Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Daybook
FOR TODAY: July 18, 2011
Outside my window...partly cloudy blue sky day. Not much going on in the neighborhood. I guess it's too hot!
I am thinking...about everyone I know who is struggling with the loss of a loved one today. Sierra attended the funeral of a friend who died from mysterious causes this morning. Another friend lost his brother to a heart attack on Wednesday. The mother of a friend is praying to bring his body home from S. America where he died in May. Friends of a friend are grieving the loss of their two year old son from a recent drowning accident. My heart goes out to these people and everyone else I know who has lost a friend or family member.
I am thankful...for time off work.
From the learning rooms...Zoe is learning about exponents and metric measurement. Thomas is practicing handwriting and addition/subtraction. Sierra is reading and preparing for moving to college next month.
In the kitchen...turkey stock is simmering. Yesterday, I made homemade chicken veggie noodle soup for the kids (including chicken stock from scratch).
I am wearing...gray shorts and a white short sleeved hoodie.
I am creating...a nicer space in my bonus room. It's a guest room/office.
I am going...out to get more ink for my printer.
I am wondering...how next school year will go. I'm moving from 7th grade to 6th grade math and looking forward to the change.
I am reading...The Art of Racing in the Rain. The father's name in the book is Denny, and that's Thomas's middle name (after my mom's middle name and her mom's last name). The daughter in the book is Zoe, and my daughter is Zoe. Small world.
I am hoping...to get to the bottom of my eczema problem.
I am looking forward to...Joe getting home from work! The weekend went by too fast.
I am hearing...birds singing outside.
Around the house...lots of work happening today. Teaching the kids how to keep their rooms clean and to keep clothes folded. It's easier said than done :) Decluttering and designating lots of things for giveaway/garage sale. Bonus room is taking shape slowly but surely!
I am pondering...whether the hand eczema I'm experiencing is due to my nickel allergy more than it is due to foods. I have a documented nickel allergy, and that is the one of the main associations with dyshidrotic eczema. I am connecting the dots and wondering whether the gold filling in my tooth needs to be replaced! I already don't wear any jewelry with nickel and know better than to wear gold jewelry but haven't thought about the gold filling in my mouth before. That is a constant source of exposure that I have overlooked. Additionally, I have overlooked the details of a nickel allergy like anything metal like doorknobs, watches, coins, zippers, and even tap water! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nickel-allergy/DS00826
One of my favorite things...lazy summer days.
A few plans for the rest of the week: visiting the allergist and guitar lesson tomorrow, taxiing kids to and from classes (taekwondo, tumbling), being productive at home.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Outside my window...partly cloudy blue sky day. Not much going on in the neighborhood. I guess it's too hot!
I am thinking...about everyone I know who is struggling with the loss of a loved one today. Sierra attended the funeral of a friend who died from mysterious causes this morning. Another friend lost his brother to a heart attack on Wednesday. The mother of a friend is praying to bring his body home from S. America where he died in May. Friends of a friend are grieving the loss of their two year old son from a recent drowning accident. My heart goes out to these people and everyone else I know who has lost a friend or family member.
I am thankful...for time off work.
From the learning rooms...Zoe is learning about exponents and metric measurement. Thomas is practicing handwriting and addition/subtraction. Sierra is reading and preparing for moving to college next month.
In the kitchen...turkey stock is simmering. Yesterday, I made homemade chicken veggie noodle soup for the kids (including chicken stock from scratch).
I am wearing...gray shorts and a white short sleeved hoodie.
I am creating...a nicer space in my bonus room. It's a guest room/office.
I am going...out to get more ink for my printer.
I am wondering...how next school year will go. I'm moving from 7th grade to 6th grade math and looking forward to the change.
I am reading...The Art of Racing in the Rain. The father's name in the book is Denny, and that's Thomas's middle name (after my mom's middle name and her mom's last name). The daughter in the book is Zoe, and my daughter is Zoe. Small world.
I am hoping...to get to the bottom of my eczema problem.
I am looking forward to...Joe getting home from work! The weekend went by too fast.
I am hearing...birds singing outside.
Around the house...lots of work happening today. Teaching the kids how to keep their rooms clean and to keep clothes folded. It's easier said than done :) Decluttering and designating lots of things for giveaway/garage sale. Bonus room is taking shape slowly but surely!
I am pondering...whether the hand eczema I'm experiencing is due to my nickel allergy more than it is due to foods. I have a documented nickel allergy, and that is the one of the main associations with dyshidrotic eczema. I am connecting the dots and wondering whether the gold filling in my tooth needs to be replaced! I already don't wear any jewelry with nickel and know better than to wear gold jewelry but haven't thought about the gold filling in my mouth before. That is a constant source of exposure that I have overlooked. Additionally, I have overlooked the details of a nickel allergy like anything metal like doorknobs, watches, coins, zippers, and even tap water! http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nickel-allergy/DS00826
One of my favorite things...lazy summer days.
