Welcome to My Two Cents!

Somehow falling down a set of outside stairs and landing in a heap at the bottom in snow with a computer, a cup of coffee and your purse upside down just isn't the way I planned on starting today. I have a full schedule today and right now I'm sitting in an auto shop waiting for my vehicle to get fixed. I guess I was rushing and not paying attention to the fact there was 4 inches of snow on the steps and I was wearing my clogs. I guess I wasn't looking where I was stepping on the ice that is piled up near the top of the stairs. Rush rush rush....

I started getting upset while I was laying on the ground and complaining and wishing my husband was there in front of me so I could blame him for not shoveling those damn steps off this morning, but I stopped, wiped the tears, brushed off the snow, picked up the rest of my stuff and got in my car and continued on, a little wet, a little sore (I'm sure a black and blue butt is in my future), but not totally defeated.

It's Monday! yea! I love Mondays! It's the beginning of a new week, a fresh start and way to start again! Most people complain about Mondays but somehow to me they seem bright and fresh and normally I feel ready to take on the world on Monday mornings.

I was down in NJ this weekend with my grandson.  He has been sick so I went down on Wed evening to stay with him and help out. He is such a great kid, a very sweet sensitive boy. He loves his "Namma" and he tells me that and gives me hugs alot. :) I love it. He is a normal 2 year old, runs, plays, jumps, is loud and rambunctious --- and Namma is tired!  So we got home last night and we were both exhausted - so we just walked through the snow and got inside and tried to just relax. I was ready for bed at 7pm, but Sunday nights are my favorite night for TV (It's a nasty addiction and I allow myself the Sun night rituals!) - so I stayed up until 11pm - needless to say when the alarm went off at 6am I was groaning and not happy. But I got up to get my week started with a bang - and BANG it was! When I hit the bottom of those steps I thought "yup - I am definitely starting today with a big bang"!

So my lessons learned - drink coffee BEFORE you leave the house - SLOW DOWN and WATCH where you are stepping - GET MORE SLEEP..---I guess it's all about perspective.....isn't it? Should I let this dictate the rest of my day? No.... Should I keep complaining and venting? No....

I've heard many people say that "it's not what happens to you - it's how you REACT to what happens" that matters. Yeah, yeah, yeah.... that is true  BUT I swear if ONE MORE THING happens to me today I am going to go outside and scream at the top of my lungs and find my husband! :)

Busy busy busy.... life is so busy!
It seems like I wake up in the morning and hit the ground running and then run right into bed late at night only to get up and do it again.
Where have the relaxing weekends gone? I guess when you live and work in the same place it's easy to just go day to day and not have a beginning and an end of "work". I do love working from home, I do love my two businesses that I have going - but sometimes I wish I could just get away from it. Why do I find it so hard to just turn off my computer and walk out of this office and pretend my "work" is elsewhere and I just can't get to it right now? I don't know.... I'd love to hear from others who work from home on how they can separate their two lives.
Don't get me wrong - I don't want to work in an office, in a corporate environment where I have to drive to work every day and then drive home every night and then do all the stuff that needs to be done here too. I love working only a few hours each day and being here at my house, but sometimes like this weekend it seems like all I have is done is work. :) Have a good week folks!

You know I am really sick and tired of all the people who argue this question. Let's just stop and think about this for a minute.  Christmas is a holiday - an actual day of the year that some of us celebrate Christ's birth. The "holidays" are a TIME of year that people celebrate lots of things. Some celebrate Christmas, some Hanukkah, and other religions celebrate their special season. Some just celebrate the joy of giving with no religion attached to that - and all of it is OK!

People c'mon!! Get real- let people do things the way THEY want to celebrate. Who are we to dictate how someone should celebrate their special season or how we should SAY greetings? All of us are joyous, happy and in the "spirit" of the season. So whether you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or Happy Hanukkah or HELLO - it's the spirit that matters - not the words. I don't pretend to be religious - I do believe in God (The Universe, Higher Power whatever the word is I use - I change it from time to time because the WORD doesn't matter! It's the spirit!)

