A Peek at Karen's World

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Let the Summer Reading Begin with a Giveaway!

Today's the last day of school for us here at The College.

Finally, the lazy days of summer can begin. Days of streaming Netflix movies and wearing flip flops to work and having Fridays off and reading for hours on end.

I love summer. It really is my favorite time of year. For so many reasons.

And to celebrate this, the last day of school, I'm having a little giveaway.

It's nothing super fancy because I'm broke, but it's still a little something to get you started on that summer book list. All the entry info is listed below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

Name that movie!

I've been kind of overwhelmed with some big work projects, so I don't have the brain power to finish the post I've been working on.

But I just had to share this, for those of you who haven't seen it yet. HILARIOUS. And totally adorable.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

Are you an Influenster?

I started hearing about Influenster ages and ages ago. When a friend offered me an invitation, I took it, not really knowing what I was getting into, but understanding that I was going to have the chance to get some free stuff.

And who doesn't like free stuff, amiright?

Influenster is a community that connects trendsetters with brands, basically.

You get an invitation, you sign up for free, connect all your social networks, start showing off your areas of expertise, and get qualified to test out all kinds of products.

After I joined Influenster, it was months before I qualified for anything. The first thing I got was the Holiday Vox Box back in December, which came with some fun goodies like Kiss Nail Art, an awesome half-round brush from Goodie, some really yummy oatmeal, and a few other things.

I tried the stuff out, but I never really shared much on Facebook or Instagram or The Blog about it, because I just wasn't really sure what to say or do.

When I filled out the post-box survey a month later, I quickly realized that I really should have been blogging the heck out of the awesome stuff I'd gotten. Missed opportunity. I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with Influenster now after dropping the ball.

But then I was invited to participate in a weekly Twitter party talking about The Taste on ABC. Participants had the chance to win all sorts of prizes. I didn't win anything, but it was fun to get more involved and learn more about how to really interact in this whole Influenster world.

And then I got a really, REALLY awesome invitation. All I had to do was drive fifteen minutes to one of the area malls, visit the Sony Store, and find their super cute little round bluetooth speaker, take a picture of it, check myself in, and have a chance to win one of those cute little speakers.

It arrived in the mail several weeks later and is one of the coolest things EVER. It's amazing how so much sound can come out of something barely bigger than a golf ball.

And while the Sony bluetooth speaker is the best thing that's come my way, the Influenster awesomeness didn't stop there.

A couple of weeks ago, I randomly received a couple of bottles of Palmolive dish soap to try out. One for me, and one to share with a friend.

And then last week, I got the Spring Vox Box with some more cool things to try out. ImPress Nails, and OsIs Dust In powder, and NYC Color Lip Gloss and Secret Deodorant and a TastyKake, which I couldn't eat but my roommate thoroughly enjoyed.

Influenster is cool. Really, really cool.

You have to be active over there to really get the perks. Instagramming and Facebooking and Twittering are all a big part of it. But when you do those things, you get the free schtuff and it's totally worth it.

Sadly, I don't have any invitations to send out right now, because I already distributed all of mine and am waiting for more.

BUT, you can go over to the Influenster website and request an invitation. Be sure to tell them Karen sent you.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

Dear Gluten: The trial separation is over. I want a divorce.

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to give up gluten for the month of May to try to get to the bottom of this constant exhaustion and general feeling of ickiness that I've had for a couple of...oh, I don't know, decades.

It took approximately five minutes to determine that gluten was, indeed, the culprit.

Okay, okay, it was probably more like a day and a half, but still. The results were pretty immediate.

I had more energy. Like, I stopped fighting to stay awake on the way to work in the mornings.

The perma-bags under my eyes started to disappear.

I used to get headaches fairly regularly. Instead of getting them checked out, I just assumed that's how it was now. But they're gone.

Even some personal issues--the details of which I'll spare my male readers--have been so much easier to deal with. Especially considering I didn't even realize there was a problem.

Basically? I feel awesome.

More awesome than I dared imagine or hope I could feel.

