The Final Thankful List of November

We done did Thanksgiving, people!

I love Thanksgiving as a Holiday. Truly I do.

I love that it is a day just for being with people you love and sharing time together over delicious food. It is not a gift-giving holiday, so no pressure there.

Taking a moment to express gratitude? I mean, c'mon!

Yet for some reason, every single year, as the day approaches, I kinda wish we didn't have to DO it. What I mean is, the shopping and cooking and cleaning. Who's doing what and where....

I think sometimes I wish I had a relative who loved cooking Thanksgiving dinner every year and invited the entire family over and all you had to do was bring a pie and maybe help with the dishes.

Is that awful?

The thing is, though, once the day is actually upon us and I'm smelling the food and then eating it, and am smiling around the table at my little family, I am so glad we did it.

So as this month comes to a close, I am thankful for:

1. Thanksgiving Day!

2. My dad, who is generous with the groceries for the meal, and patient with his beloved son-in-law who believes he knows best how to cook everything.

3. What a difference a week makes. It's so odd. Last week my husband had another heart attack, and this week we're feasting like nothing happened. Chronic illness is a strange beast.

4. Being able to find virtually (no pun intended) any and all needed information on the Internet. Seriously, it's like MAGIC.

5. My cable company added Doctor Who to OnDemand - woohoo!

6. Doctor Who. I have something more to write about that. Trust me, good reason. Coming soon....

7. A lot of sunshine for November in Washington. Cool, crisp, sunny autumn days? Yes, please.

8. Friends to share interests with, and who make me feel needed.

9. I left my phone at my dad's and DIDN'T freak out. Very proud of myself.

10. Family discussions with all four of us. Even the tough ones. Especially the tough ones. (Like the Doctor Who reference, more on that later, together. You're curious on how the two go together, right?)

Thanksgiving Wishes

This Holiday week there is no View From Here contribution,
so you get a little something from yours truly.

Because it's Thanksgiving Day here, and a holiday is a holiday.

(Meaning, taking the day OFF!)

Just a quick message of THANKS for YOU.

For your comments.

Your shares.

Your support.

Your friendship.

I can't say I couldn't do it without you,

'cause I could....

But doing it WITH you, is so much better!

I wanted to give you a little something.

A yummy something....

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner is cranberry sauce.

Last year, Mark found a recipe for HOMEMADE cranberry sauce that is DELICIOUS.

We are having it again this year.

I do believe it will be a staple at our table forevermore.

The recipe is from Emeril Lagasse.

BAM!

Even though it's from a fancy chef, it's really easy.

(I don't do complicated, people.)

It goes like this:

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Port Wine and Orange

Ingredients

2 cups cranberries

Juice and zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup Port wine

1/2 cup sugar, or more if needed

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

In a small saucepan combine cranberries, orange juice and zest, port, sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmering and cook until cranberries are tender, stirring occasionally. In a small cup make a slurry with cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk cornstarch mixture into cranberry sauce and cook, whisking, until sauce thickens. Taste and add more sugar, if necessary.

See? So easy.

AND SO GOOD! Totally worth the extra effort.

I made mine yesterday and plan to just warm it up today.

Here's hoping we all have good Thanksgiving meals with people we love!

If you're interested in contributing to The View From Here series, please go HERE.

Wordless: Autumn

Took a few cool pictures this Fall, all with my phone....

The Mysteries of Blogging

NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month

It is the blogger's answer to NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month.

It's officially hosted by BlogHer, but others also put together their own little NaBlo communities.

One such place is Yeah Write.

I mention them regularly. They're pretty cool.

Today is my second day contributing a post for Yeah Write's NaBloPoMo efforts.

It is Day 25. The home stretch.

My post is titled "The Mysteries of Blogging".

I was recently asked:

Blogging is a mystery to me. Do you do this as a profession? How does that work? Curious.

Part of my answer:

Read the rest at Yeah Write!

33 Questions and Answers Laced with Gratitude

It's Old School Blogging time!

Like last month, I am going to combine it with my weekly gratitude list. I wasn't going to, but then a really stressful thing happened and I didn't have it in me to write two more posts this week.

