The amazing benefits of coconut oil.

I was recently introduced to coconut oil as an effective cooking agent. I like to use it for frying eggs, chicken, vegetables... it's delicious! I also like to use it in place of butter, since it has a more solid consistency than other cooking oils. Check out this article to learn about some of the health benefits of cocnut oil and take a minute to ponder if it might be worth your while to do a switcharoo.


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx?np=true

Also, the author of the article, Dr. Mercola always has amazing information. I am a fan on facebook, and I suggest if you are at all concerned about your health that you read some of his material periodically as well.

If you have started using coconut oil yourself, please feel free to share how you like to eat it!!

Sugar plums and presents??

Ahhhh... Christmas time! My favorite time of year. It brings images of sugar plums and presents and family getting together... wait... Ok, that's what I'd like to imagine Christmas makes me think of. But the older I get the more it stresses me out! Now, I think more about the empty bank account and how I'm going to accomplish all that needs to get done.

So, I started thinking about some Holiday stress reducers and wanted to pass them along to you! I hope you can benefit from some of the tips, but I would also LOVE to hear how you get through the Holidays without ending up in a looney bin on the other side.

1. Paper Plates.
Ok, so I know this isn't green and loving on the earth and all, and that lowers it's coolnesss factor, but really, sometimes your sanity is just more important. I'm not suggesting you do it all year round and I'm not even suggesting you use paper plates every night, but every once in a while around the Holidays is going to take one more load of dishes off your plate... no pun intended...

2. Gift Bags.
No big revolutionary idea here. Most people are bagging it as of late, but if you are still wrapping, I highly suggest you reduce your hours of laboring by throwing everything in to cute gift bags with a wad of tissue. It might not be as beautiful, and it might blend in with all of the other bags under the tree, but hey, at least you can get back to all of that Holiday baking with time to give your kids an extra hug.

3. Smile.
For those of you that don't know, I worked in retail pre-kids. I loved Christmas time because retailers really do it up at Christmas, especially where I worked. But let me tell you, it is also a well known fact that the Scrooges make their way out at Christmas time. I don't know if there is a whole group of people that only come out at Christmas time, or if everyone is just that much grumpier, but people are much more rude around the Holidays than the rest of the year. Take the time to smile at everyone, sales clerks, other shoppers, your family... It will make a difference in their day and yours.

4. Send E-cards.
I heard on the radio the other day that there will be 114 million less greeting cards sent this year. Jump on the bandwagon, save yourself the stress of licking and writing and stamping and send an e-card to your friends and family with a cute picture and narrative. I know it's less personal than the form letter you ususally send, but I'm sure people will understand. Maybe throw a little card in the mail for Grandma, but other than that, set yourself free!! Plus, it makes up for all of the paper plates you've been using...

5. Be grateful.
Studies are showing more and more that mental stress actually affects you physically. It puts toxins in your body that mess up how your body works. Thinking about all of the things you are thankful for is a great way to slow down the release of toxins in to your body. I'll tell you, this year was super tough for us. Rolling into it with three layoffs and then 6 months of unemployment, we definitely had our share of stress. But I always try to remember that I have two beautiful children, a roof over our heads and enough food in the fridge, a lot more than most people in this world. It has helped me maintain my sanity during these stressful times. And lack is only magnified during the Holidays, which makes me so much more grateful for what I do have.

6. Hug your family and friends.
Yup, loving physical touch also reduces stress, so just do it ok?


I hope one of these little nuggets can be worked in to your life and help you have a more enjoyable Christmas season. And please feel free to let me know what you do to reduce stress during the Holidays!

Scheduling. The only way to maintain my sanity.

Scheduling has become more and more of a necessity in my crazy life. Juggling a home based business, family and keeping myself sane with some "me" activities can be reather daunting. Does this sound familiar to you?? I'm sure it does. Even if you don't have a business you run from your home, or you don't have children, we all have a lot on our plates this day in age. So this post today is my way of sharing how I "attempt" to keep my life balanced by scheduling. If I can help you learn one more way to balance your own life, I will be happy.

So making a schedule has been SUPER hard for me. I am the kind that has really always prided myself on being a "fly by the seat of my pants" decision maker. My husband and I would wake up (pre-kids of course) and if we both happened to have the day off, we'd run off on an adventure. Want to make dinner plans with us... tonight? Sure! I have never liked the restraints of a schedule, but the more stuff I try to shove in to our lives, the more I realize a schedule is a necessity and a sanity keeper.

