1: a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person ; especially : one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance 2 a: a member of a body of detached light troops making forays and harassing an enemy b: a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines

Leadership Quote: A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.

Thing To Ponder: Why is bra singular and panties plural? 

Philosophical Quote: Before enlightenment – chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment – chop wood, carry water. 

Useless Knowledge: The Sanskrit word for “war” means “desire for more cows.”  

Inspirational Quote: Your current safe boundaries were once unknown frontiers.

Motivational Push

Begin each day with these questions and be amazed.

1. Why is it important for me to engage myself in my work passionately and purposefully each day?

2. How will I choose to allow my attitude effect how I address stressful situations at work today? How can I be more affective and proactive in regards to stress and attitude?

3. When am I most likely too react with the most passion and purpose today? Meeting with clients? Working on my computer? Following up on a lead? Take note of what makes your passion come alive, so you can use it to better your work performance.

4. Where within the organization am I best able to express my passion and purpose? Is it working with my peers? My supervisors? Clients? Interdepartmentally? Where physically do I perform the most purposefully?

5. With whom do I need to spend time in order to maintain balance as I pursue my passion and purpose? Within the organization, who best supports me?

6. What choices will I make today that align my purpose and passion with the tasks at hand at work?

7. Who am I called to be today as an expression of my passion for living?

For a daily dose of motivation, subscribe to Thought 4 The Day by simply leaving a comment requesting to have your email address added to the list.

There was a wealthy business owner who used to walk to his company every morning.  As was his custom he would proceed through the town and stop at the window of the jeweler’s shop.  He would wind his watch fully and reset it to the exact time on the big clock in the jeweler’s window.  He was very particular about having the right time, as he was the one to blow the steam whistle at his factory, at 5 o’clock, to signal the end of the day.



Inside the shop the jeweler recognized his frequent visitor and, although they had never spoken, was curious about this gentleman.  One day the jeweler decided to step out and greet the man.


“I notice every morning that you stop by and look in my window, but you have never come into the shop.  Is there something I can help you with?”


“No, thank you,” replied the gentleman, “I just stop by to set my watch, I know I can trust your big clock for the right time.”


“You certainly can,” said the jeweler with some pride, “That is a fine clock.”


“And tell me how do you set its time?” the gentleman inquired.


The jeweler replied, “I listen every evening, at precisely 5 o’clock, for the steam whistle at the local factory.”

The Germ-Fest

My vegan son is the epitome of health.  No fillers, no additives, no Big Pharma candy…no, no, no.  Nothing that had a mother, nothing made in a factory, you get the point.  The little man hasn’t had a cold in well, I’d say forever, but he’s only 2 and that would be a little unbelieveable…it has been at least 6 months though. So you could imagine my surprise when on the second day of preschool, he arrived home with the sniffles.  Now everyone I spoke to about this momentous event said exactly the same thing, “Oh yeah, when they’re in preschool, their noses never stop running!”  Why is this something we are unable to fix?  Why must their noses continually run?  Why are they passing germs around like…the plague!  Okay, I overstate.  But honestly, why is the everyday, run of the mill preschool a germ-fest?  I’m venting, bare with me.

My son’s a genius, why don’t they realize that?

I know every parent says this about their child, but mine really is a genius.  Okay, whatever.  I spent an enormous amount of time branding the ABC’s and 123′s into my sons head so he could start preschool to sit down and watch Sesame Street all day? I don’t think so!!!!  Alright, alright, maybe not all day, but really, shouldn’t they be cultivating each child’s potential with sensory learning tools and all that other jazz? 

He eats like an anorexic super-model

Is it just me or is my son refusing his favorite meal…that would be white rice.  Actually, he’s refusing everything I put in front of him.  It seems almost impossible that he can maintain his energy levels with just the morsel of food he’s been eating. 

Much more clingy than usual

This one I can kind of figure.  He may be having some abandonment issues.  Therefore when he sees his parents, he holds onto us with all his might.  I’ve been reassured that this will pass as he becomes more acclaimated to his surroundings.

Alright, so these are the changes I’ve noticed over the past three weeks.  As is my custom, I’ve done a little research to try to understand the ins and outs of the whole preschool thing.  Here’s a list from the experts to help ease my (and your) concerns.

What parents can do to ease the transition:

• Talk to the preschool teacher about your concerns
• Stay for a class
• Practice appropriate preschool behavior while at home
• Reevaluate maturity level and preschool readiness

This is definitely a process for all of us and I’m still researching it myself.  What are your thoughts?  What has worked for you?  Enlighten us.

From this mode of thinking, the Thought 4 The Week was born.  I firmly believe that we must start our week, not with an empty canvas, but with a canvas containing a background of inspiration and motivation.  A background, that no matter what is painted on the canvas, the background will permeate and continually hint at the beauty beneath. 

