Research

I've been doing some reading lately on food additives and how they affect our bodies. Another reason to get rid of the processed food; a quick little article on how food colorings can cause hyperactivity in kids:

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20080522/experts-revisit-food-additives-adhd

If you need another excuse to throw away the junk- that might be it.

The Un-Diet

Lately I've been having a lot of people ask me "Are you on a diet?" when they see me bring my lunch to work or when I refuse sweets at the office. It has made me realize what a skewed perspective we have on our own diets and how some people perceive healthy eating as being on a restrictive, no fun, calorie cutting, depressing diet. Don't get me wrong, I love my treats. But I think when treats become the norm and not "every once in a while" is when we have to step back and take a hard look at our eating habits. For a while my body was on a sugar craving cycle- I would immediately crave sugar after a meal. I had just finished a meal, and yet, my body was asking for another hit of sugar. I started to look a little closer at what I was eating and realized that the combo of what I was eating during the day had me on a little sugar roller coaster. First I was up, then I was down, then I was up...

So now I am taking charge and refusing to have all the cookies, cupcakes and delicious treats that people bring to the office each day. Cookies at home are pretty much non-existent, and treats that are not really worth it- get tossed into the trash. Harsh, I know- but it has helped a lot. And yes, I still indulge every now and then, but for the most part it is keeping them out of the norm that has helped me the most. Keeping myself focused on the the week has also helped a lot. Wiping off each day as a clean slate for bad food behaviors has gotten me into trouble in the past. Now I clump each week together and "treats" are more of special occasion.

I'm not being restrictive, I'm not denying myself. I'm changing my lifestyle. I feel that if I say I am on a "diet"- it implies that eventually I'll be OFF the diet. So really it is all about a lifestyle change and making improvements in my eating and exercise routines. The un-diet.

Hello World.

It's been a while. Since I primarily check Facebook every day, I've lost my desire to blog on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly basis. But lately, I've had a lot on my mind.

Things have been great recently. We've settled into our new place, got more furniture but haven't unpacked half the garage or emptied our storage unit. I guess that will get done eventually- I hope. Isabel turns TWO next month, and someone - please tell me where the time has gone. Actually, I think we've already launched ourselves into the Terrible Two's as Little Miss Iz has become Little Miss Independent. Not a second goes by that I don't hear "Isabel do it!" or her pushing a stool over to climb up and see what I am cooking. Lately, she's been trying to dress herself- and this morning it resulted in her trying to put on a dress upside down. Legs went through the bottom of the dress and through the neck. Unfortunately, she was only able to pull it up to her waist.

As we are seeing Isabel grow, it has resulted in a lot of changes in our lifestyle. J and I are trying to get rid of a lot of chemicals from our house- cleaning agents, detergents, hair care, lotions, you name it. Does it have parabens and phthalates in it? Unnamed "Fragrance"? Chemicals that you wouldn't dare ingest because it causes cancer in rats? Toss it in the garbage. We've decided to try and eat organic as much as possible. We're trying to avoid as much processed food as possible, because frankly- most processed food is loaded with chemicals, and really what that amounts to is poison in our bodies. Having a child and realizing that we are responsible for her health and well-being has really been a "Come to Jesus" moment for both of us. I am trying to give her the best possible life I can while I can, and when she's old enough to make decisions for herself- I hope that she will continue on a healthy lifestyle. Seeing the rise in cancers, disease and obesity in this country has made me a little crazy- but I hope that it is for the best.

I'll climb down from my soapbox now, but I do hope that I can instill in her the courage to question the norm. I recently read some disturbing articles that are linking high consumption of dairy with cancer, osteoporosis, and many other diseases. It seems so contrary to what we've heard from the Dairy Farmers of America. "Milk Does a Body Good". I've even heard doctors say that children need lots of milk for growth. But I rarely hear them talk leafy greens and vegetables and other sources of calcium. I know that expecting a toddler to eat all sorts of leafy greens might be a little out of the ordinary- but if we don't start them eating a vegetable rich diet from the start, when will we?

