Wordless Wednesday - The Tulip Edition

A few pics from the lovely tulippy walk with Allison last week. 

 

 

The End

 

(Note to self - get a new blogging program/  Not being able to edit photos or layout is stupid.)

Random Notes of a Non-Dieter on Detox

I don't diet.  I lack the willpower and organization to make it last beyond a day.  I also am pretty easy going about my body with all it's imperfections that I don't really see the point.  All that being said, this time was different.  I wasn't feeling OK, tight pants aside, I was feeling tired too often, my brain felt foggy and my stomach was upset more than it should be.  Time for change, time for a diet. 

Bookstore wanders led me to this, "The 21 Day Sugar Detox" by Diane Sanfilippo.  Hmmm, this may be do-able.  It is only 3 weeks and the cover is really colourful so I'm sold.  Here is what happened:

• Sugar is out.  That means all forms of sugar, sweeteners, and most fruit too.  That is hard to do!  I read labels like crazy but mostly ended up cooking more from scratch.  A good natural food store is your friend and you find many
• Grains are limited and gluten is out.  This is a big shift from my regular food.  No more toast for breakfast, croissant pick-me-up later in the day.  I did cheat a little here and got some organic, gluten-free, seed based crackers and chips for snacking.   
• Dairy (full fat), eggs and most nuts are in.  There are variations for those who may be sensitive to any of those things.  I brought a variety of nut mixes with me to munch on throughout the day. 
• This diet works because I can have coffee, one of my essential food groups.  It also allows, even encourages healthy types of meats and bacon!  My taste buds don't miss sugar so much when there are other savory flavours to enjoy.
•  You can't have wine.  That sucks.  I cheated on that one too and had a few glasses on weekends. I am a rebel.
• I started cooking like I care again.  New recipes involving a variety of veggies are on the menu.  I tried new things, some that actually worked!  I enjoyed the coconut based things especially.  I tropical holiday in a way.
• You get to eat a lot of food.  I suppose you shouldn't go overboard on portions but you don't really have limits.  I didn't really measure much and I found I started to recognize hunger versus eating for boredom or energy crash pick-me-ups.  I eat more often but less volume of food now. 
•  
• In the end I lost about 10 lbs and couple inches off my waist and an inch off my hips.  I shrunk a pant size and needed to buy a new belt.  A WIN!
• I do have more energy, at least in general between meals.  The fats and proteins that I ate do hold my blood sugar steady and strangely I do not NEED to have a coffee every couple of hours.
• My stomach is behaving so much better.  I won't go into details but you get the picture.
• I think I am thinking more clearly but I'm not sure how you measure that.  I can multi-task better and I haven't lost my keys this week.  Does that count?  I am sleeping alright but not really a change in that for me.  I know I need to get to bed earlier and I drink less coffee. 

So now I am going to keep some of the changes to my diet and toss away some others.  I am reaching for proteins instead of sweets to pick me up.  I will limit some of the treats to smaller portions and less often. 

Overall, it was a good experience, even if my family thinks I am nuts.  Mmmmm... nuts.... trail mix anyone?

And Now For Something Completely Different...

This is what happens when you wander, over-tired, with a 10 year old crafty kid around Michaels...

I was thinking that she shouldn't have all the fun and it has been ages since I've done something that doesn't involve a screen.  Ooooh, pretty cross-stitch!   Easy!  ... Maybe.... Nevermind that I am the anti-perfectionist who throws instructions out the window at the first opportunity, somehow I expect to sew something that doesn't look like splatter paint.  It would be nice if it even looked like the picture on the package.

I am already screwing up. Light blue is not the same as pale blue.  Those pesky threads will not not knot!  I've lost count and made a row of 'Xs' at 21 micro-squares past centre instead of 23 so the whole design is off.  There is no way I'm going back!

Embrace the imperfections, I say.  I like the colours, no matter how the picture turns out.  I am enjoying the change of pace.  It keeps my fingers busy as I watch my hockey team plummet in the standings.  It lets me be creative beside my crafty girl and we giggle together.

It makes me happy.


http://www.deesecret.com/blog/2009/12/07/being-happy/

Tropical Bliss

It was all I could hope for and more.  A week in the Dominican with the people I love, soaking up the sun, turquoise ocean wave jumping, lounging by pools with a rum drink in hand, escaping winter chills, peace.  Pure bliss. 

