Muzammal Blogger

  There was no Black Friday shopping for me today….not that I minded.  The one and only time I ventured out for Black Friday shopping was to appease my Filipino exchange student who wanted to experience the American Black Friday shopping experience. She wasn’t impressed. Neither was I. I prefer to shop in my jammies, coffee in hand, in front of my computer. But none of that today, either. Like I mentioned before, I work in healthcare. Healthcare is open 24/7, 365 days a year. So, instead of Black Friday shopping, I went to work today. We decorated the facility for Christmas, so all in all, it was a great day. Since I have a 45 minute commute to work, I like to eat breakfast on the go. I like portable food that I can grab and go. Since I am gluten-free, gone are the days of Pop Tarts and buttered toast and bagels. So, I have to be creative. I spend Sundays baking muffins or other such portable food. I also love my Orgreenic pancake pan. This morning, I made a sweet potato chocolate chi

  Our thoughts possess a lot of power.  A negative thought can steal our joy whereas a positive thought can redirect our focus . Our minds are an intricate weaving of memories, thoughts, information, and emotions…somehow all blended together to make us who we are. I spend my days with people….I work with residents diagnosed with dementia, families, coworkers from all walks of life, other residents who may not have dementia but require assistance with their day to day living…I experience a multitude of personalities and emotions .  I witness firsthand reactions to situations and experiences in response to various coping methods of people. Life does not always go as planned , in fact, it seldom does. My life is nowhere anything like I pictured it would be when I was a senior in high school, but my life is good. It’s a meshing of experiences that have created who I am today. I consider myself a work in progress. One thing I do believe, though….we have the power of mind over matter. We ca

  Traveling used to be a lot easier . I mean, there is a Subway or McDonald ’ s every few miles along the interstate. Well, gluten-free and a host of other food issues aren’t so easily accommodated as one travels. I packed my favorite Larabars, Luna Bars which are now gluten-free, apples and bananas, and some rice crisps. Day  2: We visited Gardner Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina , and they had a dedicated allergen free cooking area. I enjoyed a delicious salad with homemade dressing and a pork chop. Kudos to the college for acknowledging the food issues of some of their students. As far as food for the majority of our vacation , we chose to rent a condo with a kitchen. Breakfast was always eaten inside our condo. We alternated lunch and dinner out. I love my  “Find Me Gluten Free” app on my phone which allows me to locate restaurants, read reviews, and preview menus before eating out. One of my favorite parts of vacation is finding good clean eats. We have a family

  Bright red lips .  On my face. And no, I wasn’t sampling a new shade of lipstick . I was dealing with a horrible food reaction that inflamed my lips and caused the skin to flake and peel all around my mouth. I would have taken a photo, but I don’t really want to remember that horrible image. I almost wore a mask at work (I work in healthcare, so it would have been acceptable), but  I didn’t. Those bright red lips made me extremely self-conscious. It all seemed to start with my tuna reaction, then aggravated by a reaction to a new skin care product , and then further aggravated by excessive coffee intake and stress. Read More: Mind Over Matter A Decision To Make? I sat in church last Sunday and decided to put on some lip balm, a natural brand. I wanted to fly out of that pew….the peppermint burned so intense. So, I mentally added peppermint skin products to the “Do Not Use” list . Fortunately, I have found another all natural lip product I like without peppermint oil from The Fresh

  Carefree…spontaneous… At what point in life do we transition from carefree, spontaneous child to serious, schedule and task   oriented   ruled adult… I am learning to be still. To enjoy living in the moment. To accept myself for who I am flaws and all. Yesterday, as we biked through the beautiful Hilton Head Island , my carefree 11-year-old son was singing… ”Waffle, waffle, waffle” without a care in the world without caring who was listening. Later, we ate at a cute coffee cafe called Watusi for lunch, and he told his father he could now cross something off his bucket list… he had eaten at a cafe . As we played putt-putt golf at a Legendary golf place, my daughter read all 18 Bible verses at each of the 18 holes without caring who was listening. I want to be able to eat a square of dark chocolate without any guilt or worries. I want to be able to not be so hard on myself because I didn’t finish everything on my to do list for the day. I want to accept I am still on my journey to my

 I love Thanksgiving… Time with family, delicious food, a day off work, and the reminder to pause and reflect on all I have to be thankful for. That being said, I will admit…I loved Thanksgiving much more a few years ago before all these stomach issues. I loved the stuffing (especially the oyster stuffing), Aunt Linda’s date pudding, sweet potatoes oozing with brown sugar topping, buttered dinner rolls, Buckeyes (a delicious chocolate peanut butter combination) , and all the pies. It was also much easier a few years ago before I had to juggle multiple family get-togethers and a career in healthcare which operates 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. Even with the challenges the day brings ,  I still look forward to Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I love turkey and sweet potatoes although I have learned to always ask before I eat anything I did not personally make. One year, the sweet potatoes had been dredged in flour before they were coated in the gooey topping. Who does that? Oh well, th

  I’ve been in a quandary over this for a little while.  It seems like a simple decision, but it’s one that I am having some difficulty with. It involves letting go. Let me digress ….I’ve never been very athletic. When I was in 7th grade, I lost weight through diet and simple exercise. When I was in 8th grade, I ran track because my friend asked me to. (I ended up with a bloody knee during a practice, and I still have a faint scar to remember it by!) In high school, I played club soccer because another friend who had recently moved to the area missed soccer and wanted to start a team. We needed players, she recruited friends, and I played. I enjoy physical activity, but I am no athlete. Yet, a few years ago when I became ill (see my About post), I needed an outlet, something to relieve my frustration and fear. So, I began running. Running is not anything I ever did beyond the mile in track. But, I began running. I ran in all forms of weather. I enjoyed the solo runs-just me , my thoug

  Do you ever find yourself in that trap … you know that comparison trap? I find myself there far too often. Someone is always prettier, thinner, smarter, has the better job, never seems to struggle. It’s not a good place to find myself, and I don’t think it’s a place God wants me to fall into. It’s a dangerous place to be for so many reasons: 1. It undermines the unique person God created me to be . 2. I find myself feeling sorry for myself. 3. I focus on things that truly don’t matter and deserve my focus. The truth is , I know things aren’t as they often seem. People are good at putting up facades. Sometimes the people who I think have it all together are fighting their own battles. For me… I can’t eat the stuff everyone else can. My skin isn’t as clear as I wish it was. I’m not where I want to be professionally in my career. My writing isn’t where I wish it was. And on and on . On the radio the other day, I heard a reminder that God works while we are waiting. His plan for my life

  Life can get so complicated and busy.  I think it’s important to pause and reflect on the simple things. The simple things help me put my life in perspective, focus on what truly matters, and to demonstrate true gratitud e. So, what simple things do I mean? A hot cup of tea and a stack of books I look forward to reading Really good dark chocolate Warm fuzzy socks Waking up with a smile on my face when I remember it’s my day off work Listening to my 11-year-old son sing along to the songs on K-Love Listening to my 17-year-old daughter share her newest mission minded idea Enjoying a delicious meal from Chipotle Mexican Grill (my favorite!) Stopping to ponder the magnificence around me The calm, quiet of morning Coffee with a good friend Yes, the simple things are worth pausing to embrace. Don’t let the noise of the world drown out the joy of everyday moments. Sometimes, these desires are wrapped up in the simple moments of every day life. What are your simple things, your simple moment

 I love writers’ conferences. I just attended my seventh writing conference. This particular conference was held at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. It is called the Indiana Faith and Writing conference  The thing about writing conferences is that suddenly a room full of introverts appear to be extremely extroverted. This can be wonderful and scary to a writer all at the same time. At a Christian writing conference, the support from the writing community can feel welcoming and supportive, but it can also feel intimidating and overwhelming. So, why do I attend writing conferences? I always learn something helpful to propel me along this scary journey called writing. I always come home with crazy ambitions like telling myself I will get up at 4:00 in the morning to write. I meet some great people. I know and believe that God can use anything at any time to bless me. What exactly do I mean by number 5? Last year, I attended a writing conference to learn about blogging and gain so

 Stress… Killer of joy. Stealer of Sleep. Instigator of stomach irritation. Everywhere. Everyday. In the messy clutter of life . Clutter and Stress I want to propose that stress is a choice. When I walk into the facility where I work in the morning, I have a choice to embrace whatever comes my way with confidence and determination or to allow the insane craziness stress me out. When I step through my front door after a 9 hour work day and an hour commute and trip over three pairs of shoes, see papers strewn all over my dining table, and find a s ink overflowing with dirty dishes, I can choose to scream at my precious children for the house they have trashed or I can breathe deeply and take it in stride. I can choose to waste a few more minutes on social media or I can choose to go to bed earlier and relish in precious sleep. I can choose to eat the foods that I know make my body feel the best or I can make choices that make me feel crummy (sugar, too much chocolate and caffeine, no

I have learned to have faith that I will be okay along the lines of my health.  I have learned to have hope and trust that all things work out for a greater purpose . I have learned to love food, good food, that heals my body. And food, need I say more ? I love food. When I was going through the worst times of my GI issues, food was not my friend. In fact, I ate so I could run. I used running as my sanity. Over time, I have experienced healing in my gut, and I can once again happily attest that I love food. Coffee is not food, but coffee is something I love. My body does not always love it. The acid tears at my stomach. It appears to make my hair all the more slick.. It makes me jittery. This frustrates me because I love coffee. Well, friends,  I have found a better coffee. Puroast coffee has 70 % less acid than most coffees , doesn’t tear up my stomach, and has lots of antioxidants. It’s all in the roasting process. So, I can enjoy my coffee sans the effects of excess acid and stom

 It’s hot and humid here. I want something to drink besides water, but I’m not really feeling like a hot drink when it’s so humid. I love dandelion tea so I decided to try it iced. Brewed and cooled. A little Rice Dream milk . A couple of ice cubes. Delicious. It has a coffee like taste without the jittery caffeine effects. Dandelion tea is a great liver detox drink. It is a natural diuretic and can aid digestion . I have grown to love it and drink it daily. Iced Dandelion Tea It’s a lazy summer day although the official start of summer is actually tomorrow, Sunday, June 21st…the longest day of the year. We are enjoying a lazy day at home watching a family movie on Netflix. My children leave for church camp tomorrow…. no TV for a week. Update on “The Plan” ….I haven’t had bloating in over two weeks and the cleanse helped shed excess water weight. My edema is better. I do find that I have a bit of food anxiety fretting over what I can and can not eat. Under the Plan, only one new food s

  What do you do when your prayer is answered but leaves you with more questions than answers? The past few months , although truly, it has been longer, I have been dealing with unexplainable pain, “brain fog,” headaches, exhaustion, and other random issues. I had an appointment with a specialist this week, and my prayer was that God would provide a name to what I have been feeling. He did. I received a diagnosis. Fibromyalgia. Pain and exhaustion and not a lot that can be done for it. Chronic. I look fine yet I don’t feel fine. In the past when I struggled with my health issues and other issues in my life, I ran. I used running to hide behind. I can’t run this time. I can’t physically run because I truly don’t have the energy to do this. Ironically, the physical difficulty with running this past spring is what first alerted me to knowing something was not right. And, I can’t figuratively run this time, either, because the pain is always there. I cannot hide behind my running. The we

  My emotions are truly all over the place this Thanksgiving weekend .   Thanksgiving encourages an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is intertwined with perspective. You can’t have one without the other. An attitude of gratitude implies that you are trying to find things to be thankful for when honestly it would be easier to whine, complain, feel sorry for yourself, etc. This is where I am right now. I am choosing to have an attitude of gratitude because I don’t want to whine or complain or feel sorry for myself….although, honestly, that would be easier. For example…. While I am excited and looking forward to starting a new job in a few weeks, I have nine potentially high-stressed filled days remaining at the present job. During this past week and a half since the news of my resignation was announced, co-workers and others I regularly come into contact with through my job, have blessed me with the humble opportunity to hear expressions of gratitude of how much they have enjoyed worki

 The New Year is an opportunity many take advantage of to start fresh with New Year’s resolutions and goals for the year. Many people resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, organize….among a variety of other common themes. K-Love posted the popular resolutions from the 1940s…improve my character, spend more time with my family, and attend church more. I have made resolutions in the past, but the past few years, I have decided to focus on a word instead of a laundry list of resolutions. This year, my word is serve. I am asking God to reveal to me opportunities to serve others. I also need to reflect upon how I spend my time…it reveals what I serve. a I was very humbled when I left my previous job just a few weeks ago. I was humbled by the reactions and kind words of others who were genuinely sad to see me leaving. I try to embody servant leadership. I believe opportunities to serve exist not only at work but all around me…at home, at church, even on a simple trip to the g

 People are usually of the impression that the physique receives adequate minerals and vitamins by way of their diet .  Nonetheless, this isn’t all the time true. It’s generally crucial to use health dietary supplements to compensate on the deficit of nutritional vitamins and minerals. All it’s a must to do is to decide on the well being supplement that most closely fits your vitamin and mineral needs. It is not only the athletes who want well being supplements; people suffering from ailments need health supplements to develop a pure immunity and resistance to the ailment. The pregnant woman , lactating lady and senior residents additionally need health supplements. Health dietary supplements are typically considered to be safe . Nonetheless, it is always advisable to take health dietary supplements like Maplesource are accredited by the Food and Drug Administration. This lets you ensure that the well being supplements are secure and should not have any aspect effects. There are some

 When learning about wholesome eating, probably the most critical nutrients is protein .  Naturally, all nutrients are critical for our bodies to be as wholesome as possible, but with out protein in our diets each single day, our bodies won’t be as powerful as they really should be. Protein could be located in a number of food sources, so if you’re considering consuming a healthier diet plan, you should think about learning much more about protein. We want to eat foods rich in protein just about every day because , as opposed to some other nutrients, it can not be stored inside the body. That means that in the event you eat a lot more protein than essential, your body will just trigger it to pass by way of your program. Therefore, you truly can’t eat an excessive amount of protein! However, simply because protein can’t be stored inside the body problems may possibly arise surrounding this nutrient as well. For those who don’t get sufficient protein on any given day, your body has no b

 Grocery shopping is some thing we all have to do,  Even though deciding upon the correct foods may be really difficult indeed. To help you with your healthy grocery shopping, the guidelines below can indeed support make things easier than ever before: 1 . Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.a 2. Choose canned fruits and tuna that are packed in water, not oil or syrup. 3. Take a look at the labels for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”. The earlier you see them appear on the list, the higher the amount of unhealthy trans fatty acids the food will include. 4. Do not invest in turkey with the skin on it, and if you plan to buy chicken – invest in a chicken breast meal. 5. In case you aren’t consuming enough dairy items, go with calcium fortified orange juice instead. 6. Go for entire grain breads, cereals, rolls and Maple source By following the above tips when grocery shopping, you will keep away from the poor foods and get those that you need. There are p

  When you have a child, there are some easy parts and hard parts about parenting . While it’s fulfilling to watch them learn and grow as they get older, it can also be pretty challenging. Many parents today are facing one particular hurdle with food allergies. It seems like food allergies, ranging from eggs to nuts, has exploded in recent years . At the top of the list, cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in infants and young children. In fact, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), approximately 2.5 percent of children under the age of three are allergic to milk. This milk allergy is typically formed in the first year of life, and happens in children that have high levels of cow’s milk antibodies in their blood. Allergists often rely on these blood tests to determine how likely a child is to outgrow the milk allergy.  When a child is allergic to dairy, the reaction to milk varies . It can be a mild case of hives or it can be a severe (and potentially life-