When did these words "Kid Friendly" become synonymous with sugar laden, ultra processed Junk! Every time I see those words, I know I am going to be seeing a recipe or list of foods full of nothing but Franken food. When I was a kid, a piece of fruit was the treat in our lunchbox, a dime for ice cream on Fridays. If you bought your lunch you didn't have a choice of junk food, you were given a lunch plate with a protein source, vegetable and a starch (yep that's what they were called back then) a roll and jello or fruit for dessert. It wasn't until I was in junior high that we were given options, but still no junk food, but we had different proteins, veggies and starches too pick from. By the time, I was in high school I often just split fries with my friends. Hey one order of fries could feed a whole table full of girls. The guys had 2-3 burgers a piece plus the fries and cokes. Yes, I know girls and guys have way different priorities.

Now children can get corndogs, burgers and cokes for lunch in the first grade. Sure kids like them; they taste good. But I thought the whole point of eating was to nourish our bodies. Where are the nutrients in French fries?

Lunch boxes are filled with lunchables, fruit leathers, pudding cups, and handy single serve junk of ever shape, form and fashion. Good night, it's become a whole new market, small individual sized junk. Can you say 100 calorie packs?

This is just one more step we have taken in insuring our children grow up fat. If they can't count on the adults in their lives to teach them about healthy food choices; how will they ever learn?

While I do truly believe that fruits bring something to the nutritional table, it is my opinion that we have watered down the nutrients in most fruit trying to make them bigger and sweeter. People of a certain age, like myself, will remember back when a large apple was about half the size they are now. Strawberries were small berries.

It always tickles me that while fruit has all gone jumbo, veggies are all going small. If you look hard enough, you can find everything from baby carrots and turnips to tiny little head of cauliflower and broccoli.

I think it's time to teach our kiddo's just how good fresh veggies are. They make great snacks and heck if mini is your thing, by baby vegetables  cut them into cute little pieces. Nothing better than a slice of cucumber with a little dill mayo with crumbled bacon on top, unless it's bell pepper boats with cheese dip inside.

One of the most asked questions I see posted about low carb is what to do if you cheat. Well first off, I hate the word cheat. It implies you did something immoral or evil, when all you did was simply get off track. Second, it also plays into the whole diet thing. We've all been there, diets don't work. The experts ARE right low carb diets don't work. Oh, my I heard your head snap and your eyes pop. So read it again slowly this time. Low carb DIETS don't work. A low carb lifestyle does wonders for health and weight and all kinds of things. However, it's not a diet. A diet is something you do long enough to lose weight and then go back to your old way of eating. I don't care if you low carb your little heart out and lose a ton of weight, get your blood work in such good shape your Doctor wants to pay you, and they write you up in all the magazines as a weight loss miracle. If you go back to eating all that processed high carb junk you will put it back on faster than field mouse on a snake farm. I'm here to tell you, it's amazing how fast it will come back on. I speak from experience.

So, now that we have established that, one you've done nothing morally repugnant and two, that this is a life changing plan not that nasty four letter word "DIET". Let's discuss what it is you should do now. I'm not a doctor, don't play one on tv either. I don't have any fancy letters behind my name that promise you I know what I'm talking about either. All I can give you is what works for me. How I handle it. We are all different people with different lives, loves and metabolisms. We all have to find our own way through this life. But, I can give you a little good advice and show you how I handle it. From there you have to make it all fit you. This is your life, your body and only your plan will work for you.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is this…. Let yourself off the hook! Truly, you can do yourself much more harm fretting over it, beating yourself up and demanding too much from yourself. Simply move on. If you know what it was that caused you to take this little side trip into high carb territory, write it down in your journal (you do have one right?), if not, try to pay a little more attention and move on.

But, you say you gained 5lbs from that one dinner roll. Well I feel badly for you, honest I do. But, remember all that fluid you're lost when you first started low carbing? Well one little trip over to high carb land will bloat you faster than you can say DONUT! So, calm down already ok. It's not the end of the world and if you're a normal human person it's not the last time it's going to happen either. The trick is to get right back to it. After all this is the rest of your life we're talking about, there is no high carb party at the end of the journey.

