What a Beginning to 2013

I hope that the last week or so isn't an indication of the way 2013 is going to go.  My husband had to have minor surgery on the Thursday.  We had decided that Friday would be the perfect time to get our furnace replaced.  Todd could just sit in the recliner while the workers were here and relax.  However, we found out a couple of days before that the teachers were planning to strike.  I managed to book the day off so that my hubbie wouldn't have to chase the kids around and so that I could take the kids out for part of the day to let him rest.

As it turned out, Friday morning, the teachers' protest didn't happen.  My oldest wanted to go to school and my youngest had spent the night with her grandma.  Perfect, I could go to work.  Before I could even think about getting ready, I started to throw up.  That's right, the stomach flu.  Poor Todd spent the day trying to do extra things around the house and ended up being sore the next day.

The weekend seemed to go smoothly.  No one else got sick.  Monday started out great.  Todd was home for one more day, so there was no need to drag the kids out of bed at 6 am to go to the daycare.  I got to work and took one step out of my car and before I could do anything, my foot slipped on a patch of ice and went out from under me and I was on the ground.  On the way down, I scraped my shin on the car door and I banged my head on the cement.  One of the women that I work with had pulled in behind me and said, "I happened so fast, that it looked like you dove out of your car head first."  Although, I wasn't laughing at the time, now I keep thinking about how hilarious it must have looked!

Tuesday, we had the cable company coming.  We were getting cable tv (we used to have satellite), internet and telephone.  My mother-in-law came and waited at our house for the cable guy (I always think of Jim Carrey singing "Somebody to Love" when I say cable guy!)  We got home and everything was working great.  We got up the next morning, however, to discover that the phone wasn't working.  My husband went downstairs and was checking the phone lines and wiggled a few things around and got it working.  He came upstairs and about 5 minutes later, the phone was dead again.  He went back downstairs and it started working again and then 5 minutes later it wasn't again.  We decided that we would wait until after work and worry about it then, but it still wasn't working.  We went through the same things all over again.  Todd would go downstairs and would get it working and then 5 minutes later it would stop.  Todd got looking around and realized that a cable line and phone line ran side by side to the other side of the room.  There was a phone box and it was plugged into a receptacle that only worked when the light switch was on!  So, everytime Todd went downstairs he would turn on the light and the phone would work.  Then, when he came upstairs, he would turn the switch off and the phone would die

I figure that our luck has to change soon, I'll keep you posted.

Wine, Chocolate and Cheezies

Okay, seriously??  I'm supposed to be watching what I eat.  Well....technically, I am.  I'm watching the wine I pour in the glass, the Easter chocolate that my daughter hasn't eaten and the cheezies that I bought that no one else in the house really likes.  I am totally watching all of those things going down my pie hole (do people besides me even use that expression any more?).  I can use any excuse that I want; it's Friday, I've been good all week (no I haven't), I'm stressed, I just don't care.  My personal  favourite is that the food companies have made me addicted to their products. The latter, although I am sure there is some truth to it, doesn't account for the fact that I still go into the store, pull their product off the shelf, buy it, bring it home and eat it....there are several step where I have a choice to say no and not have it.  But really, I think I have discovered the perfect food combination.....wine, chocolate and cheezies.

What are your crazy food combinations??  Oh, my other favourite??  Peanut butter and chocolate chips....I try to avoid having both in my house at the same time :D

Please, Don't listen to Anything I Have to Say

I'm not kidding. Don't listen to me.  I have no idea what I am doing in any aspect of my life.  I don't even know what I want to be when I grow up and I'm 33 years old!  I have tried every diet known to man and I am still chubby (I don't like the word fat, but if it fits....).  I'm not going to win the "Mom of the Year" award. 

That being said though, I am relatively comfortable in my own skin.  Could I be thinner?  Sure, but I am what I am and have never been ashamed of that.  Could I have a career that is more fulfilling and where I earn more money?  Probably, but I generally enjoy my line of work.  Could I be a better mom?  Absolutely (particularly if you ask my kids), but both of my children are fairly well adjusted, do well in school and have manners (especially if they are at someone else's house).

I have come to learn that there will always be more that I think I could, should or would like to do, but I am not Supermom.  I don't greet my husband at the door with the newspaper and a beer in my high heels.  However, I do the best that I can every day.  I may not be perfect (and neither is my life), but I can hold my head high and be proud of the family that my husband and I have created. 

Are you Supermom (or Superdad)??  I (and everyone else in the world) would like to hear how you do it.  Or just give suggestions of time saving tips.  I'd love to hear it!

The Frantic Housewife
(aka Carol)

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Is This How I'm Supposed to Feel??

So I have been attempting to reduce my consumption of animal products over the last week. In fact for the last 4 days, I have eaten a diet with no animal products whatsoever.  The 2 days prior to that, I only ate meat at dinner and otherwise had no meat, dairy or eggs.  I am very open about my life and love to share my successes and failures (hence, the blogging) because I know that other people go through them as well.  This photo was posted on Facebook and was kind of an antivegan statement.

I get what it is saying.  That animal products are everywhere, but in truth this picture just makes me feel better about my current food choices.  I can't imagine that anyone likes the idea that charred cows' bones are used to refine sugar or that their blood can sometimes be found in cake mixes.  It's reality, but it's also kind of gross.  I'm not saying that I am against farmers or the meat and dairy industries. It's quite the opposite.  I am amazed at the life farmers lead.  It's definitely not easy work, they work 7 days a week and have to be available at all hours of the day.  I don't claim to be an expert and I'm not even writing this to convince others to try a plant based diet.  I am just making myself into a guinea pig and am sharing my results with all of you.  My decision to attempt this is for one reason...to see how changing what I eat affects my health.

