Preparing my mind (and body) for a juice fast. #FSC

I've been following Cheryl over at Treasure's From A Shoebox and her 4 daughter's inspiring  journey on their 30 and 60 day juice fasts. {I'm so ready to see their results! Cheryl looks amazing!} And they have inspired me to take a week long mini fast. I'm not sure how I'll fair because of my love addiction with food, but I'm thinking that if I put my mind to it, and pray a whole bunch, that I'll be able to complete my week long fast.

Now a week pales in comparison to what those lovely gals did. But let's be honest. I'm a super busy mom with little ones. I'm going to be detoxing my body. {Wait before you yell at me because I'm nursing and detoxing.}I'm going to be sluggish and might feel like a train hit me for a few days. Heck, I might even go into caffeine convulsions from lack of caffeine.

But with strength, I'll be able to do it.

Heck, Jesus did it for 40 days in the desert. I should will be able to do it for 7.
{I know, I'm not Jesus, but if my Savior can do it, I can do it. I'm determined. Stubborn even.}

Now to the details. 

I know nursing and fasting/detoxing is not recommended. And there is so much more conflicting opinion and data out there, that I'm sure we'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm taking a this stance. Everything that will be coming out of me, she's already eaten through my milk. She's over one year old, so if she decides she doesn't like something coming out of my milk, she can decide to not drink it. I have pumped milk stored in the freezer. Even breastmilk that has toxins in it is still better than formula ANYWAY!

So what will I be drinking? 

Fresh smoothies, Naked smoothies, Juices from fresh vegetables and fruits, and yogurt. Oh and cold soups.

Yes, you read that correctly. Yogurt. Because while I'm detoxing my body, I'm going to need the beneficial probiotics of the yogurt to help balance my gut.

Why a week? 

Because I am not a saint. Just kidding. I'm only going a week because I'm not sure if I can do longer than that. I am giving up coffee and sugar and food. So seriously, I'm going to need some serious intervention. But I've been praying about this and the more I pray and meditate with God, the more I feel like this is what my body needs to get itself back on track.

Why have I decided to do this?

I need to "shock" my system to start fresh. I need to overflow my body with the nutrients it needs in a most viable form so that my body will start working with me and not against me. It has been proven several times over that fasting is beneficial to your overall health. I'll be giving my body everything it needs, while not making it work harder to process the junk. It will get a chance to balance and restore, which it so greatly needs.

Scripture I will be repeating to help me through this.

Like I've mentioned, I'm not a saint. I don't pretend to be. But I know that with my determination and faith I can come through this a better person. Plus, I have like 10 people holding me accountable.  So instead of focusing on how hungry or tired I'll feel, I'm going to instead quote the following scripture in my times of weakness.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Psalm 55:22  Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

And there might be a whole lot of walks to deal with hunger. And it's like 100*F outside. 

I am both excited and nervous for Sunday! 

VitamixPro 500 Series Blender

Week of 7/8/12 through 7/11/12

So it's delayed. But.. but...but... welp, here it is.

I was gone for two weeks. I went to my mothers for a week so that they could see Sister Bear. They take Brother Bear for a week every month. It's his time with MawMaw and PawPaw {See, we all have bear names around here!}. It was a nice visit that turned into a really nice visit when Papa Bear came and joined us for the second week.  So yes, I'm behind. But I'm back. So here's what's going on in my world.

Our car broke. Boo. Prayers please that today it gets fixed easily without any damage to our head gasket. Our radiator house blew on our way back from Maw-Paw's house. But thankfully my cousin and her boyfriend came to our rescue that night. Tonight it will be fixed, hopefully. I've let go, and let God take this one. He knows we need to have it fixed. It's our livelihood.

So here's the lists.

To-Do List

1.Canning. I was given some yummy fresh blackberries and they need to become a few jars of jam.

2. Bake a Blackberry Pie from my cousin Chelle's birthday. I won't share how old she is, she might hit me! ;)

3.Fix Car. {See Above.}

4.Finish tagging car. Apparently we thought our Personal Property Tax was more than it was, they send the check back. So it'll be paid by the end of the week and the car will be fully legal!!

5. Purge the children's play room. With a birthday came more toys. I need to get some of their old ones out of there!

6.Blogging, of course! I'm working on a blog about why we choose to not vaccinate. {Just for you Sabrina!!}

Bible Study

Ruth

I'm also suppose to be doing one with KP, but she hasn't got back to me on what it is....

