Random Things I Adore About Logan - Age 2 Years, 2 Months

1. The way he says "8" which sounds like "aaaaaate?"
2. The way "8" shows up at least three times when he counts to ten: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 8, 10, 8...
3. The way he skips, which looks like a gallop, always with the same foot forward.
4. The confident way he runs. He looks like a little man ready to play soccer.
5. Jumping. He jumps up and down whenever he has nothing else to do.
6. The sideways glance he gives you when he thinks he's being sly.
7. The way he thinks he's being sneaky when he runs off to "hide" and do something he should not be doing. It's hard to hide when mommy tells you not to do something and then runs off with said thing in his hand.
8. The sweet way he nods when I ask if he's ok.
9. The way he hugs everyone in the house when he goes to bed. He's a great hugger.
10. How he asks for milk (pronounced "mukk") every night when I put him in his bed. Then he tells me, "I sit" and then sits and waits with his arms outstretched and hands open until I give him his milk.
11. How he can't wait to help us do the laundry ("laundy") and take out the trash ("tash").  
12. Hearing often that he's such a sweet boy.
13. The way he knows he's in charge and delegates responsibilities: "mommy turn" or "dada turn."
14. How he sticks his finger in his belly button for comfort.
15. How he's learning about his emotions. He covers his ears and puts his head down if he's overwhelmed. When he's throwing a tantrum or not quite ready to get out of bed, I'll ask him if he needs a few minutes and he nods yes and lets me know when he's ready.
16. The way he needs me: "mama help" (pronounced "hep") and "mama up peeze" when he wants to be held.
17. How he goes bonkers when he sees himself on camera or TV. The kid loves selfies!
18. His sweet dance moves and love of music. He has rhythm and plays Ryan's guitar more than Ryan.
19. The way he watches your hands when you are teaching him something new like rolling play-doh or holding a crayon or drum stick. He tries to copy what your hands are doing.
20. How he says "hi" and "bye" to every person entering or exiting the elevator.

And more and more and more.

Revising the Exercise Plan and Starting Physical Therapy

Sometimes we make a plan and quickly learn that plan requires a little or even a lot of flexibility. I hoped to jump right into my new exercise plan by doing yoga, cardio, and physical therapy each once per week. In my first week, I quickly learned my body was not even ready to handle 30 minutes of beginning yoga or 30 minutes at a very low intensity on a recumbent bike. I started my workout week with beginning yoga. I am no stranger to yoga so doing some beginning yoga should have been a piece of cake. The moment I lowered myself into child's pose, I felt like someone was trying to rip my arms off my body starting with the middle of my back. When I arched my core from cat to cow, I felt like my stomach was tearing in half. It was awful! I was sore for the following three days and experienced pain I never had before: charley horses in my stomach! Who gets charley horses in their stomach?! That Friday, I attempted 30 minutes at a measly level 2 on the recumbent bike. Not only did I feel like I'd been on a horse all day by the end of the 30 minutes, I was sore for days and had charley horses in my calves every night. I've never been a fitness queen, but these two exercises were once effortless. I felt like a failure. I decided I needed to get into physical therapy pronto. My body was not ready to handle this without proper guidance.

My wonderful general practitioner is a licensed osteopath who did part of her training at an amazing physical therapy practice where I presently live. At a checkup two weeks ago, she actually prescribed physical therapy once or twice per week. Yay! This morning, I had my first physical therapy consultation. I could tell by the end of the hour that I was at the right place and the team I will be able to work with will help me get back on the path to less pain.

My physical therapist explained that my fibro pain most likely stems from my pregnancy and the inability to return to my pre-pregnancy body and level of fitness due to heart failure. During pregnancy, it's totally normal for tendons, ligaments, and muscles to stretch and to return to nearly their original state within a few months of delivery. My tendons, ligaments, and muscles did not return resulting in post-pregnancy hypermobility. Even though signs of my fibro started showing a few months after Logan was born, I started seeking treatment when the pain in my middle back, lower back, and hips became unbearable more than a year later. From there, the pain spread to my shoulders, knees, calves, thighs, thumbs, etc. The pain caused my body chemistry to change. The slightest movements and pressures now make my brain think I am in much more pain than I actually should be.

