 Happy Earth Day everyone! Not only am I a bookworm and writer, I am a flower child, hippie and tree hugger to name a few. Each year on Earth Day, my family and I do a trash clean up in our neighborhood and add new changes to our household which will help lessen our carbon footprint. I hope the list below inspires you to join us in this tradition, or to create your own special way to honor this day.
Trash Clean Up - For this activity you only need two trash bags (one for trash and one for recycling), gloves and comfortable walking shoes. We also bring a trash grabber (optional) to make it more fun for the kids and to make it safer to pick up certain items. You can start with your neighborhood and local parks or venture to areas around your town or city where you have noticed litter. This activity will be good for the earth and your soul. Nothing creates a bigger smile than doing a good deed. Household Changes - Here are some household changes we have elected to make as a family throughout the years. Sometimes change can be hard. Don’t bombard yourself with too many at a time. Start with one or two and add more as you feel comfortable and ready.
We are always looking to add more changes to our household. If you and your family have implemented an idea in your household which was not mentioned here, please feel free to comment below. I would love the recommendations. Happy Earth Day! Get out and enjoy the sunshine!
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 Pumpkin mugs are useful for setting a fall mood while writing on a summer day. On October 29, 2021, my short story “The Ghost in God's Acre” was published in a horror anthology called The Horrors We Hide. I have been writing for most of my life, simply for the joy of it, but I had never been published. This was a significant milestone for me and I thought I'd share the behind the scenes journey from inspiration to ebook. I received an email from Tamara Rokicki, founder of The Otherworld, announcing her writing community's next anthology. It was to be a collection of horror stories and she was looking for authors interested in submitting short stories for consideration for the book. I had never written a horror story before but I was energized by the challenge. Horror turned out to be a tough mindset to get into. I had to work on setting the mood, especially because I was writing the story over the summer to prepare for a Halloween release. I started listening to the Real Ghost Stories Online podcast and borrowed books from the public library about local ghost lore. It was during a trip to the Bethlehem Area Public Library that I got my most valuable inspiration. Similar to love, it tends to happen when you aren't looking. As I was getting into my car, I noticed a house with an auction sign across the street. There is an alleyway next to the house which leads to an old Moravian cemetery. From there, the ideas for my short story sprung to life and I began my research. The characters, their lives and how to do justice to my hometown of Bethlehem were all thoughts that ran through my mind.  God's Acre in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania It might sound trivial, however, character names are one of the most important aspects to me when writing a story. I like the names to have meaning and purpose. The main character, Sienna, is named after the red and orange color of leaves in the fall. The name for Sienna's best friend Evie was inspired by my friend Erin. She was my editor on this story and I will be forever grateful for the recommendations she made after reading my first draft. All characters, major and minor, receive special names in my fictional worlds. Jason's name was influenced by the Slovak word ‘jesen’, which means autumn. Also inspired by the fall season, the name Jora means autumn rain. Rosina and George were common names in a Moravian church registry I located online. I wrote whenever and wherever I could, which is no easy feat for a working mama. When I was finished, I was 1,500 words over the word count limit. From there, the editing journey began. One of the toughest parts of writing is knowing you will have to make peace with deleting sentences, paragraphs and scenes you worked so hard to create, all in the name of storytelling. Once I submitted my story, I nervously checked my email every few hours. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. I received the news that my story was accepted within a few days of submitting it. For a writer, I am finding it hard to come up with the right words to describe the feeling, the rush, I felt in that moment. I told my loved ones and tried to stop my hands from shaking so I could share the good news on social media. I am elated to have my story out in the world and am honored to have it included with a list of incredible, accomplished authors. Many thanks to everyone who has supported me through this journey. This short story is only the beginning. I have made significant strides in writing my own full length novel and The Otherworld writer community is already planning an anthology for 2022. I look forward to sharing more writing with all of my amazing friends, family and readers. If you haven't read The Ghost in God's Acre yet, please check it out in ebook here.   