However, what no one ever seems to talk about, is how to know when your child is exhibiting signs that he or she is actually ready to be potty trained. Since it’s not something you can force, I want to take some time today and share some ways to tell when your child is potty train ready!
If you’ve been following along with Baby Doodah for the last month or so, you might have noticed my little request at the bottom, asking you to donate to my Ride for Roswell. Well, yesterday was the big event! I have to be honest, I wasn’t really nervous. There were a few things that I was over-thinking, but more than anything, I was looking forward to the ride.
I rarely wake up on my own, and almost always need my alarm, but for some reason I woke up independently, just a few minutes before my alarm was due to go off. I woke up feeling calm and ready for the emotions that were sure to come as the day wore on. I got up, spent some time with the book I am currently reading, The Compound Effect (which is so good). 6 am rolled around and I quietly got into the shower and started thinking about all the people that I would be riding for, of all the people who might benefit from the donations I collected (thank you to ALL my donaters). After my shower, things started to get real, Seamus pumped up my tires, I got Emmett ready (they were dropping me off), and quite quickly it was time to go.
When we got to the University of Buffalo (where the start and finish line are located), they dropped me off and I road away to the starting line. I took in the expo, bought a new pair of riding gloves and then, almost immediately, it was time for my races heat to line-up. It all happened so quickly, line-up announcements and boom, you’re off! I was blown away by how efficiently things ran.
Lining Up!
My first 10 miles were a breeze. I was definitely working, climbing up a few small hills, but I felt good, strong! These 10 miles headed us out to the country, considering I was doing the 33 mile country ride, that didn’t come as any surprise.
At around mile 10, I stopped and had the most delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’ve ever eaten. Yummy!! I also chugged a bottle of water, had a granola bar and headed out for my second 10 miles. I felt on top of the world! I couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about the good I was doing. It warmed me inside, gave me chills… I felt powerful!
First Rest Stop
Then mile 17 hit and I started aching, not my legs or lungs, like you might think – but my upper back and butt were on fire. I was bound not to stop. I wanted to keep going, only stop at rest stops unless I really needed to. Thankfully, around mile 20 I saw the rest stop up ahead and motored on.
I chugged 1.5 bottles of water at this stop (I was sweating like crazy), had 1/2 a PB and jelly sandwich, 1/2 a banana and took a granola bar for the road. Since the pep in my step had dissipated about 3 miles earlier, I decided to chomp on two shot bloks, hoping it’d pep me up. Welp, it didn’t. It made me ragey and angry. I was irritated that I was hurting so much and still had 13 or so miles to go.
However, about a mile after that rest stop, a woman was about to ride by, yelled “on your left, but don’t worry, I’m slow and old.” It made me laugh, it was a conversation that was meant to happen. She road with me for a short while and the conversation we had was moving and gave me goose-bumps. She asked me who I was riding for, I told her, and I, in return asked her… She was riding for her granddaughter who was currently a patient at Roswell. I said how sorry I was and that I’d be thinking of her and her family, but she proceeded… She stated that right before our heat took off, she had gotten a phone call from her son. See, her granddaughter was having a bone marrow biopsy done, after having a bone marrow transplant a little while back. Her son had called to tell her that the results of the biospy were back… NO LEUKEMIA CELLS!!!!
I’ll let that sit a moment.
At a time when I was struggling to remember why I was riding, this woman just happened upon me, bursting to tell her story to someone who cared and would listen. She chose me. I was honored.
We both exclaimed we had chills from her story, we laughed and joked for another hundred feet more, but we hit a hill, I slowed to a crawl and she kept on. I silently cried, not because I was sad but because I was so so happy that this woman had been given good news and that her little granddaughter was currently showing no signs of cancer. It reminded me why I was riding and I rode on!
Isn’t that amazing??? I have chills and tears in my eyes, right now, just repeating the story to you.
My final rest stop was about 5 miles after the last one. I didn’t need to use the bathroom, but I still stopped because I wanted to give my butt and back a rest. It was called Candy land and they had all sorts of different candies available to eat, I just wanted something super sugary to help motor me through the final 7 miles. I grabbed a bag of Swedish fish and they were delicious. 🙂
Those final 7 miles were killer. There was almost no hills (which means no downhill, free riding) and none of the streets were completely blocked so there were lots of cars. They had cops and other people directing traffic at different lights, but once on a road, it was you, the other bikers and the cars. Either way, I had to really dig-in, to a place I don’t visit often. I had to force my mind to think of other things other than the pain I was feeling. I knew I was going to finish, there was NO question, but I didn’t want to stop… I wanted to keep on going.
