• 19Jan

  My Top 10 Immune Boosts

  Personal 2 Comments

  Time to get my immune system up to par or under par.  I usually write this post when I’m starting a new exercise regimen or kicking it up a notch, but this time it’s just for good old winter reasons.  Living in a new state I’m not immune to anything it seems.  Left and right catching little bugs here and there.  So I’m reviewing and adding to my immune boost tips that i gave myself a while back.

  #1 Wash Hands Frequently (most importantly before touching food)

  #2 Sleep 8-9 hrs a night

  #3 Water (10+ glasses of water/day. Simply put if I’m not waking up in the middle of the night to use the restroom then I’m not drinking enough…especially when pregnant)

  #4 Added Calories (I burn more calories when i’m sick)

  # Cut out Refined Sugar (I use Honey, and Stevia Fiber Baking Blend it’s not bitter)

  #5 Vitamin C (I take 3-4 Chery Acerola chewable tablets every day. Vitamin C will wash out of my system quickly like b vitamins do, so I make sure and take it throughout the day)

  #6 Vitamin E (Is a huge boost to the immune system, and take double when i’m fighting something off)

  #7 Echinacea (I up it to the maximum when fighting something off)

  #8 ProBiotics (i don’t handle dairy very well so i do them in the vegan pill form)

  #8 Lower Stress (meditate/yoga/organization. Stress good or bad will lower your immune system)

  #9 Positive Attitude (Mental attitude can make you sick literally, or it can give you energy and give you health)

  #10 Immune Happy Food

  I put this last because a lot of foods even organic are grown in the same fields year after year after year, draining the soil of the key nutrients that should be found in that food.  However supplements are just that supplements, they need something to supplement they can’t be the primary source of any vitamin.  Here are a list of foods that i use to boost my immune system some of these foods also come in supplement form for added potency.

  Mushrooms

  Garlic

  Oranges

  Onions

  Avocados

  Roasted Nuts

  Peppers

  More veggies and fruits in general.  Whole fresh foods feel great.

  Side note: I also upped my Vitamin D because I’m so far north i don’t get enough sun to produce the right amounts of vitamin D.

  That’s what I’m up to as far as health goes.  Happy Thursday!

• 24Dec

  Happy Merry Everybody

  Personal 3 Comments

  Wishing you all Peace, Love, and Happiness
  

  
  

• 16Dec

  Getting Bigger and Staying Fit

  Personal 4 Comments

  I remember last time i was 8 months along i was suddenly ready to start a killer workout program.  Something about the lack of mobility in that last month drove me crazy.  So this time around…I should never start a sentence out that way.  I’m going to design a fitness program (fitness meaning nutritional, physical, financial, mental, and social) to guide my next 9 months.

  Nutritional Fitness – Eat

  My appetite is basically gone with “morning” (24 hour nausea) accepted as part of the deal.  So my goal is to eat…So far the only things that sound good are, saltines, spaghetti sauce, apple sauce, pears, salad, and ginger ale.

  Physical Fitness – 5 days a week 5 min

  I’ve been using moving, unpacking, and stress as an excuse not to exercise.  Moving ok but the other two don’t count.  I’m going to start out with 5 days a week for 5 min.  Weird but realistic.  3 days a week for 30 min is just too sporadic i’m going to form a daily habit, so daily is what i’m shooting for.

  Financial Fitness – Update Budget and Stick to It (Cash for groceries and wants so i know when I’m running low)

  So we need to put a yard in come spring or all the dirt will turn to weeds in two weeks and we’ll get fined. So other than that i need to make sure i have standard reserve min $1000 wile paying off remaining debt, and two months rent for the condo we’re renting out.  We made sure when we bought that if we had to we could pay both the mortgages, but the reserve makes it so we don’t have to live on ramen if it’s just a few months gap in tenants.  Also a reserve for baby bills.  So there is really no budget for yard, but we need to put a basic one in.  Yea i would love to deck it out but if i need to and when i have the “cash for luxury” and no debt then i could chose to put my “wants” money towards that.  But for now it’s basic needs and that means grass, minimum required trees, and a spot for a potential swing set, garden, patio, and hot tub.  Not that any of that will happen soon, but that id rather have a patch of dirt for 5-10 years then to have to pay 1000 to re sprinkler and tear out grass that i paid for, until then I’ll just keep it weed free.

  Mental Fitness- Acceptance and Relaxation

  I’m in the middle of nowhere, stressed (mostly positive) out the wazzo, moved 4 times this year, and have preggo hormones coming out of my ears.  As long as i recognize that and accept that i might be a little blasted i seem to be fine.  If i pull a “I don’t know why I’m always tired, or emotional” then i get all frustrated and down.  So acceptance.  The power to be.  So i will be me and accept all that is going on and be realistic.  I will lose it every now and then, and that my rational is way out of whack.  I will relax when i’m tired, take a nap, lie down, take a deep breath, take a bath, and accept that life it life.

