A few days ago, I came across this article from ABC News about a newly classified eating disorder called "orthorexia".

Orthorexia, they say, is when someone has an uncommon fear of consuming anything "unhealthy" -- to the extent that it overwhelms their lives and they feel they can't eat so many things due to health risks that eventually there isn't much of anything left TO eat... and they become very unhealthy, both mentally and physically.

I didn't really care for the tone of the article. The reporter seemed to be poking fun at those who desired to eat healthy foods and he showed obvious disdain for their choices, even suggesting that someone on a raw food diet is "dumb".

The main examples in the article are obviously extreme cases of "healthy eating" that is definitely not bringing health to the person.

But I think the problem lies not in eating healthy foods or in consuming only raw foods, but rather in letting healthy eating get out of control and consume a person's life.

I'd love some feedback on this topic! I know many of you seek to eat as nutritiously as possible. :) How do you maintain a good balance? What is a good balance for you? Has the desire to eat healthfully ever caused conflict in your life or gone too far?

For me, I think our nutrition is a balance of keeping within our budget constraints and making foods that my husband likes.

We budget enough money towards food so that we are able to afford high-quality and nutritious foods... although long-time readers will know that I try to do that as affordably as possible. ;) For me, that just means buying 50# bags of grain, or growing our own tomatoes, or eating whatever is generously given to us from others' gardens. :) And the "other" stuff, well, I just shop at Aldi's. :) So... it's a balance, like I said. :)

As far as cooking to please my husband, again, this is a balancing act and we're worked through lots of things to arrive at foods that are healthy but still absolutely delicious!

One example is our homemade bread. Joshua never wanted me to pack sandwiches made from homemade bread unless the bread had been made that same day and was still soft. So for a long time, we bought bread at Aldi's.

Then Joshua oh-so-skillfully and oh-so-scientifically altered our bread recipe to include some natural dough conditioners, making the homemade loaves turn out beautiful and soft... and stay that way for a week or longer! (Not that bread ever lasts that long around here... )

So, while it didn't happen overnight, eventually we did arrive at a healthy, homemade, and even frugal conclusion that we both love! Of course, I'm not soaking my grains. And bread certainly isn't raw... ;)

I've learned so much about xylitol over the past 4 months! It's strange to think that not so long ago, I barely knew what xylitol was and was completely oblivious to its great dental benefits.

Thankfully, I stumbled across a blog by a dentist and spent many hours reading her archives. If you're at all interested in trying a different approach to your dental health, Dr. Ellie's blog is a great place to start. And along with all of her helpful answers and advice, she's a very kind person who gives of her time and resources to help others have healthy teeth.

My first experience with xylitol was when we got some granulated xylitol through a local co-op. At $6.20 a pound, it was not going to replace our sugar consumption, that's for sure. But the great part is that it only takes a small amount of xylitol to help teeth stay clean and healthy. (Read more...)

I recently signed up as an affiliate at Amazon.com. This just means that if someone wants to order something from Amazon.com and they use my search box to get there, I will receive a percentage of what they spend. More details here! I just signed up a few weeks ago, and already earned $7! It's not a ton of money, but it's a start, right? :) 

And while I'm making public service announcements, I want to say thank you to all of you for being so kind, friendly, and helpful.

I am indebted to you all for your input on readers' questions, advice about my cooking disasters, and just the sweet comments about our children or whatever! You guys are such an encouragement to me... sometimes a comment will come just when I needed it most. Other times, you challenge me to re-think something... or remind me that everyone is different... in a good way. :)

I feel very undeserving of the readership you all give! Thanks for sharing in our lives. :) 

I guess I'll be doing some dishes tonight.

And folding laundry.

Anyone want to keep me company on the phone tonight (~9-11pm EST) while I work? Email me with your number. :)

Edited to add:

This morning -- the sunlight shining in on my clean kitchen as cream of wheat cooks on the stovetop. :) Even better? I hardly remember the stacks of dirty dishes because I was having a lovely conversation with a long-time blog reader Lyn. Thanks, Lyn! :)

In the spirit of this post...

I'll be back in a couple of hours with a kitchen tip for Tuesday. And it won't be about how to stay on top of the dishes. I may need to re-think my once-a-day dishes plan. It hasn't been working as well as it used to...

A quiet house, some good music, and work to be done -- work symbolizing purpose, direction, and blessings. :)

I love blogging, but the really good part is taking things into "real life".

