Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Friday, May 30, 2014



Peach picking with Nana.  I have never seen a peach tree produce so many juicy peaches at one time!  Every time we visit we leave with giant bags, which is never a bad thing.


Awesome night time ceiling effects from our dining room light.


A morning bagel date with my boys and lots of extra insulin for me ;)  Bagels are not the best choice for a type 1 diabetic (duh) but hey at least once a year I have to have one smothered in cream cheese of course.  I mean come on.


And to follow up that bagel picture since it's all about balance...a new clean eating restaurant discovery that will make even the unhealthiest of eaters conform to a clean meal.  Everything here is incredible and even their coffee, tea and smoothie bar was unbelievable.


The cutest little homegrown strawberry that was almost too perfect to eat.

Have a wonderful weekend! This weekend Ian and I are celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary...woo hoo to that!  I can't wait to relax and enjoy some time with just the two of us.

DIY Skin Renewing Treatment

Wednesday, May 28, 2014






Dry weather, too much sun and too little moisturizing can leave your skin feeling less than amazing.  And sometimes you need a treatment that makes an instant improvement on your skin without having to spend hundreds of dollars to get high quality results.  This skin renewing treatment is not just an over sensationalized DIY with a fancy name, it truly gives you instantly renewed, hydrated baby soft skin that will blow your freaking mind.  Seriously.

The skin enhancing benefits of each ingredient:

Matcha Green Tea Powder: 
  • A powerful antioxidant (it has more antioxidants than blueberries and spinach) 
  • Stimulates dead skin cells
  • It has anti-inflammatory and healing properties
  • Fights bacteria and infections (great for those with acne) 
Baking soda:
  • A wonderful natural and gentle skin exfoliant.  Great for all skin types. See this post for more information. 
Organic coconut oil: (see more uses here and here
  • Perfect all natural skin moisturizer. 
  • Can help reduce the appearance of sun spots.
  • It's naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal 
  • Great for those with rosacea or sensitive skin. 
  • Acne and age fighting properties

What you will need:

1/4 tsp of Matcha Green Tea Powder
1 tbs of baking soda
1 tsp of organic coconut oil

Directions:
  1. Mix all of the above ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Apply to your skin with a facial mask brush or clean fingers.
  3. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Remove with a warm washcloth and water.
  5. Feel and look and your skin and be amazed :)
  6. Follow up with a moisturizer. 




I love hearing your feedback when it comes to beauty DIYs so make sure to come back and let me know what you think if you try this!



Things That Make Me Say Yeay + A Foggy Week Indeed

Friday, May 23, 2014



Another crazy part about our recent scare was that this week our backyard pool was completed.  Talk about bad timing.  When we came home from the hospital I just wanted to cover it up with dirt and make it all go away even though that is a totally unrealistic idea.  So...the first thing we did this week was get a baby safety gate installed all the way around.  Makes me feel much better about us all being outside and playing.  I feel like if you have a pool and small kids this is just so important.


Peach cobbler made with the juiciest peaches from my mom's tree.  I used hazelnut flour for the first time with this recipe and it could not have been more delicious!  I loosely based it off of my favorite Paleo cobbler recipe BUT if you do not care whatsoever about your desserts being healthy then I highly recommend this recipe.


The cutest little hot air mobile.  Some sweet baby out there needs this in their nursery.


I took the boys to a local science museum yesterday (it was cooler than it sounds ha) and they had a little segment where they did a bunch of science experiments with the kids.  This one used a mason jar filled with hot water, a block of dry ice and dish soap.  It made this fun bubbly explosion that my boys thought was the most amazing thing ever.


Peonies, which are my all time favorite pretty-ing up my nightstand.  Thank you Trader Joe's for always carrying the best flowers.

This was without a doubt a strange week.  I felt like I have been in a weird fog.  The day we came home from the hospital after Ronin's incident I thought I was okay...but it turns out I wasn't and I am still trying to deal with the wave of emotions that I feel and my fear that I have developed with my kids being around water and pools.  I also wanted to say thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart to all of you who shared the recent post with your friends and family.  You have no idea how much that means to me that YOU are helping spread awareness about Secondary Drowning and by doing that you are the one that may save a life and prevent this from happening to someone else.  So thank you again.

