menu

Menu

close

Close

Labor Day Weekend

I hope my American readers had a fabulous Labor Day Weekend and enjoyed their Monday off!

I’ve been on an overnight oats kick this past week, so I had them for breakfast a couple times this weekend.  I shared my basic recipe on instagram.

I spent the rest of Saturday morning cleaning out the closet that is in Raspberry’s room.  It used to be my “gift wrapping/craft” closet (aka the most fun closet in the house).  And now it’s still gonna be the most fun closet in the house because it’s gonna be filled with baby things.

I threw out some stuff and consolidated the rest down to 3 boxes that weren’t overflowing and the lid could actually close on so they could be stacked.  I’m not a tidy / organized person (i’ve trained myself to not see messes lol), so this was impressive for me.

Then I made us a stir fry for lunch + Izze’s to drink before we headed to South Houston.  

There was a family down there who our church connected us with who flooded and needed childcare for the afternoon.  I packed some snacks to take with me.

Andrew decided to come with me at the last minute and I’m glad he did because it was overwhelming for me.  The neighborhood we went to completely flooded and we were in charge of watching 2 kiddos – 6 and 8 years old – outside in 100ºF.  There was some miscommunication about what the conditions were going to be like and I do think the kids should’ve been brought to the church because it was a tough couple of hours.  My understanding was that these people had friends who flooded and they needed us to watch their kids while they went to help their friends.  That wasn’t the case.  It was their house that was flooded and they were ripping out everything / bleaching to prevent mildew.  There were no working bathrooms, so I was scared to drink anything because I’m in the i-have-to-pee-every-30-minutes stage of pregnancy.  

All that to say I was really happy Andrew was with me.  Their mom was super sweet and grateful, and I’m sure completely overwhelmed.  I didn’t take any photos in their neighborhood of the destruction because I was overwhelmed and trying not to pass out from the heat, but here’s a random picture from our neighborhood.

Saturday late afternoon was spent rehydrating with a giant lemonade from Chick-fil-a + napping.  I was so worn out.  I don’t think human beings (pregnant or not) are made to be outside in 100ºF weather.  Any future childcare I provide for flood victims is going to have to be inside/at our church FOR SURE.

It was so freaking hot.  It’s hard for me to have to imagine pulling out sheetrock in that hot of weather when your house smells of mildew and bleach.  So tough.

For dinner I was still so exhausted so I kept it simple with a decaf latte + grilled cheese.  Then a cookie + ice cream for a snack before bed.  Then sleep.

Sunday we headed to church and it was a really great service.  I wore THE DRESS because I had a mega headache (bad enough to take medicine, so I did) and I wanted something happy to wear.

Pre-church involved tacos + lattes.

Our pastor talked about how trauma breaks, shatters and alienates.  He talked about how we are human beings and we have to care well for ourselves – eat well, sleep well, create something like poetry, etc.  Basically practice taking care of our needs so we can help those around us better.

He talked about that it’s okay if how you feel whole again after Harvey is to serve others…this doesn’t have to be viewed as you are selfish.  He talked about how people who need help may be struggling with their pride and may therefore not be willing to receive help.  He asked those people to put their pride aside and just say yes to the help.  Them saying yes to help helps them and it helps the person helping find purpose.

After church I made us stir-fry again and then we went on a little adventure…  

Andrew (because he is as great as he is) had been doing demo on a flooded house earlier that week and realized the couple who owned the house were planning to sleep on an air mattress for the next month or two while they got their home back in order.  We had a queen bed in our guest bedroom that is rarely used so we loaded it up and took it to them.

I thought we were just taking the mattress but Andrew was like, “they’ll sleep better with bed frame + boxsprings + mattress.”  So we took it all! Andrew (and his mom haha…hey, Sally!) really value their sleep and are big on getting their 8-9 hours of rest a night.  So it was nice to help someone get their 8-9 hours of rest with a way better mattress than an air mattress.

Afternoon snacks = few handfuls of chocolate covered nuts + pecans.

That afternoon I went and moved me & the bump at the gym.  Even at the gym there are these massive relief planes that constantly fly over and remind you about everyone hurting.  Houston just feels really weird to me right now.

This is neat though–> When you’re driving in the city you see cop cars from multiple other cities in Texas who sent officers here to prevent looters and help out with whatever needs helping out with.  It’s cool to see.  I know I didn’t flood, but I feel that the city is being supported by SO MANY.  At church our pastor asked anyone to stand up who was from out of town and came here to help.  Out of like 250 people probably 15 people stood up…which I thought was so cool.

