Thank you all again so very much. :grouphug: You're all so sweet and kind. :lol: Yes, I know. They make me drool also. :grouphug: I'll change it soon. In the U.K., they have Creme Eggs all year round, not just at Easter. I love the stuff. :D I'll never, ever forgive you! Just kidding! :smilielol5: No worries whatsoever. I know you've been very, very busy :grouphug:. We're pretty much celebrating all week - not just my birthday but also our New Year as well. Thanks again everyone. :D

:lol: :iagree: Me too. I LOVE purple. :D :grouphug:

Yes, dh and the dc were all saying the other day how we should visit Australia. My response: "Are you out of your minds? Have you any idea about the plane fares?!" Your aunt sounds cool. :D We have a teeny tiny rock here - volcanic origin. Our clothes lines are not that sensible, however. :lol: I'm sure you guys are better with all that. This is what I love about you, Rosie. You say it like it is and don't do all the hype rubbish. :D :grouphug:

Thank you again everyone. :grouphug: :D :grouphug:

Congratulations! :D :) :D

Thank you all so very much. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: That cupcake looks really good. :D

I used to live in Ptld. :D Great place for late-night desserts and very quirky. :)

Good to hear from you and know that all is well :D. This thread is not the same without you. :grouphug:

This looks really interesting. Thank you. :)

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Lucy, I read this yesterday and dh and I have thought and thought about it. Did you read the comments? I've decided that I'm not going to worry myself about it. We live outside the U.S., which helps, but even if we lived within the U.S. - I doubt there's much to worry about. More fear-mongering or something. I have made sure (and will check again from time to time - to go to my pinterest account and set all my settings - FB, Twitter, and "Hide Your Pinterest Profile from Search Engines".

I think it's perfectly normal to feel tired while nursing and even when not nursing, during the afternoon. :grouphug: Everyone has given great advice. I have lots of info on food, etc. But for quick relief, which is what you asked for, here are some tips that may be of help. TO GIVE INSTANT ENERGY Brush your teeth when you feel tired. The minty-fresh feeling may help wake you up. Drink a glass of water. Dehydration is often related to fatigue. I try to drink 1 glass of water upon waking up and after each bathroom trip. I stop drinking an hour or so before leaving the house. I also stop drinking around 6 or 7 PM at night. Jumping Jacks Walk around the block Lie on bed with your head hanging off if you KWIM. Get all the blood circulating to your head. Rinse for as long as you can tolerate in the coldest water that you can tolerate. Feels really good when the cold is on your back and spine. I would often jump in for a quick shower when I was tired during my student years. You can also alternate between hot/warm and ice cold. Dunk your wrists in a bowl of water with ice cubes OR run them under a very cold faucet. Peppermint oil-infused air reduces fatigue. Inhaling peppermint causes capillaries to constrict and then dilate, sending a rush of blood through the body, and, as a result, a rush of energizing oxygen. Listening to whatever music you love 1 spoon of honey – honey will give you energy quickly and keep it there

Thank you so much. I'm not the greatest when it comes to long video clips, but I'll try to see it in shorter bits and pieces - to break it up into segments - while drinking my green tea (without sugar, of course!) :)

