"More Calcium"

Finally found almond milk in the store. It has 30% calcium just like regular milk so as long as I like the taste and it's not overpriced (on sale this week PLUS had $1 off coupon) I will drink this regularly. I add Hershey's Chocolate Syrup with Calcium to it when I need a chocolate milk, not labeled gluten free but I do not see any dairy or gluten ingredients in it. I am surprised almond milk does not have the high level of B12 like most "milk substitutes" do. I am not vegetarian/vegan so this should not be a problem. I have been wanting to try almond butter as well but forgot, oops! It is weird eating peanut butter from a spoon, you know not putting it on bread. Peanut butter tastes great on apple wedges! so does cheese I am told but I can't have that.

I will be skipping all fruit but apples and the very occasional dried cranberries since I have a lot in the house. Had a couple of delicious Cortlandt apples the other day so I picked up some more of them, bagged. Stop and Shop claims they are not waxed so we will see. I'm not a big salad eater. I have to find a wheat free dressing I like and I'll sneak in some salad as a side dish. One of my favorite restaurants instead of serving a tossed salad gives each person 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce with other vegetables as a salad. It is so fresh that way, maybe I can cut mine into 6 or 8 pieces and add my carrots, peppers and almonds or walnuts to it.

Boar's Head makes Lite Beef Hot Dogs that are dairy and gluten free so for a quick protein meal I picked some of those up. Was looking for some Boar's Head pre-cooked turkey to slice up until I am back into full cooking mode but they didn't have any. I know Boar's Head cold cuts do not use fillers so hoping the pre-cooked turkey breast I have gotten from them in the past is also wheat free.

I am still kinda paranoid to eat but eating. Tonight along with the coconut milk and hot dogs I cooked up a sweet potato. They have a lower sugar content than white potatoes and I like them much better; I add a little healthy butter substitute and cinnamon, mmm!

I have a Dunkin Hines brownie mix box sitting on my refrigerator staring at me but I really am not craving any bread or pasta... well except for my pizza cravings!

Last time I did the Meryl Diet I ate oatmeal every morning, last week homemade oatmeal made me so ill so I will be looking for gluten free hot/cold cereal substitutes. I know they are out there but I am not in a rush since I am trying to low carb it for a while to knock off the last pounds I need to get rid of.

Well back for more seltzer. I tried a couple of store brand "flavored" seltzers and they were only tainted with flavor. My new friend told me he loves raspberry flavored ginger ale which I tried and it was pretty good; he gets another plus mark. :)

"Back To Business"

Been a while...

I created this blog to chronicle changing my diet and got way off, though blogging about the furr kidz is always fun! Now back to business.

About a week ago my stomach rebelled on me: intestinal episodes and head spins! The episode was not as bad as it sometimes can be but as usual came from out of nowhere, unexpected.

I have in the past had food problems during allergy season, usually Spring is BAD! A few years ago the pollen was so bad that all my safe foods became toxic to my body. I am feeling like that so it is time to get serious and get back to the Meryl Diet.

The Meryl Diet was "created" about 15 years ago, for some reason I always think 10. I was having major stomach problems and due to sinus infections was regularly on antibiotics from September/October through March. From my reading and the boyfriend at the time, I learned a lot about candida overgrowth. With my "overuse" of antibiotics I knew this was a main part of the problem.

What did I do? I deleted all breads, pasta, sugar and fruit from my diet. It is kinda a cross between Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean and other "diets". The only carbs I ate were homemade oatmeal with apples flavored with honey and cinnamon, everything else was vegetables, chicken and turkey. My vegetables include carrots and sweet potatoes.

So after a few days of "episodes" I started off drinking some water then added coconut milk for the protein, vitamins and to get filled up. Yesterday I added my homemade iced caffe mocha and a hot soy caffe mocha from Starbucks and still OK. Last night: cole slaw, turkey and a little roast beef!

So this will clear out my system and help me to lose those last pounds I need too. My goal is when I am all better and back to the weight I want to be at, if I feel wheat/gluten is a problem part time or not, to keep it to a minimum and find delicious replacements for it. I want to save my wheat/gluten allowance to the occasional to die for chocolate dessert and some Molsons and maybe pizza if I can't come up with a viable substitute for the crust.

