The Outspoken Mom Blog

No robots allowed..update

Good Evening Everyone!

My baby is in bed and my husband took the other 3 to a water-park!  Oh, I feel like I can breathe!!!  I just have to clean up the kitchen before they get home but, I will take that any day to trying to entertain tired and fussy children at night.

So, today was school conference day at 2 of my children's schools and as always, just terrific news. hahahahahaha.  Just once, I would like to go to a school conference and not hear about how my children don't listen, they don't sit still and they don't follow the rules.  Hey, I get it OK?!  My children aren't rule followers, I don't really like it but, at the same time, I don't feel like they should be expected to sit all day long in a chair and just look up and listen.  I don't want that child!  I like that my children have fire in their belly's.  Oh granted, it would be nice if my children listened ONCE IN A WHILE and if they didn't choose to use mommy's bad words in class, and well, I guess it would be nice if I didn't have the child that throws stuff at the teacher when they get a problem wrong...OK!  So my children aren't the greatest in the classroom, lol. 

But, I don't think they are absolutely horrible either.  OK, well my son is pretty horrible sometimes and he is difficult...OH fine....my children SUCK in school. lol. 
Oh, where was I going with this?  OHHHHH!

So, my children aren't the easiest and I don't really know what would help them sometimes but, I do believe a lot of what our schools and school systems are trying to do is force our children into becoming robots.  We want and expect them to sit and be quiet, to not talk in the lunch room and if they throw food, they can't eat in the lunchroom anymore!  What ever happened to food fights?  I LOVED those!  Or what happened to sitting with your friends and yes, many times I sat alone but, oh those times I got to sit with a big group of people, that was awesome!  I remember school being fun.  I remember spending tons of time out on the playground and in the parking lot with NO playground ladies telling us we couldn't run.  We had 3 recesses a day at my elementary school.  One in the morning when we first got to school.  See, our buses didn't drop us off right before the bell rang, we got dropped off about 20 minutes before school started and played up until they told us to line up.  Oh, and we all ran as fast as we could to get our backpacks in line first when we got dropped off. 

Things were pretty fair, if you ran slow, you were always last...I liked that, I believe it made me the fast runner I am today.  We played games in the parking lot, did penny drops over the TAR parking lot, we stuck our tongues to cold metal poles and lived.  It was crazy scary!  Oh and get this, I even had to WALK to school across busy roads and a freeway!  What?!  Oh yes, I walked to school every year 6 blocks and nothing happened to me, no crazy person stole me or my friends, we played games all the way to and from school.  I was home alone starting in 2nd grade and made myself breakfast and dinner.  I woke up to the timer on the stove and never was late to school.

I don't remember having to sit inside on snowy or rainy days for recess either...we went outside rain or shine, I think that was the teachers break time!  Every girl knew how to do a cartwheel, back-bend, and how to hang upside down on the bars by 1st grade and everyone jumped rope for hours.  You were considered weird if you couldn't do a cartwheel by 1st grade.  We flipped, jumped, scampered, flipped some more, and hung upside down for what seemed to be hours every day. 

We didn't have to 'train' for our Presidential Physical Fitness awards because we did most of those things daily anyway.  I remember in gym class we played Red Rover Red Rover and tried our hardest to break through that line no matter how much we hurt the other person, it was GREAT!  Then there was dodge-ball, bombardment (how do you spell or say that?!), ships across the ocean, OH and we picked teams!  Yeah, that's right, 2 people were picked and we picked teams based on skill and yes, the weakest person was always picked last, get over it, none of us cared, it was life and we knew it.

We listened to our teachers, we followed the rules and wow, when an adult spoke, we listened!  We knew they were big and scary and weren't to be messed with.  Our parents and their friends and ALL adults were NOT our friends and we were OK with that, in fact, we preferred it that way. 

Our playgrounds were simple and metal....not plastic which, isn't plastic bad for the environment?  Yes, our playgrounds were 'Earth friendly' before we even knew what that was.  They were metal, not painted, not pretty, they were a bland gray but, they worked.  We had monkey bars, hanging bars, lines and lines of swings on super long chains that could help us to reach the sky!  We had merry go rounds, domes to climb, and super tall metal slides that burned your butt in the summer and made you go about 50 miles an hour in the winter in your snow pants.  I remember always packing snow onto the slides so you would go faster.  Everything was about speed, danger, and I never remember feeling afraid.  I wasn't, didn't know you could get hurt and if you did get hurt, oh well, you got a band-aid and got right back up to do it all over again.
I wasn't a dare devil by any means.  I was actually considered a scaredy cat by those older standards.  I didn't dare do a penny drop until 5th grade for goodness sake! 

 I remember by 6th grade I was playing basketball for the entire recess and get this...WITH my 6th grade teacher the whole time!  Yea, that is right, my teacher would eat lunch with us and then go out and play some b-ball with us on the playground!  How many of your children's teachers do that now a days?!!  I remember in junior high being teased profusely about my nasty red hair and gaingly legs.  I was often compared to a flamingo on the soccer field and hey oh well.  Yes, I have horrible memories of junior high but, really looking back, I had a lot of fun then too.  I was ugly back then!  Heck it was the 80's there weren't too many good looking people back there and by the way...for all of you trying to bring back 80's fashion...dig out the old jr high photos, you will put that flashdance sweatshirt and leggings with a super mini lace skirt back right away!

People often tell me I probably looked like Molly Ringwald with my short red hair, I laugh hardily and let them know that I looked like the OTHER red head from Sixteen Candles...yes, that is right, Anthony Michael Hall...yep, proud of being so stinking ugly!  Man, my scanner isn't hooked up...I need to find a photo to post for you all, it truly is a sight to see.  Ok, I am back couldn't find the truly horrible ones but, found one that will show you just a piece of the heinous puzzle of junior high

Yes, that is me on the right!  Oh and the person to my left that is actually a girl too..see, the 80's horrible!!!!

OK back to my rants and raves.  Point is, I am going to include an email my girlfriend sent to me to put this all into perspective...relax!!!!  We all survived so we might have broken a few arms (I never did) or a leg or two (again, not me) and so what if we have scars, that is what happens when you LIVE life!!  Let your children LIVE life, don't just let them be molded into something that is 'easy' or 'manageable'.  Don't teach your children to just exist..life is way to short for that.

Encourage your children to think for themselves, to problem solve and to think outside of the box.

Here is the email.....

 First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints. (again...sorry, no belly's please!)

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. (I don't condone this one as I was ALWAYS in a car seat)

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.  (Everyday in the summer!, still do!)

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY?

Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were O.K. 

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times,we learned to solve the problem.

 

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. 
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! 

 

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

 

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. 

(I TOTALLY did the eating worms thing!  In fact, we made worm cookies for a badge in Girl Scouts!!!)
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. 

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

Imagine that!! 

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! 

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas..

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. 

If YOU are one of them? CONGRATULATIONS! 

