Pudding Things Away

Today, I had Sophie purge her box of papers from preschool.  I'm letting her do this activity because she's very attached to everything she brings home and notices when I put things away in "File 9" otherwise known as the garbage.  

I'm amazed how much she has accumulated since last August, from her workbooks to her theme based art activities and crafts.  There has to be well over 400 pieces.  Anyway, I told her to make two piles.  One pile for the recycle and the other pile she could keep............When she finished, the pile to go in the recycle consisted of only 3 things.  So we didn't make any headway.

Her preschool teacher, Mrs. Chris is putting together an awesome notebook/mini-scrapbook for each student showcasing their best work and pictures from major activities throughout the year.  I will later incorporate the papers Sophie wants to keep in this binder.  My only concern is why in the world would she would want to hold on to the chocolate pudding picture?  She told me they had to "rub the pudding around on pink paper, write their name in it and stamp their hand".  Her Daddy thought it looked like someone had an accident....Sophie, immediately knew what he was talking about and precisely told him, "No, it's chocolate pudding, silly."  

I wonder why they didn't use vanilla pudding?  

Time for the Tooth Fairy

Inside this tooth case are Sophie's 2 teeth.  I really like this little case; I can just take the whole thing and put it underneath her pillow tonight for the Tooth Fairy.  

This evening, Sophie and I will examine her teeth to see how well she's been taking care of them.  I know the Tooth Fairy used to give $1.00.  Now I believe the going rate is $2.00.  If her teeth are exceptionally shiny and in good condition, she will deserve much more.  We'll see.   

After talking to Soph's dentist and several other people, apparently ectopic eruptions of permanent teeth between the ages of 5 and 7 are quite common.  So, this morning Sophie had her 2 bottom teeth extracted.  This will hopefully allow her permanent teeth to come through more straightforward, so that it can self correct by the time she turns 7 years.  By removing her 2 lower front teeth now, it will also prevent her from having to wear braces when she's older or at least minimize the time of wearing braces by 6 months.  

She was so brave during the entire time at the dentist office; but once we left little tears started flowing.  This lasted for about 20 minutes and now she's good as new and eager to show everyone her missing teeth.  She told me she especially wants to show her teachers at preschool.

Almost Perfect Handstand

Sophie's been practicing her handstand almost daily.  She's just about there.  Her legs need to be more together and her toes pointed.  

Delicious Meets Atrocious

Yesterday, Sophie and I went to a "healthy" food service restaurant for dinner, "where delicious meets nutritious."  Once again it was disappointingly less than mediocre.  I'm not one to write a complaint letter unless I feel it warrants it.  But, I felt justified to do so in this case, especially with the poor quality of food I've consistently received.  I know some people would just give up and go somewhere else.  End of story.  However, I really wanted to like this place based on their "better-for-you" approach to eating healthy concept, appealing to people like me interested in integrating a fast-casual restaurant with food that's not only delicious but nutritious.  

My email was titled, "polite complaint" and explained why I was disappointed and why I will not be coming back.  Mind you I do not write these type of letters so that I can in exchange receive either a refund or a free meal.  I mean, for what reason would I want a voucher if the food isn't good?  Or even a refund, especially because Sophie and I ate most of the food.  It almost didn't matter that the food was atrocious as Sophie and I were voraciously hungry and we needed some nourishment.  My conversation with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) indicated that this isn't a normal reaction from most dissatisfied customers.

Nevertheless, the COO said they took my email very serious and are in the process of implementing some changes.  He later wrote an email outlining all the "actions" they are going to put in place at the store level, copied everyone relevant on his team, including me and still offered a free meal to me and my family.  

I guess I'm becoming more like my hubby, just because it's free doesn't mean I want it.  Now if the food was really good and this was just an isolated incident, I might consider it.

Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs

Stumbled upon this video clip on how to peel a hard-boiled egg.

Eeew!!  Did he just slobber on that egg?  I think I prefer my antiquated way of peeling an egg.   Also, the older the egg, the easier it is to peel.  

First boil eggs.  If you use the Egg-Perfect Eggtimer, you will have perfect hard-boiled eggs.

Once Eggtimer has indicated eggs are done to your preference, run cold water over the eggs.  Take an egg, tap it a couple of times on all sides, using the palm of your hand roll back and forth, and start peeling.  

Eating Grapes Like Uncle Eric

Sophie, eating grapes like Uncle Eric.  Next to Sophie, Frankie.  

Awhile ago, Sophie said, "look Momma, I'm eating grapes like Uncle Eric."  It never crossed my mind while Uncle Eric was here how he ate his grapes.  But sure enough after seeing this, it dawned on me....she's right.

Oh Deer They're Elks

Leave it to Chief, our Golden Retriever to sniff out deer, the largest species of deer, otherwise known as Elk.  We rarely see a deer, let alone an elk in our backyard because of the dogs.  (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

Soph said they're cuter than the baby horse.  Not so sure about that.  But being the animal lovers that we are, they're all so cute!!

4/27/09 Update:  Thanks to Dan (AZ) for knowing the difference between a deer and an elk.

Baby Horse

Drat!  I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of this very young horse while standing.   I can remember when I was younger, I always thought a young horse was called a "pony."  A pony is actually a small breed.   Later, I found out a young horse is a "foal."  

Acid Water Uses

The other day, I read on Twitter from our former pool guy in Mesa.... "I figured it all out!  People need to adjust the pH in their bodies just like you need to adjust the pH in a pool before "treating" it!"   He's absolutely right.  If you don't maintain a certain pH with a pool, you will have problems.  Same goes for your body.  

As I've already mentioned in a previous post, alkaline water is very good for you.  Most people tend to be acidic and so the ionized water aids in removing the residue acid waste from your organs and other body tissues contributing to weight gain and other diseases.  

