Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Kelly's Art Easel: Homemade Card Trees and Advent Calendars

For December, I thought it would be fun to give you some create ideas for displaying your cards and creating advent calendars... homemade, easy, fun for all ages and inexpensive!

Tomato Cage Card Trees:
This craft is so easy and so functional! A unique way to display your holiday cards this season. I saw this in Real Simple magazine a while back and then again in this year’s Family Fun magazine. There are many variations, but here’s mine:

Materials:
  • scissors
  • tin foil
  • cardboard
  • tomato cage
  • ribbon
  • Binder clips or mini clothes pins
Instructions:

Get a tomato cage from a garden supply store (or if you’re lucky like me, on garbage day from your neighbors!)

Turn the cage upside down so the part you stick in the ground is up.


Either duct tape (Family Fun instructions) the tips together, or I just tied a little ribbon around the points to hold them together, much like the top of a tepee.


I then cut star shape (out a cereal box) and wrapped it in tin foil to make it silver. I left a bit extra to make a “pocket” for the points of the top of the tomato cage to hold the start in place.




I bought mini clothes pins, but mini binder clips also work. Use this to pin the cards to make the “branches”.



Next up, Advent Calendars!

I LOVE advent calendars and want to challenge myself to make a different one each year and this year I found 2 great ideas to share…

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar: Countdown to Christmas!
Materials:
  • Download template from Family Fun here.
  • Construction paper
  • Clothes pins
  • Scissors
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Scotch tape
  • Markers/crayons
Instructions:
Cut out template and trace onto paper (we didn’t have enough construction paper, so I had my kids color copy paper and I used that instead).

Cut out the “cones”, right now they’ll just be 1/3 of a circle.


Put a thin line of elmer’s glue on one side of the circle third.

Roll carefully into a cone and then use a clothes pin to hold the cone together until the cone dries.


Repeat this again with either 12 or 24 cones (depending on how long you want to countdown until Christmas).

Next, fold paper like an accordion and draw some stars. Cut them out and write on each one the days numbered, 1-24 etc.

Cut a piece of pipe cleaner into about 1-2 in. pieces and tape to the back of each star.

Once the cones are dry, remove the clothes pins and place the pipe cleaner end into the top hole of the cones.

Don’t forget to place some treats under each tree. Some ideas are candy, little toys, handmade coupons (good for a hug, 10 minutes of tv, etc.) and anything else you can fit!


I display my calendar on a serving tray, so I may move it off the table for mealtimes.

;) ENJOY!


Here’s one more easy idea, from Family Fun, for an advent calendar that uses photos of doors you cut from magazines! Click here for the instructions.


