Honoring Earth Day

Terrestrial Podcast

Listening to the podcast Terrestrial is the first time I heard the term ecoanxiety. What I was hearing was like a revelation though. For months and months, I have had this feeling about the world in general that I couldn’t put my finger on. Like when I’d be at a BBQ and see the host not even making an attempt to recycle beer cans and bottles. I’d see something like that and it would bother me because it felt like all my small actions to reduce my environmental footprint would constantly be cancelled out. It also made me more vigilant too. It made me realize I was not insane for feeling this hard to describe feeling. Every summer I go to a music festival with my sister and our friends. It is five days of beer, camping, and good friends. In years past, I had seen a disturbing amount of recyclable material being thrown in the trash. This past year, when describing where our campsite was, all we had to say was, “it’s the one with big blue recycle bin on the road/path.” I put it in the perfect spot. Not only did my campsites use it, but so did our neighbors and people walking by who finished a beer. It was an awesome feeling to know that I had saved a full bin of cans from the trash every day. I also exchanged my cans for $$$$ and put the $5 I usually get in my son’s piggy bank. That month, I was able to take us out to dinner with the amount of cans that I turned in. Another bonus!

Anyways, I do not want to scare any of you. I just wanted to let people know that if they are feeling similar feelings, they are not alone. In honor of Earth Day this month, I thought this would be a good time to explore some of the things I’m most scared of, the steps we can take to protect the Earth, and how the Earth’s health impacts us. So, what scares me? Well, besides everything, the biggest thing is that people don’t realize how much of an impact humans are having on the environment and they don’t realize the small changes we could make in our every day lives to help. That’s what I’m hoping to change with these blog post. I’m hoping that at least one person will be inspired to make one little change to their lives to do something that has a positive impact on the Earth we live in.

Week 2: Healthy Earth = Healthy Humans

Week 3: Small Steps to Big Change

Week 4: Resources

12 Days of Fitmas day 6: Healthy Families

Healthy Mom = Healthy Families

My life motto

My Saturday / Sunday routines

The weekend is for family.

It doesn't always go as planned, but we always try to get in one workout and go on an adventure. When I say "we", I mean me and my four year old son. Instead of watching cartoons, he loves to workout with me in the morning. Instead of asking him to leave me alone, we I let him lead the workout. It usually looks something like this. 

Depending on weather, and our schedule, we ALWAYS go on an adventure on the weekend. Sometimes it's saturday, sometimes SUnday, but it always gets done. This is usually just a hike in the woods, but the moments we have together in the woods are truly amazing. Why do I like hiking in the forest so much? This is why I benefit from it, but read on below to find out how it benefits the whole family. 

Why encouraging your kids to be active with you is important

Our kids watch everything we do. They learn from everything we do. Why wouldn't you want them to see you having a healthy relationship with exercise, your body, and nutrition. These observances are what form the foundation for becoming healthy adults. 

Active Kids 

All moms want the best for their children. This, of course, applies to health too. Families can be active together anywhere; indoors or out. I prefer outdoors, but we've made memories indoors too. Being active together only enhances and strengthens our family bonds. 

Some ideas for being an active family indoors: inflatable house, trampoline park, indoor swimming, indoor playground, and more. The key to these activities though is THAT YOU DO THEM AS WELL. GET UP, GET MOVING, AND HAVE FUN.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the mom at the park who tells me she wished she had a body like mine after having kids, then sits at the park while her kid plays and sits on her phone. I'm not saying I NEVER do this, but a playground is really just workout equipment designed to look like fun. Here's a link to a blog post I wrote about getting a full body workout whilt at the park. Get kiddy with it

Why do I love taking my son on hikes?

Besides the great workout I get when we walk three miles together, it is truly magical to see him explore.  This photo below pretty much sums up what I see when I watch him go off the trail and climb a tree or whatever. I see it all, everyday. There is nothing more magical than that. 

Raising healthy eaters

This is the hard part. I'm not always successful, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that I think are my secret weapons.

