Dana Decided

I wanted to share a little story with you that I overheard the other day. But before I do that I want to state that this is not meant to be a political post. I don’t care what your views are, I don’t care if you do or don’t have the shot. I don’t care if you love Trump or believe in Jesus. This is my blog and something I wanted to share. So read on. Or don’t. But I kinda really hope you do.

A few weeks back I had to make a delivery to a hotel that was hosting a vaccination clinic. It was the first day that younger kids could get it and there was a steady stream of parents and children coming and going from the clinic. As expected, I saw quite a few criers coming out because they had just gotten a shot which I’m sure wasn’t the way they wanted to start their Saturday morning. I think it’s because of the criers that I noticed a little girl. She was coming up the sidewalk with her mom and was skipping and she just looked so happy and cheerful. I was walking near them and overheard their conversation which went something like this…

“Mom, I’m kinda scared but I’m also so happy”

Her mom replied, “yes this is a very joyful day, you finally get your turn”

The little girl just smiled so big and said, “Mommy, I’ve been praying for this for so long and so hard and God answered my prayers”

The two of them went in to the vaccination clinic, smiling, knowing that this was the answer to THEIR prayer. I sat in my car and just thought about that for a few minutes. And now I sit here typing this because for the past few weeks, I’ve thought about that story and that little girl so many times. For some reason, it’s on my heart and I just wanted to share it.

I’m not sure why her family chose to get her the vaccine. Maybe she, or a family member, is immunocomprimised. Maybe she wants to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa without the fear of passing something to them. Maybe they did the research and it was the best option for them. Really it doesn’t matter. The point is, they prayed for that and it was an answer to their prayers.

It seems our world is all arguing about one thing or another these days. Everyone is mad about everyone else’s choices. All choices have consequences. If you choose not to get vaccinated, there are consequences. If you choose to get it, there are consequences. You have to live with your choice but you also have to be okay with someone else’s choice.

Remember back at the beginning of this?? It doesn’t seem like that long ago, yet on the other hand, it seems like this new “normal” has lasted forever. We were all in this together. We were drawing hearts on sidewalks and praying for the first responders and dropping off care packages on porches because we couldn’t get together in person. And now here we are a year later, still falling apart instead of coming together. I know everyone couldn’t wait for 2020 to be over but I don’t really like the people we’ve become in 2021. Is there hope for 2022? I pray there is. Did we waste an entire year arguing over sides when we should be thankful for what we still have? Not everyone is lucky enough to say that. Take a minute and think about that.

So while we are in the month of thanks, let’s take a minute to do just that. Let’s go in to the holiday year with a thankful heart. Let’s be those people that came together and spread love. Remember, you don’t have to agree to be respectful. And more importantly, the thing you are bashing could just be the answer to someone else’s prayer.

Did I get your attention? I wish this was a funny post about some silly puke story. It’s not. This post is for all the parents dealing with a kiddo with anxiety. With the start of a new school year, tummies are rumbling and this was a sentence we experienced quite a bit at our house. If you have a child that is nervous, upset, anxious or just not feeling the school year just yet, you are not alone. I want to share our success story in hopes that it helps kick off your school year with a little bit of positivity.

I was a nervous kid. I didn’t like being away from my mom. I didn’t make it through a sleepover until almost middle school. I worried and was never the one jumping off the diving board or going to sleep away camps. For the most part though, it didn’t really affect my life. So when my daughter started to be a “nervous Nellie” I didn’t think too much of it. I knew the signs, had experienced it myself, thought she would surely outgrow it. But do you ever really outgrow anxiety or do you just learn how to cope with it? That was something I never thought about. I mean, I still worry constantly, I still get anxious about stuff.

Anyway, back to the puke. Our daughter threw up almost daily from kindergarten until the middle of second grade. Yep. You read that right and yes, this is a success story. Up until kindergarten, she was pretty easy. We had some days in preschool that were rough after her brother was born. I was at home with him so she didn’t want to go to school. Tears were shed but then she loved it after I left. Those days were probably tougher on me. Screaming newborn, sobbing 4 year old. Good times. Up until that point, she had been in daycare daily while I worked but when our son was born, I became a stay at home mom. She should be used to being away from me right?

