Two, and three.

I was still in labor. I'm a bit fuzzy about the details, but right about now might have been when I first asked for painkillers, but I didn't want an epidural because then I wouldn't be doing it the natural way. Never mind that taking drugs of any sort means I wasn't doing it the natural way. I was in pain, I wasn't thinking straight. Anyway, I caved about 18 hours in and asked for the epidural. After being forced to sit up (only time I swore at Damm) the relief was pure bliss. I slept for a couple hours before it was time to push. Then you were finally born and they brought you to me. I was a bit weirded out because you still had blood on you but the ordeal was finally over. Then they cleaned you up, whisked you away and wheeled me to my room. I passed out for a couple of hours (as did Damm). I don't think I could fall asleep now if you were in a separate part of the hospital but 24 hours of labor + drugs delayed the mother bear reaction. When I woke up I got b...

At least it stinks when stuff starts malfunctioning and my tech-savvy husband isn't available to fix things. Fortunately my tech-savvy brother-in-law is around or we'd still not have internet/PS3 capabilities, and that would have made life somewhat stressful. My kettlebells, however, are functioning just fine. I read a book last week called "The Swing" by Tracy Reifkind, a lady who lost 100+ pounds and gained an amazing physique with kettlebells. Her program is simple: the kettlebell swing with a couple variations, 15-30 minutes a day, 2-3 times per week (now would be a good time to mention that I am in no way affiliated with this book/program. I am writing about it because I like it:). I did my kettlebell swings Friday morning for 15 minutes (not continuous, 10 swings per minute) followed by 5 sets of 15 reps of the Russian Kettlebell Twists. I was sore the next day! (Yes, I totally found that exciting. Yes, I'm slightly odd.) I did another workout today and ...

Honey! I wrote about washing my face with honey  three weeks ago. At first I loved it-my skin had never felt better. Then-and then-it all went south. Worst my face has ever  been. My forehead was covered in little bumps, chin was suffering from that yucky cystic stuff. I reminded myself that there is supposed to be a "purging" period, but after a few days of sticking to the routine and seeing no improvement I threw in the towel. I wanted to stay as natural as possible so I went with Burt's Bees (which you can find at Walmart) and I love their line. The list of ingredients isn't as scary and it smells nice. The face was still looking bad, though, so I decided to use what I had learned from reading "crunchy" blogs and added tea tree oil, baking soda, jojoba oil and honey (yep) to my arsenal. Here's the routine: #1 Wash face with Burt's Bees facial cleanser. #2 Make a baking soda paste and apply it to problem areas. Let it sit for five minutes....

It has been a busy week. It's always a busy week but this week I was also physically  exhausted as well as mentally (usually I'm only mentally exhausted; it takes a lot to physically exhaust me). I was physically exhausted because (/drum roll) my job description has changed for the better. Without going into too many details I am now full-time, I love what I do and for the moment school is out of the question for me. I have plans for going back and have thought through several possible eventualities. I will also probably cry when school goes back into session. I will rejoice when finals arrive and I don't have to study. More importantly, I will have more energy for the kiddos and Damm. And time. And weekends! But not right now. Still adjusting to this physically demanding schedule. So in the meantime enjoy the following art design: Don't worry, the ink washes off as soon as they have a bath in the tub. My mother-in-law's idea:)

I think I've mentioned that we have a suspension training system ( the Human Trainer ). If not, now you know. (You should also know that I am not in any way affiliated with the product, have received no endorsements/remuneration/etc.) I like it, and I think it's helped me train without risk of further injury (because I'm not in a static position) and it's incredibly easy to set-up/take-down. We have ours attached to the garage door: (I usually move the trashcan and broom out of the way) My liking passed into love when I started incorporating suspended crunches ( here's a few sample exercises from the Human Trainer website), twists and pikes. It's the hardest thing I've done in a while and it's the only exercise that requires a full minute to recover from. The results are absolutely fantastic: after two workouts I looked at my abs (which are still not ready for any type of picture) and noticed a difference. I'm starting to believe that I might...

An Orc, A Plan, A Totem....and the fishing pole that ruined it all. Hello to all new reader types! If there are any :P My name is D--------. I currently play an Orc Shaman in World of Warcraft. My wife also plays an Orc(as always hunter). Our little half orc isn't quite yet crawling so for her to be playing anything would be a stretch. But she is an attention hog so she'll probably play a warrior.... she's already good at holding agro. Why shaman? Well... I needed to be hybrid because well... it fits my play style. I like to be able to heal a fellow if they need it but I -way- prefer to melee dps. But what about Paladin you say? Let me tell you: Yes your dear little platewearing undead hating psychopaths can almost not be killed...and wow yes they do have nice buffs for all the little people around you but... who likes not doing damage? Not I. Yeah yeah I know that some retrib paladins will tell me they do damage....but I played one to 32 and just can't do that ...

I spent this past weekend delving into "crunchy" blogs. I say that like it was a departure from my normal schedule but it really isn't. I've been soaking this stuff up now that I have time and mental space available. I read about using honey as a facial cleanser and am giving that a go (use only raw honey and if you can get honey from the people that made it it's even better). I bought jojoba oil at my local health food store and am going to try the Oil Cleansing Method. I have also been inspired to go "no-poo". Most of these decisions have been motivated by cost concerns; facial cleansers/creams are expensive  and, also important, they haven't been working for me. I still don't consider myself "crunchy" although I think I've leaned in that direction for a while. As a teen I resisted makeup wearing and have always preferred a "natural" look. I also didn't shave my legs until I was 14 and the societal pressure got too ...