And that I did, through 7, then 5, 4, 2 and finally .5 miles (I only knew the miles I was hitting if there were people directing traffic), I made it.
I crossed the finish line!
DONE!
In front of me were the list of names spray painted onto the ground, and to my right was my husband and son, cheering me on. I cried. I was so proud of myself, and was moved beyond belief.
The whole day was perfect, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I like knowing how hard my body can work to help me reach my goals.
Will I do it again? Yes. Most definitely! I’ll either go shorter so that Emmett can ride with me, or I’ll go longer (since I’ll be in better shape by then).
Once again, thank you to ALL who sponsored me. You couldn’t have supported a better cause!
I don’t know about you, but I am SO thrilled to be here again. It has been one heck of a week and I’m really excited for the weekend. A certain someone special in my life has a birthday on Saturday (Seamus), so we’ll be celebrating that, otherwise we’ll be doing some stuff around the house and some major relaxing.
I’ve been thinking, and I decided that my blog needs a new (old) series. For those of you who have been reading since I started, you may remember when I had a post that I did every Friday where I talked about my fitness goals, the weight I lost or didn’t lose, whether I was tracking my food, etc (you can read all of the old Friday Fitness posts, here). It kept me accountable, until it didn’t, and the reason it didn’t was because I began making excuses and then just decided to cancel the series because I hated sharing my failures each week.
I’m at a point now, where I truly believe that I am ready to lose the weight and that my mind is too. I’ve had a few different instances over the last week, where I was craving junk food (Tim Bits to be exact), and after really thinking about it, I realized I didn’t want them and that I didn’t want to feel like crap after eating them. It was easy for me to turn away! I hope this means that I am beginning my road to recovery.
I’ve begun taking steps to better health, I recently signed-up to be a Beachbody Coach, I’m really excited about this and will be sharing more as time goes on. Since I signed-up as a coach, I chose my first Beachbody program and went with the 21 day FIX. If you’re interested in learning more about Beachbody and their workouts and having me as your coach (for free – your only cost is that of the challenge pack) or are interested in becoming a coach for yourself (again more details on this in a few days), you can visit my page by clicking here.
So, how this is going to work, is that I will be sharing my weekly goals and in future weeks, I’ll be sharing my success/failure from the past week. My goal is not to cop out after a few weeks, even if I fail. Failure is a part of getting into shape, especially when you are as out of shape and overweight as I am, I want you guys to know me as a real person. So I will be sharing the good, the bad and the ugly!
Exercise Goals
I will be working out 7 days a week for 30 minutes, following the 21 day FIX schedule. I can do anything for 30 minutes!
Food Goals
I will also be following the 21 day FIX food plan, which I will share more in detail in future posts.
Here’s to a really great week of workouts!
If you want to start your Monday off on a generous foot and want to support cancer research, donate to my ride. I’m riding for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and their Ride for Roswell. Anything will help me reach my goal, and further advance cancer research. Just click HERE to donate.
**I am in no way a medical practitioner and any advice or tips listed herein, are suggestions that have worked for me. Please contact your medical provider before beginning any new exercises or routines.**
I mentioned in my menu plan on Sunday, that I have been dealing with a herniated disc. As I mentioned in that post, the pain from a herniated disc is the worst pain you can ever imagine. Nerve pain is the worst kind of pain because there’s no getting use to it, and it doesn’t dull. It stays as strong and intense from the moment it starts until it is healed. The only saving grace is that as it heals, it may occur less frequently.
Back in September of 2009, I had a microdiscectomy on a disc that was hitting my sciatic nerve on the left side of my body. The goal was to take away the numbness that I was dealing with, and to alleviate the pain that was constant. Sadly, the surgery didn’t do either. I left in more pain that I started in, and the numbness remained. I was out of work for at least 10 weeks trying to heal, because sitting behind a desk would have been impossible. After about 10 weeks, I still had pain but it was tolerable and something that I could work with. Now, 6 years later, I don’t have pain on that side, but the numbness remains. Now I have pain on the right side of my body from a herniated disc that is hitting my right sciatic nerve. However, this time around I’m handling things much differently, I’m going to work on healing myself naturally.
