Thursday Thoughts
Hi friends. I hope your week is going well! I feel like I have quite a few random tangents to share, so I popped them all into this post!
– It’s bananas to believe we’re hitting 9 weeks tomorrow, which also means 9 weeks of no childcare. I absolutely love spending this time with the girls, but I also enjoy working in blocks of time that are greater than 30 minutes, ya know? To be totally honest, I’m not even sure how comfortable I feel about going back to school in the fall at this point. I’d love to hear fellow parents’ thoughts about this whole thing.
What’s your strategy for the rest of the summer since camps are closed (and I don’t even think I’d be ready to send them if they were open)? I’m feeling like as things open up over the next month, I may explore having a nanny come over a few mornings each week (our beloved babysitter moved during all of this) just so I can be more efficient with work and not feel like I’m scrambling. I’m hoping that all of this will feel a little easier once we finish up distance learning in the next couple of weeks.
– I’m venturing out into the world today for the first time by myself…. to head to the dentist! I’m strangely excited about it. Dentist was #1 on my list, then eyebrows, then hair. What’s on your list of places you want to go first?!
– If you haven’t seen Never Have I Ever on Netflix yet, watch it. SO good. The Pilot and I blasted through the entire season this week after the kiddos were asleep.
– Wanted to share this cute shirt I ordered from Real Housewives of Fighter Pilots. The Pilot saw me wearing it and was like, “Is that your actual head on the shirt?” It’s not, but our pineapple buns are equally intense. 
– This is an aloe plant from the yard that I’ve been using for a mysterious rash that started to appear a couple of weeks ago. Spoiler alert: it’s done nothing.
The rash was spreading all over my torso, arms, neck, and top of my legs and was starting to concern me. My NP thought it might be something called pityriasis rosea (love that the word “pity” is in there), which is a completely harmless pain. I ended up getting some blood work done to rule out any abnormalities and also ended up getting swabbed for “the virus.” (A few sources have advised against spelling out the full name so that blog posts like this don’t interfere with the SEO for true data and science-driven articles.) Recent studies in Italy have suggested a correlation with spontaneous rashes, and combined with the Pilot’s work and fact that he’s been to areas with high case numbers in the past month, they thought it was a good idea to simply check.
The swab was no big deal (and I’m a giant weenie) and thankfully, the results were negative. My NP recommended calling my dermatologist to see what they thought about the rash, and they did a quick telehealth session with me and verified that it’s likely pityriasis rosea. If you’ve ever had it (I’m SORRY!), please let me know that this does indeed go away. Word on the street is that once you’ve had it, you don’t have it again, and thankfully, it’s not contagious.
– We dropped off a meal for a friend who had a baby last weekend! They’re mostly Paleo, so I made Ina Garten’s lemon roasted skillet chicken (the best roast chicken), mashed sweet potatoes,
a chopped salad, lactation cookies, and almond butter brownies. It was so good to see their sweet baby from afar and chat in the driveway for a little bit. <3 
I feel like since I’ve been cooking so many meals lately (all the meals + like 18 snacks per child), I haven’t really enjoyed cooking lately… it’s been more of the means to an end, ya know? I really enjoyed putting that meal together and it brought some life back into the kitchen. I got some sourdough starter from a friend and am excited to make our first loaves tomorrow now that flour is available again.
Thank you for reading this dose of randomness. 🙂 I’d love to hear how you’re feeling and doing today.
Hope you have a happy Thursday and I’ll see ya soon.
xo
Gina
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I agree about not really enjoying cooking because I’m cooking so much as well.
I’m an early years teacher so I will be going back to work in the school in September. Not sure what it will look like for the kids coming back to school. Our little province in Canada has only had 2 new cases of the virus in the last 4 weeks so we are re-opening retail stores, restaurants etc. Daycares are also opening. I’m not comfortable sending my toddler. I will have to send her in Sept. Hopefully things continue to improve
I had pityriasis rosea a few years back and I’m 99.99% sure stress was somehow involved. The thing that helped it the most was UV light (I laid out in the sun in a bikini for at least 10 min as many times a week as I could, but you can also buy UV lights). It took a couple of months to FULLY go away, but it hasn’t been back since
i think you’re absolutely right. when i first saw it, i was like “hmm stress rash” until it popped up all over my body and kept getting worse. i was like WTFFFFFFFFFF.
happy to hear yours didn’t come back! going to try the bikini trick tomorrow
Not sure about you, but mine started with one spot I thought was a mosquito bite, and then spread all over. Will you please post if the sun helps? I was never sure if it was the UV light or if it was the fact that I was forcing myself to rest/nap way more than I had before.