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ? (YES!)

 

So everyone!  Go out and make a mud pie, cook up some worm cookies, eat some grass, run through the sprinklers and for goodness sake, hang upside down once in a while!!!!

Blessings to you all!

-Liza

Oh By The Way, I too wash my children's mouths out with soap occassionally if bad things come out of that mouth.  We have a bar of Ivory soap sitting in the hall closet for just that occassion.  Trust me, after even one time, they see that bar coming and they quickly change their potty mouth tune.  So, throw me in jail or throw the book at me in court but, I am trying my hardest to raise children that will respect adults and some day be hard-working, upstanding, well educated, adults that will contribute something to society other than a pain in the neck.

What am I talking about?  Here is the link :

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Mom-Arrested-for-Washing-Kids-Mouth-With-Soap--64112132.html

Stimulus? Confusion!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

So, I read a blurb online today and then heard more about it on the radio and it just didn't seem to make sense.  So, I guess the state of Minnesota is set to receive about $4.6 BILLION in stimulus money and the good news(this is the part I heard on the radio) much of it is being used to keep or create jobs here in Minnesota.  Ok, sounds good, in fact sounds really good as I love my state of Minnesota.  Then, I hear how many jobs it has saved and/or created...just under 12,000.  Ok, now 12,000 jobs saved and/or created is a great number!  However, I am wondering, really?  $4.6 BILLION to save 12,000 jobs?  Now, I know not all of the money is being used for jobs however, both the internet and the radio said either 'most' or 'a lot' of the money is being used to keep and create jobs here in Minnesota. 

Now I am really thinking, first of all, 12,000 jobs for the entire state of Minnesota is really not that much and yet $4.6 BILLION in stimulus money, that seems like an obscene amount to be getting for stimulus money to begin with but, after making my husband do the math, he figured (if I am wrong with figures...HE did it not me) that is around $500,000 per job spent.  Huh.  So, considering the average American only makes around $24,000 a year and the average Minnesotan is around $28,000 a year....hmmmm.  Does that math make sense?  Am I missing something here?

Wouldn't we have just been better off sending each Minnesotan a $1000 check in the mail?  Or even a $100 check?  Or how about cutting property taxes that have gone up double digets every year in many cities for the past few years(mine included).  Or could we use some of the money to cut our sales tax for a couple years or to lower heating costs for a few years here in Minnesota?  My list could go on and on.  Or, why do we really need stimulus money to begin with?  Really?

I am still floored by the 'Let's spend our way out of the recession' too.  Really?  Because I wonder what the government would say about my husband and I spending our way out of debt.  Would they praise us?  Would they be so pleased with how we spent our way out of debt?  Can you really spend your way out of debt?  If you have no money and you spend more money, don't you just have even less money than before?
Then you add interest and penalties and such and aren't you worse off than ever before?  Doesn't the government tell us we need to save for retirement?  Haven't they been telling us to go back to having savings accounts to create a stronger banking system?  Well, what about our government?  Are they saving for 'retirement'?  Are they saving for a 'rainy day'?  Has the government opened up a savings account to 'save banks'? 

Am I crazy or does it seem like the government is doing very similar things with their (MINE/YOURS) money that they criticized big businesses for doing?  Didn't the government tell banks how irresponsible they were for lending out loads of money and doing sub-prime lending yet, if you think about it, isn't the government doing many of the same things?

I am confused, I am in disbelief, and I am frustrated.

If this makes more sense to you than me, please comment and let me know so I can understand.

Blessings to you all!

-Liza

Igniting the firestorm of Healthcare

Good Morning Everyone!

I have a lot to say and not much time so, I am digging right in.  I am frustrated and frankly confused about all the talk of health care reform and what it really will mean for our country but, really, what it will mean for me and my family.

I don't get why we need it, our state of Minnesota has a terrific health care system and we also offer our own state run insurance for lower income families and people.  In fact, really, you don't even have to be low income as with our sized family, we can make upwards of $67,xxx + a year and still qualify for our state health care.  Which my family and I have been on now for almost 4 years.  It saved us when Steve didn't have a job and when we couldn't get our own health care.  We still pay premiums based on our family size and our income.  Premiums can range anywhere from $4 (per person) up to over $200 (a family). 

We have no co-pays for the children or pregnant women and adults are $3.  That is for doctors visits, prescriptions, and eye appts and dental.  It will also cover things like mental health, drug/alcohol treatment, and cancer treatments.  We are free to visit our regular doctors and dentists and we have a very large number of doctors and others to choose from.  We can even see specialists when needed.

I like MN Care, I like it alot, and I am bummed that we will no longer qualify after November 1st of this year and we will need to find our own insurance.  I don't get the whole deal with not being able to find good quality insurance.  I have always had insurance, yes, it is expensive sometimes but, at least here in Minnesota, I think we have such a high quality and quantity of doctors to choose from, it is worth it.  Can you really put a price on your health?  Plus, how much worse would it be if you didn't have any health insurance?

I understand that most of peoples bills are from medical and it is the number one reason people claim bankruptcy.  However, I don't believe that is because of doctors or lack of health care and I don't believe a nationalized health care system will fix that.  Yes, it might lower the cost some but, really, we will pay for it in other ways such as higher taxes, lower standards, and fewer choices.

I used to work for a medical insurance company and I can tell you a few things that make our costs for insurance and doctor visits so expensive....US!  We are a sue happy nation and we like to blame others for everything.  We tend to not take responsibility and we want others to take care of us and we don't want to have to think for ourselves.

The claims that used to come across my desk were sick and unbelievable!  People suing their doctors for malpractice because their baby died at birth yet, they had NEVER had ONE prenatal visit or check up and the baby had issues that could have been solved or taken care of prior to the birth but, by the birth it was too late...believe it or not, many of those cases the women won and won a lot of money.  I even saw a woman who had 2 different babies die at two different births and BOTH she was a drug user and never saw a doctor for any prenatal visits and she won both times.  Sick.

Granted those are extreme cases but, I also saw people who sued the doctor because they claimed things like, they didn't know they could be allergic to the latex in their breast implants(even though they knew they were allergic to latex and neglected to mention it to the plastic surgeon), or someone who sued because they didn't tell their doctor about the 2 other doctors they were seeing and the 3 other prescriptions they were taking and had a huge reaction to the new presciption and almost died.  Those are all cases where the patient was clearly in the wrong yet, they sued...and won.

It is getting harder and harder to find doctors who specialize in just birthing babies because the cost of malpractice insurance is so high, it isn't worth it to them to practice.  I knew a doctor who refused to take patients that were over the age of 35 and having their first child because of the known complications and he just didn't want to take on the risk of liability.

Then, you add in the insurance companies.  Wow, they are in the business of making money and they will sell, sell, sell their clients(doctors and clinics) on why they should only prescribe their meds for patients.  There are many clinics that won't even offer generics or cheaper meds. 

