Salty Zebra

   Sometimes life isn't ideal. Let's face it, most of the time it isn't! So, we do what we need to, to make things work. In my "Making It Work" posts, I share life hacks and ideas that have helped me so that maybe, they can help someone else too. I hope you enjoy!   In past hospital stays, I had been given a puny, almost worthless little "kidney shaped emesis basin" when I was nauseous.   Needless to say, these don't do much to contain mess and are fiddly to try to hold when you're very sick. During my tenure at the hospital (several different ER visits and stays, including nearly 2 weeks in the neuro ICU) over the course of my three brain surgeries in 2023, I became acquainted with a much more practical, useful tool, the emesis bag. In  part 14  of The Whole Story of my Brain tumor and surgeries (really the story is ongoing, but this is the name of the series), I mentioned my use of " green bags " as well as a funny happenstance where...

 Towards the end of our recent Alaskan cruise, I asked my husband what one of his favorite parts of the trip was. What he shared so resonated with me, that I want to share it with you as well. He told me that he enjoyed our cruise "routine." After several such trips (we have taken 11 cruises together), we have developed some rhythms to our cruise days that we find much enjoyment in.   In the morning, unless we have an early excursion (which we try to avoid), we sleep until our bodies wake us up naturally. I love waking up without an alarm! After showering and getting ready for our day, we head to breakfast, which is usually in the Garden Cafe (NCL's buffet). Here they have a fabulous array of options, including our favorite, made to order omelets. On the Breakaway Plus class ships which all have a similar layout, we have a favorite area to eat - just outside of the buffet on the pool deck near a drink station. This gives us fresh air, beautiful views, the convenience of t...

   It's 5 o'clock - do you know what's for dinner? This was the question that plagued me day after day for years. I had shopped diligently and filled the fridge, pantry and freezer, but when it came time to fix something to eat I was stuck in analysis paralysis. Instead of embracing the opportunity to provide a healthy meal for my family to sit around the table together and eat, I was dreading the decision, and I often put it off for as long as possible. Then, inevitably, at the last minute I would want to make spaghetti or tacos, but the meat was still frozen. Too many times I caved into asking my husband to pick something up or having pizza delivered. Not only is this expensive, it wasn't the healthiest option either. So what was the turning point for me and my family? Meal planning.  If you've been following me for any length of time, you've probably picked up that I'm a planner by nature, so this fits right in with how God made me. In more recent years, ...

Image Credit: Canva AI   I was thinking through recently what I want to write about here on the Salty Zebra Blog. A while back I started to develop rhythms of Travel Tuesdays, Wellness Wednesdays, and Potluck Saturdays, with Bible study filling in the rest. These were intended to inspire me, but eventually became a constraint instead. I felt like I had  to write about wellness on Wednesdays, but sometimes I didn't have anything on my heart to write about. So, I'm breaking out of the mold and just writing about something fun that I've been enjoying lately that, perhaps, you might too!  As I've written about before ( 1 , 2 , 3 ), I've been learning about how to use credit card sign up bonuses (SUBs) and other benefits to further my travel dreams and daily living. The key to this, as I've mentioned before and will mention every time I talk about credit cards, is PAYING OFF YOUR BALANCE EVERY MONTH! If you don't do this, you negate any benefits you get and can f...

Image Credit: ChatGPT  Today we continue with Disability Pride Month  posts. A couple of weeks back, my super awesome cousin sent me a video on Instagram that made me choke up. It said some things I needed to hear, and maybe you do too, so I'm going to share them with you today. People who struggle with disability often tell themselves lies. I've found, as the speaker in this video did, that the best way to combat a lie is with the truth! Everything in quotes below is taken directly from the video and all credit for it goes to Moonlit_Kit .  #1 Lie: Maybe I'm just lazy Truth: "Lazy people don't struggle to do the things they enjoy."  I can't tell you how often this lie pops into my head. As I'm sitting, resting on the couch, reflecting on how little I've accomplished in this day, I hear it echo in the back of my mind. "Maybe I don't really need to rest like this, maybe I'm just lazy." Kit's truth really hit home for me. There...

7:29am - Wake up and attempt to claw my way to consciousness, but failed 8:26am - 0.0/20 points Wake up and take my stability score. I check this each morning and it lets me know where my body is at and how I should pace my day. A 4/5 is pretty good! It is supposed to mean that I have been pacing well lately, and I have been. 8:35 - Actually get out of bed, Use the bathroom and brush my teeth. I used to brush my teeth after  breakfast in the morning, but since I've been wearing a retainer at night (the last seven years or so) I need to brush that and my teeth before I eat. 8:48 - 0.6/20 Fix coffee and breakfast then do my Bible study while I eat, or at least start it... 9:40 - 1.2/20 - Actually starting Bible study after being distracted 10:18 - 1.6/20 - Restarting my Bible study after being distracted (it's really hard to get things done with my husband around sometimes). Switched to the couch where I can sit with my back supported better now that I've finished eating. 11:...