I Resolve ...

Yep. It's that time of year again. The fast approaching new year. A fresh start. This is it. This is the year. I'm gonna, lose weight, get organized, find the right one, start a new career ... the list goes on and on and on and on. There are hundreds of things we resolve to do. We commit ourselves to becoming new or better people year after year. So I know what you're thinking, how are you gonna get a blog post about this? Well I'll tell you. It's the fact that very few of these resolutions ever see fulfillment. We have the best intentions of getting in shape, quiting smoking or saving more money. But the fact remains somewhere along our journey, we lose. Does that mean we should give up on trying to better ourselves?? Of course not! It just means that perhaps we've been going about it a little wrong.

For at least the past decade or so, the number 1 New Year's resolution has been to lose weight. Shocker. We all want to look and feel better, that combined with the fact that main stream media wants us to know that 5'8" 92lbs is the ideal for women. We, women, love to think that if we could just lose ____ pounds, then we will be perfect, happy, life will go according to plan. The realism behind that is obvious. Many of us struggle with weight for many reasons, and too often can't find the right method and give up. That doesn't mean we won't ever lose the weight. Or that you should stop trying. The opposite actually. Try harder.

When setting a resolution for yourself, the BEST thing you can do, is not set yourself up for failure. First thing, is really put some thought into your resolution. Don't decide when you're 4 deep at the party that you're going to quit your job and start a blog ... Trust me, it's not that glamorous! Contemplate your decision. How will it effect your life both positively and negatively and come to grips with that. Write it down if you have to. It's better to prepare yourself ahead of time, seriously prepare. Then, when you decide what you want to focus on, make sure it's SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time tested. Now, in reality, most of us won't abide by all of these, and that's okay. For a best practices attitude, I'm going to list them all. Because if you want to achieve what you set before yourself, you need to make sure that you follow at least MOST of them. Make sure what you want to do is specific. So lets again use weight. How much weight? Fifty pounds, 3? Pick a number. But when thinking of that number also make sure it's realistic and attainable. If you're 5'6" and 170 pounds, and you want to lose 70 pounds, pry not a good idea. You'll be under weight and unhealthy. But perhaps 40 pounds is much more attainable and realistic. Also think about your timeline. Do you want to lose that during the course of the whole year? When will you start? Then finally, how are you going to measure your success. Obviously, weight loss will be measured by either a scale and or a measuring tape. But other goals may have different ways to measure - pick one.

The next thing to do to make sure that you are an actual success story this year, is get an accountability buddy. The greatest asset for me when losing weight is having someone do it with me. Having someone right there to say - "HEY! Don't eat that donut! Or I'll kick you in the elbow!" "YO! Let's workout! Or I'll slap you!" I know from personal experience that I am guaranteed to continue the course when someone else is in the trenches with me. Even if your person won't or can't go through with you, they can at least hold you accountable. How many resumes did you send out this week? When was the last time you had a cigarette? Did you lose any weight this week? Make sure you pick someone who cares too. Don't want the one to hold you accountable slackin on the job!!

That all being said, I do wish you the best of luck with your goals this year! Know that I will be with you on the weight loss front. Just bought a membership to a rec center yesterday! To make it official, well nothing's really official until it's facebook official, but you know, I want to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year.

I want to leave you with something I read on facebook today from one of my friends Liz. A very appropriate and well worded approach to resolutions. I got permission to share this but I won't give you her last name for personal privacy reasons.

"Treat yourself with dignity and love, be deliberate and careful in areas of your concern every single moment of your day, immediately move forward past slip-ups and instantly forgive yourself, align resolutions with what you consider priorities in life, do not neglect others to achieve your goals, think of somebody you love and smile before you go to bed, pray humbly."

In all you do, do it 100%. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Forgive your mistakes. And always strive for forward.

Good luck and may God richly bless you in 2013!! See you on the other side kids!!

The Real Meaning of Christmas Charlie Brown

So many of us know the ultra familiar Peanuts Classic's. My personal favorites are the Thanksgiving and Christmas specials. Mostly because Charles Schulz wasn't afraid to say what he wanted to say. But it's true that in the hubub and commotion of all that goes into the holiday's we tend to lose sight of what it's really all about. So I'm here to give you a little history lesson (my favorite) on Christmas. (Don't worry, I know most people aren't weirdo's like myself and I won't get too technical on you!)

So most people know, or are familiar with the fact that the celebration of Christmas revolves around the celebration of Christ's birth. Back, well back in the day, pagans celebrated seasonal change and thusly celebrated the coming of the winter solstice. Early Christians wanted to combat the pagan ritual and therefore implemented Christmas as a means of celebration for Christ. Although it has long been unrecognized that winter was not the actual season of Christ's birth. Many historians (although this subject is and always will be up for debate) put Christ's birth more around when we celebrate Easter, April or Spring time. Neat little fact, most Americans recognize 3 wise men coming to visit the baby Jesus, but really it would have been a great many and Jesus would have been around 2 by the time they got there. Traveling across great distances and especially across deserts posed serious hazards then. Thieves thrived on caravans, so the more the merrier - ha I crack myself up sometimes. These puns, I tell you. Anyway, so no rational person would have traveled so far with only 2 other fellas. It just wasn't smart. Also, in order to go as far as they did, it would have taken years. So, when we see references of a baby Jesus, he was probably more like Toddler Jesus. But I digress, back to the dates thing. If you dig into the history of Christmas you'll find a lot of information on calendaral change. (Yep I made up a word, get used to it. Not the first time, won't be the last!) To be honest, I don't really want to go into it, but rest assured there's a lot. So again, Christians needed a winter holiday and since Easter season was already taken, they picked celebrating Christ's birth in December. Gotta spread the Christ love a little.

To make this a little shorter than 57 pages, I'm gonna go all Reader's Digest on you and sum things up a bit. So Christmas didn't start out all gifty gifty. In fact it didn't even become a Federal Holiday in America until 1870. There was a lot of controversy over the holiday in Europe for a period, citing that it caused a lot of rauckus behavior. So the Pilgrims being the stuffy folks they were, banned the celebration of Christmas in early American history. In fact, from 1659-1681 Christmas was banned in Boston. (Side note, I find it interesting they started early. Some of you will get that, some of you won't, either way it's just me saying - Hmm.) Moving on, so before the Civil War the North and South were very divided on how to celebrate Christmas. Some of you may know this and some of you are now learning, the south has always been a place of custom and socialization. So the Christmas season was another chance for social events and parties. For the North, Thanksgiving was a more appropriate time for celebrating. Post Civil War children's books helped promote the spread of many Christmas traditions, including tree trimming and presents from Santa Clause. (Which has a very storied history himself!!) By the late 1800's American's were caroling, baking, decorating and buying at Christmas time. Since then, materialism, the media and mass marketing have driven Christmas to what it is today. People going on Thanksgiving night to get steals of deals on TV's for themselves. Because we just can't live with out that mini cake pop maker another minute! But many of the former traditional Christmas traditions (I realize that's redundant and I tried to stop it, but, there was no other way. But this post is almost over and it gets better, I promise) were blended together from customs from many other countries. In fact, those other countries consider America's National Holiday to be, Christmas. Fun fact there for ya.

So while you're baking your brains out, agonizing over those spilled sprinkles, hanging a lifetime's worth of ornaments, or worried that if you go to church you'll actually have to sing a dreaded hymn, remember that Christmas was and is more than all of this. The Pastor from my home church was born on December 25th, and his father was as well a minister, and while growing up, his parents on many occasions had to sit him down and say "Stephen, all this is not about you." I think that's applicable to us all. This isn't about us. It's not about who gets what, or whose ham is worse, or the fact that we actually have to dress up once a year. Nope. It's so much more.

Doctor Seuss had it right.Christmas still came without all the bells and whistles, it came just the same. Because Christmas, is about proclaiming the love of Christ by celebrating his birth. Even if that's a few months off.

And THAT Charlie Brown ... is the REAL meaning of Christmas.

** Most of the information supplied here was former knowledge of my own, the rest was supplied from: http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/ **

Good Grief

Christie ... where have you been?! I used to get excited about your posts and now they're coming fewer and further between! What gives?!

Good question(s) reader. I will answer them! A few things have been going on actually, first I got a job. Yep, besides blogging and pretending to take care of my house, I have a part time job that I'm really enjoying. The hours allow me to spend most of my time with my honey bunny at home, and make some decent money. It's the ideal situation for my life, and so far so good! Thanks for caring. Also, there is my heavy involvement in Anti Human Trafficking. Along with a part time job, full time mommy job, I am a part-time-but-wish-it-was/could-be-full-time Anti Human Trafficking combatant. With some very big, cool and exciting things in the works for that. But I have most importantly, been grieving. Grieving the loss to be of my grandfather.

Wait so he hasn't passed away yet? What is wrong with you?! Yeah you're right, that sounds weird everywhere but in my head. No my grandfather (my mom's dad) has not passed away yet, but he is in the final stages of his battle with cancer. It has been over a year and a half since symptoms of pancreatic cancer first made their appearance, a few months after that, my grandpa was diagnosed and the rest of my family found out about it. And the war is coming to an end for him.

First I need you to know my Grandpa. He is one of the toughest most independent people you'll ever meet. But also one of the sweetest. Growing up, and still now, I always thought there wasn't anything this man couldn't conquer. He is big, although very thin and weak now, his hands, until I met Dr J (aka Julius Irving) were the biggest I'd ever seen - and the hairiest!!! I've always known him to be bald on top, but shaved around the back and edges. Tall, and well built, he was always a physical specimen. Mostly because that's how my grandma kept him! They are such an adorable married couple. They've been together for 60+ years and have been madly in love with each other every step of the way. My Grandma has been by his side always, telling him what to do, how to dress, what to eat and when. It's really comical to think back on their lives together, but it leaves an open blank for the future. With my grandpa sick, my grandmother does not know what to do with herself. She can't see her life with out her love and most importantly can't see what she will do with herself! She has always been a care taker and now there is no one to care for.

