Fun Friday – When menopause rears its’ head anything can happen

 

Photo Credit: ADDitude Magazine

Menopause is like Michigan weather, it’s hot, cold, rainy, snowy, all in a matter of minutes. It’s hormone changes. What works best for me at home is to keep the house cool. My living room and dining room blend together and there is a lot of open space. My son likes to fill this space with friends playing video games.

In the midst of the pandemic, visits from friends are limited, and hand sanitation required at the front door, but I digress. Anyway, I arrived home late from work one evening and my son had a buddy over playing video games. I noticed right away the each of them sat in a different area of the room, wrapped in a fleece blanket.

A laugh bubbled in my throat, but I was able to contain it. “Are you guys cold? You could have turned the heat up a little.”

“I know how you complain about the heat, Ms. Menopause, so I didn’t touch it,” said my son.

“I know you’re used to it, but you could have turned it up for Karl.” I turned the thermostat up a few notches.

I’ve come to the realization that there are two zones in my home – Menopause and Millennials. I set the heat to 69 degrees, and the millennials walk around in winter coats, or in this instance, blankets.

As soon as I hung up my coat and sat down in my bedroom, I regretted that decision. My body began to heat up from the inside, out and  broke out in a sweat. I took deep breaths and relaxed, the feeling would pass soon. In the meantime, I texted Karl’s mom and explained what was going on. I also told her, “I guess I’m freezing your son over here.”

Her response was, “he should be used to it. I keep my heat low too.”

I fled my bedroom, quickly navigated the stairs, and dropped the thermostat three degrees. I glanced in the direction of my son and Karl and said, “Sorry guys, I’m melting. I can bring you another blanket. Oh...Karl, your mama said you’ll be okay.”

If you or someone you know is fighting menopause, tell them to keep fighting; laugh in its face, but get help if needed.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Chocolate Cake Day

Triple Chocolate Cake - by Sally's Baking Addiction

 Chocolate Cake Day is celebrated January 27th. Chocolate lovers unite!

Today you can have your cake and eat it too. Which is your favorite - milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or fudge?

Share a picture of your favorite chocolate cake or chocolate cake recipe.

Wishing you a delightful chocolate cake kind of day.

Muffins with Mom – A Parenting Role Reversal

 

A mother son moment

Have you ever held a conversation with your child, only for them to tell you later that they forgot what you said? Well, it still happens when they’re young adults.

I told my gatekeepers (my sons) that I would not be home right after work because I had a hair appointment. Somehow they must have forgotten that. Two hours past the end of my workday, I sat blissfully underneath the hair dryer reading a book. My cell phone buzzed.

The text message read, “Ma, where are u?”

I quickly responded so I could get back to reading my book. Five seconds after I hit send, my phone rang. It was my other son calling. I tilted my head outside of the hair dryer (I didn’t want to stop the dryer) and pressed the phone against my ear.

“Ma, where are you?”

“I’m at the hair salon. Are you and your brother in the same house?”

“Oh, I was about to put out an Amber Alert.”

“I may be a little too old for an Amber Alert, but thanks for wanting to send out an emergency response team. Please text your brother. Better yet, go into the other room and tell your brother I’m fine.”

My son told me that he’d forgotten that I had a hair appointment. He realized that I should have been home by a certain time. In that moment, a role reversal occurred. Both my sons experienced what a parent goes through when their child is not where he should be.

What is an example of a time you experienced a role reversal with your child?

 

Words of Wisdom – Funny How Life Works – Comedian Michael Jr.

 

Photo Credit: Mlive

Have you ever thought to yourself, it’s funny how life works? Well, comedian Michael Jr. has penned that phrase as the title of his upcoming book, Funny How Life Works. The book releases March 2nd. 

It you’ve been a follower of my blog for a while, you know I like funny stuff. If you’re new to my blog…I like funny stuff. I do not receive payment for writing this blog post. However, I am excited to be among those selected as part of Michael Jr.’s book launch team.

The launch team is allowed to read an advanced copy of Funny How Life Works and share our thoughts and favorite quotes. I’ve just started reading the book and enjoying every minute of it. Does that sound cliché’? To be specific, the book is entertaining, relatable, inspiring, and funny.

Here’s a quote from the book that I found inspiring:

“…the obstacles of today can become the opportunities of tomorrow.” – Michael Jr.

As you can see, beyond being funny, you’ll discover inspiration and nuggets of wisdom in the book.

Funny How Life Works – Michael Jr. is comedian, I love comedy; Now I am a member of his launch team. - #funnyhowlifeworks

Follow my blog for updates as we’re allowed to share.

Find a reason to laugh every day. As I always say -  “A laugh a day keeps stress at bay.”

Motivational Monday – Martin Luther King Jr. - 5 Facts You May Not Know

 Photo Credit: Amazon

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated the third Monday in January. His actual birthday is January 15, 1929. Dr. King was a civil rights leader known for one of his most notable speeches, I Have a Dream. He dedicated his life to making life better for others.

