Unexpected hiatus

And I'm back! My annual summer workload got the better of me and I had to focus solely on surviving until after August 25. I was successful at that, but by then, school had started back up, things were still backed up at my office because of the renovations, and I was so unbelievably tired. But I'm back, and feeling refreshed, looking forward to the new arrival of Fall-ish weather in Texas! (Yes, we call mid-80's Fall weather here.)

Aaron moved up to teaching 8th grade this year, so we had to help him move classrooms before school started. He was so excited to finally be teaching the subject matter and age group he's always wanted - to him, 8th grade US History is as good as it gets. Bless him for thinking so, because I know I could never do it! His new room came together nicely:

 

Not long after school started for everyone, Z had his 11th birthday. (ELEVEN?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?) He asked for only one thing for his birthday - a Wii U game system. Our original Wii system died back in April, so he had been video game-less for several months, and all the while had his eye on this thing. He did chores and mowed lawns to help save up money to pitch in half of the cost - that shows you how serious he was about wanting it. The rest of us family pitched in and made up the other half, and made his dream a reality for his big day. He was so, so happy.

For his celebration, he asked to have a big slumber party. And by big, I mean 8 friends. We agreed, foolishly thinking "how bad could it be?" -- WOW. Live and learn, as they say, right? Never. Again.

Snacks, picked out by the guest of honor.

I went disposable EVERYTHING - do you realize how many dirty dishes 9 boys could make?

Thank you, HEB, for cheap soda.

For the first time since his 2nd birthday, he asked me to make his birthday cake instead of a fancy, fun one from our pastry chef friend. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting - a classic!

Can't have cake without ice cream. (Also in disposable cups ... yesssssss.)

A "before" shot of the backyard movie theater Aaron created. This was a huge hit.

An "after" shot of the screen, in action. The picture was awesome! We ended up actually watching Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days instead of The Avengers, though. (Some kids said their parents wouldn't let them watch The Avengers.)

Most of the boys, chilling out watching a movie. (A few opted to stay inside and have alone time with the brand new Wii U. You would think that thing had a pair of boobs, 

the way the boys swooned around it.)

A "before" shot of the living room, after we cleared it out to maximize space.

"After". Still gives me shivers, remembering how loud it got.

The most important thing I remembered to do while party prepping -- programmed the coffee maker to brew for me at 7:30am sharp. And Lord, did we need it the next morning.

Overall, the party was a huge success. I think the kids would've stayed up the entire night if Aaron hadn't gone out there and finally told them to pipe down around 1:00am. The quiet didn't last long, though -- at exactly 5:31am I heard laughter and the blinky-boppy sounds of a swarm of Nintendo DS systems. I went out in the living room and every single one of them was already awake and playing a game. I whimpered back into my bedroom and laid back down, but never really fell back asleep. Needless to say, once everyone was gone and the gift cards he got from everyone were spent, we took a family nap. And yes, even Z passed out, which is equivalent to pigs flying.

So, our little party animal is now a full-fledged, flag-football playing 5th grader. This is his first year being allowed to play an organized sport for his school, and boy, was he pumped to finally get the chance. He has practice after school twice a week, and games every Friday.

His team, minus one dear friend who got injured this season.

Z pushing his injured friend around in PE, and this apparently made it on the school's Facebook page. Glad someone told me, since I don't have FB anymore!

The team after Friday night's INCREDIBLE game! They were the underdogs and were down by 3 touchdowns in the beginning, but they pulled together to win it by one point! It was so exciting, I almost couldn't take it. Me and another Mom were pacing up and down the sidelines, there was no way we could sit still. Z made a great play and stopped their QB from running the ball back to score on the 3rd to last play of the game (which would've made them win), and his teammate told him, "wow, your Mom jumped to MARS when you did that!" Ok, guilty as charged.

He's already looking into the future, and let me know that he wants to do basketball next, then after that, soccer. Whew! Looks like I've got a bonafide athlete on my hands, and I'm going to become quite intimate with the bleachers at his school over the next few years.

As for Aaron, Cody, and me, we're all doing well. We always knew Cody was getting big, but he is now officially a horse:

His weigh-in at our last trip to the vet a few weeks ago. Gulp.

I think that catches us up. I'm excited to have some free time on my hands again so I can blog. Hope everyone out there is doing swell! Until next time ...

Cleansing - done.

I think I can say that this cleanse, overall, was a complete fail on my part.