Secondary Drowning + My Recent Experience & Real Life Almost Nightmare

Tuesday, May 20, 2014



This video has nothing to do with this post other than the fact that I must have watched it at least a hundred times over the past weekend while we waited.  And I love how Ronin gives me the "Mom you are so over the top and it's annoying" look at the end.  

Over the weekend I experienced one of the worst things since becoming a mother.  It was a moment where once the shock set in as to what might actually happen a thousand memories, regrets...things that I wish I had done differently that day flashed through my mind.

I tend to hesitate when it comes to sharing super personal experiences on the blog since I like to keep some areas of my life private but this particular event I decided that it was best to share, even though it made me feel like the worst mom in the world.  I felt like bringing awareness to what happened may prevent something from happening like this to you.

Here is the story:

It was a pretty normal Saturday (or so I thought).  We woke up early, Ian and I made coffee and we had our weekend family tradition of scrambled eggs. We played in the backyard and then Ronin and I headed off to Target to pick up the usual necessities.  On our way home I ran over a nail and got a flat tire. Major bummer.  2 hours later we finally got the spare on.  At this point it was 2:30 in the afternoon and we were supposed to be at my niece's birthday party at 3.  Somehow I made it home in time to shower, get the kids swim trunks on and get them all sun screened up.  We made it to the party at 3:30.  It was a pool party so all the cousins were in the pool, jumping around splashing and having a great time.  All the adults were also all outside sitting around and enjoying the nice weather.  I was watching Ronin who was sitting on the big step on the spa, where he had basically stayed put since entering the pool area.

Here is where everything went all wrong... I was sitting right on the edge of the outside of the spa, just a few inches from where Ronin was playing.  I shifted my sitting position to talk to my sister-in-law.  I turned around for maybe 5 seconds tops. I turned back around to take a peek at Ronin and he was not on the step. Mom panic and fear kicked into overdrive.  I frantically scanned the spa and saw him being whirled by the jets to the other end of the spa where his little head was bobbing up and down trying desperately to get air. I pulled him out as fast as I possibly could.  The whole ordeal was  around 20 seconds from when he fell into the water until when I got him out.  Other than Ronin being visibly upset and coughing to get the water out he seemed totally fine after he had calmed down.  I am the most over the top over paranoid mom ever and I was so mad at myself that this happened literally inches away from me!  He did seem more tired than usual after it happened but I figured he was exhausted from what just occurred combined with all the heat and exercise he had had for the last few hours.  We left the party soon after.

At home Ronin just didn't seem like himself.  It could have just been chalked up to him being overly tired but I felt in my gut that it was something else.  He also started doing this weird cough that made him tense up every time he exerted the effort.  I wondered maybe he was still just trying to cough up any water from earlier.  I called my pediatrician and left her a brief message explaining what had happened and what his symptoms were at the moment.  A few minutes later (that was quick I thought as I answered the phone) she called me back.  Now Ronin's pediatrician is usually pretty calm.  And most of the time when I phone her for an "emergency" she says everything is going to be fine and gives me a list of symptoms to watch for and tells me if my kids get worse then to bring them in to be seen.  Her motto is if it's not too serious then it is better to care for my boys at home rather than bringing them to the ER where they are exposed to all kinds of sicknesses.  This time was different. She was stern and said I needed to take Ronin to the ER NOW because he could be experiencing scary after effects of his near drowning incident (secondary drowning).  You can read more about what that is here and here.  I hung up and we all rushed to the ER.  The nurses immediately brought us back.  Within moments the Dr was in.  He got my story again and in a scolding tone asked me why I didn't bring him in sooner.  I told him that right after it happened he seemed totally fine.  I told him he was breathing normal and gave no signs that he was in distress.  He did not like my answer and knowing what I do know now, I don't blame him.  They took Ronin's temp and it was 101.  So weird since he was definitely not sick that day.

