Crash! Bam! *Shatter*

You know, I just think things are so much better when they are broken.

For Example:

Broken cookies = No calories

Broken ceramics = Awesome mosaic

Broken tree branches = Bon fire (translation: HELLOOOOO S'MORES)

Broken Kit Kat bars... (gimme a break!)

I've been on Fall Break this past week and I've had the chance to just sloooooow down a bit and I came to the conclusion that life is so much better when it's broken. What I mean by 'broken' doesn't translate into a break down of structure, but rather the acceptance of imperfection and the acknowledgement of that it's impossible to complete EVERYTHING that I want to do that's important to me.

This might sound awful at first, but it's pretty awesome once you sit down and think about it. Here is my theory:

I can't complete everything that I want to do currently. But I don't think it's impossible to do everything that's important in someone's life.

Confused?

Bottom line-

I have too many things that are fighting for priority. I'm uncounciously trying to be super woman, WHO IN THE WORLD WANTS TO BE SUPER WOMAN?!? No thank you.

I sat and thought over the past few days about what is really important to me. After I cut through the crap I realized that my family is first, second, third, and fourth priority to me. When I think of life's distractions, I think of the obvious ones like media, morals, social norms shifting to extremes, etc. but I've been blind to the other things that are 'good' things but distract me from doing 'great' things.

Even as I write this I find myself still clinging to those 'good' things like school and grades. It's important to do well in school and to get my degree, but holy moly I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't taking priority right now and that honestly seems so backwards to me.

I'm glad for breaks in life. They give me clarity as to the imporant and not-so-important things. Things break, tension is released, and priorities are brought into clearer focus.

It's great.

I love broken things.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda...

I should be studying...

I would benefit from a nap...

I could be finishing my brain cake for the party tomorrow...

but I'm not.

:)

The hubs has been out on a mini-trip to area code 8-0-1 and I'm fixin' to leave soon to pick him up from the airport. So, I thought I would enjoy my last few moments of decompressing while he's gone and munchkin is asleep. This is productive, no?

In all honestly, I've got a KILLER headache from all the junky junk I've been eating the past few weeks, so the thought of text book reading makes my head want to split in two.

You know that time period you go through where you have zero time to take care of yourself and barely manage to take care of those around you so you eat what you can find and sleep like, never?

Hellloooo-I've SO been there for too long and hopefully as of now...goodbye!

My goal is to get my lazy butt up tomorrow morning at 7:30 and go run. Plus, start eating my Sprouts purchases. *I think I can, I think I can...*

(Stay tuned)

In the mean time, here is a great song I found and wanted to share. It's a little heavy, yet uplifting, and totally random, but hey, what the heck, right?

Enjoy!

I'll Give You A Hint: Rhymes With 'Nice'

But it is SO NOT NICE.

What am I talking about?

Lice. Head lice.

(These little buggies are just in time for Halloween.)

Yes, me. Prime target. Apparently lice are sexist pigs who double as clean freaks because they go for the females with the super clean hair.

If graduation wasn't around the corner I would cut all my hair off.

Do you know how painful it is to have your husband, who has never had long hair in his life, comb a thick, burning syrup through your long locks of hair...for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES? That crap freaking hurts!

(I'm pretty sure I lost a good portion of hair just do to his Sweeney Todd tactics. Oh well, less hair for them to nest in, I guess).

Even though my head was completely eradicated last week, the little monster are on the loose again at **********. I've managed to stay free of the little gremlins, but I'm pretty sure people are going to start coming in with shaved heads soon.

Everyone is so paranoid now, so much so that I'm thinking of dressing up as lice for Halloween. Or instead of making a 'brain' cake for this weekend's Halloween party, I'll make a 'lice' cake. Too much? No, really, it's THAT bad.

You know what's the worst part?

It's not the scratching and itching...

the constant washing and re-washing of EVERYTHING in your house (e.g. pillows, blankets, toys, clothes...I was up until 12:30 AM doing 7 loads of laundry)...

the never ending vacuuming...

or the shampoo that burns like acid on your scalp;

it's how people treat you.

You know, the people that are supposed to help and support you, yeah, those ones. All they seem to worry about is themselves. It's like you get hit with lice and a big serving of insensitivity right along with it- 'friends,' family, you name it.

Like it's my fault I got bugged. Nope, pretty sure I'm innocent on all accounts. That's ok, I'll just remain sleep deprived, overloaded, and overwhelmed. Whatever, pushing through more and more muck makes me stronger, an experience that they are obviously missing out on.

(Although, I will admit that I don't think I improve myself during hard times when I'm pissed about it. lol. The game is up, guess you head lice know my weakness!)

Well, so much for 'love' and 'support.'

