Are you Drinking your Water?

You hear over and over again to drink your water. You know it's good for you. It makes you feel full and hydrates your body. But there's more benefits to drinking water than just those two things.

Did you know that your body will let you know you are dehydrated? Not just by making you nauseous or feeling faint. But what about when your bones ache? Ever thought of that?


Painful joints can be a  signal of water shortage. It can affect the young as well as the old.  Intake of water and small amounts of salt will cure this problem. No way am I saying don't seek medical help. But try increasing your water intake before you make an appointment to see the doctor.

• Benefit of drinking water to prevent and treat Low Back Pain is a sign of water shortage in the spinal column and discs. The discs are cushions that support the weight of the body, can be seriously damage by dehydration.

• Benefit of drinking water to prevent Heart disease and stroke: hydration is essential to help prevent clogging of arteries an the heart and brain.
  
• Benefit of drinking water to prevent and treat Hypertension: hydration is crucial in treating it without using diuretics or medication
  
  Did you know that our cornea  is 80% water. Working long hours on the computer makes the eyes dry. Just closing the eyes for a few seconds every hour  and blinking frequently allows liquid from the tear glands  to moisturize and lubricate the cornea. Drinking water helps keep your eyes moist and in good health
  
  
  If your body has a tendency to retain fluids, it might seem logical  to drink less water. However, the opposite is  true. To lose the excess fluids, you  may need to drink MORE water. Dehydration can cause the body  to retain fluid that will be released as you drink more water.  The goal is to keep lots of fluid flowing through your body. To do this, drink more water along with salt  intake (which will be another post).

So keep think about these other benefits when you you drink that water bottle. And remember to recycle the bottle!

So how much water should you drink a day? The minimum for a healthy person is eight to ten eight-ounce glasses a day. You need more if you exercise a lot or live in a hot climate.  And overweight people should drink in an extra glass for every 25 pounds they exceed their ideal weight.  Please consult your own physician for their recommendations.


So I told you last week that every Monday would be Weigh In day. So without further ado. . .

 

One Pound down!

So Link your weigh in Post here So we can all visit and encourage each other!

I didn't get this Way Overnight!

Some of you know me in real life but for those of you who don't, do not realize I have been struggling with weight for several years now. I used to be this skinny chic that could eat a ton and never gain weight. That was 15 years ago and since then there have been many factors that have contributed to my lack of exercise and bad eating habits.

You see, 12 1/2 yrs ago , my first husband left my daughter and I. I won't go into details because my precious daughter reads this blog and I do not nor will I ever bad mouth her father to anyone. What's done is done. At the same time, my father made the decision to leave my mom after 31yrs of marriage. Again, I won't go into details because I have forgiven him and I love him.

Add all that on top of losing my house to forclosure, getting a job (I was a SAHM at the time) and getting in three car accidents during that year caused a lot of emotional baggage. Looking back I wish I had channeled my emotional frustration via exercise rather than food. But It wasn't to be.

It started with a friend at work being pregnant. She ate more to accommodate her little one. And we ate lunch together often. She allowed me to feel less guilty over the amount and types of foods I was eating. And it gradually took a toll on my bod.

By the time I got home from work I was too tired to exercise and the less I did the bigger I became. I used to hike, rock climb, walk, canoeing, etc. I was an outdoorsy person. It bothered me to no end when I was cooped up in the house. It still does but not as much as it used to.

Since that fateful year I have gotten remarried and had two more children to add to my family. But the year Little Monkey was born was a tough year too. He had many medical issues, had many surgeries and almost died a few times. So there I was back to eating to help me feel better. And now it's morphed into eating because I'm bored.

I don't want to be like this the rest of my life. I have a heart condition and I want to do everything I can to stay healthy and be there for my kids and my husband. I'm turning  . . AHEM! 40 in two years. Yeah I know I shouldn't tell everyone but it's true. I want to be back to my old self by my 40th Birthday! I have two years.

Today is day one and the start of the new me. I can't do this alone. I love my family but they aren't the best at being encouraging. I need help from my readers and friends. Who's with me? Do you want to lose the weight too? Why don't you join me . I don't care if you have 10 or 300 lbs to lose.

On Mondays I will weigh in and actually show you a picture of the scale *gasp* . Yep I'm brave . . . I think.  I will post Mr. Linky here for you to join in If you'd like.  I'm working on a button that you can get to place on your blog to encourage others to start living healthier.

