Superhero Antioxidant

Glutathione is considered by many researchers to be the superhero of antioxidants.  Our bodies produce glutathione and it is responsible for fighting off toxins in our bodies.  Because our bodies produce it, it is difficult to take it as a supplement.  Immunocal is a product developed by Dr. Jimmy Gutman.  This product, unlike others, is not a glutathione supplement, but rather promotes the production of glutathione in our bodies. His long standing research is well respected and the results of the product have been life changing for me.

Check out Dr. Oz's video on how glutathione works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hufj2AIPxQ

Dr. Gutman will be speaking in Winnipeg, MB this Thursday.  His extensive research on the subject makes him one of the world's most predominant experts on the subject.  Come and check it out.  You can find out more about the company and its products by visiting the Immunotec website or by googling "immunocal testimonials".  You don't want to miss this opportunity to achieve long term health benefits.

Some of the numerous health benefits of regular Immunocal consumption can be found in this article and the research is supported by Health Canada.  The benefits can be summed up by the following acronym:

A – FOR ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE

I  – FOR IMMUNE FUNCTIONS

D – FOR DETOXIFICATION

Plus

M – FOR MUSCLE FUNCTION

http://www.immunotec.com/IRL/Public/en/CAN/science_research.wcp

If you or your family members are suffering from any diseases, conditions or ailments it is worth doing some research to see if Immunocal will help.  The results speak for themselves.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC7XqrOn1uw

Yummy Chocolate Mousse Cake

Last night was the first time we entertained since I started The Plan.  We had friends over for dinner and served a plan friendly menu consisting of:

Roasted Vegetables (baby potatoes, beets, carrots, broccoli, zucchini and onions)          Mixed greens with avocado, apple and red onion served with a Lime Vinaigrette    Chicken breasts in a lime marinade served with Mango Cucumber Salsa

I must say the meal turned out well as all of the recipes in the book are very good.  Of course, the dessert was not from The Plan, but I tried to pick something that I thought would have low reactivity and be yummy too.  In the end, I went with one of our family's  favourite recipes and as always, it was delicious.  This chocolate cake is super moist and light.  An absolute must try.  It may look complicated and hard to make, but it is actually super easy and never fails, so worth the effort.

Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate                 1/2 cup butter                                                                        7 eggs, separated                                  1 cup sugar                                                                              1 tsp. vanilla                                           1/8 tsp. cream of tartar                                              Preheat oven to 325.  Melt chocolate and butter over very low heat.  In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar until light an fluffy.  Gradually beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.  In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Keep beating until stiff.  Fold whites into the other mixture.  Pour 3/4 of the batter into an ungreased spring form pan and bake for 35 minutes (until top begins to crack and sides begin to peel from edges of pan).  Cover and refrigerate the remaining chocolate batter.  Let the baked cake cool in the pan.  It will shrink, so don't be alarmed.  When cool, remove the sides of the pan.  Stir the remaining batter to soften slightly and spread over the top of the cooled cake.  I usually pop it in the freezer or fridge to set for a bit before icing.

Ice with:

1 cup whipping cream              1/3 cup icing sugar                    1 teaspoon vanilla or Kahlua  In a small bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Beat until stiff.  Spread frosting over the top (you may want to double if you wish to cover the sides as well).  Garnish with shaved chocolate.  Refrigerate.  This keeps really well in fridge for several hours or even overnight.  It also freezes well for a great make ahead dessert.

I really do enjoy entertaining, but have found that we do so much less than we used to .  It just seems like more work now that we are constantly on the go.  Before kids, it was easy to have friends over often.  The house was always clean and we had less commitments.  Now, it seems like it is hard to juggle it all.  We are busy working full time, running the kids to their activities throughout the week and it seems almost impossible to stay on top of the laundry and house work.  I find that having company over  is now so much more than putting together a great meal.  It always seems like it also involves a top to bottom overall of the house to get it "fit" for company.  I am so excited that we are once again immersing ourselves in a business that has the potential for us to be able to restructure our lives and free up some of our time.  It is so much easier to stay on top of things at home, when you are in charge of your own time and hours.  The resources that we purchased through Empower Network have provided us with limitless potential.  I love that the tools can be used to build our Empower business, but that the information applies to any and all businesses.  The prospect of working from home and creating more time for family and friends is so exciting.   If you think that internet marketing is something that would work for you, follow the link.  It can truly be the best decision you have ever made.

