A Priceless Moment & Life Lessons Among Monsters

Movie Tickets... $9

Nachos n Cheese... $4.75

"1" Bottle of Water... $3.75

Bag of Pop Corn... $5.75

Raffle Ticket... $1

Pizza... $22

Game Room Tokens... $4

A Mother and Daughter Moment.... PRICELESS!!

I have been wanting to spend some one on one time with my oldest daughter. So, when her Daddy suggested I take her to see Eclipse I embraced the opportunity.

We had a great conversation on the way to the theater and were able to connect during the film. She tickled me pink when she leaned over to exclaim her appreciation for the scenery. Especially because she was oblivious to the passionate kiss taking place as she noticed the serenity of the ice capped mountains and falling snow. It made me appreciate not only her innocence but her obvious connection to nature's beauty!

You have to realize my daughter is not one to be enamored by the romanticism that this movie cradles. She does not have her head in the clouds of boys and fantasy... she does however love a good story full of action though (thanks to her father). I presume she was eagerly waiting for the fight seen the whole 2 hours evident by her subtle movement forward as the fight began.

Me? Well, I love a good romance... and how much more erotic can you get than to be torn between the ultimate bad guy (a vampire) and the ultimate nice guy (a werewolf)? The rawness pulls me in... maybe because my life is so far removed from this. Surprisingly, because I have never appreciated the mysticism of the vampire... even as a young child they terrified me. Perhaps that is why I like this version... they are not portrayed as the thirsty monsters that once harbored my nightmares.

However, I am keenly aware of the propaganda the this saga stands for... mostly motivated by the mighty dollar. I am a little disgusted by the chatter that I heard among women, young ladies and children before, during and after the film...

Putting that aside, I am completely intrigued by the beauty within the ability to capture unconditional love and loyalty captured by Stephanie Meyer in her imagination. I appreciate the awesomeness (is that a word?) within the world of monsters that is created by Stephanie in the twilight saga.

Am I a Twi-Mom? ...Not by a long shot. Am I a little twisted for being enamored by someone 20 years younger than me? ...It isn't the actor that intrigues me, it is the immortality, pain and story behind the character, so no. Do I think there are lessons interwoven within? ... Absolutely!

In a world full of corruption, pain and deceit... we could take some lesson by the Cullens in their unconditional loyalty, love and companionship. Imagine how different the world would be if we all embraced our own inner demons to support our family and loved ones to the extent in which they do for theirs.

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Alterna Mom's Wi-Active Challenge: The Why and Day 1-3

BECOME MORE PROACTIVE IN YOUR PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL, AND FINANCIAL HEALTH AND THAT OF YOUR CHILDREN!

That is my Alterna-Mom motto! I have to humbly say that if Alterna-Mom's Blog is about promoting health and well-being on all levels of our existence, then she needs to heed her own advise.

I have insisted that my habitual tiredness and dark circles are from sleepless nights of worry about my children and obsessing over the details I orchestrate in my mind's eye on how to move forward on helping my daughter diagnosed with autism to become more functional, safe and communicative while advocating for her rights, needs and education. (Not to mention the advocacy I do for my other child as well... raising kids mindfully takes time, energy and planning.) However, I recently took my own blood sugar levels and the results scared me. I swayed between a consistent 123 and 236 during a week of testing.

My Mom was diagnosed with diabetes at about the same age I am now, 40. She controlled it with diet at first, then the pill and finally insulin shots. This past Spring the diabetes finally claimed her leg after an intense year of surgeries, heart attacks and gangrene. I knew at this precise moment in time that I needed to become more proactive in my own health, but somehow we use life as a convenient excuse to resume our old habits.

I have understood that I was already predisposed to diabetes not only via paternal and maternal history, but through evidence of gestational diabetes with both of my pregnancies. However, I believe that the power of our minds, meditation and prayer can trump genetics. Maybe I am not so lucky or maybe I have caught it early enough... fate is always yet to be determined.

