Since the last post, I reached the one year anniversary since my heart surgery! It fell on January 31st, and it got me thinking about where I was a year ago and where I am now. Not just with my heart, everything is just peachy on that end, but where I am in life.
I was so upset a few months after my surgery because I was feeling as though I hadn't accomplished anything with my life. I was living at my parents house (again!) with my two girls and my husband and it was more difficult than I had anticipated. But my wonderful husband reminded me that I had accomplished what I had wanted to do when we had first met.
I guess it's a pretty typical first or second date question, when you ask the other person where they see themselves in the future or what they want to be. Or at least it is for me, apparently. Anyway, when he asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I hesitated. I knew my answer would probably send him running for the hills and since we worked together that could be awkward. But I told him the truth. I wanted to be a mom. And not just be a mom, I meant I wanted to get married and have children (that I could support) and have a career that allows me time with them. I wanted to raise them to be good people and learn from my mistakes in life, and I wanted to marry someone who wanted children as much as I did, and would be there for our children.
Minus a few bumps in the road, I have done that. I have two beautiful girls who, despite some bratty stages, are wonderful. I have a job that I can work as much or as little as I would like that provides good insurance for my family. And above all of that, I have a husband who never stops working for our family. He killed himself for a year trying to cover my medical expenses from my surgery and paying off other credit cards and bills so that he could go back to school for his masters, which he is doing now.
Now, unfortunately we did have a development that shook me to my core. As you all know, I never knew about my heart condition until I was in my surgery delivering Sophia, my youngest daughter. Since my condition is hereditary, my husband and I have had to have hundreds of conversations about whether or not we are going to have any more children. When we got married we had decided that three felt like a good number for us. However, bringing another child into the world KNOWING they could have a very good chance at inheriting my "super-special" heart is different than having children and THEN finding out about your condition.
Having said this, when Sophia was sick earlier this winter we found out that she has a heart murmur. Immediately, I had her pediatrician make her an appointment to see a pediatric cardiologist. I'm also pretty sure I cried myself to sleep and cursed my bad genes. Yesterday was her appointment and we didn't really find out anything. The only thing the doctor really had to say was that she is too young to show any signs but the odds are not in our favor. Then she was poked on for about 20 minutes at the lab to draw some blood for genetic testing so that we can find out once and for all if Penny and Sophia have whatever gene I have that causes the condition.
I keep going back and forth between level-headed person hearing heath information and taking it in strides and super-crazy Momma Bear who wants to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep and curse my genes again. Today I'm focusing on the positive. Those same genes could mean she gets my awesome sense of humor and favorite music styles, or my ridiculous habit of crying at anything from music (again) to movies, books, pins on Pinterest...hell, even commercials. She could get my hair that stays stick straight until you hit puberty, and then suddenly curls and waves appear and you have NO idea what to do with them. Part of me even thinks her eyes could still turn blue *fingers crossed!!!* So for the one bad gene I probably passed on, there are lots of other good ones that she can get, too! Her big sister already inherited my fantastic fashion sense *see Facebook pictures* so I think as far as good genes go, there's plenty to go around between the two of them and probably any other sibling that joins our crazy little family.
And, as always, I am humbled and extremely touched at how much my family and friends have once again rallied behind us. I am so lucky and fortunate to have you all in my life, and I'm going to change the subject because apparently I can even make MYSELF cry....
For the Meiris side, today we mentioned a family reunion and I WANT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN! It has been TEN YEARS since the last one! That is just too darn long. I don't care where we have it, count me in! Tennessee sounds like a blast since that was the first place that was thrown out there, and I plan to show up all the boys again with my fishing skills =)
Oh yeah, one last thing! My totally awesome sister was contacted by this totally awesome compounding pharmacy that makes this cream for scars. So she wrote me a prescription and even with my insurance the price was well over $500, so I politely asked them to cancel it and thanked them for their time. Well, their pharmacist called me back the next day and told me that since my sister is a physician, they were going to extend a professional courtesy for me and fill it free of charge. WOO HOO! I've only been using it for about 3 days so no results yet but I'm excited to see what it will do for me! The entire scar is about 4-5 inches long and the bottom 2-3 inches has already flattened and turned flesh colored instead of bright pink, but the top 2 inches is still puffy and pink and it drives me crazy. Mederma makes me want to scratch my skin off, so I'm very excited to try this new stuff out. I refer to it as the "Gold-Infused Miracle Cream" and hopefully it has good results.
Anyway...that's all, folks!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Friday, October 5, 2012
Birthdays change so much when you get old...
Two weeks ago, I made a point to clearly tell my husband that I had very specific things I wanted for my birthday.
1) I wanted to go do dinner ALONE with him to this Indian restaurant, Maharajah's, for my birthday dinner.