I will now be working with a four person team to rebuild my body and learn to manage and avoid pain with the hope that I may one day be pain-free and able to be as active as I was a few years ago. I will work with two physical therapists to rebuild my muscles, tighten my tendons and ligaments, do acupuncture, and do massage; a nutritionist to further identify foods I should avoid and foods I should add to my diet to reduce inflammation; and, a neurofeedback counselor to further assist with managing pain, coping with stress, and overcoming any factors inhibiting my progress.

In addition to learning I will have an amazing team to work with, I received some other good news: my muscles are actually still quite strong! Yay! I was worried, after all this time, they had atrophied. ((Big shout-out to my Dad for my awesome muscular genes!)). My therapist explained that having a history of playing sports and being active will help my recovery considerably. Despite the good news, I left feeling like a pansy. I am extremely sore from the therapist evaluating my current level of mobility with mild muscle manipulation and my abs are killing me from learning three thirty second exercises I need to do each day to begin strengthening my core.

That's my new exercise routine.

Three 30-second exercises.

And they hurt.

A lot.

I have a looooong way to go but I think I am on the right path.

The moment you realize your child is definitely yours

One of the things I love about being a mom is watching Logan's personality develop. It's becoming easier to see which characteristics he inherited from Ryan, which he inherited from me, and which are uniquely his own.

Last Monday was a holiday which meant my office and Logan's school were closed so we were able to spend the day with our friends Renee, Niles, and baby Roland. Logan and Niles are like yin and yang. Watching them play can be hilarious especially as I see one of my childhood traits developing in Logan.

Logan is a bit bossy.

My younger sister will not hesitate to tell you that I was definitely bossy.

Logan and Niles have a very different style of playing. Logan is very serious about playtime and Niles is all about having fun. Logan likes to build the train tracks, Niles likes to take them apart. Logan likes to attach the train cars so they all ride together, Niles likes to take the one in the middle. Logan likes to lay down and push a truck back and forth, Niles likes to throw trucks across the room. Logan likes to sit in Roland's bumbo chair, Niles likes to put toys in the chair so Logan can't sit down. Usually they play great together, but sometimes you can see Niles' sweet free-spiritedness driving Logan crazy and it's just so funny. When it was time to go to the park, Logan was ready to put on his shoes and jacket and go, and when he noticed Niles wasn't on the same page, he guided him to the stairs.

I have witnessed this bossy behavior popping up again all weekend. Our friends Courtny and Dennis and their son, John, are visiting from California. John, like Niles, is a bit of a free spirit and, again, I can see it drives Logan nuts sometimes. I actually hear Logan saying "no, no, no, no, no" to John in the exact same tone I use to say it to Logan. When John runs off in the wrong direction, Logan charges after him to basically tackle him and gently but sternly guide him in the right direction.

I must admit, I love having the kid who follows directions but how do I make sure he isn't bossy in a mean way and still has fun so other kids want to play with him?

Fibromyalgia and Food Triggers

When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, my rheumatologist recommended an array of things to make me feel better: sleep, medication, mild exercise, massage, warm baths, etc. He also suggested avoiding: strenuous activity, stress, and exhaustion. As we all know, most physicians spend very little time studying food and its effect on the body, so he never mentioned diet as part of my treatment plan. Fortunately, I have a connection to a medical researcher who has a family member with a serious autoimmune disease. He has spent countless hours pouring over medical journals determining the best ways to help his family member live his best life despite his disease. When he learned of my diagnosis, he immediately sent me several medical articles to read and scheduled a call with me to review what I read.

First, we discussed the "microbiome," also known as all of the bacteria, funghi, viruses, etc., that live in our gut, and how important it is to enable our microbiome to absorb nutrients from the foods we eat in the most effective way possible. People with autoimmune diseases often have messed up microbiomes which is why irritable bowel syndrome is one of our side effects. In order to help my microbiome absorb nutrients more effectively, I take a pretty strong probiotic.

Second, we discussed going through the steps of an elimination diet to identify food triggers. Everyone knows they should avoid foods with excess fat, sugar, preservatives, etc., but I had no idea the seemingly healthy foods I was eating could also be part of the cause of my physical pain. Rather than eliminating foods one at a time, the approach he recommended was a bit more extreme but definitely more effective. Since my diagnosis was new and I had only been in pain for a few months, he recommended completely eliminating all food for at least four days and only drinking water and Ensure to allow all food to exit my body. His family member had been suffering for quite some time and had serious damage to his digestive system, so he eliminated food completely for 6 weeks to allow his digestive system to heal. I was grateful that I didn't need to be that extreme! Once my digestive system was clear, I could reintroduce food types one at a time.