Which brings me back. Grief. Something we all experience at some point or another. Whether it's a loved one we mourn, or even that first pet goldfish ... Goldie. (We all named them the same it's okay we weren't creative with that fish we got at that fair that one time that your parents didn't want that only lived for a week anyway.) We love and we lose. It's cyclical as with anything, there is birth and there is death. So how do we grieve? Why did you title this stupid thing Good Grief? Charlie Brown reference? I thought this was going to be funny!?! Yes, it is a Peanuts reference, we all, or most of us old people, remember Charlie Brown's classic catch phrase. But there is truth to it. There is literally good grief. I am in a place of mourning someone who hasn't yet gone, but it's because seeing him in pain, and not his burly handsome - hunting - fishing - building his entire house himself - Korean war veteran - snowmobile riding - self is beyond words. I just got to see him yesterday in the Hospice facility near my parents house, and we asked if he wanted to watch TV, or read or anything, and all he said in his frail voice was, "no, I just lie here and look around." Look around a room that resembles a hospital room. A private area with a decent view outdoors, but just lay awaiting the inevitable.

I experience frequent bouts where I am overcome with pain at these thoughts and just burst into tears. Case and point right now. The thought of the worlds most independent person, stuck in a bed, not wanting to die, or to be in this place, is beyond measure. Which is why I cry. I would give anything to take his place. Have the stamina and the energy to undergo the surgery and the treatments. All of which he didn't have. But alas it wasn't to be. So I cry. Because I love. And even though my husband thinks I'm a wet nut job, someone who clearly cries too much (I adamantly refuse to watch Marley and Me because I know the ending.) but I know it's important for me to cry. Especially now. (Okay maybe not so much regarding fictional characters, but whatever!) Everyone experiences pain and mourning and we each express that grief in different ways. There is no one right or wrong way to deal with loss.

I have been crying almost every night the last few weeks. Am I proud of it? No. But I will say that letting it out, and being able to be vulnerable can help in the healing process. I will never be ready to let my grandpa go. Ever. But the fact of the matter is it is easier to cry now, then hold out hope of a miraculous miracle recovery or maybe my daughter will get to grow up knowing him only to be let down. I feel that letting my emotions out, makes me human.

My husband is like an emotional machine. Probably why he's a mechanical engineer. (Get it? Machine, mechanical - okay guys it's not funny if I have to explain it!) He has one face and one emotion. Only. It weirds some people out - including me, but it's just who he is. He experiences things internally. (Probably why we're such a good fit because we're about as polar opposite as they come!) Where as I blubber in church hearing about what happens after we die and thinking about my so beloved grandfather. He's sittin over there stone faced goin, what a weirdo! (Not to mention my other grandfather and a beloved uncle who passed away years ago, but the pain is still there).

I've had so many people tell me I should have been a cheerleader. I'm loud, obnoxiously so, and usually seen with a gigantic - thanks mom and dad for the braces - smile. I've been told I'm bubbly, spunky, infectious, and all the other synonyms I can't think of for those words right now. But letting people see that I am not just one face is good for my relationships too. Grief can be a way to become closer to others.

Since my first grandpa passed, when I was in high school, I have tried (little by little) to be closer to my grandparents. When you're a kid you don't think about them dying, but the fact is it happens. And you're never prepared. So I tried, and stupid as I often was, to care about them and make sure they knew it. It pains me more than anything to think that ever a day go by where they don't know, I mean full tilt boogie KNOW that I love them more than words could express. I hope those who have passed before knew that, and I'm trying to let all those still here know how much I care. It somehow makes things easier, knowing that.

That's a part of my grieving process, feeling guilty and remorseful for not being better for them. I could have done more, what about this or that? But again, everyone is different. Some people lament in the thought that their loved one is in a better place, or at peace. Some need counseling. Some need therapy. Some, like me, just need a few hundred boxes of tissues. But no matter how one chooses or is able to grieve, it is extremely important to do so. Letting emotions stay bottled and giving them no chance to air is unhealthy in so many ways. Most importantly on a psychological level. Bottled emotions can damage relationships and cause serious problems in the future.

So when you experience loss, as we all do, let your emotions out. Know that it is healthy, normal, and perfectly acceptable. Your mind, body, heart, and spirit will thank you. And so will the one you love. To know that you care so deeply for them.

So as I continue on my grief journey, I try to remain strong, but remind myself it's okay to let go and let the tears flow. It's okay to be sad sometimes and express that sadness (in a healthy way! Turning grief to anger for long periods of time is not typical nor is it healthy and I would advise you to seek counsel from a medical professional.) So I thank you for caring about me and my blog, and know that I have several more posts planned for the future! But for now my focus will turn to being with my family. Showing support and care for those so close to my grandfather. Because even after death, life continutes.

Care completely, grieve deeply.

Tis the Season to be Stressful!! LALALALALAAAA

Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, or rather before Thanksgiving is over now, it's time to start focusing on CHRISTMAS! Ahh ... buying all those great holiday gifts they'll never use! It's the most wonderful time of the year ... to punch people in the face for a great deal. Am I right?! Let me hear a HALLELUJAH! It's also that time of year to stress out to the max. Family and gifts and travel and cooking and baking and hostessing and wrapping and cards oh my! So here are some things to do and remember when you're too stressed this Christmas!

First things first. I think most of you have figured out I'm a Christian by now, and if not SURPRISE! I believe in God. Look at that. So I celebrate Christmas. And I think it's important for everyone, Christian or not, to remember to keep Christ in Christmas. So often in today's society we are more focused on walking on egg shells not to perhaps slip and offend someone, we lose sight of who WE are. For example, ever since Black Friday, at all retailers I say Thank You and Merry Christmas. Why? Because I celebrate Christmas that's why. It's not my job to worry that offering someone a heartfelt and warm holiday greeting might offend them. That's their problem and they should probably see a psychiatrist, or psychotherapist or something. I can easily see calling someone a derogatory word, yeah that's offensive. Pry shouldn't do it. But wishing someone a nice greeting, yeah not offensive. Unless they make it obvious they believe something different, there's no way to tell. If a Jewish person wished me a Happy Chanukah I would literally think nothing of it, outside the obvious that they're Jewish! And would in all honesty probably say, the same to you and a Merry Christmas! So all that being said, don't STRESS yourself about what greeting to use and wish people a Merry Christmas. I think you'll be surprised at how many Merry Christmas's you get back! (PS stop using xmas ... that's deliberately taking Christ out of Christmas.) More on the history of Christmas to come in a later edition! And additional explanation as to why it's important Christian and Non to keep Christ there!

I used to work for a company here in Cleveland that specialized in personal and professional training to take yourself to the next level. And no matter what the class, if you were trying to improve your personal or professional life, one thing stayed the same. Stress. We all experience it and it comes in so many forms. For example, there are stress tests to determine physical fitness. Mental stress tests ... uh tests or exams to determine how smart you are by how much information you can regurgitate in x amount of time. Emotional stress, our lives are full of drama - like a Soap Opera. Thad is in love with Karcy who is pregnant with Harven's baby who is married to Leola. (They always have weird names) But to be honest if we didn't have a little stress in our lives it would just be weird. In fact some stress is a good thing. It's a motivational tool to help us get things done or make things happen. For example, my current weight is too "stressful" on my knees and therefore motivating me to lose weight. But there is a difference between a little stress and being stressed to the max. Or a term we all know as "Going Postal." When we are feeling overwhelmed we need to keep the excess in check. Here's how.

Dale Carnegie was a super cool cat who thrived during the early 1900's. Over a long career he figured out that people hated public speaking, (in fact it Public Speaking is the number 1 fear in the world, people would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy) so he developed a proven method to help people overcome their fears and become better public speakers. Through this journey he developed several philosophy's and ideas. One being his Golden Book. ( Find it here: http://www.dalecarnegie.com/assets/1/7/Secrets_of_Success.pdf/ ) There are more sections on managing worry (which usually goes hand in hand with stress) than anything else! The best part that you can really utilize during the Holiday's is the segment on Overcoming Worry.

Step 1: Live in Day Tight Compartments. Don't freak out about the week of activities. Live here and now and do what you need to do today. There is no way to get it all done at once. So tackle one thing at a time before you worry about the next task. For me I like to make lists. Sure it can look intimidating, wow that's a lot to do in x amount of time, but I so enjoy crossing things out. It also relieves a lot of stress for me trying to remember everything I need to do. If I write it all down, I know what I can do and when and as soon as I accomplish it I can cross it off. Helps me stay on track and be organized.

Step 2: How to Face Trouble. Ask yourself "what's the worst that can happen?" You run out of wrapping paper and need to use newspaper. Your dog eats the ham. Prepare to accept the worst. Okay so your cat scratched up all your gifts. Okay, I love my cat, I'll just have to tell my family what happened. Try to improve on the worst. Take inventory of your gifts and wrapping supplies. Be vigilant about pets and keep things out of their reach. If something goes wrong last minute, you will have already thought about it and have either come up with a plan B, or you've already accepted it. So your great Aunt Freida won't get her gift card to Bob Evans. Just tell her you'll mail it! No one else has to know you forgot it at home. And she probably won't miss it either if you didn't tell her!

Step 3: Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry (stress) in terms of your health. There have been a lot of studies done on the effects of extra stress on our bodies. Among many other things here are some things that can be induced by too much stress. Extreme weight loss or weight gain . (Don't get excited here ladies, the weight loss from stress is not a healthy loss and can cause additional health problems) Heart problems, hair loss, headaches, nausea, muscle tension, memory problems, frequent colds, digestive issues. Extended stress issues can lead to extensive immune system failure leading to things like osteoporosis, heart disease, or even cancer. (http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx) Stress takes a toll on people in a serious way. Look at every president ever. They age 10 years in just 4. So remind yourself that this much stress is not good for you, not just emotionally and mentally but physically as well.

