This Kid Here

I already posted once today but...

One of the neighbors asked me the other day if I was missing Alaska. Answer: Nope. But I do miss this kid. She wanted to see pictures. Now I can't quit looking through my files.




This is him with a puppy that belonged to an older nephew. They could sit like this together for hours. Quietly.

I took him with me to the mall one day. While I was talking with a clerk, he found the sunglass rack. The ladies' sunglasses rack.

He loves taking our sunglasses - his mom's. mine, Daddy's. If you're looking for your glasses, just check with him.

A costume one Halloween. The most adorable Batman EVER.

One of his "thinking" faces when asked something.

His Godparents were in town and I went with them to get his hair cut. He loves his barber and I couldn't believe how still he sat for the session.

He cracks me up. One morning, I heard cartoon voices in stereo. This is how I found the little maniac.

I love, love, LOVE this kid. I had a chance to see him when he was visiting Arizona this week. I declined. I don't think either of us can take another goodbye this soon. I'm still getting over the last goodbye.

His mom got him this shirt and my heart melts every time I see it.

This is how we spent a lot of hours. Just sitting together. We'd read or watch one of his kid shows or just talk about this amazing world.

I miss my little guy.

Peace
--Free


**All photos in this post are copyrighted by me and not to be reused in any instance.**

Fasting Update: 7 Pounds Down

The Bumps & Blocks

This is Day 6 of the intermittent fasting routine life and so far, so good. There have been a bump or two, but I love the IF way of eating.

This morning, the time change threw me off a bit. When I woke up, my wall clock told me it was eight o'clock. Of course, I'm thinking I will be able to have my tea or coffee in about four hours. That's how it is every morning now. I get up and start counting the hours until I can suck down some sweet, creamy caffeine!

Then I check my phone (which is smarter than I am) and remember that it that time of year.

First, I'm happy because, well, only three hours til caffeine time - and also Spring! Then I'm confused because of the way my brain works. I mean, is it four hours or three hours til I can break out the Sweet Italian Creamer jug?

I'm going to be honest and tell you that it took maybe 20 minutes of hard thinking for me to realize that nothing has changed. Nada. I still have to wait four hours from waking to break my fast.  I have to remember that I'm just counting hours and 16 hours fasting is 16 hours, no matter where those fall on the clock.

Man.

So, yeah. Daylight Savings messed with my personal schedule, but I've decided to just stay on track and, as Steve Wynwood sings, just "roll with it, baby".

The Good Part

What I'm happy to report is that as of this Day 6, I am having some success. Actually, I think I'm having great success.

I'm using a free app called Simple Weight Tracker. I looked at a couple other apps but they were too complicated. I just needed something nice and, well, simple. Of course, I am checking my weight using the cheap bathroom scale I picked up at Walmart or somewhere. (All those great scales I got for free to review? They are somewhere in Alaska being put to good use by the fam.)

The good news (maybe) is that I might be able to have one of the nurses check my weight tomorrow before infusion. I can't remember if this is something they do anyway or not. Still, though, even if my bathroom scale is a little off, it's probably consistently off. I should be down about 7 pounds either way, right? Maybe if I hadn't eaten 2 helpings of Texas Toast yesterday, I'd be down 8 pounds!


The Struggle

I still forget sometimes to keep up with my water intake. I had been so good recently about drinking 64o ounces of water each day. I fell off but I'm getting back on track this day. I'm drinking water as I type this. I have to say that the water drinking this morning is helping keep my taste buds from thinking of tea or coffee. A bit.

The thing I need to work on is alternating keto with non-keto days. I haven't been great about that. I'm not guzzling down pasta every day, but I am on a bread kick. I suppose, though, if the goal is to lose weight and eat better than I have been, I'm doing okay. Other than the bread, I'm not doing too many carbs. A potato here and an extra bit of creamer there...

Looking Forward

Now that Spring is almost here (in weather, not per the calendar), I should be able to get more fresh veggies and fruit. I picked up a watermelon on sale this past week and, boy, it was yummy. I still have a lot left so I will nibble on that today.

Hopefully, I will be able to keep the carbs in check, even if I don't get around to alternating keto days.

Keto vs IF & Pros and Cons

Keto or IF? I don't think it has to be an either or thing - choosing one over the other. Lots of people are doing the routines together. I think I told you all about the Ketogenic Intermittent Fasting Facebook group.