A few plans for the rest of the week: visiting the allergist and guitar lesson tomorrow, taxiing kids to and from classes (taekwondo, tumbling), being productive at home.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Saturday, July 16, 2011
FOR TODAY: July 16, 2011
Outside my window...birds are singing, the lawn guy woke me up bright and early, looks like another blue sky day.
I am thinking...how much I hate having eczema.
I am thankful...for having time off during the summer. It's such a contrast to being a full time teacher during the school year.
From the learning rooms...not much going on today since it's Saturday. Got Zoe started yesterday on an online textbook for preAP 6th grade math. She worked for a long time and seemed very interested. Thomas is still learning to go one page at a time through his summer bridge workbook (loves to skip around) and is enjoying his new library books.
In the kitchen...coffee!
I am wearing...jean shorts and a turquoise tank top.
I am creating...new music. Working on 21 Guns by Green Day (guitar).
I am going...to take the kids to see Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows part 2 later.
I am wondering...what I have to do to make the eczema stop flaring up. Every day it changes. Every day there is a new patch of itchy bubbles on my hands. I also wonder why I am the only person I know with this problem.
I am reading...the bible, Genesis 4-10 today.
I am hoping...Brent will come see us soon. We haven't seen him since Christmas.
I am looking forward to...spending the weekend with my family.
I am hearing... "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmXQFwlD7vk
Around the house...everything is quiet. Joe took Thomas and Zoe to Taekwondo. Sierra is still asleep but has to be at work soon. Got a lot of cleaning up done yesterday, but it seems like it's never all done at one time except for when the maids come. I am working on ideas for redecorating the bonus room. We took everything down off the walls, and I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with it.
I am pondering...the stories I read today in the bible. Will write a separate blog post about my thoughts.
One of my favorite things...my house.
A few plans for the rest of the week: gym/pool/yoga, movies, playing guitar, hopefully sleeping more tomorrow.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Dyshidrotic Eczema
After taking a round of prednisone while on our beach vacation, all my eczema patches healed up. My hands were completely normal and the skin on my fingers was soft again. All the swelling went down. We stayed at a condo for a week in Destin, so we could cook most meals. In Pensacola we stayed at a hotel for three additional nights, meaning eating out for every meal. I ate lots of foods that I typically avoid due to my allergies (wheat, corn, sugar, yeast and eggs) like pizza, fried chicken, steak/cheese sub, sandwiches etc. I hoped for a miracle, that since ny skin had a chance to clear up, maybe this time I wouldn't react. I knew I was taking risks and would probably pay the price for it later. We had a couple of stressful days when we got home, and I continued eating processed foods out of convenience. Only a few days later, I saw the telltale signs of an impending flare up...
My reactions to foods vary. Most of the time, I get what I call my 'red mustache' or my 'eczema goatee.' My lips, cheeks, chin, neck and ears start itching and burning. Other common eczema spots are in the creases of my elbows, backs of my knees, and occasionally a splattering of hives all up and down both arms and legs. I hate the facial symptoms the most, but coming in a close second is this awful curse of having dyshidrotic hand and foot eczema. Clear bubbles erupt in patches from deep under my skin and itch intensely. When I scratch, the sores break open, and the bubbles ooze clear fluid. They dry up and split, called fissures, and are incredibly painful. For a while I had a fissure on the bottom of my foot and it hurt just to walk! As I type, my feet are fine, but seven of my fingers are afflicted by this heinous disease. If I eat 'clean' these eruptions will subside, dry up, the skin becomes rough and scarred and takes extensive time to heal.
I did some reading about it, and it says it's associated with food allergies some of the time but is more commonly triggered by allergies to nickel (yes I'm also allergic to nickel too). It often appears during times of stress, and they suggest not getting your hands and feet wet too often because of the overal drying effect. However, there is no cure. Antihistamines and steroid creams treat the symptoms, but I think in my case my only saving grace is to stop eating processed foods and get back to an allergy free diet. It much easier said than done!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001835/
http://www.dyshidroticeczema.net/
http://www.internationaleczema-psoriasisfoundation.org/dyshidrotic_eczema.php4
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Casey Anthony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZKdD88gjLE
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/071311-Casey-Anthony-Reportedly-Moving-to-Texas
I would like to dedicate this song to Casey Anthony. "Where do bad folks go when they die? They don't go to heaven where the angels fly. They go down to the lake of fire and fry, won't see them again till the fourth of July." Her lies make about as much sense as the verses in this song. She was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter because they didn't have enough evidence. In our jury system, if they are not 100% sure beyond of a reason of a doubt, they have to acquit the defendant. If she is indeed guilty of murder like I think she is, karma will come around and get her later. Now I hear she is moving to Texas where I live. Great.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/071311-Casey-Anthony-Reportedly-Moving-to-Texas
I would like to dedicate this song to Casey Anthony. "Where do bad folks go when they die? They don't go to heaven where the angels fly. They go down to the lake of fire and fry, won't see them again till the fourth of July." Her lies make about as much sense as the verses in this song. She was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter because they didn't have enough evidence. In our jury system, if they are not 100% sure beyond of a reason of a doubt, they have to acquit the defendant. If she is indeed guilty of murder like I think she is, karma will come around and get her later. Now I hear she is moving to Texas where I live. Great.
