it looked so good i had to take a picture!

today's lunch was a veggie burger with mozzarella cheese on a 100 calorie bun with a dab of ketchup, romaine lettuce, tomato and onion. i also had a drop of italian dressing on the side to sop up with my veggies. it was delicious. my only regret is that i didn't have another--altogether the entire meal was only 250 calories and after about 2 hours, i was hungry again. LOL. but it was good. i really love the morningstar farms veggie burgers simply because at bj's they are very affordable (9.99 for a box of i believe 20 burgers). i eat them for lunch maybe three times per week, and they are satisfying, even if digested pretty quickly. and for only 100 calories per patty, i don't feel cheated.

good news to report! i'm down 8 pounds in 2 months, 6 of those pounds can be attributed to me following the carbohydrate addict's diet (which i have tweaked some and it really works well for me). i refuse to sit around starting any new habits that are uncomfortable for me or long term "undoable", and this "diet" has proven to be the first one i've ever been on that does not feel like a diet AT ALL. so needless to say, i am very happy to have been blessed by learning about the diet.

now i just have to incorporate more exercise into my regimin and i believe i will be good to go. i have been searching but so far have not been able to find a dance video that is easy to do and fun on my cable network. i'll definitely keep looking though...i'm on a roll and don't want to stop!

if i knew then what i know now...

as a sufferer of hypothyroidism, ive been able to control most of the negative side effects that i have, but there's one that really bugs me, and for years i have not been able to control it...dry skin. my skin has been terribly dry for as long as i could remember, and sometimes it gets so bad that the skin on my face begins to get leathery, cracked and tender, and actually flakes away. it has been the worst, and i've tried over twenty products over the years to try and improve my skins condition. the issue with doing this however, has always been that you just in general have to be careful about what products you use--some of them can cause severe reactions, and worsen the condition. for about a year and a half (since ecobaby was born actually), ive been using lanolin for my terrible skin, figuring that if it could help cracked nipples from breastfeeding, it could help cracked skin from the dry winter weather and hypothyroidism. well i was right, to a point. the problem with the lanolin was that i had to apply it three times per day to have continuously soft and supple skin, it was thick and sticky to apply, and often left my face glossy looking for up to two hours, sometimes longer. but since it was the best option that i had, it was what i used. at least it somewhat controlled the flaking, and took away the itch. well! one day, while surfing the web, i just happened to come across an article explaining the way commercial lotions work. the article was so well written, and made quality lotions out to be heroes for people with extremely dry skin. it was a great article, but i was afraid to try out anything else other than my lanolin. fast forward two weeks later. i received in the mail a freebie packet that i had signed up for the month earlier. i had basically forgotten about the packet, and since it was a surprise packet, i wasnt sure what i was going to get (but me being the "if its free its for me" type, didnt mind the surprise). well lo and behold, the packet was full of facial care items, toiletries and lotions. so i took my chance and tried one by nivea.

it didnt melt my face off.

but...it also wasnt the absolute best. a few hours later, my face was dry and itchy. so i thought to myself, well nivea is top of the line and its not working for me, then there must be little hope for my face...little affordable hope anyway.

my face eventually got so tight, itchy and dry that i went to wash it and apply my lanolin...but i couldnt find it. ecobaby had gotten to it clearly, and thrown it somewhere. with a dry, tight, itching face i had no choice...

i ran into the bathroom, and slathered on my face the closest thing i could...my husbands dial nutri skin lotion.

i brought these huge bottles of dial nutri skin lotion for .99 each at a super sale shop rite was having, and i had 2.00 off coupons...so i racked up. and in over a year, had never used the stuff.

what in the world was wrong with me?!

this stuff IMMEDIATELY calmed my face down, IMMEDIATELY moisturized it, and IMMEDIATELY softened my skin. the next morning, my skin was STILL moisturized! it lasted through my sleep! i felt so good i didnt wash my face (dont judge me) until that night...and it wasnt until i washed my face that i needed a new application. so i generously applied it.

