Took the kiddies to the $1 movie -Despicable Me. Darb was excellent -she had a minor accident but thank goodness my *diaper* bag can fit all our snack contraband (to include Pirate's Booty, Aged White Cheddar, 1-Ounce Bags (Pack of 24), hummus, cucumber slices and pretzel sticks and cheese sticks and graham crackers for Darby. oh, and some blueberry muffins) + diaper bag essentials!! :) She was changed and cleaned up in no time and we almost made it to the end of the movie before Delaney was ready for her nap. Not too bad for a few dollars.
A few weeks ago, my friend Whitney invited me and the kids out to their place at Harding Lake -her kids and my kids along with some neighbors and their kids had a great time on the lake. She sent me the pictures she took of Dylan tubing for the very first time!! He had a BLAST!! TONS of FUN!!!
May have to just plan on blogging every other week...couldn't find a moment but wasn't too concerned -totally awesome family time was in order, since Darren was off Wednesday through Sunday!!
So here we are, Manic Monday!!
The cloudy, rained-last-night morning kicked off slow and steady -pull-up changing, coffee, bottle, juice, little big planet, poop diaper changing, juice, coffee, teething cookie mess, etc.
And let's not forget 27 DAYS cigarette free is the way to be!!
Where I left off from last week...
I had my first (and only) session of acupuncture on Wednesday. It was interesting. I enjoyed chatting with her briefly about a lot of different things pertaining to a lot of the same things. Some of the information that resonated: a journaling technique, protein consumption, *my* liver may not be able to or has yet to process old *traumas* (i.e. everything from child birth to the death of my dad, etc.) because I haven't menstruated a) since having baby and nursing the last ~10 months and b) I have an IUD (Mirena). I am also being treated for pelvic pain, which I believe is related to the IUD. [Darren, we need to schedule that appointment!?!?] Anyways, she explained she'd start with 5 points in the ear, it would 'bite' a little bit. It wasn't that bad, heck, I've had a couple kids w/o pain meds. :) I felt relaxed and had random thoughts. At one point, I thought maybe I should be thinking of cigarettes...so I started thinking about cigarettes and smoking. But those thoughts were just as random as the ones before and soon I was on to the next random thought. I didn't really feel like I 'went away to another place' and I didn't feel any 'magic' but I did feel some action in my liver, seriously! It was an enjoyable experience. And $206 later, it really isn't going to be a regular form of smoking cessation. It's cool, but just not for me right now.
Really had it out for GCI last week too!!! OMG!! We could NOT get service for just about 3 days!! Come to find out, there was a tower 'down' in our neighborhood. So it was just effecting this area -I was so flipping irritated. I let them know that I'm a SAHM and my cell phone is my ONLY phone and I NEED my phone!! They took $75 off our bill this month...plus a credit for when Darren went IN TO the local GCI store to complain!! UGH!! I am sometimes so fed up with it!! And then Darren reminds me I am the one that left my phone on the back of my truck and drove off, which resulted in, ME having to rush down to GCI for a replacement phone *less than 24 hours before leaving on a jet plane for a week* and ultimately recommitting with them for another 2 years!! UGH!!
It was a GORGEOUS day Friday so we did our chores, loaded up the kids and went to where else, Wal*Mart!!!! Promised the little rascals we'd replace their patched up, 2-3 ring plastic kiddie pool with something a bit more sturdier...
But needless to say, no one has spent more than 3 minutes in the 4,000 gallons of freezing cold water. Darren did attempt to fabricate a pool heater and is on the right track but my little Weber charcoal grill just wasn't cutting it. I think instead he should modify his fabricated copper tubing and go with this set up:
We did however enjoy a YUMMY grilled dinner with friends Saturday night! And although we were bummed about the pool not being warm enough, that didn't stop us from chowing down on grilled chicken drumettes, salmon and grass-fed Angus burgers! Oh and KALE CHIPS!!!
If you do one thing this summer, out of the ordinary, make KALE CHIPS!!!! I was so excited when I finally got around to making my first batch with the week old Kale I had picked up at the FM. Followed the directions but sprinkled my OO coated Kale with dried dill, onion powder, garlic powder and Kosher salt. Oh and I threw on some chopped, raw cashews. Mmmmmm...melt in your mouth, buttery goodness!!!! Darren didn't deny their goodness either!! I made another batch and looked forward to picking more Kale up at the FM Saturday morning! To which I did and come to find out there are many types of Kale. So I bought 4 bunches of Italian Kale. I even excited the vendor with my stories of melt in your mouth, buttery goodness!! She commented that even this recipe didn't seem too hard. The Italian Kale was definitely 'meatier' than the regular ol' Kale and I had to leave it in a bit longer and open the oven door a couple more times to allow the steam to escape.
