Gluten free cheesecake yuminess

I adapted this to be gluten free. I found it in the Sunday paper prior to the holidays and decided I HAD to make it. While grocery shopping for Christmas dinner this was the main priority. So much so, that I forgot half of what I needed, but by gosh we were gonna have some cheesecake! Good thing the husband is not afraid of running to the store to fetch the forgotten items. We managed to have a balanced dinner afterall, despite my temporary cheesecake obsession. In my defense, I have not had cheesecake in over a year. It has been just a little over a year living the gluten free lifestyle. So hopefully you can understand my over excitement here! Hope it brings as much eating pleasure to others.

The original recipe called for Oreo cookies for the crust. I used Kinnikinnick - KinniToos Choc. Cream Sandwich Cookies. One little substitution and there's my adaptation :o) Check 'em out here or if you are one of the lucky ones who can partake in the gluten of the world just use Oreos...much easier to come by.

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients
20 Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
4 pkg (8 oz ea) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Sour cream
4 eggs
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled

Preheat oven to 325. Line 13x9 inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 min.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup of the batter; set aside. Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter in large bowl; pour over crust. Top with spoonfuls of remaining 1 cup plain batter; cut through batters with knife several times for swirled effect.

Bake 40 min or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to left cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve. Store in refrigerator.

Another holiday season is almost gone

It was fun while it lasted, but now it is time to resume healthy eating and healthy spending. OMG I have been eating so much yummy junk food. But, all good things must come to an end. It's time for a more balanced diet, as opposed to the non-stop sugar binge I've been on as of late. As for spending...geez you'd think I was Princess Money Bags. I have declared a halt on further spending for as long as I can possibly hold out...which will probably be until March when the next kid birthday rolls around. The worst part of all...soon I will have to *gasp* go back to the office and actually do some work to earn a paycheck. At least I'm already thinking about it so it won't be a total shock once I roll into the office on Jan 2nd.

Home Sweet Home

We just got home from a little getaway. We had a great time, but it's always good to get home. We only travelled 50 miles west from home for 3 days, but it felt like much farther and longer. It was a great little time away. We went to one resort which is all decked out with Christmas decor. It is similar to the San Antonio Texas Riverwalk, but indoors. Which is great since the weather was very cold and rainy for Texas. They also have an ice sculpture exhibit there. We stayed 2 nights there, Christmas night and the next. We then mosied on over to the new attraction across the street...a hotel which resembles a lodge you'd find in the mountains with a waterpark inside. It was great fun for all kids, young and old :) We stayed there one night before heading back to the casa.

Funny story from this adventure....

The first night we all struggled to sleep due to a screaming, crying baby in the adjacent room (this is not the funny part). It was so bad that we were worried the baby was there alone. We soon learned that this was not the case. The parents were just very good at tuning out their baby's needs. The next day we heard a replay of the ongoing co-motion. My wonderful husband trucked on down to the front desk and got us a new room. They let us keep the card key to the old room. So once we were settled into the new digs the boys had a brilliant idea. They wanted to exert their independance and watch t.v. w/o hovering parents in the auxiliary room. We agreed. So my husband and I are hanging out in our room sans monkey boys. The husband, being the kid that he is, decides to prank call the boys. He rings up their room. The eldest monkey boy answers....'Hi this is Bill from guest services. I wanted to ensure the room is vacant before we clean it'. On the other end he hears 'It is! *click*'. We are laughing hysterically because we know they are gonna show up instantly. I try to call...no answer. Then we hear *knock knock knock* on the door. He opens the door to find two VERY wide eyed monkey boys. haha That was priceless.



Eating at the River Walk-esque resturant...this explains where the term of endearment 'monkey boys' comes from. AND before anyone questions...they are drinking water!



Monkey boys doing what they do best! See what I'm talking about?



Nothing says Texas Christmas like a Longhorn Santa!!!!



Ice, Ice Baby!!! Isn't he just the cutest?!? The other one is the cutest too, but he just wasn't in the frame!



