30 Days Of Copper, Instagram Style.

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In July, I did a personal challenge in Instagram. There was no method behind what I posted, which honestly made it pretty difficult sometimes. I just tried to and almost succeeded in posting a picture a day. It was fun. And interesting to see who the different hashtags made my pictures available too. I connected with some cool people through it. Totally worth my time. I figured I would do another one but really hadn’t thought about jumping back in so quick.

Monday morning I drop off the 2 older kids for 1st and 4th grade. A week later I drop Red off to preschool. Let that sink in for a minute. All 3 kids will be in school at least 4 days of the week. I have not been this alone since Blondie was born 9 years ago. What am I going to do with myself? I don’t know honestly. Hopefully a lot of this right here. Maybe I will read a book. Clean out the hall closet. Take a walk. Get drunk. Who knows.

This is what I want to do. Another 30 day challenge on Instagram. Monday –  Friday for the next 6 weeks, I am going to post at least one picture a day as I figure out what to do with my new chapter in life. So head on over to Instagram and follow me to keep up. Either hit the link here https://www.instagram.com/neverdrinkfrommommyscup/ or check out the Want More Of Me section in the right column to see all the ways you can follow me.  Want to join in? Just use the hashtag #NDFMCchallenge, I would love to see what you are up to!

This may be the most exciting thing ever or a disaster. But that is half the fun, so why not!

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The Rocks In My Pockets

Published / by copperyuenger / 1 Comment on The Rocks In My Pockets

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I am sad. So damn sad. And lonely. And anxious. And all the shitty stuff that goes along with the valleys of my moods. It hurts, I physically hurt.  I have not slept well in weeks. My joints ache and my head pounds more often than not. I am not focused at all. Nothing has been done around this place in quite a while. It is messy, my house and my life.

August, in general, is not a great month for me. The monkeys get a little older. Summer ends and life gets busier. Another year passes since I held my dad’s hand as he left us. I don’t believe these things are the culprit, a chemical imbalance is, but they don’t help. They sit in my heart, weighing me down like the rocks the boys insist on collecting and shoving in their pockets. These rocks may slow them down but the boys would never give them up, “Them is our treasure, mama.”  As are these things that weigh me down. My babies are healthy and smart and hella funny. They start school in a few days and I am so grateful for a great school system (and time to myself to be honest). Along with the pain of his passing comes a downpour of memories of my father and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

My depression is like a bad houseguest. The anxiety may stick around constantly but the depression often just shows up unannounced. It overstays its welcome, destroying my spirit and leaving me exhausted.  It is both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. But it is always temporary so I march on despite it. I try my best to manuever around it. Be patient. Be still. Be busy. To try not to lose time. I listen to music. I find ways to be creative. Focus on how great the kids are and not on why I am scrubbing who knows what that is out of the carpet AGAIN. I let the extrovert side of myself shine a little brighter because it makes me feel better in times like these. I force a smile in public, not to hide but because it makes me feel better. I do my best to wait it out because it will pass. Until it does though, I will treasure those rocks in my pockets.

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Saving Summer With Groupon Coupons

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This is a sponsored post. All views are 100% my own.

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You guys. Summer is half way over. And I don’t know about you but my cash flow is taking a beating. Activities, supplies, adventures, food. Don’t even get me started on the food! And now school shopping is right around the corner. It is all so much.

Well, I have found an awesome to save. We all know about Groupon for the big stuff, trying new restaurants, fancy gadgets, salons, travel. But did you know about Groupon Coupons? Seriously, best thing ever. They offer thousands of coupon codes for the everyday stuff. And they are so easy to access, either from home or on your phone.

I am such a money-saving goof (you kind of have to be in a large one income family) but cutting coupons has alway been my downfall. And the paper ones you get in Sunday’s paper never get me far enough to really make it worth my time. Groupon makes it easy to search their offers. And just click and get. It’s fool-proof, which is exactly what I need. And they are deals we can really use. My favorite part is that a lot of these can be used online too and we all know I consider shopping in my pajamas to be a lifestyle.

Here are some of the stores currently featured but remember that there are so many more than I could possibly list.

  1. Barnes and Noble
  2. Starbucks
  3. The Disney Store
  4. Walgreens
  5. Target
  6. Kohl’s
  7. Michaels
  8. Best Buy
  9. Bed Bath and Beyond
  10. Snapfish

I am excited to see how many deals I can use for school shopping in the next month. Red may even get his very own brand new pair of shows.