Photo Credit: Bethlehem Health Facebook Page Earth Day is one of my favorite days because it encourages everyone to take a look at their own lives and what they can do to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the earth. My husband is an Environmental Protection Specialist, ensuring the Army Depot he works for follows all environmental laws and guidelines and even helps raise bees on site. My mother called me her flower child when I was growing up and with a nickname like that, naturally I grew up to be a treehugger. Needless to say, this is a topic on our minds 365 days a year and we have picked up some habits I thought would be helpful to share. Change can feel overwhelming but if you are able to do one item from this list, you are still making a difference. Even a small change can make a big impact. My challenge to you this Earth Day is to make a change to your life which will extend our planet’s life for future generations. Sending you peace, hope and love today and everyday.  Taking water on the go? Ditch the plastic and pick one of these snazzy alternatives. 1. Reduce your plastic use by eliminating plastic bottles. I get it, they are convenient, but unfortunately all plastic that is created will be on our planet for hundreds of years before breaking down and that has already had a terrifying impact on our oceans. Luckily this idea is trending which has caused many reusable bottles in fun designs and colors to flood the market. Many even keep your beverage cold or hot which is more than a plastic bottle of water can say. Make the switch, you won’t regret it.  Photo Credit: thisisplastics.com 2. If you choose not to reduce the use of plastic, the next best thing is to recycle it. Plastic bottles can be recycled with curbside recycling pickup or a local recycling center. Plastic bags and other plastic packaging are not accepted through those methods. If you have plastic shopping bags or plastic wrapping that says “Store drop off only” such as the plastic your toilet paper or paper towels are wrapped in, please drop those items off at a store drop off near you. We drop off our plastic at Wegmans which is a grocery store in our area. They use the plastic to create more plastic shopping bags (which is a lot better than having to manufacture more plastic) and a cashier once told me they also use it to make the employee uniform shirts. How amazing! Target has plastic bag collection bins in their stores or you can check with local grocery stores in your area.  Our at home compost bin. Saving the earth can start in your own backyard. 3. Compost at home. We started composting last summer as a quarantine project and it was easier than I thought. I highly recommend reading articles and watching videos about home composting before diving in. It felt so good to be able to put our food scraps such as egg shells, banana peels, etc. in the compost bin versus the garbage can, plus, we were able to use the soil our compost bin created last year to replenish our flower beds with rich, nutrient soil this spring. Go for it!  I organize clothes that my kids have outgrown by season, then wash and lay flat before I drop off for consignment. 4. Saving the planet is the hottest fashion trend. Hand me downs are a parent’s best friend. If you have friends with older children wanting to pass down clothes to you, say yes. And if you know someone with children younger than your own, pass along the love. Reusing clothes helps save money and create less waste. If you are looking to shop, I recommend consignment shops or stores who sell gently used clothing. I recommend the following: Bears Repeating - This consignment shop in Trexlertown, PA is great for baby and kids clothing, shoes and toys. I take clothes that my kids have outgrown to sell in their store and earn store credit to buy items in their current or future sizes. I would recommend checking out their Facebook page for the latest gems that have arrived and details about how to become a consignor. If you are not local to this store, I recommend searching for kid consignment shops in your area. Plato’s Closet - This store sells gently used clothing geared towards a teenage audience. You can bring clothing and shoes to sell for cash as well as find great priced stylish items for purchase. I have found incredible deals on sneakers for my daughter and myself as well as some fun t-shirts. Style Encore - This store sells gently used clothes geared towards women. Similar to Plato’s Closet, you can also sell clothing, shoes, designer purses, etc. for cash and browse for those unique finds that make you want to brag to anyone who will listen. I purchase all of my jeans from this store and guarantee no one would guess by looking at my outfits each day that I wear used jeans. Have fun shopping and saving the earth!  My daughter on our most recent trash pickup outing. 5. Join a trash clean up event in your area or start your own. My family and I take a lot of walks together and it saddens us to see trash on the ground as we go to different areas to walk. We know it is not our trash on the ground but I remind myself of the Malcom X quote, “If not now then when, if not me then who?”