It’s Sunday evening

Sasha, a guy in our youth group called me at 6:30pm asking if the youth group could come over in less than an hour for their youth meeting after volleyball. Sure! So I ran home with the girls–ha, walked fairly slowly is more like it–we cleaned the house fast, and they started coming.

while they met, i made more baked oatmeal, and after their lesson, they gobbled it all up–i put sugar-sweetened sour cream on top with little berries (blueberries, i think). Sour cream is a food staple here

I also spent time cleaning up my refrigerators, freezing some stuff so it won’t go bad since Vitaliy’s not here to eat it.

Weird. Fasting, but I want to cook! I want to healthy cook. I’m looking forward to tasting natural, delicious things when this fast is over, but the cravings to eat are pretty much subsided. this morning, it was really hard to get up–well, late night taking V to the train station, and shaky from not eating a little.

Weighed in at 140 yesterday, and a girl commented that i was getting thin   :D

Enough about me! Getting ready for my sweet preggo couple coming tomorrow for our perhaps-final childbirth ed class. I juiced a bunch of oranges and grapefruits for us. I try to have something unique and healthy for them to eat each time. I also have some baked oatmeal leftover that they can have.

Masha is watching the girls for me. She’s a nice girl in our youth group that will probably be baptised this summer.

Also spend some time with translating and writing some stuff for Olya, my assistant director who is leaving for America soon!

Day four fasting, come and gone

It’s already Day 5 for me b/c it’s after 12am here, but I just got back from the train station, sending Vitaliy away with his climbing team. You can pray for him, that he’ll have closer friendships and be able to evangelize people. His partner’s name is Dennis (actually pronounced here like “deh-NEES” or exactly how we say the female name Denise).

To send him on his way, his 2-day train ride way, i baked him Baked Oatmeal, sugar cookies (which he loves), and banana bread (which he loves even more). He ate the baked oatmeal in the car as we were waiting at the station.

So i’m a single mom for about 3 weeks!

Had a good day. Making all this food made me want to eat, but i noticed several times today when I would’ve just needlessly eaten scraps of food here and there, as I usually do, so it’s made me think about being a little more careful about what and how much i put in my mouth (when i’m eating).

Felt weak waking up, had to stand slowly, etc. But then i felt better. still doing juices and tea and water. and anti-parasite herb-y pills.

going to bed now . . .

healthy books

Some of my favorites that I’m browsing again . . .

What the Bible Says about Healthy Living

Health Begins in Him

Rejuvinate Your Life (raw food recipes)

I was vegan myself for a while, when i started having migraine headaches. Instead of taking the gigantic prescription pills the dr gave me, i went entirely vegan and cleansed my body. Migraines gone!

Thinking of easing my family into this again now–it’s one reason i’m so conflicted about cooking and stuff–I just know how unhealthy normal cooking/eating is! So trying vegan stuff might work better. . . .

Third day (fasting)

this has been the hardest day. so many times i’ve wanted to eat! i made a healthy, all raw lunch for the girls and longed to taste it myself. then made waffles in my new (pre-owned ) waffle iron, made healthy frozen-banana ice cream (just frozen bananas made ice-creamish in the food processor) with tahini and strawberries; then went to Magelan (the mall) with Vitaliy and watched him eat chicken.

So i bought myself 2 grapefruits and made myself some juice . . . that Vika woke up and drank half of . . .

Just momentum has kept me going . . . I don’t want to “waste” 2 days of fasting by starting to eat!

i hope this is the worst day as far as cravings; they say that the first three days are the hardest. Some lightheadedness–learning to get up slowly; and walking slowly.

I’m having some other thoughts, too. Vitaliy leaves tomorrow, and i’m thinking of fasting from reading (except my Bible), fasting from Magelan (the mall next to us that i go to every day), and using this time he’s away to be with the kids metally and physically.

There are some things about motherhood that are hard to accept. Can i say that out loud? It’s hard. It’s hard for me. And i use my studies and books to escape a lot. I think I need to plunge in a little deeper, let myself die a little more to “me” and find something deeper in mommy-ing.

I will think more about this. Maybe come up with some plans.

Fasting: Day 2

Today i had more temptations to eat, as we went to our village where Vitaliy’s mom lives, and she packed us up with fresh berries from her garden and that region, and her homemade vareniki, but I resisted. And I’m glad.

Been drinking water, teas, some veggie juice, too. Starting to get lightheaded when I stand up fast and I”m feeling it in my leg muscles when I walk up the stairs. But overall, feeling good.

Weighed myself: 143 lbs. I’d like to get back down to 130-135, but we’ll see.

DIY Red Raspberry Leaf tea

notice the LEAF

Red Raspberry Leaf (RRL) tea is awesome for pregnancy, and i can sometimes find it here in a pharmacy, but it’s been hit-and-miss.

But Vitaliy told me I should just get some from his mom’s garden. . . .

So while we were in Ivankov today, I did just that! Now they are washed and drying in our dehydrator along with the mint leaves.

I love Ukraine.

fasting

Today I’m starting a long, cleansing fast. Probably for 3-4 weeks. The last time I did this was approximately 6 years ago.

I’m doing this to clean my colon and body and to hopefully rid myself of parasites. Trying to refresh my body after almost 5 years of being pregnant and/or breastfeeding–can’t do this while in that state!

I’m also asking God to make it a special renewal time spiritually.

It’s good timing because 1. It’s the first of the month so it’s easy to keep track of what day i’m on, and 2. because Vitaliy leaves Saturday for 3 weeks so I don’t have to cook for him. I have a hard time fasting while doing so much food preparation

Started anti-parasite herby tablets today, too, made mostly of cloves.

baby Maria

I like these photos. This is baby Maria. I was at her birth about 2 months ago now.

sacked out

birth

just got home today from a beautiful and deeply satisfying home birth.

Thank you, God!

Vitaliy is the silent hero, being a fantastic dad while mommy is away.

Mr. Amazing

We pack and travel a lot. (Did I say a LOT? Yes, A LOT!)

Vitaliy strongly dislikes carrying thousands of little grocery bags out to the car, so I’ve learned to pack it all (or most all) into a carryon suitcase, for example.

Mr. Amazing, leaving for a night of camping with our AWANA summer camp:

Mr. Handsome, ready for the road!

And i will confirm that, yes, the colorful object is the sun umbrella, and the circular wheel-thingy hanging down under it is his extension cord!