I am loving Carson Kressley and this Lifetime show, “How To Look Good Naked“. I love it when I see mainstream media encouraging women to love themselves as they are. I know Dove started a campaign awhile back to celebrate all the different sizes and shapes women come in. This show is along those same lines. Each episode shows them taking one woman at a time and helping them start to see their bodies the way others do.

We women are so hard on ourselves, mainly because we compare ourselves to other women who (A) are not built like most OR (B) only exist in Airbrush World! It’s about time we started realizing that curves are normal. No curves is normal. Small boobs are normal. Big boobs are normal. Big butts, small butts, big thighs, little thighs, broad shoulders, narrow shoulders… the list goes on. The bottom line is we were all built in a million different ways so we need to stop focusing on the parts we don’t like and start celebrating our uniqueness.

I love my body - I have a big butt, a flabby belly, and I only stand at 5′1″ tall but it’s MY body. It’s one of a kind and I love it!

Lesson Learned: Pancakes Do Not Reheat Well in the Toaster. I learned this the hard way, of course. I had two leftover pancakes and I thought, “great, I can use those for dipping the yolk from my fried eggs. I’ll just throw them in the toaster like I would with bread!”

Not one of my best ideas.

Those little metal prongs that are designed to hold up toast? Also designed for stabbing the hell out of pancakes when they slip down in between the prongs and the heating coils. I did all the wrong things to salvage these two pancakes, like sticking a metal knife (and fork, there was a lot of utensil work) into the toaster while it was still plugged in, but darn it, I saved every last crumb of those pancakes and lived to tell about it!

Videos of my kid! This one is an example of his stellar vocabulary as well as his fascination with baseball. There are a few more posted on my Flickr page. The bath time video is two minutes long but I think it’s cute (and of course it’s G rated, I respect my baby’s privacy).

Luke got a package in the mail today from his Oma. See, my dad and stepmom live two hours away so they don’t get to see Luke much. Apparently Oma just can’t contain herself when it comes to lovin’ on her grandson because this is the second special delivery he’s received. The first time it was a cool little monster truck which he loves. Today it was a nifty racing shirt. I think the sunglasses add a nice touch (I still can’t believe he left them on long enough for me to snap the picture).

I’m trying to blog while the television is on but I keep getting distracted by the commercials so I decided to combine the two.

*”If you have too much stuff and not enough space, get the smart solution.” I just saw this ad for those vacuum sealed space saver bags. When the lady on the television started that sentence, I wanted to finish it for her. “If you have too much stuff and not enough space… get rid of the stuff!” Seriously, Americans have way more stuff than we need. Ditch the clutter! You won’t regret it!

*I just have to say I’m highly entertained by these new Hanes commercials advertising Wedgie-Free Panties. Very clever with the wedgie dance. You’ve gotta check out the website. They have the videos right on the home page, so you can see what I’m talking about. I was blessed with a bit of junk in the trunk so I have this problem a lot. I am a Hanes lover anyway, but this just seals the deal. Needless to say, I am intrigued. I want to be wedgie-free!

*Oh, and don’t even get me started on infomercials. Watching them is my favorite Saturday morning past-time. My favorite is the GTXpress with Cathy Mitchell. She just makes the meals look so easy and appetizing. And what the woman can do with leftovers… Wow! I’ve never been swayed to actually by the thing, but I could watch Cathy talk about it all day (in fact, I’m watching her right now…”You can make two meals at the same time!”). Apparently I’m not alone with this weird obsession. Read this: Cathy Mitchell Infomercials as Comfort Food?

*And now I’ll close with some commercial taglines that I find rather ridiculous (pairing totally serious statements with product advertisements makes it impossible for me take them seriously).

• “Keep Life Simple” (Mirena)
• “Unity on the Coke side of life” (Coca-Cola)
• “Save More. Live Better.” (Wal-Mart)
• “Come and get your love.” (Alltel)
• “Put a little love in your heart.” (Smart Balance butter. Butter, people.)

And here’s one that is just plain silly:

• “The result? An extraordinary nut snack” (TrueNorth)

Work has been crazy and it’s about to get crazier. I have never been so excited about the weekend. Not because I hate my job, but because I really need the break. I actually love my job, but by Friday I am mentally exhausted.

Luke is cutting teeth. No, seriously, he’s really teething this time. I can actually see one tooth on the top poking through and I think I can feel another one right next to it. He has two on the bottom (came through at 13 months) so pretty soon he’ll be able to really chew stuff! Of course he hasn’t let his delayed teething hold him back much. He can eat most foods, but there are few foods he has more difficulty with, like chicken and corn.

*Okay, short break to mention that I. Love. Brownies. I’m watching Paula Deen while blogging. It’s making it hard to focus. Oh, I love you Paula. She was supposed to take a bite of the display brownies, the ones that had already cooled, but instead she took a spoon and scooped a bite out of the warm brownies that were fresh out of the oven. It’s HER show after all!

Okay, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Luke is teething. His mood is fine throughout the day but he’s really hating going to bed at night. We’re pumping him full of Tylenol (which I hate) but I don’t know what else to do for him. He is feeling so much discomfort. The plus side of it (for me, anyway) is that when he’s feeling cruddy all he wants to do is wrap his arms around me and lay his head down on my shoulder. I’m LOVING it. I, in turn, rub his back while he’s cuddling and I’m sure he’s loving that too. He loves back rubs just like his daddy.

Other than that, Luke is doing really well. He’s doing all the cute things toddlers do. I have numerous videos and pictures and one of these days I’ll post some of them. Because I know everyone is dying to see them. You all agree my kid is the cutest, right?

*Update: This has become more urgent as my boss just let me know that her last day will be Friday. As in Friday, the day after tomorrow! So keep those suggestions coming! Oh, and keep in mind that I’m open to part-time help as well.

Okay folks. My boss is pregnant and due to have her baby Sept. 12. While she is on maternity leave I will be covering her position. We have been trying to find someone to hire to fill my position during that time. We’ve searched resume’s, we’ve interviewed, we even offered the position to someone but she turned it down. Now we’re scrambling and we need to hire someone ASAP.

Do any of you know someone in the Lansing area that’s looking for a full-time job? The position is entirely administrative, with lots of numbers and spreadsheets thrown in. It’s a temporary position but would start right away and probably go until April 15th. I need someone who is good with detail, learns quickly, and has a great attitude. Whoever we hire would be working directly with me. That’s a perk, right?

If you can recommend anyone, please email me at mindy(at)griddlebandits(dot)com. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

FINALLY, I was properly introduced to this thing called Webkinz. Momteacherfriend’s kids came over tonight and showed it to me. They are way into this thing. I guess you have to have one of these Webkinz stuffed animals in order to be able to even log in, so they were nice enough to let me play under their usernames. I played some games and earned them some money. It was super fun. I think I’m addicted. Now I just need to get my own Webkinz.

Oh, also I memorized the theme song to SpongeBob Squarepants. I can now check that off my list of goals to accomplish. Here, let me sing it to you:

Oooooooooooooh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SpongeBob Squarepants!
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!
SpongeBob Squarepants!
If nautical nonsense be something you wish,
SpongeBob Squarepants!
Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!

Call me crazy, but I think SpongeBob is kinda cute. I think for my next birthday I want a SpongeBob cake. And instead of the birthday song we could sing the theme song. Yes, I think I’m onto something here!

I’m not drunk, I’m just wearing high heels. If any of my neighbors had just seen me walk to my car, they for sure would think that I had a little extra vodka in my orange juice this morning.
Good morning!

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I did some decluttering & organizing in my home office today and I came across a lot of old mementos in the process. It left me thinking a lot about how much my life has changed over the years. For example…

I used to have free time. I spent 83% of it watching tv. Not much is changed except I have much less free time.

I used to hang out with my friends more often, yet now the friendships I have are deeper than ever.

I used to be in love with my husband. That has not changed In fact, my love for him grows exponentially stronger every year.

I used to be thin. I’m a bit heavier now but I’m ironically I’m finally happy with the way I look.

I used to make more money, but I was broke and in lots of debt. Now we both make less but our bills are paid and we have money left at the end of each month.

I used to cry a lot. I’m not sure what changed exactly, but it takes a lot nowadays to make me cry. My skin has thickened over the years and I’m just not as emotional as I used to be.

I used to feel imprisoned by pain and fatigue. I have fibromyalgia. I now know what my physical limits are and have learned to work with them rather than let them rule my life.

I used to be an overchiever. I have let go of a lot of my perfectionistic tendencies.

I used to feel guilty all the time. Mostly for being such a terrible
housekeeper. I’m not a lot better at housekeeping but I no longer have
the guilt.

I’m sure I could go on but that’s what comes to mind currently. If you had told me 10 years ago about the person I would be today, I wouldn’t have believed you. But oh, I am so happy to be here. God has done so many great things in my life and taught me so many life-changing lessons.

What about you? Are you where you thought you would be? Have you changed in ways that surprise you?