The doctor ordered an immediate chest x-ray along with a whole list of blood tests.  At this point in the evening Ronin was acting limp and almost unresponsive.  Once the results were in the doctor came in with the update.  His facial expression did not look like it was going to give good news.  He said Ronin's blood work came back normal (that's good I thought!) but....the chest x-rays were not good.  He said his lungs aspirated.  Consequences of this range from no injury at all, to chemical pnuemonitis (from the chemicals in the spa), to death within minutes from asphyxiation.  He said at this point it was very serious and he needed to be ambulanced immediately down to Children's Hospital in San Diego to see a Pediatric Specialist.  He said all the arrangements were already made and the doctors and team of nurses were waiting for him.  My heart crushed into a million little pieces at that moment.  I felt like it was literally getting ripped out of my chest.  This was my fault no matter how many times people were telling me it was an accident and it could have happened to anyone.

On the ambulance ride down to Children's Hospital Ronin's oxygen levels started dropping.  I watched as the little screen in front of him went from 98% to 92% to 89% to 74%.  The team on board scrambled to attach an oxygen mask over his little face.  I panicked!  They tried to keep me calm and told me he was okay but I have never felt so helpless in my life.  When we arrived at Children's hospital a pediatric specialist along with 4 nurses were waiting for us.  They brought us to our room where there was a x-ray technician waiting.  They did another chest x-ray and more blood work.  They told me at "this point" we just had to monitor Ronin and wait.  Wait for what?! They hooked him up to all kinds of machines and we waited...all night long while Ian and I watched him sleep.  On Sunday the sweetest doctor came in and talked to us.  She told me that this freak accident caused by the aftermath of a near drowning incident happens more than I might think.  She said we did the right thing of bringing Ronin in and that many times it goes terribly wrong (such as parents putting their kids down to sleep and then they never wake up again) because parents think that there kids are fine if they start breathing normally again after a near drowning event.  She also told us that there were 2 other little boys on the same floor as Ronin who were also there for the same exact thing!

She said she was very pleased because the latest x-ray had shown that the water trapped in his lungs was beginning to clear significantly.  The not so good news was that he had chemical pneumonitis due to the chemicals from the spa getting trapped in his lungs.  His lungs were irritated and inflamed but she told us that things were looking better despite the diagnosis.  At this point she said the staff will monitor him a little longer making sure a fever or other lung complications do not arise.

Ronin woke up around 10am on Sunday.  What I mean is for the first time since the incident he woke up beyond pissed off that he had all these little tubes on him, an IV in his arm and a heart beat monitor wrapped tightly around his big toe.  I have never in my life been more happy to see such a grouchy little man!  He was back and acting like his normal Ronin self.  The nurses came in because they heard him making such a commotion.  This was a great sign.

Later that day we got the news that Ronin was officially in the clear and was able to get discharged and go home. Praise God.

I am forever changed since this happened.  I will not let this define me but you can guarantee that I will be doing things much differently from here on out.  It was a huge wakeup call.  And it really taught me that yes...in just a few seconds your life can change forever.  I got a too close taste of what that really can be like.

Before Saturday I had never heard of secondary drowning.  If I had heard of it before I would have done things differently.  I would have brought him in the moment I noticed a change in his behavior even if it was just me being over paranoid or thinking he was just exhausted from the days activities.

What you need to know:

Secondary drowning can be difficult to recognize since the victim appears to be ok right after a near-drowning event.  Your child may breathe in a very small amount of water and seem like they have successfully expelled it through coughing.  In secondary drowning the water may fill up some of the oxygen rich pores of the lungs, which reduces the ability to oxygenate blood as it passes through.   The heart does not slow down significantly with this process but rather very very slowly so your child will still be able to talk and walk.  The only symptoms may be a sudden change in personality or level of awareness (just like Ronin experienced) as the blood oxygen level drops over time.

So if your child has experienced a near drowning experience (it can happen in as little water as a puddle or in the bathtub) watch for a sudden change of personality or energy level.  You can save your child's life if you act quickly and get them medical treatment immediately.

I hope this brings awareness to all who read this.  I am so thankful that Ronin is okay and that I decided to not put him to bed that night thinking everything was fine.  I have said many many thank you prayers over the past few days for that.  I want to make sure this never happens to another child so pass this on and please share with those who you think might need to know.

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Friday, May 16, 2014



Routine morning snuggles with my two favorite little people.