The Thought 4 The Week contains six elements: Word of the Week, Leadership Quote of the Week, Thing To Ponder, Philosophical Quote of the Week, Useless Knowledge, and Inspirational Quote of the Week.  The contents of each of these elements are by no means original, however, when pooled together, they can foment a newness and rev you up for the week to come. 

Thought 4 The Week

Word of the Week
Ambisinister: (am-bi-SIN-uh-stuhr) adjective: Clumsy with both hands.

Leadership Quote of the Week
“If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It’s much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.”
Admiral Grace Hopper

Thing To Ponder
Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up every two hours? 

Philosophical Quote of the Week
“Our eyes can only see our beliefs. Our beliefs cause us to make assumptions, draw conclusions and cause confusion. Our five senses are very limiting.” White Bison

Useless Knowledge
The name of the first presidential airplane was the Sacred Cow.

Inspirational Quote of the Week
“Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.” Mahatma Gandhi

To subscribe to my Thought 4 The Day, which is simply a daily installment of the Thought 4 The Week, send me comment listing the email address to which you wish the Thought 4 The Day to be sent.

So, let’s talk about water – the mystery and the magic! I overstate (as is my custom) for effect. We’re actually going to be discussing the benefits of water, why drinking it as often as possible could improve your health (obvious) and extend your life (these statements have not been approved by the FDA).  In a nutshell, water transports nutrients and hormones to vital organs.  It also gets in there and gets rid of all the stuff that shouldn’t be there. Yippie!! It hydrates and aids in digestion. It’s truly the miracle liquid. It does quite a few more things for the body as well…

• Removes toxins and waste from your body
• Aids in weight loss
• Improves energy
• Keeps skin healthy
• Improves brain function
• Reduces risk of heart-attack
• Improves immune system

To maintain optimum function, being well hydrated is necessary. It is not always easy to drink the recommended 8 glasses a day, for some, even 4 or 5 glasses is hard.  This was a challenge for me as well, so I implemented a few strategic “inspirations” that kept me on track and may work for you as well.

• Carry water with you everywhere you go – preferably in a glass bottle or container (like a Perrier bottle)
• Keep a glass or bottle of water next to you when you’re sitting for extended periods of time – like at your desk at work
• Set your “water” alarm to remind you to drink your water at set intervals
• Add lemons or mint leaves to your water to make it more appealing
• Eat water-rich fruit such as melons

It goes without saying that water is the end-all-be-all when it comes to health management. It purifies, hydrates and refreshes the body in ways no other liquid or solid can boast. Water does it all, because indeed, water is your friend!

Why apples?  Apples, as you know, have phenomenal health benefits.  We’ve all been told, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Well it aids in creating pristine clean intestines as well.  How?  Glad you asked.  Besides being an awesome source of dietary fiber, it reduces cholesterol, maintains healthy bowel function (now that’s what I’m talking about!), reduces the risk of stroke, Type II Diabetes and asthma. You can’t beat that with a stick!

Of course, you can complete a successful mono-fruit detox with just about any fruit, I just personally prefer the health benefits of apples.  Grapes (strangely enough, my favorite fruit), is another wonderful option for the mono-fruit detox.  In fact, grapes provide an enormous amount of Vitamins A, C, B6 and folate.  They’re also quite refreshing.  What more can you ask for? The list of acceptable fruit can go on and on, but we’re talking about pristine clean intestines and this mono-fruit detox…

Why pristine clean intestines? Now we’re getting down to business.  Cleaning the intestines contributes to ones health in many ways:

• Rids the bowel of excess fecal matter 
• Helps skin conditions
• Reduces the risk of most cancers
• Fights fatigue
• Weight loss
• Reduces Blood Pressure
• Assists with allergy relief

As the body detoxes, you may experience certain side effects, none of which are life-threatening. Side effects include:

• Headache
• Depression
• Frequent bowel movements
• Thirst
• Mood Swings
• Carbohydrate cravings
• Body/joint aches 

Like I said, I like my intestines pristine clean and after reading the benefits, everyone should want to do an internal Roto-Rooter on themselves.  I chose the mono-fruit detox, however there are many types of detoxes out there to help you obtain pristine clean intestines.  Do a little research or check out more of my posts on healthy eating and weight loss.

