So I'm still working out. This morning Jess joined me in my water aerobics class. Tomorrow I start Clomid again. Bring on the cranky, dizzy days. Let's just keep praying that this is our cycle. We will keep you updated.

We did some research yesterday about solar panels and solar energy. Oh my it's kind of intimidating, but to think you could potentially make money from your local energy company for providing your clean power to the grid is kinda cool. Jess and I have decided that if we follow through with getting solar panels for heat and water then we will start out with a couple of each and then add to the number of panels we have over time. We hope to have enough panels to be self sufficient for energy and hot water in 15-20 years.

Progesterone levels

So good new everyone, my progesterone levels 7DPO was 30.2. For those of you who aren't quite as familiar with those levels, they consider anything greater than a 5 an ovulatory cycle. Yep that's right mine was 6 times the minimum! Apparently I ovulated more than one time...multiples don't scare us. We'd actually love to have a set...or two (but don't tell Jess we'd love to have more than one set of multiples she might fall over). :) These numbers give me such hope for trying in two weeks. I sure hope I ovulate like this month again!

crawling out of my hole

So apparently I've been trying to hibernate lately I guess. I think the stress of not getting pregnant, then the stress of trying to figure out if we could even find another donor, then the stress of trying again next month. I guess just taking it one day at a time, focusing on the excessively positive things going on in my life, and not letting stress get to me as much is the only thing I can do.

Last night there was a very powerful storm. It was SO loud that it even woke up Jess during the night(and I'm sorry Jess but a train could barge through our room and she wouldn't wake up). The thunder was booming, the hail was huge, and the rain was pounding. As annoying as it was to be woken up several times throughout the night, it was really nice to hear those sounds...maybe next time they could happen late morning or early evening so I can look out the window and enjoy the weather.

So a day and a half after the healthy eating started I'm doing much better. Yesterday was a struggle, but today I am doing much better.

Hope everyone out there is having a great day! Message me to let me know you are out there! I'd love to meet more people.

Healthy Living

So today Jess and I started our new healthier living. I prepared all of our meals and snacks yesterday for today and tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan on doing the same thing for Wednesday and Thursday. So our entire caloric intake for the day is a little over 1300 calories. We both have our own reasons for being overweight and now we each have our own reasons for wanting to take control again. Jess is doing to help honor her Aunt Sandy who led a very healthy life and died of pancreatic cancer April 6th. She wants to begin a run in her honor, and she wants to be in good enough shape to run it and many others to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research. I am obviously trying to get pregnant. I want to be the mom that plays with her kids for hours at the park, takes them hiking, goes camping, swims with them... Because of my 17 years of elite soccer my knees are in pretty bad shape (pain scale average 7-9 every single day). So I"m hoping that by losing weight I'll not only be a better pregnant person, a better mom, but I'll also be in less pain everyday. We are planning on eating better and having one "cheat day" a month on our anniversary day, the 16th. We are also planning on working out at the local community center at least four times a week. Jess is going to do her workouts upstairs in the gym area, running, biking, and weight training. I am going to do aqua aerobics(which is not as easy as i thought i'd be...those older ladies are in some darn good shape!) and running in the in water track to help me get in shape without damaging my knees further. With determination we both hope to have lost 70-80 pounds by the one year anniversary of Sandy's death...

I don't know if a typical 4 bedroom 2400 square foot home is 150K in Portland, but the Palm Harbor homes I found out start at around 150K, of course you also have to buy the land but I mean seriously. An eco friendly home for 10K more (including land) than a typical home...and sometimes 20-30K less than a brand new standard built home built with less eco friendly material. It's so interesting to find out all the information about eco friendly living and how attainable it all is...especially since it's so "cool" now.

Has anyone ever seen "For the Love of a Child". It was on Lifetime today. It's been on there for a little over a year and I've seen it a LOT. It is the most awesome story of two women that have a passion for protecting children and then they make that happen by creating several children's villages to protect children from child abuse and neglect...giving these children love, safety, therapy, and education. Protecting children is something I am so passionate about. There are so many cries that are never heard...

Bamboo Flooring

So I was doing some more research yesterday and I came across two things that really perked my ears up. The first of these was bamboo flooring and the second was manufactured homes, specifically PalmHarbor. Now I always figured something like bamboo would cost an arm and two legs to install into my house, but I was completely wrong. Bamboo, because it is such a quickly renewable natural resource is much cheaper than typical hardwood flooring. I will attach some information to the bottom of this post about bamboo flooring. Then comes the manufactured home. Now I'm not into living in a home on wheels again, but come to find out there is a difference between a mobile home and a manufactured home. PalmHarbor homes are beautiful, you should definitely check them out. Palm Harbor also won several awards for being an environmentally friendly company, using environmentally friendly materials, and creating quality homes. Their homes are built in a factory and then placed on a homesite of your choice and then they attach the home to your foundation. I also found out that during Hurricane Charley a few years back the only homes that survived the blast of the eye of the storm were Palm Harbor homes. How amazing is that?! Plus the homes are usually cheaper than standard built homes. I'm thinking win win situation there. Now here is that information about Bamboo flooring I said I would give you.

