Category: Family

Everyone is looking for ways to boost their immune systems lately and there is a lot of talk about how probiotics and gut health are important factors in supporting our immunity. Lots of people will blindly take probiotics but often don’t know how to tell that they are working. Unlike taking an ibuprofen for a headache and knowing it’s working because that headache stops, there really aren’t obvious signs that your probiotics are working.

Disclosure: This is a commissioned blog post in partnership with Seed. Any purchase of their product will result in a commission paid to me at no cost to you! All experiences and opinions are my own. 

What are probiotics? 

Probiotics are “good” bacteria and yeast that live in your digestives system. They can come in a variety of different ways – in food, pills, chewable, dissolvable, powders. They can also be called a variety of different things: prebiotics, probiotics, active cultures, symbiotic bacteria…it all gets a little confusing and VERY overwhelming. 

What are the benefits of probiotics? 

Probiotics can help you in a variety of ways, mostly in your digestive system. But don’t be fooled into thinking that it just helps if you have digestive issues, your gut health plays a part in so many other functions of your body. If you digestive system can’t process all the good food that you are eating to feed your body, then other things can suffer like your immune system or your skin. 

Why is it important to know if your probiotics are working? 

It’s important to know if your probiotics are working properly for a couple of different reasons. First of all, you’re making an investment in something, it would be nice to know if it’s working. Second, our bodies are all different so finding the probiotic that works best with your body is important. Taking a probiotic is different than taking an Advil for a headache, it’s hard to tell if they are working but there are a few ways that you can be sure you’ve found the right one. 

5 Signs your probiotics are working

1. Poop! 
2. Less bloating
3. Improved skin
4. Better immune system
5. More energy

Why I like Seed Products

I’ve used a handful of different probiotics from ones at Target to super fancy ones from specialty stores. I keep coming back to the Seed product and here is why: 

1. They have a complex scientific composition of their probiotic/synbiotic that benefits my entire system from digestion to the skin to heart to immunity. 
2. They are plant-based. I can feel good about taking this pill each day and know that I’m putting good things into my body. Not only that, but they are also very earth-friendly in their packaging. 
3. No refrigeration. When I have supplements that I need to keep cold, I forget about them. I can keep the glass Seed container right next to my coffee cups so that I remember to take it each morning on an empty stomach. 

Why the Daily Synbiotic from Seed? 

Probiotics can be an important part of your morning routine, building a strong digestive system, and supporting your overall health. Knowing what to look for to know if your daily probiotic is effective makes choosing your probiotic even easier. Seed makes sure that you are doing that with a product that is plant-based and scientifically formulated so that you get the most out of your daily synbiotic. 

Special Offer from Seed

Want to try Seed? Click here to preorder your supply for just $49.99/month. Use the code NUGGETLANDS for 15% off your first month supply.

I had my first mammogram. It didn’t hurt. It was fast. It was negative. It was necessary.

I’ve known that I was due for a mammogram. I was actually overdue but since I had my second child at 40 and was breastfeeding for a year, I never scheduled it. Fast forward another year and I finally got around to making that appointment.

I had a lot of mixed emotions about it. I told myself it was no big deal. That it’s routine and needed for early detection – especially given that I don’t know 100% of my family medical history since I was adopted.

All of those things are rational thoughts. The part of me that was avoiding it was that little voice in my head that usually triggers my anxiety or a panic attack around my own mortality. My brain starts to run through all the bad things that could happen. At one point on the day before my mammogram, that voice made me remember a moment cause this could be the last “normal” day I had with my girls. The what-if’s started to creep in and I had to work really hard to push those thoughts out of my brain. Those are the thoughts that I was trying to avoid by avoiding a mammogram when really I just need to face them head-on and rationally tell that voice that my health is important.

I’ve witnessed so many people deal with breast cancer on various levels. People who are currently fighting it, people who have won their battle and some who have lost, and people who have taken steps to prevent it when their risk levels were high. You can read about my friend Christy’s double mastectomy – it’s brave and it’s eye-opening for people with a family history of breast cancer.

The bottom line is that I just needed to put my big girl panties on and make the damn appointment.

3 Things to know before you go

1. Contact your insurance first. Know what they cover and don’t cover as well as where you are able to get your mammogram done.
2. Plan to schedule it in advance. When I called to make my appointment, the earliest available was 3 months out. Three months for me to overthink about all the what-if’s but I took the appointment and didn’t think about it until a week prior.
3. Don’t wear deodorant or antiperspirant.

