Monday, October 27, 2014

Clean Eating Challenge: Week 1



I guess the first thing that you will likely notice about my meals this week, is that I eat a LOT of leftovers. And I'm totally down with that. I have a hard time making small batches of things, and truthfully I don't see the point. I would rather make a big pot of something one night, so that I don't have to make something for lunch the next day, it saves so much time and energy. I'm also a creature of habit, so I tend to eat lots of the same things over and over again, which is why leftovers are cool with me.

Another thing that you might notice, is that I'm not much of a breakfast-food eater. I really have to try hard to eat breakfast for a few reasons, but mostly because I'm just not that hungry in the mornings. But I know it is important to get some protein and a good meal to start my day, even if I'm not starving, it will help me from eating too much later in the day. My mornings are also SUPER busy with the girls, work conference calls, getting all of Rubles' medicines ready for the day, letting the dog in/out, etc. It seems that the busiest part of my day is from 8am to 11am, so finding time to cram food in my mouth is not always the easiest. Smoothies are a go-to for me, and so are leftovers, even if they aren't "typical" breakfast foods. My husband thinks I'm crazy when I eat curry, soup, chili or whatever I have left over for breakfast, but I like those much better than eggs, bacon, pancakes and stuff that most people eat first thing in the morning.

I will also be posting some of the recipes for the things that are "staples" in my clean eating plan, like the Chocolate Protein Smoothies. Some of my recipes are already linked in my blog (like the one for Vegetarian Coconut Curry) so you can check them out there if you would like. I'd love to hear from you, is there a recipe that you see here that you would like to know more about? Shoot me an email or a comment and I can make it happen.

So here is how my week went. Some days were really great, and other days weren't. Overall I'm happy with how I did, but I can definitely step it up next week. I'm not going to be able to change some of my bad habits overnight, but each step forward is a step in the right direction. I'm not a fitness or health expert, just a regular person trying to make some better choices and trying to get healthier. I am hoping that next week there are fewer set-backs and more positive choices.

Below is the picture for each day this week, what I ate listed below, as well as how much water I consumed that day. I use the WaterLog App on my android phone (they have a similar version for iPhones as well) during the day to keep track every time I have some water. Helps remind me how much I need to drink, and helps to hold me accountable.




Day 1:
Breakfast: Chocolate Protein Smoothie 
Lunch: Veggie Sandwich, Sliced Tomatoes, and Marinated Garbanzo Beans 
Dinner: Vegetarian Coconut Curry, Brown Rice
Snacks: None! It was a crazy busy day!
Water Intake: 116.9 oz

*I should add that part of my 101 in 1001 Challenge is doing meatless mondays. That's why there is no meat in these Day 1 meals, it has nothing to do with "clean" eating*


Day 2:
Breakfast: Chocolate Protein Smoothie
Lunch: Leftover Vegetarian Coconut Curry, Marinated Garbanzo Beans
Dinner: Chicken, Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos on Whole Wheat Tortillas (they also included fajita veggies, corn and come brown rice)
Water Intake: 164.9 oz


Day 3:
Breakfast: Leftover Vegetarian Coconut Curry (that's the last of it!
Lunch: Left Overs (again!) Black Bean, Chicken and Rice Burrito on Whole Wheat Tortilla, Side of Butternut Squash
Dinner: Avocado Sandwich on Sprouted Ezekiel Bread, Roasted Asparagus
Water Intake: 120 oz


Day 4:
Breakfast: Chocolate Protein Smoothie
Lunch: BLT (with organic Turkey Bacon.... not the cleanest item) on Sprouted Ezekiel Bread, Side of Butternut Squash
Dinner: Pork Chop, Green Beans and Roasted Potatoes
Snacks: Coffee with Half and Half
Water Intake: 93.8 oz


Day 5:
Breakfast: Chocolate Protein Smoothie
Lunch: Falafel Pita w/Avocado, Blue Corn Chips and Salsa
Dinner: Ate out at Chilis, had Chicken Tortilla Soup and a House Salad *I forgot to take a picture of this*
Water Intake: 60 oz


Day 6:
So I'm going to count Day 6 as a wash. Not only did I not eat clean, but I didn't eat anything that was very healthy. I'm not even going to show you the pictures, because I'm so embarrassed about how bad it was. I was at a work meeting, and chose poorly. I also had a long 4 hour drive home, and chose to stop and eat out. It was pretty much the antithesis of eating clean. Now I'm not trying to make excuses, but Day 6 was the 1-year anniversary of Rubes going to the hospital and being put on life support. I had a very emotional day, and chose to eat my feelings instead of just dealing with them, which I completely realize is not a good decision. It's something I've been dealing with my whole life, and not an easy habit to break. Not my finest hour, but it was only one day, that doesn't determine my overall success with this challenge.

