Dry Hair (Ugh.)

Every time I go to a new hairdresser, s/he inevitably says, "What kind of products do you use on your hair? It's so dry!"

For some reason, it feels perpetually like pool hair (even though I stopped swimming competitively over ten years ago).

I was using Aveda's Be Curly shampoo, but my newest hair dresser (at an organic salon in Houston!) recommended an organic shampoo called Mop. I just started trying it (I waited for my other stuff to run out), so we'll see how it goes.

She also recommended that I get some Jojoba oil from oil foods and spread it into the ends of my hair when I get out of the shower.

Any other ideas for dealing with dry hair? Maybe I should be approaching it from the inside out, instead of the outside in...

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Prefab(ulous?)

In my Mondo Beyondo course, one of the dreams that is pushing its way to the top of my consciousness is my desire to live in a complete sanctuary, an oasis.

Don't get me wrong; I love the little 1930s bungalow we live in right now in historic Houston, and we are taking steps toward making it more of a sanctuary. But the truth is, I want to live among the trees. I want to live by water. I want to envelop myself in Nature's arms (cheesy, but true).

There's a picture in Amy Butler's book that gets to the heart of what I'm talking about. Her house seems to be above the treeline, and she can look out her window and let her eyes rest upon the tops of trees. Oh, how I wish that for myself and my family!

And I want to share the land with friends. Separate small houses but a shared orchard, organic garden, swimming pool, composting, and common spaces for dinner parties. We can generate our own electricity with solar panels and live off-the-grid.

I remembered a book about environmentally houses called Prefab Green (see photo above) that I saw at Whole Earth Provision Company. And then when I was in the line at Whole Foods, I saw an article in Dwell magazine about prefabricated houses.

Since pieces of prefab homes are made in a factory, they can be faster and cheaper than site-built homes. Of course it's way more eco-friendly to move into a home that already exists, but my vision may only be possible if we buy our own land and build on it.

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Yearly Check-Up

Gosh, doctors' offices make me so nervous. It's been more than two years since I went for my yearly pap smear and well woman's exam (I'm ashamed to admit that to you!), so I trekked to the doctor for that exam, plus a whole host of other issues:

1. Fear of not ovulating
2. Pain in my shoulder (that I've had for more than a year)
3. Concern about my heart

Luckily, she's the kind of doctor who believes in yearly physicals, and she sent me down to the lab for a whole host of tests (ranging from cholesterol to thyroid). She also let me convince her to test my iron levels (which is recommended in one of my favorite conception/pregnancy books--Body, Soul, and Baby)--and my hormone levels. She says she would have to send me down to the ob/gyn department to do a full fertility work-up (which she says they won't do until we've been trying to get pregnant for a while). I'm not sure how hard it is to figure out whether or not a woman ovulates, but it seems pretty futile to spend a year trying to get pregnant if I'm not even ovulating.

Oh well. I'm not going to fret about it (since stress is the thing that will most likely make it difficult for me to get pregnant). I'm just going to keep tracking my cycle (temperature, cervical mucus), peeing on ovulation test strips, exercising, eating healthy, and relaxing. If I continue to track my cycle and it really doesn't look like I ovulate, then I will go back to the acupuncturist for some help first.

As far as my heart is concerned, I worry about it because it beats really rapidly when I exercise, even though I run extremely slowly (like 12-minute miles), and I get out of breath just from saying the two pledges every morning (we say the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge every day at school). The good doctor signed me up to wear a heart monitor from the cardiology division for a day, which I'm very excited about.

I feel silly even sharing all of this because it's probably just my hypochondria flaring up, but it's what's on my mind right now, and maybe some of you are going through something similar.

My experience reminded me that I would much rather give birth in a birthing center or at home. I hate clinical environments. Sitting in a cramped room with no windows, fluorescent lighting, and free pharmaceutical posters for "decoration" makes me so anxious. My "resting" heart-rate was 88, even though it's usually in the 70s. Ugh.

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Fabric Store Finds

I posted a request for dress pattern suggestions on my Facebook page.

Julie suggested Colette Patterns, which has some super-cute designs. However, the strapless dress pattern doesn't align well with my goal to dance uninhibitedly. (I'm just insecure like that.) The other pattern I really like--Chantilly--would probably over-emphasize my breasts.

I searched around for some free dress patterns but couldn't find anything remotely interesting. I then decided to trek to the fabric store.

Searching through books of god-awful patterns was slightly depressing. Even when I tried to ignore the dreadful fabrics and just focus on the cut of the dress, I still didn't have much luck. However, I did find some cute vintage dresses that I would like to attempt when my sewing skills have improved.

I finally settled (yes, "settled") on an "easy" dress pattern from McCall's. It's slightly daunting to think about investing a lot of time and energy into a dress that may or may not look very good on my body. Oh well. It's an adventure. I'm going to make Dress A.

