crazedparent

Things I don't need but really, really want: Vintage Leopard Print Coat

It is very difficult to deny my love for leopard-print anything. As such, it is also very difficult to not purchase this undeniably gorgeous faux fur jacket/dress.

So much to love.

I love the start of a new year.

Even when something daunting is presenting itself for the coming months, I feel so fresh, energized and inspired.

It's not so much the proverbial clean slate that causes my brain to rush at full throttle with thoughts of what I want to do over 365 days. It's the reflection of the year that has past and rediscovering what I loved about it. 

The things that I didn't love so much? Well, those can roll off the tongue and cause me to twitch.

I want to focus on what I loved. Because that is what I want to carry into the new year. 

I recently read a few blog posts that reflect on gratefulness in life. Like  Lisa Kothari's Weekly Attitude of Gratitude and Bungalow Bliss's goal to "grow with gratitude." And Karen Walrond's Gratitude. 2012 newsletter, for which I am so thrilled to be a participant.

I am not alone in this desire to look at the goodness in life.

There was so much to love about 2011,  so much that I learned, and so much for which to be grateful:

• My family. Period.
• That change is always scary but when it is meant to be, you'll know in it Technicolor (killer smiles don't hurt either).
• That focus and determination, albeit crazy hard at times, work when you're making a change.
• That wonderful friends are priceless.
• That my toe doesn't hurt anymore thanks to medicine that actually works.
• That I have the best walking buddies (dogs included).
• That I miss snapping photos with a real camera.
• That no matter how much time away I spend from San Francisco, I still melt when I witness a crisp winter sunset over the bay.
• That life truly is good.

Embrace the new year.

Things I love: A good morning walk is the best medicine...

 
 I have psoriatic arthritis.

I was diagnosed about two months ago after spending an entire year trying to figure out why one single toe on my right foot was inflamed, painfully sore and so, so tender for extended periods of time. Also? Stopping me from wearing fabulous shoes.

After an MRI, two separate shots of cortisone (yeowww!) directly in the toe, countless x-rays and visits with my podatrist, even more countless blood tests to rule out various other joint-related diseases (gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), I landed at the office of a rheumatologist. 

When my rheumatologist brought up psoriatic arthritis, my immediate thought was, "I don't have psoriasis." No skin issues. Well, at least none that I would have considered psoriasis. But every few months, I get an incredibly itchy scalp, which I've always attributed to chlorine at the pool or perhaps a light sunburn.  

Guess what? Psoriasis.

And all of the joint pain -- my hips,  my leg -- that I've experienced and/or chronicled on crazedparent -- all started to make sense. Arthritis.

While the cortisone injections worked to heal the toe, it was for a limited period of time. When the pain came back, it was worse each time. My doctor attributed it to "my body fighting itself." Apparently my body is a bad ass.

When I started treatment for the psoriatic arthritis, I decided I had to take control of my body. There's the possibility that it may get worse and other joints will clearly be impacted. And there's the possibility that it may stay localized and I'll have a fat, stupid sausage toe forever. I also know that if this particular medicine doesn't work, I have to try another kind that, quite frankly, frightens me because of all of the known side effects. 

You know what? Chronic pain sucks.  I got tired of waiting for my stupid toe to feel better before I started feeling normal again. The pain in my toe was so severe that I had to stop swimming. It hurt when my foot hit the water while kicking. I can't run anymore because it puts too much strain on all of my joints. (In a weird twist, I can play competitive volleyball with no joint pain...so odd.)

So I walk. Really fast. 

Every single day I take my pup for a long, long walk. Some days Luna and I are accompanied by our respective walking buddies. Other days? It's just me and KNBR.

I still have pain in my stupid toe. It's started to impact other areas of my foot. Still, I watch the sun rise. I listen to the sounds of early morning. Trucks bustling. Construction workers and their always cheerful hellos. Birds singing. Cliche but yes.

For an hour, I just block out pain. And I think that's the best medicine yet.

 

 

Things I love: Empanadas...

 


Empanadas make me drool. If I could, I would eat empanadas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, because you can pretty much make empanadas as fare for all three meals. 

The perfect empanada has a rich crust, not to flakey, but not crisp, and a hint of sweetness. I like to use the cream cheese pastry recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry. 

A few weeks ago we discovered ElPorteño Empanadas in San Francisco. We tried out the Dulce de Leche empanandas, which included bananas with the sweet filling. I closed my eyes and smiled with every taste. That good. And I only had a few because my oldest kid gobbled up the rest. He's sneaky like that.

We're slow cooking this week. But my brain is working overtime thinking of the many combinations for empananda fillings.

Things I love: An unexpected gift from a sweet friend...

Do you remember what you used to collect as a child?

For me, it was everything Hello Kitty. On random occasions, Hello Kitty manages to make her way back into my life. Like when my parents wrap a birthday present. 

Or when a friend gives me an unexpected gift. 

I love unexpected gifts.

I love good friends.

 

Things I love: Vintage dresses...

I'm obsessed with the dresses featured and sold on Etsy by Timeless Vixen Vintage. I can't even remember where I came across the link to her store. But I find myself visiting it every few days to see what gorgeous treasure she's found.

I immediately fell in love with this Mexican party dress. That low scalloped collar is just plain sexy and the artwork across the skirt is so festive and elegant.

It was sold a day after I saw it. And not to me. 

I guess I'll have to keep coming back to find another dress to love. Then I'll have to find a reason to buy it.

Things I love: Waking up before the kids...

My dad is a retired contractor. He worked on many of the high rises in downtown San Francisco and in one of my favorite photos of him, he stands perched on the ledge, confidently leaning back to the street many, many floors up on the side of 101 California Street. He was strapped to a steel beam by a cable around his waist. And he did this every day, for many years, for the many commercial construction gigs he took to pay the bills.

