tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286074092024-03-12T21:40:07.152-04:00Hot Mess MinimalistI am a minimalist. I am also a mom, and have a significant other. Together... well we are a hot mess.cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-4493160261577289162018-01-11T11:27:00.000-05:002018-01-11T11:32:59.158-05:00FART and meeting new peopleI have had a lot going on lately. One of these things, is that a good friend of mine has been removed from a large part of my life (church), at the same time as the death of another friend.<br />
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Part of this friend (the one who is still alive) being gone is that she is friendly and easy to talk to upon introducing herself. She once asked me to sit with a visitor to the church. I had already introduced myself to this visitor. So I go over and sit with them... And I don't know what the f to say.<br />
And I am mad, because this person who I knew I could rely on to not be akward and be genuinely welcoming will no longer be at church.<br />
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I had a conversation with my FIL over winter break about feeling akward when trying to talk to new people. He is an introvert and engineer and I knew he could relate. I was trying to recall his advice which was an acronym. I knew the first word is Family... And was stuck. So I am discussing this with my husband at swimming and I say, well all I can think of is FART.<br />
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My husband finds it. Actual acronym is FORD. And here is a <a href="https://lifehacker.com/5937348/use-the-ford-technique-to-make-small-talk-easier">link for FORD</a> technique for starting conversations if you are interested.<br />
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We sit there talking and he says, well you can still use FART.<br />
Family<br />
Aspirations<br />
Recreation<br />
Toil (Occupation)<br />
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So I am sitting there laughing. Because for me this works. I know that asking about a person's job or career is problematic so I prefer it lower on the list, and when I have to talk to someone new my thought is often "oh, fart." Because of trying to avoid swearing, and knowing that for me it is an akward task.<br />
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As my husband pointed out knowing me I might also say it out loud, so he is picturing me talking to a new person and saying "fart, fart, fart" or if we are at a party he can say to me "remember to FART". <br />
<br />cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-7774558966461676612017-05-25T01:07:00.001-04:002017-05-25T01:16:05.225-04:00Minimalism blindspot- money Can #poorminimalists exist?<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been wanting to address something that #theminimalists have not talked about much. Perhaps because it can feel like a criticism. I have been wondering how to address minimalism and wealth for a while now and then I saw this on Facebook (I have pasted the critique underneath the link, but also wanted to keep the reader informed of the source.</span><br />
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<a href="http://burrgeoisie.tumblr.com/post/160652021519/ignescent-lokahjarta-herlobster-gowns">http://burrgeoisie.tumblr.com/post/160652021519/ignescent-lokahjarta-herlobster-gowns</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">lower-income people tend to be “hoarders” and richer people are able to do more “minimalist” living spaces. if u don’t have much, you will hold onto any little thing that comes across your way. you got a new tv, but you still keep the old tv because you know things can break. you keep extra boxes of macaroni and cheese lying around because there will be a week when you don’t have money for groceries. you hold onto your stacks of books and clothes for dear life. those are your assets. physical evidence of where your money’s gone. it’s hard to get rid of it. the bare wall is terrifying when you don’t have much.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">so I’d normally put this in the tags but it’s kind of a lot so just reblog this from OP to skip my commentary. But I dogsit for a family who is clearly LOADED. Their house is immaculate. High, vaulted ceilings, wood flooring, two chandeliers in one room. These things are fancy, right ?? I really don’t know, anything that isn’t tile or 30 year old carpet seems fancy to me. It also so… bare. Everything is organized perfectly, they have no excess. Their decor is extravagant and yet minimal - it is carefully and precisely executed. Nothing that doesn’t match the aesthetic sits in their living room. I tried to replicate some of it, but it’s just not possible. I have every book I’ve ever owned, my mom keeps papers upon papers, VHSs in a dresser, how do you just get rid of these things when you know you may not have the opportunity to buy them again? How must it feel to live in such orderly quarters where everything is replaceable?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cupritte again.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted to begin with the words of others because I am not poor. I have never been poor. I have never experienced what it is like to REALLY go without. I can understand some aspects of doing without, but if I wanted to I was always able to find what I needed. I want to address the idea of being poor, or perhaps if you will allow it middle class, and being a minimalist.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think that if you are not affluent, that just in case stuff is a big item that minimalism sucks about. I am not going to donate my cans of food, and I am going to continue to store boxes of pasta not because they bring me joy, but because I know to save money I need not only to keep them, but to continue to buy in bulk (very middle class privilege) in order to save. Plus I am a Girl Scout. I am not going to be unprepared for a power outage or whatever. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there is fixing stuff. Yup, I can completely understand keeping the crappy TV around just in case the other one breaks. My family doesn't anymore because we have decided it is not worth the stress having the crap in the house, but again, we are lucky. If we really want something, even if it is costly we can go get a new one. I have the luxury of being able to choose to not have piles of stuff around the house. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't think this type of scarcity only applies to money either. I have been re-reading <i>City of Ember</i> recently, and can understand why the homes are collections of stuff from generations. Additionally I think if you are a person serious about reducing your waste, you might keep more things around for parts if they can not be useful to anyone else. And you would have far more reusable packaging or other storage methods than most people.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have one big hang up, where I often find myself getting frustrated listening to #theminimalists, or #minimalistmomspodcast, clothing. I really dislike shopping. I always have. Additionally there are very few clothes people give me that I like. So minimizing my wardrobe was pretty easy. There wasn't too much to begin with, and the things I was unsure about I got rid of. Until I got to... "well this is ok, and I need clothes to wear." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I hear about the 333 project, or a capsule wardrobe and I know, this crap is not for me. Why? Because I have had at least two shirts and one pair of pants become unusable in the time since I last went through my wardrobe. I have others that have holes, that I probably ought to get rid of, but I will wear them until they die because I am not in a place yet where I want to go out and get new clothes. If I limited myself to a capsule or 333 wardrobe, I would wear through half of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a crappy pair of sketchers (maybe around 3 years old) I can't stand, and wear them daily because they are the non-running sneakers I have, and I am waiting to get new ones at the REI garage sale IF they have anything I like. I tossed the last pair of shoes I had once I could feel the different textures of pavement on the ball of my foot. And yet I have "running shoes" and never run. Do they bring me joy? No. Do I use them occasionally and never want to buy them unless I really have to? Yup!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what I guess I am trying to say is yeah, there are reasons to keep stuff that does not bring value to your life. You might need to keep a just in case item because you can't afford to get another one. You might need to keep something in case it is of value in the future, and you would be unable to get it back. If you are in a place where you don't need a safety net for whatever reason that is great, please get rid of things that don't bring value to your life. Hopefully they will find a good home with someone who they will bring value or safety to. I would strongly appreciate it additionally, if you are able to acknowledge that being able to live with less is something that having monetary savings affords you. Personally having money is a large part of why my family is able to get rid of many things in our home, and that makes it a privilege not everyone is able to access.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also being a minimalist isn't just about the pairing down of stuff. It is about being clear and intentional about what you do have, whether it is your possessions, social media intake, use of personal time, relationships, or other aspects of your life. So you do what works best for you, and be a #poorminimalist, #middleclassminimalist, #fixitminimalist, #tinkererminimalist, #makerminimalist, #zerowasteminimalist, or a #hotmessminimalist and just ignore the crickets (critics) regarding the stuff you keep. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helveticaneue" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-18555548282772448202017-05-11T12:58:00.001-04:002017-05-11T12:58:57.074-04:00Why do we keep doing what is not working? Housing edition.This week driving to my child's school I passed by one of my favorite properties and was heartbroken. A massive sign was out front, where months ago there had been no driveway, just open land. It was advertising the homes that were going to be put in starting at the 300s. I felt heartbroken.<div>
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I have loved and admired this space ever since I saw it. It is one of my favorite areas in Charlotte (though it is technically outside of it) driving by. And now, it is going to be another development. No more hill, no more grassy plain, no more cute red farmhouse at the top, and likely no tree next to it either. </div>
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I know it is impractical because I never would have had enough to buy a property like this and get it to be a farm. Heck. It never even had a for sale sign out front, so who knows how that even works. But I still dreamt about being able to put a farm up there or a cohousing space. It just stinks.</div>
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Also this week I was told that my family is considering selling some land, and a house on a lake. We do not use the space often, and there is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done, so it is a good idea to consider selling. But I know exactly who will buy it. A developer. I know because that is exactly what happened right next door.</div>
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And I though I don't know how to fix it, I am going to dig deeper into cohousing and see if I can at least be a small part of finding a better way to do this.</div>
cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-5494998719618631342017-05-03T14:12:00.000-04:002017-05-03T14:12:07.990-04:00House hunting?We moved into our home in 2010. There are a few things that are not ideal. We want more space to garden, and our home has trees on it's little lot. We are DIY people and there is no garage or mud room... Which was not a problem until we had kids and now the extra bedrooms function as bedrooms not project spaces. Our family also lives out of town so it would be lovely to have a space where they could stay when visiting (currently we have one, but when the kids need their own space it gets to be a bedroom again). And we really want a big central kitchen, ours is an ok size and slightly isolated.<div>
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We have been looking on and off at houses, mostly the last three years, when I found a cash only house which was 12 acres with a pond. My parents would love a project house (a farm would be ideal) and we would have paid our mortgage to them. Any way that fell through, and I look every so often now.</div>
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I found one this weekend. I drove by, and came home. "I think I might have found our house." We all drove by to take a look, and called the realtor on the sign. There were so many things about this house that were wonderful and ideal. But in the end it just was not right for us. One of it's biggest flaws is that it is in an industrial area so there are no neighbors for our kids to play with. </div>
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I did find myself wondering, if I am a minimalist why am I looking at a bigger house? </div>
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I think the answer is while we enjoy our house, it does not quite work for us. So I will keep looking.</div>
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This weekend I am planning on attending a co-housing meeting. I will be very curious to see how it goes. I have been interested in the idea for a while, and clearly we are wanting something different than what we have. I look forward to checking it out.</div>
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cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-1924292496594157492017-04-16T11:56:00.000-04:002017-04-16T11:56:03.476-04:00Lots of mess. Ideas for later.I started with a new podcast today. Loaded stitcher onto my first smart phone that I got a few months ago with Ting (alternative phone service if you are curious I can send you a link).<br />
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I am also unpacking from a camping trip that got cut off because our tent is around 15 years old and was touching the rainfly so it leaked. So my house is a mess, which I am in the middle of fixing. It gives me an idea for a future post, about being honest regarding how messy my home is on a daily basis, and how bad it gets when things are going on.<br />
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Also it gives me some ideas about how privilege effects the ability to discard just in case items. Like our tent.<br />
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Also since listening to The Minimalists podcast again, I really think that they would find a lot of value in a non-violent communications class. I find myself listening to some of their replies and feel concerned that the caller might not feel heard. There is a lot of information coming across, I wonder if it is helpful to the listener.<br />
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Ok, but for now, back to cleaning my mess.cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-11148818231556403522017-02-21T09:28:00.001-05:002017-02-21T09:31:24.502-05:00How to respond to critics = cricketsI just listened to <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/105615777297605180802" target="_blank">+The Minimalists</a> 055 Critics. I was not expecting to find it relevant to me, as though sometimes I would like to create, I do not define myself as a creator (perhaps I have not yet found the bravery and boldness to do so.) I thought their approach was a good one, and found myself empathising with Fields Millburn and his responses to critics. Once they got to the quote from Theodore Roosevelt though I made the connection to my own life. <br />
<span style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #444444; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc;">This quote, made the episode much more relevant for me. While I am not a creator I am an activist. I do my best to keep up with local issues and show up to as many events as I can that call for change where there are problems and discrimination. There are lots of people who oppose what we are doing strongly and vociferously, and lately I occasionally find myself in the comments section on a article for a project I participated in and read (and argue with) the criticism that is there. It takes a huge amount of energy. Now I am going to think of those crickets before getting into those conversations (or even reading the hatred that people have posted.). I will post my positive, constructive comment to combat the hate, then think of crickets. The people on the internet don't show up. They don't come to the meetings or town halls or demonstrations. They may drive around our demonstrations (and occasionally through) and be inconvenienced, but they don't bother to park get out of their cars and walk over to engage in a dialogue, so why should I spend my energy seeking out to engage them on the Internet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #fcfcfc;">So thanks guys. I am going to think of crickets.</span></span>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-45373264234553661692017-01-19T21:54:00.002-05:002017-01-19T21:54:28.606-05:00Jobs -wandering messOk, part of what makes me a hot mess is my resume.<br />
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I did the regular work study stuff and joined the army reserves doing logistics and graduated from college. Since then I have kinda wandered. I never really used my major other than teaching abroad. I taught and worked in a vet clinic in the states. <br />
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Then we moved and I had kids. So, I don't know what to do now. I keep reading books. Trying to figure out what I might be good at. Find out what my priorities are and the best way to accomplish them. I feel like I was supposed to discover this in college, but I walked in thinking I knew what I wanted to do, so never wandered around much.<br />
