midlife mothering

Let the countdown begin…

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because you are never too old to celebrate or get excited for your birthday! Let the countdown begin!! November 3 means only 20 more days until my birthday!  I plan to really celebrate this year, cause why not??!!

I will be turning 52 this year and that seems like a really old number. What exactly should being 52 years old mean?  I am on the verge of menopause, my hair has grey (which you’ll never see thanks to beauty products), I have in the last 6 months gone gluten-free (which has made a measurable difference in my life from being migraine free and other side effects eating gluten have given me), I have been a stay-at-home mom for the last 10 years and have just returned to work part-time as a noon supervisor at my girls’ school.

While some of my high school friends are already grandparents, I am a mom of two daughters who are 9 and 7 years old. I am a late starter, I married at 36 and our girls were entrusted to us in my 40s.  Born in 1963 I am the end of the baby boomers.

But what should 52 feel like?  I look back at archived pictures of people in their 50s and see that is not how I look or how we live.  Is the difference that we have young children? I know there is more I should and can do to stay young and healthy and that is what I have been working on this past year.

This year my birthday falls on our girls’ school break for Thanksgiving, so I imagine sleeping in, play dates with friends and their kids, drinks with friends and more!

How do you feel about your next birthday? what will you do to celebrate?

Day 3 of ##NaBloPoMo #BlogHer

entering a new phase

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Had blood work yesterday, arm bruised today, results in, it’s official I am post-menopause now if the headaches, sweats and everything else that my body is doing would go away, I’d do a jig. Thought I’d never have menopause as I thought my daughters would catch up and then forever, you know forever!

Waiting on my appointment with my doctor next week to find out the protocol to help with these symptoms which have not yet disappeared which include daily headaches, cramping, breast tenderness, irritability and crying.  Oh midlife how I love thee!

Anyone out there with me?

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Making some changes for me

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Now that I am in my 50s, yes I did say 50s! I am looking at ways to take care of myself.  I’ve begun to notice new sensitivities to certain foods or drinks that did not seem to bother me when I was younger.  Are these part of my body changes in this peri-menopausal state is it just plain old growing old?

I tried to ignore these ever-present symptoms that were bothering me, ignoring that I may have to make changes for me.  I had been suffering from headaches for days on end and instances of IBS.  I had ideas of what the trigger foods may be but I didn’t really think it could be or didn’t want to make the change.

Then one day I woke up and thought I need to feel better and not be burdened with a daily headache, I needed to start taking better care of myself.  I had an idea that the daily triggers for these headaches and bout of IBS were gluten filled foods like pizza, pasta, breads, etc.  So I made a change in my diet eliminating these foods and those that have gluten in them.  It didn’t take long for my body to start feeling better.  After the first week of eating gluten free my headaches were gone.  I had some withdrawal symptoms as one would when changing your diet but by week 3 I was a new me!

Not only does my head not ache daily, but I’ve dropped some pounds!  I am eating cleaner, healthier and am aware when I fall off the wagon.  It’s been a bit trickier as my whole family is not eating gluten free.  The difference when making meals is I am not eating the pizza, pasta or breads with our dinners.  I have found a new way to shop too.  I have found some staples that come gluten-free and have bought treats to allow me a sweet something now and then.  I have begun to introduce cooking with the new flours almond and coconut to my family and they have not noticed any difference.

This is the best time of year to really begin the change in eating as there are so many more fruits and vegetables available in the Spring that we all like! Strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, sweet peas, and more!

I’ve noticed many changes in me, I am sleeping better, I am feeling better and I like it.  The next level of changes to add is walking and other outdoor activities to get me moving!  These changes have a positive affect on me and then they are positive affects to my family.  I like these changes I’ve made and I am finding it easier to do then I first thought it could be.

Getting older is allowing these changes to happen and working with them not against them.

Have you had to make any changes in your life?

My word for 2015

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em·brace as defined by Google
əmˈbrās/
verb
  1. hold (someone) closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection.
    “Aunt Sophie embraced her warmly”
    synonyms: hug, take/hold in one’s arms, hold, cuddle, clasp to one’s bosom,clasp, squeeze, clutch; More
  2. accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.
    “besides traditional methods, artists are embracing new technology”
    synonyms: welcome, welcome with open arms, accept, take up, take to one’s heart, adopt; More

    I’ve never chosen a word to define how I would approach my New Year before.  I’ve always picked on a few resolutions that I thought I could maintain throughout the year but they usually fall to the wayside soon after or at least by mid-year.

    So this year at the beginning of 2015 I have chosen “Embrace” as defined above.

    For me I will start this year with an embrace to change both physical and psychological parts of me.  And by change I mean to handle differently.  I will work on embracing my body and health as they are, I am 51 and with that things are different then I was when I was 31.  In embracing who I am I will also embrace new ways to take care of myself both in eating habits and getting off the couch.

    I want to embrace ALL the relationships in my life with my husband, my girls and other family and friends.  Sometimes these relationships are taken for granted and I want to look through and keep the healthy happy relationships.  I want to both physically embrace these people in my life as well as support who they are in my life.

    From a parenting perspective I want to embrace the milestones and changes that each of our girls are experiencing.  Embrace their new selves and work with embracing who they are becoming.  I need to embrace these changes and challenge myself to change my parenting style to fit who they are becoming.

    I want to embrace our lives together in both a BIG HUG and support who we all are.

    I think this is a good challenge for me in these pivotal years of my girls as preadolescent and me as I make my ways through menopause.

    a new year quote

    I will check in on myself here from time to time to see how in line to my word of the year I am. I do after all have 365 days to embrace my word!

    Have you chosen a word for yourself for 2015?  Please share if you have.