My friend’s PR flares up each time she’s under a lot of stress. Think she’s had at flare up at least 5 times so far.
that’s what i’m crossing my fingers for, too <3
We’re struggling with knowing when it’s ok to do more with friends. Our kids are 13 and 16 and they’ve been amazing in all of this. At the same time, school is done tomorrow and they are missing friends! It’s so hard to know what to do.
i’m hoping that we can hang out with one or two friends in the next couple of weeks. the girls have missed their friends so much
I got pityriasis rosea a few years ago right before I went wedding dress shopping- it was fun explaining that I wasn’t contagious lol. It lasted over a month then slowly faded and so far hasn’t come back!
that’s reassuring to hear!
It’s going to be a very long summer, summer camps are cancelled and pools are closed. I’m not sure what we are going to do. We have four more weeks of school, so I guess we will figure it out then. My kids are 10 & 6 and can occupy themselves while I work, although they always seem to need a snack when I’m in a meeting. I really miss having time to myself to do what I want to do.
same. yesterday was my first time being alone and going somewhere in 9 weeks… to the dentist 🙂
i’m not sure what we’re going to do, either. it’s SO hot here in the summer, too!
Sorry you’re dealing with pityriasis! I somehow got that when I was pregnant with my daughter. I got a steroid cream from my dermatologist and that helped a ton with the itching. Hopefully they prescribed you something like that. Once it healed you couldn’t tell I ever had it but it lasted 10 weeks I think it was.
Some suggest there’s an issue with gut health that manifests as skin issues. Have you spoken to your naturopath about it? Gutsy Mom (IG handle) has a clinic, Provo Health, that does virtual consults and her Mom, Cecilia, specializes in skin issues. Might be worth looking into. Hope you feel better soon!
that’s something i was wondering. i haven’t changed anything with my supplements or diet, but i’ve been drinking wine or a cocktail almost every night (before all of this i would have 1-2 glasses per week). wondering if it’s done something to my microbiome. i’ll reach out to her – thank you!
yes, they gave me a steroid rx! they said that it was mainly for itching and won’t help it to go away, but mine doesn’t itch at all. such a strange condition!
Oh man, I had that damn rash when I was pregnant and sadly it lasted until I had the baby (got it around 25 weeks). I would do 2-3 min sessions in the dermatologist’s UV light box which helped somewhat. I also read that Head And Shoulders Clinical Strength helps. You just apply it to your body in the shower and leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse off. This did help but I think because I was pregnant and have brown skin it just lasted until I had the baby. It goes away faster with pale skin whereas it took a couple months for me my skin to be back to normal.
They say it’s not contagious but I think it stays in your system and the people closest to you will get it….but not right away. A few years after I had it my husband got it and I told him to immediately 1) apply the Head and Shoulders and 2) go to a tanning salon and do a couple (no more than) 10 minute sessions on the UV bed because UV light supposedly helps kill this rash. He was totally embarrassed to do it but it was gone in a week. Then a year later my daughter got it and we just applied the shampoo and it was gone after maybe 2 treatments of it. I think the shampoo alone might work for you.
It’s interesting you mention the military connection because my husband was also an Air Force Pilot at the time. It’s a bitch of rash but it will go away and hopefully won’t take as long as it did for me!
ok i’m doing to get some head and shoulders today and lie out in the sun for a bit. it’s driving me crazy! i’m so sorry you had it while pregnant.
Yeah it was awful…I’m sorry you’re going through it too. It would have otherwise been a great pregnancy! The good thing is that the marks will fade away fast with your skin tone. Also, make sure you get the Clinical Strength (dark blue bottle). It really worked with my husband and esp my daughter. It always starts with the herald patch so if you see it on your girls, definitely start the shampoo treatment right away! Good luck!
