Mommyhood and the Mean Girl Culture

Hello! It has been over two years since my last post…time has surely gotten away from me as I have begun the journey of becoming a mom. Now that I have a most beautiful 17 month old, Logan, and am pregnant with my second, I wanted to share some things that have been haunting my thoughts in the wee hours of the morning. While some of these thoughts are not new, they hit me like a freight train in the middle of the night last night. I was up because: 1. I always get up to pee because, well that's what you do when you are pregnant, and 2. I couldn't breathe because I have a cold and have to rely on home remedies i.e. lots of steam, neti potting, humidifier blasting cool mist which soaks my sheets more than anything else, and prayer to get rid of the congestion. Good times. Anyway, I was thinking about my little one in my belly and wondering if the babe is going to be a girl (I think it is…I will find out in a couple of weeks). If this child is a girl, I just imagine the things she will have to endure within our culture. Let's face it, girl culture has been the same for as long as the human race has been around, of that I am sure. But it seems to be getting worse because of reality TV and social media. I don't want my little girl (or boy) to have to put up with mean girls. I know I did, and I survived, but it is no fun. Sometimes the sweet, nice girls becomes a mean girl because she is friends with her. I know I did, and I survived. I know I can still be a mean girl, and I hate that part of me. It is ugly and usually fueled by contempt, jealousy, lack of understanding of a person, and prejudice. Ew. All of those things are not qualities I want my children to see in me…ever! What brought on these thoughts of the "Mean Girl Culture" was the simple fact that I was watching the Women Tell All episode of the Bachelor. I am blushing with shame as I reveal that I watch this ridiculous show. Every season, they have this episode to reveal the "truth" behind all the drama, with the women accusing one another of bad behavior, and with all of them shedding tears, shaking heads in disbelief, and lots of rude eye rolling. And for what? A guy? Is that where their self worth lies? And is their self worth further elevated by tearing down the girls that the rest of them don't like? Do they feel better about themselves for saying nasty things and pointing fingers and not listening when someone is trying to apologize? Mean. They were all mean last night, and all season long. And mommyhood can also be just as mean. It has become a subculture of the overarching Mean Girl category. We compare and contrast, seeing who does things better than the next mom, and I know I have fallen into this as well. I am not proud, but the more I realize I am doing it, the more I want God to change my heart. I want to be the type of mom who accepts everyone and loves them right where they are, to encourage and not tear down. I want to be a mom who lends a helping hand or offers soft advice or prays for those who need it. I want to be a mom that would make my Father in heaven proud. I don't want ugly behavior to show up when I feel threatened by another mom, because what would I be teaching my children? That is not what being the light of the world or salt of the earth, you know, the kind Jesus talked about us becoming, looks like. So while watching the Bachelor has never been an edifying experience for me, it did teach me a good lesson last night. Being a mean girl means being an ugly one. It means not being a good friend, mom, or person. And above all, I want my self-worth to be based on how God views me and not through the means of tearing others down.

I Love Me Some Pugs!

For years, Patrick, my husband, and I have been contemplating adopting a dog, but with our crazy schedules and frequent trips, we thought that it would be pointless and completely unfair to raise a dog just yet. The kind of dog I would love to get one day, is one that could run with me, preferably a medium sized dog, and one that loves to just hang out. My ideal pooch would most likely be a yellow lab or a boxer. Patrick, on the other hand, loves pugs. He likes that they are small, high energy (until they get fat), loves that they get fat and become more wrinkly, and they have such cute smushy faces, who could resist. I know I can't. Maybe we need to get two dogs. In that case, we could never travel ever again! Sigh... But I digress...back to the pugs. My mom has a wonderfully delightful pup named Jack, and he is half pug, half Jack Russell terrier. He is a jug. Jack has the head of the terrier but the body and coloring of a pug, complete with cinnamon roll tail. He loves me because he knows that when I come to visit, I play with him and take him for W-A-L-Ks. He knows how to spell that word now...nothing can get past this dog. Anyway, we love him, and we get to lavish all of our love on him for the future dog that we do not have presently. So, a few days ago, I got to thinking about making some new, witty cards for Valentine's day. The first thing I thought of..."It must be puggy love," and drew inspiration from Jack and Patrick's love of pugs.

Here is a photo of Jack the jug

I will be posting some more new items to my site in the coming week, so stay tuned!

Happy Friday

The weekend is here, and to show some love to my friends, family, readers, and customers, I have a coupon code for you to enjoy 25% off of my merchandise at The Cozy Rhino! That includes everything...Christmas cards, ornaments, and new and old knitted items. The Coupon Code for today is HAPPYFRIDAY1...just include the code when you check out and that is all you have to do! So, have a happy Friday and a happy weekend!!!

New Knits

My latest creations are up for sale at my Etsy shop, and I am excited about them! I think they are so super cute, and they would make a perfect gift for Christmas. So far, I have the one set in Mustard, but I will be working on some more in other colors as well. I also have lots of ideas for scarves and hats with neon colors. So, stay tuned for fun items that will be popping up at The Cozy Rhino. in the coming weeks. Also, if you have been keeping up with my blog, thanks! And to show you my thanks, for the next couple of weeks I will be posting coupon codes for my store. Please keep reading, and please buy some of my stuff...it is all made with love! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the weeks leading up to the holidays!

Christmas Cards

Well the holidays are just around the corner, and to get you thinking about it a little more, I thought I would share my cards with you. I think these cards are cute and simple, a just a little sparkly to brighten anyone's heart. So, I have 4 designs that I drew myself! Check them out, and order today because before you know it, it will be the day after Christmas, and too late to spread holiday cheer to your loved ones.

Peace on Earth, good will toward men.

Woodland creatures wishing you Happy Holidays!

Nutcracker suite holiday. Inside reads, Merry Christmas.

Joy...to the world, the Lord has come. For a better look at the inside of cards click here. Orders include 10 cards for $15.00 with envelopes. Have a Happy Thanksgiving week!

Happy Friday!

I can't believe this week has gone by so quickly! It is Friday already? When did that happen? I hope the next 5 days go by quickly, and then as soon as Wednesday gets here, time can stop! This is my Thanksgiving wish I(is that a real thing? well it is now) because my sister, brother-in-law, and lovely little niece are coming to visit us in Colorado!!! Anyway, I have been preparing for their coming arrival by purchasing a pack-n-play (yes...all my friends with small kids can visit us too!!!), and picking up diapers and baby food, not to mention my long list of grocery items for making my very first Thanksgiving meal! Please do not mistake me, I am not complaining. I am actually happy to do all this stuff. I am like Martha but with a Mary attitude, I guess you could say. There are still many things in which I need to get ready for my visitors, like finally cleaning out my car because it still has sticky, half-eaten yogurt drops encrusted on my seats left over from babysitting, and this is just not acceptable any longer. The list goes on, and I will certainly not bore you, dear reader, any further, for I am sure you have your own lists and preparations that are looming over your shoulder. Did I mention that I have a habit of conveniently distracting myself from things that need to get done right away with things that I would rather do instead? Yes. I learned this art of procrastination well in my college days. Anyway, I have decided, instead of more grocery shopping, cleaning, and whatever else needs to get done, I am making Christmas cards. These will be up on my site either today or tomorrow at the latest. This making of the Christmas cards is also creating more of a mess to clean up later, but for now, I am having fun!

Ah, well...Happy Friday!

The Holidays Are A'Comin'

I just returned from a wonderful weekend at the "Happiest Place on Earth," and while being at Disney World, I had the chance to see all the beautiful lights set up for Christmas. Cinderella's castle was just dripping in icicle lights, Main Street U.S.A. was decked with wreaths and laden with fake snow, and Hollywood Studios was covered in millions of tiny colored lights that danced. How could I not give into to holiday spirit, only a week away from Thanksgiving which will officially kick off the season. I have been trying to work on getting some of my hand drawn cards (Christmas and otherwise) up onto my shop. So, as I listened to my collection of favorite Christmas tunes, I created a woodland scene wishing you a happy holiday. More cards will be appearing on the site as the week progresses...and not just for the Holidays but for all occasions.

The cards come in a set of 10 for $15.00, and they are 5x5 and include the envelopes. More details are given on the shop site. Also, don't forget to purchase a mustache ornament. So far, you have helped me raise close to $40 for the Red Cross! Help me make it to $50 by the end of the week...I only need to sell just a few more to reach that first goal! Have a happy week.