The Next Great American Novel (or, what's been up with Jen)

Ah...my poor blog is suffering.

 

I know I've mentioned this before, but it's beginning to really bug me.  I mean, this blog has been a near daily part of my life for about five years now (if you can believe it).  It was the first thing I did when I came in to work each morning (before my shift started, of course) and now...?  Now, I don't know.  Do I just not "need" it anymore?  That cannot be the case because I constantly think of things that I want to blog about.  Does it just not mean as much to me anymore?  Maybe, but I'm not sure that's it either.

 

My honest opinion is that I have just been so busy I haven't had much time to take care of it the way I used to.  I work full-time and am constantly busy at the office.  When I'm home (and when I haven't been sucked into a game of Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook...ugh) I'm taking care of the kids and doing laundry and doing dishes and...and...and...  It is a never-ending cycle.  I'm down to posting to my blog maybe once or twice a week, as opposed to once or twice a day.  I feel like a bad mother who is neglecting one of her children!  Ok, Ok...so that's a bad analogy because I would never neglect my actual children and a blog is not a child...but I think you get the picture.

 

For example, last night after I got home from work, I did dishes, figured out dinner, did laundry, did more dishes, did more laundry; I was still folding laundry at nearly midnight!  I'm tired today, but I feel alright. 

 

Cleaning up Kiddo's and Little Bit's rooms has inspired me to do a deep cleaning of the entire house.  I thought my project last night was going to be the bathroom, but instead I did other things.  Still, I was productive, which is a good thing because I could just as easily (and maybe even more easily) have plunked my butt down on the sofa and done absolutely nothing.

 

I did, however, watch the series premiere of Warehouse 13 on SyFy (does anyone know why they changed it from SiFi to SyFy, btw?) which was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.  I hope it isn't like Moonlight, which I also loved, that only ran one season and then got cut.  Of course, while I was watching this, I would jump up to fold laundry during the commercials and during the show I sorted out some great vintage buttons my cousin in Michigan sent to me.  (I can't wait to use some of them; they're awesome!)

 

And on top of this, I've been fielding doctor's appointments for the kids, trying to find an apartment or condo for SM so she can move here from Greenville, SC, helping out within the church where I can, and doing a million other things.  Just a typical full-time working mother with a husband, a house, and responsibilities, I suppose.

 

Sometimes I wonder, "Will it ever end?"  Sometimes I'm so tired I can barely function - but I think I may have found a solution to some of that exhaustion.  My doctor and I discussed my medications at length this last time I was there and I have now taken myself off of all my anti-depressant meds.  They didn't seem to really be doing any good.  I had also been taking a medication for ADD and that didn't really seem to help my frazzled brain any, either.  So after a good cry and a hug from my sweet doctor (who I do love; she's absolutely wonderful!) she said, "I want you to try something for me."

 

Me: "Sure.  What's up?"

 

Doc: "I have a patient who has been going through very similar issues with her emotions and in her life.  She was given a book called The Mood Cure and after reading it and beginning to follow the program, she says she feels better than she ever has in her entire life and is nearly off all her mood meds."

 

Me: "So...um...you want me to read a book?"

 

Doc: "Yep.  The Mood Cure.  I don't know the author's name, but I know you can get it at Books-a-Million, because that's where I got my copy!"

 

Me: "Tell me more about it.  How can a book help me with my moods?"

 

Doc: "Well, I haven't read it yet.  I brought it on vacation with me to read, but I wound up reading a couple trashy romance novels instead!  But my patient tells me this woman (the author) talks about four different types of mood issues: The Black Cloud, The Blahs and a couple others I can't remember right now.  Each "mood" is discussed in full and then the author (who is a doctor, herself) talks about which amino acids and supplements might alleviate some of the symptoms of those moods.  I want you to read it and see if anything hits home, OK?"

 

Me: "Um...OK."

 

So I got the book and read the introduction and the first chapter on The Black Cloud and within 10 pages I thought, "OMG!  This book, this chapter, was written about me!  This is me!  Everything this woman, the author, talks about is exactly how I feel.  Exactly.  Every single point she made felt like it was directed at me!  I'm working on chapter 2 right now, about The Blahs, but after chapter 1 I went out and got a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement (which I take once a day) and a serotonin-inducing supplement called 5-HTP, which I have been taking twice a day.  I already feel like a new person.  I'm calmer.  My slight OCD seems to have been put on the back burner.  I'm more productive.  I'm less tired during the day and I sleep better at night.  It's absolutely amazing.  I've been doing this for about a week and a half now and if it continues like this, I might be all better!

 

My doctor also took blood for lab work.  The labs came back and everything looks just fine, except I have a severe Vitamin D deficiency.  She wrote me a prescription (which I need to fill) and told me after the prescription was gone that I would need to take a certain Vitamin D supplement (she told me which one, but I don't remember right now) to maintain it.  I don't have the paperwork in front of me right now, but a normal Vitamin D level is something between 30 and 100.  Mine was 21.3.  Whatever that means.  I trust my doctor and so I will also fill this Vitamin D prescription.  Hopeful that will just be the icing on the cake, however, because this 5-HTP and multi-vitamin I'm already taking have me feeling like a brand new person.  I'm really amazed.

 

Well, now that I've written the next Great American Novel, I'll sign off.  Also, check out My Etsy Site sometime.  I've put up a few new things since the last time I posted on my blog (I think) and I'm running a Buy-One/Get-One special on my greeting cards during the month of July!  Just make sure you ready the Shop Announcement (all those words at the top, before you get to the listed items) for more details!

 

TTFN
JMS