I'll be honest.  I knew that I would feel better eating less processed foods and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  And, I do. There are a couple of things that surprise me though.  One is how much clearer I feel mentally.  I am able to focus better than normal.  The other thing that I found really interesting is that at the end of the day I would usually be dragging and counting down until I could go to bed.  The last few days, I find that I'm not completely fatigued and falling asleep when I am supposed to be tucking the kids in bed.  I haven't even had coffee the last 2 days (but I did substitute it for green tea). 

By really paying attention to how I feel, I don't feel like I'm giving anything up.  I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing. 

P.S.  I apologize if there are spelling or grammatical errors......I'm attempting to write this while the kids are still awake!!

Day 6 : Doing Fine

So today is day 6 of my 30 day adventure into healthier eating...I think I've talked about it enough so if you want to know what plan I'm following, read back in my posts, or go to this link,http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S

So my day currently looks something like this. 
     Breakfast :     homemade energy bar (great recipes in The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier.
     Mid Morning:   smoothie with one scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer, a bit of frozen fruit     and water.
     Lunch :      Large salad with homemade dressing
     Mid Afternoon:  almonds, apple, veggies, or something similar
     Dinner : My usual (casserole, meat and veggies, etc.)  I've kept that the same as it has always been.

I am still having one coffee a day and I've substituted my second coffee for a green tea.  I am finding the Vega product to be quite sweet (which is a common complaint in the online reviews), as it is sweetened with stevia, which is much sweeter than sugar.  I am slowly getting used to that. I also use only half of the recommended amount to save money as it is not the cheapest item to buy at the store.  My salad varies from day to day with what vegetables I top it with.  Then I add nuts or seeds and some blueberries.

I also mention that I have not changed my evening meal, but I have noticed a couple of things about it.  I find I am quite full of energy most of my day, my stomach feels great.  When I'm hungry, I eat.  I just make sure that it is something healthy.  After dinner, however, my stomach hurts or feels heavy and my energy level drops.

I am finding that I now am able to tell when I am actually hungry....at first, I had a feeling of not being full, but not true hunger.  This was probably because I just ate when I felt I should and put a large portion on my plate and ate it until it was gone and sometimes went for seconds.  Now, if I put a large portion of salad on my plate,  I feel satisfied, but not uncomfortable.  I know that I can go back for more if I want to with no guilt because I am eating whole foods, not processed and refined foods.

At this point, the changes that I have made have been easy, although it may becoe more challenging as I start working outside our home again next week.  I think with some planning, it should continue to go smoothly, but wish me luck anyways :)

Hmmmm.....Maybe This is Working....

I have started incorporating the suggestions from Lesson 2 of Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30.  These are pretty simple. 
 
  1. Add more antioxidants into your diet.  - I added blueberries and blackberries into my smoothie.
  
  2. Add chlorella to your diet.  According to Brazier, chlorella is a single celled algae and is high
      in vitamin B12.  B12 is typically lacking in a vegan diet and needs to be supplemented.

  3. Brazier recommends that instead of concentrating on removing foods rom your diet that you try
      including more healthful and nutritious foods.  You will find that naturally you are eating less of the
      unhealthy foods that you were consuming before.

To ensure that I was getting the Chlorella and lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients (although I know that I am getting far more the way I am eating now than I was), I purchased some Vega Whole Food Optimizer.  This is Brazier's own formulation.  It also contains Maca (which I will talk about in a later post) which is said to increase energy.

I do have to admit that after I had my smoothie with the Vega in it, I did feel fantastic.  In fact, I had a homemade energy bar in the morning, a smoothie midmorning and a large salad for lunch and I think I felt better than I have in a long time.  For dinner I had an omelette and toast and again had that heavy feeling, but found it passed quicker than on previous nights.

The only complaint I have (and my husband made it quite clear as well) is how much I have spent on groceries.  I feel that if I didn't need to buy the healthy foods that I am using plus the junk that MH wants, that it would not be as bad.  However, the Vega supplement was fairly expensive, plus, I had to buy some things that only have to be bought on occasion (coconut oil, large amount of almond, etc.).

I do love the way that I am feeling by doing this, and am going to see it through for the full 30 days (especially so that I can post my results).  After that,  will let you know where I go from there. 

Bear with me as I start Day 5!!

What a Difference a Day Makes

So as you know (if you've been following my postings), I am participating in the Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30 program.  So yesterday was day 1.  I was a good girl and followed my plan.  I had a large salad or lunch.  I had nutritious snacks.  I had a smoothie to bump up my fruit intake.  I even had 2 coffees instead of 3.  I thought I felt hungrier than usual, but when I really thought about it, I wasn't hungry, I just didn't have that over full, heavy sort of feeling that I have from the foods I typically eat.  I felt generally good.  I didn't have the usual afternoon sluggish time when I want to have a coffee.

Today, however, I went out or lunch with a friend and decided that I was going to order a salad......until I got to the restaurant.  I couldn't resist and had a wrap with fries.  Bad idea.  Now that I am listening more to my body's signals, I realized afterwards that my stomach felt like it usually did.....unsettled.  I became so thirsty and I could not quench my thirst.  I was very fatigued by early afternoon and I felt my stress level rising and my patience level sinking.  So, what did I do.....I spent some time making energy bars from the recipes in Brendan Brazier's book, The Thrive Diet.  I'm planning or a better day tomorrow. 

I you are following my blog, you will find out that I am only human and that I tend to be honest about my successes and my failures and have a few laughs along the way.