I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2003. I thought it was absolutely horrible at the time. I am sure that anyone who receives this diagnosis would feel the same way. You wonder what in the world are you going to eat. Eight years later, I find it much easier to eat like everyone else. I also know that I am eating much healthier than I would if I did not have Celiac Disease. The options are so much better!
I did some gluten free grocery shopping today and that inspired me to create this list. I have eaten some nasty gluten free foods over the years so I am extremely appreciative of the companies who have brought some quality great tasting foods to the market.
Try these out and let me know some of your favorites.
1) Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread - It's so nice to be able to eat a real sandwich. Crozet Great Valu carries this bread. Here is their FaceBook page Crozet Great Valu You can also find it at Martin's
2) Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise Cereal - I actually put my cereal in my Oikos greek yogurt in the mornings. I usually get the cereal at Crozet Great Valu or Martin's.
3) King Arthur Flour's Gluten Free Muffin Mix - No one in my family can tell that these are gluten free. I add strawberries and blueberries to the mix. These are absolutely incredible. I can't rave enough about them. I buy the mix at Martin's.
4) Glutino Original Crackers - These are as close as you are going to get to regular crackers. What I really like about them is that they are not flavored. This makes them great for chicken and tuna salad. I find these at Martin's.
5) Kinnikinnick Pizza Crust - These are frozen so if you are going out to a pizza place you can take one with you wrapped in foil. Most places will make you a pizza with your crust. These are at Great Valu in Crozet as well.
Many of these items can be found at other stores. Kroger usually carries a nice selection of gluten free foods. Unfortunately, there isn't a Kroger near me. I have to say there is a real benefit to having a local grocer like my Great Valu. If I request something they will get it in. My local Great Valu has a nice selection of gluten free foods.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Service Calls - An Antiquated Business Model
Last week I had an experience that I am sure everyone reading this post has had at some point. My family has lived in the new house we built for almost two years now (end of May to be exact). As luck would have it, one of my carefully, over researched appliance purchases let me down. My husband worked from home a couple of weeks ago to be there during the "window" of time that the repair person would come out. There was a problem with the computer board in the stove so a new one had to be ordered since this was not a piece commonly carried in a repair truck. The bigger problem was that this meant that my husband or I would have to be at home for the return trip. We are both far more fortunate than most in that we each have the flexibility to perform a good deal of our work from our home office. This doesn't make it convenient to be there however as we both need to meet with people throughout the day and it's a 20 minute drive to our offices in town. My husband had a meeting scheduled for the day that the repair person needed to come back out to install the part so it was my turn. Our time "window" was from 8am - 12pm. I was quite sure that we would be first on the list given that they knew exactly what needed to be done at our house and should know the exact amount of time it would take as well. There were no mysteries to this job. And since this was a follow up visit, I would have thought someone in the process may have thought it good business to be respectful of our time.
I couldn't have been more wrong. We were absolutely last on the list. In fact, I received a call at 11:30 to let me know that the repair person was running late due to other jobs taking additional time. So, the person showed up at my house sometime around 12:30. The repair took all of about 15 minutes. I was pleasant to my repair person because I am quite certain that his route is given to him by someone else each day based on the calls that have been received and appointments that have been scheduled. So he really was not the person who needed to hear my frustration. He did the best he could and he correctly diagnosed my problem on his first call and fixed it on his second trip.
The problem lies with companies who have not adapted their service models to recognize that most American households have two working occupants. And beyond that has anyone ever been pleased by the fact that they had to commit to sitting in their house for at least 4 consecutive hours just waiting. Even when your problem is solved, do you feel good about the time that you lost because you had to wait. In my case, the oven that I had purchased from Sears had only been in use for about 20 months when it failed.
I do not believe that Sears is alone in continuing to operate such an antiquated service system. But I do think that they need to look at how some other businesses are handling service calls. I am not always happy with the local station interference on my Dish when it rains, but whenever I have to call them they have an immediate resolution or a service person who is seemingly hawking over my neighborhood. He calls me directly and tell me an exact time that he will be at my house. That is turning a negative customer experience into a positive one. So, thank you Dish for the excellent customer service. Keep working on that whole rain problem though. :)
Please let me know about your experiences with service calls. Who has a good service model and who wastes your time unnecessarily.
