Vegmom Moments

Mindful Chewing

My last post Mentioned the small things I've been doing that have made a very big difference for me.

Another one I forgot to share is "Mindful Chewing"

Hubby and I are very fast eaters, always have been.  We had things to do and places to go.. chewing was low on the priority list.  

We have always heard people talk about the need to fully chew food but after listening to a lot of lectures regarding digestion, chewing and the mechanics of what happens when.. I decided I should make a bigger effort to chew my food better.  

You see, digestion starts in the mouth.  It actually starts in your mouth before you take that first bite.  The saliva starts working its magic and sends signals to the tummy to get ready.. "Food is coming".. From there the stomach starts preparing its juices to do its thing.  Once food is partially digested in the mouth and sent down to the stomach, he sends a signal back up saying "I'm getting full, eat less" or "Ok we are done now"

But this process takes a few minutes.  By eating your food too quickly the stomach doesn't have time to send the signal back up to the brain that your getting full.  So I could eat an entire meal before the signal made it to my brain saying I was full.  And that my friends is why I always over-ate!  I was never full.  

Another benefit of chewing your food more is the flavor enhancers that come with it.  You almost need less sweetners and seasonings when you truly taste the flavors of natural foods.  By chewing more, you can fully enjoy your meal more.

The suggestion is 100 bites.. that does not work for me.  Vegkid and I would play games trying to see who could chew their food the longest.   He actually got to 100 bites once.  I never have.  Eventually I just stopped counting and created what I call "Mindful Chewing"  I'm consciously trying to chew more and let my meals last longer.   Of course the result of this is I feel full faster...  Hense more chewing = less eating!

Some tricks are to put your fork down between bites. Or make sure one bite is gone before taking another.  Sometimes having a conversation can delay the inhaling of food, or when I'm alone I'll take notes in my note book between bites or read.

Chewing seems like a natural easy task.  But this is actually a challenge for me, because I have to change a life long habit.  

You know I'm not afraid of a feel-good challenge!  So bring on the chewing...

How about you?  Do you inhale your food, or savor every bite?

Tiny Additions Mean Large Changes

During my life, I have made some pretty large changes... Here are just a few examples (not in any order):

• Not ever being able to sleep away from home, than getting married and moving 1000 miles away from home at the age of 18.
• Living in Georgia with husband and then deciding it was time to leave... So we did.
• Never ever ever planning to have children... Yeah well, you all know how that turned out!
• Eating the Standard American diet plus extra junk food thrown in.... to eating a veg diet and loving it!
• Hating the color green... which is now my signature color
• Not being able to handle the pain of a paper cut... to a 52 hour Natural labor and delivery.
• White flour being my absolute favorite food group... to now being mostly gluten free...
• Not wanting to exercise more than a walk around the block... to running/walking a marathon.
• Feeling horrible 80% of the time in my younger days, with stomach problems, breathing trouble, allergies, painful joints and fainting at the most embarrassing moments... to feeling Alive, thriving, without pain and enjoying every minute as an adult.

OK you get the idea.. Many of you have followed me on this journey and watched the changes... don't worry its not over yet. I won't be disappointing with a lack of weirdness. 

But what this post is really about is the small changes.  The little things behind the scenes that have made a huge difference the past few months.  Each of these were added just one at a time, and now have become routine.   It just goes to show that even small changes can make a BIG difference!

I'm wearing a size of pants that I have never been able to wear.  (Not even as a toddler)  I bought some skirts (that weren't jumpers) for the first time in my entire life.  And my husband can't tell which shirts are mine vs. which are my 9yr old's when putting the laundry away.  For the record, I can fit in to the same outfit I was wearing the night I met my husband while 17yrs old. (and it is BIG)!!

Why all this reflecting??? Because I have a birthday coming up and it feels GOOD!  *smile*

I'm more active, more content, and more productive than ever.  I've said that before... but just when I think I can't improve my lifestyle any further, I learn something new.  

Since attending school, I've learned LOTS new..  Some I've been doing even before the school, but began doing more after learning more.  Lots are helping my Lymph System which help my Adrenal issues and the green grass grows all around all around.  

Here are just a few examples of what I have changed or added...

