Two, and three.

So there are a lot of phrases I've heard or read over the years that just thrilled me in how they were delivered. But as Schlock Mercenary has just delivered a new one I figured I'd point out two of my favorite ones of his: " Crazy, Jilted, Angry, Witch Warship " And " She is Mistress Para Ventura, Our  Lady of Chrome . " I've enjoyed Schlock Mercenary daily since about 2001 when I first stumbled across it.  Its one of my favorite comics and worth reading all the way through despite the horrendous art at the beginning just because you can see where he started from and how incredible the improvements have been.  Also his story lines have always been good. Some other favorite scenes: http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-10-31 http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2006-11-28

'Cause my brain is unwilling to form coherent ones at this moment. We bought a new bed. It's one of those memory foam ones, very nice, very glad it was on sale (cause otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get it). I'm eagerly waiting for tomorrow because I don't have to wake up at five. I can wallow in the sheer awesomeness that is my memory foam bed. I hurt my knee. I did weights yesterday and forgot to stretch and roll on my foam roller. Bah. 11 days until Christmas. We've gotten all the gifts but I need to send some out. They might be New Year's gifts instead at the rate I'm going. My brothers will be flying into town soon. I'm very excited since I haven't seen them for over a year now. The Hobbit was released today. We're going to wait a bit to see it. My patience for dealing with long lines has dwindled. I must be getting older. My house is messy. Must clean it before Christmas Day, especially since Damm's parents will ...

To Whom It May Concern:                 We are writing to you on behalf of our concern for our football team and financial funding.  Both of us agree on the fact that all the money spent on a horrible football team is complete and total nonsense.  I sincerely hate to be this blunt, but our football team sucks, we(French_Party_Girl and Dammerung) are from the south and we practically worship the institution of football, and this team is pure blasphemy.                    And yet, in light of this painful, depressing abuse of our finances and souls we, and we mean institution, continue to strip our academic fund to further defy all sanity and sense.  Ah, hell, in for a penny in for a dollar; since we are robbing from academics to pay for the football team, let’s go further and whore academics out on the co...

The Winter War: Russia’s Invasion of Finland, 1939-1940 by Robert Edwards I picked up this book over the summer of 2012 as a supplement for a board game I was playing with my father-in-law.  I was looking for a book to read that would expound upon that game’s coverage of the battle of Tolvajärvi and the Winter War was the most professional looking copy on the NOOK.  This book met and exceeded my expectations.  It was engaging and detailed without becoming a dry boring husk of a history book.  I eagerly devoured the contents of the book as it has a natural flow and a good pacing in the ordering of events and I appreciated how the author took the time to set the stage thoroughly and enjoyed every chapter. Edwards starts his book with a description of Finland in 1938 as it has finally won the struggle to pull itself out of debt and into the modern economic world and is preparing to host the Olympics.  He sketches the Finnish political scene and all t...

I feel as if I've run a circular race. I went from carelessly using products regardless of ingredients to extreme crunchiness and now I'm back again, although my use is not careless, it's desperate. And it's working, so I'm no longer desperate, which is a good thing. Anyway, the doctor (or rather nurse practitioner) gave me a sample of Duac Topical Gel (prescription only). It contains Benzoyl Peroxide and Clindamycin Phosphate, which apparently is antibacterial. Here  is more info on the product itself. Go to acne.org or any website connected with the face for user reviews. It seems to be a polarizing product: either you love it or hate it. So far I'm on the love it side. Now, I'm only using it as a spot treatment. My face was getting better; I had finally mastered the urge to try and fix it. My secret? Leaving concealer on all day (although I did wash my face after work because of all the dirt). That way it didn't look as bad. I'm also off almos...

