Giving Thanks

I have so many incredible things to be thankful for. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with how blessed I am. Here is a list of everything I am thankful for (in no particular order).

1.  My amazing husband. I can't imagine my life without him. He is always telling me he loves me and loves to surprise me with little gifts all the time. He pushes me to become a better person. He loves me even when I act crazy or weird. He is my absolute soulmate.

2.  My mom and dad. They worked so hard to give me everything I wanted or needed, and I will never be able to repay them. I love them with all of my heart, and I hope that I make them proud of the woman I have become thanks to them.

3.  My crazy sisters! I always laugh with them, and I know I can talk to them about anything. I can completely let loose with them. I don't know where I would be without these two, and I couldn't ask for better sisters.

4.  My brothers-in-law. They are funny, smart, and they put up with me and my sisters, and all our crazy-ness. Need I say more?

5.  My nieces and nephew. They constantly make me laugh, they are smart and quirky, and they are truly some of the best kids I know.

6.  My mother- and father-in-law. They raised the man I love (something I can never repay), and they have always been there for us when we needed them. They have accepted me into their family with open arms. I am so thankful for the amazing relationship I have developed with them.

7.  Both my Grandma, and Jeremy's Mamaw and Pop. They are incredible people, and I love all of the knowledge they pass on to me.

  

8.  My entire family (including Jeremy's). Unfortunately, both sides are too huge for a group picture. But know that I love the support all of you provide, as well as the fun times.
9.  My cats. Yes, this is the crazy cat lady portion of this post. They help me relax after long days at work, make me laugh with their hilarious antics, and show me unconditional love.

10.  My amazing friends. They accept me for who I am, they are always there for me, and they have given me some incredible memories.

11.  Having a job I enjoy

12.  Having a roof over my head, and a working car

13.  Good health, both mentally and physically

14.  Having a place to go for the holidays

15.  All of the amazing people I have had the privilege of meeting and getting to know through the course of my life. Many of these people have touched me in ways I never thought possible.

What are you thankful for?

Favorite Finds

I have never been considered a big person (hence the name "The Life of a Little Wife"). I am all of 5'0", and sometimes it seems I am only that tall when I stand up SUPER straight. So when people read this post, they will probably be thinking "Why is she posting about a weight loss app?". Well, let me tell you. This app is AWESOME!

I started gaining weight by adding a few pounds after I graduated high school. I didn't think anything of it, and didn't try all that hard to lose those pounds. Before I realized what was happening, I was up almost 24 pounds from the weight I graduated high school at. Now, I know I will never be considered heavy given the weight I was at, but I wasn't happy with how my clothes were fitting, and I had started to become self-conscious of how I looked. 24 pounds is a decent amount of weight to gain, and the fact that it happened over a six year period made it even harder to detect. Until I finally hit that point that it was either shed a few pounds, or buy an entire new wardrobe. If anyone has a frugal husband, you will know I opted (with a lot of encouragement from the frugal husband) to go for the first option.

We had gotten a BowFlex for Christmas last year. Let me tell you, this machine is really cool. I hate the idea of having to find time to drive to the gym, fight everyone for machines, and drive home. After work, I usually want to just piddle around the house. With the BowFlex in our sunroom, I didn't have the excuse that I didn't want to leave home or fight anyone for a machine. So, my husband and I started to use the BowFlex. Well, after some somewhat serious medical issues spread over the course of a few months, I hadn't gotten very far in the weight loss department.

I was frustrated with myself, and figured I should look for other ways to lose weight. That's when I found the LoseIt app (and yes, I know this sounds like a bad infomercial, but bear with me). Using this app, and another app called Yoga Studio (awesome for anyone interested in doing yoga at home), I have since lost almost 15 pounds. I am extremely happy with my results, and my husband is, too (remember the frugal-ness?).

What is super awesome about this app is that you can also do it online (which I use at work frequently). This app is super easy (I have it on my iPad to use at home, and I use it online at work). The first step is creating an account. Either download the app (I believe it is free. If it isn't it is just a couple of dollars.), or go to http://www.loseit.com/.

