I was a bit fuzzy-headed this past summer. Everything ran in together it seems, I never was able to catch up and I certainly didn’t get to play around with my camera. My one personal summer goal was a failure. I barely took pictures let alone learn how to use the thing more effectively!
I forgot my wallet when I went to the store…twice in four weeks. I think that was the kicker. How crazy is it to go shopping without your wallet? Something that happens once or twice in your lifetime, not twice in a month!
Fuzzy head had to go. I had a plan. I implemented that plan last week when the kids started school. I didn’t want to go withdrawal mommy crazy on them. I feel better. I’m not so fuzzy-headed. I actually only started part of my plan due to the fact I didn’t want to overwhelm myself and I was sick with a bad respiratory virus. Another clue that I am unwell. My Hubby and two kids caught a sore throat and when I catch it it ends up being a four-day illness where I am in bed or wish I was in bed.
My plan is not simple. It’s not even fun. But it is working:
No gluten. No sugar (real or fake). No caffeine. No Dairy.
I am surviving. I am making a lot more from scratch. I’ve probably saved $10 in fast food/Dr. Pepper. Watching my family eat lasagna was hard last night as lasagna is my favorite meal, but I did it. My plan is a six-week elimination diet and then re-introduce foods slowly into my life to see if I react to any of them badly. I don’t think I have any allergies, but I may be a bit sensitive to some foods I don’t realize and the elimination diet helps be figure it all out in a relative short period.
I think what I am doing is like the Paleo diet I’ve heard so much about. The Hubby and kids are getting the same meals they usually eat, some a bit tweaked for me and other times I just eat something different. If it turns out I do have some foods I have to stay away from for sure, I’ll most likely pass it on into the family meals so I’m not constantly making different foods. The by-product is that we are all eating healthier which is great. I’m not calling this a diet as I don’t really want to model that for the girls, but just a change in eating habits to be healthier. Hopefully I’ll be a better mom with less fuzzy-head so they won’t care we are eating more veggies!
This week I go into my phase two mode of exercising at least 30 minutes a day and increasing the vitamin supplements suggested in The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, MD. I’m not following his plan to the letter as I cannot buy everything organic or spend $300 a month on vitamins, but I’m doing pretty well.
The moral of my story is that I feel better, I have more energy, my clothes aren’t as tight (I don’t weigh myself in general so I don’t know weight loss) and I’m eating as much as I want. I have not yet been hungry and the only real cravings I’ve had were for chocolate (of course!) and they weren’t that bad as I have some real unsweetened chocolate recipes I’ve made.
My fuzzy head is going away and I hope it stays away!
(Disclosure: No one asks me to blog about this book and I bought it myself. If someone wants to pay me for doing this I’m open to that idea :)












Whoever said that little girls are sweet and rosy smelling has never met my four daughters. They have to have the smelliest feet the world has ever smelled. At least that is what I tell them anyway. I’m sure that there are other children that smell worse, but I really don’t plan on entering them in any contests to find out!






September is a great stock-up month. I have this issue withclearances, I see something on clearance and I think I need it or I come up with an idea to use it for the next year. This has saved me money over the years, but it can also be a bit of a clutter problem (ask Hubby). This year my goal is to not clutter up, but buy responsibly. So far, so good. I got Elle’s next years safetyswim vest for $13 with free shipping from Land’s End and Stainless Steel water bottles on sale with $2 shipping. I am trying to cut out the cheap plastic… but steel is pricey! I thought I would share a few of my go-to places for saving money and starting on Christmas and Birthday gifts for the next year.






