In a previous comment, Julian asked,
"What superpowered meganutrient jacked food do you eat?????? I want in on this." Welp, other than the fact that I've always seemed to have more energy than the average bear, I've started cooking really well for my family. And I think that's made a huge difference in my sense of well-being.
I was struck by the fact that I would make extremely wholesome and nutritious food for Sophie yet thought nothing of eating TV dinners and Hot Pockets, in between rushing from here to there and back again. And that's if we remembered to eat at all.
So now every Sunday afternoon I make meals for the whole week. I plan them out Friday, go shopping with Sophie on Saturday, and then bake on Sunday afternoon. Typically, I'll be listening and singing along to
this while baking our weekly supply of muffins (this week it's pumpkin, honey, and whole wheat), mashed potatoes, and a loaf of sun-dried tomato bread (the bread machine makes it SO easy!). Then I make one big-ticket item - this week it was calzones, last week it was eggplant parm, that sort of thing. Every other week I make hummus for lunch (I'm into turkey, hummus and spinach sandwiches right now). And I make decaf sun tea with mint and lemon every couple of days, as often as we need it.
This sounds like a lot, but it's really not that much - and I can reheat things throughout the week. I heat up the oven once and save lots of energy, and I know exactly what everyone - including Sophie - is having for any given meal. That saves me lots of time and planning later on.
But what's the point of all this homemade food if you can't enjoy it? So now we always set the table nicely, use candles when we can, and have flowers on the table. The other day Paul and I snuck out onto the porch and ate chocolate cookies in the moonlight after the kids were asleep. It's all about savoring. And being at peace.
This is the smile of a boy who no longer needs to wear a monitor. EVER.
Saved by the paint.
I have been painting a little almost every night, and I swear it's what's keeping me sane. A few weeks ago the only thing that was getting me through each day was knowing I could paint something - no matter how bad it was, didn't matter - and I would think about it and plan it all day. I'm doing much better now, but I still feel much better if I have a little paint under my nails now and then.
On Monday I went to the local art supply outlet - I realized, eerily, that I had not been there in about a year. A YEAR! I wandered up and down each and every aisle; partly because at long last they've finally gotten their inventory into some semblance of organization, and partly because darnit, I was like a starving man at the all-you-can-eat buffet, and I wanted to feast my eyes on all the colors. I spent quite a while in the paint aisle, just breathing in the aroma of oil paints and turpentine. I use watercolors now, but they just don't smell the same.
I dealt with salespeople who had no clue, but on the whole I had myself a wonderful time and spent way too much money. I look at it this way; it's a YEAR's worth of art supplies, and you'd better believe they will be put to good use. We (finally!) got a digital camera, so I'll be posting pictures of my zillion projects as they reach completion. I will be painting, superglueing, typing, sketching, and illustrating like there's no tomorrow. Amen.
Other really interesting bits of art in the news:
The 
