Enough!

Have you ever just been so done with literally everything that is going on around you that you just want to lose your shit scream?

Let's face it - we are all having to live through a lot of bullshit unusual situations these days. Living in 2022 is not for the weary and everyone has lost their damn minds. We live in a world where up is down, left is right, everyone is racist, there are 8,457 genders (and you’re a bigot if you say otherwise), usage of pronouns so someone doesn't accidentally *gasp* mislabel you, men can have periods and breastfeed, girls can have penises and dad bods, we are all about to start harvesting organs to pay for our gas and someone rubbed Christina Aguilera’s genie and let out a massive hulk penis thingy. 

You can’t say anything without offending someone. 

You can’t ask questions without coming across as judgmental and pushy. 

You can’t stay in your lane and mind your business because the literal fate of the world is at stake and silence is no longer golden. 

Suicide is at an all time high, gun violence is out of control so people preach about mental health awareness and being "kind" to others whilst being total douchebags actively rude, gossipy, judgmental humans on a daily basis, both in their cliques and in front of their children, who are growing up to be just like them. It's a vicious cycle!

 And don't even get me started on politics! 

 I think I can speak for many when I say that we are living in the most ridiculous and polarizing time ever. But at least one thing has remained consistent - people are still assholes jerks.

Everything in my life is so chaotic and busy right now.

Between our current reality, my kids, my job, family health crises, personal health crises,

a Husky in the summertime with excessively sheddy hair,

 Persian cats with poop stuck in the fur of their butts that are leaving snail trails all over our freshly cleaned floors, 

 and consistently dealing with assholes people who are unnecessarily rude all the time, I am doing what any well rounded, logical adult would do: BITCHING  BLOGGING 😀.

 In fact, I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head that I can’t even narrow it down to one subject to bitch blog about. I’m just fed up with it all and there is something about the use of run-on sentences and improper grammar with content that might potentially offend someone that makes me feel better. It's my love language. 

 I strive to be a good person, employee, daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother who controls her resting bitch face and raises good humans. 

 *Public disclaimer for all of my haters: ALL kids will inevitably mess up and do something stupid, that is not a reflection on how they are being raised and it's our jobs as their parents to beat their ass put them in time out until they learn from their mistakes, but one of the most satisfying parts of being a parent is watching that process unfold successfully as your child grows. Have a little grace and stop holding grudges 😝* 

With all that we are dealing with different stressors on a daily basis...let's all make an effort to not make it worse on people. Life is tough enough!  That's all. You may proceed with your day. And if you're first thought is to wonder if I am talking about you.... I probably am.  please reflect on your behavior, go get a glass of wine, a massage and read this blog again. 

DID YOU GET YOUR TICKETS?

For the Christians who keep slamming other Christians for not 100% buying into the Kanye West hype at the moment, allow me to share just a few of my personal observations and ask that you please forgive me for not hopping upon the Kanye West train just yet.

Do I think God is BIG enough and CAPABLE of reaching Kanye’s soul and transforming his life? Absolutely.
Do I think that is the reality of the situation?
Welllllllllll…… on this we might not agree….YET.

SAYING THIS LOUD FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK: I am not going to pretend to know someone else’s heart and maybe Kanye is 100% legit chasing after God and if that is the case – he will have my full support.


HOWEVER.

A few things strike me as odd about the whole KANYEMANIA that has taken the world by storm.

Kanye’s “Sunday Service” is an exclusive star studded event that is all the rave right now! I mean, Brad Pitt, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have even been in attendance!!

Nothing screams Christianity louder than having an A list celebrity following, signing non-disclosure agreements & wearing matching David Koresh outfits, y'all.

It’s also being reported that thousands of souls are being saved.

I mean, with all this positive press, it's no wonder that all the Christians are singing a little bit louder in the shower and pulling out their credit cards to purchase some Jesus merch. AMIRIGHT Y'ALL?