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I just got a job at a tea shop that I love, and yesterday I found myself writing in a notebook what I want to do and the possible paths I can see to accomplish it because I am wandering. Then I started thinking about minimalism... I think I may need a few more days to process and consider where that fits in.<br />
<br />cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-35953884635662552912017-01-09T21:27:00.000-05:002017-01-09T21:27:50.200-05:00So I am re-starting a new iteration of this blog. I have gone from Lifelong Procrastinator (which I still am), to Skinny Couch Potato (which applies some of the time and occasionally most of the time), and now Hot Mess Minimalist.<br />
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I have been curious about minimalism, and have never been much of a collector for most of my life, but only in the last few years, and even more in the last couple months I been reading and learning about the philosophies of minimalism. I stared with a couple shows on the radio, eventually borrowed the Marie Kondo book, and recently have started with The Minimalists, which has lead to lots of other resources.<br />
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Today my husband sent me a link to one of Jenny Mustard's videos. I watched it, a 30 day or 4 week plan to become a minimalist. She talked a bit about aesthetics. How she is attracted to spaces that are clean and white and bright. If what you like is spaces filled with color and fluffy pillows you should do that.<br />
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As I was sitting in the stairwell, avoiding my kids looking at my yellow door, and newly purchased winter welcome mat, I started wondering about this. My esthetics... I have no flippin clue. I currently do not work, I live in a house, modest, worth around 100K (and no it is not a cardboard box because I live in Charlotte), with a wonderful husband who works his tail off with a PhD to earn 60K a year. We kinda just try to live within our means in a place that hasn't fallen down yet. I haven't given a lot of thought to aesthetics. <br />
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After a while of thinking about this, it occurs to me that I am probably not the only one. Listening to The Minimalists podcasts there are people from across the economic and lifestyle spectrum. I am sure I am not the only one staring at my messy house, who still considers myself a minimalist. Sometimes the things that bring us joy take up space. Like cooking or camping, or creating art (especially upcycling), or bicycling. And not everyone has a garage. So sometimes minimalists look a little different.<br />
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Then there are kids. They are complex, they add a lot to a house. After a few years, often that ends up being a lot of stuff too. And if you are taking cues from your kids, and working with them to reduce you have to have some degree of flexibility on what your common space looks like.<br />
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So I figured I would start this blog up again. Because my house, my yard, my car, and my life look quite messy, but I have strong minimalist leanings. I am sharing my experience for those who might feel similarly, or others who are curious about what exactly minimalism can look like.<br />
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Uh... for reference in case anyone every reads this and wants or needs it:<br />
Marie Kondo- http://tidyingup.com/<br />
The Minimalists- http://www.theminimalists.com/<br />
Jenny Mustard-http://jennymustard.com/minimalism-how-to-become-a-minimalist-the-30-day-challenge/<br />
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#minimalist #messycuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-46148711538541036592011-07-17T11:52:00.002-04:002011-07-17T21:56:58.873-04:00One Month AgoI need to alter this blog, as Nugget is out! He was born about a month ago, so the gestational diabetes is gone, though some habits still remain. I hope to continue to check labels, and have been trying to balance carbs, fat and protein. I'm looking forward to starting running, but for now I'm trying to get use to my new sleep schedule, and am mostly recovered from giving birth to the little one.<br /><br />The whole experience was pretty good, considering it's suppose to be one of the hardest most painful things that a woman can experience. I actually chose Nugget's birthday, he was past his due date and I had been 3cm dilated for two weeks so I scheduled with my OB to be inducted as there wasn't any additional risk over going into labor naturally. So my husband and I went in to the hospital, they began pitocin by about 8AM, broke my water at about noon, and Nugget was born at 4PM. They weren't expecting him that early but I was walking around the maternity ward as much as I could, then changed positions as often as possible when I couldn't walk anymore. I didn't have any intervention other than the pitocin, so I yelled a lot probably starting at around 3. Apparently I had been having contractions before arriving at the hospital I just wasn't aware of them. Even until they broke my water I thought the contractions were pretty mild. Once the contractions were close together though, and I only got a few seconds of a break, they felt pretty bad.<br /><br />I've read some things that other people have written about their birth experience and wanted to put mine out there. I chose to induced, because one of the OBs I saw encouraged it in part because if I didn't get it the following week I would have to have a non-stress test the next week. I also wasn't having any contractions that I knew of, just some suspected Braxton-Hicks and I didn't even really know if I'd had any of those, and I didn't want the little guy getting too much bigger before coming out. I would do it again if I was as dilated. His head grew an additional inch at his one week checkup. No thank you. <br />I also chose not to use other drugs. My mom had a negative experience with and epidural when she had me, and I thought I could probably do it, so my crazy butt tried it. I didn't take any classes to prep for the baby except CPR, I just read some about breathing techniques and positions for labor online. But then I'm crazy, I've gone through basic training for the army, and been hit by a car. I thought that I could take it on, and this time I was right.