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Going Reviews, Naturepedic, Parenting

5 Ways Our Naturepedic Mattress Provides More Than A Good Sleep

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We’ve been sleeping on our Naturepedic organic mattress for about 3 weeks and, simply put, we love it! Not only have we been sleeping better, but it’s become a wonderful gathering place for our small family of three.

My wife and I both agree we made the right choice with our Naturepedic EOS Series mattress, but I know it’s best to give it some time before coming to a solid conclusion. Guess we’ll just have to “sleep on it”. C’mon, you knew it was going to happen at some point. #CornyDadPuns

I can, however, confidently say our comfort is much improved since ditching our “high tech”, “NASA inspired” Temper…..umm, memory foam mattress. Going Mom and I used to wake up way too hot, sometimes covered in sweat, from the lack of circulation in our old mattress. Now, we keep plenty warm, but it’s just right, like baby bear’s porridge. No sweating or tossing from side to side, just a chemical-free organic mattress beckoning us to sleep soundly on it each and every night.

Now, back to the ways our Naturepedic mattress provides more than just a good sleep. In just the 3 weeks we welcomed them into our home, our new mattress has been the main location for….

1. Tickle high fives. Going Mom and Avery have been playing a game (I guess you can call it that) where my wife asks for a high five from Avery, and as she raises her arm to deliver a five, Going Mom delivers a tickle attack instead. This game can happen anywhere at anytime, but Avery always asks demands to “Go to Mommy and Daddy’s bed for tickle five.”

2. Jump-Reading. Jumping on the bed is a given, but what about jumping, doing a butt buster, and going right into a book or two? How’s that for combining exercise and education? Exercation?

3. Nighttime chats. Having a kid can seriously cut into quality time with your significant other. We only have one, but I assume it’s increasingly difficult with multiple little ones demanding your constant attention. Now, we set aside a specific day where we have “us” time after getting our girl to bed. We get comfy on the mattress and play a game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee (I got it for her birthday) or simply talk without having a jealous (but oh so sweet) toddler getting mad for not looking at her. It never seems long enough, but every minute spent together helps grow and keep a strong bond, and I love having this time with my wife.

Naturepedic EOS Campaign_6

We’re just like this, only inside a home in our pajamas with a zombie shaker cup for the dice in our game of The Walking Dead Yahtzee. I’m winning, by the way.

4. Pretending to sleep. Sure, the sleep is awesome, but pretending to sleep is pure bliss! Or Avery seems to think so. Just another fun game where she “sleeps” on Mommy and Daddy’s bed, complete with loud snores, and sometimes asks us to join. She even has the same head-at-the-end position as in her own crib!

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

It never lasts long though, she’s up and jumping again within seconds.

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

5. Home base. No home is complete without a home base, and our Naturepedic mattress as become just that. It’s where we seem to gravitate to when we’re all together. As soon as Mommy comes home from work, her and Avery usually end up playing together on our bed. If I’m in another room, I can hear the loud giggles emanating from our bedroom. Nothing warms this dad’s heart like the laughter of his wife and giggles of his sweet daughter. Sounds mushy, but it’s the truth! It’s also perfect for escaping the vacuum.

Naturepedic, organic, mattress, sleep

As you can see, we’ve been spending a lot of time on our new bed, and it’s been a very welcome new addition to our family. No matter how hard we try, we are all exposed to chemicals that are normally foreign to our body, but now we can escape exposure on our organic Naturepedic mattress.

Some mattresses, no matter how expensive and full of high tech materials, overwhelm our body with artificial chemicals we were never meant to be around. Do you want to sleep on a pile of chemicals? What about your precious little ones who spend a good chunk of the day playing or sleeping (or should be) on their mattress? I never thought much of it before, but what we sleep on truly does impact our entire life. Here’s why Naturepedic stands out among the rest and earns a spot in everyone’s home.

We made our choice, and feel better in doing so. To make my point, I’ll end this post with a quick discussion my wife and I had one lazy day on the weekend. Avery was blessing us by sleeping in, which meant we slept in, but even after waking, we still didn’t move.

Me: Why is it soooo hard to get up?

Wife: Because it feels sooooo good to sleep.

Thanks to Naturepedic, I couldn’t argue there!

Disclaimer: I received a heavy discount from Naturepedic to purchase the EOS Series king mattress in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. All opinions are strictly my own.

Going Healthy, Life, Parenting

21 Steps to Improve Your Diet + 11 Foods to Quit Eating

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I just read the book Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Dr. Cate Shanahan and, wow, even as a very healthy person, I’ve found areas to improve for our food choices.

This is not a long review of the book, though I suggest you read it, but rather an extremely helpful list she included at the back of the book.

