Is this week over yet?

Last night I crashed -- hard. Wayne's flight was delayed and I was desperately trying to stay awake until he got home, but was unable to do it. My eyes were so heavy and I was doing so pretty major head dives, even to the point of startling myself reminding me of high school algebra in Ms. Smith's class. I finally gave up and turned out the light. The dogs went to barking when he finally got home at about 12:30 and then I was awake, but in that drunken sort of, not making any sense way. I think Wayne was laughing at my slurred words, but I was glad to have him home. Hopefully we will all sleep better tonight.

Tomorrow starts a crazy weekend. Jake is in a play this weekend at church, a musical actually. He has performances on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon and night. I will be glad that it is over because there has been a lot of rehearsals. It will be fun to see Jake in the play -- he is not exactly the artsy type and I had to twist his arm a bit to get him to try it. I think he has enjoyed it, even if he would never admit it. Jake said the other night that putting on a play is a lot of hard work! So, if nothing else, he is gaining an appreciation for people who pour themselves into the arts.

In addition to the musical, Jake also graduates from Robotics I this weekend and Phillip has soccer of course. I am looking forward to getting some sleep next week. I am also hoping that we get a chance to go out with some friends of our next week to eat some spicy Indian food. I need a bit of adult time after this week.

By the way, I tried a recipe I got out of my Shape magazine on the kids tonight and they loved it so I thought I would share it because it is a rare thing when children ask for seconds of broccoli. I cut the florets off f the broccoli stalks and then sprinkled them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Then I roasted them for 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven. They all devoured it! I would never have thought to put nutmeg on broccoli. I had a taste and it was very good I must say! I try not to eat too much cooked food, but when I do, I make sure it is something good for me. Ordinarily I may have had a normal helping, but I am looking forward to that Indian food so I am saving for a "splurge."

Daily Schedule

My life has been so crazy today! I didn't sleep much last night. Wayne has been out of town this week and I feel like I am losing my mind. I was up late last night mostly just trying to fall asleep. When I turned out the light the weather people were sure we would have snow so I did not set the alarm.

7:00 woke up and looked out the window -- SHOOT (only not so nicely and with only 4 letters) there is no snow! Let the dogs out, feed them, give Clyde his medicine, and let the dogs out again.

7:15 Phillip is downstairs and wants to snuggle for a few minutes. Snuggle for 5 minutes and then throw him in the shower.

7:25 Wake up Jake and Emma and tell them we are running late there is no snow (I always wake them up by singing "good morning to you at the top of my lungs and horribly off key."

7:30 Get Phillip out of the shower and help him get dressed. Get him a bowl of cereal and a glass of almond milk. Turn on "The Magic School Bus" so I can get dressed.

7:45 I am now dressed and my hair has been dunked because I don't have time to take a shower. Jake and Emma are arguing over a tin can for a science project. Jake punches Emma (not hard, but she is crying for dramatic effect). Settle the fight and supervise their smoothie making.

8:00 Make Phillip's lunch for school and write him a note for his lunchbox -- he loves my letters. Clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher. Make my own green smoothie.

8:15 make Jake and Emma brush their teeth and start on math. Fix Phillip two pieces of toast.

8:30 Get Phillip's shoes, socks and coat on and we are out the door o the way to his preschool. Jake and Emma have their Latin and spelling in hand because we are going to get my allergy shot after we drop Phillip off. We quiz Latin in the car. Phillip eats apple slices on the way to school.

9:30 We are home again. Emma still has to finish her math. Jake starts on Grammar while I check his math. I answer several questions about adverbial phrases. When he finishes we go over his math and then I check his grammar making him correct mistakes.

10:00 Emma is finally done with math. We go over it together and she corrects her mistakes. She starts on Grammar (direct objects, again, ugh! -- lots of complaining). Jake is trying to write a report without doing an outline or draft and is getting frustrated because I keep telling him to start again. I finally make him do an outline. There is lots of complaining about the decision and I am tired. I tell him to start writing or his report will have to be twice as long.

11:00 Emma is finally finished with grammar, but she has missed more than half of the questions. We review the chapter AGAIN and she corrects all of the mistakes. I am probably not as nice as I should be about this, but she really isn't trying and I have had it. Wayne calls in the middle of all of this. It is not a good time.

