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Just How Magical IS The Starbucks Unicorn Frap?

Delicious Food

The first time I saw a photo of the pink and blue tie-dyed drink on Facebook, even though it was a few days late, I thought it was an April Fool's day prank. It was too cute. Too trendy. There was no way a big chain store would sell a drink that was that bright and fun. A few days later I saw the mythical unicorn frappuccino again, this time on a poster outside of an actual Starbucks. The alarms went off. This was not a drill. And since it's a limited time offer I HAD to act fact...so, just how magical IS the Starbucks Unicorn Frap? Just How Magical IS The Starbucks Unicorn Frap? I love Keep Reading >>>

LuLaRoe Life Balance: Keeping My Closet Happy Without Making My Wallet Cry

Heavy Handed Advice

A few weeks ago I had no idea what LuLaRoe was. Despite the fact that there have been several articles about the fashion line have been posted on this very website, I hadn’t done much more than scan them. I got the basic idea. Competitive clothes shopping? No. Freaking. Thank. You. I have to watch 3+ hour long live videos of LuLaRoe fashion consultants holding up leggings and THEN have to hope that 1. My internet connection isn’t terrible, 2. Type “Sold” plus the item number faster than every other leggings hungry lady, and 3. Hope that the CONSULTANT’S comment feed showed me as the top Keep Reading >>>

The Joys Of Teaching My Autistic Son To Cook

Delicious Food

We all have that friend who can’t cook even a simple meal. None of us are perfect, we all fall short. Heck, I don’t know how to ride a bike. But guess what? I don’t need to know how to ride a bike because I have a car. But if you’re on a camping trip and suddenly realize you have no idea how to start a fire: A) if you’re a woman, you’re in trouble: B) if you’re a guy, you look like an idiot AND you’re in trouble. As a father, I’ve been blessed with the ability to pass my knowledge on to my children. However, a kid can only learn so much about 80’s new wave bands and old horror movies before Keep Reading >>>

To The Man Who Stopped Dating Hot Women…

Heavy Handed Advice

Dear Sir:  Ugly women everywhere want to applaud you for making the bold choice to stop dating hot women. We know for a fact that it is a huge sacrifice for you to have to stop dating hot women, and in no way whatsoever their choice for you to stop. Sure, some might be speculating that you're stopping because of THEIR choice, not yours, but those people are just jealous of your incredible intellect and strong physical prowess. To The Man Who Stopped Dating Hot Women... Moreover, every woman who dates you from now on is so grateful she'll never have to worry about her looks. She'll Keep Reading >>>

How I Found My Zen And Other Ways To De-Stress

Heavy Handed Advice

I stress out every day. I can't really help it. It's part of my job. I work as a newspaper reporter, which is one of the top 10 most stressful jobs a person can have. Every single day I stress about making deadlines, posting stories on Facebook, setting up interviews, taking photos and planning stories for the upcoming week. And that's just before noon. It's the nature of the industry. We're always, always on a deadline. Even when we're not on deadline for a story, we're on a deadline for something else. So yes, it's all very stressful. But it's okay, because I found my zen, and a few other Keep Reading >>>

If You Don’t Like Peeps, We Can’t Be Friends

Death By Dessert

Peeps. Everyone has an opinion on Peeps. There has never been a more controversial topic around the family Easter table that has resulted in so much thrown ham. They are either a perennial Easter favorite or a much maligned “last treat in the basket” candy. Some adults have fond memories of these sugar coated marshmallows shaped like little baby chicks and bunnies. Others have fond memories of microwaving those suckers until they explode in a miniature reenactment of the last scene in the 1984 classic Ghostbusters film. Here's the thing: if you don't like Peeps, I'm not sure we can be friends. Keep Reading >>>

