Sound Essay

So, last week I finally got fed up.

Sick of being sick. Tired of being tired. Weary of ailing... you get the picture. Problem is, I greatly despise doctors. And I have a long list of maladies. So I figured the first step, in my case, is to really consider my diet.

I used to do better than this... I mean I ate lots of veggies and mostly homemade foods. Lately I have been very lazy and reverted back to processed, refined garbage. And still I ask why am I sick? hehe

I knew I couldn't go cold turkey, I have a family to take care of, kids to homeschool, responsibilities for my church. I assumed it would take some time and that was discouraging. I know for a fact that I was eating too much dairy (I am at least lactose intolerant, but likely also casein allergic), too much refined junk, and I had read several articles that made me consider that I am wheat/gluten intolerant as well. I am also aware of a yeast imbalance- candida overload, specifically. I know that I have heavy metal toxins. I have low blood pressure, borderline diabetes (hypoglycemic spells), arthritis, auto-immune disease, blood clotting disorder (factor V Leiden), Raynaud's syndrome, I have old, removed tumors starting to show back up, fibroids (uterine tumors) messing up my cycle, a bump on my scalp giving me headaches, return of the awful dandruff that I had kept in check for a while, alternately dry/rashy face and oily/acne ridden face (apparently unrelated to my cycle), worsening eyesight, severe allergies/frequent sinus infections, keratosis pilaris on arms and chest, persistent fatigue (even with regular 8 hr sleeps), tooth pain, sore throat, chest pains due to pluerisy and asthma, difficulty swallowing, severe heartburn and acid reflux episodes, consistently anemic even with expensive suppliments, several herniated discs in back, terrible hip pain, debilitating foot pain, so much pain that its just plain rediculous. Difficult/long healing of minor injuries.

So, okay- I need to detox. But slowly. And modify my diet. Slowly and cost-effectively. But I need to see results to keep me motivated!

So, I find this site: http://www.earthclinic.com/ with lots of helpful remedies. I figure, try them all (well, the ones that are safe and inexpensive at least) and see what happens. The top fav. seems to be apple cider vinegar, so I'll start with that.

I went to our local, Christian owned and run, natural and health foods store, and grab the medium size bottle of Braggs organic apple cider vinegar with the "mother" in it. On the back is a recipe for mixing it, so I grab the wholesome sweeteners organic molasses- unsulphered, blackstrap. A glass mason jar of raw local honey (YUM!) and go home. I'm thinking, this is going to be so nasty!! But I mixed it up as soon as I got home- a little over half a mug of filtered water, 2tsp apple cider vinegar (acv), 2tsp blackstrap molasses (bsm), and about a tsp of yummo honey (I didn't want to waste it if it made me sick! :p )

Well, it didn't kill me! Actually, it wasn't even that horrible. If I drink it very warm, I can convince my mind its just a very tart apple cider. If I drink it cold, it has a resemblence to and apple-juice/lemonade drink. Just don't drink it room temp. I had another serving before bed that night, and I've been fairly consistently drinking 3 servings a day now for a week. When I wake up in the morning, my eyes are clear and my focus is sharp. The first 3 days, I had diarrhea, but that isn't actually unusual for me anyway. What is unusual is that it curbed my cravings. More than that, I really didn't have an appetite- not that I felt sick, just that I wasn't hungry. This helped me a ton, because it made switching to healthy breakfast and lunch very easy. I ate a little fresh fruit for breakfast and some veggies or a light salad for lunch. An actual serving size of whatever we had for dinner, and no desire to go back for 2nds... or 3rds.

Right away I had some results with heartburn and acid reflux issues. Was it the diet change or the acv? Also, some lessening of pain, and even though it was dreary, cold and rainy for 2 days, my arthritis has not flared up yet. I had some gas problems the first 3 days, but when they left, so did most of the abdominal bloating I've had for so long I didn't even realize that's what it was. Even my hands have reduced, as my wedding rings attest to- they are almost slipping off inadvertantly.

So- acv is in right now, going into my 2nd week. So is the dairy free (except small bits of grass-fed organic butter) and wheat free/gluten free diet. A happy side effect- I have gone down from 154.8# to 150.8#. (I used to be able to easily maintain at what felt for me a healthy 125 - 130#. When I went through a very stressful time in 2002-2004, I went up to 140 - 145#, which was where I was when I concieved Anna. I was back down to about the same when I conceived Jake, but since his birth I have been staying between 150 - 155#, usually 155#. If I keep dropping, great, if not that's okay- I know I need to add more excercise anyway.) But my clothes feel better.