I went to the doctor. It's been six months, the adult onset acne I've been dealing with has not completely cleared (although it's a lot better) and my mom is convinced that my eyebrows have started to thin out. So I went in yesterday and waited for an hour and a half (should've brought a book). The nurse practitioner was very nice (although I could tell our opinions on exercise differed when she recommended getting 30 minutes a day of cardio) and ordered a hormone test, thyroid test and also a diabetic test. I was surprised by the mention of diabetes; it doesn't run in my family and I am, for the most part, pretty healthy, but hey, why not rule it out. I didn't mention that particular test to my mom, though, because I think she would've flipped out (she doesn't, to my knowledge, read this blog) and I don't think I have diabetes, so no need to worry her.  So right now I'm trying to pass the time by typing this up. It's blood testing day and...

And also Happy Thanksgiving. Did you eat too much? I did, although it's one of the few days that I don't care how much I ate. Still, I ate too much. It was all too yummy AND my mother went all out on the gluten-free idea and every single item served was gluten free. No stomach pain this morning. We are happy. Now I'm off to make sure customers are happy and well taken care of. Then my mom has shopping plans, small ones, and I suspect it won't take long since we're not going to any of the major stores. Then Black Friday will be over and normal Christmas craziness will begin (thank goodness). Have a good shopping day! Save lots!

I was going to write about what annoyed me this election. Both parties did it, both parties have done it since our Founding Fathers first orchestrated our governmental system, and they will continue to do it. They will continue to demonize the other side. If one side wins, THE WORLD WILL END. If the other side wins, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO MOVE. AMERICA WILL FALL. Guys, I'm tired of that. I didn't meet a Christian who was a Democrat until I reached the ripe old age of 21. Not my parent's fault, they taught us that all are beloved by God, but I grew up in the South. Democrats were obviously evil people (totally joking, although this was the impression that I got). It's not something I ever thought about, until I met this Christian Democrat and found myself unable to process it. I've come a long way since then, although I won't vote for a Democrat because most (though not all, just like there are some Republicans who support it) support abortion, and that's m...

Burning Crusade or Wrath? And how does Cataclysm fit into the story? And how the heck do I find Mt. Hyjal? And where is Dalaran? Needless to say (if you have played the game, if you haven't I just typed gibberish) I had forgotten quite a bit. My fingers remembered how to play; I was logged onto Wulfa and a little snake tried to bite me and I responded instantly, if a bit clumsily. I leveled to 85 after teaching the snake some manners, at which point I felt somewhat overwhelmed by all the hunter changes and we decided to create new characters. That lasted two nights and then we both felt the urge to get back to our original characters. Damm has been having fun with Affliction. Apparently he can one-shot targets and this fills him with glee. I  am over the moon with the priestly spell Devouring Plague. I vaguely remember getting it but I don't think I ever used it. I logged onto to Beowulfa and looked at the recommended spell order (pure genius, whoever thought of putting tha...

We (drum roll please) are going to reduce our food bill by 1/3. Yay! Awesome! We're going to save soooo much money! Oh wait, how am I going to do that? What am I going to cut out? How do I keep our diet healthy?! My solution: go to Google. In this case, I don't really like what Google says. You see, most sites list menu planning, or meal planning, as the most important thing you can do to save money. I don't like menu planning. It's boring. It limits my creativity. It puts me in a box. And it can help me achieve my goal. Bother. So I've written down a basic outline of meals based on what we currently have. We stuck to it this week (with a Taco Bell exception) and I'm pleased with this small success. On to the next week! And on to planning my shopping list! And here's where I run into a problem. I've calculated what I can buy this upcoming week. I've written down where to go to get the best price. I've done this before. And guess what? I walke...

And we're back to playing WoW again (we haven't actually logged on yet, spent last night downloading stuff). We don't have the expansion yet. Maybe for Christmas gifts. We're not sure what we're going to do in-game yet and it's been fun to start planning. I think it'll be good for our stress levels to take a step away and disconnect from reality. And I've re-written this paragraph two times; who would've thought saying "Yo we're playing again" would be so hard? Maybe it's the lack of caffeine? But I always use that excuse. Anyway, we're looking forward to logging on tonight or this upcoming weekend. I've laid down strict ground rules: no playing when kiddos are awake (we don't have enough time with them as it is) and no playing when there is homework to be done. So ends this awkwardly written little snippet of news (seriously, I stare at the page and think "ick! I can't write! I have no thoughts!").

