Getting back my mojo cause it was lost.

Have not written in awhile.  Decided to care for some children whose DC provider was on vacation.  Led me back to a lot of old habits I do not like.  I am used to eating when I am hungry, light snack, salad, making dinner and having it on the table by 5pm but this week just threw it all off.  We were back to eating at 7pm and I found my stamina was gone.  Don't get me wrong, I love working with the kids.  I love the hugs and watching them play but working in my home with children is not for me any longer.  I do have 2 children I watch occassionally that are a blast and just fit in with us but it is not all the time.
  So, with all that said, does this mean having a job or career that is not fulfilling or does not make you want to jump out of bed every day cause the bad habits to resurface?  I am curious.  This weekend, Chris and I have been lethargic, tired and lacking any energy.  I have forced myself up and out the door to water and garden a little bit, but, I know I have to get back into the swing of things.  Food is my comfort, and a pint of Baskin Robbins Pistachio Almond sounds so wonderful but my body needs a salad and a slice of watermelon more.
  My challenge to myself and to those who are so awesome to share my thoughts with me is this; are you happy?  Does your daily life reflect who you are and what you want out of this life?  Do you look in the mirror and see someone with regrets or do you see someone you like and want to continue growing and getting better day by day?  I know the Lord has plans for me, fantastic plans filled with abundant blessings but he needs me to rise to the occasion and become who I am meant to be.
Share your thoughts with me.
P.S.  My friend , Susan, sent this to me and I do agree with it.  I love apples with cinnamon sprinkeld on them and pears too.  Almonds are just awesome, not to mention, my fave snack in cucumbers and hummus.  Enjoy!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/29/foods-that-keep-you-thin.aspx?e_cid=20110729_DNL_art_1

A habit in need of tweeking

  I was so amped today after my calls to Target that I cleaned house.  I cleaned out the buffet in the dining room of all the linens not used, cleaned out the drawers, washed 3 loads of laundry and realized the bar  was empty.  I was not panicked that I had to clean it off, it was just empty.  For those of you who know me, I am a pack rat when it comes to the bar, but, these days, it rarely has anything on it, so, anyway, I put the clean laundry on the clean bar and proceeded to fold the laundry.  I put on the Sirius radio and stood at the counter and folded clothes.  I liked that a lot better because I was moving around, singing, humming, enjoying whatever popped in my head.  The coffee table is not littered with clean laundry, the counter is, but was quickly put away.  Why?  Because I was already up and moving.  Made me feel good.
  There is one more habit I am changing.

Here I go again

  Well, after a stressful morning of explaining to Target, yes I did pay my credit card bill...IN FULL and have a receipt, I have an enormous headache, so I went into the office cave and decided to write.  I saw a Nestle water commercial that really concerned me and gave me cause for concern.  Kids are playing sports and the coach gives the kids a sports drink, which yes, I do know they are sugary but their is reason for them, The coach tells the kids they are losing WATER, the kid says well if we are losing water, why not give us water?  The coach takes the water away and replaces with Nestle water.  Irrespnsible advertising after all the kids, even a few here in Bako that we have lost because of too much water during practice and no electrolytes.  I called Nestle.  I hope to hear or see the commercials and their marketing change on this matter.
  I also read an article from SELF magazine about the 3 veggies with the least nutrition.  #1 was celery.  # 2, cucumbers and #3, iceberg lettuce.  I don't know about you but, these are veggies that are crunchy and I eat instead of potatoe chips now.  Iceberg is my replacement for bread.  Nothin like Thai chicken wraps.  Why does it seem there has to be so much negativity in our society?  Now we're pickin on the healthy food too? Well, I like these foods and pair them with the more nutritious veggies their just as good. 
here is a website sent to me by my friend Susan, check it out:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/13/is-your-food-making-you-old-by-ori-hofmekler.aspx

The best foods that fill you up and boost your metabolism and shed pounds

Health; what is it?

Getting healthy is more than just exercising and eating right.  Getting healthy is about facing yourself every day and liking who you see in the mirror.  According to Merriam/ Webster dictionary,       "health is:

a : the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially : freedom from physical disease or pain b : the general condition of the body <in poor health> <enjoys good health>

  I realized today that I really do like myself, so if that is true, don't I deserve the healthiest body possible?  You better believe it.  How am I changing my habits?  Well, I park farther away as often as possible.  I tried a Dr. Pepper yesterday and it made me sick, so, I made a gallon of passion iced tea decaffeinated, no sugar, no sweeteners.  Cut out sugary drinks, even with the fake sweeteners.  Stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery store; they are toxic.  Eat less salt.  These are some of the things I am doing.  Today I ate herb roasted chicken and broccoli.  I had some au gratin potatoes, but, I believe that was the last of them to be seen for awhile.  I also had 2 riblets that I bbq'ed and a yummy salad and a nice big slice of watermelon to curb that want of sweets.  I even like the watermelon just a bit frozen if I want something really cold.
  Refined sugar is the hardest thing for me to cut out.  I know that if I want to be successful I have to find ways to curb my want of sweets, and yet, not always deny myself.  What do I want from myself?  I want...I want health.  Healthy body, healthy mind and healthy soul.
  Here's to heath!!!

what's in my food?

