Here's a mainstay I used whenever we have family barbecues.  It seems as the years fly by there isn't enough energy for these fun family outings.  In order to feel refreshed and rested, I've found my crock pot to be one of my closest friends to get me through that affair.    

All you need to do is open a few cans of already made beans, add a few ingredients, and you have an amazing side everyone will think you spent time on.  

(2) 15 oz. cans of store brand baked beans
1/3 cup well-chopped onion
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 tab. real bacon pieces (optional)
2 tab. molasses
3 tab. brown sugar

Add all ingredients to slow cooker.  Stir well. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.  When through, let rest before serving so the beans suck up the extra juice.  

I  know you're dreading trying to prepare all those necessary sides for a Memorial Day barbecue.  Well, with a little ingenuity you can prepare those sides with a bit of ease.  By all means don't spend the day cooking and resting in between to keep your stamina up.  Pop this in the slow cooker and one item will be ready with no fuss. 

Concentrate on the things that need to be done immediately like tidying up, decorating, and handing over grilling duties. Then make sure to carve out a bit of quality time for yourself. 
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8-10 ears of corn, shucked
1/3 cup water
Butter
Salt 
Pepper
Herbs
Lemon juice

Break ears in half and place in slow cooker.  Add 1/3 cup of water. Set on high and allow to cook for 3 hours.

Remove corn and add your favorite seasonings: butter, salt, pepper, herbs, and/or lemon juice.  YUM!

Sometimes enough is enough.  You can go along in life doing everything fundamentally possible to keep yourself fit and healthy, and then, all of a sudden, be struck down from another unseen force.  A wise rheumatologist once told me, "Fibromyalgia leads to other chronic illnesses.  Do as much as you can naturally to keep your symptoms at bay."

I've had several email requests on how to apply for SSD with fibromyalgia.  If you're at the end of your rope, then now is the time to add more quality living time to your daily life.  After all, if you're home you can concentrate on YOU and not the finances.  

Although fibromyalgia is a mysterious disorder with subjective symptoms, the pain and exhaustion it causes can severely impact a person’s life. The condition is characterized by over ten different symptoms including widespread and chronic pain, allodynia (i.e., pain caused by pressure), fatigue, sleep disturbance, stiff joints, difficulty swallowing, bowel issues, bladder issues, numbness, tingling, and cognitive dysfunction. The cause is unknown and the symptoms vary from person to person. In the weeks an months before your final decision to apply keep these points in mind:

Because of the subjective nature of the disorder, you will need to work hard to win your case. It’s all about working with your doctors to establish your disorder, proving your case with strong evidence, and staying determined through any necessary appeals. Begin now by picking out a local attorney you'll feel comfortable with. You may even want to call to "get acquainted" letting them know of your plans.  You must apply and be denied to retain an attorney, but it doesn't hurt to call and feel comfortable about your "back up" in case your application is denied.  

1. Visit your doctor regularly. Fibromyalgia symptoms vary from person to person, and the severity can fluctuate over time, so medical evidence is key to winning disability benefits. Your doctor will, of course, need to diagnose you with fibromyalgia after a comprehensive physical exam, but it’s also important that you have regular check-ups so that your doctor can monitor your condition. It is also extremely beneficial to see other specialists, such as an orthopedist, neurologist, or rheumatologist.
2. Go over the criteria. The SSA will evaluate your claim based on the duration, severity, and frequency of your symptoms. Specifically, you need to have a history of widespread pain, severe symptoms, and proof that similar disorders were considered and ruled out based on solid evidence. If you haven’t had fibromyalgia for very long or the SSA determines that your symptoms are not severe enough to affect your work, you won’t qualify for disability benefits.
3. Carefully prepare the documentation. Evidence is everything when it comes to Social Security disability benefits. Gather all of the medical evidence you can, including lab tests, medical records, doctors’ reports, etc. Statements from your employer will also be helpful if you have missed a lot of work or had trouble performing your duties due to pain, exhaustion, etc. Also, consider keeping a diary in which you track the frequency and severity of your symptoms.
4. Don’t give up. Many people initially denied disability benefits go on to win their cases. Keep your head up, review your application, pay attention to deadline dates, and make your appeal. If your evidence is strong and you’ve followed our tips for how to get Social Security disability for fibromyalgia, you have every reason to believe you’ll succeed. –

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To get Social Security disability for fibromyalgia, I highly recommend that you work with a disability representative. Not only will he be familiar with the system and ready to answer any questions that you have, but he will also monitor your case and stand by you throughout the application and appeals process. 

In July 2012, Social Security issued a ruling explaining when fibromyalgia should be found as a medically determinable impairment. The ruling directs claims examiners and judges to rely on criteria issued by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to determine whether an applicant has fibromyalgia, and thus has an MDI "medically determinable impairment".