Yep they are tired of pictures...note the fake smile.



That is ALL ice...so cool.



On to the next tourist trap....see these wands? Step away from the wands if you ever visit The Great Wolf Lodge. OMG....they are the ultimate rip off. But, they'll entertain the kids...



Who'da thunk it.....a waterpark indoors?!?



Indoors...not dealing with the elements! Cool, Huh?



Yep complete with exhiarating slides and all. The eldest monkey boy and I were swirling around in that green and white stripped jobbie there! Awesome fun...we had to do it twice.



Not the best picture, but this is the outside area of the tornado. The eldest monkey boy, the husband and I were out here swirling around on this. It was great fun. I can't wait to do it again.

Not so intuitive afterall!

Luckily there was no intuition going on....the boys are home safe and happy! Couldn't ask for anything more.

Intuition?

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm having a difficult time while my boys are visiting their bio. dad. I have this crazy fear that he's going to hurt them or hide them from me. I believe he's no longer thinking about me like he used to. He used to be obsessed with me and obsessed with exacting revenge on me. He spent a great deal of energy stalking me, finding the meanest, most hurtful things to say to me, threatening me, scaring me, etc. These are no longer his hobbies. He has moved on. He has remarried. So why do I still have these fears. I used to just dismiss them as they would pop into my head realizing it's just habit to worry like this and trust that they'd be ok. What else can I do. It's his right to see the boys. They enjoy going to see him. So I put my big girl panties on and deal with it. But, the other day as I was painting our office not even thinking about the boys really, I had this thought 'those boys are never coming home'. *shock* It was like some sort of intuition. I had the same type of thought weeks before I went to the doctor to find that the fetus in my womb didn't have a heartbeat. The thought played in my head 'we lost the baby'. So needless to say this freaked me out when this came true last time and now I'm having a similar thought but about the boys. So could this be some type of premonition or intuition? Or is it just old programming from the monster who happens to be the boys bio dad. He used to threaten me with the boys when we were still married. This is one thing that kept me from divorcing him sooner. I was scared of what he would do to the boys. I honestly feared he'd take them away, hide them, hurt them...anything to hurt me. So I was programmed to have this fear, which worked in his favor for quite some time. I wonder if that is the source of this? As for the pregnancy loss, I did have some concerns in the beginning, but by the 10th week I felt everything was ok and was no longer worried. So I still think those thoughts show that on some level I knew something wasn't right. Is that Intuition?

Under 'the mask'

Unfortunately, you have to always be aware of the mask a person could be wearing. They could be young or old, man or woman. They wear different masks for different reasons. It could be a person with a mask of a helpful friend, until you really need help. When action is needed to back up those words the mask comes off. You realize they were just words. I believe the most hurtful, life changing, devastating example of this would be the person I chose to have children with. He chose to wear a mask and fool me into thinking he was a different person. He wore the mask of someone I could spend the rest of my life with, that could be my partner and that I would have children with. Slowly pieces of his mask began to fall off. The most revealing was the night before I was to go in to the hospital for the birth of my second son. I knew at that moment something had to be done. But, it took a few more years for me to see this unmasked side come out and be strong enough to actually take the steps. The day I filed for divorce his mask came completely off and I was scared. I had actually been married to a monster and had children with him. I used to say that I had been married to the devil himself and didn't know it. He was abusive to me most of our marriage. I was in denial because he would always put the mask back on. It made it difficult for me to believe what had just happened. I didn't want it to be true so I conveniently lived in denial. He stalked me for years after the divorce. He tormented me and used the love I have for my children against me. He tried to turn them against me by telling them lies. He actually had my oldest son really confused for a while. Due to him not following the court orders for visitation he lost his visitation rights for 2 years. He did not see them from the summer of 2005 until the summer of 2007. I think these 2 years were critical in rebuilding my relationship with my oldest son. I don't believe he'll be confused about me again. He's old enough and wise enough to decipher the truth from the lies. But, the monster has regained visitation.

