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Category Archives: Strategies

Falling into place

2013/05/14 Autoimmune Diseases & Syndromes, Chronic Illness, Homesteading, Lifestyle, Nutrition and Gardening, Oregon, Strategies No comments
“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” ~  Irish proverb   I have a tendency to think about things too much. Not to say that I’m thorough or particularly organized. I j......

Dinner and a Movie

2013/04/21 Diabetes, Lifestyle, Lupus, Nutrition and Gardening, Problem-focused, Strategies, Tools and Gadgets No comments
Today, my usual Sunday routine was off. Normally, my goal is to spend a lot of time in the kitchen prepping for next week’s meals and snacks. Instead, I have been nesting here at home like a mad......

I’m back and still kicking

2013/04/11 Autoimmune Diseases & Syndromes, Chronic Illness, Homesteading, Lupus, Oregon, Portland Metro, Self-Care, Strategies No comments
Hi~ remember me? I don’t know about you out there, but I have a very difficult time knowing when to say “when.”  This is my busy season with self-management workshops as well as updating my cred......

Part Two: Tearing Down that Brick Wall

2013/02/09 Challenge and Opportunity, Chronic Illness, Family, Health, Healthy Living, Homesteading, Lifestyle, Oregon, Problem-focused, Self-Care, Strategies, Stress Mgmt, Targets No comments
Getting back to using the Jenga metaphor I used in Part One for problem solving, I have to see each task awaiting me as I enter into homesteading as a brick to pull from this huge goal. Recogniz......

Part One: Hitting A Brick Wall

2013/01/29 Challenge and Opportunity, Health, Healthy Living, Homesteading, Mothers and Caregiving, Oregon, Portland Metro, Problem-focused, Strategies No comments
When my front yard looks like this, it means a couple of things.   One, I screwed up big time, somehow. Two, I have to completely re-plant and that means a lot of physical work beginning i......

My longest post EVER?

2013/01/25 Advocacy, Challenge and Opportunity, Chronic Illness, Coping, Education and Skill Building, Health, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, MLWT, Oregon, Resources, Self-Care, Strategies, Stress Mgmt, Targets, Washington No comments
Windows seem to frequently represent possibility or potential. At least, they do for me. I had a window open up for me a few days ago and the view was unsettling. During a recent conversation w......

Paying Attention to my Lupus Road Signs in January

2013/01/19 Autoimmune Diseases & Syndromes, Chronic Illness, Coping, Health, Lifestyle, Lupus, Outdoor Fun, Pain management, Problem-focused, Self-Care, Social Support, Strategies, Stress Mgmt No comments
This morning, I’m so happy to see the sun streaming through the windows again. Well, once I get past the realization that they desperately need cleaning. We have had three glorious days of beau......

Five minute check-in: Modern Simplicity Equals Limitations in Perception

2013/01/17 Behaviors and Patterns, Challenge and Opportunity, Children, Coping, Creativity, Family, Friends, Hobbies, Strategies No comments
Little by little, I’m making my rounds in gathering the holiday decor together into one room.  Of course, it is the room where I like to run to for some creative fun and escape the piles and em......

“…- – -…” the CI Way

2013/01/14 Behaviors and Patterns, Challenge and Opportunity, Chronic Illness, Communication, Coping, Friends, Health, Mothers and Caregiving, Relationship-focused, Self-Care, Social Support, Stress Mgmt No comments
The other day I received an email from a friend and colleague who has been hit hard with the flu, by Pacific NW standards. Oregon hasn’t been hit as hard as the rest of the country…yet, ap......

Delicately accepting the aging process

2012/12/16 Challenge and Opportunity, Chronic fatigue, Chronic Illness, Coping, Creativity, Fibromyalgia, Health, Holidays & Socials, Internet, Lupus, Lyme Disease, Relationship-focused, Scleroderma, Social Support, Strategies, Stress Mgmt 2 comments
A couple of years ago, I once again jumped into a new hobby.  That’s what I do – get it in my head that something would be a great gift idea and force myself into learning how to accomplish it w......