So here is mine. Of course I will be doing everything with Thumper! Some of these places I have seen a few times, but when you see them with the one you love, you see them in a whole new perspective. I may have started to make this out in chronological order, but that isn’t how life works.

Photo above by GISurer

Bunny’s Bucket List

1. Marry Thumper and start working on a family
2. Honeymoon in Bermuda
3. Take an extensive vacation to Europe starting out with our second home in Germany
4. Have Thumper’s mom teach me how to cook Romanian dishes
5. Go to a Bayern München game with Thumper and his brother in Munich
6. Meet Christian and his wife and new baby in Hamburg, Germany
7. Visit Rome and see the Colosseum, Vatican City, and the Olympic Stadium
8. Visit Romania and meet the family
9. Go to Paris and eat like a Parisian woman, then climb all 1671 steps of the Eiffel Tower
10. Take the Euro Track from France to England
11. Meet Thumper’s Godparents in Manchester, England
12. Hold a baby pig
13. Learn pole dancing at my bachelorette party
14. Tour Washington, DC with Thumper
15. Take a road trip to Chicago and Indiana
16. Go to Las Vegas (not to gamble)
17. See the Hoover Dam
18. Visit the Grand Canyon
19. Mexico is next on the list
20. Visit the Mayan Ruins in Chichen Itza and in Coba
21. Take a zip cord ride over the Mexican jungle
22. Take an areal tour of the Yucatan Peninsula to view of the Mayan Ruins
23. Find a reasonably priced water front property on Long Island Sound to build our beach house
24. Find a Long Island property to build our dream house and do it
25. Visit NYC more, especially Rockefeller Center during the holidays often
26. Go to a Ballet with my mother-in-law in Germany
27. Take my mother-in-law to a ballet and opera at the Lincoln Center
28. See a musical at the Majestic Theatre
29. Revisit my old haunts in New York more often but not too often
30. Revisit Boston U (actually make a reunion)
31. Be a work from home mom
32. Go to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco
33. Take a bike tour through the Rhine Valley and visit the wineries along the way
34. Revisit Mystic, Connecticut
35. Revisit Cape Cod and Provence Town, Massachusetts every summer
36. Shop at the Christmas Market in Stuttgart, Germany
37. Shop at the Christmas Market in Trier, Germany
38. Winter vacation to Lake Tahoe
39. Expand more business ventures with Thumper using our entrepreneurial instincts
40. Winter vacation in the Alps
41. Go to Havana, Cuba and have a Hemingway Daiquiri at the Floridita
42. Go back to Jungle Jim’s International market in Fairfield, Ohio
43. Go topless on a European beach when I am 50
44. Maintain a healthy living regime so I can do #43 with pride
45. Go to Prague
46. Tandem sky dive with Thumper and another couple, D & F
47. Go scuba diving likely at the Bodensee (Lake Constance)
48. Get Thumper into yoga with me regularly
49. Go hiking in the Berkshires (Western Massachusetts) and meet up with some old college buddies. Just like old times
50. Summer vacation in Newport Beach, R.I.
51. Be a hard core soccer mom! This will be interesting since I follow European teams
52. To learn to play something closer to Ceilito Lindo on the violin with my best friend who plays guitar. Thumper, you know you played the cello.
53. Have our own backyard vegetable and herb gardens so we can eat healthy
54. Winter vacation in Cyprus and Greece
55. Go on a whale watch
56. Ride a camel (don’t know why)
57. Learn more about graphic design
58. Successfully make a “sour cabbage”
59. Learn how to para sail
60. Drive across America
61. Swim with dolphins off the coast of Mexico
62. Go for a hot air balloon ride
63. Attend a World Cup game
64. Learn to speak fluent German
65. Teach Thumper Salsa
66. Drive the Autobahn without fear of death
67. Have photographs taken of us when we are pregnant, tastefully in the nude
68. Get tattoos that he designs
69. Learn how to sew
70. Nude sunbath on a private beach or yacht and not get caught
71. Find turtle eggs on a beach
72. Go four wheeling through Los Cabos back country
73. Make a list of our favorite philosophers and books to buy to start our home library
74. Create CDs of “our” songs
75. See Michael Buble in concert
76. Go backpacking in the south of France
77. Write a book together
78. Make three babies together and plant a tree in our yard upon each birth
79. Be an excellent wife and mother
80. Learn how to grow blueberries
81. Be able to do a round off backhand spring without breaking any bones at 50
82. Run in the NYC Marathon
83. Start a traditional collection of souvenirs from our travels
84. Incorporate favorite dishes from heritage to have on holiday dinners
85. Be able to play a descent game of golf with my dad and uncle
86. Have Thumper beat me at tennis
87. Play doubles with Andreas and his wife and win
88. Cook holiday dinners at our house with our parents and family
89. Be a good Godmother to Maria
90. Write the perfect wedding vow
91. Renew our wedding vows in 20 years
92. Always take vacations often without the kids and of course with them
93. I need to learn to shake a drink in a REAL shaker (not the metal ones)
94. Not to overwhelm my kids with what I want their accomplishments to be
95. Forgive my cousin
96. Watch Gone With The Wind and identify George Reeve
97. Always be my significant other’s better half. The woman he needs and always wants
98. Be the best wife, mother, daughter, friend and godmother
99. To always rock Thumper’s world
100. To live as long as my Great Grand Mother with my husband by my side

