I'm Blogging Again...

Please visit me at my new blog...

http://4mylifefitness.wordpress.com/

Where I talk about my health and fitness and life with my crazy kiddos and loveable hubby!

Check Me Out! I'm in the local Newspaper!

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/victorville-19564-contest-woman.html

New Hair (again) and a Science Test

Hopefully this Do will last a little longer than the last 3 or so.

Below is a Science test that my 3rd grader took, he missed two. How many of the answers do you know? Without cheating. :)

1. What holds an atom together?

2. What gives liquid the ability to flow or pour?

3. List an element that is a metalloid.

4. What is a chemical change?

5. What is a compound and give me an example of one?

6. What does the atomic number tell you?

7. What are the three subatomic particles that make up an atom?

8. What makes one element different from each other?

9. What is the atomic symbol for Iron?

10. What is the atomic number for the element Ge?

11. What is a molecule?

12. C6 H12 O6 gives us what compound?

13. What is a physical change?

14. What are at least 4 characteristics of a metal?

15. How many protons are there in Potassium?

16. What are Metalloids?

17. What subatomic particle has a negative charge?

18. What is mass?

I love his school.

A Conversation With My Son

D: When I'm a teenager will you drop me off at the mall to shop by myself.

Me: Yes. I'll also drop you off at movies and other places. But I don't think you would want to be dropped off at the mall to shop. You'd probably want to go there to pick up chicks.

D: MOM!!! No I wouldn't! I don't even like girls.

Me: You will one day, trust me.

D: Maybe.

Me: You don't like any girls right now?

D: Well, yeah I do.

Me: WHO!?!?

D: She's a 4th grader.

Me: (Gasps) An older woman!?

D: (Laughing)

Me: What's her name?

D: Jessica.

Me: Does she like you?

D: I don't know.

Me: Is she pretty?

D: (Nods) Yes.

Me: Have you talked to her?

D: No. I just walk by and look at her.

Me: LMAO!!! So is she your first crush?

D: No.

Me: What!!!

D: I had a crush on a 2nd grader when I was in 2nd grade. She liked me too.

Me: (Hand on chest) My goodness! Have you kissed a girl?

D: NO!!! I'm only 8 Mom!

Me: I'm just making sure. Whew!!!

So It Is True

Today I got my proof that stress is no good for MS. I already believed it but I hadn't really experienced it clearly until today. If you're not my friend on Facebook, here's some of what you've missed.

Posted Sunday at 9:20am

Dear Neighbor,

I am not going to bitch you out after discovering nearly one hundred cigarette butts in my yard and only ONE in your yard. However, after I am finished raking up all your crap and my sun-dried mulch, I will take note that there are NO MORE butts in my yard. AND, if I find one, YOU WILL KNOW! Take care and enjoy your Sunday!

Sincerely,

Your Annoyed Neighbor


Posted on Monday at 8:30pm

Boy-oh-boy! I'm living next door to a cult. A screaming, singing at 8pm in the backyard, always giving me their opinion, my dad can beat your dad, Ms. Smarty Pants 9yr old, my goodness is that cement on your window from our new walkway, cigarette butt throwin', how do you like the new muscle on the block (referring to his POS truck), hey I did 15 minutes on the ellipitical today, CULT!


Posted Today around 10:30am

UNBELIEVABLE!!! My neighbors son is sitting on the fence between our houses encouraging Kouma to bark. WTF is wrong with these people! And why the fuck isn't he in school?!


So there you have it! I live next door to STRESS. Today was the day that did me in, that made me say, "Dang, stress really does mess me up". After giving the "little juvie" (as my friend so kindly referred to him as) the evil eye, he finally got off the fence and retreated back into Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Not even a minute later my vision was freaking out and a headache was forming in my favorite spot, right temple. Ugh!!

Now, two doses of Extra Strength Tylenol and 9 hours later, it's starting to wear off. I put my glasses on to help ease the desire to rip my eyeballs out of my head. Because really, who wants to ruin a perfectly good pair of contacts. Anyway, it seems to be working.