I Knew He Was The One When I Realized Life Was More Fun With Him In It

Heavy Handed Advice

I saw a meme the other day that perfectly captured my relationship with my future husband. I can't find it, no amount of googling has made it resurface, so I figured I'd blog about it. The night I met my fiancee is stuck in my head like an award winning movie. I can almost remember what I was wearing... (dear god, I hope it wasn't that outfit... I looked like a green disco ball.) I'd just had surgery to remove my gallbladder four days before. I'd broken up with my flake of a boyfriend that morning. All I wanted to do was go hang out with friends, then come home to be alone. But when you Keep Reading >>>

An Eccentric Aunt’s Guide To Learning To Love Knitting

Crafts You Won't Make

In my ongoing decent into eccentric aunt territory, I have become...a knitter. A person who knits in public. And like a lot of knitters, I will wax poetic about how much I love to knit, and how soothing the rhythm of the needles can be, blah blah blah. But when I have my knitting out (because I'm the kind of person who knits in public, because why not) I meet two kinds of people: Those who knit. Those who don't think they can knit. It's because of this I'm going to share a bit of information on how to learn to love knitting. An eccentric aunt's guide to learning to love knitting, so to Keep Reading >>>

This Ain’t Makeup, Sweetheart, It’s War Paint!

Heavy Handed Advice

January of 2013 the company I was working for shut the doors to their Dallas office and I became one of the telecommuting proud. I knew it was coming. The signs had been there for a while, so I wasn't unprepared, but I was also in no way ready for that kind of transition. Three years later I found myself let go and now self-employed. I knew I wanted to go it alone one day, but I was in no way prepared for the sudden downsizing. I remember that first day, cut lose from the company I'd worked for since 2008 and falling back on some very important advice a friend had given me when I began Keep Reading >>>

The Best Graduation Gifts

These Things Are Better Than Your Things

It is not every day that you (or someone you know) graduates. It's a memorable time in one's life where the entire day involves around that person and those that accomplished great things along them. Whether it is high school graduation or even college graduation, it should be celebrated. Gifts are welcomed but if you are unsure where to start, check out our guide of The Best Graduation Gifts around! The Best Graduation Gifts Cards - Okay so I am person that LOVES to celebrate anything and everything. I love all aspects of a celebration so for me, cards are a MUST. Take the time to Keep Reading >>>

The Best Thing A Mom Can Do Is Find Friends As Weird As Her, And Make Them Her Tribe

Heavy Handed Advice

My best friends are inevitably people with whom I feel free to be completely and utterly myself. And myself is weird. As a mom I think the best advice I can give to any other mom is to find people as weird as you and surround yourself with them. Make them your tribe. Those weirdos are the ones who will help you survive when everything at home is covered in baby puke and cat hair. The Best Thing A Mom Can Do Is Find Friends As Weird As Her, And Make Them Her Tribe I’ve gotten pretty good at pretending to be normal. I wear slacks and cardigans and flattering colors. I can carry on a Keep Reading >>>

So Tell Me: Are You Team Coffee, Or Team Tea?

Delicious Food

Stop what you are doing. I have to ask you the most important, crucial, imperative question you will be asked all day: Are you Team Coffee or Team Tea? So Tell Me: Are You Team Coffee, Or Team Tea? I know it's a hot debate, and there are loyalists for each side. I have heard full-blown arguments devoted to one’s love and devotion to these hot liquids. “But the roasting and brewing process is imperative to the flavor” … “But it has to steep for exactly 4.2 minutes for optimum experience.” The size of the grind, loose leaf versus pod, pour over versus french press, stove-top kettle versus Keep Reading >>>

My LuLaRoe Leggings Don’t Judge Me

Heavy Handed Advice

Last week we were about to go see Rogue One finally. Yes, finally. I was trying to pick out something to wear and was feeling Star-Wars-Festive. I have this really cool, long sleeved Star Wars shirt and figured I'd wear that. But the leggings I own that match it were all dirty. Which meant I'd have to wear jeans. And at this point I hate jeans. My jeans judge me in a way my LuLaRoe leggings never will... My LuLaRoe Leggings Don't Judge Me Seriously, though, jeans. Ug! Okay. Well. The shirt was sort of hoodie like... I used to love wearing hoodies with jeans! At this point, Keep Reading >>>

I Can Say “Nipple Clamps” Here, Right?