Now since I was not aware of 'the mask' back in 1995 two of the most important people in my life are with the person I dislike and distrust the most for a Christmas visit. It's very hard for me to not worry about them. Over the years he has threatened so many times to take them from me that I still have a fear that he will follow through with that. I try to keep myself busy and just trust that on December 23rd at noon they are where they are supposed to be so that I can bring them home where they belong.

Pace yourself woman!

Ok, apparently I have an issue with pacing myself. Really, I know this. I wake up and have a to-do list a mile long. I usually plan to get done in one day what should realistically take a few or more. For example, today my plans were to touch up the paint in our office. I painted it at the end of September, but circumstances beyond my control prevented me from finishing it up. I also planned to do an upper body weight work out. I wanted to bake a quiche for breakfast. Getting laundry caught up was also part of the plan (only a couple loads). In Septemeber we also bought new furniture for the office. It still sits in our garage half assembled. This was also on the agenda. Finally, I wanted to make a trip to the health food store to pick up some gluten free cookies to use in a recipe for Christmas.

It's 4:11pm and I have so far....
1.) Did my upper body weight workout
2.) Baked the breakfast quiche
3.) Washed one load of laundry (it still hasn't made it to the dryer yet)
4.) Touched up the paint in the office

Soooooo the furniture assembly and trip to the health food store still remains on the list. Depending on how late they are open I may still make it to the health food store. But, I think I have to accept that the furniture will remain as is until tomorrow. A lot of my issue is underestimating how long it will take me to complete each task. The other issue is I'd like to believe I'm She-Ra. Wonder if this is a woman thing? My partner who is of the male persuasion is much better at this type of planning.

Pictures to follow of the new and improved office.

Sugar in excess

My monkey boys had the best, sugar overloaded, party day at school today. Their parties were timed in such a way that I was able to participate in both. The youngest had PJ's and pancakes for the theme. So they had pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, hot chocolate, sugar, sugar, sugar!! I looked over at him at one point and asked him if he was wired on sugar. He said 'Mayyybeeee' with a wild sugar induced look. Next I found myself with my eldest watching him consume large amounts of junk as well. Then it was the gift exchange. Apparently Axe products are all the rage with the 6th grade boys! Who'da thunk it. But, I guess they do need to begin to tame that wild smell for the girlies they are starting to notice *sigh* It was so much fun watching them interact in their daily environment with all their friends and teachers. But, I will be glad for the end of the holidays so we can go back to normal amounts of sugar consumption. It seems we have been on a sugar diet since Thanksgiving...it's been one event and excuse for sugar after another.

9 years ago today

The cutest little blue eyed baby boy was born on this day 9 years ago and I'm lucky enough to be his mom. From birth until he was about a year old there seemed to be an issue of some sort with this little guy. First his cord was wrapped around him which caused quite a scare. Then he had so much congestion that they had to take him to the nursery and suction him out so he could breath right. I didn't get to see him for the first few hours of his life because of this. Then once we were home he became very jaundiced. He had to be wrapped in a glowing blanket which made him look like a little glow worm. Daily a nurse would come over to take blood to test his billirubin levels by taking blood from his heel. He was none too happy about this activity. All this going on around Christmas time. Next was the scare that he had club feet, off to Scottish Rite we went. My pediatrician was being overly cautious and it was only the way he was scrunched up in utero and his feet were fine. They just needed a little time to stretch out. At this same time it was also noted that his frenulum which secures his tongue to the floor of his mouth was short. It's often referred to as a tongue tie. It caused him no feeding issues so it was left alone at this time. All this and my baby was less than a week old! *whew* Exhausting while caring for a 2-1/2 year old at the same time and a baby-ass man who might as well have been a 3rd child. Next major ordeal came at less than 6 weeks old when he ran a fever higher than they 'like to see', off to Children's Hospital we go. They suspected spinal meningitis. This entailed blood draw, urine gathered via a catheter and a spinal tap. The spinal tap sent him into shock. The tech handed my baby back to me and I could have sworn he was dead. He was white as a ghost and limp. OMG! Everyone cleared the room except someone cleaning up. I immediately ordered him to get the doctor. The doctor returned and gave him fluids in his already hooked up IV (thank God). It took some time, but he returned to normal. They finally sent us home about 5am. All the results weren't back yet so they gave him some IV antibiotics just in case and sent us home as there were no beds available. *sigh* All of that for nothing...everything came back normal. But, I'd rather have tested than not and then he ended up having spinal meningitis. That was a life changing experience though. I really started looking at what was important. My job, that up to that point, I had given most of my energy to became secondary. My family was my new focus. At 3 months old this little baby would not hold his head up when he was pulled to sitting position. This was yet another alarm. We did a CAT scan and various tests to determine he had hypotonia (low muscle tone). But, prior to this diagnosis I was scared to death 'cause it could have meant so much more. Luckily 12 months of physical therapy made all the difference for him. The final major issue with him was at 14 months old he wasn't uttering a word. Upon further examination he had fluid behind his eardrum and wasn't hearing much. He had tubes put in and at the same time had his tongue tie clipped to avoid any possible speech problems. Within a week he started saying those words every mommy wants to hear, 'mama'. From then on he has just been nothing but fantastic. It was a rough first year, but now he is the brightest 9 year old around. He's also turned out to be athletic, not a sign of low muscle tone. He is also very healthy.

I have to say though, he's probably got my strange luck. Somehow a bug flew at his eye and a piece of the wing broke off and embedded itself by his iris. So today, on his 9th birthday, he had to see the opthamologist about it. She numbed his eye and removed the foreign object!!! In his courageous style he sat still and let the doctor take care of what had to be taken care of.

I'm so proud of my cute little blue eyed monkey boy :)

ETA: It may seem as if I wasn't so proud until the rough year was over. I felt it should be said, I thought he was perfect from the moment I saw him.

If it's not one thing, it's your mother

I have serious 'mother' issues. Actually, my mother has serious issues which causes me to have issues with her. I have tried over the years to just accept her for who she is and love her 'cause she's my mother. But, finally I realized in doing so I was sacrificing my own values. The values I have for the way I treat others and expect to be treated in return.

A little history....my mother and father divorced when I was really young, about 3 years old. By the time I was 4 she married my abusive, alcoholic step father. My father died when I was 9 years old. My grandmother who I was very close to died 3 years later when I was 12. That same year my mother divorced the aforementioned abusive, alcoholic step father. So by the time I was 13 I had serious teen hormones and issues. My mother never spoke of my father's or my grandmother's death. She never took me to visit their graves. These are 2 very important people that I lost as a child, unable to make sense of any of it. I was left to my own devices to figure it all out. The result was a child that learned to stuff all her feelings down and never speak of them. I learned that it was not ok to discuss these things. If I ever brought them up it was made very clear that she would not discuss them with me. Along with losing my father, I lost all of his family as well. I never spoke to another family member after his funeral. This would prove to be another subject my mother would not discuss with me. All through my teen years I struggled. I started doing drugs, skipping school just acting out. I was starved for attention. All of this was going on while my mother was consumed with dating. She left me home alone most nights. Her main goal was to find a man. My mother tried to pawn me off on anyone she could. She sent me to a program for girls with psychological issues. It was a 30 day program where we rode on a bus to Big Bend stopping at campsites along the way. We ultimately ended up at Big Bend where we hiked and camped. During this 30 days we had 24/7 counseling. It didn't work. Then she tried more drastic measures and sent me to a camp for girls with psychological issues. I lived in a tent that was built from trees we cut down. We cooked over an open fire. We cut down trees and chopped our own wood for cooking and various projects around our campsite. It was very primitive living. This also consisted of 24/7 counseling. We went to school year round. I lived there for 1-1/2 years. We would get to go home 1 weekend a month. Once I got a chance to go home in addition to this 1 weekend for good behavior. I didn't get to because my mother was going to be on a ski trip with her boyfriend. Once I got home I was a different person. I hated to be indoors. I would sit outside on our back patio and do my homework. I thought more about my future and didn't just live for today. I was still doing drugs, but not as much. I was really working on making good grades at school. I had so many credits that I was able to take 3 classes a day and participate in the work program. I would leave before lunch and go to my job as a waitress at the pizza joint close to my home. My mother even as I was being a better kid tried to pawn me off on her best friend and her husband. I lived with them for 2 weeks. Every day I called my mom begging her to let me come home. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I stayed with them. They were so kind to take me in like they did. They were willing to take me in at 16 and treat me like one of their own. Finally, after weeks of begging I was able to go back home. I had a really bad experience the summer after I graduated with drugs and vowed to never touch them again. This was a turning point in my life. From that point on I began making positive changes in my life. Every year I became a better person.

When I was 25 I read a life changing book 'You Can Heal Your Life'. I had a true epiphany. Oprah refers to this as an 'aha moment'. I had one. The premise of the book is that you are in control of your life. It doesn't matter what has happened to you in your past or who did what to you. You are the one that controls your future. I followed the principals in this book and over time discovered that it was completely true. Ironically enough, my mother gave me this book. After I read it I wanted her and my sister to have the same epiphany. I bought them each a copy and spoke to them about the principals and how they worked and raved about how wonderfully empowering it was. They never had the same aha moment.

My mother and my sister love to wallow in their own self pity. Over the years I have tried to help them both. They don't want my help. I believe they have grown resentful of me for it.

My mother has always favored my sister. She never once tried to pawn her off. I always just accepted this. In 1996 my first son was born. Immediately I noticed the same favortism shown to my niece who was 13 months old. I had accepted whatever crumb of affection my mother threw my way, but when it came to my son, that wasn't gonna fly. So when he was a year old I confronted her with the favoritism. She didn't speak to me for 6 months. She missed his second Christmas. By Easter I could not stand it anymore and I called her. Of course acting like nothing had ever happened. That's the only way I'd be thrown more crumbs. I decided that this was just how she was and I would have to accept it. This continued for years. Favoritism towards my sister and my niece. She would always explain that she helped my sister more 'cause she was a single mom. Ok...sure...that sounds like a good excuse. Well then it so happened that I was divorced and now a single mom. I needed her help. I called her up to ask her to watch my boys for me. I was going to bring them to her on my way to work and pick them up on my way home. As I hear my niece in the background squealing she tells me no. Again, I asked her why she would watch her and not my boys when I needed it. She quickly told me she was not going to argue with me and thanked me for ruining her night. After that all I heard was *click* Again we went a really long time without speaking. I again was the one to call her up after a great amount of time passed and acted like nothing was wrong. This happened 2 more times and I have finally decided that I just can't sacrifice my values to have a relationship with my mother. It is very sad to me. I think of her daily and wish it were different. But, it just isn't.

Now I could sit around and feel sorry for myself, because I have absolutely no extended family. I have had terrible tragedies in my life. I have struggled. I have been treated bad. Instead I choose to celebrate the wonderful things in my life. My husband who is gorgeous, kind, considerate, intelligent, loving, fun and damn good in the sack. My children who are very loving, bright, kind, intelligent and fun. My career. Although it's not fulfilling right now I have hope that it will be in the future. It has allowed me to provide for myself and my family very well. My dogs who are loyal, loving and playful. I have so many things in life to celebrate. I am very proud of myself that despite all of this I have raised 2 very well adjusted children, have a great relationship with my husband and a high paying job that makes me think. I just look at the bumps in the road as lessons which have made me stronger.

Jacked up dental hygiene

Ok, 'jacked up' is my youngest monkey boy's favorite new saying. Soooo since this is all about him I thought I'd use his new favorite phrase. He has some serious jacked up dental hygiene. Myself or the wonderful Step Dad will say 'Did you brush your teeth?' The boy will reply 'Yes'. Later in the day we will get a gander at said boy's teeth and notice that there is no way those teeth have been brushed the previous day much less that day! On my weekly Wal Mart beating I was so excited to find a tooth brush that plays a song for 2 minutes to encourage good brushing habits. I read the package and it sounded like just what my boy needs. So I scooped up 2 (to be fair) and went on my merry way. When I presented the wonderful purchse to the offspring my eldest starts questioning what song it plays. THAT never even crossed my mind. I assumed it was some catchy tune to keep the brushin' goin'. Upon close examination the song is not in our native language, rather it's in Spanish. Unfortunately, in this casa we are not bilingual. Remember, I read the package, not a single word en español (well excpet for the tiny song name that I didn't see). Who'da thought the song would be. But, good thing my monkey boys have a good sense of humor and they are brusing away. So far so good with the youngest. He brushed this morning without being asked. One down, many more brushing days to go.

Check it out they have many songs to choose from. Mabye they'll get a stocking stuffer with a song they know Tooth Tunes

Dilbert and Reality

This is my life. I'm in agile hell. My career doesn't bring me the fulfillment it used to. Here it is, another Sunday and I'm thinking about going back to the agile environment. To create a visual...I now sit in a big room with 6 big tables. We each have enough space for our computer. There are 2 phones in the room that are shared by the 9 of us. I'm the only female. I'm one of 2 Americans. The remainder are from India. There is no privacy. You can't so much as crunch an apple without the whole room being disturbed. But, it's not alllll doom and gloom. I will exist in this environment for 3 more days. I then begin my 20 day vacation!!! The first quarter of 2008 bring a couple of other opportunities that may pan out which would save me from this environment that doesn't seem to fit me. If neither of these work out I will have to consider more drastic measures.





And this cartoon from today is an example of my former reality. It certainly seems as though Scott Adams lurks the halls of my office. I have heard these exact words that I would not be held to the estimate. At least I had the foresight to not provide any number to the person standing at my desk tapping their foot. I saw many before me held accountable for any number that managed to escape their lips during such inquisition. Again, this was my former reality....it was the facade of me having input into deadlines. Now, deadlines are assigned and just passed down to me from people who have no clue what it takes to acheive said deadline.

I plan to spend 20 days deciding what I want to be when I grow up....not sure this is it.

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Health

I think my idea of health is very different from most people I know. I have a very high standard for my health. I think I should feel good all the time without any help from a pain reliever, antihistamine, decongestant, antidepressant or any drug for that matter. Most of the people I am around are happy to make it through a day. Usually making it through the day also involves at least one or two of the above mentioned pills. This high standard for my own health has led me down a path of much resistance. I have also come to learn that our health care industry is not really interested in us being well. If we were well that would negatively affect their pocketbooks. The pharmaceutical industries pocketbooks would be similarly affected.

After the birth of my second son I found myself with a low functioning thyroid. I went to several doctors. Each one tried to prescribe me some type of antidepressant. I just had a baby so I had to be suffering from postpartum depression. No I was depressed because I gained 20 lbs in a very short period of time, my damn hair was falling out and I had the energy level of a sloth. Hello?? I don't need antidepressants. I did finally find a doctor who recognized that my thyroid was not functioning normally. My numbers were not dramatically low, but they were low for me. I believe there is a time and a place for medicine. For me, now was the time and the place. I began taking Armour thyroid which was supposed to be the most natural way to go pharmaceutically. My thyroid remained balanced according to my doctor with this medication for 7 years. But, I still never felt really well. I went to my doctor many times and I was the healthiest sick feeling person ever. She never found anything from a medical test that would point to my ill feelings: extreme fatigue, numbness in my hands, stiff neck, ringing in my ears, inability to lose weight (the same 20lbs I gained after the birth of my second son). After much experimenting and researching I learned of gluten and it's impact on most peoples health. I learned that mercury in amalgam (silver) fillings negatively affect your health. I also found a doctor that looked at thyroid testing differently. He looked at my numbers and decided that I needed T4 supplementation. The Armour thyroid I had been taking only provided T3. I have eaten a gluten free diet for over a year now. I've been taking the additional T4 supplementation for 3 months. I also had my amalgam (silver) fillings removed. I went through 2 IV chelation treatments to remove heavy metals from my body. I now have energy, my hands no longer go numb, I still have some ringing in my ears, but it has gotten much better and I'm losing weight. Why did it take me so long to put all these pieces of the puzzle together?

