Thursday, February 28, 2013

A peek at my day

This was  my day last Friday, Feb 23, 2013.

5:05am Woke up to the light being turned on by husband. Had to pee.

5:15am Trying to go back to sleep, remembered I had to email someone about a photo shoot.

5:20am Done emailing, decided to stay up. Made myself and husband bullet proof coffee. 

5:30am Check on all 3 boys. Shane and Cody still sleeping in their bed {they share a bed} and Reece still sleeping in Mommy & Daddy's bed {starts out in his, ends up in ours}.

5:32am Sit in my chair with my red soft blanket and my coffee, and work on my blog.

6:24am Hubby needs the computer to type his message for Sunday, I start my devotions {prayer & bible}.

6:59am Go give chickens fresh water and food, get 3 eggs they laid.

7:09am Start breakfast: Eggs, bacon, fruit. Make husband lunch.

7:32am Fold laundry, turn on Pandora to a piano station.

7:40am Video the husband training the dogs per his request.

7:50am Wave buy to husband from the kitchen window as he drives away {I've done this almost every day since we were married :) }

8:00am Boys wake up, get them sippy cups, nurse Reece, read my bible.

8:15am Make breakfast for boys and myself. Eggs, bacon and fruit.

8:33am Put on Mickey Mouse Club House DVD for boys, check Facebook and get back to laundry.

8:48am Make Shane MORE eggs...

9:07am Nurse Reece AGAIN, check email, drink some tea.

9:20am Weigh In! Good number! PTL.

9:41am I finally eat the breakfast I made. It's cold now.

10:06am Nurse Reece to sleep for his morning nap {which I'm gradually getting him to one nap now.}

10:50am Still folding this huge load of laundry! Start cleaning kitchen next.

11:57am Reece wakes up, give boys a snack. Pack quesadillas to go for our lunch {corn tortilla's & raw cheese w grass fed butter}. Make a green smoothie for us, busy day, need my veggies.

12:05pm Continue cleaning the house!

1:05pm Done cleaning, getting ready to leave for photo shoot.

1:38pm Leave to pick up babysitter {I never hire a babysitter, just happened to really need to this session}, bring her with me to the park so I can walk/run then do a family photo shoot.

2:06pm Get to park, start walking with Reece in the stroller eating his lunch. Babysitter takes older boys to playground.

2:38pm Walk to car, change out of running shoes into leopard flats. Get camera & gear. Go give babysitter Reece, wait for clients to arrive.

3:00pm Still waiting, playing w boys while I wait.

3:08pm Family arrives, do photo shoot. 

4:04pm Shoot done, I gather babysitter and boys and we leave park. 

4:14pm Get gas. Pay sitter w some of cash I made from shoot.

4:30pm Drop sitter off at dorm where she lives, which is also at the church campus where husband works, so we see him for a bit.

4:50pm Get home, get ready to go back to church for ladies night out/mens BBQ.

5:04pm Whip up some snacks for Cody to eat at church, get boys cups ready.

5:14pm Sit down & nurse Reece. Ah, finally a rest.

5:15pm Husband home, gets ready for mens BBQ.

5:41pm We all hustle out the door to church.

5:52pm Drop husband off at mens BBQ because he is expecting a visitor.

5:54pm I lug all three boys to each of their classes/nursery then find my friend to sit together for the dinner.

6:03pm We get our plates, pulled chicken sandwiches, I don't get the bread, just chicken, and some baked lays and a water.

6:13pm We eat and chat with the ladies in our Sunday School class.

6:50pm We head to worship center to get seats for the devotion from Marsha Schear from the TV show "Shoot Straight".

7:00pm Play games, sing songs, listen to Marsha, watch a video of her shooting a turkey, listen to her stories of her husband dragging her hunting in the snow while she is 7 months pregnant and having to "belly crawl" several hundred feet in the snow, and she isn't happy with him...{hilarious}. 

9:00pm Round up boys, phone is dead, go look for husband, find him, head home.

9:22pm I'm beat. Beg husband to put boys to bed. He does. He brushes their teeth, reads them story and prays with them. I get on PJ's and get Reece's PJ's on, then nurse him to sleep.

9:44pm Husband and I watch a movie...I fall asleep a little, then wake up again by the interesting movie.

