Protecting Puerility

Cleanse Complete

2013-07-17T13:35:00.001-05:00

It has been about 1 1/2 weeks since I finished my cleanse. I've struggled with how to put my thoughts and results into words.

Let's start with my habits before the cleanse. I try to cook food from scratch. I can count the number of times I eat out each month on one hand. I don't have any major (or minor, really) health problems. I'm not trying to brag. I do plenty that I shouldn't. My point is that I don't feel like I saw dramatic results, but I didn't really have dramatic potential. Here's what I did see:

I lost 5 pounds (I lost another 2 the couple weeks before the cleanse when I gave up dairy so I'm going with 7 altogether).
My muffin top is not gone, but it is definitely smaller. Perhaps closer to a mini-muffin than the jumbo it resembled previously.
I don't know how to best articulate this, but when I breathe it feels "clean," like there's nothing obstructing my passageways.
One of my little blemishes started flaking away. It's still there, but barely. I have another spot on my nose that has been flaking for at least 6 months and I was planning to have the dermatologist look at it. The spot is still there, but the flaking was gone until this morning when it reappeared.
My varicose veins, located in an unmentionable area are not gone, but I haven't had any flare-ups (which previously happened when I ran).

My expectations were that I would feel really tired & bad week 1 and possibly week 2. Week 3, I was supposed to feel like a million bucks. The reality: Day 1 I felt horrible. The rest of that week I was mostly exhausted and didn't have much energy, a sure sign that my body was working and healing. Week 2 I didn't feel bad and I started regaining my energy. Week 3: did I feel like a million bucks? I'd say it was more like I felt like myself again, but that's where I wonder if this is because I didn't have the potential to see these astonishing results.

Perhaps the biggest reminder for me is that everything we put into our bodies contains good and bad effects. I mostly think of the nutrients. We've gotten so accustomed to the nutrition labels that are sorely lacking that we forget (or we don't know) the wonderful nutrients they do contain and aren't listed. I feel like I'm putting wonderful vitamins and nutrients into my body with every bite! During the cleanse, I was sometimes surprised by the basic-ness of the ingredients that were aimed at keeping me nourished. I also sometimes feel like "why bother" with the foods that I know to be bad. I'm definitely not craving them.

Since the cleanse and moving forward, here are some of the steps I am taking:

I'm having a shake every morning for breakfast (liquid meals speed up your digestion process and allow the body more time to focus on healing or staying in balance).
Wednesday night is liquid dinner night.
Monday night is fish night (we were not eating enough fish previously).
I'm trying to ensure I eat some sort of green leafy vegetable everyday.
No dairy.
Not much gluten.
Organic when possible, trying to avoid the "dirty dozen" unless they are organic.
Avoiding the 2 top genetically modified foods (soy and corn) unless they are organic (non-GMO).
No eating after dinner, which is normally finished by 6 (8PM has been a long-standing rule for me).

You may recall that I LOVE sweet tea! I had 2-3 glasses everyday. I made it myself so I know exactly how much sugar is in it and that makes me feel better about it. I was really looking forward to my first glass, but I forgot to make it that morning. I forgot again the second day. By day three I decided maybe I don't really need it. So, I have been sweet-tea free since the cleanse started, but I'm not promising anything.

During the cleanse, I also realized how little (or how much) I really do need to eat. Previously I felt like there wasn't much opportunity for me to cut-back in the food department. I didn't want my metabolism to slow down. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't lose weight no matter how hard I worked out. Truth is, I was eating more than I should. Exercise helps, but for me, I need to watch what and how much I eat. The cleanse really helped me get in tune with the amount I require.

Dr. Junger recommends you do what you can to help your body along the way, but strive for a 3-week cleanse once a year. Right now I'm not sure I will do it again. If I can keep up with my new steps indefinitely, I probably won't. But like many things, I imagine life will catch up to me and I'll fall into some of my old habits. If so, the cleanse may be the only way for me to get back into eating the way and the amount that I should. I will keep you posted!

It is also worth noting that so far I have kept off the 7 total pounds!

Cleansing Goes Beyond Food

2013-07-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

For those counting, I'm on day 16 of my 21-day cleanse. Still going (though I will admit to having 3 homemade mini, dairy & gluten-free blueberry muffins yesterday, which would've been ok sans the sugar and egg they contain. We went to The Berry Patch and picked blueberries that morning and I had to taste my creation, right?)

The cleanse has probably gotten easier. My energy level is back to where it was when I started. I am bored with the dinner shakes. I feel like, "why bother," though often this is when I get my leafy greens and that's important. My hubby is pretty much done. He's feeling starved and has been planning his next steak for at least a week. Tomorrow is the 4th of July and he's decided he's done with the cleanse. We'll see if I make it the next 5 days without him. I may have to take a little break tomorrow in celebration! He can have his steak. I really want a glass of wine. He (and we) do have plans to make changes following the cleanse though, which I'll discuss in a later post.

I do want to mention some of the things I'm doing outside of food in order to help my body get rid of the toxins. The skin absorbs things directly into your blood stream, so it's important to consider those potential pollutants as well. Also, the air we breathe. Here are some of the additional measures I took outside of food:

Lotion: Except for my facial lotion and sunscreen (if I was going to be out for a long period of time), I managed to avoid it. I wasn't sure I could, but now I'm not sure I'll go back. In Clean, Dr. Junger recommends a little coconut oil instead. I tried that. Once. I put it on in the shower after shaving my legs thinking I could rinse some of it off so I wouldn't be greasy. I forgot about the shower floor getting slick. I almost fell. Also I smelled like suntan oil the rest of the day. Gross! Later I remembered when I learned infant massage, the instructor gave us grapeseed oil to use. Not only does it not have a smell, it is high in vitamin E which I know is good for the skin. I tried it and it works for me. Not everyday, but every other day. Just remember a little goes a long way. Too much and you'll be greasy!

Soap: I'm trying to remember when it was no longer good enough to just use "soap" and I had to start buying fancy, great-smelling stuff at Bath and Body Works. What happened to plain soap and what's wrong with it? As a child, I started life with Ivory. It made my skin too dry and my mom started buying me Dove (it's got that 1/4 cup moisturizer) so that's what I went back to during the cleanse. It's nothing to get excited about, but I'm clean and I probably spared my body a few perfumey-toxins.

Make-Up: I skipped it on days I wasn't going anywhere (also deodorant). On days I was going somewhere, I took the "oh well" attitude. No one wants to see me without it! A few years ago I did switch to mineral-based powder and eye shadow. My foundation has SPF in it, but it is made from Amazonian clay so it surely must be a little better than most.

Cleaning: I also avoided this whenever possible, but ok, that's not so possible with 2 small kids! I use Norwex for almost everything, which consists of a special rag or mop made of silver (a natural anti-bacterial agent) that you just wet and go. If you want to learn more about Norwex, I raved about it in another post.

My next test is paint. I promised both of my boys dinosaur rooms and I've procrastinated long enough. I found through Debras List that Benjamin Moore makes a VOC-free paint. I'm going to try it.

Bottom line is I've switched soap and lotion and the cleanse has reinforced some of what I was already doing. That's about as granola as I get.

Gluten & Dairy-Free Banana-Choc Chip Pancakes & Muffins

2013-06-26T10:29:00.002-05:00

We are still working to figure out our kids' food allergies, which isn't easy. It has been a month of dairy-free and 2 weeks since they have been gluten-free (minus the donut they had at church last Sunday) and things are still not perfect. I was racking my brain and it hit me to check the vitamins I've been giving them (more likely the grace of God!). Sure enough, the multi-vitamin contains milk. The frustrating thing is that I was previously not that consistent about giving them vitamins, but since we gave up dairy, I've been on it! I even took the vitamins on vacation! So, my kids are now on new vitamins and are once again dairy free (I hope). I'm hoping and praying we meet normal in the next few days and I do feel like we are headed that direction!

