What I’ve been up to

So…2012 has not started out as I would of hoped. In a matter of a week, several medical issues have surfaced with me all at once. It’s been a bit overwhelming not knowing exactly what is going on and if it’s 3 different issues or all somehow related. After we got back from our trip, it’s been doctor visit after doctor visit and a whole lotta feeling awful all the while. So much for enjoying Jeff’s vacation off work. :( I even had a "me” day planned last Friday that had to be put off. The good news is nothing terrible appears to be wrong, but no one is quite sure yet what what is exactly going on. It’s just a guessing game and let’s try this and wait and see business which I HATE. I much prefer to have closure on things, but hence is life. So, in the midst of all this I am finding myself plunging into discovering some good for me things, too.

I got myself a little stovetop cappuccino maker which I am so very excited about! It’s the little things, you know…

I finished my last coffee mate creamer on Sunday and said, “that’s it…no more of that junk”. I was seriously ADDICTED!!! When we go out for a nice dinner, I always get a cappuccino and so enjoy it with just a touch of the raw sugar (which is alot better for you than the white sugar) so I thought, why can’t I just make it at home using vanilla soy milk? Oh did I mention that I have eliminated dairy from my diet? (More on that in a bit.) So far I am loving it and since I have to make it cup by cup, it also lends itself to having just one cup in the morning and not drinking a half pot of coffee like I used to.

So, yes I have eliminated all dairy from my diet (at least as a trial). I have sinus issues and although I don’t consume alot of dairy, I know that it does increase mucus so I thought I would try to see if it gives me some relief. It hasn’t been too bad so far-but long term it will be hard to live without some good cheese. And maybe if this does prove successful I will just know I need to limit it and not eat it all the time. The other dairy products I have found great substitutes for due to Reed’s severe milk allergy(I pray every day that he will stay safe and the severity will lessen or better yet, he will outgrow it, it’s so so scary!!!).

I have resolved this year to really improve eating even cleaner and just simply doing more things to be healthy, not just for my body but my mind & spirit, too. I neglected those too much in 2011. All this stressful health stuff going on has led me to get back to yoga. The classes already started where I work out, so I have been doing PM yoga at home to wind down at the end of the day. It really has helped some of my symptoms already and has done wonders for my sense of peace. I really have been craving that since the holidays.

I am toying with the idea of doing a detox diet. Of course there are some social functions coming up that would be impacted, but I feel like my body just is craving it, especially when I am not feeling 100% right now. I am looking at the one from Whole Living. In past years, I just turned my nose up at the menu thinking, I don’t like any of that…but in the latter of 2011 I really broadened my horizons on new foods and tastes and you know what, I am loving good, whole food. I think I mentioned before and it was one of the 31 days to green living is to eat more vegetarian or vegan for that matter. I have tried to do that more and it’s even more of a priority this year to eat plant-based.  Too much research has shown how crucial this is for healthy living not to mention better for our environment. Thankfully, Jeff is open to trying new things. He is not the typical “meat and potatoes” kind of guy. Ironically, when we met, I was a meat & potatoes girl, boy have I changed or what???? And Reed, well he is a pretty good eater and likes "different” types of food than I think most kids do so I am confident he will eat more plant based just fine. I have always strived to provide him the same if not very similar meal we are eating for dinner despite his food allergies.  In recent years, we have always preferred to eat fish or pasta over a big steak so I guess it’s just a natural transition to eat less meat.

I was really pouring over my ‘babycakes’ cookbook yesterday (famous allergen free bakery in NY & LA) and reserved the other one at our library. In the spirit to be more healthful and provide yummy, allergen free baked goodies for Reed, I really want to delve into just trying these recipes to see what we like. Delicious baking sans dairy, eggs & wheat is tough. Actually, the wheat I find the most challenging, other flours just taste different! Reed likes them alot, but it’s all he has ever known. Certainly I don’t do too much goody baking with wanting to lose more weight but I want to find some great ‘go to’ recipes when an occasion arises.

On days that I feel pretty good,  I have been trying to work on deep cleaning a room or two since the house just frankly gets neglected during the holidays. It gets the bare minimum attention when you have so much other things going on. Strangely…cleaning helps me-it settles my mind and let’s me burn off any stress. Not to mention I feel great when I have a clean & organized house. The organized part, well that’s a whole other issue to be tackled. How do things get so darn unorganized???

We are getting our first real snowfall of the season…it’s so peaceful (when you don’t have to drive in it). Jeff is home from work early since it’s accumulating fast. Once Reed gets up from his nap, we are looking forward to a nice cozy evening together. I think a dinner carpet picnic in front of the fire with my two best boys is just what ‘Dr. Heather’ ordered!

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