The next best advice I can give you is… if there is a food, you are really missing. For me that would be corn products, cornbread, corn tortillas, corn muffins, you get the idea. Make a planned indulgence. Yes ma'am/sir I said plan for it. Let's just it's corn your craving…giggle wonder why I picked that. The schedule a time for yourself where you can enjoy a little of this "forbidden" another term I hate, so that your indulgences is under your control. For me, when I get so I'm dreaming of corn chips and salsa or just have to have something wickedly delicious, that I wouldn't normally choice, carb wise. I plan a trip to a restaurant where I have limited access to it. I enjoy my one serving, keep my carbs tighter that day and then cut them back a little for the next few days. Sure, I might gain a pound or two, but I'm not depriving myself. I don't do it every week or even every month. But it's a planned out indulgence where I don't feel out of control, I don't feel like I did something wrong, and I know the consequences before hand.

Then starting with the rest of that day, life is pretty much back to normal. If I had a few chips, I don't worry about it. If I went for the margarita and the enchiladas too, well then I will probably go a little lower on my carbs for a few days.

This is my life, I have to be able to live it. I have to feel comfortable with it and myself. If you're not happy, if you feel deprived and like you're being punished. You will never keep this up for the long run. Me, I'm in it till the end. So, I have to fit my plan to me, not fit me to someone else's plan.

Oh well, that's my advice to you. Take what you can from it and throw the rest in the wastebasket. Life's too short not to do it your way.

I love frogs, well maybe not real frogs but images of frogs.  What's not to like, they are green, my all time favorite color ( pink being a resent fondness).  I had my furniture painted green when I was in high school.  I mean bright yell at me in my sleep green. And of course there were frogs everywhere.

I honestly don't know where this love of all things green and frogs in particular came from, but it's ingrained in  me as surely as my love of cooking, teaching and all things creative and crafty.

Heck, as a teacher my class pet was a real live "frog"  actually he was a toad I had for nearly 5 years.  Rest in Peace George we all still miss you.

Then one day I read an e-mail titled F.R.O.G and it was like the frog thing suddenly made a little more since.  You see the e-mail explained that the  acronym FROG stood for First Rely On GOD.  Now doesn't the frog thing make since.  Besides they are just too too darn cute. 

So everyone remember to FROG each and every day!

I  have sleep issues.  Not your occasional insomnia that last for a night maybe two.  No I have big hairy don't sleep for 36 to 48 hours sleeping problems followed or proceeded by days and days of only managing 3-4 hours sleep.  We're talking stumbling through my days with barely enough brain power to remember my name, much less make any important decisions.

Why do I have these problems?  I never had a sleepless night in my life until the last 4-5 years.  My guess is it's a lot of different things.  One of which I'm pretty darn sure is perimenapause.  Yep, I think I started somewhere around age 35. I'm now 47 and my body is going through hormonal jungle warfare.  I gain weight just because I can, I get moody for no reason at all, hot flashes hit like tiny but powerful bombs going off somewhere inside of me putting out enough heat to power the whole state of Texas from June through September.  I'm talking spontaneous combustion trapped inside my body which leaves me sure my hair will catch fire any second. 

Of course when it passes, I'm freezing because of course I have every fan I can find pointed at me a blowing like Hurricane Katrina's older meaner sister.

I can be going along merrily minding my own business when suddenly I want to cry.  Oh, not a little tear, I'm talking deep body shaking sobbing.  Wailing and trashing of body parts.  But of course you can't just let go with stuff like that, you might come to to find yourself locked up somewhere "safe".  So you hold in these powerful urges.  And let me tell you some time you have to grit your teeth and white knuckle it, until the urge passes. 

You do something as harmless as watch tv and you find yourself shout at the stupid tv set because something someone has said or done has infuriated you to the point of rage.  You want to throttle that person within an inch of their life.  Yes you know it's only tv and the people aren't real, but someone real wrote those stupid, idiotic horrible things.  Yep someone should pay, and pay big time.

