The Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday, February 15, 2011



Outside my window...it's cooling down again, supposed to start raining soon



I am thinking...about life & how I need to make sure I enjoy every single second even more than I already do



I am thankful for.... my wonderful hubby, he always amazes me :)



From the learning rooms...still daily Bible study with Lil J, I have found a wonderful Bible app on my iphone, well I already had it, but hubby now has it on his tablet & he taught me way more features--it has LOTS of reading plans, so I am also following a Bible reading plan, reading out loud to Lil J in addition to our daily Bible study



From the kitchen...tonight leftover BBQ chicken & mashed potatoes & I'll throw in a salad or veggie



I am wearing...a black hooded pullover with a lime green cami under, black jeans, & socks



I am creating...Lil J is starting to get more interested in crayons little by little :)



I am going...to have to miss MOPS tomorrow, Lil J is coughing badly with a runny nose & he's not nearly as active as usual, so I know he's not feeling well



I am reading...the kind diet & worldliness



I am hoping...my knee fully recovers, still swollen



I am hearing...SILENCE, & it's a very beautiful thing  :)  (Lil J is napping)



Around the house...REALLY need to do some cleaning this week, shouldn't be a problem since I am missing MOPS & my park day is cancelled due to rain & we are well stocked on groceries still



One of my favorite things...socializing with ADULTS  (hehe, parents of little ones will totally understand)



A few plans for the rest of the week: lunch with an old friend, cleaning house

All or Nothing?

When I was 15 I became a vegetarian.  I remained a vegetarian for 10 years.  I remember one of the greatest books I have ever read was at that time.  It was "The Gradual Vegetarian" by Lisa Tracy.  My mom had bought it for me.  It's a fabulous book not only for those wanting to be vegetarian, but also for those who just want to eat healthier.  It's a book that really inspires me.  I love to read it again & again over the years just for inspiration.  I also love that it's from before the world-wide-web era.  There is no mention in it anywhere of any websites, which I happen to think is REALLY cool.  It was also written prior to organics, at least prior to them being a big deal.  So there's no mention of that either, but I know if it was revised it would certainly touch on the organic topic as well.

During my college education I had to take a communications (aka speech) class.  There were different options to meet this requirement.  I didn't like the idea of the public speaking class where you have to give a lot of different types of speeches in front of the class.  But I also didn't want to wimp out & take the class where you don't give ANY speeches.  So I chose a class that covered a wide array of communication topics & at the end of the semester you give one speech in front of your classmates.  I chose to do a persuasive speech.  And my topic was "why you should eat organic".  I remember my teacher wasn't positive about my topic, she felt I should change it & gave me permission to change it if I wanted to do so.  But I felt very strongly about wanting to do this particular speech.  There were 2 other classmates that were older than me, but the rest of the class was all fresh out of high school.  Even the teacher was in her early 20s!  I thought that I could really make an impact, plant a seed per se.  I have to say that when I got started on my speech it was tough.  I did consider giving up on it & changing to an easier topic.  This was mostly due to there being SO MUCH info & having to eliminate & really focus on what's most crucial to cover in such a short time.  BUT I stuck with it & made it work.  I also learned A LOT about organics/conventional foods along the way that has been valuable to me.  My teacher was REALLY impressed.  I got an A.  My teacher made a comment after my speech that struck me as odd.  She told me that I did really open her eyes, that she had always viewed an organic lifestyle as an "all or nothing" thing.  And I had touched on prioritizing & choosing what types of foods you wanted to make sure are organic.  I remember thinking how odd, why on earth would someone think it's an "all or nothing" thing.

