From Shoulder Pads to Fabulous

I have never been one to follow fashion trends, I always shop for the best deals and steals.

Because of that, my wardrobe isn’t exactly up to date…at all. I certainly have no idea what is “in” anymore. After my menopausal rant, I decided if my body wants to constantly be hot I need start dressing like a hot mature woman.

My closet hasn’t exactly changed since the 90’s. Every mother knows, especially if you have a daughter, when you go shopping it always ends up about them; five bags for them and one for you, if you’re lucky. Now that I actually have time for myself, it is time to spice up my style. I’m over my funeral home of a closet, everything I own is black. Even my family comments about my morbid hues of clothing. My go to outfit for work is a big boxy blazer, with the 90’s favorite shoulder pads, classic trousers, and a blouse. And guess what color it is…BLACK! I desperately need a pop of color to look alive.

My anniversary with the hubby is coming up, so it is the perfect excuse to go shopping for something new. I am so fashion-illiterate I had to do a quick search on how to dress 50 and fabulous. “Don’t be afraid of colors, dress for your body type, chic patterns are your friend, let go of baggy clothes that weigh you down…” flooded the search results. Well, I guess if I am going to find clothes that look good I’m going to have to try new things, bring it on! I am ready for a little change.

After I built up my courage to go to the mall, it was so freeing walking in knowing the day was all mine. Where do I start? I have always loved Talbots and Ann Taylor but have always been afraid to try things on in the store. I have this fear when I try things on nothing will fit or I will think it looks good but it actually looks terrible. Very irrational, I know.

But, today was my day, I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try things on. I constantly found myself gravitating towards the black shirts and pants…NO MORE BLACK! I had to forcefully avoid falling back into my funeral home clothes habit.

After I had an arm full of clothes I went into the dreaded dressing room. Shockingly, I loved it, the store attendant reminded me of Clara when she would help me pick out clothes, she was so sweet. The attendant was helpful getting new sizes and gave me great fashion advice for a woman my age. And the best part was we somehow got on the topic of menopause and hot flashes, she had some advice on what fabrics to wear to wick away the sweat and stay cool. Finally, someone who understands my struggles. 

I ended up with the PERFECT dress for our anniversary dinner, and it wasn’t black! A round of applause for me! I also ended up getting four more outfits that fit my personality and the style I didn’t even know I had. I guess I forgot what it feels like to go shopping and get new clothes. I feel like a whole new person; rejuvenated and sophisticated.  

I will definitely be back to the mall very soon!

Here is the website picture of the dress I got for my anniversary dinner! I love IT!

Until next time,

Nancy

I don’t Sweat, I Sparkle

Right after writing my last post about my first empty-nest to do list, I was feeling so inspired and motivated to do all these great things around the house.  That was until I started cleaning the kitchen cabinets and all of the sudden the end to all hot flashes set it; such perfect timing.  I have had hot flashes for a while but none like this one, it was like being in an inferno…and no disco inferno!

The long inferno of a hot flash felt like I was speeding up the melting of the ice caps. Then, of course it decided to throw me into an erupting volcano to top off the experience.  Mother Nature sure has a cruel sense of humor.

Having menopausal symptoms isn’t anything new to me.  It is definitely really hard to get used to, if you are even supposed get used to Mother Nature’s change.  I received the “wonderful news” that I was in transition into menopause in 2012, and let me tell you, taking it day by day is the only way you can survive.

The painful PMS, missed and heavy periods are the easiest part, just wait, the best is yet to come!  The symptoms just keep appearing.  One day I realized I was very fatigued and I hadn’t even done much that week.  I thought I was wearing myself out at work and from running around with the kids, but no, good ol’ menopause makes you even more fatigued than you already are.  Forget having energy when you get home from work.  I’m on a search to find something that will help manage these wild symptoms.

You truly know you’re going through menopause when you start going through crazy mood swings and are constantly sweaty.  I feel like there hasn’t been a day that passed where I haven’t had a hot flash or a night sweat.  Like your day isn’t busy enough, washing the sheets and your pajamas every day is going to become a new chore.