Pantry Clean Out Meal Plan

Breakfast 

Granola Bars

Breakfast Bites

Oatmeal & Berries

Bacon & Eggs

Eggs & Oranges

Pancakes & bacon

Lunch

Tamales

Chinese Noodles with Garlic and Soy Sauce & Veggies

Tuna Salad & Carrots

Leftovers

Sandwich & Chips & Fruit

Noodles & Vegetables

Dinner

Chicken Breast with Carrots & Stuffing

Salmon & Asparagus & Pasta

Pork Chops & Corn & Mashed Potatoes

Brisket & Fried Taters & Green Beans

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Chicken & Rice/Gravy & Peas

Snacks

Veggies

Fruit

Chips

Leftovers

The reason this is called Pantry Clean Out Meal Plan is because I am trying to get rid of all the random cans and stuff that we've been avoiding eating because we don't eat it normally. I can't fathom giving it to a food pantry when we can easily eat it. So I'm making one bad week where we clean it all out and eat. Then the following week I will be doing a juice fast. That's going to be hard. Yikes! I'm still nursing so some people will claim that I shouldn't do it, but the verdict is out. I know that she's old enough she won't starve if there is something she doesn't like the taste of. Plus, toxin rich breastmilk is still better than formula any day of the week. So I'm kind of on the fence. We'll see how it goes. Plus there is stored milk in the freezer, I think. It's buried by all the other junk in there! 

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 We are also in search of a family motto. This was inspired by another friend. I'd love to use her family's but, our family's are not the same. So though it would work, it's not my family's motto. I'm in search of it. For some reason  I've had Proverbs 22:6 stuck in my head as well though. It could because our downstairs neighbor quotes it all the time. But it's really been influencing me lately. 

Proverbs 22:6

Train up your child in the way he should grow,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

I want to focus on training or raising our children correctly. Which is so hard in our world today. It's hard fighting the fast, mainstream world. Even harder when you've been a part of it for so long and you are trying to remove yourself from most of it. I'm going to continue praying on it. I'm sure I'll find a motto that fits our family. We've been loosely using this one from Carl Bard.

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new beginning, 

Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

I'm working on my brand new ending. How's yours coming?

{Hollea}

 

 

 

I'm tired of the "Mom Enough" battles

It will never end, will it?

What is it you ask? What's driving me to the world's end with exhaustion?

Put simply, it's the, I am a better mom than you attitude. The "Mom Enough". The mommy wars.

I'm done, I'm over it and I no longer care what you think of my parenting style. And I no longer care how you parent (unless you're downright being a neglectful or abusive parents, then I care.), how you raise your littles.

I care less if you vaccinate or not, I care less if you eat whole foods or not, I care less if you circumcise or not. You're the one who has to make decisions based on what's best for your family and their goals. If you need to do any or none of the above, fine.

So why do we succumb to these mommy wars. Why are we so competitive in nature?  Is it really about the other person, or is it about ourselves?

I truly believe it's personal. When we attack someone based on what works for their family, we're not really upset with them. Maybe we're hurt from a decision we made. Or maybe we wish we could be as wonderful as we see them.

Like routine infant circumcision. My son was circumcised. Do I regret it? Regret is too hard of a word for me to use. Do I wish I would have learned more about it at the time. Do I wish that instead of them asking if I wanted it, they would have provided me with unbiased information to make an informed decision? Yes. But that is my burden. My weight. So I find those who are extremist in on area are often dealing with guilt or anger in some area. It might be you circumcised your son and you regret it, so you're now spear heading the intact organization. That's terrific. But please, don't attack another mother because of it.

I don't vaccinate. That's my decision. To tell me that I'll learn when my child dies that I should have vaccinated. Or that my child shouldn't be allowed to take my child in public. You don't know what research or reasons I have for not vaccinating my child.

I breastfeed, you may not. Just because I'm super pro-breastfeeding doesn't mean I'm against you personally for formula feeding. I may be against formula. That doesn't mean I hate the moms who have to or choose to use formula.

See, this list can go on and on. But often the mommy wars start because someone gets upset with what they see others doing because they personally have an issue. Maybe it's jealousy, anger, disappointment or sadness. But it's personal.

We need to remember that.

So let's stop hating. on each other and work on our own personal issues. Let's not judge. Let's teach our children tolerance. No mom is better than the other because her educated decisions vary.

Remember that before you leave a rude or hurtful comment on the next persons post. There is a difference between education and hatred. Statistics and fear mongering. Don't play into the mommy wars. We all want whats best for OUR children. But my children are not your children and your children are not my children. We live different lives with different purposes and convictions.

Help me end the mommy wars. Let's be supporters of each other, no matter our educated decisions.

Keep trucking Green!
{Hollea}

Frugal is as Frugal Does

Frugal

There are many, many thoughts that come to mind when you use this word. The common one being that you're poor or live on a tight budget of barely making it. That you're only living frugally because you can't afford anything else. You eat dried beans and never do anything fun. This is the image that has been played in our heads for decades. When did frugal become such a bad thing? 

