A Pinch of Me – WP Weekly Writing Challenge

This is the very first time I am taking on a WordPress Weekly Writing Challenge.

This week’s challenge is stated below, to come out with an interesting recipe for sharing. 

How does the old saying go — girls are “sugar and spice and everything nice,” and boys are “snips and snails and puppy dog tails”?

Aside from not knowing what a “snip” is, I don’t buy it; we’re much more complex than lollipops and unicorns and toy trucks and frogs. This week, we want a window into the complexity that is you. We want your best recipes.

I am never a good chef, but a passable cook.  Nevertheless, I am going to share a pinch of me with you.

Recipe: A Cheesy Burnt Chop Mom

Ingredients:

1 pound of fatigue (increase to 2 pounds or more if this is insufficient)

5 tbps of stress for tasting (a necessary ingredient)

10 drops of sleep (yes, only 10 drops)

10g of ear shit (for ignoring screams, this is also the cheesy part of the recipe)

10 ltrs of steam (when kids quarrel)

a bottle of red colouring (when I see red over spilled koko crunch)

a slab of thick makeup (to cover panda eyes)

a bucket of tears (when I need to let out steam)

To decorate:

infinite cups of joy

10 minutes of continuous laughter

6 ozs of sweet nothings

5 dashes of creative juice

8 heaps of smiles

a pinch of forgetfulness

endless LOVE

Instructions:

Add all the ingredients above into a big rubber inflatable pool.  Stir them continuously for 10 days without stopping.  Tips: for best results, stir them fast when the decibel in the house reaches 100dB, and stir them as slow as possible when you can read while still stirring with a leg. 

On the 10th day, decorate with the above list, with infinite joy, continuous laughter, sweet nothings, add in some creative juices, put on heaps of smiles, a pinch of forgetfulness (to forget anything that makes you unhappy) and lastly and most importantly, pour in endless LOVE.

I hope you enjoy my Cheesy Burnt Chop Mom recipe.

Other great recipes can be found here:

  1. Random Writing Challenge: A Pinch of You « Completely Random Thoughts
  2. A pinch of you | Spaghetti~thoughts
  3. Weekly Writing challege. | Eyes Closed, Mind Open.
  4. How To Make a Goldfish | Fish Of Gold
  5. ‘Cooking Me’ For Dummies | Black and White Heart
  6. Weekly Writing Challenge: A Pinch of You – Life Guideline | flow of my soul
  7. A pinch of You | the mmmmm family
  8. {Weekly Writing Challenge} How to prepare a ‘serial traveler’: Recipe, cooking times and serving suggestions. | 3rdculturechildren
  9. Weekly writing challenge: How to make two whole children | Life of a Fallen Angel
  10. Recipe for: Life on Wry | life on wry
  11. A day in MY kitchen | Blogging Vogging…
  12. Quiet, Simple Patchworks | Chronicles of My Imagination
  13. Pinch of Me | unknowinglee
  14. Weekly Writing Challenge: How to Make a Me | One Starving Activist
  15. How to Make a Ms. Roberts | News of Ms. Roberts
  16. Recipe of Me | Weekly Writing Challenge | Catherine B.’s Blog
  17. Just a quick recipe… | Testing the Strength I Have
  18. Lemming | Stitch this
  19. This is what makes us girls. | ourroadtohappiness
  20. Recipe of Me | Hekau: Words of Power
  21. Hungry for What Matter’s Most | Wise Maiden
  22. A Recipe for Making Cats | The Blessing of Animal Companions
  23. Weekly Writing Challenge: Recipe for Disaster | The travellers tale
  24. Recipe: A Pinch of Geekiness. | Cats and Chocolate
  25. Recipe For A Journalist | Cheri Speak
  26. Weekly Writing Challenge: A Pinch of You | Irregular Ventilator
  27. Yep, this is me… « joepuentesblog.COM
  28. “Mom, Where Did You Come From?” | Trees Without Roots
  29. a finch of me | Musings of a Random Mind
  30. Cooking up a sugary, cynical “me” recipe and a hearty DPchallenga | Running with Reality
  31. Weekly Writing Challenge: A Pinch of You | Family, Photos, Food and Craft
  32. Finding MY Way | Recipe of Me: a poem
  33. My Recipe | BirdTalk
  34. A Pinch of Me – WP Weekly Writing Challenge | Kids “R” Simple
  35. Don’t Pinch Me, I’m Making a Recipe | MediocreNINjA
  36. A Recipe For Me | Maggie’s Writing
  37. Weekly Writing Challenge: A Fine Recipe for Baked Me | SERENDIPITY
  38. Writing Challenge: The Emma Grace | Emmazingrace
  39. WordPress and I | Soulsez…
  40. This is me ! | Books, Music and Movies : my best friends
  41. Weekly Writing Challenge: A Pinch of You | Rinse
  42. Job Applications Insult My Intelligence | Bumblepuppies
 

Managing the Forgetfulness Monster

It’s long been known that women become forgetful once they have been through pregnancy.  I have been through thrice.  Will that make me 3 times more forgetful?