So it still remains: I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Perhaps by then the lice will be officially gone, too.

Heh heh...

Just a little dark humor to get you in the mood for the holiday.

Hope you all have a HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!

Hmm...you know, my scalp is starting to itch again. Maybe I should rub up on those awesome people, just in case...

>:}

Fall? Couldn't They Think of a Better Name? Like 'Everything Is Dying But Smile Anyway'?

I've commented before that I used to LOVE this time of year.

Actually, I still do.

Halloween remains my top favorite holiday, and I've been planning out our costumes for the past two months. And, as of today (2 1/2 weeks ago), I started decorating. I love me my pumpkins!

But what I've noticed over the past two years is that even though I manage a pretty stable life, it proves to be far more difficult to maintain that stability during the month of September. To be completely honest, I was so depressed last year at this time that I was having suicidal thoughts.

*Gasp*

Yes, I just said that.

Catch your breath yet?

Honestly, it's not THAT much of a shock. I would dare say that all, if not a VAST majority of adults have had fleeting thoughts of suicide, not to mention impulses to do things against their moral character, standards, etc. Plus, I AM bipolar, hence I do have an actual chemical imbalance which doesn't permit me to regulate my chemicals as efficiently as other people (like serotonin- one of the anti-depressant neurotransmitters). Hence the lean towards self-loathing, despair, and self-harm.

In case you were wondering, this is how I handled it last year:

Like the responsible Bipolar individual I am (I think it's a crime in most states to use 'responsible' and 'bipolar' in the same sentence, actually ;) I acknowledged those feelings and brought them to my husband's attention. I thought the depression was merely circumstantial, based on the fact we hardly saw each other during that time (I was home all day and night with our child). There was also some...family interference, and that was really beating down on me. After some thought and consideration we decided I should go see my doctor and get a prescription. Which I did. I was only on my meds for a few weeks (and on a really low dose) before I was stable again and ready to go off medication. Things have been fine since.

Until almost two weeks ago...when I got manic...

...and now I'm depressed.

Call me crazy (no pun intended) but I'm starting to see a pattern here. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not contemplating suicide again. It's not that extreme. I'm in classes and involved in clubs and so I have my mind fairly well occupied, fortunately.

What I'm really noticing is that I'm not just full blown depressed this time of year, but I'm more susceptible to mood swings. Things that don't typically bother me are now grinding on my nerves.

I actually snapped at my husband a week or so ago. He then told me to, "Calm down."

For those of you who don't know, saying those two words to someone who's mood cycling is like dumping a case of lighter fluid on a small fire...a fire someone is trying REALLY HARD to extinguish.

Big mistake.

BIG.

HUGE.

-Thank you, Julia Roberts-

I replied, "Tell me to calm down again and see what happens." And then, like a mature individual I gave myself a time out.

Five minutes later it was over and we were laughing- true Jekyll/Hyde style. Happy Halloween!

So what's causing my depression this time around?

Oh, lots of things...and then nothing...I tend to take a lot of things on that I don't really have time for. I'm getting overwhelmed and now it's turning into depression.

(Luckily, I'm also manic, so I've been bad and have been riding those high's like a safari surfer instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour like I should. I have to admit, I haven't pulled all nighters, and I haven't stayed up night after night. So there's a pat on the back for me, right?)

Then there's the little things that life throws your way and normally you can hack it, no sweat, but right now I find myself retreating to the rabbit hole of shame I spoke of last post. Recently, someone I had known a few years back realized his connection to me via an in-law. This individual is not the most tactful person, and I know that, but they asked my family member two questions point blank:

"Is she drama in your family?"

"Is she fat now?"

Awesome.

If that doesn't make you want to jump off a bridge then I don't know what would.

*JUST KIDDING*

So granted, it's not the WORST thing to say about someone, but I've never said anything negative about this individual, and I quite liked them as a person and thought we were friends.

This also bothered me because...

1) It shows what real people did think of me

and

2) Reminds me that there are people out there that don't know or see who I am now. Today.

No one is perfect, but I wasn't even on the same diamond field as most other players several years ago. I've changed and grown and I am so full of accomplishment because of that personal growth.

(Am I perfect now? Nope, still not even close.)

But I'm better.

I'm a pretty religious girl. I'm actually a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yup, I'm a Mormon and Bipolar, and I'm sure some readers are waiting for that last strike to quit reading this blog (that's if hating college football wasn't enough for them.) I know that mood disorders are a physical abnormality, but I believe that those thoughts and feelings that come from mental disorders are magnified by the influence of Satan. He's like the king of kicking someone who's already down, or hitting a kid with glasses, whichever you prefer.

