Tag Archives: Anxiety

Inspiration and Sunshine

28 Feb

Inspiring isn’t a word that comes to my mind when I think of myself. This isn’t a slam at me; it’s really due to the fact that I see myself as more crazy than inspiring, i.e., more what not to do then what to do.

inspiring blog award

I’m accepting the Inspiring Blogger Award – presented to me by the lovely and ever sweet Menopausal Mother – with some deep thoughts here instead of following the usual guidelines. I’d like to give a quick shout out to Meno Mama who is a very sweet and encouraging blogger friend of mine. She also always gives me a good laugh when I read her blog – and omg, get this, she tried our buddy Alex’s sangria, too, and got seriously hammered. She wasn’t naked, but she’s still awesome, right? Check her out!

But back to the rules. The rules for accepting the Inspiring Blogger Award are as follows:

1. Display award image on your blog page
2. Link back to the person who nominated you
3. State 7 facts about yourself State what inspires you
4. Nominate 15 5 others for this award
5. Notify said bloggers

I’m changing it up because you don’t need to read seven facts about me. You know pieces of me from reading my words so I don’t need to list it out for you. You want some facts…here we go; I have brown eyes, I’m left handed, one of my favorite TV shows is Three’s Company…

What I’d really like is for you to share with me what inspires YOU. Yes, you.

You reading this post. What inspires you each day?

What inspires me????  Bravery.

I remember reading The Hunger Games and thinking Katniss is soo brave.

I remember reading The Hunger Games and thinking Katniss is soo brave.

I don’t think of myself as a very brave person. I know some people think I’m brave because I put myself out there…I talk about my anxiety and the Postpartum I suffered from. I talk about not only the good things about life and motherhood but I also share with you the bad…things that hurt me and things I fear.

To me being brave is reaching for the stars without being afraid of failure. I am terrified of so many things. Remember New York? Luckily I’m working to improve. I want to get to a place where I can be fearless about my writing.

I got this post on my Facebook page recently: I used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.

It was followed up with a chapter from a book. These words are still dancing around in my head. It’s like I get it, but I don’t get it.

The note on the front is my favorite (even better written on an infamous post-it): You ARE a great writer. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Take Chances! Love you-Aunt.

So let’s inspire each other. Here’s some of my inspiration: :)

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~Chantell at Miss Understood has inspired me to not let anxiety bring me down.

~Morgan at The Inklings of Life has inspired me to be the kind of mom I feel I need to be and not let others determine how I raise my daughter.

~Katie at The Intrinsic Writer has inspired me to step away from only reading chick-lit. Not that there is anything wrong with chick-lit, but I recently picked up Animal Farm and had a great read. If only in high school you knew how great the classics are!

~Jen at Rumpy Dog has inspired me to not give up on those who need a voice.

Thank you to these lovely bloggers and thank you Menopausal Mother for this wonderful award. You, too, inspire me!

I’m also proud to accept another award I’ve received. A big thank you to Chantell at Miss Understood for presenting me with The Sunshine Award. Chantell has had a hard couple of months, and I am so proud of her for standing up, dusting herself off and jumping back in the saddle! Wait, is that a cow girl reference? Because that’s just weird.

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Now onto the rules.

1. Post this award on your blog site.
2. Nominate 10 5 fellow bloggers.
3. Answer 10 5 questions.

For the sake of not losing you all I decided to cut the questions from ten to five…so here we go.

1. Do you watch TV and if so, what are your favorite shows?
First of all, who in the hell isn’t watching TV?? Uh yes, I watch TV. A lot of reality TV. I’m getting stupider…or is that more stupid…by the second. Here’s what I watch: Kardashians, Teen Mom, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, The Rancic’s, Bethenny (my new love). Oh yeah, and Pretty Little Liars.

These bitches would have me in the corner wrapped in a ball crying! But sure is good TV.

These bitches would have me in the corner wrapped in a ball crying! But sure is good TV.

2. How much time do you spend blogging?
Way too much time until Concrete Boots is published.

3. What food can you absolutely not eat?
If I was stuck on a deserted island and I had to choose between eating you and eating salmon I’m sorry to say but I would eat you. (Remember I have a fish phobia).

4. If you could go anywhere for a week’s vacation, where would you go?
ITALY!! I gotta go meet my brethren.

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5. What is your dream job?
My dream job would be to sell my book, be on the New York Times Best Seller List and then from that get a speaking gig where I can travel the world and speak to people on all my knowledge. (Hilarious, right? They said dream so there you have it.)

And now for my fellow nominees: :)

~Josie at Go Momma!
~Simona at Fiammisday
~Gloria at Granny’s Colorful
~Jules at McCrabass
~Darryl at The Weddington Adventures

Each one of these bloggers puts a :D on my face for many different reasons! Check them out. :)

~Thank you to Marcia and Chantell for my awards!
~Thank you nominees for passing on the awards should you choose to.
~Thank you readers for your support. Please always remind me to be brave.

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What Are You Putting in Your Mouth?

18 Feb

I am a firm believer in vitamins. I feel like prescription medications are often over prescribed and over taken. I don’t claim to be an expert; however, I thought I would share my daily vitamin intake with you for a couple of reasons.

1. My friends always ask me for vitamin recommendations because they know I strongly believe in taking vitamins on a daily basis.

2. I recently began reading a blog a gal writes on her struggles with giving up alcohol and the death of her father. She shares her struggles with depression/anxiety and staying sober. She doesn’t want to be on any kind of anxiety medication but is suffering from disruptive panic attacks. I’ve never suffered from panic attacks, but I do suffer from social anxiety. In a recent post she asked readers for suggestions on different supplements to take to ease her symptoms. When responding to her I got to thinking – maybe others wonder this too?

I was on Prozac after the birth of the Chiquita when I was diagnosed with Post Partum Depression. I give my doctors a big F as in fail when it came to my treatment because they left me out in the middle of the ocean lying on a piece of wood like Rose in Titanic. I knew something was wrong. I knew I wasn’t improving, and I continued to reach out for help. My doctor’s answer (yes, THIS doctor) was to continue to increase my Prozac.

Increase, increase, increase…more of anything is the recipe for success. Right? WRONG! Each time my meds were increased the more depressed and anxious I became. I was getting worse – going from not just wishing for God to take me in my sleep but actually driving on I355 and imagining my Mercedes-Benz smashed into the concrete barrier. Bam. It’s over. Relief….

This went on for months. When I hit rock bottom I fired all my doctors. I went off all prescription medication*. Cold turkey. That’s it. No more meds. *This is not recommended. It’s what I had to do for myself at the time to try to regain some control, but this approach can backfire.

My mom is a big believer in vitamins and supplements and urged me to at least – if nothing else – begin a vitamin regimen. This is not expert opinion or advice. I’m simply sharing with you what is now working for me to keep my depression/anxiety under control. I am now taking a small dose of Prozac which has helped to take the ‘edge’ off a bit. In addition to Prozac I also take these vitamins on a daily basis:

1. Carlson – The Very Finest Fish Oil

fish oilVitamins can really add up! If you have to pick only one vitamin to take I highly recommend fish oil.

Fish oil is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and a lot of research shows that fish oil supplements may help ease symptoms of depression. See Mayoclinic.com.

This fish oil is to be taken twice a day – preferably one in the AM and one in the PM. I’m not sure why, but I was told it works better in your body when taken at different times as opposed to taking two in the AM.

One thing many people complain about when taking fish oil is that you can burp up a nasty fish taste. This brand I am sharing with you has a yummy orange taste – you can even chew them – but I do not.

2. Co-Enzyme B-Complex By Now Foods

BAfter I quit all my medication I went to The Fruitful Yield for advice on vitamins/supplements to take to help ease my depression/anxiety symptoms.

On the weekends The Fruitful Yield has a licensed nutritionist on staff to answer any questions you have. I went on a Saturday, found the nutritionist and said, “I have Post Partum Depression. I’ve gone off all my medication. Tell me what to buy.”

This product was one that she recommended. Co-Enzyme Vitamin B supports a positive mood and improves energy. See Wellness Resources.com.

There are different forms of B-Vitamins and Co-Enzyme includes all of the Bs, which are B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12.

I have actually recommended this product to a few people who now take this vitamin on a daily basis. I find that if I skip a day of Co-Enzyme B I am lethargic the next day. I definitely notice an increase in energy while on this supplement.

3. Vitamin D3 – 2000 IUs

DVitamin D deficiency, the result of low vitamin D intake and poor sun exposure, has been linked to depression and Type 2 diabetes. See article here.

Here is some research on the daily recommended doses of vitamin D from The Mayo Clinic.

Because I’m vitamin D deficient and I do suffer from depression/anxiety I take at least one vitamin (2,000 IUs) each day to be sure I’m getting an adequate dose.

From Mayo Clinic: For mood disorders, 400-800 IU daily or 100,000 IU weekly has been taken by mouth for up to one month to improve symptoms of depression associated with seasonal affective disorder.

4. L-Theanine By Now for Stress Management

L-theanineWhen I went off all my medication I was struggling with feelings of being overwhelmed at all times. One task in front of me left me feeling as if I was drowning in ‘things to do’. I found during this time that my anxiety was more prevalent than I had known.

I often had a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach and dreaded to leave the house unless I was going to familiar places…work, my grocery store, my mall, my Dunkin Donuts, etc. Going anywhere out of the ordinary made me extremely anxious and sick to my stomach.

The nutritionist at The Fruitful Yield explained that I absolutely had to get this supplement. She compared it to anti-anxiety meds and said that she often used this to control her own anxiety symptoms.

You can take one Vcap 1 to 2 times daily as needed. I like the ‘as needed’ because you don’t have to take it every day. You can simply take it when you’re feeling stressed or anxious.

Maybe it’s nothing honestly? Who knows. When I opted to go back on Prozac – a much smaller dose this time – I’ve not felt the need to take this as often anymore. I showed it to my new shrink who gave me the OK to take it with the Prozac.

I sort of had the feeling she was laughing inside since I know most doctors strongly believe in pharmaceuticals and don’t like their patients opting for “natural” methods. But, maybe she wasn’t. Maybe it was my anxiety. Either way, even if it’s all in my head, when I have that feeling like I want to crack skulls (thank you for that aphorism, Bethenny Frankel) I take one tablet and I feel better! :)

Bethenny is my new obsession....I still love my future BFF Giuliana, but I have a crush on Bethenny!

Bethenny is my new obsession….I still love my future BFF Giuliana, but I have a crush on Bethenny!

Please use the comments section to let me know of any vitamins/supplements that have helped you with depression/anxiety. There are other things I can recommend, like this Goji which I used to drink to help balance my hormones….

Goji

But, the above four vitamins/supplements I gave you are what I do take and recommend. Feel free to ask me any questions – I can give you responses on how these products affect me, however, PLEASE be sure to seek medical consulting before taking any and all vitamins/supplements with your physician.

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#15: Deep Thoughts by Jlee

20 Dec
Look at these sad trees...

Look at these sad trees…

Do you ever wonder what happens to all the trees sitting in parking lots that are never picked to be a family’s Christmas tree?

I started to imagine the trees getting really sad…asking each other “What’s wrong with me that I wasn’t picked?” Or “Mommy, am I too fat?” Or others wishing they could have been beautiful just one time. 

I ended up getting really sad. 

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Jlee’s Review – #VSFashionShow

4 Dec

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In my next life I really hope I come back as a Victoria’s Secret Model. I want to wear big angel wings and walk down a runway in 6” heels with an amazing bod while Rihanna sings in really bitchin pearl shades.

OMG RiRi looks soo cool!

OMG RiRi looks soo cool!

I mean, can I say I’m just a little envious sitting here in my PJs and glasses eating a brownie while I watch these gorgeous women – some of them even mothers! – strut down the runway in pieces of art for clothing. I imagine myself blowing a kiss to the audience as I head backstage to drink champagne and get a picture with the Biebs.

Omg, where did I go wrong in my life?

I’m just kidding. I mean, sort of. Though I do sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I were prettier. Or if I had a better personality. But instead I was a born a hairy bad-tempered Italian with major anxiety. #awesome

I’ve watched the VS Fashion Show every year since 2005, the year Tyra retired, except last year. Last year I was just coming out of the PPD, and I didn’t have it in me to sit and watch these perfect specimens…the freaky hot chicks with big boobs, concave stomachs and seemingly good personalities.

This year I was up to it though. And as always, the 2012 show did not disappoint. Victoria’s Secret always adopts the “go big or go home” mentality and this year was no exception. I found the show to be entertaining as always, but it’s not like it left me wanting to race out to Victoria’s Secret to buy some lingerie because let’s face it, that would be depressing.

Some quick thoughts on the 2012 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show:

  • My favorite angel is Miranda Kerr.

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  • RiRi’s “Diamonds” performance was amazeballs. It gave me chills.
    Rihanna+2012+Victoria+Secret+Fashion+Show+_W-Sg9hP1Kel
  • Bruno Mars and the Biebs also performed. According to CBSnews.com the Biebs was cozying up with Hungarian model Barbara Palvin after the show!

    He looks like a white Kanye in this outfit.

    He looks like a white Kanye in this outfit.

  • Alessandra Ambrosio has the honor of wearing the $2.5 million “Fantasy Bra” created by London Jewelers.

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  • Erin Heatherton is a fellow Chi-Town girl and was actually born and raised in Skokie, IL.

