Pencil Thin

In light of all the recent news headlines featuring celebrity problems with drug and alcohol I have to say I am glad no one I know is famous. Every single time I log online it seems there is some new headline about a celebrity who is headed for drug rehabilitation treatment. I think it is wonderful that they are getting help but you have to wonder why so many fall under the influence of these substances. Maybe it just seems more common because they are in the headlines. Either way I am very thankful to have the life I have and know the people I know.

We are avid outdoor enthusiasts. One of our favorite family activities is camping. This year instead of tent camping we have booked a cabin instead. Having a toddler in the house made having a roof overhead seem like a good option. Personally, I am looking forward to being up off the ground at night. If all goes well we may book a Pigeon Forge cabin rental in the fall to take in the beautiful fall leaves. Our oldest son is so excited he can hardly sleep. I would love to know what his idea of a cabin is considering the questions he has been asking.

We head off shortly for a week of much needed rest and relaxation. I am really looking forward to not worrying about the state of the real estate market in our neighborhood. It seems like every single day this month we have gotten a new neighbor either across the street or right next door. I recognize that things are always going to change but it would be really nice to have a stable bunch of decent neighbors for more than a few months. It seems that all of the houses around of have become rental properties since we bought our home. Hopefully, a few like minded people move in at some point.

This is the first summer in a long time that I have been thrilled with the temperatures. We have had a few really hot days but for the most part the temperature has been absolutely perfect. My husband is even more thankful because his Auto air conditioning has given out. We just haven’t had the time to fix it because things have been so hectic. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable he would be if we were having our typical humid summer temperatures. We haven’t been swimming as much as I would like but being comfy at night is a great trade off.

A healthy lifestyle is a wonderful gift not just for yourself but for those around you. Living a clean and active lifestyle has so many wonderful benefits. Aside from decreasing stress, improving health, and lowering your risk for disease leading a healthy lifestyle is a great role model for your children. Every time I make a healthy meal or workout with my kids I like to think of it as birthday, graduation, and anniversary gifts they will thank me for later in life. Children look to us to show them how to make healthy life choices. If they grow up in an environment where junk food is a treat rather than a norm and taking a walk is a fun family event they will choose these healthy options later in life. Take a walk with your kids and give them a Christmas present in July!

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying very hard to eat a lowfat and high protein diet. Quite honestly there is only so much chicken and salad I can eat. I love protein shakes and have been thinking about buying some muscle milk to give myself a bit of change. In the meantime here I sit dreaming of chocolate and ice cream but the only thing in my cupboard is popcorn and rice cakes. I wish someone would create a high protein low fat chocolate candy bar because there aren’t many options for people following a diet like mine. If you know of something tasty drop me a line and let me know!

The other day it finally hit me that for the first time in our 16 year marriage I am not an equal wage earner to my husband. I know this probably sounds dumb but oh well. You see I have always earned wages equal to or greater than that of my husband. This has never been an issue for us and I like knowing that I could adequately provide for our family if push came to shove. Now though I am wondering if we are properly insured because our policies have always been the same for both of us. I should probably call around to place like globe life insurance and get some professional advice. Given that I don’t intend to return to work full-time in the near future we definitely need to make sure our bases are covered.

For most of my life I have been on this eternal quest to get in shape. The problem has always been that for the most part I have looked for “magic bullets” to get me to where I wanted to be. Quite honestly I would buy virtually anything that was marketed to aid in weight loss. Given the right packaging or promotional advertising I could undoubtedly have been sold something outrageous like an lcd monitor. Given that this has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss you can clearly see the depths of my desperation. It has however finally clicked in that I do not need gadgets, supplements, or bulky equipment to get in shape. When it comes right down to it I need two things: will power and a good set of sneakers.

I have been walking about 3 miles a day for the last few months. Until now my sneakers would last me a few years simply because they never saw the light of day. Now in just a couple months I find myself in the market for something new as my soles are already pretty worn. I have looked at all types of shoes from Air Jordans to plain old walking shoes and am very close to going with the Air Jordans. Now that my physical activity level has increased significantly I find myself much more picky about what I put on my feet. I love a light shoe with a roomy toe, ample support, and a design that allows my feet to breathe. I know I am not asking for much but comfort is everything when you huffing it up and down hills!