the next day, my flaky skin was gone. after about a week, i noticed that not only was my skin OBVIOUSLY improving in health and feel, but there were no adverse reactions. it has a light fresh scent, is non greasy/oily and is a pretty great deal at about 7.00 for a huge bottle (maybe 32 ounces?).

i officially fell in love.

now i use the stuff every day, all over my body, and cannot believe how clear my skin is getting, how much better it's feeling and how much better it looks. all the time the solution was right under my nose.

why didnt someone tell me about dial nutri skin lotion a year ago?! i could've saved myself some pretty painful days, but better late than never...this stuff is my new best friend!

the carbohydrate addicts diet.

so, i picked up from my freecycle list, the book "the carbohydrate addicts diet", upon the recommendation of the freecycler that it may help me in my weight loss journey, as her husband has been able to keep 50 pounds off his frame for well over two years with it. so i thought i'd read it, and if it sounded feasible for me, give it a shot. why not?

the basis of the diet is changing around your eating habits so that you consume all carbs at night, therefore curbing hunger, overeating and fat storage by preventing carbohydrates from triggering the release of the hunger signaling chemical insulin. eventually the benefits of the diet lead to insulin being properly produced and used, less sugars in the blood, and weight loss and better health. i've read over 100 reviews about the diet and it seems possible and sound for many people, especially those who like me, have a dependency on carbs. it makes sense to me.

today was my second complete day of following the diet. i will admit, already the idea of no carbs for breakfast and lunch was a huge turnoff...which is probably just a testament to how utterly addicted to carbs i truly am. both days i had a bacon and egg breakfast with a cup of coffee (ok i cheated and added 1 tsp of sugar to my coffee) and a bottle of water to wash everything down with. the meal filled me for about two hours, and then i was getting really hungry again. but since i eat breakfast around 10am...i only had an extra hour to go until lunch, and it passed quickly.

at lunch today, i had a HUGE salad of lettuce, olives, red beets and 1/2 a tomato sliced. i added my usual amount of dressing (which was the standard serving size). i know cottage cheese has carbs, and the book says that as long as the carb amount is below 4g per meal, we can wing it. so wing it i did. i had about 1/3 a cup of cottage cheese with my salad, which was about 3g of carbs. and i topped it off with deli ham. it was delicious and actually filled me up. or maybe i was just that hungry (when im hungry liver tastes delicious). i drunk 2 more cups of water and felt pretty good. i was thinking of adding tuna to the mix, but since i had tuna and asparagus YESTERDAY, i didnt want to eat it again. too much tuna is really no good for anyone, with all the chemicals in the waters these days.

so anyway...i made it for another 2 hours or so, and then i was really getting hungry again. it's interesting how i can be really full, and then the food just seems to burn off instantaneously, leaving me feeling REALLY hungry. anyway...after another hour, i felt as if i hadn't eaten all day, so i made another salad...same exact way. so yeah, that gave me 6g of carbs for lunch. not too bad, it still only amounts to about 2% of the daily recommended intake. another 2 glasses of water...and i was held over just fine until dinner.

i have to interject here. technically, by eating the second salad, i broke the rule of strictly 3 meals a day. but reading the thyroid diet (you can purchase it here), i learned that (and tried and find that it works for me) people with hypothyroidism (me), should always eat at least 5, preferably 6, small meals per day. so i did not feel bad for tweaking that part of the book and eating the second salad.

so dinner came, and because my husband was late coming home today, dinner was not made. it was supposed to be fried fish, green salad and spanish rice, a dish that we absolutely love. since i cannot fry fish, it was up to him to do it...he came in too late so dinner plans crashed. tomorrow ill just bake the fish. anyway, that left me getting really hungry. so i decided to just make my favorite immediate fix--a good ole bowl of frosted flakes. i had the normal amount i eat, one full bowl. i topped it off with 2 cookies and a half glass of milk. because i didn't eat any fruit, i also chomped into a big ole wedge of delicious pineapple.

now, for those who dont know, i have a steel plated stomach. i can eat a myriad of foods in one sitting and not get sick. so pineapple, cereal, cookies, milk, seltzer water and olives all on the same plate is right up my alley.

i felt stuffed afterwards. this was at about 8pm. since the diet said to make sure to finish everything from the last meal within the hour, i did that, and felt pretty ok.

