An Au Pair, a juice fast and a lot of poo.

So. 2 major things happening!
       1- I'm on a juice fast! Well, not entirely juice- I'm also incorporating raw fruits, veggies and nuts into my diet because I just don't do well without any sort of solid. Bad things happen-trust me. I'm on day 5 of the "Cold-Turkey" juice fast because before that I was on a juice fast but still having one meal a day. So technically speaking I've actually been doing this for almost three weeks but it wasn't working as well as I had hoped before so I decided to go crazy. I'm so thrilled with the results I've already had! I've lost 4 pounds, had more energy and gotten sick. Now that sounds awful but the sickness is just my body ridding itself of all bad toxins! So my lymph nodes are incredibly swollen, my throat hurts and my muscles are tense but that's only because they are trying to get rid of all the crap I've put into myself over the years and those places are where the crap gets stored. It sucks and I've missed two days of school and sleep, but it will be worth it in the long run! The rest of my family said they were going to do the same but so far it hasn't happened. I'm hoping they all really run with it because it's so, SO good for you and helps you detox, lose wight, clear up dietary, physical and mental ailments and just gives you more energy and stuff! I'll be trying to blog more often to keep you updated on my little journey :) Alyssa and I have been recruiting friends to do this with so let me know if you want in!


       2- I'm going to Australia, mate! A couple of months ago, I decided to put a profile up on AuPair.com and see if I could land an Au Pair job somewhere. (Au Pair; An au pair (plural: au pairs) is a domestic assistant for children and housework from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family.) So I was contacted by a lady who was interested in hiring me and we talked a bit and then I didn't hear from her for over a month. Needless to say , I just let that thought go. Until I was contacted by another lady (On a different website; GreatAuPair.com) in Toowoomba, Queensland Australia with a husband and four beautiful children who was interested in hiring me. So we started e-mail and Tuesday night I was able to skype with her and their current Au Pair, Mimmi, who is returning home in a week to start an internship! They were both wonderful and I had so much fun talking to them and getting a "tour" of the house over skype. I was able to meet a couple of the children and ask my questions. We then e-mailed the next day and officially decided that I'm going! We both feel very comfortable and are so excited at this opportunity! So it will either be in early June or late July- we're all hoping for July since it will give me a bit more time to gather funds, prepare, book a plane ticket and be approved for my visa. I should know by Monday :) There are a LOT of things I need that happen to be very expensive and I need them in a short amount of time.


        So I created a "Faith List"- a checklist of things I'm trusting God to provide- A laptop, Camera, Visa, Clothing, Supplies, Airline ticket, etc. Plus things that I'll need once I get there- A Homeopathic doctor, a "backup family" who's Christian so I can fellowship with them, a Church and friends. Needless to say; Your prayers are appreciated! Anything you can help with is a massive blessing. I'll keep you updated as this journey ensues. Love you all!

Fat? Not me.

I was reading a homeopathic care book earlier today and came across the section titled, "Emotional Problems- Anorexia and Bulimia". I was intriged by the idea that those severe lies could be antidoted with herbs, so I continued reading. About half way through the first paragraph it said, "The disorder usually occurs in adolescent girls who fear becoming fat and develop a distorted impression of their own body image."  I was nearly shocked with an epiphany for my own life. These eating diorders (both of which I have struggled with in the past) are not a fix, they're a prevetative! Then I asked myself, how can a girl be so sure that she will become fat that she'll starve herself to prevent it? She may maintain a healthy weight her whole life. Why would she automatically assume that she is destined for obesity?
And then it hit me- like a Mack truck. Moms. These girls hear their mothers time and time again say, "I have no self-control", "I've gotta lose weight", "I never did lose that baby-weight", etc. So it's only natural that they would adapt the same mind-set or, even scarier, go the opposite direction to make sure they never have to feel that way about themselves. The past generations wonder why my generation is so twisted with eating disorders and suicide- it's not us. We are reeling from the generations before us and trying to stop these lies in their tracks. But how do we try and stop these lies? Well, generally we go to men. We try and find our self-worth in boys instead of food and then backslide when these boys let us down- Leading us straight to food, obesity or the feeling that we are too fat and that's why guys don't love us. So then we slim down and flirt like there's no tomorrow just to get feedback.  It's a crazy cycle that has to stop!

Mom's what do you say in front of your children? Not just your daughters, but also your sons! Do you realize that you are shaping their view on women and they will go a seek out the girls with eating disorders?? How about instead of, "Man I need to lose weight" just go and actually do something about it! Get yourself on a schedule, change the food you buy and have self-control!

~Get some accountability. Make some changes. Just small ones- they don't have to be giant!

~Studies show that not eating after 7:00 PM can help you lose 10 pounds a month!

~Switch to Almond or Coconut milk instead of Dairy since dairy will bloat you and is not naturally healthy. Think of it this way- A; You're drinking a cows breast milk. Ew!  and B; A cow feeds her calf a type of milk that is meant to fatten that baby up- and FAST! It will do the same to you.

~Your body will often send the same message when it's thirsty as it does when it's hungry- aka drink instead of snack! More than likely you are just thirsty!

There are SO many ways to help your self image as well as your children's. I feel sick when I think of the crap I went through because of some of the women in my life- who I thought were mentors no less- who completely distorted my self image through their own self-image. Don't be that person. Be an influence of positivity and confidence on my generation! You are needed. And you are wanted!