Changes

There have been some recent life changes and I feel it is time to plan some more. I've been working hard on some crochet baby sandals, which you can see here at TrueBrytt & Company, along with all the other things I have been making!

So with a toddler, hubby and crochet orders keeping me busy I have been feeling a bit off - especially since some other family matters have been going on. Schedules are a bit crazy. It's kind of been: Sleep when you can and Up when there's time. There really is no set schedule, which can be draining (at least it is for me, personally).

I've been doing some research here and there. Getting hubs to DR appointments. And thinking to myself: I need to get to a DR.

Years ago when I was 13-14 (I'm 24 now) I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome), just click and read up on it if you're curious. I've never had a regular period. I've had 2-3 week long periods and would miss MONTHS in between. My daughter being conceived was actually a miracle because DRs said I wouldn't be able to have kids or it would be REALLY hard to conceive. But I did a little bit of Low Carb-ing and took a Multi-vitamin and BOOM, pregnant. << That's the short version of the whole PCOS mess.

The changes I have made so far, planning some meal ideas. I want to start making smoothies, especially with nutrient rich ingredients and fiber for my daughter since she sometimes has trouble pooping AND can be a picky eater (which is normal for kids). I have yet to find a multi-vitamin for myself. But I have been taking Magnesium daily (250 mg) which I have read can help with PCOS and since Insulin Resistance is linked to PCOS, low Magnesium has been linked to Insulin Resistance...so I hope I'm taking the right step forward to a healthier me.

In my past posts I had mentioned (but may have since deleted some if not all - I can't remember) that I wanted to start the Low Carb journey. I have not fully done that. Actually, the only thing Low Carb are my veggies with dinner. I use dry milk in my coffee - not much though, maybe 1/2 a teaspoon or a couple teaspoons. Usually I use sugar-free creamers or just heavy whipping cream or half&half.

I still have a LOT of adjustments to make. AND I want to start couponing. CRAZY, RIGHT? So I am in the market for a cheap/affordable printer with cheap/affordable ink. I'm making a list of items we usually buy that we can use coupons for (non-food items, for now) just to stretch a few bucks each month since we live on a fixed income - anything extra is from family or the occasional crochet shoe.

Did I mention I want to dye my hair, possibly? I'm thinking RoseGold. From Natural Redhead to RoseGold, oughta be fun. But it is still an up in the air thing.

Vitamins, PCOS control/treatment, diet, budget, hair. I feel like I'm missing something.

Even More Mommy Recommendations

If only there was a TimeHop for my posts. Almost a year ago my first couple of posts were about Mommy Recommendations. In those posts I gave you a list with links and pictures of items I thought were a life saver in my daughters first year of life. I'm sorry I haven't been more on top of the recommendations, but I am here to share a few more with you!

These ones I am super excited about. I have been waiting several months to talk about a cup! Yes, a CUP!
My daughter is 14 months old (turned 1 in February!) and I have been working to get her off of the bottle. She was formula fed until a year, but honestly I gave her watered down milk around 10 months old (when she started walking..no joke) and eating more solid foods - more so when we were at home and running low on formula. It helped us financially as well.

Okay, so on to these amazing cups (there are two brands that we have found). I don't really favor one brand over the other - they are just a convenient concept and they are WAY better than any bottle or sippy-cup. The perfect transition to a real cup.

Now WIC and doctors alike, like to suggest starting a real cup at 6 months old. To the mothers that have successfully done this, congratulations. But realistically...this was not easy. We tried the straw around 7 months old. We tried sips from the cup. We use a cup during bath time. She knows what a cup is. I guess that isn't a total fail.

Then we saw the 360 cup and scratched our heads at it a few times before we bought a couple to try. It looks so strange, so don't freak out too much. I also found that they come apart for easy cleaning - which was my first question (How in the world do you wash these things?). I have taken a few pictures for you all to see it apart in stages as well as together - all in one photo to save space.

First brand is Sassy

Sassy Grow Up Cup

Sassy brand has a screw top in the center and the spout can be removed for cleaning. Just pull the silicone spout away from the center!

Second brand is Munchkin

Munchkin Miracle 360 Cup

Munchkin brand has a different texture on the cup part, it isn't a slick plastic like the Sassy brand. And the lid screws on like - well a lid. The spout, however, can be popped off of the center. Just pull the spout back from the edges and pull it off. The lid part it attaches to underneath, honestly looks like a sink strainer. 

My daughter does VERY well with these cups and I am one proud Mommy! We are still weaning her off of the bottle, some days are easier than others, and honestly she only wants one when she is SUPER fussy-tired and sometimes when she first wakes up in the morning. Throughout the day though she will drink juice, milk or water from them with no problems. 

The BEST PART about these cups is...they don't spill - at least like a regular cup. Now if you throw them on the floor like a toddler, then yes they will drip. And if they are laying on their side for long periods of time, they will drip. But if you hold it upside down it won't soak your lap, floor or your toddler! Yay!

So, even if you are a mother-to-be or if you're child is still under a year old - I would recommend you run out and buy at least one of these types of cups! You won't regret it.

OH and one more thing...

We have also discovered a neat little snack cup, also by Munchkin that my daughter loves! She is at that stage right now where she loves putting her hand into the Puff snack containers or bags of Yogurt bites and pulling one out. These snack cups help her do just that! She hasn't pulled the top off yet (which is easily removed). The edges aren't sharp and the opening is flexible and soft for them to reach in and pull the snacks out. 

Munchkin Snack Catchers

New Direction

No one will really notice, but I deleted several posts from my blog because I have gone in a new direction with my life and this blog is here to stay. Usually when something changes I start ALL over and delete any hard work I may have worked up. But not this time. At least, I don't plan on starting over any time soon.

My most recent project has been mainly crochet. And my most popular item right now that I'm selling on Facebook (and I have a listing on Etsy!), are crochet baby sandals. They are the cutest thing! I have a few styles that I've worked up, my most recent being the most popular and honestly the cutest so far!

I was also asked if I could crochet a newborn Mermaid costume, and I did it! 

Put a pattern in front of me and most of the time I figure it out. Or I stare at the image long enough to figure it out in my own way if possible. I didn't expect much to come of it. I just thought it was a cute and fun idea. I have a ton of yarn to use up, and figured I would give it a try.

I make just about anything. Although I have yet to make stuffed animals (that will be on my Crochet Bucket list). I also have decent prices. I figure, any price is a good amount - especially when you don't have much. Anything helps. 

Maybe later on I will post everything I can make - although the list keeps growing every time I make something new.