never say never...

Never say never unless you want to eat your words.

When I was pregnant, my sister Lauren, the experienced mother of two, went with me to register for the baby necessities at Babies R Us. There were many things that went on the registry that I had no idea I would be using so regularly once baby girl arrived. To be honest, I got only half way up the aisles before handing the registry gun over to Lauren and asking her to just do it! I was overwhelmed by the amount of decisions and products needed for one little bundle of joy! There was one product in particular though that I refused to let her zap with the gun. I said, "Lauren! There is no way I will EVER do that! That is disgusting!"

And then.... Evangeline got her first real deal snotty mess-of-a-cold this week.

Yesterday I was calling Lauren to bring over her nose sucker (and eating my words.) I now know the three secrets to surviving a baby's runny nose when the hospital grade nose bulb thingy just won't cut it.

1.  Sterile Saline Nasal Mist (This really gets it running.)
2. The most essential step - NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator: The SnotSucker!!!!!
3. Then clean up with Boogie Wipes (They are different than regular wipes - news to me.)

And voilà - she can breathe out of her nose again.

Can you guess which one of the three items I said I would never use? Yeah, you probably guessed the one where you suck - yes, suck- the snot out of your child's nose.

I'm here to say it works. Put it on your registry. Never say never. Just do it. She absolutely hates it while I'm doing it. Arms are batting at me- head is wiggling side to side, but when I'm done she can breathe. I am sure this is just one in the long line of things I will do for her own good.

Oh, and sorry I ever questioned you Mrs. Lauren :)

 (December 2013 - 7 months preggo - just thinkin' i knew somethin' about somethin' - HA!)

recognizing habits...

 Habit- an acquired pattern of behavior that often occurs automatically

Hi. My name is Lindsey and I am creature of habit. I hit my snooze 3x, I take a shower, pick out clothes to wear to work, take my vitamins, then brush my teeth, let the dogs out, then drive to work, I start my computer, then make a cup of coffee...you get the point. These habits are not causing me harm. However, I can think of quite a few that I am doing while in auto-pilot mode that are actually detrimental to my health, weight, attitude, etc.

For example: back when siddathornton and I worked together, one of our favorite things to do was walk to the cafeteria and get a salad; then we'd come back to our office and watch a tv show, look at blogs and whatnot. In our minds, we had justified this eating habit as a healthy choice. Although, this wasn't your "garden variety" salad, mind you. It had buffalo chicken, cheese, southwest dressing, and croutons on it for goodness sakes. We were getting these suckers daily. It wasn't until we noticed our bodies changing that we really thought about it. We began weening ourselves off of it, but as habits go- we still crave them. What was once a daily occurrence eventually - thoughtfully- became a special occasional treat. As I am now preparing myself (and my body) for a wedding, I am taking a more concerted look at my daily choices - could little positive changes make a big impact? I think so and I will begin by reading this.

Charles Duhigg's new book The Power of Habit

{video seen on A Cup of Jo}