Tour My Makeup Bag

I used to not wear makeup. Now I do wear it sometimes! Here is a tour of my vegan makeup bag--a minimalist collection of makeup that I wear once or twice a month when I want to feel fancy or am going on a hot date. I wear mostly Gabriel makeup--it's vegan, but more importantly to me--gluten free. It's also pretty affordable, and to a girl that does not wear a ton of makeup a lot--that was a must!

I bought all Ethical "Fairtrade" Shoes

My shoes fall apart every season. Every fall for many years I've been buying cheap shoes and regretting it! I have wide feet, so my toes always get pinched and the cheap plastic "leather" always looks horrible by the next year, making me have to shop all over again. Actually for awhile I've been buying the same pair of black shoes on Amazon just because I hate shoe shopping and I at least knew they would last me one season.

This year I'm turning 31. And I'm tired of my shoes not fitting and falling apart. So, I decided to do something different: buy all ethical fair-trade shoes and see how they last, see if the quality is higher than my fast fashion splurges. I donated all but two pairs of my shoes (they were all falling apart/pinching my toes anyway) and decided to buy 3-4 pairs of shoes to replace them, giving me six pairs of shoes total instead of the nine pairs I had previously. I realize I could live easily with four pairs of shoes but I went a bit overboard... I don't really need three pairs of boots, but oh well.

I also gave myself a budget of $500-700 that I saved all by myself from my YouTube money and Christmas/birthday money! And I researched each brand and came away with shoes that not only are extremely high quality, but that I LOVE. And they go with everything! 

In the video below I show some of my old shoes, the two pairs of shoes I kept, and the four pairs of ethical fair trade shoes I bought. Hope you enjoy!

It's Not a Fad, and other Crunchy Confessions

My crunchy lifestyle is not a fad.

I don't get it why neurotypical adults act like I'm infringing on their food safety bubble when I talk about my food allergies. Or my kid's food allergies. Or how diet healed my body. Or how I'm not in chronic pain or suffering from chronic constipation anymore because of my diet. Sometimes I feel like I am practicing voodoo or black magic from the looks they give me!

I try really hard not to be judgmental about other people's choices. But I expect the same in return. I am not standing on the rooftop demanding everyone be paleo; that would be insane! I advocate for paleo and how it changed my life, but I respect other people's decisions and I realize that all bodies are different. My husband feels better vegan. However, he does not pressure me to be vegan! He respects my food choices, and I try to respect his.

Just a few short years ago I was in chronic pain. I suffered from chronic constipation since EIGHT YEARS OLD. I had brain fog, joint pain, and reoccurring miscarriages, just to name a few of the issues I've dealt with since a young age.

After three miscarriages I finally had my rainbow baby. But Reuben did not nap or sleep until around a year old and he cried all the time as an infant. He was covered in eczema. I was frantic to find out what was wrong, frantic for answers and help, not condemnation and sneers! Doctors had no answers and largely dismissed my fears while offering my four month old steroids. I researched on my own. Steroid creams only made his eczema worse.

Reuben, 11 months, Healing

It took me nine months to find out his major allergies and a few short months later, his skin was clear and he started actually sleeping.

I wish I could show those who judge the tears I shed as I held my sobbing, bleeding son, trying to keep him from scratching his eczema, not knowing how to help him. I will never forget how helpless I felt and how much I sobbed to God during that time.

So many people badmouth "the google degree". GUYS, the google degree saved my life. A biomedical group on Facebook saved my son (Recovering Kids Biomedical Healing) and their protocol HEALED my son.

I myself went to western doctors for years. YEARS. They did nothing to help me. I was told to eat more fiber. That made my constipation and pain worse. I was told I had arthritis and there was nothing they could do. Since being paleo (it took six months) I have no more joint pain. I am not randomly confined to bed, barely able to move in pain. I haven't worn my arm brace--a monthly occurrence--in over a year.

So, no. My crunchy lifestyle is not a bandwagon fad. I'm not doing it to prove how I'm so much better then you. I'm not doing it to make you feel bad about how many oreos or cheeseburgers you feed yourself or your kids. If I could digest oreos, I'd eat them too!

It's saving my life. It's saving my son's life. Perhaps you could understand this before you tell me you "hate those food snob all organic people" who have "high minded ideas about food". Do you think I LIKE spending a house payment a month on organic food at the grocery store? I have a (few?) autoimmune diseases. Eating this way significantly raises my quality of life. So take your smug expression over my organic health eating choices elsewhere. I'm happy your body can digest and process every food known to man. Mine can't.

I like being a functional human being who is not in pain. I like having a child who sleeps and who isn't broken out in bloody sores all over his face.

And that is why I follow this crunchy path. It is not a fad. Don't belittle the fierceness of a mama bear researching at 1 am or call her desire to heal herself or her children "misguided" or "playing doctor". And don't ever utter the words "all in her head" or "making it up".  Yes,  I've been told that.