At the risk of making this post too long, my last thought on managing stress is to exercise. Exercise releases endorphins in your brain which make people happy. It is a proven method to relieve and reduce stress in people and improve your overall health. The night before everyone comes over take a nice long walk. Do some Yoga before you start your wrapping campaign. Something as simple as stretching before you make the mashed potatoes can literally help improve your attitude and over all well being! It will also prevent you from throwing those potatoes all over your obnoxious cousin Mort.

HARK! I hear the sound of a less stressed Christmas approaching!! You shall have less stress and you shall call it Merriment!

Have a safe and Merry Christmas everyone! And remember, saving $15 bucks on that sharper image gizmo is not worth a Lindsay Lohan.

*The principles listed above are from Dale Carnegie's Golden book and principles which I learned while working and training with Dale Carnegie Cleveland. The additional information and examples were my own thoughts and ideas and do not reflect upon DC Inc. The information on stress on your body is information I already knew from previous research, except where cited. Thank You.*

My Way or the Highway!

Ever heard that phrase before? It's my way or the highway! My parents used to say that to me all the time, mostly because I was a little brat as a kid, but also because sometimes there's just no other way to say it. This is gonna happen no matter what. But one thing that I don't like about that phrase is sometimes people take that attitude and concept too far.

I just started working at a rec center, and there is an older gent there who is semi-retired, working in the fitness area just for something to do. It's a good fit for him given his educational and fitness related background and from the few interactions I've had with him, he's a pretty nice guy. Direct, frank, but overall pretty nice. Last week however, I had an encounter with him that almost made me punch him right in the face. Yeah. I'd punch an old man want to fight about it? Here's why.

I came in to take over for him and start my shift. During the transition a regular of the center, a woman, came in and started talking to this fellow. He told me that this woman, in her mid-late 60's, took a YMCA physical fitness test and bench pressed 35 lbs 101 times. That's amazing. Then he proceeded to just talk to her and say that he had an older couple, also in their late 60's come in and the woman could only bench 35 lbs 7 times and the man could only do 10 (at an undisclosed but I'm pretty sure different weight). He then went on to say how absolutely ridiculous this was and these people should be embarrassed out of their minds. Um. I chimed in. "There are a VAST majority of people that age that can't bench that much." He paused momentarily, looked at me and said with disgust, "Yeah well I'm not one of em and neither is she (indicating to the amazon woman who can bench a ridiculous amount). So I have no sympathy." I backed out of the conversation before we literally got into a physical altercation. Mostly because this human being is REPULSIVE to me. Why you ask? Here's why.

My grandmother who is now in her 70's has MS. She cannot now nor ever bench press that much weight. First because of her physical limitations due to the MS (Multiple Sclerosis for those of you who don't know, http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx ) but also because never in her life has she ever had the need to, want to, or ability to ever bench press weight. Period. So you're going to sit there with your overly absurd ridiculous standards and expect that everyone over the age of 60 should be able to bench press stupid amounts of weight???????!!!! What a despicable moron. I don't think that in the height of my physical fitness, college swimming, I could even bench that much weight that many reps. And to think that some people who do regular things for fitness like garden, walk, clean house, who come in and can't bench that much and are looked down upon? What a joke.

Which leads me to my point of all this. First of all I don't like the guy at the rec anymore and have lost any and all respect I ever had for the guy. But second and the real point is people who do not realize that there are other people in the world who are NOT like them and can't find room in their limited feeble minds to accept that are repugnant to me. I understand that people should embrace physical fitness and I think the fact that Hostess, a huge company is going out of business and the Twinkie is no more should state pretty heavily to the fact that people are changing their lives to be healthier. I get it. But to stand there and say with a straight face that there is no reason for anyone ever to not be able to just walk in off the street and live up to super outrageous, over the top, unreachable standards, is repulsive to me. So they can't bench press?? Who cares?! Doesn't mean they're bad people or that they aren't in shape. It just means they've never done it before and their bodies aren't conditioned for that. Not everyone has access to bench presses idiot. It's not really a common commodity just sittin around in everyone's living rooms nationwide. "This is the kitchen, here's the bathroom and oh here's are bench press, isn't it lovely?" Many people who are older have never bench pressed because when they were younger, fitness centers were much fewer and further between. And they were called gymnasiums then, reserved for athletes. Can you blame them that they grew up with different standards of fitness than we know today? No. That's like saying my granparents should be able to keep up with their great grandkids technology wise. Yeah, right. People who were literally born on a farm keep up with kids who can open a smart phone at 9 months old should be on the same page tech wise. Makes total sense ...

Attitudes like his literally disgust me. You can't except that just because you took the route you did in your life, that everyone else didn't. And if they didn't they're miserable non humans. What's wrong with you?! News flash, all people are different. They have different circumstances affecting their lives. We're not all alike and in case you didn't learn this during your forever amount of years in education, that's a GOOD thing. You should be EXCITED that this couple wanted to come in and get in shape, or work toward better health. Not look down on them and mock them with other like minded individuals. That's not an attitude I want to be around.

Now. What's the right thing to do when dealing with a cancerous person like this dumb head? I don't really know. I could correct him. Do some research on it and have stats to back myself up. Including the personal story of my grandmother who lives in the woods in Michigan and is lucky to go to water aerobics a few times a year. OR I could talk with our supervisor as to indicate I think this is not only inappropriate behavior, but a terrible attitude. Or I could just let it go. And kinda hope this guy busts a hammie working out while on the clock. (Hamstring injuries are VERY hard to recover from. It seems simple, but they are hard to get back to where you were quickly.) I mean, I hate to sound so mean spirited toward someone, and some of you might even be sitting there goin, hey isn't that kinda hypocritical? And in all honesty it's not. I'm calling someone out for being in the wrong. Hypocrisy is more like say one thing and do another. I say you need to accept there are people out there different than you, and I accept that. I'm telling him he needs to realize that. And also throwing out some heavy words partly for funsies but also for emphasis.

So when you deal with people out there in the real world, please TRY to except that they are different from you. It's partly what makes our country great. So what if they're not in as good of shape as you? Okay so they wore their dirty PJ's to Walmart. You didn't and that's all you need to worry yourself about. There are much more important things happening in this world that we need to be concerned with outside of who isn't like me.

So as you head out this Black Friday, try to enjoy people watching a little and tell yourself it certainly is okay to be different! Our world is kinda like a Picaso, crazy, colorful, and not really put together. Enjoy!

 

Turkey Is As Turkey Does

Mashed potatoes has to be one of my all time favorite foods. Like stuck on an island for life gimme some potatoes and butter. Done. So when I found out they made a whole holiday about them ... I freaked.Okay so the holiday isn't around mashed potatoes, but when I was about 4 we walked into my grandma's house and I literally smelled mashed potatoes, so I said so, and the whole family erupted at my adorable stupid sillyness. It can't possibly smell like potatoes with a turkey in the oven!! Awww ... we hope you grow up pretty honey!

Thanksgiving is my husbands all time favorite holiday. And I'm not really sure why, he hates Turkey, he told me it's the cardboard of meats. He's not a huge potato guy, and lets face it all the rest is just, well sides. But, he maintains it's his favorite and even though year after year I out eat him, we all just pretend he really does love it.

But aside from the tryptophan, football, potatoes - sweet and otherwise, nasty cranberries and if you're lucky my grandmothers seriously world famous (okay maybe not the entire world but our marketing team is working on it) apple pie, why celebrate?

I feel like some of us are losing interest in history. Who cares lets party!!!!! Well ... that's all well and seriously good. I love food and I love my family, so any reason to get together is awesome for me. But really our nation made a day for people to used to not have to work, so that they could give pause and reflect on all the things they're Thankful for. People aren't Thankful anymore. I mean not really. And yes I know I'm making a generalization and you're sitting over there on your computer all offended because you're like I'm Thankful everyday whacko! The reality is,  yes you may be thankful, but so many people aren't. Trending generations not happy with what was, or what they have. When I was a kid I was spending time building a horrible death trap we called a tree fort in the back yard tree. Now these kids have their own cell phones, iPads (not even iPods anymore, they get the whole pad!), tv's, DS's, laptops, portable DVD players and on and on and on. To be frank, I don't have half those things and I'm an adult.

When I was in high school, I was lucky that my mom let me drive the family van to school. I hated every minute of that stupid thing, but I was honestly lucky. As a senior, you shouldn't have to ride the bus. But there was a kid in my grade who when he turned 16 got a brand new Mustang. It was red. Sweet. He threw a tantrum in school, that everyone heard about because it was 1 year old. It wasn't the newest model. Yep. Happened fer real. I can tell you his name. But I won't. That's what I went to school with. I'm lucky to have a hideous Astro van, SERIOUSLY lucky, and he's complaining because his brand new Mustang isn't new enough ... These are the generations who grow up to teach their children about materials. Possessions. Having THINGS are important. The more things you have the better you are.

Well, not that I'm a good enough parent to offer that deep of parental advice, but I think we need to send a different message to the upcoming generations. Whether you're a parent, mentor, teacher, friend, we all have opportunities to impact future generations. When I was lifeguarding at my home town pool the kids recognized me in the grocery store. This one kid said Mommy Mommy that's a lifeguard! I knew I needed to set an example. As dumb as that sounds, that was cool to me! It was like my own tiny little version of celebrity. But also important. I knew that kid would be watching what I did. Monkey see Monkey do.

I'm to a point in my life where I am starting to try to mature. I think deep down if you lose your inner kid a piece of you is gone, but we also need to start not fully acting like that inner kid. I have been able to let go of  a lot of the wants in my life and focus on the needs. And the ability to do that has not been an easy road. It has taken a lot of kicks in the face and fire's under the rump. Mostly I had to focus on opening my eyes. Telling myself do you see this? Do you know what is going on? Through my grandfather, my last remaining grandfather being diagnosed with cancer, to my work in Human Trafficking, to all the horrendous storms and tragedies. I have to understand that what I have does not define who I am. My house, messy and creeky and small as it may be, does not make me a bad or incomplete person. I am a homeowner. How many people do not get to call themselves that ever? Or did once, but not any longer.