Cool? Cool.

Thankful #1: Where is your cell phone? Sitting next to me here at the desk.

Thankful #2: Your significant other? A man named Mark who is 5 1/2 years older than me, has chronic illnesses, works for Home Depot, likes guns, hard rock, strong coffee and soft sheets, and is the love of my life.

Your hair? Cut into an inverted bob and colored medium ash blond. And needs trim!

Thankful #3: Your mother? Has two horses, is happily married to a retired firefighter, is a pescatarian and just recently began living in two places, one for the winter and one for the summer.

Thankful #4: Your father? Lives 3.5 miles from me, will turn 60 the day after my son turns 8 in January, is the fourth of five children and is known as "Scan Man" to his colleagues.

Your favorite thing? Hugs.

Your dream last night? Probably something like not being able to use a phone, not remembering my locker combination or someone having a baby.

Your favorite drink? I mostly drink three things: coffee, water and wine.

Your dream/goal? I hate this question. I think I have more than one.....how 'bout, lower my cholesterol?

Thankful #5 (my  house): The room you are in? The living room.

Your fear? Losing my husband, and my kids losing their dad.

Where do you want to be in six years? Six years older.

Where were you last night? In my bedroom watching Grey's Anatomy and Scandal.

What are you NOT? Tall, college educated (a little), a Republican, insincere.

Muffins? Occasionally.

One of your wish list items?

Where you grew up? Everett, WA from birth to 12, then South Lake Tahoe, CA until age 19.

The last thing you did? Took a shower.

What are you wearing? Yoga pants, a long-sleeved t-shirt and....well, I'm having shoe issues since I shrank (is that correct?) my walking sneakers and broke a lace on another pair of shoes. Sigh.

Your TV? Hangs from the ceiling.

Thankful #6: Your pets? One fat orange tabby named Julius.

Thankful #7: Your computer? An HP PC.

Thankful #8: Your life? It is what it is.

Missing someone? This is the second time I've been prompted in this way this month, and I'll say the same thing I said the first time, this beautiful lady:

Thankful Emily (that is actually her name) holding my baby AJ in 2006,
about a year and a half before she passed

Your car? They won't let me drive! But my husband's car is, as of this year, a Dodge Durango.

Something you are NOT wearing? Make-up.

Favorite store? Probably Target.

Thankful #9: Your summer? Was beautiful.

Like someone? YOU.

Your favorite color? Blue.

When was the last time you laughed? I laugh at my kids for some reason every day!

Last time you cried? The other night.

Thankful #10: What is one thing on your to-do list? Christmas crochet projects.

The View From Here: My Sister Friends

This week's View contribution comes from a fellow Pacific Northwesterner!

Bruna of Bees With Honey is a mom to three beautiful girls and a teacher.

She is one who blogs straight from the heart, as you will see here.

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My Sister Friends

One of my favourite past times is listening in on the conversations of my youngest two as they play together. Listening to them create, command, perform and teach together warms my heart. Watching them play creatively and using their imaginations brings me back to my own childhood.

Like my daughters, I grew up with sisters, two of them. We did everything together from sharing a room, swapping clothes, playing Barbies, making up games, hanging out with friends and fighting. As the oldest, I was the bossiest of the three but I was never unkind. Okay, well maybe once or twice I pinned Sister #2 to the ground and threatened to spit in her face, but for the most part, I really loved her. I was more than just her sister, I was also her friend.

Now that we’re grown women, all three of us don’t always get the chance to be together as much as we’d like. Two of us are married with kids and one of us is still living the single life. We‘re waiting for baby sis to catch up and join the Mom club!

While my sisters and I don’t think we look a lot alike, people know instantly when they see us that we’re related. Whether it’s the long dark hair or our rambunctious conversation, we tend to stick out like sore thumbs no matter where we go together. There is always something to bicker or laugh about. That’s just us.

