Last week, I got together with a dear friend. We let our daughters play at her home while we made some yummy, healthy(ish) apple pies for Thanksgiving. This woman is one of the busiest I know. She's strong, ambitious, and works full-time in addition to running her own photography business. Despite being crazy busy and have a gazillion balls in the air at all times, she manages to take care of herself better than most mothers I know.
As I'm nursing Annabelle, she's chopping apples and telling me about this amazing exercise class she had taken that left her sore and satisfied. As she's putting clean diapers (she's a cloth diaper mama as well!) in a basket to make room for toys in their play area, she's explaining that when she gets her nails done, she always gets gel manicures because it lasts so much longer. Then, as we're making a complete mess out of the crumble because I forgot to read the directions included in the recipe, she goes over her home improvement plans to create her dream kitchen, which they're doing after Christmas.
Here's what I got out of this... she gets her nails done and it's a little thing that provides a constant reminder (Oh, Hi! I have pretty nails! That's so nice!) to take care of herself on a regular basis.
Now, we all know that I struggle to maintain an acceptable level of hygiene most days, I rarely find time to exercise, and I've lost touch with more friends than I'd like to admit. So, listening (okay, becoming really jealous) to my girlfriend talk about what a great job she was doing giving herself time on a regular basis to nurture herself made me want to do something for myself.
So, I took a gift card I had stuffed in my wallet and I bought myself my first bottle of nail polish in 5 years. No joke. Because of chemicals and lack of time and motivation, I gave away all of my bottles of polish years and years ago.
I'm still anti-chemicals when it comes to beauty products but I can't spend $10 for a bottle of nail polish that I'm going to try my best but can make no promises to actually used. I got the fastest drying, cheapest kind I could find, in a bright pink.
And I'm rockin' painted nails.
And I showered today and put on a tiny bit of make-up. I also put on a clean bra and shirt. Baby steps people... baby steps... I'm not sure I brushed my teeth but I'm feeling pretty good about all that I did for myself today.
My plan is to genuinely try to keep up my nails (although I just realized I have no nail polish remover so... yeah...) and each time I glance down and see how lovely my nails look, I'll think, "I feel good when I take care of myself, I should go have a glass of water or find a yoga class time that works around bedtime or shower or whatever".
Yay, right?
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Taking Things Personally
It's true, I take things personally, and I get upset about issues that perhaps don't mean much to most people... It's part of what makes me, well, me! Lately, I've been working on recognizing where other people are coming from when they're mean to me, reject me, or do something that attacks me personally (whether they know it or not).
How's that workin' out for you, Amanda?
Meh, some days are better than others.
I work really hard at my job and sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) I get rejected. My idea isn't what they're looking for or my piece (that I've already slaved over) won't be published because it's "just not going to work out this time." Boo. When you work at a craft and are then told your product isn't good enough, it's a blow to the ego. Instead of letting this hurt me (because if I did, it could potentially be a daily thing and that's no way to live, let's be real here), I've created a file of "declined (not rejected!) ideas and articles" that I revisit when I'm having some writer's block. It's not necessarily that I suck or my idea sucks, it's that the timing isn't right or I pitched it to the wrong audience. The right timing or the right audience will come along and I'll have the chance to use what I've come up with if I'm patient.
When there's a comment or e-mail from someone who stumbled over (I don't think regular readers are the ones who leave these messages), visited one post, and decided I suck, I read their words carefully and pick out what actually applies to me and what's more a reflection on them or a preconceived notion about who I am (perhaps I need to do a Q&A post?). Often, I'll have a little laugh at grammar and spelling because we all know how nutso I am about those things, and then I try to learn from it. Did I actually write something that was offensive? Probably not because I don't really attack people who think differently from me. Did I write something that made someone defensive? Probably, and that's okay with me.
When someone is cruel directly to me, I tend to shut down. I take the meanness, close my emotional doors, and walk away (literally or figuratively). This is my survival mechanism and I don't hate it. Reacting this way allows me to never get into fistfights or shouting matches with friends, enemies, or family. Walking away allows me time to think and reflect and, if I so choose, deal with the issue later. Therein lies my problem... I rarely actually deal with the conflict later...