First, to be considered an MDI, the patient should have evidence of chronic widespread pain, including pain in the back, neck, or chest, and a doctor must have ruled out other diseases (such lupus, hypothyroidism, and multiple sclerosis) through the use of lab tests or x-rays. In addition, the patient must have one of the following:

• Tender points in at least 11 of 18 tender point areas of the body, with tender points occurring on both sides of the body and both above and below the waist. You can see a list of the tender points in the SSA's recent ruling on fibromyalgia.
• Repeated occurrences of six or more fibromyalgia symptoms, particularly fatigue, cognitive or memory problems (“fibro fog”), non-restorative sleep, depression, anxiety, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Other possible symptoms include headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, Raynaud's phenomenon, seizures, and dizziness.  These are all important components that MUST be documented regularly on your medical chart in each physician's office.  By doing so, you are building a solid case.

The claims examiner assigned to your claim will review your medical records to see if they include evidence of the above criteria. The examiner will read your doctor's notes on your complaints of pain, fatigue, and possible cognitive difficulties on all your doctor visits. To assess the credibility of your complaints, the claims examiner (or judge, if on appeal) may ask your doctor to provide information about the extent and duration of your impairments, his or her opinion of how well you are able to function, what treatments were tried and whether they were helpful and had side effects, and how long the doctor expects your ability to function to be limited. The longer your medical record includes evidence of fibromyalgia symptoms and treatment, the better. 

If the SSA determines that you have the medically determinable impairment of fibromyalgia, Social Security's evaluation is not over; in fact, it has just begun. The SSA will probably will  develop a "residual functional capacity" (RFC) assessment for you to determine if there is any work you can do, including your past work. An RFC assessment is an evaluation of your ability to perform various exertional levels of work; for example, if you can't lift more than 10 pounds, you will be given a sedentary RFC. The SSA bases your RFC on your medical records, opinions from doctors and specialists, and statements from you and possibly your family members. In assessing your RFC, the SSA will rely on your doctor's opinion as to your abilities, like how long you can stand, sit, and walk, how much you can lift, and how well you can focus and remember instructions. These functional limitations are the key to showing the SSA why you can't work.
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After creating your RFC, the SSA will compare it to the types of jobs available for someone with your RFC level and limitations. If your RFC rules out all jobs, even sedentary work, you will be found disabled. For more information, see our articles on how Social Security uses your RFC and Tips on Winning Disability With Fibromyalgia.

I was delightfully surprised with this movie.  In fact, this one of the best movies I've viewed this year.  Micky Rourke plays an amazing lead role.  

ASHBY is a coming of age/approaching death comedy drama. A seventeen-year-old kid (Ed) trying to understand who he wants to be in the world, befriends a terminally ill ex-CIA contract killer (Ashby) who is trying to make peace with his life and God before he goes. 'Making peace' might just entail killing three old bosses who have tricked him into breaching his strange moral code.
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High-school student Ed Wallis enters into a friendship with his neighbor, Ashby, a retired CIA assassin who only has a few months left to live. IMDb

I've tooted the benefits of coconut oil in the Fibromyalgia Smoothie.  But, with the advent of summer upon us, let's not forget that lovely fruit can be had for only $2.29 and offer us more healing properties if ingested throughout the day.

A coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera. Coconuts are believed to be native to Southeast Asia, where they have been cultivated and used in food for centuries. Early Spanish explorers called it coco, which means "monkey face" because the three indentations (eyes) on the hairy nut resembles the head and face of a monkey. Nucifera means "nut-bearing." 

With all the health, nutritional, and body care benefits that you get from coconut, there is no doubt why this has been hailed as the "miracle fruit". While coconut possesses many health benefits due to its fiber and nutritional content, it's the oil in the fruit that makes it a truly remarkable food and medicine. It is said to prevent and cure many sicknesses that are almost impossible to heal. Containing a healthy oil, it could help decrease viral load of HIV patients, could improve insulin production and thyroid function, it could reduce the risk of diabetes complications, and could even fight heart disease which is the leading cause of death. Coconut improves the performance of the digestive system that can make a person lose weight.

In traditional medicine around the world, coconut is used to treat a wide variety of health problems including the following: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds.

​Anti-Infective Properties

• Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
• Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases. 
• ​Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
• Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites. 
• Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.​
• Recent research points to symptom relief in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Wonderful, uplifting movie on the power of positive living.

Charlie St. Cloud is a young man overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother, Sam - so much so that he takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried. Charlie has a special lasting bond with his brother though, as he can see him, meeting up with Sam each night to play catch and talk. When a girl comes into Charlie's life, he must choose between keeping the promise he made to Sam or going after the girl he loves. - IMbD

If you enjoy historical fiction from an author who is well-versed in the time period, then this book by Stacy Schiff will satisfy your urge to step back in time.

Her palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first and poisoned the second; incest and assassination were family specialties. She had children by Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most prominent Romans of the day. With Antony she would attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled both their ends. Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Her supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order.

