Since I don’t particularly like any of the components of the BRAT diet (which in case you aren’t familiar, is the go- to food choices of those who have recently had food poisoning/ stomach flu/ similar, and consists of:

• Bananas
  
• Rice (white rice, that is)
• Applesauce
• Toast (again, this is your basic white bread, not any yummy seeded loaf or anything)

So what’s a girl to do? I made it half a day on sips of water and puffed rice, and then my growling, churning, hungry stomach demanded I go to town on some of these simple starchy, dreadfully dull foods. Just like any other recipe, I had a hard time following the rules “exactly”…

First off, bananas. I can barely stomach bananas on a regular day, so I knew I would have to whip up some “bananarama” as I call it, or pureed frozen banana chunks, also known in some circles as “banana soft serve.” Usually I would add all kinds of “fixings” like peanut butter or m&ms or more fruit, but today I kept it simple with just a dash of cinnamon. (pictured below- strawberry soft serve from a different day when I had the energy to photograph my food for y’all…)

Next up, rice. Well, I don’t like white rice much at all and it takes forever to cook, but I figured that oatmeal or quinoa flakes would be similar to digestion and so I have been eating a little bit of each of these. I incorporated my version of toast, saltines, as a garnish to both of these bowls, and I have to say- oatmeal with saltines is actually really tasty! (below are quinoa flakes without saltines, from a previous venture)

Applesauce is pretty standard. I don’t love it, but I’ve been having it in place of my usual daily serving of fruit (raspberries or blackberries still seem a little harsh for my poor belly). Toast we got “out of the way” with the saltines, so I graduated to a few items off the brat menu:

-mashed potatoes (tonight will be my third night in a row)- instead of using a kind of dairy that is too hard on my stomach like milk or butter, I’ve been using plain yogurt (siggi’s skyr to be precise) which has probiotics in it- yay yay happy in my belly!- and also makes the mashed potatoes really creamy. Greek yogurt would be just the same.

-rather than my usual favorite beverage (beer, coconut la croix, zevia cream soda) I bought a few synergy kombucha drinks to get even MORE probiotics going in my guts. They aren’t my favorite, but taste better than I thought they would.

Along with these boring-ass foods, I’ve also been keeping with my typical vitamin regimen and drinking lots of chamomile, peppermint, and ginger tea as well as water. I sure hope I’m back to normal soon, though… I miss my peppers!

What do you eat when you’ve been hit with a tummy flu? Do you have any other variations on the bland diet brat diet for me to try? Does anyone else put saltines in their oatmeal?

Meri

In anticipation of my favorite retro drama, I bring you an oldie but goodie: my “which mad men character are you” quiz… (there is only one question, it is very easy!)

and some photos I wasted my life pinteresting/pinning over the years.

First- the upcoming season:

Anyway, today I just wanted to pop online and share a few very simple Easter crafts before Sunday for you last minute crafters…

First off, Easter Egg Maracas using dried beans as the “rattler” and decorated for my lovely nieces and nephew…

Then next up, we have some laminated egg cards... Just trace an egg shape onto some patterned paper (or make a design yourself, like I did) and then use the lovely 3M laminate sheets to plasticize them. You can use a sharpie on one side to write your message:

So there you go! Now go on and make some Easter-y or Springtime crafts and tell me all about it! What springtime crafts or outings do you have planned?

Meri

We sure did enjoy the “Painted Garden” flower show at Macy’s this past weekend. Here are the highlights!

What do you all think? Are you ready for spring or what? Do you go to the Macy’s flower show or any other spring flower shows?

Meri

]]> http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=2281 7 http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/?p=2272 http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/?p=2272#comments Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:44:33 +0000 Meri http://www.merigoesround.com/blog/?p=2272 Continue reading →]]> I was just watching last week’s Glee, and I was so enjoying this week’s numbers (they had to perform songs from movies) that I did a little screen capping action for those of you who don’t watch the show. Here they are!

