Friday, July 20, 2018

Fly On The Wall In The Dog House

     Welcome to the monthly Fly On The Wall group posting, hosted by Karen of Baking In A Tornado. Today five bloggers are inviting you into their homes to catch a glimpse of what you'd see or hear it you were a fly on the wall. Come on in and buzz around my house to see what we've been up to this month!

     July has been another fun month at the Doyle abode, starting off with a BANG (July 4th fireworks, of course!) when our family gathered to celebrate Independence Day. My oldest daughter hosts a July 4th party every year at her condo---the views are spectacular where she lives near the Beach and on the 17th floor. We could see dozens of fireworks from all over the county. Family, friends, and fireworks.....it just doesn't get any better than that. Well yeah, and LOTS of deviled eggs.


     We also spent much of the past month watching the FIFA World Cup. We were rooting for Brazil and sad to see them lose, but congrats to France. At least it gave me an excuse to indulge in some sinful French pastries after the game!

     My kids have been spending quite a bit of their summer traveling, which means more alone time with my husband. Yeah, I know what you're thinking....but the "fly on the wall" is never allowed to buzz around in the boudoir. He has, however, heard some of the weird conversations I've had recently with my husband:



"It sucks getting old. Rolling over in bed in the middle of the night is now a half-hour process just to get from my left side to my right."

"I swear to God, if that damn pet rabbit nips at me one more time, I'm making rabbit stew out of him!"

"How did I gain these extra pounds? Pretty soon, the only thin thing on me will be my fingers."


"Do you need more floss to get that food out of your molars?"
"No, I need a ROPE."

"Go to the tanning salon with me for a spray tan, she said. It will be fun, she said....what she DIDN"T say was that I would end up looking like an orange Oompa Loompa."

"I'm having a hard time figuring out my way around this DMV website to make an appointment. None of it makes sense to me. I'm gonna take a break with some rum and see what Captain Morgan has to say."
"Captain Morgan says you're an idiot."


"Look at all these dogs in our house! Since when did we become PUG Nation??"

"The repairman was here to look at our broken dishwasher. He said we need to rinse our plates off better before putting them in the dishwasher."
"If I have to wash them first, what is the point of owning a dishwasher?"

"I was thinking of baking a potato for dinner tonight."
"Idaho?"
"No, you-da-ho."

"I burn about 1000 calories every time I struggle to fit into this pair of Spandex."

"Guess what? My female finch just laid an egg in her cage!"
"So....we're having omelets tomorrow for breakfast?"

"How's the memoir writing going?"
"Really good! I'm writing a section right now about my childhood flaws."
"That must be a long chapter....."


***WANT MORE MENO MAMA? This past week I was featured on the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop with a humor story about my closet. You can read it here: http://humorwriters.org/2018/07/13/a-message-from-my-closet/


Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado                  https://www.BakingInATornado. com
Menopausal Mother                     http://www.menopausalmom.com/
Never Ever Give Up Hope            https://batteredhope.blogspot. com
Spatulas on Parade                   https:// spatulasonparade.blogspot.com
Paradoxical Suds                        https://paradoxicalsuds. wordpress.com
                                                                                                    

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Relieve Night Sweats With Cool Sheets

     If you're menopausal like me, chances are you're suffering from hot flashes that keep you awake at all hours of the night. There is nothing worse than waking up in a sweat on damp sheets. 

     Today on the blog I have Lauran Tilden from Perfectlinens.com who is here to share her simple solution for making your sleep more restful, whether you're suffering from menopausal night sweats or if you're just a person who perspires regularly while you sleep. 

               Relieve Night Sweats With Cool Sheets

Hot flashes at night are perhaps one of the most aggravating symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. Not only is the discomfort nearly unbearable, but when your sleep is affected, your whole life turns to chaos. A lack of sleep leads to more than just fatigue: memory issues, mood changes, weakened immunity, and weight gain, are also other issues associated with sleeplessness. So, what’s a gal to do?

