Health

Sigh.  I have missed my writing time.  Since starting a full-time job and still running a house with 5 people, I feel like a robot…

6 am- wake and get ready for work and get T ready for school

7:30- leave the house

8-3- work and deal with a barrage of texts and phone calls from the various members of the house….feel sick, pick me up I have a concussion, can I go here, can I go there, I need to go to Michael’s for supplies for a project, coach called a later practice….

3-8pm- run 3 people in 3 different directions, throw together a lame-ass dinner, make lunches for 4, put on pj’s and hit the hay!

It is robotic, logistical….energy sapping and a joy thief!

Don’t get me wrong…I like my job, love my family and our life, but it feels like life is passing by through the window of the train car and everything in me is craving a pause….

I have been reading, mostly on the weekends and the last few weeks, since I have been down and out with mono, lots of material on balance, health, food, nature AND I LOVE it all!!  

I incorporated a green juice every morning for the last month, I cut out sugar, gluten and dairy and while, physically I couldn’t feel a difference (I chalked it up to being sick) I knew mentally that it was definitely better for my body, my mind and my soul!  Well…this weekend I splurged…had a lil gluten and by lil I mean a big ‘ole plate of pasta in clam sauce, a slice of pizza and some peanut m-n- m’s and I can say…I am paying the price…I FEEL LIKE CRAPPOLA!!!!  Truly.  Instead of being all down about it though, I am using it as testament that absolutely “we are what we eat!”

Here’s the thing that’s got me down…in all of the books I have read, websites I have visited of people, who I truly believe, obtain the “secret” to health…eating lots of live, clean foods, taking walks outside, exercise, yoga, meditation…all of it….they all have a couple of things in common….

1. They make a living from the spreading of said knowledge….it’s their job!!  They are not incorporating this lifestyle into a full-time job that has nothing to do with health! Health is their job…they are PAID to drink green juice, meditate, rebound, hike and impart their wisdom onto us!

2. They have NO CHILDREN!

3. They HAVE NO CHILDREN!

4. THEY HAVE NO CHILDREN!!

The big question remains …the enormous paradoxical conundrum…how the HECK do we, you and I, the average American citizen, incorporate these vital practices amidst full-time jobs, families, bills etc….

The answer….I have not a clue….BUT, I am arduously attempting to find a solution!

We all desire peace, health, joy.  Unfortunately, we live in a culture that slams us with false promises telling us the key to our joy and health is in striving to do more, to stretch ourselves thin…if we work the extra hours it promises us promotion into a position of esteem(and less hours), which will undoubtedly cure our “less-than” feeling. If we eat this non-food product out of a beautifully packaged box we will shed pounds with little to no effort, it will magically energize us…

The truth is this….it is BULLSHIT!  All of it!

Companies lie to us…they sell us…and we fall for it… hook, line and sinker!  Especially the food industry…we buy fat-free, sugar-free etc…if it is labeled fat-free, you can bet it is filled with cleverly disguised ingredients…the main one being SUGAR!  If it is sugar-free than it is filled with “biochemically” engineered crap and you, quite frankly, would be better off eating the sugar.  We are very misinformed, misled and mistaken on the food we eat!  Our best line of defense….BECOME INFORMED!

We run ourselves ragged until we are so tapped out that the only thing we have left to give the people we love, the people who matter most to us, is short, curt responses, annoyed glances and anger unleashed because we just cannot do ONE more thing.  We run ourselves empty and then fill it up with guilt over our less-than-loving treatment of our loved ones AND then we try to cover our guilt with food…..well, not actually food…food-like substances created in laboratories, which are bodies are not designed to digest.  This in turn causes undue stress to our bodies, but we just keep going….after-all, there are mouths to feed, bills to pay….ugh…I am exhausted just writing it all.

My friends….I am on a mission, albeit a slow-moving one, a mission just the same….to discover how we can enjoy vitality, joy and health…wish me luck!

So far I conclude….adding a green juice to your morning routine is fairly simple and without a doubt will do wonders for your body and your mental clarity.

Extend Kindness to Yourself

Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things. Leo F. Buscaglia

Today I am thankful for the gifts I have yet to discover.

