hello my name is....

Why do I want to start a blog….. great question…..

I think that I really don’t have a concrete answer as to why except that circumstances in my life are leading me to wanting to ‘share’ my thoughts/emotions/frustrations with, if not the world or my community then as least my family and friends. Here and overseas.

Maybe today was not a great day to start because I have a bad migraine and it makes things difficult for me to focus on one particular project cause I just need to keep my body and mind moving to distract away from the pain….. or maybe that is why I wanted to start because it was a focus away from the pain….

I get barometric migraines… if you ‘google’ it this is what you can find….

It's been fairly obvious throughout history that weather, and particularly changes in the weather, have an effect on your body. In spite of this long line of weather-sensitive individuals, scientists are still unsure why changes in weather cause headaches and other migraines. There is a theory, however. Changes in pressure cause changes in oxygen levels.

It could be that blood vessels in your head expand or contract to compensate. Changes in the size of your blood vessels is part of the flow of changes that happen when you get a migraine headache. This is also why you may get a headache when flying, hiking, or even travelling to a new location.

A study was done by a group of researchers led by Dr. Galina Mindlin of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia with migraineurs and "normal" individuals to compare their reactions to weather. The study found that migraines are indeed more likely when pressure rises, and somewhat more likely when the temperature rises. (Read more about the barometric pressure migraines study here)

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/barometric-pressure-headache.html

(and an fyi… if I include some ‘googled’ info on my site I will always try to include the url…)

So…. I have gone through numerous meds, injections, both proactive and reactive treatments and here I am today, still on the waiting list to see one of Canada’s leading specialists in women’s headaches …. So I’ll keep you posted… ;)

Or maybe it was because I am now home after my maternity leave, of our second, and have decided that it was not financially beneficial for me to go back to work and pay for daycare, for two kids, what I made in a month as an ESL teacher… My husband travels, what seems to be, all the time lately which leaves me at home with a 4 ½ yr old, a 16 mnth old, a physically and mentally challenged mum, and two dogs… My awesome 73 yr old dad still works to help with expenses …..

Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful to have my mum home after her ordeal but it is hard work, for everyone…..

Since I am not working, well ‘earning a living’, cause I do think I work…. I am trying to build up a little business, not my own, but something I picked up a few years ago when my mum went into hospital and I thought it would make me some extra money…. BUT as it turned out, I became my best customer and now I need that to change since I really do need some extra cash…..

SO I guess it is time to introduce myself and this blog…. My name is Basia (Polish for Barbara) Mae Kowalczyk-Sinclair.  I am the only child of Polish born parents who both came here in their 30’s, separately, to find a better life…. So I guess I am first generation Polish Canadian …. I speak Polish, and English (obviously) and am very happy and proud that I do…. Which leads me to my guilt about not teaching my kids more…. “just immerse them in the language” … that is the best way but when you have an English-only speaking husband, I find it a bit difficult…. Ok…. Which leads me to my goals that I will be sharing with you….

Goal #1…. Speak more Polish to/with my kids…. (please feel free to ask me about this is future…)

Yes I am married, 5 ½ years now and two kids later…. And unfortunately no more kids…. Unless we adopt…. Along with winning the lottery! That would be nice….. ;) Graham, my husband is Scottish, born is Glasgow, came here with his mum, dad and sister when he was 7, or 5… I think 7… lol… anyways, … no accent, too bad cause I love it, but it is a blast when he does ‘put it on’ , so funny actually that I really can’t take him seriously sometimes and tell him to quit…. Which he doesn’t of course….

OH, so I should be introducing my blog too…. Well…. I am not sure…. I think I just want this to be me… a huge mix of everything that is going on in my life and mind and all other things that come my way and maybe I will even start sharing the book that I started writing last year…. Maybe… ;)