playing fast and loose with chips and salsa

Yesterday I made a couple of very bad decisions.

1.  I decided that drinking a protein drink mid-day was a great idea.  And maybe it could’ve been if milk wasn’t the first ingredient.  Don’t you worry though – I laughed in the face of this AND the soy it contained as well.

yep

2.  Eating ALL OF THE CHIPS AND SALSA!  I really miss this delectable combination.  I still felt kind of hungry after dinner so I went to town on a jar I purchased of salsa “just in case I had company” – yeah right, and my favorite gluten-free chips.

Today I want to dig my insides out with a spoon – jack-o-lantern style.  Oh wait, it already feels like this is happening.  Lately, I’ve wanted to go back to my old style of eating, which on some occasions works out okay.  However, I need to take a deep breath and recognize this is a lifestyle change.  I have to limit it to one bad choice every few days.  Or something like this.  I’m bored with following these special diets is all.  But the pain today (and yesterday) is a good reminder to suck it up!

Okay, on a different and less whiny level here are a few things I am loving at the moment:

1.  The Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away.  Great scott – this vacuum is amazing.  I mentioned it back around Thanksgiving as I went to pick it up during Black Friday shopping.  I got it for $170 which was a total steal.  It’s swive-ally, works on carpet and regular floors and is a beast at sucking up cat hair.  I’m in love with it.

2.  Chex gluten-free maple/brown sugar oatmeal.  Since August I’ve been on a major oatmeal kick and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat it.  But this fits with both the GERD/FODMAP diets and it tastes delicious.

try this tasty treat

3.  Lindt truffles.  They only have the chocolate on the outside and vanilla goodness on the inside seasonally – unbeknownst to me.  This meant when I enjoyed them during Christmas and went on a mission to find them afterward they weren’t there.  Truthfully, I was a bit crushed.  Now they have them for V-Day and I’ve stocked up.  They are rich so one is a perfect treat for me.

4.  Homemade freezer meals.  Freezing my leftovers is typical for me but actually eating them wasn’t one of my strengths.  This has changed for the better and it is awesome to come home and realize I have a real life meal that just needs to be defrosted.  It’s magic.

5.  Sia’s song, Chandelier.

It’s wonderful.  I’m not a new fan – I love her song “Breathe Me” that’s been around for a long time.  Also, this rendition of Hozier’s Take Me To Church song.

My sister played it for me during the holiday and I could listen to it on repeat.

6.  My essential oil diffuser.  I got it for Christmas from the fam and I really like it.  Right now I have Now Foods Peace & Harmony Calming Blend and I do feel calmer when it’s on.  It’s nice and not something I would have purchased for myself despite being wildly interested in essential oils and the benefits of them (and spices in general).

7.  Brooks PureFlow.  It took me a long while to get back to these as I was hypnotized by the thought of more and more cushion.  Then I put them on and realized these are a great fit.

I thought I had more loving on things and I’m sure there are but as for now this is the list.  Oh I should mention the energy bites I wrote about last week, completely in love with these still!  And this is also entertaining:

http://videos.worthytales.tv/buds-viral-commercial-video-love/

amber necklace – hocus pocus?

Whenever I used to see amber necklaces on little kids/babies either in real life in blogs, I wondered what they were used for.  Was it a fashion trend I missed?  Probably but I was still curious!  Finally, with a wee bit of googling, I got my answers.

magic book a.k.a. google

Amber necklaces are believed to have calming properties.  “For those of you who aren’t familiar with this wives’ tale gone mainstream: Baltic amber contains a “natural analgesic” that can, in theory, be absorbed through your skin to relieve pain. Here’s the wiki on succinic acid, where there is indeed a passing mention of it being historically used to relieve aches and pains — though just how far back in history isn’t mentioned. Today, you’ll often see amber advertised for back pain and arthritis, but also for teething pain.” (Alphamom.com).  Most of the anecdotal evidence I found surrounds babies and teething.  However, there were claims it could help with anxiety.

I figured this was probably a silly idea however, retailers had adult sizes.  What the heck?  I purchased a simple amber necklace for $27 and eagerly awaited its delivery.  I was wildly curious if it was some hocus pocus or something that could really offer me some sense of tranquility.  Or even just making some of the jitters subside – I’m not picky.

I immediately tore open the envelope upon its arrival and put the amber necklace on.  While it wasn’t instantaneous, the necklace really does provide a calming effect.  Now, I’m sure there are the skeptics out there saying it’s all a placebo but seriously, who cares?  I told my neurologist about it and I even admitted it was possible it was all in my head.  She completely agreed it didn’t matter if it yielded positive results.  And it does.

I do think there must be something to it since I doubt babies are capable of experiencing placebo benefits.  Since I don’t remember these early (early) years, I can’t say for sure!  Nevertheless, I’ve been happy with this twist on battling my anxiety.  Having an alternative to more pills and something I can put on and feel relief from within 45 minutes is highly appreciated!  I’m not kidding.  For some reason, Saturday mid-mornings, I start to experience a panic and I feel shaky and frenzied.  Typically, I’ve forgotten to put the necklace on so when I do, I start to feel better within 15 minutes or so.  Yay!

On mornings before wearing the necklace.  I’m a work in progress…

So, if you are looking for an alternative to ease the effects of some stress and/or angst either for you or maybe a kiddie in your life, I  suggest looking into buying an amber necklace.  I’m not saying I would put one on a baby – choking risks are a major factor.  But my anxiety was pronounced as a small one (preschool) and the placebo would have totally worked on me; especially if I’d been told I was wearing something to help ease my nervousness.  I’m ordering another one in the next few days as they have a variety of shades so it would be nice to have something different to wear while still reaping the benefits.  If you do, I would love to hear your experiences/outcomes!

Do you believe in alternative therapeutic methods?  I am interested in essential oils as well.  Any experience?