Black Daiquiri Fights the Winter Doldrums

[imjustarogue]

→ not doldrums

 

To say that I’ve been struggling with challenges lately feels like a bit of a understatement (even though, technically, I passed the last one with about a 75%...). With my recent challenges, finding the willpower to push myself to do anything other than what I have to is sooooo difficult. I just don’t feel like I’m finding my footing what with the ups and downs in the weather (20 degrees with 2” of snow two days ago; 50 degrees and sun today. Go home, winter, you’re drunk!), the grayness, being a (temporary) single parent of an 11 mo old and an almost graduated teen and all the fun that comes with that - I’m struggling to find challenge tasks that feel like they’re “worthy” to be challenges.

 

I sat with my sis last night for a bit to talk through this and brainstorm and move me past the “Argh! The weather sucks and I want to go out! And I want to run! And I want to have my own batcave that’s not full of baby stuff!” etc. (for serious. it’s almost a workout of its own to clean up space of baby stuff just so i can workout…)

 

So, this is me not focusing on the stuff that’s in my way and instead on doing something to push through these winter doldrums.

 

→ also not doldrums

 

1. One Just Dance dance session per week. I have been contemplating a Just Dance session for a while, but, as I noted above, I have to move, clean, rearrange the living room to make room to dance, so that’s my actual challenge. Sis may join me if the time is right - company while goofy dancing is a plus.
   4pts total
    
2. Plan (and eat) one veggie with each home-cooked meal. Since planning and cooking our meals is less of a challenge than I had feared, it’s time to up the game and make sure that we’re adding at least one veggie per meal. For some meals, it’s super easy to have that veggie, but for others (I’m looking at you spaghetti), it’s harder for me to remember.
   16pts total (4 meals/week)
    
3. Self-care is important too! There’s no one here to care for me if I don’t care for myself, so I might as well do it. My goals are to shower at least 4 days per week (or every other day), take my vitamins daily, and check in (not just like posts!) on the forums 3 times per week. It’s become so easy to say “it’s 2am and baby just fell asleep, not gonna shower because tired” so I need to carve out at least 20 minutes for showering. My vitamins are another thing. I don’t like ‘em, but they’re important. I have my daily, magnesium (to help prevent migraines), and now vit. E (to help with my breastfeeding issues). Have to take ‘em!
   16pts total (showering)
   28pts total (vitamins)
   12pts total (forums)

 

*looks at the forecast and sees fabulous non-freezing temps and sunny skies in the future* TAKE THAT, DOLDRUMS!

 

[imjustarogue]

In looking over my challenge, it seems that I'm favoring Self-care which, to me, indicates it's something I really need to focus on.

 

In that vein, last night, I sent a text to my masseuse friend to see if she could pop by for a quick massage this weekend. She was able to come over this morning and did some work on my upper back, shoulders and neck and then told me that I really should come see her a few more times because my "back is still really messed up." Yay tension and stress... >.> So, I'm trying to plan to see her again on Tuesday!

 

Also in that vein, today's high will hit about 55 degrees and it's sunny, so I will be taking bebe out for a walk in a couple hours to take in all of that fresh, spring-like air. In fact, while bebe is napping, I'm gonna change into some walking clothes so I'm ready. Yay!

[Fenyx]

Excellent challenge! You definitely need to make sure you're taking care of you! I've been absent from more than lurking for that very reason, but here's hoping I'll be able to cheer you on vigorously with actual words!

[otterbyte]

Good focus on this challenge. Like the flight attendants say, put on your own mask first, right? 

 

Following.

[imjustarogue]

Hi guys!

 

We went for a walk! It was nice, though the breeze was cool. Bebe got to wear his Superman hoodie vest and look adorbs. We walked to the park where he got to swing a little bit. I think he liked it, but he was distracted by the other kids running around and making noise. Then we finished up the walk going by the middle and elementary schools before heading home. I even found a few small stretches of smooth sidewalk where I could test out jogging. It required testing since I haven't jogged for about 18 months and I was also attempting it while pushing a stroller. It was all good though!