My kids are not on the cleanse so we've been cooking separately for them. It has worked best for me to make them something for dinner that we can also eat and then we eat it the next day for lunch (since lunch is our solid meal). It has been very hard for me to make them food and refrain from taking a little bite here and there. Also, I have been altering recipes to provide dairy and gluten-free items and I haven't been able to taste test. How much or how fast they eat something is of course always the sure sign of how good it really is! I've come across 2 recipes worth sharing. I took the muffins to a birthday party last week and all the kids (even the ones not on a dairy or gluten-free diet) devoured them!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/4 C Vanilla Almond Milk (originally sour cream)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 C applesauce
1/4 C Earth's Balance buttery spread
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1 C mashed bananas
1 1/2 C gluten-free all-purpose flour (originally 3/4 C white & 3/4 C whole wheat flour)
2/3 C flaxseed meal (originally 1/4 C flax meal or wheat germ)
1/2 tsp salt
1 C chocolate chips (you can find dairy-free, vegan at Whole Foods)

Stir the almond milk and baking soda together and set aside. Cream the applesauce, butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add the egg & beat well. Beat in the milk-baking soda mixture and the bananas. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Makes 36 mini-muffins.

*If you want the dairy & gluten version, note my parenthesis above. Also, add 1 tsp vanilla and originally it was 1/2 C butter instead of the applesauce and "buttery spread".

Banana-Chocolate Chip Pancakes

3 1/4 C vanilla flavored almond milk (if unsweet, add 2 Tbsp sugar to the dry mix)
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 C gluten-free all-purpose flour
3/4 C almond meal
1/4 C flaxseed meal
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 C applesauce
1/4 C coconut oil
1 mashed banana
Chocolate Chips (you can buy dairy free, vegan at Whole Foods)

Heat up your griddle so its nice & hot. Mix the vinegar and milk together and let sit for about 20 minutes (I let mine sit while I mix up everything else). Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients separately and then add. Add the banana. I throw a few chocolate chips into each pancake after I pour the batter on the griddle. You can freeze the left-overs by putting wax paper between them and then putting them in a Ziploc.

Week 2: The Meal Plan

2013-06-25T10:48:00.001-05:00

You know I'm a planner. My planned menu for week 1 didn't really go that well. I tried, but I wasn't completely sure what I was going to like and how it was all going to work together. You can buy shakes and supplements for the program and that might make things easier to manage for some people, but I like to make my own. I do work from home and this has made things a little easier for me, but my hubby is doing it too and he doesn't work from home so again, we must plan ahead. We came up with this menu over the weekend and so far it has served us well. Since I'm cooking separately for my kids (and since they are gluten & dairy-free, we are not going through a drive-thru anytime soon), it has worked smoothly when I make something for them for dinner that we can also eat. Therefore I'm making most of these lunch items the night before: kids eat 'em for dinner and we eat 'em the next day for lunch (remember: liquid dinner for us). Here's the plan:

Sunday
Lunch: I ate left-over Asian-style Fish & the hubby at the left-over Lamb Stew
Dinner: Creamy Blueberry Shake

Monday
Lunch: Chicken Curry over brown rice (and grapes)
Dinner: Green Coco Shake

Tuesday
Lunch: Cuban Chicken with black bean & avocado quinoa
Dinner: Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint

Wednesday
Lunch: Lamb burger with herbs and qunioa
Dinner: Spinach Avocado Soup

Thursday
Lunch: left-over Chicken Curry
Dinner: Spinach & Dulse Soup

Friday
Lunch: some sort of fish dish
Dinner: Pineapple Avocado Gazpacho

The lunch recipes are mostly my own that we already had, with the exception of the Asian-style Fish, which was in the Clean book. The dinner recipes have all come from the Clean book. The Clean Program website (where you can also find shakes & supplements) has a wealth of information, recipes and an online community for support. Here's the link directly to a PDF with some of their recipes. For breakfast, I have determined that Becky's Morning Shake (pg. 3 in the PDF. I add 2 tsp. flaxseed meal & a scoop of Raw Protein) works best for me. Since I work out in the morning, the protein content serves me well.

Cleanse: Week 1 Complete. Are you hungry?

2013-06-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

The most common question I have gotten since I started this cleanse is, "are you hungry?"I once heard that lions have a natural desire to hunt and attack their pray and that if you take that away, the lion loses its spirit and essentially becomes depressed. Zoos and other unnatural habitats have to be careful to not make the feeding too easy. I'm wondering if we are somewhat this way with our food. Dinner might be a different matter, but for breakfast I look at everything that's in the blender and think, "that's more than I normally eat". Yet I don't really feel full after drinking it. Is this something to do with our natural desire to chew? Or by forcing the little workers within our stomach to work so hard for so many years, are they having a tough time adjusting to this idea that we've just made it easier for them to digest? I have no idea, but I do feel like my body is getting a little more content with the idea of a liquid breakfast. Dinner is still a different matter!

Also, Dr. Junger accurately points out in his book "Clean" that most of us don't really know hunger. I've been feeling very sluggish after lunch. Typically when I feel like I've been zapped of energy, I eat something to refuel. Is that really hunger? And, I'm still allowed snacks during the cleanse. They just can't be chips or candy bars. My go-to snack has actually long been cashews though I did sometimes have a mini candy bar or something small and sweet in the afternoons, along with my sweet tea which is probably what I am missing most right now. Often when I feel like I'm starting to get hungry, I drink a big glass of water. Lots of water is a must during the cleanse and I'm sure this goes a long way in making the body feel full. Bottom line, I certainly don't feel full. I don't really feel "hungry" either. Mostly I feel sluggish and its mostly after lunch, which makes me want to eat for refuel. This also reminds me of Michael Pollan's book "Food Rules". One of the rules that has stuck with me is: eat until you no longer have hunger vs. eat until you are full.

4 Days done and still exercising

2013-06-21T08:21:00.000-05:00

I'm still into week 1 of the cleanse, which is supposed to be the hardest week. Truth is, by the end of the day I'm more tired than normal, but outside of day 1, it hasn't been horrible. I do get really tired after lunch, but seem to somewhat rebound before dinner, after which I hit the exhausted stage again. I do think it helped that I gave up all dairy about a month ago and gluten a week before I started. The hubby feels worse than I do, but he's also seeing results. His stomach is almost flat again and he's already lost 5 pounds. I've lost 1. I have long observed that guys tend to lose weight easier than girls so perhaps this is fitting.

This cleanse is not as extreme as some others that are out there and I have continued to work out every morning. About a year ago I determined that my body feels best when I do a short run combined with weight-bearing exercises so I typically run 2 miles and then lift weights for 20-30 minutes. I mix it up some with yoga and core exercises. I have P90X and typically modify or shorten the sessions from that program in my mix. Here's what I've done this week since starting the cleanse:

Monday: Ran 2 miles then did chest, shoulders & tris, & some abs (this was the day I started & my body had no idea what was coming!)
Tuesday: I was tired. I did 45 min of yoga, which felt amazing! As mentioned, this was the day we went to the botanical garden so I walked a bunch during the day as well.
Wednesday: Again, tired. I ran 2 miles then came home and did stretches for 10-15 minutes.
Thursday: I did Core Synergistics for 45 minutes.

Today I plan to mow the lawn and although I'm regaining my energy, I decided that that combined with vacuuming is enough. Tomorrow I plan to run 2 miles then do legs and back. I mainly want to communicate that it's still possible to work-out if this is something that's important to you and you are considering a cleanse. I think it helps to sweat and I am no fan of the sauna!

