Fifteen Minutes

Googling my blog produces three pages of results!

Of course, the three pages are a direct result of the

cloth diapering community's approval of my lanolizing tutorial.

Still, I'll take my fifteen minutes and run with it.

My Box Is Here!

My friend, Olivia, introduced me to FullCircleFarm.com for bi-monthly deliveries of organic produce. Look at this glorious feast of fruits and veggies! Tonight, I used the spinach to make lasagna and we'll be having baked "fries" made from the potatoes tomorrow. I HEART this program. They deliver a box every other Thursday (less or more, depending on your preference) about five minutes from home. For this small box, I paid $39. Which is AMAZING for produce in Alaska. Let alone ORGANIC produce!



For those curious about Water With Lemon, a quick Q&A session from my diapering forum:

Q: Is the "power of one good habit" in the book or is it something else? Another book?
A: It's in the book. The whole thing is how one good habit has the power to change your life. You only need to start with one habit, not learn a whole "diet plan" in a day and alter your life to make it work. You alter these habits to make them work in your life. And you don't need to buy anything (food, equipment, videos...) in fact, you don't even need to buy the book if you can find it in a library. But you do need to read the book. That is the hardest part. ;) It's a light read. I couldn't put it down one night so I got it done in less than a week.

Q: Does it give you things to change, or do you make them up?
A: It gives you guidelines. For instance, the character in the book LOVES pizza. I've yet to find a diet that encourages you to eat pizza. And if you are allowed to have it, you must severely limit your portions (which makes ME feel like I need to eat more. Just to show them that I'll say what I can and cannot eat. Ya know?) But this character has found a way to make pizza fit into his lifestyle by making his own using lowfat cheese, soy sausage, and making sure he remembers that the pizza isn't going away. Saving 6 of the 8 slices in the refridgerator doesn't mean he can never eat them again. Or even making two pizzas and freezing one so he can still have the instant gratification of a frozen pizza.

Changes that I've made are very very few. I do buy more produce than I ever have in my life. And it doesn't go bad, as it used to. On Weight Watchers, you must count points for fruit. I always found that ridiculous because fruit is a healthy choice. But if I had 2 points left in a day, and I could choose between a small bowl of ice cream or a piece of fruit, you KNOW I'm going to choose ice cream. Who wants to spend their last two points on fruit??

One of the habits is lowering/limiting fat and choosing good fat (in olive oil and avocado) over bad fat (in meat products and potato chips). Because I don't care for low-fat/fat-free cheese, I compromise with a half and half blend of fat free and regular cheddar. I buy a bag of shredded fat free cheese and then mix it with the block of cheese I shred myself. Half the fat, all the flavor. See? Not hard at all and I still get cheese - guilt free!

Q: Is drinking water with lemon really [a change] (haha.. but seriously.. is it?)
A: The water with lemon thing. That's this character's way of making sure he gets enough water in a day. One of the habits is water, but you don't have to have lemon. I thought I didn't care for lemon water, but now that my body has redefined "sweet" by having fruit when I'm craving a cupcake, I've found it very refreshing. I keep a pitcher in my fridge and find myself craving my lemon water.

Did you know that just one soda every day DOUBLES your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes??? I had no idea! One character asks why that isn't printed on the cans. The answer is simple: an ommission is not a lie. There is no false advertising involved. They are no more required to inform their consumers of the risk associated with soda than a vehicle manufacturer is required to tell you "Hey... you could crash and die. Here's your keys."

Lemon water replaces the sweetness you crave in soda. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing switch. It can happen one glass at a time. Drink a glass of water (with lemon or without) THEN drink your soda. I'll bet you drink less soda. And less and less over time. Just one tiny habit, right?

Q: It does sound like a very good book. I like that they make it into a story so it becomes a fun and easy read. but are most of the changes common sense? I think we already know that that we should eat more good fat than bad, whole grains than refined, veggies than chips, fruit than sweets and water than pop. Is there stuff in there that most people really don't know?
A: Not exactly new stuff. If you've ever tried any kind of diet change, you've probably learned a few (if not all) of the tidbits they teach. But they break it down into easy to understand habits. 8 of them, to be exact. And it happens at such a slow pace that you're not even aware of the changes. They blend into the background and you adjust them to your life. I felt like I knew it all, but this book proved me wrong. (Like the soda thing. Just one of many tidbits of useful information)

My favorite part of the whole concept? It takes away ALL of the guilt associated with eating. Not just eating right, EATING. It's amazing. Truly a refreshing viewpoint on nutrition.

