Replying to comments...good news!

I'm probably very late to this party but my friend Katie informed me this evening that Blogger made some updates and now allows us to respond to comments individually! This is huge, because I often feel like the biggest jerk for not being able to reply directly, and sometimes I'm not sure if people even go back and look in the comments for the answer.  Now I can respond to anything and everything right here. Awesome, right? I'm really excited, and even more so because it reminds me a lot of my beloved Livejournal. It took me a second to figure out how to get the "reply" option, but after some trial and error I now know that you have to have your comments embedded, as shown in the screen shot I just took below (click to enlarge).

Welcome to the modern world, Blogger! 

Hi!

 

currently reading: Steve Martin's memoir "Born Standing Up." Good stuff.

I just wanted to say hi. I kind of feel like sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the features and the weekly posts and the this and the that...so I thought I would just ramble and write for a little while. Henry is napping (more on this in a bit) and I'm taking a little break from checking things off my to-do list to just sit here for a moment. Yesterday was a busy day so it's nice to take it slow this morning and get everything done.  We woke up a little early yesterday and went to a bootcamp style "Pump Iron" class at the Y (I'm feeling it this morning), then Henry and I headed over to the library for story time with our Mom/baby friends. I've talked about it before but every Tuesday our library puts on a fun morning full of books and interactive songs and games. We've been going since he was just a tiny baby, but are only able to make it on and off whenever I decide to push Henry's normal 9:30ish nap back. However, now that he's down to one nap a day we can go every week.  Or so I thought! After trying it out, I really think that one nap a day is not good for H. He's just so cranky and I feel like he isn't getting as much sleep as he'd like. Each morning we've done the one nap, Henry will just lay down on the floor around 10am like he wants to go to sleep! He'll get insanely cranky and show all of his typical "I'm really, really tired Mom" signs. I thought I'd give it a few days to see if he'd ease into it but I decided to switch us back today. He went down for that first nap immediately so I know it's the right thing. So, goodbye to all of the mid-morning activities I dreamed of us attending. ha. It's okay though, I'm just happy that he will be happier.

Oh! I suppose I should talk a little bit more about this sugar-free thing I'm doing. Today is day five and I'm going strong. I asked Hank this morning to be sure, but yes, my face is definitely clearing up. My right side is almost totally clear and although my left side is not perfect, I feel like everything is healing. I'm really happy. I imagine that in a few more weeks I should see even better improvements. And although it's been less than a week, I'm sleeping so much better. Last night I went to bed a little after 10 and woke up at 7:30. Pretty good considering since having Henry I am the lightest sleeper in the world. I am missing sugar a bit though, and yesterday I had a strong craving for some brownies (damn you Pinterest!), but other than that it hasn't been a big deal.  I am a little surprised though that I haven't seen my hungry-raving-bitch side come out while doing this. A few years ago I tried to do a detox of sorts and I was pretty much intolerable by my own admission. I really, really like food and I'm one of those people that get totally irritable (see also: rude, easily annoyed, cranky) if I don't eat. Although I think in this case I can pretty much eat whatever I want, besides sugar.  There are tons of choices so at least if I'm hungry I can go snack on some lettuce...or something. ;)

The only thing I am a little conflicted about is my upcoming trip to San Francisco. We're visiting a friend who makes sweets for a living, and I'd love to indulge and enjoy his creations. I'm teetering between feeling that I should just stick with my plan and then feeling like I need to live my life. Ugh, I don't know. I feel like maybe I can try some things but not go crazy? But then don't think it would really worth it and that I should finish the 6 weeks perfectly sugar-free. So I don't know. Welcome to the craziness that is my over-thinking mind. And I also realize that if my biggest problem is contemplating eating some gelato then life is pretty good at the moment. Thankful for that.

Soo, other than the great sugar blackout (white out?) of 2012 life is trucking along. Things I've learned this week: avoid Pinterest food boards for the next 5 weeks (especially any sort of dessert recipe), some Moms are just really rude and are unfortunately raising equally rude children (observations while at storytime), and I LOVE LEMON LARABARS (because I miss them so much).