Books That Don't Suck

It’s a post-Fifty Shades of Grey world, and there is a huge demand for super-sexy romantic novels. Authors work hand over fist to supply readers with what they want, and as a freelancer, I copy edit a lot of erotic romance. What does a copy editor do? Nitpick, mostly. Take a sex scene—the writer’s job is to describe the action and the emotions of the characters. My job is to make sure there aren’t too many hands or too few commas. I respect all my clients and their books, not matter how racy. But let’s face it—the fact that I have Googled “accidental butt-sex” as part of my job is a bit Keep Reading >>>

How To Make Your Dream Job A Reality

Heavy Handed Advice

Have you ever wanted a job for which you are COMPLETELY unqualified? I mean, you wanted it so bad that you could see yourself doing this job when you closed your eyes at night. You planned out, not even realizing you were doing so, what you would do in this fantastical position. You obsessed over this position, and daydreamed about it, always at inopportune times ... like when you were supposed to be doing your ACTUAL job. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done this. Thing is, I'm starting to get to live one of my dreams, and in doing so I've figured out you can make your dream job Keep Reading >>>

Why Oliver And April The Giraffe Are #RelationshipGoals

Heavy Handed Advice

Social media has been flooded with messages about people waiting impatiently for the new baby giraffe at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, but the only one waiting more anxiously than April the Giraffe is her baby-daddy, Oliver. This is the new four-legged power couple taking the internet by storm. And in my humble opinion, Oliver and April's girromance is total #RelationshipGoals. Why Oliver And April The Giraffe Are #RelationshipGoals Because their stalls are next to each other, Oliver has been able to keep a watchful eye on the Mother-to-Be and note her increasing Keep Reading >>>

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! There Is No One Alive Who Is Youer Than You

Books That Don't Suck

March second, otherwise known as Read Across America Day, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss’s birthday, has been celebrated by elementary schools across America since 1998. Everyone knows Dr. Seuss … cartoonist, storyteller, and one of my heroes (along with Walt Disney, because that is how I do this adult thing). There isn’t a person who doesn’t have a favorite Dr. Seuss book (and if you don’t, you're dead inside). Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! There Is No One Alive Who Is Youer Than You For me, the first book I remember reading all the way through was Green Eggs and Ham, that silly book about Keep Reading >>>

…And I’m Just Waitin’ For A Pregnant Giraffe To Poop Out A Baby

Heavy Handed Advice

Poor April, April the giraffe. She doesn't even know she has become an internet and media sensation. April with the upside down heart spot on the left side of her neck, who rarely leaves her birthing stall, and has her baby daddy, Oliver, in the next stall over. Yes, we've all been glued to the Live Feed of this majestic momma, and memorized just about every spot, manerism, and feature of this now-famous animal (or maybe that's just me). We've all held our collective breath each time she moves, lays down, or for goodness sakes, even swishes her tail. "It's time," the comments inevitably read. Keep Reading >>>

8 Unexpected Perks Of Having Kids

Heavy Handed Advice

Why did I have children? Yes, they are lovely. They bring joy to our lives, and it's a privilege watching them blossom into adulthood. I got to be there when they started to crawl, learned to walk, said their first words, and got all teary-eyed as I ushered them off to kindergarten. I smiled outwardly (cringe inwardly) when they had their first crush, and cried with them after their first heartbreak. I love my children! But ... what's the real reason I had kids? Because there are at least 8 unexpected perks that come with being a parent. 8 Unexpected Perks Of Having Kids 1. Did Keep Reading >>>