1. Hiding veggies in EVERYTHING! 

1. Spinach hidden in smoothies. J thinks it's his special "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shake" cause it's green. I told him it probably will turn him into a ninja
2. Hidden veggie noodles. Enough said. Barilla has two good kinds. 
3. This is my favorite trick. I call it the Cauliflower Cheese Switcheroo. I have an old parmeseasn cheese shaker I save. Once a week, I steam cualiflower then run it through the food processor, and put it in the shaker. My son thinks it's his special cheese. He adds it to everything. He has no idea. 

2. Family Dinner

These are so important. You can call me old fashioned, but I don't care. Having a time when we all prepare a meal, then sit down to eat and talk together was huge for me growing up and I love that I can do that for my son. It doesn't happen every night, and he doesn't always like what we have, but we all sit and talk about our day. I believe that this encourages even healthier habits in our children.

 

Four lessons I learned while doing the "wrong things" for my son.

Today's topic came to mind when I stumbled upon this lovely blog post: Anna Rosenbaum Palmer

I loved every idea, and already do some. The title is, "Nine Ways Lazy Parenting Helps Grow Great Grownups."

As she says, there are so many "styles" of parenting these days, and everyone will tell you why their preferred method is the best, and someone else will tell you why that way is complete garbage. I am not here to tell you the right way. Today is my son's fourth birthday. It's been a crazy four years, and I am just here to share my parenting experience, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

In honor of the big fourth bday we are celebrating today, I thought I'd share four of the biggest "mistakes", according to everyone else, and how they turned out to be wonderful decisions for my son, myself, or both of us. 

1. Being Selfish

I've been accused of being selfish numerous times. 

The first is when I left my son's functioning- alcoholic of a father because I didn't want to marry him.

What people said: "You're tearing your family apart", "Think about what this will do to your son","You have a kid, you need to put his needs first, not your own.", "Don't you want your son to grow up in a happy home?"

What actually happened: My son is growing up in a happy home. My happiness is important cause without that, I couldn't be the best mom I could possibly be. He also would've grown up with a distorted view of what love is. How's his relationship with his dad? It's shit. He sees him next to never. Daddy dearest decided it was much easier being a parent two weeks a year than actually giving a damn. This could be seen as a downside, but to be honest, it's not. Because I made the decision I did, I am able to be a better dad, as well as the best mom for my son. My guess is that I would have been doing both jobs, even if I stayed, just now I'm happier.

2. Letting my toddler do stuff on his own

People don't give toddlers enough credit. They are smart little creatures and they'll figure stuff out pretty quickly. I have often relied on the, "well, he'll figure it out," mantra, and, guess what?! My son figures it out. 

The beautiful pallet garden that my three
 year old helped me build, using real tools.


 

What I heard: "You're going to let him climb that [at the park]?! What if he can't get down?", "You're going to let him wear shorts out of the house?! It's December!", "He is way too young to be using a screwdriver, saw, or hammer. He's only three.", "Kids that age shouldn't listen to music like that.", "That's too heavy for him, he'll hurt himself."

What happened: 

He cried for a little, but when he realized I wasn't climbing up the playground to get him, he figured out how to get down safely. He overcame that fear and now needs less help than some ten year olds I've seen at the park. 

With the shorts, he never made that mistake again, and I'll never have to beg him to dress for the weather ever again. 

With the tools, we had one smashed finger, but then he figured it out. Now, he helps me and grandpa actually build/fix stuff around the house. He is always so proud of himself when we finish up. 

With the heavy items, yes it was too heavy. He dropped it on his toe. He now asks for help when he needs it. 

3. Letting him listen to music or radio that wasn't appropriate

J has always liked music, ever since he was a newborn. There was this weird cable, classic country/bluegrass station that played music videos 24/7. It was the only thing that would keep me awake during midnight feedings, and the only thing that would calm him when he started teething @ 3 months. He got his first guitar at 18 months. He started listening to the Grateful Dead at age 2. He now owns a banjo and loves Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Willie Nelson. I also listen to NPR whenever we're in the car. This has caused minor irritations for his teachers and daycare workers. 

What I've heard: "Um it's really not appropriate for him to bring a Grateful Dead stuffed bear to show and tell.", "James asked to make a 'Go Home Bundys' sign during art today.", "James probably shouldn't be singing 'If you like pina coladas' during singing time.", "James told the whole class today about the budget crisis the state of IL is going through, and gave us all reasons why we should work as a team. Kids shouldn't be worrying about that."