But you know what I've found to be really good for me? Reading scriptures. I find that when I'm cycling between mania and depression, if I can find it in me to crack open the Bible or Book of Mormon and really read a few chapters, opening up my mind to ponder the verses, I instantly have better control. It's like the Spirit of God cauterizes my moodswings, decreasing them and allowing me to have the restraint over myself that I desire.

Yeah, sometimes I'm lame and I just try and suck it up and don't take the time to read and things are harder. Then I usually man-up, own up, and read up...it takes a little longer to kick in during those times since of course, I have to learn my lesson, yet again! (Wouldn't you hate to have been my parents?) But I get the strength I need in the end, and I'm grateful.

And I should also be REALLY thankful because as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I follow a modern day prophet who speaks to us semi-annually at a conference that is broadcasted world wide. It just so happens that conference is always the first weekend in October, right when I'm freaking out the most. So not only do I have my scrips handy, I get a total of 10 hours of religous instruction and prophecy that is intended to guide me to live a life that coincides more with the teachings of Christ. It sounds long and boring, but it's actually pretty great, and the Church leaders are actually pretty funny.

(Conference is also always the first weekend in April, too. I enjoy it then, too, but since I'm not all whacked out in April, I'm highlighting October's conference).

It's available to re-watch on lds.org...so when I'm up way to late I can turn on a conference talk and re-center myself. It's in those moments where I irrevently think to myself, "Thanks for the help, Dad." You could say I have this disease because He gave it to me, but it's because He know's I can handle it...and He's not leaving me alone to deal on my own. When I've asked I have always gotten the help I've needed.

Just like I have faith in Him, He has faith in me.

I like thinking about it that way.

Thankfully, October is here and I can feel myself stablizing again, so I'll lift my chin, square my shoulders, and climb out of my hiding place. I'm figuring myself out and I'm different than I used to be and I'm happy about that. So it's ok. Maybe one day those people I knew will know who am I now. Maybe not. But eh, I know what I'm for, and that continues to make me stronger.

And by the way, no, I'm not fat.

*She said with a sly, satisfying smirk on her face..*

Bipolar Roller

As you can probably tell from the title of this entry, I am bipolar.

Surprise!

And before you break out the torches and accuse me of lying I will openly admit that maybe I don't really roller skate. However, there was a Law and Order episode titled 'Bipolar Roller' and I couldn't think of anything else clever for this post...so I went with it.

Anyway, as I was saying...

Oh, wait, you thought I was implying that I was lying about being bipolar? Yeah, I get that a lot. (Well, now I do, anyway.)

I'm bipolar/manic depressive/"mentally ill" (if you must). And you know, today is one of those days where I know if I don't calm myself down I may just get a little...frustrated. :)

I was diagnosed at 19, which was a few years late considering how early the symptoms had actually surfaced. I stem from a looooonngggg line of women who have 'mental illnesses.' Also, did you know that 26% of Americans will experience being diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life (Nevid, J., Rathus, S. & Greene, B. 2011)? So I guess, according to those last two preveious statements, that makes me...

normal.

Funny word, 'normal.' I've met a lot of people with mental illnesses, and their common complaint is that they just want to be normal again. What is normal, though, really? In statistical standards, meaning essentially that the majority rules, the norm is actually being crazy (Ok, ok, having a "chemical imbalance.") Crazy- I hate that word, too. I've been called that a time or two by sanists- the people that are prejudice against those with mental illnesses (Yes, they actually have a word to describe those people. One point for the mentally unstable!).

I've also found 'sane' people (which just means those with disorders that aren't diagnosed, so I use that term loosely) like to blame their mistakes, or in their eyes the lack of, on me. "Are you having a mood swing?" No. I am genuinely frustrated with your behavior and it is upsetting to me, but because I'm the one lumped into a group of people deemed 'crazy,' I must be the only one with the problem. Ugh...

Truth be told, and don't FREAK OUT on me here, I've been off my meds since just after I got married. And yes, I've been stable. I check in with the hubs every so often to make sure he doesn't see something that I've missed as far as my moods go. I still keep my psychiatrist on speed dial just in case (ok, not REALLY, but his number is always in my contact list). I actually only have mood swings now when I have run in's with family- you know, the people that I spent 23 years of my life with every single day. *Isn't it ironic...don't ya think?*

To answer another question: Yes, I have been to a therapist before. Three, actually. (The first two were for the disease, the third one was to counter act the resurfacing of my CSA history (Child Sexual Abuse). That's another post. :)

You know the funny thing? I'm going to school to be...a therapist. I guess I'm just 'nuts' all around, aren't I?

Why am I posting this? It's so....taboo! "Why would you tell people that?!"

Um...because I don't care...

