January Jewel

[Snoopy56]

Good morning all,

I have some questions regarding the diet you talked about. And the acupuncture.

Lav, what effects do dairy have on this? Cheese, milk, half and half, can you think of anything else? I will mention it to him. I agree that staying calm and positive is the best choice, and I am doing well most of the time, however, wake up at 3 am with anxious thoughts, and have to focus on deep breathing to get back to sleep. Not fun. I agree, life does not go well 100% of the time, I am grateful for the great holiday season I had, it was pretty good, 2017 is teaching me some life lessons for sure.

Cyn, could you please share your knowledge of acupuncture and sinus problems? How many sessions did he need? Any other info I should know about? So sorry about your dinner party. I am having my daughter and family over today and decided to get Olive Garden carry out, I am in no mood to cook this weekend. Still brutally cold here but no new snow.

Dill, my husband and I are exhausted with all the challenges this week. I called him at work to talk to him one on one. We are trying to be patient and kind, but are worried about health issues with our son. He has been a wreck, but yesterday showered, went out, home for a time, talked to a friend and today is planning on meeting her for brunch then socializing with us at our family dinner. My entire Saturday was spent doing chores, shopping, etc., and today will be busy too. I am looking forward to going to work for some normalcy. OK, I did read a bit, I found a fascinating historical novel set in Ireland in 590, involving nuns and it is a good read for me. For some reason I love reading about nuns in convents, their daily rituals, how they interacted with the wider community, and at that time healing for all. I guess no matter what happens, I have to read. My thoughts are with you and you are in my prayers.

Pauly, hope your weekend is going OK. Sorry to hear about the dizziness, etc., it is really hard to live with.

Lizann, sounds like you are having winter weather too. Keep warm and enjoy being cozy at home. I am excited to see my grandson today, you are going to love being a grandparent, it is the best. Right now the big discussion is about names, and they are picking some weird one, hey, none of my business, it is fun thinking of names though.

Have a good one, AF.

[dill]

Good morning all, I slept 9 hours last night and still felt tired in the morning! I think that part of it is simply due to natural cycles. It is so dark for so much of the day and so cold outside that my body is responding by going into hibernation mode! LOL

Pauly, I am missing TWD. I read somewhere that FTWD is coming back in April, have you heard anything about that? Meantime I will probably be watching some Masterpiece Mystery and Masterpiece Theatre. There is one due to start January 15. I know it is a far cry from TWD! LOL! But one can't watch all zombies all the time, eh? One must try to be well rounded! Anyway, I hope it is good.

Liz, my gdaughter is 5 and a bright and happy little dear. She truly shines! My gson is 11 and in the 5th grade. He is moody but generally sweet natured and I am grateful he seems to be taking the change here in stride. I am sure you will enjoy helping your daughter with the baby but I am equally sure you will be shocked at how much work it is caring for a little one. It is more difficult in our later years because as you say, we become set in our ways, and also, our energy level is much diminished from when we were of child-bearing years. But it is such a blessing to have grandchildren! You will love it!

Cyn, I hope you can freeze your meal! I can understand fully how it was a disappointment and at the same time a relief that they did not show. Perhaps you are like me, in a sort of hibernation mode.

Lav, Mr. D and I cherish the morning time we are given but it is SO SHORT when you are used to days on end of "freedom". We are adjusting tho. I wondered at your mortgage refi....did you get a better interest rate?

Star, I am finished with Winter Solstice. Any book suggestions? Hopefully not one with so much emphasis on the comforting effects of alcohol! Yiikes. Still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

My goodness how the time flies! I must be on my way. Have a great AF Sunday!

[Lizann]

Dill, I think I do understand how you feel caring for your grandchildren. It is a lot of work and the emotional toll probably even bigger. I hope your son gets himself together for everyone's sake. May I ask, is he around at all for the kids and are they aware of what's going on. They are so lucky to have you!

Cold crisp day here today. I am sure everything is frozen out there, but it's pretty to look at. We will be taking our oldest daughter out (yes the pregnant one) for her birthday, which is the 10th. How can she be 30 already? It's really kind of cute, she claims the baby doesn't know what it wants for lunch yet, so we shall see where we end up. Cake and gifts to follow here at the house.

