Plethora of Everything

When I came across an article on the "reducetarian movement," I chuckled ( another movement?!)... and felt invigorated.     From ages 17-25 I was a vegetarian. But one night at a cookout after having a few beers those grilled chicken legs looked and smelled really good. I had endured months of being surrounded by meat-eaters with my then-husband, Jose. In my inebriated state I caved; I ate chicken legs and loved them.     Since then I've been eating meat... conscientiously .      I do not eat pork for example.    When I worked for AFLAC years ago I had an open enrollment at Purdue Sausage Factory. After finishing my enrollments I said I wanted to see where the pigs were killed.      "Are you sure?" asked the employee.     "Yes, I can handle it. I want to see what it's really like," I said.         So he walked me down to the factory where the large pigs were brought...

When our son was a little over a year old my husband and I opted for him to have a vasectomy.      Until our son began eating solids (a.k.a. baby mush) at 5 months, he had only breast milk.  Breastfeeding is birth control by design; this is another great benefit of exclusively breastfeeding your baby. There's an informative link on this topic at the bottom of this post.       So, for about a year husband and I didn't worry much about formal birth control since  1.) we weren't having a lot of sex anyway since the first year of parenting is extremely exhausting and 2.) there was a tiny part of us that wouldn't have minded if I were to get pregnant again anyhow     However, when the hormones started kicking back into full gear and our sex life started heating back up, the pull out method was making me a nervous wreck!  Heating Up! So, I did 2 things I do very well: worried and researched . The worrying would ...

You know how it's different when people tell you, "Everything will be OK," when they truly don't know everything will be OK?     When a child needs stitches, mom says, "It will be OK. You will be OK," and it's sincere. It's scary but she knows her kid will be OK.           Or even when someone loses a job, people say, "It will be OK. It will all work out." They believe, and typically are correct in saying those words.      However, when a mom tells her adult child, diagnosed with a terminal disease that, "It will be OK. We will get through this," there's uncertainty sensed. It's unavoidable. Mom hopes it will be OK but doesn't know that.  Over the past 48 hours I've heard the, "It will be OK," from those closest to me in the uncertain way . They want to mean it. They want to believe it but they don't know it will be OK, in the short term.      I'm humbled and grateful I have...

Nasal Spray Really Works... If you know how to use it.       And no one is paying me to say or write that!     Most of us think we know how to use nasal spray.     I mean, how hard can it be to stick something in your nose and spray right? -At least that's what I always thought.     It never even occurred to me to read the directions on or inside the box. And up until about a year ago I was an occasional, and poorly informed, nasal spray user.     Then, something changed. I went to the Little Clinic (in a Kroger grocery store) for what I thought was a cold or sinus infection. The nurse practitioner was awesome. She told me I didn't have a cold or sinus infection but was rather suffering with severe allergies.  And she didn't stop there...     She asked what I was using for my seasonal allergies and how I was using it.  And she proceeded to school me on proper nasal spray usa...

Confidence -  a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.  D efinition from Google's dictionary       Being around confident people is intriguing. It makes you feel like, "What do they know that I don't know?"      Genuinely confident people are like magnets, drawing others to them.      -" If you can make yourself believe it, you can make anyone believe it ..." for better or for worse!          Confidence is inborn, to a degree ( ever noticed how perfect a baby's posture is when she learns to sit up... brimming with confidence those babies! ). It's also a byproduct of several other life aspects.      That's what we'll focus on in this blog post: the aspects of life that can positively impact our confidence.         I believe this last presidential election was won in great part due to the Presiden...

At the Store, do the 'Plastic Two-Step'      The bad news: Single use plastic is everywhere and hard to resist.      The good news: Learning the 'plastic two-step' is even easier than learning the two-step dance!      In the grocery you have choices with almost every item you buy: milk in a paper carton or plastic jug, eggs in a paper or plastic container, tampons with or without (OB brand) a plastic applicator, yogurt in a 32 oz. or a multi-pack option.     So, whatever you're buying, do a quick two-step : The plastic-packaged or alternatively-packaged item ... when possible, choose the alternatively-packaged item. Paper packaging is biodegradable .  Plastic isn't.     For a comprehensive explanation as to why plastic doesn't biodegrade, refer to this link: https://www.livescience.com/33085-petroleum-derived-plastic-non-biodegradable.html     Hints: Organic products are typically made by...