Honest Review Madison Reed Haircolor

Call it making my life easier, striving for simplicity, or sheer laziness, but I tried Madison Reed home delivery hair color. It was a rare treat yo self moment.

Actually, they are becoming not so rare these days. I will do and try anything if it means less pain and less drain on me. I'm really working on my severe adrenal fatigue in 2019 because I feel it is the next key to a better life with Adhesive Arachnoiditis.

Onward!

A. I’ve done salon color for years, starting one month before I turned 31 when my grays were just more apparent. I could afford it, I had a job and a killer budget that let me save, pay rent, pay for grad school, and let me do “personal upkeep.”

B. When we were starting to save for IVF #leohusband took over my hair dying job with box dye. It was ok but not really the same level of a color match that I would get in the salon. I also tended to develop toward the red end of the spectrum of brunette each time. Plus, I had some nasty allergic reactions to some of the “drug store” hair color.

C. I eventually turned to Sally Beauty Supply and after talking with a guy who had the coolest blue and teal hair I could only dream about...I felt he steered me in the right direction.

He did!

I had a great color, the right developer, an additive to keep the red/gold out of my brunette, and another additive to tame those stubborn grays. The only problem was the nearest Sally’s was either a 30 minute drive with a billion traffic lights (not in sync) in one direction or a (gasp) trip to the mall in the other.

If you’re like me, I’d rather walk across broken wine glasses filled with rusty razor blades than go to an actual mall. It's a chronic pain patient's nightmare.

I went maybe once or twice a year to Sally's. It was definitely not enough to actually keep up the color on a consistent basis. Leaving me with several months where I just didn’t feel I was looking my best. #leohusband would totally argue this point but ya feel how ya feel, right ladies? gents? peeps?

So there I was, feeling upset from the giant scar on my forehead from my basal cell cancer removal, staring at my face, definitely noticing my gray hair...and in a moment of weakness I got bombarded with a Madison Reed commercial on Hulu.

I caved.

Honest Review Madison Reed Haircolor

I took their online color quiz and ended up with Modena Brown 5.5NNN.

It came and of course, the packaging was cool as hell.

They had a bottle, 2 sets of gloves, a cap, color and developer, shampoo and conditioner, a pre-skin prep, and an after coloring skin wipe.

I signed up for the 8-week delivery cycle, so I got a large sized color safe shampoo and conditioner 'as a gift.' Plus, you get a slight discount. Which means the hardest thing I have to do is check my mailbox to get it.

The application process:

Skin protectant cream applied great, nice to not use Aquafor like I normally do.

Doing the coloring:

Ok, so I would like to point out that I personally don't think doing your own color is all that hard. Then again I have multiple degrees in art, taught art for over 10 years, and have a slight OCD tendency to be a perfectionist when it comes to anything.

Therefore coloring my own hair (no #leohusband needed) is not an issue. I just take my time and make precise parts to apply the color. I also use my hands, encased in the nice gloves they supply and make sure my roots to ends get coated finger-paint style.

They include videos, a call line, which I did use, an app, and a website for help and reference. Strangely enough, my question was not answered on the videos, app, or website so I had to call.

What was my question?

Well, the instructions say to put the product on your hair length first, wait 20 mins, and then put it on your roots. Apply the cap and wait an additional 30 or so minutes.

Well folks, I've got a pixie cut.

I do not have "length."

So I had no idea what amount of time I was supposed to keep the product on and if I needed to be super anal retentive and truly get it on just my ends somehow and then do the roots.

Hence the phone call.

I will say I did pass the 5-minute hold mark (which is my internal 'I've been on hold too long' timer) on the phone. I grabbed my laptop and started typing a question into the live chat on their website when my call finally got picked up. Did I mention I'm also not the world's most patient person?

The CS rep was kind and courteous, answered my question, but definitely kept me on the phone longer than I would have liked. She kept repeating the same instructions/conversation three times. I don't know if this is corporate policy but I'm on the other end of the phone thinking, "Dude, I got it the first time."