After three days on an Ensure diet, I felt remarkably better! I was nowhere near my pre-heart failure normal but I felt better than I had in months. I was able to do things I couldn't do for weeks like walk to work without stopping due to pain from charley horses and cross my legs while sitting in a chair. It was clear that something I had been eating was contributing to my physical pain and I became eager to learn what my trigger foods were. I stayed on Ensure for a few more days to make sure everything was out of my system then I started to reintroduce foods slowly. I would eat something twice one one day, wait three days, then eat it again. If my pain increased within two days of eating a food after trying it twice in one week, I knew it was a trigger.

The first week, I reintroduced rice, meat, cruciferous veggies, and basic fruit. I felt no reaction! I didn't use any sauces or seasonings other than salt, pepper, herbs, and olive oil. It was pretty bland, but I felt better than I had in weeks! I was so grateful I could eat basic foods and was equally grateful for the few pounds I lost! Over the next couple of months I learned that I have some very specific trigger foods. Surprisingly, I have a very strong reaction to white potatoes. If I eat a white potato in any form I will be in bed in serious physical pain within 8 hours and it takes me several days to recover. I reacted the exact same way to french fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, and roasted potatoes. I definitely miss eating potatoes, but the pain is just not worth it.

A few weeks later, I reintroduced wheat. I learned that wheat does not cause pain the same way potatoes do, but it causes my irritable bowel symptoms to flare up. I don't have to avoid it completely like I do potatoes, but why on earth would I intentionally cause myself to fart excessively, be bloated, and literally poop every single time I sit on the toilet?! As much as I crave a delicious sandwich at lunch, fluffy biscuits at breakfast, or just about every delicious dessert on the planet, it's just not worth it, so I avoid gluten. Avoiding gluten is becoming easier as more and more people are developing allergies and sensitivities the only fallback is potato flour and potato starch are often used as substitutes for wheat flour in gluten free alternative foods, so I have to be very diligent about reading nutrition labels and asking what the ingredients are when I am eating out.

I also learned that I react to some dairy. I can eat a yogurt and be fine, but if I drink regular milk or eat really good mozarella, I react as if I were eating gluten. My friends at work helped me identify trigger cheeses by starting a "cheese club" with me. Every Friday afternoon, we take a little break to chit chat and eat cheese, gluten free crackers, and fruit... what better way to wrap up a work week?

For any disease that causes excessive fatigue, it's also a good idea to avoid caffeine and alcohol. Both have serious effects on energy and am energy swing in either direction is going to require some serious recovery time.

So, for now, I do my best to avoid potatoes, gluten, whole milk, my trigger cheeses, wine, and caffeinated soda, but I still feel like my disease is evolving and my trigger foods may be changing. I have been dealing with this diagnosis for about eight months and sometimes I feel like I just get a buildup of bad things and need to start over. Whether it's stress, fatigue, or foods that have yet to be identified as trigger foods, I will start to feel like the pain is building and I lose my ability to function. I know things are bad when I have to stop on my walks to work, crossing my legs begins to hurt, and I struggle to stay awake past my son's bedtime. When that happens, I stop all food and clear my system with three or four days of Ensure and get as much rest as I possibly can until I feel like my "normal" again. There are things out there that I may never be able to identify as triggers but when I can figure out what is hurting me significantly, I will do my best to avoid it!

How I Organize My Stockpile

My dream is to live in a moderate-sized home with a little bit of land for growing some of our own fruit, veggies, herbs, and nuts, and a great big basement for my stockpile. Yes, I have a stockpile. I am so proud of my stockpile and even more proud of the fact that most of it was purchased for at least 50% off, typically about 75% off, and sometimes even completely free. I do not pay for toothbrushes or toothpaste, ever!

When we were moving from our little one bedroom, one bathroom, apartment with a little den, where my stack of cereal boxes served as my nightstand, one of the main things we were looking for in our new apartment was storage. When we walked through our current apartment with four walk-in closets, a linen closet, a pantry, and a coat closet we knew we had found our new home! As we stood in the fourth walk-in closet, located randomly in the hallway, Ryan looked at me and said, "I know what you want to do with this room." I am quite certain I had a twinkle in my eye! Since we don't have the benefit of my dream basement, garage, or spare room, we have to make the most of our space, so we have bits and pieces of the stockpile spread throughout all of those closets.

