Thursday Thoughts - it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine

1. This weekend I'll be attending the Women's March in Washington, raising my fist in solidarity with women at 386 sister marches around the world. If you asked why I was going, I'd tell you I'm not marching to shill for Hill or overturn an election or protest trump or give the middle finger to anyone who voted for him. I'd ask if you had read the mission for the March. Some reasons I am exercising my right to peaceably assemble include to take an actual physical stand for equality and inclusivity and social and economic justice for everyone, to say I'm still waiting for that whole damn dollar and equal pay for equal work, to ask how we can call ourselves family oriented with our nonexistent or abysmal maternity leave policies, to high five any other woman who has been told she's too loud too bossy too much and expected to shrink back into a role she doesn't fit into, to stand with Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers who have women's health and family planning at the top of their concern lists, to demand the end of this bullshit rape culture, to stand next to anyone who has felt marginalized by the hateful and aggressive rhetoric of this past election season, to remind this government that I own my body and I decide what happens with it and to it and that they do not know better than me in any scenario at any time in any place, so my niece and other little girls never have to...and I'm going because the future is female and I'm tired of the world looking to men to solve its problems. At some point we all need to physically show up for things that matter to us if only to say I'm here, I see you, I'm with you, together we can do something. *I* need to show up for things that matter to me, it is an integral part of who I am. All of these things really matter to me. If you replied I still don't understand why you're going or what are you protesting, I'd say a) why do you care what I'm doing with my day off and b) fuck off in this instance and for eternity. Now, good day. I SAID GOOD DAY.

2. Since we're on the subject of understanding, I don't understand why anyone in a civilized society is okay with someone dying because they can't afford the treatments to live. It's an inhumane disgrace. Every single non trust fund person is one catastrophic illness from financial ruin.

3. Just watching the Besty DeVos hearings secure in the knowledge that I'm more qualified to run education in this country.

4. Tis the season for people wanting to get their summer vacations booked. I generally have awesome interactions with people, which I am so grateful for...but honestly I'm also grateful for the fruit loops because they make me laugh. Monday I got an email from someone looking to rent our shore house. They are looking for a place with six parking spaces in a driveway - not super usual in Ocean City - and I said no, sorry, we only have two spaces, but good luck in your search. He said, "Do you think you'll be building more parking before August? We'd rent from you if there were more spaces." LOLOL Welp...I'd rent a condo on Mars if there was oxygen...and no sir, we will not be building more parking by August in a town where you can't fart on your property without securing a permit to do so.

5. I think about re-opening the shore house every day. I miss being there much more than I missed being there last winter. Last winter I was happy for the break. This year, not so much so I'll open it earlier than we should or need to and freeze my ass off down there with a smile on my face.

6. In other warm weather news, I've booked two excursions for our upcoming cruise. Small group catamaran in Barbados and a private tour of St. Lucia. I love choose your own adventure days.

via Silver Moon

7. I am definitely in the cannot get enough sleep part of January. I am pleased to see it being just a little lighter later though.

8. Every time I see this sponsored post on instagram I immediately think why is there a photo of someone pulling their pants down to sit on the toilet on here?

9. Reminder:

10. Ecard of the week...sorry, I had to.

I'll catch you guys here on Monday for TWTW. Have a great weekend! I'll be around on Instagram as always.

Linking up with Kristin & Joey 

What I'm Loving Lately

I rarely just sort of like something. I'm usually all in with pink puffy heart love or all out. I used to do this once a month but I've gotten out of the habit of sharing things I'm loving with others so I wanted to take a minute to tell you what I'm all into recently: No affiliate links.

Tom's Slippers. These are worth every last penny of $40 some dollars. When I bought them I felt like an extravagant asshole, which I still might be, but it was worth it.

What's on my walls. Do I still like it? Some stuff has been up for a long long time and it's time for it to go. I've been ditching stuff at will and moving stuff around from room to room. I often go through stuff in my house, but rarely stuff that hangs. That's changed this time around as I'm working on getting rid of 30 bags of shit in 30 days. The walls are no longer safe.


Cabela's Sarasota Plush Full Zip Jacket. I bought this in black for Ireland, then I bought it in two other colors because I loved it so damn much. I tend to do that when I find something I adore. It's comfortable and breathable and really warm. Like it can take the place of a jacket on a lot of days warm. Visually I love the contrast zippers. It's $80 on the site right now, but I got the black one for $40 and the other two for $50 so hold for a sale, please. One of mine will live at the shore and the other two at home. MFD was all I don't like this as he was wearing it for a quick foray outside and I replied something to the effect of good it's not yours and you look ridiculous in it.