• Rebounding on the trampoline  Really, who wouldn't start their day out happy when starting with a Bounce!  But the best part? The Lymphatic benefits.  
• Oil Pulling...This one is fairly new to me but Loving it.  If you've never heard of Oil Pulling, check out my friend Morgan's Post here.   I use the coconut oil option, and way less than a TBS.  But my teeth are getting whiter all the time, my sinus's are clear and my skin is doing amazing things.  I hear it can be good for arthritis too.  And of course the Lymph system...LOVE this!
• A few nights a week I drink a Spiced up Tea Concoction for anti-inflammatory properties, digestion ease, as well as many other benefits.  I warm up some water just under a boil and sprinkle in the following:  Turmeric, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cardamom & Coconut sugar granules.   Mixing all this together and drinking has a calm and settling effect on me.  In fact I crave it now after a hardy meal or stressful day.
• I've added Yoga a few days a week, weight lifting a couple days a week and turned my running to interval training.  (run, walk, run, walk)  you get the idea.
• My Dry Brush bathroom gadget is my bestest bathroom friend.  If you've never heard of dry brushing, it is the most amazing thing.  Information can be found here.  It is supposed to exfoliate, help with circulation, lymphatic system, cellulite and detox, but frankly I just like the way it feels. 
• Earlier Bed time (self explanatory)
• Drinking more water through the day
• Adding warm water sips through the day (another good thing for lymph drainage)
• Changing up my smoothies to contain more veggies, less fruit and keeping dessert smoothies to treats.
• Getting outside several times a day.  If it isn't raining, I'm getting outside for even just a few minutes.  Whether it is walking or sitting in a chair working.  The sun is a total mood changer!
• Getting others in this house to start pulling their weight... the realization that I don't have to do it all!!!  Even the child can be doing more.. so he is!
• Adding more plants to the deck have given me so much joy.
• The bigger fridge has made me WANT to cook more at home.
• Adding an Amazing support system like I have never experienced has given me the confidence to do more, feel more and be more.  I love my Classmates, family and friends!

And losing my job.  OK that is a BIG one!  BUT the stress reduction is amazing!  Sure there are new stressors but I just feel it will all work out AND IT WILL!!!  Less stress means happy adrenals.  Keeping my lymph system happy means feeling better, nicer skin, soft hair, better moods, more energy, faster metabolism, sleeping better, easier digestion and sooooooo much more!

My days are not all rosey and perfect, there are still struggles but by adding these tiny things to take care of me, the struggles are far and few.  

And when all else fails some shopping therapy works wonders!!

Our Deck Garden

I'm loving the additions to our Deck Garden this year.  Some are starting to flower and it is such a pretty view off the kitchen.  

 

 

 

I purchased a Skirt

Actually, I purchased TWO skirts...Not sure what has become of me..... 

That shirt didn't make it to the check out line.. still on a mission to find shirts that fit right while in-between sizes.

Oh!! Just FYI, I had to use the flash because the dressing room was dark so my upper body is hidden in the glow.

**Update:  Modeled new skirt to Hubby and he asked when I decided to become a girl.  Too Funny!  He isn't so sure about this whole skirt thing.   But then, Neither am I.

Huge Flower and Memorial Day

We went on a mission this morning to find the biggest flower in our neighborhood. 

I think this one Definitely took the prize.  It was bigger than my head:

We also played badminton in the yard using a sprinkler as a net...  Lets just say we got more wet than we did volly, but it was fun.

Hope your day was great and don't forget to take a moment to remember those that made our freedoms what they are.  We all may not like everything happening around us, but at least we live in a place where we can voice those opinions and work towards change.

Happy Memorial Day!!

 

 

Another School Year is Done

I'm so proud of my boy just as any parent is proud of their kids.  But today I just looked at him and was so proud.  A bitter sweet kind of a day...  As he finished up his last moments of Third Grade.  His class has 5 age groups in it, many graduated today or are moving on.

They had a production as they always do and their "good bye" routine.. This year was different.   This year was the end of an era for them.  Many tearful goodbyes.

My tears were not spared.  Being sad for your kids is 100 times more difficult than being sad for yourself.  Saying good bye can't be taught and yet it is such a hard thing to learn.  I'm honored to be in a school community where the kids are sad for summer to arrive.

Next year will be very different without some of them in attendance, and my young man moves up in to another grade.  Can't believe it is officially summer at the Veg house.

