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My Original Welcome Message…Sorta

March 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I had to go Hollywood on myself and do a director’s clapboard CUT! while taping my welcome message last week.

My original message is good, IMO, but too long. Originally over 12 minutes I had to slice this down to the YouTube required 10 minutes. And even though I taped a shorter version that is featured to your right, this edited original version still offers some valuable insights so I’m going to share it with you anyway. No sense in scrapping perfectly good material. Take a look:

So, what did you think? Did this longer version provide you with something that is useful to you? I hope so! Please comment below as I’d love to hear any takeaways you may have gained from this or how this was helpful to you in some way. Thanks!

In Celebration,
{siggy}

Filed Under: Family Life, Reconnect With YOU, Spirituality Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Koppi Write Photography: Kitara’s Headshots {Photographer The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, TX}

March 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

This was my first time taking professional (non-JC Pennys/Sears) business portraits in a studio. Jamie Koppi is an equally amazing wife, mother and entrepreneur who balances her life beautifully.

Jamie is a fun spirit and I enjoyed working with her and look forward to our family portrait session with her later this month. Enjoy the sneak peeks!

In Celebration,
{siggy}

Koppi Write Photography: Kitara’s Headshots {Photographer The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, TX}.

Filed Under: A Life You Love, Family Life, Reconnect With YOU

She Was Ready to Walk Away

January 29, 2010 By 2 Comments

About five years ago a colleague, whom I also consider a friend, shared with me how she had reached a point in her marriage when she was ready to walk away from it all and they had been married at the time for over 10 years.

This woman is smart, confident, successful, attractive, well-liked and a leader in her community. She’s a best-selling author, motivational speaker, success coach and loving mom. One would easily assume that based on all of the positive attributes in her life that her marriage was equally fulfilling, but that wasn’t the case.

She said that as the years went by in their marriage they had begun to grow apart. Being the success coach that she is, she was always ready to take action and move things to the next level, her husband was not. He was comfortable with the familiar and saw no need to change. This caused her spirit to be uneasy because part of her wanted to grow, blossom and expand, yet another part of her didn’t want to do that if it meant putting her marriage in jeopardy. So for a long time she went against the desires of her spirit and stayed in that “comfortable place” – which honestly was no longer comfortable – for the sake of her marriage.

She said for months she wrestled with the thoughts in her head and heart about whether she should stay in her marriage or leave. She thought about her children, her husband, their families and friends. She played out the scenario of splitting assets, moving into a new home, joint custody and therapy. She meditated and prayed for guidance on how to handle this situation so that it could end with the best possible outcome for everyone. Finally, she decided that she had to do what was best for her.

The decision didn’t come easily she said. She felt guilty about how her choice to put her needs first would affect others. But she also had to remind herself that her intentions were not to purposely hurt anyone else but to make herself happy…even though hurt feelings would naturally be a byproduct of her decision. Yet in the end, she decided to follow the call of her inner spirit to grow, blossom and expand, even if it meant doing those things without her husband. In her mind, divorce was just around the corner and she was preparing for it.

She slowly began doing things that honored her and made her feel good. Some things were small and simple but they meant the world to her. The biggest shift in her decision to honor self however, came in the form of an invitation to a party.

Every year she and her husband were invited to a costume party that friends of theirs held at their home. Every year she wanted to go….he didn’t. Every year, they wouldn’t attend, only to hear how much fun they had missed. This particular year she had decided to leave her husband in order to make herself happy, the invitation arrived in the mail. But this time instead of “asking” him if they were going, she “told him” that the annual party was approaching and that she was going. That was that!

Weeks went by and her husband hadn’t said two words about the impending party. She had already purchased her outfit and was extremely excited about going. The day before the party she was out running errands and had called home to check on her kids. Her oldest, a then “tween”, answered and they chatted a bit then she asked, “Where’s Daddy?” Her child replied “Out looking for something to wear to the party tomorrow.” She was stunned!

Not only did her husband find something to wear, he attended the party and together, they had a ball. From that point forward their marriage experienced a dramatic shift and they rediscovered each other and remain happy. But here’s why….

