How FaceTime and wall to wall carpeting are saving my life (at least today)

It’s cold here.

Like, really cold.

I thought it got cold where we live, but Northwest Washington has us beat by a whole 22F (at this exact moment; I just checked to compare the two cities).  It might even snow this week.  GULP!  I know there are other places in the world that are much, much colder, but it’s our current reality and we are adjusting to learn how to live with the chill.  At least for a few more days until my husband returns from overseas we head back to the surf and sun of the Northern Baja peninsula.  Where it’s still cold…but not that cold.

Couple the cold with the late sunrises (7:33 AM) and early sunsets (5:18 PM) and it can seem like shadows and wind chill rule our waking hours.  There are a few key things that are helping save my life these days and adding a sunny, silver lining to all those clouds .  They might seem a bit commonplace to deserve an entire blog post unto themselves, but when it’s making that much of a difference they are definitely worth mentioning.

Wall to Wall Carpet

Yes.  I just named a synthetic fiber ground covering as the number one thing that is saving my life right now.  As heads are scratched around the interwebs, allow me to explain.  Our house does not have carpet.  Nay, it doesn’t have any floor covering to speak of except cold, white tiles.  Which are f r e e z i n g  cold in winter, even in our moderately temperate climate.  Our walls are concrete block which are covered by the thinnest coat of plaster (no sheetrock here!) and a hastily applied paint job.  It is impossible to properly and thoroughly heat a house that is made of solid rock.  Trust us, we’ve tried.  We’ve bought space heaters.  We have hot water bottles and heating pads.  I leave the oven door open after baking to let the dissipating heat radiate through the downstairs.  We have a portable propane gas heater that takes the chill off if it’s run for an hour or so, but leaving an open flame in our main living space (or to run all night in a bedroom God forbid) doesn’t mix well with three kids ages six and under.  It stays cold, period.

Now, put us on a few airplanes and fly us a thousand miles north and what do we have?  Colder weather, of course, but we also discover carpet.  This lovely, soft, cushioned, heat-retaining substance that caresses our feet and covers our floors and softens our falls.  Carpet has been a game changer for us on this trip, so much so that I don’t dread getting out of bed in the morning and haven’t worn my ‘house slippers’ (which I brought with me on this trip) when I walk around inside.  It’s the most mundane of items to most people, but it’s number one on my list today.

 

FaceTime

With my husband overseas and 15 hours in the future, we’ve been relying on technology to keep us in touch.  The kids ask to “FaceTime Daddy!” every day but we’ve only been able to connect twice.  It has been precious to see the kids’ faces light up when they see Daddy appear on the screen.  Of course they fight and scramble over who holds the phone and then tears ensue, which slightly ruins the whole purpose of the video call.  Regardless of sibling squabbles, I’ve come to appreciate the gift of technology and the instant boost it gives to a relationship during our time apart these past few days.

 

All the Other Things

Here are a few other life-lines that are floating around me these days:

Wood-burning fireplaces.  My parent’s house has one and I might have single-handedly contributed to the deforestation of the planet this week.  Worth it.

Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.  When we live far away from family, time together is special and cherished.

Utility services that work, and work fast.  The power went out the other night.  I was prepared for the world to end.  And then, it came back on.  Just like that.  I basically witnessed a miracle.

A day to indulge.  Yes, yes I did.  I had dreamed of it for weeks, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This bakery is a local legend and absolutely lives up to it’s reputation.  Also, mine was the brownie in the corner.  That’s it.  Promise.

Books.  No further explanation needed.

Cold water from the tap.  The freezing temperatures mean ice-cold water straight out of the sink.  We are used to drinking room temperature water from a filtered, purchased water jug.  It’s been a treat.

Sisters who fly across the country just to help.  My younger sis made the trip south for less than 24 hours just to help us make the trip north to my parent’s house.  It made all the difference.

It may be cold, dark, and wet most days, but my life is full of light.  These little things add up to make a big difference.  Especially to my sensitive little toes every morning.

---

Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy

Fitness Challenge – finished!

via

I did it!  Our organization’s annual Fitness Challenge is in the books and under my belt.  As both a participant and one of the organizers of the Challenge, this month was full of all things nutrition, exercise, knowledge, and accountability.  I’ve only participated once before, but since I love to read and happened to recommend a book to the leader of the 2016 Challenge, my name was brought up during the planning stages for this year’s event as someone who could take the reigns and make it happen.  Reading takes you places, people!

