Morning Routines

How do you spend your mornings? Do you get woken up by little pitter patter running into your room? Maybe by an alarm jolting you awake, much earlier then you'd want? Perhaps you wake up on your own ready to begin the day? Or you drag yourself out of bed knowing what awaits you?

At different stages of my life I have fallen into each of these categories! Not saying that one is right or wrong but I do believe some can be good and bad for us.

Think about it...your morning sets the tone of your day. It dictates how the day begins. Do you get up and have time for something that you enjoy or do you hit the ground running?

I have been reading this book called Hello Mornings. It has changed my perspective and it has made me realize that my mornings may just be the most important part of my day! Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gets your metabolism going...My morning routine gets my daily "metabolism" going! 

My choice is to wake up at 6 am daily.  Even weekends. My hubby gets up before me usually and makes a pot of coffee (if not, I set the coffee pot timer). I sit down, listening to the hum of the kids monitors, and have my devotional, bible and bible study book. I am working my way through the Psalms and try to read one per day. Next, working through whatever chapter we are reading for Tuesday bible study. I do all this while alternating between my coffee and my water. 

So, why this? For me, my relationship with the Lord is first and foremost in my life. I want to be an example to my kids that starting my day in Gods word, with His truth speaking to me is the BEST way to begin. It also helps me focus on what is true, right and just. I am much slower to impatience, anger and frustration if I can remember a verse or tidbit from my quiet times. 

This may look different to you...maybe you wake and work out, spending time on your health, maybe you pray during your workout or listen to a podcast. Perhaps, you spend time with your spouse. Nothing is right or wrong in this time but what is important is consistency and spending time in something that fills your cup. (Challenge is to not turn on the tv or electronic until you are done with your routine. Our minds are bombarded with news and media all day long, so taking 20 minutes in the morning to wake up without the noise is crucial!)

I am no expert at this. I have only been consistent for about a month and can honestly say it has made a difference. In the beginning it was hard because I love my sleep. Now, I am waking up before 6 and looking forward to my quiet, alone time. After reading, I look at my schedule for the day, check and respond to my emails/messages, may type up a blog post or schedule out my work time for the day. All this is accomplished in the first 30-45 minutes I am awake & before my kids get up. 

Oh, also, I make my bed FIRST! Before I do anythings else! And MOST days, not all, I get dressed before I even come downstairs. These are actions that I am adding into my routine until they become habits. 

You know, I have learned so much recently in regards to the fact that as humans we MAKE time for what we WANT to have time for. We HAVE money for things we WANT to have money for. We prioritize, whether we realize or not. OR we make excuses. Don't be your own excuse! 

Hope this is encouraging to you to make yourself a priority! 

Rainy Weekends

It literally rained ALL weekend here. Rain is so needed and can be nice but it makes everything ugly and dreary. I am longing for the sun to peak out. 

Friday movie night went well, I forgot to take pictures.#worstbloggerever Austin loved the movie and actually watched the entire thing. I believe this means we have entered into a new stage. McKenna on the other hand was into everything. Poor girl woke up Friday morning with swollen eyes and gunk. To the doctors we went and she is now on antibiotics :( She is already feeling SO much better and now I can work to boost her immune system naturally.

Waiting at the doctors. All smiles despite not feeling well. 

Saturday, McKenna and I hung home while Hubs took Austin to visit family and celebrate his Poppops 93 birthday. The man is incredible and gets around so well for his age. I was very sad to miss it but my girl needed some cuddle time and rest time. We stayed in on Saturday evening as...it was pouring. 

She picked this outfit out and decided to help me with the dishes! 

Sunday was an up early morning my Hubs, he went to the gym early and ran. Then we all went to church and Lowes, for me to get some paint! I will do a before and after when I get done :) I also made some delicious homemade baked wings. Loosely using an old recipe, I doctored it a bit and man alive the flavoring was SO good! 

