Friday, December 30, 2011

Reading Through the Centuries Project: Black Beauty

So y'alls, guess what? A year late...I met my goal of reading Black Beauty! Hoo boy, that's right, it only takes me a year to finish reading a book normally assigned to school children.


Goals: I meet them.

Now I can watch the movie that I got "for the family" last Christmas- I told myself I wouldn't watch it until I finished the book. Clearly it wasn't enough motivation to get the thing finished quickly. I will give a report on how the movie is. Hopefully it won't take me a year to watch.

My verdict on the book- worth reading. It's a really interesting historical lesson in the living conditions of people and horses in different social circumstances in the middle of the nineteenth century. I think it definitely served Anna Sewell's purpose of informing her contemporaries about things they might not have realized were cruel or inhumane- and might have made people think about the way they treated the animals they used on a daily basis. For example, the popular custom of making carriage horses wear 'bearing reins'.

These reins, which by themselves are not necessarily cruel, but when over-tightened- which was the fashion during this era- forced horses to carry their heads unnaturally high- cutting off the horses' breath and placing serious strain on their neck muscles. Sewell devoted a lot of the book to mentioning these reins and describing their effects on the horses- they went out of style in her lifetime, I wonder how much affect Black Beauty had on that- the book was very successful at the time it was published.

It's a really quick read- not that you'd know it from my pace, but the chapters are short and easy to read. If you're looking for something to read, try it- it's free on most e-readers too! Score!

Anna Sewell- ca. 1878

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Week in the Life of a Budget Yogi- Tuesday

Today was a super blah day at work. Kind of soul sucking. So today's yoga needed to be mellow. In some ways I wanted to do some real calorie burnin' yoga, because I ate too much today :) but my body said no no, you need some Mellow Out And Heal From Your Day Yoga. So I listened. Sometimes I'm a good listener. not always, but sometimes.

I can pretty much do Rodney Yee's AM Yoga by heart now, so to get out of my messy and decidedly non-mellow house, I took my yoga to a very special place:

My balcony.

I recently fixed this thing all up- I regret that I didn't use it adequately sooner, but it is what it is and now I am. I got some fun colored chairs, painted a rock with the word NAMASTE and brought my plants out. And can I tell you...I LOVE IT. Its my tiny little oasis. I read out here, the little one and I eat lunch out here, and tonight, I did my yoga out here.

Namaste, indeed! :)

Monday, August 15, 2011

A Week in the Practice of a Budget Yogi- Monday*


This post is the first of a short series of posts that documents a week in the life of my Year of Yoga. I call myself a Budget Yogi because I mostly do DVD's at home. DVD's are fine for the most part; I really enjoy the collection I have. Would I like to practice more in a real live studio? Sure, but but it really depends on my bank account on any given day, as well as child care, so mostly it ends up being just me, my cluttered living room, a two year old, a dog or two, a cat, and an onscreen Rodney Yee. Rock on!

Today I came home at lunch to do my yoga for the day. I only work 5 minutes or so away from my house, so sometimes this is a nice option- especially if I know the evening is going to be busy. It's also a nice break from everything to come home to an empty house and to light a candle and mellow out for a half hour in the middle of the day.

The DVD selection for today's practice was Yoga for Stamina- a nice 20 minute flow that includes my favorite Tree Pose. :) My mood for today's practice was half way between 'Totally Distracted Lets Just Do This So I Can Check It Off the List' and 'Totally Blissed Out'. My mind wasn't completely on task, but I wasn't completely unfocused either.

What I have found during this year is that I'm not going to be Totally Blissed Out everyday. Some days it will just be a check off the list- but that's ok. I'm there, I made the effort to pull the mat out and practice, and my body will get the benefit. When I'm conscious of a mindset like that, I try to focus more and be present, but sometimes it just doesn't stick. On days like those, I concentrate on the fact that I made good choices in getting on the mat, even if I wasn't totally present. What matters on those days is that I showed up.

I think life is often like that, no?


*This post is also cross posted on my other blog Yoga for Kaylee

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Everyday Magic

Today as I was driving myself and the Sweet Baboo home from a blah day at work (for me, not the Baboo- it seemed like he had a perfectly great day in daycare), I turned onto my street just as a wind blew a bunch of leaves off the trees that line the road on both sides.

