One kid down… two to go!

Well, I put my darling daughter on the bus this morning, for her first day of school – 4th grade!!! Time flies…

As Simon, and my husband and I were standing out on the driveway with her, waiting for the bus this morning, we were laughing about her first day of Kindergarten. At that stage, the boys were only crawling, and as we recalled them crawling all over the driveway, and Arden picking up Simon under the arms and holding him up for the compulsory sibling pic, we giggled together. Simon just looked at us like we were crazy, and asked us *Is Julian’s time on Wizard 101 up yet???* Ahh, boys.

So, with the first day underway, and the boys first day at Kindergarten rapidly approaching (3 more days to go!!) I am working hard at improving the quality of their lunches. They all got Laptop Lunchboxes this year, and the User’s Guide that came with it is fabulous, and full of wonderful healthy and waste-reducing ideas. This morning’s fare for Arden consisted of an avocado and cheese quesadilla (yes, I know that means cheese cheese bread – all that time in Mexico this summer obviously wasn’t for naught), raw green beans with a pesto nayo (eggless mayo) dipping sauce, fresh kiwi and plums, and the very last piece of the boys birthday cake. It pays to be the oldest sometimes. And it definitely pays to be the Mum sometimes – I got to lick all the icing off the platter.

So, yeah, the boys turned 5 last week. We had a fun time at their very first official birthday party on Saturday. I love to cook, so I whipped up a vegetarian delight of a meal. It dismays me that people can actually be scared of veggie food – I mean, let’s think about it. What you’re getting in a meat hot dog, or burger, is WAAAYYY more scarier than anything that just grows in the ground. It also dismays me that I am able to be friends with people like that!! Ahh, we are all on different stages of our path, right, and it takes all types to make the world go round. Next time, just don’t leave right as the food is served – it makes it less obvious. Just sayin’.

I know I’ve been MIA most of the summer, but you know what? It’s been a good thing. This dang computer (it’s my new word of the season – dang. Me likes it.) I’ve wasted devoted way too much of my spare time to this virtual world over the past few years, to the detriment of my personal growth. Don’t get me wrong – my experiences online have changed my world in a way that real life would never have permitted. My eyes have been opened, and I’ve met people from all across the globe that have changed the way I look at things. But still, I’ve needed growth, and by george, it seems to have found me of late, despite my best attempts to outrun it. Life is good. Life is different. These hazel eyes are seeing things in a new light, and my soul approves.

And as coincidence would have it, this growth has been an amazing thing for my reiki practice. I’ve got a few regular clients now, and I have plans to find a real space to operate out of. I have made the decision to attain my Master level, and I’m doing it with William Rand!!! Words cannot explain my excitement at that. So, on October 8th, I’m heading to Detroit for 3 days of intense training. The healing that will take place there, I know, is going to blow my mind. Hang on!!!!!!

Now that I’ve started putting fingers to keys, I realize I have so much to catch up on and update. But, I don’t want to scare you all off, so I will go easy on you, and spread the love around… Peace out!

Happy 5th birthday, sunshines!

My 4th grader! And I'm not wearing my robe!

Bye, bye, baby... bye, bye!!

And the beat (and summer heat) goes on…

Well, as you can see, I’ve been MIA of late. The summer is flying by, it seems. We are still fully immersed in Dad’s Gerson therapy, but now it just slides off our fingers, and we’re doing it like the seasoned pros that we are. I think we are now at week 8 of the program (5th week at home). Only 96 weeks to go. And for me, only 3 days to go. Yes, Dad has made the stupid decision to go back home, and face the music of his life back there. I can’t say I’m not filled with dread, and sadness regarding his decision, but it is not my life to live – it is his, and even though I can point him in the right direction, only he can decide he wants to live a life without abuse. I am praying that he finds the strength to do so. I believe that he will.