I have come to the end of it, and I've been successful at it, but emotionally, I've been a hot mess. I'm not sure I could've been a moodier, whinier brat than I was during weeks 2 and 3. I even got on my own nerves at times. I'm not proud of this, but it happened, and I want to be honest.

I think I figured out where the breakdown happened, and what was different this time versus last time. I can not deny that I am an emotional eater. I don't binge, but I definitely use food to celebrate, comfort, or lift my mood. At the end of a rough day, some people have a drink. Personally, I would rather go have a nice meal. My upbringing was the same - food was always at the center of what was going on.

That being said, it's the summer. As most people know, the summer is always my busiest time of year at work - and I don't just mean busy. I mean intensely stressful for a period of about 3 months. By now, this process has already come into full swing, but this summer is worse for a few reasons. First and foremost, the head honchos at my company decided we should renovate all of the offices now. I'm not sure what planet they live on, but I'm fairly certain they could not have picked a worse time to do this. Our busiest time of the year, and we are dodging guys ripping up carpet, sporadically painting random sections of things, and jackhammering the floors. There are ladders and clouds of dust everywhere, as well as blaring Tejano music. Thank God for headphones.

What I saw in my office when I came in this morning. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to work under tarp, but I'm doing my best.

Add to this my work computer, that I've been using for 9 years, decided to take a dump on July 3. After weeks of phone calls, emails, and pleas for help, I now finally have a somewhat functioning new computer. Its not FULLY functioning, though, because I still can't scan rent checks into the bank. No one seems in a hurry to get this fixed, and I'm fighting this battle alone. Being incapacitated at your job is so stressful, especially when everyone around you is still expecting you to complete your daily tasks.

Add to this a few incredibly moody, unpredictable coworkers. I won't say any more than that, but if you've ever held a job, I'm sure you get my drift.

That gives you an idea of what my day consists of Monday through Friday, week after week. July has been like Groundhog Day for me. This stresses me out. Add to this the stress of bills, trying to budget, and maintaining working out, and I hit a wall. I couldn't get a release at work because talking to myself doesn't really make me feel better, I couldn't get a release at home, because I would get there and switch gears into worrying about money or having to workout, and I couldn't get a release socially, because I can't go out and eat anything. Therefore, since I had no way to channel this stress, I think I just got cranky. Food is usually the one constant thing I have to look forward to, and I chose to eliminate that option. How stupid am I? I was really just annoyed with myself and the stresses of work, but it came out to others as a whiny idiot. I'm forever grateful to my son and husband for not kicking me out of the house the past 2 weeks.

Overall, I will say that I'm still glad we did the cleanse, I'm just ashamed of how much I let my somewhat food-related mood swings get the best of me. When it comes to something like this, you only get out of it what you put into it - and I totally screwed it up. What I am NOT ashamed of is how much I am looking forward to a sandwich, with crusty bread, in all it's gluten glory, piled high with lean meats (yes, plural!), and delicious cheese. That's been my biggest craving all along. If I never see another bean for the rest of my life, it will be too soon. F*ck legumes. I might get a tshirt made with that as my new catch phrase.

I still feel fantastic physically, and I'm down 7 pounds. A few people, including my unequivocally forgiving husband, noticed I was shedding weight again and were quick to compliment. That's always a good feeling. I do love how I feel, I just made it way harder than it needed to be along the way, with all the stress and junk floating around in my head. Note to self: never do another cleanse during the summer, unless I have found new gainful employment first.

Now, off to plan my weekend menu. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I haven't been this excited in at least 3 weeks, AND, I have the entire weekend off from both jobs. Life is good. It actually always has been, I've just finally stopped bitching long enough to realize it again. Time to do better.

Let the whining begin.

Today is day 14 of our cleanse, and I've hit that proverbial brick wall that I knew was coming. Strangely, it has hit me far later into the cleanse than it did last time, but it's here nonetheless. It certainly doesn't help when your parents are on vacation and sending you pictures of the food they are enjoying:

I could actually smell this picture when it came through on my phone.

Whimper, cry, sniffle.

Yesterday, I was downright whiny and gave my husband every reason in the book to want to leave me on the spot. Instead, with him being the prince that he is, he took me to Whole Foods, a place he loathes, so we could find me something fun to eat. Forty-eight dollars later (cough, hack, scream), we went home with a bag of goodies for the week. Our last week. Thank God.

