33 Things About Me

I've already completed a "25 Things About Me" on my Facebook page, but I'm feeling snarky so I'm going to post 25 additional things + 8 more because I turn 33 next week. I can't help revealing things about myself. It's a curse...

33 (Random) Things About Me

1. I'm the oldest of 3 kids. 
2. My brother and sister are 18 years younger than I am. 
3. I don't wash new dishes before I use them
4. I rarely remember to wash fruits and vegetables before I chop them up except if I'm serving them to guests
5. I only like coffee if I'm at home or if it's frozen. 
6. I am a total control freak. 
7. I lost my virginity when I was 23
8. My left eye droops because a bout of Bell's Palsy in high school left half my face paralyzed. 
9. The same year my face was paralyzed, I had my jaw wired shut for 6 weeks
10. Two fingers on my left hand are crooked and turned sideways for no reason other than a growth spurt when I was 10. 
11. I bought my own engagement ring and wedding ring. 
12. I was quasi-engaged to an American sailor I met on New Year's Eve 2002 in Italy. 
13. I don't like wearing thongs. I'm a boy-short girl. 
14. I have to make my bed every morning.
15. I yell at people at the grocery store who don't return their carts to the cart corral. 
16. My mother is my best friend followed by my husband. 
17. At hotels, I clean up the room before I leave. I'll make the bed, wash out the sink, take out the trash, etc. 
18. I got into the University of Iowa's journalism program but didn't go because my mom got pregnant with my brother and sister. 
19. I have been a writer since high school. I was one of the first students to write for the Aurora Beacon News as a teen writer. 
20. I loathe ignorant and lazy people.
21. I not only voted for him, but I also campaigned for Obama.
22. I don't think I'll ever understand economics.
23. I wish I would have waited longer to move in with my now-husband. I think a lot of stressors in our early life would have been eliminated had we waited. 
24. I'd love to write a book some day. 
25. I actually would love to be on the stepfamily t.v. documentary; however, I don't want to deal with the potential hate mail. 
26. I don't really like wine. My drink of choice is a wine cooler, then a lime-flavored beer, then wine. 
27. Going out to eat with a group of people makes me sick to my stomach. I'll usually nosh on bread or crackers and then binge when I get home. 
28. I am an ambidextrous pole dancer. 
29. My favorite flavor is lemon. 
30. My parents thought I was a boy until I was born. 
31. My favorite cousin survived breast cancer last year. She's my  hero. 
32. I bawl every time I hear "Wind Beneath My Wings." I can never figure out if I'm the wind beneath someone's wings or if they're my wind. 
33. I can't wait to be an empty-nester. 

Are we friends on Facebook? Have you filled one of these out? Friend me and share your randomness! 

Stepmoms to "The Uninvited": No Thanks

I may be going out on a limb about a movie I've never seen, but I could almost guarantee that The Univited, a thriller about a stepmom who "descends" on an unsuspecting family, is going to lose a fan base in the stepmoms of the world. 

While Hollywood is free to make whatever movie it wants, movies like this do nothing but perpetuate the wicked stepmother myth. 

Two Thumbs down and shame on DreamWorks for perpetuating the myth. 

Super Stepmom Trick #1029

While I may be down about myself, I am still a really good stepmom which is why I'm revealing a family tip that seems to be working in our house.  

Super Stepmom Trick #1029: If your (step)child might be struggling with something, assign them a leadership task within your own house that helps promote a positive experience. 

For instance in our house,  we have an "Ambassador of Health" and an "Ambassador of Good Manners." 

My theory behind this is to (1) provide a sense of leadership so that everyone in the house has an opportunity to be a (2) Good example and role model and also so that (3) we all become aware of our own actions. 

Admittedly, this trick may only work if you all get along really well. If you don't get along famously and you try it and find that it works, let me know. 

An over-examined life

I sometimes wish I weren't so aware of myself. I wish I could remove the portion of my brain that overthinks the reasoning behind every action or reaction I have. 

I launched another blog the other day. This blog, which I consider my portfolio blog, is my attempt to keep myself relevant in the eyes of anyone who hires people like me. My job, as far as I know it, is not in jeopardy  but that's not stopping me from pimping my mad skills just in case.  

To nearly everyone I've mentioned the blog to, I have received nearly the same response: don't you have enough to do already? 

Compared to most people, I suppose I sound like a super-freak. I rarely  relax and I normally have about 10 different things going on at the same time, most of them having to do with writing or creating. It helps stimulate my mind. It keeps me busy. 

