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.

Fathers Day

My two stepsons, my son and I made our journey to see Papa/ Daddy Sunday morning.  We meandered our way stopping at yard sales along the way.  One place of note was Carol's Closet in Highland. I will supply specific location when I remember it.

Carol was very organized and put love into everything she had in her place.  It was excellent.  We found just about everything on our lists...a frame for Alex...a fun head lamp sun glasses thing for Stephen...a thomas wooden coal car for Willo and a set of nesting glass bowls with lids for Mommy.  We got Papa/ Daddy a basket for magazines in the bathroom.

The Boyz were very happy to see Wayne and so was I.  We grabbed him away and took him to a diner for lunch.  We had hom open his presents there.

One gift I loved was a frame...in the frame was a note that said "This is a frame for the photo we are about to take. Happy Father's Day 2012." We all signed it.

The rest of the day was filled with love and fun.  I hope all th Dads out there had a nice a day as we did.

The BOYZ

Today I got my stepsons and we went yard sale-ing.  We had a great time and were very busy.  We found a few items for the little guy and Stephen found a transformer that he liked.

We had our favorite family meal: turkey burger, peas and rice; had a treat, and played a little after dinner. The oldest got to play a game he wanted to on his iphone un-desturbed for a while by his energetic brothers.

Then we went for a long walk which put my little one to sleep and early too.  It was so nice outside, cool and refreshing  When we got back we got all cleaned up and ready for bed, we made popped corn and watched a couple of  Dr. Who episodes.   We love Dr. Who. :)

We are very excited to spend time with Daddy tomorrow to celebrate Father's Day.  We got him some great stuff we know he will like and little W made him something special from school.

I am very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.

Rechargeable Batteries

I challenge you to keep a jar in your kitchen and see how many dead batteries you collect over time.
One thing we have begun in our house is a collection of rechargable batteries.  AA and AAA.  I keep them all organized in a box.  I have a charging station with two chargers and I keep a screwdriver right there to get the batteries out of the item (generally a toy) that needs a recharge.
Yes they care costly to buy but so are regular batteries and they really aren't that much more.

Yardwork, Mommying and Voiceover All in One Day

I had a very busy day today.  I worked, took care of my son, did yard work and voiceover.
While he was napping, I mowed the lawn, reorganized the shed, reorganized the back of our van, watered the garden, took the compost down to the compost area, put up the new slide and swing our friends gave us, and I did a very fun audition to make sounds of getting hit, sounds of dying, and sounds of a huge attack for a video game character.  THIS WAS FUN.

Here is my audition:
http://www.voices.com/demo_detail/100281

Getting into Voiceover

I have a lot of people ask me if they can have their friend contact me to find out how to get into voiceover work.  


Here is one reply I gave to a friend:

If you have this young man send me a bunch of questions, I can read them over and then give him a call.  He can also learn sooo very much by going to Voices.com and checking out all of their resources.  I am on there as talent and pay $300 per year to be able to audition on there right from  my home.  I joined for 9.95 for a month, booked a job that paid for the yearly membership and kept booking jobs after that.    The expensive part is the home studio and microphone, preamp and computer, sound proofing, etc.    He will probably need some training or coaching at the very least.  He will need to be tech savvy and get good at doing his own editing, which takes practice.  All of the demos you hear on  my site  are self-produced.

 

Here is my page http://www.voices.com/people/HeidiEklund

So, The thing is that really, in order to begin this process, you have to invest, either in training, having a demo produced,  or in equipment and just practice or all of the above. Honestly,  you have to really know what you are doing with the computer and the sound to book jobs.  You can be the best voice for the job but if your sound isn't good, they won't want to use you.  

You can get an agent, sure, but to even be heard by them you must have a good demo and be really trained and up to date with the styles of vo acting today. You really need to know someone to get in to an agency.

I would say, the best thing to start would be to do a little reading on voices.com or voice123.com and then find a class you can take.  It would be good to listen to other artists too.  From there you can see if you want to have a demo made and pursue the work.  Then you might want to look into a home studio.

Here is how I busted in:

My partner went to see his agency, where he was already a talent for theater.  He met with the VO agent there, got sent out on one job, and he booked it right away.

He got coaching and a demo from Peter Raufe  (which cost a small fortune)

He got into the sound production side of things on his own and signed up for a website.  He booked jobs and got better and better and kept upgrading our equipment.

Then I started auditioning and I did a trial membership to voices.com.  I started booking stuff.  Before you know it I had a demo, then a character demo, etc.  Then I booked a long term gig with L'Oreal (doing their eLearning) and then another doing medical podcasts  and on and on...etc.

