I'm Back!

I'm finally back from vacation! We had a great time but I'm certainly glad to be back! It's nice to go away but so many times you need a vacation to recover from your vacation! We went to Destin, Florida and had a great time! Already looking forward to next year :) I, however, will sit out from being the event coordinator. I think I had a little too much on the agenda! I was originally going with the idea of relaxing on the beach and just hanging out enjoying the sun and surf (with sunscreen on, of course!). What actually happened was that we had a packed schedule with not only sun and surf but a lot of extra stuff for the kids and adults. Despite being busy, every day ended with the feeling of excitement that we still had days to go before the end of the vacation. So many times, vacations just wiz by and you don't get to really enjoy them. Not this time! Every day was an adventure and it was so fun to look forward to what the next day brought.

While on vacation, I tracked calories and did amazing...til our travel days home. By that time, I felt the need to reward myself for doing a stellar job and thought I needed fries and dessert (AKA Milkshake). If I would have skipped the reward fest, I probably would have lost weight. All in all, I gained 2 REAL pounds. I say REAL pounds because I had a lot of water weight that I got rid of pretty quick. The few days after vacation when we got home I was in a funk because of my reward fest and it took me a few days to get back on track. I think I'm good but I still have moments of weakness. Let's just say I'm looking forward to a new month - September can't come soon enough. Our real schedules will start and my races will be coming up. Even now, I still feel like it' summer despite the fact that school hast started (CRINGE)!

That's right...school has started. The girls are loving school even though they'll probably tell you something different. Even thought they started on Wednesday, it wore this mama out to get things ready in the morning, showers for the girls, work full time, and head home to do dinner and help with homework not to mention clean out the flower bed. WORE OUT does not begin to describe how I felt. By Friday I was ready for a long nap. That, unfortunately, didn't happen. How am I going to cope during a longer week, you may ask? Easy answer...some friends and I are starting to make freezer meals. I'm so excited! This will help tremendously! We're starting this Thursday :) Each of us are making 2 meals so after it's all said and done, we'll have 6 meals. We're doing another session in two weeks where we're swapping with a few other girls. Hopefully by doing this, I can pop a meal in the fridge in the morning and Nate can pop it in the stove on my way home. Can't wait til Thursday! I'll fill you in on how it goes!

Weigh Day

Had a weigh day yesterday and I lost 1 pound. I'll take it! Had a little bit of an epiphany yesterday as well. I always try to think of something that I really want to eat on weigh day. It's something that I normally don't have and it's something that I can treat myself to. Yesterday I wanted Canes but I opted for Wendy's...I was more set on the Cake Freestyle machine than anything. I wanted either Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla or Diet Vanilla Coke. I kept hearing people talk about cheeseburgers so that's what I ordered. As I was ordering I saw these cookie and brownies next to me that I was convincing myself that I didn't need. I had the thought that I was going to breeze right thru he cheeseburger and that I should grab the brownie while I could since it was my "cheat meal". After much debating in my head, I decided against it. Victory #1. I left with my Diet Dr. Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper , single with cheese, and small fries. I had the fries which were great :) and then started in on the single with cheese. I was telling myself to pay attention to my hunger pains and if I felt full that I should stop. Half way thru, I felt like if I went any farther than I'd be miserable. I folded up the other half of cheeseburger and pitched it. Victory #2! An hour later, I felt horrible. Since I don't eat greasy foods like that very often my insides were telling me...actually yelling at me for putting my lunch inside it. My insides did not like my lunch selection ;) Victory #3. I call this a victory because it's a testament to how far I've come. I'm making wiser selections when I eat out and pay true attention to the things I put in my body. After still feeling like crap later in the day, it was a true confirmation that I'm not going to load up on crap when we're on vacation. it's not worth the pounds that it will add nor the time I will spend on the "can". Who wants to spend time in the bathroom when you can spend it on the beach?? After entering my numbers under my progress, I've seen that I've come along way. Even though it's taken me a long time to get to that point, I am changing. Slowly, my body is getting smaller but my confidence is getting bigger. I wanted to be at 170 by today but 186 isn't bad. I'm a work in progress! Here's to a great vacation :)

