FDA what are you thinking?!?!

    

     Have you ever wondered why the FDA exists?  From the FDA website regarding food, "The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) works to assure that the food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled."

     Honestly labeled...Here is where I am want to call them to task.  Where is it honest for them to allow a new artificial sweetener which contains the same chemical structure as aspartame to be approved for human consumption and yet not require that it carry a PKU (phenylketonuria - a disorder which prevents a person from properly metabolizing phenylalanine.  Phenylalanine is a component in aspartame as well as a new artificial sweetener that has just been approved called adventame.

     For just a moment let's step back and look at PKU, first PKU is a genetic disorder that occurs at a rate of 1 in 10,000 to 15,000.  While the FDA would like to call this rare I would beg to differ.  This disorder is of such great concern that all babies born in U.S. hospitals are given a heal prick test in order to check them for the marker.  Untreated this disorder leads to brain damage, seizures and delayed development.  As this is fairly easily managed with diet control it makes sense that products such as aspartame would contain a warning about the presence of phenylalanine in their makeup.

     So, why is it that the FDA has approved advantame to be allowed on the market without having to be labeled as containing phenylalanine?  Oh, well they feel that it doesn't have enough of the protein in the sweetener to cause any concern.  How did they come up with this determination?  Oh well you know after a mere 37 test groups some animal and some human they feel that it isn't needed.  This is disturbing!  While I don't suffer from PKU I do have very severe physical reactions when I ingest any form of artificial sweeteners, even chewing gum with aspartame will give me the worst migraines you can imagine.  For an agency that claims to want to assure that our food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome and honestly labeled I have little to no faith in their decisions regarding what is or is not safe for my family. 
    
     Later this week the FDA proposes to have a webinar in which they tell the world how to best put together a smart an nutritional lunch for our kids.  I have to wonder, how many processed foods, chemical additives, and artificial sweeteners will they recommend we feed our children? 

Success without goals....

Goals....we all have them, personal goals, private goals, work related goals. I'll be the first to admit that my world revolves around them, finishing the remodel of my house, getting good grades, and of course making the goals set forth by my employer. Sure, I have a hand in making those goals. They say you need to do ABC this month, and every day I send out a Daily Goals email, what am I going to do to make that days goal? How am I going to get there?

As such I spend a lot of time thinking about goals, and how they play a part in my overall happiness and have come to the conclusion that goals will destroy you, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.  I know I'm not, in fact I read on Forbes that "Researchers from four top business schools have collaborated to show that in many cases goals do more harm than good."  

We set goals for ourselves, I'm going to sell 10 widgets today.  Great goal, but what happens when you don't make it?  For many of us when we fail to reach a goal, that's exactly what we feel...failure.  Knowing that you've set that goal personally makes it even harder to overcome, one failure makes it harder to set the next goal, which makes it harder to succeed. It truly is a deadly circle that for some it can even be psychologically damaging. Not to mention the other harmful effects that have been noted such as  “a narrow focus that neglects non-goal areas, a rise in unethical behavior, distorted risk preferences, corrosion of organizational culture, and reduced intrinsic motivation.”  (Goals  Gone Wild; Harvard Business School )

Not only is it sell defeating to create goals, and not be able to accomplish them, what about when you do reach that goal?  For me I have a momentary feeling of WOO HOO success!!!  I've made it, now what? hmm, well that was all well and good for the time being, it's like my friend who set a goal to lose 20 pounds by her birthday.  She was on the right track right? SMART goal ( specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound).  I'm so proud of her, she did it!  But guess what?  She nearly starved herself, and she's gained it all back.  She put so much focus on the loss, that she didn't look farther ahead and ask how she was going to keep it off.  What  if instead she had said, I'm going to walk the dog for an hour a day, and stop drinking pop?  Instead of setting a goal to lose weight, she's laid down a path on how to live healthier, and guess what???  YES, she would have lost the weight as well. 

Now...here is the biggest thing for me.  In my day to day job I am required to set goals for my business, but what seems to escape everyone else is that you aren't omnipotent, you can't say that you're going to serve 20 deserts with meals today, because you may only have 10 clients come in for meals. I can't force people to come into my business. I can spread the word about great deals, I can make stellar connections with my clientele, I can stay in contact with each and everyone of my past clients.  But guess what, I can't control the weather, I have no way of determining who is or isn't in town.  I have a list of local events, but there are many that don't show, such as local sporting events, school concerts and programs etc.  

