Approaching the School Year with Reluctant Eagerness

Summer break is coming to a close all too quickly. While part of me longs for the return to routines and schedules and the busyness of all of the extra curricular school year activities, part of me is dragging my feet. I will miss lazy mornings, jumping in the pool just because it is hot outside, fresh tomatoes and peaches, reading good books, and just plain old playing with the kids.

Since I home school we have the flexibility to start school whenever we want and believe me, I have strongly considered not starting until after Labor day, but I have to admit there is something about "knowing what I am going to do each day" that is attractive to me. I also love the way newly sharpened pencils and fresh clean notebook paper smell. There is an excitement in putting together new notebooks and opening the boxes that contain all our school materials for the year. I always get a kick out of watching Emma's eyes grow big as she looks ahead toward the sentences she will be masterfully diagramming by the end of the year.

Planning ahead is not only for school work, though. The schedule of the school year also forces me to be very intentional about planning my meals and snacks throughout the day. This year it will be even more so as Jake and Emma are taking a couple of classes outside the home that I will have to be out and about during times I would normally be at home. We are planning fresh fruit and vegetable options, and it is time to get my dehydrator revved up again. If you know any good raw food dehydrator recipes, especially for bars and such, please pass them along to me.

To update you on other things That happened this summer: I finished my five month boot camp at the beginning of this month. It was quite the commitment -- 6 days a week for an hour a day at 5:30 in the morning. I learned lots of ways to get protein as a mostly raw vegan, and I have a little 4 pack to prove it. While I have enjoyed having most of August off I am considering doing it again. I gained such a sense of accomplishment by committing to the regimen, and I feel as though my body has responded amicably. It is hard for me to believe that it was just three years ago that I was was overweight, lethargic, and very sick. Today, I feel like a picture of health and energy thanks to a change in intake philosophy. A raw diet and exercise have indeed changed my life!

Jake, our 13 year old, went to Scotland and Northern Ireland and had the time of his life! He rally enjoyed it. It was interesting to me that he said tings such as, "Mom, you wouldn't believe how quiet it was there," or "My favorite time was the time I spent hiking the mountain alone." When his grandmother asked him what was the most important thing he learned after thoughtful consideration he said, "I learned that no matter where you live in the world all people build their own kinds of fences." I am so glad that we made some sacrifices so that he could have that opportunity.

Emma and Jake had an excellent swimming season! They both went to "A regionals" and Jake even qualified to swim in the state competition, doing better than he ever thought he could do. It was so much fun to watch them excel. Phillip also learned how to really swim this summer, in large part, due to his sister teaching him everything she knows. He has become quite the fish.

Wayne's work is going well and we have just enjoyed spending time with each other and our family this summer. His mother and my parents both came to visit at different times, and it was a nice to be with them. I did some itinerant preaching in mostly small, country churches this summer which was very refreshing. I also read several good books, including Infidel and Eat, Pray, Love, both of which I highly recommend. Unfortunately, my tomato plant only produced 2 tomatoes, but that is 2 more than last year. I will keep trying this thumb of mine, hopefully one day it may get a green tint. Until then thank God for the Farmer's Market and Whole Foods!

Alive and Kicking!

I can't believe it has been since April that I last wrote! I have had so many irons in the fire I lost track of time. If you are a parent, you know all about the end of the school year hustle and bustle. We had dance recitals, and dance pictures, T-ball games, and T-ball pictures, Kindergarten graduation performances, and kindergarten pictures, and Chorus concerts, and, you guessed it, chorus pictures. My parents visited. Wayne's mom visited. All of that was quickly followed by Jake's trip to Scotland which was much harder on me than I would like to admit. I stood in the airport waving goodbye and crying my eyes out (something I had promised myself I wouldn't do).

I don't think I slept by a couple hours a night the whole time he was gone. The good news is I was very productive! I have been working on editing 2 books for a very good friend of mine, and I was able to complete that (They are very good books and I will be talking it up as it gets closer to publish date). I was able to write a few sermons and I preached a few times. I carted Emma and Phillip back and forth to summer camps and swim practices. I went o the doctor and to the dentist. I dug in at boot camp and worked my butt off. The time went by quickly and Jake is back home now. He had the time of his life! I am so glad we let him go -- he seems to have grown up so much!