SLEEP! Easier said than done, right? You’re thinking, “How can I possibly sleep when I’m so hot and sweaty?” Well, there is a solution. https://www.perfectlinens.com/pages/best-cool-bed-sheets offers luxurious sheets for chronic sleep problems, including a whole collection dedicated to hot and perspiring sleepers. A few of the sheets from this collection really stand out with menopause and perimenopause sufferers. 

Easy Breezy sheets are one of the best sellers, and for good reason! They’re the lightest cotton sheets in the market (they tested over 200 sheets so they should know!)  Weighing less than half of other sheets, you won’t feel them against your skin.  As for cooling sheets, these are also unmatched for their softness. Plus, they’re Oeko-Tex Standard100 certified free from 100 harmful chemicals. Their softness and coolness aren’t due to any chemical treatment; rather, it’s inherent to the Pima cotton fiber and unique weave. I used to always think that higher thread count meant higher quality, but now I know that quality means more than a thread count number! Higher thread counts can mean denser and heavier fabric… less room between threads for body heat to escape. It makes sense that Easy Breezy sheets are 320 thread count and so very cooling; body heat can escape through the unique batiste weave.


The next sheet I love is Luxe Bamboo. When Perfectlinens.com says Luxe, they really mean it! These sheets feel like they belong in a 5-star hotel. Bamboo is known for its cooling properties since it possesses such a high content of water. These sheets feel like a liquid fabric hybrid against your skin. It’s like always being able to sleep on the “other” side of the pillow. I’ve had bamboo sheets that seem great but end up pilling and wrinkling, which irritates my skin. Luxe Bamboo doesn’t do that because the sheets are made with a rare weave to prevent irritation. I also love that Luxe Bamboo sheets are Oeko-Tex Standard100 certified free from 100 harmful chemicals. Did you know bamboo even possesses an anti-microbial quality? So, they naturally kill all that gross microscopic bacteria that can accumulate on your sheets every night. These sheets are truly luxurious, and I love that they come in 4 colors in addition to staying cool all night long.


Let me tell you, they did their homework! Perfectlinens.com uses precise and objective testing instruments to evaluate a sheet’s ability to help solve chronic sleep problems. They bring a uniform, easy-to-understand system to measure and describe sheets that help relieve chronic sleep problems.  Perfectlinens.com even tests sheets through multiple washes, so you’ll know that your sheets won’t change with time and constant washing. They have an out-of-this-world 45 Night Love It Guarantee... you get to sleep on these sheets for 45 nights, and if you don’t love them, Perfectlinens.com will take them back – no questions asked.

Let’s face it, buying sheets can be confusing!! If you suffer menopause symptoms, where do you go for relief?  Why wade through the subpar selection of a big box store when Perfectlinens.com has already done the work? They’ve found the perfect sheets to keep you cool during those terrible night sweats. Cooler nights mean better sleep, and better sleep means better overall health. Relief from menopause and perimenopause symptoms is possible, and Perfectlinens.com has really nailed the formula. Give them a try, and start sleeping better.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Please Don't Let Me Be The Oldest Mom In The PTA: Guest Post by Sharon O'Donnell


   Good news! There's a brand new book out for mid-life moms who still have school-age children. I'm so excited to introduce you to humor writer Sharon O'Donnell, who is on the blog today to share a few excerpts from her wonderful new book, Please Don't Let Me Be the Oldest Mom in the PTA. Please welcome Sharon to Meno Mama's site today with lots of comment love! 



A brand new humor book
for mid-life moms!
Please Don’t Let Me Be
the Oldest Mom in the PTA
by Sharon O’Donnell




                                                              Available now!

Sometimes breastfeeding & menopause aren’t that far apart! In this new humor book, award-winning columnist Sharon O’Donnell shares funny & poignant stories of being an ‘older’ mom. Nothing like buying diaper rash cream and age spot cream at the same time or having hot flashes on a college tour with your teen. She includes that awful moment when someone mistakes you for your child’s grandmother and that moment when you realize you might be the oldest mom in the PTA. Sharon is also the author of humor book House of Testosterone. More info at www.sharonodonnellauthor.com

                                                                    "The PTA Meeting"

