Sunday, January 17, 2010
Zest "At Hand"
Peel the rind off citrus before juicing or using the fruit, and store in a resealable bag in the freezer or fridge. That way you'll always have zest on hand even if you don't have fresh fruit. Use peeler to just get the outer peel.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Scone Tip
When making scones, grate the butter on the large-hole side of a grater instead of cutting it with a knife. This makes it easier and less messy. Scones come out better, too! Hold the butter by the wrapper to prevent it from melting in the warmth of your hands.
Friday Five
Ok, so it's technically Saturday morning right now. I didn't get a chance to post anything yesterday, so I'm going to bend the rules for myself...
I used to do Friday Five on the blog I kept throughout my 20s, and figured I'd keep up the tradition here since I've outgrown the old blog. Feel free to snag and repost your answers!
What time do you usually wake up on weekdays?
Between 5 and 6. Sometimes as early as 3am since I've become pregnant again - the hunger wakes me up, and I usually can't fall back asleep so I just start my day.
What about weekends?
Same thing. My body, and this baby, march to the beat of their own drum/s.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Depends on what time it is. If it's shortly past midnight, I'll grab something quick and quiet - usually leftover baked goods (cookies and cake are my favorite). If everybody else is up, usually something like french toast or eggs. My favorite is probably french toast smothered in tons of butter, smeared with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, and covered in tons of real maple syrup. A few weeks ago I had some extra cream from a recipe, so I whipped it and dropped a dollop on the top...Yum!
Do you take a shower at night or in the morning?
Depends on what I have going on and Claire's level of neediness; I prefer to wait for optimal conditions.
How long does it take you to get ready?
Not long at all! I've really pared down my routine since becoming a mom. If I don't need a shower, I can easily be ready in 10 minutes.
I used to do Friday Five on the blog I kept throughout my 20s, and figured I'd keep up the tradition here since I've outgrown the old blog. Feel free to snag and repost your answers!
What time do you usually wake up on weekdays?
Between 5 and 6. Sometimes as early as 3am since I've become pregnant again - the hunger wakes me up, and I usually can't fall back asleep so I just start my day.
What about weekends?
Same thing. My body, and this baby, march to the beat of their own drum/s.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Depends on what time it is. If it's shortly past midnight, I'll grab something quick and quiet - usually leftover baked goods (cookies and cake are my favorite). If everybody else is up, usually something like french toast or eggs. My favorite is probably french toast smothered in tons of butter, smeared with a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, and covered in tons of real maple syrup. A few weeks ago I had some extra cream from a recipe, so I whipped it and dropped a dollop on the top...Yum!
Do you take a shower at night or in the morning?
Depends on what I have going on and Claire's level of neediness; I prefer to wait for optimal conditions.
How long does it take you to get ready?
Not long at all! I've really pared down my routine since becoming a mom. If I don't need a shower, I can easily be ready in 10 minutes.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Claire's Birth Story
I quickly threw this together a few days after Claire was born so I could send something out to friends and family, and get some of the details down while they were still fresh in my mind...
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I started noticing what I thought was early labor around dinnertime, but it was more of an annoyance than actual pain. I remembered my mom telling me that she had no idea she was in labor with my brother until she went to a checkup and the doctor told her she was 5 centimeters dilated; she just had a sore back and she thought it was from moving furniture earlier that day. That’s exactly how mine felt: achy as if I had been moving furniture (which I hadn’t been.) By the time Mark got home from school around 9pm, I was already asleep because it had gotten a little worse and I wanted to rest up in case I really was in labor.
Friday, November 9, 2007
I woke up a few minutes after midnight because my backache was starting to radiate to my lower abdomen. It seemed to come and go every 15 minutes or so, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up quite yet – it almost seemed too good to be true, considering her revised due date was October 28th and we felt as if we had been waiting forever. I waited an hour or so before waking Mark, just to be sure.
