Ice Cold Mavens

There's a craze going around on Face Book for a very worthy cause. It's called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It's to help raise awareness and funds for the ALS Association. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and is a very progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and eventually leads to death. There is no cure, but there is one known FDA approved drug, riluzole, that supposedly helps slow the progression; and a few other drugs in clinical trials that are promising. For those of you who don't know of Lou Gehrig, he was a famous baseball player for the New York Yankees from 1923-1939. He was stricken with ALS in 1939 which ended his career and forced him to retire at 36 years of age. Sadly, he died two years later. He was voted the greatest first baseman of all time.

The ice bucket challenge consists of dumping a bucket of ice water onto your own head or someone elses to raise awareness of the disease and encourage donations for research. The challenge dares persons to video it, post it on Face Book and then nominate others to do it within 24 hours. However, you can decline it and instead donate money to the cause.  This idea has gotten some backlash too: stop wasting water, wasting ice, and the ALS association has gotten criticism for testing their drugs on mice, and there are concerns about how the money is spent - but the bigger picture of the whole idea is that it has raised major awareness for a disease that so many people don't know of or have forgotten. Social media is a powerful thing and through it we can raise awareness for a plethora of different causes while trying to make a difference and having a bit of fun doing it. So let's give ALS their moment in the spotlight for this deserving cause; because before you know it, we'll be donating and participating in the next big challenge for the next cause that comes up with a schtick as clever as this one.

The Black Box Wine Mavens were nominated by Bruce Smith (of the Bruce Smith Band) to take the challenge and we accepted because it's an important cause and it looks like fun. We dedicated our ice bucket challenge to a boy named Joseph Garza of Brownsville, Texas USA who we heard is the only known teen (at 14 years of age) living with the disease that is attacking his body. He was recently due to have lung surgery so we are keeping him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.

Okay and now for our video: of course we had to do it in Wine Maven style - we hope you enjoy it and that you pick a cause of your choosing and donate money or your time if you are able.

VIDEO BLOOPERS - Enjoy!!

Oil Pulling 101

So I came across this article on Face Book about Oil Pulling and found myself clicking on the link to see what it was all about. I became enthralled by the concept of it, as I continued to read about how it was an ancient ritual - an Ayurvedic remedy for oral health.  Ayurvedic??? I had no idea what this was and decided to investigate it. Come to find out it's a "5,000-year-old system of natural healing that derived from India, but both Chinese and Tibetan Medicine have roots in Ayurveda." Even the Greeks embrace many of their concepts. Ayurveda is basically a "science-of life" "(Ayur meaning Life, Veda meaning Science or knowledge). It's a Hindu system of medicine which is based on the idea of the balance of bodily systems." Oral health? I'm totally into that, especially ever since I watched an episode of The View when Joy Behar talked adamantly about how she flossed everyday because it could save your life, and how oral hygiene (if kept up) was the cure of many illnesses. This oil pulling is supposed to pull "harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth, teeth, gums and even throat."  It sounds like a no-brainer, right?  I should try it. We should all try it. What do we have to lose? But wait ... what exactly does it entail? It says you must put a table spoon of organic coconut or sesame oil in your mouth and swish it around for 20 minutes. I chose to use coconut oil as I've read about it's many benefits.

20 minutes? Wow! That is a long time. 20 minutes, huh? Okay no problem. I'll just figure out a way to do other things while I'm swishing to keep my mind off of the fact that I am indeed swishing. One very important thing I read NOT TO DO is swallow any of the oil because it's basically all the bad bacteria in your mouth that you are trying to get rid of. The last thing you want to do is swallow the nastiness you are swishing because it would totally defeat the purpose of drawing the bad bacteria/energy etc... out of your body. I want to try it, so I decide to jump into the pool of oil pulling 101 to find out if it actually works. I tell Richelle and Hubby about it to try to get them on board so I am not alone in this quest for a natural, oral hygiene that has many health benefits.  Neither seems interested for now - so I'm on my own. I wake up the next morning and take a spoonful of organic coconut oil and put it in my mouth. 

 I set my phone alarm for twenty minutes and hope for the best. 

This already isn't fun. It's like I just put a glob of mud in my mouth (but it tastes better).  I begin to kind of chew it while I'm waiting for it to liquify, so it's easier to swish, and at the same time I'm trying very hard not to swallow any of it.

I'm swishing. I look at my phone. It's flashes 30 seconds.  It's only been 30 seconds? Swish, swish, swish. Then only one minute and forty-five seconds. Swish, swish, swish - and I have to do this for 20 minutes? Oh boy! This is not going to be easy. I'm already dreading it. Finally, I get the oil to melt  in my mouth making it much easier to swish. I head downstairs to let the dogs out and hang out in the backyard with them for a while and pull a few weeds.  The hardest part is trying not to swallow it. I walk back into the house and begin to unload the dishwasher and then fold some laundry. Hubby walks in and starts talking to me and I motion with my hands that I cannot talk. Then my phone alarm goes off. Thank goodness it's time to spit. Oh wait! I read not to spit it out in the sink as it is an oil and will clog it up. So I lean over the trash can and spit. I can't get it out fast enough. Then I rinse with warm water and a sense of pride washes over me that I actually accomplished it. I begin to think, "hey that wasn't so bad, I can do this once a day." 