I'm done, you guys. It's been four months since I started on my natural, chemicals are evil! experiment and I just don't have the time/money to pursue it farther. I would rather buy organic fruits and vegetables for my kids and hold off on other items til Damm has a steady paycheck (to which he replied, "oh, so you're telling me to not get a job as long as possible?" haha funny) .  This also means that I"m done with trying "natural" products for my face. Fortunately for me the zinc cream I bought just last week was the highest priced item I bought that I probably won't be using in the near future; everything else still has a place in my routine. But, and it's a big but, I've gone back to salcylic acid. It wasn't completely preventing facial issues but it was doing a much better job than anything else I've tried. And if I hear "your skin is purging itself!" one more time, even if it's true, I'm going to h...

I've settled down a bit. I'm actually waiting several weeks after trying a new product to see what happens, rather than deciding that TWO WHOLE DAYS is plenty long enough for a miracle to occur. I had been contemplating trying zinc on my face (I've been taking a zinc supplement as well) and went ahead and bought some. It's a tinted mineral formula that I bought at our local coop store. Unfortunately, the brand name was on the box and I threw that away, but I'm pretty sure there are several zinc creams out there. Take your pick. Pros : Because it's tinted it reduces the redness and signs of scarring. It seems to be keeping my face clear, although I still have some problem areas. Really my favorite aspect of this stuff is that I can put it on and my face looks almost clear. The box did say it could take up to two to three weeks to completely clear the skin so I've still got a ways to go. We'll see what happens. Cons : The box indicates that the cream i...

Damm sent me this link and as soon as I started reading it I started laughing. Enjoy. ***Warning: some of them may be offensive/disturbing to you. I still think you should read it, but just so you're forewarned.

We were reading an abridged version of The Christmas Carol . The Orclette asked me, "Momma what did the kids do for fun?" and it occurred to me: our children are so very blessed to live now. In Dickens' day children from impoverished families had to work, had to go into dangerous situations in order to survive. The rich were slightly better off but I do wonder how much time they actually spent with their parents. It was, according to popular belief, the era of "seen but not heard". So why is the debate stupid? It's stupid because, in most cases (I'm assuming here that if you can afford the internet and the time to peruse it you have some sort of cash flow), the people who argue for either side are able to take care of their children. The children aren't going hungry, they're able to go to school and they're reasonably safe. They have a shot at a successful life. In most cases their parents really do want what's best for them. And instea...

I've read some serious literature in my time. It was unavoidable since my mom was an literature nut (I wish I could post some of her stories and drawings; when I first saw them it was the first time I remember thinking that my mom wasn't just a mom, she was awesome!). I read Uncle Tom's Cabin , the full version, when I was in fourth grade (I think I was nine or ten). Soon after that I decided to read Don Quixote  since it is considered to be the first modern European novel. I can see why people tried to improve upon it (sorry, Grandpa, I know it's one of your favorites). When I was approaching my twenties I decided to read War and Peace  because I thought it would be cool to casually mention that I had read it, since so many non-literary people seemed to be in awe of anyone who had read it. I found out later that many literary types have also read the book, and since I live/work/breath around literary types this feat isn't quite as cool. Oh well. I've also rea...

Hi. This has mostly become Wulfa's place as I've dropped off the face of the earth. I'm struggling. I have focused my efforts on improving myself and stretching myself past the boundaries of my previous efforts.  My goal is to be an excellent engineer and army officer while maintaining time for my family. This isn't as easy as it sounds I guess.  Most of my problems are time management.  When I'm honest with myself I realize that I spend way too much time standing around talking or trying to multi-task and wasting my time... no substance, full of sound and fury but no teeth. Every time I feel like I have advanced closer to my goal I immediately find myself in the same old failing place. When I left my job to start this second college career I was in a bad, but blissfully unfeeling place.  I played video games a great deal more than I do now, and wasn't even really aware of how bad my health was.  I was in many ways a happy fat little goat chewin...