Yesterday I ate:
Breakfast: Becky's Morning Shake (I'm liking this one best so far).
Lunch: Pecan chicken, quinoa, and watermelon.
Snack: Organic carrots from the CSA that were incredible! And a handful of cashews.
Dinner: A mushroom-zuchini soup that was pureed.

Cleanse: Day 2 includes Lamb Stew

2013-06-19T14:38:00.003-05:00

Day 2 was better than day 1 for me. I did not get the raging headache, but I was zonked. My cousin was in town so we went to see her and I took the boys to the botanical garden after. Botanical garden = BIG with lots of walking. They outlasted me for certain, but I managed to make it through. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: berry smoothie with blueberries, avocado, cinnamon & coconut milk
Lunch: lamb stew (this is one of my favorite meals & I'm fortunate it fits in the perimeters! Recipe below.)
Snack: apple
Dinner: broccoli soup & a little of the blueberry, spinach, apple shake the hubby had.

Allowed and Not-Allowed List of Foods for the Cleanse

Not-Allowed (Some of them surprised me.)
Dairy & eggs (including all butter & mayo), wheat, corn, oats, white rice, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, pork, beef, sausage (should've read that one a little closer), shellfish, any raw meats including fish, soybean products, peanuts, processed oils, canola oil, alcohol, caffeine, all sweetening agents except stevia.

Allowed
Hemp, rice and nut milks, coconut milk & oil, non-gluten grains (brown, red, black & wild rice, millet, amaranth, teff, tapioca, buckwheat, quinoa), fruits & veggies minus those mentioned above, seaweeds, fresh or water-packed cold water fish, wild game, lamb, duck, free-range chicken, turkey, split peas, lentils, legumes, bee pollen, spirulina, blue-green algae, pretty much all nuts except peanuts, filtered water (and lots of it!), decaffeinated herbal teas.

Lamb Stew

2 lb bonless lamb shoulder or leg cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour (can use gluten-free)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 Cups chicken stock
2 leeks
5 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Cups yellow raisins
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1/2 lemon

Toss the lamb in the flour, coating it lightly after removing the excess fat. In a large, heavy pot warm the oil over medium-high. When hot, add the lamb cubes in batches until lightly browned on all sides, 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

Add the garlic to the same pan (I put it through a press, but you can also chop it) over low heat and stir in the cinnamon, cumin, coriander & cayenne. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and scrape up any browned bits. Return the meat to the pan and simmer, stirring, until the liquid thickens, about 2 minutes. Cover & simmer over low stirring occasionally for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, slice the carrots and leeks. For the leeks: cut lengthwise and wash any dirt out of the layers. Cut into slices, using a bit of the green tops to about 2 inches from the root end.

After an hour, add the carrots, raisins, salt & pepper to taste. Simmer until the meat is tender, about 40-50 more minutes. Add the juice from the lemon before serving. Serve over brown rice.

Cleanse: Day 1 Down

2013-06-18T08:03:00.003-05:00

I should start with the basics, like what this cleanse entails. It is meant to be a somewhat gradual cleanse. I understand week 1 is going to be very hard. Week 2 will be better and I'm going to feel so awesome by week 3 that I'll never want to go back to my old ways! We'll see. Honestly, I'm sure I will make some permanent changes. I'm just not completely sure what they will be (after day 1!). I've already given up dairy and plan to stick to that one.

The Plan
A liquid breakfast (shake, smoothie or homemade juice)
Snack (anything on the approved list)
Regular lunch, so long as it falls within the perimeters
Another snack if needed
Liquid dinner (soup or shake)

It's also very important to give your body at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day. The liquid meals make it easier to digest food so your body can spend more time repairing and getting rid of the toxins.

Day 1 I had the following:
Breakfast: "Becky's Morning Shake"(you can find this on the Clean Program website, but it consists of almond butter, coconut milk, flaxseed meal, avocado, protein powder and I added a scoop of stevia)
Snack: cashews
Lunch: The hubby made a bean soup that also had chicken and buffalo sausage (I'm not sure sausage of any kind is ok, but I ate it anyway) and watermelon
Snack: (Here is where I started to lose it. Headache kicked in & I didn't feel so great) handful of cashews and leftover roasted beets and parsnips (I'm not sure beets and parsnips are normally a snack, but they were staring at me from the fridge and they are good for you.)
Dinner: "Green Smoothie" which was made up of kale, coconut water, mango, avocado and coconut milk

I expected the first few days to go relatively smoothly for me. I gave up dairy almost a month ago and I've been off gluten for a week. I'm prepared, or so I think. However, I wasn't prepared for the caffeine withdrawal. I was so tired after lunch and then the headache set in. After dinner I was also feeling extremely bloated. Turns out bean soup on day 1 was not a good idea. I referenced the book and ended up slicing up a garlic clove and eating it between 2 slices of apple. I wasn't supposed to eat anything solid after dinner, but I did eat it early enough that my body will still have 13+ hours before I eat again. Beyond that: did you read that I just ate a garlic clove? I think this is supposed to have all kinds of health benefits, but it was not pleasant. I've never done this before. I had a Skype appointment with the hubby following this action and he clearly was trying to move as far away from me as he could. In the end, I do think it worked. Also the unpleasantness erupting in my mouth from the garlic clove made me entirely forget about the headache! Bring on day 2 (note that I still have garlic breath)!!! Next I will post some of the things that make or do not make the list of things to eat.

Never too late for a Spring Clean!

2013-06-17T10:54:00.003-05:00

I've been reading "Clean" by Dr. Alejandro Junger, M.D. and it has motivated me to do a 21-day cleanse. It seems like cleanses have become extremely popular over the past few years and until I read this book I thought it was essentially an extreme diet. It's not. At least this one isn't. You will likely lose weight, but the purpose of the cleanse is to get your body operating the way it was intended. Our bodies are amazing! The Almighty created them in a way in which they would heal themselves in many situations. It all works together. However, due to the processed food that we eat and the toxins in our environment, our bodies have gotten out of whack and they've stopped working properly or they are focused on the short-term fix (getting the latest toxin out) and aren't able to do some of their other important functions. Specialists are trained to treat a particular area or function of our body, but they often fail to look at the whole and consider how it all works together. Dr. Junger wrote this book for the average person (like me) who has a few issues, but nothing major, with the intent of getting our bodies back to operating as they were intended. I am starting this cleanse today and will document my journey along the way.

He mentions that it is important to document the reasons you are doing the cleanse in advance. This will serve as a reminder and perhaps as motivation in the moments that you feel like quitting. Below are my reasons.

Why I am doing the cleanse
It would probably be too easy to sum this up in 2 words, but that's mostly why I'm doing it. Here they are: MUFFIN TOP. I can't say for certain when this thing first reared its ugly head. Maybe after child #2, but it seems to be here to stay. I work-out 5-6 days a week. I've changed up these work outs over the past number of years. Each time it seems to make a bit of a difference, but never does the muffin top go away. I cut out soda years ago. I engaged in a 21-day ab strengthening challenge with my girlfriends and have kept up with ab exercises since. A couple weeks before giving up dairy, I gave up sweets (though I did not give up my sweet tea). I don't eat after 8 PM. I don't eat a lot of processed foods. I don't eat out much. Through all this, the muffin top remains. It is my most loyal companion.

If the cleanse also did something about any or all of the following, I would be a happy camper:

I intend to be around for my kids for a long time
I could stand to lose about 10 pounds
My skin is doing weird things: specifically blemishes I don't particularly like
The older I get, the uglier my legs get with veins & I actually have knee fat!
I have varicose veins that appeared in an unmentionable area when I was prego with #2

So begins my cleanse. My next post will include what all this entails. I am fortunate in that my hubby is doing it with me. He is really the cook in the family and his support, along with his creative culinary skills will be of great value!