Often times, we are our own worst enemy.  Socially speaking, a fine line has been created between accepting, admitting, embracing our gifts and talents AND being conceited.

While, it is true arrogantly boasting about your talents is an unattractive quality, to say the least….we need to be cautious in not diminishing our personal gifts and worth by not recognizing them in ourselves.

If we are debilitated in the discernment of our gifts, not only do we extinguish ourselves, but we also neglect to illuminate the lives of others in an enriching way.  If we barrage ourselves with negative talk depreciating our own worth and value, then we leave ourselves ineffectual.

Some of our “personal tapes” of self-hatred are so embedded and ingrained deep within our psyche that we fail to even identify them , much less understand the power of their imprisonment upon our lives.

This is not to say we should all run around announcing to the world how great we are….how unbelievably fantastic and awesome we are….it is not about superiority, nor is about inferiority….it is simply about being openly aware of the goodness that resides in you, the gifts…uniquely yours….to embroider yourself with the gifts of others.

Sidenote:  Talents and gifts are often thought of in terms of grandiose measure….a best selling author, reaching millions with their knowledge, a person in a position of power etc, and sadly this truth only aids in the demise of individual worth.  A gift could be whipping together a meal by which great conversation happens, it could be your way with words, your listening ear….the list goes on.

Recognize your gifts….the value of yourself.

This week jot down 3 positive things about yourself….3 attributes that enhance the lives of the people around you.  Ask a friend, if you are really frozen.

After writing down your 3 things….brainstorm and write down ways which you can use those attributes more often.

Post it in a place you see everyday to remain cognizantly aware of your worth, while putting forth a greater effort in employing your gifts.

Be easy on yourself and speak to yourself in kindness.

Enjoy your day! 

Love This Time of Year

I so love when the first veggies of the garden make their glorious entrance.   My hubby labors and I enjoy….it’s a great deal!!

Recipe:

2 ears of corn on the cob cooked and removed from cob

bunch of raw collards

bunch of raw chard ( I used bright lights for color)

bunch of romaine

3 carrots peeled and chunked

handful of crumbled bleu cheese

2 peaches broiled and sliced

I drizzled balsamic and olive oil

HOLY GOODNESS!!!

Enjoy!

Okay Ladies…Enough is ENOUGH!!

Hello my friends….how are you, what’s new in your lives?

I have unilaterally decided, cuz that’s how I do things...he-he…that women are women’s worst enemy.

We love to blame men and the media, however, I firmly believe that the creating and fanning the flames of hatred-filled competition of women to women was initiated by none other than WOMEN!!  

Think about it…..men do not sit around the office on their coffee hour discussing who slept their way to the top….women do that and let’s be honest…men certainly didn’t create the possibility for that to even be an option for women.  The events more than likely looked like this…..

A bunch of women scoffing and insulting another woman (behind her back of course) who just received a noteworthy promotion.  A unknowing man happened upon this chattering interaction, which sounded like a swarm of hovering bees…. an inexplicable low-toned buzzing sound, which offered him no interest.  His ears stood in attention when he heard the words…..SHE SLEPT HER WAY TO THE TOP…..huh?? he says to himself…slept her way to the top?  Damn!  I wish I knew about that before….COOL!!!

Women created an environment where we could use our sexuality to get to the places our hearts desired.  We belittled each others abilities to what we could do in bed, rather than basing our abilities on our intelligence, creativity and strong organizational/multi-tasking skills.

Similarly, we created the force that the media now drives and dictates.  You don’t see men….well except for this one time that my friend Michele’s husband bought her anti-aging cream for her birthday(BIG mistake...Colossal Mistake….EPIC, really)…..don’t worry girls we straightened him out!!  Side note:  He didn’t buy it because he had noticed wrinkles or thought to himself…hey Michele is looking old lately…she needs anti-aging cream….NO…..the poor guy just heard Michele being distraught over some changes and figured she would just LOVE anti-aging cream for her birthday…..now, you know me….I can run with this side-note and create a very long, man-bashing, comical post about dumb men, BUT I am determined to stay on task!!  Back to the point….aside from our friend Steve, who is a very good gift giver now….he just needed a few pointers…he-he…it unlikely you are witness to a man buying beauty products.  Women, however, eat them up….we have shelves and shelves of miracle after miracle losing potency…just sitting in the shadows of our junk drawers…we cannot bring ourselves to toss them because we practically shelled out our life’s savings for the promise of a younger looking, better version of ourselves.

The media has discovered a goldmine in serving up dirt on a silver platter and WHO do you think is laying out the cash for the smut…..WOMEN….by and large it is women….yes this is a generalization, please refrain from sending me a nasty email because it JUST SO HAPPENS that YOUR husband buys all of the gossip magazines…sheesh….keep your panties on.

The point is, sadly,that women, have allowed the cycle.  We have the power to stop the madness and NO I am NOT suggesting we storm the gates and stop buying the things that make us feel good, at least…let’s not storm the gates until I have sprouted my long luscious Cindy Crawford legs and a mole beautifully and perfectly placed upon my face, as the direct result of using Meaningful Beauty products.  I am simply suggesting that we try to be kinder…a little softer, less judgmental and more understanding of ourselves and each other.

Stop begrudging each other, ladies!  

STOP THE MADNESS!!  

True story…..there is a women who I see once a week and through short interactions, I have learned a wealth of information….she is extremely insecure and struggling deeply with the process of aging and boy oh boy does she begrudge you if you show up looking all cute…heaven forbid!  She eyes you up and down and noticeably scowls at you. I would walk away feeling so badly, incessantly second-guessing myself…did I offend her somehow?  I had moments of just wanting to haul off and BITCH-SLAP her, jus’ saying 😉 ….I mean, truly…get a grip!

We need to become much more conscientious and diligent about guarding our thoughts…..

Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Watch your words, for they become your actions. Watch your actions, for they become your habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. If we, as women, spent as much energy as we do in our harsh judgement of others and transformed that energy into…. ~taking the time to know one another  ~offering the benefit of doubt to one another   ~lending a non-judgemental ear to listen ~volunteering words of truth in kindness and genuine, compassion….. Perhaps we might begin to create a more loving, accepting and tender environment, in which we can live our best lives being our best selves, sharing with each other our individual strengths and talents, while acquiring knowledge, support and compassion from each other to transform our areas of weakness. Take a moment this week to catch yourself and your negative thoughts about another woman….offer a conversation, a kind word or just a hello WITHOUT the words of admonishment in your head over the outfit she has on or the fact that her kids face looks like it hasn’t been washed for a month. In reality, we all do it…men, women, children (sadly)….WE JUDGE….and the truth about judgement is it serves ONE purpose and ONE purpose ONLY….it momentarily gives us a feeling of being okay or better than…we all crave this feeling, do we not?  However, it is awful that we embrace this feeling at the expense of another. We all have “stuff” …..baggage…our job is to know our stuff, become familiar with it and work through it from a place of character building strength.  Our quick feeling of…yea me…I am better than her because….I WASH MY KID’S FACE EVERYDAY…so HUH….is a temporary fix. I see the world my girls are growing up in and quite frankly, I could weep at the misery of it all….and yes teens are petty….the kink in the line is they are learning to be shallow and harsh of one another from the adults in their lives.  We have to be responsible with our words spoken in front of their impressionable minds.  Do as I say, not as I do is not a model that works. Guard your thoughts and in the words of Ellen….”BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER!” ENJOY YOUR DAY!!

Oh How I Miss You….(Repost) Second Location

Oh how I miss you guys….miss writing!  The problem since becoming employed outside the home has been I have no time for my mindless, unsolicited advice, banter and babble….hehe.  I write best in the morning, preferably with a cup of tea in the mid to late morning. I started working in February and I just am so tired when I come home , my mind feels like it has been easily invaded and taken over by mush AND by the time my behind hits the couch, a chair, my bed I am just spent.  So my new posts and BELIEVE ME….I HAVE A BUNCH…will resume mid June!

