Quit Judging my son!!!

My adorable and incredibly loving son is a typical 2 year old boy.
He loves to play cars.
Climb anything and everything.
Dig and throw dirt. (even when asked multiple times to back away from the flower pots)
He enjoys pretend building and shooting.

My little man is the only guy in a house with 4 females. He is very much outnumbered. There have been many occasions where his sisters will dress him up in a pretty dress. He enjoys it!! (I myself always chuckle slightly because I remember doing the same thing to my younger brother.) He loves feeling like he is apart of everything that is going on around him. This same basic concept applies to when the girls brush their hair, put on chapstick and paint their fingernails.

Little man will run over and push everyone else out of the way in order to be the first with painted nails. You know what???? I paint them!!!!! (BOOM) Yea I said it. I paint them with delight. Why? He absolutely loves it. He sits still and will blow on them until they are dry. He shows them off with pride. Why? Because he is 2 and knows nothing about stereotypical gender roles that people put on him. I will never make my children conform to a specific ideal just to please the masses. My three daughters have always been allowed to play with "boy stuff" such as cars, tools and superheroes. Why should I not allow my son to do the same with "girl stuff"?

There is someone (who will remain nameless) that recently commented on my sons brightly painted blue fingernails... saying something along the lines of he is a boy therefore he should not have his nails painted. When I told them how I found that awfully gender stereotypical for them to say, they told me it was not them judging but that others would. (Passive aggressive much?) So let me go ahead and say this to all those who judge my son.. QUIT! Why do you care about something so unimportant that makes him happy?

I suppose I should add that my son also owns a babydoll that he loves like it is real. He takes it with him in the car and it has made numerous appearances at my daughters school when we pick her up. NEVER have I EVER had anyone make a comment to me or heard anyone make a comment to anyone else about it. On the off chance that this is being judged as well.... KNOCK it OFF! Get over your ideal gender roles and get with this time period.  Times have changed. Girls can have things other than a typewriter and jump rope. Boys do not only need a fishing pole and football to make them happy.

Feel free to leave your comments...
Thanks for reading my long rant
♥Tiffany♥

Is it easy yet?

Everyone says it'll get easier..
 to stay strong...
this is an incredibly hard thing to do when one is feeling so small.
So heart heavy.

I was in the midst of a move and now I think perhaps staying put would be more beneficial. (From certain stand points anyhow)

Right now everything just sucks. I'm trying to juggle different things and planning for the inevitable. I am left with such a short fuse that I am constantly on the verge of a breakdown. Honestly it would be a really good thing for me to have an over the top breakdown... if I didn't have kids anyway.

I'm counting down till vacation. I desperately need some lovin' from my family. From anyone really. I dred the reality of the trip though. The constant questioning of things I don't want to talk about... EVER.

Letting life get in the way

  

  I have made it very clear in other post that I have been struggling with weight ever since the beginning of 2012 when my extreme fatigue set in. What you wouldn't know is that back in 2011 getting in a workout was a part of my life. I would workout for about 2 hours everyday. Eating healthy was second nature. I didn't crave any junk food and I barely ever wanted a Coke.

 Now we flash forward to the now and I have become an emotional/stress eater.... OOOO but not a "I want carrots and an apple" eater but a "I want french fries and an XL Coke" eater. Why?? I let life happen. I let all those personal things get in my way of my goals and happiness. I guess I feel like after all this time I don't deserve to have anything. No happiness and no goals.

 Besides my basic everyday issues and my battle with my depression I have begun to have flashbacks of not so great memories. I haven't been able to sleep. Every time I try to sleep my mind begins to flood with those terrible thoughts that I have had locked away for 20 years.

 I have been intensely looking into therapy and even hypnosis for the flashbacks.  On one hand I know how beneficial it would be for my anxiety and my mental health. On the other hand I can see how it could just bring up more sadness for me. Sadness that I am not even close to being ready to deal with.  I have tried to blog about things thinking that it would be enough to get me through..... I just can't seem to bring myself to even type openly about all the things that I have in my head.

 I am pretty confident that seeing my children get closer to the age I was is a large contributor to the added anxiety that I have been feeling. I am even more confident that my anxiety and stress will raise again when my girls are starting high school. I know I can not protect them from everything in this world but I would like to think that I can.

 So here I am waiting for life to move out of my way. I have very big decisions to make rather soon and it is very difficult. My heart and head are both giving me very different opinions on the subject. There are of course days like today where they both are on the same terms (it is a VERY rare day).

 Many years of unhappiness have left me feeling very empty. There is not much left of me anymore. Just a sad shell of a person that was used too many times.

Dr. Seuss Playrom

before and after

 I have wanted to do something extra fun and creative in my kids playroom. We all love the Dr. Seuss books and more recently the movies.  

Months and months ago I purchased Dr. Seuss fabric to make my son a diaper. I made one diaper and then hoarded the rest of it away. When I finally decided that this was the theme I wanted to decorate the room in.. sadly the fabric was the first thing that I pulled out... the pillows and cushions turned out fabulously though so the fabric was well used.

Following the pillow projects: scrap blanket.

I headed to the dollar tree next and purchased a bunch of different baskets and bins.

Bought duct tape to convert the plain white dresser, little people table and green table.

Once I started the green table I had this great idea to modge podge pages from a ripped up book to the top. I think it is one of my most favorite pieces in this room.

Finally, I worked on the truffula trees. I plan on making a few more. Larger and in different colors.

When I start making the rest of the truffula trees I will make a quick tutorial for them.