Update on the Dairy-Free Experiment

2013-06-16T14:03:00.003-05:00

I am reminded of when my child was an infant and we first discovered he had food allergies (or hyper-sensitivities). We cut out all milk (aka dairy). He was clearly better, but he was still screaming more than what's normal. The next thing on the list per the GI Specialist was soy so we cut that out. About this time I started keeping a food diary, documenting what I ate and when he had a bad moment. I was able to make a clear correlation with wheat. Once we got all three things out of his diet, he became the happy little bouncing baby that everyone dreams of having. I was never truly sure he had an allergy to soy.

After 3 weeks of giving up all dairy products during our recent experiment, there was no denying that he was much better, but he was still coughing and snuffing more than he should. I mentioned to my husband that maybe we should cut out gluten again and see if that helps. "I was just thinking the same thing," he said. Oh boy! Here we go again! We've been doing this for one week now. On day 5 we both commented once again that it appears to be helping. This is good and bad. I'm happy that we've figured out the potential problem and we can help him get better. But, I will admit I'm a bit bummed that this is going to require big lifestyle changes on our part. You can't just pop in a pizza or swing through the drive-thru in those busy moments. It requires planning and thinking. We will adjust. And we will all be healthier for it.

I have given up these things with him. And so long as I'm putting things out there, why hold back? I do not really drink milk, but I do like cheese and I love having a parfait for breakfast. So most every morning I was eating blueberries or strawberries with plain yogurt and granola. Yum! I figure I'm getting my probiotics this way too. For about the last 6 months or so (its hard to remember when things start), I've been really gassy. It's embarrassing. I even considered taking something for it. After about a week of giving up all dairy, the gas is gone. Also, about a year ago I started breaking-out every month, right before I "started". I've never done this, not even as a teenager. I bought new facial cleaning products. Nothing helps. I finally decided its hormonal, perhaps I'm pre-menoposal and this is just going to be part of it. Until...I did not break-out this month! I've never thought I'd be anxious for my time of the month, but now I'm curious to see if this was a total fluke or if it has to do with the milk in my diet.

To summarize our update: we are officially a milk-free family and have the potential to be gluten-free as well. I will continue to post about our journey and provide recipes and other helpful items we learn along the way. Already I've been reading a few new books which are about to lead us down new paths that I will share. Let the journey continue!

My Duh Moment

2013-05-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

My oldest suffers from seasonal allergies. Or, at least I think he does. He gets colds that don't go away and don't appear to be contagious. I've tried all of the over-the-counter allergy medicines and nothing seems to make any difference. When I asked one doctor about whether or not he has allergies she said, "give him allergy medication and if it goes away, it's allergies". So I continue to try different brands. I'll freely admit: I'm not a fan of taking medication every day. So, I'll give him something for a number of days, it doesn't make a difference, so I stop and there's probably a possibility I'm not giving it to him long enough. Said child also wears glasses. At his last eye doctor appointment, the eye doctor said something along the lines of "I see you have seasonal allergies". At least now I have confirmation that the relentless colds are truly allergies. He gave me some eye drops for allergies. In my mind, these won't have side effects so I'm pretty happy with this 'treat the allergies with eye drops' idea. Enter the 6-year-old whose only experience with eye drops was for pink eye and they stung. Fail!

Sometime in March his allergies kicked in again and this Spring has been the worst so far. All the crap gets stuck in his throat/sinuses. And, it is GROSS! He is constantly making this clear the throat/snotty/mucusy/coughy sound and I'm about to lose my mind! Now I'm yelling at him to blow his nose constantly. I'm harassing him for not blowing the junk out. I can't help it. It's like nails on the chalkboard. He already doesn't feel great and now I'm yelling at him. Splendid. Then, due to the stuck junk, he gets a double ear infection. In addition to the antibiotics, the doctor tells me to keep up with the Allegra indefinitely (which was the thing I was currently trying...again) and give him Mucinex for 2 days to clear the junk. I followed orders. Ear infection is gone, but other than that there is no change, not after 2 days, not after 2 weeks, not after a month. I took him off the Allegra and there is no difference. He's still hacking with the best of them...on it or off.

In life we sometimes have "a-ha" moments. You know, those moments when something profound hits you and in some cases, alters your thinking or changes your life. I feel like I had a "duh" moment in this instance. During a playdate a good friend was talking about a new book she's reading and how all illness stems from the gut. I've written before about said child's food allergies when he was an infant. The biggest issue for him was milk, aka all dairy products. I began to make connections between the "allergies" and milk products. For instance, the allergies started around the same time his school started allowing string cheese as a school snack. He's eating 3-4 cheese sticks a day! He also eats a turkey and cheese sandwich most lunches and has a glass of milk at dinner. This poor kid has already displayed a propensity for a milk sensitivity and he's eating it like there's no tomorrow! DUH!

Reality check: I don't want to be too inconvenienced by taking him off milk. We have an upcoming vacation and this will force us to be very conscientious of where and how we eat. Also, school is almost out and it will be much easier to do this over the summer. So my plan was to wait a few weeks before diving in. It takes 2 weeks to get things out of your system, but I can limit things and then really go full-force when its more convenient. However, he woke up the next morning with that cough that sounds like a seal bark and immediately I found myself buying almond milk in the grocery store at 6 AM! It has been 5 days since I have eliminated milk (this includes cheese, whey and butter) from his diet. He is not clearing his throat as often and it doesn't sound as nasty as it did. My husband, who is somewhat skeptical, even commented on it last night. But time will tell for certain. So far as I can tell, pollen and other causes of seasonal allergies are still rampant so if he is truly clear after the 2 weeks, we will know.

I'm also giving up the dairy. In support of him, so that he's not the only one in the house not allowed to eat certain things, and also because I have this oh-so-lovely muffin top that I cannot seem to get rid of no matter how hard I work out. When said child was an infant and I had to cut all the allergens out of my diet, I was skinnier than I've ever been. I want to figure out if milk is the big contributing factor to my weight issue for my particular body type. I will keep you posted!

School Lunch Ideas

2012-09-19T13:58:00.002-05:00

School is in! For my oldest, this marks the beginning of many years of going to school all day, 5 days a week. I thought I was ready. My sweet child is handling it like a champ. I am not. Day 1 was great...it was a half day. Day 2 was a really long day for me. It hit me that his teacher now sees him more than I do. She is now a huge influence in his life. I'm lucky: I actually like her! I will manage. I will get used to the new routine. I enjoy watching my kids grow and gain independence. Eventually I'm guessing I'll wonder how I managed when they were home all the time.

Another struggle of going to school all day...lunch. I've watched enough of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to know school lunches contain a lot of well, crap. On the other hand, we do live in a district where it seems they are trying to do some of the right things and if I let him eat the school lunches he just might try some new things. It's funny how they are more willing to try new things at other places. At the end of the day, he made the decision for me and reminded me how much they pick up. He assumed I would be sending him with lunch based on some of my comments/actions in the past (I hope they weren't too over-the-top). Excellent! Decision made.

Now begins the struggle of what to send. I've read ideas from other mommy-bloggers, but for some reason it seems they normally involve girls who willingly eat fruits, veggies, and even salads (no joke)! Make no mistake: I subject my kids to fruits and veggies on a daily basis and we even have fun times picking these things out at the store or the CSA, but for the most part, they don't eat them. (My younger one does eat most things fruit, but not my older guy.) Also, the first few days I sent him with his lunch, I sent a little more than what he would normally eat and it wasn't enough. He came home with an empty lunch box, stating that he was still starving afterwards.

