Time to go to bed

Sleep. I love it. I need it. LOTS of it. Lots of quality sleep. Which I have not been getting. And our last trip to Disney made that perfectly clear as I was comfortable there. Bear loves water beds. He had one long before me, and we have had one the entire time we have been together. I hate them. My back hates them. Our most recent one had gotten so bad that I had taken to napping on the couch just to wake up not hurting once a day. We finally broke down and bought a bed. This is NOT a giveaway. I did not get a free product to review or anything. I did work for the company in the distant past (read >10 years ago). Anywho, we bought a Sleep Number bed. We put it together last night. This was the most difficult time I have ever had putting together a Sleep Number bed, which as I said I used to do all the damn time when I worked for them, because back then we did not offer installation. They do now. I recommend it. In all fairness I LIKE the assembled base much more than the old ones. It feels sturdier, they have gotten rid of the annoying squeeks from the old version. But the old ones put together easy. This one required much help from Bear. And lots of swearing from me. The mattress itself is exactly what I needed. The perfect balance of pillow top squish and the firmness my achy back needed. And Bear can make his side soft enough to kinda sorta resemble a water bed. Or whatever, I have suffered for a decade. It is his turn :P Get to know a sales person at your local store. It is totally worth waiting for a good sale, and they can give you an idea of the best time to buy/financing options (though as always I encourage save to buy, instead of paying off). And trying different mattresses out to find one that has the feel you are looking for. And definitely get the mattress pad (because if you read the fine print, no mattress pad effects the warranty) and if you have allergies, (or are worried about bed bugs) get that cover TOO. Because these beds really do last 20 years, and that is an investment worth protecting.

Remember that work in progress?

I've been trying really hard to be better to myself. And by trying I mean thinking about it and not having anything stick. Which is why I did no say I was BEING better to myself. So with that in mind (along with lots of other stuff that has been cropping up and that I am not detailing in this particular post) I am setting myself reachable goals. Not to achieve for the next week, or month, but lifestyle changes. 1. Eat according to the anti-inflammatory diet. 2. Lose 10% of my body weight. 3. Exercise minimum of 3x week for 30 minutes, working up to 5x week for an hour. 4. Meditate daily. 5. Take my vitamins and medications daily - on time. 6. Get 8 hours of QUALITY sleep. I would include drink water on this list, but I drink about a gallon a day already so that is covered. I will expand on all these in the coming days, but for starters, I am committing myself to #2 by joining a DietBet. You can join me! http://bit.ly/VLvV8o The goal is a healthy 4% in 4 weeks. There is still time to sign up until midnight tonight (EST I believe) and the pot is currently at $1275.

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In which I wish I knew if I would be feeling better forever

My doctors have me on a host of medications for my Sjogren's Syndrome. Everything from an immune suppressant to anti-inflammatories, both steroids and non. I have mentioned in a early post that I started an anti-inflammatory diet at they request as well.

The long and the short of it is that I am feeling better than I have in 10 years. Yes that good. Yes that long.

The negative is that Little Bear is miserable in school. I have mentioned that before. He continues to be asked to be homeschooled again. I feel horrid saying no, but I was in no position to when I was feeling sicker (which is why we stopped), and I just don't know if this will stick. Everyone with SS gets flares, but what if this is a fluke and I go back to my old normal.

I am considering online child led programs, or distance learning private school. These would let him get a consistent education, even if I am having a bad day. He will continue to have Sunday School, and Tae Kwon Do to insure he is used to learning in more social environment.

All these concerns are on my mind especially since on top of my health I need to consider my job, which while work at home, is starting to ramp up.

My first experience as a BzzAgent

As it does Twitter led me to BzzAgent.com. After a bit of research I decided to give it a shot. But what I was looking for, and ultimately did not find, was a play by play of what it is like to participate from someone who had done it.

I signed up and filled out some surveys. Then the next day I filled out more surveys, till I had done all that were there. I connected my accounts. I tweeted my meek but reasonable Bzzscore of 5. Then I waited.

Then today I logged in and there was a campaign waiting for me. I filled out the form to participate and tada! I will be receiving samples of cat food for Phoebe to try. They gave me a code to pick one of 3 products to purchase with free shipping via PetfoodDirect. I ordered Hill's Science Diet Ideal Balance Grain Free Adult Feline Dry Food, which I placed today around 2pm.


What I like about the process so far: This is a product I would like to try ANYWAY. And there is no pressure from BzzAgent to be anything but honest in my opinion. So far no spam, no catches.

What I don't like: Lack of campaigns. I was hoping to qualify for more, quicker. But I suppose this will come with time.