Day Ten-Nowhere

I didn't go anywhere today. For two reasons: 1. the muscles running behind my shins were still very sore and 2. there was an incident about a mile or so away from my house where some inmates working outside near a highway overpowered a guard and escaped. They caught one apparently, and the other is on the loose. And coincidentally, there was NO information found online about this situation, especially since there are school buses and children being dropped off left and right in this area! Shoot, I found out through a phone call from mom dukes cause her co-worker got the word from her husband. I only left the house to pick up my daughter from the bus, b.u.t my NJ/NY roots run thick; I never leave the house unprepared. Dude would've met his maker if he ran up on me that's for sure!!

Anyway, I'm starting to get reeeeaaaallllyyyyyyy tired of this juicing routine. Like I said earlier I'm really not one for monotony. I may alternate days of feasting and 100% raw food consumption. My digestion shouldn't take too big a hit since I won't be consuming nuts and avocados. There's nothing like just digging into an organic orange and be on my way.

Did I mention the other day I bought some persimmons at the grocery store? I have to do some research on them; the sticker on the bottom says to eat them like an apple, and they are sure as hell hard as one...b.u.t I need to figure out more about them before I start pairing them with other fruits and stuff.

I've started crochet'ing again...it's such fun. :)

Day Nine....

Well, yesterday I walked 4.8 miles!!! I thought initially it was only 3, b.u.t after clocking it in Google Maps, what a nice (b.u.t sore) surprise. :)

I went to the store yesterday. Alone. The children were with grandma; one was taking a nap and the other was online playing Webkinz. I really just needed some time alone. It was just my iPod, re-usuable Publix Breast Cancer Awareness bag, and me. It was a nice walk and not hot..warm and breezy (like me *smile*). And to be honest I really didn't even NEED to go to the store b.u.t I'm realizing today as I'm juicing that I'll need to tomorrow. So guess who'll be lacing up her sneakers again. This time I'll have to bring my Sun b.u.t we have the stroller so it won't be so bad. I think I'll go early after I drop my daughter off at the bus stop because it's still cool at 8am.

In the next couple of weeks I'm going to be saving up for a sewing machine. I love those long shoulder bags, and would like to make some for myself and to sell. This should be fun since I haven't been on a sewing machine since 7th grade and I'm 30 now. O_o

Here's my Day 7 video:

I gotta be honest here, I'm really homesick. And it's tempting to want to stay down here with these foreclosed and short sale (gorgeous) condos on the market, b.u.t I know a lot of my business will be in NYC where it's flooded with culture. I miss hopping on the subway or bus and I'm in Manhattan in 20 minutes. I miss my honey...I miss my friends and monthly Parliaments in Harlem. *sigh*. I told my King that in 3 years I'll be back permanently. You never know, I may buy a condo down here and just be a 'Snowbird' and hang down here in the Winter. As long as I'm selling my goods online, I can sell them from anywhere, b.u.t in NYC there's so much more opportunity to vend at events and weekly artist markets. The Florida demographic down here is more geared toward Nature, the NYC demographic is more geared toward Culture and Truth.

This should be interesting.

Day Seven-Make it Work

I've been on this like...rampage lately...and not in a negative way.

I figured out what I want, and how I want to go about it-I've been brainstorming and writing, envisioning and drawing...and I just haven't been hungry. I know this is not good, and I need to constantly consume juices and other liquids to keep myself hydrated and satisfied...b.u.t once I get started on something, I pretty much rawk it until the wheels fall off. I may not start drinking my lemon water until almost noon.