I really feel like it is too early for him to depart. We have only just got into the groove, and it is now just part of our lives. The kids are great about it. No longer do they say – do we have to have vegetables AGAIN??? when I serve up a plate of slow-cooked, mostly-bland greens for dinner. The boys had a playmate over yesterday, and my Dad was there, making his juices. The friend asked, what is he making? To which Simon replied, “He’s making his juice, because he has cancer”. Cutest thing ever!!! We laugh and joke about his disease, and his diet, because, well, that’s just the kind of family we are. Dad has amazing will power, and an attitude that would put most people to shame. If I had just half of his strength, I would die a happy and fulfilled woman.

The kids, Dad and I all went to Kings Island yesterday afternoon. What a great time was had! We rode every ride that my poor short little boys made the height restrictions on. We got soaked on the log ride, and stuffed our faces full of overpriced, nasty old LaRosa’s pizza (while Dad ate his organic, fresh delightful salad and potatoes – oh the irony!!). I forced Dad to ride Diamondback, which is the meanest, fastest rollercoaster I have ever seen in my life. Don’t you just love people watching at places like that? Severely sunburned faces were everywhere, as well as what seems like the biggest collection of overweight people in SW Ohio. Maybe it’s the availability of that previously mentioned pizza?? Can I just give a shout out to the 250 pound girls out there – short shorts may be in fashion, but that doesn’t give you a free pass to wear them. Seriously. Fat doesn’t have to be ugly, but wearing clothes that are not made for you and your shape, is just wrong. And it scares my children. For real.

Well, it’s almost lunch time, so I must go prepare the banquet! It is good to be back. Wish me luck for this weekend. Next time you see me, I’m going to be a sad, sad puppy. There is nothing more painful than your family leaving you. After nearly 15 years of it, you’d think I’d be a pro, but it never gets any easier…

Happy Solstice, from the hippies!

Image courtesy of laughinglaura.com

V gets into the Swing of Things… wheeeee!

A few laughs from N8V Running. Hell yeah.

Another UnCool Girl lesson from Melia, the Queen of Dorks. Ironic, eh?

Soaking up the Solstice Sun, LadyHawk talks Litha.

Spectacular Me is a big whiny-faced veggie hater.

The Ocean on HippyMom.

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Coming up for air…

So, it’s been a crazy 2 weeks since we arrived home. We are now deeply immersed in a never-ending procession of carrots, apples and potatoes. It is almost harder psychologically, than it is physically. The thought of having to make that damn salad dressing one. more. time. can just get to you. Of course, it’s much easier than actually having to eat that damn salad one. more. time. so I will shut up. My hands have become cracked from being in water constantly, and my fingernails have become discolored from all the green/orange pulp immersion. But, we’re hanging in there, and slowly, it is becoming our new normal.

The next question is, what the hell do I talk about here, if not the Gerson Therapy?? I don’t know about you, but I’m over it!!! Now, if only I could remember what I blogged about before this all started… I think I’ve lost my blogging mojo. Hmm, would that be my blo-jo? That sounds a little perverted, doesn’t it?? I’ve lost my blo-jo, and don’t know where to find it! Leave it alone, and it will come home, dragging it’s little words behind it…

So, in other news, in my alien world, we have entered the realm of summer vacation. *Insert wildly cheering children here… and insert mother drinking wildly to maintain sanity here!* In amongst all the juicing/chopping/cleaning, I have managed to have my boys in swimming lessons, and my daughter is now officially on the swim team for the first time. Now, as a kid, I was a swimmer – never one that broke any records mind you, but I held my own. I was better than the average swimmer, yet not quite good enough to make a difference. I feel that way about most of the sports I ever attempted to master, frankly. Alien of all trades – master of none. So, here I am, attempting to make my kids live out my wildest dreams – to actually be GOOD at something!! Before you go any further, no, I am NOT a stage bitch mother, I don’t have enough drive for that, are you kidding??? But, I am attempting to improve my daughter’s stroke, because god knows her swim coaches aren’t going to. I think they are just there to work on their tans, and to flirt with each other. The boys are, well, they are boys, so they throw themselves into every sport with a passion I’ve certainly never possessed! They completed a week-long camp last week that worked on soccer and basketball, and they loved it. They could always be called upon to provide the coach with the current score, and to cheer wildly when the boys beat the girls (yes, we know… boys rule, girls drool *roll eyes*). And they only physically assulted 2 out of the 3 other kids during the course of the games, so for that, I am grateful.

