A Dream Come True for Our Son, The Power of Introverts, 7 Menopausal Dwarfs, and More in Today’s Monday Morning Mix-Up 11/11/2013

Well reader friends, I'd like to apologize for making my resources page more tricky than it should've been in the last year or more.  No one likes clicking, clicking again, and then sometimes still not finding what you were looking for.  SO I've just revamped my whole resources page to make it easier, and I'll be adding more all of the time, and hopefully giving it a good redesign soon, too, so stay tuned.  (Know any affordable, good web designers?)  Hopefully those of you who used to visit that page will use it again now that it's fixed up better.

You are never going to guess the most awesome thing we got to do over the weekend…  I've told you how our 14 year old loves all things to do with aviation, right?  All he's ever wanted was to be a pilot.  We thought he'd have to wait until he was older, but the other day we started making calls, just to see where it would go.  GET THIS.  It was a total God-thing and I'm SO thankful to Him!  We found a flight instructor at the airport only ten minutes from our house, he is very affordable (compared to others anyway), and was willing to start him out now; he's an American Airlines pilot, seems to be a really good guy, and he even goes to our church!  Here they are getting ready for take-off, and yes, I was in the backseat – woo-hoo, Mom got to go, too!

The only problem was that I was so excited, I was looking down texting a bunch of friends and family from the backseat, and it was also a windy day and turbulent — lots of those scary drops, yikes!  So for a little bit there I thought my coffee was going to have to come right back up and into the cup I was still holding.  I held it together, though.  I made myself look out the window and do a little deep breathing – those lamaze classes have come in handy MANY more times than just my four times giving birth, I tell ya.  I'm so stinkin' excited for him I can hardly believe it's happening.  Soooo that's nothing to do with food or health, but I had to share.  🙂  Here's a cool shot I got of our neighborhood:

By the way, it's been fun reading your answers and your comments from the other day (be sure to take the 4-question survey if you haven't yet!) – and soon I'll be sharing a whole post on all the ways I'm trying to make things better around here based on your recommendations; but today, you'll notice below that I've tried to space things out a little more.  One person said that Monday posts were a little hard to read, so I'm hoping this helps.

Now for today's links…

• Did you guys hear about the free Gluten Summit going on this week?  There's no charge, so go check it out here.  You'll learn about the latest research on gluten related disorders, why this seems to be so much more prevalent, and you'll also be able to hear from some real foodie rockstars:
  • Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome)
  • Nora Gedgaudus (author of Primal Body, Primal Mind)
  • Dr. William Davis (author of Wheat Belly)
  • Jeffrey Smith (author of Genetic Roulette and Seeds of Deception)

• This post from a while back, Is Edamame Good for You?, is still one of my most popular posts.  I got a snarky comment there yesterday, but wait 'til you see what's happened since.  I'm hoping he's open to learning more, we'll see.

• Do you all read the posts that go up on weekends?  Just in case you missed these, Evil Wins Again, but Not Forever! was about the GMO labeling law getting defeated in Washington state last week.  🙁  Peggy, the reader friend who wrote the Marie Osmond parody the other day, shared this in the comments:  “I'm writing each of the consumer product divisions on the above list to the effect that, “Because of your stand against Washington State bill 522, I have ceased to purchase your products and I'm encouraging my friends to do the same. The NEXT time GMO labeling appears on a ballot, you will fight it without my money in your coffer. I have enjoyed your products for many years, and look forward to a time when you reverse your stance so I may enjoy them once again.”  Let's follow her lead!

• Also I put up a new recipe post over the weekend:  Cheesy Sloppy Joe Bake – a super delicious make-ahead or freeze-ahead meal that everyone loves.

• Did you hear that the WAPF is putting out a new shopping guide app soon?  Keep watching for it in your App store on your phone!  (And let me know if you see it before I do.)

• Doesn't this lil' avocado gadget look cool?  The cutting edge splits the avocado. Next, that middle part grips the pit, so you can twist and remove it. Finally, the rounded end scoops right into the avocado halves and slices at the same time.  Anyone have one of these?

• In case you missed it, check out my Facebook post last night where I told about what Kent did for me yesterday.  What a guy!

• Has anyone noticed how disgusting the ingredient labels are on store-bought barbecue sauce?  Well it's pretty easy to make yourself, but sometimes that just doesn't happen, and I'm excited to have one one we ALL like.  If you don't want to make this recipe, (even though it's really easy), and just want to keep some on hand, I finally found some that we all love!  I bought a case after trying it at a conference and was able to meet the super nice people who make it.  They loved talking to someone who “got it” (and appreciate no junk ingredients in their sauce) and I loved meeting someone who “got it” enough to MAKE a delicious sauce with no MSG, no HFCS, no preservatives, and mostly organic ingredients!  You can click here to get it.  I just ordered 9 to get free shipping (I'm cheap like that and they keep well unopened) and then used the coupon code BONUS20 for 20% off.  See all the good deals I tell you about around here?!  🙂

• Here are a couple good Facebook pictures from last week.  First, a “father/son re-enactment” – haaaaaa!

• Next, something good for us to use to teach our kids about grammar!
• The following picture is, sadly, where I'm heading FAST, so I'm in research mode, because as Suzanne Somers said in the title of her book, I'm too Young for This!   I'm only 47 – it seems too young, but maybe not.  Anyone else getting perimenopausal symptoms in their mid-forties?  I'm going to post on it as soon as I get through her book on my kindle.  (I downloaded it to my phone – just use this link to get a free reader for your phone or tablet.)

• I've been updating old posts as I can, adding better pictures, and making the recipes less confusing.  Here's one for potato soup – see what you think about my new picture there, any pointers?

• Anyone else love learning more about their Mac?  6 Essential Mac Tricks.

• What do you guys think of this one?  “So long, margarine: Artificial trans fat in foods may eventually become a thing of the past.The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday took a first step toward potentially eliminating most trans fat from the food supply, saying it has made a preliminary determination that a major source of trans fats — partially hydrogenated oils — is no longer “generally recognized as safe.”  Read more.

• Are you introverted? Or do you have an introverted child or spouse? You will LOVE this TED Talk, “The Power of Introverts”, by Susan Cain.  It's one of my favorite TED Talks, and I'm not even an introvert! And if you love the talk, you can find her book, Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.

• Note that some links in today's post are affiliate links and if you go shopping, thanks for helping me to continue blogging.  🙂

Have a great week!