Or what about people that refuse to go to the doctor until they are on their deathbed and they could have been saved had they just gone in earlier?  These are all cases that drive up our costs of insurance and of health care.  The government has so many other issues they need to fix before you can try and fix this!  It is like this...a car gets into an accident and instead of repairing the engine damage and the flat tires and broken windshield, they first paint the the car to make it look better and prettier because that is what is most appealing to the eye.  It still doesn't work and won't work until you fix all the broken parts but, it sure is pretty!

I hear everyone talking about insuring the uninsured...well, has anyone taken into account the people that choose not to have insurance?  Yes, there are people out there that just don't feel like they need health or dental insurance!  I knew many single people that were in their 20's that saw no use for having insurance and didn't want to waste their money on it...not because they felt it was too expensive but, frankly, they wanted the extra money for going out on the weekends or vacations or clothes.  In fact, looking back, I had health insurance my entire life and in my 20's, I think I can count on 1 hand how many times I went to the doctor (until I got pregnant) and I could have saved myself or my parents a heck of a lot of money by NOT having insurance.  Yes, it is important to have health insurance like you have car or home owners insurance just in case of an emergency but, then get emergency only insurance or something..way cheaper!

Now, in an effort to do some research for this blog, I did try to find some information about the Nationalized health care plan on the web...frankly, it was very hard to find any specifics on the plan(which is a bit un-nerving to me, personally) but, what information I did find says they are hoping to 'Improve Preventable Care'.  Ok, so does that finally mean our government will recognize alternative care and homeopathic?  Does that mean that I will finally be able to visit my chiropractor more than 12 times a year?  Does that mean the my son who is on the Autism Spectrum and takes hundreds of dollars of supplements and vitamins a year that those will finally be covered?  So that means vitamins will finally be covered right?  If what I read is right and they are hoping to stop people from getting sick with nutrition information and education and exercise and teaching America to be healthy again then one could assume that means us taking vitamins will be able to add those to our medical spending accounts or deduct them on our taxes as a health care cost correct?

Or what about those of us who not only choose but, those of us who also don't choose to eat healthier.  Do people who eat organic, whole foods, workout and in general take care of themselves inside and out do we get the opportunity to have cheaper health care?  Do we get discounts on our foods and stuff?

Or what about families with children with food allergies and sensitivities, will our nationalized health care help us offset the cost of buying wheat-free/gluten-free or dairy-free/casein-free foods so our children can be healthy and not be in the doctors offices as much?

Will we stop medicating children in the classrooms and teach parents, educators and others about the benefits of nutrition and how certain foods can affect certain children?  Is that part of the nutrition package in this health care reform?

Now here are my questions and concerns and please, I welcome all feedback and answers as I really don't know much about the nationalized health care plan.

-Will they tell me which doctors to see?
-Will my children be 'tagged' throughout their lives by the system because of their health care issues
-Are you going to force me and my family to have health care?
-What if we choose to not have national care?
-Can doctors opt to not take patients on national care? (they can on MN Care, and I believe it should be a choice for doctors/clinics)
-If there is a malpractice suit..who are we suing, ourselves?
-If we are unhappy with our national insurance (company) can we complain to them and then again, are we complaining against ourselves?

I know how inefficient the government is with spending, can I really trust you to spend wisely with my health care dollars?  How can you assure me that there won't be any 'gifting' or under the table deals with certain doctors/clinics like there is now with certain politicians and governments?

Social Security is a joke, the IRS is a bigger joke, how are you going to make sure this is a strong and well run system?  Why can't the states decide what is best for their people and be allowed to create their own health care systems based on the needs of people in their state instead of the 'general population'?

Is Minnesota the only state that has health care?  How many states have their own state run health care option?

Frankly, one more thing...sorry but, as we in Minnesota await the President to visit here and talk about national health care, one Minnesotan has a lot of questions and wants a lot more answers first.  Why is no one else in Minnesota standing up and talking about our own health care and how wonderful our system is here in Minnesota?  If it isn't broke...don't fix it!

Oh...and I am sorry, but, I understand the frustration of that S.C. Republican who shouted out last night.  Yes, it was very wrong that he did that and that he called our President a liar but, I do understand the frustration...here is why.

The President was speaking about health care and illegal immigrants at the time, by the way, as many of you probably don't know...I believe we will give the illegal immigrants access to free health care as we already do in Minnesota.  Yep, EVERY immigrant whether legal or illegal gets FREE health care in Minnesota.  Why?  Because they are afraid they won't get immunized so, they just give them all free health care so they will go to the doctors and such.  Don't believe me?  Heard it straight from a good source....one of our local hospitals that has an ER filled with immigrants daily/nightly because they use it as a doctors office instead of an emergency room.  We were told(after asking) flat out that the State of Minnesota with NO Questions asked, hands out immigrants free MN Care to assure they get immunized and go to doctors. 

So, there is your answer as to why that Republican blurted out last night.  Frustrating yes, I don't agree with him but, do understand.  Now, please help me understand the health care bill/reform so I can make an informed, educated decision about it for myself and my family.

Blessings to you all and DO YOUR RESEARCH!

-Liza

UPDATE:  I just read a slideshow about the reform and I think it is very similar to what I have said, it will cost us more, it will drive out jobs in the private insurance sector(of which Minnesota has a LOT of jobs) and we will be at the mercy of a government run agency that really, in my mind, isn't very good at running companies!

Plus, everything I have read says it will FORCE people to carry health insurance, why?  If they don't want it, that is their issue please don't make it mine.  I will say I agree with the President on one part of the reform....NO pre-existing conditions. 

Just remember everyone, once this is voted in and put into place, it is there forever.  There is no going back so, make sure you know what you are getting into, don't just listen to the speeches, read the papers, or blogs.  Do research, know what your Senator is voting for and know what the President is pushing.  I don't know if it is right or wrong for our country, I really don't know but, I want to make sure I know as much as possible before it is all too late...either way.

Master Cleanse...ugh...Day 8

Good Evening Everyone!

Sorry, this is the first chance I have had today to even be on my computer so, my blog is a bit late today.  So, it is day 8 of my cleanse wow, I am still doing ok, I am not wanting food nearly as bad as I did yesterday so, things are good.

I think my deal yesterday was 2 of our children were gone for the evening at my parents house so Steve and I only had our 6 year old and the baby so it would have been a perfect opportunity to go to a nice restaurant and have fun.  See, our 6 year old eats more adult type food and she even likes sushi so, we could have gone to a good sushi restaurant with her and the baby and had a great dinner.  So, that explains my fussiness yesterday.

Today, I have almost made it through another day.  I have never wished days to go by so fast in my life.  But, praise God, they are going by really fast.  I am nervous to begin eating again and I am wondering if I have learned my lesson or not.  What if I haven't learned anything from this?  What if my cravings for sweets and crappy food just comes back?  Oh, the fears I have.  Can I do this?  Can I eat normally, can I learn to eat smaller portions, can I only put $3-5 of 'gas' in my 'tank' at a time or will I gorge myself again?

