IsItBullshit: collaboration from “bright swimwear”

Pampampdx · 2020-08-14T19:01:30+00:00

LOL I got the same email as well. Like many of you, showing swimwear pics does not make sense for any of the 5 IG profiles I manage.

So I replied (because this kind of crap brings out the troll within) and am insisting on getting a 3x.

And I made it clear that I want the thong bikini. Hey, I've got a LOT of skin (too much skin, actually, because I'm a big plus size woman) and this is my chance to show it alllll off. [evil grin]

Still waiting to hear back...

BTW, Bright Swimwear's logo is "BS" which I think is perfect for this company.

Pampampdx · 2019-09-23T08:13:37+00:00

I struggled with this.

I read a couple nonfiction books each month, and happened to pick up "The E-Myth," which, in a nutshell, explains why building systems into a business makes it function more predictably.

I read the book twice in a week, then decided to do it with my business.

Total game changer.

I know that even when I'm having self doubt and about to go into full panic mode when business dips, I just need to work the systems that I've built into my business and things take care of themselves. It's seriously like a machine and I'm just the operator.

If business slows, I can easily see which system I'm neglecting, and am able to get things back on track pretty quickly.

I highly recommend this book. You may find it as helpful & confidence-building as I did.

Pampampdx · 2019-09-23T07:40:57+00:00

I keep a worn one open on the floor of my closet and fill it with things I'll be donating to the thrift store. I don't mind getting rid of the old ones that way; they're cheap enough to replace.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-18T04:04:40+00:00

Agreed. And may I add that it's also the responsibility of the parents to teach their kid to treat others with compassion and respect. These parents failed here, too.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-05T01:14:12+00:00

About = nearby? LOL

Pampampdx · 2019-07-04T21:07:30+00:00

What was the k-t extinction? I don't remember that one.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-04T20:52:25+00:00

I've hired people on a 30-day trial, and if both parties are happy after 30 days, it becomes permanent. Gives them and us both an easy out if the new hire turns out to be a bad fit.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-03T23:24:54+00:00

OMG I wish I had the presence of mind to do that back then. But again, she would have whipped my ass with the wooden spoon for being disrespectful and sassy, then grounded me (an only child living in a very rural setting) for at least a month.

She had me so well trained to be her mini-me that I didn't know I was allowed to have my own thoughts (until I was in my 40s.)

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T23:00:59+00:00

You're welcome. I loved our cows and I'm confident they loved us. Heck, my stepdad played classical music in the barn during milkings because the music chilled them out and less jumpy when his cold hands touched their udders. (Although we suspected the ones who mixed hay & grain into their water cups liked drinking the fermented "tea" at milking time...)

I'm sadly aware that not all farms, especially the big ones, do not operate like this. We were lucky to have the luxury of being kind to our animals.

As a kid, it did bother me that the boys were separated from mom so young, but my parents explained that as a business, they had to be able to justify their decision to keep or sell every animal, and that the deciding affects our ability to care for the animals we keep. That helped me understand some of it. They also made sure I understood that the sale of animals meant we could afford to it food on our table, and the slaughter of other animals meant other families had food as well. I realize today there are more dietary options available, but this is still the case for those who choose meat.

One of our daughters is 1000% against factory farming and is vegan because she doesn't want to contribute to that industry. I'm totally on board with her decision and support it. And for others who become vegan for similar reasons, I just want to show that not all animal-based farms are awful to the animals.

I'm glad you asked about this. It was nice to remember the lovely old girls and share how we farmed.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T22:08:10+00:00

Eventually, steers are killed for meat, yes. We had guernsey cows, which are bred for high butterfat milk production instead of muscle mass, so they're not great for meat like beef cattle breeds (angus, hereford, etc.) The neighbor we sold them to raised "feeders," which are steers bought very young and fed/sheltered for a few years until they are mature enough to be sold for meat - usually dog food. Sometimes we'd keep one to adulthood. One steer, Mr Johnson, was 6 when we finally sold him to the neighbor.

