Motherhood
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How To Survive A Broken Foot While in a Walking Boot
As I mentioned last week, I recently broke my right foot and I’m wearing a walking boot (some call it an AirCast) for the next 3 or more weeks. Some links in this post to items that are helping me survive are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them. This isn’t my first rodeo with a foot in a boot. I suffered a broken foot in an equally embarrassing manner when I lived in Wales. However, it was has been long enough since I’d last worn one that I had forgotten what a pain in the backside it is – and how easily you fool…
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10 Things My Mother Taught Me
*Today’s post is from Mother’s Day 2011 as it’s one of my favorite Mother’s Day posts, and it still holds true. Happy Mother’s Day to all my readers who have joined the rank of “Mom”, whichever way brought you here.* There are SO many things we learn from our mothers: to tie our shoes, to say “please” and “thank you”, how to cook (coughs), to be kind to others. Really, we learn to be good humans, if we are fortunate enough to be blessed with a loving, caring mother. So in narrowing down the list, I decided to skip the obvious things and go with those that really resonate…
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A Dancer’s Fracture? Oh, the Irony.
Without a moment to lose, I dashed into the street, swooping aside the toddler who had wandered in front of the delivery truck barreling down on us, shoving him aside as I… Nope. I was high up on the wall at the climbing gym when my harness failed… Nah. Everyone knows I hate heights. I was sucked into the battle, knives swirling and flashing as magic erupted around us… Closer. (No, really.) Fine. I was curled up on my sofa, lost in a battle scene from the draft of a fantasy/adventure book sent to me by a high school friend for feedback when my right foot fell asleep. It was…
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Stuck
He turned to me with a request that would appear odd to an outsider, given his size relative to me. “Mom, can you help me get the lid off of this ice cream? It’s stuck.” This is a kid who routinely needs help opening the lids to various jars and bottles, and it amuses me to no end that I can usually pop it open with a minimum of effort while he struggles to do the same, despite the six inches he has on me in height. Used to the request, I took it from him, still chuckling while I attempted to unscrew the plastic lid, which was currently sealing…
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Ants in the Keurig Means No Coffee in the Momma
If I seem a little stabby today, it’s because my caffeine levels are low. You see, there are ants in my Keurig. Now, apparently if you live somewhere sugar ants can be a problem, this is NOT an altogether unusual thing, at least not according to Google. (Also – you probably found this post after a Google search, and I’m sorry, because the results it provides are kind of gross.) Let me back things up a bit. Last week, I noticed the occasional, teeny, tiny sugar ant wandering on my desk. I would promptly dispatch him from his simple life, then clear off my desk in a panic trying…
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13 Tips To Get The Best Results from Laser Hair Removal
I am a low maintenance gal. I can never keep up with chipped manicures so I tend not to bother, I’m always trimming my own bangs because I forgot to book a haircut, again (sorry, dear stylist Ursula), I haven’t started to color my hair to cover grays because root touch-ups, and I rarely remember to even apply lipstick, let alone touch it up. My makeup routine is quick and not fancy. So when I mentioned I was going to try out laser hair removal, I think the Hubs was a little surprised. But honestly, think about it: having the ability to go a few months without shaving is…
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Putting a Fresh Face Forward: I Tried Microdermabrasion
Fresh back from my trip to Cancun, I was relaxed and tanned. But despite the careful and heavy use of sunscreen in the strong Mexican rays, my skin was not looking quite so refreshed as the rest of me. In fact, the fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead were more pronounced than ever. (Apparently, I spend a lot of my time not frowning, but with my eyebrows raised high in surprise.) I am starting to look my age, and that just isn’t working for me. So when my esthetician suggested a facial – and maybe trying out a microdermabrasion treatment – I was intrigued. After all, I’m…
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One Word 2017: Conquer
I am not one for resolutions. And I’m downright disappointing at keeping promises to myself. Other people? No problem. Italian-Catholic guilt will get it done if determination and organization are lacking. All too often, however, I fall guilty to the mom phenomenon of putting everyone (and everything) else first to the detriment of herself. I also lay the blame at the feet of my squirrel-like inability to focus, which I’m beginning to suspect may have something to do with my foggy brain and not just my ADD tendencies. Over the past few years, I’ve given up the idea of “resolution” and instead chosen one word, which encompasses all my goals for the year…
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Instant Pot Tortellini Turkey Tetrazzini
Post-Thanksgiving meals bring to mind one thing: leftovers. Now, there are only so many turkey sandwiches and Hot Browns a girl can eat before she says “enough turkey”, so I always freeze a bag (or two) of leftover turkey for when I need a fast meal and am low on ideas – and in the mood for turkey again. (Bonus points for chopping the leftover turkey before freezing it!) Tonight was a typical Tuesday: I’m frazzled, completely “over” cooking, and staring at my pantry and my Instant Pot pressure cooker for some last-minute miracles. Thankfully, I had moved a bag of leftover turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator, so it was thawed and ready…
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The Mother’s Day Gift That Keeps on Giving…Laughter
Yesterday I was trying to take a break from social media and be present and in the moment and all that stuff but today, I really need to share with you the gifts I was given for Mother’s Day. My Mother’s Day started with the offer of breakfast. Ish. “Would you like me to make you a bagel, Mom?” Hmm. “How about a bowl of Cheerios, with strawberries?” My 10-year-old nodded confidently. “I can do that, Mom”. (I guess it’s well past time to teacher her how to scramble an egg. She’s finally tall enough where I won’t worry – much – about her setting fire to herself at the…