9 months after delivery, I have much problem remembering things. Below are some frustrating examples:

  • I can’t remember where I’ve kept things the day before.
  • I can be in the middle of a conversation and stop short of remembering what I want to say.
  • I can’t remember what I am searching for after filtering out my emails by a certain name.
  • I can be concentrating on doing a task, and forget about it when I return from a conversation with a peer.
  • I’ll walk into a room and forget what I want to find 

This makes me rather frustrated with myself.  I feel less competent.  I wonder if I am suffering from some health problems.  Has this something to do with my earlier stress state?  Am I still suffering from too much fatigue?  Have I allow excessive stress to creep in again and my brain is protesting while I am still oblivious to the warning signs?

A good friend told me that I probably have too much worries at the back of my mind with such thoughts working unconsciously.  Kel said I have too much nitty gritty details on my mind such that my memory card is more than full.  Now, I am worried because it is affecting much of my daily life.

I need to find some ways to manage this forgetfulness:

1. Jotting down

At work, I jot down information fast and furious before I turn my head and that information vanished in the air.  It really literally happens that way now.  On my way home, when I sort out some home and weekend schedule, I will jot down notes in my Galaxy calendar, or in Evernote.

2. Eating well

I am eating a balanced diet but I think I need more brain foods.  A search on the internet shows up the following brain foods that boost memory and I was heading to the supermarket to get some of these before I even finished reading up:

  • Salmon, sardines and herring – rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential for brain function
  • Blueberries, pomegranate drink – high anti-oxidant properties that prevent the brain from the damage of free radicals.  These foods can delay dementia and age-related conditions.
  • Avocadoes – high levels of monosaturated fats that boost the heart and blood flow to the brain for healthy brain function.
  • Nuts and seeds – high in vitamin E with benefits that correspond with less cognitive decline as you grow older.
  • Whole-grains like oatmeal, wholemeal bread, etc – promotes cardiovascular health which promotes blood flow to all organs including the brain of course. Healthy blood flow to the brain promotes healthy brain function which includes boosting memory.
  • Beans – stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels. The brain is dependent on glucose for fuel.

3. Upkeep my blog

Perhaps I’ll forget much of my kids growing up years. I may forget the joy, the laughter, the challenges, the tears.  I want to re-read all my blogs when I grow old and when dementia sinks in.  Hopefully I’ll still remember I have a blog and its URL.

4. Sleeping well

I know I will not be sleeping well with the kind of schedule in our house around the baby.  But I will have to work towards an earlier sleep time.  I will have to spend earlier quality evening time with all the kids without being disturbed over dirty floors and unwashed dishes.  That means I need to bring their nights out earlier to 1030pm from the current 11+pm which is rather late for young children.  Then, I will be able to go to bed before 11pm which allows me to sleep for a continuous 4-6 hours before the baby wakes up for night feed.  This should get better as the baby grows up.

5. Take things slow

I am an impatient person and one who wish to do everything perfectly in the fastest time possible.  I need to change that to lessen my load on my body and brain. It has taken me years to learn to slow down and sadly I have not been successful in it. It’s all about mindset change and a determination to slow my pace.  Maybe I should think along the line of aging faster if I continue a fast pace life.  Hey! Maybe that’ll help!

This forgetfulness has led me to understand my 85 years old grandma more as we can see her dementia sets in day by day.  I don’t mind repeating things to her and every time she sees me with the baby, it’s as if she sees him for the first time and there she’ll ask me again how many children I have now.  She cannot control dementia and it’s important that we understand this and be patient with her.

It’s no fun forgetting things.  While we can still control things and before old age renders us helpless, we should take good care of ourselves, have a good lifestyle, eat well, sleep well and maintain a happy and positive mind, hopefully to delay aging and its related inconveniences.

Do you have bouts of forgetful boos boos to share?