now, i'm slowly starting to feel myself get hungry again. eek! i know im going to break the one hour rule, just because i can't go to bed hungry.

as i see, im the person that cuts corners. due to my thyroid illness, i have to be careful with the way i eat. so i figured maybe (as many of the reviews i read suggest), that i could tweak the diet to fit my individual needs. instead of eating meat and fat all day, the idea is to eat my meat and eggs for breakfast, and once every few days, have a slice of low carb bread with it, and some butter, and maybe a touch of low sugar jelly. then to eat a huge thing of veggies for lunch, with lean meat, or seafood. this way, i am not depriving myself of my veggies for the day. then, when the evening comes, have my dinner early (this is easy because its summer), flesh it out really well, add at least 4 servings of fruit to it, have my regular meal and whatever goodies i want without the guilt. despite switching the meals so that carbs are always saved for the end of the day, i have to make sure i eat veggies and fruits too.

someone in one of the reviews said that she could not go absolutely with no carbs all day long, so she tweaked it to have a small serving of carbs for breakfast some days, and then none for lunch, and only a small serving for dinner on the days she had them for breakfast. on the days she has no carbs for breakfast, she treats herself liberally for dinner. she said this satisfies her way more and she's still maintaining her weight loss. so it can be an idea that if this works for me, i can have some tweaking too, with strict moderation, just to keep my thyroid at a healthy place. since there are some limitations to what i can eat anyway with thyroid issues, a menu is paramount daily.

also, the book has recipes for low carb breads, which are just fine to eat during the day. i find that in general, it's a great idea to REALLY start experimenting with recipes on this sort of lifestyle change. there are TONS of recipes that are low carb that people can eat for breakfast and lunch. and considering that most americans eat no fruits and veggies daily, it wont exactly kill them to hold off with eating certain veggies and some fruits until dinner.

i know two people personally (not including the freecycler who gave me the book) who have been on similar menu plans and it has worked for them. one person is an old college teacher, who lost 190 pounds on this exact diet, and has kept it off going on maybe 15 years now. the second person is my neighbor, who says she follows the diet and she feels alot better, at the recommendation of her doctor (who did not recommend the book, but recommended a similar style of eating--limiting carbs to 1 meal per day). she admitted to falling off the 1 carbie meal per day bandwagon, but is now considering trying it again).

this may not be such a bad idea for me.

my results are especially promising. between yesterday and today...ive lost 1.4 pounds. today was the lowest weight reading ive had in WEEKS. and i had to lose the weight because i weigh myself wearing the same thing daily, and the scale has never been so low. also, i immediately noticed that i have more energy. im not sluggish and i dont need naps during the day anymore. also, i know this is tmi...but im going to say it anyway. today my bowels moved the best they have in months. this is an immediate change.

the only downside is that i have to break up the strict 3 meals per day rule. i simply have been advised NOT to go that long between meals, it can wreak havoc on my metabolism. so i will not. still losing 1.5 pounds and cutting all of the corners i did yesterday sounds as if i can definitely tweak this diet.

i'm going to shop later this week for the ingredients to make the low carb bread, and im definitely going to search around for low carb recipes. i have to flesh out my breakfast and lunch more if this is something that may help me out. funny, but ive been praying for God to help me find the encouragement to cook and dibble dabble with recipes more. welp, here it is--the perfect reason to do just that.

i would have NEVER thought my carb intake could've been the cause of alot of my ill. here i am blaming my thyroid for the difficulties losing weight. but the more i think about it, the more i AM recognizing a correlation between my carb intake and weight gain, exhaustion after eating and yes, being hungry relatively quickly after eating.

i will definitely be reporting my progress with this dietary change regularly. with the way i'm going, i may even add a new label LOL. "dieting101" or something LOL. anyway, i'm just thankful to God for allowing freecycle to once again be the way to a blessing. even if this isnt exactly for me (and ill know within a few weeks if it is or not), ill never look at carbs the same, simply because of how good i feel.

any feedback about this diet, or others like that is appreciated....i'm definitely going to see where this road takes me!

just call me martha...