Ready, Set, Go!

My husband and I began our internet marketing business a few weeks ago and have been committed to learning all we can about the business.  I am a teacher and my job is very demanding.  In addition to work, we have two children that are involved in numerous activities throughout the week.  We are indeed, busy, but no busier than the average family with two working parents.  It is amazing how much time you can find in a day when you change your priorities.  There will always be 24 hours a day, but when you become focussed on a dream and a goal, you realize that you need to capitalize on each and every hour of every day, if you truly want to get ahead and make positive changes in your life.  I have learned to turn off the radio during my 30 to 40 minute commute and to plug into some great teachings on how to better myself, our finances and our lives, in general.  I have to drive to work anyways, so why not make the most of my time.  Each day, I am committed to receiving positive life changing messages for a minimum of one hour per day.  Not only does this feed my heart and soul, but it also cuts me off from the “Constant Negative News” we receive through the media.  Win! Win!  I find this improves my attitude and sets me up for a great day at work and then re-energizes me for my time at home with my family at the end of my work day.  Right now, I am totally loving listening to Scott Anderson’s series called “Think Like a Billionaire”.  It is great!  One of the best messages that he weaves into all of his teachings is the power of a 21 day commitment.  Do anything consistently for 21 days and you have got yourself a new habit.  It truly works, and his teachings are all very inspiring and practical.

My husband and I make a great team.  We have taken on many partnerships in our 24 years together.  We were caretakers of an apartment block for a period of 10 years, owned a restaurant and have worked together on many renovation and “upcycling” projects.  Generally, we work really well together and I know this will be no exception.  Our plan is for me to primarily take on the role of blogging.  This is not too much of a stretch for me as I had already started blogging last year.  I love to talk and never seem to run out of ideas or things to say, so my husband figures I am the natural choice for this role. In the past, I primarily used my blog as a personal journal.  I was not interested in traffic or followers, it was more just a way of documenting our life and experiences.  I really just sat down when I felt inclined to write and there really was no level of commitment.   Obviously, I need to be all in, if we are to make this work.  He, on the other hand, is a man of few words.  So, Tim will be doing more of the marketing in our new business.  I am sure we will both dabble in both, but our commitment will definitely be shared.  Prosperity, here we come!

My school year is just winding down and I have been looking so forward to pouring my heart and soul into this business and my blog over the summer months.  Anyone who knows me well, will tell you that I do nothing part way. That is, of course, if I have truly made a commitment.  I am very cautious with what kinds of commitments I make, because once I make a decision, I am all in.  As I begin to share my interests and passions each day, you will see that I am not very good at settling.  I am by no means perfect, but certainly strive to do my best with the skills I have and the time I have available.  Until tomorrow…..

Cindy

My Primal Journey

        It seems that I have always been active and health conscious.  I grew up in a family that strongly believed in eating well and supplementing with high quality vitamins as necessary.  During my early university years, I lived in residence and put on several pounds.  I remember how I felt when the scales reached a 152 pounds.  Although to many this may not seem like a drastic weight gain, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and began the quest to return to the 128 pounds I weighed in high school.  I am 5'7" tall and have never been a light weight, but have always carried my weight well.  By the time I married at 29, I weighed 134 pounds and actually felt great.  Post kids, I have always hovered between 138 and 143 pounds and have longed to get back to 134.  Over the years, I have tried a few different weight loss programs and several intense exercise regimes.  My weight has consistently bounced within that range and I can never seem to break through and lose those last few pounds, despite my efforts.  For the most part, I eat healthy, regardless of whether I am following a particular program or not, but do admit to having an intense sweet tooth.
        Recently a friend introduced my to The Primal Blueprint and thus began a new and exciting journey.  On January 6, 2013 I cleaned out our cupboards and informed my family that we would be doing Mark's 21 day challenge.  This seemed very drastic and I must say, I was excited and terrified all at the same time.  I emptied my cupboards of all foods containing grains and sugar, according to the recommendations in Mark Sisson's book and proceeded to carry the 6+ box loads of food down to my basement to be stored (and hopefully never returned to my kitchen).  After reading his book and the research on grains and the effect it has on our bodies, I just knew this was something we needed to strive to do.  Our cupboards are bare, but our fridge is stocked with fresh meat and veggies and we are off to a great start 4 days in.
         My 8 year old son has had the most difficult time.  He is an active growing boy and would often snack on toast or a bowl of cereal between meals and before bed.  Giving up bread, toast, cereal, oatmeal, pancakes and waffles transformed him into a vicious monster over the first few days.  I was able to witness the sugar/carb withdrawal symptoms as his body adjusted to the absence of sugar and grains in his diet.  Now, 4 days in, his mood is more consistent throughout the day and we no longer see the melt downs that we used to witness when our kids seemed over hungry (often despite having just eaten).  Our meals are now sustaining us in a way that I have never experienced before.  I am finding that I am not nearly as hungry as I normally am and no longer have the need for snacks between meals.
        I have also experienced the craziest feeling in my stomach.  My husband doesn't believe me, but through the night, when I am not taking in any calories, I can actually feel my body working.  It is almost as if I can feel it using up or burning some of the fat stores in my body.  We are very early into this adventure, but so far I am absolutely loving it.  I can honestly say, my taste buds are changing.  It seems as though my taste buds have become more sensitive and that the healthy foods we are eating have this incredible flavour that it lacked before.  I know this seems really weird, but I think that the sugar embedded in our regular diet actually desensitized my taste buds.  I am now totally satisfied with something that has just a hint of sweetness, as opposed to the sweet tooth I once fought against.  I am so excited!  I weighed in at 140 lbs on Sunday and was already down 2 pounds by Wednesday morning.  I can't wait to see how we will all feel by the end of the 21 days.  I already feel like I have more energy and a very "clear" head.  I have not yet started the recommended exercise program, but I can't believe that I can reduce my chronic workouts and actually make more headway in my quest for a healthy weight.  My family will be home for supper shortly and I am so excited to be serving them 3 completely Primal recipes we have not yet tried.  I will have to let you know how the lasagna, biscuits and banana bread all turn out!

Many hands make light work!

I have been searching the net and racking my brain to try and figure out a system for having the kids do chores around the house.  There are many great systems and ideas, but it is important that you find something that will work for your family.  In my case, I sometimes find that the trouble with a system is actually me, not the kids.  When jumping into anything new, you truly have to commit.  I am often a great starter, but am not always committed entirely to the process and thus over time, it fails.  So, when considering a chore system, I wanted it to be manageable for both the kids and my husband and I, so that it would with stand the test of time.  I am trying very hard to be "a little, a lot person" instead of "a lot, a little person".  You know do little things and make small changes, but make a big, long term commitment instead of trying to do things in such a big way that you end up losing momentum and feeling like a failure.

Here is what we came up with:
We set up bank accounts for each of the children and arranged to have a direct deposit come from our account to each of theirs on a weekly basis ~ alas, the allowance!  I have gone back and forth on this one.  So many experts on the subject with varying opinions - to pay or not to pay - that is the question!  We decided that we like the idea of the kids learning to manage their own money and to begin the process of giving 10%, spending %, saving 10% and using the other 70% as they wish (within our family guidelines, of course).  This way, they will learn the value of a dollar and have the opportunity to learn about both good and bad  choices.  I find it difficult to monitor when I should give them money for a treat, etc and when to say no.  I will most often say no, as I am always trying to avoid over indulging and spoiling our children.  As a result, I never no when I am being fair and when I am being a good parent.  Thus, we decided to give them a little more freedom to make their own choices and learn from their own mistakes.  They will receive 50 cents per year or an amount equivalent to half their age.  So, our 10 year old gets $5 per week and our 8 year old gets $4.  Not a huge amount, but enough to begin to make some of their own choices.  I like the concept of the bank account because we do not have to worry about having the cash on hand for allowance day and the money is not burning a whole in their pocket.  They can make a withdrawl using their bank card so that they can have a little money on hand, and use the card to make direct payments when we are out shopping.

I used a combination of ideas from several sources and this is what I came up with.

 Using a dollar store cookie sheet, I covered the surface with some scrapbooking paper, typed out a list of daily chores as well as a weekly schedule for each child and printed it out on cardstock.  I bought wooden letters to represent the kid's initials and covered them with coordinating patterned paper.  I then used large glass beads to create magnets for both the dishwasher and the table.  The EMPTY/CLEAN and SET/CLEAR magnets switch each week.  So, in addition to the kids regular daily chores (make bed, brush teeth, clean sink, empty backpack, do homework/reading, empty "crap basket" from the stairs), they are also responsible for putting away their clean laundry, dishwasher duty and either setting or clearing the table.
Our Garbage and Recycling are picked up on Wednesdays, and the kids are also responsible for taking both out throughout the week when needed as well as moving the bins out on Tuesday evening, so they are ready for Wednesday pick-up.  On Saturday mornings, the kids do their regular daily chores, but instead of making their bed, they strip the sheets/pillow cases for washing and I help them make their bed with clean bedding.  They are also required to "pick a chore".  I got the idea from  whateverdeedeewants.com, but modified the chores to meet our family's needs.  We started with just one extra chore per week, but the kids have been told that there are times when they will be asked to pick to or 3.  They still have an opportunity to "put a chore back" or "relax" and be chore free, if they pick a lucky stick.

BEFORE:  I bought this crazy ugly wooden box at a yard sale for  a quarter and turned it into a little box that holds our chore sticks.

AFTER:  Ugly clown box becomes cute little chore box.

I found appropriate clip art on the web, increased the transparency of the graphic and then added the text in front for these chore magnets.

 I hung the chore system up below our family schedule.  So far, so good!

Many hands make light work!

Disco Birthday Party

Okay, I must admit that the birthday parties are getting much easier as the kids get older and just want to hang out and do their own thing.  I like that I am not stressing about every detail and spending hours making props and decorations, but I also miss the fun of planning and executing a true full blown theme party that has every detail planned out. (Of course, I miss that as I am a raging Type A and am all about the details.)  Some of the best parties I did were pre-digital and all the shots were captured on my 35mm.  Too bad! Maybe someday I can have them transferred to digital form.

My daughter's most recent birthday was probably the easiest yet.  Aside from the invitations, banner and cake….I really didn't do much else.  Here are some pictures from her party.

For the invitation, I made a record and attached the outfit to the front.  I cut the outfit out of old jeans and some fabric left over from my daughter's Halloween hippie costume.  I printed the party details in  a circle shape on the computer and then printed them out on purple paper that matched the shirt and glued the info on the back.  They turned out really well.  The envelope was made out of white card stock.  The shoe was made on my cricut.

The invitation is the record with the disco outfit on the front, to the left is the envelope I made for it.

My traditional birthday banner!

The disco cake - I think one of my best attempts at fondant!  I might finally have it down pat.  I have found that the marshmallow fondant works the best.

Star Wars Birthday Party

My son's 6th birthday party had a Star Wars theme.  When planning a birthday party, I basically plan according to this:
1. Invitations - design the invitation, decide on the timeline and get them sent out
2. Decorations - table cloth, center piece, banner
3. Activities/Games
4. Food/Snacks
5. Design, bake and decorate the cake(s)
6. Loot Bags - I am not a fan of dollar store junk or candy.  I rarely include any in my loot bags unless their is a really good link to the theme.  I tend to buy one or two more expensive items as opposed to many little items.