Speaking of boot camp -- I am in the home stretch -- only 1 month left. I feel so good! I will be posting pics soon. It has been very challenging, but very rewarding! I have even donned a bikini in public this summer, and I am down to a size 6. But boot camp is not all about the exercise; it is also about fueling your body. My mostly raw diet has provided me excellent fuel and results! The only problem is that I feel like I eat all day long! I eat enormous amounts of fruits and veggies all day long to ensure that I get the proper caloric intake. I am definitely not one to skip a meal!

I am enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of summer so very much! I think I have eaten the best watermelon I have ever put in my mouth this summer. The heirloom tomatoes are so delicious and I have even had a couple from my own backyard. My tomato plant is still alive -- that is quite an accomplishment for me! The cherries and blueberries have been so sweet and juicy! And I love the local peaches, squash, and green beans.

I hope you like the new look of the blog and will continue to follow me on my journey toward reclaiming my health and my life!

Day at the Park

Today Jake and Emma went and studied in the park. It was a lot of fun! Jake was reading a book on Marco Polo and Emma was learning about Marie Antoinette. We had just picked the books up at the library and the kids were complaining about having to read them (they were too long and boring). However, after about ten minutes of reading they started piping up asking me, "Did you know that Marco Polo.....," or "Marie Antoinette was in prison for....." It was pretty cool that they were getting into their books. I wish we could study in the park every day -- it just makes all of the senses so much more alert and alive!

We took a picnic lunch and I had a wonderful salad with the season's best tomatoes -- so YUMMY! They were little yellow tomatoes -- I don't remember what they were called, but they were so sweet. I also had some goji berry trail mix (walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds, and raw sunflower seeds) and a pink lady apple (pink ladies are my favorite -- they have just the right amount of tart and sweet).

Summer is right around the corner and I have many inquiries as of late about a raw food lifestyle. I think many people are just trying to get in better shape for summer, but some are wanting something more from their foods. If you want to see what really living feels like then give it a try. Live raw foods will make your body and mind ready for living!

Excellent Spring Weekend

I have had a difficult time getting going today. Wayne was out of town all weekend so I missed my weekend and Monday came too soon for me this morning. I forced myself to get out of bed when the alarm went off at 4:45 this morning. I am glad I did, because by the time I finished at the gym I already felt a little better just knowing I had accomplished something.

I did a little experiment this weekend and ate lots more raw foods because my face was breaking out. Guess what, it significantly cleared up! I wish I would have taken a before and after picture. My body just agrees with raw foods. I know what works for it and I am going to stick with that.

The kids and I had fun this weekend, even though we missed Wayne. We were very active. We went on a 4 mile bike ride at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve and a 2.5 mile hike at the Heard Museum of Natural Science. It was a beautiful spring weekend for being outdoors. Phillip also had 2 soccer games. Needless to say I am exhausted and now it is only Monday! Off to bed for me!

Goodbye Body Fat!

We measured body fat today at boot camp. It is my fourth week and I have lost 4.5% body fat! I am so excited! I did not really expect it to be that much. My trainer told me not to expect such a significant drop every time (we measure every 4 weeks), but I am quite happy with the results so far. One thing that is slightly difficult is that I have actually gained several pounds. I do not want to get hung up on the scale, though. My trainer reminded me that I am gaining lean muscle and bone density (very important for someone with calcium issues). I know he is right, and honestly, the weight isn't as important as feeling healthy and fit. I really do feel as though I have much more energy throughout the entire day. Wayne says he can tell a big difference.

My trainer also said he is not used to seeing someone drop so much body fat in such a short time. I think that has a lot to do with my diet. I am eating mostly raw protein from plant sources (Pea Protein, Hemp Protein, and Source of Life Raw Protein, and raw seeds/nuts) and occasional fish. That being said, the majority of my diet is still raw fruits and vegetables -- probably 80%. I am starting to feel like the outside is beginning to reflect the strong woman that I am on the inside. It feels good!

Raw food diet and Exercise

Every morning before we begin our workouts at boot camp we go around and say what we ate the day before. Needless to say I am eating MUCH differently than everyone else. I have noticed that they all eat lots of processed foods such as protein shakes and bars. My list is much more food, all natural, unprocessed foods, mostly raw, and I am still eating way less calories. One of the hardest parts of this has been hitting my calorie minimum. I am eating so much food! We go around and they get to me and I am listing things like 2.5 cups of kale, 2.5 cups of spinach, 3 oranges, 2 bananas, 2 apples, almonds, cashews, raw protein, green smoothie, etc. Needless to say almost everyone is curious to know why my diet is so different.