She also kept using the phrase 'short-haired sisters' and 'long-haired sisters'...which I know is definitely a corporate decision on language but geez y'all, it's so hipster millennial.

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Anyway, I used the supplied bottle, parted, squeezed, and fingerpainted my way to better hair. Snapped the cap on my head, set a 55-minute timer (time CS rep and I agreed upon) and sat my happy butt down to watch some Stranger Things.

When the timer dinged I jumped in the shower to rinse and then used the supplied packets of shampoo and conditioner. I will say the shampoo and conditioner did feel awesome. It was how Herbal Essences should have felt. If you're thinking "I'll have what she's having..." Yes...it was just like that. You should honestly try this for the shampoo and conditioner alone.

So results...

It did look really good. It was not leaning toward golden or red but was a perfect brown. Glossy and definitely had highlights and lowlights that you just can't get from a box. I know, I've tried.

So am I sold...maybe. Sally's Beauty Supply is $7.00 cheaper but avoiding the hassle of getting across town and through traffic (not great during a pain flare), getting my shipment when I need it (it's not that I'm lazy...it's adrenal fatigue I swear!) is worth the extra $7.00. It totally beats paying $50 and up at the salon any day o the week. I'm calling this one a good buy.

I did not get paid to write this. It is an honest review based upon my experience. I used my own funds to purchase Madison Reed. However, if you are Madison Reed and want to contact me and become besties, just let me know.

2019 Word of the Year

Well, it’s a bright sunny morning here on the other side of New Year’s Eve, now 2019!

Today I’m starting many things:

A January Whole30

Writing a Book on Recovery/Health from a Humorous Standpoint

Starting a Podcast with one of my Health Guru P.I.C.'s

Learning to Love my Life No Matter What

Doing Art Again

Being on a Schedule, Being...Consistent

My word of the year...Consistency
Inspired by one of my awesome sister in laws. She holds consistent to her health goals no matter where she is or what day it is. I saw her workout our entire beach vacation and stay on her diet no matter what.

You should totally check out her instagram and podcast. @roomforbothpodcast @mm_mayo

I realized during that vacation that I need to be like that. I need to stay on my diet on vacation, on celebrations, etc. I need to do yoga every damn day...even if I'm depressed #leohusband is halfway around the world and my shoulder, or back, or knee (insert nerve pain affecting a particular part of my body here) is killing me.

Part of consistency is honoring where I am that day. If I'm tired or exhausted, then I'm doing restorative yoga that day. If my shoulder is hurting then maybe I'm going to avoid down dog or plank. Either way...consistent.

The first page set up in my 2019 bujo is down! I’m also keeping a consistency vision board upstairs in my studio and I have Post Its freaking everywhere with the word on them. This also lets me practice my new obsession - hand lettering.

I'm seriously obsessed Y'all but we will talk about that later!

I don’t want to F this up so I’m enlisting #leohusband to remind me if I make poor choices (which means I’m totally going to get cranky with him when he reminds me to be consistent). LOL!

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I’ve got so many appointments already on the schedule for January that need a home...plus I’m super excited to try out my new hand lettering skillz.

Tomorrow, I'm getting a plastic surgeon to look at the sutures that are breaking through my skin on my forehead. I think I'm going to take a long break from anything medically invasive in 2019. I'll just add that to my list...

However, it gives me a chance to put into practice my new schedule. I'm kicking back off with a round of The Miracle Morning so I should, in all honesty, be ready to go at 9:30 to get to my appointment.

If you don't know what the miracle morning is, check out this post here.

Why Was 2018 So Damn Hard?!?

The last five years of my life has been rough y'all.

Seriously, the last time I felt happy and carefree for extended periods of time was 2012. I know what you're thinking...surely it can't be that bad and I'm exaggerating...