Here are some of the things we did for his Star Wars party:

Invitations:
Okay, we made really cool DVD invitations.  I used iMovie to create a movie that was done like the words that scroll at the beginning (or is it the end?) of Star Wars movies.  It began with a starry sky and that led into the words in the invitation that scrolled while the movie (and Stars Wars theme song) played.  At the end, I had all the details again along with a Star Wars Picture my son had drawn.  I tried like crazy to upload the video, but couldn't get it to work.  So here is my lame attempt at sharing  - a photo of my computer screen, yep, pretty high tech hey??

The actual font colour was yellow, but it doesn't really show here.

Here is what the invitation said, in Star Wars language.

In a galaxy far, far away, on the morning of June 4, 2004, a baby boy was born.

The Jedi Council named him Shay Alexander Roy and they knew he was the chosen one.  In the 6 years that followed his birth, young Shay has been learning the power of the force.  Meanwhile, the Republic discovered a new enemy.  The Jedi knights felt a strong disturbance in the force.  Fear, pain and suffering have opened the path to the Darkside.

Many Jedi knights have been lost.  The very future of the Jedi Order is now in jeopardy.  Young Padawan Shay has been called by the Jedi Council to seek out future Jedi.  Master Yoda is urging the youngling to complete their training and take part in the upcoming trials.

Your presence is requested to complete this Jedi Training and prepare for the trials on June 4th, 2010.  

We are scheduled to depart from the Roy System, Docking Bay at _____________ at 1100 hours.  

Please advise the Jedi Council as soon as possible via email or at 453-0462.  

We hope you will accept the challenge of the trials.

May the Force be with you!

Please note:  Due to safety protocols in the Republic, no weapons will be allowed on the transport vessel.  Please forgive the inconvience and rest assured that the Jedi Council has secured enough equipment for the Padawans to complete their training.

Decorations:

As always, I make a large birthday banner.  I tried to use Star Wars type font although it was handmade, so is certainly not exact.  I also included one of Shay's Star Wars drawings since he is fanatical about drawing Star Wars characters.

Other than that, the decorations were pretty simple and not much to brag about.  Kind of sad really:(

Of course, there was Star Wars music playing in the background.

Birthday Banner with the tie fighters below on the window sill.

The was the Death Star made from a spray painted beach ball and a black Sharpy for detail. It hung above the table.

The table was a simple black table cloth with planets on it.  You can see a tie fighter cupcake beside the earth.

We also put up some black and white balloons.

Activities:

Jedi Training - Have someone be the "Master Jedi" and teach the younglings some Jedi moves

Pass the Asteroid - a large crunched up ball of foil.  Pass the asteroid around the circle and when the music stops, whoever is left holding the asteroid is out.  They loved this!

Asteroid Hunt - hide foil balls around and see who can find the most asteroids

Light Saber Limbo

Star Wars Mural - large black paper, have the kids draw characters, planets, starfighters, etc.

Food/Snacks:

I keep my parties to about 2 hours.  I rarely go over meal time and I find that there is seldom extra down time.  As a kindergarten teacher, I know that if there is not structure, things can get very ugly very fast!  I usually leave about 30 to 45 minutes for cake and presents at the end and plan for about 15 minutes of quite activity while the guest arrive (like the mural).  Kids can join in as they come, and we can get started with the games once everyone has arrived.  I tend to keep them pretty busy and thus I find they have little time and/or interest in eating.

Basically, I usually serve a beverage and a few snacks.  This time we had:

Chips and dip

Star shaped crackers and cheese

Yoda Soda (sprite and lime sherbert mixed together - foams up and the kids thought it was so cool)

Cake:

Okay, call me crazy, but we actually had 3 parties in one day for my son….school friends, neighbours and a family party.  Also, I nearly always serve ice cream with the birthday cake.

I made three different styles of cake and of course, some turned out better than others as you will see.  However, I am going to bite the bullet and share all three, despite the fact that one was an absolute bust.  

Great concept, but didn't work that great.  This Light Saber cake has a blue jello "light saber" - cool, but the handle is a bit big for the light and the colours ran a bit in the icing.

Tie Fighter cupcakes.  The sides were made out of black foam board.

Loot Bags:

Jedi Costumes - I made each of the kids a Jedi robe

Glow in the dark light sabers

Space kite

Galaxy Slime

Jedi Costumes