So there I was finally, walking into a PTA meeting filled with parents who probably couldn’t even vaguely remember the Nixon administration and first watched The Brady Bunch in syndication, rather than the original run of the show on Friday nights on ABC.  I was from another generation there amidst the cute, bubbly women in form-fitting jeans and capris with tans and no age spots. Moms with no spider veins.  Moms who didn’t need to hold the meeting agenda at arm’s length to be able to read it. Moms with genuine enthusiasm for the upcoming magazine fundraiser. Before the meeting started, I hung around near the back of the room, trying not to draw attention to myself.  
I enjoyed the performance, although I realized, as all the younger moms aimed their state-of-the-art mini VCRs at their little American Idols, that I had forgotten my own clunky video camera at home. That’s another thing about being an older mom with age-gap kids:  with my older boys, I was so prepared for things like school concerts— battery charged, extra tape, the whole works. Yet, with the third child, I’d had other things on my mind like helping my middle son study for a science test or picking up my oldest son from basketball practice; remembering a video camera on the way out the door is sometimes simply too much to ask. In the future, I will have to explain to Jason why there is a lot more video of his brothers’ school programs than his. 
After the school concert at the PTA meeting, there were some brief business topics discussed and something about new playground equipment was voted on. Afterwards, everyone was invited to have cookies and punch and to mingle. I didn’t want to be anti-social, but I really didn’t feel much like mingling that night, particularly with other moms who might not even have been born the year I graduated from high school. 
And then I saw her across the crowded room, sitting near the stage. (Cue violin music). A kindred spirit. She was an attractive brunette, but it was obvious from some wrinkles and bit of turkey neck sag that she was at least as old as I was. Maybe—dare I say it—older??  My heart started beating fast like it used to when I’d see a cute guy taller than me out at the nightclubs. I had to meet her. 



                                                       "School Days"  


Having my youngest son, Jason, nine and six years after my two other boys meant that the school years would seem to drag on indefinitely and that we’d have sons at multiple schools at one time. There were several years when Jason was in elementary school, our middle boy David was in middle school, and Billy, our oldest was in a new high school that he had been reassigned to when it opened. When Billy was 15, he rode the bus, but it didn’t always come at the same time each morning and was unreliable. So a few times I’d have to take him to school, which meant I’d have to wake up Jason and have him ride with us. 
  To get to Billy’s high school, we had to drive through back roads; although the traffic is heavy due to the proximity of a Research Triangle Park, Billy’s high school was located in the middle of nowhere with no fast food places or gas stations along the way. On one particular morning during the first few weeks of school, Billy’s bus was late, so I pulled kindergartner Jason out of bed and put him in the van so we could drive Billy. We were about five minutes away and running late, when Jason yelled that he had to poop. It wasn’t like I could pull into a Shell station and let him run in because nothing was nearby. Nothing. And I’d taken the portable potty chair out of the SUV the previous year. 
  I was racing to try to get Billy to school on time, so I shouted to Jason the only advice I could think of at the moment:  “Squeeze your butt cheeks together!” Every time Jason would protest, I’d shout again, “Squeeze your butt cheeks together!” as I drove like a mad woman through the stretches of two lane, winding roads. By the time we arrived at the school, Jason had fallen asleep, poor little guy. With squeezed butt checks.

When we got back home, he woke up and went immediately into the bathroom. Later that day when Billy got home he said, “Mom, I was sitting in class and I started thinking about you yelling at Jason for him to squeeze his butt cheeks together, and I almost laughed out loud.”  Yes, I live only to make my children smile. At the time, though, it was a very serious situation. Actually, “Squeeze your butt cheeks together” isn’t bad advice if you think about. It always makes you look skinnier in jeans. 



Author Bio:  Sharon O’Donnell is a writer from Cary, NC and is the author of two humor books: Please Don’t Let Me Be the Oldest Mom in the PTA (released in July/2018) and House of Testosterone: One Mom’s Survival in a Household of MalesShe has written articles for Good Housekeeping and Better Homes & Gardens, and was an award-winning columnist for The Cary News for 12 years. She lives in Cary with her husband of 30 years and their youngest son, 17-year-old Jason, with frequent visits from sons Billy, 27, and David, 24. And of course their male long-haired dachshund, Fenway. You can find her at sharondonnellauthor.comwww.uplit.org , momsofboys.com, or @4boysanddog 

Friday, July 6, 2018

My Brain On Menopause

     I've been in a menopausal state of mind for eight years now, and my brain could really use a break. The endless mind chatter keeps me awake most nights and disrupts my thoughts like an attention-seeking toddler when I'm trying to get things accomplished during the day.