I am hoping my weight I have dropped since doing the cleanse will be incentive enough to not eat bad again.  I have dropped almost 12 pounds on this cleanse so far and I am hoping to drop 4 more.  Those 4 little pounds will put me within 15 pounds of my overall goal for weight loss so, oh man, it would be GREAT if I could lose those 4 extra pounds!

So, tonight I am for sure doing the salt water flush or the 'smooth move' tea tonight to get those last few amounts of toxins out of my body.  Ok...next paragraph is a WAY TO MUCH INFORMATION paragraph so, if you get grossed out please skip to the next paragraph!!

Ok, if you are reading this, I have warned you and you can't tell me how gross I am for writing this!  So, Steve told me that by now I should be having really black and tarry poos but, I haven't had anything like that yet.  He keeps telling me it is coming but, my theory is he smoked the whole time he was cleansing so, I think it is his smokes that are causing those.  Because he is cleansing again with me this time around and he has been 'turning inside out' and I haven't really had any poos.  So, I am thinking I really am not someone who is 'bound up' naturally.  I don't know, maybe I am jinxing myself and tonight after my salt water flush or detox tea, I will explode...we will have to see.  Sorry to write that but, it is a part of the cleanse and I thought if you were thinking about doing it you need to know what to expect....all of it!

Ok, so if you are at this paragraph, you either read the previous paragraph or you skipped it...welcome back either way! 

I am overly excited to end this cleanse.  Again, a little nervous but, excited at the same time.  I think until I reach my desired goal weight...I am going to continue to drink some of the lemonade daily as a meal replacement.  I am not much of a lunch eater as I have said before so, it would be the perfect meal for me to just drink the lemonade.  I think I would recommend so as not to be hungry or think you are missing anything, I would drink a minimum of 30 ounces of the lemonade from around 11-2 so as not to eat those hours.  Then, I can have a little afternoon snack with the children and have a healthy right sized dinner that evening.

I have more to write but, the baby is on my lap and it is making writing very difficult!  Plus, she is ready for bed I think...crabby baby!

OHHHHHH guess what?!!!!  Our baby walked today on her own!  Yep!  Such a big girl!  I love when they figure out they can walk on their own.  So cool.  I am so pleased with her and think it is so neat.  I need to buy more videotapes so, I can videotape her!

Anyway, blessings to you all!

-Liza

My funk and the Master Cleanse

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, a quick 'funk' update:  I am still in a funk, thank you to all of you writing me about it!  I am working on it.  I think I am hitting sort of a mid-life crisis.  Wow...totally thought that was a man thing!  But, I think this might be my version of a mid-life.  Guess I just expected life to be a bit different than it is at age 36.  Oh well, I am working through it on my own(best way for me), withdrawing a bit from others(again, best for me) but, hopefully on my way back to normal Liza. (whatever that is!)

So, I am utterly amazed at the amount of people that are following me on Twitter and how about once a week, all of a sudden, a group of 3-4 people start following me..and NO it isn't on #FF! (Follow Friday for those of you who don't Twitter).  Usually it is mid-week.  Just yesterday, 6 more people started following me so Welcome!  I sincerely hope you join my blog followers too :-)

Well, tomorrow....wow, tomorrow.  You will all never guess what I am starting tomorrow!  Our baby is pretty much done nursing now (she is almost 13 months old) so, I am starting the Master Cleanse tomorrow!  Holy crap!!  Yes, as many of you know, my husband did it a few months ago and it worked well for him.  It jump-started his metabolism again and jump started him working out.  He did it for 10 days and lost 23 pounds on it.  It also got him off of caffeine.  It didn't quite work for the cigs but, maybe that is because he smoked the whole way through!  Is that really a cleanse he did then?

Anyway, I am hoping to get all the toxins out, get my hormones that have been really crazy lately back in check and for once and for all, flush the sugar cravings out of my body.  I am highly addicted to sugar and it is really bad for me because I have low blood sugar issues so, my mind/body get really out of whack when I eat sugar....might explain my funk that I have been in for a while.  As people with hyper or hypo-glycemia tend to exhibit similar symptoms to those who suffer from depression and/or bi-polar.  So, hopefully this Master Cleanse will help!  I would like to see the cheerful, happy Liza back!  I am sure my family would appreciate it too.

So my goal is to do the cleanse for 10 days.  I am a bit fearful and trying not to get too excited or I don't know, pretty much going into it emotionless.  I don't know what to expect.  As many of you know, food is my passion, however, very much my enemy.  I have the sugar issues but, I have also been so limited over the years in what I can eat that when I get something I can eat, I tend to gorge.  I am hoping doing the Master Cleanse and only being on a liquid diet for 10 days will finally help me to let go of some of my food issues.

I am obviously hoping it will jump start my metabolism again and help me to start my long trek of losing the 30+ pounds I have put on in the last 2 years.   However, my real goal is to get rid of some of my feelings toward food and to hopefully realize I don't 'need' it all the time and large amounts of it!

So, please cover me in prayer!  I will need it and so will my family because food is so much a part of who I am and so much of life is based around food.  Pray that I will still be able to make meals for my family, I will have patience with my family, and I will most importantly be on my way to being healthy again not only for me but, for my children and my hubby too.  I would love it if you all could pray for strength for me as I am also the worlds best quitter :-)  Oh yes, no one quits first or gives up faster than me!  lol. 

This is going to be a challenge for me but, it will be good for me.  I need to challenge.  Especially as I feel like my life is in a rut right now, this hopefully will be a good spiritual deal for me and bring me closer to God and help me to focus on the good and the truth and not the lies of this fallen world.

I will try and give you all daily updates and if anyone wants to do the Master Cleanse with me we can support each other through it!  Also, here is the recipe and some tips to help you make it 10 days(the minimum they recommend)

The Master Cleanse Recipe:

for 60oz at a time:

60oz of Distilled Water (found in laundry aisle)

12Tablespoons of Grade B Maple Syrup

12Tablespoons of Organic Lemons (must be organic and fresh squeezed)

1/2 teaspoon of Organic Cayenne Pepper

Ok, so what?!  You might be asking that right now.  Distilled Water because you are trying to flush out the toxins and since drinking water has fluoride and chlorine in it plus whatever else, you can't detox with it. 

Organic Maple Syrup Grade B (Formaldehyde Free) why?  Because you need the natural sugars but, don't want any chemicals and you need the natural sugars to keep your body healthy.

Organic Lemons why?  Because you again are detoxing and don't want chemicals in your juice so, organic is the best there is plus, there are good vitamins and natural detoxing elements in lemons

Organic Cayenne Pepper why?  Because it gives it a bit of flavor and has some of the vitamins your body needs to do a 10 day cleanse without harming your system.