So, I've decided that I'm going to go through the motions because it's part of my job.   But I'm not going to sweat the goals, I'm going to focus instead on the process, and let the numbers come to me. 

Want to read more about how Goals can negatively impact you and your business?

Forbes - Why Setting Goals Can Do More Harm Than Good

Harvard Business Review - Consider Not Setting Goals in 2013

Psychology Today - Why goal Setting Doesn't Work

Depression....

Have you ever watched those commercials, you know the ones, they are all over the TV any more.  Trying to sell you happiness in a bottle perscribed to you by a physician,

Images of sad faces, people who want to go no where, see no one, stop existing, crying, pain, and suffering. Colorless worlds, women with the weight of the world on their shoulders, curled up in a heap in a world filled with sadness, and of course dreary days of cloud cover and rain.  There is no life, no music, no laughter, no color, and no reason to live.  Now go take a look at a list of symptoms of depression ( from the fine people at webmd )...

• Difficulty concentratng, remembering details, and making decisions
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Irritability, restlessness
• loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Overeating or appetite loss
• Peristent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts.

Can anyone say that they haven't felt any of these things at least on occassion? Of course not, it's normal to feel depressed at times of great loss, or during rough times, stress is a major part of life that can cause each of these things to come and go through our waking hours.

So, how do you know if you suffer from depression?  I imagine it would be pretty easy if you had all, or at least most of the symptoms above.  It took me WEEKS before I realized what was wrong with me....lets break this down.

Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions....I have the WORST case of ADHD I have ever seen, these are they days of my life.  Seriously, this is nothing new for me, I am the queen of scattered thoughts and forgetfulness.  There is just so much going on in my brain.

Fatigue and decreased energy... I'm a mom, fiance, store manager, part time merchandiser and full time student. I'm a night owl I love to stay up late, and since my fiance works nights I get so caught up in what I'm doing that I don't go to bed when I should.

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and or helplessness....Nope, can't say that I feel this at all, unless you count feeling guilty for enjoying chocolate WAY to much.

Feelings of hopelessness and or pessimism - again, Nope.

Insomnia, early-morning wakefullnes, or excessive sleeping - Insomnia.(only when I'm gaming and time FLIES by), early-morning wakefulness (LOL, I hate mornings and sleep is my friend), excessive sleeping ( umm since I was like 2 )

Irritability, restlessness - Only when I'm hormonal, and only for about 2 days a month.

 loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex -  Ok, I plead the 5th here.

Overeating or appetite loss - I have my moments, when food fills a need that isn't hunger.  But all in all I'm not an emotional eater.  But I will admit to having moments when I've craved crap food because I just didn't feel right, and I've shoved it to the side and resisted.

Persistent aches or pains, etc - Nope, I'd have to say that's something that I haven't had.  What little bit of trouble I do have is usually tied to something I've done, like walking around for a week without my heel lift in.

sad, anxious, or empty feelings - It's been a long time since I've felt any of these things. Panic and anxiety attacks are a thing of the past, long past.  With the support of my fantastic fiance I've been able to work through the things that would have normally put me on edge.

Thoughts of suicide, etc - NEVER, seriously, I love my life, I love living and have way to much to look forward to in my life to even think about that.  Besides, death scares the crap out of me!

And yet......there is no explanation for what I feel. I'm tired, I feel compelled to have food in front of me 24/7, if my coffee cup is not with me I panic, I just want to sleep, I just feel......off. They don't tell you these things, the little things that sneak up on you, the ones that you feel before all the other BIG symptoms start.  So, what happens if you catch it early?  How can you make it go away!!!

Without drugs....

