in it to win it.

Well, we're still kickin it health style over here at Casa del Harrison. It's been almost 3 months of our gluten-free, caffeine-free, yuck-free, coconut-a-go-go diet and we've lost a total of 35 pounds between the two of us! My badunkadunk is decidedly smaller. And the bestest part: we feel better than we have in forever!  And not just physically.  Mentally, I am so much clearer and happier. My fog is gone and I feel calm (except for when my child is pummeling the dog.)  

The no Starbucks thing seemed pretty daunting at first, but we were both shocked at how easy was to get out of our systems.  I really like not having to rely on any outside stimulants.  Letting my body feel it's natural surges and ebbs... Makes me feel all pure and stuff.

(And just for those keeping score: Yes, I do admit to sipping a little green tea and yerba mate from time to time.  But it's only every once in a while... And I think the antioxidants pretty much cancel it out.)

Here's what I'm making in the morning:

Gluten-Free Carrot Date Muffins

2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup melted virgin coconut 

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3/4 cup chia seed flour
3/4 cup ground almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or oil with natural cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place carrots and dates in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse and then blend until finely chopped. Add walnuts and pulse to finely chop. Transfer to a bowl; add oil, eggs and maple syrup, stir to combine completely. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining dry ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

correction

I'm enjoying a Saint Patty's evening all by my lonesome tonight, as my usual co-couch potato is currently off at band practice. Thanks to a dear friend who sent us home with a sixer of home-brewed porter, Mama's doin' just fine on her own. :)

I didn't really have much more to say except to reiterate to the general world wide web just how happy I really am! (considering that my last post seemed to come off a bit woe-is-me, (which incidentally was not my intention. (nobody likes a whiny baby.))) -That was a lot of parentheses.

.... I'm getting off target here...

But seriously...

I am literally busting at the seams with gratefulness and love for every little thing in my life. Today was an exceptionally beautiful day of realizations. Of just how proud I am of my little Jack and how honored I am to be his Mama.


It's been a great day.

owning it.

At dinner tonight I told Andy how it had hit me as I was doing laundry today (somewhere around the 5th load, i think) that I am now truly A Legitimate Housewife. The calls of "Oh Momma!!" that jar me from my dreams every morning are the sound of my alarm. And my feet hitting the floor is me punching my time card. In other words, It's on.

The rest of the day is filled with the seemingly never-ending array of chores. Menial tasks that I could SERIOUSLY do without, like picking up discarded clothes off the floor, loading/unloading/loading/unloading the dishwasher, and breaking up the cage matches playfights between Jack and Fiona.

And then,
of course,
there are all those other little priceless moments that only I get to enjoy: Getting Jack's early morning sleepy smell all to myself, being privy to his thoughts and questions all. day. long. :) and being able to squeeze in a few tiny moments of peace for myself to be able to meditate and listen to what God wants me to do next -(sometimes these get pushed to the wayside, but it has become very clear to me just how important they are for my everyone's happiness!)


I've battled a lot lately with feeling worthless. What do I contribute? Why am I not out there being Fabulous all over town? What do people think of me? Ugh... such gross feelings. I've felt all jumbled up inside. Bombarded with self-doubt and unloving feelings toward myself. And then.... I just had to snap myself out of it. Realize that I MUST get over this awful ugly monster. Like over it for good. And really get it through to the heart of me that I DON'T have to live to impress! My work is good! I'm good enough, smart enough and doggonit...... just kiddin). But above all, my happiness/peace/fulfillment doesn't rest in finding success in this world.

It's so hard to keep a pure heart, free of pride and self. To just listen and be. But I'm working on it everyday.

And so, I am feeling good in this role of Housewife and Mother (and cage fighting ref) for as long as God wants me to. This is my time to really know myself, find peace (often the hard way) and as my Mama Faye would say be a helpmeet for Andy. I wonder how many women's lib peeps out there gagged while reading this?
Sorry bout that. Haaaha
Oh, well... :)

just another wedensday.

Well, shucks. I really wanted to win this:

PW

Have you ever seen anything so glorious? I love it. (Andy's comment was, "Oh. Is that cute? Or not cute?..." Men.)

Today is one of those rare days where I find myself able to actually sit here and muse a bit. There is no happier thing to me than a quiet house- well, at least these days. We got a puppy shortly after Christmas and her name is Fiona. And since the addition of one more to our little household, things around here have been a tad insane livelier than normal. Basically, Jack thinks she's his punching bag-light saber sparring- furry new toy, and I've had my nerves tested on every level.

Prayer, my friends. Lots of prayer.

Well, my break is over. Off to pickup the young one from school... Happy Wednesday!

Workin on my fitness.

I've started chipping away at the ice pack I've had this old blog in for the last few months. I'd all but given it up for good, and then lo and behold! I felt like writing a little something.

I'm feeling the calm that comes along with seeing progress. I've changed my diet and have been feeling the wonderful effects of eating whole foods! Thanks to the inspiration and information that I've gotten here, here and here, I've made some major changes and I'm excited about getting healthy.

Basically, what I've done is:

1. Cut out all added sugar.
2. Cut out all artificial sugar. (I was a Splendaholic, so this was a biggie. I now use Stevia.)
3. Cut out (almost) all caffeine. (No more coffee, now I do green tea, but not even every day.)
4. Cut out preservatives.
5. Eating grass-fed free-range organic meats. (Here's an anecdote for ya: Grain-fed chicken is the worst. Because of their high-sugar diets, these poor animals end up contracting all kinds of mess; cancer being one. The butchers that process the meat are trained on how to cut away these tumors and separate them from the "sellable" chicken. What happens to the tumor chicken pile? Well, my friends that is the answer to why places like McDonald's are able to produce those lovely little Mcnuggets, sell them for only cents, and still make a profit. They buy THAT chicken!! sickness.)
6. I'm now eating (mostly) gluten-free.
7. Drinking water with lemon at every turn. (The lemon alkalizes your body, which helps you out in a multitude of ways. )
8. No food after 8 at night. (Hard.)
9. I'm all about the coconut! I now like to cook with Coconut Oil instead of Olive oil and drink this. (The principle fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk and is known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones. And it's SUPER yummy!)
10. A couple glasses of wine, but only on the weekend. (This one was harder than I'd like to admit.)

One great thing I'm implementing is my friend Lesley's "free meal a week". I love knowing that if I behave, I can at least look forward to one splurge!

So, I guess this sounds pretty strict, but to be honest, it has not been as hard as it looks to be. Thanks to the wonderful recipes and tips I've gotten from different people, I'm 3 weeks in and going strong.

Here's to change!