Friday, October 21, 2016

Googling Ingredients?

Am I the only one that Google's ingredients?  Well, I just googled the ingredients on the Sensodyne Toothpaste in my medicine cabinet.  I use to use it, but now I make my own toothpowder with bentonite clay, baking soda & cinnamon.  But my DH uses it once in awhile.  On the active ingredient list is the words sodium nitrate.
And when I look it up it says it's other name is saltpeter.  Now I don't know if any of you have ever heard of that, but it was used in the army to keep men from getting erections.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it as:  A white powder that exists naturally in some soils and that is used especially as a fertilizer, in medicine, and to make gunpowder.

Well I don't know about you, but I don't want my family using this.  Now I will have to scrutinize food labels even more than I do now.  This is craziness! No thank you toothpaste companies, I will stay with my toothpowder that has actually brightened my teeth and done away with the sensitivity more than your Sensodyne ever did.

I hope this gets at least some of you that read this to start reading labels of things you put in your home.  Especially things that your children will be using.

Have a healthy day!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Second Day No Sugar!

So this is the second day of no sugar.  I already slept better last night.  I didn't have that feeling that my blood was moving extra quick through my veins and my head throbbing from too much sugar.  I have even felt fuller after eating.  I use to always have to have something sweet after every meal, even breakfast.  I wonder if the sugar in my diet was making me crave it?  Hahaha, that's a definite YES!

I always eat oatmeal in the morning with walnuts and cinnamon and raw honey.  Don't get me wrong, raw honey is much better for you than other kinds of sweeteners, but I was having it every morning.  And I had been noticing that I was increasing my honey each day.  That is not a good thing.  One thing I never did do was have honey or sugar in my tea or in my coffee and I've never liked drinking soda.  So I guess I have it easier than others who are only drinking soda and need sugar in their coffee and tea.  I have a friend, who shall go nameless, that puts over 7 sugars in her coffee.  How do you even taste the coffee.  And if you don't like the taste of it, find another way to get your morning jolt.  Like have an apple, or some pineapple.  I have actually stopped eating pineapple, because for me, it has too much sugar.

Soda is the one thing that I never bring into my home anymore.  I use to buy it for parties, or when my boys came for a visit.  Then I wondered why I wouldn't drink it, but was giving it to the ones I love.  So now, whenever you come to my home, you will get water or tea and sometimes coffee if it's early enough the day.  On a side note, I did bring a 2-litre bottle of Coke into my home to wash my massage sheets because it is great for bringing out the oils.

After cutting out sugar for a few weeks I will work on my carb intake.  One poison at a time.  Even though I know that carbs turn into sugar.  I guess I have been lowering my intake since yesterday.  And I'm making better choices for carbs.  I have an apple a day and I make quinoa instead of rice all the time.

I have always been a label reader.  So much so that my husband does not like grocery shopping with me.  I guess I get that from my Dad.  He is 85 years old and refuses to eat sugar, french fries and items made by tobacco companies.  He does look good for his age.  I can't say I'm that crazy yet.  Remember that I said yet, because there is still plenty of crazy to come my way just from my DNA I'm sure.

The two things that are forcing me to do this is to show others you can change anything about yourself no matter how old you are, and because I want my kidneys to be in awesome shape justin (purposely said it this way) case I'm a match for my nephew.

I posted a link below to tell you how sugar makes you fat.  I still have fat in my diet, just not sugar.  And low fat products are thee worst and they taste horrible.  I have known this for awhile.

https://authoritynutrition.com/4-ways-sugar-makes-you-fat/

Friday, October 14, 2016

Sugar Detox Again

I've decided to do another sugar detox this fall.  I always seem to do it right before and during Halloween.  Which I think is good because I have had some really bad sugar hangovers in the fall.  I got a family member to try it with me because competition makes things easier for me.  We are also going to do the plank challenge.  So when we complete our mission and get all the way to mid December we will be showing off our six-pack abs.  Here's to trading our sugar in for planks.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Missing It Already.

Since I've been home for three days I've been missing camping.  It's a simple way of life even though there's a lot of work.  I would love to be a Full-timer.  Not sure my DH could handle it.  He can work anywhere in the country and if I get nationally certified so can I.  Moving around to a different area every few months would be awesome.

Tahquamenon Falls, MI

White Fish Point, MI

Dallas & Domino enjoying the outdoors.