With a heavy sigh and a happy smile, we make our summer plans...  

 

 

Me and Yoga

I'm trying a lot of new things lately and Yoga is one of them.  Well my version of it is what I'm trying.  You see I don't like Yoga.  I like cardio!  Or should I say, I never did like Yoga.  I've always liked cardio.  If I'm going to work out, than I'm going to sweat, and move and feel it.

Last year I learned how strength training can help with endurance.  For the last 1/2 Marathon I decided to give light weight training a try and couldn't believe the changes in my body shape.  

So next up was the Wii Fit.. On a rainy day, I decided to try the Yoga moves..  Surprisingly, I was quite flexible and enjoyed attempting the balancing act.  The longer I tried a move, the stronger I felt.

Moving on, I found some Pilates work outs... Holy Kale Bat Man... the ones I found kicked my hiney!  Literally, you had to jump and kick your hiney....  I got bruises from Pilates.  And I did Sweat.  The work outs were good, but I wasn't feeling the calm stress relief that I normally feel after a work out.

So on my mission to shape, tone and feel relaxed at the end of a day, I gave some Yoga work outs on netflix a try.  Wow wow wow... NOT what I remembered of yoga.  I was moving, I was sore, and I was sweaty!  

I felt the Yoga for like a week... every time I sneezed or coughed or sat down, OK you get the idea. 

But I kept at it for just 10 or 20 minutes a day.  A couple weeks in to this new routine, I'm feeling stronger, my balance and flexibility is getting better and I'm really relaxed (mostly)...  So I'm Walking upwards of 5 miles several days a week (with tiny runs in there), bouncing on the trampoline (for another post), light weight lifting routines and Yoga!  That has become my workouts lately.  And I feel GREAT!   Even lost a couple pounds.  Who knew?

Well Tonight, a Classmate posted this video link.  The title is Simple Tripod Headstand.  The girl is so graceful but really, if that is SIMPLE, than I'm an Iron Man Athlete... (neither are true)

But I watched the video again and again... Someday I thought, I'll be able to do that... Then I realized I'll never know if I can't do it if I don't give it a try!

This is as far as I got, (and husband took a picture) ..Yes I'm seriously posting this picture for your humor purposes.

I held that spot for a good minute without falling or shaking, but couldn't get my legs up nor my arms to raise higher.  BUT, it is a start right?  

Some day, I will do that "SIMPLE" headstand... Yes Sirrree!

Got Chamomile, Now What?

This plant was so pretty that I couldn't resist buying it.  To my surprise, it has really liked our deck and grown pretty big.  But now what?  :-)

Is it just a look pretty plant or can I make tea?

Needing a Schedule

OK, so with everything going on around here, I'm starting to drop the ball.  

I missed a meeting with my school on Sunday, eating out way to much, haven't run in almost 3 weeks, I was late to pick up kiddo today, no posts on this blog for several days, Falling in Happy site is being neglected and my house has become a cluttered filthy mess.  

That said, I'm making progress on the business, staying caught up at work/work, have an exciting meeting scheduled for tomorrow, I'm caught up with school work, started yoga, walking, more weight lifting and stretching.  We've gotten through poison ivy, camp physicals, roofing nightmare and planted more stuff in the garden (including giving the blueberry plants their permanent home) I've added some new fun lymph moving items to my daily routine (to tell later but feeling great), got some good sleep, developed family meetings, started family dinners, tried some new recipes, had a wonderful weekend with the Hubby while Vegkid went to an overnight camp, and planned a quick summer get away which I'm super duper excited about.

Soooo, you won't hear me saying sorry for everything I haven't gotten done, but you will hear me cheering for the small successes.

What is next??... A SCHEDULE!!!  I have got to get organized and quick, or I will explode!  

There will be new calendars, charts, schedules and lists.. I'm going to be a writing fool...  This weekend, I will organize and discover my new normal.  

Of course this weekend is the kick off to Summer here at the Veg house so that new normal is only going to last a couple months, then I'll have to figure out the next normal.

BUT, lets just get through this weekend, shall we?

So much to tell but so little time... I'll be back to posting more soon.   Hope all is well where ever you are.

And for those of you facebook folk, feel free to like the Falling in Happy Page.  I am trying to post something there most days, so you may find something of interest.

