Category: Just me being me

When we are busy, stressed, and the news is nothing but anger and sadness, it can be hard to remember that it is important to take care of yourself. And when I say take care of yourself, I mean mentally AND physically.

Do all the self care things that you need to do — drink the water, get the exercise, take the medication, do what you need to rest your brain. However, I’m going to use this space as your reminder to also get those important appointments scheduled on your calendar.

Are You Due for a Mammogram?

The recommended screening age for mammograms starts at 40, or earlier if you are higher risk (please follow your doctor’s guidelines). If you’re due for a mammogram, schedule it! It’s not that scary, I promise. Don’t put it off. If you’re supposed to go EVERY year, schedule it. If you’re supposed to start with your first one and you haven’t scheduled it yet because you’re apprehensive, schedule it!

I’ve gotten an mammogram every year since I turned 40, and will be checking off my seventh’s mammogram later this month. Last year, it literally took an hour, which included the drive there, waiting room, mammogram, drive home and a stop by Dunkin’ because squished boobies = earn a donut. It’s just a fact. I don’t make the rules.

Are You Due for a Mole Check?

Most people are supposed to get their moles checked once a year. If you haven’t done it this year, make your appointment!

I’ve talked about my dermatologist lots and lots on here and the fact that I’ve had over a dozen moles taken off my body. Mole checks are quick, easy, non-invasive and may literally save your life. Most people can go once a year, but if you’re like me and you have moles that really want to kill you… you get to do the most unsexy striptease ever every 6 months. Still worth it.

Are You Due for a Colonoscopy?

You might be due for a colonoscopy if you are 45 years old, or earlier if you are higher risk for colorectal cancer (please follow your doctor’s guidelines). Colorectal cancer often doesn’t cause any symptoms until it’s too advanced to treat effectively, so by having a regular colonoscopy they can hopefully catch any issues before they progress.

I’m going to be honest with you guys, I was supposed to go and get my first colonoscopy when I was 45, but I didn’t. And then, I was going to go when I was 46, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I do it? Well, part of the reason is that it’s scary. I’m not super enthused to have a camera put up my butt to check out my colon. Also, I hear the ‘prep work’ is pretty awful.

And finally, a really big reason I held off is that medical care is expensive. I had to have an upper GI scope done a couple years ago and the out-of-pocket costs were somewhere around $1,500. Last year, with Jack’s broken arm we ended up having almost $10,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses, so the idea of adding to that number was not super attractive.

The good news is that I liked the gastroenterologist that did my upper GI scope, so I feel comfortable returning to him for a colonoscopy. I mean — I’m assuming he uses a different camera, right?!

So, I have told myself that 2025 is THE YEAR that I do it and check ‘first colonoscopy’ off my list. If you’ve gotten one done, please leave me a comment to let me know if it’s as scary as I think it is. Or any tips on how to reduce anxiety going into it!

Okay, so I have homework and you have homework. Please, please book your screening appointments.

Whew. January has been a doozy! I saw a meme recently that said something like “I did the 14-day free trial for 2025 and I don’t want it” and I am FEELING that.

Back in early December, we had the fun surprise of suddenly having no water, which resulted in a call to our plumber and the purchase of a well pressure pump. Then, the first weekend of January we needed to replace our hot water heater, because it had been leaking and the leak got much worse.

And that was great. For a few hours.

Until that evening when Jack was about to take his shower and we completely lost water again.

Sigh.

Which brings me to the rant that I unleashed on my poor husband. About WHY it is as a homeowner we suddenly have to know everything?!

Look, I bought my first house at age 24 and had it for 10 years before our current home. And we’ve been in our current home for 13 years. So that is 23 YEARS of home ownership. {Look, I can add too!}

Anyways, during that time I’ve had to figure out everything from being my own IT person to troubleshoot cable, wifi, modems and routers, to being a plumber who can switch out a flapper in the toilet tank as well as plunge a clog. I’ve cleaned out drains. And spackled walls. And taken apart a freaking refrigerator because the fan likes to ice up once a year.

I learned how to restring blinds. I change HVAC filters. And doorknobs. And reinstalled smoke alarms. And detached the water lines into the back of the washing machine to clean out the filters inside. And caulked bathroom tubs and toilets. I’ve balanced all the finances. Negotiated the contracts. And worked with a financial planner AND an accountant to oversee my husband’s trucking business.

And I work full time in marketing. And have had this blog for the past 14 years. And I’M TIRED.

Which brings us back to the fact that we had no water again. And that our first instinct was to try and figure it out ourselves. Especially because we are still playing catch up on bills and have been looking forward to the spring with hope that we will finally, finally, FINALLY be caught up.

On Monday we had sporadic water, which was enough to do the occasional toilet flush. But Tuesday and Wednesday we had nothing. I had to pick up some water gallons at the store so that we could flush toilets and brush teeth. By Wednesday, my kid was out of clean pants, I hadn’t showered in days, and I was DONE.

We tried and tried to figure out the problem ourselves. And save a buck by using our resources of generous friend who helped us with their time and knowledge. But when it comes down to it, we’re not plumbers. And before we went further down the hole of trying anything else, I gave up.

I called our plumber again.

And he immediately diagnosed the problem… we needed a new well pump.

Between the well pressure pump, the hot water heater and the new well pump, we spent almost $4,000 in unexpected bills. Which is one of those ‘well, you own a home…what do you expect’ kind of things. But it sucks. It really sucks.

BUT, at least we should be good when it comes to water for a while (at least I hope so, please knock on all the wood). We knew our well pump wouldn’t last forever (it was put in by the last owners). And frankly, there is never going to be a convenient time to have all this stuff break.

But now it’s done.

And that shower that I finally took on Wednesday night was glorious.   

The past couple months have been super busy over here on a professional front, with me leaving my previous job and moving on to an exciting new position. While I don’t write much about my work-life, I did think that this could be a great chance to share a few of my tips on getting all your ducks in a row when making the jump.

Tip #1: Use Your Benefits to the Fullest

Once you’ve made your decision, it is a great time to maximize your current benefits before they expire. Most health insurance policies end shortly after you leave a job, so be sure to use them while you can. Schedule your annual check-ups, dental cleanings and other appointments before your last day – especially if you’re already up to or close to your deductible. We hit our deductible by August this year, so in September we had ALL the doctor’s appointments and refilled all our prescriptions!

Tip #2: Take Advantage of PTO and Sick Days

Before giving your notice, check your PTO balance and see if you can use some time for things like personal appointments, mental health days or even a short vacation if you’re feeling burnt out. In my case, I had vacation time that would be paid out when I left… but any sick time would be forfeited. So, it made sense to use those sick days to knock out my doctor’s appointments. Even better – I got them all finished BEFORE I put in my formal notice of resignation.

Tip #3: Book Personal Appointments

When you start a new job, you may want to hold off on taking time off for a while as you settle into your new position. I planned my transition by ending my previous job on a Wednesday, so I could use the rest of the week getting items off my ‘to do’ list, like an annual meeting with my kid’s school and a haircut for myself. Now I’m all set until the new year!