...stewart! or raechel rae. or better yet, call me emeril! because that's who i am...the next emeril! i'm not like a professional chef, i am a professional chef! i'm a cooking extraordinaire. i'm a master of culinary arts...

or at least i'm on my way!

hehe. i decided to go on and give making yogurt a try since i find making homemade baby food so easy and enjoyable. it really is amazing how simple it is to make some of the best stuff on earth. thanks to WholesomeBabyFood and A Year of Slowcooking for these great and awesome recipes! although i follow the baby food website to a t because i don't want to botch up the food my precious ecobaby has to eat, i changed up the directions for my yogurt recipe. instead of heating the milk in the crockpot, i simply scalded it on the stove, poured it into my preheated crockpot, let it cool to a temperature of 110 degrees, and then mixed in my yogurt. so in essence, all the recipe calls for is hot milk, plain yogurt, and a place to keep the milk warm while the cultures reproduce. simply let the milk cool down before adding the yogurt because the cultures will die if the milk is too hot.

i have to say, both ecobaby's food AND the yogurt are DELICIOUS! because ecobaby has no teeth and hasn't developed her chewing motions, i thin out her baby food so it has NO chunks in it, just a tad thicker than soup. and because i love my yogurt thick, i seperate the whey from it until it's a thick consistency, like sour cream or greek yogurt. it's easy to seperate the whey as well. simply line a colander with cheesecloth, add the yogurt and let the whey drip out from the colander. make sure to put the colander into a larger bowl so the whey can be collected (and don't throw it out--there are tons of other uses for it: making cheese from it, watering your plants, incorporating it into baking recipes and shakes, drinking it straight--although i hear it's nasty--or giving it to your pets for added nutrition).

i don't know what i'm gonna make next for ecobaby--so far she eats carrots, applesauce and applejuice, peas, sweet potatoes, bananas and rice. i was thinking about summer squash, but i believe that's a bit too mature for her stomach to digest. i also want to wait to start beans. i'm thinking maybe pears and avocado?

as for the yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and cheerios all the way baby!

the rules.

so, at my daughter's last therapy session (she has been diagnosed as having adhd and odd), i was given ways to combat behavioral problems in our household and ideas on how to use punishment effectively. this was namely to help my daughter control her impulsive, often defiant behaviors, but it also ran over to aid overall in the way my husband and i care for our children).

one of our tasks was to create a list of what we dubbed "the rules", a short list of house rules that everyone, any time they are in the household, must obey at all times. everyone is every one...adults and children, family and friends. if a person cannot obey the rules then there is a consequence, depending on who the person is. if the person is an adult that lives in the home, then the children have a right to remind the adult of the rule(s) they broke. if the person is one of the children, then they lose a privledge for a single day. if the person is a guest in the home, then they will not be allowed back into the home for a specific amount of time.

so, everyone thought about rules they would like to see implemented, and once we did that, we took a vote on what we collectively felt were the best rules, and used them to create our rule list (the great thing about this was the fact that everyone thought about a great rule, so everyone has a rule on the rule list). from there, each child rewrote "the rules" on poster board and decorated it. the finished lists were then posted in each room of the house. this is so "the rules" will always be on display within the house, and can be referred back to if need be.

now, i have to admit that just the idea of the rule list got the girls' attention. once we sat down to discuss "the rules", they knew mommy and daddy were serious. once the lists were finished and hung, i think i heard a few gulps go around. there was definitely a difference in attitude once "the rules" were visible in every room.

just that action modified behaviors.

for about an hour.

obviously, nearly everyone forgot the rules...even me. i got upset and called one of my daughters silly acting, and had to remind myself of the rules. ecobaby started screaming (to which my husband loudly replied "someone turn that baby down!" before he reminded HER at 6 months old, that she was breaking a rule). my oldest daughter started to tease my second daughter, and she retaliated by yelling at her. two more rulebreakers. the only person that made it out of the battle of "the rules" without any wounds was my husband and our third oldest baby, broodybaby.

my consequence was that i had the guilt of namecalling on my mind, our oldest and second oldest girls had to forgo watching a movie before bedtime, and the baby had to go to sleep. my husband smirked at not breaking any rules, and watched the after dinner movie with broodybaby.

