Life

Stuck With Staph And I Need A Laugh

05/22/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Remember my staph butt issue from last week? Yeah, it’s getting better, butt (ha ha, never gets old!) it still hurts and has another 2 weeks of healing to go.

Or at least that’s how long I have to take antibiotics. What sucks, though, is that even after I’m done with the antibiotics, I still technically have staph. I guess it’s not all that uncommon, but I’m a registered carrier of the infectious bacteria. And, as confirmed by the doctor I saw last Tuesday, it’s Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Not a big surprise as I’ve had it before when on vacation in Colorado back in 2011. I tried my damnedest to make the most of the trip and went out with Kelley to be as active as possible, but what I thought was just a painful nose pimple blew up into a massive MRSA infection that brought us to the local ER. Apparently if I waited longer it could’ve got into my brain and blah blah….it was bad.

Basically, I will always have the nasty and stubborn-to-treat version of staph inside me. I guess my nose is where it’s usually hanging out, so I better watch my ass and lay off the picking!

Speaking of ass, I can almost sit comfortably again, but still find myself shifting every 5 minutes. Luckily, I stand all day, I even use the island as my computer work area, so it’s only an issue at night. I’m thinking I won’t be doing any half-marathons on my indoor rower any time soon.

Hopefully this doesn’t mean Avery is a potential carrier, but we’ll keep on the lookout just to be safe.

If you read through this far, I’m sure you know more about the staph in my nose and butt than you’d ever care to, so how about a few puns to lighten things up? I could use a good laugh myself.

If you’ve been a reader for a while or just know me, you know I’m a fan of puns. Corny or not, I love’em, so here’s a few to enjoy or loathe as you see fit.

A jumper cable walks into a bar. He gets a lot of dirty looks and says,”Calm down, I’m not looking to start anything.”
I recently got a job at the office for national statistics, but I’m only there to make up the numbers.
I met a guy who lost all of his toes and he instantly annoyed me. Guess I’m lack-toes intolerant.
Did you hear about the kidnapping?!?!?! …. He was really tired.
Everyone tells me I’m a skeptic, but I don’t believe a word they say.
My wife said she’s leaving me because of my poker addiction. I think she’s bluffing.
I thought I could trust my acupuncturist, but then he stabbed me in the back.

Enjoy your Friday! I promise my next post will be better with a big focus on Avery.

Are you a carrier of staph?

Do you know if being a carrier means your kids are too?

How did you like the puns?

Life, Parenting, Throwback Thursday

One Year Since We Began Baby-Led Weaning #TBT

05/21/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Can you believe it’s been a year since we first started baby-led weaning with Avery?!

Oh boy was that stressful! Wait a sec, it’s still stressful, if not worse. She hardly touched the stuff at first, so it was only us doing the picking up part. I know, that’s NOT BLW then!

Instead of not knowing what to do with it, she now picks up food, fully aware that it’s meant to be eaten, and throws it instead. In retrospect, I kinda miss the BLW days.

In true Throwback Thursday fashion, I am going back in time to when we first started down this road of having more than just breast milk for Avery’s food. We still have a long way to go, but she’s actually a really good eater compared to some of her peers.

Giving her an assortment of veggies from the get-go has paid off as she happily (usually) eats them all and never cries for some sugary packaged snacks. Because we don’t have those in the house and never will!

Avery still eats plenty of steamed veggies, mostly broccoli, carrots (her current favorite), and cauliflower. For a real treat, it’s banana with NuttZo and she can really put it away! But we’re not talking about now, this is all about then….a year ago.

Maybe I’ll have a post a year from now and we’ll go over Avery’s ability to make a whole banana with lots of NuttZo disappear fast! For now, have a look back to May of 2014 with me and enjoy the posts detailing the start of our baby-led weaning journey.

To kick things off, I started looking into our options and shared my top ten Pinterest picks on Baby-Led Weaning. Avery then had to give her input about Beyond Breast Milk where she tries non-food items…..like my finger.

Things were a bit rough for a while and I cursed how easy things seemed when looking all over Pinterest. Instead of happily picking up the food we put in front of her, Avery just sat there and looked at us. This led me to try putting a piece of food in her mouth to help show her what it’s for. Of course this is not BLW as I already mentioned, which is why I created How Not to Start Baby-Led Weaning With Your Baby.

