12

Twelve years ago, we did this:

Somewhere along the way, he gave me them:

These last 12 years have been some of the best times of my life!

Seriously, I love this man more than he will ever know.  He inspires me to be better every day.

Happy Anniversary, Babe.

The Peach is 3

What?  You are 3?  I know that this is my reality, but seriously.  Three?  This blows my mind.  In one year, sweet little Peach, you went from attempting one word phrases to speaking in full sentences.  This growth, alone, astounds me.  You are rockin' it on a daily basis and I couldn't be more proud.

Today, on your 3rd birthday, I would like to share some things that we are loving about you these days.

You like to call your brother, "Elster."  No one else does.  You came up with that all on your own.  And I love it.
You love shiny and pretty things.  Necklaces, bracelets, rings, pretty much anything that sparkles.  As long as it is mine.  You like to wear my things, not your own.
You love your squirt bottle.  With that and a rag, no dirty surface is safe.  You will clean it and anything else you can squirt.
You LOVE spending the night at your Amee's house.  When I ask if you want to go, you promptly say, "Two nights?"  You would move in if you could.
You are still an amazing sleeper.  When you wake up in the morning and from your naps you wait quietly in your room until I came to get you.  You even knocked on the inside of your door once.  I tell you all of the time you can come out when you are ready, but you still wait.
I love watching you play with your dolls.  You feed them and talk to them.  I also love it when you bring out all of your "hairdressing toys" and do the dog's hair.  Jane loves that.
You love to go outside and ride your scooter.  I am pretty sure you could do that all day long.
I love how much you love your brothers.  As soon as you wake up you ask where they are.  You really enjoy walking down to get them from the bus.  You always give them hugs.  Also, when it comes to your brothers, you HATE it when they lock you out of your room.  You always use the same excuse to get back in, "I need my guy!"  Your "guy" is any Lego Dude.
You love to go out to lunch.  You think that is special and fancy.  And I love taking you.
You currently can't say words that begin with "S" and some of the words you say are really funny.  I know you will figure all of that out soon.
You are still very much quiet and reserved when it comes to new situations.  You like to get your feet wet and see what it is all about before you open up.
You recently were introduced to bouncy houses and you think those are the bee's knees.
For being 3, you have an amazing grasp on how an iPad and an iPhone work.  You can navigate to exactly what you want, every time.  You are exceptionally good at taking pictures.  And watching "my Mickey" and "my Doc McStuffins."
You have figured out that if you screech real loud and kind of throw a fit, your brothers will give you anything you want.  They hate it.  I kinda think it is awesome.
You love all food.  Especially blue cheese.  And you always try any fermented food I make and you always love it.
You like having your hair curled.  My favorite part is when you look at yourself in the mirror.  You think you are pretty and it makes you smile.
You think I am really cool.  And it makes my heart sing.  I hope you always think I'm neat.  I know I will always think you are.

Happy Birthday, my girl.  Three will be a terrific year for you.  I just know it.

Song: You make me Happy by Lindsey Ray

And the award for most broken bones goes to...

The Peach!

A little tumble off of the couch led to a broken clavicle.  Poor little girl is in a bit of pain, but rest, lots and lots of homemade bone broth, and plenty of ibuprofen should have her feeling better in a week or so.  She really is a trooper and it hasn't slowed her down too much.  

She is currently leading the pack with the most broken bones in childhood - 2.  Remember the broken wrist?  E has broken his foot, and B has all of his bones in tact.  Hopefully this is the end of broken bones in the house - but probably not.

**On a side note, I seriously don't know what my problem is.  I have totally neglected this space and I really shouldn't.  I love going back and reading what we have been up to.  Honestly, I have been lazy.  Lazy and busy.  I have tons of great pictures from our trip to Yellowstone that I had planned on editing and then writing a great post.  Honestly, there are so many pictures, I am thinking about just throwing them up here.  I need to get back to this place.  I like it here.  This is my plan.  Ask me in a week how I am doing.**

Time for School!

I can't believe that school has started already.  I also can't believe how terrible I am at updating this blog.  The kids got out of school May 18th, we went on a big vacation to Yellowstone, spent a lot of time in Pinetop, and now the kids are back in school.  I have a lot of catching up to do here, but first, back to school pictures.

