internet | BulgingButtons

January 16, 2018
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Welcome to My World

Meaning the very opposite of what it sounds like.

Let me explain. The phrase “my world” usually means the world in which you live. The actual spaces you inhabit. It also means the day to day experiences you encounter. So I inhabit the world of my neighborhood, my community, my school (workplace), my city, state, and nation. I also inhabit the world of mom of a college student, fourth grade teacher, suburbanite, dog mom, fiancée, blogger, and more.

We all inhabit multiple worlds.

Those worlds, however, aren’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the great big wide world which I mostly haven’t seen or visited. I certainly haven’t inhabited it. But I do welcome it, and I do claim it.

I claim it because it is as much mine as it is anyone’s. It belongs to all or us and none of us. It is our big wide world, and I’m glad you’re in it with me.

There are eyes on my words around this planet we inhabit. Someone in South Africa reads my words, and shares her thoughts. Another in the Bahamas shares the experience of raising a young man, and we have a bond. We feel connected because something larger than each of us is at play. We may or may not have anything in common, but somehow you’ve found me, and I find that particularly marvelous, so I want to shout from the rooftoop, Welcome, Welcome to you all!

November 25, 2016
by BulgingButtons 4 Comments

Did You Black Friday?

I’m not a great shopper. Oh, I have my moments. Sometimes I’m on a roll and I get whatever I came for and conquer. Other times I’m not sure what I want, but I get lucky and find just the right items. Overall, though, I’m not much of a shopper.

I don’t love the mall. There, I said it.

It overwhelms me. It’s too big, it’s too hard to park, there are too many people there, and there’s far too much merchandise. I’m not a fan of going into store after store after store. I like going into one store for whatever I want, then leaving. This business of shopping at sixteen stores for one item is for the birds. Isn’t that why we have internet? So we can do this from the comfort of our own homes?

Speaking of internet, it makes shopping so much easier, don’t you think? Of course there’s the issue of returning things that are incorrect or damaged or don’t fit, but that’s no big deal, right? Oh, and you have to worry about someone stealing your stuff off your porch, but then you just rent a box at your post office or UPS store, right? And yes, there’s time and money spent on that too.

So, yeah, shopping. I could do without it, but then I wouldn’t have gifts for my sweethearts and I wouldn’t have cute clothes to wear and I wouldn’t have some things I really actually need (you know, like medications and toilet paper and lightbulbs). So yes, I can do it, but I prefer not to shop under pressure.

What about you? Are you a Black Friday shopper? Did you score any big deals? Convince me!

November 20, 2016
by BulgingButtons 3 Comments

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

A while back I wrote a back-to-school blogpost that was later modified and run by Scary Mommy. Scary Mommy is a huge website full of content for moms who may sometimes feel like they’re hanging on by the skin of their teeth. I can relate.

Well, that article generated quite a buzz, and it ended up being shared several times, on several different websites internationally. It was particularly popular in Greece, for some reason. I’m not really sure why, and I wouldn’t even know whom to ask.

The reason I bring it up is that someone visited the blog recently through the Scary Mommy link. Hooray! I was able to see what they saw, and came across my author page along with the article. I was so glad, because I thought I lost that link forever.

In case you’re interested, here it is: 10 Back to School Supplies Money Can’t Buy . I know it’s the wrong time of year, but what do you think? The article generated a huge positive response, but there were a few angry comments saying I had no business telling people what to do. My intent was never to scold or come across as all knowing. I know parenting is difficult. I also know, from years of experience working with hundreds (thousands?) of kids that so often what they need most from their parents are things money can’t buy.

It was nice to see that old article again. It reminded me of my fifteen minutes in the spotlight, and it gave me hope that maybe somewhere somebody was taking my words to heart and spending a little extra time loving on their kids.