All about Me

64 Random Things About Me

1. I was born in 1974.
2. I don't like wine.  No matter how sophisticated I think it would be to drink it.
3. I was adopted by my late father, he died a few short years ago, and to this day I feel that I'm to blame.
4. I act like I don't have a care in the world, when really I worry constantly about everything.
5. I am deathly afraid of water.
6. I played the flute for 8 years.
7. I waited until I was 36 to go back to college.
8. I have only visited 10 states, and the only country I've ever been to is Canada.
9. I'm the mother of four. 
10. I love music, country, rock, pop, top 40. alternative, classic rock, classical, the list goes on and on.
11. I have only lived in 2 states.
12. I would love to learn sign language.
13. I have one leg that is almost an inch shorter than the other.
14. I am constantly frustrated with the school system in my community because the kids who really need help slip through the system.
15. I used to chew on erasers, until another student convinced me that I would get lead poisoning.
16. I wish I could quit my job and be a stay at home mom.
17. I have a membership to gym I never use, and will renew it annually just so be able to say I have one.
18. I would give anything to have my dog Bandit back.
19. I am working on a Bachelors in Legal Studies, with a final goal of becoming an attorney.
20. It makes me angry if I don't get A's in my classes now.
21. My high school grades were so bad I almost didn't graduate.
22. If I was on death row my "Last Meal" would be ribeye and sweet potato.
23. I support the right of gays to marry.
24. I love being short, even if my 12 year old is taller than me.
25. I was never an athletic child, but admire that trait in my kids.
26. If I could move back to my home town I would in a heartbeat.
27. I am extremely competitive even with myself.
28. I want to own a miniature cow!
29. I adore everything pink!
30. I am claustrophobic, afraid of the dark, heights, deep water, and being alone.
31. I truly am a creature of habit.
32. I have a very strange form of OCD (in my opinion)
33. I suffer from panic attacks.
34. I ate peanut butter and black raspberry jelly sandwiches almost every day from 1st grade through 8th grade.
35. I rode an elephant for my 10th birthday.
36. I love food, and trying new foods is a new found love.
37. I love to sing, even if I'm not very good at it.
38. I am very rarely seen without a cup of coffee in hand.
39. I still use the TV as a babysitter on occasion. I admit it.
40. My favorite movie is Dirty Dancing.
41. My favorite movie quote is from Hope Floats
42. I have VERY expensive taste. But don't have the funds to match it.
43. I love my car, even if it will cost more to fix it than to buy a new one.
44. I've never read the bible.
45. I have a lot of great ideas but no idea how to implement them
46. I am the queen of fake it 'til you make it.
47. I love learning new things.
48. I'm a people pleaser. 
49. I was a horrible parent when I had my first 2 kids, and feel guilty about it. 
50. When I threaten to knock some sense into my kids, I'm afraid someone will believe it and report me for child abuse.
51. I worry .....about everything.
52. I hate the town I live in.
53. I want to blog daily but always find something else I want to do.
54. I want to be a rockabilly girl.
55. Google is my best friend.
56. My lucky number is 13.
57. I was never one of the popular kids in school, and liked it that way.
58. I am a huge advocate for chiropractic care.
59. I am horrible with money.
60. I enjoy a good quality beer if I'm going to drink. New Belgium is my favorite.
61. I was 38 before I got drunk the first time.
62. I used to smoke and quit cold turkey when I got pregnant with my third daughter.
63. I really do love my job.
64. I hate the fact that I've put my fiance in the position he is in now.

Making something of myself

Have you ever woke up one day and said.....

I'm just tired of being who I am, and now I'm ready to be me.


That was me. I'm still working on it, I haven't found ME, yet.  It's an endless journey, but it's one that I'm more excited about every day.   I came out of one bad relationship into another, wasting 16 years of my life living with men who made it their mission in life to destroy me.  The places I have allowed myself to go as a person, and the way I've allowed myself to feel about who I am and what I'm capable of, disgust me.  I wish I could blame the people who put me in that position....but to this day I can only blame myself. I am the one who allowed it to happen.

There are people in my life who would like for me to believe that it wasn't my fault that it was these other influences in my life who caused it.  Perhaps they are right.  I still can't place blame for anything in my life on anyones shoulders but my own.  Maybe that is the strength I have now, that new ME who can't accept that I was ever that weak.

What in the world am I doing here?

I don't remember what I was doing, wandering around Pinterest most likely, when I came across a blog post by Blogging With Amy. When I read her great post about avoiding taking on new projects, all those great ideas that are stewing around on your to do list, but never seem to come to fruition. I have a list like that.  It contains everything from the mundane little things like organizing my desk drawer, to things that really do have a pressing deadline like getting those International Business assignments done, and lastly those dreams that I have for where I want to see my life in the future.  I confess that even after initially reading Amy's post I still didn't give much attention to this list beyond making it grow and putting off, putting off, putting off.