Make sure you check them out at Groupon Coupons. They are also on Facebook and Twitter, follow them for their latest updates.

Let me know what deals you find! You can find me on Facebook at Never Drink From Mommy’s Cup, Instagram at neverdrinkfrommommyscup, and Twitter at @DrinkMom. Happy Savings!

 

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Finding My Stride

Published / by copperyuenger / 7 Comments on Finding My Stride

Just a short note. And yes, I know I always say that and it turns into an essay. Welcome to Copper’s brain.

A friend texted me yesterday to tell me that she was listening to and loving the podcast. I thanked her and mention that they are so much work but I really love what I am doing. She said, “I know you do.” Is it apparent? I think it might be. I hella love this.

I have been a little MIA and I know it. I post often on Facebook, IG (have you been checking out my July Challenge series?), and Twitter but it’s been a month since my last big blog post. But trust me, I have been here. As things got bigger and bigger, and they are, and I realized how happy I am doing this, I had to take a little step back. I want to do this. For a long time. And I want to do it right. I think blog and podcast all day long. I really jumped into both feet first, without any research. Without any structure. And that was beginning to get a little overwhelming. So I took a little step back while Heather was gone, did a bunch of reading, a bunch of listening, and a bunch of planning.

Things are falling into place. My numbers are growing. I am building websites and newsletters. I am branching out into different platforms. I am working on marketing myself (media kits and business cards, and conferences, oh my!). I am brainstorming and planning posts in advance. I am reaching out to other people in this field to learn, grow, and be heard. I am making money doing campaigns.

Wait, what’s that last one Copper? You heard me. Copper received her first campaign this week. And I want to talk about this for a second. Campaigns are basically sponsored posts. I have been debating doing them from the beginning. Honestly though, I kinda figured it wouldn’t even come up for at least a year. What company would want to rely on little old me to get the word out? Not to mention, do I want to be doing them? I love the personal touch of my blog, it is the whole point, and I was worried that I would lose that if I talked about products. It is a very fine line. So here is the deal. I am going to talk products from time to time. I hope that is okay. Talking products covers my overhead and allows me to continue doing this as much as I want to. But I promise you this. I will not become all sponsored blogs, all the time. And I will only do campaigns that I truly like. I will not lie to you all. I don’t see the point. Besides, most of you know me well enough that you will smell a forced post from a mile away. Copper thinks so and so’s fish sticks are delicious? Something smells “fishy” around here….. See what I did there? Now, Copper thinks so and so’s bloody mary mix is a must have in your fridge? Way more up my alley.

Okay now that we have covered that little bit of news, go check out my Instagram and Twitter accounts. They need some love and you won’t regret it.

 

 

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Alligators and Internet Commentors