Meals for the week have been planned and shopped for! I am not doing anything new this week..so I usually make a tentative list and make sure I have all ingredients but then decide that morning what we want :)

Monday- Honey, Lime, Siracha Chicken Skewers and grilled veggies over rice

Tuesday- Italian Meatballs, Spinach Pasta and Green Beans

Wednesday- Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad

Thursday- Broccoli and Shrimp

Friday- Skillet Chicken Fajitas  

Saturday- Chili and Cornbread

Sunday- Homemade Burgers and Potato Wedges with side salad

So pulling the binky plug on Austin has come along with him deciding to not nap. I knew the day was coming soon, that doesn't make it any easier. Trying to adjust to our new normal and also adjusting bedtimes accordingly. Why is he growing up so fast?!

Asking for some prayer...I stepped wrong yesterday and tweaked my knee. It isn't swollen but I know my limits and I know I am going to have to rest it for a few days. Would appreciate you adding a speedy recovery to your prayer lists. 

Off to get our Monday started. Hope you have a great week ahead! 

Austins Pregnancy & Birth Story

I remember thinking about child birth...not knowing what to expect. I mean, I knew what was going to "happen" as I had a few semesters of teaching Family Life education (sex ed) under my belt & I knew that I wasn't super picky about setting up the "perfect" birth plan- I just wanted the least amount of pain and a healthy baby.

At my very first prenatal appointment in 2013, my OB told me that my pubic bones were narrow and to keep that in mind. I tucked it away into memory but didn't think so much of it.

So Austins pregnancy was not how I imagined I would be as a pregnant lady. I got violently sick when I was 9 weeks pregnant and ended up in the hospital for fluids. From that point on, I was sick almost every single day for months. It was a constant battle between eating breakfast or just waiting for the nausea to hit. It was all day long, ginger ale and having to be on medication so I could keep anything down. In the beginning, I had no energy, other then what I gave to my high school Health & PE classes and I'd sleep in my office during my down time. When the nausea and vomiting finally went away, I was SO hungry, I gained weight quickly! It was almost painful but my body just needed the nutrients and calories. Needless to say, it wasn't the most pretty pregnancy. Swollen, I worked until 39 weeks and then waited.

I was due on Monday, June 30, 2014. The last month is always hard but that heat of summer did not help the swelling! So most of the last week of pregnancy was spent floating in our pool. I remember going to bed on the 30th thinking I was going to be pregnant forever.

Austin had other plans... At 1:30 am, I got up to go to the bathroom and my water broke. We called the doctor and they told us to take our time. Yeah, right! As excited, naive, soon to be new parents we only waited about an hour. (If I had a do over of this...I'd have waited MUCH longer!) We checked in, got hooked up and checked out around 3 am and yes, my water had broken but I wasn't dilated at all. So, we waited. I got moved to my L&D room not long after and I was given pitocin. I wanted to labor as long as I could without the epidural (but I knew I wanted it). So sometime in the early afternoon, after hours of pain, and not much progress with dilating, I asked for it.

So my spine was not easy for the anesthesiologist and it took many tries to get the epidural in. On one try, I got shooting pain down my leg (as I am sure a nerve was hit). Eventually, even though she referred to my back as "tricky", it was successful. The epidural actually was supposed to help me progress and it did. Sometime around 5:00pm, the doctor came in hurriedly, and said "Rachel, I am worried about this baby boy, we need to get him out." (Not what a mommy wants to hear.) So, I began pushing. The first push, everyone got so excited because they could see blond hair.

Then I pushed again. And again. And again I pushed for over 3 hours. I have never experienced anything like it...trying with all your might, over and over again and nothing changing. Not any movement...no progress. Pain in my bones. Exhaustion from not having slept the night before. Physical weakness from not being allowed to eat anything. Pushing. Pushing. Pushing.

So around 8:30pm, I looked at my sweet husband and through tears said, "I can't do it anymore."

