Well, obviously writing monthly last year didn't happen. Here we are, a year and a half later.
Samuel is 7, Levi is 4. We bought a house last summer and moved, a lot of other stuff happened (Samuel lost two teeth, Levi potty trained, and they both grew a ton!) and then a global pandemic closed schools for the last 3 months and we have been essentially quarantined since March. That mostly brings us up to speed. (I do keep a bunch of other journals and photo books, so it's not like we are missing out on a whole year and a half of documenting or anything).
Life right now: A lot of Star Wars origami and Pokemon trading cards. Levi is obsessed with Doc McStuffins this week, and making "waterfalls" with the hose. Samuel's thing of the week is this bridge building game Eric introduced him to on the computer. And riding his bike, but that's an always thing.
We've been through a lot of phases since quarantine started: playing in the culvert nonstop, the Wii and then Super Mario, soooooo much art - especially several weeks of non stop Pokemon drawings, Levi writing letters to his BFF, learning to draw people that thankfully no longer have super creepy eyes, watching lots of Pokemon, Ryan Defrates and Octonauts (SO MUCH OCTONAUTS), Z Bars and Cheese crackers during Google Meets every day at 10, crazy science projects we had to figure out how to do at home, trying to sell various things to our neighbors (rocks, origami puppets), stop motion videos, mud pies, SO MUCH SWINGING, trampoline forts and regular forts that cause fights 3-5x daily, Levi's obsession with bike pumps, the water table, frosted coffee and corona memes and watching nightly kitchen covers (me), Eric shaving his beard off and wearing glasses and looking like a totally different guy and Levi giggling like crazy for the first week or so every time he saw him, smoothie popsicles multiple times a week, “working on bikes”, fishing, nailing pieces of wood together, puzzles, catching caterpillars and watching them build cocoons and turn into moths, staying up way too late, mud slides, building with magnets and decorating Easter eggs, baseball and soccer, paper airplanes and keeping Amazon in business, gardening and legos and learning how to wear masks everywhere we go.
We have been finding places to hike almost every day since school ended. We joined a pool and went for the first time today, trying very hard to stay 6 feet away from the few other people there because "social distancing" is our norm now.
Eric is on a hospital week, which means working a bunch, but it's almost over, so that's good.
I've been running a lot and doing tabata videos at home. And trying to read more and not bake all the things because I have to wear a swimsuit to the aforementioned pool.
We miss the library. And the Nature Center and little chidren's museum and eating out in actual restaurants and the bookstore and the gym and school and church.
Life is weird right now. A little lonely sometimes, tiring because kids 24/7, but overall pretty good. I'm really grateful to live in a place with lots of outdoor activities and mild summers so we can get out and enjoy nature - it's made all the difference!
Anyway, maybe I'll post again in another year and a half. We'll see.
Family Pic
Friday, June 12, 2020
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Samuel is 6!
It's so crazy that the tiny little baby we brought home is now a half dozen. Halfway through Kindergarten! Time really does fly. We celebrated with a surprise trip to Wilderness at the Smokies (Great Wolf Lodge type place) because it was super cheap, Eric was off, and I really didn't feel like planning a party!
It's been really fun to watch Samuel grow and develop more of his personality this year.
He is a really great artist, and loves to do all things crafty.
He got really into graphic novels and drew a lot of comic book type stuff.
His reading took off shortly after his last birthday, and he can keep up with any 3rd grader now.
He's gotten crazy good at legos and can build some pretty amazing creations.
He started taekwondo, and while it's probably not his forever thing, he looks super cute in his outfit and does some pretty awesome moves.
He learned to swim, but still won't put his head under the water. I'm really impressed with his skills though!
He can climb up pretty much anything, and likes to pretend to be ninja warrior.
He loves playing games - Monopoly, Battleship, Scrabble, Yahtzee... games are his love language these days.
He misses Winston-Salem still, but has done a really good job transitioning to a new life in Asheville. He's totally meant to be a mountain boy.
At 6 he's 47" tall and around 45 pounds. He sleeps right at 10 hours most nights, and occasionally takes a nap (I figure I'll want that info when Levi reaches this age. haha). He still has all his teeth - TBD if he loses one before age 7 or not! I think I was 7.5 when I lost my first one. We'll see!