Well, it's not that I haven't been happy in the last five years...it's that it's short-lived and usually only occurs during celebrations, good life events, and vacations.

The moment family leaves or the holiday or birthday (not necessarily mine 'cause I love all things birthday related for friends and family alike) is over and I have to go back to my normal life...I'm just let down. Ugh, I don't want to live my life it sucks...oh yeah...probably why my psychologist told me to say, "I love my life," every morning.

Why Was 2018 So Damn Hard?!?

I got really dang close to almost a full year of happiness when Tiger, #fluffyalarmclock, came into the picture.

From August 2017 to March 2018, I had this incredible ecstatic happiness from loving and being loved by my dog, my husband, and my family. I would stop in the middle of doing something and just think about how happy I was and that I couldn't believe it after all the pain and suffering I had been through.

I was improving my health on a larger and more specific scale from my April 2017 diagnosis of Adhesive Arachnoiditis. I started my blog and was being consistent with my content. I was also enjoying the heck out of the therapy of writing down what I've experienced.

Well, all that went to pot in March.

Tiger had surgery to remove tumors Mid-March. That got botched...they removed the wrong spot. He had to recover before they could remove the actual cancerous tumor.

By the time April rolled around, we squeezed in a quick surgery before #leohusband began traveling to Europe on a very consistent basis until the first week of December. I'd say he was in Europe 50-60% of the year.

I saw him for 4 days total in June.

Not even kidding.

It was not fun.

In the meantime, I f'ed up my left rotator cuff in yoga the second to last week in April. It has finally calmed down (I'm not going to say healed because it isn't) but it's January 1st, 2019 tomorrow and if I'm not extremely careful, I can trigger the pain cycle in my shoulder so, so easily.

Tiger's health began failing in June. He collapsed on a walk. I worked with him to lose weight and we kept him inside during the ultra hot Texas summer.

In August, he collapsed again but this time with Old Dog Vestibular Disease. Basically, it's vertigo but dogs just don't know how to deal with it that well, not that humans do a great job either. We left him with our vet who gave us a 50/50 shot...he'll either recover or not.

Thankfully, he did.

Mike was constantly in Europe. I held the fort down but didn't do a great job at keeping the fort running.

I eventually did what was easy instead of what was good. Old habits came back into my daily activities, like binge-watching TV to avoid actually thinking about my miserable situation. I didn't like cooking dinner for just me, so I stopped cooking dinner entirely. Even when #leohusband came home from time to time, I just didn't have the energy to cook nor the desire to.

Several relatives on mother's side of the family started having very serious medical problems, so I spent time worrying about my mom, my aunt, both my uncles and my cousins.

I'm really just too sensitive. I can feel the pain others go through in my very soul. I basically checked out at the beginning of October. I was alone. I constantly worried someone in my family or Tiger was going to die. I was in pain. My husband wasn't there and I was miserable.

So I got help. My #runeveryday bff and I had a heart to heart and we agreed we both needed to find someone professional to talk to and to check in with each other.

I sort of like my psychologist, she is very mystical, which at times I rile against. Overall, she has brought several things to my attention that I appreciate. She also gives great book recommendations.

She also helped me with Tiger's death.

We got another 3 months with him until he got an infection his elderly immune system just couldn't fight. Tiger died the day after Thanksgiving and #leohusband got on a plane the very next day to go back to Europe.

Ugh.

Man, have to be honest, I'm totally tearing up right now. It was hard. H-A-R-D.

My mom came and stayed with me for a bit while things were still super raw but it was just a band-aid covering a bullet hole so I eventually thanked her and sent her home so I could actually deal with his death.

Just so you know, I'm still not quite over it. It lurks in the back of my mind and decides to slap me in the face when I least expect it.

During Tiger's passing I was also trying to recover from a skin cancer surgery that got infected (probably with whatever Tiger was fighting) and now...my sutures that were supposed to dissolve underneath my skin are being rejected by my body.