The workouts are very hard. My gluts are so sore -- still! Every day I just get up and do it again telling myself, "Tiny hiney, tiny hiney," the whole time. It is getting a little easier, though. I am starting to feel like a can tell a difference in my strength and endurance, and I feel energized throughout the day. That part is really fun!

The tweenager curse

Today was Jake's actual birthday and he woke up early this morning throwing up. He continued throwing up until about noon. He was pitiful! Welcome to being a teenager. I felt so sorry for him. He seems to be feeling much better this evening but he has eaten only a banana and a dozen Saltines today.

I have been threatening to put a curse on Emma all day, the "I-hope-you-have-one-just-like-you-when-you-grow-up" curse. Yesterday she "cleaned" her room for several hours. This morning I went up to her room and it was a disaster area! I looked under her bed and stuff was just crammed under there. I thought I was going to lose it for a moment. Then I remembered the curse. It worked for my mom, and I know what that means. It means that Emma's room might finally be clean when she grows up and has a family of her own and then she will be hounding her own daughter to clean her room.

On a totally separate note, my trainer thinks I eat the strangest things! He is like, "What the heck is a green smoothie? or a raw spirulina bar?" But, it is paying off! I have lost a little over 5% body fat since I started my early morning boot camp. He was quite impressed. Heck, I was quite impressed! It feels good to be getting some tone and definition again. I enjoy working out every morning because it is the one thing I do every day that is just for me. One more added benefit -- I am sleeping like a baby and have more energy throughout the day. Yes, some days it is hard to rollout of bed at 4:45, but I just think of the payoff and I am able to do it.

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!

Summer smoothies, swimming, and bikinis

Today it was warm again, but kinda rainy all day so we couldn't go to the park. Having a summer smoothie was the next best thing. We broke out some fruit we had frozen from the summer and made some wonderful freestone peach, blueberry, banana, spinach smoothies. They were very good and it was a nice treat to have some "summer" fruit.

Jake and Emma started swimming lessons today. They swim competitively in the summer and take lessons during the school year to keep up their skills, but last semester they took a break from swimming. When Emma went to put on her bathing suit it barely fit! I didn't realize how much she had grown in just a few months, but we got out the measuring stick and she has grown about three inches. Jake has passed me already, and Emma is close behind. Pretty soon I will officially be the shortest person in my family, which is saying a lot because I am not short. I am 5'9". It is strange to think of myself as being the shortest. They are growing up right before my eyes.

All of that thinking of Emma needing a new suit made me start thinking about the Bahamas. Good thing, because I hadn't even thought about trying on my bathing suit. I dug the bathing suits from last year out of my drawer and tried them on and they were way too big! This is definitely a blessing, but the curse is that I have to find a bathing suit I can wear in the next nine days. Let the great bathing suit hunt begin! Maybe, just maybe, I will be brave enough to wear a bikini this year. Wish me luck!

my core raw foods

I was on another raw food website today where someone had posted that every raw fooder should have 15 - 20 core items that they eat on a regular basis. I had so much fun reading everyones' responses. It gave me ideas about what new things I might consider adding to my diet. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy reading some of the things I usually always have on hand: 1. trail mix (I like mine with several different kinds of nuts and seeds, gogi berries, apple sweetened dried sour cherries or cranberries) 2. salads with LOTS of colorful veggies (red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, radish carrots, avocado, sprouts, and I even like nuts and dried fruit on them) 3. Green smoothies EVERY DAY -- LOTS! 4. Fruit salad 5. Nut butter with an apple 6. raw vegetable "sushi" 7. raw "spring rolls" 8. zucchini pasta with raw "tomato sauce" 9. Go Raw! bars 10. Hail Merry Chocolate tart 11. veggies with dip 12. raw date cookies 13. home made guacamole with yellow squash "chips" 14. raw taco lettuce wraps 15. young coconut mixed with almost any kind of fruit 16. almond milk 17. cucumbers, red onions, apple cider vinegar (with the mother), and fresh dill 18. green juice 19. kale (love it!)

Back in the Raw!

The holidays proved to be a pretty difficult time to stay high raw. Like many of you, I struggled to stay on my high raw diet. My body definitely felt the difference. While I still ate healthy and vegetarian, I was tempted by the cheese and the sweets. Needless to say, my percentage of raw foods dropped significantly. I felt it in my energy level, my skin blemishes, and bloating. There have been so many times in my past where I broke a diet thinking it would be just for a night or a week. If you are like me, it is easy to get stuck in a cycle of "eat bad, feel bad, rationalize that you have already blown the diet, eat more, feel even worse, rationalize..." I did not want to get stuck in the SAD rut. However a raw food diet is not the typical diet.

