oclivin

Remember the feeling of a new relationship? Butterflies in your belly, your heart skipping beats, the daydreaming that made you lose several trains of thought?  What happens when all that ceases to exist? Often times after quite a few years of courtship or marriage this becomes reality.  We start viewing our mate just as that, a mate, sort of like a ship mate.  You work together as a team because you know that that is what you have to do to make the ship sail, however, romantically there may be nothing there( or at least you think nothing is there.)  Women and men are all victims of this cycle.  Yes sometimes people do fall out of love with each other, however, I believe that we let ourselves fall out of love.  Relationships are work, you have to put in time and money not to mention compromise, understanding and unconditional love.  In many relationships people choose to give up, leading to breakup or divorce.  With a little effort and understanding these relationships are not all doomed.  You as an individul, have to understand that people change as you will too, this is human nature.  It is our job as partners to mould ourselves to each other by bending and leaning in unison.  The grass is not always greener on the other side, think about it, the same feelings you experienced with your partner are resurfacing with someone new, then what?  Years will go by and the same vicious cycle will come back to bite you!!  So my friends, think before you act because once you make your choice there is no going back.  Love is a cycle, you love you hate and then you love again.

It was almost two years ago when I gave birth to my son.  I had a pretty easy pregnancy with not much to complain about. The time had finally come, I was enduced into labor due to my overdue status and the alarming large child that was growing inside of me. For 25 hours I struggled with pain and irritability, I was ready to do this and be a mom.  W.H arrived into this world via C-section and boy was he big, nearly 10 lb. of cuteness, not to mention a set of lungs that would put any tenor out of business.  The next couple of days in the hospital were pretty much somber, although I was happy, I couldn’t quite figure out the gnawing feeling that kept tugging at my stomach.  Something was definitely wrong , I knew it, I just did not know exactly what it was.  Recovery time is about a week longer for C-section patients so with that in mind I had the Dr. extend my hospital stay, this is not usually the case, however, I had some issues with swelling and slight temperature rises that they gave it a go.  When I finally got to go home, I had a feeling of panic shower over me eventhough I knew I would have help from family.  The first week was ridiculous, I was so consumed by these emotions I could not function at all.  Tending to my baby was so emotional at times, I remember being awake in the middle of the night with a sick feeling and anxiety, when the baby would wake up and cry I would litteraly lose it.  I realized I had Post Partum Depression and tried my all to deal with it, let me tell you it was a very difficult task.  Hormones and emotions are totally out of control during pregnancy and thereafter, causing the flood gates to a chemical imbalance to open.  I suffered at this monster’s hand that took control of my life for nearly one year and made me lose the best moments of motherhood, caring for my infant son.  I lost a significant amount of weight due to the lack of apetite, I cried for no reason and I remember saying that I loved my son but I did not want to care for him.  I eventually came out of this ok, I had to move back with my parents so they could help me with the caring of my son ( my husband worked an excessive amount of hours) and I talked about my feelings so I could overcome this without medication.  To tell you the truth I hardly remember anything about that first year, I was so consumed by the darkness that I could not focus on the light.  All I know is that my son was ripped off thanks to his ill mother and sometimes even now I feel like I never completely overcame this .  I urge people who suffer from any sort of depression to go out there and get help, it is imperative for the sake of oneself and the people close to them.            

I just wanted to let everyone know that swim suit season is here!!!  Are you ready to squeeze into that bikini or tankini?  I almost am.  No joke, the Special K diet really works.  Replace two of your meals with Special K cereal  ( Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran or any other cereal that offers 110 -130 calories per serving) eat sensible snacks inbetween and have a portion controlled dinner or lunch and voila, 6 lbs. in two weeks.  This takes lots of self control because you will feel unsatisfied, that is when the snacking comes in.  Vegetables, low fat yougurt, even reduced fat crackers and cheese make a really nice snack, just make sure to keep watch on those calories.  Sometimes we have to suffer a little to look good, I’m sure some of you may disagree with me, however, we do suffer from high caloric meals filled with fat.  Our hearts are scrutinized daily do to what we eat, even thin people can have heart attacks!  If you are healthy and don’thave any blood sugar issues and can use to lose a few pounds, then why not try this.  You have nothing to lose but a few pounds.  I lost about 30 lb. in two years, however, I do not lead a sedentary lifestyle, diet and exercise should go hand in hand.  I also watch the portions I take in, I have learned to cut back calories by just eating half of what I used to.  Honestly that is really all that is needed, calory reduction.  By all means still have a hamburger, just don’t supersize and know that the rest of the day, you are pretty much eating yougurt and vegetables.  Rule of thumb, I never drink soda or juice during the week, these drinks are poison to a dieter and will counter affect your progress…….sugar adds pounds!!!!

