This has been quite a full week and I’m so glad it’s pizza and movie Friday! We don’t have anything major going on this weekend and I’m looking forward to some R&R as the cold rain moves in for what I’m hoping is winter’s last hurrah. I was feeling a good catch up session, so here’s a little update on life plus some links I’ve bookmarked lately that I really feel are really worth sharing…
FOOD
I have really been enjoying Chloe Flavor, the most recent cookbook I’ve checked out from the library (which is a great way to try before you buy). Three recipes I’ve made from it have been big hits- the curry last night, though, was the only one I wouldn’t make again. The thing I like most is that the dishes seem to be husband-friendly. Maybe it’s the use of seitan, tempeh, etc, but the dishes are flavorful and hearty. I mean, just look at these vegan nachos:
In less homemade news: the Papa Murphy’s near us shut down. Again. This leaves my Friday nights in disarray. Yes, I love making homemade pizza dough but sometimes I just want Friday night completely OFF from any kind of kitchen business. What’s a mom to do? What is your go-to pizza place?
HOMESCHOOL
I owe a full journal-style homeschool update because we’ve switched things up a little and I’m also figuring out what our summer will look like. We plan on homeschooling both girls year-round with a relaxed summer schedule. Since I’ll be integrating Kaitlyn into our routine come May, I’ve been looking for things we can all do together, in addition to the more personalized studies (math and reading). I bought the Around the World pack from Beautiful Feet and I am truly giddy at diving into different countries and cultures with the girls!
I am looking at possibly adding in a science unit from The Good and The Beautiful (anyone use it??) as well as keeping a lot unstructured play and outdoor time.
Though it’s still been pretty chilly here in North Carolina, I’ve been told that warmer temperatures are coming soon. The girls and I are really excited about our garden (surely one of us can develop a green thumb right?!) and to hold us over until we can plant, we snagged some succulents and cacti to have inside. We called it science class and Hailey is watching the Venus Fly Trap (AKA: Fred) like a hawk, anxious to see it capture its first prey.
HEALTH AND FITNESS
I’ve been pretty consistent getting my three days (four if I’m really feeling it) of Burn Boot Camp in each week and it’s a good, sustainable rhythm for me. 5:00 AM is still my most reliable time (anything a mom wants to make sure she gets done has to be done in the wee hours before the kids wake up, amiright?!). However, David signed up for a free two week trial (the 5:30 PM camp at our location in co-ed!) and it’s been so much fun to do a couple camps together!
As far as more general health, I have a couple items on my list I’d like to work on. One, I really need to drink more water. Why is that so hard?! Also, I want to educate myself of how to better balance my hormones. Without going into too much detail, I am one of the lucky ones that experiences pain/bloating/fatigue when I start my cycle AND during ovulation. Joy. I want to dig more into natural ways to minimize these discomforts so if you have any tips/books/resources I should check out, please leave them in the comments!
TRAVEL
I have been bit hard by the travel bug. I don’t know if it’s because we are past the baby phase and car trips are a breeze or what, but I’m ready to GO. Where? Anywhere! We have Bald Head Island and Annapolis on the books for this year, plus we want to take the family camping, and we hope to add in a few more getaways as well. The girls have been asking to go on a plane, and though we have no plans for that at the moment, it’s definitely on my radar.
Falling into the travel category, last weekend we drove down to Georgia to visit my folks. David built their new Sunlighten Infrared Sauna, the girls built fairy houses, and we kicked off Mom’s birthday week! She’s such a beautiful person, inside and out. I don’t just say that as her daughter; anyone who knows her can testify to how loving she is. She deserves to be celebrated and today is her REAL birthday, so happy birthday, Mama! <3
ON THE INTERNET
When You Get Type 1 Diabetes as an Adult – Lindsay just experienced a huge life change with her husband being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 33. This post is a great peek into the diagnosis itself, as well as how it is changing her family’s lifestyle.
5 Things Children Learn in Preschool That Are a Waste of Time and Not Developmentally Appropriate– I found this interesting. I’m not sure I’d call some of these a “waste of time,” but some of the logic made sense and I am firmly on team “education is a lighting of a fire, not a filling of a bucket.”
Shower Steamers with Essential Oils– I have been hooked on bath bombs and Epsom salt baths lately so now these adorable DIY shower steamers are on my list of things I want to make!
The Last Conversation You’ll Ever Need to Have About Eating Right– I saw this article spread like wildfire across the internet this past week, and with good reason. It’s a logical approach to what healthy eating really is. Spoiler alert: whole foods, mostly plants, plain water.
Fit with Five Ebook– Brittany from Eating Bird Food just released her highly anticipated ebook that features 35 healthy recipes, all made with 5 or less ingredients. 6 breakfast, 21 lunch/dinner, 4 sauces/dressings and 4 snacks. All the recipes are gluten-free, most are dairy-free (or dairy optional) and many are vegan or vegetarian-friendly. Sounds amazing!
Dinner on the Fly Ebook– Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean just released her Dinner on the Fly ebook! She is the queen of being able to throw together a simple, healthy dinner quickly, and her ebook is full of great tips, including no-recipe meal ideas and grocery store shortcuts.
21 Movies to Watch as a Family– I saved this in the spirit of Friday Family movie night! We aren’t at the right ages for all of these yet, but we’ve watched Hook! I’m excited to grab Enchanted and Jumanji next.
How Stage IV Cancer Taught Me to Live– Worth the click through. “How to spend the years is the great challenge we all get faced with; mine is just more acute. If we’re fragile, if we’re finite, then what do we love? How do we be brave?” YES.
I joined Heather on her podcast to talk all about Baby-Led Weaning!