Many probably aren’t interested in what I would like to accomplish in my life. With David’s death there is a certain air to evaluate and that is living your life to the fullest.

One of my favorite quotes by Mark Twain:

Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching and live like its heaven on earth.

And finally, here is a video of Luciano Pavarotti and Enrique Iglesias singing Ceilito Lindo.

This was my expedition into personal land. Stay with me for the next post on Bunny’s blog for business women!

Is this psychological? Meaning - do you have a caffeine addiction, or is the urgency for a decent cup of organic coffee before the day begins just a routine habit?

Since the powerful stimulant running by the name of caffeine effects the central nervous system, you are basically jump starting your body. Once you have become accustomed to caffine helping you to wake up, be it your regular fresh coffee, your espresso cup, or your cappuccino, the question comes up - is this habit or dependency?

Caffeine Effects

Fact is, a couple of hours after you consume it, the caffeine effect wears off. Studies show that the effects from caffeine in coffee can be as long as six hours. By that time, you most likely are feeling more tired than before. This makes you go for more caffeine drinks: A good thing we have flavored iced coffee, or that handy Red Bull can!

And when you start thinking about the negative effects of caffeine (we will get to that), you might want to quit. In that case, here come the dreaded caffeine withdrawal symptoms: I have heard of many people who stop drinking it started to suffer from such things as caffeine headaches, fatigue, irritability, and even depression.

Concerns as to whether there is such a thing as caffeine addiction, or rather that mug being healthy coffee - that is, caffeine having a healthy effect on the human body - have been questionable over the years. People say this, and people say that. But what is?

Is coffee truly “the nectar of gods” or “the devil’s drinks”?

Top 28 Caffeine Drinks: How much caffeine they contain

Here are some very popular caffeine drinks we consume every day that give us that boost of energy. Since we usually super size everything, they are measured by 16 ounces servings, unless noted otherwise.

So: how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?

Now the caffeine amount being suggested as being safe is 200 milligrams per day. Keep that in mind as you read this.

Hot Coffee



1. McDonald’s regular coffee: 145 milligrams caffeine amount
2. Dunkin’ Donuts regular coffee: 206 milligrams caffeine amount
3. Starbucks coffee (regular): 320 milligrams caffeine amount

Caffeine in Espresso and Cappuccino

4. Espresso cup (1.5 fluid ounces): 77 milligrams of caffeine

Since a Cappuccino is usually made with a single Espresso cup:

5. Cappuccino cup (5 fluid ounces): 77 milligrams of caffeine

And since a Caffè Latte also usually contains the same amount of Espresso, we can see:

6. Latte cups (6 fluid ounces): also, 77 milligrams of caffeine

Cold Caffeine Drinks

7. Silk Soylatte (8 ounce bottle): 55 milligrams of caffeine
8. Shock Coffee (8 ounce can triple latte): 231 milligrams of caffeine

Quite a difference, huh? Moving on to our beloved energy drinks:

Energy Drinks

9. SoBe Adrenaline Rush (8.3 ounce can): 79 mg
10. Red Bull Energy Drink (8.3 ounce can): 80 mg
11. SoBe Essential Energy (16 ounce can): 96 mg
12. Crunk!!! (8.3 ounce can): 100 mg
13. Socko (16 ounce can): 160 mg
14. Red Devil (16 ounce can): 160 mg
15. Rumba Energy Juice (16 ounce can): 170 mg
16. Arizona Caution Energy Drink (16 ounce can): 200 mg caffeine amount

Here’s the answer to your question “do energy drinks really work”! Red Bull gives you wings, indeed…

Next in line is tea caffeine - yes, tea contains caffeine too!