Royal Wedding “You’re All the World to Me”

Risky Business- “Old Time Rock and Roll”

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes/Moulin Rouge “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”

Moulin Rouge “Come What May”

Ghost “Unchained Melody”

Say Anything “In Your Eyes”

Do you watch Glee? What is your favorite iconic movie song/soundtrack?

Meri

First, the longer version:

Homeopathy is a type of medicine that can be either stand-alone or complementary to “allopathic” (western) medicine. Going back to Hippocrates but founded by Samuel Hahnemann, a physician/chemist/linguist in the late 1700s, it literally means, “same suffering.” This is often described as “like cures like,” and explains the homeopathic philosophy. Basically, if you are imagining that you have a symptom (and homeopathy covers mental, physical, emotional symptoms- holistic), homeopathy would give a sick person the substance that would cause those symptoms in a healthy person. So if you were to get food poisoning and get diarrhea (for a gross example), an allopath might give you something to STOP that symptom, where a homeopath would give you a substance that would cause diarrhea in a healthy person, causing the sick person’s body to fight back and defeat the disease, without suppressing the ailment and causing it to come back later, or in a different way.

How do homeopaths find the right substance? First off, its called a “remedy,” and it is a highly diluted version of a plant, animal, or mineral substance taken in pellet or sometimes liquid form. The concept of energetic medicine is unfamiliar to most (and not really understood yet in a way that other sciences are “measured” at this point in time), but for me that is not an obstacle. For me, if it works- it works. More importantly, it is time tested, used in other countries for hundreds of years (and actually was quite mainstream in the US before the dawn of antibiotics), and very safe (safe enough for pregnant women, children, and animals). It is meant to stimulate the body’s own power to heal itself, affecting the body in a way that is prophylactic rather than reactive, and can lead the body on a path to more overall wellness, decreasing the susceptibilities we have to everyday ailments, therefore leading us to be more “at”ease (vs. “dis”ease).

Now, the bullet point version:

• Homeopathic medicine follows the idea of “like cures like.” Think allergy shots, “hair of the dog,” or meds that treat ADHD with stimulants (like Ritalin, Adderal).
• Homeopathic principles go back to the time of Hippocrates, but Classical Homeopathy was founded by Samuel Hahnemann a few hundred years ago in Germany.
• Going to a homeopath consists of an initial interview that can last between 1-3 hours, where the TOTALITY of your physical, mental, emotional symptoms are taken.
• The medicine itself is very inexpensive, made of a highly diluted substance made from natural substances and is taken only occasionally as needed, and safe for all including pregnant women, infants/children, and animals.

I know there are a lot of different types of “alternative” medicines out there, some very very old, and some kind of new aged. I don’t know a ton about some of the other factions (and am still in a lifetime learning process about homeopathy), but I can say from the observations of others and from my very recent own personal experience, that it can be a wonderful and miraculous way to feel healthy.

For more information you might want to read Beyond Flat Earth Medicine by Timothy Dooley (it is free!) Here is the link: http://beyondflatearth.com/

Do you have any questions about homeopathy for me? Have you ever gone to a homeopath or dabbled in it yourself?

Meredith

One of a kind (or pretty close)

• Gwyneth (Paltrow)
• Halle (Berry)… do I even need last names on these? I don’t think so…
• Quvenzhane (too lazy to look up spelling)
• Meryl
• Angelina
• Charlize
• Reese
• Gabourey
• Marilyn
• Whoopi (her real name is Caryn????) I had to google it.
• Minka (Kelly)
• January (Jones)- Mad Men
• Ava (Gardner)- this one is interesting because it is a pretty common name, just not in hollywood?)
• Octavia
• Dakota
• Macauley
• Isla
• Sissy
• Scarlett (Johanssen)
• Farrah (Fawcett)
• Shia (LaBeouf)
• Leonardo
• Tatum (O Neal)
• Ingrid (Bergman)
• Rooney (Mara)
• Myrna (Loy)
• Leighton (Meester)
• Chord (Overstreet), Jayma (Mays), Naya (Rivera)- Glee!
• Troian (Belisario)- Pretty Little Liars
• Viola (Davis)
• Sienna (Miller)- Where has she been?
• Mischa (Barton)- and her? where is she?
• Neve (Campbell) and where has SHE been?