the oldest two went upstairs crying, and begging for forgiveness, to which i had the honor of shutting them down asap (another suggestion i was given in therapy is to not entertain pleas, parental no's mean NO and that's final).

it was hard for me NOT to entertain them, which lets me know that i usually entertain them.

but i followed through on it, told them that the decision was FINAL, "the rules" were broken and the movie was taken away from them. i reminded them that tomorrow is another day and they can make better decisions to have better outcomes for events (another suggestion given to me).

i already feel parentally worked in ways i haven't been in a long time. there must be something to what my therapist is saying, because it FEELS like this will be a good thing for us in the long run.

but please don't let that pretty, colorful, short and sweet lil ole rules list fool you. "the rules" are serious contenders in my household, and they have made their presence known, already affecting the lives of every person in this house.

i'm just hoping they dont jump off the paper and beat us into obedience.

something's gotta give.

my brain is 100% fried. i mean...totally.

ive been experiencing a series of spiritual attacks lately, stemming from i believe a debate with a few atheists i had about a month ago on a website that, ironically, has nothing to do with religion (or lack thereof).

for me, having an attack is a mixture of events. sometimes i get bad migraines, misplace things, find myself easily agitated at everything the children do, have bad dreams, forget important events or details...

this time around, its all of that and then some. today i forgot the passwords to EVERY website i visit on the internet. its taken me more than a few hours to either remember them or reset the passwords because i just forgot totally. i also have a huge migraine and my brain is just on overload. ive been having these odd dreams and im having trouble remembering names, ideas, and even words i want to use when conveying ideas. at random times ive experienced utter and complete sadness at certain events or happenings in society. i will also admit, ive been struck with bouts of what i call faith doubt. wondering if what i believe is accurate, true, or sensible.

for me, this is nothing unexperienced before. as a naturally emotional, intuitive person, i rarely allow myself to "experience" society because i tend to internalize everything. because i dont like to bring attacks of the spirit on myself, i try to limit my interactions with certain personalities as well as social media outlets.

these attacks when i engage heavily in theological debate, as i said before. and it's what i've been doing alot lately.

but something new is happening this time. out of every spiritual attack, i have a huge amount of spiritual growth it seems. ideas and thoughts just come bursting forth, and i obtain more courage to speak exactly whats on my mind. ive never experienced this before.

im also "feeling something in the air". i cant put it any other way, but around the internet and in my personal life, im hearing other Christians speaking of the same thing--so it cant just be me going through this. i feel like something is going on, and honestly, in a way ive never experienced before, i am looking forward to the return of Christ. it is almost shocking to even myself because i never thought id be excited for the events of the world to unfold as they are. i used to laugh at those in Christ who expressed excitement at the future, thinking they were a little less than sane. now i find myself in the boat with them!

add to this all that my mind is overrun with the desire to learn new things and start ideas ive been harboring for a long time, and i honestly feel a bit like im going crazy. ive been reading books like a mad person, trying to soak up all of the earthly knowledge that i can. im thinking of new ideas and its really like a part of my brain has been opened up, and im really out of sorts with the whole thing.

something's gotta give.

my senses are on overload.

am i the only one??? or are there other people going through the same thing i am going through???

good eating...

requires good cooking. now i have to admit, eating a healthier diet not only is better for you, but it actually tastes better too. however, i'm still having issues with wanting to cook.

i've never been suzy homemaker in the kitchen, and that hasn't changed, even though i probably have more of a desire now than ever before to eat better. but unfortunately, i'm as allergic to cooking now as i've ever been. just the thought of being in the kitchen gives me the heebie jeebies. measuring ingredients, adding spices, watching cooking times and temperatures, blahhhhhh! if only i could find somebody to cook for my family, id be in healthy heaven.

or maybe i could just get up and try to cook.

i have to admit, i haven't actually tried to cook anything new and/or especially healthy. i just toy and play around with the idea. but thats as far as i get because i get freaked out.

i wonder, are there other people with a phobia of cooking? or am i the only one?

well, at least i did learn how to bake fish and make mashed potatoes, and we eat salad at least 3 times per week (as shown in my picture yay). and i am learning how to saute veggies since i got some great quality saute pans from freecycle.

i'm getting there. just pray for me lol.

breastmilk is the best milk...

