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Spandex & Wine
Spandex & Wine is a podcast for finding balance between being healthy & living a happy life. Hosted by Robin Hackney, a 23-year veteran in the fitness industry & wine consultant, this is a place to be our authentic selves as we have real conversations exploring wellness and all things wine! Subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode.
Spandex & Wine
Strength Through The Storm w/ Izzy Rusnak
The story opens with a diagnosis no parent wants to hear and unfolds into a masterclass on grit, hope, and everyday choices that add up. We sit down with Izzy from RustyBelle Farms to trace Rudy’s first year—from a grade four brain hemorrhage and a VP shunt to the unforgettable moment he sprinted across the living room. Along the way, Izzy shares how a crisis sparked creativity: three heartfelt books that translate complex realities for kids, celebrate faith during hard chapters, and offer practical, gut-centered guidance for feeding little ones.
We dig into hydrocephalus in plain language, demystifying the shunt and the signs families should know, then shift to what parents can control at home: food, hydration, and a calm, watchful eye. Izzy explains why she delays grains due to low amylase in toddlers, how she prioritizes fats and proteins to support brain development, and why she swears by the simplest diagnostic tool most of us ignore—reading diapers for clues about fiber, iron, and fluids. If you’ve ever wondered how to make “convenience” truly healthy, her freezer-friendly meal prep, use of tallow and butter, and produce-forward plates offer an easy on-ramp.
We also get real about capacity. Izzy updates us on RustyBelle Farms and how she’s scaling production to honor family time during the busy holiday season, without losing the joy of creating soaps, lotions, and candles that listeners love. It’s a grounded, generous conversation that blends neuroscience, nutrition, and farm life into a reminder that resilience isn’t a single moment—it’s a lifestyle.
If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a dose of courage, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Your support keeps these stories—and this community—growing.
“Handpicked Cowboy”
https://amzn.to/47rsD27
“Cowboys Special Tool”
https://amzn.to/4os126Q
Cookbook
https://amzn.to/4qMDmM4
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Hello and welcome to the spending. Ready to jump in for something in your life that makes you time for Spandex and Wine. Hey friends, welcome back to the Spandex and Wine podcast. It's your host, Robin Hackney, and I appreciate you being here. So I need you to think way back, it was probably a year, a year and a half ago, that I had um Izzy Resnick on the podcast. She is the owner, she and her husband are the owners of Rusty Bell Farms. And some of you I know purchased some of her tallow, her lotions, her soaps. You loved all of her products. And then you were like, wait a second, I haven't heard from her. Well, there's a reason why. Because right after that episode, or shortly after, she gave birth to a beautiful little boy, and she's had so many other changes in her life and obstacles and struggles that have not stopped her. I was amazed with our conversation and everything that she has accomplished in the last year, year and a half. She is a force to be reckoned with and just an amazing person. And I can't wait for you to hear today's episode. So here's Izzy. Hey, Izzy, how are you? I am doing great. How have you been? I have been great. Yes. I'm super excited to talk to you today. I was saying in the intro to this episode, like how much you have accomplished in the last you were on the show. It's been just a little over a year, and I can't believe everything that you've done. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_02:It's been a busy year, that's for sure. But I feel like that's just my personality type is chaos.
SPEAKER_00:So we'll throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Yes. Yes. Okay. So fill us in on well, let's start with the biggest addition to your family.
SPEAKER_02:Let's wear pregnant when we talked. Um, I was I pregnant last time we talked. Yes. I don't think you would have him yet. Okay. Well, no, I I wouldn't have had him yet. I just wasn't sure if that was when we were trying to get pregnant or if I was pregnant. Um, but I think, yeah, I think you may have just found out. I'm not sure, but it could have been. Um we actually had a pregnancy before Rudy, so it could have been that one too. It's been it's been a a busy couple of years. Um but yeah, we had little Rudy in October of last year. So he just had his one-year birthday. I don't, I know you know, like any mom, I don't know where the time is going because I I just had him like a week ago, but but he walked a couple days ago. So I don't know how that happened.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it's so true. Yes, it just keeps faster and faster.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, it's insane. But yes, we had little Rudy and he is doing wonderful. He did um have some complications post-birth. Uh, he had a grade four brain hemorrhage at about 36 hours old, um, seizures, lots of scary stuff that all happened really quickly. Um, he was given a kind of scary diagnosis in the beginning, um, and has overcome just about everything. So it's it's wild how that works, but we are just very grateful and just we took it one day at a time, and now we're a year in, and I feel like all this scary stuff's behind us. Oh god, because he's still a wild little boy, so scary things are always on the horizon.