  Social Fitness -Reach Out To New Friends

  It’s way to easy for me to be anti social.  I like to walk by the beat of my own drum so to say, so joining a “group” is just not something i do well.  I do have a few friends who are just like me and we just keep in touch every now and then, were all very low maintenance, but at the same time there is almost nothing we could do to offend each other.  No drama except helping each other thru life’s blegh. So, I’m going to keep drumming (so to say), but keep looking for more friends who are…awake.  You know, not lemmings, people who are open minded, but have a mind of their own, and see things outside the box.  The best part of all my friends here who i found thru the web.

  Summary…there’s not one, this was one long winded post.  It was good to get it out.  I’ll be doing that a lot, because i’ve been internet deprived for 2 months i have a lot to get out.  So, thanks for listening.

  Love ya all,

  Krystal

• 13Dec

  Ahhhh I have internet again!

  Personal 4 Comments

  Finally. Talk about a small town. It took 4 weeks to get internet set up and by that time we found a house, and decided to wait another month to get it set up with a better company…bla bla bla but the point it i have internet.

  It’s been crazy the past few months and now….I’m Pregnant! Not a surprise it was all part of the crazy plan.

  We felt it was time to have another baby but weren’t sure how we could afford it. We took a leap of faith and decided to go for it and the next day is when he got the call about this new job.

  Life seems to get out of balance, and this year has been a good example of how if I’m paying attention it eventually balances out the good with the bad, and i never get more then i can handle. Well I’m still here right. Sometimes it’s 2 years of bad luck with the balance happening somewhere in between or years after. It was nice for once to have an obvious reminder that life is in balance. I’m extremely grateful for everything in my life the good the bad everything.

  Excited to catch up with all of you.

• 22Sep

  I’m moving

  Personal 6 Comments

  Hubby got a new job out of state and we’re moving.  Crazy busy, but good busy, and grateful for this new job.  I’ll update with more fun details when we get settled in.  All i can say is we will be doing a lot more skiing, and it will be nice next year when we get to go somewhere warm and go surfing.

  

  Getting out of our current lease turned into a nightmare, but we finally got a lawyer and gave her all the documents and all of the details and we are free and clear to move finally.  Now that we have that taken care of I’m much more excited about the move.

  We put an offer on a home but with the landlord mess we backed out because we weren’t sure if we would be responsible for 3 homes.  Our rental that we own, where we are renting now, and the home we were going to buy.

  Instead we are just going to rent on a renewable 6 months contract until we find the place and pay off more debt.

  Everything happens for a reason.  With all the funerals (i just went to another on this week), it’s nice to see the silver lining once in a while.  I actually saw one this morning.  There was a beautiful sunrise this morning with the most amazing silver lining and later rays shining our of the clouds into the valley.  Just a reminder that with all the blegh there is some good, beautiful, and amazing stuff happening too.  Shortly after it turned into the most incredible hail storm, eh the story of my year, and still cool.  The boys loved every minuet of it.

  Well, here’s passing some of my good fortune to any of you who are in need.  If you believe something will happen, really believe, it will happen.  I teased my hubby back in January that this company was going to hire him and 6 months later viola.

  Careful what you joke around about and keep it positive, because it might just come true. – FS

• 30Aug

  River Rafting with Zeppelin, Spears, AC-DC, and Swift

  Personal 5 Comments

  I’ve been holding out hoping i would have some news to share with you all, but other than a re-cap of an awesome rafting trip nothing else has happened…and i love it that way.

  We did Cataract Canyon.  It was thru Holiday Expeditions a client of the Hubby’s company.  There were 50 of us.  It was great!  We were crazy cold in the rain and wind when the Colorado and the green river connect.  We set up camp and played sand Volleyball in wet sand.  That was crazy.  Oh and earlier that day we hiked over the canyon wall to a point where we could see both side of the river.  The guides took care of everything, all we had to do was set up our own tent.  The food was incredible and the company hilarious.  Never a dull moment.  The next day was all rapids and it was a blast.  On the last rapid we nearly tipped…well that’s what they told me.  I was in the nose of the boat (or at least i should have been.  I was holding on for dear life, and the only thing touching the boat was my two hands on the ropes.  I was washed out of the boat and back in, sure glad i never let go.  That night one of the guides busted out their guitar and a night of Zeppelin, Spears, AC-DC, and Swift was pure entertainment. The last day we ended at Lake Powell.  It was all so beautiful, and exhausting.  Loved every minuet.

  Now, Preschool has started, and today was actually 48 this morning at 9.  Right now i think its 69.  Just perfect weather.  I’m watching the boys push each other in the big wheel up and down the driveway.  Hope everything is going great for you all.  I’ll be catching up with you all this week.  Let you know if anything interesting happens.

  Question of the week? Where do you get your energy? (protein shots, oranges, exercise, sleep…)
  

• 10Aug

  Lake, Camping, Camping, Funeral & River Rafting Trip

  Personal 4 Comments

  Sorry i’ve been so MIA. Just busy. Which is not something I’m proud of . I like to keep my life at a pace where i can stay connected with what’s most important. Where i can keep perspective, and keep in touch with people in my life that i care about most.