Domino & Dallas tuckered out from all the hiking and fresh air.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Back In The USA

As we've done throughout our whole trip we continued to not make reservations at campgrounds as we drove back into the USA.  It was doable because it was the end of most campgrounds seasons.  A lot of them close October 10-15th.

We were driving through New York state when I took these pictures.  We stayed at a wonderful campsite in Schenectady NY that was on a river. We got there at 7pm and couldn't see a thing.  When we woke up, we were right on the river and no one in front of us.  It was beautiful.  These were taken on the way home during a rainstorm.
This picture was taken quickly out of the truck window while Gary was driving on the highway. I was clicking pics of the foliage and suddenly this lovely creek was there with these beautiful trees.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Retelling our travels is a little difficult after the fact.  We had very sketchy wifi or nonexistent most of the time, so I'm having to think bank of when we did things and where pictures are from.  The biggest problem is that we went from Vermont to Canada, then Michigan and back to Canada so the parts of Canada are getting messed up in my head hahaha!

We went through the port of entry at Sault Sainte Marie en.m.wikipedia.org.  It was awesome to see huge ships and small ships going through the locks.  It was mesmerizing.
A giant freighter going through the locks as we got there.
 My husband has been dying to go to Lake Superior to see where the Edmond Fitzgerald went down.  I think he was hoping that we could take a boat out to the point they lost it and he could go diving down to see what he could find.
Great Lakes Historical Society.  My DH is obsessed with the Edmond Fitzgerald.

This was so lifelike it was creepy.  
Amazing invention.
 This is the first time we had seen Lake Superior.  It was amazing and breathtaking.  Now I know why they call it Lake Superior.  It's because it is the Superior lake of the Great lakes.  Great just isn't a big enough word for it.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Last Day In Canada

We stayed at the Milton Heights Campground in Milton, ON.  We were only going to stay two nights, but ended up staying four.  This was a great home base to visit, Guelph, Toronto & Parry Sound.  My grandfather was born in Guelph and my great grandfather and Bobby Orr were born in Parry Sound.  My great grandfather actually died in Parry Sound at the age of 33.  The campground was clean.  It had hydro (electricity), water and sewer.  Most of the campgrounds we went to did not have sewer.  This one also had a laundry room which is great to have because it's really hard to pack a ton of clothes in a small camper.

There were a lot of dogs here and a lot of really nice people, most of whom were from Ontario.  I wasn't surprised they were all so nice, because they were dog people, hahaha!  We even gave a couple that was staying across from us our email addresses so if they are ever in the States they can let us know.  I am glad that we left when we did because most people had a long weekend in Canada due to their Thanksgiving being celebrated on October 10th and lots of people started filling up the campground with children.  I don't mind children, but they do make my dogs bark.

It was really nice to stay somewhere for more than two days and not have to hitch and unhitch every other day.

On our way home it was more than a days drive because it takes a lot longer to drive pulling a travel trailer because you're not going 60 mph.  So I found a nice place on a river in Schenectady, NY.  We didn't get there until 7pm so everything was dark.  We almost drove down a railroad track because it was right near the turn for the place.  It was called Arrowhead Campground & Marina.  It looked like a nice big site when we pulled in, (thank goodness it was a pull-in site at this time of night). But we couldn't see anything but the plug to plug in.  We didn't hook up to their water because we needed to use up our water in the tank before getting home.  In the morning when we woke up, it was a spectacular site.  On our door side of the camper was the river with lots of trees and no other campers in our line of site.  I couldn't believe our luck coming in so late on a holiday weekend and getting, what I would call, a prime site.

Still not home yet, but I'm sure we will be back tonight or tomorrow morning.  I truly have enjoyed our experience RVing and could do this most months out of the year.
Guelph, ON where my Granddad was born

The Basilica in Guelph, ON

Wayne Gretzky Sports Center & Hall of Recognition.


Domino & Dallas chilling' at Milton Heights Campground thinking they're getting the steak we're cooking!


Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound, ON

Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound, OR on Georgian Bay in Lake Huron

Yes I play Pokemon Go.

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Bobby Orr's dedication to his Dad after he passed away.


In front of the City Hall of Guelph, ON trying to find out about my father's family.

From the top of the Civic Museum in Guelph.  Small museum, but nice old pictures of the town.

Outside the Guelph Library still trying to find out about my family.