We made it through Chase’s Meet the Teacher day yesterday with no tears! (Let’s be real, the “no tears” thing was really a victory for me, not Chase.) He was cool as a cucumber and I hope his excitement over school lasts when I actually have to leave him for the first time next week.
Our morning yesterday passed by in a flash of breakfast, a quick workout and a stop by the grocery store to pick out flowers for Chase’s teachers. Thanks to those of you who chimed in on my Monday blog post question about whether or not bringing gifts to teachers at the beginning of the school year is a thing. The consensus: No, it’s not. But remembering teachers on holidays, birthdays, Teacher Appreciation Day, or supplying much-needed items for the classroom throughout the year is very much appreciated.
I still wanted to do a little something, especially since I had a feeling Chase would do better with meeting his teachers if he had something to give them, so I let him pick out flowers for Miss Debbie and Miss Jen and he selected a summery bouquet of daisies.
We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and Chase quietly said hi to his teachers (still no “Miss”) but seemed really excited about giving them flowers! He was way more interested in running past them and checking out the new toys all over the room so we played and met some of the other parents and kids before it was time to head outside.
Chase’s preschool apparently knows how to win over new kids because they had an ice cream truck show up outside of the playground. Chase’s love for ice cream knows no bounds (I wonder where he gets that from?) and he had a death-grip on his vanilla sprinkle cone while he explored and played!
I enjoyed chatting with the other parents and have the best feeling about Chase’s preschool. To be honest, I was having some serious regrets about enrolling him a couple of weeks ago because I truly do love our time together. I really had to force myself to shift my perspective and realize this is something he will love and is beyond ready for this year. Chase is already quite independent and social so I know in my gut beginning preschool will be a great thing for him. Plus, it’s only TWO days a week and he’ll be there for three(ish) hours each day, so it’s not a huge commitment even though it feels like quite a big milestone for me.
On the flip side, I am definitely looking forward to some extra uninterrupted work time and the ability to make various appointments in the morning without having to ask a friend to watch Chase or call a babysitter. I haven’t had that kind of freedom since he was born!
We arrived home from Meet the Teacher a little before noon, ate lunch (well, a snack for me) and did a little dinner prep together before Chase’s naptime.
“Help cook” is one of Chase’s current favorite activities and I’m not complaining one bit. It’s pretty awesome because it allows me to get some dinner prep done while he’s awake and he’s a lot more curious about the foods we’re preparing together which means he’ll often snack on the raw veggies I’m chopping while he “helps.” (And yes, this new activity means our kitchen looks like a disaster almost all day long until we do a big clean after dinner.)
Chase went down for his nap around 1 p.m. and I worked on the computer until I eventually got hungry. Yesterday’s lunch included chopped turkey burger with brown rice, leftover lentils and avocado.
Ninety minutes later, Chase was up again. I feel fortunate that I can usually count on a solid two hour nap from Chase in the afternoon but yesterday he was ready for action a little early, so I switched back into mom mode and texted with a few friends about meeting up for an afternoon play date.
We spent most of the afternoon at Gymboree’s Open Gym with my friends Carrie and Laura and their little ones before heading home to get a crack on dinner.
After being in a good mood all day yesterday, something seemed to flip in Chase around 5 p.m. because all the whines and fussiness he held in all day seemed to surface. When I got a text from Ryan letting me know he’d be home a little later than usual, I made the decision to do Chase’s bath earlier in the evening which seemed to help relax him a tiny bit.
We came downstairs after his bath and finished dinner which was a turkey and veggie skillet that tasted like a weird but delicious version of sloppy joes.
Ryan arrived home around 7 p.m. and after we were done eating together, we made blanket forts and read a book under them before Chase went down for the night a little before 8 p.m.
I’m not sure what it was about yesterday, but I felt 100 percent pooped at the end of the day. I also couldn’t resist digging into ice cream again after dinner while we watched Big Brother and enjoyed every last bite.
And on the subject of ice cream… I have a quick question for anyone out there who might also have a raging sweet tooth: Have you ever done anything to try to eliminate your sugar cravings? I feel like mine are at an all-time high right now and while I’ve never been one to do a detox or anything like that, I know I could benefit from cutting back on sugar (in addition to the ice cream after dinner, I also had ice cream at Chase’s school and chocolate after lunch). Since I know I’m an abstainer not a moderator, I’m kind of curious about doing a no-sugar challenge to try to get my cravings for sweets (specifically refined sugar) under control. If you have one you’d recommend, or if there’s something you’ve done in the past to help with sugar cravings, please let me know! I love fruit and wouldn’t want to give that up, but I know I could benefit from cutting back on refined sugar and think some sort of a not-too-intense challenge could be a good motivator.
