Erica Scott

For the past few weeks I have been suffering from a toothache. It amazes me how something as tiny as a tooth can cause such tremendous pain. I fear that it is literally going to drive me completely bonkers. Since having a cavity filled a month ago (the filling was placed on the nerve), one of my back molars is SUPER sensitive to hot and cold. For twenty minutes after my first cup of coffee in the morning I am holding a hot water bottle up to my cheek and applying WAY too much Ambysol to my gums. I know the easiest solution to this problem would be to just simply give up my hot cup of java in the morning......this is a solution that I would NEVER consider! Asking me to go without my morning caffeine would be like asking Ellen to give up dancing, or asking my son to give up skate boarding or like asking my neighbour to smile and wave back each morning instead of scowling and grunting.....in other words....impossible! I have tried tylenol, ambysol, a hot water bottle...nothing eases or lessens the pain. So I Googled 'toothache pain remedies' and found myself chuckling over a couple of 'home remedies'.....

•Toothache relief using Onion - Latest research has confirmed the bactericidal properties of onion. If a person consumes one raw onion every day by thorough mastication(I'm not sure what that means...kind of sounds naughty!), he will be protected from host of tooth disorders. Chewing raw onion for three minutes is sufficient to kill all the germs in the mouth. Toothache is often allayed by placing a small piece of onion on the bad tooth or gum.
•Remedies for Tooth ache using Garlic - Among the most effective home remedies for toothache is garlic. A clove of garlic with a little rock salt should be placed on the affected tooth. It will relieve the pain and, sometimes, may even cure it. A clove should also be chewed daily in the morning. It will make the cure teeth making it strong and healthy.(they forgot to mention that your tooth pain will be the least of your problems....your breath will smell like the butt of a skunk....they should have also included a home remedy for halitosis with this one!)
• Keep your head up - Elevating your head can decrease the pressure in the area and may lessen throbbing pain (your neck will be killing you, but your tooth will feel better!)
I am on the 'short list' to see a specialist about a root canal (or at this point I wouldn't object to having the thing pulled!), so cross your fingers and toes that I get an appointment before Christmas....because there is NO WAY I am missing out on pie with ice-cream and hot chocolate with whipped cream!

Did you realize that Friday was NATIONAL NACHO DAY???? Why is this not marked on my calendar? Had it not been for a friend bringing this important occasion to my attention I would have totally missed it...it just would have been another day. November 6 is now marked in permanent marker on my calendar as being National Nacho Day...a day we should all celebrate! If we all honored nachos like they so deservedly should be ....I think we would be a few steps closer to world peace. No one can eat nachos and be angry. It's the food of happiness. Melted cheese, bacon, hot peppers....all symbols of love! November 20th is National Peanut Butter Fudge Day...mark it down, take out the good china, invite the family over and CELEBRATE!

Last night at the dinner table, my family of five spent most of the meal trying to 'out wit' each other. "Did you know...." is how most of the topics of conversation were started. Interesting facts are....well, interesting! Here are some of the ones we tried to wow each other with last night!

In an average day, a four year old child will ask 437 questions.
In 1926, women were banned from competing in marathons because it was believed it caused infertility. 800m was the maximum distance a woman could "safely" run. It wasn't until 1963 the next official time was recorded for a woman.
When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.
The McDonald’s at Toronto’s ‘SkyDome’ is the only McDonald’s location that sells hot dogs.
The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney.
Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries because Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.”
It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England - but only in tropical fish stores.
There are approx. 550 hairs in the eyebrow.
An Anteater is nearly 6 feet long, yet its mouth is only an inch wide.
A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
It takes about 48 hours for your body to completely digest the food from one meal.
‘Jedi’ is an official religion, with over 70,000 followers, in Australia.

Sometimes we tend to let stress, worry and negative thoughts consume us. It can ruin our entire day. It can disrupt our sleep and be damaging to our relationships. We need to force ourselves to focus on the good things that are right in front of us at this very moment. Too often, we let our thoughts steal the present by thinking about the past or future. Sharing our 'happy thoughts' with others can turn a miserable day into a pleasant one.

Before my kiddies get on the school bus every morning we tell each other "Love you more than cheese!". Sound silly? Ya it does, but it brings a smile to their faces and to all those around us. My children know I LOVE CHEESE, LOVE IT and they also know I love them WAY more than that! It's our little way of bringing a smile to each others face....it's a nice way to start the day. We've expanded the "LOVE YOU MORE THAN's" to express our feelings, because each of us is different in our 'loves'.

•my son - "I love you more than ketchup on my french fries!"
•my youngest daughter - "I love you more than going to Grandma's"

•my son - "I love you more than beating the next level on my video game!"
•my oldest daughter - "I love you more than extra butter on my popcorn!"
•my husband - "I love you more than sleeping in on Saturday!"
A girlfriend and I have started doing the "LOVE YOU MORE THAN's" each and every time we email each other.

•"love you more than spandex in my jeans"
•"love you more than lipstick that stays on"
•"love you more than pantyhose that fit!"
•"love you more than having my hair shampooed at the salon"
•"love you more than my kids doing the dishes!"
I do it, they do it....and you should do it too! A smile is more beautiful than a sunset.....we share pens, flu viruses, complaints....why not a smile!

I would love to hear your "LOVE YOU MORE THAN's", let me know what they are!!

I have always been a 'big girl'. It's no secret. Whether you catch me from the front or the back there ain't no hiding it.....I'm pleasantly plump!

I have curves, rolls and cellulite dimples. After 30 years of struggling and yo-yoing with my weight I finally came to the conclusion that I am happy with myself the way I am and should stop comparing my body to those of super-models. Of course I would like to loose a few pounds, but no longer desire to be a teeny size 2.

A while back I drove past a gym and thought "why not? Exercise could be fun....it always looks fun on tv!" so I walked in with full intentions of joining. Since I had never looked into joining a gym before I had no idea what to expect. I figured I would go in there and pay a small fee and be able to begin sweating to the oldies that very same day. I probably could have started my exercise regime that very day....that's not the part of the scenario that I had problems with....it was the 'small fee' part. Jack (the super-buffed herculian that was behind the front desk) informed me that in order to become a member of 'his' gym I had to sign a YEAR long contract and PAY $1500. WHAT?

"What if I don't want to go to the gym for a year?"

"Well, Maam, you don't have to keep coming for a year, but you will have to pay for a year's membership. You still pay even if you quit."

"That's stupid."

"That's our policy maam."

"Can't I just join for, say, three months?"

"Sorry maam, we only have contracts for a year"

"That's stupid...and stop calling me maam."

"Sorry. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to make a commitment to better health?"

"All my pants are 20% jean and 80% spandex....obviously I am not that commited to weightloss. What about that sign you have outside..'Join for a month's trial for $10?' Can't I do that?"

"Oh, you saw that sign. Okay, ya, I can sign you up for a month's trial for only ten dollars"

If I had brought my inhaler I would have smacked him and run! I ended up signing a month long contract for ten dollars...figured it would be a good way for me to see if I would actually use the gym, to see if I could actually get my self into a work-out routine. That one month for ten dollars deal turned out to be the worst idea EVER! Those 30 days ended up costing me TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS AND I gained 15 pounds! They had all this fancy equipment but the only machine I knew how to use was the snack machine...and peanut butter cups in that thing cost THREE DOLLARS!

I won't be joining another gym anytime soon, perhaps I'll start a walking routine on my own, or maybe buy a yoga tape and do it in my living room, or become a vegitarian......maybe. For now...I'm quite happy in my spandex jeans....at least for today.....you never know about tomorrow though!