Honestly, I thought I was just doomed to be a tired, bedraggled, slightly grouchy version of myself forever.

But two weeks in and I am sold.

The conclusion I've reached is that gluten was trying to kill me.

I thought it would be so hard to give up things I love. Things like bread and cereal and cookies and pizza and Chinese food and a million other things that you wouldn't even think of but that my body hates more than Angels fans hate the Red Sox.

But then something weird happened.

When I discovered how much better I felt and how fast I felt it, giving up that stuff that wasn't good for me anyway became SO easy.

Sure, I see a cookie and think, "Bummer, I can't have that." But it's easy to walk away. Because I know if I eat that cookie, my guts will rebel and I'll regret ever even hearing the word cookie.

That's not to say it's all been smooth sailing.

On Saturday, I was at a Miche party at Katie's house and the croissants just looked SO good. But I paid for that indiscretion later.

Plus, this whole gluten-free thing requires planning. And very, VERY careful reading of ingredient lists and menus.

It's been a learning experience.

And what I've learned is that there is gluten in just about everything normal.

Wanting to stay away from it is one thing.

Actually being able to is an entirely different matter.

The first night of my gluten-free life, I was at a grocery store, eyes wide, searching desperately for something, ANYTHING I could eat that didn't have the consistency of cardboard. I found a couple of things, but couldn't shake the dejected feeling that this was going to be very, very difficult.

The next trip to the store was a little easier, but still frustrating when I discovered that the gluten-free section was very small and that EVERYTHING costs $5. Bread? Five bucks. Quinoa pasta? Five dollars. A tiny package of gluten-free cookies that resemble Oreos? Cinqo. Every single thing in the gluten free section was literally five dollars. It was weird.

And none of it looked that appetizing.

But I cheered myself with the fact that chocolate is gluten-free. And so is Dr. Pepper. And rice and potatoes, and meat and fruit and vegetables. I can eat ALL SORTS OF THINGS without getting sick.

And some of it is actually good for me too.

So, bonus, I've lost a couple of pounds without even trying.

And without even avoiding chocolate.

In other words, a diet that gives me energy for the first time ever, and makes me feel better, and helps me lose weight, and lets me eat chocolate? I'm sold.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

Single Infertile Female, the Book

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage.” That’s how the story goes, right? We all grow up hearing the same fairy tales, and imagining the same futures. But what happens when the future you have always pictured for yourself, is ripped away before you ever even get the chance to pursue it? Single Infertile Female tells the story of a girl, still young and looking for love, who is hit with a medical diagnosis that threatens to destroy the future she always believed she would have. Faced with a choice between now or never, she has to decide if love and marriage should always have to come first. And if they don’t, can you still keep looking for them, even while actively pursuing that baby in the baby carriage?

As soon as I heard Leah Campbell was going to be releasing her book, I knew I'd snatch up a copy immediately. So when she offered to send me one in exchange for a review, I couldn't possibly say no.

Single Infertile Female is Leah's story. On her blog, she has chronicled her journey through infertility, and the book takes you even deeper into her difficult and painful struggle. What makes this story unique is that she battled endometriosis, infertility, and IVF without a partner by her side.

Because I've followed Single Infertile Female--the blog--for years, I wasn't sure what to expect from the book. Would it be just a collection of her best posts? Or something more?

While many of the experiences she shares in the book have already been written about on the blog, there is a greater depth and a continuity to the book. You really get to understand the whole picture of what she's been dealing with for the past several years and everything she has put herself through in her quest to be a mother. Not just physically and financially, but emotionally, too. She takes the reader through her mental process and you get the chance to really understand the choices she made and the reasons behind them.

The last third or so of the book deals with the aftermath of her two failed IVF cycles. Some have criticized this last section of the book as having nothing to do with infertility and only being about some dumb boy. But I think it has everything to do with Leah's infertility and how she tried to cope with her grief by launching herself into an unhealthy relationship that was all wrong from the start. While couples have each other to lean on or fight with during the process, Leah had only herself. It's this perspective that sets Leah's story apart from the many, many tales of infertility out there.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Single Infertile Female. Honestly. Whether you've read the blog or not, this story is powerful and important. It's an honest and well-written page-turner that will leave you wanting more, even if you already know about the miraculous ending that didn't quite make it into the book.