...and playtex dropins are the best bottles.

I'm on month three of my "eco frugal baby" experiment, and am pleased to announce that its going quite nicely. at 15 lbs., ecobaby is doing beautifully and eats about 95% mommies milk and 5% similac (emergencies only). her total formula intake since birth has been less than 20oz, and shes eating about 4oz every 2 hours, so i believe even 95% is a conservative number, its probably more like 98% lol.

although ecobaby is a mommies milk baby, shes not a breast baby. she does cuddle against my chest at night for bedtime, but she does not breastfeed. this is mainly due to mastitis in my right breast, which was exacerbated by breastfeeding and relieved by pumping, and poor latch (which undoubtedly caused the mastitis). i'm an "ep" mommy, aka exclusively pumping mommy, and let me tell ya, i can't thank medela enough! either way it goes, so long as ecobaby eats mommies milk, I'm happy.

now, onto the thrills of breastmilk (i can't applaud this stuff enough) and playtex bottles.

i found out through lots of research *insert nerd smiley here*, that breastmilk has many great features, including but not limited to:

it *oils* ecobaby's digestive track, so constipation is not possible

it is safe for 10 hours at room temperature once expressed

it grows as ecobaby grows, so at birth, its perfect for newborns. at 1 year, its perfect for 1 year olds. at 3, its perfect for 3 year olds, etc.

it tastes like mommies diet

it is full of immunitive chemicals

it burns about 500 calories a day while being produced

it releases feel good hormones for mom and ecobaby during expression/feeding

the list goes on. now playtex bottles are the perfect companion to my milk and thus the best bottles (in my opinion of course) because:

they are easy to clean

they are stackable to spacesave in the fridge

the bags are sterile

the bags are also affordable

the bags can be frozen so double as milk storage bags

the bags collapse as ecobaby eats, thus preventing gas (and possibly colic)

the bottles are pretty, and affordable as a whole.

now, i assure you neither lalecheleague or playtex are endorsing me for this blog entry (although it would be nice). they don't need to, the proof is in the pudding. and in ecobaby's beautiful smile.

elephant skin, here i come.

elephant skin here i come! and don't think that i want to come...i just can't help it.

early last year i was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after struggling with a serious bout of depression, a continuously achy body and lethargy *is that a real word?*. i went to the doctor, and thank goodness i'm learning to say what's on my mind *i used to be even worse than i am now at this* because i plopped in the chair and told her flat out, "i think i need xanax. i am depressed and i'm going crazy!" she just looked at me, slid her glasses up higher on her nose and said, "let's see if the problem is physical before we send you off to the cuckoo house ok?" *people it was a joke, she's a great doctor really*. i had been going through so much, but as i slowly got my life together and put my priorities in order, my depression seemed to wane.

i have to note that i never got the xanax script and now i use a healthy dose of Jesus and lots of self-care to combat any depressive thoughts.

anyway, back to the point.

as my doctor was feeling along my throat she noticed lumps and that's how she came to wonder if my thyroid was playing a part. so she gave me a referral for a specialist and i eagerly went, because by this time i was suffering from a calamity of ailments.

the doctor sees me and looks at my face and asks, "is your face always that dry?" and i say "YES!" loudly and clearly because my facial skin indeed has been a progressive problem in the past two years and was one of many situations that prompted me to start my own business. he says, "definitely a sign of hypothyroidism."

so i come to find out that i am indeed hypothyroid, and my skin is a reflection of this. now i have to admit when i found out i didn't flip out or falter, but i told God, "thank You for helping me see the problem clearly, because now We can work on making my life better because of it." i am happy that i took that stance because it's worked, seriously. i sort of embrace my condition because it puts a reason to many problems that i had before and thought i was just weird or crazy to think i had *it was all in my imagination let me tell it*.

