My current ShakeO recipe

I have a problem.  It's called Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. I could eat an entire sleeve in a matter of minutes. Have you every stored them in the fridge. Cold thin mints... this may be the way to my heart. I love when all the little girls in my class start bringing the girl scout cookie flyers around. However, this isn't good for my clean healthy eating plan or my weight loss goals. 

But, I am happy to announce that after trial and error, I have finally nailed down the perfect thin mint recipe for my Shakeology, and I am reaching for it every day! 

Before I get to the recipe, let me tell you why I love Shakeology. Several years ago, I was looking for an easy breakfast that I could drink in the car. I liked the idea of a protein shake, but never found one that I liked with ingredients that I felt would promote health. Plus, I had a HUGE Starbucks addiction. I'm not talking about iced coffee. Nope, this girl liked the Venti (I'm a mom of three littles, remember) White Chocolate Mochas or Caramel Brulee Lattes. My daily Starbucks was detrimental to our budget, my weight, and my health. I was a little skeptical of Shakeology before I ordered it, and can honestly say I wasn't sure if it was worth the price. 

Shakeology gives amazing sustained energy. I noticed that I instantly felt better, had less bloating and less tummy issues, and I was getting my vitamins, minerals, and superfoods in a yummy shake. Shakeology is the equivalent of eating 5 salads (and let me tell you, this girl struggles to get in her greens each day)! Now I do want to give a small disclaimer. This isn't a magic drink that caused me to lose 10 pounds overnight. However, when I combined my superfood shake with healthy clean eating, I saw amazing results. And, almost overnight my sweet tooth craving diminished. 

So.... let's get onto the recipe shall we. 

8 ounces water
4 ounces coconut milk (This is the milk alternative I use as coconut is not an anaphylactic allergy for C)
1 green of spinach (Spinach is a rich source of plant based Omega-3s and folate. It can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. I can always use an extra serving of veggies, and I promise that you can't taste it )
1 tbsp. cocoa nibs (This is an antioxidant superfood that is rich in fiber.)
1 capful of peppermint extract

1 cup of ice

Blend well and Enjoy!

I'm giving away 5 packets of Shakeology to the first 5 people who comment on this post. I can't wait for you to try my favorite breakfast drink. 

The Epi Pen Bag

When C was first diagnosed with her anaphylactic peanut/tree nut allergy, we grabbed a tiny unicorn backpack from the house, added a bottle of Benadryl and an Epi Pen Jr, and called it a day. Nothing about this bag screamed that it was important. I did add this cute peanut sign to the top of the bag that I purchased from an etsy shop, but looking back, I didn't know all that I do now.

This bag became her lifeline bag. It goes everywhere with her. It is always within reach. We've replaced the bag several times (little people backpacks get gross at an alarming rate) but always with a generic bag decorated with princesses, unicorns, or ballerinas. But, I am so excited about her new bag thanks to a great idea from my coworker. 

We purchased a Pottery Barn Kids preschool size backpack. I then took it to our local embroidery shop.  They added the teal ribbon (teal stands for allergy awareness), her name, and the medical sign. I'm tickled pink with how it turned out!

C will be carrying this bag to school each day, wearing it throughout the day, keeping her life saving meds close at hand. 

In her bag, we keep a bottle of Benadryl and several medicine cups. We also have two sets of epinephrine injectors. We have the Epipen Jr. set and the AuviQ set (the new talking epi pen). A small package of Clorox wipes is included just in case we have to wipe a surface (#crosscontaminationisaproblem). The last thing that we always add is a safe snack. C has been in so many situations where food is being served that is either not safe, or unfortunately labels aren't included so it can be checked. To solve this problem, we always include a safe snack for her to enjoy if needed. 

I am so excited about how this bag turned out. I think it could be so helpful for any child who needs to carry medications (type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, etc.). I couldn't wait to share it! 

2B Mindset is changing my life!

Have you heard about the 2B Mindset, the new nutrition only  Beachbody program co-created by registered dietitian Ilana Muhlstein? As soon as I heard about this program on it's May release date, I knew that I had to get on board! 

I'm a busy mom. I work full time. My husband is a fire fighter, working 24 hours shifts at a time. We have three littles. Our kids are involved in dance, sports, and school. I want to work out, but sometimes it is so hard to find the extra hours in our day. However, when I found this program where exercise was extra credit, a program that focused on eating the right foods for the right reasons without measuring food or counting calories, I knew that I had found a program that I could easily implement into my life and stick with. 

Ilana has created 40+ videos that are so easy to watch to learn the basic principles of the program. Her energy is contagious, and I learned so much from her videos. It was like talking to a sorority sister all the time.  I honestly couldn't wait to watch the next one. She has videos that help with emotional eating (🙋🙋🙋), how to grocery shop for the best results, and how to implement this into busy everyday activities (eating out, vacation, etc.). 

After a week of following the principles, I was shocked to see that scale down a little over 5 pounds. But more than a scale victory, I had so much energy and was sleeping better than I had in a long time. By week two, I was down 10 pounds. I still can't believe the results I am seeing. An even better victory, I was able to go on vacation, enjoy eating, and come back exactly in the same place. This program has helped me see patterns in my weight loss, so I can make better choices to fuel my body. It has changed my life. This is not a diet. It's a mindset! 