When she had made up her mind to make herself happy and leave her husband, she started putting herself first. A change was taking place within her. They were small, subtle changes but big enough to cause a ripple in her husband’s awareness. And as she told me, “Kitara, when I stepped into the woman I am supposed to be, my husband stepped up to keep up.” And she went on to tell me that a male mentor of hers told her “When you stop being a little girl and become a woman, your husband will stop being a little boy and become a man”.

Her husband realized that his wife was growing to a new level. She was playing big and if he didn’t step up his game he was going to lose her. So instead of denying what was going on, he embraced it full on and did what he needed to do to save his marriage.  Could it have gone the other way? Of course! She could have ended up divorced – but she still would’ve been happy because she was honoring herself.

Happy-coupleThe whole point here ladies is that so long as it does not intentionally hurt another or yourself, it is okay to do what you have to do to make yourself happy. In fact, you should do what makes you happy! Yes, hurt feelings may be a byproduct of your decision, but purposely hurting another is not your intention, experiencing joy and answering the call of your inner spirit is.

Many of us teeter along saying “I wish I were happy” or “I just want to be happy!” but we haven’t truly decided to be happy. Make the decision to be happy. Step into it, embrace it and own your happiness. It is yours after all and no one else can truly make you happy for true happiness is found within. So do something good for yourself….do YOU.

In Celebration,

Filed Under: Family Life, Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Why Friendships are Important in a Marriage – Part II

December 22, 2009 By 4 Comments

Yesterday I began a two-part post on why it is important to have friendships outside of your marriage based on advice I shared with a friend last December after finding out her husband had been unfaithful. She shared her pain with me and then asked me two very important questions as she was trying to deal with the reality of her situation. Part one of this topic addressed the first question she asked me, and today I will address part two. I have changed their names to protect their identities and privacy. Here we go….

How
does one get over feeling like when the other goes out that the one going
out doesn’t love or care for the other as much?

Relationships
that revolve solely around each other with little to no outside interaction
with others are unhealthy and emotionally dangerous. The challenge people
face in these types of relationships is that they do not allow themselves the time
and space away from each other in order to appreciate each other more. When disagreements
and frustrations arise, there are no outlets to turn to to vent frustrations
and seek advice. And when and if one party suddenly takes up interests outside
of the relationship, that leaves the other person feeling abandoned, suspicious
and lost. Their mind becomes playground to a host of insecurities and oftentimes
repeated arguments become common because the person left behind is usually
the one asking a lot of accusatory questions, placing blame and trying to smother
the other person with false affection in fear of being abandoned completely for
their new “interests”.

When
it comes to feelings of abandonment and suspicion when your spouse takes up new
interests, it is important to first evaluate your value of self worth. Your
spouse’s new interests may be genuine and completely innocent, or they could be
the cover up for a secret that could damage your marriage. Either way, how you feel
about yourself can make or break the situation.

If
you are someone who has a strong sense of self and who values and indulges in “me”
time away from your spouse and kids, then your partner taking in new interests
that don’t always include you, or hanging with friends occasionally wouldn’t be
intimidating in the least. After all, spa days and shopping with your
girlfriends are equivalent
to a day of golf or buffalo wings and beer at the local sports bar with friends
after work for your husband.

However,
if you are a woman who has lost touch with who she is and who doesn’t know
how to enjoy and appreciate life unless your husband is involved and feels inadequate
on numerous levels, before you wonder if your husband has stopped loving
you, you have to ask when did you stop loving yourself?

Time
and time again, stories of women across the globe tell of how love eluded them for
years and it wasn’t until they learned how to fall in love with themselves, did
the door
open and external love came rushing in.

As
women it is in our nature to nurture and comfort everyone around us, neglecting ourselves
because we feel it is our duty to take care of everything and everyone else first.
However, it is the duty we are truly called to the most that we neglect, and
that is
the duty of self-care.