Our nation, and if you know your heritage your ancestors, have fought and died, and worked, and slaved to get you to where you are now. The people who have come before us had to go through hell and back to get this country where it is now. When the people from England first came here to start a new life, it was no life at all. If we're cold we throw on a sweater and put a space heater wherever we want. They died. If we want a snack we go to the fridge and eat something. They went days without eating. We celebrate Thanksgiving to remember those people who literally gave their lives to start something here. To give people an opportunity to live freely the way they want. So that if you want your kid to have a Corvette before they turn 10 you can get them one. It's not about the stuff. It's about the opportunity. And people sacrificed everything they had to give you, someone they don't know, that opportunity.

My husband thinks I cry too much, which is probably true. But I don't see it as a sign of weakness like he does. I see it as a deep emotional bond to things that amaze me. Awesome wonders of the world around me that blow my mind. So as this Thanksgiving rolls around, I'll consider it a success if I cry a little. Remembering those who are no longer with us. Thinking of all that I have and how fortunate I am to have it. How incredible of a life I am privileged to lead and praying I don't mess it up.

I hope you find true Thankfulness this Thanksgiving. A moment or moments, to really, truly, honestly reflect on your life, and the lives of those you love. How we are so lucky to be where we are and have the ones we love near by.

Go and give Thanks ... and don't forget to be really thankful.

Grinds My Gears

So there's this animated show called Family Guy, some of the younger readers may have heard of it, for those whom haven't, it's a show similar to The Simpsons in that it's based on an animated family. But it's a little more raunchy and risque with much more liberal writers. That being said, it's actually pretty funny most of the time. With random plots and the main character and father of the household always coming up with crazy bone headed schemes. Did I mention there's a talking baby? There is an episode where Peter, the main character, gets a spot on the local news station doing a segment called "Grinds My Gears." He does rants about what's bothering him. Hands down one of my favorite episodes.

In what will probably a futile effort to entertain you, I'm going to do a segment on what "Grinds My Gears!" (Can also be, what cooks my carrots, what frosts my cookies, what steams my veggies, what rolls my ravioli's ... you get the idea. And feel free to come up with your own phrases as well!)

First thing, have you seen these commercials for this Greek yogurt? Where the guy is yelling through a mega phone at the pretty professional lady. Chips! Chips! Chips! Then the whole point of the commercial is to satisfy those cravings and eat the yogurt. I ask you, in what dimension or the next does yogurt satisfy a craving for chips?! It doesn't. Ever. Mr. Marketer guy, when I want chips, I want something salty and crunchy. Yogurt is smooth, creamy and sweet you nerd! That's like saying "Ah I'm dying of thirst I need some water!" "Oh you need water?! Here's a bag of sand! ENJOY!" Yogurt has it's place, but it does not make me not want chips.

The other day I was out on a walk with my kids, yeah the four legged and the two legged. And it was like 65 maybe warmer. There was a family, mom - dad - kid, bundled like they were headed for Antarctica. Parka's, hats, headbands, gloves, hoods, the works. Meanwhile I'm over here goin, I got a t-shirt and capri's on and I'm sweating. I don't know bout you but if I were that 10 year old kid, the second I walked outside and knew my mom was nuts I woulda ditched the headband and at LEAST unzipped the fur lined parka. I know it's November, but hey if it's not cold out it's not cold. No need to be embarrassed once you're out there! We all make mistakes! It happens, sometimes you throw on that extra layer and maybe we don't need it today. The responsible thing to do is to accept you were wrong about the weather and move on. Don't own it, it only makes me hot looking at you. PLEASE STOP WEARING PARKA'S WHEN IT'S 70 DEGREES OUTSIDE. You don't need it, unless you're 90. Then as far as I'm concerned you live that long you can do whatever the heck you want! It's 97 and sunny, you own that parka grandma!

 The reverse. If there is in fact snow on the ground, it's time to put the flippy floppies away. I know shoes stink, I completely agree, but wait to take them off until you're appropriately in doors. I mean. What did your toes ever do to you? Really. They're all just sittin there goin "hey, we're here, ya know, just doin our thing, helpin you walk n whatnot. Then we're all thrown out into the snow turnin blue, and you don't care. We're just toes to you, let em fall off you say! I'll have you know we look AMAZING in the summer!" You'd look weird wearin those flip flops with no toes dude! Cover them up. They're cold. It's time.

The Patriots.

What's with all these animal cruelty commercials??! Does anyone really not change the channel on those things? I would think that would send a message to the station saying "Hmm ... yeah I see when these commercials air there is a dramatic down turn in viewer ship." "Well how big of a down turn Bob?" "Well all the way, yeah, zero people are watching our station during the commercial air time. Huh." Put it together. No one wants to see that. It's sad and it almost made me throw up once, and they use music that always makes me look up to see that poor 3 legged dog gimpin around when he CLEARLY has no family! No family! I mean it's like, c'mon man! You can't not cry when you see that! Poor thing. I adamantly refuse to give them money until they stop showing abused animals. I get the shock and awe, but I'm just stuck on aww, followed by tears, followed by throw up. I'm not writin you a check for making my lunch reappear. If anything YOU owe ME! That burger wasn't free dude!
 
Delivery people. Yeah you fella. Comin all over to my house and whatnot. Okay so my husband is an engineer and doesn't know how to appropriately interact with people in public so he orders all of his stuff from the safety of behind his computer. That's no reason to tick me off! I know they're watchin me plan my day, and when my kid goes down for her seriously needed nap in the afternoon ... that's when they strike! And it's never a freakin stealth attack. No. NO! They KNOCK. Those ding dongs knock. Why? Because they want to see if I'm home! Who cares?! Dump the thing in a bag and put it by my door. I'm PRETTY certain I'll eventually see a 40 pound box sittin there. I would even be in favor of just dumpin it by the mailbox! Yeah slow down slightly, chuck and go. My dog hates you. He hates your guts and when you knock, it makes him go bat crap crazy because he knows it's his arch nemesis. So next time you think about knockin on some schmoe's door ... Think. Maybe I should do this the silent way as to not disturb the angry beast on the other side of this door. Just sayin. You don't go throwin firecrackers down the dragons lair!

The Steelers. STOP IT.

Feel free to post about your own peeves, pet or otherwise. (For the really smart one's you'll get that. For the rest of you, just smile and pretend!) We've all got em. Sometimes it feels good to air em! Otherwise they get moldy and you gotta wash em and it's a whole deal.

Stupid is a disease people! I hope you never catch it!!!

Just For Giggles N Grins

So with the intensity of the election, the hurricane, my last intense blog post about Human Trafficking, and the quickly approaching holiday's, I feel it's time for some humor. This blog post isn't really relevant and there is no topic other than to make you laugh! Jokes and true stories to give a lift to your day! ENJOY!

A Pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel around his man stuff. Bar tender goes, "What's with the wheel?" Pirate goes, "YAR! It's driving me nuts!"
My mom made me tell that to my 70 something year old grandfather and he really cracked up!

What do you get when you cross a Dyslexic, an Agnostic (Someone who questions whether there is a God), and an Insomniac? A Person who stays awake at night wondering if there really is a Dog.

What do you call a blonde in a freezer? A Frosted Flake.

True story, I caught my kid eating the tips off of her jumbo crayons the other day. When I ran over to get the piece she just bit out of her mouth, which was yellow, some green and some blue came out too. After putting the crayons away, I noticed bite marks on all the tips. Yep, I'm raising a genius! Brightest crayon in the box you might say!!

To protest some new rules my dog has been eating WHOLE brand new boxes of tissues. He's eaten about 5 or 6 boxes now and is still pooping out Puff's.

I'm not really sure how I've gone 28 years and never worn Yoga pants til now. BEST $15 I have ever spent in my entire life. And now I know what I'm wearin for Thanksgiving! Pants I'm Thankful for!

My dad and his siblings knew a kid growing up that they called "Richie the pushing boy". I honestly can't even type that with out laughing. He was playing with matches and started a pile of dry leaves on fire at my grandparents old house, which my Aunt, and dad's youngest sister, subsequently tried to put out with more dry leaves.

Once when I was in third or fourth grade, I was in gym class and I had to go potty REAL bad. (Number 1 in case you're wondering - NOSY!) And we were getting measured. Well I wasn't thinking things through and thought I could wait until after I got measured to ask to go. Hello Ding Dong! My maiden name ALSO starts with M, and we went alphabetical. So by the time it was my turn I was practically bent over with my tiny bladder bursting. I stood there waiting for my teacher to hurry and take my measurement.  I was wearing a plastic headband that day, and he thought the tapping of the ruler on my headband was the funniest thing since Johnny Carson and spent, what felt like 10 minutes, tapping my dang heandband and laughing til I literally wet my pants and ran off to the restroom. I had to go to the office and get new non wet clothes to spend the rest of the day. Thanks Mr. Ray. Thanks so much.

Once when my kiddo was about 3 months old, she sneezed and out popped the BIGGEST booger I've ever seen right on her face. Instead of being a kind mommy I laughed my head off and made her wait til I got a decent picture of it before wiping it off.

Sometimes when my dog sees himself in a reflective surface like our fireplace doors or a dishwasher, he thinks it's another dog and starts going bananas. He'll even try to walk around to see where the other dog is but then come back and keep barking.

Once my husband and I spent New Years up at my grandparents place in Michigan. My mom's sister, my Aunt bought those of us of age in the family peppermint shot glasses. So naturally after we had gone home from the party with my grandparents friends (Which was one of the best parties I've ever been to with a bunch of 70 and 80 year old's by the way) I suggested we do some peppermint patties. It's a shot of peppermint schnapp's and then you squirt some hershey's syrup in your mouth, then shake your head. (Or opposite order depending on how frisky you're feeling.) The shots were a hit and my whole family did at least one, including my 70+ year old grandparents. After having had a couple, Jay said he was done and my grandmother called him a wuss. After being called out naturally he had to oblige. Best. Night. Ever.