By 3:00 am Mark and I were both up and moving around. I was picking up the house between contractions so it would be organized when we came home, and Mark was taking care of some loose ends at work on his computer. It was really exciting knowing we would have Claire very soon! The contractions were getting strong enough that I had to stop what I was doing, but using the techniques we learned in our Bradley childbirth classes got me through them just fine. Our plan was to stay at home to labor as long as possible, so I kept myself busy as long as I could. By 6 am, about 12 hours after I initially noticed the backache, I could no longer do anything but concentrate on laboring; we dropped what we were doing and Mark helped me get through them. Time was moving a lot faster than I imagined it would.
A little before 9 am I was sitting on the couch, breathing deeply and trying to stay relaxed during contractions, which were now a few minutes apart. Until then, the contractions had been hard work to get through but I still felt in control. Suddenly they were so strong and close together that for a moment I wasn’t sure I could do it anymore. And that’s when I knew it was time to go to the hospital – we had learned in our classes that I would make it to this point, and that meant the end was very near. Then I knew I could do it!
The drive to the hospital was pretty uncomfortable – it was only about 15 minutes, but was driven on a very bumpy road. It was difficult to stay relaxed around the turns and over the bumps, but Mark had wrapped a down blanket around me and I kept my eyes closed the whole time to help me focus. I didn’t open them until Mark rolled up to my door with a wheelchair, and I noticed that it was snowing lightly.
When the midwife checked me upon our arrival around 9:00 she announced that I was fully dilated and ready to push. I was so shocked! It had taken a lot of hard work and concentration to make it that far, but it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. We had planned on having a water birth, so they took me straight to the tub and I pushed for 2+ hours. I didn’t feel like we were making any progress and I was getting really tired so I got out and allowed the midwife to break my water to see if that would speed things up. We were scared to see that the amniotic fluid was stained with meconium (Claire had passed her first bowel movement in the womb, which can be very dangerous.) I was terrified that Claire may have aspirated the meconium, which could mean very serious lung problems. The midwife let me get back in the birthing tub to labor a while longer, but told me that we were no longer eligible to deliver in the water.
The fear that Claire was in danger put me into overdrive, and to the surprise of everybody (including myself!) Claire was born not even 5 minutes later. In the water. Oops! She was placed on my belly and let out a few hearty cries, and we knew she was ok (which was confirmed by Apgar scores of 8 and 9). Mark and I were so relieved! And it was love at first sight.
I was so happy to have made it through the birth drug-free as planned, but shortly afterwards I started hemorrhaging and they had to give me an IV with several drugs to try and stop it. I ended up losing over 1,000 CCs of blood, but the joy of sharing Claire’s beautiful birth with Mark seemed to override the fear and pain of the complications. Lunch was brought in after they took care of me, and I realized how starving I was. That had to be one of the best meals of my life!
We spent the rest of the day in kind of a blur, getting to know Claire and enjoying the calm after our hard work. The next day, our midwife said that my hemoglobin had dropped dangerously low (from 14 during pregnancy to 7 after the birth; normal range is 12-15). If I didn’t show any improvement I was going to need a blood transfusion. Thankfully I was up and walking around the following day so they let us go home with strict orders: lots of iron, protein, and calcium, along with a chlorophyll supplement. It will take a while to get back to normal levels but I’m feeling better each day, and Mark and our families – and especially Claire – are keeping me in excellent spirits. We are so happy to finally have Claire in our arms!
**Many of my friends and family were surprised to learn that we were planning a waterbirth, and wondered if it was safe. In fact, it is very safe. The baby receives oxygen through the umbilical cord via the placenta; the water is kept at body temperature, so it is a very smooth transition for the baby from the womb to the water. It is the cold, dry air that causes the baby to take the first breath, so there is no danger of the baby inhaling water – it’s no different than the amniotic fluid already in the lungs. There are many benefits to waterbirth, including reduction of pain (it’s called the “aqua-dural” for that reason), greater mobility that comes with buoyancy, greater relaxation, reduced abdominal pressure, and a gentle entrance into the world for the baby, among others.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I started noticing what I thought was early labor around dinnertime, but it was more of an annoyance than actual pain. I remembered my mom telling me that she had no idea she was in labor with my brother until she went to a checkup and the doctor told her she was 5 centimeters dilated; she just had a sore back and she thought it was from moving furniture earlier that day. That’s exactly how mine felt: achy as if I had been moving furniture (which I hadn’t been.) By the time Mark got home from school around 9pm, I was already asleep because it had gotten a little worse and I wanted to rest up in case I really was in labor.
