4 Remedies For Pain & Sleepless Nights

This is me, after eating something mentioned in that article. 

This is the reason suggestible-me is banned from "web-md" surfing.  

I just read the article “14 Seemingly Harmless Things You Eat All The Time That Can Kill You”.

It took a full 3 minutes. To read no-brainers like “don’t take 75 Tylenol capsules” and “don’t eat 16 chocolate bars” in a day or the chemicals will add up and probably kill you.

In my daily life, I do all kinds of no-brainer stuff but not once have I come close to either of these options.

My no-brainer activities are far more esoteric. Like last month at the gas station when I thought my tank was filled up. So I pulled the gas pump hose out of my tank while the gas was still flowing.

That stupid gas erupted like Old Faithful, all over my car, my shoes and the ground as I jumped around, shrieking and stabbing at the “off” button.

It was the worst! But you’ll notice I’m not going to ruin anyone else’s day by including it in a “what not to do” list that lures people in with a catchy title.

Here is my list of the day. I’m calling it “Very Useful Items You Will Be Glad You Spent 3 Minutes Of Your Day Reading About”.

4 Remedies for Sleeplessness & Pain

1.      Buy sunglasses with amber-colored lenses. Wear them when you’re viewing electronics at night within two hours of bedtime. The amber lens color counteracts the blue light from electronics, which disrupts your sleep pattern.

2.   Buy Gaia “Sleep Thru” herbs. Pop two of these all natural babies before bed time, and they’ll help you sleep through the whole night. No more waking up at 3 a.m. and staying awake for an entire hour, possibly the most frustrating thing ever (aside from malfunctioning gas pumps.) I’ve tried these herbs, and they really do help. (Available at Whole Foods and other retailers.)

3.   Buy Lemon scented lotion. Scent can help bring your anxiety down in stressful moments. Think of a scent you find soothing (lavender, lemon, sage) and buy some scented lotion. Slather it on in those anxious moments and it’ll help ya keep your calm. (Even at the malfunctioning gas pump.)

4.   Buy Epsom salts. Everyone knows to pour a cup of these into bath water, and they’ll help with aching muscles. But if you feel a headache coming on, jump into an Epsom salt bath and it can head off the headache, one study says.

This is a whole lot better than popping 75 Tylenol and becoming the poster child for that crazy article I read earlier today.  

Happy sleeping and pain-free living, guru girls & guys! 

5 Foods Every Dieter Needs

I am officially on a money diet.

This weekend I got a little too excited at the school auction. I was feeling bad about my lack of bidding restraint until a friend commiserated about her own experience a few years ago.

She texted,”I put my paddle up for a golf trip, without even knowing the details. (Like it’s in another state and only valid on weekdays!!)”

Another shared," Last year I bid on the art project with the fingerprints of all the fourth graders. I didn't even have a fourth grader!"

Thank God for girlfriends! I am still chuckling about their stories and feeling much less chagrined about my own. I’m not alone in my momentary auction madness!

But the money diet remains and the healthy eating diet too. Dieting is the worst because you’re hungry all the time. But add these 5 foods to your pantry and presto! You’re eating healthy and not hungry or incredibly bitter.

It’s a contradiction in terms, I know. Like the term “responsible spending” when applied to guru girl.

All this stuff has lots of protein so it fills you up, and most of it comes in easy-to-carry packs you can stash in your purse.

The 5 Fab Foods:

1.      Sargento Balanced Breaks cheese and nut packs – 7 grams protein, 180 calories per pack

2.    Frollicks Crunchy Cheese cracker pouches – 8 grams protein, 90 calories per pack.

3.    Think Thin High Protein bars – 20 grams protein, 240 calories

4.    Edamame – 4 grams protein, 45 calories per single serving

5.     Apple  -- I have no idea what the stats are on apples, but they’re good for you. One recent study says to eat an apple before dinner every day.

Happy healthy eating and living, guru girls and guys!

And for those of you with school auctions to attend, bid away those Benjamins. The guilt is fleeting and the good lasts the whole next school year. It’s a great cause! Many thanks to those who made ours so irresistible!  

Gotta Read Parenting Book: You Are Not Special

I am very suspicious of French people. Not all. Just the ones who are interviewed by the media and/or publish books.

I suspect these people are not telling the truth about some things. Things like:

-          how often stylish French women wash their hair

-         how stylish French families raise their children

Because I just don’t see how what they say can really be true.

Let’s take hair washing. It has been reported in several reputable magazines that many stylish French ladies choose to wash their hair once a week.

They go to a salon, get it washed and blown out and then allow it to swing free, the rest of the week, with nary a shampoo.

I gave this a try this week. I got my hair cut and blown out on Day 1. It is now Day 3 and my hair looks like I’ve been camping for a month.

Or the “miracles” of French parenting, which get reported on every few years. The latest one says French parents feed their French children the exact same stuff adults eat, which includes delicacies like vegetables and snails (which go by the fancy name of “escargot” but the food stuff remains the same: slimy bugs). And these same parents don’t pay their escargot-eating offspring too much attention.

They certainly don’t do the crazy roundelay of after school kid activities that characterize many American families. Then, it’s always reported that French children are better adjusted, with wider palettes, than many an American child.

I read these things, and it makes me feel guilty.

Like I’m busting my a$$ to have swishy hair and well developed children for no reason. Like this stuff would just happen in a vacuum, and I could have an extra 3 hours every day to eat bon-bons. French ones!

Unless.

Unless these stylish, well-adjusted French foodies are lying.

We need some truth tellers out there. (Even if they’re exhausted.)

Luckily, we have ‘em. I’m in the middle of the best book by a fella who’s not afraid to tell it like it is about parenting and how crazy American culture has gotten about it.

This teacher skyrocketed to fame a few years ago after the commencement speech he gave at his posh private school went viral. It was aimed at graduating high school seniors, and it was entitled “You Are Not Special”.

Wowzers. Tough title and the book (which goes by the same title and just expands on the ideas in the initial speech) is a bit of a tough-love read. But this guy offers a great perspective on what kids really need to grow up healthy and happy. (Note: nowhere in the book does it mention eating escargot).

The book’s not a total downer. Mr. You Are Not Special really likes kids. He wants to see them succeed. And he’s got some tips for us to help get them there. Sadly, the tips aren’t easy. But then again, they never are, for stuff that’s truly worthwhile. Unless you’re French apparently:)  (Click this link to go to amazon.com to order or read more about "You Are Not Special" by David McCullough.)

5 Books You Won't Be Able To Put Down

Have just returned from a quick spring break getaway with the guru crew. 

As always, I loaded my kindle with books. Because there’s hardly anything better than a sunshine vacation filled with pool time, umbrella drinks and book reading!

And this vacation was good, except for the parts that were bad. 

Like when I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the horseback ride through the desert. Guru girl was not copping a squat behind a cactus. There is modesty to think about. And also rattlesnakes.

The other bad part of vacation was the book reading.

For 12 years I haven’t been able to get through even one book on vacation.

This year I read 3.

Because the Dynamic Duo no longer require me to frolic with them. Indeed, they actively discourage me from frolicking (and also tinkling in the desert).

I have officially achieved Sunshine Vacation Nirvana, the vision of which got me through the toughest, on-call- 24/7 – days of toddlerhood.

And it makes me sad.

How’s that for great cosmic irony?!

Luckily, I read some really excellent books this break that got my mind off the bad stuff. All these books feature heroines a lot more troubled than I am, except for Nathaniel P. which follows a guy who’s a bigger train wreck than the lot of us!

My favorite reads this spring:

1) A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison

2) Girl On A Train by Paula Hawkins

3) The Love Affairs Of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman

4)The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

5) The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Read on, guru girls & guys!