The Summer Kitchen

The Summer Kitchen was a great Book!

Think About It: Image can mean many different things to many different people.  When it comes to image the size of house or family, type of house or car, clothes and accessories, the amount of money you make or spend, where you live, the type of friends and entertainment you host all matter.  Do you have an image?  What is your image?  How do you up keep this image?  How far would you go, or what would you be willing to do to keep this image intact?

Details: When prestige is the rule, and money is the exception to the rule, where friends are only friends when you have that money, and image is everything.  This is the world in which the Banks lived, that is until Mr. Banks ends up in jail, and his wife Nora is stuck cleaning up the mess.  But as she cleans up, disasters occur around every bend.  Nora and some newly acquired friends are put to the test and then some, as they discover how to be true to themselves, and how to over come their dependency to men, marriage, image and well the society they now find themselves thrust out of but unable to leave.  Can time and forgiveness really melt the ice that has formed around Nora's heart so that love and trust can be built back up or will she give into her physical need for intimate comfort, peace and fulfillment?

My Review: I bought this book late one night while out giving myself release from the busy life of a mother.  I was searching for something that would be fun to read, give me encouragement to continue being patient and keep my faith strong while my family goes through some major changes and important decisions.  I got exactly what I was looking for, but not in the way I was hoping.  I read this book in 1 week.  It took me about 30 pages to actually enjoy reading this novel.  But as the story unfolded my heart was truly touched.  I learned lessons right along with the main characters.  I found courage and peace in my own life by reading about Nora Banks and her family.  This is my new favorite read, and with the price I paid, I think its a great Mother's Day gift, or perfect for any woman!  This would make the perfect Book Club book for all the discussions that you can come up with.

Karen Weinreb pays great attention to details, I love the details of nature, the houses, the descriptions of intimate fantasies.  I love the details of all the baking, man I'm so craving some of those yummy sounding goodies mentioned in this book.

                                                                      My Rating    

Diarrhea Tips

Everyone has issues with Diarrhea at some point in their lives, and usually its during the winter because of the cold weather where colds and the flu in who knows how many different strands is going rampant around your city, town, school, church and probably your home as well.

Tips I have learned over the years:

1. Acidophilus: is a natural product that you can get in capsule form.  I've seen it as a white powder.  I buy this at Target.  My pediatrician told me to get this for my 1 year old who had diarrhea for 6 weeks due to an allergy that we couldn't figure out.  It was the worst ever, blow outs from his diaper like a new born, stinky, burned skin, and so sore that half the time he wouldn't let me wipe with anything because he was in such pain.  As adults you can swallow this pill form, but for children just pull apart the capsule and dump the contents into any liquid except water.  Milk works best: at the time we put it in Almond milk, and have even done juice.  Directions on the bottle, but because this is natural the doctor said if its really bad you can use it more often.

2.  Eat Yogurt: which has Lactobacillus acidophilus which is friendly bacteria that aids in getting rid of diarrhea.  Any yogurt will work, but for quicker results and faster relief eat plain sugarless yogurt (Greek, Goat, and the Mountain Land brand of yogurt are all recommended by Naturalists).  You can add honey if you need a sweetener.

3. You can lose a lot of liquid in diarrhea, but you also lose electrolytes, minerals such as sodium and potassium that are critical in the running of your body. Here's how to replace what you're losing:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Consume two quarts (eight cups) of fluids a day, three quarts (12 cups) if you're running a fever. With the fever drink Gatorade to give you the eletrolytes, and to reduce the fever. Plain water lacks electrolytes, but it's a good, gentle-on-the-tummy option that can help you replace some of the fluid that you've lost. Other choices include weak tea with a little sugar, sports drinks such as Gatorade, flat soda pop (decaffeinated flavors such as ginger ale are best), and fruit juices other than apple and prune, which have a laxative effect.
• Buy an over-the-counter electrolyte replacement formula. Pedialyte, Rehydralyte, and Ricelyte are available without a prescription from your local drugstore. These formulas contain fluids and minerals in the proper proportion.

Whatever you choose to drink, keep it cool; it will be less irritating that way. Sip, don't guzzle; it will be easier on your insides if you take frequent sips of liquid instead of guzzling down a glass at a time.

4. Primadophilus Children: My Aunt bought this to help my 1 year old stabilize his stomach and bowel movements.  Its a powder with FOS: or bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.  This is for children ages 0-5 years of age.  The potency is 3 billion CFUs per teaspoon for the entire shelf life.  It also contains NutraFlora scFOS- the preferred probiotic food source.  Once serving is given daily until child is feeling better.  This mixes easily into any liquid, but I put it in my son's Almond milk when he first woke up in the morning because he can't have anything in his stomach before taking this.  And mornings were the only time this would work.

Other Tips: Chamomile & Peppermint tea sometimes help, but does help soothe the stomach whenever you are sick.  Potatoes, rice, carrots, tapioca, and other starchy foods are all good foods to eat when you have diarrhea.  Blueberries are another good natural remedy.

                                                                     My Rating