I'm a skilled compartmentalizer and am able to file away feelings or memories for years, never actually processing any of them. Ryan and I were in a car accident that could have killed us both several years ago. After we stopped spinning on the highway and I realized that I was barely bleeding (from my pinky finger) and he was alright, I looked over at him, realizing that he was (driving) very shaken. I filed my feelings and fear away, to be dealt with at a later date, and got to work. We were able to move the car onto the shoulder and then Ryan shook and cried and processed what had happened while I called the police, contacted our insurance, and called the rental car company (we were driving a rental at the time). I became our spokesperson, poised and collected, dealing with the paperwork, finances, and police documentation.
Want to know when I emotionally dealt with our car spinning around on the highway, bouncing between guardrails at 85 miles an hour while semi-trucks came up behind us? Two years later, I'm driving in the dark by myself and I see the accident happen in my head, as if it was happening at that very moment. If it wasn't scary enough when it actually happened, it was horrifying replaying itself in my mind. Then, I cried, I shook, and I processed what had happened to us that night, two years prior.
Two years is way too long to let feelings just sit in the back of your mind.
So, I'm working on consciously feeling what comes up in the moment or as soon as possible after the moment actually occurs. It's hard and it fights my natural tendencies as well as the emotional survival skills learned in my childhood, but I'm doing it and I think it's helping.
I suppose this post turned into a sort of word vomit all over my computer so I'm sorry if you're still reading and you're like, "where is this going, Amanda?". Yeah, there's no take home message from this one, friends. There's just me, being open, honest, and vulnerable, as usual... react how you will and I'll do my best to not take it too personally.
How's that workin' out for you, Amanda?
Meh, some days are better than others.
I work really hard at my job and sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) I get rejected. My idea isn't what they're looking for or my piece (that I've already slaved over) won't be published because it's "just not going to work out this time." Boo. When you work at a craft and are then told your product isn't good enough, it's a blow to the ego. Instead of letting this hurt me (because if I did, it could potentially be a daily thing and that's no way to live, let's be real here), I've created a file of "declined (not rejected!) ideas and articles" that I revisit when I'm having some writer's block. It's not necessarily that I suck or my idea sucks, it's that the timing isn't right or I pitched it to the wrong audience. The right timing or the right audience will come along and I'll have the chance to use what I've come up with if I'm patient.
When there's a comment or e-mail from someone who stumbled over (I don't think regular readers are the ones who leave these messages), visited one post, and decided I suck, I read their words carefully and pick out what actually applies to me and what's more a reflection on them or a preconceived notion about who I am (perhaps I need to do a Q&A post?). Often, I'll have a little laugh at grammar and spelling because we all know how nutso I am about those things, and then I try to learn from it. Did I actually write something that was offensive? Probably not because I don't really attack people who think differently from me. Did I write something that made someone defensive? Probably, and that's okay with me.
When someone is cruel directly to me, I tend to shut down. I take the meanness, close my emotional doors, and walk away (literally or figuratively). This is my survival mechanism and I don't hate it. Reacting this way allows me to never get into fistfights or shouting matches with friends, enemies, or family. Walking away allows me time to think and reflect and, if I so choose, deal with the issue later. Therein lies my problem... I rarely actually deal with the conflict later...
I'm a skilled compartmentalizer and am able to file away feelings or memories for years, never actually processing any of them. Ryan and I were in a car accident that could have killed us both several years ago. After we stopped spinning on the highway and I realized that I was barely bleeding (from my pinky finger) and he was alright, I looked over at him, realizing that he was (driving) very shaken. I filed my feelings and fear away, to be dealt with at a later date, and got to work. We were able to move the car onto the shoulder and then Ryan shook and cried and processed what had happened while I called the police, contacted our insurance, and called the rental car company (we were driving a rental at the time). I became our spokesperson, poised and collected, dealing with the paperwork, finances, and police documentation.
Want to know when I emotionally dealt with our car spinning around on the highway, bouncing between guardrails at 85 miles an hour while semi-trucks came up behind us? Two years later, I'm driving in the dark by myself and I see the accident happen in my head, as if it was happening at that very moment. If it wasn't scary enough when it actually happened, it was horrifying replaying itself in my mind. Then, I cried, I shook, and I processed what had happened to us that night, two years prior.
Two years is way too long to let feelings just sit in the back of your mind.
So, I'm working on consciously feeling what comes up in the moment or as soon as possible after the moment actually occurs. It's hard and it fights my natural tendencies as well as the emotional survival skills learned in my childhood, but I'm doing it and I think it's helping.
