Are You Ready for Halloween?

October 27, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life, Fashion

Well, actually, I am. I’ve been planning a Malicifent costume since the beginning of the month. It depends mostly on make-up, but I have a great cape of black tulle that I bought from Target that will be fun to wear. We’re planning to trick or treat with the grandchildren on Friday night.

My youngest daughter’s blog “The Uncoordinated Mommy” has a wonderful “how to” post for making a baby’s Olaf costume. The link is below.

No Sew Olaf Costume

If you haven’t seen the movie “Frozen”, then you’ve missed one of the cutest Disney characters ever. Olaf is a little comical snow man. Like most snow men made by children, he is small and has a misshapen head and body. He comes apart and pulls back together again. He says the funniest things. He stole the show.

So check out how easy the girls made an Olaf costume for the youngest member of our family. Here she is with her older cousins, who dressed as the Elsa, the Snow Queen and her sister Princess Anna, also from “Frozen”.

Gone Girl: A Movie Review

October 25, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Movies

Ever gone to see a movie, and walked away just hating it? Well, I did that last night.

Harold wanted to go see the movie “Gone Girl”. I checked its reviews, and it seems that everyone loves this movie. So we went.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGn-xKFZdU

I found myself mesmerized by the plot, the characters, the actors, even the fashions. Then something happened.

It ended, and I hated the entire movie.

I told Harold as I left the theatre, “That movie is what is wrong with America today.” He told me that I needed to come down off my high horse.

Well, I cannot help it. Lately, I’ve been wondering about our ability as humankind to look at someone and determine if they have an unsavory character or if this is someone we can depend on.

We idolize movie stars, who live lives totally different from our own. We place politicians on a pedestal that no one can remain upon, and then we tear them down until they are the lowest of the low. And we place our faith in their hands, even before we get a chance to understand them. How can we understand them, when our media gives us only what they want us to see.

We take a violent juvenile, and then we take their side even when our gut tells us otherwise. Lines are crossed constantly, and our young people are always watching.

And now I sit through a movie that takes me on a ride and lines are crossed again until I watch something totally wrong, totally out of character, and I am expected to chuckle when it is over–to not take things or it too seriously. I find myself slipping away, wondering if I will reach a time when I can no longer judge right from wrong for myself.

So I hated this movie, because I felt duped again. I fell into the trap, and I could have easily shrugged it off and gone my way. The problem, though, is that my better judgment says otherwise. There is a bigger picture here, but we all tend to just sweep it under the rug–especially to be remain cool.

All the values that I gained from my parents, my childhood, my teachers and my extended family tell me that watching all this media that seeks to distort my mind is just not good for me. I feel myself changing, and I do not like it.

Those values that I gained from my earlier days are what guide me to help others, to be patient, to be understanding, and to be kind. I worry that we and our children are not getting enough of the these attributes and are getting too much of the distortions.

The movie was good, but I wish I had never seen it.

Finding Blessings Even in Life’s Tribulations

October 25, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life, Health

I just ran across an article at FoxNews.com that I think is inspiration for us all. I copied it in its entirety below.

I could identify with this story. Years ago my uncle entered into the later stages of this disease, and his children finally came to the decision to place him in a facility. My grandmother, his sister and a very strong woman, wouldn’t have it; so she drove to south Florida and brought him to her home in north Florida.

About two days later I was washing dishes at my kitchen sink and noticed my uncle walking down the street in front of our home alone. I called my grandmother, and she didn’t even realize he had left the house.

His stay with her lasted hardly two weeks. He kept wandering away, as one cannot keep an eye on them 24/7. In defeat she took him back down to south Florida.

Here’s is Kim Campbell’s story about her husband.

‘Thank you, heavenly Father’: Faith, Alzheimer’s and my husband Glen Campbell

By Kim Campbell, Published October 24, 2014, FoxNews.com

Glen & Kim Campbell

My husband, Glen Campbell, has stage 6 Alzheimer’s disease. Seven months ago, at the recommendation of his doctors, we placed him in a memory care facility close to our home in Nashville.

It’s a community that’s designed specifically for the needs of those who have Alzheimer’s and dementia. They have all kinds of therapies and activities that stimulate parts of the brain affected by the illness. It’s a safe and secure environment where he receives around-the-clock care.

It’s been good for him. He just seems more at peace there than he was at home, where he became increasingly agitated and frantic.

