Deep cleanse, and um, nothing got done
These few days are the deepest part of the Whole Food Detox. It is the most restrictive and perhaps that why I don’t feel so well today. Just kind of BLERGH.
I had big plans for the week which didn’t work out so well for me today. I’ll try again tomorrow.
I also discovered that I say um, A LOT.
And now I need to go to sleep.
read moreMy Confessional – Vlog #4!
Why are you doing a detox? Why? Why? Why?
Well I’m not trying to fit in a bikini is that’s what you’re thinking. Um, no.
I moved upstairs to my new confessional set up. I think you’ll like it. It’s very Real Housewives. No it’s not, really. At all. It’s my bed. That’s all I got. Everyone was yelling downstairs so I had to move.
read moreWhole Food Detox a la Vlog
So a loooooooong time ago I said I would start vlogging, then I didn’t. Ack!
So it’s a New Year and I’m a new me! A vlogging me :-) For now anyway.
I can hardly write anything because my caffeine withdrawal headache is so hideous.
Also I wish I had turned off autofocus, but again, headache.
I have to go.
Enjoy.
There should be a cute vide here. If not refresh and like magic it will appear!
read moreA New Year’s Cleanse – A giveaway and discount!
I’ve been wanting to do a cleanse for a few years now. But having to feed 5 people 5 different meals everyday was already too much for me. You know what I’m talking about mamas, no one will eat exactly the same thing at every meal and it’s maddening. To consider a different meal for me every time, well that wasn’t happening. Sometimes even the things that we should do for ourselves we just don’t take the time to do.
If you’ve read my blog for a while you know that I’ve done the 4HB way of eating and had great success. Well, processed foods have slipped back in to our house and our whole family needs a more whole food approach. And it all starts with me. They need to see me eating whole foods and then slowly offering them only those kinds of things. It starts and ends with mama.
I’ve decided that this is the year that I stop making so many meals and I start using more whole foods, for everyone (I’m looking at you 3 year old). Big changes around here! So it would follow that now is also the perfect time to do that cleanse I’ve been putting off to kick start it all!
I’ve chosen a 14 day guided Whole Food Detox through Team J and A. Just in time for some New Year’s resolutions – the program starts on the 5th!
The Basics:
It’s a 14 day program – 100% virtual, online program, starting on Jan. 5th. I’m online all the time anyway right? It’s a Whole Food Detox – which means that you are eating the whole time, learning how to eat real, clean un-processed food in a way that tastes good and fits your lifestyle. No powders or pills, just food! Jody & Ashley (the J and the A ;-) are both certified holistic health coaches. They lead clients step by step via live group training calls, live group Q&A calls, and emails with PDF materials, recipes, shopping lists, workbook & guidebook – so you know exactly what to do and why. Then there’s the group community & accountability – via a private Facebook group, that Jody & Ashley moderate to answer your questions … additionally over 70 people are already in the group who have experienced this program and are here to support you.
Just some of the benefits of this cleanse include:
- Better sleep & stable moods
- Reduced cravings
- Improved energy, weight loss, improved digestive system
- Outlook on food may change
- Lose the inner thigh & belly fat
Sounds awesome right? I’ve looked over the recipes and the shopping list and everything’s there. Laid out. Simple. I don’t know about you but I could use a bit of hand holding when it comes to this sort of stuff. I like to be accountable to others to keep me on track. It all sounds like a good fit for me and at the very right time!
How about you? Are you ready? C’mom – do it with me!
The Giveaway and Discount:
Jody and Ashley were kind enough to not only offer my readers a very generous discount ($50 off!) but also a GIVEAWAY! WOOT! The Detox starts on January 5th.
If you want to make sure that you’re in for the 5th with me you can sign up at www.TeamJandA.com with the coupon code violacay for $50 off! You will receive your getting started guide within the hour.
