It's that time of year again. When the dust and crud that has settled into every nook and cranny of my home has finally driven me to the task of overhauling the house.
It is spring cleaning time!
I spent three days of discretionary time cleaning my kitchen alone so far.
I annoy my own self. How is it that I never get to the point of maintaining a clean home? Why do I let the "to do" pile stack up, and the dust build? I know I'll be disgusted and overwhelmed when it gets to the point where I look around and all I can see is grunge. I am also completely over exaggerating, my house is pretty clean all the time. You wouldn't see what I'm seeing, but it's there, and I know what it looks like when EVERYTHING is perfect!
This year I have vowed to not verbally assault the other members of my household for their contribution to the mess. I have also vowed to not get out of balance in my pursuit of the immaculate house. I am just putting in the work when I can and attacking my to do list with vigor. In years past I have made a bigger mess in the process leaving my family to live in a tornado struck ramshackled mess.
See, gardening and lawn maintenance time is right around the corner. I get this way about the inside of my house because I don't want to feel guilty about neglecting anything when I overindulge my obsession of having the perfect yard. I'm one of those who will walk the property every day with a hand shovel and Roundup to fight any weed that dares show its ugly face amid my beautiful flowers and bushes. I also have the desire to spend every minute of the spring and early summer months outside. I am so sick of being cold.
Part of my to do list has been to start the process of changing my family's diet. The first step is weaning us all off of bread and store bought treats. We will finish what is in this house and that's it. I did the "big" grocery trip today and did not purchase any bread or packaged goodies. A sandwich is just as enjoyable when it is wrapped up in a big romaine leaf. Homemade baked goods made with real ingredients and not chemicals are always tastier. And, since I do not keep wheat flour in the house, they'll all be gluten free as well.
This next month I will also be transitioning to using coconut oil in place of vegetable oil. Keoni Galt has a very informative post about the benefits of coconut oil at The Hawaiian Libertarian.
I will be committing to having protein and fat available for breakfasts so my family doesn't need to reach for the quick carbohydrate fix in the morning. And I will also start making bone broth as Keoni talks about in his post. I will be researching more about bone broth and gut health. Having a child with Celiac Disease and a husband who seems to have some candida, I know it's up to me - the chief cook and bottle washer, to provide gut healthy foods.
We're in the same head space I think on both ends. Want a clean house, try to get kids/wife to help keep it clean, constant minor struggle. We've made the coconut oil and no bread (and flour, instead almond and coconut flour occasionally) probably over a year ago. Kids get somewhat random lunches for school with veggies, fruits, nuts, and often lunch meat wrapped in a pickle. They get enough junk food at birthdays and from grandparents, so we're ok having them have different, healthy lunches. We also do a lot of eggs (including egg muffins for quick breakfasts on the go).
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read The Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, it is an excellent resource on gut healing therapy. The protocol based on the book is called the GAPS diet and you may have heard of it. It is a variation of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. On the GAPS protocol my husband recovered from both IBS and seasonal allergies which were debilitating. No allergy drugs for 3 years now. It is great for celiac also. There are no grains in the protocol and it depends on broths and probiotics/fermented foods to heal the gut lining.
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