Merriam-Webster defines frugal as;

: characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources

So really being frugal means your being resourceful. You're making the best with what you have. You're getting by without needing to add to your consumption. In a land of plenty and throw away, I can see how someone not following the "norm" would become an outsider. 

Is there a difference between being frugal and being miserly? 
Yes. Not that I don't love the book Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy and love how she changes the meaning of miserly. But most people still think of misers or miserly in the terms of Scrooge. Pinching pennies so hard that you leave no room for experiences and fun. This is the differences between frugal and miserly. Frugal allows room for fun and experiences, on a budget.


So should being frugal be considered a bad thing? 
I do not believe one who only takes as little as possible and only uses what they need, is a bad thing. I think we need to change the modern ideology that you have to take and take and take. That if you're not up on the latest gadget, kitchen appliance or fashion, that you're suffering. You can survive with the jeans you have and not have to go buy a new pair because they changed where they are suppose to sit on your waist. 

What does frugal NOT mean? 
Put simple. Punishment. You are not going to torture yourself by wearing pants that have a zillion holes in them or shoes that should have been replaced a year ago because there is no sole left on them. It doesn't mean you don't celebrate holidays or traditions. It doesn't mean you don't treat yourself {every once in a while, it's not a treat if you do it daily}. It doesn't mean you do go to the movies or take your children to a theme park. You just learn to do it in an affordable matter. Instead of doing a huge Christmas, you do three gifts or homemade gifts. Grandparents would rather have a homemade gift over store bought ANY day of the week! 

We strive to be frugal everyday. Here's our top 5 frugal tips. 
1. Eat at home. Every single frugal mom {and dad} out there will tell you this is their number 1 tip.
2. Establish needs verse wants. Even with your children.
3. Buy second hand. This being said, there are some thing I'd never buy second hand. Beds, Couches, or underwear. Those are no-go's. Seriously.
4. Look for free and cheap activities in your city. I live in the urban core of Kansas City. We have so many free exhibits and  movies that are simply amazing. Our local zoo is only $5 for residents in the zoological district. My children get in for free and we can take our own lunch and snacks!
5. Remember to treat yourself. If you don't treat yourself along the way, you'll eventually crash and burn. You'll blow your entire savings because you felt deprived. Trust me, {I have personal experience with this one!}  blowing all your money will hurt far worse than being "deprived".

Some of my favorite resources for frugality and resourcefulness.

Miserly Moms

Penny Pinchin' Mom

The Hillbilly Housewife

The Peaceful Mom

Please leave me your favorites in the comments!

Keep going green!

{Hollea}

Preventing the Cycle -FSC #1

Preventing the cycle... sounds like something us women try to do with birth control, doesn't it. But that's not they cycle I'm trying to prevent. {I embrace that one, oddly.}

The cycle I'm wanting to prevent is diabetes, obesity, heart attacks/strokes, autoimmune disorders, poor body image, etc. I want these to be a thing of the past. A poor reminder that at one time, as Americans (and some other countries, but mainly Americans) we made some very poor decisions on the basis of our health. That we allowed others to dictate what we put in our bodies. That we let other dictate how we lived. That we allowed others, mainly big business, dictate our health.

See this isn't about who is skinny and who is fat. This isn't about who's a size 2 and who's a size 16. This is about our hearts, muscles, spines, feet, ankles, and guts. Read that again. Our bodies. But not in the matter of what your clothes look like on them. Or how terrific (or not so terrific) they look in a bikini. This is about how they perform with the tools we are given to fuel them.

They are always saying looking at your body as a machine. Put in {X} number of {Y} and burn {Z} number of {Y} and BAM! size 2.

It's not that simple.

Calories aren't the end all. Life isn't measured in number on a scale or number you put in your mouth. It's about the positives you live in your life. It's about the effort you put into your life.

That effort includes how you maintain your body.

I could go on and on and on {and on..} about how nutrients doesn't equal food. I could tell you how our lifestyles aren't healthy. But we know all that already. We know what we're suppose to eat, how we're suppose to eat, when we're suppose to eat.....*yada, yada, yada*. Are you tired of me yet? 

So where/how do we begin?

We start small. We remove one bad thing at one time. First we remove the processed foods. Stick to the outer aisles. Then excess and refined sugar. Then we up our food. Our plants and meats. Jillian Michaels said it best. If come from the ground or has a mother, it's probably safe to eat. {In her Master Your Metabolism book.} 

We set the example for our children. We know we can cure all these ailments. We know we can end the cycle. But we don't. Eating healthy can be affordable. It can be feasible. IT CAN BE DONE. END OF STORY.

