Randomness

Too long, I know. And life has changed so much I couldn't possible fill you in on it all. So, I'm just going to pick back up as if I never left you.


Sam... the burn victim. The yellow with bumblebees isn't shirt sleeves, it's bandages. We went on a 3 hour walk yesterday. Like a good mommy I had Sam all covered up as I carried him around like a marsupial in the baby carrier. What I couldn't see was that his cute, chubby little elbows were sticking out the sides of the carrier. By that afternoon, they were pink. By that evening they were angry red with hint of a blister. By this morning they were weepy, yucky blisters, bigger than a quarter and accusing me of being the world's worst mother. I took him into the doctor and the blisters were open sores by the time we got there, so they bandaged him up and did their best not to make me feel any worse than I already did. Sam is such a happy little guy, he hardly noticed. In fact, he was loving the visit until they gave him his shots. It took him the entire ride home to get over the crying hiccups. He then took a 3 hour nap. What a traumatic day!

Sleepyhead Sam.

Bitter-beer-face Sam.
Making-sure-mommy-will-never-have-a-flat-belly-again Sam (one week before his arrival).
Melt-my-heart Sam.
Make-my-heart-swell Claire.
Daddy's-gonna-buy-a-shotgun Claire.

Tired of the kiddos yet?

Here's the piecing together of a quilt I made my mom for mother's day. I'm such a dummy, I forgot a picture of the finished project. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and even happier that I was able to use up a bunch of my stash making it.
I just did another plastic purge in the kitchen, including most of Claire's sippy cups. She's four, she shouldn't need them, I'm just not brave enough to sit through a meal watching her almost spill her drink at least 400 times. Here's my solution. Super-cute, safer than plastic, big girl cup that has a wide enough base it hopefully won't tip over.
Everything evil. Tasty? Well, honestly, not so much anymore. I recently read Going Against The Grain by Melissa Diane Smith and it changed the way I think about food almost as much as the documentary Food, Inc. I've had a lot of stomach pain lately and have had known wheat sensitivities so decided to do a little research. After reading this book as well as The No-Grain Diet I've made a few changes to my diet.

• No grains. Wheat, oatmeal, corn... if it's grain, it's out.
• No sugar. I've still been using honey, maple syrup and stevia in small amounts.
• Tons more veggies (all organic if possible) including a green juice every morning.
• Increased intake of flax seeds.
• Baking with almond flour... YUM!

What I've experienced.

• A headache the first few days as I detoxed, but nothing since.
  
• More pleasure in the foods I eat. I never realized how sweet asparagus is, or that I actually really like celery. I am much more aware of the flavors of my food. It's as if the grains in my meals were coating my mouth and keeping me from enjoying the flavors of my meats and veggies.
• Not a single stomach ache.
• When I floss, there's not much there. I know this sounds weird, but I can see how a grain/sugar free diet will make for more pleasant visits with the dentist.
• My morning breath isn't quite as nasty. I wouldn't say open-mouthed morning kissing has suddenly become desirable, but I hardly feel like everyone should keep a 4 foot distance from my mouth before I get a chance to brush my teeth.
• Hardly ANY cravings. I actually watched Jeff eat a bowl of ice cream and didn't even want a bite. And you all know how I love to make and eat bread? Haven't craved it once. It's almost kind of creepy just how much I don't have the crunchy, salty, carb-y cravings I used to have all the time.
• Thinking this may be the thing for me and hoping it may even result in a few lost pounds along with the health benefits.

OK, enough said for tonight. I'm sleepy. I'm off to feed Sam and delve into the book, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, I need to finish it by Wednesday for my book group.

Nigh-night.