Wednesday, December 19, 2012

What a week

What a freakin crazy week. The shooting at the school has continued to spurn a tremendous amount of debate about stricter gun laws and looser gun laws. And it appears its a pretty 50/50 split on what side of the fence people seem to land on.

I see today that the president has decided to take some serious action and try to come up with the help of a committee answers to some of the issues. They say... I guess we will see what comes out of all of this. I am hoping some real attention as to what has gotten us to this point in our country. We solve pretty much everything with guns or weapons. Our children our brought up playing shoot em up video games and watching fairly violent TV shows and movies. (No parents to not censor enough).

We have a lack of respect for human life that has run rampant the last few years. On top of that you have fear. Bottom line is  people are afraid. they don;t feel safe anymore. Crime is around every corner. Crime will more than likely affect each of us in varying degrees. Weather its something stolen to an actual assault. But it will more than likely touch the majority of us at least once if not a few times in our lives. Really? you might ask. But I think most of you are nodding your heads in agreement.

I don't have the answers but I do think we all need to try to find some. We can all start with how we treat each other everyday. All the people you encounter on a daily basis. Be mindful that EVERYONE has problems. The person that always looks so cheerful and doesn't seem to have a care in the world to the person that is always complaining about everything. Most likely they both have equal problems ,the first has just found a better way to deal with them. Be NICE to each other. Even if they are not all that nice to you. Try not to return it back. You will feel better if you don't.Maybe not right away ,but in the long run. Maybe by being nice to someone who is not will make them stop and think about their own actions.

I had a friend on FB post that she was going to do a random act of kindness for each victim of the shooting. Excellent idea.

Try to enjoy the holidays everyone. Feel thankful for those close to you.

Friday, December 14, 2012

It has been a long time since I posted on this Blog. I have been busy with the above new grandson! Who is now 5 months old. He has quickly become the light of many people's lives. I can feel my heart swell with love just by thinking about this lil punkin. He is an "observer" as I call him. He is ready with a smile but much of the time he can be seen observing those around him very intently.

He likes to flirt a bit and is intensely enamoured by his beautiful mommy. Where he can be seen watching her every move. I noticed that he is ticklish around his belly this week. I was careful not to take advantage of this discovery remembering how although the bottoms of my feet are VERY ticklish I DO NOT like to have them tickled.

I have also been very busy with work . We have been making some changes at the spa and we are going into this season with a bit of a new look and an energetic crew . Looking forward with anticipation to a hopefully busy winter season. So all in all with helping to watch my new grandson and work,and some time aside for friends,I have little time to write in this blog. All good reasons

On a somber note..

Today has been a tragic day for our nation . I would be remiss to not end my post today without sending out prayers to all the victims of the senseless violence at the School in Connecticut. This type of thing is becoming very commonplace and that is the most scary part of all. This underlines a very heated debate about gun control in our nation. One thing is for sure as long as there is easy access to auto fire and rapid fire weapons the death toll from these types of crazy acts will be large. Hold your children close and lets spend some serious time contemplating how we can help to heal society .

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Why bother rating movies,video games and such?

First of all before I even get into my rant of the month. Let me say this. What happened in Colorado at the Batman movie was Horrible. My heart goes out to all of the people affected by that madman. Secondly I do not like judging other peoples parenting styles unless I see obvious abuse. I know all kids have moments where they act inappropriate and I don't automatically assume that the parents have done something wrong.
So that being said I feel the need to ask once again,what was a 4 month old baby doing at that movie and for that matter a 6 year old??!!

First of all movies in theaters are LOUD. The sound alone is very damaging to a new born baby and in fact for most people in there. Ear plugs are a good idea for anyone in a show these days. Second of all ,this movie was rated PG13. That means Parents STRONGLY cautioned. Violence,language,sex or other inappropriate content for children under the age of 13. Doesn't that also mean that if you are thinking of bringing a child under that age to see said movie it would be a good idea to see it yourself first and than judge if this is something your child's young mind can process properly?
Plus this movie was a midnight showing. Aren't most children under 13 bedtimes before that? Not to mention that young children have a tendency to not behave as adults and therefore could be disruptive to other people 13 and older in that movie.

Someone did ask the parents of the 4 month old why they brought the baby to the movie. Their answer was they were new to the area and didn't know anyone that could watch the baby. Umm well then you take turns going to said movie if you absolutely HAVE to see it. It's called raising a child,you don't always get to do what you want anymore,your the parent. suck it up.

Maybe that is what is wrong with this world. People don't make sacrifices. They want what they want,period. A six year old can see violence on TV I am sure as well as in a movie theater would be the parents argument . But have that same child watch a love scene? I bet that would be an issue for the same parents. Violence is OK to become numb to seeing but people showing affection toward each other is taboo.


I don't get to decide what other people expose their children to. But this situation annoys me.
Do you look at ratings on movies before you take your child to see something? I'm curious on peoples feelings on this subject. Below is a link to the ratings and what they mean.

http://www.mpaa.org/ratings/what-each-rating-means

Monday, July 16, 2012

Lincoln is Here!!!

After 36 hours of labor and a scary emergency C section. My grandson has arrived!

As you can see of course he is perfect. all 4 lbs 9 oz of him.Tiny sweet little boy.He is strong and already showing an appetite. so we are very sure he will be growing nicely.
Getting him here was a pretty rough ordeal and my daughter is sore and exhausted. But also filled with so much joy. He turns to her at the sound of her voice and responds to her face. What a wonder it is to see your daughter become a mother!! And Fred become a proud father!
It is all pretty surreal still. We are blessed and joyful and well.... our cup runneth over. Surrounded by loving friends and family this has been such a touching time in all our lives.
Now to get the mommy strong and healed and home with their new bundle of joy!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Soon to be a "nonna"

Well here we are just a couple or so days away of my daughter giving birth to my Grandson. It has been a roller coaster of emotions the last few months. Watching and experiencing while my daughter and my son n law traveled down the road it took to get to here. It's had its share of heartache (miscarriage's) and joy as each month of this pregnancy advanced and she made it past the milestones.

I am excited to watch these two special people enter parenthood. They will be good at it,no they will be great at it. I am a firm believer that these two have a strong bond in the marriage that will naturally carry into raising this child. Will they make "mistakes"? sure they will. All of us parents do. Each child is different and takes a different approach. So yes,some times you learn as you go. They will too.

I am excited and nervous. When your child is diagnosed with a dangerous clotting disorder or any other type of health disorder that can become deadly or disabling you get this fear in your gut that you have to deal with and learn to live with.This is how it went for me when my daughter was diagnosed with her clotting disorder... First you have to accept that you can not fix it for them. A parents first instinct is to care for and try to fix what ails your child. For me,and any good parent, that instinct runs to the center of your very core. So when they have a disorder that can only be managed there is a strong sense of helplessness. I research when I am faced with a problem. When my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac,I read and read and learned. The same with the blood disorder. Well with that she read and read and taught me. So second,you learn to live with the stark fact that you can't fix everything and you can't control a hell of allot that life throws at you . Having known parents who have had children with severe life threatening illnesses you can see in their eyes the pain that it causes.

