12/31/2014: first allergy shot

Today is the first day of my allergy treatments. From what I understand I will be taking Claritin every day for 40 weeks as I take my weekly shots. I'm taking this OTC drug to prevent me from having any allergic reactions to what they are treating me for so hopefully, in the future, I have less reactions to allergies. They are treating me for seven different allergens: grasses, trees, cat dander, & dust.  According to the nurse this isn't too bad. She has seen people with up to 30 different allergens in a vile.  Slowly over the next 40 weeks the titrations will increase and become more potent.  After that time I will be considered on a maintenance program for the next 3 to 5 years.  I don't know what this completely entails, but from my understanding it will go from weekly shots to bimonthly to monthly.  I've put this off for many years because it is scary. I'm injecting myself with things that will possibly caused me to have a reaction. Including anaphylaxis. But praying about this for year and worrying about it, which I know I shouldn't do, I had to make a decision. Thankfully the 1st shot went well - no reaction. I've asked others who had received Tx for allergies if they thought it worked and about 100% of the time  they shrug and say, "well, I'm not any worse". May sound negative, but I'll take it b/c my allergies are getting worse every year and I'm adding more items every year to my 'cannot eat' list.  

Now these Tx I'm getting are only for seasonal allergies, not food. But we are hoping that they cross over since many of the foods I'm allergic to are tree related. 

EO - ORAC

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It's a lab test that attempts to quantify the "total antioxidant capacity" (TAC) of a food by placing a sample of the food in a test tube, along with certain molecules that generate free radical activity and certain other molecules that are vulnerable to oxidation . After a while, they measure how well the sample protected the vulnerable molecules from oxidation by the free radicals. The less free radical damage there is, the higher the antioxidant capacity of the test substance. There are actually a handful of different tests designed to measure total antioxidant capacity in this way, but the ORAC is probably the best known and most popular.

Antioxident (ORAC) scores for fruits & vegetables:		Antioxident (ORAC) scores for EOs:
Carrots	210	Sandalwood (Aloes)	160
Oranges	750	Frankincense	630
Beets	840	Rose of Sharon (Cistus)	3860
Raspberries	1220	Cinnamon	10340
Strawberries	1540	Spikenard	54800
Blueberries	2400	Myrrh	379800
Wolfberries	25300	Clove	1078700

December 28th - taking the tree down

"Just hanging out in my diapers and slippers". Aka-casual Sunday. 

The tradition continues- looking at the Christmas tree from the bottom up. 

EO (Essential Oils) The Beginning - 3 Step Process to Reprogram

I've discovered a new hobby and it is Essential Oils (EO).  The more I read about them, the more I love.  Currently I'm reading Healing Oils of the Bible, by Dr. D avid Stewar t. 

If you can't smell an oil @ a distance, it probably isn't essential - exceptions include some natural, volatile oils that are faint.

Antibiotics are non-living & attack/kill all bacteria in our system, while EOs are smart and attack only the invaders. (However, the author does not appose the use of antibiotics, just not ALL the time.)

EOs are the only "treatment" small enough to cross the blood/brain barrier. 

Here he recommends a 3-step process to re-train your body/cells to communicate with one another:
(1) Cleanse cellular receptor sites to allow proper transfer of hormones, peptides, steroids, neurotransmitters, etc with: phenols and phenylpropanoids:
anise (90%), clove (80%), basil (70%), oregano (70%), thyme (48%), Calamus or cane (30%), cinnamon (25%), or cassia (8%)

(2) De-program BAD info: these EOs work at the subcellular level by affecting membrane fluidity and facilitating O2 transfer. They also reflect transport of material inside the cell, allowing access to DNA & RNA. Monoterpenes:
grapefruit (92), angelica (80%), frankincense (77%), cypress (77%), galbanum (75%), Rose of Sharon (54%), juniper (54%), spruce (50%), myrtle (37%), hyssop (30%), & peppermint (11%).

(3) Re-Program with correct info: Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes work at the subcellular and intracellular levels, protecting against free radical damage and work within cells to produce properly programmed strands of RNA & DNA.  Sesquiterpenes:
cedar wood (98%), vetiver (96%), sandalwood/aloes (95%), patchouli (85%), ginger (70%), myrrh (60%), spikenard (50%), black pepper (47%), galbanum (4%), frankincense (8%).

Christmas 2014

Eczema treatments for my mini me

Elizabeth had always had sensitive skin. Since she is a picky eater I can't very well do an elimination diet easily, so we look externally. 

I started with bath time & switched to Aveeno & Dove sensitive. I wash her down w/ clean water when she's done and limit her baths to 2x/wk. I follow w/ cetaphil for eczema. She always wears her hazelaid necklace 24/7 besides baths. We even switched hand sanitizer to one that is alcohol-free to avoid stinging and over drying her skin. 

Her skin has improved over the last week. While there is still room for improvement, she is not scratching her skin open anymore d/t itches. Horay for that!

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Decorating chocolate dipped pretzels. 

Stay @ Home VS Working Moms

I think there is some debate at times as to the working mom vocation vs the stay-at-home mom vocation.  I don't personally care one way or another.  I have made my decision and it works for my family.  It may not work for others. 

I heard this the other day: working moms: treat your job as your hobby.  Stay at home moms: have a hobby.  You need to do something for yourself.  You don't need to be 100% self-sacrificing and then snarl at your kids because you're "doing all this for them and they should appreciate it, dammit." (insert sarcasm font)  I know a lot of stay at home moms who read, knit, cook/bake (above and beyond the normal 3 meals/day), make homemade "stuff" to sell and profit, study their faith and attend daily mass, etc. 

I tend to analyze what I do to be more efficient and productive to spend more quality time w/ the family.  We eat pretty healthy, but if I can make instant mashed potatoes vs cutting the potatoes, cooking, smashing, and whipping to spend an extra 10 min w/ my child playing a matching game, instant-potato on.  I have also started to spread out my weekend chores throughout the week so instead of 4 laundry loads on Saturday, I do them t/o the week.  Maybe I'm losing "ME" time at night or in the morning.  BUT - my babies are only babies for so long.

Can I put my makeup on a little faster? Can I wake up a little earlier and empty the dishwasher?  Can I ask my family for help?  YES I CAN.  I can lay down my pride in thinking "I can do it all" and ask them for help.  I can let the floor go one more day w/o vacuuming if it means one more game of tickle tag.

This isn't a conclusion.  This whole process is a journey.  I haven't quite got it perfect - it takes daily dedication.  First I needed to find my hobby and while I love to read, sing, play music, exercise, I found I already have a main hobby - its my work.  I'm treating it as such because I love it; it interests me, it challenges me, and it encourages me to socialize, learn, and grow, and above all I get to do God's work and help people.

Airport Christmas Fly In

Lifeline Helicopter 

Mrs. Clause

Meeting Santa

We love our walkie-talkies & tent. Thanks Santa!

First Cavity for Doc

Elizabeth had her first cavity filled today. She was very brave. I smiled through my pain to put on a brave face for her. Even though the dr wiped away a tear or two, she held still as I rubbed a supportive hand on her leg - the closest I could be.  She had no gas, a little novicane, and a big nap afterwards along with a bag full of stickers. The dr did SO well at talking her through the whole process. 

Mama's little baby loves shorting bread

My little cooks making pink pancakes

Happy Thanksgiving

Auntie Kim's 'melting snowman craft'

Gingerbread house making w/ Matthew

Sharing Grandpa's Pie