  Organic is a word used so often today.  We have organic produce, honey, make-up, the list goes on and on but what is organic?  About four years ago, our good friends, The Petersons introduced us to Abundant Harvest Organics.  The fruits and vegetable are picked the week days before you receive them on Saturday morning.  The process is simple.  You pay the deposit for the crate, small or large, that you get the produce in and return weekl;y for a new one.  How do you pay?  Simple, by credit or your debit and it is a weekly reoccurring charge.  The produce changes weekly because whatever is in season or is being picked is what you get.  This morning I picked up my large basket and had a beautiful watermelon, plums, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, beets, squash, chocolate mint, and beautiful tomatoes.  Now, what I have found is how much sweeter and more delicious the food is.  The corn, tomatoes and even carrots  is wonderfully sweet.  The lettuce is gritty with dirt or actually mud because it WAS just picked.  Organic is not using harmful pesticides on your food, not waxing the cucumbers, apples and other produce that you consume and this does mean it might spoil faster but wouldn't you rather know that food is what nature and God intended it to be; healthy? 
  Now what I have found is that by cleaning and washing my lettuce when I get it home and making it into a salad in a big tupperware container with just the basics like shredded carrots and red cabbage, I have a great base for an incredible salad and I am now more likely to eat that even for a snack.  I am also realizing that if I really need sweets, well, I just need to make it myself. 
  Yesterday, I made mini cinnamon rolls for a spa party with the girls.  That was SOOO much fun and I have missed my girls.  I ate 2 1/2 mini rolls but before the party I had a wonderful stuffed pork loin stuffed with low moisture Parmesan, garlic and basil served with salad and pasta.  By eating a sensible meal before the party, I did not pig out. 
  How do you feel about food and why?  Is it your midnight buddy when you cannot sleep, can you not sleep because you just pigged out at dinner?  Did you have McDonalds and let's face it peeps, that stuff does not mold or change for months now that is preservation.  Think about what goes into your bodies and if the food that enters your body is toxic how does that effect your mind? 
  If your reading this, good eats to you.  I will have some websites to post for research on nutrition, one being coconut oil, which I love for a moisturizer on my arms and legs.  Wow has it made a difference.  Before you take your next bite, ask yourself, "what am I putting into my body?"

Amazement is un-deniable

Thank you!!  From the bottom of my heart, thanks.  I guess what I can do now is really throw the hat in the ring and let it rip now.  I'm not proud and will confess that todays meals consisted of 3 pieces of pizza(they were very small, I promise), 16 otter pops and  IN-N-Out burger and fries.  Yes, 16 otter pops@25 calories a piece, yeah, you do the math.  All in all I actually stayed under 2000 calories, just not good calories. 
  Tomorrow will start with a fruit and veggie smoothie a nice brisk 2 mile walk and then a slice of Ezekiel toast with a poached egg.  I do have time on my hands currently but hopefully I will stick to the change when school does start.  I also have found that what I read is good for my soul, well, I've always known that but I find that a good book is good for me.  Currently reading Suzie Ormans' The Money Class, and I really like what she says, "The truth will indeed set you free.  "Stand in your Truth' is the most important class I have to teach, for it is only when we turn inward and locate what is right and true for us that we begin to move forward toward creating our new dreams(Orman, The Money Class, p.26)".  I have dreams and not until I find my truth will my dreams truly start to materialize before me.  The Lord has a plan for me, but, it is me who has to do the work.

Here's to hard work and perseverance.

A precursor for what is to come

  So, today I woke up tired and unsatisfied with myself.  I look in the mirror and I see a story of a life that has been generously blessed but a future full of sabotage; sabotage because if the weight I have managed to pack on over the last 15 years does not start coming off, I won’t be here to enjoy it.  I have spent the last month cleaning out rooms in my house like the daycare room.  After 11 years in business I have closed down my daycare and maybe I am in a bit of a depression because of it but, I need to pull myself up and get ready for the next phase in my life. 

  I put on the desk top of the computer a picture of our family at Alexander’s graduation.  I have dreaded and looked forward to that day for many years and it came and the experience was wonderful but I look at the picture and see how heavy I have become and how heavy my sweetheart has become and I fear for our children.  Children have a tendency to become their parents because that is the lifestyle they have become accustomed to.  I am determined to break the mold here and now.

  Starting on July 15, 2011, I will begin to post everything I eat.  Yes, everything because maybe on paper I will be more determined to shed these pounds if it is on paper.  I will document with photos, graphs, excerpts from books I find helpful, and in no way is this a diet, this will be a lifestyle change.  Eating and becoming obese is a psychological problem as well as a physiological problem because food is a comfort, a friend to pass the time and it won’t be easy.  It has taken me 15 years to get to where I am at and I know it will take time to change the way I think about food and about myself.  Don’t get me wrong, I love ME, but I have managed to not be good to myself and that is about to change.  I want to become like the butterflies I would buy at Insect Lore, fat roly poly worms who transform into beautiful butterflies.

  Along with this, I will post my recipes.  I have a tendency to create and am not real big on recipes so, I will try to be a little better about this. 

  I am excited.  I am excited because I hope this will clear my head to be a better writer and hopefully, those out there who feel as I do will know we are not alone.