E was super cute last night.  He laid out the clothes that he wanted to wear for his special day today.  I made both of them pose for pictures and in hindsight I should have had one of them together.  Tomorrow perhaps.  :)

The Peach insisted it was her turn after I finished with the boys.  She wasn't making her "smile face" so I snapped a few shots for prosperity.  She wasn't making a cute face either, but I worked with what I had.

I can't believe I have a third grader and a first grader!  Both boys were very excited to start in their new classrooms.  They were even more excited to take the bus home.  This year, since school starts an hour earlier, they are released during The Peach's nap.  

After school, we walked to meet the bus and we waited.  And waited.  It was hot.  The Peach was sweaty.  She told me so. 

Turns out the bus was about 20 minutes late.  As soon as the boys got off they informed me that they do not like riding the bus.  I guess the ride was too long and they missed the novelty of being picked up and coming right home.  

From what they told me it was a great first day.  E was ready to climb in bed at 7:15pm and he did.  He was asleep not long after that.  While both of them are glad to be back with friends, neither are too thrilled about homework.  Neither am I.  

Happy Back to School Day!!

Back to School for me!

Today I head back to school to complete the second portion of my human lactation education.  For the next five weeks I will have my nose buried in books learning all that I can about the ins and outs of breastfeeding.

While I am organizing everything to get done while I am away, like who will watch the kids, etc, I feel fortunate that I don't work full time.  Last night while I was getting organized, I found myself up late making sure everything was taken care of.  How do working mothers do it all?

I am pretty sure that all mothers are Type A in some way shape or form so it gets done.  Mothers are amazing.  Period.  And all of you working mothers out there?  You must be super heroes!

This is what half a cow looks like...

In my freezer.

Well, in my parent's freezer.  Thank heavens they had the cubic foot real estate because that is a lot of meat.  A lot.  My husband and I have been wanting to do this for a while and we figured that spring is a great time to go for it since the grass that the cows graze on is amazing right now.  So, there it is - 216 pounds of beef.  What I loved the most was speaking with the butcher.  She customized the cuts for me based on our needs.  We have a lot of ground beef, many roasts, and even round roasts prepped for jerky making!  I'm pumped.

I really enjoy knowing where my beef comes from.  I know that it was grass fed, enjoyed acres of grazing and sunshine, and this cow never saw a feed lot.  Half of this happy cow will hopefully feed my family for a long time.  I am thankful that I don't have to deal or worry about this stuff anymore.

For those interested in purchasing shares of beef in Arizona, check out this directory over at Eat Wild.  There are a lot of farmers out there!  My particular cow came from Double Check Ranch.  I know the farmer and hope to tour the ranch soon.

And so it begins

Little league season.

We just got the schedule and since E isn't playing this year (he prefers the monkey bars) the schedule isn't as insane.  Fortunately the games are during the week.  B has two games per week and most are at the reasonable hour of 5:30.  Yes, this requires picnic dinners, but it also allows for a normal bedtime.  He does have a few that are at 7pm.  My boys go to bed at 8, but The Peach is in bed by 7.  One of two things could happen: she will either crash and be cranky, or be SO excited she is up late that she will have the time of her life.  I will let you know.

For now I need to work on coming up with meal ideas so that we don't have PB & J's two times a week for dinner.  Hopefully I will come up with some nourishing meals that are easy to pack up.  Stay tuned for that post!

Play ball!!

He made it!

A week ago, my oldest son hopped on a plane headed for D.C.  And I wasn't with him.  My parents want to take each of their grandchildren to Washington D.C. when they turn 8.  Being the oldest grandchild, B was the first to go on this adventure.  I have to admit, when they mentioned this idea to me, I got a little queasy thinking of my child being so far away from me.  But, as time passed, I started to realize what an awesome opportunity this would be for him.  Not only would he get to experience such an amazing city full of history, he would also get to spend some quality time with his grandparents.  All by himself.

It felt weird dropping him off at the airport.  Besides the slight jealousy I felt, I also felt like part of me was missing.  Our home just didn't feel quite right.  He was definitely missed.  Fortunately, my parents texted me pictures of all of their adventures.  My favorite was a picture of him dressed in khakis and a sports coat in line for a tour of the White House.  He wanted to look spiffy just in case he had the opportunity to meet the Pres.

I sent along my point and shoot camera so that he could document his trip.  Here is D.C. from the perspective of an eight year old:

$1,000,000 in $10 bills.

