My Hands Free Journey

Earlier this year, I read a book titled, "Hands Free Mama," written by Rachel Macy Stafford. This book has truly opened my eyes and inspired me to become a hands free mama as well. Its a self help book that teaches women that it's ok to accept the fact that we as women cant do it all and to make sure we put our families first above everything in our lives. (Except for God). The main purpose of this book is to call out the main thing that distracts us all on a day to day basis- technology. This is to include, our phones, computers, social media, etc. The author tries to show us the outcomes of our actions and how much putting the techy stuff down and paying attention to our loved ones can improve on the relationships we have. Being hands free means  dropping everything, keeping your hands free from distraction, paying attention, making memories, and showing your loved ones they mean more to you then a post, tweet, text message, or email. What a powerful message!


I realized while reading this book, that I am guilty of putting my phone (checking my emails, newsfeed on Facebook, posting constantly, etc.) to be more important than my little 2 year girl who wants my undivided attention at all times. I found myself engulfed in whatever I was doing and would look up at my daughter staring at me or at most times, whining because I was ignoring her. This was completely heartbreaking to me. I couldn't believe how deep my focus was into things that really don't matter. I decided to work on this but of course after a few weeks, the "matrix" pulled me back in and I soon forgot about being "Hands Free." Recently, I listened to a podcast by "Contending for Truth" by Scott Johnson discussing EMF's (electromagnetic fields) in our every day use of wireless electronics and how dangerous it is to be consumed by this radiation non stop each and every day. This was definitely a wake up call for me as it brought back my lost inspiration of being hands free. It is this podcast, coupled with this awesome book, that something clicked, and I knew that my life had to change. Making memories with my child, living in the moment, and giving my loved ones my undivided attention, was the number one priority. It is my goal to be hands free!

It's soon you realize the countless hours you waste when you're so attached to

technology. There is a sense of freedom when you're out with your family and you see other people so engulfed in their phones that they are ignoring the people they are with. I laugh to myself because that was me not that long ago. Seeing parents engulfed in their own little world neglecting their children who just sit there with sad faces yearning for attention brings a tear to my eye. How many times was this me to my own little girl? To my husband? Or to my parents? It makes me wonder of how many missed moments I had. But no more! I am hands free now. And I know from now on, things will get so much better.

To help me remember about my hands free journey, I made my phones wallpaper a collage of my favorite moments with my family with a quote that says "the time you invest in the people you love will always add up to something that matters." This helps to remind me that I need to put my phone down if it's not important, and go make memories. And when I feel an urge to want to post on social media, I ask myself a few questions: Why is this important for everyone to know? What is the purpose behind letting them know? Can it wait? The answers alone make me chuckle and thank God that I'm free from thinking that I have to post every little thing about my day for people to know. Let's face it, who really cares what you ate, or did, or watched. It gets to a point where we become so self absorbed. And things just become a competition. So remembering all this, makes things that much easier and I remember how much I really don't miss it.

I've noticed so far, how much closer my daughter and I are and how her behavior has gotten a lot better. She use to throw a lot more tantrums, be more whinier, and just start acting out due to boredom. Now she's a happy little girl who loves to play and snuggle with mama.  Its amazing how one thing as small as this, can make such an impact on the relationships you have with your loved ones.

I'm sharing my journey with you to hopefully spread the word out there and get people to wake up and stop wasting so much time and missing out on all the memories you could be making. I'm not saying to detach yourself completely, but make the most of life outside electronics and social media. Set a certain "tech" time when your loved ones Or little ones aren't around. That's what I have done!Life is so precious. And our little ones won't stay little for long. So we have to soak up every second we have with them! Make the most of your day with your hands free.

Oh Baby!

A few short months ago, my husband and I decided it was time to start trying for another baby. And to my amazement, after one month of trying, I got a surprise positive on the next months pregnancy test! You read right, we're having another baby!