For the month of January, we committed to exercise 180 minutes a week, follow a nutrition plan of our choice (I added some qualifiers to ensure it was sustainable, measurable, and nourishing), read one of four books that were vetted by yours truly, and be accountable once a week to check in with our progress.  Those who completed the entire Challenge win a gift card and enter into a grand prize drawing for an iPad mini.  Motivation and incentive always help.

My exercise was centered around Sarah Beth Yoga and Yoga With Adrienne‘s monthly challenges, which happened to coincide perfectly with our own challenge.  My weekly exercise totals were:

Week One: 215 minutes

Week Two: 203.5 minutes

Week Three: 180 minutes (this was the week of the crazy storms, my husband traveling, and the surprise anniversary getaway, which might have contributed to the fact I barely reached my goal)

Week Four: 202 minutes

I read QBQ! which is a short but powerful read.  My thoughts on the book can be found here.  The other options were The Power of Habit, Food Rules, and The First 20 Minutes.  There are so many books on wellness and nutrition out there, but one of the qualifiers was that they needed to be available in Spanish and English.  One of the blessings of living in a bilingual community is seeking out resources that everyone can access.  These four titles fit the bill and provided quality information on various aspects of how to live a fit life.

I am definitely glad I participated.  I am also glad I had a hand in organizing the Challenge.  Any chance I get to spread my “gospel” of alternate nutrition to the masses…mwahahaa!  At least I didn’t force this book on people…they may have run away screaming! Haha!

Now time for some lay-it-all-out-there truth telling:  I have been dreaming of chocolate cake and cheeseburgers for about three weeks now.  My nutrition plan was no added refined sugar, no refined grains, and no eating after 8:30 PM.  For the entire month.  My body feels great and I’m proud to say I made it all 31 days.  But let’s just say I’ve been scoping out the best bakeries in town and have solid plans to hit them up ASAP tomorrow.  As one of my favorite fitness ladies says, one day of indulgences won’t side track a healthy lifestyle, just like one day of nutritious eating won’t give you a six pack.

Over Easy – a simple lunch

Some days I’m not up for a huge lunch, but still want to nourish myself instead of filling up on, oh, chips and salsa.

Here is what I tossed together today:

Brown rice cooked with a bit of salt and olive oil (when I have bone broth I often use it as the cooking liquid).  I’ve used this recipe’s technique for cooking brown rice (just follow the steps in the first paragraph) for years and it comes out perfect every time.

An over easy egg.

Spinach pesto (spinach + a few snap peas + olive oil + lemon juice + Parmesan cheese + pecans + salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth and adjust seasonings to your taste).

Snipped green onion.

Simple, filling, and nutritious.

Get out of the Funk

Ever since our return from Washington this summer (a glorious three week trip to visit family and friends in August), I can’t seem to shake this funk.  All the cliches apply – it’s like a cloud hanging over my head, or an itch I can’t scratch, or moving through molasses. My attitude hits the bottom of the barrel, mornings are for rolling over and ignoring the snooze, and apathy wins out more often then I’d like to admit.

Remember how I was rockin’ it this spring and summer?  Up at 5:30 AM, yoga, reading, writing, projects.  Setting the day on its course by caring for me first so I could care for those around me.  Finishing my day with reading, heading to bed when my body told me to, adding supplements and routines that nourished my body and soul.

source

Now?  Ugh.  It all makes me want to roll my eyes and pull the covers over my head.

I don’t know when the switch happened, when I stopped caring and started giving up.  My guess is it happened sometime around my neck injury (more on that to come in a blog post soon).  Suddenly it all seemed so frivolous.  Who cares if I wake up hours before everyone else?  Who cares if I pound out words on the keyboard each morning?

I’m beginning to see that it’s not a matter of who cares, but a matter of my choice.

Enough with the wallowing.  It’s time to choose.

