Photos, Kickstarter, and a New MUSICAL FILM O-STAR

An Alum of Vassar's Film Department is a great photographer, musician and filmmaker.  Dima Othvertchenko '06, was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by to say HI.

I had the pleasure of acting in Dima's film "Anisometropia" as a government nurse in the Spring of 2006. I really enjoyed working with him for several reasons:  He is organized, he knows what he wants and how to make it happen, he goes above and beyond, and there is always fun to be had while on set. Definitely be looking for Dima in the world of film!

 I threw out the idea of photos for my actor family and he loved the idea. On Saturday, we got together and took shots of Wayne, Willo and me.  They came out great!  We each got shots as individuals and as a family.

 In return for his great work we are donating to his kickstarter campaign for his graduate thesis, a really cool sounding musical film project called "O-Star."  We would also like to draw your attention to the campaign in case you might be looking to donate :)  even a few bucks can really help!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?utf8=✓&term=otvertchenko

Here are some of the shots we got from the shoot and some shots of the shoot happening!
Thanks Dima!  You Rock!

Dima's website is a must see!
http://twowatches.com/

No Resolutions: Reflections

It has been months since I have written.  My financial situation caused a sudden move and so life is different now. I have lots of time in the car and less time for me and my family.
It is a new year so I thought I would do some reflection rather that trying to make resolutions. This time just after the holidays is a perfect time to just rest and take a look to see what is going on.
I realized that exercise is lacking in my life and that I feel best when there is physical activity daily.
I realized that if I breathe and stay relaxed and calm when I am paying bills or dealing with finances, the money tends to come when I need it most
I realized that writing is an important part of who I am and to do more of it woud be good for me.
I realized that meditation is something that helps me to be a better person.
I realized that if I give my son my direct and undivided attention(which he deserves) he is less likely to foil my efforts to do something that doesn't involve him.
I realized how fortunate I am to be healthy, and to have the friends, family, and partner that I do.
Ommmmmm

Back after a Rest

I haven't blogged in a while.  I have been super busy with life.
Over the summer Wayne did his one man show, we went to a wedding in WI and saw a dear friend and stayed on his farm on the way there.
While we were at the wedding Willoughby got cast in a film back in NY, "Dovid Meyer" and Mommy ended up in it playing a nurse and casting extras.
Now we are all back to school and we are trying to figure out a way to better our housing and living situation.  We are paying far too high a percentage of our income for housing...it is becoming dangerous.
It isn't that we are being frivolous or not working our asses off just about every minute of every day, its just that we got stuck in a bad situation and it is complicated to get out of....
But life goes on and the only way out of it is through it.
Our health is all good and for that I am more than grateful...it is the little things that make life great.
Wayne and I are working on a great project with our friend Joan called Project Animal Education. And I am excited about that!
Will share more on this soon...and we may be asking you to vote for Willo in a video contest soon

Cutting a Toddler's Hair

I am NOT a trained hairstylist...I do not have formal training in cutting hair.  I have watched a lot of hair cuts and I have asked about the techniques here and there. 

I have had some success in cutting people's hair, not people who want to have tremendous haircuts but just want it trimmed up or whatever.

I do cut my 2.5 year-old's hair.  He has this sweet straight down to the eyes cut with some fringe in the back below his ears.

Today I learned a great technique...he put on his sun glasses and I thought..."Protection from the sharp scissors," because I have to cut his bangs right across his forehead. So I grabbed him and my scissors and went outside to cut cut cut. 

I was far less nervous and it came out wonderful this time... he looks adorable.

FULLY COMMITTED Starring WAYNE PYLE

I just have to say that I am very proud of Wayne's show.  He is the whole show.  He talks for an hour and a half playing 40 different characters, talking into two phones, a hotline to the chef and an intercom to the restaurant serving area.  Through these communication lines we hear from a myriad of different nationalities, tax brackets, walks of life, professions, states in the US, and members of Sam, the main character's life.

Wayne Pyle is flawless at transitions with the rapid fire dialog Sam has with each character and the story unfolds and resolves in  a delightfully unexpected way.  The direction, By Brendan Burke is great.  The set looks just like the place I was a waitress on the Upper West Side in the 90's.

