Day 19: More Energy

Meal 1: Kalua Pork?
Meal 2: Pumpkin pancakes w/ coconut oil and crushed pecans, banana
Meal 3: Kalua Pork, Romaine lettuce, tomato, and spaghetti squash

I seriously can't remember what I ate. I should start writing it down. Although, I don't know if it would be relative since it's Whole30 compliant! Minus the veggies I can't believe I only have 11 more days to go! Then I can start adding in dairy, one day, and wait a couple of days to see if there are any allergies. I want to just keep going on this because I feel great the way things are!

So, the pumpkin pancakes weren't as good as I was hoping! Probably because there's no sugar in it, ha ha! I just can't stand the texture and ALL those eggs! 4 eggs and 4 egg whites!? I should have found a different recipe, but now I know not to make any recipe with too many eggs. I hate eggs!! It tasted like egg powder or something. Coconut flour isn't all that awesome, ha ha! But, it's better than flour.

That pork sure was amazing, though! Obviously.. I ate it for 2 days straight! And that spaghetti squash.. mmm! I need more! And I need to figure out how to cook it in the crockpot first and THEN slice it open!

Amber and I went to Wegman's about dinnertime. I got more sausage! Yesss! That is exactly what my panned cakes needed.

I love being off of sugar. I think that's the majority of what's making me feel so energized. Well, I could just be pulling that out of a hat, but I don't miss it. Honey has always been sweet for me, but even more so now. I can live without the sugar added into food, processed food now disgusts me, and not having dairy hasn't been too difficult for me either. It'd be nice to have cheese once in a while, but I don't get cravings for it. Amber and I were discussing the top 4 foods that we miss. Like, fast food chains.. McD's fries sure are good! But, I can totally give those up!

Anyway, I love this diet... if you want a challenge, try Whole30! (Read "It Starts With Food" first.) I never cared to read labels, but holy cow... some of the things they put in food really are just added grossness. ;)

On that note, I am past my bedtime AGAIN... goodnight!

Day 12: Another Amazing Day

I can't believe how {awesome} I have been feeling today! My arms were weak today, but at least they weren't tingling! Nothing bothering my legs (until later today from using the Heel-Toe Express), I had a slight headache, but I think that was from sleeping with my hair in a ponytail and the hair elastic was hurting my neck. I hopped out of bed at 7 (not really; still takes me a minute to actually work my way out of bed) and cooked up breakfast for everyone. I'm awesome, I know. I was doing dishes, getting Joey dressed, I read 20+ books to Jae that we got from the library, and by 10am I had it. Naptime was totally needed.

After a nap I had Jimmy make the boys lunch since I did breakfast. :)  I made my own lunch, though. I should write down what I have in order to blog it. >.<

Meal 1: Steak, salad something or other?
Meal 2: Hamburger and some salad and whatever?
Meal 3: I had a soup that was made by a sweet Sister and friend in my ward. She even made a dessert-like muffin for me! I'm saving those for breakfast tomorrow! It had raisins and dried apples in it and it was SO, so sweet! It tasted awesome, though! She made some rice and brown rice for the boys; so thoughtful! I wish I could eat that. It's the #1 food on my list to add back in. March 23, but who's keeping track? ;) I also made me a salad and some green beans sauteed with ghee and garlic. Yeah, I decided to put tomatoes and ghee back into my diet. I figured it wouldn't hurt since I've been feeling so {fabuloso}!

Some of you wanted the paleo mayonnaise recipe I had talked about on FB. I also heard of this blogger from Whole9's website: nomnompaleo.com. (I'm going to try this when I get some cauliflower. Or, maybe I still have some. IDK, ever since this diet my fridge has been stuffed full of fruits and veggies. Not a bad thing, right?) Anyway, the nomnompaleo chica has a bunch of different recipes and different twists to do to mayo to zest it up.

With this recipe, you can make ranch and an avocado dressing. I'm excited to make those tomorrow!

{mayonnaise--paleo style}

1 large egg
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup + 1 cup light-tasting olive oil

Put the egg and lemon yuice into a blender or food processor and let it sit for 30 minutes to get to room temp. Add dry mustard, salt, and 1/4 c. oil and mix it. Once it's smooth, slowly add the remaining oil as it blends.

 (sorry for the lame pictures; I'm not a food photographer. Oh, I'm not a photographer in general.)

So, I just realized I used Olive Oil, not light-tasting and I forgot 1/4 cup of it in the process. Ha ha! Well, it tastes great to say the least! I'm pretty dang proud of myself. I used a Magic Bullet, so I couldn't slowly pour the rest of the oil in. I had to stop it, pour 1/4 cup in at a time and mix. But, it actually tastes pretty good!

{family outing}

We got a check from our electric company for a refund for conserving energy last month. A whole $2.08. Don't spend it all in one place!

