Fighting PCOS Naturally

2007 was a big turning point in my life. Along with the heartbreaking diagnosis of PCOS, I was in school full-time trying to get my Associate's degree and married to an lazy, emotionally abusive husband - we'll call him... Meanie. I was expected to get a full-time job, go to school full-time, take care of his child and keep the house spotless while he sat around and watched tv. For months I put up with it because I loved his son. Then his son's mother called Child Protective Services on us because she hated that Munchkin started calling me Mom before her. CPS determined that we could not have Munchkin back until we took parenting classes, which Meanie refused to take (Now I'm glad I didn't have a child with him). Had I received a little help cleaning from Meanie, or if he had potty-trained the dog like he promised, that wouldn't have happened. In late June, I met Razure (not real name...). He was a great friend, and hated seeing the way I was treated. He quick...

There are several reasons that I am happy it's Thursday. For one, when I get off work, I get to go home, hang out with the hubby, and watch The Big Bang Theory. When that show first came out, I decided I wasn't going to watch it. Never seemed to appeal to me. Then, one Thursday a few months ago, we had nothing else to do and decided to watch it. O.M.G. We fell in love. Now Hubs has gone and tried to find every season, so we can watch it from the beginning. I personally love Sheldon. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to self-centered, neurotic people. But anyways, back to the other reasons why I love Thursday. - It's almost the weekend! - It's What's Your Song Link Up! I just got into this Link Up thing last week through a friend's blog. I had so much fun that I decided to keep going. In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (Apr 24-30), here's one of the frew songs I have heard that talks specifically about infertility. No Less Than a Woma...

I knew almost as soon as we started our relationship that Hubs was the man I wanted to father my children. I was fully prepared and overly excited to have what we affectionately refer to as our 'demon spawn'. We had some suspicion that Hubs might need a little help increasing his count, but we weren't ready to hear the actual results of the semen analysis. We even had the test done twice, just to be sure. We were expecting to see a count of low millions, not 0. Nada. Big fat goose egg. After doing more research into azoospermia, and filling his mother with enough alcohol to get a real story about his younger years, it finally hit us. This was likely something we wouldn't be able to fix. We were devastated  It became clear that Hubs would not father my children - at least in the biological sense. It took months before I was comfortable enough with the idea of sperm donation to discuss it with him. I was freaking out. How could I ever feel comfortable cheat...

Day 12 - A picture of something you love It's hard to just choose one thing, because I love some many things. So I narrowed it down to flowers. I LOVE flowers. There's just something about them that can always make me feel better, even on the worst of days. Here are some of my favorites :) Orange Calla Lilies Daffodils of all sorts Tiger Lilies Stargazer Lilies Gerbera Daisies Parrot Tulips Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist It's still really funny to me that this is my favorite band, but I love Korn. When I was younger and not allowed to listen to heavy metal, I would get mad at some of the girls in our church congregation for calling me Corn. I even wrote their parents a letter detailing why it was so offensive to me. It included a note about this band, and how I didn't want to be affiliated with them in any way. Well, that obviously has all changed. I was excited to finally get to see them in concert last year, and will likel...

I am feeling the aftermath of tax season, and so is my body. I am self-employed, so taxes are killer. Unlike most people I know, I didn't get to celebrate a tax refund. Instead, I had to write a fairly large check two weeks ago. To overcome this major dent in our pocketbook, we had to make a few changes. First, we knew that we could not afford to go to the grocery store until my next paycheck in the middle of May. That meant we were stuck eating whatever I could scrounge up around the house. I'm well stocked with meats and canned veggies, but veggies are just so much more enjoyable when they are fresh. So because I can't get to the store to get fresh veggies, my diet is suffering. Thankfully I only gained 0.2 pounds at my Weight Watchers meeting tonight. I probably would have cried if it was more. We also did a lot of yard work to get our garden and patio competition worthy. Our apartment complex had that Earth Day contest, and we won! Thank goodness, because we needed the ...

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. Sometimes it still amazes me that with as widespread a problem this is, so many people are still oblivious to the truths about infertility. Although I am going to write a few more posts this week going into more detail about them (and hopefully even get my hubby to guest write for me!), I wanted to address just a few that have been bugging me as of late. When someone tells you they are having difficulty getting pregnant, what are the first few comments that pop into your head? "Just relax, it'll happen." "You're too young to have kids. Enjoy your life while you can." "You want kids? You can have mine!" "If God wants you to have children, you will." There are plenty more, but if I discuss every single comment, this post will take forever. "Just relax, it'll happen." - No, it won't happen if I relax. My husband does not produce sperm, so relaxing and just enjoying...