Last joke. Three boys were out fishing after a huge storm. They stumble upon former President Bill Clinton clinging to his life jacket. The boys pull him aboard. "Thank you so much boys, I was thrown over board in the storm! Thank you for saving my life. Since you saved me I'll give you anything you want just name it." First kid says "Okay I want a million bucks!" Bill pulls out his checkbook cuts the kid a check for a million. Second kid thinks and says, "I want to go to West Point!" Clinton says "Okay as soon as you're old enough, I'll make certain that you are automatically accepted to West Point." Third kid thinks for even longer. Then he finally says "I want a spot in Arlington National Cemetery." Bill looks at him funny, what's a young kid want with that?? He goes "Why?" Kid says "When my dad finds out I saved Bill Clinton's life he's gonna kill me!"
(Feel free to retell this joke inserting any President. I learned it when Clinton was in office and it won a radio contest once!)

Hope you were able to find some humor and laugh a little! Enjoy your day and feel free to share the jokes and spread the smiles! You know people who laugh live longer!

Attention Ladies

So I go to a church here in Cleveland that does things a little differently. One of the coolest things they do is invite the people who attend to go to small groups that meet throughout the city weekly with 12-15 members who sit around, eat and talk about God. Really neat discussions and super valuable insight on life, love and what it means to be Christian.

That being said, some months ago one of my very good friends and a woman who went to my group brought up during discussion an e-mail her mom sent her. It was a forward that her mom had gotten from friends but it was different than any other forward. It was a prayer request for a little baby in India named Sweetie. Sweetie isn't just any regular baby, she is the same age as my friend and I's daughters and she is tied to a pole being beaten, neglected and abused so that she will not know love and be a perfect submissive prostitute. If you don't know love how can you complain when you don't get it? If you are accustomed to being beaten, why would you raise a ruckus when it happens? This tiny baby was born to a woman who is owned for prostitution in a brothel. When this happens, the children are raised to also be prostitutes. This was my first encounter with Human Trafficking and it absolutely broke my heart beyond measure.

Wait Christie this doesn't sound right. Is this like one of those Nigerian Prince schemes? You tryin to get ma money?! No I'm not. And this is real. I know this because there is a missionary organization who is trying to save her. They send pictures and updates. And the worst part is, Sweety is just one of hundreds upon thousands.

Why am I writing about this? Because my friend made a commitment to that group the day she told us that story, to wage a war on the sexual exploitation of women and children. To combat and fight tooth and nail to end this. I then and there vowed to help her as best I could. During our research and education, we have found that this is a tragedy happening on our doorsteps. Right in our own backyard. Cleveland and Toledo are 2 of the top cities for Human Trafficking in the country. Which made my resolve that much higher since I live in Cleveland and am from Toledo.

So what is Human Trafficking??? I don't understand? People tying babies to polls? Human Trafficking is modern day slavery. It is people being bought and sold or held, against their will through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of sexual exploitation or labor. It can be through recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining a person in anyway for the purposes mentioned above. These all, in any combination, constitute Human Trafficking. This underground crime is the fastest growing branch of crime in the world. It is second only to drugs and revenues more than 32 Billion dollars a year. That's more than Nike, Starbucks and Google COMBINE. It is an epidemic. The traffickers are smart criminals who know what to say and do to keep victims silent. They addict them to drugs, beat them, steal identification paper work, blackmail them and threaten their lives and the lives of those they love. The upside to switching to human trafficking versus other forms of criminal activity is the fact that the same human being can be used over and over again, while weapons and drugs can only be sold once.

Seriously I thought this only happened over seas like Taken style. Actually it is approximated that 800,000 - 900,000 victims are trafficked across international borders annually. Between 18,000 and 20,000 are trafficked INTO the United States. Nearly half that number are thought to be children used for sex. That statistic should appall you.

How many people are actually affected by this in Ohio? What does Ohio have to do with anything? First of all due to Ohio's location and it's extensive highways it makes it a mecca (so to speak) for traffickers. It's easy to get almost anywhere very quickly. We also have may areas with hotels right off of major highways that are considered "hot spots" for trafficking. American born youth in Ohio at risk to be trafficked for sex is 2,879 yearly. Youth in Ohio actually trafficked for the purposes of sex are 1,078 every year. 

This is a very underground crime that only started to have a voice 5 years ago. It has been happening for decades but most people never knew about it. Mostly due to the fact that victims either didn't know what was being done to them was a crime, blamed themselves for the situation, or were simply brainwashed never to speak of it. Needless to say legislation is just now being created to punish traffickers. Now victims are BRAVELY stepping forward to give their stories. To tell people this is happening where you live, and to educate people so the problem can be stopped.

It's a whole new war of crime that can happen anywhere and affect everyone. I am a trained speaker/presenter on the subject and could and can literally talk for hours on the subject. The purpose of this blog post was to create awareness. The number one action step to helping fight this and prevent more victims in through education. Always educating. So please, share this blog post. Not to promote me or my blog, but to raise awareness, to get people involved and most importantly give this crime a voice. If it has a voice it can't be silent. Women and children don't have to suffer silently anymore. They should know that people who don't know them are out there caring and trying to save them.

If you want to further educate yourself on Human Trafficking, please visit one of the following websites or feel free to contact me personally anytime.

www.collaborativeinitiative.org  This is the organization I was trained through and where my statistics come from
www.warinternational.org  VISIT THIS SITE!!!!!!! These are the people helping Sweetie
www.traffickfree.com Website of trafficking victim Theresa Flores
www.bjcb,org Help our youth!
www.polarisproject.org

Additional websites:
www.imginefreedom.org
www.sctnow.org
www.notforsalecampaign.org
www.rights4girls.org
www.abolitioninternational.org

If you have seen something suspicious or know someone who may be in trouble please call this anonymous toll free number to report it: 1-888-3737-888. They will take any reports or claims seriously and launch a case file which in turn gets handed over to local authorities to launch investigations.

Please consider being part of the solution to end this atrocity. Thank You.

*All statistics came from Collaborative Initiative to End Human Trafficking and are part of the presentation I have been trained to give. Additionally, further information has been gained through my own investigation and education on the subject matter or given to me by my very good friend and leader of our front.*

Bandwagon Jumpin

My husband was getting ready to leave for work this morning and couldn't find his employee badge that allows him into certain areas of work. Essentially he needs it to get through the day! So after listening to him search for a few minutes in vain, I get out of bed and start helping him look. After a few minutes, he found it. Needless to say I couldn't go back to sleep right away after he left, but I didn't feel like starting my day either. So I got back in bed and started cuddling with my dog and did some facebooking. What most people do when they have time to kill.

I noticed yesterday some people posting about 30 days of Thankful. Then again this morning. And I was thinking what the heck? They were all really nice posts about what or who people are thankful for. I just had never heard that there was a "movement." When it comes to these types of things I'm usually a day late and a dollar short. But in spite of that, I eventually figured out that this November instead of just being Thankful 1 day, Thanksgiving, why not be thankful all month long?!

So I did it, I made the bandwagon jump to do what so many others are doing and make one post per day about what I'm thankful for. As most of you have figured out I'm not a big bandwagon jumper-oner. It's not me. I don't wear trendy clothes,  I'm not hip to all the cool kid websites, and I don't take my kid to story time every week. (It could either stem from the fact that I'm the LEAST perfect person on the planet OR the fact that some things just don't suit me. Or the fact that we spontaneously were at the library today when story time was going down and decided to join and my spunky monkey couldn't stay still on mommies lap OR keep from laughing extremely loud so everyone looked at us every time we were supposed to clap.) But this is different. This is something me of all people can wholeheartedly get behind. And in fact I think EVERYONE should get behind.

Sometimes you will see hashtags (#) when people make funny remarks about the related post #i'mhisterical. A lot of them are people complaining about first world problems. It's good that we recognize we are being ridiculous, but we also need to stop. I just got done reading a book, in literally record time for me, called Burned Alive by Souad. ( http://www.amazon.com/Burned-Alive-Survivor-Killing-Speaks/dp/0446694878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351880150&sr=8-1&keywords=Burned+Alive ) It is a book about a woman who survived being set on fire. An attempt by her family to kill her because she dishonored her family. She comes from a world where women are literally treated as less than animals. She grew up with her father telling her that the animals are worth more and far more valuable than she is. She was beaten black and blue daily by her father and eventually her brother. A world where men are the only one's with power and a woman is to only be a servant to the men. She is required by law to be a virgin at marriage, which usually happens by age 14, and if she does ANYTHING outside of keeping her head down, working like a slave, tolerating beatings then she will be killed. Honestly, to fully grasp what she went through you must read the book. But that gives you an idea of what I just read over the last week.

How often have we taken for granted the lifestyles we lead? How often do we not recognize the simple freedom of going outside whenever we want? Or reading a book? Or wearing anything other than the same 2 articles of clothing? These are all things Souad experienced, that I never have. And I can't believe how ungrateful I am.

So when my mind finally caught on, I was like oh heck yeah! I put two in the same day to catch up, but yesterday I was thankful that my house leaked during all the rain but never flooded and we never lost power! Which around here is a big deal from all the rain and wind given to us by Hurricane Sandy. Today I am thankful that my husband works so hard for our family. I didn't put this in the post, but he really does work and slave so that we can live in a house, pay our bills, get out of debt. Sometimes I'm not nearly as thankful for him as I should be.

So in light of the 30 days of Thankful. I vow to be thankful everyday. Not just in November but all year round. For the things that I have, the people I love, and the life I have been blessed to live.

I encourage you to do the same thing. It's not too late. It's never too late to be Thankful.

