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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Mother</title>
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	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>F: Faith &#8211; What It&#8217;s Really Like</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/f-faith-what-its-really-like/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/f-faith-what-its-really-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2015 14:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Brody]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belief]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Differences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Faith is Funny]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outward]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prayer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Siblings]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=7895</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like…  Faith is funny. It is presumed that all of us believe in something bigger than ourselves. Peace, love, religion, science, etc. Harmony for all humans, love will prevail/conquer all, trust in the power of the supernatural or higher being, or simply having faith that the sun will come up tomorrow. Out of all the words that I have chosen for this project Faith may be the most difficult to “own”. Maybe it is because I am still learning how to take ownership of it. It has been nearly one month since my mother was diagnosed with Stage-4 Lymphatic cancer. Unofficially to date, this will be her third major encounter with the disease. I learned of the diagnosis late on a Friday night. She would immediately begin an intensive 6-month round of chemotherapy the following Tuesday. Our family’s world, just as in 2005, would be rocked again. In the fall of 2005 my parents would reveal to my brother and I that my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The announcement came only a short time before she would undergo a major surgical procedure to help combat her condition. Fortunately my brother and I were attending the same college just 35 miles from our home. We would be there to do whatever possible to ensure the health and healing for our mother during this time. Either out of frustration or fear both of us became angry with my parents after the initial numbness of the announcement subsided. Why did they wait so long to tell us? What good could have come out of holding this news close to the vest? Why were we not included in the updates while the testing process was playing out? We wanted to know why we were being protected like children and not treated as the adults we were. As the elder brother, I became the spokesperson to vent our grievances toward my parents for not disclosing this news beforehand and the virtual blindside of the situation. My father calmly explained that they wanted to be absolutely sure before letting us know (a wise order of operations that I would not understand until many years later with all of the tests and close calls we have endured over the last decade). At the time I felt the explanation was unacceptable and I made both of my parents to swear that they would never withhold any critical information from us again. I finished my proclamation by scolding my mother pleading, “Why wouldn’t you tell us? Don’t you think people may want to pray for you?” Faith is something that I keep very personal. I recall asking my mom when I was a teenager why we discontinued attending church. She said that our involvement in sports and other activities during the week (often on Sundays) made it difficult to stay on top of tasks around the house and attend church regularly. While she acknowledged that it was a poor excuse, our regular attendance would dwindle to part-time to eventually not at all. I also asked her if our absenteeism bothered her. She told me something that I will never forget. She said that even though it bothered her that we no longer attended church, it did not change her relationship with God. “Everyone is different.  Everyone has a different measure of faith.  As long as you have a chat with him (God) once in a while and know that he is always there, I think that is what matters most.” At closer look, much of my faith is deeply internalized likely due to this lesson from my mother. Many readers may have already clicked to another page because they assumed I would continue plugging religion, making for an uncomfortable read. I understand and I am no different. I get extremely uncomfortable when I see continuous expression from individuals on subjects of politics or religion. I believe you are entitled to your opinion, but prefer you keep most of it to yourself. I internalize most of my opinions on these subjects out of respect for others. So much so that it wasn’t until over the course of the past year that I have become comfortable praying in front of my wife. Faith is one element that I have never allowed to become outward and public. Fast forward to 2015 less than 24 hours after learning my mother’s diagnosis… During a break from yard work I began a rare, aimless flip through Facebook to discover that a well-connected colleague of my brother’s had announced my mother’s diagnosis and asked for prayers via a status