 

 

[tourennatrix]

lookit you go!

[Fenyx]

That's excellent! Even a small jog can be worth a shot if you feel like you might be able to try it

[imjustarogue]

I miss jogging, so my little test yesterday was fantastic. When the weather is a little more reliable and warmer, I may have to bundle up the baby to go to the only park we have that has a fairly flat driveway (driveway to picnic areas and such) and walk/jog around that because our streets and sidewalks are really not up to any sort of jogging with a stroller in most cases.

 

Related to my walk yesterday, my lower back is mad at me now. Which really just means I need to do it again.  But not today. It's not quite warm enough and I am fighting a doozy of a headache. --.--

[Fenyx]

For the headache I recommend plunging your hands into a bowl of ice water. Recently tested this and was amazed at how well it seemed to work.

 

For the back, make sure to include some stretches specific to the core muscles before and after any jogging (hey, or walking even, stretching is never a bad thing lol). Hopefully both pains knock out quick! I'm dealing with similar pains, but it's for slightly different reasons (though us having had babies within the last year is reason enough for things to have their quarks still about )

 

Keep testing those waters and adjusting, you've totally got this!

[imjustarogue]

9 hours ago, Fenyx said:

For the headache I recommend plunging your hands into a bowl of ice water. Recently tested this and was amazed at how well it seemed to work.

 

For the back, make sure to include some stretches specific to the core muscles before and after any jogging (hey, or walking even, stretching is never a bad thing lol). Hopefully both pains knock out quick! I'm dealing with similar pains, but it's for slightly different reasons (though us having had babies within the last year is reason enough for things to have their quarks still about )

 

Keep testing those waters and adjusting, you've totally got this!

I'll have to remember the ice water trick. I think the headache is related to the back/shoulder/neck tension I have going on that I can't get rid of on my own. Still planning another massage tomorrow afternoon or evening to try to take care of that.

 

And I always forget stretching... I can't even blame the baby on that one. But my back is better today. It wasn't bad, just a bit of "hey! you worked these muscles!"

[Manarelle]

3 hours ago, black_daquiri said:

And I always forget stretching... I can't even blame the baby on that one. But my back is better today. It wasn't bad, just a bit of "hey! you worked these muscles!"

 

Signs of improvement! Streeeeeetch them muscles! Good call on getting your massage friend to come over, too. Imo, once you hit a certain level of knottage, you need outside help to get it put back correctly. Enjoy it!

[Jonesy]

Love the challenge and how you set it up. 

 

Following along as usual.  

[RogueLibrarian]

Following!

[imjustarogue]

Yay! Hi guys!

 

[karinajean]

hi there!!! love the selfcare focus. AND. I meant to tell you this, like, 2 weeks ago: there is a lady in my local running club who shows up to races and has a jogging stroller with an adorbs little dude in it, and she reminds me of you, even though I am 99% sure I have no idea what you look like. which is all to say: I am SURE that the jogging with baby / stroller will be an amazing part of your life. and also maybe you should live near me. (that would REALLY throw a wrench into your household, maybe not.)

[imjustarogue]

A jogging stroller was totally on my list of "things I want but will I really actually use it because it's expensive" list when I was doing my baby registry. I opted for a regular, nice stroller, but may look into the jogging stroller again as bebe grows.  (>.>  ......opens amazon tab....)

 

And I would love to live near all of you people! Which would be really difficult, but SHUSH I CAN DREAM

 

I meant to post this at the beginning of the week. Oops.

• Just Dance session is tentatively planned for tomorrow eve. if @tourennatrix is able to join. Otherwise, may be tomorrow eve or Sat sometime.
• I need to do actual forum check-ins more regularly (this is kind of my first one of the week...)
• Showering is happening! My body appreciates this.
• And I'm 100% on vitamins so far this week. Yay!