You can use the coupon for either the Basic ($197) or the VIP plan ($347). So that’s $147 for the Basic Plan. I just spent that on a pair of boots that aren’t even waterproof. Which purchase would prove more beneficial to me?! The VIP plan gets you ALL IN with private coaching calls and emails at $297 with the discount code!
Want to enter the Giveaway? It’s for the Basic Plan – a $197 value!
Well I’m ready! Are you? Who wants to do a 14 day Whole Food Detox with me? Its starts this Sunday, January 5th – 7pm. Be there or be square
If you sign up, let me know in the comments:-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winner has 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. This giveaway will close at 11:59PM ET, Jan 1, 2014. The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and will be notified by email and announced here on the blog. This post (and my sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a program by SOKA Wellness. I have been given a basic version of the cleanse to participate in for this post. All opinions are my own.
Photos by Michael Maina, used with permission.
Give in to the crazy
I try not to give in to the crazy, my crazy, too often. I feel like as an adult I need to temper it, beat it back, quiet it.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes it gets too swirly in there. I have to give in.
Today the crazy started to creep, it actually started last night but I didn’t really take too much notice of it. But I remember it now. When I kissed the littlest good night I paused and thought about the next day. Would he be okay? Push it back. He’ll be fine.
He’s in my room in the middle of the night with a runny nose. I give him an extra squeeze. He’ll be fine.
This morning when I wake him up his nose is super stuffy. I’ll put him in the shower. He’ll be fine.
He tells me he doesn’t want to go to school. That’s all I need really. My crazy hears it and says Ok baby. Stay with mama today. But I quiet it.
Today there is a Thanksgiving Feast at my son’s preschool. My son’s NOT peanut free preschool. Now I’ve already talked with them about the feast. He will have his own new placemat. I will bring his food. I will be there. It will be fine. He’ll be fine.
But then the crazy starts to say otherwise. But what if I’m not watching for a minute? What if the teachers aren’t watching because I’m there? Ok settle down crazy, I think to myself. I am sure they’re not serving peanut butter for Thanksgiving for god’s sake. He’ll be fine.
I can’t shake it. It starts to rise from my belly to my heart. I start to ache a little when I look at him. This is so new for us. He had his first reaction to peanuts just before he turned 2. He’s 3.5 now. The daycare he went to two mornings a week last year was peanut free. His new preschool, one that his big sister and brother went to, is not. I know they are watching him though I know they care about him. I know. He’ll be fine.
But still, it’s moving from my heart to my throat. Is this what it feels like for him when his throat tightens, this panic attack I’m about to have. If I fail sometimes at keeping him safe how can they? Shake it OFF. He’ll be fine.
It moves from my throat to my brain. I do a crazy check. I call my mother. Am I crazy? Do what you need to do honey. I ask my husband. Do what you need to do honey.
This moment feels like the time I can give in to this crazy. He’s so young. He doesn’t need this lesson right now. He won’t remember it. Next year. When he needs more practice for Kindergarten he can have that lesson. Learn how he needs to move around a whole bunch of food that could hurt him. Today he won’t miss it, he doesn’t need it. He’ll be fine.
The crazy has fully taken over. “Baby do you want to stay home with mama today? He runs to me and gives me a squeezey hug with a big smile. “Can I watch Mickey? He’ll be fine.
The crazy? It could be about anything really. Food allergies. Leaving a kid at a dropoff party in public for the first time. A tween at the mall with her friends for the first time. A teenager driving for the first time alone. College. OMG college. Sometime you let it creep. Sometimes you beat it back.
Me? I’ll work on it. For today I get to snuggle with this guy. And I’m ok with that.
I could’ve killed my boy today.
My head hurts from crying. I feel sick to my stomach.
I could’ve killed my boy today. My sweet 3 year old peanut/tree nut allergic boy.
I gave him Honey NUT O’s cereal. Me. His mother. The person he should feel safest around.
