Zai Archives - Ra'Co Life

November 9, 2015January 20, 2019

The Story of Us: Finally… All 4 of Us at The Brand Fam

What a ride this year has been! We are so lucky to have two very healthy, crazy and wonderful little Brand babies. Welcoming Zai to the family has been one of the most spectacular experiences of our lifetime knowing that we are two and done, and he will be our last. Having a baby in the house is so special; sleep deprivation aside, the smell of a baby and the tenderness that we all feel towards each other comes through in Zai. His adorable squeals of frustration and his animal noises to bring in my milk are by far the single best experiences with him and so very different from Iza’s babyhood.

We asked Luis Pedro Gramajo to come back one morning while my mom was still here so we could capture this very raw moment in our home. Just 10 days in this kid really kept up with the program, while his sister flipped her wig at every corner in one colossal meltdown after another. How Luis was able to capture the total opposite of what was actually going on was pretty amazing!

In someways this is a very narcissistic display… showcasing ourselves and our offspring online and in social media. There is something strange about this moment; for the first time in our lives we really want to celebrate the experience of building our own family and somehow showing it to the world makes it real. What’s that all about?! Either way, it has been fun to see, document and express this moment. I am glad that we have been able to share it with our readers and our close friends and family.

What does it mean to be a nuclear family?

As soon as I had Zai my dad said, “Well kiddo, now you have the perfect nuclear family.” And so we do. By my definition of living the Ra’Co Life, in someways we all balance each other out – Iza and I crazy gals, and Kurt and Zai mellow dudes.

“Nuclear Family” by historical definition is meant to be a married man and woman and their children living under a common dwelling. Overtime this has shifted and in the last 30 or so years it has been used to describe a family with 2 parents and a boy and a girl. Sometimes people make reference to a “house, parents, 2 kids and dog” as the American dream family… which can feed into the same context as the nuclear family.

Gallery of photos

Many more pictures where these came from, but the ones below are a few of our favorites. For the complete download, click here. If you are interested in seeing the book we made for our Abuela and Bubby at Walgreens, look here.

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November 7, 2015January 20, 2019

Product Review: E3 Live BrainON Food for Mama & Baby

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”5951″ alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://amzn.to/2RWDQld”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Set them up for success early. When it comes to parenting, doesn’t everyone want to have a super smart kid?

With our 1st child (our daughter Iza), we did whatever we could for brain development.

We did all the things we knew of:

Green juice
Folic acid
Remained raw vegan
Listened to a variety of music and TedTalks

… and we added in E3Live BrainON to everything.

E3Live is thought to provide a cleaner, clearer way of life by infusing your body with a natural inflammatory from an ancient algae-based formula. It is meant to be a terrific balancer for the amount of existing alkaline and chlorophyll in your body. When it comes to deep-rooted change, this is the formula!

For both my pregnancies I was able to take E3Live BrainON. With Iza it was more accessible since we lived across the street from the health food store that carried it, so we were regularly stocked. For Zai, we only had access in our final trimester since it can’t be shipped to Guatemala (they actually have pill versions now that can travel). Kurt brought back the bottles in a freezer bag and checked it in our luggage. It made it here perfectly (which was shocking!).

How much did I consume?

I went through about 2 bottles a month (instead of the recommended 1 bottle a week). We kept it in the freezer and defrosted enough for 3 days and put the liquid defrosted part in the fridge in an airtight container. The frozen bottle went back into the freezer.

Sometimes I would put it into a smoothie, other times I would just take a shot like we would with wheatgrass. It takes sweet, and you can get a few different flavored options if you go to the E3 Live website.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”5895″ alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://amzn.to/2RWDQld”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Fresh Frozen E3Live with an added Brain Support helps:

Increased focus and clarity
Lifted and brightened mood with PEA
Lower stress and enhanced well-being
Ability to function at a higher level
Increased concentration

Description

E3Live + BrainON is Certified Organic Fresh Frozen E3Live (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a super concentrated Organic E3AFA extract of Phycocyanin and Phenylethylamine (PEA). Phycocyanin is a natural anti-inflammatory. PEA is a naturally occurring extract that may promote clear thinking and focus to give you optimal cognitive function.