i have come to call my skin elephant skin. really, it gets rough and dry and discolored often but especially when i'm under alot of stress, go through extreme change, or when the seasons change. my elephant skin is coming back with a vengeance, and it will be bad this year unless i am proactive about it.

right now i am slathering it up with "Rahab Body Butter" (yes it's named after the prosititute in the Bible but it's not official yet so i don't market it) and it's doing wonders, and i use organic shea butter in between once daily slatherings, but at this moment i have to up this process from once a day to about 4 times...right now my face is on FIRE from the burning of my skin *it burns when it dries out*, and that's crazy because today i slathered on so much butter my daughter said, "mom i can see your face shining from the bathroom" and i was in my bedroom, a good 10-15 feet away.

this elephant skin is really bugging me this time around. it's cracking and itchy and burny, and i have skin burns and a bunch of other calamities on my face. there's really nothing much i can do for it but keep it hydrated and moisturized. i need to drink more water i know...i'm making a concious effort to start drinking more water to keep this stuff at bay...because i notice it does help slightly. but in the interim i'm about to buy a gallon of my own product to keep my face from cracking and falling apart.

elephant skin! i'm here!

summer bugs.

we've been fighting a horrible flu bug all month long in my home...and it seems to be either the same or getting worse--never really better.

last night i ran the baby to the ER because she had a high fever and started throwing up. now her fever is still about 102 degrees...i've been giving her motrin and it helps a lot but as soon as it wears off the fever spikes right back up.

the flu has been chasing me too. this is my fifth day of sickness and i haven't been this sick in years. at this point i'm just trying to stay down in the bed and get lots of fluid...

the older two are with my mom, we're trying to keep them from getting sick like this because it's pretty bad. my only reprieve for the kids is that this is the last few days of school so they're in relax mode anyway and don't have schoolwork and clothes to stress (yay for me too OF COURSE).

so i'm just in bed trying to relax and get better. the hubby wrote me ordering it and telling me to hurry up because he "doesnt like it when we're sicky". lol.

neither do we!

eww.

so for the past month i've been dealing with this sickening nausea following me everywhere. every day, all day it's here. i'm wondering if my thyroid has anything to do with it? because it's a constant in my life now. every time i eat, every time i settle down. it's to the point where now i'm ignoring it because there's nothing else i can do.

i have no clue about what it is ha (and no i ain't pregnant because you have to actually have sex to be pregnant and ha...visits don't allow all of that)...but it's really starting to bother me.

i drew blood on monday for testing, no phone call back though yet so maybe it's all normal. i'll call tomorrow to get the results.

something has to give--i can't live like this!

get me some Genesis Ethnic Body Care stuff pleeze!

in the words of my friend's husband, i repeat, "never get high off your own supply!"

this is so true.

i'm addicted to the stuff at Genesis Ethnic Body Care! i can't help it, i'm really becoming obsessed with the stuff.

i have to be real, most products would probably retail for way more than they are priced, but the idea is to be able to sell much needed body care products to the community at prices that won't break the bank and harbor results that are bonafide and truly healthy for you.

i have been using the Naomi Lip Balm, and although i don't say this--the lip balm actually calms me down. it (although cinnamom is a stimulant) just makes my entire being relax and becoming soothed. i am really feeling the scent, so much that i'm flipping my lips up towards my nose to inhale deeply.

it's working. i'm in cinnamon heaven.

and i love Naomi--she was one of my favorite moms in the Bible. =)

plus it's about 98% organic--can't beat that with a baseball bat. and for 5.00?? so worth it.

yesterday i slathered myself in the Shunammite Woman Body Butter after taking a bath in water softened by the Jochebed Bath Sachets and scrubbing down with the Queen of Persia Sugar Scrub (not listed yet on the site).

i fell asleep in about 20 minutes, smelling so good i could have just sniffed my arms all night long. plus i felt relaxed and i know everything that i put onto my body actually is good for it.

when i woke up, i twisted my locs with my Leah Hair Balm (which actually started out as a foot balm then went back to a hair balm when i tweaked it a little--not listed yet on the site), and today my locs are still in place. my hair smells like...*sigh* peppermint.