Another Day...Another Dollar

Guess what?! Today is Friday...couldn't be happier to be at the end of the week. I had another successful weight loss this week. I lost a pound which doesn't sound like much but I'll take each and every ounce I can get! I'm feeling great today! Yesterday was weigh day so I treated myself to lunch at Chipotle with my mom...then treated myself to pizza out with my father in law who is in town from Nashville. Overall, I did well for the day but after eating out twice, I felt like I needed to put in some time with my trusty treadmill last night. Got in a good run and now I'm ready for the weekend. We've got a family get together with Nate's side of the family this weekend and it will be good to see everyone! Hoping for great weather and good memories!

We've got a couple of busy weeks ahead which I'm happy and sad about. We're heading on vacation soon which I'm so excited about but at the same time, once we get back it's back to school time. It will officially be the end to our summer. Things went so fast...so much faster than what they do during the school year. I treasure these days home with my kids. It's so nice to stay up late, wake up late and not having to worry about having an agenda. I hope we cope with school starting early this year. My only saving grace is that the kids get out in May next year and then the summer starts all over again.

Things will be very different for Nate as this will be his first year without kids during the day. The time has finally come for him to have all this free time I've been promising him from day one of his disability. He's not going to know what to do with all his free time. I'm sure he'll fill it up in no time but it will take some getting used to. I love that it also means that we can have our mornings together. The girls will get on the bus around 7:30 and I don't leave until a little after 8. 45 minutes of US time!

OK, gotta get back to work...after all it's another day...another dollar! Looking forward to the next few weeks. I'll fill you in as I can! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Quiet On The Western Front

The girls are in bed and Nate is at his uncles trying to fix our lawn mower. I just got done going thru all our bills and paperwork trying to get caught up. Things have been so crazy at work that I haven't had a chance to pay some things so tonight was the night. I went thru my bag, got all the papers in order and went to town making payments. Lucky, the money is coming out of an HSA so it doesn't hurt as bad as if it were coming out of a checking account. I can almost see an end to our medical bills! By the beginning of September we will officially be medical debt free! It's been awhile and I can only hope and pray that the girls stay well enough to help us take money out of our HSA to pay ourselves back for money we've taken out of the bank for down payments for Aiva's tonsils and my surgery. That's right...I said Aiva's tonsils! That was about three years ago! Looking forward to building back up our savings. I've always been more the saver and Nate the spender so to see us move towards saving and restocking our savings account bring me much happiness.

I weighed in this week and maintained. I'm totally OK with is as it's normally a gain week for me. Hoping for great things next week! I'm continuing to run and work out which has been hard because of the heat! Looking forward to a cool front coming in this weekend. It makes working out more enjoyable (who am I fooling) when it's not as hot. Looking forward to a family day tomorrow! With Nate gone tonight, I was also able to catch up on cleaning so I don't have to tomorrow. Love that feeling of a free weekend to love on my family. Not sure what we're doing this weekend but I'm sure there will be tons of laughter and lots of tickles :)

Bad News....and Good News!

OK...so the triathlon that I've spent the past 4 months training for was called off on Friday. I was so bumbed...words can't describe how disappointed I was. All my clothes were laid out. I planned my meals just right. Mentally I was ready....and then I got the email. The beach where the tri was supposed to take place had experienced some flooding and the park was deemed unsafe. Again, the bad news is that it was canceled...even worse is that I can't go to the makeup date. This will keep me going for at least another year though. I'm ready for the challenge plus I've got some 5K's to run between now and then. I'm so excited for these races and they're going to be so fun in their own ways. The first one  is the Busy Babes Marathon 5K in Centerburg.

I'm running with several girls from church. We're all doing our own race between the 5K, 10K, and half marathon. Can't wait! A week later, me and my family are running in the Miles for Melanoma race in Columbus.

