Sisters: The greatest gift you can ever receive

These days it seems like everyone I know is having a baby.

I can’t log into Facebook without seeing status updates with pictures of sonograms, nurseries and “baby bumps.”

Logan and I haven’t made the plunge into parenthood yet. But when we do talk about having children the conversation always involves having more than one. Siblings offer a unique interaction that you just can’t get any where else.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that all single children are socially awkward. My nephew* Kaelum is an only child and he is one of the coolest kids I know.

My reason for wanting my child (if I’m lucky enough to have one) to have siblings is because I can’t imagine my life without my sisters.

My family is a bit unconventional. I am the oldest child and have four sisters all together. I grew up close to my sisters on my mom’s side, Tempest and Breanna, here in Kansas. I connected with my dad and two sisters on his side, Crystal and Emily, as an adult.

I feel connected to all my sisters, especially Tempest and Breanna as our childhoods are intertwined. My sisters are the only ones who understand my crazy family dynamics.

They are the ones I turn to during hard times and laugh with during good times. They get me in a way no one else does.

My sisters also serve as a witness to life’s events, both tragic and triumphant. There are times in my life where I think, “did that really happen?” and check in with one of my sisters to confirm I’m still in touch with reality.

A few weeks ago, as I sorted through my old children’s books, I stumbled across a plastic bag filled with dried four-leaf clovers. Instantly my mind went back to a spring day in my Great Grandma Harris’ yard more than 20 years ago with my sister Tempest. I remember the excitement when we found the first four-leaf clover. And before we knew it we found another. And another. And another. We collected nine four-leaf clovers that day.

I was probably 7- or 8-years old when this happened. I remember thinking that God had magically placed those four-leaf clovers there to show us that we were special and loved. When saw the collection pressed between the pages of a Dr. Seuss book all these years later, the magic flooded back into my mind.

I texted my sister to see if she remembered the four-leaf clovers. She did and couldn’t believe I still had them. (Literally, she couldn’t believe it so I had to send her a picture text of them.)

My sisters are the greatest gift my mom has ever given me. Someday I hope to give my oldest daughter the gift of a sibling as well. Now, if my first child is a boy, well, I might go ahead and stop at one.

*Technically Kaelum is not my biological nephew, but he is my nephew at heart. And the word nephew is much less cumbersome to write than, “my friend Edmee’s son.”

These are a few of my favorite things

There are times in my life where I have to pause and to figure out if the words I’m saying are my own or scripted directly from an infomercial.

Don’t get me wrong, my words are genuine, but when I find a product I really like, I sometimes act out these live infomercials, usually in my kitchen. My friends humor me, though I doubt they ever really buy the products I push.

My latest infomercial moment came a couple weeks ago during game night at my house. Halfway through the night I noticed we had already eaten the entire bowl of hummus.

“No worries,” I said as I hoped out of my chair. “I can make more using my Magic Bullet.”

I proceeded to give a demonstration of how to make hummus in less than a minute.

“You don’t even have to chop the garlic,” I said as tossed two cloves in the Bullet along with a can of chick peas, some olive oil and cumin.

I understand that my enthusiasm during the demonstration might have seemed like a bit much, but homemade hummus in less than a minute, that’s pretty flippin’ amazing. Which brings me to the purpose of today’s blog: three products I just can’t stop talking about.

1. The Magic Bullet. From smoothies, to dips, to soup, this device is sooo much more convenient than a blender. And it takes up much less space.

http://www.buythebullet.com/

2. My Large Utility Tote from 31 Gifts.



I had a 31 party a couple of years ago because my husband’s friend’s wife is a consultant. I forced my mom, sister and aunt to come and we were all amazed at the quality of the 31 Collection. My favorite item is the Large Utility Tote. I use it to cart around everything from groceries, to Christmas gifts, to clothing swap clothes. It is such a versatile product. I bought one for my mom and and mother-in-law and we all talk about how much we use them. I’m telling you if you have a mother-in-law or sister-in-law or any female who you don’t know that well but want to get them super nice gift, go with the Large Utility Tote from 31 Gifts.

www.thirtyonegifts.com

3. Grass fed beef.



I’m a Midwesterner through and through. And while I strive to eat healthy, there is no way I could ever give up beef. High cholesterol runs in my husband’s family so we found the perfect solution through grass fed beef. Compared to grain fed beef, it contains less cholesterol, a third of the fat and is pact with omega-3s. Grass fed beef is also typically better for the environment because it is usually raised on sustainable farms. And since we buy our meat locally we do not have to feel guilty about all the carbon fuels it takes to ship beef from South America. We buy our meat from Hill Top Farms in Perry, Kan. Check them out. I promise you won’t regret it.

hilltopfarmskansas.com

If I were Oprah this would be the point in the blog where I shout out that everyone gets a Magic Bullet and Large Utility Tote. And you get a cow. And you get a cow. And you get a cow. Everybody gets a cow!