Take care, peace, love meryl xo

"Long Time"

"Been a long time since I rock and rolled..." is what I think of when I see how long its been since I posted a blog entry. So many things have been happening!

I have a new part time job that I am so excited about doing PET/CT exams. During the arduous and lengthy pre-employment process I got a new friend whom I speak to regularly; he is the best! The kidz... Maverick is 11 months old today! which makes Madison 2 years 11 months. Also interviewed for job number 4, another part time job but with two specific days of the week scheduled so I would have threes days a week with guaranteed hours. If this last job comes through I will probably resign from the other hospital job. The prospective place has a great reputation and they tell me "salary is not a problem".


My new job is PET/CT on a mobile trailer. The trailer travels to the different site locations in multiple states. I will be working locally on Long Island however I went for training in Pennsylvania for a long weekend. That meant putting Madison and Maverick somewhere to be looked after so I went to our local pet hotel.







Layne always loved the pet hotel. They walk dogs 5-7 times a day, bring them out for playtime, give them toys and blankets in the spacious 8x10 ft (I think) crate the dogs sleep in. First time Layne was there they asked me if I knew Layne loved to play fetch... she's a Lab, duh? They have rooms you can select for your dog as well with couches, I think even TV, but my pups are crate trained so it works fine for them. Madison did ask about wifi. :)

For cats they have the cattery which is a room with large crates for each cat. They get their own litter box, toys and pillow bed. The staff plays with the cats at least two times a day. Sounds like a sweet deal.

Seems Maverick was kinda shy and did not want to come out of his carrier until one of the staff brought Madison to see him after a walk. As soon as he saw his sister, he came out of his hiding place. The staff did put a blanket in the carrier so he would be comfy in case he decided it was safer to sleep in there. Madison would not do her business in their back yard play area, she would only take care of things on walks. Its supposed to be a big yard, my guess is that Madison did not want to dirty it up so she would continue to get to play there. Both my Labs have been funny that way.

I guess this is all for this post. Maybe my next post will be of the gardens I visited on my day off in PA... they were beautiful!

"Happy 2010"

Wishing you all a Happy 2010 for health, happiness, love and prosperity!

I hope first thing to find a full-time job, especially one I will enjoy, learn from, etc. It has been much too long!

I also hope to get back to my diet changes & exercising a lot more.

"Maverick's FIRST Snowstorm"

We had an unusually early BIG snow storm December 19-20, 2009. It was called a blizzard (blizzard has nothing to directly to do with snow amounts) and historical because of the amount of snow, it was a Nor'easter!

Nor'easters are coastal storms and always bring with them a lot of moisture and high winds that are damaging to the beaches with erosion. The winds swirl counterclockwise towards the coast here on the East coast hence why they are damaging. When they come during winter temperatures, the 1-2 inches of water turn into a TON of snow! Depending on temperature and other factors 1 inch of water = 10" of snow, approximately.

From Virginia up to the NY area amounts of 20+ inches. We are familiar with getting over a foot of snow but usually in Jan-April, if at all. Luckily, this was a light weight snow, easy to shovel but easily blown around and why there is very little left on the roofs and drifts abound everywhere! During the storm, I had to open the front storm door a few times, clearing a inch or more of snow, to ensure I would not get snowed in. Right before bed, I cleared the porch area about 1 am, and when I looked out about 7 or 8 am, it was replaced though there was an additional 4 inches on top of the untouched porch. We would have been OK but can't hurt to be careful.

This snow is even too deep for Madison who does not seem to love the snow as much as big sis Layne did when she was alive. Madison likes it but does not give me that, "Thanks mom" look and run with abandon into it, at least when it is > 1.5 feet. She made a few of her own paths through it but close to the house. Today I tossed the ball for her and for fetch, she'd go to the ends of the earth. I am sure she has been waiting for fetch to commence, as usual.

This is Maverick's first snow storm. He is an indoor cat but is always at the door when I or Madison are outside. So I put on his harness and leash and brought him onto the front porch to check it out. Don't think he knew what to make of the cold whiteness under him, then Madison came poking her head through the front door, so we all went into the back yard. The sun was just trying to break through the clouds & it was very windy so I only kept him outside maximum 5 minutes total. He was very glad to get back inside, we all were.