Now this is the part where knowing myself too well is a curse instead of a blessing. I run myself into the ground to overcompensate for things I've failed at and to escape the parts of my life that haven't measured up to my expecations. 

It never ceases to amaze me that even 18 months later, my miscarriage still haunts me. Actually, it's the infertility that kicks me in the shins. Despite the fact that I don't want a child now, the fact that I wasn't able to succeed really fucking pisses me off. 

I consider all of my projects -- social media, stepmom or otherwise -- my "babies" now. I don't need to shoot down some Clomid and wait for my husband's sperm to seed my own ideas. I conceive them on my own, gestate them, and deliver them without fail. My stepmom and social media work is fulfilling to me the same way a child is. 

I get a natural high everytime something takes off which is why I keep added more to my plate. I don't want the feeling to go away because then I'd have to face reality. 

And I don't like parts of my reality right now. 

I hate that I can't kick my depression funk. It has gotten to a point where it's affecting me physically and mentally and I hate it. I don't want to get out of bed or leave the house most days and triathlon training is almost a joke because I can't muster up the energy to go to the gym. I'm exhuasted on my best of days. 

I actually broke down today on my way home because I hit a patch of black ice and almost got into a car accident -- again. This is precisely why I hate driving in winter in the first place. 

Another thing that has really frustrated me lately is how little control I seem to have over my own space. 

Take this blog for instance. I'd love to be able to vent in greater detail about busy schedules, date nights and marital ambivelence. I'd love to seek guidance from my blog friends on how I should react to the topic-which-shall-not-be-named. (As a side note, the potential issue-which-shall-not-be-named has calmed down a bit but now there's a different side effect we're dealing with). 

I wish I could fire off missives about any little thing that enters my mind, but I can't. I've vowed to respect the request to not publish details that may include other people's lives. 

That respectful agreement, however, feels like it's biting me in my ass. I feel like I've turned in my backbone in exchange for a peaceful coexistence.  And that upsets me in a way I can't even begin to articulate. 

But, and getting back to my original point, the fact of the matter is I know why I'm not happy and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of anything I can do about it right now. 

My blog is my therapy

I've been meaning to call the mental health arm of my health insurance so I can get "approved" to sign up for therapy (something our health insurance requires). 

I've put it off to the point that I'll probably not be going to therapy this year because 1) the only time I have to steal away for a few hours by myself is on Sunday mornings and I'm pretty sure therapists don't have Sunday hours 2) We're really watching our dollars here in the Erickson house and somehow I don't think my own deep introspection will go over well when justifying the budget and 3) I have a blog.

Until such time that I'm rolling in dough and time, I'm using this blog has therapy. Sure I can't really vent the way I want or need to, but I can talk things out and at least get things off my chest, right? 

I'm having a lot of difficulties in my life right now -- things that my husband or my mother (my go-to people) would be too biased about to comment on objectively. 

So without any pay or compensation on your part -- just the knowledge that you may be able to comment on something that could help steer my brain in a clearer direction -- so begins my therapy. 

Whose life have you touched?

I love to help people. 

Whether it be through websites like Stepchicks, projects like the Stepfamily Letter Project or even by writing on my blog, it tickles me to no end when someone says they find solace in something I've worked on. 

It really, truly makes me feel like a better person to have helped people along my own journeys. 

I often think we all forget how much we do actually touch someone else's life. Whether it be through a blog post, a Facebook admission or the mere fact that you shot someone an 'Are you okay?' email, we all make a difference in at least one person's life every day. 

Which is why I'm creating this "award" that I want you all to give yourselves. This isn't like an "I Love Your Blog Award" which is very cool. This is your own reminder to yourself and notice to the rest of the world that you recognize that you do, in fact, make a difference. 

Here are the "rules" 

>>> Post this lovely button on your blog our your website. (If you right click, "save as" and put it on your desktop, that should download; use your blogging software to upload.)

>>> Write a blog post about how you made a difference in someone's life that day. 

>>> Leave your blog name and the post URL in the comments section so we can all see what a difference you've made. 

*You're strongly encouraged to post as many as these as often as you like so often as you remember to pat yourself on the back for remembering: you do make a difference!

Stepmom 2.0

I told you I was going to write rapid-fire blog posts, didn't I?

Earlier this week I referred to an idea that I'd had that combined my two loves: stepmom'ing and social media. I promised that I'd elaborate in future posts. This is one of those future posts.

