Ketogenic "Keto"

Many of you know that Kris and I started eating by a ketogenic diet. A lot of people haven't heard of this way of eating and have been asking what it is and what we eat.

Here is my not very scientific, scientific explanation.  A ketogenic diet works on the principle that when no carbohydrates are stored in your muscles for energy, the body will power itself using fat stores instead (a process called ketosis).  Your body isn't stupid and it will burn the energy source that is in the most abundance. Carbs are a fast burning intense sort of energy source, but you tend to crash and become hungry again. Fat and protein on the other hand burn more slowly and steadily.  This gives you a more regular level of energy and keeps you sustained for longer periods of time.

There are many ways to eat by this diet.  You can go online and find Facebook groups, people posting on Reddit and personal blogs like this one.  Not everyone agrees about exactly what is "keto friendly food" and what is not. In general the goal is to eat more fat and protein and generally stay at less than 20 net grams of carbs a day. Eating plenty of leafy greens give you necessary micro nutrients your body needs.  Keto isn't really just about eating bacon and butter.  You still watch your calorie intake and even food that may technically be low carb aren't good foods.  Hotdogs for example technically may meet the "rules" of a keto diet but are still made with many unknown ingredients and may not be the healthiest choice. We make choices about what works for our life today and do the best we can.

https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/keto_in_a_nutshell
https://www.charliefoundation.org/
http://ketome.co/the-ketogenic-calculator/

If anyone thinks they want to start eating this way, do some research.  You can find plenty of great information out there.  I'm not a dietician, I don't know all there is to know about this way of life, but it is working for Kris and I. Kris has lost over 70 pounds without hitting the gym any more than he had before.  I have lost about 20 pounds.  There are other benefits that can come from this diet.  Most notably people eat this way to help manage epilepsy, tumor growth, and autoimmune disorders (like mine).

So what do we eat.  There are many "keto approved" foods, and like I said if you are interested do some research about what it means to be a keto friendly food, food goals, and your needed nutrients.  This is just our routine and what we have found to be working for us right now.

Kris:
Breakfast:
Coffee - Black
5 Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage or Bacon
2 Hard boiled eggs







Lunch:



Citterio Genoa and Provolone
Good Foods Chunky Guacamole








Optional Snack:


Sunflower seeds
Pepperoni Stick
Pickle - Gotta get your salt



Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds, Halo Top Ice Cream, Whisps Cheese crackers
 


Traci:
Breakfast:
Coffee with Almond Milk

Citterio Genoa and Provolone
Good Foods Chunky Guacamole

 Yep I eat this for breakfast about 9am.  I have tried the intermittent fasting.  You stop eating for a window of time.  I do mine overnight. So I stop eating anything after 7pm and then hold out until at least 10 for breakfast.  I still have my coffee with a bit of almond milk.



 




Lunch:
 Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles.  Yes I could make my own eggs, but it tough to bring eggs to work to cook in the microwave so these are easy to grab and fill me well.

Optional Snack:
Almonds
Cheese Stick and Pepperoni
 

Needing a chocolate kick:
ChocZero 70% dark Chocolate piece
S'mores Halo Top Ice Cream
I also like the Oatmeal Cookie Halo Top











 

Dinner:
Steak, Pork or Chicken
Green beans, Asparagus or Broccoli
Cream sauce, Cheese melted, or butter and spices

Occasionally we have diet gingerale or seltzer with vodka or diet coke with whiskey.  Diet and sugar free colas still aren't a great healthy food choice, but are acceptable.  Black unsweetened tea, and lots of water.

We have tried some cream cheese brownie recipes, fat bombs, bulletproof coffee.  We have used the Carbquick low carb dough, low carb buns, and low carb tortillas.  Also I found the best "pancake" alternative is equal ounces of cream cheese to an egg (4 ounces cream cheese to 4 eggs) blended well.  These thin cakes with some sugar free syrup hit the spot when you don't feel like eggs again.

