Summer

I love summer. And, just to clarify, I. LOVE. SUMMER. It's true - I could handle summer all year long, especially the weather part of it. I suppose I would eventually want the kids back in school, but the weather could still stay warm/hot and I'd be quite happy.

We're having a pretty good summer so far. We've had a really fun trip to the beach (best beach in Ontario), lots of swimming at friends' houses, lots of hanging out in the backyard, some VBS, some swimming lessons, some picnics, trips to the farmer's market, trips to the library and lots more fun stuff. The kids have been sleeping in the basement for the whole summer so far - since we haven't been camping, I guess this is the next best thing! For the most part, they've been getting along really nicely, although some days I do tend to get a little anxious for school to start! But not too anxious. Taya has started her competitive gymnastics, which will continue through the fall, winter and spring. All three have improved dramatically in their swimming lessons, which we are very happy about. Money well spent!

My garden has taken off like crazy. I've taken some updated photos (which I will need to post) and the amount of growth in a month has been unbelievable. Our sunflower now stands over 10 feet tall, with a giant yellow flower as its crowning achievement, and a "stem" the thickness of a small tree! It's stunning indeed. My two surviving cucumber plants threatened to take over not only the garden but the lawn as well. Out of those two plants, we have already eaten numerous cucumbers, much to the kids' delight, but their season seems to be winding down already. Our corn is slowly but surely producing cobs, none of which are ready to eat yet, although Taya is salivating already! Her absolute favorite food in the world is corn. Our 4 tomato plants have also threatened to take over the garden and the lawn, mainly because I didn't stake them. Lesson learned for next year. However, despite my lack of gardening know-how, the tomato plants are producing a ridiculous number of delicious red tomatoes. Some don't even make it into the house before Taya gobbles them up. My cages have served their purpose beautifully. All my greens were able to grow without interruption, and we have had countless salads from them. My romaine has outgrown its cage by several inches - who knew lettuce grew so tall! We often pick kale straight from the garden for snacking on, but other than salads, I've been using the kale, chard and spinach in my smoothies. I love going outside in the morning and picking my breakfast out of the garden! I'm so thrilled that despite some initial disasters, our garden has actually amounted to something, and we've learned a lot of ways to improve it for next year. I'm already hoping for more garden space next year!

I've been meaning to share for quite awhile on this blog about my allergies - a small miracle may have occurred! I've had seasonal allergies at least since highschool. They have always been very predictable, unpleasant, but thankfully shortlived. While living in BC, they showed up for 3-4 weeks at the end of May, beginning of June. While living in Alberta and Manitoba, they showed up for usually 4 weeks at the end of June and for much of July. In Ontario, it was usually the middle of June. Obviously there is something pollinating during those seasons that my body really didn't like - I've never figured out exactly what. For years I just fought through extreme discomfort - crazy-itchy watery eyes, sneezing, itchy ears (not fun at all). Once I finally discovered Reactine, I was able to mostly, although not completely, get rid of the symptoms. Still, it was something I dreaded every year, especially because this was one of my favorite times of year.

Anyway, in all my reading and research over the last year on all things food and health related, I came across somewhere (I couldn't remember where) about how a diet much higher in plant-based foods will help your body deal better with allergens. I was looking forward to putting this to the test, seeing as how I've been drinking daily green smoothies for just over a year, as well as having a dramatic increase in my fruit and veggie eating, and a decrease in processed foods. Well, June arrived, then left, and barely a sneeze to speak of! I kept waiting for something to happen in July, but since we'd had such an early spring, I knew I had probably gone past allergy season. I had only the slightest inklings of my former allergy unpleasantness, and never once had any full-blown symptoms! Normally, I go through a full package of Reactine just to stay comfortable. This summer, I took 2 pills, and then not because I really needed them, but more as "insurance" for a couple times I really couldn't be worrying about symptoms. I'm not a huge fan of medication, so this was very exciting for me!

All that to say, I think I'm an allergy-free girl! I realize this isn't earth-shattering news and I haven't cured any deadly diseases, but I've seen first-hand the amazing results of a plant-based, whole foods diet. Imagine if I can eventually completely get rid of all the bad stuff! I'm not there yet, but this is certainly encouraging. I am just really excited to see what happens when we treat our bodies better. I don't understand the exact science behind all this, but the results seem to speak for themselves!

It's time for us to be heading off to swimming lessons. Please don't give up on me and my sporadic blog-writing. I haven't given up, and I promise to be back!!

Have a happy summer day!