I'm starting to miss my raw foods....Juicing is great and I think I prefer juicing to smoothie making, b.u.t I'm not one fall into the same routine every single day. I'm a Gemini...I crave variety. I need a way to remedy this. I really strive to make my juices fresh and not in advance, plus there's no fridge space for me to house 4 mason jars anyway...I may modify the way I feast so I can stay on it for the duration, or modify it slightly. I'll be uploading a new video tomorrow; making a green juice....

hasta mañana

Days Five and Six-Clarity

I had all the intention in the world of writing yesterday, b.u.t was hit with an epiphany so hard, that it completely consumed the rest of my day. That's a good thing. :) Sometimes we realize our calling in life and want to manifest it into reality, however obstacles such as the shitty ECONOMY make it difficult and even for some like me, almost impossible. If it were just me and fending for myself and say a couple of fish, then it would be more of an attainable goal, b.u.t as a mother that sacrifice always has to benefit the needs of your babies over your wants...

I love art....love visual art. I've never had any classes and can't draw still life to save my own, however I've found my own style of design and want to create wearable art that is lacking in the market. A few years ago I sold prints, which I will most likely do again, b.u.t I want to be out in public in the streets of Brooklyn and see my designs on the People. I want to awaken the 85% of the population who still consider liquor, chicken wings and other 'lower vibration' ways and actions a part of their daily routine.

On the evening of Day Four and yesterday I've written out a plan to get that started, and even designs had started flooding into my mind. It was what I have been needing to do. My mind would always overflow with words, visions and conversations constantly (I'm a Gemini), that I could never clear it out for even just a second. It's exhausting... After my blog post on Day Four I did make it to the grocery store and purchased lots of organic oranges, plums, pears, celery, berries and even found some organic mint. I'm going to try a watermelon/raspberry/mint combo for lunch. This morning, probably just my usual green smoothie blend b.u.t with arugula this time. I wonder how that tastes.... ::elevation::

Day Four-Sexy

This morning I had to take my daughter to the dr's for her school physical. I love when people look at me crazy when I ask for an immunization exemption form. She hasn't had shots in over 3 years and is healthy as a horse. Shoooot, the girl is 8 and only 9 inches shorter than me.

I changed up my morning routine just a tad for today. Instead of starting off with the lemon water mixture I had some coconut water (pasteurized boooooo) that I had pre-feast and wanted to use. Plus I had seen an interview from Raw Foodist Aris La Tham saying that when you drink coconut water first thing in the morning it's like showering your body from the inside out; flushing out the toxins. So I drank that while at the dr's office.

When I got home I was soooooooooooooooooo tired. If I could get one good night's worth of rest I know I'd feel better, b.u.t for some reason I woke up and my Sun was not in the bed. He was standing next to the bed...doing what I have no idea. I think he may have been sleepwalking because he didn't make a sound. I told him to come to bed and he did. *shrugs*. Well anyway I attempted to take a short nap, b.u.t that was impossible since my Sun was up watching Dora, Diego and Umi Zoomi. After I laid there semi conscious for about an hour/hour and a half I got up and made some juice:


I call this Buddha Juice...

the one on the left is plum, mango and strawberries and the one on the right is my usual favorite green concoction of spinach, parsley, cucumbers, apple, lemon and this time with some added pineapple for 'volume'. I'm running out of fruits; only down to lemons, limes and a handful of blackberries. I'm good on the greens and carrots b.u.t I need to get to a store tonight and if no one takes me then damnit i'm walking.

I feel sexy today though. I did not get on the scale last night nor this morning...I don't want to fall back into that terrible habit of letting the scale dictate my day. B.u.t I feel like a change is slowly happening...is it because I'm not on my moon cycle anymore? Is the idea of juicing and my 'lady time' ending a combination placebo affect for making me feel this way? *shrugs* I would like to see how it changes next month....

You know what's hard? Not to nibble...not to taste test when I'm preparing food for the babies. That's like a 'mom habit'...testing to food to ensure it's not too hot, or to get them to eat....it's been really hard, b.u.t I'm doing well. Normally when the family is eating, I'm in my room...the further away, the better.

Paz!

