Natura Pillow Review - Week Two

This is an interesting but important week to write about. We all know our bed and pillow needs to be a good quality and suited to our individual bodies during normal times, but what about when life circumstances are not normal?

We think about what we need in our day-to-day lives, but what about the times you are sick, injured, or grief stricken? It has become apparent to me that these are the times we need to have the proper sleeping accommodations more than ever.

Dave and I have spent the last week grieving the loss of our beloved dog Riley (see the picture of Riley sleeping on my pillow before I ever got to). I've done lots and lots of crying while Dave has been struggling to sleep through the night. Tossing and turning would be the norm, but that hasn't been the case. What's been happening for Dave is that he is simply not sleeping. He got up and went to work at 3 AM one morning, and found himself on the couch watching television while he couldn't sleep on another. By Thursday, I can only surmise that he was completely exhausted and finally slept. Again, no tossing and turning, just good, sound sleep on a pillow that fits him. This is true for me, too. I wasn't sleeping either, but I was comfortable on my skinny pillow. My head rested comfortably and when I did doze off, I really rested.

Other times I've needed to be comfortable was after knee surgery and when I was thrown from a horse last year. I came home with a concussion, bruised kidneys, a cracked vertebrae in my spine, and a finger that needed two surgeries (in just 3 weeks) to be reconstructed. Being comfortable in bed was paramount! You may not think about these times when you are shopping for a bed or pillows. Think about it because even if being tossed off a horse in not in your future, an auto accident, a slip and fall, or any other number of things very well could be.

Sleep is the one thing we all need to think clearly and function in our daily life. Make sure you are equipped with a mattress, pillow, and bedding that fits you, and if you have a spouse, the two of you together. Dave loves his pillow and I'm loving mine more each week. For more information, visit http://www.naturaworld.com/. These guys know good sleep!

Fewer Tears, Sadness Still

I struggle with writing today as I'm still so sad. I'm crying less but just because the tears aren't falling doesn't mean I'm done grieving.

Here's why I'm struggling; I don't want to be writing about my heart break and sadness incessantly, it's so personal and though you all love me, you're not feeling the loss like I am. I can hear you all telling me it's okay, that you understand, but do you really want to keep reading how sad I feel? I don't think so.

The flip side is that I am real, and that means real in joy and in grief. Many of you have commented over the years about how I paint my life picture so rosy and there's a hint of can it really be that good all the time? in your voice. My answer is, "Yes, it really is that good." Sure, I see the bright side so I don't always acknowledge the hiccups and when I do, I make light of them. I decided to write this because I am real, and I'm really soaked with sadness right now. I'm still crying, my chin quivers when I talk, my voice all but disappears when someone asks me how I am, and I miss biting my Riley every morning. I can't help but think this would be easier if he were 15 years old and his time had come. 7 was just too young.

With all that said, life is made up of so many things, one of them being sadness. The cutting, uncontrollable emotions will get easier and the good will soon outweigh the sadness. Bear with me while I get through this. With love.

When There's Loss

Many of you know that I lost my beloved Riley last weekend. Riley was not just our family pet, he was my closest companion. Closer than Dave and Mason if you count the physical contact we made every day. If I was home, he was with me; at my feet in the kitchen, on my lap on the couch, within arms reach sitting at my desk, or sleeping in my legs or spooning with me in bed at night. He even slept on my new pillow before I did! Please don't misunderstand, I am acutely aware how fortunate I am to have Dave and Mason safe and sound, I just don't know how I would cope if I were to lose either of them. Nonetheless, Riley was a bright light in my life, one of the brightest I have ever known. That light is dimmed right now with my grief and sadness. I didn't know my body could produce this many tears and this kind of heart break. Any break up with a man in my past doesn't hold a candle to the way I feel today.

The up-side is this; I would rather have seven years of pure joy with Riley than a lifetime of nothing special. If this heart break and pain is the price I have to pay for the seven years Riley loved me, and was there for me to love, I'll take it. Having Riley in my life and my heart has changed who I am and makes me a better person.