What exactly am I choosing?  This:

• Wake up at 5:30 AM.  There’s nothing magical about that time, it simply provides sufficient mental and physical space for me to prioritize and care for myself before the world awakes from its slumber.
• Gentle movements first thing.  Yoga and pilates are still my go-to, with modifications to care for my healing neck.  Doing them right away when I wake up helps ensure I make time for them, instead of putting it of for “some time later” (which is code for “never”).
• Reading, study, writing, and projects.  I’m currently reading through a book on forgiveness, journaling my answers to the prompt questions, and choosing to reawaken the habit of writing on this blog a few times a week.  I’ve also taken on a few projects from the campus that I can devote some time to each morning.
• Oils.  It may seem silly but a consistent, disciplined approach to using and applying essential oils seems to help me.  Ones for immunity, calming, and hormone balance are part of my daily routine.  Diffusing fresh, citrusy oils seem to lift my mood and set the tone for the day as well.
• Rest in the middle of the day.  When the kids nap and rest in the afternoon, our house shuts down and I go right along with it.  From about 2:15 PM until 3:00 PM, I’m flat on my back in our bed, reading, resting, or simply enjoying the dark, quiet room.  My HSP personality craves for those refueling stops during the day, and even though I’m often tempted to just push through and get more things done, I’m calmer and happier for the remainder of the day when I do take time to simply rest.
• Say yes to real foods, especially veggies.  Stay away from refined sugars, grains, and dairy.  Start my day with a huge bowl of plants, greens, and healthy fats.  That last one is a kicker for me – I love me some dairy!  I’ve learned to tune into my body and realize that the stomach rumbles and trip to the bathroom after eating a lot of dairy might just be related.  I’m going to give it a break for a week or two and see how my body responds.  The sugar and grains, though, are a no-brainer.  They mess with my emotions, trigger me to overeat, and leave me feeling unsatisfied and jittery.  Yes, there is grace for those days, but more often than not I want to chose accordingly.
• Close the kitchen at 8:30 PM.  No eating past that time, and if I feel tired I can head to bed instead of pursue the options in the fridge.
• In bed, reading, by 9:30 PM.  My eyes start to close pretty soon after I lay down with a good book and I get enough hours of sleep to make a 5:30 AM doable.

Back to that same old mantra: it’s my choice.  I can’t control the world around me, but I always have authority over how I respond.  My internal domain is mine and mine alone.  I don’t like how I’m feeling.  I don’t like kowtowing to apathy.  I don’t like the indifference I flaunt towards the things I know give me life.  Time to get out of the funk.

Well, hello there pretty little breakfast bowl

I’m kinda digging this unbreakfast bowl habit I’ve created. Earlier this year I had it an epiphany when I realized that breakfast doesn’t have to be limited to traditional, sugary, refined carb-loaded food. It could simply be “the first meal of the day.” So, I now toss every veggie possible in the skillet, load it with healthy fats, and top it with seeds, nuts, and some type of bean, hummus, avocado, or other creamy goodness.  Breakfast for adults who can eat whatever they want.

How many veggies…

Today’s breakfast is one I’m really proud of – packed full of veggies and nutrition and tastes yum!

For the kids:

• Breakfast burrito with crock pot refried beans and oven roasted potatoes
• Apple-carrot sauce (half organic and all homemade)
• Purple power smoothie (banana, carrot, mango, blackberry, raspberry, Greek yogurt, beet powder, date syrup, and water)

For me:

• Veggie bowl (kale, chard, spinach, purple cabbage, zucchini, hummus, chia seed, green onion, and garlic)
• Same purple power smoothies as the kids

I’ve done my part…now they get to do theirs and (hopefully!) eat it.

Smooth Transitions

I decided to shake things up a bit and try some yoga in the mornings instead of Pilates.  I’m still a Pilates girl at heart – don’t fret! – but after six months of the same videos I was feeling unmotivated to get up and work out in the mornings.  I valued my health over routine (crazy to admit, but it’s true!) and knew that I could easily use this apathetic lull to fall into disrepair and discouragement.  It’s been six months of steady, good, healthy progress and the fear of losing all of that helped me come to my senses.  Yes, I’m a routine lover at heart, but sometimes even the most list following, plan making ones among us need a change of scenery.

One of the phrases that the instructor repeats often throughout the practice (is that what it’s called?!?) is “smooth transitions.”  When we move from one pose to the next, or move through a series of poses, she pipes up with a tidbit like, “Remember, stay smooth through your transitions.”  Ugh – she’s right!  It’s so easy to focus on the following pose and blast right through the transition, losing focus, form, and strength just to get to the next thing.

What a timely word of wisdom for me.

