DEEEEEEEtox.

It is time. Every 3 months or so, I do this. Cleanse/detox, whatever you call it, the point is to rid my body of the ick, press the reset button, and start over. Overall, I live a healthy life and eat a clean diet... but I'm pretty sure that I have a lot of sensitivities that, cumulatively, wreak havoc on my body. Wheat, sugar, dairy... to name a few. So here I am again, feeling less than my best, and embarking on a one (okay, maybe two) week challenge to cleanse, detox, and start over. Deep breaths.

I am a chowhound. And I do Crossfit. So there is no way I will fast at this point in my life. A lot of people recommend starting with a fast. NOPE. Not gonna happen... So, instead, I'm removing the following for the next week (ugh, or two): all grains, all starches, caffeine, dairy, sugar and adding in a lot of herbal tea and more water. Sounds miserable as a type it. What does that leave!?!? Actually, it's really not that bad. All proteins (trying to stay with mostly lean ones), all vegetables (except for root ones), all nuts and seeds, a moderate amount of fruit (with an emphasis on berries for fiber).

For breakfast, I had blueberries, almonds, and cashew bread (it does have yogurt in it, but other than that, follows the "rules"). As Jeremy at Crossfit pointed out at our one-on-one chat today, a good start but missing protein. I don't know if it was the missing protein, or just a Monday morning, or what, but holy cow did I hit a major wall in our workout today. Ugh. But I digress. Moving on to lunch, a huge spinach salad with oil/vinegar, salt/pepper, cucumbers, avocado, chicken, sunflower seeds... not terrible, right?

The point is, sometimes we have to shift focus. Instead of thinking about all of the glorious foods I WON'T be eating in an effort to get my body feeling good again, I'm going to try to really savor each bite of the food I do get to eat. I love vegetables, so I'm lucky. And truly, this avocado - delicious! Creamy, totally satisifies... oh right, avocado is a fruit. SHH... it also has good fats, we need those too. :)

And the real question is... how much happier am I when I choose to look at what I do have, instead of what I don't? If I have a bucket to fill with water, and that bucket has a small hole, but overall works well... doggone it, I'm going to focus on the fact that I have a bucket. That it holds water. That I can drink that water... and that is enough. Damn that imperfection of a hole, praise the bucket!

Amen! Day 1 of the detox: off to a good start. No headaches, energy is good, no cravings. Fingers crossed.

xo
kam

0'10

This New Year's Eve has me in a state of reflection. How original, I know. But the end of a decade is something different. We now have a time capsule, a measurable little (huge) package with a beginning and an end... and as that end is hours away, it's difficult not to want to tie it in a neat little bow.

This decade brought the end of a significant relationship, the beginning of a new one. Moved to Arizona... and back. Married in Hawaii! Bliss... a new amazing job where I have met some of my best friends. Bought a house! Yoga. Most of my close friends children were born. My niece and nephew too. Major secrets and dishonesty uncovered, destruction of marriage began. Renewal, recovery, second chances. A baby boy!!! Trained and completed an olympic triathlon. Learned how to wakeboard. Lost a house... New job, reconnection with old friends, loss of the marriage. New beginnings. Crossfit! My boy is learning to read... Death of a beloved aunt, uncle, and close friend. And here we are.

I'm at a loss for words. 10 years... how much changes. The good, the bad, the ugly. It has been painful, challenging, heartwrenching, amazing, stunning, beautiful, terrible, horrific, loving, quiet, chaotic... okay, throw any word and its opposite in, and you get the point. Wouldn't change a thing. Here's to another decade of high peaks, low valleys, and hopefully... peaceful and happy mediums.


xo
kam

world's worst blogger.

Like many things in my life, apparently my blogging lacks consistency. There's always a reason (I prefer that word over "excuse" in this case), but suffice it to say that I'm here now...

A quick rundown. Joined Crossfit (many, many posts to come on that topic). Had a nice Thanksgiving with my parents. Went on vacation (beach for a week, with the duck). Had a great time. Suffered some bizarre headache issues. Had an MRI. It was normal. Put up a Christmas tree.

That sums it up for now. Inspiration lacking, tired mama needs to GET TO BED!

Soon, I will ramble on and on and on and...zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

xo
km

staycay.

Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuujah. This is quite possibly like the heavens are opening up... I write this on the eve of my first vacation week of the year. For anyone who hasn't ever waited until November on a calendar year cycle to take a break from work, I strongly discourage doing so. Enough said about that.

So I'm ready. Ingredients for making homemade Tom Yum soup - check. Three new canvasses and four new tubes of paint (plus some fun texturizing substances, this is going to be GOOOOOD) - check. Messy house and car, desperate for some overdue attention and organization - check. One cute little redheaded boy who (just a guess) would benefit from a well-rested, balanced mama - check.


It's going to be one hell of a fantastic week.

Look out.


xo. k.a.m.

ouch.

Anyone who has ever been to physical therapy knows about the pain scale. You rank your pain from 1-10. Let's just say, in the big picture sense (not the knee sense), today was about a 6.5. ouch. One of those days where my patience is short, my brain is numb, my life seems chaotic, and I just want to hide in bed. Luckily this day ends in 4.5 hours. Time to alternate ice and heat.


xo. k.a.m.

bangers n' stuff.

Okay, that's not a sophisticated enough name for this. But it made me laugh. It is actually quite a wondrous little dish. A happy accident:

1 package Banger sausages (chopped up)
1 honey crisp apple, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cups spinach
salt/pepper
Butter/olive oil

Cook the onions slowly in butter/oo mix until they caramelize (patience is a virtue!). Add sausage pieces, brown those. Add apple slices... let is all brown together. Add spinach the end, let it wilt to your desired texture. Season. Takes 10 minutes. TONS of flavor and a great fall dish. Martha Stewart moment over. Phew.


xo. k.a.m.

duck.

And speaking of romance and dating... For good reason, I have become incredibly cautious. Not wanting to put the cart before the horse. After claiming, "We're friends!" for months, a friend finally said to me, "You know, if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck... it's probably a duck."

Yeah.

Turns out, I have a duck. This particular duck is resolute, kind, passionate, and remarkably holds worlds of honesty and integrity that I didn't know existed. And most importantly, my friend. With friendship, all else pales in comparison. One little baby step at a time.



xo. k.a.m.