Thank you AstraZeneca for sponsoring this post. Many of you who are long-time readers of Tough Cookie Mommy know that I originally began this blog after being diagnosed with leukemia. The diagnosis literally rocked my whole world as a young mother with a toddler and a newborn baby and I just needed a place where I could vent and share my emotions whenever I was feeling overwhelmed. I had no idea then that I would be telling my story to other women and families so many years later. And with September being Blood Cancer Awareness Month, I feel it’s more important than ever to share my story. My journey began in 2007, shortly after the birth of my youngest son. I had a routine follow-up visit with my doctor and she noticed that my White Blood Cells (WBCs) were kind of high after she reviewed my bloodwork. She discussed with me that, although it was probably nothing, she wanted me to see a hematologist just to make sure that nothing else was going on with me. She explained that a … [Read more...]
Remove Snow Safely This Winter
How will you remove snow safely this winter? Once again, New York City is scheduled to get some snowstorms this weekend for the New Year. It's something us New Yorkers are used to with the kinds of winters we get around these parts but they still require some preparation on our part. Many people are unaware that removing snow can become a dangerous task and should be done with some caution. Unfortunately, we learned this lesson the hard way when the father of an old friend of ours suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow in front of their home. He subsequently died as a result and it was sobering to think that something like snow removal could prove to be such a perilous activity. Studies show that shoveling snow can increase a person's risk of having a heart attack. Additionally, there are other injuries that can arise from clearing snow including pulled muscles, broken bones, and hypothermia. There are some precautions that one can take to decrease these … [Read more...]
7 Ways To Use Vitamin E Oil
Vitamin E oil is one of the best products to keep in your bathroom cabinet. You will find that it can help solve and soothe many common health and beauty issues, and using it is typically as easy as dabbing it onto your skin. You can find vitamin E oil at most health and beauty stores as well as drug and big box stores, and once you work it into your beauty routine you may never find yourself again without it. If you are curious about how vitamin E oil can help you, take a peek below at 7 ways to use vitamin E oil in your own home. 1. Moisturize your skin. You can actually use vitamin E in place of your daily moisturizer. You can dab the oil on (a little goes a long way) to your face concentrating on especially dry areas. Once a day should be more than enough, and once it starts to work you can even skip a day between uses. If you wish, you can even add a few drops to your daily moisturizer to help boost its power. 2. Lighten up dark spots. Sun, aging, and other elements can … [Read more...]
7 Health Benefits Of Honey
Honey has always been seen as a super food for many cultures. Many know that it’s useful in treating ailments and improving health, but do you really understand exactly how honey can help you? Read on to find out seven health benefits of honey, so you can feel better, reduce ailments, and live a healthy life! 1. Natural cold remedy – Honey can help reduce many symptoms associated with the common cold. As your swallow a spoonful, it coats your throat to help relieve irritation and soreness. This will also help suppress coughs that may make things worse or keep you from sleeping at night. 2. Reduces the risk of cancer – With an abundance of flavonoids, honey can help protect you from some cancers and other serious conditions like heart disease. The flavonoids fight the free radicals, toxins that you ingest through food and are exposed to in your environment, in your body. The flavonoids help to protect your cells from being damaged. 3. Helps wounds heal – Honey can be used as an … [Read more...]
7 Essential Oils To Help Ease Anxiety
If you suffer from anxiety, you know how unpleasant it can be. Finding comfort however is possible, and essential oils may be a fantastic non-chemical alternative to help you do that. Take a look below at 7 essential oils to help with anxiety and help you achieve a more calm and relaxed feeling. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. 1. Lavender-One of the more common oils, lavender can aid with anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and even headaches. Diffuse some lavender oil in your space or massage it into your temples for some relief. Lavender oil is reasonably priced as well, making it a budget friendly option for you. 2. Ylang Ylang-Diffuse some Ylang Ylang while you relax or meditate. You can even place some in your palms and inhale. It is a great way to feel more peaceful, relaxed, and calm. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? 3. Lemon-Lemon and other citrus oils can help the user feel more upbeat and energized. Lemon oil can be added to your beverages, gargled with … [Read more...]
Being A Working Mom When Your Kid Is Sick… #WorkingMom
The past couple of weeks have been rough for us in the health and wellness department. If you have been keeping up with us here on the blog and on social media, you know that I have been sick on and off with a bad cold, we have been dealing with my mother's mental health issues, and this week my younger son got sick with strep throat and asthma as well. Normally, when either one of my sons is sick, my Mom stays with them during the day. This really puts my mind at ease while I am at work because I know that she will care for them just the way that I would if I was home. Since my mother is currently in the hospital, I had to take my sick son with me to work on Monday in order to administer his asthma medication throughout the day. Today we had a snow day so I was glad to be able to stay home with my son an additional day to care for him. He is definitely better but he still has a cough which I wish I could take away from him. Tomorrow it will be back to work and I … [Read more...]
When A Loved One Suffers From Depression And Anxiety…
This past week has been a difficult one because my mother had a severe anxiety attack last weekend. As a family, we have dealt with the fact that she has suffered from depression and anxiety disorder for over thirty years. We are not ashamed of talking about it whatsoever because it is an illness just like any other illness and she has no control over it. As far as we know, it began right after my birth when my mother was eighteen years old. She suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth but was able to recover from it after a few weeks. Unfortunately, four years later after giving birth to my brother, she again sank into a depression but was not able to feel better on her own. This is the way that depression and anxiety presents itself in the lives of many people. It is brought on or awakened by a traumatic or stressful experience in a person's life. In my mother's case, the stress of giving birth to three children in four years, at such a young age, … [Read more...]
The Dreaded Mammogram Callback
As many of you know, I went in to have my first mammogram last week after I was advised to do so by my gynecologist due to my paternal great grandmother having had breast cancer. It was supposed to be just a screening and, although the technician warned me that many women get callbacks after their first exam, I didn't really expect that it would be anything but normal. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that easy so I received a letter from the imaging place over Labor Day weekend asking me to return for a follow-up mammogram. The letter said that there was a "finding" that they wanted take further images of. It was terrifying and I couldn't help feeling that I was part of a cruel joke. You see, I'm only 36 so I was expecting everything to be alright because most women don't even have to have a mammogram until they turn 40. Also, I'm already living with Leukemia so the thought of having to deal with a secondary cancer is just too much to even have to wrap my head around. … [Read more...]