They are enjoying their swim lessons also, and hopefully, will be able to complete a lap of the pool by next season, so they can join the swim team too. That way, I won’t have to occupy them for 4 hours, twice a week, while they sit bored at the swim meets I am forced to drag them along to. If they’re going to be there, they may as well be doing something constructive, instead of complaining and begging me to go home. Not that I don’t love that shit.

Speaking of summer ending and school starting again – who said that??? – the boys got their evaluations back from their kindergarten testing this week. Now, they will JUST turn 5 before the cut-off, so I was a little worried about whether they would be ready or not. The test results however, showed otherwise. Both of them got 100% for General Maturity. Frankly, that makes me question their method of grading, especially as when I was reading said results, one of them was on the floor, flailing and screaming, for some unknown reason. They also both scored right around 90% for academic readiness, so I guess they are good to go!! Bring on my FREEDOM!!!! What with quitting my day job, and all my kids being in school in the fall (albeit only 2-3 days a week), just what in the blazes will I do with myself??? Maybe I will finally get around to saving the world, like I have always wanted to! Wwwwweeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

I’m going to sign off now, and wait for something exciting to happen in my life, so that my blo-jo can return. Peace out!

Hear ye, hear ye… ye olde hippies speak!!

N8V Running shares her culture, heritage and children with the world.

Durrah brings us the June ATS featured video!

Melia guest blogs on MOM! Better yet, she reveals her love for Al Gore!

June on HippyMom!

Lessons on how to NOT be an UnCool Girl.

Another night in Spectacular Me’s bed; alcohol needed.

The Alien wraps up her time in Mexico, all warm and cozy-like.

Reality has arrived.

And it ain’t pretty.

So, we’ve been home for 3 days now. The trip home was uneventful, and with a bag full of wonderfully fresh Gerson food and juices in tow, Dad’s needs were more than taken care of. It was really sad to say goodbye to our new found friends. One of the former inmates companions compared our experience to being in a life raft, and every now and again, a helicopter flies over, and picks up some and takes them away, while also dropping more in to navigate the uncharted waters with us. A more accurate description couldn’t be made.

It was sad to say goodbye to Playas, too. I just loved the brutality and the decay of Mexico. I met some amazing amigos there, and their life stories were out of this world!! Seriously, I met people with experiences that I thought only happened in Hollywood movies. My life has been so sheltered!!!

So, yeah, we arrive back home. Great to see my family, whom I missed dreadfully. We wake up the next day, and Dad and I just look at each other. We were thrust back into our old lives, kinda. It was our old lives in one way, yet completely different. For Dad, his life will never be the same again. And I say that in a good way. His old life was killing him. Living one’s life on the Gerson therapy is a full-time commitment, both for the patient and the caregiver. Everything else has to be put aside. You are pretty much trapped at home, a slave to the juice and enema routine. For 2 years. This is the price you pay to help your body restore itself to its original pristine condition, so that is can fight the cancer cells like it was designed to do. The fight is hard, but the prize is priceless – life itself.

I pretty much spent the first day in the kitchen – juicing, making soup, making coffee, giving injections, counting out pills. By the end of the day, I was about ready to lose it!!! I started snapping at the kids, and basically being a right royal PITA. I know, I know, hard to imagine, right?? There is no way one person can do all this alone. So, the next day, I started getting Dad involved more, and having him help me some. There is no other choice. I thought I could be superwoman, and single-handedly cure him of cancer!! Let’s here it for MMMMEEEE!!!! Like at so many other points in my life, I realized I was full of shit. Here I was, end of day one, and I was ready to lose it. Deep breathe, in and out, in and out…

Ahhh, Day 2. Much less stressful. We were still running off some leftover soup and coffee from Day 1, so that took those 2 things off the daily plate. We got a routine down for the juicing, and made 4 drinks at once. That is a no-no, so they say, but they also say if you put the juice into a canning jar, with no air in there, and refrigerate it, it will last up to 4 hours with minimal enzyme loss. So, that’s what we did. And what a difference that made!! We weren’t juicing, cleaning up, then in what seems to be just a few minutes later, back in there doing the same thing all over again. Relief!!