 

I'm considering starting something -- be it a series of blog posts on the Erin Experiment or a whole new blog -- about being anonymous in a social media world. I plan to call it 'Publicly Anonymous.'

Confused? Let me explain...

I've written a few times about the other 'cape' I wear: that of social media expert. When I'm not fighting for the injustices of stepmoms everywhere, I'm writing how-to pieces about how to set up a Twitter account, Facebook page, etc. at my other blog: Me Media, Social Media for Non-Techies. 

I love social media because it allows people to connect in ways we never thought possible 5 years ago. Stepchicks is a great example of a social media application that has connected numerous stepmoms that may have otherwise never known about one another. 

Stepparents, particularly stepmoms because we tend to be more expressive, are put in an awkward situations when it comes to their social media experience. 

Take blogging, for instance. Despite its cathartic nature, rarely will you see a stepmom blog under her real name or with her family's real names. If you do use your real name, you open yourself up to a host of problems if you talk about your family. Believe me. I'm an expert about this. 

Similarly, what do you do if your kids' mom wants to "friend" you on Facebook? Do you accept? Do you remove traces of stepmom angst from your previous updates? Do you remove your blog feed from your profile? 

It's an issue most adults and parents don't think about until someone does or says something offensive to another party. 

What I hope to achieve with Publicly Anonymous is a series of interviews with people who have first-hand experience with public anonymity as well as how-to posts for how to set up a private blog versus a public blog; how to reset your privacy settings on things like Twitter and Facebook, etc. 

Before I start buying a domain, creating a new blog, lining up the interviews and blog posts, I'm interested to know: 

Photo courtesy Microsoft Clip Art

StepMammaMia Gave Me A Blog Award!

I've totally sucked this week on keeping up with blog posts so I'm going to do them in rapid-fire succession today. 

First things first: 

StepMammaMia gave me an "I Love Your Blog" Award. I'm not sure if there are any rules attached to it (like awarding it to other bloggers I love, which there are many), but regardless, it's a very cool award bestowed by a very cool woman. 

I like reading StepMammaMia's blog because she and I seem very similar in a lot of ways. I think that's what draws a lot of stepmom bloggers to one another --  the reminders that we are not alone in this. 

Ms. StepMammaMia, if you are reading this, can you let me know how many people I can award this too!?!? I heart my stepmom bloggers :-) 

uh ma gawd

Ladies --

There is so much I need to update everyone on and unfortunately I've been so swamped I haven't had time to write sufficiently (that post from yesterday? Yeah, that's been simmering on a Notepad document for days). 

Here's a sneak-peak: 

• I received a blog award last week from one of my favorite new bloggers
  
• Stepchicks is really growing!!!
• I've narrowed down my triathlon
• I'm launching a social media 101 website 
• I have another byproduct of the social media 101 and stepchicks site. 
• Did I tell y'all how cool the Stepfamily Letter Project has been?

Okay, I'm tiring myself writing this and have a lot of my 'real job' work I have to attend to...will post like the dickens this weekend!!!! 

true tale of an electronic stepmom

I have a bunch of cool stuff to update y'all on today so grab yo' coffee and a pad of paper

First of all: The Stepfamily Letter Project

The Stepfamily Letter Project that I created with Jacque Fletcher (www.becomingastepmom.com) has exploded in popularity. In the week that we launched, we've had more than 3,000 views. We've also recently added a few moderators with training in stepfamily psychology to help navigate the choppy waters of blended family life. 

Second of all: Casting Calls

Stepchicks, the online community I created for Stepmoms has two opportunities posted for t.v. documentaries about stepmoms. 

Are you marrying (or recently married into) an 'Instant Family'?

Established non-fiction production company is casting all over the country for an OUTGOING, FUN family to be featured in their own series. Think "Jon & Kate Plus Eight..." We are looking for women about to transition from fabulous and single to STEPPARENT.

Are you about to become an instant family?

Are you a bit overwhelmed about the idea?

We'd like to hear your story! This is a positive, upbeat show that parents of all types (step or otherwise) can relate to! To find out more information about the company and what we're looking for, please contact Ally at Reality_Casting@pietown.tv - please put "Instant Family!" in the subject line.

Real Society Women for New TV Series "Step-Wives"

Are you a Step-wife? Step-Wives are the ex-wife and new wife of the same man – women of style and quality who just happen to be forced to deal with each other… for better or for worse! You might be tied to your fellow step-wife through children, a shared business, a tight social circle or the awkward

proximity of your community.

