Day 12-13, Standard Process Cleanse

Well there you go! An original photo. Because this is what I was faced with today, except on a grander scale.

And by today, I mean yesterday. It's 12:29 and I'm still up, so this post will count for today (yesterday) and tomorrow (today)... unless I decide to write again later.

So yes, this was the first time I had SERIOUS cravings. We went to Riley's grandparents house for lunch (hungry, mind you) where they had an aMAzing spread of food. Breads, cheeses, meats, chips, salsa, chips, dips, desserts, lemonade... and of course our beloved fruit and veggie trays that we resorted to the whole time! We did give them fair warning about our temporary diet restrictions, so at least we weren't being rude. But BOY was it really hard not to eat all that delicious looking stuff! And it probably was actually all pretty wholesome stuff compared to other parties you might go to this time of year. Alas, we cannot cheat and make the last 11 days count for naught. We're over the hump so I know we can push through to the end!

I've been learning how much I eat the kids food on a regular basis. Like their bits and pieces that they drop or a bite that I just snag from their bowl. Every time I have to catch myself and say, no, you can't have that popcorn/fortune cookie/cheerio/etc. Even today Josiah put a chip up to my mouth and I had to push it away. Oh my goodness that was really a challenge. So a few seconds later I lick my lips and get a taste of it, wow. Talk about temptation! Then everything I fed him that he had enough of and gave back to me, what am I supposed to do with it? Normally I would eat it but I can't do that, and I'm not gonna just put it back on the public serving dish...

Oh well, soon enough I can gorge myself on all those things I've been missing out on these 3 weeks. Although I'm hoping that even then I won't go overboard. I'm just not the kind of girl that can just take one bite. If there are sweets or yummy snacks at a party, I eat them all up. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to take so much that nobody else gets any, but I sure don't worry about making sure there are leftovers at the end of the night, knowwhatimean?

We watched Food, Inc last night and the rest this morning. Talk about timing. Makes me wanna never buy anything from anybody unless I've talked to the farmer personally and know exactly how it's being made and what's in it and all that. I know it's more expensive, but I also know we're at a turning point. We can join the ranks of the general public who buy whatever's easiest to get out there, or we can be intelligent about what goes into our bodies, and make the sacrifices necessary to take care of them. The question is where to draw the line... how much do we cut from other lines in our budget to afford better quality food? I guess we'll be working on that together soon. I'm thinking seriously about getting back into our organic produce coop. We took a break from it when we moved and now seems like a good time to resume! Actually 2 weeks ago would've been good... might've saved us a chunk of change on all these fruits and veggies we've been stocking up on. But hey, hindsight is 20/20.

I made chicken stock for the first time today! Super excited about that. Will probably never have to buy it again, depending on how often I make a whole chicken, and how often I just need broth. Anyway so I used the bones/skin from last night's dinner, added water, apple cider vinegar, celery and half a red onion, and let it sit on low in the crock pot all day. Tomorrow morning I better have figured out where to put it all, since I didn't think that far ahead when I set out on this little adventure. May need to make a run for some canning jars.

We had dinner at PeiWei because we couldn't find Genghis Grill, they must've closed down or moved or something. Got the cool lettuce wraps, which is what I always get there, and this time did not disappoint! I'm not gonna lie though, I might have cheated. Those little white thingies and probably some soy sauce mixed in there (didn't add any from the bowl they brought so at least there's that)... but hey, I was starving and it was at least mostly cleanse-friendly. I haven't cheated this whole time (except for that absentminded handful of cheerios on Day 1) so I'm not gonna beat myself up about it. I just hope it doesn't "mess things up" or anything like that.

This is the 3rd time I've forgotten to take my afternoon supplements, despite setting myself an alarm. Gah!

Well I better run, gotta decide what to put in the crock pot for lunch after church. Have a great Sunday!

Day 11, Standard Process Cleanse

[Insert really mouth-watering photo of 

roasted chicken fresh 

out of the oven]

I really wanted to give you something different to look at, but iPhoto is being dumb right now. Or maybe it's just me. Probably the latter. Oh well, I'm tired.

Sorry for the late post-- I was so busy all day with, well, you know... being in my pajamas all morning, not doing the dishes, coloring with Julia, running up and down the stairs, hanging things to dry because there's a mysterious black something in my dryer and I don't want to ruin another load of laundry, doing the dishes, planning dinner... the usual ;)

But alas here we are at the middle of the cleanse, 50% there, halfway to the finish line! Yes, I hail from the department of redundancy department.

Anyway, meat day! I think I have been more excited about this than Riley. Not sure why, it's not like I'm getting anything new, well except for variety maybe. Maybe I just felt like I was getting back into familiar territory after learning the hard way that just making vegetables does NOT make my life any simpler in the kitchen.

Well, dinner was rather anti-climactic. I made a beautiful roasted chicken with rosemary, garlic, thyme, lemon, etc... but for some reason it just took forever to get to 165. So everything else (sweet potatoes, asparagus) was done at different times and after Riley ate his stomach started feeling bad. Either too much olive oil or his body was just not responding well to meat after going 10 days without it! Hopefully things will improve.

I'm planning to find more shake recipes-- not that I don't have any good ones, I have a lot! I just love trying new things and I know there's gotta be more out there. After all, we have 20 more to go before this cleanse is over!

Wow, I totally forgot to eat any nuts today, and I'm allowed to now! I did have to resist some marshmallows I saw in the cabinet while getting some dried cranberries that I really need to stay away from because I'm starting to eat too many! Guess it's become my candy substitute ;)

Ahh, we have a really busy weekend ahead! Typing out our itinerary would just be exhausting, so I'll save the highlights for after we find out what they turn out to be =)

Ok, so some of my goals for this cleanse have been: Form better eating habits, as in, more vegetables, less sweets. So far I've been really successful, because DUH, it's forced upon me. But I know one thing I'll be taking from all this is a lot of really delicious ways to incorporate healthy veggies into our diet. Plus knowing how great I feel when I eat healthy, versus how crappy I feel when I eat, well, crap. If I can just remember that every time I'm tempted by that sweet piece of poison, life will be good.

I was so excited about having scrambled eggs this morning for breakfast after the farm being out for so many days and resorting to buying them elsewhere. Bad call. Apparently I've been totally spoiled and the ones I got just didn't add up. So, back to Homestead I'll be going. I wish I could just get a standing order of 4 dozen eggs every other week!

I really need to get some more stuff a dehydratin' in the Nesco, but we've got so much going on the next two days I'm just not sure there will be time. It will be enough of an accomplishment just to plan our meals right so we can avoid Taco Bueno while we're out and about ;)

Alright I must be going... will try to still blog over the weekend to keep you updated! Happy Friday night everybody!

