I have to introduce you to my best friends first off is my Sadie, she’s a pit-lab mix and Bill adopted her a year before we got together from the SPCA. She’s a friendly girl since I broke her from attaching her teeth to your hand and not letting go and she follows me every where. When Bill and I got together it was like we switched dogs or rather they did the switching.

The old guy below is my Shadow and he’s a full bred American Eskimo and he’ll be 11 years old in August. I’ve had him since he was 7 weeks old and it was love at first sight for me, not so much for him because he attaches himself to men, but he respects me and we get along fine, but he follows Bill every where.

Bill put my new desk together and it is so huge, but  I haven’t disconnected my wires and equipment yet because I dread putting it all back together. That will be my project for tomorrow. It will give me lots of needed space to work instead of being so cramped. I took a picture of my cramped space and when it’s finished I’ll take the after shot, depending on how dramatic it looks I may post them, I love before and afters.

Now I will have to redesign my whole office and we already took the exercise equipment out, but unfortunately Sadie sleeps in here so I have to keep her space because she feels safe sleeping under the small table near my desk, I will have to move it down though. I need to make this room conducive for working or maybe I shouldn’t because I spend way to much time on the computer.

Almost everyone that I know suffers from some sort of back pain and more than likely most of you will suffer some kind of back pain in your life time. Of course we try to take care of our self and spine, but as we get older we lose that flexibility and elasticity and  even though we might feel like we can still do the things we have always done there comes a time when our body just wont obey what we tell it to do.

The discs in our spine that cushion our vertebrae are aging and may not be able to give us as much cushion as before. Because of Injuries sometimes the discs will bulge outward from between the vertebrae and causes pain as they press on nerves and believe me it’s very painful and difficult to move around. I have been having back trouble since 98 when I worked in a tomato factory.

There are many things that can cause lower back pain and they include pregnancy weight gain, sleeping in the wrong position, obesity, stress, smoking, poor physical condition just to name a few. Lower back pain can also be caused by degenerative spinal conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, disc disease, viral infections or birth defects.

Of course you might not have injured yourself in any type of accident and neither did I until I hurt myself in 98 I had never had any back pain except one time when I bent down to tie my shoe and something popped of course I thought it would pop back, but it didn’t and I put off going to the Dr. till I could barely move and when I finally went he couldn’t do anything till the swelling went down and it popped in so easy.

I could have avoided all that pain if I had went straight away and not played doctor for my self. Sometimes you don’t need to injure yourself or do anything out of the ordinary to have back problems. Simple turning over in bed as you’ve done millions of times, or picking up a box the wrong way can result in a sudden sharp pain and days of reduced mobility, I know you know the proper way to lift something, but do you use it?

Once you’ve injured your back or any part of your body, for whatever reason, scar tissue forms during healing. This scar tissue is not as strong or as flexible as normal tissue, which means you have an increased probability of re-injuring yourself in the same spot. Scar tissue can build up and will weaken your spin which can in turn lead to more serious injuries.

It’s not fun when you can’t move around and do anything without experiencing pain so we really need to take it easy on our back. A few things we need to do is exercise regularly, it doesn’t have to be strenuous like when we were younger. We need to drink plenty of liquids and try to maintain a solid core for our posture.

Always remember to bend your knees when lifting heavy objects never keep your legs straight and try to pull it up and don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. I get very frustrated because I physically am not as strong as I use to be, but I’m so stubborn that I try and invariably I end up paying for that stubborn streak. So be kind to your body and take it easy on your back so you can have that mobility for a long long time.

Feng shui is known for its ability to increase  energy levels and provide a much healthier life. I’m sure this may sound strange to some people, but not if you really think about it.

Feng shui calls for a clutter-free, well lit area with good air circulation. That by itself can do wonders, but when applied with various feng shui techniques, it can make amazing improvements in your state of mind.

