For Her: Welcome to your 40's!

I have always felt that it is so unfair to be female, particularly every month during our fertile years.  Males NEVER have to deal with the crap of bleeding for one week out of every stinking month from middle school age until their 50s.  Apparently this ‘great divide’ in equality continues as we age.  When we finally get to the beginning of the end of these monthly pain-in-the-asses, a whole new slew of problems arise due to our hormones going away.  And when menopause becomes official, which can apparently take up to 10 years, an entirely new set of issues develop, such as brittle bones, lack of sex drive, and lubrication issues, to say the least.  Ahhhh...Life.

The following conversation occurred yesterday between my friend (who is a wonderfully laid back woman with a fabulous sense of humor) and her gynecologist:  

Doc:  So tell me what is going on with you?

Lola:  Well, one month I won’t have my period and then the next month I’ll have 2.  I am tired all of the time.  I could sleep 14 hours a day and I’m gaining weight.   

Doc:  Welcome to life in your 40s.  Tell me about your periods; do you have blood clots?

Lola:  Yes, like I’m dropping hamsters.

Doc:  Definitely sounds like your 40s.

Lola:  I have no sex drive.  My husband wants sex and I just don’t want to be bothered with such nonsense; that is 2 minutes of my life I will never get back.

Doc:  You’re perfectly normal.  I will put you on birth control pills to regulate your period.

Lola:  I was truly hoping for a pill so I would NEVER have another period again.  We can send a man to the moon and yet can’t stop my crazy periods!!   I’m 44 years old, have had my tubes tied for 10 years, I don’t have sex, and NOW I get on birth control pills.  Really.

Lola (after her appointment):  I had to get my thyroid checked, so they drew blood.  Apparently the only thing in me that doesn’t want to bleed out of control is my veins; that tiny needle hurt like hell.  So ladies welcome to your 40’s.  Life is grand.  It gets better, I am only peri-menopause now, I have 10 years before the party that is actual menopause starts.  YEAH.

Laughing Along This Journey,

Me

Motivational Moment:

May you have good friends to share laughs with as you travel along your life's journey.

For the Love of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever since going gluten free (GF) about a year ago, I have been on the hunt for the perfect GF chocolate chip cookie.  If you don't know, I am quite the lover of all things chocolate, including brownies and chocolate chip cookies.  One of the hardest things about going gluten free for me (besides the most obvious loss: bread) was losing a delicious brownie/cake/cookie option.  Most GF replacement flours result in a baked good that is NOT moist and delicious; the end product is more like a dry, thick substance that feels like a ball of cement in your stomach.

Hence my GF journey has involved many cookie recipes from scratch (with different replacement flours) as well as boxed mixes.  My family has (not-so-willingly) accompanied me on my journey.  In fact, my daughters have asked me: "Can't we ever have gluteny brownies or cookies?!".  One of my first GF recipes literally looked like a flat piece of paper with chocolate chips sticking out of it. It actually tasted ok, but was not aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  Apparently gluten is the 'glue' that holds breads and cookies together and makes them moist - because let me tell you - without gluten, cookies and breads just crumble apart when you pick them up. 

I am still quite the amateur at GF baking; however, I can tell you what tastes delicious and what does not.  This past week, I tried this Betty Crocker recipe and was very pleased with the results! 

 The baked cookie actually looked just like the picture on the box AND was delicious. 

I was so excited about my close-to-gluten chocolate chip cookie find, that I was, of course, inspired to blog about it.  :)

I will note that these GF cookies need to be kept in an air-tight container or else they go stale within a few days (but then again - I'm not sure that my baggie constitutes "air-tight" storage).  Oh well...the absolute best time to enjoy any cookie, whether gluteny or gluten free, is fresh from the oven (with chocolate ice cream on top!).


Sighing Contently with my newly discovered, yummy GF Cookie Mix (Thank You Betty Crocker!),

Me

Motivational Moment:

May you have simple little pleasures in life that bring you joy.

Today's Moment is dedicated to Dustin and Spencer.  If you have not seen it (which 10 million people have as of today!!), Spencer proposed to Dustin in Home Depot and it is such a beautiful display of love, I had to share it (Proposal).  Thank you both for sharing your love with us!  It is an inspiration and is beautiful!  Best wishes for a fabulous life to both of you!

