Kittens 3 Week Update!

That's right! The kittens are 3 weeks old and are SO big.  The are so sweet and their personalities are shining through already. I made a little video of them playing and introduced them all. I also have a few pictures here so enjoy!

                                      

May 2015 Mental Health Monday (Stress)

Everyone experiences stress. Since the day you are born to the day you pass you have stress in your life. Some days it is more pronounced than others but it is always there. Stress is what gets us out of bed, pushes us to do better at work, and live in general. It is your fight or flight response. It is also
what makes us freak out, feel sick, or generally unwell. Stress can push you onward or literally kill you.

When stress is too bad It can affect all parts of your life. It can affect your memory, eating habits, sex drive, bowel movements, temper, sleep habits, and much more. The good thing is there are several ways to combat this little monster.

• Exercise is a great and free way to beat this bugger. Go take a walk, play with your dog, dance to your favorite songs. It releases endorphins that will lift your spirit.
• Eat healthy foods. You've heard the saying "You are what you eat". Well it's especially true here. If you eat healthy food you are better prepared to deal with the stress. 
• Have a good support system. Having friends and family there to help you when you need them or just to listen to you vent is a HUGE help. It can make the difference between breaking down and breaking through.
• Get some sleep. This one is a bit harder. When you are stressed you may have a hard time sleeping but it's important to get your rest. try having some decaffeinated Camille tea before bed. 

Stress is an every day thing but it doesn't have to rule your life. Just be smart about it and stay healthy. 

HelpGuide.Org
The American Institute of Stress

The Force Was With Us

So Yesterday was a big day for me. Yes, I know I missed Mental Health Monday but I'll make it up this week. I would have done it yesterday but there were two big events. I started my new job and we had five new additions to our family.

Late last month I was hired on as an Extra Help Office Assistant at the Health and Human Services Association, also known as Social Services. Yesterday was my first day and it was a bit nerve wrecking. I'm always nervous when I start a new job or go into a new situation. It's my anxiety kicking in. Anyway, I had a great day and am getting settled in quickly. Hopefully I will be switched to full time within a few months. Fingers crossed...

At about 6:30 last night Lilly's water broke while I was holding her. I took her into my room and put her in her nest. She ended up not wanting to give birth in there so we set towels out and Lilly settled in between my legs. She wanted all her people around her and would go out into the living room to get my mom and dad. Around 10 She still hadn't given birth so we moved her out into the living room where my mom and I stayed until she decided to pop. After kitten number five we ended up getting some sleep. Mom went back to bed and I stayed in the living room with the cats.

This was the first time I had ever seen any living thing being born. It was an amazing and indescribable experience. I'm so glad that I was able to be there for my Lilly while she was going through her tough time. The kittens are so cute too.

"All the Flowers in Shanghai" by Duncan Jepson review

The book "All the Flowers in Shanghai" by Duncan Jepson takes place in China during the lifespan of a young girl named Feng who grew up in a modest home. After the death of her engaged sister, she is forced to marry into what would have been her sister's family. She soon finds out that being part of a wealthy family is harder than she ever imagined. As she ages she becomes hardened and makes many mistakes.

Though this is not my typical type of book I decided to read it because it fulfilled one of the requirements for my 2015 reading challenge. Obviously Duncan Jepson has the same initials as me. While I was trying to find a book to fulfill this requirement, all I could find were romance books. (yuck) I'm really not interested in those. This one caught my eye and the title just seemed like something similar to "Memoirs of a Geisha". It took me a while to read it all the way through since parts of it made me cry and other parts made me want to throw the book across the room. Overall I liked the book and would recommend this for my friends and family to read. I won't say much about the plot because I would give away too much with my rants.

fouseyTUBE Social Experiments

Today I was browsing YouTube as usual and I came across a group of men that do social experiments. I thought I'd share a few of those videos with all of you.

    If you are interested in more of these videos click here and it will take you to fouseyTube's playlist of their experiments. I hope you find them as interesting as I did.