Looking back at it now, that was a lot of change for a 4 year old. Preschool, we moved, a new brother and he got to stay at home with mom. When kindergarten rolled around, things started off fine. She knew some friends from preschool but very quickly the newness wore off. She hated the cafeteria and it became a trigger for her. We kept chugging along thinking it was just separation from mom and she would adjust. And for the most part she did or at least got better at puking in the garbage can.

But there were many, many sleepless nights. If there was going to be a substitute teacher or a field trip the next day, she was puking the night before. She spent many night sleeping on a stack of blankets in our room. We tried bribing her with gifts to sleep in her own bed or make it through a day without puking. But that was just dumb. We needed to teach her coping skills. We needed to let her know that what she was feeling wasn’t something she could just “get over” but in fact was very real. We kept assuring her that everything would be alright and some days it was. When you have anxiety though, things in your head get out of control very quickly, often going to worse case scenario. As an adult, we can rationalize that and reassure ourselves that it probably won’t happen. As a 5 year old, you don’t know how to do that.

For example, one night my in-laws spent the night so they were here before school. During breakfast I mentioned to my father in law that I was going to dig holes to plant tulip bulbs. He said to be careful while digging so I didn’t hit any wiring/electrical lines and “get zapped”. Totally innocent conversation that I didn’t think anything of. A few hours into the day, I get a phone call. My daughter was puking and this time they couldn’t console her. She swore she was sick “for real this time” and needed to come home. I picked her up. She clearly wasn’t sick. That night she confessed that she was worried I had gotten zapped and was dead. You guys, that broke my heart. She had been at school all day worrying about me, all from a totally random conversation I didn’t even know she heard!

We quickly realized this wasn’t a phase, that this was beyond our skill set and we needed help. We were very fortunate to have amazing teachers to help us along the way but we needed coping skills. We saw an amazing pediatric social worker. We met with her together as a family and a few times, just one on one with my daughter. She gave us tips on how to help her, taught her some skills to help her get through the day and even some tricks to make it through lunch in the cafeteria. We felt so much relief and wondered why we didn’t do it sooner. Slowly she stopped puking. Honestly by this point, she was so used to puking and her gag reflex was so strong, even smells would make her puke so we constantly had a grocery bag with us just in case. We learned ways to help her cope and how to prepare her for events that might make her anxious. As she got older, she could rationalize a little better and that helped too.

Now at the age of 20 and starting her junior year in college, she still has anxiety. I got a text yesterday, on her first day of school, saying she thought she was going to puke. She didn’t. She went to class and rocked her first day at a new college, over 100 miles away from home. So yes, she has anxiety and yes this is a huge success story. My baby that didn’t have her first sleepover until 5th grade now lives in another state! She’s in her 3rd year of college, had a great job all summer working with people and is rocking all aspects of her life. My husband always worried that she would never get through that phase, never have a sleepover, never leave home. And if she didn’t, that was okay. But I knew she would. I knew she had my anxiety but she also had his tenacity.

There is so much stigma about mental health. Growing up, I didn’t even know what anxiety was, let alone it being a mental health problem. I thought I had a “nervous stomach”. I’m glad that my daughter is growing up in a generation that is getting rid of that stigma. They are a generation that know it’s okay to get help whether it be therapy or medication or both. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud, that as a parent, my child is strong enough to know to ask for help and knows that we will support her.

So parents, when your kids say their stomachs hurt, listen. When they tell you they don’t like school, don’t brush it off. When they are hesitant to step into a new situation, that’s okay. Not all kids are going to run into the building and embrace a new situation. Some kids are going to cry. Some kids are going to hang on to you so tight. Some kids are going to puke. It’s all okay. First days, first weeks, even first months, don’t have to be amazing and facebook worthy. Some will be hard. Some will be awful. Some will include having a wadded up Wal-Mart bag in your pocket just incase. Be there for them, listen to them and if you need help, just ask for it. Teachers are amazing resources and have probably seen it all. Know that you and your child are not alone. It may be a phase. It may not. Either way, it will be okay. Lots of us are just one or two steps away from needing that puke bag.

Back to school time is upon us. It’s different for me this year, I have two juniors. My daughter will be a junior at Indiana State this month. She’s all moved and settled and I’m sure I will blog about that in the future when I can type through my tears. I’m slightly dramatic. My son is going to be a junior in high school and he could really care less about any of the hoopla of school supplies and all that jazz. So now that my kids are old-ish, I feel like I can shed some light on the struggles we have gone through.