We basically keep it simple and eat the same so there is little mystery about our calories, protein and fat ratios, and our net carbs.

Believe me we have our cheats moments.  Kris has started to have a beer now and again with it being football season, and I miss some baked goods, but finding alternatives for those weak moments helps and there are many options and recipes out there to find.

This is it in a nutshell.  We feel great and don't miss much food wise.  We have less food waste and the shopping list is pretty easy.

August

Job posting closes
Search committee meets to review applicants
Prep to be out of the office, record my out of office message 😠
Day off -  Packing, running errands, 107 degrees

Leave for Camping - to the coast, to the cool

Breath

Fun Swimming
Fun Playing
Fun Biking
and playing games

S'mores





Birthday - it comes around every year

Sister arrives for visit
 
Home again
unpacking
laundry

tired.

 

Back to work again - Interview
Catch up, catch up, catch up

Don't forget
Lock and calculate salary timesheets

Interview, Interview, decide on a hire
Birthday party
Pool party
Hair appointment - beautiful again 💇

Brother -in-law arrives for visit
Work picnic
Work birthday celebration 🎉
Payroll processing begins
Aunt Robin comes to town

Plan,     Shop,     Prep,
Birthday Party - 6 year old







Solar Eclipse 🌑
Goodbye family

Concert with friends











Payroll processing
Football season begins - tailgating
Soccer Saturdays

Find a dance class for my princess - I need the fall schedule please!

School starts again

Back to work

Breath
This is August

Rattle, rattle, rattle I went down the road this morning.  The kids had already been dropped off, Mallory was left snuggling with Ronnie while Conrad was on the bus headed to school.  I turned off the radio and the air, rattle, rattle I bumped along.  Which by the way, why are the main roads so bumpy? Okay I had my car in the shop for two weeks, 6 days more than the original estimate.  Why is my car rattling??? I had heard the rattling but of course I thought it was part of the original damage from being rear ended and that it would go away after the car was fixed.  No, there it is, rattle rattle rattle.  I have to get this checked out before too much time lapses.

Back to the shop I go. I explain my concern and we hop in to drive around so the mechanic can hear the rattle.  No rattle, no rumble, no nothing.  A silent car ride, until... r-a-t-t-l-e. It happened, whew, the mechanic got a diagnosis, went under the car and....  I had to leave it for the afternoon to be fixed.

Maybe sometime I will get my new used car back.  Maybe

Happy May, Here comes Summer

 

It has finally warmed up here.  I'm not sure if the weather will stick around, I mean we are still having wild swings as it is, but finally it feels warm.  Today is supposed to go over 90' while tomorrow should sink back to about 70' but at least it is not pouring.

My parents got a pool. It is one of those funny soft sided round ones you just fill and can take down, but that should be a fun place to spend hot summer days.  It was pretty cold even in the mid 80' weather yesterday because it was just filled. Mallory wasn't so sure the cold water was fun and stayed in the tiny plastic pool they have for the dog, but Conrad connonballed and splashed for hours.

Things have started to turn around in house health wise.  Conrad hasn't been complaining about the headaches like he was.  I don't think his glasses are really to credit, but at least mentally he has decided they help make him better and whatever he was feeling he isn't calling a headache now.  He still seems like he can't breath through his nose well.  I might have him tested for allergies, but all in all he seems better.  Mallory has become more regular which is helping her mood.  She is mostly just a happy kiddo who is really starting to blossom with personality.  She plays make believe more now sings to herself.  We rearranged her room a little and that was exciting for her.

I am still serving on the board of the Corvallis Community Children's centers.  We had a little art show this weekend to hold our board of directors election event.  It was cute having all of the kids provided art and the parents spend some time enjoying the pieces and mingling.  There was a little bit of drama around the setup of the event with the board and the way it all came together, but in the end it all seemed to be a success and went just fine.  Mallory should be starting these this fall part time. I am excited to see how she grows and changes being a classroom environment with other children her age.