If you want to read more about our experience on that first day, and why it was such a tough day for me, check out this link to something I wrote for Listen To Your Mother, which is an amazing theater tour where people share real stories about the topic of motherhood.


Day 7:
Breakfast: 2 Eggs Over Medium
Lunch: Brown Rice, Black Beans and Corn "Slop" (that's what my husband's family calls anything that you combine together in a pan...haha)
Dinner: Leftover Brown Rice, Black Beans, and Corn from lunch, with some cottage cheese and sliced tomatoes
Water Intake: 101.8 oz

Alrighty, I'll be keeping track again this week and I'll post pictures after Day 14 and let you know how I did!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Challenging Myself: Clean Eating

A few months ago, some girlfriends and I took part in a clean eating challenge. I loved how I felt while doing it, and it helped me on my journey to get healthier and lose some weight. I even kept it up for a few months afterwards,  but then Rubles' birthday came and all my eating went to hell. We had visitors, and were super busy, so we ate out a lot and I just never got back on track.

So I'm starting today with a 28-day (4 week) clean eating challenge. There is some small variations with what people think it means to eat "clean" so I'm going to lay out the "rules" that I have set for myself. Some are harder for me than others, but I'll do my best to stick to them:

THE RULES: 

1. No processed foods: My rules of thumb for this are that if it has more than 5-6 ingredients on the package, I don't eat it, or if the package lists an ingredient that isn't "real" then I don't eat it either. Nothing with preservatives in it. Basically, if it didn't come from the ground or if it doesn't have a mom, I try to stay away from it. 

2. No caffeine. I should note though, that I won't be quitting caffeine cold turkey. No one should. Your body needs to be weaned, otherwise you can have some serious withdrawal symptoms. No joke. I'm hoping to be caffeine-free in a week or two. 

3. No alcohol. 

4. No "White" Anything: This sort of falls under the processed foods rule, but it means no white flour, white bread, white sugar, etc. Now things that look white (like cauliflower) don't fall under this rule, just stuff that is processed and bleached white. 

5. Drink at least 100 oz of water a day. 

6. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise in per day.

Some exceptions that I allow myself, are eating things like Whole Wheat Sprouted Bread, or Whole Wheat Tortillas when making sandwiches or wraps. I don't eat these all the time, but I make the healthiest choice possible when picking them. And that's truly what it's all about. Making the healthiest choice possible when you can. Will I be perfect during this challenge? Nope. Will I have made more healthy choices than I probably would have before? Yep. And that is what it is all about to me. Doing better, not being perfect, but trying to improve. Lots of people will not agree with my definition of "clean" but that's okay, I'm just doing the best that I can to help myself to get in the habit of making better, more nutritious and overall healthier choices.

The hardest thing for me last time, was giving up sauces (like ketchup, barbecue sauce, mayo), I didn't realize how much of that stuff I cooked with! The other hard part was making sure I was getting all of the water that I needed. It seems like a lot, and I had to go to the restroom a lot more, but by the end of the challenge I didn't feel as bloated or weighed down, and I think my water intake had a lot to do with it. 

A girlfriend of mine ran the challenge last time, she has a passion for clean eating, and wanted to challenge some of us to try it. She is not endorsed by any company or program, nor is she trying to sell or start a program. She just wanted her friends to eat a little better, which is why I originally tried it. I'm not saying that this challenge is for everyone, but I felt SO great afterwards. I was sleeping better, feeling better, and had so much more energy. And truthfully I liked eating clean. I liked the idea that I knew exactly what I put into my own body. 

Another aspect of this that is interesting, is that it is possible to eat perfectly clean, but not healthy. I have amazing recipes for clean brownies, clean cookies, and other yummy things. While they are technically "clean" they won't exactly help you to get healthy if that's all you eat. I've got to find a way to balance "clean" along with "healthy." 

My plan is to take pictures of the food I eat each day, for accountability, and post the results here on my blog. I took my weight, measurements, and body fat percentage this morning, and will be sharing my results here. All of this is just another step in my journey to be the best version of myself that I can be, health-wise and other wise. I'm excited to continue moving forward and taking lots of little steps to help myself. 

