Pulling What?

After reading from several different sources the benefits of oil pulling, I have been oil pulling (swishing coconut oil in my mouth for 20 minutes each day) for ten days straight. In fact, I'm doing it as I write this post. Day one was pretty much a fail. I scooped a heaping tablespoon full of oil in my mouth, set my timer, and began VIGOROUSLY swishing away. The swishing seemed to stimulate my saliva glands and I soon had more liquid in my mouth than I could handle. I spit about 1/3 of it in the garbage and kept on swishing. Almost immediately, I had the same problem--spit again, keep swishing. Before long, those muscles that are used to swish things were tuckered out. They had never experienced such a work out. My mouth was sore and tired! I spit it all out and looked at the timer--5 minutes had elapsed.

On Day 2, I put about 1 teaspoon in my mouth, set the timer, and again began the process of vigorously swishing. I didn't have the problem of too much liquid this time, but before long the muscle fatigue set in again. I kept going as long as I was able, spit out the oil and looked at the timer--6 minutes. Well, it was progress. Later that evening I shared my experience with my brilliant daughter, Emily. She suggested that instead of spitting out the oil when my mouth got tired, just stop swishing and rest. Genius!

With my new strategy, I embarked on Day 3 of oil pulling: one teaspoon, gentle swishing, occasional breaks when needed. It was a success! 20 minutes went by without any uncomfortable consequences. Days 4 - 9 have been similar. I have been able to swish the full 20 minutes without incident and have become a pretty good multi-tasker. I usually start the swishing process right after the essential bathroom visit in the morning and swish through my morning shower, hair, and makeup routine.

What does it feel like? Not at all what I expected. I anticipated my mouth feeling gross and greasy. Instead it felt gently cleansed and moisturized. My lips felt especially soft afterwards. The one unpleasant sensation was the feeling of lumpy oil in my mouth before it had sufficient time to liquify. Coconut oil is a soft solid at room temperature, like butter. After 60 to 120 seconds in your mouth, it will become a liquid. Initially, you are swishing with a chunky liquid, which was an unpleasant sensation to me. My solution has been to let the oil sit in my mouth until it melts before I start swishing. Some people I've talked to said that oil pulling made them gag. I'm sure it's different for different people, but I don't find it a problem at all. One post I read suggested rinsing with warm salt water after pulling. I have done that several times and really enjoy how my mouth feels afterwards.

Have I seen any benefits from oil pulling? First let me say that I am not one who can sense subtle changes in my body. Things have to pretty significant for me to notice, but I have noticed two things. One, my teeth appear a little bit whiter--not a huge change, but a slight shade difference. I love this effect of oil pulling and it is one that many who have tried it have experienced. I have used whitening strips in the past and they feel harsh on my teeth and leave them with increased sensitivity. Whatever effect the oil had on my mouth, it was very gentle and natural. The second thing I noticed is hard to describe, but it is an effect that others have mentioned--my teeth feel more solid. They feel stronger and more "grounded" in my mouth. Weird, I know!

Even with these two benefits, I wasn't sure whether oil pulling was worth it. Then yesterday happened. I work a volunteer position on Fridays and one of my co-workers is a licensed esthetician. After we got to work, she just starred at me. It was making me nervous until she exclaimed, "Your face is absolutely glowing! Are you still doing that oil pulling?" I had mentioned to her the week before that I was going to try it.

"Why, yes I am. Can you tell?"

"You look like you just had a facial. Your skin is radiant!"

That was it. I am sold.

In my opinion, there are no down sides to oil pulling. It is cheap, easy, and from what I can tell, has multiple benefits. I can do my regular morning routine while I'm swishing, so it essentially doesn't take any time at all. I have an appointment for a dental exam in two weeks. I'll let you know if my hygienist notices improvements. If you are curious, give it a try! I'd love to hear your experience.

My Love Affair With the State Fair

 

 

One of my favorite family traditions is attending the Alaska State Fair.  Some of my earliest memories of Alaska (from when my family moved here in the late 70’s) are of the state fair.  Dressing up for an old time photo, betting on the “rat race,” and eating hand cut chocolate-dipped ice cream bars were some of our favorite fair activities.  And the fair food—oh the fair food!  There was nothing quite as greasy, fattening, delicious, or expensive as fair food.  It was an annual guilty pleasure to eat all we wanted of whatever we wanted and I loved it.

