This Is Eight

This is Eight.

It's still calling me Mommy in a voice deep enough for a teenager.

It's asking to stop calling me Mommy.

It's putting in earbuds to drown out little siblings.

It's staying up later to read chapter books.

It's making lots of faces.

It's turning down a 3rd grape but then eating 5 tacos.

It's being really mature with one brother.

It's being really immature with another brother.

It's not being embarrassed to give me a hug at school.

It's eating 3 bowls of cereal before bed.

It's wanting to walk home from school by himself.

It's almost being late for school because doing your hair takes forever.

It's not being little and not being big.

This is Eight.

I Tried The Keto Diet

On July 17th I began trying a keto diet....just for the fun of it! Well not totally for fun. Let me back up. Obviously I love food. I love eating it, cooking it, shopping for it, and planning for it. But over the past few years I have also developed a deeper love for nutrition. I love reading about how certain foods and diets can affect our bodies. I find it fascinating how our bodies function differently depending on what we eat, and I'm a firm believer that food can be medicine for many people. 

In the past I have done portion control diets (21 day fix), as well as more restrictive diets such as the Whole30. I find these little experiments fun, and they do help me lose those inevitable 10 lbs that seem to creep back up during the year. I had been hearing about the keto lifestyle for about a year or so, but never thought much of it until this summer. After doing a little research I decided to dive right in.

The basic premise behind the keto diet is this: The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate way of eating. It generally limits NET carbs to no more than 20 grams per day. (Net carbs = Carbs - Fiber). Once the body stops receiving carbs to burn as fuel, it is forced into ketosis, in which the body burns fat for fuel. It gets its name from the word "ketones", which are produced in the liver to be used as energy.

I approached the diet very curious, and hopeful that I would lose a few pounds as well as lessen the amount of headaches I was getting. During the first few days as my body adjusted to less than 20 grams of carbs per day, I felt a little weak. But after that I felt pretty normal. One symptom I experienced the first week was a LOT of urination. As your body flushes out glycogen stores, along with it comes lots of water. Not surprisingly, I lost 5 pounds just in the first week.

I began eating a lot of healthy fats. (Let me tell you if you don't already know....healthy fats do not make you fat! Fats combined with lots of refined starchy carbs will make you fat.) Cream in my coffee every morning was delicious. At least 1/2 to 1 avocado a day. Foods cooked in butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. Rich creamy homemade alfredo sauces over chicken and zoodles. Lots of cream cheese. Wild caught salmon. Chia pudding made with coconut milk. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, although I didn't make bacon an everyday food. Cheese and nuts for snacks. Oh and plenty of vegetables.

One thing I noticed immediately was how filling these foods were. All the fat was working to keep me full between meals, and I rarely found myself "starving" by the next meal. One really nice side effect was the complete elimination of my headaches for the first two weeks. I thought I had finally found the answer to my migraines! But then they slowly started coming back. And I'm not sure what to think about that. But something I was doing during those first two weeks absolutely helped. I also noticed my nails were growing like crazy, and the skin on my face wasn't nearly as dry as it usually is.

I appreciated how the keto books and articles all encouraged choosing healthy fats and proteins. Grass-fed organic meats, organic full fat dairy, organic produce, nitrate-free bacon, and pastured eggs are all recommended. I can't consume everything organic due to budget restrictions, but I do try to buy organic when it's something my family eats a lot of.

So were there any negative side effects or things I didn't like about the keto lifestyle? Yes. First off, I missed eating healthy whole grains and healthy carbs. Foods like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and beans. I believe these can all be part of a healthy rounded diet. Eating these foods can help to ensure you are getting enough fiber, which is amazing not just for digestion but also heart health. Also, I didn't like how the diet kind of discouraged me from eating a lot of fruit (and even some veggies!). Because many fruits are high in carbohydrates, they are discouraged on the keto lifestyle. (Except for berries, which are high in fiber and therefore the fiber cancels out the carbs.) I don't eat a ton of fruit in general, but it just kind of bothered me that fruit was kind of viewed as "bad" on this diet.

I also experienced a few strange side effects while on keto. Sometime during the 4th week I started getting leg cramps at night. I had read this could happen if I was dehydrated or low on certain minerals such as magnesium. So I made sure to drink my CALM Magnesium drink almost every night before bed. Still, the leg cramps persisted. This same thing happened when I tried Whole30. Also, just this week I have noticed myself bruising much easier. I have no idea if it is related to eating Keto, but I thought I would mention it in case any of you try this way of eating.