 

And check out these temps! So many walks planned and I'm even going to write them down in my bujo. We are going walking between 2-3 every day the sun is (mostly) out and the temp is above 55. (which is every day for the next week. booyah!)

Tonight is my daughter's final dance & drill performance. I may will probably cry. The plan is that Sister will come to record the performance (because we record all of her performances for her) and I'm going to have a Google Hangout with husband so he can watch her performance live. Ugh. She graduates this spring. She's almost done with her classes already. I have to help her go through the college application process today or tomorrow. *punch to the gut*

[Manarelle]

I love the journal! It's so colorful and perky, yet neatly lined and beautifully scripted. We are also having a rush of warmer, sunny days, and I'm loving it, even if I am cooped up indoors with a cold. How has week 1 treated you? Are your habits sticking with you?

[imjustarogue]

Thanks!

 

I completely meant to come and do my update yesterday when, whammo! At 4:30am, I woke up with some serious stomach upset, and I can say that I am so super glad my daughter and her boyfriend were around all day yesterday because I don't think I could have taken care of the bebe by myself. I ended up spending most of the day in bed trying to sleep through whatever was going on. I am feeling much better today. Still a little woozy, but I have a bit of an appetite and can eat and drink stuff without just making me blech. Side effect of yesterday is that I am in full-on weaning mode, so the next few days will likely be uncomfortable. >.>

 

So, that was kind of a crap way to end week 1 (or start week 2?).

• Just Dance: 0/1 - I need to plan this for earlier in the week rather than a Friday so if it doesn't happen, I have a few more days fall back.
• Veggies: 3/4 - Not to shabby!
• Self-care: Yay!
  • Showering: 4/4  It's nice to feel clean.  
  • Vitamins: 7/7  Boom! I've found the best way for me to do this is after I get bebe to bed - go back downstairs, get a glass of water and my vitamins, grab whatever else needs to go upstairs and then go to bed. Plus, the extra trip up and down the stairs is exercise, right?
  • Forums: 3/4  Hi people!
• Bonus: 4 walks! The weather has been fantastic, so bebe and I have been going for daily walks. I'm sad I missed yesterday's, but daughter and her bf took him out for a walk to the park and took videos for me. It was super cute.

Here's hoping I'm on the recovery swing and this week will be spectacular.

[Fenyx]

Crap way to mark the end of it, but one hell of a way to close out the goals! Killing it!

[Manarelle]

On 2/20/2017 at 2:23 PM, black_daquiri said:

I am feeling much better today. Still a little woozy, but I have a bit of an appetite and can eat and drink stuff without just making me blech. Side effect of yesterday is that I am in full-on weaning mode, so the next few days will likely be uncomfortable. >.>

 

Ouch, sorry to hear you got stomach crud, aaand have more uncomfortable days coming because of it. Grats on all your successes though! That's one heck of a comeback!

[Asa Pond]

Heyyyyy apparently I haven't been following? And I'm remedying that now. 

 

This half winter half spring thing is making me sad because I know it isn't going to stick around but I'm glad you're enjoying it while it's here!!

 

For your shoulder/neck tension headache stuff - have you tried a trigger point performance ball? I get awful migraines that start as tension headaches and if I can catch the tension points with one of these before they start it helps wonderfully. 

 

I have this one. But I've been told lacrosse balls work just as well and are tons cheaper. 

[imjustarogue]

Check in!

 

And still dealing with stomach unpleasantness - other end now... >.> But aside from that, I took bebe out for another walk yesterday after I hung his rug out for a wash. He was staring the entire time there was water spraying out of the hose, like "what is this magic?!" It was cute.   I'd love to go out for another walk today (it's in the 70s!), but I just don't know if my body will let me.  