In the last few years, I’ve come to realize something very important about having sisters. No matter what happens in my life, I can’t get rid of them! When friends have disappointed or hurt me, my sisters were there to put back the pieces of my heart. When I went through difficult times in my life, they were there to walk me through and out of it. When I celebrated joys, they stood by me smiling and happy for me. They have been my counselors, my relationship advisers, my fashion police, my fitness trainers and my friends. We have had our fair share of disagreements and bicker over silly, absurd minor details not worth the cause but we’ve never been jealous of each other. We pick each other up when we are down
and bring each other down when we’re flying too high.

We talk.
We listen.
We support.

I love them for who they are and am grateful to have them in my life.

They are my sister friends.

The best kind of friends to have.

Have you hugged your sister today?

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I think it would have been awesome to grow up with a sister! But I don't have siblings, so I tend to see my best girlfriends as sisters. I put a lot of emphasis on those relationships. They feel like family.

Please leave comments, and then hook up with Bruna on her

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Just a Blip

I was really enjoying not spending time at the hospital.

I have loved not feeling completely freaked out.

But I knew something was coming. I don't know how I knew, but I did.

I was starting to feel overly anxious out of the blue. Unsettling thoughts kept rearing their ugly little heads in my mind.

Always, though, we think of ways to try not to worry needlessly. When Mark didn't feel well on Sunday it was easy to explain it away as, "Oh, he just needs his dialysis on Monday."

I did ask him, "Honey, do you think how you feel could have something to do with your heart?"

"No!", he replied. "This isn't that."

When dialysis didn't make him feel that much better, but he went to work anyway, it wasn't hard to assume he'd be alright. Eventually.

Monday night after work he complained of how tired he was. And proceeded to help me with dinner. So I thought he was just tired.

Right after we ate, however, he started complaining of being very achy and he could not get comfortable in any position. He was sick to his stomach and short of breath.

I was feeling increasingly uneasy. Mark had dialyzed just that morning and I've never seen his blood sugar level (which happened to be high) have any bearing on his ability to breath.

We decided to call 911. Their blood pressure and EKG results seemed good, but just based on how high Mark's sugar was, they took him to the hospital.

I knew, though, his blood sugar being high was just an added complication. I was certain it wasn't really the problem. It was high only because his insulin pump hose had gotten clogged while he was at work.

The ER confirmed my fears, that Mark may have been having a heart attack. As it turns out, an Angiogram on Tuesday confirmed a blockage. It was opened up and a stent was placed.

Problem. Solution. Right?

It took a good hour after learning it wasn't anything worse, for some relief to settle in on me. I wasn't feeling celebratory by any means. I'm still not.

I was just so scared. So scared.

This is Mark's third heart attack. He has had double bypass and Ventricular Tachycardia. His heart has stopped and been shocked back into beating.

I have gotten phone calls from the hospital. The worst phone calls.

All of this has damaged me. There are scars, both literal and figurative. There is trepidation.

My dad gave me a list of reasons I should be happy about how this played out:

• Before the Holidays
• Before winter has set in
• We did the right thing, getting Mark in when he needed it
• He will feel better now
• All things considered, this is minor

I suppose I can agree with all of that. My dad's not wrong, by any means. I'm all for putting things into perspective....

I'm pretty sure I will sleep better tonight.

It's just that, now my fears, the heaviness that comes with loving someone who is chronically ill and whom you will undoubtedly outlive, are all stirred up again.

This may be just a blip, a hiccup, but there's simply always more to it than that. For me, anyway.

Health Care Reform Information From An Insurance Company Insider

*This is a pretty meaty post, but lots of good information. I hope it is helpful.

Health Care Reform known as the Affordable Care Act and nicknamed "Obamacare" is underway. Some changes to the way health insurance works for Americans have already been implemented, with the rest of the reforms becoming law on January 1, 2014. Just about a month and a half away.

Everyone needs to get some form of health care for many various reasons throughout their lives. My husband gets LOTS of health care, has lots of doctors to help him manage his diabetes, dialysis, heart conditions and even his feet. My daughter has ADHD so every single month we have to have a hard copy prescription for her stimulant medication which is considered a "class 2 controlled substance". Then there's vision, dental, counseling.....