I suppose this post turned into a sort of word vomit all over my computer so I'm sorry if you're still reading and you're like, "where is this going, Amanda?". Yeah, there's no take home message from this one, friends. There's just me, being open, honest, and vulnerable, as usual... react how you will and I'll do my best to not take it too personally.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
My Blog Isn't Helpful
I recently received some feedback from a reader that my "blog isn't helpful". I value all criticism so I pondered this for a while and have decided to address the issue for myself as well as all you lovely readers so that we're clear on just what it is we do here...
First of all, this is my personal blog. It's my space to write about whatever I want or need to express. Sometimes it's just a rant about my life with 2 babies under 2 years of age. Sometimes it's a tutorial on cloth diapering. Sometimes, I just need to get something off my chest.
Perhaps if you're a long time reader, you remember the days of daily posts of reviews, giveaways, how to's, and even a few posts that were "by request" from you! I wrote about curing everything from Eczema to Eating Disorders and how to set up your changing table. I still write about these things. I still do product reviews, giveaways, and tutorials... do a little search if you need proof... those things still happen around here.
Yes, I have posted a political rant or two and just recently confessed that I need to scale back my addiction to reality TV. I write about me. I write about my life. I write what I would want to read.
I know that not every post I write will appeal to all of my readers and for that, I'm sorry. That's kind of the way it's supposed to be though, right? I mean, the only way you would be elated by everything I wrote is if you thought and felt exactly the way I do and that would be a boring (and messed up) world, wouldn't it? And honestly, if there's something you want me to write about, the door is always open! I welcome reader requests and feedback and it brings me so much joy to hear that what I've written has either spoken to you or inspired you to ask me for more!
If you don't find anything I write here to be helpful but enjoy my writing style, you are more than welcome to visit me "at work" where I write ONLY helpful material 99% of the time!
www.mamiverse.com/author/amanda-edwards has content geared towards mothers about self-care, raising children, current events, and tips
www.voxxi.com/author/amanda has everything from shopping tips to mental health info and news stories
I'm also about a third of the way through my book about pregnancy and the first year of parenting 2 under 2 so if you have thoughts or questions about that, please send them my way!
Above all, thank you for letting me know how you feel and what you want from me. I am so grateful to have this little space of mine on the internet and you readers make that possible. Please remember though, this space is mine and sometimes, my blog isn't helpful, and that's okay.
First of all, this is my personal blog. It's my space to write about whatever I want or need to express. Sometimes it's just a rant about my life with 2 babies under 2 years of age. Sometimes it's a tutorial on cloth diapering. Sometimes, I just need to get something off my chest.
Perhaps if you're a long time reader, you remember the days of daily posts of reviews, giveaways, how to's, and even a few posts that were "by request" from you! I wrote about curing everything from Eczema to Eating Disorders and how to set up your changing table. I still write about these things. I still do product reviews, giveaways, and tutorials... do a little search if you need proof... those things still happen around here.
Yes, I have posted a political rant or two and just recently confessed that I need to scale back my addiction to reality TV. I write about me. I write about my life. I write what I would want to read.
I know that not every post I write will appeal to all of my readers and for that, I'm sorry. That's kind of the way it's supposed to be though, right? I mean, the only way you would be elated by everything I wrote is if you thought and felt exactly the way I do and that would be a boring (and messed up) world, wouldn't it? And honestly, if there's something you want me to write about, the door is always open! I welcome reader requests and feedback and it brings me so much joy to hear that what I've written has either spoken to you or inspired you to ask me for more!
If you don't find anything I write here to be helpful but enjoy my writing style, you are more than welcome to visit me "at work" where I write ONLY helpful material 99% of the time!
www.mamiverse.com/author/amanda-edwards has content geared towards mothers about self-care, raising children, current events, and tips
www.voxxi.com/author/amanda has everything from shopping tips to mental health info and news stories
I'm also about a third of the way through my book about pregnancy and the first year of parenting 2 under 2 so if you have thoughts or questions about that, please send them my way!
Above all, thank you for letting me know how you feel and what you want from me. I am so grateful to have this little space of mine on the internet and you readers make that possible. Please remember though, this space is mine and sometimes, my blog isn't helpful, and that's okay.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Why I Need to Stop Watching Giuliana and Bill
Does anyone else watch Giuliana and Bill on Style? I can't be the only one...
Hello?
Echo?
Well, let me fill you in then... G&B have been trying to have a baby for years. They struggled with infertility and attempted IVF twice, both times leaving G in the hospital, neither time resulting in a baby. They decided to try to come to Colorado for one last go at IVF where the pre-procedure examinations (a mammogram) indicate that G has breast cancer.