I just read a story on whether we need to say Holiday Trees now instead of Christmas trees. SERIOUSLY?? The Christmas tree is a symbol of CHRISTMAS - it's part of that religion. Hanukkah doesn't have a tree it has a menorah, "holidays" don't have a symbol except commercialism or Santa (wink wink) so Christmas Tree is the proper phrase for the tree that gets decorated with a star on top!


No matter your feelings, your religion or what you say - I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays. I hope you all truly enjoy the season and the SPIRIT of the season. Let's let everyone enjoy it THEIR way - ok? 

Just my Two Cents!

What is it about RSVPs? How did they fall out of favor? What happened to common courtesy of a reply to an invitation? Why are RSVPs so scarey to all of us?

When someone gets an invitation and the invitation specifically requests an RSVP - why do people just not respond? What is hard about saying "yes" or "no"?

You know you will run into them on the street someday and it will be an awkward few seconds and then they will say "oh hey... sorry I didn't um ya know.. get back to ya" ... and while they are stammering that out - you interrupt them and say "hey yeah man, I know... no problem"... but it IS a problem! I'm confused... think how much simpler it would be to just say "sorry can't make it" --- or "I'll be there" ? It certainly helps with the planning of an event.

I too have not RSVP'd to events and I always feel bad about that. So I have made it a personal goal of mine to always RSVP even if I say "maybe"!
I think there is something fearful in sending a response -  - it locks you into an action!

I mean what if you said Yes - and then...something better came along?? Oh boy, now how do you have to get out of the commitment?

But what if you said No? You may not really want to go - but you don't want to say no YET.  .because either you want to keep your options open in case something better doesn't come along, or you don't want to say NO to because you think the person inviting you is going to ask you why!  Or maybe you don't want to hurt their feelings. So instead of saying no for fear of hurting their feelings - you ignore them. Hmmm.....

That's just frickin crazy! Just reply - Just say NO if you don't want to go! We are all adults and if we can't handle rejection by now, well... maybe we shouldn't be inviting anyone anywhere anyway! ;)

I went out walking today to see some of the nice colors in the sunshine - gorgeous! The whole time I was walking I was thinking about my birthday coming up -- and how years seem to be flying by me. I thought of birthdays past when my kids were little and my Mom used to take them to buy me something so they would have a present for me. I got so many gifts from the dollar stores and thrift shops - and I think I have every one of them still!

I remember getting a coffee thermos with a pump on it one year (from a yard sale!) - my son, who was about 6 at the time, was so proud to give me that as I had said I wanted one to take coffee with me in the car when we traveled next time. We had gone to Six Flags that year in NJ - just the three of us, myself, my daughter and my son. It was a fun trip singing to the radio with my son sitting upfront while he was learning how to read a map (and I mean LEARNING!) and my daughter in the backseat trying to listen to her music and wishing she was in any other car but the one she was! We stayed in a hotel for three entire days! We watched movies, played games and ate junk food! It was the best vacation ever back then. But I digress...

Let's get back to my birthday. So -- as I said my birthday is coming up soon and as I look back on some of the my past presents and remember them fondly and smile and get all teary eyed at times reminiscing about gifts my immediate thought was "yahoo - I'm sooooo glad my kids are now all grown up now with jobs where they make more money than I do. NOWWWWW... it's payback time!" Now I can get really cool presents! Oh, I've gotten some cool things in the past too - a digital camera, spa days, pedicures, restaurant gift certificates, dinners out, movies out... and on and on - it's so great but I'm thinking bigger.. much bigger!

