Gluten Free is the Way to Be

Ladies, I've been keeping a secret.
Nothing big really, but it affects my life in a major way and might explain some things I generally mention. As big as this is for me though, I do know that it could be a lot worse and in many respects, I am very lucky.
So...I have Celiac's Disease, which is a genetic auto-immune disorder where my body doesn't process gluten or wheat products. The only cure is to cut all of these foods out of my diet. This means I can't eat all bread, flour, wheat, and gluten products. Yes, you read that right-- I can not have all those good, starchy comfort foods.
Pizza and beer? Nope.
Pretzels, cookies, and crackers? Nope.
Bread, rolls, stuffing? Nope.


My doctors finally figured out what was wrong when I was 17, right before graduating High School and going to college. Which means that for 17 years I was eating foods that were toxic for my body and explains why I was a pretty sick kid growing up.

At first I didn't think about it much. I thought it sucked, but I don't remember dwelling on it- Hell, it could have been a lot worse. I met with a nutritionist and tried a ton of new products-mostly made with rice and potato flour. Some I fell in love with and are close to the real deal, some were so gross and gritty and grainy I wanted to be sick. I have one specific memory of tasting a new pancake mix and it was so gritty and so far from the real deal, that I literally broke down crying into the mix. It was pretty miserable.

All in all, I've got things figured out. I have a staple of my favorite gluten-free products that I keep on hand and even found a gluten free chocolate cookie dough ice cream!!! However, despite all this...I have a few lingering issues.

1. I was raised Catholic and therefore participated in communion every Sunday. The bread served at communion, however, is just that...bread. So, I can't take communion. I have struggled with this for a long time and quite honestly, its one of the major reasons I don't go to mass. At first I thought, well God wants me to take communion and therefore he won't let this particular bit make me sick. This turned out not to be true. So, I started faking taking communion and giving the bread to my father back at the pew (If you are Christian and appalled by this, please don't tell me, I already know and it bothers me deeply...but I'm being honest here and honestly have very few other solutions). I refuse to not participate because sitting in the pew not getting communion makes me feel less like a Catholic. On the research I've done, the Catholic church's policy is that the communion bread has to have gluten in it (it has to be bread) because it was actual bread in the Bible. So...what's a girl to do? Fake it or sit out? I'm still not sure. But, I've already decided that for Lent I will figure out a solution to this (I'll keep you posted).

2. The other issue that gives me considerable trouble is weight loss! My diet is already so restricted that I have a hard time giving up other good foods. A year or so ago, I did WW and did really well for the first 8 weeks or so. Then, I hit a wall and just couldn't handle it anymore. Basically it goes like this-- gluten free foods are pretty gross in general and so to make them better manufacturers add more fat or use non-whole grain products (white rice flour instead of brown rice flour) which decreases the fiber content. So although moderate in calories, lots of foods are low in fiber and high in fat, which sky rockets items on the points scale. It is simply too restrictive. There are no low carb breads in my life or light crackers or 100 calories oreo snack packs. There is barely bread, crackers and cookies. This is my struggle. I have already given up so much, I hate to give up the bagels I found that actually taste like bagels even if they are 400 calories a serving. So, again, whats a girl to do? Well, I've decided to count actual calories instead of points. So far, the results aren't very encouraging, but I'm willing to hang in there.

3. This is my final point. I never realized how much I would miss food until the last few months. Lately, I see someone eating a piece of pizza and I have to physically restrain myself from taking it from them and throwing it in my mouth. I MISS THESE FOODS. This past week my mom brought home cinnamon buns and I almost cried. honestly. I haven't had a cinnamon bun in over 5 years and I'm not really sure I will ever have something that gooey and good again. It is seriously weird to say that I miss a food, it makes me feel very odd and disgusting. But the hardest part of it--is the finality of it. It's not like I'm on a diet and am just cutting bread out but can indulge every once in a while. It is, no more bread, ever. There isn't much a girl can do about this point, but it has just been frustrating these past few months like nothing I have ever experienced and I just wanted to vent it out.

WHEW! I am not going to lie, all of that felt really good to get out. If you hung in there through all that reading, thank you. I know it was a long and pretty heady reading. I promise that my next post will be more light hearted and considerably shorter.