Once you set up an account, you record your current weight, and your goal weight. You also decide how fast you want to achieve that goal (losing 1/2 a pound a week, a pound a week, etc.). Using your gender, age, and other demographics, the app determines how many calories you should eat a day to achieve your goal, and gives you a date you should reach your goal given the speed you selected. Each day, you record what you eat for each meal, and you record any exercise you did for the day. There is an entire index of food to choose from, you can create your own food (using Nutritional Info), and create your own recipes.

My favorite part of using my iPad and the app is that you can scan barcodes of food you eat, so you don't have to search for it in the massive food index. There is also an index of exercises to choose from, or you can create your own. There is a spot to record your weight at any time. I tried to record mine weekly, but you can do it as frequently as you like. There is also a graph that shows your weekly caloric consumption, along with a pie chart for how your meals break up into fats, proteins, and carbs. I participated in an "Octo-Log" challenge that challenged me to record my meals and exercise every day for the month of October. I didn't win anything, other than being proud of myself for recording. And it helps if you are COMPLETELY honest about your meals. Count that candy bar you snuck in when no one was looking - it's the best way to meet your goal.

Everyone can afford to live a little healthier, right? Try out LoseIt, and see if you like it!

CureSearch for Children's Cancer

I wrote this post a while ago, with every intention of including a "Pie in the Face" and "Ice Bucket Challenge" combination video. However, several minor health issues, birthdays, and travels have kept me from actually doing the video. I figured that could easily be a post on it's own, so I decided to publish this as is. September was National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 42 children are diagnosed with cancer every day. That is more than a classroom full of children. Every. Day. 12% of these children will not survive. 60% of children who survive cancer suffer late-effects, such as infertility, heart failure and secondary cancers. Unfortunately, my husband's family has been affected by childhood cancer. In March 2011, my husband's cousin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) a few months before his 16th birthday. It is utterly devastating to watch a family go through the torture our family went through. All of the unknowns, the sickness, the chemo. And it is also devastating to see a young man's teenage years be taken away from him. Today, B is cancer-free, and all of his treatments are over. He is happily attending college, enjoying life as any college kid should. But there are so many other children who are not as lucky. And B wouldn't be so lucky, if it wasn't for research looking for a cure for cancer. I vowed to let this blog be a voice for some of the lesser known organizations that do wonders for people, either directly or indirectly. CureSearch for Children's Cancer is one such organization. "CureSearch for Children's Cancer funds and supports targeted and innovative children's cancer research with measurable results, and is the authoritative source of information and resources for all those affected by children's cancer." (CureSearch Mission Statement) This non-profit is one that our family has decided to support since of B's diagnosis. B's mom and sister participated in the CureSearch Walk on September 27. In Oklahoma City alone, $46,302 was raised (at the writing of this post). Can you imagine everything $46,302 can pay for, if each CureSearch Walk could raise that amount? That's more than $2.3 million. Imagine all of the clinical trials, innovative research, NEW CURES that can be found with that type of money. Even if you cannot afford to donate, help spread the word about childhood cancer. It is devastating. And for some, incurable. This needs to change. For the children that do not get to experience their childhood they way they should. For the children who suffer the after-effects of treatment. For the children who don't survive. For more information about CureSearch, visit http://www.curesearch.org/about/ To donate, visit https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Single/SinglePledgeBasket.asp?ievent=1035694 People spreading the word and donating will help more children have an outcome like B. So share! Donate! TAKE ACTION!

Favorite Finds

I have been growing my hair out for what seems like an eternity. It is FINALLY getting long enough that I can start trying all of the adorable hairstyles I have pinned on Pinterest. However, most of those hairstyles don't work on my hair length. It is hard to find cute hairstyle tutorials for medium length hair. Even if they say they are for medium length hair, they are actually for hair much longer than mine, leaving me super frustrated.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I found an entire blog for medium length hairstyle tutorials. A WHOLE BLOG! And this lady is very helpful in explaining her hair tutorials. She is a hairstylist who uses her own hair to explain and demonstrate how to fix your hair. I have tried several of her hairstyles, and they are actually very easy!

