I'm in the mood to write

It's been such a long time since I've even signed into my blog. So much going on that I just haven't had the time...but today I'm in the mood to write. I feel like I have something exciting to share!

Just over a month ago I decided to try the "30 days in the cave" paleo/primal diet. I basically cut out dairy and processed foods (anything from a box)and started using coconut oil to cook with.

At first I thought I would "die" without cheese!!! Anybody who knows me knows that I routinely eat cheese with EVERY MEAL!!! But it proved to be a fairly simple adaption. Then I thought I would "die" without my cereal or oatmeal & orange juice in the morning, but again I was able to adapt.

Last Tuesday myself and a friend attended a Raw Food class. I was told that we would be served a sampling of many different raw dishes. I was prepared to be grossed out and was honestly mildly nervous when I saw the plates sitting at the front of the room. About 30 minutes into the class they began to pass out a few samplings. I believe Chia pudding was the first item up for sampling followed by a cantaloupe/ginger/coconut milk smoothie. Both items proved to be DELICIOUS!! We then tried raw cacao chocolate, raw zucchini hummus, raw spring rolls, raw granola bars, raw crackers, and raw lasagna (not what it sounds like). Everything tasting better than the previous.

At the end of the meeting the instructor challenged us to try to go raw (at least 50%) for the next 7 days. She had prepared extra servings of all the foods she had sampled to us and offered them to us for a nominal fee. My friend and myself both decided to go for it. The foods we bought were enough to tie us over until we could figure out what we were going to make ourselves.

It's not uncommon to find fridge stocked full of raw vegetables for snacking. Growing up in the sticks of Northern NY we always had a large garden and lots of fresh raw veggies to eat. So naturally one of the first things I made was a dip for my veggies. Technically it's called "cashew cheese" but it reminds me of a hummus type dip. Here's how I made it;

1 cup raw organic cashews
1 clove of fresh organic garlic chopped
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning (i used Mrs Dash bc we had it in the cupboard)
1/8 cup organic lemon juice
1/8 cup filtered water

Put the cashews into the food processor and chop fine.
Add garlic, sea salt, & chipotle seasoning and mix.
Add lemon juice & water and process into a thick creamy consistency.

This was so delicious!! I took it to work and ate it on my carrots & mini sweet peppers. My co-workers that tried it also loved it. I believe this will be what I bring to my next pot luck party.

As I "invent" more scruptious recipes I will be posting them to share with you all. If I come across something thats is not so good I will most likely rant about it as well. I hope some of you will chose to join me on this new journey of experimentation and share some of your own recipes along the way.

Fun & Fashion Night @ Fountain Square

Come Support The Children's Advocacy Center at our pre-Fashion Show Event.

Thurs Sept 9th from 5pm-7pm

Fountain Square Shopping Village

142 E. Granada Blvd

Ormond Beach

Please bring a silent auction item or a $10 cash donation

www.childrensadvocacy.org

386-238-3830

Children's Home Society

Hi Everybody!

I received a nice "thank you" letter from the Children's Home Society. This is the "orphanage" that my husband had asked me to help out. I could not have done it with out your help, so everyone who lent a helping hand should consider this letter theirs.

Thanks again for ALL your help!!

Good News

Just wanted to post an update on my Gram's progress at the nursing home. I talked to Aunt Marlene today and she said they put Gram on a treadmill yesterday. They had to use a harness to keep her steady while on the treadmill, but she was able to do a total of 11 minutes yesterday (4 minutes, then a break...3 minutes, then a break...then 4 more minutes). I think that's pretty impressive. The family also had a meeting with the nursing home staff to get a review of her progress since she got there. They said she improves a little everyday and there's still a possibility that she may eventually come home. They said the first 90 days are the most important.
It is hard being so far away from her and the rest of the family. Sometimes I wish I could just move back up to NY to be with them.
Thank you for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers.

L&L

I had to pull out the Love & Logic on Xavier tonight.....
It was 20 minutes before bedtime and he was asking to watch a LeapFrog video ("right now!"). I told him that I would let him watch the video if there was time left after he brushed his teeth and got his jammies on. This compromise was not satisfactory for him and he demanded to watch it "right now". He was actually having a meltdown over it!

I stayed calm and he walked with me to the bathroom. I brushed his teeth with out saying a word. The funny thing was that although he was screaming "I wanna watch it right now!" and having a meltdown he was still 100% cooperative when it came to getting ready for bed.

When he was finished getting ready he was still begging to watch the movie. I told him in a calm voice "I am sorry but I offered you a compromise and you did not except. There will be no video tonight, but you can try again tomorrow." This sent him for a tailspin! We walked into his bedroom, he still wasn't fighting me, just crying . He climbed into his bed. I covered him up. He was still crying and saying he wanted to watch the video and "Please give me one more chance". I told him I was sorry about his choice. I gave him a hug and a kiss and walked out of his room.

He proceeded to cry and scream for 10-15 minutes. Then he yelled for me to come into his room so he could tell me something. I walked in and he says "Mommy, I love you". I said "I love you too buddy, but you have to learn that when Mommy and Daddy offer you a compromise you can choose to take it or leave it, but if you choose to "leave it" then the deal is done and no amount of crying is going to get you what you want." He said "OK Mommy". I hugged him again, walked out and he went to sleep.

Rod and I both felt terrible the entire time he was screaming. It definitely would have been easier on us to give in and let him watch the video, but I am glad I/we stuck to our guns. Hopefully he learns a lesson from the night. Better to learn now at the age of 3 than to wait until he's in the real world at 23 or 33. Poor little guy. He probably wishes I never took those parenting classes (lol).

The Children's Advocacy Center's Annual Fall Fashion Show

This year Michelle and I are co-chairing the silent auction for the CAC Fall Fashion show. We are working on getting some awesome donations to bid on. If you are interested in attending and supporting a great cause call the Children's Advocacy Center @ 386-238-3830 and reserve your seat. Tickets are $45 per person. We are all working extra hard to make this a Fashion Show to remember. And remember we are always looking for more volunteers and donations, so if you are interested in helping out or if you have something you would like to donate to the silent auction, let me know.