A Drop of Magic a Day Will Make The Warts Go Away!

What my son's wart looked like in
December...pre-treatment

Warts--- no one wants them yet most of us have had them. Even seeing the word in bold makes me cringe a little. When I was younger, I had them all down my leg because I refused to believe that shaving would spread them... I also had a giant patch on my left hand.  

The ones on my leg, we used acid pads to treat and thankfully, due to a late and BAD case of the chicken pox, the virus was so strong it counteracted and killed the warts that covered my hand--- all but one.  And that one was a DOOZIE.  It was in the center of my hand, deep and planted in there.

I went to the dermatologist for about 12 to 15 weeks in a row getting it frozen 7x's in that time.  It was so painful that as a teenager who was pretty headstrong, I cried each time I got the, "Yeah... we're going to have to freeze it again" look.  It was a terrible experience that I'd never wish on anyone.

So, now my son has one.  It seemed to come out of nowhere and grow to the size of a Buick in a matter of weeks. We used Compound W, the doctor froze it 3x's, and even looked into some voodoo mind trick to make it go away... None of this worked. It would actually get BIGGER after each freezing. 

The "Cure All" in a bottle

Now his wart was not only getting bigger, the nature of a 7 year old was to pick at it so it looked like it was getting infected.  I felt as though the time was coming to get him to a dermatologist and start the entire freezing process.... and quite frankly... I procrastinated like a mo-fo because I didn't want him to have to endure what I did. But the embarrassment of what he had going on was worth the pain I explained would come with it to him.

Someone mentioned--and by the way-- that "someone" was my mom.  Just know that she will disown me if I don't give her credit-- but anyways, "someone" mentioned using Tea Tree Oil and I thought it was at least worth a shot.  We were to the point of going to a dermatologist and start a freezing process that will take weeks and cause lots of pain...  

I'm sure some of you already know the benefits of Tea Tree Oil, but I have recently found out, first hand, how amazing this stuff is! So, we had a whole little process going on and no lie.....  His wart went from the point of naming it and accepting Little Wartie as part of the family to non-existent in a matter of weeks. 

Here is what we tried and WORKED!!!!

2/14/13

1. We only treat it at night.  Each night, he gets in the bath, soaks it and cleans it right along with the rest of his funky 7 year old body-- this helps to soften it up and allow the oil to really soak in.
2. Before he even had time to get his skivvies on, we would douse it in hydrogen peroxide.  Even though it was "clean" his grungy little fingers were all up IN that thing making it red, swollen and a bit infected.
3. We doused the hell out of it with Tea Tree Oil.  Now, you have to be a bit careful with this because you do want the band aid to stick.  I was putting it directly on the band aid pad sometimes but he said it got too slippery and the band aid would not stay on.  Truth is-- I had some cheap-ass band aids and once we got some better ones, that puppy was NOT coming off.
4. Then------ we let it sit. 
5. At bath time, band aid off and process repeated for one more day.
6. Take the next day off
7. Watched the POS disappear before our EYES in a matter of two months.

2/27/13 almost completely gone!

I can't believe how easy it has been and I felt you MUST know! The poor kid has been super embarrassed about the thing even being there and can see that he is much happier since it has gone---although he won't be able to use it as a gross out/torture device for his sister anymore.. "I'm gonna put my wart on you if you don't stop it!!!"  Kids..... Can't get them to be comfortable with their warts yet can't get them to stop rubbing it all over their siblings as their own form of gross, but somehow fun, defense.





Anyways.. Peeps-- this is a cheap, painless way to rid yourself of quite a few things.. Here is a list of just a few other things that it can be used for besides warts...

• Athlete's foot
• Fungus infections of the nail
• Mild to moderate acne (I needed this in high school!!)
• Cold sores
• Yeast infections in the mouth and throat (also known as thrush and not to be swallowed)
• Bacterial Vaginal Infections
• Ear Infections
• Lice (No more expensive treatments)
• Scabies
• Ringworm
• Infection prevention in cuts, abrasions, burns, insect bites, stings and boils
• Bad Breath (although not to be swallowed and mixed with baking soda)
• Body Odor (May carry this around for a few peeps that offend noses often)
• Colds
• Dandruff
• Dry Skin
• Fleas (bites and kicking those things to the curb!)
• Hair Care
• Humidifier
• Removing Leeches (dear God don't let me ever have to use it for this!!)
• Mustiness and Mold
• Poison Ivy
• Sunburns
• A "head in tact" tick removal

I'm sure there is more than that and I would ALWAYS research it before you use it for any of the above reasons.... But man.....Save yourself some money, time and pain and check out Tea Tree Oil first! 

