Influenster VoxBox Program Lifeway Kefir

I have had years of having digestive health issues.  I am constantly bloated and really feel bad much of the time.  I have long thought about purchasing some type of probiotic but was not sure if it would really work to improve my digestive health or not.  However now I know for sure that it is going to help me to feel better.

I had not tried this on my own but when I had the opportunity to try it out for Influenster's VoxBox program I was stoked.  I was pumped that I could review something that I had wanted to try but was hesitant to try because I do not like to spend money on things that I do not know if they will work or not.

Well this has honestly been something that I believe in and I know that I will continue to buy it on a regular basis.  It has helped my digestive health issues to straighten themselves out in just a few days and that is saying a lot if you know me personally.  On top of that the yogurt drink tastes amazing.  I was disappointed that my stores did not have the frozen treat available.  I do live in a small town so I will be looking when I got to a bigger town by me tonight.  I am hoping that they will have it so I can purchase it and try it out for myself.  I want something super yummy and frozen during the summer but regular dairy products do not agree with me and I do not like the taste of many of the choices that are available on the market.  I am hoping that this is my answer and that it is a healthy alternative as well.

You can learn more about the amazing line of Lifeway Kefir products here on their website.

Through this I learned a lot of information about Kefir.  First of all I learned that the beverage comes from ancient times when milk that had been carried in leather pouches turned into this delicious effervescent drink.  It is thought that the word actually comes from the Turkish word keif that means good times since it makes you feel very good when you drink it. 

I also learned that the use of probiotics goes back over 2000 years and is known for its many health benefits.  It is thought that probiotics support your immune system from within and that you will also have better digestive health.  All of these things are backed by scientific research that shows this to be true.

By consuming probiotics on a regular basis you too can improve your overall digestive health.  I would not have thought that something so simple could help me out but it has and I feel amazing thanks to this.

My Future Book...I Hope

So right now I am crossing my fingers that I will be able to land my dream job over the next few months.  I have long been fascinated with the sociology of music and have been dreaming of writing a book on the subject since I graduated from college, seven long years ago.

So here is what is going on now in my world. 

I finally have a book proposal and have been sending said proposal to editors.  I am trying to find a publisher to offer me a contract so I can quit messing with all of the freelance work that I am doing aside from some blogs and the local paper that I really enjoy.  I really want to be able to focus completely on my writing and be able to earn a good income.  I'd also like to be considered and author rather than just a writer.

Now if you are not a writer then you would not be able to understand the difference here but this is something that is very important to me as it is something that is serious and defines the two.  I am working on creating a marketing plan for my book and attempting to gather all of the contact info for different people that I would like to interview for my book.  This process is taking quite some time but I would love to be able to contact these people immediately if I am offered a book contract so that I can meet the demanding six month deadline that I will have.

Wish me luck!!

Thankfulness

So I know that this is just my personal blog and that I am trying to stay away from religion on here.  However I think that you can be thankful without being religious or spiritual so I thought that I would share this note here.

There are so many things in my life that I am thankful for.  So many things that I forget to share my thankfulness each and every day.  I am one of those people that is thankful for life experiences that have shaped me and made me into the person that I am. 

I don't like to say that I regret anything.  If I were not to have some of the experiences that I have had in life I would not be the person that I am today.  Sure there were the mistakes, the things that were hard and made me suffer through some misery but without them where would I be.  I wouldn't have the family that I have, nor would I be who I am so I can't say that I regret anything that I have ever done or anything that I have ever been through.

If you have regrets I believe that you should start looking at where you are at because of them.  For instance, it would be easy to say that I regret my relationship with my oldest son's dad.  He was an abusive man mentally and emotionally but I can't say that because without him there would not have been an Andrew and I would never regret being his mom or having him in my life.  I also would not truly love and appreciate Shane in the way that I do.  I don't know that I would have ever wanted to be a fully monogamous person without some of the bad relationships that I have had.  I think that there would have been a part of me that wondered if there was something better out there and if there was someone better for me out there.  With my experiences in life I know that there is no one in the world that could have been better for me than Shane and that there is no one else in the world that I would rather grow old with.  Odd that someone else can make you appreciate someone special so much more.