More people are apparently getting saved at one Kanye West Sunday Service than they are in an entire year at a regular Church!

And it only costs between $20.00-$30.00 to go get yourself saved (or even $100.00 depending on how close up to YEEZUS you want to sit) but please keep in mind that tickets sell out VERY QUICKLY and you can only purchase 4 tickets per household so if you have more than 2 kids, sorry - but you gots to leave one behind with a sitter. And did I mention you have to pay to go to Kanye's Sunday Service to hear the free word of God and get saved?
What a deal!

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE.

Now you can even purchase your very own JESUS IS KING sweatshirt off of Kanye's website for the very low price of $250.00.

Or if you prefer the bargain sweatshirt, this one is a steal at $170!!

Just pop on over to his website for more fun fashion options the whole family can enjoy. And remember.....nothing says I LOVE JESUS more than commercialization.

Although Kanye's album apparently is amazing and every single song has made it to the Billboard's 100 list, I have yet to hear any of his songs on the radio. Did everyone run to ITunes and purchase this album?
How did every single song make it on the 100 list without regular airtime?
Every. Single. Song.
Even On God.(have you read the lyrics to ON GOD?) I don't know how it all works. Really I don't. But it seems like a propgandy publicity stunty to me. (And yes I just made that word up.)

I just can't put my finger on exactly what it is about Kanye that strikes me as blasphemous and makes me hesitant to jump aboard the train based off his latest claims (and prices).

Hmmmm....

But I'm paying attention to see where this all leads.

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

That's all.

12 PRACTICAL INSIGHTS FOR STAYING SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD

1. Understand that everything that tastes good will eventually make you fat if you consume too much of it. Even wine.

2. You probably won’t ever win the lottery.

3. People *really are* that selfish and very few of them will ever realize it.

4. Higher expectations = higher risk of disappointment. No expectations = 100% risk of disappointment.

5. There is no such thing as completely unsubscribing from junk mail or email.

6. You will always have friends that you are there for, who won’t be there for you, but don't let that turn you into a bad friend.

7. Every good deed is immediately forgotten the second after a bad deed has been committed.

8. People will use you, gossip about you, & lie to you, but that should not change how you react to life. You control your own behavior.

9. You are not going to agree with everyone, and you can’t make everyone agree with you. But you don’t have to be a dick about it. And that's ok.

10. There will never be enough hours in the day. Cut the stuff from your schedule that doesn’t matter to you.

11. You might not accomplish every single goal you set, and that is ok. Life is not only about you. It's about the people we meet, the experiences we make, and the impact we have along the journey.

12. Life comes at you fast, but it can be taken away even faster. Remember to smile and not let the bad experiences in this world change who you are. Life is made up of good, and bad...and it's both of those components that make us who we are.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW.....

Friendship.

This is a topic I’ve been debating with myself about posting for a while now, because there is no way to not offend people I know or have my friends asking themselves if they are the assholes I’m talking about wondering if I’m referring to them.

However, after some tragic news I received this morning about a co-worker’s son taking his own life due to bullying, I’m convinced that this topic has been placed on my heart for a reason.

How does someone get to the point where they feel like suicide is a viable option?

Bullying is a HUGE problem that does not seem to be getting any better and it can be very hard for kids to escape it, even after they leave school for the day… ESPECIALLY if they have a cell phone with all the trendy aps aimed at keeping them plugged in and connected to their peers forever and ever and ever. And ever.

Kids are mean...and parents can be oblivious to it or think that their child isn’t doing anything wrong when they hear them making fun of other kids in the next room with their friends, and I’ve even witnessed some parents joining in.

Self-Image impacts nearly every single human alive due to the unrealistic pressures put upon us by society to meet their defined stereotypical standards of attractiveness. But definitely more so to our youth.
Boys are supposed to be tall, muscular & athletic.

God forbid they hit their growth spurt late.

