Friday Thoughts: Speak Like a Lady

I cuss.

A LOT.

It's a bad habit I really have trouble kicking. {Though I'm not sure I can say I've ever sincerely tried.} I think I can pinpoint when my cursing habit started: 5th grade {young, right?}. I had a friend that cursed, and I just never did...and one day, when a boy said something not-so-nice {teasingly} me, she said, "Morgan, you should just tell him you're going to kick his ass." I actually remember saying it to him after that and that is the last time I remember a jaw dropping simply because a curse word had crossed my lips. Basically, it has all gone downhill from there...or escalated, however you want to look at it.

My husband gets on me about it all the time. He'll be like, "I can't believe you dropped an F-Bomb during [insert any social situation here]. It's so embarassing!" {Though let's be honest here, he's no angel in this department, but I suppose there's some double-standard when it comes to women cursing.}

I get it, OK? It's unbecoming. It's not lady-like. It's not attractive. Sometimes it's not necessary...it's just become part of my regular vocabulary...I don't have to be mad to use one. It's so common these days...a curse word out of a woman's mouth doesn't have that shock factor it once did back in the day. So I suppose that's why I don't think too much of it...I actually hardly notice it most of the time...and if people are turned off by it, I certainly haven't noticed that either. I could be oblivious, or my husband could just be overreacting. Or maybe it's a little of both.

It also doesn't help that I work in a factory full of airplane mechanics...inevitably a work environment composed of mostly males. And most of the women aren't very womanly...to say the least. It's second nature to talk like a sailor there. And you know how it is, when you're around certain types of people, you tend to start sounding like them...and of course there is definitely no shock factor when using curse words in that environment.

BUT nonetheless, I do want to cut back a bit on this little habit...main reason: my kiddos. I am going to be utterly honest here when I say it's been more than the occasional slip-up in front of them...and those are the actual times I DO notice that I've done it...and I want to immediately take both of my hands and clasp them over my mouth. Usually this happens while driving. Other drivers are always pissing me off {but that's another story for another day}.

So I'm going to be more cognizant of the words that come out of my mouth...this probably should have been on my New Year's resolutions, not sure why I didn't think of it then. I don't want my boys talking like sailors...and I also want to sound like a lady, not just look like one.

Looks like it's "Oh, Fudgesicles!" for me from now on. Have a great weekend!

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Confession: I Have a Vice

As much as I strive to take great care of my body, I must admit my one addiction that is not good for my health, or at least certainly is not helping it any.

Hi, my name is Morgan, and I'm addicted to Diet Rockstars.

I've been drinking at least one a day {sometimes two!} for the last 4-ish years. {Yikes, it scares me to say that!} Minus my pregnancy with Breckin of course, I quit cold turkey for that entire nine months.

I often get unsolicited advice from strangers/friends/coworkers that I need to quit because "that stuff" is so bad for me. I've been justifying my habit for years with excuses such as:

1. It's the one bad thing I drink, other than that, it's water or skim milk {or red wine, but that's an addiction topic for another day...}
2. There are worse addictions, i.e. smoking, drugs, etc.
3. It has vitamins! Better than a nutrition-lacking diet soda for caffeine.
4. Yada yada yada

Yeah, I'm a prime candidate for an intervention.

Well, so last night, I came across this article. Yeah, heavy. That's it, I do need to stop.

So starting today, I'm going to pick one bad habit to kick, and this is it. Do you have a guilty pleasure you can't seem to curb? What is it? I'd love to hear. Also, I'd love if you'd join me in trying to kick the habit - any habit you might have.

I'll be reporting back to you here to let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

 

The Non-Caffeinated Mommy

Caffeine. Such a powerful drug. So many hardworking Americans are addicted to it. Many can't bring themselves to function without it.

I used to be 100% caffeine-free. I guess except for a tiny bit of chocolate here and there, but I'll be honest, I wasn't consuming that for the caffeine. Anyway, I didn't drink sodas (not even the caffeine-free kinds), caffeinated teas, coffee or anything. My drinks of choice were water, skim milk and of course the social alcoholic beverages when out with friends.

Then in 2008, I opened up an in-home daycare. My addiction begins. During the year that I had my in-home daycare, I would be up around 5:30 or 6am...take the dog for a morning walk, then prepare for the kids to start arriving as early as 7am and the last ones would not leave until 5:30pm. That is a long work day - and with no breaks. Around 10:30am, I would start to get that nodding off feeling...and with kids, you just can't have that. You need even more energy to keep up with them than you do with just a regular job! So I started purchasing energy drinks. Diet Rockstars and Lo-Carb Monsters were my guilty-pleasures. And I drank one EVERY DAY. Sometimes two. Yeah, it was bad. Here I am, 2 years later (except for a 9-month break during pregnancy) and I'm still having one a day. I am now a stay-at-home mom for the most part and working on my cleaning business. I have a 5 year old and a 4 month old - both of which require a lot of alertness in their own ways. Tanner, the 5-year old, is off-the-walls hyper most days. You absolutely have to find things to keep him entertained. And he can be very hard to keep up with. Breckin, on the other hand, requires a great deal of attention at this age, and of course getting up in the middle of the night for feedings some nights leaves me exhausted in the AM. (Thankfully, he has been sleeping through the night most nights for about a month.) But my sleep is still light, nonetheless, since I'm used to getting up. Hopefully my body will get back to normal soon.

I have been on a mission to lose all of my pregnancy weight by the end of this year ever since I got home from the hospital with Breckin. In light of having to change my diet and exercise habits (at least from what they were during pregnancy), I have decided that it would also be in my body's best interest to lay off of the caffeine. Hopefully altogether. I want my body to run on the energy I get from exercising and eating right. For so many years, I functioned absolutely fine with no help from the caffeine jolt whatsoever. I know I can do it. It's a bit harder now that I'm a mommy of two boys, but I know I can do it. So here's to kicking the habit - wish me luck!