. If we don’t clean it, who will? And that has inspired us to go to the streets with our gloves and garbage bags to make it a more beautiful and healthy place to enjoy the outdoors. I did get nervous about this family pastime during COVID but we have added masks to our safety measures as well as trash grabbers which can be purchased at a home improvement store. We found ours at Lowe’s. Invite some friends and make it fun. You got this!  My husband with his electric lawn mower. 6. Be a conscious consumer. We are blessed to have many options out there for our consumption but some options are better for the planet than others. This could involve the process it takes to manufacture it, the packaging or the use of the product. For example, Seventh Generation paper products are made with 100% recycled paper. We purchase the tissues (don’t forget to recycle the box when you are done) and napkins (please recycle the wrapping at a store drop off) and they work just as well as traditional products but have the benefit of saving trees. There are also plant based soaps and detergents which are better on the environment than the synthetic products available and they are better for your health as well. Being a conscious consumer can apply to larger purchases too, such as an electric lawn mower or hybrid car. I understand these eco friendly products can cost more than traditional products. If swapping one item is all you can fit into your budget, it will still make a difference. If your household has any earth friendly habits that are not on the list above, please feel free to share them in the comments. We are always looking for other ways to help our beloved earth. Happy Earth Day 2021 everyone!
 Photo Credit: Jessica Maynard The year 2020 has been a wild ride, and it isn’t over yet. As I am sure it has done the same for many of you, it has caused me to reflect on my life: past, present and future. What I used to be passionate about, what has been lost to me over the years due to motherhood, working to stay afloat and just plain fear, and what I am going to do about it. I have been slowly overcoming this fear as I see many of my female friends speaking up about what is going on in our country. You beautiful, strong, intelligent, amazing women; you give me courage.
My epiphany came from a place I least expected to find it: a movie trailer. I was watching the trailer for the Amazon Prime movie The Glorias based on Gloria Steinem’s book My Life on the Road. The woman playing Gloria in her young adult years is told by a man, who appears to be her co-worker or boss, “Don’t associate yourself with those crazy women”. She turns back with a smile and says, “I am one of those crazy women”. I have long thought myself to be a feminist but many times I kept it hidden because I feared being called crazy, bitch, man hater, etc. or being a target when all I wanted to do was blend in. I am done with that. Call me the F word with a capital F. I am a Feminist. My journey to this proclamation all started with a name: Betty Friedan. She was a famous feminist author whom I was not aware of until a degrading episode with a male professor. In college I majored in education and minored in social studies, which consisted of history, economics and political science. This is the type of subject which would cause eyes to glaze over and responses like, “How boring” or “I didn’t know girls liked history”. My career goal didn’t elicit any better responses. When the topic came up in conversation and I stated I wanted to be a history teacher, I received responses like, “Oh? Which sport are you going to coach?” or “Good luck getting a job if you aren’t a male football coach”. I was raised by a mother who is a business owner so I wasn’t prepared to be told I couldn’t be what I wanted because I wasn’t a jock with a penis. I was determined to prove them wrong and continued on my path, but not without bumps or sexist pop holes in the road. Back to Betty. It was the summer of 2005. That’s correct. Not 1905 or 1965, but 2005. I was sitting in my History of Latin America class and had just listened to weeks of the professor, an old school military type and true man’s man, speak of everything the men did in this history. So I did what any self-respecting woman would do: I asked him about the Latin American women and their accomplishments. He said, “Making babies and keeping house. Nothing to write home about. If you want to read about women, read Betty Friedan.” I didn’t realize it in the moment, but he was making fun of me in front of the entire (mostly male) class. He implied if I wanted to learn about the history of women, I couldn’t find it in just any history book. I would need to seek it out in feminist literature where it belonged. I was not familiar with the author’s name he mentioned and said as much as I approached his desk after class for more information. The look on his face said it all. He wasn’t serious when he made that recommendation. He was making jest of one of the few women who were brave enough to take his class. That moment has stayed with me for 15 years and I will never forget how I felt. At the time, I was working long hours at my summer job to get by. I