Tea Caffeine

Tea has been documented being the favorite of the Chinese Emperors, back then in ancient times. Records show as far back as 3,000 BC. They enjoyed a very dark strong brewed tea.

It wasn’t found until 1927 that there is caffeine in tea also. Here goes:

17. SoBe Green Tea (20 ounce bottle): 35 mg
18. Nestea Peach Green Tea Caffeine is about 42.4 mg per 20 ounce bottle
19. All Lipton flavored tea (20 ounce bottles): 50 mg caffeine amount

Sometimes, you’ll hear tea caffeine running by the name of “teein”. Caffeine in tea is real though - does green tea have caffeine? Yes, it does.

Caffeine Effects in Waters

20. Glaceau Vitamin Water Energy Citrus (20 ounce bottle): 42 milligrams of caffeine
21. Propel Invigorating Water (20 ounce bottle): 50 mg of caffeine
22. Vital Energize (20 ounce bottle): 60 mg of caffeine
23. O Energize (16 ounce bottle): 64 mg of caffeine

Unfortunately for me, caffeine also is in many of my favorites - see below.

Ice Cream

Caffeine in one 8 oz. cup of ice cream:

24. Breyer’s All Natural Coffee: 30 mg of caffeine
25. Häagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream: 48 mg
26. Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream: 60 mg
27. Ben and Jerry’s Fair Trade Coffee Ice Cream: 70 mg
28. Edy’s Grand Espresso Chip Ice Cream: 90 mg of caffeine

And now, that we know what we’re dealing with, I want to invite you on a short journey with me. We’ll go into the past.

The History of Caffeine

The history of caffeine starts with cocoa and goes back to 600 BC. Back then, cocoa drinks were used in Mexico by the Mayans. The cocoa bean contains a small amount of caffeine as well. To the Mayans, cocoa beans were as good as gold and often exchanged as money. I have read the Mayans gave the Conquistadors a spiced cocoa drink when the arrived in Mexico.

As for actual coffee, Ethiopia is said to be the source of the coffee bean, where Brazil and Columbia received them through trade. These two South American countries are today’s top coffee producers. Coffee beans can be tracked back to 575 AD in Africa. They were used for trade also; and records dating back to the 11th century show that Arabs were enjoying coffee as well.

Soon, coffee beans also became extremely popular in North America. During the 18th century, the Americans switched from tea to coffee due to the high taxes. The Boston Tea Party was a big splash in that account, and maybe the most famous historic event regarding caffeine. You might even say it was the first masquerade party here in the states.

On my last post about caffeine effects, where I tried to find out the truth about energy drinks, Chichi asked in the comments where caffeine actually comes from. Well, here goes:

What’s inside of Coffee Beans?

After Europe being introduced to coffee somewhere around the late 1500s, in 1817, German analytical chemist Friedrich Ferdinand Runge was asked to analyze coffee beans, in order to find out why it did what it did. Within a few short months, he identified caffeine. Runge, who studied chemistry at Jena and Berlin, distracted the white powder (in German called koffein, and translated in English of course caffeine). He also taught chemistry at the University of Breslau before working at a chemical company, where he was later fired and 15 years later died in poverty.

Hard to believe such a genius meant such a demise.

Coffee Beans

It takes 2,000 coffee beans to produce one pound of coffee. The plants can take as long as five years to bear their fruit. The seeds inside the berries are what is called the coffee beans. Once harvested, it must be processed within 24 hours.

In 1912, the U.S. House of Representatives set an amendment for the The Pure Food and Drug Act stating caffeine was an addictive substance. It was not until 1958 that the FDA actually recognized that caffeine was safe.

Does this also appliy to the caffeine effects?

Caffeine Side Effects

Claims from studies are rendered as suggested more than fact - and there are more claims of negative effects of caffeine on humans than positive ones. Studies are continued to be done everyday; so until then, let’s see what the past studies have come up with. Basically, that too much caffeine leads to disturbing side effects.

