It’s October! I don’t know where September went, but it was a blur of back-to-school emails and protocols, missed days and Covid testing when one kid got a bad cold, Pro-D days (TOO SOON) and apple harvest. And I did it all without wine, so…go, me!
(Baby snuggles with my dear friend, Megan’s, little fella. Even though my own uterus is an ashen cavern no longer fit for life, I still like to hold this guy.)
The alcohol-free quarter I’m in has been going really well. Kombucha has become my End of the Day sip, and overall I feel like I have more clarity and my productivity has gone up tenfold. I’m taking some time to re-evaluate my relationship with alcohol and trying to see if there are some loving boundaries I can explore in the search for moderation, or if it’s something I’m ready to just let go of altogether. I don’t know. And that’s ok. I’ll know when the time comes.
I finally found an at-home workout that doesn’t make me want to gag, and it’s called The Sculpt Society. It’s got great variety, I like the instructor and not much equipment is required. The first week I did it, I basically couldn’t walk for five days; my poor quads and glutes were like, “Wait. I thought we didn’t DO that kind of stuff anymore.” It’s amazing how quickly the body can relearn and get stronger. (It’s also amazing how fast she can sink into atrophy and despair. Cool.)
As I near the big 4-0, I am noticing my skin is needing some attention. Namely, I need some sort of moisturizer, but pretty much everything I have tried makes me break out with zits. Any recommendations?
Overall, I have felt uninspired in the kitchen. I think scurrying to keep up with the garden and making 458 vats of tomato soup and tomato sauce kind of left me burnt out and now all I want is to get take-out for a month. I am making this for dessert tonight, though, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
With the kids back at school, one thing I have been making the time for is crawling under my weighted blanket and watching Netflix. I know it sounds decadent, but it feeds my weary soul. I have been enjoying catching up on This Is Us. Mackie has enjoyed it as well. I also started Love On The Spectrum and it’s gold.
Hope your fall is sunny and crisp and that you’re hanging in there!
5 Comments
I have the same relationship to moisturizer, and absolutely the only thing that works for me is Clinique’s line (specifically, Superdefense, which has built in spf, is my go-to). I’ve used it for years (I’m 44). It’s expensive, but lasts a long time.
I have learned that my skin doesn’t like lanolin and this is a key ingredient in many moisturizers. My mom suggested Lubriderm because it is lanolin-free and it is the drugstore brand that works for me. I use it on my face without any breakouts.
I’m 35 with dry skin, and I have had really good luck with everything I’ve tried from Earth Harbor: http://rwrd.io/xfn8kba?c I like their Mermaid Milk moisturizer as an everyday thing, LOVE the Celestine serum (it smells like lemons!) because it makes my face super soft, and I use the Siren Silk moisturizer as a nighttime extra boost. It’s not cheap but it lasts a long time!
I’ll second that! Where DID September go? It snuck right past disguised as summer with more responsibilities attached!
Congratulations on your alcohol break! Its such a good thing to do! I set out on a year long sobriety mission for much the same reasons I think. To evaluate my relationship with it (and to make room for some healing and growth within the relationship between John and I that was needed at the time). It felt important to detach it from all the automatic habits and events in which it had become a default, and that is why I chose a year. Long enough to not be a dangling carrot (like taking a month or weekdays off) and a full calendar year to go through all seasons and holidays, and extended family, and vacations, and, fridays and summer and wine fest, and happy times and hard times. Anyways that was almost 2 years ago. Granted I have been pregnant for the last 9 months, but I can honestly say that is not my primary reason for continuing to choose sobriety and I wont be going back to alcohol anytime soon. My life and all relationships have transformed dramatically for the better and I have felt real Joy often and maybe for the first time ever. And wow the productivity!!! turns out I am a morning person after 35 years of thinking I wasnt! LOL!
I commend you for having the courage to take an honest look at it and yes there is certainly room for all types of choices and moderation around alcohol use. Its so important to make them for ourselves and not let society’s acceptance (promotion) if it govern those choices for us. I’m also glad you feel comfortable sharing about it with your readers :) One of the toughest things for me has been fear of how I will be viewed by others (probably because of how I used to view the sober crowd). I see how aware you are of being a role model for your girls too, and this is such a beautiful look at self honesty to model for them :)
long story short: you go girl! :) You have my support if you need it :)
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