Not Me! Monday

Time again for Not Me! Monday. In case you haven't been introduced to Not Me! Monday, yet, here are a few details. A few weeks ago I stumbled across MckMama who plays "Not Me! Monday." Here are the rules to playing, but in sum, you just list a lot of things you "didn't" (read: actually did) do this weekend/past week. All in the name of admitting that we all make mistakes and aren't perfect.

This past week...

I did not feed my cat popcorn for dinner because I ran out of cat food. Nope, I am a much better furmomma than that.

I certainly didn't whine to Boy that I liked "his side" of the bed better and make him switch with me, only to find out I didn't like "his side" better and make him switch back. Nope, not me!

For certain, I didn't almost cry at work when the most nit-picky woman in the world tore apart a document I spent more than 10 hours on and then asked me to stay two hours late on a Friday afternoon to fix some spaces and periods. No, I'm stronger than that.

I did not polish off a bottle of wine on Friday night and then fall asleep at 8:45 on a FRIDAY! No, I am a fun-loving gal who was definitely out on a Friday night.

I most definitely did not follow my mom, who was sick with the flu, around the house and spray anything she came within 10 feet of with an excessive amount of Lysol!

Finally, I clearly did not snap at my sister that "its not her bed!" when she was whining that she wanted her boyfriend to come home so she could go to his house to sleep in "her bed." Nope, not me, because if I thought she was being a stupid girl about her boyfriend I would tell her in a rational and adult manner!

What did you "not do" this week?! As always, feel free to play along.

Etsy much...?

I didn't even know about Etsy until I joined the blogging world. And now? I am 100% hooked and totally obsessed. I've been looking for something fabulous and a little different, without being garish or ostentatious in any way. I wasn't sure what I had in mind, but knew I would know it when I found it...and I certainly did.
Last week, I saw this necklace from Musarra on Etsy, fell in love with it and scooped it right up.It's an antique broach made into a necklace with a rosary chain. I love its elegance with a modern twist--the big pearl and rosary forming the necklace. Classic, but also fun and different. I especially love the fact that no one else will have it. I love unique jewelry.

Today I received it in the mail and was so excited--it was even packaged in a cute little box with a ribbon! It is even more fabulous in person than in the picture. I can't wait until the next event when I can wear this find with my little back dress. Valentine's Day?

What are your favorite etsy stores and finds?

Martha for the Masses

Today I had one of my "Martha for the Masses"/Good Enough Solution experience.

The backing to my earring fell out and I didn't have another one in my coin purse. Instead of being all pouty about my lack of earrings for the day, I sprung into action. Believe it or not, I cut the eraser off of a pencil and am currently using it as my earring backing.

Martha should really hire me to write a book on Workplace solutions to Beauty Problems. Chapter 1: How to use a paper clip in place of a bobby pin.

If only...

Not Me! Monday

Time again for Not Me! Monday. In case you haven't been introduced to Not Me! Monday, yet, here are a few details. A few weeks ago I stumbled across MckMama who plays "Not Me! Monday." Here are the rules to playing, but in sum, you just list a lot of things you "didn't" (read: actually did) do this weekend/past week. All in the name of admitting that we all make mistakes and aren't perfect.

I had a hard time coming up with "Not Mes" this week. Not, by any means because I was so well behaved, but because I keep doing the same things...falling off the treadclimber, indulging in peanut butter m&ms, etc.

So, this week although my list is short, don't think it's because I'm getting soft on you.

This past week,

I did not spend an excessive amount of money on four items at Sephora. Nope, it would be irresponsible to spend that money when I need to buy textbooks next week.

I certainly did not knock 5 fives pounds off my actual weight when the treadmill asked me for me weight this week. Nope, I have more self awareness than that. (Who am I kidding with this anyways; I'm pretty sure the treadmill isn't going to judge me and say "whoa there, littlesack, cut back on those peanut butter m&ms!)

Finally, I definitely did not browse around the baby store and almost buy something, just because the items were cute even though I currently don't have any babies to shop for. Nope, not me.

Hope everyone had a great week and as always, feel free to play along!

Small Victories

Yesterday, I experienced a very small victory on the Fit Train. I, littlesack, did not eat chocolate alll day. Not at all, not even one small m&m or a crumb from a cookie. I'm sure I've done this before. But yesterday I consciously and actively avoided all chocolate. I feel very proud.