Biomedical healing does not work for everyone; that is not what I am trying to say. But don't limit your choices. I would have tried almost anything to help my son sleep for his mental, emotional and psychical health and mine! We went to doctor after doctor and specialist after specialist. It was a nightmare.

I am my child's greatest advocate, especially when he doesn't have a voice. Doctors can see between 20-30 patients a day . I have only one Reuben and a lifetime to devote to his care. I also have a lifetime degree in learning my own body and knowing my own heath. I can find out what is wrong and I can fix it. I know myself. And there is a wealth of information on the internet at my fingertips.

I'm not saying to believe everything you read on the internet. I am not saying to abandon your doctor. I am just saying that perhaps we put to much faith in overworked doctors who don't live inside the vessel they are trying to heal--and not enough faith in our own hands.

Work with your doctor. Work by yourself. But don't give up hope for healing, even in tiny steps. We are all on a journey towards death, as morbid as it sounds. I know I can't escape the inevitable.

But I know myself best. I can delay my sickness and even heal the body I've been given. I can learn more about how it works and how to care for it.

Thus my crunchy-mindedness is not a fad. No, it is a deep vein of research I have poured hours and hours and hours of my life into. And I haven't even scratched the surface. 

So before you judge why I panic when you hand my son a treat I am not familiar with--before you judge my hesitation to a request to eat out, or come to a meal-related event...perhaps you could just ask why. And listen. Because it's a long story, and there are a lot of tears along the way.

Goodwill Haul

I took a two year break from shopping at Goodwill, but this year one of my new years resolutions is to shop ONLY from fair trade or thrift stores. And I plan on sticking to it. For one, we are trying to save money for a fence and some playground equipment for our son this summer, so I can't drop $30 on a shirt anymore. Second, I want to start being more sustainable. I love clothes, and I also love to shop. Goodwill is like a treasure hunt, and now that I feel a lot more positive about my postpartum body, I am enjoying shopping there again!

I am also glad I shop in a community where a lot of women donate their clothes--it's usually easy to find things I like! That isn't true for all areas.

Regardless, here is my first haul of the year!

Why I Became a Crazy Crunchy Mom

There are lots of articles out there about things crunchy moms do, like cloth diaper, eat organic, and buy only sustainable clothing. I've written some of these articles myself.

But I've never seen anyone write about why they decided to become crunchy.

Now, I'm not one for labels. In the sense of degradation or shame, I mean. I'm all for labels for, well, labeling stuff. Calling an apple and apple. I am a crunchy mom. I like being a crunchy mom. I'm not trying to call anyone else a crunchy mom, or make you feel bad for not being a crunchy mom. I am who I am because I made these choices and I like them. I assume the same for you. Let's just get that out of the way, shall we?

First off, a "crunchy mom" is a mom who likes more natural products and more natural parenting. Think elderberry syrup instead of antibiotics, cloth diapers instead of plastic, and babywearing. Lots of babywearing.

I didn't know I was going to be a crunchy mom.

Really, I didn't. I didn't know what kind of mom I was. I was only afraid at first. Reuben was so tiny, I was so...tired. That sums up the first few months.

But every mom has to make decisions, and my decisions have all been crunchy. Except for my laundry detergent; that is not crunchy. We use Tide Free and Gentle. I wash poop, people. In my washing machine. I need a strong detergent.

Every parent makes decisions. I think as long as you love your child and are making well informed decisions that you are a good parent. As in, try. Don't guess. Be deliberate about it. Your child is worth researching all decisions that impact them. In matters where it might be gray (most matters, honestly) at least make an educated guess. Obviously, my parenting won't look like yours because I am not you. I also am not parenting your child. I don't have to understand your parenting decisions either, because we are different, but I can respect them even if I'm confused. At least, that is what I think. I don't get why people are mad because I don't understand why they do a certain thing to their child. Um, explain it to me. Or tell me to mind my own business. But I'm entitled to my opinion and you to yours.

I don't go around telling people what I think of their choices usually, but sometimes it comes up when, they, you know, ask me. Don't ask if you don't want to honestly hear why I don't understand that you feed your child sugar. Because I won't understand.

I think a lot of moms go into this thinking many things are black and white, when really nothing is. We all make mistakes, we all fail. We don't need other people to validate our opinions either. Many moms want this, and that is why they get their proverbial panties in a wad when people have the audacity to do things differently.

If there was one thing I could tell moms, it would be that: you don't need other people to validate your opinions or choices. Make them, and then OWN the crap out of them because you know your child and you are his/her mother. But research first, of course. You get the drift.

But back to why I'm a crunchy mom.

It really has to do with choice, with my background and experiences, and my research. That's it. I choose to be one because I feel like it is the best choice for my family, and because my research and experiences have led me here.

