Day 20

Photo by Coda on Flickr

I am going to be writing about the next 4 days to the best of my ability. I was out of town without access to my computer not to mention spending hours in the water park. I will do my best. :o)

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
1 quart spinach, celery, orange

1 quart Romaine, carrot, garlic, cucumber, celery, cilantro, turmeric, cayenne, hemp oil, kelp

1 quart romaine, celery, garlic, tomato, dill, cucumber, broccoli, kelp
This is a new taste for me. I never really liked dill before but I went to The Borrowed Earth Cafe and had a salad that had dill in it and I really enjoyed it so I thought I would try it in my juice. It was OK. I think I will keep putting it in there to see if I begin to enjoy it even more.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today Didn't weigh in

Sleep
9.5 hours

I am still sleeping a lot. I get really tired at night and still want to sleep in. I am not going to worry about it. It is my understanding that the body heals during sleep so I am going to sleep as much as my body wants for now.

Exercise
Yoga Stretches
Packing for vacation and cleaning the house

Physically
Because I am writing this up from several days ago I can't really remember how I felt. I can only go by the notes in my journal. The morning says I was tired but OK. I had a sick stomach at some point and had a teeny tiny bowel movement; my first in ages.

Positive changes
filled bump is gone
Skin on body is nice
Pants are getting looser

Detox
Coated tongue
Skin on hands is sooo dry
My glow is gone and my face looks ruddy

Emotionally
Nothing much to report. I was kept busy with preparing to leave so it didn't leave much time for anything else. It is a lot to get 7 people out of a house on time and not forget anything.

Cravings
None

Trash Bag Tango
None

Meditation
None

Ramblings
I don't usually remember my dreams and if I do it is usually some kind of nightmare. I know, not good. Well last night I dreamt that I was in Venice, Italy. About 3 years ago I went to Venice with some of my artist friends for a 2 week Master in Mosaic course (I was a mosaic artist at the time). This was a place I wanted to visit since I was a small girl so I was very excited about it.

This was also the beginning of my ill health. It was about 1 month before my departure that I found myself in the hospital, thus beginning my quest for health and ending my quest for art.

Anyway, in my dream I was there with my husband and I was so excited to show him all the places I had been. I took him on a vaporetto, to the Guglie Bridge, and to my favorite little wine shop where I got the greatest, most fantastic wine I have ever tasted (and I don't even care much for wine).

All of the sudden I am horrified to realize that I am in Venice and I am juice feasting!!! I can't partake in any of the food in Italy. Ha ha, maybe it was a nightmare ;o)

Day 19

Photo by Jef Safi on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
1 quart spinach, celery, orange
Same as always

1 quart romaine, red pepper, carrot, onion, celery, cucumber, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, hemp oil, kelp
2 heads romaine, 1/2 red pepper, 1 carrot, 1 green onion, 6 celery, 1 cucumber, 1 lg. clove garlic
Yum!

1 quart celery, kale, pear, cucumber, blackberry, blueberry
5 stalks celery, 5 leaves kale, 1 pear, 1 cucumber, 6 oz blackberries, 4 oz blueberries
OK, I think I am over berries and greens. The smell of it at the end made me a bit sick.

1 quart celery, kale, pear, lemon, cucumber, ginger
4 stalks celery, 4 leaves kale, 1 pear, 1/2 lemon, 1 cucumber, 1" knob ginger
Good. I am a little over ginger too.

I managed to get the full 4 quarts in today. I think the key during the week is to make sure I have one around 3:30 so I have time to get the 4th one in. If I wait until 4 or 5 then I would have to have the last one about 7 or 8 and by then I just don't want anything.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today 162

Sleep
8 hours

Exercise
Yoga stretches

Physically
I woke up feeling groggy and my eyes had a really hard time opening. I felt better as the day went on. Usually by dinner time my stomach is just not feeling good. It is grumbly and feels yucky. I increased my enzyme from 2 pills to 3 hoping it would help but, not so much. I have been getting the worst gas! If I could just get my digestion going!

Positive changes
Canker sore is gone
Fluid filled bump seems to be gone
Skin on body is nice

Detox
Coated tongue
Skin on hands is sooo dry
My glow is gone and my face looks ruddy. Probably has something to do with my digestion.

Emotionally
Nothing in the emotions department today.

Cravings
I was craving pizza.

Trash Bag Tango
Kitchen drawer

Meditation
None - my kids had a half day of school again and I spent the morning at my son's reality store. It was fun.

Ramblings
I wanted to share Carrie's Valentines Dinner with you. I love it. Here I am just trying to get by with my green juice in my mason jars and she is whipping up a 9 course feast of juice in all kinds of beautiful glasses and bowls! How creative. See, juice feasting can be fun and creative!

I am leaving on early Sunday morning for a few days with my family. We are going to the Wisconsin Dells. We are staying at the Wilderness Water Park so the kids should have a ball. We have never been there which is unheard of in our part of the world. It is only 3 hours away so just about everyone I know has gone. I could never bring myself to spend that kind of money in Wisconsin. I mean, no offense to Wisconsin but if I am going to spend a lot of cash on a trip I want to go somewhere fabulous. We decided to go when my mom and grandma gave us a gift certificate for Christmas this year. Now I get to check it out without spending too much cash. I am so frugle.

