Fighting PCOS Naturally

Getting into bully breed dog rescue has changed my life. I no longer have any free time on the weekends, but I love it. It doesn't matter if I'm standing outside in the heat at an adoption event, spending all of my gas money driving across the metroplex (south Ft Worth to Mesquite is a LONG drive) transporting dogs, creating newsletters to send, reading adoption applications, or inspecting random people's homes to make sure they are safe for our dogs. I get messages from friends all the time, asking if I can help a dog they found. Sometimes I succeed and find a home. Sometimes I have to ignore my facebook feed because I can't save all of them. I follow several animal shelters on Facebook, and see all the dogs that need help. I hope and wish for the day when the steady stream of dogs in need of help stops. I cry when dropping one of our dogs back off at the boarding facility because a meet and greet didn't go well. I have had to teach myself to not fall hopelessly ...

**CNBC TRIGGER WARNING** School started today. If you missed my last post, you missed the big news- we're PARENTS! We temporarily adopted my niece. The last 3 weeks have been a huge adjustment for us. In a good way, mostly. Hubs and I are having a lot of pain issues, but we aren't used to being so active. Either we'll keel over from the pain or our bodies will eventually get used to it. Getting up at 5:30 to make sure the kidlet is on a bus by 7 is definitely a change of pace from our usual "sleep til 12" schedule, but it was a needed change. I can get a full day's work in and still be home in time to make dinner at a decent hour and bathe the kid. Although it takes time to adjust, I think it's good for all of us. We are actually having to make 3 meals a day, and I think that has been the toughest. I'm never hungry in the AM, so having to actually set aside time to make food for the kidlet is unusual. I'll have to start making my breakfast sm...

Hubs and I did something CRAZY this week. We became parents. Yes, you read that right. After the years of complaining that we will never be parents, things has changed. For at least a few months, anyway. My niece, G, is a little crazy, like me. For not being biologically related, you sure wouldn't be able to tell by looking at her mental health evaluations. She has been diagnosed as high functioning autistic and manic depressive, which is the fancy new term for bipolar. We've tried just about everything, from meds to psych hospitals, and nothing has worked well. Then she made a grown up decision to ask her mom if she could live with someone else as an only child for a while, to see if it helps "make her better". The sad part of this? She's 7, and she knows that she really needs help. She has a lot of issues with expressing emotions and feelings with words, so she uses actions, like anger, to try and get her point across. Unfortunately her siblings don't un...

Here was June's list - Work: - Keep up the 6 hour days - Mostly.  - Work on/finish the freelance web design job now that the client has made some decisions - Worked, yes.  Health:  - GET BACK TO YOGA. (This will be on my list until I succeed) - Nope - Continue meal/batch prepping - Not really - Keep taking my meds. - YES - Do the Walk of Hope - YES! - Do better at staying off oil - Ehhhh... Vegan junk food will be the death of me lol Personal/Home: - Clean my kitchen from top to bottom - nope - Clean the living room, more particularly the zoo area, from top to bottom - nope - Work another pet adoption event (that'll make 2 for the month!) - Yes! - Have fun with my niece when she comes to visit! - Yes! - Start working on next month's surprise :) - Yes! - Finish reading the self-help books I rented from the library - Still reading I'm so excited about the July surprise. Only 5 people actually know what's going on, and they are just as happ...

It's halfway into June and I realized that I never did my monthly goal post. Better late than never! Seeing as how I have missed half of the month already, it'll probably be a shorter list. Here was May's list: Work: - Keep up the 6+ hour days - mostly - Host a Norwex party - nope - Finish up a freelance web design job I picked up -no, had to wait for client.  Health: - GET BACK TO YOGA. - no.  - Re-order the supplements I'm out of - Most of them - Keep meal prepping - yep! I did pretty good last month Personal/Home: - Get office and spare bathroom cleaned up/organized for visiting family - YES! Even though that family never showed up. - Go to 2 rock concerts! - YES! There was some crap surrounding one that caused some major emotional issues for Hubs and I, but we've changed our perspectives and moved on. - Keep writing in my happiness journal - I stopped midway through the month and need to start again. - Work an pet adoption event - No, it got c...