I'm not a crunchy mom because I think eating non-organic carrots is sinful and should be punishable by stoning.

I'm not a crunchy mom because I think drinking pasteurized milk is horrific and you deserve to be smeared on twitter.

I'm not a crunchy mom because I think putting a disposable diaper on a child should be met with the evil eye of wasteful doom. Or that every time you do it you need to hear a lecture about landfills. No parent deserves to be lectured, and least of all about landfills. That we all use. And are grateful for.

I'm not a crunchy mom because I think if you feed your child day old pizza from a chain store on plastic plate is synonymous with child abuse. Because pizza equals hitting your child? Clearly not.

I am crunchy mom because I made the choice for my family. I enjoy what I do and I feel my family benefits from it. Sure, I believe cloth diapers are more sustainable for the environment, but that doesn't mean disposable diaper users have to feel guilty for making a different choice. I made a choice that was best for my family, and I own it. I love it, and I celebrate the freedom to continue making that choice, as should you.

And that is why I became a crazy crunchy mom.

(My husband said I became one just to annoy him) (hahaha husband) (he didn't mean it, he loves me)

Large Crochet Wool Dryer Ball Tutorial

Wool dryer balls are great. What are they, you ask? Well, they are basically 100% wool balls that bounce around in your laundry, creating space between clothes to allow them to dry faster. When I forget to put them in when drying my cloth diapers, they take twice as long. I'm not kidding. These things are awesome! To make the crochet version, you will need 100 yards of bulky yarn and a 6.0mm crochet hook, and a skein of waste yarn (about 100 yards).

You will need 100% wool yarn that is not machine washable for this project.

Pattern:
Using the magic loop method, do 8 sc into the loop. Working in the continuous round (do not sl st) do 2 sc in each st (16 sts)

R2: *2 sc in each st, 1 sc* around for 24 st
R3: *2sc in each st, 2 sc* around for 32 st
R4: *2sc in each st, 3 sc* around for 40 st

R5-12: sc each st

R13: *sc2tog, 3 sc* around
R14: *sc2tog, 2sc* around
R15: sc all sts
R16: *sc2tog, 1 sc* around
R17: sc all sts
R18: *sc2tog* around (8 sts)

Cut yarn, slide though remaining 8 sts and back in the first one, pull tight. Weave in ends, wash and dry three times to felt, leave in dryer after!

You can view the video here or press play below.

Going Zero Waste (A Process)

As I said before, it is my goal in 2017 to go zero waste. I've been moving this direction for the last two years (here is what I've done so far).

My focus over the next three months will be to buy and set up a compost area (we are looking at this one) and to find a way to store our recycling better. Right now it's just a big pile that frustrates me, and sometimes I just put it in the trash for ease. I want to get some big bins and put them outside, with lids--one for each type--that can easily be towed to the car and hitherto deposited at the dump. The lids would ensure that rain does not get in. After a lot of thought I just can't see where to put a "recycling collection place" inside our small home--so outside seems like the best bet for now.

Does anyone out there recycle on a regular basis and have a good home system? We haul our own trash, there is no trash pick up, so we don't have a bin for recycling that goes to the curb. I need something that works, but I truly am stumped. I don't really want to walk outside every time I have to put a glass jar or cardboard item away.

Another thing I want to do is start a garden. I printed plans to build a raised bed, and start with two vegetables for ease. I'm going to do bell peppers and zucchini. The plan is to add 1-2 veggies or fruits a year so I can learn slowly and not get overwhelmed, and build a new garden bed every two years to branch out. Eventually I want to have a full garden each year with a herb section as well.

I've never grown anything so that is a stretch. I'll start with  two veggies this year and see how it goes. One year I tried tomato plants and the deer ate them all. We need a fence as well, it seems--and I've already got plans for one so Reuben can play outside when older with less supervision. He's supposed to get one for his two year birthday--a joint his birthday/mother's day gift. I'm excited. We also plan to get a nice swing set as well, if we can find a good used one. But I digress from the topic.

Those are my plans, for now. I still hope to be zero waste by the end of the year! Small steps, small steps. I need some more produce bags for sure--five is not enough, given the amount of produce we buy and eat!

To update on purchases, I bought a set of washable cupcake liners! Now I don't have to buy cupcake liners ever again. They are silicone and I can't wait to receive them. Now all I have to replace is tissues. As we flush our toilet paper and it breaks down in our tank outside I feel it's already very green and zero waste.

Superiority and the Natural Minded Mom

I'm a crunchy momma. We eat all organic, no sugar, cloth diaper, use unpaper towels...my son has never (to my understanding) had anything with artificial food coloring in it. He's never eaten fast food. I don't even eat fast food. I'm so far down the biomedical wormhole of  healing your body with whole, real food I don't think I could climb out if I tried. And I won't, because I cured my own chronic pain using food. I used garlic drops in my son's ears for his ear infection instead of antibiotics and we babywear year round. We are still breastfeeding at 16 months with no end in sight, and I am perfectly comfortable with him breastfeeding for as long as he desires. Even if he's five.