The One Minute Muffin Phenomenon

Now I did NOT invent this idea.  If you Google it there are many many variations on the theme.

But I take this idea and run with it!

Here are the basics:

1/4 cup of some kind of flour or meal
2 tablespoons of flax meal
1/2 tablespoon of oil or butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of starch

 The last two items make baking powder... I use potato starch to be gluten free.

Mix it all together in a coffee mug and toss it in the microwave for one minute. There is your muffin... YUM.

Things I like to mess with-

use honey or molasses or xylitol to make it sweet
put baking cocoa in there
make it completely savory and use garlic and onion powder...or finely dice some onions
put some nuts in
or craisins
or raisins
or almond bits
apples
apple sauce
or sneak some spinach and cheese in there... OH MY
or PUMPKINNNNNN... with nutmeg and clove and ginger and cinnamon'

You really can't mess this up... seriously.

If you want to avoid the microwave... then put your stuff in a bake proof pan and put it in the oven on 350 until a metal stick pulls out clean.

If you want to make a whole tin full you will have to use your math skills to increase the recipe... you can do it!


Would love to hear your variations...

Happy muffin-ing!

Night

LPR and a Picnic on the Deck

So,  we are trying out some reflux medication for our little one. His cough has not gone away for many months now and the asthma meds don't seem to be doing anything (I have never agreed that he had asthma.)  There is nothing in his lungs and they don't constrict.

His cough lives in his throat and it is a doozy.  Not Croup. Not Whooping. But a gagging cough that makes my heart ache.

I met a woman recently and she told me about LPR Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
http://heartburn.about.com/od/gastrictractdisorders/a/whatis_LPR.htm

I think this may be my son's trouble.  So we are on an adventure to find out how best to eat to help regulate this dis-ease in his body.  We have to balance the acid so there is just enough and find out how to keep in down in the belly.

Tonight we had a picnic on the deck with a homemade one minute muffin.  It had honey, rice flour, flax, ginger, apple sauce, and an egg. We put honey on it.  We also had apple sauce with prevacid on top, and some bread. (I didn't have the bread or prevacid  since I am gluten free. But I did share the muffin.) We also had some dried papaya.  He loved that!

W loved eating on the deck at his little tykes picnic table and it was his idea to have a muffin.  We sat there together in the warm summer breeze enjoying our treats and loving life.

The coughing never gets him down.  He is just as happy as can be.  The coughing worries his parents though.  And neither of his parents will stop until we find out how to heal it.

Tomorrow I will share the one minute muffin basics I follow to make an instant muffin. I will also share some of my favorite variations on the theme... stay tuned!

Dropping Daddy off for his Big SHOW!

The other day my son and I dropped Daddy off in Ellenville so he could rehearse the one man show, "Fully Committed," he is going to be performing shortly at the Shadowland Theater

http://www.shadowlandtheatre.org/perform/playb.htm

I am very proud of Wayne for being brave enough to do this.  I think it would be terrifying to do a one person show with no one but yourself up there in front of an entire audience of theater goers. (reminds me of skydiving...you can't call on anyone but yourself when you are in trouble)

 I suddenly became terrified for myself having to care for a 2-year-old for several weeks all by myself and work full-time and keep auditioning for voiceovers and keep the house clean and shop and keep working on feeding my crazy allergic body and take my son to six doctor appointments during the month of June, etc. and on and on and so forth like that.  I also need to find work while I am away from the college for the summer.

We are now into the fourth day of it and we are doing alright.  I managed to fill the car yesterday with baby stuff and take it to a friends to store it for another friend who is trying to conceive.

Tonight I picked up some play tunnels for my son from Freecycle, brought a few items to a consignment shop, a did a voiceover audition, cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry, wrote this blog, wrapped a giant gift, and I think I am going to hang something up on the ceiling and then shower too.

I am managing all of it, somehow and Wayne on his adventure is managing it all too...40 different characters all played by him in one hour and fifteen minutes...

http://wpyle.blogspot.com/2012/06/day-two-rollercoasters-and-cash.html

We can do whatever we set our minds to.  It is so true!  Commit and take each thing as it comes toward you.  You will be amazed at what you can do.

Words of a 2 year old

My sons first word was 'stinky' and he was one.  He was born three months early so he was actually only 9 months when he started with those few words.

Now he is 28 months and the developmental doctor says he is communicating like a three-year-old.
Some of his more fun expressions:

I haven't been feeling well today and he asked  what was wrong with me.  I said that I had a belly ache.  He said, "My ache hurts too in my belly."

It missappeared.
It fell a piece (instead of it fell apart)
My all done (I'm all done)
Mommy, My Lonely
 My scared, Mommy Misappeared.
Daddy Misappeared.
What's Wrong, Mommy?
A row row (Yoyo)
foon (spoon)
poke (fork)  this one he now says correctly but at one point  he called it a poke
Yes Pwease
Fank youuuu
I want to get up.
He calls pajamas P- Jams

When we are going to our friends house he knows the house and names it when we get there.  He also expresses that he knows when we are close to home and arriving home. "There's my house."  He says.

He knows all the different kind of diggers and trucks and totally blows my mind when he knows it.
A ment truck
A flat bend
a digger
a frontend loader
a grater

 He calls his Uncle Scott- Uncle Sock

Because of the Thomas song  Their two, their four, their six, their eight... His counting was kind of like
two, four, five, etc.  Now it is getting to the correct order.

He is saying his pleases and thank yous.

Right around the age of two he started conjugating;  Daddy farted.  (fart happens) Daddy's farting.

If you ask him his name he will tell you the whole thing last too.
If you ask him how old he is, he will say that he is four.

He knows all the Thomas the tank Engine trains.

His lawn mower is a "clean up."  So is a vacuum a "clean up"
His pliers are cutters.

Each day it seems as though he can carry on more and more of a conversation.  We are so grateful and very proud of him.

How much can we do in one day?

Just a few days ago, I caught up on all of my laundry.  I had bags and bags of it all over the house that needed to be folded.  I finally set out to get it managed and put away.

I played with my son.
I fed my son.
I snuck in invoicing two clients while I was hanging outside with my son.
While he was asleep, I did some laundry, and put some gluten, dairy and yeast free bread in the oven, I recorded and edited a voiceover, I wrote a proposal for a voiceover and sent it out.
Then I paid some bills and all the while I kept an eye on Freecycle to see if there is anything we needed on there.  I actually got to take a nice long shower and shave and then he woke up.

I also helped a friend with her grant proposal, by editing and giving her some tips.  This I did twice during the day.
I played with my son some more and fed him some more.
All throughout the day I worked with my son on Potty Training and changed soiled diapers.
I also cleaned dishes, took care of the garden and cleaned up toys.  I also entered sweepstakes and tried to catch up with friends on facebook.

By the evening I was exhausted.  How much can we do in one day?

Water Pressure

Sometime in mid April, we had a sink clogged in our kitchen.  Wayne worked his tail off fixing it. We finally rented a drain auger and got it unplugged.  The next day it seemed as though our water pressure had been cut in half.  The shower wouldn't turn on if the toilet had just flushed.  We could barely wash our hands inside the house if we were watering the garden outside, and we had to put everything on a schedule for water use.

When I chose my house one of the main things was water pressure.  It must have good water pressure.  This house has always had good water pressure.   I could run the dishwasher and the washer at the same time and still flush the toilet and when I rented a pressure washer, it was just fine when doing the deck and driveway.

So for an entire month we suffered this low pressure.  Wayne called the town to see if it was something with them that might be causing it.  Nothing with the town. Wayne looked it up online to see if we could figure something out.  We just kept on with our measly drip.

One morning recently, the shower wouldn't turn on and I got cranky. I said, "I want my water pressure back."  So Wayne set out trying to figure it out again. Low and behold, in our utility room was a valve that had been bumped during our clean up with the sink.  The valve that was bumped was how the water entered the house.  Wayne opened it up and out came the deluge I had looked for when I was house shopping.

I am so grateful to have it back. It really is the little things that make life better.

Smoothies

I just want to take a moment to share about the wonderment of the blender.

With this wonderful appliance I pulvarize food into a liquid and mix it all together so that my son will consume it.

I will often mix strawberries, blueberries, bananas, spinach,  carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and most importantly, water.
 
My very picky son will drink it down and ask for more.

I will sometimes add almond milk, or coconut kiefer, or a little elderberry if I think we need antiviral.

It makes me feel good knowing I can get my two year old to consume something green.

Certainly one should research the topic and as with any dietary and nutritional considerations use caution...there is such a thing as too many greens and variety is essential when consuming them... It would be wise to consult your doctor too.

I believe there is much benefit to consuming a well balanced diet.  Too much of one thing can cause trouble.

Some things I have done with my smoothies:

I froze them into popsicles
I sometimes mix them with rice cereal or oat meal for my son.
I have even made it into a sauce and poured it over rice.

We have even shared the popsicles with the neighborhood kids and they really liked them...untill I mention that there might be veggies in them.   Best not to mention it...they consumed more than half before I told them.  Ah Kids.

Even Better Pudding ;)

Today while I was at work, I had a slightly overripe banana and a cooked sweet potato.  I decided to mash them together and see if my toddler would eat it.  He wouldn't.  I knew it was a texture issue.

When I got home, I got one of our peeled and frozen bananas out of the freezer, I nuked a sweet potato, and I blended them in the blender one for one.

I added a little almond milk to get it going in the blender, and voila, there was pudding.  It was delicious.  Oh and yes, the little man did eat it all up.

Just to brag a little... there is no added sugar or sweetener to this combination.  The only sugar was the sugar in the almond milk.  Normally I have unsweetened almond milk but this time it had a little cane sugar in it.  Honestly, I don't think it needs any extra sweetener at all.  I just used whatever milk I had on hand.

This new discovery is a joy to me because I can't really have pudding.  I am allergic to milk and all gluten, so it can be difficult to find pudding mix with no milk and no gluten.  I have found some with no milk and no gluten but then it has soy, which is another downer on my "can't have" list.

All natural and delicious!

Making Kits

So much to blog about.  What should it be today?

Making kits?
My weird financial happenings?
Career?
Gardening?
Finding what you need for free?
I found it on the side of the road?


I think I will choose the first one.  Making Kits.


What do I mean by making kits?  Well, I mean that when I have several items that go together for
a purpose I put them all together and find a nice case or bag to put them all in so I always have everything organized and ready for when I need it.

Kits I have put together recently:

Nebulizer Kit
Machine, mask, hoses, several vials of each medication, paper towels


Willoughby's Allergy Kit
Apple cider vinegar/honey cough remedy in a baby food jar, apple cider vinegar/honey cough medicine in a small spray bottle, cypress/lavendar oil spray for his chest, a jar of raw local honey, cetirizine, nasal aspirator, tissues, chopped garlic in olive oil (for his ears) two droppers and a medicine cup.

This kit is very important when I am traveling... it helps so much to have all of that stuff in one spot.
For this kit I used one of my similac breast milk toting bags.


Willoughby's Inhaler Kit
baby chamber, mask, inhaler, Dr's note
For this I used one of my similac breast milk toting bags


My Make Up Kit
all the stuff I need all neat and clean and new and tidy.  I just got a brand new brush set and it is in it's own case, but that case fits into my makeup case perfectly.
For this I found a mini-cooler from the Good Will.

Emergency Kit  (this one needs work)
I have one for hurricanes and evacuations... this one has been dismantled a bit.
coffee, filters, and just the drip part of the coffee maker (you can boil water and drip it into individual cups,) baby wipes, condoms, games for Willough, batteries, various flash lights, I am going to work on a phone list from my phone...in case I have to call someone from a land line without my phone, band aids, alcohol wipes, snacks, medication for my family if there is medication needed, duct tape,  etc.
For this I have a big plastic bin with a cover.
The following article inspired me to make one of these and it freaked me out!

http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/emergency-preparedness/


Travel Kit
This kit is always packed.  I don't have to put a bunch of toilet items together before I travel as they are always assembled in my travel kit.  I have been doing this for 25 years and it is so nice to just put that kit right in my travel bag.


My Diaper Bag

Doesn't every Mom have one of these?

Diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, extra clothes, sun block, poop barrier, snacks, sippy cup, bubbles,
bags for yucky diapers, hand sanitizer wipes, children's pain medicine.  (The stuff in this bag changes with the age of the child.)

Willouhgby's Non- Dairy kit for school and visiting other households

Coconut milk, Ghee(butter substitute), cracker snacks with no dairy, and anything special that other kids might be having that he will want... coconut ice cream, non- dairy cheese etc. Oh and don't forget the cold pack.  This is a regular square lunch cooler with an over the shoulder strap.

In my purse I always carry two small wooden trains for Willoughby. Thomas and Percy (in my pursey.)

In my purse I have a technology kit... it has my hard drive plus cables, the outlet plug for my phone and the cable to connect my phone to the plug and the computer.  This has it's own little zipper case to protect it from impact and purse dirt.

I have a travel microphone kit that goes with my computer for traveling for those VO auditions I don't want to miss when I am on the road.

I have a lunch kit with a thermal bag, forks knives, spoons and Corning Ware with a rubbarized cover.


Having all these things together is so helpful when you are so busy as I am.  Each kit has a specific place to live in our house so it is always ready when I need it.

I also have a little square zipper bag  and a plastic box that has a handle for Willoughby and when we are going somewhere for a day or a weekend he gets to pick out track and trains to put in each bag... we count the trains and the track and take a picture so we know what to return home with.  We do this with his other toys too.

I have more of these to put together as well.