update. While I appreciated the sentiment of the announcement, I quickly began to boil over in anger. I waited about a 30 minutes before shooting off a text message to my brother, hoping that he would acknowledge what I believed to be a mistake. My thoughts: To this point, I have not heard directly from my parents. My brother filled me in on the diagnosis the night before. Surely they had not notified the family yet. How awful would it be for a family member to learn of my mother’s condition via Facebook? I explained in the text to my brother that while I appreciated the gesture, I did not think the timing was appropriate. In the 15 minutes I waited for a response I convinced myself that my brother would apologize for the mistake and call my mother right away to set it straight. What I would receive in a reply was completely the opposite. For nearly an hour my brother and I went back and forth via text messages about our positions regarding this serious announcement. I claimed that it was a private issue that should be shared with the family and that mom could decide whether or not the information should be shared with the public. My brother countered with chastising me for not giving more credit toward those who were trying to call on faith and the power of prayer to help lift up my mother during this time. We stopped the exchange after we discovered that we were at a complete impasse. During our conversation I challenged my brother to reach out to our mom to guarantee that it was appropriate for this information to be made public without her approval. Once again, I was shocked find what followed. At just a few minutes before midnight, 24 hours after I learned of the diagnosis, an email hit my inbox just as I was getting into bed. It was from my mother to the rest of my immediate family. In the email she apologized for the relay of information and explained why she authorized it to be delivered this way. She cited a moment back in 2005 recalling when her young son Brody said, “Don&#8217;t you think people may want to pray for you?!” I nearly dropped my phone when I read the sentence. Up until that point I did not recall saying those words. The same action I had demanded in the past had been granted to me and I did not like the results. Almost instantaneously I realized that it was not my call and I was in the wrong. This was about her. She went on to parallel some of my brother’s statements from our text message fight: a prayer army is better than a prayer group. I have not publicly shared about my mother’s condition until now. My brother and others have shared her situation with others on social media asking for prayers of hope, strength and faith. After thousands of likes and hundreds of comments I am beginning to realize that this is something I can’t take on in my own small group. Faith is funny. It can be inward or outward. I prefer to be inward. Together it can be extremely powerful. You may ask &#8211; if you are so inward, why are you sharing all of this personal information? The answer is that I am still learning to own my faith beyond something bigger than myself. WORRY STOPS WHERE FAITH BEGINS. – GMa’s Journal &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Mom Slams People Who Call Their Dogs &#8220;FurBabies&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/mom-slams-people-who-call-their-dogs-furbabies/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/mom-slams-people-who-call-their-dogs-furbabies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2015 09:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Furbaby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Furkid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Insult]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pet]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6931</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is a buzz going around online about comparing dogs to children. A recent post titled, No Your Dog Is Not Your &#8220;Baby&#8221; &#8211; Saying That Is An Insult To Moms published by Elizabeth Broadbent from YourTango, discusses how people who refer to their pets as &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; or &#8220;FurKids&#8221; really tick her off.  Apparently, the world had a lot to say about this subject and their weighing in on social media. Broadbent makes comments such as, &#8220;Your puppy is not your child, so stop saying that he is. I have three children now, and I know this for certain — kids and dogs are not same&#8221; and &#8220;Getting a dog just doesn&#8217;t stack up&#8221;, and &#8220;Kids do some amazing things dogs just can&#8217;t stack up to.&#8221;. Broadbent makes comments such as, &#8220;Your puppy is not your child, so stop saying that he is. I have three children now, and I know this for certain — kids and dogs are not same&#8221; and &#8220;Getting a dog just doesn&#8217;t stack up&#8221;, and &#8220;Kids do some amazing things dogs just can&#8217;t stack up to.&#8221;. Many, including hundreds of commenters, are outraged that Broadbent would even &#8220;go there&#8221;. Amy Attaway, a commenter on the post, says, &#8220;For all those women who aren&#8217;t able to have children, these furkids may be all they have. I think it&#8217;s sad you feel the need to belittle people who are doing absolutely no harm to your own life. Concentrate on and love your children. There&#8217;s no need to degrade.