Environment

Efficient Resource Use Bamboo Mountain products are manufactured exclusively with Moso bamboo (phyllostachys pubescens). This amazingly efficient and rapidly renewable resource is grown near Shanghai, in independently owned bamboo plantations in the Zhejiang Province of China. We gladly pay a fair trade price for the bamboo stalks, which are harvested between 5-6 years old for optimal beauty and strength. In comparison to oak hardwood flooring, there can be as many as 10 harvest cycles of Moso bamboo. In the time it takes for nature to make one red oak hardwood floor, nature has already made 10 beautiful bamboo floors. The plantation owners realize the value of this amazing resource, and actively practice responsible harvesting methods. Because with proper stewardship, their land will continue to produce one of the most efficient resources our world has ever seen for many generations to come. Manufacturing The stalks are transported a short distance to the factory, which is ISO 9001:2000 and 14001 Certified. The bamboo stalks go through several steps to make a solid bamboo flooring plank. View a picture diagram of the manufacturing process here. Bamboo Mountain specifies the lowest VOC finishes and adhesives available, ensuring a non toxic and healthy floor. The adhesive used to bind the bamboo slats together is supplied by Dynea, an international chemical company based in Helsinki, Finland. The flooring emits an average of 0.02 parts per million (ppm) formaldehyde at time of manufacture. As many plants, bamboo naturally contains a small amount of formaldehyde. The formaldehyde emissions decrease greatly with the first few months, and when the floor is delivered for installation several months after manufacture these emissions are near zero. The proprietary finishes we specify are supplied by well known Klumpp Coatings of Germany, and are environmentally friendly, durable, and free of heavy metal, formaldehyde, and insecticides/pesticides. L.E.E.D & FSC Certification Bamboo Mountain bamboo flooring contributes to certification by the United States Green Building Council’s L.E.E.D. rating system in two ways: MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials and IEQ Credit 4: Low Emitting Materials. Bamboo Mountain flooring products are not Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, because the FSC has yet to create guidelines for bamboo forests. A Lifetime Product We produce solid bamboo flooring, which is preferable to laminate or engineered flooring since it can be professionally refinished several times – if properly maintained, our flooring can last a lifetime! Using solid, long-lasting flooring helps to reduce waste in our ever-increasing landfills. As an environmentally responsible alternative to carpet, laminates, and engineered floors, solid bamboo floors also help protect against deforestation. Transportation & Distribution We are active in lowering the environmental costs of transporting our products. By placing our single warehouse in a strategic location in close proximity to the Oakland, CA port, we help eliminate unnecessary gas consumption and the resulting pollution created from excess land freight. And by employing a simplified distribution system, our products can be delivered quicker to the end user. Recycling From office to warehouse, we relentlessly recycle everything we can. We strongly encourage our customers to recycle the cardboard boxes that their flooring comes in; please visit www.earth911.org to find your local recycling centers and environment initiatives.

Change during times of transition

"The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind". - Gaylord Nelson

I know that a good way to begin something new is to start during times of transition. Having a baby is a huge transition period, therefore starting out by getting your babies new world to be as organic and earth friendly as possible is a great way to get your own world more organic and earth friendly. Here are some companies I have found that provide parents with ways to provide that "green" environment.

A HEALTHY BABY NATURALLY ALL NATURAL BABY
APPAREL OF THE EARTH BABY BUNZ & CO.
BABY NATUROPATHICS BABYORGANIC.US
BABY'S ENCHANTED GARDEN BAMBOOSA
BETTER FOR BABIES BLUE CANOE CAN YOU DIG IT?
CASTLEWARE CHALLENGE & FUN, INC. COTTONTAIL BABY
DANISH WOOLEN DELIGHT DAX STORES EARTH FRIENDLY BABY PRODUCTS EARTH-WEAR ECO BABY ECOFABRIK
ECO IKE ECO-ME ECO-TERRIC EDIBLENATURE.COM
ESSERE ORGANICS GARDEN GIRL SKIN CARE
GO-GREEN.BIZ GREEN GOODS GREEN ISLAND GREEN-KITS GREEN NEST GREEN T HAZELNUT KIDS
HIP & ZEN HOLY LAMB ORGANICS HONEYSUCKLE DREAMS
HUGG-A-PLANET INTERNATURAL KANOE BABY HAMMOCK
KATE'S CARING GIFTS KIDBEAN.COM LITTLE LAMB ORGANICS LITTLE LEFTIES LITTLE MERRY FELLOWS
LITTLE STORK LOTUSORGANICS.COM MAMA'S BABY
MEC T-SHIRTS MOTHER EARTH NURSERY DESIGNS
MOTHER-EASE COTTON DIAPERS MOTHERING
NATURAL LIVING BY CHOICE NATURAL POD NATURALLY GOOD.NET NATURE'S CRIB NUBIUS ORGANICS NUNOORGANIC OHGEEZ ORGANIC CLOTHING CO.
ORGANIC GIFT SHOP ORGANIC STYLE PERFECTLY NATURAL
PLANT A MEMORY PREGNANT EARTH PROGRESSIVEKID
REAL GREEN GOODS RECHARGE BASKET RITTENHOUSE INDUSTRIES ROBBIE ADRIAN LUXURY ORGANICS ROOTED TO NATURE ROUND BELLY CLOTHING SAGE BABY SAGE CREEK NATURALS SATARA, INC. SEASIDE NATURALS SLEEP & BEYOND ORGANICS SOUL-FLOWER.COM SUSIE JANE ORGANICS THE CLEAN BEDROOM THE NATURAL SLEEP STORE THE SLING STATION TINY TOTS ORGANICS
TOUGH TRAVELER TREES FOR A CHANGE VASHON ORGANICS VIVATERRA WEDGE WORLDWIDE WHITE LOTUS HOME WILD DILL WILD WOOZLE SOAP CO. ZIA & TIA