I am a lover of all things chocolate. Cheap crappy kind, yup. Rich, dark amazing kind, yup. Body wash that smells like chocolate, yup. (Thank you, Philosophy).

On an everyday basis, its not like I have an IV of chocolate hooked up to me or anything. But, I do believe that a small amount, every day, does a soul good and keeps the mind sane. And by small, I mean like a 100 cal pack of m&ms or 2 bing chocoloate cherries. It's just my small little pick-me-up to fight the afternoon slump.

But yesterday, I was going strong and didn't even need that chocolate. Once I realized how long I had gone without it, I made an effort to avoid it the rest of the day. Woohooooo for me!

Today, however, is a different story...and the m&m packet is calling my name. One day at a time, ladies, one day at a time.

Happy are Those Who Dream...

First, my dear friend Miss Anne at Indefinetly Definite is having a Valentine's Day give-a-way! Be sure to stop on by and enter.

I have really weird dreams, a lot. And I remember them all. Usually they involve a mix of people, places and things I know but not in any logical sense. Like, my cat at my work, talking. That type of thing. They are also usually a product of the tv show I fell asleep to or a conversation I had before bed.

A few nights ago I had a dream that Boy proposed to me with the UGLIEST ring imaginable. It wasn't even an engagement ring. This picture is the closest I could find to what it looked like in the dream. But, basically the band was made of concrete and the "stone" was purple and so thin that it was glued onto the ring (kinda like the one below). Horrendous! And the ring wasn't even the worst part! Nope.

In the dream when Boy proposed he didn't even say anything. He just kneeled down and put the ring on my finger. But, it was the WRONG finger. He put it on my middle finger! In my dream I was so embarrassed I wouldn't even wear it. haha.


Here's to hoping this doesn't happen in real life, ever!

Happy Kitty and Today's Find

I love all of you! Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts yesterday. I thought that this waiting game was a common problem for 20 something women, but it just made me feel so much better that everyone else had experience with it too. I am a much happier kitty today.

Blogging really is like really inexpensive therapy! =)

Moving on...
Today, I am digging passive-aggressive notes.com.
A coworker passed it along to me and it is awesome! Most of us have encountered some form of work place "note-leaver" and this site brings them all into one place so you can browse annoying "note-leavers" from all over the country. If you have some time, I suggest looking through the most popular and greatest hits on the side bar. But, if you are in a rush, this one: Thanks Sandra! is by far, my favorite! (just click on the pics to make them big enough to read).

ENJOY!

I'm tired...

I'm tired...

of not having a place of my own
of going to school
of being made to feel guilty by my mother for taking personal time because she never does
of Jerk roommate's anxiety, outright aggression, and passive aggression
of feeling so unwelcome and uncomfortable in Boy's home that it makes me sick to my stomach
of only spending time with Boy one or two nights a week
of the lack of quality time and intimacy that only spending one night together leads to
of Boy's brother's poor decisions and personal drama that affects us all
of being slightly out of sorts

but mostly, I'm just tired of waiting for the next phase of my life.
I've always felt like I was just working towards the next thing. In High school, I was working to graduate so I could go to college. In college, I was just working to graduate to get to grad school. Now that I'm in grad school, I'm working so that I can be done with school for awhile, and get a job. Don't get me wrong. I don't think that getting a job will make me feel fulfilled--I know I'll always be working for the next raise, project, or position. But, I just want to feel like I accomplished something-- that all my hard work in school is going to pay off with a decent job.

On the other hand, I know I need to slow down. To enjoy not having a full time job right now, to not have tons of bills and stress, to not worry about a family and a house. But the mounds of homework, the guilt trips, and the lack of personal space and belongings forces me to not enjoy the present situation. It only makes me long for a space all my own.


For a place where I can...

lounge freely without fear of a guilt trip or an angry outburst
lay around in my undies and not feel odd about it
have just a bottle of wine for dinner and 100% enjoy it
lay in bed until noon
skip out on the dishes for a few days
and avoid doing laundry until I run out of underwear


But, none of these things are possible for a little while. I still have at least a year of school left, which means only a part time salary for a year and Boy is in no position to buy his own place. So, until then, I will force myself to deal with the situation, steal personal moments when I can, and in general, put on my big girl panties and deal with it.