These photos are from the random walk-in closet in our hallway. I'll share a few examples of what I have in each of the photos.

Light bulbs, lunch bags, pedialyte, laundry detergent, paper towels, napkins, bleach, dish detergent, tea light candles...

 Body lotion, hand soap, sunscreen, face wash, moisturizer, toner, baby oil, baby powder, body wash...

Baby shampoo, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, nail polish...

 Antibacterial gel, peroxide, cold medicine, allergy medicine, pain relievers, vitamins, stomach medicine...

Box containing our first aid supplies, cereal, granola bars, jelly, peanut butter, canned apple pie mix, nutella, pasta sauce, canned tomatoes...

Candles, gum, mints, tissues, candy canes, q-tips, taco shells, ensure, spices, canned meat, canned veggies, canned beans, preserved veggies, canned fruit, squeeze pouches, canned applesauce...

Pads, tampons, pantiliners, popcorn, pasta, bisquick, maple syrup, beef jerky, cooking sauces, marinades, canned soup, broth...

Plastic baggies, foil, toothpaste, boxed potatoes, rice, pasta, quinoa, nuts, pickles, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup, olive oil, salad dressing, vinegar, juice boxes, tea...

Straws, disposable cups, disposable plates, disposable bowls, duct tape, makeup, flour, alternative flours, sugar, candy, box with batteries, candles, lighters, and matches, baking mixes, canning jars, chocolate, pudding, crackers, chips, frosting, salt, and baking soda.

We have a shoe rack hanging on the door where we store toothbrushes, bars of soap, floss, sample/travel size shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and lotion, school supplies like pens, pencils, markers, rulers, glue, staples, paper clips, crayons, and highlighters, and beauty tools like nail clippers, tweezers, and scissors. We've also started putting hooks on the walls for things like can openers, ponchos, etc.

All of our toilet paper is tucked in a storage space in Logan's bathroom.

Some of our water, trash bags, sodas, canning supplies, and a crate for collecting food to donate are stored in the linen closet.

All of our cleaning supplies (except the majority of the laundry supplies) are stored in the coat closet. This is also where we store our go-bags and cooler.

In the past, when we had less space, I thought of some pretty clever ways to store the stock, so if you ever need suggestions, please feel free to ask!

Three-Day Home Emergency Kit

If you have friends or family in California, you know the earth has been shifting and shaking quite a bit the last few days. Long-term residents could have probably predicted it with "earthquake weather" but I would venture to say most probably are not prepared with three days of emergency supplies. Our government estimates it could take three days to make emergency supplies available to those who need it but we've all seen in recent examples (Hurricane Sandy, the West Virginia chemical spill, and the snow and ice storms all over the country earlier this month), three days is just the minimum of what you need. I would recommend at least a week or more.

If you don't already have all of these supplies in your home, start at the top of the list. So many of us are used to being able to pick up milk on the way home from work, turning on the tap for clean drinking water, flipping the switch for light, opening the fridge for food, and being able to drive to the emergency room or relying on an emergency vehicle to be able to reach you, but you never know when you won't be able to get to the store, when your pipes will break or the water will be contaminated, when the light won't work, when the fridge will be full of spoiled food because the power is out, or when the roads will be impassable due to traffic, disabled vehicles, or damaged surfaces, so it's better to be prepared, just in case!

According to ready.gov, this is what you should have in your home at all times, at the very minimum, in case of emergency:

Recommended Supplies to Include in a Basic Kit:

- Water, one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
- Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, and extra batteries for both
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First Aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Infant formula and diapers, if you have an infant
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)

Clothing and Bedding:
If you live in a cold weather climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that the power will be out and you will not have heat. Rethink your clothing and bedding supplies to account for growing children and other family changes. One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
- A jacket or coat
- Long pants
- A long sleeve shirt
- Sturdy shoes
- A hat and gloves
- A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person

Family Supply List (continued)

Below are some other items for your family to consider adding to its supply kit. Some of these items, especially those marked with a * can be dangerous, so please have an adult collect these supplies.
- Emergency reference materials such as a first aid book or a print out of the information on www.ready.gov
- Rain gear
- Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
- Cash or traveler's checks, change
- Paper towels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Tent
- Compass
- Matches in a waterproof container*
- Signal flare*
- Paper, pencil
- Personal hygiene items including feminine supplies
- Disinfectant*
- Household chlorine bleach* - You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to treat water. Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
- Medicine dropper
- Important Family Documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container