Below is a list of the foods I've come up with so far this year to send in his lunch. These might not work for every kid, but maybe it'll give you an extra idea or two. My child loves sandwiches! If you have other ideas, please comment with those as well. I think we can all use as many ideas as we can get on this one!

Pizza Rolls (think like a cinnamon roll only with pizza ingredients, not the store-bought mystery meat frozen variety)
Mac & cheese (healthy brand, without the coloring & such. I like Crazy Bugs, but was just told those aren't cool for school)
Sandwiches rolled up in flatbread (filling & fun, with nitrate-free deli meat)
Sandwiches in whole wheat pita pockets
Quesadillas (melted cheese between 2 tortillas)
Veggie Rotini with a little olive oil
Hot dog "squids" (nitrate-free, cut the hot dog, insert dry whole wheat noodles & cook per noodle directions, see pic)
[Jury still out on this one, as the rice paper turned chewy, maybe I'm doing something wrong???] Sandwiches rolled in rice paper (think spring roll: buy the paper & some noodles at the oriental store, get the paper damp, put whatever ingredients inside you want, along with the noodles & roll it up)

Along with these "entrees" some of the sides I've included are the few fruits he will eat, raisins, peanut butter cracker sandwiches, hummus cracker sandwiches, veggie chips and cashews. All along with a couple Hershey Kisses and a little note from mom that I couldn't resist!

Spaghetti Sauce & Enticing Pizza Rolls

2012-08-26T16:58:00.000-05:00

Before I got married and learned to cook, I lived on chips & salsa; turkey sandwiches; canned soup; and occasionally pasta with Ragu. I have not gone back to look up the potentially harmful (or not) ingredients in the sauce. Maybe there are a few... maybe there aren't any, but it turns out sauce is very easy to make and if I can eliminate the processing, I will. I make a bunch and freeze it in mason jars, which tend to be close to the amount I want each time I use it for something. I use the same sauce for spaghetti, lasagna, home-made pizza, ziti and pizza rolls.

My cousin introduced me to pizza rolls. She mentioned having them for dinner one Thanksgiving (we had the traditional meal for lunch & she wanted to make something easy for a dinner-snack). Not realizing there was a type of pizza roll that was not made of mystery meat in some fried & frozen pocket thing, I was horrified. I didn't want to offend her, so I went with it. Imagine my surprise when the pizza rolls turned out to be more like home-made cinnamon rolls, except with pizza ingredients. These have turned into a staple at our house and they don't last long. I dread the day my boys are teenagers and I have to make 2 batches to keep up with their appetites.

Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves (I use a press, but you could chop)
1/2 cup pureed sweet potatoes* (or carrots which will make it not as sweet)
2 Tbsp basil
1/2 Tbsp thyme
1/2 Tbsp oregano
2- 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
14 oz can tomato sauce
3 or 4 Tbsp sugar (we like it sweet)

Saute the onion in the olive oil 2 minutes or so. Add the garlic & saute another minute. Add the sweet potato and herbs and saute another minute or two. Add the rest. Bring to a boil, cover & simmer for 30 minutes. Salt to taste & add more herbs if desired. It's good in the refrigerator for 1 week. It can be frozen up to 6 months.

*sweet potato: prick the sweet potato, wrap it in 2 layers of paper towels (2 layers is key) and microwave for approximately 4 minutes depending on the size. If its soft, it's done. If not, add 30 seconds. Let it cool, peel off the skin and puree by putting it in the food processor. You may need to add a tiny bit of water.

Pizza Rolls
While making the dough for regular rolls,* add:
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning or a combination of oregano and basil
1/2 cup parmesan

When the dough is ready for the rising stage, roll it into a large rectangle (approx. 12" X 18")
(If you forgot the seasoning & parmesan above, you can sprinkle it on at this point.)
Spread spaghetti sauce on the dough (as much or little as you like)
Add the pizza ingredients that you like (I normally do half pepperoni & half cheese)
Roll it up like a log.
Cut it into 12 slices & place the slices in a greased 9X13 pan.
Let rise for an hour.
Cook per the roll directions.

Note: sometimes I add the cheese to the top instead of inside. I also just froze a few of these for an easy school lunch in the future.
*I normally use this roll recipe substituting butter for shortening & using half regular flour & half wheat flour.

Mama's Got Back...and Hips

2012-04-16T13:07:00.001-05:00

After I had #1, my back hurt. Perhaps it was because I spent the first 5 months of his life trying to soothe him via rocking, standing & bouncing, going for walks, etc., etc. Mostly what I know is that one day I woke up with my back in such a sorry state that it hurt to breathe. It was time to do something about it. I went to a physical therapist who gave me exercises to strengthen my back. However, if I skipped a day or two I would completely relapse. It was as if I couldn't hold onto the muscle I was trying to build for more than a day. She told me to have X-rays to ensure there wasn't more wrong. I did. There wasn't. My time with the therapist ran out (according to my insurance) so that was that for a while.

When I was pregnant with #2, I again woke up one day and my back was out. I suffered through it & was up and around again after a couple days.

Following #2 my back was still in sorry shape, but that's life, right? I'm a mom with 2 little guys under 3 and I'm bound to have issues. I'd get the occasional massage and life would be good again...for a bit. Then I finally felt up to getting back into shape so I started running. My ankles started hurting. Yes-ankles! I am feeling old. Then the knees. Mind you-I wasn't even running far or much. Nothing like before kids. I found I had to do Yoga at least once a week to keep my back in a manageable state. As it was bound to, it eventually went out again. This time I went to a chiropractor. He started looking at my feet & declared that I over-pronate. Next thing I know he's talking orthopedic shoes. Yikes! However, he's also talking about a plan of stretches & exercises to get me where I need to be and it occurs to me that I should go to a physical therapist instead since my insurance covers physical therapists (and not chiropractors).

Enter physical therapist (aka the angel). He immediately starts looking at my hips. Turns out one of them is rotated back, rendering that leg shorter than the other, which is leading to the back and knee issues. After a series of awkward stretches and movements, he gets my hips back into place. I feel good as new! The problem with me is that my joints move easily so I regularly pop back out, but it's relatively easy to pop me back in again. I've gotten stronger and I've also found it helps to sleep with a pillow under my leg so I don't pop out as often as I used to. Sometimes I can even get my hips to pop back in on my own.

I share this story because I can't tell you how many women I've run into who have the same issue. I also have run into a number of women who are having issues like the ones I was having & have yet to find the physical therapist who correctly diagnoses the problem. I hope that this post finds its way to a few women that really benefit from it! If you have problems, determine if one hip bone is higher than the other when you lay down. If so, find a good physical therapist! When we feel good, it sure helps as we strive to be perfect (or maybe just decent) moms!

And the Appendix Must Go!

2012-01-31T10:23:00.000-06:00

I previously had this huge fear of my appendix bursting and my not being anywhere near a hospital since I typically try to be 'tough girl' when in pain, so I thought I'd share a little insight gained with all of you from my unexpected surgery a little over a week ago.

Thursday night I went to my book club, where our gracious host served a yummy dinner, complete with these delicious cake balls that I couldn't get enough of! I should clarify: my book club is really an excuse to have a girls night. As you might imagine, sometimes we get a little carried away with the adult beverages. However, this particular night I only had one glass of wine. So when I woke up at 3 a.m. Friday morning feeling sick, I quickly ruled out alcohol as the culprit.

When I woke up my whole abdomen was cramping & hurt. It honestly felt like I needed to poop. But, I did poop & there was no relief. Then I started vomiting. I probably vomited every 20-30 minutes from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.. Nothing was relieving the pain in my abdomen and I didn't have anything in me to vomit. Also, it was a deeper vomiting than anything I've ever experienced, like there was something in there my body was trying to get out. My next thought was food poisoning, but since I ate the same thing as all my girlfriends, I was able to rule that out as well. Around 11, I stopped vomiting & my pain lessened just enough that I was able to fall asleep for about 30 minutes.