First and foremost, I’ve cut gluten out of my diet. Gluten can cause inflammation, and has been shown to exacerbate herniated discs, I almost immediately cut it out. There is just no need for it, if it is even remotely causing any of my pain. I never ever want to be where I was on Thursday night again.
I was rolling around in bed trying to figure out how to get up to use the bathroom at 3 am and I just couldn’t do it without help. I had to wake poor Seamus up to assist me. At that moment, I hit rock bottom. I knew that my weight was negatively affecting my back and that I couldn’t keep beating my body up. So far, four days in, and I’m doing just fine. I absolutely have cravings but with the right amount of pressure on myself, I’m able to say no to gluten filled foods. It feels good to take control!
Next, I started my stretching regimen. Three to four times a day, I stop what I am doing and find a place to stretch out my back, which has been doing wonders. Even if my back completely heals, I will be continuing this stretches. A healthy back needs to be stretched and strengthened, as much as an injured one. I will be sharing my stretch “routine” in a future post.
I also began walking more. There have been days when hours would pass and I wouldn’t get up from my desk. If I don’t have to use the bathroom, and I’m focused on what I am doing, then I wouldn’t get up. I have changed that now, I try to get up at least once an hour to stretch my spine, and get a few extra steps in a day. The standing position is much less painful than sitting anyway.
I stopped lifting items that are too heavy for me. I have pretty much always been a strong person, able to lift things far heavier than I probably should have. In addition to my weight, this is probably one of the biggest qualifying reasons that my back is so temperamental. Even with our move, I am not lifting a thing. I bring the empty box to the room I’m in, fill it and then have Seamus move it. I’m not taking any risks. I haven’t even picked up Emmett in almost a week. If Seamus picks him up for me, I am okay to hug him and kiss him, but picking him up from the floor is bad bad BAD (just another reason I need to heal myself).
And finally, I’ve started doing some yoga. Yoga has always seemed so interesting to me, an intense workout for your muscles, but also so peaceful and centering. I have done yoga workouts off and on for years, but never really took it seriously. However, I did some serious reading about healing herniated discs, and one of the most common suggestions was practicing yoga regularly. I’m taking their advice and starting my practice. I’d love to have one of those strong, svelte bodies of all the yoga fanatics on Instagram.
This will likely be a lengthy journey, but I will heal and feel healthier because of it. I will have changed my life for the better in so many ways, versus jumping to surgery and not changing my life. I can do this! I believe in myself!
If you’re a regular reader, then you’ve probably noticed that for the past few weeks I’ve skipped posting My Finds Friday, and you may be wondering why.
Simply put – I was getting bored with it.
I was still finding articles and blogs that I wanted to share with you, I just had no desire to come to my blog and post about it. When you start to feel like you don’t want to blog about something, you need to either stop writing about that, or take a break because that lack of desire, is a scary road. It can often lead to a blogger dreading writing altogether, and I didn’t want to reach that point, so I went on hiatus.
In previous My Finds Friday, I would only share links to articles from around the web that I was finding interesting. Now, my goal is to share ANYTHING that I see over the past week that I feel my readers would benefit from. So let’s get this party started, and liven things up around here!
This is hilarious! Here’s an article that talks a little bit about it, I recommend you read the article first, before you watch the video.
7-Minute HIIT Workout by FitSugar
As I continue to progress My Finds Friday, things may get switched up or added, but I want it to be more comprehensive, so I want to experiment.
Your turn!
What are some of your favorite finds from the past week?
Do you like the new My Finds Friday format? What do you think should be added or removed?
Please join in and link-up below!
Wiki describes binge eating disorder as an eating disorder characterized by binge eating without subsequent purging episodes.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve spent time writing about my struggles with Binge Eating Disorder. You can read about my admission to the disorder here, some of the details of what I deal with on a daily basis here, what some of my “hidden talents” are here, and finally why I decided to come clean on my blog here.
Until very recently, no one knew my secrets. I’m sure that Seamus may have surmised that I was eating poorly, and way too much, but I never actually told him. It isn’t that I didn’t feel safe, or that he’d judge me, but simply that I was embarrassed. No one had known for so long, that someone knowing might ruin me. That I would no longer be able to look him in the eye, for fear that all he’d be picturing is me with an over-abundance of food.
