Yesterday got away from me

But I'm here now. Not much happening--work is going to get busy soon, but until then..........
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So I'm taking a few minutes to blog.
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Tonight is the kids' piano recital--it's a jazzy, swinging kind of theme. Daughter is playing "Heart and Soul" (I fell in love with you; heart and soul; just like a fool would do; madly; that little kiss you stole--it got me heart and soul.) Son is playing a piece called "Surfboard Boogie" (sorry, no words for me to sing). Daughter's still a little rough on her piece but son has his down pat. Her piece is actually harder than his. I think he chickened out a little--after we had to quit formal lessons, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to do a harder song on his own so he switched to an easier song. Daughter actually switched up to a harder song just because she liked the song. (Son is doing daughter's original song.)
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Let's see, what else is going on.......well, for one thing, hubby really, really, really needs to get a job. He's starting to drive me nuts.
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Also, daughter was invited to do the "magnet classroom" for the next two years. They choose certain kids based upon teacher recommendations and tested them for the Gifted & Talented program and out of those that are tested, a certain number of them are also invited to be in the magnet classroom. It is basically just a non-traditional classroom where the kids are catered to more--the math is on the computer at their own pace; science is all lab; reading/language is done using novels instead of the textbooks, art is done every day, etc.
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It worked out that only 26 kids (out of 7 public schools with 3 to 4 third grade classes each and a number of private schools) were selected. So it really is an honor. I think it will be really good for her, but I was kind of concerned about her being separated from other kids. When I was a kid, I was in GT and was pulled out 2 days a week. I felt like I was ostracized--"the smart kid"--and never really felt like I fit in. I voiced my concern and a dad, whose older child had been in the first magnet classroom, spoke up and talked about how his daughter had just blossomed in the program. That made me feel better.
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Daughter decided she did want to do it (I think I would have pushed if she hadn't). She is shy and didn't want to leave her friends because she has a hard time making new friends. But I assured her that she can still get together with her two main friends so she decided she was OK. She will have to change schools, but the school where the magnet class is held is actually closer to our house than her current school is. And when she found out that the school mascot over there is the mustang, that sealed the deal (she loves horses.)
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They just started this two years ago so son missed it. His experience with the GT program was less than stellar. In fact, he says that he's glad he's done with GT now--they had an online computer group that met sporadically and had assignments that weren't much different than what he was doing in class. He was doing the same math program that daughter will be doing (he tested 'end of 7th grade' even though he's actually just finishing 6th grade). But he was put up a grade in math in 4th grade just to keep him from getting bored--not as part of GT.
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Last night for dinner, I spiral cut some butternut squash and put tomatoes and zucchini hummus on it--so good.
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Well, that's all I can think of.....
Ciao for now

An exciting Day!

The weekend was crazy. And on Sunday, I didn't eat all that well (it was all vegan, but still not great). Yesterday I was feeling lethargic and blah! So the fact that it was a busy day work-wise, made it, shall we say--not great.
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But, I started eating well again yesterday and I feel better today. It's amazing how much the way I eat affects the way I feel. As I've gotten into eating more raw foods I notice it more. I think that my "lethargic, blah" days are more like what I used to feel like all the time. It's just that now, I feel so much better that I really notice when I don't feel that good. (Does that make sense?)
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For 2 and a half weeks, I've been pretty much raw except for one meal a day (usually dinner). Raw breakfast, raw lunch, raw snacks. Sunday, was all cooked except for snacks (one green smoothie, some carrots, and some grapes) and it had me feeling bad.
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So today is an exciting day--and not because of my kale/strawberry breakfast smoothie. And not because of my broccoli/kale/nut cheese dressing salad I'm going to have for lunch. And not because of the sauteed veggies over whole wheat pasta I'm going to have for dinner. Today is exciting because I'm getting my TATTOO!!!!
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I have wanted a tattoo forever. I've had my tattoo planned for like 8 years now, but never gotten it because I didn't want to get it on my fat body. Now I'm not fat; I've had the weight off for 10 months now. I did have to decide on a new location because my legs look awful after carrying around 130 extra pound for so many years. So anyway, later on, I'll post a picture......
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I'm so excited.
Ciao for now.

I'm in a much better mood today

Things are working like they are supposed to be working, and I'm getting through my lists. Sorry for being such a downer yesterday--I hate being that way. When I get like that, it seems to permeate every aspect of my life. (We had to go to the grocery store last night and I was a royal B.)
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So I mentioned here a while back that I was going to do more raw foods. I have been doing breakfasts, lunches, and snacks raw and doing a mix of raw and cooked vegan for dinner. Physically, I feel really good. I don't get that "full" feeling after raw meals but I'm perfectly satisfied and content with what I've eaten. I get hungry more often, but it's not a "eat everything in sight" type of hunger and an apple or carrot or something takes care of it.
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I've become really fond of dehydrator bread--in fact, I've got some more wheat sprouting right now so I can make another batch.
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And, on another good note, I'm finally heading the right direction on the scale again (I had gained 6 pounds up from my maintenance weight)--I've only got 2.5 more to go.
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Plus, I've had enough energy to exercise regularly again. In two weeks, I've exercised all but 2 days.
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All the reading I've done has talked about nasty detox symptoms when first going raw. I haven't experienced anything, but I was already eating a fairly healthy vegan diet with quite a few raw fruits and veggies anyway.
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I was reading in my latest issue of VegNews the other day an article about the meaning of "Vegan" and how it encompasses the commitment to a compassionate lifestyle as well as the dietary aspects. I thought it was well said, but I thought that maybe the author should have acknowledged that sometimes the commitment to all aspects of the lifestyle evolve from what started as a "diet". Even if one commits to being a "vegan" because of health issues, the ripple effect will result in fewer animals getting killed and possibly more people moving toward the vegan lifestyle. Also, I think that what starts as a movement for "health" can't help but evolve as the person learns more about him/herself and our environment.
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I started for a combination of reasons--both health and horror at the atrocities my former lifestyle was promoting. As I've evolved over the last 10 months, I've certainly found that my thoughts and feelings in both areas have strengthened.
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Well, I had better get back to work.
Ciao for now.