Stone Hawk Rehab

Although I have personally never gone through a drug detoxification, I have certainly witnessed friends and family having to work through different addictions at numerous times in my life. It's not an easy thing to do, but definitely an admirable and often life-saving step to take.

I believe in doing things as naturally as possible. When I read about the program at Stone Hawk, it sounded like a positive way to work through a very difficult time. Their program focuses on removing toxins from the body through "long periods of time in a dry sauna, literally sweating the toxins out". They also stress the importance of proper diet, exercise, and supplementation.

Again, I have not experienced this program personally, but if you are looking for a natural way to get drug free, I would say it's at least worth looking into and learning more.

~t

Puke and Luke

Warning: Puke talk. (As if the title wasn't warning enough.)

Ugh, poor Caspian. He didn't get to go to Theater Camp on his final day because he hacked up his lungs all night and then had a fever in the morning to boot.

Ugh, poor me and Zane. Zane decided that 4:45 am was a fine time to get up with HIS fever after absolutely refusing to take medicine for it. Ok, he's just about 2. I can make him take medicine, right? One would think so. I would have thought so. But my sweet little Pisces child screamed bloody murder when I tried. In general, he just takes his medicine, no problem. He doesn't like it, but he's a trooper. Not last night or this morning. So, after throwing his fit and drinking a lot of rice milk, he just started throwing up all over me. Poor kid. And poor me. I hate that look they get when they start to throw up. I don't know if it's everyone's kid or just mine, but he looks so confused and betrayed, like "WHAT is going on? Make this stop!" Especially the first time he got really sick and threw up as a baby. You feel so bad for them.

So, just about an hour ago, Caspian was playing with Luke and HE puked on Caspian. Yikes.

Zane is up having nap #2 right now. I'm glad of that. We finally got him to take some of Caspian's medicine. The dosage chart lists 2 as the youngest age for the medicine. Yay! We'll be legal for that medicine in 4 days. We are such rebels.

~t

The Lotus Path

I have been a spiritual seeker and personal development enthusiast for over a decade now. I've read numerous books, attended classes, studied astrology, and even married a psychic healer. So, I've been around the new age block a little bit. I haven't been as immersed in the past few years because my mothering has taken a front seat to my other passionate pursuits, but I still love to know what's going on and share new information with others.

I just learned about The Lotus Path online, and The Lotus Path workshops. It looks quite interesting. I've always been drawn to anything with the word Lotus in it, and I loved the look and feel of the website. Here is their logo:

The workshops are held in the Sierra foothills between Yosemite and Fresno, California. The purpose of a workshop is to clear the energy of the chakras and work with your own divine energy. Facilitator Betty Malicoat takes pride in being direct about what she offers. My psychic healer husband has that sort of approach himself after being in the industry for a number of years.

The site itself is very attractive, informative, and easy to navigate. If you feel at all called to this sort of experience and will be in that general area, I encourage you look into it further at The Lotus Path online.

~t

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

I'm a holdout

I'm a holdout in the land of sickos. So far. Wish me luck. I started to feel it last night. I really don't want to be sick. I've held out this long. At LEAST let me hold off until, oh say, Thursday. I'd rather just skip it altogether. C'mon Universe, help me bypass this illness. (I always think I'm going to, but I tend to just be the last pin to fall.)

Caspian added to his issues yesterday by a run-in with the cabinet:

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(To here Caspian talk about it without saying much, go here.)

Zane seems to be trying to be a holdout, too, by sleeping for like 3 hours yesterday afternoon. (His usual nap is 30-60 minutes.)


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Illness, go AWAY!

~t

Sicky Sickos

Remarkably, it seems we have been less sick this school year than in a long time. However, Caspian came down with this weird 2 hour illness the other night. He got sick, fevery, etc., took some medicine and was fine and went to school the next day. Then he got sick over the weekend again. And now Kevin has the same thing. Darn. We are 50% sickos here. I guess Kevin won't get that carnival together for my birthday on Tuesday. Yes, I just dropped the birthday hint. LOL. Let's see who's paying attention. Caspian also got a wound today. I'll have to get a pic and show it later. What is with these guys? I guess they are being guys.

~t

Great Deal!

If you like to shop online, you have to check out ebates.com. It is such an easy way to save money. All you need is an email address. They have over 800 stores that participate with discounts and coupons. And these aren't obscure stores--they're popular ones like drugstore.com.

There is no membership fee, so you really can't lose. And, if the discounts aren't enough for you, the stores also offer up to 25% cash back. (Drugstore.com's cash back is 6%.) All you have to do, after you sign up, is to go to ebates.com before you start shopping. And, if you have trouble remembering that, you can download their Moe Money Maker to remind you. Nice.

~t

New Specs, at Long Last

I know, this has been a very exciting continuing saga. The broken glasses. The bad fixing by the husband. The geeky tape. The eye appointment (mostly covered by my new insurance, too--how cool!) Well, here is the final result of all of that. Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I'd like to thank all of the little people. You know who you are.