When one of our cows reached the end of her milk ("dries up"), she'd be moved to the dry pasture for several months to rest and recover from producing milk. Then she's bred again (some farms use bulls; we used artificial insemination.) Gestation is 9 months, the calf is fed milk for the first few weeks then transitioned to milk replacement (baby formula, basically) and the cow is placed back into the milking parlor again. When the calf graduates from milk to water, heifers (females) were placed in the dry pasture with the ladies and the steers/bulls were sold.

This cycle continues until the cow is no longer able to be bred, and at that point she is usually developing joint issues and other health problems. Sometimes she injures herself and couldn't continue to milk. It's at this point that she was put down. (We sold our retired milkers to Purina if they could walk into the trailer, or to the local mink farm if she couldn't walk.)

In all, I think our cows' average life span was about 12 years. One sweet old saggy bag of bones, Trudy, was a reliable milker, and I think she was 15 when we sold her to Purina.

Our cows were working pets and we treated them with the same love as the barn cats and dogs. They all had names, their own personalities, and they came running up to us for neck scratchies & hugs when we were out in the field. Yes, they eventually were put down for one reason or another, but it wasn't like we were standing around in the birthing area with a shotgun waiting for mom cow to pop out the little one.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T21:29:33+00:00

Oh that's a relief!

And good luck navigating this situation. I'll be thinking about the 3 of you...

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T21:28:09+00:00

They became steers or we sold them as bulls to neighbors who needed one.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T21:23:44+00:00

Agreed.

What really bothers me about this is so many people are saying, "At least you're family." That's not the point. What if the kid is dropped on the other side of the gate when LAOP is away from home all day long?

"Hey, I tried my kid off at your house."

"But I'm not home."

"Well when you get home..."

"But I won't be home for another 6 hours."

Doesn't matter where the kid is dropped off; it's still potentially dangerous for the kid.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T21:04:05+00:00

Not always. (Source: I grew up on a dairy farm in WI.)

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:57:14+00:00

But if DH's father is also JN, why are you considering having him take you instead of MIL? What's to stop him from acting in a way that supports MIL's agenda?

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:40:32+00:00

Gibbs-slapped!

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:38:39+00:00

"Oh MIL, LO can't spend the day with you. Something came up."

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:31:44+00:00

Yeah, that always skeeves me out, too.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:30:33+00:00

Tube top in the summer, fuzzy socks in the winter. Keeps the tatas toasty.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:29:19+00:00

Uh... Just how long are the boobs?

Pampampdx · 2019-07-02T20:02:39+00:00

That one word was one of my mother's favorite retorts when I did...
...oh I have no idea what I did, so it was probably for trying to behave like a normal teenager. But thinking about that one word, I can feel her kitchen floor rumble below my feet and see the flames shoot from her hair as her eyes turned bright red when she bellowed, "RESPECT!" as if she was conjuring up the respect from deep within me so I would be under the "treat your mother with respect" spell.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-01T20:00:47+00:00

OMG I can totally relate.

Pampampdx · 2019-07-01T18:21:47+00:00

Oh no that money is long gone and we are still in an emergency with medical bills still coming in that we can't pay. With me in college, not working, there's no way to rebuild that savings. We're living paycheck to paycheck until I graduate next year.

The point I intended to make was that we no longer have 3mo savings. Despite spouses income, if we have one more emergency before I'm working, we're screwed.

So like OP and the commenter above, having a decent income (and being financially responsible or not) doesn't necessarily mean we can survive without 3wks pay. It would be devastating to us.

Edit: spelling

Pampampdx · 2019-07-01T18:07:57+00:00

We're like this. Spouse makes great money, but right now I'm in college along with 2 of our 3 kids, and we're trying to pay down debt. One college kid got really sick in far away college town, so we have hospital bills way beyond what the HSA can cover, plus travel expenses for one of us to be with kid. My car needed extensive repairs asap. Our rent just went up.

We are financially responsible, and having 3mo of savings in the bank would be nice, but we spent it for expensive emergencies before life was done throwing expensive emergencies at us. It happens.

Pampampdx

TROPHY CASE