My sweet neighbor brought over these beautiful flowers from her garden along with chocolate chip cookies.  She also occasionally brings over solo beers and glasses of wine, which I must say is pretty awesome too :)  I mean...as far as neighbors are concerned you can't get any better.  We really lucked out considering we didn't even know our previous neighbors first names until the day we moved out of our last home.  True story!


Backyard lounging with Max and surprisingly delicious beet, lime and strawberry juice popsicles.


Project Life, which has become my latest obsession.  Have you heard of this yet?  It's makes documenting life easy and fun.  No scissors, glue and all the other little do-dahs that you need with regular scrapbooking (which I am not a fan of).  This takes all of the hard work out with ready to go slots for pictures and cute little already made inserts which you can write on to record special memories.  I dig it.


A fun flea market find that was recently hung in Max's room.  I felt like it was only necessary to introduce him to the band that is now displayed on his wall and he now requests "Yellow Submarine" every time we get in the car :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins (Paleo)

Tuesday, May 13, 2014









The weather lately has been fan-freakin-tastic and all I have felt like doing is soaking it up.  I usually do all the grocery shopping on the weekends and since that can get quite monotonous I have been breaking up the routine with making more trips to the outdoor farmers market, where I have been getting our fruits and veggies for the week.  I picked up these strawberries over the weekend and we have been snacking on them like candy.  Since strawberry flavored anything is my jam I knew these  would taste delicious inside of a baked treat.  The texture and taste of these muffins reminded me of a cake (a shortcake) and my whole family inhaled them like it was the last sweet thing they might ever eat again...pretty typical of them.

What you will need:
  • 2 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour 
  • 1/2 tsp of baking soda
  • 1/2 cup of honey
  • 1/4 cup of coconut oil (melted)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon 
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup of diced strawberries 
Directions: 
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  2. Mix together the dry ingredients and then add in the wet ingredients.  Mix well  until everything is completely blended together. 
  3. Place baking cups into muffin tray. Scoop enough muffin batter to fill each muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full.  Add a few more diced strawberries on top if you wish. 
  4. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  5. Enjoy! 
A few tips: 
  • These are more moist compared to other muffins made with almond flour but that is normal.  
  • If you overfill your muffin tins with batter (I did on a few) your muffins will sink in the middle.  So it is best to under fill rather than overfill with this recipe. 





These are moist, light and remind me exactly of a delicious strawberry shortcake (in muffin form).  Please come back and let me know if you make these!

Recipe makes 12 muffins and each muffin contains approx 12 grams of effective carbohydrate.



Mother's Day Snippets

Monday, May 12, 2014







Mother's Day this year was low key and pretty much perfect...and yes I'm even including the parts where Ronin threw tantrums about sand getting in his sandals (it's the beach buddy it's gonna happen) and getting chocolate on his shirt.  But in all honesty Mother's Day would not be the same without a cute little pouty Ronin and an over the top beyond sweet and talkative Max.  They balance each other out perfectly and I feel so blessed to call them mine.  We spent the day at Del Mar Beach, where we enjoyed Bloody Mary's (well I did at least), sand crab catching, shell finding and chocolate candy sampling.  I hope all you mommas out there were spoiled and had the best day as well.

And the most comfortable dress ever that I am wearing above can be found here.

Things That Make Me Say Yeay

Friday, May 9, 2014


Our new headboard, which adds the perfect pop of color in our master bedroom.  My Aunt (everyone needs an aunt like her) is the queen of finding old treasures and making them new again.  She found this old wooden headboard at a thrift shop, sanded it down, stained it and added the blue velvet tufting.  I could not love it any more!  You can check out her blog here.


A chandelier made out of bear honey bottles.  How awesome right?!  I had a girls night last week with my sister-in-laws and this was hanging at the entrance of a really fun pub. 


Releasing 1,500 lady bugs into our garden for good luck and to ward off all the bad bugs.  I mean...that is A LOT of lady bugs haha.  I had no idea that you could buy lady bugs but it turns out you totally can. You can also purchase praying mantis but no thanks to that.  We purchased the lady bugs at a local nursery for $10, which I thought was well worth it for the hours of fun it created for the boys. 


A perfectly sliced and ripe avocado.  I don't know why this makes me so happy but it does.