• It increases high blood pressure,
• there is the possibility of developing urinary tract, renal and pancreatic cancers,
• the acid created by heavy caffeine consumption irritates the esophagus and stomach. This leads to heartburn, which may result in stomach ulcers and acid reflux.

Some people may experience jittery feeling of nervousness, increased heartbeat and respiration. And, huge amounts of caffeine (like way too much coffee) can be dangerous to people with an undiagnosed heart condition. Remember the recommended daily dosage of 200 milligrams of caffeine per day - and take a look at the list above again. There have been several incidences world-wide with people who had indulged in energy drinks such as Red Bull experiencing fatal or near fatal heart attacks.

It’s not all bad though. Researchers are also studying whether caffeine may have an effect on preventing diseases - such as Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s; and caffeine helping against Gallstones and Kidney stones; but also helping with such serious problems as cirrhosis of the liver and colo-rectal cancer.

Another upside of caffeine effects: it has been proven that it does help control and prevent asthma. It has been proven that it increases an alert mental performance - although with that, you also have increased anxiety and higher blood pressure.

What’s a Caffeine Headache?

A caffeine headache is something you might experience when you stop drinking coffee after having consumed it regularly. Many people complain about headaches when cutting short like that; to me, that’s an indication that there is such a thing as caffeine addiction.

From my own experience, I know the caffeine in coffee has helped me when I have had migraine headaches. The caffeine actually dilates constricted arteries in the brain that cause the pain. When you know the onsetting symptoms of a migraine (blurred distorted vision, pressure at the base of your head and temple), a couple cups of coffee can give you relief.

Caffeine Effects on Women

Women with a condition called fibrocystic breast disease are usually better off when restraining from any caffeine. In most cases, women experience less pain in their breasts. This is important for those of us who experience breast pain prior to and during Aunt Flo’s monthly visit.

Women that are trying to conceive or have become pregnant already are recommended not to drink caffeine drinks. There are several risks for women regarding this - starting with not being able to conceive in the first place, miscarriage, and a low birth weight for the baby, the Washington Post reported earlier this year.

There are also dangerous effects with nursing moms drinking high levels of caffeinated drinks. The caffeine being passed on to the baby could create iron and calcium deficiencies. The caffeine could also interfere with the baby’s capability to absorb nutrition properly.

Can you Sober Up with Coffee?

When drinking alcohol, you are drinking a depressant. Knowing now that caffeine / coffee is a stimulant, you are doing your body more harm by practicing this method.

I found these facts very interesting. Moderation is the key with most of everything we put in our bodies. So are you ready to stop or cut back on coffee? Now that you know of all those caffeine effects - will you continue drinking Vodka & Energy?

I find politics interesting when the politicians are actually doing something about the economy, labor and healthcare. To what extremes they will go to get attention, good press or bad press. After all, there is no such thing as bad press in Public Relations.

Dear Mr. Bush, you will go down in history for not only being the president who is in need of speech therapy, and perhaps math. And please - what a humiliating joke was the last election?

Take a look at this article in the Wall Street Jornal. It’s about the current administration drafting a regulation which treats the pill as abortion. This abortion law would not only target medical abortion (the abortion pill), but also your “standard” birth control pill. The Bush administration has presented some concerns about widely used birth control methods having the same effects as abortion.

From the Wall Street Journal’s article of July 31, 2008:

A draft regulation, still being revised and debated, treats most birth-control pills and intrauterine devices as abortion because they can work by preventing fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. The regulation considers that destroying “the life of a human being.”

Now I just would love to seat Walker down and ask him: why do you bring this to the table now? Why make a fuss of this? What are you trying to distract from?

I see the church and a side dish of HMO lobbying here. Yes, our good old HMOs.

If Mr. Bush puts the kibosh on the morning-after pill, there is a chance of the need for more abortion clinics, when the pregnancy actually exists.

The Dreaded Abortion Pill

Should the morning-after pill be limited to rape victims? I don’t think so. Too many binge drinkers out there, you know, enjoying their spontaneity and unprotected consensual sex.

I don’t feel that the abortion pill should be handed out like gummi bears. Abortion should be taken more seriously. If you are going to be sexually active, then you need to take responsibility. If you do not wish to become pregnant, it is up to us women to decide which method to use.

The pill: you can read on Wikipedia information about its roots in the 1930s, and that the government had no interest in pursuing the research at that time. Perhaps due to the church. Later in history of course, the need for birth control was taken seriously.