Anyway, I'm excited to see what year 7 brings for our sweet boy!
It's been really fun to watch Samuel grow and develop more of his personality this year.
He is a really great artist, and loves to do all things crafty.
He got really into graphic novels and drew a lot of comic book type stuff.
His reading took off shortly after his last birthday, and he can keep up with any 3rd grader now.
He's gotten crazy good at legos and can build some pretty amazing creations.
He started taekwondo, and while it's probably not his forever thing, he looks super cute in his outfit and does some pretty awesome moves.
He learned to swim, but still won't put his head under the water. I'm really impressed with his skills though!
He can climb up pretty much anything, and likes to pretend to be ninja warrior.
He loves playing games - Monopoly, Battleship, Scrabble, Yahtzee... games are his love language these days.
He misses Winston-Salem still, but has done a really good job transitioning to a new life in Asheville. He's totally meant to be a mountain boy.
At 6 he's 47" tall and around 45 pounds. He sleeps right at 10 hours most nights, and occasionally takes a nap (I figure I'll want that info when Levi reaches this age. haha). He still has all his teeth - TBD if he loses one before age 7 or not! I think I was 7.5 when I lost my first one. We'll see!
Anyway, I'm excited to see what year 7 brings for our sweet boy!
Friday, January 4, 2019
Once a month.
That's my goal here. To write once a month this year. It doesn't have to be long or flowery. But I like keeping up with what's going on.
So here goes.
CHRISTMAS was crazy. Eric was off (woo!), so we had a nice weekend to finish prepping, went to Christmas Eve service at church, woke up Christmas morning for presents and breakfast, then took off to Charlotte to catch a flight to Houston, where my dad whisked us away to Conroe and we spent the next two days eating lots of food and playing lots of games and getting very little sleep with a lot of long-lost relatives. It was a bit of a whirlwind. We had to buy a new suitcase to come back. Our plane got delayed and we got caught in traffic, and ended up arriving home a mere 30 minutes before Eric's parents showed up. More days of eating and movie watching commenced. They stayed until New Years Day and now life is semi getting back to normal? I feel like we all need to recover.
SAMUEL started back to Kindergarten yesterday and is going to be 6 in like 3 weeks which is insane. He earned his blue belt in Tae Kwon Do last month. His current obsessions are Bop It and Simon and making water bottles into snow globes, much to my chagrin. He's a champion reader and traveler, though, and he and Levi are finally starting to play together for longer stints without almost killing each other. I mean, until they almost kill each other, but at least the time until that happens is longer. Haha. Seriously, he's a mess, but he loves so big and hard, and has the best smile. He's an awesome sleeper (a trait that I find very endearing in my children), and a great helper (when he wants to be). HE is currently eating me out of house and home and "is starving" 94% of the day. He's super creative and loves to craft and come up with ridiculous random questions to ask me non-stop, which I mostly find funny except when I'm not int he mood. I'm also fairly certain he's going to be an American Ninja Warrior in a few years, but don't quote me on that yet. (He may also turn into Andy Sandburg's super loud character on Parks and Rec).
LEVI is all about dinosaurs and puzzles and books and cleaning. He got a vacuum for Christmas and that's just been the best all around. He's super opinionated about everything because he's 2 and I guess that's just how 2 year olds roll (Buckle the seatbelt BACKWARDS. He needs to wear the dinosaur shirt UNDER his other shirt even though he's worn it twice this week already). He finally gave up the pacifier in October and has been talking nonstop ever since. It's hard to believe I was worried about his speech just 3 months ago! He's adorable and super sweet and loves giving hugs and "getting so cozy" (most of the time). He "pews" everything with his "laser guns." Clarification: We do not own any guns, but everything he finds is made into a gun, because this apparently also how 2 year old boys roll. I have convinced him to only "pew" chocolate at me, which I find hilarious. He has also learned the word "butt" which is just a ton of fun to correct constantly, though one day he told me I was a "kick butt mommy" and I didn't hate that. OH, and apparently he "has powers." Carole and Jimmy asked him if he climbed up to the candy bowl to get something, and he responded "no, I got it with my powers." His little voice is just the cutest and he keeps me laughing. He also is a fabulous sleeper, though his naps are starting to get a little spotty - some days he'll give me 3 hours, and other days he falls asleep in the car and then refuses to go down again.