&#8221; And Lindsay Combs posted this on her Facebook page, &#8220;I&#8217;ve never given birth nor am I sure if I ever want to or even can, but my dogs are my world&#8230; Just bc I don&#8217;t change their diapers everyday&#8230; [and they don&#8217;t] speak the words &#8220;I wuv you mommy&#8221; doesn&#8217;t mean they can&#8217;t mean the world to me just as a child could. &#8230; don&#8217;t for a second think you can tell somebody what to or what not to call their dogs or any pet for that matter. It 100% should NOT be an insult to Moms everywhere &#38; if it is, you should be ashamed!&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;ve never given birth nor am I sure if I ever want to or even can, but my dogs are my world&#8230;&#8221; We want to know how the WIRL Project audience feels about this. Can you see what the author is saying or are you outraged at her comments? Do you have your own &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; and do you refer to them as such? Do you have children of your own as well as a family dog? Does the love &#8220;compare&#8221;? Or should we even be having this conversation? Why does it matter who loves who? Can&#8217;t we just be happy there is love going around? Many will have their own opinions, we are all entitled to them, but it&#8217;s how you present yourself as you share your thoughts and ideas that will earn the respect (or disrespect) of others. Why does it matter who loves who? Can&#8217;t we just be happy there is love going around? Tell us what you think about calling dogs and pets &#8220;Furbabies&#8221; and &#8220;Furkids&#8221; in the comments below. Or, better yet, submit your own thoughts and stories here! &#160; &#160; &#160; *Image source: Popsugar.com]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Selflessly Saying YES to Self-Care!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/selflessly-saying-yes-to-self-care/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/selflessly-saying-yes-to-self-care/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2015 08:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alisha Askew]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chaos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comfort]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Enabling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rejuvenate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self Care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selflessly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stress]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6825</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Self-care, self-care, self-care AHHHHHHhhhhh! What is all of this self-care talk about!?! As mothers, even though our schedules seems to get tied up somehow some way, studies show that when you allow time for “self”, life will become more rewarding and less stressful despite the chaos. I want to warn you, self-care IS NOT based solely on indulging in the “short term feel good activities” such as comfort foods, TV, pedicures, or shopping sprees. Although these are all great and fun activities, an excess of these can actually elevate one’s stress level, doing more harm than good! Also…recognize that self-care is not selfish. First of all understand that practicing self-care is preventative and it is anything but selfish. Secondly, the amount of self-care that you allow yourself reciprocates from the amount of self-love that you have for yourself. It becomes a revolving door when we do not learn to love ourselves completely or value who we are and own our worth. At that point we become the victim and feel as if life, motherhood, our careers, or marriage is restricting and limiting the time that we are able to take for ourselves. And as a result… our life seems to move farther and farther away from being vibrant, passionate, and what we truly desire. Self-care, in a nut shell, refers to being consciously mindful of your daily life and taking personal responsibility for your complete wellbeing; your physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health. Breaking it down a little deeper, my definition of S.E.L.F C.A.R.E is: Selflessly Enabling Love For Comforting And Rejuvenating Energy So let’s examine S.E.L.F C.A.R.E a little closer so that you can boldly make it a non-negotiable: Selflessly - Since we know that self-care is a preventative action to better enhance our health and wellbeing, not only for ourselves but for the people around us, we need to set the feelings of guilt, worry, and abandonment free! Be empowered that you unselfishly LOVE yourself, and you are selflessly taking care of self so that you can continue to give to those around you. Enabling - YES! You are giving yourself permission that “ME TIME” is a priority because you understand that YOU are significant and that you add value to the world around you. Say YES to yourself every day! Make YES a natural way of living and loving life. Love - You love yourself right? But how much do you love yourself? How deep in your heart does your love reach? Self-care is an act of love. When you connect with yourself through self-care engagements that enrich your mind, body or soul you are deepening the LOVE, the