Scattered Sundays

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With Jack’s soccer season on hold until after tryouts, I hadn’t been taking the time to go running. I was loving using the track around the soccer field to get some convenient runs in.

Not that I loved the running. Let’s be clear – running still very much sucks. I have never taken one step while running and thought “this seems natural”.

So, I converted some of my daily walks into a few short runs. I started with 2 miles and had been adding .5 miles when I felt comfortable with it. It was all going well and I was doing 3+ miles…and then I went to close the blinds one night.

The living room was dark and I honestly wasn’t paying attention, and I jammed my right foot into the adorable mid-century modern METAL leg of our cute chair from Costco. I hit it so hard that I lost all the nail polish on that toe. Troy hurt the crunch from down the hall.

It hurt like you wouldn’t believe it, but after a minute or so of deep breathing, while applying pressure with my other foot (side note: why do we do this? It doesn’t actually do ANYTHING), I was able to limp off to bed.

I’ve been able to walk as long as I have shoes or slippers on. I’m not sure if I broke or sprained it. But the 10-year-old former attention-seeking hypochondriac in me desperately wants a tiny cast on that toe so that all my friends have to sign it with fine-point Sharpies during recess.

Since I haven’t been able to run on it, I’m sure my training will backslide and I will have to start all over again with the running. So lame. Stupid toe.

For those in the States, today is Mother’s Day; it’s a celebratory day that is complicated for a lot of people. I have friends who don’t have good relationships with their moms, others who have lost their moms, and others who long to be moms and find today to be painful in so many ways.

Whatever today brings for you, I hope it involves doing something you enjoy, eating food you love, and being around people who love you (even if that means just being around yourself!).

Last Sunday we went to a lovely and very tiny outdoor wedding for our dear friend. It was the second wedding for both the bride and groom and they each only had their sons and a few other people in attendance. Our family made up 36% of all attendees.

She asked if I would be willing to take some photos and I told her I’d be honored to. But since I never take photos of people, she shouldn’t be surprised if I sprinkled a little parsley over her in the middle of the ceremony.

On the morning of the wedding I realized two things 1) none of us had wedding-appropriate clothing after 2.5 years of going nowhere and doing nothing and 2) none of my camera lenses were actually designed for anything but up-close detailed photography.

I did what I could and took some shots that I loved and some that are fine. I wish I could share them with you but it’s not my family and thus not anyone’s business.

I will say this – taking photos of things that move is really challenging. Give me a bowl of soup with interesting garnishes any day!

The wedding was in a friend’s backyard and the weather was thankfully cooperative and it didn’t rain. The backyard was gorgeous and May is such a stunning time for nature in the Pacific Northwest.

I showed up a few minutes early to take photos, only to find my friend still in street clothes. She handed me a curling iron and said “can you do my hair”. #secondwedding

It was a great day and we’re so happy that she has found someone who loves her, respects her, and treats her son so well. I’ve never been to a wedding that small, but I highly recommend it. It was low-key, very fast, and everyone could just hang out and chat.

Who wants to talk about periods? Literally no one? Me either. But since news this week brought forth the inevitable crackdown of uteruses, let’s get real. Regulate this.

I’m someone who has dealt with painful periods for a really long time. They were always rough and got worse after each kid was born. Nothing like birthing dudes to make my reproductive system worse. #burnthepatriarchy

Oh, and before anyone says anything about getting checked for endometriosis, it’s not that. But I do have fibroids because I’m extra.

I once had a cavity (in my tooth…)fixed without any numbing shots because I had to give a presentation later that day. I had two children without any meds. And yet, my period cramps were so severe that I would take 9-12 Advil (200 mg) per day in the first 2-3 days of my period. For years!

When I started taking Flo Vitamins to help with my skin, they had the great side effect of reducing my cramps and I was able to reduce my Advil intake down to 5-8 per day. But my cramps still sucked a lot and my periods were still crazy heavy.

After constant nagging encouragement from a friend, I finally booked a physical last fall. I was planning to see my former OBGYN, but their waiting list was booked until November 2022. Yes, as in six months from now.