What you CAN do is learn ,educate and become responsible. Which my daughter is. She has a health issue she complies to the zillionth degree with what she is supposed to do to manage the problem. I am so thankful she is this type of person. I hope I had something to do with how she handles her health and her life. She has watched me be health conscious and take care of myself,and I know children learn from what they see . Good or bad,they learn.
So am I worried about this upcoming birth with all the concerns that go with it? you betcha I am ! What parent wouldn't be?? But I also am hopeful and excited and happy. She has a great doctor,she is a strong awesome person,and we can only do the best we can . And that we are doing. So I head into these next few days with excitement and determination that we will all make it to the end of this road  with tears of joy running down our cheeks.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Hot Time in the Summer!

This is what I am picturing our earth like these days,
It finally cooled down to the low 80's here. After record breaking over 100 degree days.

I usually look forward to summer around Michigan. My favorite time of year,followed by fall. This summer however has been a scorcher. And unless you have your own pool your probably inside in the air. We have a community pool and I'm not big on swimming with a crap load of strangers so I've been inside most of the last couple weeks. I would go out in spurts to try to get some sun,than back in after 10 minutes drenched. I want to open windows! Enjoy the warm breezes. 

The week ahead looks awesome! 80's all week with it getting up to 90 again next weekend. So all in all this looks to be one of the warmest summers in many years.

I can hardly believe that in less than two weeks we will welcome Lincoln into the world! He is making his entrance in a record breaking summer!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

What is Ticking me off these days??Road construction AND Rude drivers.

Here in Michigan summer is welcomed with open arms. It’s a nice break from our long winters. But along with the warm weather comes the dreaded orange barrels. Road construction kicks into high gear making the days of ice covered roads "almost" a nice memory. It's a sure thing that at least part of your way into work will be fraught with lane closures, and detours.


As annoying as it can be I realize we need to fix our roads and that we don't have a long season to do so. What I don't get is when I am squeezed down from three lanes to one day after day and don't see any work being done? What’s THAT all about? Why the heck do you need to close off a lane way before you even start to fix it? Is it just to get us drivers 'used' to it?


But what fries me even more is when the lane is getting squeezed down and you happen to be in the disappearing lane and none of the jack holes that are in the lane you need to squeeze you into will let you in. Real? what...the...hell.? I thought it was every two cars you let one in. Isn't that the rule?? I was so fried when the other day there were like 10 cars that REFUSED to let any cars merge in. Seriously people is that the ONLY control you have over your life is ruling your lane spot??


Trust me I am not talking about the jack hole that roars up the disappearing lane to try to jump ahead of people. That’s a whole other story. I'm talking about people that had no choice because the lane was ending. These people would not budge...People are so impatient these days. It is a sad state of affairs when you getting somewhere two minutes sooner matters more than just being courteous.


I have seen up close and personal how road rage can ruin a life. It is NOT worth ticking off the wrong person on the road, trust me. Next time some jerk cuts you off or you see someone being aggressive on the road. Back off, get away from them. It is not worth getting into any road altercation with them. Chill out everyone and just get home safe.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Painted the deck today....by hand

Yeah,what was I thinking? The deck was looking pretty shabby this year. Raw grey wood showing through in many places. Last time we had it refinished was hmmm 3 years ago? By my wonderful talented son n law. Well he is just not available right now cuz of the fact he is nesting with my daughter finishing a crap load of projects in anticipation of the event of the summer ,the arrival of my first grandson!
So anyway I'm looking at this deck and thinking , "this looks terrible " If we don't do something this year before winter we will have some serious wood rot. So since I had scrubbed the deck really good the other day (my version of power washed) and since today was beautiful (not too hot,no humidity and sunny) I figured what the hey lets stain this bad boy.
In my dreams this is what my deck would look like,
Isn't she purdy?? Man I love this deck.someday...
I don't have an actual picture of my deck but it looks something like this,
Minus the railings and add some solar lights and planters in place of them. Not bad ,but nothing like this ,
Isn't that absolutely the prettiest deck ever? I could live on a deck like that. Or at least fall asleep in a lounge chair on it. Add a nice hot tub off to the side of it and I would be in HEAVEN!!

Anyway,I thought I would paint this deck with a brush....Yeah,can you say stupid? I should have gotten a roller and pan,would have knocked it out really quickly. But I got all Karate Kid (wax on wax off) and started this rhythm with the brush and just kept going. Now mind you my deck is a pretty good size,think 11x14 or so... 3 hours later...
My back has a bright red sun burn...and that's the least of it. My hand has blisters and my spine needs traction! . But the deck looks pretty good and should make it through until next summer when I can get my son n law to do it again.
Off to lay down and I doubt I'll have trouble sleeping tonight.

Monday, June 11, 2012

stress is both a killer AND a motivator

Guess that is what they mean by "good Stress" and "bad" stress.
I never knew how nerve wracking it would be to have "my" baby having a baby. It's exciting and scary at the same time. Kinda like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I know my daughter is feeling all of those same feelings PLUS the anxiety of childbirth. I know she will be a trooper because she just is.
I've been doing my own nesting. Didn't know expectant grandmas did that. I find myself cleaning and organizing as if the little one was going to be at my house. Well of course he will but I think its also that I will be watching this little guy on what is normally my day off to get chores done. I am so looking forward to "my" time with this little one but I will have to reorganize my life a bit to my own change of schedule.
So I've been finding myself kinda all over the place since the due date is getting closer and closer. Can't seem to get that weird feeling out of the pit of my stomach... 
Was at the mall today looking for something and found myself motioned into one of the Chinese massage places. Yes I must look like I need one. 25 minutes? YES PLEASE!!! She was wonderful! I need to see this woman every week!. She knew where all my problem spots were. She says "you have ear problem??" Why yes,yes I do...and then she did  some kind of  stuff to my neck that made it so much better... Ah-maz-ing!!!!!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Ever have a week where you just feel under appreciated?

I'm sure I heard a ton of "YES'S" out there just now. Well thats how this week is going. From the plumber I waited half a day for and then didn't have the part he needed to fix my problem to the husband who thinks he can complain about how "it just isn't going to work" for him to wait for the plumber when he comes back out...
....
really people, really??

There are a couple other issues bothering me this week also,but will not place them on a public blog.
Just one of those weeks. This too shall pass,as they say .
I am sure you all have those days/weeks where you would just like to pack up your car,hit the road and don't stop until you hit a nice warm beach with an unbrella and a great book. A good summer read,like Shades of Grey. And you look up from your book as you sip your fruity drink and see a muscular man sauntering your way with tosseled coppery hair and dark grey eyes. His white linen pants hanging off his hips and he smiles your way.... Only to pass you as he makes his way to the gorgeous woman on the lounge chair behind you....
yep it's one of those weeks.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

what is annoying me right now!