bond, the relationship, the trust, affection, and awareness that you have with yourself. You should have a best friend relationship with yourself, not a love-hate, frenemy relationship. When you boldly choose to make self-care a non-negotiable, you are not only saying YES to yourself but you are also saying, “I love ME”! And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! You should have a best friend relationship with yourself, not a love-hate, frenemy relationship. For - With the object or purpose of; Showing love to yourself for comfort and rejuvenation. Comforting - At the end of the day, after we have exerted all of our energy in different spaces, places and people, we are too tired to even think about using any energy on ourselves; if we even have any left! That is why self-care is preventative and should be prioritized in your daily schedule. So instead of feeling empty by the end of the day, we have already took conscious actions to comfort and nurture ourselves which boosts our emotional and mental wellbeing, keeping us calm, cool and collective throughout the day. And - A part of speech that connects two words or phrases; Comforting and Rejuvenating Rejuvenating - Not only does self-care comforts us, giving us a more carefree energy to fuel ourselves, but it also rejuvenates us; energizes and radiates our natural charisma. This is where our glow, ambiance, our “secret sauce” attracts people to us. Energy - How do you want people to remember YOU today? Your energy can either affect or infect not only yourself but your peers, family, friends, dog, etc. Self-care sets the tone for an increased and positive energy. When you love yourself, are mindful of your value and worth, you are less vulnerable and susceptible letting “life and all of its curve balls” get to you. Do not show up in the world as the malnourished, empty, and exhausted you, instead, show up FULLY as the glowing, wholehearted, and refreshed YOU! Do not show up in the world as the malnourished, empty, and exhausted you, instead, show up FULLY as the glowing, wholehearted, and refreshed YOU! When you combine S.E.L.F C.A.R.E all together it reads: Unselfishly giving permission to show love to yourself with the purpose of boosting and energizing your wellbeing so that you can be your naturally vibrant self. Your body is a temple and no matter how strong you are, we are delicate flowers that require consistent nurturing, tender love, and care. Deepen the love that you have for yourself and make self-care a non-negotiable so that you can begin living that vibrant and passionate life that you desire and deserve! What does self-care mean to you? How do you “care” for yourself? I would love to hear the self-care activities that release a comforting and rejuvenating energy to boost your wellbeing! Please share in the comments below! &#160; &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>What It&#8217;s Really Like to Meet and Marry a Single Parent</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-to-meet-and-marry-a-single-parent/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-to-meet-and-marry-a-single-parent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2015 18:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Heather]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biological]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bloodline]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daughter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Father]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[single]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Single Parent]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6817</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was around 10 when I learned that when it comes to family, bloodlines don&#8217;t mean everything, and in some cases, it doesn&#8217;t mean ANYTHING. According to the dictionary, &#8220;Family&#8221; can be defined as: a. A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children. b. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place. Nowhere in these definitions does it state anything about blood or biology. In today&#8217;s society it is not uncommon for a child to grow up without knowing one (or both) of their parent&#8217;s. In fact, it&#8217;s almost becoming abnormal if you ARE raised by both parents. I was around 10 when I found out that my dad, who had been raising me, wasn&#8217;t my biological father. My biological father was out of the picture by the time I was two, around the same time my mom met my dad. I was definitely hurt and confused by everything when I found out. I remember asking myself, &#8220;What is so wrong with me that my own father doesn&#8217;t want to be part of my life?&#8221; It was difficult, especially at a time where you&#8217;re already confused about the changes going on in your life. Even at ten, I never questioned who my DAD was. A father is someone who helps give you life, a dad is someone who helps makes you who you are and is PART of your life. My dad is the one who taught me how to play softball. He almost never missed a softball, basketball, volleyball game, or a track meet. He woke my brother and I up every Christmas morning by yelling &#8220;Ho Ho Ho Merrrrrry Christmas&#8221; with my mom. He helped me move more times that I can count. He taught me what to look for in a guy by giving me the greatest example of what a man could be. Then he walked me down the aisle when I found that guy. I always remember asking myself, &#8220;How could someone just take me in and raise me like I was their own, without thinking twice?