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Patience Being Tested Like Never Before

How's potty training going, you ask? Well six days after we started, things are going okay. Not great, but slowly progressing.

The first day was Tuesday, and it was a hard day. I set a timer every 20 minutes and took her to the potty to see if she had to go, and was not successful AT ALL. She would sit on her cute little princess potty for 15-20 minutes, with me doing anything and everything I could to get her to stay there happily. Then the second we walked out to the living room, she would have an accident. It was infuriating, but I had to keep a sweet smile on my face and pretend that everything was okay, so she wouldn't get upset or anxious. We had one very small success that day, but a LOT of accidents as well.

The second day, Wednesday, was hands down the worst day. She had accident after accident, and I literally spent my entire day cleaning up pee, getting peed on, changing clothes, and trying to keep Rubes from soiled areas while I was cleaning up Scar.  She didn't want to go, and would cry if I had to take her to the restroom, even though I knew she had to go. I don't think I have ever had a bigger test of my patience. EVER. I just wanted to scream, because NOTHING I was doing seemed to help or to work. I asked some family and friends for advice, and most of them just said super vague and unhelpful things like, "We would take her to go, and she just went" or "So and so was super easy, we trained her in two days and we've never had an accident yet" or "We didn't even try, she just put on underwear one day, and then we never looked back." While this must have been a wonderful scenario for them, it definitely did not apply to me and my kid, and truthfully was even more exhausting and frustrating to hear. I'm not sure if it was just jealousy, or me just assuming all of those people were trying to pretend it was easier than it was, but I was not in a good frame of mind by the end of the day. She only made it to the potty twice, and we had SO MANY accidents, it was exhausting and making me feel like I was failing my little girl in some way, by not doing things better. 

I thought about giving up, and just trying again in a few weeks when she was more ready, but I told myself to try it for one more day. I didn't want to push her too much if she really wasn't ready, but I also didn't want to give up early because I was frustrated. The next day went much better though. She was much more excited about the potty (I think because she had finally had some small success the night before) and did great. We only had one accident and she was happy to go to the potty. Since then it has gotten a little bit better, and we are now working on letting her tell us when she has to go. We definitely are still asking her a lot if she needs to go, but not taking her in there as often. 

I'm glad we stuck with it, but it was SO MUCH harder than I was prepared for. People don't really tell you that your kid is going to pee. A lot. Everywhere. Or that getting them to sit on the toilet is like herding cats. So I think the point of this post is for mamas that are having a hard time with potty training, or who are thinking about training. This isn't meant to scare anyone, but just meant to give an alternative to all of the "my kid trained in one day, he hated being dirty" stories, and to express some solidarity for those of you going through the same struggle. 

This isn't going to last forever. One day our little ones will be potty trained, and no longer have a house and clothes covered in pee. They'll get it. I just have to remind myself that she is trying very hard, and doing what she can with something that is new and scary. And although it has pushed my patience to the very end, it is important for me to relax and help her through this, because we will both get through this. 

How did potty training go for you? It's okay to tell me that it only took you one day, even though I'll be a little jealous! Were you able to stay calm and patient? 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Let the Potty Training Begin!

I'm super anxious for tomorrow morning, not really anxious-excited, more like anxious-terrified. Tomorrow morning, Farzy is going to start her potty training. We tried a few months ago, and she was definitely not ready. She would get upset, not really understand what we were asking, so we made the decision to stop and let her (and US!) get a little more ready.

Last week we went and bought some big girl undies, and today Farzy went to Target and I let her pick out whatever potty chair that she wanted. We had tried to use one of those seats that go on top of your regular toilet seat before, but it moved a little and scared her, so today she went and picked out this very pink potty, with a giant princess crown on it. (For the record I have no idea where I got this super-girly, princess loving kiddo! That's not really how I was as a kid, or how I am as an adult). She is really excited to play with it, but we'll see how it goes tomorrow! Wish us luck!

How did potty training go for your family? What tips and tricks do you have? 