Everyone I know is finding a way to help someone.  Everyone knows someone who’s house flooded.  There are so many people affected by Harvey that you can’t go anywhere without finding someone who needs help.

Sunday night we went out to Mellow Mushroom for salad + pizza.  I am so happy restaurants are back open in the city! Eating out is a part of self care for me, so I missed it when the city shut down for a few days.

We spent the rest of the evening watching the new season of Narcos.  We’ve gotten thru episode 4!

Then I prepped overnight oats for the the next day’s breakfast…and then ate them before bed as a night time snack lol.  So I re-made them and let them soak overnight :)

Monday was spent helping my dad put in new Pergo flooring at a rent house of his that flooded.  And I got to say hey to their (uncoordinated hehe) puppy, Fletcher.  He’s 6ish months old and super sweet, but kinda moves around like a cannonball…super playful, yet spastic and will come at you full force out of nowhere.

For the flooring, Andrew and my dad did all the work.  My mom and I just used our body weight to stand on the boards to keep them from coming apart.  The weight I’ve gained in pregnancy is useful for Raspberry and for putting in Pergo flooring…who knew?! haha

The pergo flooring just puzzle pieces together.  It took the guys about 5 hours (my mom and I just helped out for the last few hours).  It ended up looking fabulous.

Lunch was sandwiches…

Then my parents came into town and took us out to a yummy, early dinner at Union Kitchen.

Fried calamari to start.

Then parmesan chicken + brussels sprouts for me.

This meal was pretty low in carbs for me so I figured I’d need a snack before bed…and I did.

Oatmeal cookies (I’ve been keeping cookie dough in the freezer and baking a couple whenever I want ’em) + ice cold milk.

We finished the evening with Narcos, The Office and a 10pm bedtime.

Today I have an OB appointment.  My OB’s house actually flooded so I’m seeing another OB in the practice, which is fine by me.  I just need someone who went to med school/did an OB residency to ask my ridiculous questions to lol.  

Then I’ve got a call with a brand that I’m pumped about + client sessions.

I hope everyone had a fun, end-of-summer weekend and that where you live it is starting to get cooler!<3 As always, feel free to link to your weekend below!

15 comments

  1. GIRL, take it easy! You’re way busier/more productive than me even when you’re super preggo! You and Andrew are such wonderful people though, it’s nice to see. Just don’t push yourself too hard :)

  2. It’s always so nice to hear another lady say she doesn’t see messes :) I don’t know if I’ve trained myself or if it’s part of my make up because I’ve never seen messes! 
    Also, babysitting is literally the most exhausting thing IMO so I can only imagine doing it in that heat. Glad you survived and made an impact in the process! 

  3. Even though I know it’s still tough emotionally and will take time to feel normal again, it looks like you had a nice weekend! I love all of the food, and both you and Andrew are amazing people. Donating items and your time – very selfless and admiring. This is a random question given it doesn’t pertain to your post, but I wanted your thoughts, if possible. I have a sweet patient who is still pretty sharp at 90 years old, but she has a way of being very blunt regarding my appearance. She has told me in front of coworkers and within earshot of other patients that I need to gain weight. Even when I’ve said I’m fine and happy, “please, just a few pounds.” Like bartering with me over my OWN weight. The other day as I was getting up from speaking with her, she said, “you haven’t gained a single pound like we talked about.” I have no idea how to handle this as what I’ve said and done is futile. Another patient has taken to calling me, “slim.” One day when I was standing next to the scale, he said how I wouldn’t even trigger it, to which one of my awesome coworkers stood up for me and commented on my strength. It seems society values thinness so much that it’s completely fine to demean someone who is thin but not say anything about a larger person. I think both are unacceptable. Anywho, your thoughts would be appreciated! My weekend was awesome despite working yesterday. :) https://gypsyrd.com/2017/09/04/showers-on-showers/

    • Lastly, I wanted to add this experience I had when leaving my last job. A few of my coworkers were very sweet and signed a card congratulating me on my new position. The facility’s former RD’s husband, who was the head of maintenance, actually signed the card with, “don’t get fat.” It’s things like that sting and can be triggering one way or another. I don’t believe I ought to just get used to this as I think society should change such that we don’t micromanage other’s weight.

