THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS

BY CHRISTOPHER DAVID RYAN

FEELING: I visited the dermatologist last Friday regarding my hair loss and he said it's more than likely telogen effluvium (caused by stress, fluctuating hormones, change in medications, etc.), which I kind of figured because all three of those factors occurred in 2019. Oy! Thanks to things like Nutrafol and an increase in protein, my hair is slowing growing back, but because it's hair, it takes TIME and I'm not very patient. Argh! Over the past few weeks, I started experiencing an itchy and tingling scalp, which made me paranoid I was going to lose MORE hair. I was reminded I need to stay off the Internet at all costs because it's not helping me stress less, which is exactly what the doctor prescribed. I need to shift my focus to tiny victories like peach fuzz and baby hairs. Have you ever experienced something similar? What helped you? How did you stay positive and stop worrying? 

THINKING ABOUT: Max has "shark teeth" right now. I actually had to Google it because I wasn't sure if this was natural or not. Ha Ha! Anywho, his bottom two teeth are just days away from falling out. In the process of becoming loose, his permanent teeth have started coming in—so essentially, our kid has four bottom front teeth at this point. Yeah, it definitely throws people off a bit when they realize what's going on in there. We're all very eager for the baby teeth to come out. We just keep wiggling them wondering if today is the day it's going to happen! Obviously, Max has had a handful of questions about the tooth fairy and I'm doing my best to creatively answer them. Does anyone know what a tooth goes for these days? Do we write her a note? Does she leave one in return? Help a mother out!

THANKFUL FOR: Flyboy has been flying night locals, which means he gets to spend the bulk of the day with us. Woo hoo! On Tuesday, we visited an adorable town in Maryland. We had breakfast at the cutest bakery, which included blueberry muffins, buttery croissants, and honey lattes. As we made our way home, I felt so grateful. Last year at this time, I was in survival mode and dreamt about mornings with outings like this. Now, here we are. Thank you, God! 

WATCHING: Troop Zero might be one of the sweetest feel-good films I've watched in a really long time. Last Sunday afternoon, I spread out on the chaise lounge with a bag of Skinny Dipped Nuts, informed the boys that I was going to watch this movie, and they could join if they'd like. Surprisingly enough, they took me up on this offer and I think they enjoyed it just as much as I did. Hooray for a family movie that wasn't Star Wars or Jurassic Park!     

READING: Is it still considered reading if I'm listening to two books on Audible?! In the spirit of multitasking, I'm going to just say YES. Yes, it is considered reading. Ha! This past week I downloaded Where the Crawdads Sing and Get Out of Your Head. Everyone raves about the bestseller by Delia Owens (my mom LOOOOVED it), and in the event I want to switch things up, I figured a little self-help from Jennie Allen can't hurt either. You've got to start somewhere, right??       

EATING: Thanks to the February issue of Real Simple, I set out to try two new recipes this week. It was nice to mix things up and Flyboy got to enjoy the leftovers for lunch all week. Woo hoo! If you have the latest issue, be sure to crack it open and try the Smoky Turkey Chili and Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Sliders. Note: I looked for links to share both recipes but they weren't available online. Hey, I guess that's one way to ensure people buy the magazine!   

LISTENING: Last week Max helped me prep a sheet-pan dinner while listening to the Nancy Meyers' Kitchen playlist on Spotify. Honestly, it was dreamy and has me thinking I need to get him a set of kiddie knives so we can make this a regular thing. With sounds of Leon Bridges, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green in the background, he cut up bell peppers while I tackled the onions and parsnips. We had the best damn time, and I was reminded five-year-olds are pretty fun!

LOVING: This is going to sound a bit dramatic, but I didn't know I needed a leopard print sweatshirt in my life until this terry pullover arrived in the mail. The material is thin and yummy, which means it layers well over a fun button-down or tee. Not to mention, it's one of those versatile pieces that can be worn year-round. Snazzy neutral pieces FTW!   

How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!