What are you Thankful for?????

Grace and Blessings.
Christie

The Great Veggie Debate

Yeah I know some of you are like wha? Debate? On vegetables?? Yeah well there are a few. And I'd like to take some time and some information to address the debates!

First of all, yeah I skipped the cute little story intro this time, (weird change up but hang with me - stories to come!) here are the biggest things I hear about vegetables. That fresh is better than frozen, vegetarians are healthier, if you use dressing it's not healthy anymore, and if you don't like hundreds of thousands of vegetables you're a weird loser. Yeah these are all totally legit!

Fresh is better than frozen. I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who is DIE HARD frozen vegetables. But when it comes right down to it, frozen is right up there man. New research has shown that frozen vegetables retain MOST of their valuable nutrients due to improved freezing processes. In fact, some people think they hold more because the vitamins and minerals are locked in (no this isn't a commercial it's real just bear with me!) during the freezing process making them much better for you at the table. Fresh veggies you buy in a typical grocery store have to be picked, processed, usually sprayed with something, travel and be put out for you to purchase. That's a long time off the vine my friends. Yes I am fully aware that not all veggies grow on a vine! It's just a turn of phrase. Don't argue with me you're making this post longer! GAH! So what many experts and scientifists (Not a typo just making the word scientist funny) say is that frozen is creeping up on the fresh veggie market! Plus the fact that frozen last so much longer and come in convenient self steaming bags! Bottom line, you're best bet is to buy fresh vegetables at a local farmers market. It helps support local and small business while giving you the freshest produce possible. But when we, in the real world, know that's not always possible. Don't be afraid to reach for the frozen every now and again. They're not as bad as you think!

Now, many of you have figured out, or are about to, that I am an omnivore. Yeah, I eat it all and am proud of it. I think that a healthy balance of meat and vegetables are what we are meant to eat. So it kind of pains me to hear that so many people are going vegetarian and vegan. Here's why. A woman on the Ellen Show is vegan and was talking about how unhealthy and weird it is that humans drink cow milk which was made for cows. Okay, she had me thinking. But THEN, they went to a segment where this woman was helping a family go vegan. They were preparing a meal of MEATLESS meat tips. Now for those of you not yet following me here's my concern. Cow's milk is naturally occurring in nature and it has desperately valuable nutrients that humans need like vitamin D and calcium. Meatless meat tips have to be made in a factory somewhere. Meatless meat doesn't happen naturally in nature. Period. I have heard that many people off the meaten path ... (yeah did ya catch that? not beaten but meaten. Whatever I'm hilarious.) say that they take plenty of supplements to get all the nutrients they need. Well here we go again. Not that taking a vitamin supplement here and there is bad. But relying on them to get in what you're not consuming on purpose is weird to me. (This is not taking into account people with digestive or other health concerns, I know some people can't eat certain things and that's not what I'm talking about so don't panic. Take a breath and keep reading!) Why are people afraid of things that are perfectly natural? What do you think humans did millions of years ago when we didn't have corn fields? Yeah they ate meat. Granted they didn't live as long, but they weren't exactly the brightest crayons in the box either. Remember when you were in elementary school and your health teachers talked about the Food Pyramid? Well it hasn't gone away. It's still around, modified, but around none the less. ( https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&rlz=&q=the+food+pyramid+2012&oq=The+food+pygs_l=igoogle.3.1.0l10.941.2257.0.5635.11.10.0.0.0.0.215.1672.0j8j2.10.0...0.0...1ac.1.Do9CAJfNy0Y ) There should be a balance. The fact of the matter is you're always going to have some people say this or some people say that. There are ALWAYS exceptions to every rule. But there are billions of people on the planet. What works for 5 of them might not work for you. Eat a balanced diet. Meat, vegetables, fruits and even fats.

This segment is short. Eating vegetables any which way is much better for you than not eating them at all. Me? I can hardly eat raw veggies. I need em cooked, I really do. So what? It's still better for me than not eating them at all. Is it best to eat my carrots plain? Of course! But who wants to do that when I can dip them in a little ranch and gobble them down. Now, I've explained in posts prior that everything in moderation. If you use more ranch than carrot we have a problem, but a tablespoon of ranch will easily slay 10-12 carrot sticks. And at the end of the day, it's better to eat them with ranch to get the value of the carrot than to not eat them at all.

Lastly, if you don't like 50 million vegetables you're a freak and a loser. Well lets just lay that one to rest right now. I'm awesome and I only like about 20 vegetables. Sorry some of them I just can't love. And it's not all genetic either. My mom would eat the world out of house and veggies if she could. But not I. I can't get on board with the sweet potato fad. I'm too attached to my regular taters, I just can't go sweet! It's like a contradiction in my mouth. Or mushrooms. Those things never shoulda been consumed in the first place. Everybody wants to put them in everything all the time then say you can't even taste them! THEN WHY PUT THEM IN THERE?! Most mushrooms are poisonous, why did someone go out and find the few safe to eat? Shoulda let it go man! But as a mom, I've tried my very best to buy every different kind of baby food, put every different vegetable in my kids mouth as she'll let me. It's not my job to tell her what's gross, she'll figure it out all on her own one day.

And I'd like to close with this. The unsung hero's of the vegetable world. Baby spinach, the fresh leaf kind. It's really good. Pair that with some good ole fashioned ice berg lettuce and you've got my attention my friend! Brussels sprouts. Man they get a bad wrap but they're actually quite delish. I like them cooked very thoroughly so they're soft. Either baked with some oil or a little melted butter and you've really got something! Broccoli and Cauliflower. These have got to be my two favorites and you never hear people talking about them! You can integrate them into so many dishes and they always taste so good. And lastly, the onion. Yes it is a vegetable. And it's good in almost anything (except eggs ... quit putting onions in eggs!). It is highly beneficial for your skin, believe it or not, and it's just good! I recommend - when you're not on a date or about to go on a date - chopped onion on tortilla chips. Now there's a snack!

So eat your vegetables any way you can. Dip that celery in peanut butter pal! I'm so glad you're branching out and eating things that are good for you! And don't believe all the hype about vegetarians. It's more work than it's worth and when it comes right down to it, I love me some chicken! Or lean turkey!

Omnivores unite! Lets eat it all and like it!

Busy Busy Busy ... BEE!

Going from the corporate environment to the home environment has been a little tricky for me. Besides the obvious like when my day starts and ends, the feeling is different. In an office tasks during the day are typically measurable or in some way tangible. At home, I do the same 3 things over and over so I feel like I'm constantly doing things, but if you were to walk into my house you'd think differently.

Take for example yesterday. I took a "Lazy Morning." I say lazy because I talked my daughter into taking an early nap, the dog was sorta up and I just wanted to watch a movie my mom lent me and drink a cup of hot chocolate. It was a pretty exhausting weekend, and to be honest, I didn't have it in me. But want to know the best part? I didn't feel guilty!

Isn't that sad? That if we are part time or stay at home parents - or even if we just have a day off work, if we're not constantly moving society calls it being lazy?? Why is that? It could stem from the work-a-holic world we call the good ole US of A! The vibe that our society has created to be constantly on the go. And if you take a break you're a lazy loser! Well like I felt yesterday, I needed a break. And I didn't care if things waited to get done til the afternoon, when I did start doing things.

Recent studies have shown (and no I don't have any websites to give reference to, you'll just have to trust me that I have read this a while ago) that our country more than any other is obsessed with work. We take less vacations and less time off than any other place in the world. And accordingly we are rewarded with promotions and bonuses. Only furthering our drive to be competitive in the work place the only way we know how. By working more. The same applies at home. I know some stay at home parents who's homes are immaculate! So when I step into mine and see it a disastrous mess, I think I'm lazy. I don't work hard enough to keep up with the demands my house has.

But here's the good news! (I knew you were waiting for it! SUSPENSE!) We are the LEAST productive country in the world. Yeah ... all that work and where does it get us? Not as far as we'd hoped. Because just because we're at work, doesn't mean we're working. Human beings are programmed to rest, rejuvenate and re energize to be at our optimal levels. In most European countries there is a mandatory 3 month vacation time for all employees. That's like 12 weeks our time. When most Americans are lucky to get 2 weeks! But are encouraged not to take them. And yet those studies by smart people I was talking about, PROVED that the Europeans who took their 3 months of vacay were vastly more productive. How bout that?  It's something that American companies don't want to grasp. They think that time is money, and time away from work is lost production. When in reality, it's the opposite. Giving people time away from the computer and desk is astronomical for both physical and mental health. Did you know that people who have desk jobs are significantly more likely to die early? Yep.

The fact that I'm trying to drive home here is that while it's EXCELLENT to be productive and get things done, it's EQUALLY important to sometimes take a break. Stop and smell those roses! I know for me when I get out of the house for awhile I come back rip roaring ready to go. I can clean and organize for hours. But if I've been home for a few days in a row, I get stuck, I don't want to do anything and tend to sit around.

If you have a desk job, get up every hour. Go get some water, use the restroom, take a walk around the building. It's good to stretch and move. It will greatly improve your health. Seriously. And don't say, well I'm gonna work out after work. Health experts say it doesn't matter. You need to be moving during the day.

Additionally, if you're at home, don't feel bad if you sit down to eat your lunch! Or fold laundry while watching TV. It's not laziness, it's called giving your body what it needs. Time off. If when your other comes home from work, work out a schedule so you get to have a little you time. That's what my fab husb and I are working on now! I run about 3 times a week, and I get time to do things maybe I couldn't do when I had the kid around.

Take a breath kids! Sitting on the couch for 30 minutes isn't going to turn you into some potato, or pumpkin, or the couch turns in to a log and you're a bump on it. It's letting your body take a second so you can keep going.

Stay healthy! Stay active! But don't forget to sit! :p 

Down Set ... I Hate Football?