In my personal opinion, the best thing about IF is that, with or without keto, I'm losing weight. I think that keto is just good for me because, well, fewer carbs is always good.

So, for keto, the Pros are that you're cutting out a lot of junk. However, on the Con side, you have to cut out a lot of fruit and vegetables.

There are more carbs in a lot of fruits and veggies than the keto diet likes. I remember having to watch the list for a while and it was surprised at the carbs in, say, a banana (27g/medium). I love bananas! And mangoes (28g/cup). I love mangoes.

The biggest Pro to IF is that I eat a bigger variety of foods. The only downside is a small one: I have to practice portion control of the high calorie/high carb stuff.

Maybe I lied because there is another huge Pro to IF: your restricted hours of eating helps with portion control - unless you are scarfing down food for the entire 8-hour eating window. I find that I get in one decent sized meal in the middle of my window and a snack near the end,  or three small meals throughout. When I had watermelon yesterday, I gorged on it, but then I was full for most of my 8 hours. I did have 2 tuna sandwiches later for my actual meal.

So, for me, if I had to choose one or the other, IF is the winner sure. Here's someone else's take on it.

The Freedom

I like knowing that, as long as I am in my 8-hour eating window, I don't have to deny myself any particular food. As long as I don't go hog wild (heh heh), I can indulge any craving. Usually, after my infusion appointment, my family and I pick up a burger or some chicken - something fast food-ish - and I have been thinking about a butter burger and some cheese curds from Culver's. After that, I will be content to start m fast right then and go on into the next day!

That's a meal and a half!

I couldn't even think about a caloric splurge like that when I was doing just keto. Of course, if you eat enough butter burgers, there's no plan in the world that will help you lose weight and get healthy. Moderation is everything.

So, yeah, I'm still loving this intermittent fasting and I think this is now my life. Now, excuse me while I go have my tea.

Peace
--Free

Intermittent Fasting (and KetoFast)

This is how I started my review of KetoFast:

Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.

Not long after writing that, I checked my urine with a keto stick and saw that there was a slightly noticeable result. I ran over and updated my Amazon review. The next day I used another keto stick and... nada - as in not a result at all.  I'm going back over to update the Amazon review when I finish this post. ~sigh~

I'm not giving up on the KetoFast though. I haven't used it enough to give it a fair chance. Also, I'm sure that pigging out on pasta didn't help the second results.

Again, as I admitted in that other post, I haven't exactly been back on the keto wagon. To be honest, I don't think I can full-time keto. I think I can do alternate days of keto. And that's where this intermittent fasting comes in. But first, a little history.

Before my sister passed, she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and, of course, I stayed right there with her. I was about 185 pounds when she was admitted. When we had her funeral, I weighed in at around 145.  I know this because all my pants were hanging off my hips and I had to dig in the closet for a smaller size. Within a month, I had put back on all the lost pounds and they brought friends. I topped at 200 pounds. I know why. I was depressed and eating to fill the emptiness that came with the loss of my sister. And I didn't really even care about how overweight and uncomfortable I was.

I tell you all that to tell you why I am trying Daily Intermittent Fasting - specifically the 16-hour fasting routine. I think I can handle this, guys.

DIM is basically what I was accidentally doing while my sister was in the hospital. I wasn't even exercising. I would have a coffee in the morning with maybe a vending machine pastry. Lunch was one of those plastic-wrapped burgers (also from vending) or a burger and fries or chips from the cafeteria. The rest of the time, I was drinking coffee or nibbling on chips. By 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening, I was so bored that I would just doze off. The cafeteria shut down at a certain time and I'd be sick of the vending machines. Pretty much, after 7 or 8 p.m. I was shut down for the night.

I started the DIM routine last night by not eating anything after 8. It wasn't too bad because I'm not awful about nighttime snacking. If I get hungry at night, I don't exactly snack - I heat up a meal. And because I can't count on when I will have energy enough, I tend to cook something for the whole week. Usually, spaghetti.

Because I want to practice keto at least part of the time, this is the plan I decided to alternate from day to day.

Keto Day - 2 meals; at least 32oz of water; and restrict myself to 2 cups of tea/coffee (instead of my usual 5 to 6 cups). One of the 2 meals will be keto-friendly.

Non-Keto Day - 1 keto-friendly meal and a small keto-friendly snack; 64 oz of water and all the tea/coffee I want during eating hours.