11:14pm Lay Reece in his bed, then BEDTIME for us....zzzzzzzzzz

I am sure that post bored you half to death. Sorry ;)






Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gluten Free Grocery List

I HAVE to go to the grocery store today, and I have a lower budget than normal. I am trying to plan it out and get organized. When I first started shopping gluten free I was overwhelmed. It's much easier now. Here's my list:

Baby soap {want to make my own soon!}
Organic Ketchup
Trail Mix for hubby's lunch STAPLE 
Grass fed butter STAPLE
Corn tortilla chips
Salsa {made and canned my own! Yay!}
Corn tortillas
Grass fed beef STAPLE
AAA batteries
Eggs {our chickens aren't producing enough yet}
Free Range organic chicken STAPLE
Bacon
Turkey lunch meat
Kettle Corn
Fruit {lots} STAPLE
Organic frozen berries
Veggies {lots!} STAPLE
Raw cheese
Kombucha
Kefir
Udi's gluten free bread STAPLE
Spaghetti squash
yams
potatoes   {have lots still}
Spaghetti sauce {canning this next time!}
Olive oil
Cinnamon Apple Chex cereal 
Wild Salmon
Organic Mayo

I usually go to 4 different stores: Our health food store for the raw cheese & kombucha, Winco for the cereal {which is what Cody takes with him to church for "snack"}, Costco, and Trader Joe's.  I have to do that to make our budget work. I am getting a lot of produce at the farmers market tomorrow as well.

What are your grocery staples? I always want to know what's in other peoples carts!

Monday, February 25, 2013

HELP..How do you get baby to sleep?

Monday's are always so crazy, trying to get back on schedule from the weekend. I've been so tired, and lazy feeling! My husband has been so busy working, coaching baseball, then working a side job as well, that I feel like a single Mom sometimes! This too shall pass though...can't wait. 

How do you motivate yourself to clean, do laundry and cook when all you want to do is get a blanket, tea, and read? LOL I really need to get moving! I wish I could read! It's "quite time" right now, and Reece is suppose to be napping but instead Shane just came and told me he was ripping up a book {sigh} and now he's nursing.

He's in this tough stage, where he still wants to take a morning nap, and around 11 falls asleep. Then he isn't tired till late afternoon...and falls asleep...and wakes up around 6 or 7pm and isn't tired for bed!

I nurse him to sleep at 9:30pm and put him in his bed.  Then with out fail, he wakes up at 1:00am every night and comes in bed with us and nurses back to sleep. He is almost 15 months old.

I am all for co-sleeping with babies, but I think it's time he sleeps all night in his bed, and I am not willing to do cry it out, {horrible experience w baby #1}. I know I use to believe in Babywise, but after a lot of research on it and it's relation to breastfeeding and what happened with boy 1, I am not willing to do that again.  Some of my friends swear by it....my boys just must be stubborn because they never fall asleep while crying in their crib! They freak out!

There has to be a gentle way to get babies old enough to sleep through the night to do just that.

How do you do it? Any advice? I know this is a controversial topic...I am not trying to start a debate. Honestly just looking for advice :)





Friday, February 22, 2013

Good weigh in!

Thankful for a great weigh in! Finally passed 178.

Last week: 178.6
This week: 175.5
- 3.1! Yahooza!

Only 1.5 pound to go until I reach -70lbs!!!


A mother's influence

Today, the role of a mother, especially the role of a stay at home Mom is quite discredited. Employers give women a 6 week break to be with their newborns, then it's back to work.  Six weeks is NOT enough time.  Pregnant ladies have a hard time finding jobs while pregnant and companies look at it as an issue instead of a blessing.

It's one of Satan's main objectives to get the hearts of our children. Period. If Satan can get us Moms to believe that our work is less important the the lady that is a CEO of a huge company, then He won.

Satan also wants mothers to believe the lie, "Women can't do that....YOU could never be a....." fill in the blank of some high powerful career.  He has been deceiving women with this lie for decades. The TRUTH IS: a mother has more power than anyone in the world.

I want to tell all mothers, SATAN is a LIAR.

A mother is THE MOST important job in the world.  It is in our power to shape and raise a human! A future leader, a soldier, a president, a pastor, a pastor's wife, a soul winner, an artist, a missionary, a teacher, a writer, a football player that isn't ashamed of the gospel, a mother, a wife, a homemaker, a person of high influence, and more.  The future of the next generation is laid in the hands of mothers. Will we teach our children to be hard workers? To be honorable? To obey authority? Non of those things come naturally to a child.

The next generation is influenced primarily by us. M O M S. Absolutely, a child can be used of God in a great way when they are from a broken home. Actually, we see that a lot. That's because God is the Father, and He adopts us as His children.  Ronald Regan was the best President this nation has seen in my opinion and he was adopted.  You may remember him stating he was glad his birth mother choose life.  And his adopted mother raised him with integrity.

When a baby is born, the baby is totally dependent on the mother.  A baby can not thrive with out his mother. In fact a baby can not LIVE with out someone taking care of him/her.  God has designed our bodies to provide the absolute perfect food for our babies.  He has given us special hormones the moment we deliver a baby to bond and have a motherly instinct.  It is God's will that we mother our children.

It's totally up to me whether I feed my kids junk, or give them nourishing food. Whether I let them go outside and let them play, or let them watch TV all day.  Whether I read to them, or shove them away. Whether we teach them manners, or let them act as they want.  I can teach them the bible and pray with them, or not.  Their salvation could be up to us teaching them the gospel.

I am passionate about A LOT of things. Health, writing, photography, gardening, homemaking, decorating, reading, running and more. I am NOT saying it's wrong to do, love or desire to do these things or any other job or activity.

God gives us children, to raise them for HIM. For His glory.  It's my desire to fulfill that to my best ability, even though I fail miserably sometimes. I thank God everyday for my boys.  He has in trusted us with children. What an honor.

Our Pastor preached a couple weeks ago on "You never know who God will use".  I went home and looked up Susanna Wesley after pastor mentioned her in his sermon. I posted this on Facebook that day.
"Susanna Wesley was a poor woman with no formal education, and a mother to 19 children. She taught them the bible, and how to work. She awoke at 5am every morning and taught her children different chores and activities. She spent 1 hour a week with each child alone, giving them her undivided attention. We probably never heard of her. But.....Two of her boys, John & Charles Wesley were the evangelistic preachers that started the Methodist movement, seeing much of England turn to Christ. Charles Wesley wrote many of the hymns we sing in church. ♥ A MOTHER, is the most important job in the world!!!! ♥"
 Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

We got CHICKENS!!!

It's been a dream of ours to own chickens for a few years. I never really thought it would be possible...but actually it isn't that hard!! Well, to get the chickens... never mind it was hard to find teenage to adult chickens.  baby chicks were everywhere.

The thought of chicks is so fun and adorable...but they are a lot of work!! They have to be under a warm lamp for weeks, and fed special food, and have constant attention.  My husband worked really hard on the chicken coop...I just love him.  He spent two very early mornings and one very late evening in the freezing cold building it.  He's my hero.

The lady I bought them from was kinda crazy...lol.  I couldn't understand her English very well. I told her several times seven chickens.  SEVEN laying hens....just SEVEN. She kept bringing them out and bringing them out...I ended up with EIGHT. lol, could've been worse.

I really did rescue them.  There was at least 20 roosters there, that were very very mean to these poor girls.  One of the hens has a bunch of feathers missing on her back because of the roosters picking on her.  I saw this with my own eyes! Roosters are mean!

We love our girls though. A few of the younger ones are so sweet and let us pick them up and pet them.  Two of the older ones aren't as accepting yet.  It may have taken me a while {ok an hour} to get Big Bertha back in the coop.

So far we have the names, Dori, Chicken Little, Dee, Mary, Martha, Big Bertha, Glory, and I need one more name! Thinking of Susie Q or Ruby Red..??

Thankful for this new adventure! Another answer to prayer. :)

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.





Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Money saving garden

I am still learning about gardening, but I know what has worked for us in the past and what hasn't. Maybe it's our high desert southern California climate, but some things just DID NOT GROW and the seeds were a waste of money.  Other things grew for MONTHS and we had to give some away.

To have a profitable garden, I suggest you research what grows well in your area at what time of year. Lesson learned. ;)

What didn't grow:

1. Carrots- I'm not giving up on carrots, but I think I'm gonna skip out on them this year.  We literally got nothing editable from the seeds.

2. Green beans- we got maybe 25 total green beans the whole spring/summer...total fail! Did not make our money back.

3. Strawberries- I love strawberries so much...I want to try again. We got two tiny green berries on our plants that we bought and re-planted in our raised garden bed. The  sun was too much for them I think.

What did grow:

1. Squash!!! Oh my we got squash galore for several months. We gave pounds away.  I love growing squash too because it's a tummy filler, and it can be used with lots of things! We easily yielded over a $100 in squash with $2 seeds.

2. Tomatoes- We had a good tomato production. Except for the slugs ;( lots of tomatoes though...and I will be ready to fight those slugs this year!!

3. Basil- Loved having this herb. Used it for cooking all the time, and when you prune it to use the leaves, it grows back strong and healthy.  Doesn't need much sun. The plant cost $3 and we yielded at least $75-100.

4. Mint- Same as the basil, this one was awesome! Love having fresh herbs, and plan to have a whole herb garden this year.

We also have a peach tree and plum tree but they are too young to bear fruit. Maybe next year! :)

As I get my garden ready this year, I am planning for: a whole herb garden, cantaloupe, squash, pumpkin, cucumber, broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, berries of all sorts and more.

Do you have any gardening tips for me? I am still learning ;)



Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Homeschooling?

Our oldest son, Shane, goes to K4 one day a week.  I dread each Tuesday! I thought I would feel relieved to have one less kid at home for a few hours, but I don't. I miss him, and I hate having to wake him up early and then leave my tasks at home to go get him when it's over. Which then turns into a few errands since we are already out, and before we know it, it's time to start dinner, then we are off for visitation for church, then BAM the day is over and I got nothing done.

I know that is NOT an excuse to homeschool. That's just my Tuesday! I would NEVER put him in a public school. Ever. Our church has an amazing school, which he will be able to attend for free next year since my husband works at the church.

I really feel like I can't give up the opportunity for him to go to private school for free just because I want him home. But I also feel like the Lord is working on me about homeschooling.  He knows I wouldn't be very good at it....I can barely maintain my house now!

I often leave projects undone, go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, leave piles of laundry for a day or two ok three days....

Could I do it?

It's a huge commitment. 

Lots of prayer will be going on about this.

What do you think? Do you have experience homeschooling? pros? cons?

ps is it home school or homeschool? spell check doesn't know....lol.



Saturday, February 16, 2013

Does this wheat make me look fat?

 

I'm reading on my Kindle, the book "Wheat Belly". What an interesting concept that Wheat can make us fat!!

I am not done with the book yet, but I have found some very helpful information from the author, William Davis MD.  A few key quotes: {taken right from the book}

• Wheat makes our stomachs FAT.

"A wheat belly represents the accumulation of fat that results from years of consuming foods that trigger insulin, the hormone of fat storage." 
 On "central" or "visceral" (stomach) fat: "Unlike fat in other body areas, it provokes inflammatory phenomena, distorts insulin responses, and issues abnormal metabolic signals to the rest of the body." 

• It effects our whole body.

"The consequences of wheat consumption, however, are not just manifested on the body's surface; wheat can also reach deep down into virtually every organ of the body, from the intestines, liver, heart and thyroid gland all the way up to the brain. In fact, there's hardly an organ that is not affected by wheat in some potentially damaging way."

•It's addictive 
Exorphin is:" Gluten exorphins are a group of opioid peptides which are formed during digestion of the gluten protein". Opioid peptides are: "short sequences of amino acids that bind to opioid receptors in the brain".

Quote from the book: "wheat is unique among foods for its curious effects on the brain, effects shared with opiate drugs. It explains why some people experience incredible difficulty removing wheat from their diet. It's not a matter of inadequate resolve, inconvenience, or breaking well-worn habits; it's about severing a relationship with something that gains hold of your psyche and emotions, not unlike heroin has over the desperate addict."
According to Dr. Davis, "wheat also contains gliatin, which has the same effect on brain receptors as opium. Gliatin stimulates the appetite, creating incessant hunger and cravings for more". 

In simple English- Wheat has exorphins in them that BIND to receptors in the brain, much like a drug. Hence, making it addictive. It also has gliatin in it, which side effects mimic what opium does, and makes us crave more. 

Exorphins are also linked with autism and schizophrenia
From Wikipedia- "It has been hypothesized that people with autism and schizophrenia have abnormal leakage from the gut of these compounds (exorphins), which then pass into the brain and disrupt brain function".  
I've seen this in my own sons health {he doesn't have autism or schizophrenia but he was suffering from night terrors}.

•Wheat today isn't what it use to be.
"A loaf of bread, biscuit, or pancake of today is different that its counterpart of a thousand years ago, different even from what our grandmothers made. They might look the same, even taste much of the same, but there are biochemical differences. Small changes in wheat protein structure can spell the difference between a devastating immune response to wheat protein versus no immune response at all."

WHOA.
Heavy post eh? They aren't all this loaded with info, so come back now ok? ;-)

Do you have a gluten intolerance? If so, what happens when you eat it? Have you considered cutting it out? I was NOT open to it for a couple years. But I'm so glad we finally ditched the wheat.



Friday, February 15, 2013

Weigh In & Budgeting


Last week: 181 {up from our getaways}

This week: 178.8 {was really hoping to hit 177! Dang it.}
NEXT WEEK!!

We used almost all of our tax returns to pay off debt. We have paid off all hospital bills, all credit cards and our van! Whooty whoot! We are doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Now all we have left to pay off is some family that loaned us money for school bill, and a down payment for our condo we bought, and then sold.  {Bad idea.}

Then we get to start saving for a house. YIPPE!

Converting to a "crunchy" {natural} lifestyle can be quiet expensive, my oh my.  When I was not doing well physically {TMJ, extreme stomach pain, and gallbladder disease}, all the research I was doing was pointing to my food choices. Which is why I no longer eat gluten and actively try to eat clean.

But there was always a sentence like, "as well as...environmental toxicity". Such as, heavy metals toxicity, fluorosis {for real. too much fluoride in my water!??}, toxic cookware {teflon}, dishes made from china, dangerous cleaning solution, using and heating plastic ware!!!! That's just to name a few.  I was on super overwhelmed over load.....still am. Few..need to take a deep breath.

No I don't think any of the above was the culprit. But I did decide through all the research I did we would slowly start replacing things in my house when we could. The things I thought was most important. Like a water filter for instance.

It's impossible for anyone to change all these things {that I never even thought of to be harmful in the first place!} overnight. In fact, I didn't even know if I wanted to believe all that. After all, why would our government put fluoride in the water if it wasn't safe? Why would the Tupperware companies not have a warning label on the box that stated 'when heated, chemicals seep into the food'... WHY would anyone be OK with selling a pan that when heated secrets gas that instantly kills birds that are in the same room... I mean, they would be out of business right??

Amongst other materialist things on our wish list,  we have to plan and budget for them.  I'm thankful my husband allowed me to purchase a few things to replace.  We just bought this water filter system, and I bought some glass sippy cups, coffee mugs, and a water bottle.  I was surprised to see that almost all our mugs were made in China.

You may think I'm crazy. But when it comes to our health, I rather be safe then sorry.  There's never a way to totally eliminate toxic materials we come in contact with. It's all around us. We breath it everyday. 

Some great easy ways to reduce toxins are: 1. Purify the air in your home. Get house plants.  Two for every room will purify your whole house.  Just buy one or two for your living room..that will make a huge difference! {Isn't God's creation amazing??}.  And, open your windows! Even if it's cold, air out your house every day for at least 10 minuets.  My windows and sliding glass door is open right now.
2. Sweat! Our bodies way eliminating all kinds of junk.  3. Take a detox bath: 1 cup Epsom salt, 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup baking soda, a few drops of essential oils if you have them.
4. Wash non-organic fruits and veggies with vinegar and warm water, let them soak in it for a few minuets as well. 5. Clean with soap, water and vinegar!

Do you worry about stuff like this, or is it just me?? LOL

PS Thank you for any comments. They let me know people read and keep me motivated to keep writing.  :)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

8 Key Things That Has Helped Me Lose 65 lbs

These 8 things has really been key for me to see a good weigh in.  BTW I changed my weigh in's back to Friday's, so check back tomorrow to see how I did this week! Prayers! ;)

1. Logging Food. 
We all know if we don't keep track of our food, we eat waaaay to much. OR not enough. Using My Fitness Pal allows me to see how much protein, veggies, good fats, ect I've had.

2. Making dinner my smallest meal.
This and #3 is really key for me.  If I eat a chicken salad for dinner, with water, I usually will see a good number on the scale the next day {assuming I didn't go crazy earlier that day!}.

3. Not eating after 6:30pm.
Eating dinner at 6pm is VERY helpful to me. I don't always do it, usually the last 3 nights before a weigh in if I can. After dinner I don't consume any more calories on the days I do this, and I wake up feeling like I lost weight...you know that feeling?? Side note: when I was engaged, I lost 15 lbs in 2 months JUST by not eating after 4 pm. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner, but didn't eat after 4pm. Not recommending that...it's almost impossible for a busy mom to eat dinner that early.

4. Drinking Apple Cinder Vinegar {a tsp or 2} with a 8 oz of water first thing in the morning really helps! It flushes you out.

5. Consuming Coconut oil daily.
I have it in my coffee every morning.  There is a lot of science behind this, but in simple terms: FAT burns FAT. A low fat diet is extremely unhealthy. You need lots of good healthy fats or you will have a load of health issues {lesson learned!}.

6. Eating Clean. 
This has been a huge change in lifestyle, and we are not perfect...but this really helps. I noticed, when I am not *trying to lose weight {when life gets busy}...I don't gain it back UNLESS I eat processed junk. Interesting right?

7. Breastfeeding for MORE than 6 months.  
This takes a lot of patience for me to not fret over NOT losing weight while breastfeeding for the first 6 months.  The author of "Outsmarting the Female Fat Cells After Pregnancy" says, weight loss comes from breastfeeding AFTER you've been exclusively breastfeeding your baby for 6 months.  For me, this is dead on. I hold my baby weight until my baby is 6 months old, then...it starts melting off like butter! For reals. Now, I know every lady is different, but if you are 3 months postpartum and you aren't budging on the scale, give it time. Patience is key. :)
Don't let those 6 months be a deal breaker for you. Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for you and your baby.

8. Not exercising TOO much.
This is tricky.  When I train for a half marathon, I DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT. How? I am burning 1200 calories a run!!! Well, the body is very tricky. It goes into stressed mode, and it's very hard to lose weight while consistently doing long, hard work outs.  This is my person experience. Once I stop training, weight comes off.

These are all just my experiences. Every person is different.  A few other key things for me are: drinking plenty of water, walking, eating enough protein, getting enough sleep and LOTS AND LOTS OF PRAYER!


She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. Proverbs 31:15

Video Tutorial How to make a Blog Ad in Photoshop

I wanted to make a video showing you how to make an Ad for your blog or webiste. It's very easy, and I wanted to show a simple quick way to do it.  So here ya go!
A tip: make sure you don't make it too cluttery, and make it pretty :)  xo


 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.  Psalms 84:1-2

Monday, February 11, 2013

Green Power

We all know how I love to make smoothies and juices. Smoothies are my thang {yes I said thang}.  I love green smoothies because it's a great way to make sure I get in all my veggies. I'm soooooooo bad about getting veggies in.  So here's another smoothie recipe I created. :)


1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Kefir
2 cups organic spinach
1/3 cup frozen organic broccoli
1 stick of organic celery
1 organic apple
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil

Basically.....find anything and everything good for you and blend it up! ;) jk...kinda.

This one wasn't as easy to get down as my berry green smoothie or my peach green smoothie. But It was packed with vitamins!  I shared this bad boy with my husband.

I need more smoothie recipes!!
please share if you have good ones!!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Kinda embarrassing....

I recently made a FB page {Please like it if you have FB!!} for my blog.  I didn't do it for a long time because it's kinda embarrassing.. ya know? I mean, letting the whole world know how big I got....and admitting that I've had to lose so much weight...it's not easy. BUT....I have greatly benefited from other people's stories and I am thankful for that.

My Mom is on her way here to visit...yay! She is watching the boys for us while my husband and I go to our church couples retreat. So exciting, and sad at the same time...I've never left Reece overnight.  He is still breastfeeding and wakes up at night usually....Kinda nervous for my Mama LOL.

I know we need to get away though, and it will be great. As usual I'm scared to eat out so I don't get sick.  I will have to be reallllly careful to not eat any gluten! I'm excited to get dolled up and have a date with my handsome husband. Sometimes I think, I can't believe he loves me... ;)

Here's my day in food yesterday:
Breakfast- since I was sick yesterday morning I wanted something easy on the tummy...1/4 c rice chex and 1 cup rice krispy cereal, milk and 1/3 a banana.  I shared with Reece.

Lunch- Ham and cheese sandwich on Udi's gluten free bread, with a delish green smoothie {frozen organic peaches, lots of organic spinach, milk, kefir, coconut oil, and half a banana.}

Dinner- it was Shane's birthday so we had pizza {Cody, Davey and I ate gluten free pizza and Reece and Shane had organic pizza}.  Then I made a gluten free chocolate cake, which was pretty good...a little more like brownie consistency. 

I felt sick again this morning, but not as bad. I've decided that sugar {on Shane's cake} is attributing to my pain...I believe I have SIBO. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.  I have a lot of clues that point to that....but that's a whole nother post. ;)

I'll try to post tomorrow. Thank you a million for reading. And for any comments!!! {Staci:) } xo



Wednesday, February 6, 2013

My day in food 2, and Shane's 5th Bday!

It would be AMAZING if you could like my Photography FB page!! Here! And my blog page which is by the little Facebook logo top right ;)
Oh.My.Stars.
I was bad yesterday.....I ate a candy bar {gasp!} and licked frosting off of leftover cupcakes I brought to Shane's school for his birthday.

I got SO SO SO sick this morning!!!! I think it was the cross contamination {gluten} from licking the cupcake {smh}, or the processed sugar in the candy bar?? I was so sick my husband had to come home for an hour this morning.  :( NEVER AGAIN!!

Thank God for my Essential Oils.

Moving on...TODAY IS SHANE'S 5TH BIRTHDAY!!! I'm so proud of him. He is such a good boy, so smart, funny, kind, cautious, obedient, and he LOVES Jesus, and invites people to church everywhere we go.  I'm blessed to be his mama.

Here's my day yesterday in food.  Breakfast....on the go gave in and bought a candy bar at Walmart. Didn't capture it {blush}.

Lunch: 2 fried eggs, 3 bacon, 1 Udi's toast w lots of grass fed butter.

Dinner: Breakfast scramble {yum!!!} potatoes, ground sausage, and eggs.  

I was soooo busy yesterday. I didn't eat any veggies or fruits!!! Bad bad bad. Wow this photo thing is really opening my eyes to what I eat! I'm making up for it now with a green smoothie loaded with spinach and fruit.  Pic tomorrow. 







Tuesday, February 5, 2013

My food in pictures

This is gonna be a quick one...I'm packing up Shane and Cody's bikes, and the jogger for Reece, and we are off to the park so I can run! Such a beautiful day today here in Southern California :)

I was inspired by Staci's blog, to do a weeks worth of posts of what I am eating, with pictures.  I thought this would keep me accountable. So everyday this week I will post my meals and a pic.

I didn't get a chance to weigh in this morning {had to take Shane to school, then run a bunch of errands for Shane's Bday tomorrow while he wasn't with me}.  I am not expecting a loss this week because of our little vacay to the snow..... ;) BUT I am focused for a loss next week...need to get out of the -60's and see -70 already!

Here's what I ate yesterday:  Breakfast: Just a bulletproof coffee...bad that it's all I had, I know I know. But it's really a good coffee {made with butter and coconut oil}.
 Lunch was a ham sandwich with Tillamook cheese {best non organic cheese, cows graze on grass in Oregon in season, no hormones either} and mayo on Udi's gluten free bread with an organic apple.
 Dinner we had organic free range chicken drumsticks {I save all the bones and make broth for this soup} cooked in olive oil, organic veggies with a tbsp mayo, and a baked potato with lots of grass fed butter, a slice of bacon, and a little cheese, washed down with a cup of milk. :) It was goooodddd.

I know our food isn't perfect yet {need to make a homemade mayo}, but it doesn't happen over night.  Little changes makes a big difference, and I'm still working on it :)  I snacked on cheese and some corn tortilla chips (no bueno). I was super busy yesterday and kept letting myself become starving! Also no bueno.
 

Monday, February 4, 2013

Shabby Girl Names

Although I have three boys, we do want more kids. I'd love a girl, but I'd love another boy too! For some reason girl names are always so easy for us, but boys names take us the whole pregnancy to decide!  Here's a list of some beautiful Shabby Chic girl names:


What girl names do you love?

Love, The Curvy Housewife

Sunday, February 3, 2013

A snowy weekend

Our oldest son, Shane is turning 5 on the 6th..{can't believe it!}. All he wanted was to go to the snow, even over Disney!!

We had such a blast! The boys laughed and had a great time all weekend. I got an awesome workout trucking up the hill dozens of times while sledding. Btw, I seriously need to get back to half marathon training. Sigh. I'm so inconsistent!

On our way to the snow we stopped at Walmart to get chains. I was breastfeeding Reece in the car while waiting, when I suddenly I see a BIG BLACK SPIDER crawling on Reece's face!! I freaked out! Out of instinct, I slapped Reece's face, screamed and jumped out of the car. Reece was traumatized. I had have him a licorice. He was happy after that.

Cody was a natural, he's ready to snow board! Shane too, but he's more cautious which I love. Someone has to watch over my husband and Cody. Reece also loved the snow :)

Love, The Curvy Housewife





Friday, February 1, 2013

Maximizing Children's Growth Potential

Warning: Long post, keep reading though..it's a good one ;) 
 photo credit

Since having three boys I've been fascinated at the thought that my boys could be tall, strong men.

 I enjoyed reading Tim Tebow's book "Through My Eyes" {every mom of boys needs to read!}. He was on a quest to be a tall beast since he was very little. Was it coincidence that he stands at 6'3" and 236 pounds and no one in his family does? Same parents, same environment.

Tim Tebow was fascinated with nutrition and optimizing his diet for growth.  He even did a whole home school project on how to lift weights and eat properly to reach his maximize growth potential.

I began to wonder, why ARE all football players big? Basketball players tall? Gymnasts short? Wrestlers short? Dancers short? Runners small? I use to be a gymnast and a dancer,  and I'm 5'3" while my sister is 5'9". My dad is 6 feet, and my Mom is 5'8".  I'm not saying genes didn't play a role in my height..I take after my Dad's sister, who was also a gymnast...BUT, I recently discovered I am intolerant to gluten {I had stomach issues since little, and so did my Aunt I just found out}, and I always did dance and gymnastics.  Hm..interesting right?

 I asked my husband why football players were all so tall, and he said, "It's like, survival of the fittest, only the tall ones make it.." which I believe true to some extent, but I also believed it was because something influenced by the sport that they were doing had a big role. Then I read this.  If some sports stunt growth, then maybe some encourage it?

Obviously genes play a huge role...but CAN WE MAXIMIZE THE HEIGHT OF OUR CHILDREN?

 Do you believe we have a major part in our children's adult height besides just genetics? Did you know, American's are getting shorter? The average man now is 5'9.5", when it use to be 6'1". 

 Cody, our middle son was labeled to be on the "short" side.  As a baby he was normal height, and was a very healthy, chubby baby boy. I breastfed him for 21 months.

 His growth started to really slow down around 18 months old.  He didn't gain any weight from about 2 years old to just recently (3.5 years old). He hardly grew taller either...... half an inch to an inch at the most in 18 months.

In the last few months his appetite had become really minimal. He would complain of stomach aches here and there, but nothing too serious seeming.  We just assumed he was a picky eater, and he really had no interest in food.

About three months ago, he started having night terrors.  He would wake up screaming and pointing at the end of his bed saying snakes were going to get him, or dinosaurs were gonna eat him, or just screaming and I would not be able to wake him for several minuets.  It was terrifying to me.  It wasn't every night, but on and off. I took away any movies that could have been scary to him, but he continued to get them.

He also seemed to really be keeping to himself more, not responding to us very much, or at all sometimes. 

I was becoming more and more concerned, and since I myself had recently discovered I had a gluten intolerance, I suspected the same for him.  We went for a routine appointment almost a month ago, and I found out he had dropped from the 50 percentile to the 3rd percentile. Below 5 percentile is defined as stunted growth. Reference

Besides his lack of appetite, lack of attention, the nightmares, and his stomach aches, he developed dark circles under his eyes, and his face began to look very slim and unhealthy.  He's never been skinny, he always had a robust stature {short & stout}, but his face began to look thin.