One of the phases I’m glad that is over for us is middle school. So I figured with all my “expertise” I would give some unsolicited advice on how we survived the drama filled years known as middle school (or junior high). Middle school was a very different experience for each of my kids. I chalk it up to one is a girl and one is a boy and their personalities couldn’t be more different. I’m going to talk about my daughter’s experience because I feel like most of the drama happens with the girls.

Let’s be honest. Girls can be mean. Not just girls, females in general. They are catty, mean, snarky and then you add the massive amounts of hormones and emotions in their young bodies and it’s just a hot mess. I’d like to say that I’m none of these things but depending on the time of month, I can go from crying to ripping your head off to laughing all in one fell swoop so the fact that our daughters also have all these emotions is understandable.

Now having said all that, it’s no excuse for being downright mean and rude and I know that happens a lot of the time. It’s our job as parents to distinguish between the two. It’s our job to help our emotional kids understand that sometimes someone is just having a bad day and you became their target. It’s also our job to teach our kids to stand up for themselves but more importantly know that what others think of them doesn’t really matter. We need to teach them to love themselves so it doesn’t matter what the haters think.

So where am I going with all of this? Let’s talk about Libby and Emory. My daughter, Libby, was a super anxious kid, a worrier to the extreme. Parts of middle school were rough for her. A majority of the time was great. But those few pockets of drama were not fun. I have always stressed the importance of only needing a few good friends. Middle school is mostly about popularity and who has the most friends. Quality over quantity people! My words of advice were always “4 quarters are better than 100 pennies” meaning a few good friends were much better than tons of okay friends. Libby and Emory were not friends in middle school or even high school for that matter. I believe Libby has called Emory her arch nemesis at one point. (sorry Emory!)

They both have very different stories of their experiences in middle school. No one was bullied, picked on, physically hurt or anything extreme. These girls just did not like each other. And you know what, that’s okay. You don’t have to be friends with everyone but you do have to be kind. We live in a small town, I knew Emory’s family and I knew they were good people so I wasn’t concerned. The point is, I did not rush in and try to fix this. Libby needed to figure it out on her own. From the day she came home upset that she didn’t have anyone to go to the school dance with, to the next afternoon when she had plans for the same dance with her bestie since 3rd grade, (thanks Cassidy!) I knew she would figure it out. We can’t solve and fix all of their problems even when we want to rush in and make sure they have the best experience ever. This is a hard one but guess what, grown women are also mean and I knew she’d need those skills later on in life.

So moms when your kids come home upset about another kid at school, take a deep breath. It’s so easy to side with our kids and jump on the train of bad mouthing and accusations. But don’t. Stop and think about all the circumstances involved. Don’t diminish their feelings because they have the right to be upset and not like someone. Honestly, there are tons of people I don’t like and that’s okay. But whether you kill them with kindness or just turn the other cheek, we need to remember that being mean isn’t necessary. Most likely in middle school, you just hang out with different crowds and have different interests which was the case with these two girls. We need to give our kids the chance to figure out these relationships on their own. Obviously if things are bad, as parents we need to get involved but first give them the chance to do it on their own. Their relationships are just going to get harder as they get older and they have to deal with coworkers, employers and just the population in general these days!

And guess what…Libby and Emory are now the best of friends. Trust me, I’m as shocked as you are! Emory is definitely one of Libby’s quarters now. Over the past two years, these two have developed such a great friendship. Turns out they are more alike that they would have admitted back in middle school. They have a similar sense of humor and love each other’s company. Emory has been an awesome friend. Libby moved to Indiana a week ago and Emory was her first out of town visitor! If you would have told me that back in 7th grade, I would have laughed at you.

So mamas, it’s going to be okay. The middle school years are drama filled but they go so fast. It’s the time for first school dances, first crushes, tons of homework (tons!), finding their tribe and learning new things. There will be bouts of hormonal roller coasters, catty girls, mean boys and all the emotions. But you got this! Tell them to find their quarters but don’t be surprised when those quarters change.

Thank you Emory for having my girl’s back through the college years, they definitely matter more than middle school.

*Posted with permission from both girls*

You guys! I made a new lunch “recipe” today and it was so good I just had to share it with you. It has taken me 44 years but I finally like chicken salad. Now, I will have to say, I’m super picky about chicken salad and will only eat the stuff that I make but still, it’s progress. Also, this recipe contains mayo which if you know me well, you know I don’t do mayo, but there’s just a small amount in this and I’m handling it. (you could also sub Greek yogurt but that makes me cringe even harder than mayo so you do you). I’m pretty sure if anyone in my family would have come home while I was eating lunch today they would have questioned what I was eating because wellllll, there’s a first time for everything. Both chicken salad and mayo both would have shocked them.