That's right. You can see them popping out of the scar and coming through the skin on my forehead. I'd also like to mention that I'm now apparently allergic to Scar Away by finding out the hard way.

Two weeks into December #leohusband wrapped up his business in Europe (thankfully) and his family came to visit. We had a nice memorial for Tiger since he was given to me by my in-laws. For the rest of the week, I watched them bowl, play laser tag. I played board and card games with them and it was fun...even though I could barely walk two days.

Once my pain flare ended I was able to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think #leohusband felt guilty (?) for being gone so much this year because he spoiled me rotten. I got an Xbox One, assorted gaming gear, and several books from the Throne of Glass series.

We spent the week having fun with some of our couple bff's and prepared for the next wave of family. They came in early due to their own family tragedy but left just as quick due to my niece getting sick. I loved having them here even if it was only for a night.

So here I am, one day before 2019, reflecting on all the shit stuff I want to get done before 2019. I definitely feel a day late and a dollar short.

However, I've got my to-do list down in my bujo and I'm checking things off as I go. I will get my list done.

I'm ready for 2019. I'm ready to love my life. I'm ready for happiness. I'm ready to fulfill the role I was meant to play in this lifetime. More on that tomorrow...

How to Survive a Dog's Death

It's incredible how a loveable furry four-legged friend can become an indispensable part of your life.

From waking up in the morning, following you around all day, conversations while cooking (on my part at least), to falling asleep at night...when they're gone you don't really realize how much you interacted until that constant leaves.

The first week was raw, in the sense that I simply could not talk about it or think about it without a giant hole tearing up my insides. I think that is a decent way to describe it. I threw myself into finishing the KonMari of my upstairs with help from the best parents in the world.

Unfortunately, the day after My Fluffy Alarm clock died, #leohusband got on a plane to finalize his overseas project. Getting through the week without my best friend was hard to put it mildly.

How to Survive a Dog's Death

I rearranged furniture. I hung new artwork. I donated office supplies. I cleaned out books. I evaluated what I actually wanted to devote my time to.

Then I ran out of steam. Honestly, I don't know how people do these KonMari marathons of cleaning. I think my emotions get the best of me holding everything and seeing 'if it sparks joy." Man, that's tiring ya'll.

I was already tired and stressed from Tiger's death, oh and my basal cell skin cancer surgery, and then it got infected...

Did I mention I was in the ER the night before Thanksgiving and Tiger died the day after Thanksgiving?

Worst Thanksgiving Ever!

This beats when I got my tonsils out when I was 21 on Thanksgiving. I thought that one was bad. Whew! That's life for you.

It's been 10 days and I only get the occasional pang when I expect him to be there. Take yesterday, I was making my Paleo Mac n Cheese and I literally said "Ooh Mommy's going to make her favorite quick meal" and then realized that he wasn't there. Sigh. I teared up and had a moment but then went back to my cooking.

I will say I did have to take a day a week later and really absorb his loss and what that meant. I allowed myself to feel the sadness. It was exactly one week after his death and it wasn't quite so raw. I was coming out of the numbness. The distractions needed to be set aside so I could focus on the grief in order to let it pass.

I know in the days, weeks, and months to come I will get moments of surprise sadness, and I will acknoweldge them, feel them, and then let them go. While I know it's ok to be sad, it's not ok to stay sad.

I am hopful we will meet again because where ever Tiger is, I want to be there too.

KonMari for Chronic Pain Sufferers Part 2

I’ve mentioned before that #leohusband and I have ‘completed’ a KonMari of our house. Well, by completed we cleaned out the kitchen and didn’t get rid of nearly the amount of stuff I wanted to. I did an excellent job of cleaning out my closet. However, the upstairs and the attic simply never got touched.

For a couple of reasons, we had to go slow because of my pain levels and the holidays were upon us. So we just did not get to the level of minimalism I desired in my life.

