Christmas

This year has been filled with ups and downs but at the end, I couldn't wish for anything more. W is growing up so fast and although he tests my patience daily, he's my favorite little guy in the world. I wouldn't change him for anything. B is also becoming such a big girly girl. She's a bit of a mama's girl, but my snuggle time with her forces me to stop and reflect on the things that matter most in my life.

Going organic and natural is one of the best steps I've made in my life this year. I feel healthier and am a little bit more aware of what I am putting into my body and the little bodies around me. I also save a bunch by making all of B's food and not eating fast food. It seems strange that W does not know what McDonalds is, but he sure asks for fries a lot so I guess I still have work to do there. My goal this year of stopping drinking soda did not work out too well but onto another year of improving my health. I'm trying to swap my soda for herbal teas so hopefully that will help. The gym is also my best friend and has helped me get through several rough mental patches. =) I have a 5k to run in May so I need to get on the ball with my training. Maybe if I can do that, I'll run a 10k at the end of the year. Sounds ambitious, but we'll see what happens.

Thankful

My heart has been very full the last few weeks and I feel like I need to get it out there somewhere. As many of you know, this year has been very difficult emotionally for Jeremiah and I. With births, deaths, and other trials I feel I have grown more than ever. And now with Thanksgiving here, I've had an opportunity to realize how blessed I've been. In the midst of trials, we find out who we really are. Sometimes, we need more than 1 trial to really get a kick in the butt, which is what has happened to me. I guess it all compiled last week when Jeremiah's brother Jonathon was severely burned in an explosion at his home. It was the final emotional problem that forced me to really look at my life and especially this past year.
I am so grateful to have a husband that is overly honest with me.
Grateful for my super healthy kids and being able to constantly shop since they grow so fast.
Grateful for our home which will hopefully sell next year for what we owe on it.
Grateful for J's job that provides income, stability, insurance and the opportunity to move every three years.
Grateful for friends scattered all over the US.
Grateful for extended family that loves me and my spouse unconditionally.
Grateful for college, as difficult as it can be with two young children.
I could go on for days but I won't. The key here is that my trials have forced me to truly appreciate life. Its better than being on my deathbed and figuring all this out. Thank you to everyone in my life for making me a better person. I love you all!
Anyone who can, a donation fund has been established for Jonathon at Potlatch Federal Credit Union in Lewiston to help cover some of his medical costs. We would greatly appreciate anything you can give.

Merry Christmas in November

So Christmas came early for me. I asked for a steam cleaner as a Christmas gift but J saw the need for it sooner than that (oh darn!). How did I live without this thing until now? What an awesome cleaning tool. I pour water in it, let it heat up while I vacuum, and pass the steamer over the floor. I can clean my floors without having to evacuate the house. The house looks and smells amazing already, not toxic and fumey like usual. This led me on an adventure researching household cleaners. Now, we all know that most cleaners are bad if you swallow them or don't ventilate the area well. Duh! Shouldn't that be a clue that we shouldn't use them? Now I love the smell of bleach but I think it's because I associate it with clean. I can't believe I let myself use it as much as I do though. It's a toxic product that researchers are now thinking is one of the biggest contributors to cancer. Not to mention if you combine bleach with ammonia you can kill yourself by toxic fumes. Okay, so enough with straight bleach, what about other disinfectants. Most products do not have an "ingredient" list, just warning panels. Any product that says, do not combine with other cleaners usually has either bleach or ammonia in it. Some other compounds in cleaners are Toulene, Formaldehyde, phenol, and benzene; all carcinogens.
Those of us with kids need to be extremely cautious because an infants system works much differently than adults. They do not excrete toxins through their waste as much as adults do. They tend to build in areas that are developing but tend to not accumulate in fat. So basically, the toxins kids are subjected to tend to stay with them their whole lives. Some researchers are saying that the toxins in the cleaners parents use are more hazardous to health than the stuff we're trying to clean off. The whole soak it in bleach routine (which I am SO guilty of) is one of the worst things we can do.