So how about you- how are you doing?
xoxo

Tattoo Tuesday V.105

  
Name and blog name: Becky MacKeigan. I never update my blog but I'm here: http://www.facebook.com/BeckyMacKeigan. My website is www.beckz.ca. And you can find me on instagram @beckzmaru
Age: 30
Occupation: Tattoo Artist who also paints
Age of first tattoo: 24, Haida scorpion/eagle on the back of my arm
Favorite tattoo: either my sailor girl or my chest piece, I can't really choose
Featured tattoo/location: My chest piece
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Travis Driscoll when he was at Sin On Skin here in Halifax, Nova Scotia (he is now at MTL Tattoo in Montreal)

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning? 

I got a paper mache sugar skull from the boardwalk in Venice Beach, Ca and named him Pierre (he looks french). I have always loved sugar skulls and what they represented and I know they are overdone as tattoos but I needed him tattooed on me. Pierre was with me for the remainder of my time in California and sat front and centre at the windshield of a '68 VW bus as I made my way home driving north and across Canada back to Nova Scotia. He has since come along on many road trips to see bands (NYC, even back to Calgary/Montreal/Toronto, etc) and has seen more then a lot of people I know, and he just represents my wanderlust and the good times I've had while 'on the road'. And now he sits front and centre with me no matter what :) There are flowers on either side of him, marigolds and bird of paradise flowers. The marigolds are the traditional Dia de los Muertos flowers and I just fell in love with the bird of paradise flower so wanted those in there too, plus they help balance it.


2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I have a Haida/west coast native art inspired scorpion on the back of my arm.. and if you look closely you can see an eagle in the design. I didn't think of getting any more done there but afterwards wanted a more fuller looking arm. So after I started my apprenticeship my boss (Mike LeBlanc now at Ink Nation in Courtenay, BC) and I came up with a stormy rainforest scene because I wasn't sure what else would go with the style, so a beautiful nature scene seemed fitting. The main focus is a raven who is sort of for my dad as a joke and also sort of for my fiancé haha. I stand with my arms crossed/folded all the time so it's cool to have him sitting right there. I suppose you could say overall the whole 1/2 sleeve is for the time I spent living in British Columbia but it isn't really… I just like it!

I have a 'practice' leg on the go that I did one of my very first tattoos on (4th to be exact)… I drew up some girls, each a queen of a different card suit with a bird. I wanted the queen of spades with a crow but someone else called dibs so I gave myself the queen of clubs with an owl. I love owls anyway so I don't mind having one on me one bit. I was sketching at work one day and drew up a coffin with wings and a keyhole cause it just looked 'tattoo-y' and threw in some tiny roses and put that on my leg for practice early on too. It would sound weird/bad if I said that was for my mom… but she has always said about me, "She has wings" cause I've always done my own thing.. so it's cool cause it reminds me of that. The only piece on that leg I didn't do is my Bacon tattoo, the shop owner of the place I am now at (Dr. J, Permanent Ink, Halifax NS) gave me that one and now I am randomly called "Bacon", even by some clients. Who doesn't love bacon?!

I also have a traditional looking sailor girl on my left leg that I did myself. As symmetrical and OCD as I am, it was weird to put something on my left side. But my fiancé deployed for 6 months with the navy right after he proposed to me which sucked so on a slow work day I just had a sudden urge to put this beautiful tattoo on me for him/us and couldn't really do it well on myself anywhere else. So there it went, and I love it so much!