I am not one to run to the doctor, yet I know that there is a time and place like I explained HERE. I also am keenly aware that intention alone cannot alter reality. We must be proactive and make healthy decisions especially if we are going to stay around to see our children grow and spoil our grandchildren. I have always insisted that we must take care of ourselves before we take care of our children and loved ones. In order to be more present for them we must tend to our needs.

Perhaps the culmination of the sugar levels, my mom's fate and my recent kidney stone episode has pushed me just enough to heed my own advise. So, I bought primarily fresh fruits and vegetables at my bi-weekly shopping trip Friday night, then came home and pulled out the Wi-Active.

I decided to take the 30 day challenge... easy enough right? Somehow committing to a challenge seemed easier than randomly using this devise. So, I set parameters including my weight... ouch!! I weigh what I weighed when I was 9 months pregnant with my oldest child. That alone should have prompted me to do this a long time ago.

HOLY MOLY.... Can running in place for 90 seconds really make me that out of breath... I can't help but wonder if that is still evidence of my smoking days. So, I use this as a teachable moment, "Girls, see what happens when you smoke?"

My eldest replies, "You don't smoke Mom!"

"Well, thanks to you (I quit with my first pregnancy) I don't, but I am certain that that is why I am so winded."

She says, "Really !?!?," I am not sure if her response is from the disbelief that her anti-smoking mother actually smoked once upon a time or if she is amazed at the honesty that I unconditionally offer them.

I have decided to document here my progress. Although this is a public venue, I think that it 1) will keep me honest and encourage me to continue through the first 30 days and 2) maybe it will motivate someone else to become more proactive in their health...

Day 1 It would have been easy to quit; it kicked my butt!! I was panting and resting in between sets. But my daughters were watching and encouraging me to finish... Did I ever tell you that my kids rock!?!

My muscles hurt... I wanted to sit down and throw in the towel... but I pushed through the whole workout. I have to admit, I was proud of myself... it would have been easier to listen to the million reasons why I shouldn't do this... How can I find the time? How can I find the energy? How much will it cost? Who will watch the kids? I need to save my energy for the kids. I need to get this done or that finished...

I burned 121 calories! That made me walk away from the donut later that day... all of that work equated to 1/3 of the donut!! Wow, that really put things into perspective.

Day 2 It was a more intense workout (and longer), but I was amazed at how much easier the track was in just 24 hours... really!! I still huffed and puffed, but I had better focus and was better able to push through the pain. That in and of itself amazed me.

I burned 151 calories yesterday... again, I was reminded of how much effort it takes to burn off those in between empty-caloried snacks.

It is Day 3 and I am grateful it is the day to rest... my legs were wobbly coming downstairs this morning. However, does a mother really have any days to rest? It is interesting on the Wi-Active it asks you to log your other activities with time and intensity. That includes playing with the kids, yard work, house work, walking etc. I presume I am not doing too bad already because I really do do a lot... maybe it is the cardio I am missing though.

There is no challenge today, so we have planned to start prepping the yard-sale stuff.... that is a work out! But I think later we will do some yoga - my muscles feel like they could use some good stretching.

I think this is good for me... on many levels. Plus, Emily has decided to partake in the challenge... so we are doing this together. Sahara was annoyed the first day... she thought we were going to play golf or fishing (her favorite Wi games), but yesterday she did a couple of the exercises with us... too cute... this may be a fun summer activity for the 3 of us.

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A Song Reveals An Amazing Gift

Amazing!

I was looking for a song to post for Father's Day on Facebook for my wonderful hubby... being he has 2 fabulous daughters, I immediately went to you-tube looking for Paul Simon's 'Father and Daughter'.

As I listened to the words, "I believe the light that shines on you, will shine on you forever" .... "There will never be a father who loves his daughter, as much as I love you," I knew this was the song.

So, what is so amazing about that??

As I was listening to this song, Sahara booted up the computer, went to the right drive and selected our backup file for The Wild Thornberrys Movie. Firstly, we have 4 drives on the computer with 100's of files. She was able to pick the appropriate drive and find this file among all the others with zero assistance. Amazing!!

