Hello 2013

(Para español leer abajo)

Life most definitely decided to throw me some curve balls at the end of 2012.  To be fully truthful, 2012 was a tough year overall for me, the toughest I've lived by far.  And as much as I tried to savor all the beauty within it, It was rough and I am glad it is done and over with.

So for 2013 my resolutions are simple.  Health.  I want good health for me and for those I love.  And to be present, fully present in the lives of those I love as well.  To enjoy the simple things, every moment, every smell, every word.  Because everything else doesn't matter as much.

With the busy lives we live, it is so easy to take the small things for granted.  Like walking.  I mean, really that is a true gift from above, I sure have learned that this past month.

Although this year has began with uncertainties concerning my health, I pray that God will give me the strength to face what ever he has in store for me.  Because with Him and the love of all those that surround me, I know anything is possible.

And so I leave you with these quotes I've (coincidentally? appropriately?) come across through Pinterest these past few weeks:

"Be in love with your life. Every minute of it." 

-Jack Kerouac

"Sometimes you are delayed where you are, 

because God knows there is a storm where you are headed. 

 Be grateful."

- Unknown

Al final del 2012 la vida me mando unas cosas definitivamente inesperadas.  Para ser honesta, el 2012 fue un año super pesado, uno de los mas difíciles de mi vida.  Y por mas que trate de disfrutar las cosas bonitas en mi camino, me fue difícil. Estoy contenta que ya termino.

Por lo cual mis resoluciones para el 2013 son mas que sencillas.  Salud.  En este año pido por mi salud, al igual que la de mis seres queridos.  Y de estar presente, completamente presente en las vidas de los que amo.  Deseo poder disfrutar de las cosas sencillas, de cada momento, cada olor, cada palabra.  Porque la verdad que nada mas importa. 

Con las vidas tan acarreadas que vivimos es fácil de olvidarnos de las cosas sencillas.  Como el caminar.  Digo, en verdad es un regalo de arriba, y eso lo he aprendido durante este último mes.  

Y aunque este año a empezado con incertidumbre cuando se trata de mi salud, le pido a Dios que me de la fuerza necesaria para enfrentar lo que ponga en mi camino.  Por que con El y con el amor de todos los que me rodean se que todo es posible. 

Los dejo con estos pensamientos que (¿por coincidencia? ¿apropiadamente?) encontre estas ultimas semanas por medio de Pinterest: (los traduje lo mejor que pude)

"Ama tu vida. Cada minuto." 

-Jack Kerouac

"Aveces tenemos que esperar, 

porque Dios sabe que una tormenta se dirige hacia ti.

 Se agradecido."

- Unknown

What Was I Thinking Running a 5K! ♥ ¿Que estaba pensando cuando me registre para correr un 5K?

Okay so I haven't really ran the 5k.  Nor do I plan to run, more like jog.  But really what was a thinking when I decided to say yes?  Healthy kick?  Impress my friends?  Impress the hubs?  (He ran competitively all through college.  A darn good runner too!) Heck, impress myself?  Probably a bit of all.  But the truth is, I've been wanting to try it for a long time.  

Okay, no he corrido todavia el 5K.  Ni planeo correr si no algo mas como eso de trotar.   Pero enserio, ¿Que mentados estaba pensando cuando decidí decir si?  ¿Por mi salud? ¿Para impresionar a mis amigas?  ¿Para impresionar al maridin? (El corría competitiva mente cuando estaba en la universidad.  ¡Y era buenisimo el mentado!) O, ¿Para impresionarme a mi misma? Creo que un poquito de todo.  Pero la realidad que ya tenia tiempo con ganas de tratar algo a si.

So a little while ago (and I mean, a little while ago) I began my so-called-training.  We will see how I'll do.  If I survive then you'll hear about it come race time.   If I dont- well, it was nice knowing you.

Es que hace poco empece mi disque entrenamiento.  ¡Ja! Ya veremos como me va.  Si sobrevivo aquí me tendrán de regreso después de la competencia.  Si no, pues mucho gusto a verte conocido. 

(If you want to keep track and push me to the finish line, the 5k is at the end of this month.) 

(Si quieres estar al tanto para animarme asta el final, la competencia sera el ultimo fin de semana este mes.)

Wish me luck.  I'll need it!

¡Deseen me suerte!

i have the right to know: genetically engineered food labeling

 Both of my lovelies have food allergies, one of them more severe than the other.  In fact his allergies are so severe we've ended up in the hospital twice due to allergic reactions to food.  Both time we were lucky he survived.  It is scary.  Very scary to feel you have no control over what is happening to your child.

The minute I fount out I was pregnant with my first baby I did what most mama's do in hopes of bringing a healthy baby into this world.  I changed my diet by eating even healthier than I already did, I also tried to buy more organic food.  Though, at that time that was a bit harder to find locally so it meant taking long trips to places that sold organic products.  That was okay, because darn it, I was going to do everything I could for that sweet being growing in my womb. 

I also ate a lot of peanuts.  I love nuts.  All nuts.  I would eat those yummy peanut butter cups like crazy, and those chocolate covered peanuts, yea those too, and PB&J sandwiches, and during the winter holiday (when you can find a great selections of shelled nuts) I would sit crossed legged and cracked each nut open, pop it in my mouth and savor every bit of it.  After all they did tell me those fats in nuts were good for me.  And they are.