Friday, October 10, 2014

FF: Vegetarian Coconut Curry

Let me start of by saying that this recipe is really easy to make, and is great when you want a hearty meatless meal, or something rich and warm on a cold night. I have always liked to eat curry, but had never really tried to make my own. When I started my 101 in 1001 List, one of my goals was to try 30 new recipes that I had never attempted before, and curry was one of them. I got some inspiration on Pinterest and some other websites, but a lot of them called for things that I didn't really have on hand, or when I tried the recipe, it was watered-down and not super flavorful. After a few not so great attempts, that Ace at just because he was hungry, not because they tasted good, I got one that he and I both really love.


Here's what you'll need to make it: (FYI this recipe makes TONS, enough to feed 5-6 people, so feel free to cut the recipe in half, I make a lot and then eat it for the next few days' lunches)

  • 1 package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cubed into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (really any oil will work, but I prefer coconut for the flavor and health benefits) 
  • 1 medium-sized onion, diced 
  • 1 bell pepper, diced (I prefer to use red, orange or yellow, because they are sweeter, but green will work too) 
  • 6-8 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (in the pictures below, I used rainbow carrots because that is what I had on hand)
  • 2 large russet potatoes (or 3 medium sized ones), peeled and cubed 
  • 1 cup of whole fresh green beans, ends removed (you could substitute frozen as well, and it would be just as good) 
  • 1 inch of grated fresh ginger (or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger powder) 
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon of garlic powder) 
  • 3 tablespoons of curry powder (you can adjust this up or down, depending on how spicy you like your food, any where from 2 (mild) to 4-5 (spicy) would be fine. Three is an average heat level) 
  • 1 tablespoon of turmeric 
  • 1 teaspoon of coriander
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin 
  • 2 cans of coconut milk 
Optional things to add in: 
  • 1 cup of baby corn (I love to add this, but didn't have any on hand the day I made this batch) 
  • 1/2 cup to 1 cup of any other veggies that you like, really. Sweet potatoes, leeks, peas, just add in what you have or what makes you happy! 
  • 1 tablespoon of red curry paste, but only add this in if you like your food on the spicier side 

Directions: 

Step 1: Place your cubed potatoes in a medium sized pot and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to a boil, and allow potatoes to cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes, add in the carrots and continue to boil for another 7-8 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and carrots and set aside. (Forgot to take pictures of this! Sorry!) 

Step 2: Put the 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in to a large non-stick pan, add in the onion, bell pepper and tofu. Sauté the onions, pepper and tofu over medium-high heat, until the tofu has some good brown color on it and the veggies have softened. This not only makes it taste yummy, but helps it to stay firm during the cooking process. This typically takes about 7-10 minutes. 




Step 3: While the tofu mixture is growing, in a small saucepan, bring about 2-3 cups of water to a boil. Drop your green beans into the boiling water for about 4 minutes, to soften just a little before you put them into the curry. Drain, and set aside. 


Step 4: After you tofu has reached the desired color, add in the curry powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, ginger and turmeric, while stirring constantly. Cook the tofu mixture and the spices in the pan for about 1 more minute, to help toast the spices and flavor the curry. 


Step 5: Add the 2 cans of coconut milk to the tofu mixture, and stir until well combined. The coconut milk will turn a beautiful yellow color as the spices begin to dissolve. 


Step 6: Add in the green beans, and stir to combine. 


Step 7: Add in the carrots and potatoes, and stir to combine. (the time I made this batch, I par-boiled the carrots and potatoes separately, so I added them separately... I didn't want to clean my medium sized pot, so I did it in two separated batches...either way works though)




Step 8: Cook the curry for another 5-7 minutes on medium heat, to allow flavors to combine. 


Step 9: Serve hot in a bowl on its own, or serve along side rice, couscous or quinoa. I made quinoa (pictured) with this batch, and it was super delicious. Ace even went back for seconds, and ate some the next day, which is a huge compliment for this dish! 


I hope you enjoy this recipe, it has definitely made it into our regular rotation! Let me know how it turns out, or send me some pics of what yours looks like! 

Sunday, October 5, 2014

FF: Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Ice Cream Sandwiches...whew!

After last weeks EPIC pumpkin failures, I think this week's recipe is SO GOOD that it will make up for it. I kept plugging along with recipe ideas, but decided to scrap trying to do two different recipes to enter into the Giant Pumpkin Festival our city holds every year.  With all of the stuff going on with Scar this week, and work being kinda busy as well, I decided I would probably have better luck just focusing on one. I also went back through and looked at the winning recipes for the past three years, and one of them was a pumpkin trifle, which was what I was originally working on. They aren't going to pick a trifle two years in a row, so I planned on going in a different direction all together and making the ice cream sandwiches that I mentioned in last week's post. I was nervous about making ice cream, because it's been so hot, but thought it would be different and interesting, so I gave it a go.