It's the first race in Columbus for this organization so I'm really happy to be there for the first race and plus I can support a cause close to my heart. PLUS I get to do it with my family. Ana is so stoked to do this race it's funny! She's been dying to run a race with me so now she gets her chance! The last race of the year is the Hot Chocolate 5K in Columbus.

I'm either running this with a coworker or with Nate. Either way I'm excited because this was my first ever 5K last year and it will be nice to go back and run in Downtown Columbus and get some yummy hot chocolate! The atmosphere was amazing last year and I can't wait to experience again!

I'm feeling great these days and I'm in the best shape that I've been in years. I can't wait to continue! Stay tuned for what happens next! I've got a weigh in tomorrow so we'll see what happens! Here's hoping for another lose!

My Progress

So I added a page on my blog for you to follow my progress. Although slow...very SLOW, I am making progress. I just want to show other people that if things aren't happening fast enough for you, it's completely normal. Stick with it! Things will change...you're size will decrease, your cravings will decrease, and your confidence will increase! I'll fill you in on some of my growth spurts as I go on. I'm leaning new things about myself each day but one thing remains the same though...trust God and love yourself. Make yourself a priority. If things are going to change you have to Love God and Love Yourself. As a mom, we're so busy to make sure that our husbands feel loved and our kids feel loved that we forget about ourselves. By the time we make time for ourselves we're tired and out of energy. Do it today!

Resolutions

So last year I listed my weight resolutions and I just found it a few weeks ago and it reminded me that I needed to come up with some new resolutions. That's right...I met some of my goals so it's now time to set some new ones. I'll give an update on my previous goals another day. For now, this is what I'm resolving to do in 2013:

1) Wear a medium
2) Wear the black dress that's a medium in my closet
3) Cross my legs without forcing them to stay
4) Get on the ring on that Nate got me for Christmas in 2011
5) Feel OK with my picture being taken
6) Run another 5k or better
7) Drink more water
8) Get cute bras and panties
9) Get out of a large
10) Have to get my wedding rings made smaller
11) No smokers cough after running
12) To make better choices while eating
13) Run a 5k with Ana
14) To get tennis shoes more than once a year
15) Get into a size 12
16) Make my necklaces smaller in length
17) To not beat myself up over a gain
18) Putting my fork down when I eat
19) Making better drink choices when out to eat
20) Work on my saggy arms
21) Try insanity
22) Learn a different workout
23) Try to eat healthier....less pizza
24) More fruits and veggies
25) Reward myself with something new instead of food
26) Get my cholesterol checked
27) Get rid of old or big clothes
28) Get a cute bathing suit not to hide but to flatter
29) Get family pictures
30) Work with Aiva on eating better or exercising
31) Dress up
32) Get my scale to work
33) Figure out how to lose weight by working out and eating right
34) Don't be bad with eating just because someone else is
35) Have Nate hold me accountable
36) Get away from having a day or meal where I eat whatever I want - Eating 2days worth of calories

34

On Friday it was my birthday! I turned 34 and I decided to take my birthday off work. My vacation days are specifically planned thru the year so for me to just take the day off was huge! Nate's birthday is the day after mine and we were going to be busy on his birthday so I bit the bullet and took the day off so we could have a fun weekend. I wanted the both of us to enjoy the time and just each other. Before kids we always took our birthdays off work every year but it's been 10 years so I was definitely due! We started the day with Muffins with Mom at Aiva's school. It was so fun to go to her class and talk to her teacher. Takes me back to my elementary school days! After that we went to McDonald's for breakfast. Not my number one choice but we needed something quick before we headed to the movies. I got something light and we were off to Easton. We saw the movie "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon and it was great. I cried and cried some more and it was cleansing in a good kind of way!

Every year, I always go to Spaghetti Warehouse for my birthday and this year was no different. We pulled Aiva out of school early so we could head down town. We sat in the trolley car and dinner was great. To save myself from eating too much, Nate and I split dinner. It was good for both of us! Every year, since I was six, I've always gotten a Shirley Temple and I kept the tradition alive! That night, we went to the Big Walnut homecoming basketball game. I thought this would be fun for Nate so that's what we did. The girls weren't very impressed but Nate and I had a blast. We got to walk down the hall of fame and see all of his family members. His brothers, cousins, and uncles are all on the wall. It was fun to point out to the girls who all the family members were and what they did.