Working out how much to buy at the store is another challenge you have to conquer. When you are using approximately 20 pounds of fresh produce a day, well, you do the math… that’s a LOT of shopping. In 3 days, we have been to the organic store 4 times. Meh, we’ll get there on this aspect too. Just watch.

Day 3 – my supernanny Tammy arrives!!! Round of applause for Tammy!!! Thank god, as today consisted of morning swim team, then a meeting for me, then back into the office for a number of hours, leaving Dad at home alone for most of the day. Poor guy made it through, but I had to snicker when he said – wow, that’s a lot of work, huh?? And I had Tammy make his lunch, he only did the juicing!!!!!

Life is a journey, and we are on the fast track right now! Looks like we are about to encounter some turbulence. Please ensure your seat belts are securely fastened, low and tight across your lap. Weeeeeeee!!!!

Oh, and happy birthday, dear hubby. Thank you for not insisting on a toxic-filled cake from the grocery, and for pretending to enjoy the horrible oats/carrot/honey/raisin concoction that we made for you. It made my Dad’s night to be able to join in on our celebration. You rock.

The food.

Yes, the almighty question that I have not really covered here yet. Our days are all built around the 3 meals of the day. Personally, I love the breakfast best!! Nice, hot porridge/rolled oats, topped with raisins, prunes, cooked apricots, apple sauce and a little yogurt. Plus, fresh fruit, and fresh squeezed OJ. Yum.

I’m so over the other meals, though, it’s not even funny. I feel for Dad, and all of the other patients who have passed through here. You have to dedicate 2 years of your life to this. Of course, when your options don’t even include having 2 more years to live, like a lot of the people here, that tends to make you do whatever you have to. Bravo to them! For those of us who have managed to avoid disease to date, it’s hard to get that motivation up and maintain it. I’ve become a local at Mariscoco’s, where I get my special order quesadilla every day for the past week!! I know, I suck, but I maintain my right to suck.

So, the food. Basically, it is as much fresh organic fruits and veggies as you can eat. Amazing salads, yes. Amazing salad dressings? Not so much… That’s the problem, salads are all about the condiments. This diet is a strict no salt, no fat (except for 2 tblspns a day of flax seed oil) no sugar. So, your dressings can only consist of things like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, pureed veggies, and maybe a little maple syrup. Day after day, meal after meal of this can kinda get to you. Also, for both lunch and dinner, you have to have a bowl of Hippocrates soup (and yes, apparently it was invented by him!!) as well as a baked potato. Coming here, I was never a big fan of the humble potato in its baked form, but now, after realizing that it is the most substantial part of the meal, I crossed over to the other side. Actually, I crossed over, and now I’m back again. Uggh. Of course, I can think of a few things that could make the potato taste good, but I won’t mention them here. No bread (except 1 slice a day of no-salt rye cardboard bread), no pasta, wild rice once a week, no dairy at all (until after 6 mths in, you get to get some plain, non-fat yogurt).

Now, the actual veggies would be fine… but they have to be cooked at a low temperature so that the enzymes aren’t completely destroyed, which means, they have next to no flavor, and they tend to be quite soggy. You can use raw garlic to jazz them up (and let me tell you, I’ve been eating the garlic by the clove!!), some lemon juice, and some fresh herbs also, but its pretty much a losing battle. Again, one meal here or there of this, you would be ok… but day after day??!!

I shouldn’t complain. This isn’t my burden to bear, it’s my fathers’, so I will shut up.

Looks amazing, doesn't it?? Note the yogurt is for us companions only - it has been my saving grace.

The veggies, and the famous potatoes

Salad, salad, and more salad!!!

That's me! Numero Quatro. That's our room number. Dennis is referred to by his name, us poor companions just get a number!! But hey, at least I get the smilie face.