Before
there was him, there was just you. Before it was “we”, it was
“me”. Even now in
the stillness of your mind there is only you. Loving you and putting you first
does not
mean neglecting your loved ones. Loving yourself could be as easy as looking you
in the mirror daily and saying “I love you” and truly mean it.
Putting you first could
mean that for an hour each afternoon, or even once a week, you require your children
to retreat to their rooms for quiet time so that you can indulge in a relaxing hot
bath before you begin dinner, homework and bedtime routines. This simple act of escape
can calm you and help move you through the rest of your night feeling more balanced,
centered and patient.

How
do you get over these negative feelings and move into a place of inner comfort and
security that sustains you and helps you appreciate you?

1.
Get in touch with who you were before you met your husband. Recall things you
used to like to do, places you liked to go, hobbies you enjoyed and the friends
you had. What did you believe in? How did you envision yourself as a married
woman? Are you living that vision? If not, what is different and how far is it
from the life you pictured years ago?

2.
Assess who you are now. You are more than just a chauffeur, cook, maid, nurse,
secretary and sex partner. Leaving all of the titles behind, who are you as a
woman? Are you being who you were meant to be?

3.
Step into who you are meant to be. Decide based on who you were before you met
your husband and who you are now, who you will be from this point forward.

4.
Create interests and opportunities that do not involve your husband. This doesn’t
mean go out and create a new life, but it does mean “getting a life”.
Start getting regular manicures, go out to lunch with girlfriends or create a girls
night and go to dinner and a chick flick. Enjoy reading? Join a book club. Like
scrapbooking? Get involved with a scrapper group. Fancy the ballet? Take up an
adult ballet course. Seek out and enjoy those things that are of interest to
you.

5.
Fall in love with you. If you haven’t done it lately, undress to your birthday suit
and check yourself out in the mirror. Really stand there and take you in. Look
at you from every angle and observe every line, curve, scar, roll, discoloration,
lopsided or even missing boob, bunion, wide nose, stained teeth, graying hair,
everything, WITHOUT JUDGMENT. Just observe. Once you’ve taken everything in, to
those parts of you that you normally don’t like, place your hand over that body
part, scar, or whatever it is, look in the mirror and say “Thighs (or
whatever the appropriate part), I love you. I love you and appreciate you just
as you are.” Do this for every part of your body that isn’t pleasing to
you. Once you’ve completed that step, stand and look at you in the eye and say
“I love you YOUR NAME. I love you just the way you are”. Keep
repeating it until you believe it. And from that point forward make it a habit
each and everyday to tell yourself just how much you love yourself.

6.
Make a spiritual connection. Turn inward and connect with your source of infinite
power. God, Allah, Creator, Universe, Yahweh – whatever and however you choose
to address your higher source is perfect. Know that there is an ever loving
power that supports and guides you and only desires your greatest good. All you
have to do is ask for help. Getting in touch with your spirituality brings
calm, peace and a knowing sense that no matter what, all is well.

Once
you can get back in touch with you are and who you are meant to be, regardless
to what your spouse does you will always have the love of self. This isn’t to
suggest that if in fact your husband’s affections towards you have changed and your
marriage dissolves that it will not hurt or be challenging. Do expect it to
hurt, and
do expect it to be emotionally difficult. But do also expect that because you
were able
to get back in touch with the essence of you, those things that you love and enjoy
will still be there to fulfill you as you transition into this new phase of
your life.

After reading my response to her, here is what she had to say:

“Hi
Kitara!

Thanks
so much for answering my questions. You really put a lot of thought
into them and they made me think to the point of tears. Your answers
were right on point and it’s almost like God is speaking through
you to me. Michael and I have only been married for 5 years but yet
Brenda is just now really grasping and learning what a marriage is, shouldn’t
be what should take place with me and what shouldn’t. Getting self
books now that I feel should have been read before I entered into such
a spiritual bond. Allowing God to minister in this marriage now when
he should have been here all along. I’m happy that I’m learning now,
but if I would have known then what I know now I feel like it could
have saved me a lot of heart ache. The
trials and tribulations that I am going through will only make me stronger
in the end. While going through the trials you feel as though there
is not a light at the end of the tunnel. I feel so lost and confused
at times. Almost like a walking zombie, but I will soon get out of that and I will be fine.”