The morning was crazy. Three kids in the morning is crazy. Two that need to get into costumes for a Halloween parade dials the crazy up a bit more. No one wanted to eat the breakfast I was giving them. I grabbed a banana and a handful of O’s and put them in a bowl for him. I walked back into the kitchen. My oldest got up from the table for the millionth time and came into the kitchen. I was busy crabbing at him to get back to his breakfast when he says “Mom? Should Theo be having this? It says Nut on it?”
“Whaaaaaaaaat?”
I look at the box, run to the table and grab the bowl away from him.
I pick up the box and read the ingredients. The second to last ingredient is Natural Almond Flavor.
My chest starts to tighten. What have I done?
I look over at Theo, my husband is sitting with him now, and he’s fine. We stare at him for a few minutes. He’s fine. I turn away from the other kids and tears are streaming down my face, silently. Then my oldest comes over and says “Don’t worry mom, I don’t think he ate any. He’s fine.” A few minutes later my daughter is comforting me, rubbing my back. He’s fine, she checked for me she says.
These kids. They slay me. They look out for each other. They love me even when I mess up in the biggest way possible. These. Kids.
So I know you’re asking yourself – “What the hell was that cereal even doing in your house you stupid, careless, awful mother??” Well, I bought it. I brought it into the house.
Just the day before with Theo at the grocery store. There we were the two of us looking at the cereals. I remembered we hadn’t had Honey Oaties in a long time. I asked him if he wanted some. “Yes!” he squeals. I reach for the cereal brand we usually get and turn it to the side. I scan down to the bottom of the ingredients for the bold Allergens: statement. It says wheat.
(Which begs the question why wasn’t nut listed in allergens? Natural Almond Flavor can mean a lot of things. Natural vs. Artificial. Extract vs. oil. Natural would have one deducing that it’s made from almonds but it could be made from peach pits. Could be. Because it wasn’t listed in the allergens it must be derived from something other than almonds. I have a call in to the company so they can explain that to me.)
Satisfied. I throw it in the basket.
Here’s the thing. It wasn’t the Oaties brand that we usually get. It said NUT right at the top of the box, but for some reason I was SO SURE this was the kind of cereal that didn’t have nuts that my brain didn’t even process the word NUT. I hardly glanced at the front of the box. I was SO SURE. I didn’t even read the list of ingredients, only the allergen statement. I was SO SURE.
I am embarrassed, ashamed, horrified, terrified.
Living with a kid with a food allergy is like walking around with a loaded gun just hanging out near your child ALL THE TIME. This time though, this time? I was the one that handed him the gun.
I am shattered.
I thought I was vigilant before this. I thought I was careful. Always checking. Always looking for the food that could poison my baby. I was always on the lookout. I could blame the migraine I was having. I could blame my tiredness. I could blame my blurry vision. I could make tons of excuses. I just wasn’t on my game. I let my guard down for a moment. I got lazy. Lax. Comfortable. It was my fault. At his age his safety begins and ends with ME. I failed him.
He’s never had a reaction to anything besides an actual peanut. I find solace in that in a very strange and dangerous way. Sometimes in my head I think “Well it was just made in a facility that ‘also processes, made on shared equipment’, etc. He’s always been fine with that even before his emergency room trip, he’ll be fine. And yes he might be fine. Like today, he was fine.
The devious devilish thing about these food allergies is that no two reactions look the same. It might not have to be an actual peanut next time. We might not have time to get to the ER next time. Next time. Because these children are surrounded by or near their poisons on a daily basis. There will be a next time. So I will wipe my tears, buck up, and promise my lovely boy to do better.
I share this as a reminder to my fellow allergy moms – Don’t let your guard down mama bears. And if you do, please be gentle with yourself. I’m having a hard time with that right now. I just keep muttering “He’s fine.”
This thing. This food allergy thing, is NOT for the faint of heart. There are lots of things about parenting that terrify me, but this allergy thing toys with the darkest parts of my brain on a daily basis.
read moreAbout Me
Hot wife, Mom of 3, Human to #jojothedoodle.
They said WHAT?