Healthiest Life 4 Me

I have not been happy about the school my kids go to for sometime.  But now both of my kids spend each day complaining about all the things that make them miserable there.  I am now on the search for the right place for them both.  I just don’t think that elementary aged kids should absolutely HATE school with all of their being.  It should still be fun.  It should still bring them great joy.  I am in school and it brings me joy and I still like it.  Yes, I am not normal, but I think that there are ways to make kids like school even if they don’t LOVE what they are learning.

My dilemma all these years is that my husband, the bread winner in the house, works for the public school system.  We have always had the option to take them to his district, but it is a 30-40 min drive from the house and since I have been at home I didn’t want to do that every day.  Now that I am subbing, it makes it difficult because I don’t always know where I’ll be.  So, we’ve put up with what is going on.  UNTIL this week.  We have written 7 emails in one week about things that are UNACCEPTABLE to our kids school, district, and teachers…each one about something different (and that number doesn’t include the people we either cc’d or bcc’d).  I don’t think that is the best use of my time.  I am fully aware of the troubles in CA and the stress on teachers and staff…but that is not an excuse!  Everyone has a job to do whether or not they are nervous about what is to come…it’s not our children’s faults: they didn’t vote for anyone who has played any part in this screw up on the part of the state, they can’t vote, they can’t change it, and they STILL deserve our best.  And my kids (and the other children at this school) are not getting the best.  And it is SAD.

So, in the process of looking most of the year for somewhere different to send my kids, I’ve explored many options.  I even talked to the kids about homeschooling, but the problem is that since I have all these student loans to pay for now that I am a college graduate, I need to work.  So, this week a good friend (THANKS KIM) I was introduced to River Springs Academy.  It is a public charter school, so it’s free and yet looking so wonderful.  It is a 4 day a week program with an independent study day.  After talking to someone there, I am looking forward to going to see their Open House.  I am so excited that there are options that are affordable and accommodating for my students.

I will keep you all posted.  The decision to take my to-be 6th grader and 5th grader out of the only school they’ve ever known is very difficult…but I am trying to make their experience better and hope that in the process they will start to enjoy school again!

Today I was able to call the pediatric cardiologist that we were referred to in order to make an appointment for my son.  The first available appointment they had was February 1st.  FEBRUARY 1ST!!! What?? This is my 9 year old and his doctor said his heart had a problem and he can’t play sports.  It sounds too serious to me and scares me to wait that long…I explained to the poor receptionist.  She assured me that the doctor would go over all of my son’s information and they would call me to get me in sooner if he thought it was necessary.  So, I went back to work and tried to keep my mind off of it.  Then my phone rang and about gave me a heart attack since the number was the same as the doctor’s I had just called.   I couldn’t answer because I was teaching, but they left me a message.  They said that the doctor reviewed my son’s information and he would be okay to wait until the 1st to be seen.  I guess that should be good news, but it sure left me unsettled. 

I appreciate all my prayer warriors, GOD IS GOOD!! And he answered my prayer…later this afternoon I got another phone call from the doctor’s office to tell me that they had two cancellations and that they could see my son Monday or Tuesday afternoon.  We took the Tuesday appointment since it’s an early day for the kids and my husband has a game on Monday.  What is one day when I get a week that I didn’t have earlier? 

So, we were told we still have to honor the pediatrician’s recommendations to abstain from athletic activities until we are cleared by the cardiologist.  Otherwise, he should be okay until his appointment on Tuesday. 

Please keep your prayers going.  GOD IS LISTENING and I know he has a plan for my son and our family.  I pray the plan is to see that all our faith can’t be in medicine and must be in him and there be NOTHING at all wrong.  A mom can pray ya know!  AND I PLAN ON DOING MORE OF IT!!  And I hope you will too!

Ok, so I have been overwhelmed with school and work and life in general.  But I am going to try to post more this summer.  And since I have fallen in love with this new hair product, I figured a Friday post was a good one to start with. 