The Fina Series by Ingrid Thoft. I love strong female leads in books and Fina fits the bill. Her family is fucked up and so is her love life but she's fierce, smart, flawed, and awesome. I enjoy Ingrid Thoft's writing a lot. This is the fourth book and it was just released last week. I finished it last night and I think it was my favorite so far. Go forth and secure some from your library.

I Love Juicy Shampoo from Lush. It's pricey but I love the smell and how it leaves my hair. Since I don't wash my hair that often, it lasts me a long time, so the price is easier to justify spread out. I like their shampoo bars too, but since I don't use any hair products and I don't dry my hair with a blow dryer ever, I rely on my shampoo to provide some oomph and scent. I Love Juicy delivers.

WeMo Smart Plug. I get an enormous thrill every time I can turn the lamp on and off from my phone. Yes, I am aware it's like a more expensive clap on clap off situation. You can't rain on this light parade. Plus now I can turn the lights on for my dogs when I'm not home. It's worth the $30 for that alone.

Making my own elderberry extract. Since this cold keeps popping up like someone you're attempting to drown - speaking from crime show and movie experience, not real life experience, mind - I had to make this again. It's super easy and I control what goes in it. Win Win.

Cleanbear Dish Gloves. Why do my manicures last? Because I don't wash dishes or clean anything without these gloves and I don't use my nails as tools and I use always use a basecoat and never mind it's largely in the gloves. These are strong and they last a long time before one of the fingers blows out. They're like two for $13.

Give me the dirt on your current obsessions.

When should you start brushing your teeth and how much toothpaste should you use?

via

One of my major life fears is the dentist, even though my dentist is, in actuality, awesome. Healthy gums and teeth are connected to everything else in your body, which is why I will never understand why dental is not a standard part of healthcare here in America. This all reminds me that I am way overdue for a standard cleaning.

Before I go too far into the healthcare or phobia wilds, here are some tips from Jesse Hughes on dental health (p.s. I've been using too much toothpaste):

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Taking care of your teeth is vital. You need to start paying attention to dental hygiene from a very early age. A major part of dental hygiene is dental cleaning. This is why you need to teach your child about the importance of keeping their mouth and teeth clean. You should also act as a good example by making sure you follow an effective dental hygiene routine.

Toothpaste plays an important part in oral hygiene but you may not be aware of exactly how much toothpaste you should be using. We are going to explain why using too much toothpaste is not a good idea. We are also going to take a look at when you should start using toothpaste to clean your child’s teeth and how their tooth cleaning should progress.

Using toothpaste to clean a child’s teeth

If your child is yet to get any teeth then it’s not necessary to use a toothbrush to clean their mouth; all that you need to do is use a washcloth and some water. This helps to remove bacteria from their gums.

Once your child has teeth an age appropriate toothbrush should be used. It’s only necessary to add a small smear of infant toothpaste to the brush. If you use too much toothpaste your child is more likely to swallow it.  Once your child reaches 2-3 years of age you should change the amount of toothpaste used; you should squeeze a pea sized amount onto your child’s toothbrush.

It’s important to note that until your child is around six years of age you will need to either brush their teeth or provide a high level of assistance. Once they reach the age of six most children can brush their own teeth, although you may still need to provide some supervision to make sure that the task is completed successfully.

How much toothpaste should an adult use?

It may surprise you to learn that the amount of toothpaste needed to brush your teeth does not increase from when you are a toddler; a pea sized amount is sufficient. If you use more toothpaste than this it can act as an abrasive against your teeth and gums.

It’s also worth noting that you need to brush your teeth for around two minutes if they are to be cleaned effectively. It’s very difficult to do this if you have to put up with a mouthful of toothpaste for that length of time; constantly having to spit out excess toothpaste does not make for an efficient cleaning session.

You can see how important it is for you to start cleaning your child’s mouth and teeth from an early age. You should also make sure that you explain the process to your child so that they become aware of how important a good oral hygiene routine is. This helps them to take care of their teeth effectively as they grow up, and throughout their life. 

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What about you? Any dental phobia? 
And have you been using the correct amount of toothpaste?

TWTW - the one with no title just words and a tune

This is two Fridays in a row where I was not on the couch like a slug by 7 pm. Is there a reward for this? I met my lady friends for dinner at Wahlburgers in Northern Liberties. The burgers were good, as were the shoestring red onion rings but there were no actual Wahlburgs in sight. We were going to follow it up with bowling but sat running our mouths for too long. Bitches got a lot to talk about!