We drive, we cook, we use plastic, eh hem…sorry about that, but you get my drift.  We are dependent and Big Gas knows this, the government knows this, dargone it, the whole world knows it!  So when we hear those crazy hippie people calling for government sanctions against the vilest offenders of our emissions regulations; or asking for a change in the way we live our lives with regard to the environment, we listen, put on our most interested face, tilt our head (to imply that we care), and keep on doing what we’ve always done…drive, cook and use plastics.  Now, no one is telling you not to drive, cook (although, if you’ve ever read any of my raw recipes posts, you know this is definitely a selling point for me), or use plastics (you may want to look into this one though).  Just consider how many minor lifestyle adjustments you can employ in order to keep a forest or two around for another hundred or so years.

World opinion has so evolved on this topic that internationally, governments have implemented strategies to reduce emissions.  There are even repercussions if certain countries don’t fulfill their ends of the bargain. ( A little side note – compared to some other countries, the U.S. policy on this topic pretty much sucks.  It’s a Big Gas thing!).  Americans, however, have shown a significant spark of support for helping our environment in ways such as: tax incentives to utility companies encouraging them to sell clean energy; tax incentives and rebates to households using energy efficient appliances; requiring that by 2010, half of all cars produced be hybrids; and requiring car manufacturers to meet higher gas-efficiency standards.  This, however, is for large corporations.  What can the regular Joe Schmoe do?  What are our options?

Okay, so I’ve been yanked off the proverbial soap box with a proverbial hook – thanks guys, no really.  Here are a few ways to do your part to keep emissions down and the earth’s heart rate up…and, as always, if you think of anything else I might have missed (and that’s highly possible), please leave me a comment telling us all what you think we can do to help out.

• Sign up with 41pounds.org – you know that little flier that comes in the middle of all those other fliers for items you don’t want from companies you’ve never heard of?  Well, 41pounds.org makes sure your mailbox stays free and clear of those pesky mailers.  How so? Well for $41, this nonprofit services stops 80-95% of unwanted junk mail and catalogs for up to five years. And how do they do that??? Go to their website and find out for yourself – 41pounds.org
• Maintain that old jelopy (car) – Can somebody say ‘tune-up’? How about keep those tires well inflated? These are sure fire ways of getting your car to join in the fun.
• Ride your bicycle- And you thought I was kidding!  First of all, just think about how much $ you would save on gas – that’s another car note in itself!  Next think about how much you’d save in maintenance.  You can live without a car and so can your kids.  This may be an awesome opportunity for the fam to get some much needed exercise.  Check out How to Live Well Without Owning A Car by Chris Balish.
• Buy a hybrid or a smart car - Yes I know the ‘aesthetics’ don’t even begin to compare to, well, just about anything on the non-hybrid, non-smart car market.  And, yes, I know you’ve got a large posse who likes to ride wide legged with arms out-stretched…tell them to get their own cars because you’ve got to help save the environment!  Do you realize the impact owning one of these cars can have on your wallet…not to mention your, wallet.  And did I mention the impact it can have on your wallet?  Just wanted to drive that point home.
• Carpool – Okay, your posse can ride.  In fact, pick up as many as can legally fit in your vehicle and get going.  Carpooling reduces emissions significantly by taking at least one other vehicle off the street.
• Public Transportation – Get on the bus, train or whatever your city has to transport a large group of people from one place to the next.  Some employers even provide transportation allowances as incentives.
• Telecommute- YeeeeHaaaa!!!! This, by far, is my super favorite of all the options.  Not because I won’t have to get up, get dressed, get in the car, get in traffic, get in the office (late)…not at all, it’s only because I know this one little gesture will help save the environment.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
• Turn off the lights- Could it have been a foretelling of things to come when Teddy Pendergrass sang this song?  Probably not, but it does speak to a great waste that goes on in homes everywhere – keeping lights on unnecessarily.  So just do what Teddy said and, “Turn ‘em off!”
• Donate your junk- There are more than enough charities that’ll take your crap.  Not your bad attitude crap, but your unwanted items, especially electronics.  Check out recyclingforcharities.com where you can donate old cell phones, PDA’s, digital cameras, you name it.
• Buy local – Do your best to keep your travel to and from the grocery store short.  Also, try not to have purchases shipped, if you can get it, go get it…on your bicycle.
• Eat less or no meat – V/V powers unite!  Just kidding, but really…eating meat produces 3000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.  At least consider it.

Reducing emissions is a job for all of us.  It is important that we do our best to reduce our carbon footprint and try to keep this earth around for our decendants.  Do what you can to implement these suggestions into your daily life.  If you’d like more suggestions, check out carbonfund.org.  If you have suggestions of your own, please leave a comment…you can never do too much.