Eric and I are still just holding on by the seat of our pants, because his work is ever changing, I"m still house hunting because one day something we want to buy is going to have to pop up, and thinking about going back to school but maybe not because I'm not sure we can handle me working once I'm done. We are in the process of joining our church and have a babysitter that comes a couple of times a month so we can go out and be semi-human occasionally. And that's life now. Moving has been good, and some things are SO much easier now that he's done with training. But It's busy and messy, in some ways awesome and in someways I'm sugar coating things because it can be hard and lonely too, being somewhere new with no real, deep connections. Some days I really miss Winston-Salem and our people there, but I don't think either of us miss training at all! God's provided all along the way, and I know He'll continue to, and moving somewhere new is a chance to rely more on Him and His grace rather than others (because my little extroverted self looooves relying on others!).
Anyway, time to get dinner going. I think I'm halfway to tying my posts for last year. Woo!
So here goes.
CHRISTMAS was crazy. Eric was off (woo!), so we had a nice weekend to finish prepping, went to Christmas Eve service at church, woke up Christmas morning for presents and breakfast, then took off to Charlotte to catch a flight to Houston, where my dad whisked us away to Conroe and we spent the next two days eating lots of food and playing lots of games and getting very little sleep with a lot of long-lost relatives. It was a bit of a whirlwind. We had to buy a new suitcase to come back. Our plane got delayed and we got caught in traffic, and ended up arriving home a mere 30 minutes before Eric's parents showed up. More days of eating and movie watching commenced. They stayed until New Years Day and now life is semi getting back to normal? I feel like we all need to recover.
SAMUEL started back to Kindergarten yesterday and is going to be 6 in like 3 weeks which is insane. He earned his blue belt in Tae Kwon Do last month. His current obsessions are Bop It and Simon and making water bottles into snow globes, much to my chagrin. He's a champion reader and traveler, though, and he and Levi are finally starting to play together for longer stints without almost killing each other. I mean, until they almost kill each other, but at least the time until that happens is longer. Haha. Seriously, he's a mess, but he loves so big and hard, and has the best smile. He's an awesome sleeper (a trait that I find very endearing in my children), and a great helper (when he wants to be). HE is currently eating me out of house and home and "is starving" 94% of the day. He's super creative and loves to craft and come up with ridiculous random questions to ask me non-stop, which I mostly find funny except when I'm not int he mood. I'm also fairly certain he's going to be an American Ninja Warrior in a few years, but don't quote me on that yet. (He may also turn into Andy Sandburg's super loud character on Parks and Rec).
LEVI is all about dinosaurs and puzzles and books and cleaning. He got a vacuum for Christmas and that's just been the best all around. He's super opinionated about everything because he's 2 and I guess that's just how 2 year olds roll (Buckle the seatbelt BACKWARDS. He needs to wear the dinosaur shirt UNDER his other shirt even though he's worn it twice this week already). He finally gave up the pacifier in October and has been talking nonstop ever since. It's hard to believe I was worried about his speech just 3 months ago! He's adorable and super sweet and loves giving hugs and "getting so cozy" (most of the time). He "pews" everything with his "laser guns." Clarification: We do not own any guns, but everything he finds is made into a gun, because this apparently also how 2 year old boys roll. I have convinced him to only "pew" chocolate at me, which I find hilarious. He has also learned the word "butt" which is just a ton of fun to correct constantly, though one day he told me I was a "kick butt mommy" and I didn't hate that. OH, and apparently he "has powers." Carole and Jimmy asked him if he climbed up to the candy bowl to get something, and he responded "no, I got it with my powers." His little voice is just the cutest and he keeps me laughing. He also is a fabulous sleeper, though his naps are starting to get a little spotty - some days he'll give me 3 hours, and other days he falls asleep in the car and then refuses to go down again.