Believe it or not when I was pretty young I hated football ... let me repeat ... hated. But I think it's because I didn't know what I was missing. I was a mama's girl and always got annoyed with how loud my dad yelled at the TV when some ref some where got some call wrong. I just wanted to watch TV upstairs with mom in peace! My whole family was big on football, so it was weird for me not to be. Sometimes if we had big family gatherings 80% of my family would go out back and toss the pig skin around. Not me. I'd be playing dress up or coloring or playing dolls. Something productive!

Until 5th grade. I'm pretty sure that's when my life changed. Starting seeing more football, going to high school football games with my family. I now knew what I had been missing. The hitting, the excitement, the hail mary! Ah! FOOTBALL! Why had I spent so much of my life hating what I didn't know?!

Well, it seems there are MANY women out there who hate or dislike football. It's a shame! It's a sport that anyone can get behind and now, for whatever reason, they make the colors, we die hards bleed, in pink. There's a little something for everyone! So I want to share some information to help some of you get behind the ball! (See what I did there? Behind the ball? Yeah if you don't we'll get to that!)

Now, I can't reasonably explain the entire game in one blog post. That would take a millenia to type and even longer to read. So we'll just do some of the basics. First of all football is the one where they wear helmets and throw the brown oblong ball around. Now that we got that out of the way, here we go.

There are 11 players on each side. There is an offense, those trying to score, and a defense the opposite team trying to stop the offense from scoring. The main players (pun intended) are the quarterback, linemen, running backs and receivers for the offense. (Remember you footballers this is the basics, we're not gonna go into detailed positions so just sit tight!) The defense has linemen also, corner backs and safetys. Linemen are easy because they all line up facing each other on what's called "The Line of Scrimmage." This is an imaginary line on the field where it has been determined the ball starts and so must the offense. The quarterback is the one who makes the play happen for the offense. He either hands the ball off or throws it to another player. The defense is always trying to down the ball. That means make the play stop. They do that either by sacking the quarterback (Tackling the quarterback while he still has the ball back behind the line of scrimmage) or by tackling the player he gives the ball to.

The goal of a game is to score points. You can do that a few different ways. The main and most important way is to score a touchdown. If your offense can get down the field and into the end zone (the end of the field usually with a team name in it or some colors. It's 10 yards deep) - it's a touchdown which is 6 points. If you score a touch down your kicker comes on the field and you have an opportunity to kick the ball through the goal posts for an extra point. Making the whole drive worth 7 points. A teams defense can also score a touchdown by either picking up a fumbled ball - the offense loses possession of the ball before they are called down, or by interception. That's where the ball is throw by the offense and caught by the defense. If either of those happen the ball is still live and the player can run it into his end zone for a touchdown. The other main way to score is called a field goal. This is where you have exhausted all your downs (I'll explain that next) in an attempt to score a touchdown and now you want to still score points by kicking the ball through the goal posts. (Goal posts are the big yellow posts at the back of the end zone) This can happen anywhere on the field, but it usually happens from the defense's 40 yard line or closer. A field goal is worth 3 points. There are also scoring opportunities called safeties. This happens when the quarterback is tackled in his own end zone (that's the end zone to his back, not the one he is trying to reach to score) This is worth 2 points. A team can also go for a 2 point conversion after a touchdown instead of the extra point.

Now what are these things called downs?? You read my mind! (Pun also intended there) The offense has to move the ball by either running it or throwing it 10 yards in 4 tries. Each time the ball is declared dead, or no longer in play, that is a down. If you move the ball 10 yards from the original line of scrimmage, that is called a first down. Meaning all your tries start again and you maintain possession of the ball. If you fail to go the full 10 yards in your 4 tries you must give possession of the ball over to the other team. This usually means the team on offense will bring on a kicker and they will punt the ball down the field to the other team.

The game is regulated by referees. They have several names determine by a letter on their shirt (L for Line judge, B for back judge, R for referee etc) They are located in different positions around the field to see every play from several different angles. Take for example if a player runs out of bounds, the Line judge is there to see it and whistle the ball dead and the play is over. There are many many different fouls (or illegal actions) in football so I won't cover them all. They main calls you will see are Holding. This is when a player holds onto another player in an illegal way preventing that player from making a play. This is indicated by the ref throwing a yellow flag at the spot of the foul and they will go on camera and he will grab one wrist with the other. Another big foul is False Start. This is when the offensive line moves before the ball is snapped back to the quarterback. Once both teams are set in their starting positions on the line of scrimmage you must remain still until the center snaps (or throws through his legs) the ball back to the quarterback to start the play. This will be indicated by the ref rolling his forearms - kinda like, "come on ride the train!" It's actually the same motion refs use in basketball to indicate a traveling violation. The third biggest foul you will see is Pass Interference. This happens when one player illegally prevents another playing from catching a thrown ball. This is indicated by the ref putting both hands forward. All fouls are indicated by the yellow flag(s) and when the ball is declared dead a whistle blast to let all players know the play is over.

There are various penalties for fouls. Holding is a 10 yard penalty against the team charged with the penalty. If it is on the defense it results in a first down for the offense. A false start is a 5 yard penalty and a repeated down. (Because false starts are only called on the offense) Pass interference is a 10 yard penalty as well in pro football and 15 yards in college. Needless to say it behooves a team to not accrue any penalties against themselves!! Look at me I used a big word!

So that's a start! It's some of the most basic information I can give on such an awesome sport. The best way to learn is to watch. They have super annoying commentators that do a great job of stating the obvious so everything gets over explained. Plus the refs have microphones now so they say what was called and why.

There's a lot more to learn, but it's easy once you get started. Plus, men LOVE a lady who knows football!! Even if it's just, "What?! That wasn't pass interference!! That ball wasn't even catch able!!" (If the team you're routing for is on defense) Or, "No way that was a hold!! That was textbook blocking!" These are usually things you should shout only after you see his reaction by they way. Especially if you really don't know. But he'll be impressed that you're trying to learn, and even more impressed that you know a little bit!

So hang in there ladies!! Football is an AWESOME sport that we should all come to embrace and watch! Hopefully this gives you more info for the next time you need to watch some. It gives you something to hang on to so you can intently watch the game instead of being bored out of your mind!

Go Bucks (The Ohio State Buckeyes are a college team) and Go Browns (The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team)!

Off to work I go ... Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho!

By the time I got to high school I really broke out of a shyness shell. From the girl who literally hid from Santa, to the girl doing ridiculous things to make my friends laugh and "hott" guys notice. (Even if they were noticing with raised eyebrows and a look of concern) I became independent in high school. I felt like I was the pack leader. Yeah I know we're not dogs, but you know, everybody runs with a "pack" a solid group of friends you do everything with. Our group changed and expanded over the 4 years. Which was awesome, but it felt like I was the most outgoing and by far the most outspoken, so my group relied on me to be crazy and weird but most importantly funny. I was always good for a laugh. Which made me feel good! I love making people laugh. Which is one of the reasons I wanted to start a blog! So I could put humor into every day situations to give people (women mostly) humor and insight at the same time.

Well, the point of all that is, I knew I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. I knew I wanted to get married at some point to some guy, and I knew I wanted to have kids, but I didn't want to rely on someone to pay my bills. It bothered me. And yet here we are ... life's funny huh?? The one thing I knew I never wanted and yet, I'm home 24/7 with my sweet cakes and the girl. (For those of you who don't know me well enough to get that joke, I called my dog who I got first my sweet cakes and I have a daughter who ergo is the girl. It's not funny when you have to explain it!) Needless to say, there are plenty of days I'm glad I'm home. Like I was the first one to see her roll over, crawl, walk etc. But it still begs the question, would we as a family be better off if I were working?

This question is one MANY moms struggle with. Some mommies don't have a choice, they need to go back to work to support the family. But in families like mine where I was not, nor will I ever be, the primary bread winner, we had to take a long hard look at me going back to work.

There are several things to consider when thinking about working after having that baby. First of all do you want to? There is a difference between need and want. For some it's a need. (In fact there is a larger number of women making more than their male counterparts today! HAHA sorry but that's just cool and I'm not even a scary women's lib kinda girl!) I digress ... as usual. But do you want to work? Decide whether you need to to make your budget work, or if not, do you want to stay home? Some women don't, and that's okay!

Second, finances. If you decide that you don't need to work to pay your mortgage but you still want to go, is it financially responsible with the costs of childcare? You need to do some numbers crunching. For our family, I have to find a job with literally a certain salary amount to make it work. Otherwise, I'm shelling out the dough to work, and that's backwards.

Third, finding child care. It can be, and should be, at least a little scary leaving your kid with a stranger. That's why it's important to look into many child care facilities. It's always nice to get a recommendation from someone, but don't stop there. Never take someones word for it when it comes to your child. That's not good parenting. (Sorry for those of you disappointed with that statement - truth hurts!) Stop by the facility and ask for an unscheduled tour. If it's a good responsible facility, they will let you. It's a sign they have nothing to hide.  I  hate to say this, but I learned that lesson when looking for a place to board my dog. Took someones advice and went to a place that I almost reported for animal cruelty. Disgusting. Went to another place and took an unscheduled tour and it was fabulous. All the dogs seemed happy, it was extremely clean, and they answered any and all my questions. That's called good customer service. Which if I was that picky about my dog, think how I am with my baby! (My other baby!) The facility you choose should be transparent with you. It's good customer service, and it means that what you see is actually what you get. Not a staged "look we'll take great care of your kid because we put away the knives and TV before you got here!" If that doesn't suit you, find someone you know well, through work, church, library where ever, and see if they will care for your child for a fee. Women with children are usually best suited for this kind of situation, but it can be anyone as long as you know them well.

Lastly, this will affect your schedule in a major way. Who will drop the child off? Who will pick up the child, who will care for them until the other person comes home etc. It's a family decision you need to talk about. In order to make things as flawless as possible (because with children things never are) you should work out the minor details as best you can ahead of time.