<br /><br />The way our hospital worked they kept you in the hospital for two nights after giving birth. The first night the nurses told me to sleep and not worry about feeding. I had read you are suppose to feed every three hours, and so I thought it was really important that I try to feed him every time he woke up. That was true, it's good to try when they wake up, but that first night they are exhausted, and still have a body full of crap. The hospital staff gives the baby a bath and swaddles them up tight. I should have gone to sleep. I woke up every few hours because of being uncomfortable and would try to feed him. At some point he spat up, and I pushed the nurse call button. They came in and let me know that spitting up was completely normal, they are pushing everything out of their system. Doing it again, if he woke up crying or fussing I'd feed him but not every time I woke up and he seemed unsettled. Besides the nurses will come in every few hours to get blood or other things, so when they do you can feed the baby. Other than that, sleep.<br />The day was good. The baby got circumcised, checked by a pediatrician, and I saw a lactation consultant, had my blood checked, and asked the nurse any questions that came up during the day. Night two was a monster. I would feed the baby and the second I put him down he would cry. At one point I ended up crying myself because he wouldn't latch, and was hungry. The hospital had a sheet about the second night in the folder they gave moms, basically saying it was going to be nuts, and recommendations for how to get the baby to sleep. Plus I'm pretty sure the nurses would walk around and if they heard a baby screaming for a while they would go in to help out the poor family trying to figure out what to do.<br /><br />I really don't like being at the hospital, but I was glad to have the support there when I needed it, and wouldn't have done it any other way.<br /> I had an easy time with labor and delivery, which is unlike other experiences I've read about, but I also didn't have an immediate attachment to my baby. He was still this foreign critter, who I could barely fathom came out of me. I constantly was just surprised that I'd given birth, and confused about how to fix the babies cries (so having nurses, and my husband around to help was great). I was an attentive parent, but not an enamored one. I think that's slowly changing. <br /><br />For those of you who are pregnant or looking at becoming parents, I would recommend listening to other people's advice and experiences, but just don't dwell on much of it too long. Every person, every baby and every experience is different.cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-20603641975903804472011-04-06T12:05:00.002-04:002011-04-07T23:48:39.301-04:00Yummy Thai Food!<div>Wednesday-</div>B- Boiled Egg, Soy-milk with cinnomin<div>L- Cottage Cheese, Green Beans, Boiled egg, apple with peanut butter</div><div>S- Swiss Cheese, greek yogurt, potato chips</div><div>D- cantellope several slices, kale, shredded pork</div><div>Ice cream about 1 cup</div><div>10 AM- 168.4 lbs</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday-</div><div>10 AM- 166.7 lbs</div><div>B- spinach and egg (made my blood sugar go down, not up strange)</div><div>L- Cantelope while I made food, yogurt with homemade granola and fruit, cheese and lunchmeat rollups</div><div>S-Cantelope and cottage cheese</div><div>D- Eggplant Chicken Thai dish, with rice mango dessert</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-24734897926877767272011-04-05T10:03:00.003-04:002011-04-05T21:36:16.793-04:00Loosing the sugar, and the weight...166.9 lbs at 10 am<div><br /></div><div>B- Leftover pork and carrot chinese food</div><div>L- Turkey tomato and swiss sandwich, green bean leftovers and some cottage cheese</div><div>(I'm always really hungry by lunchtime since being on this low carb/sugar diet, this was one of the first satisfying lunches I've had so far... maybe a little over-full.)</div><div>Vitamins post lunch pre blood sugar</div><div>Yogurt with granola</div><div>1 serving potato chips</div><div>D- Chick-fil-a sandwich half the bun removed, small unsweet tea, small milkshake shared with Jacob (banana pudding shakes are awesome! It's good they'll be going away soon, cause I'd be tempted to eat them all the time.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I killed the granola so I'm thinking that tomorrow I'll try an adjusted recipe to make it have less sugar, then eat it for lunch so I'll have an idea if it works well for keeping blood sugar low.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-43807563758560539412011-04-01T12:44:00.002-04:002011-04-01T22:01:24.044-04:00No JokeFig Newton<div>Chick-fil-a Nuggets with sauce</div><div>slice of bread with cheese</div><div>1 cup frozen strawberries and about 2 tbsp walnuts (I need to toast those up, they're old and taste terrible)</div><div>1 cup + a little soy milk with cinnamon allspice and nutmeg</div><div>slice of cheddar cheese</div><div>handful of roasted peanuts</div><div>burger (full sized) from Five Guys</div><div>4 tbsp starbucks ice cream (completely allowed!)</div><div><br /></div><div>So I have a meter now, and the only abnormal readings I had were post fig newton (probably because it was morning and too much carb without anything else) and post burger... which I can't really explain.</div><div>Trip to the grocery store tomorrow to get the things I need to stay on a low carb diet.