Next Week: Barber

I am putting on a happy face around the kiddos today. Inside, I am nervous and a little anxious. Why? I hate to even say because it sounds so foolish. I have a dentist appointment today. I even have two friends that are dentists that I am sure will get a kick out of my irrational fear. You'd think that after giving birth twice and having a million PAP tests that the dentist should be no big deal. You'd think. But, it is not true for me.

I have the worst teeth. I have very soft enamel. I brush twice a day with a fancy toothbrush and I never miss a day of flossing. I use a special prescription toothpaste to protect my teeth. I always use Listerine twice a day. I do EVERYTHING my hygienist says. Besides having crummy teeth and nasty gums, I am a model patient.

My kids on the other hand LOVE going to their dentist. He is a pediatric dentist. After Ryan threw the biggest fit in the world, my dentist suggested we take him somewhere special. I am so glad I did. They love going for their appointments and even ask "When do we get to go see Dr. Gindi again?"

Yesterday, my kids had a dentist appointment. Later in the afternoon, Ryan was making a list of all of his friends. He wrote DG. I asked, "Who is that?" "Dr. Gindi, he's my friend." Then at dinner last night, my husband asked Ryan what he wanted to be when he grows up and he said "A dentist." Yes! So much better than the McDonalds worker he wrote about at school last week. (I know, I know, next week, he will probably want to be a barber. But just let me cherish this moment.)

I love their enthusiasm for the dentist. I hope it never changes. So today, I am chewing the inside of the my mouth out of nervousness and keeping my fears to myself. I am very quiet around them and I am trying to stay busy. I just can't ruin this love affair for them.

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My appointment went well and because I am pregnant, having puffy gums was a little to be expected. I survived and even thought in the middle of my appointment "Why was I so worried?"

Cisco?

Found this picture this morning and I just have to share.

When you are pregnant, you gain weight EVERYWHERE. Not just in the stomach. Your butt gets as big as you belly. So, this THONG is not really a good idea. And from the looks of these abs, this woman is not even one day pregnant. I like how they actually wrote "Mom To Be" like it is to be given as a gift. I think I would throw it back to whoever gave it to me.

Voices in my Head

I sat listening to her daughter and then her minister. I heard what she stood for and what was important to her during her life. My thoughts drifted. I first thought of losing my mom only four months ago. And then tears began to fall. They wouldn't stop. My thoughts wouldn't stop either.

Almost twenty-four hours since I sat at the funeral and the voice I keep hearing in my head is "What will you be remembered for? What do I stand for? Will any of this matter? What matters?"

I don't know. What does matter? Isn't this the question we all wrestle with at some point? I used to think my old work mattered. I don't hear much from my past students so I have to wonder. I was so young in my previous profession. I was green and inexperienced. I am not sure I was very good at it.

Now, in my new profession, I matter a great deal to two little boys. What will they learn from me and what is important that they learn from me? What will they forget? What will last? What will be my legacy?

When I was younger and visiting a retirement home, I used to feel sorry for the people that lived there. I didn't understand that they were the lucky ones that lived a long life. Now when I visit, I can see that they have lived long lives and have lost so many people. They have had to make new friends and many have found new life companions. I can't even imagine what they have seen and lived through.

I still feel green but in the last year, I am starting to mature. When I was in my twenties, I remember wedding after wedding. And then, baby shower after baby shower. In the past year, my friends and I have started down a new path. It is one that I somehow never saw coming. Not at this age! But, it is one that is teaching me so much about my life and how I want to live it. I am lucky to have friends with me on this path. I couldn't do it alone. I wouldn't want to. And through these friendships, I have found strength to figure out my way, find my own voice and continue on my path.

More is More

OK. So who bought all these toys? How in only 6 years, have we accumulated such a large collection of toys? We mostly stick to the holidays here with gift giving so why are there so many? I like to blame my parents and in-laws. I know where the true blame lies.

In less than two weeks, my husband is hosting a poker night for the spouses of my mom friends in our basement. I have ignored the growing mess for the ENTIRE winter and now, I must get busy. My sister said "Oh the guys won't notice the mess." They will if they trip over all of the toys while sipping their beer. We're not talking "Legos in with the Star Wars container." We are talking the entire Star Wars collection all over the floor, the toy box emptied and everything out of the original storage containers.

So, I am going to try to spend 15 minutes a day for the next week until I call uncle and just bust my butt down there (and beg my husband to help me hide the mess). I am posting this for two reasons.