Health care is a very big deal for my family, and at least a minor deal for everyone. Also, I believe in being a good health care advocate. For these reasons, I thought I would tap into a resource I have to guide me in putting together a post that could help demystify the changes, even if only a little.

You may or may not remember the anonymous guest post I published this last summer when I was away on a family trip. That post was about the costs of health insurance/health care. It was written by a friend of mine who works for a major health insurance company. She feels it best to not publicly talk about her job, so she needs to remain anonymous.

I asked my friend to touch on the main bullet points of the reforms coming our way.  Please understand, it is not my (or her) intention to get into a political debate over the merits, or lack thereof, of these reforms. I simply hope to shed some light on the subject, because it's happening, whether we like it or not. Here is what my friend had to say.

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What does Health Care Reform have in store for me come 2014?

There are many changes scheduled to start January first, or even prior. Everyone’s situation is a little different, so providing a general overview for the average Joe is difficult. I will touch on a few of the big topics that span demographics, however you should realize what may be available to you may differ.

For examples, employers with a religious tax exemption may be exempt from offering certain services otherwise mandated by Health Care Reform.

Your Medications

Health Care Reform has deemed certain medications as preventive in nature and as of 11/1/13, most health plans must offer them at no cost to the insured. There are also Over the Counter (OTC) drugs that apply to this mandate when purchased at the pharmacy counter. Examples:

• Kids fluoride (RX) and iron supplements (OTC)
• Aspirin (OTC)
• Folic acid supplements and female condoms (OTC)
• Vitamin D supplements for older folks (OTC)
• Emergency contraceptives (Plan B, etc) for women (OTC)
• Contraceptive film, foam or gel for women (OTC)

Age and gender restrictions may apply (Aspirin - men 45+ with RX from doctor). Diabetic supplies or durable medical equipment pieces may also be available for men and women within a certain age range. More diabetes specifics from WebMD.

Your Paycheck

There will be a new tax assessed as of 1/1/14 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Your employer may pass this tax onto you per paycheck. So in addition to paying your insurance premiums you will also be paying a tax for the privilege. Since I cover my family, mine will cost me about $26 in taxes per paycheck. That is in addition to the $130 I pay for my collective benefits which includes an allotment to my Health Care Savings Account. This tax is projected to double by 2018.

Your Medical Deductible

Good news! Health care Reform has put a cap on how huge of a deductible the insurance company (by your employer's choice) can stick you with. The ceiling is $2,000 per individual and $4,000 per family. The bad news: this does not yet apply to large employer groups. If your employer employs more than 50 people, you will have to wait, like me. Same for total out of pocket, there is now a ceiling.

Your Chronic Illness

Great news! Preexisting condition exclusions no longer apply! If you have been staying at your horrible job because you don’t want to start the clock ticking on a preexisting condition waiting period, never fear! Your chronic illness or condition can not be excluded from your benefit plan.

Your Treatment Options

Services associated with qualified Clinical Trials are mandated for coverage as of the first of the year. The actual device or drug that is being trialed is not required. But the doctors visits, labs and x-rays are what is mandated for coverage. In addition, any annual visit limitations or dollar limits on services deemed essential by the Department of Health and Human Services. Most this references the inability for an insurance company to put a lifetime maximum on your policy. It use to be they would max out your benefits at 1 million dollars, once you racked up that much in claim charges you were cut off. Well, no more!

Your Choice

Most importantly of all you have a choice. You can now shop around on the “exchanges” for the plan that makes the most sense for you. I believe Jennifer has a great video on this to share with you. Oh, and they also extended the age limit on adult dependent children to age 26. So go ahead and let Johnny take a year to find his inner frat boy, he can add another year to his college education.

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Q & A

1. Are you saying some OTC meds can be paid for by your insurance? Yes, if you're within the age range and the correct gender, OTC items can be purchased at the pharmacy counter with a “prescription” from your doctor. For example if you are an old guy and your doctor says a daily aspirin regimen could help with your heart, then yes, that is covered at 100% under your insurance.

2. Do you know Why the new tax? What is it for/how is it justified? They call them “fees" and they are used to fund the changes mandated by the HCR laws. Fees will fund: Patient centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee, Transitional Reinsurance Fee and Insurer Fee.