Eric and I are still just holding on by the seat of our pants, because his work is ever changing, I"m still house hunting because one day something we want to buy is going to have to pop up, and thinking about going back to school but maybe not because I'm not sure we can handle me working once I'm done. We are in the process of joining our church and have a babysitter that comes a couple of times a month so we can go out and be semi-human occasionally. And that's life now. Moving has been good, and some things are SO much easier now that he's done with training. But It's busy and messy, in some ways awesome and in someways I'm sugar coating things because it can be hard and lonely too, being somewhere new with no real, deep connections. Some days I really miss Winston-Salem and our people there, but I don't think either of us miss training at all! God's provided all along the way, and I know He'll continue to, and moving somewhere new is a chance to rely more on Him and His grace rather than others (because my little extroverted self looooves relying on others!).
Anyway, time to get dinner going. I think I'm halfway to tying my posts for last year. Woo!
Monday, May 28, 2018
Moving... Levi at 2... etc.
I have about 100 things on my to-do list so this will be short and sweet. I basically just remembered this thing, so I thought I'd give an update a whirl. :-)
It's Memorial Day. Like most holidays, Eric is at work. It's a reality we've come to live with, even embrace a little. The kids and I do our thing. It's going to be strange to be a real family of 4 again - or maybe really more like for the first time ever. In a good way. Not that he will never work a holiday again or that he's missed everything the last 5 years. But we expect good changes in the long run, and boy, are we ready!
We are moving on Thursday. Eek. We have packing included in the move, so I have done basically nothing. And I am freaking out about it. It seems like I should be doing something, right? I am working on using up all of our food by baking inordinate amounts of brownies for people, and I'm about to clean behind the couch. Maybe.
Levi is 2 now. How did that happen? The last few months have been a blur. Prepping to sell the house, showing and handling contract stuff, dealing with more medication trials for Samuel and some issues with his therapy program, looking for a house in Asheville and NOT FINDING ONE for a long time - let's just add to the stress, right? Finally finding the perfect rental and an air b&b in Winston and finding a new car and waiting for the new car and booking vacation and trying to keep my kids alive because they are FLIPPIN CRAZY (in the cutest way possible).
So Levi. He is still a chunk. At his check up he was 37.5" - that's like past 99%, up in the 3 year old range - and 31 pounds, which is more like 75% but still nothing to sneeze at. He's a big boy. His cheeks are still as big and kissable as ever and I hope they stay that way. He loves to cuddle, loves to read books - we are on a Goodnight Moon kick right now. He still is a little pacifier obsessed, but is letting it go more often. His eating has tapered of a bit, but he still puts away some fruit, spaghetti, salad, beans - good grief, he loves black beans! - chips, and tomatoes.
Levi's speech is finally picking up some. He's started asking questions and shrugging at me while asking. It's soooo stinkin cute! He probably has at least 100 words, it's just not always easy to decipher them. He is all about some bubbles and talks about them non-stop. He LOVES HIS BROTHER. Oh, man. They have such a brother relationship now - always hugging then fighting and taking each other's things. But boy, do they want to be around each other!
Levi is still an expert sleeper and loves his crib. He naps 3 hours in the afternoon and sleep 11-12 hours at night. I'm so not complaining. He loves baths and water and cleaning things ("wipes! Wipes PLEASE!"), does not like having his hands dirty, and prefers to wear shoes outside. He is about the sneakiest little guy ever - SO quiet when he gets into things. I have to watch him, and frankly, I don't always do such a good job. I'm really trying. Most of his sneakiness has to do with food, though bubbles, toys and pens tend to be big thrillers for him too (OMG THE PENS.) He can sit and draw for like 20-30 minutes which is insane to me. He is just so so different from Samuel at that age!
He is getting to be a pretty good climber and is a little more adventurous than he used to be. He still often wants me to get him down after he's climbed up something though. It's hard to say no to him, though. He loves to be carried a lot too - also hard to say no to. "Mommy! Carry! PLEASE!!!" He's also getting opinions and doing the occasional hitting and kicking and running away from me which I'm not so thrilled with. We're working through it though.
Anyway, he is the most delightful little guy and we all just adore him. His long blonde hair and big smile and general easygoing nature have added so much joy to our family. I'm in a state of denial about being sad about anything right now, but at some point I'm going to sit down and cry about how big he's gotten. He'll always be my baby though.