So here I am, almost 5 weeks into eating keto. I am 13 pounds lighter, which I appreciate. But due to the strange symptoms I am having, I may slowly start introducing whole grain carbs back into my diet this week. What do you think of my little experiment? Have you ever tried the keto diet?

Folsom Lake With Family

We had so much fun yesterday going to Folsom Lake with Uncle Sean, Aunt Nicole, and cousins Ryan and Shayla!

We tested out some sharks in our driveway before hitting the road.

 The kids were so excited to go to the beach for one last summer adventure.

 Andrew was super goofy next to me in the car.

 And Lucas was super tired.

We drove to Granite Bay Beach at Folsom Lake and it felt much closer than I expected. Once there we had a good half mile walk down to the water. With 4 little kids we obviously had a lot of stuff to carry, so we were all really hot when we got to the shore.

The water felt so refreshing! It went out quite a ways before it got deeper, so there was a lot of area for the kids to play in. And Lucas and Jenna both wore life jackets, which helped to ease my worried Momma mind a bit.

 Selfie while nursing Andrew in the tent!

 We took a break for some snacking and then got back in the water because we were hot!

 We headed home around dinnertime, tired from our afternoon in the sun.

And that evening we all piled onto Mommy and Daddy's bed and assessed our tans and sunburns. (Jenna burnt a bit on her face and arms, poor girl. She looks SO much better today though.) My big boys just tan!

We are so glad Sean and Nicole suggested we join them at the lake! The kids have already asked me at least 3 times today if we can go back soon.

First Morning of School

It's the first day of school! I thought I'd let you know the honest details of our first morning back to school. Because I always keep it real on here!

Lucas was calmly excited to start the 1st grade. He got up, got dressed, ate, and got all ready to go.

 Little sister kept saying she was going to miss her brothers.

 Ryan, on the other hand, was less than thrilled about the end of summer. He is also sick with a cold, and he felt poorly enough this morning that we decided to keep him home. But then at the last minute he suddenly decided he wanted to go. So we rushed to get him ready.

In typical Ryan fashion, he wasn't hungry for breakfast. He turned down my offers of homemade waffles and sausage, or even his favorite cereal. I forced him to eat a cracker with his Tylenol. The boys and I ran to school and got there just after the bell rang.

I dropped Ryan off in his line and rushed to get Lucas lined up. I did snap this great picture of him.....no nerves showing at all! He is ready. I tried to rush back and say goodbye to Ryan but he was already in his classroom.

I left campus hopeful my boys would have a great first day of school. I was especially thinking about Ryan and his empty stomach and how he wasn't feeling great. And I suddenly remembered his sandwich I had started packing the night before. I chose to leave out the lunchmeat until the morning, so the sandwich would not get soggy. Except I forgot to add the meat this morning amidst the rush. So I sent him to school with a piece of bread for lunch. (He's also got a piece of fruit he won't eat, and a chocolate chip cookie, which he absolutely will eat.) So there you go. Real life on the first morning of school.

The Best Summer

Gosh I feel like we just had the best summer. It was the perfect mix of planned activities and adventures, and lazy days spent at home playing in our PJs. I have to admit...at the beginning of summer I am always a little anxious about having all the kids home all day. It can be a bit overwhelming having those months stretching out in front of you, wondering how you will entertain your kids for hours and days on end. But this summer turned out to be so fun.

We began our summer with a good old-fashioned lemonade stand.

And lots of playing.....

Followed by not 1 but 2 weeks of Vacation Bible Schools!

And lots and lots of swimming.

July brought with it some messy projects.....

 Deck building.....

And our vacation in Bear Valley!

 After our trip we attempted our first ever garage sale.

Followed by some awesome overnight guests!

At the end of July we spend a couple days in Brentwood for Uncle Sean's wedding.

So far August has been filled with playdates with friends, mornings at the park, and lots of swimming with Grandpa.

Soaking up every spare minute with Daddy when he isn't working....

 Harvesting our veggies

Doing crafts

And getting ready for school!

Just last week I found myself feeling sad about the start of the school year. I felt like there were still so many fun things I wanted to do with the kids. And then this week came, and suddenly I felt ready. Ha! Funny how that happened just before the first week of school. Suddenly it feels like everyone is getting on each other's nerves and we are ready for the structure that the school year brings.

Farewell to the BEST summer and hello to the new school year!