I'd rather 50 people genuinely think I'm 'nuts' and have one person say, "Oh, she's bipolar too? At least there's someone else like me!" then have 51 people whisper about me that they know this deep, dark, embarrassing secret. I'm not embarrassed at all, actually. It's so fun to hear stories where the narrator is talking about a person who's "Crazy, like she was bipolar or something," (why is it always a she?) as if it's this disease that turns you into the Mad Hatter or that judge from 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'. So I usually interject and inform them that they need to be nice, and when they question me I tell them that I'm bipolar- which they don't immediately believe. (Later, they'll forget and make other comments, and I'm quick to remind them. Of course.)

I'm kind of glad I have this, though. (I know, I know, even other bipolars think I'm crazy for saying that). I manage my disease, so in spite of it I've become someone I really like. I wasn't always this way, but I am now, and I think that's what matters.

Does it bother me that there are still people out there that remember the old me and all those awful memories that come along with it?

Sometimes.

Sometimes I want to climb into a dark hole because of the shame and never come back out. That's the disease talking...and then I tell it very nicely to shut up. (And yes, apparently I talk to myself as well.) Heh heh, I've even imagined people saying in their heads, "EEewwwwww...diseeeeaase..." and then I laugh. It reminds of an animated cartoon, like Bugs Bunny or something.

Moving along...

So days like today I sit, establish the origin of what is stressing me out so much that it is inducing a mood swing, and then I try to calmly address the underlying issues that are causing me to have such a strong emotional response. Life is built out of facts. It's what we take from those facts that creates our emotional responses and that then determines our moods.

In regards to that, today was pretty successful. Although, I did have a 6 pack of Golden Oreos and a 3 Musketeers bar to help me along. (The Oreos were great, the 3 Musketeers was highly unnecessary.) I don't condone emotional eating. That's actually habitual characteristic I've learned from my family, one that's also very prominent in our society and one that I have been very successful at smoldering out of my life.

But I did cave today.

(Mr. Mars, it's been a looong time, but you'll have to leave because I just don't like you that much anymore. lol)

After a little work, my sanity is back (for the moment- jk). I don't always come off as great of a conqueror as I would like, but it doesn't always have to be pretty to be a success, right?

You win some days.

You lose other days.

There's only one thing that really matters...

I am winning the war.

Nevid, J., Rathus, S., & Greene, B. Abnormal psychology in a changing world. 2011. Upper Saddle River, NJ; Prentice Hall.

EEEAAAAASSSSSYYYYY...This Might Sting A Little

(If you've been waiting for the juicy, no-spin-my-life-isn't-perfect post, you're going to enjoy this. If you're one of those that's completely concerned with every individual and it pains you to hear hard things about people (you know, the type of person we all wish we could be but still succumb to our natural, beastly ways) then you probably won't care to read this.)

I hate college football.

HATE.

IT.

Like I said, this might sting a little... :)

I was a cheerleader my freshman year in high school and I was on the dance team my junior and senior year. I was also in the marching band.

For FOUR YEARS.

So I've been exposed to football, or rather high levels of testosterone and excuses to use profanity, make sexual jestures, or beat the crap out of someone else for the high of it...using the excuse of a 'tackle' to do so. (Also known as the rediculous practice of "team contact sports.")

I can't drive past a football field at night and not instantly be taken back to Monday night band rehersals and Friday night games. The wet, grassy smell, the heavy late night fog, and the stadium lights definetly left their...scars, we'll say. Lol. However, unlike some people, I choose not to revel in it.

I should preface this by informing you that I used to REALLY hate sports. Why? It wasn't the 50:1 pig football player to decent human being ratio, the being harrassed by players AND COACHES during games, or the emphasis on a crap male's team over an excelling female's team. It stemmed from the fact that my dad always watched sports on tv....and they took priority.

I remember one night, desperately waiting to go trick-or-treating on Halloween. If you know me at all, you know Halloween is my favorite holiday, hands down. As soon as dusk hit I was on the street, baby. That year my dad was taking me...and I had to wait...and wait, long after it got dark, for the game to finish.

I hated sports so much back then that my dad used to give me hard time, even when I got older. He'd tell me I had to like sports because guys liked sports. And afterall, if you want boys to like you, you have to like what they like. *gag me with insecurity*

So...what did I do?

Date the guys that liked cars.

Boo-yah.

Well...that crowd ran a little rough, so after I dabbled a bit with the MMA lovers, I returned to the greasemonkeys only to quit the habit completely.

Then, one day, (on the off season) I met a great guy...who turned out to be a football player.

So mmmaaaaaayyyyyyybbbbeeeeee I adapted.

