Vegan Day 4

Weight: 138. Am I surprised that this hasn't changed much in a few days? Honestly I am a bit. For the past few weeks prior to starting this vegan thing, I had fallen off the wagon and wasn't eating very well or exercising consistently. But it might be that I'm building muscle with my workouts. But regardless, we're only on Day 4 - daily weight fluctuations are normal (but I'm OCD about checking every day), so it's no big deal. Another potentially influential piece of information is that I finally weaned LG a week ago and switched at that time from the mini-pill to the regular pill. So there may be some hormonal issues at work here as well.

Workout: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (55 minutes). This really is one of the hardest workouts I have. I have several moments throughout it where I'm not sure I can make it 5-10 more seconds of whatever exercise Jillian is having me do. But she pushes me through it. I pretty much hate this workout until the cooldown, at which point I feel amazing and so proud of myself. It's one of those that I can't let myself think about much prior to starting it. I have to turn off my brain momentarily while I get it out of the case and put it in the player...can't give myself a choice, haha! (That's the same thing I have to do with getting up in the morning sometimes - can't give myself a choice or I'll skip my workout.)

Breakfast: Shake.

11AM Snack: Orange

Lunch: I was really looking forward to my leftover couscous salad from yesterday, especially because I'd felt famished most of the morning. But it wasn't nearly as good as yesterday. Boo! The flavor just wasn't as good. My six strawberries were delightful, at least. Still missing my animal crackers. Knowing this is only a three-week thing is what's carrying me through right now.

By the way, I think I've neglected to update that I have indeed been feeling my knee again after Friday. I don't think it's as bad as it was previously, but Friday was an unusually good day and it hasn't been like that since.

4PM Snack (if you can call it that): Low-sodium V8

530PM Snack (because I was going to be very grouchy otherwise): Mindee, I have to eat my words in the very same day. I came home, heated up the last waffle, and put a little bit of peanut butter on it with my pure maple syrup. I needed something that felt more substantial! Also had a few banana chips.

Dinner: Leftover soup, and three cookies with flaxmilk.

Vegan Day 3

Weight: 138.4

Some more thoughts from yesterday (it was late and I was needing to get to bed): LG and I went to Sunflower Market to stock up on some vegan stuff, and it took forever. Why not call sesame butter what it is (and not tahini)? How the heck am I supposed to know that tahini is sesame butter and not a fish (well, of course it's not a fish or it wouldn't be on a vegan recipe, but if I didn't know that I think a fish would have been my first thought) or some kind of seasoning?? I ask you. Also, after finding all their packaged counterparts, I ended up getting the cous cous, chia seeds, and quinoa from the bulk foods section (where I also discovered nutritional yeast [hurray! because there was no nutritional variety by the NORMAL yeast. That would be too easy...any insight as to what nutritional yeast is, btw? Haven't had a chance to google it yet], and vegetable broth mix [the liquid variety is expensive!).

And I splurged for vegan cheese ($4 per 2-c bag) and coconut ice cream ($4 per teeny tiny container). Sanity savers. But can I say how annoying it is that if you're looking at trying to add variety in your vegan diet as far as recipes, so many of the options that look good at first always end up having a ton of soy-based food in the recipe?? What is UP with that? Tofu, tempeh, cream cheese, you name it. Soy, soy, soy. Thanks to Alena (Will's sister), I know that soy has a lot of estrogen in it. Add some Internet research to that basic knowledge, and I find that the plant estrogen is not good for females (I wouldn't think males would want any to begin with!) because it interferes with the natural estrogen the body makes and needs. So I don't want soy, thank you very much. And most of the yummy looking recipes I've found that are vegan use it in some form or another. Blech.

Last thought from yesterday is that two bean-based meals in one day is too many. It felt like that's all we ate!

Breakfast: two waffles, pure maple syrup and flaxmilk.