I hope you and your kids have fun making these projects AND enjoying them all month! Happy holidays!
~Kelly
~~~~~
Check out Kelly's Etsy store here. Or you can find her on Facebook here.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Fun Kid Thanksgiving Appetizers and Treats

Family Fun Magazine always has a ton of great kid holiday ideas, no matter the season. For Thanksgiving, I love their ideas for treats and appetizers. So far, over the years, we have done three Turkey treats/appetizers (photos from Family Fun):

The fruit gobbler:
This is really easy and fun! My oldest son, at four, helped me make the skewers (I cut off the sharp ends after we put the cheese and grapes on since we had younger children - they still went into the melon fine).


Gobble me up:
Seriously cute and all healthy too, my kids like laying out the apple and orange segments as feathers.

The candy corn and cookies are easy for younger kids to put in to help with this fun treat. We made these when my son was three and though they weren't picture perfect, he had a blast.

My kids and their cousins all really loved these. They are fun to make with your kids and add some festive fun to your gathering, not to mention they are all very yummy to eat! There are a lot more ideas on their website - check them out - appetizers and desserts/treats. (The names of each treat shown above are hot linked to the recipe.)

As far as standard recipes, I've also made the apple pie party dip with cinnamon chips many times (for whatever occasion) and it has been a HUGE hit... often requested by people (for me to make).

In addition to these things, they also have great crafts, activity sheets and games for Thanksgiving.

If you are looking for some fun Thanksgiving themed kid appetizers or desserts, as well as fun kid activities for many ages, check out the Family Fun Thanksgiving area.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Katie's Nutrition Nook - Avoiding Weight Gain this Holiday Season


It’s that time of year again - we eat, drink and make merry now and worry about the consequences later. According to a 2000 Study of Holiday Weight Gain*, Americans only gain about 1 lb each year from Halloween to New Year’s Day. Sound like no big deal? The problem is that 1 lb frequently results in “creeping obesity”-- 20 years of holiday weight gain never lost can result in a 20 lb weight gain and put you at risk for many health problems.

So how can you prevent weight gain this holiday season?

Here are some tips:

1) Regular physical activity
  • If you’re already exercising, continue it! If you aren’t, it’s a great time to start! Work physical activity into your busy schedule by: parking further away, taking the stairs, walking to look at Christmas lights, shoveling snow or even building a snowman!

2) Plan ahead/Control the situation

  • Going to a holiday party or out shopping? Here are some tips: Take healthy snack options with you or eat a healthy snack before you leave home, position yourself away from the food, limit your plate to 2 items at a time and fill up on veggies first. Do all of this and you’ll be less likely to splurge on all those holiday treats!

3) Eat a Healthy Diet

  • Model it after My Pyramid: make half your grains whole, focus on fruits and vegetables, keep your meats lean & exercise portion control
  • Increase water intake (especially before meals) and limit alcohol consumption

Here’s to a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season!

~ Katie


* Yanovski, J. A. et al. 2000. A Prospective Study of Holiday Weight Gain New England Journal of Medicine. Volume 342:861-867

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Kendra's Fitness Corner - Lose five pounds during November? You can!! (and a reader's question answered)



It’s getting cold outside and you might not be as motivated to get out the door for a walk or jog – stop the excuses! Try these tips below to burn extra calories this month.

Mondays - do an extra 20….20 extra cardio minutes, 20 extra push-ups (knees or toes), and 20 extra crunches.

Wednesdays - At home, perform the following routine during a TV show: 5 squats (or sit down/stand up 5 times) and 5 calf raises (with legs straight raise your heals off the ground) during EVERY commercial break!

Fridays – Park in the vary LAST parking spot everywhere you go and enjoy the extra walk to your destination.


Every day or almost every day:

At home or work, every time you go up a flight of stairs, run instead of walk or take them 2 at a time.

During your workout, sneak in 5 one minute jump rope intervals spaced 5 minutes apart.


Here’s another tip so you don’t feel like the stuffed Turkey on Thanksgiving...

Pre-burn off your extra T-day calories. For example…if I plan to have 2 glasses of wine and 1 piece of Grandma’s pumpkin pie (totally about 350 calories), I’m going to burn off those calories before I even feed the kids their breakfast. I’ll do a 3.5 mile jog, or 50 minutes of a kickboxing & abs video. Then it’s a no-guilt meal for me!


Reader’s Q & A:

A CMOTC blog reader asks…..

Q: Should I use protein bars or protein shakes after I workout? Are they really necessary or can I build muscle without them?

A: Protein bars and shakes are very convenient and also may have a lot of good vitamins and minerals. These products, however, are not necessary for you to build muscle. For the average exerciser looking to build some lean muscle (not an athlete with a demanding workout schedule) you will need about 1 gram of protein per kilograms of body weight every day. Take your body weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 to get kilograms. Lean animal protein, nuts, beans and dairy are all good choices to supply these amino acids to your muscles. If you choose to get those protein grams from a package, just make sure it’s whey protein. Either way you eat it…just make sure you are getting enough protein for your body!


Happy Thanksgiving!!

~Kendra

Monday, November 8, 2010

Amanda's Saving Money the Homemade Way - Homemade Cleaners

Thanks to commercials from modern companies, we have been told that we need multiple cleaners for every different job. We are told that we need window cleaners, toilet cleaners, floor cleaners, wood floor cleaners, dusting spray and disinfectants - of course different ones for the kitchen and bathroom! These can get quite pricey and be a strain on any budget, as well as being full of harmful chemicals. These chemicals can, at the very least, be unpleasant to breath in, or at worst, be possible carcinogens.

Last month I posted about homemade laundry soap. This can be considered a continuation of that. Making my own laundry detergent led me to research homemade cleaners and again, I CAN NOT believe how simple and cheap it is!

Throughout this post, you will see a recurring ingredient:


Vinegar! Did you know that vinegar is a natural disinfectant?? And, it is about as cheap as you can get; this giant bottle was only about $2! Here are some homemade solutions to clean your house.


General All-Purpose Cleaner:
(I have been using this recipe and I love it!)