Hope this inspired you.

Happy creating.

Tiffany

MorningStar Farms® Review and Recipe.

I joined in on the Bzzagent MorningStar Farms campaign because I am trying my hardest to eat less meat this new year. This was the perfect way to give me a jump start. When my kit arrived I ran off to to the store and picked up a box of the Buffalo Wings and Griller Originals. I tried out the Buffalo Wings first. I added them to a spring salad mix. It was delicious. The Buffalo Wings have a little spicy kick and the texture is right on for what I would have expected.

Next up was the Griller Originals. I have had not such a great experience with other veggie burger brands so this one worried me. So I tried it out with a tater tot casserole dish. I really didn't notice a bad taste or anything like I was expecting. There was a little aftertaste but it was not a terrible one... just different. My kids loved this dish and it is something I can make without anyone ever knowing that it is not what it seems! Not to infringe on Taco Bell but it is really easy to "think outside the bun" with the help of MorningStar farms. You can check out their Pinterest board HERE which is chalked full of recipes and ideas. So far this less meat is going quite smoothly and the options are never-ending. 

*TATER TOT CASSEROLE*

Ingredients:

2 lbs of  tater tots (I used Ore-Ida)
1 can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese
8 ounces of any sour cream
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (use more or less per preference)
1/2 cup of butter, melted

 1 onion chopped (can be replaced with onion powder- to taste) 

MorningStar Farms Grillers Original

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cook your Morning Star Griller Originals, crumble

3. Combine the Campbell's Cheddar Cheese, sour cream, 1/2 of shredded cheese, onion and butter. 

4. In a lasagna pan lay the Crumbled Griller Originals down. 

5. Pour the Cream Mixture over the crumbled "meat". 

6. Lay the tater tots on top. 

7. Use remainder of shredded cheese on top of the tater tots.  

Bake for about 1 hour. Check at about 35 minutes. My oven is older and doesn't heat as quickly as others.

Hope you enjoyed this review and the recipe. Here is to a happier and healthier 2013!

Tiffany

Disclaimer:

I received a free product coupon for my honest review of the product mentioned. I was in no way influenced by Bzzagent or MorningStar Farms.

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Review

I recently received this awesome Palmolive Fresh Infusions box from INFLUENSTER.

Actually, I had never used Palmolive before this because I stuck with what my mother always used.

First, let me tell you what I received in this box. 

Lime Basil

Ginger White Tea
Lemon Thyme
$1.50 off coupons for friends

I absolutely love the Lime Basil. Hands down my favorite scent. It smells exactly like the name states. The smell is strong but not overwhelming at all. I also love the Lemon Thyme and I have been using it in my mop bucket. The Ginger White Tea is my personal least favorite because I am not a ginger fan. These scents are spot on. If you enjoy ginger I would expect you to love the Ginger White Tea.

The Palmolive did an incredible job at cleaning my dishes. I filled up my soap scrubber brush and ended up only using a tiny bit of soap. That tiny little bit of soap cleaned all my dishes in my sink.  Including a crockpot with gunk stuck to the sides. This soap suds up much better than I expected. I thought that I would have to use a great deal more soap because I had never had any experience with the Palmolive before. I loved that compared to my other soap I use this one didn't leave a coat of soap on my dishes. You know what I'm talking about. That thin layer that no matter how much water and scrubbing you do it just never seems to want to come off. Yeah that stuff is no more with this soap. I didn't notice any adverse effects on my hands from this soap. This is not infused with lotion like other soaps but I didn't notice any drying out of my hands with this soap.

You can check out the Palmolive website right HERE. While I love this soap (seriously, lime basil is an addicting scent) I will probably venture out and try another scent or possibly a different formula. I'd love to try their Palmolive eco. 

If you are interested in trying Palmolive Fresh Infusions out for yourself then you need to head on over to your local Walmart or visit them online to pick up your favorite scent.

Thank you for visiting. I hope this was informative and helpful!

Tiffany

Disclaimer: I received these products free from Influenster for my honest review. I was in no way influenced and the opinions stated are that of my own.

Sunset beach nails

I am going to show you how to create beautiful sunset nails and share my love for my Neutrogena hand cream!

What you need:

*3 bright colors

(pink, orange and yellow work well)

*1 black stripe polish

(I used Kiss Nail Art)

*Clear Top Coat

*Hand Cream 

(I used Neutrogena Norwegian Formula)

Optional:

nail file

polish remover

 1. Paint bottom half your darkest color

 2. Paint middle your next darkest color. This doesn't need to be perfect you want a whimsical sunset feel to your nails. No straight lines.

 3. Paint the top the lightest color. Think whimsical!

 4. Take your black stripe polish and make 2 V shapes angling slightly differently.

 5. For the Palm tree you just want to make a small hump in the corner of your nail. Stripe a triangle above it. A few lines from the top of the triangle.. you want the lines to get thick to thin. Making them lean the way the bottom of the triangle leans will give it a more real look.

6. Paint on your clear top coat.

 7. To add additional protection for your nails and hands use a hand cream afterwards. I love and highly recommend the Neutrogena Norwegian Hand cream as it has provided my hands with continuous moisture. I would have never even thought about using this product after a manicure had I not received the product through BZZAGENT. My nails are looking better everyday and I think everyone should think about using it for all of its amazing benefits to your hands. You only need a tiny little bit for both of your hands. There is no greasy residue so there is no worry of slippery hands!

 I hope you enjoyed this! Love to hear feedback.

TIFFANY