Lunch: One cup worth of this salad. I left out the red cabbage, used green pepper instead of red (is there any nutritional advantage to one color pepper over another?), and also substituted cilantro for the parsley (which I highly recommend if you're a cilantro fan). I didn't use all of the sauce because of the lack of 1-2 cups of red cabbage, and we were both glad I did that. I wasn't feeling too hopeful that this was going to be tasty, but I was very wrong! Will really liked it, too. I think we both agree that this is something we will continue to make beyond our vegan trial (if that ends). Yep, that good. We also had 5 strawberries each and two banana cookies with flaxmilk.

While LG was still in his crib (napping? Nope!), I quickly threw together this recipe for hummus to use later.

You may notice a theme in these recipes. I'm using the 21-day Vegan Kickstart meal plan for most of our meals. Just nice to have a one-stop shop of sorts for recipe ideas, and the site is supposedly run by physicians, so I'm hoping they know what they're doing. We of course have concerns about making sure we're getting all the protein and iron and everything we need.

Snack: Dried banana chips.

Dinner: Curried Lentil Soup (I didn't have crushed tomatoes. The soup was good, but the tomatoes might have made it better) and Ambrosia. Two banana cookies and flaxmilk.

I feel good with all the things I was able to make today and the resulting leftovers. I like that we're trying totally new things (I've never had lentil soup before), and finding that they're all quite good.

Vegan Day 2

Weight: 137.4

Workout: Level 2 of 30-day Shred. Sweat as much as I would in an hour with The Firm. (And later, sweeping and mopping. I count that, yo.)

Breakfast: Added a big handful more of blueberries to the standard shake for some more flavor (that used to have been provided by the strawberry protein powder). I put 1/3 c of the shake or so into LG's sippy that has a nice, fat straw. Once the straw was in his mouth, he wouldn't take it out. He literally chugged the whole thing.

Then I made some waffles using this recipe (modified from Will's mom):
2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 T agave
1 t vinegar
1 t vanilla
1 T applesauce
1 c flaxmilk
almost 1 c water

I had 1 and a half squares with homemade maple syrup. We'll use the rest tomorrow for breakfast.

Lunch: leftovers from yesterday and 1 banana oatmeal cookie with flaxmilk.

Dinner (eaten too late, I might add): Refried bean quesadillas (minus the quesa) on whole wheat tortillas with rice and corn. Three banana cookies with flaxmilk. Today was frustrating - I had been planning on making several meals for the week ahead, but Liam didn't nap and I had no time. Bah! I'm probably going to have to work on that tomorrow.

Kickin' it Vegan-style for Three Weeks: Day 1

Long story short, we're giving this a try to see if it helps Will with some long-standing joint issues (and because we're curious about what benefits it would have for us overall). I thought it might be interesting to keep a daily log about it for anyone else who's curious about giving this a try.

Weight this morning: 138 even. I'd love to get down to 125 if possible, but I'm not hugely concerned with my weight as long as I stay in the 130s. That said, I'm interested in what this lifestyle will do for that number.

Workout: Level 1 of Six Week Sixpack (35 minutes). Love Jillian Michaels!

Breakfast (7:30AM): Shake I've been having for months now (minus protein powder, because that was whey-based). Handful of spinach, large carrot, stalk of celery, ~1 T flaxseed, 5 blueberries, 1/2 cup flaxmilk.

Mid-morning snack (11AM): 1 orange

Lunch (Noon): Spinach salad with craisins and toasted almonds/sunflower seeds, with raspberry-lime vinegarette. Some strawberries.

1PM: I noticed that I missed the animal crackers I used to have after lunch. I only brought 11 each day, but they were tasty and just sweet enough to feel like a dessert. But we're trying to stay away from processed foods, too, not just animal products.

2PM: 6 oz. can of low-sodium V8 (yeah, I know that's processed, but still - it's V8).

3:15PM: A few more strawberries

4PM: Some baby carrots

6:30PM: Black bean chili on romaine lettuce with crushed corn tortilla chips (YUM!). I used this recipe but drained the water (next time I'll leave most of the liquid out to begin with). I added corn and lemon pepper.

Around 7PM I noticed that I hadn't felt my knee hurting all day. It's been bothering me noticeably for over a month. Since noticing that (and paying more attention), I've felt it mildly once. I'm amazed. This stupid knee has been bugging me significantly for a long time! Interesting...