So along with Kale chips I managed to make a batch of yummy pesto with FRESH basil from the FM. I smeared the pesto on some grilled burgers...yummy!! We've gone bun-less around here...we're eating our meat sans the buns and it's delish!! Cottage cheese, salsa, corn, spinach, fresh tomato slices, etc. And a batch of yummy hummus. And let's not forget a batch of whole-wheat fresh Alaska blueberry muffins!!
So where did the green drinks go? We're still juicing, sometimes. Goodness, it's hard to keep up with too many juices EVERY DAY but since this last week was full of not so healthy choices, we both realize how much those green drinks and fruit smoothies mean to us and we're both planning on committing to one more detox and maintain a healthier, more raw and protein, less sugar, beer and liquor diets. We could feel the toxins of the Bud Light and Tom Collins and the blueberry muffins and spicy chicken drumettes and I think we were craving the green drinks and fruit smoothies as much as our bodies! I'm just thankful I experienced only one major craving for a cigarette over the weekend. It was of course after a couple cocktails, and I just thought of a quote I recently came across in one of the articles I read on 'what to expect from acupuncture, smoking cessation'. Freud said, "Sometimes a cigarette is just a cigarette." It's so true. Just because it tastes so good? To smoke a cig after consuming a couple cocktails? Doesn't mean it's going to make you feel any better once you've puffed the last drag of said cig. Plus Kale chips are SOOOOOO much healthier -go on, make some Kale chips!!!
Dylan likes his hair 'flat' so a haircut was in order. My handsome boy is growing up so fast -can't believe he's 7.5 and in a couple days, Darby will be 2.5 and in a couple months Delaney will be ONE!!!!!
My boy is sooooo good!! He's participating in hockey camps and a summer reading program, playing soccer and is always tons of help around the house!! He is AWESOME!! He just now came up and asked for a snack, a big bowl of fruit!! My pleasure!
My juice this morning/afternoon:
lemon, ginger, fresh basil, red apple, green apple & cucumber!!! YUM!!
I would like to start some sort of workout routine and currently I'm interested in the following:
-Join the Alaska Club
-Look into Pilates (I ran into a friend from junior high at a 4th of July parade and she's a Pilates instructor in Anchorage and said she'd put me in touch with someone local!)
-I just received an invite from a friend; her brother is part owner/operator of AK Performance Training. A lot of balance and core training...looks kinda complicated and coordination might be required, hmmmm....
You got it! So far, the kids have taken over my juice cup this evening...good thing Darren's is still in the fridge & I have another 1/4 of a large canteloupe left!! (juicing with the Omega VRT330 Dual-Stage Vertical Single-Auger Low-Speed Juicer allows you to keep the juice in the fridge for 72 hours!!)
Again, I was inspired and give full credit to Green Lemonade!!! (click on the link for the recipe -it's just 1/2 head of romaine lettuce & 1/2 of a small cantaloup)
My romaine came from the farmer's market -Mmmmmm, yummy! I stocked up yesterday and after running into a HS friend and chatting with some vendors, I kinda feel like I'm the last one to get excited about fresh greens & juicing!
There is always yummy food at the fm and I could have really gone for something delicious but I resisted the temptations and decided: I'm excited to try some kale chips! I'll let you know how they turn out.
After the fm I made my way over to the Alaska Homegrown Market after one of the vendors suggested I check it out. They warned me the prices are high but it all seems so worth it in the long run... I purchased some sun dried tomato/basil chicken breast and some grass fed ground beef and only spent $16.50. I admit that amount of meat won't go very far in this family or in any family for that matter but it's a start and I look forward to going back and taking advantage of some customer appreciation specials.
So, for dinner (and leftovers tonight) we had chicken, roasted baby white potatoes (from the fm) and roasted parsnip fries and a big fresh salad!