I bought him several college football books, painted logos of PAC 10 colleges with him, learned the REDICULOUS game rules, remembered the names of quarterbacks that HE didn't even remember, and even named our fish after Alabama's mascot (Roll Tide!- Wait, why did I just write that? Ugh.). Why did I do this? It was important to him. He was a great match, had a lot of the qualities I thought I'd have to settle without, loved me, and most importantly, I met him at THE END of college football season...

...and I forgot what it meant to be a football player.

I should have known better.

How am I feeling right now, 3 days into the season?

I.

HATE.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

At least I got action at the games in high school.

(Oh yes, I went there.)

Football is like a deteriorating disease, it seems to get worse with age. Could it be the only thing that ties people to their younger years, the only time they see themselves as fully happy? Or in control? Or is it remaniscent of what could have been? Thus, the farther from that time of life one gets, the harder they fight to feel connected to it.

He re-routed after meeting me, dropping possible division-1 and/or scholarship opportunities to get married and start a family and sometimes I really feel like a regret. Not all the time, but there is the slight glimmer of hesitance and neglect during this time of year (which ironically is also around our wedding anniversary).

I've learned a lot lately about "not living your story." We have things happen to us, events/stories/defining 'Rudy' moments, whatever, (see, ANOTHER stupid football reference) but when we repeat the same stories over and over again to different people...doesn't it tend to chip away at you, leaving your story feeling empty? That's my experience. I can't understand why people want to relieve, 'what could have been' unless they are unhappy with their current situation and already feel that emptiness, the lack of having 'something'.

Even now, I have Secondhand Serenade on, my favorite cd, remembering all the feelings and memories attached to it, because I'm already sad and lonely. It feels good, like a relief, but I actually have an even stronger desire...to curl up with him, listening to this music, and enjoying being with him, making new memories with HIM.

Am I not enjoyable, more so than sports?

Should I resurrect the stupid cheerleader uniform?! (I've lost enough weight to fit into it now, in regards to my previous post. Down 21 lbs!)

I see other people discussing their marriages and there seems to be lots that say, "If I had known ------ about them, I probably wouldn't have married them."

Is that normal?

Is it the habit that's the real deal breaker, or is it the prevelance that it holds that causes the real harm? When you marry someone, you see their potential, what they could be, flaws included. Yet, when the grappling for the 'vices' continues, possibly increasing, causes marital strife, is that when the regrets start to occupy one's thoughts? I almost married a guy once who just couldn't quite let go of so many things, things I knew to be damaging. And I almost took the plunge anyway. Now I wonder- is it even possible to really let go or are we destined to hold on to the things that keep us from perfecting ourselves? (Clarification: never have and never will regret not marrying that guy or any other I dated, in case you were wondering.)

How selfish is TOO selfish? We all have to be selfish to maintain sanity, but how much is too much?

How much do we 'adapt' to those around us? Are they supposed to adapt as much in return? Should adapting even take place?

I used to love this time of year...now, I just want it to be over.

I hate college football!!

-Disgruntled Housewife :)

31 Days to a Better Spouse

June was spent doing lots of traveling, so much so that we spent Father’s Day en route back home. Needless to say it wasn’t a great, memorable celebration for my husband. In true ‘No Spin’ fashion, I considered doing a post about all of Jeffrey’s qualities I appreciated, along with all of the habits that were far less appealing...just to keep things real. Since he spent this Father’s Day weekend helping out family, doing odd jobs around their house, AND fighting an oven fire due to my lack of knowledge with high-altitude baking, I decided that I needed to take a much more appreciative approach if I was going to post anything about him.

So here’s what I did...

I took the idea from this movie:

(If you haven't seen it, you should)

and decided to spend the entire month of July contributing to my marriage; I wanted to do things every day to be a better spouse. We hardly ever see each other, and lot of our time together gets divided with all the multi-tasking we have to submit to, so I thought what better way to show my love than by sacrificing the one thing that I already have so little of to demonstrate my love/appreciation/gratitutde/etc. for him.

There were 6 things I wanted to improve on...

1. Get up every morning and make him breakfast before work (6 A.M.-hence why I haven’t done this yet)
2. Compliment him every day
3. Initiate intimacy- hugging, snuggling, actual legit conversation with eye contact
4. Avoid negativity
5. Finish the dishes every night before bed (my friend Heather is SO much better at this!)
6. Stop talking about my weight, exercise, how well my clothes fit, etc.

I’ve done....ok. :)

About half way through the month we had a major meltdown and I caved and told him I had intentionally been doing extra things to improve what little time we had together and I was frustrated because I felt like it didn’t matter. We have a pretty sturdy relationship, I think, and we can communicate about things fairly well. He listened, and started trying to aid me on the one or two days a week where he had extra time.

After those first few weeks, I stopped worrying about checking off the list because getting up every morning started becoming habit, one that I carry out about 80% of the time (unless I’m sick or he leaves earlier).

