spring break is over

it's been eleven days since i've opened this blog. the boys were out of school for spring break, my mom came for a visit, graham got sick, we celebrated easter, we spent yesterday (the last day of spring break) together as a family and managed to get both boys off to school this morning with happy hearts and smiling faces. although i greatly enjoy writing here i equally enjoyed just living life as opposed to documenting it.

the house is quiet this morning and a cuppa steaming hot coffee just so happens to be sitting on the desk next to me and i am finally alone with my thoughts.

first of all, i need to fill you in on my sugar detox. it's going well. i started out by simply eliminating refined sugar, which was my main food source throughout the winter/depression of 2013. chocolate all day long, sweets after lunch, sweets after dinner, sweets after the boys go to bed. it was a problem. refined sugar should never be the foundation of one's food pyramid. so i had cut out all sweets for nearly two weeks when my birthday rolled around...and i indulged in a few gluten-free cupcakes.

i have known for a few years now that gluten + my body = migraine headaches. but when i ate those gluten-FREE cupcakes i STILL got the same type of neck/shoulder/head pain that i typically associate with the beginning of a migraine. this caused me to think that maybe it wasn't only gluten that caused problems for me...maybe sugar was/is also a culprit.

a couple days later another preschool mom asked me if i'd like to join her in a 21 day sugar detox. i jumped on board. starting that very day i stopped eating fruit, all grains, legumes, all refined sugar/artificial sweetener. i was already gluten free and dairy free, which are also part of the detox. my diet has been lean proteins and vegetables. i am three days away from reaching the 21 day mark. i have "cheated" a few times - some fruit at easter dinner, some strawberries for a snack one day, some beans one night, a bit of rice one night, and some sweetened coconut milk creamer in my coffee. those aren't "cheats" that i feel guilty about. at all. which is surprising for this constant-guilty-feeling mama. and even with those "cheats" i feel, overall, really great!

i usually take at least one dose of tylenol or advil each day. i always have some type of ache or pain, typically in my neck/shoulders/base of my skull. since starting the 21-day sugar detox i have not had any pain. that has been the most notable benefit along with better sleep. i was sincerely hoping my acne-prone skin would clear up, which hasn't happened (yet? here's hoping!). i did not weigh myself before and haven't weighed myself since so i don't know if i've had any weight loss but i do feel like my body is less inflamed and my clothes are fitting better.

all in all, i feel good. i feel better. BUT, here's my true test: even though i eat gluten and dairy free and that has helped eliminate most of my migraine headaches, i still get one migraine each month, associated with my menstrual cycle. i will be curious this month to see if cutting out the sugar will help keep that once-a-month nasty migraine away! (here's hoping for that, too!)

i'll keep you posted and let you know if a week or so if i ended up getting a migraine or not.

the other thing i need to update you on is harrison's occupational therapist sessions at STAR. he's had seven sessions since march 18th. three the first week, three the second week, and one so far this week. he has another one this thursday. their treatment model is intensive, meaning that they feel therapy works best if you do it all in a short time frame as opposed to once-a-week over a long period of time.

it's been really fun. he very much enjoys going. and i do feel like i am seeing some small changes in him - more talkative, standing up for himself a bit more, more pretend play. we shall see...

i will write an entire post on what the therapy sessions look like.

and one final thing. i am very seriously considering participating in Project Simply 2013, inspired by simplemom.net. basically it's just a commitment to take four weeks and be intentional about spring cleaning/finishing projects/decluttering/clearing out the stuff that interferes with simple living. read about it more HERE.

i have some stuff in this house that needs some tackling. mostly in the kitchen. and i have been putting it off, and putting it off, and putting it off...

anyone want to join me???