Caring Foodie: Monthly Milestones 2015 {6}

NOTICE

At the time of publication, all recipes were free of the allergens listed as being free of in the title (i.e. soy-free, milk-free, etc.), and all other information shared was accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Though I strive to update outdated information quickly and work diligently to make sure you have the most accurate information possible at all times, it is your duty to double check labels EVERY TIME to ensure that the ingredients you use are SAFE FOR YOU. DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS INGREDIENTS AND INFORMATION DO CHANGE. Your doctor or allergist should also be your first go-to for information on how to handle your medical needs. That being said, if you DO notice an error, please send me an email letting me know (tell me what page or recipe the error is on, what the error is, etc.), and I will correct the error ASAP. Thank you so much!
Please Be Advised:I make sure all of my recipes use foods that are free of the allergens they say they are free of. You will need to do the same. For help with this, please see the appropriate "Alternative Names" page for the allergen(s) you need the recipe free of.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Monthly Milestones 2015 {6}

Today is the start of the sixth Monthly Milestones for 2015. The "rules" are still the same as always. I will be giving you updates on the first Saturday of every month on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., and you can link up a post (or 3 or more) about some form of progress you are making, if you wish (see details below). Being publicly accountable (as hard as it is) helps me out tremendously. I hope you enjoy this link-up, will link up something inspiring and share it with others so that we can meet our goals together! :)

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me today, June 6, 2015, at 231.5 lbs.
Please forgive the blurry "back" photo. My camera's flash didn't go off like it was supposed to, and we didn't have time to take another photo.

My weight is finally headed back down. Yay! I'm back down to 231.5 lbs! I still have a long way to go, but being down a pound and a half is so nice! :D I've been focusing more on my diet, especially the last 2 weeks, and it has definitely made a difference! :) Let's hope and pray that I continue on this path.
I've been able to walk pretty much daily, sometimes multiple times a day. It's been a pretty lovely more often than not, so walking is happening a lot, and it is so nice to get out! I'm very much enjoying it. :)
I got a haircut! I cut off about half of my hair, as you can see. I didn't do it because I hate longer hair, I did it because it gets very hot in the summer, and I was having trouble managing putting it up with it's length and weight. Also, having so much hair on top of my head when I have to pin it or put it in a higher ponytail to keep cooler leads to more headaches. So, I chopped it off enough to be lighter but still pull back. I like it. :)
Life is still and will stay insane for a bit yet! There's been some down time, but mostly there's been a lot of running and activities. It will probably be at least another 2 weeks before I really get some time to breathe. I'm looking forward to it!
Updates to the blogs are coming.  This blog and Natural and Free will be getting some updates soon, I hope, though some more tedious things will need to happen first.  I found out that a lot of my recipe pictures have been stolen and used without my permission to promote other people's work (one even added a watermark to my image, trying to claim it as their own), so I will have to delete all of my old recipe photos one at a time, watermarking them, and then re-uploading them. It will be a huge, horrific process, but it needs to be done. I will watermark all of my photos eventually, but it will take time.

That being said, if you ever see any of my photos or photos that look suspiciously similar to mine, please email me a link so that I can check it out and report it if need be. And, PLEASE, I beg of you - do NOT use any of my photos without linking back to my blog(s).  My photos are one of the biggest ways that people find me, so when you use a photo without linking back, that's robbing me of visits, and denying others the chance to come to my blogs for more information about Fibromyalgia, allergy-friendly recipes, etc. My photos are NOT public domain or "free to use" without linking back. They are also copyrighted (see the bottom of this page).

Though I don't require that you contact me before you use my photos or link to me AS LONG AS YOU LINK BACK TO ME (and keep in mind that I may require you contact me in future if people continue to use my work without permission, marketing it as their own), I'd love it if you'd please let me know if you want to use one of my photos or link to my blog. I love to know when someone links to me so that I can return the favor. :)

The boys' school year ends on the 11th, and my daughter's done! Wowzers! Technically, the boys are done with all of their required classroom work, but they still have to log hours until June 11th. We're doing lots of "fun" classes, PE, watching educational videos, reading, etc. It's great! :) My daughter may end up taking some "Kindergarten readiness" classes later this summer, but we're not sure yet. Either way, I'll be glad to be done with official school work for awhile. :)

That's about it for now. How are you doing? Are you reaching your goals? Have you tried something new? Come up with a new recipe? I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will link-up a post telling me all about it or even leave a comment sharing your thoughts. As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)