... has failed in an epic way. You might remember that I was going to give up caffeine ? I didn't even last one day, since my first day was a Friday and that's the day I allow myself to have one diet soda. We like Coke Zero, which has caffeine. The next day we went to the Farmer's Market and it just isn't right to perambulate around the festive stalls without a coffee in hand. Besides, my dad offered after I begged him to pay. Then on Sunday Damm and I went on a date and we went to the local used bookstore and how can one go to a bookstore without getting coffee? It just isn't right. Seeing as how everything I like to do has some sort of coffee ritual tied into it I threw in the towel. All is not lost, however. I noticed that I don't feel well after two cups. It was an enlightening moment, and I decided to follow the guideline set by my body and limit myself to two cups, or at least not to continue drinking coffee when I start feeling slightly sick (because I...

I used part of my vacation time to re-read some of Laura's books. I started with The Long Winter  and found myself wanting to be back in that time period. They grew everything themselves, worked hard, played hard and knew the value of family (at least according to Laura). I read These Happy Golden Years  and found myself really wanting to be a pioneer girl. Then. I read what happened to Laura's family after The First Four Years , and it isn't pretty. Mary never married and lived with her parents until their death and then lived with her sisters until her death. After a short stint in De Smet (after the events in The First Four Years  and a disastrous stay in Florida) Laura and Almanzo moved to Missouri and it seems like they didn't have the chance to see her family again (at least according to Google, that's as deep as my research went). They had only the one child and she never had living children; she did have a son but he died soon after birth and it devastat...

Would you like to read my supplement list? Yes? Ok, here goes: In the morning: Alive multi-vitamin (this doesn't make me want to throw up after taking it) Probiotic Fish Oil Vitex In the evening: A complete vitamin-B Probiotic Fish Oil (for both the fish oil and probiotic I am taking the recommended dosage just spread out over the course of the day, not doubling up) Evening Primrose Oil I also have been drinking/eating Diatomaceous Earth (the non pool-grade kind of course) (yes, it's gross). I've thought about adding in some other acne-fighting supplements (because my face still doesn't look like it used to) but I'm leery of adding more without consulting a naturalist/naturopath/whatever they're called. Have I seen a difference? Yes I have, but I have these little, I mean tiny, flesh-colored bumps on my face. They just stay there. And I have no idea how to get rid of them. I don't think they're milia, although they could be, and nobody ...

At 3:30 p.m. today my vacation starts. A wonderful week and a half of relaxation time. We're not going anywhere, we're just going to be . And I decided something, totally spur-of-the-moment. I am freezing my brain. No more perusing blogs for the latest skin tips or ways to equalize hormones (I feel like I'm a teenager again). No more worrying that I'll never have clear skin again or be able to tolerate gluten. I shall be free of the internet (for the most part). I will continue to use my Dr. Bronner's tea tree oil soap, lavender witch hazel and jojoba oil. I will continue to eat gluten-free. I will cut out chocolate to see if that helps and continue to avoid dairy. I will joyfully exercise. I will sit on the couch. A lot. I will play in the sunshine with my kids. We will inventory our Christmas supplies (oh yes, we're thinking about it). I might organize a room or two. Watch a t.v. series. Re-watch LOTR. Re-read Harry Potter. It will be epic. Hopefully I...