Girls should be thin, always look beautiful & be dressed in all the latest fashion trends.

If a girl is fat – dear lord please let her be funny.

Self Esteem plays a big part in our overall outlook on life and when you feel like you don’t measure up....it has an impact on your self worth.

Competition for a spot on a team or an organization within the school system is insane these days. If you want to join the cheer squad, you better have your standing tuck by the time you exit the womb or you’re outta luck.

If you want to play baseball or football, you better be able to hit a homerun or score a touchdown by your mother’s second trimester or don’t even bother trying out.

So many kids are enrolled in tumbling / dance or youth sports at such early ages in life, that they build their entire world around it & have expectations that are completely shattered if they don’t make a team in school, which can leave them feeling devastated, isolated and depressed.

Isolation is entirely preventable & so often ignored in general, by adults & children alike, that it’s no wonder a child can feel like there is no one to talk to.

I am an introvert and meeting new people can be an overwhelming and daunting task…unfortunately my oldest daughter inherited this trait from me, so I’ve gotten to witness a lot of moments in her life that have reminded me of my own sour childhood experiences. Isolation and feeling disliked DOES have an impact on someone’s overall feeling of self-worth, even if they put up a tough exterior.

We can try and compartmentalize the contributing factors of suicide, we can talk all day long about how we live in a society that doesn't value life, and that video games let a person die a million deaths but you can always go grab a sandwich, come back to life and play again (which can skew reality for our children) and we can say that no one should think suicide is an option to any of life's problems....but what can WE do, individually, to combat this problem? You know, besides talking. What actual action can we take to ensure that we aren't contributing to the problem?

What can be done? How can we help someone who feels insecure, isolated & alone avoid thoughts of suicide?

FRIENDSHIP.

Having friends can make all the difference in the world, especially to someone who feels isolated, bullied & unwanted.

How can we teach our kids to notice when someone is being bullied, and go talk to that person and show them kindness. If they see that someone is eating lunch under the staircase all alone, reach out to them and ask them to join you. If someone is crying, acknowledge them and give them a tissue. BE AWARE and THERE for someone! It could make all the difference in that person's life. Humans are not meant to be alone.
How can we, as parents, teach our kids how to be better friends? Well we can definitely teach our children by condemning their gossipy & cliquey behavior, teach them how to treat people behind their backs as well as in front of their faces, teach them to include people & reach out to those who are alone and we can definitely teach them BY SETTING A BETTER EXAMPLE OF FRIENDSHIP FOR THEM!! Even as an adult I'm still caught by surprise at how totally self absorbed, thoughtless and rude some adults are. I am A PERFECT FRIEND not without my own faults, nobody is....but acknowledging that we have a responsibility to teach our children how not to be an asshole to be better people can start today.

For example, if you notice that your child has cliquey tendencies & tends to make fun of people from their school with their friends a lot…..SHUT that shit behavior down. I don’t care if you think your child is a bully or not…..if they are making fun of people with their friends in your home, you can be sure it goes to school with them as well. Parents need to realize that gossiping IS a form of bullying, and the thoughts that come out of your child's mouth on a Friday night with their friends do not stay at home while they leave for school on Monday morning. Parents should know this and realize it will affect their behavior away from home.

Start early on & teach them! I personally prefer a more “hands on” approach and have personally shamed my youngest daughter & her friends (several times) and lectured them on all the possible things that could be happening in that child’s life, behind the scenes, and made them feel like hideous tiny human beings for talking bad about the person. Even if they only felt that way for 5 whole seconds. Consistency is key.

I have volunteered in several capacities for various youth sports organizations for over 10 years and invited many kids that my kiddos didn’t necessarily like to their birthday parties, movie trips, or any type of gathering where a child might have heard about it later on and gotten their feelings hurt if they hadn’t been invited.
Why?
Because I was the child that didn’t get included and I have wiped many tears from my own children’s faces after being excluded. Can I just say that there is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a tiny little face full of tears and disappointment because they weren’t included?