They. Are. Amazing.

And here they are... Pumpkin Pecan Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches.... Ta Da! (Whew! That's a mouthful, but so are they!) They are made with homemade pumpkin ice cream and a pecan caramel sauce, sandwiched between two snickerdoodle cookies. Pretty much all things good in the world.


Oh! And the best part... I won 3rd Place! Woo Hoo! I got a ribbon, a certificate and a really sweet gift basket. I'll take 3rd place, considering this was my first ever recipe contest. I'm already planning on new ideas for next year's pumpkin recipe contest (I might be getting a little over zealous with this one!). I'm just really proud of myself for making them, and really putting myself out there and trying something new. Woot!





And here's how to make them:

The first step before you do anything is to remove any Littlest Pet Shops, My Little Pony Combs and Princess earrings from your mixing bowl. Okay this might be something that is limited to my house, kids and kitchen! I find Scar's toys in the most random places, and today was no exception.


1. The Ice Cream - For this, if you are short on time or don't have an ice cream maker, it's definitely acceptable to go out and buy some pumpkin ice cream at the store. Some places sell pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice latte flavors, which would be equally as amazing. But if you want to make your own, here's what to use:

  • 1 3/4 Cup of Whole Milk 
  • 1 Cup of Brown Sugar (Packed) 
  • 2 Tablespoons of Molasses 
  • 2 1/2 Cups of Pumpkin Puree
  • 3 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Ground Ginger
  • 1 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg 
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves
  • 2 1/2 Cups of Half and Half
  • 3 Teaspoons of Vanilla 
Blend the whole milk, brown sugar, molasses and pumpkin with a mixer until well combined, and and smooth consistency, Then add in the spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves) as well as the half and half and vanilla. Blend until well combined, then slowly pour into your ice cream maker.

This is what it looks like before you pour it in:



I had to process this in my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for about 25 minutes, but this churning time may vary depending on your machine. Once it's ready it will look like a lumpy soft serve ice cream. The water from the pumpkin hardens before anything, it might not look the prettiest, but it super yummy. Then you can transfer it to an airtight container and put it in the freezer to set up a little more, while you work on the other components of the sandwich.



2. For The Pecan Caramel: This caramel sauce is an ice-cream caramel, not a "regular" caramel recipe. If you use a regular caramel recipe, it will thicken and harden too much when it touches the cold ice cream, which makes it incredibly difficult to eat. This sauce will thicken, but never get to that super gooey caramel consistency, but it will taste just a great!

  • 1 Cup of Brown Sugar (Packed) 
  • 1/2 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 4 Tablespoons of Buttter 
  • 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract 
  • 3/4 Cup of Chopped Pecans 

Add in the brown sugar, whipping cream and butter to a small pan. Whisk together for 6-8 minutes,  until the mixture starts to thicken.



Add in the vanilla extract, and continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring continuously. 

Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. While sitting, place the chopped pecans in a small pan and toast over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.


Once the pecans have toasted, add them into the caramel sauce and transfer sauce to a lidded container. Put the container in the fridge to thicken and finish cooling. 

3. For the Snickerdoodle Cookies:

Cinnamon Topping:
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon 
Cookies: 
  • 3 1/2 Cups of Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
  • 2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
  • 2 Sticks of Butter
  • 2 1/2 Cups of Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon of Light Corn Syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract 
In a small bowl or on a small plate, mix the topping ingredients (the cinnamon and sugar) together. Set aside for later use.




In a mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) and set aside.



In a separate mixing bowl, beat the sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the sugar, and continue to mix. After sugar and butter are well combined, add in the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla and beat for 1-2 additional minutes.





Next, slowly add in the dry ingredients (1/3 at a time) to the butter mixture, and mix until the dough comes together. At this point you will need to check your dough. Grab a small piece and roll in in the palms of your hands to form a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, then put the dough in some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up. If it doesn't then you are good to go! This is also a good time to preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 



Take small chunks of the dough and roll it into balls that are about the size of a walnut. Then take each ball and roll it around in the cinnamon sugar topping mixture you made at the beginning. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, give them more room than you would expect (like 2 inches or so) because they do expand a lot.




