Live like your a blogger.....

These last two years for me have been one big whirl wind of craziness! I have had opportunities to meet amazing people and be a part of so many projects I love. Among these amazing new associations, I have become good friends with a few bloggers, like the fabulous Chandice, the super sassy and ever funny Erica, the sweet and kind Sara,  the HILARIOUS  Chrissy and the always classy and long time family friend (who inspired me to write this with one of her FB posts last week- since it has been banging around in my head for a while now) Emily just to name a few...At first I found myself envious of them. They travel, seem to have endless resources to amazing food, get free meals, have not just 1, but MULTIPLE packages show up on their door step with fun surprises daily. Of course if they have kids or pets or both, they are all super cute and perfectly behaved or hilarious, unlike mine seem to be. The clothes they wear are always super sassy and every day seems to be one big adventure." How could I get in on this gig" I thought.... But that was before I really knew them.

Once I got to really know them, I saw I different side of things. I listen to their stories, saw the anger and sometimes tears as they deal with_________ and/or _________  who continually misjudge them or write ridiculous things on their FB/Instagram/ twitter and blog sites. Sat at a dinner table ready to dive in and enjoy the delicious in front of me, only to feel rude because they have to spend half their meal on social media making sure the the food looks good. I know the countless hours they pour into their sites and social media to get their name and messages out there. The sleepless nights dealing with companies who have high expectations or wondering how to write the review blog on the food that wasn't actually all that good but you don't want to loose the trust of your amazing audience and yet you need the companies support.... Headaches. That is what being a blogger is. Its full of BIG never ending headaches. Most of them have a message, something they care so much about that they are willing to put themselves through this day in and day out to get that message to you and if they are " good enough" then they might actually make money at it too.

So, I decided, no thank you. No blogger life for me.... or can there be? Is there a way to HAVE IT ALL as they say? Essentially I started my own little experiment. I got myself a twitter page and instagram and started tweeting when I found a product I loved, or taking pictures of the fun things in my life. Once I started doing this I also started ( Like they do) LOOKING for ways to make the normal seem.... a bit more interesting, A daily journal entry go super exciting when I proudly show it off, or my apple crisp became a lot more fun when I thought about how the picture of it would look on instagram. I was more willing to let me kids help out with projects because I know my kids can sell anything better then me- and that led to fun memories created. I'll admit, it was stressful keeping it up for a time, but I began to back off and only post when I wanted or check my twitter when I felt like it. I'm not an actual blogger, so I get to enjoy the pretending with out the pressure. I found myself looking for adventure at times and seeing the good in my life in small moments. I have taken better care of my physical self- because bloggers take pictures of themselves ( it's more personal that way- right?) and I wasn't going to be showing off my bad side. THEN, I realized this was a flaw of mine, so that lead to an experiment about being "good with who I am", no makeup or cute clothes and being SO o.k with it, that I could document it with a picture and share it with the world.

So what am I rambling about here? What are the take away points of my long winded post?

 1. Being a blogger is not all that you might think, behind the curtain of awesomeness lies a lot of work, ups and downs and not the high living life you possibly imagine. Even for those bloggers who are amazing at what they do- I happen to only know awesome ones ;) - its a rollercoaster.

 2. So your not a blogger- LIVE like one! Document your moments, celebrate your successes- big and small, show off things you are working on to your friends and family and ADD a little unexpected adventure to each day.

The best part about making myself look good to the world is that I have improved my way of living both as a mom and person because of it, its like the saying " fake it until you make it". I made it, because I am only working for ME, so if I wanted to take a day off and eat frozen pizza, no one but me and my state of mind had to matter, the rest of the time I can practice being fabulous.

 Like my blogger friends, I have a message I want to share with others too...its that life is what you make it and that each individual has endless potential if he/she will just believe in themselves and reach for the stars. I TRULY believe that with all my heart, it speaks to the foundation of my religion and who I am as a person. So, go be what you want to be and enjoy each moment..... and if you get the chance, FB/Instagram or tweet it so I can join you on your journey!