If my kids didn’t like it, I said tough shit and explained to them why we were not going to do that to someone...and guess what – they survived it and are better people because of it.

I’ll admit, the minute my kids started to get excluded from parties after I extended the olive branch…..I learned for my next party who I could omit from the guest list. I’m not Jesus after all.

Even as an adult, I still witness adolescent behavior out of other fully grown adults. Dance moms that gossip with other dance moms about another dance mom, or worse....the dancer, right in front of their daughters, or dads that make fun of smaller & weaker boys on their son's sports team right in front of their sons. What kind of effect does this have on your child? What kind of effect does it have on the other child? Is this kind of behavior helping the bullying problem?
Anyway I guess my point is that if we want bullying to stop - we need first and foremost stop ignoring bullyish behavior. We need to teach our kids to be better people. We need to be better people. We need to do better.

Kindness costs NOTHING and it goes a long way.

PEACE OUT.

.

HYPOCRISY - IT'S NOT JUST YO MAMA'S PROBLEM ANYMORE

I’ve never been a very political person, but being a concerned citizen of our great country, I’d like to share some things I've learned from the Hollywood scandal. So grab some popcorn and try not to get your panties in a wad.

1. This Weinstein scandal only further confirms that influential people have the ability to control the media. NO ONE should have the power to tell a news reporter what or what not to publish....and when entertainers such as Matt Damon or Russell Crowe are successful in pulling it off, you would have to be a complete nitwit to think politicians (of all parties) do not, are not, and have not done this. When the news we see can be manipulated - we should all be concerned, regardless of political affiliation.

2. Every time something is happening that should concern American citizens....the news gets preoccupied with another topic which completely dominates the limelight. When was the last Las Vegas massacre update you heard?? It’s like an Easter egg hunt trying to find updates on it because all news stations, social media outlets and radio shows are preoccupied with the Weinstein scandal. Weinstein’s behavior was widely known in Hollywood for decades!! How convenient for it to be ‘breaking news’ just one or two days after all the inconsistencies in the Vegas massacre were starting to be noticed. I don’t know if Weinstein was just a lamb to the slaughter to distract us from more sinister and disturbing news, or if Hollywood *just now* decided to grow a conscience (even if it did happen on the coattails of a tragedy and basically overshadowed the victims of the Vegas shootings). But either way. That timing though.

3. Hollywood film stars, who are made famous by their uncanny ability to convincingly portray a wide variety of different complex characters found in their scripts, should NOT be who Americans turn to for political, personal or spiritual advice. I totally get that they are believable, beloved household faces….some whose faces we see more often than our own family members…but that doesn't mean you can trust them!! They are highly paid human beings who are great at faking emotions, opinions, outrage & a multitude of diverse personalities in front of a crowd, for profit. I mean seriously y’all, they literally make a living by pretending to be someone else! To have a platform, and then use it preach to the public about gun control (while relying on armed guards for their safety), misogyny & sexual abuse (while protecting their own perpetrators for decades) & then try to shame half the country because they do not agree with who they exercised their freedom to vote for as our president is laughable. The Weinstein scandal should prove to you that they don't care about what's wrong or right....they are all about money & power. The excuses I’ve heard about being “afraid” that they wouldn't be able to work again in the industry, are lame. If you are so against this type of behavior, why would you want to work in that industry? How about standing up to that type of behavior, going public about the perpetrators and if you can’t find work in Hollywood go get a normal job like the rest of us….or is it beneath you to work hard and earn a modest, yet honest living? Don't preach to me during your women's march on D.C. about Trump, whom many elected bc of the promise of creating more American jobs so they can put food on *their* tables, all while covering up literally countless acts of these types of crimes from men whom you protected and kept silent about because you were trying to put food on *your* table. Oh and let’s not forget the fact that Bill Clinton, an alleged rapist, was elected twice despite his shady reputation, then disgraced the oval office with Monica Lewinsky which brought the shame on the entire country and ruined cigars forever then went on to be awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Obama, without a peep of disapproval from Hollywood. REALLY?