I struggle with transition.  Like I said: rules, lists, plans, prepared expectations – that’s my love language, baby!  Tell me what’s going to happen and then make it happen and I’m a happy camper.

But, that doesn’t happen.  Rarely, if ever.  Especially living where we live, doing what we do, with the infestation of tiny people that call us parents.  Things change.  We course correct0.  I struggle.

As I flail in the midst of yet another change, the mantra that floats to the surface is, “Just hang on.  Ride the waves.  Get to solid ground.  Once you get your bearings you’ll be just fine.” (what’s with all these nautical references?!?!  Hah!)

What about those transitions, though?  What’s the phrase… the only thing constant is change?  It’s quite true around here.  Do I suck it up and carry a chip on my shoulder, taking up an offense every time something changes at the last minute?  As if my life and my priorities should be the axis from which the world spins?  Or…or…

…grace in the transition.

…focus in the transition.

…beauty in the transition.

…purpose in the transition.

…strength in the transition.

As I’ve bumbled through these past few mornings of yoga (much like I bumble through life) it’s struck me how the transition sets me up for success.  How I lead myself from one pose to the next prepares me for a solid, engaged, and present movement.  Rushing through the transition to arrive at the next pose is basically cheating myself.  I rob myself of that subtle shift from one thing to the next.  In the shift, in the transition, in that subtle moment where I think I might topple face first onto my mat into a heap of quivering flesh…I can choose to snap back to focus, to ground myself, to fully connect.

Smooth transitions.  In life.  In yoga.  I’ll keep practicing.

Big Fat Surprise = Big Fat Book

source

I’ll admit it – I’m a bit ‘out there’ when it comes to nutrition, food, and health.  Call it crunchy, holistic, primal, whatever…but my ideal kitchen would include vats of fermenting yogurt and soaking grains and sprouting seeds, along with animal products of all shapes and sizes, plus every unnamable veggie and fruit out there.  We put beet powder in smoothies and sweet potatoes in pancakes.  Alas, reality hits and I do what I can with what I have, but when I stumble across books like this one by Nina Teicholz, I’m all over it.

Disclaimers up front – obviously, the author has a point to prove and will go to great lengths to do so.  I read these types of books with a grain of salt (ha – pun!) and take it in context of the greater expanse of food and nutrition knowledge that exists.  Last night I finished reading it (minus the 115 pages of notes and annotations) and came away with three main thoughts:

1. Some fat is good, especially animal based or hardens-at-room temperature types (think, coconut oil).

2. What benefits do those types of fats give me?  Teicholz spent 10 chapters systematically dissecting and destroying the mainstream beliefs of nutritional health (eat less fat, more carbohydrates).  However, when it came time to reveal why fats are good for us, the essential theory seemed to be simply because if we eat more fat, by default we will eat less carbs, and less carbs is better for us.  Huh.  She did explain how carbs affect our bodies (keep reading for more on that) but I kept wanting to get to the point that said, “….and this is why fats help you!  They do this and this and this for your body and brain and systems, and no other food can do that for you!”  Either I completely missed that part of the book, or it simply wasn’t there.  I find it hard to swallow (ha – pun again!) that the only benefit of eating fat is that it means I’m not eating something else.  Sally Fallon’s classic text does an excellent job of explaining how fats help us, and in a much more succinct fashion, plus there are recipes.

3. This passage will stay with me for awhile.  After I finished reading it I thought, “Now that’s how carbs affect my body!  I get it now!”  It’s one of the simplest explanations of how carbohydrates actually trigger certain biological responses.  Teicholz writes:

“The study of hormones, called endocrinology, had revealed by 1921 that insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, appeared to trump all others in the deposition of fat…The body secretes insulin whenever carbohydrates are eaten.  If cars are eaten only occasionally, the body has time to recover between the surges of insulin.  The fats cells have time to release their stored fat, and the muscles can burn the fat as fuel.  If carbohydrates are eaten throughout the day, however, in meals, snacks, and beverages, then insulin stays elevated in the bloodstream, and the fat remains in a state of constant lockdown.  Fat accumulates to excess; it is stored, not burned…on a diet restricted in carbohydrates: the absence of carbohydrates would allow fat to flow out of the fat tissue, no longer held hostage there by the circulating insulin, and this fat could then be used as energy.  A person would lose weight, not because they necessarily ate less but because the absence of insulin was allowing the fat cells to release the fat and the muscle cells to burn it.”