Wishing you all a fabulous AF Sunday! FYI, I too, have noticed the days are getting longer and I love it!

[Lavande]

Good evening friends,

I ended up having a nice visit from my daughter & her crew today. My granddaughter was anxious to deliver Girl Scout cookies that they picked up this morning There goes my new year clean eating, ha ha. Actually they are making the cookies healthier these days. Some are dairy free & a few are gluten free too I hear.

Star, dairy is an acidic food & therefore very inflammatory. It can cause increased mucus production in kids & some adults causing congestion. That congestion can clog up sinus pathways, ears, etc. Adults just don't need it to be healthy.
I hope everything eases up for all of you this week!

Dill, we did the refi for a slightly lower interest rate but also to free up some extra cash each month. Almost didn't bother with it but decided to go ahead anyway. We've been working with a financial planner the past few months to help us get various investments, pensions & whatnot pulled into one place for easier access. Basically we are tired of wondering about then ignoring all this stuff & have handed it off to someone who has the knowledge
Grandkids are such blessings even when we have to deal with them more than expected. You are doing a great job, bless you!

Liz, we really did not get enough snow to even bring the snow blower out. We have no sidewalks here to worry about, only our driveway to deal with, thank goodness. I hope the birthday lunch went well. Geez, my daughter is turning 40 this month - that is very hard to believe!!!

Cyn, I whipped up another mozzarella this afternoon - we have almost finished the first one. I hope you had a good day.
Pauly, hope your day was good too!

Stay warm everyone!
Lav

[Snoopy56]

Woke up later than usual, just checking in, have a good one.

[dill]

Hello All,

Star, hate that late wake up, especially on a Monday! Hope to see you tomorrow.

Liz, The children see their dad each weekend now. He comes and spends the night here on Saturday night. He loves them very much but knows he is in no position to care for them at the moment. They know he is going to be in treatment. I think the 5yo doesn't really have a clue what that means but knows he will be gone for some time. The 11yo has a better understanding of what is going on, but still has a difficult time truly grasping it. But hey....so do I!

Lav, good on you and YB for getting your financial life in order. It's really important, especially at this stage of our lives. Mr. D takes an active interest in managing our finances. I'm not sure what I would do if it were left up to me, but I would have to figure something out, just like you. I'd have to seek professional advice.

Pauly, Cyn, greetings and thinking of you.

Gonna get busy around here with a little cleaning. My daughter is coming for a visit this week! We are so looking forward to seeing her and our grandson!

Happy AF Monday!

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Dill,I just wanted to say that I applaud you for taking care of your grand babies,I know its hard sometimes but I'm grateful they have a secure,loving home with you,over the holidays I really took notice of foster kids and how hard it must be for them to be shuffled around, being in abusive homes,not having anything permanent, etc,its almost like we humans treat stray animals better than children with no homes,there was just a lot of coverage on the news over Christmas and it got me thinking, you're gonna have so much fun when your daughter and grandson come how fun! Full house but fun,Lav,enjoy your girl scout cookies hello Liz,Cyn and Star,I hope we all have a great AF Monday

[treegirl]

Morning all,

Sorry to be away. I have worked long hours in a project every day, and had to get the house in order double-quick before Saturday night's non-guests. After working during the day yesterday we had other people over to have what I had fixed for Saturday. After that I cleaned up the dining room, put the China away and put away all the remaining Xmas things, so it was a late night.

Star - Lav explained the dairy issue perfectly. When my husband faces sinus issues, he knows to back off of dairy and also gluten, which also acidic and very inflammatory. Sinus issues are really fueled by that inflammation, and so are gut issues (the second brain). I am going to try to actually go grain free this spring to see if I can get my sharper thinking back. Acupuncture helps some people sped up the anti-inflammatory process, but it doesn't always work, and it can take a few weeks. See if his insurance covers it - it can be costly otherwise. If your son is open to it, strong ginger tea with ACV, raw local honey, and some drops of Grapefruit seed extract once or twice a day can really help too. It made a difference a few years ago for my HB. I would really recommend holistic treatments first - remember that big deal ballon surgery that my HB had last August? It was supposed to last for a year at least, but by November he was sick again. The only thing that has helped his chronic issues is diet change and the acupuncture and the Chinese herbs he takes. Of course, you have to rule out any masses or tumors, etc., but in the meantime, your son could start a holistic protocol. Good luck!