Day 10, Standard Process Cleanse

I really need to get some new pictures on here, don't I?! Don't worry, you're not the only one sick of seeing the 2 photos above. In fact, this is what I see in my kitchen every day. Produce and whole food supplements. All. Day. Long.

Ok, so last night's brown rice/lentil soup wasn't exactly in the top 3 dishes of the cleanse thus far, but it was good and my parents liked it enough! I may have even convinced them to go on the cleanse ;) The sweet potato/ apple/ pear "casserole" was really good too. Riley was pretty bummed that he couldn't have any cupcakes because of the eggs in them, but I'm wondering if he's allowed to have them after day 10 (ooh, that's today!)... so I'll have to ask Dr. Jim Bob.

The guacamole turned out reeeeally good, I am not a fan of avocados but my recipe is pretty tasty if I do say so myself. And it's safe to assume that my taste buds are changing because it tasted even better than it usually does! I think I'm also acquiring a taste for coconutty things (oil, flour, milk) because it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. Not that I'm running out to buy a whole coconut and bite into it. I'm just glad that I'm not completely grossed out by something that is SO healthy!

I made myself go to bed "early" last night. And by early, I mean before midnight. Usually what happens is I'm all showered and PJ'ed and ready for bed and then I "check my email" one last time before hitting the sack and before you know it 2 hours has gone by. I'm sure many of you can identify! But anyway, I got a decent night's sleep and thankfully this whole time it has been that way most nights. This morning I woke up to Julia asleep next to me, not even realizing she had climbed into our bed in the middle of the night. Sweet girl!

No idea what I'm making for dinner yet, but I have a few ideas. Pretty soon I'll probably just start repeating some of our favorites for the last half of the cleanse. Speaking of favorites, I finally made an original shake recipe that is actually REALLY yummy! Drumroll please...

Joanna's Yet-to-be-named Smoothie

(serves 1-2 people depending on how big a glass you like)

1.5 c strawberries (we used frozen but fresh is probably fine too)
1 banana
juice from 4 key limes
small handful of fresh spinach (optional, but practically tasteless so you might as well throw it in for extra nutrition)
2 T flax oil (optional)
our powdered cleanse supplements (SP Complete, SP Whey Pro)
1/2-3/4 c water (depending on whether or not you include the spinach and how thick you like it)

The key limes really give the typical strawberry banana shake a nice refreshing zing w/o being too tart. Delicious! It was so good that last night after I had drank mine and washed dishes, I accidentally took a sip of Riley's (he was putting Julia to bed upstairs) and then before swallowing realized oops! So I ever so carefully released it from my mouth back into his glass *shh, don't tell him* It was then that I realized I had truly made something great. So, we had it again this morning! It's really pretty too, with little pink and green specks!

We don't have a scale so we don't know if our weight's changed. Hopefully I haven't lost any, I'd actually like to gain 5-10 lbs (don't hate). Riley probably has, I guess he can find out next chiro visit. Today is supposed to be his last day without meat but from the sound of it, he might not even want to add it back in yet. Guess we'll find out tomorrow! I stocked up on more chicken, and got some salmon and tilapia too. Which means I need some good tilapia recipes from y'all since I've never even tasted it, much less cooked it.

It goes without saying (except I'm going to say it anyway) that my grocery trips have been more frequent the last 10 days, but I get a really good feeling when I get to the cashier and almost all of what I pull out of my cart onto that conveyer belt is fresh vegetables and fruit. Makes me feel healthier just knowing all that's gonna be working it's way through my system very soon! Reminds me of Michael Pollan's famous quote, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Well, that's what we've been doing lately, there's no doubt about it.

Alright I'm starting to feel like I'm reaching for stuff to write, so I'll go utilize Josiah's naptime in more relaxing ways! Be sure to leave me some comment love =)

Day 9, Standard Process Cleanse

Well, here we are at day 9, still going strong! Never mind that I was up till 2 am after a late night of fall festivities, spending what seemed like an eternity getting Josiah to sleep, making shakes, washing dishes, reading half a chapter for Bible study, etc...

Good thing I got to sleep till almost 830 this morning! That rarely happens.

I forgot to mention yesterday how nice it was to have a clean house! Special thanks to Brooke Sailer for coming to help! Living in an orderly place makes such a difference. I look forward to finding the balance between keeping it that way and doing all the other important things in life =) ahh, someday.

Ok-- so, cleanse. Let's see, last night's dinner was Dr. Cindy's spaghetti squash. It was my first time to eat such a thing, and now I know why they call it that! I wish I had known though, how hard it was going to be to cut that blasted thing open! It took me like half an hour, no joke. I started to panic because I was making no progress and was on a time crunch and didn't want to have to come up with something else to make. All that turned into brute force! I was not going to let this plant beat me. So, cut in half it became after seven knives, sawing and stabbing pulling apart and Julia cheering me on with encouraging remarks like "you're getting really good at that!" Not the cleanest break but oh well. It did look kind of like spaghetti, but tasted crunchier. The best part is that Josiah actually devoured it! Haha! I finally fooled him. He can be very picky when it comes to veggies. Seaweed is the only one that comes to mind that he will really eat. But I guess that's one of the best so I can't complain!

Gateway's fall festival was fun, but I wish we had arrived earlier. We managed to limit Julia's candy intake to very little, so that makes me glad! She got to ride a rainbow pony and they even had little games for Josiah to play... woohoo!

Once again I failed to create an original shake recipe that was really great. It was way too tart! Which says a lot because I've always really liked sour candy. Raspberries, Strawberries, peaches, mango, and coconut milk. It didn't taste bad, I just couldn't finish it. So, into the fridge it went, then for this morning's shake I just added a banana and the powder supplements. So much better!

I haven't heard yet how it turned out, but Riley planned to go to PeiWei for lunch today. Hopefully he found something cleanse-friendly and delicious! I'd like to try out Spiral Diner sometime during the cleanse, because I've heard they have lots of stuff that's allowed.

My thumb is still sore from the mandoline incident, but said appliance is still my new best friend for this cleanse! I'm slicing practically everything with it =)

My dad and MamaB are coming over for dinner and the Rangers World Series game tonight! So excited. It will be nice to visit and eat together. Hopefully the lentil and brown rice soup I have planned will turn out yummy! If not, I also have sweet potato chips and will make some guac to go with that, and some leftover cleanse cupcakes that are delicious!

I've been having egg withdrawals because the farm I usually get them from has been out lately every time I call. So I had to go elsewhere. Hopefully the ones I got will be just as good. I haven't had any in a week and I just couldn't wait any longer! So yay, eggs for breakfast to go along with the morning shake tomorrow (well, just for me)!

Two more days till Riley can have chicken and fish. Although he said last night that he's not sure he even wants to add it back in yet. Yeah, you read that right.