Please if you haven't already... Vote for our commercial for the ECOS contest.
here is the link!  Many thanks!


http://apps.facebook.com/ecosgetwashed/contests/191708/voteable_entries/47895118\

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day!
I am exhausted.  What a busy day.  I saw Chess today.  It was a Community theater production and it was a brave under taking.  I enjoyed it.

The rest of the day was spent incorporating new Freecycle finds and getting the yard ready for planting.  I am looking forward to gowing our plants again for an August harvest or tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, collard greens and lots of herbs.

I am grateful to be a mommy and have such a wonderful son and stepsons.  LIFE is amazing and wonderful!

Thanks to my Mommy for giving birth to me.
Thanks to my great partner for all the lovely gifts and installing the shelf to put them on.  Thanks to my son for the heart box. Thanks to my stepsons for the nice phonecall and nice wishes!

Now I must close my eyes...so tired!

Things I am Manifesting and Daily Dragons

Goals are a good thing and it is good to have them...yes, I agree for sure.  My friend Zoe mentioned this in her blog recently and I have been thinking about it ever since.

*** very provocative interruption during this blog***

(My mother in law offered Wayne and I her mother's house to live in, in Danville PA, as her mother is recently passed.)

I find it interesting that this news comes within the goals and manifesting blog.  One of my goals is to have a bigger living space with a better yard, better school district and a more resonable mortgage...and now there is this opportunity.  It isn't in NY which is the place I like best, but it could provide an opportunity to catch up financially. 

Catching up financially and creating financial abundance is one of our family manifesting goals.

We also want our son to be healthier and we are in the allergy capital of the world. Perhaps another location would be more helpful with his (supposed) asthma and allergies.

We are working on doing more voiceover and building that business.

I am projecting a very near future (like this week) where I get back to my Yoga practice and begin teaching again.

We are creating a near future with more time.

There are various writing projects we both have started that we are in need of working on too.
We are creating a near future to get the driveway and deck properly treated so they hold up for many years to come.

And the most scary one of all is to resolve one outstanding bit of red tape...which I am gearing up to do as soon as I have a bit of time where my son is with Wayne.  

But getting all these things done are lifes small dragons we face.  Daily Dragons,  I like to call them.   But isn't it true that in most stories the dragon, which is sacred is not slain nor destroyed...she is merely tamed and finally understood.

I don't know what the future holds...none do.  One of the things I have learned is that we must listen, really listen to what we want and where we are being guided by life.

 Also we must show up to life:  get up get out of bed and walk out the door into it. That is where it all happens.

Kitchen: Back to the old ways

I am nearly finished changing my kitchen.  Not the tile, not the flooring, nope, not a new fridge or stove. Don't I wish!  I mean what I cook with and store my food in. I changed all of it.  Why?  Well, I receive an email from a woman named Karen Brimeyer http://www.karenbrimeyer.org/ who has studied Leaky Gut Syndrome and puts out a cure to follow.  Now, not being significantly trained in Biology, I am not sure what that exactly means. I have read contradictory articles stating that it is an impossibility to have a leaky gut.  I do believe our guts can become ill and cause our bodies lots and lots of trouble, so, I read her information, and take what means something to me and put it into practice.

One of Karen's emails suggested that kitchens can become toxic and the very items we use to cook on and store food in can contribute to illness in our guts and in our bodies.  So I read this and I get really angry at first.  I start rationalizing it out.  First I can't eat wheat because I have Celiac Disease, then you take away anything with gluten, then it's all grains, then nuts are bad, then this then that, NOW I have to get rid of all my pots and pans and plastic containers because THEY are causing illness in my gut.   My first response was two words I won't post here because I want to keep my blog appealing to all.  But I was VERY ANGRY.  But if you think about it, it does make a lot of sense.

I went on with life and suddenly I found myself thinking about it and more and more.  I was still angry but that wise old voice in my head that tells me the right thing to do kept working on this problem.

Wayne and I had always been looking for an old cast iron pan anyway, so I put out a post on Freecycle. Wanted: Cast Iron Cookware...for cooking, not decoration (you have to be careful because people paint them to hang on their walls.)  I got two responses and from those responses I received 7 different sized cast iron frying pans from tiny to large.  I brought them home and Wayne went to work learning how to scrub them up and re-season them.   It was a lot of work but so very worth it.  I know it is hard to believe, but the food tastes so much better cooked in cast iron.  And it isn't difficult to keep them clean, and they are just as non-stick as teflon if you use them properly.   Having them to cook in cuts down on reheating in the microwave too.

Next, we needed something to boil water in, etc.  But wait a minute,  I have always had Corning Ware from my grand mother.  All through living in Manhattan in my tiny apartment, I had several Corning Ware casserole dishes. They are great because you can put them in the oven, microwave, freezer, and use them to store food in the fridge.  They save space because they eliminate having to have plastic to store in as well as having a whole set of pots and pans.

So I went to PA and went to my favorite junk store and purchased more of it.  I got three glass baking pans of different sizes, pyrex of course, more  Corning Ware too.  Corning Ware came up with a rubberized lid at some point and these can be purchased on Ebay or probably on the Corning Ware site.  I also found some at my local junk store.  This way, you can take your Corning Ware with you for lunch.  It is so easy, especially in an insulated lunch bag.  I even take it over to get my Chilli on Wednesdays.  The serving lady always says how nice it is to see me using my reusable containers, and glass ones at that.

I did keep a couple of plastic containers to organize, and some plastic things for my two year old that I know don't have yucky chemicals in them.  But I have a rule...NO PLASTIC IN THE DISHWASHER. I also saved lots of jars and covers for food storage.  Those can't go in the freezer but they are great for kid snacks and fridge storage.

Once I had all my new items, and cleared out the clutter, I decided to GET ORGANIZED.  I realized that the plastic in my cabinet was always a disaster.  Open the door and it was a sea of plastic and jars.  We could never find anything in there and it was a source of frustration always.  I got some of those wire racks, a whole set for like 12 bucks or something,  and made different levels and put jar lids in a large plastic container so I always can grab a lid.  All of my Corning Ware lids and fry pan covers are in stackable lid holders and it is glorious.

Mind you, I did all of this for less than $30-$50.

Best of all,  I got rid of our drip coffee makers and have an old Corning Ware stove percolator (That we found at the Good Will)  and a small Farberware electric percolator that we got from Freecycle.  My coffee tastes better than ever and I am happy to know that it hasn't been processed through plastic.

Washing dishes is easier than ever.   I can put most everything in the dishwasher or hand wash and dry and put away quickly.  Have you ever noticed that plastic is difficult to clean and takes days to air dry.  See ya, plastic storage!  Good riddance!

Another benefit of cast iron is, that it weighs so much you are strengthening your arms as you cook with it!

I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN and the food tastes better than ever.

Voiceover

I did a couple of VOs between last week and this week.  It is always a pleasure to do the work.   One of our clients gave us a huge recommendation too.  I always love that.

I also auditioned all on my own tonight with no sound engineer.I just did my own recording and editing.  I know it doesn't sound like a huge thing but when you always rely on someone else for your editing, it makes it all a lot easier.

I chose something simple, a childrens book.   We all know I read a lot of those these days.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Yesterday I freecycled a blood pressure monitor and I got a coffee pot for free from freecycle. When I need something I look for it on freecycle, ecycle, or on craigslist free first.  That way I take something that someone doesn't need and fulfill my need at the same time.

I was recently cast in a film: "Doomsdays, shooting in Kingston."  Wayne and I play a couple who come to our vacation home and find creepy squatters in our house, LOL.

It is a low budget indie film and they were looking for donations for their crew house.  I had just cleaned out all the plastic and teflon in our kitchen and replaced it with corning ware, and cast iron.   I gave the film crew a giant electric grill, plastic bowls, a set of dishes, a whole set of teflon cookware, and a coffee maker.   They needed all of it.  I needed to get rid of it.  Such a wonderful relationship.

In honor of Earthday, Wayne went to a big dumpster down the road and got some wood.  He built a birdhouse. :)

Please think of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.  Not just today, but everyday.

Pudding for the Allergic

Today is my birthday.   Wayne made me the cook and serve jello pudding with almond milk instead of dairy.  It was such a welcome treat for our family.  If consumed in moderation, it shouldn't bother me too much.  Still gotta watch out for the sugar and corn starch.
I've been working on getting rid of all of our litchen plastic and. And teflon and replacing it with cast iron, corningware and stanless products.  Today when I got my chilli I brought my own corningware container and my thermal bag. I felt good about not putting another paper plate into the landfills.
My Wayne also made me a giant recycled object wind chime in one of our trees...it was the most lovely  gift and my son loved showing me how it worked!   What a beautiful day.

Healing an Ear Infection without Antibiotics

This was my quick post from Facebook (I am trying to get this information out there so others may benefit from it):

Mommy and Daddy helped Willoughby heal an ear infection without antibiotics...we gave him local honey with cinnamon, put olive oil drops in his ears that had fresh garlic in, we massaged his ears, we reduced his sugar intake, we really kept flushing his sinuses and each night before he goes to bed, after brushing his teeth, we have him chew and antibiotic with xlitol in it instead of sugar. We were so thrilled when the doc said his ears were great! 

