One Week Down; Three Weeks to Go

Happy Monday! With only three Mondays left in the school year, I am one happy girl. 

But today, I'm here to talk about my Whole 30 adventure. 

First, let's talk about the response from my friends and family. 

Basically, I can roll up all of the responses into two general comments: 

1. You're doing WHAT? What are you going to eat? How can you live off of that? Are you CRAZY? 

and

2. How awesome! I want to do it too!

Before you get mad at my friends who fall into the #1 category, let me take up for them for just a second. I meant what I said when I told you I eat like a teenage boy. My best friend Kara literally said, "Where's my best friend and what have you done with her?" when she found out. And considering I don't eat any vegetables except for green beans and fried okra (it counts, okay. Back off. Please), they are totally justified in this response. It is a bit extreme, which is partly why I like it. The more extreme, the more accomplished I feel when it's all over. 

Btw, Kara called me yesterday for all of the specifics; she's thinking of starting Whole30 with a friend from work. You can do it, Kara. Just say no to Sour Patch Kids and Diet Dr. Pepper and you got this. 

The good news is: week one is officially over. I've heard it's the hardest week. Let's hope so because Tuesday's headache was a force to be reckoned with. I do feel much, much better and am now having very few cravings. And while I'm in no way doing this for weight loss, I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't be AWE-SOME, and I swear my clothes are looser already. 

My favorite I ate last week:

this here smoothie. 

Super easy. Super quick. 

Three ingredients. 

Just mix one and half frozen bananas, one to one and a half cups of strawberries (frozen or fresh), and 3/4 a cup (or so depending on how many strawberries-- you just want enough to add some liquid to help it blend) fresh squeezed or no sugar added orange juice. Easy peasy and fab-u-lo-so. 

Here's hoping your week is off to a great start and that my will power keeps on trucking for the next twenty-two days. 

Little Fishy

Just stopping by to document the first magical summer-like moment of 2012: the first swim of the year. 

It was wonderful. 

Here's hoping it set the stage for summer 2012. 

So Much Alike and Yet So Not At All

My kiddos are as different as night and day. 

Libby is loud and excited and knows what she wants. 

Hollyn is meek and silly and as patient as can be. 

And yet, when I look at these two photos in which they are about the same age, I can't help but think about they are both alike in the fact that they make me so darn happy, make every day an adventure, and make me one proud mom. 

And yes, I'm still alive after starting the Whole 30. 

Four days down and here's what I can report: 

Day one was exciting. I ignored how tired and grumpy I was because I was a girl on a mission. 

Day two was for the dogs. I had one of the worst headaches I've ever had and went to bed at 8:30. Booooooooo on Day 2. 

Days 3 and 4 are much, much better, thankfully. No more headache (yay!), and I'm really not hungry at all. I think my body is starting to adjust,  and I'm starting to get creative with food that includes no sugar of any kind and no grains of any kind. Not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I'm staying focused.

Keep the encouragement coming. 

Happy Thursday to you and you and you!

Oh, and today I'm linking up with my favorite blogger. You should join me; all the cool kids are doin' it. 

Last Meal and Testament

First things first. I have two winners to announce. 

Congrats to JANE and KATHERINE ELIZABETH!

Jane, you won the red shirt, and Katherine Elizabeth, you won the white shirt! 

Please send me an e-mail with the design you'd like, your shirt size, and your mailing address. 

You can reach me at mccallald@yahoo.com. 

And if I don't hear from you by Friday, I'll draw a new winner, so don't drag your tootsies! :) 

And now, let's take about my latest endeavor. 

I am a girl who loves a challenge. 

Apparently, I am also a girl who loves sugar detox headaches, because starting Monday, I am partaking in the WHOLE 30. 

What is the Whole 30, you ask? 

Well, you may want to ask me again next week, because today I'll tell that it's pure torture. 

But, really it's more like an eating program designed to detox your body of the bad stuff as you fill it with the good stuff. And it lasts for thirty days. It's supposed to help you rethink eating and establish new habits while also getting rid of the bad stuff. 

By "bad" stuff, I mean:

-no sugar or sugar substitutes of any kind except for the natural sugar found in fruit. (Have you tried shopping for things that don't contain sugar? Good luck. I now believe that EVERYTHING contains sugar. Boo on this.)

-no grains. That means no bread. Bread in my house is a food group all its own. No bread=no fun for me.

-no beans except for green beans. I DO like green beans, so this one I'm OK with...

-no dairy. Not a huge problem for me seeing as how I'm allergic to milk protein. I know, it's terribly nerdy and inconvenient. But, for the first time in my life, it's coming in handy; I can't miss the dairy that I'm already used to not eating. 

