Diagnosis: Drama Queen

We all know that the field of Mental Health has taken leaps and bounds in the past few years.  The information, support, and mental healthcare available to our children today is far superior to what our generation (speaking as someone in their 40s) had access to.  Was it that mental healthcare wasn’t accessible back then, or what it just that children’s mental health wasn’t “a thing” when we were kids?

Taming the Worry Dragons

My 13 year old son started with a new therapist recently.  We moved to a new town about 6 months ago and have been searching for someone suitable since our move.  He had been in therapy previously for his Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and had been utilizing the skills he had been taught over the years, but we knew that ongoing support in the form of therapy would be necessary for him.  Navigating the teen years without anxiety is hard enough.  Navigating it WITH anxiety is going to be a challenge.

The Coffee Lie

I should preface this blog post by saying that I'm a little pissed off at the moment.  No, no, that's not true.  I'm a LOT pissed off at the moment.  And that anger has led to hurt, and confusion......and this blog post.

"No" Is A Complete Sentence

As I sit here writing this, I have no idea if this will ever be published.  But I'm writing because it needs to come out.  Because I am strengthened and inspired by all the #beenrapedneverreported stories trending on Twitter right now, and because it has remained hidden in the shadows for too long.

Off We Go.....

Join us as we begin our journey to bring another Little Free Library to Grimsby!

Our Facebook page is up and running here - https://www.facebook.com/littlefreelibrarymovementgrimsby

Feel free to join us on this journey as we crowd fund, collect books, and engage our community in this amazing project.

Give our Facebook page a LIKE and a SHARE and help us make this dream a reality for our neighbourhood.

Happy Reading!

~ The Lazy Gourmet

The Little Free Library Movement

 So, in case you haven't noticed, I have become OBSESSED with the Little Free Library Movement since discovering there are 2 (that I know of) in Grimsby already.  They are beyond cute and the most basic, yet important, idea ever!

I Am Finally Home

I have to begin this post with a HUGE thank you to all of you who read my blog on a regular basis, and to those of you who are new here over the past little while.  The response to my last post entitled "My New Small-Town Life" has been nothing short of overwhelming.  It has been read (to date) more than 225 times, shared on Facebook pages and websites, and I even received a message from the woman who owns the Little Free Library that I raved about!  Talk about a small world!  

The Lazy Gourmet Mutts

My 12-year-old son is currently working on a school project for his IT class, where he has to create a slideshow of pictures, all of people, places, or things that are special to him or that he enjoys.  So far he has photos of the dogs, his Pokemon cards, and some X-Box games. These are the "important" things in the life of a 12-year-old.  I am hoping a photo of his mother will rate at some point. *wink* 

So this project of his got me thinking about the thousands upon thousands of pictures I have taken over the years, and I thought I would share a few with you on this chilly Saturday morning in May.  And by the way, Mother Nature, what up?!?!  It is not supposed to BE chilly in May! 

The Lost Art of Kindness

My grandmother taught me this the minute I could talk.  I can still hear her voice telling me to treat others the way I want to be treated.  In fact, this pillow looks like something she would have made and had in her home.

"If you don't have anything nice to say.....don't say anything at all."

"Treat others the way you wish to be treated."

OK So I Have Clarity.......Now What?!

Clarity is a wonderful thing.  And it took me 40 years to get it!  Clearly I am a slow learner!  But here's the thing about clarity.....now that I have it, I don't know what to do with it.

As I sit here on this rainy Monday, sipping tea and listening to the dogs snore on their beds, I have a very clear picture of how I got to where I am.  How I became this person that I have become.  The way I was raised.  The choices I've made.  The inevitable mistakes I've made. (sometimes more than once, just to be sure)  

I Am Enough!

Why is it that such a simple statement - "I am enough" - is so difficult to digest?  Why is it that even though we KNOW this to be true, we still crave the attention and the validation of those around us?

Why, at 40 years old, do we still wish for the day our parents will respect us as an adult?  Our choices, our opinions, our mistakes and our triumphs.  When will they be enough?  And if they are never enough, why do we care? 

Exactly How Long Is This Gonna Take?!

Getting your thoughts down on paper (or screen, as the case may be) is therapeutic, as I'm coming to learn.  But sometimes, as some things become clearer, others become a little more muddy.

So I'm sitting in a bit of mud right now.  Having learned over the past year or so, that I no longer want any part of one way friendships and relationships, I have the gained the backbone and the self-respect I need to ensure I teach people how to treat me.  And twice this past week I had the opportunity to do just that.

Less Than.....

Oh how I know this to be true!  I referenced in my last post a quote by Dr. Phil - "You teach people how to treat you" and I believe this to be true.  Sadly, I was close to 40 before I realized I had collected a lifetime of people who I was allowing to treat me as "less than."

Yeah, that's right.  Less than!  

Friendship - The Two-Way Street That Wasn't

This quote, sent to me by a dear friend last week, rings so true for me lately.  She sent it to me after a long discussion about friendships and family relationships, and how they grow and change as we get older.

Wait, maybe I need to re-phrase that.  Not necessarily how friendships/relationships grow and change, but how our views of those relationships change with the wisdom of age and experience.