Of course there are those days when you feel nothing at all.  When if asked what your favorite food or color was, your only answer would be what difference does it make anyway.  It's all blah to you anyway.  I think these are the worst days for me.  I would rather try to control the outburst than have absolutely not emotions or passion at all.  It's like floating the rest of you life in lime jello.

Of course as time goes on you have hair growing in the oddest places, and not places you want anyone to see it growing either.  Your skin is so dry it flakes off as you move, no matter how much coconut oil, lotion or cream you slather on it.  You drink tons of water but that doesn't help either.  It just proves how weak your bladder muscles are getting.

Then itching begins.  You start to to itch in places that don't even exist.  I know your thinking I'm nuts that the hormones finally won.  But no, it's the truth.  You begin to itch all over.  Even the palms of your hands itch, but then there are places that itch that no matter where you search you can't find.  Secret, deep, dark, scary, hormonal places that can't be reached, that can't be scratch, but will drive you stark raving mad trying too. It itches but you can't scratch it because it simply doesn't exist.

The hair and skin thin.  Even a tiny bump leaves a bruise.  There's more hair on your sweater than your head, unless you forgot to wax your upper lip and chin that morning.

Your eyes fade and you find yourself wear glasses.  What the heck is that about?  One of my best features was my eyes, now they hide behind these eternally dirty lens.  Why dirty, because while all the skin on my body is drying out to dust, the skin on my face and scalp is dripping with oil.  Yes, it's true, even the state of Texas as a whole doesn't produce as much oil in a month as I can in a matter of hours.   I wash my face 10 or more times of day, but I still shine like the north star on a clean night.  My teenage years had nothing on this.

Yep life is sure an adventure at this age.  You never know who will be knocking on that emotional door next.  Will it be rage, sadness, apathy?   Where the hair will start to grow, what body part will wear out next?

And did I mention the head aches, the swelling, the night sweats that leave you needed to change the sheets in the middle of the night.  Well hey, who ever said living was going to be a walk in the park.  Oh yeah, must have been a man...giggle

Here's hopping that the sandman visits us all tonight!

I'm having to deal with lots of frustration right now.  I'm frustrated because mom is on hold and I can't do anything about it.    I understand it's in her best interest, that doesn't make it any less frustrating.

I've mysteriously gained 3 lbs I can't seem to lose and for the life of me I don't know why.  I've not cheated, I've not slipped.  In fact I've been eating more fiber, cut out most of the nuts and cheese.  I've not had any coke in 4 days and that was only a glass or two.  I've upped my tea and water levels and lowered my Splenda intake.

The absolute only thing that is different is that I ran out of my unfiltered organic vinegar and not been able to make it to the health food store for more.  Can the vinegar really be making that big a difference?  

I've drank more tea and less water lately.  Maybe that's it.  Whatever the reason I'm getting Very very frustrated.  Seems I have been bobbing around this same weight level for over 6 months.  In fact it's closer to 8.  I just want to break this and start getting thinner!

I received a copy of both the Coconut Diet and the 30 Day kick off from the Drs Eades.  I have Protein Power on the way, along with a few other books.  So maybe I what I need to do is switch programs, at least temporarily.  Maybe that will kick start my metabolism?  I don't know, but I need to do something.  I'm so tired of working at this and just staying the same.  Yes, I know it's better than gaining and it's better than eating all that junk.  But Dang it, I want something to show for the trouble!!!  I want to lose some darned weight!

Oh well like all things, in due time.

As we all know, Memorial Day is a day to stop and remember all those brave people who gave their lives so that we could have our freedom.  To me that encompasses a whole array of people.  The military, our police forces and all the firefighters out there battling fires and emergency situations to keep us safe. 

But today I would like you to think of what you can do to help all those brave men and women so far from home right now.  The ones that are in climates reaching 120 degrees on a daily basis.  Those souls half way across the world, missing their families and friends.  Who unlike you and I can't simple get a shower when we feel gritty, Who can't raid the fridge when they get hungry.