would wake up early, head to the college library to study before class, go to class and then head straight to my summer job working food service at an amusement park. I even wore my uniform to class so I could go to my job immediately afterwards and would work until late at night. I was busting my ass just to pay for the seat in his class and he had the audacity to make me feel like I didn’t belong there; like I hadn’t earned it. My time at university was eye opening to me in many ways. While walking on campus I saw a poster for a feminist club and decided to attend a meeting to learn more. It was in that meeting that I became aware of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the daunting truth; it had not been passed into law. At the time it was a shock. I felt my world flip upside down as if everything I had known about my worth as a girl, as a woman, was a lie. Now that I am looking back on the situation a decade and a half wiser, I realize I should have seen the signs. It was a wake up call and I was determined to prove we were a force to be reckoned with. After graduation, my sheer determination to get hired as a history teacher drove me forward everyday. I worked as a substitute teacher during the school year and worked with at-risk children during my summers, applying to every job opening as soon as it was posted. Unfortunately, the Great Recession took over our economy and schools were laying off teachers more than they were hiring them. After three years of blood, sweat and no insurance (thank goodness for Planned Parenthood - shout out!), I made the difficult decision to change career paths. I couldn’t tell you how many days I cried at my new job, answering calls from people inquiring about Medicare Supplement plans, because I felt like a failure. I had made it my mission to prove I could be a history teacher regardless of gender or coaching experience but instead I had proved them right. Only now, with the benefit of hindsight, do I see that job is where I was meant to be at that moment. I met people who I am friends with to this day and the experience at that job helped me get the position I currently work at a different insurance company. It is not the traditional classroom job I had sought out after college, however, my teaching skills come to good use when mentoring and training others and I know everywhere I have been has made me who I am today. That being said, the extinguishing of my teaching ambitions was not the only career set back caused by my gender. When I first began seeing opportunities for advancement at my job, I was a single mother with a young daughter. My ex-husband was unreliable and the task of parenting was in my court more often than not. I was offered travel and overtime or asked to apply for higher ranking positions and I couldn’t, because I was a single mother with no family nearby and an ex-husband who struggled with being a dependable co-parent. I know not all men act this way and there are good ones out there, however, there are too many situations where a mother is left to financially and physically care for the children on her own and this just adds to the gender inequality we are already up against. A few years went by and I found myself in love with a child on the way. I was over the moon about our son but was not prepared for how being a military spouse would quickly return me to my single mother days, this time with not one but two children. More opportunities for me to apply to higher salary positions came and went, with me in over my head trying to balance work and home. I requested to move my office home to help manage, and it did help in some ways, but it wasn’t enough. I had reached my breaking point and decided to apply for a role that was considered a level below what I was doing at the time. Of all the people I spoke to about my choice, the ones who understood the most were the working moms. There were many coworkers who thought I was crazy, but the working moms understood. Our careers are not the only place we face gender inequality. When it comes to home life, women bear most of the responsibilities. Still. In 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic has only magnified that times ten. I saw it in my childhood with my mom running a business, caring for me and my sister plus the household chores and I swore things would be different for me. Yet here I am, working a full-time job the same as my husband and carrying a majority of the childcare and household obligations. Don’t get me wrong, my husband is a hardworking and loving man, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth. We’ve had many discussions about this topic and we will continue to have conversations on this topic until we are able to build a stronger relationship which makes us equal partners. COVID-19 has caused many child care centers and schools to close. The reason for this, the safety of our children and the staff, is understandable; it is the after effects that are incomprehensible. In September, 865,000 women dropped out of the workforce according to a National Women’s Law Center analysis. This number is four times the amount of men who also left the workforce. The statistics are clear; more and