Monthly Archives: June, 2009

Calling All Super Moms and Super Dads!


You are invited to join us at Super Mom Cafe. Ah, Come on, you know you want to! This a place for you to just relax and forget all your worries, well just until the kids bug you in about – let’s see – five minutes…Come by and join us.


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Happy Birthday Sue-Sue!


Happy Birthday Sue-Sue! I think are turning 30 tomorrow, but I could be wrong. Have a great one! Love ya little sister. From your big sis!

BTW – Tell that baby of yours, it is eviction time! Time to be born!

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Post update at 3:22 p.m. on Monday, June 29: Apparently, Sue-Sue is 29, my bad! I am getting old.

Thursday Thirteen – Thirteen reasons why I had no idea what I was going to do for my Thursday Thirteen Post


1. Darn RA and Fibro – All I was thinking about was the muscle and knee pain and Tylenol P.M. I took that left me all drowsy.

2. My phone rang 20 times today and it is only noon.

3. I was twittering about how desperately I need a vacation.

4. My kids and my husband nagged me all morning and now my husband is calling at work.

5. I went to Walmart around 9 p.m., came home around 10, andI talked my husband to sleep. I was trying to tell him about my miserable day and he fell asleep – men! They sleep through everything.

5. I actually did some work and cleaned someone else’s mess (a document that no one could repair, but Super Mom to the rescue!)

6. I Twittered some more about how much I need a vacation.

7. I got some more work done. Wahoo!

8. I talked to one of the ladies at work about dish detergent- wow, conversation dish detergent – I have no life!

9. I was thinking about what I would make for dinner and then, I decided to a email a lady I work with my fabulous Mediterranean Lentil Salad and a summer veggie salad that I keep claiming as my own, but I actually found it on the internet and fell in love with it, so technically – it is mine. (See below for those recipes.)

10. I was thinking about the piles of laundry I have to do when I get home.

11. I was online trying to look at everyone else’s Thursday Thirteens and still have no idea what my Thursday Thirteen should be about.

12. I was chatting with a coworker about the Category 1 hurricane that hit Mexico and how we were worried about my boss who was on his honeymoon there but five minutes after that conversation, he emailed me all worried about a case and responded by telling him that it was taken care and to stop bugging me and go back to his new wife.

13. I was wondering what everyone who read my Thursday Thirteen would think since I am slowly writing of blogging ideas. Save me!

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup dry brown lentils
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon or 2 – dry oregano (if you have fresh around, even better)
1/4 cup chopped mint
2 tablespoons lemon juice & 1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
large chopped tomato

Directions:

1. In a saucepan combine lentils, carrots, onion, garlic.. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until lentils are tender but not mushy.

2. Drain lentils and vegetables. Add olive oil, lemon juice, celery, parsley, tomato, oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Toss to mix and serve at room temperature.

Summer Veggie Salad

This makes about six servings

Ingredients:

½ cup salad oil (I use olive oil, my friend Rhonda gave me this recipe and she uses canola oil)
¼ cup vinegar (I use balsamic)
Salt and pepper
About two cups broccoli (I dice them up)
1 cucumber chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 cup of red onions.

Combine oil, vinegar, salt & pepper in a separate bowel

Mix all the veggies in a salad bowel

Power the oil, vinegar dressing in the salad and toss well.

Cover and Chill for about three hours in the and stir occasionally

Save some dressing for when you serve. Sometimes I just make extra.

Wordless Wednesday: Have Kids?


Is it the greatest adventure?

Stop and Smell the Roses


I remember reading somewhere that the late Christopher Reeve would have a pity party for ten minutes every morning, put on a happy face and move on with his life. This is the same man who one year after an injury that left him paralyzed, narrated the HBO film Without Pity: A Film About Abilities. The film won the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Informational Special.”

