I AM - BECAUSE YOU ARE

By now I am sure most people have seen the post entitled "She divorced me because I left dishes by the sink" making the rounds on social media in the last year. But, how many of you actually clicked on it? If you are like me, I initially thought the title was so petty that it would be an eye-roll of a read. But, I had extra time one day (imagine that!) and it popped up in my saved links on Facebook so I gave it a try. And I cannot tell you how many people I have forwarded it to since! The wife doesn’t want to divorce her husband because he leaves used drinking glasses by the sink. She wants to divorce him because she feels like he doesn’t respect or appreciate her, which suggests he doesn’t love her, and she can’t count on him to be her lifelong partner. It is an excellent read if you are having troubles or not; whether you are the one leaving the dishes or the one cleaning them up. To read the full piece, head over to Must Be This Tall To Ride .

This summer I was given the chance to test products by Bear Paws (cookies) and Mabel's Labels in a joint venture marketing opportunity. I won't lie, I was previously aware of both these products but I had not sampled very many cookie flavors in the past and while I had a package of labels somewhere in the drawer already, I wasn't really using them on clothing and this is what I put to the test. The Bear Paws are great for snacks, but they crumble easily in the packaging so I prefer not to throw them into the diaper bag like I would other snack choices. I do have one of those Roots insulated lunch bags they sell at Costco and they fair quite well inside of the front pouch for road trips. In either case, they make a good special treat in this house! I especially liked the soft granola chocolate chip cookies because they only have one cookie per package so I can pair it with a sippy cup of milk and it's not too much to spoil dinner. I am definitely a fan of the molasses

Well folks, my month off is officially over! I return to work tomorrow and the daily routine begins again. Thankfully I only have to work for 2 days before the weekend! I fear next week will feel terribly long! I am happy to report that my hand has healed amazingly well and I have no regrets about surgery at all. Should my left hand ever need to be operated on I will not hesitate. I saw my Osteopath yesterday and they are very happy with the results as well. There is some scar tissue that needs to be softened and massaged but I can take care of that on my own. I have some strengthening exercises to do as well, but I can do them sitting on the bus if need be as they are nothing fancy or difficult. Here’s a look at the progress. As for my head… well that is still a work in progress. I basically won’t know how I feel about returning to work until I return to work so I will jump in feet first and go from there. It won’t be easy, but I know that so I need to do what I can to ease my

My time off for surgery is quickly coming to an end. My hand, while not 100% healed yet, feels great; better than it has in over a year! My mind, however, is starting to race again. I have plans nearly every day between now and next Thursday, with Thanksgiving in between, so that should keep me preoccupied. But, while I might look fine on the outside, the anxiety is there. Anxiety is funny; in the way it creeps up on you, not funny ha ha. I knew it would come this time, I anticipated it, I talked about it, I took precautions against it... but the fact of the matter is that I left work in a state of turmoil and I am returning to an unresolved situation (as far as I am concerned) and this makes that environment uncomfortable for me. That discomfort feeds emotions deep down inside of me and the anxiety comes racing through, despite any amount of anticipation. It is a mix of things really. Not only am I anxious about work, but the day before I go back I am meeting with one of my old

This past weekend we went out to Quinn Farm for the first time and it was a wonderful day out with activities for the whole family. They had live music, barnyard animals, tractor rides, seasonal fruit and vegetable picking and a store with all kinds of home baked goods and preserves, and a variety of local products including fresh eggs, cheese and crafts. The farm itself is a little far from us, but I really wanted the LO to see all of the different animals she has learned about from her books. And, being fall, we had the bonus of apple picking, which inevitably means... baking! Our first stop was to the barn where the LO saw a huge sow gobble up some sweet corn, some sheep in need of a shear, chickens and lots of goats big and small. She giggled and squealed every time she got to pet the goats; she is definitely my child, after all we were both born in the Chinese Year of the Goat! Then we headed over to the tractor ride and they brought us out to the orchards. While apple pickin