Vacation reading

Right before we left for Galway, I took out 16 books from the library. I have a few left to read. The books were a great combination of fun and educational.

From the allergy collection, we have:

How to live with a Nut Allergy by Chad K Oh. This was a great book about what nuts are in - EVERYTHING! S has been breaking out from sesame seeds, so this book was a help. We avoided anything that said it was made in a factory with tree nuts, but were confused by his rash. Then I read that sometimes sesame seeds and coconut are included in the exclusion diet. On top of that, nuts are in the craziest things! This was great handbook and even hubs glanced at it.

Allergy Relief by Sylvia Goldfarb. This book was a great overview of all the different treratments and cures for allergies. She covered standard drugs, NAET (90% cure rate!! Definitely worth exploring), vitamin and mineral deficiencies, guided imagery, accupuncture, accupressure and chiropractors. It gave me a lot of new ideas, plus gave more information about things I am exploring. It didn't go into enough detail to be totally useful, but I have some areas to explore.

The Miracle of Magnesium by Carolyn Dean. I liked this book because it explained why most Americans have a magnesium deficiency and which tests to ask the doctor to perform to confirm. Magnesium used to come from the soil, but the soil is depleted of nutrients. Coupled with the overprocessed food, we don't get enough. She also describes how the body uses magnesium. It's worth a shot to try. I have a list of high magnesium foods to add to my diet. Everything else I am trying for my allergies has worked.

The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger. I thought I would check out some recipes for S. I have a nice long list of baked goods, snacks and side dishes to try. The book was written by a mother of children with gluten allergies. I figure since we are bombarded with food with wheat in everything, I'll see how easy it is to bake with rice flour. So this afternoon, I'll tackle some muffins, banana bread and granola bars. Then we'll have some puffed potatoes with turkey burgers. I'll share my favorites. If a lot the the recipes work, I may even have to buy the book.

From the financial world:

Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. I like Dave Ramsey, so I checked out his other book. I just wanted to keep the incentive to stay on target for my plan. My plan is to pay off the car three years early, kick out the home equity four years early, then get the house paid off. Debt makes me very uncomfortable. I want complete and utter freedom to do what I want to do when I Want to. The budget has been tight this year, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I like Dave's simple plan of buying cars in cash and having no debt. Assuming our '98 Accord lasts for the next 4-5 years, we will not have another car payment.

And in the fun category...

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson. This is a great book about someone too stubborn to give up building his empire. It makes me want to only fly Virgin.

The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner. I loved these short stories. I have to figure out which books of hers I haven't read and order them from the library.

Knock Out by Catherine Coulter. Another in the FBI thriller series. Same format, same action, same unlikely situations and last minute rescues.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom. If you have read any of his other books, this is the same with a different situation. A nice story.

The Fortune Teller's Daughter by Susan Wilson. This was a cute story - perfect for the beach.

So now I have to finish the rest of the books, and return the ones I read tomorrow. There is another book waiting for me and the hold ends tomorrow. It's another allergy and asthma book. More research!