Being Busy for an Empty Nester

Raising two healthy, intelligent, and successful children is quite the accomplishment in anybody’s book. Any parent knows that raising children is an enormous job. When Bobby and Clara both moved out of the house, it was hard to accept the fact that they were grown and didn’t need to be sheltered by their mother and father anymore.

But since then I have realized and embraced, that my children are grown, and my husband and I have “made it.” We raised two children that are incredible contributions in today’s society. I know they are going to do big things and I couldn’t be more proud of who they have become.

Since Bobby and Clara left the house I have picked up many hobbies, a new job, and revived my pre-children life. My husband and I have be able to spend so much time together. We have been able to reconnect to our first love “honeymoon” stage and reignite our love for each other.

I have also begun practicing healthy lifestyle changes that have taken up a lot of my free time. I love seeing my body changing for the better. Healthy eating and exercising have made me feel like a new woman. The best part of my lifestyle change is that it helps control my menopausal symptoms…WHEW, ladies you know what I mean. I am so happy with my lifestyle change and feel rewarded every day.

Tai Chi has also been a very beneficial additive to my life. It has helped me ease into exercising and I have made quite a few of friends. Group fitness classes help motivate me and make me want to work to achieve my goals.

I also decided to make a career change that I couldn’t be happier about. I love working for a floral shop part time. Being a floral designer has opened so many doors and has given me countless learning opportunities. Being part time also allows me to have time to focus on my relationships and my life.

Being an empty nester, my husband and I had the pleasure to go on a trip of a lifetime to New York City. I have wanted to go since I was a little girl and spending a week in the big apple with the love of my life was everything I expected and more. The little adventures with my husband make my empty nest life so much more exciting.

The realization that our children’s journey is not going to stop after they have moved out has been the best thing that has happened to me. I am much more positive and can handle being an empty nester better. Our kids will always come back to the warmth of our home and every time they do they will be even more mature and make us proud parents. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!

For all you newly empty nesters; know that it gets better. The first couple months are very difficult accepting the fact that your children are moved out and on their own, but know they will come back. Being an empty nester gives you the opportunity to rediscover yourself, take some time to reconnect, and make yourself an even better parent.

It can be difficult but it is definitely a rewarding experience watching your children become even more mature adults 😉

Until next time,

Nancy

The Perfect Father’s Day Gift

Bobby and Clara have been working with me to figure out the perfect gift for their father and my loving husband. When they first brought up that they wanted to do something really special I was beyond excited. Just talking about Father’s Day we immediately got talking about the funny times we have had and all the crazy things he taught my kids.
Buying gifts for my husband has always been tough, he is such a modest person and always says he just wants our company. This year we really wanted to give him a gift he wouldn’t forget.
We had been brainstorming for quite a while, until I saw a cook book called, Carnivore by Michael Symons, he would love it. I told my kids and they loved the idea, but we still wanted to do something a little more.
This weekend Bobby called Clara and me, he had the idea we were searching for, to get him a grill! He loves grilling and our grill has been going downhill lately, it was perfect. We found a grill online from a store near us and ordered it.

The grill came in today and I went to look at it. It is super fancy, he is going to love it. We chose to get him an Infrared grill because they are supposed to cook more evenly and last longer. The grill has 3 burners and a side burner, he is going to grill for the entire neighborhood 😛
I am so excited to give it to him. Clara and Bobby are coming home on Saturday and I think we are going to have it delivered here in the morning so he can use it and his new cookbook. This is going to be the best Father’s Day for him!
What are you gifting for Father’s Day?

Until next time,
Nancy

A new family member?

The past couple weeks my husband and I have been discussing about adding another member to our family; a dog.  I have wanted a dog for years but being so busy with the kids’ activities made it difficult to commit because of all the care needed.  But now that both Clara and Bobby are moved out, I am at home for half the day, and I feel like a walking partner, now is be the best time to adopt.

I researched online if we are ready for a dog and about what kinds would be good for our lifestyles and what we are looking for.  I found this quiz on Dogtime.com to see if we are ready for a dog.  The results said we are!  No surprise here!

I made a list of pros to get a dog: I am home often, am relatively active, we have a decent sized yard; and Cons: we have a nice house that I don’t want chewed up and I don’t want to have to clean up accidents every day.  Obviously the pros outweighed the cons.  A dog would keep me company when my husband goes away for work and during the day.