As they swirled down around my car, it occurred to me that there really is magic all around us if we look for it. I'm glad that today I happened to be doing just that, because those swirling leaves really were enchanting.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: Meaning What it Means

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Follow Up

Wow...have I not posted since June 21st? We had a kiddo with an illness and then I went to the beach for a few days so posting on the cleanse got away from me. What did not get away from me though, was finishing the cleanse! I finished all 21 days. I didn't do a "perfect" job, but that's not the point. (Not to mention that 'perfect' is really really boring!) I made major changes for 21 days and stuck with them and I am so happy I did. The changes I felt were so noticeable! I felt lighter, less bloaty, and I finally lost those last 4 lbs from when I had my son 2 years ago (I had lost 55 of the * 60 * I gained, but those last four were NOT wanting to budge. Well they finally did! YAY! :)

I felt so much better living the 'Crazy Sexy' way of life, that I have made the decision to stick with it. If I was able to feel that much better making a few changes in behavior and routine, why would I go back? I don't really miss the things I ditched, and when I do (like coffee and something gross and sugary), I just have some as a treat and move on. Treats instead of the everyday norm. And you know what? When I do have them, they taste better!

So here's to my new Crazy Sexy way of life! If you are even remotely interested in trying some of Kris's ideas- pick up a copy of her book from a friend, the library, or the bookstore (or let me know, I would even send you my copy. Complete with toddler scribbles on the cover!) Even making one little step towards a healthier you will make a difference. You're awesome, and you deserve the best health and life possible right?! RIGHT!

Cheers!

Monday, June 20, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 15 -Monday, June 20th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Yes
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes
  6. Did you dry brush today? Yup yup
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yes- Baron Baptiste DVD
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Dinner...breakfast was juice and lunch was a smoothie- no chewing necessary! :) 
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Replanted a few plants in my garden- didn't take long, but was nice anyhow.
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Close
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Fast day today! Went to the juice bar near my house for a large green juice for breakfast- I can't remember everything in it, but the major players were cucumbers, collards, and lemon. "Snacked" on water and tea. Lunch was smoothie with collards, banana, tiny bit of peanut butter, almond milk and dates- pretty decent. Dinner was baked sweet potato with Earth balance and cinnamon (no sugar!), plain black beans with garlic, and sauteed beet greens. Dessert was Sleepytime tea with almond milk and stevia. :) 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! but not as much as other days, I do better with this at work than at home, and I had to come home half day today. Sweet Baboo was sick.
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Ate dinner at 7:30, went to bed at 10, so...close.
  19. How do you feel physically? Really good. :)
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Pretty good. A little irritable off and on, but happy overall.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 14 - Sunday, June 19th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Except for the vegan brownie I had for our Father's Day celebration. :)
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes, except for the vegan brownie :) 
  6. Did you dry brush today? I did! :)
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? Yes
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? No, unless a leasurely toddler-free shopping trip to Whole Foods counts. :) 
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? More or less. ;)
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes! Father's day love for my dad and my husband.
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Not a lot, but I did enjoy driving down my pretty street and spending a few minutes in my backyard with the dogs.
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Pretty close- used an eye mask to keep out light. I think it really helped my quality of sleep. I am going to try again tonight.
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, but drank tons of water and tea. 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Almost nine, so not three hours by any stretch.
  19. How do you feel physically? Wonderful! A little tired, but lean and healthy.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? A little tired, but happy.

