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Meet Stanley the Cat

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I just wrote a book review on my cat blog and I wanted to share the book with you as well. (You can click through the link to learn more about this delightful book.)

Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom is the little book in question. Basically, this book is a loving tribute to the author’s cat, Stanley, served up with endless warm humor and love.

You might think this wouldn’t be a “fit” for Self Help Daily, but – to be fair – you aren’t familiar with Stanley yet.

This book is a clever collection of lessons we can learn from cats. As a cat lover who has been surrounded by incredible cats her entire life, even I never fully realized all they have to teach us!

Below is one of my favorite “lessons.”

Do not be intimidated by bigger people or creatures. Be amused by them, and let them know that your curiosity is more powerful than their size.

People who carry big sticks and stomp loudly are usually trying to cover up for some major sense of inadequacy. You are not your physical size; you are the size of your character. When you are around people or creatures that make a huge point of demonstrating their physical proportions or material largesse, simply be entertained or even amused by their exaggerated performance.

If you can enjoy their inflated self-importance, they will probably relax because you are accepting them and making them feel secure. Then you might get a word in edgewise. – Page 35, Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom

I love the way the author (Jennifer Freed) words that: “physical proportions or material largesse.”  So many people do love to try to lord over others by emphasizing the size of their body or bank account. While they can drive you crazy and sometimes make your blood boil, she and Stanley make an excellent point.  What if they emphasize these traits so strongly – and often exaggerate them – because they fear that it’s all they’ve got?!

The book is filled with wisdom like this, accompanied by some of the most adorable illustrations you’ve ever seen in a book. I highly recommend this one. HIGHLY!

Seduction is just the practice of artful stretching.
Never let people know how fast you are. Appear slow in all things, and less is expected of you. When someone is on the computer too long, help them by distracting them, or walk lightly on their keyboard.

So advises Stanley, a remarkably astute cat with a keen eye for the important things in life. Perhaps you don’t have time for yoga, can’t afford therapy, or wouldn’t dare cry to mother. If so, let Stanley be your guide. Lessons from Stanley the Cat offers wise and witty maxims from Stanley himself, translated by his doting psychotherapist (human) parent, Jennifer Freed. Whether you’re a cat lover or prefer companions of the canine variety, Stanley’s warmth and insight are sure to brighten even the grayest days.

Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom would make a perfect gift for cat lovers in your life.  It’s a very, very fun little book and surprisingly insightful.

Then again, how could it not be? It’s Stanley after all – he’s the cat’s meow.

Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns That Hide Your True Self

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Hidden Treasure

I was recently sent a copy of Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns That Hide Your True Self, in exchange for telling my readers about it. While this isn’t the sort of book I normally read, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t the sort of book you could very well enjoy. That’s the amazing thing about books, one person can read the intro of a book, toss it aside and never think twice about it while another person can devour the same book in one sitting and wonder how they ever lived without it!

That’s pretty much why I’ve gone ahead and written about books before that didn’t float my boat… because I know that my boat isn’t your boat.

 

Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns that Hide Your True Self is written by Alice McDowell, PhD, a counselor in private practice, retreat guide, and co-founder of Light on the Hill Retreat Center, as well as the founder of the Hidden Treasure Program (a 3-year training in personal and spiritual growth).  A professor of religious studies at Ithaca College for eighteen years, she now facilitates groups devoted to inner work.

Book Description: Do you long to live a more authentic life but feel you might be getting in your own way? In Hidden Treasure, author Alice McDowell reveals five personality patterns that cause unnecessary suffering and block individuals from living a full and radiant life. These patterns can be so ingrained that they influence body shape and even who a person thinks they are. Through a series of exercises, compelling true stories, fun cartoons, and spiritual insights, McDowell offers individuals and groups an opportunity to learn about―and break free of―these patterns. She provides guidelines for readers to join or create a Hidden Treasure group for ongoing exploration. No matter a person’s age or background, Hidden Treasure can light the way to soften and heal these patterns―and restore your true self and spiritual identity in the process.

Hidden Treasure examines five personality patterns (“character structures”) – and teaches you how to break free of these patterns through effective exercises, compelling true stories, fun cartoons (I got a kick out of these), and insights to help you carve out a free, more radiant life.

This book is a complete study in the Psychology of Self-Awareness. I read a great deal of Spiritual and Christian books (a favorite genre) and honestly feel that trying to fit this book into those categories would be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. While the description and author’s bio mention “religious studies” and “spiritual insights,” do not expect this book to be a Spiritual book or guide.  As I said, it’s more about psychology, self-discovery, and self-awareness.

You can read more about the author at AliceMcDowellAuthor.com.

You can find Hidden Treasure on Amazon.