Spencer/ Troian Bellisario

A few good men namesakes

• Audrey (Hepburn, Tautao)
• Zooey/Zoe (Deschanel, Saldana, Kravitz)
• Mila (Kunis, Jovovich)
• Carrie/ Kerry/ Keri (Fisher, Washington, Russel)
• Amber (Heard, Tamblyn, Valetta)

Olivia Pope Kerry Washington

The More (names) the Merrier

• Sarah Michelle (Gellar), Sarah Jessica (Parker)
• Mary Louise (Parker), Mary Kate (Olsen)
• AnnaSophia (Robb)
• Melissa Joan (Hart)

A dime a dozen (I’m not saying they aren’t great names- popular for a reason!)

• Jennifer (Lawrence, Hudson, Connelly, Love Hewitt, Aniston, Garner, Morrison, Lopez, Dewan (Jenna)
• Hugh (Jackman, Grant, Bonneville, Dancy, Laurie)
• Lucy (Hale (pretty little liars), Ball (Lucille), Lawless, Liu, Punch (RIP Ben and Kate)
• Ashley (Greene, Benson, Olsen, Judd, Tisdale)
• Kate (Beckinsale, Winslet, Hudson, Mara, Zeta Jones (Catherine), Blanchett (Cate), Holmes, Cassidy (Katie), Hepburn, McPhee (Katharine)
• Emma (Thompson, Roberts, Stone, Watson, Rossum (Emmy)

The magnificent Emma Thompson

Is your name on my list? Do any famous people share your name? Who did I forget?

Meri

Recently I read a book which highlighted a few of these words or expressions that we use often, and gave a little history of why we say these things. To honor this book (London is the best city in America), and nerd out about words, here you go:

1)Word/ Expression: Toast: I’m not talking about what we eat for breakfast with peanut butter, I’m talking about when we raise a glass to honor a special occasion, such as a wedding.

History/ Meaning: Ancient Romans used to put a piece of toast at the bottom of the wine glass to reduce sediment and/or acidity, thus it became a “toast.”

2) Word/ Expression: Honeymoon: I think we know that this is a trip (be it an overnight somewhere or two weeks in the Caribbean) that a couple takes after getting married. But it is a little confusing since usually no one goes for a month (moon) unless they are super wealthy. I always assumed the “honey” part was a term of endearment, but…

History/ Meaning: Goes back to a northern European/ Scandinavian tradition where the bride and groom would drink honeyed wine/ mead each day for a month (moon) after their wedding. Salud!

3) Word/ Expression: The apple of my eye: This one we say when we are talking about someone who we love dearly. I don’t really use this one as I’m not sure I ever understood what it meant.

History/ Meaning: Going back to an ancient Hebrew translation, this can be understood as “the little man/puppet” in my eye, referring to the reflection you see of yourself in another’s eyes when you look at them. Weird…

4) Word/ Expression: Charlie horse: If you don’t know what this is, you’re lucky- its a type of hideous leg cramp (usually in the upper leg/ thigh). But who is this Charlie, and is he really to blame?

History/ Meaning: Not entirely clear, but most trace it back to U.S. in the 1880s, when baseball pitcher Charlie “Old Hoss”Radbourn was famous and suffered from leg cramps. Interestingly, other names for these types of leg cramps in other countries include (translated), “rat”, “water buffalo,” “wooden leg,” “donkey’s bite,” “thigh hen,” and my very favorite, “thigh cookie.” Many names for a beast of a symptom!

5) Word/ Expression: Eighty-six: I have heard this to mean a person is kicked out of an (ahem) establishment, and also that something has run out.

