We all have them right? Troubles and woes, things in our life that are less than polished and less than perfect? But that is seldom what we put out there for the world to see. That's something I have to remember when I'm reading other peoples blogs, thtey are not the perfect representation of themself that they post. They have piles of dirty laundry SOMEWHERE in that perfectly organized house with the cute home made ribbon curtain ties.
I try to be pretty honest here, and have come out with SOME of my own dirty laundry. The fact That I struggle with depression, for instance, often leaves me less than organized and drained from an internal battle you couldn't begin to fathom (unless you are a depressive yourself).
So what is some of my "dirty laundry" issues? Let's see....
I am the MOST unorganized person. Call it being a creative. Call it ADD (very likely). Don't call it lazy. I think of myself as ANYTHING BUT lazy. I'm constantly in motion...in my head. I have a million things I want to do, but don't. Mostly because I'm overwhelmed with the ideas and then can't start (perfectionism?) This leads to a heap of unstarted projects, none of them sorted or put away into any manner that makes sense.
Trickle the organization down and as you can imagine, my finances are a mess. I do okay. I make good money, right? But it's the odds and ends that don't get tied up in a timely manner. They end up making me sink or swim in a paycheck to paycheck manner. Does anybody else struggle with this?
I'm passive agressive. Yes...I'll admit it. No, I don't WANT to be but it's the way it comes out. I'm to non-confrontational to be fully agressive, but I still want to try to enact a change in people I'm dealing with so it comes out passively. It's frustrating to me because often I don't realize I'm doing it until well later. I try to work on this, but it means I have to be aware of doing it at the time and stop it then.
I am not always a good friend. This is hard to admit, right? But it's true. Sometimes, part of being sick, or working so hard on your illness means that you dont' see what is going on with the people around you, you are to focused on yourself and what is going on inside. This is a horribly selfish thing to do, but it's something I'm willing to be that a LOT of us who are struggling with issues like trauma, depression and physical illness are guilty of. I'm extremely greatful for my friends, those who have been with me through all kinds of hardships, and to my family who also falls under this category of being put on the "back burner" to my own needs. Thank you for sticking by me and know...please know..that I love you!
So, that's some of my dirty laundry. Yes, I hung it out for the world to see, all in the name of catharcism and being REAL with you, so that you don't perceive me as one of those perfect bloggers without a single scratch. I'm not perfect. I'm just trying to get by and to do it in a way that is less harmful to myself, my family and others around me.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
"Writers write"
I've taken some coaching classes recently from a friend of mine: http://www.myvoiceoftruthcoaching.com/index.html. We did five sessions and started a process I hope to continue later on down the line. Something she said to me though, stuck in my head and I wanted to muse on it some more.
We were talking about taking time for yourself, "me time" and pursuing dreams. Now, I've mentioned in this blog here before how I've always held fast to the dream of maybe one day being a "writer". I shared this with her and she pointed out that it didn't really matter what my degree was in "writers write", that the goal of being a writer was a simple as....writing. I had to really think about that some.
I write, this dinky little blog is writing. I write out stories with a good friend of mine OL in role playing situations. I write ideas. I write in journals. I make character sketches of just about everybody I meet as a potential story character. I have pages and pages of ideas. I write charts for work. I write letters. But...am I a "writer"?
I guess this goes into the same vein of thought as "am I an artist?" when I have no formal art training, and paint girls I learned to draw online from other untrained artsy folk, using craft paint and scrap book stencils. Does this make me an "artist"?
Some would say "HELL NO." I don't sell art, thereby making my living by my trade. I don't sell my writing, therefore professionally I am not a 'writer'. But...aren't I? In my heart I'd still say that is my dream, the ultimate "What I want to be when I grow up". So where does that leave me now? How do you define yourself by dreams?
Just something to muse about.
We were talking about taking time for yourself, "me time" and pursuing dreams. Now, I've mentioned in this blog here before how I've always held fast to the dream of maybe one day being a "writer". I shared this with her and she pointed out that it didn't really matter what my degree was in "writers write", that the goal of being a writer was a simple as....writing. I had to really think about that some.
I write, this dinky little blog is writing. I write out stories with a good friend of mine OL in role playing situations. I write ideas. I write in journals. I make character sketches of just about everybody I meet as a potential story character. I have pages and pages of ideas. I write charts for work. I write letters. But...am I a "writer"?
I guess this goes into the same vein of thought as "am I an artist?" when I have no formal art training, and paint girls I learned to draw online from other untrained artsy folk, using craft paint and scrap book stencils. Does this make me an "artist"?
Some would say "HELL NO." I don't sell art, thereby making my living by my trade. I don't sell my writing, therefore professionally I am not a 'writer'. But...aren't I? In my heart I'd still say that is my dream, the ultimate "What I want to be when I grow up". So where does that leave me now? How do you define yourself by dreams?
Just something to muse about.
Monday, September 24, 2012
What do you consider to be "Me time"?
"Me time": that proverbial quest of mothers everywhere. A few precious moments to carve out of a day to indulge in something for you and you ALONE. No caregiving to kids or other family members (including hyperactive puppy dogs), no tending to chores, no...expectations. But what do you consider to be "me time"?
For me, "Me time" is any time I have to myself that is unstructured. No working on blogging, no working on school..this all has some level of "obligation" attached to it, and therefore, it's not relaxing. "Me time" has to be free of obligation. "Me time" also can not included taking another person along with you. Yes, it's fun to go to the library over in the college town near us, but bringing along my sisters and son, this makes it an outing, not time to myself to be alone with my thoughts and therefore, not "Me time" (but definately still an outing I enjoy!)
"Me time" has to be totally selfish. It means locking the kids out of the bathroom so you're not interrupted twenty times during your bath, or putting a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on your bedroom door if you wish to indulge in a nap. "Me time" is the time to squander, to sneak and steal if you have to. It's not "borrowed time" because you should have no intention of giving it back.
"Me time" is more valuable than gold to mose mothers. What do you do for yours?
For me, "Me time" is any time I have to myself that is unstructured. No working on blogging, no working on school..this all has some level of "obligation" attached to it, and therefore, it's not relaxing. "Me time" has to be free of obligation. "Me time" also can not included taking another person along with you. Yes, it's fun to go to the library over in the college town near us, but bringing along my sisters and son, this makes it an outing, not time to myself to be alone with my thoughts and therefore, not "Me time" (but definately still an outing I enjoy!)
"Me time" has to be totally selfish. It means locking the kids out of the bathroom so you're not interrupted twenty times during your bath, or putting a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on your bedroom door if you wish to indulge in a nap. "Me time" is the time to squander, to sneak and steal if you have to. It's not "borrowed time" because you should have no intention of giving it back.
"Me time" is more valuable than gold to mose mothers. What do you do for yours?
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Me, in motion
Carsickness is all in your head. Really, it is. Carsickness results in your inner ear not being able to tell that you are stable when you are in motion in a vehicle. This happens on planes, boats and anywhere else that moves for about 33% of the population. I am one of those people. I suffer from carsickness/motion sickness routinely. I have to fight my siblings and son on family outings for seats in the van that are less likely to produce these symptoms. I have to plead sometimes for less scenic "curvy" routes home in favor of straight shots on a boring free way. I have to have people stop the car so I can get out and breath. I have to make people ride with the windows down in the middle of winter so I can have cold air blowing on my face. Reading in the car? FORGET IT! On long trips I try to sleep and or keep my eyes closed to try to keep my brain oriented. One time, when we were at Disney World, after riding on one of their rides I became so dizzy with motion sickness I had to sit for about 20 minutes on the bench right outside of the ride and beg people to just "LEAVE ME ALONE" until it settled down. I often times get a horrible headache right after the motion sickness, which will usually last the remainder of the day. Needless to say, I am not a pleasant passenger to have along.
So what can be done to help combat these episodes? Here are some things I find helpful:
Try to be the driver, if you can. I rarely get motion sick when I'm driving (but it does happen). This works but for one thing, I hate driving when there are others available to do it for me. My dad also hates to be the passenger. So this is not always an option.
Eat in the car. Yes, it seems counter intuitive but for me the act of nibbling on something seems to help. A lot. Usually dry starchy things like crackers or pretzels are extremely helpful.
Drink something warm. Coffee for me or some ginger tea help. Again, it's the act of taking something into my stomach that seems to settle down the nausea that helps.
Don't ride on an empty stomach. Skipping breakfast then riding out on a long car trip, for me, are the WORST things I can do. I'm nauseated quickly when my stomach is empty and my blood sugar is down. I try to eat something light before I go then nibble some more while riding.
Don't try to read or knit or play video games or anything like that...EVER. If you're like me it takes just moments of looking down at something to become nauseated and once that starts, it's hard to go back!
Make sure your driver understands that you will not be a good "co-pilot". My mom will ask for things as we are driving a long. Some of them I can do, like handing her a drink or changing the air setting. Others, I can not. I can't dig to the bottom of her purse for change for the toll unless we are stopped at the booth, otherwise, the act of looking down will be my undoing. Talk to the people you are going with ahead of time and make them aware of this. Let somebody else do the kind of stuff that involves looking down or backwards. (Minding the children in the back seat?)