Any good juicing book will give great recipes as well as all the benefits of various juices. My favorite one is Juicing for Life. There are many others, but that’s the one I have and like. I like to rotate my juicing recipes and vary the vegetables. As with any food, if you keep juicing the same veggies day after day, you may develop food sensitivities to them. Variety is important. Your doctor is amazing and very open-minded. :) Sorry that you've been in pain and are suffering with fatigue, headaches, etc. I have lots and lots of info for all sorts of things, but I don't want to overwhelm you. Another great book that I highly recommend - if you want to start with food - which you should - is Food Rules. To me, if we could all follow as many of these rules as possible, we'd be so much healthier. Good reminder for me. I've been very undisciplined lately. Here's the info I have on vitamin D. BTW, I have lots of info on other supplements if you need them. I believe that magnesium (which most of us are deficient in anyway) would greatly benefit your headaches, etc. If you're under 50, take at least 2,000 IU per day. If you're 50 or over, take at least 5,000 IU per day of vitamin D3. An average-sized adult can, under normal circumstances, take 5,000 IU per day. Regardless of your age, for you, I would take at least 5,000 IU per day. Always take your vitamin D with a fat-containing meal to ensure absorption. Your need for vitamin D3 is affected by age, skin color, and the severity of any deficiency Don't be concerned that 2,000-5,000 IU will give you too much. The human body can make 10,000 IU of Vitamin D in 30 minutes of sun exposure – children included – with no ill effects. In addition, no adverse effects have been seen with supplemental vitamin D intakes up to 10,000 IU daily. To this day, medical textbooks mention the risk of vitamin D toxicity. Yet, the scientific literature suggests that toxicity occurs only with very large intakes of vitamin D over prolonged periods (more than 10,000 IUs daily for longer than 6 months). Except in people with disorders known as granulomatosis (such as sarcoidosis or tuberculosis), little risk (if any) is associated with vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D3 helps lots and lots of things. I'm not going to list them all here since I'd prefer to not overwhelm you and others reading this. I can share them later if you're interested. WHO IS DEFICIENT IN D? Most people are deficient! • Body-mass index (BMI) and obesity • Older people • Dark-skinned people • Strict vegetarians • People with celiac, Crohn’s disease, and cystic fibrosis • Heredity • Certain medications • Regular use of sunscreen • Northern Latitudes (above that of Atlanta, Georgia) D3 in pill form is very poorly absorbed. Be sure to take the oil-filled gelatin capsules, and take them with a meal that contains fat to help with absorption. If you have your D3 levels tested and you’re low, you can go up to 10,000 IU per day for a couple of months, and then re-test to see if there's improvement. If you get your D3 levels tested, I think the ideal is to get them to levels of at least 60-70. If it turns out that your body just doesn't absorb vitamin D very well, you may wish to talk to your doctor about whether 30 minutes of daily sun exposure in warm weather or very short tanning sessions in cold weather would be appropriate.

My thoughts exactly.

This from a FB friend of mine, I already do this, but a good reminder. I don't think I want to give up Pinterest. I love it and find it relaxing, inspiring, entertaining, etc. If you don't want your new profile page to have a direct link to your Facebook (or Twitter) account, click Edit Profile, then switch the Link to Facebook option to Off. Pinterest set them as On by default when they updated users' profile pages recently. While in the setting, I also chose to hide my Pinterest account from internet search engines. Gotta keep my stalkers guessing. :D

Eeew! :confused: :banghead:

I loved this and it is on my list of all-time favorites. I've loved all his books, but this and The Five People You Meet in Heaven are my absolute favorites. The movies are very sweet also. I thought they were done very true to the story, probably because the author was involved. Oh, okay. Guess I'll keep going for his older stuff then. ;) Yes, :iagree:. And so much better than other habits. :D I don't care much for Jodi Picoult either.

This looks good, Robin. :)

This week I finished: The Pig in the Pantry and Other Homeschool Tales – 2 Stars - Kindle freebie or very cheap (can't recall) - Just okay, nothing to write home about Dave Barry’s Greatest Hits – 4 stars - very funny in parts, but parts of it were not that relevant, since it was written in 1988. There was a hilarious part about his trip with his wife to the blue caves of Capri. :D Callanetics – 4 Stars - exercise book - the author and creator of Callanetics just died a few weeks ago. This book was written in '84. I'd love to start on Callanetics and see if or how my body changes. Fifth Avenue – 1 Star - Rubbish, Kindle freebie - but overall waste of my time Note to Self: Most free Kindle books are not much to my liking. ;)

Now, this might not be the smartest of things to ask, but here's my question anyway. I was very concerned about privacy issues with Pinterest when I first started. But then I thought (as a dear friend kindly reminded me), who cares if Big Brother knows what my favorite recipe is or whatever? I mean, it's not like I'm putting highly personal info out there - street address, family pictures, etc. - it's all pictures from the web and nonsense trivial stuff. What's the worst that could happen? That someone knows, for example, that I love barre workouts? Well, won't they find that out here also? :confused:

:lol:

:iagree:

Love your dream descriptions. :D :grouphug: Yes, you may want to spread the 5-HTP out or take it a bit later, etc. Since I have the luxury of taking naps most days, I sometimes take one-three 5-HTP capsules starting at around 10 or 11 AM. You'll find what works for you. It is very, very nice to feel calm and not as stressed as normal. It's such a relief. I alternate between 5-HTP and GABA Calm on our school days - sometimes I take none. But I can so often tell the difference on days that I do. I hope I explained it okay. Again, I have found that for myself, alternating between them all works better. Others might just take one for a while and see how that works, before possibly trying something else. Yep. :) I do want to add that magnesium helps greatly also. Most of us are deficient in magnesium.

Me too. Love Paula's Choice.