Nate's birthday was pretty much the same. Running around and having a lot of fun. He coached a game and his team won by like 30. He and I were both shocked but so happy! He knew his team was good but THAT good! We ate out for two meals and I tried to make good decisions but I did have a few things that I shouldn't. Cake and ice cream topped the list. It's a birthday...what can I say! Today is a new day and I have to get back up on the horse and make good decisions. I did discover a new pop that I'm going to keep on hand. Dr. Pepper 10...my new best friend. On special occasions, we get cream soda on pizza night. I calculated the points and a glass of cream soda is 5 points! A glass of Dr. Pepper 10 is ZERO! A definite keeper! I'm a Dr. Pepper addict so for me to have the similar taste... better for me than regular pop... is a huge! No...it's not just for MEN despite what the commercials say! I'm proving them wrong!

Changin' It Up

After reading one of my new favorite blogs I got the idea to make a list of the reasons why I want to change my life...myself. If you're a girl, you have a list of things that you want to change about your self. To make your self better...a better mom, a better wife, a better you. Since you know I'm all about numbers, I decided to go with 34 since I just had a birthday. I'm tired of feeling the way that I do. I'm sick of beating myself up after I stumble. I've been doing well but I feel like I need to get these thoughts out and on "paper" so I can remind myself of why I'm doing this. I need to turn to these things on my off days and remind myself why I'm doing the things that I'm doing. Why I'm sacrificing...what my focus is. Here is it:

1. I want to be healthy
2. I want to get rid of the back pain when I sleep
3. I want to lose the spare tire
4. I want to be able to get my wedding rings on and off with ease
5. I want to be able to wear the new ring Nate just got me for Christmas
6. I want my girls to know how to be healthy by what I do and eat
7. I want to lose the dip in my bed from me being over weight
8. I want my top "half" to be smaller from my bottom "half"
9. I want to climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath
10. I want to be able to wear boots that are cute
11. I want to be able to go into a dressing room and have my oldest say that I look good
12. I want to decrease the risk of me getting cancer
13. I want to wear shorts and tank tops in the summer
14. I want to wear a bathing suit without people looking at my skin rather than the suit
15. I want to wear a size that doesn't have an X in it
16. I want my husband to not have to feel "fat" when he puts his arm around my waist
17. I want to put on my seat belt without pulling the whole belt out
18. I want to be able to do jumping jacks without me peeing my pants!!
19. I want to be able to work out without my top "half" going in different directions
20. I want my husband to pick me up and carry me across the thresh hold
21. I want to cross my legs instead of my ankles
22. I want to get out of these size 16 jeans
23. I want to wear that little black dress in my closet that's a large
24. I want to treat myself with other things besides food
25. I want to not be the big person in pictures
26. I want to take a family picture where I feel good about how I look
27. I want to be in pictures with my kids instead of taking the pictures
28. I want my underwear to lay on my stomach instead of under my spare tire when I bend down
29. I want to wear fitted shirts and not be conscientious if flabs are sticking out
30. I want my family to feel proud of me
31. I want to take warm vacations instead of cold vacations
32. I want to be able to dance with Ana
33. I want to wear a coat instead of carry a coat
34. I want to LIVE instead of sit on the sidelines and watch

MPM

I know it's Tuesday but it's never too late to start menu planning! I actually started this weekend but didn't get to post until just now. Here it is for the week:

Monday - Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti
Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas
Wednesday - Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot
Thursday - Meatloaf
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Breakfast Burritos
Sunday - BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Hopefully by going this route, I will only have soda on Friday. Last weekend, we did really well! We only went out to eat on Friday, for pizza, and then out to dinner with my parents after church. Here's to a healthier me :)