11:30 We all need a break so we take one. LUNCH

12:00 We are back it. Jake is halfway through his outline and Emma is starting her report (her outline is already done.

1:00 Jake is finally ready to start typing, but so is Emma so now we are fighting over who gets to use the computer first. I say a quick prayer for patience. Jake gets the computer first and Emma finishes her history outline in the meantime.

1:30 I head out to pick Phillip up from school. I talk to my mom on the way. Now I am complaining. Am I good mom? Am I a good wife?

2:15 We walk in the door and Phillip is asking what he can have for a snack -- does this child ever stop eating? Jake is almost finished, but wants a snack, too. Emma doesn't want to be left out either. Everyone gets one cookie and a bag full of grapes.

3:00 I start on dinner. We have to eat early tonight because Emma has dance. Jake is finished with his report and shows Emma how to get her document started.

3:30 Phillip and Jake watch "Tom and Jerry." Phillip wants to sit wherever Jake is and Jake is almost 13 so he doesn't want anyone touching him! I try to read for a few minutes, but am very distracted. I unload the dishwasher.

4:30 Jake is setting the table and I am getting dinner on the table and drinks made. Emma hasn't made much progress, but I tell her she is done for the day. Everyone to the table for dinner.

4:35 Wayne calls, once again, very bad timing. I eat standing up while doing the dishes and talking to Wayne.

4:50 Emma has to get ready for dance and Phillip gets on his shoes, socks, and jacket. Give Clyde his medicine.

5:00 ask Jake to wipe down the table for me and take the trash out before Mimi comes to take him to his rehearsal tonight (since I can't be in 3 places at once). Emma, Phillip, and I leave for dance. On the way I make a split second decision to take Phillip to drop in day care since I have a parent swim meeting right after dance -- this turns out to be very wise.

5:30 drop Emma off and sit in Starbucks for 45 minutes reading my book. This is my only quiet time for the day. I even had a small cup of coffee.

6:30 Pick Emma up and we have a few minutes before the swim meeting. We run to the grocery to buy car magazines because Phillip has been in "school" for 100 days this Friday and has to make a poster of 100 things -- he wants to make a poster of 100 cars.

7:15 Emma and I are at the swim meeting. It is nice to see old friends. No one recognizes me from last summer because I have lost so much weight and cut my hair off (this makes me feel really good!). It is a long meeting.

9:10 The meeting is finally over and we leave to get Phillip. It is way past his bedtime. I am worried Mimi will make it home with Jake before I get home. I realize I put my phone down somewhere and run back to the meeting room to look for it. Find it -- run to the car to get Phillip.

9:30 We are home. I brush Phillip's teeth and get him ready for bed. He cries because I tell him no story since it is so late. We read a short story and then I tuck him in. Emma wants me to run to Walmart to get her some new toothpaste. I tell her to use mine and go to bed.

9:35 Jake walks in. Rehearsal was good. He gets ready for bed

9:38 Wayne calls. I talk for a few minutes but ask if I can call him back.

9:45 Jake and I chat for a minute and he goes to bed. I start blogging.

10:15 Wayne texts and wants to know if I am going to call him. What is that smell? Oh, it is me -- I just now realize I haven't had a shower today. I hope no one at the meeting noticed.

10:17 wrapping up the blog so I can call Wayne back.

Hopefully I will get to bed before 11:00?? We will see. Typical day.

more SNOW!

It is so cold here! Once again we are expecting snow tonight. I can't believe we are going to have snow AGAIN. If we get just 2 inches (which is expected) then there will be a new record for snowfall in north Texas. The kids are very excited, but I have to say that I am more like, "Enough already!" I am ready for some warm weather so we can ride our bikes and walk at the park. Not this week, but hopefully this will be the last of the winter weather.

This morning I had a new smoothie. It was red kale and dandelion leaves along with mangosteen and peaches. It was actually quite good! I wasn't sure -- it was more of an experiment, but I really liked it. I had a sprout salad from Whole Foods for dinner. It was also quite yummy. I also bought some Go Raw! chocolate cookies (I had never had those before) and they were very good! I think I may have to do some dehydration experiments to see if I can make some yummy snacks -- I'll keep you posted on that.