I am so thankful for my wonderful hubby who bears the load of the stress in our lives. And tomorrow, I'll have him all to myself, in a meeting, with lots of other people. More on that later. Maybe.

Pop-pity Corn

MS Moment

I had a moment last night, let's call it an MS moment. I grabbed my notepad that sits beside my bed and I started to write. Here's what I said.

"I'm not happy at the moment. It's 8:30pm on Thursday night and I'm sipping on a glass of wine and pondering my current predicament. I've just returned from a one hour pilates class and I feel beaten. What makes this feeling worse is that I've been exercising daily for the past 3 weeks, trying to get my body in TIP-TOP shape.

I thought I would kick ass in this class but it was quite the opposite. My legs felt weak and my lower back was burning. A feeling that can best be described as though it were like my muscles were beind ripped away from one another.

I know what people mean now when they say it feels like their legs weigh a thousand pounds. It feels like each one of my legs weighs one hundred pounds. No joke. Is it MS? Is it just fatigued legs from all the work I've been putting them through. I'm betting it's all the hard work but who knows.

Having this feeling has made me angry. I feel weak and incapable and it's pissing me off!

Tears. Tears. Tears.

And I'm done."

Last night I was really concerned that when I woke up, I wouldn't be able to walk. I definitely think I was over-reacting and being way too hard on myself. Of course, this morning when I got up, I walked just fine. I'm still extremely sore but I'm pretty positive now that this is because of all the working out I've been doing.

I was sad because I felt bad for those who have this pain and inability to walk for days, weeks, months, years, and maybe even for a lifetime due to MS. I seriously hope it never comes to that point for me. And I hope that a cure is soon to come for those who are much worse off than I.

Food, Inc.

We finally watched it. There were a lot of sighs and chuckles of disbelief coming from Sean and I as we watched. Some of the stuff was truly unbelieveable. There are two things that keep playing through my mind, even days after seeing the documentary.

One was Kevin Kowalcyk. He was 2-1/2 years old when he ate a hamburger contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. Two weeks later he was dead. Read more about it here, Kevin's Law.

The second was the fact that there are only 13 meat slaughterhouses in the US. All the meat that is consumed by American's is processed through 13 slaughterhouses. My goodness! Can you imagine the bacteria that is flying around those places? And the way they treat those animals, I couldn't watch those parts. It's sad, I know we're just following the sequence of the food chain but how it's done and how the meat is handled, needs to change.

For a moment while watching Food, Inc. I thought, "I'm never eating meat again." But I knew I couldn't stick to that, I love meat. I love vegetables too, but not that much. So I've decided that I am going to try and find a local farmer who grass-feeds their animals. We'll see how much luck I have at that.

If you haven't seen it, you must watch it and learn the truth about the foods you eat. If you have watched it, feel free to share your views about it in the comments section. Also, I was wondering about something. We stopped eating ground beef a while ago and now we substitute with ground turkey. Why wasn't this featured on Food, Inc. and is there anything I need to know about how that is processed?

Reasons for Laughter in my Life

Courtesy of the girl I spend my days with, she's so silly!

1. Bean shouting "BOOBIES" as we pass by the bra section in Target.

2. Bean rubbing her chest with a big smile on her face after I tell her that one day, against her daddy's wishes, she's going to have her very own boobies.

3. "Why is Max scratching Lola?" asked Bean, as Max (a 9lb. Yorkie) tries to hump Lola (a 165lb. Great Dane).

4. As I'm walking out of her room after putting her down for a nap...

Bean: Mommy, are you ok?

Me: Yes. Are you ok?

Bean: Yeah. You can't forget my birthday.

Me: I won't, it's in June.

Bean: Ok.

5. While examining the yellow chickie she got for Easter. "Oh no! Oh no! Where's it's butt mama? He doesn't have a butt! Oh no!!!"

MS Walk - Shorty on the Dance Floor

We had a BLAST at our first MS Walk, which you can surely see.

Thank you to EVERYONE who donated and to those who walked with us on TeaMSarah.