So.. as my birthday approaches this year I'm hoping my kids will read THIS blog --- I'm really in the market for one of these three things (I'll give them choices so they'll still have a chance to surprise me!): First - an iPad 2 that would be amazing! I want a 64 gig, 3G, Wifi version - I would love that and with people splitting up the costs and getting it while online shopping through my website it should be affordable! - If that isn't in the cards, well.... I really want to go see Lady Gaga in concert! I want to be in the first few rows WITH MY KIDS! How fun would it be for ME? And it is my birthday so it IS all about me! Think how much fun it would be to dance and sing while my kids looked on in horror at their mother at a Lady Gaga concert! wow... or if they can't stand that embarrassment then my third option would be chocolate - LOTS of chocolate. :)

Actually as I have reflected back over my so so many past birthdays I realize that what I remember the most are the circumstances, the feelings, the looks of joy and excitement on my children's faces as they gave me something. I guess as I've gotten older the material things still don't mean much to me - what I really really want for my birthday is to only make more memories.

Happy Birthday to everyone out there.

OK - what is going on? This is August right? I haven't gone to sleep and slept for a month or more have I? So... if not, then WHY is it getting cold outside?? It is 5:58 pm EST - on Aug 22nd - it should be 75 degrees out there or more - and I should be on my deck with a cocktail reading a great book! But... NO, I am inside, in my FLEECE pants and a SWEATER and BIG slippers! Looking like an old lady who is ready to turn in for the night just as soon as I blow out the oil lanterns. Good grief.... I actually think our summers are shrinking - that something big is happening to our planet. I know about climate changes, and I know about what is happening with the oceans getting warmer too - but what I'm talking about is different. Like today while I was standing outside in 60 degree weather in my winterwear ;) I noticed that normally where the sun is shining at that time of day it wasn't. ? huh? I keep pretty good track of this stuff so I feel like I truly am witnessing something weird.
I have this chair that I love - it's like an Adirondack chair, but much cheaper (in quality too)- but I know the exact spots on my lawn where I put that chair to catch the last rays of sunshine each and every week throughout the summer. Now for June - it's hardly worth sitting outside this time of night as it is COLD like it is NOW! (argh), but in July there is one spot by the big tree that holds the sun a long time - then that spot moves to my right as each day/week goes on... and this time of year - the spot where the chair should be and the sun should be shining on it, is not the same spot.
I'm confused, perplexed and just a bit mystified. I'll check it tomorrow and let you know.

As I sit here at my computer checking emails, checking orders, basically finishing up my week and setting goals for the next one - I am also watching my grandson at his daycare - in New Jersey! Through a video streaming program I am able to log in and check to see what he is doing! Wow... I'm so glad there is this technology now or I would be missing so much of his life! We talk on skype a few times a week too - he is so darn cute! I have seen all his major growth accomplishments (beginning to crawl, to walk, first teeth etc)!
Technology has improved our lifes (and also messed it up too), it has made things faster and easier (which means we get to do MORE stuff - good? bad?), it has allowed many people (myself included) to work from home and enjoy my life (of course then I'm here to do laundry and dishes all day too)!
Every change that happens has good points and bad. Just like everything and everyone else in life. We need to EMBRACE change - we need to EMBRACE technology!
Technology and other advances are going to automate our lives - which some people fear. But think about it this way: If technology can automate so many mundane chores of our daily lives, what does this free us up to do? Certainly NOT MORE mundane chores! It has been said and science states that we only use 10% of our brains - what would happen if we could use just another 10%? What would we be able to do? What could you accomplish? Automation and technology may be forcing us to change and we are losing some stuff - but we are also gaining stuff too - just ask yourself if we as a human species had more TIME to LIVE and more BRAINS to use - what could we do?
I don't know, this is just my two cents.

I am just testing to see if this is going to actually post to my FB page! :)Thanks for your patience!

I have been struggling over the past year with the question of what am I passionate about? It's so hard to figure that out sometimes. Some people just KNOW - others try several things before they hit on something that just boosts them and they KNOW this is it!