I couldn't have been more wrong. We were absolutely last on the list. In fact, I received a call at 11:30 to let me know that the repair person was running late due to other jobs taking additional time. So, the person showed up at my house sometime around 12:30. The repair took all of about 15 minutes. I was pleasant to my repair person because I am quite certain that his route is given to him by someone else each day based on the calls that have been received and appointments that have been scheduled. So he really was not the person who needed to hear my frustration. He did the best he could and he correctly diagnosed my problem on his first call and fixed it on his second trip.
The problem lies with companies who have not adapted their service models to recognize that most American households have two working occupants. And beyond that has anyone ever been pleased by the fact that they had to commit to sitting in their house for at least 4 consecutive hours just waiting. Even when your problem is solved, do you feel good about the time that you lost because you had to wait. In my case, the oven that I had purchased from Sears had only been in use for about 20 months when it failed.
I do not believe that Sears is alone in continuing to operate such an antiquated service system. But I do think that they need to look at how some other businesses are handling service calls. I am not always happy with the local station interference on my Dish when it rains, but whenever I have to call them they have an immediate resolution or a service person who is seemingly hawking over my neighborhood. He calls me directly and tell me an exact time that he will be at my house. That is turning a negative customer experience into a positive one. So, thank you Dish for the excellent customer service. Keep working on that whole rain problem though. :)
Please let me know about your experiences with service calls. Who has a good service model and who wastes your time unnecessarily.
Friday, February 11, 2011
My Quadruplicity take aways
Yesterday I spent my day at Quadruplicity, the Charlottesville Chamber's annual Business Women's conference. The conference is all about finding your own balance in your life, your career, your finances and health. I began this post last night and titled it. I didn't get very far because my son needed assistance with his homework and honestly my cold had gotten the best of me by late night. This morning I received an email from someone who I consider to be a good friend that was one of my guests at the conference yesterday. In it she included her take aways which I will quote. "Eat often, eat less, sleep more, walk more, a little stress good, a lot of stress bad and finally a minute is absolutely sufficient to sum up my life's work"
All of that seems pretty simple and like good common sense. But it's not what I do and I know it's not what she does. In fact, I can tell you that at least 3 of the other women at my table who I happen to be friends with do not do those things appropriately. I am really going to work to use my common sense to apply these things to my own life more often. It will be hard. I have been trying to do just that for the last 3 months. Sometimes successfully and sometimes not.
As for summing up her life's work in a minute, I will not disputed that any of us can provide another with a general description of what our "job" is on the surface. Enough so that they will have an understanding of it. But I believe the real measure is not in the time spent describing the role but in the infinite value you derive from the impact you make on one life or many lives. You see, my friend who sent me that email has saved countless lives in her work. And those lives have gone on to provide emotional support for their loved ones in times of joy and sorrow. The impact is exponential. And I truly appreciate the countless hours and dedication she puts in to it.
I could give you similar examples for all of the women at my table. So I encourage all of you to take a moment to remind yourself of the value of your own work. Whether it is in your career, your volunteer efforts or your family. Your impact is infinite. Be proud.
All of that seems pretty simple and like good common sense. But it's not what I do and I know it's not what she does. In fact, I can tell you that at least 3 of the other women at my table who I happen to be friends with do not do those things appropriately. I am really going to work to use my common sense to apply these things to my own life more often. It will be hard. I have been trying to do just that for the last 3 months. Sometimes successfully and sometimes not.
As for summing up her life's work in a minute, I will not disputed that any of us can provide another with a general description of what our "job" is on the surface. Enough so that they will have an understanding of it. But I believe the real measure is not in the time spent describing the role but in the infinite value you derive from the impact you make on one life or many lives. You see, my friend who sent me that email has saved countless lives in her work. And those lives have gone on to provide emotional support for their loved ones in times of joy and sorrow. The impact is exponential. And I truly appreciate the countless hours and dedication she puts in to it.
I could give you similar examples for all of the women at my table. So I encourage all of you to take a moment to remind yourself of the value of your own work. Whether it is in your career, your volunteer efforts or your family. Your impact is infinite. Be proud.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Final Countdown
I've worried over the last month that my blog looked like just another abandoned blog sitting out there. And, the truth is, it has. I have been keeping a secret from the public because I'm honestly afraid of failing. I have a professional designation exam that I will be taking on January 28th - this Friday. My close friends know about it. In fact, they've known about it for a year now.
My degree is in Economics. I'm an Econ dork. I love it. However, that degree was earned many years ago and although I use many aspects of it in my job, there are still many details to be learned. And the biggest challenge here is that I've had to learn it from a book. Not my style. You see my wonderful ADHD children didn't fall far from the tree. Mom has quite the case of ADHD herself. So while the material is right up my alley, the learning method is not. Organization and time management, not my gifts. Both are skill set that would have been extremely useful.