Even with contraception available, abortion was and still is an option for many women. I really think it is more of a matter of abusing what has been offered. It’s a lack of education or responsibility maybe.

My experiences with the pill have been short termed. I don’t like anything messing up my body’s natural rhythm.

Abortion Facts

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) reports that abortion is not a threat to women’s mental health. This is an article at salon.com with the full report linked to it. I would have to say though, terminating an unwanted pregnancy still would be a very hard experience for any woman.

Guilt and hormones mustering up a woman’s emotional chemistry after abortion - I would say has a lot to do with her mental health. The APA researchers who did the study point out that actually, abortion has become more acceptable nowadays and there are individual reactions that differ from woman to woman after having the abortion procedure done.

Public facts: A factsheet by the Center for Reproductive Rights entitled World’s Abortion Laws (PDF) states:

Currently, 61% of the world’s people live in countries where induced abortion is permitted either for a wide range of reasons or without restriction as to reason. In contrast, 26% of all people reside in countries where abortion is generally prohibited.

Abortion is an option for all women. Personally though, I find with the many birth control methods and the morning after pill being available for up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex, it shouldn’t have to go as far as that.

Speaking about the church, there even exists an organization solely dedicated to this issue. Catholics for Choice aims to “support a woman’s moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health”.

I am pro choice - every woman should have the choice to decide for herself when it is the right time for her to have a baby. If she chooses to be the one taking a time-out from her career or if her significant other is going to stay at home and raise the kid. This is up to the couple and not the church.

It is ludicrous to have the church still trying to jump in bed with couples after all this time.

Women have come a long way. I feel lucky, I went to a four year university, entered a male dominated career and now have my own business. This is something my mom could only dream of doing, but she made it possible for me.

Women have a choice to have a career as well as motherhood. Being able to find own means how to handle it is one’s individual right. Your life should not stop if an unexpected pregnancy occurs.

I have friends who have had abortions. Their abortions could possibly have been prevented if they had been more educated on contraceptives. These women have become career professionals and have since married and started a family years after the abortion.

I see the above mentioned fluff as a technique used by the Bush Administration to rally up some press. The agenda is almost certainly the upcoming election and an attempt

1. to distract from current events that throw a shadow on the Administration’s policies (meaning everything else they do), and
2. to lead the public to believe that a Republican Administration in the following term is the right choice.

What a rediculous pun.

Of course, the Democratic Party needed to respond to this kind of large-scale media fluffing. Their stand on this issue, which has also triggered an opinion article on The Carpetbagger Report (among many others), is to now make more assistance available to mothers who decide to have their baby. Basically, they want to associate the pro-life movement with a President Obama. Well, they do need to respond somehow, don’t they?

I have to wonder, with Pro-life being such an issue in the church, has the church fallen into a more political venue? Politics and the church need to remain separate. Let me rephrase that: the church needs to stay the hell out of politics. Besides, wasn’t this the exact foundation our forefathers built this nation on? Didn’t the pilgrims escape from the “Old World” for just the reason that the church had too much influence on their freedom?

We need to take responsibility for our actions. There should be better sex education classes in our schools informing students at an age-appropriate time and level. This is really where it has to start. Again, the keyword here is education. Educating our children to know the facts. Educating the people to know the facts. Educating facts, not some far-fetched, lobby-induced, agenda-driven, full-blown political race PR.

Birth control is absolutely necessary. It allows couples to plan a family when they are mentally and financially able. The Pro-life movement, which is merely a euphemism for Anti-choice, is trying to restrict existing rights in a number of ways. I’d like to recommend an eye-opening article to you: The Center for Reproductive Rights has quite a read on this issue.

Weapons of Mass Distraction

Robin Williams put it the right way in a funny yet very serious manner. The more I think of it, the more it amazes me that the government is able to use its resources to sway us away from issues so simple to resolve. We really need the right education before, and not after.

People are like sheep. They follow. Then there is the Darwin theory. Combine the two and you got yourself the perfect reason why going into politics has become a legit career choice in this country. Why would anybody want to educate people when it is working to their advantage not to do so?

America claims to be the richest and strongest country. But we are just an infant compared to the rest of the world. Just as an example, the majority of the world has had women in power for centuries. And I will not go off on the war and other hot political issues. Another example: I am concerned that the “greatest country” doesn’t provide Health Insurance. (Don’t tell me you’d actually call what we have by that name.) Like the majority of Europe, or Canada, or even Cuba. Let’s just call it by its real name: Health Business.