In June I decided to come clean. I had been doing a lot of research on the topic and ways to correct it, and one of the biggest rules of thumb is to be honest with those in your life, so that you can feel free. So, I did it. The first time I broached the subject with him, I mentioned it and that I thought I was dealing with it, but never mentioned the amounts or types of foods that I ate. I wasn’t ready for that yet, because telling someone that, was letting someone into my deepest and darkest secret.
As time progressed, and Seamus and I discussed what was going on with me, I felt more comfortable admitting to what I had been eating. I don’t think Seamus ever judged me, but he was shocked, and it showed. I was so disgusted with myself. I immediately ended the conversation from going any further and changed the subject. I wanted to come clean, but I did not want to have to deal with the sadness and disgust that was bubbling up (if I’m being honest, I’m still not dealing with that).
Weeks passed, and I brought it up again because I NEED his support in order to overcome this. I need someone who knows the deepest places of me, and loves me despite them. When we talk about it now he is understanding and comforting and tries to offer words of encouragement, or ideas for overcoming it, but in true addict fashion, I’ve told him I got it handled. Well, I don’t. I continue to eat poorly (this is an understatement), sure I’ll have a few great days and eat super healthy, but as days pass my resolve falters and I’m right back eating the same crap I was before. Only now I’m ashamed (again) to tell Seamus because I am doing exactly what I said I had handled.
It is a very lonely place, where I am at right now. I have people around me who love me, but I still feel all alone and it hurts. It’s by no fault of their own, they show their support and tell me they love me, but it doesn’t change the inner turmoil that goes on in my head.
Readers, I know some of this is getting super personal, but I hope that you’ll continue with me on my journey. I appreciate all of the support you’ve shown and continue to show. It means a whole lot to me!
I’m linking up with Peas and Crayons, be sure to stop on over and visit!
To see where Munchkin Meals originated, be sure to visit Brittany at A Healthy Slice of Life.
When feeding Emmett on Wednesdays, I look for easy, healthy options. I make an effort to serve him the very freshest of fruits and use only whole ingredients in his food. There are times when that just isn’t possible, but I would say 7 meals out of 10 are made healthfully. We buy him 100% whole grain breads and farm fresh eggs, organic milk and mostly organic fruit and veg. Rarely does Emmett have foods high in fake sugars, or even regular sweets, like cookies or cake. We treat foods like those as foods meant for special occasions. I want him to grow up knowing that foods that taste the best are those that are good for him. I say all this, not to brag, or to say I’m better than any other mom, I say it because I am a full-time working (outside the home) mom, and I work hard to ensure Emmett eats a balanced diet. I’ll admit that I am incredibly lucky to have a husband that is a partner in this endeavor, and is there assisting in any possible way.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are two main reasons that I believe Emmett is such a good eater. One is that he is a breastfed baby, so he was (and continues to be – we’re going on 13 months!) used to different flavors. Breast-milk can taste different depending on what I’ve eaten that day, so he was used to a variety of flavors right off the bat. The second, is Baby Led Weaning (BLW). Emmett was introduced to real whole foods from the very first moment he had solids. We never bought one jar of baby food, and he’s pretty much always eaten what we’ve eaten. With BLW, the baby is in charge of what goes into their mouth from the get-go, they have the control which leads to happy confident eaters. After seeing its effects on Emmett, I believe that it works.
For breakfast yesterday, Emmett had one scrambled egg, a piece of whole grain bread with sunflower butter and a mixture of blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. 
He didn’t eat much at breakfast, but I never worry about whether he’s eating too much or too little because I know if he’s hungry, he’ll eat.
Lunch was some leftover cheese ravioli with tomato sauce, carrots and blueberries.
This kid LOVES blueberries, I don’t think I could get him to stop eating them, even if I tried.
Snack was some water and Wegmans colby jack cheese (no pic).
Dinner consisted of a baby panini! Seamus made it on the smallest slices of the rosemary, olive oil bread with some provolone cheese and some ham, watermelon and broccoli which I did not get a picture of, sorry.
And finally… Some adorable pics of Emmett!
Question of the Day:
What are some of your children’s favorite foods?