While acidic (ion) water has it's uses, it is definitely NOT recommended for internal consumption, especially with all the acidic foods we eat.  

For home use, acidic water is great as a cleaning and disinfecting agent.  I keep a bottle of ion water in my pantry for easy access to clean practically everything, from our windows to our kitchen cupboards to the bathrooms.  In lieu of fabric softeners, you can use the acidic water to soften your clothes.

It's also beneficial if you have a bug bite or a sore throat.  With acidic water, you can further use it for your hair.  It will make your hair soft when used as a rinse after shampooing.  

There are actually a lot of other uses, but my ionizer machine does not go below a pH of 4.0.  If you have a machine that goes below 4.0, acidic water has a remarkably strong disinfecting and antibacterial effect.  It kills all known germs and bacteria on contact even those pesky little ants, noseeums, mosquitoes, etc.

You see it's not all about alkaline water, acidic water has it's well-intended purpose....JUST DON'T DRINK IT.  Coke for instance has a pH of 2.5...highly acidic!  That's why coke does a great job of cleaning toilets.  If you're like my hubby who drinks coke occasionally, at least squirt some lemon or lime in it to slightly offset the acidity.  Lemons, limes and other sour citric fruits are commonly believed to be acidic, however it becomes highly alkaline when consumed.  

Not So Martha Stewart

Sophie was so proud of the way she set the table.  To me, it looked more like a mosaic art piece.

A Snowy Spring

I guess this is the typical spring along the Wasatch Front in Utah.  I remember it being quite cold even the end of May last year.   

So did it snow today?  

Yessiree!

At least the vegetation is slowly but surely turning bright green.

Ring Around the Pool

After having two pools in Mesa, AZ, and trying to figure out why my friend's pool (who by the way is a chemical engineer) was always sparkling compared to ours, it's actually quite simple.   

Once we figured out the basic chemistry behind it, our pool looked just as pristine and we did not have to spend hundreds of $$$ to have the calcium line removed.  

Do you know the fastest and yet effective way to remove the ring around the pool?  

It's muriatic acid, otherwise known as hydrochloric acid (HCL).  The acid dissolves the hard mineral deposits as well as mold and mildew.  So, if you find a white ring around your pool, raise the water leveler above the calcium line.  Once the water is above the calcium line, pour in more than the usual amount of muriatic acid.  Test with pH strips for normal reading prior to re-entry.

I was so impressed with the results, I wondered why pool companies never do this?  Instead they offer draining the entire pool and doing something called "bead blasting." I think it's a pretty effective process, but way more laborious and more expensive than adding a little acid.

Yeah! Daddy's Home

Our Little Monkey.   She was so excited to see her Daddy.    She told me, "I like Daddy to be home because there's 3 of us now and this is a family house."  Then she followed-up with, "I want a googol sisters, because I like baby girls, not boys.  Girl sisters are so pretty and so cute, not boys."

An Ordinary Day

I took my car in to have bluetooth installed.  Ben, our sales guy is quite concerned we're not going to give him all "10's" on the performance evaluation survey.  Even if he gets one 9, he will not get his $100 bonus.  What a drag!!  He doesn't have anything to worry about.... he want's all "10's" and I want the VW 3/4 sleeve baseball shirt I've had my eyes set on since this whole car buying event began.  I should have my shirt on Cinco de Mayo.  So all is cool....wink, wink.  Actually, whether or not I get that shirt Ben was absolutely fantastic, very helpful and if there's anyone in Draper, Utah looking to buy a Volkswagen, ask for Ben.

I picked up my new readers today.  Thanks to Kate Spade, these glasses don't make me look too middle age.  More importantly, I'm so amazed the difference.  I could see fine before, but now my vision is really crisp.  I have them on as I'm sitting here writing this blog entry.  I feel a little more professor"ish."

When I made Sophie's  dentist appointment, I got to speak with Dr. Branton.  He said they're going to "wiggle" her baby tooth very hard so that the permanent tooth behind can come in and move forward and eventually straighten out (I hope).  If her tooth would have come in from below, it would have pushed her baby tooth out instead.  I think Sophie is having second  thoughts about the Dentist being a fun place to visit.  Dr. Branton assured me she won't feel anything; it's totally different compared to a wisdom tooth being pulled.

Happy Earth Day

Wow, last week we had one snowstorm after another and today it was 82 degrees in the valley.  Where we live at a higher elevation of 6,200 ft, temperatures were probably 72 degrees; there's always about a 10 to 12 degree difference. 

Some of you may have noticed I've been playing around with different templates.  I'm actually getting a little bored with the white and gray.  That's becoming a little insipid for me.  At the same time, I always prefer simple rather than busy.  Oh, well I'm trying out a new template format; who knows how long that's going to last. 

Sophie's bottom tooth still hasn't fallen out.   I'll probably have to take her back to the dentist next week for sure.  It's been way over the 3 to 4 week mark and her Dentist told me if her tooth had not fallen out by the 4th week to make another appointment so he can extract it.  Has anyone heard of this?  When I was younger, I remember my teeth falling out on it's own.

Today is the 39th annual anniversary of Earth Day.  Be sure to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as you can.  I learned that if every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent one, it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing 1 million cars from the road.  I mention this because my hubby was trying to convince me to go with the fluorescent light bulbs for our laundry room last weekend.  Well, this weekend I'm picking up the package of fluorescent light bulbs :o)

Twitter "Consider" This

In my Blogsite, off to the side are my "Tweet" messages.   I tweet/post updates a couple of times a day.  I prefer Twitter because of the educational aspect of it.  You can learn a lot about various things you may not have had the opportunity otherwise.  Not only can you find meaningful information, you can also meet people whom you would never have met if not for Twitter.  There are a bunch of Moms (like me) who twitter and share information about their kids.  

