Hi! Hello! <\/p>\n
My vibes are a little weird this week, to be honest. Seems like a great time to write a bunch of words for the public to read!<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really here for two reasons:<\/p>\n
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- Lately I\u2019ve found that the little side chats in my life have been extra life-giving. Usually I don\u2019t even know that I need it, but after I have the chance to connect with someone \u2013 even just for a quick little text exchange or driveway chat, suddenly things start clicking again and I feel more like myself. <\/li>\n
- I\u2019ve been a little stuck lately, food wise and life wise. I\u2019m blaming the weather \u2013 can we do that? I just kind of have the soft blahs, and one of the best ways I know to move through that is to just be real about it. It\u2019s okay to have the blahs. I\u2019ve been here before. The sun will shine again!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
So, today let\u2019s do the internet version of a side chat! You\u2019re walking by my house, we stop to say hi, I\u2019m petting your dog and asking you how your kids are and if you\u2019re traveling anywhere for spring break and suddenly we\u2019re talking about anxiety and Severance!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a coffee date. <\/p>\n
\nSick Kids, Anxious Mom.<\/h2>\n
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This week on Instagram I shared that our kids have been sick, and that it has taken a real toll on my nervous system. When they\u2019re not doing well, I\u2019m very anxious.<\/p>\n
The sicknesses have been very regular. Run of the mill coughs, fevers, ear infections, and sleepless nights. But my nervous system is experiencing all these symptoms as if at any moment I might need to call the ambulance. Which, to be fair, I MIGHT! You just never know, and I mean this seriously, and this is the problem for me.<\/p>\n
That hypervigilance, on top of being sick myself and sleeping half the night in my daughter\u2019s tiny twin bed all week, has made me so weary lately.<\/p>\n
And what really surprised me is that I heard from so many of you this week who said you feel this, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Not just the sick kids at home, but the anxiety that goes along with it. I\u2019ve heard this from real life friends and internet friends. A summary of what I\u2019ve heard from you:<\/p>\n
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- You feel anxious because your babies are crying but they can\u2019t explain what\u2019s wrong.<\/li>\n
- You struggle to decide \u2013 is my kid okay? do we need to go to the clinic? ER? what to do?<\/li>\n
- You don\u2019t have kids but who feel a high level of anxiety with your pets, who also can\u2019t explain what\u2019s wrong.<\/li>\n
- Your kids are grown but you still feel that same anxiety when your kids get sick in their 20s or 30s. Because once a mom, always a mom.<\/li>\n
- You are medical professionals \u2013 heard this from several people! \u2013 and your job is to see sick kids all day, but you still get anxious about your own kids being sick. (Which, honestly, is a bit of a bubble-burster because I\u2019d prefer to keep the thought in my mind that you\u2019re all untouchable heroes who have no fears and know the answers to everything!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In our story, I know that some of my personal anxieties are made worse from past medical trauma \u2013 having had experiences where things were supposed to be fine and then they were not fine at all. I know many of you have had similar experiences, too.<\/p>\n
Is this a downer? It might be a downer! Welcome to my brain in March! <\/p>\n
Maybe I\u2019ll report back when I figure out how to not get the nervous shakes when the thermometer reads \u201c103.5\u201d or fighting for my life with an adrenaline surge at every middle of the night coughing spell. Or\u2026 maybe I\u2019ll be making my way through this for the rest of my life. If you know the secret, feel free to pass it along.<\/p>\n
It was really sweet for my heart to hear from many of you this week and it really made me feel less alone, and just less weird. Thank you.<\/p>\n
\nWhat I\u2019ve Been Cooking<\/h2>\n
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I\u2019ve made these chicken bowls<\/a> almost once a week since January, because I\u2019m in love with that cilantro pesto<\/a> on there.<\/p>\n
Also, a hefty amount of berry muffins<\/a> and carrot cake cupcakes (coming soon \u2013 I want them to be just just just right), cottage cheese pizzas<\/a>, this sweet potato soup<\/a> many times over, and a lot of buffalo chicken burgers<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nBut Also, Kind Of In a Cooking Rut.<\/h2>\n
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Meh. This has to be a pretty normal thing, even for people who like to cook. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m not lacking in ideas or interest; I have so<\/em> many things that sound fun to try and hundreds of recipe ideas floating around in my head. <\/p>\n
I think I\u2019m just lacking in the time, space, and energy to execute them well.<\/p>\n
The normal demands of life \u2013 laundry, school, doctor appointments, work, headlines, cleaning, eat enough protein and lift weights, etc. \u2013 have just felt a little more consuming in the last 2-3 months. There isn\u2019t a perfectly tidy and serene little space in the day for me to make a beautiful dinner just the way I want, or, maybe I\u2019m just tired and finding it challenging to create that space.<\/p>\n
What I genuinely love about the rut, though, and that slight feeling of stuck-ness, is that I feel a new SOS series coming to life! I\u2019m not just saying this to be positive \u2013 I truly love when my real life leads to me try to find solutions to problems that I think we all feel from time to time. And that\u2019s where I\u2019m working right now.<\/p>\n
SOS recipes are my bread and butter. My favorites. My most real-lifey. I\u2019ve been a little stuck, but it\u2019s pushed me in a really good direction and I\u2019m excited for what\u2019s coming. I\u2019ll probably roll this new set out in April \/ May! Stay tuned.<\/p>\n
\nThe Small Joy Of TV<\/h2>\n
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