( also a side note- all these pictures are from the last year and a half and my hair is at LEAST 4 different colors! HA)

I would be awesome at being famous

So, The last two weeks there has been a fun game flying around FB where you get a # and have to tell that same # of interesting things about yourself... I have not participated. Why am I hesitating? Two reasons 1- ( and the biggest reason of the two) I have no idea what I would even have to share, lets face it, I put it all out there for your enjoyment most days anyway. 2- I somewhat hate participating in current trends, I am a brat like that. That being said, this fun FB activity has led me to a few moments of thoughtful introspective looking and some very important realizations- ( can't help myself with the sarcasm)and I realized, I would be a dang good famous person! I also happen to be a 30 year old girl who thinks she is still going to be famous for some day. What can I say? You get told something as a child over and over ( or maybe I told it to myself????) and it sticks with you even when life shows you other paths....so anyway, Here is the list of why I would rock the whole fame thing:

1. I am a klutz, Therefore the likes of People Magazine, In Touch and TMZ would have hours and hours of fun stories as they catch me on film tripping in the parking lot, dropping my groceries randomly, dribbling food down my shirt and watching me cut into a steak at a fancy restaurant only to send it flying across the table ( has happened TWICE in my life) I could make the pages every month, easily.

2. I am fairly introverted. I don't like to talk about my family with people I don't know. This is a benefit because I won't be saying things about my family without carefully thinking them through, no tabloid stories for Mike and the kids. They would not have to suffer as much for the price of fame.

3. I am extroverted as well!! It seems like a contradiction, but there are two groups of people I am great with- friends and family who I know love me despite my flaws........ and inconsequential total strangers. AKA, fans OR in real life (my case): the random Walmart worker, people at an expo or conference, those who I tie tinsel for at craft fairs or Scentsy parties who end up loving or hating me. I can get them laughing or crying depending on how I lead the conversation. Fans would love me because in the end it would be all about THEM, its easier to talk about them then me. ;)

4. This sounds conceded, but I don't think that it really is....I like to have pictures taken of me. Its the little-girl princess in me manifested in my adulthood life. I like to dress up, find a fun new location, think about colors and lighting, goof off and pretend to be serious. I think its fun. I don't always love LOOKING at the pictures, but I enjoy a good photo shoot.

5. I think long term. When I make a decision, its long term ( unless it involves sparkle or glitter- then it might be a spare of the moment decision because I can't help myself). So I think this could pay off as a star, from the way I dress to the way I style my hair and makeup. Part of my refusal to do anything trendy comes with this habit. I like to be me and not go with the crowd ( star quality?? I think so! LOL) but I really enjoy trying my best to be " timeless" in all I do. I don't want to make any decision just because every one else is. In fact I told my daughter last week if every one else is doing it- you probably shouldn't - Society as a whole usually gets it wrong the majority of time.

6. I have moved a bazillion times. ( this is good and bad for my career) So I happen to know LOTS of people from all over the country and all walks of life. I have shared in the memories, trial and victories. I have an interesting view on life and can almost " one up" any story you tell me because " I know some one who...." with almost anything you tell me- I try hard not to be like that, but seriously its hard when you know so many awesome and interesting people! This would make my interviews always interesting because my perspective on life has been altered by every individual I have met. Usually some one has to become a star to be exposed to all these things, I already have that down. ;) AND yet the negative comes with the fact that after a bazillion moves there are bound to be " skeletons" in my closet that I forgot and people who didn't like me in each location... I am pretty sure TMZ would like that too....

7. I am good with social media. I have only dabbled a bit in it compared to most but have found GREAT success at it ( much to my husbands frustration). He doesn't get how I can have people following me and retweeting me so consistently. I think its because my internet self is more sassy and funny then my real life self, but I also think my internet self is just a lot of the thoughts I wouldn't say out loud because I am a proper lady and believe all girls should try harder then we currently do to be more proper.

8. My religion makes me interesting! I am MORMON which in every reality show, magazine and newspaper seem to be the magical word that makes you automatically interesting. Not only am I Mormon but I actually believe and LIVE my religion, so I got one up on every other so called Mormon star out there ( except Gladys Knight- she is awesome- maybe if I am famous we can be friends and Brooke White too, we are besties in the making...)

9. I like to do things just to see how people will react. Put me in a costume and I will skip around the store like an idiot ( once I wore a pioneer costume to walmart and actually did this much to my friends embarrassment, another time I wore sunglasses INSIDE the fruit market just because the " cool kids do" and I wanted to try it out.) I have no shame when it comes to being goofy- at least when I am in a costume.