This shows my journey from day 1 to day 30 (days that included my beach vacation).
Is my journey done, NO WAY! But I can't wait for it to continue! 

I would love to talk to you to see if the 2B Mindset could be the mindset you are looking for too. Message me below or send me an email at teachingsmarties@gmail.com for more information. 

The day life changed

It was December 2014. Our family had just finished celebrating the Christmas holiday, and I was enjoying a few days off with my littles. E was 5 and in the middle of kindergarten and C was 2. My mom, grandmother, C, and I decided to treat our selves to a manicure and pedicure in the next town. The day had been fun, and we were heading home for dinner. C told me she was hungry, so I handed her a package of peanut butter crackers. Now this wasn't unusual. I'm a busy mom. Peanut butter sandwiches and crackers were staples in our home. In fact, my littles had PB & J Sandwiches for dinner the night before. 

On the ride home, we chatted and laughed. However, I noticed that C was very quiet. I recall thinking that it was very late for her to be napping. But when I looked over at her, a very different picture presented itself. My little girl was covered in whelps. I watched the whelps spread across her in a matter of a minute. Her eyes morphed into swollen lumps that didn't even resemble eye sockets. Her lips took on a very bluish hint. She was gasping for air. God is good, and when this happened we were within a mile of a hospital and emergency room. 

The emergency room doctors saved C with their quick thinking. What caused this? Will it happen again? Everyone in my family (because by this time, my entire family was at the ER) had so many questions. 

As I ran into the er carrying my limp child, I remember handing her to a nurse saying she's not breathing, something was wrong. They asked me what she had ate last. I told them peanut butter crackeres but that it couldn't be that. She ate it all the time. Additionally, we had allergy testing to back this up. You see, as an infant and toddler she had a few mild allergies that would cause her reflux to spike. This testing showed absolutely no sign of any nut allergy. Unfortunately, the blood work completed in the ER that day told us a very different tale. She had developed an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts over night. Further testing showed that she had an anaphylactic allergy to all tree nuts as well. 

Life changed that day. I became a label reading, helicopter mommy. Cross contamination became my biggest fear. I didn't just have to worry that she might eat a peanut m&m, but that she may have a piece of bread that was made on a line that also processes nuts. I quickly learned that just because a product is safe this week, that doesn't guarantee that the company won't change manufacturing sites. I learned that peanuts and nut reside an hide in the funniest places, like baking powder. Carrying life save medications with us became a daily ritual. 

I tell this story so you will understand some of my why. Why I want to make healthy choices for myself. Why I strive so hard to find healthy and safe food options for my littles. There will be posts about our journey with her allergies. It evolves everyday...

Her peanut allergy has continued to worsen over the course of the last three and a half years. It is now classified as an anaphylactic airborne allergy. So much of my life revolves around keeping this little safe. But, this story also has a happy ending because God had worked out a plan to keep her safe. He placed an ER in our path. He surrounded her with an amazing medical team, who has worked diligently the past few years to figure out why her body created an anaphylactic allergy overnight (and continues to do it). Every time I look at her, I am reminded that although she is tiny, she is mighty! 

Trying to make this little happy. I snapped this picture almost 8 hours after the reaction.
Her eyes were still very swollen but the whelps were gone.
C calls this the day "her eyes didn't work". 

Heading to the nail salon earlier in the day.
I miss her being this little!

Welcome!

Welcome!

 Thank you for stopping by.

My name is Elizabeth and I am a wife, mother, and teacher. I love teaching! It's my passion. I love waking up each day, knowing that I am going to work with little people, shaping their lives. My husband and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary. How did we get so old? He is a fire fighter, and works so hard to provide for our family. 

Together we have been incredibly blessed with three beautiful littles who we are so proud of. E is 9. He is a precious little with the kindest heart. He is about to go into third grade. Our middle little, C, is our sassy princess and just turned six. In fact, she wants to stay "wittle" forever and wants to be a princess because "they never get old". She can't wait to start kindergarten in August. Our littlest little, A, is 17 months. He is the happiest baby. He loves his mommy, is talented at growing long eye lashes, and is always on the move. 

The last two years have been amazing growing years. You know the years that are hard, but shape your lives for the better. The years that you pray through, but you know that God is in control and that his plans are bigger than yours. It has been amazing watching God work in our lives. 

I started this blog not only to document the coming and goings of one southern family filled with little sweeties, but also to document our health journey. Our middle little has several food allergies that we have to work around each day. As a mom, I know that food is fuel, and I want to be giving my littles the best fuel for their brains and bodies. Plus, there busy mommy needs good fuel to keep up with the circus that we have. 

Love List: 

Favorite People: E, C, and A (the littles) and my husband, Jay

Favorite Place: Walt Disney World

Favorite Meal: Anything Seafood or Italian 

Favorite Desert: Cheesecake or Blackberry Pie

Favorite Place to Shop: Lilly Pulitzer and Matilda Jane 

Favorite Movie: (Just one....) Gone With the Wind, Father of the Bride 1 & 2, Grease, Dirty Dancing

Favorite Holiday: Christmas and Halloween

Favorite Quote:

Never frown, even when you are sad.

You never know who is falling in love with your smile.