Friday, November 9, 2007
I woke up a few minutes after midnight because my backache was starting to radiate to my lower abdomen. It seemed to come and go every 15 minutes or so, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up quite yet – it almost seemed too good to be true, considering her revised due date was October 28th and we felt as if we had been waiting forever. I waited an hour or so before waking Mark, just to be sure.
By 3:00 am Mark and I were both up and moving around. I was picking up the house between contractions so it would be organized when we came home, and Mark was taking care of some loose ends at work on his computer. It was really exciting knowing we would have Claire very soon! The contractions were getting strong enough that I had to stop what I was doing, but using the techniques we learned in our Bradley childbirth classes got me through them just fine. Our plan was to stay at home to labor as long as possible, so I kept myself busy as long as I could. By 6 am, about 12 hours after I initially noticed the backache, I could no longer do anything but concentrate on laboring; we dropped what we were doing and Mark helped me get through them. Time was moving a lot faster than I imagined it would.
A little before 9 am I was sitting on the couch, breathing deeply and trying to stay relaxed during contractions, which were now a few minutes apart. Until then, the contractions had been hard work to get through but I still felt in control. Suddenly they were so strong and close together that for a moment I wasn’t sure I could do it anymore. And that’s when I knew it was time to go to the hospital – we had learned in our classes that I would make it to this point, and that meant the end was very near. Then I knew I could do it!
The drive to the hospital was pretty uncomfortable – it was only about 15 minutes, but was driven on a very bumpy road. It was difficult to stay relaxed around the turns and over the bumps, but Mark had wrapped a down blanket around me and I kept my eyes closed the whole time to help me focus. I didn’t open them until Mark rolled up to my door with a wheelchair, and I noticed that it was snowing lightly.
When the midwife checked me upon our arrival around 9:00 she announced that I was fully dilated and ready to push. I was so shocked! It had taken a lot of hard work and concentration to make it that far, but it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. We had planned on having a water birth, so they took me straight to the tub and I pushed for 2+ hours. I didn’t feel like we were making any progress and I was getting really tired so I got out and allowed the midwife to break my water to see if that would speed things up. We were scared to see that the amniotic fluid was stained with meconium (Claire had passed her first bowel movement in the womb, which can be very dangerous.) I was terrified that Claire may have aspirated the meconium, which could mean very serious lung problems. The midwife let me get back in the birthing tub to labor a while longer, but told me that we were no longer eligible to deliver in the water.
The fear that Claire was in danger put me into overdrive, and to the surprise of everybody (including myself!) Claire was born not even 5 minutes later. In the water. Oops! She was placed on my belly and let out a few hearty cries, and we knew she was ok (which was confirmed by Apgar scores of 8 and 9). Mark and I were so relieved! And it was love at first sight.
I was so happy to have made it through the birth drug-free as planned, but shortly afterwards I started hemorrhaging and they had to give me an IV with several drugs to try and stop it. I ended up losing over 1,000 CCs of blood, but the joy of sharing Claire’s beautiful birth with Mark seemed to override the fear and pain of the complications. Lunch was brought in after they took care of me, and I realized how starving I was. That had to be one of the best meals of my life!
We spent the rest of the day in kind of a blur, getting to know Claire and enjoying the calm after our hard work. The next day, our midwife said that my hemoglobin had dropped dangerously low (from 14 during pregnancy to 7 after the birth; normal range is 12-15). If I didn’t show any improvement I was going to need a blood transfusion. Thankfully I was up and walking around the following day so they let us go home with strict orders: lots of iron, protein, and calcium, along with a chlorophyll supplement. It will take a while to get back to normal levels but I’m feeling better each day, and Mark and our families – and especially Claire – are keeping me in excellent spirits. We are so happy to finally have Claire in our arms!
**Many of my friends and family were surprised to learn that we were planning a waterbirth, and wondered if it was safe. In fact, it is very safe. The baby receives oxygen through the umbilical cord via the placenta; the water is kept at body temperature, so it is a very smooth transition for the baby from the womb to the water. It is the cold, dry air that causes the baby to take the first breath, so there is no danger of the baby inhaling water – it’s no different than the amniotic fluid already in the lungs. There are many benefits to waterbirth, including reduction of pain (it’s called the “aqua-dural” for that reason), greater mobility that comes with buoyancy, greater relaxation, reduced abdominal pressure, and a gentle entrance into the world for the baby, among others.
Bogus Vaccine Studies
The following was written by Neil Z. Miller, ThinkTwice.com
Many “scientific” studies are literally nonsense. This is not a conspiracy theory. For example, the Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a paper showing that one-third of “highly cited original clinical research studies” were eventually contradicted by subsequent studies. The supposed effects of specific interventions either did not exist as the original studies concluded, or were exaggerated.
Vaccine studies are often funded by the vaccine manufacturer. Lead authors of important studies that are used to validate the safety or efficacy of a vaccine are often beholden to the manufacturer in some way. They may own stock in the company or are paid by the manufacturer to travel around the country promoting their vaccines. Lead authors may receive consultation fees, grants or other benefits from the drug maker. Although many people consider this unethical or corrupt, in the world of immunizations this is acceptable practice, condoned by the FDA and other governing health authorities.
Sometimes study conclusions contradict core data in the study. It is not unusual to read the abstract or summary of a major paper touting a vaccine’s apparent safety or benefits, only to find that upon examining the actual paper, including important details, the vaccine is shown to be dangerous and may have poor efficacy as well. The media is reluctant to publish anything that challenges the sacrosanct vaccine program. Newspaper articles about vaccines, and reviews of vaccine studies that are published, merely mimic the original spurious conclusions.
In some instances, study results may be preordained. For example, when the vaccine-autism link became a public concern, vaccine proponents hastened to produce authentic-appearing studies that contradicted genuine data. Years ago, tobacco companies used this very same ploy. They financed numerous bogus studies ostensibly “proving” that cigarettes didn’t cause cancer. The real studies got lost in the muddle. Sadly, it’s all too easy to obfuscate truth and deceive the public. At the infamous Simpsonwood conference held in Norcross, Georgia, experts knew that mercury in vaccines was damaging children. They had irrefutable proof—the very reason for convening the meeting. However, instead of making this important information public, they hatched a plan to produce additional “studies” that denied such a link. In fact, vaccine proponents had the audacity to claim in some of these papers that mercury in vaccines not only doesn’t hurt children but that it actually benefits them! In the topsy-turvy world of overreaching vaccine authorities, the well-documented neurotoxic chemical mercury somehow makes children smarter and more functional, improving cognitive development and motor skills. Of course, this is absurd. Numerous real studies document mercury’s destructive effects on brain development and behavior.
Another ploy used by vaccine proponents is to design studies comparing vaccinated people to other vaccinated people. Honest studies would compare them to an unvaccinated population. In addition, vaccine control groups rarely receive a true placebo, which should be a harmless substance. The scientific method has always been predicated upon removing all potentially confounding influences. However, many vaccine studies do not conform to this integral component of valid research. This is an important concept to grasp. For example, when the safety profile of a new vaccine is being tested, one group may receive the experimental vaccine containing aluminum while the “control” group receives an injection of aluminum as well (rather than water or another harmless substance). When vaccines are compared in this way, that is, to other substances that are capable of causing adverse reactions, the vaccine appears safer than it really is. Whenever this deceptive tactic is utilized, officially acknowledged adverse reactions to a vaccine may represent only a fraction of the true potential risks to the recipient.
