Monthly Archives: January 2012

Day 5 Of My Cleanse

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Well, as it turns out coffee is the hardest thing. I did anticipate it being hard, but it ends up to be really challenging when I am making coffee for my husband (yes, I am a sweet wife) and it smells so good. Instead I opt for green tea, which has some caffine in it so the coffee withdrawl headache has not really set in. What this is helping with is getting me to eat a real breakfast, before I would just have a cup of coffee which would fill me up, now I need to have something a little heartier, so I guess that is a good thing. Another aspect that has been challenging is the clutter clean out, I know it needs to be done but I just haven’t done it. I am not always thinking of it and over the last few days we have had a bunch of snow days and our schedules have been all turned around. In any event, as I mentioned in my last post, this is really about self control and taking out things that are not good for me. Which is why I am contemplating bringing coffee back. The last two days I have taken the bus into work and stopped at Starbucks. Yesterday was a decaf latte, today was a Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte – both very good, both without sugar or sweetner. The question is, which is better for me, a cup of coffee at home or stopping and spending money for a warm treat?  In the long run, its probably better just to have the coffee at home. I am considering bringing the coffee back on Monday, after one whole week without it. The idea for the cleanse was mainly self control, but also I was hoping to feel better too, possibly lose some weight, etc. For the most part I feel the same, I have lost maybe 1 pound, but I am proud of myself for resisting the urge to drink or eat sweets. Even with my husband’s birthday and all the snow days, lots of time on our hands and not one treat or indulgence. That’s pretty good self control. For next week and moving forward I am going to try my best to incorporate the clean out of the clutter and if I decide to bring coffee back, I will limit it to one cup a day and possibly take something else out, maybe white flour or carbs after noon. We will see how it goes. Until Next Time – thanks for reading, kg

Starting My Cleanse Today

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Yesterday was not my favorite day. Between driving in the snow in Seattle and outlying areas, which made all our plans for the day fail. We would have had a much better day if we had just stayed home and relaxed, but who knew. The roads were fine in Ballard, but that was about it. So after a few hours on snowy roads, white knuckle driving for a mom not used to or comfortable driving in the snow, I was happy when we were finally safe at home. But then the sick stomach set in, not sure if was the sushi from Factoria mall (although everyone else was fine), or settling stress nerves making me sick or a bout of the flu. But as I write now, I feel a bit better, but still nervous about eating. In any event as I held my head over the toilet I decided, maybe it was the break I took that set this in motion, and then I figured it was time to start my cleanse. The things I plan on eliminating for a month don’t sound good when you are sick, so starting today I am giving up alcohol, drugs, coffee and added sugar and sweets. Another couple aspects of the cleanse is the clutter clean out. I will also take 10-20 minutes (minimum) to clear the clutter from somewhere in my house each day. 10 minutes is the minimum, but hopefully it can spark bigger projects. Andrew would also like to include a challenge of less meat and less processed food which are also good changes that we can strive for.

We will see how it goes, I am going to try my best, I may go for decaf coffee since I love the taste, but the goal will to be just take these things out of the mix to see if I can have the self control to last. I am prepared for the no coffee headache and I am sure the others will be easier. And now I will also promise my family and those around me that I will not complain, as this all self induced.

Holiday On the Road

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As we settle into the new year, I wanted to jot down some of the highlights of the holidays. This year for Christmas my family hit the road and headed South to California. The idea was a fun, family vacation with my parents, my sisters, their families and my little brother. We planned to start the holidays at my aunts in Camarillo, CA and spend the rest of the trip in the quaint beach town, Huntington Beach, CA. My husband and I decided to mix up the trip (and save some money) by driving down. I think this was one of our best choices of the trip. It was very relaxing driving down the 101 through the Redwood Forest, along the Pacific Coast, seeing all the beauty that is out there. During the trip through the Red Woods we discovered another traveling company, 7cees.org (looks like a very cool organizaiton). We made a detour into San Francisco so our girls could see the Golden Gate Bridge and met a friend in Palo Alto (thanks for the cookies April!). We took our time and enjoyed the ride. And of course, as I promised my girls we made sure to drive through a tree!

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On Christmas Eve, we started our day by watching the surfers and playing at Pismo Beach. Then we arrived at our hotel to swim and freshen up before we enjoyed the Seven Fishes Dinner with my extended Sicilian Family. There was plenty to eat and drink and lots of songs sung and laughs had. It is always a treat to meet new cousins and connect with the ones we don’t see very often.

Christmas in a hotel room is an interesting adventure, with 2 little girls that still believe, the story of how Santa finds us in our hotel room, gets in and puts out presents is actually a little creepy. I am pretty sure my 8 year old knows whats going on but she doesn’t want to let on. On Christmas morning the presents appeared and we tore them apart and then enjoyed some complimentary breakfast at the hotel! Christmas in California is another interesting experience, the sun was shining, it was warm and I was able to take a walk with no coat – what a concept. I do enjoy the snow on Christmas, but if there is no snow, I will take the sun!

The next day we headed South again, on to Huntington with a stop in LA to visit with the cousins. We visited Kermit the Frog’s house (a neighbor of cousin S & H), the Hollywood walk of Stars, met Shrek and ton of other crazy characters, we took an awesome walk in the hills and had some delicious Mexican food on Hollywood Blvd. When we arrived in Huntington Beach, we were the last ones, which means we got last pick on the rooms. Of course, I don’t like to complain but unfortunately our room had 2 doors and was basically a breezeway to both sides of the house. Needless to say, not much privacy. But of course that didn’t stop us from having fun. We completely enjoyed the Beach, we took runs & walks on the beach trail, Andrew and I ran almost 7 miles barefoot on the beach. The girls had a fun day splashing in the water. I spent that afternoon paranoid they were going to get pulled into the riptide. I figure if I lived in CA near a beach, that is something I would have to get over.

Of course when in So Cal, you can’t miss Disneyland! We started by fueling up at IHOP, which included another cousin visit! Then we hit the park. My sister Chrissy took charge and we all followed. I tried to make sure all kids were accounted for and then just followed along. Even though the park reached maximum capacity (80,000 people) at 10:30am, we still got on all the great rides, we learned the 5 year old twin cousins both love roller coasters and we had a super, fun time.

During the entire trip we had tons of amazing dinners and lots of lively conversations. And still fit in plenty of downtime. We did smores on the beach with our big bon fire which is so cool in December. And we watched lots of surfers catch some amazing waves. It is such an amazing culture – the Beach Life – get up, go surfing, head to work. Or take a run on the beach, pop into the ocean, then on to real life. I definitely think I could get used to it. To finish the year and the end of our trip, we spent New Year’s Eve day exploring Marina Del Ray by sailboat, another side trip to visit cousins S&H. The evening of NYE was mellow as we had to pack up and travel home the next day.

Overall the week was great. I was happy to spend time with my family that I don’t see very often. Since my sister and her family live in Virgina and my brother is in Montana, these vacations are the only chance we get to spend time together. I am grateful we had the opportunity to have this trip. I had some great talks and walks with my family and I am happy for that. As for the romantic, quiet vacation with my husband, well, that we will have to plan another time. This was not that trip. This was about the larger family, cousins hanging out together, family dinners and tons of chaos. After this trip, I am ready for another, the trip down the coast is a fun adventure that I hope we get to try again. Maybe another trip to Disneyland or just a week to hang out on a new beach! We will just have to wait and see, until next time. — kg