1.) I went into withdrawal

Of course there were the caffeine headaches. The pounding-maybe-I-should-drink-just-one-cup kind of headaches. Then, that foggy brain feeling. I was goofy in that first week of “detox.” I was having trouble getting sentences out or staying focused at work, but those symptoms go away in less than a week. Honestly, the toughest part of the withdrawal is the mental connection you have with caffeine. It’s like your brain is telling you, “You need this. You won’t make it through the day without it. You need to stop at Starbucks because it’s part of your routine and your whole day will feel ruined without it.” Ok, Satan!! It’s seriously just the mind-f*ck that keeps many of us downing caffeine. What helped me was still keeping the daily routine going, just ordering decaf. I’d still get three shots of espresso, just all decaf. I also stopped drinking Diet Pepsi. I’ve switched to Fresca for when I want a pop.

2.) My panic disorder symptoms improved

This was the real reason I decided to ditch caffeine. When my panic attacks resurfaced in early 2019, I knew I had to take control of my wellbeing. Caffeine is a major trigger for anxiety. The highs and lows of caffeine can really aggravate your nervous system, hence triggering an attack. Within a couple weeks, I noticed it was helping taking the edge off. I also think, at a time my panic attacks had me spiraling, kicking caffeine felt empowering. I had taken control of something in my life. I had “beaten” this. I could carry that momentum into other places in my life.

3.) I started sleeping better

I’m a notoriously light sleeper. I toss, turn, and wake about 20 times a night-no exaggeration; And if my anxiety is acting up, then I’m also struggling to fall asleep. (My panic attacks are worst at night.) I am now sleeping sounder and deeper. I think I’m even hitting my REM again, because I can recall dreams now.

4.) My energy actually improved

This! So much, this! I am telling you- I can make it through the day better now than I could when I was pounding caffeine. A big reason? I’m not crashing mid-day anymore. I also think it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m sleeping more soundly. It’s giving me a steadier energy to make it through my day. Even on mornings where I didn’t sleep well, I still order decaf because I don’t want to end up in that same cycle as before.

5.) My headaches decreased

This was a surprise bonus that I didn’t expect, but it makes sense! Caffeine can actually cause rebound headaches. If you don’t know what that means, think of it this way: Caffeine can serve a purpose in medications. If you’re a migraine sufferer you may find that meds like Excedrine Migraine have caffeine in them. Well, that’s great, if you’re not already using caffeine daily. It will help zap that headache. But, if you find yourself popping two Excedrine Migraines a day, you will start to notice you seem to have a headache come on everyday. That’s because of the caffeine in it. The pills start to have the opposite effect and start to cause the headaches because your body starts to crave the caffeine in them. That takes us back to withdrawal.

I’m telling you mama (and daddy, and entrepreneur, and boss, student, doctor, etc.), you can do this! If you think it will make you feel better, it likely will! Have you cut out caffeine? Are you considering it? Drop me a note below! Or add me on 自收自支 and let’s chat! @The.自收自支.影院网站.Mom

影院网站 in news can be exciting, fun, rewarding, and often desensitizing. We see the worst (and sometimes best, but mostly the worst). People complain we show only the negative things, but it’s our job to expose reality in hopes of creating change.

This week, we lost three children in three separate, but equally awful tragedies. First, a toddler just a few months younger than my son Hayden, who drowned in a pool. The very same day we were doing a story on the first-responders who went to that incident, they were called to a 10-year-old girl who was hit while crossing the street with her brother. She died two days later. The following day, an 11-year-old boy on his bike was hit and killed by a semi. My heart ached, my stomach hurt.

I won’t even touch on the standoffs, shootings, and other situations we covered this week.

Oh, and to top it off, we started our week with active shooter training— just two weeks after the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings, and just days after I sent my daughter off to first grade.

Guys, it was just a lot. Sometimes we do “feel” the news.

I see some of our newest hires, and they get into this business to try and expose truth, tell stories that need told, and they have this sparkle in their eyes.

I saw that sparkle dim in the eyes of one this week.

The reality— sinking in— that as beautiful as this world is, man, it sucks.

The best journalists are the ones who’ve had their hearts broken, the ones who have lost, the ones who can relate in some way to the heart breaking stories we have to tell.

But at the end of the day, at the end of a long week, this job is a reminder that life is precious, and short, and we should be soaking up every moment we get. That we shouldn’t hold grudges. That we shouldn’t sweat the small stuff… and that we should always end every goodbye with a hug, a kiss, and an “I love you”.