They also strongly suggest you do Sea Salt flushes in the evening...WARNING!!!!  DO NOT leave your home or get too far from the toilet!  I am serious!  You WILL have an accident!!  Might not the first 1-3 days but, after your body starts cleansing itself, you WILL have an accident if you don't stay near a toilet after your salt water flushes!    Only use natural Sea Salt and distilled water.

Also, you can try a detox tea...Smooth Move is a good tea and can be found anywhere.  Just make sure your tea is De-caff!!!

When Steve did it he also did a wheat grass shot every morning.  That is where you get your protein for the day so, even though they are gross highly recommended.  He said he felt a lot better after those and you only want a 1 ounce wheat grass shot..no more than 2 oz for sure!

You need to drink your weight in Distilled Water every day...yes, you read it right...you need to drink the same amount of ounces of water that you weigh in pounds.  So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 200 ounces of distilled water a day PLUS your 'lemonade'. 

It sounds like a lot but, remember, you aren't eating ANY food or drinking anything other than your lemonade and water so, it won't be as hard as you think it will be.

They highly recommend you drink a minimum of 60 oz of the lemonade a day but, recommend 80-100 oz of the lemonade a day for optimum results.

As you get used to the cleanse by day 3, you can add some decaf natural tea, raspberry is a good choice to sort of break up the day and add some other flavor into your life.

I need to go, the baby just woke up.

Good luck if you decide to try the cleanse with me and PLEASE, cover me in prayer and pray for me often as I do so LOVE food :-)

Blessings to you all.

-Liza

Schwab Challenge update(week #3) and crabs, I've got crabs baby!

Good Morning Everyone!

I really don't have a clue as what to write about today but, it is Monday and I haven't written in a few days so, it is time to write!

I can give you all a quick Schwab Challenge update while I think of a topic to write about. 

We are heading into week number 3.  Today was our upper body lifting day.  I struggled on a couple of the weights as today I also upped my weights on everything by 5 pounds.  Doesn't sound like much but, when you are weak, oh so very weak in the upper body it is a lot!

I did it though, I am pleased with myself.  A quick explanation on how we do weights on our program...it is all about the peaks.  So, your first set of 12 is a level 5, 2nd set is 10 reps level 6, 3rd set is 8 reps, level 7, 4th set is 6 reps level 8 (which is also your highest weigh)  Then, you do 2 sets of 12 reps back to back..no break back on your beginning weight.

It is awesome, it works, and I love it.  It makes me push myself.  Otherwise, I would stay at the same weights the entire 12 weeks.  I will say though, having to up my starting weights by 5 pounds wow, that made my 4th set burn, really burn and hard, hard, hard.

But, I survived.  My arms are a bit jelly like today and as I type, my hands shake a bit but, all is good.  My husband came home with bulging muscles...have to say, that is pretty darn yummy.

He is still doing great, still smoking like a crack addict but, completely off caffeine so, that is good.  Plus, he is getting in shape and it is really showing!

I will say, why is it so much easier for men to lose weight than women?  I am doing the same stuff, and eating the same types of foods and really watching my portion sizes and he just keeps dropping and dropping yet, he is getting more and more muscular.

I am getting thicker, especially around the middle, no muscle definition yet and I have still only lost 1 pound.  Yes, one pound.  I am supposed to lose 1-2 pounds a week on this program and I am starting my 3rd week.  I am telling you, my body is grabbing hold of this extra weight and not letting go!

I guess long gone are the days of not eating anything for one day and losing 5 pounds.  Sucks, life just isn't fair but, then again, who (besides Obama) said it ever was or should be.

But, I am happy because I do see my body slowly(very slowly) reshaping itself from a blob into some sort of resemblance to a shapely body again.  That is good.  I am sticking this thing out, only 9 more weeks to go!  At this rate...I will have lost 4 pounds by the end of the whole thing!  Awesome!  LOL.

So, now, the real blog...hmmmm, any suggestions?  requests?

OH, I have something.  Not super analytical or anything but, a subject none the less.

So, Saturday, we got our family a new pet.  Actually, we got 3 new pets.  We decided to go and get Hermit Crabs.  So, we went to our local big box pet store and had a salesperson walk us around picking out everything we will need to keep these 3 Hermit Crabs alive and happy.  Which in turn, keeps my children happy.

I needed 2 'cages' or whatever you call them as 2 will be in one and the other will be by itself.  We needed a house for them because they like to hide, 2 water dishes per 'cage' one for fresh water and one for salt water, a food dish, food, and decoration(at the suggestion of the children).  She tried to tell me they like to climb and get me to buy some climbing netting for them but, oh my gosh, the shopping cart was over flowing already and I was really thinking this would seriously cut into my grocery shopping budget.

So, we get to the register, she rings it all up, ready for this?  $124 for 3 Hermit Crabs and all their crap!  The best part of it all, we get home and are putting everything together and we left the stupid bottle of saltwater at the pet store.  dumb.

But, the children love them, they named them right away and my son stayed up and watched his and his sisters crawl around for almost 2 hours before I finally made him shut off the light and go to sleep. 

I will say, they are pretty neat little pets and they really do have personalities already, not a joke.  They have great painted shells and they are really fun to watch them move around and daily we take them out of their 'homes' and let them crawl around on the floor.  The crabs really seem to like that a lot.

Very easy to take care of too.  Just refill their fresh water daily and give them salt water 1-2 times a week.  Their food will last forever as they really only eat a little bit.  I think our little bottle of food will probably last about a year with the rate they eat.  So, that is a good value too.

It is an expensive investment up front but, very easy/cheap to maintain.  Plus, much better pet than a smelly hamster or guinea pig!

I will say, the names are pretty great too.  My son's is in a cool bright colored shell and he named it 'Fireball', my oldest daughter's crab has Hello Kitty painted onto the shell and she named it 'Cutie Pie' and my other daughter's is in a really neat shell, similar to a whelk and it is rainbow painted so, she named hers 'Rainbowy'. 

Great names aren't they?  It almost tempts me to get our family a puppy to replace our big red guy Griffey but, no.  Not that tempted.

We have a family sticker on our truck that has stick figures of our entire family.  It has our human family and then our now dead dog, our still alive cat, and our dead fish on there.

So, we are still on the hunt for the perfect dog for our family and I told the children we will get a fish next paycheck...geez, I can only spend so much of my grocery money on pets!  Plus, I am hitting the website that I ordered it from today to get our add-ons of 3 crabs to go behind the fish.

Geez, anymore children or pets and that sticker will go from one end of my back window to the other end.

I love it though, I love having a ton of children and I love everything that comes with it.  I love the full schedules, the various friends, the weird activities we are sometimes doing, the odd sports and arts they try, the weird, weird, weird things they sometimes bring home, and the ever growing amounts of pets we have/had.

Two summers ago we had frogs and tadpoles.  Until the children let them out of their homes in their bedrooms and we never..yes, never saw them again.  To this day, we never found them.  Yes, sort of gross but, well, yes, gross.