  Jimmy's first though was to buy a pizza slice at Costco (which he did). Yeah, he's not quite on this diet, but like I said... we're getting there. He says he can't stand the almond flour, but he'll get used to it. :)  I told him that if he grew up on almond flour he may think regular flour was gross. >.<

We drove out to Boiling Springs. We've never been there before and Jimmy has been itching to take us there and check it out. It was FREEZING so I didn't last very long. The water boils. Something, sulfur, something. Jimmy was explaining it to me; obviously I listen real well.

Children's Lake, PA

 Jimmy was excited to see a swan:

 Jae requested going to a park. So, we did.

Me, feelin' awesome:

We showed Amber and Chad around Costco and got some groceries for ourselves. They boys didn't want to sit in the cart anymore, so they helped push it:

We finally got home and I was able to eat some yummy soup as mentioned previously:

A good day had by all! It's already late and I need to get to bed. I hope I can continue to have this energy I have and to feel good. Right now I still get tired mid-morning and afternoon. I fell asleep in the car on the way to Costco. It's a 25 minute drive. >.<

Tomorrow is a snow day (5-8 inches), so I think I will be making some Thank You cards with my boys! Thank you all for your support!

Jimmy would totally think I'm awesome for posting this. Ha ha! We watch an anime called "Fairy Tail" and it can get really cheesy. Lines about strength coming from friends. But, I found this one:

"Weaklings will stay weak forever. But weakness is not evil, since human beings are weak creatures to begin with. Alone, you feel nothing but insecurity; that's why we form guilds, that's why we have friends. We walk together in order to live a strong life. The clumsy ones will walk into more walls than the others, and it may also take them longer to get there. If you believe in tomorrow and put yourself out there, you can naturally obtain your strength. That's how you will be able to smile and live strong."

Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail

Day 7: I'd Give My Right.. Arm

[too exhausted to proof read. maybe later.]

I don't feel like I can write very well tonight. I usually type from Jimmy's laptop from the comfort of my own bed while my legs scream at me. Tonight I am sitting on a wooden kitchen chair at the desktop that's breaking down.

Meal 1 & 2: Hamburger with lettuce and some peach or orange. (I know, I'm creative.)

Meal 3: Pork loin (I forgot to cook the cauliflower) and I don't remember what else I had. I was kind of snacking on mac nuts and almonds again. Oops!

A sister in the ward took time out of her busy day at work to start up this yummy crockpot pork loin meal. SO, so thoughtful! It was fun to talk with her and get to know her a little better. It's always wonderful to have adult conversation, too, ha ha!

{energy}

I woke up this morning worrying that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed until 10:30 again. My legs were heavy, but Jimmy left early to go to York, so I just had to grin and bear it today. Super lightheaded getting out of bed at first, but I was OK after that. I felt amazing! My legs were still sore and I was a little tired, but my body was so energetic. I wanted to do SO much today, but I focused on the boys today. Last night as I read more about the 29 Gifts, I thought about what my gift for today would be. You can read about it on the 29 Gifts tab, but I chose to teach and play with my kids today. They wore me out by 2:30pm, but it was so worth it! I'd give my right arm for those two! Ok, probably just both my legs. ;)  Enjoy the pictures of the fun we had... it has been MONTHS since I've been able to get the energy to do this. Loved every minute of it!

Joey is eating candy in my bed. That's how much I care when I'm tired. >.< But, the good news is that the Christmas/Halloween candy is gone! Jae at least will still ask for fruit, but Joey won't know much about candy in this house. :) I hope this energy continues because it's exhausting to make meal after meal. Ha, even for someone who has a healthy body! And, the boys will stop asking for candy. :)

Jae is working on his Thomas worksheets:

I love the way he draws his "lines":

 (Sorry for the upside down photo.)

He colored his laminated coloring page of himself. I enthusiastically asked, "Who is that?" He smiled so big and said, "Jae man!" That's right, buddy. :) 

The boys enjoyed watching the snow/rain/sleet pellets fall from the sky:

 Working on the alphabet and sounds with Joey:

Aa>Aquarium>Point to fish>"Ish"

Dino>Point>"ROAR!"

Dog>Point>"Mow"

(gotta work on cat vs. dog)

Ff>Fish>"Ish"

Lion>Point>"Roar!"

Everything else is a "didda" or "dooduh".

Art time:

These two aren't turned right, but I asked him what the name of each picture was. 

For sale, starting bid $1.

 "Pump Air" by Jae

"Froshgunk" by Jae

Jae wanted a birthday cake.. wouldn't stop telling me he wanted that and a birthday. I asked him what he wanted his piñata to look like. "McQueen? Thomas?.." He thought carefully and said, "a pwesent!" Ha, of course.. why not make it look like a big present? :)  Sad part is, he has 5 more months. Either sad for me to keep hearing it or sad for him to keep waiting.

We looked through the gluten-free almond flour cookbook I borrowed from Bonnie. He chose "tawwot take" over "tuptakes"! I was impressed! He loooves carrots! We will make carrot cake cupcakes as soon as we get the rest of the ingredients. I ventured to Walmart tonight; feelin' risky! I couldn't find grapeseed oil, agave nector, and coconut flour (which they probably didn't have). I texted Bonnie and called Jimmy, but forgot to check for the responses because my legs were killing me by then.