Much to my dismay today I will repost an older blog…Second Location.  I have that gnawing whisper again…as soon I opened my eyes this morning.  I hope that none of you find yourself in a position to need this information, but I cannot shake the feeling that someone may.  So I will dutifully listen to my gut, my whisper, my intuition and repost……

As for the second location…last night I was channel surfing and caught a few minutes of Oprah’s Lifeclass.  She was speaking about the show she aired sometime in the 90’s with a special forces agent, who was addressing women and children (primarily) about the key element to increase your survival rate if attacked.

Ironically, it is one of her shows that has stayed ever-present with me since it aired and has saved countless women from being murdered immediately following brutal and horrific rapes and kidnappings.

The special forces agent said FIRST and FOREMOST….ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR GUT….YOUR INTUITION…..IT IS THE WARNING!

We have discussed this here on TNM (the naked mom) often.  We MUST start listening and acting in accordance with our intuition, instead of worrying about being mean, rude or offensive.

The most important element the agent drove home was….DO NOT LET YOUR ATTACKER(s) TAKE YOU TO A SECOND LOCATION…..EVER!!  If you end up in the second location look for and take any and every opportunity to escape.

THIS IS EXCEEDINGLY IMPORTANT…..

What I discovered last night is that the second location can simply be a different room or place AT the first location.  When I watched the show in the 90’s, I always assumed the second location was an entirely different place…how wrong I was… I learned last night that the second location could be the back room of the place of employment or a field beside the sidewalk, where you are first approached, the bathroom of your home or mall….the second location does not mean an entirely different place geographically.

The second place could be as simple as moving from a hallway to a room. I hope I am explaining this in a way you understand because it is EXTREMELY important. Some examples would be…you’re at work and an armed robber comes in the front, but soon orders you to the back room….the back room is your second location.  If someone broke into your home through your kitchen and forces you to the living room, bathroom or bedroom…the living room, bath or bedroom is your second location.

This was not my initial post for today, nevertheless, I got very little sleep last night, as I could not erase this topic from my mind.  My intuition was whispering to me and I had a choice to make…..

Do I listen?  Do I listen to the small, quiet voice telling me to blog about this or….

Do I ignore my gut?  Do I spend the night and day convincing myself that I am being dramatic, crazy or that I am overreacting?

I chose, obviously, to practice what I preach.  

I chose to listen to my instincts.

What I am asking of you today is….share this post….no, it is not my most eloquent, profound or well-written post, HOWEVER I am unable to “shake” the uneasy feeling of imperativeness that this post NEEDS to be read by someone or perhaps more than one. I am not trying to freak anyone out….it just feels crucial to me that people be given this information.

Always try to remain as calm as possible in a frightening situation.

Never allow yourself to be taken to the SECOND LOCATION (if you find yourself there….diligently look for your opportunity to escape).

Above all…..TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS, INTUITION, GUT….whatever you refer to it as…..TRUST IT AND LISTEN TO IT!

Be safe!

Wordless Wednesday

This post is not completely wordless, but they are important words for innocent children.  Please repost this on your FB or blog.  Take the time and watch.

 

 

Yummy!

Hey guys!

My Random Acts of Kindness for lent is going well….little notes here and there, holding the door for people, giving up a prime parking spot, but there is one in particular that was pretty awesome.  I ran into the bookstore in search of this cookbook I wanted and as I scanned the shelves a woman was shown a book that she wanted by an employee, who answered every single one of the lady’s question with…uh…not sure or uh…no clue…..don’t even get me started….jus’ sayin’. 😉

I was pressed for time, but nothing that was super important or that couldn’t be done the next day…so a decision was to be made….scurry on my way or help the lady….LENT, LENT, LENT was echoing in my brain….and so I helped, slightly disgruntily, BUT HEY I CHOSE CORRECTLY…God, are you watching??!!

It morphed into me taking the lady around the store to find several books that might prove to be helpful for her.  She was on a mission to overhaul her eating habits and sedentary life.  A subject that I became very educated on beginning five years ago and continue to learn more and more.  Her name is Ruth and we ended up exchanging numbers because by the end of our 45 minutes together I felt vested in her journey and she felt relieved to have a number to call for a quick question should it come up…..can you say…COOL??!!