Fastforward to current time.  I'm not an Oprah fan, I rarely watch her show.  I used to REALLY dislike her I must say.  But then I realized it's not really HER that irritates me, it's the way the general public hangs on her every word & follows whatever she says.  That's what irritates me.  And I have to admit that's not really HER fault.  She does try to use her influential name to do good & I know if I was her in position I'd do the same thing.  Occasionally I see that she has an interesting guest (Michael Pollan for example) or topic & I will DVR it & watch it.  She recently had an episode where Oprah & some of her staff went vegan for one week.  I thought it sounded interesting, so I DVR'd it & watched it.  I can't remember the name of the lady who was running the whole "vegan for one week" campaign.  But she wrote a book called "The Veganist", that much I do remember.  I don't agree with her on everything, but I was absolutely blown away when she said that her husband is "veganish".  You see, at home he eats her vegan cooking, but if he eats out he eats whatever he wants. 

Now I must say that I first learned of vegans back when I read "The Gradual Vegetarian".  I have always known that I could NEVER be vegan because I can't give up honey.  Not just because I like honey, which I do, but I also use honey in medicinal ways that I could never give up.  And so, because of this, I have NEVER pursued being a vegan.  But after watching this Oprah show I suddenly realize that being vegan doesn't HAVE to be an "all or nothing" thing.  That is exactly how I've viewed it all these years, without even realizing I was viewing it that way.  And that's what reminded me of my speech teacher.  At this point in my life I would also have to say that I cannot give up my whey protein shakes.  You see, the older I get the slower my body recovers.  I first started working out when I was 19 & I NEVER used protein shakes or any sort of recovery system for my body after a workout.  My body just naturally recovered quickly on it's own.  But once I got into my 30s I started finding that my body's recovery was slowing down.  And so I did some homework & I now ALWAYS have a whey protein shake immediately after my workout.  I know there are other types of protein shakes out there, but my body responds best to whey.  I have no plans to stop using my whey protein shakes.

Last August or September I returned to my vegetarian ways once again, for a wide variety of reasons.  And now I am definitely looking more & more into vegan options.  I don't like being legalistic, so I'm not holding myself to a super strict vegetarian rule.  If I see meat & want it I will eat it.  I have to admit that since September this has only happened a couple of times & each time when I taste it I am soooo disappointed & don't even finish it, LOL. 

"The Gradual Vegetarian" also touches on macrobiotics.  Back when I was  a teen a lot of the ingredients were too hard to find & it all seemed a little too far from mainstream eating for me to pursue.  But as the years have gone by I keep stumbling on macrobiotics & am becoming more & more interested.  So I plan to also continue to learn more about it & incorporate it's ways into my diet as well. 

So that's all, just some health/food rambling for today.....

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY, Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Outside my window...it's a beautiful, in the 60s

I am thinking...about my busy week ahead, trying to get caught up on things I've been putting off

I am thankful for...facebook, how awesome it is to find old lost friends

From the learning rooms...still daily Bible study with Lil J--need to pull out the crayons sometime this week

From the kitchen...made some halibut last night for dinner & have enough left over for tonight too, hubby LOVED it

I am wearing...a red tshirt, black jeans, & socks (finally got new jeans!  I was down to only one pair!)

I am creating...?? still lacking here, I need to pull out crayons for Lil J this week to make up for this!

I am going...to MOPS tomorrow & to a park to meetup with some local homeschooling moms on Thursday

I am reading...the kind diet & worldliness

I am hoping...my knee fully recovers

I am hearing...Lil J playing

Around the house...need to do some extra cleaning this week, the baseboards are looking a tad dusty

One of my favorite things...getting out of the house, sometimes I feel like a prisoner

A few plans for the rest of the week: MOPS, park, house cleaning

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I would love to have one of these chairs :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/



FOR TODAY, Tuesday February 1, 2011.




