I have been meaning to update how my little caffeine-free experiment is going. It has been ten days now and I really do feel better without it. No more headaches. I am still tired, which is to be expected with four little ones, including a baby who still wakes up in the middle of the night and a seven year old who starts his day at the crack of dawn. But it is manageable fatigue, not the crazy, wake up every-two-hour exhaustion of having a newborn.
I have also taken some time these last two weeks for some self-care, including going back to yoga and going for my birthday massage three months late...
School and life are more manageable now that I have my Mondays and Tuesdays back, although there is always something going on- a toilet-training seminar for kids with special needs, an open house for a nursing program I want to apply to, doctor's appointments for the kids, etc
So my plan is to
a) be organized
b) get sleep
c) stay off caffeine and eat well
d) take some time-outs every once in a while.
Who is joining me with my new routine?
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
The Coffee Habit
I have been a coffee drinker for as long as I can remember...I can probably trace it back to high school, when I started with ice coffee with lots of sugar and worked my way up from there. Over the years I have vacillated the amounts and types of coffee I was drinking- instant, filtered, lattes,... but my coffee habit remained pretty steady. I managed to switch to decaf for some of my pregnancies, yet my coffee mug was pretty much always around.
It was more than the caffeine, to me coffee is synonymous with relaxation. It means- sit down and take a minute for yourself. When I buy a coffee in stores, it is about "treating" myself- someone else is making it for me and all I need to do is enjoy. And fight off my kids who want a sip, but that is a different story.
With sleep deprivation and my busy life though, coffee became more about the caffeine and less about the "relaxation"
This past month has been especially challenging and stressful for me. During this time, I relied on my coffee to get me through.What I was noticing though, was that the coffee was not really working anymore. In fact, it seemed to be hurting me. I was trying to just get through the day, crossing things off my ever expanding to-do list, but instead of feeling energized, I had headaches. Pretty bad headaches. I could usually get rid of my headaches with some advil but did not want to start relying on coffee and advil to get through the day.
I thought I was just especially tired or needed more coffee, but I realized that this would just start an ever worsening cycle of more and more caffeine.
So I decided that my body is sending me a message to stop abusing it...if I want to keep going, do well in school, and keep our home running, I need to take care of myself. This means getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, and taking time to unwind and relax. I am officially cutting out caffeine for the next few weeks to see how I feel without it. I am not going all out on this- giving up caffeine does not include chocolate, the occasional cup of diet coke or other things with caffeine, but it is a start.Because I cannot give up my habit of sipping coffee, I will be switching to decaf to have the "experience" without the caffeine.
So far I am on day 2- I am curious to see if I can keep this up and will notice any noticeable improvement in the way I am feeling. I will keep you posted
It was more than the caffeine, to me coffee is synonymous with relaxation. It means- sit down and take a minute for yourself. When I buy a coffee in stores, it is about "treating" myself- someone else is making it for me and all I need to do is enjoy. And fight off my kids who want a sip, but that is a different story.
With sleep deprivation and my busy life though, coffee became more about the caffeine and less about the "relaxation"
This past month has been especially challenging and stressful for me. During this time, I relied on my coffee to get me through.What I was noticing though, was that the coffee was not really working anymore. In fact, it seemed to be hurting me. I was trying to just get through the day, crossing things off my ever expanding to-do list, but instead of feeling energized, I had headaches. Pretty bad headaches. I could usually get rid of my headaches with some advil but did not want to start relying on coffee and advil to get through the day.
I thought I was just especially tired or needed more coffee, but I realized that this would just start an ever worsening cycle of more and more caffeine.
So I decided that my body is sending me a message to stop abusing it...if I want to keep going, do well in school, and keep our home running, I need to take care of myself. This means getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, and taking time to unwind and relax. I am officially cutting out caffeine for the next few weeks to see how I feel without it. I am not going all out on this- giving up caffeine does not include chocolate, the occasional cup of diet coke or other things with caffeine, but it is a start.Because I cannot give up my habit of sipping coffee, I will be switching to decaf to have the "experience" without the caffeine.
So far I am on day 2- I am curious to see if I can keep this up and will notice any noticeable improvement in the way I am feeling. I will keep you posted
Thursday, October 11, 2012
I did it!
In the past few weeks I have deal with:
6 days of yomtov
3 shabbatot
1 major fast
4 large meals with company and countless others for the family
5 weeks of school
3 exams
1 lab report and 2 short assignments
mountains of laundry
children home from school due to non-stop holidays
a baby who still does not like to nap or sleep
a minor foot injury
1 birthday party for my husband
1 nursing school application
...and lived to tell the tale!
I feel accomplished, proud and very very tired. It seemed like every moment I had was allocated towards one project or another, whether it was cooking, studying for an exam or other family business that needed attending to. The last hurdle is this weekend, when we are having a guest speaker at our shul which means yet another big meal to cook/serve and clean up.