Friday, June 17, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 12 -Friday, June 1th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Yes...until 7pm when I had a veggie sub with my dad for Father's Day
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes...I even said no to the tons of candy brought to my staff meeeting
  6. Did you dry brush today? I did! :) I finally got little loofah mitt things and I dry brushed before I got dressed today at 3:30am! Woohoo!
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...ugg...really not good with this one. Even though I have one and use it when I'm sick!
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yup, pretty active today.
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? I remembered at breakfast,  forgot the rest of the day.
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes! Lots! Good day today.
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Yes! It was wonderful!
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? No...more like 6...it was my early morning.
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, but drank tons of water and tea. 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Ate dinner at 7:00 went to bed after ten, so did well with this today- I had tea before bed, but no food.
  19. How do you feel physically? A little bloaty today, but good otherwise.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Good today.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 10 -Tuesday, June 15th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Yes
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes
  6. Did you dry brush today? I did! :) I finally got little loofah mitt things. 
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Not quite 35, have a really early night tonight, so I had to do my 15 Minute Yoga video on my lunch break.
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? I remembered at breakfast and dinner, forgot at lunch and snacks.
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Not enough of this today...
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Close
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, but drank tons of water and tea. 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Ate dinner at 7:30, went to bed at 8:30...so...not three hours.
  19. How do you feel physically? A little crampy in the intestines, but fairly good besides that.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Ok...optimistic about the future.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 9 -Tuesday, June 14th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? No, ate a fair amount of gluten today.
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes
  6. Did you dry brush today? No...
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? Yup
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yes, did Baron Baptiste's Yoga for Athletes
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Forgot to be conscious of this again today.
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Not enough, but I did spend some time looking at my pretty flowers in my garden.
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Close
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Too tired to list it all out... :)
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Ate dinner at 8, went to bed at ten...so two hours, not three.
  19. How do you feel physically? Tired.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Tapped out. I was frustrated and overwhelmed and weepy in the evening, was blaming it on things that wouldn't really cause all that- so I'm projecting obviously, but I am not sure what I am projecting yet. Hopefully it will come out eventually through this process.

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 8- Monday, June 13th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse


  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Yes
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Yes
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yes
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Yes
  6. Did you dry brush today? FAIL.
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Didn't get the whole 35 today, it was a juice fast day and I was a little tapped out. Did some restorative yoga though.
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Well, I drank my meals until 7pm, so that was easy. Dinner I made a conscious effort to chew chew chew.
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Yes! I came home at lunch and took my dogs for a walk in my beautiful neighborhood. It was great. They were blessed, I was blessed, we were blessed.
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Not quite 8, but close.
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? Fasting day! I did not juice, but I got juice. I really need a juicer, but there is an awesome juice/raw bar not too far from my house. Got a green juice for breakfast, and got a smoothie for later, drank lots of tea and water. Had small amount of black beans and sauteed kale for dinner to break the fast. 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Did well with this today- had dinner at 7, went to bed at ten. 
  19. How do you feel physically? Felt great most of the day, a little tired later.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Pretty good, some mood swings.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 7- Sunday, June 12th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yes....
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Easy peasy, even at a Wine Fest- I don't drink much anyway. Designated Driver all the way!
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Mostly- although I noticed there was some in the soy sauce I have.
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yup.
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Mostly- I had some kettle corn at the Wine Festival, but avoided it everywhere else. 
  6. Did you dry brush today? FAIL.
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yup...pushed my two year old around in the stroller at the Wine Festival- up and down hills- and ran around with him in the grass too :) 
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Did really well at breakfast, forgot at lunch and dinner.
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  Yup, the Wine Festival was at a local park- pretty! Sat in the grass and listened to the live band. 
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Not quite 8, but close.
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, I don't have a juicer- but I did start the day with the glass of water with lemon and cayenne like it recommends, and drank a lot of tea.   I won't list all that I ate each day here on the blog, I do that on My Food Diary and I don't think people really want to read all that. :
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculationA lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Around 8:30, closer to two hours than three. My schedule makes three hours pretty tough. 
  19. How do you feel physically? I have more energy overall, felt great pushing the heavy stroller around the grass up and down the hills, even though it was hot. It was also more easy to chase after my two year old. It was great. Also don't feel as bloated, feel lean and happy. 
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Good! A little sad midday, but the time outdoors at the festival with my family helped that, ending the day super happy. :) 