One: To let other mothers know that they are not alone in their struggle against the toys.

Two: To make sure I hold myself to it and get it done. If I have 100 people dropping by on the web, I am more than likely to get it done.

You may be wondering why the kids aren't cleaning up their mess. I do have them help. I promise myself weekly that I will have them do more and clean up after themselves. But, I need to really organize and not just hide the stuff. I want to purge and sort. They will pull and save. That will not work for the cleaning and organizing I want to do.

Readers love to give advice, so let's hear it. Maybe that will help us all. I promise to start purging. I have a baby coming so I go from wanting to give it all away to make room to wanting to save it all "just in case." Any tips other than to give it away? I hear you. I do. I swear I do. And someday, I will. I promise.


I would like to add that the pictures actually make it look neater than it does in real life. I don't know why but it does. Trust me when I say that there was cat puke everywhere and a dead mouse somewhere lurking behind the toys. I swear there was. It was a real mess and nearly a health hazard.

I Dare You

What if I told you you could change one simple habit and it will save you time and money and is better for the environment? It will also make your hair healthier. What is it? It is the simple act of not washing your hair daily.

Now, I can hear the outrage.

My hair only looks good when I wash it every day.
I exercise and it gets gross if I don't.
I have oily hair and it just looks greasy if I don't wash it.

I used to wash my hair daily. But, my hair dresser begged me to stop. She did. So, I tried to go every other day at first. Then every three days. Now, I am up to about every five days or so. My hair doesn't seem as oily now that I am not washing it as much. Go figure.

American wash their hair more than any other nation. We average about five times a week. Europeans, on average, wash their hair 2 or 3 times a week. I think they are onto something.

I have figured that I have saved over two 1/2 hours a week in washing, blow drying and styling my hair. That sounds crazy and I am not high maintenance. I don't have to do much to it every day since it wasn't washed and I just fix what needs fixed every morning. It takes only a few seconds and my hair styles easier than ever.

So go ahead and give it a try Americans. Start small. Maybe every other day. And work your way up. Baby steps. You hair will thank you. And you will have so much free time that you will be able to stop by Indy's blog every morning as you have your morning coffee or tea.



I know I have some international readers. Let's hear how often you wash you hair! Americans, are you ready to give it a shot?

Might Even Have Hemmroids

How many times have you asked a pregnant lady "How are you feeling?" I am sure that you hear more often than not "Good."

SHE IS LYING.

This is what she* is not telling you:

She has a rash somewhere.

Somewhere, a piece of her clothing doesn't fit. It could be her bra, underpants, shoes or pants.

She's hungry.

She can't think straight.

Her boobs hurt.

She has heartburn.

Her digestive system is very slooooooooooooooooooow.

She is very tired.

She isn't sleeping well.

Standing isn't much fun either.

Her feet are swollen by the end of the day.

Her back hurts.

She has to pee.

She is nauseous.

She feels very fat and balance is an issue.

She is hungry and needs to eat NOW.

So next time you ask how a pregnant lady how she is feeling, know that she is lying and tell her that she is "all baby" and "hardly showing at all." At least you will both be lying and you'll both feel better after the conversation.

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Indy doesn't claim to have any or all of these joys of pregnancy. Well, at least not all at the same time. And please don't feel like you can't ask how I am feeling. Just saying....

Just Three Minutes

Have you ever noticed that it takes less time to tackle a project than it does to write on a list and then fret about it?

The other day, I needed to fill my bird feeders. I was not in the mood to do it and felt I didn't have time. So, I decided to time myself to see how long it took. Guess how long? Just three minutes. I didn't rush. From slippers off, shoes on and back to slippers again, I was done in three minutes.

Before sitting down to write this post, I just bribed myself to vacuum my stairs. If I did it, I could go online afterwards. I did and I didn't rush through it. I sat down and looked at the clock. It didn't take me more than five minutes. Really? I put it off for for more than 10.

Next time you have something to tackle, do it and time yourself. You will be surprised that sometimes the task is annoying but quick. My next task and boy am I dreading it, is our toys. OUT. OF. CONTROL. I have to take it all out of my family room, drop them off downstairs and then clean the toys in the basement. It all must be organized preferably withOUT children. This is task that cannot be timed because that would be depressing. Maybe I will share the process in order to make sure I finish. Not sure what bribe I will use for myself but something tells me IT MUST BE BIG!

What task do you put off? Do you bribe yourself? Let's hear what works for you.