It should also be noted that some clinical studies that are used to license vaccines exclude people in certain groups. For example, they may be too young, too old, pregnant, ill, or have other preexisting health ailments. However, once the vaccine is licensed, it may be recommended for people in these groups. Much like using false placebos, this unethical practice artificially inflates the vaccine’s safety profile and places more children at risk for adverse reactions.
Although some studies are mere propaganda, part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to promote a vaccine agenda, other studies link vaccines to debilitating and fatal diseases. For example, the British Medical Journal published data correlating the haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine to rising rates of type 1 diabetes. The hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to autoimmune and neurological disorders. Guillain-Barré syndrome—a serious paralytic disease—is a well-known adverse reaction to the flu vaccine. These are just a few of the many scientifically documented correlations between vaccines and incapacitating ailments that are documented in the medical literature.
_________________________________________________________________
For more information about vaccines, read the Vaccine Safety Manual by Neil Z. Miller (I highly recommend this book; I will warn you, it's hard to put down!)
Become a fan on Facebook
Many “scientific” studies are literally nonsense. This is not a conspiracy theory. For example, the Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a paper showing that one-third of “highly cited original clinical research studies” were eventually contradicted by subsequent studies. The supposed effects of specific interventions either did not exist as the original studies concluded, or were exaggerated.
Vaccine studies are often funded by the vaccine manufacturer. Lead authors of important studies that are used to validate the safety or efficacy of a vaccine are often beholden to the manufacturer in some way. They may own stock in the company or are paid by the manufacturer to travel around the country promoting their vaccines. Lead authors may receive consultation fees, grants or other benefits from the drug maker. Although many people consider this unethical or corrupt, in the world of immunizations this is acceptable practice, condoned by the FDA and other governing health authorities.
Sometimes study conclusions contradict core data in the study. It is not unusual to read the abstract or summary of a major paper touting a vaccine’s apparent safety or benefits, only to find that upon examining the actual paper, including important details, the vaccine is shown to be dangerous and may have poor efficacy as well. The media is reluctant to publish anything that challenges the sacrosanct vaccine program. Newspaper articles about vaccines, and reviews of vaccine studies that are published, merely mimic the original spurious conclusions.
In some instances, study results may be preordained. For example, when the vaccine-autism link became a public concern, vaccine proponents hastened to produce authentic-appearing studies that contradicted genuine data. Years ago, tobacco companies used this very same ploy. They financed numerous bogus studies ostensibly “proving” that cigarettes didn’t cause cancer. The real studies got lost in the muddle. Sadly, it’s all too easy to obfuscate truth and deceive the public. At the infamous Simpsonwood conference held in Norcross, Georgia, experts knew that mercury in vaccines was damaging children. They had irrefutable proof—the very reason for convening the meeting. However, instead of making this important information public, they hatched a plan to produce additional “studies” that denied such a link. In fact, vaccine proponents had the audacity to claim in some of these papers that mercury in vaccines not only doesn’t hurt children but that it actually benefits them! In the topsy-turvy world of overreaching vaccine authorities, the well-documented neurotoxic chemical mercury somehow makes children smarter and more functional, improving cognitive development and motor skills. Of course, this is absurd. Numerous real studies document mercury’s destructive effects on brain development and behavior.
Another ploy used by vaccine proponents is to design studies comparing vaccinated people to other vaccinated people. Honest studies would compare them to an unvaccinated population. In addition, vaccine control groups rarely receive a true placebo, which should be a harmless substance. The scientific method has always been predicated upon removing all potentially confounding influences. However, many vaccine studies do not conform to this integral component of valid research. This is an important concept to grasp. For example, when the safety profile of a new vaccine is being tested, one group may receive the experimental vaccine containing aluminum while the “control” group receives an injection of aluminum as well (rather than water or another harmless substance). When vaccines are compared in this way, that is, to other substances that are capable of causing adverse reactions, the vaccine appears safer than it really is. Whenever this deceptive tactic is utilized, officially acknowledged adverse reactions to a vaccine may represent only a fraction of the true potential risks to the recipient.
