Cholesterol

Big Hoot had his first annual physical in quite some time this week and it was no shock to us that his cholesterol and triglyceride numbers were awful. With his genetics and dietary habits, we knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to face this issue and make some changes. I believe his statement to me was something like "If I don't make some major life style changes then I'll probably be dead of a heart attack at 36." (We both turn 30 this summer.)

Lil Hoot and I eat pretty well - loads of fruits and veggies at every meal so it's not requiring too many major changes for us, but Big Hoot is much pickier so he rarely eats the same thing we eat. The doctor has impressed on him it's time for an overhaul though so I think we may all finally eat healthier as a family. (Don't get me wrong, I love red meat too and have a terrible weakness for sugar (particularly chocolate), so I need to make changes as well.)

We are detoxing the house of any fried foods, refined grains and processed sugars. I was pleasantly surprised to find only a few - Tostito's chips, Totino's pizza rolls, bagels, Lucky Charms and Mtn. Dew. The sudden cut-off of Big Hoot's daily Mtn. Dew habit is probably the biggest shock to his system, but it may also be one of the single best things he has done.

I am scouring the internet for recommendations and recipes. Big Hoot is doing his best to try more veggies and fruits. I have also searched our local library for good resources but haven't found much yet.

Has anyone else had to fight the high cholesterol battle from a relatively early age? Any suggestions? Recipes? Books? Websites?

Color Overhaul

Here at the Hoot's Nest we don't shy away from color. In fact, our house in Iowa was saturated with color.

And our new home is no exception. We brought the green of our living room in Iowa to the walls of our sun room and a new fresh green for the nursery.

Since time, money and energy have all been in short supply over the past year (we moved only 5 days after Lil Hoot was born), I have only painted the sun room. (My family was kind enough to paint the nursery for us prior to Lil Hoot's arrival last spring.) The time has come to tackle another room, and this time we are focused the room to which Lil Hoot will move once she has outgrown the nursery. It is currently a garish red and has a border of construction trucks that was peeling from the walls. I have nothing against red or construction equipment in general, but it just doesn't work for us. Lil Hoot's favorite color is orange, she always chooses orange, but we thought that orange might be a little too stimulating. We really want to encourage sleep in this room so we have chosen a more tranquil color...which I will reveal in due time. For now, the border is coming down and the primer is going up.