Want an update on weight? I've lost 8.5 pounds since Tuesday of last week. Where's my disbelieving drop-jaw smiley when I need him?? This weight loss was achieved JUST by incorporating the Power of One Good Habit into my life. I can honestly say that the changes are so small... I can barely detect them. And I don't feel cheated or restricted in any way. In fact, I had a pizza party last night. Yep. And I did not feel any kind of shame for eating pizza with the rest of the group. It was fabulous. I just want everyone to be able to feel this way!

Am I Glowing?

My Mom left me with a book, Water With Lemon.

This book is life-changing. I mean it. If you can get past the cheesy romance novel-type plotline, this book has all the answers you'll ever need regarding healthy eating.

Since incorporating the Power of One Good Habit into my lifetsyle, I feel as though I'm walking on air. I wonder if people can see it in my eyes when they look at me. See it in my face that my life is different now and always will be.

No more diets, no more counting, no more rollercoaster rides of weight gain and loss.

The definition of eat-to-satisfaction has been permanently altered in my mind. And things are looking good.

This feels so different from any time I've ever said, "I'm starting a diet on Monday" and followed with a binge-eating session. Or groaning after a Weight Watchers weigh-in, "Now the pressure is off, I can eat how I'd like." There is something remarkable about the teachings of this book and I can't believe there isn't a cult following.

Maybe I should start one...

Have That Please?

Kellie is eating her lunch. I'm holding an orange section, about to bring it to my mouth. She holds out her little hand and says, "Have that please?" I say, " 'Can you have this please?' Of course! Thank you for asking so nicely." I hand her the orange. She brings it up to her mouth. Before popping it in, she says, "Thank you." and then gobbles it up.

How stinkin' adorable can one little girl be??

A New Stage

I'm considering medication to help me manage my ADD.

In order to give the meds a fair trial, Kellie and I have begun weaning. It's been 26 hours since she nursed last and she's been handling it well. When she asks to nurse (which isn't often) I ask "Can we snuggle instead?" She has yet to refuse a snuggle and demand a nurse.

I don't know how I feel about all of this, just yet. See, once the weaning has occurred, I doubt we'll ever go back to nursing. It's hard to say goodbye to that part of our relationship. I didn't expect Kellie to accept this change so willingly. She's not one for change and she's always been a nursies-loving munchkin.

Ahhh... well. Such is life, no? Kids grow up. Yes, even my kid is susceptible.

What is there to do about it except move forward and get revved up for the next stage: Toddlerhood!

A Post In Pictures

What's that?" you say? "A post from Laura Gent? It can't be!"

You bet your buns it is! I'm back and I'm ready to divulge all the secrets I've been hoarding.

With my Mom here, we made sure our time was well-spent.

The last time she came up, I don't think we left the house unless we were going grocery shopping.

This time was much different.

We went to the Imaginarium (A children's science museum) where Kellie got to visit the fishies.

At this time, she was taking up to five steps unassisted.

She loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. This is her pointing at the spiders while we sang.

This is right before she made a crash-landing off the wooden bear in the background.

This is the giant bubble-making circle. The one that I dropped our last camera into, thus ruining it forever.


Kellie is a bit young for this display, but we appreciated it. That tube is a vacuum that is blowing air and making the disc float. Fascinating, right?



My mom and I went on a shopping spree! I have clothes that fit and makeup that flatters.



Mom watched Kellie overnight and Brian and I spent the night at a hotel. Ooh-la-laa! This is us heading out the door.



Kellie has learned to blow farts on my belly. This is her new favorite thing to do when she's snuggling. Anytime she sees my belly, she blows bubbles and giggles about it.


As a "thank you" for all the time and love Deah gave to her, Kellie got her a pretty present. She also helped her open it.

And then I helped her put it on.

My Mom helped me throw a baby shower for Nikki.

Somehow, Kellie fit into her 3-6 month Easter dress. I was just playing. :)

Kellie loves her some Signing Time. This is her signing "frog." Her new favorite sign is "juice" and was "train" not two days ago.

We girls went shoe shopping.

Kellie got big-girl shoes since she's walking full-time now!

Kellie walking has drastically changed how we shop. She'll veer off and check things out, letting go of my hand in exchange for a feel of some soft socks.

Kellie is walking and playing catch, a game she calls "play."

Look at her standing and waiting for Kenzi to throw the ball for her. I love my toddler.

Did I tell you she's driving, too?

Hopkins taught her. This is a frog my Mom made for Kellie. She made it! Yes, it was once a few balls of yarn. And now he has a name and a weighted bottom.

Deah won Kellie's heart with a kitty cat. She loves this kitty-mow-mow. She kisses it and carries it around while meowing. Her current favorite word is "kitty." She even dreams of them and talks about them in her sleep.

So, this where I've been for the past three weeks. Thanks for letting me share. I'll be posting more frequently now, so don't be afraid to check back!