It should also be noted that some clinical studies that are used to license vaccines exclude people in certain groups. For example, they may be too young, too old, pregnant, ill, or have other preexisting health ailments. However, once the vaccine is licensed, it may be recommended for people in these groups. Much like using false placebos, this unethical practice artificially inflates the vaccine’s safety profile and places more children at risk for adverse reactions.
Although some studies are mere propaganda, part of a larger disinformation campaign designed to promote a vaccine agenda, other studies link vaccines to debilitating and fatal diseases. For example, the British Medical Journal published data correlating the haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine to rising rates of type 1 diabetes. The hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to autoimmune and neurological disorders. Guillain-Barré syndrome—a serious paralytic disease—is a well-known adverse reaction to the flu vaccine. These are just a few of the many scientifically documented correlations between vaccines and incapacitating ailments that are documented in the medical literature.
_________________________________________________________________
For more information about vaccines, read the Vaccine Safety Manual by Neil Z. Miller (I highly recommend this book; I will warn you, it's hard to put down!)
Become a fan on Facebook
16 Things
Reposted from Facebook, with some slight changes including pictures
1. Mark and I lived together before we were married. Before we started dating, even! I was renting out the upstairs of his house, so technically he was my landlord. And I found the ad for his place online, so when we started dating I fondly referred to him as my "internet boyfriend."
2. I enjoyed eating dirt as a kid. Ok, not really, I just really like this picture!
3. Mark seems to think that he's Paul Bunyan, and I'm Babe the Blue Ox
4. I won a Crayola coloring contest when I was 8. The prize was a soccer ball.
5. I have a pretty good memory, and have been called The Memory Bank by friends. I can still recite all fifty states in alphabetical order, something I learned in 5th grade, and when I was playing the piano regularly I could memorize a song by playing it just a few times.
6. I have a Mini Me
7. When I was little (preschool?) I went through a phase where I insisted on wearing my favorite tshirt with rainbow hearts on it every day. I usually accessorized with jelly bracelets up to both elbows, and red and white striped legwarmers. My mom was so embarrassed that she went in to talk to my teacher, who reassured her that this is normal behavior for the age group. In elementary school I also refused to wear my Brownie uniform because I thought it was ugly, and in pictures I'm the only girl wearing her Brownie sash over a purple dress.
8. After graduating high school, I moved to Atlanta to attend the Art Institute. I stayed for a few years after graduating college, but finally missed Minnesota so much that I decided to move back. Two weeks later, my brother and I were road tripping it up in my Mustang. I love Minnesota but now I miss my family so much it hurts. I'm so torn - I wish Minnesota was closer to Georgia and Texas!
9. I was in labor for 17 hours with Claire, and delivered her under water after 2.5 hours of pushing; the thought of using pain meds or an epidural never even crossed my mind. I labored at home until I hit transition, and I wished we had planned a homebirth because I would have been more comfortable just staying put. I believe every woman is capable of drug-free childbirth, it just takes education and preparation.
10. I believe that, regardless of how her children came into this world - without drugs, with drugs, c-section, adoption - a woman should be proud of herself because it's never easy.
11. When I worked for Wells Fargo, I played on the office softball team. I was by far the worst player on the team, but I still enjoyed playing.
12. I won a contest for reading more than anybody in my grade the summer between 6th and 7th grades (something like 13,000 pages). My homeroom teacher read this announcement in front of the whole class on the first day of 7th grade, and I was so embarrassed that I never went to claim my prize.
13. When I was in elementary and middle school I loved writing and designing clothes. I wrote and "published" several chapter books and catalogs of my fashions (the catalogs even had ads and contests like my Teen magazines at the time had). The books were about three best friends who had sleepovers and solved mysteries together, and my clothing line was called Alyssa Lynn. Watch for these in stores near you for Christmas '09.
14. I am terrified of Willky Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I love it and watch it when I have the chance, but I have to leave the room sometimes. It's what most of my nightmares are made of.
