Freedom List - It Begins

I knew this would be a long process when I first thought about doing it.

I'm a list girl. I make lists for everything. Sometimes my lists are a little overwhelming, and therefore get conveniently forgotten. Sometimes they morph and change as my needs do. Sometimes they are simple, and it's easy to knock items off, and they're done. For a while I tried to not make as many lists, then I flaked on my walking friend three days in a row because I kept forgetting various pieces of gear.

Last night I started my Freedom List. (It even says that across the top of the page). This list will be many pages long. Some items will be easy and quick, and will get crossed off with ease. Others will take longer, and may require some more planning.

I'm not in this alone. Hubs doesn't know it yet, but my Freedom List is partly the family's Freedom List. There will be items where all of us need to pitch in. If our plans for the summer are to come to fruition, everyone has a part to play in that. For practicality, I even tried to think of a central place in our home, where I could hang the list, and we could all see it, and it would be a great visual reminder. I couldn't think of anywhere convenient I would put it, and still want to invite people over for supper. This is a reason I'm not a fan of open concept homes.

This list will take many days to create, and it will never truly be finished, as more will be added as we go along. In the beginning it may be frustrating, because we will be adding more than we're crossing off.

But, there will be a time when the list is growing less than it is shrinking. And when that time comes, if I can take the time to recognize it, there will be a big sigh of relief from me.

Last night I started. I started in our youngest son's bedroom. He's only been around for 3.5 years. Since he pretty much uses his room for just sleeping, I didn't think there would be a lot to do. And, I guess, there's really not. Only seven or eight items were on the list when I walked out.

Tonight, I tackle the master bedroom. If I can find my way out from underneath all the paper that will be created, I will report back in a couple of days.

5 Pounds

That's all.

That's my first goal.

If I can achieve that, I can set another goal. A bit more ambitious, but still within reach.

Than another, and another.

5 years it's been nagging at me. 5 years I've made half-hearted attempts.

I love you, babies, but this is one reminder of my pregnancies I do not want hanging around.

Well, At Least He's Not The One...

...with the ear infection, I mean. I took my son to the doctor yesterday after 2 days of him waking up at the beginning of the night crying. The doctor informed he had some minor swelling and redness, but to just keep an eye on it and watch for any other symptoms.

I, on the other hand, have a very inflammed eardrum and was put on antibiotics right away. I haven't taken antibiotics in over 15 years.

I would much rather take them than try to give them to a 2 year old though. Wouldn't you?

Middle of the Night...

...and I'm wide awake with an earache.

I haven't had an ear infection since I was a child and I don't remember the pain being like this.

I've been suffering from a sinus cold since Friday. Today I was finally starting to feel normal again, being able to breathe somewhat regularly through my nose again, when I over-did it trying to get some of that crap out of my sinuses. Something popped in my ear and the pain has been steadily getting worse. I was able to fall asleep for a little while, but woke up hot and uncomfortable. And, of course, now, I can't get back to sleep. I normally do not take medications, especially when breastfeeding, but this week I've been adding Advil Cold & Sinus to my diet (minimal amounts, of course) and have now just taken two Tylenols. It will be interesting to see how this works, considering half of a Tylenol would be my normal pain-relief dose.

I'm considering climbing back into bed to try to sleep again, but I'm sure the baby will be up in an hour to nurse, and I'm tempted to just wait up for him.

Thank goodness I'm going to the doctor tomorrow anyway with my son.

Perhaps My New Book is Timely

It hit me. I thought I was going to escape its clutches, but this morning I woke up with a stuffy nose and barely able to talk.

The boys are just getting over their colds that hit them last week. What is it about kids that allows them to keep going when they have a cold? You would never know they were sick by their energy levels. I, on the other hand, could barely get out of bed this morning. Bleh.

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I just finished reading "Dish" by Barbara Moses, PhD. An interesting read about women in midlife, but I think I could not relate to a lot of it. I think because I have reached some of the viewpoints in my 30's that some women reach in their 50's and 60's, and because a lot of what I was reading seemed very self-indulgent. But, I know that if I read it again in 20 years, I would probably have a different reaction to it.

So, I have now plunged whole-heartedly into "Healthy Aging" by Dr. Andrew Weil. And so far I am loving it. It has the perfect blend of science, theory and spiritual outlook for me. He doesn't talk about how to stop aging (not possible, and not desirable, in his view), but instead how to bring our physical bodies and spiritual minds and selves through the aging process in the best condition possible to as to shorten the actual decline in the end. The idea is to live as healthily as possible as long as possible and quickly decline, as opposed to living with years of age related illnesses.

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I will be spending a lot of the next week getting ready for our trip to California for Easter. Any tips on how to keep a 2 1/2 year old occupied in an airport and on a 3-hour flight? Eeep!