Happy Monday y’all!
 
You wouldn’t happen to have any honey, would you? If you do, you might want to hide it! Especially when a small, brown bear “all stuffed with fluff” comes sniffing around your neighborhood! Who could I be talking about? Pooh of course! Winnie, the Pooh that is! Out of all of the Hundred Acre Wood characters, who is your favorite? I was always partial to Pooh bear. I believe it’s because of his childlike wonder that attracts me to him. He’s also cute a button! Towards the beginning of this month, I stumbled upon  thesoccermomblog.com. Most of last year, I followed several awareness sites. While those websites are great and informative, Stacey’s site is so inspiring! I wish I had some up with this idea! By taking ordinary days, she turns them into unique family-oriented celebrations. These celebrations help reinforce important life lessons and (in this case) teach about a famous author. Jan. 18this A.A. Milne’s birthday! In honor of Mr. Milne’s birthday, Jan. 18th has officially become National Winnie The Pooh Day. How much cool is that? 
 
Did You Know?

• Winnie-the-Pooh's first appearance was as an unnamed character in A.A. Milne's 1924 collection When We Were Very Young: "A bear, however hard he tries/Grows tubby without exercise."
• Winnie-the-Pooh was published on Oct. 14, 1926 and was an immediate success, selling 35,000 copies in the U.K. and over 150,000 copies in the U.S.
• Though A.A. Milne was British, Winnie-the-Pooh was not. The real bear who inspired him, Winnie, was a Canadian female black bear
• Christopher received a teddy bear on his first birthday from his father, Alan Alexander Milne. It was an 18-inch bear from Harrod's department store in London, and it could growl.
• The bear was originally called Edward, but Milne and his son eventually renamed the stuffed teddy Winnie after the adorable black bear at the London Zoo.
• The "Pooh" part of Winnie-the-Pooh comes from a swan that Milne and his son encountered on vacation. They called the swan Pooh, which Milne described in When We Were Very Young.
• October 14, 2016  was Walt Disney’s Winnie the Pooh 90th anniversary!
• It was the Sherman Brothers who coined the phrase “all stuffed with fluff” for the cuddly bear during his title song. 

 
Of all the characters in the hundred-acre wood, Winnie is the one who is always forgetting things. Thinking about Pooh bear helps cheer me up and gets me through my fogs a little easier. Quite often I like to refer to them as my “Pooh days.” There’s also something about Winnie that makes you want to snuggle with him forever. Did you know that January 21st is National Hugging Day? Personally, I could not think of any toy better than a fluffy ol’ bear to cuddle with. As I conclude my last Mindful Monday, I wanted to send a big warm, gentle hug to everyone! I have loved getting to know y’all know through Fibro Connect. 
 
Did you grow up with Winnie the Pooh, too? What comforts you during Fibro fog moments? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!

~ Rachel

Pooh’s Reference:
90 weird and wonderful facts about Winnie-the-Pooh
Almanac: The birth of Winnie the Pooh
90 years of Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh (song)
https://nationaltoday.com

Happy Monday ya’ll! 
 
Today I’m sharing Pet Therapy, an oldie but goodie post, back when I was first making YouTube videos. Do you have a pet? I’ve always grown up with both dogs and cats. Truth be told, I’m more of a cat person. I found an article from 2020 titled Living with Chronic Pain: How a Service Dog Can Lend a Paw stating that the types of dogs that offer Complex regional pain syndrome support are, emotional support dog, therapeutic dog, and a service dog. On behalf of cats everywhere, our babies love to cuddle us. However, true to form, when they are done, they will let you know and typically leave the room. Whereas a dog may continue to hang out with you all day. They are not like any cats I’ve ever had. Just like humans, I believe it depends on the cat. 
 
I hope you’ll enjoy my video. Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below. Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!

~ Rachel 

Dear purple butterflies, 
​
Can you believe it? We have exactly four more days left in 2021 and then it will be 2022! Do any of you have any fun traditional plans? We used to go out, but we’ve found that we enjoy staying in just as much. Since we live in the south, one tradition on New Year’s Day is to have a big bowl of black-eyed peas and corn bread. However, I thought it might be fun to start a new tradition this year. I’m talking about watching the twelve best F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes to ring in the New Year. 2021 was the year of F.R.I.E.N.D.S for me. I happen to be referring to the television show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. 
 