     In a menopausal way of thinking, the little things become the big things, and not in a good way. My husband and kids think I've lost my mind because of the ridiculous arguments we've gotten into. I have always had an A-type personality, but these Jekyll and Hyde mood swings need to stop for the sake of my own (and my family's) sanity. Thankfully, I have a husband and some pretty awesome kids who totally get it, so they give me a wide berth when they see the steam coming out of my ears

.

     If you were to crawl inside my head on any given day, these are the things my menopausal brain would say to you:

"I'm going to be really good today on my diet. I'll eat an egg white omelet, a small salad for lunch, then salmon for.....OH LOOK! A DONUT!"

"Geez, it's so effing hot in this house. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TURN DOWN THE THERMOSTAT??"

"Oh man, my bed looks so comfy....and I'm so tired. What would it hurt to take a little nap?"
**Wakes three hours later wondering what century she is in**

"I love you, but if you leave another strand of your used floss on the bookshelf, I swear I will strangle you with it in your sleep."

"It's 4:00a.m. Why am I still awake, wondering how people potty train rabbits?"

"Today was awful. I hate everyone and everything. Wait, you have chocolate? OMG I'm so happy! What a great day!"

"Where did I leave my damn car keys? Oh, here they are.....okay, which one of you numbskulls put my keys in the shower?  Huh? It was me? No way, I didn't do that. I couldn't have.....could I?"

"Sweetheart, you're my little shnookums and I love you so much....wait. Stop! ARE YOU KIDDING? DO I LOOK LIKE I WANT TO HAVE SEX RIGHT NOW?"

"A BOGO sale on fiber pills? Hell yeah, I'm gonna stock up. One can never own too many fiber pills."

" I didn't forget to pick up the dog food. It's your fault because you forgot to remind me."

"It's raining and now our plans are ruined and my life sucks so I'm going back to bed and don't even think about talking to me right now."

"Let's order pizza tonight. No, wait---I think I want Chinese food instead....but tacos also sound really good. Actually, I could go for a juicy steak. Or maybe a burger. Or chicken wings---yes, that's what I want! Can I get a slice of pizza on the side with that?"

"Just pour the wine and don't ask any questions."

"Who used the last roll of toilet paper without replacing it? I will hunt you down and kill you."

"It's freezing cold in this restaurant. Honey, can I borrow your jacket?"
<<five minutes later>> "Waiter, can you please turn up the fans? It's ridiculously hot in here."

"Why am I always so bloated? My belly is huge! I look like I'm pregnant.....with a baby elephant."

"Yes, I know I've put on some weight recently. No, it has nothing to do with my eating habits. It's not my dumpling cravings either, I swear. It's just menopause."

    ISN'T IT ALWAYS JUST THE MENOPAUSE????





Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Surviving The First Few Days Of A Keto Diet

     Today on the blog, I'm welcoming back Nagendra to discuss the benefits of using supplements while on a Keto diet.


