S.A.H.M.'s Little Customers

As I sit here in my dirty, dirty house wishing my 3 beautiful children would be whisked away by a Mary Poppins type for a week so I could catch up on the laundry, dishes, scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting, organizing, planning, shopping and on and on and on!!!!!!!!!! I'm just so tired of being INTERRUPTED when I'm trying to accomplish a task! Then I remember something that an old boss of mine gave us to help with customer service. It helped put things in perspective for me in that workplace and I realized today they could help me put things in perspective here in my home (aka my new workplace). Here it is below, I substituted the words "children" for "customers" and where appropriate:

A. Our children (and husband) are the most important people we know.
B. They are not an interruption of our work, they are the purpose of it.
C. Our children are the reason for our being here at home.
D. They are not cold statistics, rather, they are human beings.
E. Children are not to argue with - but to help.
F. Children are persons who come to us for assistance in filling their needs.
G. Children are deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment we can offer.
H. Children are the ones who make it possible for us to earn our salaries (heavenly salaries, that is).
I. Children (along with us and our husbands) are the lifeblood of our home.

I want to put a copy of this on my fridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know what? I think I'll do just that!

How are you doing on your "customer service" today? Frankly, I'm stinking at it at the moment but I aspire to do better!

Here's what I want to know.............

Unless you've been living under a rock you know that our economy is in big trouble. Here's my question (coming from a totally un-economic mind): all I keep hearing is we have to get the "credit flowing again", "free up the flow of credit", etc, etc. Now, I know that our family's goal in our personal budget is to get rid of debit so why is it a good thing to make it possible for our economy to run on credit again? It's also my understanding that the 700 billion dollar Bail Out Plan was to BORROW money from China to get our country running on credit again. Does this sound crazy to anyone else???? It's like paying credit cards with credit cards. Sounds like a bad idea to me. Why are we trying to free up imaginary money? That's how I see credit for the spender, imaginary money. Of course to the lender credit is not only real money but it's income through interest. Hmmmm, paying more interest as a country and spending money we don't have................doesn't sound like a good idea to me. But then again, what do I know?

God Bless the Public School!

My boys attend a year-round school schedule and I love it however, when they are on a school break, I reach my breaking point towards the end just about every time. And we are on our last week before they go back and I HAVE HAD IT!!!!!! I feel like taking them school tomorrow morning and BEGGING the Principal to take them back early. I adore my boys so I feel totally guilty wanting them to "go away" for 6 hours a day. It's just so hard to keep 2 active boys entertained all day and get all the laundry, shopping, cleaning, etc done. I feel guilty when I'm not providing them with ample educational activities during their vacations. I feel like we should be baking our own bread, making a model of the solar system and visiting all the local points of interest. I started this break with great gusto. We went to the park every day, baked our own granola bars (they were gross!), went to the Sacramento Kids Space Museum, did some math activities on the computer and read books together. But I have no time to myself to regenerate and so I'm petering out. They watched 3 hours of TV this morning and I STILL got nothing done. DH says "Make 'em work, have them help you with your chores." Yeah, if your a mom (I don't know who else reads this but moms) you probably just laughed at that. It takes at least twice the energy to get them to do things as it does to do it myself. Not to mention at ages 6 & 8 there isn't much they can do without at least some of my help. So that really isn't a solution to uncomplicated my day.

Right now, as I type this DD has a cereal box tipped over and is eating out of it, Monkey is clamoring around upstairs doing who only knows what. He is wearing only a pair of shorts since I need to do laundry and he's out of underwear and shirts. Bear is running around in his underwear with his blanket off his bed tied around his neck shouting something about being "Captain Underwear". At least he's being creative with the clean clothes deficit around here. My sink is full of dishes, the bathrooms are getting a bit gross, I haven't showered in 2 days, etc, etc, etc. And I'm sitting here frozen on my computer. I have such a hard time doing anything around the house when there is chaos around me. I like to have things fairly mellow when I work. Not totally quiet but not raucous either! Not really a good quality for a SAHM.

Okay, enough whining. They go back to school on Monday and this weekend I get to "get away" from it all for a bit. DD and I are flying up to visit my Dad and Grandma in WA state. My sis is flying in from PA so I get to see her too. My Grandma will be 90 next Feb but she's not doing well so my sis and I wanted to visit her asap. I'm really looking forward to the break from the boys. (Ouch, that hurts to write and I will feel guilty about it for the next 10 minutes).

Well, signing off from deep in the bowels of SAHMdom. It's not always like this but on days like today I think about going back to work full-time.

The Finish Line!

