Philosophies Gained Through Twin Watching + #MyPostMonday Featuring The Week's Best Original Content

 "There they go, they're at it again....", I say to myself, as I try to intervene before too much damage is done. The two pre-teen boys in our classroom start to tussle violently, one of them receiving a solid punch in the face and withdraws, whimpering and defeated. He lays his head on his desk for an hour.

It happens so often that I can count on an incident every day with them. The difference with these two fighting and any other similar fight between non-related boys, is that with these two, everything seems to be forgotten within hours. 

The next thing I see is that they are laughing together at some private joke they have between themselves, that no one else will ever understand because it's the language of identical twins!

When one of them leaves the room for any prolonged amount of time and the remaining one doesn't know where the other one went, he becomes agitated and tries to leave the room to search for his brother. 

When one of them isn't able to get prizes from a rewards program because of his own negligence, the other one will step in and give his own prize to his left-out brother.

These boys haven't come from an abundant lifestyle, from what I can gather. They split time between their parents because of divorce, they don't have a lot in the way of clothing or extra "stuff". And of course they are in our classroom because of  some kind of learning disability. But they seem happier than most of the other kids, and their peals of laughter, mostly at inappropriate times, gladdens my heart for them. 

It has been really interesting and an education for me to be able to observe these 6th graders for as many hours as I do each day, in such close proximity. But despite the total closeness and kindred spirit type of bonding they enjoy, they do have definite differences. Some of them quite striking. 

They look so much alike that I'm sure early on the parents decided to let one of them have long hair while the other one wears his hair close to the head. It really helps to quickly identify them at school. Without that helpful hack, it would have been near impossible at the first of the year to tell them apart. 

I have learned to tell them apart and have noted a couple of significant differences! I have learned that one of them (Twin A) is more able to talk and be social with grown-ups. I like to talk to him because he is so interested in things and seems to have a genuine thirst for new information. At the same time he is more spontaneous than his brother. One day, I had about 10 of the students outside during a nice fall day for about 20 minutes. It was going just great....until Twin A suddenly pulled another boys pants down. The thing is, the other kid wasn't wearing any underwear! It was not cool at all! The rest of the day was spent sorting out what everyone did and didn't see, who might have been traumatized and would anyone be suspended? An incident like that requires a whole lotta paperwork. Yet. This is the one who, when given a reward like a bag of chips or candy, will go without so he can give it to his brother, after a fight in which he was trounced by said brother. 

A New Narrative + #MyPostMonday Linky

Some people never change, and then some do! It's funny how some people I haven't seen in many years will reappear and somehow they are different than when I knew them back in the day.

For instance, one of my high school friends whom I knew quite well was so boy crazy! Everything she did was done to impress and snag a boy! I used to think, "Girl, get a grip. There is more to life than just boys!" Needless to say she met someone right out of high school, her prince charming, and got married. Unfortunately, it ended in divorce.

To know her now is to see her minus the boy crazy, self-absorbed personality she once had. Now, she is all about her children, her grandchildren and about making a better world around her. She is absolutely wonderful to be around. My thoughts about her are that she has really changed and has caught hold of the important things in life. I know she will again find love because she is a beautiful person. But it isn't the all-consuming passion of her life that it once was. She has broadened her scope.

Have I changed too? How have my experiences changed and shaped me? Do former acquaintances see a gentler, more compassionate person or do they see the same impulsive, crazy, moody person I once was?

How Quarantine Brought An Unexpected Bonus + #MyPostMonday Linky

It's now been about 6 weeks, more or less, since we've adapted a new lifestyle, in our state known as "Stay Safe, Stay Home". It's a lifestyle that many of us don't mind, if we only had the paycheck to go along with it! I've relished the extra amount of pure, uninterrupted time given to me. At first I thought I'd be so incredibly productive, but what I found is that it took some adapting to this new windfall of around 6 hours per day! At first I didn't know what to do with myself!

After some time, I did indeed adapt and something kind of amazing and unexpected came out of it. My husband and I started playing music together! Now, we've both been musical since childhood. But it had kind of been on the back-burner for both of us. I played violin in a university orchestra in college, plus piano, and he had played the guitar, sang and composed since he was a teenager, mentored by his maternal grandparents who used to compose and perform in the Coalinga Horned Toad Derby Days and Daffodil Days both in California.  But our instruments were badly in need of repair and we hadn't played them in years. Life had gotten in the way! Several months before things went to quarantine, we both got new instruments! I got a new violin and he got a new PRS guitar! 