15. My joints crack so loudly that I oftentimes wake Claire as I'm leaving the room after getting her down for a nap.
16. Sometimes I wish I lived on a farm
1. Mark and I lived together before we were married. Before we started dating, even! I was renting out the upstairs of his house, so technically he was my landlord. And I found the ad for his place online, so when we started dating I fondly referred to him as my "internet boyfriend."
2. I enjoyed eating dirt as a kid. Ok, not really, I just really like this picture!
3. Mark seems to think that he's Paul Bunyan, and I'm Babe the Blue Ox
4. I won a Crayola coloring contest when I was 8. The prize was a soccer ball.
5. I have a pretty good memory, and have been called The Memory Bank by friends. I can still recite all fifty states in alphabetical order, something I learned in 5th grade, and when I was playing the piano regularly I could memorize a song by playing it just a few times.
6. I have a Mini Me
7. When I was little (preschool?) I went through a phase where I insisted on wearing my favorite tshirt with rainbow hearts on it every day. I usually accessorized with jelly bracelets up to both elbows, and red and white striped legwarmers. My mom was so embarrassed that she went in to talk to my teacher, who reassured her that this is normal behavior for the age group. In elementary school I also refused to wear my Brownie uniform because I thought it was ugly, and in pictures I'm the only girl wearing her Brownie sash over a purple dress.
8. After graduating high school, I moved to Atlanta to attend the Art Institute. I stayed for a few years after graduating college, but finally missed Minnesota so much that I decided to move back. Two weeks later, my brother and I were road tripping it up in my Mustang. I love Minnesota but now I miss my family so much it hurts. I'm so torn - I wish Minnesota was closer to Georgia and Texas!
9. I was in labor for 17 hours with Claire, and delivered her under water after 2.5 hours of pushing; the thought of using pain meds or an epidural never even crossed my mind. I labored at home until I hit transition, and I wished we had planned a homebirth because I would have been more comfortable just staying put. I believe every woman is capable of drug-free childbirth, it just takes education and preparation.
10. I believe that, regardless of how her children came into this world - without drugs, with drugs, c-section, adoption - a woman should be proud of herself because it's never easy.
11. When I worked for Wells Fargo, I played on the office softball team. I was by far the worst player on the team, but I still enjoyed playing.
12. I won a contest for reading more than anybody in my grade the summer between 6th and 7th grades (something like 13,000 pages). My homeroom teacher read this announcement in front of the whole class on the first day of 7th grade, and I was so embarrassed that I never went to claim my prize.
13. When I was in elementary and middle school I loved writing and designing clothes. I wrote and "published" several chapter books and catalogs of my fashions (the catalogs even had ads and contests like my Teen magazines at the time had). The books were about three best friends who had sleepovers and solved mysteries together, and my clothing line was called Alyssa Lynn. Watch for these in stores near you for Christmas '09.
14. I am terrified of Willky Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I love it and watch it when I have the chance, but I have to leave the room sometimes. It's what most of my nightmares are made of.
15. My joints crack so loudly that I oftentimes wake Claire as I'm leaving the room after getting her down for a nap.
16. Sometimes I wish I lived on a farm
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Origins Of Arthrito-Girl
- Extraordinary powers and abilities: check.
- A motivation, such as a sense of responsibility, a formal calling, a personal vendetta against criminals, or a strong belief in justice and humanitarian service: check.
- A backstory that explains the circumstances by which the character acquired his or her abilities as well as his or her motivation for becoming a superhero: check.
- A supporting cast of recurring characters: check.
- A distinctive costume, often used to conceal the secret identity: do sweats and uncombed hair count?
- A secret identity that protects the superheroes friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies: no, not really.
- Independent wealth: not so much.
I never would have imagined that pumping gas or holding a toothbrush would present such serious obstacles for me at the ripe old age of 22, but there I suddenly was one day. A Yoga and Pilates instructor, I was as healthy and active as I thought I could be. I had just moved solo across the country to return to my home state and was excited to be independent. I was finally on my own, free to make my own decisions; the world was my oyster. With a newfound sense of responsibility, I had gotten a "real" job, found my own place to live, began saving for retirement, and gone to the doctor to update my shots. Because those are things that responsible people do, right?