Day Three-Lazy

Ok so last night after I posted the blog about that pain in my right side I started to feel it creep up again, b.u.t this time under my ribs on my left side. I laid down on my right side and it seemed to have went away for a lil' bit, then started to creep up again. So I sat there and reflected on everything I did yesterday....I did have a lot of tea, and was frequenting the bathroom so I chalked it up to dehydration, and went and got almost another quart's worth of water with some CELLFOOD in it, drank it, and it went away completely.

Today is kinda lackadaisical. My daughter was oh so kind enough to wake me up TWICE in the middle of the night last night so I am a little tired. I stayed in bed as long as I could this morning (7am) and I really want to take a nap. Plus I had a real funky dream (not a negative one), that I wish I could've finished to see where it had taken me.

Right now I'm finishing up a glass of celery, apple and lemon juice, and for later I have a plum, carrot and apple one in the fridge. I drank a good amount of the cantaloupe/spinach concoction earlier (ok like noon today), left over from last night, b.u.t it was too sweet for me.

I have not weighed myself today, b.u.t will strive to and post it tonight.

I know the second I lay down and close my eyes my Sun will wake me up.

that is life. :)

Evening incident

So I'm sitting bed on the laptop hooking up my Vodpod account, and all of a sudden I was struck with this charlie-horse type pain in my lower right abdomen area...not sure what brought it on, b.u.t needless to say it laid me out for a good 30 seconds. After it subsided and slowly disappeared I felt fine...b.u.t now I'm thinking, 'I really need to get that hemp oil/coconut oil...just in case'. I won't be able to get it until Thursday, b.u.t I know that will be a crucial supplement. I do need some form of fat in my system.

Tonight's juice is cantaloupe and spinach. I definitely wanted to juice it before it went bad. Most of my fruit is on the kitchen table, and will not last too much longer. I'm up to 96 oz. right now a day. Tomorrow I'm going to strive to get the full 128 oz. I also know I need to juice more celery. I don't think I had any today *tsk tsk*

Time to crochet. :)

Day Two-Lovely

Peace!

Day two and two pounds down.

What a nice way to wake up this morning *smile*

I had my usual quart of lemon water and msm and also about 16 oz of detox tea with a lil' bit of honey. I'm drinking my first juice now, which is the one on the right:

It contains Pear, Parsley, Lime, Apple and Cucumber. The one on the left has Strawberry, Mango, Orange and Lemon. It's always best to start off your juicing with a green juice as opposed to a sweet fruit juice, so the one on the left will be lunch.

How am I feeling?

Pretty damn good. Not hungry and I have quite a bit of energy. I'm going to do some stretching in a lil' bit. Not craving anything for the moment which is nice. When my Sun takes his nap, I think I'll vibe out to some music.

Peace!

End of Day One

I feel a whole hell of a lot better than I did earlier today.

My 'lady cramps' come and go, just for a day though, b.u.t always hurt where my C-Section incision was. Right now I don't feel anything at all, and I've only had 2 juices today. I'm about to make a third; when I have the kitchen more to myself then I can juice more.

Here are some pics and my latest video blog (gotta love the crazy stillshot Youtube chose for me. smh):





sigh...

tonight's juice will definitely be a green juice. Most likely with spinach, lemon, and maybe celery or something.

You know what I'm craving right now? A Mango Lemonade. I'll be making that tomorrow.

Day One.

Go figure I have 'lady cramps' this morning.

ughh.

I won't let that stop me though.

Right now I'm sipping on my lemon water with MSM, and shortly will be making a Raw Kolada juice from my raw food sista girl, Blaqberry.

I want to do a video later today, b.u.t to be honest I'm not really in a 'talking' mood. I'm not the type that likes to sit in front of the camera running her mouth. Maybe I'll just take pics of my juices and throw in some music like I normally do and save the yapping for next week. lol

I asked my mother to take my blood sugar today, haven't done that in a while and it's a lil' high for my taste: 105. If I continued on my path of starchy vegan foods and Coca-Cola addiction, in a few years I'd definitely be a candidate for Diabetes. On a good note though, when I last took my blood pressure 2 weeks ago it was 117/60. My weight? I'm not telling, b.u.t I will tell you how much I lose as time progresses (fair enough?).

yum.