Earlier in the week my running buddy mentioned that her sister thought she was having an appendicitis & the doctors told her it feels more like you pulled a muscle in your abdomen. They also told her that the real key is a fever. As the day went on, I realized the pain in my abdomen was starting to feel more like a pulled muscle, and it seemed to be moving from the center of my abdomen to the right. It was definitely more intense on the right as time went on. Around 7:30 p.m. I looked it up on the internet. I was having all the symptoms except the fever, but the website I visited indicated it could be as low as 99. I said multiple prayers that if I needed to go to the hospital, God would show me a clear sign. At 8 p.m. I took my temperature again & it registered 99. I told the hubby I was going to the hospital.

Upon arrival they immediately hooked me up with an IV. I must have had "dehydrated" written all over me. The doctor didn't seem convinced it was my appendix, but he did think it was a possibility. He said a CAT scan was the way to figure it out. It takes 3 hours to do a CAT scan, by the time you drink the stuff you have to drink & let it settle. Fortunately they pumped anti-nasea medicine into my IV so I was able to keep it down. The CAT scan revealed that I had a stone in my appendix, but they could also see that I didn't have any lacerations (yet) so it was up to the surgeon as to exactly how quickly he was coming up to take it out. It turned out to be noon the next day, though once they started giving me morphine, I didn't really care.

They did remove it via laprascopy, which is amazing! I have 3 very small incisions that can be covered by a bandaid. The worst part of it is that they pump you full of gas in order to create the room they need to work. My neighbor tells me it will take 2 weeks for my body to absorb all of this. I've had many bloated days since, and 1 in particular where I felt pregnant again. But, if that's the price, I'll take it! Anything is better than the way I felt that Friday!

Also, my prayers that God would give me a clear sign if I needed to go to the hospital worked! I went because my temperature registered 99. Upon arrival to the hospital my temperature was 97 and I never had a fever afterwards. I additionally wonder if the "stone" was really one of those cake balls I ate the night before. Perhaps I should've taken it a little easier on those!

Best Sugar Cookies Ever...with fun colors found in nature!

2012-01-18T09:35:00.000-06:00

Its no surprise food dyes are bad for you. I even remember them talking about the red & yellow dyes when I was a kid. Reading the list of chemicals most harmful to kids has reinforced the fact that we should try to avoid them when we can. It's not terribly hard for me to avoid them in food at the grocery store (except at Halloween), but my real weakness? Frosting! Specifically, frosting for sugar cookies! I am fine making them with white frosting, but I've made them in fun colors previously so that's what my kids expect. When we start talking about making sugar cookies, they immediately start deciding what color they want "theirs" to be. Ugh! Do I take this happiness away from them too (as if the M&Ms aren't enough)? Or, do I look for alternative & natural colors found in nature? Clearly I try the latter since I'm blogging about it.

My ideas:
white=no dye (easy)
pink=beet juice or maybe strawberries if they are juicy enough (but, I have boys & they don't want pink)
purple=blueberry juice (I did this once with the witches hats, but they were really more violet)
green=spinach juice (dare I try it?)

Last week we made cookies & these were the color options. My youngest picked purple. This time I used more juice & they actually turned out purple! Perfect! My oldest chose green (little did he know). This past summer I pureed some spinach & froze it in ice cube trays. Normally when I defrost one, there is juice. This time, there was no juice. So, I put the entire cube in the frosting. Now the frosting looks white with green flakes in it. It truly looks more like something you should be dipping a veggie in than something that you should be eating on your cookie. But I taste it & it tastes great! Just like normal frosting. There is so much sugar in it, you can't taste the spinach at all. Now for the true test: I tell my oldest that his frosting is more like white frosting with green sprinkles in it. He takes one look at it & says "no mom!" Then I give him a taste. "Ok mom!" Whew! They passed the test & my boys have thoroughly enjoyed their cookies. To top it all off: I feel like I just snuck some veggies into their systems. I LOVE IT!!! (It may be worth a note that the older these cookies get, the flavors are starting to come out. I couldn't taste the blueberries or spinach at all initially. Now its been 5 days & I taste a hint of them, though just a hint & I'm still fairly certain if you didn't 'know' you wouldn't taste the difference.)

Not to be a total bragger, but I do make the best sugar cookies. They aren't easy, but they are so worth it! That junk you buy at the store doesn't even compare. Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookies
Mix together:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
add:
1 cup butter (must be room temperature, sometimes I pop it in the microwave to soften (melting some of it))
2 eggs
add:
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Stir it until it all sticks together & essentially forms a ball (this is the 'not easy' part-your arm will be ready to fall off by the time you're done). Refrigerate the dough 15-30 minutes so its not so sticky when you roll it out. When you do roll it out, you'll need to use a decent amount of flour to keep it from sticking. Bake 8-10 min at 400 degrees.

Butter Cream Frosting
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
6 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Mix it all together & add your favorite color found in nature's finest food & frost. Frost when the cookies are cool. Also, let the frosting harden a bit after you frost them & then you'll be able to stack them on a plate.

Easy, peasy cleaning without chemicals!

2012-01-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

So, one of my good friends started selling Norwex. Its one of those things you buy at a party. Initially I knew it involved cleaning supplies & they were chemical-free. Right up my alley, except that I really dislike those parties. I always feel obligated to buy things & they are usually expensive, yadda, yadda. Fortunately for me I was unavailable for her first party or two (no joke). I continued to hear bits of info about it & heard ravings about just using water (no chemicals) with this cloth. Right up my alley, except I looked it up & its not cheap (for the record, I am a little on the cheap side). So, parties involved, expensive and if you're just using water, it's not really clean, right? I mean, where's the 'anti-bacterial' in that? I hate the chemicals, but I hate the idea of germs & bacteria even more. I try to limit our exposure to un-natural things, but I am human & I have my limits.

I finally go to a party. I learn the following:
1. silver is a bactericide (aka anti-bacterial agent)
2. these Norwex products are laced with silver
3. the main 'rag' is a microfiber cloth that picks up most anything with water

I'm still skeptical so I buy the very basic of items: enviro cloth, window cloth & dusting mitt. They arrive and I put them to work. OMG!!!
Clean-check
Easy-check
Fast-check (this is the part I missed until I tried it)

I cleaned my whole kitchen in about half the normal time. Scratch that. I probably actually spent the same amount of time because since it was so easy, I started looking around for new things to clean. Inside of the fridge, cabinets, all the appliances (which are stainless). You name it, I cleaned it!

However, I was still a little skeptical. It looks clean & it feels clean, but is it really clean? I watched my friend place a raw piece of chicken on a mirror & do a protein test on it. Before cleaning: test failed. After cleaning with her cloths: pass. But, I needed more. I did the natural thing & googled it. It took some digging to find info that wasn't directly from Norwex, but I dug I did & everything indicates this stuff is for-real. I've been using these items for about a month now & I can no longer live without them. If I could capture the before & after of my shower (my shower is all tile & the solution of how to best clean it has eluded me until now) in a picture, I would!

As for the cost...I can somewhat justify the fact that I won't have to buy chemical cleaners anymore, but how much do I really spend a year on that stuff anyway? Probably not a lot. But, the time savings is invaluable! The products that I have invested in so far are worth every penny if only for the amount of time they are saving me! Total bonus that they are chemical-free!