2) He was in charge of arranging a babysitter
3) I was getting a tattoo
Well, instead of the tattoo I let the Hubby talk me into a shopping spree. Not too bad, I got a new pair of work pants, work shirt, cardigan, and some new NOT cheap makeup. And promptly after the first use of my new mascara, my sneaky toddler tiptoed into our bathroom and "painted" the walls and toilet and floor around the toilet. We do clean and everything, but it's a rental house and not a very nice rental house so that was the end of my mascara!
The day before my birthday, Hubby tells me he hasn't been able to arrange a babysitter...there goes the last two things I wanted.
Secretly, the entire day I was at work I was hoping he was just teasing me and he would be whisking me off for my dream dinner. But I knew deep down that was just not happening. So when he got home from picking up the girls from daycare, we chatted about what to do for dinner and it was going nowhere, so we opted for delivery. Somehow, I wound up sitting alone in the living room watching television (ON MY BIRTHDAY) while he watched TV in another room with our toddler and while the baby slept. Grr.
But then, after dinner, he went and got a cupcake and put a candle in it and sang Happy Birthday to me with the girls. And yes, I cried.
To give my husband some credit, he has never really celebrated birthdays and my family goes kind of insane over every holiday, especially birthdays. I have a pretty high bar of expectation when it comes to birthdays, this is true! But he gave me the best birthday he could think of. And there is something wonderful and beautiful in that.
Now to change the subject a bit...as everyone has realized by now, I have two daughters. And I am not a stick figure. I CONSTANTLY worry that my daughters will struggle with the same body image and weight issues that I have had for my entire life. I only hope that I can help them to understand that they are NOT just a number on a scale, but also to be strong and motivated enough to work hard to look the way they want for THEMSELVES, not society. I'm not sure if everyone has seen the story about the news anchor who was blasted by a viewer for being fat, but I did and I saw red and completely lost my shit over it.
If not familiar, click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/jennifer-livingston-news-anchor-today-show_n_1935779.html
First of all, she never in any way asked for this man's opinion of her. She knows she isn't skinny, nor is she trying to be! Just because she is on TV does NOT mean she needs to be skinny! Yes, being obese is becoming much too common and it is incredibly unhealthy. But pointing it out to someone, ESPECIALLY in that way, is NOT going to help anything. In fact it will most likely do the opposite. Or just piss her off. Which it seemed to. Good for you, girl. Stick it to him.
On that note, I don't want my girls to be skinny. I want them to be healthy and confident. Period. If anyone ever told my girls that they should be ashamed of themselves for having extra weight, I would run them over with a car. Not kidding. I hope this guys mother doesn't know what her son said to another woman.
Something to teach your daughters: They are beautiful the way God made them.
Also: It's a vagina. Not a cookie, hoo-hah, vajayjay, or any other stupid name that parents make up because they don't want their kids to say the real word. Big pet peeve of mine. It's a body part, not a dirty word. If you have one, you should be able to say it! If you don't have one, you shouldn't get to see one until you are mature enough to say it...and then wait a few more years =)
As my birthday draws to an end, one more big THANK YOU to my friends and family for all the birthday wishes! 26 feels WAY better than 25 did.
1) I wanted to go do dinner ALONE with him to this Indian restaurant, Maharajah's, for my birthday dinner.
2) He was in charge of arranging a babysitter
3) I was getting a tattoo
Well, instead of the tattoo I let the Hubby talk me into a shopping spree. Not too bad, I got a new pair of work pants, work shirt, cardigan, and some new NOT cheap makeup. And promptly after the first use of my new mascara, my sneaky toddler tiptoed into our bathroom and "painted" the walls and toilet and floor around the toilet. We do clean and everything, but it's a rental house and not a very nice rental house so that was the end of my mascara!
The day before my birthday, Hubby tells me he hasn't been able to arrange a babysitter...there goes the last two things I wanted.
Secretly, the entire day I was at work I was hoping he was just teasing me and he would be whisking me off for my dream dinner. But I knew deep down that was just not happening. So when he got home from picking up the girls from daycare, we chatted about what to do for dinner and it was going nowhere, so we opted for delivery. Somehow, I wound up sitting alone in the living room watching television (ON MY BIRTHDAY) while he watched TV in another room with our toddler and while the baby slept. Grr.
But then, after dinner, he went and got a cupcake and put a candle in it and sang Happy Birthday to me with the girls. And yes, I cried.
To give my husband some credit, he has never really celebrated birthdays and my family goes kind of insane over every holiday, especially birthdays. I have a pretty high bar of expectation when it comes to birthdays, this is true! But he gave me the best birthday he could think of. And there is something wonderful and beautiful in that.