(Actually, that has morphed into waking up at 5:30 AM now so that I can have breakfast prepared the second he wakes up, allowing us to chat a bit longer.)

The dishes are about 60% of the time, which is an improvement non the less! As far as intimacy, we had a lot more rough-housing and towel swatting at the beginning of the month, but it’s gone back to hugs more so, but he has actually started randomly cuddling up to me! (And I love it!) As I have started going to bed before he gets home, I’ve begun leaving him little love notes for when he gets home. I’m finding those have a greater impact than staying up an extra hour and half later just to ‘see’ each other. He seems to wake up in an amazing mood the mornings after I’ve left a note the night before. :)

As for the negativity/weight deal...I’m a female, what can I say? Although, I do believe that every excuse is a choice to fail, and I was doing a much better job with this particular challenge in the first few days of the month in comparison to now, so it’s obvious I just need to kick my own butt and get in a better habit of being positive.

Complimenting- I’ve always been really good at saying ‘thank you’ and ‘I really appreciate you doing -----’ but true compliments seem so blatant, it was weird sometimes. One day I thanked him for not getting upset that I was emotional and letting me talk out my feelings. He asked if that wasn’t how he had always been in which I replied that, “Yes, you’ve always been this way, but just because someone always does something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t thank them for it.” At that point he immediately walked out of the kitchen over to me with a very sincere, cherished look on his face and gave me a hug. It was pretty awesome, (even if it was a ‘thank you’ and not a real compliment).

I want him to always feel that way. I want him to always know that I truly appreciate him. He won’t get that by reading this silly blog, and that’s not my intent for posting this. He’ll only know how I feel through my actions, and so I hope to maintain these new ‘better spouse’ habits. I feel like so much gets lost in the hustle of life and so many of us forget about what we (husband or wife) used to do, and focus more on what they used to do and what they no longer do...what about us? Shouldn't we first take responsibility for ourselves? I mentioned this little project to a few friends, (and I hope I didn't offend anyone in doing so!) and some of which were grateful for the challenge. Others might or might not have takent the challenge, as marriages are private and it's not for everyone to always know the goals of a relationship. And then some others were silent as I personally shared with them my plan, quietly fuming and then stating to me they felt that their spouse was the one that needed to start putting forth more effort, not themselves...(whatever, we've ALL been there, myself included! lol)

It’s not for me to say what way is the right way to be or not to be for any marriage, but what I do know is that I had a great experience with this challenge. It was really trying at first, and I found myself miserable with frustration in the first few days until I let my feelings go and just worked.

HARD.

Slowly I became a little better version of me.

And it was so worth it.

Because (to me) he is so worth it.

What about you? What’s a habit you want to change to improve your relationship with your spouse? Or what’s something you stopped doing and want to start up again?

The Old Fashioned, Cost Effective Way

I've noticed there has been a lot of new things circulating about....

weight loss.

For example, there's the new procedure called the Lap Band. From what I understand it's a surgery that places a ring around part of your G.I. track that inhibits you from over eating. It's pretty expensive, as most surgeries are. The commercials show thin people, liberated by their weight loss but what I'm wondering is how can you be liberated when your weight loss is souly dependent on something/someone else putting restrictions on you. Where is the personal freedom in that?

There are other procedures (stomach stapling, lypo, all types of injections, etc.) as well as

expensive gyms, fad diets, and even resorts advertising for you to drop your life as is for a period of time and come loose weight. These all cost large amounts of money and take time away from other, highly more pressing and important things (our families, our jobs, or our education). So what I'm wondering is why people spend so much money and disrupt their lives for a quick fix? And more importantly, what happens in five years when the surgery is no longer effective (oh yes, it happens) or you come home from the resort faced with all the temptations that got you overweight to begin with?

Actual weight loss isn't the issue; a person's weight is a symptom of what they did/are doing that caused them to gain the weight in the first place. There could be many reasons for this that are not part of a severe issue (surgery and an inability to exercise, injury, having a baby, etc). There are other issues that are a little more psychologically debilitating that are getting in the way of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Regardless, what I want to know is what happened to the old fashioned way of loosing weight? Output vs. input. You know, the one that forces us to be accountable for what we eat, if we exercise, and most importantly, that's FREE? Are we really unable to loose weight at home during our day-to-day lives?

(*Yes, sometimes in life threatening situations surgery is necessary and yes, some facilities and resorts legitimately fix your head so your body will follow, but most people are concerned with just their body. Hence, it's the programs that only target one's body and not their emotional/mental health and well being that I am focusing on.)