The research said that getting an adult dog is often easier to train and can adapt to the new environment better.  And most importantly is less likely to crew up the house.  It was clear we needed to get an older calm dog than needed some love.

After countless discussions I got my husband to agree with me and we visited our local shelter yesterday to see if there were any dogs were a good fit for us.

My heart melted when we walked through the door.  There were so many cute dogs that needed a home.  We got to play with them and even take a couple for a walk.  After just a short hour there, it was clear that Buddy was our third child.  He was so cute, calm, but loving, and immediately loved us.

To top it off he has had obedience training, is potty trained, had his vaccinations, and was up to day with other shots.  There was no way we could leave without him…so we did what any other dog lover would do, we filled out the paperwork to ADOPT HIM!  I felt like a little kid on Christmas! The shelter said it would take 1-3 days to get the paperwork processed and we would be able to pick him up!

I am one of the happiest women in the world right now!  We called Clara and Bobby right after leaving the shelter and they were just as excited as we were.  Bobby is even going to try coming home next weekend to meet Buddy!

We found a dog that is the perfect fit for our family and for where we are in our lives.  Adopting a dog is a big commitment and we know that Buddy is going to affect our life in many ways but we couldn’t be happier for the newest member of our family!

What pet do you have? 🙂

Solo Beach Day

My husband left yesterday for a business trip to Arizona for three days; so what’s a better way than to start my solo weekend at the beach.  Although I will miss his company I am excited to have some time for just me. I have been working quite a bit lately; although I love every second of it, I feel like I need to give myself a little break and relax. This couldn’t have come at a better time.

This morning I slept in and took my time drinking my coffee and reading the paper. It was so nice not having any commitments or places I needed to be. I actually read the whole paper AND did the crossword puzzle.

When I got to the beach I found a quiet corner all to myself. I laid my blanket down and just sat and listened to the waves. I found myself slip into a meditative state, since Tai-Chi I find it much easier to find peace and really let go. My breaths matched the waves crashing in, calming my body and relaxing. I hadn’t felt this at peace for a while.

After I was done, I began reading a book Clara brought home for me. It was an old romance novel she thought I would like; and of course I did. It felt like I hadn’t had time to just sit and read for ages. It was good to not only lose myself in the calmness of the ocean but in the book as well.

To make the day even better, my menopausal symptoms cooperated and didn’t make me a sweaty mess. When I relax, focus on the present, and maintain a healthy lifestyle I feel so much better and feel my body taking steps in the right direction.

Sitting by the ocean listening to the wave’s crash made me forget all my worries and reflect on what makes me happy and everything I am grateful for. I think everyone needs a day to themselves every now and again.

When I allow myself to have a day to do nothing, I acknowledge the positives in my life and create a better environment for myself and my family. This is going to be a much needed relaxing weekend to myself.

“Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream.” –John Lennon

Until Next Time,

Nancy

Menopause and Food

I feel like I haven’t talked about my menopausal life in a while, so here it goes.:)  I have been handling my symptoms much better since taking my health and well-being into my own hands.  Exercising and eating healthy has helped immensely, but I have been slipping off the healthy food choice train.  I really need to focus and start getting back into the swing of things.  My hot flashes don’t like when I eat poorly.

I know from experience, you are what you eat when going through menopause.  I think my diet has been one of the biggest triggers for inducing symptoms.  I write down what I eat, when I eat it, and if I get any symptoms later I write it down too.  It has helped me determine what triggers different kinds of symptoms.  Continuing to learn and keeping track, I have been able to figure out what cause them and how to manage.
I stopped eating foods like chocolate, spicy food, coffee, and alcohol in the evening and my hot flashes and night sweats decreased, it was a mini miracle.  Since finding different foods cause different symptoms, I have been really focusing on keeping a food journal.

Since menopause I have noticed sugary foods tend to make me tired.  Sugary snacks cause blood glucose levels to rise and then sharply dip making you feel tired and drained.  By replacing sugary snacks, like candy bars, with fruits and nuts keep me awake and alert.

I used to suffer from insomnia very frequently because of hot flashes and night sweats.  When I eat natural carbohydrates like whole grain bread, I noticed it helps me fall asleep.  Eating large meals before bed also caused me to stay up all night.