Now to change the subject a bit...as everyone has realized by now, I have two daughters. And I am not a stick figure. I CONSTANTLY worry that my daughters will struggle with the same body image and weight issues that I have had for my entire life. I only hope that I can help them to understand that they are NOT just a number on a scale, but also to be strong and motivated enough to work hard to look the way they want for THEMSELVES, not society. I'm not sure if everyone has seen the story about the news anchor who was blasted by a viewer for being fat, but I did and I saw red and completely lost my shit over it.
If not familiar, click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/jennifer-livingston-news-anchor-today-show_n_1935779.html
First of all, she never in any way asked for this man's opinion of her. She knows she isn't skinny, nor is she trying to be! Just because she is on TV does NOT mean she needs to be skinny! Yes, being obese is becoming much too common and it is incredibly unhealthy. But pointing it out to someone, ESPECIALLY in that way, is NOT going to help anything. In fact it will most likely do the opposite. Or just piss her off. Which it seemed to. Good for you, girl. Stick it to him.
On that note, I don't want my girls to be skinny. I want them to be healthy and confident. Period. If anyone ever told my girls that they should be ashamed of themselves for having extra weight, I would run them over with a car. Not kidding. I hope this guys mother doesn't know what her son said to another woman.
Something to teach your daughters: They are beautiful the way God made them.
Also: It's a vagina. Not a cookie, hoo-hah, vajayjay, or any other stupid name that parents make up because they don't want their kids to say the real word. Big pet peeve of mine. It's a body part, not a dirty word. If you have one, you should be able to say it! If you don't have one, you shouldn't get to see one until you are mature enough to say it...and then wait a few more years =)
As my birthday draws to an end, one more big THANK YOU to my friends and family for all the birthday wishes! 26 feels WAY better than 25 did.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Hello, Fall! How I Have Missed You...
It has been raining here for the last 3 days straight, and it has been AWESOME! Call me a freak, but I love nothing more than super dreary, stormy weather. As long as there's no hail or tornado warnings, I am in HEAVEN! Unfortunately, today that means that my niece's bounce house party had to change a bit (we'll be doing kids karaoke instead! Woot woot!) but I'm still on cloud nine and can't wait until the temperature drops for good so I can start getting my baking on!
Every year I make this huge list of things I want to try baking, and this year I got inspired to try cooking candy. I have made candy in the past; I made these AMAZING apple cider caramels last year and homemade butterfingers about 10 months ago or so, so I know the basics but I really want to try my hand at making taffy this year. Along with several other things...and I have a brand new stove that I get to abuse and no reason to NOT do it! My poor dutch oven is just sitting on a shelf all sad and unused (since I promised myself I wouldn't fry anything!) just waiting for this season to come upon us!
On that note, if you don't have a dutch oven, or don't know what a dutch oven is used for, let me explain: a dutch oven is by far the greatest thing ever for any kitchen. As stated above, you can do ANYTHING in it from frying foods to making candy and everything in between. It can go in the oven and go camping with you (yes, camping...it can sit in the campfire and everything!) and bake breads and cook soups...I could go on forever. I love my dutch oven, I got it as a wedding present and just stared at it in its box for about a year before I just HAD to get some kind of use for it. I don't even remember what I made in it, but I'm pretty sure I cooked some kind of meat for my first attempt at tamales...and the meat was the only good part about that! But, I fell madly in love and never looked back.
This year, I hope to let Penny help me out with the regular baking. I look very forward to our first year decorating Christmas cookies and giving our neighbors some goodies. She always wants to help me and I usually give her a small job, but this year one thing we are going to do is make David's birthday cake. I want her to be able to present it, no matter how lopsided and unevenly iced, and be able to say "Look what I made you, Daddy!"
If you don't know me personally, I'll let you know now that there is nothing more adorable (and, slightly annoying) than how much my oldest daughter LOVES her Daddy! She loves me too, and enjoys our time together whenever we get it, but I am well aware that she is a daddy's girl, through and through. I do get tired of it, but for the most part I embrace it.
However, lately Penny has started to take on my mannerisms and hand gestures. It's very funny. We spent a good hour the other night making "emotion faces"...I don't think I have laughed that hard in years. But this big step has also been an eye-opener. I know I can be hard on my kids, and I like to believe it's for their own good and that as long as there is a good balance of love and the firm hand, they will turn out normal. However:
This really makes a parent think about how they go about discipline the next time the kids are driving her up a wall! I think I had great parents, but they weren't perfect and neither am I. I'm not shooting for perfection, but I am bound and determined to try and not make the same mistakes.
It's a constant fear as a parent, that you will screw up your kid so badly that they won't be able to make it in the real world on their own and have normal social relationships. You wonder if you are too soft, or too hard on them. You wonder if spanking them will ruin them for life or just teach them to not be a jerkface, and then if you don't spank them you wonder if you are teaching them that they can get away with their actions...and then it just spins out of control.