When I knew I wanted to do a post about weight loss, I decided I had to walk the walk if I was going to talk the talk. So, I committed to only weighing once a week and counting calories. I've lost 3 pounds in 7 days by exercising everyday and paying attention to what I eat. Granted it took me about 5 days to finally eat within my proposed calorie allotment because I had NO IDEA how much I had been consuming (I ate 1500 calories in ONE meal last week, and they were SMALL portions!) but by the fifth day I started getting a handle on things and it paid off in only a week. (And yes, I did step on the scale this morning with my eyes closed, all the while cringing inside until I finally opened them to read the numbers - 1 3 4 . 3. REALLY?! YES!)

I'm pretty stoked if I do say so myself. The fact that I'm paying attention and learning how many calories are in what I eat on a daily basis is giving me the tools for long term success, something a lot of dieters/surgical patients don't think about.

I also got the privilege of meeting this gal-

this past week (for FREE I might add).

After 25 minutes with her I looked like this-

I got to hear her story about how she got to the point she was at when she first started the show. She spoke very strongly about not making excuses and not comparing ourselves to others. She had a severe car accident that caused her body to not allow her muscles to grow as quickly as the other contestants and so she had a really hard time on the show. "I was the slowest, I finished last...

...but I lost 100 pounds. Who cares?"

I know a few people that started loosing weight recently 'the old fashioned way.' One mom had amazing success in only a month! Since she's started, she's lost 20 pounds in just 8 weeks. I'm good friends with another mom who says some people have suggested to her things to help her loose the weight "faster." "Faster? It's coming off on it's own, why spend money to speed up the process? What's the rush?" She admits she was slightly annoyed with the suggestion. I love that philosophy.

What is the rush? Why not take responsibility for our actions and put in the hard work? It's hard admitting what we've become, but we're better for it when we do.

Don't. Make. Excuses.

Mountains Out of Mole Hills

I get teased quite often about the phrases I use to illustrate a point I'm trying to make during conversation. Most of them come from having lived with my grandma since I was a little girl. She would say things like, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride," "The chickens have come home to roost," "Close the door, were you raised in a barn?", etc. Lots of these have stuck with me, but one phrase that seems to fit the theme of this blog is the one that says "Making mountains out of mole hills."

This idea seems to go hand in hand with spinning sometimes and building mountains can add unneeded stress, illicit the involvement of more people than necessary, and can basically make us look like the little boy that cried wolf. No thanks.

Example: This past weekend I was helping with a wedding reception. We had a babysitter for Friday and Saturday and back up just in case. Well, the babysitter threw out her back doing yoga (no spin) and by Friday evening I couldn't get a hold of our back up. I called a total of 8 people to watch our son for Saturday morning. 8 PEOPLE. Why didn't I just decide to let my husband stay home and watch our son if the back up never called? Instead I panicked, calling in serious favors from friends (which I HIGHLY DISLIKE doing) only to have them be busy or not return the call (to be honest, I probably wouldn't have called me back, either. Saturday morning sitter? The nerve! lol). The back up did come through and things were fine, but now do I look like one of those 'user' friends? I don't know. But since I'm trying to not make another mountain, I guess I'll just wait and see if any of them call me to hang out ever again. Moving on...

The basis of this mountain/mole hill idea is that we make large issues by building up something that is rather small in origin. There is some good news! This isn't always a bad thing. I have a positive example of this as well.

Here is my mole hill...

And here is my mountain...

19 blankets in total.

I had a miscarriage about a month and a half ago. I've heard lots of people talk about them and even have a family member that works in LBD so I've heard extremely detailed descriptions of miscarriages, still births, etc. So when I got pregnant, I stayed up the night before the doctor's appointment putting together a back up plan in case there ended up not being a baby just in case. I'm a big planner.

I had a plan, but ho-ly crap was I unprepared. Forget the hormones and the emotions, the physicality of the experience alone is more than I think a lot of people realize. I'm not going into detail here because that's not the purpose, but it honestly opened my eyes-- no spin.

Well, afterwards we were left with having gone through 2 weeks of labor and no child. No headstone, no memorial, nada. Being the somewhat busy bodied person I am I decided I needed to do something productive to fill up my few spare minutes I had each day. So I took my mole hill miscarriage and turned it into a mountain of 19 blankets for the still born babies and their parents at the hospital that I delivered my son at. Granted, a miscarriage isn't a small experience, but outside my little family it doesn't affect much else. Likewise, 19 blankets won't satisfy the masses, but they will reach and affect at least 19 moms (possibly dads, too) which is at least 16 more people than my miscarriage affected.

This is NOT a pat-on-the-back for me. This post is to raise awareness of several issues:

1) We can easily landscape our life to have less stressful and unhappy mountains and more mole hills. When it comes to the little things just repeat after me: IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.