Here is how I have made it work for me. First, I use a "chunking" calendar for my month. This is where I plan out the general times that I have to do things. For instance, Mondays I wake up, get ready, run Titus to preschool, do errands while he's in preschool, lunch, naps, family time, dinner, bedtime.

Then each week on Sundays, I plan in the specifics. First, I make a to-do list for the week. What I need to get done for my business, what I need to get done around the house and anything else nagging me in the back of my head. Then I put those to-dos in to my schedule...which errands I'm going to run while Titus is in preschool, who I'm going to call during naps, what's for dinner... every minute has something scheduled in it. Of course, as I set appointments while I'm running my business, these get put in my calendar right away.


Now, don't think that just because I schedule out every single second means I actually do all of those things. If you need to schedule in wiggle room for yourself, that is fine. Personally, I just know that almost everything can be moved, unless it is an appointment I have with somebody else. So, for instance, even if I have scheduled that I am supposed to be cleaning the house from 9 to 10 and my friend calls and wants a play date at the park, I don't make myself clean the house then. It gets put off for a little while.


Let me tell you though, there are weeks I will go without using these techniques, and I don't get half as much accomplished in my business or at home. You could probably walk into my house and look around and be able to tell if I made a schedule that week, because life just happens to me when I don't. And I would rather have more control over my life than that, hence the rigid schedule.

So I'm curious, what are your scheduling skills like? Do you have any tips I haven't mentioned here? Or have you thrown your hands in the air and said "Whatev." I'd love (as always) to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!
Kelly

Is fast food worth it??

Over the last couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about fast food. I used to love the stuff. Especially in my younger years. I think I typically ate a couple of Whoppers a week while I was in high school. It seems like such an easy, cheap way to feed me and my family, but at what cost??

And just a quick disclaimer before I get started; while poor, defenseless McDonald's typically gets the brunt of fast food criticism, I am referring to fast food in general during this post. (Yes Jared, even the "healthy" Subway).

To get started, I want us to reflect on the origins of modern day fast food. Ray Croc brought the idea to life in the 1950's. During this time period, everyone was looking for easier, faster, better, cheaper... many of our modern day conveniences came to fruition around this decade. And we have all of these conveniences for what? To have a life filled with more leisure, right? Then why is it that 80% of all households are now surviving off of two incomes?? The easier, faster, better, cheaper... just gave us more time to work!! Woo-hoo! Thank you Ray Croc. Ok, so maybe it wasn't poor old Ray's fault. But take a minute to think about how crazy that seems...

Ok, so now that I'm done with my tangent about how fast food has not improved our quality of life because of the time freedom it provides, let's talk about how it has drastically lowered our level of health as well.

Here is the article that originally got me thinking about this. You can take a minute to read it later if you want.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/how-bad-is-mcdonalds-food_b_754814.html

In it, the author talks about the effects fast food has had on the health of our society. Here is a paragraph that caught my attention.

"The standard American diet -- in which 62 percent of calories come from processed foods, 25 percent from animal products and only 5 percent from fruits and vegetables -- is nothing less than a health travesty. Our fast-food culture has produced a population with widespread chronic illness and is a primary reason that health care costs are taking a devastating toll on just about everyone. "

Wow. 62 percent. Even more shocking to me is the mere 5 percent of calories from fruits and vegetables. Ok. So you get it, eat more fruits and vegetables, right? But can fast food really be that harmful in moderation? So let's look at a couple of other "nuggets" that have caught my eye this last month.

Let's start with nuggets actually. Here is a picture of what they look like before they become the beautiful little golden morsels that we feed to our children.

Love it, right? This is mechanically separated chicken. And wait, this is before it is cleaned with ammonia, then has coloring and flavoring re-added to it to make it the delicious snack we all know and love. Ok, so nuggets aren't the only ending spot for this beautiful, soft serve-esque meat, this goes in hot-dogs, salami, pepperoni... all sorts of good stuff. If you are interested in learning more about this lovely stuff. Here is another article:

http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2009/08/03/guess-whats-in-the-picture-foodlike-substance/odlike-substance/

Alright, have you had enough yet? Well that's too bad because here's one more thing. Yeah, check out this gem. 180 days on a table, undisturbed, and this is what a Happy Meal looks like. You can watch the whole progression here and read up on it:

http://gizmodo.co/m/5662271/watch-six-months-of-a-happy-meals-eternal-life

But the most interesting thing to me is that, regardless of what it looks like, it was not attacked by maggots or any other critter. That means, something even maggots won't eat, we gladly feed to our children. Lovely.