The rash goes away. love the shirt
thank you!
I am doing my best to just ignore the school in the fall stuff for now. I’m going to focus on getting through the end of this school year (just a few more days – hallelujah!) for now. Our state has said they are not making decisions/announcements about school until July. Also, a lot can change in a few months in terms of the data and treatments (being optimistic here).
I imagine there will be some sort of modified schedule. I’m going to be honest, I am going to do my best to trust the government and our school to make the best decision possible for the kids, families, and community and roll with it. It is really hard for me to imagine sustaining remote school and work as we are into the next school year. From what I understand, “this” isn’t going away anytime soon sadly so we are just all going to have to make decisions about what is best for our families over and over again! It’s so exhausting and hard.
that’s very smart. i need to stop fretting about the future because there’s such a lack of information and so much can change between now and then.
<3
I really love this post because it lines up with many of my random thoughts. Our brains are just so all over the place these days- I’m sure due to increased anxiety.
Anyway, I loved, loved, “Never Have I Ever.” Also, I was SO sick of cooking last week that we did mostly take out. It was a nice break, and I am now ready to return to the world of cooking:) Also, also (ha) I am so conflicted about child care, nanny, school, etc. They are big decisions, and I’m just not sure we have the information we need to make informed choices. Time will tell, I guess. Ugh.
Last, you are so sweet to make such a big meal for your friends. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have a new baby right now, but I’m sure having a good meal helps. And those are my random thoughts:)
i totally agree that we’re all over the place because anxiety is so ramped up. you’re right – they’re huge decisions but hopefully with more time and information it won’t feel quite so daunting.
Glad you loved Never Have I Ever! Sorry about your rash. I hate skin issues so much, especially when you don’t know immediately what it is. Glad you got it diagnosed at least. You said you got tested for the virus and the swab didn’t hurt? I’ve seen how long the swab is and that it goes way back into your nose….I think I’d freak out seeing that go in there, so good for you not being bothered! And glad it was negative!
they did a throat swab! it was a thousand times better than the 10-second brain swap would have been
I’d love to hear how your sourdough bread turns out. I have been working on trying to make a good loaf out of my starter and the results have been mixed (from total fail to meh…). I love to cook but bread baking has been elusive;)
it came out so well!! try jen’s tutorial from peanut butter runner – she does an awesome job of breaking everything down
Ughhhhhhh I had PR! I was traveling when it first appeared and had to go to this very…..rural urgent care clinic because nothing else was open. They were convinced it was ringworm or lupus, both of which seemed totally unlikely, so it took 2 more doctor visits and several unsuccessful treatments (dandruff shampoo??) until my main gp finally diagnosed me correctly. The rashy red ring that first appeared was the giveaway — it was just above my chest and super uncomfortable, but the bumps were really itchy and sore. It does definitely go away but it took about 6-8 weeks to fully fade. It’s a distant memory now so it will be over soon, but I emphathize — it really sucked! Such a weird condition!
it’s such a bizarre condition, right?!? my initial red ring was on my hand and my MD friend thought it was ringworm. i can’t wait for it to go away
I had PR when I was 17-18 (sooo 100 years ago approx.) Good news is that it never came back! Bad news is that it lasted about 8 months for me! It started as a red ring on my stomach and spread face to ankles. I don’t envy you or anyone else experiencing it. At the time there weren’t really any treatments but I hope you find something that works for you! At least it is harmless (for me it was just a mental struggle. It was so ugly for a teenager *cry face*). Sending hugs!
Also struggling with the work from home with my kiddo and homeschooling, I’ve always been able to work from home but he was usually at school and I enjoyed mixing it up with some office days. Now it just is overwhelming trying balance it all along with also running out of work to be done without interaction with others at least via mail and information pickup.
Anyways, we have decided this week to add one other family to our social circle…it’s my son’s best friend and family (we consider them co-parents)…they are both only children and just need to be able to play again with someone. We will continue all other social distancing for the time being and being in a state where everything is still closed up it will be a while before we get to the new normal.