Here are a couple demonstrations if you want to see how easy these things are:

dusting mitt to clean a screen: http://youtu.be/cbum22AL2dM
dusting mitt to clean blinds: http://youtu.be/AwrBQRzqhSE
protein test after cleaning raw chicken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYw_vjQjbPo

Now, for the record: I do not sell Norwex nor do I intend to start. However, I will be having a party in the next few weeks so let me know if you are interested. If you don't live near me, you can order online http://melissaklusman.norwex.biz/ or look up a rep in your area. It may be worth it to actually see some of these things in person if you're visual like me.

Happy cleaning!!!

Sunday Morning Pancakes

2011-11-14T15:19:00.000-06:00

A few years ago my hubby decided to start a Sunday morning tradition of making pancakes. My thought at the time was, "Really? Like, every Sunday?" I was still begging for every possible moment of sleep I could get and this sounded like more work than a bowl of Cheerios (recall: Cheerios don't have BHT).

So it began. But, come to figure out it's not so bad! You can make a big batch and freeze them for the week and when the boys want pancakes during the week: 2 minutes later, they are on the plate! Bottom line: homemade pancakes (not from a box) any day of the week. Note: to my knowledge I've never had pancakes from a box, but I'm guessing these are way better!

Buttermilk Pancakes (I normally triple the recipe)
1 C flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
dash of salt (roughly 1/4 teaspoon)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 C buttermilk (you can mix 1 Tbsp lemon juice with 1 C milk & let sit 5 min if you don't have buttermilk). Sometimes I add a little more buttermilk to get the right consistency.

Put the griddle on the stove over low heat (so it's nice & warm when you're ready). Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients & mix. Add a little oil to the griddle & put batter on. Flip when middle starts to bubble.

Variation: Banana-pecan: Mash a very ripe banana & add with wet ingredients (do a 1/2 banana if you're only doing one batch) and add chopped pecans at the end. I also throw in chocolate chips at the end (often I just toss a few to each of their pancakes after they are on the griddle) for the boys. They love them!

When you freeze: put a small piece of wax paper between each of them & place in a big Ziploc.

Hedge Apples...they do have a purpose & it involves bugs!

2011-11-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

My mom recently told me about a friend who collects hedge apples every fall, takes them to Oklahoma & sells them. What? Why? She claims there are a bunch of Oklahomans who believe these things are spider-deterants so they put them in their basements. To clarify: hedge apples are those large lime-green balls that look like brains and fall out of large trees. I'm extremely thankful I've never been hit on the head by one!

A few weeks after hearing this story, I took my kids to the botanical garden to take Christmas pictures. And what just-so-happens to be on the ground that my kids decide to turn into a toy while mom tortures them taking pictures? Yes, hedge apples! In my later efforts to distract them from a melt-down I tell them what their granny told me about hedge apples getting rid of spiders. So they insist on bringing these things home & putting them in the basement.

About our basement...I've done some things to make it fun & slightly inviting if you're into riding bikes, crawling around in tent-tunnels or working-out (for me & the hubby), but it is officially unfinished & we get lots of bugs down there. Mostly rolly-pollies, crickets and a few spiders. If I don't sweep every couple weeks there will be dozens or hundreds (depending on the time of year) of dead rolly-pollies down there. Gross!

They put 2 hedge apples down there about 3 weeks ago & I swear I haven't seen a live bug since! There are maybe a handful of dead rolly-pollies, but as big as our basement is you have to go searching for them (as I did). I'm finding this truly unbelievable! For a girl constantly on the look-out for chemical-free ways to get rid of bugs, can it really be this easy? The hubby insists that the weather has gotten colder & this is the reason the bugs are gone, but really there have only been a few random cold days so far this fall. I think he's just a skeptic. Time will tell! I'm just wondering when the hedge-apple anti-bug super-power will wear off or when they will start to rot. I wonder if you can freeze them & get a new one out when you need it? If anyone from Oklahoma is reading this, please share the secret & shame on you for not telling the rest of us about this sooner!!!

Witches Hats: a costume or a snack?

2011-10-28T15:29:00.000-05:00

Today was the kindergarten Halloween party! I signed up for snacks thinking I could provide some cheese or pretzels or something (read: I am short on time & I want something easy). The party coordinator mom had a different idea. Suddenly the snack turned into: "come up with one snack they assemble and eat and one they assemble & take home." Really? So much for easy!

For the snack the kids assemble & eat I made witches hats that the kids could decorate. I briefly saw a picture of this in a magazine at someone else's house & thought it looked really cute. Unfortunately I couldn't find it online (or instructions on how to do it) so I was on my own. I was looking for chocolate covered graham crackers to work as the base, or bottom of the hat and chocolate covered sugar cones that I could turn upside-down as the top part of the hat. A little frosting to make them connect & there you have it!

I finally found chocolate covered graham crackers that were large enough. I really shouldn't read the list of ingredients for stuff like this, but I did. TBHQ (a relative of the harmful preservative BHT), yellow dye #bad & red dye #bad. Ugh! I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. And why would there be dye in this stuff anyway? Weird. Plus, I couldn't find chocolate covered sugar cones. Then it hits me: I can buy regular graham crackers & cones & coat them in chocolate myself!

I did it & it turned out fairly cute & it ended up being SO easy! Here's what I did: I bought milk chocolate chocolate chips & melted them. You have to make a double-boiler so you don't burn the chocolate. Do this by boiling a little water in a larger pan & putting a smaller pan in that water with the chocolate chips in it. After it was melted, I removed the top pan & carefully dipped the graham crackers in the chocolate (be careful not to burn your fingers). Then I rolled the cones in it & stuck them on the graham crackers. To decorate: I did break down & buy frosting. I would totally prefer to make my own, but the consistency of the store-bought is perfect for kids spreading on things like this & I just haven't managed to figure out the trick of getting it just right at home. I bought white & I colored one can purple using the juice from blueberries. It's the first time I've tried dying without actual food coloring & though it was really more violet than purple, I was proud!

A couple notes: I wouldn't make them more than a day ahead, but they do need a number of hours to harden & dry so you also can't wait until the last minute. The chocolate in my finished picture looks a little 'off' because I put that hat in the fridge after assembling.

The Greater Good...coming to a city near you

2011-10-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

The other day I took my "big" guy (he's starting to get sensitive about being called 'little') to the doctor for a cold. I was being anal in taking him. I felt like a first-time mom, but it was Friday & his cough was starting to sound like croup. I didn't want to be at urgent care over the weekend. And, there's nothing wrong with being a first-time mom anyway! Always better to be cautious. Turns out it was just a cold, nothing to do but wait & crank on the humidifier. Just so happens: I am obsessed with humidifiers. I own at least 4: 2 warm-air & 2 cold-air. I am convinced they shorten the length of colds when you do get them & reduce the number of colds. I keep them going all winter!

In the waiting room a super-cute little guy came out with crocodile tears. He had the face of a boy trying to be very brave. It hit me that he must have just gotten a shot. Then I thought, "what if we're wrong about shots? Nothing more, just 'what if'?" Can you imagine? It's absolutely torment as a parent to hold your child down so the nurse can give him a shot in the arm or leg. You do whatever you can to make it better (Tylenol before, cuddling & rewards after). We think we're doing what's in the best interest of our kid, but what if we aren't?

I just learned about a new documentary on vaccines. It's called "The Greater Good". It hasn't been fully released yet, but they have had screenings in various cities. This Friday & Sunday it will be shown in Wichita. In November it will be in NY & Dallas. I am anxious to see it. Here's the link to the homepage and the trailer: http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/home. I would love to hear reviews from anyone who has the chance to see it!