I joined Ali on her podcast to talk all about Meal_
Thanks for having me on your podcasts ladies; It was so much fun to chat all things Baby-Led Weaning and what it looks like 6 years later and how meal planning keeps me sane during busy weeks!
Let’s chat!
Favorite pizza place for family pizza nights?
Any recommendations for hormone balancing books?
What trips do you have planned for this year?
Any links worth sharing? I love reading what y’all are reading!
Taryn says
We are traveling to Kansas City for spring break to visit my husband’s family (first time since the kids were born)!
Link worth sharing (because my 4-year old is the very definition of “strong-willed” https://club31women.com/how-to-be-the-mom-your-strong-willed-child-needs/
Brittany Dixon says
Oh great link! Kaitlyn is definitely my strong-willed child 🙂
Have fun in Kansas City!!
Erin says
If your looking for a book on womens hormones I fully suggest Woman Code by Alisa Vitti. My library had it, maybe yours would too!
Brittany Dixon says
Mine didn’t have it available (only through digital), so I just bought it through Amazon. Thank you! I heard a couple people recommend it so your suggestion just solidified my choice. 🙂
Rebecca says
The “Last Conversation” article was interesting and had funny moments. Though I think half the readers will now be convinced they are going to get cancer because of their food choices. It is so hard to figure out what is ‘right’ (and if it is ‘right’ or just a personal choice that is the best for an individual).
Brittany Dixon says
I think that’s exactly it- that “right” looks a little different for every individual. I just like that the overall take away is in line with my favorite Michael Pollan advice- eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants.
Gena says
Hormones! I had the same issue PMS from the start of ovulation. My functional medicine doctor upped Omega 3s, added evening primrose oil, upped magnesium. I also like Vitex in the morning, DIM at night.
Brittany Dixon says
And did those changes get rid of your symptoms? I’m going to look into them all- thank you!
Gena says
They really helped! I also have noticed a direct correlation between alcohol and the intensity of my PMS. When I don’t drink any during a month, my PMS is almost non-existent. I’m still fine tuning the right balance, but I used to have two weeks I felt great and two weeks I was miserable with mood, bloating, fatigue, menstrual migraines. It was the worst. I’ve also read some items of Alisa Vitti and she has a book Women Code about balancing your cycle, but I haven’t read it.
Liz says
You might want to look into a possible magnesium deficiency to help with the hormonal/monthly issues. I deal with PCOS, but after having children my cycle has regulated a bit, and with that has come terrible cramps, pms, ovulation pain, etc. Through some internet research of my own I stumbled upon magnesium and how important it is in regulating hormones, particularly in women (my husband has taken magnesium supplements for years because he used to get terrible headaches, and it made them completely stop!). I still want to double check with my dr, but have started taking a supplement in the mean time. No real changes yet, and I want to do more extensive research because there are different kinds of magnesium supplements, but it’s worth looking into, I think!
Brittany Dixon says
This is interesting to me! How do you check for a magnesium deficiency? Is that regular blood work? I had blood work done recently an all was normal but I don’t remember seeing magnesium. Definitely something for me to look into though- thank you!
Megan Weaver says
RN here- magnesium is something that has to be order specifically but comes from the same tube as your BMP (the labs that show all your electrolytes- sodium, potassium, etc.) Since you are not on any medications or having any symptoms that would have the doctor thinking they should check it- they probably didn’t order it. Sorry for the lengthy explanation but the short answer is yes, a simple blood test could tell you your level. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you!!
Liz says
I personally have not had my level checked by my doctor, but my husband did when he was having severe headaches and he said it’s just run through a blood panel, but has to be requested (meaning it’s not typically tested).
Kacie says
Hey girl! I checked out your BLW book and loved how it was a straightforward guide with practical advice from a mom, for moms! I doubt you’re able to edit now but if you ever released an updated version, I’d love to see you talk about Iron a bit! It’s important for babies to start getting iron in their diet (especially if breastfed) from both animal and plant sources once they start eating solids. I may have just missed it in there but wanted to mention it. The RD in me needed to send you a note haha. <3
Alison Aiken says
The preschool article was interesting though half the items I agreed with and the other half I disagree- based on my own vast experience with one preschooler. I think the presentation of concepts really matters. My son learned days of the week and knew which days certain friends would be at school but it wasn’t through calendar circle time. It actually all started with my husband singing the theme song to Happy Days. I am a huge believer in free play and had no idea some schools have preschoolers doing worksheets-yikes!
The Last Conversation made me laugh and read parts aloud to my husband (who wasn’t as humored as I was…)
We are traveling to Colorado this summer camping for a few days near Salida with friends then a few more days at their home in Basalt.
Brittany Dixon says
We have friends that used to live in Salida! Gosh I love Colorado. What a fun trip that will be!
Sarah says
I think it’s hard to drink water when it’s this cold and gloomy outside! I am usually a great water drinker in Florida, but since we moved here, I am craving coffee/tea nonstop.
And my family really likes the Publix pizza dough (in a small refrigerator case near the bakery). It’s not the most “whole ingredients” friendly, but if it saves me from ordering a restaurant pizza, I figure it’s still a better option! We make half of it plain cheese for the kiddos and half with fun veggies/cheeses (sundries tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, artichoke hearts, spinach, feta…whatever we feel like throwing on) for my husband and me.
Hormones…ugh. I started getting cycle-related migraines in the fall, which was a “treat.” I had only had one migraine ever in my life (7th grade) and had 3 this fall. I started taking ibuprofen at the first sign of a headache the week before my period and try to limit wine around that week and haven’t had another…knock on wood…it’s weird how our bodies are constantly changing. It would be nice to just have stability!
I’ll email you this week about maybe getting together soon! Hope you have had a nice weekend!