Priorities + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Wow, the winter went by slowly! And now we're into Spring, one of my 3 favorite seasons! But just to be fair, I love winter for it's renewing effect and time spent in gloriously soft blankets, immersed in a plethora of pillows, and drowning in books of various genres. 

And now I've emerged, ready to dial into the tasks at hand!

Gardening is at the forefront for sure! I've got some seeds in little containers, sprouting or trying to sprout, early spring annuals and perennials blooming in various places around the yard, and we have big plans for the smallish space we use for a garden. We will be putting in a drip system! I'm so excited at the prospect! No more dragging the hose halfway around the house every day to spray the garden! 

Biking is going to start once more, as well as some hiking! We did one really great snowshoe hike this past winter, but unfortunately, I spent most of the winter recovering from a nasty knee sprain that occurred at my work. For awhile there, I thought I might be permanently hampered in my ability to hike and bike. But happily, each day I feel better and better! 

I've become somewhat of an essential oil connoisseur, having collected around 60 pure, undiluted oils from around the world! I would love to share my excitement, experience and knowledge of said oils. And no, I'm not a DoTerra distributor. I get mine wholesale from another extremely reputable company. I have the option to become a distributor for that company, but I haven't quite decided how I want to pursue that, if at all.

I will be caring more extensively for my 91 year old father. He still is very diligent about getting 30 minutes of walking daily and even some weight training, which I believe is keeping him as healthy as he is, but he is getting more and more dependent upon me to make sure he gets meals, his laundry done, and other things. 

Evee, my sweet border collie has become a companion animal for my dad. She spends half the time with him and half the time with me. We go on walks every day and she was a welcome pile of fluff on my lap this winter. We liked to watch t.v. and nap when I got home from work. 

Summer is the time when we see many of our extended family from out of state. We usually have guests starting from mid-April out to August. So all my time can't be spent on my wonderful hobbies!

As Long As We Can + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

When the notion of labeling people by their social tendencies of either loving to be around people or avoiding them like the plague became a hot topic, I started to analyze some of my own tendencies. Was I an introvert or an extrovert? It's not that I don't like people, but when I'm dealing with my seasonal depression, I don't naturally tend to like being around people. It's exhausting. Ask my husband, if I'm really overwhelmed, all I want is to be alone and try and recover in my own way. On the other hand, when I'm not depressed (usually in the warm weather, post daylight savings time) I love to get out and be with people. As a result I captioned the phrase "reclusive extrovert" to describe myself.

My husband is the total opposite of me. He always craves social interaction and will strike up conversations with complete strangers just for the sake of socializing and finding common ground. Once I got a sunburn on top of a peak we had hiked together because he wanted to converse with another couple who had summited at the same time. The sun was blazing, I had left my sunscreen below to lighten my load when making summit, and there we were for 45 minutes blissfully, in his mind, talking to like-minded individuals, when all I wanted to do was get the heck off the peak and get some sunscreen!

I do realize how important it is to be people-oriented. It is so essential to love people and to find real connections and learn from their experiences and, in turn, share yours. There are many more similarities than differences among people. You just need to find them. And that takes discussion and time. I think one of the reasons why travel is so invigorating for lots of people are the possible connections one can make with people who may have different life experiences and customs. Maybe they don't even speak the same language! But given the chance, what amazing things can you learn from someone like that?

One of the best ways I've seen to meet awesome new people is to volunteer! I did that recently when I volunteered for a project serving children in need. We got together and were given assignments. I sat at a table where we were making quilts. I didn't know anyone at the table, but by the end of the project, I had made 2 new and fascinating friends and we had so much in common! It was one of the most fun days ever!

I highly recommend going out of your comfort zone once in awhile and meeting new people. It's an awesome, life-enriching experience!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of my picks of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)

It Is In The Focus + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

One of the wisest men to ever live on the planet said that the joy we feel isn't because of circumstances in our lives, but rather, where our focus lies. 

I find that when I step outside of myself, out of my own little box of pity parties, self-justifications, rationalizations and explanations as to why I should be feeling horrible, and instead focus on someone else and how they might be feeling, I find that I can feel joy and gratitude more readily.