</div><div><br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-49869330192124593032011-03-30T13:08:00.003-04:002011-03-31T18:43:10.797-04:00It's been a while.I knew I hadn't blogged in a while, but I didn't realize it had been this long. I've got to hop on the Wii later today. Last Wednesday I went for my blood glucose test. They called me to let me know I have to go through the big test, because my level was elevated. I'm feeling pretty crumby about this, but I guess that it's just an indication that even skinnies need to make changes to their lifestyle. I'm going to make it a goal not to be a couch potato.<div><br />To be honest, I was pretty devastated to hear that my level was elevated. I don't exactly eat an unhealthy diet as you can tell by my logs, and I blame myself for having a crappy level. It terrifies me that the little snacks that I have and my putting off exercise have kicked me in the butt (though I understand that it's different than type 2 diabetes, and I haven't gotten the complete test yet, it still bugs me.) Plus there was the fact that when the nurse called I was watching Biggest Loser, and I had eaten ice cream for breakfast and had a snack of candies which made me feel super guilty. It's a rainy day, so I'll get on the wii, and hide the sweets from myself. I'll just have to make more of an effort till I get this test done, and maybe it will be a more permanent choice I need to make to my couch potato lifestyle.<br /><br /></div><div>Food Log-<br />Ice cream<br />Choco-pomegranate candy<br />a little veggies and potato<br />2 tomatoes<br />Quinoa with veggies<br />tangerine<br />frozen pineapple center pieces<br />cheddar cheese<br />fig newton (2)<br />2 shrimp tacos from taco bell<br />1 granny smith apple<br />Potato chips<br /><br /></div><div>Weight at 4:30- 170.6 lbs<br /><br />Thursday-<br />I now have an appointment for tomorrow morning at the diabetes center. They aren't going to do the 3 hour glucose test. I'm going to this appointment to talk to a person about my habits, and to get a meter and instructions on how to use it. So this will be something new for me to experience. I'll be curious to see what my levels are. I just hope I won't have to cut too much out.<br />Blech.<br /><br /></div><div>Granola with soy milk - You'd think that granola is healthy but it's not completely. I made this one myself so I know how much sugar and maple syrup is in it. I tried a new method when I made it which worked well, so next time I might put in less sugar and syrup.<br />Tangerine<br />Leftover BBQ and a few fries<br />piece of gum<br />hint of lime chips<br />cup of frozen fruit<br />Grilled Cajun fillet sandwich from Bojangles<br /><br /></div><div>12:30 weight- 170.9 lbs<br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-83041701026351150312011-03-16T11:58:00.002-04:002011-03-16T20:47:32.657-04:00Wendy's WednesdayWednesday-<div>165.6 lbs</div><div>Biscut</div><div>Beef Jerky</div><div>Bagel and Cream Cheese</div><div>Dr. Pepper</div><div>hard candy</div><div>trio bar</div><div>Grapefruit with sugar</div><div>Sandwich from Wendys- 470 cal</div><div>Frosty- 310 cal</div><div>Mini sandwich- 350 cal</div><div><br /></div><div>Woah that was a lot of Calories in my dinner.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-89980068489869155892011-03-14T09:10:00.005-04:002011-03-15T21:00:29.889-04:00Happy Pi Day!<div>I took a week off from writing the blog, as my computer is failing, and my husband had the week for spring break. I took my weight this morning... and I don't feel so much like a skinny couch potato.</div><div><br /></div><div>167.6lbs</div><div>Yikes. I was getting kind use to my body image, but man. I'm not so sure if I'm going to stay out of the 170 range. No wonder I'm so much more tired than I'm use to. So I'm going to blow up the yoga ball, and maybe do some walking today, or maybe a little yard work. I've been thinking though that my project priority needs to go to doing my taxes, but you gotta eat... and I should get it written down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peanut butter and banana- 150 cal</div><div>Fig Newton- 200 cal</div><div>1 cup pineapple</div><div>2 cups bean and kale soup</div><div>Small handful dark chocolate pommegranet candy</div><div>Cheddar cheese</div><div>Tomato</div><div>Bagel</div><div>V8</div><div>2 hard candies</div><div>Red Lobster Shrimp meal with Fries and Garden Salad- 1000 cal</div><div>2 tums</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday</div><div>166.2 lbs</div><div>This is the first time my weight has gone down even a little since being pregnant</div><div><br /></div><div>Banana and peanut butter</div><div>Tomato</div><div>Fig Newton</div><div>Goldfish</div><div>Gum</div><div>Beef Jerky</div><div>Quinoa with veggies</div><div>V8 splash</div><div>Chocolate candies</div><div>2 red lobster biscuits</div><div>Potato chips</div><div>bowl of beans and kale soup</div><div>strawberrry balsamic truffle uncoated</div><div>2 thin mints</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-23408582506139801122011-03-03T10:08:00.003-05:002011-03-05T08:00:43.658-05:00Thursday-<div>Granola with Soy Milk</div><div>Beef Jerky</div><div>Tomato</div><div>2 cookies</div><div>cup of yummy soup </div><div>muffin</div><div>Chicken sandwich and bo-berry biscust from Bojangles</div><div>goldfish</div><div>a nugget of Jacob's chicken</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday-</div><div>Chick fila bagel sandwich</div><div>7 layer burrito from Taco Bell</div><div>Pomagranet Freeze (yummy)</div><div>Leftover cauliflower soup</div><div>Shortbread cookie, and chocolate chip</div><div>20 Jelly beans (I found them!)</div><div>Grilled Cheese sandwich</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-32824196348297480342011-03-02T11:30:00.002-05:002011-03-02T21:58:22.638-05:00Healthy Checkup!Cookie and Granola with Soy Milk<div>Chick-fila Sandwitch, Cherry Coke, 2 Cookies</div><div>Handful of green peas</div><div>Yogurt</div><div>2 Shorbread Cookies</div><div>Trio bar</div><div>a bit of mango</div><div>tomato and cheese</div><div>Another Cookie</div><div>Beef Jerky</div><div>Grilled Cheese</div><div>Cauliflower Soup (Yay Jacob!)