Enjoy the pictures & video.

First MS Walk Tomorrow

Tomorrow is my first MS Walk event. We'll be joined by lots of family and great friends and you can be sure I'll have some pictures to show you next week. We exceeded our goal and so far we have raised $1,125.00 for the National MS Society.

There's still time to donate, every little bit helps and goes towards the National MS Society's efforts to find a cure. If you're walking with us, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Have a great weekend and if you'd like, you can DONATE HERE.

Chili Con Carne

Woo..Weee...baby! This. Is. Good. (Or maybe I was just really really hungry. It's possible. :)) Anyway, it was so good that I had to share it with everyone. I ripped the recipe out of an All You Magazine so I can't take credit for it. Good or bad. :)

I substituted a couple of things in the recipe. Instead of ground beef I used ground turkey, and instead of canola oil I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 1 hr. 5 min.
Serves: 8
Cost Per Serving: $1.24

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
• 1 cup low-sodium, nonfat beef broth
• 1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with juices
• 2 15-oz. cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Salt and pepper

1. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute' 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin and paprika.

2. Add ground beef and cook, stirring, until mixture is only slightly pink, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in beef broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until chili thickens, about 45 minutes. Add beans and cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced scallions and a dollop of low-fat sour cream, if desired.

PER SERVING: 226 Cal., 7g Fat (2g Sat.), 35mg Chol., 7g Fiber, 19g Pro., 23g Carb., 444mg Sod.

Watch It - I Can Make You Vibrate!

I was sitting in my mother-in-laws home the other day and her vertical blinds began to vibrate. I looked away, looked back, and they were still vibrating. "WTF", I thought. That is some freaky shit.

I turned to the hubs and told him, "I think I really do have super powers".

I can make things vibrate, and send those vibrations through my body sometimes. Hear bells and whistles in my ears, create new words to fill in the ones I miss forget. Man, I'm awesome! Oh, and I can make spots appear. Black and Gray! How about that? Ha!

I have many other super powers but if I tell you, I'd have to kill you.

Goodbye Unhealthy Foods, You WON'T Be Missed

I was MIA last week because I was busy realizing something about myself. Or maybe not realizing but accepting, acknowledging, and fixing, something about myself. I've been debating for the last week about whether or not this was something I wanted to share with the virtual world.

My first thought, "Hell no!" LOL! But soon after, another side of myself said, "There are probably thousands of people out there who are in the same position as I, and who could possibly benefit from what I have to share". Hell, Oprah is!

I'll try to make this short.

Last week I went to the Hubs and said, "I feel really stupid for saying this, really stupid, but, I think I have an addiction to food". And it wasn't the good kind of food, it was the crap food. I can't pass by a fast food chain without thinking, "I could sure go for a Whopper" or "McD's fries are heaven, and why not throw in a 2 cheeseburger meal while I'm at it".

Admitting this to my husband, was admitting it to myself. And when I finally got the words to come out of my mouth, I felt like a complete idiot. "Why am I letting food win?" It's just food afterall. It can't speak, it's not putting itself in my mouth, but yet, it has a hold of me.

When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I thought, "this will be the thing that makes me change". And if a chronic debilitating disease can't change me, what can? Unfortunately, it didn't change me. Well, maybe there was a temporary change but it didn't last very long. I was really upset that here I am, living with this crappy disease that I believe can easily be changed by a better diet, and I couldn't do it. Fuck!

I even rented Food, Inc. Telling the Hubs that maybe this will jerk me into some sense of realization that what I'm putting in my body isn't doing me any good. We haven't watched it yet but something else has already clicked inside of me. Allowing me to accept who/how I am and somehow, showing myself how to change it. One day at a time.

I believe that no one else can make you do something, or help you get to a certain point, unless it's something YOU really want for yourself. If you really want something bad enough, and you're mentally prepared for the fight it's going to take to get there, you can achieve it. For me, I have entered that fight. My fight is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and not give in to the temptation of food. For others it may be alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, whatever. But I am finally, FINALLY, mentally able to understand where I'm at, and understand what I need to do to fix my situation. I'm ready for it, minus the patience part. LOL!

