Broken Isn't Always...

What it seems.

Today my family becomes broken again.

We've had some crazy changes in the family in the last year.

My husband came home from the oilfields last year when the market tanked. He took a huge pay cut and it took a toll on our family.

We kept looking at the future. We're together! After years and years of being apart, we were finally together! What could go wrong?

I always joke that him working away from home kept our marriage together. We had our own rhythm, in our own ways. We drove each other absolutely insane for the first few months. We never fought (like in the old days), but you could tell we were on the edge.

We found a groove and the bills found a home. On my sofa table in my living room. Living got very tight. Functioning as we had before was a near impossibility. The kids had to sacrifice.

That's when we decided something needed to change.

The oilfields became viable again.

And today, well technically in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, he'll be gone again.

It's a real reality check for both of us. The kids will be able to resume their normal carefree lives (and before you lecture me, yes, I think if you can do it, your kids should be carefree!). I'll be able to pay the bills on time, but now we're all sacrificing in a different way.

People will judge what we decide is best for our family, and to those who do: I don't give a fuck what you think.

We've got a plan. I'm sure it's fluid, but we've got a plan. It's going to keep me busy. And the Patriarch to my Matriarch as well.

I hope the kids understand and remember the sacrifices we all made (them included) so they could have the lives that he and I think they deserve.

Parenting is hard. Being married is hard. Life is hard. Don't live in fear of what could be. Take the chances. Live the life. Love your significant other. And parent like a blind man in a china shop.

~Kim

What I Don't Understand Is...

...why women feel the need to cut each other down.

I mean, seriously, why?

Look...You can like Donald Trump. You can like Hillary Clinton. You can like Gary Johnson. You can like Bernie Sanders. It's okay, you're allowed. It's called autonomy. You can make your own decisions.

Some of the stuff I see on social media is driving me insane. It really is.

I don't begrudge you your opinions. Obviously, I have my own (and you're here, reading them so you already know that), but seriously, why do you have to cut other women down?

There are a plethora of posts running around Facebook (and I'm sure other social media as well) about Victoria Woodhull being the first female president nominee.

This is true. Her running mate was Frederick Douglas, a black man, and they were part of the Equal Rights Party (imagine that) in 1872...They appeared on 0...yes ZERO ballots in the United States.

There have been 3rd parties nominating women since 1872. THIRD PARTIES. Not one of the two major political parties that "We the people" have created over the years.

 Hillary Clinton is the first viable female candidate ever nominated by one of the two major parties.

It's not saying the nominations of the previous parties mean any less.

For example, I'm sure there were several female CEOs before the first one appointed to a Fortune 500 company, but that first appointment to a major player was STILL historic.

Even if you don't like Hillary Clinton, don't deny my daughter the ability to see that women can do ANYTHING. There's even the possibility to rule one of the most powerful countries on the planet.

Just because you don't like her doesn't give you the right to belittle what she has achieved.

And that achievement will empower little girls from now until the end of time as we know it.

Stop cutting people down. Period.

Women have enough people cutting them down without their own gender doing it too.

~Kim

female nominees found here

I'll Just Turn Off the WiFi...

"That's okay, I'll just use my phone," responds one teen.

"How am I supposed to know when the guys are at the park?" queries the other.

"My Kindle won't work!" squeals the girl.

Go outside and play. Go get dirty. Get sweaty. Swim. Play basketball.

"It's too hot out," states one child.

"You turned off the WiFi so I have no way of knowing where my friends are," complains another.

"I want go to to Gramma's," demands the third.

I try to think back to when I was a kid.

I lived on 3 acres with my nearest neighbor (who didn't even have kids my age) about a quarter of a mile away.

I had woods, a pond, a dairy farm across the street, and acres of play area. I read books, I played pretend, I mowed the grass (on a riding lawn mower so it was more fun than work!). I probably complained as much as my own kids do. Except there was only one of me.

Now I have to watch who they're talking to on social media. I have to explain to them over and over again (because Heaven forbid any of them actually listen the FIRST time) about the dangers of predators who are not who they say they are.

I can't just drop them off at the mall, they could get shot. I can't let them go to the park until the street lights come on because I have to worry about them getting robbed. Even letting them walk to a friend's house incites a twenty minute conversation about being aware of your surroundings.

What the hell has the world come to?

"Never mind, I'll turn the WiFi back on."

~Kim