He lives in a mental fog most of the time. He’s lost most of his language skills and has a hard time communicating. He still has moments of lucidity, though, and those moments let us know he’s still in there and that he’s the Glen we’ve always known. He can make short sentences and say things like “I love you” and “We are so blessed.”

The aides and nurses say he must have been a godly man because they always see him thanking the Lord. I’ve seen him walk over to the window and lift up his hands and say, “Thank you, heavenly Father.”

Glen Campbell as a Younger Man

Those moments are so comforting because when you’re facing your mortality, that’s when you want to know God is there. That’s when you really want to draw close to Him.

When I see him do that, I know God is with him, and he’s aware of His presence. He’s relying on the Lord and gets his strength from Him.

People should not give up on others who have dementia. The essence of who they are is still alive and still in there.

He’s still the Glen Campbell he’s always been. He’s always especially loved children and old people. There’s this little lady in a wheelchair in the facility, and she can’t speak at all. He will walk over to her and take her little hand in his and say, “You are so precious.”

He’ll kiss her on the forehead, and she’ll just look up at him. She has no idea who he is, but you can tell it comforts her.

Even in his affliction, he’s ministering to people and trying to be a blessing.

In between those moments, he’s lost. He wanders. He can’t communicate. He doesn’t understand what others say to him. It’s very hard to direct him even to sit in a chair in the dining room.

When we did the film, “Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me,” which documents his last farewell tour, Glen was in stages 2-4. He knew what was happening to him and he wanted to let people know what Alzheimer’s is really like.

He was passionate about making this film because he hoped it would be a catalyst for more funding for research to find a cure. He wanted to encourage other families who are dealing with this disease to keep living their lives, supporting each other and lifting each other up.

When Glen got the diagnosis and decided to go public, it was because he wanted fans to know what was going on in case he exhibited odd behavior on stage, like repeating a song or forgetting what key it was in.

He just wanted them to understand. But after he made the announcement, we all wondered if anyone would want to come see someone with Alzheimer’s perform.

We wondered if his fans would rather remember him the way he was. Maybe it would be depressing. Or maybe no one would be interested either way.

But what we found was the exact opposite. The first show he did after making the announcement sold out. From the time he walked on stage to the time he walked off, it was one standing ovation after another. It was clear fans were there to shower him with love and to root for, support and encourage him. It really blessed Glen and encouraged him to continue on.

Offers began to pour in from around the country for Glen to come to their cities to perform.

What began as a five-week farewell tour turned into 151 dates. His last show was at the Uptown Theater in Napa, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2012.

The first 15-20 minutes were a train wreck. He was having difficulties. His guitar wasn’t loud enough. It didn’t have the quality he wanted. He became very agitated on stage. He kept turning his back to the audience. His band was very uncomfortable. It was a tough show.

But the audience, again, was so supportive. They cheered for him without fail and without question. They loved him unconditionally.

He snapped back and finished the show strong. It was good, but it was clear it was time for us to end the tour and say farewell.

He closed the show with “A Better Place.”

Daily we pray for grace and mercy as he approaches the final stages of this illness and are so thankful for the moments we see Glen being Glen.

Kim Campbell is married to country music singer Glen Campbell.

What Are We Doing As A Nation To Prepare For the Ebola Virus?

October 21, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Health

So what are we doing about the Ebola Virus? This is a question that I have, so I went looking for some answers.

I saw where the President did appoint an Ebola Czar, but what actions are we taking? What did we learn from the situation in Dallas, and what are we changing to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

Ebola

For a more complete report, which was updated yesterday, October 20th, take a look at the CDC’s Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals page.

The Last Child to Nurse…The Last Child to Cuddle

October 20, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Family Life

The following video is a monologue given by my youngest daughter. She was chosen to be in the first “Listen to Your Mother!” show in Atlanta. Tracy is a blogger and blogs at “The Uncoordinated Mommy”.

Tracy was my last child. Since her monologue was about her last child, I can certainly relate. Like her, I cannot remember breast feeding my oldest, but I remember trying to capture those special moments when I realized that Tracy Lynn would be my last child–that she would be the last to nurse, the last to cuddle. It is a special bond, because you have total control and you realize it. You want to hold on to that as long as they will allow you.

Below is her video. It is four minutes long, but she captured those moments. I was able to relive them through her eyes.

Life is a circle!

By Protecting Ourselves, Can We Protect Our Families From Ebola?

