Lesson learned: I don’t have a flooded basement – I have a water park for rodents!
Do you know what a hole filled with rotten water and debris smells like? Rotten eggs. Which also happens to be what my basement smells like right now. For some inexplicable reason, our basement has flooded 3 times in the past 3 days and I am t-i-r-e-d of mopping up water using every towel we have in the house (even my “good” ones!). But the worst discovery was when Gym Hubby went to install a sump pump per the advice of our plumber. What did we discover when he opened the cover of the hole in our laundry room? That’s right, a fetid swamp. Hence the rotten eggs which led to the clearing out of our basement which led to the boys all asleep in the living room which led to me being super crabby.
The funny thing is that all day I’ve been cursing my fat thighs and pudgy tummy and angrily trying on 10 pairs of pants to find one that doesn’t make me look fat… until I realized that my “fat day” was my way of dealing with my stress about the basement and my trip out of state this coming weekend to attend my grandma’s funeral. What does fat have to do with dead grandmas and damp basements? Not a thing. Why is it that my go-to response for anything is to immediately focus on my “fat”? It’s insane.
So what does one do to combat both irrelevant fat talk and flooding? 1) Call the plumber (done!) 2) Make a list of the good things that happened today so I can remember that my life is more than a very large puddle with bits of mouse crap in it that’s probably forming black mold in my walls as I type. (Ack, don’t go there! Positivity! Go back towards the light! No, the other light!)
Good things:
1. Jelly Bean is really talking a lot these days. It’s mostly gibberish in her own adorable language but she sprinkles in more and more recognizable words. Today she learned orange (“owwwnge”) and kiwi (“weewee”) and was so stinking proud of herself that I couldn’t help but grin. She also learned “fly” and makes this hilarious hand-swatting motion every time she says it.
2. Gym Hubby has a good job which allows us to afford luxuries like sump pumps (excuse me, does that come in pink?) and plumbers. A blessing, truly.
3. I found the perfect pair of winter boots on clearance. They had one size left and it was mine! Yes, I bought shoes to make myself feel better. Hush. They were $15.95 and I had a $5 off coupon.
4. Yesterday I found out that I won the editor’s choice for CBS Minnesota’s Most Valuable Health Blogger! I feel very honored, both that so many of you voted for me and that the editor liked my writing that much. Thank you!
5. I got my last pair of socks from Finish Line today. Biggest box yet! I laughed so hard I peed a little and I can’t even blame the dye wash on my jeans for that one. (Totally not complaining – Finish Line’s customer service has been fantastic about helping me get my stuff.)
6. Reading all your comments on my last couple of blog posts. You guys never fail to make me laugh, cry and google funny things like “Anthropologie carousel plates” (so gorgeous Kat!!)
Now, for the last thing on my to-feel-better list: 3) Go to bed early! (-ish, it’s 11 p.m.) Goodnight!
Does anyone else immediately revert to fat talk whenever anything goes wrong?? What’s one good thing that happened to you today?
I had a super crappy and long day at work. I was there from 8am until….oh, 10 minutes ago (It’s 11:45pm here).
BUT, I got home and my loose button box was waiting just inside my door! Loose button is like a birch box, but for Canada- it totally made my day, and I especially thank my landlord for accepting the package and slipping it inside my apartment door! Now I have 5 samples of beauty doo-dads to play with for the next month:) My day improved beyond belief when I received that box.
Oh, and I ran a 5k faster than I ever have before (I know, on a treadmill, and not in a race, whatever, I’m proud of myself).
I’m exactly the same without realising it. I feel fat today. Bloated. Nothing fits.
BUT – I’ve managed to get both my projects pretty much complete the day before I fly off to Canada for 2 weeks so no late night at work tonight. I’m flying off to see friends and family tomorrow and I can’t wait.
No fitness shout outs though – I’ve been slack as heck. Hence the fat day 😛
Stress? Oh I just devour truckloads of food and drink gallons of gin. Nothing serious :-). Gradually getting out of those habits though and voluntarily went to gym tonight when badminton was cancelled!
Plus husband bought me flowers for our 15th wedding anniversary. 1. he doesn’t do flowers (the last flowers he bought me were for our 10th anniversary) and 2. said flowers were lillies which I had in my wedding bouquet! (against MIL’s wishes who said lillies were funeral flowers). Sorry to hear about the basement and your Gran though, hopefully tomorrow will be better!
