Spring in November

We had a wonderful salad for dinner this evening. It had lettuce, broccoli, dried cranberries, carrots, cucumbers and onions. It was warm here today, almost seventy degrees, and it tasted so refreshing! It almost made it seem like summer.

Phillip had a play date today with some of the children from his preschool. The hostess was so nice and had sandwiches, drinks, and desserts set out for the moms while the children played. It is these types of social situations that always worry me. I don't want to appear to be rude, but I also don't want to compromise the way that I feel either. I politely declined and told her that we ate a late breakfast. I think I always get more nervous about it than is really warranted. I don't think anyone thought anything about my declining the refreshments.

On another note I have been doing some serious house cleaning the last few days. I am rearranging furniture and doing some of the heavy duty cleaning. I know it is not spring, but the cleaning bug has definitely bitten me. I am really interested in simplifying my life these days, and feel as though cleaning my house is helping me clean out my life and make room for new things to move in.

Living foods and God

I am teaching a Sunday school class on The Song of Solomon (a.k.a. Song of Songs, a.k.a. the centerfold of the Bible). I was really nervous about teaching it at first, but it has really been a lot of fun! I have enjoyed learning about it and teaching it. One thing it has made me realize is that Christians don't utilize our senses near enough. (I realize that this is a HUGE generalization, but one that I am willing to make). Christians rarely take the time to feel God and/or Jesus with anything other than our "brains." What would happen if we really paid attention to what is going on around us. What would happen if we listened for God? I don't mean listen as in when the preacher says on Sunday morning before reading the Scripture, "Listen for the Word of God..." I mean really listened and heard God speak in the way the birds chirped at daybreak on Saturday morning, or in my five year-old's voice exclaiming the wonder of how the sun can shoot beams through the clouds. What if we heard God speak in the nursing home as the 92 year-old woman ponders if tomorrow will be her last day, or in the 82 year-old person's room next door explaining how she can't wait until his grand-daughter visits tomorrow.

What if we tasted God's work every time we bit into a ripe and delicious honey crisp apple. What if we smelled God in the labor of our laundry? What would happen if, when I rubbed the tear off the cheek of a tweener or a grandmother I imagined I could feel God's own tears. Could we handle it? Would it be a sensory overload? Sensory perception may, in fact, be THE best way we can sense God's presence in our lives.

You have read many times where I have written that I noticed my food more now that I eat a high raw diet. I appreciate the smell, the texture, and the taste more. I appreciate the labor it took to get from the soil to my table. I know it sound silly, but maybe I am sensing God's presence -- the real livingness of my food. The real smells, tastes, and textures that were meant for me to perceive. Perhaps eating living foods requires me to be alive in a way I had neglected before now.

Seeking Suggestions for Thanksgiving

Shopping for a new dishwasher is not fun at all! I am stressed and tired. I have been racing back and forth from Sears to Home Depot, to Lowes, and Best Buy. Of course, no one has the dishwasher I like in stock and it will take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on where we decide to buy it (The stores with the cheapest prices are, no doubt, the ones where it will take weeks to get it). What is a few weeks anyway?

I also looked at some new flooring for our kitchen today as well. That is also stressful, but a little more fun. We have been wanting to refinish the floors in our house since we moved in two years ago. Now we have an excuse to actually do it. I just hope that the quotes don't totally blow my mind. Let's just say, I know what I am getting for Christmas this year.

Thank Goodness Tomorrow is Friday! I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend. We may break out the Christmas decorations. Phillip is really into decorating this year. He is ready to celebrate. Speaking of celebrating, I am beginning my raw food research on Thanksgiving meals. If you have any suggestions, please email me!

Getting my giddy-up back!

Life has been CRAZY the past few days. We found out Phillip had pneumonia, Emma had a birthday (and a party), and the dishwasher broke, leaking all over the kitchen floor. I tried to buy a new one today, but they had nothing in stock at Home Depot and I didn't have time to go anywhere else. Tomorrow someone is coming to look at the hardwood floor to see if there is any way we can salvage it. Joy! Joy!

Seriously, though, life could be much worse. We are very fortunate to be blessed with the life we have. This is just a little crimp in my tail, a little hitch in my giddy-up. I am so glad that Phillip is feeling better and we still found a way to pull off a birthday party by juggling everyone out of the house since Phillip was very sick. Wayne took them roller skating, then switched places with me and I took them for pizza and ice cream. Emma was happy and Phillip was able to rest and recuperate.

I think I have mentioned before that I still cook for the kids. They eat a primarily vegetarian diet. We don't buy milk or cheese for home, but they still eat it when they go out to eat. They even occasionally eat meat. Some people have asked me if it is hard to cook for them and still eat my raw food. I have to say that it is not. I love my food so much, and I love the way it makes me feel, so I am not tempted. I do sometimes taste what I make them to make sure it is seasoned alright, but it never tastes as good as I remember it.

Tonight, I made spaghetti for the kids and Wayne and I made a wonderful green smoothie for dinner tonight -- fresh pineapple, water and meat from a young coconut, kale, and frozen strawberries. It turned out very good! Wayne took one sip and said, "YUM!" He never thought kale could be so good.

The Master Cleanse was a bust, or maybe not.

It is 3:34 A.M. and I am writing my blog. Yesterday morning I woke up to a very sick little boy. He is running a pretty high fever, coughing, stuffy nose, and very snotty. He has been kinds puny all week, but yesterday he was especially puny. I have taken him to the doctor and he does not have the flu, an ear infection, or strep, so it is viral and all we can do is wait it out. Needless to say I have tip toed up the stairs a few times to check on him and make sure that he is okay.

Needless to say the Master Cleanse is a bust for me. I only had enough lemons for yesterday morning's lemonade and I needed to go to the grocery store to get more, but there was no way I could take Phillip feeling the way he does, and no way I was going to leave him home without me or Wayne. I had pretty much gotten over the hungry feeling, but I was still pretty tired and cranky -- not good things to try and negotiate when you have a sick baby. So, maybe it is just not for me at this juncture in my life.

I am not saying the Master Cleanse is a bad thing, in fact, I think it has helped many people. But, I am no longer trying to lose weight -- thanks to my raw diet, I reached my goal weight. I did want to see if it would help me achieve some mental and emotional clarity about my life, but I think there are other ways I can do that.

Beginning a raw food diet was a HUGE step for me, and it has literally changed my life for the better in so many ways! At the time it seemed like I was making an extreme move, and I needed to do that because my health was very poor. I did not know what I was going to eat if I couldn't have beef tacos, smothered chicken, french fries, and macaroni and cheese. Not that I didn't eat healthy foods, too; I always had a side salad (covered in blue cheese) and a vegetable side. Now I see the choice to eat raw was not as extreme as it first seemed. Instead of swinging widely to some fad diet (as I had done so many times before) I was making a choice to balance my life with the foods that nature really intended me to eat. I said no more to engineered food -- no refined sugar, processed junk, additive and preservative coated meat and dairy products, or salt infused mixes and sauces -- and returned to simple foods. What seemed extreme at the time was not at all, it was returning to the basics. Where and how did I get so off track? I can think of numerous reasons now that I SAD (Standard American Diet) consumer. Like many Americans I was turning a blind eye to the food industry, and I was telling myself, "If they can sell it in the grocery stores or a restaurant, it can't be that bad for me." I neglected opportunities to learn about how my food got on the table. I was consuming exactly what I was told. I was filling my emptiness, disappointments, and heartaches with fat laden, sugar coated, syrup dripping, salt loaded ANYTHING that looked like it couldn't possible come from a garden or farm. I was so disconnected from my food!

When I started this I had no idea what a turnip looked like, or that there were so many varieties of kale. I did not know that a salad could taste so good without croutons and blue cheese. I did not know you could put berries and nuts on a salad. I had no idea that there were so many different types of greens or sprouts. I did not know what tahini or young coconut was or where to even begin to find them in the grocery store. I did not know I could roll sushi (vegetable, of course), marinate vegetables and not cook them, or make raw cookies. I had no clue that I could prepare an entire meal without using the stove, oven, or microwave. I did not know food, real, natural, food could make such a huge difference in how I felt and looked!

Yesterday, I must say I was a little bit disappointed that I could not stick it out through the Master Cleanse. After all, I did all my research, read the entire book, and thought I was totally prepared. I REALLY wanted the clarity. But, as I sit here typing at what is now 4:18 A.M. I am realizing that perhaps the Master Cleanse gave me exactly what I needed after all. I don't want an extreme diet. I want my food to give me balance, health, taste, and goodness and I have all of that already.

Cleansing One Day at a Time

This morning went much better. What went down, stayed down. I must admit I was a little worried and nervous about drinking the salt water this morning, but it worked out alright. I was, however, quite tired and cranky today. The book, Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days by Peter Glickman, says that is normal and part of the detox. It should go away after tomorrow. I hope so.

I was a little hungry today, too. However, I wasn't craving crazy stuff or really anything from a SAD diet. I miss my raw almond cookies, a good salad with fresh berries, and my trail mix. I don't think I craved a green smoothie because it is a drink, and I was craving something to chew. Part of me is wondering if I can make it 10 days, but I am going to keep trying. One day at a time.

Rough Start to the Master Cleanse, but good 1st Day

Well, the cleanse started out a little rough this morning. I drank my salt water this morning and all seemed to be fine for a few minutes. Then, all of the sudden, I started gagging and next thing I knew I was running to the bathroom. Needless to say, what went down came back up. It was not fun, but I immediately felt better and was able to continue the regimen for the rest of the day.

Wish I could say as much for Wayne. He chickened out after a long meeting today. He bailed on me. I can't really blame him, to be honest. It is difficult to do this. I made dinner for the kids tonight and felt quite hungry. I also made the mistake of visiting Bliss Cafe's website (a local raw food restaurant) and checking out their new menu. I was having some pretty big cravings for Bliss! Perhaps I will go there to celebrate making it through the cleanse.

Have I been truly hungry? No, not really, but the habit of eating is what makes it hard! It is so natural to pick up a piece of fruit when I walk by the kitchen and chomp on an apple or enjoy a banana. I wonder how many times I have grabbed a piece of fruit or handful of trail mix and eaten it when I really wasn't hungry. Something to think about, isn't it.