Posted by
Kate W
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Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
Today is a little bit of a nerve-wracking day for me. In just a few hours I will go to the doctor to find out the results of my latest round of blood work. I’ve been dealing with an ongoing vitamin D deficiency for several months now. It was first picked up during blood work for a routine physical, and two follow-up tests have indicated recurring low levels. For the past sixty days I have been on an intense vitamin D and calcium regimen. If my levels haven’t improved, we’re going to have to discover where the underlying problem comes from. I’ve also had some elevated liver enzymes, so my doctor suspects the two issues might be related; the next step, assuming my levels haven’t improved, is an ultrasound on my liver to make sure there are no issues.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Monday, July 30th, 2012
I turned 31 this year. It’s a pretty good age. I still feel young enough that I have a great deal of possibility stretching out before me and a lot of life left to live. But I also feel I have had enough time to learn a lot of lessons that make me a more thoughtful person so that I can really take the time to enjoy each day. But I also worry about what the next few years holds for me. Because my mom was like me; young and healthy and enjoying that stretch of time before the age of forty when menopause hit.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Friday, July 27th, 2012
Now that I have learned to cook, I really revel in making nutritious, delicious meals for everyone in my family. Yes, that even includes the baby. At nine months old, she has still never tasted food from a jar. Each week I take her to the farmer’s market and select locally-grown organic fruits and vegetables. Not only is it inexpensive to purchase local, seasonal produce, I know that it’s being grown in a sustainable way and my daughter is getting high-quality food. Plus, it inspires me too prepare more veggies for me and my husband. It’s been great for the whole family.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Thursday, July 26th, 2012
If you spent a week in our house with a blindfold on, you’d be awfully surprised when you removed it. You might expect to find yourself in a geriatric facility after hearing endless complaints from me and my husband about our poor aching joints. On the surface, we look like two perfectly healthy, youngish adults. My husband is 30 and I’m 31, but the way we carry on, you’d think we were pushing 90.
Image source: Eldercareabcblog.com
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Posted by
Kate W
on
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
There are a plethora of herbs that can be ingested in order to promote good health, but there are just as many herbs that can do as much good by treating your outside as well as your inside. The human body is a machine that needs holistic care. You take your car in for oil changes and engine checkups to make sure everything is working as it should in order to prolong its life, but you also take it to the car wash to keep it clean. This obviously has the benefit of making your car look good, but it also contributes to the health of your car. If you live in a place with salt air or lots of snow or any kind of intense environmental exposure, the outside of your car can rust, causing it to not be at its optimum health level. The human body also needs a little TLC on the outside as well as the inside in order to stay healthy.
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Posted by
Kate W
on
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012
Yesterday, we talked about pennies and how they have nutritional value as well as monetary value. Today, we’re moving up the financial food chain and talking about nickel.
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Posted by
Kate W
on
Monday, July 23rd, 2012
When most people think of copper, they think of pennies. But what many people don’t know is that pennies aren’t strictly made from copper anymore. Until 1982, pennies were comprised of about 95% copper, but from 1983 on, they have been made out of 97.5% zinc and merely coated with a thin layer of copper. What’s the reason behind this? Copper has become so valuable that it would cost more to mint a penny out of copper than a penny is actually worth. In fact, there are online resource guides on how to efficiently hoard copper coins and websites devoted to the the epidemic of copper theft.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Friday, July 20th, 2012
I love being the hostess. I always have. I get nervous going to other people’s parties. I always worry I won’t know anyone and that I’ll end up huddled by myself in the corner like I’m at a middle-school dance. When I do meet new people, I end up babbling nervously. If they have a story, I always have one of my own that springboards off of theirs and back to myself. That’s fine once or twice; it establishes a rapport and some common ground. But do it too often and you look like a one-upper. Hostessing is so much easier than guesting. For starters, I am already guaranteed to know everyone. And my main conversational contribution can revolve around everyone else’s comfort level. Checking to make sure everyone’s well-fed and hydrated is the only way to keep me from nervously making everything all about me.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Thursday, July 19th, 2012
I am incredibly fortunate to have an amazing local farmer’s market just a few miles from my house. Each weekend, my husband and I load up the car with the usual accoutrements – diaper bag, Baby Bjorn, stroller, cooler pack with extra bottles, reusable grocery bags – and set off downtown. Our first stop is at the booth of the Sarasota Coffee and Tea Company so my husband can pick up some of the loose leaf tea he is so fond of. If we’re feeling really indulgent, sometimes we visit the Greenleaf Cheese booth so we can get some salty, creamy cheese curds for snacking on later in the day. This week we made sure to stop by Whole Foods to pick up a copy of the latest issue of Edible Sarasota, a first-rate foodie magazine for locavores. And we always finish it up with a stop by the My Mother’s Garden booth.
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Posted by
Kate W
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Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
I do a lot of cooking for my family. I prepare dinner for my husband and myself every night, then pack his lunch for the next morning. Sometimes I keep it simple by just throwing together a sandwich, but often I will cook up a big batch of something on Sunday evening and portion it out for him throughout the week. Recently I’ve made him vegetarian chili, Warrior Salad, and chicken and peppers in a spicy peanut sauce. I even make him a parfait each evening that he can grab in the morning for a quick, healthy breakfast. I portion uncooked rolled oats beneath a thick layer of vanilla Greek yogurt and top it with fresh berries and a drizzle of clover honey. By morning, the oats have softened up under the yogurt so all he has to do is give it a quick stir to have a creamy, chewy, sweet and healthy morning snack.
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