Well, as soon as we came back from Hawaii... I started on the upstairs. I deconstructed all the closets. Put my crap everywhere so I could just sort through it. When it came time for my housekeeper to clean, I just told her to skip the upstairs rooms that were crazy messy.

She has had to do that twice so far. However, I have learned to live with it because I am simply tired of shoving my excess crap into the closets of our guest rooms.

To make a long story short...(too late) I’m in the final stages of sorting through all of my art and crafting items. I’m setting up stations to get the most of my hobbies and work. In true KonMari style, if I want to do it or use it...it needs to be actually accessible.

I’m so psyched to get everything done before #leohusband gets home. So far it looks pretty scary...

Paleo Pear Cobbler

Everyone loves peach cobbler right?

Well, that's a great summertime treat, but why should fall fruits be overlooked?

I love pears and I feel like a kid at Christmas when they come into season. This year I wanted to have a simple Paleo dessert for Thanksgiving since I was attempting my first turkey (and it turned out really good). I thought about cobbler but peach season has come and gone...so that led me to think about pears.

Best idea I've had in a long time.

I modified our family peach cobbler recipe to Paleo and then subbed in pears for the peaches.

It was so delicious and easy. As a chronic pain warrior, the hardest part was chopping the pears, and that didn't take nearly as long as other recipes I bake.

Plus, I finally got to use Cassava flour as a 1:1 switch for All Purpose Flour and it worked!

Paleo Pear Cobbler
Ingredients:
7 - 8 Fresh Pears (any choice but if you use Bartlett, make sure they are firm and not soft)
1 1/4 cups Coconut Sugar (divided)
1 stick grass fed butter
3/4 cup Cassava Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk blend (So Delicious, Nutpods, or BetterHalf)
1 large organic free range egg

Supplies:
4 bowl mixing set: small, medium, medium-large, large
Cutting Board
Knife
13 x 9 baking dish
Whisk

Make It!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter stick in a 13x9 baking dish and place in the oven while it is preheating.

Do yourself a favor and get a small mixing bowl for "trash" to put the pear cores in. This will make your prep work super fast and keep your cutting board clear since you have a lot of pears to chop.

Get a second medium to large bowl, to drop in the pear chunks you are baking with.

Wash the pears and cut into quarters. Remove the stem and seeds (drop into trash bowl as you go). Chop each quarter into 2-inch chunks. Drop into your large bowl. Toss with 1/2 cup of the coconut sugar.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. The butter should be completely melted by now and you don't want it to burn.

Whisk all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl together including the remaining 3/4 cup of coconut sugar.

In your last remaining small bowl, whisk the egg and the nut milk together. I decided to try this new milk from Thrive Market and it was perfect.

Slowly add the wet into the dry and stir together. Pour batter over the melted butter in the baking dish and then spoon the pears on top. Do not mix. The batter will rise up in between the pear mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the crust is firm and not soggy. The sides should be bubbly.

Enjoy!

#leohusband who isn't paleo like me enjoyed his with a scoop of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. However, he had it for breakfast this morning and loved it plain too!

I also had it for breakfast today because even though the Thanksgiving food was great, seeing family was awesome, Friendsgiving was superb, it really was the absolute worst Thanksgiving in my life, but more on that later...

Roasted Pears and Red Onions with Rosemary

This gorgeous fall dish also tastes amazing. It seems like the flavors would clash but the salty brine of the olives goes so well with the sweetness of the pears.

Ingredients:

2 Asian pears

1 large red onion

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 

3 T olive oil

Large handful of Kalamata olives

4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

Equipment:

Large bowl

Chefs knife
Cutting board
Aluminum foil lined large baking sheet
Oven

Roasted Pears and Red Onions with Rosemary

Make it:

Preheat your oven to 425°

Wash all produce.

Cut the pears in half then in quarters. Cut each quarter in half. From the haves, cut three slices (this should be approximately 1/4 inch slices). Place in bowl. 

