Operation Blood Pressure: Day 2

Day #2 starting out well! I didn't wake up with my heart racing or being out of breath. Normal EKG. Nice!

To start my day off right, I had my pH balanced coffee & took in the Word and some time with Him. After having my routine breakfast of a wonderful whole grain bar, I took my first dose of Valerian Root and my once daily dose of Hawthorn Berry. No nausea, so that was great! We to make a much needed family trip to the store for a major grocery overhaul. My youngest did his normal "Let's scream the whole way through this" game. I didn't get too impatient! I took it well. This is a big deal for Cinda. :-)

Came home and had a great lunch of a big ol' raw spinach salad with cold broccoli, raw onions, sunflower seeds and raspberry vinegarette dressing. All pH balanced! Kept up the water intake and took the time to alkalize each and ever glass I had. I suspect, based on the research side of things, that I will start to see a pH difference in 4 or 5 days. I will do an oral pH test as well as a pH value through urinalysis. I took my second Valerian Root dose at dinner time, but didn't have much of an appetite. By the way, have you ever heard of Valium- the prescription sedative? It's made from Valerian Root. Now, listen here parents- if you ever want to get your kids good and give yourself a true belly laugh, try this. Open up a bottle of Valerian Root and let them smell it. If you've never seen your kid scoff, dry heave and come back for more.. you will if you let them get a good whiff of it. Smells HORRID.

Even though my three blessings were as loud as wet pigs in a country pigsty this evening, I didn't flinch! Good times.

Now, I'm having decaf coffee with a little Almond Joy flavored creamer. Yes, pH balanced- of course. Need to go take my last dose of Valerian Root for the day.

All in all, I have felt quite normal today. For those of you reading this, let me say how much I appreciate that you will sit through this seemingly boring transformation of mine. Much love to you. Til the morrow~

Day 1 of Cinda's Operation Blood Pressure & Stress Less!

So, after months of denial, I'm finally airing out the news that I have been seeing a persistent rise in my blood pressure since the birth of my last child. Along with this has come the realization that several factors have contributed to some significant adrenal fatigue as well. There are days when I cannot seem to lower my heartrate, no matter what I do.

This is Day 1 of treatment and the first day blogging this adventure towards having great bp and stress levels.

The day started with coffee, of course. Yes, I know this is a stimulant. I drink very strong coffee and it's never decaf in the morning. So, to help the caffiene end of things, I am now going decaf. Caffeine never mattered much to me. It's the taste of the coffee that I am after. Next, the underlying issue in coffee (and even carbonated drinks) is the acidic level. Because both acid levels and caffeine levels cause further imbalance, I have started adding pH drops in every liquid I take in. This includes any water I use to cook with as well.

This is also Day 1 of starting Hawthorne Extract, an herb known to safely lower elevated blood pressure. I put myself on lowest dosage to start with. My philosophy is to go simple first. If one needs the increase, then cross that bridge when you get to it. Little can be plenty sometimes.

This is actually Day 2 of starting Valerian Root, an herb known to have anti-anxiety properties- especially in women.

So, all in all, I have managed well today. No episodes of heartrate craziness and I managed to put my children to bed with a smile on my face today. Sometimes, I'm a bundle of nerves when their bedtime gets near. It's like my body knows. Countdown to a quiet house! :-)

Ok, friends- whisper a prayer for me. I know I can walk in total health, so my hopes are high.

See you tomorrow!

~K

My beautiful middle child and me.

Brandon Cole.

rain!

Too much rain. I'm appreciative of it and all, but stop already!

Packing peanuts.. what are those?

MOVING! ACK!
Actually, maybe it's not so bad. I think it's just the shock of standing in the middle of my house *still* surrounded by SO much I haven't packed yet! I don't have enough boxes for this! Where did all this come from and do we reeeeally need it?

What about all those deliberate trips every 3 to 6 months to the Thrift Store or Goodwill just to donate stuff and keep things "cleared out"???
I thought that would help.
Somehow, a family of 5 does consist of much more than I thought.
I'm not a stinker about saving every little thing. I don't like clutter. In fact, there aren't many things hanging on my walls. I don't keep junk. I like organization. Dust bunnies have overtaken particular areas, however. That doesn't bother me so much anymore. Something to do with being too busy to worry with it really. You know it's bad when your 22 month old brings you this grey-blue mass of puff in his sticky toddler hands! Lots-o-fun!
He'll live.

So, this great move will be over as of this weekend. Thank you Lord. So blessed am I.
Now, on to selling the house and on to taking care of more people at work every day.

If you all aren't overly busy on Christmas day evening, come on to our new place we are moving to.
We'd love to see you.

Under the Skin

"It was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul..."

Isn't that beautiful?

I think we get so busy sometimes, we forget the connections we've made with others.
It's a sad lot when we are too consumed with our 'own' escapades and totally miss so much in others. I am talking about deep connections.. way beyond skin deep.
While we can't make anyone else take to this philosophy, we can certainly do it from our small spot on the earth. With our own two hands and feet, surely we can make some sort of difference?

I'd like to declare that every relationship I have with those in my life is a thorough investment. I want to honor that and never take it for granted.
I loathe the fact that I have lost touch with a few people over the years. That's life, someone told me recently. Maybe so, but I'm making it my goal to bridge those gaps now.. for as much as it can be done.

OH my word!

It took FOREVER to get back into this blogger account! I have tried every password I have ever dreamed up in my head and even made up new ones. To no avail now for several weeks.

Finally, today I get an email from blogger to help 'recover' my password. Woo hoo!

Back to the land of the living for Cinda. Seems like every time I try, I can't keep this blog up.
I have to admit most of the cause for that is due to my addiction to Facebook. :-)