Here's a bunch of articles I ran across that give more information on some of this if you're looking for more. Basically, invest in a steamer. I bought the Haan floor steamer and the handheld steamer. I can't get enough cleaning. I guess that's a good thing.
http://lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=household
http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-531269/Chemicals-household-cleaning-products-cause-asthma-children-finds-study.html
http://living.amuchbetterway.com/harmful-effects-of-household-cleaners/

Better the Second Time

I know I tell everyone that going from 1 baby to 2 was harder than 0 to 1, but there are a few things I have found easier. To give hope to those with one baby and considering another, here is my list so far.
-Going to the bathroom without putting the baby down.
-Not running into strangers with the stroller. *However, a double is much harder than a single and I said running into strangers, not Wyatt or myself (which happens frequently).
-Functioning on broken sleep. I don't think I ever returned to a healthy sleep pattern after W anyway so the lack of sleep didn't bother me as much with B.
-Feeding B while getting lunch for W and talking on the phone. Seems like everyone wants your attention at the exact same time.
-Making up swear words, or at least finding replacements. Every time I get angry while driving, W now yells out, "You're driving me CRAZY!"
-Acting stupid. Believe it or not, babies and toddlers love this. Jumping around acting silly makes both W and B crack up and nothing is better than a laughing baby!!!

Well, in other news, W had his 3rd birthday. We had 13 kids here for a pool party on Saturday and it couldn't have been more fun. I encouraged all the kids to wear floaties so we wouldn't have any incidents. My cake was quite the fiasco, but turned out great in the end. Then I had to endure W for two days after that crying and complaining trying to come off of his "all about me" sugared-up pedestal. Oh the joys of Motherhood! I just keep telling myself, "It's just a phase".

Also, due to all the cake and joys of birthdays, I totally ruined my diet and exercise routine. I was averaging 2 pounds a week weight loss, and this week lost none. Didn't gain any either though so I guess I should consider that an accomplishment. My exercise has decreased though and that's not good for anyone (I get very agitated if I don't get a good workout every morning). So, I'm at it again.

I LOVE my natural and organic changes. Everything tastes so much better and my cravings are slowly changing from processed candy to fruit, cheese, and granola. I could eat that all day long! I also feel better knowing that what is going into/onto my body is healthier and better for me in the long run.

Here are some pictures from W's Birthday:

Dresses

Here are some of the dresses I've been busy making for B. They're called pillowcase dresses but I don't use pillowcases. Organic clothing is the best choice (especially since it can withstand more washes than other clothing) but next best is homemade clothing. This is because store bought clothing has added chemicals and starches to stiffen the fabric. The flame retardant they put on children's clothing is the worst though. It's important to be careful what you use to clothe your children and yourself because it's on you and you're breathing the "fumes" from it all day long. Soaking clothing in vinegar water overnight is a great way to remove chemical buildup and stains. Baking soda is another option but it takes a few washes to get rid of all the residue. We just bought Ecos detergent but are finishing up the rest of our Cheer before we start to use it. I'll let you know how it works. Oxy-clean is another great choice for spot cleaning, especially for the stains kids end up with since they are organic (blood, snot, bodily fluids, grass, etc).

Anyway, here are the dresses. Super cute, super easy. That's my kind of sewing!

It's been awhile

Well, it's been too long since I updated everyone on my progress. The weight loss continues on a slow, but steady pace. P90X is a great workout but doesn't work very well for a busy mom. The workouts are a little too long for me so I condense them. I also don't like how it's an hour of one body area. I like to get a full body workout, especially if I'm working out for an hour. So I'm back to running and lifting weights, and some P90X.

My no-shopping spree didn't work as well as I had hoped. I'm a bit too needy of certain items. I've definitely cut back on spending, but those dang clearance aisles get me every time. I've been trying to keep busy though so I don't wander stores. I've been making dresses for B which are turning out super cute. I'll post pictures once I get our regular computer back up and running. I rearranged some furniture and now I don't have cables long enough to hook up the desktop to the internet.

So my latest research has led me to thinking about milk, specifically organic milk. There are several benefits to organic milk. For the most part, it's because of the types of food the cow eats. Organic milk comes from cows that pasture graze. This provides several benefits to the milk. The milk ends up with more Omega-3's (which are super healthy and help fight health problems), more vitamins, more CLA, and more antioxidants. The "nutritional content found in organic milk, nearly 70% more omega-3s than in regular whole milk, and recent tests and studies showed organic milk to contain 50% more vitamin E, 75% more beta carotene, and nearly 2-3 times richer in valuable antioxidants." Consider a breastfeeding mom. It's like the difference between a mom who eats junk food and fast food, versus a mom who eats fruits and vegetables. She will still produce milk, it's just the quality and nutrients provided is vastly different. For the same reason, eating eggs and meats of animals that pasture graze are so much better as well. If you have never eaten a fresh cut of a roaming animal, you're missing out! Anyway, back to milk, we've been buying organic milk for a couple of months now and when I cook with it, the food tastes so much better. Unfortunately, I'm still addicted to my Almond Milk so I haven't drank a straight glass of it but J and W love it. We pay about $2.00 more per gallon for the organic milk, but it is definitely worth it!

