Trying To Adjust To Seeing Things Differently

For as long as I can remember, I have had excellent vision. I was the type of person to find the tiniest details in photos, artwork, or in any real-life scenery. People would always be amazed and say things like, "How on earth are you able to see that?" Fast forward to my middle 40s. Things aren't quite as crystal clear as they used to be. I have experienced more stress, anxiety, and depression in the last few years than I felt like I could handle. It was as if I cried and stressed the days away for 3 years straight. It was affecting my life in many ways.

One thing I noticed was that I had trouble seeing clearly when I was on the computer, phone or reading a magazine. I could barely see the menu when we were dining out in a restaurant. I spoke with my doctor and she suggested that I get some reading glasses. I bought some from my pharmacy and saw instant results. I could see clearly again! Reading glasses did the trick, and I could put them on and take them off as needed. This seemed easy enough. I did this for a little over a year and things changed again. I started getting headaches out of the blue and felt so much tension in my neck and shoulders.

I knew something wasn't right, and finally made an appointment for an eye exam. As soon as I walked into the building, I was overwhelmed. The friendly staff member directed me over to fill out the paperwork and select frames for eyeglasses. This was so different for me since it was the first time knowing that I was going to need glasses. The appointment itself was eye-opening. I had no idea how my vision declined as much as it did over the past couple of years. When the doctor switched different lenses to see if I was able to see clearly, it hit me-- my vision was terrible. It turned out that I had been compensating for what I wasn't seeing clearly or seeing at all.

The doctor then casually tells me, "I'm going to get you squared away so I'm writing you a prescription for bifocals." I was gut-punched because I really didn't know it was that bad. I took some deep breaths and sat with the specialist to get measurements done and make the selections that would be most beneficial to me. I was gut-punched once more when I got the final bill. YIKES! My husband was with me and calmed me down by telling me that I take care of everyone else, and it was time for me to take care of myself. I was told that my glasses would take approximately 2 weeks to be made and delivered.

For the next two weeks, I ended in so much pain from eye strain that led to neck and shoulder tension. I was a mess! I felt like I had to take 3 naps a day which is so not me. I'm thankful for my family who pitches in when I am down. They helped me a whole lot, especially the little one since he is with me all day long. I was super nervous when the call came in that my glasses were ready to be picked up. I sat at the counter with the salesperson and tried my glasses and sunglasses on. As soon as I placed the glasses on my face I felt really weird. I was like wait, I can't see properly. They told me because they are progressive lenses and I will have to get used to them.

As I left the building, I placed my pricey prescription sunglasses on and was hit with vibrant views. Everything around me was extra bright and colorful. I was seeing as clearly as I could when I was a teenager. I almost cried because I didn't realize how much I have been missing out on seeing. The eyeglasses have been more difficult to adjust to since I have to wear them all day long. I can't quite figure out how to tilt my head to be able to see up close. Even being on the computer has been difficult. I am still feeling a bit of fatigue, dizziness, and headaches, but they are supposed to clear up in the next week or so. I almost wanted to simply not wear them at all.

For now, I am thankful to be able to see details, vibrant colors, and having overall clarity. It will take time to adjust to wearing glasses, especially with different strengths for distance and close-up vision. I am going to be patient and know that I will be feeling like myself again soon enough. I'm sharing this post today for anyone who might be struggling with their vision and might not even know they are. Do not put off getting an eye exam! We aren't getting any younger.

If you have any advice for me, I'm open to it. Thank you so much for stopping by today.

How To Take Your Life Back From Crohn's Disease

Does it feel as though your Crohn’s disease is taking over your life? Here’s a medical food that could help you take back control.

Crohn's disease is something that affects an estimated 780,000 adults in the United States as of 2015. It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which triggers chronic inflammation in a person's digestive tract. It not only results in discomfort at home and going about your daily life, but it can also lead to hospital visits and stays if the symptoms get out of control.

Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

If you are living with a Crohn’s diagnosis, whether it be a new one or you’ve been living with it for years now, and you feel as though your disease is dictating your life, it may be time to take back control. A product by the name of UltrainflamX Plus 360 could be the perfect item to add to your treatment routine, helping you to get a better handle on your symptoms and reduce the pain and inflammation you are currently suffering from. This medical food offers all kinds of benefits, as we will examine.

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Before we look at the benefits of UltrainflamX Plus 360 it’s important to understand what Crohn’s disease is and how it affects you. As mentioned it is an IBD that can result in severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue, malnutrition, and weight loss. These can all be extremely uncomfortable symptoms and can prevent a person from going about their regular daily activities and enjoying the foods they love.

While anyone can develop the disease, it is most commonly diagnosed in people between 15-35 years of age. Statistics show that it is more common in females than in males. As for risk factors, those who are smokers are twice as likely to develop it, but family history also plays a part.

How UltrainflamX Plus 360 Can Help

UltraInflamX Plus 360 is a really unique product from Metagenics that is classified as a medical food. It has been specially formulated to offer nutritional support. Its rice protein make-up makes it very easy to digest, which is vital to those with Crohn's disease.

It is ideal for those with IBD, including those with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as it targets pain and inflammation making the symptoms much less. It also supports healthy cytokine and eicosanoid metabolism thanks to ingredients such as ginger and rosemary. There are even antioxidant benefits, which again anyone can benefit from. Doctors have even recommended the product to patients to deal with various gut and inflammation-related issues.

UltraInflamX Plus 360 is available in a powder form, which can be mixed with your choice of juice or chilled water. Simply add two scoops of the powder to 8ozs of fluid and then shake it/mix it well, until the powder is dissolved. For best results, it is recommended that you have two servings per day.

Start to Get the Relief You Deserve

While there are a number of treatments that a person can use in order to get relief from Crohn’s and get it under control, typically it’s best to use a few in conjunction with each other for maximum results. Adding UltraInflamX Plus 360 to your regime can certainly help to speed those results along.

Birthday Gift Ideas For Kids 10 And Under That Aren't Toys

Struggling with birthday gift ideas for kids under 10? We’ve got you covered!

You’d think with having the whole world at our fingertips that finding the perfect birthday gift for our little ones would be a piece of cake. With so many user-friendly apps and online stores with an abundance of toys and gifts to choose from, it’s almost as if you don’t have to put any thought into your shopping at all.

But isn’t that the problem? For consumers, everything is always well within reach or suggested to us via clever marketing. But what about a gift that really means something? A gift that won’t end up at the bottom of the toy box with all the other plastic toys that they own but don’t even play with…? Well, here you’ll find 5 of the most popular gifts for children under 10 years old and none of them are toys.

An Investment In Their Future

Sure, your kids can’t play with a savings accounts – not until they’re older anyway – but investing in their futures and putting something away for them to utilize when they’re older is a wonderful commitment and gesture of love. Check out Golden Eagle Coin for investment pieces as well as somewhere to buy silver bars, gold coins and other items, you can also get the latest information on items that will increase in value over time. Alternatively, speak to your local bank about an IRA or a savings account.

Lessons

Do you have a budding Picasso at home? Or even a mini Serena Williams? If your child has a passion or a hobby, why not help them take it a step further with some lessons in their favorite interest? Not only will it give them more confidence, but it could even take them down a career path when they’re older. In addition, joining things like dance schools, theatre groups or sports teams allows them to experience things like competitions or exhibitions, the value of teamwork, or focusing on tapping into their own creativity. It’s character-building, to say the least.

A Dress-up Box

All children enjoy dressing up as their favorite princess or superhero, but what about something more realistic? Simply go through your wardrobe at home and see if you have any items you can donate. Hats, scarves, trousers, shoes, bags, costume jewelry, dresses, gloves, etc. Or visit your local thrift shop and see what you can find. Let their imagination run wild!