You will only need the following:


  • 2 TBSP Vinegar
  • 1 tsp borax (which you already have if you do homemade laundry soap...)
  • a few drops dish soap
  • hot water
  • 10 drops essential oil if desired
  • 16 oz spray bottle
Simply fill bottle partially full with hot water. Add vinegar and borax and swish around until the borax is dissolved. Add soap (and essential oil if you choose, I don't use it) and fill the rest of the way with water.

**Also, if you do not making your own laundry detergent and do not want to buy the borax, you can still clean with a mixture of vinegar and water!


Looking for a comet type cleaner?

Simply use baking soda! Sprinkle on your counter tops or in the tub and scrub with water and a sponge. This does great at removing build up and stains!



Dishwasher Detergent:
(I have been using this one!)


  • 1 cup Borax
  • 1 cup Washing soda (not baking soda- again, if you make your own laundry detergent, you already have both of these ingredients on hand!)
Mix together and store in an air tight container. Use 2 TBSP per load.

Use Vinegar as a rinse agent - no more Jet Dry!

A few tips here:

  • If your water is hard, you may need to add more washing soda.
  • If you get a slight powdery film on your dishes, try using hotter water in the dishwasher or less of the detergent. I have had some issues with this, but not bad. It rinses right off and using less detergent seems to prevent it.
Not into making your own dishwasher soap? I read that dishwashers today are so efficient that you don't need to fill the whole compartment. You can still save by simply using less soap. Try using only 2 TBSP of dishwasher soap- it will clean great and last forever! I read about a person who buys the big box of cascade at Sam's club and uses only 2 TBSP per load and it lasts a year!



Window Cleaner:

The all purpose cleaner given above works great for windows as well OR:

  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 gal warm water
Mix together and put in a spray bottle. Crumpled up newspapers work great, way better than paper towels, at wiping windows clean!

Microfiber towels with only water work great too! See section on dusting below....


Vinyl Type Floors:

  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 gallon water-mix together in bucket and mop as usual!
Hardwood Floor Cleaners
  • 1/2 cup vinegar
  • 1 gal water
Mix together in bucket and use a sponge mop, squeeze out well before mopping, and mop floor. Do not put product directly on the floor, but apply with mop. Wipe up any pools of water or streaks.

You can also use a 1:1 ratio of vegetable oil and vinegar to get tough stains off! I even read about using mineral oil or even tea to clean the floors with! I read about it here.

You can find the cleaning recipes I provided above (as well as some more), on The Family Homestead website. This website has the above cleaning recipes and some more as well:


You can also find tons of recipes and homemade ideas as well simply by googling "Homemade Cleaners".


Dusting:

I have not used dusting spray in probably a couple of years now. We bought some microfiber cloths and we simply use those! These cloths are amazing! You simply get them wet and squeeze out all excess water and then use them to dust and they are great for windows and mirrors as well! Plus, they can be washed and reused, which is for sure better for the environment and our wallets in the long run! These are also great for anyone with chemical sensitivities, you truly use only water and it gets things CLEAN!


So, you can say bye to those hazardous and smelly cleaners! You no longer need that cabinet full of random cleaning supplies and you can save so much money by using these inexpensive and easy recipes. Good luck and enjoy the freedom of no longer needing to spend time or money in the aisle of multi-purpose cleaners!

~Amanda

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Kelly's Art Easel - Countdown to Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece


COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING TURKEY CENTERPIECE

Create a memento of this holiday season, while appreciating with your kids everything they’re thankful for, with this fun centerpiece turkey.



Materials:
  • Construction paper
  • Cardboard
  • 2 styrofoam balls *1 large (cantaloupe size) and 1 small (softball) size
  • Scissors
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Orange pipe cleaner
  • Popsicle (craft) sticks

Directions:

1) Stick a popsicle stick into the smaller of the stryofoam ball. Then stick the other end of the popsicle stick into the larger ball to form the body with the head toward the top.
2) Cut an orange pipe cleaner in half and bend it to look like a turkey foot. I cut a 2 inch piece off each end, formed a letter "V” and then wrapped it around the end to create the three “toes”.

3) Stick the ends into the bottom front of the ball to balance the body upright on the table.


4) Cut out eyes and glue (or glue on googly eyes).

5) To make the turkey’s beak, fold a piece of orange construction paper in half and draw a “tear” shape with the large part of the tear on the folded end. Cut out so the there's a folded beak that opens. Tape a small piece of orange pipe clear to the back and insert into the face of the turkey.

6) Don’t forget the “wattle” that red thingy that hangs from the beak!

7) Fold a piece of cardboard, draw a “wing” shape and cut it out so that you have 2 identical wings. Glue a craft stick to the back of the wings, leaving about an inch of the popsicle stick exposed.

8) Use these ends to insert into either side of the turkey’s body (large Styrofoam ball).


9) Next, fold the yellow, red, orange construction paper (so you can make several at once) and draw a “feather” shape. Cut out at least 25. If you only do one per day till thanksgiving that’s all you need, but feel free to add more! ;)

10) With a thin line, draw a line of glue on a popsicle stick and glue to each feather leaving about an inch of the stick out the bottom.


11) Every night, during dinner, as a family or take turns, write on a feather something that you’re thankful for and then insert into the tush of the turkey. (You can jump start your thankful turkey's feathers on the first night by asking each person at dinner to say something they are thankful for, so you start with multiple feathers instead of just one).






Then, for thanksgiving you have a great centerpiece and also talking piece (of thanks!) for the big feast!

Here are a couple other variations and other directions for this Countdown to Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece which I found here, here and here.

And here’s a super cute idea from another mom of twins that I just love: A popcorn turkey centerpiece!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
~ Kelly

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Confessions of a Screamer


Here is an article out of Parenting magazine that has some great tactics for mastering positive disciple even when you are at your wits' end... not that any of us multiple moms have ever been there. :)