4 days ago, I also added oil pulling. I didn't have the recommended oils, so I started out with extra virgin olive oil, for 2 days. Then I picked up the organic virgin coconut oil, and I like it much much better. So far, the main effect I have had is that it really does help my sinuses. I don't know if it is actually the oil, or the act of swishing/chewing it for at least 10 minutes (I had to work up to 10, my gag reflex is really triggered by this for some reason). It makes my sinuses drain a lot right after, and during, and I try to spit it all out (even though the act of spitting grosses me out). As a nice side effect, my teeth actually do look a smidge whiter, even though it has only been 2 days with the virgin coconut oil (vco). (I normally brush with baking soda and rinse with diluted peroxide, but had gotten lazy and went back to toothpaste for a while, resulting in a slightly yellowish cast. It is fading, and I am starting the baking soda and peroxide again. If you haven't tried it, be sure you rinse well after brushing, and I mix 3% peroxide, half and half with water and rinse/gargle quickly then spit [if I don't do it quickly I gag] and rinse really well again with water, until the foaming settles down.)
The 3rd treatment I have started is the cayenne pepper. When we got a cold snap and had to turn on the furnace for the first time this year, my asthma and allergies went berzerk. I was so sick for one whole day that I could barely see, and was constantly sneezing. My sinuses hurt me so bad, and from prior experience, nothing helps- not air purifiers, hot/cold packs, prescription meds- and it usually lasts at least a week. I meant to buy some at the store, but absolutely could not find it. At the grocery store, walmart supercenter, walgreens, or the heathfood store in the next town (ours was closed, so I haven't found out yet if they have it or not). Luckily, I did have a little jar, but I wasn't sure how old it was, so I didn't know how effective it would be. I had no other choice, so I gave it a go- and it worked! I sprinkled it on/in everything I ate and drank the rest of the night and the next day. I was MUCH better in the morning and back to normal (except for the sore skin on and around my nose!) a day and a half later.

I have also started lightly sprinkling everything with Hain pure iodized sea salt. I don't know what, if any, effects this has had yet.

What I do know is that the keratosis pilaris is practically gone, and the skin on my face is much improved, with no new breakouts or rashes. Raynauds is improved, usually typing on the keyboard aggravates it, and it has been fine, no blue fingers! :) A large shin bruise I got in May is finally healing, in fact it is half gone. A bruise on my other foot that I have had for almost 3 years is slightly faded.

I started rubbing both of them yesterday with the vco, but they were already looking better before I started. I have a bit more energy (except the day I was sick, and the day after when I was still recovering)

On Sunday I was able to sing for all 3 services, clear and strong, no breathing problems and no mucousy coughing spells (this hasn't been the case since I was a teenager!), and most importantly and surprisingly, almost no pain! Anywhere! Since it hasn't been very long, I realize this could well be a coincidence, but even so- right now I am basically pain free and enjoying it. Combine that with a smooth, effortless (or nearly so) diet transition with few cravings, and a bonus of 4# drop in a week, and I'm going to keep playing this game :D.

Today I'm trying the banana peel therapy on an ugly raised mole on my neck. What?! I had the peel so I figured it can't hurt :)

current basic diet outline:

upon rising, before any food or drink, vco pull:
aprox 1/2 TBS (supposed to be 1 whole TBS, but I can't handle it yet) vco (it is solid and waxy, but instantly turns liquid in your mouth) chew and swish, but don't gargle or swallow for at least 10mins, preferably 20 mins. spit into toilet and rinse mouth thoroughly with warm water.

brush teeth with baking soda, floss, rinse well. gargle with 1 part 3% peroxide and 1 part water. rinse well.

lemon drink (supposed to help clean out kidneys and prevent kidney stones from forming. I've never had kidney stones and figured it would be cool to keep it that way)
1/2 mug room temp water + 2 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 tsp lime juice (the lime juice replaces the bad junk with healthy minerals)

Breakfast:
acv drink, with a sprinkle of cayenne and sea salt
1 sm banana, 1 mug full of red raspberry leaf tea with a touch of local honey

snack:
apple, red grapes, plain oatmeal and ginger, with honey or raisins, or brown rice with grassfed butter, almond milk, ginger and honey (just 1!)