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 6- Saturday, June 11th

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? No...At the end of the day I tried out my aunt's new Keurig...and it was delicious. :) I did choose decaf....
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Easy peasy. 
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? Mostly- except for the bite size piece of cake I had in the evening. It was a bite size square though. 
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? No...a friend made me eggs, and I don't always like to reject hospitality. I said no to the meat, but I had the eggs. 
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? Mostly- but I had that bite size piece of cake in the evening. 
  6. Did you dry brush today? Still a FAIL on this one.
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Yup...Baron Baptist Power Yoga DVD
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Still forgot about this today,  but will try again to be conscious of this tomorrow. 
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing.  I drove the back way to my aunts- which was BEAUTIFUL. Soul satisfying
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Not quite 8, but close.
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, I don't have a juicer- but I did start the day with the glass of water with lemon and cayenne like it recommends, and drank a lot of tea.  I should smoothie since I don't juice. I'll try to do that more. I won't list all that I ate each day here on the blog, I do that on My Food Diary and I don't think people really want to read all that. :
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation. A lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Around 9:30, and I went to bed at midnight since I was working on a project with my aunt, so pretty close.
  19. How do you feel physically? I have more energy overall, but I do have some muscle weakness.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Good today! Happy and content overall.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

21 Day Adventure Cleanse- Day 5- Friday, June 10

Daily questions to be answered at the end of each day on Crazy Sexy 21 Day Adventure Cleanse

  1. Did you abstain from coffee? Yup!
  2. Did you abstain from alcohol? Easy peasy. 
  3. Did you abstain from gluten? I think so. I'm still not great at checking for 'sneaky gluten' in salad dressing etc, but I'm pretty sure I did well with this today. 
  4. Did you abstain from animal products? Yup. 
  5. Did you abstain from crack (aka sugar) and choose low-glycemic fruits and better alternatives such as stevia or agave? I had a handful of non-dairy chocolate chips after dinner with a glass of chocolate   almond milk, but was good otherwise- I have been using NuStevia.
  6. Did you dry brush today? Still don't have anything to do this with. Will try to get something tomorrow. 
  7. Did you cleanse your sinuses with the good ol' neti pot? No...I even HAVE a neti pot that I use when I'm sick...I just haven't incorporated this into the daily routine. 
  8. Did you move your body for at least thirty-five minutes? Oh DID I. Cleaned the house for several hours, also did 10 minutes of restorative yoga at end of the day. 
  9. Did you meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes? Yup. 
  10. Did you chew your meals thoroughly and mindfully? Need to do better- I always forget about this, and I'm naturally a fast eater. Will try to be conscious of this tomorrow. 
  11. Did you laugh out loud and tell someone you loved him or her today? Yes, yes, yes!
  12. Did you spend time in nature? Even five minutes is better than nothing. I did- I walked my dogs and planted some plants in the backyard
  13. Did you get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? No...Friday mornings I get up at 3:20am to work an early shift, so I would have to go to bed at 7:30pm. I try- but its hard when I have to get the family fed and to bed too. 
  14. What did you eat today and did you juice? I did not juice, I don't have a juicer- but I did start the day with the glass of water with lemon and cayenne like it recommends, and drank a lot of tea.  I should smoothie since I don't juice. I'll try to do that more. I won't list all that I ate each day here on the blog, I do that on My Food Diary and I don't think people really want to read all that. :) 
  15. How much purified water did you consume? You can include fresh veggie juices in your calculation. A lot! I carry a cup with a lid with me all day long and keep it filled. 
  16. What supplements did you take? B vitamin supplement
  17. How was your elimination? TMI FOR A BLOG. :) 
  18. What time did you stop eating? Three hours before bed is optimum. Around 9:30. Not three hours before bed...will try to be better...but this one is hard for me. 
  19. How do you feel physically? I have more energy overall, but I do have some muscle weakness.
  20. How do you feel emotionally? Good today! Happy and content overall. 

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Crazy Sexy Adventure...CLEANSE!

About two months ago I bought the book Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr after I looked through a friend's copy. It didn't disappoint- her writing style is super friendly and its like talking to your BFF over coffee (or herbal tea as the case may be). Her suggestions are not super new to me, I've been floating over toward the vegan, raw side of the food spectrum for awhile and have read some other stuff on that lifestyle and my dad had long ago introduced me to things like essential oils and neti pots (he's pretty hippie for a Republican haha) :), but I definitely love getting a more in depth view and more motivation to continue my journey toward vegan, high raw living. Plus, its just a really fun book to read.

In the back of the book is a section with a 21 Day Adventure Cleanse, which I of course thought would be a good idea, but actually putting that good idea into motion was another story. I don't know what instigated my actually starting this cleanse two months after getting the book, but I did- on Monday. I don't have too much in the way of birthday parties and other gatherings with food until a little over three weeks from now, so hey- perfect timing for 21 days of clean eating.