Erin+Heatherton+2012+Victoria+Secret+Fashion+K_nSt3NP8zql

I don’t really have anything else to report….I mean, it’s hot chicks walking around with music playing….I’m pretty sure you know what it’s all about. Did you watch? What did you think? Who is your fave Angel?

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Repepepepepeat…..#1: Bad Mom Hates Santa

1 Dec

Being that it is December 1st I wanted to wish my readers a happy holiday season! I’d like you to know that I was ahead of the game this year and have already gotten the Chiquita’s picture taken with Santa! She was very afraid of “Ho-Ho” and didn’t want to get her picture taken with him unless Daddy and Mama were in the picture.

Enjoy our 2012 Santa picture and a repepepepepeat of my very first Bad Mom post from last Christmas when we attempted to get a picture taken with Santa at Bass Pro Shop. What a nightmare that was! Wishing you many blessings this Christmas!

Eva Santa

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Does it make me a bad mom if:  I’m muttering “Thank God we only have 9 more years of this Santa sh*t” as we leave Bass Pro Shop without a picture with Santa.

Santa: "At least you don't have smelly crying kids sitting on YOUR lap!"

Santa: “At least you don’t have smelly crying kids sitting on YOUR lap!”

Let me start off by saying I completely blame Bass Pro Shop for this ordeal.  I will never – and I mean never EVER – go to Bass Pro Shop again.  I don’t care that they’ve somehow managed to get the Santa Claus to come down from the North Pole.

We walk in, and I feel completely out of place.  This is worse than being dragged to The Home DePot!

For 1:  I almost barf while showing the Chiquita the enormous fish tank.  Those big nasty fish swimming around the tank are completely disgusting.  Torturing me would be throwing me into that tank.  I would literally have a heart attack.

I have a huge fear of fish – dead or alive.  I know it’s weird, and I have no idea where this came from.  I actually have nightmares about flying piranhas chasing me and backing me into a corner and then I wake up in a cold sweat.  It’s frightening.  A couple times I’ve even woken up crying.

For 2:  My husband insisted we go look at the firearms located on the 2nd level.  “Look,” he says, “There’s even a pink one!”

As if that’s a selling point on how I can somehow “fit in” at Bass Pro Shop.  Sorry, honey, it’s never gonna happen.

I said, “There’s a reason they don’t let people like me own firearms,” which in hindsight is quite hilarious because on our drive home 3 short hours later, I remember thinking that if I had a pink firearm I would have blown his brains out.

So it all started with me promising the Chiquita that we would go see Santa that Saturday.  Now I see why parents don’t promise things to their children.  You just never know what might happen.

What’s weird is the Chiquita is 17 months old but she already knows who Santa is.  I don’t think she understands the concept of Santa bringing presents, but I’ve already started telling her she better behave or Santa won’t come.  That always stops her dead in her tracks.  The Santa threat is pretty powerful, and I’m sort of sad I won’t be able to use it anymore in 3 days.  I’ll have to go back to telling her I’m going to sell her to the gypsies, I guess.

Anyways, two and a half hours later we are driving to Bass Pro Shop, which is about 20 minutes from our house.  My friend called my cell to tell me that she was there with her three kiddos and it was a madhouse.  She wanted to prepare me.  She knows I hate crowds and ugly people.

She explained they were passing out “time tickets” because of the amount of people, so you go there, get your time, and then come back to get your picture with Santa.

Fair enough – I’m a reasonable person.  We get our time and leave to do some Christmas shopping.  We arrive back at 3:40 pm to get in line for our 4 pm picture. (They told us we could start lining up at 3:45 pm).

We can tell we’re starting to lose the Chiquita, but we’re desperately trying to push through.  This kid will see Santa today because I promised!

The line is extremely long.  I look at my watch – 3:45 pm.  What is going on?  How could so many people be in line already?

“Are you here for the 4 pm time?” I ask the woman in front of me.

She nods.

My patience is starting to wear very thin…

A Bass Pro Shop employee spots my time ticket (apparently they are different colors) and says, “You’re here for the 4 pm picture?”

“Yes,” I respond.

“Ohh…you’re supposed to be in this line over here,” she tells us.  She points to another, not as long, but still long enough, line.

Wtf is this?  Are you joking me?

I look at the associate, take a deep breath and move over to the 4 pm line.

My husband and I are standing in the 4 pm line, Chiquita is starting to whine (poor kid is a trooper; she hadn’t had a diaper change since like noon), 3 kids about take me out running through the crowd (umm…where are your parents…oh probably in line), and I realize after standing there for 15 minutes – with the 3:30 line barely moving – that between my anxiety and my bad temper I need to get the f*ck out of here.  Right now.