Here is Kate, from The Small Things blog:

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com

This blog also has tons of other useful posts, from makeup to motherhood to clothing. I haven't spent as much time reading her other blog posts, considering how many hair tutorials she has! Here are direct links to some of my favorite tutorials.

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2013/09/the-mid-knot-tutorial/
I love this hairstyle for every day looks. It is easy, and keeps my hair off my neck.

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2011/10/half-up-braids/
This hairstyle seems like a "Duh!" hairstyle that would be easy to come up with on your own. However, my craftiness doesn't extend to personal style.

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2013/06/side-french-braid-bun/
I do this hairstyle a lot using just a plain braid, and it looks just as cute!

http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2011/08/how-to-curl-your-hair-with-curling-iron/
This is an awesome hair curling tutorial - and it is so easy once you get the hang of it!

Visit this blog, and check out all of her hairstyles. Her YouTube channel is also an easy place to view the tutorials.

What are your favorites?

With all of the ALS Ice Bucket challenges crowding Facebook feeds, I have been wondering, "What can I do to help?" Sure, dumping a bucket of freezing water on my head would be funny, and would certainly feel refreshing with this August heat. But, what will that do in the long run for diseases like this? I want to bring awareness to this disease, inform people how devastating this disease, and others like it, really are.

My hopes with this blog are to provide little known diseases and their foundations a little bit more awareness. There will also be funny stories, favorite products, and any other random thought I may want to share with the world.

So, my contribution to the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, and the perfect opening post for a new blog, is educating whoever I can about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and providing links on where to donate.

According to the ALS Association, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis "is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord". This disease slowly takes away the patient's ability to move any part of their body. Currently, there is no cure for ALS, nor is there any type of treatment that can reverse the effects of ALS. A small number of cases are genetic, but the cause of most cases are unknown.

Some quick facts, taken from the ALS Association:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord.  When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them.  Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert.
• Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS — more than 5,600 people per year. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. Annually, ALS is responsible for two deaths per 100,000 people.
• The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from time of diagnosis.  With recent advances in research and improved medical care, many patients are living longer, more productive lives. Half of all those affected live at least three years or more after diagnosis.  About 20 percent live five years or more, and up to ten percent will survive more than ten years.
• ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.  ALS can strike anyone. Every single American is threatened by this disease.

The Mayo Clinic states "ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in an arm or leg, or sometimes with slurring of speech. Eventually, ALS can affect your ability to control the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. ALS can't be cured and eventually leads to death.".

Just think about what it would feel like to not be able to move, but to be completely aware of the fact that you can't move. Many patients even lose the ability to talk. They are held prisoner by their own body, with no relief until they die. It is horrible to think of having to live your life that way, yet thousands of people live this way every day. For many, an ALS diagnosis is a life sentence, and is completely and utterly terrifying.

This is a blog post about how a family affected by ALS views the Ice Bucket challenge: http://www.bostern.com/blog/2014/08/15/what-an-als-family-really-thinks-about-the-ice-bucket-challenge/

The author of this blog is the wife of an ALS patient. There are several posts that provide a glimpse into the life of a family dealing with this horrific disease.

This blog post doesn't do any justice to the patients and families dealing with ALS. But, hopefully through sharing in social media, people will be a little more aware of this disease. I am including links below of places to read more about ALS:

The Mayo Clinic - http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/basics/definition/CON-20024397

ALS Association - http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html

WebMD - http://www.webmd.com/brain/understanding-als-basics

And here is a place to donate to help find a cure:

http://www.alsa.org/donate/

Please, share this post. Search online and read some of the heartbreaking stories of how this disease has affected so many. And soon, I will also dump ice water on my head, all in good spirit.