I can’t even begin to explain how important nutrition is for our bodies, and it’s vital for our kids. What we feed them now is what their bodies use as building blocks for create new tissue in order to grow. Would you rather them build a body from non-nutritive fast food composed of highly processed fats, sugars, and unnatural chemicals, or from wholesome food, minimally processed and full of everything the body needs to grow strong?

So that would be a loaded question, yes, but seriously, nutrition is something I don’t take lightly, and will never be able to just laugh it off when someone says “I shouldn’t be eating this, but….”. Yeah, just don’t eat it then!

I’m sure this will generate many mixed responses, but please, consider how maybe giving yourself and your kids better food will help your entire family live a happier, more healthful life.

And now on to the list. I credit one of my favorite authors, athlete, and podcaster, Ben Greenfield, for the list he has in his excellent post on Dr. Cate’s book, Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food.

21 Steps for a Better Diet

1. Drink more milk.

Best choice: raw, organic, whole.

Next best: whole, organic.

If lactose intolerant, choose yoghurt. Do not buy low-fat or fat-free dairy.

2. Buy sugar-free peanut and nut butters, the kind with the oil on top (all that oil is typically absorbed by sugar molecules in brand-name peanut butters).

Avoid those that use palm oil, they tend not to taste very good.

3. Buy sprouted grain bread instead of whole wheat or white.

Popular brands are Ezekiel and Alvarado Street Bakery. These are usually sold in the refrigerated or freezer section because they are preservative-free and need to be refrigerated. Many are wheat-free as well.

4. Instead of boxed cereals or instant oatmeal, eat toast with butter, sugar- free peanut butter, or poached eggs for breakfast instead.

5. Use fresh, seasonal vegetables instead of frozen whenever possible.

Season with salt and add generous amounts of butter and your kids will love them. Steam vegetables (like broccoli, asparagus, carrots, and cauli- flower) instead of boiling, which leaches vitamins and minerals.

6. Buy Bubbies or other brand lacto-fermented pickles and sauerkraut and use as condiments/side dishes instead of chips or cookies at lunch.

Save the juice when the jar is empty for salad dressing and to use as a starter for making your own sauerkraut.

7. Never use margarine or low-fat, low-cholesterol “spreads.”

Buy organic butter from pastured animals. Popular brands are Organic Valley and Horizon.

8. Choose healthy oils (see table listing of Good Fats and Bad on page 173 of Deep Nutrition).

9. Make your own salad dressing.

Even easier, pour olive oil then balsamic vinegar over your salad (pouring the oil before the vinegar helps it stick
better). Use a ratio of approximately 2:1 oil to vinegar. For extra flavor fast, add 1 Tbsp of the juice in the Bubbies pickle or sauerkraut jars.

10. Boil a dozen eggs to keep on hand for a quick lunch.

11. Eat large salads three to five times a week.

Don’t bother with iceberg lettuce. For variety, experiment with other greens, including radish leaves, arugula, beet greens, or whatever looks particularly fresh. Add celery, carrots, sprouts, capers, pine nuts, sunflower seeds.

12. Use fresh herbs often.

Add basil to salads with tomatoes; add parsley to hamburger; add garlic to butter for vegetables; rosemary to chicken; mint to beef stews or fatty roasts; ginger to stir-fries.

13. Instead of canned tuna, buy salmon or mackerel with bones in.

Mix with olive-oil based mayonnaise or small amounts of regular mayo and mus- tard to use for lunch as a replacement for nitrate-laden sandwich meats.

14. Eat liver once a week.

15. Eat soups made with bone stock once or twice a week.

16. Use bone stock rather than water as the base for making rice, mashed potatoes, noodle dishes, etc.

17. For variety, substitute beets or turnips for baked potatoes.

18. For light desserts that give a sweet finish to your meal, drink Kombucha or wine.

19. Use bone-in chicken, turkey, and red meats whenever possible.

20. When eating boneless cuts of beef, like fillet, serve with bone-stock gravy (also known as demi-glace).

21. Buy fatty cuts of meat, like New York strip, and sear the fat on the grill before cooking to enhance flavor.

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11 Foods to Stop Eating

1. Vegetable oil

2. Added sugar and honey (to tea, coffee, etc.)

3. Soda

4. Juice, except fresh squeezed. (Why not just eat the fruit? It’s got more fiber and more antioxidants!)

5. Energy bars and “health” bars

6. Boxed cereals

7. Fried fast foods

8. Powdered “proteins,” and powdered milk (note from Ben: I only support organic, cold-processed protein powders. Most protein powder out there is complete crap, so this rules applies about 99% of the time).

9. Salad dressings made with any kind of vegetable oil, including canola

10. Low-fat products, including milk, cheese, salad dressings, cookies, and other baked goods

11. Snacks and desserts – especially if you want to lose weight

Want to know the reasoning behind these recommendations? Check out her book and let me know what you think.