I’m trying to get better about eating lunch. I find if I don’t eat something for lunch then I end up grabbing “little snacks” all afternoon long which end up being more calories and usually not great options. This lunch was quick, healthy and very filling.

I really like to just throw things in a bowl and adjust as I go. This is super easy to tweak and put your own spin on. I’m sure it’s probably something already out there but new to me and so good.

Avocado Chicken Salad (serves 1)

• 1/2 avocado, cut up
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked chicken (you can use leftover, canned, rotisserie, it doesn’t matter)
• 1 T mayo (you can use more if needed just do not use miracle whip)
• 1 rib of celery finely diced
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1 T of Everything Bagel seasoning (yes, you need that much)
• 2 t. dried dill (fresh dill is even better)

That’s it! Stir it together with just the 1 T of mayo and mash the avocado into the chicken. Add more mayo if needed depending how much chicken you used. Really, you can add any seasonings you want but this combo worked great.

I ate it with the mini cucumbers but you could also serve it on bread or with crackers. If you make up a bigger quantity be sure to seal it well because the avocado will start to brown. Also, if I make it again, I promise to take a picture before I devour the whole bowl. Let me know if you try it!

According to dictionary.com the definition of chauffeur is “to drive a passenger in a car, typically as part of one’s job. For 20 years, I’ve had the title of chauffeur as part of my list of credentials. For 20 years, I’ve hauled kids places. Practices, doctor appointments, dental cleanings, school, outings with friends, errands, we’ve covered many miles in several different vehicles. We went from a car and upgraded to a van for more space, then to an SUV, then back to a van for more leg room. Now days you will still find me in said van but I’m no longer chauffeuring.

Last month we hit another milestone in our house. Our son got his license. It was delayed by a few days due to a snow storm. I was okay with that, he was not. We’ve reached this milestone one other time, 4 years ago, when my daughter got her license. I can say “been there, done that” but this time hits different. This time, it’s the end of an era. This time it makes me sad. When my daughter started driving, it opened a whole new world. I had someone else in the family that could run to IGA while I was cooking dinner and short an ingredient. I had another person to rely on and one less person to run to school.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited my son is driving. Of course, every time he leaves the house, I worry and track him. It’s what I do. He’s still pretty new at driving so there are a lot of rules. I’m excited for him. I’m excited I don’t have to be dressed and take him to school at 7:45. I’m thrilled I don’t have to sit in the high school parking lot for an extra 30 minutes because practice ran over. I’m overjoyed that I have another person under this roof that can run to IGA for me. But I’m also bummed.

For 20 years, those car rides provided me with a glimpse into their day. It gave me time on the way to school to make sure they were ready for the day. It gave me a few minutes after school to find out how their day went. It gave me 20 minutes on the way to town while they were trapped with me and I could ask questions they couldn’t escape. It provided me a chance to hear them talk excitedly with their friends after the school dance and listen to them spill the tea. It was an inside look that I couldn’t get elsewhere. I heard secrets and gossip and fears and joy all in those short trips. Some of my favorite conversations with my kids have happened behind the wheel. And some of my favorite jam sessions have happened on the road with them.

So I’m just gonna take a minute. Or a week. Or maybe even a month and be sad about it. And then I’m gonna need something from the store and remind myself how amazing it is. And if that doesn’t work, I can always get a job as an Uber driver. I’m sure my “goon magnet” would make for some pretty good stories.

I have an active imagination, some would even say an overactive imagination. Add to that anxiety and a person that worries and sometimes my mind can go a little cray cray. For example, if I’m home alone and the doorbell rings, most people would just answer it. Not me. In a split second my mind goes to all the people it could possibly be. Could it be my Amazon order, a murderer, a salesman that won’t take no for an answer, a police officer telling me there’s been a fatal crash? Doesn’t everyone do that? Ummm, for real? 99% of the time it’s Amazon! And sometimes my crazy brain leads to a funny story. So basically, you’re welcome.