Nobody likes living in a mess and that can affect you mentally. To maintain a space that is beneficial to your health, there are only three basic needs that have to be met.

Fresh air is very important in the modern world. Thousands of years ago we didn’t have factories and cars all over the place that seriously diminishes our air quality. Even in your home there are many pollutants from things like your stove, refrigerator, and animals.

The easiest way to help eliminate some of these pollutants and to add something beautiful to your home is to get some air purifying plants.

Many types of small palm and fern are renowned for their ability to suck in toxic substances that are in the air. In addition, they put out oxygen which is always a good thing.

Lighting is very important also. Light is one of the most powerful forms of energy in the universe. For many of us, we don’t get enough sunlight exposure that we need on a daily basis.

Feng shui encourages the use of natural light whenever possible but in areas where that isn’t an option, full spectrum lighting is recommended.

The last basic need is to stay free of clutter. Get rid of stuff you don’t really need and don’t be a pack rat, which I am trying to stop. By starting with these three basics, you can learn more on the Internet and start applying feng shui  to your home and life for healthier living.                                                                                                       

It really tickles me no end that my son is finally going to be a Father and be able to watch and guide a little guy that I hope will be just like him and for sure it will serve him right. Maybe then he can understand what it’s truly like to be a parent and finally understand that you don’t say no just because your a mean Mommy that never wants her kids to have any fun. You say no because you are trying to keep them safe.

If your around my age then I’m sure you probably will remember what it was like to raise teenagers.  It’s like they suddenly change into someone else and go into some weird 4th dimension at age 13 and stay there until they have kids of their own and then you may start seeing them turn back into someone you know. I know it’s not easy being young, but I honestly don’t remember being so sullen and hateful to my elders as I see young people being now.

I have Grandchildren from Bill’s kids and I truly love them just as much as I will one with my blood. Of course my son is the type that thinks he has all the answers and his children will be unlike he was so I’ll just wait and watch and no I wont really be wishing them to be bad just so he can see what I had to deal with when he was young. But from children I have watched grow up over the years they all seem to go into that weird phase.

Actually teenagers really aren’t uncommunicative and they really are looking for someone to talk with about the changes that are going on in their young lives. Those teen years are so full of change that it’s like an explosion and is unparalleled with anything in this life. They really need an adult to talk to and it’s usually not the parents they turn to at that age because we the parents are considered ignorant for some reason.

So if we the parent can’t be that person they can turn to as a teenager then they do need to find an adult they can talk to, that would help them in getting through those tough teen years. A lot of times Grandma or Grandpa can become that willing ear and someone who a teenager can talk to about all those changes that are eating them up inside. I have seen that the Grandparents are considered as great and wise and someone they can talk to, I love it.

I know as Grandparents Bill and I will be more than happy to keep communication lines open as I’m sure all you other Grandparents will be doing and I really hope most will have the understanding, common sense and wisdom like Bill does. I have never meet anyone like Bill in my whole entire life and he did a really great job with his kids. I wish I could say the same, my son blamed me for his birth and everything bad that ever happened in his life up until a couple years ago (he’s 38).

Bill is one of the few parents I have ever met that actually didn’t have problems with his kids. He was either very lucky and blessed or he just had great parenting skills. Kids today are use to communicating through email, instant messaging and texting. I remember how thrilled I use to be to see a card or letter in the mail from someone I love, but the kids today don’t realize what a thrill that is.

I’m sure I should make time to start sending them snail mail just to make sure they know we are always around and love them and I know that would be a novelty to actually receive something in the mail of their own, but also since I’m online and when they start using the Internet we can always IM and keep the communication open that way.

They are still babies yet so we have a way to go before all those scary changes start occurring, but we need to start early so they will know we are here and we will listen. I’m sure Nate already understands that at 5 and we have noticed already that he is nicer at our house than at his own and always nicer when his parents aren’t around. He will soon have a baby sister (he wanted a brother) so it will be interesting to watch the changes in attitude and communication.