Random Life Rant

Sometimes you just want more out of your life.  You feel inspired to do great things; be so much more than you currently are.  You feel trapped and burdened by your responsibilities and the drudgeries of life.  The problem is not really knowing what it is that you want to do and how to go about doing it.

I just came home from a fabulous massage at Salon Patrick's.  I love all the little extra's you get with massages there.  It starts with a hot foot soak in the relaxing, quiet, spa setting; away from all the activity of the salon.  Then you go into the massage room and you get a choice of aromatherapy.  I LOVE this little added benefit, since I love aromatherapy.  At the end of your massage, they put a hot towel on your back and your feet.  I had a wonderful experience; thank you Alison!

While I was at the spa, luxuriating in relaxation, I decided that my dream job would be to travel the country and review spa's.  I could critique their process, building layout, atmosphere; what works well and what needs improved upon to make it the ultimate relaxation destination.  I would excel at it because it is my passion; because I truly know what works and what doesn't work when it comes to a relaxing spa setting. 

I, of course, realize that everyone would love to live their passion; few are lucky enough to do it. 

After I started writing this blog, I was surfing the top stories on AOL and I came across this blog by Jessica Fox, and of course, serendipitously (and you know how much I love serendipity!), here was her first paragraph:

"The Navajos tell a story of the "pollen path." This does not refer to some allergy nightmare, as my sister helpfully pointed out, but as defined by Joseph Campbell, this is a path through life that is true to the individual and his/her unique passions. Psychologists would call this an ego-syntonic existence -- here, the outer world matches the inner one, so that each leaf, each branch along the path, and even on the ground below and in the infinite sky above, looks as if it is covered with pollen: golden, filled with possibility."

An "ego-syntonic existence".  Living a life true to our unique passions.  This is exactly what I am talking about.  What a happier world we would live in, if we all lived a life true to our passions, true to our selves.


Spa Critically Yours,

Me


Motivational Moment:

Today's Motivational Moment is dedicated to my daughters.  I asked the three of them what motivates them or what makes them happy.  Here are their responses:

Daughter A: Friends, Family (sometimes), Music, and Oreo's.

Daughter B: Books, Friends, Family, and Laughter.

Daughter C: I don't know.

Daughter C was not in the mood for my questions, although I can tell you she loves playing dolls with her sisters, playing with her friends, and watching movies.

May you live a life true to your passions!

This Summer's Home Project

I have been promising my two older daughters that we would paint a mural on their bedroom wall for the past couple of years.  Their bedroom has tan carpet, tan walls, and a baseball fan.  The previous owners of the house had a son in that bedroom (and when we moved in our youngest just turned one; my husband and I both thought that we might try for a fourth child - and possible son - for that room.  Luckily, exhaustion and being too busy raising three girls, talked us out of that crazy thinking.)

I told my daughters to sketch out what they would like painted on the wall.  Here is the sketch (even with the bunk bed drawn in for reference):

We had an open weekend at the end of July.  We figured we would take all day Saturday and Sunday and conquer this fun little family activity.  We ran out to Lowe's to pick up the paint:

It was really cool seeing how excited the girls were over getting started and painting their parts.

The Creativity Zone

After about three weeks, we were finally done with our little weekend project.  And despite a rocky start (with hubby and I having creative differences over paint colors and painting styles), I am happy to say that overall, it was a good family bonding experience.

Creatively Yours,

Me

Motivational Moment:

I found the following quote on a magnet at Barnes and Noble's, which of course I had to buy:

"May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials to keep you strong; enough success to keep you eager; enough faith to give you courage; and enough determination to make each day a good day!"  ~Blessing

Parental Pride v2

My 11 year-old daughter recently rented a book from the library and when she finished it she told me I might like to read it.  I was skeptical at first because she had picked the book from the young adult section, but the summary sounded good, so I gave it a try.