They are wanting a real fish tank that has the heater, and live plants and big enough for more than just one gold fish.  I agree, my husband and I would really like a real fish tank too but, those gosh darn things are spendy!  Plus, they are big too.  So, that will have to wait a while.

Then, the various goldfish, crabs, snails, dogs, cats, we have a regular city zoo sometimes. 

Isn't it great though?  I do have to say I have put my foot down on a couple pets they really, really, really wanted.

NO bunnies, no hamsters(yet), no snakes, no spiders(I already have enough living in my house, don't need more!), and no puppies or kittens.  I will do dogs and cats but, no more babies.  I have enough of those right now :-)

Speaking of, my baby just woke from her nap and I need to replenish my fridge for the week so, we are off to our grocery store to spend our animal budget on food to feed my little 'animals'.

Blessings to you all,

-Liza

Schwab Challenge Day #11

Good Morning Everyone!

It is perfect here, sun is shining, birds are chirping, live is good.  We were able to walk this morning to school because it was nice enough.  Still a bit chilly but, only in the shade.  That sun feels so good! 

Seth was so excited to walk to school and so was Lorelei.  We got to hang out at Seth's school for a few minutes, catch up with some friends, his teachers, etc all was good.  Then, we walked across the street and dropped Lorelei off at her school for the day.

Libby and I walked home, picked up Steve's dry cleaning on the way...ahhhhh.

Love where I live.  I love how everything is within walking distance and really, on nice days, I don't even need a car.  LOVE THAT! 

Oh...also, on Saturday, we are meeting a dog.  It is a Great Pyrenesse (sp?) and she has quite the story so, we hope it all works out and she becomes ours and we can make her happy again.  I will let you all know more after Saturday.  Pray for us that we have wisdom in choosing the right dog for our family again....Griffey will be a hard act to follow.

Ok, the Schwab Challenge, we are still going strong.  Steve is awesome, he is doing great and is working out 6 days a week and hasn't missed a workout or cheated on one yet.  I have missed 1 cardio day but, haven't missed any lifting and really haven't even cheated too bad.  Which is really good for me because no one is going to cheat on themselves more or faster than me.  Pathetic.

Anyway, it is getting a little boring with food so, I am on a mission to try and spice up our meals a bit but, still stay within our 6/6 program of protein and carbs a day plus, min. 3 servings of veggies a day.

I have eaten more carbs than protein only because I am not a big meat, egg, or cheese person and when you can't eat any dairy...ugh, it makes it a bit harder to enjoy your protein. 

Steve is still dropping weight, his pants are all falling down he says but, they have always done that since he buys everything 2 sizes too big anyway so, not sure what to make of that.  I would assume everything he owns is now 3 sizes too big though....he sucks!

I haven't noticed anything in the way my clothing fits but, I do feel better!  I do think my legs are looking a bit better and so are my arms but, my big ole a$$ and spare tire around the middle, well, those are still not fitting into anything very well......yet.

It does feel really good to get out in the morning and have your workout done for the day by 630am.  I don't like getting up at 530am but, I only do it 3 times a week.  The other 3 days of cardio, I try and do on my own at home.  I haven't been following the plan of peaks and valleys in my cardio routine but, I figure, just me sticking with doing cardio 3 times a week is better than nothing like I was doing.

I have finally slipped off a pound!  YES, one whole pound!  But, that is the first pound that I have lost in almost 9 months so, I will take that as a positive.  I have also kept that pound off for a few days now so, I think that one pound might really be gone :-)

So, after losing one pound I should be back in my normal clothes again right?   LOL.

Anyway, that is our quick update.  Keep praying for us and cheering us on.

Blessings to you all,

-Liza

Day 3 of the Schwab Challenge

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Wow, I had a lot of people read my blog yesterday, I should write stuff like that more often :-)

So today, well, today is going to be a bit more boring for you all, sorry.  So today is Day 3 of the Schwab Challenge.  This morning I hit the gym early morning for my lower body lifting.  That was much easier for me as I have always loved working out my legs and such.  Plus, they are WAY stronger than my arms!  Although, I am weak, weak, weak compared to what I used to be.

So, I did my legs and like I said, it felt great!  I even did some yoga and stretching after wards to keep me from being too tight and sore for soccer tonight.  I will say though, my calves hurt like a mother!!  Wow.

I also did my dreaded "Before Pictures" today...yuck.  I couldn't even find a bathing suit at first but, finally found an old bikini to squeeze my blubber into.  Then I found a blank wall in the house, moved a table and set the timer on the camera, FLASH, done.  Ok, I know these are supposed to look hideous so you look even that much better at the end but, wow, there is something to be said about how hideous I will look in a photo.  Considering I hadn't washed my hair yet, I had no make-up on and I was wearing a bikini that was AT LEAST 3 sizes too small.  Phew! 

But, hopefully come 4th of July, I will look at that 'before' photo and not even recognize that 'chunky' lady in there.  Although, if I could only photograph my breast-feeding/fat chick boobs...I am HOT!!!  :-)

Boy if I could bottle those baby's....hmmmm.  Oh well, small(no pun intended) sacrifice to make for having my old body or a more improved body back.

So, I have been really trying to watch what I eat and I think I am doing pretty well with my portions.  It is actually much harder than I thought it would be to eat 6 meals a day.  Sometimes I just am not hungry by the time another meal rolls around.  This is a new thing for me.  I have never really experienced that before so, I am excited and feel I might be succeeding in re-training my mind and body when it comes to portion control and being full.

I still haven't lost any weight, in fact, I have gained 1.3 pounds since Sunday.  YAY!  But, I know my body always does that when I start working out so, I am not worried about it.  Steve of course thinks it is funny as he has dropped even more weight since finishing his cleanse and starting our Schwab Challenge.  He really sucks.  But, this is the same guy who every time we go on vacation he drops anywhere from 5-12 pounds.  Who drops weight on vacation?!!

My husband sucks but, I am glad he is losing weight and working out.  I am so pleased with him and how he is doing.  Yesterday he had a client meeting and they wanted to meet him at a local restaurant/bar so they could have a beer after work and Steve said, "No, lets meet at Starbuck's instead."  Because he didn't want the extra calories of a beer and instead of drinking coffee he had decaf tea.  I LOVE that! 

I cannot tell you all how happy I am he is off ONE of his insane addictions.  Still working on the most insane addiction of all but, hopefully the diet and exercise will do the trick.

Tomorrow is my 2nd day of cardio.  I had so much fun doing cardio yesterday on the Wii.  I did my little 'step class' but, I did it on my own, set the timer on the game for 20 minutes and watched the morning news shows.  It was great!  I hit my peak levels and everything and was completely sweaty and out of breath by the time I finished.  Who knew a 20 minute workout could be so intense?

I will keep you all up to date on our Schwab Challenge once or twice a week so, stay tuned.