I came here hoping to lose a little weight, but the amount of food I’ve been consuming, 3 times a day, hasn’t let that happen. Bastards. I’ve been exercising too, and still nothing. Oh well. Like I really give a shit. Apparently, they say that if you need to lose weight, on this diet you will, but if you need to gain, you also will. So, maybe I’m just already perfect. *flirt*

Well, all this talk of food has made me hungry. It’s lunch time, and seeing as though my favorite spot is closed on Mondays, I’m going to have to venture out and find a new locale. I’m really going to miss Playas, as strange as that sounds. The community is amazing. I love Mexicans!!!! Buenas tardes!!

Just 4 days to go…

And it’s probably a good thing. Instead of slowly driving myself insane by endless hours of watching movies/surfing online, laying around, I decided to get out a little this week. I joined a gym – for an entire $8 for the week, and got myself a job!! Well, it’s purely volunteer, but hey, it gets me out. I met this local called Yancy, who runs a small second hand store down on the beach. I’m just helping her fold clothes, tidy up, drink beer keep her company, or whatever else she needs me to do. I am picking up more words, day by day, and wish I could stay long enough to actually learn the language – it sucks not knowing what everyone else is saying!!

So it’s fairly quiet around the clinic nowadays. We’ve lost a few people of late. Well, we haven’t *lost* lost them, it’s just been their time to leave. That’s probably not the best term to use in a cancer clinic, no?? The impending arrival of newbies here is enough to get us all into a frenzied state!! Just the mention of a new arrival, and we’re all placing bets on where they’re from, or what they’re ill with, etc!! The last victim patient was a lady from Cleveland, Ohio, with pancreatic cancer – too bad I didn’t pick my own state!! We have 2 more people arriving today, and I’m going to go with NY, and CA. I figure picking two of the biggest states in the union gives me my best chance of winning. Ok, I was kidding on picking their illnesses, but that’s not a bad idea… kinda ups the odds a little.

We’re also going to attend a local concert tomorrow night. It’s being held in the bullfighting ring, which in itself, is pretty damn cool. Especially as no bulls will be dying. Vicente Fernandez is the artists name. He’s a famous Mexican singer, actor, and producer, apparently. He was described to me as a Mexican Elton John, to which I replied, oh, so he’s gay and wears flamboyant costumes??? Apparently, he’s not exactly like Elton John, but his popularity is similar. Personally, I think he looks like the current version of Burt Reynolds, a la plastic surgery overload. I’m looking forward to it!! Ariba!!

We went for another outing yesterday. Did I mention we went down the coast to Rosarito last weekend?? It is a cool beachside town, and we had a nice few hours, juices in hand, wandering through the marketplace, and along the beach. The music was pumping, beers were flowing, joints were burning, and Dad and I were the outsiders, for sure!! LOL!!

So yesterday, we headed to Revolucion Ave, in downtown TJ. The popular tourista spot for Americans. There, you can find all the NFL memorabilia you could ever possibly want, along with *real* silver, enough Viagra to give you a hard on for the rest of your life, and more crap than you’ve ever seen in the one spot. Uggh. And the vendors are prepared – they have all the lines. Like, *You’re back, so good to see you!*, *my stuff is better than their stuff*, *just come in and look, that’s all you’ve got to do!*, and the piece de resistance was the guy who actually said *come buy some stuff you don’t actually need*. He almost got me in his store with that one, seriously!! But, yeah… crowded, noisy, cars, people everywhere. I felt really sorry for them, honestly. The economy still sucks here, many stores are barricaded up, and the competition is fierce, while the customers are scarce. God bless those people.

Revolucion Ave

The big D.

One stop shopping. How convenient!

The countdown is on. I can’t wait to get home and see my family!! All the kids are officially now on summer vacation, so it’s time for Mumma to get back there. Daddy has been spoiling them rotten while I’ve been gone. Look at what the boys now have. Big boy bikes.

Look at how sweet and adorable we are, Mummy!!!

It’s time for our weekly yoga class, so I will leave you with a Namaste. Peace out.

Random observations of Playas de Tijuana

1. The ocean can make any place seem amazing.

2. Laws that make leaving dog shit on a footpath illegal are really, really important. Too bad such laws don’t exist here…

3. The Spanish language is so damn sexy.

4. Walking for hours on end each day really makes you feel good, and is the only way to discover the hidden little treasures that exist all around you.