  Everyone gets moody once and a while, but I would notice myself getting quite the attitude because of my hormonal changes.  Eating omega-3 fatty acids like tuna, salmon, and mackerel helped stabilize my mood and attitudes.  Vegetables that are rich in B vitamins like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and beets also help stabilize my moods.
Eating more phytoestrogens in my diet helped me manage menopausal symptoms.  They increase estrogen and help keep hormones a little more in balance.  I eating more phytoestrogens through plant-based foods like soy, tofu, tempeh, miso, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, celery, rhubarb, and green beans.

I know it sounds corny but the phrase; eat to live, don’t live to eat, makes so much more sense since menopause.  I used to live to eat, indulging myself in comfort foods and not concerning myself with the result.  Since menopause I have changed that mindset, eating to live.  I feel so much healthier and am handling my menopause symptoms much better.

I truly believe that exercising and eating well help control annoying symptoms.  If you have any other suggestions or tricks you use to combat menopause symptoms, I would love to hear about it, please comment below!

Until next time,

Nancy

Wordless Wednesday : On my way to a happy and healthy menopause

Creating a Dream Board

I was recently reading a few articles about dreaming and visualizing dreams to make them a reality. I initially thought that creating a dream board sounded kind of cheesy and childish, but after reading a little more it was shocking to see the research behind making them dreams visually available and achieving them.

The meaning of a dream board is to have dreams and motivation in a visual form to inspire you to be happy and work to achieve those dreams. Even though I have accomplished so much in my life already and am very happy, I like the idea of dream boards and what they are intended to do.

I have hopes, dreams, and little quotes that make me want to live each day to the fullest. I decided to create a dream board this morning. Although I took a little different spin on it, I put things I am grateful for, things I have accomplished, and photos and quotes that make me a positive. By creating a physical inspirational board that I can look at every day, I have no excuses to be upset or unhappy.

Here are a few of the pictures and quotes I put on my dream board. 🙂

In my digital version of my dream board I have a picture of my favorite beach to go to with my husband and kids, a diploma for my children and everything they have accomplished, a quote about kids that makes me such a proud mother, a quote about loving my husband, a photo of a road trip we went on to the center of the US a few years ago, a photo of one of my favorite floral arrangements I have created so far, a quote that makes me feel very rich :), a photo from our romantic getaway to New York City, and a photo of the Eiffel Tower because I want to visit Paris one day.

I absolutely love my dream boards; I made one on the computer and one on a poster. I found a lot of inspiration and quotes on Pinterest that were perfect for this project. I hope I inspired you to make your own dream board, it is a great way to see your dreams and work to make them a reality.

Until next time, keep dreaming,

Nancy

Valentine’s Dinner Planning

It is almost Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest most romantic days for florists. Valentine’s Day is a great way to make sure you celebrate the romance and love in relationships. Although I have to work at the floral shop during the day, my boss said that I will be off in the early afternoon. Providing my husband and I the perfect time to have a romantic afternoon and dinner at our home.

I believe that best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; at least that is the case, for my hubby. Instead of going out to dinner and waiting in line with all the couples kissing, we decided to have a romantic dinner just the two of us at home. I am so happy Valentine’s Day is on Saturday this year, we have all afternoon to spend with each other and be romantic and kissy 🙂 …Clara and Bobby would laugh at us if they read that.

When I get home from work, my husband and I decided to go on a bike ride on a trail we have wanted to go on for a while and then cook our favorite dishes for dinner. We are going to have such a great time in each other’s company. I am so happy that we have time to spend together with no distractions.

Obviously I have to make a beautiful flower arrangement for our special dinner. 🙂 I have been looking up new ideas so I can create a uniquely perfect center piece. I found one I really like with roses, peonies, and tulips. It might be a little more difficult than the other ones I have made but my husband is going to think it is great regardless.

We are going to have a beautiful dinner with the flowers and our favorite foods. Here are our favorite recipes that we are going to make for our romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.

Parmesan Pork Chops 

Ingredients-
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ tsp. sage
• ½ tsp. grated lemon zest
• 2 boneless pork chops
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. butter

Instructions-
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a 7×11 inch baking dish
• Mix the flour, salt, ground pepper in a small bowl. Then combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, sage, and lemon peel in a shallow dish.
• Gently coat the pork chops in the flour mixture then dip into beaten egg then press into bread crumbs. Toss between hands to any crumbs not fully stuck on fall off.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork chops on each side for about 4 minutes and place on prepared baking dish. Bake until meat is fully cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Enjoy!