I will be packing up a portable juicing kitchen along with all the necessary produce so I will be able to continue my feast. I will post more about it after I return. I am not sure how much posting I will be doing while I am gone. If I had to guess I would say it will be quite minimal but you never know.

Day 18

Photo by @rild (away for a while) on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
1 quart spinach, celery, orange

Same as always

1 quart romaine, red pepper, celery, onion, garlic, cucumber, hemp oil, kelp

2 heads romaine, 1/2 red pepper, 7 stalks of celery, 1 green onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cucumber

Good

1 quart spinach, celery, pineapple, mint

1/2 lb spinach, 3 stalks celery, 1/2 pineapple, handful of mint

This juice was the best because my hubby made it for me for Valentine's Day! He said since he couldn't take me out to eat or buy me chocolates he would be my juice boy for the day. He's so sweet. He also got me some flowers.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today 162

Sleep
9.5 hours

Exercise
Yoga stretches

Physically
I was pretty drained for most of the day. I just felt so tired and I didn't want to push it. I did a lot of crying the night before so I just took it easy.

I spent about an hour in bed with a castor oil pack on my stomach hoping to help my colon. What a great excuse to lie in bed and relax.

Positive changes
Skin is soft and smooth
Tummy is flatter

Detox
Coated tongue
Canker sore
Fluid filled bubble on lower lip still coming and going
Skin on palms and fingers dry

Emotionally
I had a good day emotionally. Nothing big happened; I just took it easy all day.

Cravings
None

Trash Bag Tango
None

Meditation
None

Ramblings

Valentines day was pretty uneventful for me. Being so tired, having 5 kids and a basketball practice doesn't leave too much fun for V-day. It isn't a big deal. We love each other everyday so we don't really need a day to express it. We did sit together and watch Survivor. It is the only show my husband likes to watch on TV. He wishes he could go on the show.

I watched Phillip's video that he posted on We Like it Raw. He had some great things to say about emotions and the winter season. Living in Chicago I tend to have a hard time with the winter months (which seem to go on forever). It's funny, besides being really cold, I haven't had the normal restlessness and unhappiness that I normally get this time of year. My dad called from Florida to tell me that he saw somewhere that my area had only 11 minutes of sunshine in a month. Can you imagine? It's not really bothering me. Maybe it's all the liquid sunshine I am drinking.

Since I did a castor oil pack today I thought I would share a bit of information about it. I did it because the hydrotherapist said that along with the B5, the castor oil pack would stimulate the peristalsis of my colon. When I had a chance and did a little research I found that castor oil packs have some other uses too.

Apparently castor oil has been used for a long time. There is evidence that it was used as far back as ancient Egypt. Edgar Cayce was the first to popularize the use of castor oil in the modern world. He used it for many different things.

According to EarthClinic.com castor oil packs are used for: cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder), poor eliminations, epilepsy, various liver conditions such as cirrhosis and torpid liver, scleroderma, headaches, appendicitis, arthritis, incoordination between assminilations and eliminations, colitis, intestinal disorders such as stricture and colon impaction, incoordination between nervous systems, neuritis, and toxemia.

It is really easy to do. I went to a local health food store and purchased a bottle of castor oil for 2.99 and the flannel cloth for 3.99. I went home and saturated the cloth with the oil. The cloth should be folded so there are at least 2 layers and 3-4 is even better. I placed it on my stomach and covered it with a sheet of plastic wrap. Then I crawled into bed with my lava buns that had been heated in the microwave. That's it. I just rested there for about an hour.

When I was finished I took 2 teaspoons of baking soda and mixed it with some warm water and washed my abdomen to get the oil off. I folded up the flannel cloth and placed it into the zip top bag that it came in so it is ready for next time. Pretty simple.

Day 17

Photo by Bitzcelt on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
Bentonite and Psyllium Shake

1 quart orange, spinach, celery

5 oranges, 1/2 lb spinach, 3 stalks celery
Yum.

1 quart romaine, tomato, cucumber, celery, onion, cilantro, garlic

2 heads romaine, 4 oz tomato, 1/2 cucumber, 7 stalks celery, 1 green onion, 2 handfuls cilantro, 2 garlic cloves
Yum.

1/2 quart romaine, carrot, cucumber, celery, red pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic

2 heads romaine, 1 lg. carrot, 1 1/2 cucumber, 7 stalks celery, 1/2 red pepper, 1 green onion, 2 handfuls cilantro, 2 cloves garlic

Yum

You can see that I only had 2 1/2 quarts today. Not enough. Keep reading if you dare to find out why.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today 163

Sleep
8 hours

Exercise
Yoga - sun salutations 10 minutes

Rebounder 5 minutes

I am just too fatigued to do the Five Tibetans. I did some slow gentle stretching in the morning instead.

Physically
I feel good even with the fatigue. It's not that I don't have the energy; it's just that my body isn't cooperating with me. I just feel drained.

Positive changes
Skin is soft and smooth

Tummy is flatter

I am beginning to get the glow

Sparkly eyes

Detox
Coated tongue

Canker sore

Fluid filled bubble on lower lip still coming and going

Skin on palms and fingers extraordinarily dry and feel like there is crazy glue on them

Emotionally
I had a good day emotionally up until about 5:00. I will explain down in the ramblings.