What I didn't know was that a lot of these nuts, especially peanuts are genetically engineered.   Did you?  Don't worry I recently found this out.

And although I did  everything in my power to bring healthy babies into this world.  Both of them have food allergies.  Peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, sesame seeds.  Could it get any worse?  I hope not.

Would it have made a difference, had I known all those nuts I was savoring were genetically engineered?  Probably. 

Would it have changed the destiny of my unborn children?  Maybe.  Who knows for sure.  There still really aren't any answer as to why more and more children are being born with severe food allergies, and some people developing mentioned allergies as adults.  A lot of theories, but no true answers. 

Personally I believe that what we eat has something to do with it.  And because of this I want to know if what I am feeding my family has been genetically engineered.

What about you?

If this is important to you, you have an opportunity to make a difference. 

Go to Just Label it!  and fill out the petition form to urge the FDA to mandate labeling on all genetically engineered foods. You have until March 26.

If we all work together we can make things happen!!

Knowledge Conquers Fear: October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month

Did you know that October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month?  I am embarrassed to say I didn't, but I will do anything possible to help others (like me) be a bit more aware.

Now in Laurita Tellado's words:

October is an eerie month, filled with monsters, mummies, and the macabre. But while the occasional witch or skeleton might freak you out, one must concede that there are indeed more frightening things– like finding out your child will be born with spina bifida.

And yet, each day in the U.S., an average of eight families welcome a child with spina bifida into the world. Annually, an estimated 1,500 infants are born with spina bifida each year in the U.S.

I was born with spina bifida nearly two and a half decades ago. The diagnosis came as a total shock to my family, along with an entire set of secondary complications. I was also born with hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain.” During the first ten years of my life, it seemed I was in the hospital every other week with a bladder infection or shunt malfunction. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t really scary at times.

But then, at age ten, I discovered a fantastic way to defeat my worst fears– knowledge. I vowed I would educate myself and read up on the condition that, up until that point, seemed to be taking over my life. Much like a child who imagines a ghost is in his closet, grabs a flashlight and realizes it’s only an old coat, I had come to the realization that, when you take the time to learn about something, no matter how terrifying it may seem at first, everything is less scary in the light of knowledge.

According to the Spina Bifida Association of America, “spina bifida remains the most commonly occurring birth defect in this country.” Just how common is it overall? PubMed Health, the Web site of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, reported in March of this year: “Myelomeningocele [the most severe form of spina bifida] may affect as many as 1 out of every 800 infants.”

As a 21-year member of the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida, I’m doing my part to shed light on this condition by raising money for the Walk-N-Roll for Spina Bifida. When my parents and I moved from Puerto Rico to Orlando, Florida in search of better educational and healthcare opportunities for me in 1990, we found a support system away from our family and homeland in joining the SBACFL. My personal search for a public spokesperson for the spina bifida cause, as well as my work as a current member of the SBACFL board of directors, have helped me find my true purpose– galvanizing as many people as possible to support the spina bifida community.

So, in the spirit of shedding light on a little-known condition, and in honor of October, which is Spina Bifida Awareness Month, here are some statistics about spina bifida that might spook you a bit:

• Spina bifida is more common than muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and cystic fibrosis combined.

• Latinos have the highest incidence of spina bifida out of all the ethnic groups.

• Ireland is the country with the highest incidence of spina bifida in the world.

• About 50 percent of babies with spina bifida areselectively aborted after being diagnosed with spina bifida.

• Doctors recommend that every woman of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida up to 70 percent of the time. In spite of this, there are currently an estimated 166,000people in the U.S. living with spina bifida– up from just 76,000 just last year.

• About 90 percent of people with spina bifida are also born with hydrocephalus. Many need a shunt inserted near the brain to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid– and many requiremultiple shunt replacements during their lives.

• Other very common secondary conditions include bladder and bowel incontinence, as well as frequent urinary tract infections.

• After the onset of puberty, young people with spina bifida are more prone to clinical depression than most people. Researchers think this may be due in part to social isolation.

Being able to share this information with all of you today is without a doubt the most empowering and inspiring aspect of my life. I’d love nothing more than to give you that very sense of empowerment. Please publish this post on your own Web site(s), and feel free to add your own personal intro that will make it relevant to your blog followers. As many people as I’ve managed to rally in support of this cause, you have an advantage that I don’t–your audience. So, please share this information with everyone you come into contact with.

Below is a video that explains just why the Spina Bifida Association of Central Florida means so much to me, and why I’m participating in the Walk-N-Roll.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIpzk_1ICX4]

I will be raising money online for Team Holdin’ Out for a Hero until October 29th, when we have our Walk-N-Roll event. Donations can be as small as $5 or as large as $50,000. (Yes, I do like the $50,000 better!) Every cent counts! Every cent of every dollar will go towards supporting families affected by spina bifida in 22 counties in and around the Central Florida region and supporting educational and awareness efforts.

Yes, to the new parent, or even to the already-grown individual, spina bifida can seem like a scary thing to deal with. But there’s a power in numbers and a strength in awareness– a strength that gives us the courage to open the closet, shine the light in the ghost’s face, and reduce it to nothing but an old coat.

Thank you for helping me conquer my biggest fear– ignorance of spina bifida.

~ Laurita Tellado, HoldinOutforaHero.org