Time is Flying

We have had so many happenings this past month and I haven't kept up on the blog.

First off, I fell off the wagon and for a couple of weeks I let sugar back into the diet.  Wow, what a mistake!!  Horrible mood swings, crying jags, headaches, and my costochondritis came back.  It took about a week but I am back on the mend.  I am pretty much over the sugar cravings, the mood swings are gone, I'm not crying and I'm happy,  my stress level is do able, and my ribs, well that I'm still trying to get under control.  I have made a decision that sugar just isn't worth the pain and misery that I experience when I partake.

So with that said, how do I do the holidays ~ well I think quite easily.  I am still eating mostly paleo and sometimes clean, but I am feeling so much better.  I am going to try and make pumpkin pie with a paleo recipe and really I don't make a lot of sugary things so until the Christmas season I think I'll be ok.  During the Christmas season I think my kids will be more than happy to eat up the snacks that are brought by and I myself don't plan on making any so I'm hoping that will get me through.

This last week we had an addition to our family and what a sweet little addition she is.  We are so happy to have her here and well and healthy.  She is so sweet and tiny.  It has been fun!  I love how our family is growing.  We now have 3 sweet grandchildren and they are all such wonderful little people!

Our Hannah is loving being on her mission in Florida.  She is learning to love the people there.  She is having a wonderful time having new experiences that are helping her testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ grow.  She's also learning to understand others and their thoughts and actions.  It has been a challenge, but she is shining and I love her dearly!  I also miss her tons! But I wouldn't have her anywhere else right now.  She is where she will grow the most.  I can't wait to talk to her at Christmas!

My son that I work for ~ well his company is growing in leaps and bounds.  It's crazy, just when I think things are going to slow down, we'll get a freak windstorm that does a lot of damage to the roofs in our area and we are off and running again.  I'm so happy for him that he is doing so well.  It's nice to see your children become successful!

Our younger son is just about to finish with his Bachelor's degree.  He has one more semester and he will be done.  He will be the first of our children to finish college.  I can't wait to celebrate this step towards his future with him!

That is about all for now, as time is flying and there is so much to do!  Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

It's My Health and My Body!

Today I read a blog that made a lot of sense to me.  It was a blog where the people that wrote it had been Paleo for quite sometime and are now quitting that lifestyle.  In the comments they were ridiculed as well as praised.  But for me the post meant more, much more.  I felt that out of all of the blogs that I read this morning it was empowering because they were standing up for themselves and not just going along with the crowd.

Don't get me wrong, I can truly appreciate the Paleo lifestyle.  It fits and has helped so many people, myself included to an extent.  Last Fall I lost 20 pounds eating strict Paleo.  However, after that I hit a plateau and haven't moved from that point.  I have continued to eat very healthy, but nothing seems to help.

This Summer I have found that sugar is not my friend.  I broke out in blisters all over my face and it seems to be due to sugar and dairy.  So not only is Gluten not good for my body, but processed sugar and dairy seem to bother me.  I guess I should qualify dairy.  I can eat homemade yogurt and that doesn't seem to bother me, but milk and a lot of cheeses do.  So once in awhile I do eat homemade yogurt and do okay on it.

But I have lost a lot of my enthusiasm towards the Paleo lifestyle, especially as I have been making double the meals due to my husband not wanting to eat that way.  Oh, he is pretty good to eat a dinner that I've made, but he likes his sweets and treats.  And when the family comes over it's been hard to eat differently from what they are eating.

So in a nutshell, here is how I truly feel.  I like a lot of the concepts that Paleo/Primal teaches, but I don't think it is the only way one should eat.  I think that we need to all, everyone of us study things out and see what is best for us.  I will still eat those good things that I've learned how to make without using grains and sugars (because my body responds well to this), but I will also be looking at ways to incorporate other good foods into my diet.  I think there are some grains that can be beneficial to me that don't contain gluten.  And most importantly, I feel that one must use Moderation when it comes to how we eat.  I feel that our bodies need exercise and we need to use our heads when it comes to our own bodies.

I first began this journey by reading the Green Smoothie Girl's diet.  I felt like she really had something until I came to the part in her book where she says that we shouldn't partake of "animal flesh". To me that was a BIG RED FLAG!  Then I began reading the Original Fast Food diet and he seemed to be onto something, until he too talked about not eating meats.  I think that sometimes people tend to go overboard once they embrace a lifestyle.  I think that God put animals on this earth to help us in one way or another.  I think that when we begin to want to say our way is best and to push it onto another person or to tell them that their lifestyle isn't good ~ then we really need to step back and take a good look at what we are doing.  No one should tell another how they should live.  We each need to do what is best for us.  No one knows what is best for me, except me!  I know my body better than anyone else and I know what it responds best to.  So if I feel I need to eat some grains and carbs, then I should be able to do that without any ridicule, if I feel I need to partake of some protein through eating meats it shouldn't be looked down on because someone else says it's bad.  All in all I think we need to each do what is best for ourselves without pushing it on others.  I think it's okay to share our experiences and let others do their own studying to see if it may help them, but don't ridicule someone else's way of life.  We don't know where they are in their life or what they are going through.  Let's all just try and help each other instead of tearing others down!

Empty Nesters

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks since Hannah left on her mission.  We have missed her greatly, but know she is doing well and she's where she needs to be at this time.  It has been a wonderful thing for her in her life.

So since she left it has been a little weird.  My sweet husband and I are having to learn how to be alone together again.  We haven't been alone like this for 28 years.  We had our first son a year and 4 months after we were married and we've had children around since then.  It's interesting how when you have those sweet little ones in common, that is where most of your attention is.  They take up your waking hours and even when you're on a vacation without them they are in your thoughts and most of your conversations.  We have talked about Hannah, but we know she is being taken care of and so we are now talking about our future, what we want to do, and where we want to be in a few years.  Hannah will be back in 18 months and then off to college to start her life and goals.  So now is our time to plan and make decisions for where we want to be in a few years.

It has been fun and frustrating and scary.  We watched the movie Failure to Launch the other night and I started to cry when the mom tells the son that she's afraid to be alone with the dad, because he might not like her anymore.  I truly knew how she was feeling.   I'm happy to say that we are doing well though.  We have spent time golfing, and going to movies and just spending time in the same room reading and enjoying each other.

I do need to be more romantic and do things that show my sweetheart that I am still attracted to him and in Love with him.  I think that women need to do that as much as the men do.  We've decided that we will each plan a date every other weekend.  That way it isn't all put on his shoulders.  I guess I'll have to find ideas on Pinterest and such.

I look forward to this new part of our life together.  I look at it as an adventure and I think it will be fun!  I still love doing things with our family, but I know they all have their lives and their families that they need to do things with.  So we won't do as much with them as we used to and that's ok.  I look forward to the trips and quiet nights and rowdy ballgames, and walks in the area, and movie nights, and just all of the time we will have together from now on.  I Love my sweet husband.  He is so dear to my heart.  I feel blessed to be able to get to know him this way!!