Anyways on to thankfulness....these are the things that I am most thankful for and the things that I should remember daily to be thankful for.  I once saw on FB a quote that was along these lines....if you only had today what you were thankful for yesterday, what would you have?  This has been something that has made me remember to be thankful for those in my life.

I am thankful for my family first....my amazing children:  Andrew, Althea, Huxley, and Adeline; my perfect-for-me husband, Shane; my mom; my dad; and my brother, who I know that I am lucky to have in my life even if we are completely polar opposites and could never understand each other fully.  I know that he is a part of my life for a reason and I am thankful for him and love him even if it is not something that is easily expressed or expressed often.  I am thankful for my friends.  I know that I am a bad friend.  I like to isolate myself and I hate going out of the house sometimes.  I never was this way when I didn't live here in Canton and I know that this is not the place for me to be able to live my best life, but I do know that I would like to be able to improve myself over time and become a better person overall.

The Sociology of Music

This is my baby, my life's work so to say....

I guess I will explain a little bit about my dream job, dream goal in life, and what I want to do with it all.

I love music.  I have always loved music.  I can hear songs in my mind for different pivotal moments and I love that music is so much of who I am, who I want to be, and who I truly aspire to become.

I started on this project when I was attempting to do something fun during my senior year of college.  I started with a 3 semester hour class that I wrote myself and did all of the work on my own, called The Sociology of Deadheads.  This was something that was fun.  I got to meet some of the greatest people in the world and I got to interview and talk to them.

Well the time is coming for me to move on, to expand upon this project and to make it a chapter in my book.  I am working on writing a book about the sociology of music.

My goal is to interview fans, musicians (both small and big) and to see what has influenced them to do something that has created a sociological impact for others. 
Yes I know that to many of you this might sound like a nerdy thing to do but I love research and I could spend my entire life writing a set of encyclopedias of sorts on the sociology of music and the cultures that come from different bands' influences.

For now I am sticking with the music that I enjoy but I plan on branching out to other genres and other artists after the first book has been published. 

Reading List

Well I have a little theme to my reading list after I finish the two books that I am working on right now.  I know that it is odd to be reading two books at once but as a person with severe ADHD these are the two that are on my plate right now.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I will share my opinion and a good honest review when I am done with each of them.

I read all of the time but I am going to focus on re-reading some favorites of a favorite writer of mine and then I am going to shift my focus to reading some of his works that I have not read before.  Who might that amazing writer be?  Bob Dylan of course.  After seeing him last night and feeling the amazing connection that I felt with his words and feeling as though my soul was touched by his, I feel the next leg of my reading journey will be working on reading all of his amazing books.

Here's my list of what I plan on reading

1.  Chronicles

2.  Tempest

3.  Tarantula

4.  Forever Young

5.  Bob Dylan Lyrics 1962-2001 (this will make me weap and laugh I'm sure)

6.  Bob Dylan The Very Best

7.  Dylan on Dylan

 

This is Me

Hi!  My name is Amanda Miller, well technically Amanda Walton now that I am married and this is my place to explore all things me.  You will get to know me through my posts, get to read some of my writing, hear about my inspirations, and go on a journey with me to find out everything that I can about myself. 

Here I will post things about my husband, Shane and what we enjoy together.  Our primary joint interests are good music and good beer.  :)  We love a lot of other stuff the same but these are some of the things that I am going to take you on a journey with me.

 I am a writer, a music lover, a wife, but first I am a mommy.  That's right I have four amazing children and you are going to get to know each of them.  Andrew, Althea, Huxley, and Adeline are the lights of my life and my reason for everything that I do.

I know that this is short but I promise that there will be a lot more later for you to enjoy.