Hmm

After much research since my doctor's appointment last week, I decided to fill my prescription for the medication that is supposed to help the tremors.

I started taking it yesterday afternoon.

I can't say that I have noticed any difference yet, but I'm assuming that like most drugs, it takes a little while to take effect.  

The one downside so far?

Insomnia is a possible side effect.

I had great difficulty going to sleep last night.

Coincidence?

I sure hope so.

I'm tired enough as it is most days.  Insomnia isn't really something that I want to add to the mix.

Piano Recital

Yesterday was a fun-filled day.

We had a lovely piano recital in the afternoon and therefore invited the grandparents out to come watch.  Fortunately, it also happened to be John's birthday so we also had a yummy supper and birthday cake.

The piano recital was called "Family & Friends", so everyone was supposed to play with someone else being a part of the song, whether they also played or sang or something else.

So Brie and I played together.  I was so very proud of her ability to play well while being scared to introduce herself.  She refused to speak into the microphone, but I remember being that shy kid (yes, hard to believe...I know!) so I talked for her.  Then we sat down and played it together perfectly!  

We played Chant Arabe (the song that I posted of video of myself playing not too long ago), me playing the left hand and Brie playing the melody on the right hand.  

She was very pleased with her performance too.

I wasn't able to take any pictures yesterday since Ella hid our camera.  We later quizzed grilled her on the location and found it concealed underneath the couch.  Yeah, 'cause that's the first place I would have thought to check!  Silly girl.

Anyways, the grandparents brought cameras so we were able to get some via email.

Compassion Sends Bloggers To India

Yesterday Compassion sent a new group of bloggers on a journey to India.

As I've said before, the first Compassion Bloggers trip was to Uganda.  Reading about this trip, with the pictures and the videos, really inspired me to become more involved with this organization.  

This is the third blogger trip with Compassion.  It's the ame as previous trips, they are going to share their experiences with the rest of the world.  The good, the bad and the ugly.

If you have watched Slumdog Millionaire, then you will know the kind of ugly that these brave women and men will experience firsthand.  They are travelling to Kolkata (Calcutta) and will begin their blogging tomorrow.  

Please pray for these people as I'm sure their lives will be forever changed in the upcoming week.

Bloggers:
Pete Wilson - http://www.withoutwax.tv
Melissa Fitzpatrick - http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com
Angela Smith - http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com
Robin Dance - http://www.pensieve.typepad.com

Photography:
Keely Scott - http://www.keelymariescott.com

Videography:
Anne Jackson - http://www.flowerdust.net

Leaders:
Spence Smith - http://www.spencesmith.com
Patricia Jones - http://jonesbones5.com
Shaun Groves - http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog

I Love My Doctor

Today I drove into the city for a doctor's appointment.

...And I realized how very blessed I am to have found such a wonderful doctor!

This was probably only the third time I have seen this doctor, but every time I see her I like her more.  

For the first 5 minutes of the appointment we just visited.  She was asking about life in a small town (and more specifically something in the news recently but I don't want to get into specifics here).

Then we got into the main reason for my visit.  

I don't think I've really mentioned it on my blog before, but I have been dealing with some shakiness in my hands for a few years now.  

I have brought it up with this doctor before, but initially we wondered if it was just a blood sugar thing.

Unfortunately though, the shaking has been getting worse and I've noticed that it's now in my arms.  It is most noticeable when I am holding something (like a coffee cup or plate) as the object really seems to rattle in my hands.  So many people have commented on it, and I'm sure many others have noticed but politely not said anything.

I've been getting more self conscious about it and embarrassed about something that is completely out of my control.  To help avoid those times of embarrassment I have been holding things with two hands or not holding stuff at all, which is difficult to do.

I prayed this week that God would just help me to not take no for an answer, and that no matter what "diagnosis" may occur, that I would continue pressing until I was satisfied with the result.

Today my doctor was just great!  We talked openly about it and she is sure that I have some type of tremor.  Most likely not serious at all, but it does get worse with age.  

Hello 30s!  

She is going to refer me to a neurologist just to be safe, and she also suggested a prescription that typically helps the tremors to disappear right away, but she left it up to me if I wanted to try it out or not.  

I had a couple of other minor things to discuss with my doctor, and she was reading off of my list (yes I had it all written down!!) and bringing them up before I could.  

All in all, we probably spent 30 minutes in her office today.

For a simple annual appointment.

Thirty minutes.  

With a family physician.

Isn't that almost unheard of?

She wasn't rushed, she wasn't writing up a prescription but rather making suggestions.  She has fabulous bedside manners.  

I love her!

