Cleanse.

It is Day 3 of our 3-5 day cleanse.  We are having some withdrawal symptoms, but dealing fairly well with them.  I have a headache that comes and goes.  Neither of us feels great yet, so we are going to stick it out for the full 5 days and hope for improvement.

Because of the cleanse, there is a lot more food prep going on in our house than usual, and that takes up quite a bit of time.  I can't just grab a protein bar on the run, or make a big pot of coffee to drink from all morning.  It is all fresh fruits and veggies, very limited grains, nothing processed.  We have managed to have some fun being creative with what IS allowed on this diet.

These whole foods were chopped and blended to create the "smoothie" shown in the next photo.

I will not go to the trouble of making this ever again. ;P   It looked pretty, though!

We tried quinoa for the first time.  Very bland, but I liked the texture and it was enjoyable with some cinnamon, flax seed, and finely diced apple (for me) and sliced banana (for him).

This was my favorite experiment so far. On the left: 1 hard boiled egg, 1/4 of an avocado, dash of yellow mustard, fresh ground pepper.  On the right:  Steamed kale, lemon juice, red pepper flakes.  I ended up combining the two, and it was delish!

[Disclaimer for the rest of this post:  I really don't want this to be an online diary or therapy session.  My ultimate intent is for this blog to be informative, inspirational, and entertaining.  Right now, though, I am still working on getting myself back into a creative energy groove after such a long hiatus.  So I apologize for the excessive "I"s and "me"s being used. And for the lack of a clear topic.  But there is some jumbled junk blocking my thoughts, and until I get that out and onto "paper", I can't focus on the good stuff. I am hoping that this will improve as I continue to practice, practice, practice.  If you are reading this, Thank You for being my writing practice guinea pig.]

I had a rough start this morning.  And by "rough start" I mean I was feeling sorry for myself.  And when I feel sorry for myself, I get mad at - you guessed it: myself - for being such a wuss.  I have been frustrated and disappointed.  I am stuck in a rut, un-motivated, scared, distracted, foggy-brained.

I am hoping the cleanse will help with some of the brain fog.  I have read and heard first hand from varied sources that acupuncture can be very helpful for this, as well as many other health concerns.  So, as I often do when I need information fast, I put a post on Facebook asking my friends for recommendations for an acupuncturist.  I got some really great leads, and will be contacting the suggested practitioners to find the right fit for our family.  

While I was working full time I would daydream about having time to be with my family, write, and work on creative projects.  I wondered what the heck I had done with my days before I had a full time job.  I made a solemn vow that if I got that free time back I would NEVER waste it again.  Sadly, I have broken that vow.  I need to get my motivation rolling, and practice writing and creating every day, as if it is my job.  Breaking the ice and getting into a habit is difficult for me.  And I tend to procrastinate.  A lot.  Even though I know how much better it is to just jump into something.  Even though I know I perform better when I am busy (with a reasonable amount of down time to re-charge, of course).

So, (after a heart to heart talk with my sweet husband and an hour long hike with my puppy - both of which always make me feel much better) in an attempt to introduce some direction and discipline, and I made a list of what I want to accomplish today :

• Transfer photos from my cell phone to my laptop so that I can use them in blog posts. (Done, hence the photos in this posting.)
• Write this post. (Almost done.)
• Wash at least 2 loads of laundry.  (Half way there.)
• Sweep / vacuum all floors in the house. (This will have to get moved to tomorrow's list, as the photos and writing took a helluva lot longer than I expected. Plus, you know, I am easily distracted. Ha.)
• Practice drawing stuff. (This is going to have to wait until later / tomorrow, too, because now it is time to get ready for the next item of business.)
• Get ready to go to calling hours for my mother's cousin who has passed away. :(

Enjoying a peaceful moment on our new favorite hiking trail.