Published / by copperyuenger / 1 Comment on Alligators and Internet Commentors
I try to stay away from internet comments. People are horrible when they don’t have to look you in the eyes while they talk. But I have peeked here and there in the last couple of days, perhaps filled with a false sense of security from the love shown over the weekend.
Within minutes of The Disney incident being reported, so soon after it happened that the parents clothes were probably still wet, the perfect people of the world came out and started their sermons of how this would never happen to them, what were the parents thinking, and my personal favorite, this seems fishy I bet they killed him (WHAT??!!). There were no details yet and yet people were already entering judgement mode.
 Yesterday I saw a comment that just stuck with me. “Those people should be shot. They don’t deserve to be parents.” I can’t guys. I just can’t. This may be the breaking point where I quit humanity. This person’s mindset is these people need to be shot because of a horrible incident that took their own baby’s life. And I am sure if I had the stomach to continue reading, there would be people agreeing. They took their family on a vacation where dreams are supposed to come true. And now? He is dead. Gone. Never again will his mama be able to sneak a whiff of that magical area where his hair meets his neck. Never again will daddy get to read him a story before bed. He will not potty train, go to kindergarten, learn to ride a bike. He will not date, go to college, fall in love and have his own babies. Gone. Their child was literally dragged into the waters as his father tried with every part of his being to get him back. And people are saying he should rot in hell for “letting it happen”. Have you ever seen a video of an alligator attacking? I have. They are stealth, they are smart, and they are so incredibly powerful. But he didn’t “let”it happen, he fought. He fought when there was little to no chance of him winning. And I guarantee you that he will live with the fact that he wasn’t able to save his child for the rest of his life.
These parents weren’t being negligent. Did they make a bad choice? Perhaps, I am not here to say. But they were doing what thousands, possible millions of people have done before them. There is even a lady on FB who posted pictures of her son literally standing where this little boy was, an hour before. Yes, there are no swimming signs. They were splashing on water’s edge, near a play area, at the happiest place on Earth. They were a family from Nebraska, hindsight may be 20/20 but honestly would it have crossed your mind if you were in their shoes or the shoes of the people before them, that the reason there was no swimming signs was the threat of gators in a man-made lake at Disney. A lake with a freaking beach? The thing is, I don’t know if it would have to me. I think I probably would have allowed my kids to play at water’s edge before we moved to Florida. Before we lived in Florida, I don’t think I knew how real and common alligators were. They were a myth, a running joke about Florida, something you might see if you took an air boat through the Florida Wetlands. I never in a million years before I moved there thought I would ever just see one walking down a road, and yes, that did happen. Having grown up somewhere where bodies of freshwater were our playground, I can say without a doubt that it wouldn’t have occurred to me and I probably would have seen no harm in my child getting their toes wet as the sun set over the castle and we waited for the fireworks to begin.
But then again, I will be the first to admit that I make mistakes. Everyday. We all do, people. Even you, perfect parent over there, tsk tsk’ing. You too. I learn from my mistakes. And then I wake up the next day and make a new set of mistakes. And I count my blessing every damn day that my mistakes and the mistakes of the people around me did not cause tragedy in my life. I count those blessings, one…two…three…every night as I kiss my babies. A kiss on the forehead. An Eskimo kiss. And then a butterfly kiss. And then usually again, because we never get enough Eskimo kisses in this house. I am guessing that mama would do anything for just one more Eskimo kiss. And that is more tragedy than this mama’s heart can bare.
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Starting It Off With A Blast!

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Our last day of school was Thursday.We made it. By the hair on our chins. Not the kids, they had an AMAZING year, but Moose and I as parents. Adulting is so freaking hard.

Last Day of School

Bring it 1st and 4th grade! And don’t forget your little buddy, Pre-K!

As soon as we got their sweet tushes off the bus, we headed north to Dallas. My nephew graduated from high school on Sunday and we were ready to celebrate his awesomeness. The drive was wet. Really Texas, we are over the rain. Our kids are excellent road trippers but Red for some reason, wasn’t having it. About every 5 minutes for 4 and a half hours, we heard about how long it was taking to get to his Aunt Kisses. It.was.a.long.drive.

Moose has more points than any one person should and so we stayed at a hotel. The kids LOVED the fact that they got to see how daddy lives. But not as much as they loved jumping on beds and Texas shaped waffles.

bed jumpers

Two little monkeys jumping on a bed…

Friday was family day. So we got up early and rode the rails. My nephew is passionate about trains and actually works on one that runs between Grapevine and Fort Worth. On certain mornings, they do an hour-long run that is perfect for kiddos. He wasn’t working on Friday but came along anyway to show us around. And to earn some cool points with the kids, as if he needed it. They love their Cousin Ben. Aunt Gwen (the keeper of the candy) and my sisters’ dad, Grandpa Bob came along as well. We had a blast.

Train Collage

Who knows what Blondie and Grandpa Bob were talking about but it looks like it was funny.

Grapevine has a Legoland Discovery Center, we decided to hit that after some lunch. Ben stayed with us. I adore that boy and was super happy to hang with him all day! He leaves for Kansas in a few months and it will be weird to not have him so close by. We will take any time with him that we can get.

PicMonkey Collage

This place is cool ! And look, a store on the way out!

That evening was spent messing around. What the kids don’t know yet is that this buggy is theirs, Uncle Mark found it awhile back at a garage sale and knew they had to have it. Watching them figure out how to drive it was interesting but they will get so much fun out of this bad boy.

messing around

The Dude’s belly flop dive attempt hurt to look at but he did just fine!

Saturday was a tornado of activity. Ben had a great graduation open house, tons of food and friends. We ended the night around the fire pit, eating hot dogs and s’mores with our nieces, Ben, and their friends. This is a great group of kids.

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I told them to look natural.