By the way....tomorrow is my boys 8th birthday.  He is going to be 8!!

My first baby, 8 years old.  Wow.  I remember 8 years ago today I was experiencing a lot of sporadic yet painful contractions and had been all weekend.  I was standing at church and Steve's sister kept telling me to go to the hospital.  I told her I was NOT going to have an April Fools Baby.  I was set to be induced the next morning at 7am and I was terrified.  I didn't want to be induced I wanted to go naturally and without drugs too.

Oh I just remembered all I wanted to do was make it through the day and I figured any time after 8 or 9pm I could go into actual labor.  I was close....went into real labor at 11pm and was at the hospital by 1115pm. (We walked to the hospital).

Wow, I had no clue what I was getting into, I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know if I was going to have a boy or a girl.  It was such a neat time.

Bringing those little babies into the world, wow, seriously the neatest thing a woman ever gets to go through.  What a complete miracle it truly is.

Blessings to you all,

-Liza

Day 1 of my 12 week Schwab Challenge

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, today was back to school for my people after spring break.  It was nice having them home but, really nice having them gone too.

Plus, they are still at the ages that they love school and want to see all of their friends so, they were ready to go back to school too.

So, it was a week ago tonight that our dog died, I can't help but think that this time last Monday, I still had my dog and had no clue he had cancer and life was good.  So, just one more hurdle for me to jump to get used to not having my big red boy around anymore.

So, this past week has been pretty eventful.  My husband finished his Master Cleanse.  He lost a total of 24 pounds in 10 days and on Saturday, he took the coffee pot that has sat on my counter for 7 1/2 years down and put it in the storage room in the basement!  WOW, ok, one addiction down and gone but, still working on the 2nd one and the big one....smoking.  Hey is still struggling with it as I just found out yesterday, he smoked during his cleanse.  What?!  So, let me get this straight, you spend 10 days only drinking purified water(because tap water has too many toxins in it), organic lemon juice(again because of toxins), organic grade B pure maple syrup, organic cayenne pepper, and only decaf tea and wheat grass shots but, you still smoke!

Hmmm, sure.  So you spend all that time ridding your body of toxins and yet you are smoking something that has by far the most amounts of toxins in it of anything with maybe the exception of Meth.  I don't get it, I never will get it but, it is dumb.  So, apparently the struggle to quit smoking is still there.  Personally, I don't think he tries very hard to quit.

Anyway, on Saturday I got to treat myself to a REAL haircut for the first time in over 4 years!!!!!  Yes, oh yes, I went to a salon instead of Great Clips :-)  Talk about a treat.  It felt so good to get my hair washed, my scalp massaged, my hair cut, and then blown-dry and styled!  Wow was I fancy!  I even, wait for it, bought some hair product!  Oh yes, I haven't owned hair product of any kind in quite some time so, I really splurged.  I had been planning on donating my hair again to Locks of Love but, decided a couple weeks ago that I had done my fair share of giving to them as I have done it 2 or 3 times in the past.  This time, I was going to be a bit selfish and not go from super long hair to super short hair.

I wanted a good hair cut and style and keep some of my length.  So, I cut off 8 inches and it feels great.  Sort of freeing actually and no guilt about not donating it.(Which I thought for sure I would feel.)

Then, Saturday night I went to a fundraiser for a girl friend of mine that is raising money for a marathon(check out her blog listed under other blogs...'Malee's Blog' is the one).  It was a fun night out.  I went WAY out of my bubble but, I survived :-)

Then yesterday our family had the opportunity to help out at church and eat dinner with Families Moving Forward.  It is an outreach program that helps families that are currently homeless by giving them a place to stay for a week or two and fresh home cooked meals nightly.  They also help them look for and find jobs during the day a safe place to sleep at night with their family.

It is something we have done together now for 3 years as a family and we love it.  For, it really is only by the Grace of God that we are not or have not been in that program ourselves.  Plus, we love meeting the families and the children and our children love being there too.

If you live in the Twin Cities, I suggest you see if your church participates in this program or if they are willing to start.  Our church hosts families 4 times a year and it really is a blessing for all involved on both sides.

Today was also Day 1 of my 12 week transformation back to the old yet new Liza.  It felt great to get to the gym, lift my weights and get out of there.  Steve went first this morning at 5am and when he came home I went and worked out.  He is going to get me up 3 mornings a week to go lift weights and then 3 other mornings I will do cardio at home on the Wii or by taking the baby out for a power walk.

I am excited to get myself back into shape and to hopefully finally be back in a normal size for myself.  I would like to drop about 30 pounds but, really the weight isn't as important to me as the shape and size of my body.

Today was upper body and it felt good to lift weights again!  It was hard as I haven't lifted in a while and frankly, I have always been really weak in the upper body.  It sucks how small of weights I have to lift but, I did it!  Wednesday will be lower body and I think that will be a shocker for me too.  Plus, I will probably be pretty sore for soccer but, all good.

So, here is a little bit of my plan that I am doing and it is for sure for 12 weeks but, obviously I am hoping this becomes a lifelong plan.

So, MWF I lift weights and it rotates between upper body and lower body so they get equal time.  TTHSa I do cardio for 20 minutes.  Yep, you heard me, only 20 minutes.  However, it is not just a 20 minute walk or run.  You have to hit different intensity levels during that 20 minutes which is good for me because I tend to focus too much on the over all time and not the run or the walk.

Also, key thing to getting the most of the workouts is doing it right away in the morning or as soon as you can in the day.  Plus, drinking lots of water and making sure you are making good food choices.

I am not limited on my foods either as 1 day a week is a 'free day'.  And it truly is a free day from exercise and watching your food.  You can eat, drink whatever you want on that day and as much as you want so you aren't truly depriving yourself of the foods you love or crave.

If you like pizza, just save it for your free day.  If you LOVE McDonald's Big Mac's wait until your free day.  So, you are watching what you eat and drink 6 out of 7 days but, that 7th day is your free day to do what you please.

It is great way to keep some balance in your life and to get yourself in shape and lose weight without boring yourself silly, getting burned out from excessive, unrealistic workouts or starving yourself.

The program I am following truly is something you could do for the rest of your life and it would be easy and satisfying.  You don't even need a club membership to do it.

So, day 1:  Upper Body weights done.  I have had my first of 6meals so far.  I ate a bowl of corn chex cereal with fresh cut strawberries and soy milk.  My next meal (which it is almost time for) will be Blueberry Soy yogurt.(Remember, we can't eat wheat or dairy in our house.)  For lunch I am sort of cheating a bit as I am not supposed to eat white rice(no good stuff in it and WAY more carbs, sugars and calories) but, I really like those Lean Cuisine rice bowls and it helps me with my portion control to have my lunch be a packaged up meal like that.  Otherwise, my portion control tends to be WAY out of line and I can talk myself into eating triple the portion I should be. 

