Spark some Controversy

You know what the silver lining is about this particularly gloomy part of late January? I just placed my Girl Scout cookie order! Hooray! I know I shouldn’t be so thrilled about this. I’m 24 years old…and I am trying to eat healthy and set a good lifestyle. But sometimes, you just have to have the cookie.

Well, the ending of this week was an interesting one, especially at work. Since I got the promotion, I have to move “offices” to a new space. I am also going to be switching shifts. I will no longer be working from 6-3 {tears} and will be going to an 8-5 shift. I loved my 6-3 shift, but I’m surprisingly happy to be going 8-5. I’ll get to sleep in a little longer and stay up a little later, I won’t have to tiptoe around in the mornings so I don’t wake up my husband, and I won’t have to get dressed in the dark! Plus, Charles and I will start car-pooling now, which means spending more time with him. It will be an adjustment, but I’m ready for it!

Photo Recap!

Ok you get three guesses on what I'm making, just to keep things fun. Give up yet? It's salsa =) My husband so kindly informed me at 2 in the afternoon the day before that he had a mexican potluck the next day and needed me to make homemade salsa. So off to the store I went, and he had homemade salsa to bring to work. "Working wife-a-holic"

After cooking for Charles' potluck, I had to start dinner. Since I had already cut up so many fresh veggies, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and whip together some meatloaf. You can't beat a meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans on a cold night

For art's sake, I had to finish a bottle of wine so that I could use the cork to add to my new monogram cork holder =) Cork Art at it's finest. And filling it up is pretty fun, too! 

5am Wife-a-Holic duties! Leaving Charles a note to make sure he takes the salsa to work for his potluck, and of course leaving him a mushy love note as well. All in a day's work.

 

 

Let's spark some controversy today and talk about gender roles. I know several of you probably won't agree with my views on the topic, but we got into this discussion at work the other day, and I thought it was a fun conversation...

Drumroll please..

 

Gender Roles. First, let me start by disclaiming that I work for a living {hence my tagline, working wife-a-holic}. That being said, I also feel like there are completely different expectations for men and women, and you know what? I'm okay with that. For example, when I get off work, I feel that it's my job to do the dishes, do the laundry, sweep, mop, vaccuum, cook, etc. Those I feel are "woman jobs". By the same token, I'm not going to want to mow the yard, rake the leaves, take out the garbage, work on the car, etc. Those I feel are the "man" jobs.

Sometimes, I think women get too bent out of shape over realistic expectations from men. Yes, men expect that you dress nice. Yes, men expect that you do sweet "wife" things for them {like cook things for their potlucks at the last minute...}. Yes, men expect that you clean the house. But you know what? I want to do those things!

Think that's old fashioned? Go ahead and think that. Because you're exactly right! Back in the old days, women were very concerned about making sure their husband's every need was catered to. Women wanted to keep their men happy and to please them. And you know what? There wasn't a 50% divorce rate back then, either.

Don't argue for the sake of arguing. Don't "hate cooking and cleaning" just because you think it's anti-feminist. Take care of your husbands {or fiance's, or boyfriends...} and take joy in doing things for them. Be a good wife. Respect your husband's, even when you don't feel like they deserve it. Treat them well. I know they say "happy wife happy life," {and it's so true}, but as a wife, you shouldn't be happy or satisfied when your husband isn't well taken care of.

When you get home today, go get your husband a beer, let him sit in front of the tv, and go cook dinner. Spoil him! I think you'll like how you feel when you do.

"The real act of marriage takes place in the heart, not in the ballroom or church. It's a choice you make -- not just on your wedding day, but over and over again -- and that choice is reflected in the way you treat your husband or wife."

 

 

Things I wish I knew in high school

It’s that inevitable time again. The start of school! Now I have graduated college, so I don’t have to worry about all of the back to school shopping craziness (although I must admit y’all, when I walk in to Wal-Mart and Target and see all of the adorable new locker decorations, notebooks, pens, lunchboxes, etc. I can’t help but wish I was back in school…I mean, why didn’t they have all of these awesome things when I was in school?) I still can’t help to get nostalgic about my high school days. In typical fashion, there are SO many things I wish I could change about my high school days. Especially with the wedding coming up soon, I have been particularly nostalgic and thinking about my childhood. I have been thinking about this a lot, and I came up with some advice for people starting high school, things that I more or less wish I knew, wish I did, or wish I believed.