Exercise

OK it's taking every ounce of me to type out this post but I'm doing it. Hopefully it will be a good swift kick in the butt :) Truthfully, exercise is something that I hate...we have a love/hate relationship. I hate doing it, but I love what it produces - hopefully one of these days. For the past month I've been trying to kick it in gear and it's been going well but I have a confession. I hate sweat. I think this is the partial reason why I hate this "activity" so much. Hate smelling it and hate feeling it on me. As Nate would say, hate is a very strong word. He's right in this instance...I HATE exercising & sweat. Now, I don't want to sound completely negative so I'm switching gears here. I am having a lot of fun using the Wii more and it has created an opportunity to hang out with the kids & Nate more and have fun with them as we dance on Just Dance. We've got Just Dance for Kids and Just Dance 2 and we're on them all the time. As I type, Aiva's actually dancing to Who Let the Dogs and it's taking every ounce of me not to join her. Something else I'm excited about is today I will be receiving a morsel in the mail that I'm going to savor. I ordered a DVD on Netflix that I see me keeping for a bit longer than the usual DVD. It's the Biggest Loser Power Workout. I love Bob from Biggest Loser so I know I'm gonna love this DVD. Can't wait to check the mailbox today to grab it and start working out. So as you can see, my attitude is changing and it's (I'm) a work in progress. There's talk of going to the beach this summer with Nate's family so it's my goal to go and feel good about myself. I'm not setting a number goal because I don't want to disappointment myself so I'm sticking with feeling good so there's no disappointments! Who's with me? One, two, three...let's go!

Thoughts

This weekend I finally had a chance to finish "The Makers Diet" and I must admit that my sister in law was right. It is kind of far out there and you can't adopt everything that's in the book so you have to pick and choose what works best for you and your family. It does have a lot of good concepts so I'm totally not telling anyone not to read it. Here are a few things that caught my attention before I do a recap with what changes we are taking from it.

-One of the most important fats are the omega 3 fatty acids found in cod liver oil or ocean caught fish.

-The Makers Diet focuses on the balanced intake of natural fats occurring in ocean caught fish, cod liver oil, grass fed, organic and free-range meats. It also includes animal products such as butter, cheeses, and full-fat lacto-fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir, as well as raw milk and cream from goats, sheep, cows, and other biblically clean animals.

-Always choose butter over margarine or other low fat spreads.

- For those who don't get enough cold water fish, you need to take a form of high quality fish oil every day. Helps to thin the blood, inhibits blood clots, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, Lupus. Relieves migraines, fight inflammation, helps regular the immune system, and much much more.

-Grapes were the first crop planted by Noah after the flood. Grapes fight tooth decay, stop viruses and are rich in other ingredients that many researchers believed may lower the risk of cancer.

-Rest is crucial to the health of your body and soul. Sleep is an absolute and undeniable necessity of life.

- Learn to breath from your gut.

Healing Herbs (some that caught my attention):

1. Aloes - heat an aloe leafs and put it directly to an abscess, bruise, skin inflammation, gumboils, or sprains.

2. Black Cumin- Use to treat abscess or tumors in the abdomen, eyes and liver.

3. Black mustard -Treats congestion and muscle spasms as well as colds and headaches.

4. Cinnamon - Calms the stomach and may prevent lung cancer. Kills bacteria-causing tooth decay. Helps prevent UTI's

5. Coriander - Treats acid indigestion and toothaches. Helps control body odor and gas.

6. Cumin- Use as an appetite stimulant. Treats abnormal heartbeat, asthma, dermatitis.

7. Dandelion - remedy for cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, osteoporosis & rheumatism.

8. Dill - Remedy for cancer & estrogen deficiency, intestinal gas. Soothes the stomach and intestines.

9. Garlic - Infection fighter, discourages mosquitoes and ticks. Painkiller and helpful for treating asthma, diabetes & high blood pressure.