ME? I have that boosting feeling with everything I love to do! It's hard to pin point just ONE passion.
If I had to - I guess I would have to say that my one big passion in life is to truly HELP others. I recently found an old file of mine from back in 1995 which had my personal mission statement on it (Have you ever written one?) My mission statement said "My goal in life is that when I die at least 100 people will stand up at my funeral and say I made a difference in their life". Wow - that was 16 years ago - and it is STILL TRUE today! I do want to make a difference in at LEAST 100 people's lives. And here I am 16 years later working toward that goal still. I LOVE IT!

Iin helping others, I really want to help others with FINANCIAL issues. I'm not a broker, I understand investments, but I don't sell any mutual funds (I have my own financial advisor who is excellent) and I certainly don't sell advice (I need advice myself sometimes). I don't have a degree or any accredited financial training. What I have is LIFE skills. I was a single mom with two children that I raised on my own. I worked two jobs to make ends meet so I wouldn't have to go on welfare. I slept on a couch in the living room for 7 years so my two children could have their own bedrooms and have some space of their own in this dinky little trailer that I rented for us.I busted my butt for years to buy a house ON MY OWN. I know it can be done, I've done it. It's hard work - but I learned some lessons along the way that I now feel is my "job" to share with others.

So, I guess what I truly "sell" in HOPE. Hope for families that live paycheck to paycheck where any day their entire world could collapse if one of them loses their jobs, or a huge financial crisis hits their household. Hope for children who go to school, work hard, get into college, PAY a ton of money and come out not knowing where they will work or even IF they can find a job! Hope for people who don't understand their health insurance and therefore don't go to the Drs when they are sick as they feel they can't afford it. Hope for small businesses who want to "do the right thing" (legally and morally). Hope for individuals who want to get off the hamster wheel of back and forth to work, living to reach Friday and then complaining about how fast their weekend went. I KNOW it is possible to get off this track - I have and I want to help others do the same.

Some people out there have said to me "Brenda, why are you doing so many different businesses"? I have to respond "It's really all ONE business - the business of HOPE". I have created one big umbrella for my business called Key Concepts, LLC. Under that umbrella I have "Financial Freedom Consultants" - we can help you as a family or individually become financially free by following some basic concepts. We have a debt elimination (not consolidation) program that WILL help you succeed.

I also create and provide "Training for Human Resource and Payroll Professionals" - I did those jobs for several years and I know how hard it is to administer so many employment laws as well as internal company policies. I also know it's tough to get accurate up to date information when YOU need it. So, I do trainings for professionals that help them get up to speed and keep them up to speed on what is happening out there.

I also have an internet marketing business partnering with a company called Market America. This business brings me residual income which allows me to actually focus on my passion which is giving people HOPE!

My internet business provides services that fall under my Key Concepts business. It gives me residual income, it helps families save money by shopping online and earning cash back, it also allows me to help other people who want to become an entrepreneur and have their own residual income.
Check out my "stuff" --- let me know how I can help!

Follow Your Dreams!

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I've been doing alot of thinking lately about us as a human race...and why we are here on this planet, how do we fit in this plan? what's our purpose? Are we evolving still? how? I've been reading alot of books lately on these very questions and I'm not sure I know the answers yet. Maybe each one of us has to come up with our own answer we can be comfortable with or live with (so to speak).

I posted a quote on FB recently - Destiny is not a matter of chance... Its a matter of choice. It got a few responses nothing big or earth shattering but there was one response that said "Choice or chance?" --- Wow - good question. Hmmm, chance? coincidences? is there really any such thing as a coincidence? I don't think so, I also don't think it's destiny - I think you are constantly creating your own personal destiny with your thoughts you have NOW, today and what you are focusing on. I also don't think we can say someone else is guiding us on this path - I believe its is US that is guiding us by what we 1) DO 2) THINK about 3) TALK about 4) FOCUS on that is creating our lives. It's not the "think positive", "smile", "cancel, cancel" programs out there that I'm talking about - of course we need to think positive and smile (the jury is still out on the cancel cancel statement..:)) but what I'm saying is that we believe in a higher power - some call that power God, and a host of other names by different religions, and I personally call that power "The Universe" (along with Mike Dooly who is a wonderful person - check out his website Tut.com)
I truly believe WE are the Universe - we CREATE things. It's crazy I know... read The Celestine Prophecy, The Tenth Insight, and The Celestine Vision. Wow.. mind blowing (and they were written in 1993 and 1997) - so many things are happening...

