I wanted to share a new beverage I recently discovered. It's Premium Peony White Tea. From my previous entries you'll know I'm taking steps to become more healthy and I've started drinking more tea.

I researched some of the benefits of white tea and found much about them from The White Tea Guide. Here are just a few of those benefits:

White Tea Antioxidants
Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are nasty things that go around wreaking havoc on your body, damaging DNA and accelerating aging. Antioxidants scoop them up and neutralize them. White tea is loaded with these protective nutrients.

Cancer Prevention

White tea may have profound power against cancer-causing cells and against many different types of cancer, such as colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. Flavonoids, a class of antioxidants, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones. In some cases, white tea has been found to work as well as prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies show that white tea can thin the blood and improve artery function. It helps lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy one. By promoting strong and healthy blood vessels, white tea guards against the ravages of stroke.

Lower Cholesterol

Catechins, another group of antioxidants, have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is teeming with them. Cholesterol is a special type of fat and is necessary for health. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and white tea increases the good while decreasing the bad. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow.

Heart Protection

By thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol, white tea protects the heart and the entire circulatory system. Researchers have also discovered that people who drink 2 or more cups of tea a day are almost 50% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack. White tea is truly a remarkable heart tonic.

Stronger Bones

Studies have found that people who drank tea regularly had greater bone density and strength than non-drinkers. White tea may also have beneficial effects for sufferers of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Antibacterial & Antiviral 

White tea is a natural killer of bacteria and viruses. The antioxidants so abundant in white tea tone the entire immune system, providing protection against a variety of invaders and a wide range of diseases. Its helps guard against the common cold and flu, and can ease the symptoms of HIV.

Healthy Teeth and Gums

White tea contains small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients which keeps the teeth strong and healthy. It also kills the bacteria which causes plaque, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Healthy Skin

Free radicals from staying out in the sun too long, stress, and a poor diet can damage the skin and cause it to prematurely age. By scavenging these free radicals, white tea protects the skin and helps to reverse some of the damage. Drinking white tea promotes healthy and radiant skin.


I like that white seems to have more antioxidants than green tea. I'm drinking two cups of the tea a day. Once in the morning and once at night. I don't any sugar or honey too the tea and I think it tastes good just the way it is. It's is definitely staying a part of my routine!

To find out more about white tea, check out White Tea and It's Health Benefits on About.com.

 Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

 
 Snack Bowls from Green Eats


This was a nice set of snack bowls. There was 4 included. They look like the perfect size for snacking. I like that they are made from 100% recycled material and are BPA free. The color I received was orange.

 Lemon Verbena Dish Soap from Mrs. Meyers Clean Day

 I haven't heard of this dish soap but I was excited to try it. I like washing the dishes :-) The size was pretty good to get a sample of how the soap was. I found it hard to get the liquid out and that when I squeezed it on my sponge, it didn't really lather. I didn't smell the lemon either. I like that the ingredients are 97% derived though.

Race Car from Green Toys

 I thought this was such a nice toy. I love that the car itself is BPA free. It's a nice size and very detailed. May absolutely loved it and was pushing the car around the room. It's fabulous!

Greeting Card Offer from Treat

I've heard of Shutterfly before and Treat is a branch of Shutterfly. The offer is good for one free card. I went to the website and like how easy the cards look to make. I think I'll be using this offer for May's great-grandmother for Mother's Day.

Overall, I was very pleased with this month's Citrus Lane. I feel that the products are well worth the price of the box. Though I really do like this subscription, financially we are not able to continue. We hope to pick the subscription up though in the near future, perhaps even pay the 3 or 6 month value. I'll keep my eye open for discounts on maybe Groupon or Living Social. Like I said, this box is well worth the price!

 Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money and was not monetarily compensated for this review. Opinions are honest and are completely my own.

I did it!! I successful defending my thesis entitled "The Economic Value Of Air Quality Forecasting." I defended my thesis at the Howard University campus in Beltsville, MD. I left early this morning around 6:30 am, the time of my defense was 1:00 PM. I wasn't completely done with my presentation before I left and thought I would have some time to put the finishing touches on it, after I got there.

Rex had to work so I brought May with me, and dropped her off around 9:30 am, with her aunts and uncles and cousins. It's been a while since we've seen them and they were missing May. I met with my adviser at Howard University in DC not too long after that and we discussed some of my research and the presentation. My adviser thought it was best to put the finishing touches at Beltsville so we drove to Beltsville. I was nervous, but I knew it had to be done. This was one of the last steps towards getting my Masters and I thought I really just need to graduate and get this over with.

I edited my thesis up to the last minute which my adviser said was fine with what I had to present, though I feel I could have added a bit more. I saw a couple of my former classmates who came to support me. I started off pretty good, there were some parts where I lost my train of thought. I feel confident though in the pep talk my adviser gave me before my presentation and the work that I know of what I have been doing. I finished my presentation in about 30 minutes. It was short but much of the information that I uncovered was presented in my defense.

I got  many questions from my peers. I was able to answer some of them, my adviser helped me answer a couple others. Then it was time for my peers to leave and my committee who had been there for my presentation as well. Their questions were more intense. I found it harder to answer their questions but I did my best with the knowledge I had attained throughout my research. That question and answer section seemed to go on for about 20 minutes. Lastly I was asked to leave and then the decision of whether I passed was discussed. That took pretty long. I talked with a few of my classmates who assured me I had done well. I was just happy to get the thesis defense over with. It had taken me at least 2 years to complete the research and gather all that information into a paper. I am so thankful for the support of my family and my husband as well as the help I received from my adviser.

I had lost motivation, especially last semester when I was so close to defending the thesis in November but in my quest to find jobs in my field not going so well, my stipend running out and having to do temp jobs, as well as losing my aunt who was like a second mother to me, I decided to put it on hold and try to get into something that seemed more promising. Of course when I first started graduate school, it seemed a higher degree would be more marketable in today's society. Though that is true for some, the job market is hard and more experience is required for many positions, not just the degree. Nonetheless, persistence might pay off and at 3:00 pm, I was called back in to find out persistence did pay off. I had successfully defended my thesis for my Masters.

I am now closer than ever towards obtain my Masters. I need to complete my edits and submit the documents to graduate school at Howard. I hope to have that all in next week and then I should receiving my degree next month!

May turned 16 months a few days ago and today she has been walking around so much. She started getting more confidence walking on her own towards the end of her being 15 months. Now she's really gotten the hang of putting one foot in front of the other. Seeing the other children in the daycare a few week ago might have helped her, but I think she just wanted to walk in her own time and that's fine with me.

May is so happy walking around and though she's a little wobbly, she smiles and claps. She still likes to crawl too. Rex and I both think it's wonderful seeing her milestones and watching her grow up. She really is growing up so fast. Each day she's learning more and exploring her world. We've had to get more gates in the house to keep her safe, we definitely are going to go out more when it gets nicer outside, so she can see more of the plants and flowers outside.

I'm still searching for another job, though while looking for a job I'm finally closer towards defending my thesis. I'll actually be defending my thesis tomorrow in Maryland. It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy it's almost over. Rex has to work and so do my parents. May isn't in daycare for now so I'll be taking her to MD with me. I'll drop her off with her Rex's family there. We've been missing seeing everyone and they miss seeing us. We hope to visit everyone soon and maybe even move back down there one day.

For now we'll take things one step at a time. Just like May is really starting to walk, you must learn to walk before you can run and you must have patience. Good things come to those who wait.

We've been working to maintain our cost of living and getting out of my parents house these past months, though I decided today to leave my job at the nursing home. I really did not want to quit, I know we need the money but emotionally and physically I was not there. At the job we were always short. I was actually the only person who had stayed in that position since 6 months ago, though now that I'm gone, they haven't had anyone stay since then.

I talked it over with Rex and my parents and they said it would be best for me to leave. They could see that it was taking a toll on me. The work I was doing there was not like it was 10 years ago when I was working at a nursing home and the pace just seemed so fast. I was mad at myself that I could not keep up, I really felt out of place many times that I was there. Some of my co-workers remembered that they had to crawl before they could walk and assured me I was doing well, but it was the late nights and some of the others, who seemed upset with me that I could not keep up, that lead me to leave. The pay was little as well.

I was hoping to secure another position before I left, but emotionally I was drained. The job was affecting my health too. I had not gotten my period the whole month I was there. I took two pregnancy tests which came back negative. I still have haven't gotten my period. I was seriously stressing so much about that job.

I definitely don't want to make a habit of quitting. My thesis I wanted to just do away with so many times, but I know I must keep going with that. I'm thankful Rex still has his job. He goes an hour away to Allentown. It's far but it pays pretty well. The moral is that we must do what we can to make a living but if it is affecting our health we really have to think about it. Rex did have to leave the two jobs when he was experiencing his symptoms with anxiety attacks. He has been doing better managing his symptoms. I know this another bump in the road. For now we have to take May out of daycare until we can get some more money. It was hard leaving her there, especially the first day. We might try for something less expensive too.

I am also thankful to still have the job at middle school where I create articles on the data collected from the students. It generates some income. I'm also doing little things here and there like taking surveys. I know we'll find something we both really enjoy doing. It might take a while. For now we'll keep searching and realize that the road to something greater might come with some costs. 

This article on the signs it's time to leave your job helped me see things clearer too.