Pumpkins...if you can't carve 'em, eat 'em

2011-10-14T15:08:00.000-05:00

This year, for the first time, we are actually going to try carving a couple pumpkins. I recall how hard this seemed for my mom when I was growing up & I've therefore never attempted it. I am (perhaps wrongly?) thinking that sharp knives might be the trick.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to the pumpkin patch. So cute & fun to let the little guys pick out a perfect pumpkin & they get a little farm experience. So, what have we done with pumpkins you might ask? We eat them! They are so easy to roast. Just cut the top off (like you would to make a jack-o-latern), scoop out the "junk", put the top back on, put on a pan & put in the oven at 350 for about an hour. You know its done when it is soft-like squash. When it is cool enough, the "pumpkin" will very easily scoop right out of the skin. You can stick it in the food processor to puree (just to make it all smooth) and use it or freeze it. If it seems a bit watery (compare to canned pumpkin), you can put it in a sauce pan & cook it down a bit, but I rarely need to do this.

Cooking ideas: pumpkin pie, pumpkin dip (below) and sometimes, I just "hide" a 1/4 cup or so in something I know my family won't notice (chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.) in order to get a few extra vitamins in them. Note that it doesn't hide well in dishes that don't have a decently strong flavor of their own.

Also, the pumpkin seeds are supposed to be very nutritious! After you scoop them out of the pumpkin, get off as much of the "junk" as you can, put them on an ungreased pan in a single layer, salt with kosher salt & place in the oven on 325 for 20 minutes. Stir halfway through. Let them roast a few more minutes if you like them crispy. Add more salt at the end. These things need salt to be tasty!

Pumpkin Dip
(This makes a lot! Unless you are serving a huge group, I recommend cutting in half.)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
15 oz pumpkin
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger

In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese & sugar until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the spices. Chill until ready to serve.

I've served this with pretzels for dipping & graham cracker sticks. Yum!

It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men

2011-10-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

Last night I started reading my latest magazine from Compassion International & there were some statistics that really stood out--and then some profound (or so I think) thoughts occurred to me. Here it is: 1 in every 3 girls and 1 in every 6 boys is sexually abused before their 18th birthday*. Get this: IN THE UNITED STATES! My first thought was thank goodness my kids stand a slightly better chance since they are boys. My second thought was that my kids are practically going to grow up in a prison because I don't want them to ever have to deal with something of this nature. But of course, will that really work since most of the perpetrators are known & trusted by the family? I'm sure everyone reading this has had these thoughts.

Then I recall my husband once had a client who was sexually abused at the age of 14. Also when she was a preschooler someone walked into their apartment at night & she woke up to someone fondling her. He ran out when she screamed & they never figured out who it was. Using this as an example, I'd say (and I think its been proven) that some people are more vulnerable than others. Of course that's not the case with all victims. But, if you could pick apart the statistics, what would the difference be between the "haves" and "have-nots"? I don't think money buys you safety. I do think that people without money have to rely more on others to help take care of their kids and they have less time and resources to help their kids build confidence and other characteristics that help keep them out of more vulnerable situations. My gut tells me that the stats in my school district are significantly better than the stats in a more urban school district.

The magazine then goes into articles on the sex trade and there are more staggering numbers. It's overwhelming. How do you fix it? Where do you start? Here's a quote: "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -Frederick Douglass

So my thoughts resonate with the idea that we have to build up our kids and do things to support them & their families. Another excerpt from the article:

"But for a girl to be enslaved in a Bangkok brothel, an awful lot of things had to have been wrong upstream in her young life, and we at Compassion believe there is an equally compelling, powerfully strategic approach called prevention."

Sponsoring a kid through Compassion or supporting one of their other programs certainly helps build hope for their futures and helps them with necessities today. But, there are also obviously kids in the U.S. who need help too. I have a good friend who started a charity called Baby Grace that provides free baby & kid items to teenage moms. They also have Bible studies and other activities designed to show them the love of Christ. I donate all our old things to them, even if its something I could make a decent buck selling. Why? Because they are still in the category of children we can build. They haven't entered broken yet. Maybe I should be asking why I'm not doing more? There are lots of other great programs out there, to include mentoring programs. Please feel free to comment on this post & provide other ideas of ways one person can make a difference, no matter how small. It all matters! If we all work together we can build strong kids and put a stop to predators.

*Statistics: Free the Slaves & Survivors Healing Center

The Influencers

2011-10-03T14:36:00.000-05:00

My uncle passed away recently & the funeral was this weekend. I feel compelled to tell everyone what a great influence he & my aunt were in my life. The fact is: I wouldn't be who I am without them. A few years ago I had an "ah-ha" moment during a lunch discussion with some other women at a conference, where I came to realize that my aunt & uncle were the people I was striving to be. During my younger days that gave me hope & something to work towards. Now it provides an example of the type of person I hope I can someday be for someone else--and how important it is to take time to mentor others. You never know how the little things you do are making an impact on someone else.

I grew up with a single mom. My aunt & uncle went above the call of duty to do what they could for me & be an example of Christ in my life. At 15 I had a job about a mile from my house. My uncle owned his own business on the other side of town, but if it was raining, he would drive across town & take me to work. I'm sure he was busy, but he never complained & he was happy to do it. It was one way he could be there for me. They took me shopping for school clothes every year. They took me to the lake on weekends and taught me how to ski. Also, they tried to get me involved in the "right" crowd by bringing me to their church groups every week. I never felt like I fit in & I definitely had a bit of a rebellious streak. Often when I did do things I shouldn't, I would think, "what would Phyllis & Don think if they knew". It mattered to me that I not disappoint them. They knew some of what I did, but they never gave up on me. My whole life they were planting little seeds along the way. I grew up knowing Christ & wrong from right. I haven't experienced that single moment like some where I suddenly gave my life to the Lord. He was there all the time & gradually I let Him in a little more & more. If you fully immerse yourself in it, the love of God will change you. There's nothing like it. It's awesome! I'm so thankful I've had people like Don & Phyllis in my life to plant the little seeds along the way & I hope He uses me to do for others what they did for me.

Also: Phyllis was an awesome cook! She made EVERYTHING from scratch & she was not satisfied until you stuffed your face at her house. If I wasn't striving to be more like her I may have never tried to do more than boil pasta. But here I am, cooking from scratch & blogging about it!

Hearty Nut Bread

2011-09-28T14:12:00.000-05:00

When my oldest was 5 months, we finally figured out he had food hyper-sensitivities. He was "allergic" to milk (aka all dairy including butter & whey), soy (this includes soybean oil which is in everything!) and wheat. Fortunately he outgrew the wheat fairly quickly. He eventually outgrew it all, but we obviously had to make some modifications in the meantime.

My mother-in-law makes this bread & was able to alter it so that we could eat it. You have no idea how something like bread can mean so much given the right circumstances. So, if there's anyone reading this who has to avoid milk, I've included the alternative options as well. Also, I use a breadmaker so I just dump all the ingredients in & away it goes. So easy! My kids still eat this bread. I have to make it 1-2 times a week as they love it so much. I'd eat it too, but then I'd have to make it even more often. I normally make it after I put the boys to bed & set it so it will be ready to eat in the morning. Making it more often would seriously cut into "my" time.

Hearty Nut Bread (2 lbs)

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/3 C warm water (when I don't heat it, the bread doesn't rise like it should even though it sits for
hours. I normally warm in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes)
1/3 C molasses (since I don't like molasses, I do a combo of half molasses & half honey)
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp dry milk (if you have a milk allergy, replace with 3/4 tsp. baking powder after you add flour)
1 7/8 C whole wheat flour (there is no 7/8, so just eye it)
1/2 C oats
1 7/8 C white flour
2/3 C walnuts (optional)
2 tsp. or 1 package active dry yeast

I set the breadmaker to the whole wheat setting, on light.
Enjoy!