This delight, FULLY COMMITTED, is at the Shadowland Theater Thursday- Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm from NOW until the 15th of July.  http://www.shadowlandtheatre.org/

Farm Share! And Growing YOUR OWN!

I haven't had a chance to talk about the farm share yet.  I am doing a half share that I pick up every other week and pic your own every week.  I can't tell you how much better I feel knowing that my food is local and organic and affordable.

 We have had two pick ups now and there are so many fresh greens.  We have had lettuce, spring mix, bock choy, beets, turnips, fennel, strawberries...YUM, broccoli, spinach, and they had some corn they made into popping corn I guess from last season. We got to pull it off the ear. It was delicious!

We love going to the farm and filling our giant old fashioned basket with good green things right from our local soil.  Our little one loves picking food and eating it right there.  The strawberries were amazing this year.  We have already met some nice people and W makes friends with a new kid his age each time we go.

Soon we will get to do our work for our share and we will have our whole family working and learning how farming works.

This harvest is from The CSA at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project.  They have a waiting list, so if you are interested in joining anytime soon, you need to get on the waiting list.



http://farmproject.org/


Our own garden is bigger this year and we are doing away with our lawn and providing more growing space.  This week I mulched the gardens to protect them during this hot weather.  Everything looks so great.  We are looking forward to a great mid to late summer harvest from our own yard.

 YUMMY YUMM  and it doesn't get any better than having your own food right in your own soil at your home.  Good for the body, good for the mind, good for the soul.

Not Asthma: Misdiagnosis and Over Medicated

So... the diagnosis of Asthma was NOT correct.  How long do people suffer with illnesses and take medications they really don't need?

I have said it before and I will say it again... a doctor's knowledge is limited. They are human and they are trained a particular way. Western doctors are great for diagnosis and prescribing. They can be wrong.  They are working within a very limited system and we need to question their findings when we visit them.  Many times our ailments can be prevented by dietary changes.

I can count 5 people who had asthma, sinusitis, constant congestion and allergies that got 90% better when they stopped consuming dairy products.    One of those people is a medical doctor.  One of the others had asthma and allergies all his life and had a lot of related illnesses... he made some serious dietary changes and now is one of the healthiest people I know and he is rarely ill. And yet another is myself.  I had such congestion I thought my head would explode. I also sneezed a hundred times per day... on paper I was highly allergic to the caseins in dairy products.  I removed it and I am 90 percent cured. There are times of the year, in particular, the fall, that I still have the uncontrollable sneezes, bet they are far less than they used to be.

My son was diagnosed with asthma.  He was on three meds.  When he took them he had ferocious night terrors and the meds barely helped him.  I knew something was wrong and so did my husband.  We kept questioning and observing our son through different meds and different dietary changes.  Nothing seemed to be doing the trick.  My husband suggested reflux since he had been through it and also diagnosed with asthma.

Turns out my son has reflux and all the congestion and coughing comes from that.  After talking with a new acquaintance with her experience with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux, I thought...for sure this is what is happening to my son.  The scope today confirmed it. We luckily convinced our pediatrician a week ago that we should try a reflux treatment and she agreed.  I notice a change already even though it is supposed to take longer.  Medicine is a wonderful thing when it is used for the right ailment.

The ENT specialist also wanted us to continue no dairy for our son and so does the pediatrician.  There had been wheezing during the winter which lead them to the asthma diagnosis.  The cessation of the consumption of diary eliminated the wheezing.

I also would like to add that the meds for asthma are great for people with asthma.  Taking meds for no reason is very dangerous and that is why I am glad we figured this out.  Also  Reflux can permanently damage the esophagus and vocal cords and lead to cancer in extreme cases.  Good thing we are healing it now.

So if you are having problems and taking medication for something... look at what you are eating, question those medications, and do research.   Change your life!  It is up to you.


*******I just want to reiterate that I am NOT a physician.  I am just a Mom who believes there is much more to health than what western medicine has to offer.  This is my opinion and the information here is not to be taken as fact or absolute truth.  This is my experience and these are the choices I made. Everyone must make their own decisions and do what they think is right for them and their families.