They give up far more than most of us realize each and every day, so that they can keep us safe.  Their are out their not because they want to be, but because they were sent their.  Because our government called and they stepped up and went that extra step to keep this country free.

So when you have a few minutes please click here Any Soldier.com to find what you can do to show them it's worth all their sacrifices.

It's really easy.  You pick a couple of soldiers and show them a little support.  Write a letter, send a carb, maybe some deodorant or shampoo.

It will not take a lot of your time unless you want it too.  My family has adopted 4 soldiers so far.  We send a quick thank you, a prayer, a card, some basic personal care products maybe a treat or two when we can. 

Simply let them know that the people back home care.  We shouldn't wait until until it's too late to say thank you!

Btw if you would prefer to support a sailor or a marine then simply click one of these.  Sailor Marine Airman

Isn't it time you gave something of yourself?  I know it was me.

Thanks goes to my sister Cindy for passing this info on to me.

God bless our service men and women!

Luxury, it means different things to different people.  What does it mean to you? 

A friend of mine was telling me about how she spent her Sunday evening the other day.  She made a quick and easy dinner for herself and her honey bunny hubby, while he picked a movie.  Then they crawled up in bed got comfy and watch a great old movie and had dinner.  Tell me that isn't luxury.

To many people, luxury means expensive stuff, people waiting on them, traveling to far off places, 3000 thread count sheets.

Some people think being able to spend time with friends and family is the ultimate in luxury.

Webster's says luxury is:

1. Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort.
2. Something expensive or hard to obtain.
3. Sumptuous living or surroundings: lives in luxury.

So essentially  they are all right, but which is the better answer?

For me, the first answer is correct. Though many of the things in my life might not be essential, my life would be unbearable without them. 

I don't have to have my family with me, but I would hate to have to live without them. I don't have to have my friends, but life is sure sweeter with them.

I will have to admit there was a time in my life when the seconnd and third definitions where right along the lines of what I believed luxury was, what I wanted out of my life.

But something seemed to happen as I got on with my life.  The things that were important to me changed. What I wanted my life to be and stand for changed.  It didn't happen over night, it was a slow gradual change.

When I was young and in college, I wanted nice things, I worked hard to get the few I could afford, they were important to me.  Things were important, I had friends and family but things now that was something I wanted, and not just anything, but expensive things. New earrings or a new pair of high dollar shoes made me feel good, they gave me comfort.

I can remember when there was nothing so important as just spending time with my friends.  I didn't need a expensive house or diamond earrings, my friends made me feel good.  Being with them gave me comfort and a since of belonging.

But somewhere along the way, maybe it was after my father had a stroke, I'm not really sure.   I just know that getting to spend time with my mom, my aunt Val is a real luxury.  They are both in their 70's and I don't know how many more years I will have with them.  That makes it high on my list of luxurious things. 

Being able to go in my kitchen and cook for my family, now that's comfort.  And with the price of food these days it's becoming hard to obtain too...giggle I love going in the kitchen and taking a little of this and adding some of that and creating good, healthy food for my family.  That gives me comfort.

I have a home that's paid for, That's comfort. It might be small and it needs some repairing  but it's ours and that so much more than many people have.

Each night I get to say my prayers to God, the way I want to, talk about luxury.  I get to sleep in my own bed, in my own room.  Luxury comfort.

I have clean running water right in my house, comfort  I own my own washer and dryer, I don't have to schlep off to the laundry mat, I can do laundry at 2:00 in the morning if I want.  Believe me I do too. Luxury.

This is just something that's been on my mind lately.  Maybe not luxury, but just how very bless I am.  We're far from rich, in fact I would say we're at sub poverty level.  but it's not about the money.  It's about what you make of your life. Where you set your priorities.  And maybe a little about how you feel about yourself.  It's taken many many years, but over all I think I'm a pretty good person.  Not the best, but I'm not half bad.

So the question is....

"What do you think luxury means?"

Have a wonderful day, and may your life be as luxurious as mine!