Yesterday I made pear chips that turned out sooo good! Cinnamon on top... I could smell them dehydrating from upstairs. Yummy! They didn't last long at all. Will have to make more. Ooh, that reminds me, I'm also making sweet potato apple pear casserole for tonight. Should be good. Really simple. Slice 'em all up, layer 'em in a pan, stick 'em in the oven. Voila!

Seems like there's more I wanted to share, but it's all escaping me right now. Plus Josiah just woke up from his nap so time to feed him and head to good 'ol Sprouts!

See y'all tomorrow! Thanks for keeping up with me through this, it's been great knowing I have a support system out there and I think writing updates each day has made it that much better of an experience. I'm hoping to post a bunch of the successful recipes at the end so you can try them out and enjoy for yourself!

P.S. I could literally smell the Starburst as soon as Julia handed the little funsize packages for me to hold after winning a game at the festival. Took me back to my candy-craze days. I resisted. I overcame. I am superwoman! Ok, maybe not. But in that moment, I felt strong =)

Day 8, Standard Process Cleanse

"Bananas are the real key to the shakes."

Bananas are also a real culprit in the constipation department.

So, Riley has requested I leave them out for a day or so. No problem! I tried to come up with something original last night w/o bananas, only to fail AGAIN. I couldn't take more than one sip. He drank mine and I made myself another one from a recipe. This morning I just made ours separately, his w/o the banana but the same kind-- Orange Julius. Yum! When the cleanse is over I'm gonna have to try it again but with vanilla =)

Before I forget, please learn from my mistake yesterday: Always use the food holder when slicing with a mandoline, even if you're 29 years old and think you don't need to. My thumb thanks you, and has chosen not to invite any other thumbs to keep it company in its misery. Here's what I usually do: I hold the food in my hand until it gets low and then I grab the food holder for the rest of it. Guess I didn't grab it soon enough, because I felt my thumb get a little too close to the blade. I wasn't sure right away, but after putting some pressure on the skin, the blood that seeped out confirmed that I had indeed done something stupid. So, I ran upstairs to throw a bandage on it and get back down to the boiling noodles and continue slicing away, thi time with the prescribed safety procedures added.

I ended up making twice as much as I thought we would need, which was a good thing because it was a real winner! There was enough left to send with Riley for lunch today but that's it. Julia even ate 2 bowls! It was called "Asian Explosion" inspired by my friend Heather during her husband's cleanse a few months back. I don't know what she put in hers but basically it's brown rice pasta (like spaghetti) with stir fry veggies on top. I wanted to make it interesting and colorful so I put practically the whole rainbow in there-- red bell pepper, radishes, tomatoes, carrots, yellow squash, chard, broccoli, red onion, garlic...I may be forgetting one but you get the picture. 1/4 cup coconut oil in the wok, some organic tamari on top and voila! IT.WAS.SO.SO.SO.DELICIOUS! It felt like we were eating at a fancy restaurant, except we knew it was actually nourishing our bodies. Oh my goodness, if I keep having as many successful meals as we've had lately, we may not even feel the need to add back in all the bread and cheese and beef! Oh, who am I kidding... of course we will! BUT, we'll also be maintaining the things we were missing out on before we started the cleanse.


We decided to go to the gym after dinner for some hot-tub and sauna time. Ahhh. So relaxing! It was already the kids bedtime so obviously later than I wanted to take the kids out of the house, but we really needed to go and they have free childcare so we went. First we spent 10 min in the jacuzzi, then 10 in the steam room, then another 5 in the dry sauna, rinsing off in between each. It was a real sweat fest. But, I've heard that's really good for you to detox. So, I think we're gonna do that the next two Mondays as well, which is the end of each cleanse week.

We haven't been that great about the exercise part, which is really important because the lymphatic system needs to get going so that it can do it's purifying thang. But I figure, I'm chasing the kids around all day, working hard in the kitchen, picking toys up, doing laundry, walking up and down the stairs... all that counts as a daily workout right? And Riley walks to and from his office from the parking garage so that adds up too. Plus with all the activities and events we have on our calendar this week, we should get a lot of walking in!

So, are you inspired yet to do this cleanse yourself? Or do I need to step it up and tempt you with pictures of our scrumptious meals?

Day 7, Standard Process Cleanse

Woohoo! We're a third of the way there... well, at least we will be at midnight ;)

I wish I had more pictures than just that food and supplement duo, sorry. I know it would be much more exciting for y'all to read this. Oh well!

So yesterday was really overwhelming. After I posted the day 6 blog, I kind of had a meltdown over the phone with Riley. The day just hadn't gone as I'd hoped in terms of time we were going to be where and it ended up that we hardly got to see eachother all day. The kids wreaked havoc all over the downstairs half of the house while I tried to make dinner, the hand blender wasn't working and I really needed it to for the soup to turn out the consistency I wanted, messes everywhere and Julia not responding to instructions very well, Riley's gonna be late, Riley's gonna be later, will I always have to choose between an orderly place to live and good food? And on and on.

It's a good thing dinner was really tasty.

Dr. Cindy's squash apple soup was a hit! Riley kept going back for seconds and thirds and maybe even fourths... we both had it for lunch today and there's still some left. I hate it when there's a bunch of leftovers of a dish that was a dud. Not the case here, thankfully! The butternut squash was a real bear to peel though. Oh my goodness! I feel like a pioneer woman... washing all the dishes by hand because our dishwasher sucks right now, cooking everything from scratch, churning butter. Ok, just kidding on that last one. But still, I'm reminded of the Proverbs 31 woman: "Her arms are strong for her tasks." Well, that's because her tasks are such a workout! Gym, Schmym, all I gotta do for exercise is spend half the day in the kitchen and half the day chasing my kiddos around. ;)

During dinner I looked at Riley and said, "This whole time you've eaten everything I've served you, and I really appreciate it." He responded lovingly, "You've served me everything I've eaten this whole time, and I really appreciate it." We hugged and kissed, and I think I teared up a little. I felt like we grew closer as a couple in exactly that moment. Who knew that vegetables could bring improvements in the marriage department?!

So, some people say the first three days are the hardest, in our case it was the 4th, some say once you get past the first week it's easy... I guess we'll find out tomorrow! The supplements change on day 8, so Riley will be done with 21 of his daily capsules, but we add in 10 of a different kind for both of us. Nice for him, not so fun for me. I can swallow a pill, I just don't like having to do that many. I'll get over it I guess.

I'm happy for Riley that he'll finally get to have chicken with me on Friday! I don't know if I could've made it this whole time without animal protein, so I really admire him for hanging in there. I already know what I'm gonna make (a repeat of something I made a few weeks ago that he loved)! I also need to get some fish and learn how to make it. The only kind I've ever cooked is salmon, which we like, but it's probably important that we have more of a variety. Riley suggested tilapia, and I had halibut once in a restaurant but have no idea how expensive it is or how to prepare it. Any advice?