Those insane word letter things that they make you decipher when you go to write a comment on someones blog. WHAT THE F???
"please prove that your not a robot " it says than proceeds to provide you with a jumble of crazy looking ass letters that will probably prove that I'M BLIND! I feel like I should be in Dr. Seuss land to read some of those. I went to comment on a blog I follow this evening and I had to refresh like 4 times to finally get one I could read.
Seriously what the friggin hell.

And as long as I'm pissed off. Let me yell at the TWO people that pulled directly in front of me today like I was driving the invisible car. Thank god I still have some reaction time left in this ol body of mine or I would have been sitting on both of these peoples laps and not in a good way. I am getting a bright yellow car next time around because its obvious that my dark blue is not eye catching enough.

one last bitch of a parting shot while I'm on a roll here. The moron that filled my order today at McDonald's. NOT the nice lady that took it ,because she got it right. As it was just one medium coffee with two creams,not to hard to get. The moron I am referring to is the guy who gave me a coffee with no cream and enough sugar to send me into a coma in a cup with a leak in the bottom AND the lid not on all the way.Thanks for that leaky mess jerk wad. I will be back tomorrow and you better hope your not at that window...

whew I feel tons better now!! :-)

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Lifes contrasts.........are you wasting time?

As Forest Gump said."you nevah know what your gonna get". the contrasts in life are what are striking me the most this last week.

My daughter pregnant with our first grandchild,who will be welcomed into life with so many people already loving him contrasts with pictures of starving children or children that are victims of war.

I am planning a baby shower while a person very close to me will be soon planning a wake.....

Time seems to fly by for me these days . I just want to yell "Stop!" can we rewind? Time has no respect, I find. It just keeps moving on weather we move on with it or we don't.

People get upset with each other over stupid things. Is it worth it? Not with time going by so fast it's not.
I love my family and friends  even when we disagree or don't see eye to eye. If time was to be taken from me this night,I just want all of you to have known that.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Blog disclaimer

May I just say this. If you read this blog you are reading my random thoughts on any given week or day. Just as the title of my blog says. I write another blog that is dedicated to the profession I work in and it is mostly business related type of blog. On this blog you will get my thoughts at the moment. They might be pissed off thoughts or they could be warm happy thoughts. Depends on the mood of the day or week.

I may give opinions that you do not agree with. Fine. I'm not asking for your permission ,but i will respect a different point of view if given to me in a respectful way. This is my blog after all. If you like to read it I am happy that you give a *rap about me to want to see the fluctuating moods that may be presented here.
If you are pissed off by it ,well than maybe its not your cup of tea. There are a gazillion blogs that may offend you less,or differently.:-)
Thank you for tuning in and have a good day.

Monday, April 16, 2012

The showers a comin

Well the baby shower is a mear five weeks away and I am excited to see everyone and watch them open all the cute baby things. Getting pretty excited to meet this new grandchild of mine! I will confess that I am worried for my daughter with all the risks and all. But I am also feeling very positive and hopeful at the same time.

Scary flood of emotions for sure!I wonder what this new guy will be like. Will he be strong and steady like his dad? Or smart and active like his mother? Will be look like mom or dad or maybe his Grandmother ? :-).Or will he just look mostly like himself . Whatever we get blessed with,this child  will be coming into this world with so much love around him!
It really seems like time has been speeding up these last couple months and before you know it he will be here!
I need to bone up on my childcare skills. It's been a really long time since I watched a little one!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Proud to be an American? or why my foreign brand car could actually be more American than your domestic..

The subject of buying an American or domestic brand car vs a foreign car came up once again this week on FB . It is hard having the views I do on this car issue living in the "motor city" or what was once the motor city. Automobiles were conceived here! We Detroiters are very proud of our legacy. As well we should be. But we should not over look how this industry has also held back this city from other areas of progress. Prime example is the fact that Detroit is one of the only major metropolitan areas that has never had a good public transportation system.
Hmmm ? you think, why is that? well DUH the big three as they used to be referred to, wanted us all to buy cars! Every family needs 2 or three of them! and we will build our roads to spindle out in all directions so that it will be pretty impossible to make a good mass transit system and people will just have to have cars to get around. Prime example just recently the Bus system for Detroit and surrounding areas was in a huge crisis. They can not afford to keep up and repair the buses.
 The Auto makers just paid out some bonuses this first quarter.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/13/detroit-auto-workers-have_n_808496.html
Maybe they could donate some of that profit to the bus system? would show good faith in the city. And help people get to jobs that can not currently afford to buy one of their cars. I would stand up and applaud such a move. Nope,they had to pull a large amount of buses off the routes and now people have even less choices to get to where they need to go.Not the Auto companies problem?? Really? How many people riding buses to get to jobs would rather own a car? maybe 70%. Help them out! and it also shows good faith in the city that you want to stand behind your product.

I am sick to death of people that judge me for the car I drive. Screw them and their attitude. You are not paying my bills and you are not looking at my financial situation.I find many people will bend their convictions when it suits their own situation. I all along have not accepted the bullshit that me buying a Ford car is going to keep these companies alive. Them giving me a good product to buy with a good warranty,fair price and great gas mileage will keep me buying their cars. I truly believe that is what keeps people buying a product. Do you really think our DOMESTIC auto companies would have stepped up the game  if they had not had competition from the foreign companies?
 And don't tell me well the foreign auto companies were given all these breaks to open shop here ,blah blah. Write your congress people! That sucks on all levels of business, not just with the auto companies.
 The Auto companies paid workers very well here for many years. The unions helped with that for sure! But then the unions got to greedy and to powerful and the auto companies could not compete. I do not begrudge ANYONE from making a good wage. But seriously people. I would have killed to have just half the benefits they had.We all know a few pretty lazy auto workers. Come on,how many do you know that were paid for a full day but just read books for half the day?. The stories are endless in this regard.The unions made it impossible to get rid of bad workers. I worked in a Teamsters company for 3 1/2 years. Good pay, Good insurance. And lazy ass people sleeping in the warehouse that they couldn't let go because the union protected them beyond reason. Well you get the good with the bad I suppose. I am not going to down unions because I feel they helped workers for many years and without them in most cases the companies would not offer a fair wage. But they should also not protect lazy good for nothings.

