I'm sure I'm not the only American emotionally affected by the Haitian tragedy. It has been on my mind constantly yesterday and today.
I think of all the things I take for granted every day. I can go to any faucet in the house and get hot or cold water. Water is now the currency in Haiti - money is worth nothing. At night, I lay in a memory foam bed. There are elderly people, babies, orphans, and families laying on concrete tonight. Everyone I know personally is in a warm, comfortable house.
We're really low on groceries right now - peanut butter and jelly and Hamburger Helper for dinner. But I was so thankful for it. People are fighting through rubble to search for food. I think of the mothers who have lost their babies, or whose children are laying beside them right now - hurt, with broken bones and bleeding, with no medical help. I have ibuprofen for my children's littlest aches and pains. I was just complaining the other day that I have no money for new drapes, which I felt I needed desperately. They have no homes and are sleeping in the streets.
It's going to be a struggle to pay property taxes this year, but I have property - a charming, semi-cluttered home that holds the people I hold dear. I want for nothing. Tonight, I wanted to say I'm thankful.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Freecycle it, Baby!
I had to share with you all my favorite "Recycling" website/organization. I try to be green. I have energy saving lightbulbs, I reuse grocery bags. But I still am lacking. HOWEVER, Freecycle has been great for us. It's a site with chapters all over the U.S. - Obviously I belong to the Preble County, Ohio chapter. If you ever want to get rid of anything, you post "OFFER: 2 bags of old toys" Your post goes up, and people start contacting you who are in need of some toys. You choose who you want to give it to - it can be first come first serve (email-wise) or you can choose whoever's name you like best - your call. You choose your winner, then you contact each other. They come pick up the stuff off your porch or whatever. If you are in need of something, you simply post "Wanted: desk" and others can respond to your request.
We have gotten rid of garage sale leftovers, toys, clothes, you name it, with freecycle. The whole purpose of the site is to keep usable items out of landfills. Plus, I'm lazy. I don't always feel like loading my stuff up and taking it somewhere. This method is easy, and it's fast. You can usually get rid of stuff within a couple of days.
You are not allowed to get rid of pets (no gerbils, please) and there can be no money exchanged or requested.
Check it out - it's free.
We have gotten rid of garage sale leftovers, toys, clothes, you name it, with freecycle. The whole purpose of the site is to keep usable items out of landfills. Plus, I'm lazy. I don't always feel like loading my stuff up and taking it somewhere. This method is easy, and it's fast. You can usually get rid of stuff within a couple of days.
You are not allowed to get rid of pets (no gerbils, please) and there can be no money exchanged or requested.
Check it out - it's free.
Vitamins: nature's antidepressant
No sugar again today - I'm high on Vitamin Bs. What a wonder vitamin! If anyone suffers from depression, low mood, low energy - get on some B. You can buy a great B complex at Wal-mart or any pharmacy for under $10 - cheaper than any anti-depressant. (Check out the link on Vitamin B on my page) Now, I'm not a doctor and am not the queen of medical advice, but I do know what has worked for me and others - definitely combine the two if you are on an anti-depressant. Stock up on nutrients as well as taking your medication. (Don't go off anti-depressants on your own! Talk to your dr. first)
We Americans are so vitamin-depleted. While we have accrued more stress and responsibilities; we have accrued sucky diets. We don't have the vitality to tackle our lives with energy. We don't get enough sleep, we take on too many responsibilities, we forget to take time for ourselves, and end up sapped, munching on cheesey puffs and cookie dough by the end of the night. (Okay, not every night)(Okay not everybody, maybe just me.)
Another major vitamin that gets overlooked is Magnesium. I read that being low in magnesium can trigger sugar cravings, so I take one of those a day, along with Omega 3's (a must!) how many of us can say we eat salmon and omega-3 rich foods three times a week? Even if you do, an Omega-3(and 6) boosts brain power, protects your heart, and also has been shown to help depression. Now, I'm not going to give footnotes on all this info - I don't have time to complete a report - Just google any of these vitamin/mineral supplements and see for yourself! You'll find proper dosages, benefits, warnings, etc.
Of course, we still need to try to get as much of these nutrients from our diet as possible, but some of us (me) just don't get in enough kale, yams, salmon, etc. AND it's so expensive to eat fresh - especially in the winter!! Love those farmer's markets in the summer - but that's only for 3-4 months out of the year in the lovely midwest. OH - also for depression, speaking of the gloomy midwest winter - VITAMIN D! If you're not eating plenty of dairy and dark greens - be sure to take a D supplement for mood!
If any of you have more suggestions - I'd love to hear them. Cheers!
We Americans are so vitamin-depleted. While we have accrued more stress and responsibilities; we have accrued sucky diets. We don't have the vitality to tackle our lives with energy. We don't get enough sleep, we take on too many responsibilities, we forget to take time for ourselves, and end up sapped, munching on cheesey puffs and cookie dough by the end of the night. (Okay, not every night)(Okay not everybody, maybe just me.)