I found other diets were hard for me to maintain because I did not feel very good while I was doing them. I tried many ways to lose weight in my past, including The Zone, The South Beach Diet, Slimfast, and yes, even Atkins (I am ashamed to admit some of those, but it is the truth). Desperate people do desperate things. Anyway, all of theses diets made me cranky, hungry, and tired. My skin did not improve, either. However, a raw diet is completely different. Although I thought I wanted some of our traditional goodies, once I ate them I could immediately feel the difference in my body. I longed for my green smoothies! I was able to rationalize that if I did not like the way my food was making me feel, "the only way to get out is to change." And this time I knew exactly what would help me feel better! The last few weeks I have been revving up my raw diet again and kicking it into gear.

This morning I noticed my energy level has returned, my stomach is flat again, and my skin is clear. It is amazing to me how quickly and efficiently the body can work when we don't obstruct it. I am very glad to be back in the raw! The five pounds I gained are history and I learned that sweet and creamy didn't taste near as good as I thought it would.

Laundry Warrior

We resumed our home school cooking program tonight. Emma made home made vegetable minestrone. She and Jake had their braces tightened this morning so were in the mood for soft food. I sampled it, and must say that it was very good! We had a little ingredients mishap, but recovered nicely. She was supposed to have a can of diced tomatoes, but we did not have any. Instead we added some tomato sauce, some sun-dried tomato paste, and diced some fresh tomatoes -- it was a very tasty substitution. Phillip was claiming he wasn't going to eat it and that he didn't like soup with vegetables in it the entire time Emma was preparing it, but he ate almost all of it. I gave her meal a 4.5/5. (She wanted to make sure I was going to post her picture, too!)

I made some delicious juices today, too! This morning I had spinach, carrot, and apple juice (1 red delicious and 1 granny smith). Later this afternoon I made kale, pineapple, cantaloupe, kiwi, grape. I had all the fruit left over from a fruit salad I made earlier this week so I just threw it all into the juicer. It is amazing to me how filling juice can be.

I have had lots of energy today thanks to all of my juices -- they have enabled me to be the "laundry warrior." I must have done 15 loads of laundry today. Seriously, I do not know how that much laundry creeps up on me! I wonder if I am the only mom who must do laundry marathons so that her hildren will have something to wear tomorrow.

Loving Life

I did not fall off the face of the earth this weekend, thing have just been crazy busy! They are starting to settle down a little bit, but the next few weeks are a little busier than usual.

We were driving down the street today and Jake looks and me and asks, "Mom, can we read more of The Inferno today?" Need I say more? His words were music to my ears! This weekend he finished the last of the series The Chronicles of Narnia, too. Tonight he was searching amazon.com for another book or book series to read in his free time (We read a book together, like The Inferno, as a part of school, but the kids also have a book of their choosing to read on their own.) If you have any suggestions for an almost 13 year old boy, please let me know. I sent him to bed with The Pearl and Bless the Beasts and the Children. We'll see which one he chooses.

Yesterday I took Jake and Emma to see Bodies, The Exhibit in Dallas. If you haven't heard of this, it is an exhibit of real human bodies that have been dissected and then coated with a polymer. The bodies are "posed" like they are throwing frisbees, giving a high-five, etc., and you can walk around them 360 degrees. In addition they have individual body parts as well like lung, the hear, the kidneys and CT scans. The exhibit is spectacular! I took gross anatomy in college, but this was even better. Maybe that is partly because I don't have the stress of actually doing the dissections or making the grade, but it was also because the bodies weren't laying on platform and they were displayed in different planes. Jake and Emma had the "gross factor" at first, but they warmed up quickly and I they ended up really enjoying it! The room that showed fetal development was their favorite. If you get the chance to see this exhibit, I think it is in several cities, GO!

The exhibit was really aimed at promoting health as well. It showed diseased hearts, arteries, etc., and had displays about smoking, drugs, alcohol, and fat. I couldn't help but thinking that less than a year ago I was 40 pounds heavier than I am right now. I feel very blessed to be healthy now. I feel very blessed to have found the raw food lifestyle. It has literally changed my life, and maybe even saved it!

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.

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 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.

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!

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.