10. Hyssop - Stops bleeding and masks odors. Remedy for colds, inflammation, and digestion.

11. Juniper - Treats skin parasites, psoriasis, eczema, and other skin conditions.

12. Milk Thistle - Liver remedy and lowers blood sugar and insulin levels to help prevent gallstones.

13. Mint - Used to treat Alzheimer's and also a digestive aid. Stimulates brain activity.

14. Myrrh - Stops infections, deactivates a protein in cancer cells that resists chemo (leukemia, breast cancer and cancers of the prostate, ovaries & lungs)

15. Nettle - Alleviate arthritis symptoms.

16. Saffron - Treats gastric & intestine problems. Helpful for bladder, kidney & liver ailments.

17. Spikenard - Compound used to treat epilepsy, heart palpitations and chorea.

18. Turmeric - Has anti-inflammation and antioxidant properties. Beneficial for wound treatment, digestive aid, liver protector and heart tonic.

More next time on the Healing Oils that caught my attention...

Change

So a few weeks back I had said that I was going to get the book "The Makers Diet" and give it a try. I'm still on Chapter 7 but I'm determined to finish it up. Here's a few highlights that peaked my curiosity or made me what to ask more questions:

-We can make our bodies strong and more disease-resistant if we take the necessary steps to do so.

-The Israelites followed a diet established by God and were consistently healthier than all of their neighbors.

- We do everything we can to keep "Junior" from getting dirty. The sad truth is , our environment is too clean. Immune cells that do not have adequate exposure to soil microbes tend to overreact when they do come in contact with them.

- We over sterilize everything with disinfectant dish washing, hand soaps, and shower gels which destroys beneficial microbes.

- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 95 percent of the children in the US will receive treatment with antibiotics for a middle ear infection by age 5.

- A healthy gastrointestinal system has a balance of approximately 85% "good" bacteria to 15% "bad" micro-organisms. Unfortunately, most of us show the reverse ratio.

- From biblical times to just before the Industrial Revolution, people used to go to sleep and rise with the setting and rising of the sun. We should do the same.

- Authorities tell us that one hour of sleep before midnight is equivalent to 4 hours afterward.

- Physicians have little to no training in nutrition.

There are a ton more little facts that I ran into and found interesting but I'd rather not share just because I'm sure there will be those who have their own opinions. I'd rather not have a knock down drag out fight on my blog or facebook page! If you're remotely interested in finding out more, check out the book "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin. Happy reading!

Relapse

To say that Nate had a relapse is putting it lightly. To say he totally fell off the "natural" bandwagon is getting a little closer. I sent Nate to the store tonight to get things for subs. Before I left today for work, I forgot to get things ready for our crockpot dinner. I just figured that subs would be easy for tonight. I gave Nate the list of items that we needed for subs along with some other things we needed like toilet paper and laundry detergent. What he came back with was very different. He came back with the things that were on my list but what he added to my list were very different than what I had in mind when he said he might pick up a few extra things. As I unpacked the grocery's, I stumbled first upon the Whoppers, then I located the Krispie Kreme donuts, and then the Lofthouse cookies. Next came the Twizzlers, the Miracle Whip, the Doritoes, and then the Pringles. Last but not least was the Entenmanns danish and the Kellogg's mini size cereals. Instead of being speechless, I instead came out with "What were you thinking?" I guess this is what happens when you need a diversion from natural. Lord help us this week...we're gonna need it!

TJ's

Today I ran over to Trader Joe's with my mom. It felt like I was in one of those scences of "You've Got Mail" or something. I felt very New York. Laugh all you want but I was totally living it up! My mission was to try to find snacky type food that we could grab and go. Aiva needed something to put in her backpack for school and I needed something for snacks at lunch. What we got? Here it goes:

Not too shabby! All this for $15.49! Tomorrow I'm taking on the outsides of the store. Here goes nothing! Ready or not...here I come!

