A Shot of Life

Photographer I am not. But I would love to be able to claim that title one day. It has never been a lifelong dream of mine, but I have taken a real interest in it over the past year or so. I often get discouraged because of my intermediate camera and amateur Photoshoping skills, but I am doing the best I can with what I have got.

That being said, I am stealing a creative idea from a blog friend. I have created another blog, A Shot of Life, solely for the purpose of improving my photography. I hope to be updating it daily. I would love it if you stopped by and let me know what you think. I am going to be asking for tips and showing you my progress as I improve. I think this has the potential of helping me... so lets hope I stick with it. :)

Bragging Rights

Bear with me for a bit, while I take some time to do a bit of bragging. :)

Zachariah got some Baby Einstein Alphabet Books for his birthday. He absolutely LOVES these books. Several times a week, he will bring them up to me and we will go through every single book (Each one only has three pages, so it doesn't take too long). I will start each book by pronouncing the sound of the letter that is on the front. Z picked up on that pretty quickly and he has been repeating the letter sound after us.

Well... now he has moved on to letter recognition! There are 8-10 of them that he knows. I will show him one of the books and he will actually make the correct letter sound! At 14 months old!! I don't know about you, but I was pretty darn impressed.

Below is a picture of the letters that he can recognize so far. I will try to get a video of it sometime soon. Its just too cute!

Honesty is the Best Policy

For the past seven months I have been struggling with depression. Sadly, I am just now starting to come to grips with that.

I thought that the depression would come immediately after having Zachariah. I had read up on postpartum depression, so I was prepared for it. Days, weeks, and even months went by, and I was just fine. But around his seventh month birthday, depression slowly started trickling into my life. I guess staying at home with virtually no adult contact during the day eventually got to me. I didn't want to admit that I was feeling depressed. I thought it was a sign of weakness. I didn't want people to think less of me. I didn't want people to think I was a bad mom.

So I kept ignoring it, thinking it would get better with time. Until just a couple weeks ago when a friend called me out on it. For the first time, I actually admitted I was suffering from postpartum depression. Talking with someone who has gone through this before has made a world of difference. For the first time in months I went a whole week without having an emotional breakdown. I enjoyed myself and my time with my family immensely. It was great to be myself again.

Don't get me wrong... I still have my moments. And I am sure it is not going to be smooth sailing from here on out. I am really going to have to work at this. I may eventually even need medication. But for now, I just need to talk about it. And so far it has helped.

So yeah. That's what is going on in my life right now. And if you guys don't mind, I think I may try to post about this more often. This "being real" thing is actually really satisfying. :)

Portable Washing Machine?

I was watching The Today Show this morning, and heard an interesting segment on shopping carts. There was a study done, and it turns out that shopping carts are more dirty than toilets. I guess when you think about it, that makes perfect sense. I mean, hundreds of people touch the handle a day. A butt load of kids sit in the seats, and some might slobber, spit up, poop, or pee on them. Then there are the groceries that actually go into the cart! What if the uncooked chicken has a hole in the packaging? All of that, and grocery carts are not washed regularly... if ever. Gross.

So I guess it wasn't to far fetched for someone to come up with this product:

A washing machine for shopping carts. How smart is that? It has a 5 minuet cycle and over 300 washes per gallon! I guess I will be wiping down my grocery cart handle from now on... at least until I see one of these here in town. :)

Welcome to the Jungle

Confession time.
I always have to have the TV turned on. Even its just to have on in the background as I get stuff done, it is on... constantly. The kicker is that we only have one channel. We have not been able to justify getting cable, but luckily we live right down the street from a TV station, so we get NBC. And as long as I have The Office, I am a happy camper.

Often I will watch whatever show happens to be on, regardless if I like it or not. That being said, I started watching Lipstick Jungle last season. I didn't think I would like it, but watched it because I had nothing else to do. And before I knew it, it was added to my list of "regulars". There is nothing special about this show. Its not cleverly written, its doesn't have good morals, and it doesn't have the best acting. But it has good clothes and scandalous women. So I cant stop watching it. Sad isn't it?

So that is my Television guilty pleasure. What is yours?

Taking Donations

I want a Nintendo Wii.