I am happy to say that I loved the book.  I am humbled and thrilled.  I never thought I would enjoy the same book as my 11 yo.  I am impressed with her reading prowess.  She has been an avid reader for years; she would be happy if she could read for 10 hours a day, every day.  In fact, I often have to tell her to put her book down when we need to get something done or leave the house.

The book she picked out was Golden by Jessi Kirby.  I love the messages throughout the book, as well as the Robert Frost quotes at the start of each chapter, such as: "Into Your Own", The Courage to Be New", "A Boundless Moment", and of course the famous "I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence.  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.". 

My favorite quote from the book is a thought-provoking one: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?".  The quote is from a poem (The Summer Day) by Mary Oliver.  In the book, a teacher has his students spend the end of their senior year journaling about their present lives as well as their dreams for their future lives.  The teacher collects the journals and then mails them out to the students 10 years later.  (I love this idea and wish I had done it my senior year.) 

This book makes me want to seize and treasure the moment.  It makes me want to get so much out of this one life that we live.  I passionately love books, quotes, and thoughts that inspire me to do more, to be more.

Near the end of the book, as it reaches toward its climax, the main character has the following thoughts:
"True love, meant to be, fate, destiny, serendipity, kismet.  They're all big, romantic words.  Words saved for movies and books and fiction.  Not for real life.  In real life parents get divorced, and people live unfulfilled lives, and love goes unrequited, and there are no second chances, or do-overs, or perfect moments."  While I do believe that some people live unfulfilled lives, I also strongly believe that there are second chances and perfect moments.  I love the romantic notions of fate and destiny and serendipity.  All of our lives revolve around love, in many varied roles, shapes, and sizes; we all need it for survival; it increases our enjoyment of our time here on earth.

On a side note, I thought this book was an older one as the pages seemed yellow.  I was surprised to see the copyright date was 2013; and of course, serendipitously, my local library had a date stamp for receiving the book on July 8, my birthday. 

Thank you, Jessi Kirby, for writing this book.

Thank you, my fabulous daughter Cori, for recommending this book to me.  May you always keep your passion for reading and perhaps one day become an accomplished writer yourself with that creative imagination of yours.

Passionately Yours,
Me

Motivational Moment:

May you live your "one wild and precious life" to the fullest; may you be challenged, inspired, and impassioned throughout your life.

"...what is it YOU plan to do with your ONE wild and precious life?"

Back To School Lament

Well...it's that time of year again...back to school!  I realize, as I was completely dreading this change to our relaxing, summer routine, that this viewpoint is such a relative experience.

I would imagine that if you were a teacher and you actually had the summer's off, you would dread having to go back to work after enjoying the summer vacationing.  But as I write this, I think that perspective really depends on if you have kids or not.  I guess my fantasy is that I am a teacher with the summer's off and I get to travel and go to the beach and pretty much do whatever I would like with my days.  However, if you throw a houseful of kids into that picture, particularly if they are young and rambunctious, well then, that time off would not be enjoyable and I would be counting the days to the return of the school year. (Hmmmm...I am thinking this is making me sound quite jaded considering I am a parent...or lazy...or a little of both).

Another perspective is that if I was a teacher who was completely passionate about my job, I would look forward to another school year as a new adventure with a fresh group of students who's lives I could positively impact (I am happy to say that I have actually had the pleasure of knowing such a person).  Whereas, if I was a teacher that completely hated my job, I would certainly be in the dread category (I am not so happy to say that one of my daughters had such a person and it was not a good year).

If I was a stay-at-home mom, I would be SO siked for the return of the school year (and my peaceful days).  In fact, two years ago, I was in between jobs and boy did I feel such elation at the start of the schoool year, such that I was dancing and singing up at the bus stop that first day.  (Ironically, the elation eventually faded when I realized my days consisted of doing laundry and cleaning and figuring out what to make for dinner and after school snacks, etc.  I will note that bed time was a lot more peaceful since I was not out of my mind exhausted from having a stressful day at work and then trying to cram all that stuff into the evening and then be falling asleep before it was my kids bedtime.  I actually was a better, more patient parent.  Go figure.) 

If I was a kid who loved school, whether due to a love of learning or a love of seeing my friends, I would relish the return of the school year.  On the contrary, if I was a kid who hated school because of the homework or the hassle or the classes or the kids, well then I would be in the dread category.