October 20, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Health

This morning I got up worrying about Ebola and all the reports throughout the nation. Today, I just learned that there is concern about a plane that went to Ft. Lauderdale, which had transported one of the infected nurses. Now we’re talking about Florida where I live, not just Texas and Ohio.

All three of these states are in the top five in population in the US. I’m worried that this may already be more widespread than anyone wants to admit. Think about it. There are many political reasons for them to keep this from us–the economy, civil unrest, a general election in less than a month–the list is probably longer than any one person realizes.

Yesterday, three of my grandchildren were here–three rambunctious little boy toddlers. They were so full of life, tumbling and playing on the rug while the rest of the family watched a football game. Life is good, but later last night all I could think about was the threat of this awful disease.

So this morning, I went searching for anything that may help. My first site was one by the Mayo Clinic. It is below.

The first suggestion is to avoid areas of known outbreaks, and they mention Africa. I’m thinking, what about Dallas and Cleveland? Ft. Lauderdale? I would hate to see these cities hurt by this, but I wouldn’t want my children to travel there. Call me paranoid, but it is still there in my mind.

I actually have even thought about a safe place to get away, like the old city citizens used to do when yellow fever would strike their southern cities. If they were able, these men would send their wives and children to the country-side, while they would stay behind and work. But I digress.

Even further down into digression I worry, too, about bodily secretions. They suggest that you wear gloves and protective gear when working with these patients. Sweat is a body’s secretion, and I now know that our skin truly does take in liquids and creams (i.e., bio-identicals such as progesterone which is a cream rubbed into your skin). Sweat is a liquid. Can you get ebola from rubbing up against a person who is sweating?

There are so many questions.

Here is initially what I found online, but I plan to do more searching. I’ll share what I find.

I am already washing my hands well with soap and in hot water if available, and I carry a strong alcohol hand rub in my purse. I started this over a week ago.

By protecting ourselves, we protect our families!

Prevention

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Prevention focuses on avoiding contact with the viruses. The following precautions can help prevent infection and spread of Ebola and Marburg.

Avoid areas of known outbreaks. Before traveling to Africa, find out about current epidemics by checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Wash your hands frequently. As with other infectious diseases, one of the most important preventive measures is frequent hand-washing. Use soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren’t available.
Avoid bush meat. In developing countries, avoid buying or eating the wild animals, including nonhuman primates, sold in local markets.
Avoid contact with infected people. In particular, caregivers should avoid contact with the person’s body fluids and tissues, including blood, semen, vaginal secretions and saliva. People with Ebola or Marburg are most contagious in the later stages of the disease.
Follow infection-control procedures. If you’re a health care worker, wear protective clothing, such as gloves, masks, gowns and eye shields. Keep infected people isolated from others. Dispose of needles and sterilize other instruments.
Don’t handle remains. The bodies of people who have died of Ebola or Marburg disease are still contagious. Specially organized and trained teams should bury the remains, using appropriate safety equipment.

Vaccine development

Scientists are working on a variety of vaccines that would protect people from Ebola or Marburg viruses. Some of the results have been promising, but further testing is needed.

High Sugar Diets Linked to Breast Cancer

October 18, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Health

Earlier, I posted about what getting too much sugar in our diets does to our health. I personally found that cutting back on sugars alone gave me all kinds of health benefits, but cutting back wasn’t simple.

I found that sugars are hidden in almost all of our foods; plus there are foods that we don’t think of as containing sugar but do, such as pastas and breads. I even learned some new methods of detecting sugar in our foods, such as looking for any kind of sugar within the first five ingredients.

Don’t count carbs, just put it back if there is any kind of sugar within the first five ingredients of any food. Any sugar means not only table sugar, but also honey, syrups, artificial sweeteners, etc.

Now, though, I find that the sugars in our diets lead to breast cancer. It has something to do with breast density.

My mother died of problems associated with diabetes, plus she had to have a benign tumor removed from her breast when she was in her fifties. I sincerely believe the sugars in her diet played a role in all this.

I hope you will take a few minutes to read the following.

Here is the link to the reblog: http://cathe.com/high-sugar-diets-linked-breast-cancer Because this is such an important subject, I have copied it for you; and it is below. Please do visit Cathe’s blog, though.

Jul 6, 2014
2:31pm
Cathe Friedrich

Are High-Sugar Diets Linked with Breast Cancer?

