Ok, last week I was going on about how I really didn't have that much work to do and I was excited about the holidays and graduation and blah, blah, blah. Now I am starting to feel the crunch. I have one week and 2 days to finish my course work at Pitt State. Part of that includes a major family assessment paper and video teaching session that I haven't even started. I'm really not even sure when paper 4 for English 102 is due but I'm really hoping it's not this Monday because I haven't started that yet either! (shhh, don't tell) I'm basically flying by the seat of my pants now and completing whatever is due next before moving onto something else.
Added to all of this, I have been sick this week. While at work Monday I was chilled all day long. I came home and started running a fever. The next day my fever was over 102, chills, massive headache, backache and soar throat. I was supposed to work Wednesday but had to call in. Calling into work right before Christmas when you don't have sick time is not good for the shopping budget. And I still hadn't shopped for my thanksgiving dinner meal preparations. So after my ibuprofen kicked in I had to go to Walmart sick and buy stuff to make for thanksgiving. Thankfully, I felt a little better for Thanksgiving so headed off to my mom's an hour and forty minutes away. And I made it back in time to be in line at Toys r us at 800. After Toys r us, I headed to Target where my husband had been standing in line for me. We attempted to go to the mall after Target but was quickly exhausted and found that the deals were not worth the wait.
I did manage to get my tree up and the house decorated (on the inside anyway) for Christmas. All of this taking away from what I really need to be doing is writing papers!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Benefits of Fasting
My church has recently called a fast on Mondays. So I wanted to learn more about the subject. I have heard that fasting is good for your body and spirit and can actually cleanse and heal your body. I'm not one to take what I hear seriously unless it can be proved to me by research or come from a very reliable source. So I decided to do some research. Many religions include fasting as a way of drawing closer to God. The Bible states in many scriptures that fasting is an important part of one's walk with God and even vital to having prayers answered. I have always believed according to the scripture that fasting is the best way to crucify the flesh and strengthen the spirit. As a nurse though, I wanted to know if there really are physical benefits or if these are just claims from the religious and health gurus.
I was interested to find in Science Daily from April of 2011, that research has been presented at The American College of Cardiology conference that shows the benefits of fasting. The research showed that fasting is a great way to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. It was found that fasting causes the body to release cholesterol as the body began to use fat cells for energy rather than glucose. This is important because the less fat cells you have the less likely you are to have insulin resistance which is part of diabetes.
I also found information in another reliable source. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also published an article with research studies that were done on alternate day fasting. The studies are mostly on animals but shows very promising results in humans. The studies have shown that alternate day fasting may reduce the risk of certain cancers, help prevent heart disease and diabetes and improve blood pressure.
Hopefully this area will receive more attention from researchers in the near future but from what I see I feel that fasting is medically beneficial and spiritually beneficial. I would not recommend fasting to everyone though. Breastfeeding women should not fast and those with medical conditions such as diabetes should only fast with strict glucose monitoring. There are many types of fasting and I am not going to go into detail about all of them but I will continue with the 24 hour fast once a week and maybe add another day during the week. I can also say that since I have been doing this for the last month, I have seen some significant changes in my family and my life personally.
I was interested to find in Science Daily from April of 2011, that research has been presented at The American College of Cardiology conference that shows the benefits of fasting. The research showed that fasting is a great way to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. It was found that fasting causes the body to release cholesterol as the body began to use fat cells for energy rather than glucose. This is important because the less fat cells you have the less likely you are to have insulin resistance which is part of diabetes.
I also found information in another reliable source. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also published an article with research studies that were done on alternate day fasting. The studies are mostly on animals but shows very promising results in humans. The studies have shown that alternate day fasting may reduce the risk of certain cancers, help prevent heart disease and diabetes and improve blood pressure.
Hopefully this area will receive more attention from researchers in the near future but from what I see I feel that fasting is medically beneficial and spiritually beneficial. I would not recommend fasting to everyone though. Breastfeeding women should not fast and those with medical conditions such as diabetes should only fast with strict glucose monitoring. There are many types of fasting and I am not going to go into detail about all of them but I will continue with the 24 hour fast once a week and maybe add another day during the week. I can also say that since I have been doing this for the last month, I have seen some significant changes in my family and my life personally.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Time for a new hairstyle!