I am now well into my 2nd trimester and am noticing how much different this pregnancy is from my first. The biggest difference is that in this pregnancy, I still feel tired all the time where as in my first pregnancy, I felt like I had a burst of energy when I entered my 2nd trimester. This time around, however, since I am chasing around a toddler, there doesn't seem to be much bursting. My little girl is now 2 and is experiencing her moments of testing the waters and being an adventurous little sponge. She soaks up and responds to everything she sees. Shes not quite old enough to understand the concept of a new baby joining the family but soon enough, she will get it. 

 Also, in this pregnancy, I've had difficulty with obtaining many bacterial infections in which I'd have no symptoms for. I got a culture done and then got the call a few days later that it came back positive for infection. So pretty much my whole 1st trimester, I've battled with this and tried getting it out my system without having to continue to take antibiotics over and over. This was like a super bug that just wouldn't die. After the recommendations of my midwife, I finally knocked it out! I switched my soap to ivory, changed laundry detergents, started taking a probiotic daily, drink water, and started doing apple cider vinegar splashes. I've noticed that this vinegar is a remedy for a lot of different things! Amazing! 

The baby and I are on target and I'm growing like never before. I was nervous that Id have the same issues with growth restriction like I had with my little girl but all seems to be going in another direction. Which is good! I was cleared by a high risk physician to be able to deliver at the birthing center. I am praying this time around, I actually get to deliver there and not have to be sent to the hospital. 

At 24 weeks, I have gained 13 pounds and am experiencing the occasional back ache, fatigue, and the dreaded heartburn. This last symptom hit home a little early this time around but that could be due to all the tomato based foods I've been craving and eating! And since I work 3 nights a week, I found myself sipping on a little caffeine to try to keep myself awake. A big no no, especially since I started reacting to it. Caffeine and tomato based products are out the window. 

My midwife stated that Papaya actually helps with heartburn. And it could help better than milk does for me. So I'm definitely going to try that and write a review to let you know how it works. 

In the next month, I'll be taking the glucose test. It's a bit nerve racking because with my first, My results came back borderline. With so many differences between the two, I definitely pray I don't end up failing. 

Gender reveal:

That's right, my daughter will be a big sister to a little boy! We are super excited and can't wait for the arrival of little baby Logan! 

 

 

Top 3 Thursday's

Wow! I haven't noticed how long it's been since I've written in my blog. Sorry to all my readers for not keeping things up to date if you are following my blog. I really haven't noticed how many viewers I actually have until I logged in today! So thank you!


I wanted to do another REVIEW on three fairly new products I have that have shown to be a great hit for my daughter and I. So lets get right to it!

1. Skip Hop Forma Diaper Backpack:

                                      

Bag Description:

Black quilted look with a teal interior. 

Exterior: 3 zipper compartments; 2 bottle slots on the sides; adjustable backpack straps with stroller clips; top handle

Interior: small zipper compartment contains a small slip pocket; medium sized compartment contains no interior pockets; main compartment contains two small slip pockets, and a large slip pocket to hold the changing pad. Changing pad included along with 2 cubes. 

I know I posted about a new diaper bag a few months ago in "Baby bag Dilemma." At that time, I was using a Vera Bradley bag called the Carryall Cross body. I unfortunately had to stop using it as my main diaper bag because, now that my daughter is a little older (will be 2 in a couple of months.... AH!), it was just too small to hold everything I needed for a whole day out. Since she's older and loves to run around an be active, I found myself taking her out on longer day trips to the park, or to grandmas, etc. So I definitely needed a bigger bag to hold all of her stuff. I was planning to still use the Carryall Cross body but I completely fell in love with this new diaper bag, I haven't reverted back to it.

Now, before I went wasting anymore of my money on diaper bags that wouldn't last long, I did my research until I stumbled upon the PERFECT bag for me. I knew I definitely was sold on having a backpack diaper bag but I just didn't know which one to go with. I was stuck between this Skip Hop diaper backpack OR another Vera Bradley item, the Campus Backpack. I went with this one for these following reasons that sold me:

A. Lightweight. Well, its essentially lightweight until I put ALL my stuff in it. I'm a packer, but even still, wearing it on my back doesn't feel uncomfortable, so that was a plus. The straps are padded and fit very comfortably. Con- the straps could adjust better where it lays on my back propped up and not hanging off my back. Vera Bradley bags lay very well on your back to where it doesn't add strain to your lower back. But I'm working on sewing the straps shorter so it will fit on my back according to liking. 

