What Am I Currently Reading?

I read all the time! I thought I might take a moment to share the book currently open on my lap:

This book focuses on several different people who have come to a "fork in the road," so to speak. They all, by coincidence, end up together in a summer house, renting different rooms. This book had me hooked from the beginning! The personal struggles each character is going through can easily be related to struggles I have gone through myself or know others who have.

What book is on your table, waiting for you to open?

Tips for Using a Nebulizer with Young Children

This week, my little one unfortunately got sick. Conveniently, her sickness arrived just a few hours after I wrapped up the 12 hour flu bug. No bueno!

I ended up taking her into the doctor's office because she sounded so congested, was coughing, and was wheezing as she would breathe. After struggling to watch my daughter be poked and prodded with every test ran imaginable, we learned she just had a viral infection. The doctor recommended we continue what we've been doing (lots of rest, plenty of fluids, ibuprofen as needed, humidifier, mattress slightly propped where her head lays in bed) and provide nebulizer treatments three times a day for a week. No problem.

Wait, what?!?! I had never used a nebulizer and had no clue what I was doing! After a brief talk from the nurse on how to provide a treatment, I began preparing my first treatment. At home. All alone.

Don't worry, we survived!

Flash forward to today and I have quite the hang of distributing nebulizer breathing treatments to my 10 month old. Little ones have a hard time sitting still, even for a 5 minute treatment. Here are some tricks I learned:

1. Stay Calm

Little ones feed off of their parent's feelings. Take a deep breathe, you will get through this! The calmer you stay, the calmer your child will be.

2. Pre-plan with Your Child

As you start to think about getting the breathing treatment ready, share with your child what is coming next for them. We all have somewhat of a fear for the unknown. Take that fear away by telling your child that it is time to do their breathing treatment. Even with a young child (like my 10 month old), talking calmly about what is to come can help them to better deal with the process!

3. Create a Routine

Since this treatment is very important for your child's health, create a routine that works for your little one. For us, that meant allowing some tv time (generally our tv stays turned off during the days). 

I had to switch it up frequently though. Sometimes, the tv wasn't enough. We also used books, singing, dancing... You get the idea!

4. Make it Enjoyable

Although you are using the machine for a more serious purpose, kids live for fun! Try to find a way to make this experience enjoyable for all! Our little one enjoyed watching the steam come out and we were able to point out how fun that was! 

5. Reward Good Behavior

Each and every time your child completes their breathing treatment, give a genuine thank-you. Let them know they completed an activity that is very important. We also gave hugs and kisses! Rewarding behavior increases the chances that the good behavior will repeat the next time you complete a breathing treatment.

Having a little one sick has been no fun! On the plus side, the extra cuddles have been amazing for this momma!

What tips do you have?

Valentine's Weekend Recap

I previously wrote here and here about how this month is so special this year! I am celebrating this month for the first time with a child and my husband and I are celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary! This year, February is really a month of love for us!

I decided to celebrate our anniversary with surprising my husband with a getaway trip for our little family. We went and stayed in a cabin! We love camping and I knew this trip would be a hit! Plus, this would be our baby's first vacation.

This is the resort we stayed at. Like I said, this is for a 5 year wedding anniversary, so we had to go big! We just didn't feel comfortable going on a trip that required flying with a baby or leaving our baby on someone else's care (we aren't emotionally ready for that)! So, we decided to splurge on a huge cabin for the 3 of us and our pups!

This was the view of the back of the cabin! The hubby and baby are there... Somewhere! 

I think this was the quiet weekend we all needed together! Our views were amazing, take a look for yourself:

I mentioned before (see here) we don't have cable an haven't had for years. You better believe it when I say that we enjoyed 2 glorious days of satellite! We found ourselves watching a marathon of Renovation Realties. I made all of our meals ahead of time so we literally spent minimal time in the kitchen (a welcomed break for me). Oh yeah, we also spent most of our weekend in pajamas! Cheers to not having to get dressed up on vacation! 

On Saturday, the weather warmed up and we got outdoors for a sightseeing tour, a few walks, and grilled steaks! 

Coming home, our girl was so worn out, she slept most of the trip.

                   Okay, she actually slept on the way up, too.

                  Don't you love when you plan car rides just right?!?!

We had a great, albeit short, vacation celebrating our happy life as a family! We couldn't feel more blessed!

Keeping the Marriage Alive: Remembering the Why

It is amazing how fast time goes by when you are having fun. Right?!?! This month marks 5 years of marriage for my husband and me. To think how different life would have turned out if I didn't go on a Valentine's double-date with him 11 years ago!