4. Thousands of women (& men) come forward all the time with accusations of rape & sexual harassment. But to keep it specific to high profile cases, let’s start with the following:
• Corey Feldman - who bravely disclosed personal stories about powerful Hollywood men who raped and assaulted kids in the industry and bravely came forward to tell the world that Hollywood’s biggest problem was pedophilia- yet he was told by Barbara Walters that he was damaging an entire industry, and after telling authorities, he was issued a gag order and has been unable to publicly expose the perpetrators without being arrested himself, for the crimes of others. No one was ever punished. And no one from Hollywood came to Feldman’s defense.
• Anita Hill who accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, and even took a lie detector test to prove it, while Thomas opted out, and her results were deemed “unreliable” even though they were consistent with her story, but she still ended up being discredited, and then Thomas was elected to the U.S. Supreme Court. Where was the outrage from Hollywood?
• Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones,Kathleen Willey - all accused Bill Clinton of sexual harassment / rape…we all know those stories well yet we elected him president (twice!) .... he then went on to act inappropriately while president with the young Monica Lewinsky... but Bill Clinton is a hero to the Democrats....even with documented proof of his creepy trips to a place nicknamed “orgy island” with a convicted child sex offender!
• Hillary Clinton - besides hanging out with some seriously creepy perps & being married to one on the recommendation that Mahlon Gibson, a Washington county prosecutor, gave to Judge Maupin Cummings because apparently the accused rapist wanted a woman lawyer to defend him, fought for and won the case against a 12 year old child who had accused him of rape. In her book “Living History,” Clinton even said the following “I told Mahlon I really didn’t feel comfortable taking on such a client, but Mahlon gently reminded me that I couldn’t very well refuse the judge’s request.” Yes - God forbid you put the feelings and well-being of a 12 year old little girl in front of a powerful judge, Hillary, especially since you are such a champion of women's rights and protecting the innocent.

5. So now....Hollywood actresses are deciding to come forward with literally decade’s worth of stories, the #metoo movement is all the craze, which means we are now supposed to honor them all for being so brave. Even if I overlook the fact that most waited 20+ years to come forward, they are now doing so with tons of support from their colleagues and the media, which has started a bandwagon effect & makes it look more trendy than brave. In my opinion it would have been a lot braver to come forward and expose the sicko’s when no one else was. But why now? Was Hollywood so upset that Trump won, despite the allegations against him and the efforts that were taken to write him off as a misogynistic pig? We all heard countless numbers of celebrities speak out on Trump’s behavior during the Women’s march on Washington, which happened IMMEDIATELY following his inauguration, but they are waiting decades to speak out on their own industry perverts? I mean, if they cared so much about these types of issues, why were they not rallying up and marching against the treatment of women in Hollywood? What do they have to gain by coming forward now? Because the timing of when they started to give a shit about sexual harassment sure seems iffy. Is this some type of effort to reprogram their approach on this subject so that they can more successfully sway public opinion on Trump when he runs again, so that more people will be outraged when new and improved rape accusations are brought up against him? And what about all the other women of the past who stood up all alone and accused powerful men of sexual harassment and rape? Do they get an apology from the world? What about the famous men who have been implicated in these crimes? Can Hollywood & co. admit that Bill Clinton was their equivalent of Trump?

6. I'm just gonna address the elephant in America. Anyone else think it's weird that Bill Clinton, a white man, gets away with his crimes and even gets a medal & Harvey Weinstein, a white man, freshly accused of dozens of sexual assault and rape charges - gets to leave the country for rehab, yet no left wing liberal is screaming about white privilege?

Ok I'll shut up for now. Keep your eyes open sheeple.
Lindsay.