Health and Fitness Goal for 2014

My health and fitness goal for 2014 is to find balance. For the last four years, I have been on a health roller coaster and I am so tired of the up and down. In the beginning of 2010, I was depressed. We had been in DC for two years and I was struggling to find a meaningful permanent job which also meant I was struggling to make friends. I was not at all motivated to exercise and my weight skyrocketed to 205 pounds. Luckily, that spring, I found the job I now have which is fulfilling and has helped me make some wonderful, supportive, friends. That, combined with our engagement, finally provided the motivation I needed. I aimed to lose 20 pounds by our wedding day so I would be at the weight I was when Ryan and I met and I succeeded!

After our wedding, I was determined not to be one of those women who just settles in to married life and lets herself go. My new goal was to continue to lose weight or get pregnant and I would be happy with whatever happened first. I lost 10 more pounds, dropping down to 175 -- the lowest weight I has been since I was 17! And, I got pregnant!

The beginning of my pregnancy was great. I was gaining weight right on schedule and was on my way to only gaining 30 pounds which was my pregnancy goal. I knew I had lost it before and I could do it again. Well, when you spend 11 weeks confined to your bed and your couch, keeping weight gain to a minimum is nearly impossible. At the peak of my pregnancy, I was up to 215 pounds. What was crazy to me was, just two years before, I was on my way to that weight without being pregnant! Yikes! I realized how grateful I was to have made the effort to get healthy before becoming pregnant because it was the motivation I needed to never be near those numbers ever again.

Naturally, I lost 15 pounds with the delivery but that all returned quickly as water weight when I went into heart failure. When I started the medication for my heart, the first goal was to get rid of all the water surrounding my heart to enable it to pump freely. I lost 15 pounds of water in a week. By the time Logan was 6 weeks old, the medication I was on helped me get back down to 185 pounds which had been my normal weight my whole life. Since it was so easy, I got a little lazy and, as I tapered off my medication, my weight slowly creeped back up to 195 pounds.

That was too close to that scary number! My motivation was back. Not only did I want to avoid those numbers for the rest of my life, I knew I wanted to be a healthy example for my son and I wanted to do everything I could to help my heart recover. I was back in the gym and actually running. By Logan's 1st birthday, I was back down  to 175 pounds and I was so happy.

But then, I started to feel like working out wasn't making me feel so good. I felt like I kept getting injured in my knees, back, and especially my hips. It was taking four days for me to recover from a moderately paced 30 minute run. I lost all power in my stride. I was exhausted. I could barely stay awake to read Logan a story -- how could I possibly run 3 miles? I stopped exercising completely. I knew something was wrong.

I feared it was my heart, but tests showed I was on my way back to a healthy heart. So, I thought maybe I was developing arthritis like both of my parents, but my bones looked great. The orthopedist referred me to a rheumatologist. Several weeks of tests ruled out everything but fibromyalgia and gentle pressure to my tender points proved it. I finally had an explanation for my pain, exhaustion, lack of power, and lack of motivation.

For the last six months, I have been struggling with this new disease. Luckily, my restricted diet has helped me in two ways: it reduces the pain I feel in response to food and it has helped me avoid gaining weight, despite not exercising. I have been scared to exercise. Exercise helps most people feel good but the few bike rides I managed to muddle through in the summer and fall were no picnic. My power is gone. My recovery sucks. And, I have to pee the whole time. Fibromyalgia stinks. The things I need most to feel healthy are the hardest things to achieve: sleep and exercise.

This year, I need to figure out what this body can do. I need to learn what I can do on good days, what I can do on bad days, and what to avoid on good days to keep them from turning into bad days. My goal is not to become a powerhouse. You won't see my picture on a before and after video because I'm not trying to make huge changes. I intend to start small to see what I can handle. For optimum health, my doctors recommend avoiding intense exercise in order to avoid injury and, instead, focusing on low-impact cardio, stretching, and muscle manipulation.

My concrete goals for the beginning of 2014 are:

1. Start getting physical therapy and massage once every two weeks. I actually have a prescription for massage!
2. Do 30 minutes of focused cardio (biking, elliptical, or inclined walking) in my office gym once per week during lunch.
3. Do 30 minutes of yoga in the evenings at home once per week.