Unfortunately we had to leave early on Sunday so Moose could fly out and we missed the ceremony. But I heard he did great! We could not be more proud of him. Ben has Aspergers and it isn’t always easy for him. But he is a hard worker and has a crap ton of tenacity. He is choosing a career to follow along side his passions and for that, I am excited (and a little jealous) for him. Moving so far away from home isn’t easy for anyone but I have a sneaky suspicion that he will do great!

bucees

You can’t road trip in Texas without stopping at Buc-ees!

 

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Library Cards!

Published / by copperyuenger / 2 Comments on Library Cards!

I am currently working on posts about our end of year, our adventure over the weekend, and a series on each of the kids on top of the big announcement. But I wanted to note that today was our first true day of summer at home.

We actually slept in.The Dude staggered in around 7:30 which is 90 minutes later than normal. Moose had to fly out this morning but before he did, he bought us some doughnuts to start the week out right. OR because there wasn’t any food in the house. Whatever. They lasted about 5 minutes.

After he left, they kids went into catatonic states while I fussed around in the office. Screen time on the first day, tsk tsk…. I know but I had things to do. None of which I did but still, I tried.

After lunch, we put clothes on and prepared to enter the real world. Today, our library kicked off their summer reading program. I am all for free programs so we headed over there. Now believe it or not, we have never stepped foot in that library. And it’s been years since we really have used any library. I used to read all the time and even once Blondie was born, I loved all the programs the library offered. But for some reason (the boys), it has just not happened in a long time. But it is on our weekly to do list this summer and so today we walked up to the desk and asked for library cards. Everybody got one, I figured it is never too early for even Red to learn about the process. Once in hand, we went in to pick out our weekly stash. Blondie was in heaven and quickly disappeared in the older kids section. The boys and I wandered around, it took them a minute to grasp the concept.

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Let’s all admire Red’s very first library pick

So we are now stocked on books for a week. And I think we did okay, so we should be welcomed back. They have been fairly busy checking out their reads all afternoon. I even managed to put together an office chair, ALL BY MYSELF. I would consider day 1 to be a success.

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Almost…There…

Published / by copperyuenger / 2 Comments on Almost…There…

We are in the homestretch, people. Two and a half days left of school. Which is about 14 days too long. Seriously, I gave up a while back. I didn’t mean to but I did. I was done arguing with Blondie about brushing her hair. I couldn’t care anymore about whether The Dude’s clothes matched. Hell, I don’t even care if he has underwear on. Folders have been barely checked in weeks, don’t even ask me to sign them. Lunches are an embarrassing game of what crap can I find in the back of the pantry (have some black beans, kids). Bath time barely exists and bedtime has been getting later and later. Every morning has been a battle to get to school. Truth be told, I am not even sure I would have managed getting them to school last week if it hadn’t been for Blondie training for safety patrol. We have just been overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time.

But here we are, in the final stretch. It is almost done. The next two and a half months lay in front of us like a temptress. There is no sleeping in at this house, The Dude prefers to see the sun rise. But there will be lazy mornings. And pool days. Sno cones and s’mores. Adventures to be had and boredom to be embraced. We have made plans and set goals. Trips to the library. Trying new food. Maybe a weekend in hill country, if we can ever agree on a tent. The beach. Learning to ride our bikes without training wheels. 50 cent movies. “Late” nights and board games. Fireworks. The possibilities are endless.

For me this summer means all of this and so much more. It means I will officially have a 4th grader and a 1st grader. It will be the last of my time with Red before he heads off to Pre-K in the fall. This is the beginning of the end for me or the light at the end of the tunnel. if you will. I have not been alone since August of 2007. And in a few short months, I will have more free time than I will know what to do with. Perhaps it is more than consequence that this is all happening at the same time I decided to take back some of my life. This summer I will be working hard to improve this blog. I am beginning to look at it as more of a job than a hobby. So you will see more of me. And I have a HUGE project in the works with a great friend. Within a week or so we will be announcing our endeavor and I really hope you enjoy it because I am really enjoying doing it.

What are your plans for this summer?

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The Kinder Program Feels

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Today was The Dude’s kindergarten program. The theme was Bugs, he was cast as an army ant. For months, they have been learning songs and practicing their choreography. For months, we have been practicing his coveted 4 speaking lines. We went over and over the lines, memorizing, slowing down our speech and speaking as clearly as possible. He even worked in a little comedy with a big pretend bite at the end of his statement. It has been a long time coming. The build up has been immense. The amount of excitement has been palpable. It was his breakout moment.