But, in the mean time, I'd love your support and thoughts as I attempt to act like an adult...

Not Me! Monday

Time again for Not Me! Monday. In case you haven't been introduced to Not Me! Monday, yet, here are a few details. A few weeks ago I stumbled across MckMama who plays "Not Me! Monday." Here are the rules to playing, but in sum, you just list a lot of things you "didn't" (read: actually did) do this weekend/past week. All in the name of admitting that we all make mistakes and aren't perfect.

This past week...



I did not nearly face plant on the tread climber at the gym and in an effort to not fall knock my water bottle off its stand and soak myself in the process. I also did not ignore the stares from my fellow worker-outers. Nope, I have more coordination and grace than that.

I did not nearly punch a girl in the face for coming to the gym with starbucks coffee in hand, hair down, make-up on, and discussing how "boys keep coming up to me telling me I'm just too skinny." Nope- not me.

I did not go to bed at 8:45 one night this week because my early morning workouts had me exhausted. No, I am a young, vibrant girl who was out partying at that time!

I did not watch the entirety of four football games this weekend. Nope, I have more exciting things to do than sit around watching football.

I most certainly did not cringe and cower on Saturday night when Jerk roommate couldn't find his cell phone and proceeded to flip all of the furniture over until he found it. No, I would never let him affect me like that.

And finally, I did not put my full length mirror on more of a slant so that it makes me look skinnier!! Nope, not me!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and as always, feel free to play along.

Welcome to the family...

Warning: the following story is incredibly awkward!

Boy's father had heart surgery this week (He is doing really well). However the hospital where he was having surgery is over an hour drive from where his parents live, but only 20 minutes from my parents house. So, we invited Boy's mom to stay with us for a few days so she could get to the hospital easily. Ok, everything fine so far.

So, Wednesday night I am laying in bed and I really have to pee but, as usual, I only have on a T shirt and my undies. I'd like to avoid running into her in the hallway looking like a refugee. I know Boy's mom is still awake- I can hear her downstairs. So, I have this internal debate if I should find some sweat pants and throw them on to run to the bathroom. I decide against it. So, I sprint to the bathroom and Boy's mom is still downstairs and all is fine. Then, as I'm leaving the bathroom, I peak my head out to see if I can hear her downstairs still. I thought I did. So, I begin the run back to my room (again, only wearing skivies and a t-shirt). I turn the corner and BAM! there is Boy's mom at the top of the stairs and me wearing very little clothing. I said, "uhh.....hi." Boy's mom: "Hi." Then I sprinted back to my room.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Awkward! Talk about timing. I mean, had I been one minute earlier or one minute later, none of that business would have happened!

I mean clearly she didn't care and i doubt she thought about it all after that. But still, my boyfriend's mother saw me looking quite unreasonable in a t-shirt and undies. Awkward....
Well, welcome to the family I suppose.

Two Awards!

The lovely Saskia has honored me with the New Year Award! Thanks lady!

Here are the rules. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.
List 5 things that you love about the New Year. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space.
Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the New Year cheer going.
Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.

Things about '09 I'm Loving:

1. My 2009 Lost Calendar. Hello, Jack!
2. The first Marathon that I have planned!
3. It's potential for new experiences, friends, and fun
4. Hopefully---> Rothbury 2009!
5. A trip with my college roommates to the Spa at Hotel Hershey--Fabulous!


And the new yearie goes to......
The Pink Chick
Newport Nuptuals and
because she must love the new year-- The View from the New Year's Eve Baby




And...AngieS at Psycho Hairapy has given me the Honest award. Thanks, girl!! I'm excited to play.
Let's start with the rules:
The honorees are to:
A) first list 10 honest things about yourself - and make it interesting, even if you have to dig deep!
B) pass the award on to bloggers that you feel embody the spirit of the Honest Scrap.



1. I'm beyond scared to say out loud that I plan to run a Marathon in 2009. I've always wanted to do it and 2009 seems like a good year. I just don't like to say things out loud, I think it jinxes them.
2. My sister has always been extremely skinny, when she stopped running and gained some weight, I didn't feel bad for her at all. I told her, "welcome to my life."
3. I have a tattoo of a Celtic cross on the inside of my left ankle.
4. One of my top fears (honestly) is that if the T.V. stays on Channel 1 (the one with the static and fuzz) a horrific message will flash across the screen or something equally dreadful will happen.
5. Sometimes I catch myself acting like my mother and I am horrified. Although I inherited her caring side, I honest got her snippy/snarky side and I hate it when I see it in myself.
6. I am a worrier- a serious worry wart. I often fill my head with worries about everyone else, that I forget to do things for myself. On my college soccer team, I told everyone what practice gear colors to wear everyday (the locker room was under construction so we had to bring our clothes to practice with us). On multiple occasions I was the only one who showed up wearing the complete wrong outfit, while everyone else was matching.
7. I still sleep with my teddy bear (teddy) from when I was an infant. He is really gross to others. I used to have trouble sleeping at Boy's without a bear, so he bought me a teddy for his house.
8. I played competive soccer for 11 years and played Division I college soccer.
9. I sware that I have magnetic energy. Street lights go out when i drive by them all the time. It's really weird.
10. In Good Housekeeping magazine (don't ask why I read that when I don't have a house) they have a section called "the good housekeeping way" and one called the "good enough way." Like- if you were going to take 2 hours to clean- do it the good housekeeping way, but if your MIL is coming over in 10 minutes- just shove some crap into a closet and its "good enough." I like to think of all of my homemaking skills as "good enough." I like to do just enough work so that it looks like quality, but really it's not. "Martha for the Masses" I like to think of myself. Like, I'm not going to make a ridiculously difficult dessert but I will put candy footballs on the fudge for the tailgate. (Does that make sense?)

Finally- these awards to the following:

1. Randy at Psycho Hairapy (AngieS I really enjoyed reading your back and forth answers, and thought it would be interesting for Randy to play along as well).
2. Mrs. Stilletos at Newlywed Stilletos
3. Mrs. Not so Domesticated at I Now Pronounce You Husband, Wife and Two Crazy Dogs.

Hello, Lover!

Some ladies have a thing for tall, pointy-toed stilettos, others for beautiful bags and clutches, for others jewelry is their weak point.

For me, it's fitness gear. I know that fitness gear is totally unlovely and non-fabulous, but I love it. My grandmother usually bestows some moolah on me for Christmas and while I usual use it for even more un glamorous things like groceries or windshied wipers, this year I bought a Garmin 305 Forerunner- the watch of all watches! And, boy do I love it. It is FAB-U-LOUS!

Let me tell you all about it...
This little bugger does all kinds of crazy things as you can read about on their website. These are some of my favorite functions:
-Its main function is a GPS that always tracks where you run and saves your routes
-It shows your mileage.
-It has a heart rate monitor and you can set heart rate zones, so that you train within a certain zone. It beeps at you to work harder or slower if you go out of your zone.
-pace monitor. This is my favorite function because it is going to help me immensely while training for some upcoming races. Again, you can set a pace zone and it beeps at you if you are going too fast or too slow.
-It tells you calories burned and more accurately than gym equipment because it is set to your age, gender, weight, etc.
-It tracks your courses for you and you can upload them onto your computer to compare your progress on the same course at different times.
-You can race against an imaginary runner dude on your watch. It tells you if he is beating you and how fast you need to run to catch up with him
-You can program interval runs into your watch. This is awesome, because it beeps at you when the interval is over, instead of constantly having to check and reset your watch. I love this function
-You can also run away from home as far as possible and then tell the watch to take you home and it will show you the route to take to go back home

I know it does a million more things that I haven't quite figured out yet, but so far I am 100% happy with this purchase. I've had a heart rate monitor for a while and I thought that was a legit purchase, but this thing is freikin amazing! I thought that it being so clunky would annoy me, but I don't even notice it.

Also, I was able to find it for considerably cheaper at Wal-Mart than on the Garmin website, which also made me very happy! Who knew a watch could do all this?

Happy Running!

Not Me! Monday

Time again for Not Me! Monday. In case you haven't been introduced to Not Me! Monday, yet, here are a few details. A few weeks ago I stumbled across MckMama who plays "Not Me! Monday." Here are the rules to playing, but in sum, you just list a lot of things you "didn't" (read: actually did) do this weekend/past week. All in the name of admitting that we all make mistakes and aren't perfect.

1. I definitely did not spend an excessive amount of money on a Garmin sports watch (more on this later- I am in love with it!) I would definitely save that money my grandmother gave me for Christmas.

2. Of course I did not get extremely frustrated with my mother when she called my work hysterical because she swore the cat grew opposable thumbs, open and unlocked the front door and left the house. I have way more patience than that.

3. For sure I did not use pms as an excuse to be a little snippy this week.

4. I certainly did not get frustrated with Boy because he can never decide what he wants to eat and doesn't like any of my suggestions. Again, I have more patience than that.

5. I most definitely did not act meagerly at Boy's all weekend in order to avoid upsetting Jerk roommate. I have bigger cahoones than that.



6. Finally, i did not wear my long under armour tights with nothing over top of them for a trail run on Sunday and then go into the 7/11 for a G2 in all of my spandexy glory. Nope, I would not subject the citizens of my town to my large tooshie with nothing but a layer of spandex in between us.



That's all for this week. Hope everyone had a great week, and as always, feel free to tell me about what you didn't do this weekend!

Blog award!

YEAH! I got an award. The fun Tina over at life's a journey gave me the Beautiful award. I'm very honored to have been given this. Thanks!

The only rules are to bestow the award upon a few of your favorite bloggers. Although I follow and enjoy a lot of blogs, the ones below are some of my everyday must reads.

To keep the cycle going, I will give this award to:
Miss Anne at Indefinitely Definite
Mrs. Potts at Experiments in a Galley Kitchen
Holly at In my Overactive Head and
Tova Darling at Secret Life of Tova Darling

Adventures from "back home"

Hello, 2009. It's nice to see your beautiful face and I look forward to everything you bring. Boy and I rang in the New Year celebrating in his home town with friends, champagne, a bonfire, me saying, "New Year Eve's me (aka kiss me at midnight), and being curled up between a sofa and a love seat. All in all, a very good time.

However, as I wrote about the other day, Boy comes from a very interesting place that continues to baffle me. My post from the other day fresh in my mind, the whole trip I couldn't help but don my sociologist attitude and analyze things a bit more.

Not only is the town small, but it is hard to leave. Of all of Boy's friends from High School, only three (besides him) went to college. Only two graduated. And while a college degree isn't necessary for life, it certainly provides more options than the town has to offer.

I am also continuously amazed by their gender, racial, and social norms. Men believe that the women should be "barefoot and in the kitchen pregnant" (not my words). Girls commonly get pregnant in High School and resent the baby's father for the rest of their lives. Kid Rock is idolized for his beliefs. Women drink and smoke while pregnant, and justify it by noting that "my mother smoked when she was pregnant with me, and I turned out fine."** (This is the one that bothers me the most and I still don't know how to handle it).

On the way home, Boy and I always analyze the trip, because generally so many things happened that surprised me, that I need to talk about them. Today was no different and in the middle of the trip, Boy voiced something that I have silently wondered for two years. He said, "I wish I could look back at my life in High School and compare who I was then to who I am now." Since the first visit back, I have always wondered this. How did this wonderful Boy, with modern social, racial, and gender values come out of such a behind-the-times and un-accepting town. When most of his friends stayed in the same place (mentally and physically), how did Boy get out and stay out? Not only did we ponder how this happened, but when. At what point did Boy disregard the antiquated beliefs of this town and adopt a more modern perspective?

I have honestly wondered this for so long, I was just glad that Boy realized it too. That, although those are his friends, he is very different from them. He couldn't come up with an answer-How he left behind the norms of his town and when, but I don't think he ever will. For now, I am just thankful and happy that Boy got to be the person he is. Whatever forces shaped his life so that he became the man I love, I am extremely thankful for them.

During a lull in the conversation I wondered if Boy will ever out grow his friends. While they are a good time and I generally enjoy them, besides their past (and the Redskins), Boy and his friends have very little in common anymore. I think today was one of the first times that Boy realized how much they have grown apart.

I still haven't worked out all the intricacies of Boy's hometown and each time we visit, I unearth a new and fascinating, although generally disturbing trend. So, stay tuned for future sociological expeditions from "back home." We can examine the relics together.




(**disclaimer: I know very little about pregnancy and I am not trying to ruffle any feathers. I know that some doctor's say that an occasional glass of wine is ok, but an occasional glass of wine is not what I am talking about here).