Just another manic.....Thursday???

Every have one of those mornings?

This is a pretty accurate account of how my morning went.

At approximately the butt crack of dawn, or maybe even sooner, Elizabeth started crying incessantly for some reason (she rarely does this) so I went and got her and brought her to bed with me hoping to God she’d go back to sleep. After about 15 minutes of playing and rolling around, she did.

About the instant she fell asleep and I was starting to doze back off, I felt a heaviness on my legs. I look up in the mostly darkness to see Lucas crawling his way up into my bed, seeing Elizabeth sleeping between Chuck and I and looking extremely offended. That is his spot afterall, doesn’t she know that? I encouraged him back into his bed…which he refused…so I told him to lay down at the end of the bed. I guess he took that as ON my legs.

At 5:05, Chuck’s alarm starts going off and I tell Lucas that it’s time for him to go back to his own bed. Lucas lays there….much like a lump…on my legs. I pull him up to me, give him a hug, and push gently set him down from the side of my bed where he scampers off to his room and Elizabeth continues to sleep on as do I.

My alarm went off at 6:20, which is when I start the 50 minute habit of pushing snooze.

I get up at 7:10, everyone else is still sleeping so I go in and start the process of waking up Zachary so he can put on his Daytrana patch. I take this opportunity to switch the laundry over and start a load of diapers. (Yes, I cloth diaper still…occasionally…but am trying to do it full-time again).

Go in and try to wake up Zachary again. Ask him if he’s dry…YES! I finally get him out of the bed and he goes into the bathroom, I thought to go pee. Elizabeth wakes up and tries to get into the bathroom. Zachary starts yelling at her to get out. Break up the squirmish, put Zachary’s patch on him, he gets into the shower.

I make Zachary a cheese quesadilla and pack his lunch. I fold the load of laundry and try to find the other red soccer sock for pictures tonight. No luck. Lucas wakes up and comes in all sleepy faced saying “morning momma” (oh, how I love the wake up faces!) I ask him to go in and tell Zachary to get out of the shower as I’m still folding the laundry.

7:45 Zachary STILL not out. I tell him it’s time now! So he finally gets out.

I put away the boys’ laundry (usually they do this, but didn’t feel like the fight this morning) and start the shower for Elizabeth and I. Yet another morning of taking a shower with the baby. Tell the boys that the cinnamon rolls are on the table and they get to frost their own this morning. Woohoo!

Get showered, get Elizabeth showered, and we’re out. Before Eric arrives…Thank God. Get Elizabeth dressed in her pretty ASIL Diaper with the embroidered flower on the bum and she fights about what shirt she wants to wear (I’m in for it when she gets older!)

Get myself dressed and Eric arrives. I tell Zachary to grab his backpack and head out…I’m right behind him. Search all over for my work badge when Chuck calls asking me how things are going and reminding me to pick up the veggies for his work potluck today. He tells me where my badge went to and I head out the door. Where Zachary is standing with the mail from yesterday.

So, we climb into jeep and head off to the school, only 2 minutes behind where we should be. Awesome! That’s better than a lot of days.

When I got to school I reminded Zachary (as I always do) to grab his backpack. Look.

Look again.

No backpack.

DANG IT! I know he had it when I told him to get into the jeep…I saw him have it in his hand in the house! Tell him to get into class and I’ll bring his backpack back.

Stop at the local grocery store before heading home to get the vegetables. Go into my bag to get my wallet.

No. Wallet.

Scream inside. Remember that I left it sitting on my counter at work.

Run home to get checkbook, construction paper (to start the leaves for the Family Tree project we have to finish tonight) and what do I see?
Yep…you guessed it. My son would lose his head if it weren’t attached. I found the backpack lying in the driveway.

Grab everything I need, go back to the grocery store and get all the veggies for the potluck, drop off Zachary’s backpack at school (where when I go in the kids are doing NOTHING ½ hour after school started!) and jump back in the jeep to head to work.

Only 20 minutes late. Woohoo! Not too bad for a chaotic morning!

Laughter & Sex are "The Best Medicine"

My mornings typically consist of getting ready for work, packing lunches for Chuck, I and Zachary, getting Zachary motivated by threatening motivating him with reminders of extra game time, making breakfasts for everyone, getting Elizabeth dressed, making sure that Zachary has everything needed for school and has his shoes on the right feet.

I do all of this in 1 hour until it’s time to take Zachary to school and I get one my way to work.

My bright spot of the morning (besides the first sleepy “morning Momma”’s and morning kisses) is my solitary trip to work (all 10 minutes of it) where I can listen in peace to Bob and Tom.

I love Bob and Tom. They make me laugh and I usually learn some little tid-bits that I didn’t know before. Plus, I love hearing the wacky, usually upbeat, news stories instead of all the gloom and doom you normally hear. One of the first thoughts I had when we were told about going to days was “Woohoo! I get to listen to Bob and Tom again!”
Today, I was listening to my daily dose of Bob and Tom when I heard Costaki Economopoulos (yea, say that 3 times fast) and his topic for the week was laughter. Did you know that the average 3 year old will laugh 300 times a day?

The average adult? 17 times a day. Seriously, only 17 times. Slightly sad isn’t it? But I guess reality catches up with us as adults. Or maybe it takes more to make us laugh as we are more jaded.

I’m sure that everyone has heard the saying “Laughter is the best medicine” and Costaki was expounding on all the benefits of laughter

*Increases blood flow
*Boosts Relaxation
*Gives more restful sleep

Much like an orgasm.

Huh. That got me thinking. Laughter has many of the same properties of an orgasm. It’s like an orgasm that is acceptable in public.

So, if Laughter is the best medicine…wouldn’t sex be considered “the best medicine” too? I spent some time on google looking up the health benefits of sex and found out that:

*Relieves stress.
*Boosts your immunity.
*Burns calories.
*Improves cardiovascular health.
*Reduces pain (yes, it does! Endorphins released actually help to diminish pain!)
*Reduces the risk of prostrate cancer.
*Boosts self-esteem/Decreases depression
*Helps you sleep better (which is linked to good things like maintaining a healthy weight & blood pressure).

Seems to me that the old adage of “an apple a day will keep the dr. away” should be changed to “Sex and laughter every day will keep the dr. away!”

I think I’m in the right business. I shouldn’t be called a consultant, I should be called a “healthy life provider”. Every Pure Romance party I’ve done, I have laughed so much that my face hurts. And the guests laugh as much, if not more, than me. Then, after they go home, laden with their Pure Romance products, they get “lucky”. (Well, maybe not that night, but at least I know that they WILL be getting teh sex soon enough!)

So, my prescription for you is to laugh at least 17 times tonight and have sex. And call me in the morning (for more product!)

Dinner, Hot Tub, no kids...oh my!

I am fortunate enough to have a friend who has three children with kids almost exactly our kids age. Fortunate because not only does Natalie understand a lot of the issues we go through, but also because we've decided to start watching the other ones' 3 kids so that each couple can have "date night" and reconnect with their spouse without having to spend a fortune on a sitter for the night. Trading babysitting duties is awesome...especially when the kids play so nicely together!

So, last night after work, Chuck and I dropped the kids off at Natalie's and headed off for a few hours of peaceful solitude and birthday fun!

We stopped at Popeyes and got some spicy chicken (their spicy chicken is yummy!). We don't get it often since it's about 25 minutes away...and it doesn't seem worth the drive for fast food. We usually would have gone out to a nice restaurant but we were on a time schedule because we had 7:00 pm reservations for

HOT TUBBING.

Whoohoo!

If we win the lottery (fat chance in hell), we're going to build a nice house with a cedar hot tub/sauna room. Because I lurve hot tubs. It was so nice and relaxing. Maybe even a bit too relaxing as our legs felt like jelly when we got out.

But we sat and talked uninterrupted and it was so wonderful. I didn't want to spend a lot of money (since money is on the short side of things recently) so for an hour and half of solitude, relaxing, and some flirting and fun, we spent $35.

Not too bad for a yearly birthday treat.

Diabetes (Type 2) Rant - Part 2

I'm sorry, but I have to do it again. The current issue of Diabetes Forecast was so loaded that I need to vent.

It starts with page 9 and The Wake Up Call - What's Your Diagnosis Story? by the Editorial Director. And I quote, "If you're diagnosed relatively young, as I was, you've got a lot of years of disease management ahead of you, and a lot of years to worry about screwing up." How about, "If you're diagnosed young, you have a great opportunity to look at your life style, change it, and perhaps allow your body to heal itself." The attitude - I'm in disease management mold for the rest of my life. That's not going to get you better.

On page 11 we hear from "a dietician for more than 25 years" about feeling the pinch at the grocery store. So we get the great advice to "shop for canned or frozen foods to save money. Look for lower-sodium canned vegetables..Buy canned fruit that has no added sugar." Canned fruits and vegetables? Come on. Look for lower-sodium and no added sugar? Canned vegetables have very little nutritional value. How about look at the junk food you are buying and spend the money on the healthy food.

On page 20 we learn that "Gastric bypass surgery seems to be a powerful treatment for type 2 diabetes in some obese adults, and now a study suggests the procedure may work for teens, too." Great news. "Within a year, the blood glucose levels of all but one (of 11) teen who had surgery were normal without medication..." Well what about in two years or five years? What will that body be able to do without normal functioning of processing and absorbing nutrients? Perhaps there was/is a better answer than to "cure" type 2 diabetes with gastric bypass surgery?

On page 37 we learn then when you need to raise your blood glucose in a hurry, there are some sources suggested: glucose tablets, regular soda, orange juice, life savers, jelly beans (large), gum drops, sugar, honey, raisins, and SKIM MILK!!! Yes, skim milk. That food they tell you drink. Have low fat or non-fat products. Missing the connection? Skim milk causes a fast rise in blood glucose levels! So why drink it with your cereal in the morning??? UGH!!!

On page 44 begins the article titled "So, What Can I Eat?" It starts off great - "For most people who are new to diabetes, the one thing that seems clear is that sugar is off limits, right? Think again: It turns out that a diabetes diagnosis doesn't mean your sweet tooth has to go cold turkey. in fact, you can eat many of the foods you love - yes, even desserts..." Great advice. Don't change any habits. Permission to "cheat". A great way never to get better. There is the usual advice for "low-fat versions, such as skim milk". Isn't that the same skim milk that will raise your blood glucose levels in a hurry????? The ongoing lie that "both saturated fats and trans fat up your risk for heart disease and stroke...replace butter.." And "protein from lean meat, fish, or soy products like tofu." Guess they haven't read the latest about the dangers of soy either.

But the best is on page 48 where "free foods" are discussed. They contain fewer than 20 calories or 5 grams of carbs. Suppose they don't add up quickly - examples are "a quarter cup of salsa, a tablespoon of fat-free cream cheese...and as much as you'd like of sugar-free gelatin, sugar substitutes..." UGH, or did I already say that?

This advice is really sad and I feel bad for the honest people who want to live healthier and follow this advice. I guess that's why the magazine contains all the advertisements for medical equipment. Follow the advice and you will definitely need all the advertised products.

Want some good ideas about diabetes. Go to www.westonaprice.org and do a search on diabetes. Read the work of Dr. Thomas Cowan. He helps people to get blood sugar under control. He recommends that the diet contain 60 carbs per day. What is in this magazine - 60 carbs per meal. See the difference?

Well, I feel better. I hope you find this educational. Rant over.

So what's all the "buzz" about?