My mom called me this morning and told me how proud she is of me for quitting smoking (& she wants to start blogging...LOL!). That means so much to me, to hear her say that! Afterall, I inherited my (sneak)-smoking tendencies from her. :) Love you mom! I feel better every day and sometimes I wonder what I would do if I had 3-5 extra minutes and a cigarette. HA!! I'm an addict, I'd smoke it!! Who am I kidding?!?! Kinda like if I had M&Ms or Reece's Peanut Butter Cups in the house, I'd eat 'em!!! But the farther along I get in my book Sugarettes, the more it all makes sense and I am empowered to make better choices!!
And for evening entertainment, Dylan experienced COPS first hand. A highly intoxicated individual made their way down our street, from who knows where, and passed out across the street, in the ditch.
Well, not that spectacular...it's cloudy and windy and rained a lot overnight ...the kids and I need an excuse to be a little lazy today. I should really put the computer down right now, get the kids fed and head to the farmer's market. But it's cloudy and windy and wet.
Along with the movie, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, I did some research online and finally stumbled across something that REALLY made sense to me and inspired me further, Green Lemonade. How so, you ask? Well, let me show you in pictures. Please don't think that you NEED to buy ALL the produce at the farmer's market/grocery store. I went COMPLETELY overboard and COMPLETELY overextended my grocery budget!!! I will post my favorite recipes thus far.
Currently, this combo is my morning ritual. Coffee (w/ coconut milk and stevia + fiber), Green Lemonade, and iPad.
Peaches, caffeine-free tea, fruit & veggie wash, cantaloupe, oils, vinegar, sea salt, pepper, ground ginger, my snack jar and juicer.
Butternut squash, bananas, avocados!!!, raw ginger.
Spinach, kale, chard, bok choy, celery, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, green & red apples, strawberries, etc.
That's wheat grass there in the door, above the pineapple!!
My snack jar: raw cashews, Spanish peanuts and sulfur-free dried apple rings
Darby enjoying a yummy smoothie popcicle (banana, mango, papaya, orange)
There's still a reaction from the natural sugars...
The rest of the family couldn't survive on juicing 24/7 so I had to make dinner: ground turkey, homemade taco seasoning and chard.
I add a little yogurt to the kids' smoothies but Darby still loves mommy's smoothie!
Since jogging didn't work out for me (yet), I thought I'd give blogging a try!
This will be a great way for me to journal (our) daily lives -but more importantly, it will be therapeutic for me (and that's all that matters, right?).
I've been fantasizing about journaling/blogging for a couple months now and will rehearse my entries as I go about my days so I have a lot of catching up to do...but I won't bore you with a bunch of blogging now, I'll just share some pictures (as if FB isn't enough?) with short explanations instead.
My awesome husband and father-in-love replaced the rotting deck with this wonderful yet simplistic masterpiece.
My Lovies!
So, what have I been up to the last week or so? Well, let me tell you!! I quit smoking (today will be 17 days) cigarettes!!! I smoked my last cig 6/28/11. I know, some of you may not know of my closet habit but I've smoked cigarettes on and off since I was 18 or 19 years old and since I'm turning *eek* 30 next year, I figured it was time. Plus, I was ready. AND my oldest started questioning why *I* smelt like smoke...and lying to him was just gut wrenching!!
I've tried quitting before -I LOVE smoking! I don't think it makes me look 'cool' or anything crazy like that but I admit that I did feel cool, kinda. And I wasn't a pack-a-day smoker or anything -just 3-5/day (like that's so much better?). Anyways, I was tempted numerous time to call the Alaska Quit Line (and I should probably do that anyways) but decided to see a holistic doc instead. I made my appointment at the Holistic Medical Clinic and after I described my relentless cravings for sugar she explained to me her beliefs which lead me to do some research on my own. Sugar is just as harmful AND addictive as cigarettes AND heroin -I stumbled across the book Sugarettes by Dr. Scott Olson.
The withdrawals will be much more manageable or non-existent if I can balance my sugar intake/levels. I am on a mission....
. Darb was excellent -she had a minor accident but thank goodness my *diaper* bag can fit all our snack contraband (to include Pirate's Booty, Aged White Cheddar, 1-Ounce Bags (Pack of 24)
, hummus, cucumber slices and pretzel sticks and cheese sticks and graham crackers for Darby. oh, and some blueberry muffins) + diaper bag essentials!! :) She was changed and cleaned up in no time and we almost made it to the end of the movie before Delaney was ready for her nap. Not too bad for a few dollars. 
allows you to keep the juice in the fridge for 72 hours!!)
, the more it all makes sense and I am empowered to make better choices!!
, I did some research online and finally stumbled across something that REALLY made sense to me and inspired me further, 