So many people are walking around today completely stressed out because of their financial situation. Not knowing how you are going to make ends meets is an overwhelming feeling that I can relate to. Before we looked into student loan consolidation my husband and I could barely pay our loan obligations and afford housing. There are so many wonderful services that are available to help people feeling this type of stress. Worrying is terrible for your health and strains your relationship with people around you. When financial stresses are weighing you down instead of sitting and obsessing about where the next dollar might come from begin researching what you options are to alleviate the source of the problem.

The home we presently own came with a number of items that were included in the sale. Among these were the beautiful blinds that add privacy to each room. These blinds weren’t a concern when we first moved in because our oldest son was past the age of worry that he might get tangled in the cords. Now that we have a adventurous one year old in the house I find myself constantly implementing some new safeguard. Today’s project has been to make sure our blinds don’t pose a risk. It is strongly recommends that blind and curtain pull-cords and bead-chains be kept out of the reach of young children because they pose a dangerous strangulation hazard. This is very easy to accomplish and takes just a few minutes to keep those little tikes safe!

The other day we were at the playground and as is typical with playgrounds a child fell and got cut. Considering the number of Mom’s and Dad’s who were present I was really surprised when no one had a bandage handy. Fortunately, we had a small first aid kit in our truck toolbox and were able to help. Even if you have a first aid kit in your car be sure to check it regularly to make sure it is fully stocked. With a few drivers in the house the kit can easily become depleted and you might not have the supplies you need in an emergency.

It is often the little things that we overlook that end up being risky to our children. I was discussing kids bedding the other day with my friend and was very surprised to find she has always put her infants to bed with several blankets. This astounded me because she is in all other ways a very cautious parent. In this situation I am not talking about swaddling the baby but rather literally putting loose blankets on top of or around the baby. Sixty percent of infant suffocation occurs in the sleeping environment. Fortunately, her children are now of an age where this is not an issue but should she have more children I am sure to broach the topic again in a constructive way.

I was reading an article about home ownership the other day and found a couple of points very interesting. Did you know that home ownership is healthy for you? This sounded a little far fetched to me. Considering all the things that go along with owning a home like repairs and times when you need to California mortgage refinance or other even a home equity line of credit. The reality is that home ownership provides he psychological comfort of owning a home is the option of tapping into housing equity in case of health emergencies. It puts a slightly different spin on all of those little details that sometimes drive me crazy about owning a home when I recognize that my home could possibly save my life if I ever need treatment that I can’t afford otherwise.

For several months my neighbor and I have been walking in the very early morning hours. When we first started walking we were very cautious and prepared for every possibly. As the weather has warmed up we have foolishly gotten lax to the point of not even wearing our hamilton watches or carrying a cell phone. The reality of our stupidity has hit us recently when we realized that this guy (possibly harmless) had started walking our same route. No matter what time we set out to walk he would suddenly appear behind us. This may be a harmless coincidence but it was also a wakeup call to get back to being more careful. We have started to vary our route frequently and carry phones and smaller protective items. Not to be an alarmist but you really have to be somewhat prepared when you hit the great outdoors even if it is only for an hour

I might have mentioned this before but by profession I am a Doctor of Audiology. Currently, I am on an extended hiatus from my professional career while I prepare to start my own practice. Surprisingly there is very little I miss about working for someone else. I am someone who is truly meant to be my own boss. What I sorely miss is access to the tools of my trade. Because I have always worked for someone else I have never really had to invest in my own equipment. My equipment consists of a few spare parts for repairing hearing aids and a couple of devices that look like stethoscopes for evaluating the functionality of a hearing aid. The time has come for me to start acquiring my own tools because I can’t even look in anyone’s ears because I don’t have so much as an otoscope.

When someone you love in the midst of dealing with an addiction problem finding help can seem like an overwhelming process. This is usually the point when life has become completely chaotic and finding qualified treatment quickly is essential. When you first start researching rehabs it is hard to tell the difference between them. There are a select few rehabilitation facilities in the country with specialized services to assist a variety of addiction problems.

Sunset Malibu is exactly this type of specialized addiction treatment program. It doesn’t matter whether a person is coping with alcoholism, substance abuse treatment, or painkiller addiction treatment Sunset Malibu is able to assist them in overcoming their addiction problem. Many addictions co-exist with other problems such as depression and eating disorder which make specialized care all the more important. Sunset Malibu offers cutting edge treatment programs tailored to each person’s unique needs and issues. When your loved one reaches the point where rehab is required Sunset Malibu offers hope for a future free of the ravages of addiction. Everyone deserves the best care possible to enable them to overcome the grips of addiction and Sunset Malibu holds that promise. With the right tools and treatment a life free of addiction can become a reality for your family.