What actually happened: They were all wrong and he's starting guitar lessons tomorrow

A Grateful Dead bear is only a symbol of something if you make it that. I think it's a symbol for a really great band, and one of the best guitarists of all time. 

As far as singing Jimmy Buffet goes, I am proud that he knows a song by heart. Maybe not the best time, but what other three year old can do that?!

The "Go Home Bundys" sign wasn't my fault, I blame that on watching too much MSNBC with his grandpa. Either way, I do not think it is a bad thing to have a child who understands that the world doesn't begin and end with him. He has a deeper knowledge of how this world works, and is coming up with solutions that he sees as possible. There is nothing wrong with that. 

#parentingwin

4. Letting him make a huge mess or get himself messy

Sometimes, even I think this is a mistake beforehand. 

Making a huge mess has turned into some wonderful projects or experiences

Project: Furniture painting 

We had furniture in our backyard that we had wanted to repaint for years. J and I had SO, SO, SO MUCH FUN getting paint all over our clothes, the grass, the patio, and, of course, the furniture. 

The mess: The grass grew, then was cut, paint gone. Our clothes were messy clothes anyways. The extra paint washed off the patio, and our furniture is GORGEOUS. We also now have painted paver rocks and a multi color rain barrel too. 

Experience: Playing in the mud

The mess: not even comparable to the amount of fun we had. 

I am a firm believer that we are exactly what our children need, mistakes and all, and the best piece of parenting advice that I got when I was pregnant, still keeps me calm to this day.
"Kids don't come with instructions. Because of this, god made them pretty human proof. Think of all the shit cavemen babies had to go through, and yet they survived, and we are proof of that.

The forest is my three year old's playground

Discovering bugs and walking our pups

Cook County, IL is known for so many things, mainly being the home of Chicago. Interesting fact, the Cook County Forest Preserve District is THE LARGEST FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT IN THE WORLD. It was also originally designed by a world renowned landscape architect. 

I have filled this post with some pictures from my most favorite forest adventures. All of them are from Forest preserves by our house. For exact locations, just ask. 

If you're thinking, "I don't live in Chicago. I don't live near any forests or nature," you're probably wrong. A path around a pond in a park, an open field, your own front yard, nature doesn't have to be big to capture a toddler's attention. 

My Playtime Philosophy combines the "Forest bathing" & "Classrooms with no walls" concepts 

 Again, I'm just making up this stuff as I go along, and I'm not perfect, but we find this shit fun.

We judge the success of the day by the mud on our boots

Finding beauty in the dead of Winter

River Trails Nature Center is one of our favorite places on earth. Outdoor/indoor playgrounds, Des Plaines River, walking trails, it's all just so cool.

Summer colors scavenger hunt

Another Summer colors scavenger hunt

Frolicking in the Forest throughout the Fall.

The possibilities of fun are endless in the forest. We just walk, J gets to explore, I get exercise. We have picnics, go on color scavenger hunts, look for animals, count the ducks. We do a lot of talking about our senses. 

"What do you see?"

"How is that different from last time?"

"Have you seen any colors like that before?" 

"How does that flower smell?"

"Think you can climb that tree?"

"What does that feel like?"

"How does it feel when compared to this?"

The beauty of this kind of play is that I don't need to have any answers and he doesn't have to be exactly right, cause there are no wrong answers. 

Let your child lead the conversation. Last week, we actually got lost when we went off the trail and I let the three year old get me and the puppy back to where we needed to be. I knew that heading in a general direction would work, but we were still legit lost. I asked him, "What is this ground like? Have we always been walking on grass like this?" "No mommy. We came through the prickly bushes, like those!" So we walked through the prickly bushes. Then I ask, "Hey Jimmy. If we find the creek we walked by, that will get us back to the path. Do you hear anything that will tell us where the stream is?" ......thinking..........."OOOO Let's go this way Mommy! I think I hear water running! We'll make it and get back." He was so proud to figure it out and explore along the way. If you haven't been out in a while, I suggest you try it again, take your kids, have fun. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty.