ALIVE in 2010!

Today I experimented a little more with my juicer. For breakfast I had coconut, pear, romaine juice. I blended the water and meat from one young coconut and then added it to two juiced pears and a head of romaine lettuce. It was quite good, I must say. I love coconut. I think I could add it to pretty much anything. For lunch I decided on a nice vegetable juice. I did 5 tomatoes, half a red pepper, half a yellow pepper, a stalk of celery, and a little bit of Bragg's Amino. It was also very good. I wasn't sure because I vegetable juice is typically not my favorite, but I really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we are entertaining people who are not, and don't want to be, vegetarians, much less raw vegans. That is okay with me because I realize this lifestyle is not for everyone, but it does make feeding everyone a bit challenging. At first I was going to say to hell with it and make a big pot of chili and have hot dogs on hand. They could all enjoy the chili and I could just make myself a smoothie. But I finally settled on a vegan homemade minestrone. It is not raw, but it is still chocked full of all kids of good stuff. I also got some crusty bread for everyone to enjoy and I am going to also chop up some fresh fruit and veggies to munch on. I figure that is a pretty good compromise. For dessert vegan pumpkin pie -- Yum! I can live with that. I am also juicing oranges in the morning and we are going to make mimosas. I am not a big champagne fan (I don't know many who are), but it is hard to beat a good mimosa!

2010 looks to be good, though, and I am excited about what this new year will bring. I think about how much life has changed in just a little over half a year of eating a high raw diet and I get goosebumps -- I can't see what a year of eating a high raw diet will bring, and two years, etc... I feel so much wiser, healthier, and ALIVE!

JUICY!

I received a juicer for Christmas and I have been juicing my little heart out today. The kids and I went to Costco this morning and they each got to pick out a fruit. Phillip picked apples (sweet apples, actually -- he makes sure to clarify "sweet"). Jake picked oranges and Emma picked pears. We bought in bulk because I wanted to try lots of different concoctions. Then we came home and did some experimenting. We made carrot, apple, pear, spinach juice. It was really good! I was surprised how much juice we got out of the carrots; it was pretty impressive. The juice was such a pretty orange, too.

I poured myself a large glass and that was lunch. I was going to have a salad, too, but I was full from the juice. In fact, I wasn't hungry all afternoon. I expect smoothies to fill me up, but just juice? I did not expect to be full. Jake drank a full glass, but Emma and Phillip just had a sip. They both said they liked it, but neither wanted a full glass. I'll keep trying. I did succeed in getting Phillip to eat a small salad at dinner this evening, though. It even had yellow and red bell peppers, onions, and cucumbers on it. Wayne and I are making a little extra effort to get him to eat his veggies. He is the only one of my children who turns his nose up at vegetables. If I don't offer it to him and show him how much we value having veggies in our diet then he is sure not to ever like them. Therefore, I will keep piling them on him plate and making him eat even a few small bites.

We got a new game for Christmas called Qwirkle. We really like playing games and this one was GREAT! If you haven't heard of it, I highly recommend taking a look at it. It requires lots of strategy and planning. It is MENSA approved, and we all enjoyed playing it. Speaking of games, we got another game that we played with the kids before my parents left that was also fun. It was Funglish. It is sort of like charades (you are trying to get people to guess a word), but there are only printed words, no acting. Both games guarantee a fun family night!

Before I wrap this blog up for the night I just have to tell you about one more thing. We had more SNOW today! I cannot believe it. It was not as much as Christmas Eve, only about one inch today, but it was so pretty falling. Tomorrow it will be in the mid forties, so it is not going to last long. We are enjoying it while we can.

Visioning 2010

This evening on the news they were talking about resolutions for the New Year. The reporter stated that the average American gains at least five pounds during the holidays and the majority of those do not lose the extra pounds. I have been one of the majority for many years now, but not this year! I am so very thankful that I found the raw food lifestyle! I am also thankful that I am finally healthy, happy, and fit.

This evening I have been working on making some vision boards for the 2010. I have been cutting and pasting photos and pictures of things I want to attract in my life. It may sound corny, but it helps me to get a clearer picture of what I want, and to focus on it. So what do I want in my life? Continued health, happiness, love, a peaceful spirit, success, financial independence, and to write and teach. Not much, huh? I put my posters in places where I see them regularly -- on my bathroom mirror, in my closet, above my desk, and inside my kitchen cabinets. Whenever I see them I try and REALLY notice them.

It may sound really corny, but I am a believer. Last year I put posters up that images of health on them. There were fit people, lots of fruits and vegetables, and affirmations of improved health. Of course, I began eating a raw diet last summer -- something I had never heard of before last year, I lost 40 pounds, and I had normal lab reports for the first time in 2 and a half years. Do I think the posters gave me all of that? No, of course not, but the posters helped me work toward the life I already imagined for myself.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was very good! We have had so much fun in the snow. We don't see much snow in Texas so it was an extra special treat. This is the first snow Phillip really remembers. All of the kids (including my mom and dad) got marshmallow "shooter guns" and we have been having marshmallow wars all day. The dogs think they are in dog heaven eating marshmallows for Christmas. My mom is wrapped up in her Snuggie pelting my dad and Wayne as we speak. You have never heard so much laughing!

It was so nice to be with our friends and family. I really missed my brothers, but we did speak on the telephone. It is hard to live so far away and not be able to be with everyone. I hope they know how much we have thought of them today. Of course, we also missed all of our loved ones that are no longer with us -- my grandma and grandpa, my Mi Mi and Paw Paw, Wayne's dad, and Wayne's Mom Mom, too. We miss them everyday, but on Christmas their absence (or, I should say, presence) is particularly missed. At the risk of sounding corny, I must say I surely felt them near as we said the blessing this afternoon. I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas, too!

Luke Chapter 2

The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told

A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

It has been an interesting day. We found out this morning that my mother-in-law broke her foot yesterday at my daughter's performance in the Nutcracker. She went to the ER this morning when she woke up and her foot was VERY swollen. She got a temporary cast and has to see an orthopedic surgeon next week. She is feeling much better, though.

We have had family and friends stopping in all day and have really had a great time. On top of the great time we were already having. IT SNOWED HERE TODAY! The kids were so excited! Who would have thought? Yesterday it was 74 degrees here and now there is 3 inches of snow in my front yard. It is pretty cool, I must say -- a white Christmas, in Dallas, Texas. My mom said they had to come all the way to Texas to get a white Christmas.

Almost Oatmeal Cookies Rock!

My almost oatmeal cookies have been a hit today. I really like them and will definitely be making them again. They do take a while to make, but it is just the dehydration that takes such a long time. Making the dough is actually pretty quick and easy, and once they are in the dehydrator you don't have do anything except flip them. I guess what I am saying is that they were worth the effort.

Today Emma sang in the Nutcracker so we were very busy running back and forth to the performance hall for dress rehearsal this morning and the actual performance this evening. Her choir sang beautifully and were appreciated by all who were there. I am very, very tired tonight and have a million and a half things to do tomorrow so I turning in for the night. Sweet dreams!

Holidays: Preparing to Succeed

Three days and counting. Mom and Dad are driving here as we speak and should arrive within the next hour. We are all getting excited! Today the kids and I made white chocolate covered pretzels and some organic cookies. Those are some of their favorite treats. Then we made some treats for me. I made raw almost oatmeal cookies -- they are in the dehydrator as I type. I also bought lots of fruit and am ready for the holidays! Tomorrow I am making raw not-peanut butter cookies and raw brownies so we can leave some for Santa. I have been so much healthier that I do not want to fall off of the wagon because of a failure to prepare.

For one brief moment, all of the laundry is done and the house is clean. I am enjoying it while I can because Wayne and the boys will be home any minute and this moment will be over as soon as they walk in the door. Oh well, it was good while it lasted. They have been at a living creche tonight. Jake was a shepherd. Phillip loved petting the sheep, donkeys, and cows. Emma and I did not go because she had choir rehearsal since she is singing in the Nutcracker tomorrow. They practices with the symphony tonight and she was thrilled! It was neat for her to practice singing with the back-up of an orchestra -- she said she felt like a "real" singer.

The Whole Pizza

Wayne and I had the home made raw pizzas for dinner tonight. I must say, I did a good job! My pizza crusts weren't as pretty as Bliss', but they tasted just as good. I made pesto and raw pizza sauce and layered them on the crusts. Then I topped the pizzas with raw sun-dried olives, purple onions, and Roma tomatoes. They were pretty, but they looked pretty small. I was worried that we would still be hungry, but neither Wayne nor I could finish our entire pizza -- they were very filling! I will eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Wayne was worried because they didn't have cheese on them, but once he tasted it, he said he didn't miss the cheese at all.

Today I took the kids to North Park Mall in Dallas and we went to the model train exhibit. It was really cool, and the kids absolutely LOVED it, even Emma. The tracks and scenes were so elaborate. It doesn't cost much money and the proceeds go to The Ronald McDonald House. It was very well done. We also saw a very cute (and FREE) puppet show in the mall. I try not to take 3 children to the mall EVER, but especially when it is crowded, because it is a recipe for disaster. Not today, though, and let me tell you, the mall was not just crowded -- it was packed! Nevertheless, we had a very nice time. The SPCA also had a booth set up in the mall and played with all of the puppies. They really had some cute ones. My favorite breed is a mutt, and they had lots of those. We adopted both of our dogs from dog shelters and I am a huge advocate of shelter adoptions. If we did not already have two dogs, I may have brought one home. The pic is of one named Minnie. She looked like a little Clyde (one of our dogs).

By the way, Happy Winter Solstice. I can't believe that there are only 4 more days until Christmas.

A Green Smoothie Day

Today was a green smoothie day! I had one for breakfast and one for dinner. It always makes me feel good to eat good. Sometimes I think I am really hungry and that what really sounds good is a slice of pizza or an egg sandwich, but then I drink my smoothie and find myself fully satisfied. There are times when I make a deal with myself that I can eat whatever I think I am craving if, and only if, I drink my green smoothie first and find that I am still craving it. It always works.

The first was a spinach, mango, banana, orange. The second was kale, young coconut water and meat, orange and banana. I had a salad with dried cranberries, blueberries, figs, and pistachios on it. I realize I haven't been writing a lot about what I have been eating lately. I guess it is because I am getting so used to eating this way, that I don't think of it as being something different anymore. I did cook for the kids and Wayne today. They had roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic, black beans, and sugar snap beans. Oh, and I have been meaning to write about the pizza crusts that I FINALLY got around to making -- they turned out great! I have eaten part of one, but tomorrow night I m making homemade pizzas with them. Emma and Wayne liked it, and Jake thought it was okay. I a eager to try the whole pizza.

Got my Bliss On!

Today I finished my Christmas shopping. The kids and I went into town to finish up and I realized that we were near Bliss Raw Food Cafe' so we went there for lunch! It was so GOOD! I had coconut kale enchiladas. I know, it sounds not so good, but it was delicious! Even Jake liked it! Jake got a Vietnamese Pho Soup, and Emma ordered a Margarita pizza. We split some brownies for dessert. They put frosting on their brownies which makes them very chocolaty -- I need to learn how to make the frosting.

We wrapped presents all afternoon. One person would have to go out of the room so we could wrap their presents and then we would switch. Our children buy Christmas presents for us and each other with their own money so they get excited just thinking about each others' reactions will be when they open the present they gave them. Jake even adopted his own angel from the Salvation Army tree this year. They are like other children in that they would much rather spend my money than theirs, and complain about how expensive things are and if I would only give them 3 more dollars they could buy something really cool. However, it is good for them to stick to a budget, and to realize that it is not how much you spend that matters.

Precious Clarification & an Awesome Check-up!

My friend Catherine reminded me that not everyone loves the movie Precious as much as I did. She reminded me that it has been widely criticized for portraying light-skinned black people in a more favorable way than dark-skinned black people. It has also been criticized for portraying abuse and poverty as stereotypically "black" issues. While I understand the criticism and am glad that my friend brought it up, I stick with my initial review -- the movie is great and should not be missed! The fact that we are thinking about the issues, no matter which side you come down on is a good thing to me. For me, personally, the sex crimes committed in this movie did not speak about "black" issues. I wrote about two specific young girls the movie made me think about, one was a black girl from my sixth grade class, and one was a white girl from rural Georgia. We cannot ignore the fact that the victims of these crimes are most often women. That being said, we cannot ignore the fact that women of color are more likely (black and Latina women are at least twice as likely as white women) to experience poverty, and I believe the movie wanted to show that there are more crimes being committed against women than sex crimes, and that poverty is also a form of abuse. It was difficult for adults to first, understand, and then, to help Precious because of the extreme poverty in which they all lived. While many of the characters who helped Precious along her journey were lighter-skinned black people, Precious is definitely the heroine of her own story. She could not have been the heroine had it not been for those who helped her, and the movie shows the extraordinary power of people to love one another and to love the self. I believe that some people go through their entire lives and have no idea that crimes like these are being committed everyday. I believe there are others who live lives similar to Precious, and never know that life can be different. Both of these scenarios are horribly tragic; if Precious opens the hearts of just one person, then telling you all to see it will be worth it in my opinion. Anyway, I felt that I needed to clarify my review of the movie -- thank you Catherine, for your insight.

On a totally separate note, I went to the endocrinologist today and had my second excellent report! Eating raw continues to pay off! My doctor continues to be baffled by the fact that I have no dairy in my diet and my calcium levels are remaining within normal range -- he says I am peculiar.

Busy, busy, busy

Wow! It has been a whirlwind of a weekend! We had so much going on -- Christmas parties, finishing our shopping, dress rehearsals for Emma's choir performance, Phillip's Christmas play, Jake's lock-in, and a soccer game! We did not slow down at all. I was glad Monday was here so we could slow down a bit! We will really have to wait until tomorrow to slow down because tonight was Emma's choir performance; she sings in the Collin County Children's Choir. It was awesome (I am not just saying that because I am a mom, either) - check out the clip!

The kids and I are starting to plan menus for Christmas. Emma told me tonight I need to make the raw chocolate cherry brownies for Santa because they are her favorite, and she wondered whether Santa would even be able to tell that they were raw. She also asked me when there was going to be another raw food meet up because she wants to go. Of course we are going to make raw almond cookies and date-nut balls. That is a s far as we got, you can see we have our priorities straight -- dessert first! Good thing we have a week and a half to decide what else we are going to eat.

My friend Liz emailed this weekend and told me her good news -- normal blood pressure for the first time in a long time. She credits her raw diet with helping get her health on track. I am so very proud of her, and glad that I have been a part of helping her be the very best person she can be!

A Family Experiment

I did a little bit of Christmas shopping this afternoon. The stress is on the find the last few things. I am having HUGE envy of my friend Joshua who does not celebrate Christmas in the traditional, American way. His family has decided not to buy presents for one another, but just to enjoy being together. I REALLY like that! I mentioned it to Jake and Emma and they looked at me like, "We're not going to do that are we?"

While Christmas can get very hectic and totally out of control, I have to admit I do like shopping for that perfect gift for people on my list. It is too bad we have to do it all at Christmas. I always try and put a lot of thought into the gifts I give and it really helps me to feel closer to my friends and family. The key is to keep it all in perspective, though. Christmas is not about presents, cookies, and decorating. While those things can be fun to do, Christmas is about so much more than that and that is what we tend to lose sight of the fastest.

Today we participated in a family experiment. We did not turn on the television or play any video games for the entire day. It made for a very nice day! We read books and talked, and all three children played very nicely together for an ENTIRE hour! We had to be very intentional with keeping Phillip occupied, but he did well. I think Jake and Emma were quite surprised to learn that they could live without it. I think we will make this an ongoing experiment at my house!

BTW -- here is a pic of my loaded salad today.

Staying Warm

It is still Cold in Dallas, Texas -- 22 degrees tonight. It has been a little hard to eat raw because it is so cold outside. I have been making some warm green soup the past couple of days to help warm my bones. I don't know when I became such a wimp about the cold, but I definitely am wimpy! I write this sitting in my deluxe Snuggie. I love my Snuggie!

Tomorrow I get my new dishwasher! I am very excited! 20 years ago I never thought I would say that I was excited to get a dishwasher, but I am going to be one happy woman tomorrow! I may even hug the delivery guy's neck!

Today I got so busy with home schooling I neglected to make my pizza crusts. I just ran out of time. Somedays I do not know where the time goes. We get caught up in learning about Vikings or verbs and before I know it the day is over. I guess part of it was because we spent most of the morning at the dentist. No one had any cavities -- YEAH! I have to go back in January to have some old silver fillings replaced, which scares me to death, but I have some time to psyche myself up for my date with the dentist.

A little complaining followed by a lot of good news!

When we moved to Texas 2 years ago I thought I was moving to a warmer climate! Someone did not get the memo because it is downright COLD! Tonight and tomorrow night it will be in the low twenties with wind chills in the teens. Now, I know some of my readers live in northern and western climates that are much colder than a Texas winter, and you are all probably laughing at me about right now. But, seriously, my hat goes off to all of you! How do you do it? I am a winter wimp! If it is going to be this cold can't we at least have some pretty snow instead of gray drizzle?

Tomorrow I have to get up very early in the very COLD weather and go to the dentist, of all places. Those of you who know me well know that going to the dentist is my biggest fear. I can get shots from the doctor all day long, I can give birth to three babies, naturally, and I can convince myself to do lots of scary things, BUT the dentist -- you have to drag me in and stand there and hold my hand the entire time! It is scary. I have nightmares about the dentist, right there in my face, poking me with that little hook thing.

Okay, okay, okay... I have been complaining all night (it's the dentist worry thing). But now for good news! My speech went very well today! It was actually a lot of fun, and I enjoyed meeting some new friends. Another good thing - Wayne went to the grocery for me today (wait, there's more) and got all of the ingredients for me to try my hand at making raw pizza crusts in the dehydrator tomorrow. They will take a while to dry, so we won't be able to taste them tomorrow, but I am excited about making them! The kids and I will have fun doing that. This will be my first try at "cooking" something in the dehydrator. And I am also anticipating more good news -- tomorrow I have to repeat my labs (blood and urine tests) to monitor my kidneys and calcium levels, I am fully anticipating that my blood work will be completely normal once again. I believe my high raw diet is making all of the difference in my health. I feel so much better and I believe that is going to be reflected in my labs. I'll let you know when i get the results back!

A little extra "oomph"

Tomorrow I am giving a speech at a church here in Dallas, and I am a bit nervous. I am going to have a super duper green smoothie in the morning to get my motor running and give me that extra "oomph" I need. I am planning it already.

Today, the kids and I finished Canterbury Tales. They really liked it! It was fun. Tomorrow they are writing their own Canterbury Tale, so it should be interesting to say the least.

I am feeling myself starting to get a bit anxious about Christmas. It is closing in fast and I have so much to do. I feel like I was ready to get it all done at the beginning of November and held myself back thinking it was "too early," and now that it is mid- December I can't get myself going. Maybe my morning smoothie will help me in that department, too.

Wayne went to the Kiss concert here last night. He was so excited. He took his brother as an early Christmas present (he is a huge fan), but I don't know who had more fun! He must have called me 20 time telling me what cool thing they were doing. However, we are very tired! We did not get to bed until after 1:00 A.M. I couldn't sleep because I was waiting on him to get home, and then he told me all about it before we went to bed. Needless to say, I am holding my eyelids open as we speak and a green smoothie can only do so much.

Precious -- Definitely Worth Seeing!

Last night Wayne and I went to see the movie Precious. Wow! If Monique does not win an award for this movie, then something is BAD wrong with America. In fact, if this movie doesn't win multiple awards I will be surprised. Precious is an excellent movie. It will take your breath away. Yes, there are parts of this movie that are sad and very hard to watch; but make no mistake, this movie is also filled with hope and the triumph of the human spirit.

I could not help but think about a young girl that I went to middle school with in Nashville, Tn who had her second child in the sixth grade. She was in my class and must have been at least 3 years older than me. I also could not help thinking about a young girl that I saw as a physical therapist in Waycross, GA who had spina bifida. She was in the first grade and was in foster care due to molestation and rape by her father while her mother did nothing. Precious' story is the story of many young girls (and boys). I wish her story were an isolated event, but unfortunately it is not. The movie reminded me that my comfortable world is not so comfortable.

Anyway, please do not miss this movie! It is well worth your time, money, and thoughts!

Grocery shopping, weight loss stories, and hot yoga!

I went to the grocery today and stocked up on all my favorite fruits and veggies. I can't believe I am saying this, but it was actually fun! The kids were behaving and so many things looked good! I buy a lot of frozen organic fruit at Costco during the fall and winter and we went there first. The Vita-Mix demonstrator was there today doing his thing. He made a great drink -- 3 cups of grapes and a slice of lemon (peel and all). Jake and Emma couldn't wait to get a sample. We all liked it; needless to say we bought some grapes and lemons. I'll be making that again!

Today I saw a couple of people I haven't seen in several months. They were astonished at how much weight I have lost and wanted to know how much I have lost and what I have been doing to lose it. It felt so good to get such a reaction! I told them all I had done was become a raw vegan. We ended up having a 20 minute conversation about what kinds of things I eat and how much healthier I look and feel. One girls mind was ticking, I could tell she was considering it. It is such a joy to share my story with other people.

I am thinking about enrolling Jake, Emma, and I in a trial hot yoga class. They are willing and I am interested. My sister-in-law used to take a hot yoga class and she loved it! I am wanting some fitness for myself and some physical education for the kids. If you've ever participated in a hot yoga class I would love to hear from you about what you thought! I talked to a teacher this morning and she thought the kids could definitely do it. I will let you know what we decide.

Home Again!

We are home again, home again, lickety-split! We had a fun, but very quick trip to Nashville. Yesterday it rained most of the way drive back. All the rain made it seem like it took so long to get here because you couldn't keep track of the time by watching the sun. We were all very tired and went to bed early.

All in all, the trip went very nicely. My mom got a bit under the weather while we were there, and I did eat some things that I do not normally eat at home, but mostly just cooked vegetables and a cookie or two. I also had several very good raw meals while I was there as well. I think that my family (not mom so much, but dad and my brothers) still find it hard to believe I do not eat meat. They are all very supportive of my decision not to eat it, but they still think it is a bit strange.

Truthfully, it is a bit strange. I grew up having meat every day, and it is strange to sit down at the table with my family and not have meat. It is also strange not to want it, or even crave it. If you would have told me a year ago that I would no longer eat meat, I would have laughed in your face. I may have told you that you would be right, "when hell freezes over." Funny how fast life changes. Whether it is our diet, where we live, our jobs, or what we are choosing to do in the present moment -- life can change in the blink of an eye.

At times the changes seem overwhelming, and they are so very scary! Other times the changes are welcomed with open arms. Still others we tread into with equal amounts of hesitation and expectation. But, one thing I know for sure is that if we didn't have change life would be boring! Change lets us know that we are alive. It forces us to make choices to feel our minds ticking, our blood flowing, our our hearts thumping. Change forces us to move.