Outside my window… it's beautiful but a tad chilly


I am thinking… about what I need to get done for the rest of the week



I am thankful for… God, who handles everything, every last detail of everything every second of every day



From the learning rooms… still daily Bible reading & Bible study with Lil J; I've been learning lots about homeschooling lately & I am very pleased about that


From the kitchen…gonna make Jack Daniels chicken tonight :)


I am wearing… a royal blue top with crocheted cut outs & a white cami underneath, jeans, & socks


I am creating… a notebook full of notes on homeschooling info, so when we're ready to go I have what I need & I know exactly where to find it

I am going… to take Lil J to the OC Zoo tomorrow :)

I am reading… I have 2 books on their way here from amazon--the kind diet & worldliness--still waiting for these.........

I am hearing… Lil J playing


Around the house… today is my laundry marathon, crazy crazy day


A few of my favorite things…reconnecting with old lost friends on facebook :)


A few plans for the rest of the week: finish laundry, go to OC zoo, get my MRI, clean my house


I am praying… for my church, the govt, my family, & lots of friends & extended families & lots of little ones

Today's Ramblings--a wide variety

While I know that we can never remove ALL the toxins around us we can definitely take steps to REDUCE those toxins & thereby improve our health.  One of the greatest books I've read: Not Just a Pretty Face really impacted me in this regard.  It made me stop & think about what I was putting ON my body as well as what I was putting IN my body.  I recommend the book highly.  And since reading that book I've been using natural products--soap, shampoo, makeup, etc.  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to READ LABELS--your food, your cosmetics, toiletries, etc--READ THE LABELS & do some research on those ingredients & decide for yourself if you really want to continue to use that product. 

But I have to admit that buying those products (at Henry's, Whole Foods, & Mother's Market) can get expensive.  Enter vitacost.  I love this online company.  They offer a wide range of products.  In addition to toiletry items they also offer supplements.  They offer most of the brands that are available in the health food stores.  And they offer all of these things for less money than the health food stores.  As if that's not enough incentive, we don't pay sales tax when we buy from them & we do pay it in the health food stores.  And shipping is a flat rate of $4.99.  They do offer more rapid shipping for more money, but don't waste your money, they ship FAST, as long as the item is in stock.  I recently ordered on a Sunday night & my shipment arrived Tuesday morning.  This company is phenomenal.

I also wanted to ramble regarding a new product I am buying from Vitacost.  It's from a company called "amazing grass".  My diet always falls short on fruits before anything else.  And I do often fall short on veggies as well.  So I decided to look for one of those green powder drinks to try out.  After doing a lot of comparing I decided on one from the amazing grass company.  They do have several to choose from, but this is the one I chose: Amazing Grass Berry & Greens.  I also liked that they offer 2 for kids, a chocolate variety & a berry variety.  Now I know my son well enough to know that he'll choose berry over chocolate 10 times out of 10 on any given day.  So I ordered him this: Lil J's Berry Drink. 

I hadn't planned on getting him one, I was really just looking for one for ME, but when I saw that they had them for kids too I suddenly realized what a great idea that is for him, nutrition-wise I mean.  It's funny because when I was pregnant I kept imagining myself (later on of course, not while he was still a baby) creating all sorts of healthy drinks for my child.  And it's amazing to me, because my son definitely prefers to DRINK his calories rather than EAT them any given day.  And so I have tried my hardest to make sure he's getting good nutrition in his drinks, especially since he's such a picky eater.  I have found that I need to be careful though, at least until he's potty trained.  Some drinks are acidic & will give him a rash.  He has VERY sensitive skin, just like me.  :(   And so I've added this drink daily for him (just as I've done with mine) & he LOVES it (& it's not acidic for him at all).  So he gets that one & his kefir--which are both calorie & nutrition rich.  And then he gets a couple of sippys of diluted juice along with some foods, whatever he is willing to eat at the time.  He's still super picky about what he's willing to eat & it varies on a daily basis.  Hubby has finally seen the full extint of this now that he's been here all week.  I know he thought I was exaggerating before now. 