&#8221; and then came Dave and Devon. Devon was six when Dave and I met, and had just turned seven by the time that I met her. Dave and I wanted to make sure that we were serious before I met Devon and had the chance to get attached with her and for her to get attached to me. You see, Devon has a very similar situation as I do and her birth mother has never been in her life. Dave was a single father for six years. Most people don&#8217;t even know that Devon and I don&#8217;t share blood. She looks like me&#8230;. A LOT! (A sign that we were meant to be a family, if you ask me.) We hit it off from day one, and I can honestly say that I fell in love with her before I fell in love with Dave. We could not get along any better (even now that Devon is heading into her Freshman year of High School). There were definitely some things that we had to figure out and work through as a family. When Dave, Devon and I started spending time together it was very&#8230; tricky&#8230; trying to find my place in the family. I wanted to build a friendship with Devon, but I also needed her to see me a mother figure. I had to learn when and how to step in and be a parent without feeling like I was overstepping my boundaries. I needed to spend one-on-one time with Devon to get to know her and for her to get to know me. Dave and I both knew that if things did not work with Devon and I then they wouldn&#8217;t work with Dave and I. We didn&#8217;t want to form a family where all three of us would be miserable because Devon and I did not get along. I&#8217;m very lucky that I met Devon when she was seven. Knowing her strong personality, it would have been MUCH more difficult to become a family if we met now instead of 7 years ago. Do I wish that I had met Dave and Devon sooner? Absolutely! But I am thankful that I&#8217;ve already been in Devon&#8217;s life for more than half of her life. (Which she made note of on her 14th birthday &#8211; that she had officially had me for half of her life.) When people do find out that I&#8217;m not Devon&#8217;s birth mother they always comment on how lucky Devon is to have me in her life. What they don&#8217;t understand is that she has been just as good for me. Although Devon doesn&#8217;t share my blood, she is my heart. It is from loving her that I understand how and why my dad could accept me and love me as his own. There is no doubt in my mind that Devon was meant to be my daughter (like I said, the resemblance is almost freaky) and there is no doubt that my dad was meant to be my dad. Some of the best parents that I know are not biological parents. They are people who stepped in and loved children for no other reason but to simply LOVE them and not because they felt like they had to.]]></description>
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		<title>What It&#8217;s Really Like to be a Blogger While Managing a Career as an Attorney, Wife, and Mother of an Infant and Toddler</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-to-be-a-blogger-while-managing-a-career-as-an-attorney-wife-and-mother-of-an-infant-and-toddler/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-its-really-like-to-be-a-blogger-while-managing-a-career-as-an-attorney-wife-and-mother-of-an-infant-and-toddler/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2015 12:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[WIRL Project]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Attorney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blogger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6556</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We asked Jennifer Burby who is an attorney, wife, and mother, as well as a blogger at Champagne Supernova, to share her honest thoughts and stories about blogging for the WIRL Blogging Challenge. We&#8217;ve listed our Q/A session below for you to enjoy!  &#160; WIRL Project: How much time do you spend on your blog each week? Jennifer: The short answer is that I probably spend 15-20 hours a week doing something either directly or indirectly impacting my blog. The long answer is that having a blog isn&#8217;t just about writing a post and publishing it. It&#8217;s also about growing a readership, self-promotion, and connecting with your audience and other bloggers. I read somewhere that there are 153 million blogs on the internet. Readers are overwhelmed with the variety, and, in order to read my blog, people have to discover it and I have to offer something that they can&#8217;t get from other blogs. When I&#8217;m not writing and publishing my own post, I&#8217;m busy engaging in online &#8220;linky&#8221; parties, pinning on pinterest, locating and uploading news articles to my blog&#8217;s Facebook fan page, editing and adding photos to my blog&#8217;s Instagram account, and then reading other bloggers&#8217; posts and commenting on them. It&#8217;s exhausting, but necessary. I read somewhere that there are 153 million blogs on the internet. Readers are overwhelmed with the variety, and, in order to read my blog, people have to discover