Green Juice=Zen

I decided to make some juice today to see how much I would need to fill up one of these Mason joints.

Well....one of my favorite green juices was made at this place called Nutrition S'mart, which is like...my Utopia here in Florida since Whole Foods is not anywhere nearby. It'd been a few years since I been there, b.u.t always remembered the recipe for their green juice.

Apples, lemon, cucumber, spinach and parsley. I did add a pear at the end because it wasn't quite a quart's worth....it was SO DELICIOUS. Lemony and fresh. I don't know, I can't describe it, b.u.t it's very refreshing and not 'greeny'. My children actually drank some and liked it...and they're very picky. Well...my Sun not so much.

This was the end result:

And I'm not even hungry and it's been a couple of hours since I made this...if I was on my feast already it'd be just about time for another juice.

Only thing really left to do is do some light grocery shopping on Friday and on Sunday it'll be game time.

The only thing I'm torn on in terms of this process is the protocol of a daily enema. I'm not equipped for that, and even if I was, I can never go to the bathroom without an audience (my children) and do I really want to be caught lying on the floor with a tube up my butt? 'Eliminating' has never been an issue for me, and I don't anticipate it being an issue in the near future, b.u.t I do not want to hold in any toxins that cannot be released on their own. I was contemplating a lymph drainage massage during the journey, or a colonic to help with that...

??

We'll see what manifests...

Peace.

Madd water

With Sunday fast approaching, I've started getting back into my lemon water routine first thing in the morning. My mason jars have arrived (the plastic tops have not as of yet) as well as the MSM so after I dropped my daughter off at the bus, I got started on Step 1 of my soon to be juicing routine. To be honest, it took me a lil' while to drink it, and I'm sure since it was ice cold didn't help. I'm used to the lemony-taste of the water so the MSM didn't taste too different to me. I actually drank two quarts of water throughout the day so far. B.u.t I did have a headache most of today so I just stayed in bed and took it easy.

I have had a few processed foods that I have been craving *hangs head in shame*. It has made me so groggy and tired that I'm GLAD I won't be eating anymore. On Sunday we celebrated my daughter's bday with dinner at Olive Garden; can you say ITIS? I probably would've preferred Benihana's veggie hibachi b.u.t O.G. was where she wanted to go.

On a good note though, I FINALLY got my camcorder back from a relative so I can post my updates via Youtube. It was cuttin' it close and I did not want to do it via webcam. I had to harass her b.u.t it's been 3 months...I'm just glad I got it today. No excuses now!

Over the next few days I'll be gorging on a lot of fruit to prepare my body. I'll have to get the rest of my supplements next week though, I umm...went a lil' overboard at Michaels for yarn and bought a huge bottle of ECOS organic lavender laundry detergent at Sam's. What good would it do if I'm detoxing and then washing my clothes in some chemicals I can't pronounce?

I'm just sayin'.

T-Minus 7 Days in Counting

Woot!!

Can somebody tell me WHY this song is stuck in my head while I write this blog?

I may just have to put this on the iPod b/c it really seems to apply to the journey that I'm about to embark on. lololol My mind and musical tastes are VAST I tell ya.

I was very surprised to have received my MSM lotion yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't know it had been sitting on our porch until my step-dad went outside via the front door today. ha!! The lotion (orange & ylang ylang) smells amazing, and not only did I receive a coupon from The Raw Food World, b.u.t I got 2 small samples of chia seeds and chlorella. I would still order via amazon due to the obvious price increase from their site.

The only things I still need to pick up are spirulina, coconut/hemp oil and some bee pollen. I'll accumulate that during the week.

I'm also getting back into drinking my lemon water first thing in the morning. And I copped some pineapple, blackberries, grapefruit, lemon and orange to try out a couple of recipes during the week.

What more can I say?

First Order Placed...

