Dessert for Dinner

The other night my kids were asking me to make a pie. For a typical family that to is no big deal, however for our family that is one of those questions that I dread. My oldest is gluten intolerant, probably Celiac but I haven't tested him for it. He is also allergic to Soy and a host of other things so I can't just go grab a gluten free pie crust and call it good. I have yet to find a gluten free pie crust recipe that we like and I was late on time. I stood in the middle of the grocery store and debated what to say to my kids as they stood there asking me for pie.  

I don't want my kids to grow up with food issues because I won't let them eat "junk food" on occasion, I also don't want them only eating "junk food". I want them to have a healthy view of food and a healthy relationship with food. As a country we have become so enamored with diets, crazes, cleanses, purges, and fads that very few people have a normal relationship with food. I am vowing to not pass that off to my kids. 

Therefore, I grabbed a box of gluten free cake mix and decided that I was going to make a "Dump It Cake" for dinner. I didn't despair over the amount of sugar in the mix, I didn't cringe at the cost of the mix, I didn't stress about the fact that my kids were not getting the most nutrient dense meal, I just decided to have a treat with my family. 

A few years ago, back when I was yo-yo dieting every few months a cake for dinner would have been unheard of. Now that we eat real food most of the time, this is not a big deal. My kids have adapted and are healthier and better off for it. I quickly whisked up our Dump It Cake but dumping a huge jar of canned peaches out of the pantry into a bottom of a 9X13 pan and topped it with our gluten free cake mix. I topped that with a bunch of Kerrygold butter, cinnamon, and some sprinkles of water and baked it until the top was golden brown. We decided that it was most like a cobbler, which in Texas is basically a pie (right???) and we enjoyed it. It was a special treat that we got to enjoy a few times throughout the week. 

Our Little Garden

When we moved into our house the twins kept asking for a garden.  I kind of put them off because the  thought of trying out gardening AGAIN annoyed me.  However, persistence paid off and I let my six year olds take over.

It's not big or fancy but the kids have worked hard and it's paid off.

21 DSD- Week 3

Monday will be my last day on the 21 Day Sugar Detox.  

I can't believe that it's almost over!  I've had some slip ups and goof ups, I have been far from perfect, but all in all I have learned a lot and really enjoyed the 21DSD.  

I don't see myself jumping up and running for the treats on Tuesday.  I honestly don't want them right now, that's huge for me!

I have had some sugar cravings though and have enjoyed the natural sweetness of green apples or green tipped bananas.  I have not tried the treats in the book because I know that I would not be able to enjoy just one serving.  Most of the time that I wanted sugar I was having a rough day and needed to not run for food to solve my problems.  

The biggest change I have seen however, has not been with me but my kids.  We have not done a full "detox" with the kids but I have not had the normal "kid treats" in the house.  They have had fruit and no other sugary treats and they HAVE NOT COMPLAINED!  In fact, last night one of my twins had two servings of roasted asparagus and went on and on about how good it was.  They have also all been willing to try different foods and not grumble.  Along with that I have noticed that they had better attitudes and have slept better.  

Honestly, I love the 21 DSD and do not see sugar coming back into our kitchen if I can help it.
What about you, have you tried a 21 DSD?  

My Kids Are Moving

I have read a lot about keeping your kids active but sometimes it's tricky.  When you are trying to get in schoolwork, chores, errands, and everything else marked off of your to do list exercise is the last thing that gets done!  Since I am due in May and we just moved here we decided to not do a team sport for the boys but I have insisted that the kids all stay active. 

First off, I send the kids out in the backyard daily for some sort of fresh air and activity.  This has resulted in many games of tag, soccer, basketball, football, and a combination of all three.  

In the afternoon, we all go out front and the scooters and bikes come out.  This has resulted in us getting to know our neighbors too, which I think is a huge plus!  

My kids also recently tried out a Parkour class and have fallen in love.  My plan had been to not do anything organized until after the baby comes but I'm pretty sure that they will be going back next week.  I am also a bad mom and don't have a single picture to show all of you of my kids jumping off of walls, beams, and swinging from ropes; OOPS!  I loved watching my boys challenge themselves to go just a little bit harder so that they could achieve their goal.  I also laughed as they all complained of sore arms from trying to vault over obstacles and then fell asleep in the car on the way home.  So yes, I'm sure that you will all be hearing about Parkour more in the not so distant future.  Honestly, if I wasn't pregnant I would be trying out a class...

If you are in the Austin area and want to join me, Bam Academy, is a fun place to Parkour.  I even heard that they have classes at a park nearby on Saturday's! 

