parenting: give yourself credit, it is due

The worst critic is myself. I am awesome at pulling layers off myself, and then having to take the time to put them all back on again. It is exhausting, and it isn't a cool thing to do to yourself. I feel I have pulled back on being as hard on myself as I used to be. Sometimes all it takes is the simplest of things to give yourself a pat on the back.

Today I did just that. Smiled huge, as I looked through old images of my little people.

I have come a long way with being a single parent. My reward is two awesome, beautiful and inspiring little people. I don't think it would matter if I was a single parent or not. We are too hard on ourselves as parents. Maybe today, you too can give yourself a pat on the back.

They are happy, healthy and a reminder of just how perfect I am for them.

anxiety and my healthy gut

With all this wellness goodness being flipped around in our heads, you cannot help but stand up and allow it to become part of your life in one way or another. I made a decision that I needed to change. Not change too much, but change enough to be able to squish my anxiety, feel good about myself, and really go for the core of the issues, which ironically are in my gut.

Yes, I think with my heart, possibly too much in life, and I do use that head of mine too. However the force that drives me to be me is my gut. What I put in there, is what I will get out of it. The gut is the core to ones emotions, and if you were to know me, I am driven by my emotions. If I can put good stuff in, then one would only assume, I am going to get the best of me out of the food that I am eating.

In the past few weeks, and even years, I have experimented with cleansing, and starting all over again. Cleaning the core out, and rebuilding it. Although, before I know it, I am rebuilding and then adding things I truly should not be adding. It becomes that cycle, and easily driven from that first moment you go out for dinner, or you eat at a friend's house, and lifestyle changes from unexpected events. I am not a bad eater at all. I think that is why it is easy for me to get back into clean and sugar free eating. It now just needs to become a lifestyle change, with no guilt for having a meal out with friends. 

And no change to the anxiety levels.....

That is the part I am working on. I must be doing something right as I haven't had any anxiety for the past 6 weeks, except yesterday grabbed me by the chest and had a good hard squeeze of my chest. It was soon squished with a natural remedy my awesome friend had sent me. {It is an experiment that I will keep going with. There has to be a reason why it is back. And a part of me knows what it is}.

I am not sure if I am truly "sugar free" at the moment. More like a caveman in new age living. I have gone old school with my eating, and I am not scared if the opportunity arises to have a little treat amongst friends. I have also really pushed myself to put a lot of this onto my children. I guess when you are at home and have no choice to be here, you have the time to nut over some new eating plans for the whole family. It is more the lunchbox saga! {Insert some suspense music right now}

Last night I baked banana muffins, boiled some eggs for lunch boxes, and made homemade chicken nuggets for their dinner last night. No more packets of convenient crap. {Famous last words, however one can only try}. And succeed. Not only was it practical and easy, it was also great to spend that time I remember spending with Keely when she was younger. Sometimes we get caught up in the rat race of work and school drop off routine, we forget how awesome it is to bake and cook with our little people.

Happy baking and cooking…. would love any awesome meal ideas! Plus any anxiety busters when it comes to what you put in your mouth.



At the end of this week, I am back to the surgeon. A long recovery process will go to the next level, where I can only hope I start walking on it again.