I'm happy to announce that this morning I put in an order on amazon.com for a case of 12 wide mouth Quart sized Mason Jars, MSM powder, MSM bar soap and MSM lotion. Oh! And plastic tops for the Mason jars. I hate rust, and would go into OCD overload if my canning tops rusted from excessive washing, plus the nutrients will last slightly longer if I use the plastic tops. No way I'm going to ingest all that juice and there are chemicals leaking from my mom's 1990 tupperware cups.

I feel like this is really going to become a reality soon.

Lately to get pumped up even more, I've been reading a lot of juice feasting blogs online. Seeing how each person's journey is different than the next, the obstacles they overcame, and how amazing they felt is definitely inspiring. Next week I'm planning on a 1 day trial run to familiarize myself with the process itself, and to estimate how much exactly produce I'll need to equal 4-5 quarts of juice. Because I don't have a lot of space, I will most likely buy a few days worth of food at a time...these are the times that I miss my own fridge. A week's worth is just too much space to take up.

And before I forget....for those that are looking to buy these specialty items such as MSM, etc. through these raw food sites, check amazon.com first b/c I saved SOOOO much money for the same brand. Seriously. $12 for MSM lotion on one site, and $8 on amazon and it's still being shipped from the same damn company.

My sentiments exactly.

Supplements for the Juice Feast

I've done some research (like a true Gemini *wink*) on supplements I may like to take while feasting and while on the Juice Feasting website, it recommends quite a few. So now I don't feel so bad about adding on to my feast to ensure optimal cleansing and health. I'll explain them in detail after the jump:

• Spirulina
• Hemp oil
• Coconut oil
• Vitamineral Earth
• CELLFOOD
• Bee pollen
• MSM

I intended to take Spirulina anyways, and I was happy to see it on the List they provided. It's a high (complete) protein superfood, and has great blood cleansing properties. 1 Tbsp a day.

Hemp oil, on the other hand, I've never taken b.u.t have heard great things about it's essential fatty acids and it's abilty to rebuild internal organs. It's also good for burning excess fat and boosting the immune system. 1 Tbsp a day in the juice.

Coconut oil, is of course a given. This should be a part of everyone's routine whether feasting/fasting or not. To be honest I probably do not need both hemp and coconut oil, and they have the main use for coconut oil during the feast for enemas (uhh...no.), b.u.t I like it's antibacterial and antifungal properties. 1 Tbsp a day eaten plain. I may alternate days with the hemp and coconut. *shrugs*

Vitamineral Earth. Now this is brand new to me, b.u.t looks amazing. More of like the yang to Vitamineral Green's yin, this is to be taken starting at Day 30 of the feast. It contains a lot of cleansing roots and is not cheap. At $50 for 16 oz, oooh...this better be worth it. Just 1 tsp in juice to start, working up to 1 Tbsp.

I currently take CELLFOOD, which is a small bottle of liquid that contains 78 minerals, 34 enzymes, and 17 amino acids. It detoxifies and balances the pH your body, providing oxygen on a molecular level. I tell ya, this is no joke; I once added 2 doses to a bottle of water, and inadvertently drank the whole bottle within a few minutes because it was hot and I was thirsty. Within 15 minutes I was dizzy. For a couple of hours at that. It's a time released formula so me drinking that water like a desert oasis was not a smart idea. Never did that again after! This is not on the juice feasting list, b.u.t I like it and will continue to take it.

Bee pollen. I was surprised to see this on the list. They list this as the only thing that can be 'chewed' during the feast. I've always like the B-12 in bee pollen, and used to take it when I was a basketball player for energy. It also contains other B vitamins, as well as A, C, D and E. I just need to find a good source and I think down here, shouldn't be a problem.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was going to use MSM soap and lotion as part of my beauty regime during the juice feast (add to that dry brushing in the morning before my shower). I'm going to incorporate MSM powder as well. The program recommends first thing in the morning drinking a quart of water with 1/2 lemon and MSM. If you haven't heard of it, I would definitely read up on it and incorporate it into your routine. It helps not only your skin, b.u.t scarred tissue and inflammation.