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Absolutely… It's actually driving me nuts I haven't been getting any! People leave the shop everyday with new work done and I'm jealous haha! I basically want my whole back done with sort of a kitschy Americana theme including a 1950's waitress pin up and lots of Route 66 inspired stuff. I am so nostalgic for that era. It's been floating in my head forever, and kind of hard to get all down on paper. I even had a couple of other tattoo artists turn me down because I'm very anal and picky about what I want. (But at least I can relate to my clients when they want their stencil moved a millimetre 5 times in a row! It's on you for life so get it right, right?)
My next one which is way more doable is going to be a teapot and stacked teacups because tea has to be one of my most favourite things and I love all the decorative mugs, teacups, and teapots. I've never been really girly so this might help me out? It's going to go on my super bare left upper arm. (on that note, I love your Two for Tea tattoo Danielle!) editor's note: thanks lady!
I also want an old wood cookstove with some pumpkins maybe (for my sister), something harvesty with that one… autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. And I feel like I need a mounted deer head? And a realistic elephant, or maybe numerous elephants stampeding. Oh, and I want a tattoo of a piece of apple pie with cheese on top. So yes.. I have plans for many more!



4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

Well pretty much all of my friends who are in to tattoos helped me out big time while I was apprenticing and let me work on them. I still work on a lot of them and they send me lots of business. I have some pretty heavily covered friends and some friends with only one or none at all, and everyone that matters knows what I do, and what I look like and are cool with it. My parents/family have always supported me and are pretty laid back about whatever I've wanted to do whether it was going to art school, moving across the country or tattooing. I've even tattooed my mom 5 times (and she wants more)! My dad is the black sheep with none and he just laughs and shakes his head at us. I work on my sister, she has a few big pieces and I am covering her husband: I finished his sleeve & 1/2 chest. Started his other sleeve and started his full back piece. My fiancé has two full sleeves and I love them. Well I've been working on one of them so maybe I'm biased, it's still in progress… but it's all old school sailor jerry flash perfect for my sailor:) We only cover up when we're around his grandparents because they are older and religious and set with their opinions and we respect that. They are pretty awesome, so I really don't mind.

I don't find I run into any adversity but I do get looks from people obviously. I find people mostly look at my leg tattoos if I have a dress or shorts on… I find it really strange because I forget that they're even there. I did, however, have a lady pull on the front of my tank top once in a coffee shop to see my chest piece. It was super weird and awkward and what was even worse she thought it was a teletubby?? I've had people ask if it was a clown, but never a teletubby. Who knows!



5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? 

Most interesting experience might have been the chest peeker at the coffee shop. But there is a funny thing I notice that happens almost daily in regards to our tattoo appearances. There is a little old lady who walks her beagle by our shop everyday. She looks in and gives my boss the dirtiest looks! He's a big stereotypical biker guy completely covered with old tattoos and about as harmless as a kitten. Now this very same old lady smiles, and nods and waves at me and our very visibly tattooed shop counter girl. If the door is open she even chats to us as we pet her dog. It's just so funny she has her mind made up about one tattooed person but is sweet as pie to us girls!




6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

Here is a little story I tell a lot. When I was 16 my mom took me to get my first tattoo. I was filling out the paperwork and when they saw I was 16 they said "No." Me, being 16 at the time and a little brat, complained and explained my mom was sitting right there and she was letting me. They still said "No" and explained that they weren't comfortable tattooing someone that age as some people may not be mature enough to make that kind of permanent decision yet and that I may not really know what I want at that age and my body could still be growing/changing. They were right, I didn't know or cared about what I was going to get. I just wanted "a tattoo". I remember it was a little frog with squiggly legs… and boy am I so grateful they didn't tattoo it on me… because it would be covered up right now! (funny side story- my mom ended up taking my appointment that day and I was so angry! I have since covered that up for her though mwaha).

