Becoming Crunchy

So I’ve definitely been lagging behind with the blogging this week, for various reasons…

Number one is GAPS – I’ll post more about it tomorrow, but basically, while I know without a doubt that it is working and doing good things, it is also kicking my butt!

I feel tired and sickie a lot, but I knew that was to be expected, so I’m just trying to push through and get lots of sleep! It doesn’t leave a whole lot of motivation for doing much else though and I’m feeling pretty bad about all those e-mails I haven’t yet responded to…

Thrown in the mix is what appears to be a flare up of sciatica, something I experienced once before about 3 years ago and is totally not what I need right now!

There are various things that can cause sciatica, but in the main it causes excruciating pain in the lower back, hips, and up and down the legs, which only becomes worse when you sit or lie down. When I saw a doctor about it in the past she told me to alternate cold and heat on my back and take ibuprofen, which I have been trying for the past 4 days.

Aside from the fact that ibuprofen probably is not the best choice for the GAPS intro diet, it also doesn’t seem to be working – it will give temporary pain relief but the problem isn’t going away, so I’m thinking I need to see a doctor again. I hate going to doctors. :p

Finally, I got crappy crap news from my work yesterday. I work in a chain coffee shop and am supposed to be returning there from a year of mat leave in less than a month. I was pretty much relying on working in the one within walking distance of my house – it’s not the best (or the best paying) job in the world, but the closeness and schedule flexibility were what made me decide to return rather than looking for a new job.

But, as they told me yesterday, I will now only be able to work at the store by my house for a month – then move to a store that will require actual transportation to get to. This throws so many problems into the loop that unless they change their minds (which I asked them to do, but is doubtful), I basically need to find another job.

Again, so not what I needed right now, and I hate looking for jobs!

And with our financial situation, I do need to go back to work, and I do need to do it soon.

Thus, little blogging or responding to e-mails, and lots of sleeping and watching Buffy.

In better news, I made butter this week! There is a baby butternut squash growing in my garden, my husband is doing a lot of the housework today, and I’ve been reading lots of awesome blogs.

So without further ado, here is your Sunday Surf:

• “I don’t think I have ever read a birth story that made me laugh so hysterically out loud. This is so funny, so well written, and so real. I love it! Totally worth the read, not to mention a great story about how different one birth can be from the last.” Unassisted Birth After Cesarean from Mama Birth
• “Do you buy orange juice at the store? If you do, I’m sure you’re careful to buy the kind that’s 100% juice and not made from concentrate. After all, that’s the healthier kind, right? The more natural kind? The kind without any additives? The kind that’s sold in the refrigerator section so it must be almost as good as fresh-squeezed orange juice?“ The Secret Ingredient in Your Orange Juice from Food Renegade
• “We hear things like how we need to stop it immediately, to “nip it in the bud” so it doesn’t become a bigger problem later on.  To ignore it, and to ignore the child.  We’re told we must never give in.  They’re trying to manipulate us!   They’re playing us!  We must stop it!” Your Kids Are Communicating With You, Not Manipulating You from The Path Less Taken
• “Worth noting: as a child I was fascinated by the serendipitous kitchen discoveries that our ancestors made. I heard a story of how bread dough, accidentally dropped into boiling water was the first noodle and I seriously thought of that with awe every time I ate pasta for years. Total bliss to have my own kitchen accident and “discover” something myself, new or otherwise.“ The Simplest Cheesemaking from Clean (Lusa Organics)
• “It was perfect.  It was intimate.  It was “MY STARS, ARE YOU BREASTFEEDING?  MISS, ARE YOU BREASTFEEDING?” in public. She was an older woman and she pulled herself out of a group of people to come talk to me.  I eyed her warily.  “Yes,” I said defensively, ready to fight.” It’s Been Awhile Since I Regaled You With a Tale About My Boobs from Becoming Sarah (check out the comments in this post too!)
• “Ah what a wonderful world we live in — a world where giant agricultural producers regularly feed arsenic to chickens.” FDA Admits Arsenic in Supermarket Chickens from Food Renegade
• “I often get asked by other up and coming bloggers how to get sponsors and such, and sometimes they seem to be under the impression that sponsors on my blog are paying me to do reviews.  Nothing could be further from the truth, although if the right product came along I would do that.  So I want to explain how things work, at least on my blog.” How Do Bloggers Make Money? Yep, I’m Going There! from Job Description: Mommy
• “I feel weird bragging about my skin, but in reality I’m bragging about the honey! Because it’s all about the honey! I have had one tiny breakout since I started this challenge and it was actually under my chin, which is an area that I wasn’t using the honey on. I could get use to acne-free skin. I mean, it’s about time!“ The Honey Faced Girl from A Little Bit of All of It
• “So, how do we keep our children from becoming dehydrated? You can, after all, lead a horse (or pre-communication child) to water, but you can’t make them drink!” Keeping Your Children Hydrated from Momma Jorje
• “…while I do so love cloth diapering, there are a few things I find less than satisfying. Thus, I’m keepin’ it real for all those who I *may* have inspired to think about pursuing cloth diapers because I don’t want anyone to come back to me saying, “You never told me about….” Please keep in mind, though, that despite these ‘issues,’ I still believe cloth diapering is the better choice.” What I Don’t Like About Cloth Diapering from Let’s Take the Metro

As always, so many great posts to check out in the blogosphere. What posts have you been loving this week?

And just a reminder – if you haven’t yet gotten the chance to enter my SmartKlean Laundry Ball giveaway, get your entry in! Only 13 days left – we’re giving away 3 Laundry Balls to 3 winners, and it’s an awesome prize – let’s you wash your laundry with NO detergent!

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