7 Weeks!!

How far along: 7 weeks as of August 2, 2015!

Total weight gain/loss: 115.00 same as before.

Maternity clothes: Just wearing dresses or workout clothes.  

Sleep: So tired... I am literally falling asleep typing this and its 9:30 in the morning. My dreams are so freaking crazy sometimes! This week I had a dream about a snake biting our dog in the desert, giving birth while trying to walk to the hospital (like full on details people! It was a boy!), and last but not least I was Peter Pan.. Sometimes these dreams are fun to wake up to but vivid dreams also mean vivid nightmares. Terrifying people. 

Best moment this week: This was a really, really hard week for me. But i'd have to say the best moment was finally feeling better and able to get out of bed and eat food like a normal person.

Food cravings: Nothing really. Everything sounds gross. 

Food aversions: Candy, anything sugar and sweet.

Gender: I had another dream last night that it was a boy. So I really have no idea at this point! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: I am sooooooo sick. Literally been in the bathroom or bed 24/7. Some days I don't even want to move it's so bad! I finally went to the doctors on friday and they gave me some medicine to help and it has been helping a ton but it makes me super sleepy! 

What I miss: Not feeling sick every minute of every day. 

What I am looking forward to: First appointment and feeling better! 

Milestones: Only one more week until our appointment!  

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 7 weeks along: Just give in and puke whenever you want. It's okay. 

Why I Chose to go Organic

I know what many of you are thinking... "Oh boy! Here goes another one!"

I know this because I was one of you. I was the one always criticizing those who chose to go organic saying things like, 

"You are spending extra money for nothing!"

"We've been eating this food all our lives and we turned out just fine!"

The truth is I watched a show(s) that changed how I see food entirely.

The earth is full of so much variety when it comes to food, and that food is full of rich vitamins and minerals our body needs to stay healthy and strong. So the thing that's hard for me to understand when it comes to our food these days is why are we completely changing how food is made? 

In the show(s) I watched it shows and explains just how the food companies these days work. They work with only one thing on their minds... money. They don't care about the farmers, the food or us. They only see the dollar signs. And that just didn't seem okay to me. 

We should know exactly what we are eating and exactly where it is coming from. I don't need a genetically modified chicken, or the poor cow that spent its entire life at a factory waiting to be killed for me to have that dollar cheese burger. They deserve more than that and so do I!

So organic is the way I went. 

I feel so much better knowing that my family is getting healthy, REAL, natural food. And my body is feeling the benefits as well. I have more energy when I make food from scratch and not a box. I have a better mood when I eat organic and I feel happy knowing that my body is getting what it needs. 

For those of you who think organic is too expensive, it really isn't. You will maybe be spending $2-$5 more for the same items you already purchase. In the long run your body will thank you for spending a little more for giving it a lot more.

If I had to give a few tips for those looking to change their lifestyle habits when it comes to food this would be it:

1. If it comes from a box, don't eat it. Rarely does it have any nutritional value for you.

2. Check how much sugar is in the daily items you eat. You'll be surprised. Many things you "think" are healthy really aren't. That "low fat" or "0 calorie" item you picked up really isn't that great for you. They usually replace the fat or calories with sugar making your liver work overtime to produce more insulin. And when insulin is being produced in large amounts it gets stored as fat. Quick fact: everything on a food label shows the daily value next to it besides sugar. Seems those food companies are being a little sneaky.

This is a food label for yogurt. Lots of sugar for something you'd think would be healthy for you. 

Make sure you know the difference between added sugar and natural sugar. (Fresh fruits our natural sugar.) 

"According to data from the U.S. in 2008, people are consuming over 60 pounds (28 kg) of added sugar per year and this does not include fruit juices. In 2008 the average intake was 76.7 grams per day, which equals 19 teaspoons or 306 calories."

Recommended daily sugar intake:

• Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
• Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-sugar-per-day/

3. Soda is the devil. I do not drink soda. I haven't since middle school. Of course I’ll have a little sparkling cider here and there but I do not drink anything with carbonation on a day to day basis. It is SOOO bad for you people! I know it tastes so yummy and can even become addictive at times but get rid of it! Once you stop drinking it for a while you do not crave it and when you do have it, it does not taste the same. (When I have soda it literally burns, and I can feel it burn all the way down into my stomach!) My favorite saying of all time, "Soda makes you slow." (For all you athletes)

4. Not all calories are created equal. 60 calories in a soda is NOT the same as 60 calories in almonds. Soda will give you a fast sugar high followed by a crash of lost energy. Almonds will process in your body different giving you gradual energy throughout the day.

5. Water is everything. Don't forget to drink your 8 glasses a day. It changes everything!

Sorry this might be a long and boring post for many of you but I hope you decide to make a change for the better in your life. You WILL feel the difference I promise!

Here is a link to the show that changed my outlook on food:

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

Thank you for stopping by and be on the lookout for more posts later this week.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards

TOS

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

I just wanted to give a quick update on what’s going on with Zacky.

Friday January 30, 2015 Zack went in for his appointment with a vein specialist. After his appointment they let him know that he has TOS also known as thoracic outlet syndrome. TOS is a rare condition that involves pain in the neck and shoulder, numbness and tingling of the fingers, and a weak grip. The thoracic outlet is the area between the rib cage and collar bone. The blood clot is located in the subclavian vein, located between the first rib and collar bone. They believe Zack's rib and collar bone are too close together so when he lifts his arm above his head it cuts off the circulation and creates a clot. They told him that they needed to remove the clot first and then go in later to remove his first rib.

They told him that they'd like to start the process of getting rid of the blood clot the next day.

Zack went in for surgery on Saturday January 31, 2015. The surgery he went in for was to receive TPA also known as Tissue plasminogen activator. "TPA is a protein involved in the breakdown of blood clots. It is a serine protease found on endothelial cells, the cells that line the blood vessels."