Last week I said to myself, "I will ONLY weigh myself once a week and only do this to track my progress and hopefully ignite motivation when I see clearly that my hardword and dedication is paying off". All last week, I cut my portions down, I trimmed the amount of carbs I was eating in the evening, and I exercised every day last week. 7 days, not 5. This morning (Tuesday) I weighed myself and I have dropped a little over 2lbs since last Monday. The drop was nice and it did make me think, "this is working", but the number didn't matter much. I feel great! And able. And my body, ooohhh baby, my body is going places. Ha! Ha!

It's only been a week and I'm far from where I want to be but I'm definitely moving in the right direction. My weak moments for crappy processed foods are dwindling but they are still there. Now I just think to myself, "eating that is going to give me temporary satisfaction with permenant after effects". Like a big ass, a sluggish heart, thunder thighs, and probably more MS symptoms.

Now, it's just not worth it. I'd rather eat food that I've prepared and know what's in it, then food that's been frozen, thawed, re-frozen, thawed again, and then slapped around by a bunch of weggie-pickin' teens. Unless it's Chick-fil-A. LOL! I love Chick-fil-A!! And I hear Chipotle is pretty great too, as far as the freshness of their food.

So there you have it! Some may read this and think, "That's me!" and others may read this and think, "What!?" but either way, it's out there. And by the way, it just pisses me off that my husband can eat all the red meat and crap in the world and have a physical done and be told that he is in excellent health. Men!

Eight Long

I found a pair of 8's stashed in my closet. I'm not sure how long those pants have been at the bottom of a heaping pile of jeans I never wear. Nor do I know when I purchased the things. Probably sometime between baby number one and baby number two.

I hold them up, analyzing a bit. "What the hell, I'll give'm a go!"

I check the size again before stepping in. The words, "please, please, please" repeating in my head.

8L - 8 Long

I step in and would you believe it, they're a little BIG.

I Love You GAP!

Thanks for running your sizes a little larger to make us all feel better. You must do this because there is no way I am a little small for an 8.

But I'm happy anyway.

Sayonara Numbness

A quick update ~

The numbness above my lip is gone. Yay! It was 24-7 for about two and a half days. When I called the neuro's office the other morning to tell her about it still being there, she transfered me to the appointment desk. I told them why I was calling and who I spoke to about it and that I needed to schedule an appointment with a Nurse Practitioner.

"April 8th is our first available appointment with a NP" she said.

"No thanks!" I said.

Really, what's the point!? Luckily, it went away and all my other symptoms seem to be tapering off too.

But...

Now I have a cold. If I've said this before, I'm sorry. But, I think it's unfair that I should have to suffer through a cold too. I think those suffering from severe illness, disease, whatever, should be exempt from all other common illnesses. PERIOD!

I'm Back....

I called my neuro yesterday and spoke with Nurse Mary. She's cool, she always ask's "What do you like to do for fun?". The first two times she caught me off guard and I said boring things like reading and shopping. Next time I see her, I'll be ready! I'm thinking... sky diving and naked surfing.

Anyway, I called to tell them that I don't know the "rules" to follow when it comes to symptoms, flare-ups, whatever. Do I call? Do I not call? Do I wait until it's debilitating or extrememly painful or annoying to call?

She told me that they definitely want to know about these kinds of things (like the now 60 hours straight of numbess on my face), and if it's still there in the morning (this morning) then I would need to call back and come in.

I'm stalling.

MS is Really Starting to Piss me Off

Today has been one of those day's, ya know! A day when everything else wins and your willpower, strength, and determination, is no match for the bullshit in your life.

I'm not here asking for a pity party, or even to say that my kick ass attitude is no more. It's just another one of those "I am Human" posts that after I've completed it I feel so much stronger. It's sort of like talking to a shrink. They listen, don't talk back much (other than the occasional question) and in the end, you feel like a thousand pounds have been lifted off your shoulder.