Looking like summer will involve my co-mom watching the boys mostly at her house because she has more land for them to safely run around and a pool to play in…she is self-employed and her job involves going outside with dogs most of the day so she has more flexibility than our office jobs. I certainly feel guilty for not being a contributor in the daily childcare, but she has assured me it helps her because then her son has someone to engage with and he won’t talk her ear off all day 🙂
That was a lot more than I intended to write- I guess I just have so many thoughts that I don’t know what to do with right now.
it’s so overwhelming trying to balance it all. it’s nice to know we’re not alone in this craziness.
sounds like you have a solid plan in place, so that will be good!i could totally use a co-mom right now 😉
sending you a hug. we’ve got this
I totally feel you about the fall school dilemma. I would really love for my daughter to get back to preschool since I know she loves it, but it will be a nerve-wracking call to make. I agree with an above commenter – I think it’s smart to not worry about that right now. Let’s not borrow stress from the future, right? A lot could change between now and then.
it’s totally a nerve-wracking call. i loved what you said about not borrowing stress from the future. more information and time will help us with these tough decisions
Dentist — yes! Today was my biannual dentist appointment, too, and first real outing in 9 weeks! It felt great. I had the first appointment of the day, and I wore real clothes and jewelry to mark the occasion (and then came home, removed said attire, and returned to usual athleisure wear). I asked my cleaning lady to come when I was out, so it was a double bonus.
My top 4 are cleaning lady (done), nails (appt next week), haircut (overdue/canceled/rescheduled x3 and finally on the calendar) and library reopening (pending). My TBR list seems just as long and out of control as my hair. 😉 Ebook loans have been my Q lifeline.
I had it almost exactly 2 years ago. It lasted two months, maybe a bit more before it started peeling like a bunch of tiny little sun burns and finally faded. I also had morning sickness at the time. It sucks. Hope it doesn’t mess with your sleep too much!
yes! it looks like a bunch of tiny sunburns
cleaning lady is up pretty high on my list, too. i miss her SO MUCH
i also put athletic clothes back on as soon as i got home from the appointment
I had that rash a few years ago. So itchy and uncomfortable. As someone else mentioned the sun helped. It wasn’t until I went out in the sun that it started to go away. I let it hit my arms and legs everyday for about a week as I took a walk. I think it took about 3 weeks to a month for it to go away.
that’s a great tip! i’ve been getting lots of sun on our walks, so maybe that’s why my arms and legs aren’t quite so bad. going to lie out in a bikini tomorrow
Cute shirt! I have had so many random skin issues in the last few years, so I feel your pain. It is not fun.
We don’t have a date we will be back in the office, but I’m going to say I have gotten pretty used to working from home and don’t mind it at all. I’m thankful to be able to keep working 🙂 We got takeout last night for the first time in a few weeks and it was glorious.
love that shirt… I would have asked the same question 🙂
I also feel losing the cooking urge… just want to make simple meals, but need to feed the family. Insanity is near the end though.
“insanity is near the end.” i’m going to remember that one – thank you!
I got PR in early March after a battle with flu and pneumonia in February (juries still out whether I maybe had the virus before it was diagnosed in the US). Sun is finally starting to help it a bit. I was never very itchy as long as I moisturized after showers. So I’m going on 10 weeks and it’s finally starting to fade.
ughhhhhhhh i’m so sorry you went through all of that. i’m really hoping it starts to fade and go away soon. it doesn’t itch but is so red and splotchy
I had that in grad school! Christmas tree
Rash is what it’s nickname is. And yes it did eventually go away! I think it took 6-8 weeks
So sorry about your rash! I have never heard of that! Hope it clears up quickly. On another note, would you please share how you get your bun to look so perfect and cute?!!
My husband and I both work full-time outside of the home as essential employees so our kids have been going to daycare this entire time. In the beginning it was stressful due to all of the “unknowns” but I will say that our daycare has really stepped it up to keep the kids safe and I would assume schools will do the same, if not more, come fall. Not having the option to keep them home has really made us trust others around us and so far it has been great.
I have family members that are teachers and they have several meetings scheduled through out the summer to plan and prepare for what the upcoming school year will entail.
I really think everyone is doing every thing they can to keep themselves and others safe.