SPEAKER_00:That is true, but I I can't even imagine hearing that diagnosis, bringing your baby home 36 hours later, having to rush back to the hospital. Oh my gosh, I was just praying for you and Connor and Rudy. And so I am so happy. A year later, I watched the reel recently on him walking. I'm like, this is cool.
SPEAKER_02:I know that we were told um about a weekend to our stay at children's, we were told that he likely would never walk unassisted, that he would have severe handicaps on his right side. Um so he had a the location of the bleed was on the left side of the thalamus, which controls a lot of the motor development on the right side of your body. Um, so we were anticipating that. We started physical therapy when he was a week old. Like we had just gotten home from children's, and I think within a day or two, infant toddler services, which is an incredible service through the state, um, came out. They come to her house, it's free. Um, they've every they were here every week for about six months, and then it was every other week. And then he's kind of just graduated to not needing them a whole lot because he's just doing so well. Um, but yeah, so he's I think we're at like once a month now, and we have his one year review, and we might go to every other month just so we don't miss anything if some subtle there could still be some subtleties, but the debilitating stuff is, I think, off the table. So, not I think it is off the table.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh, that is wonderful news. And I again, I I'll say it again, I just cannot believe how much you've accomplished. So I want to in to um what you've been doing because I feel like a lot of people would have gotten that diagnosis and they would have just curled up in the ball, or they would have thought, this is all I can do, which you were able to focus on him, but then give back to so many other people. So fill us in on what you've been doing because I just stumbled upon it. I think maybe it was on your site. Um, I saw in your story um two books.
SPEAKER_02:Three now, actually. Three. I published three now. Yeah. Once I kind of figured out how to do it all and work like I think just trying to figure out how to compile manuscripts and things like that were the biggest learning curve. And once I figure that out, there'll be 20 more before the no, I've got to take a break from books for a while, but but it's fun, it's just kind of become a new hobby of mine.
SPEAKER_00:And okay, so tell us about what what your three books are.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Um, my first book um was just a little inspiration, of course, from Rudy. They all are. Um, it's called A Cowboys Special Tool. Um, I have my other copies of the other books are actually in Rudy's room right now and he's napping. So this is the only one I have a copy of with me. Um it is just kind of a light-hearted book, just kind of giving a you know, a 10,000-foot overview of hydrocephalus, you know, told in the story of a cowboy Rue who has this special cowboy tool, and it helps him do the everyday stuff that every other little boy, cowboy, or cowgirl can do. Uh, so it's just kind of my way of, you know, as Rudy gets older and we were able to communicate more about this condition he has, because he um, while he did overcome so much, he did end up developing hydrocephalus at about eight weeks old. Um, so we were at just a follow-up appointment, his head was like a watermelon. I knew something was wrong. I talked to the pediatrician, and it was kind of like, yeah, something's a little off. Maybe he needs a helmet, you know. And I'm like, but it's big, it's not flat, you know. Like I just confusion. We went down to children's and they were like, nope, this is what he has. So he had a um ventricular uh uh VP shunt placed in his head. So he has a shunt in his brain that has a tube that comes like a catheter in his brain that has a tube that comes off and goes all the way down over his chest and into his belly.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Uh and it drains the fluid. The fluid just drains into his belly, his body absorbs it, goes on about his day. Um, so that is his special cowboy tool. And I've always called it shunty in, you know, in the beginning, because we had to do some maintenance after surgery, post-op care. So it's always the morning shunty, and we'd clean it and do our things with it, you know, and it's a part of his life. We don't even see it anymore. I don't even notice it. You know, it's just funny what changes in the beginning. It was like this fragile, delicate spot in his head I never wanted to touch, and I was afraid of hurting him and all the things. And now I brush over it like it's not even there, and it just it's just his cowboy tool, you know, it's just there. But it was just a way to um kind of build on integrating it into his everyday life and make it fun and positive and make him feel proud of it. You know, he's he's overcome a lot in this year, not you know, as parents, we've been through a lot, but as a baby, like just everything his body has been through and how resilient he is. And he is just the happiest, most content. We got we got lucky. Every baby's a good baby, but he is just a very content baby, which made doctor's appointments much more enjoyable and all the things we had to go through really easy when he is so laid back. But it was just important to me to learn how to communicate with him as he gets older to be proud of it and not not feel any shame or weirdness towards it. Because while you can't, you wouldn't even know he has it if you looked at him right now. You can't see it. But you know, there's a chance he may need a shunt revision. It's very common. Um they expire at about 10 years. So at the very least, at 10 years old, he'll need a replacement. He may have a scar, or it may not be as camouflaged as it is now. The more times they have to, you know, replace those or repair those. Um, so I just wanted to make, I don't know, just a little something special for it. Started out just something special for him. I actually just created like a little board book that he and I would read. Um as, you know, babies and paperbacks, not a good combo. So it became a teether too. But um I started with just a little board book and then we had a friend. Um actually, our my sister-in-law and brother-in-law have a friend who had a little boy recently who was also diagnosed with hydrocephalus. So we got in contact and I kind of helped answer as many questions as I could. Obviously, everyone's story is different, so I could only speak on my experience with Rudy. Um, but I sent her a copy when they got home from the hospital, and then it just kind of snowballed from there. And I just wanted to donate copies to children. So I brought some in the lot at our last appointment and donated donated them to the neurosurgery team. Um, and it's just kind of become a way to help other parents, I guess, navigate a really, really common condition, actually. It's it's pretty common. You just don't hear about it very often. Um, I believe uh when Rudy was first diagnosed, I want to say it's almost as common as Down syndrome.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:But because you don't physically, you know, you don't visually see it sometimes on people, you just wouldn't know. But I would say at some point in your life you've come across somebody with hydrocephalus and you might not have even known it.