They had thrown around c-section at some point during the hours and hours of pushing. At that point, I honestly didn't care how he came out, so long as he got out safely.

So we went in for an emergency c-section. That was probably the most enjoyable part of the whole day because he was out within 8 minutes. We saw the most beautiful blond hair, blue eyed big baby, 8lbs 11oz boy. He was perfect and healthy.

It was one of the best and hardest days of my life. All I could think of after he was delivered was how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten in 24 hours! 

I was living in a daze. I was handed this beautiful baby, as a first time mama, who wasn't thinking clearly (because no food/no sleep), I had no clue what to do. He was hungry but my milk wasn't coming. He would cry and not sleep. Then he started losing weight and we had to supplement until my milk came in. I cried over this multiple times...I felt like a failure. You have the lactation junkies telling you "NO, NO, no supplementing" but this beautiful baby who is hungry! So after tears and asking for input we gave him ounces of formula and I am so happy we did. My milk did come in and we were very successful in the nursing department.

Those first few weeks for me were HARD. The hormones were cray cray! I could cry about anything and nothing and I second guessed everything. I have done much research in the past few months and learned about how crazy hormones can be and also about something called Postnatal Depletion. It is interesting...read about it here! 

I share this story for a number of reasons. 

First, because it is OUR story. It is something that I experienced and learned So much from! 

Second, that it is okay to adjust your birth plans. We are so lucky to live in a time when we have tremendous medical options. It is also okay to supplement with formula so your baby gets what they need while your body, as a new mama, heals. 

Third, because I know we are not the only ones who have experienced a birth story like this. (One that didn't go quite as planned.) I have come to accept it and be okay with the journey of it. 

Thanks for reading! If you have ever experienced similar or have questions, please feel free to email :) 

5 Small Changes

So in all accounts hubby and I are very healthy eaters. We limit our red meat intake. We eat home almost all the time. We limit our sugars. We don't drink excess calories. ETC.

I want to share a few small changes that we have made that I feel really can add up in extra calories. Even if you start small and gradually make the changes, they will add up in your overall health! 

#1

Cut out the High Fructose Corn Syrup

Guys...it is in EVERYTHING! And it is SO bad for us. I advise you to stop reading and go look through your refrigerator and pantry and look at the ingredient list...ketchup, jelly, juice, creamers etc. Throw them away! 

You can read more here and here. 

#2 

Cook at home! 

Find some fun recipes that you and your family will like. Experiment with different flavors, buy cookbooks (or go to the library and check them out), search online. 

It is SO much healthier to cook food yourself and KNOW what you are eating. #youarewhatyoueat

#3

Cook with healthy fats

We have a new love for avocado oil. Here are some of the reasons I have added this to our cooking repertoire. 

#4

Take 3 days and write down everything you eat

This has always been a great learning experience for me. When I find that I am not where I want to be it is usually because I am consuming more then I should. Mindless eating. So writing it down, acknowledging how much water I am getting, seeing the totals...it helps me evaluate where changes need to be made!

#5

Limit the carbohydrates at night 

We limit our carbs at dinner and after. So most dinners are a lean meat and vegetables. Occasionally, I will make cornbread with chili or some rice/whole wheat pasta (these lifestyle changes HAVE to be maintainable or you will quit). 

Hope some of these tips can help with a jump start to feeling your best and finding a healthy lifestyle that fits for you and your family! 

Behind the Name Change

I was inspired recently to really think about and decide how I want to share my life. I feel that once you get to know me I am an open book. 
So, I thought long and hard about my life - the ups and downs of singleton, waiting for [what felt like forever] to meet my now husband, and now the daily challenges that come with staying home with two toddlers, running a business and pursuing my passions. BUT also the grace for all of those days and circumstances. Grace that the Lord gives me and grace that needs to be given to everyone I come in contact with. 

So...hence...SMILES AND GRACE was born.

Smiles for the good days and Grace for the hard ones.