What the mammogram is like

I got to my appointment early and ended up waiting for quite some time in the waiting room – which wasn’t exactly great for my anxiety. They finally called me back and had me disrobe just my shirt and bra. Thankful that I didn’t wear a dress and could keep my pants on.

The radiologist who performed my exam was very open and explained the entire process to me. The machine that was used in my mammography was a 3D imaging machine. She positioned my breast in the machine and told me to hold still and to hold my breath while the machine rotated 180 degrees to make the images.

That was it.

The hardest part of the exam was holding my breath.

And waiting. The radiologist told me that my Dr would review the images and message me. I would also receive a printed copy of my results. Thankfully, I received the all-clear from my OB/GYN the next morning.

This once a year appointment can save my life and I’ve pledged to myself, and my daughters, that I’m never going to put it off again.

Here is what I learned about potty training the second time around.

There are a lot of things that you think you know when you have your second child. You have some idea of what labor, delivery, and recovery will be like. You know about all the things that no one talks about – I’m looking at you hemorrhoids. You’ve been through teething and introducing foods. All those big milestones the first few years happen so quickly and if you’re anything like me you’re thinking this whole raising kids thing is not so bad.

Then it begins. Your toddler starts showing signs. Probably with a fascination with the toilet. Or the annoyance with the diaper and an overwhelming need for your toddler to be naked. Watching their older, independent, sibling use the toilet freely certainly is fuel to this burning desire to want to use the toilet themselves.

Potty Training, no problem right? I’ve done this before, how hard can it be to get this other tiny person to use the potty…correctly? Piece of cake.

That’s when my motherhood reality check hit me smack dab in the face. Here are my potty training takeaways this second time around.

There Is No Potty Training Blueprint

Just because it’s your second time doing this does, by no means, mean that you know what you are doing. There is no one size fits all way to potty train a child. My two daughters couldn’t be more different both in physical stature and in their personalities. What worked for my oldest does not work for my youngest so why then would I think potty training would be any different?

I went into potty training having SOME idea of what worked but that easy peasy 3 days of nakedness at home and they come out of it potty trained did NOT happen here. Sure we cleared our schedule one weekend and stayed home and did the thing but at the end of the three days, she was still wearing a diaper at night and during naps and ya know what…I’m totally ok with that and so is she.

Don’t Rush It

This was something I learned the first time around – listen to your child, they will show you when they are ready to make this leap. My oldest had urinary reflux when she was a toddler and we had a few visits with an amazing Pediatric Urologist. Her biggest advice to us was to not rush potty training. Too many parents are in such a rush to get their kid out of diapers for one reason or the next when really they are better off staying in them until THEY are ready, not you. Don’t worry, they aren’t going to go to Kindergarten in diapers, it will happen and it will happen much easier if you go on their schedule.

We waited until Big Nugget was almost 3 until we potty trained her so I thought we had PLENTY of time until we had to do this with Little Nugget. She, like always, had other plans. Around the time she turned two she started to really dislike her diaper and would take it off whenever she had a chance. So we went with it and by the time she was 26 months, she was daytime potty trained.

Make It a Family Affair

Little Nugget things the earth revolves around her big sister. Anything she does, Little wants to do twice as badly. I used that to our advantage when we were potty training. Getting big sister involved not only helped the little one, but I could see Big Nugget’s confidence and pride grow each time she helped out.

That also means that if you are going to reward your toddler for going pee in the potty, that you have extra. When I was handing out marshmallows for a successful pee in the potty, there were four hands waiting for their handout, not just two. And that is totally ok. Fostering the sense of accomplishment not just for your own achievements but for others as well is a great lesson to learn as an older sibling.

We also utilized our reward jar a lot during this time. The girls loved earning rocks by just going to the bathroom.

Potty Training Stinks

Both literally and figuratively. One thing that hasn’t changed is that you have to bring your A game with your patience. There is no relaxing on the couch when you have a minute or two. No focusing on other tasks at hand when the naked one is on the loose. You’re always on. Always waiting for the next “I gotta pee” scream and sprint to the toilet.

When the accidents happen, cause they will, then you have to put your own frustrations aside and be as supportive and reassuring as possible. This is a big undertaking for that little person and it’s just as easy for them to get frustrated and discouraged. Patience and persistence will eventually pay off, I promise.

Want to see all of my must-have products for potty training? Check out my Amazon Store list called….potty training.