There is this new fad among coffee drinkers. I heard about it several months ago when my dietitian told me about this buttered coffee fad. Another patient had mentioned it to her and she proceeded to mention it to me. Just as I was intrigued but ultimately confused, so was my dietitian. She wasn't sure the recipe or how it even worked, but she knew you blended butter into your coffee. Yes, you read that correctly, butter in coffee! You can imagine why we were both a little confused.
Now the recipe I am sharing is not this buttered coffee, but you can find it on many food blogs including Pioneer Woman's blog under crazy coffee. I tried it myself because butter, oil, coffee and a blender is something I just couldn't NOT try because it is just so weird. My first sip all I could muster was a perplexed, "huh?" As I sipped the last few drops in my mug I was still a little confused by what I was tasting. I still wasn't sure I liked it, but I didn't dislike it. So here is my own new and improved version of this butter-free buttered coffee:
Bulk Up Coffee
8oz fresh brewed coffee
2 T Coconut Oil
2T Half and Half
Put all ingredients and any sweetener you may use in a blender (or if your blender is broken like mine a food processor works, too. Hey, sometimes you have to get creative)
Blend till coffee looks frothy.
Enjoy!
*If you like your coffee HOT then you may need to stick it in the microwave for a few seconds.
**Coconut oil will solidify when cold so putting this coffee over ice isn't an option.
The best part?
Total fat: 34g fat
Total Calories: 200
Add that to your regular high fat/high cal breakfast and your are starting your day off right!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Toddler Talk Part 5
Along the lines of talking body, after telling her she needed to listen to her body referring to when she is full or needing to go potty she decided to take it somewhat literally. She now makes her tummy talk on a regular basis and then responds to their needs.
"Mom, my tummy is hungry." Using a high pitched voice as her tummy, "I really need a snack. I am so hungry." Or "My tummy is so thirsty it needs water."
Her other body parts talk too which makes for a lot of high pitched squeaky voices in our house since apparently all her body parts have the same high pitched voice. Recently her brain started talking too.
I called K a wild woman because she was wildly dancing around the living room. She stopped and laughed saying, "MOMMY! I am not a woman I am a girl. DADDY is a woman!" (She also calls me "daddy's husband" She gets really confused about these labels).
Kaylee was coloring with her favorite marker, green, for an unusually long amount of time. I went to check on her and noticed her mouth was green.
Me "Kay, why is your mouth green?"
K: nonchalantly, "Oh, I just tasted my marker"
Me "Kay, markers are not for eating"
K: Annoyed I would be dumb enough to think she tried to eat a marker, "I didn't eat it. I just sucked it a little"
One of Kaylee's friends just became a big brother. It was the first set of friends who became a big sibling (many followed immediately after). After a playdate with her friend Hayden and baby sister, Lila, Kaylee was beyond confused about the family dynamics. She just couldn't comprehend how there could be two children in a family. She finally decided her 2.5 year old friend must have been Brittney's (the mother's) husband and Lila was the child. As much as I tried to explain otherwise she wouldn't have it any other way.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Two and three quarters
Dear Kaylee,
After the age of two I stopped your monthly updates. You are still changing everyday, but in ways much more subtle than taking your first steps or first words. Although, your accomplishments may not seem as spectacular on paper as when you were experiencing firsts I find that each month I am loving the child you are becoming and am in awe as you transform in front of my eyes.
We are knee deep in the terrible twos, but honestly kid if others consider this age terrible they are focusing on all the wrong aspects. Sure, you can be strong willed, bossy(!!!!), and you can negotiate like a beast, but oh those are the things that are helping you grow into the strong, beautiful woman I know you will be. I like this age the very best (I think I say this every month).
So what has changed in the few months since you were two and a half? Lot, babe, lots! You have a profound love for the color green, profound! Your green crayons are down to little nubs, your green markers are running dry. There is no color in this world that brings you more joy than the color green.
You have always been extremely affectionate and that continues to grow right along with you. You cover me with kisses, Snuggle me to my hearts content, and tell me, "You are my favorite in the whole wide world!". My favorite though, is when you squeeze my arm or leg and you clench your teeth so hard and growl, "I JUST love you!" That is my favrotie because I know that feeling, I feel it towards you every.single.day! The feeling of I love you so-much-I-could-squeeze-you-so-tight-that-it-would-squish-you-but-I must-show-a-little-self-constraint-because-I-love-you-so-much-I-would-ever-hurt-you-kinda-love.