Bring along some ginger. Candied ginger is a bit hot on the palate but it really does help. There is ginger gum that you can find in the pharmacy for morning sickness and cancer patients. It works, but it is expensive. Also you could brew up a cup of ginger tea or try some ginger capsules before you go. I don't have a lot of luck with ginger capsules but others do.
Mint is also very helpful for once the nausea has begun. Mint gum, mint tea or hard candies can help. Suck them slowly and keep your eyes closed if you can't stop immediately.
Breathing. Focus on breathing deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Crack down the window or blow the A/C right on you to get fresh air. Cold air for me is most helpful. Keep your eyes closed until the waves pass.
Put a cold cloth on your neck or over your eyes. This helps to draw the blood away from your stomach, where it rushes to "help" you're distressed system. It can also be helpful if, like me, you get a raging headache from motion sickness.
These are just some of the things I have found to be helpful. They may also work for other incidences of nausea like morning sickness. I know that there have been entire days ruined (for me) by becoming carsick at the start of the day and not having it go away even after the car is in motion, so for me "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
So what can be done to help combat these episodes? Here are some things I find helpful:
Try to be the driver, if you can. I rarely get motion sick when I'm driving (but it does happen). This works but for one thing, I hate driving when there are others available to do it for me. My dad also hates to be the passenger. So this is not always an option.
Eat in the car. Yes, it seems counter intuitive but for me the act of nibbling on something seems to help. A lot. Usually dry starchy things like crackers or pretzels are extremely helpful.
Drink something warm. Coffee for me or some ginger tea help. Again, it's the act of taking something into my stomach that seems to settle down the nausea that helps.
Don't ride on an empty stomach. Skipping breakfast then riding out on a long car trip, for me, are the WORST things I can do. I'm nauseated quickly when my stomach is empty and my blood sugar is down. I try to eat something light before I go then nibble some more while riding.
Don't try to read or knit or play video games or anything like that...EVER. If you're like me it takes just moments of looking down at something to become nauseated and once that starts, it's hard to go back!
Make sure your driver understands that you will not be a good "co-pilot". My mom will ask for things as we are driving a long. Some of them I can do, like handing her a drink or changing the air setting. Others, I can not. I can't dig to the bottom of her purse for change for the toll unless we are stopped at the booth, otherwise, the act of looking down will be my undoing. Talk to the people you are going with ahead of time and make them aware of this. Let somebody else do the kind of stuff that involves looking down or backwards. (Minding the children in the back seat?)
Bring along some ginger. Candied ginger is a bit hot on the palate but it really does help. There is ginger gum that you can find in the pharmacy for morning sickness and cancer patients. It works, but it is expensive. Also you could brew up a cup of ginger tea or try some ginger capsules before you go. I don't have a lot of luck with ginger capsules but others do.
Mint is also very helpful for once the nausea has begun. Mint gum, mint tea or hard candies can help. Suck them slowly and keep your eyes closed if you can't stop immediately.
Breathing. Focus on breathing deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Crack down the window or blow the A/C right on you to get fresh air. Cold air for me is most helpful. Keep your eyes closed until the waves pass.
Put a cold cloth on your neck or over your eyes. This helps to draw the blood away from your stomach, where it rushes to "help" you're distressed system. It can also be helpful if, like me, you get a raging headache from motion sickness.
These are just some of the things I have found to be helpful. They may also work for other incidences of nausea like morning sickness. I know that there have been entire days ruined (for me) by becoming carsick at the start of the day and not having it go away even after the car is in motion, so for me "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Friday, September 21, 2012
10 uses for tea tree oil
I am a relative newbie to the world of essential oils, I'll admit. I know that there are dangers to using some of them (can't be used topically or internally) and I don't think I know enough to go monkeying about experimenting without knowing more. That being said, there are a few I have in my arsenal that I am definately wondering how I ever lived without.
One of those is tea tree oil.
For those of you who don't know, tea tree oil is also called melaluca oil. It is from a plant that is unique to Australia. It has a wonderfully clean fragrance and has been used in aroma therapy for bringing relief to cold/flu symptoms and persistant coughs. I have added it to my tooth powder/paste* and deodorant. But what else can I use it for? Here are ten neat ways to try this nifty oil.
*Tea tree can not be used internally so if you are using it for tooth powder/paste, don't swallow it!
1. Add a few drops to a vaporizer to help relieve congestion.
2. Use to treat danruff and dry scalp.
3. Add a few drops to your bath water. This helps with body odor and has a mild anti-bacterial effect.
4. Use a dab to treat acne
5. mix 15 drops into a quart of water to use as an insect repellant (spray on your body)
6. Put a few drops into a load of laundry to help clothes smell fresher
7. Use it to treat athletes foot: Keep foot clean and dry. Add Tea Tree Oil directly to the affected area as needed until fungus is completely healed. If the oil is makes the skin sensitive, dilute in a carrier oil like Almond, Olive or Grape seed oil.
8. Make a germ killing cleaner by adding several drops to a spray bottle filled with water.
9. For fleas on dogs dilute 8-10 drops of oil into a cup of water and spray onto the pet's coat. (Dogs only please, cats do to much licking to use essential oils on).
10. For dry skin mix 6-7 drops of tea tree oil per oz. of almond oil or jojoba oil and apply the mixture to affected area.
One of those is tea tree oil.
For those of you who don't know, tea tree oil is also called melaluca oil. It is from a plant that is unique to Australia. It has a wonderfully clean fragrance and has been used in aroma therapy for bringing relief to cold/flu symptoms and persistant coughs. I have added it to my tooth powder/paste* and deodorant. But what else can I use it for? Here are ten neat ways to try this nifty oil.
*Tea tree can not be used internally so if you are using it for tooth powder/paste, don't swallow it!
1. Add a few drops to a vaporizer to help relieve congestion.
2. Use to treat danruff and dry scalp.
3. Add a few drops to your bath water. This helps with body odor and has a mild anti-bacterial effect.
4. Use a dab to treat acne
5. mix 15 drops into a quart of water to use as an insect repellant (spray on your body)
6. Put a few drops into a load of laundry to help clothes smell fresher
7. Use it to treat athletes foot: Keep foot clean and dry. Add Tea Tree Oil directly to the affected area as needed until fungus is completely healed. If the oil is makes the skin sensitive, dilute in a carrier oil like Almond, Olive or Grape seed oil.
8. Make a germ killing cleaner by adding several drops to a spray bottle filled with water.
9. For fleas on dogs dilute 8-10 drops of oil into a cup of water and spray onto the pet's coat. (Dogs only please, cats do to much licking to use essential oils on).
10. For dry skin mix 6-7 drops of tea tree oil per oz. of almond oil or jojoba oil and apply the mixture to affected area.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The cost of going "no 'poo"
So, have any of you gone "no 'poo" yet? Given it a try? I am still at it, nearly 6 months in now! It takes some definite adjustment time but boy, is it working. I even managed to go on a mini-vacation and remain shampoo free in a hotel room! (I premeasured backing soda and vinegar into little containers, planning to wash my hair every other day like I do at home.) I still have a few "kinks" to figure out. Like my scalp tends to be a little itchy, which I think means I need to cut back a little more on the baking soda or add a little tea tree oil into the mix. Maybe in the final rinse? I don't know. But I'm pleased with it! My scalp feels clean, my hair is nice and soft on wash days and not gross and greasy on the days between. I've even been able to go (on days I don't exercised and sweat) for three days between washings without having a major grease ball head! I don't know if my hair has stopped thinning, but it seems to be thinning...less than before. It's hard to say though, it's so thin already and I still pull quite a bit of hair out of my brush. Still....I know I'm not putting a bunch of garbage into my hair, so that's good!
So, still need a little incentive to give it a try yourself? Well, let's look at it from a different angle, shall we? Yes, it's a natural way to keep your hair clean. Yes it reduces the amount of "grey water" in the environment and pulls a lot of detergents out of the system. But have you thought about the cost? I mean really broken it down? I have, just for you!
So, you go to the store and buy a box of baking soda. Let's say you're feeling REALLY cheap that day and you buy a box of Walmart Brand. (I don't know how you feel about Walmart, where I live, it's really hard to get away from shopping there since it has effectively driven out local business.) You pay between $1 and $.50 a box for it here. So let's assume you pay $1. For that you get 1 lb of baking soda. If you use that soda for nothing else, you will get over 100 hair washes out of it. More if you use less than 1 tbsp per wash (less if you use more..). So, are you doing this math with me? 100 hair washes for $1 comes out to under a penny per wash. So, now we need to condition, so we go and buy a big ol' jug of apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar (*I used the distilled because it helps significantly with my extra oily hair. Others use Cider vinegar with good results). For a 1 gallon jug of apple cider vinegar you pay around $3. If all you do is condition your hair with this, you'll get 256 hair washings. That also comes out to about one penny per wash.
Which means if you go the basic route, you are spending two cents a hair wash. Washing every other day, that box of baking soda will last you for over three months. Three months of hair washing for under just about a dollar. So you shouldn't feel guilty for adding to your routine a little honey (for moisture) or a little tea tree oil (for growth and soothing) or rosemary (for growth). You'll still be saving a TON of money over washing with shampoo. And you will be putting less gunk onto your body and into the environment.
Think again about giving it a try, huh?
So, still need a little incentive to give it a try yourself? Well, let's look at it from a different angle, shall we? Yes, it's a natural way to keep your hair clean. Yes it reduces the amount of "grey water" in the environment and pulls a lot of detergents out of the system. But have you thought about the cost? I mean really broken it down? I have, just for you!
So, you go to the store and buy a box of baking soda. Let's say you're feeling REALLY cheap that day and you buy a box of Walmart Brand. (I don't know how you feel about Walmart, where I live, it's really hard to get away from shopping there since it has effectively driven out local business.) You pay between $1 and $.50 a box for it here. So let's assume you pay $1. For that you get 1 lb of baking soda. If you use that soda for nothing else, you will get over 100 hair washes out of it. More if you use less than 1 tbsp per wash (less if you use more..). So, are you doing this math with me? 100 hair washes for $1 comes out to under a penny per wash. So, now we need to condition, so we go and buy a big ol' jug of apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar (*I used the distilled because it helps significantly with my extra oily hair. Others use Cider vinegar with good results). For a 1 gallon jug of apple cider vinegar you pay around $3. If all you do is condition your hair with this, you'll get 256 hair washings. That also comes out to about one penny per wash.
Which means if you go the basic route, you are spending two cents a hair wash. Washing every other day, that box of baking soda will last you for over three months. Three months of hair washing for under just about a dollar. So you shouldn't feel guilty for adding to your routine a little honey (for moisture) or a little tea tree oil (for growth and soothing) or rosemary (for growth). You'll still be saving a TON of money over washing with shampoo. And you will be putting less gunk onto your body and into the environment.
Think again about giving it a try, huh?
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
How much is to much? Video games and the autistic child
My son LOVES video games. He has an Xbox, an Xbox 360, a Wii, a Nintendo 3DS and a Kindle Fire that I lovingly bought him to read on....(good job, mom. Get him another gaming device!) Not to mention the multitude of computers around this house...the kid is more wired than R2D2!
I know many of us out there struggle as parents to set limits to the amount of TV time our kids consume. But I find the harder struggle for myself and our family is the amount of game time in general. Being a nurse, I have read a lot of literature on the subject of television for young children. It floats across my desk on a fairly regular basis. (I subscribe to several publications on pediactrics). But they usually limit their researching to just that, young children and Television. Not kids and video games. So I did a bit of Internet researching to see what I could find on the old net.
There is actually a lot of research out there on this topic. I was surprised at some of it. As a parent, I KNOW that video games aren't always good for kids. It's inactive activity for one thing (sitting on your duff and staring at the TV) and it doesn't lend itself to using your own imagination. But what I read in these studies goes beyond that: Video games can create a temporary state of "mental unbalance". Whoa. That doesn't sound good, does it? Let's look at that further shall we?
So what happened in the brain to create this unbalance? Once researcher found: ...his three hundred participants into three separate groups: people who seldom play; players logging just a few hours each week and heavy gamers, who played several hours a day. Alpha waves appear when the brain is in repose. Beta brain waves, on the other hand, signal animation and stress in the prefrontal region of the brain. The study exposed a larger reduction in beta waves correlated with more time spent playing video games. The players in the heavy gamer group showed a near constant absence of beta brainwave activity.
So, what does that mean? The brain is not reacting as it should to the stimulation of the game activity. In fact, this reduction of beta activity continued even after the game was turned off in heavy gamers (people who play several hours a day). They still don't know what this will mean for long term but this portion of your brain largely works on your autonomic nervous system (where your heart rate and breathing are regulated.) This sort of long term/ongoing study of gamers is just beginning and will need to go on for years, but the initial findings are definitely something to consider!
It has also been found that playing video games can affect your child's sleep patterns, putting causing them to not be able to fall into those deeper levels of sleep that are needed or to stay in them as long as needed. It also has an adverse effect on verbal cognitive performance. (This is also been found true of television.)
So, wow. None if this is good news, is it? So what are we to do? My son is 12 years old and all his friends friends and their grandmothers play video games...you know that argument right? We here have decided that cutting the games out entirely is just not practical. (Though trust me, I'd LOVE to.) So we set some hard limits on the amount of game time that can happen during the week. Our rules are: No gaming during the school week. Games can happen from Friday evening after school and supper until Sunday afternoon and only for 1 hour at a time on those days. No gaming can happen after 7pm (he needs a "wind down" time.) I stuck to the "no gaming on school days" rule through the summer, keeping the games only through the weekend and the TV off until after dinner. (MOST days..I do relax the rules SOMETIMES).
For my son, this seems to be an "okay" balance. With his autism, he tends to obsess heavily on video games so knowing exactly when and for how long he can play them cuts out a lot of the stress. I also didn't make playing them contingent on some completion of an act (like chores or reading) because it was just to stressful for him. He would melt down when he thought me might lose game time and this didn't help his behavior any at all. The game time is just part of the routine. It happens and then it's done until next weekend.
I do wonder, all the time, if even this amount of playing might be to much for him, but as it's something he obsesses over, it's not something I can at this time take away. He got his game systems and games all from relatives and all as presents and it's just one of those things kids these days have all over. It's hard to have your child be the "only" one not participating. Still, I think heavy monitoring and strict rules and limits is a must. What are your thoughts on this? I know many parents relish game/TV time as it affords them a few moments of quiet, a few precious moments of a totally engaged kid who is not wandering off acting on impulses. Still, kids, especially kids who are already struggling with something like autism, just don't need anything else working against their growth and development. It's a hard line to walk! It's one we struggle with here and I know there are others out there facing these same decisions. What do you do? What are your rules and limits on video games and/or TV time and/or computer time? What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to know!
I know many of us out there struggle as parents to set limits to the amount of TV time our kids consume. But I find the harder struggle for myself and our family is the amount of game time in general. Being a nurse, I have read a lot of literature on the subject of television for young children. It floats across my desk on a fairly regular basis. (I subscribe to several publications on pediactrics). But they usually limit their researching to just that, young children and Television. Not kids and video games. So I did a bit of Internet researching to see what I could find on the old net.
There is actually a lot of research out there on this topic. I was surprised at some of it. As a parent, I KNOW that video games aren't always good for kids. It's inactive activity for one thing (sitting on your duff and staring at the TV) and it doesn't lend itself to using your own imagination. But what I read in these studies goes beyond that: Video games can create a temporary state of "mental unbalance". Whoa. That doesn't sound good, does it? Let's look at that further shall we?
So what happened in the brain to create this unbalance? Once researcher found: ...his three hundred participants into three separate groups: people who seldom play; players logging just a few hours each week and heavy gamers, who played several hours a day. Alpha waves appear when the brain is in repose. Beta brain waves, on the other hand, signal animation and stress in the prefrontal region of the brain. The study exposed a larger reduction in beta waves correlated with more time spent playing video games. The players in the heavy gamer group showed a near constant absence of beta brainwave activity.
So, what does that mean? The brain is not reacting as it should to the stimulation of the game activity. In fact, this reduction of beta activity continued even after the game was turned off in heavy gamers (people who play several hours a day). They still don't know what this will mean for long term but this portion of your brain largely works on your autonomic nervous system (where your heart rate and breathing are regulated.) This sort of long term/ongoing study of gamers is just beginning and will need to go on for years, but the initial findings are definitely something to consider!
It has also been found that playing video games can affect your child's sleep patterns, putting causing them to not be able to fall into those deeper levels of sleep that are needed or to stay in them as long as needed. It also has an adverse effect on verbal cognitive performance. (This is also been found true of television.)
So, wow. None if this is good news, is it? So what are we to do? My son is 12 years old and all his friends friends and their grandmothers play video games...you know that argument right? We here have decided that cutting the games out entirely is just not practical. (Though trust me, I'd LOVE to.) So we set some hard limits on the amount of game time that can happen during the week. Our rules are: No gaming during the school week. Games can happen from Friday evening after school and supper until Sunday afternoon and only for 1 hour at a time on those days. No gaming can happen after 7pm (he needs a "wind down" time.) I stuck to the "no gaming on school days" rule through the summer, keeping the games only through the weekend and the TV off until after dinner. (MOST days..I do relax the rules SOMETIMES).
For my son, this seems to be an "okay" balance. With his autism, he tends to obsess heavily on video games so knowing exactly when and for how long he can play them cuts out a lot of the stress. I also didn't make playing them contingent on some completion of an act (like chores or reading) because it was just to stressful for him. He would melt down when he thought me might lose game time and this didn't help his behavior any at all. The game time is just part of the routine. It happens and then it's done until next weekend.