When I look to buy a car I look over all my choices. This is a HUGE purchase for me. Its right under buying a home as far as I am concerned. I don't make allot of money. I raised a child ,and helped her through college by buying smart. I tend to keep my cars for ten to twelve years if possible. So I look for warranty ,durability,what the car comes with (options) etc. And Price!Example I have say $15,000 to spend ,what car is going to give me the best value for this amount.I have owned Volkswagen,Chrysler,Toyota,Ford,Hyundai.in my driving life. So about half foreign half domestic. Lets not even talk about the Chrysler piece of craps (had two of them) ugh.
Overall Toyota had the best car. Best for my money,best warranty,great gas mileage. Repairs could be a bit costly,but it hardly ever needed any so that was never an issue.The 2002 Hyundai I am driving now is about neck to neck with the Fords I had,BUT the warranty is 40,000 miles better and it is better on gas. So there you have it. If my husband and I need to get a car soon . And we very well may as his Ford Escort ,14 years old!! is about to bite it. We will look at Ford products first. I do give the domestics brands a chance to wow me,I really do. But when I am making such an important buying choice I am going to go with what I feel is the best buy for me.
The article below was a very good one! Put out by Car and Driver Magazine (available at New Horizons Book Shop 13 mile and little mack roseville michigan .)
 Sorry a plug for my brothers independent book store!! LOL!
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/proud-to-be-american-buy

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

and the crap just keeps on crappin along :-)

Can not believe how crappy I've been feeling once again this week. You must all be pretty sick of hearing about my crappy health. Well I had two weeks of absolutely WONDERFUL. My ear pressure was down and I had energy and felt good. This week,well it started last Sunday with a crappy stomach and has tumbled into ear buzzing and lethargy and general feelin crappyness. Of course this week is VERY busy at work. Which I am very grateful for. But it is also the worst week to be feeling under the weather.

I'm not sure if its allergies or I'm just fighting something. To top it all off I have had some sciatica pain in my hip pretty bad all week also. Man I sound a gazillion years old . Sorry,really sorry. Anyway,I hope that the morning brings some renewed health because the next two days at work are insanely busy. I'm talking a fifteen minute break in a 10 hour day busy!

So I am off to an early bed to get as much rest as possible. I hope you are all doing well and as excited about spring as I am.!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

My new favorite show!!

Why do I love it so much? It makes me feel GOOD!!! I find myself smiling throughout the show and at the end I am left with a good feeling in the center of my stomach. The struggle of a single father trying so hard to make a connection with his autistic son is so touching. As he discovers how to connect with this boy he finds that it is the son that has much to teach him.
Isn't that true of our own children? When I had my daughter I did all I could to teach her to talk to help her learn to read to show her how to get along in the world. Through out all of it there were so many moments when she taught me lessons also. Patience on many days ,lol. But amazement at how totally awesome she was.
Not just because she is smart as five of me,but her perseverance and determination not to let life get her down. I remember when we thought maybe it was time to take the training wheels off her bike. She told us to do it. She promptly fell over sideways. She got back on and drove in circles around and around the driveway,not straight down the driveway,but in circles. She said she could balance better that way. She spent a couple hours doing it that way until she felt she had it down,than she took off straight down the drive. I watched her in amazement thinking to myself that this was a child who would succeed and would do it her own way.
My daughter was a thumb sucker. Not just the occasional thumb sucker,nope a pretty major I love my thumb,sucker. Well all this sucking started to do a number on the roof of her little mouth and it was causing some pretty severe teeth jamming issues. So when she was three and a half we took her to this awesome orthodontist doctor who sat her down and talked with her like an adult for about 20 minutes. Mano e Mano,just her and him. He explained to this little girl what her thumb sucking was doing to her mouth and why she needed to try to stop this habit. He gave her some stickers and told her to stick them in places around the house where she was most likely to suck her thumb and when she saw the stickers it would remind her not to suck her thumb. We came home and she put one on the front of the TV and one at the end of her bed. She said to us. "I'm going to suck my thumb tonight and than tomorrow I'm not going to suck it anymore". And she didn't . We would watch her while she watched TV and her hand would slowly move toward her mouth and she would look at the sticker and stop . At night while she was falling asleep I would see her half asleep bringing her small hand toward her mouth and then some subconscious reminder would stop her from putting it in her mouth. After a week she didn't need the reminder stickers anymore,she had stopped.
I knew from than on the best way to communicate with this little girl would be to talk to her like an adult,or as an equal. All children can respect that. And in  doing so ,we can also learn from them. My daughter is going to become a mother this year and it will amaze her at how many times this child will be the one who teaches her and helps her grow,just as she did me.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Pet peeve of the week...

Women who bitch about their husbands all the damn time. Why the hell are you with this man??!! I used to work with a woman who daily bitched and complained about how lazy or worthless her husband was. YET she regularly came in with jewelry he had given her or spoke about some nice restaurant he had taken her to or some show they went to. Yet this man never seemed to live up to her expectations.

I seriously felt really sorry for this man. He was never going to be able to please this women. I would say most of my clients are women. Many of them also feel the need to complain about their husbands. I don't get it. Sure occasionally men can drive us CRAZY. They think completely different from us. I am sure that because of that we equally drive them batty also. I am on my third marriage. Many people didn't know how bad either one of my first marriages were until I filed for divorce. I just really don't talk about it. Sure a couple very close friends knew how I was feeling . But that's it. I guess I feel if your that unhappy you need to do something about it besides bitch constantly about the men in your lives. Get out of it or try to fix it.
I am very happy in my current marriage and final one. If this one didn't work out for some unknown reason I would not get in a legal union with someone again. There would be no need at this stage of my life. I truly feel content with this man. No, he is not perfect ,either am I. But I would not run around constantly bitching about what a crappy partner he is.
I am sure you all know a woman like the ones I'm talking about.
Anyway,that's my pet peeve this week.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

I may have to cave on this Face Book hiatus...no DON"T DO IT!!!

Seriously,I did NOT think it would be this hard. Not cuz I want to get on and look at all the latest pictures or see what people had for lunch or are stopping in at...BUT because I have missed 4 pretty important event invites and a couple very important life events with a couple friends. A couple people have actually written me via E mail and texts to keep in touch . I can not say enough how much I appreciate them for doing so. But if it wasn't for my hubby being on FB I would not have known about these invites.
Also a couple of the shows I watch have their voting set up via FB and to actually call in and vote can be a pain.
I'm half way...its the 15th. Maybe I'm really just going through withdrawals. I don't know. I'm determined to try hard to get through the rest of the month. It's also hard for me to let people know when I have posted on my blogs. So many of my friends wait for that update through FB.
You may be wondering why it's so damn important for me to take this break from FB. Well there are a few good reasons. Main one is that I find it a time suck of the hugest proportions. I get on and WHAM! and hour of my life has vanished. Seriously ,yes,I am that bad. I can not just pop on once a day or a couple times a week. I get on several times a day and browse around to see what everyone has been up to in the last couple hours. I go to links my friends have posted. I look at funny pictures and read funny jokes and before you know it I still have not cleaned the bathroom or folded the laundry.

Yea,pitiful. So until I can be assured I can be the occasional visitor i am staying off. As with any addiction I am sure i am going to have slips and fall into the time sucking vortex at times but it will be easier to resist when the nice weather gets here.
Just two and a half more weeks....

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Hard to deal with this ear thing sometimes...