Many fibromyalgia patients reported that some foods tend to aggravate their symptoms. According to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association, certain foods have the potential to irritate your muscles and cause problems to your immune system. And so it can be tough for those suffering from this disease to choose and follow nutritional advice on how they should eat.

No single eating plan will work for all fibromyalgia sufferers, Dr. Joseph Mercola points out. However, Dr. Mercola believes that making simple dietary and lifestyle changes can help relieve fibromyalgia symptoms:
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1.    Avoid processed foods to stay away from additives and preservatives.

2.    Avoid artificial sweeteners. Aspartame has been found to trigger fibromyalgia-type symptoms and make it worse, for those already suffering from the disease. Artificial sweeteners could be responsible for some or even all of your symptoms.

3.    Avoid sugar and caffeine, including soda, fruit juice and energy drinks. Drink pure, fluoride-free water instead.

4.    Consume coconuts and coconut oil. Coconut has been found to be beneficial to people suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and hypothyroidism.

5.    Eat fresh, organic, whole fruits and vegetables that are as close to their natural state as possible. Whole fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which help anti-inflammatory benefits. Go for those deep oranges, reds, purples and greens because generally, the more colorful the produce, the better. Eat as many raw foods as possible.Cooking food in temperatures above 118 degrees F destroys enzymes and nutrients, which is why Mercola personally tries to eat at least 80 percent of his food raw.

6.    Eliminate or strictly limit your alcohol intake.

7.    Exercise. Regular exercise is one of the most effective fibromyalgia treatment methods.

8.    Get more sleep. Having a regular sleeping habit can help greatly boost your energy, improve your mood and reduce pain.

9.    Optimize your omega-3 fat levels. Long-chain animal-based omega-3 fats from fish oil or krill oil are natural pain relievers and helps decrease inflammation, joint pain, swelling and stiffness.
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10.    Relax. Try meditation, yoga or a stress management tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.

Are you getting enough vitamin D? According to recent studies, there’s a good chance you aren’t. In 2009, researchers reported levels of vitamin D in the U.S. population had dropped between the years of 1988 and 1994, and then again between 2001 and 2004. Not only had average levels dropped, more than 75 percent of the people studied had inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood.

Vitamin D deficiency is linked with an increased risk for serious diseases. Reduced levels of the vitamin are associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and autoimmune disorders. Deficiency is also linked with multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia and more. That’s why it’s so import to get enough vitamin D. But identifying vitamin D deficiency can be tricky.
Our bodies don’t make vitamin D, so we have to get it from our environment. The primary source of vitamin D is the sun, but we can also get it from some foods. Lifestyle, race, age, and other factors can put you at risk for vitamin D deficiency

The truth is that it’s extremely difficult to tell whether you have a vitamin D deficiency. The only way to be absolutely sure is to take a blood test. Most people with a vitamin D deficiency won’t be aware of it. It doesn’t usually produce noticeable symptoms. However, symptoms are possible. If you are vitamin D deficient, you may experience:

• muscle/joint pain and weakness
• bone pain
• tiredness or fatigue
• depression

​Your body is designed to get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when your bare skin is exposed to sunlight. The part of the sun’s rays that is important is ultraviolet B (UVB). This is the most natural way to get vitamin D.

​Large amounts of vitamin D3 are made in your skin when you expose all of your body to summer sun. This happens very quickly; around half the time it takes for your skin to turn pink and begin to burn. This could be just 15 minutes for a very fair skinned person, yet a couple of hours or more for a dark skinned person.
You don’t need to tan or to burn your skin in order to get the vitamin D you need. Exposing your skin for a short time will make all the vitamin D your body can produce in one day. In fact, your body can produce 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D in just a little under the time it takes for your skin to turn pink. You make the most vitamin D when you expose a large area of your skin, such as your back, rather than a small area such as your face or arms.

The assumption that vitamin D supplements will protect you against diseases associated with low vitamin D levels is incorrect, according to Australian researchers. The report found that vitamin D supplements are immunosuppressive and may actually make diseases worse. 

Vitamin D Nuclear Receptor (VDR) influences the expression of over 1,000 genes, including those associated with diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. According to the new study, supplemental vitamin D actually blocks VDR activation, which is the opposite effect to that of sunshine. Instead of positively impacting gene expression, vitamin D supplements appear to suppress your immune system.

Vitamin D has a remarkable role to play in your health, influencing nearly 3,000 of your 25,000 genes, and playing a critical role in your immune response. Vitamin D could rightly be described as a “miracle nutrient” for your immune system, as it enables your body to produce well over 200 antimicrobial peptides, which are indispensable in fighting off a wide range of infections.

Good movie to consider your moral compass as a parent.  It depicts a harrowing example that could happen to any young parent.

In-home nurse and single mother, Sarah struggles daily to balance her work and home life. But one often trumps the other, and time spent with seven-year-old Lauren often suffers most. Sarah's ultimate fear is realized when Lauren is abducted walking home alone from school. Now Sarah must do the unthinkable to save her daughter.