Why is that? I feel that as a Christian woman, I have been taught to rely on Jesus Christ and his gift of the Atonement. It is a real and working entity that has such power, if I let it. He has given us teachings and examples in His life that are so powerful. If I truly follow those examples and teachings, I can access the power that He was teaching those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. 

Love Is A Choice + #MyPostMonday This Week's Best Original Content

 

Recently, I've had a dear member of my extended family tell me that he wants no contact with me. It really hurts. He has made choices that are contrary to what we have always understood are MY values and which I had hoped and thought would also be his. But now his choices have led him down a road that is really hard to turn back on. It has become a very narrow path, one with very few odds of return. Needless to say, I'm very worried about him. Apparently he feels judged and belittled because my values won't change to accommodate his philosophies and ideology. But my judging him and wanting to alienate him could not be further from the truth. I think we could still have a great relationship regardless of his choices. 

At first I tried reaching out and trying to let him know that I was there and wanted to talk and communicate. But that didn't go well. He only attacked me and told me I had betrayed him. I felt like I couldn't say anything right. It was all interpreted as condescending and judgmental. It wasn't meant to be at all. On the contrary, I tried to be so supportive, the best that I knew how. But to no avail. So I've chosen to step back and let him contact me when he feels like he wants to. Note: I also live across the country from this individual so personal contact is difficult at best.

National Working Parents Day + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Today is "National Working Parents Day."

When you're a working parent, you really have very limited "me" time. 

Personal development goes down the tubes.

Any real time is spent with your kids

Any leftover time is spent with your spouse, or if you're single, doing what would have been your spouses share of the work done at home.

Sometimes the yard and home don't look like you've spent hours on it. Probably because you've chosen getting a few hours of sleep over taking care of the yard. I certainly get it!

My single friend is a teacher at a charter school and she has a son and two dogs at home. She is so talented and is always volunteering and helping others when she isn't working. You might guess what gets put at the last of the list...Her yard. It's not terrible, but it's not designer and manicured like some of the other homes around her. I sincerely hope that her neighbors take that into account and aren't talking about her behind her back! Maybe some of them even help her occasionally with her yard work. There's my optimistic and altruistic thinking coming out!

It takes an extremely special person to handle parenting and working full-time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 61 percent of families with children have both parents working outside the home.

I would be happy to see more paid time-off for parents of school-age and younger children. Children are so vulnerable and society would be well-served to see parents who work have the option to do more parenting, especially when their children are crying out for it. 

At my job at a local Middle School, I have seen young teachers or staff members working, with a baby on the way. I've talked to some who are very unclear about what their work future will be. Our school district does provide paid leave for new moms and dads, but many have said that it isn't long enough. The standard leave is 6 weeks. One mom decided to ditch the job and stay home with her baby. Another mom, after having her baby, is back to work! It's all what they decide is best for their situation and how they can work with the benefits provided. 

I know that many feel guilt because they can't be there for some of those amazing milestones, like the assemblies, the award dinners, the many sports events. They sometimes also can't be there when their child is sick. They need to rely on pre-arranged plans or spur-of-the-moment favors. Some parents pay exorbitant child care fees because they don't want to entrust their children to just anyone. Because we've all heard the stories...

What I do know is that working parents are no slouches. Some of them go through extreme fatigue and pressure just to make sure they fulfill their job at work AND their full-time commitment to their families. To those who I see doing this, I am in awe and I salute you!

I love what Ann Landers said because it's so true!!! If we can remember and take comfort knowing that "It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings", then we can be confident that we have done our very best and they will remember our good intentions and the hard work that we did for their best life! So,here's to you working parents! Thanks for all you do!

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome) 

Getting Into The Halloween Spirit Early + #MyPostMonday - Week's Best Original Content

My husband is feeling pretty smug lately. Unbeknownst to me, he purchased a couple of horrible, furry, black spiders to be used for Halloween purposes! That's right, Halloween. We're in the 2nd week of September so nothing like that should be around yet, right?

I guess it had been too long since he had gotten me good, so he played it up. He furtively planted one on my side of the bed and let things play out. 

When I'm just done with the day and can't keep my eyes open anymore, that is when I will head up to bed. I'll yell out, "I'm going to bed, G'night!" and as quickly as my head hits the pillow, usually I'm out.  So I'm heading up and he is in the next room, probably just waiting for what  will happen next. I do my "git 'her done" face wash routine and teeth brushing, throw on some sleep wear, and go around the bed to get in. On the floor is an awful sight that I just can't deal with right now. 

I'm so scared that all I can muster is to do a sharp intake of breath. I'm thinking, "This is the biggest wolf spider I've ever seen. Either that, or a tarantula, but I've never seen one in these parts....I'm too experienced with the ways of Athropoda to even think of screaming. That would startle it and send it scurrying to who knows where?" This all goes through my head in all of 5 seconds. Then I realized that it was my dearest, playing brilliant "let's scare the wifey" games. I yelled at him hard! He laughed and I thought it was over. But no, it wasn't over. I pulled the covers back, and there was another one....in the bed! He's so done for. Just wait!

Of course then he tried it on the dog! He planted the spider where she would happen upon it in her travels. And of course, he's waiting in the wings, as I am too. 'Cause now, I'm an accomplice. I thought for sure she would either attack it or jump back, but I think it was too much like some of her other furry dog toys, so she just didn't register much at all!

I think there are many other people who just can't seem to wait until actual Halloween. They are so into it! I actually love the idea that some guy with a drone came up with. He attached a grim reaper to it! You've seen the YouTube videos where people are duped by fake scary things and they start running like crazy! If you haven't already, this grim reaper video is so funny! It's epic! So to get you in the Halloween Spirit, here's the link!! Enjoy!


Are you looking forward to Halloween or are you all about one of the other post summer holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas? Any others? 

 Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize(Affiliate links welcome)    

The Brain Drain + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

This summer I have decided to do some things for my own self-improvement and also do some projects that haven't had the chance to get done because of work during the school year. 

I have made some lists, some goals, and some resolutions to that end. There are some long range goals, weekly goals, and daily goals.  

I feel pretty motivated so far and some things definitely have been accomplished. But what I've come to realize is that no matter how much free time I have, no matter how motivated I am, there will always be something that makes the accomplishment of my goals more difficult than I had originally planned. 

My brain really wants to accomplish things, but my body isn't cooperating so much. So many wasted minutes and seconds, doing mindless activities like looking at my phone, staring into space, forgetting what I went into a room to do, remembering something I wanted to do but didn't include on my master list and doing it anyway.  Binge eating, binge napping, binge t.v. watching...

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Resurgence of Spring + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Our weather has turned from cold and snowy all the time, to cold and snowy half the time and springlike the other half. No wonder I'm in a tizzy with my moods, and my plans.  I'm always caught by surprise! Even the most weathered weather person can be off by a day or two. So although they can forecast a general weather pattern with general certainty, they can't always get the timetable absolutely correct!

And even if it's pretty and sunny where I live on any given day, go just 10 miles up Alta Canyon and you've got a whole different scenario. Like the picture below, winter is still in full force in the mountains. 

But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love winter because it serves my introvert self quite well. I mean, what can you really do after work in the winter, except curl up in a blanket, dog on lap, hot chocolate on side table and read, binge on shows, or do games on your tab and take sweet, sweet naps? After all, with no kids at home, and not even a sign of a grandchild, my dog, dad, and dearest get all the attention they want from me, leaving me with some extra time on my hands.

The Catalyst For Change + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

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This past week has been a little bit crazy because we had family from Oregon come to stay for a week while they settled their 2 sons into their college dwellings. Their sons are a several years apart. However, one just returned from an LDS mission and another one graduated a half year early and has decided to attend a year of college before heading out on his own mission, so they are both going to BYU (Go Cougs!) at the same time, as freshmen. 

This is the sister that I don't get to see too often because they have been really busy raising their family. In addition, she has worked part-time as a nurse and my brother-in-law is a psychologist with his own practice. But that all changed when they dropped off the boys. They will officially be empty-nesters! It was really great seeing them, even though I was heading off to school each morning, as I started work on the 22nd.

Among other things, we arranged for the family who lives around here to come visit and catch up on everything that has happened since they last saw them. I was so grateful for my Instant Pot and the fact that I had finally started using it earlier this summer. It had languished in my pantry since Christmas because I couldn't handle the quick release valve. It stressed me out about as much as a firecracker in my face, so I waited to work with it until I had less stress to deal with, after school got out. Now, it's the greatest thing I've ever done for the development of my meal prep skills. I can create amazing meals in such a little amount of time that I feel like I've been released from cooking prison! I never liked being tied down in the kitchen, cooking meals, while everyone else was visiting, or doing whatever they wanted. It just seemed unfair, albeit easier than trying to organize an assembly line of vegetable choppers, kettle stirrers, and errand runners. My ribs were to die for and my sauteed green beans were the bomb! Throw in a watermelon and some deli potato salad and you've got a dinner done in less than an hour!

Don't Stress It + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I like to think of this space as a moderate health and wellness site. I don't recommend that people go on any crazy diets, other than substitute out the really bad foods for better foods, and I say get yourself moving in some form of exercise every single day, including some stretching. But first and foremost I advocate appreciating the body that you have and speaking nicely to yourself.  I feel pretty good about that, since that is what I do, along with a few other well-guarded secrets to be revealed when I write my e-book or open up coaching sessions! (I plan on doing that within the next 3 years, so don't go anywhere!) But then again, maybe that won't happen after all. Today I found out a piece of info that was particularly hard to swallow because I know I have failed at this big time! Read on, my friend!

I found out that an analysis of data from four studies that included nearly 40,000 people appears to indicate a possible connection between anxiety during middle age and a diagnosis of dementia in old age. What? Come again? Did I just read that right? 

Image - Dianne Brown

Status Quos Are Meant To Be Broken + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

What kind of person are you? Are you someone who tends to think outside of the box, or someone who feels better blending in and not rocking the boat too much? In today's culture of calling someone out for being even a little different, emboldened behind the anonymity of made-up screen names, I would say that we like to blend in more than stand out. We tend to go with the status quo--unless we are the one popping off behind the laptop with the fake screen name.

I have to say that I admire those who are earnestly interested in following where their journey of logic and intelligent inquiry takes them and who, then, openly follow their truth as they know it. Everyone is on a journey! To say that someone is this label or that label is not fair to that person or to time in general. It's like saying that everything is stagnant and finished--never moving back or progressing forward.

I admire the person, who having been told that things need to be a certain way their whole life, continue to question and ask intelligent, fair, and thought-provoking questions that bring them to their own understanding, which may be slightly or even radically different than what they've been taught in the past. Their motivation isn't to be oppositional or rebellious, but just to conduct a sincere, curious, often painful search for truth.

Then, on top of that, they are brave enough, and intelligent enough to verbalize why they have chosen the way they have. It doesn't mean they are finished with their journey, it doesn't mean they disavow everything they have learned from the past. It simply means they are continuing on with their lifelong search for meaning. 

I like being around these kind of people. I like open-minded, and honest conversations. I like non-judgmental, heart-felt, listening as well as conversing, exchanges. To me, this kind of person is truly a fascinating individual. But that kind of person is indeed a rarity, and hard to find!
Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)     
 

More Than A Magazine Cover + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Recently I have been impacted by several outspoken movements that are attempting to help women redefine what is perceived as the primary value in women--their physical attractiveness. Physical beauty has traditionally been dictated by what society says. For instance, in ancient China, the smaller a woman's feet were, the more beautiful/desirable she was. And so a woman went to great and tortuous lengths to make sure that her feet were small enough for her to be perceived as beautiful. If she was worth enough, she would be able to be treated well and have a a comfortable life. 

Is it any different in today's society? The fashion, beauty and now, even health industries have seemingly successfully defined a woman's value based on some very narrow perimeters that say she must look no more than 25, be no more than a size 6, and in order to be perceived as healthy, her boobs, booty, and legs must be free of cellulite, and jiggle-free. She must be able to look great in anything--- volleyball shorts, bikini tops, and mini skirts. Her face must be unlined and her hair shouldn't be gray. 

So many of us have bought into that notion and have suffered because of it. How often do we refuse to go to the gym because we don't want to look in the mirrors and see ourselves compared to others? How often do we discount any other achievements we have made because the numbers on the scale are not what we want? When someone tags us on Facebook with photos which I've totally noticed, for some reason, never seem to be our best look, are we mortified that the public sees this or do we just think, "Not the best shot of ME, but she certainly made sure SHE looks good." (Ha Ha!) When we see wrinkles or signs of aging, do we rush to the med spa to get an injection to smooth it out or turn to the latest beauty discoveries to help slow down the process that happens to everyone, but a process no one wants to happen to them.

I must say I am guilty of all of the above in some form or fashion. The power of the media and societal rankings are powerful indeed. But I have realized that these manipulative, mind-altering lies about my worth as a woman are not healthy and so I've tried to fight back the best that I can so I can move forward. Here are some things that I do consistently:

When I go to a gym, I purposefully wear clothing that is not attention-grabbing or anything but functional. I do it so that I don't need to feel like I'm competing in any way, shape or form with anyone else. I just go and git 'her done!

I picked  the most non-judgemental being I know of for an exercise partner--my dog. She lets me do things at my own pace, in my own way. No judgement!

I don't weigh myself as much as I used to. If I feel healthy, comfortable, and energized after what I've done for myself the day before, then that is good enough for me. I use my own body as a regulator for my health, not the scale. 

I use real women as examples for my own social media. I follow authentic people who aren't into posing and showing that their worth is based on their bodies. I don't photo shop my own photographs and I never attempt to be more than I am. However, I do need to improve at feeling comfortable being photographed, especially when I'm not feeling at my best. We need more real women to help others know that we all have worth, more than just our bodies.

I was especially impressed at something Jessica Biel did at the latest Golden Globes. She actually let her gray roots show through...barely. It's something that I do a lot! I had to give her an air high five for that one!

I especially love this quote by Erin McKean--"You don't have to be pretty. You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not your partner, not your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked 'female'. "

Here are some links for sites I love that are all about positive, non-body-focused female empowerment.  Invisible Women Documentary, Beauty Redefined, Leah Darrow

Sources

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)     

A Relationship Safe Zone + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

Hi Friends! I am so happy to finally be well! I continue to think of the many people who are still struggling with this year's flu. In one Utah county, a principal of a school pleaded with parents to keep their sick kids home because there were 150 kids sick at home, which wasn't the problem. It was the 30 - 40 kids who showed up at school throwing up, coughing, and just generally being contagions to the other kids who weren't yet sick. I totally agree with this policy and wish that parents would keep their sick kids home. I know that schools are the babysitting mecca for working parents everywhere, but it has become a problem, with schools becoming cesspools of disease, especially during outbreaks.

Valentine's Week is here and we are excited at school, with the prospect of a celebration of friendship and solidarity. We are working to not bully those who are different and to appreciate those differences. Middle School is a tough time to recognize that just because someone is different, doesn't mean it's an automatic threat. I think that takes many of us a whole lifetime to learn and some never do. So we are working hard on that concept this week!

Another thing I think is so important to remember is that Valentine's Day is more than buying things for your loved one. The most important thing you can do is to give the gift of time and attention to your significant other. I really liked this tweet saying, "Let's not make VDAY the end all be all...acknowledge it, but if there's not an extravagant gift, it's OK. It's just one day." Seriously, if you are putting all your eggs in the Valentine's Day basket, and counting on that day to make up for other past relationship missteps along the way, you are not in a 'Relationship Safe-Zone!' 

If we can remember to make room all through the year for our significant others and for those whom we want to include in our "circle of trust" (source: "Meet The Parents"), we will be giving an amazing gift, not just reserved for Valentine's Day! Our relationships are apt to be more happy, comfortable, and enjoyable!

Today is "My Post Monday!", a curation of the week's best original content. It's all about posts from Crafts to Camping, Wellness to Wealth, Fashion to Food, and whatever else is on the brain!  I  open up with a post of my own and then follow it up with a linky of the week's top original blog posts! It's all about what the writer thinks, believes, and knows--in other words, they are active, writing blogs. If I happen to find a great original, non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MyPostMonday hashtag!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! (Affiliate links welcome!)     

What I Learned From 'My 600 Lb. Life' + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I don't watch T.V. that much because I've got work, husband, house, dad, pet, blog, church, and service projects to keep me busy. (Not necessarily in that order). So it's kind of amazing that I found a couple of new shows to watch or binge-watch, as the case may be. One of them is "My 600 Lb. Life", a documentary-style show about the lives of people who are morbidly obese and how they must either change or essentially die. 

There are a few similarities that I see with almost all of the subjects on the show. For instance:

Follow Your Intuitions + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I had a really great post planned for today, but dang it, I got the flu! It started Saturday night, with a very suspicious scratchy throat and a slight cough. The next morning the cough was worse and I powered through it, with the help of my trusty cough drops. I literally ate the whole bag to keep from coughing my brains out. By the time 10 pm rolled around, I was achy, cold, and miserable. Nothing to do but put on my essential oil diffuser, rub down with my favorite muscle relaxant, take a flu tablet, and try to get some sleep. It was a restless and miserable night. I finally got out of bed at 1 pm today, struggled through the most basic tasks, and was grateful that I didn't have work to worry about, or little ones to depend on me, like one time a long time ago.

When I was married to my first husband, he would disappear for a couple of days and I usually knew when he'd be back and why he'd gone. After our little girl passed away, it became more like weeks at a time. I wouldn't know where he was or when he would return. Eventually it turned into months, and finally he disappeared with my two boys. 

When A Girl Gets Educated + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

There was a day when parents would take their daughters and subtly package them in attractive gowns, complete with the proper etiquette training and skills that would make them viable in terms of being a good wife and mother to attract prospective husbands. They were debutantes and it was called a "coming out" party or gala, which happened between the ages of 18 - 21 years old. It's still done in the more exclusive communities in the South and on the eastern shore board. 

But a new day is dawning and it is more common now for men to search not for the traditional attributes that once made a girl attractive to marry. The most alluring thing now, it seems, is the level of education a woman has. 

I don't think it is necessarily a new thing. I remember when I was in college and the most popular girls, with the most dates, were not always the best-looking girls, but the ones who were ready to graduate. Not only that, they were the girls who could readily get a job and help a young guy get through his own schooling. And usually it was the man who ended up having the higher education in the marriage.

But in 2015 education between partners hit a new norm. Now 24.5% of men have more education than their wife, BUT 25.3% of women have more education than their husbands! That is very interesting! Except hold on, it doesn't translate into earning power. 72% of husbands still make more than their wives!

Things That May Wreck Your Health + #MyPostMonday The Week's Best Original Content

I'm as interested in my health as anyone! I know what it feels like to not have your health and I much prefer having it as long as I possibly can. So I really try and do the things that will help me keep it. For instance, I exercise regularly, I take supplements that have high absorption levels. I get enough rest, avoid stress when possible, drink filtered water but not bottled water, and try and get social interaction on a regular basis, which takes a bit of work, since I'm an admitted reclusive extrovert!

But it seems that if one is too dialed into health newsletters, health mags, and health sites, you can be inundated with credible and non-credible information all posted together and it can drive you crazy trying to figure it all out. If you tend to be OCD, it will definitely drive you to new levels of obsessive behavior.

For instance, DON'T, under any circumstances, shower with your eyes or mouth open because of contaminants in the water. Anything from farm waste, toxic algae, to drug resistant bacteria can come out of your showerhead, so please be warned!

Don't forget the mold monster hiding behind the walls in your house, under your flooring, and in your shower. If you breathe in too much of his toxic vapor, you will succumb and be infected with diseases like parkinson's, and symptoms that can mimic cancer! Where is it found? Basically, everywhere. To test for it's existence, pay anywhere from $305 to $1167 on average!

And before you buy regular table salt from the store, please consider the following: It contains fragments of plastic. Yes, toxic plastic! From what source? Plastic water bottles, of course!  (source)

Love to eat sushi? I do! (At least I did....) Don't be too eager to go out to sushi because eating raw fish of any kind may put you at risk of getting parasites! Mainly in the form of tiny worms, these little critters can cause you to get bad cramps, and a combination of distress in your intestinal tract. So think before you indulge! (source)

And let's not forget about rice. Rice is said to have multiple chemical residuals, after harvesting, from harmful pesticides. Rice is causing Arsenic poisoning and wrecking the health of millions of people. But the good news is you can soak your rice overnight before cooking it. That will take out almost 80% of the arsenic.

Ok, I'm going to stop right now before I get myself into a self-induced, paranoid, stress attack. I can really understand how people can become agoraphobic! 

You know the thing that wrecks your health more than anything? Worrying about the latest thing that could wreck your health! My own peace of mind and stress levels dictate that I continue my reasonably good health practices and not worry too much about what experts say may be lurking out there trying to wreck my health. Except, maybe I WILL rinse my rice, avoid raw fish in the sushi, buy different table salt, test for mold, and keep my mouth shut when I shower!