Instead, I saw a naturopath whom I had seen twice in the last 13 years. She ordered a bunch of bloodwork and found that (surprise surprise) my iron is low. She explained that low iron is common in women and super common in women with heavy periods.

And when you have heavy bleeding, your iron levels drop more, and wouldn’t you know it, low iron levels actually result in excessive bleeding. It’s a crazy cycle of crap. Yay, for being a chick.

She started me on 100 mg of Progesterone to try to get the bleeding under control. I could have gone back on a low-dose birth control pill, but the pill always made me vomit for 2-3 days each month. Puke or bleed excessively; what a choice! Please see the previous comment about the joys of being a chick.

I tried the 100 mg of Progesterone for about six weeks and it really helped a lot. I had a follow-up appointment and she recommended we increase the dosage to 200 mg. And boy howdy, that has been a game-changer for my life!

Cramps are still there but not as severe. I’m down to 2-3 Advil per day and that’s glorious. But the best part is my periods aren’t nearly as heavy. Literally life-changing.

I had yet another follow-up and she asked me if I noticed any side effects of the increased dosage. She brought up things like strong mood swings, painful swelling, exhaustion, etc. I hadn’t and she said she had never treated anyone who hadn’t experienced side effects from that much Progesterone. #hormonehumblebrag

Now that the excessive bleeding had been cut down, she suggested we try adding an additional 100 mg of Progesterone for two weeks every cycle. The goal was to cut my periods down from 11 days (seriously) to a reasonable 5-6. I was game. I mean, I was practically a Progesterone rock star at this point, right?

Narrator: wrong. She was not a Progesterone rockstar. My friends, that extra 100 mg nearly did me in. I thought I was losing my mind for a solid 10 days.

Everything hurt, I was so exhausted during the day that I swear my bones felt like they weighed 200 pounds, I gained 5 pounds in 10 days, and I was near tears on the daily.

Needless to say, once I realized what was going on (it took an embarrassingly long time), I immediately stopped the extra dose. Within three days, I felt like I was back to normal. And I lost those 5 pounds within a week.

So…why am I talking about this? Because I’m sure I’m not alone in experiencing horrible periods. Nobody talks about it and nobody knows what is or isn’t normal.

So, I’m hoping that sharing my experience will help someone else talk to their doctor. And above all else: avoid that extra 100 mg if it is offered to you. 🙂

An update from last week: I’m deeply and emotionally in love with my new whiteboard and smudge-free whiteboard pens. This was the business expense I should have made years ago. The power of intoxicating organization is going to go to my head though.

I have my big ambitious list of recipes I want to photograph before school gets out, as well as a list of recipes I need to test for later in the year. Erasing something from the board once I photograph it is the Type A high that we all need in our lives.

This time…it didn’t work and Truly Madly Guilty was deleted when I was about 60% done with it. I’m first on the hold list and should hopefully be able to get it again soon so I can find out what happens.

In the meantime, I started Never by Ken Follet. It’s a book I had previously downloaded that hadn’t been deleted. It’s the first present-day book I have ever read by Ken Follet; usually, he focuses on historical time periods.

It appears this book was written during the pandemic and it has fun intrigue with the CIA, environmental implications, nation-building, etc. Ken Follet’s books tend to be 1 billion pages, so I’m sure I’ll be reading it for the next 16 months.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Genevive left this five-star review on our Air Fryer Egg Rolls {Pin this recipe}:

So so so yummy! I added just a little bit of oyster sauce for a little more umami flavor but it was amazing with or without. I made 20 egg rolls and baked them for me and my husband with homemade fried rice. And wow what an amazing dinner!

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Grilled Tomatoes With Cheese – Full of flavor, these Grilled Tomatoes With Cheese will be your new favorite appetizer or side dish. Juicy tomatoes and feta cheese are grilled on the BBQ, roasted in the oven, or baked in the air fryer. {Pin this recipe}

Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning – This Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning is made with common pantry staples. Save money and make your own delicious taco seasoning at home. {Pin this recipe}

How to Freeze Peas – Learn all the tips and tricks for freezing peas to extend the harvest. Learning how to freeze peas is a great way to preserve this delicious springtime veggie without needing to know any special kitchen skills. {Pin this recipe}

What are you having this week?