Today I want to share with y'all a couple of things that have been total game changers for me health-wise. When you find something that works or learn something new, you should share, so here goes!
About a year ago I posted about oil pulling and how I had begun an experiment with it in hopes of finding a natural solution to my dental problems. Lo and behold, a year later and I'm still going strong! I had my check-up the other day with my dentist and got a routine cleaning. My hygienist didn't take x-rays since I'm five months pregnant, and let's just say I was really happy to not have to stick my foot out while I gagged on the seemingly gargantuan pieces of plastic they put in your mouth. Yuck! My visit was quick and painless, and I could have fallen asleep in the chair since I was so relaxed and confident. The only thing she found? A little redness on my lower gums, most likely due to pregnancy (yup, the little nugget inside me makes dental hygiene harder!).
Strangely enough, I hadn't experienced any sensitivity to heat or cold since I got my mouth under control. That is, until I got my cleaning. It could be due to the cleaning exposing certain parts of my gum that weren't before, or it could be that I have no exposure to fluoride except for what's in tap water. I can't say for sure, but I know that after a couple days of oil pulling it was gone again. At this point I can definitely say that oil pulling works as well, if not much better, than traditional dental hygiene. If you're like me and find that all the toothpaste, mouthwash, and floss in the world just isn't cutting it, no matter how many times a day you do it, I encourage you to take a couple of months to try oil pulling. It's weird, and people might think you're crazy, but when they see your beautiful smile and realize you don't use toothpaste EVER, you'll look like a boss.
In other news, oh yeah I'm pregnant! We're 25 weeks in with our baby girl who is growing strong and healthy and already shows promise of being a great soccer player. Obviously with pregnancy comes a lot of changes in physical and emotional health. But what I really want to share with y'all, especially my lady-friends, is what happened before I got pregnant.
Most women nowadays go on some form of birth control (most commonly the pill) soon after they get engaged because, well, "I'm getting married and we don't want babies yet." Now while I believe that putting off children for a little while is good and healthy for a newlywed couple (so long as the timing of children has been discussed and agreed upon), I do think more couples should take into consideration how they're preventing pregnancy. Sure, the pill is easy and convenient, but have you thought about how it affects your body?
If you read my pregnancy announcement post, you'll know what I went through before trying to get pregnant. Years of hormone treatment had me rattled about whether or not it would happen, but by God's sweet favor we got pregnant within four months. But what happened in those four months was of great interest as well. We all know that medications have side effects and that different bodies respond differently to those meds. However, I didn't expect such a drastic change in my health when I came off of birth control. Within the first month I saw major changes:
- My energy levels went up.
- My emotional state was more balanced (no more cry-fests).
- My complexion got better.
- The constant bloating in my abdomen went away.
- My oral hygiene improved, and my teeth didn't seem to "hang on" to food as tightly.
- Frequent nausea went away.
- And my lactose-intolerance completely disappeared! (I'm sitting here with a glass of whole milk drinking to my heart's content by the way.)
I literally had no idea what those pills were doing to my body! Now granted, I had a special case where I needed to be regulated, but looking back now, if I had known how much the pill would affect me, I would have stuck with my old treatment that worked just fine and used other means of contraception. My husband and I have already agreed on alternative methods of pregnancy prevention when our daughter arrives, simply because my health is better off without the pill.
So, if you're a woman who's looking into contraception, or if you're a guy who is engaged to a special lady who you hope will one day be the mother of your children (but not just yet), I ask that you take into consideration these things. These days society says sexual freedom comes in pill form and being able to do whatever you want whenever you want, but I have to disagree. I have a problem with a pill that is so quickly offered to women, even young girls, without knowing just how it will affect their bodies. In my opinion, understanding the female body and how it works on a month-to-month basis is one of the most empowering things a woman can do for herself. A book that I've come to love is "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler, and I plan to have my daughter read it when she's old enough. It explains beautifully and clearly all the workings of a woman's cycle whether she's just tracking, or trying to prevent or achieve pregnancy.
Hopefully all this info and my experiences with it can be of some help to others, and I hope that you've learned something. I'm always open to questions about this stuff, as I want to see others find relief sooner rather than later, so get in touch if you have a question. Be blessed my friend!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
When your husband is a gamer
For anyone who knows us, it is common knowledge that my husband and I love board games. I'm not quite as enthusiastic about them as he is, but I have grown a great appreciation for complex strategy and competition. Who can resist stomping their friend's meeples or watching their deck of resources grow into a powerful empire? (cue evil laughter drowning out helpless souls crying out for mercy)
Now video games? That's a completely different subject. I'm not into video games at all. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly amazing and beautiful and complex video games out there. I love the way the world of video games is evolving into something with much more personality and nobility than button-mashing and high scores. But I would rather sit and watch my husband play a game excitingly well than play one myself. Yes, I'm that boring.