3. What are some of the essential health benefits that MUST be covered? 10 broad categories:

• Ambulatory patient services
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization
• Lab services
• Maternity & Newborn care
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse (very limited- the Dr asking if you feel safe at home)
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitative devices
• Chronic disease management and preventive services
• Pediatric care including dental and vision

4. Are there any big changes we parents should know regarding pediatric care? The big news is vision and dental check ups – the routine stuff, that is now considered preventive under the essential health benefits. The hard part is how this will get administered. Most health plans use other companies for vision and dental. When the law says the health insurance must cover it the lines get a little blurred as to how to make that happen.

• Pediatric Dental is an essential Health Benefit: exams, cleaning, fluoride, x-rays and sealants – preventive care
• Vision – standard vision screenings the kids generally get at their well check

5. What about OB/GYN care and family planning? I think a little birdie told me that contraceptives will be 100% covered. Is that true, and is there anything else women can expect to be different? Women’s Preventive health changes applied August 2012. So most of this is already in effect. The new stuff is the OTC contraceptives.

• Lab Services – services notes as essential/ preventive
• Maternity – routine pregnancy
• IUD – paid as preventive – 100%
• Breastfeeding – breast pumps are covered now
• Contraception – generic drugs for contraception are covered at 100%
• Domestic Violence – counseling during well exam
• HIV – counseling during well exam
• Gestational Diabetes – screening at anytime during pregnancy (not just the last trimester)
• HPV – DNA testing for 30+
• Immunizations – when baby and mother blood types are not compatible – Rh+
• STD – counseling during doctor visit
• Smoking Cessation – counseling for pregnant women
• Well exam – includes; OB visits (routine) tobacco counseling and immunizations

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Finally, I had a few other questions regarding specifics to my family. My husband and I are both legally disabled, so we have Medicare. I looked up how the ACA will affect Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans, and found some good info HERE. Also, I was curious as to how the mandate requiring everyone to have some form of health insurance would be enforced, and the guidelines of it. I found a good explanation of this HERE.

One more thing (sorry, I know!), this is a pretty non-biased and informative video my friend also pointed me to.

I know there is absolutely more to the story, but hopefully this helps scratch the surface. Do you know what you need to do, if anything, regarding Health Care Reform?

Thankful November #3

Or alternatively titled, "Appointment Week".

A couple of weeks ago I said I was grateful for not having a very busy week.

This week WAS busy. We had appointments for some such or other every single day. I ultimately decided to push out the kids' dental appointments that I had scheduled for Friday.

The Appointments

1. On Monday Mark went to his podiatrist to get his spiffy new AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthotics) for his foot drop issue. He is very happy with them, so I am thankful for that.

2. Tuesday was all about the girl. She finally had her 13 year old check up (nevermind that her birthday is in July), got a flu shot and had an eye exam. She picked out cute little black frames for her new eyeglass prescription. Oh, and my daughter is just 4 inches shorter than me and her feet are now bigger than mine! Grateful she's so healthy, but she can stop growing anytime now. Or at least her feet can!

3. Wednesday was my day to see my therapist. I am so very grateful that I have one....and that he noticed (and said something) that I've lost some weight!

4. Feeling lighter after I unloaded my inner crap, I decided to walk a 5K! It wasn't actually all whimsy-like. I volunteered to participate in "The Dynamic Duel USA vs. Canada Virtual 5K" in support of Greta and Laura as they raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I was grateful for a reason to push myself, and proud that I did it.

5. We all got up early Thursday morning for a meeting with Camryn's teachers, principal and counselor before school started. I'm trying to be grateful for this, but it was honestly kind of difficult for various reasons that I don't want to go into now.

Other Things

6. Thankful for a good sale and coupon that let me get the yarn I needed!

7. Grateful for the birthday gifts that were given to Mark. It makes me happy when he feels special.

8. One of his gifts was movie tickets, so we all got to see Thor: The Dark World last night!

9. I am grateful to have taken care of several personal/family administrative tasks, such as switching my kids' health insurance because their doctor's office isn't accepting their currant insurer as of the first of the year and I want them to be able to see the same doctors. By the way, along these lines, I am very excited to be bringing you guys a post chock full of info about Health Care Reform changes. Look for it in the next couple days!

10. Last, but not least, I am very thankful to my friend Jess for custom knitted fingerless gloves!

The View From Here: Cancelled

The View this week is from Roxanne of Unintentionally Brilliant.

I dig the name of her blog.

Roxanne is a single mom to a little boy, living near my old stomping grounds (Lake Tahoe)
in Reno, Nevada. Also, she is participating in NaNoWriMo this month!

Roxanne caught my attention with a post titled
"I am intolerant of your intolerance."
In fact, she got a lot of attention with that one!
Go give it a read after this one here....

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Cancelled

Right now my view includes bare branches, crunchy orange leaves, and a chill in the air that means I’d have to bundle up just to sit on my porch to write.

I have my feet propped up on the coffee table, my toes freshly painted bright red. The television is off so the only sound, besides the clicking of keys on the laptop, is the refrigerator’s low hum and the occasional rustling of leaves from outside.

Today I was supposed to have a lunch date.

I made plans last night for my son to go to my friend’s house at noon so I could meet this guy for lunch. We met online and this would be our first face-to-face meeting. We were going to do lunch, maybe catch a movie, and get to know each other.

It’s not all that easy for me to ask my friends to watch my son so I can go on dates. I always feel like I’m doing it too often, asking too much, even if it’s only once or twice a month. I feel guilty for giving up time I should be spending with my son. As a single parent with a basically-absent ex-husband, you can imagine that most of my non-work time is spent with my son. I’m obviously not neglecting him, but that twinge of guilt is still always there.

I dropped off my son at my friend’s house. I stayed and chatted for a while, happy to see our sons playing together right away and the smile on my son’s face told me that he wasn’t feeling neglected. He was happy to be with friends.

So why am I sitting on my couch writing and enjoying this lovely autumn day?

My lunch date cancelled. So now I’m here with a couple hours to myself. I have a guest post to write (this one!), and two posts due for other sites I write for (Write on Edge and World Moms Blog, if you’re interested). As I sit here typing away, occasionally distracted by a woman walking her dog by my apartment or the college kids whooping as they jump into a beat-up Chevy and peel away, I can’t help but feel totally content that my date cancelled.

I am an introvert. I crave time to myself, time away from others. I have fun with my friends and family, and I enjoy my time with them. But when I need to recharge my batteries, I do it best when I’m on my own. I enjoy solitude.

Unfortunately, I don’t always feel comfortable asking for that solitude. I feel judged if I ask for a friend to watch my son unless it’s for a really good reason, like having to work on the weekend. I feel like I am letting him down because I need time away from him. Maybe it’s all in my head. It probably is.

I’m going to finish up this post and go pick up my son. Maybe I’ll hang out with our friends for a while and enjoy their company. Maybe we’ll all have dinner together.

Then I’ll return home, with my son, and snuggle with him while watching a movie or an episode of Doctor Who (our most recent shared obsession). And I’ll feel at ease because I’ve had this alone time to recharge. And maybe I won’t feel quite so guilty asking for help next time to get the time alone that I require for my sanity.

__________

You know, everyone, not just moms, need time to themselves. We just do.

But I bet a single mom especially needs it.

Please leave Roxanne a comment, and then click these links:
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I'll Probably Never Write a Holiday Gift Guide

We don't give Christmas gifts the way other families do.

We can't.

We went bankrupt living in the Bay Area and trying to "keep up with the Joneses". We can't do that again.

It really bothers us that we are simply unable to give every single person we'd like to a gift.

For the last ten years since we literally went bankrupt, our Christmas gifts to family and friends have consisted of things like a nice card, family photos or pictures of the kids, things I've knitted or crocheted and the occasional small gift card or other inexpensive items.

Mark and I rarely even buy gifts for each other. Often just a few stocking stuffers. We feel inclined to make Christmas for our kids more than for ourselves, so we put whatever resources we have when December comes into making the Holiday special for them first.

I used to watch the Oprah's Favorite Things shows every year, I would feel so excited for those audience members who got to take home all of those wonderful things, even if I was secretly wondering if they were truly grateful or just greedy. I felt very happy when Oprah started filling the audiences for those shows with all teachers or all military families. And yet, even though I know Oprah is very charitable, and I've never gotten the impression she is a snobby rich person, I wondered why on earth did everything she counted as a "favorite" have to be so damn expensive?

When I see holiday gift guides pop up all over the Internet at this time of year, I completely ignore them. I've even gotten emails asking if, as a blogger, I planned on putting together a Holiday gift guide and if so, would I like to participate in whatever promotional thing.

Nope. Not this blogger.

Because I just know I cannot afford to buy anything on those lists. Why bother looking? Why torture myself with longing, either for myself or for what I can't give others? And putting a list together for you guys would be just about the most fake thing I could ever do here.

I've tried to be the kind of person who spreads out gift buying throughout the year. I've told myself, "Jen, if you see something someone might like at a great price, grab it and save it for Christmas." But it doesn't work, because even month-to-month it's very hard for me to feel justified in spending money on people outside my little family. Birthdays are good reasons, but if I also tried to buy Christmas gifts and save them.....I might have to sacrifice birthday gifts.

It's been a huge lesson in humility to accept what others want to give us with grace, when we're unable to reciprocate in the same manner. I've tried to tell people not to give me anything, to maybe just focus on the kids, but they still do and it's lovely. I never have expectations so I am always pleasantly surprised by my loved one's generosity.

I just wish we could be more generous too. And I hope our loved ones know this. I hope everyone knows we would do more if we could, that we're not merely being stingy or thoughtless.

Easy Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home

*This post is sponsored by the Ozeri CardioTech Digital Blood Pressure Monitor.I was provided with the product to review. All opinions are my own.

Temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure are four "vitals" doctors and nurses like to get readings of on their patients.

ALL.THE.TIME. There is a reason people say hospitals are no place to get rest. After spending more time than I care to in hospitals with my husband, I can attest to the fact that doctors find it necessary to monitor these vitals around the clock.

My husband is on dialysis and his BP is checked every so often throughout every four hour treatment, three times a week. It also behooves us to have some sort of blood pressure monitor at home.

Maintaining level BP levels when you're on dialysis can be pretty tricky. My husband often deals with low blood pressure immediately after treatment. And then it can be high on an off-dialysis day.

I have never really trusted blood pressure cuffs you can buy for yourself to use at home. We've had manual and digital. I think I've most trusted the manual ones, oddly enough.

However, this new monitor I was sent is pretty cool.

Here are the product's main bullet points:

• New intelligent voice-guided feature alerts you to the proper positioning of your wrist for accurate blood pressure measurements.
• Automatically provides an audible hypertension assessment via a new talking function (as well as a display on the LCD screen).
• Portable, accurate, and simple-to-use with clinically proven technology, stores 180 blood pressure readings (90 x 2 users) with date and time recordings.
• Automatic Irregular heartbeat (Arrhythmia) detection and Hypertension Indicator.
• Push-button access to average blood pressure readings based on all readings in memory, AM versus PM readings, or the 3 most recent readings.

What I/we like about it:

• It's small, completely contained in the device itself. No arm cuff or need to be connected to something else.
• Comes with a handy-dandy hard protective storage box.
• It takes your BP on your wrist rather than your upper arm. I love this because it doesn't hurt or cut off circulation so much that my arm throbs and my hand tingles. (Yes, I tried it myself. I didn't make Hubs be the only guinea pig.)
• It TALKS, guiding you through the process of taking your blood pressure. Now, my husband would like the option of being able to turn that feature off, but as a visually impaired person, I find it quite helpful. Also, the voice feature makes doing something like this, which isn't fun by any means, and you may be doing when you don't feel well, a no-brainer.

I had my husband take the monitor to his dialysis clinic with him to test its accuracy against their blood pressure cuffs. He reported that the readings were pretty much the same.

Would I recommend the Ozeri CardioTech Digital Blood Pressure Monitor?

Yes, I would. I think it's a very helpful product for people like us who need it. (Um, otherwise I wouldn't have written this post, thankyouverymuch!)

Comfort? Me? Hell Yes!

Hi, I'm Jennifer and I refuse to wear anything that isn't mostly comfortable.

No belts.

No heels.

No underwires.

No lipstick*.

Also, I don't have to. I'm not a business executive or a flight attendant. I'm a mom. I wear a "momdrobe". And I like it! But really, why do executives and flight attendants have to dress uncomfortably, anyway. I feel sorry for them.

There are other things besides comfortable clothing that bring me comfort, and they are....

1. My children sitting so close to me on the couch they are nearly in my lap.

2. My cat sharing my pillow.

3. Sweet, creamy coffee.

4. A glass of red wine.

5. Knitting or crocheting.

6. The rare occasion when my son will give me a kiss on the cheek.

7. My husband's hugs.

8. When all four of us are at home.

9. When I first lie down in bed at night.

10. Christmas morning.

What brings you comfort?

*Lipstick makes my lips feel weird and all I wanna do is lick them.

Linked up with Monday Listicles.

Thankful November #2

No, there wasn't a "Thankful November #1"....technically. But I know now that's what I should have called last week's post!

DUH.

THIS WEEK I've got my act together! I've been keeping track of what I was grateful for all week. It's easy. Just start a post, and add to it as the week progresses.

DUH.

Speaking of DUH, this is going to date me, but I used to have this exact poster on my wall and my mother hated it.

Now that I'm a  mother, I understand why. Parents do not like their children to say DUH to them. Also, knowing now what I didn't know then, I was in no position to be claiming I was smarter than anyone!

Ahem.

My gratitude list

1. The scheduler at my kids' doctor's office not yelling at me for rescheduling my daughter's check-up for a second time.

2. Being able to make my daughter an eye appointment for right after her check-up. Will get that all taken care of in one day!

3. The delicious dinner Mark prepared chock full of fresh garlic to try and kick our cold's butt! Even if it didn't really work.

4. I have had bad luck with the anti-reflective coating on my new lenses, but I just got back freshly coated lenses so now I'm seeing clearer again.

5. So glad my daughter shared the essay she wrote for Health class with us!

6. The husband's birthday. He made it to another one!

7. An honest auto repair place. So honest, in fact, they let it slip that not everyone in the state of Washington is required to pass emissions checks. WTF?

8. My replacement Starbucks card. Mark lost my last one. Don't let him tell you he didn't. He totally did! This girl needs to earn free coffee!

9. Receiving a text consisting of just the word "benign". My friend had a boobie thing, but it's all good. (I played it cool, but I really was relieved.)

10. Saturday! I may be a SAHM, but it's still nice when no one in the house has to get up at an early hour if they don't want to. (Yesterday, I nearly had to DRAG the teenager out of her bed. Oy.)

In Search of Holiday Cards

*This is a review for Minted. I am being compensated with store credit, but all opinions expressed are my own.

I still love to snail-mail Holiday cards every year. I think as each year passes, I am more and more in the minority. That makes me sad.

I do it because it's just once a year and I think I can be bothered to reach out to all my friends and family at once. I know how I feel when I receive Holiday cards, so maybe it makes others happy as well.

I have bought boxed cards from the store and photo cards from various places. This year my eyes are on the selection at Minted because, well, they're really pretty.

I haven't decided yet if I want to order photo cards or no-photo cards. Guess what? Minted has both!

I just love those hanging ornaments

I like how this one pretty much says it all

Happy everything - easy, peasy

"Meowy everything" - so cute!

A little more traditional

Artsy

While perusing I discovered that even if you don't want a photo on the front of your card, you do have the option of putting some on the inside.

I think I'm going to have a heckuva time choosing!

Minted is currently running an offer (through Monday, November 11) for $25 off and free shipping on Holiday card orders. The code is JOY25FS and they say you can "buy now, upload your photo later". So if you don't have the photo you want yet, you can still take advantage of this offer! That's something I've never seen before.

Do you still snail-mail Holiday cards?