Health Archives - Persevering Momma

#CampWarnerBros – Week 6 – Alex & Me Family Workout

July 29, 2020 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post for Camp Warner Bros featuring Alex & Me and some great family activities!

This week we are featuring Alex & Me and are learning about disciple and setting goals. This is perfect for my 4 year old son. We have been working hard to teach him more responsibility now that he is a big boy and this week’s activity fits into our schedule perfectly.

We used the chart given to us by Camp Warner Bros to help our little guy learn to reach his own goals. I let my son help us fill out his chart. He chose to fill it with clean up toys, clean up dishes, and practice riding bicycle. These have been going well for us and without prompting he has been doing his activities without being asked. Because he is so young and cannot read I put both the word and a picture of the task in each column so that he knows which is which.

Camp Warner Bros also sent us a Family Workout Activity that we are attempting to do however we are having to make some accommodations due to my disability, the fact that I had foot surgery last week, and the fact that my 4 year old is just learning what many of these activities are.

Family Workout Activity

A Superwoman Vs. Her Invisible Illness

July 18, 2020 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Some days are better than others. Some days I feel like superwoman and I feel like I can conquer the world and then there are other days.

Days where the world beats me. Days when every little thing I do hurts and I feel completely defeated. These days almost make me wish I never had food days.

These days make me wish it was always the same so that I could get used to the pain and make it wash away like so many other aches and pains I have made disappear, but I know I can’t make that happen.

Instead I have to push through these crazy pains and tell myself I need to keep going.

So, here I sit repeating over and over…

It’s not real.

And I repeat this because 10 minutes ago I stepped on a tiny crumb on the floor and it hurt so bad that I saw stars and still have shooting pain coursing up my leg from the bottom of my foot.

Today might end badly, but that doesn’t mean tomorrow will end badly. I’ll take a deep breath and wish, wish for a better tomorrow instead.

Goodnight world. Goodnight CMT. You didn’t win this time.

Going Green While Menstruating – Using Cloth Pads

February 26, 2019 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored post about cloth pads, thanks to the Pink Lemonade Shop.

I have been reading about and learning about different options for women when it comes to their menstrual cycle for awhile, but haven’t been brave enough to try any of them yet. Going to MommyCon Chicago has taught me a lot about Menstrual Cups and really put me on the train of finding a more eco-friendly, green option with menstrual products. However, I did not feel like a cup would work for me. My fingers just don’t work well. I instead gave my sister my Diva Cups that I got from MommyCon 2017 and 2018 that she adores and loves.

I have poor dexterity in my hands and over the years have found that there are days when I cannot use a tampon because my fingers just won’t grip the string well enough for me to pull it out. Those days end in tears while I feel ashamed by the fact that I cannot get it out. I know that there have been times when I was stuck in the bathroom for over 10 minutes just trying to get a tampon out.

Finding a game changer with Pink Lemonade Shop’s Cloth Pads

Pink Lemonade Shop heard the struggle I was having and sent me 4 different pads to try out. I asked for a variety of different sizes so that I could sample them on days when I had a light flow, medium flow, heavy, and overnight. I will start this off by saying that you cannot get through a full week with just four pads unless you wash them at the end of each day. I personally do not have the time to wash them every day. I did however rinse them out after each use.

Caring for your cloth pads.

Caring for your cloth pads really isn’t difficult. My first cycle using the cloth pads I used one a day and supplemented with disposable pads that were already in my closet from years ago (I hadn’t had a cycle since getting pregnant with my son 3+ years ago). I chose to only wear them at home the first time because I did not know what to expect. The Pink Lemonade Cloth Pads feature wings with plastic snaps on them. I will admit that I had to break the snaps in before wearing the pads because the snaps were a but too stiff at first. I didn’t want to risk getting blood everywhere when I went to take them off.

After breaking in the snaps I had no real problems. When at home I can easily set the pad into the sink while I change it out and then rinse it and hang it to dry. I love just how easy it is to use and just how absorbent the pads really are. The pads are super easy to wash and care for. You can wash them on cool or warm and tumble dry in the dryer. You just don’t want to use bleach or fabric softener in the laundry with the cloth pads.

Building my cloth pad stash.

These four Pink Lemonade Shop cloth pads will be the start to my newly found love for cloth pads. They recommend between 20-15 pads for your stash though each person will know just how many pads they need to get them through their cycle. If you aren’t picky on fabric patterns then you can easily grab one or more of their cloth pad sets to help quickly build your cloth stash.

Surprise Giveaway!

Adding More to our Plate with Allergies and a Food Intolerance

February 7, 2019 by Ashley Leave a Comment

As you may have read in my previous post we have dealt with a lot of diagnoses in the past year for our son. One thing I didn’t being up was all of the allergy testing and testing for a possible food intolerance that was being done at the same time. In early February 2018 Raiden broke out in a couple of hives which quickly turned to hives all over. Nothing kept them away and we couldn’t find anything new in his diet or environment at the time.

His new pediatrician in March sent us off to have him tested for allergies. His panel came back inconclusive and we just gave in to the idea of having him take liquid Children’s Zyrtec daily. It wasn’t a fun task as he hates taking medicine so I had to sneak it into drinks constantly. He took Zyrtec from early March until July non-stop when all of a sudden all of his symptoms were gone. He was no longer itchy and the hives weren’t coming back.

Nothing had changed aside from the season and weather so our best bet is that it is/was some sort of seasonal allergy. That time of year is around the corner again and I have begun being hyper aware of every little bump and mark on him because I want to catch the hives as early as possible to make sure he doesn’t have to suffer from the hives and itchiness, like I did as a child.

One allergy issue wasn’t enough; he needed a food intolerance, too.

We thought we were in the clear for months, but when I started taking Raiden to my holistic doctor in November for his speech problems I learned that he was showing signs of a food intolerance or allergy to something that he was eating. This made me so sad. I hated to think that I had been feeding him something that was making him sick.

So two weeks before Thanksgiving and my sister’s wedding we cut dairy from his diet. It was the best and worst decision ever. We struggled so hard to keep him dairy-free, but it was near impossible as family gatherings and the wedding. I honestly thought he would be okay with a little because he had been eating so much cheese before this, but I was wrong. I was so wrong.

His poor tummy just can’t handle it and my little guy is just miserable for days after having even the smallest of pieces of cheese. Thankfully with the holidays over it has been much easier to keep the cheese away. We no longer have any in the home and we avoid eating take-out that has cheese in or on it as well.

It’s an adjustment as we now struggle with going out for Mexican or Pizza with my family because my little almost 3 year old just doesn’t understand why everyone else can have cheese and he can’t. I try my damndest to not have anyone eat it in front of him because it was his favorite food and I feel like it’s just torture to not be able to have your favorite food when it’s right in front of you.

And all of this here is why my son is now diary-free and we are now a family living with a child with whom has a food intolerance. No he won’t die if he eats dairy, but it certainly wrecks havoc on his body and that is enough to make me turn into a “helicopter” mom.

Going Gluten-Free in the New Year with Garden Lites

December 28, 2018 by Ashley Leave a Comment

I never thought that I’d be one to say that for the most part our family is going dairy and gluten-free in the new year. As many know I’m one to sit down with a huge glass of milk, cheese, and a few slices of bread and just devour it all as an afternoon snack; however we have learned that dairy does not agree with our son’s digestive system and we are guessing gluten is also a culprit to some not so fun diaper changes. This all means I have to change the way I cook and eat. I have to break habits that have been in place for 30 or so odd years and create a new game plan.

Starting simple with Gluten-Free Garden Lites

I’m so thankful that Garden Lites has offered to help us transition through this tough time! One of our new breakfast and snack time treats has been their frozen muffins. I love that they are Gluten-Free and while they aren’t labeled as Dairy-Free we are able to eat them as my son can eat eggs. His current favorite are the Double Chocolate Muffins. I’m guessing he likes them the most because they feel and taste like a sweet while they are actually made of zucchini!

We also have fallen in love with having their Veggies Cakes for breakfast. I love them for morning when we are on the run or are running late getting ready for Raiden’s morning therapy sessions. I am able to easily and quickly stick a couple of Superfood Veggie Cakes Kale & Quinoa in the microwave for Raiden and I to quickly eat before having to make it to an appointment. These like the muffins are Gluten-free and aren’t labeled as Dairy-Free due to the eggs in them, but are safe for us to consume.

I am hoping that as the year begins we will be able to start really moving into some great dairy and gluten-free recipes for us to eat on a regular basis. If you have any recommendations I’d love to see them in the comments below. We are willing to try anything at this point.