I love being a crunchy mom. I love raising my son how I think he should be raised.

Is crunchy, natural parenting "better" parenting, as many people would have you think? Are granola mom's really stuck up, elitist moms?

I can tell you how and why I became a crunchy mom. I read food labels, and I decided I didn't want anything artificial in my growing child who already has serious allergies. When ever I say this, many moms feel judged. "I read food labels too," they say, holding their kid who just devoured whole little Debbie cake in their arms, "and I can't afford that kind of lifestyle."

I think that may be the difference between me and the other moms I meet. I would give up almost every luxury to keep providing my child with whole, non-processed foods. It is a priority to me. That is why I do it, because it is extremely important to me. Not because I want to enthrone myself like some organic pariah on a waterfall of gluten free, sustainability harvested breakfast muffins. It's because I care about my child, and I see this as concrete way of caring about him.   

And that's when I always loose my audience. Because don't all moms care about their children? Does feeding my kid whole foods mean I care more? I read those ingredient lists, I see what a diet full of sugar does to society, and I say "not my child, I will give him the most nutritious food I can. This is important for his future and his body." And I set aside a lot of time to cook from scratch and to research food, and how it works within the body, and how it is harvested and cultivated. I want to know what is in my food. Sometimes I wonder if other moms just don't care. Sometimes I wonder why they let their kid watch 2 hours of television or more a day, and eat cake, ice-cream, deli meat, pasta, and other refined and heavily sugared foods. I HONESTLY don't get it, and I am being 100% transparent. Why do you guys do this?

There is a delicate line. I don't know where it is, but I probably crossed it in the above paragraph. I won't mince words, I want to address the elephant in the room, I want to tell you honestly what I think and the questions I have.

I know, I am not a better mom. I am a mom just like everyone else. I am only more informed because I made a choice to study and learn. Because I am a mom. My difference is information, information I am able to shift through in a relatively stress free environment. Information, and time. I am a stay at home mom, able to devote a lot of time into finding and cooking good food for my kid. I don't have a stressful job, I don't have to rush through cooking dinner. I made a choice with the information I had: and that choice was to say NO to artificial food after reading published studies from medical and nutritional journals, doing a lot of independent research and learning about the human body. I know my own choices, my own reasoning, but each mom has their own unique journey and that is why we bicker so much and think everyone else is trying to water their garden out of competition and not, you know, because water makes plants live. I'm trying to 'water' my son with whole foods not because I'm "such an awesome mom, omg" but because I really believe it's what has made humans thrive for hundreds of years, and the "food" of today's generation is doing harm to our bodies. And I can't live in silence anymore.

me, in iconic crunchy mom pose

I also know many of us moms have been lied to. We are told our kids issues like eczema, pain, constipation, hyperactivity and other neurological disorders have nothing to do with food or environment, that they are all genetically based and there is nothing we can do except start trying different pharmaceuticals. I was stunned when I finally realized MY BODY IS WHAT I PUT INTO IT. Sure, I have genes, and those do play a part. But my son's body, my body--we are what we put in it and on it. It becomes our fuel, it becomes us. And food does impact us. It does. To say otherwise is illogical. This is my foundation, the bedrock on which I put my nutritional choices. Other moms don't have this foundation, and that is why they make other choices.

How do we encourage real food in a world where food is a corporate enterprise? 50 years ago most houses would have gardens, 100 years ago most went to "farmers markets" every few days to stock up and every home would have a garden. Part of the problem is this disconnect we have with our food. The most common push-back to organics food I see is the expense. If it wasn't so expensive, would it be your first choice? Food prices are controlled by big corporations who ship from all around the world. Food used to be grown locally, not put on trucks and toted everywhere. We are trapped. It's a trap. We don't know how to grow our own food anymore and it's expensive. Can you see the trap?     

It's a journey. I suffered from chronic constipation for 12 years, and not one doctor ever mentioned that I could try a paleo diet, or restrict gluten, or try to go dairy free--all things I explored when I finally got fed up (because none of their drugs or recommendations worked) in a last ditch effort to try and heal myself. Six months into the paleo diet and my inflammation, pain and constipation are gone. After 12 years. My journey has made me a believer.

Sometimes I think mainstream moms simply are privileged. They don't have sick kids, and they've never dealt with autoimmune issues. I should envy them, but I can't get over what they eat. But mainstream moms also think I am privileged, with free time to devote to cooking and researching and a husband who makes good money to allow us to buy whole, organic foods.

Maybe we both are privileged.