And my personal favorite:

He really had a great time.  My parents loved every second of their trip with him.  And now he is home, where he should be.  E really missed his playmate, but confessed to me over dinner the other night that he "is happy that B isn't here to yell at him all of the time."  I do have to agree, sibling wise, it was VERY peaceful here.

Now, spring break is coming to a close and we are all pretty bummed about it.  B is suffering through some post-vacation doldrums, E is getting used to being bossed around again, and I am not looking forward to being a homework nazi.  Oh well.  Life goes on!

Two more months until summer vacation!!!

Building Legos

So, you all know how much my kids enjoy building Legos.  As their collection continues to grow, I have noticed that my younger son prefers to build and my older son prefers to play with the built toy.  I would have thought the roles would be reversed but it is what it is.  Anyway, I got E the Lego game Creationary for his birthday.  Imagine Pictionary, but with Legos.  It is awesome.

On the side of the box are pictures of things that can be built using the pieces in the box.  E has built every single one, just by looking at it.  Since we are on spring break, I thought it would be awesome if I could find pictures online and just print up a bunch.  That would keep him busy while I try to finish the second book in The Hunger Games series.

I stumbled upon the build section of the Club Lego website and I hit a gold mine.  There are a bunch of ideas, WITH INSTRUCTIONS, to print out.  E's eyes nearly popped out of his head.  Thank you, internet.

Now the only problem is finding those specific Legos in our bin that holds close to 500,000 Legos.  He wants my help.  I guess my book will have to wait for now.

Blech

Being a sick mommy sucks.  Even more so when the kind of "sick" is the vomit kind.  TMI?  Sorry.

It is even more sad when the sweet little Peach gets it and is up until 1am looking at me with sad and confused eyes.  Barfing really is no fun.

I am just glad we didn't have it at the SAME TIME!

Anyway, please excuse my poor post.  I just don't have it in me today.

Number 2 is SIX!!!

Song: If the Stars were mine by Melody Gardot

You are six years old.  All week long you have been asking me how many more days you have to wait until it is your birthday. You absolutely love it when the spotlight is shining on you and today I plan on making your special day simply amazing.  Here are some things that I am loving about you lately:

You just started piano lessons and while practicing may not be your favorite thing to do, you LOVE your lesson and now that you have mastered a song, I hear you playing it over and over again.
Kindergarten has been such a fun experience for you.  You really enjoy your awesome teacher, you get super excited about special days (like Rodeo Day) and your teacher tells me that you are constantly making her laugh.  You are a true joy to have in that class.  And that class is very lucky to have you!
You make friends easily at school as you pretty much play with everyone.  When I ask you if you want to have a friend over, you always have a hard time picking just one.
You love building Legos.  If you had the choice of playing with the built toy or building the toy, you would build it every time.  Your brother even let you build his some of his Lego sets that he got for his birthday!
You love to make people laugh, and you love to laugh!  You love to act silly and be funny.  You bring so much joy to our home.
You are my little home body.  You love to be at home and be with me.  And I think this is just the sweetest thing and I love that you love to be home.  In fact, when you learned that when you go to college you will live there, you started crying and said, "Why would anyone want to do that??"
You are my little tickle bug.  You love soft tickles on your arms and when we cuddle you always say, "Soft tickles, please."  You most definitely get this trait from me and sometimes you are nice enough to tickle my arms, too.
You still love your blanket, and while I know if you give it up you may stop sucking your thumb, when you cuddle your blanket you remind me that you are still my baby boy.

Don't grow up too fast, buddy.  I am loving this stage of your life and I am so excited for your future.  You are such a kind and loving child and you most definitely make this world a better place.

Happy sixth birthday!  I hope it is the best, yet!

ADD on the Brain

Our story begins with an extremely bright five year old just entering Kindergarten.  In the interest of keeping this relatively brief, I will sum up the last 3 years of our oldest son's experience.  After prompting from B's Kindergarten teacher we had him evaluated by the good people at Beljan Psychological Services.  The results diagnosed him provisionally with ADD (since his results were inconsistent) and giftedness.  Since we were not ready to jump on the medication highway to treat his "possible" ADD, we followed the Doctor's behavior modification suggestions.  Unfortunately, the private school that B was attending was not able to help B be successful.  They could not adjust the course work to make it more challenging for him and they didn't really seem to have the desire to help our son in any way.  In hindsight, we should have pulled him out of there at Christmas.  But we didn't.  We knew his school was not a good fit for him and went searching for a new one.  Parental lesson learned: look at MANY schools before deciding on one.  I was certain that this private school was going to be an amazing fit for us.  It wasn't.