Lately I’ve seen posters and pins on Pinterest that say “I don’t sweat, I sparkle,” well I have been sparkling quite a bit lately.

After dealing with these symptoms for what seems like an eternity, I think it is time to schedule an appointment with the gynecologist.  Hopefully I can figure out some way to deal with this nonsense they call menopause.

Hope you enjoyed my menopausal rant.  Any suggestions to break this sweaty streak, DO NOT hesitate to contribute!

Nancy

Quite an Ambitious List

After finally sitting down and brainstorming ideas for my first “empty nest” to-list, I realized I have a lot of things that I didn’t have time for when my kids lived at home.  My mind was going wild, in a million different directions coming up with different tasks to do. I came up with many small household tasks, office duties, and personal things I wanted to get done but haven’t had the time.  At one point I think I had fifty different things written on the to-do list… 🙂  After I felt like I had everything I wanted on the written on the list, I began eliminating tasks that I definitely knew I would do.  Here are the ten I decided to keep.  Without kids, it’s time to:

1. Clean out the kitchen cabinets
2. Redecorate the living room
3. Paint our bedroom
4. Go through and donate stuff from Bobby’s room
5. Buy new work clothes
6. Organize my work desk – at home!
7. Organize new real estate properties
8. Read a good book
9. Clean out the garden
10. Sit down for dinner with my husband during the week

When I actually begin crossing things off the list it is going to be a great feeling of accomplishment!  Knowing I’m getting things done that need to be done and helping myself at the same time, definitely worth the struggle. I have a feeling it will be difficult being in Bobby’s room without him, but I think it will be a good way to get used to him being moved out like his sister.  I know he will do excellent in the next chapter of life just like his older sister.  It is so rewarding seeing the success and achievement in everything they do. I can already tell that this list is going to be a good way to keep me busy and not worrying about my kids.  Actually siting back and reading these, there is no way that I will be able to finish them but hey, it’s worth a try. I’m going to head to the store today to pick up some cleaning supplies and a couple organizational decorating magazines for motivation.  Saturdays are the best day to clean and be inspired!   Wish me luck! Nancy

Blogging for an Empty Nester

Nancy Bell

Well, this first post seemed much easier before sitting down at the computer… J Well, if you read the About Me section you have an idea what is going on in my life. If you didn’t, here is a brief tidbit of what you’ve missed; I am happily married to the love of my life, I have two beautiful kids, Clara, 21, and Bobby, 18, they are beginning the next chapter of their lives and have moved out of the house. It almost seems surreal that I am an empty nester now, it’s only me and the hubby left in the house. Working at a real estate firm has allowed me to create my own schedules, making it easy to spend time with Clara and Bobby while growing up. My kids have always been my main priority and being a real estate agent was the perfect career choice for me and my family. I knew becoming an empty nester was quickly approaching when all my family and friends were constantly asking, “What are you going to do with all your free time now your kids gone?” “Are you going to visit them after they leave?” “I can’t imagine how you are dealing with your babies leaving the house.” “You and your husband should take a nice trip to take your mind off your kids leaving.” Although these words are hard to swallow, they have begun to prepare me for what is to come. And to put the icing on the cake, I am also dealing with hot flashes and all the wonderful symptoms of menopause. They always seem to happen during the most inconvenient times, women… I know you know what I mean. While chatting with a friend over coffee about how quickly our kids grow up and dealing with menopause, it dawned on me that nearly every woman has to deal with something like this at one point. Two espresso shots later, I decided I should write down all my thoughts, feelings, and experiences to share with women going through the same thing. We can go through this together! Now that my kids are beginning their own lives out of the perfect bubble I built for them, I have so much free time. It seems weird after spending nearly every day with my kids, I have all this free time do focus on myself. To fill the first couple weeks of without kids I’ve been finding things to do on Google and Pinterest. I think I want to begin by creating a dream list. I am going to write down all the things I’ve wanted to do but didn’t have time when Clara and Bobby lived in the house. It will give me ideas of things to do, now that I ACTUALLY HAVE THE TIME TO DO IT! I would love feedback on your ideas and positive ways you keep your mind off of being an empty nester and dealing with other things.   Thanks for reading, Until next time,   Nancy