Each day, Ms. Carr gives you positive affirmations and ideas for meditation, and general motivation for each day. She feels that positive thinking and speaking to and about oneself in an affirming way is a critical component to getting and staying well and in making permanent positive changes in one's health and well being.

Also included is a daily question sheet with 20 questions to sort of journal/evaluate each day on the cleanse. Since I have been slacking on this blog for awhile, and because I want to journal my progress, I'm going to answer those questions here each day. (I will be starting tomorrow on Day 4, because I after a day passes I am terrible at remembering food details, so I don't want to go backwards).

In the mean time, definitely check out Kris Carr and her awesome book, as well as the online community- which is super active and has super duper awesome people that hang out there.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I Made It To Another Book!

(Notice I said "To" another book and not "Through" another book.)


How goes the Read Through the Centuries Project you ask? GREAT! I read The Scarlet Letter!

Oh hey....did that not impress you? Are you sitting there saying..."Wait...didn't you read that back in 2010?" and then did you think "and waaaait...didn't you say you were going to do some follow up on it once you finished?"

Yes and yes.

I read it awhile ago- what can I say, I'm slow. As for follow up....here it is:

I read it! It was good! You should read it! Don't let your Tenth Grade Self tell you it was stupid and boring! Your tenth grade self doesn't know what he/she is talking about! 

There's my follow-up. That is probably going to be what 'follow-up' will look like for this project. If I give myself too many responsibilities like Writing More Than Three Sentences- I'm going to quit. I just know it. We don't want that. So we are going to institute a "Did You Like It? Check Yes Or No" policy on the rest of the books in the project. I will write more if I'm moved to do so, if not, then not.

Plus, the point is just to read a variety of books, not to get all academic and whatevs. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course.

So ON to the next book!  Which is...(drum roll)...Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin. I picked that up in the library today. I was a history major in college (which probably explains this project) with a concentration in African American Studies (who knew right?!) so this book practically jumped off the shelf and said READ ME.

And who am I to turn down some poor lonely book when it just wants to be read and loved? No sir, I will not reject a book that throws itself at me in that way. 

Ok, so that might be an exaggeration. The book just informed me that it "in no way threw itself at me like some cheap paperback romance and that if I don't tell the real story its going to march it's cute little binding back to the shelf from whence it came".

Well ok, Book. I'll tell the "real" story. I was the one seduced by the shiny cover and the interesting sounding write up on the back. There. Happy now? Geez...books these days.

Although, I seem to remember that it MIGHT have shimmied itself a little in my direction. I refuse to take all the responsibility.

Anyway, I will start reading it as soon as I finish rereading The Memory Keeper, which I'm almost finished. I read that one before I had a kid, so its proving interesting to read again afterward. Its a good one. I recommend it. (And its recent for all you Don't Like Old Books people).

Now, thanks to this post, all I'm going to be thinking about for the rest of the day is why book is pronounce book and not b-ew-k. Cause that's how its spelled. English- who wrote the rules for this language?!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Cross post: Yoga for Kaylee- Baby Picture

This is an earlier picture of Kaylee. I can't tell how old she is in this picture- it's so hard for me to judge age when it comes to...well anyone...but she's much younger than she is now.


Look how happy and smiley she is. As it says in the description on her page, "she looked so joyful in an earlier picture, but now she looks like she just wants to get home". I think that's an apt description. In her earlier picture she does look joyful. Full of life.

In her current picture she just looks...weary. Like she wants to get home- just like her description says.

I know that there is a family out there missing a little girl- because she's living in an orphanage waiting for them. The costs of international adoption are so high that any family, even those we would consider 'very comfortable', would have a hard time coming up with the amount in the *relatively* short time frame required for adoption.

That is the purpose of Reece's Rainbow and the purpose of my project- to raise money to make the financial burden easier for a family that wants to bring Kaylee home. To her home.

She has a birthday coming up in a few months. She will be five years old and as it says on her page: "Judging by her age, she is probably facing imminent transfer away from the baby house to the institution".

This little girl already looks so sad and weary. I can't imagining how disheartening it would be for her to be taken from the only place she's known and the people that now care for her in the baby house to an institution.

