Lifestyle
For the lives that we love, and everything that comes with it.
I Am Not a Victim
I am not a victim. I am not a scared little girl. I am not the person you pushed me to be. A long time ago, I was happy. It was easy to smile, to laugh, to make friends. Now, thanks to you, it's not. I loved easy. It was easy to love you. It was easy to pour my entire being into loving you. You made me smile. You told me I was beautiful. You supported me and lifted my spirits. Until you didn't. Until you broke them.
By Emily Jones8 years ago in Viva
Love Yourself, Love Your Body
This is my first post so I want to discuss something that plagues me day in and day out... the way I feel about how I look. I, like most women, have major issues with my body. My thighs are covered with cellulite, and I have trouble finding jeans that don’t make me feel like my legs will burst out of them. I constantly say I have the shoulders of a man and my arms are flabby, which means there are certain styles of tops I have to stay away from as no matter the size they will not fit me. My stomach is wobbly and I carry the dreaded “mummy pouch.” I have severe muffin top and pull my bottoms up as high as possible to cover this. Despite me feeling it’s large I have no bum no matter how much squatting I do. After loosing weight I now have no boobs and I often compare them to balloons you find 5 days after a party. I have many issues with my body and some days I find it hard to look at myself in the mirror... until tonight.
By Laura Rainbow-Fearnley8 years ago in Viva
Family Importance
Someone once told me, that life gets harder as you get older. That someone was my dad. This April will be nine years since my dad passed away. I am not going to lie, I miss my dad everyday. Some days, I miss him more than ever. I do wish during some of my hard times that he was still here. I know that he could and would give me some advice, that would only drive me to where I know that I should be at in life. My oldest sister moved from Indiana to Kansas last summer, with her son. I miss them so much that it hurts and I wish that they were still here. I know that they are doing well there, so I am happy for them. I just wish that missing them didn't hurt so bad. My niece, who turned 21 in December, I miss her terribly. I was a big part of her and her brother's life for almost six years, while their mom was driving a semi over the road. I know that they are only going to get older and fend for themselves, but sometimes I wish that they were those little kids again. At times I wish that I too was still a little girl on that farm working on cars and tractors with my dad. How did things go from good to worse in only a matter of minutes, or a matter of seconds? I never had said that I ever hated my dad. I did my mom, but that one day changed after my dad passed away. I realized how wrong I was to feel that way about my mom, and I wished that I could have taken it all back on everything bad that I had ever said to her and about her while I was growing up. One doesn't realize the damage to the other person, even if it is a parent, that it can cause. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never ever said anything so degrading towards my mom. I know how bad my mom is now next to when I was a kid, and I wish that I could have treated her better and even talk to her better than I had. I do love my mom. She has alcoholic dementia. I don't like to watch her go through the things she had and will be in the future. I knew while growing up how important family was, but I know it so much more now. If I hear one child say that they hate their mom or dad, I do say something, "One day they aren't going to be here and you will regret that one day." I just hope that a teenager will read something like this one day, and realize the importance of family. I know that some people haven't had to go through what I have in my life, but I know some people have it worse off than I do. My life has always been complicated. Three years ago I got married, so I ended up with a step-son. I feel like he was my actual son. To me, he may as well be my son. Especially as much as I do to care for this child. I know that he may never call me mom, but to know what I do for him, is good enough for me. I would love to have a baby before my biological time clock decides to fully quit on me. I have a feeling that I am going to need a doctor's help on this, on why I have never ended up pregnant. Even if I am not ever able to carry a baby of my own, at least I do know that I have my step-son. I love that boy, but there are times that I want to pull my hair out or go crazy, but that's what goes along with parenthood. I know the craziness my parents went through with my two older sisters and I. I don't want to know who will pass away next, but the one thing I do know, that I will not be ready for it. I have never dealt with death very well, not even now. I know how important my family is, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world!! I would love to extend my family, but sometimes it's a easier said than done, kind of thing.