For now I shall say goodnight, sweet dreams and be happy!

 

No Conditioner for Me

Since changing my diet to a mostly whole foods plant based variety, my hair no longer needs conditioning.  In fact I've gone a long time without using it.  

Of course I don't use sprays, gels, hair dryers, curling irons or any thing else on it either.  So just a light shampoo, acv or baking soda rinse always does the trick.

The other day I tried a sample natural conditioner for the first time in years, and OH MY GREASE... It took me three days of ACV rinses to get my hair back to a somewhat normal state.

I have made an executive hair decision... NO CONDITIONER FOR ME!

 

 

Lots of Green For Mother's Day

Farmer's Market Greens:

My new deck reading chair:

And this, Mmmmmm!!! :

Hope you had a wonderful day where ever you are!!

 

 

Happy Mother's Day

When I was a baby, my Mom was the only that would hold me...  When I was a toddler, she was the only that would put up with me.  As a Teen, she was the only that understood me, and as an adult she was the only that supported me.   

When I was waiting to become a mother myself, she was the only person there with me 24/7. 

When I brought my baby home, she was the one there to help me trust my instincts.

When I broke my foot, she was the only person that flew in to help care for me and new baby.

When my son wanted to talk for hours, she was the only that would sit on the phone long enough to listen, and when my heart ached during some of the hardest days of my life, she was the only one on the phone long enough to listen.

It is easy for me to say that she has been there my whole life, but it is harder for me to share to the extent that she has "REALLY" been there my whole life!  

She takes time to be present in every conversation, she listens, understands and supports.  She will jump in a pool with all her clothes on, just to help a grandchild be willing to swim.  She'll get on the floor no matter how much her body parts ache to keep a child entertained.   She will laugh a big ol' belly laughs and brighten up a room, or cry because one of us is.  She'll sit still for hours because someone fell asleep in her arms, and stay awake long past her bed time because someone wants to talk (me)...

She'll take puppy kisses even if they give her a rash, just because she doesn't want to hurt the dog's feelings.   She'll read the same book 1015 times with a kid and not even fuss once.  She'll go outside with bare feet to play in the snow, dance in the rain, or hug someone goodbye. 

While every day is Mother's Day, today I dedicate this blog post to My Mom... The most amazing person I have had the opportunity to be related to.

Hope all of you have a wonderful Sunday, a Great Mother's Day and be present... turn off the digital stuff, listen and enjoy every minute!  

Sincerely,

Vegmom 

Squirrel on the Roof

Seems Mr. Squirrel likes our new roof!

 

Once Again We Have a New Roof

It wasn't that long ago when we got our last new roof.  But since then there was hail.  Really Really big hail, and more rain than our house had likely ever seen.  

Then there was insurance, adjusters, contractors galore... and this (lots of this actually):

The new roofers fixed that (lots of that):

Then they left!  We got a whole new roof and all the damage underneath was fixed.... YAY!!

But next step is to paint.  You see the roofers don't paint.  I could have hired someone, but Husband said it would be no trouble.

No trouble???   Yeah right!!!   The dude (yes I called my husband a dude) goes up this ladder, which is held stable by nothing more then a piece of wood under one side (like you would do for a table that is unsteady).   Then when he finishes a spot, he grabs the ladder and hops to try and move it over without having to come down.  Ahhhh..   

You know if our ground was level, it would be one thing.  But it is on a slope.

And he says "If you hear a crash, call the morgue"   NICE!!!

If your counting that is two times in two years that he has been up on that ladder and two times in two years that we have gotten a new roof.   So much for 30yr shingles and 15yr paint!

The new roofer said this was a lifetime roof.  So by their calculations, we will be 120 years old before we have to worry with it again.  I think I'm going to hold them to that!

Next up... Gutters...

Golden Beet

Never knew there was such a thing as a golden beet, but it was our new try of the week:

Can't believe after all this time, I'm still finding new foods to try.  Who would have thunk a veg diet could be so exciting?  *Smile*

Anyway, I'm not a fan of the red beets unless they have some serious fruity counterparts in the bowl.   So I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like the golden kind either.

But they were beautiful inside and golden so no stained fingers while cutting.   At first glance, I wanted to just take a bite.  Second glance reminded me of the beet taste that I don't care for.  So I cut off a tiny chunk for a try.