Why I’ll Never Give Up My LuLaRoe…

Heavy Handed Advice

I guess this is a post I need to write once a year or something. The other day I was scrolling Facebook and saw a meme that was shared by someone from some new, non LuLaRoe legging company that shall not be named. Please note, this was a meme posted on this company's, I guess, official page. No, I won't name names. The meme had rules for wearing leggings. There were just two rules, but you only need a few words to body shame people. And that's why I'll never give up my LuLaRoe. They would Never have done something like THIS. Why I'll Never Give Up My LuLaRoe... So basically the meme Keep Reading >>>

Daddy-Daughter Dates And Why They’re Essential

Heavy Handed Advice

A friend of mine sent me a link about how creepy an author found Daddy-Daughter Dances and Daddy-Daughter Date Nights. The author wrote that the whole concept was weird and patriarchal and all those buzzwords insufferable people like to throw around. This piece really jammed me up because that very next night was our Daddy Daughter Dance, which would lead into our Daddy Daughter Date Night. So I read the piece and walked away shaking my head in disbelief that some people in the world project an “oogy” vibe on what’s basically teaching your daughter how to respect herself and what to expect in Keep Reading >>>

My Love Is A Bonus Taco

Delicious Food

My husband and I don’t really do lovey gifts. Valentine’s, anniversary, whatever. He doesn’t care if he gets a gift on Valentine’s Day. I used to care. A lot. Mostly because I’d been taught to care. All those TV sitcoms where the goober of a husband forgot a special day and had to scramble to come up with a thoughtful / expensive gift had me believing that if my man forgot any of our special days he was a terrible person. But that’s not true for us. I don’t think it’s true for anyone, really. Life is busy. If you add in all the birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Keep Reading >>>

21 Funny Tweets In Honor of Valentine’s Day

Heavy Handed Advice

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and while many on Twitter are bragging about their romantic plans or lamenting the lack of a date, these fine men and women know what we really want -- to be entertained.  I've compiled 21 thoroughly wacky tweets about love, dating, and massive exasperation guaranteed to make you laugh. 21 Funny Tweets In Honor of Valentine's Day https://twitter.com/XplodingUnicorn/status/826152899327705088 Human women don't murder the males after sex, but every woman understands wanting to kill after a bad Keep Reading >>>

Turns Out I’m A Hufflepuff. Thanks A Lot, Sorting Hat!

'arry Pottah

So, I was at a conference (sort of) recently and seated for dinner with other writer/reader types—who are also good friends I get to see not often enough—when the conversation turned, as it does, to Hogwarts’ houses. Look, don’t even pretend you haven’t had the “what house would you be in” conversation, or secretly sorted all your friends and enemies into their appropriate common rooms. Maybe not for a while, but Harry Potter hasn’t ever dimmed on the public consciousness, not with the theme parks and now a new movie. And there’s Pottermore sort of like a fansite, but official. Now, the Keep Reading >>>

Wanna Turn Chores Into A Game? There’s An App For That…

Heavy Handed Advice

My whole life, I’ve been part of a family that teased each other. It’s a sign of affection and comfort, and the cleverest zings are the funniest. The goal is to make each other laugh, not to hurt anyone’s feelings… which is why no one teases me about my housekeeping. I am a terrible housewife. Granted, I never aspired to be a housewife. It’s not my calling. But, for the past 12 years, I’ve known that maybe I ought to be doing more chores than… well, the precise amount isn’t important here.  I used to clean when I worked up a nice panic attack about it, if that tells you anything. And I Keep Reading >>>

I Am Totally Into The Superbowl…Commercials

Heavy Handed Advice

There's a big ball game coming up. You know, the sportsball game where there are two teams. They run back and forth down a big marked field, and fight over an oblong ball. Sometimes they slap each other on the behind...I've seen it. I know what's up. Yes, it's an American thing. Don't worry, I don't really get it either. Obviously, I don't watch the game for the sport of it (I know, some of you are shocked, angry, and appalled at the thought). I don't even know who the competing teams are this year. I think it's some kind of bird team, and that team from New England (Is that even Keep Reading >>>

