Ro Made It!

It's been a while. Honestly, I am suffering from Quarantine Fatigue. It has to be a real thing. I want to get out of the house and do something. But I also want to keep my family healthy. Our days are filled with school and work and not much else after that. We go outside and get attacked by the most ferocious mosquitoes I've ever encountered - even with the use of repellants, candles, and coils! It's insane.
Baby Magic has been filling her days creating new activities for her dolls and avidly avoiding cleaning her room (that ends today or everything is going in the trash). For me, I have finally started reconnecting with the things that I love. Mostly reading and cooking. 
I recently finished Children of Blood and Bone and I'm now about halfway through Children of Virtue and Vengeance, both by Tomi Adeyemi. These are seriously amazing books. They are Young Adult novels, but my old ass is thoroughly enjoying them. 
As far as food goes, I realized that I hadn't really …

Wow! It's been almost two months since I have written anything here! I just wanted to give a little update on what's been going on in my life these days.Hysterectomy UpdateMy recovery is great! The small issues I had in the beginning were taken care of and have not reoccurred. I'm back to feeling like myself and honestly, I have no complaints. I was cleared at 5 weeks post operation to resume life as normal. So far, things are good! I don't have to have another checkup until next year. My energy level has returned to normal... I'm sleeping a little better than before (averaging about 6 hours a night). I no longer have night sweats. BUT there is an emotional aspect that gets me every once in a while. I get sad about not being able to carry any more babies. I don't have to worry about having a cycle, but I DO still have crazy PMS cravings. It's still mainly cookies and chicken wings. Overall, having the hysterectomy has been one of the best decisions I have e…

Today marks three weeks since I had my hysterectomy. Weeks one and two were a breeze to me. I felt good, I was moving around without any problems. I was most likely doing absolutely too much. Week three is proving to be not so nice. I’ve been achy. I’ve been tired. I’ve been emotional. My boobs hurt. I have however, been sleeping better (thank God!). I just wanted to give a little update on the things that have really helped me this far. Every person is different, so what worked for me may not work for you. I’m not a doctor and cannot diagnose or treat any condition…these are just things I found to be helpful. These are not affiliate links (I won't make any money if you buy from these links).Toilet Stool - I already had these in all of my bathrooms. It is VERY helpful with encouraging things to get moving.Peppermint Tea - helped me more than gas pills. Lavender and Chamomile Tea - I drink it at night to help me relax and wind down.Heating Pad - the bigger the better.Pregnancy Pill…

I won't get into the history of Juneteenth. You have probably seen loads of information played on repeat for the last few days. But if not, check out www.Juneteenth.com and do some learning. Some of us have celebrated and some are just learning about the importance of Juneteenth. Blackness has been magnified this year. I am not mad. I love the episode of Black-ish dedicated to Juneteenth...go watch it. It's season 4, episode 1. You're welcome.
My family has never celebrated. This year we changed that. I want these children to know ALL of their history. That won't happen in K-12 in South Carolina. I am a witness to that.
I'm still recovering from surgery and Covid-19 is escalating higher than it ever has here, but I needed this family time more than I even knew. It was good to be with my people, especially the babies! I did entirely too much and I am paying for it today, but I don't have a single regret. I made shirts for those interested (not smart to do last min…

This past Thursday I had a hysterectomy. Single. 36. One kid. I spoke briefly about my diagnosis with adenomyosis here. Through all of this, from listening to other women and their suffering, I know how incredibly fortunate I am. I had my uterus, cervix, and tubes removed, and kept my ovaries. While I have been dealing with issues relating to this for years (undiagnosed), my troubles have not always been so bad. From diagnosis to hysterectomy for me was 6 months. I know this is not the case for many women.This was not an easy decision for me to make. In fact, even now, I am still dealing with the emotional aspects of giving up a tremendous part of womanhood. It’s done. There is no changing it. And yes, I’m still a woman. I overall don’t regret it. I am already relieved from the pain I was constantly in. At six days post operation, I am feeling pretty good! The strong pain medicines (oxycodone and morphine) didn’t help with the initial “I got an organ removed” pains. I stayed overnight…

Yes, I know Cinco de Mayo was 10 days ago, but I need to write this post anyway! Honestly, the days are blurring together. If it weren't for my child having to do school work every day, I would be completely lost!
Our Cinco de Mayo celebration was totally different this year. It fell on a TUESDAY. TACO TUESDAY and Cinco de Mayo and we couldn't party! Also, I know this is a made up holiday - likely by an American who loves tacos and tequila - just like me. 
My crew and I did a Zoom celebration so that we could still celebrate together, but y'all it was not the same! My food and drinks were tasty but there was no pin the tail on the donkey, there was no pinata, and there were no copious shots of tequila. 
However, I created a feast that rivals any other year. And I also had Facebook remind me that I had never shared a beloved punch recipe...so I'll do that too.

This was my Cinco de Mayo charcuterie board, if you will. I had the works! I made a modified version of Damn Delici…