Lunch:
sm to med red potato, baked, with grass-fed butter, cayenne & sea salt
OR sm. salad, with or without chicken, bell peppers, carrots and acv/ extra virgin olive oil/ grated fresh garlic dressing

snack:
carrots, bell peppers, rice cake, or sunflower seeds (only 1!)

dinner:
assorted foods, mainly modified versions of what the family is eating but trying not to "cheat". eg: last night I made tacos for the family. I made 2 pans of meat for the filling, both were ground lean turkey, but theirs was using the seasoning packet they are used to, and mine was a homemade recipe of cayenne pepper, fresh onions and garlic, vco, sea salt and cumin. Breann liked it a lot, Emmy and Joe tried it and didn't care for the heat. (it was HOT :) ) I did not make my own rice, I figured I would get plenty full of the taco meat and veggies, which I did. I did, however, cheat and eat it on baked corn shells from a box... today I ate the leftovers on rice cakes and felt better about it, while still getting a crunch. For veggies, my tomatoes were killed in an early frost and I didn't want to buy nasty store tomatoes, so we had romaine, bell peppers and mushrooms.

speaking of money... and time

some random thoughts

I love to spend money on my kids. I don't know why- perhaps because my mother would take us shopping and buy us junk to show that she was sorry or that she "loved" us... after her episodes of abuse. I don't know- but when I am feeling sorry for my kids, I want to give them a gift, when I am proud of them, I want to give them a gift, and when I am really just in love with them...

It occurs to me that the money I spend on little gifts would be better spent on an activity we could do together. This would be appreciated more than a little toy or other junk, which would then take more time, by needing to be taken care of itself. Does that make sense? If I eliminate the time taken to shop and buy a gift, and the time to clean and care for the gift later, and instead I spend time making something with my child, or taking a walk with them, or playing a game together with them, I take out the middle man. And I also save the money on the item, which translates into less money needed in my budget and less time spent working for that money. If I could reverse the urge to purchase things, into an urge to spend more time with people I care about, I can get our family out of debt sooner, consume less, and ease a lot of stress and work.

So why is it so difficult to actually do it???

Of course, I do make excuses... I AM frugal, and I purchase second hand as often as possible. I do enjoy shopping. That, I guess, is a cultural thing. But I enjoy spending a day at the park, or library, or museum, with my kids and husband a LOT more than I enjoy shopping, and there are no guilt trips after.

I know this, and yet- when I read about a "great deal" on toys or clothes for my kids, I have a strong urge to go shopping. Weird.

Resolutions

I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to figure out what to do with this brand spankin new year. There are a lot of goals I'd like to accomplish, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. So here's my list, in no particular order:

1. photography- I am getting my lens next week, and I intend to try Sarah's 365 days of photos (my main lens was broken when we came home from vacation, and I haven't been able to afford to replace it yet. Joe's severence pay is due on the 8th, and he promised me we would go replace it then. All I have in the mean time is a zoom lens, and our house is too small/dim to use a zoom lens indoors. Very frustrating!) I also want to push myself out of my comfort zone and ask people if I can photograph their families for practice. I also will be borrowing books from the library on photography/photoshop topics, but I tend to go overboard and check out every book I can think of and then I get overwhelmed, LOL, so maybe I will try Sarah's 1 book a week approach :)

2. sewing/crafting- I've been putting off cleaning my new machine, so I really need to get on that and then I'll try finishing a project a week, too (thanks Sarah- I hope you don't mind!)

3. cleaning- I really need to start flylady again :( I am unhappy with my little home right now, too much clutter. But its so bad right now that I feel overwhelmed and can't be motivated to start anything properly. I liked flylady when I tried it before, but the emails got to be too much for me. When I unsubscribed to the emails, I wasn't as motivated and slowly gave up (actually, I think I was put on bedrest with Jake about that time, and when I came home from the hospital it was awful) I don't want a museum for a home, and I refuse to put house cleaning before my kids, but I need to get into routine again, and I need some help with motivation, and an orderly place to start. If I can get that under control, I know it would help save me precious time across the board- no more looking for missing things, kwim? Also, it would be lovely if I could just invite people over any old time! I need more friends :)

4. finances- Joe still hasn't committed to the plan to get out of debt yet. I know he wants to, but he doesn't want to fail. Also, I borrrowed the book from the library, and he didn't want to take the time to read it with me. I don't know if I can do it without his full support, so this is hard. However- we are completely caught-up on all of our bills right now, and we will be socking away $1k in an emergency fund when the severence check comes in (ING- thank you BBC!). We have a ton of junk to sell off and I hope that the huge amount of holiday cards I did this year will help spread work and generate more birthday/other design work.

5. work- speaking of, I really need to find the time to do an overhaul and update of my design portfolio. and this would be a great year to develop and open my own website, considering the rediculous amount of money I spent on ebay fees this year... but then I'd have to find a way to advertise it, sooo.... hmm.

6. green living- well that and home improvements kind of going hand in hand this year. I want to reclaim my back yard. Its large and has so much potential, but it needs SO MUCH WORK. Right now, we are dealing with grubs, ants, earwigs, wasps and invasive weed populations. I'm talking infestations. I know that its an imbalance of nature, I just don't know how to remedy it naturally. I am not a dainty little indoor only chic, I've just spent a lot of the past 5-6 years or so pregnant or exhausted from having a small baby. That part of my life is done, so its time to come out of my little cocoon and take care of all the little things that have been piling up around me! Also, though I like to think of myself as tough, I do have some health problems that make the big jobs a little harder for me. As much as I love gardening and I am going to slowly replace our silly lawn with edible landscaping- a full on takeover garden would require me spending too much time in the sun, more that my autoimmune disease would allow. *sigh*

7. health- I guess that leads right into this one. I need to find better ways to deal with my disease. I am not one to run to the Dr for drugs for everything, but I am dealing with some complications and I need to find good alternative therapies to keep me healthy. I've been to several cardiologists, but all they ever want to do is give me beta-blockers, and me and beta-blockers don't get along. I can barely function from the exhaustion when I am on them, and this is a long-term thing, I'd have to be on them the rest of my life. To combat the exhaustion, I've been offered other drugs. Each of which has had their own horrible side effects, which they also have drugs for. In the end I am not myself at all.
I have managed to overcome some things by myself- the extreme low blood pressure issue was actually a sodium deficiency. LOL- all those Drs never figured that one out, because I eat healthy, from-scratch foods, my sodium intake was drastically different from what they normally see. The atrial flutter and mytral valve issues are still there, though.
I have been getting some detox therapy that has improved some of my arthritis issues. I am also convinced that Joe's job change will help me out, too- since the therapies I have had, have shown me to have a build up of heavy metal in my joints, which I find easily explainable since Joe always came home covered in dust from inventory work in an auto-parts warehouse. As much as I tried to get him to keep the conaminates confined to his work clothes/gear, he would want to sit on the couch a while, or go to bed without showering first, etc. (He also has had a lot of arthritis issues). Eventually, replacing the couch, our bed, and the carpeting should rid us of all that lovely asbestos and lead dust.
Sorry! I am all about tangents, LOL...
I also need to tone up this poor saggy body. And continue working on healthy diets for everyone :)

8. relationships- This one is three-fold, I need to work on my relationship with God, I have some major issues that I need to work on with my faith and I really need to start praying more. I've let this one slide waaaay too much. I really feel that working on that will help with my other relationships. Which also need work! I'd like to spend more on-on-one time with each of the kids, and of course, with Joe. If the years continue slipping by as fast as they have, I will get to a point where he is a stranger to me! Not cool. He's so distracted with the new job, I'm so distracted with the kids and housework, ugh. Time to make some time. Recipe suggestions for how to make TIME greatly appreciated! :)

There was more, I'm sure of it- but looking at all this, its certainly enough to start with! I better get cracking!!

It would seem I've been tagged!

Please bear with me as I have never done this before, but I'm willing to try :)

Sarah at Becoming a Crunchy Mama has tagged me! Green Meme #2.
Guidelines:
1) Link back to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)
2) Link back to whoever tagged you (no need to wait to be tagged!)
3) Include meme number
4) Include these guidelines in your post
5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.
1. Do you use baking soda toothpaste or baking soda shampoo? If not, would you consider it?
I've been using baking soda shampoo for about a year now, off and on. I have an autoimmune disease and when it flares I get terrible eczema and psoriasis, so during those times I change it up. I use baking soda toothpaste all the time, though. (for me, not for the kids.) It tastes terrible at first, but you get used to it, and I think my teeth are whiter and I have less plaque than I used to before I started using it. I also rinse with peroxide on occasion- I do believe it helped me avoid the strep throat that everyone else in my family got a few weeks ago.
2. Do you make any home cleaning products?
Yes, I use a lot of vinegar and baking soda, and I've made my own laundry soap, though I don't use it consistently.
3. What is your top green issue at the moment?
Getting my husband on board with going green. He tends to be a little on the lazy side, so its hard to get him to go green if there is any kind of effort involved on his part. He also cares too much about what other people think, LOL.
4. Given unlimited cash, what is on your fantasy green wishlist?
This old house needs a lot of updating to make it more energy efficient. I'd also like to do some edible landscaping and solar panels, etc. Oh, and a little electric car for Joe :)
5. Have you implemented any new green act/behaviour/product this month?
Not really- it was such a busy month! I did try to buy less commercial toys and I did make things from supplies I already had. But I still went way overboard and I felt guilty about all the packaging when the gifts were open. The thing is, this year I am actualy aware of it, so I think that is a step in the right direction, right?!
I am going to tag Clare at Mama Goober. She's the only one I know who might play :)

Rhonna Designs

http://rhonnadesigns.blogspot.com/
This is a new blog by one of my all time favorite designers- Rhonna Farrer. Her work is so classy and timeless. She is offering a wonderful contest on her blog, you should really go check it out!