I had trouble picking out the fabric (I'm indecisive like that.) but finally settled on a moda fabric from Chloe's Closet. It kind of hurts my eyes, but I'm starting to love it. When I showed it to Matt, he said, "Hey, it kind of looks like the inside of the security envelopes you've been collecting."

Hilarious!

If I like the way it turns out, I might think about applying some applique to spice it up a bit.

Here's the breakdown of the cost:

• Pattern = $7.98
• Thread = $5.39
• Fabric = $24.72
• Elastic = $0.39
• Interfacing = $2.18

TOTAL = $44.01

The fabric is in the washing machine right now. I can't wait to start!

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Ovulation and Such

So, it's pretty official: I did not ovulate last month.

I started my period last week. I counted backwards 14 days, and I definitely peed on an ovulation test strip that day (and it wasn't the day I was in the forest in 30-degree weather).

I also had very little discharge last month. Some months, I do get the stretchy, egg-white discharge that Taking Charge of Your Fertility describes. So perhaps I ovulate in some months but not others.

I should stop self-diagnosing. The last time I came up with my own diagnosis I thought I had a tumor in my stomach. I even went to the doctor for it. I sat on the table for a full five minutes describing my symptoms and answering his questions. When he finally came over to feel the tumor, he asked, "Are you sure this is what you're talking about?" I confirmed that he was, in fact, pressing in the exact spot. He said, "Well, this is just your rib."

As far as the anovulatory cycles go, I'm surprisingly not stressed out about it. Maybe it's because I think my issues are connected to stress, and I am taking serious steps to reduce my stress levels. Maybe it's because I'm already expecting conception to be a journey, and I'm okay with the fact that we are likely to face obstacles.

Regardless, I am going to the doctor tomorrow for my annual pap smear. I will explain my issues to her and hopefully get some tests done.

Wish me luck!

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It's Fun to Play at the Y-M-C-A

I've read a lot about the importance of exercising during pregnancy, but it also seems to me that it's equally important to exercise in preparation for pregnancy. Our bodies have to carry so much extra weight, and I imagine it would be easier if we had stronger core muscles. And what about stronger arm muscles for schlepping around a baby once it arrives?

Currently, my exercise regime consists of running (er, jogging) three to four times a week and doing 15 minutes of yoga three times a week. Now that my calendar is more clear, I'm wondering if I should join the YMCA and start taking classes (like Pilates and Nia), swimming, and doing some light weights.

The YMCA near my house offers the following appealing classes: Pilates, Nia, Hip Hop, Express Abs, and Spinning. I'll have to call and check out the rates. Working out at the Y might be a nice way to occupy some of my time this summer...

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April: Reflection & Rejuvenation

Photo courtesy of Nikki McClure's 2010 Calendar

Is it just me or are the months of 2010 flying by?

Let's see what I'm most proud of in March:

1. First, I managed to make it through a really stressful month pretty unscathed. Wow. Just looking back over my calendar makes my stomach clench. I had a film crew in my classroom for two days, I had to attend a very heart-wrenching family funeral, I had to speak at the school board meeting, I had to produce my neighborhood newsletter, I had to take a difficult ESL certification test, and I traveled to Indiana, West Texas, New York, and Boston.
2. I also followed through on lots of my specific goals: eliminating at least two commitments in my life, as a way to make a clearing that allows me to pursue my life dream and make more time for relaxing, finished most my work before we left for spring break, exercised regularly, starting a nightly Relaxation Ritual that includes 15 minutes of yoga, started really tracking my cycle, planned a fun Bocce ball party for friends, went to an acupuncturist, and made serious progress on our fence project.
3. Most importantly, I've managed to keep my calendar a lot more open and relaxed in April and May. Ya-hoo!

Speaking of April, here are my goals for the new month:

1. Get our fence finished, buy backyard furniture, and create a potting area. Now is the best time to be outside in Houston!
2. Start researching birth options in Houston (by getting recommendations from friends/acquaintances), start visiting birthing centers and hospitals, and start exploring the home birth option.
   
3. Start practicing Spanish for at least 20 minutes every day after school.
   
4. Try to increase the frequency of our sexual intimacy.
5. Work with my friends to plan an awesome Teach For America 10-year reunion for the teachers who taught in South Louisiana in 2000.
   
6. Start reading books about pregnancy (I'm pretty much finished with books about conception).
   
7. Start a peer-observation program at my school.
8. Maintain my Relaxation Ritual and stop adding things to my calendar.
9. Start walking after dinner.
10. Truly appreciate everything in my life and immerse myself in gratitude.
    

Goals to keep in mind for next month:

• Beautify the area around one of the trees in our backyard
  

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