I mean, I have always thought it would be cool to play on one (something I have yet to do), but now I just plain want one. I think it would be something fun for me to do and at the same time something that will get me off my butt. And it would give me and Daniel something to do besides watch TV. Don't get me wrong, I love me some TV. But the only night we really want to watch it is Thursdays. The other nights we end up watching these stupid shows just cause we are bored. So yeah, I think the Wii would solve that problem.

The only hang up is that it cost anywhere from $290 to $500. And that probably doesnt include games or an extra controller. Considering our mortgage just went up a hundred bucks a month and Daniel's hours just got cut back, I don't think I will be buying groceries, much less a Wii. lol

So if you would like to give to the "Amy Lynn wants a Wii" fund, you may call or email me for more information. I take cash, checks and all major credit cards.

:)

The Perfect Egg... Take 2

A couple months ago I blogged about how to boil the "perfect egg". Apparently Daniel is very picky about his eggs, so he did not think it was the perfect egg. In fact, he thought it was quite disgusting. So I did some experimenting and found an even more perfect egg than the one before. And this time Daniel approves.

For those of you who didn't like Rachel Ray's egg boiling method, here is the new and improved "Perfect Egg".

Bring eggs to a boil for 3-4 minutes
Turn off heat.
Let eggs sit in hot water for 10-12 minutes.
Peal eggs while warm for best results.

Let me know if you have an egg boiling method that you prefer! I am interested in seeing how everyone boils their eggs. Weird, I know.

Additives

In my book that I am reading, I came across a section about additives. It was scary to say the least. After reading this chapter, I immediately ran to the pantry to check the Nutrition Facts on all of our food. Sure enough 90% of what we eat has at least one of these additives. I promptly picked up the phone and called Daniel to let him know that we are going to die.

Since then I have calmed down a bit... but it doesn't change the fact that we eat some pretty nasty stuff. So I have included a list of additives that Sharon Broer has listed. She claims that she will not buy ANYTHING that has a single one of these additives in it. That's a bit overboard for a food junkie like me... but I am starting to read Nutrition Facts more closely.

Additives

MSG (Monosodium glutamate): Used to intensify meat and spice flavorings

• reported complaints: headache, chest pains, numbness, irritability and depression
• Brain damage and memory loss
• Baby food companies removed this from baby food. (But why was it there to begin with??)
• Listed under other names: hydrolyzed vegetable Potemkin (HVP)
• "Natural Flavorings"
  

Aspartame: Used in NutraSweet and Equal, contains the following ingredients:

• Methanol- a neurological poison that cannot be made nonpoisonous. It can cause headaches, blindness and permanent brain damage.
  
• Aspartic acid- similar to MSG, it has been known to overstimulate neural cells, causing cell death. This is why it is called an "excitotoxin". It literally kills brain cells.
  
• Phenylalaninie- causes permanent brain damage if concentrations are high enough

Nitrites: Used to give that "pretty pink color" to cured meats, bacon, bologna, hot dogs, ham, Vienna sausages, and luncheon meats.

• Nitrites combined with natural stomach acids create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing agents.
  
• Baby food manufactures voluntarily removed nitrites from baby food in the early 1970's.
  
• In 1977, Germany banned nitrites and nitrates, except in certain species of fish.
  

Olestra or Olean
These are the "fake fats" introduced in 1996. Preliminary studies found that Olestra caused tumors in laboratory animals. Possible side effects include cramping and loose stools.

Monoglycerides and Diglycerides: Synthetic substances made for emulsifying and defoaming agents.

• Used in bakery products to maintain "softness"
• Used in beverages, ice cream, shortening, margarine. chocolate, whipped toppings and cosmetic creams.
  
• This is on the FDA list of food additives to be studied for possible reproduction effects.

BHA (butylated hudroxyanisole): A preservative used in many products, including beverages, ice cream, baked goods, potato chips, and breakfast cereals.

BHT (butylated hudroxytoluene): a preservative used in the same type of products as BHA.

