Clean Eating

I started a goal of loosing ALOT of weight this November and to start eliminating sugar and dairy from mine and the kids diet and eating clean.  Its been HARD. Especially over the holidays.  But after loosing 20 lbs (30 more to go) and the kids getting so so sick I have a renewed commitment to my goal of going CLEAN.

There are some who are curious just about what we have been eating and where we started.  I started by eliminating all dairy.  My kids were having huge bowls of yogurt in the morning, cottage cheese for lunch and milk throughout the day.  So my first move was to incorporate this awesome oatmeal recipe into their mornings.  It was given to me from my aunt who is a nurse and incredibly knowledgable about nutrition and the harmful effects sugar has on our bodies.

It must be eaten 4 times a week for the effects to be noticeable.  People who use it regularly notice and enhanced immune response and fewer allergic reactions, as well as improved digestion.  They often report increased energy and stabilized blood sugars.  It also is instrumental in lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  High fiber diets have been demonstrated to reduce the risk of colon cancer.  Most of the ingredients are found at Smiths.

·      4 cups rolled organic oats

·      2 cups oat bran     

·      1 cup sunflower seeds

·      1 cup raw unsalted nuts, chopped  ( I use the almond slivers)

·      1 cup lecithin granules (I have never been able to find this)

·      1 cup ground flaxseeds

Mix all the ingredients well and grind in a blender.  I add a little cinnamon as I'm grinding the ingredients together.  I use un-sweetend 30 cal. almond milk and Agave Nectar before microwaving it for one minute.

  I have very picky eaters and my kids love love it!  Finn can eat more then me and Genevieve combined.  

If you are like Joe and are worried about the kids or yourself not getting enough calcium without dairy.  Here are some other sources of calcium:

·      Spinach                            245mg/cup

·      Turnip greens                  198mg/cup

·      Broccoli                           42mg/cup    

·      Almonds                          251 mg/cup 

·      Brazil nut                          213mg/cup  

·      Salmon                             181 mg/3 oz

·      Almond Milk                   450mg/cup  Silk Pure Brand

Thought for the Day:

Refined sugar was introduced to Japan after the U.S. Civil War, and the Japanese used it as a medicine.  By 1906, 45,000 acres of sugar cane were cultivated in Japan.  As the Japanese consumed more sugar, the onset of “western” diseases began to increase.  In 1960, Sakurazawa, a renowned Japanese physician noted, “No western doctor can cure diabetes, even thirty years after the discovery of insulin.”  In 1964, he wrote, “I am confident that Western medicine will admit what has been known in the Orient for years: sugar is with question the number one murderer in the history of humanity-much or lethal than opium or radioactive fallout.  Sugar is the greatest evil the modern industrial civilization has visited upon the countries of the Far East and (Africa genocide)…foolish people who give or sell candy to babies will one day, to their horror, have much to answer for.” 

Sick and tired.

Genevieve gave us quite a scare this week. After a horrible cough, high fever and blown blood vessels in her eyes we took her into our pediatrician at three in the afternoon Thursday. They checked her all out. No ear infections, her heart was racing a bit and she was on the edge of dehydration but they sent us home and encouraged us to push fluids. Their guess was influenza. By six that evening she was crazy with ear pain and delirious. I gave her some pain reliever and put her to bed. By 7:30 I was packing our things for the hospital. Something just did not seem right. I was worried I was overreacting and being dramatic so I wavered back and forth whether to take her or not. But my mama bear got the best of me and I yanked her out of bed and took her up to primary children's. by the time we arrived her eyes were sunken, her lips her cracked and dry and she was incredibly lethargic.
After a night in the hospital and more tests Friday. Genevieve's tests came back positive for rsv. Double ear infections, severe dehydration, and glucose in her urine. I was overwhelmed and scared when the doctors started talking diabetes and kidney failure. Luckily, her urine was clean Friday and her blood glucose levels were within normal range. Thankfully no diabetes! However, she was so dehydrated her kidneys were under stress which explains her spilling glucose and keytones into her urine.

We are so grateful for modern medicine and something that is temporary and can be fixed. Genevieve has been so sweet and strong through lots of "pokes" and prodding. I sure love that little girl. Her innocence is so sweet and perfect. I hope she stays that way for quite awhile longer.

Now our next worry is directed towards Finley. Rsv is extremely contagious and Finn has begun to show symptoms of it today. High fever, cough. We will keep or fingers crossed and pray this passes quickly.

Snow.

Genevieve is like a puppy. She needs exorbitant amounts of exercise and outdoor time in order to be an obedient and loving puppy. If she could chew slippers and rip apart couch cushions, she would! All this snow, inversion and plain old horrible winter weather has made it near impossible to get her the amount of exercise her little mind and body need. After a rather difficult week with Genevieve, joe and I were at our wits end. Every evening we were brainstorming on what to do with our little peanut. The only thing we found that has worked so far is at least two hours of climbing through the snow every night before dinner. This is on top of her schooling, dance classes and kinder music. This little girl has a lot of spice but we sure do love her that way.
As long as we know how to cultivate it in a healthy way!

Sunshine

It's been ages since we've seen the sun. So to celebrate its short lived return we went for a long family walk and soaked up the rays.

First Day of Kindermusic

New Years Resolution...

keep blogging.

This week was the first day of Kindermusic.

I must admit I was feeling a bit nostalgic.  I was remembering back

to the last two years.  here and here

Boy have things changed.

Today was a little different then our last two years of Kindermusic.

Genevieve would be going it alone this year and Finley tagged along.

He was able to take his very own class.

What a treat to have an entire 45 minutes just me and him.

I think it is safe to say Finn loved it.

He spent the entire class giggling.  

Success. 

the many faces of Evie

G: "hello Ms. Anne? Yes, we are on our way!"

Looking out the window to see popcorn popping