In all honesty, though, I have to say that we feel magnificent. As hard as the hard days may be, they're all worth it in the end. We both have lost about 5 pounds, and feel lighter on the whole. No more heavy, bloated, dragging feelings here. Some staples we have found to make eating fun this time around have been:

These are delicious with hummus or soup. $3.69 a bag

I don't think I've met a hummus I don't love, but this one has really grabbed me lately. Granted, it's no Grandma's Humus, but it's still pretty damn tasty. $3.99 a tub

An old standby - the infamous booger green drinks. These are just as good as Naked. $8.99 a jug

FINALLY! A delicious, drinkable probiotic beverage. Thank you, Kevita! $3.29 - $5.29 a bottle, depending where you shop

One of my favorite things at work these days - it's called "Healthy Snack", and it's essentially poser sushi for non-pescatarians like me. It's got cucumber, carrot, and avocado, and I just can't get enough. $5.99 per tray

Edamame salad - it has edamame, carrots, radicchio, shallots, and a tangy vinegary dressing, made fresh daily at my night job. $3.00 - $5.00 a carton, depending on weight

Quite possibly my new favorite food in the entire universe. Seriously. I can't get enough of this dried coconut, it's absolutely amazing. $1.99 a bag

All I can say is thank God for Hail Merry. This company makes desserts for people like us, and they only use agave syrup for sweetening and raw oils for making their out-of-this-world items. This coconut vanilla creme tart changed my life. I had no clue something vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free could taste this good. All hail Hail Merry! $3.29 per tart

We tried the macaroons, because the tarts were so outstanding. These did not disappoint! I could eat them all day, everyday, honestly. $4.99 per bag

(Stock photo from earthbalancenatural.com)

These are a marvel of healthy eating. Absolutely delicious and not one unnatural ingredient in the list. These will become staple in our house, even long after this cleanse is over. $4.99 per bag

As you can see, eating clean comes with a price. No wonder people eat like crap - it's so much more affordable. Quick, cheap, and easy seems to be the mantra these days, but your precious body ends up paying the price. It's hard not to fall into the quick, cheap, and easy trap - I speak from experience. But, having now done this cleanse twice, it's nearly impossible to ignore the difference in how we feel. Our bodies are trying to tell us something, and they are what serve us every day. The least we could do is listen. This also forces you to get creative, which is never a bad thing! We came up with these as our new version of quick, cheap, and easy:

Vegan tostadas! Fat-free organic black refried beans with roasted red jalapeno ($1.29), shredded cabbage ($1.29), organic tomatoes ($2.99), and vegan "cheese"($3.00) on red corn tostada shells ($2.00). Total cost of items to make these was $10.57 and we can get about three meals out of the ingredients. Can I get a hell yeah?

This chili is affordable ($2.99), large enough to share, and stellar on a baked potato.

Any brand cous cous is my favorite, and at $1.89 a box, I can get two cheap lunches out of it.

Texas Caviar is a delicious snack and the recipe makes enough to feed an army. One can of black beans, one can of corn, three roma tomatoes, cilantro, and red wine vinegar make an affordable, healthy side dish or snack. Total cost to make was less than $5.00 and we have enough to last all week.

Another affordable, delicious lunch idea - Amy's Lentil soup. $1.92 per can is a small price to pay for this unbelievably tasty, healthy meal.

Even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you will most likely still like these. I've been eating these for ages, and was very happy to see they fell into the dietary guidelines of this cleanse. They pair nicely with the Texas Caviar above, hummus, or pretty much any salsa. $2.50 per bag

In addition to the cleanse, we have been working out daily. Yes, every single day. And our little dude has even gotten in on the exercise. Can I tell you how much more fun working out is when you do it as a family? I searched and searched, and finally found a workout regiment that is challenging, but not impossible, and it takes up less than an hour of our day. Perfect! Here's what we do:

I realize the typing on here is practically microscopic, but I think if you click it, you can zoom in more. It's a combination of jumping jacks, crunches, lunges, planking, push-ups, squats, tricep dips, and running. It mixes things up each day, and gradually increases your running weekly. It's been great fun to do together, and you are definitely sweaty and feel like you have worked out by the end of everything. I'm happy I found something we all like doing, because we are way more inclined to keep doing something if we like it. 

Aside from maintaining a healthy lifestyle, my days have been filled with lots of work. I'm still counting down the minutes until summer is over. Aaron and Z have had lots of fun hanging out together during the days, and taking adventurous bike rides all around town. I'm glad they are getting this bonding time together, especially at Z's age. He needs his dad more now than ever, and luckily, I married a great guy who wants to be there for him. 

Now, onwards to days 15 - 21. No more whining allowed, on my part. More to come!

Back on the (food) wagon.

