Random

Hey! Did I grab your attention? Oh good! So hey there – today I am throwing out some random stuff for my writing therapy and your reading pleasure. I feel like lately, I have been sharing a lot of cryptic stuff about how hard parenting is for me and our household these days. Yes, I know – teens are supposed to be hard. I get that. A lot of behaviors are totally normal but in this house, some of them are over the top. It’s like I got the teen pie a la mode. I didn’t ask for the ice cream, my friends. Does that make sense? It’s A LOT of extra and my mom mind is spinning. I literally feel bipolar as my highs and lows are pretty drastic. The amount of expressive emojis used in one day are excessive but all totally valid.

{aff links for things I love are included in this post}

Life is here and it’s happening. Sometimes you are in complete control but mostly you are not. How do we process this? How do we cope? We just do. Recently a friend asked how I stay so strong. Oh, sister, I am a hot mess on any given day but through it all, I keep on keeping on because it’s life, It’s full of the messy. It’s also full of love.

So let’s continue with the randomness, shall we?

Authors

On May 6th I get to see Kelly Corrigan and Jen Hatmaker speak in-person and I am totally geeked out. I’ve seen Kelly before and now I have officially read all of her books. She was definitely speaking my language in her most recent book and I loved it. If you’d like to check it out, you can find Tell Me More here. I’d read The Middle Place years ago and fell in love with Kelly’s writing style then. She is a beautiful story teller. Isn’t that what life is? A series of stories? My awesome sister-in-law is coming with me which will make it that much better.

Sister in laws

I am so lucky to have gained friends through marriages. Both via my hubby and my brother. I love that I can count these girls as part of my tribe. Lucky me. Yesterday, my sweet sis-in-law hugged me. Hard. She just held on cause she knew that was her job. Love thy sister. Right? Anyway, I adore these special bonus sisters that have come into my life. We talk each other through the hard stuff, give the big hugs and share at our family stories both past and present.

Funny people

I need humor like I need air. It helps me get through the hard days. A wicked sense of humor infused with some cuss words makes me laugh even more. Recently, my son’s best friend’s mom and I got together to work on some ‘behind the scenes’ mom stuff {basically we have become private investigators for our kids safety}. Anyway, my son made a snarky comment about how his friend’s mom and I were best friends. I told her about this and she promptly sent me photos of necklaces for best friends that had me dying. Also, if you need a dose of humor in your life {because who doesn’t?} then you should for sure get the #imomsohard book because it will make you laugh out loud. I am seriously snorting my way through this one in the best way possible. These ladies are besties in navigating the #momlife and they do it while reminding us that we aren’t alone in our failures. We are all just winging it and hoping for the best.

Social Media Finds

Instagram is definitely my favorite little piece of the social media pie. Usually. I say usually cause sometimes it’s so full of the “look at me” that I just can’t. Ya know? So I unfollow. Because sometimes that feels better. Amiright? Comparison is the thief of joy and social media throws it right up in yo’ face. So if you love what you see, follow along. If it makes you feel the slightest bit icky, unfollow. It’s easy. Just one click and it’s done. Move along now. I will share a few of my favorites and it’s mostly cause they are just so authentic and fun. I like that in a person. Erin at Cotton Stem is one of my faves. She is beyond cute, super real and I just feel like we could hang out. I even watched her full makeup tutorial which is hilarious cause I don’t really do the whole makeup thing. She’s just that likable. Mr. Dave Hollis is another goodie. He is the hubby of THE Rachel Hollis. He’s witty, fun and easy to follow. He is also his wife’s biggest cheerleader which is kinda sexy. Half Baked Harvest serves up the prettiest food porn I have ever seen. Her cookbook has a place on my countertop which says a lot since most of my recipes come from Pinterest. My last share for today is Katie over at Bower Power Blog. Katie is cute and so real. She is a mom of 5 who keeps it real by telling you that she goes from baseball mom with dirt under her nails to date night with her hubby – with dirt under her nails. That is real life right there. Nothing fake or shiny, just real life. Do you see a theme? Keep it real cause people like that.

Authenticity

Last but not least, I wanted to share a few things that come from my heart. One is a previous post on authenticity. The second is an article that I had published over at BLUNT MOMS. Yep. I got myself published on another site ya’ll. I am hoping that this is something I can do again and again and again. One of my favorite parts of blogging is writing. English was my favorite subject growing up. I used to be a journal keeping freak. Getting the words out of my head really helps me and you know what? I am learning that my honesty helps others. I love that so much. None of us need to feel alone. We all need to feel supported. If I can open up the lines of communication or make you feel less alone, then I have succeeded. If you want to check out the article, click here.

I hope your week is full of things that fill your cup. Take time for you. Sometimes self-care is a lifesaver. Literally. Also, if all else fails, channel your inner Dory and keep on swimming, ok?