But, then there is this time at night when your kids are going to bed and they come up to you with those sleepy eyes and crawl into your lap, wrap their arms around your neck, nuzzle their heads into your chest and just breathe. And all of it is 100% worth it.
Every year I make this huge list of things I want to try baking, and this year I got inspired to try cooking candy. I have made candy in the past; I made these AMAZING apple cider caramels last year and homemade butterfingers about 10 months ago or so, so I know the basics but I really want to try my hand at making taffy this year. Along with several other things...and I have a brand new stove that I get to abuse and no reason to NOT do it! My poor dutch oven is just sitting on a shelf all sad and unused (since I promised myself I wouldn't fry anything!) just waiting for this season to come upon us!
On that note, if you don't have a dutch oven, or don't know what a dutch oven is used for, let me explain: a dutch oven is by far the greatest thing ever for any kitchen. As stated above, you can do ANYTHING in it from frying foods to making candy and everything in between. It can go in the oven and go camping with you (yes, camping...it can sit in the campfire and everything!) and bake breads and cook soups...I could go on forever. I love my dutch oven, I got it as a wedding present and just stared at it in its box for about a year before I just HAD to get some kind of use for it. I don't even remember what I made in it, but I'm pretty sure I cooked some kind of meat for my first attempt at tamales...and the meat was the only good part about that! But, I fell madly in love and never looked back.
This year, I hope to let Penny help me out with the regular baking. I look very forward to our first year decorating Christmas cookies and giving our neighbors some goodies. She always wants to help me and I usually give her a small job, but this year one thing we are going to do is make David's birthday cake. I want her to be able to present it, no matter how lopsided and unevenly iced, and be able to say "Look what I made you, Daddy!"
If you don't know me personally, I'll let you know now that there is nothing more adorable (and, slightly annoying) than how much my oldest daughter LOVES her Daddy! She loves me too, and enjoys our time together whenever we get it, but I am well aware that she is a daddy's girl, through and through. I do get tired of it, but for the most part I embrace it.
However, lately Penny has started to take on my mannerisms and hand gestures. It's very funny. We spent a good hour the other night making "emotion faces"...I don't think I have laughed that hard in years. But this big step has also been an eye-opener. I know I can be hard on my kids, and I like to believe it's for their own good and that as long as there is a good balance of love and the firm hand, they will turn out normal. However:
This really makes a parent think about how they go about discipline the next time the kids are driving her up a wall! I think I had great parents, but they weren't perfect and neither am I. I'm not shooting for perfection, but I am bound and determined to try and not make the same mistakes.
It's a constant fear as a parent, that you will screw up your kid so badly that they won't be able to make it in the real world on their own and have normal social relationships. You wonder if you are too soft, or too hard on them. You wonder if spanking them will ruin them for life or just teach them to not be a jerkface, and then if you don't spank them you wonder if you are teaching them that they can get away with their actions...and then it just spins out of control.
But, then there is this time at night when your kids are going to bed and they come up to you with those sleepy eyes and crawl into your lap, wrap their arms around your neck, nuzzle their heads into your chest and just breathe. And all of it is 100% worth it.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Indecisive much?!
So my lovely husband informed me that for my birthday I can get the tattoo that I have been DYING to get. *Insert celebratory dance moves here!*
Of course, now that I know I can get it...I can't decide what to get! I went with my good friend, Deedee to get her tattoo, so at least I know where to go to get it done, and I know that I have to wait a couple years (like 5 minimum) to even attempt a tattoo near my scar on my chest, which means that I'll be getting the one(s) for my girls!
I know I want their names and/or dates of birth, but I don't really know where and I don't really know what kind of design. Welcome to my mind =) I'm mostly leaning towards the back of my neck so I can easily cover it up if I want. That or one on each shoulder blade. Some of the designs I've seen online sparked my interest.
Of course, now that I know I can get it...I can't decide what to get! I went with my good friend, Deedee to get her tattoo, so at least I know where to go to get it done, and I know that I have to wait a couple years (like 5 minimum) to even attempt a tattoo near my scar on my chest, which means that I'll be getting the one(s) for my girls!
I know I want their names and/or dates of birth, but I don't really know where and I don't really know what kind of design. Welcome to my mind =) I'm mostly leaning towards the back of my neck so I can easily cover it up if I want. That or one on each shoulder blade. Some of the designs I've seen online sparked my interest.
I like the infinity symbol one (not really the flowers) but it seems like everyone is getting them...and I want to be different =)
And the one on the back of the neck is just a little more boring than I want. Again, welcome to my mind!
I'm wondering if I could get one that was my zodiac sign (Libra) with Penny's sign in one part of the scale and Sophia's sign in the other...of course being balanced evenly!