I really feel like this diet is helping me get better along with the Young Living Essential Oils. Thanks, Bonnie & Quin! I know, I know.. I never thought I'd be "one of those" people, but I am starting to be. Jimmy's fond of Thieves and Lemon, but soon he will be a believer (not to be mistaken by a Belieber even though he has posted a Beiber meme on my FB wall one time...ew) and we can do without most, if not all OTC drugs. And, I never thought I'd be "one of those" paleo-diet people either. Thanks, Mom! ;) I feel so weird buying that {organic} stuff, but if it's helping me feel better, by all means... I'm going to buy it. I just can't wait to put us all onto healthier eating! There are really some awesome recipes I want to try (without telling Jimmy what it is) and see if he likes them. The {only} thing I miss is sticky rice. I don't get tempted to eat it because I know I can try to add it back in later, but I'm Asian.. it's.. in my blood? Ha ha..

So, overall it was a pretty dang good day. The boys ate all their lunch and I was much more calm today. Well, until Joey body-slammed into me multiple times tonight. I made Jimmy take him. He didn't listen very well because that's where the multiple times comes in.

{amazing}

I'm super {amazed} by the sudden change from yesterday to this morning. It was like night and day (sorry, had to be punny). I feel so blessed as I've struggled through this for so long. (Most of the time not even knowing what was going on.) It was amazing to feel almost normal again. Busted through 4 hours of energy today with my boys and enjoyed every minute! It makes me sad to think about all of those months, days, and moments that I missed out on. I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father who hears my prayers. Jimmy gave me 2 blessings recently and both times he said, "I bless you that your body will heal so that you may be able to take care of your family." I believe in the power of the Priesthood and am grateful to have it in my home. I know this isn't the end of my bad days, but having this day with my handsome, adorable, funny, crazy boys made me SO happy! I thank you for your prayers, too! I know Jimmy and I weren't the only ones praying for my health.

Thank you.

Day 4: Energy for 2 Minutes

Guys, it was awesome! After Jimmy left for York, I actually got out of bed, got the kids fed, got something for myself, and then I got super tired. For 2 minutes I had energy; it felt great! It's like a teaser, though. Ha ha! I actually was able to get the dishes done and cook a meal (instead of resulting to leftovers). Still tired and legs heavy/tingling, though. Here are a few pictures of our day:

Jae admitted to taking my yarn and doing this to Joey's crib. I don't even know WHEN he did this! Could've been last night when they weren't sleeping or this morning.

Jae is getting a haircut tomorrow.

Jae wanted to make a flower. So cute! Instead of telling him, "after I sleep," I made him a flower. I also let him glue some googly eyes on a piece of paper. I was preparing dinner, so didn't see how much he used. Pretty sure all that glue could cover the whole piece of paper. I think you can see it in a picture later on.

 Dinner was some kind of glazed chicken. Ha, too lazy to go check the recipe book. (Yes, that is a picture of out of the book in case mine didn't turn out so well.) ;) They turned out great, BTW!

This is Joey dumping his water on toys and on the carpet.

This is what my living room looks like on a daily basis. Unless we know someone is coming. Because we all know that you clean the fastest and the most is 10 minutes before somebody comes over. Jae likes to "droy duh touwch" and the boys love to climb all over and play on them. Pick your battles, right?

 This is what you DON'T see in pic posted above. It's just what happens when you're so tired.

I feel bad I'm not one of those wifeys that clean up before the husband comes home. It gets too crazy: you can have dinner or you can have a clean apartment. It's too much to keep up. I think I clean up the living room once a week.

What I look like when I hear the front door unlock and the house is a mess:

 This is how I feel inside about not cleaning:

But, at least hubby has dinner!

Yep. You know you love me.

Dinner for the boys was Pillsbury crescent rolls (they were in the fridge and needed to get eaten), Jae is having peaches, and some shredded chickens. (Yeah, Jae doesn't use his fork; he pretends he's a crane. Someday I will teach him table etiquette! I did, but then he got obsessed with cranes.)

Joey wasn't dressed for this occasion so I won't post the picture, but he had rice, applesauce, and shredded chicken.

Here is my Meal 3.. lettuce, shredded chicken, and peaches. I ended up throwing away the lettuce because it was frozen. (And, there is Jae's glue with paper.) 

Meal 1: chicken marrow broth with shredded chicken. I think I had a piece of fruit, too.
Meal 2: Pears in my salad with shredded chicken.
Meal 3: Peaches and chicken. And some mac nuts.

I'm pretty horrible at these meals and I'm not supposed to be eating that much fruit I don't think. I'm going to do a meal plan for a week and do the shopping and prep some stuff if i can. It will be a long process, so until then, I'm just eating chicken. I need more beef!

It was a better day than I've had in a while. Still tired, but doing pretty well considering! I got another call from a ward member and she is taking the boys on Wednesday morning. How awesome will it be to get some decent rest? I love service, I love people who serve, and I love to be the one receiving service even though it's harder to accept than give.