I do know that they make pediasure, but all those drinks like that, geared for a variety of age groups & health situations, I refuse to buy.  I, personally, do not think they are healthy.  I truly believe you can make  far healthier drinks on your own.  It makes me sad to see people turn to those drinks.  And I know they have their reasons, but I promise you "I" will never buy those for myself or my loved ones.  They are so processed & synthetic it's ridiculous.  They are made by the people who believe nutrition is simply science & they know everything about that science.  I sooooo dislike that mindset.  If you have a loved one that is using those types of drinks PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider making them some really healthy nutrition & calorie rich drinks yourself & take them to them.  At least try.  It could make all the difference in the world for them.

I guess that's all I have to ramble about today--touched a little on the importance of what we put ON our bodies & praised vitacost.com & Lil J's nutrition, a well rounded blog me thinks.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/



FOR TODAY, Tuesday January 25, 2011.



Outside my window… it's a gorgeous day, in in the upper 70s-low 80's

I am thinking… about what else I need to get done today


I am thankful for… my husband--more & more with each passing day


From the learning rooms… still focusing on Bible study & Bible reading on a daily basis; I feel like it has made such a change in me & my attitude


From the kitchen…still LOVING my crock pot & using it almost every day! I've got Spanish Chicken & Rice cooking in it right now.


I am wearing… a brown/multi colored top with a tan cami underneath & jeans


I am creating… lots of paperwork for one of our lawyers.....uuggghhhh, not at all the type of creativity I enjoy

I am going… to workout each morning for the rest of the week, & to clean my house tomorrow morning


I am reading… I have 2 books on their way here from amazon--the kind diet & worldliness


I am hearing… Lil J playing & hubby talking on the phone


Around the house… today is my laundry marathon, crazy crazy day


A few of my favorite things…spending time with my hubby :)


A few plans for the rest of the week: house cleaning & a trip to the bank


I am praying… for my church, the govt, my family, & lots of friends & extended families & lots of little ones

21 month updates on Lil J

So Lil J is now 21 months old.  It feels like the 2 year mark is RIGHT around the corner now.  But of course it's still 3 months away.

He now weighs 29 lbs (50-75%), he is 34" tall (50-75%), & has a head circumference of 20" (>95%).

I don't think there's a whole lot of new info this month, no major drastic changes to report, but he seems to still be learning a lot these days.  He's still thinking a lot & learning quickly.  He learns new things almost every day.  His comprehension is very good, probably much better than we even realize.  And more & more these days he is following commands.  Most of the time I just ask him to do things just to see if he understands or not.

His vocabulary is growing rapidly as well.  He now has more words & 2-3 word phrases as well.  I don't think I can even recall all of his words & phrases.  And he seems to go through phases where he says something over & over & over & then he'll stop saying it for a while & later on he'll start it up again.  For example, a while back he kept saying "nose" while pointing at his nose.  He'd say it over & over.  Then he suddenly stopped saying it, he didn't say it at all, not even if we encouraged it.  He didn't say it for at least a few weeks.  And then suddenly just a few days ago he started saying it again.  I assume this is normal. 

He still watches us very closely & tries to immitate many things he sees us doing.  And he LOVES to help.  When I'm cleaning he wants to clean too.  When I'm folding laundry he will keep handing me the next piece of clothing to be folded.  He's still very OCD & a neat freak.  One night he was hanging out in big sister's room & I went to check on him & he was picking up trash on her floor & putting it in the trash can for her, LOL!  She swears she didn't teach him that, he just does it.  (big sister & big brother are not neat freaks at all like mommy & daddy are, LOL)

I think that's all the updates I have for now.  Until next month......

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/



FOR TODAY, Tuesday January 18, 2011.



Outside my window… it's a gorgeous day!  It's been in the upper 70s-low 80s lately, but I'm pretty sure it's at least a tad cooler today.  And it's supposed to drop back to low 70s starting tomorrow.