Dill, you and Mr Dill are changing lives-- good luck and keep it going. Take good care of yourself.

Lav, another batch of cheeese! Sounds great. Nice that you found someone you can trust to help track your investments, that's always hard.

Pauly, how are you feeling today? I hope things are going well for you.

Liz, I hope you had fun with your daughter's birthday lunch. Driving Saturday was really very dangerous for me coming back from my work - the low temps really changed the roads.

I will try to write each day, but I have to go into full work mode - our expenses have risen, and things are very tight. Also, current proposed changes in our country are calling me to be very active, so there are not going to be too many free hours for the foreseeable future. I will jump in as often as I can, but please know that I treasure each one of you and am sending light and love to all.

To the light!

[Lizann]

Hey all, I will be working a lot of extra hours it seems as well. My coworker Ann has been on vacation, sick and now has a water leak under her sink. She is calling in tomorrow and I am very upset to have to work alone again. It's a lot for one person to do. I'm done, thank you for letting me vent.

My DH, son and daughter all have sinus issues. They don't consume much dairy, but now I'm wondering if gluten could be an issue? I have never heard of that before, but may be worth looking into.

Dill how nice your daughter and grandson are coming. Your house will be full!

Hope you are all doing ok. I am off to bed as I need to be up super early for work!
Sweet dreams. . .

[Lavande]

Good evening friends!

Freezing our a$$es off here, ha ha!! The weather is supposed to warm up a bit this week, at least to something above freezing, Brrrr.

Star, I have been having a hard time getting up for the past week or so, regardless of how much sleep I have gotten, weird. Must be hibernation wanting to take over or something. Hope you got caught up today.

Dill, great that your daughter & grandson are coming to visit. You will have a house full
Have you been stuck in this sub-freezing weather too? Geez!
We are using a guy connected to our credit union for assistance with the financial planning. He's young & very smart & was able to sift thru the ton of paperwork we dropped in his lap & come up with a smart & safe plan for us. Thank goodness too! We have always been good at saving & investing but our funds were all over the place. Now we feel better, he's made sense of it all.

Pauly, I only ordered the dairy free GS cookies, ha ha! I don't intend to eat too many but they are really good
My granddaughter lost one of her upper front teeth today & sent me a picture after school. That tooth was wobbling all over the place yesterday when they were here. She's very happy about this, LOL

Cyn, I will be doing my best to decrease my gluten intake too. Of course these cookies will have to be eaten first.
Giving up dairy did me a world of good where my sinuses are concerned. My gut issues are minimal now as well. The less gluten I ingest the better I feel too.
I hope your work goes well but you find some time for yourself as well. I am getting Daily Action Alerts texted to me so I can make calls to help shape our future. Take care!

Hello to Liz, hope you are well.

Have a peaceful night everyone!
Lav

[Snoopy56]

Good morning...

Had a really rough day yesterday, my son is just not dealing well with his situation. We have had to make some tough decisions, and this is not easy. He made my life miserable when I came home from work last night, it was not fun. I have decided to handle this by getting through this week, then only allowing him nad his situation in my thoughts on a limited basis. I was having chest pains yesterday, it was from stress. I did some deep breathing and realized that I do have the power to focus on work at work, talk to others and not mention his situation, not repressing it, but just detaching. Once we get him settled, it will be easier. I hope. Maybe. I am just so glad I am AF throughout all this, otherwise I would be a wreck. It was so good to be able to deep breathe this morning and decide to control what I can.

Cyn, I appreciate the info on the ginger tea, ACV, and grapefruit extract. You sound busy, take care and remember to breathe. I have to remember too, it makes all the difference. Just hearing all the cooking and cleaning up you do exhausted me. I know you enjoy entertaining and are good at it.