-no alcohol. Also not a problem for me. 

-no peanuts. No soy. No white potatoes or rice. 

So, basically this means I can eat the following: 

-meat (except for prepackaged meats that are sitting in a sugar preservative bath. Told you sugar is in everything. I spent fifteen minutes reading the ingredients of every package of bacon the other day trying to find some not soaked in sugar. No such luck.) And no ketchup or barbecue sauce or honey mustard, all of which hold a special place in my heart.

-veggies. No sauce or dressing though. (Not a huge help for me....do NOT make fun, but I really don't eat a lot of vegetables. It's shameful, I know.)

-fruit. This one I can handle. I like smoothies, and I like fruit. However, I can't live off fruit for the next thirty days..... I'm also not supposed to drink fruit juice but can use it as a sweetener. 

-nuts. Almonds and cashews. Again, I like them, but three days in and they are already getting old. 

-Unsweetened almond milk. I use it in my smoothies. 

-eggs. Well, I can't actually eat eggs. I'm allergic to egg protein. Terrible, I know. But if you do Whole 30, YOU can eat eggs. Enjoy them for the the both of us, OK? 

-coffee. Again, I won't be drinking coffee. I can't bring myself to drink it black. This is huge for me, BTW. I will surely miss my cup o' Joe every day during fourth period. 

If you're still here after reading that, it means you: 

A.) Think I'm crazy and want to hear more from the crazy lady who is saying no to chocolate, bread, ketchup, and coffee for the next month. 

B.) Think I'm noble and brave. (Although let me say I didn't feel so brave when I was drooling over the Pizza Hut commercial last night...)

C.) Are simply curious and want to see if I actually survive. (That makes two of us, BTW.)

D.) All of the above. 

If you know me  in real life you know that my eating habits closely resemble those of a college kid. Seriously, it's bad. And very un-grown-up like. And while I think it's OK to not grow up in some ways, good eating habits are not one of those areas. So, this is me trying to make a positive change in my life. 

I promise to keep you posted. 

Until then, I'll be dreaming about my last meal, the one I enjoyed Sunday night which consisted of stuffed crust pizza, a large fountain Coke from Sonic, M&M's, and homemade cookies. I went all out. 

Three days down; twenty-seven days to go. 

Prayers for self-control are greatly appreciated. 

And if you didn't win my giveaway, don't be discouraged; I have another one coming up next week. 

It's a good one. 

Get excited. 

And in case you're wondering where I came up with semi-crazy idea, well you can thank one of my favorite bloggers for inspiring me to take this food adventure. Emily, thanks for being an awesome role model. Let's hope I can be as focused and creative as you have been! And you're right. The banana ice cream is the bomber.comer.

This Weekend

Lazy weekends are my favorite, and in that department, this weekend did not disappoint. 

We played pretend.

Stared at Hollyn's baby blues. 

Finally started reading this book. 

Drank several cups of the good stuff. 

Tried to keep Libby out of the Easter candy. 

Abused some poor, naked Barbies. 

Went back to the doctor for a follow-up visit. 

(All is well, by the way.)

And took a little detour back to the E.R. last night. This time it was me and the hubby. He got into a fight with a stick in the backyard. The stick played dirty and poked him the eye, tearing his cornea in two places. Dirty, rotten stick; go live somewhere else....or better yet, become someone's firewood. 

Not cool, stick. Not cool. 

I hope your weekend was low-key and stick-free. 

And before you go, have you entered to win one of the shirts I'm giving away? 

The giveaway ends tonight. 

Go here for more details. 

Remember, the winner chooses what color and design she wants. 

Personally, I'm loving this red one. 

Happy weekend-ing to you and you and you. 

And if you want to see more of my pics on Instagram, you can find me there at leemeandthegirls or on Twitter at mccallald12. 

Who wants an Africa Shirt? GIVEAWAY!

Well hello there. I must say that I feel like a completely different person than I did in my last post. It's amazing what a shower and a night in my own bed can do for me. Thanks to all of you have asked about Hollyn. She's still pretty sick, but we are working on it. Please continue to pray for her recovery. And while I'm home today forcing her to sit still long enough for her breathing treatments, how about a giveaway? Yes? Good. This one is special. 

Bloggers, meet my friend Dianna. 

We met at Created for Care when we were seated at the same table for dinner. And she is WONDERFUL. Seriously, I don't that I know someone more genuine and loving and patient. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed getting to know her and to hear her sweet story. After struggling with infertility (and all of the heartache that comes with it), Dianna and her husband are preparing to bring home their SON from Ethiopia! There are currently #28 on the wait list and are aching to have him in their arms. You know how sometimes you meet someone and think, "She will be an amazing mom one day"? Please tell me I'm not the only person who thinks that sometimes....Anyway, she is one of those people. I can't wait to watch her story unfold and to see her son's sweet face. 