A flash back of Mother's Day last year.  I plan on hanging out with my boys and having Bloody Mary's again this year as well :) 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and to all the mommas out there enjoy your Mother's Day! xo

Swimming Challenges With a Toddler + Advice Welcomed :)

Thursday, May 8, 2014


Ever since I can remember Max has been terrified (bold was necessary) of swimming.  As a parent I feel like swimming is one of those things that my kids need to learn whether they like it or not. It's not like baseball where if you put them in and they absolutely don't want to play you can take them out and try to find something they might like better.  Knowing how to swim can save your life so it's very important as a mother my boys know how to do it.  Last year I put Max in private swimming lessons at a local place by our house.  He hated it.  The poor kid would get crazy anxiety every time Thursday, which is swim lesson day rolled around.  I figured as time went on he would get more comfortable in the water and begin to get the hang of it.  He did start to learn to float (as you can see in the picture above) but soon after I took that it was almost like he went backwards in his learning and starting getting more and more afraid of the water.  Well, almost a year later (yes a whole year and a lot of money spent on swim lessons) he still is not swimming...not even close and he will be four in a couple months.  I figured by now he would be like freakin Michael Phelps...okay well not really but I did think he would at least be comfortable in the water.  In fact whenever either Ian or I get in the water with in anywhere he clings on for dear life and completely freaks out.   I do not like to just give up on things but I decided maybe the method they were going with at his swimming school was just not for him (obviously) so I pulled him out. 

With summer quickly approaching and pools every where we go I want to get Max swim safe!

I would love to hear from other moms how and when your kids starting swimming.  Any advice is appreciated! 

5 Unique Health and Beauty Benefits of Green Clay

Tuesday, May 6, 2014



Green clay (also known as natural bentonite clay) is the best!  It is wonderful when used as part of your beauty regime, I swear by it. But did you know it also has quite a few other uses that are just as awesome?  Today i am going to share some of the wonderful other uses that you may or may not know about.

5 Health and Beauty Uses of Green Clay:

1. Enjoy a detoxifying green clay bath.  Clay baths pull toxins out through your pores and soften your skin. Add a few large scoops into your bath and sit back and relax.

2. Help reduce and clear existing acne breakouts with a skin clearing mask.  Read all about that here.

3. Use it on bug bites.  Mix a small about of clay with water until you have a paste.  Apply it directly onto the bite to help reduce swelling and to draw out infection.

4. Use it for eczema and psoriasis.  Mix a paste like above and apply directly to irritated areas.  The clay helps with itching and calms down the skin.

5. Use it as a foot mask for dry callused feet.  Add 1/2 cup of clay mixed with warm water into a container that will fit both of your feet.  Let your feet soak for up to 30 minutes. Repeat this a few times a week until the skin starts to rub off naturally.

You can find green clay at your local health food store in bulk and online here.

And there you go! If you have any other uses for green clay I would love to hear in the comment section.

See also:
The health & beauty benefits of coconut oil (uncommon uses)
5 beauty benefits of witch hazel



Things That Make Me Say Yeay + A Mother's Day Giveaway!

Friday, May 2, 2014




Current favorite earrings and bracelet c/o Danique Jewelry.  Everything is this shop is just beautiful and the quality is excellent!  She also has an Etsy shop that is just as awesome.  Irina, the shop owner and designer is offering one lucky Delighted Momma reader any one item from her shop.  Whether it is for you or someone special it will be shipped out just in time for Mother's Day!

To enter the giveaway visit Danique Jewelry and take a look around.  Come back and leave a comment saying which item you would like to win along with your e-mail address.  I will be contacting the winner by e-mail tomorrow.  If you do not want to wait to see if you won you can use the code DELIGHTEDMOMMA10 at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase.  Good luck!


An incredible backyard sunset from this week.


The cutest housewarming gift from my sister-in-law.  It came with a card that read, "Bread so that your house may never know hunger.  Salt so that life may always have flavor.  Wine so that joy and prosperity may reign forever!" I thought this was so thoughtful and such a great idea.


Recently installed master bedroom lighting thanks to my handy husband! Also...we only got in two small fights during the installation so that's good haha!  Seriously though are we the only ones who fight EVERY single time something is either getting installed or put together?!


Coconut wraps.  These are amazing and low carb.  I have been making veggie wraps with them and they are so tasty!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...