Ritual Cleanse - Day 3 (that didn't happen ...)

When going to bed last night I spiked a fever. It came out of now where. Throughout the night I couldn't get warm or comfortable enough to fall into a deep enough sleep. The times I did doze off I would wake up soaked in a cold sweat. By the morning I was a wreck and still had a low grade fever. My body was so exhausted that I physically couldn't get out of bed.

Thank gawd for my parents! My mom got Princess D ready for school and my dad drove me to the doctor. The doctor said that the cleanse was not the problem. The problem was another sinus infection that was draining into my lungs, and I got dehydrated from the cold sweats. After she gave me fluids and antibiotics then sent me home to rest. I spent most of the day sleeping ... and EATING!

I did not complete my third day of the Ritual Cleanse, but I am not disappointed. Two days on a juice only diet was a huge attempt for me. My system does feel cleaner and lighter (now that I am hydrated again). I don't feel the need consume such a large amount of food in one meal like I did before. Too keep up with maintaining a healthy green diet I will start drinking a Naked Truth Green Machine Superfood Juice Smoothie every day. As for attempting a cleanse again ... I think only one day once a year is enough for me.

Ritual Cleanse - Day 2 (almost there ...)

This morning I woke up totally refreshed from one of the best night's sleep I have had in a while! I felt light on my feet, clear headed and determined to take on my second day of the Ritual Cleanse.

Yesterday was not easy. The juices did not taste like I expected them to. I had a negative attitude with the first gulp of juice. The Boyfriend has been extremely skeptical. So, I expected today to be much harder because I knew what was ahead of me. Thanks to a lot of supportive tweets cheering me on and wanting to join in, I had a complete change of attitude and it kicked my willpower into gear.



The juices went down much easier today ... even the spicy lemonade. What was hard was seeing food around me. This morning my daughter had a crepe with caramel sauce for breakfast. Then she brought home leftover macaroni & cheese and chocolate cake from dinner with her grandparents. It is torture seeing my favorite comfort foods and not being able to eat any of them. I miss tasting different flavors or feeling the texture of different foods.

One more day of juice before I can enjoy eating again. I can't wait!

Ritual Cleanse - Day 1 (2 more long days to go ...)

Since I went to Vegas at the end of January I have not been well. My asthma has been out of control causing fluid in my ears and sinuses to be out of control too. I have been going through rounds of prednisone, shots of cortisone, and changing inhalers to find anything that would work. The wheezing and coughing has forced me to miss a few Tuesday night hip hop classes (which I am not happy about). With my body being polluted with meds and not exercised regularly I have felt run down and ... well ... yucky. I figured that it is time to do some "Spring cleaning" with my body (the closet will have to wait a couple of weeks).

Stefanie from Ooph recommended Ritual Cleanse. Considering how fabulous she looks I figured that she wouldn't steer me wrong. The cleanse includes 6 freshly pressed 100% organic juices designed to drink throughout the day for maximum nutrient absorption. A single day of has more than 15 lbs of raw vegetables and fruit. My goal is not to lose weight (even though I really need to) and I am not looking for a miracle to cure my asthma. I simply want to clean out my system of the toxins and congestion.



This morning when I was leaving the house to take Princess D to school I discovered a a big green bag sitting on my doorstep. It was filled with 18 bottles of green and orange juices. Now, I have no problem drinking green juice (in fact I really like The Naked Truth Green Machine Superfood Juice Smoothie), but when I saw how much there was I realized that maybe I was a bit desperate when I agreed to 3 days.

The first juice went down easily thanks to my eager attitude. The second was not as easy since my urge to actually chew on something was kicking in. I snacked on some cucumber slices throughout the day to help keep me going. By juice #3 I was getting sick of the same overwhelming flavor of celery, spinach and kale. It was the fourth juice -- the "spicy lemonade" -- that almost made me quit. It gave me heartburn and I thought it wouldn't stay down. I welcomed back the green juice as my 5th for the day. It actually tasted better and got rid of the heartburn. I finished off the day with a sweet and filling juice.

So, I made it through my first day complaining A LOT. I do feel lighter on my feet and I am looking forward to a good night sleep. Tomorrow will probably be even harder since I now know what to expect, but I know I can do this!

Lunch Box Party sponsored by Fresh & Easy

I want to feed my daughter foods that not only taste good, but are good for her. Now that she is in Kindergarten I have joined the ranks of the moms that have to pack lunch and snacks Monday through Friday. Princess D is getting tired of eating the same old things I have been giving her for a while now. Enter Fresh & Easy, who are opening up more and more locations all over San Diego. If you haven't shopped there yet, you have to! They support local growers and businesses, have very reasonable prices and are all about healthy eating.

With the start of the school year they introduced their new line of kids food -- Goodness™. This new line is wholesome, natural foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and other foods that are naturally good sources of vitamins and minerals. Fresh & Easy worked hard to limit the amount of sugar, sodium, and fat in the Goodness™ products. They have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, no added trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners, and no added caffeine!





I have been wanting to get a bunch of local mom bloggers together for our kids to play (and simply meet some of them in person). Having this group together was a great opportunity to help spread the word about Fresh & Easy's Goodness™ new products. So, this past weekend I hosted a Lunch Box Party sponsored by Fresh & Easy. They provided all of the delicious food for the kids to try and for the mom's to snack on.





We didn't have the fabulous San Diego weather you typically hear about, but the moms had a good time chatting while the kids had fun playing, coloring and snacking. Hands down favorites for the moms was the salami and gouda cheese (which also double as an ice pack for San Diego Momma's daughter). The kids' favorites were Goodness™ Kettle Corn and Coco Boulders cereal.



That night my mom cooked up the Goodness™ Mac & Cheese for my daughter and Miss' son. This mac & cheese is is not only delicious, but is made with whole grains and has 4 grams of fiber! So even I indulged in some cheesy goodness with out feeling guilty.


Thank you to all of the wonderful moms who came to my Lunch Box Party: Miss, Hip Mom, Bird Rock Fabrications, San Diego Momma, Mama Mary Show, and Not Just Another Jen. I hope you ladies and your kids had a good time. Let's do it again soon!

Huge thank you to Fresh & Easy! They provided the food for my Lunch Box Party and a stipend for hosting. I was not asked to post about them or their products. All statements are my opinion and my opinion only.

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Wordless Wednesday: Back to the Beginning

Princess D planted these sunflowers for Earth Day 2010. Click here to see how they grew from a seed to over 7 feet tall.

Wordless Wednesday: Strange Succulents

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Wordless Wednesday: In the center

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Wordless Wednesday: On the edge

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Wordless Wednesday: A day in the backyard

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Wordless Wednesday: Roses at The Flower Fields

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunflowers

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Owl in a Box

If you follow me on Twitter or on Facebook you probably read about the San Marcos owl named Molly. If you checked it out you are probably an "owlcoholic" who is part of the Owl Club and suffering from M.O.D. (Molly Obsessive Disorder). If you haven't then you MUST check it out.



A few weeks ago my dad came into my bedroom with a newspaper clipping telling me that I just had to check out this barn owl that had made a nest in an owl box that a local family had built in their yard. Molly the owl had laid 6 eggs. She had eaten one because she knew it was a bad egg and the first one had hatched. It took a whole 5 minutes of watching and I was hooked. Within 10 minutes I had Miss hooked too. A few days after that we had the boys from IOLTOS talking about Molly on their podcast.

So what is it about this owl that is so addicting ... especially for a girl who does not particularly care for birds?

Initially it was the shock of seeing Molly and her "owl husband" McGee mating or bonding or whatever it is they do.

Then it was the anticipation of seeing the owlets hatch. Princess D was so excited and fascinated to see little Pattison (the second owlet). The hatching of these owlets is like a niece or nephew being born. When the last egg didn't hatch it was like witnessing a miscarriage.

Finally, witnessing an actual marital spat between owls. Molly didn't want to eat some rabbit McGee had brought her and the owlets the night before. When he showed up with more food he noticed that she hadn't eaten the rabbit. He took the rabbit and tossed it in front of her. The screeched at each other before he took off again. She watch for him to return, but after a few minutes she took the rabbit and flew off to dispose of it. The whole scene played out like a TV sitcom.

Now that the owlets are growing at rapid rates I can't wait to see how Molly begins to parent them. Teach them how to eat, fly, hunt. In so many ways this is better than watching National Geographic. This is unedited nature that is taking place just down the street.



Now you all have a better idea of where in San Diego I actually live. I like my relatively unknown town, but Molly, McGee and their owlets have put it on the map. Guess you can still consider this town a bit mellow since it took an owl to bring it some attention. Let's hope the fame stays with the owl or another animal gets famous on ustream.tv.

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Wordless Wednesday: The Flower Fields

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Wordless Wednesday: Black & White

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Wordless Wednesday: Disney au naturale

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Wordless Wednesday: Mother Nature

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Wordless Wednesday: Farmers Market

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and the winner is ...

I completed my first giveaway without much success in getting lots and lots of comments, but I did gain 3 very wonderful new readers:

Dawn
Julie
Kandace

These lovely ladies are helping make our Earth more green by walking more and reusing bags. Every little bit helps.

To help me find a winner of my giveaway (if I could I would send all 3 of them something special) I used a list randomizer on Random.org ...

And, the winner of Organic Baby by Kimberly Rider ... Kandace!



Thank you again for helping to make our Earth greener and a better place for our children to grow up in.

GIVEAWAY: green is the new black

If you haven't heard today is Earth Day. I have trying to do my part to by making small changes to my life to lighten my carbon footprint on our planet. Here is what I have done:

• Recycled the plastic bags and switched to reusable bags (I just keep them in my car).
• Recycle all of our cans, plastics and paper items.
• Changed out most of our light bulbs to the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
• I buy organic produce and products whenever I can. Trips to the farmer's market, or shopping at Henry's or Trader Joe's, is always fun for Little 'Ny since she can sample everything.

• Brought my own coffee mug, water glass, bowl and utensils to the office instead of using the plasticwear and paper plates/bowls to help reduce waste and help the company expenses.
• Traded in my gas guzzling Ford Explorer for my more efficient Toyota Rav4.
• Switched from paper statements to e-statements.
• Canceled catalogue subscriptions to reduce junk mail.
  

Some good resources:
Daily Green
Ideal Bite
An Inconvenient Truth

Some of my favorite "green" things:
California Baby
Kiss My Face Olive/Aloe Natural Moisturizer
Green Works
Jack Johnson's Sleep Through The Static
Yogi Tea

GIVEAWAY: Leave me a comment about a simple way you are trying to be more "green". On Sunday, April 27th at 9pm PT I will draw a number at random and I will send that person a copy of Organic Baby by Kimberly Rider.