Now a year later, I am happy to share that Brenda and Michael are still together, happy and working on their marriage as a team. She admits to having “down moments” when she remembers the pain she experienced last year, but she is renewed by the joint commitment they both now have to making their marriage last.

And that brings me to my next and final point. I was involved in an online discussion this morning over at LifeTwo.com and it was on the topic of a woman who has decided to leave her marriage. I responded yesterday with some comments and questions and another reader replied back this morning stating that I gave “bad” advice. I didn’t take offense to it, but instead responded by saying:

“My advice is just that – advice – doesn’t make it right or wrong
depending on who’s reading it and their take on things, it just is.
Take what works and dump the rest, and if none of it works, that’s
great too! “

At the end of the day, people are going to do what they feel is in
their best interest regardless to the advice that is thrown their way.
I don’t have all the answers, in this case I may not have any. I just
come from a place of trying to help. My prayer each day is that I can
help a minimum of one person in some way. If I missed something, then
perhaps this isn’t the person I was meant to help and that just means
there’s someone else out there waiting for my help. Could be a smile, a
kind word, or helping someone a little shorter than me reach an item on
a tall shelf at the grocery store. However I am meant to help, my goal
is to do it with love and kindness. I won’t always get it right, but I
will always keep trying.”

I shared that to say this ladies, my objective is to help. If you can get just one tiny nugget from all of the many things that I share on this site, then I’ve done my job. Take what you need and leave the rest as it may be useful to someone else. Take care!

In Celebration,
Signature

Filed Under: Family Life, Marriage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Friendships are Important in a Marriage – Part I

December 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Approximately
a year ago, just before the Christmas and New Year holidays, a friend of mine learned that her husband had been unfaithful with several different women during the course of their five year marriage. With one of these women he had grown emotionally attached. They have two young children and she was naturally devastated to learn of his infidelity.


After
much crying and soul searching, she decided to fight for her marriage. While still
emotionally difficult and battling feelings of guilt over what she could have
done wrong to cause him to step outside of the vows they made before God and her judgment
to trust anything he says, she remained steadfast in her decision to stand firm for her marriage.


Shortly
after learning about the affairs she sent me two text messages asking for my
advice. As soon as I read the questions I knew that they were questions that
could not and should not be responded to via cell phone text messaging
technology. And because her husband had been home a lot lately, I also knew it
would not be wise to call her. So, I did the next best thing, I e-mailed her.

Before
I actually sat down to reply to her, thoughts started forming in my head, so many
that I felt as if I were about to give an answer in a column. I strongly believe that
was what I was being guided to do, so that is how I answered her two questions.
Once I sat down and began to write, everything flowed out of me so quickly
that at times I couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with my own thoughts.

The
following is part one of the questions she asked me, my answers, and the reply
she sent to me after reading them. I’ve changed her and her husband’s names to
protect their identities and privacy.

How
important is outside friendship in a marriage? Does ensuring friendships
on the outside make for a healthy balance in the marriage?


Outside
friendships can be very healthy and fulfilling to married couples. Both individual
and couple friendships help to bring balance and fresh perspective. In fact, I
daresay it is required in a marriage, or any intimate relationship, to have the positive
influence of friends.


Both
old and new friends bring value to your life. Old friends know you well and sometimes
longer than your spouse, and therefore can keep you in touch with who you
are as an individual. New friends balance out old friends by introducing you to new
experiences and ways of thinking. The connection with both the old and new helps
you to see who you have been and who you would like to become as a complete
expression of your individuality.


Communing
with other married couples is also very important in a relationship, especially
when you have married friends at various stages in their relationships. You can
learn a great deal from someone who has been married 10 – 20 years longer than
you have. But, it doesn’t mean that you cannot learn from and appreciate the advice
lent by someone newly married, or who has been married the same length of time
as you.


The
most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to having other married couples
as friends is that you share something in common. There is a conversation and
an understanding amongst married couples that your still single friends cannot appreciate.
The same is true of married couples with children. It is difficult to discuss parenting
frustrations with couples who are not parents.

When
you are faced with a challenge in your marriage, or even a minor squabble, being
able to talk it through with other married folk who understand and know where you
are coming from is one of the greatest forms of therapy available. You may not agree
with everything that is offered up on the table, but nothing beats the advice of someone
who knows from firsthand experience.


