Well, we’re officially one month into 2013 and my overall goal has been to bring more balance to my life and I think that this month went pretty well.

• Date Nights were officially put into effect and I must say that they are working. Shawn and I have been thoroughly enjoying our quality adult time and its helped us to stay a bit more connected. I must admit that sometimes it feels a bit hectic getting ready for the sitter and the next day can sometimes hurt (not enough sleep/too much vino) but I think that Date Night is here to stay. 
• I’ve started back up with yoga practice. I’ve been going once a week on Thursday evenings as well as attempting to do a DVD at home. Its a start to getting more physically active as well as helping me deal with the stress of baby wrangling. I need to get myself to the running store and purchase some new shoes so I can add more cardio.
• Crafting has been going full force with quite a few projects (more on that later) in addition to re-organizing my space. It was totally trashed from the holidays and now it is a more serene space to work in.
• We’ve also been cooking a lot more and trying new recipes. I’ve cut out a lot of carbs as well. There’s room for improvement, but so far I’m pleased. I even got Shawn to eat a spinach frittata and some sautéed kale!!

Here’s to keeping the momentum going for February!

Well, the original plan was to do a seven day juice cleanse with Moon Juice. Unfortunately, there were some shipping issues (FedEx in Columbus leaves a lot to be desired) and we decided to cut it short after four days. Honestly, I was a bit relieved to cut it off then. I can only survive for so long on juices, no matter how tasty.

Here’s what I took away from the experience:

• I was surprised at how easy this was. I was not hungry and actually got to the point where I couldn’t drink all seven juices in a day because I was full. I did not feel like I was starving and was quite comfortable. 
• I need more protein to get through the day. I was exhausted by 7pm and ready for bed. If you have an active lifestyle -or are chasing babies all day- I’d recommend having an additional amount of protein than just the one Almond Milk or maybe chill out more (if possible) while you are juicing.
• Variety is key. If I had to drink the same thing every day, I would have quit after 24 hours.
• I cannot live without coffee. If that means I am addicted, so be it. I need that fuel to keep up with Joseph and not have to nap when he does in order to make it through the day.
• I can see incorporating juicing into our everyday diet, it was a great way to get in fruits and veggies and was great to be able to just chug down a “meal” while baby wrangling.
• I was surprised how little dishes and trash we had for this time! That was another little bonus.
• I need to drink more liquids in the day. Period.
• This made me really look at what I was eating during a normal day and motivated us to eat healthier and smarter that we have been currently.

All in all, I would definitely do this again, but only for a 3 day period. I don’t think I could last that long without and solid foods, not to mention coffee, without feeling slightly crazy.

If you are interested in the Rainbow Cleanse that we participated in, or another type of juice cleanse, I highly recommend you check out Moon Juice!

Due to a slight delay in shipping, we ended up starting our Moon Juice cleanse on Wednesday. We chose to do the Rainbow Cleanse – a choice of seven juices plus an Almond Milk per day.

Here’s the juice that I chose:

Beet Aid – contains beet, lime, and cucumber. This was a bit disappointing, since it really only tastes like cucumber to me. However, it’s very light and refreshing. For blood building, kidney flushing, and creating stamina.

Carrot, Lime, & Coconut – contains carrot, coconut meat, lime, and ginger. Yum! I like carrot juice and the lime and ginger add a nice zing. For fat flushing, virus fighting, and body strengthening.

Celery Cilantro Punch – contains cilantro, celery, green apple, lemon, ginger. Not one of my favorites. It started okay but hard to finish tasted mostly of celery. Grassy aftertaste. For heavy metal detoxifying, calming nerves and fighting infections.

Gingered Lemon -contains ginger, lemon, green apple.  Zippy! Like strong ginger beer, but not fizzy. Would be great as a cocktail mixer. For detoxifying, tummy soothing, energy, and immunizing.

Goodness Greens- contains kale, dandelion, parsley, spinach, celery. Traditional green juice. Like drinking a salad, but in a good way. For healing, stimulation, mood lifting and alkalization.

Tumeric Gold – contains tumeric root and red apple. Yum! Apple with an earthy spice. This one my be my favorite. For anti-oxidizing, pain killing, and boosting metabolism.

Spiced Yam – contains garnet yams, carrot, red apple, cinnamon, and ginger. Another yummy one. Add a little whiskey and it would be a perfect fall cocktail. For balancing hormones, brain power, heart protection, and mineralization.

Almond Milk – contains unpasteurized almonds, mountain salt, raw, wildflower honey, and alkaline, mineralized, oxygenated water. Not very flavorful. Mild nutty taste and no sweetness. Meh.

I’ll be posting more on how I’m hanging in there with all this juice soon. Until then, bottoms up!