Sugar – there are lots of reasons to purge it from your diet. For one, sugar is a big fat zero when it comes to nutritional value. Each teaspoon has 16 calories and a little over 4 grams of carbs – but that’s about it – no vitamins or minerals to speak of.

Many people are consuming more sugar than they think they are. Staying away from the sugar bowl isn’t enough. Sugar “hides” in many packaged foods in surprisingly large amounts. Recent research has already linked diets high in sugar with a greater risk for heart disease. Now, a new study uncovers a possible link between diets high in sugar and a greater risk for breast cancer.

Does a High-Sugar Diet Increase Breast Cancer Risk?

A new study carried out by the Canadian Cancer Society raises fresh concerns about diets high in sugar. Researchers asked a group of 1555 women, half post-menopausal and half pre-menopausal, to complete a questionnaire about their dietary habits, including how much sugar they consumed on a regular basis. After tabulating the results, they noted a link between sugar consumption and increased breast density in pre and post-menopausal women. Women who ate more sugary treats and sipped more sugar-sweetened beverages had higher breast densities, on average, than women who limited sweets in their diet.

Why does breast density matter? A number of studies show a link between breast density, as determined by mammography, and a greater risk for breast cancer. In one study, women in their 40s and 50s with the highest breast density had a six-time increased risk of breast cancer compared to women with the lowest breast densities

Increased breast density not only makes it harder to see breast cancer on mammogram – it’s an independent risk factor for breast cancer. Some doctors now recommend that women who have very dense breasts be screened for breast cancer more frequently or with a different method like breast MRI. Breast density normally goes down after menopause as estrogen levels drop and glandular tissue turns to fatty breast tissue. Breast density may be a marker for higher estrogen levels. Estrogen fuels the growth of certain forms of breast cancer.

How Might a High-Sugar Diet Increase Breast Cancer Risk?

What’s the link between sugar and breast cancer? The answer may lie with the effect sugar has on insulin. When you eat sugary foods or sugar-sweetened drinks, it causes a rapid rise in blood sugar. Your pancreas responds by producing more insulin. When you do this on a regular basis, you have higher insulin levels in your bloodstream. Elevated insulin levels boost the production of a growth factor by your liver called IGF-1. IGF-1 is very good at stimulating the growth of tissues – including breast tissue. In fact, studies have linked higher levels of IGF-1 with pre-menopausal breast cancer. In animal studies, insulin itself promotes the growth of a number of tumor types including colon and prostate tumors. Insulin, along with IGF-1, fuels the growth of cancer cells.

The other way high-sugar diets contribute to cancer is related to their effects on body weight. Eat a diet high in sugar and processed carbs and your risk for obesity is higher. Obesity is a risk factor for a number of cancers in women including cancer of the uterus, breast cancer and colon cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, one in three cancers are related to excess body weight, lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Lifestyle matters!

Be Smart – Cut Back on Sugar

How much sugar should you be consuming? The American Heart Association recommends that women restrict their sugar intake to less than 6 teaspoons a day. To put that in perspective, the average 12-ounce soft drink contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. Where most people get dinged is with “hidden” sugars in foods.

It’s no surprise that doughnuts, cookies and ice cream are full of sugar. What’s more surprising is marinara and pasta sauce can have as much as 2 teaspoons of sugar per serving and breakfast cereals as much as 5 teaspoons in each serving. Beware of hidden sugar in salad dressings, ketchup and condiments too. Salsa is usually lower in sugar than ketchup and is a good substitute for high-sugar ketchup. Some yogurt brands have as much as 5 teaspoons of sugar.

The focus of this article is sugar, but high-glycemic carbohydrates like white flour, processed foods and white rice are rapidly broken down into simple sugars and cause a rapid rise in insulin. Stick with high-fiber carbohydrate sources like moderate amounts of whole grains and whole fruit and plenty of non-starchy vegetables.

Here’s the good news. If you slowly cut back on sugar, the amount you add to your tea and coffee and the number of sweet “treats” you eat, your taste buds will adapt and become more sensitive to the taste of sweet. As a result, you won’t crave the same level of sweetness. Give it a try!

The Bottom Line?

Sugar may be bad for you heart – and for your breasts by increasing breast density. To lower your risk for breast cancer, enjoy more whole foods like fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly. A number of studies show regular exercise lowers breast cancer risk. Also, when you get your next mammogram, ask how dense your breasts are. If they’re very dense, you may benefit from a different screening method like breast MRI.