To talk about what an epic fail of a work week I have had would suck out the rest of my good mojo. Therefore, I am choosing NOT to dwell - I will simply summarize by saying it has been utterly craptastic, made me fall behind, and has most definitely kept me busy. That being said, it's time to move on to bigger and better topics - like fooooooood.

As mentioned before, I finally received my box of goodies from my June Foodie PenPal. Michelle lives in Wisconsin (she doesn't blog, or else I would link her up here), and sent me some fun stuff:

It included some wasabi peas, teriyaki flavor injector, locally made strawberry chocolate walnut cookies, lemon wafer cookies, and locally made orange roasted chocolate covered almonds. I have to say, the almonds were my favorite. I had never tried almonds roasted in orange before I got these, and I'd highly recommend them, if you can find any near you. How fun was it to get a box of food in the mail? TONS! I enjoyed my first FPP experience so much, I signed up to do it again this month.

You send a box to a different person than you receive from, so I was paired up with Kelly (click on her name if you want to see her blog post about what I sent her) who lives in Illinois. She is a runner who, strangely enough, was born in Round Rock and lived here for the first few years of her life. Small world! She said her favorites were peanut butter, chocolate, and oatmeal, but to surprise her with anything. It was fun getting to shop around and put this together, and I'm already excited for the next one!

As I mentioned in the previous post, the hubby and I decided it was time to go back to square one nutritionally speaking, and redo a cleanse we did back in September 2011. I blogged about each stage of the 21-day cleansing adventure, so it was interesting to go back and read what I wrote before we started this up again. It was nice to have the heads-up about how we were feeling along the way, and reading back on those posts has made the anticipation of this 21-day stretch somewhat muted. For those of you who don't know or weren't around when we did this back then, it's a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free diet. No milk, eggs, meat, white flour, wheat, or white sugar, just vibrant veggies, fruit, meatless protein, and nuts. We started Monday, so today is day 5, and I must say we are plodding along nicely. I had a headache the first two days off and on, as did Aaron, but since then it's been ok. I haven't found myself pining for the more naughty side of food yet, but it's only week 1. I'm sure I'll whining a different tune about this time next week.

Since it's been a couple of years since we first did this, the author of the book we were following then (Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr) has come out with a book to support the diet, Crazy Sexy Kitchen.

  

It is chock full of recipes, ranging from the easy to the downright chefy. I checked it out from our local library (after being on a waiting list for 2 weeks!) and as you can see, I already have about a dozen recipes earmarked for testing.

  

I'm hoping its going to be an asset to have this cookbook in my arsenal as we go through the next two weeks. We went to the Farmer's Market last Saturday to grab a few items for the week:

Tomatoes, potatoes, and squash - oh my!

Then we headed over to Sprouts and picked up a revised version of groceries for the week:



Gluten-free potato pancakes, gluten-free buckwheat waffles,
and gluten-free dairy-free chipotle black bean "burger" patties.

Dairy-free yogurt, almond milk pudding, vegan butter, dairy-free "cheese",
and gluten-free butternut squash ravioli.

We've started having salads at least once a day, usually twice, and summer produce has given us some amazing things to work with.


A thing of beauty! At this point, still having one of these with lunch and dinner.



But, as we quickly learned last time we did this, the love affair with salads will not last long. As delicious as they are, they eventually get old. Thankfully, the cookbook I checked out has new ideas for salads to keep them from getting boring. The trick will be getting Aaron to try new variations on the old standby. I will say, the fruit during summer never disappoints, so we couldn't have done this cleanse at a better time, as far as that is concerned. Melons, apples, berries, cherries, apricots, dates, mango, peaches, pears, pineapple, and tomatoes are all in season, and I'm loving every minute of it! My new obsession:

Candycots. Holy mother, are these things amazing. They are shipped in to Central Market from Modesto, California, and are worth every stinking penny! If you have these in a store near you, buy them! You won't regret it after you get one taste of their unparalleled sweetness. A perfect snack for the kiddos!



Thankfully, it's Friday, and that means I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I'll most likely be hiding from the wretched sun, but I'll make the most of it, no doubt. I know we won't be going out to eat like the last few weekends. If it wasn't so hot, I'd love to go hiking, or biking. Guess we'll have to brainstorm and get more creative than that until the cooler weather arrives. Maybe it'd be fun to experiment some in the kitchen? Oh, and keep going with the Doctor Who marathon we've been on - yes, I said 'we'. I sucked Aaron in - muahahahahahaha! No one can resist The Doctor!