Well I have been having my ups and downs with this Meniers that's for sure. I have been doing EVERYTHING I am ordered to do and then some to keep the pressure under control. Over all this past week was a good one. The pressure was low enough a couple days for me to almost not have any ringing at all . So I felt pretty good. I find that when the ears are better I feel better all over. If they are acting up I generally feel tired and crappy in general.
This Saturday we went to the birthday party of my husbands niece. Soon as I was there and several people got there ,the noise level increased and so did the ringing in the ears. I also could feel the pressure going up also...sigh. It becomes hard to hear people when its like that and if they are low talkers I find myself straining to hear them .
Today I helped my daughter paint the baby's nursery some more and  felt pretty good for most of the day until my back started to ache. By the time I got home I needed to lie down and then force myself up to make dinner. My throat started hurting and stomach is messed up . I'm thinking maybe I am fighting something...I'll tell you I am really getting sick of being sick.
Oh well ,sorry to be such a whiner ,just how I'm feeling right now. Hope all of you had a good weekend . the weather is certainly nice!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

How embarrassing,even for them

The Republicans are who I'm talking about. Now mind you,even tho I have a more Democratic lean,I'm not thrilled about that political party either. But seriously Republicans,this is the best you could come up with? Frankly I think we need to get rid of all parties and just run independently. Even this freaking playing field.AND no more slandering commercials please! not allowed!! Stick to the issues! I think with the Internet we can all browse around and find out candidates voting records

But back to my original rant. The republicans have to be hanging their heads with these yo yo's they have running now. I think we all must be aware that Obama will be in for another 4 years. God I hate election years anymore. I remember when I turned old enough to vote,I was so stoked!

First time out I marched to the polls all proud and excited. This was around the end of the Vietnam war and we were going to change the world!! In all my voting life only one candidate I voted for has made it into the white house. OK,so I usually don't vote for one of the two most popular people running.So that has played a factor. And the last time I got swept up in Obama's "Change" spiel.

Anyway I soon lost the excitement and even though I still get out there and vote I have lost the thrill a long time ago.Every once in awhile I get all happy when one of the proposals I voted for or against goes the way I was hoping . And I will constantly slam down my vote to hold up women's health and reproductive rights. On that note I am also pretty sick of women's Vagina's being a political issue every damn time! Stay out of my choices. Make your own damn choices men! How about telling insurance companies to pay for birth control ,especially since they pay for a drug to give men erections. Makes sense to cover birth control. Kinda goes hand and hand if you ask me .How about free condoms too? Just sayin...
Anyway,I am off track. What was my point? Oh yeah the Republican candidates. wow ,this is probably the easiest slam dunk the Dem's ever had....

Thursday, March 8, 2012

OH MY GAWD I AM LOVING THIS!!

What, you ask are you loving so much that you need to scream it in capital letters?! Watching my daughter prepare her mind for the upcoming task of parenthood,thats what. This is going to be even more fun then I expected! Sure having a new grandchild around to love and cherish (and sometimes,well maybe most times..spoil) is going to be the greatest thing since the birth of my own child. BUT watching my own child go through all of the issues and choices and decisions that go along with raising a child is well ,the absolutely thick icing on the cake!!
I know my daughter appreciates me allot. She tells me how much she loves me and what a great job I did with her often. But she is going to really, really appreciate me even all the more when she is going through it with her own child. Ahhhhh...the pleasure of this is just exquisite!!
I wonder if all grandparents get this little smile on their face as they watch their children deal with the grandchildren ....I'm sure I'm not alone in this.Yes I am going to enjoy this . I'm not mean really I'm not and I am truly excited for her to also experience the pure love and joy that your own child can bring you.

But when that little tyke is refusing to go to bed,or trying your patience for the gazillionth time,or wrote all over the bedroom wall with your lipstick that day and you are exhausted from work,and she calls me to tell me "your grandson is making me crazy!" yes a small smile will be playing around my mouth as I say back "aww honey ,that's terrible. Have you tried this...?" (insert some motherly advice,but not too much of course..) hee hee.
Ahhhh I am going to LOVE being a grandmother.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Day 7 of no Facebook

I will admit that it has been hard not to log on. For those of you who may not know I take an occasional break from Face book every once in awhile. I picked March to do it this time. Not being Catholic I have never gave up anything I liked for lent so I figured I would try it and see how it goes. Your supposed to give up something you really like or at least are pretty addicted to correct? otherwise whats the point of the sacrifice? So since a am a frequent face book visitor I thought it would be a good challenge for me.

A whole month ! well one week in and I find out I already have missed two invites to things....and a couple of announcements,one  about a friends surgery and another one had lost a family member..... This is going to be harder than I thought. I only found out about the above things through people that have been checking face book.

It really has become one of the major ways people communicate. I am still determined to go the month . I like to challenge myself on occasion,a battle of my own will. As if my dietary challenges have not been enough lately. :-).
the one thing I do not miss is the constant blast of political views on FB. And the occasional opinion that rubs me wrong (I am sure that there are people that are not missing mine either,lol) Anyway,I am also finding I have time to read more and to watch some shows that I've been missing.
It's unbelievable how much of a time suck the computer is in general.
Which reminds me I have an episode of Smash to catch up on.
See ya later!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Pump your breasts before you board??

DISGUSTED is what I am. Just take a quick click on the following link and see if it doesn't start to get your anger boiling over.This women was not allowed to board because she was carrying EMPTY baby bottles. They told her she needed to go to the Public restroom and pump into the bottles,then come back with them to be able to board. WHAT?! You can't bring EMPTY bottles on board now.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/307441/28/TSA-asks-woman-to-prove-her-breast-pump-is-real

It seems to me like 9-11 was a good excuse for the government to start running every damn aspect of our lives. There is a damn regulation for EVERYTHING anymore. They want to control you even having a garden in your own yard!
I was sent the following link to a piece John Stossel did


They even close down your kids lemonade stands now.  Cuz you know the kids could be trying to poison us!
Yes ,I hear some of you thinking,well they might have a point. There are allot of crazies out there. Frankly I'll take my chances on some kids lemonade over some of the FDA approved Genetically modified foods being sold on our Grocery store shelves.
I am pretty ticked about this over zealous abuse of our rights. It is not changing ,it is getting worse.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.

My husband‘s grandmother passed away this week. She was 97 years old. I read over the memorial information and was shocked to see that she had been born the same year as my own dear mother. 1915. My mother passed away in 1997 at the age of 81. It got me thinking that 1915 was a special year indeed that produced these two special women.

1915 is almost a century ago. A century! This women lived through so many of the worlds changes. It staggers the mind to go back and think of how much she had seen. Two world wars, the roaring twenties, the great depression. The dropping of the atom bombs. Hitler. Several hundred inventions that changed everything.

Unbelievable to me to live so long. I just remember a very tiny woman with a big personality and a huge smile that took up her whole face. She seemed to love her family very much and was so proud of her two girls. It has been hard on my mother n law and her twin sister so very much. They did everything possible to take care of their ailing mother. She spent the last several years of her life in a nursing home. Her once sharp mind disintegrating with dementia. There were many times she did not know who people were. But she always seemed happy to see whoever came to see her, even if she couldn’t really remember who they were. She would ask over and over who you were and you could see her trying so hard to reach for that memory of recognition. It was sad to watch and sadder to go through.