Just before movie time with Will, I knew I HAD to have something to feel like I was treating myself a little bit, so I found this recipe for banana oatmeal cookies. Substituted apple sauce for the oil, and they were DELICIOUS. They're very sweet and definitely have more sugar than I should be having for this change, but I only had two cookies (unimaginable for me lately! Okay, and a spoonful of dough), so I figure I'm definitely moving in the right direction. Will, his normal cautious self, took two cookies to start but went back for a third. A good sign! ;)

Overall today? I did feel hungry frequently, but I also feel really good. This might be one of the healthiest days I've ever had. The three weeks ahead feel like they'll be an adventure. Not easy, but exciting. I could not do this without Will being on board.

LG Snapshot: 15 Months

I know, it’s earth-shattering that I’m actually posting a blog. Figured it’s been almost a year – might be about time.  I was talking to my mom today about some of LG’s funny little habits/talents, and thought I’d better write them down before he changes and I forget them. We have a journal that we keep for LG, but I am feeling too lazy to try to write all of this out by hand. So here, in no particular order, are some fun things about LG at this age:

• He still doesn’t say a word. He signs a few (food, bath, milk), and babbles all the livelong day. He has a couple almost-words: for cat, he says the vowel sound just right and clearly uses it to identify them. And he kind of says “Da” when I ask if he wants to wake up Daddy in the morning.

• Speaking of the above, our morning routine is that I get up at 6, work out and get ready. LG usually wakes up near the end of my getting ready (7:30 or 7:45ish) and starts babbling in bed. I go in to get him up by 8, nurse and change him and then we wake up Daddy around 8:25. The wake-up ritual consists of LG lunging onto the bed from my arms and crawling all over Will, then practically stepping on Will’s face to look out the window as I open the curtain. I get LG started with breakfast, and Will takes over as I leave at 8:45. For some reason this week, LG’s been crying when I say goodbye, which breaks my heart.

• He eats like an elephant. Everything I read around now says kids often don’t have much of an appetite (or patience for food) at this age, but he can eat and eat and eat. His favorites are peanut butter, bananas, graham crackers, and carbs of any kind. But he’s not overly picky, except for insisting on feeding himself. So we make sure he gets plenty of variety (usually fruit for breakfast, veggies for lunch and protein/veggies for dinner).

• Of all the toys we’ve gotten him, one of his favorite things to do is find something with a lid (empty vitamin bottle, Tupperware, etc.) and sit with it, working on putting the lid on (just getting it to rest over the opening if it’s a screw cap), taking it off and repeating. He’s been doing this for a few months (since mid January or so?), and it can easily hold his attention for 7-10 minutes at a time.

• Will’s been showing him how to throw a ball, and LG can throw it quite far for a toddler (at least we think so), with a good arc. He’s even started to copy Will in throwing a ball like a basketball, one-handed.

• He seems to really like to listen to himself. He gives a bloodcurdling shriek when he sees one of our cats or pretty much any animal, and he’ll often keep shrieking until he can’t see it anymore. Cats and other animals love this… ;-) He’s also easily picked up the “Tarzan yell” that we showed him – well, at least the pounding-your-chest-and-calling part (not the yodel-like modulations). He does it ALL THE TIME.

• He whistles!! He does it all the time and has done so for months. I’ve never heard of a baby whistling. It’s almost impossible to document it in a video, because he does it unpredictably and not for long at any one time (usually while he’s focused on doing something else). He makes the whistling sound with air going in OR out, and he can do a couple notes.

• If he had the choice, he’d either be in a bath or outside 24-7.

• He’s been such a great sleeper, and we know how lucky we are. He usually goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 and falls asleep without a peep. Teething nights are the exception. He has six teeth: two on the bottom and four on the top. Back to the sleeping topic, though, within the last week he seems like he’s decided to drop his second nap. For several weeks, actually, that second nap was just a “quiet time” when he’d chill in his crib and listen to his nap CD for 40 minutes or so.

