Blessings acknowledged and accounted for.

It has not been the easiest of months in the Gagliano household ... and yes, I am aware that we are only 12 days into said month. Have you ever had that sinking feeling that you are not going to be able to come out from under the pressure weighing down upon you without a significant amount of bruising?

I am healing nicely. There is still far more pain than I would like, however, I know from the *war stories* I hear at Physical Therapy that I am doing far better than most. Blessing acknowledged and accounted for. Financial upheaval from aforementioned surgery? Well, let's just say we shall come out from under it ... eventually.

Yesterday, a consult at the pediatric dentist in town regarding my son's chipped front tooth resulted in less than happy news. He needs a root canal. My poor little baby, who has never had so much as a cavity, will need to undergo a root canal before he hits a double digit age. All because his first dentist said it was "nothing to be concerned about" and "we will keep an eye on it." May he rest in peace, said dentist died this summer, which resulted in our new pediatric dentist search. And the subsequent news that this tooth, and the small abcess on his gum, are both something to be extremely concerned about and in need of near immediate attention.

For those who might be unaware, we are covered by retired military health and dental benefits. Because Chris served 27 years in the USMC, we do not pay a monthly premium for these benefits. (Blessing acknowledged and accounted for!) But it must be said that the out of pocket expenses for things out of the ordinary (MRI's, Rotator Cuff surgery, Root Canal's on children, to name a few) can be quite extensive. If we lived near a military base with health care facilities, the story would be dramatically different. But for those who choose to retire away from the base ... it's not always easy ... or cheap.

In addition, my husband took a pay cut the beginning of December and now works only 4 days per week. Theoretically, this is only until June or so, but I always try to live under the assumption that the income we have now is the most we can count on ... and always be prepared for less. He has a job with a company that he loves, which is more than many in our nation can say. (Again, blessing acknowledged and accounted for.)

All of this is to say ... I have been feeling the strain of debt as of late. I want to pay off our credit cards, instead, at Christmas I drastically increased one of them. I see a light at the end of the tunnel, but it seems to be on an upward slope, which means I am going to trudge up that steep incline very carefully towards it, trying not to fall on my behind. And that rather stresses me out.

When I am stressed out I want to eat salty things.

There it is ... the little tie in that makes sense of this whole blog in the healthy lifestyle forum. I bought some chips for my son's school lunches. Trouble is ... I have been grabbing a bag every now and again myself. I KNOW it is wrong. I KNOW why I am doing it. I KNOW it is going to mess me up (and it has!) when I step on the scale ... but still, stearing clear seems IMPOSSIBLE.

There is more to this entry ... but I have to leave and I want to post it now. I will come back later and we can chat more. Stearing clear of chips in the meantime. Somehow, someway ...