Favorite:

The new style has a little bump at the part.  It makes you look like you have more hair and that there is volume to it.  It is the trend and yet somehow even after teasing my hair in the 80’s so that it stood upright in the front, I can’t seem to master the art of the cute lil’ bump!  I tried everything from Big Sexy Root Pump (which was ok) and even the BumpIt (which was a waste of money).  Then my wonderful hairdresser introduced me to this magic product.  It is quite possibly the best hair product ever invented.  It is called Powder Up Texturizer by Lanza. 

You just wash and dry your hair as normal and then before styling put a little bit of this at your roots in small sections and tease that section a little bit.  It is going to get BIG and then you will just comb it down and style.  If you feel like it’s falling later in the day, you can just push it up a little with your fingers and it will come back.  I have been able to not wash my hair and style just as well the next day. 

I am telling you this stuff is AWESOME and well worth the price!  It is a small container (only about 2 inches high), but you only need a little bit each time! 

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Not so Favorite:

As I said before in the above section.  I tried everything and I have to say my Not so Favorite of the week is the $9.99 I spent on the STUPID BumpIT to try to make it work.  It was a complete waste of money and wish I saved the box and receipt so I could take it back to the store I bought it at. It doesn’t put a very cute bump into the hair, it really looks ridiculous.  I don’t know if it would stay all day because I never got that far.  I think the bump looked like you had something in your hair and it was a lot of work to get it there!  It looked even more ridiculous in my daughter’s hair which was the primary purpose I bought it. 

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Well folks, I hope you enjoyed my first post of a while and that I am able to get back more often.  As I do miss blogging and being in the world of my friends that live in my computer! =)

I have many friends that ask about my diet and how I do what I do.  I usually have the same answer and I am not sure it sets very well.  I tell them I pay big $$ for my plan and that it is set up specific to me.  It takes into consideration my workout, the calories I burn at a resting rate, and my likes and dislikes. I spend time working out much harder than all of my friends, therefore giving them my diet won’t help them lose weight because I burn a ton more calories during my workout.  I also notice that when I try to explain the basics of eating right, they are uninterested because it takes a lot of work.  So I thought I’d try my best to break it down a bit and let people figure out how they could fit it best into their lives.

To begin with, you will need a piece of paper to do the calculations.  Here is the info for fat loss:

• Total Daily Calories = Bodyweight times 12

this may need to be dropped to x11 or x10 if no progress after a few weeks

• Protein = 1g per lb of Body Weight

(4 calories per gram)
can go up to 1.5g if desired

• Fat = .4-.5g per lb Body Weight

(9 calories per gram)
yes, you read that right, healthy fats are important for fat loss (you can’t burn fat if you don’t eat fat!! STAY AWAY FROM FAT FREE PRODUCTS)

• Carbs = whatever remains to meet your calorie total

(4 calories per gram)

After this, you will break it all up between 5-6 meals with the last meal being only protein right before bed.  Your meals should be spaced out every 3 hours. 

Hope this helps out!  Good luck and post your results!  It will be fun to see everyone’s progress!!

Well, folks!  It’s been a crazy, busy life lately.  I think about blogging often, but just haven’t been able to find the time to do anything but work and workout, so I am sorry! But I do want to catch you up with what I’ve been up to! 

First off, I am no longer working towards the Max Formation Challenge but still working towards my goal of 16% bodyfat.  Although, there seems to always be a week 6 set back.  But back on track finally and heading back towards my goal. 

At the moment, I am a long term sub at El Cerrito Middle School in an elective class that is a Consumer Science (Home Ec type class).  It has been a lot of fun.  I am half way through this job and am gonna miss it a ton when it’s over.  I have some great kids and enjoy all their personalities so much.  Right now the kids are creating menu’s for their own restaurant on the classwork days and cooking on the lab days.  We have made Easy Cookies (a quick oatmeal cookie), Sweet Potato Fries (with yams not sweet potatoes because there weren’t enough at the store) which the kids were pleasantly surprised that they liked, some of my classes (the extremely good ones) made Baked Mozzarella, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Last food lab is this week and I am still trying to decide what to make with them.  Then we have testing for a week with this group of kids.  Since I teach the elective class, they switch every 5 weeks and I will get a new group for a week, but won’t get to have much fun with them because it is a testing week also! 

