Cleaning Machine

I've been spending the day cleaning, doing laundry, and more cleaning. Other than that, I went on a lovely walk with my husband (this morning), did yoga (this afternoon) and am still working on laundry. Also, we are getting the last minute things done for our youngest to start college on Monday. 

While it will be nice to get back into a routine, we didn't really get to enjoy the summer, due to the wildfires. So, there's that. Also, I will miss my kids being at home. My oldest won't be living at home, so he will be sorely missed. Our little family is just such a team and we enjoy each other's company. 

However, I will be picking up my oldest from school (only 20 minutes away) for a monthly haircut and may drop in for at least a monthly lunch. Plus, he will come home for Sunday dinner every few Sundays. It's just strange to me that my kids are old enough to be away from home, finding their own way. I think it's awesome, the people that they are becoming. I just feel weird about how fast their childhood went by. 

There is a big chunk of my children's childhood that I was not super available for because of having late-stage Lyme disease. They are lucky to have such an amazing father who was willing to do the job of both father and mother for a lot of years. They are also lucky to have great grandparents who were willing to help out. We could not have done it without our support system.

This afternoon, after my hubby is done working (he gets to work from home on Fridays), he will be taking my youngest on his route via train to school, and via bus to get to the right place on campus. I think they will be running around that again tomorrow as well. Gotta get them in the best position to start the best year yet. 

To get more information on this cook book or on Nina's other healthy lifestyle resources, click here, or on any of the pictures in this post.

I am so excited for my kids and their futures. They are making such great decisions and are maturing and developing, becoming wonderful young men. They have been the BEST kids anyone could ever want. So patient during our issues with health and with unemployment. So kind. So caring.

I want my kids to always know that we will love them no matter what their decisions may be, no matter, where they live, no matter what they choose as a profession, no matter how they dress or style their hair, no matter anything. We will always love them and will always be proud to call them ours. AND, I will never stop bragging about them being my kids;) I hope that I get to always talk to them at least once a day for the rest of my life. I think they know that I will always be up for a good online game too;)

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I was so lost and frustrated with my life that I couldn't breathe. So, I went out with my work family and started to create a new support system. Having fun was what I needed. I needed to laugh. I needed to have stuff to do. I needed to feel like I belonged somewhere.

My work family and I were out for happy hour when I tried my first bit of wine. It felt good. I was finally getting some relaxation. I needed something to calm my anxiety and being with my friends and having a drink (or often many) was what my nervous system needed.(until later on)

I was living on the small chain of lakes and was right by Lake Michigan. There was always something to do. I'd reunited with some of my friends from high school and hung out with them as well. 

We regularly got involved in beach volleyball leagues, dart leagues, going to concerts, going to events (mostly in downtown Chicago), and more.

I had some of the best times I've ever had with these people. They didn't seem to judge me at all. A judgement free zone. Plus, no drama, at least no undesirable drama. However, there was always romantic drama, and that was (at times) desirable.

I really started to feel like I wanted to get to know who I was. I always wanted to be like my mom (exactly like her) and always wanted the approval of my parents. Now, I needed to approve of myself and find out what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become. I never really explored that before.

I found myself settling into my life in Chicagoland, as a single female. My job was going great! My social life was going wonderfully. My health? Not so much. 

Starting when I was a junior in high school, I had a bout of mono. I had another bout of it when I was in college. That happened again (for a 3rd time) when I was 21. This time, I was not able to go to work, and like college, had to take care of myself. I've not been good at taking care of myself. I was always better at taking care of everyone else, putting my needs dead last. At this point, I don't think I realized that life had just been taking its toll in so many ways. I was exhausted. My body AND my mind AND my emotional center were all run down.

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