Myki came home today with a blue and green sugar cookies; a preschool homage to Earth Day! He was super excited. After dinner, his Dad tells him "we will share the Earth Day cookie like we share the Earth." Myki is surprisingly agreeable to the idea.
Have you ever seen Finding Nemo?
You know how Darla shakes the plastic bag with Nemo as hard as she possibly can? That's pretty much how Myki treated his Earth Day cookie.
So the time comes to eat it and he says, "Daddy you eat the big piece and I will eat the other big piece and Mami, you will eat the little piece of a piece."
"The crumbs. Do you mean Mami should eat the crumbs? Is that all Mami is worth, the crumbs?"
"Umm, yea."
"So, do you think that's all Mami is worth?"
"Yes"
While all this is occurring, Myki insists on sitting on my lap, snuggling up on me while I shower him in kisses. Hopefully, the old adage is true, actions speak louder than words?!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
360 Degrees of Self Care
For reasons beyond my control, I have not had quality health insurance for the last year or so. I've now had insurance since April 1 and have been using it to the maximum extent possible. The day my insurance cards came in the mail, I spent an hour researching doctor's office and making appointments - the podiatrist, the lady doctor, the dermatologist and a general practitioner. I'm also in the market for an allergist and some class of mental health professional.
You don't quite appreciate a visit to the doctor until you've been unable to take one. I've had very good insurance for essentially my entire life. It literally cost me less than $500 to have my son - complete prenatal care and a c-section delivery. Since Myki was born, while I had that wonderful insurance, I didn't necessarily have funds for a copay or time to make doctor's appointments, never mind actually going. I absolutely took my access to care for granted.
This morning, I anxiously went to the gynecologist I'm one of those people who is totally unnerved by a gyno appointment. I've been known to cry and I definitely need to be told over and over to relax and "let your knees fall to the side." I took off my big girl panties (Ha!) and got through it. As a new patient, we ran through my entire medical history, a sobering conversation. I recounted my family history of diabetes, remembered a thyroid removal surgery that brought my mom within an inch of her life, and enumerated all of the grandparents, aunts and uncles who died of some form of cancer, usually not found until it was late stage.
I'd never been so relieved to see the doctor, especially this kind of doctor. But going through a less than positive family medical history made me appreciate my current health insurance that much more. My dialogue around self-care has been centered around the hair salon, the nail salon, an esthetician (fancy name for waxing) and the occasional massage. But the reality is that self-care includes the discomfort and inconvenience of medical appointments and preventative care.
It's probably against blogger etiquette to cite a blog that cites another blog, but I'm still learning, so bear with me. I read a great post a few weeks ago on a mother's self-care: "Avoiding the Doctor Won't Keep You Healthy." Blogger Tara Jefferson said it took her three years to make an Ob/Gyn appointment and cited Meagan Francis, Founder of The Happiest Home:
You don't quite appreciate a visit to the doctor until you've been unable to take one. I've had very good insurance for essentially my entire life. It literally cost me less than $500 to have my son - complete prenatal care and a c-section delivery. Since Myki was born, while I had that wonderful insurance, I didn't necessarily have funds for a copay or time to make doctor's appointments, never mind actually going. I absolutely took my access to care for granted.
This morning, I anxiously went to the gynecologist I'm one of those people who is totally unnerved by a gyno appointment. I've been known to cry and I definitely need to be told over and over to relax and "let your knees fall to the side." I took off my big girl panties (Ha!) and got through it. As a new patient, we ran through my entire medical history, a sobering conversation. I recounted my family history of diabetes, remembered a thyroid removal surgery that brought my mom within an inch of her life, and enumerated all of the grandparents, aunts and uncles who died of some form of cancer, usually not found until it was late stage.
I'd never been so relieved to see the doctor, especially this kind of doctor. But going through a less than positive family medical history made me appreciate my current health insurance that much more. My dialogue around self-care has been centered around the hair salon, the nail salon, an esthetician (fancy name for waxing) and the occasional massage. But the reality is that self-care includes the discomfort and inconvenience of medical appointments and preventative care.
It's probably against blogger etiquette to cite a blog that cites another blog, but I'm still learning, so bear with me. I read a great post a few weeks ago on a mother's self-care: "Avoiding the Doctor Won't Keep You Healthy." Blogger Tara Jefferson said it took her three years to make an Ob/Gyn appointment and cited Meagan Francis, Founder of The Happiest Home:
But while bubble baths, massages, and manicures are wonderful things, they’re no substitute for taking real care of our health. And that can involve messy, uncomfortable, inconvenient, and un-pampering processes like screenings, blood tests, mole removals and mammograms.
No, those things don’t make for cute Instagrams or a fun girl’s nights out. But they are vitally important and we owe it to ourselves to make sure that “self care” includes the uncomfortable, un-fun stuff along with scented lotions and facials.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
The Secrets of a Successful Marriage
Yesterday my husband and I celebrated five years of marriage. Five years doesn't sound like very long but according to the US Census Bureau, most marriages that end in divorce are short. The first five years are often the most difficult and Mike and I upped the ante by getting married very young, at 23 years old and having a baby almost immediately after being married.
As I reflect on the last five years, I hope that we can maintain the same level of commitment to this endeavor of marriage; that we can continue to evolve and mature individually and as a couple. I've read a lot of articles about marriage, a few books on how to stay together. There are a million quotes about marriage and just as many theories as to what the secret is to a successful one.
Five years in, I think all of the advice is different ways of saying the same thing. The secret to marriage is being in the other person's corner. It means giving them the benefit of the doubt, seeing past their crazy, taking their feelings and opinions into account and allowing them to be just as much an individual as they are a part of a unit.
I think all of this is particularly necessary for those who get married young. I am a different woman at 28 than I was at 23. I will probably be five different women before all is said and done.
"A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love."
Pearl S. Buck
The thing that no one tells you about marriage is how incredibly difficult it is. It's easy to be single, to be on your own tip and do whatever it is you want to do. Dealing with someone else's emotions, priorities and sometimes their drama is challenging. Consulting someone before you make decisions, accommodating your life so that it fits nicely with your partners, it's almost impossible.
But you figure it out because failure is not an option; walking away when things get tough...and ugly, it's not an option. My husband has absolutely never wavered in this respect. As we celebrate five years, I can say I will never waver again. I have only in our last year found the subtle strength and confidence that comes with having a real partner in every aspect of my life. Perhaps I am just now mature enough to really understand the point of marriage and revel in it.
Today, I am incredibly grateful for yesterday and every day of the last five years. May we continue to love and support each other, raise a noble man and help each other become the best version of ourselves.
As I reflect on the last five years, I hope that we can maintain the same level of commitment to this endeavor of marriage; that we can continue to evolve and mature individually and as a couple. I've read a lot of articles about marriage, a few books on how to stay together. There are a million quotes about marriage and just as many theories as to what the secret is to a successful one.
Five years in, I think all of the advice is different ways of saying the same thing. The secret to marriage is being in the other person's corner. It means giving them the benefit of the doubt, seeing past their crazy, taking their feelings and opinions into account and allowing them to be just as much an individual as they are a part of a unit.
I think all of this is particularly necessary for those who get married young. I am a different woman at 28 than I was at 23. I will probably be five different women before all is said and done.
"A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love."
Pearl S. Buck
The thing that no one tells you about marriage is how incredibly difficult it is. It's easy to be single, to be on your own tip and do whatever it is you want to do. Dealing with someone else's emotions, priorities and sometimes their drama is challenging. Consulting someone before you make decisions, accommodating your life so that it fits nicely with your partners, it's almost impossible.
But you figure it out because failure is not an option; walking away when things get tough...and ugly, it's not an option. My husband has absolutely never wavered in this respect. As we celebrate five years, I can say I will never waver again. I have only in our last year found the subtle strength and confidence that comes with having a real partner in every aspect of my life. Perhaps I am just now mature enough to really understand the point of marriage and revel in it.
Today, I am incredibly grateful for yesterday and every day of the last five years. May we continue to love and support each other, raise a noble man and help each other become the best version of ourselves.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Covering My Parade with an Umbrella
After this wonderfully active and beautiful weekend, the last thing I wanted to do was go to work today. But the sun was shining, the birds were literally chirping and due to my wonderful weekend, I had a little kick in my step and planned on making the best of it.
I had also read an article this weekend about efficiency at work and was excited to test out the advice. The article recommended the 1-3-5 method of making to do lists. For one work day, you select one big, three medium and five small tasks to accomplish. I was ready to start the week off right! (Corny, I know, but anything to help me get more done is greatly appreciated!)
I know Mondays can be tough, I do. And I've absolutely been a less than social and absolutely smile-less person on a Monday, but something must have been in the water today at work. A bunch of people I had to interact with inside my office and out were just grumpy, and rude, and annoyingly insecure. Sometimes I feel like telling people to go home. I mean just like you don't come to work when you're sick, because its contagious, you really need to take a mental health day if you can't pull it together and function at a professional level. The first email I opened was literally a rant from a colleague about all they had to do and why our project hasn't moved.
I am absolutely emotional and passionate about my work, so I get being irritated and even venting but today was just out of control. I think what I was so taken aback by was how susceptible I seem to be to other people's dark moods. So while I went to work in good spirits and the best of intentions, I left over analyzing a rude email and wishing I didn't have to go in tomorrow.