My business is growing and growing and the company keeps making improvements to the products and the pay plan.  Their newest improvement I have blogged about before: GENESIS X-24!  The only product on the market to provide 24 hour antioxidant protection.  Check out this video about it at: http://64.71.12.242/template/video_genesisnew.htm  It will show you all you need to know about this AMAZING product!  On top of rolling out an Improved version of the TOP SELLING product, the company just enhanced the compensation plan to put more money into the reps pockets EACH WEEK!! That is right, EACH WEEK!!  They did this without raising the prices on ANY of their products, not even the enhanced one!  I can say, this company is like no other.you won’t find a company that cares more about the people working with it than this one!  Their mission is truly to enhance EVERYONE’S LIFE!!  You choose whether it is for wealth, health or both!! I sure pick both!  And I do all this in addition to what I am already doing.  You wouldn’t be expected to give up anything.  This company is looking for people who want to have their next 5 years be different than the last 5 years of their lives.  Do you want to work hard?  Or do you want to work SMART?  I pick smart!! I would for sure rather have 1% of 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own!  How about you????  If you are interested in hearing more, contact me at (909) 213-7927.  If you aren’t in my area, we can work out a way to get you the information.  =) 

Well, that is my last few weeks in a nutshell.  Promise I will try harder to post more!  Thanks for being patient!

Immune System Support
. Flu Protection
. Anti-Inflammatory
. Support for Auto-Immune
Dysfunction
. Protect against Disease

Cardio-Vascular Support
. Lower high blood pressure
. Lower bad cholesterol
. Raise good cholesterol
. Increases pliability of arteries
and veins
. Improve circulation
. Energize the heart muscle

Cancer Protection
. Kills cancer cells (aptosis)
. Repairs DNA
. Powerful antioxidant
. Supports body during
chemotherapy
. Inhibits growth of tumors

Obesity
. Reverses inflammation
causing insulin resistance
. Reduces excess fat cells
. Mobilizes stored fat

Biblical Herbal Infusion
. Benefits of cold infused
process
. Phyto-nutrients of over 20
herbs

Joint Support
. Reduces Inflammation
. Improves Circulation

Anti-Aging
. Reduces damaging inflammation
. Repairs DNA
. Improves Skin quality
. Lustrous hair
. Strong nails
. Fights Alzheimer’s disease

Lung Function
. Helps control asthma
. Fight COPD (chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease)
. Reduces hay fever symptoms

Organ Support
. Inhibits macular degeneration
. Prevents gum disease
. Supports liver function
. Maintains kidney function
. Improves digestion and relieves
stomach problems

Other
. Boosts energy
. Reduces headaches
. Anti-biotic = fights fungus
. Anti-depressant
. Sexual enhancement
. Diabetic support
. Tastes great!

Now with X’Tranol-24T!
. Provides the key nutrients found
in red wine without the water or
alcohol
. Provides your body with 24 hour
protection from cell damage,
inflammation, free radicals, DNA
damage, protein oxidation and
more.

For more information or to order contact me at lisasurvillas@healthiestlife4me.com!  Look forward to helping you LIVE WELL.LONGER!!!

Hi, I would like to take a moment to invite everyone to a very special event here in Riverside, CA.  If you aren’t making residule income and work a J O B everyday…then this event is for you.  I can show you how SIMPLE it is to make the kind of money you want.  If you want an extra $500 per month…I can show you how to do that.  If you want to make $1500 per month…I can show you how!  If you are interested in life changing moeny…I can show you that TOO!! 

Please make time on April 18th, 2009 from 1-3 pm to hear the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING opportunity that I have for you.  This is gonna be a packed house and I want you to be a part of it.  I have never been so excited about my life and my future…and especially with so much gloom around me.  But I will tell you, I haven’t met a person in this company saddened by the economy.  We are all doing great and loving what we do.  And best of all…there is an opportunity for you to do and feel the same.  So, take a moment out of your busy life and do something to CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER!! 

Either call me or email me with questions.  Once you RSVP, I will give you the location of the event.  It will be held in Riverside, CA.  If you are from outside the area and are unable to come to this event, the opportunity isn’t lost.  Contact me and we can work something out, either by phone or in person with one of the many contacts I have throughout the US. 

PHONE: (909) 213-7927

EMAIL: lisasurvillas@healthiestlife4me.com

So, the hubby and I took the first day we had NOTHING else going on to enjoy with our kids.  It is so cold in Southern California right now that we had to stay indoors.  We ended up taking the kids to Chili’s and then to see Coraline in 3D. 

MMMMMMMM!!! Chili’s was good as always.  Our 9 1/2 year old daughter wasn’t feeling like herself today.  She has been having a lot of problems with her ears and it is bothering her again.  So she wasn’t really eating much. I asked her if she was ok.then I feel my chair vibrate a bit.  I realize that my phone was signaling me that I had a text and I could feel it in the chair because my purse was hanging on the chair.  I take out my phone.and be ready.I had a text from my daughter who was so close I could touch her hand without out-stretching my arm.  Then I realize that my husband is texting back and forth with her too.  HELLO, people.were we all not sitting at the same tiny bar table?  Is this really necessary.  But she was feeling so icky, she didn’t want to talk. 

The movie was interesting.  I wasn’t really sure that Coraline was going to be a good movie for the kids.  It was cute and the kids seemed to be liking it until the darkest parts happened and then they were both a bit freaked out.  We did convince them to make it to the end with a son on my lap and my hubby hugging my daughter.  We think it went well and enjoyed the cuddling that doesn’t happen as much as we’d like!  We’ll see how they sleep tonight.

Hi, my name is Karen and I am a 29-year-old wife and mother of two boys, 8 and 2. When I was 25, my hand started going numb. I was going back to school to get degree, so naively, I thought maybe I had been writing too much. I wish! As the numbness crept up my hand, I began to get concerned. Since I am a hairstylist, I thought maybe it was carpal tunnel. I didn’t share it with anyone for about a week, and when I did, my mom suggested I go to the doctor. The doctor was able to get me in thankfully being that it was a Friday. My husband drove me to the doctor and waited in the car. When I came out of the office, it was all I could do not to burst into tears. I told my husband the news; it could either be a virus or MS! What! How could I have MS, no one in my family has it, I was fine last week, and what the heck is it? Just knowing that it was a disease was enough to rock both of our worlds.

I went to see a neurologist who gave me an MRI, which was just like a REALLY loud tanning bed! When my results came back, it showed I had lesions. The doctor really down played it, and said that we should really just monitor my numbness, come back if I have any other symptoms, and it may go away and never come back. My husband pressed and pressed about the MS but the doctor said he was not prepared to be concerned unless I get more symptoms.

During this whole process of doctors and MRI’s, it was about three months. Three months of numbness on my whole right side of my body. Sometimes I would trip since I could not feel my foot, my hand just did not want to hold the curling iron tight, and I had tough time writing. But, it eventually it went away, and I never thought about it again. I really felt like I had pushed myself to my limit of stress and I created it myself.

Life went on and I had another baby. About 10 months after I had my baby, my right foot went numb. I thought it was the shoes I wore to work that day, but after a few days of that, the numbness was creeping again.I knew! I tried so hard to wish it away. I went online and tried to webMD my symptoms, but it kept leading me to MS. After about two weeks, I couldn’t deny it anymore so I told my husband. I went to the neurologist again and he wanted to do more MRI’s. After waiting for referrals (you know how HMO’s are) it had been about 1 month. It was Super Bowl Sunday, my husband just left me at home with my two boys to go run an errand and all of a sudden, my left side of my body cramped up. Now I don’t mean a leg cramp that you can flex away, I mean it started in my toes and went up to my ribs. I fell to the ground and screamed in pain. My oldest son freaked out. Five minutes later, it happened again. then again. I literally cramped up for 2 weeks, sometimes minutes apart, sometimes hours, but not much more than that. On Valentine’ Day, I got the official diagnosis, I had MS! I cried.a lot, and then I went to have sushi (whatever helps). Another month or so went by with sporadic cramping and burning feeling on certain areas of my body. My neurologist suggested that I think about taking medication.

I went home and thought about it, for days with the notion that I don’t have any other choice; if I don’t I am going to be in a wheelchair, maybe never be able to hold my children, or play catch with them. I really thought I would be better off dead!