SPEAKER_00:Um is it what does that mean? Like what um tell me more about this. I mean, I know this is not not where we were gonna talk today, but I wouldn't everything. So give us a little more information on that diagnosis and what that so hydroscephalus is fluid on the brain.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, everyone has fluid, cerebral spinal fluid, it flows and drains as it should. When you have trauma in the brain, like Rudy had a brain bleed, it kind of gunked up his tubes, essentially. It gunked up the fluid in his brain. It got thick and sticky and it didn't want to drain properly. So it kind of got stuck in his ventricles in his brain, and they just started filling and filling and filling. And that's why we noticed his head swelling. Um, there are other symptoms that present. He was asymptomatic, he had none of them, so we had no way of knowing there was anything wrong until we went in because his head was so big, and I was like, you know, he's got a big dad. Connor's got a big head. Maybe it's just genetics, but it grew really quickly. Like a hat that fit a week ago is I can't get on his head now. Like it was like overnight, his head just grew like 10 centimeters. Um, so that fluid really built in there, created a lot of pressure in his brain, um, which subsequently can cause further brain damage, but because he's a baby, his plates aren't fused, his skull is still malleable, so it can absorb a lot of that pressure, which is why his head just grew and grew. Um so we went in about three days after his diagnosis. They had us come in for surgery day. They placed a shunt, um, just a catheter that goes in his brain, and then there's a little device that sits under the skin. So there's a piece that goes through the skull into the brain, a device that sits on the outside of the skull between the skull and the skin. And then the tube is it's all in the skin, so you don't see anything on the outside. And the tube comes down, goes across his chest, and then flows into his abdomen. Um, it sounds a lot scarier, I think, than it is to me now in the moment. It was obviously very traumatic. And you know, you mentioned how most parents would curl up into a ball. I did. There were plenty of moments where we were curled into balls. I think Connor and I kind of took turns. You know, I'd fall apart and he'd keep it all together, and then he'd fall apart and I'd try and keep it all together. And I think you do have to have that, you have to let it out. It was very scary and traumatic. And there was this sense of kind of mourning at the time, mourning this childhood that we envisioned when we were told he'd be handicapped. You know, it's like we live on a farm, we have a very active lifestyle. What is that gonna look like? Like, you know, there's this sad part of, is he ever gonna get to go hunting with his dad? That's like his dream is to take his son hunting, you know? Um, so there was a lot of mourning in different stages and steps. And then it just, you know, I think children are so resilient. And it was just like he just was so happy that I'm like, he's fine, you know, he's no matter what the diagnosis, he's okay. He's going to be fine. And then also when you're surrounded by a lot of sick kiddos in the NICU, you know, we're preparing for the worst brain damage that would affect speech, emotion, regulation. You know, is he gonna be not brain dead, but is he gonna have brain activity? Um, because we we obviously knew at that point he wasn't brain dead, he was mobile and doing things, normal newborn stuff. Um, but we didn't know the extent of the brain damage. So when they came in and they were like, it's motor, it's gonna affect motor function primarily, there is this relief like, who I can handle that. A little boy who needs a little extra help from his mom, darn it, you know, okay. But there was a huge relief in that diagnosis, which helped. Um, because when you're not sure if your son's gonna make it, and then you're given a diagnosis that he's gonna make it, nothing else really mattered. Um, but yeah, so then I don't know, I think just life kept going. And we were, I think two weeks after we got him home, Connor, it was deer season. Connor shot a deer. Um, we butchered, I had him strapped to my chest, and we butchered a deer as a family. And then a week after that, we it's we have a farm, you know, farm life didn't stop. We had pigs that were ready to be butchered and we couldn't overwinter them, so we had to butcher pigs. And with a newborn fresh from the NICU, we're butchering pigs, and we just kind of realized like we can still do these, you know, we're still doing these things, nothing has really changed. So we'll just take it one day at a time. And you know, we started physical therapy, and she was very positive and hopeful and gave us a lot of encouragement. So did the nurses at children's mercy. Just we have seen babies with worse brain bleeds that have had no deficits. They're the brain just remaps, it senses the damage and it rewires around it when they're that young. So we're very fortunate that you know it happened at such an early age because it gave his body the chance to re-reroute all the little brain waves and signals. Um, and it has. I mean, he was he was diagnosed around six months with mild cerebral palsy at his right bicep. I don't, I don't know that I even agree with it. I it doesn't matter to me. So it's like, okay, if it's that's what it is on paper, that's fine. But I don't see it. He is right-handed dominant, he does everything with his right side, he grabs and throws, he does all the things symmetrical. So I'm like, all right, so he has cerebral palsy in his arm. Like, it's doesn't seem to slow him down at all. So it's just funny, what would have been a really scary diagnosis is kind of like meh, whatever. Now, you