained from my normal trash talking, as I was a little nervous about rocking the boat.

As we got on the road this morning, I noticed how much things have changed for us when it comes to tailgating and going to a football game. Before our boys, we’d eagerly go to Clemson just to tailgate even if we didn’t have tickets to the game. We’d prepare food the night before, get the coolers packed with beer, and head out at 6 am for a 12 noon game. Today? We got on the road at 9 am.

The first real thing to change for me is the choice of breakfast and breakfast drinks. Back in the olden days, it was a mimosa or bloody mary. These days it’s Starbucks and one of their breakfast sandwiches. My oh my how times have changed. Don’t get in the way of me and my coffee, or more specifically my venti mocha latte light!

Don't get in the way of me and my Starbucks! — Don’t get in the way of me and my Starbucks!

We slowly crawled through Easley before finally being able to hit the open road of Hwy 123. About 5 miles out from campus, we hit a dead standstill in traffic. Eventually, the inside lane began to move faster than us and my husband and I watched as an SUV passed by with a grill on the back trailer. Were they nuts? Why would you wait this late in the morning to come to Clemson for a 12 noon game with a grill? My husband commented that they may just be tailgating and didn’t have tickets for the game, which is even crazier to me.

Look, there was a time in my life, pre kids, when I would gladly tailgate for a game I had no intention of going into. These days, it’s going to take a lot to tear me away from my boys. I’m not wasting my energy or time to tailgate at a game of which I’m not going in.

We met our crew at their tailgating spot 45 minutes prior to kick off. It took us 2 hours from the time we left our house until the time we got to Clemson. We live 45 minutes away. I know. Ridiculous. And once we arrived at the tailgating spot, I wanted one beer, nothing more. So very strange. I was once able to chug beers like it was my job. I could actually beat the majority of the boys. Why do I seem proud about this? I’m not.

We entered the game just in time to see my Tigers run down the hill, otherwise known as the 25 most exciting seconds in college football. We stayed until halftime, when we then left and I had another beer. Again, so very odd. Before kids and when I wasn’t quite so mature, I would have snuck in my liquor or even bypassed the rest of the game just to have beer and party. Not so much these days. I anxiously paced back and forth while looking at my watch, in the hopes my husband would see how eager I was to return to the game.

I found that this time around I down swear while watching the game. I don’t call the refs evil names, and I can actually stomach some of the fans from the bad team. I legitimately watched the game. Again, my oh my how times have changed.

Going to the Esso Club afterwards no longer holds the same appeal as it did 5 years ago. Getting drunk and dancing isn’t exactly my forte, but stopping at Dunkin Donuts on the way out and getting another large coffee is the way to go.

I had a wonderful time today and I’m so thankful my husband and I had this opportunity. I’m just amazed at how much I’ve changed or the experience for me has changed.

Any oh, by the way…my Tigers broke their losing streak with USC. We won 35-17. Next to the birth of my two boys, this is probably the greatest thing in the past 6 years.

Dreaming Of Mommyhood

Tag: coffee

Toxic Foods

Flying the Friendly Skies

A Travelling We Go

Highlights Of His Life

Musings From a Rivalry Football Game

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