David isn't a huge fan of tattoos, but I have wanted another for years, especially since my first was meaningful, but stupidly placed and has become quite a joke.
I really want a pretty tattoo, is that too much to ask?! And I want it to mean something, especially since I'm doing it with my kids' names.
As far as turning 26...it feels WAY better than turning 25! I plan to go out and have a margarita and get a tattoo, but other than that I look forward to spending the day with my family. I'm ignoring that I only have FOUR more years until I'm 30 and enjoy the fact that I have a whole four more years before I turn 30 =) And if you understood that sentence, congratulations you speak the language of Katie.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Super-Special Heart even 6+ months later!
I hit a pretty special mile-marker last month. It was officially 6 months since I had open-heart surgery!! I was pretty shocked and excited to realize it, but as my appointment with my cardiologist drew nearer, I was more nervous than anything. I knew that we would be doing another echo to see how well my heart has healed and to see the difference in gradient levels since August of 2011, when I was originally diagnosed. The gradient is basically the level of blockage caused by the tissue malformation in my heart (caused by the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) and in a normal, healthy heart the gradient level should be zero. I knew my heart would never be a zero, but back in 2011, when they realized the problem, my gradient level was 78. *Zoinks!*
Also, I had decided to switch cardiologists. I didn't really have anything against my original one, but I had several problems with her staff. The first issue I had was when I had my first follow-up visit after my surgery to get the OK to go back to work. Her nurse had brought her the wrong chart and while my doctor was getting paperwork, she left the chart on the counter in front of me. HUGE violation of a patient's privacy! Then when I was trying to get a prescription refilled, her nurse left me a message telling me it had been discontinued in March. That didn't add up to what I had discussed with my doctor, but I let it slide since I would be seeing her in a few weeks anyway and could ask her about it in person. Then after I had scheduled my appointment, I got another phone call from her nurse telling me that since I had been seen in May, I didn't need to be seen until November. I had never been seen in May, so this was the absolute last straw because AGAIN they were getting their patients confused. So I called my primary doctor and had her send me a referral to a cardiologist my sister had originally suggested to me...when will I ever learn to just listen??
The appointment went great, no big news...had gained a few pounds which pissed me off but I had known it was coming so can't be to mad about it! Finally, they sent me to get the echo and the moment arrived! After seeing my echo from August about half a dozen times I actually knew (kind of) what I was looking at, but not how to tell what was good or bad. So instead I did what I do best and watched. I'm pretty sure the echo tech thought I was a complete freak because I was staring DIRECTLY at her face for close to 30-45 minutes. Finally, she just started smiling and I knew it would be good news, but I still waited. She looked at me and said "Well, this is just beautiful" My eyes instantly filled with tears. I asked her why and she told me "Dr. Bradley was expecting a gradient in the 30's...but yours is a 24!" And then the tears just flooded. I know I'm not completely out of the woods and that I still have a heart condition and blah, blah, blah...whatever! I am SO grateful for the past year that I don't know how people can ever question the possibility of someone watching over us. I should of had symptoms much more severe before 2011, ESPECIALLY since I went through two pregnancies. But instead I was blessed with two healthy babies before I found out. And because I have a wonderful doctor in the family, I was able to get the absolute BEST care that I could and had this amazing surgeon perform my surgery and do SUCH a great job that I'm going to be around to see those two kids grow up and be amazing, beautiful women. And I get to grow old with the greatest husband in the world.
Since my last post, my youngest turned 1 year old, and the oldest turned 3. We have moved into a rental house that is, in the nicest words possible, a challenge. But we have put a lot of love and sweat into it and it's starting to feel like a home. A temporary home. As in the day our lease is up, we will be LONG gone. Forever. And I won't cry!
Also, I had decided to switch cardiologists. I didn't really have anything against my original one, but I had several problems with her staff. The first issue I had was when I had my first follow-up visit after my surgery to get the OK to go back to work. Her nurse had brought her the wrong chart and while my doctor was getting paperwork, she left the chart on the counter in front of me. HUGE violation of a patient's privacy! Then when I was trying to get a prescription refilled, her nurse left me a message telling me it had been discontinued in March. That didn't add up to what I had discussed with my doctor, but I let it slide since I would be seeing her in a few weeks anyway and could ask her about it in person. Then after I had scheduled my appointment, I got another phone call from her nurse telling me that since I had been seen in May, I didn't need to be seen until November. I had never been seen in May, so this was the absolute last straw because AGAIN they were getting their patients confused. So I called my primary doctor and had her send me a referral to a cardiologist my sister had originally suggested to me...when will I ever learn to just listen??
