Sucky and Super Sunday

Sucky:

• Someone made a rather inappropriate and totally uncalled for remark to me this week. Considering it came from someone I have absolutely zero respect for, I should not have been as upset as I was. But damnit if I didn't want to tell them GFY. I know, I know, "Sticks and Stones," right? False. Words stick with you way longer than any punch to the face would.

That's it! That's the only Sucky thing that happened to me all week. And I have to admit, if that's all that really happened to put me in a sour mood, I must be doing ok for myself. In fact, as you will see, my week was actually pretty phenomenal. My life is finally turning around in the way that I had been hoping it would for so long. Although there is still a fair amount of stress in my life, it has dramatically decreased. Finally, week after week, good things have been coming into my life. Positivity is crawling out of the woodwork. And frankly, it's about damn time.

Super:

• Tuesday my little and I made Mother's Day cards
• Thursday's mail brought me the custom-made Chuckies I designed

• I volunteered at the Y's Healthy Kids Day for a second year
• I had a fabulous Pure Romance party

Volunteering has been having such a positive influence on my life, and I cannot be more thankful for the Green Bay YMCA or the Green Bay Big Brother Big Sisters. Working with these children has probably helped me out just as much as it has them. It is so rewarding being able to help someone else and to know that they have someone there for them who WANTS to be there. 

I've only been a Big for about three weeks now, but we have so much fun together every week. This was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Little decided she wanted to make Mother's Day crafts as our activity this week. Her mom does a lot of crafting/scrapbooking, but has never really had the chance to help Mom out at all. I was excited that she was so excited, particularly because I enjoy stamping and scrapbooking so much. I told her the ridiculous amount of supplies I have and she grew even more eager. Fast forward to when I actually pulled out my supplies (and not even all of them, mind you) and her eyes lit up and jaw dropped so far I thought I was going to have to pick it up off the floor. I showed her my stamps, inks, stickers, markers and paper, just in seventh heaven to be able to share my interests with her. She was in such awe that she just sat and stared at everything for a good five minutes before starting. 

I'm starting to learn how funny Little is, and not just for being nine years old. Her Mother's Day card read, "Mom, I remember the first step I ever took. Actually, I don't but I'm sure you were there." She used one of my little footprint stamps and wrote [Little] 7 lbs 8 oz. I asked if that's how much she actually weighed when she was born and she said, "No. It just seems like that's what a lot of people weigh so I figured I'd just put that." She makes me laugh every time I'm with her and I hope she holds on to that sense of humor forever.

Saturday's Healthy Kid Day was so much fun I hadn't even realized my three hour "shift" was up so quickly. I was at the Master Gardeners station which ended up being far more enjoyable than I had expected. I was in charge of the micro-greens, which were baby kohlrabi, kale, arugula and a Japanese lettuce. I got to tell the kids what they were and instructed them how they could eat the greens. Surprisingly, most of the kids actually enjoyed them. It was funny to watch them so diligently pull off one single leaf to eat when there were about ten full trays full of the greens. I was a bit disappointed at how few parents tried them, though. There were some awesome parents who tried the greens with their kids, and high fives all around to them. However, many did not. How can you ever expect your child to try new things if you don't try it with them? And you wonder how you have such a picky eater? Give me a break. 

Also at the Master Gardener station the kids could learn about canned veggies. We had a few tables with fresh veggies next to their canned cousins so the kids could see where canned veggies come from and how they start out. They each got to pick a packet of seeds to bring home to plant and at the end of the station could also plant a sunflower seed to bring home to grow. As always, it is super cool to see how excited the children are to learn and try new things. Every day is such an adventure to them, even if it only eating baby lettuce. 