It’s real. It’s something men don’t understand… and it’s something we all try to hide.

If you’re a 影院网站 mom like me, you know the feeling: it’s 2pm, daycare calls to tell you that your baby has a fever and has to be picked up within an hour.

The sinking feeling hits immediately. You have to tell your boss you need to go. You feel guilty leaving in the middle of work. Then you feel guilty for not thinking 100% of your sick child. And then you’re thinking, “If it’s a fever, that means he can’t return for 24 hours. Now one of us has to stay lightroom tomorrow, too.” That means you’re either letting work down, letting your husband down, or letting your sick baby down.

I’m here to say, it sucks, but stop.

Feeling guilty does no good. It’s not good for your baby, it’s not good for your marriage, and if you’re not focused, you’re probably not being a good employee either.

But it’s not just sick days? I feel guilty leaving them at daycare.

Ahhh… the old daycare vs. staying lightroom battle. Look, you have to do what feels best for you. Bottom line: a happy mom is a good mom. I don’t know where people get off on hating daycare. Do you judge parents who send their kids to kindergarten? Of course not… and quite honestly, that’s no different than daycare. I loved it when my kids were at daycare. They were around new people and lightroomizing with other children. Annabelle thrived in daycare. Her capacity to learn amazed me. She knew all these songs and concepts I never would’ve taught her. Just like any situation, be aware of where you’re sending your child and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Besides, they’d probably rather be around other kids than you all day!

Our family of four (plus two dogs and a cat) packed up and moved 1,000 miles away to Omaha. Seemingly out of the sky, I got a job offer as Assistant News Director at our sister station and after visiting Omaha, we realized it would be a wonderful place to raise our family.

However, timing is never perfect. As you’ll notice on the blog, we were mid-renovation on our 1930s Craftsman. The upstairs had the old, raw hardwoods that we couldn’t afford to finish. The kitchen still had the yellow linoleum and dark green painted cabinets. Our downstairs bathroom desperately needed an update. We had a month to figure out how we were going to get it ready for market and move across the country with basically no savings. (Remember, I was just a couple months back from maternity leave.)

Welp, with help from my dad, our friends, and a freshly opened Chase Sapphire card (I would have to wait to be reimbursed for relocation) we got to work.

My dad drove from Michigan and stayed for a two-day flooring blitz. He extended the Pergo floors from the dining and living room into the kitchen.

He also helped us get started on the main bath remodel and started to lay the tile for us. I did all the painting though!

Our friends came over and spent their Fourth of July helping us paint the kitchen cabinets and install new hardware which was a great update for under $100. I’m so mad we didn’t do it sooner. It wasn’t hard and made looking at the kitchen way less painful!

Upstairs, we laid carpet throughout. It cost us about $1300 from lightroom Depot which was labor and materials. I was happy with that. It was an acceptable quick fix to get it listed. We also finished painting the master bedroom to match its 《放课后的体育课》第一季 half-bath reno we had completed a few months before and hung the black and ‘crystal’ glam light fixture.

Then came the time where I had to leave, but Josh had to stay behind. There was still work to be done, but I needed to be in Omaha to start my job. I had a 5-year-old, an 8-month-old, a yorkie and a goldendoodle all with me in the van. Josh packed up what we needed for our new apartment in the U-Haul and we made our way for Omaha.

After getting us settled in, Josh flew back, my mom and cousin flew to Nebraska, and for two weeks they helped me care for the kids while I started my new job.

But Josh had a big job to finish in the main bath so I had to FaceTime in to help with the design. We picked things out over the phone… and luckily, I think we did alright. Check out the before and after.

I love the oil-rubbed bronze finishes and off-center sink! I wish I would’ve had all that extra space for doing my hair and makeup!

We listed the house on the market for a short time, but due to the fact that we were bleeding over $1400 a month in mortgage costs, utilities, you name it… we couldn’t keep it up long enough to sell. Instead, we decided to become landlords! So that’s where this blog is going to pick up next… Stay tuned!

In the meantime, Omaha has been such a welcoming place. If you’ve never visited, you should put it on your list. The food scene is incredible, it’s so easy to get around, and super affordable. We’re living in a lakefront apartment with some high-end finishes (Josh’s favorite is the bidet)– such a big change from the renovation environment.

Annabelle started kindergarten and Hayden celebrated his first birthday. Josh is slaying his new engineering job here, but there still aren’t enough hours in the day. We’re still trying to figure out how to keep our 1,200 square feet here clean and get everyone to where they need to be on time. As the hashtag goes… #AdultingIsHard.