~~~~~~~~~

From Parenting October 2010 Issue


One mom confesses that she used to scream and yell at her kids -- and how she learned to cooled down.

By Francesca Castagnoli, Parenting


My name is Francesa, and I am a screamer.

Admitting this to you feels as though I'm revealing a dark family secret. Yelling isn't really done anymore. It's retro, like leaving your kids in the car while you pop in the corner store for milk. There was a time when raising your voice was considered okay for parents to do, but now screaming is the new spanking.

Social stigma aside, raising my voice to my kids makes me feel bad. I'll hear myself shout at my sons, Conrad, 6, and Dashiell, 3, "WHY CAN'T YOU LISTEN? PUT YOUR LEGOS IN THE BIN OR I'LL THROW THEM OUT!" and remember a clip from Supernanny that showed a little boy alone in his room after being chewed out by his mom. He was looking away from the camera, crying, feeling overwhelmed. Every time they'd show the sad-kid shot, I was always on that child's side. "God, that mom is so out of control," I'd think. But by 7 p.m. the next evening, I'd be starring in my own reality show.

I had to stop. This wasn't the tone I wanted to have in my house anymore. The universe must have heard my plea because that very Monday, as I unpacked Dashiell's backpack, I found a flyer that read: "Parent Workshop this Thursday: How to Master Positive Discipline Strategies." I signed up the next morning.

On the night of the workshop, held at the Montclair Community Pre-K, in Montclair, NJ, the classroom was packed with desperate parents. Patty Dow, the therapist conducting the workshop, kicked off the session by asking, "Who yelled at their kids this week?" Everyone raised their hand. Then she asked, "Who thinks it's working?" No one raised their hand. Patty nodded and explained that as parents, it's only human to get angry when our child grinds play dough into our wall-to-wall carpeting. But showing how we cope with our anger and our displeasure is one of the most effective ways to teach a child, she pointed out. If you scare her by screaming, or insult her with judgments or sarcasm, her energy goes into defending herself instead of learning from her mistake.

Patty then asked us for examples from our own lives of when we screamed and regretted it. I was anxious for results, so I spoke up first. I explained that my morning routine with the boys was becoming worse by the day. Knowing that the kids are slow to get out of the house, I prepare for their dawdling the night before by laying out their clothes, getting their lunch boxes ready, and hanging their coats and backpacks on hooks near the doorway.