I'm excited because I have a hair appointment today! I only get my hair done about twice a year because it is so expensive. I go to the same person everytime. I know I could get it done cheaper somewhere else but I'm to afraid to try anyone new. It's about 120 dollars with the tip. I have very long hair (almost to my waist) and most people that I have been to don't do a good job on long hair. The last few times I had blonde highlights and dark lowlights and a little bit of red added. This time I'm going to skip the red because it always fades to a rusty color that isn't very pretty in my hair. My plan this time is to just add some high and low lights to my roots, cut about 2 inches off my hair and add a lot of layers. I hope it looks good and doesn't turn out to be too short! My hair lady does a great job but she tends to cut off twice as much as you want her to so I'm always kind of nervous to tell her to take off any length. Anyway, I'm excited and I hope it looks good so I can look nice for the holidays!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Sad state of humanity
I had no idea what I wanted to write about today so I turned to the news. I checked out the top stories and was drawn to the story about baby Lisa. This little girl from Kansas City has been missing for more than 5 weeks and the parents are being called suspects. The parents claim that someone entered the home and kidnapped the little girl out of her crib. Dad was working late and came home and found the door unlocked and the baby gone. Mom claims she had been drinking and passed out after the baby went to sleep.
As I looked down at other headlines the next one I noticed was a teenager who tweeted 144 times about her sexual abuse before killing herself. She had reported the abuse a year prior and was told there was not enough evidence. She had apparently tried to kill herself before but failed. This time she succeeded. If you look at the story you will see she was a beautiful girl who had a lot to live for. Sadly, she died by suffocation after learning the method online.
The last story I looked at was about a 3 year old girl who was beat to death by her stepfather for "not wanting" to eat her dog. The man reported that she choked on the hot dog but police said that the violence of the abuse was shocking even for seasoned detectives. The man reportedly punched the little girl in the chest and beat her with his fists and a belt even after she lay lifeless on the ground. He had also reported biting her a few weeks earlier for urinating on herself.
The stories go on and on. It is so heartbreaking to hear the stories of abuse, but choosing not to read about them or hear about them doesn't mean they don't exist. Unfortunately, it is all to real. There are so many children out there who are being abused senselessly. This was the reason my husband and I decided we wanted to foster children. We became licensed foster parents but then had to take a break because of our own child being ill. Foster parenting is a great way to help change the course of a hurting child's life. You can break the cycle of abuse and give them a new outlook on life. These kids need compassionate people who will show them that they are worth loving. This website has information about becoming a foster parent in Missouri.
As I looked down at other headlines the next one I noticed was a teenager who tweeted 144 times about her sexual abuse before killing herself. She had reported the abuse a year prior and was told there was not enough evidence. She had apparently tried to kill herself before but failed. This time she succeeded. If you look at the story you will see she was a beautiful girl who had a lot to live for. Sadly, she died by suffocation after learning the method online.
The last story I looked at was about a 3 year old girl who was beat to death by her stepfather for "not wanting" to eat her dog. The man reported that she choked on the hot dog but police said that the violence of the abuse was shocking even for seasoned detectives. The man reportedly punched the little girl in the chest and beat her with his fists and a belt even after she lay lifeless on the ground. He had also reported biting her a few weeks earlier for urinating on herself.
The stories go on and on. It is so heartbreaking to hear the stories of abuse, but choosing not to read about them or hear about them doesn't mean they don't exist. Unfortunately, it is all to real. There are so many children out there who are being abused senselessly. This was the reason my husband and I decided we wanted to foster children. We became licensed foster parents but then had to take a break because of our own child being ill. Foster parenting is a great way to help change the course of a hurting child's life. You can break the cycle of abuse and give them a new outlook on life. These kids need compassionate people who will show them that they are worth loving. This website has information about becoming a foster parent in Missouri.
Christmas is coming!!!
