Winning! Or Not So Much?

I am new to Skinny Scoop, and if you haven’t checked them out yet, be sure to do so. It’s a lot of info sharing and getting feedback. The main method is through surveys, which I love! There are questions to answer or you can make your own. Here’s the question I created:

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/

I have one word to describe my feeling on this whole Charlie Sheen fiasco: sad.

It’s sad to watch him implode.

It’s sad that people are buying tickets to his breakdown.

It’s sad that people around him are taking advantage of someone who is not well in order to make a few bucks.

I think from far away, maybe it’s not what it seems. Maybe it seems like Charlie is all winning all the time. He’s having fun with his goddesses. According to him, his boss fired him for no reason. And he’s the best so clearly there is nothing wrong with him.

It’s someone else’s fault.

But if you’ve ever seen someone suffer from addiction and/or mental illness, it’s scary. It’s horrifying to watch someone you love spiral out of control. It’s living with the fear of when that other shoe inevitably drops. And mixed in there, is a giant dose of helplessness.

Dealing with someone who is unstable is an exercise in empathy and self-preservation. Trying to find balance within that dichotomy is incredibly difficult. You want to help, but can’t put yourself in harm’s way yet you feel guilty for wanting to save yourself.

It’s a vicious cycle.

And this is unfortunate because I believe that if people were more honest in talking about mental health and addiction, then maybe the stigma attached to these conditions would be lifted. People could talk about it and figure out treatment options without feeling shamed or embarrassed.

I mean, I get it – when people act outrageous and aggressive, it’s easy to write it off as being a jerk.

But people don’t get all uppity when a diabetic can’t process their sugar.

No one ever tell the diabetic to *try* harder to process that sugar. No one ever takes a diabetic to Hershey Park and tells him to eat as much chocolate as possible and then becomes mad when he gets cranky from low blood sugar and then passes out, possibly into a life-threatening coma.

So I think it’s just sad how people line up and take a cheap shot at those who are mentally ill.

What are your thoughts on this whole Charlie Sheen debacle? What’s your attitude toward mental illness and how it’s perceived?

The Light: The Perils of Seeing It . . . and A Fun CSN Giveaway!

Having kids changes everything. Obviously. One day I’m eating sugary peanut butter with reckless abandon and the next thing I know I am buying healthy organic peanut butter. Oh, and let’s not forget “healthy” chicken nuggets with omega-3 breading and Goldfish Crackers (in bulk) (eating better is a process, people!) (I’m working on it).

I think having The Babes has inspired me to want to live all around better. But better is not always easier. Sometimes better means making choices that are not at all popular, yet I feel that these choices are the best for The Babes. Gaining a new perspective on life by the virtue of having kids can be lonely. Because sometimes that means breaking away from what is familiar. Sometimes the things that I am most accustomed to (because that was the truth when growing up) are not the same things that I want to be true for my family. This is hard because muddled in all that is not good are rays of pure light and sunshine. And making boundaries to protect from what is unhealthy yet include that light is hard, to say the least.

But necessary, you know?

The process makes me kind of sad and confused. Yet hopeful.

And here comes the fun giveaway part. Remember when I had some winter blahs, and I was given a $35 credit from CSN for a review? And I got a new toaster oven and all was right with the world (or at least my kitchen)? Oh, that sweet, sweet retail therapy coupled with a free upgrade in shipping made my day. Now, CSN offered a $40 credit for a giveaway that can be used at any of CSN stores.! How awesome is that?!

Change is hard. Seeing the light can sometimes be lonely. Sometimes it can be inspiring. And sometimes seeing the light can just be fun – thanks, CSN!

Here are the rules:

Please leave a comment on this post about your favorite product of CSN.

Here’s what you must do for extra entries. Please leave a comment on this post for each thing you did. Each comment is an extra entry:

- Become a fan of CSN on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Facebook (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of Mommy on the Spot on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of CSN on Twitter (or leave a comment if you already are a fan).

- Become a fan of this blog by either subscribing to my RSS feed or Google Friend Connect.

- Share this post on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social network site and leave a link in the comments.

Here’s what you must do to gain an extra 5 entries:

- Write your own blog post about this contest and be sure to add links to this post and CSN Light Store. Post the link of your post on Mommy on the Spot fan page.

You must live in the continental U.S. The contest will start Wednesday, April 6th and end on Wednesday, April 13th midnight EST. The winner will be picked at random. I will announce the winner on Monday, April 18th.

Good luck, everyone! And have a great week!