Especially after the long searches I have had in the past to find a long term doctor, she is to put it bluntly, from our own country, and she has school aged kids so I know she will be staying put.

Is it sad that I almost want to make another appointment with her just because she is so great?

Don't worry...I said almost.

Beech Nut Let's Grow giveaway

Yesterday in the mail I got a LARGE parcel from a company called Bzz Agent.  I get to try out new products with the intention of spreading the word to those around me.  Most recently I "bzzed" about the Pepsi Amp Energy drink.

Today I am excited to share about Beech Nut!  This baby food company has been around for a long time but they have just come out with a new line of toddler foods called Let's Grow.

Let's Grow foods are designed for toddlers.  There are no artifical colors or flavors and no preservatives and very little sugar.

Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadian kids are overweight?  For too long, toddlers have been neglected by the food industry but Beech Nut has worked very hard to change that!

I was given 3 different products to test out, but since my girls are a little old for them I would like to give some away!

The winner(s) can choose between:

Biter Biscuits - Original

7 Grain Nibbles - Mixed Veggie

Yogurt Nibbles - Strawberry Banana

To enter, please visit the Beech Nut website and tell me what you like most about Let's Grow.   Come back here and leave me a comment.  

For an extra entry, subscribe to my blog and leave a separate comment.

Giveaway closes Thursday April 30th.  

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day.

I can't say that I am a super pro "Green" person, however I am trying to make some improvements in our own home.

Last week I started up our compost pail again and I have already filled it twice.  It's great for my garden and good for the garbage dump too.  Plus I already started some seeds in my little greenhouse so hopefully those start growing well.

I am trying not to leave my van idling throughout the year.

I am using less chemicals and more natural cleaning products.

It's not much, but I'm sure that it will help in the long run if we all step up.  

What can  you do?

Pinecone Research

I often do online surveys that I get paid for.

Pinecone Research is one of the most sought after survey companies, since they consistently pay $5.00 for each survey that you complete.  Occasionally they will send a product to test out as well.

You can choose to be paid by cheque or through Paypal, which is my preference.  I save up my Paypal money and use it to buy something on Ebay every once in a while.  And at $5.00 a survey, the money adds up nicely!  I maybe complete one or two surveys a month, so it really doesn't take up much time at all either.  

Pinecone isn't often taking new members which is why it is so sought after.  

Currently they ARE taking new registrations.  If you like to share your opinions with companies about their advertising, prices, new products, etc, you will enjoy Pinecone!  

Click here to register.

"10-10-10" Review

About the Book

As a transformative new approach to decision-making, 10-10-10 is a tool for reclaiming your life. The process is clear, straightforward, and transparent. All it takes to begin are three simple questions: When faced with a complex dilemma, stop and ask, "What will the consequences of my options be in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years?" Yet the outcomes are illuminating, and seldom predictable.

Sound simple? Not quite. Drawing 10-10-10 moments from her own life and the lives of others, Welch provides the tools to tease apart our deepest goals and values, candidly face our fears and dreams, and rid ourselves of angst, frustration and regret.

10-10-10’s applicability is uniquely broad. From college students to busy mothers to senior business executives, from artists to government administrators to entrepreneurs, 10-10-10 has shown its effectiveness in decisions large and small, routine and radical, changing lives for the better at home, in love, at work, and in friendship.

Readers of O magazine discovered this pragmatic and innovative idea when Suzy Welch first introduced it in her regular column. Now, in this immensely useful and revelatory book, she fully explains the power of 10-10-10, a transformative idea that can replace chaos with consistency, guilt with joy, and confusion with clarity.

My Review:

I enjoyed this easy-read book.  Suzy Welch has some good advice regarding the consequences of any decision, big or small.  Looking at the present, short term and long term results is something that I think is helpful for anyone in any situation.  I can easily see myself using the 10-10-10 approach in my own life.  

There are a few areas where I do not agree with Suzy Welch however.  I do not agree with her stance on divorce being an option when things simply aren't working out.  I also found the couple references to the Bible to be slightly awkward as though it was suggested to have scripture as a way to attract readers who are religious.

Overall though I think this book was well written.  I thoroughly enjoyed the many examples given throughout the book of ways that 10-10-10 has helped people weigh out their options.  

Thanks to Mom Central for allowing me to read 10-10-10.  

Stuff Christians Like

I was recently introduced to a blog entitled "Stuff Christians Like".

For those of you who have grown up in the church, for those that are tired of the way their church (or another church they have experienced) operates....you must check it out!  

I have been reading this for a few days now and laughing at some of the posts.  

My favorite would be the Top 500 List.  There are obviously too many to list but some of the ones I've read so far are great.  Very real truths in a lot of things that become "issues" in the church, or things that are associated with christianity.