I say to my husband, “This is ridiculous!  We’re leaving.  I’m not standing in this f*cking line one second longer.”

And I don’t think I was quiet about it.  Or nice about it.  I continue on, “These people are dumb to wait in this long line” as I grab the Chiquita and drag her out of there.

I realize this is not setting a great example for my daughter (nor was it being very nice in general), but, you do realize I would have been standing in that line for at least 90 minutes right?  So why didn’t you [Bass Pro Shop] give me a time ticket for a picture at 5:30 pm?

Here’s my beef – If you’re going to hand out time tickets for people to come back for a specific picture time you need to better anticipate the amount of time per family to take a photo plus any breaks for Santa.  Instead of handing out, say, 100 tickets maybe you only hand out 50.  It’s common sense, really.  You have people dealing with very small children who have very small attention spans!

And I’m not implying that I should have gotten my picture taken at 4:01 pm, but let’s be somewhat close to the time you gave me, like within 20 minutes!

Maybe this is just another silly Jlee rant; as even my mom looked at me like I am a complete spaz when I tried to explain the day to her.  But, sorry I’m not sorry if I’m the only one who thinks waiting 90+ minutes for a picture with Santa – when my child may or may not be crying – is ridiculous.  And sorry I’m not sorry that I feel management should have better managed people’s expectations.

All this waiting for a picture that might turn out like this….

I know some people had very good experiences at Bass Pro Shop, and to that, I say how wonderful for you.  But, for me, I will never go there again.  Not that I shop there anyways.

And we ended up getting a nice enough free picture with Santa the next day and with no wait in our neighborhood.  It’s not like the Chiquita knows the difference or really gave a sh*t so as far as I’m concerned that’s #winning. :)

The Chiquita finally got her picture with Santa. It may not be as beautiful as Bass Pro Shop, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be fine with it.

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A Letter to My Readers

11 Nov

Confusion settles in

It’s been a while since I’ve written something real, something raw. Since the Post Partum Depression I’ve been trying to be upbeat. I kind of went with the mentality ‘fake it till you make it’. It’s not like everything has been a lie. I am happy and I am doing well, but lately…

Honestly lately has been a struggle. A real struggle. I sat to write this after a morning of hearing “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…” incessantly (think Stewie in Family Guy even down to me saying ‘What’ and the Chiquita saying ‘Hi’) followed by tantrums galore.

I know this is part of parenthood but I found myself in the shower thinking I just want 5 minutes of silence followed by anger that my husband is at work every God forsaken Saturday leaving me to care for our spirited toddler alone to a depression that I haven’t felt for a long time with these overwhelming feelings sadness and pure defeat. “I can’t do it today.”

When this first came on I adopted the ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality – I can do this; I’m a good mom! Yet the feelings weren’t subsiding. I wasn’t alarmed though because due to my PMDD (see Reason #26 Why I’m Crazy) I usually feel a little down for about one week out of the month. During those hard weeks I see my counselor, I journal (journaling is a great outlet and I recommend it to anyone who struggles with a lot of “feelings”), I run, and I give myself a break. I love myself just a little more; I treat myself to a latte. I also don’t drink during this time while my hormones go crazy because let’s be honest, alcohol would just make me act more like a lunatic (see Just Stop Talking).

With my lovely gift of PMDD I’m used to heightened anxiety and feelings of self-loathing once a month, but when it stretched on for weeks I knew something was wrong. My demons had been stirring – trying to get out and break my spirit and I would say that they succeeded because I’m broken today. I’m not in need of an oil change, but like a whole new engine at this point. I noticed it last night when I was out with some friends. I sat there not feeling like myself. Even staring off a bit. ‘Fake it till you make it’.

Where did this come from?

There has been a bit of stress I can attribute this to. As I always say big Italian families are great and blended families are a true testament of patience and love, but that doesn’t mean it all runs smoothly like a well-oiled machine. There have been a number of instances in the last month which have had me questioning my entire being; which have brought on those old feelings of me wanting to flee. Only this time I wanted to take the Chiquita and just run.

Out of respect for my loved ones I can’t share the details but being the sensitive soul that I am I’ve been crushed, and I’m struggling to overcome the fear, hurt and anger. Never being one who is good at letting things go here it has festered inside me until I finally cracked this morning.

Looking at my innocent and happy daughter I thought she doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve me. I made that horrible call to my doctor to say that something is wrong and that I’m not getting better. I feel like a failure, but this doesn’t just hurt me now. I have an innocent child to protect and love. We raised my medication slightly. I guess just so I can get myself back on track, which I will. I’ve had a lot of hurt in my life but I’m not going to let it bring me down. We all have something and this is the battle God gave me to fight.