Recipes

Apple Salad in Lettuce Cups

3 1/2 cups of diced apples
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced banana
1/2 cup of raw walnuts
1 cup of raisins
Half head of lettuce

Mix all ingredients (except lettuce) together and place in lettuce cups

Banana-Date Salad

1 cup of pitted, chopped dates
1 cup of diced bananas
1 cup of diced celery

Mix all ingredients together and serve over crisp greens

Nutty Vegetable Salad

1 small bunch of parsely
1 head of Romaine lettuce
1/2 chopped sweet pepper
1 cup of raw mixed nuts
1 cup of mini tomatoes

Mix all ingredients together and place on lettuce cups

Veggie Corn Chowder

2 1/2 cups of Almond Milk
5 ears of corn on the cob, shaved
1 small avocado
Sea Salt to taste

Put aside one handful of corn.  Blend everything else in a blender, pour into bowl.  Add the handful of corn and sea salt. “Living on Live Food” Alissa Cohen

Brocolli Soup

3 cups of water
1 cup of almonds
1 teaspoon of honey
2 cups of broccoli
1 avocado
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon of onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon of cumin
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a blender, blend water, honey and almonds until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Banana Nut Ice Cream

2 frozen bananas (very ripe)
4 pitted prunes
1/4 tsp. of vanilla
1 handful of almonds
1 Tbl. honey

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until you get the consistency of yogurt.

Live Fries

1 lb Jicama
1 Tbsp of onion powder
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of paprika
Sea Salt to taste

Slice Jicama so that it looks like fries.  Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Enjoy.

Raw Fruit Cereal

Cereal: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, chopped peaches
Milk: blend a banana and enough water to make banana milk
Pour milk onto cereal and enjoy

So that’s my list for now.  Try them out and see how you like them.  Let me know what you think by sending me a comment on any of the recipes you’ve tried.

Getting Sexy on a Budget

• Do It Yourself – This is a no brainer.  What did you do before you started getting beauty treatments done by professionals?  Exactly. You did it your own darn self.  Just do a little research with that hair color before applying it all over your precious head.  No need to spend $5 for an at-home coloring system and then have to pay a professional $60 to cover up that Cobalt Blue!

• Barter – We’re used to bartering for items deemed unusable.  Well darling, it’s time to adjust your way of thinking.  Say for instance, you ask your friend Linda to do your wax for you and you’ll babysit so she and her hubby can go on a much needed date.  Now there, both of you saved a ton of cash (well, not a ton, but it’s something).  And all you needed to do was purchase the wax from CVS.  Now, please ensure that if you are going to solicit your friends’ assistance in performing a bikini wax on you, that both of you are comfortable with the intimacy involved.  No need having your friend fondle your neather region for a 1/2 hour while you cringe with thoughts of inevitability…will she still respect me in the morning????

• Partials – One lady I know goes to the stylist and has her hair cut and/or permed, then she comes home and colors and/or styles it.  That way, she pays a fraction of what it would cost her had she had the whole kit-n-kaboodle done at the stylist’s shop. 

• Have a Party – This one is actually a little fun.  Send an evite (it’s friggin free for goodness sake) to all your girlfriends (the ones you like hanging with, not the other ones, they’ll just annoy the heck out of you and everyone else). Make it a spa party.  This is what you do – Each lady will purchase $10 worth of beauty treatments (this should be organized so no one brings the same thing), then each lady gets a full beauty treatment from all the other ladies.  You can make it full service, hair nails (fingers & toes), face, wax (remember what I said about your neather region), and anything else you want to style.  Not only will it be totally fun and a great get together, you’ll leave there feeling refreshed and sexy as hell!

• Beauty Colleges – Yes, I know that students are the ones providing the services.  Yes, I know they don’t have their licenses yet.  Yes, I know they could totally cut chunks of your hair out without any recourse on your part.  However, the majority of the time, they do a darn good job and you can’t beat them for their pricing.  Just go, sit in somebody’s chair and pray you don’t hear those two stomach-wrenching words, “Uh Oh!”

• Get Creative With Your Clothes – No you don’t have to be a contestant on Project Runway to do this.  A little mixing and matching is all.  You’ve already got clothes, no need to buy any more until your money stops looking funny.  So just figure out cool, stylish ways of wearing what you have.  Throw a jacket on over that clingy dress for a business casual look, or loop a scarf through the belt-loops of your jeans for a fancy-schmancy switch on the casual look.  Just remember that the items you choose should match as much a possible (same color family with some variation). 

• Goodwill is your friend – If you must spend money on fashion, go to Goodwill.  No, that’s not an oxymoron!  Goodwill has got some pretty decent stuff and stylish too.  Just be selective and realistic.  You probably won’t find that Prada essemble within those doors, but darn it, you can find some no name brand that looks a heck of a lot like Prada and that’s what counts in these days and times!

Alright, so I’ve exhausted my options.  These few should get you started back on track to sexyville.  Like I said, if you don’t find anything useful, send me a comment and give me some suggestions on how to still be sexy on a budget.