Better Bloggers Than Me

Does What You Choose to EAT Say Something About YOU?

Food choices. When you struggle with body image stuff and depression (to name a few) what you choose to eat can be a BIG deal. I, for one, get overwhelmed. There are too many voices about what is right and what is wrong concerning FOOD. EAT this, not THAT. This ingredient is bad and this is good.

Gives me a headache.

Sometimes I just feel frozen. HOW DO I EVEN KNOW WHAT TO EAT ANYMORE!!!!!

But what if it was as simple as eating something, being present with yourself, and listening to what your body tells you. DID that Big Mac make me feel well, strong, energized, good, etc? Was I eating for enjoyment? Could I have found another way to celebrate, grieve, quench my boredom? The answer could be yes or no depending on what I needed. I’ve learned that what I eat and how I eat says a lot about how I feel about myself.

Food Choices

Do you get overwhelmed with food messages, food choices, and “being healthy”? How do you manage it? What have your learned about yourself from food?

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life, Fitness Tagged With: being present, binge eating, eating disorders, emotional eating, emotional wellbeing, food, intentional living

Heather Davis “TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life”

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I had no idea who Heather was until I met her at Listen To Your Mother NWA. That is the cool thing about LTYM! It brings amazingly brave women together, women who might otherwise never know each other.

Sure, Heather is funny as hell and smart too, but the thing that struck me most about Heather was her deep kindness. A couple of moments with her and you are able to see her unflinching dedication to her family and friends…. well, and chocolate. She has listened to my woes more than once and encouraged me through struggles. People like Heather are rare.

Heather is officially an author. She wrote a book, “TMI Mom: Oversharing My Life,” filled with stories about her zany (yes, I use the word zany sometimes!) adventures. I laughed. Her voice comes through the book and it is super entertaining! She also didn’t care that I read most of it while sitting on the toilet (multiple sittings, y’all…. I don’t take THAT long to do my business!)

You can also find Heather at BuzzBooksUSA.com (click image for link)

I like Heather and I hope you’ll like her too. I like her so much that I am paying with MY OWN MONEY to give away a copy of her book. I think she is that awesome and that deserving of the spotlight. Check out the rafflecopter below to enter to win a paperback copy of Heather’s new book from Amazon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life Tagged With: book giveaway, giveaways, Heather Davis, Minivan Momma, online giveaways, TMI MOM: Oversharing My Life

Life Still Blooms

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So yesterday I published the sad reflection on what has been happening in my marriage. It was (and is) dark, painful, and raw.

Like all things on the internet, if you take one snippet of something it can give a picture that is disproportionate. Yes, my marriage is on the rocks (has been for awhile, y’all). Yes, the company I was working for told me they were hiring me and then suddenly told me I didn’t fit in culturally. Yes, OMG WHAT AM I GOING TO DO TO FEED MY KIDS NOW!

AND

STILL

Life blooms and things are good and I am growing and so are my plants.

I am regrouping, refocusing, and rethinking plans. I’ve struggle with depression and anxiety so I’ve learned a little something over the years about the power of my mind.

I am not a victim.

I can choose.

So yesterday and today I am choosing to be well, to live well, to look toward the sun and be thankful for the life that*I* am creating…not my circumstances.

Life can be so very hard

And

Life Still Blooms

Look what is growing around my home…

Filed Under: Album Images, Blog, Blogging About Life Tagged With: empowerment, gratitude, grief, home gardening, loss

Saying Goodbye to Fiona

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Fiona died two weeks ago. She was a darter. She was hit by a car. I saw it happen. As much as you can train a dog, put them on a leash, and teach them… some still dart. That crazy little thing loved to chase cars and bolted out the front door anytime she got the chance. She’d gleefully run around like a lunatic and then voluntarily come home. Chasing her was nowhere near realistic. I knew, eventually, she’d be hurt. She acted like she was invincible. Cars usually win.