But alas, I’m not Oprah, just a blogger sharing a few of my favorite things.

Tebow-mania predicts the Republican nominee

There are only two things I don’t love about Colorado- the Denver Broncos and the high concentration of social conservatism in Colorado Springs.

Tim Tebow has managed to combined those two things into one nationwide phenomenon. These days, I can’t log into Facebook without reading something about Tebow-mania. Tebow fans are everywhere and their voices should not be dismissed. Their voices will likely chose this year’s Republican presidential candidate.

As I pondered what created the tipping point for Tebow-mania, I discovered a few interesting observations as to why Tebow is just so darn likable to so many Christians.

Reliance on higher power

Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed I take a few deep breaths, clear my mind, and ask God for a fresh perspective. To friends who are atheists this may seem silly, but there is something powerful and refreshing about releasing control to a higher power.

I know that I do not make the world spin round. But silly as it seems I believe that we are all connected to the one who does. That life-line to God is a comfort to many people. There is a peace in acknowledging that we are not in control.

To see a football player so vocal and public about his prayer life is refreshing to many. To others (myself included) the PDA with Jesus seems a bit over-the-top. Kind of like the couple who won’t stop making out in the coffee shop who makes me want to scream, “Get a room!”

Unexpected role model

There are plenty of people who are public about their prayer life, but one of the things that makes Tebow stand out is that he is an NFL player. Let’s face it, when we think of professional athletes these days we don’t expect them to uphold high moral standards. When they get caught in sex scandal, we typically see it coming.

Tebow’s nice-young-Christian-man innocents makes people hopeful. “He is someone my son or daughter could look up to,” they say.

Fourth quarter ‘miracle’ wins

Tebow’s infamous prayers on the football field developed his fan base, but this season’s fourth quarter comebacks tipped Tebow-mania over the edge. And why shouldn’t it have? (I know, I know, there are plenty of football reasons why it shouldn’t have. The question was rhetorical.)

“Fourth-quarter comebacks” date back as far as the Bible. Look at Abraham and Sarah, founders of the Judeo-Christian faiths. They tried for decades, not years, decades, to conceive a child. Sarah finally gave birth to Isaac when she was close to 100, or something absurd like that. The Bible is full of these comeback-when-the-game-is-nearly-over stories, so we shouldn’t be surprised that people are inspired by Tebow’s fourth-quarter wins.

What does Tim Tebow have to do with the presidential primaries? Glad you asked. The same attributes that made Tebow-mania a phenomenon are present in Rick Santorum. He outwardly displays his reliance on God, his near win in Iowa was the political equivalent of a fourth-quarter win, and though he may not be the ideal role model he certainly tells the social conservatives what they want to hear. (It makes me extremely sad that they seem to want to hear that he will put an end to gay marriage.)

The point is, don’t dismiss Santorum in South Carolina. If he can get the Tebow votes, I think he can win the nomination. You heard it here first.

*Read my blogs, stories and more at herkansascity.com.

Creating a new me

After a year of transitions- marriage, unemployment and a shorter hair cut- I decided this would be the year I blossomed into my re-invented self.

I aimed to transform into some social media savvy, freelancing rock star. I know what you might be thinking. Arley, aren’t you already a social media savvy, freelancing rock star? Well, not quite. Or at least I don’t feel like it most days.

Every professional development workshop I’ve been to (and trust me I’ve been to lots the past few years) talks about how important it is to reinvent oneself during this age of digital media and the ongoing recession. So, over the past several months I have set out to reinvent myself. I had trouble deciding what “brand” of Arley I wanted to debut.

With each new genre that I tried out, I discovered something new about myself. During the summer I explored Bohemian Arley. I rode my bike everywhere, wore my Chacos every day and I made tie-dyes.

In the fall I transitioned into Homemaker Arley. I made breakfast for Logan before he left for work, I cooked dinner from scratch and I scapbooked in my free time. And I somehow managed to do it all without vomitting.

Professionally, I’ve tried to make myself a journalist who has mastered the world of online media and 140-character news feeds. But the truth is I haven’t, not completely. My preference will probably always lean toward printed media. And the thrill of being out in the community covering a story will always be more exciting than sitting behind my desk Tweeting the story after it was written.

The more I think about my attempted reinvention, the less I see it as a new invention of myself and the more I see it as the natural progression from one phase of life into another.

The experts at career workshops tell you to reinvent yourself, but I say don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead focus on the traits and passions that are at your core and let those attributes adapt to your current landscape. This evolution won’t occur overnight and it might not even happen before you send out your next resume. But the change will be genuine.

So, I guess you could say I’ve given up on the re-invention of me. For now I’m just Arley.