It's amazing how much work it takes to de-stress oneself. You have to remind yourself to relax, to take deep breaths, that you can't spend hours agonizing over those details and that you need to think calming thoughts. I don't typically have calming thoughts. I think about running or lifting weights or the latest science fiction book I'm reading or how to improve my productivity at work or how to maximize my kid-time. Not exactly calming thoughts. BUT I have taken steps. And I stuck to my de-stressing plan  all day  today. I only had two cups of coffee. Two . I drank decaffeinated green tea the rest of the day. I passed up a diet soda. I bought a relaxing tea and drank that in the evening (I'm a yoga-loving tea-drinking hippy now. Sigh.). I have also purchased probiotics and diatomaceous earth. The earth stuff tastes nasty, by the way, in case you were wondering, but it's supposed to be beneficial in clearing up skin and digestive issues so I figured I'd g...

Pajamas on all day. Overcast and then rain, actual rain. Kids contentedly playing in their room or snuggling with me. Coffee and chocolate. Warm blanket, cushy pillows. New season of Burn Notice on Netflix. Perfect, perfect day. I'm still having warm and fuzzy flashbacks. It's been that long since I've relaxed that much. The only detractor was that we missed church, and that's not something I like to do. On the other hand, we spent the entire day together with no commitments, nowhere to be. The kids were loved on. We felt revitalized. And while I still feel very strongly that believers do need to gather together, I also think that, every once in a while, we should disappear on the weekends. Hole up, don't talk to anybody except your family. Just be. Rest in Him and enjoy what He has given you. So maybe my Sunday was absolutely perfect, no qualifiers necessary.

I love my job. It's where I need to be. It's keeping us afloat during Damm's time in school and has reduced the overall stress of our lives. But. Those days when I'm at work all day and then I meet Damm somewhere so we can have an actual conversation? Or I meet a friend? And then my hours with my kids are reduced to two or three, and they're cranky hours because they're tired, I'm tired. And I just want to retire. I have to remind myself, though, that my job is a God-thing. I wasn't going to apply, didn't think I was brave enough. But I heard that voice, felt that nudge, knew that I needed to apply. I knew I was going to get it from the beginning. So I have to trust that my kids will be ok, that my prayer of my time with them being doubly meaningful and valuable has been heard, and that they won't remember the days when momma was gone so much. And I also think how good it is that I have these moments of sadness, because it reminds me that I rea...

This is a rather tragic occurrence. Due to my job I am surrounded by books, by book dust, by people who love books. Maybe it's overload? Whatever the case, there is nothing new right now that I'm tempted to read. I did think about reading the new Pittacus Lore book ("The Rise of Nine" I think) but then I heard that P. Lore is none other than James Frey, infamous writer of "A Million Little Pieces" (The Wikipedia article says nothing about him writing the series so my information may be unsubstantiated. I'll do more searching and report back if he didn't write the series). If you don't remember, and it's not a big thing if you don't, James Frey was featured on Oprah. For a while there anything featured on Oprah became a major bestseller, we would sell out, the warehouse would run out and it became an absolute nightmare. Then we'd have plenty and everything would be good, the angst forgotten. Anyway, James Frey pitched his book as a n...

I got impatient. Honey  is awesome, but honey draws out impurities. I wanted to know when the impurities would stop. I've changed diet (i.e. the whole Paleo/gluten-free thing), I've tried to reduce my stress levels (yoga! when I have time!) but my face wasn't looking like I wanted it to look. And when I was browsing the health food store and saw this item I decided to try it. A huge tub for $7, why not? Maybe it would be the fix I needed. First usage I wasn't that impressed. Like many products, there is a transitional period with the clay and the next day my face wasn't looking much better. I waited a few days then tried again. Much, much better. I washed off the stuff and my face looked reborn. Now, I said that about the honey (and then it all went south) as well so I'm still being cautious in my praise, but right now, after having used it a total of four times over a two week period, I really like the clay. I'm going without makeup finally and have had r...

