Lydia: 18 Months

I feel bad that it's been so long since I've updated on my children.  Life has been busy and full of good things, but eighteen months seemed like enough of a milestone that I should write about it.

Lydia is so sweet.  She loves to play, cuddle, run, laugh, talk, jump, throw, sing, pound on the piano, pretty much anything that doesn't involved sitting down.  She's still quite small (about 20 pounds) but what she lacks in size she makes up in personality.  She absolutely loves Hyrum and will hug (squish) him any chance she gets.  She laughs and runs up to him whenever he wakes up from a nap.  It's so cute!  I hope because they are so close together, they will be best friends.

Joseph and I counted the other day and she can say around 30-40 words.  Her vocabulary has boomed this past month!  Some of her favorites include:

• Hi/Bye
• Thank You/Please
• All Done
• Who is it?
• What is it?
• Where is it? (luckily she has not learned how to say "Why" yet, or we wouldn't end with the questions)
• Mommy/Daddy/Baby (she still has trouble with "Hyrum")
• One, Two, Three
• Ball
• Cheese
• Bread
• Let's Go! (She gets impatient sometime)
• Hot!
• Uh-Oh (She says this A Lot)
• I love you
• Prayer (She'll fold her arms and announce "Prayer!" usually when she's hungry)
• Here you go
• Let it go (usually in a sing-songy voice.  We can tell she's trying to sing the song from "Frozen", haha)
• Grandma/Grandpa
• Yay!

I can't wait to see what this little darling does with her life.  She brings Joseph and I so much joy, and I simply could not imagine our life without her.

Don't take any more pictures mom!

(This is often her response when I pull out the camera)

Make believe at the Wyoming State Museum

I love my brother!

Eating Sugar Free: What Worked for Me

I've gotten a lot of questions about what I chose to eat and not eat when I cut out refined sugars.  My first rule of thumb was not to eat anything that had sugar in the first three ingredients.  This did not include natural sugars (mainly fruit and honey).  I had to use my judgment because there are a lot of things that still have sugar as a top ingredient that really don't have much sugar at all.  Even the plain, nothing added cheerios with 1g of sugar had sugar as a second ingredient, so I used my own intuition for some foods.

In addition to not having sugar in the first three ingredients, I also did some research about added sugars, and most studies agreed that 5g of added sugars a day was what people should shoot for in their diets.  5g of added sugar is not a lot at all!  That's not even enough for a serving of most cereals, but it's what I made my own personal goal.

My main comfort food was 90% dark chocolate, where sugar is the fourth ingredient, and it only has 3g of sugar per serving, so it met my criteria.  Besides that I would just change recipes up to include only natural sugars instead of added sugar if I could (usually just replacing the sugar with honey).  No-bake cookies and cheesecakes were the easiest to do that with for me.

Also, I listened to my body.  One day I got an all fruit smoothie from Jamba Juice, which has all natural sugars, so it fits my criteria.  But, I felt really sick afterwards.  I realized some fruits have more sugar than others, so I listened to my body, and if a fruit made me sick, I didn't eat it.  That's really the base line for most of the foods I chose.  How do I feel after eating this?  Same goes with some of the recipes where I switched honey for refined sugars.  Some times it was still too much sugar, and I didn't eat it again.  I feel like the more in tune with your body you are, the easier it is to decide what to eat.

I hope that answers everyone's questions!  Feel free to ask any more if I forgot something.

Four Months That Have Changed my Life

In a rare moment of motherhood, both children are asleep and the house is clean, so I decided to update on how my life-style changes have been going.  In a few days it will have been four months since I cut out sugar (and later most processed foods), and let me tell you, it has changed my life.  I wish I could put into words how my body feels now.  Maybe the easiest way is just to list the benefits I've seen:

• I've lost forty pounds:  That's a huge one!  I want to post a before and after picture, but not until I hit my goal weight, which should happen this month.  It's amazing how much easier it is to lose weight when I don't binge on junk food or sugar.  
• My skin has never been clearer: I've always struggled with acne and psoriasis, and now my face is completely clear.  I haven't had this clear of skin ever!  I still have some psoriasis spots on my body, but I know that is due to hormones (it gets way worse for me with pregnancy/nursing) so I think once I stop nursing Hyrum those will go away too.
• I have the most energy and stamina I've ever had.  Really, I mean EVER!  Even though Hyrum wakes up several times a night, and Lydia does once or twice too, I haven't had to take a nap in months.  The old me has to take at least one a day, and I would be exhausted by the time night came.  Joseph even mentioned the other day that he had never seen me this energetic and outgoing ever (so in the last four years).  Little did I know I was holding the best me back from my husband and children by eating bad food!
• I haven't been sick in a really long time.  Joint pains, nausea, headaches, etc... were just sort of part of my life and they I never realized how big a part of my life until they were gone.  It's nice to not feel sick after eating or waking up sick or with a headache because I ate something bad the day before.  I feel good almost all the time!  
• I've never been happier.  My mood and emotions have been so much easier to control since I changed my diet.  Even things like PMS and such are almost non-existent. I am a much better wife and mother now, and I have a lot more patience.

Really this is the best, happiest, and healthiest I have felt in years, if not ever.  My original goal was to go a year without refined sugars, but now that I've seen what my life and body can be like without it, I don't think I could ever live with myself if I went back.  I don't think I'll eat refined sugar for the rest of my life.  It is just not worth it.  If this is what it takes to be happy, have energy, stay fit, not suffer from psoriasis and arthritis, etc..., well it is a very small price to pay.  This has easily been one of the best decisions I have ever made, and every single day I am glad I started four months ago.  Here's to a happy, healthy life!