But maybe you're one of those people who says, "Yeah Kelly, that is gross, but you haven't shown me how that stuff is actually bad for me." Here's another quote for you from the original article I read.

"Medical care costs in the U.S. have not always been this excessive. This year, we will spend more than $2.5 trillion on medical care. But in 1950, five years before Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald's restaurant, Americans only spent $8.4 billion ($70 billion in today's dollars). Even after adjusting for inflation, we now spend as much on health care every 10 days as we did in the entire year of 1950. "

Still think all this convenience isn't hurting you? Than do some research of your own, and explain where else those numbers came from??

So, in conclusion, I first want to say again, that McDonald's is not the only one to blame here, most fast food chains use a lot of the same practices. McDonald's is just the biggest, and maybe the worst, but I have nothing to support that other than the way a hamburger looks before it sits out for 180 days (not much different than the picture above).

Also, even though fast food is a HUGE convenience, especially for a busy mom of two, my children and I will rarely be seen eating it, and when I say rarely, I mean only if we are forced. My husband on the other hand, is a different story.

And here is a challenge to you. This week sometime, rent and watch Food, Inc. It will definitely change the way you view what you eat. I've only attacked the tip of the iceburg here...

Thanks for reading and please leave me a comment below, good or bad, to let me know what your views are on fast food!

Kelly

Adventure Day!

So Tuesday morning I woke up thinking, "Ahhhh, must be close to 7 because I am wide awake!" Guess what? It was only like 5:15. Ugh! As I lay in bed contemplating whether or not to get up, I had a strong urge to just put my pillow over my head for the rest of the day and pretend I didn't hear my kids yelling for me and just sleep and wallow in pity. Since that's not really an option for me, I decided to devise a plan to get me moving! It took me a good hour to roll out of bed (don't worry, the kids didn't start yelling until 7) and when I finally did, it was a good thing.
The plan I came up with was to have a day of adventure! I really wanted to get outside, go on a hike and be somewhere near the ocean. The first thought that came to mind was Dungeness Spit, just past Sequim. I forced myself out of bed and on to the computer to do some research. I also called my sister, luckily she didn't have anything else going on, so off we went!
It ended up being such a beautiful day and such a wonderful time. The drive wasn't too long, the kids mostly cooperated, there were no clouds in the sky and it wasn't too cold. And, thank goodness, being with my sister is just so easy to do. There's no reason to have to pretend that I wasn't in a foul mood. Which can sometimes be the most exhausting thing of all!! The day was such medicine for my soul. The sound of the crashing waves, the smell of the salty air and the little bit of a workout hiking to the beach and back, all helped me regain my sanity.
The lesson in balance I learned here is that even though I felt like doing almost nothing when I woke up, forcing myself to do something more than lay around the house and be a grump all day was the best possible solution. When the world seems dull and like a never-ending grind, a little adventure day helps to balance out the soul.
So, next time you are down and out, get out and have a little adventure of your own. Even if it's just a walk down the street. Trying to be and do everything for everyone can sometimes become a huge weight. Taking that weight and casting it off for a day isn't going to hurt anyone but it is going to do a world of good for you.

-Kelly

(The top picture is of me and my kids, the bottom picture is my sister and her daughter, I don't know how to add captions on here... sorry.)

What am I doing??

So, in my atempt to be balanced, I have discovered this "28-day Jump Start to a Healthy Lifestyle" thing, sounds fun right? I have been researching it for the past week or so and just this morning listened to some testimonies from people who have gone through it and I am very excited to see the results. But, I am more than a little nervous about getting to the finish line.

Now, just to let you know, I am not super concerned about weight loss. Yes, I could stand to lose a couple of pounds, but really, I'm not at an unhealthy weight right now and I'm definitely not one of those girls that's always like "Oh, I'm so fat..." when they are obviously not, and just trying to fetch compliments about it. But, I do have a couple of inches around the midsection that could stand to pack their things and go. Which, if you also have midsection fat, is probably due to toxins, just a little something I have learned while researching this program.