Lav, I need to get the gluten and dairy out of my diet too, so will work on that this month. Just alot going on, and work too, thank goodness.

Pauly, it is so sad for kids whose parents are unable to care for them, they are lucky if they have family who can fill in. You have such a loving heart, hope you are doing well.

Dill, you are doing such a great job taking care of your grandkids, have fun with you daughter. So good you have something to look forward too.

Lizann, how annoying to work with someone who is off all the time. Take care.

Everthing is better AF.

[paulywogg]

Good morning...

Had a really rough day yesterday, my son is just not dealing well with his situation. We have had to make some tough decisions, and this is not easy. He made my life miserable when I came home from work last night, it was not fun. I have decided to handle this by getting through this week, then only allowing him nad his situation in my thoughts on a limited basis. I was having chest pains yesterday, it was from stress. I did some deep breathing and realized that I do have the power to focus on work at work, talk to others and not mention his situation, not repressing it, but just detaching. Once we get him settled, it will be easier. I hope. Maybe. I am just so glad I am AF throughout all this, otherwise I would be a wreck. It was so good to be able to deep breathe this morning and decide to control what I can.

Cyn, I appreciate the info on the ginger tea, ACV, and grapefruit extract. You sound busy, take care and remember to breathe. I have to remember too, it makes all the difference. Just hearing all the cooking and cleaning up you do exhausted me. I know you enjoy entertaining and are good at it.

Lav, I need to get the gluten and dairy out of my diet too, so will work on that this month. Just alot going on, and work too, thank goodness.

Pauly, it is so sad for kids whose parents are unable to care for them, they are lucky if they have family who can fill in. You have such a loving heart, hope you are doing well.

Dill, you are doing such a great job taking care of your grandkids, have fun with you daughter. So good you have something to look forward too.

Lizann, how annoying to work with someone who is off all the time. Take care.

Everthing is better AF.

I love this! No matter what b.s.is thrown our way being AF makes it easier to handle

[paulywogg]

Yikes,I was only trying to quote the tail end haha,which one do I pish for that anyways? Feel bloated! Not sure from what but its driving me crazy had to put on my fat jeans or else I could see an irritable Pauly at work, Star,how's your son acting? Mopey,crabby,sad? Talked to Michelle last night,she's still trying to work it out with this guy but she thinks he's got bipolar or something cuz he snaps at little things,she can't even go on Facebook cuz he accuses her of cheating, I told her this sounds exactly like Kell and Louie's dads situation but Kell can't really up and leave,Michelle can! Anyways she got a job at Steak and,Shake, she applies for a server but since she destroyed her ears with those ugly discs they wouldn't let her be out in front,I told her not to get all those piercings,cute at 16 hideous at 26! Dill,I am seriously missing TWD,every Sunday I keep looking forward to it then remember its done for now,they should at least play older ones,I'd watch Cyn,I pm'd you hope it went through, Lav,I thought you were always completely gluten free? Liz,Ann strikes again?!? I winder how she stays employed,I have no sympathy for people who call in a lot,I keep hearing people say there's no jobs,I say B.S,people just don't want to work,anyhoo,I'm wishing us all a peaceful AF Tuesday

[dill]

Hey Pauly, I totally get the TWD withdrawals! LOL!

Cyn, I hope that you will still be a frequent poster on the thread. You said you might not have as much time to post and I completely understand that, but I sure will miss your voice here!

Star, I haven't been having chest pains, but have been having palpitations and anxiety symptoms, so I totally get what you are saying. The stress is mental and physical! I am so sorry for you going thru all this. Do what you can to take care of yourself. I will too.

Lav, I never thought of exploring available resources thru the credit union. What a great idea! I just started a credit union account this year and I really love it.

Liz, hope your day without your coworker went ok. Sounds like she leaves you in the lurch a lot.

We went from the deep freeze to more moderate temps, but wet and wild! The wind is horrible! I can't wait for winter to be over.

Have a peaceful AF evening, one and all.

[paulywogg]

Magnesium glycinate works really good for physical anxiety symptoms, not citrate,malate or any of those, trust me I've tried them all