know, it is what it is. We'll figure it out. And then his legs, he just started walking. Uh two nights ago, he took his first little steps, and I mean he just zoomed across the room. He took like six steps full speed running, and his legs look symmetrical, and it was the proudest moment. And I'm like, unassisted, no walker, no, no braces on his legs needed, you know. And then we'll see as those fine motor skills develop, he may have a limp or a gait issue or weakness, or who knows. But as of right now, I don't see anything. Oh, I worry when I need to worry. I don't need to worry right now, so I'm not worried. Um that's amazing. Yeah, I think we just learned that I mean it can slow you down if you let it, or you can just keep pushing through and figure it out as it comes along. And Connor and I both, you know, we went through a lot before Rudy with fertility struggles and miscarriages. And it, I think that all kind of built this resilience just with us to see the big picture like down the road. We went through all these hardships, but ultimately we got Rudy, you know, and then we went through hardships with Rudy, and ultimately we have the most incredible life, you know. Like it just I don't know if pickups and road bumps are just that, and then you get over them. Yes, and you persevere. I don't know. So now we're in that persevere part of life, and things are just kind of falling into place. Yeah, and then the books, then the inspiration came from wanting to share that piece of his journey with others. Um, and then I was, I don't know, I was really kind of blindsided by the support of people that don't have hydrocephalus or kids with I I expected just it to be like parents with kiddos with hydrocephalus would care, you know. That was it. The number of people that were like, no, I want to read this to my kiddo. I want them to see differences in people and understand and appreciate everybody as different and special in their own way. And it was just kind of like that's so sweet, you know, because Rudy will be the kid that has something a little special about him in comparison to somebody else's kid, maybe. So it was sweet that so many people that aren't directly affected by this condition still wanted to like integrate in integrate that book in their kids' life. And I thought that was really sweet.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and I think it's important for kids at a young age to learn that there are differences in people and we need to be accepting of everyone. And the more you know, you know, then the better off you are. So to learn that at a age, I think that's fantastic. And I think I know the answer to this next question, but I'm assuming that you attribute a lot of his success to your farm life and the foods you eat, what you have around your house and what you don't. And probably that led to book number two. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, you are spot on. Um, you know, it's hard to say that the life we've cultivated had an impact in his life. I don't know that definitively, but it's hard to dismiss how successful he's been when we've been very intentional about certain things. Um his diet, for instance, we've been very intentional about, um, like any parent is, but you know, we're with hydrocephalus specifically, um, digestion is really important because things like constipation can cause a backup and pressure in your head because there's nowhere for the fluid to drain. When your abdomen's tight and full, it's like trying to fill in a full water balloon. You know, the the fluid needs to drain, but your abdomen's full of gas and pressure and it can't, so it backs up in your brain again. And that could mean a trip to the ER to see if his shunt's failing. That could mean, you know, while it wouldn't mean surgery because the cause is constipation, it would present as a shunt failure, which would warrant surgery. So we'd have to take them in. So diet's been really important and critical in just managing his diagnosis from a comfort standpoint and a peace of mind standpoint that we're not in the ER all the time, worried that something's going wrong. Um, so that's one thing. And that is actually a section in the beginning of the cookbook is um there's a section on digestion and just reading your baby's cues, um, which while it might be weird to have a section on bowel movements and a cookbook, as you know, from a nutrition diet, like the importance of just reading your body and understanding your body, and while it might be like a taboo thing to talk about, let alone in a cookbook, it's one of the most important windows into our children's health is their diet and how their body's interpreting the things we're giving them. Yeah, ashes on their body, bumps on the back of their arm, probably a gut issue, probably something of sensitivity or food. You know, those are one of the first things you recognize if they have a food allergy is skin reaction. So unless it's anaphylactic, but it's these things that I have done so much research, and just there's so much out there for moms that's overwhelming that I thought maybe I can compile it. I get asked on a daily basis for recipes, ideas, suggestions. I am not an expert. I am not. I can only say what's helped my child and the things that I have found and integrated that have helped. And I wanted to share that with anybody who might be looking for a new thing, a new, a new path to take or a new suggestion. Um I don't think anybody needs a cookbook for their kid. I think mom's intuition, I think you can figure it out pretty easily, but I also know how busy life can be. And if you have just a resource that's like, what are we gonna cook tonight? What would be a good meal for the whole family that I can also tailor to the baby? There's ideas right there. Um so that's kind of where