The last time we had been to the pediatrician she said that he had an infection and she tried to give us a prescription for an antibiotic.  I cried and said, "No."
I was terrified.  But I knew in my gut that I could beat this without more horrid chemicals.  We took her prescription and went on our way.  But we never filled it because we didn't have to.

Some interesting things I have learned about ear infections:

An ear infection can be viral or bacterial.  There is no way of knowing which your child has.  

So when the doctor looks in the ear and sees an infection the most they can do for your child is give them an antibiotic.

Here's the clincher: IF THAT EAR INFECTION IS VIRAL, the antibiotics WILL NOT WORK!  That means you are giving your child antibiotics steeped in SUGAR for NOTHING.

The sugar glop that your child takes with the antibiotic in it is part of the reason why the infection keeps coming back.  The SUGAR is a huge toxin that makes things fester and become inflamed.  The antibiotic is killing EVERYTHING.  That means the good stuff too.  So your child's ear has a festering inflamed mess on top of NO GOOD BACTERIA LEFT TO FIGHT anymore.

The probiotics are a great thing to help with this.  A pro-biotic given at night after brushing, a chewable, helps put good bacteria in the throat.

Another thing that I was afraid of doing was putting garlic and olive oil drops in the ear.  This helped my son a lot and he liked the way it felt.

Another thing to do is look up shiatsu points for helping ear infections and gently rub those areas if the child can tolerate it.

Dairy allergies can contribute to ear infections.

Honey kills bad bacteria and children generally love it.  REMEMBER NOT TO GIVE A CHILD UNDER ONE YEAR ANY HONEY EVER!  You should get local raw honey... nothing processed.

Elderberry is a natural antiviral.  I invite you to do research about the benefits and how long to administer it.  My pediatrician recommended this natural product to us. 

I asked my doctor about each and every one of these things that we did and she said each was safe.  You should always ask your pediatrician first.  I also think that it is very important to know that their training is limited.  If your gut is telling you that you don't want to have tubes put in your child's ears, and each time an antibiotic is prescribed you cringe from your head to your toes, you should question your doctor, do research, get a second opinion and know that you know your child better than anyone else in the world. 

Also it is very important to see your doctor after a week of trying the natural remedies to see if they are effective.  Your doctor is very proficient in diagnosis for sure.  If they aren't working THEN take the antibiotic... sometimes they are the only thing that will work. While taking them definitely give a pro-biotic twice a day.

We are healing his asthma diagnosis by removing dairy from his diet. ***More to come on this adventure soon.

Remove the toxins and you will be amazed by the results.

Who do you believe?

I am pondering this question because there are so many theories and so many different places to obtain information in this day and age.

I was posting on a high school acquaintance's facebook page today regarding soy and soy products.  I know that I have heard and read horrid things about soy.  I also know that I have read great reviews about how great it is for you.  Who do you believe?

I think what it comes down to is, you have got to go with your instincts.  If you are okay with consuming something no matter what the pro's and con's are that you find out there, that is what you have to go with.

The thing we have to do is pay attention to what the food that we consume is doing to our bodies.  If your body loves soy and you are healthier than you have ever been, that is a good sign for YOU.  If you eat bacon and you don't have problems with your heart and cholesterol, that is great for YOU!  If you know you get sick from eating corn and wheat then avoiding them is best for YOU, that is the key!  If you are getting congested every single day when you don't have a cold, then it might be time to consider what is causing it and remove it for a better functioning system.  If you get gas and bloating every single day, you probably have something irritating your digestive system and you have to find out what it is.  Your body is telling you something. Ultimately when it comes to our diet, we really only have ourselves  and our bodies to believe.

I denied one of my allergies for a very long time and I did it because it was such a healthy food. I kept trying to eat it because it was supposed to be good for everyone.  I was in such denial even when I vomited the food right after consuming it.  I would double over in pain after eating it. And finally it was making my body mimic a 24 hour stomach bug!   My partner finally said to never bring it in the house again and if I do I am not allowed to handle it.    I am allergic to avocados.  My body made it very clear that it wouldn't behave if I decided to eat this food.

My instincts also lead me to do research on what can happen if you consume too much flax seed... yes... I had consumed too much and it made me feel light headed and strange...because too much of it can cause a cyonide toxicity.  Now obviously I didn't have a cyonide toxicity but I did have a reaction to too much flax and my partner did too.  In moderation it is fine like with many things.  One would have to consume a very very very large amount of it to really cause problems but I had had enough to make me feel "not right."