At the end of the day, you should really know that no matter what your decision you're not a bad mom. Some people or articles or news reports might make you feel that way. But really, it's a personal decision that you and your partner have to make together. No one can tell you what's right for your family. Just because one way works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. Always remind yourself of that. And if you think your baby will grow up resenting you, stop. My parents both worked, and I turned out pretty okay, or something. Well I'm not on drugs or in jail so there's that! Just know your kids will respect you for trying to make a good life for your family. I do.

Take care and happy decision making!!!!

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate ... THAT is the question!

Remember when we were kids?? I'm sure some of you do. We all got vaccinated. Pretty much. And our parents were LUCKY that they had vaccines. And our grandparents, well they didn't get vaccinated and many of them developed debilitating illnesses. Polio what? Awful. And before that Settlers handed over smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans and literally wiped out entire races of people. But then came advances, as they tend to happen, in science and medicine. WOOT! But what's happening now? A new kind of epidemic. Parents not vaccinating their kids. There has been some information out there in the world that says if you vaccinate your kids they will  be Autistic. And parents in fear of a trending disease, have decided it best to either not vaccinate or to hold off on vaccinations. After reading an article in Parade you may change your mind about what you knew about vaccinations!

The information I'm going to relay to you is taken from Parade Sunday, October 7, 2012 edition, article The Vaccine Controversy: Truth and Consequences by Seth Mnookin. ( Read the entire article here: http://www.parade.com/health/2012/10/07-why-so-many-parents-are-delaying-vaccines.html )

The fact of the matter remains, do I elevate the risk of my child being Autistic. New information you heard here first! Or last or somewhere in the middle. No. WHA?! Yeah no. Your child has just as much chance developing Autism with or with out vaccines. In fact they have a better chance of developing Autism than they do of becoming a professional athlete. Okay so Christie give me some facts! Right. The fact is that the rumor started with a British gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield. He interviewed 12 ... yep JUST 12 parents with Autistic children who were vaccinated and said there was a connection. No research, no additional snooping. Just jumped to that conclusion. Neat huh? Didn't matter the information caught hold and spread like wildfire. Some people have even devoted websites and time and energy to back the theory. But, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and several universities have done numerous studies to discover there is NO ... lets repeat NO causal link between vaccinations and Autism.

So where does that leave us? What difference does it make and why do you care so much Christie? I'm so glad you asked! Not having your children vaccinated does NOT only affect your child, but literally everyone around you. Yeah weird huh? Doctors and the super folks over that the CDC - who if you don't know tend to take their jobs SUPER seriously because they prevent little things like Pandemics and whatnot - work off of a theory called "Herd Immunity." Yeah I don't care for the name either, but that's why I'm not a scientist. It means that 85-95% of the population need to be immunized to prevent the spread of illness. Take for example France, the annual number of measles cases jumped from 40-50 to 15,000 in just a few years. Nearly 4,000 people have been diagnosed with pertussis (Whooping cough - highly deadly to infants) in Washington State this year where a full-blown epidemic is under way. Basically medical professionals say that if enough people accumulate that aren't vaccinated, an explosion of illness starts. Illnesses that haven't been seen in decades are breaking out in record numbers. Like whooping cough or Hib meningitis. Seriously, the last thing we want is smallpox runnin rampant!

To make matters worse, many states have adopted new legislation relaxing laws on early childhood vaccinations and allowing parents to opt out for reasons other than health or religion. This has caused a lot of problems in and of itself and many states have began to retract that legislation. Not only does anti-vaccination  or delayed vaccination affect that child, but also young babies too young for vaccination, the elderly and those who have immune deficiencies to certain vaccines.

So after all that, whatever happened to the guy who started it all? Well he had to retract his paper AND the UK took away his medical license. Yeah. That's how wrong he was. No longer a doctor. That's like getting a shot from Doctor Phil ... not wise.

So if you are the parent of children or planning to be a parent, READ this article in it's entirety and do additional research. Basically vaccinate your kids or we're all at risk! The decision is ultimately yours, but the science speaks for itself. Your kid will grow up happier and healthier vaccinated, and so will all the other kids in your neighborhood.

Happy parenting and happy shots everyone!!

Pinterest Interest

So we all know everyone is Banana Crackers for Pinterest. I'm 100% certain I am the only female within a thousand mile radius of internet connection who isn't a Pinner. Kinda like I'm not a Tweeter. I figure I'm a big enough twit in real life I don't need to Tweet about it. Besides, who really needs an instant play by play of your life? Famous or not, I don't really care what you're doing right now on the toilet, or what restaurant is taking forever to feed you. But alas, I digress. What's with all the Pinterest Interest??

So glad you asked!! I'll tell you!! As I visited the website this morning, it is an internet club (yes I'm calling it a club because when it started you had to be invited to join ... so ner!) that allows you to view thousands perhaps even millions of ideas great and small for all things creative. I've been invited several times, I've been told I should join, make an account and PIN TO MY BOARD!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! SO MANY PINS!

Well let me tell you a few things that I know about it. (Because quite frankly those are the only things I'll ever tell you about. Things I know, because if I tell you about things I don't know, then we'll all be confused because you don't know and neither do I then we'll really be in a dilly of a pickle now won't we?!) I think Pinterest is an incredible amazing idea. I truly thought it was completely stupid at first, as I also thought Facebook was a complete waste of time and now look at me. I really think that Pinterest is awesome. But I won't join - at least not yet anyway, and here's why.

This is in AMAZING website for those of you with the fortitude to actually do. With the creative mind running wild you can do just about anything. But for those of us with a creative broken, uh well, it's not so good for us. I'm fairly certain I was born minus a creative. Every time I try to draw or paint or do anything right brained it turns out weird. Which is funny because I'm not left brained either ... so I guess I'm just brainless then! Sure I always throw out ideas for this that and the other, because I keep telling myself if I'm not science minded I must be art minded!! Especially because my husband the engineer tells me my degree is in arts and crafts! But my ideas are never accepted, which leads me to  believe I stink. At the end of the day I'm not sure if it comes down more to my tremendous Lazy Bone or my Cheap Bone. Both are very large and I get some funny looks sometimes. Either way, I'm left not doing any of the things I know or should, to be creative, crafty and fun!

Okay you caught me. I told you a few posts earlier about some fun shower gifts. Okay okay so I do do some fun stuff sometimes! I paint, I take pictures, but we all know deep down, they're good enough for a gold start but that's about it! Long story longer, I don't have a sewing machine, a craft drawer or mountains of glue and glitter. So why don't I want to get on Pinterest? Because I KNOW I will see Billions of ideas, thought up by someone else better than I and I won't ever use them. I'll have a Board the size of Europe but that doesn't do me any good unless I do them! I clip recipes and they sit in my box. I buy cheap ribbon at Christmas nearly every year, and use mostly bags! It's a never ending nightmare of ideas gone to waste. I'm not a big fan of waste. Even if it is imaginary. I don't think thinking about spending so much of my time Pinning and thinking and dreaming only to find that to buy that bobbamagigger at Michael's is gonna cost me $40 is a good idea. So why again shouldn't I just save up my money and buy it? Isn't that what craft fairs are for? Sure I would be far more proud if I did it myself, who wouldn't? But do I have time? Do I have the resources? And do I have the ultimate desire to do it? The answer is no. And not because I'm a negative Nancy, it's a realism thing. I look at my world pragmatically and practically. With an 18 month old, a 30 pound overweight Great Dane and a Sugar Daddy (I mean that he is the sole income bringer inner at our house, so we're broke), we're looking at not much time, or energy or finance to complete my grandiose ideas.

I usually use stories in my posts so lets drive home my point with one! I was reading a book on happiness not to long ago thinking that it would hold the key to changing my life forever. It was written by Dr. Henry Cloud, an amazing speaker author and therapist. (Nothing more cliche than reading a self help book ... am I right?!) Well there was really good advice in this book. And I decided that I wasn't going to just read I was going to do. Big Step. One of the ideas, which I have done a LOT in my life being a former athlete - which is pry why I did it!, was goal setting. Set goals for yourself to accomplish, it gives your life meaning and purpose and makes you think toward the positive. One of my goals was I wanted to start painting. I go to a church that has live painters every once in a while and it truly inspired me! I went to Michael's, of course, and spent Birthday money stocking up on painting supplies for dummies. Brushes, a pack of canvas, sponges, paint yaddi yaddi yadda. I have done one painting last winter. Yep one. A year ago. My ultra amazing hunky husband told me don't buy an easel I'll make you one! So I didn't and because I don't have one, it's not easy for me to paint and thus haven't done it. That and the fact that my idea didn't turn out right, as previously mentioned - it was a little weird. So even when the supplies are there, there is a lacking in the doing. Sure I could start now, but my daughter will wake up 5 minutes after I start, I have to take them for a walk, go to the bank, come home finish that laundry and you get the idea. Life takes over and my projects lie in a cabinet somewhere quite unfinished. So I have learned not to start. Not only can I not afford most of the ideas I want to do, but I really just don't have time! I'm on parental single duty from 8-8, that's a 12 hour day folks, and sometimes longer. I get one 2 hour break in the day (nap time) but that's spent Blogging, cleaning, trying to eat a peaceful lunch, folding laundry - whatever I can't do with a kid around which is everything.

So I really think Pinterest is amazing in theory. I think bringing so many ideas together makes the creative person drool. But all I see is my SUPER limited computer time gone in a flash looking at everyone else's good ideas!

So Pin away you Pinheads of the world! Enjoy the site! I may join at some point for the interest of my blog (which was a valid and excellent suggestion) but until then, I'm going to try to keep my Pinterest sanity and wait it out til I have no more good ideas of my own.

PS this isn't to say crafting is a bad idea! It's not, just my thoughts on why not to join! You'll be inspired out the ying yang, but no further along in your craft life than you were before! Or at least that's true for me!

Pinterest ... Out. (Get it like Seacrest out ... you know Ryan Seacrest the host of stuff ... yeah I'm a moron!)