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had another doctor's appointment today. Completely great bill of health. Nugget wouldn't sit still to have his heart beat on the dopplar, and the nurse eventually gave up after trying with him wiggling around (and that was before any caffeine today.) Took two tums in the evening as I'm feeling over stuffed. I'm so glad that I had a friend's blog to read in addition to all the online resources to know the unexpected side effects of pregnancy (including strange stomach activities, like food not having space to go, and coming to my throat when I lay down, easily fixed with pillows eating small meals and eating early.) Next visit I get my Rh shot, and the blood glucose test. So it said come back in 3-4 weeks, and the doctor said three. But the visits have been quick lately, so I'm not too concerned that they'll be every two weeks after this next visit.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>165 lbs on the doctor's scale</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-83210810872295819892011-03-01T10:28:00.003-05:002011-03-01T20:10:39.835-05:00Tuesday- begin again<div>So yesterday Jacob made cookies, and in addition to that I've been eating a lot of jelly beans, so I need to pick up on this again, rather than just trying to remember what I've been eating.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weight: almost 162 lbs (eep! I think/hope this is just indigestion)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pizza slice (leftovers)</div><div>3 Cookies</div><div>2 tomatoes</div><div>Another 2 cookie</div><div>Granola and soy milk</div><div>Grapefruit</div><div>Cookie and Pasta with tomato, garlic and Parmesan</div><div>Sushi (california roll)</div><div>Cranberry juice</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-55861100506271920782011-02-25T12:23:00.003-05:002011-02-25T16:25:19.213-05:00Foodie FridaySo last two days I haven't been recording everything... so now I gotta get back on the books<div><br /></div><div>Weight the last two days: just shy of 160lbs</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's foods:</div><div>Homemade granola with soy milk</div><div>Noodles with chicken</div><div>Yogurt</div><div>Jelly Beans about 30</div><div>Handful of potato chips</div><div>Lemonade</div><div>Shortbread cookie</div><div>Thin mint candies</div><div>More than a handful of chips</div><div>Gum</div><div><br /></div><div>Prediction for the evening:</div><div>Cherry Coke</div><div>Pizza</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-44250103667923978722011-02-21T10:45:00.003-05:002011-02-22T19:36:05.952-05:00Monday MondayWeight at around 9:45 ish: 158lbs<div><br /></div><div>Blueberry bagel with cheddar cheese</div><div>Tangerine</div><div>shortbread cookie</div><div>costco muffin</div><div>2 tomatoes</div><div>Large handful of sugar snap peas</div><div>25 Jelly beans (I felt great till I ate these... darn it)</div><div>Beef Jerky</div><div>Chicken Noodle Salad</div><div>Cranberry Juice</div><div>Thin Mint Candies</div><div>Icecream</div><div>Popcorn! </div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday:</div><div>Pasta salad</div><div>2 Doughnuts</div><div>Yogurt</div><div>potato chips</div><div>tomato</div><div>15 jelly beans </div><div>Way too much starbucks ice cream</div><div>Jack in a Box- Turkey Sandwich, Curly Fries</div><div>Tomato</div><div><br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-46205893923922040652011-02-19T13:56:00.002-05:002011-02-20T22:01:56.893-05:00Into the weekendWeekend!<div><br /></div><div>Saturday</div><div>V8 Fusion</div><div>Chicken bagel (yay chick fila!)</div><div>Jelly Beans (around 30)</div><div>Pizza</div><div>Choco toffee mac nuts</div><div>BLT</div><div>Limeaid Icecream mix from sonic</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday</div><div>No... I skipped tracking today, will begin again tomorrow. Taking my weight first thing in the morning.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-17536922419367049012011-02-18T13:15:00.002-05:002011-02-18T22:36:23.564-05:00Friday FeedingsYogurt with maple syrup<div>Trio bar</div><div>Cheerwine sherbert</div><div>Cheese and tomato sandwich</div><div>2 Mac-nut shortbread cookies</div><div>blackberries</div><div>Large piece of trout</div><div>Tomato</div><div>gum</div><div>Animal Cookies</div><div>yogurt</div><div>Pasta with tomato sauce and chicken</div><div>Coffee Ice cream</div><div><br /></div><div>I forgot to check my weight today, and I'm skipping calorie counts. I'll check my weight again tomorrow... probably early as during the weekend I'm usually doing stuff at 5pm.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-41215730095749240312011-02-17T14:19:00.002-05:002011-02-17T21:05:09.759-05:00Food Stuffs1 Yogurt- 170 Calories<div>Some Cheddar Cheese</div><div>The end of the Potato Chips- 160 Calories</div><div>Thin Mint Candy- 80 Calories</div><div>40 Jelly Beans- 160 Calories</div><div>Sandwich of French bread, chicken breast, tomato, and cucumber</div><div>Applesauce</div><div>2 Shortbread Macadamia cookies</div><div>Piece of gum (sugarless)</div><div>Handful of blackberries</div><div>Apple with peanut butter</div><div>about 20 sugar snap peas</div><div>Tomato</div><div>Hard candy</div><div>Flavored Almonds- 150 Calories</div><div>Chicken Breast, and collards with bacon</div><div>Lemonade- 150 Calories</div><div><br /></div><div>Weight at 5:15 pm : 158.7lbs ack... I'll attribute this to changing the time I'm weighing in, more water, and more clothes (though the wii accounts for clothes) I actually did some of the activities today too. Wii yoga seems like a good plan in addition to walks.</div><div><br /></div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-29680603379265977592011-02-16T12:06:00.002-05:002011-02-16T22:27:16.943-05:00Renewing the BlogSo I mentioned that I was considering keeping track of what I eat, because I'm (normally) thin (though not skinny) but I don't necessarily keep track of what I eat, nor do I exercise like I should. So because I'd like to change my habits, and I think that tracking my eating helps, I'm going to change the direction of the blog. Well... I'm going to give this blog a direction, which it didn't really have before.