All the boys have to do is Velcro their sneakers, slip on a sweatshirt, and grab a backpack. But can they do that? No way. They whine and stall. They wrestle in the doorway. They throw their Crocs at each other. They ignore my initially friendly requests to stop roughhousing. And the less they listen, the more agitated I become until I shout, "Why must you make the morning so hard? Can't you boys be helpers and do anything?" The result: Conrad bursts into tears and screams back, "When you yell at me in the morning, it makes me feel yucky all day." It's only 8:30 p.m., and we're all exhausted.
Patty asked me what was missing from my well-planned routine. "An au pair," I responded glibly. The crowd laughed, but she didn't. "What's missing is teaching your children a sense of responsibility. There are no consequences to their actions. You're yelling at them because they won't do anything for themselves. But you do everything for them, so how will they ever feel confident enough to try?" she asked.

Her solution: I needed to help my children solve their own problems by using descriptive language to get them to behave. This just means using words that have no value judgments attached; you simply describe what you see. For instance, instead of saying "Why must you make the morning so hard?" I could say "I see two boys who need to put on their shoes and their coats." It's a subtle shift from blaming to emphasizing what I need them to do. Such a simple change!

As the evening progressed and more of us revealed our screaming sins, Patty helped us cook up plenty of other ways to quit our hollering habits. Two hours later, I had so many unique solutions, I couldn't wait for my kids to misbehave.


Tactic #1

WHISPER SOFTLY -- BUT SERIOUSLY

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. When I came back from the workshop, my husband, David, was getting the boys out of the tub, and they were in the throes of their pre-bedtime hyperactive hijinks. Dashiell had just tried to bite Conrad's behind, and in return, Conrad was trying to give Dash a purple nurple. Neither was actually brushing his teeth as much as banging and strumming the toothbrush in his mouth like a musical instrument. I walked into the bathroom and David turned to me and said, "Whatever you just learned, put it to work."
I was actually excited to experiment. To break the frenetic vibe, I tried the whispering tip one mom swore by when her kids were climbing the walls: I leaned down, put my head between theirs, and in my most serious whisper I said, "You two need to brush your teeth while I sing 'Frère Jacques' right now." I sang in a deep, conspiring whisper, and they were so surprised that they tilted their heads in to listen and brushed for the whole song, nearly two minutes. I was thrilled by my immediate results. I wanted to run downstairs and tell David, but instead, I kept my voice low and described what I needed them to do next: "Now go put on your pajamas and pick out a book you both like." Watching them behave so well, I realized that by whispering and using descriptive language (instead of my usual "No story!" threat), they tuned me in -- not out. My voice was soft, but they got the message loud and clear.


Tactic #2

TAKE A 15-MINUTE BREATHER

Because I work from home, I'm usually eager to see the kids after hearing them play all afternoon. But as soon as I step my foot into the kitchen, the boys are all over me, and I find myself trying to ask them about their day while making dinner and responding to last-minute e-mails on my phone. They sense that I'm distracted, so they become rambunctious to get my attention. Their strategy works -- but I end up yelling. Apparently, I'm not the only one who struggles with the transition from work to home. At the workshop, one mom explained that this time of day is usually her prime scream time because she hasn't had a second for herself. Her trick: Unbeknownst to her children, she lets herself in a side door and sneaks upstairs to shower and eat a protein bar. The kids don't notice that she's home, and that 15-minute pocket allows her to regroup. It's not just kids, after all, who have a hard time switching gears. So Patty suggested we all try to give ourselves a sliver of time to reflect on what we really need, or what we are really feeling, before reacting to our children. When we do, we might be surprised to find out we are hungry or stressed -- or perhaps feeling bad because of something small but significant, like not having called our mother. Reflecting for just a moment frees you to be present with your kids.

The next afternoon, I knew rushing downstairs would lead to yelling. I was already frazzled from a deadline-driven day: My story was late. A source was MIA. And my sitter asked to leave early. So at 5 p.m. I let her know she could leave at 5:15. Then I gave myself 15 minutes. I tracked down my source. I e-mailed my editor to ask for an extension. I even took a quick shower. This little time-out helped me feel more organized and in control. And that helped me go downstairs and be a mommy equivalent of a push-me-pull-me without wanting to pull my hair out.


Tactic #3

ACT YOUR AGE, NOT YOUR SHOE SIZE

Saturday is the day we get a reprieve from our typical fire-drill–like mornings. Yet whenever we break with routine, the kids act up. And on this particular weekend morning after the workshop, Dashiell was in rare form. I was reading a Bionicle comic to Conrad, and for no reason other than feeling bored and left out, Dashiell took one of Conrad's fairly elaborate Lego creations op the shelf and dropped it on the floor. Conrad shrieked and burst into tears. Normally, I would scream at Dashiell, "Why are you so mean that you must break your brother's things!" Or I'd just let loose a flat-out "Bad Dashiell!" as if he were a naughty puppy. But I woke up anticipating a moment like this, and now it was time to prove I could turn our family tension around.