There are a bunch others listed on the site, b.u.t I feel this is all I need.

*grin*

92 Day Juice Feast: 10/10/10

October 10, 2010 I will be embarking on my first major 92 Day JUICE FEAST!!!

I just got my first juicer last week...what I like to call a 'starter' juicer:

It's a Hamilton Beach juicer I copped off of Overstock.com for about $72 with shipping. It does the job and gives me a good amount of juice, and has a wide mouth at the top so i can fit in whole apples and pears. I will be saving up to get a Breville brand...I think I like that better than the Greenstar.

My first juice (pictured above) was a fresh peace and lime juice. I was so surprised that it was thick and frothy like a smoothie. This is NOTHING like the store bought juices; I've tried to fast/feast on pasteurized juices and I still felt hungry. I will never buy another juice again! My children love my creations, and often drink theirs and try to drink mine as well. In most cases they succeed :)

My goals for this feast: to cleanse inside and out, to no longer crave starches (I still like potatoes...shame, I know), and to release some weight. I'm not sure if I'm going to follow the juicefeasting.com protocol yet or not b.u.t I would like to do the knowledge to the program. I would also love to see how these 40DD cups ease themselves back down to a size I am familiar with...I hate big boobies, and they have never gone back down since I birthed my children.

I want at least a gallon of green juice going into my body each day, so I'll be experimenting with a lot of greens like dandelion and whatever else I can find. Organic foods only of course.

In terms of skincare, I will be experimenting with MSM soap and lotion. I've heard very good things about MSM, and can't wait to make it a part of my beauty regimen.

I will be documenting this journey through my Youtube channel once a week, and daily on this blog including the juice blends I use for each day.

So excited!

Transition

Leaving NYC was hard.

If you could picture me on the floor being dragged by my ankles towards the Amtrak and my nails engraving claw marks in the tile, that's what it would've been like...however you KNOW i gotta be fly with mines so I just kissed and hugged my King repeatedly...silently crying and followed my babies inside Penn Station. Knowing this isn't 'Peace' as in 'goodbye' b.u.t equally just as difficult. My King and I are like organic almond butter and jelly...i've never been this far away from home.

The decision to head south [back] to Florida was more of a pro-active approach to securing some land and stability for my cipher and I. Cause let's be honest, the houses down here are beautiful and cheap...What I could pay for a 3-4 bedroom house down here would equate to a stuffy studio condo in NYC. I am not bound to the concrete jungle; I deserve fresher air, foliage and .::tranquility::. like everyone else.

And to be honest, I was more in my 'raw element' when I lived down here a few years ago. Since moving back 'home' I got hooked on caffeine again due to the constant hustle and bustle in my life. My Sun was in the hospital for 3 weeks in January having surgery for esophageal stenosis (tightening of the esophagus), and I was there 20 hours a day...and the 4 hours I longed for at home with my daughter or in my bed to rest, barely existed...some days I didn't make it home at all. Coke and Coffee got me from point A to point B and coherent enough to repeat the same answers every 8 hours when the new shift started and the doctors did their rounds. And the fact that my Sun's issue was not a common one brought even more hospital staff into our room constantly poking, prodding and asking for the SAME medical history i've provided over 50 times already. Hospital food, exhaustion and constant stress almost killed me. And it was winter too?? oh hell naw.

Let's do a comparison of Florida Raw vs New York (Mid-Winter/Stressed the f*ck out/24-7 Grind) Raw:

I am happy to say I have made progress since then (thank gawd cause this is not a good look for me!), b.u.t I still have a long way to go. Instead of shitty makeshift grocery stores I have access to quality produce, good weather, better air and ORGANIC foods in abundance.

B.u.t don't get it twisted, I won't be forking over my New York ID anytime soon. I'm just on an 'extended vacay' down here on the Treasure Coast. Time to grind.