I am battling through. Procrastinating far too much at times. But today begins the sprint to the finish line. I can't tell you that I have a defined path for that. What I do recognize is that I have a tremendous amount of strength and fight in me. So I need to call on those traits to keep my nose (and head) in the books. I will finish strong.
And then I will come home and have drinks and play ping pong with my husband and my best friends!
My degree is in Economics. I'm an Econ dork. I love it. However, that degree was earned many years ago and although I use many aspects of it in my job, there are still many details to be learned. And the biggest challenge here is that I've had to learn it from a book. Not my style. You see my wonderful ADHD children didn't fall far from the tree. Mom has quite the case of ADHD herself. So while the material is right up my alley, the learning method is not. Organization and time management, not my gifts. Both are skill set that would have been extremely useful.
I am battling through. Procrastinating far too much at times. But today begins the sprint to the finish line. I can't tell you that I have a defined path for that. What I do recognize is that I have a tremendous amount of strength and fight in me. So I need to call on those traits to keep my nose (and head) in the books. I will finish strong.
And then I will come home and have drinks and play ping pong with my husband and my best friends!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Hard is what keeps out the Riffraff
"Hard is what keeps out the Riffraff" - that is a line from a Hallmark channel type movie that was on the TV the other night as I was cleaning up the kitchen. Not something I would normally be watching, but I loved that line. It reminded me of a chat that I had with a friend a couple of months ago. I was talking with her about something that she needed to do for herself and I said something similar. Now what I said was not as polished as that, but all in the same vein.
This idea is also what had made me so proud about the decision I had made to get myself in better shape and take control over my health. I laughed at myself for how self-righteous I sounded and admitted to those I talked to that talking about it was what helped keep me in the game.
I began by speaking with Gina who owns her own business, Concierge For Mom. I knew that I was going to need some guidance and I also knew that with a full-time career outside of my home, a husband, four kids and three dogs, time wasn't something I had much of. I believe one of the first things I told Gina is that I will be one of the most difficult people she will work with. I've never known time as a friend. I was very clear that I wanted to make life changes that I could maintain. I did not want to feel like I was on any type of diet. I also had no intention of following a meal plan. I wanted to learn to make healthy choices everyday so that I would not get to a point when I stopped and put weight back on.
I've had some success in the last eight weeks. Here are the positive things I have done.
- I start my day on my elliptical every morning for 20-30 minutes.
- I no longer drink soda or sweet tea. I drink water instead.
- I have discovered coconut water which I love & drink daily (and it helped get rid of my headache today)
- I drink protein shakes to supplement my meals. (okay, it's usually my breakfast)
I have seen some differences in my body. My afternoon headaches are pretty much gone. I feel stronger and overall better.
I could say that I fell off the wagon this weekend at the company holiday party because I ate dessert. Or because I had Mexican for dinner last night. But what I think is worse is that I haven't worked in the time for my workouts. I feel really crappy about it. Gina checks in on me often and responds when I ask her about food choices. She's even created 10 minute workouts I can do. I have to make the decision to make time for the next step. My workouts. It's not happening and I'm disappointed. Gina checked on me today and this blog post is my answer. I know I'll hear back from her. She's very dedicated to making sure I succeed. I was too when I started. I lost some momentum. It's a hard pill for me to swallow because I know I'm not doing it because it's hard. Hard to have the energy. Hard to make the time. I remember my friend saying all the same things and I told her that she had to make up her mind to do it.
Life only moves in one direction and I need to get moving with it.
This idea is also what had made me so proud about the decision I had made to get myself in better shape and take control over my health. I laughed at myself for how self-righteous I sounded and admitted to those I talked to that talking about it was what helped keep me in the game.
I began by speaking with Gina who owns her own business, Concierge For Mom. I knew that I was going to need some guidance and I also knew that with a full-time career outside of my home, a husband, four kids and three dogs, time wasn't something I had much of. I believe one of the first things I told Gina is that I will be one of the most difficult people she will work with. I've never known time as a friend. I was very clear that I wanted to make life changes that I could maintain. I did not want to feel like I was on any type of diet. I also had no intention of following a meal plan. I wanted to learn to make healthy choices everyday so that I would not get to a point when I stopped and put weight back on.
I've had some success in the last eight weeks. Here are the positive things I have done.
- I start my day on my elliptical every morning for 20-30 minutes.