E3Live + BrainON is for anyone who wishes to balance mood and increase concentration while functioning at a higher level.

Product Research & Technical Data

E3Live (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) is wild-harvested from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA. E3Live is tested and assayed for purity. AFA is an edible species of blue-green algae that has been consumed by indigenous people for thousands of years. AFA is a very nutritious, whole food containing over 64 nutrients that are easily absorbed by the body.

AFA is considered a new superfood that contains more protein and chlorophyll than any other food source. Micro-algae, existing at the beginning of the food chain, provide nutrition in its simplest form balanced whole food nutrition that is easily digested and absorbed. AFA has a soft cell wall that is easily digested by the body. This allows rapid absorption of vital nutrients and easy assimilation.

Research on the molecular studies and health benefits.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5304″ alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://amzn.to/2RWDQld”][vcex_button url=”https://amzn.to/2RWDQld” target=”blank” align=”right”]Check Prices[/vcex_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]

August 18, 2015December 27, 2018

Tips n’ Tricks for How I am Coping with Baby #2 Pregnancy

It’s just how it goes. Round 2 is never easier than Round 1. You know too much, and likely you already have at least 1 other munchkin jumping all over you and emotions are high all around, especially with the existing munchkin.

I have had a terrible go of it from day 1 – nausea, vertigo and exhaustion plagued my 1st trimester and then we spent the 2nd trimester traveling and searching for a new ‘Home.’ Here we are finally in the 3rd trimester and I am already bigger than I was at full term with Iza, I am eating meat and dairy again and totally disgusted with myself, and I have a little girl whose emotions are so out of whack from our combined hormones. And this is all totally normal – in case you were wondering.

The good news it that Zai is extremely healthy and happy. He bounces around all day and night and seems to be progressing nicely. The doctor is very happy with the progress and very reassuring about all the rest.

Likely if you are in your 3rd trimester all of the above will sound normal to you. Here are some tips on what I am doing to get through and maybe some will be helpful to you!:

Eating tons of frozen fruit. That’s right! I take fresh fruit, cut it up into small pieces and freeze it. With Iza I was obsessed with frozen sweet peas, with Zai it is fruit. I also sometimes make ice cream or popsicles using Coconut Milk and frozen fruit so it is ready to go anytime I am craving.
Yoga, walking and swimming when I can. I take lessons since I am not disciplined enough to do it on my own, and I have worked it out with girlfriends who are also pregnant to keep it interesting. With yoga, I was constantly frustrated with my lessons until I started listening to my body and adjusting accordingly. Don’t be afraid to not do as much, but push yourself when you can.
Complaining often to release the tension. I have prepped my family that this is a unique time in my life and I just need unconditional support and the ability to be self indulgent right now. I have given myself permission to vocalize how I feel even if it sounds like a broken record. It is important to get the feeling out and to not harbor it.
Playing as much as I can with Iza. With the new baby in arms reach I am worried Iza will feel left out. This is a common emotion mother’s go through when they have to begin dividing their love, so I am doing what I can now (against intelligent work decisions) to spend as much time with her as I can. When I need a break, I do offer the iPad and don’t feel guilty about it. Now is the time to balance energy, time and experience.
Isolating our emotions. It has been really hard on my marriage with Kurt to be constantly interrupted by Iza’s crying and her frustration with me, and even harder to not let it effect our relationship. We have had to work really hard to isolate our emotions to the moment we are in and to remember to come back together at the end of the day, regardless of what the day has unfolded. Carving out an hour to splurge on a TV show together goes a long way.

If you want to get in touch to chat about what you are going through, I am here to be part of your tension release program. 🙂