But after all - that's just My Two Cents....

Sigh... I love my girlfriends - they really are the best people in the world. I feel so blessed to have more than 10 great friends. We travel together, we celebrate each others successes and cry over our set backs. We trust each other, and although we have a few squabbles here and there - if there was anyone in the world I could count on - it would be them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I love the fact we are married and building a great life together - but that just doesn't replace your "girls". My husband understands that I need my friends to hang out with, that they understand me better than he does at times, and that they are genuine caring people and I want them and need them in my life.

Not all of our husbands are like that - and that pisses me off. Why are some men so threatened by their "women" enjoying themselves without them? Why are some men so concerned that if they are not the center of their "womans' lives that "something is going on". I hate that.

So at times there will be one of our husbands or significant others who starts sulking or making us feel guilty that we have "girls" only events. At times like that I'd like to have a super power that could immobilize husbands and make them forget everything that just happened! haha.. wouldn't that be fun?

Or maybe my superpower should be to get inside their minds and make them realize that when the "girls" do get together and laugh, cry, and talk smack about our lives, it only benefits them! We become better wives and lovers when allowed to express ourselves and have a world outside of "them".

So - here is to the women in my life! You ROCK!!! And here's to the man in your life who understands it's important to have your "me" time! And to those who just don't get it ---- sigh.... hopefully you will someday before "your woman" wakes up to the fact that you are a donkey in a mans clothes. ;)

It just might be me. It might not be. But my list of pet peeves seems to have increased over the past few years of my life!
I used to only be bothered by misspelled public signs - did I tell you the story of the time I went to a 10 year anniversary party for a towns local ambulance service and when I pulled up to the event the sign read: "Celebrating 10 Years! Your XXXX Ambluance Service"
Ambluance? huh.... did they not get in their car and read the sign through their mirror??
Some of my other pet peeves are cashiers at grocery stores that don't even acknowledge you when you start putting stuff on the register... especially if they are talking to a co-worker and ignoring you! Grrr... and another one is people who yell at their children in public, c'mon! would you do that to an adult? you big meany! And how about people who drive below the speed limit when I am in a hurry! ;)
I went to a conference recently and the woman who was speaking was awesome (Jackie Blasko was her name - if you get a chance to hear her, go) - one thing she said totally caught my attention - she said "everytime I feel myself thinking "this is so frustrating" -- I change the words and I put asmile on my face and I say "isn't that fascinating?"...
We all have pet peeves that we let get under our skin a bit too much. We all are in a hurry at times, we all think we are the center of OUR world (which of course, we are!) So the next time you find yourself gritting your teeth, frowning and seething inside...just smile and say "ISN'T that FASCINATING!"

I can't tell you how much stress this has saved me (and frustration -fascinating eh?)

We all work, don't we? No matter what we do in life, there is some kind of work involved. But it doesn't have to be work that makes someone else successful - why not work for yourself? Why not have a plan for your own financial success? I'm down here in Florida on the beach right now -"working"! I do believe the secret to WORKING is to actually find something you love - and figure out a way to make money doing it. Me? I love vacationing so I needed a way to make money that was portable. I also needed flexibility in TIME... I don't want to put in 40 hours a week - I want to put in no more than 10 or 15 tops - and it needs to be FUN or at least pleasurable too. I also needed a way to earn money that came in AFTER I stopped working. I wasn't going to "work" forever no matter how FUN or pleasurable it was. I wanted money coming in whether I was doing anything or not.