I hope you all have a great Thursday and I’ll see ya back here tomorrow for Things I’m Loving Friday!
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In place of dessert, I eat frozen dark sweet cherries. I get a huge bag at Costco. Been a lifesaver!
A nutritionist just recommended zinc and magnesium to help control cravings. I started taking both about two weeks ago along with cutting way back on wheat/gluten and have noticed a big reduction in cravings.
I found my sugar cravings getting a little out of control so I did a Whole30 challenge and loved it! It’s HARD but you seem to already be abiding by a lot of the “rules” and eat really healthy already so it may not be as tough on you. My cravings cut down to almost nothing and I actually went to the other extreme and found myself disinterested in food altogether which is NOT like me, but I found that trying fun new recipes regularly helped with that. After the 30 days, I kept eating most of the foods I’d discovered while doing it and I am so much happier. One hint – get the Meal RX bars that are compliant (chocolate sea salt, blueberry, and I think a few others) to help carry you through when you don’t have time to fix a meal. I have a 10 month old and found that I’d eat one when I woke up because I didn’t have time to make breakfast until my son’s first nap and that worked well for me. Good luck!
I learned (from your blog, so thanks!) that I’m a moderator and not an abstainer, but I’ve dramatically slashed my sugar intake in the last year or two just by being mindful of how much sugar was in what I was both eating and drinking on a regular basis. I love tea, but I grew up on sweet tea. My husband and I have fallen in love with Teavana and it taught us that we really didn’t know what tea actually tastes like until we started trying other flavor varieties that didn’t include adding sugar or sweetener, so I stopped using any kind of sweetener and now I only drink plain tea! I’ve also cut down on my Diet Pepsi love and only have part of a can every now and then because I realized that while I love the taste, I don’t like how soda feels in my belly (I always flatten sodas before I drink them anyway) and I can get the enjoyment I’m looking for out of only a few ounces. Mostly, paying more attention to nutritional info and seeing how many grams of sugar are in even the simplest foods really opened my eyes and made me wonder what my foods and drinks would taste like if I wasn’t tricking myself into liking them with added sugar. I realize these steps might not work for an abstainer, but I think just the mindfulness could carry you pretty far if maybe you set a goal in mind for what your max grams should be per week and then monitor how much sugar is actually in your diet. I can say that I now taste the sweetness of fruits and even sugary treats much more than I did before I cut back, because I’ve acquired a sense of what “sweet” actually tastes like now that my body and my taste buds are tuned in to natural sugars instead of artificial sweeteners. I hope you find a method that works for you!
probiotics helped me with cravings, they could also help with acne ( i also used “ddr prime” essential oil for two months, i dont sell it but it really worked to balance my body or something. i can put anything on my face and dont worry a bit about breaking out and that was years ago.. pb8 is a good probiotic, inexpensive but a very good overall mix). they also might be good for your little one starting school, the good bacteria literally crowds out the bad bacteria. i think they have special powders for younger kids and chew-able ones. sugar cravings are the worst, it sounds like your gut might just need some adjusting, will-power is one thing but your gut microbiome has a HUGE impact on your whole body and its those bad yeasts and bacteria that want sugar, thats their favorite food 🙂 i am also so sorry about the sorrows you have endured, i havent written anything before but i just couldnt write all the above and not say that you (and Ryan) were in my prayers and thoughts. your unborn babies had a impact on peoples lives that the rest of us can only hope to achieve in an entire lifetime.
If sugar cravings are out of control, it’s possible that you have a Candida overgrowth. I saw a few symptoms in myself and am currently doing a 15 day Candida cleanse called “Candi Smart.” I’m trying to eliminate most sugars, although some natural forms still slip in. In the last week of doing the cleanse, I’ve noticed my cravings, and appetite in general are much decreased. Some recommend doing a candida cleanse a few times throughout the year to reset.
Regarding sugar…I get major sugar cravings when I’m not eating enough carbohydrates during the day. I’m an active person at 5ft 7, and 130ish lbs, and though it isn’t “popular”, my body seems happiest at 60% carbs. When I try to trick it with lettuce wraps and salads, it sends me strong signals for Oreos and chocolate. When I go for sandwiches and pasta, it calms down on the simple carb cravings. Anyway, maybe that’s of use? Hope you find something that works!