I looked at Dashiell and said, "What are you, three years old?" to remind myself that, after all, my son is only 3. Labeling your child by his age has a magical way of giving you instant perspective -- reminding you that, no, he doesn't get it. Dashiell was 3. He felt jealous. If I'd been living on earth for only 36 months, when I got mad, I would break things, too. "What are you, three?" stopped me from escalating the situation to where I was shouting and he was having a tantrum. It's been so effective that my husband and I both use it now. And the real beauty is that it can work for any age: Your kid is skateboarding without his helmet! What are you, 9? Your daughter got her lip pierced! What are you, 16?


Tactic #4

REWARD YOURSELF

During the workshop, I was so impressed with the idea of using descriptive language instead of threats that I kept imagining scenarios where I could try it. Perhaps I'd discover the boys had decided to finger-paint the playroom floor. Instead of saying "Who was the genius who thought it was time to paint my floor blue?" I would say "I see a huge mess of finger paints on the floor, and it makes me infuriated that you didn't use the table. Get rags and clean it up."

But descriptive language is not the most spontaneous form of speech, and it didn't come naturally to me. I needed an incentive, so I made myself a Descriptive Language Star Chart. Every day that I was able to use it consistently, I would give myself a sticker. At the end of the week, if I had more than six, I'd give myself a reward (a yoga workshop, sleeping in late).

At first, it was tiring to be on descriptive-language alert, waiting to pounce on a misdemeanor with a flat and accurate description of what I saw. When Dashiell jumped into the tub from the edge, splashing me in a tsunami of water and nearly cracking his skull, I shouted, "What are you, nuts?" then recovered with, "Sweetie, when I see you jump like that, it scares me, and the water splashes everywhere. Get a towel and dry the floor." But the more I did it, the easier it became. When Conrad kicked his brother in the back for knocking over his block castle, I was able to turn to him swiftly and, in a whisper, say, "I see a boy expressing himself with his body when he should use words, and it makes me upset." After a week, I had seven sparkling stickers. The following Saturday, Dashiell woke up just as the sun was coming up, and I nudged my husband to get up with him. I had earned my right to sleep in, and I had the stickers to prove it.


What's PMS Got to Do with It?

Let's face it: Even with all these tricks and techniques, there are certain days of the month when nothing seems to work. I noticed that my yelling and sulking were much more acute the days before my period, and it was making everyone unhappy. At a checkup with my ob-gyn, I told him that my PMs was getting so intense that I was considering checking into a hotel the week before! I needed a solution that had a shot at working. My doctor suggested I take Sarafem, a very low dose of an antidepressant, fluoxetine, that you take only the two weeks before your period. I've never felt comfortable with the idea of medicating my problems away. But when the stress of shuttling the boys to school in the morning left me crying in the parking lot after dropping them off, I realized I needed some help.

I called my doctor back and asked for a trial prescription.

Three months later, I'm here to evangelize about how I've become a better wife and mother through chemistry. Don't worry -- this is not a Stepfordian lobotomy, where I walk around the house saying "That's nice, dear" and "More homemade biscuits, dear?" and "Would you like me to seduce you now, dear?"

No, my husband, David, can attest to the fact that it's not like that at all. I haven't gained weight. My sex drive hasn't changed. I sleep normally. I still understand nuance and irony, and I can even feel bitter if I want to. But what's gone is the dark spot on my heart: that angry place where I'd go from zero to sixty after asking the boys for the third time to stop hitting each other. When David says something like "Gosh, we're low on groceries," I no longer take it as a personal insult that I can't get anything done fast enough. There's an emotional cushion to buffer the everyday situations that could set off an anger spell, and the screaming switch that used to go all the way up to 11 now goes only as high as 6. I'm grateful to have figured out how to turn down the volume of my mood swings. I've even stopped feeling ashamed about having to take a pill, because Sarafem, in combination with my newly learned techniques, has put an end to the screaming, full stop. And I'll take happiness over hollering any day.
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