1.)    Live your life for yourself, not some guy. Chances are, the guy will NOT stick around, especially at that age. You need to do what makes you happy, not what makes him happy. Always always ALWAYS be true to yourself. I wasn’t.

2.)    You will get your heart broken more than once, and it will be ok. Heartbreak is natural. After all, don’t they say if you never experience it, then you will never truly appreciate the blessings in life?

3.)    Work hard and learn as much as you can. Knowledge is powerful. Knowledge is sexy. Success is an attraction.

4.)    Make healthy choices: in your food, in your life, in your relationships, for your soul. Good (and bad) choices stick with you for the rest of your life. Choose wisely. Stop eating all of that garbage, stop choosing the guy who is causing you grief, stop hanging out with friends who have bad ideals, and stop thinking negatively about yourself.

5.)    Take that make-up off EVERY NIGHT. I struggled with that and now I have some lines and unattractive dark circles. Take care of the temple that God created.

6.)    Less really is more (except when it comes to your clothing, girls, cover yourself up). Quit wearing so much makeup, you don’t need that much. You’re beautiful. Quit eating so much! You need enough to make yourself full, but you don’t need to be gluttonous. Less perfume, you don’t need to smell up your whole classroom. Less television. Less hanging out with your boyfriend. Try cutting back and see how much happier you are!

7.)    Listen to your parents. They have your best intentions at heart. They want the best for you, and they are most likely right in what they are saying. They really have been your age, too.

8.)    Stop complaining, just do it. If I could count the number of fights with my parents that I could have prevented by just doing what they asked when they asked it, you would be shocked. I wasn’t a bad child by any means, but no kid wants to empty the dishwasher or do their homework all the time.  Just get it done, then you don’t have to avoid doing it and you don’t have to argue about it.

9.)    All that worrying won’t make your problems go away. Trust me. I’m a self-prescribed worry wart. But worrying about everything doesn’t make you feel better, it just makes things worse. Plus, most of what you worry about, doesn’t even occur! Just let it be.

10.) Karma does come back around. Trust me. Karma, good or bad, comes back to you. Don’t worry about that. Might as well have the good karma come around instead of the bad.

11.) Gossip reflects more poorly on the person speaking it. We all love a good, juicy story. Who doesn’t? but spreading or even just repeating a rumor that you don’t even know it was true, just to have something to talk about? Who has time for that? That is just bad character.

12.) Don’t be afraid to take off your rose colored glasses. The world isn’t perfect. There is pain. Don’t get stuck thinking life is some ideal world where everything is perfect. The small imperfections are where you will find beauty, peace, and your true self.

13.) Get involved! Join a club, join a youth group, be in student council, support a charity, go to the school football games, be on the dance team, just get involved! It is not only good for social and spiritual reasons, but it is also good looking on resumes, and I promise you won’t regret that.

14.) Think before you speak. Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary? Are you saying this out of anger? They say never to make promises when you’re happy, never reply when you’re angry, and never make a decision when you’re experiencing sadness. Do not become a victim of your emotions. Emotions shouldn’t control your words, and if you let them, it will lead to regrets.

15.) Be contented. This goes back to the commandments. Don’t covet! Be happy with what you have. Be content with who you are. Don’t wish you had more, be happy with yourself.

16.) Ask for help. Don’t fear being ridiculed. Don’t feel like you’re “stupid” for needing help. It’s a sign of maturity to realize when the problem is bigger than something you can handle. Always ask for help when you need it, you won’t regret it. I cannot stress this enough. I always feared asking for help, and now, in retrospect, I realize I needed help with much more than I realized.

17.) They will still love you. Your parents will still love you if you mess up. They’re your parents! I never fully grasped this. No matter how badly you mess up, they will still love you. Your friends will still love you even if you don’t go to the party they are throwing when you know it’s not a good environment for you to be in (or else they aren’t really your friends.) Your significant others will still love you if you don’t want to take the next step, or else they don’t really love you at all.

18.) Draw your OWN conclusions. Even if your friends don’t like someone, draw your own conclusion about the person. Make up your own mind about where you want to go to school. Create your own fashion sense. Be your own person, and not just the clone of your friends or what is “popular” at the moment. Individuals are far more fabulous!

I really hope the high schoolers out there are more savvy and suave at high school than I was. It’s a very impressionable time, and it can shape people into the young men and women they are going to be for  the rest of your lives. I hope this advice is something you all would agree with, and if you’re going into high school, give this a shot. You might just have a more positive experience than most!

Until next time,

Michele