My recommendation?  Start with the final chapter and the conclusion.  The book is over 300 pages (plus the previously 115 pages of notes) and the meat (oh man, I’m on point today!) is found at the end.  The rest of the book is a step by step walk through how nutrition science got to where it is today, along with the author’s attempts at disproving or questioning all those findings.  It’s a worthwhile read, but without the hope of an answer (thus my suggestion to read the end first) it can get a bit repetitive and droll.

My mornings

I’m loving that this can be my mornings now.  

Sure, 5:30 AM can be brutal. It usually is.  But the value of TWO WHOLE HOURS of focused, quiet time to do the things I want to do? Worth every darn minute.

And yes, we are seriously planning for Baby #4. We might be clinically insane.

How Not Grocery Shopping Has Helped Me Eat Better

A quick break from the homebirth story to share this brief insight.

I don’t go grocery shopping anymore.  My husband has taken on that responsibility as part of his “Daddy Adventures” that he does with the two big kids.  Once a week, they load up in our Corolla, cross the border, and hit up Costco to buy whatever we need that week.  Of course, lunch at one of their favorite places and a stop at 7-11 are usually in store as well (it is, after all, a Daddy Adventure!).  I never realized how much that one simple shift has affected my eating habits and choices until this weekend.

We planned an evening out as a family to have dinner and shop at Costco.  Due to a longer than usual border crossing and the fact that it was a Saturday night, we pulled into the Costco parking lot just as the store was closing.  Big bummer!  We quickly changed plans and drove to the nearest Vons to buy just the necessities and planned for another Costco run first thing in the morning.  As we speed shopped though Vons to grab the bananas, milk, eggs, fresh greens, and sourdough bread, it hit me.

source

Not grocery shopping has had a huge influence on my eating habits.

Here’s why.

1. Since 95% of our shopping is done at Costco, most of the decisions are made for us.  At Costco, not only do you buy in bulk and save money, but you also have one option per item.  Want to buy milk?  Okay, there is one brand of milk.  How about carrots or toilet paper or olive oil?  At the most you’ll find two, maybe three, choices.  It’s clear cut what to put in your cart or not.  In contrast, at a traditional grocery store (like I realized this weekend) you’ll stare at 25 options just for ketchup!  Thanks, Costco, for making it easy and fast to get what we need and get out of there.
2. If something ‘unhealthy’ or ‘special’ is purchased, I don’t feel an obligation to eat it. Sometimes the kids and Scott come home with a bag of chips, or a box of Goldfish crackers.  Funny as it sounds, I don’t have any emotional connection to that purchase so I am no beholden to consume it.  If I buy the pretzels or chocolates, then I better do my part in consuming them since I’m the one who chose to bring them home.
3. I don’t see all the other things that aren’t on my list, so I’m not tempted to but them in my cart.  This realization hit me especially hard.  We had found all our essentials at Vons and were heading towards the checkout lines.  I glanced to my left and saw an entire shelf – probably close to half an aisle – stocked with Oreos.  Not just the classic blue box kind, but every shape, size, flavor, and combination imaginable.  For a fleeting, split second moment, my mind shouted, “Hey, Oreos!  Look at those!  All those choices!  You should go take a look.”  I don’t even like Oreos.  The sticky, waxy film it leaves on the roof of my mouth is quite repulsive.  Yet I was tempted to walk down that aisle and peruse the merchandise simply because it was there.  That temptation is completely removed by the fact that I’m not the one at the store doing the shopping.

Of course there are times when I do the Costco trip or the short drive to Rosarito to pick up dish soap or lemons.  They are sparse enough to help me stay disciplined and only purchase what I intended to buy when I arrived at the store.  Plus, Costco is familiar enough to me that I can navigate directly to what I want to buy without any aimless wandering that exposes me to the great deals I have to buy now because I’m not sure if they’ll be here next time (aw Costco.  I know your game!).

So there you have it.  By not grocery shopping, I’m eating healthier.  Go figure!

Funny fact – I actually love grocery shopping.  So giving over this beloved tradition to my husband was a bit painful.  And yes, I married a phenomenal man who chooses to take his kids to Coscto on the weekends and buy groceries with them.  I know.  Luckiest gal alive.