So this is really happening. More and more people are getting laid off from their jobs, some have been working for the company for over 20 years. How sad! You know what is worse, is when you are told you are to go a week before. That actually happened at the small family owned company where I work at. A long term employee has been asked to find another job because the owner can no longer keep her on, due to decreasing profit and increasing overhead. The thing that bothers me the most is that certain family members are also employees but they are exempt from this downsizing just because they are family members. Does anyone know if this is legal? I have been racking my brain and searching for answers via the internet, however, labor laws get so hairy and hard to follow. This is an unfair situation, personally, layoff in small businesses should count on productivity. If an employee is not productive, and these family members often are, then they should be the first to go. I believe that once you become an employee, you should be treated as one. I kid you not I feel like I can jump out of my skin right now, that is how angry I am. This is completly WRONG!!!!!! Well, I hope there are some answers out there, and for all you owners of small businesses, NEVER EMPLOY FAMILY IF YOU CANNOT BE FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!

So the new thing in grocery stores are these cute little canvas bags that cost .99 cents. What a deal, let’s start helping our enviornment by contributing a couple of bucks for a good cause.  Think about it, eventually plastic bags will be out of the loop, leaving us all with paper.  Hello?  paper kills trees!!! Stop the madness and the harm to this beautiful place we call Home and buy some canvas bags people.  Personally, I have 12 sitting in the trunk of my car ready to be used whenever possible.  These little guys are not just for groceries, they can be used for everyday purposes and they hold lots of weight.  Maybe you can even use it as a pet carrier, who knows.  Some grocery stores go as far as having great little designs on them to make them more appealing to the fashion forward kinda person.  Hang up your Louis Vuitton and drape on Trader Joe’s, he actually has an awesome summer bag.  Well next time you stop in to pick up some milk add a .99 cent bag to your bill, trust me , you will thank me later.  Enjoy your grocery shopping or just plain shopping with your new bags and let you, be the envy of the neighborhood.

Ok, so times are tough! What to do when you are faced with a layoff and you have mouth’s to feed. That is what people are facing today. It is not easy to pick up what pride you have left and move on, the bitter truth is that we all are suffering in this devastating economy.  Unemployment is there for a reason and that is pretty much all you can do to to keep you afloat until an opportunity comes along.  Don’t let depression get the best of you yet, you must fight on. There are many web-based job resource pages that make job hunting easier, just stick to it, something will come up, the net is your friend. Now a days keeping a copy of your resume handy is a must, take it from me, no matter how long you have been employed at your company, it just goes to show……..you are just another body.  Another lesson I have learned is that, working for family owned businesses that emplyee their family hold only family to heart and no matter how valuable you are and how lousy they are, you will be gone before them.  So with that said I must say being laidoff stinks!

I contacted my travel agent today for some airfare pricing, destination……..Italy. I almost fell over when he quoted me a $1200.00 price per person and $1000.00 per child.  He told me that my airfare is actually pretty inexpensive, however, the fuel and taxes are almost $ 400.00 per ticket.  That is so ridiculous, I think, as most of you out there do as well, that gas prices are getting out of hand.  For people like my family who have relatives overseas, it is almost impossible to ever see them.  I am sure that prices will continue to rise day to day do to our never ending oil crisis, I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.  It is truly depressing.  I wonder how many more airlines will be going out of business before our economy shapes up, I am sure that many of you out there will think twice before booking that vacation in the Bahamas.  It used to be that even up to last year you could book a round trip ticket to Hawaii for $600.00, now you’ll be lucky if you can score anything close to a grand.  I truly hope for the best, but only time will tell, hope all your backyards are landscaped.

That is the question.  Wow those MMR’s, can’t live with them can’t live without them. Does anyone out there have a good reason why a child should not receive this potential life altering vaccine? No solid evidence has been noted on the link between the MMR’s and Autism, however, more and more  people seem to believe that that is untrue.  I personally would like to hold off on having my son vaccinated but other parents are ready to shout out at the top of their lungs that I am a bad mother. How can I, as a mother, put my child at risk to these potentially fatal viruses but on the other hand take a chance with the whole Autism disorder.  I have never been more confused in my life, it would kill me to know that I had a hand in changing the little guys life.  I don’t look down upon parents who go ahead with the vaccines, althoug I ask myself  how can I not question Science, afterall humans are the ones who study Science and we all know humans make mistakes. I’m at loss, any suggestions?

I too suffer from the growing gas prices that tug at my credit card when I fill up. I used to love the lavish gifts I would receive from my beloved. Designer bags, diamonds, inpromptu trips to Vegas and lets not forget the Stuart Weitzmen’s. Now I’m lucky if I get to go out to dinner once a month! Living in the OC does not guarantee you a ticket to stardom on A&E. So rest assured we are suffering too. I don’t drive a fancy car and I started dying my own hair, oh yeah, I also started painting my own nails. My other half has even gone as far as timing my showers, I’m lucky if I get to shave both of my legs. I used to be a princess, now I’m the servant girl. My how one’s life can change, the only thing that doesn’t change is my monthly mortgage…I can always count on that! Well economizing is actually a good thing so I think we should all come together and help ourselves out. Until next time….tata