One thing I have had a very hard time coming to terms with in my recovery from eating disorders is that life happens . Even when it comes to food. I'm still not entirely ok with it. I am that person who, at family gatherings (or other food-related events), will bring her own food or eat beforehand. I don't make a big fuss about it, I just quietly do my own thing (unless people start teasing me. Then you're in for an earful as I explain why I'm doing what I'm doing). I will avoid certain social gatherings because the food won't be acceptable. And it's not even a downer for me. I'd actually rather not go. But I don't want to be ruled by food like that. I have cultivated a long-term view of health (for the most part) and I have proven to myself that I can make adjustments, I can compensate when the day has been bizarre and long and tiring and you really just want Mexican food. It's hard, though, to maintain balance, especially when I'm constan...

We started, or I should say I  started, the whole diet change about a month ago. Weight loss wasn't my primary reason for looking into Paleo, but it is a nice side benefit given that I had a few extra pounds to spare. I will also mention, for those of you who are interested, that my diet is not what a purist would consider Paleo. I've added gluten-free bread in the mornings and occasionally other forms of carbohydrates scattered throughout the day. My average carb intake is 150-175 rather than 125-150. So here we go: My weight one month ago: 130 Waist: 28" Hips: 34.25" Leg: 22" Arm: 11" My weight now: 128.2 Waist: 28.25" Hips: 34.5" Leg: 21.75" Arm: 11.25" What's interesting is that even though the measurements went up slightly in the waist and hip area my clothes are getting looser. Maybe I was measuring wrong? Anyway, even though weight isn't the best thing to track weight loss (sounds funny, doesn't it, but...

It's been an interesting week (and it's only Wednesday ...). Sunday we went for a 4-mile hike up in the mountains. It was hard, my legs were shaking and I loved every minute. Monday, however, stuff started hurting. I had done some lifting Saturday but didn't finish so Sunday morning, not really thinking about our upcoming hike, I finished the workout I meant to do. After the hike everything was fine, maybe a little sore, but definitely manageable. Then the fatigue set in. I'm not used to fatigue; since switching to low-carb/primal/gluten-free I've felt awesome. Tired at the end of the day but my job is physically taxing. I expect it. But Monday, wow, I felt like I was falling asleep standing up. Damm took mercy on me and told me to go to bed early, he had the kids. I got a full eight hours of sleep and felt fine Tuesday. I debated working out that night but ultimately decided against it. My muscles were still a bit achy and my left elbow hurt a bit. To make matter...

The Orclette has a voracious thirst for learning. Yes she is wearing makeup. We had a special event to go to. Doesn't she look darling? "Can we do school momma?" "When are we going to do school?" "Momma I haven't done school today!" are heard frequently in our household. Do I love this attitude? Yes I do. I love  learning; I love buying shiny new notebooks and writing notes in them. I love connecting data and coming to conclusions. I love delving deeper into subjects and finding out if the teacher knows what he's (or she, that was a random choice) talking about. Now my daughter is following in my footsteps; she loves notebooks and pencils, she likes doing workbooks and projects equally and she has frequently asked me "Why don't you know that momma?" When I informed her that my area was history, she asked "Can you tell me about history?" Hehe. Where to start. A couple mornings ago she found a book about bug...

I suspect, although I don't know for certain, that I'm currently gluten-sensitive. Not intolerant, because I can still eat the stuff, but I definitely notice a difference in how I feel and what my skin looks like when I do indulge in foods with gluten. And that's pretty much as deep as I'm willing to delve into the whole gluten issue; I wore myself out researching the Paleo lifestyle and I don't like the feeling of jumping on and then jumping off a bandwagon. I don't even mention, usually, that I'm eating gluten-free because if I do choose to eat pizza I don't want people thinking that people with Celiac disease or an intolerance to gluten can handle it like I do. I first looked at the whole gluten issue when I had my pizza encounter after one week of eating Paleo (it was interesting to note that Damm had a very similar experience, even though he was eating more carbs and more variety than I was). Apparently the alleviation of symptoms, in some cases,...