They pull through the tragedy of lost pregnancies and a double mastectomy only to learn that, because of G's cancer, they really shouldn't try to have a baby right now. A gestational carrier is suggested and they run with it, quickly!
9 months later... they get their son! Grab the tissues...
Seriously. Are you balling? I've seen this clip (and watched the episode now) and I cry every single stinkin' time!
I can't imagine how G&B have felt for all these years that they've been trying to have a baby and the gift that their gestational carrier gave them is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
So, why must I stop watching? Why give up one of my only guilty pleasures?
Because, dammmmmit, this makes me want to have someone else's baby! Hear me out... I'm a mother. I've been given the gift of two perfectly beautiful, healthy little girls that I cannot imagine my life without. I live and breath for my babies and to know that I have the ability to give another couple that same joy, love, and sense of purpose that I have is an incredible thought!
So, Amanda, why don't you?
Welllll... to be completely honest (when am I anything but?), my last pregnancy was really hard on me. Yes, birth was easier but I was very sick very frequently, I struggled to take good care of Emmaline (in my opinion, no one else has said so), and the pregnancy ended with an induction due to me being borderline pre-eclamptic.
Maybe a year or two from now, carrying another couple's baby might seem like a good move for our family... a gift that we can decide to create together when we have fewer sleepless nights and a little help from school... Right now? It's such a bad idea that I literally HAVE TO stop watching this TV show.
So, with that I say good bye and good luck to G&B! I'll miss indulging in their fabulous life each week but my family needs me to stay not pregnant right now and these new mom hormones that I still have going on are not helping that cause!
Hello?
Echo?
Well, let me fill you in then... G&B have been trying to have a baby for years. They struggled with infertility and attempted IVF twice, both times leaving G in the hospital, neither time resulting in a baby. They decided to try to come to Colorado for one last go at IVF where the pre-procedure examinations (a mammogram) indicate that G has breast cancer.
They pull through the tragedy of lost pregnancies and a double mastectomy only to learn that, because of G's cancer, they really shouldn't try to have a baby right now. A gestational carrier is suggested and they run with it, quickly!
9 months later... they get their son! Grab the tissues...
Seriously. Are you balling? I've seen this clip (and watched the episode now) and I cry every single stinkin' time!
I can't imagine how G&B have felt for all these years that they've been trying to have a baby and the gift that their gestational carrier gave them is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
So, why must I stop watching? Why give up one of my only guilty pleasures?
Because, dammmmmit, this makes me want to have someone else's baby! Hear me out... I'm a mother. I've been given the gift of two perfectly beautiful, healthy little girls that I cannot imagine my life without. I live and breath for my babies and to know that I have the ability to give another couple that same joy, love, and sense of purpose that I have is an incredible thought!
So, Amanda, why don't you?
Welllll... to be completely honest (when am I anything but?), my last pregnancy was really hard on me. Yes, birth was easier but I was very sick very frequently, I struggled to take good care of Emmaline (in my opinion, no one else has said so), and the pregnancy ended with an induction due to me being borderline pre-eclamptic.
Maybe a year or two from now, carrying another couple's baby might seem like a good move for our family... a gift that we can decide to create together when we have fewer sleepless nights and a little help from school... Right now? It's such a bad idea that I literally HAVE TO stop watching this TV show.
So, with that I say good bye and good luck to G&B! I'll miss indulging in their fabulous life each week but my family needs me to stay not pregnant right now and these new mom hormones that I still have going on are not helping that cause!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I'm Expecting Posts on Facebook, Just Stop It!
Once again, there's been an overwhelming number of women posting these words...
Well IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!! I have some AMAZING but at the same time shocking news! I'M EXPECTING!!!!! A little over 6 weeks and counting! I know, I'm shocked too. I can hardly believe it myself. I wasn't going to post it in Facebook but since y'all are my family and friends, I wanted to make it official. I'm too overwhelmed to keep it a secret!!! Who would have guessed that me of all people would be expecting!! But I am!! I am expecting Santa in just a little over 6 weeks! Repost if you have a sense of humor. Lets see how many people read the whole status. That's why it's good to read the whole story before you go run & gossip!!!
Stop it girls! Just stop it!
Whether we're tricking people into thinking we're pregnant because it's almost Christmas (what the fuck is the correlation anyway?) or to "increase breast cancer awareness" (how, may I ask?), just stop it!
Imagine, for a moment, your body has been hollowed out by breast cancer and now, unable to have children, you're skimming facebook and happen to see that a few of your friends are OFFICIALLY sharing their AMAZING news that they're EXPECTING!!! How painful would that be?