We don’t know how long we have on this earth. I often wonder why some people go out so quickly and others seem to linger and suffer for so long. I think it’s not really that they have a life lesson to learn but possibly the people that are around them do. The caregivers. The caregivers get lost in the caring for the loved one. It takes a hard toll on them .For they have to make hard choices for a loved one that they see slipping away from them a little at a time. At times a caregiver will wish that the suffering will end only to at once wish that they will have one more day. Once the loved one no longer knows who they are there is not much comfort to be had.

Now is a time of reflection for my husband and his family to look back at the life of this women and what she meant to each and every one of them. When my husband tells me about her, the very first thing he mentions is what a strong woman she was. That is always the first thing he says. What a great memory of him to have of a very prominate woman in his life, one of strength.

As I enter into a stage of my life where I will become a grandmother this year I want to be that special person to my grandchild. Build memories with them. Teach them things that only I can, that their own parents have not learned yet themselves. Grandparents are able to pass on a certain type of love to a child. Its wisdom and caring that their own parents may not have the time to give them. Heritage and wisdom. I so look forward to bringing that type of relationship to my future grandchild. I want my husband to form a bond with this new grandchild so that he can see how it feels to feel that connection from birth on.



Rest in peace Grandma Scholes. Say hello to my mom. Play some cards with her, or some trivia. My mom was awesome at that. I just know you two great women will love each other.




Sunday, February 26, 2012

where has the etiquette gone..or am I just out of step??

This is an issue that has been bugging me for awhile now. I realize that times are changing and people communicate differently than they used to BUT and this is a big but. When has it become ok to not even acknowledge a gift? Seriously? Or when sooo much time has passed that you almost forgot you gave it and theeeen you hear something?? (this last part is far preferable to hearing nothing ,of course) .

I am seriously at a loss here people. The past year I gave a shower gift TWICE and got no thank you what so ever. First time it was a pretty nice gift that a few of us went in together on ,there was no written thank you sent TO ANY OF US.NOt all of us attended the shower. I'm guessing that the person who went to the shower must have gotten a verbal thank you from the mother to be,but I kinda still thought you sent an actual written thank you.The second time I attended the shower and still no written thank you...... Did I miss the update? It's it old school to send a thank you or even e mail one??

Also this past year I sent gifts and never heard if they received them and had to ask if they got them...Has this happened to any of you? And how do you feel about it? Frankly I'm of the mind to just not send anymore to people that can't even be bothered to let me know if they got it or not ,not even to mention if they liked it....I can spend my money on other things for sure.
I'm really not liking this trend. In a world where most everyone communicates through Face book or texting I would really hate to see good old fashioned thank yous go out of style.
I seriously want to hear your opinions on this. Has this happened to you? Does it bother you? Am I old fashioned in this thinking?

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Addictions,and not just the obvious ones..

The death of Whitney Houston has once again brought up the comments from people like
"Why all the hoopla for a drug addict?"
"why idolize someone who was clearly a bad example ect"
Well because none of us are the sum of just one area of who we are. Whitney was a person given an extreme gift,actually many gifts. A beautiful voice,a beautiful face , statuesque body, a loving family that supported her talents. Why would someone with sooo much blessed to her have such a hard time staying clean? It is a mystery.
 Addiction is based on many complex situations within a person. I have lived with people with alcohol addiction and it plainly ruins love and lives . As do many other addictions.

My father was clearly a food addict. Most of his life revolved around food. Food is the center of most peoples gatherings and entertainment.My father would already be thinking about where he would eat lunch pretty much right after breakfast. He was Italian and brought up with a high carb diet. Italians LOVE to feed people . They take joy in the pure ecstasy of eating with others. Eventually my father developed type 2 diabetes and also had to have a triple by pass and mitro valve replacement for his clogged arteries. His eating habits killed him at age 79 and he honestly was very fortunate to have lasted that long with the toll his heart had taken. Was his food addiction his fault? He clearly was raised with those attitudes toward food implanted in his brain. And as he became an adult food became where he went for comfort.Many of my memories of him revolve around eating and where we went to eat. It is telling that my daughter ofetn refered to him as "grandpa donut".
Other people turn to sugar or hoarding or starving or a slew of other behaviours that are harmful to them and are all forms of addiction or disorders.
I have recently been faced with some health issues that have caused me to make two very radical changes in my diet. Eat low sodium 1500 mg and no Gluten. I am finding how hard is is to do both. Last weekend I "fell off the wagon" basically it was my birthday weekend . Both Friday and Saturday I went well over my recommended sodium intake. I paid dearly for about 5 days. I was SICK,my ears were ringing like crazy,the fluid level came back up in my head and i had a small bout of vertigo again. It took five days for me to get my body leveled back out. It was my birthday and hey I felt I could "get away with it" How is this any different than an alcoholic taking a drink on the weekend and going on a binge? Maybe the difference is that what I did "mostly" affects just me. It did take me away from work one day and I mostly felt like crap all week and maybe it affected my mood somewhat.

Other addictions can result in very destructive behaviour towards others and that is what makes those types of addictions all the more obvious to everyone else. Many people are functioning alcoholics. They continue to work and be productive and really no one thinks much of it unless it starts to take a toll on their health or affects the people that live with that person.
Addictions of any type can be destructive. The key is to try to find a balance in life. If you are doing something too often that can damage your health or your relationship with those you love than you need to try to change what you are doing.
Am I going to throw caution to the wind and disregard my diet for a special occasion again? I might,but I will also know it can come at a very high price to my health. I have some pretty good self control,but I am human just like anyone else.
That is why I choose not to judge anyone,even Whitney,who just could not seem to stay on track. Even having a beautiful daughter and people around her who clearly loved her. I feel sad and it is such a waste for her to have passed so young.
 Why can some do it and others can't? All I know is I clearly want to be here for my family and my soon to be Grandson. I want to enjoy many years with them and when it is time for me to leave this world it WILL NOT be because I didn't try hard to take care of my body and my attitude toward others.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Punky

Feeling kinda "out of it this week. Fighting something possibly.Also for some reason my mom has been on my mind allot the last few days. She would be so happy for Rachel and Fred and the upcoming birth of their first child. I feel like she is around me alot this week. She has been gone since 1997. I am sure her beautiful spirit has moved on to it's next step by now. I firmly believe that we live many lives and that each one is a spiritual learning experiance. I am trying hard to learn whatever lessons I am sapposed to while living this life. I imagine that I will not stop learning until the day I take my last breath.

I am most likly thinking about my mom because I am witnessing my own daughter on her journey to becoming a mother. I am looking forward to this next step in her life. If I can tell her anything,give any advice...It will be to laughed alot with your child,life gets busy but remember to spend some quality time each day . Even if it is only 15 minutes to read a story or cuddle with them. When the times are hard and your child is making you crazy,and they will,reach out to your family and ask for help or advice or just for an ear to listen. That is what we will be around you for.

Now time to ge some rest and try to beat whatever "bug" is after me.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

The reluctant cook..