Then, my 4th meal of the day will either something like a V-8(I love those!...low sodium though!!!) or a PB&J sandwich(brown rice bread and natural peanut butter and Polaner's fruit spread..no added sugar) and my 5th meal will be Broiled Salmon and veggies(no butter) and some fruit. 

The 6th and final meal of the day I haven't figured out yet but, it will be a light snack between dinner and bedtime.

I am still eating a good amount of calories and fat a day so my body and my brain are not starving.  Also, it is very important that you eat only lean meats and keep the portion sizes no bigger than your fist.  Plus, eat at least 3-4 servings of veggies a day.  Well, I don't struggle with that as I am a veggie lover!  You need to have protein in at least 2 of your meals and make sure you are eating every 2-3 hours so you don't feel like you are ever starving.

Keeping yourself from getting to that "I am starving" mode is key in changing your lifestyle or dieting.  If you think you are starving, you won't succeed.

I am very excited to see where this new plan takes me.  I know it will be great for me to keep track of my daily exercise and to keep a food journal.  It will be hard but, I can do it.

I need to do it, I have 4 children that rely on me and I need to be a good and healthy example for them.

So, keep praying for me and if any of you are interested in joining me on this path to a new life, let me know and I will give you the information on my 12 week plan.

Blessings to you all!

-Liza

Twitter and Schwab Challenge update

Good Morning Everyone!

I am in a much better mood today, the sun is actually shining again.  Just a few clouds in the sky but, other than that, blue, blue, blue.  I love it.

I needed the sun to shine on me again after this week and its mostly downs. 

Yesterday was my first day I made it through without crying so, I think I might be on the mend.  I even looked at a few dogs that are up for adoption on www.RAGOM.orgbut, so far, not one of them even comes close to Griffey so, I will keep looking.

I have toyed with the idea of getting a puppy but, ugh, I don't think I want to do that.  I have a hard enough time keeping the house picked up and clean I couldn't imagine picking up pee and poop from a puppy so, I think we will stick with an adult dog that is already trained.

So, I have been trying something new that so far, is a bit better time wise for me as Facebook is becoming very hard to follow with all of its changes and such.  Have any of you tried Twitter yet?  www.twitter.com

It is pretty much just the updates part of facebook.  So, you get to follow people and post updates and that is it.  I really like the idea and it is much faster than facebook because on your phone you can just text the message and done.

You can get updates sent to your phone or email if you want and when you go to your home page you get to see everyone's posts right there.  No ads, no people you don't care about popping up, and it is much easier to block and unblock people.

Plus, I get quick 1 or 2 sentence updates of pretty much anything I want.  I would suggest everyone check it out.

Of course I will continue with Facebook as it is a good way to keep up with people long term I think but, for quick daily updates, Twitter is definitely the way to go.

So, today is the last day of my children's spring break..well we still have the weekend but, last 'school' day off.  I am so glad they will be going back.  It has been a tough week having them here and frankly, I think they are so bored with being at home so, we will all be glad to be back to normal schedules.

I love my children and I love being around them it was just a really hard week.  I am very excited for summer though!  It will be so fun to hang out at the pool with the children and to go on bike rides and such.

Oh, it has been a long, long winter and I just need warmer weather and to be outside again! 

Hey.....just thought, I haven't given you an update on the 'Schwab Challenge'.  Ok, here goes, my husband is already WAY ahead of me as he lost 24 pounds on his cleanse.  Since I am still nursing, I can't do the cleanse so, I am having to do it the hard way.

I am starting my daily workouts on Sunday, I am very excited as Steve is going to help me by 3 mornings a week letting me go to the gym to lift weights before he heads off to work.  Then, the other 3 mornings I will do aerobic something or other and then I will take one day off completely.

I am also going to start keeping a daily food journal.  I am very excited about this because I think it will help me in knowing exactly how much food is really going in to my body and I will be more aware of things.

My goal is still by my birthday, which is in July, to be down to a much more acceptable size and weight for myself.  I will continue to give you all little updates here and there. 

So far not too much to report, just a pound or two and no changes in my clothes but, I am on that long, long road to "Old Liza Recovery" :-)

Blessings to you all,

-Liza

PS:  Hi to all of you coming to visit me from my friend Lee's blog.  I also encourage my people to read her blog...it is listed under other blogs as 'fitnessmama'. 

 I love her and am so glad she is a part of my life.  What she does is amazing work and I very much understand her passion for eating disorders.  As her and I comment on each other's blog, I want you all to know that her and I like 'debates' :-)  We don't get to do it often and we do it out of love and our own passion for our lives, etc....

I just read her update on me and my 'diet' and just wanted to let you all know...this is NOT a diet.  I am not starving myself of food and what many of you may not know...I already have a lot of food issues with myself and my family.

We have to deny ourselves certain foods because of food allergies.  Doing this has been a big part of me gaining the weight I have.  I am so focused on the foods I can't eat that I over stuff myself on the foods I can eat.  Plus, I am now eating certain types of foods I wouldn't have touched with a 10 foot pole before food allergies.

Just a quick info on our current and past food allergies that have brought me to this place in my life.

Me:  Sugar...I have always struggled with sugar and am not supposed to eat ANY sugar except for fruit sugars....I was able to do this until children....I CRAVE sugar like a heroin addict.

Husband:  Dairy...but, he fights it.  He gets so sick from it he vomits.  But, he fights it every once in a while.

Son:  Dairy/Wheat/Casein/Gluten.  Our son not only has these allergies but, also is on the Autism Spectrum so we have tried to cut ALL of these things plus a few other things out of his diet completely, very difficult and expensive but, worth the results.

Daughter:  Dairy.  She had massive sinus infections when she was younger and so bad that her sinus 'crap' would come out her eyes and she would get eye infections. 

2nd Daughter:  Wheat.  As an infant she looked like an Ethiopian baby.  She had a HUGE belly but, super skinny arms and legs.  She looked malnourished.  We thought she had Celiac but, her tests kept coming back negative.  Finally, about 2 years ago we had her allergies tested and she was allergic to Wheat!  Since then, she is much healthier, has a flat stomach and is filling out a bit more in the arms and legs.

3rd Daughter:  From about 2 weeks through her 8th week she vomited every meal she was fed(I only nursed her) and screamed every time she pooped and had blood in her stool.  After seeing a 'gastro' doctor I was told to stop eating wheat and dairy myself which brings me back full circle to me....

Me:  Sugar issues(not ready to give that completely up yet).  No wheat or dairy. 

Food allergies are a hard and difficult thing to live with but, it is do-able.  However, your body needs to adjust and you need to find other ways to fill yourself up with healthy foods to compensate for the foods you are missing.  I love food, always have.  I have a horrid love affair with food and sometimes that love affair is magical and other times, like right now, it is a sick, sick relationship that isn't healthy for me anymore.

Unfortunately, it has taken its toll on my body this time and I need to get 'myself' back.  I am not dieting...I am changing my life....more importantly, I am reclaiming my life.

-L.