My happy, wart-free, camper!

GO NATURAL REMEDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mama's Single and Ready-- Well Preparing-- To Mingle!

Dating-- What does that even mean after kids?  As a single mom I always wonder -- how do you really "date" a guy?  There are so many things you have to bring into the equation that it can get a little scary as to why you would even attempt such a thing.

Being a single mom-- eventually you get to where you feel like Carol Burnett in Annie as she's dancing around singing, "Little shoes, little feet, everything around me is... little." ...Minus the tub of vodka-- although I'm working on that one.  You walk around with house shoes and hair wraps bossing around your minions and hoping you wake up without a doll arm sticking you in the ass the next day.  

But, none the less--I've been divorced for almost 7 years, have had one "serious" boyfriend for about 6 months about 5 years ago and I've made the decision that it is time to start dating and open my mind to the possibilities before I shrivel up and I realize my singles search starts to  include the local rest home.  I just turned 36... Not that I feel like I've got one foot in the grave at all but it may be time to start giving it a little looksy...

So, how do I do this?  How do I start looking for someone who will fit into my equation?  How will I know if he is right for me and my kiddos??

Well, first off, I think of this as car shopping.. You do NOT have to buy the first one you see.  Get out there, shop around and learn what is important to you in a partner as you date all the wrong ones.. Those are the ones who REALLY teach you want it is you want as you discover exactly what it is you don't want..

Of course, dating after you have children is a whole new bowl of fruit loops.  When I used to think that I needed a low cut shirt and a short skirt to attract a man, now I'd rather have him attracted to my intellect (what little there seems to be these days after the kids suck the life out of me daily) and my charm (which is, well.... super charming if you ask moi but needs to grow on some of you)  

Also......Little Disclaimer here--- I know it is obvious I have put out in the past-- I have 2 kids.. Of course I've "done tha deed"... But that does NOT mean I put out for everyone I'm on a date with... I do have some sense of morals although some would beg to differ.

Time to hit the ground running.. Just don't break an ankle in the process!!

Giant footed women of the world, unite!
(Just at some other shoe store)

*****Just a little warning for those of you who have some sort of weird fear of FEET and someone even brushing yours in the middle of the night wakes you up, then this post is not for you....(especially one of my best friends--- Seriously... You know who you are... And if you read this I know you have come SO far in the last year. Just call me if you need therapy afterwards!! I'm here for you!!). This post has a lot to do with FEET and contains graphic FEET pictures.  So if the simple word being printed all in caps makes you queezie-- turn back now and click the little X at the top of your web browser to get outta dodge!*****

So, I've been told for quite some time that if I wanted to run...Really run... That I would need to get the proper running shoes.  Naturally-- I tried to outsmart those folks and picked up some discount shoes from Marshall's for my birthday last year. Pshaaa.. Shoes are shoes, right??

This is fairly accurate

I got an awesome looking pair of New Balance and a pair of Pumas....  I was READY-- or so I led myself to believe.  Today, almost a year to the day from my last shoe purchase-- I set foot into a running store that I've been casing for about 2 weeks now.

But the thought of a running store never really left my head.  So of course, like any other decent human being would do, I decided to stalk a store for a while.  I drove by, walked by, peeked inside but never actually put my foot down and walked in until very recently.  Truth be told, I found out quite a bit about myself and others while I was there.. I tried on some awesome shoes and had to order a pair to come in right around the time of my birthday!

So, while I was there-- the awesome store manager John and I got along like peas and carrots. We laughed, we cried (because we laughed so hard), we told inappropriate jokes (well mostly I did, but he laughed...)  But the most important thing is, I learned some things that I would have never known had I kept tip-toeing around the front door forever.  

Who would have thought you'd have learned so much at a shoe store-- but I did and here it is:

1. After going through the whole consultation where they throw you up on a treadmill, have you jog a bit and film it... I am REALLY curious as to how I have made it through life without constantly face planting with each and every step I take.. Seriously... My foot hits the ground and curves in so bad that I look it could snap at any given moment. Next thing you know, I'll be walking around with a cane just to keep my legs from crumbing under me. Not anymore though!  Got the call yesterday that the shoes are IN.

Corrective shoes on the left shot, ankle breaker on the right.

Little less fear of instant snap-dom, but still there.

2. Once I stepped down off the treadmill of ankle breaking torture-- I learned that it is O-fficial folks.. My right leg - yeah.... it is slightly longer than my left... Which is also the reason for the right ankle looking as thought it could blow at any second. In all my (almost) 36 years you would think a person would know that about themselves.  I have been hobbling around blindly with absolutely no knowledge of my strange, yet apparently common, deformation.  BUT if you take the attitude that you learn something new everyday then you can also learn something new about yourself every day.  And that, my friends, is progress.  Just wondering what's next though-- what else do I have that's bigger than the other besides the (now obvious) leg and the common knowledge boob.