more women are leaving their careers to stay home with their child due to lack of childcare or a move to virtual learning during this pandemic. The implications are also clear: one step forward, two steps back you silly girls. I am blessed to have a job I can work from home but if you have ever worked your full-time job while also trying to watch your two year old and help your nine year old do her schoolwork, it is not exactly a picnic and everyone suffers from mom being stretched too thin. Also, having your toddler yell “I pooped!” while you are on a work call is a real possibility, take it from me. I love my children and I love my job but I am sick and tired of being penalized for having both. My heart goes out to the mothers making the hard decision to leave their careers and stay home during these difficult times. Women are taught to put their husband, children, etc. before themselves. We are the nurturers and caregivers but soon burn out because we are not caring for ourselves. We must draw the lines, set the limits, say the hard no’s, but we do it as we fight the precedent and societal expectations set for generations. It will not be easy but we cannot lose the progress that was made by the feminists who came before us. After the loss of our beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, our rights are being threatened once again. We must vote, we must march and we must not be ashamed. We have value and deserve to have equal representation, rights and pay. We are a sisterhood. Let us (socially distanced) join hands and fight the good fight. And above all, don’t forget. We. Are. Feminists.  Photo Credit: Pat Schumacher I was to officially become an Army wife on Military Spouse Appreciation Day and we had 10 days to plan. Yes. You read that right. 10 days to plan a wedding. Hang tight, it has a happy ending. I promise! With this daunting task in front of me, I enlisted the help of Erin Kametz of EMK Events and thank goodness I did. Erin and I had written blogs together for her event planning business but I did not envision at the time that I would soon need to follow the advice we published. Thanks to fate and a unique Halloween costume, I met the love of my life and was in desperate need of wedding planning help. After the excitement and giddiness of receiving the news, Erin got right down to business. First, she researched our dream location and determined it was not available. We had no time to be disappointed because she was ready with several proposed alternative locations. Erin also used her event planning business connections to helps us find a photographer who not only was available on the date we needed but was willing to offer a military discount too. She took it a step further when she came along for the post wedding photoshoot and helped the photographer with the lighting equipment to ensure our captured memories were picture perfect. The biggest surprise of the day was my bouquet and garter. Erin coordinated with my Mom and fiance to get sentimental pieces to attach to both. Each item added a special touch to the day and they will be keepsakes I treasure forever. Our wedding turned out to be a beautiful day and I was gifted with being able to marry my soulmate without the stress and worry I feared would make me more anxious than glowing on our big day. It is highly recommended to plan your wedding in advance for best results, however, the tight deadline we were under only further proves Erin’s talent as a Wedding Planner. Many thanks to Erin of EMK Events and wedding planners everywhere for helping make dreams come true! Self-published authors are authors who publish their books on their own without the help of a publishing company. A majority of self-published books are released in eBook format, but there are many self-published authors who print and distribute physical books as well. I stumbled upon a sci-fi series by a self-published author on my Goodreads feed (I highly recommend that app to any book lover) and didn’t realize it was a self-published series until I finished the first book. I noticed no publishing company was mentioned in the opening pages or concluding notes in the book and the author credited the editor/editing company she used prior to publishing in eBook format through Amazon. The cover of the book was exquisite and the writing was high quality just as you would expect a book to be which was released by a big wig publishing company.
My hope is that I still would have read the book even if I had realized it was self-published before I downloaded it. Self-published books tend to have a bad rap for poor quality. This can be the case for some, especially those who do not invest in a good editor before publishing, but there are many worthwhile self-published books out there. Some authors don’t want contracts with book publishers and want to release the book on their own. It doesn’t lessen their talent. If anything, it gives them more creative freedom. Here are the top reasons to consider a self-published book:
Check out the book reviews on my website for self-published book recommendations. Please give these talented authors a chance. Happy reading! |
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