Midnight last night marked the end of my 21-days on a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free diet!!!!! I made it!!! I actually made it 21-days! The only time I cheated was when I was feeding DD some yogurt and I licked a drop off my finger. But that was an accident, just a habit. I'm proud of the fact that I ate well for 21-days but I'm more proud of the fact that I just did it all the way up into the very end. You see I typically give up early when I'm doing something challenging. A couple of years ago DH and I did a fasting cleanse for 5 days. It was great, I loved it but I gave up 1/2 way through day 4. I always quit right before the finish line and so I was hell-bent and determined not to do that this time. I also always rationalize things when I'm trying to follow someone else's plan. Like when I did Weight Watchers, I would follow it sort-of but I would rationalize all kinds of stuff, "just this little bit over my points won't hurt." So not to overly celebrate here but I DID IT! I DID EXACTLY WHAT THE PLAN WAS FOR EXACTLY HOW LONG I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO IT FOR! YEA!!!!

Last night at midnight I made a grilled cheese sandwich and it was the best I've ever eaten. And in the spirit of full disclosure, I had a little bit of ice cream. The food really did taste good, better than usual. I think my taste buds were dead. My coffee this morning was outrageously good. I tasted things in it I've never tasted before. The flavors were much more complex. And I only drank one cup and was satisfied instead of my usual 3 cups. Last night I was really hungry at midnight and that grilled cheese sandwich was totally satisfying. I ate about 1/8th of the amount of ice cream I would usually eat. So in a nutshell I think I reached my goal of gaining control over food. Now how to keep it.................................

I've been reading up on a way of eating called "Traditional Foods". It's like the opposite of how I was eating but when I read the articles and research it resonates with me. It's a high animal fat (primarily) grain-fed, free range, organic animals), raw whole milk, tons of organic veggies, legumes and fruit, low on grains (and it focuses on sprouted grains), low to no sugar diet. So it's kinda low carb but not really. It boasts itself as a "nutrient dense" diet. It's based on research by a Dr. Weston Price http://www.westonprice.org who studied the diets of healthy indigenous people all over the world. I'm a bit nervous about it for two reasons: one, it advocates eating a lot of foods that have been demonized by popular opinion for the past 2 decades and two, it sounds expensive!!!!! But I read a couple of weight loss stories (one guy lost 130 lbs on this diet!!!) and I've been posting messages on discussion boards about how to do this on a moderate budget. I've gotten some good info on how to do this diet and not spend you whole paycheck at the store. The other downside is it's a lot of work but I figure it's worth it if it really has all the health benefits that the Weston Foundation claims.

Almost everyone whose posts I've read on discussion boards says you ease into this diet. It you clear your kitchen and go out and buy all this approved food you will break the bank and overwhelm yourself. I started small today by throwing out my white sugar and flour and replacing it with raw cane sugar and whole wheat flour (we'll get to sprouted grains eventually). I did pick up some raw milk cheese and I HAVE NEVER TASTED SUCH DELICIOUS CHEESE IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, anyhow, I'm going to quit obsessing over diet on my blog posts but I'll keep you posted on how TF (Traditional Foods) is going and if I'm actually losing weight on it or not. Thanks to all who supported me while I did the 21-day thing. Your words of encouragement were very helpful!!!!!

In the Home Stretch.............

Day 16 of my 21-day diet. It's actually getting tougher, rather than easier. Mostly ME WANT JAVA!!!!!!!!! I miss coffee in the worst way. And I am increasingly hunkering for something sweet. Just a little piece of chocolate would be enough (or at least that's what I tell myself). I'm still enjoying what I'm eating. I had a wonderful stir-fry over brown rice last night (see recipe below). It was filling and delicious. My sweet tooth kicked in after dinner and I satisfied it somewhat with some cantaloupe. The food is still good and I do find that I'm mostly tempted to stray when I'm hungry. Once I've eaten it's much easier to forgo foods on the "no-no" list.

I must say I LOVE not having that "bloated-I-ate-way-too-much" feeling. I do feel more alert mentally and I continue to have more energy. However, I am still quite irritable. I'm snapping at my kids and husband. This weekend my DH had to remind me not to take this out on the kids. I cry more often than I usually do. Honestly, I've felt depressed at times. This is hard to admit but for years I lived to eat and it was what I primarily looked forward to and enjoyed. Without treats I find myself wondering what to do with myself. I'm tempted to continue this diet past the 21-days (except I would add caffeine back, I just can't stand it!) to see where this takes me. I'm wondering if after a few months the irritability and mild depression would go away. I'm hoping I would find other ways to enjoy life besides what I put in my mouth.

This has definitely been a trying journey but one I'm very glad to be taking. I am more convinced every day that this was EXACTLY what I needed to do. I'm looking forward to where else this is going to take me.

Abby's 21-Day Diet Stir-Fry

2 T. olive oil
1 package Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth Liquid Concentrate
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 zucchini (chopped)
1/2 white onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 c. sugar snap peas
1 package Trader Joe's Baked Tofu-Savory flavor (cubed)
2-3 t. Greek Seasoning (I like Cavender's-add as much as you like!)
salt and pepper to taste

Put olive oil in skillet, add package of vege broth concentrate in the middle of the oil, high heat. Wait until the vege concentrate boils a bit, add everything but the tofu. Stir fry over med-high heat until veges soften. Add tofu, season to taste. Warm tofu through. Serve over brown rice.

