Being Nice to Yourself

Any time it’s come up that I have not yet finished my degree people tend to react with poorly concealed surprise. When they say “I thought you already had your degree.” my response has been “It’s because I’m smart that everyone thinks that.” That usually get’s met with even more surprise. There are lots of observations about humans I could make here, but what I want to focus on is the fact that my saying ‘I’m smart’ garners so much surprise.  It’s not that people don’t think I’m smart, it’s the fact that I say it that surprises them.

To be complimentary towards yourself is apparently taboo, and to disparage yourself isn’t. Why is this? Why do we feel more shame in complimenting ourselves then we do belittling? Really, tell me, because I don’t know. I think this is a trend we need to change (Wow, I’m really in for the social change here lately).

When in life do we change from someone who is nice in their self to someone who is not? I don’t remember, but I do remember changing back. There was a day that I said to myself, “self, why are you so mean to you? You would not want to be friends with someone who was mean to you, so why do you let that happen with the person you are with ALL THE TIME!” So I stopped. It took some time, but I did it. I’ll still have a bout every once in a while, but overall, I’m pretty nice to myself.

Then I started branching out. When I would hear people talking mean about themselves I would tell them that I don’t let people say mean things about my friends, especially my friends. Then I started saying some of the nice things that I knew about myself.

You should try it, it’s great!

I’m hoping to be an example to my girls. I’m trying to teach my girls to be nice to everyone, starting with themselves.

Do you say nice things about yourself? Why? How do people react?

The first thing everyone asks

when they hear you have the flu is, “Is it regular flu or is it swine flu?”

I find this funny because the symptoms, outcomes, and illness rates are exactly the same for “regular” and “swine” flu.

I’ve been sick for the last eight days with the flu.  If I saw you last Thursday, I’m sorry if I contaminated you, I didn’t know yet it was the flu, I just thought my allergies were kicking in due to the weather change.  Today is the first day that I’ve been able to stay upright for more than about ten minutes.  Today is also the day that Cake woke up coughing.  I’m hoping it was just a fluke and that the kids avoid becoming sick.

Is it Friday yet?

Every day this week, I’ve thought it was Friday.  You know, this happens to me quite often.  It’s very disapointing to realize that tomorrow you still have to come to work…oh well..

I hate being a grown up

At least I do some times.  Today is one of those days.

What I hate is making big decisions that affect so many things in so many ways.  You can study and think and pray, but in the end, you have to decide.  Because your a grown up.

I like to give my kids choices.  But if they are hemming and hawing I tell them, “If you don’t decide, I’ll decide for you and you will do X!”  Their are days when I wish someone would do that for me.  I bet my mom is surprised to hear that!

I’m back!

So, my journyings are over (I hope).  It was really nice to be able to spend so much time with family but I’m REALLY glad to be home.  I’ve got lots to tell but I just got back from my root canal so I think I’m going to take advantage of this quite time and take a nap!  Hope you all had a good time while I was gone.

3am is not my friend

The Boy is asleep, Cake is asleep, Peanut is laying down…I’m going to do the same.  When I see the clock say 3 am I don’t pass up any chances to sleep.

Pinkie

Can’t type, I cut my left pinkie.  Try typing without your left pinkie.  It’s a lot harder then you might think.  I keep accidentally trying to use it, which hurts a good deal, so I won’t write any more to save myself the pain.  At least I’m not working full time any more.  If I had this injury when I worked on Riskmaster all day I would kill myself.  Almost every other keystroke with that program is the tab key.

Is grey the new brown?

Among all the changes that have been going on in my life this year, my third child, Peanut growing up so much, Cake learning to talk and walk, etc, etc, I have another, less welcome change.

My hair is turning grey.  Well, they look more white but it’s hard to tell at this point.

I’ve had the odd grey hair off and on for a while now, (heck, I had this stripe of grey in my hair from play season one year in High School) but this was my first time finding a bunch of them all together.

And before all of you go say “go cry me a river”, just remember how you felt when this happened to you.  Or if it hasn’t yet, I promise that I’ll be sympathetic when it does.

When normal tasks feel like major accomplishments

Other wise known as going to the store for the first time after being really sick.

I was so proud of myself for getting to the store and putting the groceries away all by my self with two little girls in tow.  Normally that’s just what I do every week, but this week, it felt like I should get some kind of award afterward.  I didn’t get anything else done that day, but I did, at least, buy food.

So, I had a sinus/ear/respiratory infection.  It was SO much fun let me tell you.  Peanut, who never gets very sick (the one up side of having her particular immune disorder) even was down for a few days.  Cake’s ear infection from the beginning of January probably never went completely away so she had an ear infection again/still when we took her to the doctor.  Husband came home every day to kids who had been watching TV all day because that was all the strength I had.  He was so great and took care of us.

Anyway, I’m feeling much better.  I’m still having breathing issues (those always take forever to go away when I have this kind of thing) and I get tired easily but I’m alive!  I’m just glad this happened BEFORE the baby was born.  I would have hated to have to go through this with a newborn to take care of!

I hope all of you are feeling great and didn’t get any horrid illnesses since I’ve been out.  I know that my friend Lindsay is feeling great because she just had her baby.  Congratulations Lindsay!

sick…can’t type…

Going to doc tomorrow…will come back when better…now go wash your hands. I feel germy enough to contaminate you over the computer.