When there's loss, the only thing I know how to do is feel what I feel. I mostly feel heart broken. I'm crying in waves as the emotions overtake me and I know there will be a hole in my heart for a very long time, maybe until the day I die. You can't pretend you don't hurt, and not crying when you need to, is never the right thing to do. I believe the pain will subside and I will be able to remember the happy times with Riley without realizing the pain that comes with knowing he is not here anymore. Until then, Intentional Winning when there's loss is all about authenticity. Feel what you feel, let it be, and get through. There is no around, under, over...just through. I will get through this, with Dave and we will have another puppy to love. When we do, you'll be the first to know!

Natura Pillow Review - Week One

The big box arrived with two brand new, very different pillows in it. Julia also added a wonderful pillow-blanket and a bottle of Re-Groove-N-8 Mist. The pillows we received were a large, heavy pillow called the Dream Mate, and a smaller, lighter pillow called the Perfect Pillow. Dave immediately grabbed the big Dream Mate and though I would have likely given it to him, it made me want it, too! I put fresh pillow cases on our new pillows and found that I had a difficult time putting my favorite pillow aside.

When we got into bed, we looked like a couple of puppies fluffing our bed. Pushing, squeezing, and fluffing new pillows that clearly didn't need it. As we both lay our heads down we started to giggle. What now? My Perfect Pillow seemed too low, like I wanted to fold it over and make it taller. That right away got me thinking I should have fought harder for the Dream Mate. We both noted that the pillows smelled new, maybe like the plastic they came wrapped in. That's where the bottle of Re-Groove-N-8 came in, it's a lovely green tea and aloe fragranced spray that you can use on pillows, linens, and even your body! A few spritzes and the new pillow smell was gone.

I woke up after the first night and found that I had slept on my back most of the night. That's not normal for me. I was well rested and comfortable but I still wasn't sure what I thought. The next night we switched pillows. Big mistake! The Dream Mate was way too big for me. I woke up in the middle of the night with a stiff neck and grabbed my old pillow for the remainder of the night. We switched back for night number three. Dave was really unhappy with the thinner Perfect Pillow, as much as I was with the bigger one. Clearly, the differences in the pillows and our bodies matter!

After the first week, I'm liking my new pillow but I'm still not sure it's perfect for me. Dave however, loves his new pillow! He said that it's longer than most pillows, is big enough around that he only needs one pillow, and it has the right amount of fluff so it's supportive, but also gives so he feels like his head rests comfortably on/in it. Julia, you might be right, you just may have set us up with a pillow Dave loves! I'm going for week two to see if the solid pillow can make me as happy as my old trusty broken foam pillow did.

Happy Friday!

Not much to say today but Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend, do something fun and come back and share with me next week.

Happy Birthday Mason!

It was yesterday but we celebrated on Saturday, again yesterday, and hopefully for many more days to come! Why not? After all, I am so very grateful to have him in my life. He's a beautiful combination of Dave and I, the best of the best I hope!

Mason teaches me that I still have so much to learn, that sometimes I sweat the small stuff, but mostly, he reminds me to be the human "being" that I really want to be. A human being present to notice how intently he does a puzzle, or how he can play by himself in the lot for hours. I want to always be present to notice when he's trying to fib, or clean his room by throwing all of his clean clothes in the laundry. And most of all, I want to be present when he wants to cuddle or share what he feels with me. I know there is a teenager on his way who may not want to be so close to his mom, but I'll always know my little boy loves me and our time.

Happy Birthday Mason! You light up our lives like the sun on a summer day and the moon on a harvest night. You are pure light my sweet, sweet boy.

Birthday Cake Adventures!

Mason wanted a Star Wars birthday party and being a professional cake decorator in my younger days, I thought, Why not? How hard can it be? From the looks of R2D2 in the picture, all was coming along beautifully. The next morning, I woke up to a pile of cake on the platter. I'm not going to bore you with the details but the cake fell to pieces. I thought I could pull it apart and put it back together. After more than 3 hours and still no structural stability, I let Mason do it himself.

Mason used our cookie icings and some Star Wars figures and Viola! The birthday was saved!

We are a family of Intentional Winning thinkers, whether it's good communication, bringing a product to market, or birthday cake. We keep looking for the bright side or the lesson and make the best of all situations. In the end, it's a great story and a fun memory!

Now all I have to do is reconcile that he's really six! Where did that time go?