We all look at our lives in ways that force us to forget about all the good and important things in our lives and we quite often view our obstacles as dominant over everything else. I have been having my own pity parties lately but when I woke up this morning, I found that I have so much to be grateful for. My tenth month old woke up at 4 am and wanted to play and while I nodded on and off, he played in his crib. I gave him a bottle and he was out like a log by 6 a.m. It was now time for me to wake up and I was so upset that I had not gotten a good night’s sleep. I went to the kitchen to make coffee and the coffee was ready for me. My husband made it right before he left because the coffee pot was just finishing up. It was not touched so I knew that he made it for me. I put myself a cup and then went to wake up my nine year old who told me he loved me the minute he opened his eyes.

With all of my latest pity parties, about our financial difficulties that started last summer that just won’t go away, the lack of sleep because of my anxiety over those issues, having fibromyalgia and RA and feeling sorry for myself, I have forgotten to stop and smell the roses. My day started out in a way I did not expect – listening to a baby playing, a fresh pot of coffee made by my husband (which rarely happens), and love from my nine year old and I forgot for the time being what my worries were. (Apparently, the roses smacked me in the face.)

I have so much to be grateful for and I have learned along the way that I am lucky and because of that, I should open my arms to generosity more often in the ways that I can. Yes, extra money is hard to come by these days, but there are other gestures that can go a long ways. So go ahead, stop and smell the roses.

My Father


It will be fourteen years on August 31 since we said goodbye to him. He was only 53 years of age when he died after four years of battling with several conditions and illnesses. He only saw one grandchild. That is grandchild turned 15 last March. Since his death, he has gained 18 more grandchildren with the 19th one coming any day now. He is in heaven and we have never stopped missing him. I was not able to visit his grave today mostly because all the wonderful pains that come with having two chronic pain conditions, but he was not forgotten. He was on my mind all day and not having had a father around for 14 Father’s Days does not mean you forget. I know he watches over each of his seven children and maybe sometimes he frown, but mostly I know he is proud because despite losing our father when our ages were between 20 and 4 years of age, we still turned out to be decent adults. It is because of him and because we never forgot that values that he instilled in us.

So for everyone is missing their father today, remember fathers continue to watch over you even when they have passed away and to all fathers everywhere, here on earth and in heaven, Happy Father’s Day.

Follow Friday #2 – Three Blogs I Stalk Way Too Often


Here is my second installment of Follow Friday. These are blogs that I follow for many reasons, but mostly, it is because I do not have a life. So without further ado and nonsense, here is my Follow Friday Three Blogs I Stalk Way Too Often.

YaYa Stuff Yaya and her hubby are on the quest to be parents and they have been trying for six and half years. They are currently focusing on adopting a child (or children) and from reading Yaya’s blog, I honestly believe that she will be an amazing mother. Take a look at this Friday Fragments post in which she shows us drawings drawn by the children she babysits and she takes an amazing view on those drawings. Yaya is also a comedian of sorts; just take look at this Wordless Wednesday post that will cause you to laugh your head off and forget to focus on your bladder (Depends, please). Last, but not least, this is the post that got me hooked on Yaya’s blog. I, among the hundreds of readers of Yaya Stuff, am praying for Yaya, her hubby and those beautiful children.

Funny how you can realize what an amazing person someone is just by reading about them, their thoughts, visions and feelings – Let’s all wish the best for Yaya and hopefully, something gives. Of course, once she is a mother, Yaya will be too busy to blog, but who cares; no one is more deserving than she is. I am going to leave you with a random thought from Yaya’s most recent post: “Random Thought Of The Week: Why is it the “new thing” for fast food places to put a computer game in as the toy? What happened to a cheap little toya kid could play with for a day or two? What the heck is a near 3-year-old supposed to do with a computer disc while I’m getting her lunch set out? In fact, this was her exact reaction when I said, “It’s a computer game.”

