tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53555805968101210902024-03-05T00:29:30.372-08:00Once Upon a FairyLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-78076874283621620242012-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:002012-12-13T20:14:05.267-08:00Lost and Forgotten in the MilitaryMy husband's unit recently deployed. With that deployment came a barrage of emails from the FRO, along with all sorts of other questions from other wives about how things were going, if I'd heard from my husband yet, what company he deployed with, etc. Part of me wants to lie. I can make up information to tell them, so that I can feel like I belong in their club. But another part of me wants themLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-50834637368263623722012-11-18T00:16:00.001-08:002012-11-18T00:16:15.733-08:00Raising a Child Outside ConsumerismThis is something I've been trying to figure out how to write for a while, because it's one of those topics where, if done wrong, it's going to either piss off 90% of my followers or else make me just look like a soapbox crazy hippie. Basically, over the past few years I've been trying to take a step back and really evaluate my life and how I live it, and what I'm getting from it. I've noticed a Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-37638176403046436192012-10-15T23:41:00.001-07:002012-10-15T23:50:23.188-07:00Moms, STAY in the picture and STOP apologizing!
There has been an article recently, buzzing around the internet. "The Mom Stays in the Picture" was originally written by Allison Tate of Huffpost, and has since gone viral.
Tate speaks about many of us mothers' (nay, us WOMENS') concerns over appearing in photographs looking "uggy". Alas, it was this very fear that bred the "myspace angles" and "duck face". Reading it, I did Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-29038821728164144062012-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:002012-09-01T17:02:06.286-07:00Wife of a Wounded MarineI still remember back to 2009 when my husband went off to boot camp. It was the beginning of what I thought would be the rest of my life as a military spouse. He was going to go career, and I was preparing myself for the deployments, the separations, the moves and the hardships.
In 2010 he deployed to Afghanistan, and when he came home 13 months later things were different. Not terribly, Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-81287004923343767282012-08-18T02:19:00.004-07:002012-08-18T02:19:50.199-07:00Drowning in the mommy sea
When I was in the hospital after Fairy's birth, one topic kept coming up: Post Partum Depression. "If you feel sad, tell someone, " they said. They told my husband to keep an eye on me and note any major personality changes. Everyone was so serious about it, like if I started to get some post partum crazies they would swoop in and make it all go away. They lied. Immediatly post partum was prettyLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-68491975565980582142012-05-30T21:12:00.000-07:002012-05-30T21:15:19.556-07:00Overcoming Birth TraumaI know I haven't blogged in a while (a VERY long while). I almost feel like my blog died when DH came home from Afghanistan.
Last I wrote, I was 12 weeks pregnant and bemoaning the homebirth that would never be. By now, I have a 4 week old daughter. This is the story of her birth. I'm writing it because I have to. I have to get the entire thing out in the open so I can begin to cope with what Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-81061568464259819722011-11-10T00:10:00.000-08:002011-11-10T00:10:55.039-08:00How Insurance Ruined My Pregnancy(I'm pregnant, did I mention that? Yes, 3 years paid off and we didn't even need to start fertility meds).
Anyways...so maybe insurance didn't ruin the ENTIRE pregnancy. Morning sickness and my insane amount of bloating have already ensured that this pregnancy was ruined long before beaurocracy even played a part at all.
As a first time TTCer, I had...expectations. Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-50026963997187148892011-09-14T23:25:00.000-07:002011-09-14T23:25:11.078-07:00Thank you for not believing in me.This is a letter to a person. A person who won't be named-they know who they are. This letter is public because it is important and it is important because it defines who I am:
Today, I talked to you. I told you how my husband and I were trying to have a baby, how we have been trying for some time, how I have been diagnosed with a condition that renders me infertile, and how we were going toLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-57169031844294569192011-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:002011-09-03T19:21:39.954-07:00Gays at the park!Earlier today I read a blog post wherein a woman expresses her disdain for homosexuals in public:
"I find myself unable to even leave the house anymore without worrying about what in tarnation we are going to encounter. We are responsible citizens. We live by the rules, we pay our taxes, we take care of our things. I'm supposed to be able to influence what goes on in my community, and as a Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-74586770426642533402011-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:002011-08-30T11:32:05.997-07:00What shaving my head taught me about being a womanAt the age of 14 I began a love/hate relationship with my hair. Finally old enough to own my own blowdryer, buy the "luxury" shampoos, and read the glamour magazines, I was convinced that if I could just have the perfect hair, that everything in my life would fall into place. If only my hair was pretty, if only I had the flowing, well-behaved locks of every popular girl in school, I could conquerLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-77391596753918095852011-04-18T14:35:00.000-07:002011-04-18T14:37:52.093-07:00Guess who's back!Aside from me...
Yup, DH came home on March 15! The only way I can really describe it is "weird". Part of me does still yearn for the days when I could do things on my own schedule, didn't have to share the car, and could take up the whole bed and watch Netflix well into the night. But it's still pretty awesome to have him home.
In other developments, I found my calling. Those who have Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-81044373241765502932011-02-25T00:32:00.000-08:002011-02-25T00:32:14.659-08:00The Great Mouse HuntWhen I was 8 my parents took me to see the movie "Mouse Hunt". You know, the one with Nathan Lane and Christopher Walken about the mouse that can't be destroyed? What you don't know about that movie is that it isn't fiction. No, "Mouse Hunt" is actually the very gripping and suspenseful non-fiction tale of 2 mortals who take up arms against a fiendish rodent and destroy an entire house Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-40597353924995426242011-02-04T15:41:00.000-08:002011-02-04T15:41:18.838-08:00If you don't like America, then leaveSorry I haven't been writing recently. I've been experiencing some quite awful writers block, coupled with a bit of a gym obsession (8 lbs down), and homecoming stress. I've been wracking my brain, pondering what to write about for quite a few weeks now but it wasn't until today that I actually figured it out.
There is something that happens in this country, something I see quite often in the Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-24432706685947717792011-01-23T01:26:00.000-08:002011-01-23T01:26:13.988-08:00Homecoming FitnessYa I know...I've been out for QUITE a while. That seems to be the pattern with me. Eh whatever, deal with it.
Anyways, I am going to blog about my homecoming fitness regime. My husband comes home in less than 2 months, which means I am nearing the home stretch. My first thought at being so close to homecoming was "yay!" My second though was "oh shit, whatever happened to my weight loss".
So nowLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-13520261633295605992011-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:002011-01-04T13:02:07.087-08:00Giveaway update:If you haven't received your giveaway prize yet...there's an explanation. It involves me being sick, then me being lazy, then me trying to "do all of my errands at once" (which involved waiting until EVERY package was complete so as to avoid multiple trips to the post office). Uh huh, right.
But, they are all in the mail now, just so you guys know. Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-83888781210646515172010-12-31T14:08:00.000-08:002010-12-31T14:08:41.251-08:00Irresponsible Pet OwnersI decided to dedicate this post to something that really gets on my nerves: people who shouldn't own pets, but do.
Back in April I decided that I wanted to increase the size of my pet family from one little kitty to 2 little kitties. I was approached by a Marine getting ready to deploy who was looking for homes for all 4 of his cats. After scouting out the prospects, I settled on a very small Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-83259322622725316362010-12-22T03:56:00.000-08:002010-12-22T03:56:21.934-08:00You're a mean one, Mrs. GrinchWell December certainly got away from me. It feels like just yesterday I was driving back from the airport after visiting family in Utah for Thanksgiving. In fact, I haven't even unpacked my suitcase from that visit (I know, I know...LOL) and yet it's 3 days until Christmas? Umm...WTF?!?!?!
So this year I am being a bit grinchy. Well, every year around this time I start to feel a bit grinchy Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-10899775300500768422010-12-19T14:38:00.000-08:002010-12-19T14:38:42.001-08:00BLOG WINNERSSo I finally got around to picking the winners to my blog giveaway, done via the completely random name in a hat method.
The winner of the Apron is: The Mrs, over at Diary of a Mrs
The winner of the cupcake kit is: JsnsWfy at Memoirs of Mental Illness (P.s, add her..she's new to the blogosphere)
The winner of the Envelopes is: AF Wifey at Swindy's Stories
So my blog winners need to Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-40728619469947172042010-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:002010-12-05T18:52:09.493-08:00BLOG GIVEAWAY!I'm re-hosting my giveaway now!!
I'm giving away 3 badass prizes!
The first is this retro apron from Domestically Challenged on Etsy! Now, I have seen this apron in person and seriously, I am jealous of whoever scores this prize because it is CUTE AS HELL!
The second prize is a cupcake kit with these custom-made cupcake wrappers from Etsy seller That's a Wrap. I am completely obsessedLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-52465852326627407392010-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:002010-11-23T00:01:53.484-08:00BLOG GIVEAWAY!Hey bloggy friends!
I'm (finally) hosting a blog giveaway!
I'm giving away 3 badass prizes!
The first is this retro apron from Domestically Challenged on Etsy! Now, I have seen this apron in person and seriously, I am jealous of whoever scores this prize because it is CUTE AS HELL!
The second prize is a cupcake kit with these custom-made cupcake wrappers from Etsy seller That'sLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-69604928886852563832010-11-21T19:00:00.000-08:002010-11-21T19:00:33.995-08:00The Best Deployment Advice Ever...DON'T MESS WITH YOUR HAIR!
Do not. Never ever ever. Not even a little bit. In fact, your entire deployment hair care routine should look like this:
1. Wash hair
2. Condition hair
3. Stop messing with hair
That's what they need to teach in the pre-deployment brief. Seriously. What to do when you get the mid-deployment itchings to change your appearance.
But why am I being so incessant aboutLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-34461452615355964132010-11-19T18:07:00.000-08:002010-11-19T18:07:18.771-08:00GAH! What to blog about??I DON'T KNOW!!
Umm..I'm watching "Babes in Toyland". I love that movie. I'm also changing my haircolor yet again (you will see soon).
Oh and before I forget, yes I'm aware my giveaway did not happen on November 12 as promised. You can thank Etsy for that one, for not shipping out my giveaway prizes for a whole 2 weeks after I ordered them. Grrr.....but, they are finally on their way (yayLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-33842178394762874192010-11-13T13:57:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:57:22.103-08:00An Atheist ChristmasI hate Christmas. I really do. I hate it yet I love it, and I hate that I love it.
A blog follower of mine asked me the other day if I celebrated Christmas because I was an atheist. It's a fair question, one that a lot of people have asked me and other atheists over the years. In fact, when I first started to lose my religion, not celebrating Christmas didn't even cross my mind. I mean comeLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-80851913502357941592010-11-11T07:22:00.000-08:002010-11-11T07:22:57.412-08:00Holy Shit...Is my husband even going to recognize me when he comes home??
I just compiled a photo montage of all the "looks" I've had since DH left. I'm convinced that he's probably not even going to recognize me when he gets home.
#1 is what I looked like when he left. #5 is what I look like now. That doesn't even take into account that by the time he comes home I will likely have lost 30+ lbs from my Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5355580596810121090.post-26273213139005035022010-11-11T02:11:00.000-08:002010-11-11T06:55:18.664-08:00Happy Veteran's DayI found a cool piece of history today on Youtube...home movies from Vietnam, featuring my husband's unit (1 MARDIV HQBN). I decided to make this video my Veteran's Day tribute just because it's neato to see my husband's unit back in the 60's/70's. Plus the soundtrack aint so bad either :)
Thank you Veterans!
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13894607049309943090noreply@blogger.com0