3 Simple Things You Can Do Today to Feel Better Tomorrow

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Butterfly
 

Dr. Frank King is a chiropractor and doctor of naturopathy specializing in homeopathic remedies. He has added author to his bio with an exciting new book, The Healing Revolution: Eight Essentials to Awaken Abundant Life, Naturally.

“Imagine you’re a spider with just one leg,” says Dr. King. “You put forth immense effort to try to haul yourself around and not only does it wear you out, it’s frustrating and you don’t get far. It gets a bit easier with two legs and easier still with four legs. But it’s not till you have all eight legs that you can really dance!”

Dr. King explains that the eight legs represent Eight Essentials we need for optimum mental, physical and spiritual health:

  1. Empowering your human spirit
  2. Water
  3. Nutrition
  4. Fitness
  5. Sleep
  6. Nature
  7. Relationships
  8. Hands On Techniques (touch).

“It would be overwhelming and self-defeating to look at all eight areas and think, ‘I have to make significant changes in every area immediately!” Dr. King says. “You don’t have to and who could? I know from my experience with countless patients and friends, and even in my own life, that you can see immediate results by making a few small changes at a time.”

Below, Dr. King describes three steps we can take today that we can actually benefit from tomorrow… if not sooner!

Drink half your body weight in ounces of spring or well water every day.

If you weigh 150 pounds, that’s 75 ounces of water (about 9 cups).

“Many of us walk around dehydrated without realizing it and that can have a significant effect on our health and how we feel,” Dr. King says. Dehydrated bodies trap toxins and encourage water retention – a natural defense against the chronic “drought.”

“Our bodies need the steady flow of pure, spring or well water. If you don’t like the taste, try mixing up to a teaspoon of sea salt into a quart of water,” he says.

A simple test for dehydration: Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and hold for three seconds. When you release, if the ridge from the pinch remains for more than a second, you’re probably dehydrated.

Take at least a few minutes every day to connect with nature. Nature brings perpetual revitalization and ongoing renewal, especially when experienced through multiple senses: the smell of freshly turned earth or evergreens in the woods; the touch of cool stream water on your face or feet; the sight of birds on the wing and budding blooms.

“These are not just pleasant little gifts to experience – we need them for restoration, renewal, revival and rehabilitation,” Dr. King says. “The more disconnected we become from the Earth, the more we inhibit our body’s natural ability to heal.”

Take a brisk, 10- to 20-minute walk every day. Walking is the simplest, most natural form of exercise. You might walk a nature trail, walk to the store instead of driving or take your pet for a stroll.

“Three brisk 10-minute walks a day are as effective at lowering blood pressure as one 30-minute walk,” Dr. King says, citing an Arizona State University study. “Outdoor walking is preferable to walking on a treadmill or other machine, since the uneven surfaces and changing directions of natural walking will engage more muscles and tendons.”

Swing each arm in synchronization with the opposite foot to strengthen your cross-crawl functionality and mind-body balance.

About Dr. Frank King:

 

Dr. Frank King is a chiropractor, doctor of naturopathy, and founder and president of King Bio, an FDA-registered pharmaceutical manufacturing company dedicated to education, research, development, manufacture and distribution of safe and natural homeopathic medicines for people and pets. Dr. King is also the author of, The Healing Revolution: Eight Essentials to Awaken Abundant Life Naturally! (www.kingbio.com). A fourth-generation farmer, Dr. King raises yak, camel, boar, wisent and American bison sold under the Carolina Bison brand. He is a member of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States.

 

Ancestory, Genealogy, and Your Family Tree

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With my self help website, food blog, and other online publications, I have the opportunity to read and review a good number of books. I’ve been a bookworm since the great and varied adventures of “Spot, Dick, and Jane,” so you can imagine how delirious I am when a new book to review comes in the mail. My smile stretches from ear to ear and my feet kind of do this little happy dance.

I’ve got nothing but mad love for great books, the authors who pen them, the publishers who publish them – and nothing but crazy mad love for the publicists who add to my personal library.

A recent book is from one of my favorite series of books, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To…” series.  I’m mad about these books!  They take a subject matter that you’d LIKE to be an expert in and MAKE you an expert.  Given the fact that these wonderful books cover just about any subject you can think of, that means you can become an expert in any field you want.

I’ve always been fascinated by genealogy, for example, but honestly had no idea where to start. When asked if I’d be interested in reviewing The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition, I jumped in with both dancing feet.