So there's that. Off to chores. Maybe I'll post again before Samuel turns 6?
It's Memorial Day. Like most holidays, Eric is at work. It's a reality we've come to live with, even embrace a little. The kids and I do our thing. It's going to be strange to be a real family of 4 again - or maybe really more like for the first time ever. In a good way. Not that he will never work a holiday again or that he's missed everything the last 5 years. But we expect good changes in the long run, and boy, are we ready!
We are moving on Thursday. Eek. We have packing included in the move, so I have done basically nothing. And I am freaking out about it. It seems like I should be doing something, right? I am working on using up all of our food by baking inordinate amounts of brownies for people, and I'm about to clean behind the couch. Maybe.
Levi is 2 now. How did that happen? The last few months have been a blur. Prepping to sell the house, showing and handling contract stuff, dealing with more medication trials for Samuel and some issues with his therapy program, looking for a house in Asheville and NOT FINDING ONE for a long time - let's just add to the stress, right? Finally finding the perfect rental and an air b&b in Winston and finding a new car and waiting for the new car and booking vacation and trying to keep my kids alive because they are FLIPPIN CRAZY (in the cutest way possible).
So Levi. He is still a chunk. At his check up he was 37.5" - that's like past 99%, up in the 3 year old range - and 31 pounds, which is more like 75% but still nothing to sneeze at. He's a big boy. His cheeks are still as big and kissable as ever and I hope they stay that way. He loves to cuddle, loves to read books - we are on a Goodnight Moon kick right now. He still is a little pacifier obsessed, but is letting it go more often. His eating has tapered of a bit, but he still puts away some fruit, spaghetti, salad, beans - good grief, he loves black beans! - chips, and tomatoes.
Levi's speech is finally picking up some. He's started asking questions and shrugging at me while asking. It's soooo stinkin cute! He probably has at least 100 words, it's just not always easy to decipher them. He is all about some bubbles and talks about them non-stop. He LOVES HIS BROTHER. Oh, man. They have such a brother relationship now - always hugging then fighting and taking each other's things. But boy, do they want to be around each other!
Levi is still an expert sleeper and loves his crib. He naps 3 hours in the afternoon and sleep 11-12 hours at night. I'm so not complaining. He loves baths and water and cleaning things ("wipes! Wipes PLEASE!"), does not like having his hands dirty, and prefers to wear shoes outside. He is about the sneakiest little guy ever - SO quiet when he gets into things. I have to watch him, and frankly, I don't always do such a good job. I'm really trying. Most of his sneakiness has to do with food, though bubbles, toys and pens tend to be big thrillers for him too (OMG THE PENS.) He can sit and draw for like 20-30 minutes which is insane to me. He is just so so different from Samuel at that age!
He is getting to be a pretty good climber and is a little more adventurous than he used to be. He still often wants me to get him down after he's climbed up something though. It's hard to say no to him, though. He loves to be carried a lot too - also hard to say no to. "Mommy! Carry! PLEASE!!!" He's also getting opinions and doing the occasional hitting and kicking and running away from me which I'm not so thrilled with. We're working through it though.
Anyway, he is the most delightful little guy and we all just adore him. His long blonde hair and big smile and general easygoing nature have added so much joy to our family. I'm in a state of denial about being sad about anything right now, but at some point I'm going to sit down and cry about how big he's gotten. He'll always be my baby though.
So there's that. Off to chores. Maybe I'll post again before Samuel turns 6?
Monday, January 22, 2018
Whole 30 (sort of)
3 weeks in, and 2018 has been an absolute blur thus far. We're prepping to sell our house and are doing about 15 different projects at once trying to make this place look like a million bucks (or 200 grand. Same difference.) Our house is pretty much a disaster zone, and I'm spending every naptime and post-bedtime painting and spackling and hanging curtain rods and emailing landscapers on top of trying to keep up with normal chores.
We've had school delays for single digit temperatures, 8 inches of snow and 3 more days out of school, the stomach bug making its way through our entire household, doctors appointments and med changes, date night (and the boys got to go to parents night out), two Side by Side kickoffs for the new semester, birthday parties and call nights and meetings and playdates, quick trips to the gym and to babysit. I've been selling everything we don't plan to move on Facebook BST (and made over $200 so far!), and making phone calls to arrange Samuel's birthday and look into getting a storage unit and order checks, trying to keep our budget somewhere near practical, researching housing and schools in Asheville adn planning our trip there in March, spending time with friends, and trying to take time to be still, read, and meditate on the Word.