A hundred recipes on a website don't really do any good if my family is eating PBJ for dinner. A motivating post about homemaking is useless if I spend all my time and energy staring at a computer screen thinking about doing things instead of actually doing them.

And while I love sharing bits of our life here in my blog, it's even more exciting to sit down and actually spend time with folks... in "real life". :)

About 6 months ago, I was blessed to meet a local blog reader. Living in a somewhat rural area in NW Ohio, in a (relatively) small town, I think we were both shocked to discover that we lived in the same town! :) We've made good use of living in close proximity, with lots of visits and meals between our families. :)

It's fun to have a local friend who's passionate about many of the same things as I am. :) I'm passing along my love for receiving blanket diapers and homemade cloth wipes, and she's introducing my boys to goats and chickens. Oh, and I swapped some of my excess asparagus for some farm-fresh eggs. I know, I know... I got the good end of that deal! :)

This morning, she and I headed out to some garage sales in a nearby town. Have my regular readers caught on to my budding garage sale addiction this year? It's Joshua's fault for encouraging it, along with the fact that my children keep outgrowing their clothes... ;)

When we got home, it was lunch time. I had some crock pot pizza ready, and warmed up leftover creamed asparagus over pasta, along with some veggies.

Yes, I serve leftovers to guests. Sometimes. Let's just say that the focus was on garage sales, not food. ;) Or, starve your guests and when you finally feed them, they'll rave about anything. Something like that. ;)

Here's what Ruth thought about it all. By the time lunch was over, she was exhausted. :) She's sucking her thumb in this picture -- something she's really fond of doing. She must take after her mommy (I sucked my thumb until 3rd grade).

Our attempt at garage saleing on Friday morning ended in a downpour and an over-heated car after the second sale, but we managed to make it back home safely. It was dark and rainy all day and I was so ready for a break from the week's work that I collapsed into bed at 7:45pm.

Thankfully, the rain has let up and today is sunny. My clothesline is filled, and as the wind lifts the fabrics in the breeze, my spirits lift too.

We skipped naps today, so the boys will be ready for an early bedtime. I think I'll leave the the bright computer screen and get some chores finished up before it's my bedtime, too!

Life. It's a whole lot bigger than what fits into my blogging time. :)

Why is it that a messy kitchen looks so much less messy in a picture?! :)

The kitchen table's full, too. It's 11:20pm and I am completely unmotivated to do all these dishes. So I'm using my blog to motivate me! Is that allowed? ;)

I'll be back with an "after" photo soon! :)

I'm just getting started on several of the things that needed to get done today. (It's 11pm and I still have two loads of laundry on the clothesline.) I guess it'll be a long short night.

I went to the dentist this morning. The veridct? Could be better, could be worse. The tooth that was hurting needs a root canal and crown. And I have a couple other cavities that need filled. My gums are doing okay and if I floss every single day instead of just a few times a week, I'll be great.

I will definitely be investigating some more affordable options for the root canal and crown (thanks for the suggestions on my other post, everyone!), as the total estimate for the work they want to do in my mouth came to about 6 of Joshua's paychecks. I could cry. Actually, I did.

So... yeah. Let's just say I've had better days.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't skip dental cleanings.

2. Ignorance really is bliss.

Crystal just declared that today is stop procrastinating about something day. And since I like to take Crystal's advice, I decided to call the dentist.

Calling the dentist has been on my "to-do" list for months. Back in January, I started having tooth pain after eating some chocolate. A few days of religiously brushing, flossing, and Listerine-ing alleviated the pain, and I resolved to eat no more chocolate.

Since then, the pain has come and gone, and I kept telling myself I needed to schedule an appointment, but honestly... I'm scared!!

I haven't had a cleaning in 8 years. (No dental insurance and a tight budget sometimes means I cut corners where I probably shouldn't.)

I also have a history of periodontitis. For that reason, I have dreaded going to the dentist ever since my teen years, and then just decided that ignorance is bliss and usually try my hardest not to think about how much work probably needs done in my mouth.

So, I made the dreaded call. The receptionist was reassuringly friendly. My appointment is Thursday morning. I'm guessing they'll give my teeth a good cleaning and then give me my fix-it options so we can decide what we can afford.

Any advice? Is it safe to even have dental x-rays when breastfeeding?