Another major vitamin that gets overlooked is Magnesium. I read that being low in magnesium can trigger sugar cravings, so I take one of those a day, along with Omega 3's (a must!) how many of us can say we eat salmon and omega-3 rich foods three times a week? Even if you do, an Omega-3(and 6) boosts brain power, protects your heart, and also has been shown to help depression. Now, I'm not going to give footnotes on all this info - I don't have time to complete a report - Just google any of these vitamin/mineral supplements and see for yourself! You'll find proper dosages, benefits, warnings, etc.
Of course, we still need to try to get as much of these nutrients from our diet as possible, but some of us (me) just don't get in enough kale, yams, salmon, etc. AND it's so expensive to eat fresh - especially in the winter!! Love those farmer's markets in the summer - but that's only for 3-4 months out of the year in the lovely midwest. OH - also for depression, speaking of the gloomy midwest winter - VITAMIN D! If you're not eating plenty of dairy and dark greens - be sure to take a D supplement for mood!
If any of you have more suggestions - I'd love to hear them. Cheers!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Clearing the Clutter
Ever watch 'Hoarders' on AETV? Heavens. How easily stuff can take over some lives. Please Lord, don't ever let me get like that. When I clean I think of these people and let go of the stuff I know I don't need. Purge, baby, Purge!!! January's a great month for purging - finally went through my closet and pitched the skinny college jeans, the psychedelic heels, the satin prom-ish looking shoes from the early 90s. I actually got rid of 50% of my clothes - the biggest purge ever. It was so freeing!! It is amazing how clutter can depress you, drag you down, even heighten stress levels. I love the advice that if you don't feel great in a piece of clothing, it should go. If it doesn't represent who you are and how you want to be seen, it should go. So instead of using the "If you haven't worn it in one year" Rule, I used those credos, and boy, did I have a lot of useless stuff. Now I can honestly say I only have in my closet what I feel good wearing. Not something I have to lose 10 pounds for, not something that's trendy but looks putrid on, not something that was just a good "deal".
I attacked my closet, my jewelry box, my laundry room. There's more to go, but a project each weekend. The first step to clearing the clutter in your mind is clearing the clutter in your house.
I attacked my closet, my jewelry box, my laundry room. There's more to go, but a project each weekend. The first step to clearing the clutter in your mind is clearing the clutter in your house.
Three Little Pigs and ADD
I actually stuck to my to-do-list today! Called clients, did my business taxes. yuck. Did the budget, double yuck. Now I realize I'm even poorer than I thought.
Mood: Happy
Appetite: Not starving - no sugar today!
Vitamins: Yep
Have you ever seen the shoes on http://www.sofftshoes.com/? OMG, they are so sophisticated and gorgeous. To die for. I may be poor, but they are gonna be on my wishlist.
How many times can you watch "The Three Little Pigs" and maintain your sanity? But since I'm not frustrated by not accomplishing anything today, I have more patience. Tune it out, tune it out. I've heard that some people with ADD get sensory overload and it's very frustrating. How I envy those who can hear the three piggies screaming at the big bad wolf, balance the checkbook, prepare dinner, and lovingly answer repeated questions from the kids - "when do I get my allowance? How much will it be? $5? I think $5. Five's good, okay???"
Any moms out there with ADD? We haven't figured out if I really have it, but I think I might. A mild version. I don't know if it's hormonal or if I'm just aging and slowly losing brain cells, but it's so hard to accomplish anything!! I only have two kids (god bless you mothers of many; I don't know how you do it) but the distraction of children gets me off course. I lose my keys almost daily. My dear husband is trying to train me with positive reinforcement to hang them on a hook by the door, even clapping for me when I succeed and don't put them in my coat pocket, on the washer, our dresser, in the microwave. It's demeaning, but working. I've lost my glasses - $300 down the drain. No idea where I left them. Absolutely none. All John can do is sigh. He's especially freaked out by the fact that I just throw cash and credit cards into my purse when I'm in a hurry instead of putting it in my wallet. We have termed my problem "object displacement disorder." It seems to fit.
More on ADD later.
Mood: Happy
Appetite: Not starving - no sugar today!
Vitamins: Yep
Have you ever seen the shoes on http://www.sofftshoes.com/? OMG, they are so sophisticated and gorgeous. To die for. I may be poor, but they are gonna be on my wishlist.
How many times can you watch "The Three Little Pigs" and maintain your sanity? But since I'm not frustrated by not accomplishing anything today, I have more patience. Tune it out, tune it out. I've heard that some people with ADD get sensory overload and it's very frustrating. How I envy those who can hear the three piggies screaming at the big bad wolf, balance the checkbook, prepare dinner, and lovingly answer repeated questions from the kids - "when do I get my allowance? How much will it be? $5? I think $5. Five's good, okay???"
Any moms out there with ADD? We haven't figured out if I really have it, but I think I might. A mild version. I don't know if it's hormonal or if I'm just aging and slowly losing brain cells, but it's so hard to accomplish anything!! I only have two kids (god bless you mothers of many; I don't know how you do it) but the distraction of children gets me off course. I lose my keys almost daily. My dear husband is trying to train me with positive reinforcement to hang them on a hook by the door, even clapping for me when I succeed and don't put them in my coat pocket, on the washer, our dresser, in the microwave. It's demeaning, but working. I've lost my glasses - $300 down the drain. No idea where I left them. Absolutely none. All John can do is sigh. He's especially freaked out by the fact that I just throw cash and credit cards into my purse when I'm in a hurry instead of putting it in my wallet. We have termed my problem "object displacement disorder." It seems to fit.