I am following 25 people and I have 10 followers.  One of those followers, by accident I'm sure, is our former pool guy in Mesa, AZ.....soooo funny.  I think it was a technical error as he's trying to grasp it all.  By the way, if you live in Mesa or in the surrounding areas and need your pool serviced, I was 100% satisfied with Four Seasons Pool Service.  Other followers include people from Australia, England, Switzerland, Canada, etc.  

Another one of my followers, whom I'm also following, located here in the U.S. is "dekeyrel."  He's offering free money every Wednesday as part of a viral marketing "Twitter Experiment."  If you're interested in winning some free money, you have to retweet the following message for example:

"RT @dekeyrel #winwednesday Say Something Witty Here!"  

For more information be sure to visit his website at CWS.  

Butter Someone Up with Homemade Pasta

I really like this little pasta maker from Williams-Sonoma.  Last summer, Sophie took a cooking class where they made homemade pasta with a buttery herb sauce.  Seriously, it was the best pasta I've ever eaten.  I say this because I'm not a big pasta fan.   I like a little bit of pasta with my sauce.  Whereas, Sophie prefers a lot of pasta with a smidgen of sauce and Vince prefers just a heavy sauce and no pasta.  If you like delicately textured pasta, then you will like this recipe.

There are only 2 ingredients.  How simple is that?  The trick to making it is being "gradual" in incorporating the flour to the egg mixture, otherwise, it will become tough and leathery.   Sophie is very hands-on and so making this is a lot of fun for her.  

This is what Sophie and I are having for dinner tonight.

Homemade Pasta

2 cups of flour (plus 1/2 cup reserved)

3 large eggs

In a large bowl, measure the 2 cups of flour and create a well.  Add 3 large eggs into the well of the flour.  Carefully pull the flour from the walls into the center with a fork, gradually mixing the flour and egg. When mixture becomes less sticky, knead into a ball.  Knead until well mixed and firm, but not sticky.  

Divide the dough into 6 small balls, about the size of a large golf ball.

Start the pasta machine on the rollers at the widest setting.  Run the pieces through the rollers, about 6 times, folding the pasta either top-to-bottom or side-to-side to achieve a long sheet.  Continue to roll the sheets through the rollers with each smaller numbered settings until you achieve the thickness you wish, usually the smallest or second smallest setting.

Pile loosely on wax paper, cover with a damp dish towel until you are ready to use.

Cook pasta for about 4 minutes, when it floats to the top it is finished.

My Little Monkey

Soph finally did it!  Today, she was able to jump to the high bar and swing without any assistance.  She's made some remarkable improvements since last week.  

So funny, for weeks it looked as if she wasn't getting anywhere with her skills.  And then all of sudden things are finally clicking.

I believe she's gaining more confidence and it's showing.

Wrinkly Nails

I know there are people that will view how I feel about outward appearance as being self-obsessed. However, that is totally not the case. It's NOT about the visual, but about health. Your hair, skin, nails, eyes, etc. are all great indicators how things are functioning and performing within your body.

For the vast majority, if you look great and vital on the outside (not from a "pretty" standpoint) then more than likely, you're healthy on the inside. However, there are some signs on the outside that are not tied to your physical state, but rather linked to your age. For example, I have noticed the past couple of years vertical ridges on my nails, specifically my thumbs. I don't ever remember having these ridges when I was younger and so I wanted to find out what it signified from a health standpoint.

Does anyone know?

These vertical ridges are actually a "sign of maturity." They occur starting at the cuticle to the tip of the nail and will start in one or two nails. As you get older, these ridges will eventually develop in all of your nails.

How about that..... just like your skin, your nails wrinkle too.

Focus Attention

In February when I had my Bio-Scan at the Herbs for Health and Garden store, one of the things that would bring in all but 2 red dots into range was a product called "Focus Attention."  I wondered how this particular supplement could enhance my overall well-being and specifically my endocrine system?  With a leap of faith, I convinced myself to get a bottle, especially because it was the only thing in the report that outlined what I was lacking to improve my endocrine glands.

Once I brought it home it kind of sat in my cupboard for the longest time, as I considered how is this really going to help me?  Then I came across a very interesting article about ION, the Institute for Optimum Nutrition.   It's Europe's leading school for training and nutritional therapists.  

Patrick Holford who founded ION less than a decade ago, was a psychology student in London, (which I found quite fascinating as I have a personal interest in both psychology and health.)  Anyway, he became interested in how nutrition affects our minds and emotions.  They recently completed a study of 60,000 people, and found that "many common health symptoms" are related to mental health, including mood swings, PMS, poor memory and concentration, depression anxiety and insomnia." 

Patrick Holford refers to "Optimum Nutrition" as something that is more than the recommended daily allowances (RDA).   RDAs are not the optimal intakes of nutrients.  So eating a well- balanced diet isn't enough to achieve optimal health.  Incorporating "optimum nutrition" improves mood, memory, motivation and energy levels, which equates to a longer, healthier life.   

That's why I need "Focus Attention."  It contains Ginkgo Biloba, DMAE and Melissa officinalis, nutrients that help maintain brain-stimulation levels while supporting a more restful, balanced mental activity.  And this in turn will improve my endocrine system....how so unexpected.

Tiguan named "Best Crossover"

Today, was the first day we took our new car out since we bought it 2 weeks ago.  It was a beautiful day, with temperatures in the upper 60's.  The snow has just about melted away where we live. 

I'm completely satisfied and happy with my new crossover; Sophie loves it too.....it plays her favorite music :o)  And she loves the panoramic power-sliding sunroof as it lets in 4X the light compared to other sunroofs.  

This week I'm taking my car in to get bluetooth installed.  It's one of those things, once you've had it, it's hard to go with anything else.   Thanks to my hubby we got it for free....Shh! don't tell anyone.

Red Dots Tell All

I received an email from Uncle Eric I want to share, especially for those who are as skeptical as he when it comes to unconventional ways of managing one's health.  That is, through the use of eating healthy, taking the necessary vitamins and supplements, rather than popping pharmaceutical pills that are so well known to contribute to other secondary problems.  There's a term for that when you go into the hospital to get one thing fixed but then it results in another health issue/problem originating in the hospital - i.e. nosocomial.  Now don't get me wrong, Rx pills are needed to address specific health issues, especially if acute.  

I knew upfront Uncle Eric's stance on alternative healing, as it coincided initially with my husband's views.  But all I can do is guide and educate up to a point.  That's me, I really want people to feel their optimal when it comes to their well-being.  In the end it's up to that person to decide what is the best route for them.   

Upon reading his email, in his words he was "astonished" as well as his Doctor after analyzing the results of his blood test.  As I've mention in my previous post, Uncle Eric was here recently in Feb/Mar.  During his stay we all went to the Herbs for Health and Garden store to have a Bio-Scan performed.  I honestly believe everyone should get evaluated by means of this simple test.  It's quick, easy and painless.  And really does provide a very thorough diagnostic assessment and insight to what's going on in your body.  The price is so worth it...$25 and any follow-ups $5.  

Without going into the particulars of his health issues, there was something on his Bio-Scan (Zyto) report, the infamous red dots shooting out from the main circle, suggesting early warning signs of one of his organs.  An organ that made everyone scratch their head thinking, how is that possible?  No wonder Uncle Eric was skeptical.  Well, well, well, not only was Uncle Eric amazed, but his Doctor said, "the guys in the States seem to be right."  His yearly blood test clearly revealed issues or as he said "points of attention" to be consistent with the Bio-Scan report.  I find that quite remarkable and so did Uncle Eric.  Going forward, he's eating more fruits and vegetables.

I'm sure the next time he visits us, we'll have to do a follow-up Bio-Scan to see if his green dots are tightening more to the core and his red dots have either diminished and/or are brought into an acceptable, healthy range.

To Uncle Eric, thanks for the feedback!

"ALA"skan Salmon

On a weekly basis, Sophie and I have poached salmon for breakfast.  She really likes it, thank goodness.  I try to ensure she gets supplements for brain support with the Omega 3, DHA and EPA.  Studies have shown that fish oil not only helps with depression and anxiety issues, but aids in concentration, coordination and memory. 

As for the dogs, they start drooling at the sight of me preparing the salmon; they know they get the skin.  It's the only time I see Ernie eat from our hand without it first falling on the ground.  He's very persnickety about his food.  He's not a normal dog.  But the salmon, he eats with gusto.

There are about 5 nutritional supplements I like to incorporate in our health regimen and salmon is one of the them.  Alaskan salmon is an oily fish rich in Omega 3 fats, protein and vitamin D.  

I've always known omega fats aid blood circulation and help reduce blood pressure which in turn reduces the risk of a heart attack significantly.  Even so I've learned it's probably one of the best anti-inflammatory food; and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a powerful biological antioxidant that has been shown to slow down the oxidative damage in cells, as well as stabilize or even reverse cell damage in the brain for example.  

From what I understand the medicinal effects of ALA is not fully understood, other than it's quite effective as an antioxidant because it has the unique ability to recycle itself and other important antioxidants C and E, increasing it's effectiveness in scavenging free radicals. 

Staying Focused

Sophie just loves drawing pictures.  Bless her heart, she really tries for she truly wants to be a Painter.... and is focused in making her career choice a reality.  She'd rather draw than go to Boondocks.  My hubby showed me one of his expertly designed diagrams as well, however I'm not allowed to publish it....TOP SECRET.  

I had an eye appointment this afternoon and Sophie tagged along.  Dr. Rice asked Sophie what she wants to be when she grows up...."a Ballerina, perhaps?"  With her head down and eyes looking up, she said, "No, I want to be a Painter."  Dr. Rice said to me, "well, there are worse things she could want to be."  I'm thinking to myself, "Oh, no, not a pole dancer!"  But to my relief, he said something to the effect of her being a garbage truck driver.  The more I think about, being a Painter is not so bad after all.

One of the reasons why I went to the eye doctor, I wanted to see if my eyes were feeling strained due to working on the computer or if it was my age.  After a series of optical tests were administered, along with answering which row is clearer, 1 or 2, etc.  it was disappointingly the latter. He said it's the inability of the eye to focus on close-up objects due to the lens losing elasticity, otherwise known as presbyopia.  Yes, my advancing age is surfacing in various ways I'd rather not think about or deal with to be honest.  Dr. Rice said it's a common "change" everyone will be faced with starting as early as 37-38 years old.  He said about 95% of people will need readers between the ages of 40-45.  I will be 43 this May, so I'm right on target.  Oh, Boy!!

As I'm trying on different styles of frames Sophie unabashedly says, "Momma, you look funny."  Just what I wanted to hear.   Truth be known, she was right.  Still, I managed to find an acceptable pair I could go out in public, if necessary.  

Even though my vision is still 20/15, thanks to Custom LASIK 5 years ago, it has made it more noticeable for me to detect the slightest visual change.  So while most people don't need readers until their vision has reached +1.00, mine is at +.5  He said by next year, it'll probably be at +1.00....Wow, more good news.  I asked, "isn't there a vitamin or some herbal supplement to prevent or slow down the effects of your lenses hardening?"  Unfortunately not, however you can take vitamins to help stave off eye diseases, including cataracts.   While readers will not prevent the progression of presbyopia, it should relieve some of the eye strain I'm currently experiencing when I'm on my computer or reading.   

Happy Aging!

More of The Same

Yep, yesterday, it rained all day.  Today, it's been snowing all day....and of course, Vince is in Phoenix.  Sophie is on Spring Break this week.  Some Spring Break, huh?  I love that Belgian expression, "mopping with the faucet wide open." It's something I'm sure every mother can relate to when it comes to their child(ren).  

So, in between cleaning up messes and spills the past few days, here's one of our conversations between mother and daughter:

Sophie:  (thump, crash, screams, cries)

Me:  "What happened?  Did you fall again?  What's going on?  This is the 3rd time you've fallen in a week.  Are you okay?"

Sophie:  still crying..."I hurt my knees again!!"

Me:  "What are you doing wearing those black shoes?  You know I don't like for you to wear shoes in the house.  And why were you running?  You know I don't like for you to run in the house."

Sophie:  still crying...and wailing

Me:  "Where are your slippers?"

Sophie:  "Well, my slippers are slippery too.  That's why they're called slippers."

Me:  "How about if I make you some brownies."  (Note:  I only make brownies maybe once a year.)

Sophie:  Yeah!  I'll go draw until they're ready.

Tax Day

I caught a quick glimpse of the TODAY show and 

Did you know...

Abraham Lincoln was the first President to implement the very first income tax in the United States to fund the Civial War.

You should keep all supporting tax documents for 3 years for auditing purposes.  However, it's also recommended to keep important financial documents for 6 years, like W-2's, 1099's, bank statements, etc.

70% of taxpayers actually receive a refund check from the IRS.

Who Knew?

"More Gooder"

It seems this last year, Sophie's grammar has become quite atrocious, even for a fairly precocious 5 year old......anything from "more gooder" to "did we drove" to "Sophie fall down" to "I haven't took it" to "Momma, I win two times" to "much funner," and so on.  I probably need some singalong songs like Grammarchants to help her out, or maybe read more "Once Upon a Time" books.   

I realize the English language is quite complicated.  I too am still learning;  wish I would have paid more attention in my English classes.  I don't believe we really speak English, but rather American.  I've been told many times, it's actually easy to learn English up to a certain point and then it becomes very ambiguous.  One of the words, well a part of a word  that someone pointed out to me with different pronunciations is "ough."  The letter sequence O-U-G-H is the worst example of this confusion.  Here are some examples where the same sequence of 4 letters all have different pronunciations: 

through / blue

thought / caught

plough / cow

though / toe

tough / cuff

trough / off 

thorough / burrow

For a newcomer, I can see how the inconsistency of English pronunciation can be a major headache....just ask my husband who is an extremely logical guy.

Picture:  Sophie, 4 years

My Little Sophie "Johnson"

Today, I discovered Sophie performs a lot better at gymnastics if I do not watch her.  And yet, she insists that I watch her when she practices in the basement?  Very confusing to say the least.  Anyhoo, I took this picture from the upper balcony.   She seemed more focused  rather than constantly looking back at me for approval.  She's in the bluish green tights learning how to do a flip over.  Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge.  

Life's Little Tiny Surprises, Part 2

What a great start for a Monday morning.  My hubby received a very nice recognition letter and then some from the President of his company.  I guess all that mental power and discipline paid off during his last residency.

A Thing or Two about Water

Over a year ago I've become quite fascinated with water.  To most I'm sure, water is water, what's the big deal?  I've come to realize, it is in fact a big deal.  Rarely, will I drink bottled water.  And if I have to choose, I prefer tap water over bottled water, even with all the impurities.  If you're drinking tap water, at least you're ingesting some beneficial minerals, whereas with bottled water, it's been purified to the point not only the bad has been removed but also the good. Some bottled water brands have even been tested to be acidic.  In the past, I would have chosen the bottled water.  Today, I prefer drinking ionized water.

I have also given our two dogs ionized water.  It's the only variable I've changed where our dogs diets are concerned.  Chief, our Golden Retriever has actually lost about 10 lbs since drinking alkaline water.  

I can't say directly that it has attributed to the fact I've lost 10 lbs, but I'm sure it did play an integral part in the overall scheme of things.  I also believe, it has helped my hubby's blood pressure to be actually perfect.  For a fifty plus, nifty "old" guy, who doesn't exercise nor eat healthy all the time, I believe the water has made a favorable difference as it is the only factor that has changed.  

We got our blood pressure checked today and his bp was 116/78; it used to be slightly elevated and hovered around 127-130/90-88.  For me, my bp increased to 109/68 which is good as it was too low.  I find that alkaline water actually helps with maintaining homeostasis within your body.  Drinking water is really good for you as long as it's the right kind of water.

So, after almost a year of drinking ionized water, with it's high mineral content, I genuinely believe it has made a positive impact on our health.   

In the picture, our water ionizer in the basement.  We have it connected directly to our main tap water, which goes through an R/O system that strips everything from chlorine to fluoride to other toxic chemicals.  Unfortunately, it also removes the healthy minerals.  So, it is then remineralized to replace the minerals and finally goes into the ionizer which uses an electrical charge to split water into alkaline water, thus a higher pH that helps in combating the damaging effects of acids in the body.

Blueberry and Marshmallow

Sophie's favorite animals from the land of "stuffed and soft" and "feathery and fuzzy" are owl, bunny and cat.  This doesn't make any sense because she doesn't have an owl??  Nevertheless, these two little ducks have also become Sophie's pals, Blueberry and Marshmallow.   Hmmm......... I wonder how she arrived at those names?

Happy Easter!

Low Down on the Easter Egg Run Down

Sophie had an Easter Egg Hunt at her preschool yesterday which was a lot of fun.  However, the one today sponsored by our community....how to put this nicely(??).....well, was a disaster.  A disaster of a show, with no beginning or end, just the climax which was complete pandemonium.  There was no organization, none whatsoever.  

When I compare it to the community where we used to live in N. Mesa, AZ, there's such a huge, huge difference.   Poor thing didn't get one egg because of all the tiny tykes, and the bigger kids.  

Understandably, they first let the kids 4 and under go search for eggs while the bigger kids waited on the sidelines.  A minute or two later the whistle was blown again to signal the bigger kids to join.   The problem with that, the bigger kids 7 and up were already helping themselves way before they blew the whistle, as they were watching in panic all the little kids grabbing most of the eggs....tsk tsk.  And, being the L7's that we are, especially me, we waited until the whistle was blown.  Too bad and so sorry for Sophie.

Kind of reminds me of the circumstances here in the U.S.  The ones to really benefit are the very poor and the filthy rich, while everybody else in between gets a big goose egg. 

In picture, Daddy and Sophie running, looking for eggs....Where are all the eggs?

A Drop or Two will Do

For the most part, my darling, sweet Sophie is a well-behaved child and is really concerned in being a "good girl" all the time.  But once in awhile, she becomes willful and likes to do things she knows better.   Today, I noticed she colored on the table and chair with my permanent markers.  If they were her markers, I can just easily wipe it off with a wet washcloth and be done with it.  As the name implies, the permanent markers are well, "permanent" as one might conclude.  However, my "magic" potion to eliminate anything requiring elbow grease, is my lemon essential oil.

That stuff is truly amazing.  I use it for scuff marks, greasy stains, permanent marks, sticky surfaces, clean toilets, etc.  Just a couple of drops on a wet washcloth and like magic, it fades away, leaving a nice lemony scent without the harmful chemicals.  

Lemon essential oil is my secret household weapon when it comes to cleaning stubborn stains.

Meet Joe Smuckatelly

I carry my camera with me at all times.  I am not a photographer nor is it my hobby.  I just like taking pictures of anything that strikes my fancy. 

This is a picture of a guy in the light green SUV, I'll name Joe Smuckatelly with the broken arm, who deliberately blocked me as I was trying to get out of  McDonalds.  I've grown quite fond of their iced hazlenut coffee at McD.  I go there about once or twice a week.  Thank goodness I'm not a Molly Mormon, otherwise I'll never get to heaven.  

Anyway, I found the whole thing to be quite humorous as I always try and find humor in everything, good and bad.  The guy in the car behind was laughing as I was clicking away with my camera.  Of course, Mr. Smuckatelly dared not look in my direction....I knew that peripheral vision was good for something.  When the light turned green, Mr. Smuckatelly sped off as if he had a fire to put out and the guy behind was a gentleman and allowed me to get out, with a smile on his face.  

Social Introvert

As I am getting acquainted with Facebook and all it's features and applications, it really is an awesome networking service.  It reminds me of having all my family and friends together in my living room in a virtual way.   

Twitter has been interesting as well.  I'm following several people and I'm being followed.  Since I've become a Twitterer, I now have 4 followers.   This is great if you want to keep people updated  real-time with tweets throughout the day.

YouTube is another sharing website I've been exploring.  I'm really impressed with the ease in uploading videos.   I was surprised to see a rating of 5 stars on one of them.  I will have more videos to share down the road.

My Little Granola

Sophie is definitely not your typical 5 year old.  This morning for breakfast I brought out the Organic Flax Plus Granola cereal with Pumpkin Seeds from the pantry.  To my utter amazement, Sophie runs over to me with a big smile on her face, hugs me tightly and tells me, "yeeeeeaaaahhhhh that's my favorite, how did you know!!"   

You know, she's never really liked Cheerios or any other "kid friendly" cereal.  If I give her a choice between milk chocolate or dark chocolate, she always goes for the dark.  I prefer milk chocholate, but will instead eat dark because of the flavonoids and antioxidants.  Just make sure you get the dark chocolate with the flavonoids; there are some where they actually remove it.  And, it's this compound that will help keep the cholesterol from sticking to your blood vessels providing better flow to your heart.  The cocoa in dark chocolate has a high ORAC value of 1000 compared to milk chocolate which has an ORAC value of 71.  

I think Sophie is beginning to understand the correlation in eating healthy and how it affects your health in a very visual way. Occasionally, she'll want to check her body's pH to see if it's yellow (acidic) or green (alkaline).  I believe pH strips are important to have on hand in your medicine cabinet as much as bandages.  Sophie is usually alkaline, but occasionally she will be yellow after eating "junk food."  But because she's fairly healthy, her pH will quickly return in the alkaline range after eating some watermelon, figs or other fruits and vegetables and/or drinking ionized water.  Monitoring your body pH (not blood pH) is something I wish I would have known about when I was younger.  It truly makes a positive difference in your health if you are alkaline.

Show and Tell

Last week, Sophie mentioned to her teacher that her rainbow plant was growing and doing very well.  Mrs. Chris was very impressed and wanted her to bring her plant to school to show the other kids.  Apparently, most of the kids did not have as much success with their plant, including Mrs. Chris.  Sophie told me "Mrs. Chris put her plant in the sun but it didn't survive."  The only thing I can think of that would prevent the bean from germinating is something I learned from my Botany professor.  He said the number one reason why plants usually do not survive is because most people tend to over water.  Keeping that in mind after all these years, Sophie and I were very careful not to add too much water and made sure to talk to it (well Sophie did) so that it could get some carbon dioxide.......and look at it now !