In the meantime, while they continue to wait, Dianna wants to give ONE of these to TWO of you: 

These are her fundraising shirts that she's selling on her blog. She actually gave me one at Created for Care-- the one right to the left. And it is seriously one of the softest, most comfortable shirts I've ever owned. I LOVE it and would probably wear it every other day if that were socially acceptable...or if I did laundry that often. 

Dianna wants to give one white and one red shirt away. You can choose which of the three designs you want on your shirt and your size (of course). I'll simply choose a red shirt winner and a white shirt winner and then we can work out the details. 

Here's how you can enter (you can do one or all-- your choice): 

1. Visit Dianna's blog. You'll notice it's new. And she needs some followers. Follow her and come back here and leave a comment saying you did. Plus, by following you'll have a front row seat as her story with her son unfolds. You know you don't want to miss it.

2. Leave her a comment on her blog encouraging her during this time of waiting. I know how hard it was for me to wait for a date I'd had marked on my calendar for months while waiting for the birth of my girls...imagine waiting indefinitely. Once you'd left some happy thoughts on her blog, come back here and tell me that you did so. 

3. Follow my blog or remind me that you already do. 

That's it. Easy peasy. Just please leave a SEPARATE comment for each way you enter, please. 

I'll have Libby choose a winner on Sunday, April 22. 

And if you don't win or want one in each color, you can order them from Dianna. 

Just check out her blog for  details. 

Here's hoping your Thursday is the best one yet. 

The commenting may now commence. 

I Thought We'd Be Home in an Hour

So the other day I talked about how awesome March was and told April that if it wanted to top last month, it had some serious work to do. Apparently, April could care less about being better than last month and instead took my challenge and threw it back in my face.

 April, we are so not friends. 

Here's the skinny: 

Saturday afternoon I came home after being gone for the day working on some things for an upcoming Christian retreat I'll be working. And by the time I got home, Hollyn's breathing was concerning to say the least. Lots of constant, dry coughing followed by short, shallow breathing. This is one of my least favorite parts of being a Mom, the whole 'my baby is sick but I'm not sure how sick'. Is she 'emergency room sick' or 'lay low and wait it out sick' or 'wait until tomorrow and try to find a clinic that's open on Sundays' sick? We went to bed in my bed together (which we NEVER do) at about 8:30. A few hours and lots of non-sleeping later, Lee and I decided that she clearly wasn't getting better and needed to go to the emergency room. So I headed out with her while Lee stayed home with Libby. Note: Barring fire or natural disaster, we DO NOT wake up Libby. Getting her to go to sleep is all but an act of Congress, so the thought of waking her up is just non optional. Plus, I was SURE that we'd go to the ER, they'd all but laugh at me because this clearly was NOT an emergency, give us a breathing treatment, and we'd be home in an hour or so. 

Yeah, so I was wrong.

After four and half hours in the ER, three failed IV attempts, one shot in the hip, two oral doses of medicine, and a blood drawing, Hollyn was admitted to our local hospital and diagnosed with bronchialitis, not to be confused with bronchitis. (Actually, the differences are very minute-- basically both are scary and the risks of pneumonia are lingering close by with both.)

I've been a mom for seven and a half years, and thankfully, until now I've never had a child spend the night in the hospital, other than the few short days we spent there following each of their births. After spending the past three days and three nights there with Hollyn, let me just say that I don't think I've ever felt more like a mom than I did while hunkered down with Hollyn in the hospital bed. 

There is just something so humbling about watching your child struggle to breathe. It's hard and scary and exhausting. But the whole time I found comfort in the fact that it could be so, so, so much worse. 

And although our night in the oxygen tent felt like what I'd imagine it would be like to sleep outside in the Amazon when there's a cool breeze in the air, overall I am just thankful for good doctors and modern medicine and a very helpful big sister and one cooperative baby girl. And words like 'oxygen level' and 'raised white blood cells' and 'croup tent' are words I'd like to permanently remove from my vocabulary.

But if you want to make me feel loved and show me how much you care, I've realized that it takes nothing more than being concerned about my kiddo to do just that. My friends completely rose to the occasion, and I am one loved mom with one very loved little girl, who happens to be very, very, very excited to be home.....even if 'home' for the next few days will consist of breathing treatments, watching her like a hawk, and camping out inside. We are so blessed and so thankful for a quick recovery for our little one. And to all those moms out there who are living in and out of hospital rooms with their little ones, my heart goes out to you now like it never has before.

Here's hoping your April is showing my April who's boss.