I’ve lost many loved ones in my life. Their deaths were strewn with all kinds of issues and history. The thing about the death of a family pet is that the memories of them aren’t strewn with ambivalence and difficult histories. The memories of our pets seem to be only marked with moments of unconditional love. I LOVED Fiona in a deep way. Maybe more than my kids sometimes, but don’t tell my kids.

I hated watching her die the way she did. Accidents happen.

I planted Peonies over Fiona’s grave site this weekend. My last way to say goodbye.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life Tagged With: death, grief, Jasmine, losing a family pet, loss, pain, pets, sadness

So I Went To A Strip Club…

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Alternative titles were considered:

5 Dudes and a Neurotic Chick Walk Into a Strip Club…
No I don’t Have Meth, Don’t Ask Me!
I Bet You Could Crack a Walnut With Those Thighs!
ALL the LEG WARMERS!

and

Are You Just Happy To See Me Or Are We In a Strip Club?

This weekend I attended a friend’s bachelor party, well technically two weekends ago, but I am talking about an epic bachelor’s party… so lets not get hung (hanged?) up on details.

SO I went to a strip club with some dudes…I know, progressive and shit. I was there for two reasons. Or maybe three, but the third I can’t say in public. The two reasons were, I adore my friend and he has become a great part of my life (we were semi-friends in high school but Facebook reconnected us and AWESOME) and the other reason was ohmygodstrippers. Why would I NOT want to go to a strip club? It makes for awesome material!

I am prone to over-think life. I am highly analytical and deeply contemplative. I could have been a monk… if monks swear a lot and go to strip clubs. So of course, when Madison explained that we were going to go see “dancers” I felt a deep sense of obligation to figure out how the hell to act.

Lets just say I hypothetically typed “Strip Club Etiquette” into Google. I also took a Facebook poll. Because obviously, everyone on Facebook knows the answers to everything and I have no shame.

I had four glasses of wine and decided to recreate my experience.

I know, aren’t you lucky!

ENJOY!

We arrived at the strip club in the dark and rain. I wasn’t too worried about going inside. I knew I had more than enough hand sanitizer

The grumpy guy at the window was all, ” WOMEN CAN ONLY COME IN IF THEY ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A MALE!” I am still not really sure WHY, but I wanted to be all, “OH! SO because I have a vagina the world wants to pay me less AND I can’t see boobs! NO no NO! Susan B Anthony would NOT stand for THIS!” Instead I quietly signed my name to the book and paid the man my money.

We walked into the strip club and my first thought, “WHOA!” My second thought was, “O-M-G, I did NOT bring enough hand sanitizer for this experience.” Ladies and gentlemen there were nekkid women everywhere! They were on ALL THE THINGS, including people. I quickly scanned the room for a chair and push my way pass the throngs of people.

We sat near the side of the stage. The stage was sunken in with a pole in the middle. I was expecting something from Showgirls or Coyote Ugly or something. None of that, y’all. These folks were streamlining this process. I guess to highlight the “dancers”… I have no clue. I was highly let down from the lack of disco balls and boas.

The ladies all kind of wore the same things. HIGH shoes, and skinny g strings. There were a lot of piercing and tattoos (my tattoos were better). The moment the first girl took the pole I was profoundly impressed. Each girl was rubbing some kind of lubricant on the pole, so it was astounding to me that they didn’t slip and bust their faces. Athletes, y’all. Strippers are athletes.

I tried really hard to figure out the formula on which ladies made more money and why. Frankly, several times I felt like paying them to change the song they were dancing to… seriously. I think there should be some kind of rule that says strippers shall not dance to country music.

Of course there were boobs. I was in a strip club, after all. I was sort of underwhelmed. All the portrayals of exotic dancers in pop culture show the ladies with GINORMOUS breast. Alas, there were no giant breasts in this shift.

What there WAS a lot of were lower back tattoos and backsides. Maybe I am just not cut out for strip clubs… but I was underwhelmed.

We didn’t stay too long. Long enough for our bachelor to be whisked away for a mysterious lap dance.

