Yesterday, like so many times before, Collin and I had one of our epic conversations about long standing sayings. The phrase of choice this time?
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Before I dive into our conversation let's go over the background of this saying. This saying mostly originated based on an uncouth behavior of old; inspecting the oral health of a horse given to you as a gift. This saying also eventually rolled into gifts in general; don't question a gift or handout too closely. The phrase is also closely linked to the myth about a certain wooden horse left outside the gates of Troy. It is this aspect of the history that our discussion flowered from.
If the story of Troy taught us anything it is that you should, with out a doubt, look a gift horse in the mouth. Heck, you should probably also palpate the abdomen. If it is a large wooden horse it may be suggested to put it to the torch and be done with it. Troy's demise goes completely against the entire thought of this statement's existence. It contradicts the very phrase given the outcome of their acceptance of this gift. We kind of went on about this for a bit.
The tiny human has a new favorite snack. Peas. She loves them. All I have to do is put some in a container with a little water, microwave them for about thirty seconds, and then let them cool. I typically give them to her at dinner time while we are eating so they cool off while I finish making dinner. She snacks on them like they are the best damn finger food in the world.
Her food world has quickly expanded. They are letting her try everything under the sun at daycare (within reason). More and more we have been letting her try whatever we are eating. Crazy to think that a week from now she will be eleven months old. How the hell has that happened so fast.
Now, the outcome of our juicing experiment. We feel it was a success in more ways than one. It allowed both of us to sort of reset our food intake. We are both refocused on keeping portion sizes down, and we are so much more aware of what we eat. We had been doing so good for so long, and then lost sight of that. We began eating lunch again this past weekend, but instead of snacks we plan to continue having juice. Our lunches are seriously half of what they used to be and we are not snacking at all anymore. I have also been supplementing my appetite with green tea and honey; which has a bajillion health benefits of its own. Beyond feeling amazing and having more energy, the biggest marker that this was a successful experiment is that I dropped fifteen pounds of god knows what in the last two weeks. All my clothes are baggy (except for two newer tops I bought in the last month). This is exactly the kick start and motivation boost I needed to get back on track, and thank goodness I was able to before the holidays get here.
I definitely intend to do this a few times a year, or anytime I feel I need to get refocused.
It's both crazy and amazing to think that I weigh less than I did when I was roughly 13-14. I have journals from my teen years, as sporadic as the entries may have been (kind of like how this blog used to be) I have found a couple referencing my weight and how unhappy I was. It will really blow my mind when I get below my 7th grade weight. I don't know that I will ever get down to my weight at eight or nine, but we'll see. Lord only knows once my excess skin is removed (this will be in a few years after baby number two).
It would probably help for me to give you the whole picture, but not tonight. Maybe in my next post. There was something else I wanted to share with you all first.
Upon reflection the following may be too much info, so read at your own risk. If you are female it may be useful to you. If you are a dude, it might be good for you to know to help out your lady friends (talk about a point scorer with this tip).
Last month, this page that I follow on FB called Belly to Baby shared some amazing information and I want to share that information with all of you. I have tried this and wholeheartedly endorse it. That said, just to be safe, please note that I am not a doctor nor am I a medical professional. I have no idea if any of these statements have been proven true by the FDA or any other governing body. Phew, hate that kind of legal stuff. Before I say anything further, I strongly suggest you do your own research, and if you are pregnant or could be pregnant (I am most certainly not) talk to your doctor or midwife before you try this.
Anyways, Belly to Baby (who I believe is a doula; again if you don't know what a doula is look it up) shared that they were having a rough and painful cycle that month. I can't remember 100% but I believe she had this remedy on hand from her last pregnancy. She shared how the remedy helped her with her cramping and made other aspects a little easier as well. What is this magical thing, you ask?
Raspberry leaf tea.
I have tried it, and I can attest that it is an amazing natural remedy for painful cycles. I started drinking two cups a day (one morning and one night) the first day of my cycle, and was blessed to not have a single cramp. This amazed me. My cycle is NEVER not painful. After having birthed a child I can honestly say that my menstrual cramps rival some of the contractions I had during labor. These only last a day or two, but they are horrible and make me a miserable bitch. Having the raspberry leaf tea on hand for this month was a lifesaver. If you have any discomfort during your cycle try this. Seriously. Two cups a day through your cycle starting day one.
Raspberry leaf tea is also recommended in the last couple weeks of pregnancy (I believe, but need to do further research on when in the pregnancy it is safe to consume) as it helps with the contractions (I can see why) and the postpartum bleeding. As mentioned above, not a doctor, talk to yours before you try this if pregnant, or at least talk to someone more knowledgeable than me. I plan to try it at the end of my next pregnancy (so about two years from now).
The training has been good so far this week, and the more I learn the more confident I am that this will be fairly natural to me as I take over the accounts. I don't want to get too cocky about it, but at the same time the more I learn the less intimidating the new position is.
Next post, my weight history, and who knows what else might surface from the depths of my jumbled mind.
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