myJAMpackedlife

Gross. That’s all I really have to say about this. In case you can’t tell what is in these images, I will tell you. But first I’m putting a warning out that what you are about to read contains very disturbing and disgusting images that may cause your stomach to churn..

It’s boogers!!! Boogers on the wall. By my daughters bed. Blugh!!!!

When school ends today, I will have one unhappy girl I’m sure, but this is where I draw the line. I will not be scraping these hardened boogs off the wall and cleaning it.

But she will.

Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.

National Celiac Disease Awareness Month just finished up in May. Celiac disease is recognized as one of the most common chronic diseases in the world right now. It is estimated that as many as one in every 100 to 200 people in North America are affected. Many people remain undiagnosed. Because of this alarming number, there seems to be a growing interest in switching to a more natural diet and with that many are going gluten free. Companies, like Kellogg’s, are recognizing that trend and are paying attention and doing their best to provide us with products to meet those needs.

One of their latest products to hit the market is Rice Krispies Brown Rice Gluten Free.

Wow, that’s a mouthful, hey?!. A mouthful of goodness, though. I was skeptical of the brown rice let alone the gluten free part, but nonetheless kept an open mind and made it my bedtime snack the night after recieving it. I was genuinely suprised to discover it still had the same snack, crackle and pop and the original and was just a crispy. The real test was my kids though. Seeing as how they like to add sugar to their regular rice krispies, I wasn’t really expecting they wouldn’t be just as satisfied with this. And I was right. They ate it up, commenting on the crunchiness along the way.

Kellogg’s challenged us to find other recipes that could incorporate the product. We use regular breadcrumbs in our homemade meatballs, hamburgers and to bread homemade chicken cutlets as well. I was so excited to try this crushed in those recipes as a substitute, making those recipes gluten free. It substituted in perfectly, keeping its crunch and adding to the flavor.

Of course, you can always use this in place of regular Rice Krispies as well.

These sc0nes look delicious and I can’t wait to go make them. Visit www.RiceKrispie.ca/en/GlutenFreeRecipes to try this and other great gluten free recipes.

Keep an eye out for Brown Rice Krispies Gluten Free and give them a try. Just when you though Rice Krispies couldn’t get any healthier….

Minor Hockey accross Canada just received a huge leap forward in safety this past week with the banning of body checking at the PeeWee level by Hockey Canada.

Peewee players are typically in the age range of 11 and 12 years old. Kids that age vary so much in height, size, strength and maturity. If I look around at the kids I know who are in that age range, some are tall, others haven’t even started to grow yet, some are heavy, some are light, some are strong and others are slight. Put boys beside girls at that age and same thing. Although, often its the girls at that age who are taller, but maybe not with as much strength as the boys.

All that aside, some of these players may have started late and have only played a few years. Even if they started when they were little, some don’t pick up the game for many years. This ruling will allow these players to focus on continuing to improve their skill without the added concern of keeping themselves safe during a hit. Allowing them the extra time to get used to these newly changing bodies and the power behind some of that size and strength prior to the body contact can help them learn both how to take a hit and give a hit more safely as well.

Another area I think this adds to the benefit is in the smaller centers who don’t have a separate boys and girls team. I know, I know that the girls have been and can continue to play with boys teams after body checking is introduced,  but there are also many who decide that once that is introduced, they no longer wish to play. This leaves them out of a sport that they grew up with and have enjoyed playing for many years. One can argue that won’t the issue just be delayed and they will just quit when Bantam rolls around? If they choose to play at Bantam won’t the boys be that much stronger when starting to hit than they were in peewee? And yes, the answer to both of those is yes, I suppose that is true. However, this will give them 2 extra years not having to worry about it and the skill that can develop over those two years is worth the trade off.

Another issue especially in smaller centers is the referreeing of these games. I know where we live, its kids, ranging in age from 12-16, who ref the peewee age level games. Kids who are only years older, if not the same age. They are just starting to ref and are so focused on the puck and the rules that bad hits, too many hits, unsafe hits often go uncalled or missed. So taking that aspect out, allows the refs to develop their skills and learn the rules and apply the rules in a safer environment.

Parental involvement when checking is happening is another area where I would assume intensifies. Its awkward anyways at that age and some do it well and others just try but don’t do it very well at all. Perhaps this will help us in the stands to remember just how little these kids are and take some of that competitiveness back to a more appropriate level as well. This added intensity also puts extra pressure on the refs previously mentioned and again will take some of the pressure off of them in that area.

I don’t see a lot of negatives with this ruling. I think its about time we start focusing on the actual skills and abilities of the players and start to take steps to reduce the brutality that this sport is exhibiting as of late. It makes me happy on so many levels, however, I am sure there are things I am overlooking and I actually am interested to read other people’s opinions on this and see it from another perspective. If I have offered that up to you, that’s great. If your opinion differs, I would love to hear why.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had joined the REVOLT program and was following the program along side with a bunch of other bloggers. We have a private facebook page set up for us to write and get inspiration and track others’ as well as our own progress. Nichole Huntsman, who is the creator and founder of the REVOLT program is always available to answer any questions and provide us with helpful advice or keep us motivated.

The program comes set up with meal plans and work out videos that are super challenging but great to follow along to. I did a lower body sculpt last week that kicked my butt (literally) and I had trouble walking for 3 days. My favorite part about these at home sculpts is that they take about 20-25 minutes but they kill your muscles. And for an aging lady like myself, maintaining and preserving muscle mass is crucial. Not only do our bones lose density and become more brittle once we hit 35, but our muscle mass also starts to drop off if we don’t work to preserve it. Those are the health benefits of muscle mass but having lean muscle mass allows you to consume more calories during the day since your body will burn more at rest than if you have minimal lean muscle mass. So for me, that is the reason I prefer to do strength training over regular cardio. Hey, we’ve all got reasons we prefer the exercise we do and that is mine.

The program also has cardio days built in and rest days. Another huge bonus is the bonus day, where one day a week  you get a free day to enjoy your favorite foods so you don’t feel deprived.

My progress on the program has been limited. I have been following the workouts as well as training for a 5K run in June. So I’m getting in my exercise. I am struggling with the meal plans, as I do on most programs. Food and myself have issues. I only get encouragement and motivation when I participate in the discussions on facebook and I appreciate that so much. There’s nothing more discouraging from someone trying to shame you in to staying on track. We fall off, we ebb and flow, and its nice to know I’m not alone. This week REVOLT is offering a one week free trial if anyone is interested in giving  it a try. I promise you will want more!