• He LOVES to read stories, which we’ve been doing with him since he’s been with us. He loves it when the lamp crashes in Corduroy, and always scratches at the windows of the house in the sun in Go Dog. Go!

• He can hear a dog barking or a plane flying far overhead much quicker than we can, and always points it out. If it’s a plane or a helicopter and we’re inside, he’ll run to be picked up to have you show it to him outside (since Will’s made a habit of letting him see anything that flies over) – it’s really cute.

• He cannot stand diaper changes, and I’m so hoping that makes for quick-and-easy potty training down the road (but I’m not holding my breath).

• I love how quickly he starts clapping when anyone else is doing it – Will even told me that he heard applause on Pandora for a live recording and started clapping right along.

So there you have it. Much of this might be totally common-place for a toddler his age, but it’s what stands out to me right now as a new mom. He’s such a bright, happy, engaging little boy and he captures the hearts of everyone around him. On Monday, Will and I were singing “I Am a Child of God” to him for Family Home Evening (we’re just starting to get into our FHE groove – better late than never!), and he was enraptured that we were singing to him together. He smiled and watched us for all three verses. He always sits quietly for prayer at night, and wiggles excitedly at hearing “Amen.” I couldn’t have imagined a more delightful little boy – despite the episodes of clingy-whininess or the messy dinners where the aftermath looks more like a finger-painting session than a meal. It’s all worth it to get to watch this amazing, pure little spirit discover life and the world.

Perspective

I know I'm a lousy blogger. So sue me. I'm sure I'll get back around to doing it more regularly. This morning I received a forward that was pretty profound and it struck me so much that I wanted to share it here. I'd be interested to hear if this hits anyone else as it did me - kind of an epiphany-evoking concept.

Democracy, Prosperity and Religion
By Clayton M. Christensen, Professor of Economics, Harvard University

Is there a situation where democracy won’t work? I learned the importance of this question in a conversation 12 years ago with a Marxist economist from China who was nearing the end of a year’s fellowship in Boston, where he had come to study two topics that were foreign to him: democracy and capitalism. I asked my friend if he had learned anything on these topics that was surprising or unexpected. His response was immediate and, to me, quite profound: “I had no idea how critical religion is to the functioning of democracy and capitalism.” Though de Toqueville also had observed this, I had never made this association between religion, democracy & capitalism in my mind. But it was like this guy parachuted in from Mars – and this is what he saw.

He continued, “In your past, most Americans attended a church or synagogue every week. These were institutions that people respected. When you were there, from your youngest years, you were taught that you should voluntarily obey the law; that you should respect other people’s property, and not steal it. You were taught never to lie, and to respect the life and freedom of others the same as your own. Americans followed these rules because they had come to believe that even if the police didn’t catch them when they broke a law, God would catch them. Democracy works because most people most of the time voluntarily obey your laws.

“You can say the same for capitalism,” my friend continued. “It works because Americans have been taught in their churches that they should keep their promises and not tell lies. An advanced economy can function only if people can expect that when they sign contracts, the other people will voluntarily uphold their obligations. Capitalism works only when nearly all people voluntarily keep their promises.”

My friend then invited me to look around the world at those countries where, in his words, “America had snapped its fingers at the country and demanded, ‘We want democracy here, and we want it now!’” Unless there was already a strong religious foundation in those countries, he asserted, democracy has failed miserably.

There are religions in every country, of course. But he made clear that democracy-enabling religions are those that support the sanctity of life, the equality of people, the importance of respecting others’ property, and of personal honesty and integrity. Those religions also had to be strong enough that they held power over the behavior of the population. People had to believe that God would punish them even if the police and court system did not. He then gave some examples. In Russia, for instance, there are religions – but few people are influenced by them. As a result many people avoid taxes, and the government cannot collect them. Murder, bribery and stealing are a part of everyday life. American foreign policy has been naïve in Haiti and the nations of Africa that have been torn by such brutal civil strife. “You just think that because democracy works for you that it will work everywhere. It only works where there is a strong foundation of this particular type of religion.”