Why am I sharing this today?

After the Post Partum Depression I was honestly sick of myself so I can only imagine how my loved ones felt. Scared, frustrated, annoyed, worried? The old-age “Why can’t she just be happy?” After a bit of that judgment I decided to suffer in silence. I knew what I needed to do, and I would do it. Without everyone’s opinions.

Today I realized why I haven’t been writing.

I haven’t been writing because I didn’t want to lie to my readers. I wanted to share this with you in case another mom is out there struggling. Or not even a mom – just anyone who may be out there struggling. Please stay strong as I am and know that this too shall pass.

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No Mess – No Stress Golf Vacation

26 Oct

I’m not a golfer. The only golf I do is mini-golf and the last time I did that I bent the club by slamming it into the ground when I lost my ball in the faux waterfall. Wtf, the person behind me was nudging me, I lost my concentration, I had to pay 50 cents for a new ball AND I had to take the max stroke. Oh yeah, and I had to pay for a bent club. Needless to say that’s the last time I golfed.

BUT, if I did take up golf I would do it in style. Today’s guest post comes to us from Beth Myers, an avid golfer, and a fellow wife and mama who is juggling it all like the rest of us.

Beth introduced me to East Coast Golf Sales. I checked out the site, and OMG, I should take up golf just for the style!

Animal Safari Visor $17.99 off East Coast Golf Sales website

Naples Bay Pink Golf Balls $13.99

Also the golf carts are fun, and I did volunteer at a charity event where my friend and I drove the golf cart around the course selling Bud Lights to the guys and gals on the course. We drank a few too many beers, but at least this didn’t happen: 

Though this DID happen:

And don’t even get me started on DUIs on golf carts????? What?!?

Whether you golf or not please enjoy Ms. Myers tips on stress free vacation golf! And be sure to share this post with your golfing friends!!! More info on Beth below.

Enjoy! :)

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The number one goal of any vacation should be ‘stress-free’. After all, we have enough at home to worry about, why take it with us on the road? Leaving our worries behind and having few days of total relaxation on a trip is the whole point of going in the first place. If you vacation is going to involve golf, you will want to make sure that aspect is just as stress-free as the rest of the trip. Here are five tips to make your golf trip go smoothly.

-        Tee Times In Advance. This seems obvious, but many people wait until getting to town before making arrangements at the courses. Now that online tee times are easy to make, there is no reason not to look up potential courses and make your reservations. You will be sure to have a spot to play, and also could save a few bucks by bargain shopping from the comfort of home.

-        Extra Everything. You never know when you might lose a sleeve of golf balls on one hole, or sweat through two gloves in the same round. To be safe, bring plenty of extra golf supplies in your bag. Things like balls, gloves, tees, and snacks are all life savers when you want to sneak in an extra nine.

-        Send Clubs Ahead. If you are flying to your destination, consider sending your clubs ahead of you. There are now many services that will ship your clubs to your destination and have them waiting for you. This will mitigate the nightmare scenario of having the airline lose your clubs or put them on the wrong plane. Knowing your clubs are waiting for you, your travel will be less stressful.

-        Smart Clothing. Check the weather local to where you are going, and pack accordingly. Even warm climates can be subject to cold mornings, so sweaters are always a good decision to make sure you don’t freeze during the first few holes. If your trip is taking you somewhere that can get rain showers blowing through, bring a light rain jacket and be sure to fit an umbrella into your bag.

-        Pack Your Patience. Most golf trips head to a resort area of some kind. The reality of places like that, especially in high season, is that the courses will be crowded. You can anticipate rounds that are slower than you are used to because of the crowds and people taking their time to enjoy a new course. Bring a camera to take pictures, keep yourself in ‘vacation mode’, and don’t worry if the round passes the four hour mark.

Golf on vacation is great fun. By being prepared and thinking ahead, you can keep any potential stressors at bay. If you do get stressed, just think back to what you could be doing at home. Dishes, laundry, chasing kids, etc. One thought back to work you aren’t doing at home should make you quite thankful to be chasing the ball around the sunny fairways.

I’ll sip some cocktails and drive the golf cart around this place! One and Only Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Beth Myers is a passionate golfer, mother & wife…not in that order :) . She writes for East Coast Golf Sales on all things women’s golf – you could say she is a little obsessed. Be sure to follow her on twitter @GolfBeth

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Hello does my butt look good in these jeans?