The appointment went great, no big news...had gained a few pounds which pissed me off but I had known it was coming so can't be to mad about it! Finally, they sent me to get the echo and the moment arrived! After seeing my echo from August about half a dozen times I actually knew (kind of) what I was looking at, but not how to tell what was good or bad. So instead I did what I do best and watched. I'm pretty sure the echo tech thought I was a complete freak because I was staring DIRECTLY at her face for close to 30-45 minutes. Finally, she just started smiling and I knew it would be good news, but I still waited. She looked at me and said "Well, this is just beautiful" My eyes instantly filled with tears. I asked her why and she told me "Dr. Bradley was expecting a gradient in the 30's...but yours is a 24!" And then the tears just flooded. I know I'm not completely out of the woods and that I still have a heart condition and blah, blah, blah...whatever! I am SO grateful for the past year that I don't know how people can ever question the possibility of someone watching over us. I should of had symptoms much more severe before 2011, ESPECIALLY since I went through two pregnancies. But instead I was blessed with two healthy babies before I found out. And because I have a wonderful doctor in the family, I was able to get the absolute BEST care that I could and had this amazing surgeon perform my surgery and do SUCH a great job that I'm going to be around to see those two kids grow up and be amazing, beautiful women. And I get to grow old with the greatest husband in the world.
Since my last post, my youngest turned 1 year old, and the oldest turned 3. We have moved into a rental house that is, in the nicest words possible, a challenge. But we have put a lot of love and sweat into it and it's starting to feel like a home. A temporary home. As in the day our lease is up, we will be LONG gone. Forever. And I won't cry!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Is there really a such thing as the Zipper Club?
Well...kind of. See, a scar from having open-heart surgery is kind of like a pregnant belly...everyone sees it, everyone kind of stares at it thinking "hmm, should I ask??" and most everyone decides against it. This week, however, I had a coworker come up to me at work (I'm back to work by the way, more on that later.) and tell me "Oh, so you're a member of the Zipper Club? My husband is too." Call me crazy, but I found this AWESOME! As most of you know, I'm not embarrassed about my scar. I kind of had to get over it, I wasn't known for my super-modest wardrobe to begin with, people have been staring at my chest since puberty. I'm not PROUD of that so much as I've gotten over it, same with the scar. It's a part of me, it's an awesome story, why not own it, right? So I've been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo over the scar cuz, hello!! What better way to own it! Problem?? I'm a huge weenie and am surprised I even made it through the only other tattoo I have. On that note I would like to say, for the record, I didn't know of the phrase "tramp stamp" when I got it...I swear! So anyway, I have been told that getting tattoos over scars hurts like hell, so I'm not going to rush into this decision any time soon. Mostly cuz I don't really regret my other tattoo so much as I kind of got sick of it after about a month and you can't exactly get rid of it so I'm not going to hurry a decision that I would see every single day. But the Zipper Club gave me a pretty cool idea of what I would like my tattoo to be. However, I'm not exactly the most artistic person so I have trouble wrapping my head around what I would want the tattoo to look like. Just a plain old zipper sounds boring and ugly lol
So for those of you who actually read my blog (I know, I know, there's about a billion of you!!) and have some artistic ability, I would LOVE some ideas! I'm not sure how to explain what I want other than a pretty zipper? Sorry, like I said, zero artistic ability. Those of you who play Draw Something with me know!!
Anyway, I've been at work now for 2 weeks and I'm already missing being home with the girls. I like the "break," if you will, but as a mother you just never really get over the guilt of not being home. It's not really fair, if you ask me! So I think that if David's possible career move falls through (cross your fingers for this to NOT happen!) I'm just going to start going back to school full time and see where that takes me. I've waited and waited and made excuse after excuse and it's just time. I still have no idea what to go to school for. I'm thinking somewhere between opening my own bakery (I'm pretty sure there isn't a major in that subject lol) and being a writer. What I'm the most afraid of is going to school for 4 or more years and having a degree that I can't even use. I remember in high school all of our teachers told us "All you need is a 4 year degree and you'll be set!" LIARS! I'm sure they couldn't have predicted that our economy and job situation would be where it is today but who could have? Wait a second, isn't that someones JOB to fix?? Hmm....
<-----That's all I'm saying!!!!
As for the diet...lets just say I've fallen off the wagon. Chocolate is my best friend and will never leave me. My favorite work pants were a little tight the other day (to be fair they were fresh out of the dryer!) so I turned on the music and jumped and danced around with Penny =) That counts, right?! I'm determined to hit my goal weight by New Year's Eve and I'm keeping it dammit. Its just....CHOCOLATE!!! Need I say more? I gave it up for Lent so maybe that's why I've been so obsessed with it recently. And no, we aren't Catholic, we're Lutheran. Which is basically Catholic...except it isn't. And we haven't gone to church since my confirmation, but we still do the whole Lent thing. Mostly for the self-discipline of it. Whatever, come Easter morning I was elbow deep in a tub of Nutella =) Ok not really, but for those of you who DO give up something for Lent do NOT give up chocolate. It's just cruel.