You Know It’s True Love When He Buys You Depends

Heavy Handed Advice

My boyfriend and I have been together a while now. We're beyond the honeymoon stage and firmly into making this our happy life together, crazy as those words sound. But I didn't really know how much he loved me, until he got me Depends. Yes, Depends. As in, adult diapers. You Know It's True Love When He Buys You Depends See, I had this nightmare of an experience with a kidney stone, an infection, surgery and horrible-awful-don't-wish-it-on-my-worst-enemy recovery period. And this is where love won out. Where I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt...my boyfriend is a freaking saint and Keep Reading >>>

Online Pearl Parties…Is That A Thing?

Crafts You Won't Make

I'd never even heard of an online pearl party until a couple of months ago. Now, I've been to 4 this month and I've bought two pieces. That's a rarity for me. It's a fun experience. I enjoy seeing what other people pick and which setting they've chosen. I like the suspense of the openings and the fellowship of other viewers as we congratulate the customer on their pick and then feel a small twinge of what I call "pearl envy." I love jewelry and, for me, this adds the mystery of an online subscription box into the mix. Plus, I get to witness the pearl coming out of its shell for the first time, Keep Reading >>>

In-Route Care Packages

These Things Are Better Than Your Things

Each and every day we have women and men who will brave the weather to make sure our letters and packages are delivered to us safely and on time. While we may see the holidays as the one time of the year to thank them, I say we should thank them all year long. That is why I came up with these In-Route Care Packages For Mail Carriers. This is perfect for USPS, FedEx and even UPS drivers! What You Need to Make In-Route Care Packages: Glad Entree Containers (Medium and Large will work) Protein Bars Mini Bottles of Water Pistachio Packets (can also use trail mix) Energy Keep Reading >>>

tips to brighten a small space

How I Took My Dining Room From Functional To Fabulous: 10 Easy Steps!

Home Decor You Will Forget To Make

I'm going to start with a confession: my dining room was never my favorite place. Sure, I love to cook, yes, I love to entertain, but for a long time that dark, small space is where we stored backpacks and stacked bags of groceries. These Affordable Tips to Brighten a Small Space changed all that. I Loooooove my dining room now. In fact, it might be my new favorite room in the house. I'm so excited to share these affordable ideas with you and I can't wait to see pictures of how you've transformed your own spaces. Happy DIYing! 10 Affordable Tips to Brighten a Small Space 1. Right off the Keep Reading >>>

Why I Refuse To Buy Bottled Ketchup (And Other Things I’ll Never Buy)

Heavy Handed Advice

There are a lot of things people do when they grow up. Their taxes, of course. Replacing old mattresses when they get worn. Eat oatmeal. Buy condiments... While I'm completely for replacing that old mattress and making sure Uncle Sam gets his due, I will probably never, ever buy ketchup that comes in the bottle. And oatmeal? Yeah, oatmeal sucks. I won't be doing that one, either. There are some things that people should buy new from the store (underwear, socks, bathing suits), but why does ketchup need to be one of them. Me? I refuse. I refuse to buy ketchup...and a few other things. Why Keep Reading >>>

How Princess Leia Changed The World

Heavy Handed Advice

Princess Leia changed my life. This is not hyperbole. I come from a pre-Katniss, pre-Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer, pre-Hillary-Clinton era. I know this makes me sound old, but I grew up in Texas, so subtract like ten years from the female empowerment timeline. Oh, we had Governor Ann Richards, but she was considered an aberration. There was Ripley from Alien(s), but that was R-Rated, so I wasn’t allowed to see it. (Even though I did, because HBO.) The awesomeness of Sigourney Weaver’s casting deserves its own post, but in Alien, her femininity was (deliberately) not a factor. And I was a Keep Reading >>>

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