Be the change you wish to see. Everyone knows this quote. So be it. Don't worry about the size or the number or the weight. Worry about how you feel. How your body thanks you {after detoxing} for feeding it real food. Food it knows. Food it can work with. 

And remember. Synthetic nutrients do not equal nutrition.

So stop the cycle. Start with your family. So your children will never know the cycle. 

Like I {and KP} say... take your Fresh Start today!

6/17/12-6/23/12

I have been slacking. Seriously slacking on blogging. I've been so busy with everything going on that I'm needing a serious schedule overhaul. Of everything. Part of my goal is to post my weekly menu, to-do list, Bible studies planned and more.

I feel that by putting everything down here, I'll be more accountable for the things I need to get done.

I will now be blogging on Sunday's, Wednesday's and Friday's.
Sunday's will be my week beginning, Wednesday's will be the FSC, and Friday's will be whatever I'd like them to be. {So if you have a request, please comment here or on my Facebook page}.

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So let's get started, it is Sunday after all.

Bible Study for this week is focused on Titus. 

I know, I know.. it's a small Book. I could easily take on another. But the point of this is to obtain, not set myself up for failure. I think really getting in depth with Titus along with my daily devotionals, will put me right where I want to be.  

To-Do List.

{It's a long one this week. But it has a lot of good coming out of it.}
1. pay personal property tax
2. license car
3. insurance
4. take the tabe test so that I can start CNA training.
5. follow up on children's headstart program.
6. finish enrolling in school for the fall.
7. donate plasma.
8. decorations for Sister Bear's 1st birthday party!!!!
9. bake bake bake bake bake for the party!
10. prepare gift bags for the birthday party!

Like I said, a ton! I know that I can find the strength.

Weekly Menu

Breakfast:

Oatmeal and Fruit

Farmer's Egg Scramble

Bacon, Eggs and Toast

Cereal

Lunch:

Vegetarian Chili w/ Cornbread x2

Vegetable Lo Mein x2

 Chicken Tortilla Soup x2

Sandwhich and Vegetables

Dinner:

Goulash

Beef and Bean Burritos

Hamburgers w/ Pasta Salad and Fresh Veggies

Roasted Whole Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes & Gravy; Corn

Super Duper Salad {Salad with all the fixings we want- I do avocado and mushrooms and turkey and olive oil...and more.. }

Broccoli Stir-fry

Chicken Enchilada's

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The kids will be sending out pen pal letters this week. If you want your child to receive a picture, please let me know. 

So this is my week ahead. Tell me what's coming up for you!

Fresh Start Challenge 6/6/12-My attitude check-in!

So last week I threw my "diet" out the window. And I don't regret it all, one single bit. I have had the best week ever since I quite my diet. It is the most amazing feeling in the world not being strapped by the boundaries that I put in place for myself.

I'm not sure where I have set on my weight loss goals, but I do know that my confidence has been greater this week. It was relieving to not worry about eating a piece of cake with Brother  Bear or drinking that (gasp!) foo-foo coffee! And honestly, I don't care.

You know why?!

I have gone down a pant size!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Yes, all those exclamation points are needed.*

So when I stopped focusing on the negative and more on the positive, I lost one pant size. And they aren't super tight either. It's not any of this 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound bag.

So, I'm very confident that my new, "Fresh Start" attitude is the reason why I'm seeing such a positive change in my life.

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Today someone mentioned that my attitude is always uplifting. I had to admit that it's easier to be in a good mood than it is to be in a bad one. Even if I am in a bad mood, I fake a good mood. Not because I don't want everyone to think I'm not perfect. Quite the opposite. I choose to be in a good mood. Fake it until you make it, I say. (If you know who really said it, let me know. I'd like to give them credit.) 

Honestly, I didn't have this mindset a year ago. I was dark and dismal like the Murky Dismal (Rainbow Bright). 

If I was in a bad mood, I put you in a bad mood. If I was sad, you were sad. I no longer am that person. I want to give the credit to myself. That I changed my attitude and mindset, but I can't give myself that credit. Honestly, before I met the Lord for the 400th 4th time I was in a dark, dark place. I was lost and headed nowhere good. I have to give Him all the credit. By Him and I finding each other again, I have changed everything. 

My thoughts, my words, my feelings, my reactions... or at least they are a work in progress. I am slowly working towards being who I know the Lord wants me to be in all of these areas. That is why I linked up with MommyhoodByTheHandful to do this "Fresh Start Challenge", it's not about just fitness and health. It's about a fresh start in life, each week. We go to church on Sunday to fill our cups, we check in on Wednesday when we can. I like reflecting on Wednesdays on here of my progress each week. Inside and out progress.

What have you progressed (or regressed) on this week? Check in with your "Fresh Start". I won't hold it against you. Start fresh....again!