Peel the onion. Cut the onion into 1/4 inch rings. Place in bowl. 

Strip the rosemary from the stems and place in the bowl with the pears and onions. 

Drizzle the olive oil over the pears, onions, and rosemary. Toss. Spread out evenly on the baking sheet. 

Roast for 20-25 minuets. 

While everything is roasting, strip the parsley from the stems and coarsely chop it with the Kalamata olives. 

When the roasting is finished, dump the roasted pears and onions back into the bowl. Top with the parsley and olive garnish. Serve immediately. Salt and pepper to taste. 

How to Fly with Chronic Pain

This crazy girl decided to finally go on a long vacation with #leohusband.

Well, the vacation needed to be taken for several reasons. One #leohusband has been working himself to the bone and traveling all over the world. While that may sound very exciting, he spends most of his time on planes, in airports, and hotels.

If you had a conversation with him about it, he would tell you that he's working the entire time so sight-seeing is out of the question. He'd rather sleep in his own bed and have a home cooked meal from me.

So he needs a vacation.

Two, I need a vacation from my job of fighting my disease all the time.

However, the problem is I haven't traveled more than a 3 hour flight or a 5 hour car ride (with extensive breaks so I can walk, stretch, and rest) in my awesome air-conditioned super comfy car seat.

So where to go, not break the bank, or break me in the process.

We settled on Hawaii after seriously kicking around the idea of Venice, Italy.

How to Fly with Chronic Pain
So now I'm sitting on the plane, in Economy Plus thanks to #leohusbands fight miles, five hours into the flight, three hours to go, and I'm not dying.

I'm uncomfortable for sure. What all do I have with me? My bear pad and pillow for the seat. You can see #leohusband carrying both in the above picture. I've got my back brace on underneath all my clothes so it's definitely chaffing my skin. My old-fashioned ice bag is currently under my left hip and I'm probably going to switch it to my right in a few more minutes.

I'm getting up every single hour and walking around, taking the long way to the bathroom. I'm drinking as much water as I possibly can because staying hydrated is key to my success in this adventure.

I took my prescribed pain medication about 2 hours into the flight, right when I started getting above a 5 and luckily I've stayed at a 6.

I stretched for a few minutes by the bathrooms at the halfway mark.

I've also got my tens unit, although getting that on in the tiny airplane bathroom doesn't sound appealing. If I hit a 7, then we're about to try that out.

Lastly, I have a compounded topical pain relieving medication that my pain management doctor gave me to survive all the physical demands that this trip will do to my body.

I will have to write a separate post on the experience of getting this medication filled...because getting that medication required jumping through flaming hoops, in the middle of a lightning storm, on a dry field, in the middle of summer, covered with gasoline.

In other words, it was really difficult, but I got it, and we booked our flight, our Air B&B's, and our rental cars. I contacted my #sororitylil who lives in Maui, the lucky girl, and told her we were coming.

I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it.

What I really think I want to communicate with other chronic pain sufferers today is this, I spend every damn day of my life trying to survive. I never really feel like I'm thriving. I wake up and I fight my disease and it's exhausting. I have felt that my life stopped, or on sad days, ended, when I got Adhesive Arachnoiditis.

That's why this trip is important. If I don't make the effort to keep living my life and doing the things I've always wanted to do, then my life really did end April 14, 2016.

So I'm scared, and I'm probably going to have pain, and have bad days, but Hawaii is a place I've wanted to see and experience with #leohusband and I'm not going to let this chance pass me by.

I hope that this is the beginning of a new chapter where I still can dream big and see those dreams come true.

Except for Japan, definitely can't travel there with their super strict medication laws...sigh.

3 Stretches for Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder pain? Yeah. I've been there since April. It sucks so hard and frankly, I wish it would just stop.

I'm at my wits end with my inability to sleep how I want to.