I am thinking… about all the preparations I need to have in place for Thursday

I am thankful for… my husband--he's so amazing & awesome

From the learning rooms… still focusing on Bible study & Bible reading on a daily basis; I feel like it has made such a change in me & my attitude

From the kitchen…still LOVING my crock pot & using it almost every day!  Yesterday I made a Mexican Chicken Soup in it for hubby cuz he's been under the weather with a bad cold.  Last night I left it cooking garbanzo beans cuz I want to try to make falafel.  And right now I'm poaching chicken in it for Chicken Tortilla Soup on Thursday.  How did I ever live without my crock pot????

I am wearing… a brown top with a pink cami underneath, jeans, socks

I am creating… I'm feeling very creative with my new recipe blog, I'm enjoying it so much more than I had thought I would

I am going… to finish off my current workout plan--I'm in week 2 of doing the slim in 6 program.  I've had the DVDs for many years & have used them, along with the slim series, off & on.  But I was feeling really unfit, had stopped strength training several months back, so decided to kick-start this plan & get myself back in shape.  I know it takes me 12 weeks before I really feel fit, so this will only take care of the first half of that.  After that I'm not exactly sure yet, but will definitely be using the slim series.  The only change I've made is that I'm committing to do it 4 days/week, when I know it's designed to be done 6 days/week.  But 6 days/week is just not doable & I'd rather set up my plan at 4 than be disappointed in my failure every week.  And I guarantee you 4 days/week is better than NONE or even than 2 or 3.  At the end of the 12 weeks I'll set up my maintenance plan, which is usually only 2-3 days/week of working out.

I am reading… still haven't finished the 5 love language of your children book, but am also reading some homeschooling magazines & fitness & parenting (I got free subscriptions to them)

I am hearing… the lid on the crock pot jiggling around

Around the house… today is my laundry marathon, busy, busy, busy

A few of my favorite things…going for walks, working out, reading

A few plans for the rest of the week: setting everything up for Thursday & maybe some grocery shopping on Friday

I am praying… for Gideon's saturation week, my church, my govt, my family & lots of friends

Children & their weaknesses (health-wise)

I have no idea if there have been any studies done or if there is any proof behind what I'm saying.  But it seems to me that each of us all have an area of weakness health-wise.  In some cases it seems to be  moreso in a child & at some point they outgrow it, but in other cases it seems to come on later in life & even continue into adulthood.  And in some cases it begins in childhood & continues throughout adulthood.

When I was a child I don't remember having a tendency towards respiratory issues.  But I do remember when I was in junior high I got a REALLY bad case of bronchitis.  They diagnosed it as bronchitis, but I would actually argue that it had spread into pneumonia, given how sick I was.  And from that point on if I got sick I would end up with respiratory issues & it the cough would last for a really long time (sometimes well over a month, even with antibiotics).

I know I struggled with chronic ear infections, beginning at the age of 1 week old.  Those continued into my early 20s & then suddenly stopped.  Praise God, those were sooooo incredibly painful.  By the time I was a teen I remember docs telling me that I should've had tubes put in my ears as a young child.  So nice that nobody bothered to mention that back then.

And then there's UTIs (urinary tract infections).  I believe my first one was at the age of 6 or so.  And I still struggle with these even today.  That's been a life-long battle for me.  I have found some great natural preventions & remedies, so I don't have to take antibiotics as often as I used to, but occasionally it does get past me & it does progress to the point of needing antibiotics.

So there are three different examples (all of me) of medical weaknesses that I have had inclinations toward & have fought with.  But I know I'm not alone, I see it in others plenty as well.

My stepson was born prematurely.  He has always been the first one to get sick in the family.  He gets sick very easily & he always has a tendency towards respiratory issues when he gets sick.  I have heard from other people that premies always have respiratory issues, so it does make sense to me.