You may be familiar with some of the major events and information about Dr. King, but here are 5 facts you may not know.

1.      Dr. King was not born Martin, but Michael.

2.      Dr. King attended college at 15 years old.

3.      Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.

4.      There was an assassination attempt on Dr. King’s life a decade before his death.

5.      Dr. King’s mother was also slain by a bullet.

All of these facts were obtained from History.com. Check out their site here, for the full list of 10 things you may not know about Martin Luther King Jr.

Fun Friday – A Full House – 5 Tips to Save on Your Energy Bill with College Kids Home

 

Photo Credit: CJS Heating and AC Repair

Do you remember the 80’s sitcom, Full House? It was the TV show where extended lived together. My house doesn’t hold extended family, but it feels like it with college kids taking up space that was once empty.

The energy company sent me an email with a summary of my electric usage for the month. According to them…”based on your usage, your next bill will be higher than this time last year.” Hmm. College kids home.

I was sent tips on how to conserve energy, but not one of them said send the kids back to school. Nor did it say turn the heat down on them during the day. One son already complained to me about the thermostat temperature. He said, “Ma we have to walk around in coats because hot flashes keep you warm.”

I ignored my son and came up with tips for lowering your energy bill with college kids at home:

1.      Eat by candlelight, keep the lights off and watch a movie as a family.

2.      Let your student was all of their clothes in one load: no separation of colors.

3.      Show them (again) how to wash dished by hand; give the dishwasher a break.

4.      Do not allow space heaters to be operated for hours, in an empty room.

5.      You must get in the shower within two minutes of turning it on – no more going to another room for five minutes or walking through the house for random items.

My house is full…with two college students, unpacked duffle bags, pizza boxes, and loud talking and laughter in the middle of the night. Perhaps this is an exaggeration…middle of the night for me is 9pm.

Just like in the sitcoms, every family has their issues. And just like in the sitcoms, we’ll come to some resolution of our problem in 30 minutes. However, it may take an entire season to establish new habits.

What fun tips do you have for lowering your energy bill?

 

Wordless Wednesday - Put God First - Denzel Washington - Motivational Speech

 

YouTube Video Credit:  Ambassador Warrior 4 Christ

Muffins with Mom – New Year, New Goals for Helpful Kids

 

Sometimes siblings help each other, but will they help their parents?

It’s a new year, time to set new goals or in my case, new rules. Are there certain times that your kids are more helpful than other times? Although I refer to them as kids here, my sons are young adults. While they are still in the midst of virtual learning, it’s time to set new house rules or reintroduce them to old rules.

Here is my working list of rules:

1.      Chores still exist, you must take part

2.      You must knock on a closed bedroom door

3.      Coats must be hung in closets not on the back of chairs for days, and days

Let’s explore this list.

Chores

I asked one son to move an item to the basement. He assured me it would get done. An hour later, the item remained in the same spot. No, I take that back, the item was moved closer to the basement door.

In this instance I guess I should have set a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relatable, Time-bound) goal. I could have made this specific and measurable by saying, “I need you to take “x” in the basement within the next half hour.”

I told my son if he preferred, I could go back to his childhood and count to three as he completed his task. His response was an eye-roll. His face broke into a smile as he said, “I remember you used trick us to get us to do something by saying, let’s see how fast you are.”

Knock on bedroom doors

Knocking on closed bedroom doors has always been a rule. This time my son broke the rule, and it was a tad bit unpleasant for him. It happened at night. I was sitting in bed with a book, the TV was on  and the ceiling light with daylight bulbs, shined brightly. At some point I fell asleep in the midst of all of this.

My son told me the next morning that he got more than he bargained for. Because he saw the light on, he thought I was sitting up awake. He entered my room in search of toothpaste from my bathroom. What he got was an eye full of thigh twisted with the bedsheet barely covering it. In his words, “She must be having a hot flash.”

He was correct, a full- blown hot flash was in progress. I asked my son did he scream at the sight. He said he was screaming on the inside. My son said he will never enter my room again without knocking.

Disclosure: I was wearing pajamas, but my son couldn’t tell by my exposed thigh.

Coats must be hung in closets

I came home from the grocery store with an armful of groceries, you know, two bags on each arm so a second trip to the car is not needed. My son came to the rescue after I pushed the front door open with my free, foot. He grabbed the bags and scurried off to the kitchen with them.

My other son came over and slid my coat off for me then he said, “Where do you usually put this?”

“In the coat closet. It’s located near the front door.”

My sons don’t use the closet much. They leave their coats and jackets on the back of the chair nearest to them. When I hang up their coats they become confused, saying things like, “Ma have you seen my jacket?”

New year, new goals. My sons are helpful, sometimes it just takes longer than I’d like.

What house rules have you had to adjust or enforce lately?

If you enjoyed this post and want to experience more of Angie's everyday episodes, read her book, Menopause Ain't no Joke. Check out her YouTube Channel for a few funnies and inspiration.