This may not sound like much, but, for me, it's huge and it's scary because I don't know what the result will be. Just like an elimination diet, incorporating new things into a fibro body is always a risk. I have no idea how my body will react in the moment and I have no idea how I will recover. This is my starting point and the opportunity to gauge my reactions. Eventually, hopefully, I will be capable of increasing the duration and frequency of my activities. And, maybe, in the meantime, I will reach my next weight loss goal. In the end, my biggest hope is to continue to be a good example for Logan and live a long, happy, healthy life!

Being Prepared: Emergency Kit for your Vehicle

As temperatures all over North America are dropping to single digits and lower, I can't help but think about the unfortunate people that are already suffering or will be suffering over the next few days. In some areas, thousands are already without power in their homes as frozen trees have taken out power lines. Being prepared for emergencies at home is a post I will write later, but today I want to focus on being prepared as you move from point A to point B in your vehicle.

Most Americans hop in their cars daily and don't think twice about all of the "what ifs" that could happen as they drive from one place to another. So many people don't even have insurance! That's the first step to being prepared! Accidents aren't called "planned interferences" because they are ACCIDENTS.

• To start your vehicle emergency kit, first you need to clean out your vehicle to make room for your emergency supplies. There is no point in having supplies if you can't find the things you need when you need them.

• Purchase or assemble a standard vehicle emergency kit. At minimum, it should include:

• Jumper cables
• Tire pressure gauge 
• Tire repair kit (might help you get to the next town)
• Flares
• Headlamp and spare batteries
• Reflective vest

• Purchase a basic survival kit. We keep two of these Ready America Grab 'n Go Emergency Kit 2-Person Backpacks under our backseat. The kit includes:

• 33-piece first aid kit
• 3 days of emergency food and water for 2 people (two 2400 calorie food bars and six 8.45 oz water boxes)
• 2 light sticks
• 2 dust masks
• 2 pair nitrile gloves
• Whistle
• Ponchos

• Your main method of contact during an emergency will likely be your cell phone, so it's a good idea to keep a spare charger in your glove compartment or center console.

• Hand-crank or battery radio (with spare batteries) so you know what to expect with the weather. Some also work as cell phone chargers.

• Maps. Sometimes, your GPS just might not work.

• A compass. Like I said, sometimes your GPS might not work. 

• Multipurpose tool because you never know what you will need.

• Cash in case you need to pay for fuel or other supplies.

• Gasoline container in case you need to walk to get fuel.

• Work gloves.

• WD-40 to loosen tight bolts.

• Kitty litter can provide traction if you become stuck in the mud or snow.

• Toilet paper.

• Small/camp shovel (helps with disposing of toilet paper, among other things). ;-p

• Small fire extinguisher. It could help keep a small fire from becoming a big problem. 

• Towels. Who wants to be soaking wet in their stranded car?

• Duct tape. Because you should always have duct tape.

• If you have small children, you will also need diapers, wipes, and age-appropriate snacks. 

During frigid times like these, it's also a good idea to have:

• Blankets.

• Hand and toe warmers.

• Hats/beanies/scarves.

• Clothes (think warm layers)/spare coats.

• Sturdy shoes.

• Ice scraper.

• A way to light a fire outside your vehicle. I recently heard of a man who kept his family warm while stranded in the snow by lighting a fire outside of the car, heating rocks, and then placing the rocks inside a tire in the car to keep the interior warm. I don't know if I ever would have thought of that, but it definitely helped that family!

We drive an SUV so we don't really have a "trunk". The larger items, like the backpacks and ice scraper are stored under the backseat. The other items are stored in a plastic office file box in the back next to a case of water and the kitty litter.

One other suggestion (which I wish my husband would take to heart since he is in the car for work literally every day for work) is to keep your gas tank at least halfway full at all times. You won't get too far using your vehicle to evacuate in an emergency if you only have a few miles worth of gas!

Hopefully, you find this helpful and take the steps necessary to protect your family and yourself in your vehicle. 

Game Day Grub: White Turkey Chili

This delicious recipe adapted from SkinnyTaste.com is one of our family favorites. It's the perfect meal to enjoy on lazy Sundays when the weather in your neighborhood calls for "freezing rain" and you're about to watch the coldest NFL game ever played. Seriously, Green Bay, put a roof on your stadium!!

White Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

• olive oil
  
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp chili powder, to your taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
  
• 3 lbs ground turkey or ground chicken
• 4 16 oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium flame. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add onions, garlic, saute about 5 min. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes. Add salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Add beans, broth, cook uncovered about 10 minutes.

Lower heat and cover, simmer about 45 minutes mixing occasionally. Add sour cream and cook 5 more minutes. Adjust seasoning and salt to taste.

Top with chopped red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, jalapeños, or reduced fat cheddar if desired.

**We love to eat ours with our favorite gluten-free, potato-free chip, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.**

You can also prepare this in the crock pot after the meat has browned. Just pour the meat, onions, and garlic into a hot crock pot and add the remaining ingredients.

Sleep and Fibromyalgia

We are all familiar with the old saying, "laughter is the best medicine." To a person with fibromyalgia, sleep is the best medicine. A good night's sleep is the only surefire way to allow our overactive nerves to calm down and allow our bodies to feel less pain. Unfortunately, to a person with fibromyalgia, sleep is often elusive. Our disease comes with a bevy of symptoms that make sleeping a challenge.

Establishing an early bed time is key but is really only a dream come true if you have real responsibilities like a job, raising a child, maintaining a home, etc. There are only so many hours in a day to get things done and when you move like a land turtle some of those things take a bit longer than they ought to.

We have chronic pain. Finding that perfect comfy position is always the biggest challenge and can leave you tossing and turning for hours... literally hours.

As soon as you think you've found that comfy spot, two other symptoms creep in: irritable bowel and irritable bladder. It never fails! You think, "ok, this is it, I will fall asleep now," and then you have to pee. Sigh.

Then, you're back at trying to find that comfy spot and you start thinking, "I can take some melatonin and falling asleep will be so much easier." But, then you start to feel guilty about relying on drugs, even very mild ones, to relax and sleep. Achieving such a basic function should be so easy! At this point, two other symptoms loom: insomnia and depression. Your mind spins with thoughts about things you wish you could have accomplished that day, the challenges you will face tomorrow, how much you hate relying on medication to function like a normal person, and finally, you just give in and take melatonin so your brain slows down and you finally fall asleep.

Three hours later, if you are lucky enough to get three solid hours, you are awake again. One of your limbs is cramping and you have to pee. The cycle begins again. You give in and take two cranberry pills hoping this will calm your bladder enough to sleep the rest of the night and then you think about taking more melatonin so you can fall back asleep but it's already 4am and you have to get up at 6am or your child may wake at 5am, so you just lay there. Tossing and turning and thinking about the day ahead, trying to figure out if you will be lucky enough to get a nap. If not, by mid-afternoon you will find yourself falling asleep while reading to your child or actually shaking while you try to focus on whatever you are supposed to be doing at work. You feel like your brain actually stops working and you can't follow a real conversation. You become clumsy and awkward. You do your best to push through the day and find yourself back at the beginning of the viscous cycle.

Sleep and fibromyalgia -- how can two things so dependent on one another be each other's kryptonite?

Harris Teeter Super Double Coupon Event through 1/7/14

Harris Teeter is my absolute favorite grocery store for several reasons: decent prices in general with great sale prices, wide variety of foods including specialty foods, big selection of ready-to-eat foods, fresh and local produce, friendly staff, free cookies for Logan, warm atmosphere, the ability to load store coupons on to your EVIC card and then use manufacturer coupons too... the list goes on! My number one reason for being a Harris Teeter shopper is their coupon events! They always double up to 20 coupons up to 99 cents in value but on special weeks, they will triple coupons up to 99 cents in value ("Triples") or double 20 coupons up to $2.00 in value ("Super Doubles"). These are the best weeks to really build your stockpile. If you have access for a lot of newspaper coupons or several printers, you can stock up on the same amazing deals all week.


These are some of the best deals still available at Harris Teeter that I have been stocking up on this week. To learn where to find these coupons and see the full list of matchups, check out these amazing websites: The Krazy Coupon Lady and Moola Saving Mom. They do all of the hard work matching available coupons to the sales so we don't have to!