3 Foods to AVOID for Flatter Abs

I just read a great article 3 so-called healthy foods to stop eating. This website sends me occasional updates on ways to lose belly fat and this article is by far the best. I recommend reading the whole thing if you have time. If not, here is an overview. Today we consume on average 67% of our diet in just 3 foods and their derivatives; corn, soy, and wheat. A healthy diet should only consist of 1%-5%. These foods lead to allergies, intolerances, and fat build-up. He talks about the derivatives; ie. high fructose corn syrup, soybean/corn oil, and others and how over consumption of these products is throwing our bodies out of whack. Even our meat and eggs are high sources of corn, soy, and wheat because it's cheap and fattens up livestock. So really our intake of these foods is even higher than 67%. Here is what he says about why it is so bad to consume so much of these foods.
Well, this section could encompass an entire book, so to keep this short, I'll just throw out a few random reasons...

• Skews the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in our diet to as high as 30:1, when a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 is considered healthy.
• Problems with gluten intolerance (related to heavy wheat consumption)
• Problems with weight gain, blood-sugar swings, and reduced insulin sensitivity (and progression of diabetes) due to excessive refined corn and wheat flours, as well as HFCS in our diet
• Soy and corn are the most genetically modified crops (which also allows more pesticides and herbicides to be used, which are usually xenoestrogens)
• Many of the pesticide and herbicide residues in these crops are xenoestrogens, which can increase "stubborn" belly fat 
• Soy products and derivatives contain a double-whammy of xenoestrogens as well as phyto-estrogens... again creating an environment in your body for fat storage, carcinogenic effects, and even "man boobs" in very severe cases
• The feeding of corn and soy to animals reduces the health and nutritional benefits of those animal products
• and the list could go on and on and on...

He recommends buying only 1-ingredient foods; fruits, veggies, beans, etc., and steering clear of any processed foods, deep-fried foods, and soda. It's okay to eat some pastas, breads, etc but our bodies were not meant to consume such large amounts of these. Once again, I am a total hypocrite but I am hoping to incorporate more 1-ingredient foods into my diet. It just sounds better and if I can lose fat at the same time, it's worth a try. 

So today after my 1-hr walk, I did my first P90X workout, the Ab Ripper. I had to modify a few of the workouts because my abs are still weak from being stretched to the limit 3 months ago. I feel pretty good right now and might try another workout this afternoon. Then, from what I hear, I will be in tears most of the day tomorrow. I'll let you all know how that goes. Anyone who has done P90X, let me know your thoughts on it. Thanks for the videos A!

Is Anyone Reading This?

So the last couple of days have been difficult which led me to a grocery store shopping spree. :( I was doing so good and then 'poof' it's all down the drain. It's amazing what stress can do to a woman. Luckily my shopping consisted mostly of fruits, veggies, milk, and granola. Then I ended up with some birthday toys for W, some english muffins, and some other unnecessary items. DARN IT! Like usual I didn't get out of the store under $100. I also ran over W with the shopping cart, nearly knocked every box of cereal off the shelves, spilled grapes all over the floor, and found a tube of chapstick in W's pocket, all while B was crying. Oh the wonderful life of a practically single mother.

So yesterday marked my goal check-in. I had hoped to be back to pre-prego by this week and I was 9 pounds off. However, I still weigh less than I did when we moved here to FL so I guess I can't complain too much. To reach my goals I have set, I need to lose at least 1 pound a week for the next 11 weeks. I want to at least be back in my favorite pair of jeans by winter! My spare tire is now a bicycle tire and the ghetto booty I don't think will ever go away. I'm pretty sure my Mexican Fire Rice last night didn't help. SO HERE'S TO SALAD!