Listen guys, I'm trying to be honest here. The truth is, and most of us crunchy mothers will tell you if you ask hard enough that we do think we are making better choices for our kids and our families. And that's okay. It does not mean you can't make the choices you want. It doesn't mean we think you are evil for feeding your kid a happy meal for the third time this week. It does not mean we think we are better mothers. It just means we are trying to inform ourselves what is in our food because we care about our bodies, the environment, and our children so much that we critically analyze everything.

And I'll support your right to choose what your kid eats until the day I die, even if I wouldn't eat what some consider food these days.

I'll leave on this note: what do we do about the supposed superiority of the natural minded mom? Listen to her. And don't take it as criticism on your own choices. Take it as her exercising her right to choose for her family, and celebrate her. And: how do we talk about what passes for food these days and extol the benefits of a whole food diet free of added sugar and refinement without vilifying those who eat that way? How do I say "we eat all organic" and "it's because refined food is bad for your body" and not sounds like a pompous prick?

Going Paperless

Something I've always wanted is to go as paperless as possible. In the last year I've been making small changes to try and implement this goal. Here is where I've purchased all my paperless products and also some thoughts on this journey.

My desire to go paperless/plastic free grew from my desperate researching when I was battling major health issues. I went to the doctor several times and was told nothing was wrong with me. But I knew something was. It took three years but I am now completely lost down biomedical rabbit hole--and also no longer in chronic pain, so I call it a win/win. One of the things I researched was plastics and paper, and as I was in the process of removing all hydrogenated, refined food from my diet I decided why not remove it from every part of my life as well--at least as much as I could. This was secondary to my goal of feeling better (because when you are in pain all the time your first thought is getting OUT of pain, not tossing your napkins).

So now I'm paleo and have more or less solved my issues biomedically--I want to go paperless.

Here is where I am so far and where I want to be: (none of these are affiliate links)

Unpaper Towels - I bought my unpaper towels (they clip together and hang from a paper towel dispenser) from Generation Me. I just clip them back on the end after I wash them. I've had them almost for two years now, and I love them. We have not bought any paper towels since purchasing (we still have some actually).

Cloth Napkins - I bought a set of blue cloth napkins to use to clean up Reuben's messes and as table napkins from Moo Cow Mama. I love them! I bought them at the same time I purchased the above unpaper towels so almost two years now. They have held up very nicely, and we have not had to buy any napkins since.

Cloth Pads - I went full cloth for my period almost three years ago! I bought my starter set from Pleat, but it looks like she's closed her shop. I love love having a cloth period-- no more itchy chemicals against my skin or plastics. It's been a game changer and it's really not that gross.

Cloth Diapers - My son wears cloth. He wore cloth from 2 months to 6 months, and from 9 months with no end in sight (he is 15m as I write this). We took a break when he started solids because I was overwhelmed with his allergies. I love our cloth diapers now, and plan to use them until we potty train! I bought them from Green Mountain Diapers.

Another thing I did was get rid of all pans that had any sort of teflon coating. We use only stainless steel pans. I also replaced all our cutlery (serving spoons and spatulas) with stainless steel versions. No more plastic! These two things I got at the local Krogers.

In the kitchen area, I replaced plastic sandwich bags with two reusable snack bags. To replace my freezer bags, I bought three silicone food storage bags. I need a few more of those, as we freeze a lot of things. To replace all the plastic leftover containers, I now store leftovers in jars, I bought a set of ball jars with lids from the local Target. Right now we have 12, but I want a second set in a bigger size. To replace plastic wrap, I bought some bees wrap.

For water, I own two glass water bottles. This means we no longer have to buy bottled water, and saves us space and money. I also recently replaced all our worn out and scratched cookie sheets with better browning cookie sheets. I bought two.

We also use reusable bags at the grocery store as well as reusable produce bags.

I am also trying to reduce the amount of plastic I wear by buying only cotton, wool or linen clothing. This is hard. Right now I don't get out to shop much, so I have a stitch fix box--if anyone knows of a ethical clothing subscription box, let me know and I'll drop stitch fix like a hot potato.

So that is where I am on this journey right now. My plan is to be even more paperless by 2018. I want to try a fully paperless kitchen (composting) and also learn to make my own toothpaste. I want to figure out paperless for tissues (like when you blow your nose) and also how to buy without creating so much trash. Right now there is one store where you can go to get dry products like beans and rice in bulk, reducing waste.

If anyone has any tips or suggestions I would love to hear them! What should I try next?

When I Took Charge of my Health

I wanted to write a post about my journey. Two and a half years, two miscarriages (and the one from when I was in college, that I didn't know was related) and a lot of doctors appointments. The doctors were kind (mostly) and amazing (mostly) but they couldn't find anything wrong. My cycle is pristine. My blood work is great. My ultrasound showed no abnormalities. But I couldn't keep my pregnancies, I had a terrible digestive system, blood pressure and blood sugar problems and chronic fatigue. 