Aluminum

• Frequently used in food additives, cosmetics, and antacids
• Can aggravated kidney and lung disorders
• Aluminum deposits have been found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients

Aluminum Sulfate

• Used in producing sweet and dill pickles
• Used as an antiseptic, astringent and in detergents and deodorants
  
• Moderately toxic by ingestion and injection
• May affect reproduction

Artificial Flavoring

Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil: Used in margarine or Crisco-type products. Very "cheap" oils used in chips, crackers, cereal, peanut butter, snack cakes, bread and many more products.

Other oils to avoid

• Cottonseed oil
• Palm kernel oil
• Corn oil

Recommended oils

• Regular use- virgin. cold pressed olive oil
• Occasional use- good, old fashioned organic butter
  

And now for a poll:

New Book!

For the past few days I have been reading a book called Train Up Your Children in the Way They Should Eat, by Sharon Broer. Its not a bran new book that just hit the shelves... in fact it was published back in 1999. BUT it is a very interesting read. It has opened my eyes to all the junk that we are all putting into our bodies. So as I read, I will be posting to enlighten everyone on a few of my discoveries. :)

This book addressed many issues... the first of which is trying to keep our kids healthy. It states that the leading cause of death in children, next to accidents, is cancer. Many kids are diagnosed with asthma, obesity, allergies, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and other types of learning disabilities. Sharon Broer suggests that what we are feeding our children is playing a vital role in the demise of their health. And after reading half of this book, I am almost positive that she is right.

In Chapter 2 she gives a list of foods kids should avoid... and the first four on the list she says they should NEVER consume in their lifetime. So here it is, straight from the book.

"Top Ten List"
1. Pork and all high-fat luncheon meats. They are loaded with nitrates, artificial dyes and chemicals; they can also cause parasite infestation.
2. Shellfish: lobster, crab, oysters and clams. They can contain abnormally high levels of arsenic, led and mercury.
3. All hydrogenated oils, including margarine and shortening products. These increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. Use organic butter or olive oil instead.
4. Aspartame (Nutra Sweet). Never use these artificial sweetener products.
5. "Junk foods," all high-fat, high-sugar, chemically processed snacks.
6. High-fat dairy products. Goats milk is fine.
7. Olestra, the "fake fat." This product inhibits the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
8. Caffeine. Limit your intake of caffeinated products.
9. Chlorine and fluoride. These chemicals are found in treated water supplies. Use reverse osmosis or steam distilled water.
10. Alcohol products. Alcohol destroys brain cells and increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, alcoholism, liver cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis and cirrhosis of the liver.


***NOTE***
I realize that some of you are going to think all this is ridiculous... but remember, this is only one woman's opinion. I encourage you to do your own research to better form your opinion on the facts that she gives. :)

The Perfect Egg

I am a HUGE fan of eggs. I will eat them any way they are cooked, but my two favorites are scrambled and boiled. When I was growing up I ate boiled egg sandwiches pretty much every day. They were my all time favorite. When I was preggers, tuna salad sandwich was creeping up on the list of favorites as well. So over the years I have had quite a few reasons to boil eggs on a VERY regular basis. And I must say that I have gotten to be a pretty darn good boiler of the egg. Which leads me to my next paragraph.

I was watching Rachel Ray a while back and she had mentioned how to boil the perfect egg. I thought to myself, "Yeah, Yeah. We all know how to boil an egg. For crying out loud". I have always boiled my eggs for 10 min, then turn the burner off and let them cool for a bit. Then go on with the process of peeling and cutting the egg. So I just assumed that Ray Ray's version of the perfect boiled egg would be something like that. But instead of doing it my way, she says to bring the eggs to a rapid boil then turn off the heat. Let them sit in the hot water for 10 min. and then procede with the peeling of the egg. I had never even considered this meathod of boiling.

So today, because I wanted a tuna salad sandwich, I tried her boiling method. And much to my surprise, Ray Ray knows what she is talking about! It was the most beautiful boiled egg I have ever seen. I thought mine were just fine before... but now...wow. Talk about a great yolk.

Anyway, just wanted to share my new discovery. And for those of you who have known how to boil "the perfect egg", shame on you for not telling me!

For Your Info

Target is having a sale! There are a couple tables of T shirts, onesies, and shorts for $3.99 each, ages 6 months to 24 months. I am trying to stop buying onesies (seeing as how t shirts are so much easier) but I couldn't resist getting this one.

(click to enlarge)