Natural

This past weekend, the girls and I went out for the afternoon with Nate's sister and her family. We had a great time and the girls had a blast playing at the play land at Polaris with their cousins. I wish we could do that more often...we miss having them in Westerville. Anyway, back to the "natural" conversation. I had expressed some frustration with Aiva being so sick and always having to go to the doctor or get meds for her. Amy has had some problems with her youngest, Saylor. She had told me what they were doing and all the research that she's done. They've chose to go to a more natural diet and eat more natural foods. She was telling me about all the stories that had come out of eating this way and it floored me more than the first time she talked to me about it a few years back. After hearing her, we've decided to give it a shot and try it until Aiva starts first grade in the fall and then reevaluate. Here are a couple of the things we're switching up:

1) We're going to start buying our bread at Great Harvest Bread Company. They use freshly milled wheat which is far better for you than the kind of bread that you would get at the store. To see the brochure that talks a little about their bread, click here.

Testimony #1

A 98 year old renowned doctor had never seen tonsils as small as a 9 year old patient. This 9 person family only had 3 doctor visits in 13 years. All of the kids tonsils atrophied.
Testimony #2

Tiffany Thompson, a stay at home mom has a 3 year old, with constant constipation, always running nose, ear infections, bronchitis, allergic to animals and she has all major allergies, along with eczema. Tiffany listened to the Bread Beckers, and within one week, no more runny noses, constipation, or eczema.

Testimony #3
Kim Davis, edits for Beth Moore, teaches Dr. Rex Russells Healthy Living classes. Kim had the beginning stages of Chrones disease. She had read in Hosea that, “my people parish for lack of knowledge”. She was facing sinus surgery, and chronic bladder and urinary tract infections and also had super high cholesterol. Once she started eating the bread, everything improved dramatically.

After reading and hearing some of these stories, we decided to go for it and we're already on our 2nd loaf. It's only been 3 days...so far so good.

#2) We're going to start drinking almond milk instead of cow's milk. This is what it says in Wikipedia, "It provides the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food." I believe that we're no different. Since we can eat solid foods, there are no reasons why we need a lot of milk. Also, when you drink cow's milk it makes your body produce an excess amount of mucus which of course is a breading ground for bacteria and all sorts of infections. The less mucus we have the least amount of infections we'll have as well.

#3) We're going to start eating more natural foods that are free of hydrogenated fats, shortening, margarine, aspartame and in return, eating natural foods, Great Harvest bread, more fiber, honey, etc…that sort of thing. We're going to start shopping around the outsides of the store and avoiding the middle part. Focusing more on the fruits, veggies, chicken and natural foods. Tomorrow I'm going to check out Trader Joes to look for some snacks that are good to eat and natural. Basically, we're going to eat how they did in the Bible. People lived longer because they ate better and their environment was better all around. They didn't have Doritoes and brownies so we're going to slowly take that out of our diet. The book we're going to try out is the Maker's Diet by Jordan Ruben. I've heard that some of it is pretty extreme but we're going to take it slow and see what happens.

I think that's it for now. I'll keep you up to date and let you know how it goes. I'm a little nervous to get this going but I want healthy kids and not have to worry about doing tubes again for Aiva. If you have questions, let me know. Want to join me? I'd love to have a partner do it with us!!

AoG19

OK, I know it's been an incredibly long time since my last "Attitude of Gratitude" entry so here's a few to catch up...

1) Ana has been cuddly - take what I can get!
2) Aiva said "Mom you look pretty today!"
3) Nate said that I looked beautiful today
4) The door was unlocked when I got to work
5) My presentation at staff meeting was good today
6) I got a letter from a dear friend
7) Last night the girls ate ALL of their dinner – it was something new so this is very rare!
8) Found out that my in-laws church are doing Step Into Africa he week before our church is
9) One Tree Hill – Yeah…I’m addicted!
10) Got .20 off on gas today
11) The weather has been amazing.
12) Went on a walk to UDF last night. I love being outside with family. Ask me again when it’s in the 90’s and I may say something different.
13) Going to a baseball game tonight
14) Aiva and I went for a long bike ride this past weekend – I love one on one time with my kids
15) Nate did loads of laundry – it was great not to ask!
16) The girls’ room has been picked up and has stayed nice from when I cleaned it last
17) Tribal relations
18) I’ve gotten to drive the red car two days in a row – Yeah!
19) Lost 2 pounds…keep it up Meg!
20) Biggest Loser is on tonight and I think I was the Biggest Loser today!