My goal is to instill a love of movement in each of my kids doing something that they love so that when they are adults they aren't struggling with exercise; I want it to be something that comes natural.  

Including The Kids

I've had a stressful week.  My husband had surgery a week ago and my workouts have been sporadic.

On Monday my boys decided they wanted to run a 5k with me.  Those words were a wake up call to me, I should just include my kids in my workouts!  Typically I enjoy working out on my own but when your husband can't lift anything over five pounds and is out of it on painkillers you have to be flexible.  

I expected the kids to whine about the heat and I expected Anna to scream in her stroller but neither of those things happened.  In fact, I enjoyed myself.  We were S-L-O-W but we had fun and that was what really mattered.  

I'm not doing as strenuous as a workout as I would normally do, I'm not getting my "alone time" however, I am building memories and strengthening relationships.  In fact, the boys want to exercise with me; "forever."

Anna is even joining in on the fun! 

HIIT Me Baby

one more time...

Now that you have that song stuck in your head ;)

Have any of you ever done a HIIT workout? 

What's HIIT you ask?  It is High Intensity Interval Training.  

A HIIT session often consists of a warm up period of exercise, followed by three to ten repetitions of high intensity exercise, separated by medium intensity exercise for recovery, and ending with a period of cool down exercise. The high intensity exercise should be done at near maximum intensity. The medium exercise should be about 50% intensity. The number of repetitions and length of each depends on the exercise, but may be as little as three repetitions with just 20 seconds of intense exercise.

So now that you know what it is, here's one that you can do at home without any equipment (or you could add weights if you're really hardcore like Kelli).

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

10 push- ups

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

10 lunges (5 each side)

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

10 pull- ups (or overhead lat pulls)

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

10 burpees

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

10 squats

Sprint (or move as fast as you can) 100 meters

30 crunches

It's a quick workout that gets your heart rate up and hits all the major muscle groups.

Every once in awhile I can get my kids to join me for a HIIT.  They don't always run the full distance, but they try their hardest to keep up on everything else.

This is Junior and me after the HIIT I listed above.  Some day I might get a serious picture out of him =)

Let us know when you try this workout and what you thought of it!

Kam's Story

 
My firstborn, Kamron, was born in April of 2005.
He was the first grandchild on both sides of the family and to my husband and I, he was perfection.
When Kamron was three he was diagnosed with Asthma.  We had already spent most of his life talking to the pediatrician about food allergies but hadn't had him tested because we were told that he would outgrow them.  He also had Eczema and some mood swings. 
Finally when he was five I pushed and had him tested for allergies.  We went to a specialist and did the back scratch test.  He was found to be allergic to every tree and grass near us as well as soy.  (The only food on the test was soy, milk, and eggs.)  I honestly didn't think that the soy would be that big of a deal to take him off of...and then I looked at the back of every cracker package at the store...and I may or may not have cried in the middle of the snack aisle at the grocery store. 
After a month of really watching what my son ate and keeping him on allergy medicine Kamron wasn't having serious outbreaks.  He was occasionally having random asthma attacks and so the allergist and I talked about testing him for other food allergies but the allergist said it would be better to do an elimination diet.  I was gearing up to start playing with his diet but Kamron, ever the firstborn, took matters into his own hands...
He collapsed in the middle of PetCo and was rushed to Children's Hospital via ambulance.  No parent can describe the feeling of helplessness as she watches her child struggle to stay coherent in an ambulance flying down the highway.  As I sat in the hospital praying for my son waiting for my husband to arrive I just knew that he had cancer or some other life threatening illness.  Instead I found out that the ER Physician had no answers for me except that it was not cancer or many other illnesses that he was tested for.
The next day we went to our family doctor and found out that Kamron had a small heart murmur that he would outgrow but he had an irregular heartbeat.  We went on to see two child cardiologists  and had a follow up with the allergist.  In a nutshell, Kamron's asthma and different allergies caused his heart to beat erratically and make him pass out.
From several different books I read we decided to first go off of wheat.  After a month I had a different child!  He could play without getting seriously exhausted, he was not as moody, and his Eczema was clearer!
The next thing I did was to slowly wean him off of processed sugar and artificial dyes.  This was honestly a little bit harder and something we all struggle with, however the end result was well worth it.  I was able to take him off of his allergy medicine and he did not get sick during Spring in Texas!!!  
I am not saying that taking your children off of soy, gluten, processed sugars, and artificial dyes will heal your kids problems but I would definitely try it!

NOTHING IN THIS BLOG POST SHOULD TAKE THE PLACE OF SEEING A MEDICAL DOCTOR! 
***Picture is courtesy of Oh My! Photography***