Cravings
I was craving food today. Nothing in particular, just food. I wanted that cozy, full feeling in my tummy all day. I wanted something warm and comforting to fill me up. I even tried to have a cup of tea. It didn't work.

I read something on Phillip's blog that I want to share with you. I think it is so direct, to the point and profound.

One of the most common comments I hear this time of year is:

Don’t you miss warm foods in the winter?

I need hot soup to keep me warm.

I could never be raw in the winter.

Umm…. since when has food had so many responsibilities?

We want food to comfort us when we are depressed.

We want food to be our friend when we are alone.

We want food to cheer us up when we are sad.

We want food to entertain us when we are bored.

We want food to party with us when we are happy.

We want food to warm us up when we are cold.

It’s all a lie!

Food only has one responsibility, to nourish and heal us. That’s it…. anything else is a bonus.

Yes… you can make it pleasing to the eye.

Yes… you can make it tasty for your palette.

Yes… you can put your love into creating it.

That’s all real, and all good.

Just don’t get it twisted. If you are replacing dealing with an emotion, with food… you are doing yourself a disservice.

Lets take responsibility and own what is really ours.

Let us be free to experience the emotion, let it flow and let it go, and be the overcomers that we were all born to be!

I can see the truth in those words and that is exactly where I want to be. I want to release my need for food to "fill me up," to soothe and comfort me. I see the connection and I truly believe that I have the ability to get there.

Trash Bag Tango
I went through my 5 and 7 year olds' shirts and got rid of a bunch that they don't wear anymore, are too small or look like they have been dragged behind a semi across the country.

Meditation
None again. Hmmm, I don't know why I haven't been fitting this is in.

Ramblings
So, I am warning you, what I am about to write is NOT a normal story that the majority of people will tell you. It is however MY story, so in an effort to be real and true I am sharing it with you. It is a bit uncomfortable but I am doing it anyway.

I had my first colonic today. I was very excited about the prospect of getting some help with my digestion issues and have been waiting a week to get over there.

For those of you who have never had a colonic, it is a machine that puts water into the colon and then removes it. It is very gentle and not really uncomfortable. Now, as you all know who have been taking this juice feasting journey with me, I have had some digestive issues. So I was prepared for anything physically to happen once we got started. Physically, I had a bit of nausea as the water was coming out. It felt a bit like when I have had diarrhea in the past. Just a little bit of a sick feeling. It wasn't horrible and I could definitely deal with it no problem.

I found out that I have little to no peristalsis in my colon. I had a feeling. She told me to take B5 to help increase it. It is also good for stress, bruxism, nervous conditions, alcoholism, joint pain, joint stiffness, adrenal support, allergies, constipation and fatigue. She also suggested digestive enzymes taken with meals because she could see that I am having trouble digesting my food. She also suggested a parasite cleanse. She asked me if I had animals in the house and said she suggests that anyone with animals in their house do a parasite cleanse once a year. Eeeeeww, I didn't ask any more about that. I know that the juice feasting protocol includes a parasite cleanse so I will just hold off on learning anymore about it.

What I wasn't prepared for was the emotional state I found myself in. I was lying in there and feeling increasingly emotional. When I felt like I couldn't hold it back anymore I let the woman know how I was feeling. She said that the gut holds onto a lot of emotion and that I should just let it come and not worry about it. In hindsight I wonder if she regrets that comment. :o)

Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I couldn't really stop it. After a bit of this I told her that it was really strange because I felt like a little kid lying there. She asked me what age and I told her I wasn't sure, maybe 5. She asked me if I felt safe. I said yes and then she asked if my 5 year old self felt safe and I knew the answer was no. At that, I began a full out crying spell. It felt like the floodgates were opened (hence today's choice of photographs).

She brought me over a teddy bear and had me talk to it as if it were my 5 year old self. She had me tell it that she was safe and other comforting things. It felt very strange doing all of this in front of a complete stranger but there was no way I was able to keep it all in. Pretty much I cried through about 30 minutes of it, probably more.

When we finished up I went into the bathroom and continued to cry. I got myself together and went back out into the room. She was there and asked how I felt. I told her I was weak and felt pretty bad. She came and gave me a hug and you would have thought she opened up the dam. I completely lost it and started sobbing like a little kid. She held me for a while and I tried to gather myself, I felt rather embarrassed by the whole thing. I laughed and said, "They don't tell you about this when they tell you about getting a colonic." Her reply was, "That's because this isn't something that normally happens." That made me cry even more. I felt like some kind of weirdo.

She was really good about it and said she thought I was there for more than just a colonic and offered to do an quick energy balance on me (Reiki). I said yes of course and we went into the massage room where I kept right on crying. As she began the energy work I could feel myself unwind a bit. I became more centered and calmed down enough to get out of there and drive myself home.

Once home I got right into bed (it was 7:30). My hubby came to snuggle with me and once I started telling him what happened I started crying again. I cried and cried lying there in his arms for what felt like forever. I really couldn't figure out why I was crying, it just felt like this huge release so I let it come. Once I calmed down again I was just so tired that I lied there and fell asleep.

