Having a child with an autoimmune disorder, the recent "the sky is falling" coverage on the Coronavirus has been terrifying. Despite the constant stream of analysis, warnings and worst case scenario projections, I am reminding myself that flu is still more of an issue. In fact, more people in the United States have succumb to the flu this year than have died by Coronavirus across the world. Of course, the intense news coverage and hype has not helped to foster my perspective.
Our disease safeguards and preparations have remained unchanged with the onset of Coronavirus. Scott and I have been living in quasi-quarantine with the boys for several weeks, and we expect that this will continue. While Scott still has to go to work, he thoroughly disinfects and changes his clothes before coming upstairs at the end of each day. I haven't left the house for so long I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a store. I know that Timmy is antsy at home all the time, keeping his safe is our priority at the moment.
We have been dealing with piles of laundry and gallons of hand sanitizer for so long that it has become our norm. If the virus impacts our area, I feel like we are prepared and ready to hunker down our little fortress. I'm hoping that it doesn't come to that, but I feel comforted knowing that we have our plan in place.
We had wild thunderstorms throughout the night, forcing this Momom to lose sleep. Timmy heard the first crack of thunder and became scared. I cuddled and cradled him until he went back to sleep, but he never completely relaxed. He was fretful throughout the night as the thunder stormed through the hours.
After I finally had him soothed back to sleep my leg began to join the party, kicking wildly with phantom stinging. Between Timmy whimpering and fussing and my leg kicking like a Rockette, the night was utterly miserable. It's a good thing that I just replenished my coffee supplies because I have a feeling I will be drinking more than normal today.
For the past few months I have been revamping my diet and my relationship with food. Unlike other diets I have adopted, I am now working with the mentality that no food is forbidden. The weight loss has been steady but painfully slow. I wanted to call it quits numerous time, looking to replace the plan with something more aggressive, but I have stayed the course because I feel so good. Slow and steady, with small changes to my lifestyle and perspective, is the path I need to be successful.
Over the years my diets have interfered with family activities, causing both Robby and Scott to lament whenever they learned that I was jumping onto a new bandwagon. This time I vowed that my desire to shed pounds would no longer impact family traditions, and yesterday was my first big test. Timmy was so excited about his pancake bonanza and I refused to not participate in his celebration!
After being more cognizant about what goes into my mouth and detoxing
from the junk that had become a staple of my diet, yesterday's pancake
celebration left me feeling like I had a brick in my stomach. I didn't eat as many pancakes as my previous norm, but I didn't need to either. I was able to enjoy pancakes with my family without feeling guilty, which for me was a huge win. Scott, who has witnessed close to 30 diet attempts over the past 20 years, noted that he was happy I was participating and not fretting.
After decades of trying, I think I am finally developing a healthy relationship with food. I wasn't sure if Noom was legitimate and if it was going to work, it turns out that it was exactly what I needed. The pace is slower than I would like, but I have time if it means that the results will be lasting and I can be a relaxed and happy woman while I'm getting healthier.
My little Hamlet has been looking forward to today with the gusto of Christmas. He woke me up early this morning, his little smiling face inches away from my own as I opened up my eyes. Before I was fully awake, he cheered "Happy Pancake Day Momom."
This year's family calendar features a different holiday each day. Unlike other versions, this calendar features not only the words but a small image depicting the holiday for each date. I didn't realize it when it was purchased, but the pictures on each date is a game changer for Timmy.
Every morning he looks at the calendar, "reading" the holiday for the day. Each night he looks ahead to see what we will be celebrating tomorrow. For a little boy who loves holidays and celebrations, declaring the daily holiday on our pictorial calendar has become a favorite part of his routine.
Pancake Day has been one which has been anticipated since the calendar turned to February. It is circled in red and we (he) has been counting down for weeks. Thanks to an episode of celebrating Pancake Day on The Adventures of Paddington Bear, the excitement for a pancake celebration reached a fevered pitch over the weekend.
In a world overflowing with grim and gloomy news, I find Timmy's eagerness to celebrate anything and everything refreshing and rejuvenating. Today we will be having pancakes for dinner to celebrate. Happy Pancake Day!
Between the end of the hustle and bustle from the holidays and the never ending long nights of winter, every February I become worried and quasi-obsessed about skin care and make-up. Most of the time, I am a wash and go type woman who opts for make-up only when there is an event that necessitates it. But every February, my bathroom counters become littered with tiny bottles and tubes of various lotions and face paints.
I spend my free time, limited as it may be, painting my face and researching anti-aging potions. Each year I find a new aspect of my skin care as the recipient of my obsession, and I research remedies until I settle on the "miracle" fix. (Usually I stick with the routine through one jar, summarily quitting in a defiant act of accepting my own age.)
This year my obsession has been the (lack of) a youthful glow to my skin. After carefully researching different masks, peels, scrubs and creams, I finally settled on a highly rated skin brightener. I spent Saturday anxiously waiting for my package to arrive. I couldn't wait to see my dull and old complexion instantly brightened!
As soon as the package arrived I barricaded myself in the bathroom and got to work. I thoroughly cleaned my face, providing a clean canvas for the miracle cream. I was surprised by the iridescence of the lotion, it was so pretty! The reflection from the bottle only solidified my expectations and strengthened my resolve. I quickly applied the new lotion, avoiding looking in the mirror as I was rubbing it in. I was looking forward to my own personal reveal moment.
Oh my goodness, what a reveal I experienced. As soon as I looked in the mirror I began to laugh. It turns out that the "brightening" cream worked not through science but through technology known to strippers for decades. It was filled with tiny flecks of silver glitter. I assumed that the iridescent bits would dissolve as the lotion was applied, but I could not have been more wrong.
Scott took one looked at my bedazzled face and asked me if that was what I expected. Robby was more blunt by telling me that I looked like I walked through a "unicorn fart." Always supportive, Timmy loved how my face was shiny like a Christmas ball.
Needless to say, the stripper lotion is being sent back to Amazon today.