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most        My Dad. We may have our issues, but in the end he always helps me, even if it's not the way I want it :) Day 10 - A picture of you and your family        At the wedding :) Day 11 - A picture of something you hate        Ugh. Onions. I hate them in every form they exist.

A little over a week ago, we came home to a note a flyer on our door from the resident office at out apartment complex. It was an entry form for their Earth Day contest. The winner is chosen based on how pretty and clean the patio is. First place wins $300 off May's rent. Well, after the damage the IRS did to my checkbook, I could really use the discounted rent this month. So I got to work making my already pretty garden even prettier. The contest is this afternoon, and I can't wait to find out the results. Although I'm obviously partial, I do believe that my yard is the prettiest. Here are some pics. Let me know what you think! (You can click on the picture to make it bigger)

I used to believe that the only way to control a disease as overwhelming as PCOS was with prescription medications. I have since found that I was way off base. I have had so much more success controlling my symptoms with all-natural herbs and supplements that I'm now always looking for other holistic ways to assist in this journey towards becoming a mother. I recently heard about Circle+Bloom from Natural-Fertility-Info.com , and ventured over to the website. Although I'm really interested in all-natural (and even some superstitious) approaches to getting pregnant, I was hesitant about getting interested in this type of program. Then I read the testimonials. “Your PCOS for Fertility Program worked!!!! I finally ovulated! You have no idea how happy I am! Thank you all so much! I am telling everyone I know. This is the best money I’ve ever spent!” Liz, via email “I decided to get the PCOS for fertility program to try to calm down and let things take its course. I used it for...

I think this is more the song of my life at the moment, but it seemed like the song I needed to share first on this Link Up journey. As we battle with infertility, we look for support anywhere we can. Websites, blogs and support groups are easier to find, but songs aren't. There are thousands of love songs, but only a few infertility songs. It's hard to talk about and hard to sing about, but I thank Kellie Coffey every day for doing exactly that. Here's I Would Die For That by Kellie Coffey.   Make sure to share your song of the week by linking up at Goodnight Moon:

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day I'd love to trade places with my hubby (partially so I can sit at home all day and do nothing lol). I want to feel how it feels for him to love me, and I['d like for him to feel how I feel about him :) My silly hubby :) Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item Although this isn't a picture of my photo album, my most treasured item is my photo album. I can replace pretty much everything else in my house if it burned down, but photos aren't as easy to save. (I do have back ups on computers, but if I lose the compute, I lose the pics...) Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh Sometimes, after a long day at work, constant phone calls from other people asking me for help, and knowing that there's a list of things to do at home that's 50 miles long, I just want to scream this from the rooftop! This kitty just makes me feel better :)

Last week I focused on replacing carbs like rice and pasta with veggies. It went so well that we will be replacing rice and pasta with grated cauliflower and spaghetti squash in prety much every application we can. This week I wanted to focus on trying healthier grains in my attempt to go gluten-free, particulary Quinoa. Central Market has bulk whole quinoa for very cheap. It doesn't weigh much, so a pound goes SO FAR! I also purchased a package of ground quinoa flour. If I like the flour, I will probably start grinding my own to make it cheaper. Monday: Taco Salad (again!) Hubs loved this recipe, so I'm doing it again. Of course, I'll still be using cauliflower instead of rice. I used orange cauliflower last week, and it looked like spanish rice. Very cool :) Recipe can be found in last week's menu plan: April 11-15 2011 Menu Plan Tuesday: Quinoa and Black Bean Salad After reading the reviews on this recipe, I can't wait to try this. I will be canned corn...

Ok, so I kind of ignored the photo challenge this weekend. When we weren't running around the world, I was trying to finish up taxes. So here's the catch-up post for days 2 through 5! Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest        - My mom and I, out for our favorite thing: Margaritas! Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show         -House: Although I have many other favorite shows, I had to eventually choose House as #1. Day 04 - A picture of somewhere you've been to        - Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR: We went to a B&B in Murfreesboro for our Honeymoon. It was an awesome weekend, and very relaxing. Day 05 - A picture of your favorite super hero      -Songbird: She's the bad girl gone good, much like me. I would love to have the ability to fly and use sound to do amazing ...