 So today I did my first workout using EA Active for the Wii. It kicked my butt. I'm so out of shape. I did this about three hours ago and I have been sore ever since. I know it's going to get easier and I will go at my own pace. What ever you do to get your heart pumping is ok. Not everyone has a Wii. But I encourage you to get moving!

So here's a number for ya. What's yours? Are you brave enough to share it on the internet?

Write about your goals, how are you moving your body, what are you eating, how much water you are drinking etc. Let's get Healthy. We owe it to ourselves and our families!

Wordless Wednesday

He's at it AGAIN!!!!!!

This time it's daddy's shaving cream. Mere days after the mustard incident!

Craft Project Thursday

Eggs Over Easy

An inexpensive, quick way to dress up your table at Easter. This might just be the perfect decoration. Start with about two dozen hollowed-out, painted eggs. Tape one end of a narrow ribbon to a wooden skewer; tie a knot in the other end. String the eggs onto the ribbon, untape the skewer, and tie a knot to finish.

How easy is this?

This project was brought to you from BHG.com

Got a project your working on or a tutorial to share? Link up here!

Wordless Wednesday - With a Few Words

It is never never dull at our house. Tiger makes sure of that. Sunday I walked in the living room to find him covered in mustard. 

Yep

You heard right. 

MUSTARD

After cleaning up said child and the couch and the living room rug we got him ready for church. Five minutes before we were to leave, Tiger decides to go skating in a wayward mustard pond in the dining room. So not only are his jeans and sweater splattered with mustard so are his shoes. Of course we didn't notice it until we got in the car to go. 

So now you have a little insight on what it's like to live here.

Preventing Lice is Easier than you Think!

Take it from me Lice is a horrible issue to go through. Not only for your child but for you too. They miss school and end up being totally embarrassed by the situation and may even have to sport a shorter do just to get rid of them. You have to deal with getting rid of them . That could entail hair cuts, lots of nasty chemicals, washing bedding, buying new hair brushes, throwing away old ones. It's a lot of work. 

My daughter came home with them when she was 7 and it took two bottles of the chemicallly treated shampoo, lots of missed school, not to mention my daughter was beyond mortified. It was so bad it took us an entire summer and fall to get rid of them completely. We got so frustrated she opted to have her hair cut short. 

If there was a shampoo or spray to prevent it back then I would have bought stock in the stuff! Now there is! YAY! Zippity Doo's  has a whole line of hair care products that acutally prevent lice. Each product is mild and safe enough to use daily and is a natural, gentle prevention instead of harsh treatments.

	Bath Time: Zippity Doo’s™Shampoo and Zippity Doo’s™ Conditioner as first line of defense against lice and other insects.
	Every Morning: Zippity Doo’s™ Leave-In Detangler or Zippity Doo’s™ Styling Gel for an added and fresh layer of lice prevention before the kids head off to school or camp.
	Daily/As Needed: Apply Zippity Doo’s™ Shield Spray on all surfaces, including hats, helmets, backpacks, pillows, bedding, toys, combs, clips, berets and other items and hair accessories that may harbor lice, nits and other insects.

Each product smells good but is not over powering. My boys hair feels just as clean and smells as fresh as any other shampoo. I like the fact that is natural and I'm not putting nasty chemicals on my kids. It is definitly worth the money to keep these products in stock.

Would you like to win a set(Shampoo, Conditioner, Styling Gel, Shield Spray) of Zippity Doo's?

Leave me a comment on this post. For more entires you can do the following:

• Tweet about this
• Blog about this giveaway
• Subscribe to my feed
• Follow me on Twitter

Just leave me a separate comment for all the items that you do.  I will pick a winner using a random generator on March 24. 

These products were supplied to me by Zippity Doo’s via BSM Media, as are the products for the giveaway.  I have expressed my opinion and have not been paid to give you my thoughts.

Wordless Wednesday

The Solution

Two weeks ago I ask you for some advice.

Do you remember?

Probably not since I'm not the greatest with following up.  I asked you to give me some insight on what I could do to get my son to hold a writing or eating utensil. I won't go into details since you can read about it. But what I did promise was to post all of your ideas. And you all had some great ideas. I used those and the ones from parents of children in his class at school.