I'm so excited Christmas is coming! A few months ago I dreaded Christmas season this year because I saw it as finals time, projects coming due, papers to write, and graduation. Now, however, I realize that I will be done with most of my course work by Dec. 6th which leaves me a few weeks to enjoy Christmas. I also realized that I only have one actual final to take and the papers and projects I have to do are not as big a deal as I thought they were going to be. This is a great final semester for me! After this semester I will have no school until May (assuming I get accepted to grad school)! That makes Christmas even more exciting to me! I don't have to rush around getting Christmas decorations taken down and getting my house clean to start school in January. I am really looking foward to spending some quality time with my family. I will have to work more than I do now but at least I will not have the stress of assignments hanging over my head. I love Christmas! I love the decorations and being snowed in or iced in and baking and eating and christmas songs and kids being on break and spending time with friends and family and everything else that entails Christmas!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Healthy Eating
I will admit that I am not the healthiest eater in the world, not even in my house. I have a major sweet tooth. If I haven't had something sweet to eat then I feel like I still need to eat. It's not that I don't know how to eat right, it's just that I don't want to. So, I was thinking about sharing some incentives for healthy eating that may motivate me and maybe even someone else.
The most important reason to eat right is to prevent disease. Eating has an enormous relationship to health. For example, overeating can lead to obesity which is a major cause of heart disease in America. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Obesity can also lead to diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. On the flip side, eating right can actually help fight off certain cancers. For example, garlic contains compounds that can help prevent skin, lung, and colon cancer.
Another reason to eat right is to feel better. Eating a diet full of fatty foods can make you feel like crud. They can make you sluggish, slow down your digestive system, cause breakouts (which affects your self-image), and give you heartburn. When you eat a diet full of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains you will have more energy, better skin, and a healthy digestive tract.
The biggest incentive for me to eat right is to look better. I know that sounds very vain but when you are young and healthy you don't care as much about diseases you may get 20 years down the road. We care about how we look even though it may not actually be the most important reason to eat right, it is the best incentive. Eating right will help lose weight and prevent gaining weight so that we can keep wearing our favorite size jeans. Ok, now I kind of regret what I had for lunch.
The most important reason to eat right is to prevent disease. Eating has an enormous relationship to health. For example, overeating can lead to obesity which is a major cause of heart disease in America. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Obesity can also lead to diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. On the flip side, eating right can actually help fight off certain cancers. For example, garlic contains compounds that can help prevent skin, lung, and colon cancer.
Another reason to eat right is to feel better. Eating a diet full of fatty foods can make you feel like crud. They can make you sluggish, slow down your digestive system, cause breakouts (which affects your self-image), and give you heartburn. When you eat a diet full of fiber, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains you will have more energy, better skin, and a healthy digestive tract.
The biggest incentive for me to eat right is to look better. I know that sounds very vain but when you are young and healthy you don't care as much about diseases you may get 20 years down the road. We care about how we look even though it may not actually be the most important reason to eat right, it is the best incentive. Eating right will help lose weight and prevent gaining weight so that we can keep wearing our favorite size jeans. Ok, now I kind of regret what I had for lunch.
Teenage Dating
Ok, so I know I wrote paper #3 about this subject but I would like to talk some more about my opinion on the subject. Most parents have no objections to their children dating as long as they date someone the parents approve of. Although, there are some parents out there though that don't even really know the person their teen is dating. That is scary. Some people think dating is just a normal and maybe even necessary part of growing up. I agree that dating is "normal" in today's society, but normal isn't always a good thing. It's normal for kids to try drugs and alcohol now days also but that doesn't mean I want my kid to do it. It's normal for people to get divorced a few times and it's normal to sleep around before you get married. I would like for my child to be abnormal. I would like for my children to save themselves completely for their spouse. I would also like for them to be madly in love with the person they marry and stay with them for the rest of their lives. I would like for their children to see the love in their parents so much that they want the same thing for themselves. I know you can't really force a child not to date (some would argue) because they will find a way if they really want to. But shouldn't we as parents let our kids know they don't have to settle for normal?
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