10 Days Changed My Life!

You are starving us are the words my teenage daughter used as we worked through our first Shred10. I really wasn't starving her, she was just being forced to eat fruits and vegetables instead of fruit snacks and candy. And yes I have to admit that the first few days were very difficult. Trying to figure out snacks getting used and no caffeine, but after that, things began to perk up.  

Fast forward three months, I'm gearing up for my fourth Shred10!  My first Shred was a game changer.  After years of diets and detoxes, I've finally found a plan that works.  Despite its restrictive nature, Shred10 is far from that.  Some things like caffeine and alcohol need to be eliminated in order to completely detoxify our bodies, others like gluten and dairy we cut out because they cause inflammation throughout our bodies.  That's the hard part!  

It's time to get a little creative.  You CAN have snacks, you CAN eat a normal dinner.  Just choose wisely!  Raw cut veggies, whole fruits, and hard boiled eggs are the perfect answer to a rumbling belly.  Hummus and guacamole are great dips for your favorite veggies.  Mix dairy free yogurt with natural peanut butter for a delicious fruit dip.  Hit the bulk foods department at the local grocery store to create nutritious nut, seed, and dried fruit mixes for an on the go snack.  Become a label reader!  Some of our favorite "healthy" snacks aren't as healthy as you think once you familiarize yourself with what's actually on the ingredient list.

Three months have made some major positive changes to my health!  Yes, weight loss and more energy are awesome, but so is resetting my body to crave brussel sprouts over brownies.  Don't get me wrong, I still love a good gluten free chocolate chip cookie.  But my tastes have changed to crave whole foods over anything from a factory.  

Hopefully, my experiences will make you want to make a change too!

Wasting Time

I have spent the last hour plus sipping decaf, chatting with a friend via Facebook Messenger about her new litter of pups and cleaning out my email. This slow paced, stress-free time feels like a guilty pleasure with my massive to do list filled with in home work and running around outside of the house yet to do.  I should have gotten hubby's lunch ready for today, feed the outdoor critters, and gotten ready to head to the gym for today's round of FORTitude training.  But sitting down quietly reading emails I'd ignore and unsubscribing to the ones I'm tired of deleting has been a peaceful exercise in my fast passed day.  

I've been going 100 miles an hour lately and it's taking its toll.  I'm feeling irritable, exhausted and plain burnt out.  Unfortunately, when this happens my family takes the brunt of my mommy madness.  There are only a couple of weeks until school starts I'd like like to take advantage of this time.  Yes, life is busy and messy right now.  I need to enjoy these quiet times to give myself a mental break and fill my cup.  I'm not going to be any good to my loved ones around me unless I put on my oxygen mask first.  

Today, take time for yourself.  Even for 5 minutes!  Play that dumb game on your phone you love so much, rock out to your favorite song, shut your eyes, do something that brings you peace so you can hit the ground running with a renewed energy.  Happy Tuesday!

Peace I Leave with You

I have a love, hate relationship with the internet.  I love the massive amounts of knowledge tucked into the zillions of websites available to me, I hate how it sucks me in to look at pallet ideas for hours on end on Pinterest.  Today, I'm loving it for the Biblical wisdom that is available to me.  I'm struggling with finding peace in my life.  So far, it's been a hectic summer with three teenage girls, me starting a new business and family life in general.  Peace right now is hard to come by when you put lots of unneeded stress and pressure on yourself.  

Peace or lack thereof was what propelled me out of bed a 0 dark thirty this morning.  I needed to let God breathe peace into my day.  Thank you, Jesus, thank you world wide web!!  Sitting with a steaming cup of decaf and my laptop, a few clicks later there it was, "30 Best Bible Verses About Peace."  Thank you, Bible Study Tools!  Word after word, verse after verse breathed life into my soul.  The frazzled feeling dissipated as Scripture filled me.   I am ready to tackle my day renewed, replenished, filled with peace.

Breathe peace into your day too:
  http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/peace-bible-verses/

Duh!!!!!

I love being outside enjoying the fresh air, puttering around my farm, wondering how I can actually make a living doing this.  I read books, search websites, listen to webinars.  I dream, I plan, I sell eggs which is enough income to feed the critters.  I wonder why my "business" is not successful.  I become horribly jealous of other local farmers who are actually making money from their farms.  Then it hit me yesterday while watching my, oh so fabulous LGD running down my driveway, having an I'm a farming failure pity party, that I am not successful because I'm not treating the farm as a business.  I'm not successful because I'm treating the farm like an expensive hobby.  I'm giving it 10% of my time and effort.  If it were truly my job I would treat at as such, give more energy to writing a business plan, more time to making farm improvements.  Instead, my days are spent doing what I think I should be doing to be a successful stay at home mom.  My farm is my job!  Mucking pens, improving fences, working on my goat breeding program, building pasture, adding more poultry, that should be my focus.  Duh!!!

Ever Evolving

Nature is ever changing, ever evolving, so is life.  My farming views have been changing as well.  Reading books about our food systems, farming, permaculture fill me with excitement.  There is nothing more enjoyable than cuddling a baby goat, burying my face into the fluff of a good LGD and seeing how excited the hens get when there is fresh bedding in their coop.  Heck, I even enjoy mucking pens and carrying hay bales.  

There is a new passion for farming bubbling deep within me.  I've been told my eggs are delicious.  This encouragement gives me drive to improve and increase my flock.  In the past few weeks, I've had families up to the Ranch to learn about the goats and chickens.  There was nothing more amazing than watching the joy on kid's faces as they got to snuggle a baby goat for the first time in a peaceful mountain setting.  All of this fuels the fire within.  I've contemplated giving everything up and becoming "normal" again.  But I can't, the fresh air, cool soil, fluffy critters are in my blood.  I see bountiful veggie gardens, plentiful eggs, and lots of milk. 

Time to get serious about my ranch, do my research, come up with a business plan, and turn my little dream into a money making enterprise.

The Little Engine That Couldn't

I think I can't, I think I can't, I think I can't!  I am filled with passions, dreams, desires.  They spin in my head filling my mind with endless possibilities and that's where they stay.  I'm gripped by a fear of failure, that the journey will be too difficult and I am too inadequate.  It's as if my dreams are bigger than my capabilities.  

A heart and a mind change are stirring deep within me.  I don't have to be perfect at everything, learning is one of my favorite parts of life.  This dream does not have to be realized overnight, it will take time and hard work.  Instead of thinking that things need to be done this very now, I need to develop a detailed plan to accomplish things as time, financial resources, and weather permits.  

I walk my land now looking at it through new eyes.  Incredibly positive feedback from friends and farm customers is spurring me on.  If I truly want to realize my crazy farm dream I need to remember the wise words of the Little Engine That Could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!"

There is Beauty in Treachery

An icy fog descended on Colorado last night bringing with it freezing drizzle making the morning commute a dance with disaster.  The traffic map on the news is lighting up like a Christmas tree with delays and accidents.  I headed outside to a magical fairy wonderland.  Every blade of grass, pine needle, stick, fence is covered in a delicate glaze of ice. 

Tiny, delicate crystals cover everything.  Fragile, ethereal, exquisitely beautiful creations littering the winter scape.

Despite the cold, I lingered outside soaking in the magic.  The sun has started to peek through the clouds, slowly melting away the magic.