Sorry for the hiatus!

The month of December was insane for us. We had stomache flu, strep throat and *EW!* head lice all sweep through. On top of which it was a fabulous year for my Christmas card designs, which kept me busy busy busy! I'm so glad I was mostly done before the insanity hit, because our Christmas was still quite wonderful :).

We spent a Saturday in Chicago, it was such fun! We saw the Christmas trees from around the world at the Museum of Science and Industry, (as well as all of the other exhibits we adore there) and then went downtown to watch the ice skaters, walk along State Street and admire the animated window displays, Daley plaza for the big tree and nativity set up, watching the horses and carriages, and then we went into Macy's/FAO Shwartz to see thier big tree and all the toys :)

Then the next Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my sister and her family. The girls love to get together with their cousins, and getting to open presents before Christmas! Then we did what my family did when I was a kid, we went to this neighborhood in Aurora that goes all out with the decorations- Leonard's Circle. One whole area is devoted to Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, homemade wooden and painted displays, with spotlights, its so cute!! Then the other half is the Nativity Story, and tradition is that dad reads the story as we go along, with life-size statues of the shepherds and wise-men, sheep and camels, etc. They even have a caution sign as you enter the neighborhood- camel crossing :). At the end there is the town of Bethlehem with the Star of David above it, set up on a little hill in a park, with the stable scene set up near the road. We always got out and ran up to it as kids, so this year Joe parked the van and we all got out. They play Christmas music there as well. As we were going up to it, it began softly snowing- you know, the big quiet snowflakes? *sigh* It was so beautiful!

Christmas morning was lovely as well. My kids just aren't very early risers, so they weren't up until 8:30 or so. Jake got a little overwhelmed with the amount of gifts, and he stopped opening things after a few. He opened more later, though. His favorite was a funky rc car that great-grandma sent him, supposed to be ages 4 and up (Jakers will be 2 on Feb. 1st). He loved it so much, but he broke it last night. It lit up and made all kinds of noise, and when it hit the wall, it would flip over and keep going. Such fun! Until he drove it off the train table :(

Anna's favorite was actually one of Jake's gifts, another age-inappropriate gift that I really dissapproved of. A set of 2 "space blaster" guns. The light up and make noise as well. And my sweet little 3 year old, dressed up in ballet slippers and tutu was running around shooting all of her favorite people. I think I must be the only mom in my area who dislikes toy guns, esp. since we live in a farming community where most of the male population goes off hunting in the fall. I do believe in teaching children gun safety, because there may come a time when they will discover or be shown a gun in someone else's home. (we don't own a gun). I just feel that toy guns, especially ones that have flashing lights and cool sounds, convey they same ideas that guns are dangerous objects that children should not touch. Grandma means well, though- and apparently knows exactly what my children like, better than I do!

okay, somewhere along the lines my post was deleted, but JOE GOT THE JOB!!!! His last day of his former job was December 19th, his first day of training at the new place was December 22nd. There were over 700 applicants in total, for 60 positions. Joe got the only position for his job, they require 2 inventory control clerks, and one is transferring from a different warehouse in March. Until that time, Joe will be covering both shifts (when the warehouse opens) and when the other person transfers, he will go to the 4 to midnight shift. Not entirely ideal, since the older kids get home from school at 4, but school will be out soon after the change, and we will have lots of summer days together :) And Jake will be thrilled to have his Addy home with him most of his awake hours, so it will be fine. Training has been at a hotel 3.5 miles from our house, so Joe has been coming home for lunch :) (this will end when they actually start working, since the warehouse is 7 miles away and they will be getting 2 20min breaks instead of an hour lunch. Training has been a little hard on Joe, since it is actually an entirely different routine than he is used to and they are requiring him to learn a whole new computer program. They want everyone to learn all of the jobs, so training is intense, and the other new hires started a week sooner (???). My shy sweetie is trying to make some new friends as well :).

CALLBACK BABY!!! YEAH!

December 6th from 8am until noon! Joe didn't ask what all it will entail, so we are clueless a while longer. They said they'd be calling and reminding everyone about a week prior, so he said he'd ask them then. Its going to be held upstairs in a local bank (don't laugh! small town livin'. We have EVERYTHING upstairs from the bank around here...). So curious! They can't very well do any trial runs of their new jobs, so it must be a slew of written tests and intellectual stuff, huh? Joe is still feeling confident, so I am happy!

YES!!!