It was one year from my last miscarriage (almost exactly) that I became pregnant again with the little boy I am now carrying. During that year I decided to take control of my own life, as much as I could. I know, I can't "control" my life. But I wanted to fix the things I did have control over. I wanted to feel like I was doing all I could to realize my goal of starting a family.

These are the things I changed over the course of that year.

Obviously, I don't know if any of them played any part in helping me keep the baby I am now carrying. I don't know if they just made me a healthier person or if they perhaps played a vital role in boosting my body to help me sustain life. I decided at the beginning of that year after my last miscarriage that I was going to focus getting healthy and not worry about becoming pregnant. During this year I used no birth control, and didn't get pregnant until the end! Near the end I was really worried I could no longer get pregnant, through. And then I did..and boy, was it a shock. 

Here are things I changed, in chronological order:

1. Started taking a whole foods organic multivitamin. (This one: MegaFood Women's One Daily) It really helped my brain fog. Now I take their prenatal version.
2. Attempted to start exercising.  
3. Stopped using my microwave (I never said I wasn't extreme, yeah?)
4. Stopped drinking water with fluoride in it. Our town adds fluoride to all the water. I distilled all my water for several months. I no longer do this. But I did notice less brain fog and more energy. I want to buy filters for my house that will just filter it out, but they are very expensive. A regular filter will not remove fluoride.
5. Did a cleanse to attempt to fix my lifelong constipation and bloating.  (I chose Gaia Herbs Supreme Cleanse Kit and you can watch me vlog every day through it here. In short, it REALLY helped my constipation but after finishing the cleanse everything went right back to "normal". Sigh. Also, didn't help my bloating at all.)
6. Gave up soy. And corn.
7. Researched GMOs. Started buying all organic food much to the shock of my husband's wallet. 
8. Realized finally that I have a terrible gut. Massive researching about the human digestive track and a lot of learning happened. Started drinking kombucha to populate my track with good bacteria and tried to eat other fermented foods (couldn't do it, kimchi is gross, I'm sorry). Ate yogurt every day. (Still eat yogurt, sometimes drink kombucha)
9. Decided to give up gluten to see if I could reduce the amount of inflammation and pain I deal with in my arms and hands sometimes as well as see if it would help my gut. (Didn't really notice a difference in the inflammation, but noticed better digestion.)
10. Decided to go on the Paleo diet after a friend told me about it and it's magical properties in curing inflammation, pain, constipation and bloating. (It worked. Like a dream. Only it's very hard to maintain, and not allowed for pregnancy. Now that I'm expecting I just avoid gluten and sugar. I had no idea how much of my brain fog was from eating way to much sugar daily. I LOVE being paleo so much that after I wean my little man-baby you can bet I will be right back on it. I need to do a whole post on this. It took me three months just to start the diet because of how crazy it is.)
11. Started taking Juice Plus+ (not a vitamin, just veggies and fruits in pill form with sugar removed. It does help my constipation slightly. I still take this every day) 
12. Stopped cooking in anything with aluminum or plastic in it. This means no aluminum foil. Bought only surgical steel grade stainless pans, and utensils. No non-stick.
13. Started taking a fish oil. (I take Fermented Cod Liver Oil) 
14. Started taking digestive enzymes. (I just started Garden of Life RAW Enzymes two months ago. Can't tell if they are helping yet)

Right now I spend close to $100 on supplements a month. I'm still trying to find what works for me and what helps my body feel good. But these are all the things I changed or tried to change in my attempt to become healthy. I lost almost 20 pounds (lets not talk about how much I've gained back, please. I will cry on you) and by the time a year rolled around, I was feeling amazing. My blood pressure was normal. I no longer had any pre-diabeties symptoms and my fatigue was gone. My constipation is so much better (but not fixed)... and I felt like I was a healthier person. My body responded so well to my changes!

Then I got pregnant and nausea and everything went right out the window because I was eating whatever I could keep down and whatever my husband brought home...but lets not talk about that. I'm back on track now for what I would call a very healthy diet and I'm very happy. I really try to exercise every other day, and I don't eat any refined sugar or gluten. My gut is far from healed but it is a lot better then it was.

Oh, and I'm having a baby. So there is that, too.

Have you ever had a food/body adventure-crisis? How did it turn out? What did you learn about your own body that you didn't know before?

I think I'm a Food Snob

Last week my husband looked up at me, an easy smile on his face.

"Lets go out to eat." He said. "I'm hungry."

I frowned. "Where?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful. "I feel like Taco Bell. Or Jersey Mikes."

My frown deepened. "Yuck! You know I hate fast food and I also want to avoid processed meat. Remember, I'm pregnant?" I pointed to the aforementioned bean in my belly like my avoidance in eating out of a drive through window had everything to do with my delicate condition.

We both knew it didn't.

"You never want to eat where I want to eat." my husband whined said diplomatically.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I ate at McDonald's last month with you." I remind him, turning back to whatever I was doing on Instagram.