Single Infertile Female is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

I know I'm not a mother. Please quit trying to convince me otherwise.

someecards.com - I'm sorry that your cats don't understand what Mother's Day is.

As far as I can remember, I've never had a baby.

Never nursed a sick child all night, or changed a million diapers in a single day, or had the swell of emotion and pride the moment a little one first said "mama."

And I accept that.

Do I wish it was different? Of course.

Do I hope one day to be a mother? Absolutely. Whether my own or by adoption, or however it needs to happen, one of the deepest desires of my heart is to be someone's mom.

But that's not my life right now.

Which is why I get frustrated every year at church when Mother's Day rolls around and they give gifts to all the women over 18 who are "mothers in some way."

It didn't used to be that way. They used to actually single out the mothers, which made the non-moms feel incredibly left out and unimportant and I get that. I'm glad they actually include everyone now.

But we are not all mothers in some way and I wish They would stop saying otherwise.

I'm an aunt. (Even if my only nephew rarely actually calls me "aunt.")

I'm a teacher.

I'm a friend.

I'm a lot of things to a lot of kids and I love them dearly.

Some I probably couldn't love more if they actually were my own.

But they aren't mine. They will never be mine. No matter how much influence I may have in their lives or in who they will become, none of those precious children look at me as a second (or third or fourth or fifth) mother. They see me for what I am. An aunt. A teacher. A friend.

And instead of trying to ease my sad heart by telling me I'm a mother in some way, I'd much rather celebrate all the things I am. The person those kids know me to be.

It may not be the realization of all of my hopes and dreams, but it's reality. It's who I am. For now, anyway. I love being an aunt. I love being a teacher and a friend. There's no need to diminish those important roles by treating them like they aren't enough.

Because they are.

For now.

But keep the chocolate coming. Because aunts like chocolate too.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

"That's my purse! I don't know you!"

The other night, I was hanging out with my dear friends Aaron and Marly.

Marly brought up the recent statements I've made here on the blog about being socially awkward.

"You're not awkward at all," she assured me.

I tried to convince her otherwise, but she was not to be dissuaded and kept maintaining that I am not an awkward person, that I'm social and comfortable in front of groups and all that.

But, as I pointed out to her, there's a big difference between getting up in front of a crowd that expects me to be in charge, and interacting with a group of strangers that already know each other.

I'm pretty sure she's still convinced I'm not as awkward as I claim, but then later that night happened and I wished she could have been there to witness it.

I was at the grocery store. Checking out at the self check-out so that I wouldn't have to talk to a chatty cashier about my odd collection of purchases.

(Gluten-free Rice Krispies, Ben and Jerry's, feminine hygiene products...)

(Because I can't write a post about being socially awkward without actually being socially awkward.)

The register was just spitting out my receipt when I felt someone watching me. I turned around and saw a guy next to the Red Box. He smiled at me. I grabbed my bag and ran out the door before he could grab me and throw me in the back of a van.

It wasn't until I was safely locked inside my car and driving away that it occurred to me that he was just being nice, and was not an axe murderer.

Sometimes, social interaction is really baffling.

Anyway, when I told the story to my friend Jennifer, she said it reminded her of this episode of King of the Hill. So I watched this clip and I AM TOTALLY BOBBY.

I may not ever get married, but at least I won't be chained up in some guy's basement either.

You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!

What I Just Finished Reading

Single Infertile Female by Leah Campbell--Another memoir, this time about a single woman who fights against impending infertility to try to become a mother. Loved it.
One Year Lived by Adam Shepard--Inspiring and fun story about a guy that spends a year traveling the world, doing service, and meeting the love of his life. It's a memoir, and a fun one.
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick-- Somewhat different from the movie, but really good. The story is told in first person, present tense, so you really get a sense of being in Pat's head and understand how he feels and what goes through his mind. Quick read, too.