On our way home from Las Vegas in April we were rear ended in traffic.  All-in-all we are just glad no one was hurt and the car can be fixed, but that means our new to us Explorer has been in the shop all week and I am in a rental.  I'm looking forward to getting out car back soon (hopefully today).  Conrad is starting T-Ball and with summer only a couple weeks away it will be good to have the bigger back end for getting things in and out and getting around.  We have a fun weekend in Black Butte planned and camping on the coast. Kris will be headed back to Vegas for a wood workers show and might find a time to fish in Alaska (Yep one of those charter trips). Before we know it Beaver Football will begin again.

For today I am going to enjoy the sun and prospect of a fun family filled summer.

April Showers

Good news, Conrad had his MRI and the results came back all clear. In my heart I didn't think they would find anything, but you just don't know, and of course I could not help but be worried. He did have some thickening of  his nasal passages, so he is doing nose spray regularly to help keep those clear.  Because this has gone on so long I didn't think it could be allergies or anything, but maybe he has a hard time breathing. I know I get headaches when my nose is plugged up all of the time.

We saw the eye doctor too.  He is getting glasses, they should be here any day. The prescription is light and he really isn't too bad off, but seeing things far away is blurry and if he has trouble seeing whatever the teacher may be talking about at the front of class or things around the room on the walls it may help him not strain.  She really didn't think this would have to do with the headaches, but it would not hurt.  He picked out some pretty modern glasses and I think will be really cute in them.

We started back to swim lessons again. Mallory loves swimming and has no problem splashing and jumping in with her beginner class.  Conrad is swimming on his own, mostly, but still has the teacher by his side to give him support, confidence, and to guide him to the wall.

My parents actually moved furniture into their new home and slept inside (instead of their travel trailer).  They started unpacking their kitchen stuff and putting things onto shelves.  They still have a lot of stuff to go through and will be sorting out where they want what for some time I am sure, but will get there. We found them outside yesterday pulling weeds in a break in the rain.

Kris and I are once again changing some things in the house to try to use the space completely for our family.  Making our guest room into a family room of sorts and actually having the desk set up to be more usable as a desk.  We started taking about plans for redoing some of the landscaping in the front yard, and well really the back too.  It is that time when we need to get out there and get it back into shape, but it seems like a daunting task ahead.  I'm already aching and tired.

I am being sent to a training at the end of the month and we are hoping Kris will be able to come with me.  It will just be a couple of days in Las Vegas.  I will spend all day in sessions but it would be a nice chance to just get out of town for a couple of nights. It has been awhile since I have been there so it will be nice to see what has changed and warm up in some nicer weather.

 Looking forward to a nice summer full of family fun.

Clearly I Don't Keep Up

I am really not keeping up with this thing, it has been almost a year since my last post.  I think about putting something on here and then don't and think I will keep up with it again and then don't...

This time my push is that I am considering leaving my only other social media spot, Facebook.  I have decided Facebook has become too much about funny videos, ads, and political views (my own included) that I am missing what I originally went there for, pics of my friends and their families, keeping up with the going on of the people I know.  Maybe I need to finally join Instagram sine I am looking for snapshots of everyone's lives in an effort to stay tuned in on what is going on with them.

For my those who keep an eye on me and my family here is an update:

Mallory just had her 3rd birthday.  She is very into princesses and pink and purple.  So we had a Rapunzel party.  She had so much fun just playing with her friends and cousins and was so delighted with her cake and gifts.  She even got a girly big girl bike that she took right off on with no problem.  If only it would stop raining so much maybe we could really get out and enjoy it more.  She has fully potty trained now. She was going pee pee on the potty for a little while, but not really consistently.  We just pushed her to wear panties and made it happen and now she can go all night without a pull-up.  She still struggles with going poo a bit.  We now have her taking a kids chew-able pro-biotic that really seems to help if we keep consistent with giving it to her.  Her other big change is that she gave up the boo's (pacifiers).  We put them in a princess bag and in the mailbox to send to the princesses.  I told her the princesses would give them to new babies who needed them.  There were a few times she asked for it and a few times she even reminded herself she gave them away, but she has been fine with it. She did seem to wonder why she ever decided to give them to those darn princesses.  Mallory has a sassy, bossy, strong willed personality.  She wants things her way, but is mostly a sweet little girl.  Recently we started taking swimming lessons.  She is in level one where they mostly work on getting the kids used to the water and unafraid to move about, put their faces in the water or jump into the pool.  She LOVES this. She talks all day about going to swimming lessons and having gone to swimming lessons.  I am very excited to have her start into preschool this fall ans see how she loves that new environment with more children and regular organized activities.

Conrad is coming to the end of his first year of formal school, Kindergarten.  He has been attending a primary school in Philomath Oregon which only has classes for Kindergarten and first grade.  This has been really nice as it is easing him into the larger school environment. He has really bloomed this year, taking off with his reading and math skills.  His writing still needs practice, of course, but he is doing pretty good overall. Conrad is in level three in swimming.  He has so much more confidence now taking off on his own.  He can swim across the pool on his own but still has the teacher there for some security.  He is working on taking a breath and then continuing on.  They also just started the Dolphin stroke which is a little strange for him. We have signed him up for T-Ball this spring too.  He and dad have hit in the back yard a bit and he really doesn't need the T.  It will be fun to see how he likes this organized team sport since it will be his first time doing something like this. For some time Conrad has complained about headaches.  We have had his eyes checked, but as the problem persists we are pursuing this further. We now will head down the path of an MRI to ensure there isn't anything unexpected in his noggin, but will again see the eye doctor to see if glasses might be in order.  I know I have what they call hard eyes where I can pass an eye test with 20/20 vision, but my eyes work hard to do that and get tired out from working that hard. Maybe his eyes are tricking us too.  Conrad is a sweet boy who wants to do things right ans as asked.  He cares about others and wants to be included as much as he wants to include others (mostly).

Kris' company is doing really well.  They are busy as ever and have some big jobs coming up; a lot of retirement villages being built and remodeled, getting ready for the baby boomers.  He tries to Golf whenever he can and wants to be bass fishing, if only he had more time.
I am enjoying work and finding time to get out with girl friends here and there. I am still with OSU, but I am back in the Central payroll office and doing work auditing payroll records, ensuring compliance with payroll tax laws and proper reporting and helping all of our international employees report earnings and deductions correctly.  While I still struggle with some arthritis issues I am doing better than I was a year ago and am finding ways to manage this pain.

The biggest change in our lives right now is really with my parents.  They have sold our property in the San Juan's and bought a house only a few blocks from Kris and I in Albany. While they are still in some transition until they close on the house in Oregon they have been staying right next door to us.  It has been nice to have the help when we needed it and be able to include them on things we do.  Also them having dinner ready for us when we get home from swimming has been a real treat 😏.  Soon they will have their house and we will all get to work fixing it up to be more their own.  I think they will be glad to get settled and then we will all adjust to being so near by.  Maybe Kris and I will have to move, hahaha, just kidding we are glad to have them here.

Finally a New Post

Wow, has it really been a year since I last posted anything.  I can't say how well I will stick with it from now on, but I decided I should maybe come back to this and try to post something again.

This year has been busy, stressful, fast, and completely crazy.  Now in April we are in a better, somewhat less crazy, and less unsettled sort of place.