24 Oct

A friend recently shared a blog with me. She thought as a writer I would appreciate the writing style and humor. Or wait. Maybe she thinks I wear Mom Jeans.

O.M.G.

No, it can’t be number two because I don’t buy my jeans at Old Navy.

Thank the Lord.

Go read this article so that you can be sure you’re not wearing Mom Jeans. It’s a cardinal sin. I mean, do you want to end up single because your husband thinks you have two asses? I don’t either. So read on.

Mom Jeans and The Dreaded “Long Butt”

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I like to sell and shop at this resale shop by my work – Clothes Attic’d for you locals – and I spied a pair of True Religion jeans last week.

The jeans were my size but cost $55.

I desperately need want a pair of new jeans, and I’d been thinking about heading to Express to make my purchase. No, not because of the article I shared with you, so no, I do not wear Mom Jeans because I’ve been buying Express jeans all along!

That said, while they aren’t the most expensive jeans out there I’m still buying diapers (damn kid does NOT want to go on the potty) so jeans for Mom aren’t really something on the list….

I thought: I don’t feel like trying these on…I don’t feel like paying $55 for used jeans…nah.

Then I had a dream about them.

Side note: If I see something while I’m shopping and I think I like it but I’m not sure if I do I hold out. Then I see if I have a dream about said item. If I DO dream about it then it means I must go back and get it. If I don’t dream about it then I don’t really want it. True story. It works!

I’ve obviously heard of the brand True Religion but I had no clue what the jeans retailed for. I did a quick Google search. Holy cow! $250. Well, $55 is quite a steal then.

On my lunch break I head over to Clothes Attic’d and figure if the jeans are still on the rack it’s a sign from God.

Jeans are there. Yippee!

I go to the fitting room to try them on.

They look good in the front…flared…I love the flare trend by the way and am so glad its back in style.

I turn around to check out my derierre in the mirror.

2 minutes inside Jlee’s head: How do the pockets look? Are they the right size? I think my butt looks good? Does my butt look good? Can I make returns here? I like these now, but what if I get home and decide my butt doesn’t look good? What if they’re [insert the horror music] Mom Jeans! Oh my gosh, what do I do? What did the article say again? Oh my gosh, I can’t remember. Should I look it up on my phone?

I decide to take a picture. Of my ass. In the mirror.

I take out my phone. OK, I’ll send this to my friends and say “How’s my ass?”

I mean, this is important! They’ll understand. They’ll drop everything and respond.

I discover it’s really hard to take a picture of your backside in the mirror. After this awful attempt I decided this wasn’t going to work.

Nice pic, right?

Now what?

I could walk out of the fitting room…yeah…I could walk up to the checkout and ask the ladies.

“Um…hi…can you tell me how my ass looks? See, I’m really concerned that these may be Mom Jeans. I’m actually having a panic attack in the fitting room. I popped a Xanax and decided to come out here and ask you. So, here, I’ll turn around. Um…so how does my ass look?”

*Crickets*

But, I did actually do this, only I didn’t pop a Xanax. I didn’t come out wearing the jeans. And I didn’t ask them how my ass looked. So I guess I really didn’t actually do as mentioned above, but when I went to the checkout I did start babbling incessantly about Mom Jeans and can I return these jeans if they are in fact Mom Jeans and how I read this article about Mom Jeans … I was going on and on. I needed a Xanax.

I came back to work and tweeted the article to the Owner, who did say I have seven days to return said jeans, but also told me that True Religion is a great brand and basically cannot be Mom Jeans. Like it’s an oxymoron. Still feeling a bit unsure I made the purchase and said I would go home and check out my ass in the comfort of my own home.

And you know I would also ask all my friends, my husband, my mom….Mom Jeans are not something to mess around with.

Well asking my husband is useless because he likes my ass in anything, or preferably in nothing, and he was more than excited to be my photographer. I told my girlfriends I feel like the True Religion jeans pockets are too long. What do you think?

These are the exact texts:

I feel like the pockets are too long

Pix are not turning out but here’s my ass in Express. Way better right?

Express

True Religion

My friends received four pictures of my ass. They lucked out because my husband insisted on taking about 20, then asked to take some with the jeans off which I scoffed at saying, “We’re not doing a photo shoot, we’re doing research. Blog research. This is important!”

He just doesn’t get it.

I then proceeded to check out chicks asses all weekend long. In line at Dunkin Donuts, at the grocery store, at the gas station…my husband was even checking out asses and giving feedback. He even asked a chick where she got her jeans from. Yeah, it was embarrassing.

I still haven’t made a final decision and time is running out.