What I am most excited about is the hormonal balance. I am one of these women who turns a little crazy once a month. Now in all fairness, I did just come off of some hormonal biggies with two pregnancies and nursing. Both of which actually balanced me out a little. So these last few months of emotional turmoil have been a shock to my system, and my family's for that matter. And whle there are a couple of other things I have yet to try in the world of hormone balance, this seems to be the most promising.

Weight loss and hormone balance aren't the only two things that are supposed to be addressed by this plan, there is a whole list of other things including; energy levels, clarity, sleeplessness, acid reflux, headaches... the list goes on and on. I am also excited about these, but without the hormone balance piece, I don't think I personally would have the motivation to make the 28 day shift. If you are interested in the entire list, please just let me know and I can get it to you.

So, I won't bore you with the details of the program just yet, but I do plan on keeping a bit of a journal on here about my experiences. And just so you know where I am coming from, here are a few of my fears with the program:

1. I won't be able to stick with it myself.

2. My husband says he is interested in doing it to, but what will happen when there are no chips or coffee in the house? Or milk??

3. What am I going to feed my kids?

With all of that being said, half of the success in the program is being psychologically prepared. So any cheering on would be greatly appreciated. And if you wish to join me, there is still time. I will probably also help lead one of these programs once the New Year comes around, so let me know if you would like to give it a go once you see me go through it. And if you have any questions about specifics, please feel free to ask. If it is a personal question you don't want all of cyberspace to know about, please e-mail me at kpartyke@aim.com.

Well, here I go off to make my gluten free, dairy free, coffee free, low glycemic grocery list. Wish me luck!!



-Kelly

Milk, it does a body... good??

Milk, it does a body good. At least that's what they tell us, right? I'm beginning to question that more and more. And the video I attached to the bottom of this post really has me thinking today.

Milk was one of the very first things that my husband and I altered in our diets several years ago when we started our quest for health. Now don't get me wrong, we still use milk in our cereal, and our kids drink it, but I have honestly never been a huge fan. It's always made my stomach upset... blech!

Although, I really started researching the other harmful affects of milk when we lived up in Bellingham, Washington, where we were friends with a vegan. She was the very first vegan we ever knew. And I remember her telling me, "You can get more calcium absorbed into your body from a sprig of broccoli than from an entire glass of milk." That statement has stuck with me for a long time. So I started learning about the hormones they put in to milk. Have you ever seen the pictures of the cows with the udders that have been treated with growth hormones?? Well here you go. Tell me, how can it do that to a cows udders and not do anything to our bodies??

I have also read that cow's milk is the hardest milk of any animal for humans to digest. If we drank goat's milk, there would be far less allergies in the world. But watching this video makes me question drinking milk at all. What other animal in the world continues to drink milk after they are a baby?? Do cows drink milk into adulthood?? How strong are their bones?? When do our children reach the age when they would naturally stop needing milk, if we didn't know how to milk other animals?? And that question breaches the whole separate topic of breastfeeding, one that is very touchy with many people, so I will save that for another post.

Until I feel comfortable with the answers to those questions, our family is drinking a milk that is non-homogenized (they don't spin it around really fast to make the cream and the rest of the milk "stick" together) but it is pasteurized. Homgenization alters the milk molecules, changing good things in to not so good things. And pasteurization kills all the bacteria and makes it safe to drink, but the thing is, not all bacteria is bad, especially when it comes to milk. So you lose a lot of the good things milk has to offer when it is pasteurized. But for me right now, the benefits outweigh the cost, as far as pasteurization goes that is. The milk we drink also doesn't have all the yucky hormones.

So here is my "balance" question. Why do we even drink milk? My doctor recommends whole milk to the kids starting at age one and two percent at two. She tells me it's for the fats that the milk provides. I want to believe there's some truth to this statement. Maybe, if cow's milk was totally unaltered, no hormones, disease, homogenization and pasteurization, it would then be healthy for us??

I have absolutely no idea, but if you haven't already, please watch the video below so you are more informed on the issue. "Knowing is half the battle" - right? So the more you know, the better decisions you can make. But please don't just blindly drink milk because somebody in a milk moustache told you to!

Please feel free to comment below with your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you think of the video clip and where you are with milk!!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly