Strike a pose(r)

So the discussion of what it means to be a poser has been swirling around me as of late.  I think it mostly has to do with the idea of being authentic.  If you are living your most authentic life then you don't have a time/need to pose as something you are not.  However, if you have never had a "Come to Jesus" talk with yourself then how in the hell do you ever stop posing your life away?

As part of my doctoral journey, I've had to come face to face with some painful truths about myself.  I've had to face fears and grow.  (I don't like the work change, I prefer to grow like a seed.)  I am noticing that many people in my cohort seem to resist growth or at least in calling a spade a spade.  I don't tend to use a filter and I speak pretty bluntly.  I think many people find me short and cutting but I just don't see the need to bs people.

Anyways, so back to posing.  How do you know you are a poser?  I mean if you live your life as a hipster what defines you as a hipster instead of a hipster poser?  I'm using hipster since according to DH, I am a hipster.  This goes to the whole idea of identity.  I don't identify as a hipster.  I really do prefer pop music with an edge of alternative music.  I prefer to homeschool/unschool my child.  I shop at goodwill because I'm poor not trendy.  I drink my coffee at an independent coffeehouse because my husband owns one.  I'm gluten-free because my DD and DH are both allergic to wheat.  I don't live a hipster lifestyle in my opinion but if I look up "Hipster-subculture" you might as well put my picture there.  So am I poser without even realizing it?  Is it possible to be viewed as a poser without even noticing since you are just being your authentic self?

Why the need for labels?  Is it an American thing?  Do other cultures require labels?  In Mexico you are poor or rich.  I don't know that outside of social status there are many other labels.

Why pose?  Why hide under the clothes of another person?  How do you expand your mind without the wearing the clothes of posing at some point?  Is posing bad?

I think as some point we all pose.  I think of myself in school.  I posed as the all-american girl trying hard not to be Mexican, like I could ever out run it.  Once I had my "Come to Jesus" talk with myself about my identity I started embracing my Mexican-ness and I can breath better.  I don't understand posing as a life-style choice (well as an all-life encompassing life-style choice).  Don't it weight you down to carry so many lies?  Don't you get tried of running from yourself?  Does digging deep into your pain really scare you to the point you would rather die as any person but yourself?

Randon Recipe: #Glutenfree Pancakes

I've tried lots of pancake recipes and mixes and I've hit on one that I really like so here it is:

1 1/2 cups of brown rice flour
2 tsp. of baking power
1 egg slightly beaten
1 cup of milk
pinch of salt

Optional (depending on your taste)
1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

I say play with the sugar and vanilla amounts.  I like a sugar cookie-like pancake but I think you make this more savory by changing up the add ins.

Mix up the ingredients.  put it on the hot griddle til they are ready. 

You might need to add more rice flour if they are too running.  Most recipes start you with 1 cup of flour but that ratio seems to running for gf pancakes.  This recipe gave me fluffy pancakes which is what I missed most from regular pancakes.  Enjoy!

 

The pancake on the left had 1 1/2 cups of flour and the one on the left only had 1 cup.  

#Mamavation Monday: Strength training

So this week's topic is strength training and I'll be honest I usually avoid it.  I'm not confident I know what to do and I'm afraid I'll hurt myself.  I am also usually alone and I don't think we're suppose  lift alone.

Okay with my excuses aside, I do try to  lift dumbbells and I have the Mamavation 2-week challenges to thank for the confidence and routine.  I keep the Mama Guns routine as my go to for lifting and when I started I struggled with 15 lbs weights and now I'm up to 20 without much problem.

I do have an idea in my mind that I would love to be strong enough to do an unassisted pull up.  I know I can build strength and I just need to commit to building my strength to reach my goals.  I'm toying with the idea of setting up a few private training sessions so I can set up a strength building routine that will lead to my goal.  Right now I'm toning up and I can see a real change.  My arms are looking great but now I"m up for the challenge of building some major muscle power!

#WordlessWednesday Low Ropes

#Mamavation Monday - The Stairs

So I have been taking the stairs instead of the elevator!  My office is on the fourth floor and I'm slowly keeping my breath more and more.  The first day I lost my breath on the second floor.  Now I'm good until the 3rd floor.  I'm recovering pretty quickly but recovery has never really been a problem.  I have no clue why I seem to sweat like a pig and lose my breath very easily and then recover in 30 seconds flat.  It makes me feel like I don't workout hard enough but then I push until I can't push and still recover quickly.  I've lost 2lbs since making the switch to the stairs and my ass is getting rounder so this is a total win-win for me :)

Anyways, I conquered the high ropes the week before last.  I tried all three challenges and I only fell off of one!  I didn't really fall off, I just could not find a way to stand up on the pole for the leap of faith so I just let go.  The hardest part of the whole thing was on the first challenge were I was reaching from vine to vine and suddenly the whole ropes course started to shake.  I just knew I was going to fall.  I held fast!  I was shaken as much as humanly possible at the moment.  Shaking and 30 feet in the air and I held fast.  I'm taking that lesson into my life in general.  I can survive anything!  I can be shaken and I can survive!

Gym Mom: What the flip just happened?

Ravebaby (okay let's change it to GymGirl from here on out) just made the gymnastics team. She's four and they have a new pre-competition squad; basically they are being groomed for the tougher "real" team. We started at Tall Timbers when the gym first opened almost 2 and half years ago. GymGirl is one of the original students. I remember when she would be told to jump and she just lifted her heels. The office lady said it the other day, "from diaper bug to team, she's come a long way." GymGirl is super excited about team. I'm not so excited about the cost but for GymGirl I would do just about anything. I never saw myself as a Gym Mom. I excepted a daughter who wanted to do karate or be a drummer and I know there is still plenty of time ahead for those things. I'm nervous about the commitment we've all made. Not just money but time. Meets are on Saturdays (GymGirl will have 5 next Spring so much for pre-competition) and I'm still working on this doctorate. I'm also looking at returning to work full-time which complicates homeschooling a bit. I know everything will work itself out. I must trust in God's plan but I'm still wondering What the Flip just Happened!

Diaper Bug 2012

First Day of Team Try-outs 2014

Team Try-outs

Last Day of Team Try-outs

Team T-shirt

Fat Martha

I originally posted this on my tumblr but the more I thought about it I realized it belonged here. Why hide on tumblr? I've always been open and honest so here is another open and honest piece. So DH keeps getting on to me about calling myself fat. He tells me I’m beautiful. I believe he is telling the truth according to his view point. He asked why I still don’t believe it. So why don’t I believe I’m beautiful? Good question and here are some thoughts: 1. If I’m beautiful then why didn’t anyone look like me on tv? I would think as least one show would feature a lady that is beautiful like me instead of just skinny hags. 2. If DH could only see the kids I get when I’m not next to him. The looks of disgust on many a person’s face. The whispers about how dare I wear x or y. 3. My mom on my birthday this year called me fat. This is pretty much a weekly occurrence, in my childhood it was closer to daily. It is so fucking hard to take that voice out of your head. So I’m beautiful, okay. I know many realities exist at once. In DH’s reality I’m beautiful. In my mom’s reality, I’m fat. In my reality, I struggle. Just a side note, my mom is great. I love her dearly and most of the time being called fat is more of a term of endearment. Being Mexican being called "Gordita" means more like I see you and love you the way you are instead of just meaning Fatty (which is the literally translation of the word).

#Mamavation Monday: Emotional Eating

This weeks topic hits close to home. I eat my feelings. I feel great, time to eat. I feel sad, time to eat. I feel nothing, time to eat. I'm not sure why I connect eating with my feels so closely but I do. I try to exam my hunger and eating. I check in with myself. I feel like I should begin keeping a diary for why I eat. At this point in my life, I am noticing I eat when I'm bored. Instead of starting a project, I tend to sit and eat. I totally catch myself searching for food knowing I"m not hungry but bored. I'm trying to do other things, like read (which by the way I very rarely eat while doing this task). Is it any wonder my weight is over the top? Strangely since I started hanging with the Mamavation Sistas I've lost about three inches around my underbust area and about 2 around my waist. My weight on the other hand keeps going up. I have no clue what is going on with that! I took my first zumba-like class today. I had fun and I plan to continue with the classes. I play bass, I have birthed a black child, and I still can't find the flipping beat! Anyways that is my check-in for the week!

#Mamavation Monday: #2weekchallenge non-completer

So first of all I would like to give myself props for not calling myself a loser.  I am non-completer.  I did most of the 2week challenge.  The bur-pees and my lack of working out for almost 2 months did me in this round. 

I am still proud of the workout I did complete and I plan to keep a few in my regular rotation.  I'm also happy with the new format.  Week 1 was based on the plan for the challenging rotation from the last 2 week challenge.  I would have never tried it if it were not part of this challenge.  I was too afraid to try.  I was worried I couldn't handle it but I know I totally can.  I just need to take my time and get it done.

I hope to finish out the couple of workout I have left.  I am a non-completer but I still feel like I won since I challenged myself and finished each workout I started.  I'll get stronger and I'll keep at it.  I'm sure I'll be ready to kick the 2-week challenge in the nads next time. 

I'm vapid?

About a year there was an incident of all hell breaking loose around me.  The details are not for this blog since really it was about someone else but I say this because as part of the all hell breaking loose I got told I was vapid.  Now, I have to admit there are plenty of English words I don't know and this person found one of them, vapid.  I had no real clue to what it meant about me.  I knew it wasn't good.

In general, I am a shy person and I really struggle with small talk.  If I don't know anything about a subject, I will probably keep my mouth shut and listen.  I'm a big believer in learning from listening and using context clues to try and understand what is being shared.  Now that said if I feel like I actually know about some subject, like breastfeeding, being glutenfree/wheatfree, or education, I will jump in and talk your ear off.

After some research and a good deal of soul searching, I'm not sure that I'm vapid.  The person who said it was angry at the time and I'm pretty sure feeling under attack so this was the stone hurled.  Vapid - to contribute nothing or to lack a challenging aspect.  Maybe I'm still misunderstanding.

This concept was actually hurled at a group of us in describing our conversations with each other.  We were told we talk about nothing of interest.  All we talk about is babies, periods, sex and other stupid shit.  Vapid.  The ladies in question as well as myself I would argue are far from vapid.  Can we talk about nothing?  Absolutely.  For those of us raising kids and worrying the better part of the day about doing a good job educating our children, talking about nothing is actually kind of nice.  A conversation on which the fate of the world does not hinge is really really nice.  For a different subset of us, talking about nothing (small talk) with a group of friends is about practicing the art of small talk.  We are shy.  We don't speak to people unless we have something to say so a discussion about nothing is an honest to goodness exercise in being social.  Vapid.

I've heard mothers be called vapid.  Mothers add nothing to the conversation except talk about their kids.  I wrote a blog post about my Ravebaby many years ago stating that my child is my legacy, my ultimate research project, my eternal life experiment is motherhood.  I expect my husband to talk about his physics projects, I expect a barista to talk about coffee, I expect an artist to talk about art but yet when a mother talks about her kids, she has nothing to add to the real world.  Vapid.

Maybe my topics of conversation add nothing to your life.  Maybe you think I'm boring.  I probably think the same thing about you.  I have a four-year-old who sings Let It Go around the clock so it is possible I can't put a thought together without bring her into the conversation.  My bad!  Please tell me more about Socrates and how hard it was for you choose between hot outfit #1, #2 and #3.  I was just lucky to find something that was clean because I haven't been able to find time to do my own laundry in weeks.

I am in the process of earning a doctorate in educational leadership.  I have two Masters degrees.  You want to talk about the state of education?  You want to talk about librarianship and the real value of the community library?  What you only want to talk about theories and philosophies?  Good for you, but I'm about to tune out and yes Ravebaby's Let It Go will be ringing in my ears.  Vapid.