The most profound change though is your desire to be independent from me. Yes, you have been growing a little more independent from me from the day you were born. The last year has brought such rapid changes towards independence that I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. You like to play alone, in your room, with your door closed. You pulp the toys off your shelf and play in the middle of the room completely alone. Those same toys you used to pull into the living room to play within a few feet of me. Little one, I know this is a good thing. I know this means you are confident and secure and growing into the little girl you are supposed to be, but I can't deny that my heart breaks just a tiny each time you close that door and block me away from your imaginary world that belongs to only you. I feel a little pang of sadness that you don't need the comfort of my presence throughout the day. Oh, but I wouldn't change a thing!
After the age of two I stopped your monthly updates. You are still changing everyday, but in ways much more subtle than taking your first steps or first words. Although, your accomplishments may not seem as spectacular on paper as when you were experiencing firsts I find that each month I am loving the child you are becoming and am in awe as you transform in front of my eyes.
We are knee deep in the terrible twos, but honestly kid if others consider this age terrible they are focusing on all the wrong aspects. Sure, you can be strong willed, bossy(!!!!), and you can negotiate like a beast, but oh those are the things that are helping you grow into the strong, beautiful woman I know you will be. I like this age the very best (I think I say this every month).
So what has changed in the few months since you were two and a half? Lot, babe, lots! You have a profound love for the color green, profound! Your green crayons are down to little nubs, your green markers are running dry. There is no color in this world that brings you more joy than the color green.
You have always been extremely affectionate and that continues to grow right along with you. You cover me with kisses, Snuggle me to my hearts content, and tell me, "You are my favorite in the whole wide world!". My favorite though, is when you squeeze my arm or leg and you clench your teeth so hard and growl, "I JUST love you!" That is my favrotie because I know that feeling, I feel it towards you every.single.day! The feeling of I love you so-much-I-could-squeeze-you-so-tight-that-it-would-squish-you-but-I must-show-a-little-self-constraint-because-I-love-you-so-much-I-would-ever-hurt-you-kinda-love.
The most profound change though is your desire to be independent from me. Yes, you have been growing a little more independent from me from the day you were born. The last year has brought such rapid changes towards independence that I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. You like to play alone, in your room, with your door closed. You pulp the toys off your shelf and play in the middle of the room completely alone. Those same toys you used to pull into the living room to play within a few feet of me. Little one, I know this is a good thing. I know this means you are confident and secure and growing into the little girl you are supposed to be, but I can't deny that my heart breaks just a tiny each time you close that door and block me away from your imaginary world that belongs to only you. I feel a little pang of sadness that you don't need the comfort of my presence throughout the day. Oh, but I wouldn't change a thing!
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
This Skin
I still find it perplexing that outside of CF medical experiences my skin is not sensitive at all. I have never had a reaction to detergent, soap, lotions, anything! I have normal skin, but the second I have some sort of medical tape, adhesive or a constant blood pressure cuff on my skin it starts reacting.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Antibiotic Desensitization
I wanted to describe the process of desensitization because before my last admission I was pretty clueless about. It was actually much easier than I anticipated, it but was something I was very nervous about prior to actually going through the process.
This seems to vary by hospital, but my hospital requires a stay in ICU to be desensitized. This means you have heart monitors (5), an oxygen monitor, a constant temp monitor, a blood pressure cuff that takes your blood pressure every 15 minutes, and of course your IV so needless to say you can't move much. The downfall to this is when nature calls you are at the mercy of your nurse. I had to buzz the nurse every time I needed to pee. Once the nurse arrived she/he would have to unhook all my monitors and then pull the potty out from the counter it folder into. I don't know if you can even picture that because until I saw it I would have been like, what? But basically they have a cabinet and when you open it there is a toilet that you can pull out, use, flush and fold back into the cabinet. Although my nurse was the one that had to flush and fold back under the cabinet. Then I would be hooked up to my monitors again until the next time I had to pee. It was not my favorite way of using the bathroom and I tried to avoid going as much as possible. Healthy, I know.
When I got to the hospital I didn't actually start the process or any meds until the next day which made it feel like a super expensive hotel without the perks of a comfortable bed or any privacy. The next morning they started setting up my room for the desensitization. I was totally calm about the whole process until this point. They started to fill my room with "just in case" supplies. It actually made me nervous as more and more supplies started to fill my room in case, oh I don't know, I went into anaphylactic shock and tried to die on them. My heart rate shot up and the alarms on my heart monitor kept going off, which was slightly embarrassing.