Where to begin...  The kids have been growing too quickly.  Conrad is going to preschool three days a week and while at first he was shy and passive he has come out of his shell and gained a lot of confidence.  He seems to love learning and in the past couple of months in particular has been showing a real thirst for understanding everything and seems to have grown up.  He is four and a half and we are already registering for kindergarten.  We are hoping to have him go in Philomath since that is where our daycare is and he will be able to take the bus from Ronnie's to school and back.  It is also closer to Kris and my work which helps for those times he may be sick or have an appointment or school activity.  He loves riding his bike and going to the park.  He has been exploring his freedom racing ahead of me or dad as we push Mallory on her trike.  His favorite toys and games are still cars, trucks, and car and truck related play. He is a bit of a more gentle soul and so seems to play better with the girls over the boys. I know this is sexist to assume girls are more gentle than boys, but I have been watching this unfold at birthday parties, in the classroom, or on the playground. Girls just seem to have a softer approach to things over the rambunctious boys who thunder in and out with little recognition of the wake they leave behind them. Conrad doesn't take will to the aggressiveness that generally comes along with that.

Mallory just turned two at the end of February.  She is a bit of a drama queen and is bossy, but sweet and funny too.  She talks a lot and seems super smart. She catches onto things quickly. This is my favorite age since at this time the kiddo starts to or can communicate and shows such a personality.  It is fun to see what things she is drawn to and what kind or person she will be.  Interestingly for being the baby/toddler who wasn't all that interested in the TV and one for whom that sort of entertainment did not capture her attention, she is becoming really drawn to the Kindle and the little games and shows the kids have on that.  She will actually throw herself on the floor crying when it is time to put it away. Well she will throw herself on the floor, or dirt, or sidewalk, whenever she is not getting her way, like I said, dramatic.

Both kids are in swim lessons right now.  Lessons is a stretch for what Mallory is doing, but at this age it is all about enjoying the water.  She does.  She blows bubbles, goes under, kicks and jumps without any trouble.  Mostly she gets distracted by the toys and just wants to hold three or four while "swimming."  Oh well.  This time around Conrad has really taken to it.  He is swimming out to the teach and back to the wall (it is not very far, more of a reach for the teach or wall, but the idea is there).  He can reach better now so that gives him the confidence to try it. I think if we stick with it he will move up and be swimming quickly.

Kris has been busy at work. For years now the talk has been about him taking the business over when his boss retired and that is actually coming true now.  Several months ago a project manager with a local contractor that they frequently work with approached Kris' boss about his plans for the business upon retirement, this began a partnership between this man and Kris.  It seems like a pretty good match and has made the take over a little easier, I think.  Maybe there is not so much burden fully on Kris.  This Cody has a bit more of the sales and running the project with the customer background and skill while Kris knows the shop and the internal workings. They have officially made their first payments and now have a minority ownership.  Kris' boss plans to transition out of the next couple of years.  This has finally brought what had been talk and somewhere in the future to the now.  Having the actual numbers and plan in writing now gives us both a better sense of finances, life, and our commitment which helps us plan and handle other life decisions.  Now Kris feels stress about making the rest of this all come true and financially has informed me, we are now poor, or need to live like we are...

For me the year has been tough.  I have been dealing with some medical struggles.  Nothing too alarming, but have had some pretty sever back pain and limited mobility, at times extremely limited.  I have seen a couple of doctors and been doing physical therapy.  Finally when those things were not improving or resolving the issue they did x-rays.  I have been diagnosed with Arthritis. I have compression of a couple of discs in my back.  At this point we are now just looking at pain management and I am experimenting with what causes me stiffness and pain and then not doing that. You can imagine how this works out, lifting a two year old causes me pain, but the not doing that... lifting a four year old causes me pain, but not doing that (yes, he still wants to be carried)... I am stiff in the morning when I get up and putting on pants, socks, shoes causes me pain, but not doing that...  You can see what I am saying. So I am back to the gym again just trying things and seeing how I feel the next day.  Generally it is long periods of sitting, standing, walking, laying, bending, basically I need to vary my position regularly. At this point I am not doing anything else, no steroid shots, no surgery, nothing like that.  I want to leave those options open for down the road when the pain gets harder to bare.