It's kind of amazing I'm not more exhausted.
On top of all that, we decided January would be a good time to try to eat clean/do a makeshift Whole 30. We didn't actually do Whole 30, nor did we intend to, but we did want to try to "reset" our super junked-out bodies post-holidays, and I think it was a great idea. We spent the better part of the month thus far (until we got the stomach bug) gluten free and sugar free, and I was also dairy-free. We tried to only eat whole foods, eat grains sparingly, and only use natural sweeteners if any (Eric has gotten pretty into hot tea with honey). We've eaten tons of protein and vegetables and fruits and healthy fats. Our tortillas got traded out for sweet potatoes and queso for guac. Coconut milk and sugar have become staples, and I think they will be sticking around. We've slowly been adding back in gluten and dairy and a little more sugar (though I think I'm going to be sticking to dairy free as much as possible fro here on out), but are still trying to be more cognizant of what's in our food, and focusing on eating unprocessed meals as much as possible.
At some point I will post some of my favorite recipes from this little experiment - maybe. Clearly I don't have the best track record of keeping up with my blog. But I did want to write down a few benefits, and, errrr, side effects for future reference, because I feel like we will do another week or two of this at some point when we need to "Reset" again.
1. My skin got SO CLEAR. I usually have acne - often cystic acne - that looms around my chin and neck, sometimes all over my face. Now, this could be coincidence because I did work out less during this time period, and therefore sweat less. It was extremely cold and my skin was drier. And I did start using a new face soap. But I literally did not have a single pimple for 2 weeks! And when I added back in gluten and some sugar - not even a ton! - I had a pimple two days later.
2. I slept so well! I was just telling Eric about some crazy dreams I had last night, but I had a good week to week and a half when I slept all night without waking or really even dreaming.
3. I lost 5 or 6 pounds. Now I was not trying to do this at all, but between eating well and the stomach bug (and starting off super bloated and up 2-3 pounds from normal due to eating poorly all Christmas vacation), I've seen a lower number on the scale than I have in a while. I"m pretty sure eating regular food will probably put me right back to my norm though.
4. I went to the bathroom. A lot. This was both good (see above - pretty sure it contributed to weight loss) and bad, as it was annoying to have to go multiple times a day. I guess that's what a cleanse is supposed to do, though, right?
5. I quit craving sugar. It took a while, but I really did get to the point where I quit craving crummy food and did (and still do) just want roasted veggies and bananas and larabars. Eric said he felt like his sandwiches and pizza didn't taste nearly as good to him after he reintroduced them either. However, that leads me to
6. I dreamed about food. A lot. I dreamed about burgers where I was supposed to eat them bun-less, but sneaked in a little bit of bread. I dreamed about pizza. I dreamed about Christmas mint m&ms. Keep in mind my dreams were few and far between too because of that awesome sleep. So this was literally the only dreaming I did. It was kind of intense, but also hilarious.
7. I had an angry day. Maybe it's just coincidence, but one of the categories on the Whole 30 Timeline is the "Kill all the things" period, and I feel like that was totally true about 5 days in for me. Everything made me so mad! Luckily it only lasted a day or so.
8. I had energy! To do all the aforementioned stuff. Well, except the stomach bug. That didn't require any energy. And working out was definitely harder for the first couple of weeks. Runners need carbs. But overall, I felt like my energy was much more stable throughout the day than when I load up on sugar and crash over and over.
There's probably more, but I need to get to sleep. I'm really glad we did this little experiment, and hope we'll continue eating healthy as we move forward in 2018. I'm really looking forward to pizza this weekend though. :-)
We've had school delays for single digit temperatures, 8 inches of snow and 3 more days out of school, the stomach bug making its way through our entire household, doctors appointments and med changes, date night (and the boys got to go to parents night out), two Side by Side kickoffs for the new semester, birthday parties and call nights and meetings and playdates, quick trips to the gym and to babysit. I've been selling everything we don't plan to move on Facebook BST (and made over $200 so far!), and making phone calls to arrange Samuel's birthday and look into getting a storage unit and order checks, trying to keep our budget somewhere near practical, researching housing and schools in Asheville adn planning our trip there in March, spending time with friends, and trying to take time to be still, read, and meditate on the Word.