There are people in my life who it doesn’t surprise me have no plans for the future. I cannot imagine living day to day life not giving a thought to what or where I might be next year or even 10 years from now. This week I had a conversation with a couple who are approaching retirement and freely admit they no clue how they will ever afford to retire. Aside from not having any savings whatsoever they also haven’t any life insurance. I mentioned that maybe they should consider no exam life insurance. It will likely come as a real shock to their children in the event something should happen to them that they would have to foot the entire bill. Even if they aren’t worried about their own future they shouldn’t be potentially putting their children into an unexpected financial crisis.

This year for our vacation we are diverging from the luxury of a vacation home rental and hitting the great outdoors. While I am looking forward to this new adventure I am wondering if dieting and camping go hand in hand at all? Typical camping food tends to be high fat meals like hamburgers, hot dogs, and heavy stews. I am now on a quest to come up with a menu of camping and waistline friendly meals the entire family will enjoy. If you have a favorite please drop a comment!

You might not know this but I love to make lists. This probably sounds quite silly but for as long as I can remember I have enjoyed creating lists. Since I am sitting here with a drippy nose and a fever I am finding myself with time on my hands and decided to tackle a few lists. Creating lists for me verges on a science and I am quite picky about my lists. I don’t like other people writing on them and I am kind of selective about the pens and paper I use to make them. Sometimes I go through quite a few office supplies before I finally complete the “perfect” list. When I have a project to tackle rather than letting it overwhelm me I find breaking it down on a list makes it manageable. Some people eat, others smoke, or maybe they fret but I create lists.

I cannot believe that it is the middle of July and I find myself not just with a cold but a fever! I just took my temperature and it is lovely 102.5 degrees. I blame this cold on a number of things such as people who should stay out of public places when they are sick themselves. My other finger is pointing directly at the weather. The weather here is completely wacky this summer not stable and consistent like Branson or elsewhere in the world. In fact it is anything but stable and consistent. One day it is in the 90’s and the next the low 60’s. The reality is I know that the weather didn’t make me sick but since I can’t really yell at the people that deserve it I am going to take it out on the weather!

It is possible to improve your health by doing even the most sedentary activities above and beyond your normal activity level. Even sitting idly you burn calories but get out an about can add that little extra calorie expenditure so many of us are lacking. Did you know that even while boating you burn calories? Let’s say an 140 pound woman sits on a boat for 7 hours. In this amount of time she will burn 88 calories per hour or 616 calories! Consider that you only burn about 65 calories and hour sitting and it makes getting out of the house more appealing huh?

We are a brown bagging family. It is a nightly ritual to get everyones lunch ready for the next day. My son has taken a plain cheese sandwich (AKS “crabby patty”) every day for the last two years. No deviations from cheese and bread please Mom. While the chore of putting together lunches sometimes is time consuming when I consider all the benefits for our family it is a no brainer.

Brown bagging saves you money (which every WAHM could use more of), especially if you use the stockpiling that Toil Tip #1 subscribes to. Our home had no less than half a years supply of apple sauce, juice boxes, puddings, fruit snacks, and other necessities (spoons, napkins, baggies) already on the shelves before the start of the school year. All of these were purchased at huge discounts or free with coupons during the “off season” or summer. If you do this just be sure to check expiration dates! Consider for a moment the cost over a school year for one parent and one child buying lunch everyday (Adult $5, Child $1.25). $6.25 per day over the course of a 180 day school year $1125.00 alone! That could be one nice family vacation instead.

Brown bagging is better for your waistline (and every WAHM wants to maintain her girlish figure). It is possible to put together limitless healthy and tasty meals that appeal to even the pickiest eaters in your home. You control the calories and ingredients that are served. Aside from this I know full well my first grader would not choose a single thing the cafeteria offered aside from cheese and junk if given his own choice. If you even sliced 100 calories per day off your intake that would equate to 10 less pounds you would carry around at the end of the year! (One pound is equivalent to 3500 calories)

Brown bagging saves you time. If you consider the time involved in leaving your desk, traveling to your lunch destination, and waiting for it to be served brown bagging is a clear cut time saver. This likely equates to a half hour or so you could be spending clearing your mind, relaxing, or if you must getting a jump on work you tend to bring home instead.

Makes you look at that boring brown bag in a new light huh?