Probably
one of the greatest assets of having other married couples as friends, in addition
to bonding with others who share similar views and interests, is that by being
around and observing other couples, you have the opportunity to see aspects of
things that could be missing, should be eliminated or should stay the same in your own
marriage. Every friendship brings with it an opportunity to learn and grow.

With
regards to non-couple friendships outside of the marriage, there are limits and boundaries
that shouldn’t be crossed. At the point when you met your mate there were
probably friends that existed before you came into each others’ lives, some of them
being the opposite sex. If those were true friendships that were not tainted by any
type of sexual interaction, then it is safe to bring those friendships with you into your
new relationship.


It is
also equally safe to create new bonds along the way with both the same and opposite
sex and introduce them into the fold of your marriage. This is usually most common
in workplace situations where co-workers become good friends. As you share
your experiences about work with your spouse, also talk about the new friend, or
friends you’ve made and how much you have in common. Some of the best friends
are created through workplace experiences.


By
talking openly about your friends, old and new, male and female, and even inviting
them to spend time with you and your spouse lowers the guard of suspicion. Openly
sharing your friends sends the message, “I have nothing to hide and my heart
is only with you”. On
the other hand, however, it is dangerous to create friendships that are kept in secret.


Even if the friendship is strictly platonic and there are no sexual feelings on either
side, if your partner ever found out about this person the level of trust they once
had for you would be violated because you were never open about your new friend.
Again, even if the friendship is nonsexual, if you don’t bring that friend into your
partner’s awareness, even if only by talking about them, you run the risk of appearing
as if you have something to hide once they do find out about your new friend.


Tomorrow I will share part II on this topic. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and don’t forget to take the free Early Midlife Assessment if you haven’t already over at www.kitarawilson.com.

In Celebration,

Signature

Filed Under: Family Life, Marriage Tagged With: , , , , ,

Don’t Call it a Midlife “Crisis”

December 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

By definition, according to the Penguin English Dictionary 2nd Edition sitting here on my desk, a crisis is "a time of acute difficulty or danger…" So if you break that down, to embrace the term "midlife crisis" really translates into "my life is in or is headed for acute difficulty or danger". Honestly ladies, given the already uncertain emotional state that you're in, do you really want to add the loom and doom of "acute difficulty or danger" as a little black rain cloud hanging over your head?Angry-woman-2_Full

I didn't think so….at least I know I didn't, which is why I embraced the idea of CELEBRATING this wacked out stage of my life. The idea of champagne toasts and fun (celebration) just sounds more palatable than banging my head up against brick walls and running scared all the time even if in the figurative sense (difficulty and danger), dontchathink?Champagne_toast

I created this blog and most recently the companion Facebook Page, Women's Early Midlife Celebration, to appeal to women in their pre-midlife "crisis" years. Women like me, who are approaching or are in the second half of their lives and are feeling the angst of what is to come and is commonly known as the "midlife crisis". This can be a very trying time in a woman's life emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. There are many feelings of anger, sadness, frustration and sheer hopelessness.

Society has dubbed this time in both men and women's middle years as a crisis, and interestingly enough, people have fallen into that very trap. At the first sign of distress, confusion, grey hair, arthritis or emotions they don't fully understand, they willingly embrace going through a midlife CRISIS, when in fact it should be looked upon as a midlife CELEBRATION.

Amidst what is clearly an emotionally troubling period in life, why consider it a celebration? Well not only have we been blessed to live long enough to experience this point in our lives, but we now have a bit of wisdom on our side that tips the scale of balance. We will not journey through this second stage of life the same way we groped around blindly up into this point.

This wealth of wisdom that has now been deposited into our life account doesn't mean we will glide through the second half of our journey unscathed, on the contrary. There will be bumps in the road here and there, but maturity, wisdom and past life lessons will guide us over these minor hurdles with what should be minimal damage.