My Adhesive Arachnoiditis makes my right side unbearable to lay on most nights, which has been fine because I can get my mountain of pillows and stack them to get my right leg into the perfect position to sleep laying on my left side. However, since I messed my left shoulder up in April, getting bursitis and shoulder impingement, I can't lay on my left.

Sleeping on my back makes my shoulder pain throb and I can't really lay on my right side so I'm just SOL.

It got so bad I even considered dropping $300 on this pillow system.

If you don't know what the different things that can go wrong with your shoulder...this article is great at explaining.

My awesome PT guy hooked me up with some stretches and a few exercises I'll cover next week.

1. Doorway stretch.

3 times, 30 seconds each, move arms up and down. Now I will say this does bother my back. I have to make sure my core is tight and I'm tilting my pelvis up so my lower back extends. Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

2. Foam Rolls

3 different locations: lower shoulder blade, mid, and upper. 10 each. Hold your neck for stability

3. Arm Levers

Keeping your injured arm perpendicular to your body. Bend at the elbow and raise the forearm. Using your opposite hand, gently push the stretching arm to the floor.

10 times, 10 seconds each

Even though it is my left arm that is injured, I repeat the arm level on my right side because I don't need that side acting up!

Well, all is said and done. As long as I keep up with my stretches and exercises on a daily basis I'm fine...but it's just one more damn thing to keep up with.

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Organized Me vs Real Me: 4 Things to Get Back on Track

I keep having issues thrown at me. I get on a great track of doing the things I need to do. Making my to-do lists, staying on top of my alternative therapies for my Adhesive Arachnoiditis, and generally getting crap done. I feel like the ultimate boss bitch of my own life, I can go out and conquer the world despite my disease.

And then something dramatic, stressful, or stupid happens and kills my daily routine and expectations I have built up. It takes a week or more to get over the said event and by then I have to regain the energy and gumption to get back into the habit of things.

Organized Me vs Real Me: 4 Things to Get Back on Track
1. I have generally accepted that I am going to get disrupted by something.

Whether it's my husband gone for business, my elderly dog having terrible health issues, or me hurting myself, I just know it's going to happen. I've decided that if I at least get my face washed in the morning, do 10 minutes or less of yoga, drink my water, and eat paleo, it's a win.

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Sometimes it's so easy to fall into the I'm going to do "what's easy" trap. I know when I spent all that time food prepping and then couldn't move for 5 days, I'm not joking, it would have been so easy to just make some Annie's Organic Gluten Free Mac and Cheese.

However, I improvised and made my sweet potato and tomatillo hash into a soup using my instant pot so I didn't have to stand up at my stove. Luckily, that soup lasted for 6 meals.

2. Pick One Thing and Do It

I know I've said start small and I do mean it. In my pain haze, I decided to just focus on making sure I ate good and drank the appropriate amount of water each day.

via GIPHY

It's not much, but it did keep me on track.

Then in a few more days, I added a bit of yoga on.

In a few more days, I started dry brushing to move my lymph again.

It may take me two full weeks to get back up to doing my everyday routine but I'm in the acceptance phase where I know I will eventually get there which brings me to...

3. Give Yourself a Break from Guilt

I think we just get so down on ourselves for our failure to not maintain the status quo when something happens. You got a nasty cold and suddenly you can't keep up with your workouts. It's fine. Give your body a chance to heal but as I've said before, start small and get back on the horse.

Life is rough, it's not easy, and it's vastly unfair. Don't place more negativity on yourself (yes I am also writing to myself here because I'm not perfect and I struggle with getting off my routines) by beating yourself up about that PB&J you made last night or the exercise class you missed.

Put something funny on the TV and work on your laughter skills.

4. Get a Buddy that Understands and Encourage Each Other

One of my BFF's called me about two weeks ago and we had lunch. She wanted to pick my brain about her struggles with depression and everything she said was speaking to my own soul.