More on ADD later.
Down with Sugar
1-11-10,
On a scale of 1-10, my sugar cravings in the morning have been an 11. If my child was made of simple carbs, I would have eaten her. I had absolutely no control over what I would eat in the morning - Twix bar, leftover cookies, 2 waffles with cool whip. Whatever. It wasn't that I wanted it, I needed it. I decided to try to get back on Lexapro - took 5 mg at bedtime last night. Am so excited to say my cravings were probably down to a 4. I ate an Atkins bar, and didn't want anything else. I had this theory that lacking in the SSRI would increase my sugar cravings, and I may be right. Will continue to rate the cravings. Being winter, and lacking seratonin prob. magnified them. Am also going to really try to be consistent with Vitamin B complex. Have read eating sugar depletes Vitamin Bs. Vitamin B complex helps with depression, stress, and gives me more energy, if I could just remember to take it every day. Got my little old lady pill case packed full for the week.
Need to organize my business papers for the year, and contact some potential clients. So hard with a two-year old. Currently: "Want some? Want some Mommy?" as she attacks my lips with her greasy lip gloss. These glosses have been on the lips of every member of our family, grandparents included, maybe even some strangers. Who knows what H1N1 strains we're passing around. but you don't tell her 'no'. She truly is a doll, especially when Jack is at school and they aren't harrassing each other. But trying to organize and run a business, re-apply for school and getting all of those papers organized, is difficult for a person with attention problems such as myself.
My blog is actually what I hope will keep me organized. If I check in with myself every morning, get my mind clear, think about what I have to do, get a little stimulation, I might actually have some energy and clarity to follow through.
On a scale of 1-10, my sugar cravings in the morning have been an 11. If my child was made of simple carbs, I would have eaten her. I had absolutely no control over what I would eat in the morning - Twix bar, leftover cookies, 2 waffles with cool whip. Whatever. It wasn't that I wanted it, I needed it. I decided to try to get back on Lexapro - took 5 mg at bedtime last night. Am so excited to say my cravings were probably down to a 4. I ate an Atkins bar, and didn't want anything else. I had this theory that lacking in the SSRI would increase my sugar cravings, and I may be right. Will continue to rate the cravings. Being winter, and lacking seratonin prob. magnified them. Am also going to really try to be consistent with Vitamin B complex. Have read eating sugar depletes Vitamin Bs. Vitamin B complex helps with depression, stress, and gives me more energy, if I could just remember to take it every day. Got my little old lady pill case packed full for the week.
Need to organize my business papers for the year, and contact some potential clients. So hard with a two-year old. Currently: "Want some? Want some Mommy?" as she attacks my lips with her greasy lip gloss. These glosses have been on the lips of every member of our family, grandparents included, maybe even some strangers. Who knows what H1N1 strains we're passing around. but you don't tell her 'no'. She truly is a doll, especially when Jack is at school and they aren't harrassing each other. But trying to organize and run a business, re-apply for school and getting all of those papers organized, is difficult for a person with attention problems such as myself.
My blog is actually what I hope will keep me organized. If I check in with myself every morning, get my mind clear, think about what I have to do, get a little stimulation, I might actually have some energy and clarity to follow through.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
I've got to write this down
Anti-blog. That's me. But as I sit, re-agonizing over my mental state and trying to keep it all together, I think about journalling. Used to do it. Liked to do it. It helped to do it. Never organized enough to do it. I have a box of quarter to half-filled journals. They stay boxed up. I have "journals" laying on shelves all over my house which have been kidnapped and molested, turned into boring "to-do" lists, ripped out pages, forgotten, dust-collected, or used by my two children as personal art books.
This one is mine. This one cannot get lost. This one is in a place I access everyday. It will not be kidnapped.
I know my story may be boring. But it's not boring to me. Sometimes it's stressful, sometimes its joyful - ups, downs. Days I think I've got it all together, Days I know I'm falling apart.
To sum up the main topics or reasons for my "journal" - I'd have to say: momming, depression, ADD, "object placement disorder", anger, finding my purpose, nutrition, vitamins, meds, therapy, coping skills, returning to school, writing, seasonal affective disorder, wifery, household management and sanity management. I don't have any answers, but I sure am looking for them.
This one is mine. This one cannot get lost. This one is in a place I access everyday. It will not be kidnapped.
I know my story may be boring. But it's not boring to me. Sometimes it's stressful, sometimes its joyful - ups, downs. Days I think I've got it all together, Days I know I'm falling apart.
To sum up the main topics or reasons for my "journal" - I'd have to say: momming, depression, ADD, "object placement disorder", anger, finding my purpose, nutrition, vitamins, meds, therapy, coping skills, returning to school, writing, seasonal affective disorder, wifery, household management and sanity management. I don't have any answers, but I sure am looking for them.
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