by Joey | Nov 3, 2015 | Throwback
Over the weekend, a friend shared something with me that not only horrified me, but also got me thinking.
She received a card in the mail from one friend who has children. In that circle of friends, she and her husband are the only couple without a child. Well, the card was addressed to
The Blank Family
Family was crossed out.
Not only did I think it was all kinds of tacky, it struck me as extremely insulting and hurtful. As if those of us without kids haven’t earned the right to be labeled as a family.
Knowing my friends’ story, I know she’s been struggling to start her own family. Now, not everyone knows that, as it’s no one’s business, but when she shared this little story, my heart broke for her.
Real talk? J and I aren’t 100% sold on the whole idea of kids yet. I know we’re getting older, and we’re running out of time to even make that decision. But the way we look at it, it would be unfair to bring a child into our family if we weren’t certain. And it’s our right to make that decision.
But when my friend shared her story, it got me thinking. Are J and I not a family because we don’t have children? Is it possible we won’t ever be a family if we choose not to have kids?
And the answer is
absolutely not.
I know we all might define family differently, and that’s okay. But we never have the right to define someone else’s family. There’s a good chance J and I might live entire lives as just the two of us, and that doesn’t make us any less of a family than those of you who are already knee deep in Legos.
I’ll admit that for a while, I felt a horrible pressure to have children. Not only was it the next step, but I craved that definition, that separation. I felt like J and I didn’t have the right to make decisions for ourselves as a family that separated us from the traditions of our families without kids. When you make a choice with your children’s best interest in mind, who could blame you? But if you make a decision with your best interest in mind, you’re selfish.
Take the holidays, for example. If you choose to stay home for Christmas so your children can wake up in their own beds and spend Christmas morning in their own house, people will commend you, telling you it’s time to start your own family traditions.
But if you choose to spend Christmas at home, just the two of you, you run the risk of hurt feelings. Why wouldn’t you want to be with family?
And there’s that word again.
When you have children, the world sees you differently. You fit into the standard definition of family. And I can absolutely see how people who might not be 100% certain they want kids can give into the pressure because it just seems easier.
But listen. Family is only exactly what you make it to be. If you want children coming out of your ears then so be it! But if you’ve only ever wanted a spouse and a couple pets, that’s perfectly okay, too.
Sometimes family excludes blood relatives in exchange for special friends, or an odd combo of it all.
And you know what? Whatever works for you.
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by Joey | Nov 2, 2015 | Throwback
J and I do this thing. It started initially because we couldn’t afford much else. But as the years have gone on, we’ve continued to do it because it’s something that’s ours.
We take our at home date nights pretty seriously. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy a nice dinner out or catching a movie, but sometimes by time the weekend rolls around, the idea of having to be on seems exhausting. That’s when the at home date night gets activated.
It’s easy to fall into normal habits during “dates” at home. You’re on the couch with your dinner on a TV tray and a movie. You’re both glued to your phones. The dryer dings and you grab the clothes and start sorting. The floor needs sweeping. The next thing you know, one of you has fallen asleep on the couch which effectively ends the night all together. Fail. Right?
Well, we switch things up. If you’ve hung out around here long enough you’ll remember when we built a fort at Christmastime and it was the best thing ever. Back in Athens, we used to have living room picnics, pre-Bailey. We’ve discovered the secret sauce to our at home date night success. We’ve blended it all together and do living room campouts!
We blow up the air mattress and set it up in all its cozy glory. We pick shows off our DVR that we’ve been saving to watch together (or rent a redbox or two). And best yet, we pick an old favorite recipe that’s easy to make together for dinner.
For some reason, just doing something slightly different like sleeping in the living room makes it all feel more intentional. I’m no longer focused on the cleaning. Our phones stay in our bedroom. And we live on the bed in the living room. Sometimes we leave the set up all weekend long, turning date night into date weekend.
Friday, before I left for work, I started some buffalo chicken in the crockpot. Buffalo Chicken Pizza is one of our faves, and I thought it’d be fun for us to make together. When J got home from work, we set up the air mattress and prepped the pizza, laughing and joking through it all. Absolute perfection, if you ask me!
Buffalo Chicken
- 3lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or unfrozen, I used unfrozen)
- 12 oz Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 1 packet of ranch dressing mix
- Place all your ingredients in the crockpot. People will tell you it matters what order you pour them in, but it doesn’t. I was in a hurry and just dumped it all in.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5.
- Shred the chicken about 1 hour before serving to allow it to soak in the juices.
I usually make this earlier in the week to use for salads. With the leftovers, we make Buffalo Chicken Pizza!
Buffalo Chicken Pizza Sauce:
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 tbs all purpose flour
- ~1 cup cold milk
- ~1 cup franks red hot sauce
- Melt the butter over medium heat
- Whisk in the flour until a rue forms
- Whisk in the milk, bringing the heat up to medium/high. Whisk constantly to avoid burning. The sauce will begin to thicken
- Whisk in hot sauce, reducing heat to low.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza:
- Pre-packaged pizza dough (I used Mama Mary from Harris Teeter)
- Sauce
- Mozzarella & Cheddar Shredded Cheese
- Buffalo Chicken
- Preheat oven according to instructions on the dough.
- Spread a generous amount of the sauce on the dough
- Add a hefty helping of buffalo chicken on top of the sauce, spread out.
- Sprinkle a mixture of mozzarella & cheddar cheese
- Bake according to instructions on the dough.
by Joey | Oct 30, 2015 | Throwback
Trust me. You’ll be just as obsessed as I am…
Anyway.
Somehow we’ve made it to Friday. Praise Jesus, Hallelujah! Usually by Thursday, my body just says nope, you need to be done. This week in particular, I just can’t. I walked upstairs after my Sushi Thursday date, laid on the couch, and needed serious convincing that I couldn’t just stay there the entire night.
I haven’t said much of note this week. I’ve been off my game. But I was pretty proud of my post on Tuesday, and if you’re dealing with anything toxic in your life, it’s worth a read. Oh, and I put a lot into Monday’s post, too. If you’re struggling to find inspiration and motivation, give it a look. You just might get something out of it.
Some other people have been pretty spot on this week though:
Tiffany tells you you’re right where you’re meant to be. And I couldn’t agree more.
Paige shares what she wishes she’d known before she monetized her blog. This is a must read.
Amanda encourages us to leave our comfort zones and try new things. This one was like a punch to the gut. Go. Read it now.
I’ll be honest, I was off my life game this week. Pretty much nothing I intended got done this week. And most nights I was in bed before 9PM, unable to function. I think we all have weeks like this, and it’s okay. We can’t win them all. But I guess that means I don’t get sprinkles on my ice cream cone this week. Sprinkles are for winners.
Happy Friday, Friends!
by Joey | Oct 29, 2015 | Throwback
Oh friends. I finally just now crashed down on the couch, Cheetos and wine in hand. In case you don’t follow me on Snapchat (@johodgespodges in case you want to)…the boot is back.
Wait, what? Yeah. My foot had been bugging me for some time now, but after running on the treadmill last Thursday, it entered excruciating territory. In case you’re new here, I spent 8 weeks in a boot last spring for a stress fracture after completing the C25K program. Well, apparently running on a treadmill will cause one of those to come back. Cool.
I’m supposed to be in a webinar right now, but when I got home, I scrubbed the shower. Which is by far my least favorite chore of all time. Because honestly? How the eff are you actually supposed to scrub a shower? I tried Borax tonight. It worked pretty dang well to be honest, if you’re interested. I showered immediately after, slipped while shaving my legs, and fell.
So I think I just give up.
Instead I’m on the couch, finally, with my feet up. The pup is inching her way onto the couch at my side (she’s not allowed up here without a blanket…but she tries). And I’m sipping my wine and eating my Cheetos. Because it’s only Wednesday and already my life is falling apart.
Dramatic much?
In other news, I’m completely obsessed with Adele’s new song, Hello. J walked in on me listening to it the other day and now he won’t stop singing Lionel Richie’s Hello. Over and over and over.
I also finally broke down and scheduled my life out on iCal. I go on deadline for book number two starting next week, so life as I know it is about to come to a halt. So basically, if it’s not on my iCal…it’s not happening. Want a peek at what my mornings look like to balance deadline and blogging? Here.
For the record, I go to my day job at 11:30. I hid that calendar for the sake of this image for privacy reasons. I don’t just get to hang in bed with Netflix as of 11, promise. Although wouldn’t that be cool?
Okay, friends. It might be bed time. Because I’m old and broken. Hope your week has started off better than mine. Sushi Thursday night, though, and that can pretty much make everything else feel better.
Now, it’s your turn!
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by Joey | Oct 28, 2015 | beauty, Loves
What Is Sinful Shine?
Sinful Shine is newish collection from the original Sinful Color’s line. What you might not know is that Sinful Shine has actually been around for some time already. You’ve seen the bottles with the silver cap, well, those are all Sinful Shine products with Gel Tech. More recently, though, they’ve released the duo: the Sinful Shine polish with a sister Sinful Shine Top Coat.
What Is Gel Tech?
Gel Tech is a newly discovered formula from the brand Sinful Color designed to make your manicure last longer.
Where Can You Find Sinful Shine?
I found my duo kit at Target. You can purchase the pieces individually or some of them are prepackaged together for a slight discount. You can also find them at any big box store and Walgreens.
How Much Does Sinful Shine Cost?
They’re priced individually for $2.99, just a dollar more than the standard Sinful Color’s collection. You can find the prepackaged kits that include a Sinful Shine step 1 and the step 2 top coat for $5.99 at Target.
How Does It Apply?
Two coats of step 1 followed by one coat of step 2 is what they suggest. Having already been a fan of the Sinful Colors line, I wasn’t surprised to find that the formula is extra creamy and applied opaque in one coat. I followed up with a second just to ensure a perfect manicure, but I really could have gotten away with one. Step 2 is a thinner formula than my beloved Seche Vite, but I assume that’s what results in the super high shine gloss. It applied just fine and was easy to use.
Dry Time
My manicure passed the dry test (tapping two polished fingers together without that tacky, sticky feeling) in 22 minutes.
Claims
I appreciate that there are no lofty claims from this product, you know, saying it’ll last a month or something like that. They simply claim that the Gel Tech formula helps your manicure last longer and using the duo together will result in a manicure that’s 5 X shinier than a patent leather shoe.
Does It Last?
I sort of knew what to expect since I’ve used the stand alone Sinful Shine polish on its own in the past, but yes. It does actually last longer than a regular polish. Obviously the time line will vary depending on how rough you are on your nails, but I spend half my day doing household chores, and mine lasted chip free for 5 days! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner in my book!
Would I Recommend Sinful Shine?
Yup, absolutely. I’ve never been disappointed by the Sinful Colors range in the past, and I had high expectations for the duo. If you’re into the super shiny gel looking manicures that are easy to remove, this is for you. The step 2 topcoat isn’t 100% necessary in my opinion, especially if you’re a Seche Vite cult follower like me, which also offers that high gloss shine in way less drying time. In my opinion, it’s a steal! Go out and snatch some for yourself today!
This post is not sponsored. Sinful Colors has no idea who I am (but wouldn’t that be cool?).
This post does contain affiliate links.