Back to Soy.  It actually increased my bra one size up.  I hadn't gained weight anywhere else... just there...that was enough to make me realize that I was dealing with a product that too much of something my body didn't need in it.

We must listen and believe what our bodies are telling us.

Apple Cider Vinegar

I have decided to start with the most recent miracle of remedies we have in our cabinet and work backward.  Of course,  I am not a doctor, I am just a Mommy sharing her journey.  I do check with my doctor on a regular basis and share with her what remedies I use.  If you try any of these things, I recommend you talk with your doctor about them as well.

My 2 year old son, Willoughby has a diagnosis of Asthma.  He gets really congested from head to toe, it seems, and he coughs and wheezes.  So we are working on NO DAIRY(that will be a whole other blog,) and that seemed to be working for a while.  Just recently, we had received a clean bill of health with him and if he needed his medications (albuteral for emergency clearing of the airways, budesonide for asthma maintenance, and an anti-histemine for the congestion that may be caused by allergies,)we have them if we need them.  A Few days after the happy doctor visit,  W started with the coughing, and the runny nose, you know, the one at every daycare all over the world. ( I swear, if I was a daycare teacher, I would just sit and wipe noses allll day long.)

So he started to get this horrid cough.  We tried all our natural stuff first: honey, elderberry, etc. It didn't seem to be working at all.  We then in the middle of the night at like 3 am decided it was time to do albuteral. Out comes the nebulizer.  I give him the treatment and it does NOTHING.  W and I got up and he was playing at 3 am.  He was fine, and breathing fine, but coughing and coughing. It was breaking me down hearing him suffer so with the cough.  He still ate and played and all good things but coughed and coughed.  I gave him green smoothies and chamomile tea and kept flushing out his sinuses and gave him more honey and he coughed and coughed.  We tried albuteral again and he refused to sit through the treatment.  He never refuses it... because he knows it helps him...but this time he was just not having it.

He went down for a nap and I was cleaning for my brother- in-law's visit.  I had my stepson, Alex, get on the computer and I told him to look up natural cough remedies for toddlers... He said mix 1/3 a cup of apple cider vinegar with 2 heaping teaspoons of honey and 3/4 cup of boiling water.  I did this. Willoughby was still coughing in his sleep.  When the mixture was cool enough, I put 5ml in a dropper and gave it to him in his sleep.   He stopped coughing immediately.  He woke up shortly after and started playing.  His cough was reduced from a cough every 1 to 2 seconds to one per minute or so.  I kept giving him some of the mixture through the day and his cough got less and less.  When he did cough it was super productive and lots of junk came out.  

A day later, he is great!  He slept all night, he had a great morning and a three hour nap and all the congestion and junk is pouring out.  He is processing his common cold normally without unnecessary medications.  I was really worried that he was still having asthma even without the dairy in his system. I was feeling really defeated. The natural cough remedy we were brave enough to try was just the right thing.  

I am standing by my pledge to see if we can help Willoughby heal and grow a strong immune system by NOT overtoxifying his system with medications he really doesn't need.  We are working on removing problems by finding the irritation rather than masking symptoms with more toxins.

Natural Thoughts from a Struggling Voiceover Mommy

This is my first blog, ever.  I kept thinking about blogging, and I am one of those people who listen to "the voice that cries out the most," in my mind.  You may be thinking that it is strange that I admit there is a voice crying out in my head...it isn't really in my head, it is in my gut.  My gut is saying... "get your thoughts out there, Lady."  Then the other voice argues, "Why? No one will read it anyway." Then the gut voices stops and the head voice stops and there is quiet and in that moment when they stop arguing I get out of bed and come to the computer and begin.

Hello world, here I AM.  Heidi is my name, and I am a newish parent of 2 years with my own son and of 4 with my stepsons.  I live in the Hudson Valley of New York where I have a tiny house and still manage to save a closet for a voiceover booth where my parter and I record voiceover as a supplement to our meager living.

I moved up here to skydive from Manhattan nearly 10 years ago. I skydived my way around the country living in a converted school bus, and then found the love of my life...again.  We had done a tour of Romeo and Juliet sometime in the late nineties he was Romeo and I was Juliet. We were great friends for  years, he was married and I had my relationships so that was all we could give each other.  We lost touch after Sept. 11.  He went on tour with The LION KING and I ran away with the skydivers.
When we found each other again in 2007, he was divorced and I had just been dumped, again.  We were meant for each other and the rest is history.   In this blog I will tell you our adventures and most importantly share stories of how we are caring for our youngest son with natural remedies instead of the five medications that were prescribed by our child's doctor.