Or perhaps you're one of the many couples who struggle with infertility... it might seem like everybody can get pregnant but you. Ouch?
Or maybe, just maybe, you lost a baby last year? last month? yesterday?
Could we please just stop and think for a moment before we start posting things on facebook that could potentially hurt our friends and family? I know it's supposed to be funny. I get that people are excited about Christmas. But I'm not sorry that I'm perhaps too overprotective of my loved ones who wish they were, but just aren't, expecting.
So please, just stop.
Well IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!! I have some AMAZING but at the same time shocking news! I'M EXPECTING!!!!! A little over 6 weeks and counting! I know, I'm shocked too. I can hardly believe it myself. I wasn't going to post it in Facebook but since y'all are my family and friends, I wanted to make it official. I'm too overwhelmed to keep it a secret!!! Who would have guessed that me of all people would be expecting!! But I am!! I am expecting Santa in just a little over 6 weeks! Repost if you have a sense of humor. Lets see how many people read the whole status. That's why it's good to read the whole story before you go run & gossip!!!
Stop it girls! Just stop it!
Whether we're tricking people into thinking we're pregnant because it's almost Christmas (what the fuck is the correlation anyway?) or to "increase breast cancer awareness" (how, may I ask?), just stop it!
Imagine, for a moment, your body has been hollowed out by breast cancer and now, unable to have children, you're skimming facebook and happen to see that a few of your friends are OFFICIALLY sharing their AMAZING news that they're EXPECTING!!! How painful would that be?
Or perhaps you're one of the many couples who struggle with infertility... it might seem like everybody can get pregnant but you. Ouch?
Or maybe, just maybe, you lost a baby last year? last month? yesterday?
Could we please just stop and think for a moment before we start posting things on facebook that could potentially hurt our friends and family? I know it's supposed to be funny. I get that people are excited about Christmas. But I'm not sorry that I'm perhaps too overprotective of my loved ones who wish they were, but just aren't, expecting.
So please, just stop.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Losing Facebook Friends to Political Differences
I'm sure everyone experienced what I experienced this past Tuesday night. After it was announced that President Obama was elected to serve another 4 years, my Facebook newsfeed was flooded with both celebratory and disappointed status updates. I couldn't help but to read every single comment as it posted to the page from my over 500 "friends". Some, I expected. Some, were surprising. Some, were disgusting. And this began a mass un-friending but not for the reasons you may think...
Earlier this year, I unfriended a woman that I had known in high school. She had a learning disability, was heavier set, and a bit socially awkward. We had some classes together and, being the person I am, I had been nice to her. She was in a choir class that my mother taught (yeah, I was THAT kid whose mom taught at her high school... moving on...) and, while I didn't consider us "friends" in high school, we sat together at lunch occasionally and I'm pretty sure we chose to be lab partners at one point or another in middle school. Anyway, this woman posted a picture on facebook that compared Obama to Hitler. She commented that Obama was actually WORSE than Hitler for what he's done to the American people, making us poor and jobless and even causing suicides.
I was sick to my stomach. For those that don't know. I'm a Jew. A proud one. A Secular Spiritual One, if you want to be specific.
After making it clear in the comments below this picture that, as a Jew who lost family in the Holocaust, I took great offense to the picture and found it entirely false, hateful, and inappropriate, I watched others comment, some agreeing with her and some supporting me (thereby supporting the truth that Obama is nothing like Hitler thankyouverymuch). Then, I got tired of watching and sick of seeing that picture come up again and again on my newsfeed. I chose to defriend this person I hadn't seen or spoken to since high school. I didn't stop being her facebook friend because she was speaking negatively about Obama or because we have different political views. I defriended her because what she was saying was hateful, cruel, and hurtful to me, personally. I never let her know I was no longer going to be her friend... she may still not know... I don't care.
So, this past week, when Obama was elected to serve another term, I saw more of that hatred that I thought I'd purged from my list of friends a long time ago. Comments came out, some meant in humor some were serious, that feces could do a better job than our current leader and that we all might as well quit our jobs, apply for federal aid, and buy some munchies (as the legalization of marijuana passed in Colorado).
As a compassionate, empathetic person, reading such disgusting things was very upsetting to me. My family needed federal and state aid when I was laid off just after having Emmaline. Receiving the blessing of this support is something I'll never forget and I'm proud to pay taxes back into that system so that others can have that same safety net I needed. Whether you agree with a person's politics or economic strategies, whether seriously or in jest, the comments made were disgusting, racist, hateful, and below my standard of friends.
