Being Thankful

This year has not been one of my best.  There was a lot going on that was out of my hands.  Yet this Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for.  Things that, when I feel my plate is too full, I take for granted.

My children.
Their health.
My health.
Being able to provide for myself and my children.

I look back on this year and where I am now compared to where I was in January.  The year started off with my husband telling me that he wanted a divorce.  There wasn't any hesitation to my response. "Okay", I said.  There were tears shed, but no dramatic sobbing.  No begging or pleading with him to work it out.  Truth is my marriage died long before he got the courage to end it.

Being a single mother is never anything I thought I'd be doing, but here I am.  Doing it. I'm the head of my household and it's been rather nice.  My children and I make some decisions together.  What to have for dinner, where to go on vacation, what color should we paint the kitchen.  It's a very relaxed atmosphere in our home.

It hasn't always been easy this year. My children heard the word 'No' a lot this year, and that's okay. They are older now and understand a bit more as to why they had to hear it.  I am blessed with a good paying job that as afforded me to be able to take care of things on my own.

When I explained to my boss what was happening in my life, she said, "You never know the burden you're carrying until that burden is gone" How true that statement is.  I never realized how much of me had been lost in the last eight or so years of our thirteen year marriage.  I felt less of a wife and mother and more like a nanny.  I would say this often and it was always received on deaf ears making me feel as if my feelings weren't valid.

No more.

My husband and I get along much better now that we are not under the same roof any longer.  He has moved on in his personal life, and while I'm not thrilled with the manner in which he did it, I wish him and her both luck.  She's going to need it.  Not that I'm perfect, but a relationship is the last thing on my mind.  I don't need one right now.  My focus is myself and my children, and it's been rather nice.

My home has has been a much happier home.  More laughter and less yelling.  There is still structure but it's more relaxed.  The children are learning a lot more responsibility and I don't have to be a drill sargent about it.  I've explained to them that what is going on between their father and I has never been their fault.  We talk, openly and candidly, about everything.  It's nice feeling like a mom again.

So, while this year has not been what I though it was going to be, it's turned out to be much more, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Fangirling. Manhattan Love Story Style

I am a Fangirl.  There, I said it.  Fangirling has it's ups and downs, but mostly, it's a lot of innocent fun.  It can get carried away at times.  I've seen it.  I've seen it go very bad.  That's not the kind of fangirl I am.

My latest addition to my Fangirling is the new Fall show "Manhattan Love Story"on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm EST, on ABC.

I love the storyline, the humor, the characters, but most of all, I love the inner dialogue of the two leads Jake McDorman and Analiegh Tipton.

Recently Jake and Analeigh, who are a couple in real life, asked on Twitter for fans of the show to send in their suggestions of places they should visit in Manhattan.  This resulted in a few, okay a lot, of fans sending in their suggetions.  A LOT of suggestions.

Check out that last on the right side, bottom.  Yup. That's my suggestion.  In case you can't read Jake's handwriting, my suggetion is the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park.  Not only did they take fans suggestions on where to go, but then started to visit them, calling out the fans who suggest the spot as well.

         

Adding the screen names of those who suggested the loaction is a nice touch.   A fantastic way to make the fans feel included on their adventure as well as a great use of social media to promote their new show.  Well done! 

This fangirl is just waiting for her #ManhattanLoveStory moment to be tweeted.  

                                     

Victoria's Secret does what?

I am just now hearing of the story of Austin Texas mom, Ashley Clawson, and her ban from Victoria's Secret to breastfeed her infant son.  Upon first hearing of the story, I had to wonder if it was a hoax.  Of course Google showed me it wasn't.

This story has stayed with me for the last few days because I still cannot wrap my head around anyone telling a breastfeeding mother that they cannot use a dressing room to take care of one of the most natural things a mother can do for her child.   It's not bad enough that she was told by this Victoria's employee, whom Mrs. Clawson was not even interacting with, that she couldn't use an empty dressing room, but was told she could use "the alley outside the store" to feed her child and that "the alley was so long that if she walked to the end no one would see her"

I'm sorry, WHAT?!!

Does this employee realize where she is working?  What the company that signs her pay check sells? Perhaps she needs to walk out of her store and look at the store windows, maybe catch one of their televised fashion shows, pick up one of the catalogs.  Something to reacquaint herself with the brand.

I'm willing to bet on an average shift at any Victoria's Secret most of the employees are women.  I have to wonder how a breastfeeding woman was so offensive to this one employee.  It wasn't as if Clawson was stripping down and feeding her child in the middle of the store.  She was asking for privacy...to feed her hungry child.

You can read about Clawson's experience here and see what the suits at Victoria's Secret handled their response.  Here's a clue...it was canned.  I tell you who should have been canned. The employee who told her to feed her child in an alley.  Okay, so maybe not canned, but how about a good reprimand, a look at their "policy" (and if what the suits said isn't really policy, it should be), and some sensitivity training.

No woman should have to resort to feeding their child in a bathroom.   There are tons of malls around the country that have family rest rooms and some even include a feeding area.  One Mall I was in had a nice area for not only breastfeeding moms, but an area that allowed moms to heat up bottles, wash them out, recycle baby food jars, etc.  This should be mandatory.  It doesn't take too much to make room for it.