What are you thankful for?

So, awhile back, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Shrink Rap Radio , and Dr. Dave was interviewing someone who was discussing ways to make people happier. One of the suggestions that was made was to make what I have recently heard referenced as a "Gratitude List" in which you list a few things that you are grateful for each day. Well, I thought that it was a great idea and decided that Clay and I should try it out.

Although it sounds easy enough, it is difficult to add to an already busy lifestyle and although our "Gratitude Lists" did seem to be very fulfilling, we can't seem to keep it up. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought that I might reattempt my "Gratitude List" routine and share it with my readers. I know that I may not be able to make this a routine blog but I will make an attempt.

So, here is my Gratitude List for today.

1. My wonderful husband.
2. My beautiful daughter.
3. Our dogs who always make life interesting.
4. Our house because even with its idiosyncrasies it is a pretty nice place to live and a perfect location to support some environmentalist actions in a not so eco-friendly town.
5. My family because they are as fun as they are crazy!

And although I'm sure that I could go on, I will save the rest for another day. I hope that my readers will consider joining me in writing a Gratitude List and maybe even share it as a comment here!!!

Aubrey's First Birthday: Birthday Banner Craft

Well, I did it. I managed to distract myself with tons of party planning so that I didn't spend a week crying about the fact that my daughter is now a year old. Oh, and I did it well! So now, I will begin to share my birthday crafts with all of you!

To start, I made a birthday banner following the tutorial linked but with a few alterations that I will share so that you do not have to spend as much time going through the trial and error phase of party planning.
1.  I cut my cardstock into 5 X 7 rectangles and my scrapbook paper was cut into 4 X 6 rectangles.
2.  I used double-sided tape to adhere the papers and letters to each other because it gives a smoother look.
3.  After numerous issues, I bought a ribbon punch and used it to make slits long enough for the ribbon to slide through.
4. I used one piece of ribbon instead of tying each letter individually which allowed me to adjust spacing and gives me the option of using individual letters for other banners in the future without lots of tying and untying.

And that is the first of many birthday crafts that I will continue to share. Let me know if you have any questions or if you do the project and would like to share pictures, that would be wonderful!

Let's Talk About Sex

So, yesterday evening I attended a screening/ discussion entitled, "Sex, Brain, Body: Make the Connection," which featured a video of the same name discussing issues with women's sexual arousal. I thought it would be an interesting event to attend because I had issues in that area of my life prior to having a baby and because my ultimate goal is to become a marriage and family psychologist and attending lectures is my only outlet to education at the present time.

The video was good in that it let women know that they weren't alone. Women of many different ages and in very different areas in there lives were facing the same issues and getting the same feedback. For me, it was reassuring to know that many other women had gone to doctors and been told that nothing was wrong or had just been brushed off without even the simplest tests. In my own life, having no sex drive seemed like a death sentence without any chance of a pardon. To doctors, since my hormone levels were normal, it was all in my head.

Well, I will say that the video also showed that there were a lot of new studies going on that demonstrated how much women were in their heads during sex. In fact, it gave an interesting tid-bit about how women with hypoactive sexual desire had different areas of their brain light up on an fMRI when they became aroused which suggested that they were spending more time judging themselves and their partners than women who retained normal desire. Thus, in a way, it may be all in our heads.

However, the video and lecture also explained how little we really know about women's sexual desire and therefore how little we can actually do. But, what was even more discouraging to me personally was that the entirety of the film focused on medical interventions. Being an advocate for alternative therapies, I was disappointed in the fact that these wonderful new institutions for women would not think to incorporate homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, yoga, etc. into their treatment plans. I guess for them, suggesting erotic materials and exercises stays within the medical model?

Overall, it was a good experience and I would suggest that other women with arousal issues watch the video because it does make you feel a little less like an outsider. However, I would also suggest that they entertain other options. After all, we owe it to ourselves and our partners to find solutions now and not wait for the medical community to catch up!