2012…Though not meaning to whatsoever, this year seems to be the year for changes…or maybe just experiments as I do not know yet if I’ll keep these things I’ve been up to for good.
Here’s a peek at some of the things I’ve been learning about and trying out.
BABY LED WEANING: I heard about this when Pearl was an infant and was intrigued. To sum it up, rather than beginning your 6 month old (or whatever age they are ready to be introduced new foods to) on baby food puree’s…you give them whole foods that are softened by cooking, roasting, or steaming them. Pearl’s first meal was broccoli florets and baby carrots steamed. Rather than the baby learning to swallow first, which is what they do when being spoon fed a mashed up food, they first learn to chew and gnaw on food, then learn to swallow next. Since their gag reflex is so far forward in their mouth, their is very little chance on choking. Though in the beginning, it was pretty frightening watching her put these bits of food in her mouth…it was very amazing to watch her learn so quickly how to actually eat it and swallow! This has been a fun learning experience with little Pearl.
OIL CLEANSING METHOD: Over the years I have been trying to figure out what is the best product (in my price range) to take care of my skin. I have struggled with break outs since my teenage years, really hoping that as an adult it would pass…but it never did! The past few years I have really been searching alternative ways to take care of my skin and heal itself and think I have finally found the answer! Though it takes on a few different forms. In regards to cleaning it, I have found this method (also known as OCM). The jist of it is that as water does not dissolve, or clean off water, and soaps or cleansers can strip the natural oils in your skin, making you possibly over produce oil, then cause more breakouts. With the OCM, you actually use oil to clean AND moisturize your skin! I use a mixture of castor oil (which pulls out impurities) and sunflower oil which I put on my skin at night, then with a hot wet towel I drape over my face to let it steam my skin, open up the pores to pull out the impurities. I do this twice, the gently wipe the rest of the oil off with the hot towel, which also helps to exfoliate the skin. Then I’m done! No moisturizer is needed after as it has already been moisturized during that process. In the morning I just gently wipe my face with a warm wash cloth and that’s it. Since starting this, my skin has felt and looked better than it has in years. I am really excited about it, and especially that it is natural and super affordable! I even had my teenage daughter start this cleansing routine and her skin has cleared up as well.
NO POO SHAMPOO: I had heard of this years ago, but was never willing to try it, until last month. Kind of has the same idea as the OCM, where the chemicals and soap from shampoo’s will strip out the natural oils in your hair, thus causing your hair to over produce oil so that you have to wash it more. I used to wash my (very long) hair about once a week…though it would normally get oily by day four. Since I cover my hair most of the time, I was able to hide it though! Since starting this method, my hair is not beginning to look oily until day six or seven. Thankfully there is a solution to the in between time…that is where I can wash my hair with baking soda and water (which cleans and gets the oil out), and then I do an apple cider vinegar rinse to help with the tangles. From what I’ve read about this method, it should come to a point where I will not have oily hair at all…supposedly takes between four to eight weeks. I’m currently on week four and it does seem to be taking longer for it to get oily. I still see myself washing it with something as I go, but I don’t think I’ll be using shampoo anymore. I’ve also seen it work with my teenage daughter (who yes, I enlisted to try this as well) whose hair would need a good washing every other day…but is now about to go to day four without it. For those of us with long hair, where it takes such a long time to wash in the first place, this is a great thing!
VEGAN DIET: Or rather more of a whole food, plant based diet, as you can be a vegan and still be eating horribly. I started this after Thanksgiving after reading “The Hallelujah Diet” and watching “Forks Over Knives”. Mainly as a way to help cleanse my system without having to do a full cleanse since I am nursing still. I have been amazed at how much I love eating this way! The first thing I noticed when switching was the spike in energy I received. All of a sudden, I quit experiencing that middle of the day drag where all I could think of was taking a nap. And the 7pm bedtime that in the past I would have chosen if I had the option to was no longer appealing. I’m alert, awake and feeling energized all the way until I lay my head on my pillow at night, then fall asleep very easily. The next thing that I noticed was my milk supply increased…this really surprised me as I was nervous about it affecting my supply negatively. Pearl continued to gain weight as well, which tells me my milk was still fatty enough. My skin also improved during this time (unless I cheated, like during Christmas and then received a bad break out the next week!). The end of this month will be the official end of this diet, but I believe once I introduce animal products back in, it will be at a much smaller rate. I plan to keep my diet around 90% veggies, fruits, legumes, grains, oils, and then 10% animal products, sugar or processed foods. I think it will play out with me continuing to cook the way I’ve been cooking during the week…then on the weekends, when my grilling hubby grills his amazing meats, I will not deprive myself from them! This seems like a good balance to me, but of course, I’m willing to change it whichever way if my body likes one way over the other. So we will see?
Well, that’s it for now. Now that I have a keyboard to type with for my iPad, I’m hoping to write more here, as during the day it is just too hard to find the time to do so on the computer! To those of my blog friends out there, I apologize if I never comment…but it is just due to the fact that I’m reading most of the time on this handy dandy iPad, and it makes it a pain to comment. It truly drives me crazy as I always want to say something or ask a question, but I haven’t figured out how to make it more user friendly in that area.
Bless you friends!
