DryFeb: Pressing pause on alcohol for 28 days, again.
Inspired by my folks, one of whom is a cancer survivor, I’ll be participating in DryFeb. The Canadian Cancer Society asks people to consider giving up alcohol (getting sober, drying out, abstaining, whatever you wanna call it) for any length of time during the month of February to raise awareness and funds for the Cancer Society.
To learn more: Click Here.
Goes without saying how much I hate cancer. Most of us have had a close encounter and/or lost someone because of it. Could there be a future without cancer? I think so. I do.
Trying something healthy to help people living with cancer for a few weeks: sign me up! Join my team & let’s document our experiences.
Join the “Dry Babies” and get a little dry, have a little cry! Let’s go! I’m ready!
This is my second year participating in DeyFeb. Last year, the team was called “Oh God, What Have I Done?” and we raised a wack of dough and got healthier together.
The first few days of DryFeb 2021, I actually got quite sick. Hoping for a different outcome this year. Follow my progress and consider trying it yourself as part of Team Dry Babies!
This year, I will also be trying to lose weight and improve my overall health with DryFeb. My physical health has been in decline the past few months because of my rheumatoid arthritis. I am awaiting ortho surgery & have near-future plans for a double hip replacement. These procedures and my recovery will be aided by me dropping a few excess pounds. Since weight loss is a typical side effect of cutting alcohol from one’s diet, I’m excited to see where DryFeb 2022 takes me.
Check out our past achievements:
Risky Business
Autoimmune diseases turn our bodies into self-destructive machines. It’s exhausting, having an immune system in overdrive FIGHTING ITSELF. I take medicine to stop the fight which lowers my ability to properly defend myself against actual threats: viruses, infections, etc.
If you have someone like me in your life and you want to keep them safe, you need to get vaccinated. If you don’t want to, stay away. I can only speak for myself when I say: If you aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19, I will actively avoid you.
You choose what you do with your body. I’ve been sick my whole life & it’s my choice to avoid a virus that would kill me. Thank you to all who’ve gotten the shot to keep people like me safe.
I spent 3 weeks in isolation at CHEO when I caught the chicken pox.
My immune system cannot defend itself because it’s suppressed. If it’s not suppressed, it will destroy all tissue (organs, bones, blood).
If you choose to not get vaccinated also choose to stay away from me.
What I’ve said might upset you. Heck, maybe you WANT to harm me/others. Maybe you don’t believe me and have your mind made up. If these tweets reach anyone whose uncertain about the shot: Please consider the young ones who have a hard enough time surviving.
Talk to your doctor or local public health nurse if you are hesitant. Make your own decision, for sure. Attempt empathy for others without immune systems. We exist. From small to tall.
Always do what’s right for you.
Everyone’s lived their own life & had their own experiences which help to form individual, personal opinions.
Having a different opinion is OK. Purposefully hurting others physically, verbally or spiritually because of an opinion is not OK.
Life’s all about risk; the ones you are and aren’t willing to take.
It’s been a calculated journey for me & my experiences have brought me to support vaccinations.
Your journey may be different.
I am hopeful that one day we can all be buds again, safely.
Life with an Autoimmune Disease
Hi! Just checking in with some of my new followers. I live with Rheumatoid Arthritis and have been sick for 34 years (possibly born sick? Who knows.)
I’ve been on Enbrel (biologic TNF inhibitor) for 20 years which means I’ve given myself around 1,500 needles 💉.
There’s a lot of misconception about RA out there, so in simple terms:
My body’s immune system spends its energy fighting healthy tissue (ALL bodily tissue: organs, joints, bones & blood) - the drugs tell my immune system to “calm down” and stop fighting. Immune system goes away and stops killing healthy cells. This means I do not have a proper defence against viruses or infections of any kind. If I get the common cold, it has the power to totally take over my body. A paper cut, if not treated, can be the welcome wagon to a life altering infection.
Autoimmune diseases are tough and there are many co-morbidities, shortened life expectancies and mental tolls to juggle every day.
If you’d like to learn more about autoimmune diseases or arthritis, please reach out. I’m happy to share my experiences to educate others.
My Evive Experience
Off the top these are simple, fast and delicious!
Let me start by saying I was given a free box in exchange for my opinion or review. I have not been paid by Evive or it’s promotional team. I think they offered me a code word to promote if anyone wanted to use it for a discount but I don’t go too hard with stuff like that because I don’t want to tell anyone what to do with their money.
Smoothies made easy.
Evive offers a variety of flavours, ingredients and ‘styles’ of pre-made, frozen goods. Spoiler alert: it’s not all smoothie-cubes. In my box I received some lunch options, too! I received the B12 Smoothies Kit and Bam Chili, Golden Curry, Mac Squash and Tom Thai lunch wheels plus one Evive Mason jar for mixing.
My thoughts.
A great idea! Every time I feel like having a smoothie (vegan) my kids, 4 and 6, want one, too (non-vegan). My ‘quick meal for me’ turns into a 10-15 minute process of making theirs, finding their respective cups (one has to be ‘baby’ kind the other ‘action figure’ style - it’s a whole thing), then I have to clean the blender fully before attempting to make mine. In the time that takes, usually one has spilled theirs and/or is asking for more. There are times when I don’t get to make the smoothie I started out wanting in the first place!
Evive smoothies come in pre-mixed, frozen cubes. The cubes are neatly separated in cube like ‘wheels’ which are recyclable. You want a smoothie? Pop them into a jar, add water, juice or whatever type of milk or other ingredients you want for mixing) allow time to melt a bit and then SHAKE. Because I have a blender handy and sometimes have difficulty using my hands (arthritis), I opt for the blender… then, pour! One smoothie wheel makes enough for both kids and then I get to keep another for myself. All products are vegan (correct me if I’m wrong) which makes quick smoothies or meals a very easy choice.
Have you tried Evive?
When I started posting about my Evive experience, I got some feedback from friends who had tried them and were just as happy as me and my family were. One friend specifically said,
“We’ve been doing this as breakfast for months. We order 60 at a time. I’m up at 4AM so I put it in my bag and drink it on my way to work. Super convenient and gives me enough to get through til lunch.”
If you’ve tried them, let me know what you think. The ads are all over my social media timelines but that’s probably because I’ve searched them/have been posting about them. I have spotted them in the wild at my local grocery store so it’s nice to know this Canadian made, Canadian based business appears to be doing well.
Now that I’ve formed my opinion, I would be interested in trying more of the flavours I enjoy for the stress-free smoothie experience alone.
Vaccine Links to Book Your Appointment
Eligibility is opening up with Phase 2 currently underway in the province. Here is a one stop shop for checking eligibility status, joining a waitlist and/or booking your COVID-19 vaccination appointment.
Week of April 26: All Ontario adults age 55 and up; those 45 years old and up in hot spot communities; and licensed childcare workers.
Week of May 3: Ontario adults over the age of 50; adults age 18 and up in hot spot communities' those with health conditions deemed "high risk"; and some people who cannot work from home.
Week of May 10: Ontario adults over the age of 40, those with health conditions deemed "at risk"; and more individuals who cannot work from home.
Week of May 17: Ontario adults over the age of 30.
Week of May 24: Ontario adults over the age of 18."
Two major pharmacies have set up ‘waitlist’ e-mail alerts:
From CityNews:
Ottawa Public Health officials believe the city is still on track to start Phase 3 of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout in July, as directed by the Ontario government.