April is a great, great month.

Why do you ask?

It's my birthday! And as some of you may know from past posts, I lurve my birthday. I know as I get older, I should probably start liking my birthday less and less, but I don't. I'm still like a little kid in a candy store. I think it's because I have a child deep down inside me (hmmm, as I type this I'm watching icarly on Nick. You'd think it was because of the kids, but nope...I love this show. So I guess my inner child isn't really that deep.)

Not only is it my birthday, but this has been a huge month for me in lots of ways. I finally decided after a couple of years of contemplation (indecisive, much?) to join blogher and the blogher ad network. So you're going to be seeing blogher ads on the side bar (over there..look!) and down below (see it?) I also joined SITS comment sistahood. I've already had a few people stop in and show me the comment love (a shout out to Love Actually and Land of Dragons and Butterflies.)

But that's not all!

This has been a big month for me with my new business, Pure Romance. Yep, you heard it right. I became a full fledge consultant and this month I've had 3 in-home, women-only parties. (It might not sound like a lot, but I'm only planning on doing 4 a month with my full time job and family)

What is Pure Romance you might ask?

It's something that is really near and dear to my heart and the mission of the CEO, Patty Brisben, is something that clicks so well with me. It's all about putting the "O" back into the romance in your relationship. Pure Romance is also about empowering women in lots of different aspects. Empowering women to find their own inner sexual being and being okay with it. Empowering women to take control of their own sexuality and bedroom antics. Empowering women to have their own business and provide for their families, themselves, and give women a chance to get paid to party (one of my favorite parts!)

So, every month I'm going to be doing some feature pieces on romance, relationships and your own sexuality and let everyone in on my specials for the month!

So, what's going on for April?

As the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers" and here in Michigan we've been seeing a lot of showers. Why not take a hint from Mother Nature and and create some steamy showers with your partner? Or take some much needed alone time for yourself in the shower?

Check out some of the waterproof toys and specials . There are some items up to 50% off!

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or email me at lisaleibrand @ pureromance.com and I'll do my best to answer them!

PMS and Integrative Medicine (Part I): Supplements

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a complex disorder that affects a woman’s emotional and physical well-being. Broadly defined, PMS is a constellation of behavioral, psychological and physical symptoms that affect a woman during the luteal phase, 7 to 14 days before the onset of the menstrual flow. Over 200 symptoms have been associated with PMS. See the table below for a list of the most common symptoms of PMS.

Common Symptoms of Premenstrual Symptoms

Behavioral symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, changes in sexual interest, food cravings, overeating, social isolation

Psychological symptoms: irritability, anger, depressed mood, crying, tearfulness, anxiety, tension, mood swings, lack of concentration, confusion, forgetfulness, restlessness, loneliness, decreased self-esteem, tension, forgetfulness, restlessness, loneliness, decreased self-esteem, tension

Physical symptoms: headaches, breast tenderness, back pain, abdominal pain, bloating, weight gain, swelling of extremities, water retention, nausea and joint pain, acne, constipation, diarrhea, carbohydrate cravings

It is estimated that up to 85% of women between 25 and 35 years old are affected by PMS symptoms. 20% to 40% suffer from PMS, defined by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as “the cyclic occurrence of symptoms that are of sufficient severity to interfere with some aspects of life and that appear with consistent and predictable relationship to the menses.” Two to 10 percent suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) which results in serious impairment of some aspect of their social, family, or work life.

PMS and PMDD are diagnoses of exclusion meaning that other physical and psychiatric disorders must be ruled out before either diagnosis can be made. Disorders such as anemia, diabetes, thyroid disease, endometriosis, other endocrine abnormalities and breast disease may be confused with PMS. Major depression, dysthymia (chronic low-grade depression) and anxiety disorders are among the key psychiatric disorders that also need to be ruled out.

The cause of PMS and PMDD remain uncertain. Proposed etiologies include: hormonal dysregulation, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, neurotransmitter (serotonin) deficiency, prostaglandin excess or deficiency, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, genetic risk, psychological factors and social factors.

Supplements that may help:

• Calcium: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group multi-center clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of calcium carbonate for PMS. Women who took 1200 mg per day of calcium for three menstrual cycles had a 48% reduction in PMS symptoms (depression, water retention, pain food cravings, fatigue and insomnia), compared to a 30% reduction in the placebo group. In 1999 Annals of Pharmacotherapy published a review of studies focusing on calcium supplementation for PMS. The authors concluded that, “calcium supplementation of 1200 to 1600 mg/day, unless contraindicated, should be considered a sound treatment option in women who experience premenstrual syndrome.” Calcium may impair absorption of the following medications if taken simultaneously: tetracycline, iron, thyroid hormones and steroids.

• Vitamin D: A study published in 2005 indicated that Vitamin D when taken in addition to supplemental calcium may decrease PMS symptoms. Doses of the two supplements taken in combination were: 400 IU of vitamin D3 and 1200 mg of elemental calcium.
  
  

• Vitamin B6: Many studies have studied pyridoxine in the treatment of PMS. A systematic review of the 28 trials published between 1975 and 1999 showed that pyridoxine (Vit B6) was helpful in the treatment of PMS. 25 - 50 mg two-times per day is the recommended dose. Possible side effects: Neurologic changes can occur at doses greater than 100 mg/day.

• Magnesium: Women with PMS may have lower serum magnesium levels. Several well done studies have evaluated the effect of magnesium supplementation on various premenstrual symptoms. One trial showed a significant reduction of fluid retention, weight gain, swelling, breast tenderness and bloating after only 2 months of treatment with 200 mg per day. Possible side effects: abdominal cramping, diarrhea, low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, muscle weakness, nausea and change in mental status.

• Other supplements that may be beneficial: Potassium, L-tryptophan, soy protein, vitamin E and krill oil. Additional studies are underway to assess their efficacy.

Online PMS resources:

1. OBGYN.net

2. American Academy of Family Physicians

3. womenshealth.gov



References:

1. ACOG Practice Bulletin #15, 2000

2. Daugherty JE. Treatment strategies for premenstrual syndrome. Am Fam Physician. 1998;58(1)

3. Bertone-Johnson ER, et al. Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:1246-1252.

Un-Sleeping Beauty

My beautiful, darling little girl has also been an angel of a sleeper. I read on the moms forums about children that will not sleep unless nestled in the arms of their mother then have to be laid down ever so gently so as not to awaken the sleeping beast beauty or else have the whole process start over again.

Since Elizabeth was little our routine has been the same. Jammies, milk, bed, books, music on, light down, door shut, sleepy time for Miss Elizabeth. She rarely fussed; rarely woke up in the middle of the night past the time she was 6 months old or so.

I loved her sleeping pattern. Especially given the fact that our soon to be 5 and 7 year olds still have us lay down with them at night so that they won’t screw around and actually go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
So, why exactly, as we near the age of 2, has she decided that she doesn’t need to sleep?

About 2 months ago, our problem started. She learned to climb from her crib. No big deal, right? Because she couldn’t leave her room, she would get out of her crib, play a little bit by herself, climb back into her crib when she was tired and go to sleep.

Well, no more. Now she also knows how to open the doors (and I should mention she also knows how to open the baby-gate too.) So, I follow our routine. Shut the door and literally 30 seconds later she’s opening that door back up.

Now, I’ve been trying to “Nanny-fy” her following the bedtime rules from the super-nanny. I’ve sat next to her bed with my back to her. And when she’s quiet and I think she’s asleep I’ll look back to a little face literally squished between the bars staring at me. Or, nights such as last, she’ll lay down in her bed and reach her arms through her crib as far as possible and pull my hair, play with my neck, try to grab my shirt. And then I moved farther away, so she laid there and kicked her feet against the wall for about 40 minutes.