Yep,that's me. I will admit it,I've never been a big fan of cooking. I do it of course,and sometimes on occasion I even get into the excitement of making a new dish. I have been known to cook some pretty decent holiday meals. But enjoy it? no.I juice on occasion and when my daughter was a baby I made all her baby food,most of the stuff from vegetables we grew in our garden and used a food grinder to grind up stuff when she was at that chunky food stage. So yes I do know my way around the kitchen but it has always been out of necessity not from any love of cooking.

We all need to eat so there for we must cook. Or do we... I have worked full time for most of my life. Drawing a paycheck since I was about 15 I think. So that always seemed like a good reason to eat out allot. You know,hey I'm tired or hey its too late to cook,lets pick something up. So maybe 3 meals a week would be take out or restaurant food.

THOSE...DAYS....ARE...GONE.

Back in October the ENT doctor put me on a low sodium diet No higher than 1700 Mg's a day and he would prefer 1500mgs,thank you. You think that's allot? Just read a few of the labels of some of your favorite foods and you will quickly see that most of you are eating WAY more than that. It will be an eye opener ,trust me. And don't say,hey I eat only Sea Salt,so that's better. Sure sea salt is better,but sodium is sodium my dears. So quickly I switched to no salt butter,no salt tortilla chips (0 Mg's of sodium,yea!!) and went about trying to find low sodium condiments. Wound up going on line because my favorite grocery store proved to be very inadequate in low sodium choices. Most likely will not remain my favorite grocery store for much longer...

And if that wasn't reason enough to start to cook more myself (its pretty much impossible to figure out the sodium in restaurant food even with a guide book) Now the gluten free challenge.

Yep I am being forced to cook more and hey while I'm at it I guess I should embrace it and learn to like it even if I can't love it.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Where did the "fog" go?

I guess I am pretty excited about all the changes my body has been going through since I started my Gluten Free diet 2 1/2 weeks ago that I can't stop talking about it. Well the next thing I noticed and it became more apparent this week is that the "brain fog" is lifting. It's not like I was going around with my mind all muddled all the time,but just a kinda vague foggy feeling. And truth be told I guess I didn't realize how much I had it until I have started to feel it "lift".

When you feel crappy and your body is out of sorts it takes a toll on your emotional outlook. Basically I think you get mildly depressed. I was finding I was overly sensitive to stuff. Things people said ,or didn't say, would bother me.(yes you can get upset when you "feel "your being neglected ) Things I usually could let roll off my back would just piss me off.
Plus I just felt "out of it" . Concentration not terrible but definantly compromised.
Well this week I have felt like a big ol weight has lifted from my mind. Like the sun burning off the early morning fog. My energy level keeps going up and so does my mood.

All this from a diet change...blows my mind. How powerful it is. I always knew how important  eating right was . And I DID eat right. Seriously I have taken supplements and eat in mostly a healthy diet for years.Anyone that knows me knows this.I exercise,I do yoga ect.  I ate raw for 6 weeks once and went from there to a vegan diet for 6 years. I only left that when I just was not feeling well and noticed I needed some meat protein.
So now finding how Gluten sensitive I apparently am and how it had slowly been eroding my health has been nothing short of a revalation to me.
I really feel this change is going to be something that is going to affect my life in more than just feeling better way. I'm not sure how ,but I can feel my advocacy side kicking up.....

Monday, February 6, 2012

allow me to rant...

Well this IS my personal blog after all,what am I asking permission for? Anywho... I am going to take this time to bitch about the current medical community. If you have read my last two posts about eating Gluten Free (if not ,you may want to do so now,so you know what I'm ranting about).

I HATE HATE HATE how doctors do not look at a persons diet before coming to any conclusions about what may be causing a persons mysterious Illness. Well you have an auto-immune disorder ,or Meniers (which is science talk ,for no known cause,Look it up cuz I'm serious). Take this pill ,take that pill. No real suggestion on what may be causing inflammation in that persons body. MOST if not all auto-immune disorders are caused by something causing inflammation. Cancer is also more likely in people with inflammation in their body. Now we live in a toxic environment for sure. Air,water ,food pollution is rampant. Just trying to keep your body healthy is a full time job with all those elements wreaking havoc.
So if you have a compromised immune system from a food allergy or sensitivity you become more susceptible to other illness.
It has been found that eating Gluten free has helped many conditions. Even if your not Celiac or gluten sensitive. Why? you ask? Because Gluten causes inflammation in the body. Gluten is hard to digest ,even for people that don't really show signs of stomach issues. Most people that do come down with ulcers,or colitis,or other stomach ailments will tell you they have some trouble when they eat breads. Breads tend to form like a lump going through your digestive track,well the ones containing sticky gluten do. Breads without this sticky substance do not have the same issues flowing through your digestive system.
I have completed my two weeks of GF free and now would be the time they suggest to reintroduce Gluten to "see" how my body will react. Ummm..I don't want to. Do I really have to? Why on earth would I want to start feeling like crap again? Lets see,I took Gluten out,I feel a load better. Nuff said.

Anyway back to my first point. Why are doctors so resistant to recommend that people try this? Well I have the answer for that. Number one,They know most people want a quick fix,I:E: a pill that will make them all better without them having to do anything else but take it. Sorry everyone,but that's the truth. Number two,they really are not taught about diet.

So what happens? People get so so sick ,They try EVERYTHING the doctor says,they go from specialist to specialist and still feel sick . Than they finally drag their poor sorry sick selves to an alternative doctor and plead for help. This doctor says ,OK you need to change what you put in your mouth. This is going to take a long time now ,because there has been so much damage to your body from all the meds and the havoc eating wrong has done through all the years.This goes for other diet caused illnesses like High blood pressure and Type 2 Diabetes.

I for one can NOT wait to see my ear doctor in April. I know my ear will be tons better because it already is. I'm going to tell him,"hey Doc,guess what I did to help my ear and everything else? I stopped eating gluten" Then I'm going to sit back and watch his face and listen to his reaction. This reaction will then determine if he will ever see me as a patient again .

Sunday, February 5, 2012

End of week 2 eating Gluten Free results..

Well I am two weeks into my gluten free challenge and here are my results so far,

Stomach pain gone after 3 days
Stomach cramping gone after 5 days.
Bloating and gas gone after 3 days.
Energy level started going up after 5 days.
Skin started to take on a healthier tone after one week.
Fullness in my ears started to feel better after a week and a half
Tinnitus has cut down to half as loud after two weeks.