But what happens to a couple when your hubby really really really loves a good MMO with great design, great stories, and all the coolest gear you could imagine? Our first year of marriage is what happens.
My husband and I used to play Rift, and while I could play for a couple of hours at max on a regular day, my husband could easily put away an entire weekend of nothing but gaming and diet mountain dew if I let him. And sometimes, I let him. After all, he had spent the whole week bringing home the bacon and making sure I was taken care of. How can you say no to a man who can play video games for that long, and yet still get all his stuff done?
Nevertheless, I didn't like how much time he could log away playing games, and I let him know it. Surely there were better ways to spend his time besides just raiding and dungeoning with his random-stranger-guild-buddies! We would have arguments about his amount of play, and all I could do was search for a reason to make him stop, but to no avail. Things got done, bacon was brought home, and I couldn't find a legitimate reason to make him stop playing. Even he understood that it probably wasn't the best use of time, but if things got done, why stop doing something he really enjoyed? Still, I was quietly angry and I didn't know why.
This was a major point of tension for us, and we had a hard time resolving the issue. Eventually things got too busy for him to keep playing so regularly, and we quit playing Rift altogether. But I also figured out what it was that bothered me most when he spent his weekends on the game. You see, while he would go into another world and play with friends he would never meet, I would try to find other ways to fill my time or enjoy my weekend. But truthfully, all I really wanted was for him to spend time with me. Even if it meant just going to the store or watching a movie with me. It wasn't like we got to to be together all the time, and a weekend with no plans meant lots of time for us. But "us time" didn't happen when there were endless raids and dungeons to be conquered.
Before I go on, let me say this: I have no problem with video games at all. I can appreciate them, and I can appreciate that they are something my husband really enjoys. He's good at them and they take his mind off of work and the pressures of being an employee, husband, and soon-to-be-father long enough to let him relax. And I love to hear him laugh while doing something he loves. Everyone needs something that does that, and most of us have it. It's our hobbies; our passions. For some it's video games, half an hour at the coffee shop, knitting, running, and the list goes on. I'm sure you're thinking of what yours is right now.
The thing is that in marriage, we have to remember that we are two different people who like different things. I like Pinterest and my husband likes late-night raids with his guild. There's nothing wrong with those things. The problem is when we spend more time focusing on those things, and not enough time remembering that our spouse needs us too, or communicating that we need them. Because I failed to tell my husband that I needed his attention, he failed to give it to me, and around we went wondering what was wrong. But once we established some ground rules about his amount of gaming, we found a balance that allows him to enjoy something he loves, while still making sure our marriage is tended to.
If you're a wife whose husband loves gaming (or any other hobby), but you feel like it's cutting into your relationship, here's a few things to try:
1. TALK about it. - Chances are good that he has no idea you're upset about it; or if he knows you're upset, he doesn't know why. Tell him how you feel about the amount of time he spends doing such-and-such, and why it makes you feel that way. Communicate what your expectations are when he has that much time to spare.
2. Encourage him. - Make sure that he understands you don't have a problem with him doing what he loves. It's important to show interest in what our spouse loves and let them know we support them, BUT...
3. There is a time to work and a time to play. - ... when an interest gets in the way of work, taking care of responsibilities, finishing that project he started, or just being present for his family (and not in a make-believe dungeon), then it's probably time to sort through our priorities.
4. Set some boundaries. - If need be, agree on some hours with him to do what he loves, and don't be stingy. We all need a little "me-time." For example, my husband plays his game in the evening and knows that I expect him to finish whatever he and his guild are doing by midnight on weeknights, and 2 am on Fridays or Saturdays, depending on our plans. If he needs to have certain things done before he plays, make a plan together to see those things fulfilled and his needs met.
5. Promise to be open and communicate. - This is the hard part for you. You have to voice your feelings. I've promised my husband that if I start to feel he's spent too much time on the game, if I need him for something, or just want him to come be with me, I'll speak up. If you never say anything, he will never know and will assume you're okay with how things are. Tell him that you'll be honest with him so that he knows when it's time to stop and you don't turn into a ball of rage.