There was singing.

Dancing King

The handsome fellow next to him is Other Jack. They are very similar and yet very different. It has been a pleasure watching them go through Kindergarten together and we hope to know him for a long time!.

There was dancing.

army ant3

The Marching Ant song was doubly adorable until he noticed the sound equipment behind him. The boy is his father and is drawn to buttons. I held my breath until he refocused. Even his teacher admitted that she thought he was not going to be able to resist the urge mid-song.

And of course, his big moment!

Best Bite 2

Wait til they have their food in place. 

And they are sitting down just right.

Just when they say “How pleasant this is.”

Give them your very best bite!

Performing with the ants were lady bugs, lightning bugs, one adorable stinkbug who taught everyone a lesson on friendship, and butterflies. He warned me weeks ago that they would be singing a song about caterpillars changing into butterflies that “would make all the mommies cry”. Well, he wasn’t lying. Damn it with the feels. There wasn’t a dry eye in the cafeteria.

Afterwards, the parents joined the kinders for a picnic. Luckily it was dry. Shortly after we wrapped it up, the rain came and the rest of the day has been soggy. It was great fun to watch all these little people who have really grown and gotten to know each other this year run around and play in the field, sticky from celebratory ice pops. A good reminder that we are at a wonderful school.

The Dude’s year is coming to a close. I love watching my kids grow up but I am not a fan of the end of a grade. Between the friends they make, the things they learn, the experiences they have, and the bonds they create with their teachers, seeing that wrap up is almost too much to bear. It makes me sad. A chapter is ending, a new one will begin in a few months. These are the times that I want to hold on to but I know that I can’t and it leaves a weight in my chest. I am incredibly proud of him, my sweet brown-eyed boy. This year could have gone so many different ways for him, it was a gamble to put him in school so soon. But he begged and swore that he was ready. And he is right.

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The Day I Put My Boobs In A Panini Press

Published / by copperyuenger / 7 Comments on The Day I Put My Boobs In A Panini Press

Breasts, ta-tas, boobs, pillows, fun bags, sweater kittens, and the list goes on. Whatever you call them, we all have them. Even men. Hello? Moobs. We all have to take care of them. Amongst other things, that includes self examinations and regular monitoring. Especially as we get older.

I am not due for my first mammogram until at least next year. However at my lady doctor appointment, I mentioned some very minor pain I was having and after her exam, she decided to play it safe and request one with an ultrasound after. No biggie. I spent the next 2 weeks truly not stressed out. I have no indicators for cancer. No huge tumors. No symptoms. No family history. Nothing other than  some abnormal pain. My plan if there was something there? Get those suckers taken off and get me some of them fancy 20-year-old boobs. Yes, I know there would be more to it than that but a gal has to look at the positive.

Yesterday, I got the kids off to their respective places and headed to the doctor’s office. The mammogram was no worse than I expected. There is some awkwardness to having someone manuever your body while you stand there topless. And I am not going to lie, it was uncomfortable. However my tech (who, by the way, was maybe 5 feet tall) was very personable and made the process effortless on my part. It took 10 minutes, tops. There ended up being two ultrasounds. First a tech came in and then after the radiologist read the results of that and the mammogram, he did another. The gel was even heated and scented, it was practically a spa experience. If you can see past the strangers touching your girls and the possibility of the C word hanging in the air.

I am clear. He saw nothing to be concerned about. He said the pain is probably a result of one of two things.

A: Hormones. It is slightly possible I am headed into the VERY early stages of menopause.

B (and more likely): Excessive caffeine intake. I MAY drink too much coffee and iced tea.

He suggested that I cut back. In my head, I suggested he shut his dirty mouth. But being the lady I am, I said, “Yes, I will work on that.” In the meantime, I will start taking Vitamin E. It is supposed to make a difference. Because let’s be completely honest. I am not going to cut back. Nobody wants me to do that.

So I have crossed something off my list of turning 40 cons and it wasn’t too scary. Adulting still sucks but in the long run, this stuff is worth it. At the very least, it is reassurance that you are healthy. And at the most, early detection is key to successful treatments and longer lives.

**Full disclosure** I did treat myself afterwards to a Whataburger breakfast sandwich and a medium coffee. It could have been a large. Baby steps, baby steps.

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