I went home and started researching, and researching.  I reached out to Chris Kresser, who was so awesome and wrote me back right away and told me it seemed he has a gluten or casein allergy. Another awesome person that emailed me back was Diana.  I'm thankful for people that care and help when they can.

I immediately got him a doctors appointment.  In the mean time, I completely took him off gluten. The first doctor we saw said, "He has an ear infection and seasonal allergies".

I protested, and got a referral to an allergy specialist to see if he had any food allergies.   A week later he had his appointment, where she ordered allergy tests for all kinds of food, including gluten and casein.  At this point he hadn't eaten gluten in 8 days and had already improved so much.

Two weeks later we got the results....

 All the tests came back negative! He isn't even allergic to anything environmental {seasonal allergies right doc?}. Praise the Lord. The allergy specialist suggested we see a Gastroenteritis even though I told her he was doing phenomenal. She said it's possible it could have been a gluten intolerance (duh). 

EVEN BETTER NEWS though?? Three weeks with NO gluten, and he was like a new kid! He hadn't complained of tummy aches, he hasn't had a night terror in weeks, and he is eating like a mad man! For him to ask for food after he's already eaten all his dinner, is such a huge change from the last 18 months!

And GUESS what?? I weighed and measured him the other day: in the last 3 weeks he has gained 1 pound and grew a whole inch!!!!!!!!!! I can not believe it.  To make sure, I brought him back in and she confirmed he went from 36 inches to 37 inches and 31 pounds to 32.6. wow!

So what gives? Blood says he isn't allergic....why is he better? 

I've done a lot of research on gluten intolerance.

If someone is intolerant to a food and eats it everyday {especially as much as Cody & I were} it can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome. Reference Leaky Gut Syndrome is a damaged bowel lining that can allow food, toxins, bacteria and other substances into the blood steam where it doesn't belong causing the body to attack it, and can in sever cases cause autoimmune diseases.

Leaky Gut, or an inflamed intestinal lining, can cause a host of problems, such as:  "allergies, inflammatory states, swollen glands, recurrent infections, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or auto-immune diseases. Some of the more common autoimmune diseases are systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, vasculitis and rheumatoid arthritis." Reference  

Leaky Gut can also cause MALNUTRITION, the inability to absorb nutrients and growth delay in children. Reference 
I believe this was the case with Cody, and I shudder at the thought of what would have happened if I left it untreated.


That's some of what I've learned about food intolerances, not what the doctor has told me or diagnosed Cody with. But I suspect it was something like that since all his symptoms have improved and even disappeared.  His face is fuller, has more color, his under eye circles are so much better, he responds quicker, he's sleeping better with no nightmares {studies show Gut permeability is also linked to Autism Reference, Schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses}.

Is this just the case for my son? I don't believe so.  My friends daughter had an undiagnosed gluten allergy for years. Finally when my friend figured it out, a short time off gluten and her daughter grew 3 inches!  I am NOT saying every short child has a gluten intolerance or is malnourished.  I've already stated I do believe genes play a major culprit.  What I am saying is children's growth can be stunted, with out us even knowing it. Like in Cody's case.

Cody is growing like crazy right now. Suddenly growing out of his shoes (that he's been able to wear for a year and a half), and his pants are getting shorter on him. I'm very thankful.

 In the research I read, it stated that at a certain point, stunted growth is irreversible.  "Stunted growth is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition in early childhood, including malnutrition during fetal development brought on by the malnourished mother." Reference

The tallest country in the world is Holland, averaging 6'1" tall.  They eat a lot of dairy! Asian people are generally short, where they eat very little dairy and a diet high in grains (phytic acid is found in most grains and is an anti nutrient). Dutch people who eat several servings of dairy a day are the tallest in the world.

In Weston A. Price's book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration {another must read for Mom's} he states how he discovered sever growth disorders in malnourished children where modern processed foods were given. As oppose to the same cultures eating their native diets, who were robust, tall stature, and could run and play in snow with no shoes on with out getting sick.

He discovered children on their native diets, with no modern food received four times the amount of nutrients as American children.  They also had no tooth decay, along with straight, white teeth.  The opposite was found with the same cultures who were eating processed foods. They were plagued with disease, growth disorders, sever tooth decay, crowded teeth, and narrow jaws. 

Sleep is also a major factor in growth for children. They grow while they sleep. That's why when a baby has a growth spurt, they eat for two days straight then sleep for almost two days straight. :)

I don't claim to know that my son will be super tall since I cut him off gluten. I do know that if I never took him off gluten, he wouldn't have reached his growth potential, and he would have a host of other health issues. 

I just wanted to share this true story of our son, in case any other mom out there is concerned about their child's health and growth progress.

Additional References: 1, 2

Love, The Curvy Housewife

{Disclaimer, I am NOT a doctor, please don't use this as a diagnoses. If your child has health issues consult an educated doctor.}