What? Who gets to have lazy days of summer? Definitely not us. It's been crazy . Then again, for the past four years it's been crazy. We look back on our Missouri days and marvel that we could have been discontented with the amazing lack of stress or anything to do, and then we remember how bored  we were. Not bored now, I can assure you. Damm and I have been getting up at 5 a.m. every morning, he to work out and me to work out/prepare food for Damm and myself (kiddos don't require extensive prep time at the moment) and get ready for work. I'm gone for eight hours at a very physically taxing job and then I catapult myself back into the current chaos that is our house (we're rearranging, always fun). School will start in a few weeks and Damm is working when I'm not since his job is project-dependent and they don't always have hours but they have plenty right now. The good thing, though? I don't have homework. I'll still have dreams occasionally ...

It is time to reduce my coffee intake. I think I shared a picture of my coffee mug but I'll do it again: The coffee mug is the green one in the middle (blue is for water, red for my protein shakes). 64 ounces of yummy iced coffee. It was actually a decrease  for me, which is a bit scary. It's what I was drinking at the end of the spring semester. Usually my body would tell me, a week or two after finals ended, that it was done with coffee for a while. I would get sick if I tried to drink more than two cups or so. I didn't get that feeling this time around, probably because I started a new job, Damm was called up for National Guard (local, not deployment) and then he went away for LDAC training while my parents moved to the area and began babysitting the kids. Not the worst kind of stress but it was still stressful. Now Damm is back, my parents settled in with the kids wonderfully and the job is going swimmingly. My need for coffee has diminished and my body is ...

I had that epic pizza night . I also had ice cream. It tasted awesome . Funny thing was that I felt like throwing up. I never feel like throwing up unless I'm actually sick (which doesn't happen often). I have, or thought I had, a cast-iron stomach. Turns I out I don't. Without going into too much gross detail, the next day the pizza was gone from my system. Painfully . It freaked me out because, as I said, I have never reacted like that. So I googled my problem to see if it had happened to anyone else who was Paleo and yes, yes it had. I didn't like that. I like pizza, I like going out to eat. More importantly, though, was that the reaction I had cannot happen to Damm. He doesn't always have control over his environment. In fact, right now he's enjoying some tasty MRE's. So-strict Paleo is out. I began to rethink our diet and what it should look like, if we were going to veer away a bit from the Paleo lifestye. I also began to listen to what my body was...

I had previously written about my experience with honey  and what life was like after concluding my honey experiment. I have since switched from Burt's Bees to Dr. Bronner's and I think it's working well. Burt's Bees just wasn't clearing up my face the way I thought it should be and  it was only partly natural. Dr. Bronner's is natural and cheap so it was a logical next step. I also bought a witch hazel toner with lavender. Here's the routine: #1 Wash face with Dr. Bronner's Tea Tree bar soap. #2 Use Lavender Witch Hazel Toner #3 Tea Tree oil on any problem areas. Let dry. #4 Burt's Bees Royal Jelly moisturizer for the day and jojoba oil at night #5 Honey overnight on any problem areas I have omitted the baking soda mask because I felt like it was too harsh for my skin. I still concoct a baking soda scrub once a week and I feel that works much better (1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. tea tree oil and 1/2 tsp. water) than subjecting my skin to it ...

So I have completed three whole days of eating primally or, as I like to think of it, Noahifically . I wasn't sure I'd have a transition period given that I already was eating low-carb, high-fat and protein, but guess what? I'm in one. Basically I feel icky until 11 a.m. and then BAM I have energy through the roof. And that's it. Other people have headaches, constipation issues etc. but I seem to have avoided that. And now that I've shared the negative let's get on to the positive stuff: #1 My face looks better. Not sure if this has anything to do with cutting out refined sugar but hey, I'll take it. #2 Energy, at least after 11 a.m. I even managed to return our Redbox movie on time (Clash of the Titans; don't rent it, it was worse than I thought it would be) and  try on clothes after a full day of work. Go me. #3 I feel lean. Haven't had many issues with feeling like I'm bloated and, when I have, I haven't actually been bloated. My jea...