Just exactly where in my day was I supposed to find time to do these things?  I'm married to my job, not a day goes by that I don't have at least brief contact with my store, or the other stores that report to me.  I own a small zoo; 4 horses, 3 robo hamsters, 2 red ear sliders, 1 box turtle, 2 African Grey Parrots, 1 cat, 1 leopard Gecko, and a rabbit.  All of which are highly spoiled, and get more than their share of attention. Most of my free time is taken up by the needs and demands of my four kids, and of course I do have to find time for my incredibly supportive fiance.  Did I mention I'm also a full time student? What more could I possibly want to do?  EVERYTHING. There are three pretty big things on this list that are near and dear to my heart.  Two of them are going to need some financial backing that I just don't have at my disposal right now.  But the 3rd, I can see, taste, touch I just need to get moving on it.

So, why don't I get to it? Something always came up.  A youtube video on horse training that I just had to see, a new music video I can't possibly wait to watch, facebook, pintrest, the list goes on, oh wait...I have to get some gaming time in to decompress!!  I just don't have time...right?  right?  hmmmm....that's what I've been telling myself.  Even after having read Amy's post I've had myself convinced that this is why I have yet to make a step in the direction of my goal.  It wasn't until last week when I looked at my store and realized that something had to change or we were all going to be looking for a new place to work.  Not only that, but the reality of the situation is that it may be to late to repair the damage that's been done.  It's starting to look like time for me to consider other options, to keep them in my back pocket ready to run if I need to.

Here's the thing, what I want to do is not an easy task, and for sure not one that is going to take off over night. Under the circumstances, my insecurity over my current employment, and the lack of jobs in our area that pay over minimum wage I need to get my tail in gear.  That is when I remembered Amy's post.  You can read her post here "What Are You Avoiding? And how?", I now realize that all of these little things that are keeping me too busy to get moving are just excuses for me to avoid taking the first steps, and why.  Because I'm scared, scared that I'll never make it, that I'll never be able to succeed.

Now, it's time to move on, and really get started.  Wish me luck, and follow my progress.

The snapchat controversy

The first time I heard of Snapchat I was at work, and one of my employees was discussing her daughters cell phone usage.  She was explaining how her daughter used to text quite a bit but now more often than not she uses Snapchat. Let's face it being the person I am, curiosity got me and I looked this app up, and what I found terrified me.

From the Google playstore Snapchat overview page

"Snapchat is the fastest way to share a moment with friends.
You control how long your friends can view your message -
simply set the timer up to ten seconds and send.
They'll have that long to view your message and then it disappears forever.
We'll let you know if they take a screenshot!
Build relationships, collect points, and view your best friends.
Snapchat is instantly fun and insanely playful.
Show your friends how clever you can be and enjoy the lightness of being!
Front facing camera support on Android 2.3 and above."

WAIT!  You mean to tell me that this app allows me to take a picture and discretely send it to my "friends" with a self destruct option?   I can only imagine the implications to this, lets look at the case of  Cara Alexander *, a 27 year old high school teacher in Virgina.  Ms Alexander was arrested April 26th, and charged with allegedly sending nude photos of herself to a 17 year old male student.  How was this year long relationship discovered?  The boys parents found the photos of Alexander on their sons phone.  Now, imagine these same images sent to your child.  Insert Snapchat. How do you know what they are doing?  Who are they talking to?  Who are they sending images to? Receiving them from? And how ever will you know if your child is the victim of a predator such as Ms Alexander?  The hard truth of the matter is.  You won't.

I really must say that I'm surprised there wasn't more of an outcry against this app before. Are we living in such a bubble that we don't look at what's going on in the lives of our children?  Not surprisingly this app is not available only on Android devices, but it is also available on Apple devices.  Which makes me wonder, just how many of the students in my daughters high school are aware of this, and have installed this app on their school issued iPads.

But today, everywhere I look I am seeing shock and controversy, not to mention pure outrage.  What has everyone so up in arms? Well, don't you know someone figured out that all these images that supposedly self destruct after the approved number of seconds are really still on your electronic device for all the world to discover! In fact there are several sites on the Internet that give step by step instructions on how to recover these hidden files.  And while the creators of Snapchat, make a point of telling you that you'll be told if the receiver takes a screen capture, third party apps as well as a little tech savvy will allow the receiver to save your pictures and videos without you being the wiser.

My question to you all....which is more disturbing?  Snapchat itself or this new found breach?







*For more information on this case and the allegations against Ms Alexander visit The Virginian-Pilot article written by Lauren King