By Susan Whallon Meeks8 years ago in Families
Porifera
Porifera, more commonly known as sponges, are the only phylum belonging to the subkingdom Parazoa. These simple creatures are among the least evolutionarily advanced animals in the world. Although they may lack complexity, this group of animals are evidently extraordinarily successful, having been able to continue survival, successfully passing on their genes for over six hundred million years. Their unique feeding system and lack of digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems are some of the factors that differentiate them from any other animal.
By Vanessa Solorzano8 years ago in Petlife
Bearded Dragon Set Up 101
Bearded Dragons, also affectionately referred to as "beardies," are a type of desert reptile native to Australia that also happen to make awesome pets. As with any pet, there are things that you need to do in order to ensure they can live life to the fullest.
By Amanda Steuart8 years ago in Petlife
Most Unusual Lipstick Trends of All Time. Top Story - January 2018.
Ever since cosmetics became a huge part in the beauty industry in the past few years, makeup artists and lovers all around the world are getting really creative with it. They've started coming up with ways to make makeup more of an art form than just pampering the face. Through cut creases, contouring, sharp wing eyeliners, and ombre lips, these artistic people really enjoy playing around with makeup and coming up with unique trends that soon inspire other makeup lovers to do the same on social media.
By Rachel Blanchard8 years ago in Blush
Maid or Matron
A wedding, however big or small, requires a certain amount of planning. Brides and grooms decide where they want to marry, when they want to marry, and who they want to attend. These are the big, obvious things, but what about the details? The bride has chosen her bridesmaid but what, exactly, does the bridesmaid do? What does the chief bridesmaid do, and what is the difference between a maid of honour and a matron of honour?
By Sapphire Ravenclaw8 years ago in Families
Mothers
I think it's only appropriate to start at the beginning, and at the beginning is the one and only... mother. My mother, like any other mother, will go through thick and thin for her children, won't stop till they have what they need even if it destroys herself at the same time — that what you call motherhood. My mother is in her thirties and she has chronic neck and back pains. She was on disability, she was feeling so good that she got off of disability, she stopped volunteering and she is starting to work again. I'm so proud of her; she has accomplished so much with dealing with pain everyday and three children. You can see it in your eyes that she missed working; she likes having a purpose even if her purpose is just going to a job. My mother has children with different fathers; my brother Andrew and I have the same father and same mother; my little sister Ryanna has the same mom but a different dad. My mom is now single and lives with none of them. She always seems to find the dirtbags in life and I'm not too sure why, 'cause she's the one of the strongest people I know. My mother owns her own home, too, I look up to her; she's something I hope to be one day. I don't think I'll ever be able to go through what she goes through and be as strong as her. It seems like life just keeps pushing her down; even when she's at her lowest, she always finds a way to get back up, and I admire that. My mother was in four accidents. None of them were her fault; that's how she was diagnosed with chronic neck and back issues. Some days it was so difficult and so painful she couldn't even get up, and I had to make my sister's lunch for school. I took on the parent role for a little bit — but I didn't mind though, I liked to boss my siblings around. Because of everything that happened to my mother, I grew up faster than normal teenagers. I understand things that normal teenagers don't. But I do not blame her for missing out on my childhood. I appreciate her teaching me at such a young age; I feel like I understand so much more. My mother has been through a lot more than just that; my father likes to bring her to court a lot for child support. I don't think he quite understands that when you have children it takes two, not to mention my stepfather—who I don't classify as my stepfather—also causes multiple problems with the CA. My brother is 16 and he does not live at home he has some issues, but this story isn't about him. My 11-year-old sister lives with me and my mom. My mom is one of the strongest people I've ever met. She appreciates the little things and she has never ever left me. She is always there for me no matter what. She is what I aspire to be when I have children; she is one of the best mothers I think anyone could ask for. Sometimes money was hard but we managed to always have food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our head. Why? All because my mother never gave up. She had me at a young age — she was 19. She had Andrew when she was around 20; where you're at, he's 16 and I'm 17. In the end, I just wanted to say how much my mother has been through, and that you have no idea what people go through throughout their lives. This is just a part of hers that I've been through with her... this is only 17 years. What about the other 20? Or even the next 50?
By Angela Kropf8 years ago in Families
