One Man Wrecking Crew

Thankful Thursday: Snuggles & Chill

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for "extra" brothers. Ronnie's brother, Grant, was up for the last couple days, and we had his other brother, Andrew, over for dinner Tuesday and hung out all day yesterday, and let me tell you, they are such good guys. I love that marrying Ronnie gave me "extra" bothers!!!! And I love that we get to see them so much.

I'm thankful for a close gym. It makes it easy to just get in a quick workouts, on days it would otherwise not work.

I'm thankful for snuggles. Mckenna has been extra snuggly while nursing before bed...and I LOVE IT!!!! She just lays and looks at me while she holding onto her little blankie. It's my favorite time of day!!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for a chill baby. Yeah, she has her moments where all she wants to do is be held or be crawling all over us, but for the most part, she's happy on her own. We were hanging out as a big group yesterday, and during lunch time Mandi looked over at Mckenna in her GoPod and said "Oh, forgot she was out here". Mckenna was happy as a clam snacking on cheerios and playing with random stuff hanging off of her contraption.


I'm thankful for an overcast 4th of July. Typically it hot as all get out on July 4th and the last thing you want to do is be outside if you're not in the pool. Well, yesterday was a overcast and rained a bit, so it was a cool 78 degrees almost the entire day. We had a great time hanging outside all day - whether in the pool or out of it!

I'm thankful for our bike lights. When we purchased our bikes, we also bought some cool lights that attached to the front and back for safer night riding. The front one is white and the back one is red. They have various settings and can flash, blink or stay on constantly. My brother and I rode our bikes to a fireworks show last night and the lights were definitely doing their job as most cars didn't get within 15 feet of us :) 

So, what are you thankful for today?

Happy Birthday Grant!!!

Most people are celebrating America's independence today, but we'll be celebrating the big 2-0 with my little brother Grant. Speaking of "little", he's been very committed to the weight room lately and it really shows!

I'm so proud of you for working so hard on your fitness, in the classroom, and just at being awesome in life in general. Love you brother. Happy birthday!!

 Grant is on the left and Andrew is on the right :)

Treatment Time Support

I feel so blessed that parents and patients in the community actually think enough about my opinion that they continue to send questions my way. Some questions that I get are pretty common, but I've got to say, I've never had this one before. It's kind of surprising though because this is actually a GREAT question!! I want to hear from you guys though, what do you think??

I just have a quick question for you. When you were growing up, did your Mom spend time with you each time you did your treatments? I am feeling a TREMENDOUS amount of guilt since I am not able to spend time doing something with ____ when he does his treatments lately, especially the 5 nebs a day he's now having to do. He seems totally content playing his video games when he does his nebs and vest and said it doesn't bother him that I'm not hanging out with him. But I can't help but feel guilty. I don't want him to think he's dealing with this all by himself. Life just has been so flippin' busy lately, and my daughter has been a bit more needy too, which makes it that much harder. I guess I was just wondering if you would ever get mad at your mom and disappointed with her if she didn't have the time to sit with you during treatments. Any input or suggestions you could give me would be very much appreciated! 

Thanks for letting me vent. I couldn't think of a better person to ask this question to since you seem to credit your mom a ton for your compliance and good health as an adult! I just want _____ to feel that same way towards me when he's an adult, and I don't want to let him down. Thanks again, Ronnie! Hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying summer!

 __




We have to keep in mind that treatment time as I was growing was completely different. Until I was 14, I had one neb (albuterol) and I was hand pounded by my mom or step-dad as I didn't have a vest until the age of 20. So, our situations were very different. My mom and I certainly bonded during treatment time, but that's because she was beating me and we had no choice but to connect during that time 

When it comes to you and Tuck, I'd take him at his word. I know when I was playing my video games, the last thing I wanted was for my mom to bother me. There are certainly ways you can show him you're thinking about him during that time without being within arms length. From time to time maybe you make him his favorite snack and bring it to him? Maybe you surprise him with a trip to the ice cream shop after his treatment because "it means a lot to you when he takes such good care of himself"?

I would focus more on what you say and what you do for him outside of treatment time. Love up on him. Let him know how special he is. Be sure to tell him how much you appreciate his hard work. Be there to facilitate the great life that happens after treatment time. Most of all, let him know that he is taking care of himself for all of you, so you can enjoy time as one big happy family!

I think it's great that he is showing some autonomy already with his treatments. I'd stay out of the way and do what you can to positively reinforce that behavior.

I've Got the Itch Again

Yup! That's right. I totally have the itch again. I wasn't sure how long after I had Mckenna it would be before I had the itch again, but last week I figured out the answer...8.5 months. I'm ready to do it again. I finally want to work out....

....what did you think I was talking about ;-)

I have been working out ever since Mckenna was born. I started walking when she was just a week old and was running a week or so after that. However, I did it because I felt like I should and felt like I had to, but not because I truly wanted to. Honestly, I was pretty sick of working out. I worked out like a champ while preggo. I ran 6 days a week, lifted 5 days a week, and did some other form of light cardio in addition 5-6 days a week. I worked out somewhere between an hour and two hours 5-6 days a week. I loved it. It was what made me feel energized and "normal." I felt so good pregnant because I stayed active. I felt like I could do anything because I was in such great shape. I'm certain that is why my pregnancy, labor and delivery were so wonderful. But to be honest, when I had Mckenna, I got out of my normal routine and I was tired, and I simply didn't WANT to do it. So I did the bare minimum to stay in shape, but I hated every second of it. Also, I got my pre-pregnancy body back quickly (in part because I stayed in great shape, in part because I didn't gain too much), and so I wasn't working to get back into shape or to lose weight, I was simply having to work out to maintain the shape I was in from how hard I had worked during pregnancy.

All that said, last week something clicked again. I actually truly enjoyed being at the gym. I did a few extra cardio classes because I wanted to! It was a great feeling. I had picked up what I was doing and was working out 5 days a week, lifting and doing cardio, ever since Mckenna was a couple months old. But I wasn't really enjoying it. It felt like a chore. But last week I found myself looking forward to the gym. It was such a cool thing. I hope this keeps up because it sure makes exercise easier.

So why am I writing a blog about this? Because I learned a couple things that may be helpful:

1. Sometimes you just don't feel like working out, but it's important to fake it til you make it! Continuing to work out, even if it was scaled back a bit, helped keep me in shape so that when I was ready to go full-bore, I could. It also kept me sane, even if I didn't know it and hated it. Exercise is simply good for the mind...even if you don't like it or want to. So I learned if you just do it while you hate it, it's just a phase and it will pass.

2. Switching up what you're doing can help you fall back in love with exercise. I was dreading my runs. I hated doing it. So last week I asked myself, "why not try different cardio?" There's no reason I can't take a break from running for a month, do different cardio during that time, and start running when I start missing it again. Which leads to my next lesson learned:

3. Switching up what you're doing is good for your body. This last week, my body HURT!!! Holy cow, I was one, big sore muscle. My body wasn't used to step class and kick boxing and riding bikes and walking hills. And you know what? I LOVE SORE MUSCLES!! It means it's working. So switching up my cardio was the best thing I could do for my body to work different muscles, differently. It will be beneficial in the long run.

4. You eventually get your mojo back. Even if you have to fake it for a long time, you will eventually fall back in love with working out. Now that my mojo is back...I'm going to capitalize on it and get my butt into the gym even more!!