uh the nutrition aspect came into play with his condition was just the importance of hydration again, because fluids you need to be hydrated for those fluids to flow, and constipation. And while I don't want to knock on wood jinx it, Rudy's never been constipated a day in his life. As a one-year-old who's been on solids for what, five, five months now. Um I'm very proud of that because that's a hard, that's that's a hard feat. You know, that's to me, that's an accomplishment. Um, but we're also very picky about what he eats and sometimes maybe too much so, but also it's I don't know, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Everything has to be perfect. New mom. Oh my gosh. And I mean you're you're so right. People people don't realize how much gut health plays a role in everything. And I feel like if you can do this early with your children, they're gonna be so much better off because it takes us longer when we're trying to reverse things. People just want a magic pill or this or that. You can change it with food and supplements. It's going to take time as you're older. But as infants, if you can start early and you know the importance of good digestion and how it can show up, just like what you said, in your skin, it can show up in your behavior, so many different issues. They're sending those signals. Um, but getting that gut healed is huge.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yeah. So that's and I knew you would appreciate that aspect because that's a huge part of your life. And it's you just want to like yell it sometimes at people like gut health, just look it up, just look, start small. You know, there's small changes you can make, and yeah, and kiddos, especially, and I think in this day and age, convenience, because everyone has such a fast-paced lifestyle that convenience food is the priority. And it is in our household too. We have a bit very busy life, but convenience food to me is pre-made home-cooked meals that were frozen or canned that I could pull off the shelf and feed him or grab out of the freezer because I've made a month's supply of breakfast for him. That's convenience for me, is just taking a day out of my week to prep all these things. Yeah, grab and go meals just like everybody else. I have freezer meals just like everybody else, but it's intentional food I've made for him. Yeah, yeah, that's just that's been my biggest priority. Laundry doesn't get done, nothing else gets done, but man, he eats good.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, don't say nothing else gets done because you're on book three.
SPEAKER_02:So the laundry still doesn't get done, the bathroom hasn't been cleaned. For everything I am accomplished through accomplishing, there is something I'm not. So that's for that false sense of social media reality. Like you do so much, yeah, but I don't do a lot, also.
SPEAKER_01:That's okay.
SPEAKER_00:It'll be there.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that stuff's never going anywhere.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so tell me about what what is your third book then? So you have the um book that you stood for Rudy, and then the cookbook. What's the third book?
SPEAKER_02:The third book is um it's also a children's book, and it's called A Handpicked Cowboy, and it's more faith, it's faith-based. So it's more about God choosing you for such a purpose. Just, you know, whether it's like it starts out, you know, it's also cowboy Rue is the main character, but it's um about how when he wins the big race, he thanks God for choosing him. But when he falls and scrapes his knee or he's stuck on a path on his horse, you know, he has to pick a different path. It's maybe God picked this too, and you know, he picked the doctors just for you. And like everything in your life was not designed by accident, you know, the there aren't mistakes. And so again, it was just kind of something that I've I've had in my notes on my phone that I've kind of written and read to him all the time. That I finally was like, why don't I make this a book for him? And then I can share it with others too. And because it's about any struggle in life, you know, hydrocephalus or not. Um, I truly believe we were picked for every moment of our life. And I was picked to be his mom, and he was picked to be my son, and we were picked to go down this path. Um, and that's also part of what has gotten us through all this, is just knowing, I don't know in the moment what the reason is for him being diagnosed with hydrocephalus. But now a year later, I'm like, oh, we got this. We were picked because we can handle it, you know, we we're gonna thrive with this. Whereas maybe somebody else might not, you know. So I'm grateful he picked us because we got this, we can do it. Yeah. So that was the inspiration behind that book was just sharing that sense of security with tough things in life. Um, and again, it's kind of like just short and sweet rhyming um illustrations of cowboys and things like that. But yeah, just another little, a little creation in my phone that probably a late night feeding or something that just popped into my head and I wrote it down and became a daily read for him. And and hopefully it can become a read for others.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yes, absolutely. I I feel like a whole series is coming your way. That's wonderful. Oh, and I know that you know, when we first reconnected, we were going to just dive all into, you know, children's nutrition and all of that. So I thank you so much for taking the time to to fill us in on everything else that you are doing. Um, so okay, give us a little bit of information about how your Rusty Bell Farms products are doing. Um, and then let's let's talk about whatever else you want to talk about. Um, they're doing great.