My husband’s favorite Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients-
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• Flaky sea salt if desired to top

Instructions-
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and place in oven so they become hot.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into ½ inch sticks and toss them in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them on the heated baking sheets lined with foil.
• Bake them while rotating the pan and fires until edges are lightly browned and centers are tender. About 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.

And for dessert, my favorite, Strawberry Cream served with Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients-
• 2 cups frozen unsweetened whole strawberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup whipped cream

Instructions-
• Place the strawberries and sugar into a food processor and process until finely chopped.
• In a small bowl beat the whipped cream and fold in the berries. Freeze for about 15 minutes or until your desired consistency. Serve with chocolate cover strawberries, everyone has their own favorite recipe, and enjoy!

There is no doubt that this is going to be a delicious meal with all our favorite foods. We still have to come up with a salad but I don’t think it will be a problem, my husband loves coming up with things on the spot. It is going to be a delicious Valentine’s Day with the one I love the most. Hope your Valentine’s Day is extra special! 🙂

Until next time, ❤
Nancy

I GOT THE JOB AND STARTED!

As you can tell by the title of this post, I GOT THE JOB! AND I STARTED ALREADY!  The caps depict my excitement!  I got a phone call on Tuesday from the position I applied for.  They wanted me to come in for an interview on Wednesday.  I was really nervous about it, I had night sweats nonstop before my interview.  When I woke up I was oddly alert and awake, I think it was the nerves and my endorphins going crazy.

When I walked into the flower shop I was at ease.  The flowers everywhere and the beautiful smell made me feel so much more comfortable.  The interview went so great.  I was out of interview practice for quite a few years…  it had to of gone well because I ended up getting the job.  The owner offered me it on the spot! I was speechless.  I accepted and actually stayed there a few hours learning about the shop, their store layout, and a little training.
My boss is so nice.  She was so helpful in showing me where things were and giving advice right away.  I think it is going to be a great “work-ship.”  I started on Friday in the store and worked an event yesterday with her to get the feel for what venue working involves.

I was excited I got to design a few arrangements for the party and a few for private clients in store.  Even though I have only worked two days at the flower shop, I can tell this is going to be such a good experience full of learning.  The classroom is completely different than in the store.  The store has such a huge selection of flowers and makes each arrangement specific to what the client wants.  I love it!
I really like that there are guidelines to each arrangement but the creativity and design ideas are endless.  I am so happy the way this is going! I can’t believe it is only February 1st and I am already having a great year!  The whole family is healthy, Bobby and Clara are growing into such wonderful adults, my husband and I were able to travel to New York, I am loving my life, and I just began a job that I am passionate about!  Life is good!

Until next time,
Nancy

Dealing with Night Sweats

My night sweats and hot flashes have been continually been getting better over the past month.  I think my hormones are being nice to me and trying to balance out a bit…I hope so. 🙂  There are many factors that cause and initiate night sweats for me; my environmental, psychological and behavioral situations can transform me into a fish at night.
Here are some tips that work for my symptoms
•    Wear loose clothing made of natural fibers to bed
•    Keep the bedroom cool and well-ventilated
•    Avoid spicy foods before bed
•    Maintain a regular schedule before bed
•    Avoid excessive caffeine…very difficult for a coffee-holic 🙂
•    Exercise regularly, not before bed

I also keep a personal journal of the frequency of my night sweats and hot flashes and what I think might have caused them.  This journal gives me an idea of how the night sweats and hot flashes were triggered and how to prevent it in the future.  I noticed spicy foods and light night snacks equaled a sweaty night for me.  Since realizing this I have been able to change my diet and have seen a difference.

It’s not always about what you are doing but what you aren’t doing.  Since I began eating healthier and exercising I have also noticed a decrease in the intensity of them.  I really believe that exercising is good for the entire body, I feel such achievement after every work out.
Emotional and behavioral tendencies also can cause night sweats.  Here are a few that affect me-
•    High stress situations
•    Anxiety
•    Disturbing dreams- nobody enjoys a nightmare
I was shocked to find out 75% of menopausal women experience night sweats.  I am glad I am not alone.  Although my night sweats have been kinder to me lately, I love hearing about what other people do to control them. You never know when you need better techniques to deal with them.

Please leave a comment on how you control your night sweats and hot flashes.

Keep Cool,
Nancy