When it comes to relationships, you will need to occasionally remember what brought the two of you together. This can be especially important during rockier relationship moments. I thought, with my own anniversary this month, I would share some of my history with the hubs!

We started dating in high school. I can honestly say, I don't think anyone gave much thought to us making it past the first year. He was a senior and would be leaving for college at the end of summer.

Somehow, we weathered the storm of a 3 year long distance relationship. Doesn't long distance suck? I think if you can survive that, you can weather any storms! To top it off, we were both so young during our long distance relationship stint that we had lots of unnecessary drama (as in issues that wouldn't have been issues today). Oh yes, there was blood, sweat, and tears, oh and regular break ups! No arguing this point, we were the Ross and Rachel of Friends! 

When I left for high school I ended up in the same town as my hubby, but we were broken up at the time. There was always something that pulled us back towards each other though! Within a few months, we were back together and our on again, off again status seemed to dissipate. We were officially ON. 

We got married.

We vacationed. Oh, how we vacationed!

We bought a house. Sold that house. And bought another.

We got 2 dogs together.

He taught me about construction. 

I taught him to dance. Er, kind of?!?!

My favorite part of this story, you ask? He (along with God's blessing), provided me with the greatest gift of all. Our child. 

WHY did I choose him? For more reasons than I could ever sum up. Most of all, he brings so much happiness to my life. I mean, didn't you see all those pictures? These are only a few of the highlights from our time together!

I couldn't have asked for a better partner in crime! He has been my support all these years, motivates me, loves me, and keeps me laughing.Cheers to remember good times!

What is your love story?

What Does it Feel Like to be Alone?

A few days ago, my mother called me and mentioned that one of my siblings was struggling and "felt more alone than he ever has in his life."

My brother is going through some major life transitions. He has moved away from home, but this was the first time his move was permanent. After graduating high school, he tried out a few jobs away from home and looked into college, but he would always land softly back into my parent's comfy abode. *As a side note, I sometimes think we were raised by 2 different parents as returning back home never seemed to be an option for me after I graduated high school. We'll save that for another day.

This move was different though. He got a full time job (complete with benefits) and purchased his first house, 3 hours away from home! This time, in many ways, this move is more permanent than a 3 month stint away from home.

Loneliness. 

To borrow words from one of my favorite authors currently (it's amazing how having a child expands your world), Dr. Suess, in his book, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

"All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot."

Being alone is one of the worst parts of adulthood. Unfortunately, none of us can escape moments of loneliness. Although I have never lived alone and am rarely alone, I still have plenty of memories where I felt alone.

My most recent experience was after the birth of my child. There are weeks on end where, as a new mother, I would find myself sitting in a dimmed room, trying to get my child to sleep, and feel very much alone. During this short time, my schedule flipped with my child and I slept when my husband and family were home and awake and I roamed the house with our newborn at night.

Loneliness.

Being alone is very real, sometimes unpleasant, and very lonely. Yet, remind yourself we all experience this, one of the many reminders that you are human! Entering into adulthood, there seems to be more opportunity for loneliness to sink in. It is up to each of us to decide how to deal with our feelings of isolation.

A final quote from Dr. Suess:

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go..."

The Month of Love... Cookies

I am not always overly excited for Valentine's Day, but this year is especially dear to me. During this month, my husband and I will celebrate 5 years of marriage (officially on 2/28, unofficially all month long)!

I am so excited for this milestone! I decided to kick start the celebrations with some heart shaped sugar cookies... Yum! Let me tell you, they were delish.

When we were first married, we planned to take big vacations (think beaches, cruises, and margaritas). Flash forward five years and we have no plans of toting or leaving a 9 month old behind! Don't worry, we still have something in store for us that I am cooking up! More to come on that...

A Moment to Read

I love to read! I have since before I can remember! When I was in graduate school, I interned under a licensed psychologist, who seemed to always enlighten and inspire me.

One day, in a therapy session with an 8-year old client who claimed to "hate reading" and was struggling academically the psychologist said:

"You know what not liking to read means? It means you just haven't found the right books! Once you find the books you like, you won't want to put them down and you will change your mind forever about reading."

The psychologist went on to explain she didn't like books either until she was in middle school and was introduced to the Nancy Drew series. To this day, she claims mysteries to be her favorites.

I took that message to heart that day. My story was much different than hers as I always loved to read. Any free time I have, which is very little these days, you will find my nose stuck in a book. My reading interests vary (depending on my mood) but right now I am loving books that make me laugh out loud!

I want my daughter to love reading, too. I try to read with her at least once a day!

How often do you find time to read?