Ever since I was a little girl I have known that when I got scared, nervous or upset I felt it in my stomach. Throughout much of my childhood I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I guess I learned to shut it down a long time ago and the process of releasing it physically also released it emotionally. While it was a bit rough to get through I know that this is part of my journey to vibrant health and I am so grateful for the opportunity to let go of all of it, whatever it is.

When I was leaving the hydrotherapist's office she suggested that I take more time for myself, that I do more self care. I laughed because since starting this juice feast I feel like I have been doing so much self care that I couldn't imagine doing more. She said she thought a nice warm bath would be good for me too. I told my hubby that I might just have to move into the bathroom soon.

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Day 16

Photo by Leah Makin Photography on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
1 quart spinach and orange
1/2 lb spinach and 4 oranges
Yum

1 quart spinach, beet, blackberries, blueberries, pear
1/2 lb spinach, 1 small beet with leaves, 6 oz blackberries, 4 oz blueberries, 1 pear
I loved the color of this juice and that is about it. It actually made me a bit sick to my stomach and I had to drink it in two separate sittings.

Romaine, cucumber, tomato, celery, onion, garlic, cilantro, hemp oil, kelp
1 head romaine, 1 cucumber, 2 handfuls grape tomatoes, 7 stalks celery, 1 green onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 handfuls cilantro
Oooh was this good. I call it my salsa juice. Yum

As you can see I only got 3 quarts of juice in again. I was on schedule until the beet juice episode. Gives me shivers. I also didn't have the bentonite today. I just got busy and ran out of time.

Weight

Starting 173.5
Today 163.5

Sleep
6.5 hours

Exercise
Five Tibetans
I have been physically very weak and even doing these exercises has been tough.

Physically
I felt good today. As I mentioned above I have been physically weak. My legs especially get all rubbery when I do much of anything. I have a good amount of energy so I think it may just be some repairing going on. As I write this I wonder if it is because I am not getting in 4 quarts of juice. Hmmmm, could very well be. I will be more diligent about it and see if it makes a difference.

Positive changes
Skin is soft and smooth
Energy is good
Tummy is flatter
I am beginning to get the glow
Sparkly eyes

Detox
Coated tongue
Sore in my mouth is a canker sore
Fluid filled bubble on lower lip still coming and going
Skin on palms and fingers extraordinarily dry and feel like there is crazy glue on them

Emotionally
I felt really good for most of the day. Around dinner time I waited too long to get my juice and I got crabby! I mean crabby. The kids all wanted help with their homework and the hubby was wanting to get in the kitchen and I just wanted to make my juice. It took me a bit of time to come down from my heightened state but I did and it was all good.

I have been really good about keeping my adrenaline levels low. I realized a while back that I was addicted to that rush I get from having an adrenaline surge. It goes way back to my childhood when we ran a restaurant and we would get busy. I loved that. I loved when it was busy and I was running around in a flurry. I remember it feeling so good.

I think when I left the restaurant business I looked for ways at home to recreate that feeling. Unfortunately those ways were pretty negative like procrastinating and running late. I have a thing about being late so this is one area that I am consciously working on right now. When I catch myself feeling rushed I take a deep breath and say, "I release the need for drama." Works so good. I can feel myself unwind. It is so cool.

I haven't had that flustered state I talked about above in a while so it was good to notice and I will make more of an effort to alleviate that problem in the future. I may want to make 2 juices at lunch time so in case I get busy or have to run out I have one made and ready to go. See, problem solved. :o)

Cravings
Hmmm, I had a craving but I can't remember what it was. I guess it wasn't that important.

Trash Bag Tango
None today.

Meditation
None today.

Ramblings
I got a haircut and color today and I really like it. I went to a new woman. She works out of her home so it costs a great deal less money. I used to spend $130 plus tip. I paid...get ready for this...$40 plus tip. Can you believe it? And she did a good job. I like her just as much.

It is interesting that the changes in me have even found their way into my hair. Since I was a very little girl, probably 3, I have had bangs. Every hairstyle I have ever had has had bangs. Recently I started feeling like I was hiding behind my hair a bit and have wanted to grow them out. Every time I would go to the salon I would tell her that I thought I wanted to let them grow and by the end of the appointment I would have her cut them. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Finally a few months ago I bit the bullet and let them grow. Now they are pretty much officially off my face and I have gotten used to looking at myself this way. I just find it so interesting the ways we use to hide from the world, from ourselves for that matter. I know not everyone who has bangs is hiding; it's just that for me, this was one of the ways I did it. I also did it by looking in the mirror as little as possible and not taking pictures of myself.

Now I want to look at myself in the mirror all the time and I start talking to the person I see just about every time. Hee hee. Posting the pictures of myself on this blog is a big deal too. I would have NEVER done that before and still I struggle with it but I do it anyway! I do it to free myself of this self imposed box I have been in for too long. Who knew that hair could lead to such a realization?

I started a network for my family today too. I have family in Indiana, Southern Illinios, Florida, California and Australia. I thought it would be a fun way to post pictures and talk to each other. I had my oldest boys sign up right away and my mom did too. Hopefully everyone else will be as excited about it as I am. We'll see. If you want to start your own forum it is free and easy. Just go to Ning.com to get started.