  Just after the family reunion at the lake we did a mini camping trip. Then, a work party with shoeless soccer came and a killer bruise from some guys sharp shin.

  This last week i got to go with a camp for girls only, as a volunteer camp leader. I loved it. We went hiking, swimming in a lake with minnows everywhere, tubing down a river, and boating. It was quite the camp. No showers, just the river, and a couple of johns. The stars were amazing. I got to wash my hair in the river. Just a great week.

  Sunday i got a call about my cousin. In a freak accident he died. This year had been full of sudden unexpected deaths. A constant reminder to be more present. To cherish my friends and family, and never forget how important every life is.

  The funeral is Friday, then i get to go on a river rafting trip next week with my Hubby and his co-workers. It will be another nice way to get re-focused and recharge.

  Life just keeps happening. The good, and the bad. At times the bad is actually good for me. It helps me remember what’s important to me. What matters to me. What i want to spend my time doing.

  So, I’m grateful. I’m grateful for life. The good, the bad, the bizarre. It’s all one heck of a journey. I accept, and I’m going to keep looking for the good in everything, and keep on smiling.

  Thanks for reading. Hope you all get some sunshine these last few weeks of summer.

• 16Jul

  Summer Fun

  Personal 3 Comments

  Busy Summer

  We spontaneously went to Vegas on a trip with my best friend and her husband. We saw Ka’ and wow. Honestly was right up there next to seeing Le Mes in London, and even more amazing. Just breathtaking and completely clean. Surprising for Vegas. I’ll take my kids when their 10 if it’s still showing. Sure hope it is, because Wow it’s amazing. Gave me goose bumps, breathtaking.

  We also saw the Chris Angel show. It was not a magic show at all. Ka’ was more magical, which says a lot for Ka’.

  Spent one day swimming and laying out by the pool. So refreshing and re-energizing. I could do that every day all day. I so want a pool. They have these $200 pools at Costco. They are just above ground but hey that’s a start =) It will be a few years before we get anything. We are on a debt elimination focus these next three years.  We kept Vegas supper cheap.

  Spent 4th of July watching the Idaho Falls Fireworks. I guess they are the biggest display west of the Mississippi. The kids loved it. Then it was our anniversary, and my birthday. Next is my family’s Bear Lake trip.

• 18Jun

  Happy Friday

  Personal 4 Comments

  I’m going camping!!! It’s been forever. Honestly 5 years. For me that’s forever. I use to go every weekend in college. It’s a family reunion, and i think it will be fun.

  Heading out to grab a fathers day present. My little niece, the one who was born at 2 lbs is 4 months old this week. She weighs 6 lbs now and is doing great. This picture is just too cute not to share. She’s a little miracle and i love her so much. Every picture just makes me smile. So here’s my Happy Friday present to you all.

  

  Love you guys – FS

• 04Jun

  Would you like some Omelet on your Basil?

  Personal 2 Comments

  WARNING: When adding a dash of basil to your tomato and cheese omelet, i suggest using the little holes provided on the “bulk” size container of basil. Otherwise your omelet will become a mountain of green that smells delicious but is no longer edible =)

  

  Hope you all had a great week.

  Stress Eating
  I acknowledge that I’m a stress eater. “What you deny strives” so no more denyin’ it i just eat when I’m stressed, emotional, excited, (both kids are screaming at the same time instead of napping =), D all of the above triggers a habit of stress eating.

  Habit Changing
  Well yesterday when i was about to pull out all of my hair, and grabbed a box of graham crackers (still a pretty healthy alternative to chocolate and good at boosting serotonin) i stopped in my tracks and recognized in the moment exactly what i was doing. I decided to put the box of graham crackers back in the cupboard and replace this unhealthy habit starting now.

  I drank a tall glass of water, i popped in a piece of chewing gum, and decided instead of stress eating i would stress clean. I cleaned the whole downstairs, and some of the upstairs too. It looked amazing, and the sense of accomplishment and getting something off my to do list sure felt better then i feel after eating chocolate or a box of graham crackers.

  Any who, there’s my a-ha moment of the week.

  Walking Path
  I also got to check out the path by our home. I like it better than the other path i used last summer. It’s smooth, and there is no canal that i have to worry about my kids veering off into while ovoiding crashing into other kids on the path, this one has painted lines that help keep the chaos to a minimum, and even mile markers every 1/4mile. I’m living it, and little shaded benches here and there. All provided by the city. Sweet! The other one was city too just a little more of a fancy side walk which made loud noises with my bike trailer/ jogging stroller. Wow am i ever long winded.

  

  Nut Allergies
  Kids are both allergic to nuts. One is allergic to tree nuts, the other allergic to peanuts. So either way if we just say all nuts (or things that may contain nuts) were covered. None of our siblings or parents have nut allergies. But on my side of the family there are 6 out of 3 that have a nut allergy. That is just weird.

  Hope you all enjoy your weekends, and get some good healthy sunshine one way or another.

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