Secondly, If you don't know... Paul Simon's song Father and Daughter is the theme song for this movie. So, not only did she find this file, she found it because she recognized it while I was listening to videos on you-tube.

Amazing!!

I have to wonder... is she reading the words on the computer files or does she have them pictorially memorized? She is just entering the world of communication and although I read to her I do not think she can read.... or she can and I don't know it yet?

Any way it is amazing... if this child can memorize this many icons and files and know where each is categorized... what a gift she possesses. I think this is an answer to my question... should we revisit her picture communication program? This is a most astounding YES!

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Cell Phones: Luxury or Need?

We are changing cell phone plans and I had this great idea... close the first and post pone the second as long as I can to see how long we can go.

Yes, my primary motive was saving money... We are still recouping from hubby being out of work for 6 months after being downsized right before the holidays.

But, as I thought about it, I started wondering if the controversial frequencies they emit really affect our health & well-being and do they pollute our air & environment? As you know these are the thoughts that keep me up at night.

Then I started wondering, if the cell phone tower or the "phone company" building that was next to the building I worked when pregnant with Sahara, could have contributed to the infantile autism? Purely based on the energy model... it most certainly is probable.

Of course there is also my consideration that the age of industrialization is doing more global harm then good. And I am talking on a spiritual, physical and emotional level.

Industrialization has introduced more pollutants in our environment than ever before (BP oil spill case in point). It has torn families apart as they moved away from family farming to the city life. We have left our elders who helped us raise and guide our young children... now strangers turned childcare providers are caring for our kids.

I could go on... but you get the point.

Back to the cell-phone issue... My big question was can we do without this modern day luxury that is now viewed as a need?? Is it possible in the 21st century to forfeit something that we have created the construct of necessity for?

After all, this is precisely the experiment I did with cable TV 5 years ago. And, yes, we still are cable free... Instead of television, we now play games, go to parks, read books, and nurture our bodies, minds and relationships naturally.

Well, 4 weeks is a far cry from 5 years... but, we are on week 4 of no cell phones and I don't miss it (other than the Long Distance calling). I miss calling my mom anytime. Especially since I can't just hop in the car and drive to her house... she lives 3 hours away.

Of course my IT hubby is probably going insane. He has had phones attached to the hip for years... I would think not being at the beckon call of others would be refreshing to him. He says he misses not being in touch with me and the girls. That is valid. If there is an emergency we are no longer connected like we were with the phone.

I presume that that is our biggest hurdle. What if Sahara gets lost in a crowd or what if there is an emergency when we are in the community... what do I do?

And now that we are in the height of tween-dom with Emily, we have promised her that when we order our new phones, she is to get her own. Not because we want her to be hip, but for the same reasons I think we need one. Remember the dime our mothers used to give us when we went out with our friends, "If you need anything call me!"

Have you noticed phone booths are a thing of the past?

So, I am on the line... now pun intended. Do we go another 4 weeks of my experiment or do we bite the bullet of the industrialization age and buy the new phones and plans.?

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Positivity and Exceptional Beyond Labels

So after blogging about the oil spill tonight, I saw a good video reminding me about the power of intention and prayer.... Here is a more positive blog on the Exceptional Beyond Labels Blog, A Confession, Collective Prayer and Empowerment.

If you are not following this blog yet, I recommend it. I will be focusing on the more positive side of autism and life events. Exceptional Beyond Labels embraces the concept that all parents have the innate power within them to help their children achieve their true potential beyond any label!

Hope to see you there!!

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Oil Spill, Meditation and Eradication

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is going to impact our planet, children and grandchildren, ecology, economy, etc. for centuries to come... that is if we survive it at all!! I watch videos, view pictures and read story after story; and my heart aches for our planet and mankind. I can’t help but worry about what devastation this will behind. I pray, but I am not sure that is enough.

