The Accurate Account

Ok, so here is the disclaimer: I am by no means an expert at juicing. I am not a nutritionist. I am only a huge fan of consuming my daily caloric intake by the form of juice. Why? I'll leave that to the other non-expert to explain.  Read about Joe Cross.  So, why blog about my juicing experiences? Many people are striving to "start the new year right." Every year, we make resolutions and quickly slide back into our former-less admirable-daily routines. Juicing is the kind of lifestyle change that can change with you. The cleanse is the most challenging part. My first attempt at the cleanse brought about a roller coaster of mixed emotions and experiences. You can read about it on my blog. I only documented days 1-4 but you should know that I lasted 10 days before I had to go to North Carolina for nearly 3 weeks. I wish I never had to stop. When I returned from NC I fit in another 5-day fast before school started. I have maintained a juicing lifestyle since. Typically, ...

It is a very quiet and relaxing New Years here at the Summers' residence, other than soundtrack of Jonny learning to play "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the ukulele. The dogs, Jon, and I indulged in a feast of shrimp, cheese, and kilebasea. If that isn't exciting enough, we watched HBO until about an hour ago. We chatted about our favorite moments of the year and then ranked our favorite and least favorite holidays. This conversation was sparked after seeing so many negative posts about 2011 on FB; so many people wishing 2011 good-bye, saying it was the worst year of their life, and hoping to never see it again. Jon and I had an ah-ha moment last year after we watched "the decade in review." At the end of it, we looked at each other and one of us said to the other, "we didn't just have a bad year, we had a bad decade." Could it possibly get worse? Of course it could, but looking back, I can't say that I have the same feelings that I had la...

My Friend the Juicer  Day 4. Someone please pinch me! I cannot be on the same diet. JMJ What the heck is going on? It just might be that I had my breakthrough moment when I woke this morning. I woke up, slightly sweaty, but feeling like I had the best sleep I've ever had. I wasn't in any sort of agony! All day, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop; for the leg pain to come back, the headaches to return, the desire to gnaw on my own leg...but nothing. Not a single thing. Very Strange.  Something else very strange happened. My husband found a recipe online. That's not all. He went to the store and bought the ingredients for our "Juice Friendly" recipe. Are you ready for the best part? He also made the whole thing! We had a fantastic mix of veggies with an Asian style dressing. Oh my! Who do I love more, my 'now-perfect husband' or the Juice, for the transformation?? All in all, I am ok letting go of all of the badness that has built up inside me for so...

So, what happened to day 2? Good question. I would love to answer this one for you, except, I think I have selective memory and I blocked it out. If you ever decided to go on a juice diet, you might want to do the same; and, here are some more tips for you: don't watch tv (too many food commercials), don't do this diet with your spouse and look for sympathy (you are both equally miserable), don't plan on exercising (you will have no energy), and don't, whatever you do, order pizza (don't give up!). Day 3 started off far worse than it ended. I woke up with incredible leg cramps from the waist down. At one point, I actually thought that I was starving to death, so I Googled "starvation mode" just to make sure I was ok. When I did this, pictures of little kids from Ethiopia came up, and I realized, I was overreacting just a tad. I started the day off with a grapefruit and apple juice. That fought off the hunger for most of the morning. For lunch, I made my ...

The Royal Buffet After watching the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead the hubby and I decided to purchase a juicer and go on a juicing reboot. Today was day 1 of the new juice diet. If you haven't seen the movie, you are probably wondering what the great inspiration was to suddenly run out and buy a juicer. My husband, who over the past year has probably only eaten a handful of veggies, is actually the force behind this movement. To sum up the movie, 2 men who are over 400 lbs embark on a healthier lifestyle, and jumpstart it by juicing. Spoiler alert- the results are miraculous!  So here we are. I made a trip to the Farmers' Market today and bought $35.00 worth of fruit and veggies. I even brought home veggies I have never seen before. When Jon came home from work, we made "dinner." I had all of the veggies outside on our table (there is not enough room in my fridge). Jon coined it "The Royal Buffet." We went to town, putting together all sorts of co...

My friends and family can tell you, that it is without fail, I somehow manage to ruin holidays and vacations with trips to the ER. I would not call myself a "sick" person, rather just clumsy. I am reminded of these, less than joyful occasions, as I sit here, on my first day of summer vacation, with my foot propped up and bandaged.  In no particular order, I guess I am apologizing for all of the co-pays, cold kielbasa, and warm lemonade my family endured.  Christmas, 1999 Pneumonia got the best of me. Hospitalized for tearing abdominal muscles. Yes, the doctors were trying to kill me.  Valentine's Day, 2006 Pneumonia returned. In bed with for a week, hacked for months. Truly romantic <3.  Summer, 1994 I can skateboard, not! Torn ligaments in ankle. On crutches for 6 weeks. Summer, 1990 Handstand on scooter- do not try this at home. Chipped jaw bone and missing chin. 13 stitches, plastic surgery and a year's worth of ...

When did I get this way and how in the world did it happen? I can remember what my mother looked like at my age. When I was a child, I can remember what it was like to meet a "grown up." When I was in college, I believed that anyone who was not of college age was out of date.  I am now 32 years old and can already notice the attitudinal and behavioral progress creeping towards old. As a teacher, I fall in generation gaps all of the time. Here are some differences I've noticed in myself.  I try my best to save money for "a rainy day" (i.e. the furnace breaks) as opposed to "going out" Kids walking through my yard annoy the crap out of me. (and yes, I do yell at them) I will use anything to get that glowing youthful skin.  My work clothes are modest and don't require me to flaunt to get a tip.  "Going out after work" means I am running to Target My handbag is not a fashion statement it is a status symbol I have new hobbies! Gardenin...