I'm happy to report - I found a way to do that. So, I'm here in Florida, on a MONDAY (and I'll be here until Friday doing the same thing)- I've been on the beach, by the pool and in a pub downstreet "working" --- and when I look around I wonder where everyone is.. then I remember - oh right, they are working for someone else so they have to BE somewhere at a certain TIME and STAY there until told they can go home - UGH, I will not do that anymore.... What about you?

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Check your wallet, your pocketbook and cards you may have received! - You may have some unused gift cards in there. I know I have received gift cards for various reasons (birthday,the holidays etc) and sometimes I just don't get around to using them- they sit wherever I happen to put them and then I find them - if they are expired - I always always always check first - your State Law (my state has rules on this!) and then I contact the place and say "I just found this, can I still use it?" You might be surprised how many places will honor expired gift cards. There are even websites out there that will BUY your old gift cards!

Check your closets, your bureau drawers and your shed! - You probably have items that have been sitting around, unused, never worn, etc that you could sell. It's amazing what sells on places like Ebay! I actually wanted a pair of Mudd boots - couldn't find the pair I wanted through my website so I went to Ebay and found them for 99Cents! Someone in California was smart enough to put their unwanted boots on Ebay. I was happy with the price, but also happy that we reused a pair of boots and they didn't toss them in a landfill somewhere! So, check around - you probably have things you don't need that could bring you some ready cash!

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Debt - the worst 4 letter word out there in my opinion!

I have always known about borrowing money, paying interest and making those monthly payments. I bought a house, I've had car loans, credit card loans etc, but I guess I never really took the time to figure out just how much I was actually paying for something!

When I read that borrowing $200,000 for a mortgage, at 6% interest, for 30 years (which is typical) that I was actually going to pay back the bank $431,677 dollars! I couldn't believe it! I did the math - and it's right - Holy cow, more than double the amount I borrowed!!

Car loans are just as bad, and credit cards are worse! People paying only the minimum on their credit cards should look at how much is actually being deducted off their balance (the principal balance).

I'm so disgusted by all of this - and then the gov't bails out the banks. ???? Something is wrong with this picture!

The country is going bankrupt, the people are going bankrupt, our politicians are being bought off by corporate money - what happened to the American Dream?

Our retirement fund aren't funded, government workers are working for empty promises, corporations are going under and leaving the masses with no retirement plan - something is going to break - we are living in a house of cards folks.

Let's hope the Big Bad Wolf has had his fill of little piggies (oh wait, did he actually get them? I don't think so...) so... looks like we are on the menu for dinner soon!

Today for some reason I have really been missing my dog Thunder! I went out for a walk today and I got thinking about the times he would go for walks with me and I found myself smiling at the images of all his "spots" he had to mark along our trail! He was by far the best dog I have ever had in my life and I still miss him even though he has been gone for over 2 years now.

I am grateful to have had him - he really showed me unconditional love and I think it's time to start looking for another lifelong companion. I am torn between getting the same kind of dog, he was a beautiful German Shephard, or whether to go with a totally new breed.... what do you think? Would the memories of him be too much with a dog that is the same kind? Would I expect too much of the new one because he looked like Thunder?

I'm torn - but one thing I do know for sure is that when I get one he will be on these great pet products from day one! check out the banner below about pet health - go ahead and click on it -and read all about them... they are great products and although I gave the OPC to my dog Thunder it was too little too late to save him. Now I am armed with so much more information about different types of dog foods and how their immune system works - my new dog will only get the best and I have found it with these products!

Last night I watched the WCAX news and Sharon the weather lady was talking about gardening and how we should be designing our gardens by texture, color, etc. I love the gardening sections! What got me going a bit was when the regular newslady (her name escapes me right now) says to Sharon "It's Fun to Dream isn't it"? Hmm, that got me thinking.... why do we say dreaming is fun? To me that brings it down to child's play - and most people think "acting like a child" or "childs play" is a bit crazy and stupid and not realistic. When adults "dream" they are called crazy or at the very least people think they have ADHD!