Time passed and we were seeing little progress. Naturally, I blogged about our BLW Fail but also shared Avery’s first experience with our then pet turtle.

We were beginning to think Avery would never eat solids on her own, and I was convinced that babies are fully aware of yo-yo dieting. But then, it happened, someone made positive progress in the BLW department. Do you know who?

Good job, Avery, it was you!

From there, we’ve been on a crazy roller-coaster ride (such is parenting, huh?) with her eating good some days and throwing it in our faces on other days. But after a 10k race I did on Memorial Day last year, Avery made great progress and even stuffed her face!

She’s come a long way from a year ago, and now she’ll eat the same thing I make for my wife most of the time. Some days she’s picky and others she’ll gobble everything in sight. From the experienced parents, I hear it’s normal and accept it as such…….kinda.

It’s still nerve-racking to have things you spend time cooking just thrown on the floor or given to the dog. Hopefully I’m not alone here. I’m sure it’s easier if you just pick something up at a fast food chain, but that’s something she’ll never be given by us, so I’ll continue to put my care into the meals I make my family and know it’s world’s better than what you’d get at some restaurant.

How did you start your kids off eating solids?

Do you find it hard to watch food you make go by the wayside?

Life, Parenting, Promo

A Healthy Start With #TheNewSweet of Zevia

05/20/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Zevia has been the only soda in our home for many years. I’ve reviewed their delicious drinks in the past and explained why it being a healthy treat is not the only thing that makes it so special in our home.

Recently, Avery had her first try of #TheNewSweet that is Zevia and now we have a small family of Zevia lovers! She literally reaches for the stuff whenever it’s in sight!

So what is “#TheNewSweet” all about? Here are the details directly from the satisfyingly refreshing soda company itself:

Zevia is s naturally sweetened, zero calorie soda in 15 delicious flavors! They’ve asked me to put a fresh spin on my old routine in honor of Spring! Get in on the fun on twitter.com/zevia & instagram.com/zevialife by tagging them & #TheNewSweet. Head to the gallery to peep the party! Zevia.com/TheNewSweet

Here in Texas, Spring turns into Summer in an instant, which means it gets a little warm. And by “warm” I mean VERY HOT! With Avery running around and keeping active indoors and out, she needs to stay hydrated with plenty of water and energized with nutritious food.

Since she was born, we’ve only given her healthy food I made and she will eat steamed veggies without a fuss……usually (she’s still a toddler!). Carrots are viewed as a treat to her and I’m proud at how well she does when it comes to eating healthy.

Thanks to my wife, she still gets the unbeatable breast milk to drink as well as water. But now, after playing outside and needing a nice treat, I’ve started sharing a Zevia with her. Since Avery just started having liquids other than breast milk and water, we never had a routine to give a “fresh spin” to, instead this is the routine.

So far she’s tried their Grape and Strawberry sodas as well as their brand new Tonic Water. It’s a great way to make a healthy adult beverage or something fun for the kids. Like, for instance, mixing with another flavor like Strawberry because we all know how fun it is to mix things!

At least it is in this house. Avery has been loving this combo lately. Just a 50/50 mix and some ice and you’re good to go.

No one wants to spend too much time inside when it’s nice outside, so I prefer to keep it simple. Of course, on a rainy day, Zevia has plenty of recipes to try on their site.

And it’s not just drinks, you can bake with it for a healthy treat to eat too! I even have a recipe for Cherry Cola Protein Bread I suggest you try. Just make sure you top off everyone’s drinks before using the last can!

From Spring right into Summer, we’ll be keeping healthy and happy with #TheNewSweet of Zevia. So when Avery is giving me “the look”…

…I know it’s time for a healthy treat like Zevia to keep things cool and calm. Judging from her cheeky grin, I’d say it’s working!

Don’t forget to show how you’re enjoying #TheNewSweet of Zevia and share it on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag! Make sure to check back here soon to read my review of Zevia’s new Tonic Water and a chance to win free Zevia for yourself and your family…..if you want to share! 🙂