Hello!

Things have been fairly smooth around here lately.  I am starting my 19^th week of pregnancy this week and have gotten over the sickness and debilitating fatigue I suffered from in the beginning.  Thank goodness for that!  We’ve settled into the new house, although we still have some boxes to put away.  Unfortunately, we’re still suffering from heat waves here so I am impatiently waiting for the weather to cool off more consistently.  I loathe hot weather.  Anything that starts with an 8 or above is too hot for me.  I much prefer the 50’s and 60’s and love the snow!  I should really be living in Maine or Montana.

In an effort to be more centered and grounded, I have started up my meditation practice again.  I’ve studied meditation on and off for about 15 years, but never stuck with it.  I think the problem is that I’ve always done either mindful meditation or traditional guided imagery and that just isn’t my thing. But I’ve been looking for some new styles and tapes and so far I’ve found a couple that I like, so I’m going to start making it a daily practice.  Another thing that I’ve decided to do is delete any political post or violent image on Facebook that serves to sway people in one political direction or another. This made a tremendous difference in what I was seeing when I popped online.  I don’t mind differences in political opinion (I married a man who is my complete political opposite!) but I can’t take negative scare tactics or strictly religious posts.  My husband doesn’t chase me around the house with a cross or hang GOP posters all over our walls – Thanks dear! 😉

Another thing I’ve done to brighten my day, although this is quite trivial, is sign up for StitchFix!  After three pregnancies and never really investing in quality maternity clothes, I have been terribly short on things to wear that don’t look shabby or unflattering.  I am also completely fashionably challenged and can’t put an outfit together to save my life!  Once a month, I get sent an outfit picked out for me by a stylist and I can either purchase whatever pieces I want or send it back at no charge.  They send you five things (I got 2 shirts, a pair of jeans, a sweater, and necklace) for my first Fix.  You select the style and price range and based on your feedback, you slowly get things more tailored to your style.  I loved everything they sent me except one shirt and felt so much better about myself when I put on something that looked nice and cute on me even though it was very basic.  After three kids, I am starting this pregnancy weighing as much as I did when Nathan was born and frankly have felt fat and unattractive.  I may not really be overweight but I still have a lot of work to do once this baby is born as far as getting back in shape!  Getting a new, affordable and flattering outfit can really do wonders to perk up a flailing self-image.

Another fun thing was that my mother was in town this weekend and we all went to Boo at the Zoo again this year.  I LOVE our zoo and the workers and volunteers do such a great job putting together a fun Halloween night for kids.  Everybody wears their costumes and goes on the haunted train ride through the wilderness and gets to see the animals by flashlight at night.  They’ve also got a haunted house and lots of decorations and lights around the entire zoo to make it fun and festive.  The kids have a blast staying out late at night and we do too 🙂  It’s our second year going and has definitely become a tradition for us!

And lastly, I am thinking of returning to school to get my Masters.  My biggest dilemma is whether or not to go for my MFT now or wait a couple of years and begin the nurse practitioner program in psychiatric medicine at UT Austin.  Both have their positive points.  Something to sit and ponder for a while until I decide I suppose!