Trying to Stay Sane

The holidays bring out stress in myself and most everyone around me including my students. No matter what I do, holiday stress seems to creep through.

A lot of this has to do with worrying about making sure we as a family keep up appearances.  I realize that most people feel some level of nausea toward the holidays which is comforting since misery loves company.  Tasks such as decorating the house, sending out holiday cards, purchasing gifts and attending/hosting parties open up so many opportunities for logistical issues to arise and feelings to be hurt that it's essentially Murphy's Law at it's best. 

So what can I DO to remedy the situation and paint it the way that best suites my family's needs......

We'll start with not just trimming the Christmas Tree but also the Christmas List. Willing participants are needed and have been found which helps in the way of financial pieces.  I would FAR rather spend relaxed and unforced time with individuals that I love than worry about what color sweater they would like this year. 

Next, I am going to do my best to follow suite with action taken by the girls day care teacher and DONATE time, money and items to charity.  I am starting with a virtual tea party to raise money for The Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Group.

Also, I am going to keep my body/mind/spirit in check by making sure I keep up with running three times a week and commit to meditation again.  Along with this, James are looking to continue our low-carb diet.

Lastly, I have planned and committed to parties of those who fill our cups with as much joy as possible this season.  One of my goals for the New Year comes in from a little inspiration from Jane Lynch's Memoir "Happy Accidents".  At one point in her acting career, Jane had been cast as an understudy for a main stage actor at Second City. She dutifully filled her role of attending each and every show and performed flawlessly for several years. All along hoping and waiting for the opportunity to become a main stage character. Finally, after one of her millions of polite pleas to the house manager, Jane was told that it was never going to happen.... She reflects that part of her flaw as a human being is putting  energy into something after it's time has passed.. Jane becomes upset with her self for giving to people who would never be able to fill her cup back.  I love this reflection because I know a lot of people who have been on either end of this situation and it simply sucks. Building some self-awareness and continuing to commit to those who want to commit to family and I are key in having us live our best lives. 

Thanks....Part 2

11. I am grateful for a lovely 80 minute massage!

12. I am thankful for excellent friends that thought of the idea.

13. I am grateful for those who chose a career in medicine.

14. I am thankful for the time I have with my daughters.

15. I am grateful to those who risk their lives to ensure my family's health and well being.

16. I am thankful for those who treat Adele like they would any other child.

17. I am grateful for our new family from the Chromosome 18 Registry.

18. I am thankful for 5K's with great friends!

19. I am grateful for our wonderful insurance (most of the time!)

20. I am thankful for Sunday playdates with friends!

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

We geared ourselves up for Adele's Ear Tubes Surgery last night when low and behold I get a phone call from Dr. Amin at 10:00 saying that the Audiologist who was supposed to do the ABR Hearing Test after surgery had an emergency and wouldn't be able to attend, thus forcing us into a situation where we had to reschedule.  Yikes....

Turning lemons into lemonade and rolling with the punches is a theme that keeps coming up in our lives especially related to Adele's needs.  These type of situations are gentle reminders that the ship will sail and flexibility is key.  Adele's big smile and hug in my breakdown moment reminded me that she is just fabulous and will continue to be fabulous.

Our lemonade came in the way of a trip to DCM which also lead to us purchasing a membership! I was pleased to hear that through April of 2013, we will be able to use our DCM membership to get in free at Navy Pier's CM and Oak Lawn CM!  Another bonus was that we went to DCM on a day in which we practically had the entire place to ourselves!

I haven't been to the museum with Jade in awhile and I can tell she's getting to know the place and was also just as pleased that crowds were elsewhere. Adele had a great time in the Young Explorers area.

Time for more good laughs reading fabulous short stories from David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty One Day".

Bracing Ourselves

Tomorrow Adele is getting tubes put in her ears. We are thrilled to see how her hearing improves. I'll admit, I'm not the most flexible person on the planet but when someone tells you that your daughter's surgery is at 8:00 a.m. then gets moved to 1:00 in the afternoon, you get a little upset. This is upsetting because I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried to avoid feeding their 6 month old for 5 hours without admitting themselves to the loony bin?  We did hear directly from Dr. Amin a little while ago and she told us to feel free to feed her apple juice and or pedialite until 11:00.. She also admitted that the last 2 hours will suck.  I appreciate her honesty.

I'm going to have to go into Labor/C-Section mode tomorrow with the same thought that I had throughout those experiences: this to shall pass. This surgery will be a huge benefit for Adele and I know it will be all worth it. 

Okay breathe...... 

Cold Weather

Today was the quintessential "oh yeah winter's coming" kind of day.  It's interesting the way weather snaps you into reality of things to come.

I am bound and determined not to make the same mistake of forgetting to buy gifts for a few people like I did last year.  That being said, I decided to print out 4 Weeks to a Somewhat Frazzle Free Christmas which includes a week by week goal sheet which is right up my ally. I am happy to report that we have a budget, gift ideas and Christmas Cards will be ready as soon as our winter photo session happens next weekend!

After I picked Jade up from daycare, we decided to go to Target (what a shocker!) for winter hats and gloves. I let Jade pick out a hat for Adele and herself.

Of course along with the cold weather comes my craving for a Skinny Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks.....Yummmmmm! I see many of these and my Teavanna favorites in my future!

Time to top off the reality of cold weather by curling up with a book......or more like my I-Pad.

Thankful...Part 1

Many of my friends on facebook are posting what they are thankful for daily throughout the month of November. Rather than doing this daily, I figured I'd list ten at a time three times this month.

1. I am thankful that I have the persistence and fortitude to have created the life that I am currently living.

2. I am grateful that I was raised in a house that unconditionally supported my endeavors in school and the performing arts.

3. I am thankful to be in an occupation that fills my soul with joy each and everyday.

4. I am grateful for very few bad days in my work life.

5. I am thankful for the staff that I work with at LHS. I am in awe of my colleagues talent on a daily basis.

6. I am grateful to those who love me for better and worse!

7. I am thankful for a nice big glass of Sauvignon Blanc on one of those bad days.

8. I am grateful for the most loving, intelligent, perceptive and empathetic two-year old daughter.

9. I am thankful for a baby girl who has shown me what unconditional love is.

10. I am grateful that I am sitting here with a roof over my head, belly full of food and a macbook ;)