Right Here, Doing It™ is about acknowledging and embracing what is out of balance and celebrating the fact that not only can we get back into balance, but there are many wonderful ways in order to do so. This is not a cookie cutter solution where one method is expected to work for everyone. Right Here, Doing It™ is about honoring and respecting the individuality of each woman, and knowing that as women and beings on this planet, we have to find what works best for us. What works for me may not work for 50 other women and vice versa. But what is so amazing is that there is something for everyone.

So when I tell you that I am Right Here, Doing It™ with you, please believe that. All that I am doing to help other women feel good about themselves and find tools and solutions to navigate through this transition into the second stage of life is just as therapeutic for me as it is for you. And it is my hope that as we travel on this midlife celebration journey together that I can be of support and encouragement to you, as I know you will be to me.

So please, check back with me often for ongoing encouragement and support, and stay tuned as I try and figure out how to now get my blog posts to import over to my Facebook Women's Early Midlife Celebration page instead of my personal profile page. Hmmmmm.

In Celebration,

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Filed Under: Family Life Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Yup, I Did That

October 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Well folks….seems I disappeared for my video blog for the 30-day raw food detox – yup, I did that, I dropped the video ball. The detox is still going…today is day 29, but the video blogging thing was a flop. I just wasn't able to, well, let me be honest, I wasn't motivated enough to keep up with the videos day in and day out. I recorded others, but just wasn't feelin' all of the uploading and editing that I had to do so I just let it go. Evenutally I'll upload them and let folks know so if anyone cares (ha!) you can check them out.

As a quick update – I've been 98% raw. This time around I seemed to get bored with my food a lot faster than I did last time. I got sick of salads and since I don't own a dehydrator or a real quality blender, my options for yummy smoothies, raw soups and other treats were very limited. These aren't reasons to stop the detox altogether, but they are MY reason for being 98% raw. The only cooked food I've had during this 30-day stretch are chips to enjoy with my beloved salsa and guacamole. 

Hubby and I have endured sporting events and other social situations where tempting foods by sight and smell were all around us. We faithfully munched on fresh fruit and veggies and Lara Bars – raw food bars – those got old too after awhile. I personally think the trick to doing a raw food diet/lifestyle for any length of time past say 5-10 days is to have quality kitchen appliances such as a quality blender and a food dehydrator to help widen your raw food options. We have neither, and many of the very good looking recipes I found online require one or both of these. The book that I have that I recommended in a previous post, The Raw Food Detox Diet does not require either and I was able to make some things from there, but the things that really piqued my interest required advanced gadgets that I don't own….yet.

Which brings me to this post. I wanted to give you all an update to let you know that the detox is still going on, I've lost inches and overall feel pretty good, though I've been a bit crabby lately and I'm sure that's from me releasing stuff, but it's been a worthwhile journey and I'll continue to make raw foods a priority in my daily diet. But, I also wanted to share with you all a little video me and my babies put together for a contest we entered to try and win a Blendtec Blender…one of those quality appliances I've been talking about. Angela and Matt Monarch of RawReform.com are putting on a contest to win one of these horsepower blenders so we got creative and came up with something we hope they'll enjoy. The kids had a blast doing this and they are sooooo proud of themselves. Thanks for checking out the post and I hope you all enjoy the video. Take care!

In Celebration,

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Filed Under: Family Life

30-Day Raw Food Detox Challenge, Pre-Detox Day 3

October 1, 2009 By 1 Comment

Well, I still haven't jumped over my learning curve with video sharing. Seems I now need to clear some space on my computer or just have someone come out and give it a needed tuneup and add some more memory.

Anyhoo, yesterday was up and down for me. Don't know if it had anything to do with the way I've been eating or not but I just felt really unorganized in a lot of areas. As I mentioned in the video, I ended up at the grocery store three times today when my overall goal is to only step into the grocery store once a week. Three times in one day is just frustrating.

My throat was also bothering me and I felt really tired, so that made me irritable which made me snappy and short tempered with my kids. Not the way I want to be, but just goes to show you my early midlife celebration was in FULL SWING yesterday. One thing that helped balance all of that stuff out was running into a friend from home (Richmond, CA) I met when I was 18 and we worked in a bank together. We had lost touch over the years and she has a very common name, as common as "Mary Smith", so trying to locate her online was a difficult task, but I did try.