Is there a better way to start a Saturday than a 6:10 am grocery delivery? Most definitely. A little later in the morning I attended a local Women's Democrat meeting even though I have massive political fatigue right now. I did like it even though I am not really a traditional mold dem anymore. Plus I scored sashes for the march. Holler. 

I spent the rest of the day basically slow cooking dinner, reading the newest book in one of my favorite series of books, and doing a little purging and organizing in the basement to make room for hand me down furniture from my Dad & Carol. This is going to be my shore staging station where things get put that need to be taken to the shore or stored to take there soon.

Dinner and dessert at home on Saturday: prime rib with garlic herb butter, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a pear crisp. Dynamite. It was my first time making a prime rib and I don't know why I waited so long. It was not as difficult as I thought it would be to have it done the way I like it. I think I was mostly worried about putting out a lot of cash for a cut of meat and fucking it up. That didn't happen! And the entire dinner is a straight up copy of that Tasty video that's been around facebook.

Otherwise, dog lounging. We watched the first episode of The OA on Netflix. Wild, man.

Sunday I met my old friend Alyssa for brunch at the Cheesecake Factory for an extended and overdue catch up. I also saw my old friend Tara who was there with her family. Junior high/high school reunion day. 

Back at home I picked up, changed the sheets, put laundry away, painted my nails (OPI Lost My Bikini in Molokini) and went to Mom & Rich's for dinner where I unapologetically polished off two donuts Kate brought from Yum Yum. 

Weekly food prep was super easy this week: breakfast is savory oatmeal; snacks are spinach muffins from the freezer, carrots with hummus; gala apples; and naval oranges; lunch is spinach mac and cheese cups from the freezer; dinner is leftover prime rib and leftovers from Mom and I'll probably pinch hit with salads from Wawa somewhere along the way.

Not too long ago, black people couldn't vote (Voting Rights Act passed in 1965). They also couldn't drink out of the same water fountains as white people until the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, but in some places the Jim Crow ways lingered on. Both of those things happened in part to the tremendous leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., and his untimely murder in 1968 actually sped up the equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislation of the Civil Rights era. Today more than ever I take comfort in his tactics and his powerful words. I know others do as well - if you have not seen it, check out Nina Davis's speech at the MLKJr Memorial in D.C. on Saturday. It made my grinch heart grow two sizes. 

Go get 'em this week!

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

I don't define you by that

Your Profession: I rarely ask people what they do for a living. I think that is a very small slice of life's pie. I don't think what you do is who you are. I don't think it's possible for every person on earth to love what they do, but I do hope they like it in some way, even if they only like the benefits. I don't respect a CEO more than a janitor on title alone. I prefer to spend zero time outside of work talking about work - yours or mine.

Your Relation to Other People: Even though you might be someone's mom or dad or husband or wife, I think of you as you, not of who you are in relation to someone else. Because no matter what you are to someone else, you are someone in your own right. Being plus or minus a partner or a child doesn't increase or decrease your value to me or to the world.

Your Religion: I don't ask people if they believe in God or Jesus or Buddha or Allah or the Smoke Monster or nothing. Whether you do or don't practice religion is not my business and unless you are a crazy extremist it doesn't color my perception of you in a good or a bad way.

Your Appearance:  I often compliment things I like and turn a blind eye when I see you out at Target looking like last week's news because I am always seeing people I know when I look terrible in public. Appearances are deceiving. I could honestly give two shits if people traveled the world over in flannel pajamas. I'm more interested in what color your soul is. You can put a classy and expensive outfit on a black souled asshole and they will always look worse than someone with a good soul wearing pajamas and a fresh face.

Your Bank Account: It fluctuates. I've been in good and bad places financially, haven't most of us? Our value is not in dollars and what other people do with their money is not my business unless they are asking me for some.

Some ways I do define people:
-if they believe equality for all of us
-how they treat themselves
-their sense of humor
-how they affect my energy
-if they're willing to stand up for what is right even if it's not popular
-by things I can't stand to be around: whiners and people who constantly seek validation and attention from others
-if they read books for pleasure or not
-by measuring if their actions line up to their words and who they say they are
-if they're awesome and add good things to my life, like my sister-in-law who is celebrating a birthday today. Happy birthday Aub!

How are some ways you do or don't define people?