References:

JAMA Internal Medicine. “Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults”

JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (1995) 87 (9): 670-675. doi: 10.1093/jnci/87.9.670.

WebMD. “Breast-Density Changes May Be Tied to Cancer Risk”

Science Daily. “High Insulin Levels Raise Risk Of Breast Cancer In Postmenopausal Women”

Medscape.com. “The Pathway from Diabetes and Obesity to Cancer, on the Route to Targeted Therapy”

American Cancer Society.

Lucy – A Movie Review

October 15, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Movies

I don’t usually care much for these action-packed crazy movies where the main characters wreck cars–lots of cars–and leap tall buildings. Well, at least not since Superman; but the trailers for the movie, “Lucy” intrigued me. Harold was super surprised, when I said that I wanted to see this movie.

Lucy played by Scarlet Johansson is a woman, who accidentally gets caught up in a dark deal. I would call it a drug deal, but this drug is more than your common street drug.

Something happens to Lucy, and she turns the tables on her captors and transforms herself into a warrior, a superhuman. She evolves beyond human logic; but the role of Professor Norman, played by Morgan Freeman, helps explain what is happening to her.

These are great performances by both Johansson and Freeman. The science fiction story line is intriguing and gets you thinking. In fact I woke up the next morning doing just that–thinking about the entire concept. Don’t you love it, when you are still thinking about a movie long after you see it?

If there is a criticism, it would be the weird ending or a lead character who is using almost all the capacity of her brain but continues running in high heels. I guess that part was for Harold and all the other male viewers.

In all, though, I enjoyed the movie very much. It was interesting, thought provoking, and unpredictable. For you who love action-packed movies, there is plenty of this as well.

Lucy realizes that she can visualize all the communication from cell phones, etc.

Most of all, it got me to thinking about what the human mind is really capable of if it were used to its fullest potential. This story would have made a great “Twilight Zone” episode.

Favorite Quote of the Movie by Morgan Freeman’s Character: “We humans are more concerned with having than with being.” So true.

What movies have you seen that we should check out?

The Perfect Christmas Gift

October 12, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Electronics & Technology, Family Life

Many of us spend a lot of time looking for the best Christmas gift for our loved ones. We brave Black Friday and shop on our lunch hours, while some of us spend hours online looking for that perfect gift.

However, this year I think I may have just the right gift for my family. I got the idea when I saw this video.

The video begins with a statement asking if I knew that the average person spends four years of their life looking down at their cell phone. “How these touch screens make us lose touch…”

It occurred to me that this young man has a good point, and I’m as much to blame as the next person. Every once in a while Chuck will ask me if I have my iPad with me before we walk into a restaurant; and since I almost always do, he reaches into the backseat to get his and says that he does it out of self-defense.

I think we all ask ourselves if we spend too much time with our social media and not enough time visiting face to face. I know I do.

Near the end of this young man’s video, I thought he was going to throw his iPhone into the sea. What he does, though, is simply put his cell down and gaze at the sunset.

To me this could have been a symbol to give up all our electronic devices, but instead it symbolized his understanding–that our technology has its place. He cautions us “to be balanced, be mindful, be present, and be here.”

So as I pondered his message, and I came to a decision. I am going to put down my cell, my iPad, and turn off my computer for Christmas. It is such a wonderful time for family and friends that I want to truly be in the moment.

Starting December 22nd and ending on the 27th, I will give the following gift to my family and to myself. I plan to turn off my cell phone and iPad and leave them in my office along with my computer. I plan to stop checking my Facebook or Twitter. I plan to turn off the TV unless it is to watch a movie with family.

So what will I do with the extra time when no one is around? Maybe I’ll read more (with an old fashioned book made of paper)…

…maybe I’ll ride my bike (after I air up the tires)…

…maybe I’ll take a walk or …

…maybe I’ll invite the kids over to decorate a Gingerbread house.

Christmas, 07 007

Otherwise, an old land line at home and a “not so smart” camera will have to suffice.

Planning a Visit to Disney World?

October 12, 2014 by oldageisnotforsissies54 Filed Under: Travel

We live in Florida, and we’ve been going to Disney World about once a year for over four decades. My daughter, who herself went to Disney a toddler, has a blog called Mommy2Bubba, where she gives tips on doing all the Disney World parks.

Her latest post is The Top Five Attractions for Toddlers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Check it out!

And if you know someone headed to Disney in Orlando, steer them to Mommy2Bubba, where they will find lots of helpful hints.

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