B went into first grade with a bit of trepidation.  However, we were pretty confident that he was in the right spot.  He was placed in the gifted cluster classroom and his teacher did amazing things that year to heal his bruised self esteem.  That teacher was nothing short of a miracle for B.  In fact, B sobbed the first few nights of summer vacation because he was so sad she wasn't going to be his teacher in second grade.  He still had his issues with completing work, but the teacher made it work.

Now B is in second grade.  He is still in the gifted cluster classroom and, again, he has an amazing teacher.  In August I read an article about using neurofeedback to treat ADD.  I decided to call the doctor that was interviewed to see if B would be a good candidate.  Since he was never formally diagnosed with ADD, I wanted to make sure that he could help my son before investing the time and money.  For a month, I read books and scoured the internet for information about neurofeedback therapy.  In October, we took B in to have his brain mapped.  His map didn't present as a typical ADD brain.  Of course it didn't.  However, it did confirm his anxiety, his antsy-ness, and his inability to calm down.  We started treatment immediately.  We have completed 20+ sessions and while we have seen good results regarding his anxiety, his school performance has taken a nose dive.  He is simply not doing his work.  He is totally unable to attend and instead he will self-stimulate by fidgeting and getting out of his seat.

This past weekend we took B in to have his brain mapped again.  This time the map showed improvement in the areas that the doctor had been targeting.  He also said that his map is more typical of an ADD brain.  I guess he isn't producing fast enough waves in the front of his brain and this is contributing to his inability to focus.  We now have a new plan of action and I am hopeful that this will help him in school.  I also do want to say that he has an AMAZING team behind him at his school.  They informed us that they have a big bag of tricks and will be constantly brainstorming ways to help B be successful.  I worry about Mr. B daily, and his team at school has made this a lot easier.

I typically don't talk about B's challenges, but I wanted to share information regarding Neurofeedback therapy as treatment for ADD.  Medication may be in B's future, but we wanted to try everything else first.  Between his diet, behavior modification systems, life skill acquisition, and neurofeedback I am hopeful that B's brain can heal and be trained to perform as it should.  Neurofeedback therapy is not an option that is discussed much in the doctor's office, if at all, and it should be.  I just wanted to share that there are other options out there.

As a parent of a gifted child, who also has ADD, I have had a hard time finding a community of parents with children in the same boat as B.  So, I am sharing this because I want to reach out to those of you who do struggle with this on a daily basis.  It can be challenging, and frustrating, and heart breaking to no end.  You aren't alone.

A Tasty Snack for Kids

I love making my very own version of the Larabar for my kids.  Dried fruit and nuts.  The combinations are endless and they pack a nutritional punch!  I thought I would share my favorite variations as they both have me making extra so that I can have some!

The Cinnamon Bar:

Grind together 1 cup of almonds and 3/4 cup of cashews.  Then add in 1 1/2 cup dates and 3/4 cup raisins.  Pulse in 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a little (about a tablespoon) coconut oil to help it stick together.  Press the mixture into an 8x8 square pan and pop it in the fridge.  When it is nice and firm you can cut it into bars, wrap it in foil and store in the fridge.  (Note: I have made these both with and without the coconut oil and both times they stuck together just fine).

The Tropical Bar:

Grind together 3/4 cup almonds and 1/4 cup cashews.  Then add in 1 1/2 cup dates, 1 cup dried pineapple and 1 cup coconut.  Pulse in 3 to 6 teaspoons of coconut oil and 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.  You might try adding some dried orange peel too, that might be delightful!  Anyway, press into an 8x8 pan and chill until firm.  Slice into bars, wrap in foil, and store in the fridge.

I always line my pan with a sheet of parchment.  That makes it MUCH easier to remove the bars.

Enjoy this perfect healthy snack!!  Unless you are allergic to nuts of course.

PS - I apologize for the lack of a picture in this post.  A picture probably would have been nice.  Unfortunately, all of my bars that I made recently have been devoured.

A Recharge

I was here this past weekend.  Del Mar.  And it was the perfect place for me to recharge and fill my patience pools I mentioned last week.

My best girlfriend and I have decided to make it a priority to travel together once a year.  This year we started simple.  No sightseeing.  Just relaxing.  And we did that.  We did lots of it.  I read an entire book!  In two days!  I NEVER have time to do that.  It was perfect.