2) Miscarriages actually are kind of a big deal and I feel like the topic is a little taboo and I don't think it should be. They happen, they stink to go through, and we don't ever "get over" them but we move on. We'll bring them up here and there but we're coping and re-coping, so let's remember we should try and cut those we know some slack.

Finally-

3) Everything has it's opposite. I've given spinning a negative connotation, but think of those we know that spin what facts we tell them about our lives. "I bought a house, but it's really old." "WOW, your first buy! I'm so excited for you!" (Aren't those friends the greatest?) Similarly, we can choose to build either negative or positive mountains out of either mole hills. Don't forget that size is relative- what looks like a foot hill to one may seem like a steep summit to another. We can't ever comprehend what affects who to what intensity (just like in spinning, we never REALLY know). So don't hesitate to create influential mountains of goodness, no matter the size.

IT ALWAYS MATTERS.

95% Day...I'd Rather Be Flunking

Isn't it amazing how insecure we let ourselves feel when we're already down? It's almost like we have to beat ourselves up while we are already feeling incompetent because we feel like we deserve it.

I saw several blogs this week that completely fed into my insecurities. The first blog mentioned how the author just lost several pounds this past week. Instantly I had a pitty party, nevermind the fact I have lost about 13 pounds this past semester.

The second blog recapped a birthday party and all I could think about was how my kid's party didn't measure up. I also reminded myself how I don't work so I don't contribute financially, and that I am a full time student so I don't have the time to dedicate to planning fun activities. It was almost overwhelming how frustrated I was letting myself get about my situation in comparison to this family.

REDICULOUS.

Did you know that an average individual's "self talk" per day is 80% negative self-reflection? (I heard that during a psych lecture, so excuse me for not citing the reference.) But honestly, today is a day where I feel like my percentage would be more realistic at 95%. I really need to work on lowering that average to around 40%. (Originally I thought 50% would be good, but that only means that I'm neutral in how I feel about myself. 40% negativity means that I have a positive overlap :).

So I'm telling myself that this is one instance where 100% is NOT what I want. I've never been in the 40th percentile, I'm too good of a student (+ 1%) so this may take some getting used to.

Why don't we "flunk" negativity together? How about you comment and tell me one or more postives for yourself!

Isn't That What We're Supposed To Do?

This story has stuck with me for a while and if it belongs anywhere it belongs on this blog. (True story from a direct source)

Summary: A girl goes to a social event. She sits down at a table and starts up a conversation with a few individuals who are also dining with her. During the course of the conversation, one of the individuals asks the girl where she learned to tie her scarf the way she did. The girl openly mentions she saw it on a mannequin in a store a few days prior and decided the give it a try. The others at the table look at the girl with a strange look, as if to infer her lack of sophistication/style/tact/etc.

Really? Apparently this girl is ahead of the game because she caught the attention of the others sitting at the table in the first place.

Store fronts dress mannequins to attract consumers. That's the purpose of the mannequin. I've gone into a store and bought the entire outfit that the store front model was wearing and it was one of my best outfits. What I don't understand is what is wrong with doing that. Do people really spin their stories around buying clothes?

What is wrong with buying/accessorising like the model? Or admitting to doing it? After all, isn't that what we're supposed to do?

What is Spinning?

Spinning is that little extra tidbit we all like to put on our stories to embellish, emphasize, dramatize, and mostly make those around us view our life as the glass half full. I, along with others, view this as misleading, used to boost ourselves up (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) however it usually leads to competitiveness, envy, and personal frustration of others. How often do you read a blog and think, "Gosh, why are things going so well for them?!" Oh yes, we are happy for our friends who are abundantly blessed, but at the same time I know I feel frustrated and get caught in the "I have not" mindset. We all have spun, we all have compared at one time or another, and we all have lead ourselves to believe the grass is greener on the other side. I used to be a huge spinner, more of the "one upping" type that had to have the most drastic, dramatic story that was so horrendously extreme the gravity of it was too intense to be compared to anyone else's simple sob story (see what I mean?). I'm sure some of you still think I do this, which is true but to a lesser extent, and I am trying to break the habit.

That is why I started this blog. It serves as a duel purpose: 1. To help me honestly write about ideas, principles, and events (whether public or private) in an honest and factual tone and 2. To spread awareness about spinning. Yes, we have power over how things make us feel, but those days when your favorite skinny jeans won't button, your hair is going through that awkward cut stage, and you just read about your friend's perfect outing with their perfect family and saw the perfect pictures with her perfect wardrobe and never ending accessories you really do have a harder time maintaining a good feeling about yourself. Well, at least I do.

For those of you who wish to comment please do! I do ask however that comments remain respecful and curteous and maintain a reasonable amount of etiquette (translation: no swearing, bashing, or vulgarity).

I look forward to putting on the breaks with you!