The Master Cleanse...DAY 3 & the Green Eraser

The days keep on ticking by, but not quite quickly enough. I find myself planning what I'm going to have for my next meal not realizing (or all too aware of) that I'm not exactly eating right now. Still not physically hungry...well, that's not true. When I get hungry I just fix a lemonade and that takes care of it. I figured by today I'd be faint, but I have kept my energy. I am a little stressed but no more than on a usual day that my one year old swallows a foreign object. Yep, Elvis got a hold on one of my sister's pencils with one of those add on erasers on it. After a morning of complete insanity trying to coax the 3 year old into "helping" me find the eraser, I am at ease just waiting for it to show up in a dirty diaper or, better yet, randomly finding the eraser somewhere I hadn't thought to look earlier!

So, 1/3 through with the Master Cleanse and feeling pretty darn good...except for my obsessive thoughts of food. I can do this!!!

xoxo

The Master Cleanse...DAY 2

OK. I've made it through another day. By my calculations I am 1/5 through the Master Cleanse! Go me! Today I discovered my weakest point in my daytime eating rituals. . .the kids' naptime. I kept myself busy and upstairs today for naptime because the urge to stuff my face with anything slightly edible was near overwhelming. I'm still not physically hungry, though, and I strangely have tons of energy. We went to our what is now a tri-weekly (but we are shooting for weekly) walk around the lakes with Liz and Bree (ah yes, over 4 miles). I was smart and went to the bathroom before we headed off, but really should have gone when we reached our Church (about the halfway point). With about a mile left my stomach started cramping (yes, the warning before the "cleansing storm")...needless to say we skipped the last loop and headed straight for the park where our cars and the bathrooms are. Wish me luck...

xoxo

The Master Cleanse...DAY 1

This image of lemons makes me happy, something I need today. I'm not really all that hungry drinking only the Master Cleanse lemonade...I just can't get food out of my head. It seems like more of an obsession or addiction than actual hunger. I understand everything that is going on. I KNOW in a couple of days my extreme thoughts of gorging myself on Cheddar Bunnies or Big Macs will subside letting me focus on getting all the crap that has built up for years out of my system. I KNOW in a few days I'll not have any trouble keeping to the plan so I can reach my goal of at least 10 days on the cleanse (hopefully I can make more than that, though) making it possible for me to change my destructive eating habits (also known as having zero self control). So, one day down. This morning after breakfast I was 1/30 toward my goal, after lunch I was 1/15 towards my goal, and now I have completed 1/10 of the cleanse...that's not bad! At this point I'm looking forward to the end of day 3...I have a theory that the first 3 days is a primer...then I'll be looking forward to the halfway point...and if I make it halfway I'm sure all the way will be (I want to say "a piece of cake", but I won't) a glass of lemonade!

The Master Cleanse...mental preparation!

So how cute is that little lemon guy? I've been waiting to do the Master Cleanse for, gosh, YEARS now. Finally, I'm able to do it (no baby in my belly or at the boob) and I'm totally hesitating. I weigh more than I ever have in my whole life, feel crappy and fat all of the time, but I'm still hesitating (laziness I'm sure). This is my attempt to let the world in on my intentions so I can't back out. My vow: I WILL START THE MASTER CLEANSE THIS WEEKEND (while I have Alex at home to deal with the kids in my first days of not ingesting anything but lemonade laced with cayenne pepper and maple syrup...I'm sure to be a grouch for a couple of days, I guess)! You heard it here! I'll blog about how I'm doing...to keep me going! My goal: 20lbs off by the time we go to California in December (40 would be better, but that wouldn't be quite healthy)!

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Elated is not enough to describe how I feel.

Awesome is not enough to describe this birthday.

Blessed is not enough to describe how we feel about our friends.

Trashed is not enough to describe our house at this moment.

The turn out to Elvis's first birthday was so wonderful I'm about to cry just thinking about all of the love surrounding him tonight. We have found so many amazing a unique people to share all of life's joys with here in the Red Stick! Thank you! Thank you! Thankyouverymuch!

For those of you who couldn't make it, I've posted a few pictures so you can imagine you were. (Check out the Roasted Pig Cake that I spent many nights toiling over.) Those of you who were there and took pictures...forward them to me...I hardly took any.

Happy Birthday to our sweet little boy, Elvis James! The world is just that more wonderful with you in it! xoxo

The Way to San Jose

For a few weeks now Ruby has been asking for "star toast" for breakfast. It all began with a morning when I found there to be not one "Mommy breakfast food" in the refrigerator (I usually go for the easiest breakfast like cereal, toaster waffles or yogurt, seeing as I typically prepare all 3 squares a day...Daddy is the one that cooks eggs and pancakes on the weekends.). I bit the bullet and whipped up some french toast. YUM! That first morning I was so in to making a special breakfast, not remembering the first piece of advice from the Baby Whisperer ("start as you intend to go on"), that I went above and beyond cutting the bread into little stars. Now it is a favorite...begged for nearly every other day! Every time I make it we end up eating an hour later than we usually do, but do we care? NO! French toast is the BEST especially with a load of powdered sugar (which Ruby would eat straight from the sugar bowl...she has before)! Every morning we eat our special "star toast" it makes me think of Alex's mom and sister, Marsha & Jenny. French toast is a non negotiable part of our San Jose visit diet! Though at the San Jose branch of the Austin household we get CHALLAH bread french toast, the good stuff. I just ate lunch yet my mouth is watering at the thought of that...yummo in a big way!

Side note on San Jose: We will be going for a visit this December! It will be our first visit since Ruby was about 5 months old. We are beyond excited to hang with the family, visit San Francisco, and drive down to LA for a few days! I'm getting teary eyed thinking about it. With all of the pregnancy and downturn of the economy we haven't been there nearly enough! I find myself missing California often. xoxoxo

Asleep at the...Lunch Table!

Poor Ruby! Last week she we went to visit with her BFF from Sunday School, Olivia. I totally didn't think of asking if they had dogs so I could give Ruby her allergy meds (MY fault. . .don't feel bad AT ALL, Colleen!). LESSON LEARNED! Ruby had a violent cough starting on the way home from the playdate that lasted for 2 straight days. It stopped just as abruptly as it started, but not without a REALLY pitiful day in between. I took these pictures on Thursday, dance class day. Earlier that morning she coughed so hard without a break that she threw up on the living room carpet (why does all of the gross stuff happen to us?), that was a first since the spitup days. Even though I knew she wasn't "sick", I couldn't send her to dance with a vomit inducing cough. She missed her 3rd dance class, but after this weeks class I am plenty sure she is all caught up. Back to the pictures, that Thursday she fell asleep while we were eating lunch. I felt so bad for the little allergic girl (yeah, so bad I took pictures). Check out Elvis's face, it's like "what in the world is my crazy sister doing now?" I just wanted to share, because it is something I want to remember.

xoxo