I've discovered that coconut milk really makes our shakes so much better. I've never cared much for the taste of coconut, but it's so good for you, and it adds a wonderful creamy texture. I'm trying to replace some of the butter and olive oil that I'm used to using (although they are good too, and much better than vegetable oil or margarine) with coconut oil. Perhaps it's an acquired taste.

The house is looking better, after Riley's big dose of help last night! And my sister-in-law/friend Brooke is coming over later to clean with me some more... woohoo! Today is a new day and things are looking up =)

Tonight will be a new Asian dish, and I've got sweet potato chips dehydrating as we speak, so I need to go make some guacamole to go with it! See you tomorrow!

Day 6, Standard Process Cleanse

Temptation abounds. Abounds everywhere. Everywhere there is temptation.

From super-healthy but off-limits-during-the-cleanse snacks at a birthday party yesterday afternoon to the gazillion restaurants we passed last night on our date, to the free pizza at a going away party after church today (which we "had" to look at for 2 hours while congregating and also feed to our children), we are having to be really strong to resist all the yumminess that is out there.

It's pretty much out of the question, so the temptation ends there. I know that eating something I'm not supposed to would totally ruin the purpose of the cleanse, and I know that when it's over we'll be glad we did it and I can eat whatever I want, should I so choose (although I have a feeling that I will still restrain myself from certain edible food-like substances).

Riley has had it harder because he can't have any meat at all until Friday. The salad I packed for us to eat while everyone else was devouring the pizza, was not really doing it for him. At least I had bits of chicken to make each bite more palatable. I really need to get a hold of a tasty salad dressing. This oil and vinegar stuff just doesn't float my boat.

On the upside, last night's dinner was DEE-LICIOUS! Crockpot lentil/veggie stew. Multiple bowls were ingested and I will definitely be making it again before this thing is over!

We realized last night how little there is to do on a date when your diet is restricted to a few select things. We were like, what do we do now? We can't go have a drink at a bar, we can't go have dessert anywhere, we can't go to a restaurant for an evening appetizer. A lot of places were closed, we didn't want to stay out late enough to watch a movie because we already left the house pretty late and had an early morning... it was pretty sad. But, we got some alone time together and that's what really matters! I look forward to going out for a nice meal though after the 9th!

I keep thinking about all the foods I'm going to be able to enjoy once this is over. But then on the other hand I'm like, so, you're gonna get your body all cleaned up and then just fill it right back up with junk? That's stupid. So, while I plan on eating things that are off limits right now, I still look forward to eating other healthy things that just aren't allowed on the cleanse. Like really good beef, cheese, bread and not-so-bad-for-you sweets. *sigh* 15 more days!

It's kind of funny, people keep asking us about what we're doing and when we tell them I get the feeling they think we're kind of nuts. Like, why do you want/need to do THAT?! I hope they can gather the fact that everybody needs a good detox every once in a while. And I would say that while we're not food nazis, we probably eat healthier than most Americans. But that doesn't mean that our bodies are functioning 100% the way they're supposed to. I totally get that it can't do what it's supposed to if we don't supply it with the proper fuel. While I don't always like to say no to that delicious-looking, hydrogenated-oil, corn-syrup, food-dye-filled treat in the bakery section, I KNOW that it's not going to make me feel good in the long run. What I'm doing these 3 weeks WILL make me feel good while I'm doing it, and will benefit me in the future too if I keep on the right track! Ok I feel like I'm rambling/preaching now so I'll stop.

Besides, I think I hear some trouble a brewin' downstairs.

Day 5, Standard Process Cleanse

Last night's dinner almost did us in.

I've been trying to redeem myself and wipe away the memories of a really yucky dish I made, one which shall remain nameless and I should just shred it and burn the pieces and toss them over the ocean. Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad. But let's just say I couldn't finish mine and Riley said, "For the first time since we started, it feels like I'm fasting." I didn't even try to get Julia to eat any of hers.

So to reward ourselves for not eating some of it, I made some stove top cooked sliced apples in coconut oil and cinnamon for dessert. Delish! Things were no longer looking bleak.

After that I put Josiah to bed and wasted the next couple hours on the computer while Riley and Julia watched fell asleep watching the Ranger game. I knew they had fallen asleep because when I checked Facebook only to see the whole page in nothing but winning cheers, I realized there had been no hoorays coming from downstairs.

ANYWAY...

By that time it was super late and neither Riley and I felt like staying up to make and partake of our evening shake, so we just went to bed. This morning I realized we should've at least taken the supplements with water. Oops. Then I realized I wasn't sure if I'd taken mine yesterday afternoon. I hope I did. If not, oops oops.

I got a full split 9 hours of sleep-- It was glorious (thanks honey)! So our day started late and most of it has been spent in, you guessed it, the kitchen! I further redeemed myself with a really delicious smoothie, props to Dr. Cindy, and for lunch we had yummy baked sweet potatoes with butter, cinnamon and cloves, and steamed asparagus with olive oil and sea salt. Even the kids ate some, yay!

We've been feeling pretty good. Almost all my cold symptoms are gone, although they started before we even began the cleanse. It's weird, how I can feel good on the inside despite what I know is going on in my sinuses. Maybe it's all the healthy food I'm eating? Who knew! I think our challenge isn't feeling crappy, it's just looking away from the breads and sweets and steaks, and coming up with yummy dishes, snacks and smoothies to carry us through this thing. After all, the food is healthy, so we're inevitably going to feel good. I know at the end we will be glad we did it and have some tasty, nourishing recipes to add to our regular cuisine!

Alright, I'm off to put some lentils, veggies and veggie broth in the crock pot for dinner, clean the kitchen, and get dressed for a birthday party. And then later this evening, DATE NIGHT!!! *excitedexcitedexcited*

Hopefully we'll be able to do our shakes this time, albeit late tonight!

See y'all tomorrow! Thanks for sticking with me through this. Your supportive and encouraging comments are so appreciated =)

Day 4, Standard Process Cleanse

I won't lie, I'm already starting to get sick of drinking shakes twice a day. That's not good. Because while I can vary the flavor, and I can make lots of different food dishes, a shake is pretty much the same consistency. Maybe I just haven't found the right combination yet... Not that they're disgusting. But I need one that will just blow me away and make me want to drink it for the rest of the cleanse. So, I'll keep trying!