If you have a few extra dollars- please send them Kaylee's way. No amount is too small- as even $1.00 is $1.00 that wasn't there before. Five people giving $1.00 is $5.00. One hundred people giving $1.00 is $100. Dollars add up.

I know the economy is horrible and so many people have so little, I truly understand! but if you can spare anything to support my project and help Kaylee, that 'anything' will help her more than we know.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Listening to Your Body: Going for the Long Run Instead of the Now

For the last week and a half, my yoga practice looked, on paper, very boring. During the past week and a half, I did Rodney Yee's AM Yoga. Everyday. For a week and a half. And it was just what my body was asking me for. I just had to listen to it.

AM Yoga is what I call a 'Relax-y Stretchy' practice. Not too physically taxing, probably doesn't burn a lot of calories, but very beneficial nonetheless.

One day about two weeks ago, I was feeling really drained. The thought of doing any kind of yoga was not really what I wanted to think about. Was I burning out? Would I be able to continue this project? I wanted to sit on the couch. Rest. Sleep. Anything but Downward Dog or Push-up Pose.

So I did what I usually do when I'm feeling that way. I did AM Yoga. Most of AM Yoga takes place while lying down. It's so non-taxing that I can keep a heavy hoodie on the whole time. And thick socks. There's only one downward facing dog and you only stand up once. Perfect. Thank you, Rodney Yee!

The next day, I felt the same way- so AM Yoga made a reappearance. Same with the day after that. Once I regained more energy, I was ready for something new, but then I pulled something in my shoulder (not yoga related) and couldn't lift my arm over my head without pain- so AM Yoga it was again. At that point, with more energy, I wanted to do something more athletic- I had calories to burn after all!

"You're going to get out of shape!", my brain told me. "All you eat is- as we speak- GOING TO YOUR THIGHS!"

I quietly listened to my brain...and then told it "to not be silly...doing too much right now would be detrimental" and again slipped AM Yoga into my DVD player. I really did want to do something a little more challenging, mostly because I felt like I needed to be burning calories (that is a hard mindset to re-set as a female, I think). BUT...I also needed to heal my shoulder. Pushing myself could mess it up more, and could put a major damper on the rest of my Year of Yoga. So despite my "I need to burn calories NOW" mentality, I went with the "I need to heal for the long run" reality. So I kept playing that AM Yoga DVD day after day until my shoulder felt better. Then I did it one more day for good measure.

I'm glad I did. Today I was able to do the more athletic (and aptly named) Yoga for Athletes by Baron Baptist. That's one of my faves and I've had it forever. Tried and true. Tomorrow I'll probably do Yoga for Stamina with Rodney Yee. Also tried and true.

My week and a half of "easy" yoga had not caused me lose strength or flexibility. It healed my shoulder fully and I was downward dogging it up on the mat today- just as strong and actually MORE flexible than before (thanks Relax-y Stretchy yoga!).

The moral to this experience: Listen to your body. It's usually smarter than you. :)

Donations!

I am so excited to report that Kaylee's adoption fund is a little bit bigger today!!! Thank you to anyone who has donated based on this project, and thank you to all of those who are keeping Kaylee and this project in your thoughts and prayers! Its working!

Since the donations go through Reece's Rainbow, I don't find out who donates and that is ok- but if you'd like to let me know privately of your support, or if you'd like your name to appear on the right of the Yoga for Kaylee blog as a sponsor (first name only is ok), please email me! I'd love to get a list of sponsors going! If you'd like to be anonymous...that's ok too, though. :)

Thanks again for all the support! It means a lot to me, but it means even more to sweet Kaylee.

Yoga for Kaylee

As you might have read in previous posts, in November 2010 I gave myself a goal to do yoga six days a week every week for the month of November and that this was an attempt to breathe life back into the 'once in awhile' yoga practice that I had not-so-much-going. Then when I completed the month of November, I realized how much I really enjoyed the daily yoga practice and was starting to see some benefits, so I decided to do one more month. Then I decided to do a whole year.