*Side Note*

What do you even SAY to a stranger as they are awkwardly circling their bum in your lap?

*End Side Note*

I can say officially I’ve experienced that rite of passage. I learned a few things:

Strippers have awesome muscle control but poor taste in tattoos
If an elderly man named Manuel hits on you and asks if you are married make sure to deflect and let him know your sister is interested in him… (yes I did that, and yes my sister is still mad at me).
Strippers should wear name tags because addressing someone as, “excuse me stripper” isn’t the best idea.
Men should be required to wear pants without pockets while in strip clubs, because EW!

and

There is such a thing as skin burns from too much hand sanitizer.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life, Shenanigans Tagged With: how to behave at a strip club, Jasmine, poor life choices, Ridiculous, rite of passage, strip clubs, strippers

Pregnant While Single

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People plan families all kinds of ways. Some with partners. Some without. How did you decide to plan out your family? What are your thoughts on women who choose to have pregnancies without a partner?

Frankly, I think it is awesome and could totally be into it.

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life, Pregnancy, Relationships, Shenanigans Tagged With: family planning, Pregnancy, pregnant while single, relationships

Don’t forget…

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Filed Under: Album Images, Blog, Photo

Things You Should Read on the Internet!!

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You guys, the internets are full of awesome. I mean, they are also full of strange and horrible things… but I tend to believe the awesome outweighs the lack of awesome.

It is almost Friday. We’ve been sick around here, cranky around here, depressed around here, and down right BLAH! It has been a hard week, for realz.

But.

There are still amazing things to be enjoyed! Here is a list of things I found thought provoking, hilarious, and inspiring this week. Seriously, read these things…they. are.awesome.

Bryson Moore is like the white Morgan Freeman… all wise and shit.

Schmutzie simultaneously makes me believe in love and then get all stabby about being vulnerable about love.

Heidi ponders work/life balance and opens her heart to her readers.

Kristen Howerton sums up my Facebook rant about homelessness and A&F

Postpartum Progress talks about hope and anxiety and basically reads my mind.

Liz from Six Year Itch comes correct (AGAIN!) about the Mother’s Day Shooting in Louisiana.

If you haven’t met Princess Monster Truck I can’t be your friend!

Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life, Linky Love Tagged With: authenticity, badass bloggers, linky love, Stuff we LOVE!, the internet is full of awesome

#WordlessWednesday: Isaiah’s Strawberry Patch Is Growing

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Filed Under: Blog, Blogging About Life, Photo Tagged With: homegarden, natura, organic, organic gardening, strawberries, teaching children about food, teaching children about seasons

Best Friends Since Before Birth

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The weekend of the SoFabCon I had a little cry alone in the bathroom, then I called my best friend. The conference was going swimmingly. I was crying because I had the thought, “I am missing Max’s birthday!” Sadie, my best friend, and I had not talked in several weeks. Other than our random insulting texts we’d not had time to connect. I with the SoFabCon and she with her demanding job at the local children’s shelter.

We got pregnant together.

NO SICKOS! Not LITERALLY in the same room.

We got pregnant together as in, we planned our second pregnancies together. She waited for me to get pregnant and then she got pregnant. Lets try not to hate her for her fertility magic, as I had to conceive Addy on Clomid.

I digress.

Max and Addy have been two peas in a pod since before birth. SO missing a birthday, for me, is a big deal.

I smiled as Max’s little voice squeaked over the phone, “I ruv you! I’ms my burfday! Happy burfday to ME!” As it turns out, Sadie was waiting to have Max’s party.

We celebrated Max this weekend. Such a beautiful and gentle boy. I love him in a deep way. I don’t know if it is because I witnessed his first breath or because he has this cute way of putting his hands on his hips and tapping his toe… either way, I am smitten (and so is Addy!).

Happy Birthday Maxi!

Filed Under: Birthday, Blog, Blogging About Life, Relationships Tagged With: best friends, birthday, extended family, family, relationships, toddlers