The other day, my son and I went to Costco to get gas. It was my first time getting gas there. We pulled up and as I opened the door I noticed a red duffle bag next to the pump. I looked around and didn’t see anyone. I asked my son what it could be. We sat there for a few minutes and this is how the conversation went.

Me: “What do you think is in that bag? What if it’s body parts? What if it’s a baby?”

Him: “It’s probably nothing. But….what if it’s a bag full of money?”

Me: “Maybe I should kick it? But what if I kick it and it’s a bomb? What if I kick it and it’s a baby?”

Him: “It’s not a baby, you’re ridiculous.”

Me: “I’m going to get the gas started and then go tell the attendant.”

Him: “Don’t tell them, what if it’s a bag full of money.”

Me: “Ummm, we have to tell them incase it’s a bomb and we all die.”

I get out of the van and start the gas. Of course he was mocking me but also got out of the van to inspect the bag just incase it was full of money, he wanted his cut. I’m such a great mom, I was going to let my 15 year old inspect a possible bomb/bag of body parts. However, no inspecting was necessary because when he walked around to the other side of the bag, he noticed the big white letters that said “SPILL RECOVERY KIT”.

Him: “Mom, you are so ridiculous, it’s a spill recovery kit and all the lanes have them”

Me: “Whatever, you thought it was a bag of money!”

Him: “You would have looked like a fool if you went and told the attendant there was a possible bomb in a red bag.” Luckily, his investigating saved me the embarrassment.

As I looked around at the other lanes, they all did, in fact, have some type of red bag or tote. Kudos to Costco for being so prepared and efficient. But what if…that’s where my mind always goes. What if it wasn’t a spill recovery kit? What if it was something bad? Is it my crazy mind or is it the world we live in that makes our mind go crazy? Maybe it’s all the news and TV I’ve been watching during this pandemic. Either way, if there would have been a baby in that bag, I so would have brought it home with me. Then my husband would have a legitimate reason to think I’m crazy. 😉

Y’all parenting is kicking my butt lately. Is it the pandemic? Is it the winter blues? Is it the fact that my kids are basically adults now and this stage is just hard? Maybe a combination of everything all at once and this trifecta has got me questioning my parenting skills.

I remember when they were babies and the rough days of no sleep, feedings every 3 hours, blow out diapers. I remember thinking, will it ever end? And it did. Days turned into weeks that turned into months. Looking back those first few years flew past. The toddler years approached and you had this awesome little creature with a huge personality. Along with that came all the bumps and bruises, constantly saying no, and baby proofing all the things. Before we knew it, the school years were upon us and things got real. We really had to step up our game because now there was scheduling playdates and extracurriculars. There was homework and tears over homework. There were due dates and sibling fights and school drama. We worried about screen time and social acceptance and current trends. And in another blink of an eye, they were teenagers.

Folks, I’m here to tell you that you need to brace yourself. Not only does this happen in warp speed, it’s super hard. I’m trying not to be like one of those sweet, old ladies that says “oh honey, you’re gonna miss this” because you’ve all heard it and there are probably parts that you are already missing. The other night I turned to my husband and said “I’d take a toddler tantrum any day over this teenage bullshit.” Thinking back to what I thought was hard then was actually a piece of cake. Now when I was in the trenches of the those earlier stages, I probably would have told you that you were crazy. And at that point, whatever stage we were in, was truly the hardest. We really didn’t know what we were doing and here we are again. But guess what? Now our kids are old enough to know!

Now I want to point out that I have great kids. They truly are amazing, they’ve never gotten in any trouble, they are good citizens, hard workers and overall nice people. This really isn’t even about them but more this stage of their life. In the next few months, my babies will be 16 and 20. Again, not sure how it happened and I don’t like it one bit, yet here we are. I won’t even be able to say I have teenagers. Do I say, this is my teenager and my adult child? How does this work? And the one teenager I have left is bigger than me and is basically a man child. I think I’ll just stick with “these are my babies” because really that’s what they still are. I just don’t know.

The decisions my kids are making right now will affect the rest of the lives. We are no longer dealing with which friend to take to a movie or which way to cut a PBJ. Now it’s about career choices, college degrees, apartment complexes, insurance. Adulting is not fun especially when you are helping someone else adult that doesn’t seem ready to do adulting stuff. Or maybe I’m not ready? They want to be independent but still want your help. They don’t want you in their room unless you are collecting dirty laundry. You want them to learn from your mistakes but they already know everything. They can make all the noise in the world at midnight but don’t you dare make a peep at 8:00 AM. It’s like living with a roommate that you love and would die for but you also want to punch in the face sometimes. But you also know that this roommate is eventually going to move out so you’re also super sad some days. Then they walk out of their room with a stack of dirty dishes and you are thrown right back into the present.