Senseless

 

This time it is meant quite literally. I've had a stupid head cold for the better part of a week and seem to have blown away my sense of smell. I can't smell a thing. I have experienced this before and I know it will return. Meanwhile I amuse myself reflecting on how my perceptions change without my sniffer functioning. 

I forget how much we rely on the nose working in the background to guide us in the everyday. I can usually tell when dinner is ready or coffee is brewed by the smell. I have to be aware of lighting a candle as I won't have the smokey, waxy smell to remind me to blow it out. Bagels toasting for too long are not noticed and rescued. Is my deodorant working? How bad is my breath? I have no idea, except if people start backing away.

It does have it's advantages. Garbage duty? Bring it on!  Pick me to chop onions or walk through the perfume department without a care in the world.  Hmmm, small comfort really.  I'd rather have the smell most of the time.

Taste has changed too. Aside from the tongue basic senses (sweet, salty, bitter and sour for your science class review), everything tastes much the same. I compliment meals by remarking on the amazing texture. Fine wine subtleties are lost on me so pass the Baby Duck.  No, please don't.  I do have to draw the line somewhere!

I'll be glad to have the sense back to normal.  It's like a dimension in my experiences is missing.  Sometimes we have to lose what we take for granted to recognize how important it is to us.  Perhaps I will splurge on the lotion tissues for the noble nose to show my appreciation.

Time capsule on wheels

It pays to clean out the car. $4.78 to be exact, and the big score - a $20 bill! Now how did I lose that? It probably happened sometime between rushing from the grocery store and picking the kids from school one typical day.

The car is being cleared out of all its treasures because we are trading it in today for a new one. I've had my trusty red Vibe for almost a decade now, driving 190 000 km of local errands and family trips. Along with those adventures comes some of the stuff that gets crammed between the seats or tucked into seat pockets.

Blury picture of car crap

Owen was 5 and Laura was 3 when we got this car. It has seen us through playdates, grandparent visits, cousin farm trips and camping adventures. There have been blizzard rides with windshield wipers batting the snow away as I crept through the drifts as well as make-shift umbrellas under the hatch after a soggy soccer game. Cooling off in it after trips to the beach under the blasting air conditioner vents has helped soothe cranky kids on a July day.

The stash is like a moving time capsule, a memory box of moments in time that this car has seen with us in it. Old maps, seaglass, shells and Solarcaine remind me of our road trip to PEI a few summers ago. Kids music CDs, melted crayons and McDonald's toys tell tales about long rides to visit family and friends. Now why is there a Bismuth pack there? Oh yes... I may have been possibly hung over a bit after a weekend with friends. Brochures and schedules to kid events as I was taxi-mom around town. All pieces of my time with the kids as they grew from toddlers to today.

Zee Vibe in her natural winter habitat

Sure she has her bumps and scratches from her adventures but 'Vibey' never let us down. There have been so many smiles over the miles and endless love in those car seats. May our next car be half as amazing.

 

Thankful

There is this sense of peace you get when you let go of the tension, the weight, the fear you have been carrying, even though you have been in denial that you have been shouldering it. That is how I am feeling now.

Laura had surgery on Friday. It wasn't major, just some adjustments really, to repair the hole in her ear drum and release her tongue-tie. She is fine and is back to her usual self already. I am not surprised. She is a resilient kid, full of a quiet determination that shall serve her well no matter what the obstacle.

The procedures were elective. She could have gone on alright without them. Maybe that's why I was so anxious. It was my call to make. Did I need to put her through this?  A general anesthetic?  A degree of risk?  What if something went wrong?  So I spent much of my Thursday in a bit of a fog, random morbid thoughts of what-ifs and is-this-the last-time-I-get-to worries going through my head.  Reason won over my fears but I carried the weight. 

Friday rolled around and Laura was so good.  Yes, she was anxious at times.  The staff at CHEO are amazing and know all about how to work with kids and their anxious parents.  I love CHEO.  I love her doctor.  The surgery went quickly and well.  I am so thankful.


CHEO Teddy Bear Picnic photo from Citizen
ottawacitizen.com