Maybe I am vapid, what the hell do I know? Ravebaby would say, "Vapid rhymes with Rapid!"  Yes dear those are rhyming words and can we please not watch Frozen again?  How about some Word Girl?

2bb86171e0b3ee33d51c7c61b629c9ce982b675f23a5d66c9d

Wordless Wednesday: tiny hand prints

Tats and more

As I was coming home on Saturday from my last class of residency, I had the thought that I needed to mark this event with something.  I wanted to play a gig but that is hard to do at the last minute.  I wanted to get a piercing, just my ears again, but I hated the idea of dealing with keeping it clean.  Then a strange thought came across my mind a tattoo!   I honestly had not wanted another one.  I'm happy with the huge pro-breastfeeding pin-up on my left arm and was thinking I was good until after earning my EDd.  The tattoo idea itself was not strange actually it was the who to get a tattoo from that was strange.

You might remember my DH's bestie, AKA my Archnemesis.  So Archnemesis has recently started tattooing, just himself.  He's never tattoo anyone else but has been making designs to others.  I never asked about his tattooing or for a design.  I've been pretty busy with school so everyone else's goings on have been on the back burner.  Anyways, the universe decided I should ask Archnemesis.  Such a strange thing since for the most part we have a strained friendship, I mean I do call him a nemesis for a reason.

Anyways, I was talking to DH about it and DH sent the text from there the universe took over.  text at 7pm and the design by 10, tattoo at 12am.  I should say that Archnemsis specializes in hand-poke tattoos so one needle poking in the ink.  This tattoo was going to hurt.  Oh did I mention I would be the first person he had ever tattooed outside of himself?

The design process was strange.  What do you want?  I don't want bitch-ass flowers.  Bitch-ass flowers?  Yep none of that shit.  Then what do you want?  A pine tree.  What?  A pine tree.  Anything else?  No bitch-ass flowers.  End conversation.

So why the pine tree?  Well, I live in the land of pine tree.  It is often described at the the pine cone curtain.  Pine is one of my favorite smells since my dad has worked my entire life at a sawmill and he would come home smelling of pine.  It also seems feeling that I have a couple of flowers on my left arm for Ravebaby and my mom that my right arm have something for my dad.  That's the story of the pine tree. 

The whole tattooing process was actually okay.  I handled the pain well and Archnemesis's  design and work was great.  I think we all learned a lot from the process.  I now have a cool piece on my right arm and Archnemesis and I are okay terms.  My arm currently looks like he punched the shit out of me but considering everything it's probably just karma.

#Mamavation Monday: Residency is over

As most of you know I've been in the first year of my doctorate in Educational Leadership.  Saturday May 3 was the last day of my residency year (Year 1).  I feel like I've accomplished something big.  I survived my first 8 classes (24 hrs) of doctoral work and I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping my 4.0. 

According to the cohort before us, if you can survive this first year then it's all good until dissertation.  This was the hardest part.  I'm looking forward to some time back.  Instead of losing my entire weekend, I should have more time for family and friends.  I'm excited for days without worrying about homework.

I'm excited about getting back on board with my workouts!  I haven't done jack since spring break so like 8 weeks :(  Mamavation 2-week challenge here I come!

Chick-lit Loving Soul

I wrote this as part of an assignment, a much longer assignment.  In case you didn't know, well now you do.  Enjoy!

                    I am a librarian.  As a result people expect that I am very well read and enjoy reading classics in my off time.  The true is often disappointing to people.  I only read classics as required by courses and I enjoy chick-lit.  I enjoy a lot of chick-lit.  When I saw the novel requirement for the poetics of leadership assignment, I knew I would no longer be able to hide my passion for reading the equivalent of trash.  Unlike my co-hort members, I could not turn to the respectable works of Shakespeare, Bronte, or Hemingway.  I have no intimate knowledge of the words of Fitzgerald or Austen. 

                   As a scholar-practitioner, I have to forgive my lack of passion for the classics and embrace my love of chick-lit.  In loving my chick-lit loving soul, I realize there are probably more people like me, who are not well read and struggle to answer questions like what is your favorite William Faulkner book?  Not being well read is not the sign of a frivolous mind but of a person who faces life all day so prefers to escape into fiction.

                   The result of the merging of my chick-lit loving soul and my scholar-practitioner metaphor is The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella.  Kinsella is known for her book series Shopaholic and I imagine she is not well known among those whom prefer Machiavelli with their tea.  For me, Kinsella's work is the highest form of escapist reading.  I am transported to London, where most of her books take place, and I live the life of women trying to find love and balance.  

Anyway that is the introduction to the novel section of my Poetics of Leadership assignment.  If you feel like watching the final product here is the link.  Like I stated earlier this is part of much larger assignment.

Wordless Wednesday: bag garden

The day Mac and Cheese almost derailed my life

So maybe not so dramatically but it felt like it.

Last week I walked in to find Ravebaby enjoying the mess out of a cup of microwaved Kraft Mac&Cheese.  I think for many parents this would have been a cute sight.  A wonderful picture opportunity to share on Facebook.  A cute yellow covered face with a huge smile and the perfectly place cup in that beautiful little hand.  For me, my blood ran cold and I went into panic mode.  Yes my beautiful wheat-allergic daughter had just consumed a huge amount of wheat! 

I know I was showing my panic.  My mother and father, who had been watching Ravebaby at the time, were freaking out.  Ravebaby started to freak out and yell at her grandmother for giving her wheat.  I had to take a deep breath and start calming down at least outwardly.  I was honestly freaking out.  First few thoughts, is she breathing okay?  Should I take her to the ER?  Do I call DH?  What do I do now?  Why didn't I throw that stupid cup of mac and cheese away a long time ago?

Once I could think again, I got Ravebaby her allergy meds and called DH because I needed to hear from someone that I had done the right thing.  Ravebaby was fine.  I think we were more freaked out than hurt initially.  The first day there wasn't any real reaction.  Maybe she had outgrown the allergy?  Could it be?  Was my daughter ready to join the ranks of the "normal" kids?  Yes, I love her just the way she is but I'm a mom and "normal" would still be nice. 

Anyways, the hope gives way to night terrors!  A big huge fuck you and your hope too to me.  It has been a week since the mac and cheese and she has been sleep walking and waking up at least five times a night.  Her attitude stinks; mostly due to lack of good sleep, I think.  So far outside of losing sleep, nothing else has really reacted.  No horrible skin break outs.  No sickness.  She has living on gas medicine but otherwise pretty good overall. 

I know plenty of wheatfree mamas out there have guilt and stories similar to mine.  I'm sharing so you know you are not alone.  I watch what Ravebaby eats but I'm not with her 24/7 and she is getting older and pulling food for herself.  She is going to eat wheat.  She has done it before and she'll do it again.  All I can do is take a deep breath and be ready to give her her allergy meds and gas meds and lose sleep.  I'm so lucky it is not worse.  I don't know what I would do if this ever turned deadly.  So far so good.  No point in worrying about a bridge before I get to it, right?

Wordless Wednesday: Ravebaby's Map

Wordless Wednesday: at the Houston Zoo

#Mamavation Monday: Changing Lives

First let me apologize for not blogging for Mamavation for so long.  My doctoral classes have been kicking my butt and when it is not kicking me, I'm just so brain dead I feel like I have no brain power to blog.  Anyways I'm here!

So the question of the week is what have I done to positively impact my family?  The number one thing I did was have a homebirth.  This isn't an ad for homebirth or about one type of birth being better than another.  Simply put it was the single most life changing decision I've made that still has a positive impact today.

What about that decision has been so impactful?  It spiraled my life for the better.  I know having a child in general can do that but if I reflect back on my life and my attitude toward life before my homebirth, I almost don't recognize myself.