Each stage is hard. Parenting is hard. Babies and toddlers and adolescents and teens are hard. It’s all hard. Right now in this moment, it seems the hardest. Is this the point that I say it’s worth it? Absolutely. My kids are awesome and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I think we need to remember to look back at the hard moments we survived and remind ourselves that we can do it. And we need to look past the hard moments we are in now to the better moments ahead.

*Also if you are a teenager/young adult reading this, go tell your parents thank you! They are also figuring this out as they go!*

I don’t know if this is a blog very many will be interested in but it’s something I decided to do last year and since it popped up in my memories, I thought I’d share.

For the last few years my smile has really bothered me. We are all super critical of our self…or is that just me? Either way, every time I saw a picture of myself, the gaps in my teeth were the first thing I noticed. They weren’t major, other people probably didn’t notice but I thought it looked like I was missing a tooth on each side. Not the look I was going for. My teeth and bite were fine, it was purely cosmetic.

So since 2020 was the year to improve myself, I decided to get Invisalign. Now, this was a major “purchase” on our part because our insurance does not cover adult orthodontia. I read tons of information, researched ALL the different options including different brands, at home versions, different orthodontists, etc. I went to a few different consultations in both Champaign and Danville. I know people who have had great success with the at home version but I read too many horror stories to go that route. Also, one of my besties is in the dental field and scared me out of that option. 🙂 Also, the price difference between orthodontists was unreal to me. One in Champaign was over $6,000! I ended up going to Dr. King. For the same treatment plan, it was about half that price!! Same number of trays, same time period. Do your research friends! I did get a tiny discount with Dr. King because he also did both of my kids’ braces. We love his office and staff so I was very happy with my choice.

Since my teeth weren’t awful, I was able to do the 10 set/fast track option. I don’t remember the exact lingo for it. It was 10 different trays that I changed every 3 weeks making it a 30 week commitment. If you are an adult getting braces, it works great to do it during a pandemic because no one will see you anyway. Honestly though, I don’t feel like they were very noticeable.

So now the real review…how was it? After my initial consultation, I had an appointment where they made the molds, took X-rays, pictures, etc. It was about 45 minutes long. It wasn’t fun but it wasn’t painful. I’m not a gagger so making the impressions went fine for me. Those were sent off to Invisalign and my molds were made.

About 6 weeks later, my trays were in and I went back to get them on! At this appointment they installed “buttons” on my teeth. They are just little bumps that the trays snap on to. I had eight of them, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. Again, not painful at all, just a long time with my mouth open. Wear chapstick! Dr. King warned me that the trays were gonna be really tight and most patients were surprised how tight they were. He wasn’t lying. When they put the trays on, it hurt. Like other patients, I was VERY surprised how tight they were. I’ve never had real braces so I can’t compare it to that but it hurt. Taking them on and off the first few days hurt. Honestly, I was thinking to myself, what in the heck did I just do? This is so dumb! But I also knew I had a lot of money invested in this. After a few days, the pain was gone. When it was time to switch trays, it was slightly uncomfortable again. I always changed them right before bed and that really helped since I slept through the tough part.

Dr. King only gives 2 trays at a time so that he can check your progress as you go which meant I saw him every 6 weeks. They were quick appointments and since I was religious about wearing my trays (only taking them out to eat) I didn’t have any bumps in the road. I think being diligent with wearing the trays makes a huge difference.

Eight months actually went by really fast! Trust me, I was so ready to be done but it was really an easy process. Take off was about an hour long. They grind off the little bumps (no pain) and then Dr. King slightly reshaped a few of my front teeth. Again, no pain at all. At this point they did impressions for my new retainers. I picked out a glittery silver one because why not? Most patients get a permanent bottom retainer but I wasn’t a good candidate for one. So at this point I have a top and bottom retainer and look super hot at bedtime. I wear them throughout the day if I’m home but am almost to the point that I can just wear them at bed.

All in all, I would highly recommend Invisalign and of course, Dr. King. He called me a model patient which you all know words of praise are my love language. 😉 He and his entire staff are wonderful. Over the 8 months I only had a few days of discomfort and it was totally worth it! I know some people think it’s crazy to spend money on something purely cosmetic but I decided it was worth it.