One last thing. I am going to go back into my old posts and label them so I can organize them and make them easier to locate on the blog. This isn't really a big deal unless you are one of the people who have subscribed to my blog because you will be getting all of the posts sent to you. Please know that I will try to get it all done quickly so it isn't too much of an inconvience and I will now be much better about this in the future so I won't have to do this again. Thanks!

Digestion Part 2

Now that we know where digestion begins and the importance of chewing our food we can move onto the second stage of digestion.

Once you swallow your food it goes down the esophagus. The esophagus has smooth muscles that contract to carry the food down into the stomach. This is called peristalsis and is found throughout the digestive tract. The average amount of time it takes the food to travel through the esophagus is 9 seconds.

At the bottom on the esophagus there is a muscular ring called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES. When you are not eating the LES squeezes shut to keep the stomach contents from creeping up into the esophagus. When you swallow, the muscle relaxes and the LES opens to allow the food to pass through to the stomach and it quickly squeezes tight once again.

When there is a problem with the LES you get gastro esophageal reflux or heartburn. There are many reasons one may get heartburn that are detailed here. The obvious communication that can be received from heartburn is that the body is out of balance. It is estimated that 10% of the population has heartburn at least once a week and 25% of pregnant women will experience symptoms.

When heartburn becomes severe it can lead to further complications such as inflammation, bleeding or narrowing of the esophagus. There is a condition called Barrett's esophagus where the cells in the esophageal lining change. This can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer.

There are many things people can do to reduce the amount of acid reflux they experience from the foods they eat or don't eat to when to lie down after eating. Conventional medicine has medications that are given to people who are suffering with reflux. My experience with these medications is that while they do offer short term relief there are many problems associated with them.

First, they are curing the symptom of acid reflux. They do not get to the root cause of why the body is not working correctly. The body is trying to say something when it is giving symptoms and by taking a pill we are basically saying "shut up, I don't want to hear you." Guess what. If you keep shutting it up it will simply get louder and louder and send more and more symptoms until you can't shut it up anymore. Trust me.

The other problem with these medications that I have found is that they shut down the production of acid in the stomach and slow digestion. The truth is that most people who suffer from indigestion have too little stomach acid and not too much. When the antacids are taken they neutralize what little acid is in the stomach and in its effort to seek balance the body produces a surge of acid causing even more problems. It becomes a never ending circle of imbalance in the body.

Lastly, these antacids have toxic ingredients like aluminum and artificial colors and sweeteners that can cause headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

One of the best ways to begin to balance the body is to work to begin to consume foods that are alkaline. The body becomes acidic when it is fed acidic foods like instant, processed foods and red meats. Alkaline foods include nuts, seeds and vegetables, especially greens like kale, parsley, wheatgrass and barley grass. Juice feasting will quickly get the body into an alkaline state by providing large quantities of green juices and natural vitamins and minerals.

MSM will aid the body in its quest for acid/alkaline balance and Digestive enzymes are a very important part of the picture when it comes to relief from heartburn and reflux. According to Laura McCready N.D. there was a study that showed 75% of antacid users were able to reduce or stop taking medication after just one week of taking MSM and enzymes.

Note: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. This is simply my experience combined with some research. If you are suffering from symptoms of reflux you should see your doctor and learn all you can about how to take proper care of youself.

Just a Little Fun

I have decided to have a little fun today. Completely changing my life has proven to be serious business so I am going to lighten it up a little bit. My friend Hanlie over at Fertile Healthy posted this and I am going to play along.

A - Age: 38

B – Bed size: King

C - Chores you hate: Cleaning the windows on my 3 season room

D - Dessert you love: Portillo's chocolate cake

E - Essential start your day item: Skin brushing

F - Favourite actor(s): Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino

G - Gold or Silver: Gold

H - Height: 5 ft 7 inches

I - Instruments you play: I played the viola in middle school. Nothing now.

J - Job title: Mommy, ma, mom

K - Kids: 5 boys - 15, 14, 10, 7, 6

L - I live in a 4 bedroom home in the suburbs of Chicago with my hubby, kids and 2 dogs (the only other girls in the house), and a toad (she could be a girl too now that I think about it).

M - My name is: Michelle

N - Nicknames: See J above

O - Overnight hospital stay: The beginning of my quest for vibrant health about 3 years ago. Went into the emergency room and left 3 days and a gazillion tests later. No diagnosis, I was on my own. Also all 5 of my childbirths.

P - Pet Peeve: When people are late

Q - Favourite quote: Today is the beginning of a new day. I can waste it...or use it for good. But what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. Leaving in it's place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain and not loss, good and not evil. Success and not failure in order that I not regret the price I have paid for it. I will give 100% of myself just for today. For you never fail until you stop trying. I will be the kind of person I have always wanted to be. I have been given this day to use as I will.

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: None

T - Time you woke up today: 6:00am

U - Unique habit: I can crack just about every knuckle on my body. All joints in all fingers and toes, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, back, knees and ankles. I know it's kind of gross.

V - Vegetable you hate: Fava beans

W - Wishing for: Vibrant health!

X - X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, chest, ankle

Y - Yummy food you make: I make a mean pasta and meatballs from an old Italian recipe that simmer all day on the stove.