    • Ooooh this lady is making me mad! I don’t think I would have your self restraint to be polite after her repeatedly making those comments and would have told her how inappropriate her remarks about your weight are.
      Commenting on people’s bodies AT ALL is something I try very hard not to do, and I discourage that kind of talk from other people/try to change the subject when it does come up. Maybe you could put a sign up in your waiting room (if the other practitioners are open to it) that says something like ‘Here at xxx we appreciate a smile to practitioners and other clients, but no comments about body shape, size and weight’.

      • It takes a lot to bite my tongue, trust me. I would love to put that in the waiting room, but I’m sure management wouldn’t approve. I work in a dialysis clinic, & unfortunately, it’s not the setting where I wanted to be. But two years ago I was in need of a job change. I will continue to stand up for myself if or whenever necessary, though! It’s absurd what some people think they can say.

    • Hey Kori! Are you a member of the Health at Every Size® Therapists and Nutritionists Facebook group? https://www.facebook.com/groups/1679003609014316/ I think that would be a good place to start and hear how others have handled similar situations:)

      I’ll start by saying I think the comments made by the coworkers husband and your client are inappropriate and you are completely valid in how they made you feel! Those comments would have an affect on anyone who is in your position who has had your life experiences.

      It’s always an interesting experience for me when clients comment on my body size. When it happens it does make me feel something (something that usually could get in the way of treatment for the client) so I try to imagine that there is another person in my brain asking me, “okay. how did that comment just make me feel?” “What is coming up inside me right now?” You may not have time to process through what you are feeling in session, but that may be a red flag that you need to journal on the situation later.

      As a healthcare professional, it’s crazy to think that clients won’t have an effect on us. From time to time they definitely will…it’s normal. For me it has been helpful to learn about countertransference (something I wasn’t taught in my DI), to understand why a client is affecting me is some way. Here’s a definition from google: “Countertransference, which occurs when a therapist transfers emotions to a person in therapy, is often a reaction to transference, a phenomenon in which the person in treatment redirects feelings for others onto the therapist.”

      So another helpful question when you feel yourself having an emotional reaction to something a client said could be, “this countertransference I am experiencing…what is the gold and value hidden in the situation? What does this situation teach my about my client and their experience?”

      I think your job would be tough because you are not necessarily working to walk them through intuitive eating/HAES and transform their mentality. But I wonder if a one liner about HAES could be helpful to use here? Maybe a “I focus on healthful behaviors…and let my body take care of my weight.” You have been awoken to this HAES, intuitive eating brilliance and it’s annoying to live in a world that doesn’t follow this approach!

      I hope that helps:)

      • Thank you so very much!! It does help. I have tried to mention HAES/IE, but while very sweet, this particular patient just sees weight. She’s polite & kind to me, but I still dread talking to her because I assume this will be brought into the conversation…& I’ve typically been correct. It’s like, “you’re such a nice, pretty girl, but you need to gain a little bit.” I want to scream that I didn’t ask her for an opinion, but I remain professional. ? We have to chart on weight & create a BMI goal. Trust me when I say I bring up how ridiculous, dated, & useless this practice is whenever I get a chance! as always, thank you so much for your help. I’ll check out that Fb page!

  4. Taking over your mattress + bed frame is so kind! My husband + I slept on an air mattress for a week between moves, and that was already too much for me — can’t imagine doing that for months while also rebuilding your home! I totally in the “must have 8-9 hours a night” camp, too!

    https://amybethshen.com/labor-day-weekend-recap/

  5. It’s awful when these disasters happen (we live in a tropical storm state in Australia) but I always find it heartwarming to see people helping out, and how generous the human spirit really is when given the chance.
    I spent this weekend on my bachelorette (or hen’s as we call it haha cluck cluck) weekend at the beach. It was so lovely to be surrounded by my village of awesome ladies for three whole days :)
    http://www.thoroughlynourishedlife.com/bridesquad-weekend/

  6. Hi Kylie,
    Thank you for sharing your weekend and providing such personal insights with your followers.  The words of your pastor in today’s post especially resonated and connected with my thoughts.   He (and you) are spot on. We must take care of ourselves in order to take care of others.  It brought to mind the analogy used by airlines – in the event of turbulence, always put on your oxygen mask first before helping others with their masks.  I MUST start putting on my oxygen mask when it comes to taking care of myself, my body, and mind.  In doing so, I will become a better spouse, parent, daughter, friend, co-worker, etc.
    You describe and emulate this beautifully throughout your posts.  I am grateful for your thought provoking posts.  So many of your nuggets of wisdom have become “sticky notes” throughout my journal. :)
    -Kristin

Leave a Reply to Kylie Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *