FFFF #266 - Good Ridden Maycember

OMG. Hi friends!

The past few weeks have been wild. Between the usual Maycember chaos—birthdays, graduations, Mother’s Day, end-of-year school events—and a carousel of random illnesses, we’ve been on the ultimate struggle bus.

It started with a relentless cold/flu at the end of April, followed by allergies and a sinus infection. Just as we were rounding the corner into the last week of school, the kids came down with fevers and sore throats. But instead of getting that version, Mr. Hungry and I were hit with brutal headaches and temple pain.

I ended up in the ER thinking I had shingles (urgent care was no help), because of burning and numbness on my face. Turns out, it was viral-induced trigeminal neuralgia and TMJ. They put me on prednisone, which I had a horrible reaction to. Prednisone, a corticosteroid, can overstimulate your adrenal system and trigger symptoms like anxiety, panic, insomnia, mood swings, and more. By the end of the six-day course, I thought I was having a heart attack. It was a full-on prednisone-induced panic attack. PSA: If you feel off on prednisone, it might be the prednisone. It took a week for my nervous system to settle after I stopped. For all the times I refused it before, I feel very validated now.

The TMJ pain eventually subsided, and all that was left was neck pain, which has also gotten better, especially after a much-needed chiropractic adjustment. But WOW, what a month. 

Also, at some point during this month, I had a blood clot in my hand.  Which is apparently harmless when DVT is ruled out.  So that was fun, I'm telling you it was quite a month over here. 

On the bright side, the kids started daycare/camp, and it has completely changed my world. I didn’t realize how much I was living in fight-or-flight mode until I wasn’t anymore. Constantly split attention between work and being mama, crying because they wanted to be with me, meltdowns anytime I left the office, scheduling content filming around nap time—it was exhausting. Now, having dedicated work time has brought an enormous sense of calm. I no longer feel like I’m failing both work and motherhood at the same time. I finally feel like I can breathe.

So thank you to everyone who cheered me on as I made the shift to daycare—it’s been scary to entrust my kids, especially my youngest, to a daycare, but absolutely the best decision I’ve made.  Especially here, where we were entirely reliant on nannies with no family or good friends to call.  (My SIL does live here, but she's a solid 35 minutes away and travels a ton.)

So that's the update! Let's do the Friday Favorites thing now!

FREE WTE? Meal Plan LIVE

I post new free meal plans in my Library of Resources every week. (Links below are a screenshot, click on my Library of Resources to access!)

The Serpent and His Wings (Crowns of Nyaxia Series)

I'm actually on book three of this series, but it hasn't been my favorite series I've ever read.  Book one was amazing, but it's kind of gone downhill from there.  I find myself mostly listening to the third book when I'm bored and have literally nothing else to do, like driving.  But I have absolutely zero drive to read the book till midnight or find out what's happening. So far, I give the first book a ⅘, the second book a ⅗, and the third book a 2.5/5. You can find all my romance fantasy favorites here, and all my ratings on Goodreads under @kellishallal

May Photo Dump

Ninja Turtle Decorations 

Mother's Day - Margarita glasses, I love to go with my favorite Margarita Mix.

Kinder Grad 🎓
After a rocky pre-K year, I couldn’t be more proud of KJ for thriving in Kindergarten. Watching him grow this year has been such a gift. If there’s one thing I’ve learned early on, it’s that no one knows my child better than his mama. 💛

Outside play when it's not raining - kinetic sand set 

KK's Strider bike got upgraded to the bigger version, you can attach pedals to, and NJ is now learning how to ride his old one. 

What I’ve noticed with balance bikes is that second and third kids tend to take to them more naturally than firstborns. It’s not just my crew—I’ve heard this from other parents too! KJ wasn’t interested at all, but KK really put in the effort to learn, and now NJ is getting better every day—still slow, but making progress! 🛞🚲

Wild Alaskan Delivery 

I got a box of wild Alaskan seafood sent to me, but given the craziness, I have not had a chance to try it. Hopefully this week!

Eating Out

We went out for Mexican food at Uncle Julio’s, and while it was definitely more Tex-Mex than the Arizona-style I’m used to, it totally hit the spot! The super spicy salsa and bacon-wrapped shrimp were chef’s kiss. 🔥🌶️

The vibes were great—fun decor, awesome service, and just a really good time all around. Would 10/10 go back for a spicy snack and some festive feels! 💃🌮✨

Thai food from Trinity Street Food totally hit the spot one night!
I always get the drunken noodles—like, every single time. No regrets 😄

In-N-Out.
Not gonna lie—we’ve been hitting the drive-thru a little more often than usual this month. With all the chaos, it’s been a lifesaver. Honestly, it feels like the only place where we can feed the whole crew for under $30 and still feel good about the ingredients.

Kind of like screen time, right? Life moves in phases—some more balanced than others. Nothing stays the same, and that’s okay. We're just doing our best through the ups and downs.

Fitness

Fitness… hahahahaha.

I tried, I really did. I managed a few workouts here and there, but between illness after illness, it felt like I was doing more harm than good. So I took a much-needed break for a few weeks.

Last week (when this photo was taken), I finally got in both a lower and upper body workout—plus some walking! Progress, right? Then I promptly stubbed my toe at an indoor kids’ play place and have been limping around for two days. Because, of course.

Do I feel like I’ve lost some of the strength and leanness I worked so hard for this year? Yeah, I do. And it’s disappointing. But I also know it’s temporary—and I’ll get back to it. 

Flashbacks

Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Wings