My latest research led me to weed killers. I found some pretty cool information. First of all, household use of pesticides (Round-Up, Weed-B-Gone, etc) is one of the key problems affecting our water system. They have over 900 chemicals that are all considered potentially hazardous. The even bigger problem is that these chemicals are not even tested as a combination, so who knows what happens. Most of the chemicals in pesticides are also known endocrine disrupting compounds which you can read about in my earlier posts. These products leach into our ground water and the disinfecting process at the treatment plants do not clean these chemicals out. So in a roundabout way, we are drinking Round-up. Here in FL, our water table is only a few feet under the ground so the problem is even worse. So, guilty as I am for using Round-Up for many years, I am trying to find a reasonable replacement for it. Here's some of the products I found that most of us have lying around the house.
Vinegar/Lemon Juice- The acetic acid in these products kills weeds. However, most culinary use vinegars only have about 5% so repeat applications are required. The kicker of using these is that it really only kills the leaves so you have to use it on new weeds only. It's also not selective so it'll kill anything it comes in contact with.
Bleach- This is the one I tried yesterday but then it started pouring rain so I'm guessing it's not going to work. It claims to kill the root, along with everything else it comes in contact with.
Salt- This was actually a war tactic back in the day. Sprinkle non-iodized salt on a field, and it kills the whole thing. I only had table salt, which is iodized, or else I would have tried this one.
Boiling water- Pour it on and it kills the weed, simple as that. I probably would have somehow burnt myself so I didn't try this one either. Trying to avoid all potentially dangerous material is probably best for my health right now. Jumbled brain=danger!

Karma

I guess even nature is telling me to stay on track. The baby wipes that I so desperately did not want to give up, ended up giving Bailey horrible diaper rash. Darn my grocery store coupons convincing me to buy their brand! My Buy one, get one free Publix unscented wipes are now reserved for poopy blow-outs only. Now, I am using a spray bottle of water, vegetable oil, and a few drops of baby soap with washcloths.

Having B get diaper rash, I looked into baby products. I found a great website with a guide to using Less toxic products . The goal is not to completely free yourself of chemicals, that is unreasonable. The key to healthier living is reducing your exposure. This website understands that. It provides you with the chemicals in products, and better products to use for baby, home, personal care, pesticides, and others. Here is what it says about baby wipes.

Harmful ingredients: alcohol, perfume, chlorine, dioxin

Best

At home, simply use a cotton wash cloth and soap. For short trips away from home, put cotton wash cloths moistened with water and a less toxic liquid soap in a jar or plastic bag. Bring another container to store soiled cloths.

Keep a spray bottle of soapy water near your change table. Spray the dirty area and wipe with a cloth (washable) or tissue.

Good

Seventh Generation - Baby Wipes (non-chlorine bleached, unscented, alcohol-free)

Simply Unscented

Huggies - Natural Care Baby Wipes, Supreme Care Baby Wipes. Look for the unscented ones.
Life - Ultra Soft Cloths, unscented
Pampers - Natural Aloe Touch Wipes, unscented
Teddy’s- Unscented Baby Wipes (alcohol free)

Home-made Alternatives Take a container with a tight fitting lid and fill it with cotton pads (the kind for removing make-up) or squares of old flannel or old diapers. Add a few squirts of vegetable oil and fill the container with warm water. Keep container closed until needed. Soiled cloth wipes can be washed with diapers.

Darn the Meat Man!

So my anti-spending is going surprisingly well. I have not bought anything beyond the milk and wipes earlier this week. However, today the meat man came by and gave us a deal we couldn't pass up. T-bones for $5.00 each, shrimp, angus burgers, flounder, ribeyes, lobster, and crab. That's one of the main reasons we're able to eat so well with no shopping. Our deep-freeze is FULL of wonderful food. We are going to a potluck tomorrow though and I don't think showing up with meat would be our best option. Hopefully I can pull off some tasty bread. My homemade (non-bisquick) waffles were amazing this morning!

Weight loss is still slow but steady. I ran out of diet Pepsi yesterday and am now at the mercy of orange and root beer. This morning (after my awesome waffles and banana smoothie) we went to the park and while J and W rode bikes, I did wind sprints and a killer ab workout. Then I decided to pull weeds and clean out the garage. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. I have less than 3 months to get back to pre-prego clothes. I can't wait to put on my old clothes and stop wearing the same clothes every week.