Being a full-time working mom, all that the return to school gives me is earlier, more hectic mornings, and much more busy nights with homework and clubs and dance classes, etc.; I dread all of this added stress to my days (being the serenity seeker that I am).  And compound that with the fact that I am NOT a morning person, it all adds up to one colossal dread of this time of year.  To make matters worse, I think about how I have 9 more years of having kids in school and 9 more years of getting up early and 9 more years of this hassle...but this is where I stop with this trainwreck of thinking.  We are not supposed to wish our lives away.  We have to enjoy each moment; carpe diem; live fully for each day; relish each season...yea, yea, yea, I know what I am supposed to be thinking.  Maybe one day I will get there. 


Already dreading that alarm going off in the morning,

Me


Motivational Moment:

Here are some quotes (taken from this site: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201205/50-quotes-help-you-live-you-were-dying) to help those of us who are not morning people or who aren't living for the here and now:

1."To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions." ~William James
2.  "I'm less interested in why we're here. I'm wholly devoted to while we're here." ~Erika Harris
3.  Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. ~Ruth Ann Schabacker
4.  Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion. ~Author Unknown
5.  The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn't, matters not a jot. The possibility is always there. ~Monica Baldwin
6.  "Why be saddled with this thing called life expectancy? Of what relevance to an individual is such a statistic? Am I to concern myself with an allotment of days I never had and was never promised? Must I check off each day of my life as if I am subtracting from this imaginary hoard? No, on the contrary, I will add each day of my life to my treasure of days lived. And with each day, my treasure will grow, not diminish." ~Robert Brault

And my favorite one:

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake." ~Marie Ray

May you spread your brilliance and shine today!

And as this new school year starts, I wish the absolute best for all students and teachers and parents!

Equal Rights...in Clothing

Today's blog is a Random Rant.  I am not about to delve into a deep, heated debate about a very controversial, hot topic.  No thank you.  I like to keep it simple and light (at least for today's blog).  There are enough serious battles in life without needing to conjure up extra one's for mere sport.  Hence, this little rant is about laundry.

I was doing laundry for the family this weekend and became very frustrated with an observation.  I would love to know why is it that men's clothing is made superior than women's?  What I am specifically referring to is 'Wrinkle-free' pants.  Men's wrinkle-free pants come out of the dryer - completely without wrinkles (smooth and beautiful)!  Women's, on the other hand, come out a complete wrinkled mess.  This is not some new phenomenon; I have noticed it throughout my 12 years of being married.  You can't tell me that they can't make an equally fabulous wrinkle-free pant for women.  It appears to me that men's clothes are made sturdier and frankly overall better than women's.  Is this some little sick joke on us women?  As if we are the ones who have all kinds of extra time on our hands to iron our wrinkle-free shirts and pants.  Ha!

Now, on the other hand, THIS would be a controversial topic between men and women...my daughters are of the age to start their 'time of the month' (by the way, growing up, I NEVER understood why people referred to them as your "friend"!  I always felt that it was my enemy, not my friend; I was never happy to see this monthly visitor...that is until I was 41 and it was late...then I was ecstatic - let alone happy - when my "friend" finally arrived!).  Anyways, I was discussing this wonderful topic with my daughter and she said, "Life is not fair!  Boys have it so easy!", as she stomped out of my room.  All I could do was laugh out loud, for I have had that exact same thought, every single month of my life, since my "friend" started visiting.  :)


In Search of Equality in my Closet,

Me


Motivational Moment:

 For Today's Motivational Moment, I wanted to share an exchange that made me laugh.  As mentioned in an earlier post, I have been trying to eat healthier to feel better.  Non-GMO foods are finally making more of an appearance here in the United States (apparently we are way behind Europe in demanding healthier food) and I have been saying it is a goal of mine to try to purchase more non-GMO foods.  When I was discussing this with someone (who shall remain nameless for the sake of peace in my life), this person said "is this one of your surgically modified foods"?  So I laughed and said, "People are surgically modified, not food; food is genetically modified (unfortunately).   ;)

May you laugh out loud today and enjoy it!