 

Today is tax appointment day (in about 30 minutes) and my head is so dizzy... sigh. Don't want to go, or do much of anything, really, except lay down with my eyes closed, but adulting needs to happen and I'm not likely to throw up, so I'll survive. I like our accountant too, so at least there's that. I just hope she can give us good news this year. -.-

 

I've missed vitamins a couple times this week due to the stomach issues. Thought it may be a bad idea to add them to a queasy stomach - especially on the days where adding much of anything to a queasy stomach was a bad idea.

 

4 hours ago, Asa Pond said:

For your shoulder/neck tension headache stuff - have you tried a trigger point performance ball? I get awful migraines that start as tension headaches and if I can catch the tension points with one of these before they start it helps wonderfully. 

 

I have this one. But I've been told lacrosse balls work just as well and are tons cheaper. 

My doctor has actually recommended an occipital pillow, but I have yet to go ahead and buy one... I should do something at some point, I suppose.

 

I guess I should gather my tax stuff and get ready for my appointment. >.>

[tourennatrix]

7 hours ago, black_daquiri said:

My doctor has actually recommended an occipital pillow,

 

I have one of those. It's called 2 tennis balls in a sock.

[imjustarogue]

Well, last week was dumb. Combination of depression spiking thanks to the weather going dumb after such beauty; lack of sleep because bebe's schedule was crazy (he was routinely "napping" from 10pm-1 or 2am and then awake until about 3am and most of that time I was either unable to fall asleep at all before he woke or I would have just barely fallen asleep when he would wake; hormones going wonky from weaning; and that stomach queasiness kind of just hung around all week. So, it was dumb.

 

I'm trying to fight the "I'm sad but I have no reason to be sad because these other people have *actual* reasons like trees falling on their house" guilt that's trying to dig in. I know I am allowed to be sad for my own reasons and if I don't know what those reasons are, it doesn't invalidate how I feel, and that I shouldn't feel guilty, but it's hard to fight that some days. I'm also trying to fight the "supermom syndrome" where I feel like I should be able to do everything and if I can't, or if I get upset (because it's 2am and I'm the only one to get up with the bebe), that IT'S OK to be upset/sad/cry and that I don't need to feel guilty about feeling those very valid feelings. Guilt is stupid guys.

 

This week, so far at least, I'm feeling a little more capable of dealing with life. Yesterday, I was even in a "good" mood rather than an "Imma pretend I'm ok" mood. Today, bebe and I got to go out for a walk. It's kind of a dreary day, but the temps were nice and fresh air was good to breathe.

 

Spoilering this because Imma talk a bit about "mom boobs"

Spoiler

So, I've been weaning - the last stage as in no more breast feeding - since I was sick (about a 1.5 weeks ago). Last night, I was finally able to sleep without a bra and you have no idea how comfortable that was. I have been able to periodically sleep without a bra over the past year (15 months really), but with boobs full of milk, it was still always a little uncomfortable - plus there was always that thought in the back of my head of "please don't leak!" while I slept which made the sleep not good sleep.

 

But last night, I was bra free and mostly comfortable and it was fabulous.

 

I pretty much didn't track anything last week, but I think I got all the showering in. Vitamins were a nope because I really didn't want them adding to the pervasive queasiness.

 

But this week will be better, right?

[Fenyx]

First off: screw guilt. I completely understand. This week alone, I felt guilty because I was trying to find the idea that I was a separate person from my Bebe. Had to tell the husband that I love time with her, but I needed to find myself somewhere in the amorphous blob that is the "us" of myself and little one. And I do love my time with her, but I felt guilty for wanting to have something all to myself, even if it's only for a few minutes that aren't while I pee, shower, or sleep. Hard to fight it, just gotta go easy on ourselves is all. If we can't forgive ourselves the little things, we can never expect to move on to the better person we deserve to be.

 

Second: sleeping without a bra!! Release the tatas into comfortland! As a breastfeeding momma I would like to officially throw some confetti for you on that one, it is a glorious feeling to sleep without the fear of leaks or the discomfort of a lady trap.

 

Just remember, this too shall pass & do your best, forget the rest!