So now that you see my star quality- or at the very least you have indulged me as I bragged about my worthless star qualities- I have 1 major problem. I have no real talent to show, I am a girl of may talents and master of absolutely none.... so here I sit, proud wife and mother of three, Celiac advocate, Mormon girl at my computer trying to figure out if a part of me will ever really believe that fame is not " just around the corner" until then, I will keep on tripping all over myself, tweeting about the unimportant, working to be a lady and act goofy when the moment seems right. ;)

Boo's GF holiday tips

As some of you know I have the exciting opportunity to start contributing to one of my favorite blogs Gluten Free Frenzy starting in January! If you haven't heard of it or haven't been there in a while, check it out, they are the #1 giveaway site for gluten free products. The thing I am excited to bring to the bigger Gluten free community is my experience. We happen to have not 1, or 2 but THREE gf children and myself. Two of them have wheat allergies and one we believe has celiac disease, which we are actively trying to figure out what is going on with his little body. My whole angle is that I have the " gf motherload" of situations going on here. So I get to share what we have been through and what we go through as our journey keeps moving forward as well has offer reviews, tips and ideas for those new and old to the diet. Fun Times. So until then I wanted to share my tips for holiday cooking right here. =)

Boo's GF Holiday tips:

Growing up the holidays were magical! The lights, smells and sounds of the holiday let my imagination fly and I ( maybe more then most) believed that anything was possible during the holiday season. But when you first go gluten free the holidays can be one emotional nightmare and... not so magical. They are overwhelmingly expensive and the traditional foods you grew up with just never taste quite the same gluten free. After almost 7 years of trying to "fix the holidays", I realized I have learned a few things. I have the power to stop making the holidays all about food and begin to recreate the magic for my children and myself with out having an emotional meltdown every season.

Tip #1:
Buy extra! Seems simple right? But you would be surprised at how many years it took me to figure this out. Starting in September, when you buy a box of cake mix, buy two. When you buy flour, buy two. Now As some one who comes from a home with three children and a VERY strict budget, I am not saying buy it all in one trip, I am saying once a week, when you buy your stuff, buy TWO of it if you know that product will come in handy during the holiday season. When you get home put your " extra" items in a separate location in your cupboard so that they don't end up getting used before you need them. ( my kids think if there are two cake mixes in the cupboard that making cupcakes is a given, I have had to teach them to think a bit differently about it. ;)

Tip #2:
Make the freezer your very best friend! When you make those sugar cookies in October for the class Halloween party or your coworkers, or whom ever- make double or even triple the dough! Freeze and label it and BAM your cut-out Christmas cookie decoration night just got a lot cheaper in December and less stressful during a very busy time. Freeze "extra" cupcakes, doughnuts and muffins instead of enjoying the WHOLE box like normal. My kids keep asking why we have so many cupcakes in the freezer- I keep telling them with a smile " its for the holidays", they get excited to eat it and I feel like a rock star for thinking ahead and saving money!

Tip #3:
ASK, ASK, ASK, PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Ask your co-workers, teachers, church leaders, friends and neighbors about holiday the plans. Food is important to almost everyone during the holiday season. If you know " the plan" for parties, dinners and activities, you can use what you have in your freezer, or make ahead what you need. Put an end the the last minute rush to the store for sub-par food!! It will probably still happen- you know what I mean, the stressful run- to pay to much for something that MAY be a substitute for what every one else is happily enjoying. Lets face it, people don't like to be grilled on what they will be eating at all points during their holiday season, ( most spend January trying to forget it!) but asking and asking again can help you avoid at least half of that stress, if not all of it.

Tip #4:
REMEMBER and forgive! Remember that time when you ate wheat filled products all the time?? I know it's painful, but try to remember with me for JUST a second. You would go to the fancy Christmas party just to eat cheap, big box store cookies that you almost broke your teeth on. Sure, some of those treats were amazing and full of fluffy goodness, but REMEMBER the bad ones? Because there were a lot of bad ones. Cheap chocolate, hard, too crispy or flat, so well preserved they would outlast Twinkies at the end of the world, kind of bad. Now, Forgive yourself for all those times you beat your self up for your cookies tasting differently then anyone else in the room, or those brownies that their only offense was " they are gluten free". Because in the end GF products have come so far that I have found, if I don't mention they are gluten free, no one even questions it. Are they always the best ones in the room?? Some times yes- and sometimes no, but that just makes me like every other person in the room that isn't gf and who brought a variety of good and bad products to the party.

Tip #5:
FORGET THE FOOD. In the end, I have learned the best memories are actually the ones without the food. The smiles, the laughter, the games played and songs sung stay much longer then the pounds lost or gained by what we put in our mouth. Just try to forget the food. Teach your co-workers, teachers, friends and neighbors that activities are much more rewarding and much better then standing around a table piled with junk. Find ways to add excitement to your holidays with minimal food involved, who says you HAVE to have hot chocolate while looking at lights? or eat Doughnuts after that turkey bowl game? Not that we don't enjoy them, but looking for activities where the food intake is minimized can alleviate a lot of stress for those with food issues and help us all be a lot healthier. So, ONCE IN A WHILE, during the holiday season, try to forget the food and create a memory.

I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday season! May your GF memories be every bit as wonderful as the ones you remember growing up!