trying to avoid eating sugar... well, except for dark chocolate

I decided last Monday to give up sugar... to eat healthier.  My sister decided to do it long ago (a few months).  Somehow, knowing my own sister had the will-power, discipline, desire to do it, and that she had been successfully accomplishing her goal, made me feel that I could do it also.  I read this article a few weeks ago and was really shaken up: It's the Sugar, Folks.  I was eating a lot of sugar, and my kids were too.  I wanted to change... really... but I didn't know how and my attempt to decrease (not cut out) the amount of sugar in my family's diet only lasted a few days.  "Let's make cookies!" I said after only two days.  But after talking with my sister last Monday, I decided that it was time.  My motivation was powered by the fact that I knew I was not eating healthy, and I wanted (really wanted) to be healthier. 

The first day of "no sugar" was great.  No problems.  A few cravings (especially when my kids were fighting, whining, etc.) but I got through it just fine.

Day #2 was... absolutely horrible!  At one point I was pretty certain that whatever the reason for my new goal, (I couldn't quite remember what it was any more), it was NOT worth it.  Luckily I was driving my kids around to activities and did not have access to any sugar - I would have given ANY-thing for a chocolate chip cookie at one point.

Day #3 was not as bad... only difficult for my children, whom I also determined would cut sugar out of their diets (I told them that we had decided as a family, although it was entirely me who had decided - while my husband was working).  Z almost lost it when we walked past a Cold Stone Creamery.  Well, okay, he did lose it.  We regrouped later while eating some strawberries.

Note: I did decide that I would continue to eat dark chocolate (in moderation, of course).  I discovered recently that it has zinc in it, which aids in the production of progesterone.  That is important!  Too important for me to give up... okay, okay, plus I love it and I need some little sweet thing every once in a while (extremism doesn't really work, I think).  And the kids, or course, get sugar constantly.  A few examples:  E went to a birthday party on Saturday night, ate cake and came home with a goodie bag filled with candy; friends brought a plate of chocolate cookies to our house after church yesterday; Z and C went to a pre-kindergarten Teddy Bear Tea this morning and received gummy bears, Teddy Grahams, and rice crispy square treats; and chocolate cake was offered at an end-of-season soccer party this evening for E (luckily I swept them all out before the cake was cut).  All of this happened within a two day period.  There is sugar everywhere!!  So, I don't think I'm being "mean" as my kids keep saying, for eliminating sugar from our diet at home, because they still get sweets every once in a while.

I just read an article by Mark Bittman, the writer of The Minimalist food column in The New York Times for many years.  The article is titled, Healthy, Meet Delicious.  Here are a few thoughts from his article:

“What’s left to eat? I feel like nothing is safe.”  (I have honestly thought this same thing multiple times during the week.)

"Things are changing, and fast. Only 5 percent of Americans define themselves as vegan or vegetarian, but almost everyone believes he needs to eat better. What does “better” mean? ...much less junk, fewer animal products and more veggies. Could not be simpler."

Bittman concludes with: "...the primary challenge [is] to discover how to satisfy those cravings while staying as best as I can within the boundaries of what we know to be sane, or conscious, or well-informed — call it what you will — eating..."

For some reason I have substituted cheese as a way to satisfy my "cravings" for sugar... but I am not sure if that is actually better?  I don't think so.  I am trying to substitute fruits and veggies but my food bill is going out the roof!  

Day #8:  I have definitely noticed a difference in my body and mind.  It has only been a week but I feel better, everything feels better.  I sleep better, I wake up feeling more energetic, I feel stronger and happier inside, I handle stress better.  

Sugar really is evil, I guess.  Or rather, 'toxic', as it says in the first article (referenced above).  Can you believe that they have found sugar linked with diabetes (irrespective of whether someone is overweight or not) just like cigarettes are linked with lung cancer??  It is mind-boggling!  Particularly when you consider each thing that you, your spouse and your children are eating (and/or are encouraged to eat) - every single day.