So I've also really been enjoying learning who I am. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by strong, confident women to help me become strong and confident myself. When I was younger, I was a little overly confident, but I loved it. Being comfortable with yourself is the best feeling in the world. I can't wait to get that back. Any of you that have never had that feeling, reach out for it. Our world would be so much happier if people stopped trying to be someone they are not. Be confident, be strong, and be happy. Find joy in your life and your circumstances. Life may not be great all the time, but look for opportunities for growth. I am grateful for the trials I've had in my life. Although they have left scars, it helps me progress.

Who am I?

Day 5 and all I've purchased was milk and baby wipes. I know the baby wipes were unnecessary as I could have used many things from around the house (washcloths, paper towels, etc) but that is one convenience I didn't want to do without right now. Soon I'm going to start having to get creative with replacements for ingredients and dinners. I already ran out of olive oil and had to start using up the canola oil that's been in the back of the cupboard. That's almost gone too though. The dieting isn't going so well since I had ice cream cake at a birthday party and late dinners with Jeremiah. Plus, W hasn't been sleeping well so we've been waking up late so getting to my 8:00 gym class hasn't been working very well either. Good thing I've got a treadmill to kind of keep me on track. I'm grateful for good friends that are tracking my progress with me. It's a continual reminder that I'm not only doing this for myself, but as an example for others. 

All my life I tried to be whomever people around me wanted. That meant I was someone else at each social encounter. I've never really been able to nail down who I am. For the first time in my life, I am finally settling into my skin. I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there. That's what this blog is all about; finding myself and maybe helping others figure out their path as well. From what I have decided so far, I want to be fit and strong so I can feel physically comfortable in my skin. I also want to be someone that is honest and open and stop forcing friendships out of obligation. There have been times where I have worked myself to the core trying to please others and I don't want to do it anymore. People that make you feel bad about yourself just bring you down. Make the break and move on with your life. More than anything, I want to be the wife and mother my family deserves. That includes keeping them healthy, happy, and active. That is why I'm focusing so much on chemicals and disease.

So part of my reading yesterday was on the US governments role in monitoring health. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS REPORT WAS BY A GOVERNMENT PANEL, NOT ENVIRONMENTALISTS! Both the FDA and EPA are key players in the Cancer Panels report. They have both horribly dropped the ball, causing the public to believe things are healthy when they are not. Currently there are over 80,000 listed chemicals in use in the US but only a few hundred have actually been tested. Our society is based on being reactionary instead of precautionary. This means that we are basically guinea pigs for chemical usage. When disease becomes common is when tests are actually run. Shouldn't chemicals be fully tested before they are used? What is really bad is even if chemicals are tested and known 100% to be carcinogens, they are still allowed to be used in products. A good example of this is BPA. The FDA still does not require manufacturers to eliminate this chemical even in infant products. Over 130 studies have linked BPA to breast cancer, OBESITY, diabetes, and other disorders. It is one of the many chemicals known to cause disease, but is still allowed to be in products we use every day. The Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction concluded in 2008 that there is “...some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A.” Yet in 2008, the FDA ruled that BPA is safe even for infants based on selected studies, some of which were industry-sponsored, and what is alleged to have been undue influence by industry lobbyists. The key term here is selected studies. The results of studies do not all have to be made known. That is where the precautionary aspect should come in. However, many companies pick and choose results to benefit their products. Again, that leaves it to the public to determine the truth.

Another chemical that usually goes hand-in-hand with BPA is Phthalates. These are also hormone disrupting chemicals that act as a mild estrogen. In girls, this causes early puberty and higher risk of breast cancer later in life. In boys, fetuses are at highest risk because it can cause undescended testicles, and higher risk of testicular cancer. In males it also reduces sperm count and quality (not sure what that means).

It's no wonder that cancer rates are skyrocketing. Funding cancer research is important, but I believe if this funding went towards avoiding cancer rather than finding a cure, we may be able to save future generations. Cancer is going to continue to affect us from so many angles and will change and grow as we find new cures. We all need to reduce our risk and start taking matters into our own hands.

Now please don't consider me a hypocrite when you see me. I have the information and I am making changes as I go, but I know as well as everyone else that avoiding all chemicals is impossible. Reduce your risk when you can but there's no need to be over the top about it. It's expensive to replace everything you own all at once and some of life's conveniences are too nice to give up. Take it easy and slow and be informed. Read product labels. Don't let ignorance be an excuse.

