Living Positively Without Gluten/Wheat

When I first started dealing with Celiac Disease, I was so surprised to discover that wheat is in nearly  E.V.E.R.Y.thing!  Foods and other items that made absolutely no sense to me included wheat; i.e., the adhesive gum on the backs of stamps and envelopes. Most of use a sponge or some other tool to moisten envelopes these days, but would it even cross your mind that wheat is an ingredient?

Caramel color is another no-no for those of us who must adhere to a wheat- and gluten-free existence in order to remain healthy and more physically comfortable, but it, too is in so very many food and beverages.  Thankfully, there are some companies out there who do make palatable and even delicious food and beverages (including gluten-free beer -- yay!), so be sure to check your labels and keep it moving!

I have compiled a Gluten-Free Report that I would love to share with you. Just join this blog with your email address.  I promise you that you will not be getting any spam from me, as I have nothing with which to spam you.  I have done the report in PDF and in ePub forms.

Enjoy it and I hope it is a tremendous help to you.

Be well.

Let's Get Down On It!

Do you feel like you wanna dance?  I do...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuUg4wJuJio

Family

Smiles. Gasps. Tears of joy at recognition;

nostalgia at remembrance of a time that was

Kids running, bounding, swinging, joyfully screaming

Happy, happy, happy

Skin and Scalp

Currently on the hunt for organic hair products 'cause I believe that ol' devil, Lupus is prowling around my scalp...

In the meantime here are some highly rated (by me) products for the largest organ on our bodies, the skin:

- Onsen skin care line, particularly the moisturizer and Daily Choice Peel.

- Cococare 100% Coconut Oil...This is great at soothing the scalp, and you can do a total body soothe with it, including the face.  If you run out, head to the kitchen and get the coconut oil that you cook with; it will do in a pinch, as well, but of course it costs more, so...

-Basil shower gel by The Body Shop with its divine scent makes me feel like I'm in a peaceful and verdant forest glen; and The Body Shop products are organic -- Yay!

- The Body Shop Duo Body Butter sends those dry skin blues evaporating into thin air.  I'm currently loving on the Floral Acai scented Duo, and waiting for Amazon.com to send me some Peach and Strawberry--ooh, la, la.

If you can recommend some organic hair/scalp products, hit me up with the info, please. It will be very much appreciated. This scalp thing is messing with my head (no pun intended!).

Til next time...

Be well.

ALL Kids Need Access to Early Education

Does it incense anyone else that "poor" kids are portrayed as the face of the need for early education?
I will grant you that a home where the money sometimes runs out before the month are much less likely to have bookcases full of books; however, that doesn't mean that those parents are averse to making good use of the public library.  I mention this because many have stated that poor children are so far behind because they are not read to on a regular basis.  That might be true for some, but let's get out of the habit of painting with such a broad brush.  And let's take socio-economic status out of the conversation when we discuss how better to provide a quality education to America's children.  Gray matter reacts the same whether the annual income is a six-figure one or an income that falls at or below the  recognized poverty-level.

Isn't it a good thing that George Washington Carver didn't know that he couldn't learn because he was poor?  I wouldn't have been able to enjoy peanut butter on my apple at lunchtime today.  Let's take money (lack thereof) and color out of the equation when we discuss how to better educate our kids and focus on the solutions.  If we continually tell a child that she cannot learn because her parents don't have much money, guess what happens...she begins to believe that lie, so it's one of those self-fulfilling prophecies.  We all know that children are like sponges and they absorb what's thrown at them.  Let's give them encouragement and the opportunity to learn rather than saddling them with labels and subsequent low expectations.

Uh, Are You a Clone?

I admit it...I am absolutely hooked on Orphan Black, presented by BBC America.  Granted, I am an official Anglophile -- movies, television programs, books/audiobooks, but this show really snatches you in... Can you imagine human clones as a reality?!  I can; I do.  I fully believe that there are cloned animals and people among us.  We are already informed (sometimes) about the GMO foods, but since cloned human beings are illegal, of course "they" aren't going to clue us in on that...nevertheless, "Orphan Black" is not as far out as we might like to think.  Gives you pause when more than one someone tells you that there is another person who looks exactly like you, huh?  Within one week, I was told of someone "who looks exactly like you!"

For those of us who weren't blessed (I know that's debatable) with siblings, we might enjoy discovering another one or two (or nine, as on "Orphan Black," thus far) of ourselves to hang out and enjoy being close with.  I've always been sad that I didn't have siblings, and I'm just as sad, six-plus decades in as I was at two decades in.

Well, time to catch up on some more Ophan Black episodes.

Shadows of Yesterday and Frames of Today

Good memories are evoking such nostalgia in me today.

I just spent an extra-long weekend with my grandson in Boston, and it was such a wonderful time.  His squeal of "Nana!!" and the way his eyes lit up when he saw me at the door sent me over the moon. Of course, he had to pull out every toy that he loves to show to his Nana and he was going like a train engine right up until he just dove into sleep, seemingly while he was still talking.  Would that the visit could have been much, much longer.  It feels so good to be wrapped in a child's love -- love from a child has such a special quality, doesn't it? It is as clear as good crystal and as pure a water from a mountain stream. 

The reason for the visit was to celebrate the 40th (!) birthday of my youngest.  My fabulous
daughter-in-law was throwing her wonderful husband a surprise birthday party, and his dad and I were part of the surprise.  I was taken back to the day he was born and the amazing reality of how time passes at warp speed. 

If you have young ones, hold tightly to the memories that you are creating.  Capture them on film (not just with your iPhone or digital camera), and allow them to embed deeply within the recesses of your brain. Open your heart as widely as possible and remind yourself that time is fleeting.