Phillip and I went to a kindergarten meet and greet at the public school today. He listened to a story and did an art project on polar bears. He seemed to really like it. Wayne and I are probably going to send Phillip to Kindergarten somewhere so that I can really work with Jake and Emma, but I don't know that it will be there. The school is very nice and I like it alright, but I want Phillip to be able to learn at his own pace and I really want him to be able to play and be a kid. I am not sure he can do that in a classroom full of kids. We will see. I am not ruling it out, we will definitely go to some of the library days before we decide what we are going to do.

Olympic Lessons

We were watching the men's Olympic ice skating tonight when Jake chimed in, "They need to zambonify that ice." I love it! It has really been fun watching the Olympics with the kids. I am amazed at how dedicated these athletes are. I am convinced they are master manifestors! Yesterday we watched Linsey Vonn visualize her gold medal run before she skied it. The kids were laughing at how funny she looked sitting there mimicking her run, but then they said, "Wow, visualizing works!" when she won. I have so much to learn from these athletes who put their all into what they do.

Imagine if we put our all into the things we do on a daily basis. This is so hard to do, and takes preparation and dedication. I know that for me, my life would be so different. This year one of my goals has been to work on being fully present. I knew it would be hard when I made the goal, but I didn't realize it would be as hard as it has been. My blog focuses a lot on eating, and being fully present when I purchase and consume my food has changed my life! That being said, being fully present applies to so much more than food. It applies to being with family and strangers, feeling heartache and joy, as well as my faith, and the daily chores of cleaning/laundry/ and taxiing my family. This is a goal I will be working on for quite some time.

Better Days

Today has been a much better day. Clyde has been tired, but well. Yesterday was so stressful and today was very low-key. Thank you -- I needed that!

I am so glad that I stuck with my health goals through all of that stress yesterday. I felt really good about myself and my decisions all day today. It made it that much easier to make good decisions about what I put in my mouth and how long I work out at the gym today. Each day builds on the day before it, and everyday it gets a little bit easier.

The kids and I made a trip to the grocery store for snack food. They picked out a bunch of bananas, a carton of apples, a box of oranges, and Healthy Choice fudge bars (I can live with that)! It was also a milestone reached and conquered in our house when Phillip ate an entire bowl of green salad at dinner this evening. I really do think he enjoys eating healthy. It makes me happy that they are making good choices. Phillip has changed his eating habits in so many good and positive ways! Emma will still choose anything fattening and sweet over something healthy EVERY time if you give her choice, but she knows how to make good choices and if I walk into a grocery store and let her choose a snack with mom-enforced boundaries she does not complain about it at all. Jake is and has always been my healthy eater. He was a vegetarian long before I was. I am just so proud of all of them.

A Difficult Day

Today has been a rough day. My Clyde-dog had a very large seizure this morning. He has been having seizures for a little more than two years, but they have been minor so we have just been monitoring them. The vet told us that could change and he might have to go on seizure prevention medication at some point, but it would be to Clyde's advantage to wait as long as possible to put him on the medication due to possible side effects. Unfortunately, we reached the medicine day today. Clyde had a seizure for over 10 minutes and was not responsive. They were able to give him some medicine to bring him out of the seizure activity, but said the risks outweigh the benefits at this point and that he definitely needs medication.

They kept Clyde at the vet all day, but let us bring him home this evening and he is doing well. We are trying to keep him as calm as possible. He has been wanting to run around and play though. His little face looks like it had about 100 more grey hairs. I was talking myself into being fine, but as soon as the vet started telling me about the medicine I just lost it.

I told Wayne I wanted to come home and eat a pound of chocolate or chips, but I did not. I never realized how much of an emotional eater I was until I started eating a raw food diet. I reminded myself that eating would not help me cope, and it certainly wouldn't help Clyde either. It was a difficult day. I feel good that I was able to remain true to myself. Please say some prayers for Clyde.

Feeding well

We took the kids to Fossil Rim today. It was so much fun -- I love going there. All of the zebras have had babies and they were so cute trying run around. They are much fuzzier than their parents. The moms would come right up to the car with their babies following right behind and nursing. Poor moms -- can't even get a moment to themselves (ha!). Seriously though, it was really neat to see. I also loved seeing all of the hills and valleys (not much but flat concrete where we live). It was nice to get my fill of nature for a day.