Work: - Continue working 6+ hours a day - YEP - Host a Norwex party - Nope, because the hostess keeps forgetting to call people. - Help my first consultant  get started - No. Health: - Work out at least twice a week . - Nope. - Be consistent with my supplements. - Yes! Now I just need to reorder the important ones that I have run out of. - Meal prep on weekends so I have food when I don't want to cook - I've done this once, which is so much better than not at all. It was nice to have meals finished for several days. School: - Start and finish my Mobile App Development course - Just need to take the exam, which I might not have the cash to pay for. - Work with Hubs to set a schedule to finish another course together - Nope. Hubs isn't really interested in taking any of the courses that I have paid for, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do. PCOS Group: - Plan April's Dallas event and post details in the group - Yes. - Plan May's Ft Worth ev...

Another Goal Update! I'm fairly happy with my goals so far. But first, I have to mention something that is weighing heavily on me today. Prince died. I usually don't get upset about celebrity deaths, but this one really hurts, because I almost met him. It's been almost 10 years now. My grandparents and I had dinner with Larry Graham, former bassist/vocalist for Sly and the Family Stone. He was a good friend of Prince's, and had told Prince in advance that we were having dinner. This was the same time period that Prince decided to start studying with Larry to become a Jehovah's Witness. Since my grandfather was a JW Circuit Overseer in the Minneapolis area back then, Larry requested that my grandfather attend one of the studies. My grandparents always talked about me, so when Prince found out that I would be in town, he went to Larry's for dinner. Sadly, we had left about 20 minutes before he arrived. When I found out, I was so sad. He has always been one of ...

Work: I've been mostly working 6 hours a day. I had a 5 hour day, and I have taken a day off to deal with some family stuff. But I'm doing really good. I've been getting up earlier so I can get my hours in and be able to do other stuff afterwards. School:  I have not started my Mobile App Development course because of missing Monday. I will be getting the two lectures I missed done this weekend so I can start viewing the live lectures next week. My bosses have approved watching them at work, I just have to clock out. I'm glad I have awesome bosses. I've already got some ideas for app development, so it'll be cool to actually put this into practice. It will also come in handy at work, since we are building phone apps for our system. Personal:  I went to a "How to Make Your Own Kombucha" class Wednesday, and got my own batch brewed and "cooking" last night. Next Thursday I'll be able to flavor and package it up, then one more week be...

March Goals: - GET MY DAMN DRIVERS LICENSE - YES!!! - Proofread the novel I didn't do last month - YES! - Continue working at least 6 hours a day during the week - Mostly. I was sick a lot this month, as was Hubs, so I was only successful about 65-70% of the time. But that's a lot better than nothing! - Work out at least 4 times a week (SMART goal) - No. But I have attended multiple yoga classes this month, found a great new studio, got a new workout buddy, so things are looking up! - Be a little more successful with advance meal prep - No. I need to work on this some more. - Start, and hopefully finish, one of the multiple courses I have purchased - Didn't even look at them.  - Come up with a name for my Etsy store - No. Changed my mind, and decided that I don't really have the time for my current life, so adding more responsibility isn't a good idea.  - Cost/pricing structure of potential product options - See previous comment ^^ - Get products ph...

I think that one of the most important lessons in the Personal Nutrition course I took in January was how to set a SMART goal. I've mentioned it in my monthly goals post, but never went in depth. SMART stands for: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic/Relevant Timely (Yes, you might find other words replaced in the SMART definition, but for the most part, it's all the same.) A word about SMART goals - Because SMART goals force you to set a timeframe, this isn't always the *best* way to set a goal. Sometimes a goal isn't always realistic in the beginning, because you don't have everything you need. For example, having a goal of being a parent is a great goal, but not necessarily a SMART goal - because nature plays a big part in your success, you can't put a specific timeframe on it without the fear of failure. Believe me, I had my parenting goals down before I was a teenager. But life said otherwise, and I'm three years past when I was supposed t...