This exciting, new TV series will follow the lives of real, society women who must prove on a daily basis that they are the better woman. Share your unique life with us (the night life, the family life, the community events and milestones) and show America what it takes to be a society step-wife.

E-mail stepwives@gmail.com with your name, location, phone number, a recent photo and a brief description of your step-wife relationship. For more information, call 818-728-8632.

Third of all: Stepmom 2.0. The Definitive Guide to being a stepmom in the social media age

Both of the sites I mentioned above I was a creator (and co-creator) of. Both are doing fairly well and both have fulfilled two of my passions: reaching out to stepmoms and social media. 

I had an idea yesterday that I'm going to elaborate on and float out a test balloon for in the next few posts. But in a nutshell, I want to create a space -- be it on this blog or a separate blog -- where I can combine what I know about social media (which is apparently more than the average bear) and my own trials and tribulations of stepmotherhood in the electronic age. 

Like I said, I'm going to elaborate more in coming posts, but for now, I'd love to hear feedback on if that is something people would be interested in reading. 

That's all for now!!! 

Regrateful

I've totally fallen off the wagon with a number of things I wanted to start doing in 2009, two of which are train for a triathlon and post every day reminders of what I'm grateful for and what I've done for myself. 

Now that the sun is starting to shine again and I can almost feel my spirits rise above the doldrum mark, I'm kicking myself back into gear. 

Starting today. 

Be on the lookout for a return of Give a Little :: Take a Little along with a few bits'o training. 

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun...

Okay, seriously. 

Call it the sunshine or the post-inauguration buzz I still have but I've actually been in a good mood lately (which would support my SAD diagnosis). 

The general sense of sadness and dispair I was feeling has lifted a little. The sun is out, I can drive without wiping out on the roads and my favorite show reappears in my Wednesday evening lineup. 

Did I also mention that I've come to the conclusion that I don't suck all that much at social media? I've had a few really good things happen as a result of the social networking and social media projects I've worked on and it feels good. 

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Dearest President Obama + His Staff

I heart you all. 

I LOVE that the whitehouse.gov has a fresh, new look and that, according to your blog, wait, hold on, back up. Our White House has a blog. How freaking cool is that? 

Anyway, according to your blog, The Obama White House will have an RSS feed, e-mail updates and, hold on ladies and gents -- A TWITTER PROFILE!!!

That's right. If you're on Twitter, you can follow The White House at @thewhitehouse. 

That is too cool in my book. 

I've just signed up for all of my feeds and updates so I'm not sure what you're going to say it or how, but I will tell you I can not wait to be one of your "people."

Anywho, if you're looking for a senior stepmom spokesperson who also knows a lot about social media, give me a call. We'll talk. No big whoop. 

Love,

Me

Who would you write to? The Stepfamily Letter Project

So remember a few days ago when I mentioned that Jacque Fletcher and I were launching the Stepfamily Letter Project? 

We conceived the idea after I wrote my Dear Stepdaughter post which, according to Jacque, received even more rave reviews in the stepmom community than I realized. 

Well, I'm happy. No, make that super-fantastical-excited to announce to you all that our blog has become viral. 

In the few days since we've launched, we've been StumbledUpon, linked and re-linked to and we're even featured on several stepfamily coaching websites. Jacque herself even plugged it in a stepmom conference call last night. 

It has been an amazing week to watch this site grow into something that has had a life of its own.

We're receiving about 4-5 letters every day -- some of them heartfelt, some of them angry and all of them from the heart. 

What has been the most interesting about this project is seeing the range of emotion of stepfamilies everywhere. From Fathers wanting their Stepmom wives to ease up to stepmothers looking forward to watching their stepchildren grow up, we've seen a lot of hurt and a lot of heart on this site. 

So, I strongly encourage you: If you're a member of a stepfamily and have always wanted to get something off of your chest or out of your heart, this is the perfect place to do it. Check out the site and e-mail your letters to the stepfamilyletterproject@gmail.com.

Free Giveaway!

Today I'm giving away snow. Lots and lots of snow. I have no need for it anymore and would like to dispose of all of it. 

If you'd like to claim the snow, please contact Mother Nature and ask for her to send it your way. 

Also included with your snow, you're eligible to receive subzero temperatures. For a low, low cost of misery, you can shiver alongside your friends and family as you watch the mercury drop to a high of -4 with windchills of -30. 

Still interested? Require within.

Announcements!