Turns out it does have a beet taste but much more mild and actually pretty enjoyable.   

As for preperation, I didn't cook it.  Just cut it up raw in our salads.  

Hubs was eating his salad and after the entire bowl was gone he says:

"was there a root in there of some kind"

<ummmm, yes... why?> waiting for something bad... 

"Because that was really really good, what ever it was"

Then he got more!  

So the Golden Beet was a success in our house!  

Have you ever purchased one?  Do you like?  How do you prepare them?

 

Adding More Plants

Saturday, I found myself alone for the whole day.  "what to do, what to do?"

First I slept for a little bit.. then my plan was to go to the Farmer's Market on opening day.  After that mostly just grocery shop and house chores.   Wellllll, that isn't exactly how it went....

The Farmer's Market was void of any veggies by the time I got there, but plentiful in the plant department.  So I got a few organic herb/flower plants and headed on my way.

5 stores later and the mall (can't stand the mall), I found myself on a journey for things hubs and Vegkid needed or wanted.  Still no groceries though.   Every where I stopped was a fail, couldn't find what I was looking for.

BUT... then I passed a garden nursery....and purchased a LOT of stuff:

Everything from blueberries, to roses, to flowers that I could stick in my hanging baskets....

I spent the rest of the day planting stuff... Because that is what you do when you have a lot of plants in the back of your car:

Soooo excited to pick these blueberries  In fact I want two more which would line one side of our fence nicely.  

Roses:

Lots of Hanging Flowers:

Lots of herbs and a couple flower things that are supposed to taste like celery and peppers.... Or so the farmer told me:

Finally decided to use the barrel thing that has been sitting on my deck since Hubby brought it home 4+ years ago.  He thought it would be good to hold stuff than never used it.    

I decided it would be good to hold plants...

Down in the garden, I'm trying watermelon again Plus some peppers.

We also have the parsley, swiss chard and now Cilantro is starting to appear.

Several hours later, a lot of work, a quick Vacuuming of the car and showering of myself, THEN I finally made it to the health food store for groceries.  

Turned out to be a wonderful day with lots of outdoor time. The funny thing is, I would have never ended up at the nursery had all prior shopping adventures gone smoothly.

Seeee... A reason for everything!!  *wink*

Who says Mini's are Mini

Look what I got in mine on Saturday:

3 bags of organic soil, Giant garbage bag full of straw, A rose bush, 2 Blueberry bushes, 3 geraniums, 1Pepper plant, 3 watermelon plants and 6 or so herb plants.

It was a gardening kind of day!

Sheets in the Freezer

So glad I have a giant freezer drawer that we don't actually keep food in, so I can have plenty of space for sheets.

Whyyyyyy would there be sheets in my freezer???  Because there is Glee Gum on the sheets.  

Hoooowwwww Did Glee Gum GET ON THE SHEETS?  I have NO IDEA!

And apparently the Vegkid doesn't know either because here is the response I received at 6am on Saturday "I don't know Mom"

You see Vegkid doesn't chew normal gum, since 99.9% of it has aspartame or some other incredibly disgusting Migraine producing ingredient.  He chews Glee gum.  Which is all natural.

The best thing about it is that you can only chew it for a little bit, then it gets hard, goes in the trash and voila.  It doesn't stick to anything.  So he gets the pleasure of not being the only kid in the country to never chew gum, and I get the pleasure of knowing he isn't chewing gum all day long!

Sooo fast forward to the Sheets... Since Glee gum usually gets hard quickly, it rarely sticks to anything.  If it gets on clothing or misses the garbage can, it doesn't stick.  Awesome!!!

Until now...  Somehow the gum ended up in the sheets, and on the boy, and on the clothes.  I was scrubbing gum off the child for over an hour.  We tried soap, vinegar.. it worked but was beginning to irritate the skin before getting all the gum off.  

That is when I decided to put coconut oil on his skin to relieve the irritation, and the gum came right off.

Note to self... Coconut oil gets gum off of child!

As for the sheets!   They went in the freezer so the gum would freeze, then peel off.  An old trick I heard of some time ago that actually worked... Yay!

Note to self #2... Gum does come off of cotton that is placed in the freezer!

As you can see, we learned a lot from this experience... now if Only we knew how the gum got there in the first place.   Hmmmmm???