I kept telling my friend that I just had to get through till this past Wednesday- and I did. I am hoping that things will lighten up once we start our regular schedule, where every other day is not a holiday or Shabbos. Although I am not so sure because as soon as yomtov was over, I scheduled about 5 doctor's appointments for the children and myself. But I am not going to worry about that just yet.
For now, I will just try to catch up on some sleep...
6 days of yomtov
3 shabbatot
1 major fast
4 large meals with company and countless others for the family
5 weeks of school
3 exams
1 lab report and 2 short assignments
mountains of laundry
children home from school due to non-stop holidays
a baby who still does not like to nap or sleep
a minor foot injury
1 birthday party for my husband
1 nursing school application
...and lived to tell the tale!
I feel accomplished, proud and very very tired. It seemed like every moment I had was allocated towards one project or another, whether it was cooking, studying for an exam or other family business that needed attending to. The last hurdle is this weekend, when we are having a guest speaker at our shul which means yet another big meal to cook/serve and clean up.
I kept telling my friend that I just had to get through till this past Wednesday- and I did. I am hoping that things will lighten up once we start our regular schedule, where every other day is not a holiday or Shabbos. Although I am not so sure because as soon as yomtov was over, I scheduled about 5 doctor's appointments for the children and myself. But I am not going to worry about that just yet.
For now, I will just try to catch up on some sleep...
Monday, September 24, 2012
10 months
Hard to believe but AY will be turning 10 months on Wednesday.
He is a big boy! In the last two weeks, he has finally gone from creeping on his belly to crawling on all fours consistently. He pulls himself up to stand and is pretty steady on his feet, although not quite letting go.
His favorite new place to play is the bathroom. Primarily splashing in the toilet but also emptying out the garbage, eating dirty tissues and emptying the cabinet beneath the sink. He is definitely exploring a lot. I do not have to do much baby proofing since most of the stuff in our apartment is locked up anyway, but I do need to remember to close the bathroom door. And convince the kids that it is not funny to let him have access to the bathroom.
AY is happiest when he wakes up in the morning and from his mid-day nap. He smiles and laughs a lot and is babbling quite a bit too. He talks with a certain cadence that makes it sound like he is having a real conversation.
He seems to have adjusted to my being at school twice a week although he does get super excited when I walk through the door. He loves food, particularly bananas and yogurt, like his big brother Y. He gets very excited when he sees food and wants whatever we are having. He has four teeth now and is getting pretty adept at chewing food. We were at an event in the shul on Sunday and one of the other Moms there was amazed that he was having a piece of bagel with cream cheese.
The kids love him but it is not all perfect. A. gets upset because now that AY is mobile, he is touching some of her stuff, which is a big no-no. M seems to be jealous of all the attention he gets and tries to hit him at every opportunity. It's a work in progress, this too shall pass.
I wish I had some wise words to share with you for Yom Kippur, but I have not had much time for introspection. Since school and the holidays have started, it has been pretty much go-go-go all the time. What it comes down to in the end though, is a sincere desire to grow and change. The most important part is taking all that passion and turning it into some action, no matter how small. Progress, not perfection, Wishing us all a little bit of progress in the coming year.
He is a big boy! In the last two weeks, he has finally gone from creeping on his belly to crawling on all fours consistently. He pulls himself up to stand and is pretty steady on his feet, although not quite letting go.
His favorite new place to play is the bathroom. Primarily splashing in the toilet but also emptying out the garbage, eating dirty tissues and emptying the cabinet beneath the sink. He is definitely exploring a lot. I do not have to do much baby proofing since most of the stuff in our apartment is locked up anyway, but I do need to remember to close the bathroom door. And convince the kids that it is not funny to let him have access to the bathroom.
 |
| about to get into stuff again! |
AY is happiest when he wakes up in the morning and from his mid-day nap. He smiles and laughs a lot and is babbling quite a bit too. He talks with a certain cadence that makes it sound like he is having a real conversation.
He seems to have adjusted to my being at school twice a week although he does get super excited when I walk through the door. He loves food, particularly bananas and yogurt, like his big brother Y. He gets very excited when he sees food and wants whatever we are having. He has four teeth now and is getting pretty adept at chewing food. We were at an event in the shul on Sunday and one of the other Moms there was amazed that he was having a piece of bagel with cream cheese.
The kids love him but it is not all perfect. A. gets upset because now that AY is mobile, he is touching some of her stuff, which is a big no-no. M seems to be jealous of all the attention he gets and tries to hit him at every opportunity. It's a work in progress, this too shall pass.
 |
| a little too much "love" |
I wish I had some wise words to share with you for Yom Kippur, but I have not had much time for introspection. Since school and the holidays have started, it has been pretty much go-go-go all the time. What it comes down to in the end though, is a sincere desire to grow and change. The most important part is taking all that passion and turning it into some action, no matter how small. Progress, not perfection, Wishing us all a little bit of progress in the coming year.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
busy
I am still here...just really busy with kids back to school, taking the GRE (did well- yay!), starting school myself (good but hard and still need to work out childcare), Rosh Hashana and a million other little details.