The homebirth led to breastfeeding.  The breastfeeding led to discovering my daughter's wheat allergy.  That lead to going gluten-free which led to eating better then to being active in label reading and finding information on GMOs and trying to go green.  For me it all started with being welcomed into the "crunchy" community via my homebirth.  I wasn't green or hippy-ish before the homebirth and the homebirth community opened my eyes to the importance of the what goes into my body.

The homebirth also changed my outlook on myself.  I felt stronger afterward.  I felt like I could do anything since I had pushed a baby out in my living-room.  I felt more like the woman I was always meant to be and as a result I feel like I live stronger.  As the mother of a daughter, I want my daughter to see being a woman is about being strong and that we can do anything we want.  I don't want to be the do as I say not as I do sort of person so I must show her strength and not just talk about it.

To me this is were Mamavation fits into my life.  I learn about strength, both physical and spiritual, from my fellow Sistas!  Mamavation has given me tools for greening my life as well as working out.  I love that I can turn to the Sistahood when I'm feeling weak.  When I need extra support or just a safe place to bitch.  I love the Sistahood and before my homebirth I would have never reached out to join so yes, my homebirth changed everything for me and my family.

Song response: Emblem3 - Chloe (You're the one I want)

If you don't know this song then look it up.  It is fun and pop-py and sounds like a wonderful idea.  You are just you and I love you for you but listen and it quickly turns into the backhanded complement of the year!

Lyrics:
Chloe, I know your sister turns everyone on
But you're the one I want

No talk about Chloe being hot.  Nothing about Chloe at all.  We know her sister is hot but what about Chloe?  Is she the fat one with a great personality?  What about her turns you on?  I think you just hope the fat chick will put out.

Lyrics:
I love the way that you like candle light

Why the candlelight?  So that you don't have to see my face?  Seriously!

The video is even worse for the back-hand!  They won't let in the models but the Chloes are all model without makeup on!  Where are the girls that look like me?  Actual curves and a spare tire?  I'm fucking hot and turn people on too, right?  Well according to Emblem3, they just settle for me.  I'm not that hot but maybe I'll put out for the right complement.  I don't like this song.

Statistics and me

I have another confession to make and it is one that I have made freely to people but I don't think I've really talked about it here.  I'm afraid of statistics.  I know that is a common fear but it is one that has kept me out of my professional/educational path for a long time. 

See I have two Masters degrees.  When people hear that they are always so impress or think I'm crazy but the reason I have two Masters degrees is statistics.  Rather than face the challange of learning statistics, which I knew I would need for a doctorate, I took the easy way out and earned another Masters degree.  It's a bit crazy.  Fear is a bit crazy in general.

Why talk about this now?  Well it has come to a head.  I have declared myself for the Research and Evaluation cognate for my doctorate in Ed leadership which means statistics!  I'm terrified.  I'm in a catch-22 at the moment.  I have no background in statistics but I'm too advanced in my studies for an elementary stats class.  As a fellow doctoral student told me, "You are too smart.  They teach to the lowest person in the class.  You'll be bored and feel like you've wasted your money."  I know she's right but I'm just so afraid since I'm already coming in behind.  I've decided to work my way through the elementary statistics book so that I can get a foundation in stats and then I'll be jumping into the deep end of the pool with a stats class at the Masters level.  I already said I was scare right? 

If I am going to dare greatly then I have to risk failing.  I don't want to take the easy way out and just choose curriculum and instruction for my cognate.  I want to be a researcher and statistic just can't get the better of me.  I think that would be my deathbed regret if I don't go for it.  I never tried to learn statistics and go for my real dream of being a researcher.  I don't want to chicken out.  I want to stand strong and maybe fail in a huge way going for my dreams.  So I'm daring greatly.  I'm entering the arena.  Courage or comfort, never both, right? 

Embarrassing times in red underwear

Embarrassing is such a hard emotion for me.  Usually embarrassment turns to shame pretty quickly but on Tuesday I actually dared greatly and reached out before it took an ugly turn. 