Then I did some serious research. I found that some people have really good results from natural treatments and that MS is so different in everyone. Yes, some people are in a wheelchair, and others have had it many years having minor issues, therefore, I could be anywhere in between. Honestly, I may not have thought about going the natural way if all I had to do was take a pill for the rest of my life, but an injection everyday, it was worth another look.

I went to a holistic chiropractor who gave me some supplements for inflammation, suggesting that my nervous system is more affected since the foods I am eating are causing inflammation, even saying this is a treatment for all autoimmune diseases. The supplements were REALLY expensive, but if it works, then no more shoe shopping for me! My sister had begun to sell vitamins, to which I was a HUGE pessimist, but I was desperate, gave her the ingredients to the supplement and said, find me something with those ingredients so I don’t have to spend so much money. She told me it has a small amount of glutamine but way less than is acceptable to take. So I researched it, and found that not only does it help body builders with their muscles, but aids the immune system, has been known to help treat many illness such as cancer, and enhances brain function.

While my painful burning sensation was not going away on the last major episode, I tried the supplement the doctor gave me. Immediately it started disappearing, but only days into it, I switched to Ultra Vitality liquid, Genesis and straight glutamine, and decided if it took the rest of my pain away and stayed away, I am sticking with it, if not, I would just have to spend a fortune to keep that supplement. Well, it was totally gone by 8 days. I feel like I am getting different things from these three supplements. Rest is important when you have a diseases, your body cannot fight off anything if it is weak. In addition, the Genesis helps me sleep and fights off infection, I am getting fewer colds now, and trust me when you have kids you get everything. The Ultra Vitality gives me energy and vitamins that I don’t get from food. If I skip anything for even a day I can feel my body getting tired more easily.

I am starting to get to know my body now, it’s too bad it took a disease to do it, but if my foot started to bother me, like it is going numb or feeling like it will cramp, I will double dose my supplements. The funny thing is, the reason why I am so passionate about this is that I thought I would stop everything for a while, I just think I am feeling better and am able to forget about the MS, but after a week my whole leg went numb. When I started back up again, it took about three days for it to go away. I am a firm believer in the Symmetry products and know that without them I would be on medications for the rest of my life. With these products, I am able to live as normal of life as one can with MS. I have the determination not to be in a wheel chair and am going to continue a more holistic approach to fight this disease.

I have been working on removing foods that are inflammation free, purifying my foods, exercising, and drinking almost all water. This is way more challenging than taking three supplements; however, it is my goal. I still have a long way to go, but I plan to live as pain and symptom free as possible, for my family, but also for me. I would suggest this combination to everyone with MS. It really has been a life saver for me!

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For more information on products, please email me at lisasurvillas@healthiestlife4me.com

This week I received a call from the sub desk asking if I would be interested in doing a long term position at a unique high school in Corona Norco Unified School District.  I was thrilled.  This was the opportunity to not wonder if I would be working the next day and would also pay more.  The best thing I could think about was that I would have the ability to enjoy the students and not just be a glorified babysitter.  I of course said YES!

Well, I showed up on Wednesday morning to be greeted by the principal who gave me the low-down on the “uniqueness” of this school.  The school is designed to help students enjoy a high school experience while allowing them to get college credits at the community college.  It is a great program and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to work here.  However, on my first day I didn’t feel that way the whole time.  At lunch, I called my husband and was in tears.  My lesson plans were not very well done and the kids tried to take advantage of their freedoms.  I was overwhelmed with the idea that I may be lesson planning on my own all while trying to compete in the Max Formation Contest (which I will blog about shortly) and take my two credentialing classes this month and 1 next month.  After coming home and breathing a little (and a good work out) and decided that instead of stressing, I was going to try to have fun with these kids and get to know them.  Yesterday and today went SO MUCH BETTER with that thought.  I spent today telling the kids about me and they in turn told me some things about them.  We had a nice day and I am looking forward to Monday now (however, I still want the weekend to relax a bit.  and oh yes, do homework).  It has been a fun experience so far and am looking forward to the next few weeks!! 

So here begins my new venture and hopefully the most valuable training I will take with me into a teaching career of my own.  I hope to be able to keep you posted, but I know the blogging will take a back seat to my work and my school.  Don’t leave me, I will be back!