About the Authors

Christine Rose is a full-time professional genealogist. She was elected a fellow of the American society of Genealogists in 1988, an honor bestowed on only 50 living genealogists at any time.  Kay Germain Ingalls is a certified genealogist and is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

I’ve always wanted to dig around in my own family tree (as well as my husband’s).  I’ve been intrigued with my ancestors since I was about 17 years old.  A great, great uncle showed me a picture of someone in our family from YEARS ago.  She was dressed like Laura Ingalls Wilder if that gives you an idea of how old the picture was.  Her name was Annie, and her picture made me freeze in my tracks. She looked exactly like me.  My mom and other relatives in the room all looked back and forth between me and Annie’s picture and everyone agreed that we looked exactly alike.   My mom tried to get her hands on more pictures and information of Annie, but nothing really turned up.

To this day I’d just love to know more about her!  How many children did she have?  Who did she marry? Did she love animals? Did she have a cup of coffee by her side all day, too?  Things like this fascinate me.  I couldn’t help wondering, too, what her children looked like and what they did with their lives.  And their children, and their children, and…

From the Back Cover:
You’d love to learn more about your ancestors, but the wealth of information online, in family scrapbooks, in libraries, and at courthouses is so vast, you don’t know where to start your search.

The next best thing to a personal genealogist, this revised and updated guide gives you all the knowledge you need to trace your heritage.  In it, you get:

  • Guidance on sorting through census data, plus tips on widening your search with surname variations.
  • Tips for fact-finding in newspaper archives, military records, Social Security records, cemeteries, and more.
  • The latest information on using Ancestory.com, GenWeb, and other online sources – plus hundreds of links to visit.
  • A new chapter devoted to researching African American lineage.
  • Expanded information on how to use DNA testing in your genealogical search.
  • Insightful ideas for breaking through the brick walls and seemingly dead ends all genealogists face.
  • A primer on organizing your work with charts, forms, and logs; citing sources; and establishing a numbering system.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition is like having a couple of genealogists siting on each side of you – telling you why you should research your family history, where to begin (with Mom and Dad!), how to proceed, and what to watch for. The advice and tips are priceless. I promise you, the book is filled with things you’d never have even thought of.

There are “Tree Tips” as well as “Lineage Lessons” and “Definitions” along the way. The definition prompt came in handy with Daguerreotypes, as you might imagine.

Who are You?
What’s the fascination? Curious as to why Grandpa never spoke about his family? Yearn to know your ethnic roots? Whatever it is, this part will get you going. Starting the search with your own family, you’ll learn how to spot the significance of all the papers and memorabilia you’re sure to find. If you’ve already started with the Internet, find out how to build on that.

You’ll also get the basics of recording what you find and an introduction to some of the charts, forms, and logs that will help you keep on track. You are laying the groundwork for a wonderful adventure. – From the Intro to Part 1

And that’s just Part 1!

I could give you a wonderfully flowery spiel about how “learning who your ancestors were will help you learn who you are.” I could point out how important it is to unearth family traits, illnesses, and whatnot to better understand and protect you and generations after you. I could also tell you how much your mind LOVES learning new things and the pursuit of new hobbies such as genealogy. And all that would be true. But, frankly, I’m just going to say this, “How freaking cool would it be if you found a face in the past that looked just like the one in the mirror?!”

Click through The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition to learn more. Trust me, this is a book you’ll want to add to your library because this is book that will serve you well.

Cooking Healthy on a Budget?

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I recently read, then wrote a review for, a great book called Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn’t Cook from Scratch — Over 120 Recipes for the Best Homemade Foods . Click the link for my review of this fun and informative book – the post includes a recipe from the book for Homemade Baked Beans!  OR, click the book and read more on Amazon.

Book Description

When Jennifer Reese lost her job, she was overcome by an impulse common among the recently unemployed: to economize by doing for herself what she had previously paid for. She had never before considered making her own peanut butter and pita bread, let alone curing her own prosciutto or raising turkeys. And though it sounded logical that “doing it yourself” would cost less, she had her doubts. So Reese began a series of kitchen-related experiments, taking into account the competing demands of everyday contemporary American family life as she answers some timely questions: When is homemade better? Cheaper? Are backyard eggs a more ethical choice than store-bought? Will grinding and stuffing your own sausage ruin your week? Is it possible to make an edible maraschino cherry? Some of Reese’s discoveries will surprise you: Although you should make your hot dog buns, guacamole, and yogurt, you should probably buy your hamburger buns, potato chips, and rice pudding. Tired? Buy your mayonnaise. Inspired? Make it.With its fresh voice and delightful humor, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter gives 120 recipes with eminently practical yet deliciously fun “Make or buy” recommendations. Reese is relentlessly entertaining as she relates her food and animal husbandry adventures, which amuse and perplex as well as nourish and sustain her family. Her tales include living with a backyard full of cheerful chickens, muttering ducks, and adorable baby goats; countertops laden with lacto-fermenting pickles; and closets full of mellowing cheeses. Here’s the full picture of what is involved in a truly homemade life—with the good news that you shouldn’t try to make everything yourself—and how to get the most out of your time in the kitchen.