Getting Started

I wonder if I am the only one who finds it depressing to start something new.  I love starting new things.  Starting something new is exciting, but there is also something discouraging about the first day you begin to do anything. 

I have started lots of things that I quit or did not work out.  I have started more things that I failed to finish than things that I have finished.  I know this when I start something new. After I do something for the first time there is an element of discouragement.  This is only the first day.  I have so far to go until a reach my goal or form a new habit, and it is so hard to press on toward a goal when you are just starting no matter how badly you want to succeed. 

I know that when you begin things that you need to plan and that part of that plan involves planning for success.  I love nothing more than a good plan; especially one that is written down and has boxes to check off.  I need plans or I know I will never accomplish anything.  However, another key to finishing what you start is momentum.  I thrive off of momentum and it is hard to build.  

I mentioned when I was writing about my goals for the year that I have a problem with the book of Genesis as a starting place for reading the whole Bible.  This is why: I just read the first three or four chapters of a huge book I have read many times and I know that I have so far to go.  I also know how much discipline it is going to take to make it that far.  Having an understanding of just how great a task is sometimes makes it harder at the beginning.  The nice thing about the Bible is that you can start in Job or anywhere else and go back to the beginning once you have some momentum.  Then it doesn't feel quite so daunting.  You can't do that with most things. 

So when I start things with my plan complete with checkboxes in hand, I cross off the first box and look at all of the boxes left to go and wonder, knowing how hard it is going to be to take the next few steps to check off the next few boxes. Fortunately, I get a high off of checking boxes and that gives me a little motivation when the knowledge that the goal I am pursuing is worth it isn't quite enough to get me moving.  I also know that with each box I check off, I am changing my life and forming new habits and things get a little bit easier.    

Seven Quick Takes - Sugar and Wheat Free

I started writing a long post about my family's recent diet changes but it got too complicated so here it is in simple form:

1.
We all got sick several times over the holidays and I decided it was time to make some changes to improve our immune systems.  Having read a lot recently about ways to improve your health through diet, we decided to stop eating wheat and cane sugar for a month.  It should be said that we already don't eat artificial sweeteners so that means we are working with honey, molasses, and our new discovery - coconut sugar.  Coconut sugar can be used in 1:1 substitution with cane sugar though the taste is different.  This is important because there was no way Izzy would go without sweets even for a short time. 

2. 
Wheat and sugar are addictive.  It was really hard to stop eating them and not substitute with something else.  I was craving baked goods non-stop for almost two weeks.  I remember this from going on an elimination diet after Ezra was born.  The cravings are coming to an end and I am beginning to be satisfied after eating simple meals.  I also remember this stage from before.  It feels great!

3.
Izzy will also not go without bread, pancakes, and a number of other things so I have been learning about baking with alternate grains.  Spelt is my new best friend.  This bread is wonderful.  I made a loaf for sandwiches and cinnamon rolls with it.   This weekend I am going to try my hand at making gluten free french bread.  I plant to use this recipe if I can find the dough attachment for our food processor. 

4.
After a couple weeks, we decided that we probably won't go back to eating wheat or cane sugar very often.  Now the question is what to do with the ton of fantastic whole wheat flour and all the sugary items left over from the holidays in our pantry.  They will probably be baked into things that get taken to church but in the meantime they provide quite the temptation.   

5.
Toward the middle of the second week, Bee broke out with rosacea all over her little face and my skin got a little yucky.  We think it was a symptom of detox.  We both got better toward the end of the week. 
Then we took a holiday from our new ways for a weekend due to a family event and a birthday party.  (Because I'm not mean enough to take Phoebe to a birthday party and not let her have the food or birthday cake.)  Her face broke out again.  It seems she has a sensitivity to wheat.  She broke out again this week when my mom gave her some pita bread. 

6.
Speaking of Bee, she is such a good girl.  The ladies at church serve some serious snacks after service and for the last several weeks, my sweet girl has sat and eaten broccoli or fruit while the other kids run around with cake, brownies, bagels, and other things she can't have.  I never really let her have the sweets to begin with, but I'm so proud of how well she takes it when I won't let her have the treats that the other kids get. 

7.
I don't have to wonder what to do with our 7 pounds of sugar because I started brewing kombucha.  So far I've had two good batches and one batch that got moldy.  We don't quite heat our house warm enough to brew effectively in the winter.  I can't wait until it warms up. 

Check out Jen for more quick takes.