He woke up at 5 am every morning. From a very early age, probably about four years old, I started waking up an hour after he did. He'd make me breakfast, we'd ready the funnies (comic strips) together, and talk baseball (I have two older brothers; I knew my stuff). If the previous night's dessert was pie, we'd split a piece, or empty the dish. And then by 7, he'd be off for work and wouldn't return until past dinner. Exhausted.

I think I used to wake up early because I knew that single hour we had together was My Special Time with Dad. He wasn't home with me all day like my mom. (She usually slept in.) He wasn't "on" for us from the second he woke up until the second we fell asleep. Mom was. And while she may have been exhausted at night, I don't ever remember her showing it.

***

In the morning before the kids are awake. That's my time.

Now that it's summer and they are sleeping in, I wake up two hours before the boys do so I can enjoy the house in a quiet state. I can hear the birds chirping outside. Pay bills uninterrupted. Talk uninterrupted with my husband (who is usually up early working at the kitchen counter). Sometimes I even am inspired to write a story or two.

When the boys wake earlier than I expected, we snuggle up in bed or on the couch and read. Or trade stories from the previous day. Or watch the dog as she conducts her pre-waking up routine on my bed (this includes Luna rolling on her back and writhing as she tries to scratch it, crazy dog sounds and a final look at us that says, "What. You got a problem? Rub my belly, already.")

I adore those morning moments with my kids.

But I'm so much more prepared to enjoy those moments when I have my own space before they are awake. 

I love waking up before the kids.

Things I love: Little League Opening Day

I can say it doesn't get any better, but it does.

My guys kicked off their Little League season over the weekend.

The biggest change?

Q. is on a team. Finally. No more waiting. He's an official t-baller.

Seeing my littlest guy all suited up in his uniform, well, it caused this mama to sigh an awful lot.

And then seeing my biggest kid, all lanky with a true gamer attitude, watching the even bigger kids get ready to play? That made me sigh an awful lot too.

And I have to make an embarrassing confession. At his game later in the day, he made a move that made me jump out of my seat and yell. And I looked back at the other parents and realized they were all yelling too. The play? He was stuck between third and the plate, a true game of pickle with the gal on third base coming after him. And he hustled his way to the plate and scored a run.

I felt that odd mixture of pride and complete mortification: My kid just did something really cool and scored a run! But oh sweet Jesus,  did I really catapult my body that quickly and far?

Oh yes I did.

I swore to my fellow team parents I would try my hardest to never do it again.

I hope they did not see my fingers crossed behind my back.

Things I love: Techie tools that simplify the tough stuff...

As a small business owner, two things bring me down: 1.Tax Preparation Work and 2. Having More Ideas Than I Can Handle. The former is obviously more painful than the latter. And the latter only brings me down only because I cannot follow through with all the ideas.

But when it comes to things I love about being self employed, the list is endless. And one of my favorite "things" is finding geeky stuff that makes my "job" so much easier (which is also in line with my mantra to keep things simple).

Three of those things:

• MockFlow online wireframing software. I kid thee not. For the non-techie folks, a wireframe is basically a design blueprint for all parts of a website. It tells the designer what the components they need to include in their design efforts. As I build out a new website/company that is self funded, I need to keep a tight rein on our budget. This means that instead of having someone else building the wireframes for our site, I needed to learn how to create those wireframes. Serious design folks usually do this wireframe stuff in PhotoShop or other super expensive programs that require different skill sets. I needed a program that is easy to use and a inexpensive. After trying out a few, I landed on MockFlow. It's very intuitive and took me minimal time to learn. Also? The tech support crew (Hi Jerry!) is quick to address problems/questions. I played with the free version for a few weeks and upgraded to the premium service for $60/year. A steal and well worth it if you are looking to create wireframes on your own.

• Skitch image/screen capture software. I really dislike using the Grab application on Macs for screen/image captures. It's the equivalent of nails on the chalkboard. My husband turned me on to Skitch when he overheard me complaining about it during one of our Laptop Battleship at the Dining Room Table (hat tip: PetCobra) moments. I adore Skitch. I can edit screen/image captures (watermark, arrows, etc.) AND I can easily drag that image to the desktop to save it. So, so easy. And free.

• OmmWriter. Again, something else my husband told me about. Building this new site of ours takes up a good portion of my workday. But at heart, I'm a writer. Sometimes that gets put on the back burner because I've got other stuff to do. Enter OmmWriter. I call it a little piece of writing bliss because that's all OmmWriter let's you do. It blocks out all the distractions and lets you write...on a serene screen with magically peaceful music to help the words flow out of your fingertips. Also free. And remember: Little Piece of Writing Bliss.

Your turn. What techie things make your job/life easier?

Things I love: Citrus in a glass...

The boys both came down with sniffles (I lie, big yellow mocoso noses) earlier this week. An afternoon later, I had that tell-tale tickle in my throat, sore neck, and that sneeze...the one that causes your head to feel fuzzy and you just know a cold is coming on.

I started to crave citrus. Thankfully, our CSA has been providing us with a generous amount of grapefruit and various types of oranges. And our lemon trees still continue to overwhelm us with their bounty.

Twice a day, I've been using the juice from three oranges, one grapefruit and one lemon (a la Mad Hungry), adding a teaspoon of agave nectar or honey and taking the mixture to task with my Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender (a birthday gift from last year). The result is a frothy citrus drink that is sweet but tart enough to make you scrunch your cheeks. It's wonderful on a sore throat. It's also refreshing, which is why I always feel like a million bucks after I drink it.

I'm grateful that it's citrus season because I can have this blend every day. Lucky for me, the boys -- big and small -- dig it too.