Not working

So I added the FB like button, but for some reason I can't see who likes my page. It also will not update you when I post something new. So at least you are showing that you visited my page but the only way to get updates on my posts are if you use a google account and follow it. Maybe I'll eventually figure it out but for now, I'll just keep putting notices on FB when I post.

Time Well Spent

I just spent the last 2 hours reading over 100 pages of the Presidents Cancer Panel Report Avoiding Environmental Toxins on environmental toxins link to cancer. I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to read it. I know everyone's time is limited so I want to touch on a few things. Today I will focus on children.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the new generation is the first in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This is due to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Childhood cancer is now the number one killer of children under the age of 15.

Children are now being born "pre-polluted" due to the build-up of chemicals in placental tissue, amniotic fluid, breast milk, and genetics of the mother. Women tend to store chemicals more than men due to mammary glands and other reasons. These chemicals children are being born with is disrupting their abilities to develop properly. Some children show the effects straight from the womb and others it doesn't appear until after puberty. Some have learning disorders, others have physical disorders, some have emotional disorders, some have reduced immune systems, and some have reproductive disorders. Unfortunately as hard as we try, the chemicals we are exposed to have a long residence cycle in our bodies with no way to rid them quicker. Children are at highest risk of developing cancer cells in-utero and in the first few years of life due to their rapid development during this time. As parents it is our responsibility to protect our children since they are unable to choose their environment and their circumstances. I want to mention however, that germ proofing and limiting exposure to germs can also severely weaken immune systems. The Panel recommends avoiding all Endocrine Disrupting Compounds before conception, during pregnancy, and during the first few years of life. A great website that lists these chemicals is Our Stolen Future. 

Pesticides and other chemicals will be tomorrows post. If you have the opportunity to read some of the Panels report, please let me know which part is important to you and as I do more research and reading I will try to touch on some of those topics. The next few days I plan to focus on specific chemicals and what they are doing to us and our future.

This is harder than I thought!

So I'm only on day 1 and I'm already having a hard time. Since I wasn't stocked up before starting my no spending thing, I'm already running out of essentials. I'm out of milk! How could I prevent this? Milk is definitely a necessity so in times of crisis what do you do? I figured I'm breastfeeding but feeding a family of four with breastmilk almost seems cannibalistic. I don't think Jeremiah would appreciate me cooking with breastmilk either. So today I already have to make a grocery store stop. I'm not considering this a failed attempt yet. I figure as long as all I buy is milk I'm still on track. To prevent this, I think I may buy some powdered milk for emergency backup.

I'm also running low on baby wipes. I thought about doing paper towels soaked in a soapy solution but I'm pretty sure that would still be rough on B's bum. Then I thought I would just rinse her every diaper change but I'm still doing middle of the night diaper changes and I'm pretty sure that would wake her up. I don't know. Maybe I'll just pick up one pack of natural wipes for night changes and wash her for the others. More to come on that.

I'm also going to a birthday party tonight so I'm going to have to get creative on a gift. If I had flowers I'd pick them, but I'm convinced that flowers do not grow in Florida. Then I thought I'd bake some cookies but she's dieting just as hard as I am so that wouldn't be very supportive. What to do, what to do?

So I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on the scale today that just in one day I lost nearly 2 pounds by following my plan. Maybe I'll get down to pre-prego quicker than I thought. Being accountable to so many other people is really helping me stick to my goals. Even if nobody reads this, at least it's out there.

Healthy living

About 7 weeks ago, Jeremiah bought me a treadmill. I have been running nearly everyday in attempt to lose the baby weight. I occasionally get to go to the gym, depending on how the kids are in the morning. I have been very frustrated with how slowly my weight loss is going so I'm adding some new techniques that will hopefully speed things up a bit. With Wyatt, I didn't lose any weight until I stopped nursing but I do not want to make that an excuse. How great would it be to have nursing-size breasts and be completely fit and trim at the same time! Boob job without the expense!