Now the challenge is to continue eating healthy, as well as to convince my children of the benefits of eating healthy.  But, seriously, who would turn down a rice crispy treat?  I never would have before this week - they have always been one of my favorites!  But knowledge is power, as is experiencing the benefits of a new habit over and over again.  Hopefully, my kids will start now to make healthy choices in their eating habits - before they get set in their ways, like I am!

a possible way to increase efficiency and mutual understanding in a family...

This is an article with some very interesting parenting ideas: Family Inc.  I had studied many of the ideas while doing my masters degree, but never thought to apply them to my family's dynamics and daily mechanics. 

My husband and I actually decided to incorporate the idea and had a family meeting to discuss a few of the points in the article.  It was amazing to see how my 10-year old son became engaged during the meeting.  If I can be consistent in applying the ideas on a daily basis, I think it could possibly be incredibly beneficial to our family, our relationships, and our daily excitement(s). 

I feel like I want to buy the book, The Secrets of Happy Families... especially since I can't fathom why someone would recommend that I cancel date night (!!)... that's really the only time my husband and I talk... 

a most difficult title

Today was my 6-year old daughter's last day of her science camp this week.  They were supposed to dress up as crazy scientists.  Of course my husband had a perfect short lab coat for her to wear and we found some wacky glasses.  The camp counselor commented on her outfit upon her arrival and asked if she knew someone in her family who was a doctor.  She replied, "Yes.  My dad."  The girl asked what kind of doctor he is.  She quickly responded, "He puts people to sleep."

Yikes.  I laughed so hard.  I guess we do not emphasize sufficiently his waking people up during our conversations.

So all the way home from camp we all practiced saying anesthesiologist over and over again.

But, I often talk with adults that do not know what an anesthesiologist is or does.  Maybe it won't matter if they know how to pronounce their dad's title, and can only describe the important aspects of his line of work.

People still might not get it.

I quietly wondered if I should train them instead to say, he gives epidurals, because then everyone would say, "Ooohhh!  I love those doctors!"

problem solving skills

Things were crazy today.  At 7:50 a.m., my three-year old locked us outside of the house - in p.j.'s.  I was busy adding more yard waste to our bin - trying to beat the yard waste truck.  After almost two hours of trying everything possible, I called a lock smith.  He handed me the credit card carbon copy to sign and I immediately teared up upon seeing the total: $169.00.

All I could think about was the little tiny bits of money I had saved with each food purchase I had made during the last two months.  How painstakingly I had watched sales, clipped coupons, compared prices, drover further for better deals, and avoided Costco, (which, by the way, I decided doesn't have such a negative impact on my monthly food budget after all, so I decided it is okay for me to go to Costco this month - Yes!).

My husband was quite sweet when I told him about the lock smith.  Then, he said, "I think I would have called our landlady first - I bet she has a copy of our key."  (She lives a few blocks away.)

No, no, no.  That thought didn't even cross my mind during the entire ordeal.  I always avoid the most obvious solution, and then quickly welcome the most painful one - with open arms.

The lock smith must have noticed the huge tears welling up in my eyes and asked if everything was okay.

I let the tears flow as I waved to him with a smile as he drove up our hill.

But, I really was grateful to be back inside of the house.

After this, I was just a bit discouraged by my complete lack of problem solving skills, but I couldn't let it bother me for too long because my kids' elementary school science fair is tomorrow, and we had to work all afternoon to complete their experiments.

My jaw aches from chewing bubble gum.  My head aches from the incessant pounding of a basketball.

I quickly flung aside all other duties or worries as we conducted their experiments and then brainstormed the thoroughness of the experiments, possible confounders, poster designs, necessary research surrounding the experiments, possible graphs for the presentation of both experiments, etc.

My goodness.  Maybe I should have discouraged them from entering the science fair until it is required of them.  Or, better yet, maybe I shouldn't have waited until the day before to start them.

(Little note here:  Dad got home before 7 p.m. and delved into the experiments.  And he was amazing.  He had great ideas and made it all much more enjoyable.  So, the life of a resident isn't ALL work work work, even though I may often paint it that way...)