For the past couple of weeks I haven't felt like doing ANYTHING. Not blogging. Not crafting. Barely getting dressed in the morning, and if I do, it's mostly sweats, or jeans, if I have to work. This is pretty typical for me at this time of the year. It's February in Seattle - grey, raining, dreary, cold, dark.
I have a suspicion that this slump is directly related to my spectacular dive off the Paleo wagon. First it started with one muffin, since we baked them at home. Then a few crackers that my daughter didn't eat. Then I bought bread to make her lunch, and started eating it myself. The truffle mac 'n' cheese at The Keg. (OK, that was totally a worthy cheat. The rest, not so much.)
But I do best with rules. Not "everything in moderation". So I'm getting back to it. No more sugar. Lots of protein. Fruits and veggies. Wish me luck, and hopefully this will bring my mojo back!
In another observation, BabyT has been having trouble napping for the past couple of weeks. She's very hyper in the afternoon, less attentive than usual, and talks literally nonstop for the entire time she's in her crib "trying to nap". Part of me thinks she might be giving up her nap, or requires a bit less sleep (12 hours at night + 2 hour nap couldn't last forever, right?)
But part of me wonders if this is due to her diet changes too. Since we started the "baked milk" daily, she's been eating a lot more sugar and empty carbs - muffins, cupcakes, bread. We've been interspersing chocolate and vanilla soy milk with the plain we usually buy. Not sure why we started that, except that the vanilla makes damn good hot chocolate for the adults in the house, and T LOVES it.
It's not like she's *requesting* a change from her usual ultra-healthy diet, but somehow we've made our not-so-great habits her new ones. And that's not good. Sure we can brush everything off as "everyone needs a treat now and then" but as a country, look where that's gotten us, nutrition-wise.
No more flavored soy milk. I'm going to take a break from the baking while I research other ways to get some baked milk into her diet. More eggs for all of us. Fewer trips to Starbucks. (Did I mention she recognizes the logo everywhere?!)
I'm optimistic about this.
If it makes you feel better, Rachel is also not napping well. This is the age, at least for my kids, when they start to go on Nap Strikes. This is also the age when we started "quiet time" instead of naps. I try to not make a big deal of it. If she doesn't want to nap, she has quiet time in her room, usually about an hour.
ReplyDeleteNot that trying to get her (and you) back on a healthy diet isn't a good thing, just realize it could be the age, too.
Yeah, I think the napping may be unrelated to the food but the issues started showing up around the same time, so I figured I'd try it. We used to be no added sugar (except for fruit) and now it seems like we're letting her eat a lot more and I think it adds up.
ReplyDeleteCatie used to ramp her energy level up when she got tired in an effort to keep herself up. To the point, sometimes, that she seemed manic. I think that some kids, at this age, figure out that if they just keep talking / moving / singing they won't fall asleep and "miss something". I used to have to sometimes lay down with her and tell her to "freeze her body" for two minutes. She was usually asleep within one minute of stopping. The trick is to get her to stop. Catie napped until she was 5 and Charlie still naps most days (he's 4 and I use the same trick on him sometimes). I agree that too much sugar just sneaks into their food, though. Why did I start buying toaster pastries for breakfast?
ReplyDelete@Jasmine - thanks for the info. I wonder if I could try to calm her down. T has been great (usually) at putting herself to sleep, but I wonder if sometimes she needs a little more help, especially once she's overtired.
ReplyDeleteOh I feel you. I've been slumpy too. I'm trying (and failing) to give up sugar, but it is just not working. Bah. I'm glad you've got more resolve than me!
ReplyDeleteYeah, sugar and refined flour definitely caused ups and downs for me back when I wasn't pregnant (or allergic to wheat). If only I'd realized how hypoglycemic I could get before trying to have a kid-- my early 20s would have been a lot less emotionally draining.
ReplyDeleteMilk in whole grain no-sugar foods! The New Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book has lots of great recipes. (My mom got me the paleo book you recommended for my birthday-- I'm looking forward to its arrival.)
Would it count as baked milk to use it in the coating of homemade chicken nuggets? I use rice milk to dip my nuggets but you could use real milk. There's also a few tablespoons of milk in things like homemade meatloaf, hamburgers, and meatballs - I think I have a few recipes kicking around if you like.
ReplyDelete