Birthdays

The previous post has led me to write this post about birthdays. Let's share some fun facts about our birthdays. Mine is October 4th---Feast of St. Francis. BUT, the funny thing about my birthday being on this particular feast is that the song, "The Prayer of St. Francis" has been my favorite for years----before I even knew that my birthday was on his feast. Coincidence??
I was born in 1970, which means I'LL BE 35 next week. ------------sigh-------------.
I remember sitting in my 4th grade classroom, wearing a black velvet shirt with a gold velvet stripe, when President Ronald Reagan was shot. I remember the smell of marajuana on my step-father------------obviously, I was raised in the 1970's. One of my favorite childhood memories is the song, "Band on the Run." I remember having ONE birthday "party" as a child--for my 11th birthday. Children these days have a party every year. I remember what I got on that birthday---a make-your-own-makeup set, a training bra and panties from my grandmother, and a Simon Says electronic game. We went for pizza and roller skating. The friends that were there were Michelle Stahl and Heather Something. My husband makes my birthday cakes. The kids always make homemade cards. I usually get exactly what I've written down on my "wish list." I make things simple---new pot holders, new dishcloths, non-stick skillet, you know, really "fun" gifts! ha.

Please, do tell about YOU!!

Candy Basket

I had to get a gift today for my 4-yr-old to give at a friend's birthday tomorrow. There is really not much one can buy under $10 that's of any "worth." Actually, there's not much worth giving until one gets up into the $15 range. WELL---what do you think of this little basket below? I made this today. I wanted to give a gift that the friend will really like, and yes, I wanted to impress the parents a little bit, too ---wink----. This cost me approx $8 to make. It took about 30 minutes, and I think it looks really cute. On one card I wrote, "Happy Birthday, Thomas" and on the other I wrote (actually copied from a greeting card), "There will be many occasions to celebrate as this precious life unfolds......Today is just one of the wonderful joys God's loving purpose holds!"

Here's To Good Health

Today I am so excited about my future good health. I recently received the results from my saliva test. My results showed that I am very low in progesterone. Normal levels are 100-600. My level is at 24. Yikes!! No wonder I've been feeling so rotten for the last several years. Progesterone, I've found via my research, is the "miracle" to feeling good and achieving optimum health. My suggestion to anyone who is on a synthetic hormone-------you're playing with fire, so please do more research. Please, visit salivatest.com and research ways to make yourself better. Natural hormone replacement is the way to go. Your body will love you for it!!! So, I received my results. I've taken an indepth survey of my symptoms and my physical health. My survey and my test results will be faxed today to a lab in Houston and I will have recommendations on natural hormones that my body needs to take to my GYN appointment next week. This is only the beginning.

I have ordered GlycoNurtients from a company called MannaTech. You can go to their website at www.mannatech.com and see what I'm talking about. For the body to be healthy, the cells must communicate. Our cells, these days, don't communicate because we are lacking in so many sugars, etc. I'm talking about good sugars here, not granulated, powered, Splenda, or Nutrasweet. Our bodies need 8 essential sugars to be in optimum cell communication, and most normal adults only get 2. This is because of the pesticides that we get on store bought veggies/fruits and because of all of the antibiotics we're ingesting from store bought, grain feed, meats. I don't think I'm going to plant a Fall Garden or go out and buy a Black Angus, but I have to start somewhere, and I'm positive these supplements will help.

I am so ready to feel good once again. I'm am way too young to feel this damned old (Garth Brook's song lyrics there.) I'm going to purchase a book titled "The Pericone Prescription", which talks about the rights ways to eat to help with the early aging things. Not that aging in itself is a bad thing, but so many are aging so early these days because of all of the toxins within our bodies. I'm going to start following a glycemic diet. I'm going to the health store today and get a bottle each of B-Complex and Total Omega 3,6,9.

This all sounds crazy, I know. BUT, I WANT TO FEEL HEALTHY!! I'll let you know how I feel in one month. Then you might want to jump on the bandwagon, too.

Kinks and Knots

Ouch!! My back is out. Isn't is funny how one small place in the body is painful and the whole body is affected? My back is hurting, so I'm walking in such a way as to "baby" the pain, which in turn has made my knee hurt from the position I'm walking. I will have to go to the chiropractor tomorrow. This is the time that a wife and mother needs a maid. How am I going to do dishes, laundry, meals, and pick up toys with my back out? I was going to invite my new friend, Suzanne, and her family over for supper this week. Looks like this will not happen. I've not forgotten you, Suzanne!!

I'm going to go raid the medicine cabinet and see if I can find some old pain medication. I'm sure there is some left from my cesarean, but that was over three years ago. I guess it will either be no good, or it will be very potent. I'll hope for the latter and take two! Ibuprofen did no good earlier. Where is a drug dealer when I need one? You know, as I typed that last sentence, I wondered where people really do get drugs. I would have no idea where or whom to go if I wanted to buy illegal drugs. How do teenagers get drugs? How do they know who has them? I guess they are wiser to the world than I. Isn't it sad that people waste good, hard working time on making and distributing illegal drugs? I'm sure it all comes down to money. Why am I even writing about this? How silly and boring!!!! Who really cares???

Speaking of "who really cares," I had a phone call from our parish Director of Religious Education today, asking if any of my second grade 1st Communion Students had carrots this weekend during Sunday morning RE (CCD) classes. No, they didn't. This director received a call this morning from someone at the Catholic school, where the RE classes are held, and the janitor found chewed up carrot pieces in one of the bathroom sinks. The DRE was called on this, as it might have been one of the RE students who did this. They are making a stink about chewed up carrots in a sink????? I literally asked him, after discussing where my students had gone during the hour that I had them, "Really, Ron, who really cares? It's a carrot." Why try to find out who spit out a carrot???????????? Ignorance really annoys me. So does my lower spine.

Frito Chili Pie

Here's my meal lineup for the week. I'm very good at keeping the "family" meal under $10. So good that I'm getting ready to try to get a cookbook published. I know how hard it is to get published, so I'll try a cookbook before my novel. I think it's really quite thrifty to feed a family of 8 for under $10. I like thrifty, don't you? And, hey, if I can get something published, I can afford some steak once in a while! ha.

Monday--Frito Chili Pie (no, not nutritious, but fast as there were lots of activities today)
Tuesday--Chicken fajitas
Wednesday--Taco Salad
Thursday--Hamburger Stew
Friday--Potato Soup

What's on your kitchen table?

Things that DO NOT belong in your purse

I think I have strep throat. My throat hurts pretty bad and I'm not known to get one unless it's strep. I guess I'll be off to the doctor tomorrow for some antibiotics. To make things worse, I have a popcorn hull stuck right on the place that's sore. I have been making horrible throat noises all day trying to dislodge this annoying little friend. My kids keep looking at me, and have made some comments on how gross I sound, but it is bugging me pretty bad.

Today in Mass I couldn't concentrate for fear that one of the little ones was going to get into my purse when I was not watching them. This was because I noticed, while looking for a tissue, that I had forgotten to take out the underwear I had put in there last week. Clean, of course!! I left my purse while I had to go up front to get a blessing for being a catechist, and my heart was thumping very heavily as I returned to my seat, wondering if they had found my undies while I was away. One time my oldest used one of my breast pads as the missal bookmark. Today, the underwear would have been much more embarrassing than that. I can promise you, someone would have had my underwear on their head if they would have found it.