I have been struggling with my raw food diet over the last couple of weeks. I keep reminding myself that I am still doing pretty good -- approximately 60% raw. I know that 60%raw compared with this time last year (an occasional salad) is really good, but I also know that I do not look or feel as good as I did a month ago at 90 -95% raw. This weekend I have been doing some raw food reading and getting geared up and re-educated regarding raw foods. While I do not feel the need to be 100% raw anymore, a high raw diet really works for me.

I have also noticed that when I eat a high raw diet, my family also tends to eat better. I have never pushed my family to eat a raw diet. They are mostly vegetarian -- I don't cook any meat, but the occasionally have some if they eat out. But, when I eat healthy they do, too. I don't even have to say anything. When they see me eating a nice fruit salad or green salad they just want some, too. Funny how that works the same way candy or ice cream does.

Anyway, I went to Whole Foods this evening and have all the things I need to get myself back in gear. I miss having clear skin and energy galore. My mood has also been a bit sour since my raw intake went down, so I am sure my family will be glad to have me high raw again. My body is much smarter than my brain. It knows what it wants, now I just have to feed it well.

snow day

Wow -- it has been snowing here for over 14 hours straight! We are at 9 and a half inches and counting. North Texas has passed a record today for snowfall in one day. It is absolutely beautiful, but is starting to get a little dangerous now. The snow is great packing snow and there have been some really awesome snowmen and snow-women. It makes great snowballs and the snow angels weren't bad either. Jake, Emma, and Phillip had so much fun playing in it today, especially Phillip. While he has seen snow, he has never seen it like this before.

Many people are without power, but we still have ours, thank goodness. Tonight it will freeze and tomorrow morning will be very nasty, but it won't stay long. It is supposed to be in the 40's tomorrow, so after about 11:00 in the morning we won't have much to deal with anymore. That is Texas weather for you. I can't even begin to imagine what all our friends and family in the Northeast are dealing with! 9 and a half inches is a lot of snow -- Wayne's family in DE has about 4 times that much.

I am worth it!

The sun was out today and it sure helped to improve my mood! It was still pretty cold, but nice to have some UV rays to go along with the cold. It is so hard for me when it is just grey outside. North Texas winters are notorious for being grey. The upside is that we don't have 3 feet of snow, though.

My brother and sister-in-law are coming into town this weekend to house shop. I am very excited to see them and their three lovely children. We are hoping to take them to Bliss, our favorite raw food restaurant. My brother is chef, so I want to show him some "gourmet raw food" since all he's ever encountered has been at my house. What he will eat there will be a little different than what he gets at my house -- salad, vegetables, guacamole, etc. I am interested to see what he thinks. We will be celebrating his wife, Heather's birthday so it will be great fun -- she is one cool lady!

I am dreaming about a raw food retreat -- ALONE. I am craving some personal space time. I am wondering if any of you are aware of low cost retreat options. I would like to recharge my batteries and spend some time refocusing on why this lifestyle is so important to me. Health is such a funny thing. When I take a step back from it all, it is almost humorous that we find all find it so difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle despite the fact that we know how good it is for us, and in my case, have experienced the enormous difference it can make. It is a constant struggle to stay healthy and anyone who tells you it is not is just plain lying. The key is that we know why we strive for it. The very first reason on everyone's list should be "because I am worth it." When I forget this, and occasionally I do (more often than I would like to admit -- a side effect of having three kids, a husband, and a lifetime worth of lessons on how to put myself last), I bring out my trusty old mantra and remind myself over and over and over, "my body is my temple." I am worth it! Life is short and I want to live every minute that I can knowing that I can enjoy it to the very best of my ability, so staying healthy is definitely a big part of being able to enjoy life.

Renewed Interest in my Raw Green Lifestyle

I don't know if this happens to you or not, but I have been noticing how much easier it was for me to eat a completely raw diet when I was sick and felt like "crap" than it is now that I feel so much better. You would think that I would realize that eating and feeling good and directly related, but I am a little hard headed. Needless to say I have noticed a big shift in my mood, how tired I am, and even just how I generally feel since I've been letting myself slip a bit (damn that cheese).

