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This Week // 01.16.15

DenaJanuary 16, 2015

livelovesimple.com

livelovesimple.com

livelovesimple.com

Nesting + Decluttering

I’ve heard so many people say recently that they are on a mission to declutter. I think it’s wonderful! Imagine a society where we are all more mindful of the things that surround us and the things that we bring into our homes. I don’t want to get too far off onto a tangent about sustainability, but it’s a wonderful thing both for our planet and for our peace of mind.

We started this round of epic decluttering just before Christmas and we’re still going strong. The length and breadth of this project is testament to just how bad things had gotten around here. It’s scary and uncomfortable to witness just how much crap we’ve accumulated in the past couple of years. I actually break down in tears a few times a week and get completely overwhelmed with the scale of it. Realistically, I know that things are not that bad around here — but when you combine junk + pregnancy hormones + a baby due in just over two months — there are bound to be some tears.

It’s all for a wonderful cause though and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re chipping away at everything day-by-day and I can see the progress.

Home-bound

The temperatures have been absolutely frigid, so it really is the perfect opportunity to tackle these house projects. It’s been far below freezing and just the past couple of days it’s “warmed up” to right around the freezing point. We’ve been spending all of our time indoors. Aside from cleaning, I’ve been doing a lot of homemade cooking, little projects with Roman, and we’ve been taking car rides a couple of days each week, too.

I’ve been tempted to schedule some play dates or even make a trip to the library, but apparently this flu season has reached epidemic proportions in our state (and around the country). I actually contracted the flu when I was pregnant with Roman, and needless to say, it was just the worst. So we’ve been absolute hermits for weeks. I’m praying for a break in the weather and maybe even an early spring(!) so that we can get out into the great outdoors sooner rather than later.

Pregnancy Anemia

When I woke up Monday night/Tuesday morning for one of my many “potty runs” I felt quite dizzy. I didn’t think too much of it and fell back asleep. Then, when I woke up in the morning, the dizziness was severe. I couldn’t lift my head without the room spinning and I had to hold the wall for support just to stand. It was really terrifying. My first thought was that it had to do with my blood pressure because I remember hearing from other women that it can become an issue during pregnancy. I was frightened, but not completely panicked because baby girl was moving about in her usual way.

I tried all of the normal solutions (laying on my left side, drinking water, eating something) and while I had some relief, the dizziness didn’t disappear completely. I called my doctor and they said I should come in right away. A look at my most recent blood work showed low iron/pregnancy anemia. I was completely shocked. I’ve never had iron issues in my life and considering that I eat a largely vegetarian diet, I always make extra certain that I’m taking in adequate amounts of iron. However, I suppose that pregnancy changes all!

Remember how I was just saying the other day that I’ve been craving meat? Well, now I know why! It also explains the severe shortness of breath I was experiencing, and why I was devastatingly tired no matter how much I slept. Of course shortness of breath and exhaustion are normal for pregnancy, but I knew it was beyond that. It’s a bit of a relief to know that it wasn’t in my head. I’ve been on iron pills for two days now and haven’t had any more dizzy spells. I’m glad that we caught it before there were any severe consequences. Now I will stay on top of it and I’m packing more iron into my diet than ever!


I suppose that’s it for this week’s update. I hope that you have the loveliest weekend, friends. I’ll be back next week with one of my favourite recipes ever and with Roman’s 20-month update, too. xx

Comments (4)

  • Suzy

    January 16, 2015 at 1:06 pm

    Decluttering is so so emotional pregnant or not! When we were packing and moving, I felt nauseous about all. the. crap. we had. But at least we can learn from it and hopefully better ourselves, at least for a little while; )

    I really really want to ready: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/1607747308/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3E2A7OS8633C2&coliid=II72RS7LUF5T9
    I love the japanese lifestyle and am curious to see what her take on it is.

    I’ve been trying to avoid taking Sam to many public places too. A bad cold, flu and even strep is circulating around Charlotte. Sam’s pretty much as had a cold since Thanksgiving. Thankfully he hasn’t gotten anything worse, but still. Yay for daycare!

    Feel better mama! Nice you see you posting more too: )

  • Tina

    January 17, 2015 at 11:58 am

    First of all, thank you for this post. I’ve been having intense dizzy spells and feeling like I’ve had low pressure the last few days and I had no idea why… but my iron is often low so that’s probably what’s happening right now! Going to the doctor asap haha THANK YOU for reminding me. Also, decluttering is my favorite. The more trashbags of things I get rid of, the lighter I feel mentally. It’s such a calming and gratifying thing to purge material things! Also, your captcha really makes me feel stupid how long it takes me to figure out grade school math.

  • farzana

    January 18, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    I had pregnancy anemia, too. Some of my friends took i/v iron which was helpful in their case . But I was terrified & my OG transfuse me with blood after the delivery which turned out bad & had to be stopped due to allergic reactions!
    Anyway, Take care & take a lot of iron!

  • roberta

    January 21, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    started painting my place …so good excuse to start getting rid of stuff….your right cant believe how much you can collect….i have a hard time letting go of certain stuff i never use but has an emotional attachment….how do i get rid of those things…thats a problem for me

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