The boys' birthdays have led to our great return to society as infection rates drop in our area - my oldest requested a trip to Chuck E Cheese in August (a weekday and remarkably empty) and my second child asked to go to a similarly expensive but more physical climby-jumpy-sweaty kiddie palace for his big... Continue Reading →
Not Quite Jolly
Do you ever attempt to soothe your soul in an absolutely nonsensical way? Common advice for anxiety sufferers is occupying your hands to distract your mind, as if knitting an afghan would erase your constant stress. It certainly wouldn't do the trick for me, since I never had the mental fortitude for knitting -- instead... Continue Reading →
You Are Amazing
Remember a few years ago when everywhere you looked, there was a woman reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle? Women in Starbucks, women on airplanes, women on the beach, all heeding the call at the same time? I didn't read it. As a rule, I avoid any book that is wildly popular because those books are... Continue Reading →
Chin Up
I was sitting in a doctor's office this morning when I noticed a glob of children's toothpaste smeared on the back of my hand. It had been hours since I'd brushed the kids' teeth, so I only knew what the sticky goop was because it was blue and smelled like fake fruit. It was a... Continue Reading →
How, exactly?
I have well-documented anxiety, and have recently begun discussing it with a therapist again. Why, you ask, wouldn't I be in a constant state of therapy if I know I have anxiety? Because I very much dislike crying. I get an awful headache after I cry, and it's obviously embarrassing and exhausting, but I also... Continue Reading →
Rest and Repeat
I'm coming out of a period of hibernation. Not literal hibernation, as I recently traveled with my kids to Florida, but a mental hibernation. I got sick a couple months ago and the more time that passes, the more I'm sure it was some sort of autoimmune flare up rather than a virus. First and... Continue Reading →
Down For the Count
I'm entering night three of a bout of unnamed illness, and currently typing from an awkward reclined position because being upright for more than a few minutes is a non-starter. Coffee and dim lighting for the headache, blankets and sweater for the chills. It's not vertigo, more like motion sickness, where nodding or turning my... Continue Reading →
It’s Probably Stress
While I was on vacation, I ate bread that did not make my stomach upset. When I returned, I ate the same bread and felt sick. A rational person might just stop eating bread that made them ill, but I adore bread. My favorite food is sandwiches (like Joey from Friends) and no it is... Continue Reading →
Comedy of Errors
I fear this has become a blog of complaints, where I whine about customer relations and admin and medical problems, but if you aren't a person with chronic issues, you may not have any idea what goes into the process of staying alive. My oldest kid is allergic to peanuts, which I know because when... Continue Reading →
A Case of the Mondays
Y'all. Today is the Mondayest Monday. Last night I had nonstop nightmares, but I can't remember what the nightmares were about, so I don't even know what to be afraid of. Killer spiders? Natural disasters? Escaping a car that's filling with water (this one is on frequent nightmare rotation)? Who knows. I guess I'll just... Continue Reading →