April was supposed to me my month to relax. Well, that didn’t quite happen…at all. Birthday party stuff kept me busier than I had hoped. All the flooding was pretty stressful to me too. Storms have been one of my biggest anxiety-inducers ever since childhood. So dealing with that at the same time as hosting a party with all homemade gluten free foods for my entire family and having house guests was not a good combination. I did increase my sleep a little. But stress was still high, and my diet wasn’t where it should be (thanks to all of the baking I had to do :P). So I haven’t made a ton of progress. But at least I did accomplish some goals. Here’s how it went.

photo credit: longwood.edu

1. Writing – I wrote an article for GRNL about infertility and shame.

2. Photography – I’ve been experimenting with photo editing.

5. Relationships – Not much progress here either. The first part of the month we were house bound with the flu. Then it was all about the birthday party. So we did have some family time, but not much else. And I think it’s the first time in quite a while that Rebecca and I didn’t have a specific Mommy-daughter date. It totally slipped my mind. I’ll have to make that a priority next month.

6. Rebecca – We have been gluten free the whole month! I do think it is helping and healthier. I am also trying to be good about making sure she gets probiotics, vitamins and fermented cod liver oil daily. We had a wonderful birthday party with family for Rebecca. It was great to have a special day just for her.

7. Crafts – I organized crafts and decorations for the party.

8. Cakes – I made four different gluten free cakes this month. One for Justin’s birthday and 3 different flavors for Rebecca’s birthday. It was fun, but a lot of work.

9. Declutter – I did it…I finally decluttered Abram’s closet and drawers!! We also did a lot of house clean up before the party. And I did some more cleaning in my drawers and closet. I might not have much left to wear if I keep this up. It seems like I get rid of more every time I put away my laundry 😛

10. Acceptance – This is still a struggle for me. But I am trying to accept myself each day no matter what my health status is.

 I am working on accepting my body in the healing process. Even when I have big flares in inflammation, die off, etc. and feel totally uncomfortable in my skin (and my clothes!) I am trying to accept it and not worry. I know I’ve been here before. I know it’s not permanent. I know things will calm down and I’ll feel better again. This is part of my healing process and is helping me learn what my body needs. It’s usually a wake up call that I’ve been stressing out my body too much again. When will I learn? 😛

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April 2013 Links
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Here are some links to articles, recipes, etc. I enjoyed this month:

Replacing candy with butter buttons

15 Coconut oil skin recipes

5 Reasons to avoid almond flour

Homemade Foundation (I just might have to try this!!! It’s so easy.)

Indoor plants that clean the air and remove toxins (I just said to my husband I need to figure out the best plants to have in our house…now I know.)

Getting started with real food (some great tips for those just learning about real food)

Carageenan: A dangerous and sneaky food additive (I try to avoid this at all costs. I hate that it’s in things as simple as a container of cream or even organic and locally made ice creams.)

Rebounding (I still want a trampoline so I can try this!)

The skinny on fat phobia (FAT IS HEALTHY!!! I can’t stress that enough.)

Is salt really bad for you? (Spoiler…NO!!)

Homemade orange vanilla body spray

Guar Gum: A sneaky additive…and laxative?

Homemade magic shell chocolate sauce

The perfect soft boiled egg

20 Ways to avoid the toxins in plastic
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Here are the links to my own posts this month:

Gluten free peanut butter cocoa puff cereal

Infertility – Letting go of the shame

Gluten free arts and crafts cake (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)

Gluten free pizza crust

Gluten free chocolate chip cookies

Gluten free vanilla wafers and creme cookies

Gluten free rich chocolate cake

Goals of the month – April 2013