Z - Zodiac Sign: Leo

Now you know my ABC’s … I would love to hear yours!

Day 15

Photo by Moonbird on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
Bentonite and psyllium shake

1 quart orange, spinach, celery

4 oranges, 1/2 lb spinach, 2 stalks celery

Yum!

1 quart Romaine, carrot, parsley, cucumber, garlic, hemp oil, kelp

1 head romaine, 1 lg. carrot, 2 handfuls parsley, 1 cucumber, 2 garlic cloves

Yum!

1/2 quart Butternut squash, orange, pear, cinnamon

1/2 small squash, 2 oranges, 1 pear, sprinkle cinnamon

I got this recipe from Ben, I just didn't add the dates. I don't need the extra sugar. He calls it his pumpkin pie juice. Holy moly was it good. A nice switch from the green to be used on occasion.

1 quart spinach, jicama, cucumber, apple, lemon
1/2 lb. spinach, 1/2 med jicama, 1 cucumber, 1 apple, 1/4 large lemon
I don't like jicama in my juice.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today 163.5

Sleep
hours

Exercise
5 Tibetans

Physically
I feel good today. I am a bit weak in the limbs...my legs are really tired. I decided to take it easy today and just enjoy the relaxation.

Positive changes
Skin is smooth

Eyes are sparkly

Stomach is getting flatter

Heartburn is gone

Detox
Coated tongue

Sore in my mouth is getting bigger

Fluid filled bump on lower lip keeps coming back

Emotionally
I am thrilled with my emotional state today. I feel so good. Writing my weekly review left me in this place of gratitude and joy and it has stayed with me the whole day. I feel calm and centered. It feels good.

Cravings
I was craving the hamburgers my family was eating while I was rushing to make a juice to quell my hunger. I had to run out and I didn't have a juice with me so by the time I got home I was famished. I don't think it would have been a problem if I didn't wait so long to have my juice.

Trash Bag Tango
I cleaned out my 14 and 15 year old memorabilia boxes today. I was so proud of myself and when I talked to my husband he informed me that there were 2 more totes full of their stuff in the basement. I couldn't believe it! I found a third box filled with more stuff down there too.

The funny thing is that I didn't have a hard time going through it at all. In fact I started to get irritated because I saved so much crap that I could care less about. I threw away so much stuff it is crazy. I may have still kept more items then a "normal" person but I am happy with it. The things I kept put a smile on my face and maybe someday they will do the same for my sons.

I did some internet searches before I tackled the boxes and I got some great tips. It made it so much easier. I am going to make a separate post for this.

Meditation
None again. Ooops

Ramblings

I don't have much to ramble about today. My mind is at ease and I am feeling very content. I would like to thank Katrina and David for the lovely comment on my last post. Your words really do mean so much to me and I am so grateful. Much love to all of you.

Week 2 Review

Photos from left to right: Before, week 1, week 2

I am posting my week 2 review separate today. I actually forgot to do it last night so here are the succession of photos. Hubby put up a new light bulb in the spot I take the pictures so you can notice the warmer color in the newest picture. Looks much nicer don't ya think? I am thrilled with the sparkle in my eyes. I guess it isn't just my imagination.

Overall it has been a fantastic week. I have been feeling so much better physically. My stomach isn't causing me many problems and my heartburn is officially a thing of the past! I can't believe it. I managed to stick through it and get to the other side. I must say that I am proud of myself.

I have lost a total of 10 lbs so far in these 2 weeks. I am not exactly sure where I want to be on the scale in the end because I know that once day 60 comes and I begin rebuilding my body and lifting weights it will change the way my body looks. I have never done that before so I always needed to be at 130 lbs to look good. Who knows what will happen. I will just wait and see.

This week has been so remarkable for me in regards to my emotions. This is something that I really wanted to focus on during this feast and I will tell you why. I have done "this" before. I have gotten healthy, lost weight and looked great only to fall off the wagon and go back to almost the exact same weight as I was before. I went raw for 4 months about 1 1/2 years ago and I felt great. I looked good and everyone was commenting on it. Well, fall came and one excuse after another and before long I was stuffing my face with anything and everything.

I knew this juice feast was going to be different because it would be a complete detox on the physical level and if I treated it as such, it would be a complete emotional detox as well. I want to get to the core issues that drive me to eat things I KNOW are not good for me, that make me feel lousy, and make me hold onto weight. I want to get to the core issues that keep me sitting on the couch and sedentary instead of using my body and getting it strong. I want to get to the core issues of why I have lived these 38 years without dealing with these core issues.

I don't want to fall off the wagon again. I don't want to get too lazy and too tired to take care of myself. I WON'T GO BACK! I WILL ONLY GO FORWARD!

This juice feast and this blog have become my job. I was struggling with trying to justify all the time I am spending doing all I need to do and finally I came to the conclusion that this is exactly where I need to be and what I need to be doing so that I may heal myself and make myself whole because without that I am not able to give to my loved ones all that I truly want to give from my heart.

I was surprised at how the disorganization in my home took center stage this week. It is something that I have struggled with since I was young and I know that I cannot be whole and healthy without dealing with it and clearing out the core issues that keep me from feeling I deserve a beautiful, peaceful home.