Besides my birthday, F.R.I.E.N.D.S kept popping up throughout the year. I have mentioned this many times before that I love comedies. My attraction to the show is that even though it was made in the mid-nineties, the episodes are timeless. No matter how many times I watch them, they keep me laughing, and they’re so relatable to my own life. Of all the shows I watch, I’ll pick F.R.I.E.N.D.S every time when I am feeling low or laid up in the bed. Life alone can be stressful enough. Stopping to check our mental health regularly is a good practice. It’s one of my goals this coming year. I figure, why not let your friends (even on t.v.) make you laugh? All that being said, here is my personal pick of the twelve best F.R.I.E.N.D.S episodes:

• Season 5, Episode 11: "The One With All The Resolutions"
• Friends - Prom Video Ross and Rachel's Kiss
• Friends - No One's Ready
• Friends Season 5 The One After Ross Says Rachel
• Friends Season 5 The One With All The Thanksgivings
• Friends Season 5 The One With Ross's Sandwich
• Friends Season 5 The One With Chandler's Work Laugh
• Friends Season 5 The One In Vegas (part 2)
• Season 6, Episode 10: "The One With the Routine"
• Season 7, Episode 9: "The One With All The Candy"
• Season 7, Episode 10: "The One With the Holiday Armadillo"
• "The One With The Inappropriate Sister" Season 5, Episode 5

 
Episode references:

1. I Made A Netflix Playlist Of All The "Friends" Holiday Episodes
2. Learn English With Fun

 
What episodes did you like the best? Did you agree with the episodes that I chose. What show, if any would you choose? What Let me know in the comments down below. I’d love to hear back from you! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!
~ Rachel 

Happy Monday ya’ll! 
 
How many of you have heard of ASMR? The letters stand for “autonomous sensory meridian response. Coined in 2010, ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a relaxing, often sedative sensation that begins on the scalp and moves down the body. Also known as "brain massage," it's triggered by placid sights and sounds such as whispers, accents, and crackle.” (reference ASMR videos are the biggest YouTube trend you've never heard of). I actually found ASMR quite by accident while perusing YouTube one evening. I think unless someone else tells you about it, that is how most people find out about it. 
 
There’s a variety of ASMR channels out there. Crinkling paper, opening boxes, brushing lint off clothes, folding towels etc. The list can go on and on. The channels that I enjoy watching the most include makeup and nail polish tutorials. Gentle Whispering is one my go to ASMR artists when I am in the mood to watch a video. Maria is a talented storyteller with a very calming voice. She can whisper in one video, speak softly in another, and pretend she’s Marilyn Monroe (to reproduce Marilyn’s look) in another video. She’s one of the first ASMR pioneers when it started back in 2009 which leads her with lots of experience and lots of different videos to choose from. 
 
ASMR has helped me with my Fibro pain. Granted it does not replace my medications, but it relaxes me. When I am not able to sleep due to a flare, or up late because of spasms, I will look up a video that I’ve watched several times to help lull me to sleep. It’s like putting on a familiar movie, only it’s much shorter. The short clips which help clear my mind for a moment. We all need that time. For me, it’s a great way to destress. I’ve been watching ASMR since 2011. Be cautious before subscribing to just any channel. Make sure you check out their page first. Some ASMR artists misuse the word. The channels that I listen to do not. ASMR is also not for everyone. What works for me, may not work for you. If you’d like to read about the beginnings of ASMR, here is a link: An Oral History of ASMR.
 
What did you think about ASMR? Let me know in the comments down below if you have! I’d love to hear back from you! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!
Rachel 

Happy holidays ya’ll! 

​Fibromyalgia, the name alone is not fun. However, if you dissect each letter, add a little holiday flavor, it becomes something else entirely! This was my challenge this week. I had a lot of fun figuring out what to put for each letter. Hope you’ll enjoying reading it! 
 
F- Find an easy, stress-free meal. For example, we’re having an Italian Christmas this year with Stouffer’s Lasagna along with other goodies. It’s not only going to be yummy, but it’s a family favorite.
I- Is ice cream on your list for desserts? Have your ever tried replacing yogurt with it? I’ve been doing that a lot with my recipes because I’m not able to eat ice cream anymore. The yogurt is better tasting, in my opinion, than ice cream. 
B- Be selfish. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. 
R- Ready to have family over? Have they offered to lend a hand or bring a dish? Take them up on it! 
O- One thing to remember this holiday season, please never feel like you’re alone. It's called https://mhanational.org/blog/looking-support-during-holidays-check-out-these-free-resources. 
M- May all of you have a wonderful and joyous season! 
Y- Ya’ll must try this recipe: Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake. I am using yogurt instead of ice cream.
A- Are you needing someone to talk to? You’ve come to the right place! I’m always around and ready to listen! Drop me a line anytime! 
L- Lights! I almost bought purple Christmas lights to add to my collection this year. 
G- Go and treat yourself one night! Take a ride (when you’re able to) around your neighborhood and check out the Christmas lights! 
I- Intense Pain with cold weather can ruin a holiday, celebration, or appointment in a snap! I do my best to plan and stay in bed or rest the day before an important event. That way it ensures I will be able to attend. This plan has not always been failproof. I recently had an appointment and had to cancel due to spasms the night before. Just do the best you can and that is all anyone can ask of you! 
A- Are you thinking of trying a new tradition? I found this article several years ago, but I always forget about it come Christmas time. Here is the link: Iceland Celebrates Christmas Unlike Any Other Country in the World - Sometimes the biggest ideas can come from the smallest of places
 
Did you think of any other holiday related things that could’ve gone to make up the word Fibromyalgia Let me know in the comments down below if you have! I’d love to hear back from you! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!
~ Rachel