I confessed that to Riley this morning, because I was already starting to feel it last night. He said something like "But it's good for you." Yeah, ok. Sure. But then he added this great revelation he got... "Why do we eat food?" To which I replied, because it tastes good and it nourishes our body. Then he said, "God gave us food to create dependency in us. We have to have food for our bodies to function the way he designed them to. We look to him to supply this need 3+ times a day. At the last supper Jesus took the bread and said "Every time you eat this, remember me" So how can you be sick of it? God gave it to you." I'm paraphrasing, but it was a good word. It seemed to come so natural to him too, so that was refreshing and I'm thankful that we're walking through this together.

He was able to leave at 745 this morning since I just sent him with a bunch of leftovers for lunch. I'll probably do that every few days just to give me a break from extensive morning prep! Looking forward to lunch and dinner today though, and an eventful weekend!

Yesterday for lunch I had sweet potato chips, kale chips, and leftover chicken and rice. I also tested the baba ganoush that I had made, but the recipe said to chill it in the fridge. I realized later at dinner that I definitely prefer it warm!

For dinner we also had mushy red lentils, beet & zuchinni chips, brown rice rotini with basil pesto (yummy!). I need to go put some chicken breasts in the crockpot for later!

So this is the first morning in a long time that I've had some time to myself! Lately I've been up early but the kids have been up before Riley's left for work so it's nice to get a break from "hit-the-ground-running" style days. And of course, now I hear Josiah waking up. Off I go. Looks like Julia's up too =) I love my babies!!!

Day 3, Standard Process Cleanse

So, I've heard this is the hardest day of the cleanse. Well, if that's true, then it's smooth sailing from here on out! I'm feeling good (although my poor dear Riley has had bad headaches, hopefully they'll go away soon!) and haven't had any really bad cravings. Yes, it's a little challenging to resist some things but I'm not tempted to quit like I usually am while fasting. I guess this is a little easier than just not eating food. Maybe because my husband and I are doing it together. Maybe because I'm blogging every day. Maybe because I am enjoying some new, different meals. Or it could be due to the basket of laundry that's STILL on the couch. Wait, what?


So last night we had... um... oh yeah. Brown rice, rosemary chicken tenders (for me and the kids), roasted asparagus, and a buttery garlicky steamed cauliflower/sauteed red onion concoction I threw together. Sorry I don't have pictures. It's enough that I'm just sitting here writing. If you get bored reading my photo-less blog updates, then follow me on Facebook where it's easier to upload pix and comment on various interesting moments throughout the cleanse!


I've decided I need to stick with shake recipes and not try to create my own. Last night's mango raspberry avocado blend was not that great. In fact, I couldn't even finish it. I'll give it to Julia later, she loves just about everything if it's in smoothie form! (I'll have to stir in the supplements I rarely but really need to give her).


Printed out some more recipes from the blogs of Mommypotamus and Dr. Cindy, which I'm really looking forward to. I wish I had had more than 24 hours notice before we started this thing, so I could've spent the time actually planning out every meal and shopping lists for groceries to last 4-5 days at a time. Maybe then I wouldn't be going to the grocery store every 3 out of 4 days. Who am I kidding, I would've gotten all anal about it and taken forever and gotten burnt out before we even started! It's going good so far, I'm just having to plan a lot short notice. Oh well, we're all eating healthier!


My house is suffering though. I think I'll just ignore the fact that the vacuuming and mopping and bathrooms are getting neglected, hire somebody to come maybe a week from now to clean. Laundry is piling up and toys are everywhere, I haven't made the bed in three days (I usually make it every day!) but hey, things are improving in our pipes and organs right?! (haha! i just made that up. aren't i punny?)


Speaking of pipes, last night at church was awesome. We had a special guest from Bethel Church along with a team of students from their school of ministry. He spoke a lot of truths that I'm hoping will sink in deep and take root in my heart! He also talked about laughing at the lies of the devil. He gave a few examples and just said, "Let's just laugh at that!" So we did. And we just kept going and going and then we all spoke out some of our own lies that we've been believing and laughed at those with eachother. By the end we were all really rolling (me literally on the floor, no joke!) and it was so freeing and fun and NOT the kind of church laughter that everybody sees as a show. He was not conjuring up anything weird or false. It was awesome! Then he said something about laughter is good medicine and we were cleansing our spiritual pipes! Riley and I looked at eachother like, wow! Cleansing in more ways than one =)



Ok sorry to get slightly off track. This morning's peach pie smoothie was delish, and I had enough to share with the kiddos. I made some veggie chips and baba ganoush (pureed eggplant, similar to hummus) that will be enjoyed soon enough, and tonight will be brown rice pasta with pesto sauce. Or I might put that off and make something else. Lots of  new yummy meals on the horizon! Good thing Riley has been helping with the dishes because it's a bear! Especially since our dishwasher has been doing a really crappy job lately... everything by hand for now. Perfect timing huh?!



Got a bunch more produce and other ingredients for recipes that I was missing, at Central Market, and Josiah and I had such a great time. He kept pulling me in for kisses and I was tickling him and we were just so lost in eachother. We're in love! It was like a sweet little makeout session. Sorry, that's the best way to put it. You mommas know what I'm talking about.



Alright well I should go do some cleaning. Ha. Haha!

Julia Brynne's Birth Story

*This is copied from myspace where I had written this on 6/22/07. Figured it would be good to move it over here to my real blog now that I have one! I was going to re-read it and edit it but I just can't make the time for that right now. Enjoy!

WARNING!!! THIS BLOG IS VERY LONG AND CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS!....

"How many hours were you in labor?" people ask. Well, that depends on when you start counting…....

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So, the last couple of weeks before Julia was born, I as well as many others began to notice that I was "dropping." There was a definite change but I didn't realize just how close I was to having my baby!....

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Thursday, May 31 we went to the doctor for my 37 week visit. She checked my cervix and I was 1.5 cm dilated. I think she also stripped my membranes because she didn't just stick her fingers up there, she swished them around quite a bit! That freaked me out a bit because I thought it would put me into labor quicker but I figured the doctor knew what she was doing, and was completely aware of the fact that I had 2 weeks left before my due date (June 19). She asked me if I was having contractions, and I told her yes, but they weren't painful or very strong. She asked how often, to which I replied, "every day…" I figured that was disappointing but she didn't really express any concern. At that point I was a bit glad she had stripped me because maybe I needed a little help moving along!....

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Friday morning, June 1 after going pee I noticed some slimy stuff on the toilet paper. I didn't have my glasses on, so I went and put them on, came back to the toilet and before wiping the rest of it, I noticed that there was this big blob hanging out! I let it fall and realized immediately that it was my mucus plug. Oh boy! It was then that I knew for sure I wasn't going to last another 2 weeks. I called the doctor to make sure I could still continue my normal activities and asked if it meant I was within a certain number of days from delivery. They said it meant nothing, I could still have a couple weeks left, and that I could keep doing everything I was doing before. O…kay…. So I did!....