The greatest thing that happened to me over this week was the weekend that I shared with my husband. As you know we spent 2 whole days cleaning just one room in our house. We even skipped our night out to do it.

We were talking last night in our nice clean room and he was saying how much he enjoyed the weekend. I was a bit surprised that he would say that since we cleaned. He went on to say how nice it was that we worked together to do something and that we felt like a team. He said how happy he was that the room was cleaned and that we could begin to enjoy ourselves in there.

It's true. Something happened to me and I am less argumentative, less controlling, and less bossy. I am more willing to do the work and contribute my share. When I think back over our weekend I am floored by how effortless most of it was and how smooth it went. I am so grateful for the times when we were finished that we were able to lie in each other's arms and talk about the day from this place of peace and contentment for a job well done.

I am grateful for the support he gave when I needed it most. I am grateful for the help of my mom and the cooperation of my children. But most of all I am thankful for being loved by him and being loved by myself for the first time in a long life.

So overall I guess it was a great week!

Valentines Day

Photo by Mayr on Flickr

With Valentines Day quickly approaching I thought I would share this post by the fabulous Freshtopia crew. If you haven't checked them out, well, you should!

Here is a quote off their "About Us" page.

Freshtopia.net is a fun and engaging place to come for news and information on food, sustainability and the environment. We’re enthusiasts of sustainability, healthy living, alternative energy, and treating the world and ourselves right… but we’re not yet experts. Help us grow. Watch, comment, suggest a topic. Try out the ideas you see here and let us know what you think. If you like what you see, let others know about it, we would love your assistance in building the freshtopia.net community. Let’s build this big green ship together.

The team is comprised of Tanya the host, Oscar the director and Barb the production manager. Together they creat shows that are fun and funky and oh so informative. They cover a variety of topics. When it comes to raw food they not only make some fantastic recipes and show you step by step how to do it, they also give some history on the different kinds of ingredients that are out there. On the green earth side of things they talk about bees, worm composting, an other green tips. The latest episode is all about the history of Valentines day and tomorrow they will be making a raw dessert to help celebrate. Since I am juice feasting, try it out for me.

Day 14

Photo by Green Apple Grenade on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
Bentonite and Psyllium shake

1quart orange, spinach, celery
4 oranges, 1/2 lb spinach, 2 stalks celery
Yummy

1 quart romaine, swiss chard, cucumber, carrot, garlic, parsley, hemp oil, kelp
1 lg head romaine, 2 stalks swiss chard, 1 cucumber, 2 garlic cloves, handful carrots, handful parsley
Yummy

1 quart spinach, pear, cucumber, blackberries
1/2 lb spinach, 1 pear, 1 cucumber, 6 oz. blackberries
Good.

Only 3 quarts again. When I sleep in late on the weekends it is really hard to do a fourth quart. I would have to drink it at 9:00 or 10:00.

Weight
Starting 173.5
I didn't weigh myself today. Oops.

Sleep
7 1/2 hours

Exercise
None

Physically
I woke up feeling pretty good. I didn't feel groggy. I woke up on my own. I had good energy which I needed for all the cleaning we did!

Positive changes
Skin is smooth
Stomach is getting flatter
Heartburn is almost gone

Detox
Coated tongue
Sore in my mouth
Few pimples
B.O. today again

Emotionally
It was a good emotional day today. I didn't tackle any of the mementos yet so I didn't get emotional. All the other stuff I cleaned I was glad to get rid of and clean out.

Cravings
None.

Trash Bag Tango
My hubby and I spent the entire day cleaning our room again. I mean really, isn't that ridiculous? Our room didn't look that bad but lurking in the corners, drawers and hidden places of the room were all kinds of garbage that needed to get tossed.

We moved my husband's old dresser into the closet and it is so nice. We each have 3 drawers and now we can just go in the closet and get dressed. It's like our own dressing room. I feel so posh.

As the day wore on into night I was almost finished and I realized I hadn't cleaned up under the bed. I knew I should do it but I was so tired I really didn't want to. As I vacuumed I kept going back and forth with myself and finally I just moved the bed and did it. So now the whole room is clean with the exception of the memorabilia that is waiting to be cleared. I will go through a little every day until it is done.

Meditation
None

Ramblings
I didn't do any of my morning routine this morning except for the lemon water. Isn't that terrible? I just really wanted to get cleaning so I jumped in full force. I am planning on taking a nice shower tonight and going to bed nice and clean in my nice and clean room. It does feel good.

Now I just have to paint and decorate. You see, I have a ridiculously big bedroom. When I first moved into this house I put my king sized bed in and everyone that came to see the house said, "Now you just need to get a king sized bed." I would try to explain that the bed was a king and that the room just made it look small. No one could believe it. It is one of the few things about my house that I would change. It is such a waste of space.

Shortly after we moved in my husband lost his job and since then we have been living on a lot less money than we were accustomed to. Decorating the house has always taken a back seat to the kids' things so after 5 years we still have an unpainted bedroom with hardly any furniture in it. I am not complaining because it is a choice I have made and now I want to start trying to get it looking good. A little at a time will have to do.