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And yes, those are non-glare lenses. Thank you Target Optical lady (Why can't I remember her name?) Part of the reason I got the non-glare, was for these pictures, dear reader. Snif snif.

~t

Protein Power

I had been putting off getting protein powder because it's so expensive. I'd been waiting and waiting and I finally decided I wouldn't wait anymore. I'm telling you, it makes all the difference for me in being able to stick to better eating habits. I find my body craves protein. When I'm hungry I could eat carbs until the cows come home. Hopefully, the cows come home early, because maybe then I'll stop eating carbs. Ok, that was a crazy digression. I lost it on my eating goals yesterday, but I'm back on track today and having snacks and breakfast that include the good ole protein powder are really making a difference. It leaves me feeling much more satisfied. Just thought I'd share.

Leukemia Information

Cancer is such a heartbreaking disease. It can be especially so when you realize there is a chance it was preventable. If you have cancer, following is an important question for you. Was your Cancer Caused by solvents? If so, you may be entitled to legal compensation. Leukemia411.org has important information on:

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Leukopenia
Chronic myologic leukemia (CML)
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL)
Multiple Myeloma
Myeloma
Leukemia Lawsuits

If you feel as though solvents, maybe have been involved in your instance of cancer, you can contact the legal team at leukemia411.org. They will evaluate your case and see if you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Every little bit helps.



~t

You Will All Be So Sad: Glasses Update

Heh heh--I ordered new glasses today! No more tape for me. Well, in 7-10 days there will be no more tape. And, I found out at the store that a large chunk of my exam, glasses, and contacts were covered by the insurance I'm paying WAY too much for. Gotta love Target. Woo hoo. I even got non-glare lenses so I could take more attractive pictures for you with my webcam. You'll be the first to see when I get 'em. Ok, maybe my husband and kids will see them first. Oh, and my mom.

By the way, shout out to Target Optical in Lacey, Washington. (I'm sure they need a link from me!) They had the nicest and most helpful staff I've ever encountered at an optical place. And I've been going to optical places for roughly 23 years.

~t

Feelin' Poorly? Or Want to Help Others Who Are? Read On!

My dear sweet husband, Kevin, is a healer. He was a professional healer and teacher when I met him. Somehow, I unwittingly killed his career with my love. Or the fact that he needed to move to Milwaukee to be with me. He was also somewhat disillusioned with "the industry", meaning mostly New Agey-type folks. Kevin believes a lot of truths, but he doesn't stand for any nontruths and he'll tell ya exactly what he thinks they are!

Anyhow, much to my happiness, he has recently gotten back into teaching and healing (he's been healing all along, just wasn't charging money.) He is great at it. If you have any interest in a healing or learning to heal others using his methods, check this out. If you just want to read about the cool things he does, check out his healing blog, Theta Mind.

~t

Weight Loss Wednesday: Week 1 Results

Here we are on Weightloss Wednesday again!

My goals for this week were to get on program and stay on program and to drink more water. I did not really get on program, but I did drink more water. So yay for that! It's been a stressful week with looking for work and having to get some more professional clothes for interviews and going on interviews and having my kid home from school waaaay too often and having a kid party. I did learn that I definitely eat when I'm stressed now. I never used to that. I guess that's why it's hard for me to lose weight. It's good to know. Now I can work on changing that.

So, I guess I'm just glad I didn't gain.

Start Weight: 216
Goal Weight: 150
Total to lose: 66 lbs

Last Weigh In: 180.8
This Weigh In: 180.8
Total this week: +/- 0

Total loss overall: 35.2
Total left to lose: 30.8

I'm going to make those the same goals for this week:
Drink my water
Stay on Program

I'm a little over my goal here, but this is the photo I've been trying to look at for inspiration:




~t

Scattered Zen

I'm trying to decide whether or not I think that title is an oxymoron. I guess not. Since Zen incorporates all, I suppose being scattered would be fine.

Scattered Zen is a new online community and store dedicated to health and living from a natural and renewable perspective. Right now they are in the building phase and excited to welcome new members, who will be Charter Members with special benefits as time goes on.

This is a cool way to create a community of like-minded folks interested in doing something good for themselves and the earth. There will be sharing of recipes and knowledge on the message board and in fully accredited articles and members will be able to sell their products in the site's store. Check it out!



~t

Weight Loss Wednesday

I know, I know. It's Tuesday. But I've been struggling with my weight loss and heard about this meme. Or rather, my lack of weight loss. It's not because whatever I'm doing isn't working, it's because I'm not doing whatever I'm doing. Some fellow bloggers have started a new meme, Weightloss Wednesday. I'm thinking perhaps the added accountability might help me. It's another way to build community among bloggers and help you to think about what you're doing.

Basically, you check out the link, and if you want to participate, grab their pretty little header, and post each Wednesday about how your week went, Weight Loss wise. Then, it's a good idea to go back and post to their blog so they can check you out. I've been blogging my weight loss (or lack thereof) for a while. At first I was wondering if this would make a difference. I guess the way I've been doing it, it's hard to know if anyone is even reading aside from the comment here or there. This way you KNOW someone's coming by to check on you. I think it's a good idea. Maybe I'll even change my weigh-in day (which has been Monday FOREVER) to Wednesday. Well, I'm not sure I could make THAT big of a change. ha ha. We'll see.