There is a lot of talk of health care reform. I believe our health care should be reformed to really focus on health and preventative care. Patients need guidance to maintain health. If they do become ill they need guidance in getting their bodies back in balance. They don't always need a prescription to throw their bodies further out of balance. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I would love to figure out how to make a difference in this area. I struggled for so long to just feel well. I wish all doctors would think of all possibilities. Doctor's should teach the importance of nutrition. Most medical doctors are so reluctant to think of alternative treatments. In my case, these 'alternative' treatments are what made the big difference. But, it's a 2 way street. A patient has to truly want to be healthy. They can't just be in the market for another quick fix. It has taken discipline and determination on my part to reach this level of health. I continue to pursue 100% health.

Brrrrrr

Still no word on the CX7. Not sure what's wrong with the ride, but at least I have a loaner if I wanna use it. I chose to not use it today and work from home again. The eldest offspring, monkey boy was certain that this meant we would be getting a new car. Spoiled! The car is only a year old. Crazy kid...you can tell he doesn't pay any bills yet.

I'm trying to adjust to the sporadic temperatures....let's see Sunday it was over 70 degrees. Yesterday we woke up to the 30's. I had turned the heater way down since it was so warm on Sunday. We were all freezing. This morning we wake up to 31 degrees, but I can't get too comfy in that big sweater just yet. It'll be a balmy 71 degrees this afternoon they're saying! What in the ham sandwhich? How is my body supposed to adjust to such extremes. It's December...it should be cold and stay cold. But, this is Texas so maybe that doesn't apply.

Done ranting about the weather for today. I'm off to cook some breakfast. Then it's unit testing for me. Tonight I have to help with science fair projects and book reports. I'm sure there will also be a sprinkling of math homework to check as well.

Crazy Train

Yesterday sucked aathhhh. Could have named this post 'roller coaster' too. Hormones....wheeeee. But, today is a new day and all is right in my world again. Back to the regularly scheduled program...

I took my 2 offspring to Petsmart yesterday. They have been wanting to take their poodle there since her birthday in October. We spent way too much money on Christmas presents for all 3 dogs??? What in the world was I thinking. It will make the offspring, monkey boys happy on Christmas day. I guess that's what I was thinking. As you can see from the mug shots above the dogs are often used as a form of entertainment around here. On the way home from that lovely excursion my car decided to make an odd sound, smoke and proceed to smell of burned rubber. Soooo today I will get to take my ride in for a check up. Therefore I'll be working from the casa today and hope to be quite productive doing so.

Patience

The word for today is patience. I will have to summon as much of it as I can possibly muster to make it through the day. I have agreed to watch a friend's children for the night. Her and I have very different parenting styles. Therefore, we have vastly different children. First of all I love children. But, I truly believe children should be taught how to behave and have respect for others. These 2 boys that I'll be watching tonight have not been taught these things. They are starving for attention and have learned to feed on negative attention as opposed to none at all. They have also learned that if they beg enough their parent(s) will eventually give in to their whiny demands. They act much better when they are here with just us and their parents are not around. But, they still stretch my patience to the limit sometimes. I have a low tolerance for whining, bickering and complaining. Can't we all just get along and be happy?? So why am I watching them if it is such a chore.

My friend and her husband have a Christmas party to go to.
She is very kind to watch my boys anytime I need her to.
Just maybe spending time with our family will have a positive impact on their lives.