A couple of my favorites so far?  

34

46

82

No, I'm not going to tell you what they are because they are so good you will want to read it for yourself!  

Go there and read some.  

Now!

Easter Weekend

I've been a little slow in updating my blog since Easter weekend.  Sorry for the delays!

I didn't actually think to bring my camera so I can't include any pictures but I'll give a brief summary of our weekend.

The girls and I left John at home since he was going to be on-call or working the entire weekend anyways.  

Poor guy was really bored and tried to get some extra work done, but darn people were all obeying the laws and so he couldn't really write any big tickets or anything.  

We had fun in the city visiting both families.  The cousins all decorated some sugar cookies and they were VERY hyper and FULL of sugar but they had a good time.

A friend and I made it to the New Kids On The Block concert on Saturday night.  She knew someone that had better tickets than I did so we used those ones instead.  It was kind of last-minute otherwise we would have tried to give the extra tickets to someone else!  

But we were fairly close to the stage.  We had lots of fun screaming and singing along to the familiar tunes of our childhood.  At one point, the guys came down to the main level and we were about 25 feet away from them.  We could have joined the masses quite easily as we were in the 4th row of the stands but we didn't really want to participate along with the crazy women.

Seriously crazy women!

One was wearing a shirt that said "I would leave my husband for XXXXXX".  I actually think she was serious.

We encountered several women who looked to be desperate to meet the band.  I'm sure they would have done ANYTHING to meet them.  That's just weird and scary to me.

But we had a great time anyways!!  

On Sunday my family went to the zoo.  The weather wasn't great, but it ended up being a perfect day to see the animals.  Given the cooler temperatures, the animals were quite active.  

The bears were wrestling with each other which was fun to watch.

Our zoo just got 2 lions that arrived this winter but they have only been on display for a short time.  The lions are only a year old but they are quite large already.  

The 4 kids had more fun running back and forth and screaming than watching the lions, but us adults were quite fascinated with those big creatures.  They actually were trying to stalk our children, which was rather disturbing.

Lions are my very favorite animal in the world, but when they are staring at my girls like they are a piece of meat it's another story!  The male lion was trying to run back and forth with the kids, hoping to find a way to get at them.  You could see the hunger in his eyes and watch him lick his chops.  At one point, Ella fell down and started to cry.  This lion immediately zeroed in on her and crouched down low just staring at her.  It was really freaky, even knowing that he couldn't get out.  

We came home to find that the snow is almost completely gone!  It's been great to get to spend lots of time outdoors again.  The girls have already enjoyed the sandbox, bikes and every other outdoor toy known to man.  My yard is already cluttered with everything!

I'm sure glad it's outside where I don't have to look at it as often.

Fireproof

Until tonight, I was not a fan of Christian-made movies.  

Almost all of them have a very small budget, poor acting and awful scripts.

Tonight, however, our church played Fireproof.

Let me just say that this movie is well done!

The acting is good, the storyline is completely believable, and it's written well.

The story is about a couple who is on the brink of divorce.  They are both frustrated with each other and ready to throw in the towel.  Before the husband files for divorce, his dad sends him a book called "The Love Dare" and challenges him to try out the dares in the book and see what happens after 40 days.

After the movie, I left the church feeling inspired to improve my marriage.

I strongly encourage each of you to check it out!  Here's a preview of the movie:

The Love Dare is a real book, and I plan on purchasing it in the near future.  

Blue

Around Christmas, my mother-in-law was shopping at Winners.

She found a cute pair of jeans for Brie and decided to buy them for her as a gift.

Today Brie wore these new jeans for the very first time.

Tonight I was running a bath for the girls and went to collect some dirty laundry to wash this evening.  When I returned into the bath I was completely horrified!!

Brie's legs are blue.

Completely blue.

At first, I thought she was using one of her bath tints made by Disney and rubbing it on her skin, but I still couldn't understand how there would be a sock line on her leg.  

Literally, normal skin colored feet.  Then a straight sock line.

Then the nasty blue skin.

It looks like a dead person's skin.

It's AWFUL!

I promptly threw some body wash in the water hoping that it will help clean the blue dye off of her legs.  I tried just rubbing it and nothing was coming off.

So I'm thinking:

a)  Thanks a lot Winners for selling crappy dye-bleeding jeans

b)  I guess I will wash those jeans ALL BY ITSELF

c)  How am I going to get her skin clean?

d)  Do I riffle through my kitchen garbage to find the label and complain to Winners?

Good thing it's not bathing suit season yet! 

I'm hoping by July her skin is back to normal.