I have a lottttt of friends who got tattoos at a very young age and I've covered up so, so, so many of them. So I now get to feel old and tell teenagers that I was in their shoes once. So please really think about what you are getting, make it count. We don't have a piece of generic flash in our shop with hopes of giving people a more meaningful personal custom tattoo. Check portfolios so you know what you are getting! Even if someone is sent in to see me, I still offer up my portfolio for them to look at. And if you live in an area that does not have regulations or standards (there are none here in Nova Scotia -although a bill just passed and we are on our way thankfully) then make sure the artist has some health and safety background in body modification because there is a lot more to tattooing then just pretty pictures. I take a blood borne pathogens course every year and display my certificate in my station for all to see. Don't be a 'tire-kicker'. I understand it can get expensive but do you really want to get the best 'deal' on something like a tattoo? If you are price-shopping then do it discreetly haha! We've even had people come in after getting their $40 sweet deal from a friends basement and brag! "How much would you charge for this? I only paid $40!" ….. yes, yes you did.

Any other advice would be to eat beforehand, and don't let the anticipation freak you out. 99% of the time after I start on a first-timer… their first reaction is, "oh, that's it?" Obviously this depends on where it is going, but I believe for the most part getting tattooed is more annoying then painful. And speaking of pain… I believe you should suck it up, and get the tattoo where you really want it, and don't just put it somewhere because you think it will hurt less. It will only feel crappy for the duration of the tattoo and you will have the tattoo a lifetime so put it where you would like to have it!

My 1st Visit to the Naturopath

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After talking about it for what seems like years, I finally had my first visit to a naturopath this past Friday.  I've always been interested in natural medicine but for some reason or another I hesitated when actually finding one in our area.  I finally decided to go through with it though, after feeling unbalanced and out of wack over the past couple of months. Since having Henry my usually clear skin has been horrible- acne on my face, eczema on my forearms, and my scalp has been super dry.  I actually went and visited my regular dermatologist when I stopped breastfeeding a couple of months ago and he prescribed me acne medication. I saw a small improvement, and when I went to my follow up appointment last week he said I needed to go on antibiotics. Now, I am not opposed to medicine whatsoever- I do believe in "regular" doctors, we choose to vaccinate Henry (on a slow schedule, but we still do it), and even though I try and avoid taking medicine whenever possible, if it is needed, I'll take it. But with that said, I prefer to go the natural route whenever possible. So when my dermatologist prescribed antibiotics I got a little uncomfortable. My skin has been so bad lately that I felt like taking anitbiotics wouldn't get at the real problem or fix it long term...only mask it. But I took the prescription home, and with my Mom and Hank's encouragement made my first appointment at the naturopath's.

On Friday afternoon I headed to my appointment feeling a little nervous. I had no idea what to expect, and although the doctor came highly recommended by quite a few friends, it was still a bit scary. When I got there they had me fill out the expected paperwork but unlike most doctor's offices I'd been to, this paperwork included lots of open ended questions and even a timeline to record significant events in my life. Very cool.

I waited for less than 5 minutes in the room, and once the doctor came in I immediately felt at ease. She was AWESOME. All caps awesome. We talked for an hour about everything- my history, my health, my issues, what I hoped to gain from the visit. She really, really listened. She asked questions and made me feel so comfortable.  It was like talking to a friend, but a friend who knew everything about everything and wanted to help me feel better. It was truly the best experience I have ever had at a doctor's office.

She prescribed me a couple of things- sepia drops (10 drops under my tongue for 7 days), a homeopathic cream called pharMAX heal (it's actually a trans-dermal wound healing cream but it's already almost cleared up my rash in TWO days!) for the eczema, and most notably, a sugar-elimination diet.  My Mom is extemely healthy and into naturopathy so thanks to her I knew there was a good chance the doctor would recommend this to me. My Mom had actually told me the same thing months earlier, but I chose to ignore it because it's quite hard to cut out all sugar and frankly, I didn't want to. It's no fun, and we're not just talking about cupcakes and candy- it means all sugars- fruits, carbs like bread and pasta, potatoes, processed foods, etc. Although I don't eat a lot of sweets, the real problem was all of the other kinds of sugar I was consuming without even realizing it. So much fruit, so many carbs that turned to sugar in my body, you name it.  And it's not that fruit is bad- but my body has been having a hard time with any sugar, so cutting it out during these 6 weeks would be important.

Overall it's not terribly hard to follow this diet because it's actually pretty similar to how I normally eat, just with a few changes.  The main thing I've noticed (and missed) is fruit, and all of the processed "healthy" treats I find myself eating daily- Larabars, mini Luna bars,  little 100 calorie packs of cookies from Trader Joe's, dark chocolate...all of the good stuff. But the things I can eat are good too- lots of whole foods like produce, lean proteins, and nuts- and of course tons of water. I never, ever drink soda, but I'd imagine if someone was into soda this diet could be a little more difficult. But as far as what I've been eating, today I enjoyed lots of different types of food from an avocado to a sweet potato and broccoli, to Greek yogurt with almonds. And I know it's probably in my head but I already feel so much better.

I'm motivated to stick to it, and I'm curious to see how my skin clears up over the next few weeks. I have a feeling that the benefits will extend far beyond just my skin though, and I'm excited to just feel even healthier overall!

I encourage any of you who have been thinking of checking out a natural doctor to do so. I feel really empowered by taking my health into my own hands, and I am still glowing from my awesome experience. I'll keep you all posted on my progress, too! :)

Good Old Snail Mail

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When I was 14 my Dad's job was transferred to Arizona, and my family and I found ourselves being uprooted from our small town in New Jersey to a suburb of Phoenix. Even at that often-tumultuous age I didn't mind moving too much- I was extremely outgoing and I actually looked forward to meeting new people. I did, however, miss my childhood pals terribly. I had been born and raised in the same place, the same home, and had deep roots where I grew up. Luckily though it was the 90s, and although email was beginning to take off, my friends and I still preferred good old snail mail to keep in touch. For the first few years of my Arizona life my girlfriends and I mailed hundreds of letters back and forth. I still have most of them in a huge box. Sometimes when I'm at my parents' I get that box out and sift through them. If you were to join me you'd see pages upon pages of carefully crafted 14-year old penmanship, i's dotted with hearts, tons of "LYLAS" and "SWAK," and stickers. Lots of stickers.

I can still remember waiting for the mail to come every single day, and when I saw brightly colored, probably Lisa Frank stationary sticking out through the pile my Mom would bring inside, my heart would jump in my chest.

Now a days though, mail is mainly full of bills, junk, or strange catalogs for ill-fitting women's clothing I'll never buy. On some fabulous days we receive packages, and on even more special days there will be a card or a letter from someone I love.

I'm lucky enough to know quite a few ladies who pride themselves on using the postal service. They are pen pal extraordinaires and work at keeping the art of letter-writing alive. I am not so good at it, but every so often I'll send a letter off to a friend and I get so excited thinking about how excited they'll probably get, getting real mail.

I thought it would be fun to encourage all of you to go get some pretty stationary, your favorite pen, and write a few letters to people you care about. I guarantee you that a handwritten letter will probably make your Grandma's day, as I'm sure in her lifetime she's seen the sad decline of letters coming to her mailbox. Mail something off to a faraway friend just to say hello or send a letter to an old teacher letting them know how much they impacted you. Real, handwritten letters mean so much more than an email, and I am willing to bet that your recipient's day will be made.

So, let's all promise to write three handwritten letters this upcoming week! In the comments below, tell me who you are going to write your three letters to...and if you comment and commit, you must follow through! ;) Are you in?

Weekend Links

Hi everyone! I sure hope you're having a great Saturday. It's been a good one for us. We went out this morning and ran some errands, and then I spent the afternoon at the gym while Henry napped.  We just put him back down for the night, so I thought I'd take a moment and finish this post up- I'm also working on something about my visit to the naturopath yesterday (I loved her!), so look for that soon too.

Here are some links to check out. Happy weekend!

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I can't even tell you how excited Hank and I are for that movie right up there! Yes!

What an inspiring read! I'm still sad I missed the deadline to submit...but maybe she'll do it again sometime! ;)

I've been enjoying reading back through this blog. Its just really interesting and a great read. I linked to you to a particular post I just read, but be sure to visit the whole thing too.