I do wonder, all the time, if even this amount of playing might be to much for him, but as it's something he obsesses over, it's not something I can at this time take away. He got his game systems and games all from relatives and all as presents and it's just one of those things kids these days have all over. It's hard to have your child be the "only" one not participating. Still, I think heavy monitoring and strict rules and limits is a must. What are your thoughts on this? I know many parents relish game/TV time as it affords them a few moments of quiet, a few precious moments of a totally engaged kid who is not wandering off acting on impulses. Still, kids, especially kids who are already struggling with something like autism, just don't need anything else working against their growth and development. It's a hard line to walk! It's one we struggle with here and I know there are others out there facing these same decisions. What do you do? What are your rules and limits on video games and/or TV time and/or computer time? What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to know!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Re-Charging
A good friend of our family recently wrote a post in her wonderful blog on recharging. I love the post and the idea, but I always hesitate to reply to people on stuff like this.
You see, I'm not a Christian, in a family of devout followers. My mother, brother, Grandparents and sisters...my son even, are all church followers and church attenders. They are absolutely confident in their faith that their way is THE way. And I find in reading stuff they post or read, that a lot of times Christians view anybody who is not a Christian as....less. Or wrong. (Wrong comes up a lot, even here amongst family...) And nobody likes to be told they are wrong..over and over again. I never set out to start an argument of faith...just to express my beliefs and opinions. But I've found so often that the best thing to do is just...not reply. Stay quiet and keep my faith to myself.
I'm not a Christian, but I'm very spiritual. I do like to take time to "recharge" that spirituality, that connection with the Divine that is around us all. I need that time just as well as anybody else. Maybe the manner I do it in is a little different (no bible) but I still spend plenty of daytime hours in prayer. I even answer the "prayer chain" calls that my mom gets from her church, but often guiltily wondering if the people I'm praying for will be offended that I'm praying for them to MY God (Or God, as I see Him..) Perhaps so. The trouble is, that this comes dangerously close to breaking one of the cardinal rules of my religion, doing something for somebody without their knowledge or asking.
So, how do I, the non-christian woman, recharge? God is everywhere, as I believe, in all things, moving in the spaces between matter. The druids had a saying that "All that is not matter is God" and I believe that, His breath is in everything, the spark that keeps worlds in motions, the force of air and light and water. The thing that makes it all "click". To worship is to be around all that is. Outdoors, indoors. The fundamental elements are earth, air, fire and water. Each with a cardinal point on the compass, each with a list of symbolisms and meanings to go with them spirtually. But it's no more complicated than being in the presence of each, aware of each and the power that inheritantly lies within. Each is useless without the other, it's a cycle of dependance where life would not exist if everything didn't come together. Nothing more is needed for "worship" in my mind that reflecting on that, on the Divine spark. The breath of life.
There's more to it if you wanted to delve deeper, but I won't go into it, or into the nitty gritty details of my religion/faith here. I just wanted to reply, feeling I guess a bit torn in this world surrounded by a feeling of "not belonging" amongst friends and family.
You see, I'm not a Christian, in a family of devout followers. My mother, brother, Grandparents and sisters...my son even, are all church followers and church attenders. They are absolutely confident in their faith that their way is THE way. And I find in reading stuff they post or read, that a lot of times Christians view anybody who is not a Christian as....less. Or wrong. (Wrong comes up a lot, even here amongst family...) And nobody likes to be told they are wrong..over and over again. I never set out to start an argument of faith...just to express my beliefs and opinions. But I've found so often that the best thing to do is just...not reply. Stay quiet and keep my faith to myself.
I'm not a Christian, but I'm very spiritual. I do like to take time to "recharge" that spirituality, that connection with the Divine that is around us all. I need that time just as well as anybody else. Maybe the manner I do it in is a little different (no bible) but I still spend plenty of daytime hours in prayer. I even answer the "prayer chain" calls that my mom gets from her church, but often guiltily wondering if the people I'm praying for will be offended that I'm praying for them to MY God (Or God, as I see Him..) Perhaps so. The trouble is, that this comes dangerously close to breaking one of the cardinal rules of my religion, doing something for somebody without their knowledge or asking.
So, how do I, the non-christian woman, recharge? God is everywhere, as I believe, in all things, moving in the spaces between matter. The druids had a saying that "All that is not matter is God" and I believe that, His breath is in everything, the spark that keeps worlds in motions, the force of air and light and water. The thing that makes it all "click". To worship is to be around all that is. Outdoors, indoors. The fundamental elements are earth, air, fire and water. Each with a cardinal point on the compass, each with a list of symbolisms and meanings to go with them spirtually. But it's no more complicated than being in the presence of each, aware of each and the power that inheritantly lies within. Each is useless without the other, it's a cycle of dependance where life would not exist if everything didn't come together. Nothing more is needed for "worship" in my mind that reflecting on that, on the Divine spark. The breath of life.
There's more to it if you wanted to delve deeper, but I won't go into it, or into the nitty gritty details of my religion/faith here. I just wanted to reply, feeling I guess a bit torn in this world surrounded by a feeling of "not belonging" amongst friends and family.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Ten Uses for Coconut Oil
Hi guys! Just a quickie today! I thought since we've been using so much coconut oil around here I'd explore some of the other uses. I'm loving the stuff!
1. Use it as a moisturize. This can be for the body and feet or even the face (lightly).
2. Use it to cook with instead of butter or vegetable oil. For this, I personally prefer the refined coconut oil. YES, I know virgin is better, less processed and all...but virgin has a very distinct COCONUT taste and it's off putting to me in a lot of cooking.
3. Add a tablespoon to your coffee.
4. Spread it on toast and then sprinkle with cinnamon for what is (reportedly since I am off bread) the BEST cinnamon toast in the world!
5. Add a tbsp to your smoothies to help you feel fool and help keep your blood sugar even.
6. Use it plain as deodorant. Just rub a little under your armpits and off you go!
7. Use it to treat minor cuts and bruises. Just a little like you would use neosporin. The oil has a mild antibiotic property.
8. Use it as a hair conditioner. Either rub it in and rinse out while in the shower or do a hot oil treatment with it, pouring warmed coconut oil onto your hair and letting it sit for 30 mins before rinsing.
9. Use it for Oil Pulling. I was going to try this but heard it can be rough if you have fillings in your teeth so I opted out, as my mouth is full of fillings, sadly.
10. Use it instead of shaving cream.
Okay, these are ones I knew about. I did a quick search and found THIS blog post with an amazing 122 uses for coconut oil! Check it out!
1. Use it as a moisturize. This can be for the body and feet or even the face (lightly).
2. Use it to cook with instead of butter or vegetable oil. For this, I personally prefer the refined coconut oil. YES, I know virgin is better, less processed and all...but virgin has a very distinct COCONUT taste and it's off putting to me in a lot of cooking.
3. Add a tablespoon to your coffee.
4. Spread it on toast and then sprinkle with cinnamon for what is (reportedly since I am off bread) the BEST cinnamon toast in the world!
5. Add a tbsp to your smoothies to help you feel fool and help keep your blood sugar even.
6. Use it plain as deodorant. Just rub a little under your armpits and off you go!
7. Use it to treat minor cuts and bruises. Just a little like you would use neosporin. The oil has a mild antibiotic property.
8. Use it as a hair conditioner. Either rub it in and rinse out while in the shower or do a hot oil treatment with it, pouring warmed coconut oil onto your hair and letting it sit for 30 mins before rinsing.
9. Use it for Oil Pulling. I was going to try this but heard it can be rough if you have fillings in your teeth so I opted out, as my mouth is full of fillings, sadly.
10. Use it instead of shaving cream.
Okay, these are ones I knew about. I did a quick search and found THIS blog post with an amazing 122 uses for coconut oil! Check it out!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A history of crunchy hygiene
Whether you know it or not, I'm a bit of a history buff. Amateur of course. I have loved studying ancient civilizations and medieval history as a kid and that only grew as an adult, when I realized just how MUCH history they don't teach you in school. It's amazing, how truly sophisticated some of the ancient societies actually were, for example. The Romans had nearly aspect of our very modern life, from policemen to politicians, from construction workers to elite fighting forces. They even had apartments and parking systems, running hot/cold water (if you were rich) a sewer system and waterways to bring fresh clean water to the masses. Of course they also had slavery and a tendency to love blood sports and violent deaths as a form of entertainment...but who's judging?
Why am I telling you this? I thought it might be fun today to look at some of the older societies approach to bathing and hygiene, since we've focused on 'natural beauty' here on Crunch Away. So let's see how truly "natural" bathing and hygiene can be, shall we?
In ancient Egypt most people bathed daily in the river or out of a water basin at home. Wealthy homes had a bathroom where servants would pour jugs of water over their master (equivalent to a modern day shower). A cleansing cream made of animal or vegetable oil mixed with powered lime and perfume was used instead of soap. People rubbed themselves daily with a perfumed unguent oil that had soaked in scented wood. The mixture was left in a pot until the oil absorbed the wood scent. Perfumed oil was used to prevent the skin from drying out in the harsh climate.