Here were last month's goals. February: - Complete my Personal Nutrition final - Done! Finished with Distinction - Start and finish the Interior Design course so I can decorate an entire house in March - Nope. But the house in need of decorating isn't happening anymore, so no rush. - Proofread a friend's new novel - Hell no. And this makes me feel bad. - Set up some SMART goals and achieve them! I need to add more veggies in my diet, and add more physical activity! - Nope. I mean I did eat more veggies and hit my step goals more often, but didn't actually set the goals. - Do something fun for Valentine's - Yes! We waited til the day after V-Day and saw Deadpool with a good friend. - Get the February newsletter out fast. - Never did it. - Start the Couch to 5K program - Didn't even download the app - Get some more junk out of the house - This was actually successful! Hubs spent a few days rearranging, and we got some crap out. My house is almost liv...

It's February! Damn. January went by really fast, and Feb will likely go faster, even if it has an extra day this year! So how did January go? Not half bad. I got a lot accomplished, even though they might not have been on the goal list. I didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money. I took Hubs to Mellow Mushroom so he would quit nagging me. I got a FitBit! My support group had the 2nd annual clothing swap and that went well too! The fitbit story is great. I've wanted one for a while, but haven't been ready to fork out the money for what I felt was an overpriced pedometer. But surfing the facebook garage sale groups can prove beneficial. I managed to score 2 fitbits, with chargers and bands for $40. Yeah, I made sure to type that right. Other people wanted it before me, but when you have a husband that doesn't work, you can make him do things immediately that other people have to wait until after work to do. So when I told the seller that I could have the cash in h...

I didn't get the results I had hoped for, but I didn't really try so I can't expect miracles. December: - Finish at least 2-4 more modules in my Dyslexia Therapist course - Well.... I finished 2 more on Jan 3, and it was before I started my goal list for January, so that counts, right? I'm going to say yes. - Yoga! - Ugh no. - Finish wrapping all gifts - Yup - Finish my Christmas card to a special couple - No. But I am sending her a late Christmas present, so I'll send the late card at the same time. - Visit Hubs' grandmother a few hours away - Nope, we're doing that soon, after one of the board games that Hubs wants to take with us finally shows up in the mail! - Finish at least 1 week on the McDougall Plan - I did. I'm a little iffy, and still trying to find something that works for me. But it has been very beneficial for me, because I have learned how to drastically reduce how much oil I use in cooking. - Sit down with Hubs and get our 2016...

I'm in a couple of vegan groups on Facebook. They have really helped me out while getting over the hurdles of eating animal products. One of the groups is a weight loss group ran by some nurses. I love this group, because everyone is so nice, and shares lots of recipes and tips. It was here that I was introduced to the McDougall Plan , devised by Dr. John McDougall. Most people are very used to me preaching that certain carbs are bad for people with PCOS and diabetes, like rice, potatoes, corn... I have always said to stay away from white potatoes and corn altogether, and use a limited amount of brown rice. This has been due to all the research stating that these types of carbs would increase blood sugar and just mess you up. But.... The McDougall plan has shown great promise over the last several decades, helping people with severe auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia reverse their symptoms completely. This goes for diabetes as well. But why am I talking...

HOLY CRAP IT'S THE END OF 2015. I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never! Here were November's goals: - Finish Nutrition course final by Nov 15 - YES YES YES! And I scored a 96 overall! - Start Dyslexia Therapist course on Nov 16 - Yep! 2 of 10 modules complete - Visit family for Thanksgiving - Nope. Family cancelled, and I had a horrible migraine (damn gluten). So we hung out at home and ate mashed potatoes. - Get most (if not all) handmade Xmas gifts completed - Yes! I'm fairly certain all I have left is to put some of those handmade gifts in the proper containers for distribution. - Get the Christmas Card exchange lists out to all participants - Done! - Get Christmas cards ready to mail - Mailed! I have one more card to make, but I've been really slow because I want the wording to be PERFECT. - Go to yoga at least once - Nope. But I did buy a groupon for another studio close to home, and I have one prepaid class at my favorite hot...