My Lil J is already showing digestive issues.  I do believe we are going to see many years of digestive issues with him.  He loves yogurt, he loves kefir, I've given him lots of probiotics on top of that as well.  And yet diarrhea is still an issue for him.  Aside from one time when he was sneezing & very stuffy all his other issues have been digestive, mostly being diarrhea.  I will forever wonder if it's somehow related to me taking antibiotics during my pregnancy &/or during labor.  But of course I will never know for sure.  I do also tend to think that his food allergies/intolerances could simply be a digestive issue, that he's somehow not assimilating & digesting certain foods properly.

And I know I've seen cases like that in other people, I know me & my family are not the only ones. 

I, personally, am planning & gearing up to try to find ways to strengthen Lil J's digestive system naturally, so we can hopefully put an end to the diarrhea battles sooner rather than later.

Bible study & reading

I spent many years as a Christian thinking my Christian walk was a balance of 4 things: reading my Bible, worshipping God, prayer, & fellowshipping with other Christians.  That 4th one was never really very high on my list of importance, but I did feel it was somewhat important & I did feel strongly that the other 3 should be balanced out as much as possible. 

It always seemed like I could never keep them balanced.  I would go through phases where I would be worshipping God a lot & doing very little of the other 2.  And it would rotate around & the one that dominated would vary at times.  And yet I always felt discouraged thinking that was wrong.  Thinking that they needed to remain in balance.

Now I do still think those things are important.  But while we were fellowshipping at Harvest Christian Fellowship they kept going on & on about being in your Bible DAILY, every single day.  Every chance they got they'd be pushing that info on people.  It seemed to come from every angle.  And the more involved we got in the church the more we felt it coming at us.  Prior to that point I would regularly read my Bible at least twice a week, but it was usually more.  But their insistance on DAILY reading made me really ponder on the importance of Bible reading.

I am a book worm, have been for as long as I can remember.  So maybe I'm not one who needs someone shoving down my throat to read more.  But just because I don't need it doesn't mean that others don't also.  In this day & age flashy technology is always tempting people away from books it seems.  In the younger generation there is a universal opinion regarding reading as "boring" & "old-fashioned" & "outdated".  And more & more adults are following that path as they are overwhelmed with all the flashy technology.

Who has time to read the newspaper, or magazines?  Especially when you can get all the info online, or on TV?  Only a true book worm will seek out the old-fashioned print forms in this day & age it seems.

Being a book worm it makes me really sad to see people not enjoy books & not even give them enough time to discover what they're missing.  To me a book is sooo much better than any movie.  The only reason I enjoy watching a movie is because I get to sit & cuddle with my hubby while doing so.  About the only time I watch movies is if I'm sick & too de-energized to focus on reading.

So reading in general is an awesome thing that people are missing out on in my opinion.  But I suppose reading is still quite "optional" in life, unless of course you call yourself a Christian.  As a Christian you absolutely cannot not read your Bible.  And this is what I see in the younger generation.  People are forgetting God's Word.  How can God speak to them?  How can they call themselves a Christian if they don't even know what it means?  You can't just rely on what your pastor tells you or other people tell you. 

Of course I think this is precisely how satan wants things to be, but I think it's very sad & very very detrimental for those headed in that path. 

I will admit that while I was still working outside the home (working 12-13 hour shifts at a time) I was never able to fit in Bible reading on the days that I worked.  But I only worked 2-4 days per week.  I'm sure there was a way to do it, but I was never able to master it.  So I know it can be hard.  I'm not trying to judge anyone, especially someone who is trying as hard as I was back when I was still working outside the home.  But now that I am a SAHM I read my Bible every single day & read it to my toddler son also.  He will be taught the importance of God's word for sure.  Teaching him the importance of God's Word & creating in him a love & desire of God's Word is really a whole other blog topic, I don't want to stray too far off the topic here.

So reflecting back on what I used to think: yes, I still think worship, prayer, & fellowship are important, very important, but I think I would have to rank Bible reading as even more important.  If you can only do one of those four things, choose Bible reading is what I suggest. 

That's my rambling of the day.........