History/ Meaning: This one is the least clear of all. Some say it has to do with codes that soda jerks or restaurateurs had for items as they would run out (steak, for example), and that it became slang for something running out. Another refers to soup kitchens having cauldrons holding 85 cups of soup, so the 86th person was out of luck. Finally, there is a story about a bar in NYC that would, during prohibition, call ahead to warn patrons of the speakeasy to head out before authorities arrived. The speakeasy (now legit), Chumleys, was at 86 Bedford Street, which would have been code.

Did you know the meanings behind these expressions? Have you heard any other possible meanings? Are there any expressions or idioms that you have always wondered about?

Cheers!

Meri

Worthy Winners

• The King’s Speech (2010)- unbelievable performance by my husband Colin Firth
• Crash (2005)
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)- made me sob back when I didn’t use to really ever cry
• LOTR- Return of the King (2003)- utterly breathtaking
• Chicago (2002)- perhaps my love of musical has me biased here…
• A Beautiful Mind (2001)- this story was done so well
• Gladiator (2000)- good acting, great action, intrigue…
• American Beauty (1999)- for Peter Gallagher’s eyebrows, if nothing else, but mostly because of Kevin Spacey
• Forrest Gump (1994)- a really unique film, I think!
• The Sound of Music (1965)- musical bias/ Julie Andrews love
• All About Eve (1950)- Bette Davis just has me mesmerized

source

TBD- Netflixed!

• The Artist (2011)
• The Hurt Locker (2009)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Shakespeare in Love (1998)
• The English Patient (1996
• Braveheart (1995)

Oscar the Grouch (to be clear-not bad movies, but maybe not deserving?)

• The Departed (2006)- because question: If this hadn’t been directed by King Scorsese, would anyone have noticed this movie?
• Titanic (1997)- I tried rewatching this without my 7th grade Leo Loving goggles on, and I really just got bored.
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• Annie Hall (1977)- Woody Allen- sometimes I love him, sometimes can’t stand him
• My Fair Lady (1964)- there are so many superior Audrey Hepburn films
• West Side Story (1961)- bleh, and I’m a musical fanatic!
• The Apartment (1960)- don’t hate me, but I’ve never been a big Shirley Maclaine fan
• Casablanca (1942)- sappy crap- I really don’t get the obsession with this film

source

Which Academy Award winning films do you think deserve the title? Who do you think will win this year? Are any of your favorite movies on these lists?

Meri

However, a few weeks ago I got shingles (likely due to my continuing issues of not being able to freakin’ relax about my health, school, work, etc.) Now shingles is no bag of fun here, and I’m about ready to try ANYTHING that keeps me from getting stressed out and having my health fall apart over and over again, so here is my plan of attack, along with a PLEA FOR HELP FROM YOU GUYS!!

Meri’s Emergency Stress Relief Plan:

-Getting into bed earlier (I love to read before bed so this is going pretty well)

-Taking tap dancing community ed classes with a pal (pretty fun so far)

source

-Practicing mindfulness when I’m at work or running around (redirecting my thoughts to what is happening around me in the environment instead of the constant stream of hypochondria running through my head on repeat).

-Meditation (a step beyond the mindfulness to include a more traditional approach with eyes closed, steady breathing, and either a mantra or just counting breaths).

-Music! (my latest favorite is Jacques Dutronc, a french singer from the 60s. Check out “Et moi et moi et moi” to see what I’m talking about).

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-Positivity! (every time the boyfriend or I start to get down, I try to redirect the thought to think of the best thing that is going on or the bright side. This is kind of hard lately but I’m working on it).

-Family and friends! I sure would have lost my mind by now without the cheer from people who love me and bring me joy.

-Professional help! I will be seeing the homeopath I have been waiting MONTHS to see next week, and I can’t wait.

Oh, and in regards to the shingles, I have been taking lysine (an amino acid), drinking kombucha green tea, and taking extra vitamin C, however I think either one of those or the anti-viral meds I was taking have made me break out slightly in the face? Anyone have any ideas about why?

What are your ideas for stress relief? Have you had shingles? What do you do to keep yourself balanced and to keep anxiety under control?

Meri