The Life and Adventures of Cateepoo Cathy is a wife and mother with rheumatoid arthritis, just like me. Cathy is my inspiration because she has been med free for quite some time. For me, Cathy and others who blog about RA, are helpful to us who are new to RA and to those who know nothing about RA who have a struggling family member and want to know more. Cathy has taken a med free approach to RA, which includes daily supplements of fish oil, Vitamin D, an enzyme, Primal Defense Ultra Probiotic, glucosamin/chondroitin, Zinc, Heel brand of Zeel, Inflammation and Spasm. Also, as needed Ultra InflamX shake. She is following a gluten/dairy free diet and minimizing grains, tomatoes, sugars and processed foods.

Take a look at Cathy’s five year journey with RA and you too, will agree, that she is definitely an motivator for others struggling with RA and other chronic pain conditions. I was particularly inspired by her recent post titled: My Many Lives. This is one you should definitely check out. Cathy notes the following: “That feeling is changing. I am beginning to see my life merging back into one. I feel this newness coming into my life. I don’t know what it is but I sense it and I am excited by it. I feel like RA is going to be a part of it, but it isn’t going to be my focus in this life. It is going to play a minor role. Maybe that is why I am excited. I am feeling strength and motivation to move into new areas of my life and not focus on just RA.” Thanks Cathy, this is inspiration at its finest. I hope Cathy does not mind, but I am borrowing this quote from the header on her blog. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker Kristin thinks she is merely a stay at home, but she also, works in HR and takes on the following jobs that no one else is willing to take on: Laundress, Cook, Maid, Chauffeur, Baker, Nurse, Counselor, Teacher, Seamstress, Gardener, Bookkeeper, Executive Officer – MOM, and much more, I am sure. She is a mother of five and four of those are boys and any mother of boys can tell you that there is so much in the world you appreciate when you spend your days chasing after boys. The Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker is all Kristin’s daily routine with family recipes, frugal tips and, you know, that occasional random post that we all love to read.

Here is allabout Kristin in her own words: “I am a forty-ish stay at home mother of 5. Our 4 boys, the Musician, the Thinker, the Engineer and the Comedian were adopted at birth and our daughter, Princess Pat, was a SURPRISE. My life is spent keeping up with boys, laundry, a 2 year old, budgeting, and everything else that seems to pile up around our home all the while trying to keep joy in my life and remembering to stop and smell the roses.” Agreed Kristen, smelling the roses is important. I call it seeing the glass half-full, instead of half-empty.

Kristin’s most recent post is a yummy French Toast Casserole. Kristin had three left over hoagie rolls that were going stale so take a look and see what she turned them into. This is one the reasons I turn to Kristin, because, like an idiot, I throw out stale bread, but it is not very frugal considering the state of economy and the state of my bank account. Kristin also manages to keep me sane especially with this Thursday Thirteen post in which she shows us her clearly organized spice cupboard and lets us know all the spices she used this week. I was quite envious to say the least, but at the same time, I wanted Kristin to come over and organize my spices and my panty for that matter. Just let me know when you will be over so that I can pretend to clean my house.

*** So, here you go folks, my monthly Follow Friday post and my three blogs I stalk way too often. Click on the Follow Friday label to see my previous post. Feel free to comment and tell me about your favorites and make sure you check out these blogs. Happy Friday, Happy Reading and Happy Blogging!

Thirteen Books: Thirteen Books I would like to Get Around to Reading


1. Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America by Jay Parini

2. Busy Woman Seeks Wife by Annie Sanders

3. Perfection by Julie Metz

4. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

5. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

6. Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine by Glenn Beck

7. My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

8. Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe

9. The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen

10. All those baby books sitting on the bookshelf in my bedroom that I purchased when I was pregnant

11. All those Parents Magazines that keep coming in the mail and piling up on my kitchen table.

12. Those WWE magazines that nine year old hogs all to himself

13. I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt to the baby. This was my nine year old’s favorite book when he was little, but the baby only wants me to read Good Night Moon over and over until I am drunk from repeating the words. I have the words memorized so I let the baby chew on the book while I am reading (reciting) it.

Happy Thursday Thirteen Everyone!

Wordless Wednesday: June or Rose Ann?