it and I have to offer something that they can&#8217;t get from other blogs. WIRL Project: What do you wish people who don&#8217;t blog knew about blogging? Jennifer: This is difficult. In addition to the amount of work that goes into blogging, which I detailed in my answer to the question above, I wish people who don&#8217;t blog realized that not all bloggers are self-obsessed narcissists. I think some, but not all, non-bloggers stereotype bloggers this way. In reality, bloggers just want a way to fuel their passions by highlighting their talents; whether it&#8217;s writing, making crafts and DIY projects, cooking and baking, or taking photographs. WIRL Project: Do you ever feel frustrated about blogging? Jennifer: Because I just launched my blog in January of 2015 and it&#8217;s relatively new, the answer is generally &#8220;no.&#8221; However, as I&#8217;m not tech savvy, I can sometimes get frustrated with uploading information on the blog or updating the blog site itself. I also sometimes feel frustrated by time constraints to publish a blog or events that are out of my control that preclude me from writing. For instance, sometimes I want to sit down and write a post, but then my three-year-old wants me to watch a movie with her instead. She will take precedent every time! WIRL Project: What are insider secrets you could share? Jennifer: When blogging, focus on the quality of your post, rather than the number of times you are posting. In other words, &#8220;quality over quantity.&#8221; When I first started blogging, I had an unreasonable goal of posting five times a week. Not gonna happen. As blogging isn&#8217;t my full time job and I am balancing it with a career and a family, it takes a couple days of research and being alone with my thoughts to create a quality post. Regardless of the number of times someone is posting, they aren&#8217;t going to obtain a regular readership if they aren&#8217;t posting quality material that people want to read. WIRL Project: What makes you feel like your blog is &#8220;successful&#8221;? Jennifer: Positive feedback. Even though I started my blog five months ago, I&#8217;ve already started receiving positive feedback from readers world wide who have taken the time to tell me about how they enjoy my posts. A couple months ago, a lady reached out to me concerning a post about the baby blues and motherhood. She thanked me for sharing my story because she went through the same thing and felt like a bad mother. While I would eventually like to significantly monetize my blog, receiving positive feedback has been a huge motivator. WIRL Project: What&#8217;s been your biggest blogging blooper of fail? Not finding typos until after the post has gone live. These are usually stupid mistakes or finger-slips like &#8220;want&#8221; instead of &#8220;what&#8221; or &#8220;form&#8221; instead of &#8220;from.&#8221; I fix them as soon as I see them, or as soon as someone tells me about them, and usually hope not too many people noticed them. &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here with the tag “WIRL Blogging”. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed in part by Jennifer Burby at Champagne Supernova. She is an attorney, wife, mama, snot wiper-upper, choking preventer, baby booty-wiper, and Grand Poobah of her blog, The Champagne Supernova. When she&#8217;s not blogging, Jennifer enjoys traveling, pretending she&#8217;s a professional photographer, running, and laughing. She can be found at her website, WIRL Project, and Facebook.]]></description>
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		<title>What &#8220;Working Out&#8221; Means To Me&#8230;.</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-working-out-means-to-me-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/what-working-out-means-to-me-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2015 01:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Heather]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gym]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL workout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Workout]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6330</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I choose to stay active and eat healthy because that is what makes me feel good. It is NOT easy. It is very hard to get into this lifestyle, but trust me&#8230;.once you are in it, you won&#8217;t look back. Now, I haven&#8217;t ALWAYS been active and a healthy eater. I have 3 kids, so you can imagine how many times I had to restart my &#8220;Healthy Lifestyle&#8221;. Everyone is different, so what works for my body, may not work for yours. But, for my body, jogging helps me A LOT!! Like I said, I have 3 kids. If I don&#8217;t jog in the morning (and it HAS to be in the morning &#8211; it helps me start my day off right), then I am not normal. haha&#8230; Weird, I know. Just missing a day of jogging turns me into another person. I put on my choice of music, which is dance, techno, hip hop &#8212; yea, I am one of those people you see jogging, with the music blasting in their earbuds. Hey! It works for ME. I have to feel energized and that type of music just gets me going! Working out, gives me energy to chase around my 10 month old and wrestle with my 3 year old and run my 9 year old to swim practice and girl scouts. Now, I am not one of those marathon joggers. I jog slow and stop a lot. I also belong to the UFC Gym and do kickboxing and strength training. I think I like that a lot because it makes me feel like I belong to a team. Everyone encourages you and makes you feel good. They don&#8217;t try and be perfect or sugar coat crap. They are all there for one reason&#8230;to work out! You just go in, get your shit done, chit chat for a bit, and leave. Boom. Done. If I feel like people watching, I will go to the gym and do some cardio while watching other people that are supposed to be working out, chatting, or flirting with people. It is actually quite entertaining! You should try it some time! So, I work out for me! I don&#8217;t do it to impress anyone (other than my hubby) but ME!! It makes ME feel good, gives ME energy, and keeps ME in a good mood &#8212; and a little wine keeps me in an even better mood!   &#160;]]></description>
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		<title>Breast Augmentation: What It&#8217;s Really Like. Part 3: Post Op</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/breast-augmentation-what-its-really-like-part-3-post-op/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/breast-augmentation-what-its-really-like-part-3-post-op/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:00:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Anonymous WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anonymous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Body]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breast Augmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breast Augmentation Surgery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Breasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bruising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Implants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Operation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Outpatient]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Post Op]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Swelling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What It's Really Like]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WIRL Anonymous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Woman]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5355</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; I&#8217;m back! Here is my 10 day journey after having a breast augmentation&#8230; Day 1: The day of the surgery was surprisingly simple. The staff was relaxed, the vibe was excited, and the sun was even shining into the pre-op room! As I waited in my surgery gown and the IV was hooked up, I was oblivious to the roller coaster ride ahead of me.  My doctor came in to the room, I met the anesthesiologist, kissed my husband good-bye&#8230;.and I was off to surgery! As I woke up (from what seemed like just moments later) I was alert and asking for my family. I was told that the surgery went great and that I was going to be heading home shortly. I was surprised by my pain level, it was intense! I had an unrealistic idea of this quick and easy outpatient procedure. It was anything but easy! Although it was outpatient, I felt as if I had experienced pretty intensive trauma to my chest! Ouch! Day 2-4: The first few days home were filled with high dosages of percosets, ice packs, minimal movement, and naps! I had to sleep on the couch propped up to avoid increased swelling and pain. What the hell did I sign up for?!? I chose to feel like absolute crap?!? It hurt to move, was difficult to take deep breathes, and worst of all I couldn&#8217;t hold my daughter! Ahhhh. I was feeling emotional and exhausted. I was almost regretting the surgery. Day 5: I was feeling increasingly better. I was able to complete basic tasks, shower without discomfort, make dinner, do the dishes etc. The results were looking great! My breasts were full, proportional, and just as I had hoped. Day 7: It was time to remove my stitches! Yay! I was nearly back to my old self. I was healing well! I had mild bruising, but that was to be expected. The implants are sitting high and are hard as rocks&#8230;yikes. I&#8217;m praying these puppies start to feel and look more natural. Day 10: I am feeling great! My swelling is minimal, my body and energy is almost back to 100% and I slept on my side last night! (It&#8217;s the little things haha). I&#8217;m beginning to massage them and do stretches to help the implants to settle (move into a more natural location). I opted for the 385cc and they look very natural on my frame. It is a drastic improvement from what I had, but I feel as if they would go unnoticed by a stranger. I am becoming incredibly excited to go buy new swim suits/bras/new tops (and throw away the old padded bras, lol). I believe that the choice to have a breast augmentation was the right decision for me. I feel womanly, curvatious and my body no longer looks like the aftermath of baring a child. Although, I still have a few months before I will know my end results, I am on the right track! Thank you for joining me throughout my journey of a breast augmentation &#160; &#160; Do you have a story to share? Create a FREE profile at WIRL Project by clicking here!]]></description>
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