Put them in the oven, on a center rack, for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops look like they have slightly cracked, and the edges are golden brown. Let them cool for 4-5 minutes before you move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. If you try to move them too soon, they will fall apart. They need that 4-5 minutes to firm up a bit.



Assembling the Sandwiches: 

The first time I tried to assemble the sandwiches, I just put a scoop of ice cream on one of the cookies, and then tried to squish it with the other cookie. In theory, this would work wonderfully. In practice, the cookies broke, and it was too much ice cream overall. They were messy, and didn't look that great. 

So instead, here's what you do. Line a 13x9 inch baking dish with wax paper. Scoop the pumpkin ice cream into the dish, add the completely cooled pecan caramel sauce on top. Then, using a spatula, spread the ice cream out until it is evenly covering the dish, and about an inch or so thick (this doesn't have to be exact). Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap, then return the ice cream to the freezer, so that it will harden again, which should take about an hour.






After that, remove the baking dish, and using a circle cookie cutter, or a round glass, cut out circles from the frozen ice cream/caramel mixture. It will essentially make a sort of flat ice-cream patty. Take that patty and place it on one of the snicker doodle cookies and top it with another cookie. Because you created a flat ice cream "patty" the cookies lay nicely on either side, and help hold the sandwich together. Sometimes the patties get a little soft in the process, so I like to wrap them up in plastic wrap, and put them back in the fridge for just a bit. 



Once you've got your patties, put one of them between two of the snickerdoodle cookies, and your ice cream sandwiches are done! Here's the final product (just before I turned them into the judges).


Let me know if you make them, I would love to see pictures of how these turn out for you! They are so yummy, and I'm super excited to eat the extras of my *ahem* Award Winning *ahem* Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches...hahaha... 







Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Kid Stuff is Hard

Alright, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Kids are gross. They do gross stuff, like Scar's new love for licking my arm, they carry lots of germs, and they get into everything yucky that is humanly possible. And while I love them so much, I some times get a little skeeved out by some of the stuff you have to deal with as a mom. No matter what it is, I try to not to let it show so it doesn't freak them out, while inside I'm yelling "THIS IS DISGUSTING!!!"

I ran into something a few days ago that was equal parts disgusting and terrifying, in true parenting fashion. This past weekend we noticed that Scar was getting a bit of diaper rash. We put cream on it like we normally would, and figured it would go away in a day or so. Then on Sunday afternoon, I went to change her diaper and noticed that where the rash was, there was a little red blister. It was about the size of the head of a pin, and I thought that was odd, but thought that maybe it was from her diaper chaffing her. About a hour later, she had a dirty diaper, so I went to change her and that blister had grown to about the size of a pencil eraser, it was MUCH bigger. The rash had also gotten a little bit bigger, and definitely more red. I put in a call to the pediatrician on-call, who called me back shortly thereafter. I described what was happening, and he thought that it was most likely some sort of skin infection, so he called in a prescription for me to start that night, and told me to come in the next morning to see him. Over the course of that night and the next morning, it got worse and about 10 or so more blisters popped up, and it moved to the other side of her diaper as well. It didn't hurt her or seem to even bother her, but it totally freaked me out! It looked super gross, and I just felt so badly for her.

When we went in the next morning, the doc took a look and told me that he believed it was bullous impetigo, which is a bacterial staph infection of the skin, and pretty contagious with direct contact. He prescribed her an oral antibiotic to start as well. He also took a culture of the bacteria to make sure it isn't MRSA (we are still waiting on the results from that culture), but told me to make sure that I'm washing my hands frequently and making sure that anything that comes in contact with that area is cleaned and sanitized (like her clothes, washcloths, etc.) because it is easily transferred from person to person.

Hey, you know what you should totally tell an anxious person?!?! Well telling me that there are super scary germs on my kid, that could be lots of other places totally didn't make me over-stress or anything ::rolls eyes:: So not only was I super grossed out by the rash (and I just wanted her to not have an infection anymore!), but I was/am panicking about there being germs everywhere. I have sanitized damn near every surface of my house like a billion times, and washed my hands, and the girls' hands more times than I can count.

It has gotten better over the past few days, but is still hanging on. I'm going to call tomorrow to hopefully get the results of the culture, but in the meantime my OCD tendencies are in over-drive and I'll keep on cleaning and disinfecting everything. Being a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me, but damn it is stressful and yucky sometimes.

Tell me about your yuckiest kid stories, I would love to hear them!