SPEAKER_02:I've definitely slowed down on production. So, you know, my restock days are further and fewer in between. Um, but they're it's still happening. It's just happening at my own pace now. Obviously, I have little hands that require a lot more attention than when he was a baby and he slept all the time. And I could get out in the shop and just whip stuff up and pack orders. It was no big deal. He was actually out there with me this morning packing orders, just ripping up shipping labels and just having a great time. We've got lots of confetti on the floor now. He was loving it. But um, so it is harder to prioritize time for that. So I have taken a step back um in the production aspect to make sure that I can have the time to ship orders as they come in, versus put that times toward time towards making more stuff. Um, so they are smaller product restocks. Um, I've phased out some products for for now, you know, who knows down the pipeline what might happen. But for now, just have to roll things back a little, rein it in, um just to kind of fit what we have going on. And again, this is this time of year is busy for everybody. It's just the holidays, it's fall, that's just how it goes. Days are shorter, yet you have more events and things going on than ever. Um, there's never enough time in a day, but with hunting season, because that's a big part of our life. Um, with hunting season comes butchering, and then we have pigs to butcher again this fall, just one this year. Um, and then we have cows in uh early next year. We butcher cows around February, March. Um, so just making sure I still have the time to do those things and the holidays and family, but also with soap and lotion, that's like in candles, that's the biggest time of year for sales. So it's hard to kind of give that up in a sense, but and I'm not giving it up. I'm just having to scale back quite a bit. Um, but it is what it is, it's just my season of life right now.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So if people want to. Get it for Christmas, they need to get the orders in now.
SPEAKER_02:Probably yes. Like, yes. Yeah. I need to update the website. I got some product made this past weekend. So I need to get that on the website and and then it's order packing.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Well, I want to make sure that in the show notes I put um all the links of how to get the books, how to get your products, all of that. Yeah, thank you. That afterwards um you I would like for you to send that information to me so I can make sure I put that in there. Is there anything else that we haven't talked about that you really wanted to touch on? Um, I mean, we could dive more into the nutrition.
SPEAKER_02:Um a little bit more on the cookbook because I feel like that's your that's your domain too. So you could give me a lot of feedback too. Um yeah. Um, one of the things that we have um pretty firmly stuck to with Rudy's diet is no grains. Um, we he's had bread one time and he got bumps all over the back of his arm within like 24 hours. Um and that was just a few like a maybe a month ago. We just kind of tried it. But you know, in a lot of the research I did, I found the enzyme um amylase is something that's produced in the saliva and pancreas that babies have almost none of. Breast milk contains a little bit to help them um kind of recognize it and start producing it on their own. There's no no complex carbs or any or starches in breast milk that they would need the amylase to break down. Um, but that is its purpose, is to digest complex carbs and starches. So babies don't produce that until around the age of two. Their pancreas really doesn't have hardly any, certainly not enough to digest these grains and starches they're given, um, which is so interesting because you know, rice cereal is one of the first things a lot of people grab when they're introducing solids for babies. Um, and that's in large part because it's fortified, it's a fortified grain. So back in the day, it was used because it was a really easy, cheap thing for them to manufacture with fortified iron and riboflavin and whatever else they put into it. Um, but it's not a digestible food for them, um, which is a lot of times why they say, you know, oh, but if you give your baby rice cereal cereal, they'll they'll sleep through the night. They will be full for a really long time because it's just sitting in their gut. It's just, you know, it is not being absorbed, it's not being utilized, it's not being digested. Um, and again, with Rudy's digestion, constipation being at the forefront all the time is just hydration. Um, that was one thing that I really like honed in on and started going down the rabbit hole of like, why do we give babies these things if they can't really handle it? And for some kiddos, just like anyone, you know, some people handle things a lot better than others. We tried a bite of bread with Rudy a few months ago. He got rash on the back of his arms. Within 24 hours, he had all these bumps on the sides of his cheeks and the backs of his arms. So I'm like, not doing it. We cut it out. He's never had it since.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, he doesn't need it. We prioritize fats and proteins. Um, he gets fruits and vegetables at every mealtime, but fats and proteins, whether it's tallow, lard, butter, olive oil, those are the main fats. He's had coconut oil a few times and some avocado oil. Um but those are the ones. I mean, that boy gets a lot of fat. He gets more than the suggested amount. But until his bowel movements are shiny and oily, he's not getting too much. I just read his diapers. His diapers tell me what he needs. If they're getting a little on the firm side, we'll throw in a pair, you know. We'll we'll add a little pumpkin or something. But that's that's what I go off of is just every diaper change. I'm I know what to feed him for the next meal.
