THE ME YEARS

One of the inspirations for this blog was a recent conversation I had at the playground with a friend, also a 40-something Mom, while we watched our kids play.  She complained that her memory had gotten really foggy and said she was scared there could be something wrong with her brain.  She was scheduled for an MRI in a few days.  Another "mystery" symptom she described was feeling bloated all the time, even though she's been exercising regularly and eating healthy. Perimenopause immediately popped into my head.  I googled a list of symptoms for her on my I-phone and showed them to her.  A look of shock crossed her face, as she realized how many of the symptoms she had.  Next came anger with her doctors for not even mentioning the word perimenopause. This friend was so filled with hope and gratitude that she told me she would take me out to lunch to thank me if perimenopause does end up being the root of her problems.  I have not heard the results of her MRI, but I wil

I came down with a nasty stomach bug on Christmas morning.  Not too much of a surprise, since I was down on sleep due to all the Christmas shopping and wrapping, and had been eating lots of chocolates and other sweets that invade our lives at this time of year.  My life and my health were out of balance.  Usually, all it takes is Kombucha (fermented sweet tea with lots of probiotics) to keep me healthy.  I drink it religiously, a 16-ounce bottle every day. My husband says I never get sick, but this time the nasty stomach bug got me. My oldest daughter came down with it on Christmas Eve.  And in the middle of the night, I awoke to the sounds of vomiting.  Two of my boys also now officially have the stomach bug.  My life is really out of balance now.  I've been up much of the night scrubbing vomit out of the carpet (which is way too old and really needs to get ripped up, especially now.)  There have been vomit-stained sheets and clothes to wash, toilets to scrub, and counters to d

I have five kids, ages 4 to 12, and a husband who is a squeaky wheel.  In February I will be 46 years old (definitely can't believe that).  I get cranky a lot and find myself yelling at the five kids and husband more than I'd like.  I read recently that irritability is a big sign of perimenopause, And I will be the first to admit that I am in the midst of this.  I also get forgetful and tired, also signs that menopause is coming.  My waistline is getting bigger, and the number on the scale.  Yet I want to healthy, truly healthy, really I do.  My 12-year-old daughter, also going through hormonal changes, recently said that I am a "fake healthy" person.  Needless to say, this did not pass by me without a lot of screaming and me playing the blame game (definitely not how I like to treat anyone). At my very core, I value health.  Health of body, mind and spirit.  It is so important to me and it is how I want to live.  I grew up in a house where we ate broccoli and even