End of Day 10 and Holding

I have gone 10 whole days eating a vegan diet that's free of sugar, gluten and caffeine!!! And honestly, I've never felt better. And honestly, it's pretty easy too. After about 3 days I stopped craving sugar and coffee with an unbridled passion. I do crave foods sometimes but the craving is so much less that it used to be. It's more like, "oh, that sounds yummy". Instead of "I MUST HAVE THAT NOW OR I WILL DIE AND TAKE OTHERS OUT WITH ME!" I feel like I have obtained my goal of controlling food instead of it controlling me. Now, how to sustain that when the 21 days are up...............

I've also noticed that my moods are more even. I started my period last week and it came to me by surprise because there weren't any severe mood swings and chocolate cravings for days before. I also used to get really moody when I was hungry and now not so much.

Of course I eat less because I can stop eating when I'm full. I have noticed a boost of energy. And the icing on the cake, I've lost 10 lbs.

Now on to what this diet hasn't "fixed". I still crave food when I crave comfort. I got really sick this weekend and all I wanted was food to make me feel better. It was really hard when I couldn't eat my way better. Also, I'm still eating when I'm stressed. I just chomp down a bag of carrots instead of a box of cookies. Yes, overeating carrots is better for me than overeating cookies but it still overeating. I've been praying about it, asking God to help me find comfort and ease stress in ways other than eating. Now that my cold is dissipating I've started exercising again and I know that will help. Once my period ends I'll resume activities in the bedroom and I know that helps (I'm serious!) but there are lots of times I can't stop everything and go for a walk or jump my hubby.

One of the thoughts I've had is that stress and being uncomfortable are just part of the human condition. Something that we have to endure at times for a while. I suppose it develops that thing they call perseverance. Paul says in Romans 5:3-4 "........we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; an perseverance character and character hope." Well, I'm all for having character and hope! I think I'll memorize Romans 5:3-4 and recite it during those times of tribulation (like when my 6 year old spills milk on the kitchen floor I just washed while my 8 year old is screaming at his baby sister in the other room, the baby sister is crying, the phone is ringing and I haven't even had breakfast yet!!!!!) Yes, I think I could endure a lot of things in pursuit of character and hope. I'm sure I'll thank myself someday or rather thank God for each and every opportunity to conform me to His image.

To Hell and Back Again!

Update on the 21-day diet. Somehow my husband convinced me to let go of sugar AND caffeine on the same day! Okay, I had already been thinking about it. I figured if I can't have sugar what's the point of a cup of coffee? Well, I wish I'd followed my original plan and given up sugar and then three days later caffeine. This weekend was HELL! I felt like I had the flu. I spent most of Sat and Sun on the couch, lethargic, with achy muscles and a splitting headache. I took a 2 hour nap on Sunday and STILL went to bed at 9 and went right to sleep. I was in a constant fog, I could barely think straight. I was pretty snappy at my husband but since he is foregoing coffee with me he was understanding. All I could think about on Sunday was glazed Old Fashioned Donuts dunked in coffee. It wasn't pleasant. But today is better. The headache comes and goes but it's tolerable. I have much more energy but still have some pretty strong sugar cravings at times. The Old Fashioned with a cup of joe still sounds mighty good. But then when doesn't a donut sound good?????

Am I glad I'm doing this? Hmmmm...........yeah. At least I know I will be soon like maybe tomorrow.

How It's Going

You may wonder, how's my plan for better health going? I've been meatless for 9 days, gluten-free for 6 days and almost 3 days dairy-free as well. So, it's going well! I'm not hungry and I'm not really struggling with cravings. Every once in a while I feel a surge of anxiety but I've decided that it's just "regular everyday anxiety" that I would normally quell with food. I'm trying to find ways of dealing with the stress other than stuffing my face. No great ideas so far. For now I've been just stopping and simply breathing deeply. It does help to some degree. I think I have to accept that stressful situations happen everyday and remind my self that no stressful situation lasts forever. Just gotta push through the anxious time to a more relaxing one.

I have noticed that my emotions are much more even in general. I assume it's because I'm not flooding my body with calories. Although I don't know exactly how it works I know that when your blood sugar rises and falls fast it can effect your hormones. I've been trying to eat every two hours to keep my blood sugar even.

So, yes, I'm doing well with the foods I've given up so far but I still have the hardest hurdle, sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I let sugar go tomorrow and I'm gearing up for it. I'm really nervous to be honest but I can do it. I considered doing sugar and caffine all at once to get to my 21-days faster but I don't think that is a good idea.