Happy gaming!
Now video games? That's a completely different subject. I'm not into video games at all. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly amazing and beautiful and complex video games out there. I love the way the world of video games is evolving into something with much more personality and nobility than button-mashing and high scores. But I would rather sit and watch my husband play a game excitingly well than play one myself. Yes, I'm that boring.
But what happens to a couple when your hubby really really really loves a good MMO with great design, great stories, and all the coolest gear you could imagine? Our first year of marriage is what happens.
My husband and I used to play Rift, and while I could play for a couple of hours at max on a regular day, my husband could easily put away an entire weekend of nothing but gaming and diet mountain dew if I let him. And sometimes, I let him. After all, he had spent the whole week bringing home the bacon and making sure I was taken care of. How can you say no to a man who can play video games for that long, and yet still get all his stuff done?
Nevertheless, I didn't like how much time he could log away playing games, and I let him know it. Surely there were better ways to spend his time besides just raiding and dungeoning with his random-stranger-guild-buddies! We would have arguments about his amount of play, and all I could do was search for a reason to make him stop, but to no avail. Things got done, bacon was brought home, and I couldn't find a legitimate reason to make him stop playing. Even he understood that it probably wasn't the best use of time, but if things got done, why stop doing something he really enjoyed? Still, I was quietly angry and I didn't know why.
This was a major point of tension for us, and we had a hard time resolving the issue. Eventually things got too busy for him to keep playing so regularly, and we quit playing Rift altogether. But I also figured out what it was that bothered me most when he spent his weekends on the game. You see, while he would go into another world and play with friends he would never meet, I would try to find other ways to fill my time or enjoy my weekend. But truthfully, all I really wanted was for him to spend time with me. Even if it meant just going to the store or watching a movie with me. It wasn't like we got to to be together all the time, and a weekend with no plans meant lots of time for us. But "us time" didn't happen when there were endless raids and dungeons to be conquered.
Before I go on, let me say this: I have no problem with video games at all. I can appreciate them, and I can appreciate that they are something my husband really enjoys. He's good at them and they take his mind off of work and the pressures of being an employee, husband, and soon-to-be-father long enough to let him relax. And I love to hear him laugh while doing something he loves. Everyone needs something that does that, and most of us have it. It's our hobbies; our passions. For some it's video games, half an hour at the coffee shop, knitting, running, and the list goes on. I'm sure you're thinking of what yours is right now.
The thing is that in marriage, we have to remember that we are two different people who like different things. I like Pinterest and my husband likes late-night raids with his guild. There's nothing wrong with those things. The problem is when we spend more time focusing on those things, and not enough time remembering that our spouse needs us too, or communicating that we need them. Because I failed to tell my husband that I needed his attention, he failed to give it to me, and around we went wondering what was wrong. But once we established some ground rules about his amount of gaming, we found a balance that allows him to enjoy something he loves, while still making sure our marriage is tended to.
If you're a wife whose husband loves gaming (or any other hobby), but you feel like it's cutting into your relationship, here's a few things to try:
1. TALK about it. - Chances are good that he has no idea you're upset about it; or if he knows you're upset, he doesn't know why. Tell him how you feel about the amount of time he spends doing such-and-such, and why it makes you feel that way. Communicate what your expectations are when he has that much time to spare.
2. Encourage him. - Make sure that he understands you don't have a problem with him doing what he loves. It's important to show interest in what our spouse loves and let them know we support them, BUT...
3. There is a time to work and a time to play. - ... when an interest gets in the way of work, taking care of responsibilities, finishing that project he started, or just being present for his family (and not in a make-believe dungeon), then it's probably time to sort through our priorities.
4. Set some boundaries. - If need be, agree on some hours with him to do what he loves, and don't be stingy. We all need a little "me-time." For example, my husband plays his game in the evening and knows that I expect him to finish whatever he and his guild are doing by midnight on weeknights, and 2 am on Fridays or Saturdays, depending on our plans. If he needs to have certain things done before he plays, make a plan together to see those things fulfilled and his needs met.
5. Promise to be open and communicate. - This is the hard part for you. You have to voice your feelings. I've promised my husband that if I start to feel he's spent too much time on the game, if I need him for something, or just want him to come be with me, I'll speak up. If you never say anything, he will never know and will assume you're okay with how things are. Tell him that you'll be honest with him so that he knows when it's time to stop and you don't turn into a ball of rage.
Happy gaming!
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