NO caffeine, NO alcohol...you're killin' me smalls!!!

So for VARIOUS reasons - obviously the most important being our IVF and hopeful soon pregnancy...I've given up caffeine and alcohol...so then - what IS there left to drink?

Water. Basically. :) Or smoothies made with un-sweetened almond (and/or coconut milk, since I don't drink cow's milk anymore). And these - my favorite new obsession, all-be-it damn expensive - Kevita Probiotic Drinks.

Since I don't drink juice or anything that has a ton of sugar - and I'm ALSO trying to eliminate artificial sweeteners (including aspartame, splenda, etc...) that leaves me not a lot of choices.

So for breakfast on the weekends I've been making myself smoothies:
1 cup unsweetened Blue Diamond Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk
1 frozen banana (yes, bananas are high in carbs...but I'm not watching my carbs at all at the moment...)
1/2 tbsp granuler stevia
1 tbsp cocoa powder (yes, there's like 8-10 mg of caffeine, but compared to 1 cup of coffee at 65-120mg, I don't think 8-10 will hurt me 2 days a week...)
blend - drink!

Or my Kevita Probiotic Drinks - which I am IN LOVE WITH! Course, what sucks is these little suckers are $2.99 EACH - meaning for 5-6 a week I'm looking at around $18 / week for these things! But they are SOOOOOOO worth it and SOOOOOO healthy!

So the other reason, asides from the obvious, that I'm giving up caffeine and alcohol is to SLEEP!

I've posted before about my sleep issues and that I've been on trazodone (my lifesaver) for like 1.5 years now...well my sleep doc - when I called him and told him we were doing IVF - said to immediately STOP the pill and keep a sleep journal and give up caffeine...

So I have been - and LAST NIGHT (one week after giving them up) I think I finally got a good night's sleep! I've also been trying to change some things up such as...I'm not one to shower in the morning - instead I LOVE taking a nice long HOT bath at night before going to bed...but I've given that up too and instead am trying to shower in the morning...
I know that HOT baths can be detrimental (and I mean I love them HOT to the point where a lot of times I have to add back cold water! haha)...but I think I've realized that while most nights I've still been waking up every hour, I only tossed/turned on the nights this week (last sunday and then thursday night) when I took a bath at night.

And - can I also say, when you give up alcohol, you truly realize how stupid your friends are when drunk? When YOU are drunk with them you think everything is frickin' hilarious - then when you're the sober one you realize how stupid the things you THINK are hilarious when you're drunk, really aren't! haha.

It's all good though. It'll be worth it!!!!!

Plus - I've already decided I can't/WON'T be able to drink caffeine or alcohol for the next year anyways, right?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D