5. When you can’t trust the Policia to help you, life can suck.

6. Tacos and quesadillas taste SO much better in Mexico. *drool*

7. Mexicans are the ultimate stewards of the earth – they take the term *recycling* to another whole level. Nothing here goes to waste.

8. Dogs are not meant to live in a concrete courtyard, nor are we meant to smell their piss as it runs down the footpath in front of you.

9. I just can’t accept that driving a vehicle slowly down a street, blasting verbal noise pollution out of loudspeakers, is an effective form of advertising.

10. Making streets and properties look pristine and picture-perfect is overrated, and a waste of valuable resources. There is a certain beauty in chaos and decay.

What day is it now??

Ahh, I am getting a little restless. That is all I am going to say about it, as I refuse to focus on it, and drive myself insane with something I cannot change. 10 days to go. Our days here consist of breakfast, nurses station for Dad to get his vitals taken, a daily B12 shot and his clay pack for his liver. Then, more juices, a walk through the neighborhood/beach, reading, lunch, more reading, IV, watching movies, walk on beach, dinner, walk on beach, more reading, bed. There will probably be a time in the not so distant future that I may yearn for such downtime, but right now, I’m over it!! Oh, sorry, I said I wasn’t going to mention it again, didn’t I?

So, we got Dad’s first set of blood work back on Wednesday, and every number got better! His good cholesterol went up, his bad cholesterol went down (not that they were high, but still!), but more importantly, his lymphhocites (which measure the functioning of his immune system) went up!! This is one of the aims of this therapy, so to see it rise by more than 30% in just one week is very encouraging.

To see and hear about and actually talk to the success stories that have come out of this clinic is also very, very encouraging. While here, we get to see and go through the many cases of people who have been able to cure their incurable diseases. There IS a cure for cancer, people. There has been for more than 50 years. The pharmaceutical companies in the US have bribed the physicians and the medical establishments. They don’t want to find a cure for cancer – they are making billions (hey, maybe even trillions!) of dollars from selling their drugs. If they find a cure, they want it to be in the form of a pill – not in the form of proper nutrition!! There is nothing patentable in this therapy, so what’s the point then, right??? The American Medical Association actually makes it ILLEGAL for Doctors to promote anything other than the big 3 poisons cures – chemo, radiation, surgery – and will take away the livelihood of Doctors who recommend anything different. That is why this clinic has to operate out of Mexico – it is illegal for them to try to cure cancer using nutrition in the US. I have watched documentaries where cured patients go back to visit their oncologists, who told them at the time they were committing suicide by not agreeing to poison their bodies with chemo and radiation, who refuse to meet with them, and actually have called the police on them to have them removed from the premises!! America is ruled by corporations, that is no surprise, and the medical field, as is so evident, is no exception. Hundreds of thousands of people needlessly die each year due to mankind’s greed and deceptions. I hope that one day the tide will turn. I know we are heading that way already. It is time for people to take their health back from the pharma companies, and realize that only THEY are going to look out for their own best interest. If you become ill, do your research, and don’t just automatically listen to what your Doctor says is best for you. Prescription drugs poison your body – every single one of them. Your body is capable of amazing feats, and can heal itself, even from the brink of death, if given a chance.

So, where was I?

Oh yes, today is going to be a good day!! I’ve crowned myself bossy boots Event Coordinator of the Gerson clinic, and have organized a day trip out this afternoon for a few of us, down the coast to Rosarito. A change is as good as a holiday, don’t they say??!! I can’t wait! God knows Dad needs something – poor guy has had some moments of feeling down – the boring routine here is enough to send anybody over the edge. I know once we get back to my house, with the kiddies running around, and the ability to actually go do things (in between all the juicing and enemas of course!), it will be much easier to tolerate. I will cheer (my carrot juice!) to that!!

It's a carrotini!

Don't be shy now, Rachel. The 11am serving.

My Ms Sherry girl, from Dallas, TX.