Yes – that’s exactly what happens and I’m so glad you made me aware of it (apparently, I’m not as self-aware a I thought! LOL). Very, very sorry about your basement – and praying for a lovely time with family as you remember your grandmother.
Completely unrelated to your questions, but my daughter who is just a couple months younger the Jelly Bean only has a few words. Her most consistent one. Shoes (Sooooooz!). I’m a little worried about what the future holds for our credit cards!
Cuuuute! Jelly Bean is obsessed with shoes too. Her fave activity is to sit by the front door and try on every pair of shoes we own.
From someone who has dealt with flooded basements and black mold (very yuck) insert # 2 call a restoration company. They put in giant fans and dehumidifiers all over your basement so it becomes a whirlwind tornado and dries everything out quickly. That is the key to avoiding black mold, we waited 4 days the first time we got water in our basement (not knowing) and by the time the restoration people came it was too late. Clean up for the black mold cost $5000. (double yuck and lesson learned)
And yes the whole time I focused on my fat and how ugly I felt because that makes total logical sense right 😉
Since moving in with the in laws my life is nothing but stress. Things that would mildly bother me before I now go into full freakout mode. I know I am doing this but I still can’t help it because the stress isn’t going to go away till we can move out in 4 months. I have temporarily had to up my antidepressant meds to help fight some of the anxiety that is now a part of my life. But the thing that I have found to really help is working out, doing a lot of tweeting and blogging, and just keeping the hope alive that this will all go away in 4 months when we move out.
I have vivid memories of swimming in my grandmother’s basement when I was about 8. Their basement had flooded to about 4 feet deep, and I was swimming around retrieving sunken treasure items. It was a lot of fun. At least it was just water water.
The basement of our current house had water issues, and it turns out those were from A) a backed up septic field, and B) a poorly patched old drain line whose path of least resistance was to seep up into the basement until the pressure built enough one time that it popped this little concrete patch up to reveal a two-inch diameter pipe that was now gushing water into the basement in a 4-inch high scale model of Old Faithful. So happy that I was standing in that water and attempting to siphon it into buckets when I realized it was a septic and rain water combination.
Good times.
I’m glad you have gotten yourself to a point where you realize that the fat talk isn’t about *you* as a person… or your body… or your weight… but about something bigger than all of that.
I’ve never had true body image issues (except getting used to the fact that I am Portuguese. My genes predispose me to a certain weight distribution that gives me a butt and hips.), but for some reason or another fat and worth have become equated in my head ( I do think the media is partially to blame for this ) and when stuff becomes too much all of a sudden anytime I eat I’ll tell myself I’m fat and don’t deserve X… that I’m not worth X… that I deserve Y and Z (Y & Z being whatever issues are going on in my life at that moment in time)
something good about today? It’s a good day. My little bunny eared dog is cuddled up next to me, I have cardio ballet later, then some DBT, oh and some studying for a Criminal Justice exam that’s in tomorrowland
Also, I have a generic question for you regarding “fat talk” — do you ever wonder if things such as “fat talk free week” help to cement the belief that “fat” is a bad word…? By making it taboo… I’m just curious… it’s something I’ve been questioning and wondering as a local college wants the organization I run to collaborate with them for it… but I’m not entirely sold on the week itself due to that question. I understand that how we use it as a society is negative in most cases pertaining to the body, however, in actuality “fat” is something equivalent to “protein” Would you call someone a “protein”
#rambleover
So I’m not ignoring your question – I’ve been thinking on it ever since you posted this comment – but I’m honestly not sure how to answer! On one hand, fat is definitely used as a pejorative in our society. But on the other hand, it’s also just a word and won’t have any power if we don’t give it. I think in this situation I’m thinking that point of the week is to stop women from commenting on theirs or others weight so maybe “No Bodysnarking Week”? “No weight talk week?” I dunno – I’m bad with slogans!