A Charitable Donation

The gift of giving is a wonderful thing, especially to those less fortunate than ourselves. So, incorporating a donation as a gift will teach your children about charity, kindness and it will make them feel good. This could be sponsoring a child in a foreign country, helping to plant more trees, sponsoring an endangered animal or even adopting an animal at a local rescue center.

Time

They say the greatest gift you can give any child is your time. So, take a weekend and dedicate it to some quality time. Let your child decide where they want to go, what they want to do, and make sure you take plenty of photographs to document that time spent together. You can have a photo book made so your child can look back on those fun memories.

Do you have any other gift ideas to add to this list?

Southern Caviar aka Black Eyed Pea Salad Recipe

Over the years, I have been to several events where a special dish called "Southern Caviar" was on the buffet table. I have tried it a few times and loved it so much. If you've never tried it before, it's a flavorful and fresh dip/salsa/salad that you eat with tortilla chips. I recently got to thinking about making it myself and did a Pinterest search for recipes. I was overwhelmed by the number of recipes that popped up. I think I gave up after viewing so many and finally decided on a few that really looked delicious. 

I ended up using those recipes as a guide to making my own version. When I made it, I was afraid because it was A LOT. Trust me, we didn't have a whole lot left over once the family tried it. It is so good that you can't stop eating it. The best part is that it's easy to make with no cooking required, which is perfect during the hotter months. Check out the recipe below. 

Ingredients:
2 cans of black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 bag of thawed frozen sweet corn
1/2 cup of finely diced cucumber
1/2 of a medium red onion finely minced
1 jalapeno seeded and finely minced
1 rib of celery finely diced
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
chopped cilantro to your taste, about 3 tbsp

Dressing:
Kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
5 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp of sugar

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Toss everything together and serve with your favorite tortilla chips. Easy, huh?

You are supposed to let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours, but some of us could not wait. It is so good with the scoopable variety of tortilla chips or even corn chips. This would be perfect on top of Jasmine rice and then topped with chopped avocado as a vegetarian bowl. Yum!

Check out these other delcious recipes:
The Perfect Potato Salad To Take To A Cookout
Perfect Margarita Recipe
4 Ingredient Greek Pasta Salad

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by!

Display Your Special Memories With Canvas Factory (Giveaway)

Something that I believe many of us have in common is the outrageous amount of photos we have on our phone camera rolls, memory cards and on our computers. I think of all of the vacations, birthdays, graduations, celebrations, and everyday moments we have captured digitally. Our younger daughter graduated last month from the University of South Carolina, and I immediately knew I wanted our family picture with our graduate on a canvas.

I was recently introduced to Canvas Factory. They offer an easy way to upload your photos, even from your social media accounts, and turn them into a beautiful canvas. Your canvas will arrive ready-to-hang on your wall because the canvas is stretched and wrapped around a wooden frame. It's a nice way to display your memories to enjoy for the years to come.

The process of ordering your canvas couldn't be easier. It took me around 7 minutes from start to finish. Thankfully I had already chosen my photo ahead of time, so that helped to speed up the process. You have the choices of canvas size/shape, how you want the "wrap" (the edges that get wrapped around the sides of canvas), and if you want to add any type of color effect. You can check out as a guest or sign up for an account. It's just so easy! Also, they offer amazing sale prices all the time, so make sure you sign up for their email list.

This is what we had made. Isn't it beautiful? The quality is top notch, and the color is rich and vibrant. We are excited to add it to a wall of canvas prints in our living room. I have the biggest smile when I glance over and see this print.

Now that you've seen how easy it is to use Canvas Factory for your canvas prints, it's time to try them out for yourself. One lucky reader will win a code good for a FREE 20"x16" Canvas (40x50cm) or 18x12inch (45x30cm). Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to Canada & U.S. Residents only and ends on July 15, 2019. Must follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen randomly. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!