Today mid-migraine I went out to clear ice off of Madison's steps and the sun felt so no nice and no wind to speak of (the front is VERY windy!). I tossed the ball for Madison a bit and decided to bring Maverick back out for a little fresh air as well. He explored a little bit and even though I felt toasty in the sun, he was cold so I brought him in. Again, he was only out for about 5 minutes, he is a 5 month old kitten after all.

Not sure if Maverick will think twice before going to either the front or back doors again, but we will see. I do plan on bringing him out with us in the Spring and Summer when Madison and I spend most of our time out in the backyard. He will be on a leash/tether so he can't hop or climb under the fence and get into trouble. I am sure once he finds some nice sun puddles outdoors, he will be wanting to spend a lot of time outside like we do.

"Madison's Mystery Adventure"

As most of you know, I had to take Madison to the 24 hour Veterinary ER Saturday night. She is doing well now. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Madison why lying down by me before 10 pm, and I noticed some clear fluid on her lower belly area, when I wiped it off with a tissue, there was some blood. Madison & Maverick had been playing earlier so I wasn't alarmed, figured the cat might have scratched her though they usually play face to face and he has never scratched any of us, just swats at her from time to time. I went to get cotton balls and the cleaning solution the vet gave me for her abrasions on her chest, and then I saw it: a 1-1/4 inch gash on the inner part of her back right leg, I guess we can call it the pelvic area. Odd that such a big cut would not be bleeding but I knew it needed stitches, so a couple of phone calls later and off to the 24 hour vet we went.

Madison doesn't hate the vet, she loves seeing all the people and animals, but late at night, only the staff was there, two black and white tuxedo-like cats, and a female Rottweiler, a big pup also; all these animals are the staff's.

(Madison weighed in at 78.5 pounds, she has lost a few from running around chasing Maverick and she and me playing more with the nice weather.)

Madison really liked the lady vet and lady vet technician, gave kisses to both of them, she wasn't too sure about the guy who weighed her but he didn't flirt with her and solicit kisses like the girls did (he doesn't know what he is missing, maybe he's a cat person). Local anesthesia and antibiotic injections, stitches, and the "Elizabethan" collar, maybe 20 minutes later, I heard her toenails tapping on the tile floor towards me and through the door, it was over.

The vet called it a "stab" wound and said, well she's a Lab, as far as Madison getting into things (ain't THAT the truth!). Since we live in a quiet neighborhood and there were not barkfests that evening, she must have stabbed herself. The following morning she and I walked around the yard to see if we could figure out what caused the injury but found no evidence. I did come up with a few possibilities, (1) maybe she slipped on the puppy ramp, no evidence: no blood, no noise, and it had not moved; (2) a stick under the picnic table, Madison likes to run and dive under it, its her open air dog house, again no evidence: wound was clean, no debris around or inside it, leaves look like she has not been under the table lately.

There is a possible third choice, something around the shed, but there is a lot of overgrowth of weeds so I could not check behind there but again, when she runs through there I can her her bang against the shed, so no evidence for that so far.

So this may remain "Madison's Mystery Adventure" to all except for her. I am sure she had to feel something, right?

Anyway, she is healing well, taking her meds and dealing with the collar. She has found some pluses: only she can eat or drink out of her dish, Maverick can not sneak in, I can't lock her in the crate when I leave or overnight so she gets to sleep around the house, extra head scratches especially since she can't scratch for herself, Maverick has been giving her lots of nose kisses, if I toss her a treat if she misses the collar catches it, placing collar on mom's sneakers keeps it at good sleeping level. Minuses: she keeps hitting collar against walls, stairs. I tried to bring her up to my room to sleep but going up a flight of stairs even with me trying to hold up her collar doesn't give her the confidence she needs to believe she can go up the stairs.

We are hoping and praying for her speedy recovery and for health and safety for all of us from now on

"I'm The Momma!"

I think Madison thinks she is Maverick's momma. Madison likes to stroke Maverick, Maverick likes to lick Madison. Have to keep watch because Madison forgets how big she is but things are going very well... except Maverick has an eye and upper respiratory infection, but it is clearing up fast.

As Madison and Maverick say, "Happy Snuggle Sunday!".