I am thankful to know that my body knows what it needs and what it likes, even when I don't (or don't want to). I guess my general malaise and facial pimples are my body's way of reminding me that I need to treat it like the temple I know it is. After my surgery I realized just how important it is to take care of myself. It is interesting to me that when I take care of myself physically, emotional and spiritual wellness follow. Needless to say I have renewed interest in my raw green lifestyle. Here's to feeling better soon!

Good to be Home

Back to reality -- we have had cold rain all day long in Texas. It has made me miss the warm breezes and sunshine of the Bahamas. Oh well. It is just weather. I have really enjoyed being with the kids today. Relationships are so much more important than weather.

Jake, Emma, and I did a really neat experiment today (we actually began it a couple of weeks ago) on how salt beds form. We dissolved some salt in a bowl full of water and waited for it to evaporate and then observed how the salt formed on the sides and bottom of the bowl. We even took some samples and put them under the microscope. It was fun because they both just lit up with enthusiasm and questions.

Then when I picked Phillip up from school we came home and they all painted pictures while I prepared dinner. Phillip is my abstract impressionist, Emma is my cartoonist, and Jake is my realist. All of their paintings are beautiful. That is something I would have missed if we were still in the Bahamas.

I am coming off of vacation mode and boy, is it hard! I wanted to sleep s badly this morning, but I got up and taught The Crusades anyway. When I was in school I hated learning about The Crusades. I remember thinking it was one of the most boring things ever! However, this time around, it has been really fun. We watched an excellent documentary that The History Channel did several years ago, and read a few very interesting books. It was fun listening to Jake and Emma ask me if I knew that people listening to Pope Urban II's speech (to encourage and ultimately begin the first crusade) responded with, "It is God's will." Also, I must say that Salladin was a very interesting person. I might just have to research him a little more for my own sake.

Anyway, it is nice to be back to my daily ritual of green smoothies. This morning I had spinach, blueberry, orange, mango. By the way, I don't think I wrote about seeing Paul Nison speak before we left for the Bahamas. I really liked him and everything that he had to say! He was very informative. He has a very balanced approach to eating raw foods so if you are someone who is interested in learning more about raw foods, he would be a great resource!

I am going to bed early tonight to see if I can get some good rest and wake up tomorrow ready to hit the ground running. I have got to get out of this sluggish mode! Sweet dreams!

Bahama Mama!

Home again, home again! Wayne and I had such a good time in the Bahamas! We went to Nassau, which was a lot busier and more metropolitan than I imagined. Even so, it was absolutely beautiful! At the straw market, I met a new friend, Walter, who was an absolute jewel. He sells sea shells in the straw market and was pure joy to be around. If you ever go to Nassau and see him, please tell him hello from me. Wayne and I try to buy souvenirs that support the local economy and artisans. You also meet the nicest people that way!

We took a day trip out to a private island (only 5 people live there) and it was breath-taking! I fed sting rays and snorkeled in shark infested waters over the reefs. At first I wasn't going to do it. I was so nervous and scared! But then I talked myself into it somehow. I just thought, "this may be a once in a lifetime experience, am I really going to let this pass me by?" Even as I was walking into the water with my snorkel gear on I was thinking I was crazy for doing it. My heart was racing what felt like a million miles an hour. If you have ever snorkeled then you know once your face is in the water the only things you can really hear is yourself breathing and your heart pounding. I was literally talking to myself to slow down and take deep breaths. I am so happy that I did not miss it! Seeing the reefs was like seeing another planet, mysterious and mystical. It was scary, but worth working through the fear.

I also had the BEST pina colada I had ever put in my mouth! It was so YUMMY! (We let our hair down a little bit.) We walked all over the city so I got lots of exercise. Plus it was very easy to eat vegetarian, and even vegan as they have lots of fruits and veggies. We toured churches, local markets, beaches, Atlantis (which was incredible and uncomfortable), and even pirate museums. Wayne and I spent a lot of quality time together and had a blast just lazing around in a hammock on the beach for an entire afternoon!

I am so thankful for my parents who came and stayed with the kids so we could go, and for Wayne's mom who helped get the kiddos where they needed to go on Saturday when everyone had something scheduled at the same time. Without them, Wayne and I would never have been able to do this trip.