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Friday and Saturday, June 2 I spent most of my time organizing the nursery and the rest of the apartment. I got quite a bit done. I guess I got that famous burst of energy for nesting. I thought it was just because I lost the mucus plug; I didn't realize it was the real thing!....

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Saturday night around 6pm I started having stronger contractions. I thought, finally! So maybe it'll be next week. I called Riley to let him know; he was like, "are we having a baby tonight?!" But of course I thought that we weren't; a friend of mine said if you have any doubt, you're probably not really in labor. So I assumed that when I was, I would know it for sure!....

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I called my mom to tell her how I was progressing, since she was planning on driving out from ....Abilene.... as soon as I went into labor. Just to let her know it would probably be sooner than we expected. And to get her fresh-squeezed lemonade recipe.....

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Riley's excitement throughout the evening made me wonder if I really was going to have Julia that night, but I though, nah… it'll be a few days! Besides, I really needed her to wait as long as possible so we could get our apartment all organized! I was like, come on, can't this wait till at least Tuesday?! Please?! I realize most pregnant women would think I was insane, as it is very normal to want that baby out of the belly by the time you get that far along! Which I did, but I had a little bit of patience if only due to my desire to get everything perfect before we brought our little one home!....

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I kept timing the contractions, and they were about 20 minutes apart. Riley and I talked about going to a movie, which we decided to do, since it could very well be our last night out before she was born! We packed the hospital bag (I had almost everything ready, just not in the bag yet!) and took it with us to the movies. We saw "Knocked Up". Ironic much?! It was hilarious. Yes, it was quite vulgar, unfortunately, but we got a good laugh as a lot of the story was very close to home! The whole movie we were timing my contractions: whenever I had one, I'd give Riley the paper, he'd pull out his phone that had a light and a clock, and write down the time.....

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By the time we got home and went to bed at 1, the average for those 7 hours was 18 minutes apart.  I kept having strong, painful contractions but didn't time them because I just wanted to get some sleep! Riley thought we were going to have her the next day, but I still wasn't convinced!....

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Until 3 am when I woke him up, crying from a really painful contraction. It was then that I agreed that we probably were indeed going to have Julia that day, Sunday, June 3. He was supposed to work that day, so I felt bad because he would have to call in and not be able to go, and the weekends are the busiest time for his job. But, he had already let them know I was pregnant and would have to take off a few days whenever the baby came.....

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So at 5:45 we decided to start timing the contractions again. Riley got up and ready and took the car seat base to the fire station to make sure it was installed correctly. Talk about last minute! He's usually a pretty heavy sleeper but this time he was so full of adrenaline, it was pretty cool…....

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I took a nice hot bath, shaved my legs and took a shower, while still watching the clock. The bath was grrrreat, it really made the contractions hurt less. Too bad I couldn't have one of those at the hospital. Not that I wanted to give birth in the tub, just sit in it for a while.....

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We left for the hospital around 7:30 and got there around 8. We called my mom to let her know, she was a bit surprised but said she'd get dressed and be on her way! I was also planning on visiting my dad that day, so I called him to let him know I probably wouldn't make it! We signed some papers and went to triage where I had to pee in a cup, change into a gown and get all strapped up to a machine so they could monitor the baby and my contractions.....

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The nurse checked me and I was dilated to a measly 2.5 cm. I thought, great, they're going to send me home! She said they would keep me another hour or two to see how much I progress, and that I had to be 4 cm before they would admit me. I seriously thought we were going to end up having to come back later. NOOOO!!!!! The contractions were getting really bad and the wouldn't let me have anything but ice chips. Which I knew would be the case before we left the house, so I had a bowl of cereal.....

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Anyway, the nurse came back, checked me and I was 3-3.5 cm. They went ahead and admitted me since I had progressed that much in only an hour. We were gonna have a baby!!!....

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They wheeled me upstairs, while Riley went back to the car to bring in all the stuff. I got all set up in the bed where I would eventually deliver Julia. I got hooked up to an IV for fluid hydration (which was great, it made my contractions less painful… I guess I was dehydrated) and antibiotics for group B strep so the baby wouldn't get it. They took some blood, did my blood pressure, etc. I had to sign a bunch of other consent forms and they asked me about pain medication, if I wanted an epidural and so forth. I said, no, I'd like to try to do without it. She asked if I wanted to leave it open for option later and I said yes. I guess that was so I didn't have to sign it later if and when I asked for one.....

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She said a different doctor would be delivering me since mine wasn't on call (which was okay), and that he wanted to start me on Pitocin to speed up the delivery. I wasn't too crazy about that but didn't want to be difficult so I agreed.....

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Once I got all hooked up to the machines again, we just sat there and breathed through the contractions. Riley went down the call list to let people know I was in labor and slowly people started showing up. My best friend Katie, my sister Laura, my dad, my mom, my friend Elizabeth and her daughter… I can't remember who else.....

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My contractions were getting worse and worse. The nurses said the goal was to get them 2 minutes apart and that made me pretty upset. So basically half the time I spent there in the bed was in sheer pain, and the other half was trying to recover from each wave of misery.....

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The doctor wanted to break my bag of waters, which I also wasn't thrilled about, so I asked a bunch of questions and finally agreed. I didn't really want to get out of bed anyway. I thought it was going to be really painful but I couldn't even feel when he did it.....

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I asked about IV pain medication, and both the doctor and nurses encouraged me to get the epidural instead, because the IV meds were narcotics and would make the baby sleepy. So I continued without either.....

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It was weird going through all that pain with everyone watching me. I kept thinking, are they bored? How does this make them feel? I wasn't embarrassed or upset at them there, I just thought, my poor family and friends just have to stand here and watch me lie here in pain… how awful! But of course they all just felt sorry for me. I got some great massages though, and many encouraging words. My nurses were really helpful and friendly too. They answered all my questions and explained everything to me pretty clearly.....

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Around 130 or 2, I was in really bad pain and wasn't sure how much more I could take. They checked me again and I was only at 5.5 cm. I decided, being barely over halfway dilated, I wasn't going to handle the rest of it very well without some pain medication. Give me the epidural! As previously instructed, Riley discouraged me from getting it but was supportive after making sure I wasn't going to be mad at him later for "letting" me get it.....

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I didn't realize it was going to take so long after asking for the epidural that I would finally get it. They said I had to finish off the bag of IV fluids, then call the anesthesiologist, then prep me for the procedure, yada yada… it was awful. I had gone as long as I thought I could go, finally decided to forgo a natural birth and was then forced to wait even longer!....