October goals were a bust. I'm starting to think that my list of goals should be things I don't want to do, so I can accomplish not doing things. October : - Pay someone to clean my kitchen - NOPE - Get kitchen organized - NOPE - Go to yoga at least once - NOPE . Paid for the class, but didn't go. - Work enough to not stress about next month's paycheck- OH HELL NO. - Get some items listed for sale on eBay / garage sales- NOPE - Work on eating healthier again - YES . - Sit down with Hubs and make a plan to change things up over the next few months - NOPE . He thinks that nothing needs to change. - Use the October 12x30 Cooking Challenge to focus on food - SORTA . I did 2 posts. That's better than none. - Finish the review guides for my final exams - EHHHH ... I finished one page of 5. - Write up a proposal for custom appointment software at Mom's job - NOPE . Decided it wasn't worth my time because I know they can't and won't pay what I...

Here it is, the end of the dang month, and I haven't made very many food posts. So much for doing a lot of #12x30Challenge posts. But I did do something important this month. I tried a 7-day raw vegan detox. I've been wanting to do one for a while, but every one that I found used a TON of celery, and I hate celery. Plus, it's on my food sensitivity list, so it gives me an extra reason to hate the stuff. But this one I found from Gourmandelle didn't have much, so supplementing a few ingredients was easy. My mom and I tried it together. She didn't last as long as I did. The first few days weren't bad. I wasn't hungry between meals, and I didn't feel deprived at all. I actually couldn't eat as much as I was supposed to. The recipes made a ton of food. I was doing pretty good until day 5. That's when I broke down and went to Chipotle. At least I ate vegetarian, so that counts for something, right? Here's what I determined from trying this: 1)...

Hubs and I took the twin 6-yr-old nieces (Princess and Namesake) to the Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo last weekend. It's one of my favorite events of the year - mainly because it's a cheap way to try expensive products before I buy them. For example - I love Rudi's GF bread, but hate Udi's. I wasted money trying Udi's because they weren't at the expo. I just bought it to try something different. I knew the girls would love going from table to table getting free stuff (it's like Christmas!), and Princess has a dairy allergy. I wanted to be able to get lots of coupons for their mom and find tasty treats that won't send Princess to the hospital. I can't begin to explain how happy she was to try a cheese quesadilla made with Daiya slices. Speaking of Daiya, this was the first time I've tried it. I was afraid to pay the price and hate it, so I hadn't tried any non-dairy cheese yet. And wow, that was a tasty quesadilla!!! More Daiya cheese will...

I've always collected items, though I'm not sure why. I love frogs and fairies. They started my collections. Then Hubs decided that he loved penguins. When we got married, penguins came up more and more because they mate for life. Hubs decided that I was his penguin, I was the only one he would ever want. So we started out penguin collection. That's harder than it may seem, because attempting to keep a year-long collection of penguins without looking like you forgot to take down your Christmas decor is almost impossible. But because I'm awesome, I've done pretty well. Then we started watching Doctor Who. We were almost a decade late, but better now than never. I've always been a little bit of a geek. I love Star Trek and computers. But Doctor Who? That might just have managed to beat Star Trek on my favorite series list. Why? Because I'm watching the series for the third time and still not tired of it. And I want to see the classic series. We have a small ...

Today I'm irked. Let's talk about childlessness, again. Lately there have been more and more celebrities coming out as infertile, begging people to stop asking about when a couple is going to have kids. At first I was really excited, because it takes celebrities to get awareness these days. Of course, this all changed when I read today that Chrissy Teagan and John Legend are expecting. Less than a month ago, she was telling people to stop asking, and now she's pregnant. So it's pretty likely that she was already pregnant, but keeping it a secret at that time. How the heck does that help spread awareness about infertility? If anything, it shows that people don't want to talk about something they are fighting through until they have beaten the odds. As a fully-fledged member of the Childless Not By Choice club, this really pisses me off. We don't get to "overcome" childlessness. This is a forever deal. We don't get to "relax and it will happen....