It's kind of amazing I'm not more exhausted.
On top of all that, we decided January would be a good time to try to eat clean/do a makeshift Whole 30. We didn't actually do Whole 30, nor did we intend to, but we did want to try to "reset" our super junked-out bodies post-holidays, and I think it was a great idea. We spent the better part of the month thus far (until we got the stomach bug) gluten free and sugar free, and I was also dairy-free. We tried to only eat whole foods, eat grains sparingly, and only use natural sweeteners if any (Eric has gotten pretty into hot tea with honey). We've eaten tons of protein and vegetables and fruits and healthy fats. Our tortillas got traded out for sweet potatoes and queso for guac. Coconut milk and sugar have become staples, and I think they will be sticking around. We've slowly been adding back in gluten and dairy and a little more sugar (though I think I'm going to be sticking to dairy free as much as possible fro here on out), but are still trying to be more cognizant of what's in our food, and focusing on eating unprocessed meals as much as possible.
At some point I will post some of my favorite recipes from this little experiment - maybe. Clearly I don't have the best track record of keeping up with my blog. But I did want to write down a few benefits, and, errrr, side effects for future reference, because I feel like we will do another week or two of this at some point when we need to "Reset" again.
1. My skin got SO CLEAR. I usually have acne - often cystic acne - that looms around my chin and neck, sometimes all over my face. Now, this could be coincidence because I did work out less during this time period, and therefore sweat less. It was extremely cold and my skin was drier. And I did start using a new face soap. But I literally did not have a single pimple for 2 weeks! And when I added back in gluten and some sugar - not even a ton! - I had a pimple two days later.
2. I slept so well! I was just telling Eric about some crazy dreams I had last night, but I had a good week to week and a half when I slept all night without waking or really even dreaming.
3. I lost 5 or 6 pounds. Now I was not trying to do this at all, but between eating well and the stomach bug (and starting off super bloated and up 2-3 pounds from normal due to eating poorly all Christmas vacation), I've seen a lower number on the scale than I have in a while. I"m pretty sure eating regular food will probably put me right back to my norm though.
4. I went to the bathroom. A lot. This was both good (see above - pretty sure it contributed to weight loss) and bad, as it was annoying to have to go multiple times a day. I guess that's what a cleanse is supposed to do, though, right?
5. I quit craving sugar. It took a while, but I really did get to the point where I quit craving crummy food and did (and still do) just want roasted veggies and bananas and larabars. Eric said he felt like his sandwiches and pizza didn't taste nearly as good to him after he reintroduced them either. However, that leads me to
6. I dreamed about food. A lot. I dreamed about burgers where I was supposed to eat them bun-less, but sneaked in a little bit of bread. I dreamed about pizza. I dreamed about Christmas mint m&ms. Keep in mind my dreams were few and far between too because of that awesome sleep. So this was literally the only dreaming I did. It was kind of intense, but also hilarious.
7. I had an angry day. Maybe it's just coincidence, but one of the categories on the Whole 30 Timeline is the "Kill all the things" period, and I feel like that was totally true about 5 days in for me. Everything made me so mad! Luckily it only lasted a day or so.
8. I had energy! To do all the aforementioned stuff. Well, except the stomach bug. That didn't require any energy. And working out was definitely harder for the first couple of weeks. Runners need carbs. But overall, I felt like my energy was much more stable throughout the day than when I load up on sugar and crash over and over.
There's probably more, but I need to get to sleep. I'm really glad we did this little experiment, and hope we'll continue eating healthy as we move forward in 2018. I'm really looking forward to pizza this weekend though. :-)
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Brownies!
