How many of us love that old adage "when pigs fly"? Oh how I love it, and to celebrate my love for telling people I'll vote democratic ticket, or I'll give up Krispy Kreme donuts for life when pigs fly, I decided to jump into the crazy cultish world of Lularoe! I kept seeing these awesome prints, friends raving about how comfortable they were, and I kept telling them "when pigs fly, I'll pay $25 for leggings when I can buy a pair for $7 at Ross".
Ladies, I'm here to tell you, Pigs Fly and they've never looked more cute doing it! I should totally add that I grew up on a pig farm. My first pig that I showed through 4-H was affectionately named Tackleberry. Yes, Tackleberry from the old movie Police Academy. He was my favorite. And, there I go showing my age. Least to say, my Texas country roots run super deep, and I'm by no means wanting to jump back into farm life. But, I'm fairly sure my husband has a different idea, and I foresee us having lots of chickens, cows, a big garden (which I'll likely kill everything in it), and a couple of horses. If it were up to him, we'd totally live off the grid, have a bunker and not see any other humans unless we absolutely had to. He sometimes forgets who he married and knows I need civilization and I am not fond of losing electricity or water from the reliable source.
I was really not ever going to buy leggings that cost as much as the last handbag I purchased which has lasted two years and is still going strong! But, I saw these and HAD TO HAVE THEM! I put two Lularoe fanatic friends on high alert and they came through for me! I love that the consultants are very generous with their giveaways, some even run special discounted prices for a short sale, and no shipping costs on occasions. I've been added to about 20 groups for Lularoe, and ya know, not a single consultant has been pushy, rude or annoying. As someone who has been an independent insurance agent, and involved in direct sales companies, non pushy, annoying consultants are a requirement.
For those who do not know, I'm pretty stinking frugal. And, honestly I never buy anything really fun and not a necessity for myself. I have three kids, their needs/wants totally trump mine, but I will say I have zero regrets about buying these leggings. Plus, you know what, it's really nice to support a small business owner. Lularoe is the new rage. It's really an awesome company. The start up costs are too much for my pocketbook, but I love supporting women making it on their own and doing something they love. These leggings are totally worth the cost. They are seriously the softest pair of leggings I've ever owned. They do have a seam, but you can't feel it and it doesn't rub on your legs. The prints are A D O R A B L E. I even did the panty check. Bend over and make sure your panties are not seen through the material. All you over 30 women know this is a necessity. And, all us moms know we spend more time bending over picking stuff up off the ground than we do any other chore. I wear long tunics, shirts or even a short dress over leggings to ensure that I follow the "be decent because no one needs to get to second base via your clothing choices", but inevitably, I'll end up bending over or stretching and BAM the panties are visible to the world. Not with the Lularoe line, at least not the darker background choices. Of course, I imagine if you pick a light color pair with dark panties, they'll show through. That's sort of a common sense thing, and if you do that either you're a sleep deprived mom or you just don't care if everyone sees ya panties.
Lularoe seriously has something for everyone and in every size. The most impressive pieces other than the leggings are the shirts/tops. I've noticed that none of the shirts are lacking in the arm sleeve department. You know what I'm talking about, those stupid 1/3 of a sleeve that all our arms hang out of. Well except those girls with great arms. High five to ya, I lost 130lbs 7 yrs ago, then had two babies, gained some back and my arms are not made for sleeves that do not count as sleeves. I truly love the Irma and Randy shirts thus far. I do not own any yet, but maybe Christmas presents? Hint Hint Nudge Nudge family members! All of the coordinating pieces in their shirts, skirts and dresses are really adorable as well. I have not delved into the world of their other products, but I can say that I totally would if I wasn't on a budget and on a mission to pay off the house more before we leave next summer.
I just wanted to share my excitement in finding leggings that exceeded my expectations, and honestly, I do not want to take them off. Hope everyone is staying cool in this massive heat wave moving across the country. We've been cooped up today because the weather is just miserable, the heat index was 99 around 1pm and the Air Quality suggested we stay indoors.
Until next time friends, CHEERS!
**P.S.** I was NOT in any way compensated for this blog post. I purchased the leggings with my own funds. I did not win these in a giveaway nor was I given a pair for free in exchange for a review. All the opinions expressed are my own.**
I was half expecting this stage to hit me far earlier. I really thought I was going to be lucky and skim right over it since I hadn't hit the wall yet. But, low and behold, yesterday afternoon I hit the proverbial wall. In one sense, it's an entire relief. In another, I have to accept that it's just one of many. Hitting the proverbial wall, the tears fall, the hurt consumes, and the missing him is just too much. Many people, friends and family, know that we are not the romantic, squishy, blow up social media about how much we love each other. We're probably the furthest thing from being lovey dovey. We just don't love that way. Please Lord, don't let anyone get offended by that statement. I don't care if that's how you and yours love, we just don't and we really don't understand it. You might see or hear once to twice a year about how he's the peanut butter to my jelly or I'm his better half. But, really we just love each other as God commands us to love.