Along with dealing with my back and literally not being able to stand up straight at times I have been struggling with my job. I still can't say for sure what happened or what I may have done wrong (really I am self critical and don't know what it could have been, I mean I am not perfect and never claimed to be doing everything the best possible way, but I had told my boss that I knew some things were slipping and going by the way side and I thought she understood and knew the circumstances as to why).  Soon it felt my job was on the line and I was not getting the necessary feedback as to why or what to do differently to change this.  I started looking for somewhere else to be, I needed some security.  I carry many of our families benefits and Kris was about to make a handsome payment from our reserves to buy a business.  Oh, we were also looking for a house and thinking about moving, but I will get to that.  

It started more than a year ago when we were down a position and specifically my help and I was covering both that and my position.  I didn't have very much experience with some of the non-payroll related work that employee had been doing and so was slow and struggling just to stay afloat day to day.  My boss was preoccupied with some other major shifts in our office and was sort of not available, or I didn't feel like she was available to me.  I just tried to keep things moving and felt like things would settle down again and we would be able to get back on track from there. Instead I felt under a lot of scrutiny and from other managers in the department and began to have a sense that there were discussion going about me and maybe complaints, but no one was giving me the chance to explain, defend, comment, anything.  Anyway I started looking for other jobs as well as trying to push for clarity and peace with my boss and the job I had.  This all was leaving me with sleepless nights (not that I was always sleeping well with a two year old who wanders the house at 2am and a four year old who still wakes up and wants someone to sleep with him fairly regularly).  Kris was stressed since he was feeling in a volatile place with his job and the uncertainty of what would happen with all of this was leaving us somewhat stuck and unable to make any plans or decisions about anything.  Things did get better at work and with my boss (although I still never got anything in writing or my annual evaluation that had been due in June), but one of the jobs I applied for worked out and I accepted the offer moving from the business center office where I did payroll and finance to the central admin. office where I process payroll and manager payroll systems.  So I'm still at OSU, still have the same benefits :) and work with people I already knew and worked with through my position at the business center, some of whom are also people I worked with when I started at OSU in 2007.  A weight of uncertainty has been lifted and I am happy to be here.

Finally, the house thing.  Maybe two years after discussion with my sister and I about the property (my grandparents property that was left to my dad and his brother and where my parents live in the San Juan') my parents decided to sell and retire closer to me here in Oregon. They started looking at homes in Albany and while my mom even toured a couple they were in early stages and were getting an idea of what was available and how much things would cost.  They had different ideas about what they wanted and then there was discussion about moving in with Kris and I to minimize the responsibility and work to my parents (sharing that with Kris and I) and the cost in taxes and amenities as we might be able to share some of these things.  So we began to run with this idea and look for a home or property where all of us could live, together but separate. From the beginning it was going to be a bit of a needle in a haystack to find the place that met all of our needs and in budget.  Needless to say we have not found it.  There were many more options than I expected, but it never seemed to be just the right thing and at the right time. Mom and dad put their house on the market and with everything else changing for Kris and I we decided to put that on hold and wait for the San Juan property to sell.  Mom and dad have had many lookers and even an offer, but that was a far fetched offer and so far no buyers have come through.  We said this is the kind of place that could takes years to sell and it has only been about half of one so far, so who knows.  Still just waiting on this one and then we will decide what to do.  

I have to keep reminding myself that all things happen for a reason and in the time they are supposed to.  This has proven true so far leading me to a new job where I am learning so many great new things and am very happy, Kris to have a partner to own and run the business with, which is a great thing, and even for my parents giving my dad a little more time before he retires and to deal with some unexpected medical things before they were in the middle of moving or a major lift change.

The future looks bright.

P.S. here is a link to my parents property if you know anyone who might want to buy it.
https://www.redfin.com/WA/Friday-Harbor/138-Barnacle-Point-Ln-98250/home/16751783