A very diluted version of the medicine was given over 15 minutes and then a slightly stronger dose of the drug was given for 15 minutes. This continued for varying times over the course of four hours. The allergist had to stay with me for the entire four hours plus a few more to ensure I didn't react to the drug. The lack of privacy was probably the worst part of the whole process, I doubt he liked that part very much either. Once they knew I was okay I continued the drug like normal.
The next day another allergist came to see how I was doing and explained that the process is hugely successful. I wished she was my allergist the day before because after I talked to her I realized the chances of a severe reaction was pretty slim and I would have been much more relaxed while going through the desensitization.
Unfortunately, desensitization is only good until you stop the drug for 24-48 hours meaning if I ever need this drug (or one of the other four I am allergic to) I will need another trip to ICU. However, besides the toilet issue and the unwanted allergist roommate it is really an easy process.
This seems to vary by hospital, but my hospital requires a stay in ICU to be desensitized. This means you have heart monitors (5), an oxygen monitor, a constant temp monitor, a blood pressure cuff that takes your blood pressure every 15 minutes, and of course your IV so needless to say you can't move much. The downfall to this is when nature calls you are at the mercy of your nurse. I had to buzz the nurse every time I needed to pee. Once the nurse arrived she/he would have to unhook all my monitors and then pull the potty out from the counter it folder into. I don't know if you can even picture that because until I saw it I would have been like, what? But basically they have a cabinet and when you open it there is a toilet that you can pull out, use, flush and fold back into the cabinet. Although my nurse was the one that had to flush and fold back under the cabinet. Then I would be hooked up to my monitors again until the next time I had to pee. It was not my favorite way of using the bathroom and I tried to avoid going as much as possible. Healthy, I know.
When I got to the hospital I didn't actually start the process or any meds until the next day which made it feel like a super expensive hotel without the perks of a comfortable bed or any privacy. The next morning they started setting up my room for the desensitization. I was totally calm about the whole process until this point. They started to fill my room with "just in case" supplies. It actually made me nervous as more and more supplies started to fill my room in case, oh I don't know, I went into anaphylactic shock and tried to die on them. My heart rate shot up and the alarms on my heart monitor kept going off, which was slightly embarrassing.
A very diluted version of the medicine was given over 15 minutes and then a slightly stronger dose of the drug was given for 15 minutes. This continued for varying times over the course of four hours. The allergist had to stay with me for the entire four hours plus a few more to ensure I didn't react to the drug. The lack of privacy was probably the worst part of the whole process, I doubt he liked that part very much either. Once they knew I was okay I continued the drug like normal.
The next day another allergist came to see how I was doing and explained that the process is hugely successful. I wished she was my allergist the day before because after I talked to her I realized the chances of a severe reaction was pretty slim and I would have been much more relaxed while going through the desensitization.
Unfortunately, desensitization is only good until you stop the drug for 24-48 hours meaning if I ever need this drug (or one of the other four I am allergic to) I will need another trip to ICU. However, besides the toilet issue and the unwanted allergist roommate it is really an easy process.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
What You Do not Notice
Sometimes the best indication of how things are going is what you do not notice. Like the fact I let my daughter jump on my back yesterday and carried her all the way home from the park and I didn't notice that my lungs weren't getting tired and my breath wasn't becoming too shallow. I didn't notice that I was carrying my daughter blocks at a time until she asked, "Mommy, I am not too hard to carry today?"
I was watching my nephew and ran up the stairs to throw his diaper in the diaper genie and I didn't notice that I actually made it up the stairs without gasping for air until I was already back downstairs playing with the kids.
I walked a mile with my daughter to run some errands and stop by the local boba shop for a cool treat before making the walk back with an arm full of grocery bags. I didn't notice I never had to stop and cough until I got home and realized it was time to start my treatments.
I didn't notice I didn't need my afternoon bronchodilator until I needed my pre-treatment evening dose and couldn't remember where I had placed it earlier that morning.
Sometimes, when life rather than your disease starts occupying your mind you realize you must be doing alright!
I was watching my nephew and ran up the stairs to throw his diaper in the diaper genie and I didn't notice that I actually made it up the stairs without gasping for air until I was already back downstairs playing with the kids.
I walked a mile with my daughter to run some errands and stop by the local boba shop for a cool treat before making the walk back with an arm full of grocery bags. I didn't notice I never had to stop and cough until I got home and realized it was time to start my treatments.
I didn't notice I didn't need my afternoon bronchodilator until I needed my pre-treatment evening dose and couldn't remember where I had placed it earlier that morning.
Sometimes, when life rather than your disease starts occupying your mind you realize you must be doing alright!
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