Autism Awareness

I don't know a lot about autism.  My entire exposure is limited to a boy that I knew growing up who was very strange, and a little girl that I used to babysit who had seizures and I was taught how to roll her on her side to keep her from "swallowing her tongue".  I've seen lots of articles about autism, many friends have posted, some acquaintances on Facebook have autistic children - but I didn't really know what it was!  Here is a good description from The Autism Society of America:

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.

Death, Birth Control, Duggars and Mega Families (I have one)

Duggars announce #20 on the Today show

"Ah, the Duggars! Just the name stirs so many emotions! You won't encounter many people who don't have a strong opinion on this topic!"

So started my response to a post in an online grief forum this morning.  One of the recently bereaved moms had vented her anger that the Duggars will soon have 20 children and she can't even have one.  Her "Friends" on Facebook had chimed in their two cents (and many cheap shots).

When I was in fresh grief, the only people that I felt deserved babies were people who had lost babies. No one else had a right to procreate!

• Unwed teens? NOPE! 
• College party girls? NOPE! 
• Childless couples? NOPE! 
• Someone with a living kid or two? NOPE! 
• Happily married high-school sweethearts? NOPE! 
• Remarried blended families? NOPE! 
• The Duggars? NOPE! 

Why should anyone else be blessed with a child when mine was taken away?

PINK OUT

I'm very excited about October for Breast Cancer Awareness and Fundraising!

I have set a personal goal to sell 300 Pink Sugar Cookie candles with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

"How?" you say... I'm glad you asked!

Last year I sold 2.  To be fair, I didn't sign up with Gold Canyon until the end of October though!  This year, I've been planning PINK Parties since - oh, about July!

In fact, when I approached members of 2 of my networking groups about doing joint parties, the response was so overwhelming that I have planned a HUGE PINK Party for October 14th!

http://www.tinyurl.com/pinkparty2011

I'm also encouraging each of my October hosts to plan PINK Parties and pre-sell the candle for their party sales.  

But what about you?  Out there in blog land, maybe far away from good old Dallas Fort Worth!  Well - you can get in on the fun too!  

Oh - do you like FREE?  I thought so!

Click here to download the form from MediaFire.  Print it out and get busy collecting orders.  Once you've reached YOUR goal, we'll get together to pick out your free Gold Canyon.  It will all ship right to you.

Think of it as the World's Easiest Catalog Party.  

EVER!

What would this be if I didn't do a contest?  Not a Noel Giger event!  So - I've got a basket FULL of goodies.  You'll get one entry for each candle you sell.  There will also be a prize for the person who sells the most!

You can also just order the candle, the shipping is a little more, so why not go ahead and gather some orders?

Noel Giger - DFW Gold Canyon - Fragrance Consultant - Dallas Fort Worth on Facebook

Withdrawal

Withdrawal is awful.  I am addicted to the most common drug in the world: Caffeine. (Hi.  My name is Noel.)

I am pursuing a healthier lifestyle and have known for a while that the diet cokes have got to go.  I have just been ignoring it!  I am embarrassed to admit that they are a big part of my life.  Sonic Happy Hour beckons, but more and more, I've found that I can't wait for 2:00 - I "need" it earlier.  I've been going to McDonald's for $1.00 cokes in the morning, or keeping cans or 2 liters at home.

The Route 44 doesn't last me the rest of the evening anymore either.  Some days I hit Happy Hour at 2 and go back before 4, because my coke is almost gone.  It almost doesn't dawn on me to drink anything else! In fact, I planned to quit on Friday night - I had enough money for a medium coke zero from Sonic on my way home from an event.  It was 9:45.  I told myself that was the last one, so I sipped slowly!

Saturday morning William and I took Gavin to the Chiropractor, then stopped at Sonic for breakfast.  We both got Rt. 44's - didn't even dawn on me until we got home!  But, I hated to waste it...  On my way to an appointment, I took it with me, remembering that this was my last one (so I sipped it slowly again!)

Then I took the kids out for lunch - in the flurry of activity (who wants what, no we're not getting kids meals, because I said so - what do you want...) I ordered myself a coke zero.  ARG

So today I did it!  I did not pour a coke zero for breakfast.  I did not buy one on my way to church.  I did not stop for one on my way home from church.  I turned down my son's offer to pour me one when I said I had a headache (he knows that when I don't have my caffeine, I get a headache).  At 1:20, I took the baby to bed with me - to nurse him and try to keep my headache mild.  No luck!

By 4:20 I was in full withdrawal.  I felt like an episode of CSI.  I was tempted to shrink back into a corner and be dramatic, but I refrained!  By 6 I asked William to look up the symptoms of Caffeine Withdrawal.

Signs and symptoms. The most commonly reported withdrawal symptoms are listed below:

• Headache – (often described as being gradual in development and diffuse, and sometimes throbbing and severe)
• Fatigue -- (e.g., fatigue, tiredness, lethargy, sluggishness)
• Sleepiness/drowsiness -- (e.g., sleepy, drowsy, yawning)
• Difficulty concentrating -- (e.g., muzzy)
• Work difficulty -- (e.g., decreased motivation for tasks/work)
• Irritability -- (e.g., irritable, cross, miserable, decreased well-being/contentedness)
• Depression -- (e.g., depressed mood)
• Anxiety -- (e.g., anxious, nervous)
• Flu-like symptoms -- (e.g., nausea/vomiting, muscle aches/stiffness, hot and cold spells, heavy feelings in arms or legs)
• Impairment in psychomotor, vigilance and cognitive performances

I had no idea!  I spent the whole day between the bed and the bathroom.  I haven't been able to keep anything down!  I almost gave up several times, just wanting the pain and sickness to stop.  It's now 11:45.  I have been 24 hours without caffeine.  My head is throbbing, despite Advil and even a Hydrocodone!

At this point, there is no turning back.  The thought of going through another day like this is enough to make me never want to have caffeine again!  I know that it's in lots of things, and I'll probably still eat chocolate :)

So, this is a cautionary tale.  If you don't drink caffeine: don't start.  If you do drink caffeine: stop now! (but do it on a weekend or time where you can be indisposed!)