To those people I say BOOHAHAHAHA... you are so wrong! Dreams and Dreaming is for EVERYONE - and yes it can be fun, but people who dream AND THEN TAKE ACTION toward those dreams are creating their own destiny and setting their future in motion. We all know and have heard that things in motion stay in motion and things sitting still tend to stay still unless propelled by something really forceful. So take a few steps each day toward that Dream - make it your GOAL, not just fun! Goals are dreams with steps to achieve them! This World we live in more now than ever needs to dream and and we need more dreamers (aka the crazy ones!).

What is your Dream? What are you doing to reach it? Is it just "fun"? Or can it become a reality with just a few action steps each day? Get out a piece of paper and write down what you wanted to be when you grew up - think way back to when you were a kid... what propelled you to take action? What put you in motion? What moves you?
Now do something about it! The Crazy Ones!

Did you feel that? Did the earth move? Was it real?

No - that wasn't an earthquake, believe it or not that was "The Wellness Shift"! The what?
The Wellness Shift - don't you see it? feel it? are you a part of it? Finally I can see and feel the beginnings of a total paradigm shift related to health care in this country. And it's about time.

More people are beginning to take notice and pay attention to how nutrition is playing a vital role in their health, alternative health care is more acceptable and even Drs are getting on board to promote nutrition and supplements to their patients instead of prescriptions (and getting better results and healthier patients!)

I actually feel bad for Drs - in the old days they performed a service, they were paid for it and the patients felt better. Now... insurance companies are telling Drs how much they will reimburse them for treating the patients - and not covering alot of services that Drs feel patients should have. Drs also get bonus money when they have certain tests done - did you know that? Yes, that last MRI or CAT scan or XRay that the DR said you needed could have been because they needed bonus money - or had to meet a quota or were covering their butts and their malpractice insurance won't cover them unless certain tests are performed. I'm not kidding - that really is the truth.

So - Drs are having a hard time financially just like the rest of us. Remember when your parents used to pray you'd marry a Dr... wow, that was the ultimate, the gold medal and you would be set financially for life! But hold on.... those Drs... they are in massive debt from student loans and have certain re-certifications they have to do every year, two years etc. - are you sure your Dr is doing all of that?

So the insurance company puts a price on a certain service and that is what the DR gets paid... so follow this - YOU go the Dr, you have insurance and that insurance company will only pay $70 for an office visit which normally the Doc charges $100 for. (Its in the Drs contract w/ the insurance company that only $70 will paid - and the Dr can't argue that because then they will be kicked out of that insurance companies network and some of their patients would be gone because they have that insurance) - so they accept what the insurance company is willing to pay.

The Dr sends a bill to the insurance company for $100, the insurance company pays only $70 - you owe nothing. But the dr is out $30. How do they make that up? You can figure it out.

What can the Dr do? How about starting to offer some health and wellness products and not just prescriptions - how about getting back to getting the patient HEALTHY!

I'd be willing to bet that most Drs went to school to learn how to HELP people stay healthy. - I bet they didn't go to learn how to prescribe every medication that the pharmaceutical companies are pushing down their throats - and how many patients go in to the Drs because they saw a prescription commercial on TV and are thoroughly convinced they "have that disease"??