This is NOT me.
Now, this is more like me.

Should I be embarassed or should I be proud?

Getting it All Done Friday (or Sorting It All Out Saturday): Fibromyalgia on the Job


I am a bit late for my Getting It All Done Friday post, but this is a good a time as any. (I can always call it Sorting It All Out Saturday.) Most of my followers know that suffer from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis: two conditions my employers are unaware that I have. One thing that I always stress about suffering from these conditions or any chronic pain condition is that support and education are essential. I also wish that someone or something had warned me about pushing myself and ignoring my symptoms for so many years. One significant factor is that I am finding it quite difficult to hide my condition as well I did previously. I am smart enough to understand that my flare-ups are a result of a combination of stress, contorted positions and repetitive motions. While I can focus my own ways not to allow my condition to affect my job, I work in a high-pressure environment. However, other factors and persons are not in my control. You guessed it; I am in an administrative position as a legal assistant and I cannot control the stress that others bring with them; I can only train myself to respond better. I have not yet concluded that it the time to approach my employers is here. However, I have taught myself ways to deal with my symptoms and not allow them to interfere with my work.

Here are some pointers that I have come across in my research to make my workday a less painful experience. • Give your body a break, especially if you sit in a sustained position or a job requires contact repetitive movement. • Turn away from your computer every twenty to thirty minutes to relax your neck and rest your eyes. • Get up and walk around to get your body moving and focus back on track. • Arrange your work area so you have access to all the things you need so that you are not consistently moving. • Pace yourself. Do not attempt to take on everything at once. Pacing and scheduling are very important. • Make sure your computer screen is the correct height so you do not have to stress your neck to see your screen. • If you talk on the phone a lot, a headset is a good way to keep you from straining and putting pressure on your neck and shoulders. • Install an anti-glare screen for your computer monitor. • Allow your chair to be your back support. Keep your arms at a 90-degree angle to your keyboard. Keep your feet straight and allow yourself legroom to strength your legs often. • Make use of a document holder so you are straining your neck to see your document. • Breathing techniques can so along way to easing stress. • Getting up to stretch often and practicing movement therapies can go a long way in making your day less painful.

The following video offers some more insight on assistance that employers can provide and ways that employees can take control of their symptoms and manage their conditions.

Fibromyalgia can make one’s life difficult and it can put a strain on one’s career, but I am leaving proof that adjustment and understanding can go a long way. I am not required tell my employers about my conditions because I do not have a full disability. When and if I feel the time has come, I will. For now, I have fibromyalgia and RA but it does not mean that fibromyalgia or RA have me. I take charge of my life everyday and my job is my key to keeping it that way. RA and Fibromyalgia do not own me, define me or even change me. Yes, I have bad days and I have bad flare-ups, but I move forward and I listen my body. Sometimes it tells me to rest and sometimes, it tells I can on more. That is the biggest lesson of any chronic pain condition and every pain condition has roadblocks. There are times when you cannot knock those roadblocks down so you just have to find alternative routes.

Thursday Thirteen: Thirteen Things I Quite Often Wonder About


1. How different my life would be if I were raising girls instead of boys.

2. How come my sister, mother of four girls, manages to keep her home clean, her girls clean and pretty and herself beautiful while mother of three amazing boys always look like I have not slept in days.

3. Why I didn’t marry a rich man.

4. Why I have had to work hard for everything in my life while others have not.

5. Why my husband, despite all his flaws, is the love of my life.

6. Why my husband, despite all MY flaws loves me unconditionally.

7. Why being a mother is the hardest job I have ever had to do.

8. That being loved unconditionally by my children is far better than all the money in the world.

9. Why prayer is stronger than anything imaginable.

10. Why my father didn’t live long enough to see his grandchildren.

11. If my father really watches over me and my children.

12. Why, almost 14 years after his death, I still miss my father.

13. Why, despite everything I have been through, I am stronger than I have ever imagined being.

Wordless Wednesday: Do you ever feel like you work with chimps?


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