Happy Monday! This past weekend was pretty eventful. We headed to Scarborough Faire Saturday morning. Every year they have a Royal Ale Festival, and I'm always up for trying new beers. The last time we went they had this amazing banana beer. I was hoping they would have it again, but no such luck :( We did get to try some good brews, though. None I'd buy regularly, but it was still fun to try! We bought lots of new stuff. Most isn't really useful, but who says you always have to buy useful items? By far the most meaningful thing we purchased this weekend is our new Baby Fund jar. You know those silly little jars that say 'Ashes of Ex-Husbands' or 'Boob Job Fund'? Well there was a shop that had a ton of beautifully created jars like these. Hubs was the first to see the 'Baby Fund' jar. We knew when we saw it that it was not going home with anyone but us. I'll post pictures later. I also bought a parasol painted with cherry blossoms. I should hav...

So, ten facts about me. Let's see.... Fact 1: The only Christian in me is my maiden name. I, along with my wonderful hubby, are practicing Pagans. Fact 2: I've had to pull out my ID to prove that I am younger than people think. Fact 3: I started a support group for women with PCOS in my area. Fact 4: I have been married twice. Fact 5: I believe that something will happen on Dec 21, 2012 - but I doubt that it will literally be the end of the world. Fact 6: I love gardening, even though I am really good at killing plants unintentionally. Fact 7: I have 3 children - Squeaks, Pete and MJ. Squeaks is a Green Cheek Conure, Pete is a Parakeet, and MJ is a Dwarf Robo Hamster. (4 if you count my husband :P) Fact 8: My hubby and I were married on Halloween. There were two reasons for this. It's our favorite holiday, and I never wanted my hubby to have the ability to forget our anniversary :) Fact 9: I do not believe in fate, destiny, or the assumption that everyone...

I'm following along with Christina and her blog, Mrs. O's Life , and I'm giving into the photo challenge :) Hopefully I'll remember to do them daily! Here's the schedule: Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts about you Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show Day 04 - A picture of somewhere you've been too Day 05 - A picture of your favorite super hero Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most Day 10 - A picture of you and you're family Day 11 - A picture of something you hate Day 12 - A picture of something you love Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without Day 15 - A pictu...

Usually I don't know what to blog about. Sometimes there's something really bugging me, or something I am really excited about, that I want to share. Other days, I have nothing. So I decided that to google search 'Random Surveys for Bloggers'. Most of the surveys we are forwarded from friends are extremely personal, with details that you typically wouldn't want to share with people you don't know. As I value my safety, I didn't want to do any of those. Here's one I found that allos me to share random information about myself with you, but not the point that you could become a stalker and find where I live. 50 Random Questions 1. What is your best friend's Mom's name? Gayla 2. Where is the weirdest place you have a mole? Actually, I don't have any moles. I have a birthmark and freckles, but no moles. 3. Who was the hottest teacher you ever had? I believe his name was Dalrymple. I know for sure, though, that he was my high school sophom...

My online meal planner will briefly highlight breakfast and lunch, but will detail dinner. I typically do not vary my breakfast and lunch. I like to get as much sleep as I can, so I usually grab a yogurt for breakfast and some sandwich meat and veggies for lunch. Sometimes I will grab leftover dinner for lunch, when I have some leftover :) Monday: Curried Chicken with Mango Rice I found some beautiful mangoes at the grocery store today. They are my favorite fruit! I found this recipe and I can't wait to try it. Ingredients 1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup white wine 1 cup uncooked cauliflower rice 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 cup diced mango Directions Combine curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Rub mixture into chicken breasts. Saute in a few tablespoons of chicken broth, white wine and olive ...

Last Saturday we went to get Tommi for the weekend. Our first stop was meeting my mom at the Super H Mart in Carrollton. It's a huge Korean market with all sorts of shops. Not to mention, sushi! Actually, that's the whole reason we went there :)      Mom and I headed off to an earring making class at a bead shop and the boys headed to the mall. Mom and I made 3 different pairs of earrings, and it really reignited my interest in jewelry making. I will be starting a store soon with PCOS earrings and bracelets :)           After the class, I used my class discount to buy the beads to make a new frog necklace. I have the perfect shirt to wear it with! Mom left and we headed to the train station to go to the Deep Ellum Arts Festival! We walked a total of 1.3 miles while at the Arts Festival. It was great exercise, and we got to see some really interesting art! I did purchase a piece - a photo of the photo i...