Obedience to the Unenforceable. In the course of researching more deeply the issue my friend posed I happened upon an elegant summary of what he taught me, penned by Lord John Fletcher Moulton, the great English jurist, who wrote that the probability that democracy and free markets will flourish in a nation is proportional to “The extent of obedience to the unenforceable.”

My Chinese friend heightened a vague but nagging concern I’ve harbored – that as religion loses its power over the lives of Americans, what will happen to our democracy? Our prosperity? We are living on momentum. The ethic of obedience to the unenforceable was established by vibrant religions. Some of these teachings have become a part of our culture. As a result, today there are many Americans who are not religious, who still voluntarily obey the law, comply with contracts, value honesty and integrity and respect other people’s rights and property. This is because certain religious teachings have become embedded in our culture. But is culture a stalwart, active protector of democracy’s enabling values? I don’t think so.

Those who seek to minimize the role that religions can play on the public stage are making two very serious mistakes that stem from their not having asked the right questions. First, they are seeking to minimize the very institutions that have given us our civil liberties in the first place. And second, the debate swirling in judicial discourse about the separation of church and state is a false dichotomy.

The classes of religions. If we broadly define them as philosophical traditions, there are two classes of religions: theistic religions and atheistic ones. Zealots of atheistic religions who assert that theistic religions must be separated from our fabric of democracy, even as they knit the doctrines of their religions into our legal and regulatory frameworks, are asking the wrong question, and therefore giving us an answer that may well prove to be toxic to democracy.

When the instinct of even a minority of people in a society is to steal what belongs to others, lie when it suits their selfish purposes, evade taxes, demand bribes and disregard the rights of others, then capitalism won’t work, either. Just look at our current economic crisis. It didn’t take many Americans whose instinct was to take what belongs to others and to stretch rather than obey the rules, to cause capitalism very nearly to collapse. When the extent of disobedience to the unenforceable grows, not just democracy, but prosperity becomes in jeopardy. We treasure democracy because it gives us freedoms of speech and the press. But attempting or imposing democracy without near-universal obedience to the unenforceable strips from us other crucial freedoms, which include the freedom from want, and the freedom to be employed.

When a nation lacks the requisite foundation of extensive obedience to the unenforceable, what form of government will work? Unfortunately democracy and capitalism won’t. It requires the rule of a strongman who defines the rules and then wields the power required to compel obedience. Living proofs of this hypothesis cover the globe.

It’s not a coincidence that the countries that have transitioned from poverty to prosperity in the last 40 years – including Korea, Chile, Taiwan, Singapore, Portugal and the Dominican Republic – all were led by relatively iron-fisted dictators, who had the instinct and ability to wield power quite ruthlessly, in some instances, to break the vested interests of those that profited from the corruption that had trapped those nations in poverty. Impoverished countries with democratic governments such as the Philippines, in contrast, struggle to prosper because imposition of democracy has simply democratized corruption to the point that capitalism won’t work: The investments that would stimulate prosperity simply cannot be made, because you can’t bribe enough people to make anything happen. The fact that Medvedev and Putin are usurping political and economic power in Russia is a manifestation that Russia isn’t yet in a situation where democracy will work.

Those who assume that the atheistic religions of secularism are a better backbone for freedom and prosperity than the theistic ones that they are trying to push under the back seat, have a huge burden of proof which they’ve not had the intellectual fortitude to discuss, let alone bring forward.

(Taken from a commencement address at Southern New Hampshire University on May 16, 2009)

To Mobile or Not to Mobile?

Yes, I'm resurrecting my blog, at least for the following questions for all you parents out there:

1. We are considering getting a mobile (this mobile - plays 20 minutes of continuous music) for our ceiling-fan-adoring son. I'm wondering if parents with more experience would consider this purchase (a) a healthy part of his nap- and bedtime routine that would assist him in soothing himself to sleep; or (b) a "crutch" for nap- and bedtime to avoid - something that would best be used only as a playtime activity.



2. What toys and books did your little one love the most at this age (coming up on 4 months) - any suggestions? We're feeling deficient in what we have to offer for stimulating him right now.

Thanks for imparting your wisdom, oh parental sages!