I took a little break from blogs. Nothing terrible happened. I’ve just been very busy with work and homeschooling craziness. I’m afraid I have missed reading your posts for a while, my friends. I will be slowly going back through to catch up on what I have missed!
Work has been hideous. I’m currently waiting for my work laptop to charge so I can get back to it on this lovely Saturday morning. I’m not sure what it is about the pandemic, but I have had just one large project after another for months now. Usually, it is good to be busy, but this is a little ridiculous! I am grateful to have a job, though, so there’s that. My daughter also seems to have hit a wall. She has been flat-out refusing to do her homework at times, saying (rightfully) that she has been on Zoom meetings all day and now needs some time off. She’s also having a lot of trouble paying attention on Zoom unless she thinks the topic is interesting. I get that. But, I’m also all stressed and in her face about how she has to pay attention and be respectful towards the assignments her teachers have prepared for her. The Head of our small elementary school called me to check in, though, and the next thing I knew, my daughter was having a Zoom call with the Head of School and making plans to implement some of the ideas my daughter has for making math more fun. I love that. I hope she can engage more with school somehow. Honestly, summer can’t come fast enough.
I’m still waiting somewhat patiently for a vaccine. Assuming we are vaccinated, I am starting to fantasize about getting away to my mom’s house in the high desert/mountains for a month or so this summer. Hiking, river fun, biking … we all need some extended time out of the city this summer, I think.
In other news, I’m still making health a priority. Today is Day 215 without alcohol in my life, and it’s going really well. I have no doubt that I will make it to my one-year goal. Yep, it’s official. One year is my goal. Truthfully, living without booze is easy now. I still think about it, of course, and wonder if I will ever experiment with it again, but I’m just fine living life without it.
I’m doing yoga (regularly, but not every day), and my body definitely feels less achy and sore. I’m building more muscle and endurance, and sometimes, I throw in some cardio, too. Slow steps in the right direction.
Right now, I’m working mostly on getting my diet to a (mostly) healthy place. I decided to do a nutritional cleanse that I have done twice before to kick start my efforts. For the last 10 days, I have been on an “elimination diet,” eating only healthy foods that aren’t likely to trigger food sensitivities and slowly reducing my caffeine intake, and today I started the cleanse proper. I have a liquid meal for breakfast and dinner (usually a fruit/veggie/nut/avocado or coconut milk shake) and a solid, super healthy meal for lunch. Snacks are allowed, if needed, so it isn’t really a terrible deprivation. I’ve been feeling great on the elimination diet, and I’m curious to see how I feel on the cleanse itself. This will be the first time I have done this where I wasn’t quitting alcohol at the same time. In the past, I’ve lost 15 pounds over the course of five weeks (elimination diet then three-week cleanse) and felt great. If you are interested in reading about it, the book I use is Clean by Alejandro Junger.
Off to work now. Sending love and support to all of you!
xoxo
Leafy
msnewleaf 
Great to hear from you, Leafy! Don’t work too hard my friend. I’m right there with you on looking forward to some warmer weather, being around loved ones, and get out hiking and biking. We’re going to make it that’s for sure! And we’ll learn from all this and be way more grateful for the true gifts in our life.
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Yes, we are going to make it!! Thanks, Dwight.
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I’m the same with the sobriety thing. I never say never but right now and for the foreseeable it’s where I want to be. I definitely want to give the Clean diet a go. I’m now on all decaf drinks bar one caffeinated per day. I need to set myself a date and go for the elimination diet and just get it done. It’s that or the whole 30 plan. Hope the work stress calms and yep, homeschooling is an utter head masher! Roll on some down time and a change of scene xx
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Thanks, Claire!
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And great job with the caffeine!
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You sound like you are doing beautifully! Thanks for the book recommendation… I want to check that out. I need to do something about my diet too. And I need to get back to yoga too, but have been resisting it. At any rate, that summer vacation at your moms sounds wonderful. I hope you get there! And congratulations on the not drinking. I’m thrilled you made the one year goal. Go Leafy!’ 💖
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Thanks, Collette!! Let me know what you think about the book if you check it out. 💕
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Love this update. Congratulations on 217 days ♡♡. I’m so curious about your elimination and cleanse. Going to read up on it this afternoon. And massive congratulations on the yoga too. I feel less achy too from doing it and have you to thank for that massively. I hope your daughters ok, must be so hard at that age to concentrate for such a long time. So good they’re implementing new techniques
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And I have you to thank for it, yoga buddy!! 💕🤗
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Hi Leafy!! It’s so great to hear from you! That’s awesome on your one year goal! I did the elimination diet a couple years ago and I did feel better after it. I found out I had an issue with milk products and when I told my doctor I he had me do the test for it and it did turn out I was highly lactose intolerant.
Kids and the at home zoom schedules are so hard! I see the struggle of the kids staying focused in many homes I work in.
I cannot wait to start hiking again! It snowed here yesterday and we are supposed to get snow Thursday night/Friday morning. Yuck.
Anyway sounds like you’re doing awesome and again, great to hear from ya!!
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So interesting about the milk. It’s great you found out. Lots of snow this year for you! I hope it starts to warm soon. Hiking is the best! ❤️
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Nice to hear from you!
I actually saw real children in a real classroom on my drive today. That made me so happy! Children need to be in school. Our teachers have been able to get vaccinated, so that is helping!
xoxoxo
Wendy
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Agreed! ❤️
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Such a great update! The combo of work + homeschooling is crazy making but you are doing all the best things to get through it. Vaccines and summer are in sight! I’ve always been intrigued by cleanses, but much like giving up booze, I get bored / feel deprived / think what’s the point and give up easily. I try to eat mostly unprocessed vegan foods anyway and that’s what makes me feel best so it probably evens out. There is always that curiosity though…. would I feel and look SO much better, if I did x, y, z?
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You probably don’t need it if your diet is healthy! One easy thing to do, if you’re already eating well, is to eat a little lighter on the evening and always leave a 12 hour window between the last meal and the first meal of the day. According to this book, anyway. 😁
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