He sighed. "That was because I asked you to as part of my Christmas present."

That is true. He knows I hate eating junk food. It had been about 8 months since I'd last eaten any and even then he'd had to force me. When we go to fast food places, I sit with him and mostly read the food labels passive aggressively at him. Recently he started leaving me at home for these exertions, much to my utter relief.

"Can't we go to Panera?" I ask, "or Zoe's Kitchen?'

"Uhhhhhggggggggggh" My husband said. That isn't even a word, I thought to myself while Instagaming a picture of my budding belly against the sofa. "I hate their small portions and they never give you enough meat. Also, they are expensive."

And so the argument goes. It usually ends with my husband ordering a pizza on his phone from Papa Johns. On this particular day, while he did that I heated up a bowl of organic chicken noodle soup for myself, glaring at him over the stainless steal spoon and the kitchen lights. How could he eat that? I certainly wasn't going to, and he knew it. I stopped eating pizza two months ago.

When he went to pick up the pizza is when I finally realized it. I'm a food snob. I mean, I don't even like going out to eat! Who wants to trust another person with their food? AND it's not even organic! Recently I'd even noticed that most places put to much sugar in their food. It drives me nuts. You try giving up processed sugar for a year and then tell me how a prepackaged muffin tastes! It tastes like sugar. That's what. I like my muffin to taste like muffin, thank you very much, and not like diabetes.

I wonder if something is wrong with me as I eat my soup. Am I to extreme? No, no--of course not--I tell myself as I scroll through Pinterest's "Paleo" section. I still eat brown rice. And black organic beans. After all, I do care about what I put in my body. I do want to grow a healthy human. Therefore it must be my husband who is insane! I mean, just yesterday he bought Doritos. I told him I would make turnip chips in the oven again, and can you believe it he stuck his tongue out at me and bought another bag! The nerve!

By the time my husband came home with the pizza I knew I might need some help. And thus, yesterday I ate some birthday cake that my husband bought me from Fresh Market. And it wasn't even organic. I may have cried a little on the inside.

I did a Cleanse

About a month ago I did the Gaia herb full body cleanse. I was really excited and also highly skeptical...but since I've been having on and off health issues for the past two years I decided to try it.

If you are interested in seeing how it was, I vloged about it every day. You can click here for the playlist of all 12 days.

If your asking yourself why you should watch these, well, I made up with a bullet point list to help you figure it out.

1. If you are interested in doing an organic herb only cleanse.
2. If you have issues of bloating and/or constipation and are wondering if this cleanse can help.
3. If you have ever been interested in seeing what I look like right in the morning after I wake up.
4. If you creepily want to know what I ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

There you have it. Let me know if you have any questions and please tell me what you think!

5 Reasons I went Makeup Free on my Wedding

I went completely makeup free for my wedding. Here are some reasons why! 

• Tears. I did cry during my vows, and didn't have to worry a bit about my face. If you cry at your wedding, you don't have to worry about messing up your makeup!

• I was able to schedule less time to get ready for the big day! This really helped ease my stress, since B and I married at 10am.

• No makeup smudges on my dress, hair or other accessories.

• When the groom romantically carried me into the wedding chamber, I didn't need to run to the bathroom to remove anything from my face. I stayed in bed all night, and had a wonderful fresh face the next morning instead of any icky day-old makeup!

• I didn't have to carry around any touch-up makeup in a bag or purse. Less to hold on to throughout the day, (or less for my maid of honor to carry, actually). 

• Easy packing. Forget makeup? Who cares, I don't wear it anyway! Just one less thing to remember.

What about you? Would you ever go makeup free for a wedding or other special event? I'm basically makeup free 24/7, so it was an easy choice for me!

FAQ: why I don't wear makeup

Besides the horrendous comments on my GMA interview, I did receive some inquisitive ones that I'd like to address.

1) Why wear a dress and heels and do your hair if you are not going to wear makeup? Isn't that hypocritical?

I'm not against looking my best. In fact, I love to dress up and be pretty! I don't think there is anything wrong with that, makeup is just not part of that process for me. The reason I choose not to wear makeup has nothing to do with being against looking good or primping myself.

2) So, why don't you wear makeup?

This is a hard question to answer. I touched on it a little bit in an old blog post, but I'll rehash it here.

• Most makeup is chemicals. I don't want to put chemicals on my skin. 
• I felt a big stigma TO wear it in order to feel pretty in college. I even put this pressure on myself, thinking I could never be seen as beautiful or sexy without wearing it.
• After college, because of all the pressure I felt, I decided to stop wearing it completely. It became a kind of prideful thing for me that I didn't wear it. I thought that most people who choose to wear makeup did so because they felt uncomfortable with how they looked or had low self esteem. This was a complete 360 degree flip on how I felt about makeup in college.
• Today I don't wear make up because it's my choice, its how I feel and it's what I best think represents who I am. It does not make me better then anyone else, nor worse. It is simply what makes me comfortable.  