I like this graphic that I snagged from Pinterest.





This is the only the second day for me and I don't plan to start the keto-alternating until next week.  First, I have to get used to the fasting itself.

Yesterday, I did fine waking up not starving but it was really hard not to have my morning tea or coffee. I cannot drink black coffee at all and drinking plain tea was almost as bad. I did get one cup of plain black tea down though because I hear it's great for the metabolism.

I'm not a breakfast eater, which is why I chose the 9-1 fasting period. I read that it's best to pick what works with your routine. For instance, my niece is a breakfast eater because she can't handle her pre-work gym time without it.

On this second day of the IF routine, I did better about getting through the morning without tea or coffee. I did drink a LOT of water though. By one o'clock, I was really ready for some food and the fasting made me appreciate the meaning of breakfast or "breaking fast". All I had was a cup of tea and some toast and, man, wheat toast never tasted so good!

I love this next graphic just for motivation and positive reinforcement:

Yeah, it's too small to read. So go over to the source site to check it out.

Anyway, I will be updating about my progress with the IF routine as I go along. By the way, I got my start by using the calendar and information over at the 3 Day Military Diet Menu site. There is a lot of information there so do check it out.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW & DISCOUNT** Keto Fast™ - Exogenous Ketone Supplement

Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.

I am re-committed to my cleaning up my eating habit and taking in fewer carbs than usual, but that means cutting my coffee and tea habit in half. At least. All that flavored cream is what does me in. Less coffee and tea equals energy drop. I am already battling fatigue so... I needed a plan.

This is what I am going to be trying out to boost my energy and help my metabolism:

 

It's Keto Fast from Healthy Wiser. As soon as I got a chance to get some to review, I jumped on it. Before I even start telling you more about it, let me say now that I can score you a discount. I'll give you the details in a minute. First, let me share my initial impressions:

Product Claims

• Boost or "supercharge" your blood ketones
• Promote better mood, and
• sustained energy, and
• mental acuity, and
• decreased appetite

The most important claim is what I'm interested in:

Or can't have carbs

I love when a brand guarantees their product like this. I can check my ketones with my testing strips and I will be taking photos every week to track my progress. (If you all are nice, I will share the weight photos.)  Now, I got my first product for free but if you guys want to try it, there's a 100% money-back guarantee to go along with the discount. But let's run through my impressions as of Day 2.

Label & Info

I was surprised at how powder-fine the Keto Fast is. You can see from the video that it's almost like talc. Almost.

Keto Fast (I like the name) is, most important of all, not low-carb but carb-free. This is good because on the diet I use, I allow myself up to 40 grams of daily carbs and I want to save those for any creamer I use in my hot beverages!

Less important to me but really important to some folks, this is also gluten-free. Also, it's non-GMO. I think we can all appreciate that. Oh, and it's made in the good old USA.

Taste, taste, taste

Okay, so the one thing I thought I wasn't going to like about this is the "Lemon Lime" flavor. No matter how good a product is, it won't work if you can't stand to use it and  I seriously almost didn't accept the chance to try the supplement just because of that. Then I thought that as long as the product helped, I could probably just slam the drink really fast.

I only put this is water and I didn't blend or shake it; I just used a fork and stirred it really well. I should have put it in my water bottle so that I could shake it because just stirring left a bit of residue on the surface. I was anxious to try this though so I just took a teeny-tiny sip. Not bad! This is something I could enjoy doing a few times a day. By the way, 3 scoops per day is the maximum dose.

There is none of the saccharine-fake-sweet taste that I associate with lemon-lime drinks. This reminded me of a tart Kool-Aid type beverage. I personally would not add this to any of the smoothies I've fixed because the flavor wouldn't compliment them. I prefer drinking this just with cold water.  There is no way that I would ever add this to... MILK.

Results?

As I said, this is only Day 2 so I can only tell you about the initial effects. I will have to update about further results at a later time - maybe with the promised photos.

So.

Did I feel an energy boost? Yes. I got busy and forgot to pay attention, but I think it was within an hour that I noticed I felt as alert as if I'd had my usual caffeine boost. Sure enough, there were none of the jitters we get so used to from caffeine that we think it's normal. My energy didn't last long, but that's probably because of my other health issues - which is also why I am only going to be using the supplement once a day.  It was a very nice  flush of energy for the 3 or 4 hours that it did last.

I don't think that it really suppressed my appetite. I don't eat breakfast or big lunches, so maybe the effects wore off by the time dinner time rolled around. I did kill dinner though! I had two servings of something a keto gal ain't supposed to have in the first place! ~my bad, my bad~

Since I will probably cheat too much to keep up with a dedicated keto-er, I guess I will be better at seeing if this does work for regular eaters. If this boosts the metabolism, I should see some results unless I start eating more than usual.

For truly committed Keto-ers - especially those just starting out - carbs are the most familiar energy source so the first few weeks on a ketogenic meal plan can make you feel so sluggish. Or, at least, that's how it was for me.

I'm looking forward to cutting back on my carbs and seeing if this can replace some of my caffeinated drinks.

The Discount

As promised, here is the discount information...

You get a 25% OFF coupon using the code IMHEALTHY7 redeem it at  www.HealthyWiser.com

If you do try this, I would be interested to know what you think about the flavor and what your overall results were.

Peace
--Free



DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in this post for free in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

**REVIEW** Hirt's Gardens via Walmart.com

My budget is about as bad as my emotions sometimes are. Broke and depressed, I have found that houseplants are the cheapest way to beat the blues and decorate a home. I've already told you all about this though. Since I haven't been driving, it's best that I do what I can online. Or maybe not.

Walmart's Garden Center had beautiful and affordable plants when I was there a couple of weeks ago. I had to look at the budget and pay some bills first so I only just now got one for $13, but I'll get back to that later.

My photo does no justice!

When I saw online that there were a Cordyline and some other plants that I could actually afford (even including the shipping), so I ordered them and waited anxiously for their arrival. The shipping time was shorter than estimated. That's one good thing at least. The problem is, the plants were MUCH smaller than I thought they would be. They all - all FIVE - came in a box smaller than the one I once got a coffee pot in!

Okay now, let's play the ol' what-I-ordered-and-what-got game...



What I ordered...

Hirt's House Plant Collection

..and what I got

As you can see, that snake plant is a hearty little thing. It's the one I've been advising my friends to get if they have trouble keeping houseplants alive.


What I ordered...

Peace Lily Plant - Spathiphyllum

..and what I got

Okay, this one didn't come out so bad; it just wasn't as lush as the product photo represented.

 What I ordered...

Chinese Green Ti Plant - Cordyline 

...What I got

How sad is this?!

Tragic

I think the cordyline was the biggest disappointment. It wasn't the size (I didn't expect a huge one), but that poor thing was all kinds of beat up! It's been about a week now and I'm slowly getting her to perk up. I was sick in bed myself the past day and a half so I checked on her this morning to see how she was doing. Thank goodness she's starting to look a bit healthier.

That's what happens, I guess when you order certain things online. And this is what happens when you go in and actually look at stuff in person...

Again, my camera kind of sucks!

 There were only three of them left. I guess I wasn't the only customer shocked to see such a great price on such a beautiful plant. I don't even want to think about what this would have cost me in Anchorage. Okay, I will guess at a low estimate of $30 maybe? I'll have to see if one of the nieces can run over and do a price check for me.

My camera does not show the full beauty of those colors. I do think the Walmart folk were over-watering her because her leaves have some browning and are brittle in a couple of places. At any rate, I love the plant. On my worst days, I will go lay in the living room just to look at all the plants and this cordyline is extra special. They should place these plants around patient areas in hospitals, seriously.


By the way, I don't see the brand of Hirt's Gardens on the large cordyline. Hmmm... This is what she looks like next to her mini-me:

Big sister, little sister

Now, I don't want to bash Hirt's because I'm sure they do the best they can to carefully package the plants for shipping. I kind of want to put the blame on the carrier. I could tell when I unpacked the plants that the box had gotten knocked around - and Hirt's had boldly labeled it as holding LIVE PLANTS. C'mon now people.

Anyway, I wanted to do this post for anyone else who may have thought of ordering plants online - from any seller, not just Hirt's.

Soon as I'm feeling better, I will do another post on the plants I've collected (yes, another one!). Meantime, I'll leave you with something I recently saw on Pinterest: don't stop be-leafing.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Cossac Planner/Agenda

With so many phone apps, it's a wonder we need anything like calendars or planners. I love phone apps for most things but not for calendars. I have more trouble using phone and email calendars than I should! Certain things are just in the See-Hold-Feel category.

I think a lot of folks must agree with me because when I posted this on Instagram the other day, quite a few of my friends wanted to know more. I don't blame them.

That is a planner/agenda from Cossac. I hate calling it a planner because it's actually so much more. At first sight, I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. Ten minutes later (after reading over the enclosed instructions and checking the Cossac site), I was in love.

Most planners seem to be made to fit certain lifestyles. Usually, they are designed around people who work "regular" jobs. This one is perfect no matter what your day consists of. It's one of the first planners I've seen that someone could use - and I mean really use - whether they are a stay-at-home parent, working parent, student, or conventional employee. The whole idea behind this planner is to help you stay on track with whatever you are doing. For me, with my poor memory and organizing skills, this is just what I need. I can keep up with health appointments, medications, daily life hassles and commitments. Most important, it's going to be wonderful for helping me get on track and stay on track with writing projects.

Love this part!

If you feel overwhelmed by all that you have to do, or if you just want to be more focused or keep a record of goals and progress, this is an awesome planner. I am not exaggerating even a little bit.

This planner uses the organizing concept of general-to-specific.

When I did the review for this on Amazon, I tried to highlight some of my favorite features, so I'll run through them here:

• The layout is structured so that the user can focus more on primary goals in a 6-month period - month by month; week by week; and/or day by day. I will probably use the monthly pages for medical appointments just to glance at. What I will use most are the weekly and daily pages for my writing projects. 
• The paper is good quality for writing and not having a pen bleed through. (I am using a pencil in mine because I want to re-use!).
• The hardcover binder has a really nice texture that I can only describe and "creamy" smooth. Best of all is that you can flatten the planner without damaging the binder because of the way it's made. 
• I've already mentioned that this planner doesn't assume anything about the user; it's set up to work for every kind of occupation or lifestyle.
• The planner is most helpful for keeping a user from getting overwhelmed with whatever they are busy with. Everything is set up as in a flow of review backward and plan forward. That's what will help me most at the end of the day - to see what I've done (or should have) and plan for the next day.
• I love the way the Daily view is set up. It's constant reinforcement of what you "aim for" that day; what the general priorities are; more detailed "schedule/tasks"; a place to jot notes and ideas; then the review for the day. 

Pretty cool, yeah?

There are a couple of features I don't think I will even pay much attention to. There is a small space at the top of the Daily pages called a "Habit Tracker":

I guess that would be great for me to track my water-drinking habit but, nah, I don't dig that part so much. It could be great for someone who can use it, but I will be busy tracking appointment and writing projects.

There you have it. For better photos, go on over to the Amazon product page.

Peace
-- Free



DISCLAIMER: I received the product featured in the post either for free or at a discount, but not for writing this blog post.

**REVIEW** Covery USB C Adapter (for cellphones)

Don't you hate when you upgrade your cell phone and realize you now also have to upgrade all your charging cords? That happened to me last year with my Samsung. I have used some kind of Galaxy phone for the past several years and I had collected all kinds of cords - long ones, short ones; plastic-and fabric-covered ones. Understand that when I get a phone, I keep and use it until it burns out. No running out and replacing it with the newer, flashier models just because. No suh. Can't afford it. Can barely afford a phone in the first place.

Yeah, yeah, I'm going to get to the review. Give me a second to vent first.

I had all these cords that fit the Note 4 (and most Galaxy phones, I think) but ended up having to trade up for the S8. Guess what? Samsung went and changed the USB ports. The old cords worked for my old tablet but not for the phone. I had probably 10 or more of the old cords and just the one for the new phone. Maybe I'm lying; there might have been two new cords that came with the S8. I don't remember.

This is where these Covery USB C adaptors come in. What a lifesaver.

No need to toss all my old cords and buy new ones. Thank goodness!

Okay, my photos suck so let's look at theirs.

These are nice, neat little things that you can (as you see in the photos) clip to your wallet, purse, or backpack. I still worry about losing one so I just keep one in the zip pocket of my purse.

I am telling you that these are so much easier (and cheaper) to get than it is to buy all new cables. I already had good cables of various lengths that I like and didn't want to have to start a new collection. If I go somewhere and take both my tablet and my phone, I only need the one cable since I can switch the USB with the adapter. Perfect.

At the time that I tested these for review, they were around $7 for the 4-pack. Four of these is plenty even if there are two of you in a household. I only needed one for my phone, but I keep the spares in different places around the apartment

Peace
--Free