Superhuman Superbug

Wow! Have any of you been following the news lately? If you have this will sound familiar, a superhuman “superbug” is out to get us! No, I’m not talking alien invasion, but what I am talking about is a bacteria that lives on you. It’s called Staph. If you watch T.V. or surf the net, […]

Dealing with the Stress of a Newborn

I’m going to be honest with you; this week I’m at a loss for words. And if you knew me you would know that never happens. I usually always have something to say; just ask my husband! I think I’ve just been a little stressed-out taking care of the baby, the toddler, the husband, the house . . . you get the point, right? Then to add to it, I started back to my part-time job working at the pediatricians’ office last week. I thought it would be a stress reliever to get out amongst the living, but it’s actually more stressful because I leave my set of screaming kids to deal with other peoples screaming kids.

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Bare Your Chest, Examine Your Breast

Cancer, no one ever wants to hear that word! It’s one of the most frightening words a person can ever hear. In fact I think most people would agree with me that when they hear the word cancer they immediately think death. And let’s face it: all of us probably know someone with cancer. Maybe it’s your friend, family member, or it could even be you.

October is breast cancer awareness month, which I think is such a wonderful thing. It’s so important for us as a society to come together and continue to educate our fellow brothers and sisters on cancer. Knowledge is power. The more we know and can learn about cancer the more empowered we can be to fight the disease and to offer support to those that are in the battle. And that’s really what cancer is; it’s a battle in every true sense of the word. 

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Happy Healthy Heart

“Heart disease and stroke is the world’s largest killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year,” according to the World Heart Federation. They state: “That’s why World Heart Day was created, to create public awareness of risk factors for heart disease and stroke and to promote preventive measures.” And this year World Heart Day is celebrated on Sunday September 30 with a theme entitled “Team Up for Healthy Hearts.” What a great cause!

You know we’re all affected by disease and I bet if you thought long and hard enough you could think of someone you know who suffers from heart disease. It certainly hits home for me. In fact, it recently affected my father in a major way. Let me explain. My dad is truly amazing. He’s seventy-four years young and is one of the most active men I’ve ever known. All his life he’s worked hard and been physically active. Maybe he’s never gone to the gym to pump iron, but after an entire day’s work of farming and landscaping I don’t think he really needed to clock time in at the gym! Even now he hasn’t slowed down. He still works three jobs! Isn’t that incredible? He puts me to shame and I’m over forty years younger than he. He’s the picture of health concerning his diet and lifestyle. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He’s a vegan and all of his meals include lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. If we all took such good care of ourselves the world would be a healthier place.

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Tummy Delight

I’m officially done with my sugar and junk-food binge! I’m so desperate to get out of my maternity clothes and back into “regular” clothes that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. So, since last week I’ve taken up walking like I said I was going to do. But instead of going to the gym to do my workout, I bought an at-home walking DVD called Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, Walk Slim. I figured since there was no way I was going to make it to the gym with the current circumstances I would bring the gym home to me. Good idea, don’t you think?

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Fat Walk

Well, it’s the beginning of another week, and it doesn’t look anymore promising than last week. I’ve finally made a game plan on how I’m going to get back into shape after the birth of my son. However, because of extreme fatigue from dealing with my children, I haven’t been able to start it. And it’s not the exhaustion from the baby, because the baby is doing great! In fact, he is sleeping 4-5 hours at night already. Instead, it’s my almost- two-year-old daughter who’s giving me a run for my money. She is the one who has been getting up every two hours at night. Last night she woke up at 2 a.m. and never went back to sleep; she just screamed all night. Lucky me! This vicious cycle with her has been going on for the past seven days. My husband and I have been getting roughly about two hours of sleep a night between her and the baby. Doesn’t that make you feel bad for me?
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My Date with Stress

Have you ever had one of those pull-your-hair-out, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs kind of days? One where all you want to do is just go to your room, close the door, crawl into bed and pull the covers up over your head, and hope that when you emerge it will be a new day. And maybe––just maybe––when you decide to re-enter the world it will be a “Mary Poppins” sort of day!

That is what I wished for every moment of the day I lived today. Let me share with you why I classified today as one of those stressful situation days. No matter where I turned there was another stressful situation just waiting for me. So picture this: I am now 8 months pregnant (aka: big, cranky, and tired) and I have a sick 18-month-old (aka: crabby, clingy, and whinny). My husband has planned a 60-mile “joy ride” on his road bike with some friends who share his mutual passion for the sport. Up until now my daughter had only had a fever and a stuffy nose. No big deal; “mommy nurse” can handle that with no problem! My husband said goodbye to us, and no sooner had he closed the front door when my daughter started vomiting. Oh, yuck! Then the diarrhea began! I knew I was in for it!

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Sunscreen 101

Ahhhh. Summer has finally arrived! I love summer! There is something so wonderful about warm weather and all the great adventures that come with it. I have to tell you my first love of summer is flip flops. I just can’t get enough of them; I absolutely think they are fabulous! Next, on my list is the fresh summer produce like strawberries, peaches, and my favorite: sweet corn…. Yum, yum! And I would have to say my favorite summer adventure is swimming. I love going to the pool; and when you have an 18-month-old toddler who tags along, the pool truly becomes an adventure.

By now most pools have opened for the summer season and will most likely abound with kids and parents splashing, swimming, and just having a great time. And of course there are the “lucky” people who lounge poolside with a book in hand just soaking up the sun. There are some days I wish that were me!

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Tasting Temptation

Quiet some time ago a Dutch market opened up just a few miles down the road from my house. My husband and I would drive by there on occasion and always notice how busy it was. Never knowing what the market really had to offer we never ventured in until friends and co-workers kept telling us how wonderful it was. So, this past Friday afternoon curiosity got the best of us and went to have a look around.

As we entered we noticed all kinds of venders. There was a candy vendor, a pastry and baked goods vendor, a fresh produce vendor, plus home furnishings just to name a few. We looked around and eyed several items that we thought we might like to purchase. I decided I really didn’t desire anything and asked my husband if he wanted anything. He replied “Yeah, I think I want the pumpkin roll from the pastry section.” As we were walking back towards the pumpkin rolls we passed by a table of baked goods and there I saw it! The most beautiful cinnamon buns you could ever imagine! I stopped my husband right away and said “Honey, look at these cinnamon buns!” With one look he started to drool. Sure enough that’s what we took home!

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The Inner You

I’m sure you’ve heard before that we have to change the inside us so that we can be happy with the outside us. I think I have heard this topic discussed on numerous television talk shows. Plus, who even wants to continue to dwell on something that is so hard to change.

It’s so much easier to change the outside appearance. Think about it…new hair cut, new clothes, dieting and exercise, all these things are quick fixes to spruce up the old you. But, does it really matter if all those things change yet you’re still empty and wondering hopelessly on the inside, searching for meaning and purpose.

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