3) What did your husband say when he saw you not wearing makeup at your wedding?

I don't think he noticed. We were getting married and I think both of us were just jittery as can be. I don't normally wear makeup so I think if he had seen me wearing some it would have been shocking to him!

4)  Would you let your kids wear makeup?

Yes, if they wanted to. The main thing is I don't want them to feel pressure to wear it. I just want them to wear it because its fun or new, not because they feel like they need it to be accepted or pretty. I'd also make sure the makeup they did wear was as natural as possible!

5) Do you regret not wearing makeup to your wedding?

Nope! Totally would do it all over again!

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Hope this helps answer any and all questions you may have about my choice! If I've missed one, leave a comment and I'll get right to it!

Another Interview!

Hey! Just a quick note--I was interviewed again, by both Good Morning America and the Huffpost live! This time it was about makeup--specifically my choice not to don any at my wedding!

For the Huff Post interview, I was one of three amazing guests they had on. For GMA, I had a small speaking part on their national (O_O) show. You can view the GMA interview here and the Huff Post interview here! Also, special thinks again to my photographer and best friend, Elizabeth Ewing!

An Odd Habit

I've started acquiring odd habits.

For example, this month I kept track of our food waste. A goal of mine is to have as little food shrink as possible, so to challenge myself I made a list to track our progress this month.

:source:

In September I threw away:

• 4 small plums
• 1/8 container of mint chocolate chip ice cream
• a loaf of mistake no-meat meatloaf (don't ask)
• 1/6 container of spinach leaves
• 1 burnt pancake (oops)
• 4 slices moldy cheese
• 1 old advacado
• 12 very shriveled raspberries
• 1 peach
• 1 serving of very gross leftovers (yuck)

It was actually less then I thought it would be. Maybe thinking about what was in the fridge helped me eat things as I noticed they were going bad? Anyway, my plan is to learn about the food we are tossing and try to save money the next time around. Or maybe start composting like my parents and a few of my neighbors?

What about you? Ever kept track?

Going Green

So, you all know those people-- those "health conscious" individuals who won't eat at McDonalds, and avoid food containing dyes and other processed ingredients? They can be slightly annoying, can't they, when you are on a road trip and have to stop at Panera instead of simply running though the Taco Bell drive-through, all because they refuse to eat fast food. I mean, the nerve of making you park, and then wait an extra 30 minutes just to satiate their weird food lifestyle and/or moral feelings about what they put in their bodies.  

Well, compared to me those people are tame. Because I take the whole "going green" thing, like, uh, really far. To put it simply, I'm a fanatic. On a scale from 1-10 I would be a 15. In other words, if your mom was a vegetarian, I'd be that weird kid that would point out that the white sugar they used in their french cupcakes actually can include bone char, and therefore is not really vegetarian. Yes, I'm that girl.

For starters, being "health conscious," to me, is so much more then just eating healthy. It's about the food preparation as much as the food itself.

For example, I will not use a microwave.

What, you ask, is wrong with a microwave? I mean, its basically God's gift to hipsters. How else would they heat their vegan gluten free burrito from Fresh Market?

Before you go all crazy on me, let me explain to you why I don't use a microwave.

1. There has not been enough time to conduct long term studies on the use of microwaves on food or in regards to the proximity to humans. 
2. I will not exchange convenience for my health over a subject that I just don't know much about. 
3. Also, in terms of reheating food, I like it cold.

So yeah, no microwaves for me. And yes, before you ask, I do know how a microwave works. But did you know that it leaks radiation? This article raised my microwave awareness--I'll just link to it, because she explains everything and sites her sources perfectly. Anyway my husband still uses the microwave, it's just me who won't. I might be crazy. But its something I feel strongly about.

I also don't use non-stick pans. Why? Well, because that awesome non-stick layer is made up of nasty chemicals. And if you so much as scratch it, those chemicals start leeching into your food. Check out these links for more information: One Two Three. Once again, I'll take scrubbing my surgical stainless steel pan an extra 30 seconds to potentially ingesting chemicals with every meal. 

I also won't buy things made in china. No, I'm not racist. Or whatever the term is. I just don't like their culinary laws. Did you know that glazed items made in china contain led and other harmful chemicals? It's true! Unlike the US and Germany, there is no law banning the use of lead glaze on cookware in China. So I just avoid buying anything from that foreign country, and stick instead to buying my food and food preparation items from the USA or from Germany. (Links on lead in cookware: one two three) (Links on lead in other Chinese products: one two three)

What kinds of things do you do to stay green? I was shocked when I found out about all the metals and stuff in my dishes and other utensils. How do you feel? It's okay not to care, I mean, its your body. (but I'll secretly think your crazy). My husband thinks I'm crazy too, so don't worry.