Yesterday was just hard. The kids have cabin fever, horrible, antagonizing one another, pinch, pin down, bounce on one another cabin fever. Last Thursday, I took Tatum to the ER for what is now being deemed a "reactive airway disease" episode. So, she's been on house arrest and when one is down, we're all down. The Littles are just being Littles, but I was at my wit's end. Caysen said "mom, calm down". Not the smartest comment, but I didn't yell. I just broke. I cried and told him to think back to when we were first here and how much he hated it, how much he hated Bearden high, how much the people suck here, and how alone, isolated, no friends, no one caring, how all that felt. We all hated it. I think deep down inside, we all still hate it and won't feel any better until TMO is here packing us out and heading to Texas. I just kept crying. It was like my soul poured from eyes and my mouth just couldn't stop. I told him about how the housework was overwhelming, how the kids won't help keep their toys up, how I clean then it's destroyed an hour later. I apologized for unloading all that on him because really it's not his fault, it's not his problem to deal with, but he listened attentively, he understood, and I finally felt like I had been peeled off the wall.
This morning I woke up to this note taped to the front door:
He worked yesterday from 5pm-9pm. Came home to find us all asleep already. I'm pretty sure we were all knocked out by 8:45pm. He cleaned the entire downstairs and the kids' bedrooms. I sat on the bottom step and just cried and thanked Jesus for giving me such a sweet child. We've had some really rocky months since March, and we've battled back to liking one another. We love each other. But, believe me, there's been plenty of days where we absolutely can't stand to even look at one another. Caysen Blake, you are the best kid in the world. I know we fight, I know we scream sometimes, but you really helped heal a hurt by your selfless act of cleaning house for me. And, if that wasn't enough, I walked into the kitchen to find these on the refrigerator door:
So very confused, I pulled the door open to find these:
He made pancakes y'all. Pancakes! Breakfast for the kids and me already done. The best part is that we are out of eggs, so at 2am his girlfriend brought over some eggs because we're out of applesauce too. Did I mention that I haven't really been grocery shopping in the 5ish weeks that John has been gone? I've ran by the store for miscellaneous stuff, but not a true trip to the store. Don't get me wrong, we've had plenty of food. But, stuff I never run out of, well we've been out of it. I stood in the kitchen bawling like a baby again. And, the Littles were so excited to have pancakes for breakfast. We were also pretty low on milk (in my defense no one drinks cow's milk except for John and occasionally Caysen will have cereal) so he had to use half cow's milk and half almond milk.
When I share that this assignment is by far the most difficult we've had, it is not an exaggeration. There are a lot of different factors and it's really too many to list. But, for the first time in my 39.5 years, I can honestly say that I am alone 95% of my time. I have two wonderful friends that I get to meet with once weekly for dinner and a bible study. I don't get out of the house without kids in tow more than that on a weekly basis. I've even broken down to hire a sitter so I can have a few hours to myself occasionally. But, to be honest, with my plan to save and build our nest egg during this time, I haven't really utilized the sitter but one time to get my hair cut. I'm by no means looking for pity, sympathy or anything. I'm simply sharing that this is a very lonesome time in my life. I told Caysen yesterday that at least when his dad was home, I had him. I had him at night to share about his day, to talk about all the stuff the kids did, how great they're progressing on little pre-k lessons and how art/music class is going. And now, I do not have him. Sure we get to talk, and facetime, but that's been cut down to a couple of times a week and the connection is spotty most of the time. Not that I am complaining at all. It's just not enough. I've binged watched a few series in the last few weeks and I think my brain is fried from the copious hours of telvision my eyes have seen. I know it will get better. I know we will settle into somewhat of a schedule. Once school starts again, ROTC booster club president responsibilities will kick in again. Along with those meetings, deadlines, volunteer opportunities, my time will be filled with other stuff to distract from the loneliness. After all, it's Caysen's senior year. The checklist for this year makes my brain hurt. But, I'm so excited and sad all rolled into one big momma heart mess. He's graduating and that will be an entirely separate blog update. But, for now, I'm in a place that is completely foreign to me. I don't know how to navigate these treacherous waters of emotions. And, I surely don't know how to even say "help me" because at the end of the day, all I want is for my husband to be home.
For now, when someone is hurting don't pity them. Dig deep into your heart, remember a time when you were hurting and pray for them. Don't just show up on my doorstep. I'm really weird when John is gone. I will not answer the door unless I'm expecting you. Other military wives know why and I'm not going into detail. But, random knocks on the door or the doorbell ringing sends me into panic mode, and sitting there waiting for whoever it is to leave seems like an eternity. One day I'll look back at this time and realize that it was for a bigger purpose than I was able to see when I was trudging through it. I know that the testimony that will come from this 15 months will help someone else know they aren't so alone. We will come out on the other side of this better and stronger. In my heart of hearts, I am going to survive this difficult season and will celebrate the tiny victories along the way. For right now, crying is the best medicine.