Thank you blog. For being so therapeutic for me.

Today, I have written in my MS Journal more than I have all year. Tons of new symptoms, weird ones. The reality hit me today. Until today I thought, "I'll just ride out the rest of my life with Mr. MS on my shoulder. He's not very bothersome, other than the occasional migraine and stabbing pains in my feet, I can handle him. He'll remain dormant for most of my life, only causing trouble here and there, and I can handle that."

Today I thought, "Fuck! Am I going to be one of those people? One of the MS'ers who's symptoms are actually visible to the public. Someone who can't manage on their own." Ugh! It sucks to be in a funk but it happens.

Hello funk! How are you?..... Really? Well, beat it!!!

I'll be calling my neuro tomorrow if I wake up for a second morning with numbness on my face. Nice right? That's a new one. The other day I also had a feeling on my right shoulder that felt like someone had shoved me. Then that shoulder went numb, only lasting a few minutes but still enough to notice and make note of. I've also had tingling on the bottoms of both feet, and a static feeling moving all over my thighs (front and back) and on my butt.

That's 4. FOUR! Four new things written in my journal between the 19th and now.

Ahhhhh....I am done venting. My honey brought home some chocolate and merlot which is not good for the body but it's going to do wonders for my mind and my soul. Thank you baby.

Happy Friday - Pictures Edition

Have a Great Weekend!

Have You Heard of It?

It's called Malignant Multiple Sclerosis.

I didn't know anything about it until a fellow MS'er, and someone who I like to call a friend, told me that this is her diagnosis. Malignant. Multiple. Sclerosis.

I had no idea that this form of MS existed. And I had no idea that a person with MS could hear the word's "Actively Dying". Can you believe that! Kelly, my friend, was told that she has one year to live and that she is actively dying. Now let's be real here for a minute. Aren't we all actively dying? I mean, from the day we're born, we're one minute closer to death. That's just how it is.

When I read these words, I was sickened. Why didn't I know this? Why didn't I know that this was a possible form of my disease. Although rare, it is still out there. Still a small chance, percentage, possibility, that she, could be me. But right now, it's not. It's her, and plain and simple, it fuckin' sucks! She is 31. She has 4 children and a loving husband and she has been told to pretty much make the most of it. I know her from the wonderful world-wide-web, never met, never spoke, but I feel an attachment to her. Maybe it's just a bond that many of us share with those who are suffering through some of the same quirks life brings our way.

I asked her permission to speak about her situation and those words, "Actively Dying". I can't get them out of my head. I wanted to let all of you know, that this disease can be deadly. As blunt as that sounds, it's the truth. Did you know? I don't know the facts of Malignant Multiple Sclerosis and I'm not going to pretend like I do.

I talked to my husband about it the other night...

"I want to talk about it on my blog. I can't believe I didn't know about this, why didn't I know? Did you know? (Of course he didn't know.) I want people to know about this. I want them to know that it's not just that people with MS will most likely live a more difficult life, but lucky for them, they'll still live. Unlike other diseases, but that's not necessarily true. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm upset at the lack of....media coverage there is for a cure for MS. Yes I am more concern now because I actually have it but can you blame me? I mean, how many people actually donate to a cause without knowing SOMEONE dealing with that particular cause. I can't name a person. That's neither here nor there but I want to post something just so people know. Hey! It's out there! Be aware! Am I making any sense?"

That's pretty much how the convo went, he didn't get a word in edge-wise. I have all my greatest thoughts at night. He was nodding off and I went on the rampage. Bitching about the lack of knowledge of what Multiple Sclerosis actually is and what it can actually turn out to be.

I HAVE IT - and I didn't even know. That speaks volumes.

Share what you know with others. Let's find a cure.

Malignant Multiple Sclerosis, also known as Marburg Variant Multiple Sclerosis, is a particularly aggressive form of the disease. Thankfully very rare, this highly aggressive form is defined by its swift and relentless decline to significant disability or even death, often within a few weeks or months after the onset of the initial attack.