Those are some pretty MAJOR changes in just a two week period of taking gluten out of my diet.
I have also tried very hard to stay with the 1500 mg level of sodium that the ear Doctor wants me at but that has been the biggest hurdle. Many foods that are GF free are a bit higher in sodium than some of the things I had been eating. But it;s not impossible. I seem to be hitting around 1700 mg of sodium and I feel if I can stay under 2000 a day I should be good. Especially if the GF free diet is helping in so many other areas.
I am pretty convinced I am Gluten Intolerant which has probably been causing inflammation in my body and such causing all these other health issues to spring off from it.
I strive to eat healthy and have most of my life. I have always used vitamins and searched out natural methods to get well since I was in my twenties. When I had my daughter I made all her food myself ,never bought a jar of baby food.(this was before you had those Organic baby foods available,but I still would have made my own.) Breast fed ,grew my own veggies, etc. Have always been very health aware and exercised.
So that is why I was so frustrated as to why I was continuing to get illnesses and feel terrible. You can only blame it on getting older and menopause for so long. So I kept searching. I was getting hives,I was getting pains off and on in my joints ,I was running a low white blood count,I was tired way more than I felt I should be,I started having the ear issues this last fall and than the diagnosis with Meniers.

I was researching, researching, researching everything like crazy to help this ear issue as many people have gone deaf or partially deaf from this disease. When the stomach problems started I felt I was getting smacked in the face with the one choice I felt in the back of my mind could be at least part of the solution. Eating Gluten Free.
Having Celiac disease in the family history should have made me aware that I could be Gluten intolerant if not full blown Celiac, but I was resistant.Plus I had had TWO negative tests for gluten sensitivity.
 It is not easy to avoid Gluten. It's EVERYWHERE in our foods. But at least I knew how to approach it and was no stranger as to how to do it since my daughter is Celiac.

I have been mainly sticking to my own cooking for the first two weeks but last night we went out to Red Robin and I had my first experience with dealing with a restaurant eating GF free. Red Robin is Gluten friendly. They have a few choices and they will go the extra mile in the kitchen to help you eat gluten free. So I ordered one of their hamburgers with avocado and the fixings on a lettuce wedge bun and a side salad. The wait person asked how sensitive was my issue,did they need to change gloves in the kitchen clean work area etc. I said yes. What the hell even if I wasn't that sensitive having them wear new gloves and clean the work area to make my food just sounded like a good idea in general.LOL! So out comes my meal.The hamburger is prepared wonderfully and there tucked right next to it on the same plate is my bowl of salad topped with several croutons!! What?? Didn't we just go over the whole I can't eat bread issue... They took it back an redid it and I was adamant they not just pluck off the croutons but make a new salad please.
They were very wonderful about all of it though ,so I was grateful. But it was a good example of the challenge people with special diet needs face when they go out. I really don't like making a big deal of my ordering. I don't like to be that "fussy" customer. I'm pretty laid back most of the time. But to feel good after I eat and continue on this path to getting healthy I guess I will be that person.
Two more weeks of my GF free challenge left and I can already tell I will be eating this way for the rest of my life. I am thankful that at least things are changing in this regard for people. More choices ,more options are out there.
NOW if we can only get the government to stop Monsanto from poisoning all of our food...

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

But I tested negative....

I'm starting the journey of eating Gluten Free this week. Have not had gluten since Saturday Jan 21st,2012. I have not tested positive for Gluten intolerance yet I am going down this road anyway.

Why!!??? you are asking yourself. Why would anyone do this without a valid reason too?? It is so hard to follow ect ect.

Simple answer is ,I've been sick. I've been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder of the inner ear, I also have had a low white blood count for several years, suffer from bloating and gas for months now. And than with the new year came a new symptom,stomach cramping and pains. So I'm thinking to myself,this whole thing is getting worse. Whatever is wrong with me is progressing and I'm getting more symptoms all the time. I feel tired and vaguely depressed allot also.

Well within 24 hours of eating GF free I have not had any stomach pains OR gas and bloating!! That right there told me something right away. Either I am Celiac (and have had false negatives with the testing) OR I am Gluten sensitive,which can still cause you much discomfort .
So far the ear is still an issue but I can already feel that I'm a bit more energetic. So I am very excited to see how I feel in a month!
 The hard part of this will be staying at 1500 mg of sodium like my ENT wants AND gluten free . It will mean cooking allot myself as eating out was hard to do with low sodium but will be even harder GF free. But you know what? feeling sick and tired all the time and watching your health deteriorate is worse.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Deadly carpet...?

So I went to get a massage today and seeing as I had not seen my massage therapist in a couple months I asked the usual "so how have you been?" Well I proceeded to hear how her daughter wound up in the hospital after the first of the year do to installation of
"Toxic Carpet". Her daughter had an extreme allergic reaction to the Formaldehyde that was in the carpet they had installed after the holidays. She couldn't see,her hands and feet swelled up and she had a hard time breathing. They rushed her to the hospital,where they did not find out for a couple days what the issue was. Thankfully,because she had an immediate reaction right after the installation they were able to determine the cause.
Much to my surprise and horror many adults and children have reactions to carpet all the time and never know it.
I came across the following article that will give you some insight as to how dangerous it can be for installers also. Frankly after hearing this story from my therapist and reading this I doubt I would put new carpet in any room in my house ever again..
http://www.inspiredliving.com/airpurification/a~toxic-carpets2.htm


well not without following the guidelines proposed here,

http://www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/carpets2.htm

I was happy to hear that they were able to get this young girl feeling better,although it has taken about a month to do so. And now it appears she is very hypersensitive to many smells and her breathing is still taxed.
So everyone please please be careful before having anything installed that is treated with formaldehyde or other chemicals. May be a good idea to stay elsewhere until it airs out or consider not even installing it where young children may crawl or play on it. A wood flooring with an area rug may be the best option.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Thanks and rants and stuff

First I need to thank the various bloggers  that I follow. You have all given me the energy to spiff up my home,organize my closets and just get my shit together with some really nice ideas. I am amazed at the stuff some of you seem to be able to do while raising families and working at careers. Hats off!

Secondly I will take this time to rant about the current gearing up of the political debate that will suck the freakin life out of all of us this year!!! I am already sick to death of the bullshit being flung at us once again and continuously. STOP!!!! I am not going to vote  for anyone that slanders ANY other candidate in a vain attempt to get my vote!! So from the looks of things I will probably be doing a write in vote... sigh.
Seriously I can't stand it anymore. Stick to what you stand for and show me that you REALLY can back up those views with some past voting history and deeds. If you can't back up your claims on the issues and I can find that you say one thing but,do another and your past voting record SUCKS!!! I am not going to vote for you,period!! Ok enough said about that.

Money saving pledge for this year. I will not eat out at a restaurant that I do not have a coupon for. I  will not eat out very often. I will do my homework by looking up the deals before heading to the grocery store. I will NOT let food go bad!!.

I will try to be more tolerant of dumbass people. This will take some work...

I will laugh often and be thankful everyday!!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Grandma?? Me?? Your damn right! :-)

Yep there is a baby in that picture! My very first grandchild to be more specific!! This is taken from a movie so you really can't get the full effect that this little one was moving all over the place!!! Due in July this little guy or girl will be welcomed with many open arms.

WOW!!!!

And another baby is also coming in July! The following ultrasound is of my Nephew Andrew and his wife Abby's baby! They are about a week and a half further along than the above baby. See how much more you can see in this Pic? Isn't it amazing how much they grow in just over a week?! Crazy.



So how blessed our family will be in this new year!