I've finally gotten a brownie recipe together that rivals the Ghiradelli ones. It's still a work in progress as it's a mix of two recipes, but this is what I've got:
1/2 - 2/3 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar/brown sugar mix
vanilla
2-3 eggs
2/3 - 1 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp salt
chocolate chips
Bake at 325 until the edges are cooked but the middle is still a little gooey. :-)
1/2 - 2/3 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar/brown sugar mix
vanilla
2-3 eggs
2/3 - 1 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp salt
chocolate chips
Bake at 325 until the edges are cooked but the middle is still a little gooey. :-)
Self-Reminders
I tend to grumble and complain to myself a lot. My life is overall very very easy compared to most people, and I know that, but man, some days things are HARD and Satan uses envy to get me. It's become much more apparent to me over the last few months. It's just SO easy for me to look at other people and their lives and feel bitter that things haven't gone that way for me.
This was especially evident to me last night when we went to look at Christmas lights with the intention of stopping to see Santa halfway through. I brought cute clothes for the boys and geared myself up for the craziness that would be maintaining them in line and then letting them have hot chocolate and candy canes, ensuring a loud and wild final 30 minutes of lights-viewing. But Samuel was being argumentative and disobedient and Levi was screaming at the top of his lungs because he thought it was fun, and Eric wisely pointed out that there was no way seeing Santa was going to go well. So we skipped it. That may not seem like a big thing, but I was not happy. I agreed with the decision, but I felt so upset that other people have easy kids that behave. They enjoy parenting all the time and Christmas is magical and fun and all sweet pictures and caroling and sipping cocoa in their jammies. Obviously I know this isn't the reality for a lot of other parents too, but it was what I had concocted in my mind, and I was disappointed that it wasn't going to happen for us. I felt robbed.
But then I remembered that I have nothing to be robbed of. I don't truly own anything, and I don't deserve anything, except punishment and wrath. I'm not owed a perfect set of kids and a husband that dotes on me constantly, a picture perfect house and car and life. Frankly, I deserve the exact opposite. It's only because of Jesus that I have anything at all.
I get my panties all in a wad all the time because other women seem beautiful and poised and have husbands that work from home and kids that excel at everything and they are able to do things like write and teach yoga and travel. And I have to stop and think - why in the world am I valuing these things at all? The only things that are of lasting value are things that can't be seen.
So this is my self-reminder. I have far more than I could ever ask for, and more than I really can currently comprehend. My life doesn't need to be perfect, and honestly, I'm kind of glad it's not. My only responsibility is to do the very best with what God's given me now, to honor and point to Him. Anything else is just a sham. I choose to combat envy with gratefulness. Thank God for grace. :-)
This was especially evident to me last night when we went to look at Christmas lights with the intention of stopping to see Santa halfway through. I brought cute clothes for the boys and geared myself up for the craziness that would be maintaining them in line and then letting them have hot chocolate and candy canes, ensuring a loud and wild final 30 minutes of lights-viewing. But Samuel was being argumentative and disobedient and Levi was screaming at the top of his lungs because he thought it was fun, and Eric wisely pointed out that there was no way seeing Santa was going to go well. So we skipped it. That may not seem like a big thing, but I was not happy. I agreed with the decision, but I felt so upset that other people have easy kids that behave. They enjoy parenting all the time and Christmas is magical and fun and all sweet pictures and caroling and sipping cocoa in their jammies. Obviously I know this isn't the reality for a lot of other parents too, but it was what I had concocted in my mind, and I was disappointed that it wasn't going to happen for us. I felt robbed.
But then I remembered that I have nothing to be robbed of. I don't truly own anything, and I don't deserve anything, except punishment and wrath. I'm not owed a perfect set of kids and a husband that dotes on me constantly, a picture perfect house and car and life. Frankly, I deserve the exact opposite. It's only because of Jesus that I have anything at all.
I get my panties all in a wad all the time because other women seem beautiful and poised and have husbands that work from home and kids that excel at everything and they are able to do things like write and teach yoga and travel. And I have to stop and think - why in the world am I valuing these things at all? The only things that are of lasting value are things that can't be seen.
So this is my self-reminder. I have far more than I could ever ask for, and more than I really can currently comprehend. My life doesn't need to be perfect, and honestly, I'm kind of glad it's not. My only responsibility is to do the very best with what God's given me now, to honor and point to Him. Anything else is just a sham. I choose to combat envy with gratefulness. Thank God for grace. :-)
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