- I no longer drink soda or sweet tea. I drink water instead.
- I have discovered coconut water which I love & drink daily (and it helped get rid of my headache today)
- I drink protein shakes to supplement my meals. (okay, it's usually my breakfast)
I have seen some differences in my body. My afternoon headaches are pretty much gone. I feel stronger and overall better.
I could say that I fell off the wagon this weekend at the company holiday party because I ate dessert. Or because I had Mexican for dinner last night. But what I think is worse is that I haven't worked in the time for my workouts. I feel really crappy about it. Gina checks in on me often and responds when I ask her about food choices. She's even created 10 minute workouts I can do. I have to make the decision to make time for the next step. My workouts. It's not happening and I'm disappointed. Gina checked on me today and this blog post is my answer. I know I'll hear back from her. She's very dedicated to making sure I succeed. I was too when I started. I lost some momentum. It's a hard pill for me to swallow because I know I'm not doing it because it's hard. Hard to have the energy. Hard to make the time. I remember my friend saying all the same things and I told her that she had to make up her mind to do it.
Life only moves in one direction and I need to get moving with it.
My Diary From The Boys' Locker Room
The days that's probably the best title I can come up with for this episode of my life. Every week there are multiple entries that could be made to this diary. Our three middle school boys make me laugh everyday in some way. Sometimes I just can't let them see that I'm laughing!
Last week my husband was insistent that the basement smelled "like the SPCA" as he refers to it. Now, the three dogs do stay in the basement while we are at work and they sleep down there. However, there are also three middle school age boys that live down there too. They shower every day. Well, every weekday. I find dirty clothes in their beds and who knows what else could be in there. The boys just aren't particularly big on cleanliness. Now, on the days that we clean, they do vacuum, sweep, mop, fold and put away laundry and assorted other chores. They aren't exactly detail oriented so we have to check over them often before clearing them on a task.
This brings me to the point of my post. The origin of the smell that had my husband so upset. I came home that night and had my oldest son help me start cleaning the basement. As usual, I gave him the vacuuming to do and I went for the room his younger brother usually cleans - the bathroom. Three boys, one bathroom. As I cleaned, I began to come up with nicknames for each of them based on the offense I know they commonly commit. I have one who doesn't really create a problem. The other one I decided to call flush. I figure if he hears it often enough, he may remember to do it. Then there's the worst, the one I call splash. Now the other two may be guilty of missing the giant hole they are supposed to go in from time to time, but splash doesn't even acknowledge the hole! Cleaning this room was about much more than cleaning the toilet. It was about taking down the cloth shower curtain and washing it. Cleaning off the side of the bathtub. Cleaning the floor and the baseboards.
The whole time I was cleaning, I was thinking to myself, those Brady boys must have had really good aim because as whiny as the Brady girls could be, I never heard one complain about Bobby peeing all over the toilet. They did have Alice however and I do not. The boys make things smell!
Last week my husband was insistent that the basement smelled "like the SPCA" as he refers to it. Now, the three dogs do stay in the basement while we are at work and they sleep down there. However, there are also three middle school age boys that live down there too. They shower every day. Well, every weekday. I find dirty clothes in their beds and who knows what else could be in there. The boys just aren't particularly big on cleanliness. Now, on the days that we clean, they do vacuum, sweep, mop, fold and put away laundry and assorted other chores. They aren't exactly detail oriented so we have to check over them often before clearing them on a task.
This brings me to the point of my post. The origin of the smell that had my husband so upset. I came home that night and had my oldest son help me start cleaning the basement. As usual, I gave him the vacuuming to do and I went for the room his younger brother usually cleans - the bathroom. Three boys, one bathroom. As I cleaned, I began to come up with nicknames for each of them based on the offense I know they commonly commit. I have one who doesn't really create a problem. The other one I decided to call flush. I figure if he hears it often enough, he may remember to do it. Then there's the worst, the one I call splash. Now the other two may be guilty of missing the giant hole they are supposed to go in from time to time, but splash doesn't even acknowledge the hole! Cleaning this room was about much more than cleaning the toilet. It was about taking down the cloth shower curtain and washing it. Cleaning off the side of the bathtub. Cleaning the floor and the baseboards.
The whole time I was cleaning, I was thinking to myself, those Brady boys must have had really good aim because as whiny as the Brady girls could be, I never heard one complain about Bobby peeing all over the toilet. They did have Alice however and I do not. The boys make things smell!