On that note, I think Penny still had a Cadbury Creme egg...those are my absolute favorite =)...Adios!
tee hee!
So for those of you who actually read my blog (I know, I know, there's about a billion of you!!) and have some artistic ability, I would LOVE some ideas! I'm not sure how to explain what I want other than a pretty zipper? Sorry, like I said, zero artistic ability. Those of you who play Draw Something with me know!!
Anyway, I've been at work now for 2 weeks and I'm already missing being home with the girls. I like the "break," if you will, but as a mother you just never really get over the guilt of not being home. It's not really fair, if you ask me! So I think that if David's possible career move falls through (cross your fingers for this to NOT happen!) I'm just going to start going back to school full time and see where that takes me. I've waited and waited and made excuse after excuse and it's just time. I still have no idea what to go to school for. I'm thinking somewhere between opening my own bakery (I'm pretty sure there isn't a major in that subject lol) and being a writer. What I'm the most afraid of is going to school for 4 or more years and having a degree that I can't even use. I remember in high school all of our teachers told us "All you need is a 4 year degree and you'll be set!" LIARS! I'm sure they couldn't have predicted that our economy and job situation would be where it is today but who could have? Wait a second, isn't that someones JOB to fix?? Hmm....
<-----That's all I'm saying!!!!As for the diet...lets just say I've fallen off the wagon. Chocolate is my best friend and will never leave me. My favorite work pants were a little tight the other day (to be fair they were fresh out of the dryer!) so I turned on the music and jumped and danced around with Penny =) That counts, right?! I'm determined to hit my goal weight by New Year's Eve and I'm keeping it dammit. Its just....CHOCOLATE!!! Need I say more? I gave it up for Lent so maybe that's why I've been so obsessed with it recently. And no, we aren't Catholic, we're Lutheran. Which is basically Catholic...except it isn't. And we haven't gone to church since my confirmation, but we still do the whole Lent thing. Mostly for the self-discipline of it. Whatever, come Easter morning I was elbow deep in a tub of Nutella =) Ok not really, but for those of you who DO give up something for Lent do NOT give up chocolate. It's just cruel.
On that note, I think Penny still had a Cadbury Creme egg...those are my absolute favorite =)...Adios!
tee hee!Monday, February 27, 2012
OhmiGARSH I'm bored!
Well, not really. See, now the girls have officially moved in (FINALLY!) and Hubby has started to work 4 days a week (14-hour shifts) at the store in Seminole to make us some extra money since I can't go back to work until I get a release. So to pass those extra moments, I've been trying to hone my literary skills and read some good books. I found a list of "classic" novels throughout our history and got 3 of them, and they are so incredibly BORING! I got quite a few BETTER suggestions from my friends for book choices, so I'll be returning to the library quite soon. Also I've been finding new recipes to try out and playing a couple computer games. I'm keeping the computer games to a minimum to avoid getting sucked into hours and hours on the computer. After all, it's just as bad as being in front of the TV all day and I'd rather be spending time with my sweet girls any day.
As for the "diet," lets just say that a low-sodium diet is not as easy as I thought! Mostly because I'm a salt-o-holic! I'd take a bag of chips over a sweet treat any day! Which inevitably lead to the need (along with the serious, life-altering heart condition) for the low-sodium diet! For the most part, it's not the worst TASTING diet, I will admit to that. After the first week you get used to how the food is actually supposed to taste and you start to use other spices instead of just heaping on the salt and it actually makes you more daring in the kitchen. Plus, it makes you hyper-aware of just how salty some foods are made, especially at fast food joints and other restaurants. For instance, the Hubbs and I went out on a "date" (baby Sophia crashed, but she literally crashed halfway through so it turned out to still be quite nice) to Genghis Grill the other day, and for those of you who don't know, I'll explain: you are given a bowl by your waitress and you go up to a buffet with all raw ingredients. You pick your protein (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, crab, tofu...etc) then you pick your veggies (broccoli, zucchini and squash, spinach and so many more I can't even remember) and you pick a seasoning and sauce. By not ADDING anything that had salt in the title or salt by itself, I managed to keep the dish from being overly salty. Still probably in all too much sodium to qualify as a good meal for my specific requirements but I was still quite proud and, most importantly, satisfied. So that's my general rule of thumb, just don't ADD any additional salt to anything I make and to get the lower and reduced sodium ingredients when available. Rinsing any canned veggies or beans that I use also cuts the sodium content in those ingredients.
