Author Archive

Seven Years with Chloe

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I never thought I’d be a dog person, let alone a dog mom. But after years (and years!) of campaigning, first by my husband and then by my children, we adopted our toy poodle, Chloe, seven years ago this week.

Chloe is here for everybody in our family. She was the first one I saw when I came home from dropping off my youngest child at college. I teared up and thanked G-d I still had someone to care for while adjusting to being an empty nester. Chloe is here when Jenna comes home to visit. Her tail wags like crazy when she walks through the door. When they sit on the couch together, it is like best friends who haven’t seen each other in a long time. They pick up right where they left off.

Chloe welcomes Scott home after a long day at work. They have a routine. He sings a silly song to her, and she responds with a dance around the coffee table. I think people refer to Chloe’s dance as having the “Zoomies.” It’s the cutest thing ever. When Scott is home, she wants to be as close to him as possible—whether that is snuggled up next to him in the den cheering on the Phillies or hopping into her custom backpack for a walk around the park. Did you know Chloe is a real trendsetter?! People who see them walking by always comment about how cute the dog is in the backpack. We expect to see many doggie backpacks around the neighborhood next summer.

Chloe is here for Andrew too. It took some time for her to warm up to Andrew, but now he is her constant playmate. If he is in his bedroom sleeping, she will stand at his door and bark at him to wake up and play. If we throw her favorite toy across the room, she won’t return it to us. But when Andrew does it, she brings it back—some of the time. Other times, she looks at Andrew as if to say, “Are you going to fetch that for me?” And he does because Chloe has trained him well. 😉

I can’t believe seven years have passed since we brought her home. I admit I was nervous that day because I’d never had a pet before. Of course, minutes after her foster mom left, Chloe chose me to lie down and curl up next to first. It was like she knew I was the outlier and was letting me know everything would be okay. And Chloe was right because I love her as much as my kids. I worry about her when she isn’t acting like herself. And last week, when she went to the vet for dental surgery, I found the house to be too quiet without her. If I could bring her on vacation with us, I would. She is a part of the family.

Happy Gotcha Week, Chloe!

XO,

Elisa

The Avalanche

This morning, I woke up to an avalanche in my bathroom.

I opened up the medicine cabinet to grab my toothbrush when suddenly, I was showered with prescriptions, face creams, and eye drops. Everything fell loudly into the sink, likely waking everyone in the house.

Why are medicine cabinets so small? They are poorly designed, with space for not much more than trial-size tubes of toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and shaving cream. It blows my mind that my cabinet is intended to hold these things and more for both me and my husband.

And now, I’m having an ah-ha moment. Maybe they call it a medicine cabinet because it is not intended for anything beyond our meds. If it was called a toiletry cabinet, wouldn’t it be so much more user-friendly? The shelves would be at least twice as deep to accommodate everything we put in there. Now I know why toiletry bags are so popular.

Anyway, my other thought as I was cleaning up the mess was — why do I have so many different kinds of eye drops? Were they on sale? Did my optometrist come over and fill up my cabinet with free samples while I was sleeping? I counted six varieties: red eyes, itchy eyes, and dry eyes, along with contact lens rewetting drops, steroid drops, and an expired antibiotic. If that wasn’t enough, I also have a cleaning solution for my contacts and a separate lens cleaner for my glasses. Thanks, Doc!

In hindsight, I should have invested my money in Bausch & Lomb. Just like Barnes & Noble, I’m certainly doing my part to keep them in business.

What do you have too much of in your medicine cabinet? Inquiring minds want to know. 

XO,
Elisa

Celebrating Self-Care Awareness Day

Life is crazy busy, and we often put ourselves last on the priority list. It’s not our fault. A third of our days could be spent on work or taking care of our families, while another third we are sleeping. And I couldn’t even tell you what I did during the third slice of that 24-hour pie. Cooking? Cleaning? Showering? Reading? Sky-Diving?

Okay, maybe not sky-diving. I’d remember that.

So, after running errands yesterday, I had a decision to make — go home and do laundry or stop at Rita’s Water Ice for a treat. As if deciding for me, the car sped past the turnoff to my house and headed straight toward the nearest Rita’s. I had the mango gelati with vanilla custard. Delicious. Sometimes, it is the little things that make a big difference.

Yesterday was International Self-Care Day. It is purposely set on the 24th day of July (the seventh month of the year) to remind us to practice self-care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to this website, self-care is meant to “protect one’s happiness and well-being, especially during times of stress.” This year’s theme is “Resilience, Adaptability, and Thriving in Adversity.” That is quite a tall order, but not impossible. When I posted a question about practicing self-care on my Facebook page today, here are some of the ways my friends do it.

  • Stop checking their email
  • Turning off their phone
  • Meeting up with a friend for a meal (or a gelati)
  • Enjoying a nature walk
  • Spending some time in therapy
  • Immersing oneself in an activity they love, such as gardening, tennis, journaling, or krav maga.
  • Saying no and setting boundaries

Practicing self-care is nothing to feel guilty about. We should embrace it and make sure it is an integral part of our lives. It helps us relieve stress, avoid burnout, and feel better. Some days, it’s about treating ourselves to a mango gelati. Other times, it can be a mani/pedi, some retail therapy, or a mental health day. The important thing is to give yourself permission to put yourself first — before doing the laundry.

What would you add to this list? Put your answer in the comments, and then do it. 🙂 

XO,

Elisa

 

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