SPEAKER_00:That's you know, that's so interesting though, Izzy, too. Like you had said that um, you know, talking about bowel movements in a cookbook and that's kind of uh but you're right, like we don't talk about it enough, and we could learn more about ourselves by looking at our bowels and figuring out oh, not our bells, but our bowel movements that we card to do. But yeah, I mean, we can learn a lot just about oh shoot, I need to bulk up on this kind of fiber because there's soluble and insoluble. You're right. You know what to throw in if it's looking a little too either way. So that's yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And not to be, you know, it's not like I'm obsessive over it. It's not like every time I'm inspecting his diaper and I'm like, oh, he has to have this. But it's it's a good thing if I'm like, you know, he usually poops around this time and he hasn't pooped today. I, you know, mental note of that. And the next day, by the time he does, he's never gone more than 24 hours without pooping. By the next day, he poops. If it looks normal, I'm like, right, it was just a you know, weird thing because you know, food is not the only impactor on digestion, stress, teething, sleep, all there are all sorts of things that can impact that as well. But it is a really good window into the big picture, which digest food is usually the big picture. There's those little anomalies here and there that they that may impact it temporarily, but primarily food is going to be what you see, especially at this age. Um, and when food is so new to them or you're introducing new things. Um, so that has been again, I'm not obsessive over it. It's not something that I have a journal and track. It's just something that I make mental notes of all right, maybe I could cut back on some of these things, or you know, if it's dark and a little bit harder, maybe I'll back off on like the beef liver or so, you know, iron is really tough on digestion. Maybe I need to wean off of that a little bit this week, or vice versa. I can add a little bit more and it doesn't look like that, or it's not getting that direction. Um, so those are just little things I use to tailor his diet towards his needs. And as somebody I still breastfeed, but as I get to the point of maybe cutting down on that or weaning off completely, that's a fear of mine. And I've talked to other moms that are like, you know, I'm so scared to stop breastfeeding because what if his body's not getting what it needs? I've no idea of know like of knowing what he needs. Um, so that's one tool for me of just learning now how to read those cues so that down the road, when I do eventually wean him, which hopefully is not when he's 40, I know what his body, I have a better idea of what his body might need.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Right. Yes. So um is this another book that you'll be coming out with just specifically to uh newborns, toddlers?
SPEAKER_02:I don't know because I don't want to come across like I know everything or that I have even an inkling of an idea what's going on inside the human body. Um I just know what I've looked into and what I've applied to my own son's diet, what has been successful for us. Um but again, every, I don't know, everyone's just so different and it's hard to, I don't know. I just I guess I'm I'm scared. I don't like giving advice on something unless I always preface it with this is what worked for me or this is what for worked for him. I don't know that it's the end all be all for everybody. You know, I don't know. I'm not an expert. Um, I'm just a mom doing her best who would like to help other moms try and do their best.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I think you preface it with that exactly because just like when you wrote the um the cowboy book and you said that other moms were wanting to read that. I think you're going to speak to people and they get to decide what pieces they're gonna take and what they're going to use. And as long as they consult with their physician, you know, figure out what's good for you. I think the more information you can put out there to people, the more you're going to help someone, right?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Because that information is available, whether it's in my book or somebody else's. Exactly. The information's out there. We know how important fat is in a diet, let alone for babies whose brains are literally built on fat. They need fat in their diet. Um, which again is why one of that's a that's a major food group for him, is because I wanted to give his brain every chance it had of getting the nutrients it needed to help repair itself. Yes. Um, but yeah, I mean, the info's out there. It's funny when you look at like the 1990s, I don't even know if it's still around, but like the food pyramid from like the 90s.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02:And like the grain is yeah, it's literally the big like it's like 60% of the diet is grain, and it's just like breads and muffins, and like the pictures on it is what I always think of. Yes. I'm like, that's that's not what our babies need, that's not what we need, that's not what anybody really needs. Of course, everyone thrives on different diets. I did really well on I don't want to say the carnivore diet because I did kind of a modified version of it, but I did really well when I focused primarily on meats and dairy and some fruits and vegetables, whereas other people might not. I've heard people that are like, no, that wrecked my body. I did not do well with that, you know? Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yeah, absolutely. Oh gosh. And you know, I I feel like the 80s and the 90s did everyone a disservice when they were like fat free, fat-free.