Day three and I find the worst part about this whole thing is chewing the oil to get it from a solid to a liquid. I do some research and find out that I can melt it in the microwave before swishing it. Oh thank God! What a dummy I am that I didn't think to do this earlier.  Tomorrow will be a whole new day. 

Day four arrives and I excitedly melt the oil in a glass dish in the microwave for about 10 seconds then stir it up to make sure it's all liquified. It comes out perfectly melted and just the right temperature. 

This is so much easier and takes the angst out of having to swish. After 1 week,  I have already noticed a difference with my mouth. 1.) less plaque - I can really tell because I use a dental pick to get rid of it between my teeth and it is considerably less. 2.) my breath is better (not that I had bad breath before, but it's different: cleaner). I tell hubby about this revelation so he decides to jump on the bandwagon with me. Next thing you know, we are both swishing in the morning. It becomes a nice little ritual. I find myself enjoying the quiet moment we share for twenty minutes - it's like a form of meditation. I love how he communicates by writing things down on a notepad and holding them up. After about five days, Hubby says he notices a difference too. His breath is fresher and he feels better over all - like he has more energy. So far this thing is working for us. It's not even a big deal anymore and twenty minutes is nothing - it flies by so fast. We found that doing this first thing in the morning works best for us; even before brushing our teeth or taking that first sip of water. Looks like we are sold on the idea of oil pulling and will keep doing it as long as it continues to provide us with positive results. 

"Other possible benefits of oil pulling for oral health include:

• Overall strengthening of the teeth and gums and jaws
• Prevention of diseases of the gums and mouth, such as cavities and gingivitis
• Prevention for bad breath
• Potential holistic remedy for bleeding gums
• Prevention of dryness of the lips, mouth and throat
• Possible holistic treatment for TMJ and general soreness in the jaw area
• Migraine headache relief
• Correcting hormone imbalances
• Reducing inflammation of arthritis
• May help with gastro-enteritis
• Aids in the reduction of eczema
• May reduce symptoms of bronchitis
• Helps support normal kidney function
• May help reduce sinus congestion
• Some people report improved vision
• Helps reduce insomnia
• Reduced hangover after alcohol consumption
• Aids in reducing pain
• Reduces the symptoms of allergies
• Helps detoxify the body of harmful metals and organisms"

Cinco de Mayo Mavens

It's Cinco de Mayo and we are celebrating!! In case you have never heard of it, here's a little Cinco de Mayo history lesson. It is Spanish for the "Fifth of May."  Basically, it has to do with the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla (Mexico's freedom from France) back in 1862. It became a symbol of Mexican resistance to foreign domination.  That's the gist of the real reason to celebrate this fun Holiday. After some time, it is said that Mexico kind of ignored it (except for Puebla), but it continued to be celebrated by a large population of Mexican people who had immigrated to the USA and settled down in states such as Texas and California. To them it became more of a celebration of "Mexican Living" than about the Battle of Puebla, and was quickly adopted by many Americans. Give us any reason to celebrate and party and we'll take it. Most people still have no idea what this Holiday is for,  nevertheless, we were able to morph it into a Mexican version of Saint Patrick's Day - an excuse to drink, party and have fun. We go out and eat Mexican Food, drink beer and margaritas, dance, listen to Mariachis (Spanish musicians) and scream and shout, "Arriba! Arriba!"

As we get a little older, it can be quite exhausting to navigate through the crowds and deal with very inebriated folks who celebrate this Holiday (of course we have been some of those inebriated people, that's why we know - Ha Ha). Most importantly, it's also hard to find a friend who is willing to put up with everyone's drunk ass and be the designated driver. We can have fun by ourselves anywhere, anytime; so this year, we decided to tone it down a bit and celebrate at home by the pool. Of course no Maven Holiday would be complete without music, cocktails, and props, so we donned our sombreros, stuck a mustache on our face, and instantly transformed into the "Cinco de Mayo Mavens".

As we were making our first cocktail, we came up with the fun idea to concoct and drink five different drinks in honor of the "Cinco de Mayo" Holiday.  We call it "Cinco de Drinkos."  Here are the Cinco Drinkos we made:

Bahama Mama

Pisco Sour

Pink Panty Pulldowns 

Piña Colada 

and of course we ended with our beloved wine.

Wine 

Before the day ended, we were visited by a few Federales (Mexican Police) warning us to keep it down. They wondered how so much noise could come from only two señoritas? We laughed and told them it's not hard for us to do especially after cinco drinkos. We didn't want any trouble, so we assured them we would quiet down. Doesn't look like they believe us...

After all the hoopla, we were lucky the Federales only issued us a warning and didn't throw us in the slammer. Ha! Ha!   Well, it just goes to show you ... whether we are partying like rock stars or laying low it's always a jolly holiday with the Mavens. Hasta luego toda la gente!!

Ricardo the Parrot Bottle Opener