I have been thinking a lot about Ann Wigmore and her teachings. I actually just completed a home study course of her work. One of the things she talked about was that fruit was good to eat in the morning because fruit is cleansing and helps you break your fast from the night before.

I am naturally drawn to sweeter things in the morning so it has been hard to try to have a green drink in the morning that isn't sweet and I have been enjoying my citrus in the morning with a bit of guilt. So I have decided to release the guilt and enjoy the oranges knowing that I am aiding in the cleansing of my body from the night before. Done.

I have some people reading the blog who are not too familiar with juice feasting and have asked what my morning routine is so I thought I would post it here.

Morning Routine
1 quart water with 1/2 lemon squeezed in
Five Tibetans
Enema
Skin Brushing
Hot/Cool shower
Moisturize with coconut oil
Floss and brush teeth, scrape tongue
Make-up, get dressed, dry hair
Bentonite and psyllium shake
Wait 1 hour to drink my first juice

This usually takes me about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Nighty night and sweet dreams.

Day 13

Photo by Tuija on Flickr

Juices, Supplements etc. in order of consumption
Bentonite and psyllium shake

1 quart orange, celery, romaine

3 oranges, 2 stalks celery, 1 1/2 heads romaine

Nice breakfast.

1 quart Bok Choy, celery, cucumber, blueberries

1 head bok choy, 6 stalks celery, 1 cucumber, 1 pint blueberries
OK, so I figured out what is causing my juice to separate. Finally. It is the...drumroll please...bok choy. This juice separated so fast and it got so disgusting that I couldn't even drink it. I am not sure you can see it that good in the picture but it was a clear liquid on the bottom and chunks of green on the top. Yuck. What a waste.

1 quart Romaine, Cucumber, Red Pepper, green onion, garlic, basil, hemp oil, kelp
1 1/2 heads romaine, 1 cucumber, 1/4 red pepper, 1 green onion, 1 clove garlic, handful basil
Yum. I struggle with adding more garlic because I love garlic but it becomes spicy because it's raw. I have gone as high as 2 cloves and it was a bit much. 1 1/2 is better.

1 quart Romaine, pineapple, celery, mint
1 large head romaine, 1/2 pineapple, 5 stalks celery, handful mint
Nice and light. I enjoyed it.

You can see that I had a lot of romaine today. I didn't intend for it and I didn't even realize it until I was looking over my notes. Also, I didn't have a full 4 quarts today but I was looking on the sheet to record what you eat each day and it says 3-4 quarts of juice so I had 3.

Weight
Starting 173.5
Today 163.5

Woo hoo! 10 lbs down.

Sleep
8 1/2 hours

Exercise

Five Tibetans
Full Day of cleaning house

Physically

I woke up feeling hung over today. I don't really understand it. I felt just awful. I was groggy, fuzzy and I had a headache. I could barely do the Five Tibetans I was so physically weak. I did my usual morning routine and felt a bit better and as time went by I felt better and better.

Positive changes

My tummy is looking smaller
My skin is sooo soft, it's luscious
I think I see my cheekbones trying to peak out from under the fat
My heartburn is so much better. It is almost gone!

Detox

Coated tongue (it looked a little lighter for a brief time today)
Had a bit of B.O today :o(
Pimples on my face which I almost never get

Emotionally/Trash Bag Tango
I had quite an emotional day today. I asked my husband to watch the Oprah show with me about the cleaning and this morning he agreed to help me clean out our master bathroom closet. I have a huge closet and it is chock-a-block with stuff. I mean tons and tons of stuff. It was quite a big project and I was doing good until we got to the back and I started pulling out my scrapbooking, memorabilia, and photographs. I have so much of it. Boxes and boxes.

I started thinking about some of the things Peter Walsh was saying on his show; "What do you want your house to feel like? Does this stuff accomplish that?" The answer was "no" but I am obviously so attached to all of it that I can't let it go. It is like a tug-of-war that was being raged inside of me and I lost it. I just started sobbing.

My hubby soothed me and reminded me that this is a process, one that can't be fixed overnight. We decided to push all of those boxes over into the corner of the room and I will go through them and weed them out tomorrow. I save too much stuff so I am going to go back and only save a few things that are truly special. I am also planning on getting some new containers to hold all the things I keep so that I am honoring them more and not just throwing them in an old beer box in and piling them in the back of my closet.

The closet is on its way. My mom helped a bit when she came over and we didn't even go out. We just cleaned. We did it all day and there is more to do tomorrow but it feels good and I know it is what we need to do.

Cravings
Does a craving from an organizer and a team to help count? No? Then no cravings.

Meditation

None. I am not even going to plan on meditating on the weekends. It is impossible in this house.

Ramblings
When I was doing my enema in the morning I was shocked and a bit disgusted at the smell of cigarettes that came into the room. I mean yuck. I used to smoke years ago. I haven't touched a cigarette in 13 years so how weird is that?

Also while doing my enema I noticed that my colon is higher up in my abdomen. It isn't where it is supposed to be but it has definitely moved up. I really can't explain it because I haven't had any huge release of matter from there but it has moved up so I will stop asking why and just be grateful. I still have my colonic scheduled for next week so I am really looking forward to getting a professional to give me some answers.

That's it for now. Think of me on Sunday cleaning, purging and probably crying. Exactly what I need!