• Aleve 50 ct $7.97
• $2/1 RP 12/15
• FP: $4.97

• Vanity Fair Napkins 100 ct $2.39
• $1/2 Printable
• FP: $1.39 each

• Fresh Express Shreds Salad $1.50
• $1.50/2 SS1/5
• FP: Free

• Visine .5 oz $4.47
• $1.50/1 SS 1/5
• FP: $1.47

• Women's One A Day 120 ct $7.86
• $2/1 SS 1/5
• FP: $4.86

• Silk Milk 64 oz $3.79
• $1/1 RP 1/5
• FP: $1.79

• Hormel 81 Cure Boneless Ham Steak 8 oz $3.99
• $2/1 SS 11/10
• FP: Free

• Johnson and Johnson Heavy Duty First Aid Tape 1 ct $3.29
• $2/2 Printable
• FP: $1.29 each

• Cooked Perfect Bites $2.00
• $1/1 Printable
• FP: Free

• Sprout Stage 2 Food 4 oz $1.69
• $1/3 Printable
• FP: $0.69 each

• Eckrich Smoked Sausage 13-14 oz $3.19 BOGO
• $0.55/1 Printable
• FP: Free

• Twix Bars 1 ct $1.19 BOGO
• $0.50/2 Printable
• FP: $0.10 each

• Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm $3.29
• $1.50/1 Printable
• FP: $0.29

• Wholly Guacamole 8 oz $2.50
• $1/1 Printable
• FP: $0.50

Be sure to read Harris Teeter's official coupon policy here.

What does the alphabet soup mean?!

• BOGO: Buy One Get One (at Harris Teeter, when something is BOGO, you don't have to buy 2, you can buy one at it will be half price!)
• FP: Final Price
• PG: Proctor and Gamble Insert from your Sunday Paper (the date next to it indicates when it was in the paper)
• RP: Red Plum Insert from your Sunday Paper (the date next to it indicates when it was in the paper)
• SS: Smart Source Insert from your Sunday Paper (the date next to it indicates when it was in the paper)

Dani's Gluten Free Flour Blend

People who have gluten allergies or sensitivities are very fortunate to have so many options available in most regular grocery stores and widely available in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. There are great products designed to replace the things we love which ordinarily contain wheat flour. Wheat flour, however, seems to be magical and powerful. It takes several alternative flours and gums to replace the texture and flavor. These products are wonderful for people who can't tolerate gluten. When I learned I was sensitive to gluten I became excited to try all of these new mixes and products, but that bubble of excitement was quickly deflated. One of the main ingredients in most of these wonderful products is almost always potato starch or potato flour! Noooo! My reaction to potatoes is several times stronger than wheat. If I eat white potatoes, I will be in bed with severe muscle cramps within eight hours and it will take days to recover and return to my normal. Fortunately, my sister Dani is an avid baker. She, unfortunately, must also avoid gluten. She's spent some time playing with different blends and seems to have found one that works as a pretty good wheat flour replacement and it does so without using potatoes. We used it this week for Belgian waffles and ricotta gnocchi and both were amazing!

Dani's Gluten-Free Potato-Free Flour Blend:

6 cups rice flour (can be all white rice flour or a mix of white and brown)
3 cups tapioca starch
2 tbsp xanthan gum

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Use it directly in place of flour.

That's it! So simple!

Resolutions 2014

I love New Year's Resolutions! I am one of the rare few who actually works to keep them. I think of them as goals with a 12 month deadline designed with the intent of improving my life.

My 2013 resolutions were to lose 15 pounds (accomplished!), pay off debt (accomplished! I now only owe on my student loans), run a stroller 5k (failed, but at my doctor's request, since it takes me four days to recover from a slow-paced 30-minute run thanks to developing fibromyalgia), and spend quality time with my family (accomplished and demonstrated by the fact that I used every single vacation day allotted to me and that Logan is very much a mama's boy even though he's in full time daycare). 

I have several resolutions for 2014:

• revive our family blog (if you're reading this, it means I'm writing and clearly one step closer to achieving this goal!)
• hang things on the walls in our home (we really stink at putting thought into where things go)
• make our bedroom cozier (it's kind of blah)
• find a new fitness routine that works with how my body now works
• lose ten pounds be July and be back at my sophomore year of high school weight (I know it sounds crazy, but I was never ever tiny and that's actually quite a reasonable weight!)
• build emergency water storage
• finish our family go-bags and car emergency supply kit (I'd say we're about 50-60% complete on both so far)
• start building long-term food storage (the serious 25-year shelf-life kind, not just 2 dozen boxes of cereal and several months of canned goods)
• learn to bake gluten-free potato-free bread
• organize our paper files into family binders

Ambitious but reasonable, I think, and all in line with what we hope to write about on our revived blog.

So, what are your resolutions for 2014?