Healthy eating

So, lately I have been thinking about eating healthier. Not to loose weight, but to gain energy and feel all around better. I have noticed that too much comfort foods, while they feel oh so good, can cause me to be sluggish, lazy, have a foggy mind and indigestion.
The problem is, I LOVE pastas and breads and 'creamy' things. In my healthy-eating plan, I will try to eat only whole-wheat pasta. The thing is, I am very picky when it comes to texture. I don't like the texture of whole-wheat, beans, or nuts. I made a white bean alfredo sauce the other day, and it tasted alright, but the texture is what turns me off. How can I get past the gritty texture of healthy foods???

Not online

I'm sorry I haven't really been on here lately. I have been trying to focus on my home and my life, and the internet is not a high priority on that list. :) Hopefully I will be getting on here at least a little bit more often.
On July 1st, we are going on vacation for a week! YAY! However, I am not sure if we will have wi-fi, or the time for me to get online very often. I hope everyone has a great summer and exciting (or peaceful) vacations to those who are going somewhere.
:)

Breastfeeding

Have you ever noticed how all the women who believe in breastfeeding their baby till he's three are all the vegan-hippy type who's every meal is picked straight from their garden? With their healthy, organic lifestyles, it's no wonder why it's so much more healthy to breast-feed.

For the rest of Americans, with their fast-food lives who barely even get enough nutrients for their own bodies, it's no wonder why they choose formula.

Well, I want to breastfeed... for longer than just the first couple months. Not quite three years, but maybe for the first year or so. And I am not a hippy, new-ager, into attachment parenting, or whatever it's called. Well, OK... not to the extreme, at least.

Ah, well... I guess I should at least be planning pregnancy before I think too deeply about this.


For everyone who wants to judge the breastfeeding issue: No, I don't have all my facts. This is not meant to be taken too seriously; it was just a random thought on my mind. I certainly don't mind hearing your opinions though. :)

My Answers

Here are my answers to the questions concerning where we should move to. I have put them in somewhat of a prioritized order. Now I just need to convince my DH to answer them so we can compare. Like I said before though, this is the DISTANT future, so no rush!
(Well, we can both agree that we want a nice brick house someday.=] )

What kind of job opportunities should be available?
High demand for: Mechanic shops (most important); coffee shops/ cafes; administrative, computer, technology, fine-arts/music, etc.

Would you rather live in a big city, small city/town, or country?
Outskirts of a medium to big city. I love just being around lots of people; I get lonely easily.

What weather/climate do you prefer?
Dry heat. I work much better in hot weather. In cold weather, I would crank the heat all year long, but in hot weather I can easily go without A/C.

How important is low crime rate?
Very important. I want my husband to be comfortable with me going out on my own, and not worry if I am going to be robbed or raped.

How distant from family are you willing to go?
I would like to avoid the North-West and stay in Eastern or Southern US to be closer to family. I wouldn’t mind being in the middle (equal distance from all family in all directions).

What should the religious environment be like? (morality?)
I would like a hospitable environment. I would want to find a good Bible-believing, New-Testament Christian church home that we can serve in and become a part of.

Is a conservative or liberal environment more important?
We would stand on our beliefs (politically and spiritually) no matter what environment we are in. Although, I would prefer (especially with our future children) that the outward influence would be more conservative.

What else is important to have nearby? (i.e.: schools, parks, entertainment)
Good schools (one that focuses on the children instead of the politics of school); local arts and music.

How important is it to avoid areas of natural disasters? Are some more important than others?
Somewhat important; As long as we have a shelter, I don’t really care. Although, if we don’t have any insurance on our home, then it becomes a more important priority to avoid them.

What kind of landscapes should be within driving distance? (i.e.: beach, lake, mountain)
I like lakes/ponds. I love to look at the sky and watch the sun-rise.

What size yard do you want?
Medium. I don’t mind a smaller front yard and a bigger back yard, preferably off the main road.

Other things:
I love: Palo Duro Canyon; The land and the sky in the Texas panhandle; Southern hospitality; Mt. Lovewell in East Washington, NH; Tourism in Mystic, CT.; Trees in New England; Playing in the snow in Maine.

I don’t like: Cold weather; Busy traffic jams; Crazy/ignorant drivers; Where everyone knows everyone; Though nice to look at, driving over hills makes me sick and sun shining through trees gives me a headache.

Where should we move?

In determining where we might potentially move to in the future, I decided to make a list of ‘requirements’ for what we want at the place that we move. (This is the distant future, so we are not exactly packing up yet.)

I want to move to Texas, while my DH wants to move to Maine. Instead of trying to figure out which direction to go, I thought it might make things easier to figure out what we like/dislike and make a list of what we each want, rating their importance.

Here is a list of question that I have come up with so far:

• What weather/climate do you prefer?
  
• How important is it to avoid areas of natural disasters? Are some more important than others?
  
• How important is low crime rate?
  
• What kind of landscapes should be within driving distance? (i.e.: beach, lake, mountain)
  
• What kind of job opportunities should be available?
  
• Is a conservative or liberal environment more important?
  
• What should the religious environment be like? (morality?)
  
• Would you rather live in a big city, small city/town, or country?
  
• What size yard do you want?
  
• What else is important to have nearby? (i.e.: schools, parks, entertainment)
  

Well, that is what I came up with so far. If you think of any other questions to add to this list, please leave me your thoughts and ideas.

We would each put our answers down and then rate each question according to how important that aspect is to us. Then we would use the results to find a place, anywhere in this country, that meets our requirements (with the lowest cost of living, rent/mortgages, and utilities; and with the highest paying wages/salaries for the jobs we specified) whether or not it’s where we originally wanted.