<div><br /></div><div>Today I have eaten:</div><div>1 Trio Bar - 230 Calories</div><div>1 Yogurt - 170 Calories</div><div>1 V8 Fusion (since pregnancy I don't like normal V8 as much) - 150 Calories</div><div>4 Graham crackers (the whole rectangle)</div><div>A handful of blackberries</div><div><br /></div><div>Medium piece of trout</div><div>1/2 cup cauliflower soup</div><div>1 tangerine</div><div>2 servings Sour Cream and Onion Chips - 320 Calories</div><div>3 Thin Mint Candies -80 Calories</div><div>1/3 pack of animal cookies -240 Calories</div><div>10 ish Hello Kitty Mango Marsh-mellows - 100 Calories (those little things are addictive, I was just going to try one, oops)</div><div>Some Meatballs from Ikea (most of a serving) with Ligonberry sauce and gravy (unfortunately) and a few French Fries</div><div>Veggie Soup from Ikea</div><div>1/2 a Princess Cake</div><div>Popcorn with 3 tsp sugar</div><div>Cup of Cranberry juice</div><div><br /></div><div>So part of the reason I'm doing this is because the past few days I've been getting headaches again. Most of the time it's after consuming a large amount of sugar (we bought Jelly Beans.) I've decided that taking a better look at what I'm eating would be a good idea, as I'm starting to be concerned about the effect of food on my body and Nugget.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now full disclosure. Weight. I normally weigh about 135 lbs, I fluctuate a lot depending on my habits. For example my last trip to China I left the US averaging 128 I came home around 123 because I ate lots of fish and veggies, but didn't exercise a lot. (My first trip to China I think I came home around 145 or so because I ate junk and didn't exercise.) With Costa Rica due to all the hiking and the like I left the US at 138 and returned at 132. I own a Wii Fit so I can look back at all my weight changes, which can be pretty scary. Especially now, being pregnant I watched my weight gain gradually through October to November/December to 142, and then shoot up at the beginning of the year, as maternity pants become a necessity at my current weight/size.</div><div><br /></div><div>Weight today taken after first meal @12:30: 157.6 lbs</div><div><br /></div><div>The Wii officially told me I'm "overweight" two days ago. I know that I'm suppose to gain between 25 and 30lbs during pregnancy, and talked to the doctor last time because I've already gained 20 (that was at my appt time.) and she said not to be too concerned, spread out meals more, and be sure to keep exercising/walking. My goal is not to get out of the 160 range. I will be sad if I get over 165, but to be at or above 170 is unacceptable, and I don't that that's being to hard on myself. I keep hoping maybe Nugget can use some of this stored fat for energy, but that seems pretty unlikely, so I'm just going to not stress about it till after he's born and I can make goals, and maybe do a half or full marathon or triathlon with a friend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until then, I'm going to keep track of my habits, so I have a baseline to go off of. That way I'll know where I started, and how I can make improvements.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28607409.post-24758230615623917922011-01-28T09:54:00.003-05:002011-02-14T16:10:31.527-05:00Redirected AggressionSo last about a week ago Harry got out of the house. It was a nice day, and I had multiple chores I had to work on outside, so I let him stay out. I left the door open for Zinc to come outside too if she was interested. Harry wandered behind a shed on our property and I went out to stop him from straying too far. He was very angry, the hairs on his back and tail were standing up and he was growling and hissing at me. <div><br /></div><div>We have a lot of "stray" cats in our new neighborhood. I met one of them last week who was a very nice un-neutered male. I suspect like him many of these cats have, or had owners. This really frustrates me, to know that people own animals and don't get them fixed, then let them go. I just don't understand where the attitude comes from that it's an acceptable practice. These cats have found their way to our house, and seem to really enjoy it. They'll cross the front yard, and run around in the back, sometimes hiding under the shed.</div><div><br /></div><div>So Harry smelling these little invaders is pissed. He thinks he is the alpha male of all kitties, so doesn't like smelling all their stuff. Meanwhile I go sit in the trees nearest the house, and am talking to Zinc, who is much more timid about coming outside. She comes up and is being petted, and Harry comes to the same set of trees, and I can hear him grumbling and growling. After a while they start sniffing at each other, and acting fairly normal. I stand up to take on some other task, and shortly afterward I hear them fighting. They are now right in front of the open door growling and hissing, this is clearly an all out brawl. I yell, and clap and try to get their attention off each other, while hoping that Zinc will run inside. She does, and Harry is right after her. I'm a little behind them, and can hear them fighting now in the bedroom. Eventually chasing them around, I get in between them, and lock Harry up in the kitchen (which has no door so I build a wall.) They can still interact, and this ends up not going so well, and eventually the chase continues so I lock Harry in an upstairs bedroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>This aweful interaction is called redirected aggression. It has been observed in dogs and cats, and I suppose people too, but it's fairly common in cats.</div><div><br /></div><div>Update 2/13/11: A few days later I got involved in an altercation between the two cats, which stunk. Wounds have since healed on myself and the cats, and things are back to normal-ish in the house. We'll be planting some cat deflecting plants in the spring along with setting up a motion detector sprinkler. Hopefully that will keep the little yard invaders at bay.</div>cuprittehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00643461457076811962noreply@blogger.com0