B. Stroller Clips:

 This was ideal! I don't know how many times I've struggled trying to grab things from my bag when it's sitting in the storage compartment under the stroller. This enables me to clip it to the hand bar and makes getting things in and out of my bag quick and easy. It also frees up the storage space to put our jackets or anything else we are carrying.

C. Roomy Interior:

 It is very spacious inside!

D. Two cubes included:

One cube is insulated for bottles. I use it for my daughters snacks. And the other cube has a mesh front which I'm not really sure what the use is intended for but I found it to be great as my medicine bag. 

E. A mommy pocket!

 Yes! This was so exciting for me. The front zipper has a built in cell phone pocket which I love. My other diaper bags, I had to put my phone in a pocket with my other things and my phone screen would get scratched up. This pocket protects it from everything else in the pocket. Although I don't use the pocket as a mommy pocket currently, I would still use this pocket for my cell.

I've had this bag for about 3 months now and I will never go back to my old diaper bags! I found a winner. I was hoping I did after paying $70 for it at Babies R US. Ridiculous. Never would of thought a diaper bag would cost this much. But at least I'm happy with it and its a good investment. I'm hoping it will work when my hubby and I expands our family and I have children to pack for.

I will follow up and do a 'what's in my diaper bag' soon to show you what this bag can hold! Look forward to that soon! 

2. Step 2 Neat and Tidy II Cottage

This playhouse has proven to be a really great investment for my daughter. She absolutely loves this playhouse and could play outside for hours in it. She loves dragging me in there with her. I'm not going to lie, it became my playhouse as well. We have a blast in it. I bought it from Walmart online. It retailed for $159. Its actually one of the cheaper playhouses I've found. This playhouse is good because it has a floor where as some of the other playhouses do not. It also comes with cute stick on features to create a homey look such as a fireplace, light fixtures, and a wall clock. The playhouse includes a toy cell phone, built in shelf, a table, and built in seat, grill, shutters that you can open and close, a dutch door, working doorbell, and a compartment for flowers or whatever you want to make it. (I kept it as a flower bed with some fake flowers). 

Floor bottom

The Grill

Her flower garden

It comes in parts and was very easy to assemble on my own! So that was a PLUS in my book! I highly recommend this playhouse if you're looking for one and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on one.

3. Gaiakids Sleep & Relax herbal syrup 

This product is one that I've started using about a week ago. I'm not a fan of any kind of sleep aids especially for a toddler. What gave me ease about this product is that it is completely herbal. Its made of chamomile which is a natural relaxing herb, lemon balm, and passion fruit. With very little ingredients, I felt comfortable enough to give this a try. 

Ingredients: 

Organic sugarcane, water, xantham gum, lemon fruit juice and orange natural flavors.

The instructions say to give the required dose for each age group and hour before bedtime. The reason we turned to this is because my daughter has insomnia. We've been battling this her whole life! Some nights are worse then others. She just has the hardest time falling asleep. So I wanted to find something that will help her to relax and let sleep naturally come to her. Since my little girl is NOT a fan of drinking water, I couldn't give her chamomile tea so this product was worth a shot. Its sweet and can be easily mixed into a cup of juice. 

Our first 2 nights were a success. Within 30 minutes, our baby girl was off to sleep. The next mornings, we saw a huge improvement in her behaviour. She woke up well rested and not looking too fatigued from the long night she encountered. This product was seeming like God's gift to us. As the week went on, it started taking longer for her to fall asleep. So I'm not completely sure if I can say its a miracle worker but we will see how it goes. I'm definitely not going to give it to her every night but as for now, it's helping a little. 

Well, there you have it, my top 3 products for the week!

 Thanks for reading :-)