Since then, I completed one and a half more months of yoga and discovered Reece's Rainbow. I spent every night for a week pouring over the faces of the beautiful children who need families, wishing there was more that I could do. One little girl's face kept coming back to me, and I wished there was something else I could do for her. After much more scouring of the website, I found out that I could be a 'Warrior' for her- by making a commitment to advocate and try to raise awareness and funds for her adoption grant. That is something I can do.
Not long after, while I was doing one of my daily yoga practices, I realized- why don't I do my Year of Yoga for Kaylee! People raise money for marathons and triathlons and all kinds of things- why not for yoga?

So I have now decided to not only do a Year of Yoga for my own health and well being, but to help raise awareness and funds for a little girl who needs a family.

I am keeping a separate blog for that project which is connected to a different email address (it also has my real name attached, so...now you know) :). Eco-ing Myself is kind of my personal thing, and I don't really want ALL my family and friends knowing about it. Maybe that sounds weird, but if I know some of my family (who I DO want to know about the Yoga for Kaylee project) are reading it, then I also know that I will subconsciously edit myself and that is something I don't want. I will still be posting about some yoga things here- I will probably cross post from there to here- but on this blog I will also be talking about food, my Read Through the Centuries Project (only two chapters left on The Scarlet Letter!), and other random thoughts and musings that I have. So please continue to read this blog if you are already doing so!  Most everything going on at my other blog will be going on here, but not everything going on here will be going on over there if that makes sense.

Also, please read along with my Yoga for Kaylee journey! I know the economy sucks and lots of us don't have a lot of extra, but if you'd like to sponsor me per month or just to make a one time donation- every little bit helps! The money goes directly into a fund to help Kaylee's future family cover the high costs of international adoption and is tax deductible. Many families want to adopt, but the financial aspect is daunting. Reece's Rainbow helps families realize their calling to adopt a special needs child by providing ways to offset these costs.

If you are not able to donate financially at this time- positive thoughts and prayers are very valuable! Your prayers for Kaylee, Kaylee's future family, and for a successful yoga fundraising campaign are much appreciated!

Thanks for continuing to read Eco-ing Myself. I truly enjoy writing this blog, and I truly appreciate all those who read it.

Namaste!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Update: Reading Through the Centuries Project


I am still working on Black Beauty and will post at least once more on that one before I’m through with it. I use it as a springboard for my Victorian Era horsemanship studies, so it’s not just a pick up and read through kind of book since I make notes as I go.

I read a couple of modern books over the Christmas holiday, I read Broken by Lisa Jones, which is a really interesting book about the author’s friendship with a Arapaho healer and horse trainer in Wyoming. I recommend it. I am also still working through Women Who Run with the Wolves, which I read when I am in the mood for self reflection and working on my psyche.

I started another book for the Read Through the Centuries Project, which is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I read this one before, but it was in the tenth grade and I must say that I’m probably getting way more out of it now than I did when I was 15. I don’t remember much about what I thought of it back then- it isn’t one of the ones that I remember hating vehemently (Dangling Man is one of those) so I probably thought it was ok; but the fact that I don’t remember too much about it means that I didn’t get as much out of it as I should have.

The reason I picked it is because I found it in my boxes of books in the basement and it meant that I couldn’t have to a) leave the house and b) spend any money. Although, it doesn’t seem like I spent much on it when I did buy it- the version I have is the Dover Thrift Edition, which according to the back cost $1.00. We’re big spenders over here at casa Hope.

I’m currently on chapter ten of The Scarlet Letter and I’m really enjoying it. It is a really good book. I mean, I realize that it’s a ‘Classic’ and there must be a reason that high school students across the country are forced to read it; but I tell ya, that Nathaniel Hawthorne really knew how to weave a tale.

The symbolism and the commentary on the human soul…Deep, man. Deep.

What I will probably do with the books in the RTCP, is a brief background post (key word being brief) and then a post or two of my favorite quotes or passages. I’m not a book critic, and summaries are boring (and I’d rather people, you know, read the book), so I feel like giving some background and then some good quotes struck me as a fair enough plan. Then I won’t get overwhelmed and feel like I’m doing book reports. It’s not that serious- I’m really just trying to get myself to read interesting stuff I might not pick up otherwise.

So, there you have it. I will continue reading, and if you don’t have a book currently in progress, might I recommend The Scarlet Letter?