We decided together to seek out some professional help, encourage each other daily, even if it's just a quick text, and be candid with the times our brains go to the dark places in our mind. She doesn't have my disease but she has her own demons and that makes me relate. We are also proactive about getting better.

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You need to find someone you can relate to and is proactive about seeking positivity. They are the type of person who recognizes there is a problem and is willing to do things for a change.

If you have someone in your life that is the opposite of these things, consider giving them less of your time.

Organized Me vs Real Me: How to Get Back on Track?

When all is said and done, the real-life me, the one who always gets bombarded with something weird has learned that each day is a new day to become the organized me.

I look forward and am hopeful that I have at least one or two days a week where I'm on top of my game...and since I haven't eaten breakfast yet, I better get on that. I'm just thankful I felt creative enough to do a blog post.

One small thing at a time, right?

I'll eventually get back to being the boss bitch I am. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I'm hopeful it will happen soon.

Why Food Prepping is Bad

I have spent the last two, now going on three days, in severe pain.

Why?

Well, I would love to make a long story short but that's just not my style.

Since May, #leohusband has been traveling for work, and when I mean traveling for work I mean halfway across the world. Also, he's gone for 2 to 3 weeks and back for a few days, maybe a whole week if I'm lucky, and then gone again.

This hasn't been a positive situation for me.

I am usually stuck at home due to my limited mobility and energy levels, so seeing #leohusband is my outlet. Isolation isn't that great for someone with chronic pain. While I do have friends in the area, I have to balance my energy on outings and getting things done around the house, not to mention my personal goals...like this blog that has become almost impossible to update.

One of the things I hate the most about Adhesive Arachnoiditis is the energy suck (okay the pain isn't fun either). Some days I have to choose between cleaning the kitchen and cooking dinner or doing yoga and videotaping it for my blog. Guess what I've been choosing since May?

So while #leohusband is away, my goals and my life feel like they have been put on hold, not to mention that my health has taken a drastic spiral downwards.

Fluffy Alarm Clock has also had major health issues since March, so that has added to my stress and contributed to my current depression, in conjunction with #leohusband not being here.

My pain levels are increasing and I know that one of the contributing factors is because I'm not eating exactly how I should. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still eating paleo, but when you start eating Bob's Red Mill Paleo Museli for breakfast and dinner...something is just not right.

Which brings me to our topic...
Why Food Prepping is Bad

Another of the many things I struggle with is my brain thinking I'm still normal. I haven't adjusted to the new normal with things I think I should be able to do, even though I talk about making the new normal your bitch constantly.

For instance: Some of my family mentioned getting a speedboat for a vacation and I made the offhand comment that my speedboating days were over. This I understand. I have adjusted to the new normal for recreational activities. Rollercoasters? No. Standing in line for more than 10 to 20 minutes to get into a museum? Hard pass.

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The other part of my brain thinks that I should totally be able to prep meals for a week. Although in the past I've food prepped with #leohusband and one of our couple bff's for the Whole30. I found out the hard way that four people food prepping together is way easier than one person alone.

I even took breaks. Work for 45 minutes to an hour, take a 20 to 30-minute break.

Didn't matter.

The irony is, I spent all that time washing and chopping, sorting into Tupperware, and organizing each meal...and I'm in so much pain I can't even think about standing in front of the stove to actually cook the meals I prepped.

Ugh. Life is too damn hard sometimes.

It looks like #leohusband isn't going to be letting up on his travel anytime soon so if I want to eat healthy, like I know I should, I've got to find a better way.

I just wish I had a Whole Foods or a Sprouts near me. I would think that they would have organic pre-cut food. Unfortunately, the produce that is pre-cut at my local stores is not organic and according to my functional medicine doctor, I need to avoid anything that has potentially been exposed to RoundUp, aka Monsanto.

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So while I do choose to use pre-cut veggies occasionally, they are not viable for long-term use.

That leaves me searching for pre-cooked food delivery options that are Paleo or Whole30 compliant.

Join me in my search next week as I explore options.