however, Rachel Foot Balm (also not listed yet) is the peppermint carrier. i am going to change the ingredients in the Hair Balm to ylang-ylang and geranium. those are two of the best essential oils for the hair. i use Leah Hair Balm in the kids hair, and on softer hair it makes it bouncy and keeps the curls, and in coarse hair it moisturizes and protects the strong coils. you can't go wrong with the stuff.

and as always, everything on me is 95-100% organic, and cost me appx. 90.00 to purchase from Genesis, but it is so worth it. in a big store it would cost well over 200.00 i am sure, and handmade by someone else, wouldn't contain 95-100% certified organic ingredients(yes baby, only USDA and Oregon Tilth certifications here).

so, on your trek through cyber space...check it out. i promise you won't be disappointed. stop putting all of those chemicals into your body through your hair and skin. infuse yourself with some old fashioned Biblical knowledge. treat yourself better. love the skin you're in. pamper you--because you're the only you you have! and God loves you just as you are, and He's given you everything you need to love yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. i'm not only saying this to hear myself speak and soup myself up about my stuff--but it really works.

if you purchase anything, just please remember to read all ingredients listed to avoid allergic reactions. since the products are all natural, that's just what they are, all natural. they have retained all of their natural characteristics and benefits, and are in their natural state upon being sold. so if you're allergic to sunflowers, then watch out for the products containing sunflower oils, for example.

as for myself, i'm loving it...trying not to get high on my own supply, because then i may not have anything left to sell to anyone else!

ugh, the heart monitor.

ok. so i was pretty cool with my heart monitor for a few hours. i mean, it didn't bother me, it wasn't too noticeable and it was interesting to look at.

but now the heart monitor (technically called a holter monitor) is being a real PITA, and i want it off!

i was able to ignore it up until about 11pm, at which time it started to itch the middle of my chest. when i got dressed for bed, i noticed it was really itching my chest.

i fell asleep on it...no problem.

but i woke up today and i just want to rip it off! it itches everywhere, around my chest and ribcage (because it's attached at 3 different places--in the middle of my chest and under my breasts at my ribs), and i can't stand it. it's like a slow torture or something because i'm just thinking about it, getting anxious because it's irritating my skin so badly. then the nurse that put it on used some sort of tape of life tape to ATTACH it to me...so it's sticking like i've never seen tape stick before.

i get nervous thinking about how she's going to remove this stuff from my skin. when people use the jaws of life, it just mangles everything around it. i'll probably have 3 huge white, hairless, skinless, bloodless patches throughout 2009. *gulp*

fine. i can deal with that--as long as this thing just gets removed. not to mention that the actual holter itself (i think this is what it is--dictionary.com please!) is a real pain also because the material is rubbing my skin the totally wrong way.

i thought this was so fun and cool at first, but now, i'm not so sure.

at least i only have another 3.5 hours of dealing with it--then i can go get my skin ripped apart by the tape of life!

today the sun is out.

today i'm feeling better. still having my ups and downs...but i have been talking with friends and family...and doing my freecycle and craigslist...and oddly enough, that's been making me feel better.

maybe i won't run away after all.

on my way to the doctor...all prayed up and feeling pretty ok about it, got God and my angel...pray for me!

it seems i'm always sick.

hmm. i wonder how is it that i'm the only person i know that gets one type of sickness right after another, back to back.

i've always been a *sickly* child, but as i got older, my immune system seemed to be getting stronger--or so i thought.

here i am tonight, feeling a cold coming on! and i am JUST getting over an ear canal infection in my right ear and what felt like the beginning of an ear canal infection in my left ear. i actually can't lay on my right side still because it's still achy and draining. and here i am...now getting a sore throat, stuffy nose, and all around *achy* feeling.

hubby told me, "you are the only person i know that honestly gets more than 20 colds per year". it's no fun i tell ya--because it does happen often, but only for like 1-2 days. i don't know how long the average cold lasts, but i know mine seem pretty short, albeit severe.

so i'm still sick. this is hindering business progress, as i'm doing everything myself, and well...if i'm in the bed aching i can't be up like a mad scientist creating new breakthroughs in my business!

*sigh*

it's always something.