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So, the anesthesiologist finally came in and I was ready for some relief! I sat on the edge of the bed, the cleaned my back up, stuck the needle in, which I barely noticed considering my contractions were so painful! I didn't even see her face until after the procedure was done. They say it's really hard to sit through the contractions to get the epidural but I wanted it so bad I was perfectly still! I just leaned up against Riley who stood in front of me. I threw up right after they put it in, but they said that was a good sign. Huh? I guess because your body goes into detox mode when you're in labor.....

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I expected the epidural to alleviate the pain within 15 minutes which was really long enough to wait, but none of the pain went away for at least a good 30-45 minutes. My legs were starting to go numb but I could still move them. My back was killing me. Every contraction was piercing. It was awful. I kept saying, "it's not working!" and was scared and crying. They kept telling me it would kick in soon, and pumped some more through the catheter.....

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I started to feel a little better around 3pm and they came to check me again. "You're complete!" she said. I couldn't believe it. All this time I've suffered and could've had a much better time going through labor, and now that I feel better you tell me I'm almost done?! It was insane. I was pretty nervous, knowing that I was about to start pushing. Riley had earlier predicted that Julia would be born at 3:30, which I didn't believe but then realized he just might be close!....

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The nurses kicked everybody out except my mom and Riley, then called the doctor and got me all ready to start pushing. I pulled Riley aside and said, "I can't feel my vagina!" As numb as I was down there, I seriously didn't know how I was going to push her out. The nurses assured me that I would be able to, I just had to pretend like I was going poop. Which I did a little bit, by the way, so Riley says. That's okay, most women do a little and the staff is totally used to it and not grossed out.....

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The doctor could see that I was already starting to tear on the inside so he did an episiotomy, which I couldn't really feel but knew I would later! So at 3:20 I started pushing, they instructed me to push with each contraction. I did a couple pushes with each of 3 contractions, and at 3:31 she came out! I was completely amazed.  They had put a mirror in front of me so I could see her being born. That was pretty cool.....

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It didn't really hurt to push her out; actually I hardly felt anything.  I didn't feel like I was pushing at all. But apparently I was, because she came all the way down and was born! So Riley was only one minute off, crazy huh?....

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Well, they let Riley cut the cord after she was born, and it sprinkled a little bit of blood in the air. Good thing the doctor was wearing a mask! Then they put her on my tummy and wiped her off. I was watching, thinking they were being really rough with her but I guess that's how it's done! When I looked at her I thought, uh, she doesn't look like either one of us! Not that she didn't look like a real human baby or anything, it was just weird. She had dark curly hair, like jerry curl! I can't remember but I'm sure I cried. I was so relieved that it was over and kept thinking, if I'd known I was going to end up needing the epidural I would've got it a lot sooner and not suffered all that time! Riley has a theory though: go natural as long as you can and by the time you get the epidural, your body just relaxes and the baby doesn't spend a lot of time in the birth canal- and you get a baby with a perfectly round head. Whatever. Next time I'm getting it as soon as I'm admitted.....

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So the let me breastfeed for a little while and let everybody come back in. By that time a lot more people had shown up, so Julia got passed around quite a bit! Then they took her away to do tests and weigh her and all that.....

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The doctor sewed me up, which didn't hurt but I could feel him tugging down there. I wasn't looking forward to the medication wearing off! Every woman that I know had warned me how bad that incision hurts while it's healing. It's true.....

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I stayed in that room until about 730 and got some rest while Katie and Riley called everybody to let them know I'd delivered. Then they wheeled me up to the postpartum floor. Julia didn't come back until around 8 or so and I thought she was probably starving by then! So I fed her of course.....

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My mom stayed with me both nights at the hospital and we had several visitors the next day. It was so nice to have her there. We don't get to see each other very often so I'm really glad we got to share this special time together. Thanks for coming all the way out on such short notice! ....

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I felt wonderful the whole time during recovery. Better than I had in several weeks! Even though I felt tired, I still had energy. It was strange. Nurses came in every 5 minutes it seemed to check on me or give me instructions or medication or leave paperwork for me to read or sign. It didn't really bother me though. I'm a light sleeper.....

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I decided to take advantage of the nursery at night, and just had them bring Julia in for feedings so I could rest up before I had to go home and take care of her full-time!....

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By the time we checked out, Julia had only lost 6 ounces, which is within normal range. She gained it back within a week!....

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Well, I won't keep writing, or it'll take me forever to catch up on the last 2 weeks we've had her home! I'm sure I've left something out anyway. Just know that we're all doing great… Riley is the best husband and father I could ask for, and we've been so blessed to have family and friends help us out since Julia was born- you know who you are, thank you so much!....

=)

Day 2, Standard Process Cleanse

Riley tried to get me up this morning with a nice, "Wakey wakey, time for shakey!" Boo. I felt like a mack truck was parked in my head. It couldn't seriously be time to wake up already, could it? This is going to be fun, I thought. We're only on the second day and I feel like crap!

Fortunately, I was feeling much better by the time we left the house this morning. I may or may not owe thanks to our breakfast. 

Here's the problem... I always thought cooked food took longer to prepare than raw. WRONG! There's so much cutting and slicing and chopping and dicing and blending and juicing and measuring and mixing and mincing and, oh wait, are those your supplements are mine? Which ones did I just pour out of the bottle? Oh crap.

I usually make eggs and toast or cereal for breakfast, which makes practically no mess and takes 5 minutes maybe to prepare. Well, this morning I started at 7 something and Riley didn't even get out the door till after 9. He's supposed to be at work at 8:30. Of course I had made lunch as well, but maybe I need to go back to my usual "make an extra serving of dinner for Riley to take for lunch" routine. But he wants to eat mostly raw and I do want to cook some veggies and well... the kitchen is just a wreck I tell you! I hadn't even started sipping my shake before I looked around and could spot a total 2.7 square inches of counter space. And we have a pretty decent sized kitchen! Produce and cutting boards and small appliances and knives and other random utensils were EVERYWHERE. And none of it was from last night!

Ok venting done. Maybe. For now.

So food has been yummy today so far but I've had to keep on denying my flesh many other things I'd love to eat. I had this splendid idea on the way home, because I hadn't watched the food network in a while, it might be nice to turn it on and see what's cooking. Then I realized that was the stupidest idea ever. Hello....?!

I also felt hunger pangs for the first time since I don't know when. I'm a snacker, I like to graze on food all day long, much like my kids. Yes, we usually have a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner (usually) but everything kind of runs together sometimes with all our little "almuerzos" and "meriendas". And since I'm confined to fruits, veggies, lentils, rice, chicken and fish, I can't just grab whatever to satisfy me when I get the munchies. Thankfully lunch (spinach and strawberry salad with raspberry vinaigrette, sweet potato chips and homemade salsa) was waiting for me when we got home, because of all the slaving I'd done this morning. The kitchen is still a wreck, and I'm seriously wondering if we're going to need to have somebody come clean. Another expense, I know!