Is there some kind of trick to ignoring people's bad attitudes? Can I build up gloominess tolerance so that no one else's dark cloud can push my sunshine out?
Maybe Ill put an auto reply on my email - "Im in a great mood today so don't rain on my parade. If this email is negative, you should recall it, add some niceties and resend. Thanks!"
I had also read an article this weekend about efficiency at work and was excited to test out the advice. The article recommended the 1-3-5 method of making to do lists. For one work day, you select one big, three medium and five small tasks to accomplish. I was ready to start the week off right! (Corny, I know, but anything to help me get more done is greatly appreciated!)
I know Mondays can be tough, I do. And I've absolutely been a less than social and absolutely smile-less person on a Monday, but something must have been in the water today at work. A bunch of people I had to interact with inside my office and out were just grumpy, and rude, and annoyingly insecure. Sometimes I feel like telling people to go home. I mean just like you don't come to work when you're sick, because its contagious, you really need to take a mental health day if you can't pull it together and function at a professional level. The first email I opened was literally a rant from a colleague about all they had to do and why our project hasn't moved.
I am absolutely emotional and passionate about my work, so I get being irritated and even venting but today was just out of control. I think what I was so taken aback by was how susceptible I seem to be to other people's dark moods. So while I went to work in good spirits and the best of intentions, I left over analyzing a rude email and wishing I didn't have to go in tomorrow.
Is there some kind of trick to ignoring people's bad attitudes? Can I build up gloominess tolerance so that no one else's dark cloud can push my sunshine out?
Maybe Ill put an auto reply on my email - "Im in a great mood today so don't rain on my parade. If this email is negative, you should recall it, add some niceties and resend. Thanks!"
Sunday, April 7, 2013
What a Difference the Sun Makes!
This has been one of the most active and satisfying weekends I've had in quite some time! I am hear to tell you that seasonal depression is real! I feel like I've just woken up from a sedated state or something.
While I am from the Northeast and no stranger to cold or a blizzard, I've lived the last five years of my life in South Florida. I do love the summer - I always have. I've never felt like its too hot or humid; I just love the heat. But I spent my five years in Florida lobbying for a return to winter. I just needed to relocate back to Washington, DC. Professionally, personally, for my family, I was absolutely convinced that DC was what we needed.
So in April 2012, when I got a job in Alexandria, VA, I thought I'd hit the jackpot! As I look back on the last year, I am convinced that professionally, personally and for my family, moving was the right thing, with one exception - winter.
I was prepared for the cold. I knew I'd need winter clothes and I'd have to look beyond a park or pool for Myki's entertainment. What I was not at all prepared for was the sad...and the lethargic. I don't know that it had ever affected me so severely before! Before winter, I was working out almost daily. I had not only lost weight, but I felt strong. I was eating well, feeling sexy, making plans and hanging out, staying up past 10 pm. It was great.
Then comes the cold and the shorter days and I felt like a whiney, sleepy, unfocused mess. I'm pretty sure I had a two week period in there when I didn't wash my hair. I literally went to work in a messy bun every day for two weeks. I was just not prepared for the emotional ramifications of darkness and cold.
I am so excited about Spring and Summer and plan on stocking up on sunlight and outside time while I can!
I've been told that working out, going outside during lunch and even the tanning salon can combat the winter blues. Do you have any tips for avoiding the sad?? I need a game plan come November!
While I am from the Northeast and no stranger to cold or a blizzard, I've lived the last five years of my life in South Florida. I do love the summer - I always have. I've never felt like its too hot or humid; I just love the heat. But I spent my five years in Florida lobbying for a return to winter. I just needed to relocate back to Washington, DC. Professionally, personally, for my family, I was absolutely convinced that DC was what we needed.
So in April 2012, when I got a job in Alexandria, VA, I thought I'd hit the jackpot! As I look back on the last year, I am convinced that professionally, personally and for my family, moving was the right thing, with one exception - winter.
I was prepared for the cold. I knew I'd need winter clothes and I'd have to look beyond a park or pool for Myki's entertainment. What I was not at all prepared for was the sad...and the lethargic. I don't know that it had ever affected me so severely before! Before winter, I was working out almost daily. I had not only lost weight, but I felt strong. I was eating well, feeling sexy, making plans and hanging out, staying up past 10 pm. It was great.
Then comes the cold and the shorter days and I felt like a whiney, sleepy, unfocused mess. I'm pretty sure I had a two week period in there when I didn't wash my hair. I literally went to work in a messy bun every day for two weeks. I was just not prepared for the emotional ramifications of darkness and cold.
I am so excited about Spring and Summer and plan on stocking up on sunlight and outside time while I can!
I've been told that working out, going outside during lunch and even the tanning salon can combat the winter blues. Do you have any tips for avoiding the sad?? I need a game plan come November!
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