Saturday night I also had a highly successful Pure Romance party. This was the 6th party I've attended, but every single party is a new experience and just as fun (if not more) than the one before it. It was a good time to have some ladies-only fun, drinks and yummies. One of the things I love the most about Pure Romance parties is how educational they are. Although the parties certainly do focus on the toys, products and sexiness, they are incredibly informative. Even though I had attended several parties before this, I still learned new things. In fact, I think I learn something new every party I go to. I have to admit I had a fairly thorough sex-ed class in high school, but I had no idea the things I didn't know until I started attending PR partes. I've learned so much valuable information about my body that I cannot believe I didn't know prior. It also helps that my consultant is amazing. She's so knowledgeable about the company, her products and sexual health. She's confident, funny and personable. Seriously, ladies, if you're in the GB area and looking to have a party, check out her Facebook page. We all had a lot of fun at the party and since my sales were so successful, I got tons of free stuff. Holla! $150 worth of product for $52. Plus, one of my friends decided to become a consultant through my party! 

As if the week hasn't treated me well enough, it's been a gorgeous weekend and I'm of to enjoy the weather. 

Becoming a Big

Hello dear readers! About two months ago, I had come to the decision I wanted to become a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I had never really considered the idea until my cousin mentioned how much her friend loved being a Big. Why this had never occurred to me, I don't know. But it was almost like a light switch had gone off. If I was a cartoon character, a nifty little light bulb would have appeared over my head. I just felt it in my gut that this was what I needed to do. The number one thing on my bucket list has been to make a difference in someone's life, particularly a young girl. Working with adolescent or pre-adolescent girls is what I've wanted to do with my Women's Studies minor. This could be it; this could be my calling.

As many of you know, I've done quite a bit of volunteering for the Y in the last two years. I love it fundraising for the Strong Kids Campaign, and GNO has made a tremendous impact in my life. As much as I love working with the GNO girls, though, I was starting to feel like I wanted something more. I wanted to have a more one-on-one experience, or be able to directly impact someone's life. I decided that this could potentially be the perfect opportunity for me.

At the beginning of the year, I made a vow that this year I was going to stop "talking about it" and start "being about it." Becoming a Big was my first stop in the Be About It journey. I knew that if I didn't jump on this desire right away, I would put it on the back burner, never do anything about it, and feel lousy. I looked up BBBS online, gave it less than a week's thought, and called the Green Bay office. I went in for an orientation meeting, and two weeks later, I had an interview set up.

I knew the interview would be pretty intense since it was for the responsibility of taking care of a child, but holy shit. It. Was. Insane. I think it's fair to say it was the most intense interview I've ever had, far more so than any job interview I've been on. It was super intimidating, and by the end, my nerves were shot. The questions were far more difficult than I ever could have anticipated, and were pretty loaded.

After three agonizing weeks, I got a call that not only was I accepted, but they had found me a Little right away! The enrollment specialist at BBBS told me a little about her, and I couldn't have been more excited to me her. She's an only child who is adopted and has been struggling emotionally, particularly with being adopted. I personally don't have any experience with adoptions, but my parents divorced when I was in middle school. I struggled with it a lot and eventually went to counseling. I hoped with my past of questioning parents and my position in the family that I might be a good resource for her or might be at least a little relatable. I accepted the position and antsily waited another week or so to meet her.

Last week we were officially matched. The "match" is mostly paperwork. A lot of paperwork. It was actually kind of dull, but absolutely necessary. The enrollment specialist went over the organization's rules, guidelines and policies and Little, her parents and I signed a rain forest worth of documents. After we had signed our names so many times I was fairly certain I had just signed my life away, Little and I got to hang out for the first time. I took her to experience Smart Cow yogurt bar for the first time and she loved it. Naturally, as any other nine year old would, she dumped in so many sugar-coated toppings that she couldn't come close to finishing her portion.

Before meeting her, I was told my Little was a little on the shy and quiet side. I was fully prepared for her to not talk to me at all, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much she engaged in conversation. She answered all of my questions and even initiated a few of her own. I had quickly started to learn about her and she is pretty damn awesome from what I can tell so far. She doesn't like Bieber, but does love P!nk (one of my all-time favorites), hates swimming (samesies) and likes Monsters, Inc and Despicable Me. She's self-proclaimed obsessed with horses, loves bike riding and Social Studies and hates Math. I know next to nothing about horses, but I'm excited that it will give her something to teach me. All in all, we're pretty much a match made in Big Sister heaven.