For months I made excuses for these sudden and nagging symptoms. "I must have slept funny last night, this will go away by lunchtime." "This is part of being an adult; I'm just getting old!" "Desk jobs are inhumane, nobody can make it 8 hours without wanting to curse or sob from the aches and pains of sitting." My burning joints, severely aching muscles, pounding headaches, ringing and overly sensitive ears, weight gain, hair loss, and trouble sleeping finally got the best of me and I realized that something had to be done. I was numb when my family doctor told me, "I think you have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Tinnitis, but I'm going to refer you to some specialists to be sure." I spent the next 2 years seeing a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic, and spent thousands of dollars on MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, joint scans, blood tests, and physical exams. The diagnoses: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Tinnitis, and Telogen Effluvium...in other words, a body that's suddenly falling apart for no apparent reason.
In addition to the testing, I tried about a dozen different pharmaceuticals over those 2 years. Ranging from benign-sounding non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, to the scary cancer and malaria drugs which are "borrowed" for use in rheumatology, disease-modifying anti-rheumatics to steroids; some drugs caused awful side effects that required more pharmaceuticals to combat the side effects and/or damage. Through this entire mess Mark kept me in good spirits and continued to make me smile with the nickname Arthrito-Girl. After two years and a lot of grief (but no relief of my symptoms) I had had enough; I "fired" my doctors and weaned myself from the worthless drug-of-the-moment. I hired a personal trainer because I knew I needed to get moving again but I was afraid of hurting myself more, and I started paying more attention to living a healthy, chemical-free lifestyle...two intuitive choices that were sure to have less side effects than any of the drugs I had been on. And wouldn't you know it, within a matter of weeks I was feeling some improvement! About a year later I was feeling pretty darn good and healthy, and up to the challenge of pregnancy and motherhood, so we tried and I became pregnant. I was ecstatic! What a nice turn of events :)
While I was pregnant another mom I knew mentioned the risks of vaccines and brought up the fact that newborns today are bombarded with 6 shots, containing 8 different vaccines, at their 2 month checkup, in addition to several (often unnecessary) interventions at birth. This is just the beginning; this continues every 2 months and by the 12 month appointment it's 9 shots (containing 13 different vaccines). My first reaction was to think, "well, why would we decline something that is designed to help us?" But my new mommy-instinct inspired me to at least look into it and make an educated decision. What I found shocked me...I started to wonder why so many parents were allowing doctors to inject these known toxins into their tiny infants, and in such large doses. And the more I dug into it, the more disgusted I was. Even moreso when I discovered that my symptoms, the same symptoms that came on suddenly and all at once for no apparent reason, were common reactions to a vaccine I had received around that time. I remembered the exact day I first noticed the symptoms, it happened to be the same day I started my new promotion at work; I called human resources and confirmed that date. I dug out my medical records from the filing cabinet (responsible adults keep accurate records, right?) and caught my breath; I had gotten a flu shot 2 weeks before that day, and MMR and DT shots about 6 weeks before that day. It doesn't take a genius to do the math with all of these facts; these vaccine injuries, which the government has admitted can happen with the shots I got, happened within their given time frame. I later talked to a doctor who deals with vaccine injuries on a pretty regular basis, and she confirmed that I was likely injured by those vaccines.
So there you have it, in a nutshell, a large chunk of my motivation and backstory. The extraordinary powers have built gradually as I've regained my strength and confidence. I don't intend for this blog to be all about vaccines and their dangers, although the topic is bound to come up. Rather, this blog is a place for me to share my adventures in parenting and learning about health, nutrition, cooking, crafty projects, gardening, photography, going green, and a million other topics. I am not trying to convince people to blindly make the same choices that I make, but I do hope that my experiences will motivate other people to make educated decisions - no matter what they are.
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