I can truly empathize with you on the ‘fat’ talk. When I am overly tired (as in stayed up too late or slept poorly) or if I am sick, I get hyper-critical of myself….I notice the fat, the (supposed) clutter, the shelf I missed when I dusted, the dog & cat nose prints on the window, etc….you get the picture. I still don’t really know why this happens. I have thought perhaps I’m to weak at those times to have my defenses up? Or perhaps at the other times I’m just too busy to notice “things” that aren’t as orderly as I would like. I know, it’s really just blame-storming, and it’s usually me that’s to blame! LOL! And yes, after years as a scientist, I can trouble-shoot something to death.
On another note, my condolences on the loss of your grandma. Prayers for you and your family.
I find, lately, that I vacillate between fat talk and “my husband is driving me crazy!” talk. On the one hand, I’m doing less of the fat talking, so that’s a win. On the other, if poor Hubby knew half the things I was thinking about him on my rough days, he’d be afraid. Very afraid. So, not so good.
More good news is that I’m getting better at recognizing both for what they are: ways of dealing with stress. And the more I realize that, the less I blame my husband OR my stomach for my woes.
Because, really, neither one is to blame!
Love that Jelly Bean is talking. That’s so cute!!!!!! I love Baby Babble! (Have you seen the YouTube video of the twins speaking to each other in their own language? It’s ADORABLE!)
So, a good thing that’s happened today…well, it’s only 7:45 AM here, but WG got on her school bus happily! That’s always good, right?
I find my brain turns to eating when things like that happen. THEN when I’ve eaten I have the harsh self talk…Instead of both these things I’ve tried to start to go for a walk wehn life makes me crazy. It helps. Not sure what I”ll do when winter comes to release the crazies, but for now…it works. I have too much to do in a day right now with work and school so I can’t waste/spend time being crazy…maybe that helps me deal with things…because I just *have* to. Not sure 🙂
Our basement used to flood nearly every spring and major rainfall (oh yes. Good times) until we had some major drainage work done. We still have to keep up with tree roots in the outdoor pipes or we get backedup housewater (and such…ahem) all over the basement…if my basement isn’t full of mold, don’t worry about yours. Trust me ..I have cleaned my share of sogginess.
Hope today is better for you. 🙂
I love that your Jelly Bean is starting to talk. I love when kids start having words for things…their little personalities come together so clearly when they can communicate…
sorry your day was so crappy! Pun intended… 🙂 but here’s praying that the rest of your week is filled with less “poo” and more WAHOOOOOO!
SERIOUSLY, so sorry about all the craziness, and the fat talk 🙁 I can empathize with that. I always bring myself down when I feel like everything else is falling apart…you’d think I’d want to keep something positive in my life? Sadly…nope.
I’m working on writing down little “smile notes” and posting them where I will always see them…reminders that life is good!!
I am sorry about the basement, what a nightmare.
I have noticed, with the help of therapy, that the more chaotic my life feels, the more fat talk there is for me. I think for me, I kind of naturally want to avoid the real feelings I have and instead direct all that angst toward myself. Weirdly, that somehow seems easier and more comfortable than actually dealing with the feelings I have.
I’m my own worst enemy for sure & I do a super job of blaming a lot of what goes wrong on my faults (physical, emotional, real or perceived).
Best Thing Today: During a power outage there was just enough time with the power on to dry my hair before going to work!
What a great post Charlotte! Congrats on your award!!! And love that Jelly Bean is talking! They are so cute when they have their own language!
Today, a great workout & that felt good!
Thanks for your insightful post today. It really made me stop and think of not just the negative things I do when stresseed, but the negative thoughts that I turn to as well. And yes my imperfect body is one of them. How in the world is that helpful at all?! It’s almost like I have a strange unconscience desire to feed the stress and make it worse.
See, this is (one of the many, many reasons) why I read GFE:
I don’t feel alone.
I thought I was the Only Crazy Person Ever
to do the self-fat-shaming when life gets gross.
And consequently,
I felt even worse about it because Only A Crazy Does That,
which in turn makes me feel worse about my body,
and on and on it goes.
Girl,
I am so glad to know that I’m not alone.
Now let’s compliment each other :
You have a beautiful smile,
your ass is magnificent (no, seriously!),
and with all the awesome training you’re doing,
that flooded basement should quake in fear at the sight of your muscles coming towards it!
Better? 🙂
(and new boots are a totally appropriate way of handling stress)