Hope to get back into a more regular blogging routine when all the craziness calms down.
Wishing everyone a Shana Tova- may we all have a year of revealed good!
Hope to get back into a more regular blogging routine when all the craziness calms down.
Wishing everyone a Shana Tova- may we all have a year of revealed good!
Friday, September 7, 2012
First Day of School
After a long and fun summer, the first day of school has finally arrived! Y started 2nd grade and A is a first
grader. I brought them to school the first morning to meet their teacher and help them feel more comfortable.
A's school had a special assembly for the first graders, where they got name tags and got to meet their teachers.
They then said good bye and went upstairs to be divided into classes. A was happy to be with many of her friends from last year.
Here she is in her new uniform
Y was a little hesitant about going to school, even though we had prepared him for it for a few weeks already. Once he saw his teachers and friends, though, he was much more at ease.
I also met the newest member of his class- the cutest little boy who just happens to have Down Syndrome. He is only 5 and so little, I can't even remember when Y was so little.
M went to school for a grand total of 15 minutes to meet his teachers. He starts on Tuesday, although they are still doing phase-in so he will be going for only an hour.
I start school on Wednesday- I am a little nervous because I will be in school more hours this semester, but hopefully it will all work out.
This morning was the first morning of school buses. We got up extra early because I was not sure when exactly the buses were coming. In the end, Y's bus came at 7 30 and A's bus came at 7 40.
It is going to be hard to coordinate because Y's bus stops in front of our building and A's bus stops across the street. But hopefully once the buses are more regular, we will figure out where to go first.
Y's bus driver is really nice. she gave me her cell phone number and told me that she will keep me posted with updates.
Looking forward to getting more into a schedule...although Rosh Hashana will be interrupting it again :)
grader. I brought them to school the first morning to meet their teacher and help them feel more comfortable.
A's school had a special assembly for the first graders, where they got name tags and got to meet their teachers.
They then said good bye and went upstairs to be divided into classes. A was happy to be with many of her friends from last year.
Here she is in her new uniform
Y was a little hesitant about going to school, even though we had prepared him for it for a few weeks already. Once he saw his teachers and friends, though, he was much more at ease.
I also met the newest member of his class- the cutest little boy who just happens to have Down Syndrome. He is only 5 and so little, I can't even remember when Y was so little.
M went to school for a grand total of 15 minutes to meet his teachers. He starts on Tuesday, although they are still doing phase-in so he will be going for only an hour.
I start school on Wednesday- I am a little nervous because I will be in school more hours this semester, but hopefully it will all work out.
This morning was the first morning of school buses. We got up extra early because I was not sure when exactly the buses were coming. In the end, Y's bus came at 7 30 and A's bus came at 7 40.
It is going to be hard to coordinate because Y's bus stops in front of our building and A's bus stops across the street. But hopefully once the buses are more regular, we will figure out where to go first.
Y's bus driver is really nice. she gave me her cell phone number and told me that she will keep me posted with updates.
Looking forward to getting more into a schedule...although Rosh Hashana will be interrupting it again :)
Monday, September 3, 2012
Last Summer Outing
Today was the last day to do something fun as a family, so we decided to check out Victorian Gardens in Central Park. We had gone there a long time ago, when Y was about 4 years old and A was three and it had not been a success. It was very loud and Y freaked out and refused to even enter the park. They were also too young to enjoy most the rides.
Fast forward a few years and we are giving it another shot. We still were not sure how everyone would do with the loud noise and fast rides but this time it was a total success! We bought the unlimited ride option for the kids, which was a good thing because they went on every single ride- all the fast, up and down, swings, cars, roller coasters. My husband and I were saying how we would never get on these rides ourselves, but the kids all had a great time. AY mostly just watched from his stroller and napped a bit.
We came home tired but very happy. We would definitely go there again although the cost was a bit steep- but we have come to expect that, as Manttan just won the designation as the most expensive place to live in the US.
Here are some of the rides we went on
Let's not forget that today is "labor" say, so I am also sharing something related to birth- check out this great quote from Ina May Gaskin
Fast forward a few years and we are giving it another shot. We still were not sure how everyone would do with the loud noise and fast rides but this time it was a total success! We bought the unlimited ride option for the kids, which was a good thing because they went on every single ride- all the fast, up and down, swings, cars, roller coasters. My husband and I were saying how we would never get on these rides ourselves, but the kids all had a great time. AY mostly just watched from his stroller and napped a bit.
We came home tired but very happy. We would definitely go there again although the cost was a bit steep- but we have come to expect that, as Manttan just won the designation as the most expensive place to live in the US.
Here are some of the rides we went on
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| the fast swings- Y was screaming but came off saying "more" |
 |
| the tame train |
 |
| swing- also pretty tame |
 |
| jumping frogs |
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| the "scariest" ride- M was not allowed on it and was pretty upset about it . we were relieved :) |
Happy Labor Day to all!
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