Crazy stuff.... I say we all need to step up and LEARN - get educated on what is happening with our bodies. I have been doing alot of reading lately on health and nutrition and I am appalled at our food industry. Thats another story! :)

After several more visits to the docs with no results and doing some serious research on my own - and with the help of my fabulous acupuncturist Akhil Kaplan - Three Moons Wellness we believe it is my lymphatic system! For some reason it doesn't seem to be "moving" and getting rid of toxins like it should. So, a few solutions that have been offered up that have most definitely helped. I bought a rebounder (a mini trampoline) and I bounce on it every day for about 10 min in the morning and another 10min in the late afternoon - what a difference in my neck and shoulders! I also met an awesome massage therapist named William Wood - he is located in Stowe, VT but does house calls and wow- he is good! He did what is called an lymphatic drain massage - and it made a world of difference to me. I am having my 2nd one on Monday and cannot wait. If you are in this area (VT) you should check him out - email him William Wood I highly recommend him.
My issues are not solved but at least I feel like someone is actually listening and taking this seriously. I am not normally a hypochondriac and was beginning to think I was going nuts with all this pain that no one could figure out! Alternative medicine/therapy and preventive nutritional supplements are the way to go - and that is the way I'll be going from now on!

Health care doesn't exist in this country - we operate in crisis mode - "sick care" is what we have and its killing all of us.
People - seriously, wouldn't you rather prevent a disease? a pain? a problem? instead of try to solve it?

Myself - I am so darn frustrated with the doctors, the tests, the fact that someone who has a medical background can't figure out what is wrong with me! Let me ask you - if you had pains in your neck, your spine, your ears, your jaws and you had several MRIs, hearing tests, xrays, chiropractor visits, CT scans, physical therapy, and acupuncture and you still had all the same pains and problems - what would you do?

Well I have decided to be the CEO of my own health and start studying and researching my own issue.

I'll keep you posted! :) I have access to some of the worlds best nutritional supplements and health products on the market - I just had my DNA Gene SNP test done - and am reviewing my results. I need to figure this out and not rely on Drs as they don't have a vested interest in me at all - they just have a vested interest in the amount of money (which granted isn't much these days from the insurance companies)they are receiving. Every time I need another test, I have to have another Drs visit first - first that is expensive, and 2ndly it takes TIME - and its been almost a year and I'm still no further ahead now then when I was. So, I'm taking control and I will figure this out --- I'll keep you posted!

psst.... C W O stands for Chief Wellness Officer!

Have you read this article? click here

From a Smart Person (Big Al Yentsch): I copied this from a group on FaceBook - and I so think its worth repeating! Please read...

Procrastination is a source of incredible suffering. When we know what to do and don't do it, we strike a blow to our worth and self-esteem. “One of these days” is none of these days. If we are to gain tomorrow, we must seize today. Where is your procrastination causing you increased pain, expense, and inconvenience? Your health? Schedule? Finances? Relationships? What about how you spend your free time and use your talents? How do you manage your stress? Be honest: At the end of a hard day, are you still reaching for a glass of wine or downing that dessert for an emotional pick-me-up? Have you promised yourself yet again that you will start making better choices tomorrow? What if there was a way to lose interest in those types of activities and choices that aren't aligned with your best life? What if, instead, you began to embrace the changes you know you need to make? Here’s a surprising truth: Action is easier than regret. Making changes is easy: It’s thinking about change that is hard. It’s even harder when we think in terms of perfection rather than progress. For example: Isn't exercising your body for 30 minutes a day easier than beating yourself up all day for not exercising? The truth is, change is a personal decision. Once the commitment to do things differently is made, the very things you have put off will ease their way into your life. Think about it: Time is the great equalizer. It passes by at the same rate for everyone. Think about it: No matter how much money, privilege, beauty, talent, or other advantages a person may have, no one gets more than 24 hours to spend in a day. But, how you spend those hours is what matters. All of us wake up in the morning and start our day with exactly as much time as everyone else. Yet the setting sun will find each of us in vastly different circumstances due to the daily choices we make. When you make a change and invest your heart, you can create a new reality. Inspiration and great ideas come from all around us and they are tools we can use to turn our dreams into plans, and those plans into something we can look at and touch. But ultimately, success comes from action, and that action is only possible through you. Act on your dreams and give yourself the gift that no one else can give you. Seize the day!!! Its later than you think!!!!!