Anyway, here's my new attempts and if anyone has any others, please let me know. I must drink at least 2 liters of water everyday. Hopefully this will help curb cravings. Also, I will stop eating/snaking 3 hours prior to bed. No more late night bowls of cereal. I also need to cut out soda so as soon as what I have is gone, I can't buy anymore. I've already cut out most processed foods, fast food, etc but I will continue to not eat anything that has been processed. I have started taking probiotics and it makes me feel amazing. The kind I take is organic with several other herbs for health and I take my prenatal vitamins.

My goal is to lose the 10 lbs I'm still carrying from B and get back to my pre-wedding weight which is another 10 lbs. Ideally, this would happen by Thanksgiving, but we'll see just how long it takes. Making my goals public makes me accountable to everyone who reads this. Better than Weight Watchers in my opinion. Last summer I was wearing my bikini proudly and by next summer I hope to be able to do it again.

My no-shopping spree

Today starts a personal experiment. My spending habits are out of control (for me at least) so I am cutting myself off, cold turkey. I am going to see just how long I can go without spending a single penny on anything, necessity or not. This will cause me to get a little creative since I haven't stocked up on anything before I start this. I'm doing this for many reasons. First of all, if something happened and we were left without either money or stores, I want to see how we would fare. Second, like I said I cut myself off from spending. I went through a bit of a life crisis and turned to retail therapy to feel better. Now that I'm better, I need to stop reaching for the debit card so much. Third, our society tends to be very wasteful and I'm sad to say, our garbage can is always full. Being resourceful should hopefully reduce this as well. Fix it or go without I guess. According to commercials, the average American throws out $500 of food a year. I think we are a bit above average so hopefully this little experiment will teach me to use food before it goes bad.

I'll update this blog as I begin to run out of things and hopefully find replacements without having to pay for anything. This will definitely be interesting! Please support me!!!

Life

The last six months have completely changed my life. Some of you know, some of you don't, but in either case, our family is doing well. Through the confusion of life, we have decided to make some changes in our household and this blog will be my journal of research I'm doing, changes we're making, and how it's working. Should be interesting!
The first thing we've done is making the change to organic, natural products and trying to reduce our exposure to chemicals. I highly recommend reading the 2008-2009 Presidents Cancer Panel Report. It will change your life. Information like this should not be kept as quiet as it has been. Basically it says that our childrens generation is the first in history that are more likely to die before their parents. The report states this is due to obesity, diabetes, and environmental toxins. 41% will get cancer and 1 in 4 will die from it. I for one do not want to see my children go through chemo and I am trying to make life changes that will hopefully prevent this from happening. The report has several suggestions for reducing risk of cancer which has highly influenced the changes in our household to organic and natural products. The EU (European Union) has reduced their cancer rates almost 75% by reducing chemical exposure. That says something! A new panel has also been put together for autism research and although they are years away from knowing the actual causes, environmental factors were at the top of the list with heavy metal poisoning. Please do your own research and determine what is best for your family. I am by no means trying to force my views upon anyone and I will not judge anyone for what you choose to do. I just feel like I have a responsibility to at least give people an opportunity to do research.
Natural and organic products are in some cases more expensive and different than what we are used to, but the things I've tried so far are far superior to other products. I use chlorine free diapers and have not had any problems with diaper rash or even redness. B was having problems with Pampers and Huggies causing me to use rash ointment. Wipes, soap, lotion, etc are going to be my next natural product purchases. I myself have changed to organic, natural cleansers which are reducing breakouts and shrinking my pores. My face feels so much softer and cleaner than before. I've also started using organic deodorant. This was a little scary for me as I have a fear of BO, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Without the antiperspirant, I do sweat more, but it doesn't smell. I actually smell like lavender, much better than roses! A great website to check your products toxin levels is www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. As soon as I run out of other products I will change those too.
For those of you who have never tried organic food or food fresh from local growers, you are missing out. It's delicious. This is because they do not put the preservatives on them to make them last longer in the store. Keep in mind though that they need to be eaten quicker usually for this same reason.
Household products are easy to find in natural and organic. My favorite brand is Method. It all works great and smells even better. Outdoor, pesticides have been linked to be the greatest contributing environmental factor for many health problems. There are natural deterrents that work great. We use a pest control company called GenEx that is all natural. They use borax mostly which they claim is not hazardous to children or pets. Lavender is also great as well as lemon. As I'm learning, a clean house is the best way to avoid pests.
I'm still learning and researching. My views may change as I learn and experience more, but be assured that this blog will be updated frequently along my journey.