Want smaller feet? 

3. So, on to the next thing.  Folks, everything really is bigger in Texas-- especially women's feet.  I don't know if this is an urban legend that the store manager and I just cultivated.. But after being told that the man that places the order lives up north in the New York area and he skimps on the women's larger sizes down here, we came to the conclusions that they don't have as many women with larger feet up there.  That observation, naturally,  led us to believe that women bind their feet anywhere north of West Virginia.  That or we all have the genes and giant feet of Cinderella's ugly step-sister down here and they all got the "Cinderella, how in the heck do those tiny things support her whole  body--- oh yeah she's a cartoon" syndrome up there.

What I feel like in most shoe stores...

4. Continuing on in the spirit of everything being bigger in Texas--When I was born my mother got her feelings hurt by a doctor that said, "My!  She's got HUGE feet!!"  Well... sorry mom, but the verdict is in.  I was meant to be a giant, with freakishly huge feet-- yet somehow stopped getting taller at 5'5 (and a half).  But what came as even a bigger surprise than my ability to stand on two legs without snapping them was this--- Where I thought I was a size 10-- I am not.  In athletic shoes I actually have to strap size 11 boats to these giant roots.  Not only are MY feet bigger, apparently they recently had a marathon and there were THREE size 11's left in the entire store because all of the big footed women bought them out.  Wonder if they all have a longer leg too and we're all a bunch of lopsided ladies walking, jogging, sprinting, and running around Texas.  Now, for the record, he did say your feet swell while running and you should always have a size bigger...Which was an awesome thing to learn... So 11's in running shoes, check!  Back to my dainty 10's in dress shoes, whew!

Not my favorite color
but fits like a glove...
or a shoe I mean.

5. And finally.... One of the biggest lessons I trotted away with was this.  Running shoes are a lot like people... It doesn't matter what the outside looks like-- it is what's on the inside that counts.  I liked the red, fancy ones but they were a no go. We were never going to happen and I kissed them farewell as they slipped back into their boxes and waited for the perfect fit to come along and snatch them up.  While there are plenty of shoes in the store, there was only ONE in my size in the entire company out of the 20 some odd stores they have.  I was a little disappointed at first but John reminded me that I have to let go of the color and welcome the corrective comfort! He did say I could go for another one but this one was much cheaper, and on my budget-- I would be able to get a few other things from the store to help me get to where I want to be.  There are more important things than the color of the shoe.

It isn't a glass slipper but it is my perfect fit!

So, moral of the story is?  Heck- I dunno.. I didn't really have a "moral".. Just wanted you to know how my Saturday went and what an awesome experience I had at The Texas Running Company!! :)  Thank you John for finding my glass slipper!

Just a little side note here.. I went back to get my video today (which I could not upload to save my life so screenshots will have to do!)  I also found out-- lesson number 6.  I have been tying my shoes incorrectly for years-- and picking on a friend for taking so long to do hers!  I'm sorry friend!! You know who you are and I will never speak ill of waiting the extra time it takes for you to lace those things up!  Lace on sista...... lace on.

What a Long (Yet Oddly Familiar) Strange Trip Its Been

Wow...What a ride I have taken over the last year and a half.. I've been up, I've been down but mostly...I've been totally uninspired, unmotivated and on a search as to why..  I was doing SO awesome!  I was inspiring people, was working out, things were going well with my kiddos and then... It all came to a HUGE halt.   I, all of a sudden, found myself down and out.  Depressed, inactive, upset, and confused as to how I even  got there.  When really-- it wasn't over night-- I had cultivated it over time...and I'll be damned if I let people figure it out about me.  It was all "nods and smiles...nods and smiles."

But on the inside, there was a huge, "What the hell??" moment.. The changes had been so subtle over time I didn't even really see them taking over.  And you know what I did?? I said, "Well, this must be what I deserve. This.. This here is what I am stuck with."  I lost focus, I lost track but worst of all-- I lost faith in myself.  Could I become what everyone expected me to be?

No-- I can never become what other people want me to be... I can only become what I expect of myself and I realized I had stopped expecting much.

I can say that I haven't written in a while, but that would be a huge lie. Truth is.. I have written plenty but found that I was writing about things that would only lead to self-pity.. Bitching.. and really of no help to anyone else but me-- the one who needed to get those feelings on paper and out of my head so I could really begin to sort through them.

Moving forward--I met someone for a VERY short period and was ready to settle for less than I deserved until the unthinkable happened-- he ended it with me.  Wait-- whaaaat?? That was supposed to be MY job!  I was settling for him and there was no way he was just settling for me.. I'm too awesome for some shit like that.  But, nonetheless... I came to realize that we settled for each other, for someone to fill the space.. instead of realizing that space should already be filled and those that come along should only help to grow my heart instead of fill the space in it.

My eyes opened pretty soon after that... I started to realize and spent the next few months pulling myself out of  my 18 months of slumber.  I was ready to face all the questions, begin reading the tons of signs that were in my face the whole time and expecting more of myself because I was not giving all I knew I had in me.  More and more people have come in my life that tell me I've helped them without me even realizing it-- but my confession here is-- when, at the moment,  I really thought with my heart to give them the advice they needed.... I was giving it to myself.

In reality.. I have gotten exactly what I've worked for.  It has not been "easy" to be overweight, sad, lonely, worn out, and basically the opposite of what I want to be.  It really takes hard work to get yourself there... Eat until you feel like you're going to pop, keep yourself ignorant of how many terrible things you're doing to your body through food, lack of exercise or what have you.. It is tiring to push people away to be lonely and wears you out.. It is not easy to continue thinking of things that bring you down--- you have to seek out those thoughts that weigh on your heart, your mind and your sense of self worth.


So, what I have chosen to do-- again-- is shift my focus from all that has gone wrong and begin to shift my focus back into what is going right.  More and more days go by that I meet like-minded individuals who put every moment of their life into a perspective that something good is about to happen.

I can use and focus my energy however I choose.  If I want focus my energy on being nice and understanding to my kids or focus the energy on yelling and screaming, plain and simply-- I will....  I can focus on the energy to stay up all night and be completely worn out  through out the day...  Or I can choose to go to bed at a decent hour and have the energy to have clear thoughts, be aware of my health and growing the things I want in my life. I am the only one that can make the choice of where I focus my energy.



Our energy is ours to do with as we please-- no one can ever take or give energy to us.. We are the only ones that can create it for ourselves.. So my energy is focused on the good, the positive and the light... And should the dark make it's way into my sight again.. I will see it for what it is worth.. It is there to show me all the good things I have and not to let me focus on this one blemish.  With time, it can fade and I will shine again--sometimes instantaneously by making my decision right then and there. ..I've chosen to make time and better choices over making excuses and  feeling worthless..

       I can think of no other way I want to be.

It's Not Perfect But It's Not Meant To Be

The time has come to let you in on a little secret of mine.  No matter how much I write, talk or hope you can read my body language as I feel like my brain is going to explode from trying to send telepathic waves your way—I, Lindsay S. Duff, am undeniably human.  I know, I know.. It is a bit hard to believe with my superior mothering skills, my ability to kick ass at trivia, my quick and fabulously funny wit and my sensible, yet super comfortable wardrobe selection (seriously have not left my robe all day and it has been AWESOME).  But I am no more a God then the 9 gazillion other people that I share this great wide world with.

Being a mere, yet outstanding mortal, I realize one thing and one thing only.  My life is only as beautiful as the outlook I choose to have.  Some people think I am crazy for the situations I laugh at, but I've already made the choice to be happy. There is no reason to let a little or a large life event that has or may happen change that.. I choose to smile through it and see the good in it all. When you honestly realize that you can choose to feel any way you want, you can actually laugh at why it took you so long to choose happiness. I have an amazing gift that was meant to be shared.  That gift is called life and I am worthy of living it to the fullest.

My title as Captain Self Destructo has been released.  I would say passed on, but why in the world would I pass that on to someone else?  I know I, and the rest of the human race, deserve better.  Now that I can look at situations and realize that I am perfectly flawed and a highly unique individual, (just like everyone else of course) I have decided that it was time to put on a new cape.  I am now Lt. Sergent Perfecto—properly said in a deep voice and preferably with an echo-- and even though I am not now, nor will I ever be perfect, I can be the next best thing.  I can be a person who is not only happy but proud of all my choices, whether or not others agree with them.  They are my mistakes to make and my choice to correct them.. But every step, every blunder, every giggle, every smile, everything I do is intentional and I am responsible for it.  I am responsible for my happiness or my sorrow—So why not choose happiness?

 

Instead of lying on the floor, kicking and screaming like I did in the past, I realized I put myself through unnecessary bullshit and I was ready to clean up the mess. I asked for lots of help, seeking the “perfect” answer but I really found myself asking everyone else what I already knew.  I was seeking advice because I didn’t want to hear my own. It was that I didn’t have to fit into a perfect little box.. My wrapping could be crinkled a little but what is inside was worth more than gold.  I now look at all the beauty and amazing things this world has to offer—and I realize I am part of that world.  It wouldn’t be the same without me.

Habits Aren't Forever Unless You Want Them to Be

So, recently I realized I had been having a really tough time.  I was having a hard time finding time for myself....Yet, I was getting nothing accomplished. Strange, but not so strange of a concept, right? My brain was on overload with all the wrong things. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was sending myself into a deep hole because I was the one carving it out.  I began to doubt who I was, what I could do and really stopped putting forth so much effort into the life I wanted.  I was just going through the motions sort of like a mindless robot.  I am, by no means, meant to be any sort of robot.  A few have tried to convince me that I am but they failed miserably.  I am fully alive and conscious of my existence.

Anyone who really knows me knows that I have allowed myself to visit and reside in a few dark places in the past. I did, however, make the choice to move out of the darkness and set up shop in the light..  But, because I am human and not some perfect robot... I slipped and I fell into that place again.  I rolled around on the ground for a while, cried about my big boo boo and took, what seemed like a century to get back up. (For the record...it was only a few months but DAMN did it feel like forever at the time) I would pull myself half way back up but would fall back down again--too weak to stand on my own and wondering if I ever could again.  

I thought to myself, "I do not know what to do or how to do this!  How do I get myself out of here?"  So, you know what I did??  I grabbed all the band aids I could, stopped the bleeding and I stepped out of the ordinary I was creating!  In reality, it was not something "out of the ordinary," that I was about to do. It was something that I had done before and thought I no longer needed.  I thought I had overcome it before on my own and that I could do it again.  The truth of the matter is... I had a LOT of help and I just needed to remember that. 


I started telling EVERYONE about how I was feeling and I began to ask for help.  I turned to people who had not only helped me in the past, they opened my eyes to change my life and they were there for me as if a beat was never skipped.  I turned to anyone that would listen and in return found I could help some of them as well.  This felt absolutely amazing!  I was releasing so much that I did not want inside of me anymore, simply making room for the things I did.  I was stuck in a habit of sucking it up and not letting it out that I wasn't even realizing that it had become a habit to feel miserable and I was all the verge of exploding.. All I had to do was change my direction and be habitual at something different.. Feel habitually good!


There is something so out of this world that comes with this and it will make your hairs stand on end when you begin to believe it.   Once you realize that you are actually a creature of habit... You realize how many habits you can actually change or even begin to create for yourself.  You may have tried and given up once, twice, 100x's.. But it doesn't mean you have to keep giving up. You are not stuck being who you were, you are who you ARE and YOU get to choose who that is going to continue to be. YOU choose who it is going to grow into.  All it might take is a little insight from another who can help you to change your perspective and allow you to understand there are other habits that just might work better for you.

Yup!  You can make it that easy!

Time to Clear the Fog

When your brain is not clear of all the clutter, you end up lost in the fog.  So.. With that said, I will let you know in the past 4 months I have been struggling with my next blog post.  I find myself asking myself, "What the hell do you want to write about?" And the truth is, I want to write about how good all the things are going when I'm struggling a little with the "goodness" aspect of everything.  




I have not had some sort of craziness of a roller coaster of emotions.  It is more like  a steady stream of uncertainty and procrastination.  I've even had some old feeling come rushing back to me.  Fluttery heart, crying at commercials, flying off the handle over things that were SO not worth flying off the handle about.  Kinda makes my "no craziness roller coaster of emotions" sound like I may have been lying to myself, right?

Well, I've been here before. I recognize what is happening to me and I know how to fix it.  I am not throwing in the towel.  There are many times that I've felt this way and I just gave up for weeks, months and even years.  There was no more left and I was stuck being the person I once was instead of realizing that was merely the past and I didn't have to live in that place anymore.  

The good thing is that I actually realize that now.  I know that even though I've taken a few steps back, sometimes it is necessary to gain your momentum to take a huge leap forward.  I have had to realize that there is no actual race... Just a steady stream of taking what comes my way and learning new ways to deal with situations.

While things may not always move as quickly as originally planned, when you are motivated, you know these things take time and patience is absolutely essential to obtaining your goal. Take a day off, take 2, hell take a week when needed, but know that you will never give up because you are worth reaching and maintaining your dreams. There is no real finish line, just the opportunity to do better each day. The truth is, you may not have it all together right now, but you have it all at your fingertips.  You just have to reach out and grab it.

Even I can't deny that my hard work has been paying off!  :)