There aren't too many things I remember from college, but there are some bits and pieces that'll be sessile and stuck forever in my brain.  One was over watering of plants.  This also reminds me of the time when we lived in Arizona and we had an ocotillo plant out in front, that always looked dried up and dead to me.  We ended up having to replace it a couple of times due to root rot.  (Actually, I don't think that plant required any water or else it would die, maybe like a few drops of water to thrive.)

Anyway, some of the other stuff I still recall is from my Chemistry professor.  She said when you order bacon and eggs, make sure to eat the slice of orange that's on your plate.  (It's there for a reason, just like parsley and all the other stuff most people push aside on their plate.)  That orange provides the vitamin C that will help neutralize the nitrates/nitrites forming nitrosamines in the bacon or in any other processed foods.  The nitrates is what is carcinogenic, but it is used to help preserve the color of the meat to make it look fresh.  

From my Physiology professor, if you have a stopped up nose.... hang your head over the bed, face down, for a few minutes.  That'll clear up your nose temporarily.  I tried it and if you don't mind the blood rushing to your head, it works for a short time.  

One other thing I remember is how to stop your hiccups.  To eliminate your hiccups you have to have another person to assist, one that you don't mind being very close to.  You can either lie down on the floor or stand-up.  If you decide to lie down, your partner then lies on top of you, preferably over your diaphragm, for a minute or two, putting all their weight on you.  Or if you prefer standing up, your partner needs to hug and squeeze you as tight as possible for a minute.  Believe me, it works each and every time.  Forget the old folklore remedies of taking a teaspoonful of sugar, holding your breath, drinking water while holding your nose, etc.  The result of hiccups are due to spasms in your diaphragm.  When you apply pressure to your diaphragm, it relieves the spasms and your hiccups will subside.

Things are Warming Up

It turned out to be a warm, clear, sunshiny day with a high of 66 degrees F.  However, Sophie and I are still unthawing from last week's winter storms.  We were probably the only two looneys still wearing our winter coats while out and about.  

I blame my tendency to be cold all the time due to a lack of iodine.  Supposedly, there are many of us, of all ages, walking around with an impaired thyroid.  The thyroid gland is an important endocrine gland that is the base of all bodily functions; it regulates the metabolism in every cell of our body.  There's an old medical saying that says "a few grains of thyroid hormone can make a difference between an idiot and an Einstein."  Who knew?  

Based on what I've been told, a good way to test if you're lacking this important mineral is to rub a couple of drops (of iodine) on your skin, and if it vanishes instantly then that's a clear sign you're deficient. 

 

I won't go into the particulars, unless you want me to but, I believe the detoxified iodine I've been applying topically is actually correcting my thyroid.  Not only in relieving some hormone/progesterone/testosterone imbalances, but I've been checking my temperature occasionally to see if I'm warming up, first thing in the AM before getting out of bed.  And, it is getting closer to the normal range of 97.8 to 98.7 degrees F.  

When I first started taking my temperature, I was shocked to see how low it was over a period of 5 days, which suggests low thyroid function.  Having normal body temperature is something you never really think about as a way to improve your health.  But, as with everything you never want to exaggerate one way or the other.  Same with your basal temperature, it shouldn't be too low or too high.   Moderation is definitely key, when it comes to quality health and feeling comfortable.  

Favorite "Local" Places in Phoenix

A couple of weeks ago, Vincent's contract ended at ABC (for now). At the same time a new deal was sealed with XYZ in Arizona for the next 6 months. It isn't too bad, it's only for a few days a week.

Actually, one day I wouldn't mind returning to AZ to see a couple of my friends and Sophie's friends, visit one of my favorite health and nutrition store in N. Scottsdale, New Vision, and eat at a couple of our favorite restaurants like Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale and Trente-Cinq 35 in Phoenix.

Trente-Cinq is the only Belgian restaurant I'm aware of in the U.S. And of all places Chef Lionel wanted to have his restaurant by the time he turned 35 in Phoenix. We tried to convince him to move to Utah, but to no avail. He is truly an amazing and brilliant chef, preparing well-known Belgian cuisines that make your mouth water. We always enjoyed talking to him while he cooked our food. I never understood how he was able to juggle his visits with us and with the other patrons (more high-profile than us, like the Belgian Consulate) while preparing our food. I looked to see if he had a sous-chef or someone else helping out in the kitchen and there was no one. I guess that's a sign of great chef. To this day it still boggles my mind, especially because the food was always perfect in every way, in presentation, taste, portion size, leaving you completely sated and happy.

Our White Tiger Iguana

This is what we woke up to yesterday morning. There's about 3 feet of snow.  

Thank goodness, Vince returned yesterday and could use the snow thrower.  I wonder what happened to Spring?  Oh, well, it didn't prevent us from staying in the house.  On our way down the mountain, I took a picture of the low clouds as they appeared to be at arm's reach.  And then you could see the prettiest milky powder blue in the distance.

We went to Volkswagen for a quick 10 min look-see at the new CC's and SUV's.  The person we were working with..... I kid you not..... looked, talked, and acted like Vincent's nephew Alain.  It was really weird.  Anyway, after 6 to 7 hours later I saw written "you win."  We got a very, very, very good deal on the SEL 4Motion (thanks to my hubby).

I had the hardest time remembering the name "Tiguan" until I was told it's a hybrid of the German words Tiger ("tiger") and Leguan ("iguana").  It's white with black interior and fully loaded; it has everything that's important to me to include heated seats which my current car does not have.   I asked Sophie if she likes the new car and she said she likes the car we currently own because it has all her favorite songs; well, this is a pretty easy fix, I'll just change the station to 101.9 The End.  I'm sure she's going to love this car as it has a huge sunroof....that's almost like being in a convertible.

Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima

This morning I discovered NOT only is Sophie horrified of Santa Claus, barbie dolls, Peter Rabbit, her growth chart, which I had to put away because of the "scary princess girl," but she's quite afraid of Aunt Jemima.  She quickly grabbed the syrup, sprinted to the pantry and hid it waaaaaaaay in the back.....never to be seen again, until I brought Aunt Jemima back out for a photo shoot.  Poor Sophie is running around the kitchen as if she saw a ghost.  I don't think she'll ever eat pancakes or waffles again after today.    

Not that this has any relevance, but the original Aunt Jemima pancake syrup was introduced the year I was born?  Now that really makes me feel old.

You Play as You Practice

Soph's been practicing almost every day on her handstand, headstand, backward rolls and cartwheels.  She's made some progress, but is still a long way from doing a perfect cartwheel, maybe this summer.  

Below in "My YouTubes" there is a new clip of Sophie explaining how she does the hula hoop....she said you have to hold your arms out if you want to go slow, and if you want to go fast, you have to hold your ears.  

At the end of the clip are her futile attempts in doing a backward roll.

Egg Perfect EggTimer

Here's a really simple egg timer that works wonders to get the perfect egg yolk consistency.  Sophie's favorite breakfast are soft boiled eggs.  Health wise, it's the perfect way to eat eggs.  So, I don't mind making them a couple of times a week, especially now that I've found something that actually works and is consistent.  

I also like it because I can hard boil eggs to perfection.  Before I would always get the gray edging around the yolk due to over cooking or the yolk would be slightly runny if under cooked.

The egg timer works in a way that it senses heat rather than time and takes into account the number of eggs, the amount of water and even the altitude at which the eggs are being cooked.  

All you do is place the egg timer with your eggs in tepid water, bring to a medium boil and wait for the sensor to detect when eggs are soft, medium or hard.  How cool is that?  

My Little Martha Stewart

Ever since Sophie has learned her big teeth are about to erupt in the coming weeks, she now looks forward to doing things geared more for "big girls."  It's as if her "big" teeth have given her the green light to embrace being a big girl.  If it's something she wants to do all by herself, her stock response, "no, let me do it, I'm a big girl, I'm 5  years old you know."  

So, this morning, Sophie wanted to prove to me how much she has become a big girl.  She has in the past set the table by herself, but not to the extent of what I saw at the breakfast counter today.  (I would have taken a picture but my cereal was getting soggy.  The only person I know that likes soggy cereal is Soph.)

I followed her instructions, stayed in bed while she made breakfast.  When she finished, she gave the okay by calling out, "you can come to the kitchen now!" She was so proud of herself, and she had every right to be.  

She set the counter nice and neat with the cereal and milk already in the cereal bowls for both of us, napkins nicely folded beside the plate, plastic silverware all nicely set out, with our yogurt, a glass of water and last but not least the condiment bowls for our vitamins.  

All I had to do was sit down and start eating.  This of course, was not only a nice gesture, but I was amazed to see how polished and perfect everything looked.

Now that's a "good thing."

Snow Removal 101

For a brief moment I thought Sophie was going to have to miss preschool today.  It was snowing so heavily and was quite windy.  Seriously, it was like a blizzard at times.  And as luck would have it or Le hasard fait bien les choses, my hubby is getting smarter about data storage this week in Chicago.  So, once again I have the mundane task of removing snow from our driveway.   You might think, why do I even bother removing the show when I drive an all wheel drive and can just plow through the deep snow?   We learned from one of Vince's colleagues if you do not remove the snow and drive over it for a few days, the snow hardens, gets compacted, and at night freezes.  The end result of this cycle will remove the top layer of your concrete creating shallow craters.   If you want to replace your driveway, it will set you back $15K....Ouch!

Soph's TLC Pays Off

Looky at Soph's rainbow plant she got from preschool 2 weeks ago.  (Well, actually she got this cup filled with potting soil and her rainbow seed.)  

She has been waiting patiently for her rainbow plant to sprout, tending to it everyday with lots of TLC several times a day, placing it strategically throughout the house to ensure it gets enough sunlight.  And this is what it looks like today (2nd picture). 

From the looks of things, I think she has a green thumb.  Hopefully, we'll be able to plant it right next to the other plant she got last year from preschool.  

Talking about plants, this summer I intend to get a large pot to plant a small vegetable garden, maybe herbs....haven't decided yet.  I'm sure Sophie is going to like this project A LOT !!  It'll give her an opportunity to play in the muck with my permission.

Ever since I've learned that herbs are loaded with antioxidants and balances one's body pH to be more alkaline, I have tried to incorporate herbs in every dish I make.  Vince isn't into herbs, but I always put a little in his food for the sake of it.  (So, now he knows.)

Herbs, whether fresh, dried, turned into essential oils are all so good for you.  My preferred essential oil is "Thieves," a 100% therapeutic-grade essential oil supplement; it's a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary.  

Cloves are known to have the highest-scoring single ingredient for its antioxidant capacity on the ORAC scale.  It measures at having over 10 million in ORAC value.  To compare, cinnamon has an ORAC value of over 260,000, a cup of blueberries has slightly over 9,000 and a gala apple (my favorite apple) is just shy of 4,000.  So you see why herbs, IMHO, are essential in incorporating in one's diet on a daily basis.

The story behind Thieves is quite interesting.  It is based on the historical account of four thieves (who were chemists/pharmacists) in France.  While they were robbing victims from the Black Plague, they protected themselves from this killer disease by covering themselves with cloves, rosemary and other aromatics.  When captured, they were offered a reduced sentence in exchange for their secret concoction.  

Note:  My new assistant