To some, I commented that I was disappointed that they chose to be so offensive and let them know they had been unfriended. With others, I quietly unfriended them and plan on saying nothing, ever. Some friends contacted me, through private messages, asking me to be their friend again, explaining that they were joking. With those individuals, I engaged in conversation, explaining why I had chosen to no longer associate with them.
Every single person told me that we should agree to disagree and not let politics come between us.
Seriously?
A couple of my dearest friends have drastically different political views than I do. We sometimes discuss our differences but most of the time, we just respect that we believe different things and it doesn't come up.
Respect. Catch that?
I try my very best to associate with mature, respectful, genuine people. I try to eliminate individuals from my life who think it's okay to profanely accuse the president of being lazy and inept. I don't want to have "friends" who think it's funny to insult people who need the aid of our government.
In summary, I have lost NO facebook friends due to political differences. I have lost several facebook friends due to the discovery that they were never people I'd consider "friends" in the first place. Sad. True. Moving on...
Earlier this year, I unfriended a woman that I had known in high school. She had a learning disability, was heavier set, and a bit socially awkward. We had some classes together and, being the person I am, I had been nice to her. She was in a choir class that my mother taught (yeah, I was THAT kid whose mom taught at her high school... moving on...) and, while I didn't consider us "friends" in high school, we sat together at lunch occasionally and I'm pretty sure we chose to be lab partners at one point or another in middle school. Anyway, this woman posted a picture on facebook that compared Obama to Hitler. She commented that Obama was actually WORSE than Hitler for what he's done to the American people, making us poor and jobless and even causing suicides.
I was sick to my stomach. For those that don't know. I'm a Jew. A proud one. A Secular Spiritual One, if you want to be specific.
After making it clear in the comments below this picture that, as a Jew who lost family in the Holocaust, I took great offense to the picture and found it entirely false, hateful, and inappropriate, I watched others comment, some agreeing with her and some supporting me (thereby supporting the truth that Obama is nothing like Hitler thankyouverymuch). Then, I got tired of watching and sick of seeing that picture come up again and again on my newsfeed. I chose to defriend this person I hadn't seen or spoken to since high school. I didn't stop being her facebook friend because she was speaking negatively about Obama or because we have different political views. I defriended her because what she was saying was hateful, cruel, and hurtful to me, personally. I never let her know I was no longer going to be her friend... she may still not know... I don't care.
So, this past week, when Obama was elected to serve another term, I saw more of that hatred that I thought I'd purged from my list of friends a long time ago. Comments came out, some meant in humor some were serious, that feces could do a better job than our current leader and that we all might as well quit our jobs, apply for federal aid, and buy some munchies (as the legalization of marijuana passed in Colorado).
As a compassionate, empathetic person, reading such disgusting things was very upsetting to me. My family needed federal and state aid when I was laid off just after having Emmaline. Receiving the blessing of this support is something I'll never forget and I'm proud to pay taxes back into that system so that others can have that same safety net I needed. Whether you agree with a person's politics or economic strategies, whether seriously or in jest, the comments made were disgusting, racist, hateful, and below my standard of friends.
To some, I commented that I was disappointed that they chose to be so offensive and let them know they had been unfriended. With others, I quietly unfriended them and plan on saying nothing, ever. Some friends contacted me, through private messages, asking me to be their friend again, explaining that they were joking. With those individuals, I engaged in conversation, explaining why I had chosen to no longer associate with them.
Every single person told me that we should agree to disagree and not let politics come between us.
Seriously?
A couple of my dearest friends have drastically different political views than I do. We sometimes discuss our differences but most of the time, we just respect that we believe different things and it doesn't come up.
Respect. Catch that?
I try my very best to associate with mature, respectful, genuine people. I try to eliminate individuals from my life who think it's okay to profanely accuse the president of being lazy and inept. I don't want to have "friends" who think it's funny to insult people who need the aid of our government.
In summary, I have lost NO facebook friends due to political differences. I have lost several facebook friends due to the discovery that they were never people I'd consider "friends" in the first place. Sad. True. Moving on...
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Giveaway Winner!
Kate won the Potty Training book giveaway with her comment:
I fear that potty training will take a long time and I will be washing cloth diapers forever!
Thank you to all who entered!!
I fear that potty training will take a long time and I will be washing cloth diapers forever!
Thank you to all who entered!!
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