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Best Weekend Ever
My very serious son told me yesterday that he had the best weekend ever this past weekend. One of my best friends (who has known him all his life) called me this afternoon to remind me how significant that statement was. You see, for my younger son, life is like one big adventure. He can make fun out of just about anything. But my older son tends to carry the weight of the world with him sometimes. Well, a lot of the time.
This fall I've watched that young man find himself. He did it through football. He's a good athlete and has done well in both baseball and soccer. But football has made as much of an impression on him as he has made on it. His hard work and big heart has earned him the respect of his peers. He's found a bond.
I have watched my football player's attitude turn around this Fall.
So why was this the best weekend ever? Well I thought it was pretty awesome myself! We went shopping at outlets in Maryland where of course they had plenty of Baltimore Ravens gear. That is his favorite team. He got a couple pair of new kicks and some new Ravens gear of his own. (My boys will shop if you mix in a fair number of athletic stores) Then we took him and his stepbrother to the Charles Town track to watch horse racing. Of course they were assessing the horses before each race and picking who they were pulling for. It was a long night and they had the endurance for it. And the next day - football in the Wild and Wonderful! We were wrapped up in as many layers as we could pile on while snow flurries fell from the cold, dry sky. We cheered on the Martinsburg Bulldogs as they defeated the Morgantown Mohicans in the West Virginia state semi-finals. Lots of hot chocolate, nachos and pretzels. Then back to our friends' house where the boys and our friends' daughter played Beatles RockBand for an hour.
All pretty simple stuff, but stuff that we all love and we did it together. Now we were a couple of children short as we let the two who don't share that love do something with their other parent. But that was okay. They were happy not to be out in the cold and neither of the other two could have kept the long hours.
We had a weekend that we will all remember. I have a son who is enjoying things in ways that I haven't seen in a very long time. I love his smiling face and I was so happy to see so much of it this Fall.
What did I have to do to get this experience. Trust in my son. You see he was under weight for one football league so he had to play in a league with guys his age but three times his size. He's 76 lbs and he played with guys that ranged from 130 lbs to 200 lbs. He only has one functioning kidney to add to the horror. But it was all he wanted. I made him promise to exercise everyday to stay strong so he could endure the hits. I listened to my mother and grandmother tell me what a bad idea this was and I watched my boy get lit up a number of times. But I also watched my boy get up and run down plays. I watched him grow more confident every week. The season is over and he's better than ever. It took a leap on my part and a lot of conversations with a 12 year old.
This fall I've watched that young man find himself. He did it through football. He's a good athlete and has done well in both baseball and soccer. But football has made as much of an impression on him as he has made on it. His hard work and big heart has earned him the respect of his peers. He's found a bond.
I have watched my football player's attitude turn around this Fall.
So why was this the best weekend ever? Well I thought it was pretty awesome myself! We went shopping at outlets in Maryland where of course they had plenty of Baltimore Ravens gear. That is his favorite team. He got a couple pair of new kicks and some new Ravens gear of his own. (My boys will shop if you mix in a fair number of athletic stores) Then we took him and his stepbrother to the Charles Town track to watch horse racing. Of course they were assessing the horses before each race and picking who they were pulling for. It was a long night and they had the endurance for it. And the next day - football in the Wild and Wonderful! We were wrapped up in as many layers as we could pile on while snow flurries fell from the cold, dry sky. We cheered on the Martinsburg Bulldogs as they defeated the Morgantown Mohicans in the West Virginia state semi-finals. Lots of hot chocolate, nachos and pretzels. Then back to our friends' house where the boys and our friends' daughter played Beatles RockBand for an hour.
All pretty simple stuff, but stuff that we all love and we did it together. Now we were a couple of children short as we let the two who don't share that love do something with their other parent. But that was okay. They were happy not to be out in the cold and neither of the other two could have kept the long hours.
We had a weekend that we will all remember. I have a son who is enjoying things in ways that I haven't seen in a very long time. I love his smiling face and I was so happy to see so much of it this Fall.
What did I have to do to get this experience. Trust in my son. You see he was under weight for one football league so he had to play in a league with guys his age but three times his size. He's 76 lbs and he played with guys that ranged from 130 lbs to 200 lbs. He only has one functioning kidney to add to the horror. But it was all he wanted. I made him promise to exercise everyday to stay strong so he could endure the hits. I listened to my mother and grandmother tell me what a bad idea this was and I watched my boy get lit up a number of times. But I also watched my boy get up and run down plays. I watched him grow more confident every week. The season is over and he's better than ever. It took a leap on my part and a lot of conversations with a 12 year old.
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