I'm A Barbie Girl, In A Barbie World

We all remember that song right? And now it's stuck in all of your heads. You're welcome. It was a popular song when I was growing up. My four year old hates it and yells at me to stop signing whenever it comes on my Now CD (volume 1). I was absolutely one of those kids that did everything I could to embrace the fads while growing up. Today, I'm linking up with Amanda for another round of List Yourself.

# 14 List the fads you embraced while growing up

// Tamagotchis. Those little virtual pets that had a home on just about everyone's key chains. My dad got my sister and I our first one for Christmas one year. It was the thing that HAD to be on the Christmas list. I can't tell you how many times my pet died because I wasn't allowed to take it to school. Sure there were the girls that had their pets with them 24/7 but I wasn't a rule breaker in the 90's. I couldn't bring myself to risk getting my precious little "pet" taken away from me by the teacher. 

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// Butterfly hair clips. Not just any hair clips though. They had to be the ones with the wings that moved. The ones on the springs. I kid you not, if I was told I had to wear the little plastic ones where the wings didn't move I had a minor freak out moment. I was a classy kid, I tell you what. Of course, these things never quite stayed in your hair the way you wanted them to. Or the springs would get caught in your hair. (Ouch!). 

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// Platform shoes. I honestly don't know why my dad let me wear these ridiculous things. I'm already tall as it is. (5'6"). Now that I've had experience wearing steel toe shoes, I can honestly say wearing these platform shoes was the equivalent of wearing steel toe tennis shoes with 4 inches of height. Not comfortable and really not cute. My dad didn't give into everything "I HAD TO HAVE" because it was "THE COOLEST THING EVER", but he gave into these shoes. He bought me a pair. I'm pretty sure I only wore them three times. I think he bought them because he knew they'd be uncomfortable, and even though he knew I'd never wear them he taught me not to beg for something so much. Be careful what you wish for, y'all. 

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// Chokers. Again... what was I thinking in my little pre-teen mind? Holy cow. I wouldn't dream of wearing these now. I remember these getting stuck in my hair while trying to put them on. I always had a black one. I dunno... maybe I was trying to be goth momentarily? But I also had lots of pretty ones with colors. Thank you, Claire's for being my go-to accessory store. 

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// Eye glitter. I'm not sure if I was trying to make it look like I had eye shadow on, or if I just really wanted to piss off every adult I interacted with by getting glitter everywhere. Either way, eye glitter was something that was worn practically everyday. Thanks again, Claire's. Eye glitter these days is a little more like eye shadow. It comes in pallets and has an applicator brush. Eye glitter in my day came in the little bottles. They were a sticky gel. And you had to apply it with your fingers. Getting glitter everywhere was inevitable. 

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What fads did you give in to? Were you missing hair from silly chokers and covered in glitter like I was? I know I kept scrunchies on my wrist too. HA!

A Grateful Llama List

I'm a blogger and therefore I like lists, right? Right. So imagine my excitement when Amanda at Knock on Wood announced a new linkup for November full of LISTS! The best part about the linkup? You don't have to go in order, and you don't have to do them all. All Amanda asks is to be honest with yourself. Easy Peasy right?

Today I'm grateful (see what I did there?) that I have the ability to linkup with two of my best gals. Emily at Ember Grey for Grateful Hearts and Amanda at Knock on Wood for List Yourself

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# 13: List some of the people that have really changed your life.

I'm Grateful for these people.
Or at least what they've taught me ;)

// My Kids. Obviously they have changed my life. For the better. I've become more responsible because of them. I've become more loving. And they sure have made me realize I need to be more patient. (Still working on that last one). 

// Dr. McCoy. My 10th grade chemistry teacher. This was where my love of science began. He made science fun, and didn't make anyone feel like less of a person if they didn't get balancing chemical equations right away. Also, thanks to him I'm confident I won't have a problem helping Zander with his science homework when that comes! HA!

// Jeff Starnes. My mom's ex husband / my ex step dad. Thanks to this [insert expletive descriptive word here] guy, I learned at a young age to stand up for myself. I learned to not let people push me around. I learned the true meaning of "no means no". Obviously this is very cryptic and only few people will know what I truly mean by all of this... another post for another day. But thank you, Jeff for teaching me how NOT to be a parent. 

// Amanda Nicole. She's been my IRL bestie for over 8 years. EIGHT YEARS! When I say we've been through a lot together, it's the understatement of the century. I love her dearly. She was there when I was in a crappy relationship, and she was there when Zander was born. I haven't always listened to her advice, and I pushed her away a few years ago. Worst thing I'd ever done. It wasn't until earlier this year that we got back in touch. (Thank God we kept the same cell #s and I was able o reach out and beg for forgiveness!) She's my Manda. My bestie. She's the one that will always remind me to keep breathing.

2006

2014

// My Husband. My soul mate. Just when I thought there wasn't anything better than Brooks Cunningham, Josh came into my life. Neither of us had any intention of dating each other. I'm grateful for Josh each and everyday. The one person that constantly reminds me that I'm better than what I think I am. Josh reminds me that I'm smarter than I think and never complains about my cooking. Even when I burn the meatloaf. ;) He's made me realize true love is indeed real, especially when I had started to doubt it eight years ago. 

// J. A. Folger. The founder of the Folgers Coffee Company. Because without him, I wouldn't have really great coffee in the mornings, and I'd be a very grumpy / tired mommy all day. His coffee changes me into a happy / more awake / functioning mommy. 

Who has changed your life? Who are you grateful for?