Two announcements to make today:

1. I've decided to return this blog to its roots and write about the woman in the URL. I've already launched a new stepmom blog which I'm not going to post the link to on here. I'd rather have a good sense of who might read my angst so if you would like the link, you'll need to e-mail me. I will say this much about the new blog -- it's got a cool design and an will promise to be snarktastic and showing a lot of the "real me" personality. 

2. I also co-launched another blog/project with stepmom author Jacque Fletcher, author of The Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Stepmom. The Career Girl's Guide isn't the new project. What is the new project is The Stepfamily Letter Project. 

The Stepfamily Letter Project is a spin-off of a few ideas Jacque and I had: My letters to my stepdaughter and my stepdad (which you'll see when you click over) and The Mother Letter Project which was one man's idea to compile a book of letters by moms to moms for his wife's Christmas present. You can read more about the stepfamily letter project at our new site: http://stepfamilyletterproject.wordpress.com/

New Rules

As I mentioned in my diary of a meltdown, the final straw that lead to my meltdown had to do with this blog. My husband reminded me to think of how I'd feel if I'd seen a series of posts about my own issues splashed all over someone's website. 

The worst thing I ever did with this blog was to use my name as the URL.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't do what a lot of stepmom bloggers do: create a pseudonym so I could post somewhat anonymously. 

I'm seriously considering buying a URL so that at least if I post something personal, the entire world doesn't know it's me. Changing the URL, however, would create a ton of chaos as I've used this URL for a lot of things. 

Until I make the decision, I'm implementing some new rules for my blog: 

• I will continue to refer to my stepkids as just that -- stepkids. No specific names. Same thing with my husband. 
• I won't be blogging about them unless there's a really cool piece of good news I want share. 
  
• I'm going to try to focus this blog on resources for stepmoms. If anyone's going to be the central focus of this blog it's going to be me. 
• I'm going to start promoting positive stepmom experiences on this blog. 
• I'm going to do a better job at promoting Stepchicks, a social networking community I created for stepmoms. 

If you regularly read this blog, particularly if you subscribe to it, I'm curious if a URL change would cause you to stop reading. Let me know in the contents section what you think. 

Thanks loves!

Removed

I had a breakdown last night. A full-fledged cry until it hurts breakdown. The reasons aren't really important but they did clarify at least two things for me: I need to give myself a break and I need to rethink a few things.

I've taken down the blog posts about the issue we've been having lately. It's not fair to the person who has been the co-center of conversation. That person didn't ask to be written about. That person doesn't even know they've been written about.

One of the fears I had when I was crying almost inconsolably last night was that I've screwed everything up. I thought I was a big, fat failure and was the source for a lot of problems. I've been assured I'm not, but I don't want to even risk being a source for problems.

And so I've removed the posts and I'm going to remove myself from the blog for the rest of the week. I need to take a break, focus on myself and figure a few things out.

Don't worry, I'll be back. But for now, I need to follow my own advice and distance myself.

See y'all next week.

In my room...

Amid a flurry of anxiety about things I can't control I did something I could control this week: I bought a desk for my bedroom. 

I like my bedroom. It's one of the few places in my house that I can be in where I'm left somewhat alone. It also is outfitted in a way that I find peaceful (dark furniture, light walls, lots of white bedding with funky accent blankets). 

Despite all of the advice that putting a desk in your bedroom can lead to marital and personal disharmony, I put my desk in there anyway. 

Not a lot of people use my bedroom for anything (other than typical bedroom stuff) which makes it the perfect retreat when I want to write or work. It's no where near the hubs of activity in our house -- kitchen, dining room, living room. In fact, you almost have to work at hearing what's going on in the other rooms. 

In addition to being perched above the frenzy, my room also has a CD player that I can put relaxing music on without disturbing anyone else. Did I mention it also has a door? That locks!

We have a fourth bedroom that serves as our computer room/guest room, but it's sort of a free-for-all for everyone. From YouTube video watching to Lord of the Rings Online playing to Cartoon Network viewing, it's not exactly a peaceful place. 

Which is why I bought a desk for my bedroom.  

The best part about this desk is that I bought it with money I received from something I worked on. I didn't dip into the family finances for my $50 IKEA desk. I bought it, I put it together, and I embellished it with the kind of organizing features that I (and anyone else who's organized) would love. 

I love this desk. I have a feeling it's going to be the Jack Dawson to my Rose DeWitt Bukater; it's going to "save me in every way a person can be saved." 

I realize that's an awful lot of pressure for a $50 IKEA desk (not to mention it sounds a bit weird I'm sure) but this desk is going to help keep me from drowning even if I have to ride atop the fake wood panel for a while. 