I also need to give out some mad props to my husband who made it seem like everything was going smoothly and happily at home.  I never felt bad for leaving once.  And that is big for me.  I usually have guilt and feel the need to rush home as soon as humanly possible.

So now I am home, I got to snuggle with all of my kids and now I am ready for the week ahead.  My pools are filled, kids!  Bring it on!

Patience

This is how I am working on this post this morning.  For some reason she is extra needy, and that is okay.  I will cuddle her all she wants because someday she won't want me to.

*Like my messy toy cabinet?  At least I have a GIANT cup of coffee, right?*

Sometimes when I go to dip into my pool of patience, I find that it is empty.  And I really needed a full pool this morning.  On one hand, I kind of did it to myself.  I didn't have my grocery list prepared, I chose to sleep in a little, and I didn't do some cleaning that should have been done the night before.  As a result, I was a little rushed.  But, on the other hand, the boys do the same thing each morning before school.  They get dressed, make their beds, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, get their shoes on and mark off their jobs.  No surprises here.  So, it is a bit frustrating when I have to keep reminding and telling them what to do.  It is frustrating when E tells me that he needs help with his shoes when we are loading up the car to go to school.  What was he doing for the last half hour?

Nagging the boys each morning is an inevitable part of my routine.  What makes it even more fun is when The Peach starts screaming for no good reason.  Well, I am sure that it is a VERY good reason to her, but I can't ever seem to figure it out.  So, needless to say, I needed a full patience pool this morning, but it was empty.

I have been thinking about why it was empty and I can't come up with a very good reason.  I had a fantastic day yesterday that was, for the most part, kid free.  I should have had a pool brimming with patience.  I have been a parent for eight years.  I would think that I would have this patience gig down pat by now.  But I don't.  I am certainly better than I used to be.  My blood used to boil when the boys would start fighting and screaming.  Now it doesn't really phase me that much.

I wonder if any parent has complete calm when their kids are losing it, or not listening, or being rude, or fighting with a sibling.  If there is a parent like this out there, were you born that way, or did you figure it out?

How do you keep your patience pool perpetually full?  Because I know that my kids would love to live in a home where there is no yelling or shouting.   And so would I.

Seriously. 8?

Song: Birthday by The Beatles

I have been a parent for eight years.  That blows my mind.  Has it really been that long?  You continue to blow our minds with each new day.  Here are a few things that I am loving about you these days:

You think your sister is super cute and you really adore her.  You love to give her kisses and play light sabers with her.  You also love to tell her, "Mom has a cupcake for you!" in order to get her out of your room so that you can play Legos in peace.
You love Legos.  Period.  I love seeing the new things that you create out of the thousands of pieces you have in your drawer.  The possibilities are endless and you are starting to see that.
You have found some really good friends at school.  I love watching you with them and seeing how well all of you mesh together.
School, specifically any kind of work, continues to be a challenge for you.  Not the work itself - that part is easy.  What is hard for you is sitting down to actually do the work.  However, you love your amazing teacher and you are getting better about getting it done.
I am so proud of how you really try to keep your temper in check when your brother bothers you.  On several occasions, you have tried to resolve your differences yourself and then came to get me for help when your efforts were fruitless.  This is so huge and my heart swells when you succeed in managing disagreements.
You still love a good book as much as I do.  When you start reading a good one, it is hard to get you to put it down.  Love that.
I just love how you love so deeply.  You don't wear your heart on your sleeve and sometimes it is hard to read you.  But, like an onion, you have these great layers and if I peel back just the right amount, you show me your little soul.
As always, you continue to pursue fairness and you have a strong desire to be right.  This is admirable at times and frustrating at others.  I think you will do very well on a Debate Team.

You have grown so much in this last year.  It has been fun to watch.  I still can't believe my baby is so big.  You made me a Mom and every day I learn something new about being your parent.  We are growing together and I thank you for being patient with me as I try to figure it all out.

Happy Birthday, Bubba.  As always, you were the BEST birthday present I have ever gotten.  I love you, little man.

Sourdough

I am currently working on catching a sourdough starter and so far it is working!!  I followed the tutorial from an eBook that I found at this website.  I started it on Tuesday morning and it has already gotten to the point where it doubles in size after each feeding.  I should start calling our kitchen a laboratory since we seem to have something fermenting all of the time.  From sauerkraut to beer to sour dough.  I should start another water kefir.  My sons are cuckoo for that stuff.

I am diving into the world of sourdough because I want to be better about traditionally preparing my grain.  Soaking grain takes a lot of planning ahead.  Sourdough takes some of the waiting out of the picture.  Besides, sourdough tastes awesome.  Apparently I am supposed to continue the feeding until the starter is a week old.  But, I may be able to start using it as early as tomorrow.  Perhaps we will have some sourdough waffles for breakfast?

Stay tuned for my successes and failures.  I plan to try ALL of the recipes in that eBook.

Is there an App for that?

There probably is.  There seems to be an App for everything.  Today, I went on the hunt for an app that has a very specific purpose and I may have found it.

My oldest son could use some handwriting practice.  He hates writing and it certainly shows.  If I were to ask him to sit down at the table and practice writing it would seem as though I was asking him to pull his own teeth out with some pliers.  However, if he can do it on the iPad, he just might practice.  This kid LOVES the iPad.  I think he would marry it if he could.

Anyway, he is learning D'nealian handwriting in school, so I set out to find an app that was specific to that style.  You would think there would be a ton of options.  Nope.  But I did find one that just might work.

This particular app is called Alphabet Board.  I am not too interested in the sounds the letters make.  I want good old fashioned writing instruction.  And I think this one will work.  He will have the chance to practice D'nealian as well as cursive handwriting.  I went to Best Buy and found a stylus for him to use as I don't think using his finger would have the full effect.

He gets to try this today after school.  Wish me luck.  I hope this can help!

11

Song: Home by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes

A GAPS Update (because I know you are DYING to know!)

I am pretty sure I am the only one interested in how GAPS intro is going.  But, in case there is one person out there who is wondering, I am here to fill you in!

I started Stage 1 eating soup.  All day.  It was actually delicious chicken soup with good veggies, so I didn't mind eating it.  But, on day two, I was less than thrilled.  I had decided to give it one more day and then move on to Stage 2.  Five days are actually allowed for each stage, however, it is recommended to move through quickly.  I knew that if I had any reaction to any food I added, I just had to slow down or back up.  Since I don't really have any food intolerances, I figured I could move through quickly.  I will say that I have never been hungry.  I thought I would be starving since I was just eating soup.  I eat as much as I want so that I don't get calorie deprived.

Within the first day the less than desirable bacteria and yeasts started to die-off since they weren't getting fed by sugary foods.  The addition of the probiotic supplement (and fermented foods) also helped to build beneficial bacteria and that contributed to the die-off as well.  Before I started this healing process, I figured that if I didn't notice any die-off symptoms (flu-like), then my gut was probably in pretty good shape.  Well, I had body aches for about three days.  While it sucked at the time, I knew I was doing my gut a favor.

I am now in Stage 4 out of 6.  I am eating a variety of foods now, thank goodness!  Instead of listing the things I am eating, I can tell you what I am not eating.  For now I am avoiding starchy vegetables, pasta, fruit and bread/grain.  I hadn't planned on adding dairy back in until the end, but I needed some cream for my coffee!!  So, since I don't have any issues with milk, I added that back in with no reactions.  THANK GOODNESS!   Raw fruit comes next and I am really excited for that.

I am slowly getting back to all of my favorite foods.  I have decided to stay off of sugar (except for honey) until my birthday.  I am not going to skip cake on my birthday.  No way.  I have noticed a couple of changes in my body since beginning this little journey.  The first is that my blood sugar seems to stay pretty even during the day.  I am not hungry an hour after I eat anymore.  Another surprising side effect is that I have stopped breaking out on my back - my face, too - but MY BACK!  This is just lovely.  I have also lost 5 pounds.  I attribute that to the fact that I am no longer eating a bowl of Baskin Robbins every night or eating PB and J's for lunch every day.

Overall, I am really glad that I have done this for my body.  I certainly did not go into this process lightly.  I read the entire book and did a lot of research.  If you (and your family) are considering doing this for yourself, I definitely recommend reading the book.  There is a lot of good information online and there is a HUGE community of people (I call them GAPSters) that have had profound healing.  Also understand that you may not find a lot of support from those close to you.  You will probably be called a hippy, the foods you eat will be mocked, and your family may be frustrated that you are eating different things for dinner for a while.  My advice is to power through.  You will come out of it with a healthy gut that is primed for better digestion and a boosted immunity.

Now back to regularly scheduled programming....