Sugar Free Challenge

For the month of April we have decided to do a sugar-free challenge.
Ok... now, this is probably a different type of challenge than you are thinking. This is not in favor of artifical sweeteners. This is an anti- refined sweetener challenge. After reading Real Food: What to Eat and Why I can't look at food the same again. She talks about how Americans have so much sugar in our diets and the effects it has on our bodies, in the form of heart disease and cancers, just to name a couple.
So, when Cara at Health, Home and Happiness asked if I wanted to join her in a "sugar free challenge" I heartily agreed. We had been talking about the effects of sugars on our emotional/mental state and I am curious as to how I will feel at the end of a month without sugar.
I brought it up to the family and all agreed to do with, except for Naomi and Titus, who don't really have a choice. :-) The boys were hemming and hawing a bit and I told them that I want them to write their own blog post on the experience so then they all jumped aboard!
The hard part, may be Easter. :-)

A few months ago this would have been too overwhelming for me, but I've been slowing cutting out the sugars we eat, it's in alot of things though, even Corn Flakes have sugar in the ingredient list!

Are you up for the challenge? Please join us!! Please make up your own rules, would you like to cut back on sugar, cook with more honey or maple syrup, try a sugar free week? Do whatever works for your family and please don't overwhelm yourself. This will require alot of effort and self-control.
So, for our rules:
No refined sugars, including: White Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Agave Nectar.
I have let Grandma know and she was ok with it... we'll see how she feels as it gets closer to Easter. ;-)

This is going to take a bit more menu planning for me, I'm going to have to make the boys lunches for a whole month (and not be lazy and allow them to have school lunch *I know! cringe!*)- which means I have to be up on the bread making several times each week. And Naomi's birthday is in the middle of this, so I'm going to see what sort of desert I can come up with without using white sugar.

Please note: if you are planning on doing this, read the ingredient list on your grocery items- not the nutritional list. There are alot of foods that provide natural sugars and so that will be stated on the nutritional list, but is acceptable in this challenge because it is a natural sugar.