Sunday, August 28, 2011

chiropractic care

Below is an endorsement I wrote for my chiropractic doctor.  If you know me IRL and would like his contact info let me know.

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When my sister-in-law sent me a Christmas card in 2009 with an invitation to a free screening and feedback session at Dr John’s office, I put it aside to think about.  I had been in a few car accidents over the years and had got used to living with the pain.  My right shoulder was so bad that I couldn’t sleep on that side and I would go for massage therapy to ease the pain.  Dr John’s staff called to invite me to come in but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give chiropractic a try, so I asked them to call back another day.  I assumed they wouldn’t get back to it so was impressed when they followed up.  Meanwhile, I’d had a chance to bounce a lot of questions off my brother and felt more comfortable that this would be a legitimate course of treatment. 

I still remember meeting Dr John.  He seemed almost too concerned to be for real.  He even called me after seeing my x-rays to excitedly tell me he believed treatment would bring relief to my shoulder pain.  Now I understand that Dr John really is genuinely interested in helping each person.  This is more than a job for him -  it’s his calling and passion in life.

After an eye-opening educational session, my husband and I were on board for treatment not only for ourselves but also for our children.  We were so relieved when Dr John worked with us to find a way that we could afford this important care for our family.

Since then we’ve been coming faithfully for our adjustments and have seen improvements in our well-being.  We are rarely sick, and enjoy better energy levels – both quite a feat in a family with four small children!

The best change for me has been that I can now sleep any way I want to!  I know staying on track with my adjustments is crucial because when I have been away on vacation I have felt the difference in my pain levels.

Dr John and his team are willing to help you overcome barriers to receiving care.  We all need help to live in-line.  I recommend Dr John’s chiropractic care for everyone.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Book review: “The Happiness Project” (Rubin)

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More FunThe Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun” by Gretchen Rubin – July 2011

I borrowed this book from the public library and read most of it in the 3 week loan period.  I had to return it at that point as it was on hold and could not be renewed so I skipped the last few chapters.

I enjoyed the way Ms Rubin was able to take what could be a somewhat abstract and subjective topic – happiness – and find a way to quantify it through research.

I felt that some of her projects were unrealistic for someone like me – a mom with 4 children and limited time and money.  One of her chapters does discuss whether money can buy happiness though :-)  It was sometimes problematic to me because I felt for example that collecting items was a waste of money, time, space, energy, etc.  I am really not into things like that that have no eternal value…  One of the most practical discoveries I made was that in order to get the happy feelings from a hug, the hug needed to last at least 6 seconds.  So my husband and I have put that into practice – surely we can spare 6 seconds a day for each other :-)

I would recommend this book to virtually anyone who is curious about increasing happiness in their lives, however I do think it is skewed towards married couples with children as that is where she’s coming from.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Giving up Facebook


For quite some time I deluded myself into thinking I would just check Facebook on weekends, or maybe just evening, or just once a day.  But in reality it was every time I would stop by the computer.  And then I would sit down, and write a quick answer, "like" something, share something.  Before I knew it too much time had passed and my children had either stopped doing something they were supposed to be doing, or started doing something they weren't.

I had given up Facebook for Lent the past couple of years and each time felt that after Lent I would go back and use it more moderately.  A couple of people I know (Symph and MadTurki for example) gave it up for periods of time too.  A teen in Australia is giving up Facebook for a 40 hour famine to raise money for charity. 

Indeed, sometimes it began to feel a bit like a clothesline where one might air things that shouldn't be (ie. dirty laundry), other times it was like a contest to see who had done the most, or who had had the roughest day... or maybe just who had the wittiest status update.

I read Jaynee's blog and was struck by this comment she shared about why she was giving up Facebook:
*Going house to house
The Lord has given me several people in my life to which He has called me to minister.  He's given me my husband.  He has given me my children.  He's called us to minister here in our little town in Mexico where He has brought up a church...a body of believers who are growing together in the faith and reaching out to those around them.  He's given me some dear family members/friends.  One's whom love, care and pray for me and I for them.
And while I may spend most all of my time inside of my home, I can still "leave" without physically leaving.  I Timothy 5:13 says "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; an not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."  
Facebook made it easy to see everyone's business.  In fact, blogs can do the same thing.  They can take up precious time that the Lord has given us to do other things...to invest in the lives of those He's give to us. When making up our schedule each school year, I always remind myself that while there are many "good" things to spend my time on, the Lord has only given me 24 hours each day and I want those 24 hours to be used as He would have me to use them.

Finally, after our week long vacation with no access to technology, I realized that for me Facebook does more harm than good.  So I've deleted all my photos and information and "unfriended" everyone but my husband - it just didn't feel right ya know... it was pretty weird taking myself off as his wife, but at least he still shows as being married! 

Yes, the argument is made that it's a way to stay connected.  I love sharing photos and looking at other people's photos.  But I can share photos through Google (let me know if you want to be on my list - if you know me IRL), and I decided that it would be better for me to stay connected by actually connecting with people.  One-on-one.  Like by writing a personal email.  Or maybe *gasp* talking on the phone!

What about you - what is your level of involvement with Facebook?
  

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Book review: "Keeping Our Children's Hearts" (Maxwell)

Keeping Our Children's Hearts: Our Vital Priority” by Steven and Teri Maxwell – August 2011

We purchased this book at the annual homeschooling conference in April 2011.  I started reading it in June or July and finished it while on vacation in August.  It’s a 268 page book which I felt I needed to read only about a chapter at a time because each chapter gave me so much to stop and think about.  I found it often put in words things I had a vague feeling or idea about and helped me find ways to better express why I have made certain choices around my children’s education and social life.

The book includes chapters such as “The Concept of Sheltering”, “The Biblical Basis of Sheltering”, “Sheltering from (various) Negative Influences”.

I would recommend this book to those who homeschool and choose a conservative lifestyle as I think it may help them in explaining their choices.  I would also recommend it for the grandparents of these children in order to assist them in understanding the parents’ heart for their children.  Parents who are leaning towards homeschooling because they feel there is something wrong with public education may also find this helpful.  I think the questions at the end of each chapter could be used as conversation starters for a husband and wife.