Surviving the First Few Days of A Keto Diet


Part of the reason why keto diet is so popular, of course, is because people have been agreeing that it does work. Maybe the end result varies from person to person, but a good share of people sure get what they want with the keto diet, be it faster metabolism, weight loss, or simply better energy. The hi-fat, med-protein, and low-carbs combination indeed sounds legit.
However, switching your regular diet into a keto diet isn’t as easy as changing your TV channel. First, you have to resist the temptation of consuming carbs and sugar. That’s a whole range of tasty food, including bread of any kind, cake and cookies, as well as other sweets. Second, your body, at first, will experience withdrawal. 
You may think that it’s nothing. All kinds of diets, after all, will have the same side effect. But, don’t underestimate it. Maybe, the effect won’t be so bad to affect your health, but it could be bad enough to tempt you to quit. You don’t want to quit when you’ve just started, right? It’s just not cool. So, how can you be cool about switching to a keto diet? 
Let’s see what we can do about it.
Understanding Keto-flu
When people start their keto diet, they usually experience unpleasant symptoms as their body is trying to get used to using fat as their main source of energy. The symptoms usually include feeling lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, and low energy. Keto-flu is the term used to for these withdrawal symptoms.
Some people can endure this and get into a keto diet easily within few days. However, everybody has different levels of tolerance, and for others, these symptoms can disturb their daily life. If you happen to be in the latter group, then getting into a keto diet is more challenging than you think. However, there are several things you can do to help you survive the hardest part of keto-flu to get into a keto diet.
  1. Get adequate protein
The Keto diet puts emphasis on high intake of good fat and low intake of carbohydrate. A lot of people forget about protein between the fat and carbohydrate, but it’s important to understand how much of the protein you should get every day that is enough to keep your body functioning---but not too much that it stops you from going into ketosis.
You still need protein in a keto diet because there are some organs that can’t use ketones from fat as fuel. These organs are red blood cells, as well as some parts of your brain and your kidneys. Those are organs you don’t want to have run out of fuel. Protein is also necessary to maintain your ideal body mass. 
Lack of protein can be the reason for your keto-flu symptoms, so make sure to incorporate protein into your meal plan. A study has stated that the most optimal intake of protein for a keto diet (for health-maintaining and weight-loss reason, not as medical treatment for epilepsy, cancer, and diabetes type 2) is 1 gram to 1.5 gram per kg body weight. Don’t overeat the protein though, or it can butcher your ketosis.
  1. Choose not just any fat, but good fat
In a keto diet, you are expected to fulfil 60%-80% of your daily calorie necessity from fat. Because of this large number, you should be careful in choosing what kind of fat you want to put inside your body. Choose the wrong kind and you’ll get the effect in a not-so-small consequence.
Not all fats are created equal. There is bad fat and good fat. Bad fats are those that causes the classic fat-induced diseases, like indigestion, a high level of bad cholesterol, inflammation, and even stroke and heart disease. Bad fat can be found mostly in processed food, like ham, sausages, and margarine, as well as oil found in factory-made cookies and snacks. Avoid them like the plague, if you can. Bad oil can also be found in oil made from pressed plant seed, like sunflower oil or canola oil.    
You can find good fat in olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, walnut, fish oil, and fatty fish like tuna or salmon. Good fat helps your body get into ketosis faster with a far lower risk of inflammatory or other fat-induced diseases. If you think finding good fat sources are hard when you’re working, you can try some fat supplements that are keto-friendly. 
  1. Get help from some supplement
A lot of first time keto dieters would agree that adding supplements into their diet is a good decision. It help reduce keto-flu symptoms by ensuring you get the adequate intake of nutrients you need without overdosing on it. Just make sure to choose a zero-carb supplement, because with your low-carb diet, it is too risky to add more carbs from sources you don’t really think are loaded with it.
Some of the more ideal dieters may want to go into a keto-diet on their own. But I want to assure you that taking supplements helps a lot. It makes the process easier and less painful, and therefore you’re more likely to stick with the new routine instead of giving up.
I myself am very pleased with Kegenix result I got after consuming its product. It helps alleviate some of the worst symptoms of keto-flu, enough so I can feel full of energy again, even if I have cut most of my carbohydrate intake. 



Keto diet is healthy and useful, not only for weight loss, but also for maintaining health, as well as lowering the risk of several acute diseases like cancer and diabetes type 2. It’s worth it to give up your current diet for the keto diet, because the keto diet is tasty and easy. What makes it difficult is the first few days during the transition, when you’ll feel lethargic most of the day and just want to call it quits. But make sure to get enough protein to fuel your organs, get energy from good fats, and consume supplements to fulfil all the nutrients you could be missing, and you’ll see that it’s not as bad you fear.


Nagendra works as freelancer and also runs an infographic website "www.infographicportal.com" which lists quality infographics along short summary under various categories found across Internet. 

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