My family also has a running tradition to get together and have breakfast once a week. Usually this consists of breakfast burritos but during my last pregnancy I had gestational diabetes so we branched out a bit to find some healthier breakfast bites. And since the G.D. went away after Sophia was born, we have stuck pretty well to having a healthier option available at MOST of our breakfasts. This past week was probably one of the best recipes we have had yet. My good friend in Utah, Kerry, introduced me to this co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Basically you pay like $15 and you get a laundry basket full of fresh produce, 50% veggies and 50% fruits. This past week we got mangoes in our basket. None of us have used mangoes on a regular basis....or ever, really, so we were looking for yummy recipes to use them in. We ran across this recipe from Pinterest:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/strawberry-mango-jicama-salad-recipe/
It was fantastic! We didn't add the cilantro because we aren't huge fans, however we did add a touch of chili powder. I was skeptical at this, but the chili brought out the sweetness in all of the fruits (if jicama is a fruit??) and made it quite delightful.
So that has been one thing keeping me from loosing my mind while I'm stuck being useless for the next 4 weeks. We'll be making a quinoa mac & cheese soon that seems interesting! I'm hoping my picky eaters (David and Penny) will at least give it a shot.
As for those crazy kiddos, they're wonderful!! Sophia had her first illness; she had double ear infections and RSV, which was super scary. Mostly just because we had to give her breathing treatments, which I didn't handle (emotionally) very well. I've gotten a pretty good poker face for all scary "mommy" things, or at least I hope I have. But luckily she didn't develop croup or pneumonia and made quite an amazing recovery. Thank GOODNESS!
Today has been a wonderfully miserable weather day and, as most moms know, this weather is like Ambien to kids so it's been AWESOME! We're gonna sit down to a warm cup of something now!
As for the "diet," lets just say that a low-sodium diet is not as easy as I thought! Mostly because I'm a salt-o-holic! I'd take a bag of chips over a sweet treat any day! Which inevitably lead to the need (along with the serious, life-altering heart condition) for the low-sodium diet! For the most part, it's not the worst TASTING diet, I will admit to that. After the first week you get used to how the food is actually supposed to taste and you start to use other spices instead of just heaping on the salt and it actually makes you more daring in the kitchen. Plus, it makes you hyper-aware of just how salty some foods are made, especially at fast food joints and other restaurants. For instance, the Hubbs and I went out on a "date" (baby Sophia crashed, but she literally crashed halfway through so it turned out to still be quite nice) to Genghis Grill the other day, and for those of you who don't know, I'll explain: you are given a bowl by your waitress and you go up to a buffet with all raw ingredients. You pick your protein (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, crab, tofu...etc) then you pick your veggies (broccoli, zucchini and squash, spinach and so many more I can't even remember) and you pick a seasoning and sauce. By not ADDING anything that had salt in the title or salt by itself, I managed to keep the dish from being overly salty. Still probably in all too much sodium to qualify as a good meal for my specific requirements but I was still quite proud and, most importantly, satisfied. So that's my general rule of thumb, just don't ADD any additional salt to anything I make and to get the lower and reduced sodium ingredients when available. Rinsing any canned veggies or beans that I use also cuts the sodium content in those ingredients.
My family also has a running tradition to get together and have breakfast once a week. Usually this consists of breakfast burritos but during my last pregnancy I had gestational diabetes so we branched out a bit to find some healthier breakfast bites. And since the G.D. went away after Sophia was born, we have stuck pretty well to having a healthier option available at MOST of our breakfasts. This past week was probably one of the best recipes we have had yet. My good friend in Utah, Kerry, introduced me to this co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Basically you pay like $15 and you get a laundry basket full of fresh produce, 50% veggies and 50% fruits. This past week we got mangoes in our basket. None of us have used mangoes on a regular basis....or ever, really, so we were looking for yummy recipes to use them in. We ran across this recipe from Pinterest:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/strawberry-mango-jicama-salad-recipe/
It was fantastic! We didn't add the cilantro because we aren't huge fans, however we did add a touch of chili powder. I was skeptical at this, but the chili brought out the sweetness in all of the fruits (if jicama is a fruit??) and made it quite delightful.
So that has been one thing keeping me from loosing my mind while I'm stuck being useless for the next 4 weeks. We'll be making a quinoa mac & cheese soon that seems interesting! I'm hoping my picky eaters (David and Penny) will at least give it a shot.
As for those crazy kiddos, they're wonderful!! Sophia had her first illness; she had double ear infections and RSV, which was super scary. Mostly just because we had to give her breathing treatments, which I didn't handle (emotionally) very well. I've gotten a pretty good poker face for all scary "mommy" things, or at least I hope I have. But luckily she didn't develop croup or pneumonia and made quite an amazing recovery. Thank GOODNESS!
Today has been a wonderfully miserable weather day and, as most moms know, this weather is like Ambien to kids so it's been AWESOME! We're gonna sit down to a warm cup of something now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)