SPEAKER_02:I still have clients that are like, oh no, I use fat-free this and fat-free that on my oh my like fat-free yogurt and chicken breasts are like, yeah, we don't even buy chicken breasts, we don't eat chicken breasts, we have them on our chickens, but we are big, like chicken thighs. We love dark meat, but yeah, it's it's funny how much you have to undo. And that's kind of to your point earlier, where if you can start early in a kid's life and intervene in their diet and just give them the building blocks to a healthy lifestyle, those are really it's not like you know, as Rita gets older, if he wants to have cupcakes or eat a cookie at the party or at a birthday party, go for it. I would hope that he may see like this is something I, you know, it's a treat once in a while. It's not a part of my everyday diet because it's not something we really consume all that often, but it's not something we eliminate. We don't avoid it. Right. I'm a I have chocolate in my nightstand. I gotta eat a bite before bed every single night. That is just Rudy might be the same way, and that's fine if that's what he wants. But you know, it's just learning that these things, it doesn't need to be, I don't, I don't know how I how to how to approach this. The there's dessert at the end of every meal, you know, and that's the reward. Like food is fuel, that's all it should be. Food is just fuel for our bodies. Now we're fueling it right. We don't need to, I don't know, bribe our kids with desserts or or things at the end of the day. And I'm hearing in the back of my mind, I have this flash of like classic first-time mom comment. We don't need to bribe our kids. I'll be the first one to be like, please just eat this and you can have a cookie later. I'll be, I'll be mark my words, but I hear it. But but I also hope that's my goal for myself as a parent is to not have to do those things. And by only feeding him foods that are good for him and he enjoys, maybe I won't need to use those things. I don't know. We'll see down the road. But that's my goal for his his nutrition is to just set him up for success now. I love that. And hopefully later in life he chooses to stay on this path. We'll see.
SPEAKER_01:You know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:He may hate farm life, he may hate hunting, he could be a vegetarian. I don't know. We'll see. We never know.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know. I can't admit you never know. Oh my gosh. Well, this has been delightful. I I really appreciate you taking the time. Um, now, how can all the users not the users, the listeners find you?
SPEAKER_02:Uh yeah, uh Instagram is probably my my biggest presence. Um, I don't do Facebook really for marketplace. That's the extent of my Facebook usage. I don't even think I have a picture on there, but um Instagram, Rusty Bell Farms. Uh I do a lot of my I share a lot of my products on my stories if I have restocks and things like that. And then any books on the horizon may pop up in my stories also. I have a whole drafts folder with about 13 books over the years written. So we'll see if I ever do something with them. But wow.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, what an inspiration you are. That's amazing. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. Yeah, you too.
SPEAKER_01:It's good to see you again. Good to see you. Okay, you take care. Bye-bye. Bye.
SPEAKER_00:All right. Did I not tell you that she is incredible and it's just amazing and mind-blowing everything that she has done? I hope that you will check the show notes and you will purchase those children's books for your kids, for your grandkids this holiday season. You'll check out her cookbook. You will jump on her Christmas um specials and website for all of the items that you want to give for Christmas before things run out. As you heard, she's very busy, so we take advantage of that early. But yes, check all the show notes for that information. And again, reach out to me at any time if you have any questions. You guys know how to reach me, 913-392-2877 is my text line, or you can email me at infospandexnwine.com. Thank you so much for being here. And if there is someone that you think would really resonate or appreciate this episode, please share it with them. All right, take care. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy this podcast, it would mean so much to me if you take a few seconds to do each or all of the following. First, follow or subscribe to Spandex Online. It'll help you so you don't miss an episode, and it'll help me because you won't miss any episodes. To do this, you'll just go to the podcast, click subscribe or follow wherever you are listening. Click for the plus sign or follow button, and this is one of the best things that you can do for the podcast. So thank you. If you'd also be willing to give a five-star review, that would be amazing. And lastly, please share an episode with a friend, Four5, to keep the look going. I appreciate you. Thanks.
