Preview: All cults perpetrate psychological harm on their members. In this article I explain how the Jehovah’s Witness cult creates mental illness. Curled up my desk chair, my knees tucked under my chin. Arms clamped against my ribs, in a defensive position, my hands pressing into the sides of my face. Hiding. My body tries […]
Beyond Bubble Baths: What Self Care Is, and What It Isn’t
Preview: Our culture has been saying a lot about self care in recent years. But some of the messaging is infantilizing to women, and misleading us about what self care truly is. Something I’ve been thinking on lately is how we as a society have given women the wrong idea about what self care truly […]
Recent Reads
I got quite a bit of reading done in the last few weeks. A handful of books I abandoned, but a few were couldn’t-put-it-downers. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again – Johann Hari This was my second time reading this title. I often check out a title […]
SupeRun Walking Pad Review: Why I Love My Underdesk Treadmill
Preview: My SuperRun walking pad review. Why I ditched my bulky treadmill for a walking pad. As 2023 came to a close, I thought about how far I’d come in my mental health since last year, and the best decisions I made. It was a frugal year, and I made very few purchases outside my […]
Recent Reads, Cozy Winter Edition
For me, few things in life are better than an engrossing book, especially in winter when my body nudges me towards more rest. Give me a fuzzy blanket (that I can quickly discard in case of a hot flash power surge), a piping hot bevvy, my noise cancelling headphones to drown out the children, and […]
Surviving Seasonal Affective Disorder: 6 Cozy Strategies for Winter Blues
Preview: 6 strategies on how to cope with winter blues that will help you enjoy the season. Pulling into my neighborhood, the breath catches in my throat a little. The trees lining my street are exploding with bold oranges, cheerful yellows and deep reds. If I squint, it reminds me of a bowl of Fruit […]
Five Frugal Things: food edition
Do you ever feel discouraged or bored on your frugal journey? I do sometimes. For this reason, I love reading roundups of frugal activities. They inspire me with new ideas to save money and keep me on the path. Sharing them with you also keeps me accountable, so thanks for reading! This post contains affiliate […]
Friday flâner
Wow. I’m shocked that it’s been a week since I published a post here. I’ve been hard at work behind the scenes, editing and deleting posts in my archives. I’ve been blogging for 20 years, but a lot of that was on different domains. This domain is 14 years old, so that’s a lot of […]
Thrifty therapy: How to save money on mental health care
Investing in my mental health has been non-negotiable as I heal from Religious Trauma Syndrome, but I’ve also had to be mindful of my budget, especially as a divorced mom with five kids still at home. Note, the most important tip is the very last, so don’t skip it! Disclaimer: I am in no way […]
30 Days of Beans
I love a good monthlong challenge and have done quite a few through the years. For the next month, I’m going to do 30 days of beans – eating some type of legume as my protein source for at least one meal each day. A month is just long enough to establish new habits, but […]