I try not to focus on the obvious detriment of the situation. I firmly believe in the law of attraction and know my thoughts can and do create my reality. So, I try to meditate and focus on purified waters, a healthy marine habitat and a repaired oil tank. I figure that if the scientists and engineers who are armed with technology cannot fix the massive oil rig tank, then surely our thoughts can.

Well, I have to admit that is even hard for me to ascertain. I try, but I keep returning to thoughts of destruction and greed. I cannot help but to beg the power and money hungry individuals in charge to get off their duff and do something about this before it kills not only the planet, but the people who inhabit her too!! Stop defending Big Oil and take action!!

I feel like my pleas are met on deaf ears. I contemplate that if the powers to be can make vulgar statements about the oil spill and not take proper action to remedy the situation, and then it is very possible that the same greedy bastards could be making vulgar statements to discredit concerned parents and deny vaccine injury while continuing to pump that toxicity into our bodies? Sadly, this makes me feel validated. Sadly, this is probably close to the truth.

We live in a corrupt society where money and power make us do things that are incomprehensible. We turn the cheek when it doesn’t directly affect us or when we are seemingly removed. But, I have to say that we are not removed from either of these scenarios. Our children are being vaccine damaged as well as poisoned by toxins and pesticides in their foods as well as in their toys. Just this week alone 2 children’s items were recalled for containing cadmium… Miley Cyrus brand Jewelry at Walmart and Shrek glassware at Mc Donald’s.

And yet, we think it to be so farfetched that vaccines might contain harmful ingredients? Another story surfaced this week about a congressional committee that is investigating what they are calling a ‘phantom recall’ on Johnson and Johnson division, Mc Neil’s, Motrin. Apparently, the company outsourced contractors to have individuals go into stores and buy the entire product on the shelf to prevent a nationwide recall.

There are some tainted business practices occurring and it is mankind that is paying. Of course, Sarah Palin would like to blame the ‘Radical Environmentalists’ for the recent Oil Spill, but we know better. It is a world full of greed and this too shall bite us in the ass. This spill will effect far more than the Gulf. It will affect the entire mother earth and her inhabitants. You know I think she will survive… but not without causalities. Mankind has been eradicated before, and we are not too far from it again. We are but a mere virus on her and her immune system is about to eliminate us.

I pray that I am wrong for our sake, for our children's sake, and for the sake of this planet that gives us life.

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Recall on Children's OTCs

43 Cold Medicines are being recalled by their manufacturer, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, after a discovery that they did not meet quality control!!

McNeil Consumer Healthcare in cooperation with the Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA) are recalling Children Products:

· Tylenol Infants’ Drops

· Children’s Tylenol Suspensions

· Children’s Tylenol Plus Suspensions

· Motrin Infants’ Drops

· Children’s Motrin Suspensions

· Children’s Motrin Cold Suspensions

· Children’s Zyrtec Liquid in Bottles

· Children’s Benadryl Allergy Liquid in Bottles

(Click here and scroll down to see the full list of products being recalled.)

These products are manufactured in the United States and have been distributed in:

· United States

· Canada

· Dominican Republic

· Dubai (UAE)

· Fiji

· Guam

· Guatemala

· Jamaica

· Puerto Rico

· Panama

· Trinidad & Tobago

· Kuwait

The manufacturer stated that these products might have 1) the wrong amount of active ingredients specified in them 2) particles in them or 3) ingredients that have not meet internal testing.

You can reach the manufacturer at 1-888-222-6036 if you have questions or concerns.

Okay, now that I have shared the facts all I have to add is… HOW? At a time with all this technology and medical advancement do we have something to this degree occur? Granted they say they don’t expect any medical emergencies occurring as a result, but do they really know?

If it was alarming enough to pull what I am guessing to be millions of dollars worth of products off the shelves in 12 countries, it has to be worthy of concern. No manufacturer is going to risk losing that much money to pull a product that didn’t pose some sort of high risk consequence. I suspect we are not hearing the full truth, but that doesn’t surprise me none.

If you have administered or a medical facility has administered any of these products, you may want to flood their phone banks with a concerned call. And you many want to consider calling your pediatrician.

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