We never know how much we may be missing until we stop to take a breath from the daily madness of our scheduled lives and open ourselves to the discovery.

Sidenote:

Made these yummy vegan treats tonight for dessert and they were so INCREDIBLY DELISH that you would absolutely NEVER know they were organic and vegan…I know because my pickiest of eater inhaled TWO!!!

Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls:

An occasional sweet treat is as good for the soul, as Random Acts of Kindness are…woot woot!!

Find the recipe HERE!

Enjoy!!

Talia

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY TALIA!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for being born!!

Thanks for being you!!

Thanks for being mine!!

Enjoy your weekend!

Been A While

Hey everybody!  It sure has been a while since I last posted!

I have been a busy girl…acclamating to the new job etc and there is so much I would like to write about, however it will have to wait.  Love the job btw!

Yesterday started the season of Lent and I have decided that instead of giving up something I will do one random act of kindness each day for the next 40 days!  Phew!

Anyone care to join??

Thankfully and coincidently, I bought my hubby a big box of Godiva chocolates yesterday because he has been stressed at work…..stress equals chocolate in my mind!!

I will try to post each act, but will probably do it in an end of the week post summary!

Enjoy!!

Full Blown PANIC!

Tags

household structure, part time jobs, stay at home mom

Yep…the blog has taken a backseat the last couple weeks.  This is due to the fact that I just landed my FIRST fulltime job OUTSIDE of the home….AHHHHHH!!!

Oh, I have had part-time jobs here and there…you know….tues/thurs 2-6 type deals, but never a m-f all day job…YIKES.  The truth is I had my first baby when I was 20 going on 21…I did one year of college and another year at a business college….so IN FACT…I have NEVER in my life had a job outside of the home EVER…EVER….EVER!  DID YOU HEAR ME…..I said EVVVVERRRR!!!!

FULL BLOWN PANIC!!!!

Just in case you were wondering where I was at with the whole thing…lol.

It’s not that I don’t work my arse off all day everyday with being a stay-at-home-mom….it’s that I am still working my arse off as a stay-at-home-mom and ADDING ANOTHER fulltime job…..WAAAAAAA….(slinks into the nearest corner and sucks her thumb and plays with her belly button)...in case you missed my belly button post you can click here!

The last week has been ….well picture a chicken with its head cut off…..yep that’s me!

I have re-organized some longtime systems of the household structure!

Laundry will now be separated into whites and dark by all members of the household using our newly purchased handy-dandy laundry sorter basket….wootwoot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other new laundry feature an over the door shelf thingy….each night the kids will have to check their section for clean clothes…NO MORE LAUNDRY BASKETS OF CLEAN CLOTHES ALL OVER MY BEDROOM!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whiteboards for each of the girls…YES EVEN THE 6 YEAR OLD (I am a slave driver like that) will catalogue their new weekly duties.  They are responsible for chores every saturday, but I am doling and divvying up some chores to be done during the week….empty dishwasher, wipe down counters, mid-week bathroom swipe and clean clothes put away!  Whiteboards will alleviate…BAH….some unnecessary arguing over whose damn turn it is to empty the dishwasher!  SO HUH!!  I should probably buy another one for my hubby…what do you think Dan….want me to whiteboard ya??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of this has weirdly help ease my anxiety about how it will all get done.

I know some of you probably think I am nuts, but this is a big deal for me.

What if I hate it?

What if I am bad at it?

What if my kids become drug taking, pill popping, liquor hoarding teens because their mom went off to work before it was time…slight dramatic flair here, but you get my drift.  The mind is an awful enemy when you doubt yourself.

What if I meet my demise in a commuter traffic accident? Presently my car is in the shop for a once over, since I will be commuting and faulty brakes will surely be my demise…again…the dang brain in overdrive.

Not to mention my health is going to the shitter because I won’t POSSIBLY IN THE WORLD HAVE AN EXTRA THREE MINUTES to juice my delicious nutrient dense, health saving juice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and have I ever mentioned how I AM SO NOT A MORNING PERSON!!!  

So there you have it!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!!