Paps

Well, just like any other lucky woman, I had to get my annual physical and "pap smear" this week. Okay so I've heard that every woman is different when it comes down to these pesty regular tests, but most women I've talked to feel the same way. They are uncomfortable. And they can hurt.

I had the sad mistake of experiencing a horrifying cystoscopy a few years back. Long story short I had multiple urinary tract infections (UTI's) that a local urologist couldn't figure out. Instead of asking me numerous questions about my lifestyle, my job, my day-to-day occurrences, he decided to put me through a serious of excruciating tests. My theory, he was just trying to make some money. But that's just me. Anyway, I go in for this cystoscopy. Reading about it beforehand I didn't think much of it. Well, this idiot decided to put me through this test completely undrugged and awake. If you've ever had this procedure done, you would know that the routine is to give the patient some sort of anesthetic-something to at least relax you while you're in stirrups with a long wired camera going into your bladder. No, not this guy. He was too good for that! After that extremely painful experience I haven't been able to do a pap easily. Well after his rigorous test he sits me in his office and proceeds to tell me that nothing is wrong with my bladder. He tells me that I must have some strange coincidence going on with all the UTI's I've been getting. He said that as a precautionary standard I should start taking a pill everyday to help reduce my chances of getting a UTI. At the time, my husband and I were trying to get pregnant. So I asked him if I could take this pill while I'm pregnant (that is whenever we get pregnant), and he looks at me with his stern eyes and said "NO!" Well, I said, why would I want to start taking a pill now that I can't take when I'm pregnant, if we're trying to have a baby? He looked me over, and with all the tests that I had went through, the painful cystoscopy, the x-rays, the scans he told me something that he should have said before I went through it all: "Well, I guess you can just try drinking more water, and going to the bathroom more often." Ah hah! That idiot could have put me through about 5 more minutes of questions on our first meeting to find out that I was in a job where I did not drink enough water, I had lots of caffeine, and I barely visited the bathroom between the hours of 8a-5p. Maybe we could have started with that suggestion before all the painful and pricey procedures were done. All that agony for that one suggestion. I walked out of his office, and vowed I would never come back. And what do you know I never had do-I stopped getting the UTI's.

Now a pap is not just a pap. I don't care who you are, when you get that letter in the mail that your number's up and it's time for your "annual physical" I am sure you're just like me. You start tensing up, you sweat, you grind your teeth. Why the hell do we have to go in every flippin' year?! I mean, I'm going into nursing I know why we have to go in that often, and I'm not trying to urge anyone not to. But I don't have to like it. When can they start giving you drugs for that test? Better yet, put me out cold. Just do what you need to do, and I'll have my husband drive me home. Who knows maybe I'll catch up on some sleep.

Ah, the joys of being a woman.

Gatherings

How funny, it starts out as a harmless get together and turns into a full blown house fixer-upper...

...I always wonder why we don't host more gatherings. And now I know why. It is unbelievably exhausting!

Let's start with the food. You contemplate for hours on what to serve. Maybe you don't want the usual on-the-grill food, like burgers and hot dogs. Maybe you want to Martha Stewart it up with a gourmet entree and side dishes that will have everyone asking "how did you make that?" Then there's the task of delegation. Oh the drama! As every guest asks "what can I bring" you must find and evenly distribute the items that they can bring to feel included in your gathering.

Then there's the question: to serve or not to serve alcohol? Let's do the math... 9 adults + 4 children = do we want so and so to rant and rave about their wild college days under the influence or would we rather not offend anyone tonight?

Or rather what do we do for entertainment? Do we become brave and arm everyone with water guns and water balloons? It will be over 90 degrees and perhaps would be a welcome way to entertain and amuse. Or maybe we shouldn't because guests could be wearing high-dollar apparel. At a cook out?

Then we come to the cleaning. Oh, the dreaded cleaning!! Spot clean the carpet. Clean the kitchen. Clean the bathrooms. Clean, clean, clean. Then the yard work. You don't want people to have to walk around dog poop and weeds. I couldn't imagine a more horrifying fate.

Yes, this all started as a harmless gathering, to do as one must do in the summer. But now I am spending my last hours up until the moment people arrive "preparing" for the event *sigh*

Maybe I'll suggest someone else host next time...I surely won't complain when I am asked to bring a side dish.

Here we go...

...with the weight loss/dieting day 1. I have been one of those lucky mom's that still has the dreaded "baby weight" that will continue to be a constant struggle to lose/keep off.

...with the beginning of a busy week. Dentist cleanings, swimming lessons, baseball games and practices are going to fill up every spare moment of our lives this week.

...with my desire to get the painting done in our house yet the lack of time and sore muscles keep me on the sidelines.

Here we go.

So today I start with my low (to no) sugar and reduced carb diet. Or in other words "deprivation diet." Although I do refuse to call it a diet. More like a change in eating habits. A few months ago, while in the middle of my nursing school semester, I did this and lost inches off of my waist and hips. It was a miracle! Especially since I did not do any workouts at all. Now I'm waking up at the crack of dawn (otherwise known as 5am) to workout 5 days a week. Most people would cringe and ask me "why?" but I actually have come to enjoy it. I like getting that time to myself. It is refreshing to get home, shower without any interruptions, then eat breakfast and have coffee in peace. Do a little reading/quiet time all before the kids wake up. I must say, I am becoming addicted to it. Good news is, I'm getting exercise!

I'm also starting to read more (non-school related) books. I like to feel somewhat normal. Right now I'm reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." It is an odd book. But intriguing. When we visited Savannah, GA I just fell in love and wanted to read a book about it. This book definitely fits that bill, but provides a bit of quirky and surprising details that keep you interested. A good summer read.

Well, now off to swim lessons and laundry...

Let Me Introduce Myself...

Hello Blogging World!

Let me introduce myself...my name for privacy purposes is Candid Mommy. I have always wanted to start a blog about our secret world of Mommyhood. We have such a complicated job, raising the children we so affectionately call "the future generation."

Though this job is tough, and we all pretend to have it "together" for sanity purposes, let's not fool ourselves into thinking this is true. This is our way to air out the laundry, so to speak. To let it all hang out-though I despise that phrase.

I encourage everyone that visits to leave comments and for all my readers to be involved in advise sharing, storytelling and overall to be a support network. After all we are our own best allies.

As a mommy of two beautiful, yet insanely fanatical children, I try on most days to keep it real. I am a stay at home mom, yet also a student in a quest for a better life. I am lucky enough to call myself happily married to a wonderful man whom I will affectionately call "Daddy" on this blog. My children "Caleb" (6 yrs old) and "Katie" (2 yrs old), are our life. We've been married for almost 7 yrs and we are "questing" for a better life, both going back to school to get into careers that we can be proud of. I have been a working mom, a stay at home mom, and a going-back-to school mom. And now I am all three. So I can understand a lot from other mothers in that same position. I have several single mom friends that are also doing it all, and I admire those mothers more than anyone else.

I will put out a disclaimer that this blog, like its name, is completely candid because I do not give away my identity. I feel that in this way I can really tell it like it is, and can get down to the nitty gritty as to how a mommy truly feels and functions. In this way I hope that anyone that reads this can laugh with me, cry with me, and refrain from beating themselves senseless with all that we do. Enjoy.