They inserted this medicine through a catheter in his arm for a little over 24 hours. After the surgery he was placed in the ICU due to how "toxic" this medicine is. TPA thins the blood so if he had any other issues he would essentially bleed out.

Not having much time to process everything was a bit scary. We didn’t know much about what he had or what was about to happen. Everything kind of happened so fast it was hard to get all my emotions together.

Zack has never had any surgery before so when we arrived at the hospital you could tell he was really nervous. This made me even MORE nervous because he is not the nervous type. He is very calm about situations so when he started rambling about the water fountain outside and asking if the water was hot I knew he was trying to get his mind off of everything. It pretty much broke my heart.

We got to the hospital and settled in to the room where Zack was prepped for surgery. We took a couple pics and as you can tell he wasn’t too thrilled.

They wheeled him down to the surgery room and we sat in the hall and waited for them to take him into the operating room.

After he was wheeled away I went a got some lunch and cried on the inside for what felt like hours, until we were finally able to go into the ICU and sit with him. He was pretty happy with all the drugs he was on (even though it doesn't look like it.) Ha.

All he wanted was to eat.

I stayed in the room with him the entire time unless I needed to use the restroom or eat some food. I hated seeing him in pain. They had to come in and draw blood every 6 hours and he did not like that at all. They also came in every 2 hours to check his pulse and make sure everything was okay.

At around 3:00 am I went home, showered and came back. I slept I think a total of 3 hours that night. The ICU does not have beds for anyone else but the patient so let’s just say I was trying to sleep on a metal chair that did not move in any way! So sleeping wasn't much of an option for me.

The next afternoon Zack went back in to surgery to make sure the blood clot had dissolved and to get the catheter removed. He came back from that surgery VERY drugged and sleepy. He slept for most of the day.

Later that night the doctor came in and said we would be able to go home if Zack was able to walk around for a minute. So of course being my cute husband he got right up, sick as can be and walked around.

As soon as we got back to the room he felt so nauseous and had the worst headache so he slept for another hour until we finally decided the best thing to do would be go home and sleep it off.

Let me just say when we got home, it was so heartbreaking to see my cute hubby crying because of the pain. I got teary eyed seeing him in so much pain and not be able to do anything to take it away.

We've been going through the motions over in our house. It’s been a very stressful time for me and I can’t thank you all enough for the kind words and prayers.

The next doctor’s appointment is on February 20th. That appointment will most likely schedule him for his next surgery for TOS where they remove his first rib.

I will keep you updated and let you know what the doctor says.

Keep us in your prayers please.

Thank you.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards

Peace Out "Social Media"

Okay seriously people. I read this article today and it really changed my outlook on "Social Media" and how things really are in the time we live in. This article explains how social media is ruining relationships and I cannot even begin to explain how true it is.

Do you remember being a little kid? What were your summer days like? Heck, what did you do every day after school?

You played OUTSIDE! Ya know, this magical mysterious place where the world is your playground and your imagination made anything possible. Even when it was freezing outside we'd be playing in the snow for hours. That’s just what you did. We didn’t have "cell phones" or "I-pads."

It’s so sad to see kids these days go DAYS without even playing outside. Being so advanced and being able to have a mini computer in our pockets is so amazing but its destroying so many of us.

In this article is explains how social media is distracting us from the relationships with those around us and I found myself guilty of distracting myself from the relationships around me. My husband, my family, my dog! I find myself spending more time on my phone then with the people around me. The simple moments of eating dinner with Zack or watching our favorite show, I find MYSELF getting out my phone and giving my attention elsewhere. I am not doing harm to those relationships but I am not giving it my full attention when I should be.

We do not know when people will disappear from our lives. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so this month I am challenging myself (and those around me) to put your electronics away. Give more attention to those around us, our loved ones. Whatever it is, it can wait. Wake up each morning, roll over and tell your spouse you love them. Don't get on Facebook or Instagram. Wake up and tell a family member how grateful you are for them. Don't update your Twitter feed. Take more adventures, go spend time outside (it still exists, crazy I know). I want the little moments to be more meaningful and my phone is keeping me from that. I will save social media for my alone time. People deserve my full attention and I deserve theirs. So Peace Out Social Media, I'd like to spend more time with my fam bam.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards 

30 Day Workout Challenge-The Start

Good afternoon everyone! I just want to start off this blog by saying THANK YOU!! Thank you to everyone who spends a little time out of their day to check out my blog. It means the world to me and I never expected to have as many views as I do. I appreciate it so much!!

Well getting back to what this post is about, my personal 30 day workout challenge. I asked on good old FB if anyone would want to see a 30 workout challenge and I had some positive feedback so here it is! I wanted to do this for myself. I love seeing everyone so hyped about getting in shape and being toned and I thought heck, I want to see my body in the best possible shape it can be but I just needed a little extra help. So I thought, what better way than to post on my blog and be accountable for getting in shape.

My main goal is to tone up my body and gain some of the muscle I lost after not playing soccer, back. I want to see my body in the best possible shape it can be so I am giving myself 30 days to get it done. I will transform my eating habits; spend that extra hour making a healthy meal and workout. I do not own a gym pass so everything I do will be done in the inside of my home or the good old outdoors. (:

Each week I will post an update picture, my weekly meals and give you an insight into my workout plan. Let me know if you'd like me to add anything else!

So here is the beginning of my journey. Week 1:

Here is my body as of week 1.
My journey begins on Monday September 22, 2014. Lets do this!!
My goals for the upcoming week include:
1. Focus on my arms
2. Prepare & pack lunches for work
3. Workout at LEAST 4 days
Thank you all for checking in! Look out for my everyday hair later this week!
Love Always,
The Crazy Collards