Oh, Meryl!

If you are a mama, read this post! What an amazing (and time-consuming) project to do for your child. The finished product is just too cool.

I love Kate's post about creating the perfect care package!

This is great- a tutorial on how to make your own personalized board book for kiddos. Henry would love it.

One of my lovely sponsors Dejavu, is offering Sometimes Sweet readers 30% off their super cute clothing and accessories this month. Simply use the code "sometimessweet." Thanks Dejavu!

What a pretty video, all about books.

I loved Krista's round up of organizational inspiration! Awesome.

Henry needs a teepee, and the one Jen made for her little Rowan is just great.

Homemade beauty treatments rule and Jess' looks like something I'd want to try.'

This wallpaper! Amazing! Thank you Adriana.

What a beautiful film.

I really adore Jess and her little family. I think you will too!

Loving this knit cowl, this ring, and all of Justine's photography on her blog . Don't I have some talented ladies as sponsors this month? Blows me away.

43 pizza recipes via the one and only Martha! Need I say more?

We've been meal-planning like crazy and I love to read other bloggers' adventures with it too.  And check out that cute meal-planning pad. I need it!

And finally, some blogs I've been enjoying: one, two and three!

A Little Update!

It's Thursday, Hank is home from his business trip, and all is well in the world. Kind of. Today while half walking/half running, Henry fell and hit his mouth. I was almost able to grab him before he hit but I didn't make it in time and he now has an upper lip that rivals Angelina Jolie's. Poor baby. It's horrible to see your little one in pain, and I feel terrible that it happened. From what my Mom friends tell me though it's only the beginning with a little boy (or really any rambunctious toddler).

Outside of Henry's tumble it was a pretty good day though. Miss Madeline got a bath and nail clip and I watched an entire episode of Teen Mom without crying. Or throwing anything at the television. Yes!

Some awesome things going on in my world right now:

1) Transitioning Henry from two naps to one.  Before he was napping from 9am-11am and again 2pm-4pm. That's a lot of sleep but more recently the two hour naps were becoming shorter and shorter, and he was getting increasingly harder to get down for that early nap. It was also a little difficult because all of the fun baby stuff (story time at the library, Mommy and Me, our playgroup) happened during that first nap. I usually would just push it and still go, but that was never fun in the end. So, for reasons beneficial to both of us, I decided to make the switch. I think it was the right choice though, because for the past few days he's been sleeping 12pm-3pm. 

2) My appointment with a naturopath tomorrow. Since having Henry my body has been all wacky. My skin is not at its best, and although I'm sure it's hormones, I just feel unbalanced. I haven't been to the actual doctor in years, and I also think it's time to get a check up. So...I took the recommendations of a few friends and tomorrow is my first visit. It's an hour long intensive appointment and I'm looking forward to seeing what she says! I'll keep you guys posted.

3) The Bachelor. First of all, I know how ridiculous it is to even include this on an "awesome things going on in my world" list. And secondly, I understand this isn't exactly quality programming...but I can't help it, I am such a Bachelor fan. I've been watching both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for years and years and I always enjoy every episode. For the past few seasons Adie and I have spent Monday nights at my house indulging in our favorite show (and snacks and girl talk) and this season is shaping up to be a good one! So much drama! So many psychos! Let's talk about the ladies for a second- the model chick? She's the worst! And how about Blakeley? Both crazy.  It's a trainwreck up in there!  Do any of you watch this show? Who is your favorite so far? Mine fave is definitely Kacie, who was date #1.  But really, let me know all about your opinions on the season- I'm super intrigued. And if you hate the Bachelor let me know too. ;)

I'm signing off but I'll leave you with this fun photo I put together using the Diptic app on my iPhone the other day.  The first baby is me, Henry's in the middle, and Hank is on the right! I can see my facial shape in Henry but I feel like he is the spitting image of Hank! Neat, right?

xoxo