Everybody, I'm sure, has heard of the famous Roman Baths. They were fed by a system of underground furnaces so the bath water was hot then progressively cooler. The baths were segregated by gender and it was a social event, the business meeting of the day for many roman males. During their peak a Roman citizen could get a meal, have some lively conversation, do a bit of exercises and move from a hot pool, to a warm pool, to a cool pool to cleanse his body. Bath slaves were available to do the washing for a fee and even to remove unwanted and unsightly body hair if desired. Romans would often spend an entire afternoon at the baths during it's peak, mingling and chatting up his friends while lounging naked in the warm water. They had soap, a skill learned maybe from ancient Germanic tribes, but they would cleanse the body by scraping off dirt and sweat using scented oils and a tool called a strigil. The Romans had some standards of cleanliness as baths were built everywhere the Roman army went, where possible.
Greece was also known for use of the bath house. They would engage in similar pursuits as their Roman neighbors, of exercising and fitness while in the bath houses, which is where the word Gymnasium comes from (Gymnos-naked).
In Ancient Jewish society ritual baths were done in a Mikvah.
"A mikveh must hold at least 40 seahs of water (approximately 60 gallons). The whole body of the person or vessel to be purified must be totally immersed. And, most significant for our purposes, the water must be "living" water. That is, it must come directly from a river or a spring or from rainwater that flows into the pool; it may not be drawn. To meet this latter requirement, the rabbis permitted the use of an otter, a pool of living water that was connected by a plugged pipe to the main immersion pool. The main pool could be filled with drawn water (not qualified for use in ritual immersion), and when needed, the pipe between the otter and the main pool was unplugged, allowing the qualified, living water from the otter to come into contact with the water in the main pool, rendering it fit for immersions."
Eshel, Hanan."The pools of Sepphoris: ritual baths or bathtubs? They're not ritual baths." Biblical Archaeology Review, July-August 2000; 26:4 p.42-45
Say "Vikings" and you probably think of a hoard of hairy men dressed in furs and swinging humongous axes at their enemies head while raiding and raping villages. And you'd be right, mostly. But did you know the Vikings who settled in England were actually known for "excessive cleanliness"? They would bath once per week, with soap (made from rendered fats and ash and scented with herbs). The would also use tweezers to groom their facial hair, ear cups to clean out their ears and willow branches and mint to clean and groom their teeth. Nice to know that your friendly viking raider would have better breath that you.
During the Middle Ages bathing occurred more that you would think. People in castles had greatest access to heated water, would bath in wooden tubs. In decent weather this might be done outdoors in the garden. Many lords even employed a servant just for the preparation of family baths. Public baths were available still until around the 1200s when they began to decline due to the costs of fueling the fires and deforestation for crops. After the decline of the public baths the general population at large began to bathe less frequently, having to rely on a barrel of water that the family would share, unheated as many could not afford the extra fire wood needed to heat the water. After the horrible rise of the black plague, bathing became controversial as bathing was believed, by some, to open the pores to noxious vapors, allowing for infection to enter into the body.
During the Renaissance, perfumes and cosmetics were all the rage amongst the Royals, and the masked a multitude of scents and aromas from unwashed bodies as bathing again started a decline (you were thought to bring the devil into your body if you submerged fully into water) Glass mirrors were coming in fashion and women were drawn to makeups to rouge their cheeks, redden their lips and cover pock marks. Lead was used in face powders to give ladies a radiant pale hue to the skin and they even took drops of belladonna to 'widen their eyes' (belladonna is a hallucinogen and would also cause hallucinations, blurry vision and intoxication. What we do for beauty...) Hair dying was all the rage, using bleaching agents, saffron, henna powders brought back from the east and other various substances and herbals. Vanity was in vogue!
The Regency period of England is a time period often used in romance novels as a time of wild passions and steamy affairs with rakish handsome lords and delicate beautiful women. Think of Jane Austen and you'll know which time I'm talking of. But were these handsome rouges clean? Well..maybe not. Most people had taken up the habit of daily washing of hands, neck and face. But full bathing was still not done on a daily basis. Ladies of great wealth and distinction would often spend hours getting dressed, writing letters during this time, getting their hair done by their maids after a quick sponge bath, applying make-up and perfumes and even gossiping with friends as many times other women would stay over in the grand ladies houses. A hip bath done was used in private for a more thorough cleaning.
During the early parts of the Victorian era, bathing still was largely not done frequently by the general population. Outbreaks of cholera, influenza and typhoid began to urge on investigations into the cleanliness of public water, which was largely polluted in Europe with sewage. Public health bills were passed to ensure proper drainage of water to new homes and that the water supply would be clean and dependable.
In the states during the peak of the civil war, soldiers were going weeks without bathing of any kind or even clean changes of clothes. Diseasse was again running rampant and war spurred on the spread of infections. This didn't change as America pushed west. Ranchers and cowboys and pioneers simply did not have the resources or time for a full daily bath, and often would wash just their faces and maybe hands daily and employ a full bath once a week. You could pay for a bath in a hotel if you wished, where hot water was available, though you probably would not be bathing alone, but rather in a room with other men who could afford the luxury. In 1884 the first soap to be pre-cut and wrapped was launched: it was called Sunlight. After that, other brands were developed and soap advertising began to reflect the changing social values attached to cleanliness.
During the 1920s and 30s life expectancy rose sharply. Hygeine in general was much improved and antibiotics were being used to treat infections. Great understanding of diseases lead to greater emphasis on cleanliness in general.
I hope you enjoyed my little brief tour of history. In todays modern world we have an obsession with soaps, lathers, pastes, shampoos, powders, creams, lotions salves and foams. We put emphasis on chemical beauty and take it so far as to rub antibacterial agents all over our skin to rid ourselves of all germs, good and bad. It's intersting to see how the tables have turned in our world. Men and women got together for thousands of years and made babies, all without modern breath mints, tooth paste or deodorant. As we move back (some of us) to more "crunchy" natural methods of cleaing our bodies, eschewing the toxins that are all around us, it's good to know that it can be done, with a little modern science, research and common sense it can be done in a healthy and pleasant way!
Why am I telling you this? I thought it might be fun today to look at some of the older societies approach to bathing and hygiene, since we've focused on 'natural beauty' here on Crunch Away. So let's see how truly "natural" bathing and hygiene can be, shall we?
In ancient Egypt most people bathed daily in the river or out of a water basin at home. Wealthy homes had a bathroom where servants would pour jugs of water over their master (equivalent to a modern day shower). A cleansing cream made of animal or vegetable oil mixed with powered lime and perfume was used instead of soap. People rubbed themselves daily with a perfumed unguent oil that had soaked in scented wood. The mixture was left in a pot until the oil absorbed the wood scent. Perfumed oil was used to prevent the skin from drying out in the harsh climate.
Everybody, I'm sure, has heard of the famous Roman Baths. They were fed by a system of underground furnaces so the bath water was hot then progressively cooler. The baths were segregated by gender and it was a social event, the business meeting of the day for many roman males. During their peak a Roman citizen could get a meal, have some lively conversation, do a bit of exercises and move from a hot pool, to a warm pool, to a cool pool to cleanse his body. Bath slaves were available to do the washing for a fee and even to remove unwanted and unsightly body hair if desired. Romans would often spend an entire afternoon at the baths during it's peak, mingling and chatting up his friends while lounging naked in the warm water. They had soap, a skill learned maybe from ancient Germanic tribes, but they would cleanse the body by scraping off dirt and sweat using scented oils and a tool called a strigil. The Romans had some standards of cleanliness as baths were built everywhere the Roman army went, where possible.
Greece was also known for use of the bath house. They would engage in similar pursuits as their Roman neighbors, of exercising and fitness while in the bath houses, which is where the word Gymnasium comes from (Gymnos-naked).
In Ancient Jewish society ritual baths were done in a Mikvah.
"A mikveh must hold at least 40 seahs of water (approximately 60 gallons). The whole body of the person or vessel to be purified must be totally immersed. And, most significant for our purposes, the water must be "living" water. That is, it must come directly from a river or a spring or from rainwater that flows into the pool; it may not be drawn. To meet this latter requirement, the rabbis permitted the use of an otter, a pool of living water that was connected by a plugged pipe to the main immersion pool. The main pool could be filled with drawn water (not qualified for use in ritual immersion), and when needed, the pipe between the otter and the main pool was unplugged, allowing the qualified, living water from the otter to come into contact with the water in the main pool, rendering it fit for immersions."
Eshel, Hanan."The pools of Sepphoris: ritual baths or bathtubs? They're not ritual baths." Biblical Archaeology Review, July-August 2000; 26:4 p.42-45
Say "Vikings" and you probably think of a hoard of hairy men dressed in furs and swinging humongous axes at their enemies head while raiding and raping villages. And you'd be right, mostly. But did you know the Vikings who settled in England were actually known for "excessive cleanliness"? They would bath once per week, with soap (made from rendered fats and ash and scented with herbs). The would also use tweezers to groom their facial hair, ear cups to clean out their ears and willow branches and mint to clean and groom their teeth. Nice to know that your friendly viking raider would have better breath that you.
During the Middle Ages bathing occurred more that you would think. People in castles had greatest access to heated water, would bath in wooden tubs. In decent weather this might be done outdoors in the garden. Many lords even employed a servant just for the preparation of family baths. Public baths were available still until around the 1200s when they began to decline due to the costs of fueling the fires and deforestation for crops. After the decline of the public baths the general population at large began to bathe less frequently, having to rely on a barrel of water that the family would share, unheated as many could not afford the extra fire wood needed to heat the water. After the horrible rise of the black plague, bathing became controversial as bathing was believed, by some, to open the pores to noxious vapors, allowing for infection to enter into the body.
During the Renaissance, perfumes and cosmetics were all the rage amongst the Royals, and the masked a multitude of scents and aromas from unwashed bodies as bathing again started a decline (you were thought to bring the devil into your body if you submerged fully into water) Glass mirrors were coming in fashion and women were drawn to makeups to rouge their cheeks, redden their lips and cover pock marks. Lead was used in face powders to give ladies a radiant pale hue to the skin and they even took drops of belladonna to 'widen their eyes' (belladonna is a hallucinogen and would also cause hallucinations, blurry vision and intoxication. What we do for beauty...) Hair dying was all the rage, using bleaching agents, saffron, henna powders brought back from the east and other various substances and herbals. Vanity was in vogue!
The Regency period of England is a time period often used in romance novels as a time of wild passions and steamy affairs with rakish handsome lords and delicate beautiful women. Think of Jane Austen and you'll know which time I'm talking of. But were these handsome rouges clean? Well..maybe not. Most people had taken up the habit of daily washing of hands, neck and face. But full bathing was still not done on a daily basis. Ladies of great wealth and distinction would often spend hours getting dressed, writing letters during this time, getting their hair done by their maids after a quick sponge bath, applying make-up and perfumes and even gossiping with friends as many times other women would stay over in the grand ladies houses. A hip bath done was used in private for a more thorough cleaning.
During the early parts of the Victorian era, bathing still was largely not done frequently by the general population. Outbreaks of cholera, influenza and typhoid began to urge on investigations into the cleanliness of public water, which was largely polluted in Europe with sewage. Public health bills were passed to ensure proper drainage of water to new homes and that the water supply would be clean and dependable.
In the states during the peak of the civil war, soldiers were going weeks without bathing of any kind or even clean changes of clothes. Diseasse was again running rampant and war spurred on the spread of infections. This didn't change as America pushed west. Ranchers and cowboys and pioneers simply did not have the resources or time for a full daily bath, and often would wash just their faces and maybe hands daily and employ a full bath once a week. You could pay for a bath in a hotel if you wished, where hot water was available, though you probably would not be bathing alone, but rather in a room with other men who could afford the luxury. In 1884 the first soap to be pre-cut and wrapped was launched: it was called Sunlight. After that, other brands were developed and soap advertising began to reflect the changing social values attached to cleanliness.
During the 1920s and 30s life expectancy rose sharply. Hygeine in general was much improved and antibiotics were being used to treat infections. Great understanding of diseases lead to greater emphasis on cleanliness in general.
I hope you enjoyed my little brief tour of history. In todays modern world we have an obsession with soaps, lathers, pastes, shampoos, powders, creams, lotions salves and foams. We put emphasis on chemical beauty and take it so far as to rub antibacterial agents all over our skin to rid ourselves of all germs, good and bad. It's intersting to see how the tables have turned in our world. Men and women got together for thousands of years and made babies, all without modern breath mints, tooth paste or deodorant. As we move back (some of us) to more "crunchy" natural methods of cleaing our bodies, eschewing the toxins that are all around us, it's good to know that it can be done, with a little modern science, research and common sense it can be done in a healthy and pleasant way!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
A CRUNCHY review: Going Against the Grain by Melissa Smith
It's no secret, I've been a cavewoman for a while now (Not well, mind you...but I've been trying!) I've been following a paleo/primal plan and trying to cut out certain food groups from my diet. One of those food groups is grains and for a while I wasn't sure I understood exactly WHY the paleo community frowned on them so completely (even in their whole sprouted form).
Then I found this book, Going Against The Grain by Melissa Smith. Boy, was this a great find. Melissa, a registered dietician, goes into great but UNDERSTANDABLE details about grains, their effects on our body, blood sugar, joins, immune system and so on, and gives fantastic alternataives to use instead. I loved how easy she made it all to understand, because even though I'm a nurse and consider myself a fairly smart person...even I struggle with nutrition and all the confusion surrounding it. (Low carb? Low fat? Low bacon?) If, like me, you are looking to go for a more "primal" diet, definately check this book out! No, it's not paleo specific but the information in there is important!
Then I found this book, Going Against The Grain by Melissa Smith. Boy, was this a great find. Melissa, a registered dietician, goes into great but UNDERSTANDABLE details about grains, their effects on our body, blood sugar, joins, immune system and so on, and gives fantastic alternataives to use instead. I loved how easy she made it all to understand, because even though I'm a nurse and consider myself a fairly smart person...even I struggle with nutrition and all the confusion surrounding it. (Low carb? Low fat? Low bacon?) If, like me, you are looking to go for a more "primal" diet, definately check this book out! No, it's not paleo specific but the information in there is important!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Yoga for the obese:Does it exist?
I love Yoga. Okay...I love the IDEA of yoga. But you see, I'm a short, round, unflexible and unbalanced woman who weighs...well ahem. (You didn't really think I'd share that did you?!) So what's a gal to do to get some yoga around here?
I purchased several 'at home' options and so far I'm liking them. I like the idea of doing it at home for several reasons:
1. Self conscious
2. not having to leave the house in unflattering work out clothes
3. Eh...did I mention being self conscious?
Here is what I got:
Yoga for inflexible people: This one is cool because it comes with THREE DVD's, all meant for people who are...well..inflexible. My favorite so far is "Gentle yoga for every body" which is just what it says..gentle! Gentle is important to me because as much as I want to do it, I don't want to suffer for my ambitions. I just want to loosen up some!
Yoga for Beginners: Another one that is basic. I'm finding some aspects of this one to be more challenging than the other DVDs. Maybe it's because I am SOO out of shape and this one assumes you have some level of fitness. Still, not a bad option!
Yoga for Back Care: I got this for my mom who has bad scoliosis, but I've used it a couple of times because well, as it turns out I have scoliosis too and I need to look after that, right? It's gentle. The teacher is careful and explains everything fairly well also.
Now, even though I'm doing this at home, I did invest in a couple of supplies: A mat, a yoga belt and a set of foam blocks. I also keep with me a small pillow for my head/neck since laying down tends to hurt my neck or low back a lot without them. If you are "plus sized" like me...I suggest you really look for a yoga belt that is longer than normal. The belt helps a lot with some of the exercises for improving flexibility but if you can't get your hands to reach each end, what's the point? Longer is better to start with...again, if you are "plus sized".
Maybe some day I'll get up the courage to take one of the classes taught here locally but until then...Namaste from my house!
Now, if anybody has any tips on how to do yoga without the puppy climbing all over you, chewing on your mat, ears, hair, blocks and socks...I'd appreciate them!
I purchased several 'at home' options and so far I'm liking them. I like the idea of doing it at home for several reasons:
1. Self conscious
2. not having to leave the house in unflattering work out clothes
3. Eh...did I mention being self conscious?
Here is what I got:
Yoga for inflexible people: This one is cool because it comes with THREE DVD's, all meant for people who are...well..inflexible. My favorite so far is "Gentle yoga for every body" which is just what it says..gentle! Gentle is important to me because as much as I want to do it, I don't want to suffer for my ambitions. I just want to loosen up some!
Yoga for Beginners: Another one that is basic. I'm finding some aspects of this one to be more challenging than the other DVDs. Maybe it's because I am SOO out of shape and this one assumes you have some level of fitness. Still, not a bad option!
Yoga for Back Care: I got this for my mom who has bad scoliosis, but I've used it a couple of times because well, as it turns out I have scoliosis too and I need to look after that, right? It's gentle. The teacher is careful and explains everything fairly well also.
Now, even though I'm doing this at home, I did invest in a couple of supplies: A mat, a yoga belt and a set of foam blocks. I also keep with me a small pillow for my head/neck since laying down tends to hurt my neck or low back a lot without them. If you are "plus sized" like me...I suggest you really look for a yoga belt that is longer than normal. The belt helps a lot with some of the exercises for improving flexibility but if you can't get your hands to reach each end, what's the point? Longer is better to start with...again, if you are "plus sized".
Maybe some day I'll get up the courage to take one of the classes taught here locally but until then...Namaste from my house!
Now, if anybody has any tips on how to do yoga without the puppy climbing all over you, chewing on your mat, ears, hair, blocks and socks...I'd appreciate them!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Another not so crunchy review: Flowertown by S.G. Redling
This book was one of those impulse amazon purchases that I'm guilty of (FAR to often...ahem). You know them? You see the cover, read just a little then CLICK it's on your device before you have time to think about it? You know you do that....okay, maybe it's just me (I do have over SIX HUNDRED books on my kindle devices for a reason.)
I am extremely glad I purchased this one. It was one of those surprising reads that you sometimes stumble across. The books takes place in middle of nowhere midwest America (Iowa I believe) in a small bit of land that was the subject of an accidental spill of a highly toxic pesticide. Now all the residents of what they call "Flowertown" are in quarintine, maintained by both the military and the company that is responsible for the chemical that they were infected with. The quarintine has lasted over six years when we enter the story and things are definately falling apart. Everything has to be kept isolated so water, food supplies...everything is balancing on a delicate edge. The book goes on to have a component of psycological warfare that is terrifying when you really think about how close to the truth it could be.
Part of why I enjoyed the book so much is, as you may have noticed in my blog, the issues hit close to my own fears, contaminated food and water and a system that is run more by big corporations than government. The book takes a hard look at what might happen in this very possible scenario, and the most striking was the apathy of the world outside of Flowertown to the suffering of the people with in. But knowing what happens in our world now, it's not that shocking afterall....(Remember how long the people of Katrina suffered? And the story was less and less "news worthy"? This is a seriously plausible scenario.)
The author of this book is new on the scene and I love that as well. I know the book had it's faults and flaws, but I think that overall it was an amazing start to her carreer as an author and I'm looking forward to seeing more works from her, including hopefully a second installment to Flowertown itself!
I am extremely glad I purchased this one. It was one of those surprising reads that you sometimes stumble across. The books takes place in middle of nowhere midwest America (Iowa I believe) in a small bit of land that was the subject of an accidental spill of a highly toxic pesticide. Now all the residents of what they call "Flowertown" are in quarintine, maintained by both the military and the company that is responsible for the chemical that they were infected with. The quarintine has lasted over six years when we enter the story and things are definately falling apart. Everything has to be kept isolated so water, food supplies...everything is balancing on a delicate edge. The book goes on to have a component of psycological warfare that is terrifying when you really think about how close to the truth it could be.
Part of why I enjoyed the book so much is, as you may have noticed in my blog, the issues hit close to my own fears, contaminated food and water and a system that is run more by big corporations than government. The book takes a hard look at what might happen in this very possible scenario, and the most striking was the apathy of the world outside of Flowertown to the suffering of the people with in. But knowing what happens in our world now, it's not that shocking afterall....(Remember how long the people of Katrina suffered? And the story was less and less "news worthy"? This is a seriously plausible scenario.)
The author of this book is new on the scene and I love that as well. I know the book had it's faults and flaws, but I think that overall it was an amazing start to her carreer as an author and I'm looking forward to seeing more works from her, including hopefully a second installment to Flowertown itself!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Stressed out!
So, I started back to school. That's right, momma's getting herself edumacated! I'm in a bridge program, RN to MSN, which means I'm on a fast track to my masters in nursing using an online college. Classes started on Aug. 27th and I'm already feeling the STRESS of another bit commitment in my already pretty committed life! I'm happy that I'm not alone in this. Most of us these days are chronically stressed right? We work to much, we sign up for to many bake sales, we put our kids in a gazillion and two classes we then have to drive them to, we spend to much....it all takes a toll on our system!
So how do you counteract the effects of stress on your body? Take some advice from a friendly nurse...take it seriously! Stress can cause a lot of damage in ways you may not be aware of, including to your heart, your liver, your immune system, your circulation, your sleep, your sex drive...(Oh, that got your attention, right?)
This site here has some great tips for not only dealing with stress at it happens, but also avoiding it in the future: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
My plan for myself?
Work on organization. I'm chronically disorganized in a lot of ways. Hopefully, working on this slowly (being kind to myself) and methocially will help to reduce the general overall stress that comes from always being ten steps behind.
Keeping a journal: This is a practice I'm already working on pretty reguarly with "art journaling" and from taking courses like Soul Garden with Suzi Blu and Lifebook with Tamara Laporte. I need to focus on written journaling, especially as I move into this phase of my education, as well as the artistic portion. Art and writing are both nourishing to your soul and should not be neglected in your "self care"!
Taking long walks: Remember that hyper puppy I have? Well I need the walks as much as she does. Right now we're going 1-2 times a day around our block. I know we'll have to increase the amount as she gets bigger and I'm getting mentally (and physcially) ready for that. Walking helps with a lot of tension. It's not an outlet I'd turned to in the past, but I'm finding it to be really helpful now, for the most part anyway. It doesn't hurt to be walking along with the worlds cutest puppy....
Taking time to NOT DO SCHOOL: Time to read, to make art, to take a bath. (I so love baths...) I need to remember to do these things for my own sanity and the safety of those who live with me.
So that's my stress plan, what's yours?
So how do you counteract the effects of stress on your body? Take some advice from a friendly nurse...take it seriously! Stress can cause a lot of damage in ways you may not be aware of, including to your heart, your liver, your immune system, your circulation, your sleep, your sex drive...(Oh, that got your attention, right?)
This site here has some great tips for not only dealing with stress at it happens, but also avoiding it in the future: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
My plan for myself?
Work on organization. I'm chronically disorganized in a lot of ways. Hopefully, working on this slowly (being kind to myself) and methocially will help to reduce the general overall stress that comes from always being ten steps behind.
Keeping a journal: This is a practice I'm already working on pretty reguarly with "art journaling" and from taking courses like Soul Garden with Suzi Blu and Lifebook with Tamara Laporte. I need to focus on written journaling, especially as I move into this phase of my education, as well as the artistic portion. Art and writing are both nourishing to your soul and should not be neglected in your "self care"!
Taking long walks: Remember that hyper puppy I have? Well I need the walks as much as she does. Right now we're going 1-2 times a day around our block. I know we'll have to increase the amount as she gets bigger and I'm getting mentally (and physcially) ready for that. Walking helps with a lot of tension. It's not an outlet I'd turned to in the past, but I'm finding it to be really helpful now, for the most part anyway. It doesn't hurt to be walking along with the worlds cutest puppy....
Taking time to NOT DO SCHOOL: Time to read, to make art, to take a bath. (I so love baths...) I need to remember to do these things for my own sanity and the safety of those who live with me.
So that's my stress plan, what's yours?
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Coconut oil for Fido?
So, as you know we recently adopted a puppy. She's a happy girl, wriggly and floppy and nearly four months old now! She's also itchy. VERY VERY itchy. Poor girl has to stop and itch while we're walking, while she's playing, while she's eating, in the night when she's sleeping...it's got to me miserable!
I looked around at some options for itchy skin and was surprised by what I found. Did you know coconut oil is good for dogs? That it can help cure and heal itchy skin? I didn't! It was studied at Toronto University: http://naturalhealthychoices.weebly.com/coconut-oil-for-dogs.html
Of course, since I had a good bit on hand (thanks to Elaine for sharing an order with us!) I started adding some to their food. So far..it's just been a few days but I'm optimistic! I will try to remember to keep you posted! I added it to both dogs foods since both dogs suffer from allergies and itching. (Our Daschunt mix, Dottie gets red skin all over and watery red eyes).
I looked around at some options for itchy skin and was surprised by what I found. Did you know coconut oil is good for dogs? That it can help cure and heal itchy skin? I didn't! It was studied at Toronto University: http://naturalhealthychoices.weebly.com/coconut-oil-for-dogs.html
Of course, since I had a good bit on hand (thanks to Elaine for sharing an order with us!) I started adding some to their food. So far..it's just been a few days but I'm optimistic! I will try to remember to keep you posted! I added it to both dogs foods since both dogs suffer from allergies and itching. (Our Daschunt mix, Dottie gets red skin all over and watery red eyes).
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
A (not so crunchy) book review: The Wool Omnibus
I am deeply and completely in LOVE with my Kindle from Amazon. I know other people are just as passionate about their e-readers, regardless of what the brand. I recieved a kindle as a gift and I've been hooked ever since. One of the most fascinating things to me though, is that with the rise in popularity of the E-reader comes a new era of self publishing. Browse through a "Free kindle book" search on amazon.com and you will be riddled with short stories, addtions to series and other offerings from authors who are trying to build up their self published presence. It's a wonderful thing...most of the time. I have found that many of these offerings lack basic editing and are at times...abysmally written. But still, I will click download time and time again if I come across something that even remotely catches my eye.
Sadly, I'll do the same for books in the 99 cent to $5 range as well. This has lead to the purchase of some pretty bad pieces of writing.
But every once in a while you come across an incredible gem. That was the case when I purchased "Wool" by Hugh Howey. Wool was written as a stand alone short story, but reader demand prompted Hugh to turn the first offering into 5 more installments, which are now available as a complete package. And trust me, it's worth every red cent! I devoured all five stories in a few days time and am starting the next bit of the series. I've even purchased a few other titles by the author and am looking forward to those as Hugh has shown and amazing depth of skill with the wool series. The stories are science fiction, but it's "subtle". Each one is filled with beautiful agony and characterization and an edge of your seat rhythm of handing out just enough information to keep you engagued and enthralled. There's VERY good reason that the first story sat at the number one slot for science fiction downloads on Amazon. Spend the money on the Omnibus edition, you'll have a novels length of incredible ready to go!
Sadly, I'll do the same for books in the 99 cent to $5 range as well. This has lead to the purchase of some pretty bad pieces of writing.
But every once in a while you come across an incredible gem. That was the case when I purchased "Wool" by Hugh Howey. Wool was written as a stand alone short story, but reader demand prompted Hugh to turn the first offering into 5 more installments, which are now available as a complete package. And trust me, it's worth every red cent! I devoured all five stories in a few days time and am starting the next bit of the series. I've even purchased a few other titles by the author and am looking forward to those as Hugh has shown and amazing depth of skill with the wool series. The stories are science fiction, but it's "subtle". Each one is filled with beautiful agony and characterization and an edge of your seat rhythm of handing out just enough information to keep you engagued and enthralled. There's VERY good reason that the first story sat at the number one slot for science fiction downloads on Amazon. Spend the money on the Omnibus edition, you'll have a novels length of incredible ready to go!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Picking out a dog food - not as easy as it would seem
Recently I wrote about how we've gotten a new addition to our family, a complete MUTT dog we've named Sophie. Since she's come I've been bitten by a definate case of hyperactive puppy mom syndrome. I enrolled her into puppy school at Manner's and More. She's done now with puppy kindergarten class and is ready to move on to Novice/CGC classes, which I'm really excited about! I'm also dreaming of her one day maybe taking some of the agility classes....but that's down the road!
See, it would appear our little angel may have some cattle dog in the mix. Which makes her a very smart, VERY BUSY little girl! Much more curious that our daschund/beagle mix who is perfectly content to sleep 20 hours a day and nap the other four.
Which leads us to our next problem. How do we feed one overweight dog and one growing puppy who will be an active adult? How do we do it without breaking the bank? How do we do it without purchasing different "special diet" foods. I talked briefly before about my desire for a "natural" dog food for our pup also, but I'd like to expand a little bit more on the why of that as well.
So, I've hit the books and have been doing some research into dog foods. I've decided that for us and our mixed bag of needs, that a basic dry kibble food is the way to go. But there are hundreds if not THOUSANDS of varieties of that on the market. So...let's break it down a little bit more shall we?
Our local store offers all different kinds of dog foods, of the big box variety. Kibbles and Bits, Beneful, even Iams. But they don't get much more "specialized" than that. So what is wrong with kibbles and bits? Or even...Iams? Iams is fairly decent as far as foods go, right? It actually offers a good natural selection of foods that is limited in it's fillers (corn, wheat and other products). But did you know they are also on PETA's major hit list for animal cruelty? They have not committed to humane animal testing standards. Add to that that in independant studies, their foods have been found time and time again to be deficient in REGULATED and mandatory levels of nutrients (like magnesium in cat food). You may or may not be a supporter of PETA. I am in some ways, but I'm not a vegan. I do strongly support the ethical treatment of all animals but I also, being a member of the medical community, understand the need for labratory testing. But there is a limit to that testing, and there is always a level of "humane" that needs to be a standard. Read more about it here and decide for yourself: http://www.iamscruelty.com/FAQ.asp. I'm just stating my own feelings here.
But that's not the only concern I have with "big box" brand dog foods. Rendered meal is another concern of mine. Rendered..that's just boiling down the excess to get to the protiens, right? Well....yes and..no. There's a deep dark secret to the rendering of protiens....in that it can and a lot of times DOES include "Meat and bone meal" from euthanized animals. Meaning...euthanized cats and dogs. Meaning...you might be feeding your pets other cats and dog rendered down in the plant and mixed in along with the listed ingredients. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(animals) (Read where it lists animals from animal shelters. This is not an illegal practice and it provides a cheap easy source of protein for dog food manufacturers.)
So how do you know if you're dogs food has been rendered? Comes from a whole source? You read the label. It's a little trickier than reading the label on your own food items but it can be sorted out. Look for trigger words like "By-Products or By-Product Meal". Look for corn as a major ingredient and avoid it. Look for foods that specify what animal source the protien came from. If it's listed as "whole" then it legally can NOT be a rendered product. Grains listed should also be whole: brown rice, barley, rye or whole wheat.
There's more, dry food vs. canned? Canned by nature will supply more meat than dry food. We haven't in the past ever given our dogs canned because they have tended to give them upset bellies. But maybe with a better brand?
For now, I've settled on Nature Selects brand. It was cheaper at the store I was at than Blue Buffalo, which is the food I sought out to buy. It's a "limited ingredient" food, which means you get one protien (lamb in our case) and one grain (brown rice). It's also organic, which is nice, but I didn't set out to look for that. It was just an added bonus.
So far, both dogs LOVE the change from Iams to this. They showed their appreciation by licking the box the food is stored in, after they'd eaten every single bit and crumb. (Dottie the fat daschund had hers mixed with green beans, a tip both our dog trainer and a good friend of mine suggested since she's got to slim down her plump girlish figure). So...it was pricier than Iams yes, but I feel good about our choice.
I know there are many many out there in support of a raw food diet for dogs. I'd be on board with that...IF I didn't feel squeamish about chasing down the remains of a raw chicken outside. Maybe some day but for now, we'lls stick to our kibble and people food supplemented regimen.
See, it would appear our little angel may have some cattle dog in the mix. Which makes her a very smart, VERY BUSY little girl! Much more curious that our daschund/beagle mix who is perfectly content to sleep 20 hours a day and nap the other four.
Which leads us to our next problem. How do we feed one overweight dog and one growing puppy who will be an active adult? How do we do it without breaking the bank? How do we do it without purchasing different "special diet" foods. I talked briefly before about my desire for a "natural" dog food for our pup also, but I'd like to expand a little bit more on the why of that as well.
So, I've hit the books and have been doing some research into dog foods. I've decided that for us and our mixed bag of needs, that a basic dry kibble food is the way to go. But there are hundreds if not THOUSANDS of varieties of that on the market. So...let's break it down a little bit more shall we?
Our local store offers all different kinds of dog foods, of the big box variety. Kibbles and Bits, Beneful, even Iams. But they don't get much more "specialized" than that. So what is wrong with kibbles and bits? Or even...Iams? Iams is fairly decent as far as foods go, right? It actually offers a good natural selection of foods that is limited in it's fillers (corn, wheat and other products). But did you know they are also on PETA's major hit list for animal cruelty? They have not committed to humane animal testing standards. Add to that that in independant studies, their foods have been found time and time again to be deficient in REGULATED and mandatory levels of nutrients (like magnesium in cat food). You may or may not be a supporter of PETA. I am in some ways, but I'm not a vegan. I do strongly support the ethical treatment of all animals but I also, being a member of the medical community, understand the need for labratory testing. But there is a limit to that testing, and there is always a level of "humane" that needs to be a standard. Read more about it here and decide for yourself: http://www.iamscruelty.com/FAQ.asp. I'm just stating my own feelings here.
But that's not the only concern I have with "big box" brand dog foods. Rendered meal is another concern of mine. Rendered..that's just boiling down the excess to get to the protiens, right? Well....yes and..no. There's a deep dark secret to the rendering of protiens....in that it can and a lot of times DOES include "Meat and bone meal" from euthanized animals. Meaning...euthanized cats and dogs. Meaning...you might be feeding your pets other cats and dog rendered down in the plant and mixed in along with the listed ingredients. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(animals) (Read where it lists animals from animal shelters. This is not an illegal practice and it provides a cheap easy source of protein for dog food manufacturers.)
So how do you know if you're dogs food has been rendered? Comes from a whole source? You read the label. It's a little trickier than reading the label on your own food items but it can be sorted out. Look for trigger words like "By-Products or By-Product Meal". Look for corn as a major ingredient and avoid it. Look for foods that specify what animal source the protien came from. If it's listed as "whole" then it legally can NOT be a rendered product. Grains listed should also be whole: brown rice, barley, rye or whole wheat.
There's more, dry food vs. canned? Canned by nature will supply more meat than dry food. We haven't in the past ever given our dogs canned because they have tended to give them upset bellies. But maybe with a better brand?
For now, I've settled on Nature Selects brand. It was cheaper at the store I was at than Blue Buffalo, which is the food I sought out to buy. It's a "limited ingredient" food, which means you get one protien (lamb in our case) and one grain (brown rice). It's also organic, which is nice, but I didn't set out to look for that. It was just an added bonus.
So far, both dogs LOVE the change from Iams to this. They showed their appreciation by licking the box the food is stored in, after they'd eaten every single bit and crumb. (Dottie the fat daschund had hers mixed with green beans, a tip both our dog trainer and a good friend of mine suggested since she's got to slim down her plump girlish figure). So...it was pricier than Iams yes, but I feel good about our choice.
I know there are many many out there in support of a raw food diet for dogs. I'd be on board with that...IF I didn't feel squeamish about chasing down the remains of a raw chicken outside. Maybe some day but for now, we'lls stick to our kibble and people food supplemented regimen.
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