Again, like I said- I've had a lot on my mind. Kids will do that to you. In the meantime, I invite all of you do to a little research and see how you can improve your health. Your life depends on it.

Thankful Thoughts

I am thankful for a lot of things every single day. The fact that I have a wonderful family, a wonderful husband and amazing little girl. I am thankful that I am healthy, our family is healthy and have wonderful people in my life who make each day fun and exciting.

However, there are some other random "thankfuls" that I should mention on this glorious day of Turkey and Thanks.

-I am thankful that Sesame street is only on once a day and that Isabel hasn't figured out the "On Demand" setting on the remote quite yet.

-I am thankful for my coffee, it is the fuel that keeps me going.

-I am thankful for the fact that Miss Kitty is so tolerant of Isabel wanting to "pet" her. Lately, this has involved a stick.

-I am thankful for OxyClean. 'Nuff said.

-I am thankful for Starbucks Pumpkin loaf. I am NOT thankful for the extra pounds it brings me each year, but this leads me to my next one...

-I am thankful for my trainers who help try and keep the Pumpkin Loaf from adding to me...

-I am thankful for my husband who changes diapers and helps around the house.

-I am thankful that the simplest things are the most entertaining to my daughter. The Squirrel Superhighway in the backyard has been awesome.

-I am thankful for a good glass of wine and a quiet house. Either in the morning or evening. As long as it is quiet. Wine doesn't even have to be that good.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

October November Happenings

This October has come and gone and we finally moved into our new place. However, we moved Halloween weekend and it was a whirlwind of activity, but we finally did get our act together to take Isabel out trick or treating. Two houses and the Grandma's, perhaps next year she'll bring in a bigger haul for Mommy and Daddy.

Isabel also got her first haircut last weekend and it was a great success. We took her to see my hairdresser and let Isabel sit on my lap and read books while Caryn did her magic. It was great! Isabel had a fun time at the salon and I got my locks trimmed as well. Bonus for all!

We're still settling into the new house and it still looks like a mess. It is hard when the weekends are spent trying to get normalcy back into our lives, but still trying to tackle the boxes that are sitting around. Yuck. And to top it off, the Piggy Flu seems to be looming around the family. Thankfully, neither Jeremy or myself or Isabel has caught it- but it is getting frightfully close. I think if we eat enough bacon, we can probably convince it to be on it's way. Nothing to see here! Move along!!

At 18 months, Isabel is doing a great job of stringing two words together. "Buh-Bye Mama" and "Hi Daddy" are popular as well as "Uh-oh Shoe" and "Hi Keeee" (Kitty) or any number of those combinations. After her last appointment, Jeremy and I sat down and made a list of all the words in her vocabulary and were stunned at the result. It was way more than I expected, and those items that she has very simple words for are the most surprising. She may not be able to fully say "Robot" but she certainly knows what it is. It sounds more like "oboe" than Robot, but we know exactly what she means.

We've also said "Buh-bye" to the bottle, although it has been really hard for her to adjust to the fact that milk isn't coming with a nipple on top any more. We've switched to the sippy-cup top on her bottles and she sees that coming towards her and gets mad. It's funny how kids get into their routines. She's perfectly fine drinking from a sippy cup, not a problem. As long as it is WATER. If it has milk in it- she gets mad and tosses it and demands "WAH-ER". I've even tried to trick her into taking a sip by getting sippy cups that you can't see through. Nope, that just makes her more annoyed. I just have to remember that this too, shall pass. And sooner or later, she'll get used to it. But for the meantime, annoyed that my child is cemented in her routines!

Curious George continues to be her favorite books- so in an effort to save my sanity from reading the SAME BOOK OVER AND OVER, I practically bought out the toy store by my work with all their George books. Some are better than others, but after really reading these books you start to realize how it's not George's fault he's a naughty monkey, but really The Man with the Yellow Hat's fault. He's certainly not paying attention when George gets into trouble and who could blame a monkey for an adult's lack of supervision? And when is TMWTYH going to learn? Honestly. Don't even get me started on the fact that George doesn't have a tail...