As a new bride, I remember attending the state fair with David and his parents, Jone and Steve.  My in-laws had driven their motorhome and after seeing the displays and perusing the booths, we went to their motorhome for a lunch of homemade spaghetti.  Blasphemy, I tell you—blasphemy!  I kept my new-daughter-in-law manners in check, but I could not understand why in the world anyone would go to the state fair and not eat the fair food.  That was the number one reason I went!  This was a case where my family traditions were (definitely) different than David’s family traditions.

This year (2013), I attended the fair three different times, each time with a different agenda.  Monday with mom was spent shopping and eating (our personal favorite activities).   Wednesday with my boys was spent looking at the displays, watching Daniel and Michael ride the carnival rides, and eating.  Friday with David was spent leisurely walking, taking photos, and eating.  Notice a theme?  Did I say I love fair food?  I consumed a buffalo burger, grilled corn on the cob, a pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, fudge, a Gyro, 13 mini doughnuts, a gallon of Pepsi, and two servings of peach pie alamode.  No--not on the same day, silly! Okay, that is a legitimate question.

Amy and Perri get married!

On August 3, 2013, Amy Elizabeth Novakovich married Perri Micah Correia in the Salt Lake City temple.  We couldn't be happier with Amy's choice in an eternal companion!  Perri is a a wonderful man who is going to be an amazing husband and father.

Amy and Perri met while they both were serving as full-time missionaries in the California Sacramento Mission.

Summer 2009

It's been several months since I've contributed anything to this blog! I'll try to sum up our wonderful Alaskan summer. The summer of 2008 was unusually cold and rainy for Alaska so we were approaching this summer with a fear that we would experience more cold weather. To our pleasant surprise, it was filled with many warm days and right now we are experiencing a sunny beautiful autumn!



Rosy and Lisa continued to stay with our family through the summer. Lisa attending EFY with Emily on campus at UAA and had a great time.


The Lake House was our favorite place to be this summer. We took every chance we could to enjoy the sunny weather, jet skis and four-wheeling!






This is a Teacher's Quorum activity we hosted at the Lake House. David and the girls were at girl's camp, so it was me and the boys!



We enjoyed a fun Fourth of July with family at the Lake House except for a (luckily) minor injury incurred by Amy as she was trying to wake-board for the first time. As she was trying to get up out of the water on her third try, she pulled the muscles in her back. When we pulled her out of the water, she was unable to sit or stand due to the pain. I took her to the emergency room where they took x-rays and gave her some really good drugs for the pain. Fortunately nothing was broken and we left with more good drugs and some muscle relaxants.



Trying to watch fireworks in Alaska in the summer is hard to do!





Daniel's first summer to wake-board - he took to it like a pro!



Daniel, David and Dean


In August, Rosy and Lisa's brother Kou returned from his mission to California. They left our home to be reunited with Kou and their other family members. We will always fondly remember the months that they spent with us and wish them the best of luck in the future.

Amy Graduates!

Amy Elizabeth Novakovich graduated magna cum laude from Bartlett High School on May 12, 2009. She has been a hard-working student and has always made her parents proud. Grandma and Grandpa Whitney were able to attend the graduation as well as Duncan and Joy along with their children. It was bitter-sweet for me. As all of the graduates walked into the arena, I got choked up and teary eyed. I can't believe my baby is an adult ready to go out in the world. I worry that I haven't taught her all she needs to know, but deep in my heart I know that she is going to be just fine - actually better than fine. She's going to be wonderful!

Amy will be attending Brigham Young University-Provo this fall. Good luck Amy - go change the world!

Michael's Testimony

Our family had an amazing spiritual experience last Sunday during our fast and testimony meeting. After a long awkward pause in the meeting, Michael (10 years old) started walking up to the podium. I was in shock as Michael had never born his testimony in fast and testimony meeting before. Here is his testimony as I remember it: "I was sitting there on my pew and I thought, 'Would Heavenly Father want me to bear my testimony?', but I didn't know what I would say. But the last few testimonies inspired me. I don't have a lot of experiences to share like the rest of you, but I do know that the Church is true, and I know that the scriptures are true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

He spoke with such maturity and eloquence, that we (and half of the congregation) were in tears. The sister that got up next said (with tears running down her face), "If he can do it, I can do it!" A dozen people commented to me later what an inspiration he was to them. It was one of those rare "parent paydays".

Bartlett Prom 2009

Here are pictures of Amy (with her date Adam) and Emily (with her date Alex) before leaving for Prom. We had their dresses custom made because finding modest prom dresses in Anchorage is impossible!