With Pro-life, anti abortion and Bush, HMOs will be able to expand this business and extend their market. This will be profitable to those few people who are educated about the system and know how to use it to their advantage. To the rest of America, it will not.

Educated people: who needs more of them anyway. Why educate the sheep when you can milk them.

But before I reveal to you my fantastic (and most delicious) fruit smoothie, let me tell you a bit about the ingredients ginger and zucchini.

Zucchini Squash

You might know the green zucchini squash already from passing it in your favorite grocery store and not knowing why the hell these people are selling such strange things. Well, you got it, on Bunny’s blog for business women, you only get healthy recipes and smoothies, so there must be a reason why I’m mentioning the zucchini vegetable here?

Right, zucchini is very rich in vitamins A and C. It also contains potassium and calcium. If you are growing zucchini, the best time of harvest is when the zucchini squash is six inches long. They seem to lose flavor after they reach this size. And if you are growing the black zucchini, that only takes 44 days to grow!

Zucchini Recipes

As for zucchini recipes, there are a variety of things you can go with a zucchini. The zucchini squash is perfect for dishes that not only taste good and are easy to make, but are also perfect if you are on a diet. There are lots of low fat zucchini recipes out there for you to try out. Maybe I’ll feature a few on here soon, if you’re interested.

Of course, you can als use the zucchini to make zucchini pie (which is very good, but I have yet to find a zucchini pie recipe that I really like), zucchini muffins or even zucchini pancake. Generally, recipes using zucchini are venturing more and more into the dessert neighborhood. As if it were not enough to cook zucchini.

So much for zucchini recipes, now let’s take a quick look at our ginger spice before we move on to the fruit drink.

Ginger

Fresh ginger is a pleasure and it is used more and more in modern cuisine. The ginger spice orignated from China. Ginger roots have soothing effects on the digestive system of your body, which makes it so popular apart from the spicy taste. The health benefits of ginger are indeed noteworthy - in fact, I have been cooking a honey, orange and ginger sauce for chicken just last week for Thumper. He was sick with the common cold (in the middle of summer, can you believe that?) and the ginger benefits kicked in just fine. It is very healthy.

Ginger roots are also a strong antioxidant and act as a diaphoretic. It also boosts the immune system (this is why I cooked it for Thumper).

Apart from growing ginger in your back yard or garden, you can also buy ginger extract or ginger supplements as tablets at the store if you want to make use of the ginger benefits for your body. How to grow ginger I do not know, maybe you can tell me that if you know it.

Ginger Recipes

There are lots of very tasty ginger recipe, my last week’s orange-honey-ginger sauce was only one of them. Ever heard of ginger carrot soup? I’m sure you have, but how about ginger cake? What I know you know is that there is ginger tea out there, which also can help with your health condition. I even ran across a ginger martini once.

As for food, this is something I want to busy myself with more in the future. I’m still looking for the perfect ginger recipe.

Ok now let’s take a look at my super duper fruit drink.

Bunny’s Zucclinger™ Fruit Drink

This fruit drink falls into the category of smoothie recipes and will not only taste delicious, but also add to your health.

Like always with a fruit smoothie, you need a blender where you mix all your ingredients in - and, of course, ice cubes. Smoothies recipes almost always work the same way.

The ingredients for my Zucchini Limeaid Ginger Fruit Drink are:

• 4 cups peeled and chopped zucchini
• 1 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed (ready mix concrete)
• 2 2/3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 2/3 cups water (for it to blend nicely)
• ice cubes

Combine one and a half cups of the chopped zucchini with the rest of the fruit smoothie ingredients in the blender container, but don’t add any ice cubes yet. Cover and blend until the fruit blend is nearly smooth.

Then gently stir together the rest of the zucchini and the ice cubes. Blend until you can call it a decent fruit smoothie, and enjoy!

This healthy fruit smoothies recipe serves about 6 people, or six times yourself. If you make it in the morning, you can keep it in the fridge and have it all day. Yes, this low carb shake is better than Butterfinger!