Laundry hasn't even been done since we got back from our trip Saturday night, except for washing and drying the clothes we wore while out of town. They're still sitting on the couch in our lonely laundry basket. How am I going to survive the next 19 days?!

I haven't figured out dinner exactly yet, but I have some ideas. It needs to be portable though because I'm meeting Riley at church after he gets off work. This should be interesting! Maybe the kids and I will eat before we go.

Found out from Dr. Jim Bob that I can have nuts after the 10th day. Woohoo! I didn't have any meat yesterday so I need to put that back in since I'm nursing... I'm thinking I just need to crock pot up a bunch of chicken breasts to last a week, shred it and just add it to my plate at lunch and/or dinner each day.

I've heard the third day is the hardest... and since I'm not miserable right now, we should get through just fine! I'm hoping we don't get completely bored and burnt out after the first week. Hopefully the good food I'm nourishing my body with will alleviate all the stress I'm under due to all the time-consuming preparation of said food =)

Last night I got a great compliment from Riley after dinner. Something to the effect of, This is so good, it doesn't even feel like I'm fasting! That really meant a lot to me, after having spent so long making it, and listening to Josiah whine the whole time, and both kids taking a whopping 2-3 bites.

We had avocado chutney, diced sweet potatoes, and lentils. Then our bedtime snack was a really yummy mixed berry shake!

Alright well little man is up from his nap... see you tomorrow!

Day 1, Standard Process Cleanse

A couple confessions before I start chronicling our 21 day detoxification journey...

1. We had cheeseburgers last night... and potato chips. After all, bread, beef, cheese and potatoes are off limits for the next 3 weeks! But hey, at least they were semi-healthy. Except for the chips of course.

2. I wanted to quit this morning, and I hadn't even finished making breakfast. I was in the kitchen, getting everything out (supplements, carrots, juicer, blender, strawberries, flax oil, etc) thinking, "What have I gotten myself into? Why on earth did I agree to do this with him?" Not that I don't support him doing it, I just didn't really think through the implications before I committed. Like, having to do a lot more work without being able to reward myself with a little chocolate, a bowl of cereal, a turkey cheese sandwich... No, I had to suffer through this on both ends.

Oh well. I think the more I blog about how I feel, the more likely I am to stick with it. And Riley needs my support. And I need his. I told him this morning (after getting the revelation myself that I unintentionally committed to a lot more time in the kitchen) that the housework will probably be pushed to the back burner the next 3 weeks. Maybe we'll hire some help =)

I'm not really craving anything, so at least I don't have to deal with that yet. For now it's just the daunting task of meal-planning and making things yummy so we don't get sick of plain raw food and give up after 2 days. I really want this cleanse to be a success for both of us, I just feel a little bit overwhelmed and disillusioned. And it's only day 1. We clinked our glasses this morning to kick off the first day, and then I replied with a semi-cynical "One down, 62 to go." As in, meals.

My goal/hope is to just duplicate as much as possible the recipes that my friend the Mommypotamus used during her husband's cleanse a few months back. She put a lot of work into it, and I think having something to go to for tips and meal ideas will really help.

We went to Sprouts last night after our lovely cheeseburger and chips dinner, and loaded up on a whopping $120+ of mostly fruits and veggies. This will NOT last us the whole cleanse! In fact, I may even have to go back today, and tomorrow, and the next day until I can get my shopping list and meal plans more organized. Hmph. Both kids were asleep the whole time, so that made for an interesting trip!

I'm wondering what this is going to do to our bank account... trying not to think about it, since it is for own good, after all. But the supplements come with a pretty hefty price tag, and healthy food ain't cheap.  So my mantra at the checkout lane will simply be (repeat it with me) "Pay the farmer now, or pay the doctor later"!

I'm hoping that I'll be able to "cheat" a lot due to breastfeeding. Like maybe, nuts, eggs, chicken... still waiting for the answer on that. (I did go ahead and have a scrambled egg half an hour ago) I do get to skip out on 21 of the 30 capsules that have to be taken every day. Poor Riley! Just kidding, I know this is going to be great for both of us. He's probably going to drop the pounds like hot potatoes and start feeling really great in a few days! If we can just make it to the weekend without quitting, I think our chances will be higher of lasting the whole 21 days. So, we'll just have to keep giving ourselves pep talks to get through the cravings and fatigue and headaches. And this cold that I am also enduring. Why did I sign up for this again? ;)

Ok, that's all for now... my brain is functioning on less than I'm used to.

See you tomorrow!

Not Me! Monday

It's been a while since I did one of these, and a few things that have happened in the last week were just too Not-Me-Monday-worthy to keep in the closet.

If you want to check out the original Not Me! Monday, hop on over to MckMama's blog.

The purpose is to confess our less-than-pleasant moments by denying them outright. It's kind of therapeutic, so join in if you'd like!




Ok, here goes:

~Last week I washed the cover on my nursing pillow. It had NOT been several months since I last washed it. Nope! I'm definitely more hygenic than that. And there is NO way there were any boogers on it.  And even if there were, they most certainly were NOT mine. I would NEVER pick my boogers while nursing Josiah and wipe them on a Boppy. Not me!

~The other day after feeding Josiah a cheerio-esque snack in his high chair, he did NOT throw most of them on the floor. My children are very well-trained soon after starting solids to simply push the food they do not want, to the edge of their tray. And I definitely did NOT pick them up off the floor and eat them myself. I'm NOT so lazy as to scrounge the kitchen tile for food instead of sweeping it up and putting it in the trash. But even if I was, it's ok because my floors are ALWAYS sparkling and spotless, fit to eat off of.

~Julia and I watched Cheaper By The Dozen a few days ago. It was NOT because I was sick of watching cartoons, and NOT because I thought she would be entertained by all the children in it. And of course I did NOT spend half the movie alternating between laughter and tears. Most of all, it did NOT make me want to have more children. That's silly, all those kids making messes and constantly fighting... why any normal person would undergo permanent sterilization after seeing that movie! And as you know, I am SO normal.

~The next day, we did NOT watch Yours, Mine and Ours. Why, watching a movie about 19 kids would be a really crazy thing to do the day after watching a film about twelve! But, even if we HAD, it wouldn't have been MY idea. I'm too sane for that kind of decision-making.

~This weekend on our mini out-of-town trip, it was NOT a couple days after eating beans and chili. I think through things like that, unlike my husband. He did NOT warn me about the gaseous dangers of a meal like that right before a road trip. So of course, I did NOT constantly fart in the car. But even if I had, I would be considerate enough to roll down the window. And if I wasn't, it's because they did NOT stink so bad that it would make my soulmate want to stop the car and make me hitch-hike the rest of the way.



What about you? What have you NOT been up to lately?