Healthier living for a better tomorrow

     So, my wife and I are going to give Gluten Free living a try. It won't be easy but I think it   will be good... I KNOW it will be good. My beautiful wife suffers from fairly severe Psoriasis and it is pretty difficult for her to drop any weight passed a certain point no matter how hard we workout. We were given the book "Wheat Belly" by my wife's mother in law, and while I have yet to read it, we have been thoroughly encouraged by her Father, Mother in Law and her brother to give the GF lifestyle a try. It won't hurt anything and the hope is that her Psoriasis will clear up and the weight will come off much easier. We know that it won't CURE the Psoriasis, as it is an Auto Immune Disease, but there is good evidence that the inflammatory properties of Gluten (As well as Milk, but one at a time people!) can make it worse and help trigger new patches. It also won't hurt our overall health. The wheat of today is a COMPLETELY different animal then that of yesteryear and the fact that we eat WAY more today then we ever did before is causing terrible issues with the peoples overall health.

So sad, we spent a long time finding a decent brownie mix and
are AWESOME! Oh well, they gotta go... :'(

     I just spent the last 2 hours going through our kitchen taking out all of the condiments, cereals, flours, pastas, dessert mixes, bread crumbs, etc... There is Gluten in almost anything processed. Whether it is derived from Wheat, Barley or Rye doesn't matter. Gluten is Gluten. We are simply relocating the foods for now. The cold items are going into the outside fridge, and the dry storage is getting hidden in a back cupboard. We are doing a 2-3 month trial. If no changes whatsoever are noticed then we may go back to eating SLIGHT amounts of Gluten, but not back to where we were. For now, out of sight out of mind.

     The last couple of days I have already stocked up on a plethora of GF products including; Fresh fruits and veggies, rices, whole beans, Larabars, GF crackers, nuts, Tuna steaks, and other various accouterments. Basically living GF is simply knowing what you are cooking and cooking everything fresh, they way it really should be. Fast food is great if you have absolutely ZERO time. Other then that, it is terrible terrible terrible. EVen their "Healthy" selections usually are not very healthy.

    So wish us luck... Hell, we don't need luck. We have each other and our own willpower. We can still have chocolate! And Frozen Yogurt!! Nummy!!

Until next time,

-Joe-

This aint so bad

"FOR THE WIN!!"

     My wife decided that today would be a good day for her to start going back to work occasionally to get caught up on some work and make us some much needed $$'s.  So today is the first day alone with my new bahbeh girl. She is now six and a half weeks old and just the sweetest thing on the planet!!  I was a little worried going in since my wife has been the one to take care of her everyday since she was born and I would go off to work. Up until this point she has been pretty much exclusively breast fed and wasn't sure how she was going to react to the bottled boob juice, but let me tell you, just like with everything else she did it like a champ!!  I feel so sorry for those parents that have cranky/crabby/fussy babies, our little lady is really well behaved for the most part.  No real mishaps, fed her a few times, played with her, got her to nap and even got a TON of chores done around the house!  This whole Mr.Mom thing is kind of fun!!  Well, I can hear her behind me waking up so I better be off.......   See ya!!

I believe in good

Came across an article from the Wall Street Journal  (it was actually Twittered and I read it) written by Ricky Gervais titled "A Holiday Message from Ricky Gervais: Why I’m An Atheist".  It really got me got me thinking, and THAT cant be a good thing!! :-)  The oribinal article can be found HERE.


     I'm a firm believer in the old saying "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  I don't believe in pushing my opinions or beliefs on anyone else.  If someone wants to know where I stand on any particular issue, they can simply ask me.  But maybe that is simply because I am not a confrontational person.  I try to research anything and everything before I am willing to comment or act on it. I don't like to go off of someone saying "Because you should" or "Because I say so" thank you very much, I do actually have a mind of my own.
     The whole God is real/not real debate really gets to me.  If you want to believe in a higher power, great, have fun, enjoy yourself but don't push it on anyone else and vice versa.  The fact that hardcore believers say that everything happens because God wants it that way and then turn around and say that being homosexual is a sin, or that wars that are started over religious beliefs isn't actually God "its just people being people" are constantly contradicting themselves.  You simply CANNOT say that everything happens because God wants it that way and then judge others because they don't have the same beliefs or views as you, after all, isn't judging others a sin anyway? Another contradiction.
     Do I believe in God??  No, I believe in Good. I believe in treating everyone with respect and helping one another.  If you have issues with other people because of their beliefs or lifestyle or any other reason, simply distance yourself from them and move on. Live your OWN life and don't worry about mine.  Those who place too much emphasis and time on others lives are certainly missing something in their own.
     Wars are started over many things, but at the forefront are Greed and Religion. Millions upon millions of human lives have been lost over a disagreement about "My God is the REAL God and yours is fake". Why??   Why not be happy for one another and just live your lives to the fullest??  Enjoy each and every day and be happy for what you have.  If God were real and really controlled everything then why would there be horrible things such as cancer and AIDS??  Those who are religious generally just write this stuff off as "Lessons" or the fact that these people "Deserved it" for one reason or another.  It just disgusts me.  If there IS a higher power then it exists everywhere, all around us.  Not in a building and CERTAINLY not in a book.  Do I think there is any sort of higher power?  I just don' know. I know I believe in karma, and if that has something to do with a higher power so be it.  But it could also have to do with positive energy.
     I could write for hours and hours on this subject, but I wont.  I will leave it be for now with a couple of final statements; Live your life to the fullest because you only get one shot. Help others whenever possible without any expectations.

Grateful

Over the last few years I have come to realize that I do have it pretty well.  Sure, I may not be rich, and I may not have a new car, or all the machinery I wish I had to create my art, etc...  But I DO have it very good.  I have a roof over my head, a vehicle that gets me from point A to point B and is kept in great condition, a wife that loves me, fun and happy kitty cats, my health, etc...  So many people these days worry too much about what other people have.  That does nothing but make you jealous and upset that you dont have the same things as them.  Take a look at what its like in a third world country, they are lucky if they have a shack and water.  Here we have SO MUCH, internet everywhere, running water, cheap food, inexpensive healthcare (For the most part) etc....  I am GRATEFUL for EVERYTHING I have, and I wish more people would just step back and say to themselves, "You know what??  I DO have it pretty good." I believe that true wealth has nothing to do with money.  True wealth is about your being and happiness.  Based on my belief in wealth I am a pretty wealthy person. So EVERYONE, be GRATEFUL for the things YOU have and dont worry about what others have.  Sure, you can still dream and aspire to own that Porsche some day, or that large house, or whatever it is you want in life, but dont let it get you down that you dont have it right now. Just be GRATEFUL!!

Well here it is, finally....  Been thinking of setting up a blog for AGES!!  And why wouldn't I??  I am SO full of great ideas and answers that I figured I would share my knowledge with the rest of the world!!  And that isn't the only thing I am full of!  So strap yourselves in and be prepared to have your socks blown off by Forbish's Floundering Follies!!!....