I understand this is a touchy subject, but as some know, I am “deeply” passionate about the food that I put in my body and my family’s. I’ve felt the difference when I changed, and I hope you will do the same. If not for yourself, for your growing kids. I know this girl, as well as all children, deserve it.

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Life, New Life, Parenting

Get Them Talking: Six Ways to Develop Early Vocabulary Skills

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I wrote the post below over a year ago, when Avery only made a lot of noises, but now she’s starting to communicate A LOT to us and I know these tips helped. Going Mom and I have worked on all 6 ways to develop early vocabulary skills consistently which created the walking, talking, crazy talking little girl we have today.

Since they worked so well for us (and still going), I wanted to share this post again to help anyone in the same position. Parents, enjoy the tips and get your little ones talking sooner rather than later. Trust me, them letting you know when they pooped is more than worth it!

Me: Hey Avery, are you hungry?

Avery: ……..

Me: Okaaayyyy, how about we try walking?

Avery: …….

Me: What’s wrong, did you poop?

Avery: ………

And so on and so forth. Thus is the typical conversation most parents have with their babies.

When you start life as an at-home parent your infant, silence is inevitable and expected. Sure, there’s crying and cooing, but unless you’re caring for other kids at the talking age, you have no one to actually converse with when at home.

We only have one kid, so it’s just Avery and me spending every day together, learning and growing along the way. I love it. It’s fulfilling, rewarding, better than sitting in an office (to me), way better than daycare (financially and physically), and it sometimes drives me INSANE!

Oops, did I say that? It’s not when she’s extremely fussy and screaming out loud, or when she’s pulling out my leg hair as I’m trying to cook meals for day; it’s the silence. Crying, I can take, but sometimes it gets quiet, a little too quiet.

Don't mind me, I'll just sit here and stare.
Don’t mind me, I’ll just sit here and stare.

As I first mentioned, it’s expected from an infant, but at a year old and close to making actual words with her babbling, it’s just awkward when she turns silent. I’ll be working in the kitchen as she’s happily pushing her boxes across the floor (yes, we’re classy) or we’ll be playing in the front room, but all too often, she turns silent and stares into space.

I know you’re thinking, “Must be poop!”, and I used to think the same, but that’s usually accompanied by grunting and a strawberry-red face. I’ll check anyway because you never know (right?), but 8.3 times out of 10, there’s no poop in sight……or smell.

Luckily, there are solutions to most problems in the world, and I’ve found six that help combat the awkward silence as an at-home parent. As she grows, many of these will act as a wonderful base to build upon and hopefully expand her vocab skills and mind.

1. Explain what you are doing. When I’m in the kitchen (it’s a lot!), I’ll catch Avery staring at me as I work. Instead of just carrying on in silence, I’ll explain to her exactly what I’m doing as if she’s a student anxious to jot down all of my notes. I do this for everything from the exercises I do when working out and even during diaper changes. This gives me the pseudo-conversation I sometimes miss and helps keep her engaged in daily activities.

2. Explain what they are doing. Since it would be narcissistic to only talk about yourself, describe the actions your kid is making too. This goes along with number 1 above, and will help them begin to understand their capabilities.

Yes dear, you are accurately portraying Chucky, the killer doll.
Yes dear, you are accurately portraying Chucky, the killer doll.

3. Make eye contact when speaking to your child. In doing so, your child may be more inclined to communicate. Of course, watch what you’re doing too; like changing dirty diapers!! I’ve tried looking into her eyes while explaining how I’m cleaning her bottom and next thing I knew, well, you know. #ParentingFail

4. Read to them often. Even when they can’t stand still and try to tear the pages from your hands as they scream, keep reading! Avery does this to Going Mom and I daily, but trust me, you’ll help build vocabulary skills and maybe even have them reading before others their age. Make sure to choose books with big, bright colors and fun pictures. Moby Dick is not the best book to start with. 🙂

5. Acknowledge their sounds and actions. When Avery started blowing raspberries, we made sure to return the action and let her know what she was doing. Now that’s she’s babbling a lot, we repeat (as good as we can) the string of “words” she spouts out and encourage words like “momma” and “da da”. Lately, Avery has become an expert at sticking out her tongue on queue and it makes my wife and I so proud!

6. Play music. You don’t have to have “The Wheels on the Bus” on repeat, play actual music, whatever you like, and it’ll be fine. This is a big one for keeping sane and having some kind of background noise at all times. Almost every day, I turn on Pandora with a mix of my favorite channels and frequently sing out loud with Avery staring at me in bewilderment. Despite the strange looks you might receive, have no doubt that your kid will pick up on words that help expand their vocabulary. For this reason, I tend to stay away from the Eminem station….

Although you can never fully escape the awkward silence when you’re an at-home parent with only one kid who’s not yet talking, these six solutions will help get you through this time and help build your child’s speech and learning skills as well.

Have you made use of any of these before?

Do you have other tips/advice to share?