Tiffany Lockette suggested we try the Crayola Beginnings for the Bathtub.  Thanks Tiffany (Hey! I love your name!). I have those on my shopping list for Friday!

ACollage says "I have a 9 yob with autism, and we found a few things that were helpful: pencil grips that have odd textures to fill tactile sensory input needs, pencils that were bendy or squishy or made noise (they were more interesting than regular pencils and didn't scream "writing" as much as they did "touch me, I'm cool!") and special grips that align the hand properly and lessen the tightness the child has to have in his hand. We also used paper with raised lines, so he could feel the lines instead of just seeing them.

Thanks! A friend of mine gave me a few pencil grips in boy colors to try out. He's still tentative about touching them but he's more willing to try. I will keep working with this idea.

Rachel C writes "I would just try lots of different textures/writing utensils and see if there's something that appeals to him. Ex: he could practice letters with his finger in sand, rice, shaving cream, pudding, on sandpaper, with chalk, with pens (like mom or dad), highlighters, etc.
Once you find a couple of things that he enjoys, I would just give him 2 choices at a time. Ex: "We are going to practice writing your name today. Would you like to use shaving cream on the bathtub wall, or would you like to use a marker on a dry erase board?"

The shaving cream is a no go. He hates the feel but sand, rice  he loves.  In fact he got Moon Sand for a gift a few weeks ago and loves it!Thanks for the suggestions.

Some of the parents from Little Monkey's class suggested  modeling clay (the kind that doesn't dry out). He got a bucket of clay for his birthday and will spend hours smooshing it.  Another parent told me of a fun toy that would incorporate his love of lights with drawing. The Glodoodle.This thing has not left his side since he opened box. Not only can you use the pen that is attached but you can write and draw with your fingers.

Last night he showed me a picture of Super Mario that he had drawn. You have no idea how proud I was of him. For years he has fought us tooth and nail about picking up a crayon and drawing or writing. Now he's writing his name at school with the help of pencil grips and coloring pictures. I guess I'm going to have to buy stock in pencil grips. Cause we are going to need ALOT of them!

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions. I can't thank you enough. Somethings he still has issues with , like holding a fork or a spoon. But we are working on that.  Hopefully some of you parents that are going through the same things will find these suggestions helpful. If they do . . tell me about it! I'd love to hear your stories!

Juicy Rewards from Tropicana

Tropicana has begun a really great campaign to help you save money. When you buy Tropicana products that say Juicy Rewards on them, you get a reward code (look on the back of your product). Register and enter your code.
You can redeem your points and get all kind of cool discounts for things in your area. Everything from museums, festivals, home services, to camping gear.

To get you started register and enter the code "MOMCE-NTRAL"  (without the quotes) to get one reward point. This one-time use code is valid for new accounts ONLY. And must be entered within 6 hours of creating your account.

Throughout the coming months I will be posting about Tropicana Juicy Rewards and letting you know about some of the awesome deals that are available to Rewards Members. So keep coming back and don't forget to sign up to be a Member and use the code to get started collecting those points!

I wrote this review while participating in the Tropicana Juicy Insiders Ambassador program by Mom Central on behalf of Tropicana. I received 12 free Juicy Rewards points and a $50 Visa gift card to use in redemption of the points and to facilitate my review. 

Wordless Wednesday

This is what I woke up to on Saturday Morning

 

  

The Guilty Party

Celtic Women - Songs From the Heart

I have always loved Celtic music. It just puts a twinge in my heart. I especially love the bag pipes. It's such a sorrowful sound but beautiful. When Lord of the Dance came out, I bought the CD immediately. I even taped the PBS performance.

The Celtic Woman are absolutely stunning and oh so talented. I got a chance to watch the DVD at a friends house about a week ago and I was memorized. Their voices are truly angelic and I could listen to them for hours. (which I have by the way).

It's so hard to pick out a favorite song. Seriously the whole album is awesome. If you twisted my arm and told me to pick anyways. I think I would pick, "Isle of Hope,Isle of Tears" . I wish I could embed a video for you to watch but you can not embed these. But go to YouTube and watch them.

These ladies are so graceful and their producer is so talented. WOW. Every time I listen I want to sing along with them. Not that my voice is anywhere like there's. But the music just calls to me. Check it out , you will fall in love immediately!