One of the things we’ve done in our weight loss journey is find healthier substitutions for foods we love. One of those things happens to be lasagna. I do this lasagna for meal prep and everyone loves it. I’ve been told by many that “even my husband would eat this” which is high praise. My husband also loves it! This meal is one that does take some assembly time so while you’re at it, you may as well make two. It freezes really well and tastes just as good (if not better) as leftover. I should also mention this is Keto/low carb friendly and gluten free!

For this recipe you are going to need egg thins. The brand I use is Crepini from Costco. I’ve also seen them at Schnucks and on occasion Aldi has the small version. I like the big ones from Costco. If you are low carb, then you will also need a good low sugar sauce. I love Rao’s but it’s pricey. There is one from Aldi that is even better and half the price. It’s the Specially Selected Premium Marinara. It’s got a black lid/label.

Basically you are going to make lasagna but use egg thins as the noodles. Easy peasy but I always get a lot of questions so I took photos last time to share all the steps with you. This is more a series of steps than an actual recipe because some people like really thick lasagna (just add more layers) and some like it vegetarian (just leave the meat out) and some like it really meaty (add more meat or Italian sausage to the beef). Make it how you like it and enjoy!

So first, brown and drain your meat. Add in your sauce. Typically I do 1 lb of meat to one jar of sauce. I then fill the sauce jar about 1/3 way full of water and shake and pour that in too. This is the time to add any additional spices like oregano, garlic, onion powder, etc.

Next, make your ricotta layer. Some people like cottage cheese but the thought of that makes me gag so we stick with ricotta. I do 1 container of ricotta, 1 egg and shake in some parm and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Get out your 9×13 pan and mozzarella. Time to start assembling. If you are eating it right away, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

So there you have it! If you try it, let me know! I also realized that when I read other blogs for recipes, it makes me really mad that I have to read a whole “backstory” before getting to the recipe and then went and did it myself. So to all the bloggers that I silently cursed, I see you and I get it now. 😉

Happy New Year! 2021 is here. Nothing magical happened at midnight to ensure this year was going to be better than the last. Yes, I was still awake, barely. But I did wake up to all the New Year, New You ads. All the exercise ads, the weight loss supplement sales, it was all in my inbox and my facebook feed.

It got me thinking about the beginning of a new year. I don’t typically like new beginnings because that means change and I’m not good with change. But in this case, a new year can mean whatever you want it to. It can mean a fresh start, a new outlook, or nothing at all. You get to decide.

I’m not big on resolutions. I feel like they just set me up for failure. If I set a bunch of big resolutions on Jan. 1, most likely by Feb 1, I’ve failed at something. Not a good tone to set for the other 11 months. I do like picking a “word of the year” though. I think it’s easier to live up to and takes the pressure away.

Last year my word of the year was “Yet”. Adding those three little letters can change your outlook on a lot of situations. I haven’t finished that…yet. I haven’t reached my goal…yet. I haven’t worn real pants this week…yet. It turns something you haven’t accomplished yet into something that seems more achievable. Like, hey, I haven’t done that but I’m still going to get there.

I’ve been pondering what my word should be for 2021. I contemplated doing “yet” once again because let’s be honest, a lot couldn’t happen in 2020. But that seemed too easy. So this year my word is going to be “BETTER”. There’s so many things I need to work and improve on and this seems so fitting for a year that can only be better than the last. Some things on my list include being a better wife, better friend, better sister, better daughter, better mom, better blogger, better Christian, better exerciser, better at being kind, better at eating healthy….the list is endless.

If we are being honest, is there any one area in our lives that we’ve perfected? For me, that’s a big no. There’s always room for improvement. This week has had me reflecting a lot about this past year. There were definitely things that I was better at this year than last. One of those things was my health. 2020 was the year I got better at eating healthy and making better food choices. However, December proved to be the month that showed me I still had a lot of room for improvement! But now I’m not starting over from scratch, I’m starting over with experience and will be better at it by next December.

A friend posted a video the other day that resonated with me. She said “nothing blooms all year”. (Thanks @kristafrancis78 ) It’s okay to have a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad month because the days, weeks and months that follow can all be better. We aren’t going to bloom all the time but by doing better, hopefully we can all bloom more often.

I hope 2021 is better for all of you.

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