This is the facebook message I sent to my band mates:

Okay have to share an embarrassing story with you girls. I decided to wear a dress today and on my way to my office I did not know that my backpack would cause my dress to ride up in the back. I was almost at my building when I felt a cool breeze. Yes my ass was all out Good thing I was wearing my red Charlotte set! So I guess I was advertising for Golden Pear.

Yes ladies and the random dude looking for boob pics, I walked in front of the library with my red panties showing, like my ass was all out.  So why tell you good readers this?  I love the work of Dr. Brene Brown and after rewatching some of her Oprah's Lifeclass on Sunday, I am working to dare greatly and identify shame in my life.  

One of the lessons from Dr. Brene Brown is that shame cannot survive being spoken.  If I had told no one then I would have turned that into a shame spiral for myself.  It would have gone from me calling myself stupid for wearing a dress in the first place to body shame to the effect of no one noticed because no one would want to look at your fat ass.  See shame is an ugly thing but rather than sink into the hole of shame, I did what Dr. Brown said and I reached out.  I called my husband and told him.  He made me see the funny side of it.  Then I sent a message to my girls from Red Shoe P&*%.  No one told me I was fat or ugly or how awful or how they would have died on the spot.  Everyone helped me see the funny aspect and the great opportunity for selling underwear and the punk lifestyle I had created for myself.  

Yes it was embarrassing.  It still is embarrassing.  There is no telling what you will think or how you will want to shame me but I hope this helps someone else reach out too.  It is amazing how many people have had experiences similar to those we go through and they wish they had someone to talk to too.  There is an old saying that says there is nothing new under the sun.  If that is true then someone else on this planet is or has gone through something similar to us and we all want to be able to connect and share with someone.  There is no reason to carry shame with us.  Share your story.  

AD TIME:
I was wearing this set which is available at Golden Pear or your local Parfait by Affinitas store. (Hey why not sell some set for my girl at Golden Pear :) )

Creative Post: The Scholar-Practitioner as a Moral Being

I posted a music video that I created for Max Reynolds and his wonderful song Draw the line a few weeks back.  The whole video was inspired by a project I have due for one of my doctorate classes.  The project is the poetic of leadership.  Here is the 10 min extravaganza!

Wordless Wednesday: The Shiz

Thank you to Sarah from Harbuck & Co for this wonderful family picture of us with The Shiz.  The Shiz was the opening to the Hidden Village Music Festival and they rocked it out!  So maybe not so wordless :)

Mamavation Monday: Trying to garden in a bag

I have a black thumb.  Like seriously black.  I once tried to plant blackberry bushes and just about killed them or outright killed them, I don't remember anymore.  One week after I abandoned them to the great gardener in the sky, the stupid bushes came back to life and started growing!  I'm the sort of person should not have plants.

Now that I have Ravebaby, I am determined to try and grow things with her.  As a homeschooling mother, I feel like I need to expose her to a little bit of everything and growing stuff should be part of a well rounded education.  So what is a homeschooling mother with a black thumb to do?

The answer came via my Facebook timeline, garden in a bag!  I want to say that my fellow Mamavation Sista over at Just Joanna is the one who posted about this great idea but I don't really remember now.  The basic idea is you buy some prestarted plants and a bag of potting soil.  Next you poke holes in the bottom of the bag, turn over, and cut a square out of the top and plant your stuff in the dirt.  No digging up the ground and that means no scars in yard if I manage to kill everything again.

Ravebaby and I have planted cilantro, red bell peppers, and zucchini, which I bought at my locally owned feed store.  I placed my bag of Miracle Gro potting soil on an old palette to keep it off the ground and we're ready to see how we do.  If I manage to keep these alive for a while then we'll go out and plant more stuff in this manner.  The only thing I wish I had done differently was to have looked for and purchases an organic potting mix.  The Miracle Gro's chemically smell turned my stomach a bit and lingered in the car for way too long.  So here's to a garden in a bag!