~t

Beach Cruisers

I could definitely use some exercise to get myself going in the right direction as far as weight loss. In general, I'm not that in love with biking. However, these beach bikes could probably even get me on a bike. They are just so darn cute, they're hard to resist.



Really, how cute is that? For me, they hearken back to my childhood in the same spirit as the big ole banana seated bike that I decorated with streamers. Ahhhh...good times. And they're called beach cruisers. Imagine cruising down the beach on one of those. That would be good fun. Maybe I could take my dog. He could probably keep up at my rate.

I really like that sky blue color. A pink one would be sweet, too. What's even cooler? They are looking for input as to what would be your dream color for one of these stylin' rides. I think I'm leaning towards a purple.

You can also get these cute baskets to put on your beach cruiser.



Even better, they have instructions online as to how to install the basket once you get it home. Handy.

Of course, I'd want my man to join me on my rides around the neighborhood (or the beach). I'd have to say, he'd look sweet on the Rebel Chopper.



They even have some for the kids. How cool.



~t

Cholesterol Concerns?

High cholesterol is a big health problem in our country. Approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States today have high cholesterol. On it's own, you may not even be aware that you have high cholesterol. The real problems occur when high cholesterol causes more serious health problems like diabetes, congestive heart failure, heart attack or stroke.

There is an herbal remedy that can make a difference. Cholestelow will lower cholesterol naturally. That means none of the nasty side effects that can sometimes be associated with pharmaceuticals. Cholestelow reports that over 99% of users scientifically queried reported positive results from using it. And over 95% said their levels reached normal from use.

Of course, it's a good idea to be sure you have a check up, know your cholesterol levels, and consult your doctor about any concerns.

~t

Detoxify!

Continuing on my health kick thread here, I've always been interested in doing a really good cleanse. Through the course of every day living, not always eating the best, experiencing stress and strain, our bodies tend to pick up things and hold on to them when perhaps letting go would be better for us.



Almighty Cleanse by Danny Vierra is a product that can help cleanse the body of unwanted accumulation and help you feel cleaner, lighter, and more energetic. A cleanse like this can be especially helpful in alleviating bloating and constipation and also generally supporting the digestive system. Check it out!

~t

Weight Loss Update

I'm still working on my weight loss program, the Solstice Slimdown. I'm two weeks into it, and so far it is going well. As many of you know, I'm doing Weight Watchers. I've had some challenges, but have lost 2.6 pounds in 2 weeks, so I'm on target with my goal of 1 lb/week and am happy with that. It hasn't been too difficult, but I've definitely had to change some habits and modify some others. I'm still working on it.

So far I haven't had the opportunity to do any exercise programs, but if I was able, I'd love to do some personal training. I love the idea of coaching in many different settings and, believe it or not, I've always loved weight training. I find it really makes a difference in just a few weeks, but haven't been able to get back into it since Zane was born.

I could see how having a person there to check my form and encourage me to keep on it with would really help me. I've also like stretching exercises and jogging in the past. These are all things I'd love to get back into at some point. I don't see it happening in the near future with the way my schedule has been, but perhaps some of these tips will help me.



~t

Health Through Harmony

I tend to prefer natural remedies to pharmaceuticals in treating certain medical conditions. Regular prescription drugs can produce harmful side effects, so I avoid them unless absolutely necessary. When I was pregnant, I had some issue with joint pain and swelling that was a little bit more than usual. After reading a description of gout, it sounds very similar to what I experienced. Luckily for me, a change in diet helped and I didn't have to look any further, especially as trying any herb or prescription wasn't something I wanted to do during pregnancy.

But having that experience gives me an understanding of how unpleasant it must be for people who suffer from gout and joint pain. There is a natural remedy called GoutSolve that can help by dissolving and flushing out the excess uric acid crystals which cause the pain and inflammation. It is said to have results within 5 to 7 days and can even help reverse gout long term without harmful side effects.

~t

Contact Lenses

I have worn contacts since I was in 6th grade. It seems strange even to me, when I think about it. That means I've been wearing them for over 20 years. I know that Focus Dailies, are very popular, but I have not tried those as of yet. I have been wearing Bausch and Lomb Soflens 38 for years. They work for me, so I haven't messed with a good thing.

The Soflens 38 has been comfortable for me, and they last even longer than advertised. Of course, you don't want to mess with the health of your eyes, so it's best to follow the manufacturer's instructions. However, in a pinch these can be worn a tad longer. I like the slight blue tint that helps you find them if you drop one. I have used that feature a number of times. The tint doesn't change your eye color, just helps them to show up in your sink or wherever you might accidentally drop them. They also have a slight B&L on them that helps you to know you've got them going in the right direction (not inside-out). That helps, because sometimes the difference in the way contact looks the right way from the wrong way can be slight.

Overall, I've been very happy with these contacts and have not had any problems that I can think of with them.

~t