Awesome friend’s response: “I like the True Religion a lot!!!! Ur ass looks great girl, i swear!!”

What do you think?

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Facebook!

12 Oct

Many people know of my love/hate relationship with FB.

There’s: What the %$@! is a Facebook War?

- and -

Facebook – DELETE

But, surprisingly I have been pretty drama free on Facebook over the last year. Probably because my meds are regulated (Reason #26 Why I’m Crazy).

Soo…I decided to join the likes of many others before me and create a Facebook Fan Page for Jlee’s Blog.

I know, I can’t stop laughing myself. It sort of feels weird to ‘like’ myself and ask others to ‘like’ me.

Then I stop laughing and I cry. OMG…only XX amount of ‘likes’? I’m a loser!!!!!

Sigh.

Like I need something else to stress about and wonder “Do they like me? Do they really like me?”

Artists are so painfully insecure.

The reason I decided to make a FB fan page is because my writing coach told me I have to prove to publishers that I have people behind me; that I have a following. People who want to actually read the garbage I spew out and the book I’ve supposedly written. [See Jlee's Excerpt: Concrete Boots]

I said: “I do!”

He said: “Prove it to them.”

So that’s what I’m doing. I said I was going to make this book thing happen in 2012…it might roll over into 2013, but I’m not giving up on my dream of being a published author. :D

If you haven’t already I would SOO appreciate your support of me and Jlee’s Blog by clicking the ‘like’ button to the right.

I am also on Twitter were I spew even more useless crap so please follow me:  https://twitter.com/JLEE5879blogger

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The Illuminating Blogger Award

3 Oct

I was presented The Illuminating Blogger Award back on September 12th, and I apologize to my blogging friend SzaboInSlowMo for being sooo slow at accepting this award.

I am very honored and appreciative each time one of my blogging peers presents me with an award. I’m usually not so slow to respond but I’ve been suffering from a bit of writer’s block. Today I figured it was time to jump back on the horse and maybe the creative juices would begin flowing once again…

That said, I’d like to thank the lovely Sandra at She Can’t Be Serious for this award. I’ve told you about Sandra’s blog before and if you have not checked out Shecantbeserious.com then now’s the time!

Sandra is a very witty blogger who always makes me laugh. I love her category Ask the Google Bitch. For a good laugh check out this post: What To Do If Your Boss Finds Out You’ve Been Job Hunting.

And now the rules for accepting The Illuminating Blogger Award:

  • Visit the award site, leave a comment, tell everyone who nominated you, and thank the blogger, including a link back to their site.
  • Share a random thing about yourself.
  • Select 5 or more nominees and notify them that they’ve won the award.
  • Put the award on your blog somewhere.

The random thing I’d like to share about myself: I’m terrified of fish. Dead, alive, fake, on a plate….I’m terrified of them all. I have recurring nightmares of flying piranhas chasing me…I run and run and run until I am against a wall staring at the mass of piranhas flying towards me with red eyes and glaring teeth. Ohhhh Myyyy Goddddd … ahhhh!

I wake up in a cold sweat and can’t sleep with my feet under the covers. Because the piranhas are there…under the covers…and they are going to get my feet.

Holy sh*t, I wanna vom just posting this! #anxiety

This is a true story. I once told someone about my nightmares. He was laughing at me.

“Really? Are you serious?”

You can’t make this stuff up. #crazy

He actually came into my office the next day and said, “Last night I was thinking about your fear of fish, and I have some questions.”

Swear to God…

Select 5 Nominees.  Yayy I love passing the award onto others and hope it makes their day as it has made my day!

I’ve chosen four. Here we go:

The Intrinsic Writer – Katherine has become a fave blogging friend of mine. She always has something positive to say and writes a great blog on writing that always gives me lots to consider about my own writing.

My BIG FAT Blog; The Life of a Fashion Victim – I could not have discovered this blog at a better time, and I actually shared this on FB just yesterday. Lisa is such a beautiful and inspiring blogger from the UK. I guarantee you will like her as much as I do!

Go Momma! – I’ve told you about Josie at Go Momma! before. She is a great story teller and shares all her funny madness of being a stay-at-home mom! I love reading her stories, and she has me in tears every time.

Whoa! Susannah –  Susannah used to write the blog Write, Rinse, Repeat and has now changed her blog to Whoa! Susannah. She is insanely funny and has a similar ‘f*ck it’ mentality to me so I obvs love her! And she’s published so she is officially my idol. Her book is called All Cracked Up.

Another big thank you to Sandra at She Can’t Be Serious for presenting me with The Illuminating Blogger Award. :)

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