Genesis 1-3
The other day, I downloaded a bible app for my iPhone. Mainly I wanted to use it as a reference for looking up verses, but I noticed it also came with a reading plan to read the entire bible in one year. The first day's assignment wasn't very long, Genesis 1-3. I was raised Christian (Methodist), and grew up with a single mother who played organ at churches for her second job, so I've been to many a church service, a Sunday School class, and vacation bible school. I've studied the bible before, but I never completely committed myself to the church because of my skepticism. When I went to college, I became interested in Philosophy and Religion classes and took several courses on eastern religions. The farther I expanded my horizons, the greater my world view became, and even though I was raised as a Christian, I believe there is a lot of wisdom in other world religions as well. In fact, I believe there are common threads among all religions, specifically people trying to answer the big questions like why are we here and where do we go after we die? Early humans tried to answer scientific questions like why there was day and night etc. Each culture has its own myths and prophets and sets of rules to live by. Yet I don't believe that any one religion has the cornerstone on truth. How can one be right when all the others are wrong (Christians make up only about a third of the world population)? How does any mortal know the mysteries of the universe?
Back to Genesis. If this was a novel that I had just begun, I would have to put it down. It's really too far fetched and hokey for me. God made the world in six days and then rested? He just said let there be light and there was and it was good? Really? He made man from dust and gave him dominion over every living thing? And to add insult to injury, he took a rib from Adam when he was sleeping and fashioned a woman to be Adam's helper? Woman comes from man? Created just to be man's helpmate? Really? Then of course it's all her fault that the serpent can persuade her to eat an apple (after God already told Adam they could eat anything in the garden of eden, just not of that one tree) which then allows Adam and Eve to have the knowledge they are naked and should cover up their privates with loin cloths? Because God is so mad at Eve for eating the apple, she and all women are cursed to painful childbirth? This is clearly my opinion and is not meant to cause offense to any readers, but I seriously can't get past the beginning of this story. It's really far fetched, and I have a hard time understanding how so many people can adhere to these words like they are the truth and throw out all the scientific understanding that has taken place since the bible was written. Can't people see that there is day and night because of the workings of the sun and moon? Can't people see that the fossil record clearly shows us that species developed over time and not every species was created in the first six days of existence? Can't women see they are equal human beings to men? Women aren't here just to help men. That is ridiculous and demeaning to women everywhere! I can see how humans are blessed with big brains and have the power to single-handedly wipe out the rest of the species on the planet, but this kind of 'dominion' over all other living things is a very destructive mindset. We may have more brain power than the other beings, but that doesn't give us the right to destroy animal/plant species and wild habitats.
Back to Genesis. If this was a novel that I had just begun, I would have to put it down. It's really too far fetched and hokey for me. God made the world in six days and then rested? He just said let there be light and there was and it was good? Really? He made man from dust and gave him dominion over every living thing? And to add insult to injury, he took a rib from Adam when he was sleeping and fashioned a woman to be Adam's helper? Woman comes from man? Created just to be man's helpmate? Really? Then of course it's all her fault that the serpent can persuade her to eat an apple (after God already told Adam they could eat anything in the garden of eden, just not of that one tree) which then allows Adam and Eve to have the knowledge they are naked and should cover up their privates with loin cloths? Because God is so mad at Eve for eating the apple, she and all women are cursed to painful childbirth? This is clearly my opinion and is not meant to cause offense to any readers, but I seriously can't get past the beginning of this story. It's really far fetched, and I have a hard time understanding how so many people can adhere to these words like they are the truth and throw out all the scientific understanding that has taken place since the bible was written. Can't people see that there is day and night because of the workings of the sun and moon? Can't people see that the fossil record clearly shows us that species developed over time and not every species was created in the first six days of existence? Can't women see they are equal human beings to men? Women aren't here just to help men. That is ridiculous and demeaning to women everywhere! I can see how humans are blessed with big brains and have the power to single-handedly wipe out the rest of the species on the planet, but this kind of 'dominion' over all other living things is a very destructive mindset. We may have more brain power than the other beings, but that doesn't give us the right to destroy animal/plant species and wild habitats.
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