A Valentine Gift for Active Mamas: ibitz Unity

Tomorrow is my first 5K.  I am nervous!  I have been working on improving my body strength, stamina and health for the last several months - still, I wonder how this will go.  One thing that I have been really fond of is my pedometer.  I use a GeoPalz Pedometer (yes, I know they are made for kids - but I think they're cute and I like it that I can track my steps online).

I know I am not the only mam that is working on improving health and likes to track movement.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that GeoPalz was developing a new fitness tracker: ibitz.  I love the colors, I think red or pink or purple would be excellent for a Valentine gift (purple is my personal favorite).

This is what the company says about the ibitz Unity for Parents:

"The ibitz Unity for parents allows users to monitor family health wirelessly, all in one place. The adult app tracks steps, distance, weight, height, overall physical activity and body mass index (BMI) for the entire family. Unity users can also create groups outside of the family, such as a running group, for extra motivation
and streamline progress reporting. The app allows users to sync with other wireless devices including select scales, heart rate monitors and other social fitness apps."


I love it that I could use it with a group as a way to help support and encourage each other!  I also love it that it's a fitness tracker, not just a pedometer.  The ibitz Unity is currently available at Indiegogo and at ibitz.com for just $49.99, that is remarkably less than many of the other fitness trackers on the market right now!

Consider making ibitz a part of your Valentine gift to a favorite mama this month!

** This is not a sponsored post.**

Our New Pet-venture

Okay, it's true.  I have a weak spot... for animals... and for my boys... and for well, okay I don't want to fill you in on ALL of my weak spots, you might call me with an offer I can't pass up!

Last week I got a text message from my mother in law asking if we would like 2 hamsters.  You might not know this, but I had hamsters as a child, I was fascinated of them - and terribly afraid that they would bite me.  I like them, but didn't REALLY want to touch them.  Yep, I'm kind of funny like that.

So, I said "Sure".  And that was the end of it.  Last night, our new pets: Peanut and Rhino came to our house.  Now, Peanut and Rhino are the names these boys came with.  We could not leave them like that.  Our boys quickly found much more um.. suitable names.  Manasseh wanted to name them "Nasa and Cash" after him and his brother.  Cassius wanted to name one "Chicken".

So here I will introduce to you Nasa and Chicken.  Nasa is slightly larger than Chicken.  The curious (hungry) cat?  That's Farlow.

Creating Calm: The Problem

I am an active mama with 3 active boys ages 1, 3, and 4.  They run laps around me some days.  They wear themselves out.  Unfortunately, my 3 and 4 year olds have a very hard time when it comes to relaxing.  They want to go, go, go.  When they start to feel themselves get tired, they push harder, bounce more, cry more, climb more... you get the picture?  We have been working with both of them for what seems like ages on how to better relax when it is time for resting.  We have been working on creating calm in our house with little boys.  Some days it feels like we are only taking baby steps, other days are smooth and easy, the boys calm themselves with no difficulty.  We are making progress!

Over the next several weeks I will be sharing about our transition to tranquility.  I will be sharing bits and pieces of how we have been "Creating Calm" in our home.  I would love for you to share your ideas about how to create calm with preschoolers in the home.

Watch for the Tranquil Tuesday link up starting next week.  Plan to share your thoughts or blog posts about how you have quiet space.

What hindrances do you have to calmness in your life?

Diastasis Recti and Me #Mamavation

Baby #3 and my post-baby body

Diastasis.  I feel like I have seen this word all over the place in the last couple of weeks.  Maybe it's a new trend, maybe I'm just learning more about myself and my body.  Regardless, I had to spend some time this last week reading about it.

What is it?  It is a condition in which the abdominal muscles separate, left to right, allowing belly fat to protrude from between the muscles and distorting the shape of the belly.  This seems to most commonly happen to women who have had babies.  Many times the muscles repair themselves, but not always.

How do you know you have it?  From my reading, I've found that you lay on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor, fingers from one hand on your belly button - and do a partial sit up.  If you feel a gap between your muscles (some say 2.5 fingers wide or more), you most likely suffer from diastasis.

What do you do about diastasis?  There are a number of websites suggesting a variety of exercises.  Several of these sites warn that if you do them wrong you are likely to teach the muscles bad form and not help yourself in the end.  That is not so encouraging to me.  Some websites suggest a wrap.  There are a variety of conflicting views about the best way to fix diastasis.  The important thing is: it can be fixed.

Diastasis, or just belly fat?

What does this have to do with me?  Well - I've had 3 babies, 4 pregnancies, and I have to admit - my belly is kind of "bulgy" and roundish.  It does not look like it did 5 years ago.  So, I had to check it out, to see if I might have problems with diastasis.  Great news: I appear to have nicely put together abs!  The bad news is, I need to work on toning those muscles.

Why am I sharing? I had not heard of this problem until a couple of weeks ago.  I'm certain there are others who are new to the topic and may benefit from learning a little bit about it.  I don't want to try and hash out all of the information available here.  Search Google, or Pinterest for "diastasis".  You will be amazed what you find!

Have you struggled with belly fat?  What is your best tip to reduce ab flab?

Happy Birds, Sad Squirrels #PerkyPets

We love nature.  It is so rewarding to watch my boys get excited about nature.  Would you believe that they still get excited every time we get a new bird feeder?  They like to help fill them and peek over the back of the couch to watch the birds that visit.  Manasseh even got binoculars for Christmas that will help him watch birds when we spend time together in the woods!

Our newest friend to birds

Last week we got the "Squirrel Slammer Wild Bird Feeder" from Perky Pets!  It has a 3.5 pound capacity for bird seed!  I love the size because it means I don't have to refill it every week in the winter.  I also love that it makes the birds happy and the squirrels sad.  Don't get me wrong, I like squirrels too - but it's kind of annoying when they steal our bird seed.

See the plastic shield?  I am beginning to put pressure on the seed area to close the ports here.

This feeder has a plastic shield above the ports that keeps rainwater out while allowing birds plenty of space for perching while they grab a bite.

The buffet is closed, sad squirrels!

When a larger animal tries to take seeds, they pull a shield over the feeding ports, disabling them from reaching fresh seeds.  I love the simplicity of the design!

Visit Perky Pets and tell me your favorite feeder!

Around the house

Preschoolers are inherently funny.  I want to share a moment a few things that we have heard around the house this week:

* "This tastes like throw up.... I kind of like it."
* "The stairs are net letting me go up"
* "My bed is not letting me stay on it".
* "Is your mama dead?  Then buy a new mama now."
* "I'm going to pee in this cup!"..... "Can I drink it?" (EWWW)
* "When the robot did eat my mom, then God gave me a new one." (Good to know I'm replaceable).  
* "I've got a longer story about when I was a kid that will take us much more time to talk about it."
*"When I was a kid, I used to have Veggie Tales at my house." (you're 3, buddy)
* "Your belly is big because you have a baby in it."  (um... nope - just big.)




J: Did you spit on the cake? (after blowing out candles on a birthday cake).
C Promptly spits on cake.

J: Do you want a hamster?
M: No, you can't cook a hamster.
(WHAT?)

the Booby trap

Are you a nursing mama?  Are you considering nursing the next time you have a baby?  My friend Trisha is starting a fantastic series about Breastfeeding.  Check it out all month long!  Make sure to stop by Intoxicated on Life blog and leave some feedback on the posts she shares!