Give a little/Take a little 1/6/09

Today I am grateful for...Mother Nature not dumping too much snow on Chicago so that I could drive home without having an anxiety attack. I am also grateful that my stepson was not the little boy who got hurt at camp today. I was the one picking up and as you may or may not know, stepparents aren't considered legal parents at emergency rooms. 

What I did for myself today...I built my IKEA desk, put some of my Erin touches on it and stayed up in my room and wrote for most of the evening. I think this is the calmest I've felt in days. 

Give a little/take a little 1/5/09

Okay, so I'm a day late with this. But I still want to extend my gratitude. 

I'm eternally grateful for...the overwhelming support I've received from my blog friends and other mothers (my own mom, mother in law, the ladies on MomsLikeMe.com, an old high school friend on Facebook) regarding the Eating Disorder issue. I can't thank you all enough for the wishes and prayers. We'll get through this -- all of us. It just may not be as easy as we all hoped. 

What I did for myself...After I stopped at IKEA to buy myself a desk so that I could work in my bedroom instead of the dining room, I did a 30-minute jog at the gym last night and then stayed for a 60-min. hip-hop dance class. Did I mention I schedule a hair appointment for Saturday? Yesterday there was a touch of "all about me" day. 

Give a little/take a little, 1/4/09

I'm extremely grateful for...Pole dancing classes. Specifically the ones I do at Flirtease Fitness in Naperville, Ill. I guess you could construe this as a plug for the place I take classes. So be it. I started back today (level 4!!) and while my body aches from the inversions, pole climbs and spins, I feel amazing. I also was reminded of the sisterhood I have there and how warm and friendly my pole dance friends are.

What I've done for myself today...I went to pole dance class. 90 minutes alone with me and my pole girls. Tack on to that the 90 minutes of commute and extra grocery store trip and I had 3 hours to myself. It felt better than a massage.

Give a little/take a little 1/3/09

I'm extremely grateful for...my husband and my mom. My husband didn't flinch when I left him and the kids at home for a few hours today while my mom and I had a mom/daughter afternoon. I'm also grateful for my mom who knows exactly what I need when I'm feeling down.

What I've done for myself today...See above. My mom and I spent some time at IKEA and then sat by the fire at Panera sipping soup. It was really nice to get outside of the house and with one of my favorite people.

Give a little/take a little, 1/2/09

I'm extremely grateful for...my husband coming up to talk to me today when I was too sad and anxious to initiate a conversation with him. Things have been a little choppy lately and I've needed my husband's time and support. He came to my rescue and I am starting to feel a lot better now.

I'm also extremely grateful for...my incredibly loving mom who always knows that a trip to IKEA and Panera on Saturday always puts a smile on my face.

What I've done for myself today...I let myself cry -- loudly. I have been keeping a lot of anger, resentment and frustration inside of me lately and today, it burst out with a vengeance. I got to a point where I was having anxiety-induced chest pains I was so rattled with emotion. Instead of passive-aggressively working through my day, I cried when the emotion hit. I usually don't like to show tears because I fear it makes me appear weak, but I cried...and cried...and cried some more. Until the tears were all gone.

Of course, all of that crying lead to the other thing I did for myself today...I took a mid-day nap. I was working at home today because of the holiday and I'd reached a point where I just couldn't stay awake any longer. So I set my alarm and slept. For an hour. It was divine.

To Thine Own Self Be True

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a few resolutions I hope to uphold in 2009: complete a triathlon, make more time for myself, speak publicly, etc.

Today I've decided I need a motto for the year as well. My motto is an oldie, but a goodie:

To Thine Own Self Be True

I've got some big things staring me in the face already this year and I've decided my motto is going to be my approach to life. Sort of like my personal mission statement.

I will be true to myself in 2009. I will confront the problem(s) that have made me feel weak and sick, I will not tip-toe around topics I'm afraid to bring up and I will just say no being a doormat.

Does anyone else have a personal mission statement? A phrase or word that they hold on to when times are rough or when they're not?

give a little/ take a little 1/1/09

I'm extremely grateful for...the fact that I have two loving mothers (1 biological, 1 in law) that constantly remind me what kind of woman I want to be. I'm incredibly lucky to have women in my life that encourage me, love me unconditionally and have my back no matter what. 

What I've done for myself today...I laid around in my pj's all day long and watched t.v. and movies. I also crocheted myself a stocking cap for the cold Chicago winters.