Last I knew she was still living in Los Angeles. She saw me with the kids in the mall yesterday but wasn't sure if it was me. She came up behind me and said "Excuse me, what's your name?" I took one look at her and screamed her name in the middle of Sephora and we hugged and talked for nearly an hour. She looks great and has been living in the Houston area for the past two years.

I'm just so grateful that I made the decisions that I made yesterday which led me to that very moment of her seeing me walking into the store as she was walking out of a store across the aisle/hall..whatever you call the walkway in the mall! There are no accidents and I appreciate Spirit guiding me so that I could reconnect with my friend. That certainly balanced out all of my flip flop emotions yesterday.

So, here's pre-detox day 3. The kits arrived last night so today is day 1 of the official 30 day challenge. I promise I'm working on trying to post same day stuff, so bear with me! Love ya!

In Celebration,

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Filed Under: Family Life

30-Day Raw Food Detox Challenge, Pre-Detox Day 2

September 30, 2009 By 1 Comment

Okay folks….so today is Wednesday, September 30th, but this post is about Tuesday, September 29th. It's taking me more than a minute to figure out the online video thing, but I'm getting there.

Yesterday wasn't too horrible. I made a green smoothie with beet stalks, spinach, carrot, banana, 1 stalk of celery, fresh peaches and agave nectar. There is no rhyme or reason to my smoothies – I just put in what seems good at the moment. My smoothies however are anywhere but "smooth". I bought a cheap replacement blender when our Oster gave out on us. I want a Blendtec but they're pricey so we decided that in the meantime and in-between time we'll get something "cheap". Well cheap it is. When drinking my "smoothies" I'm still chewing on carrots, pieces of fruit and stray bits of veggie leaves. Fun experience let me tell ya.

Anyway, I noticed that while out yesterday I didn't have enough snacks so I ended up snacking on some granola (forgot to mention that in the video!). Not horrible, but because I am out so much with my kids I need to over prepare because I can no longer snack on the granola snacks, pretzels or tortilla chips I usually pack. I always pack fruit and baby carrots, but now I'll need to do more of this plus a little extra.

As promised, I want to share with you the link to my friend Reeshemah Holmes' Facebook site. She is also doing a 30 day raw food challenge (not detox with herbs like me….although eating raw does prompt natural detoxification) and she's doing a great job. Today is day 6 for her and it was from her that I decided to follow her lead and journal my progress via video….ultimate accountability that's for sure.

That's it for now. I feel like I'm getting better with the whole video thing, so hopefully you'll receive today's video TODAY. Take care folks!

In Celebration,

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Filed Under: Family Life

30-Day Raw Food Detox Challenge, Pre-Detox Day 1

September 29, 2009 By 3 Comments

Yesterday (9/28/09 – took me forever to figure this video thing out!) marked day 1 of my pre-detox for the 30-day raw food challenge I am embarking upon. Last year hubby and I completed a 3-week raw food detox using detox kits from Dherbs.com. It was a good detox, but I admit that we were not 100% raw. This time I plan to go one week beyond the required three weeks for the detox and maintain 100% raw status the entire 30 days.

Why am I doing this? Mainly to improve my overall health. I have some concerns that I feel eating healthier foods and cleansing my body of toxins will positively address. I'll share those concerns with you in another video, but for now I'd like to share this first video with you….but BE WARNED…

We are a REAL family and you can tell that we are truly video virgins when it comes to recording and posting on the web. I kept holding products up right in front of my mouth so you couldn't see me; my cameraman/son kept wiggling all over the place so he couldn't keep the camera steady (I even said something to him while recording) and he was laughing and talking here and there; my assistant/daughter was skipping through the kitchen in the background and at one point leapt in front of the camera so all you see is this arm flying and at the very end my goofball husband makes his appearance. By the end of 30+ days we should have our act together, but for now, this is us. Enjoy.

In Celebration,

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P.S. I am STILL trying to figure out how to use the VideoPad Editor to make the video a bit more "creative", but I got tired of foolin' with it and have lessons to finish so here's just the plain basics.

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