I will be posting more smoothie recipes and fruit drink recipes from time to time whenever I run across a good one that is healthy and delicious at the same time. Here are a few healthy fruit shakes I have covered already:

• Spicy Fruit Shake with peach yogurt, banana and pineapple - this drink also uses fresh ginger root.
• Natural Pineapple Fruit Drink - along with some interesting facts about the pineapple.
• Blueberries Anti Aging Fruit Drink - good for your whole body and absolutely delicious.
• Tropical Fruit Shake Recipe with Mango - very, very tasty and healthy, too. There’s also a video about how to cut a mango.

…and if you’re looking for an alcoholic fruit drink, take a look at the Hemingway Daiquiri, along with a non-alcoholic fruit drink with Grapefruit.

I hope you enjoy my Zucclinger Fruit Drink! (Oh, and if nobody came up with this name yet until now, I hereby claim its invention.)

Today’s Woman

It is a beneficial lesson for women in today’s society to be financially independent and to learn to live within our means. Taking the time to complete our education because there is always funding available for those who seek a career. Others are so overwhelmed by the adventures they encounter when growing up, and opt to pass on this opportunity. They are under the impression mommy and daddy are going to pay the bills indefinitely.

The recourse is to find other alternatives. A boyfriend, or other cohabitants to share expenses with. But I think that college, even if you work at the same time for a few years, and even if in the course of events college becomes part-time, is essential. No matter how much it seems to be out of reach, it is best to do it now rather than later, when the possibility of forced pursuit has become reality. After all, the future isn’t carved in stone.

It is sad when I think back to my college days. A few of the girls I grew up with were accepted at universities, but never completed their studies. Some chose marriage over education, obviously not looking past the obvious - to see the bigger picture -, but living in the moment. Others chose to start abusing drugs.

The Muppet Show: Highlight of Your Day?

Suddenly, these girls find themselves mentally unchallenged, for the most part; with the exception of Elmo, and potty training their children. Instead of returning to complete their studies, they settle for a mediocre job in order to make financial ends meet. The convenience of home study is available, of course, allowing you to work at your own speed on a tight schedule.

I would imagine this is one of the contributing factors for the divorce rate in this country. Where child rearing is so expensive, inevitably both parents have to work. There is little time to maintain a healthy relationship. You work so hard being wife, mommy and employee that there is little left of you by the end of the day. A viscous cycle that can spin you into exhaustion and depression.

I have a theory on this. When you do not feel complete, you often are misguided into believing that someone else will make you whole. In all honesty, as you get older, you realize that only you are responsible for your own happiness. Are you longing to be loved completely? You must be a complete person first. Love yourself first. Have self-respect first.

Aah, Romance…

We all have our romantic fantasies. The loving husband, the kids and the big house. But hey, let’s be realistic: we need to work too. We should not be dependent on our significant other to take on the financial responsibilities. Also, marring for convenience is no way to go. You rush in, thinking it will work out and he is going to take care of you. Childlike and needy, years later you feel stuck; living your life through him and in his shadow. Your self-esteem is null, and you discover that he has denied you the rite to grow. You become resentful and act out. Usually the sex becomes obsolete, and you argue over everything.

Your perception of how you dreamed your life would turn out is slowly and sadly drowning you in a bath of self-pity. The littlest thing, such as watching a movie with your husband, makes you cry over love scenes proclaiming “this is how it should be”. Also (on a related note) people sometimes tend not to realize that movies are only entertainment, fictional stories, and not real life. Part of you is still that young girl who went from high school to wife and never endeavored real life’s experiences. Becoming more and more rebellious because while you are being treated like an adolescent, the mere sight of him is a constant reminder of your needs of fulfillment. As time passes by, the relationship is corroded with resentment. Often these wounds have become terminal.

Wanna Work from Home? Not?

At some point, he reluctantly comes to the conclusion that work could appease you, and he allows you to get a job. “Allow” is a crucial word here, because by this time, you have matured and realized there is more to your life than your demure stay-at-home wife. You are abundantly becoming more resentful being treated like a child.

When finally gaining some freedom and self-respect for yourself, a possible affair at the office arises. It starts out innocently but builds as you become your own person. This man sees you as a totally different woman. Your husband’s image of you hasn’t changed much, except for the recognition you have gained as becoming unruly and unsatisfied in the relationship. You desire a man and not a father figure as your significant other. Sadly, the marriage ends in divorce.

We must stay focused on education and self-preservation in order to accomplish our goals first, before we fall victim to this scenario. If you want to be a business woman, why not work hard and become that first before you destroy your potential without ever leaving the starting gate? This at least is my opinion - what are your thoughts?