I’ve tried to sit out in the hallway and when she gets out of bed, put her back in bed, and again…and again…and again.

I’m TIRED! After a long day of work, housework, kids, husband, PR business, 3 hours of putting a child to bed is more than enough to test my patience.

Know how we got her to sleep for the last 4 days after a few hours of fighting with her? Bringing her to our bed where we can hold her and keep her still until she stops fighting sleep.

She’s still taking naps and I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to give up the naps in favor of sleeping at night. But, seriously? She’s only 2. *insert mommy whine here* How can she be old enough to give up the naps? I want my excellent sleeping baby back! But I think those baby days are now gone for good. But we’ll keep working on the excellent sleeping part.

Agave Nectar Update

As I warn all my clients, there is a lot of hype around nutrition. The "health food industry" is in fact that - an industry. Unfortunately, that can mean it is concerned with profits and not necessarily providing truly healthy food.

The latest of these hypes to come to my attention is agave nectar. Given this new information, I have removed it from my list of acceptable sweeteners to use as alternatives to sugar. Like many of these nutrition hypes the agave nectar story begins with a basis of truth. We are told how native Mexicans used the "product" for thousands of years for a variety of purposes, including medicinal. Then we get the truth - the "nectar" is not produced as the ancients did. In fact, in the case of agave nectar, we have a process that is similar to how corn starch is converted into high fructose corn syrup! And we all now about the dangers of HFCS. Agave nectar is a manmade sweetener which through a complex chemical process converts fiber and starch into the unbound, manmade chemical fructose. High fructose agave doesn't spike blood glucose levels, but the fructose causes the same damages as that from high fructose corn syrup - mineral depletion, liver inflammation, hardening of the arteries, insulin resistance leading to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

A special thanks to the Weston A. Price Foundation and their excellent research. I urge all my readers to join the Foundation. Part of the membership includes the quarterly publication Wise Traditions. It contains many gems of knowledge, including the information I am passing along regarding agave nectar.

I'm gonna KUNG-FU you!

We are so incredibly lucky. We have an absolutely amazing babysitter. I mean sure, he's not the best about making the kids pick up, but that's minor in the long run of things.

And, yes, I said he. Eric is our sitter. He has been an occasional date night sitter for us for about 2 years, ever since his sister moved away. Ashley was the boys' sitter from the time that Zachary was 6 weeks old. She was amazing too. We got lucky to find such a great family to help us with our children.

Now that I'm on days, we had to find someone to watch the children full time. It was MUCH harder than I had ever thought. First, because we were having a lot of behavioral problems at the time, and I was deathly afraid to allow anyone to watch my kids again. Second, was the cost issue. We solved that by having Eric, whom I already trusted, come to the house to watch Lucas and Elizabeth, and Zachary if school wasn't in session.

And since December 1, there have been several times that my heart has melted for this young man and I thank God that we were so lucky to have him.

This is one of those times. Since Eric has started watching the kids, he has worked with Lucas on his letters, numbers, math, and reading. Lucas is now reading at a kindy level and doing the same math problems that Zachary is doing. They do fun things together to learn the words. This "comic book" was something that Luke and Eric put together. Lucas wrote a couple of words that he knew and then illustrated a lot of the pictures. Eric did the rest. What came out of that culmination is a fantastic little kung-fu comic book that Lucas can practice his reading on that he created! How cool is that?

Oh, and I absolutely love the ending. So enjoy! (I know I did!)

RAWR means I love you in Dinosaur

I HAVE to buy that shirt for Elizabeth...but I've only seen it in big sizes. Why? Because my daughter loves dinosaurs and saying Rawr.

Case in point...this video I took of her last night. She's so stinking cute. Not that I'm biased or anything. (oh and please disregard the pile of laundry waiting to be folded in the background. That got done this morning!)

Stay Tuned...I'll have more later today from Lucas.