I don’t know what I would do without these weekly girls nights. I am so blessed with a fun and really well-behaved toddler (for like 80% of the time, which I’m very happy with) and a helpful husband who is also my best friend. But I truly, deeply believe that for optimal mental and emotional performance you need just a tiny bit ~more. You need something that is for YOU. Something that is beyond just your obligations and home life. Something that isn’t your job or calling. Something that isn’t a hassle. And something that genuinely makes you happier and inspired.

Obviously The Bachelor doesn’t inspire me to do anything except have future discussions with my daughters about men and words and whatever the freak a “nanny” may actually be. But the girls nights that come WITH The Bachelor are the important thing. Getting together with a small group of women I love and trust has really made a huge difference for me in the last year. I’m legit getting choked up even typing this, because I MEAN IT. Don’t laugh at me!!!! (it’s ok, I know it’s ridiculous)

Ok this shirt is seriously SO SOFT and I love it so much. I promise it will look even cuter/better on a bumpless model. Mom Shirt Co kills it with all of their shirts (Target, Diet Coke, Bachelor, all my favorite things) but I especially love the striped football sleeved on this one. Buy it here and check out all their other great products. I also have the styrofoam cup and the Being A Mom Is My Jam tees and they are my FAVORITES I’m not just saying it. So soft, perfect length for leggings and sneaks while I run errands, and something you won’t see on every other girl around town. Must have. 

2016 was rough. But nearly every week I was able to go sit on a couch with 2-5 girlfriends and just BE. We would talk and eat snacks and snuggle babies and swap mom/beauty/wife/girl tips and catch up and oh yeah watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bach in Paradise. And the time I spent doing that was vital to my survival.

It was weird explaining it to The Beard. Still is. On the rare occasion that I get him to watch it with me (2 weeks ago he joined me for my snap story and it was pretty hilarious) he always ends in disbelief that I would watch something so stupid, vapid, pointless, sexist, dumb. It totally is. But it’s more the social aspect that has lured me and kept me into it. Even when my group is out of town, it’s still fun to watch and text about it.

In all seriousness, the show is so dumb. I thought Ben was boring, but honestly Nick is ~more boring AND a bad person. I just feel it. I don’t think he has two brain cells to rub together and I don’t know that he even cares/knows why he’s really there.

By the way, what does “for the right reasons” actually mean? Because they all keep throwing that phrase at each other but it feels like some kind of euphemism.

“I don’t think Corinne is here for the right reasons” = “Corinne just wants to show her boobs on national television.” Right? Idk.

My Fantasy Bach team was Sarah, Raven, Rachel, Jasmine, and Elizabeth (the hot one, not Liz who couldn’t stop talking about hooking up with Nick 9 months ago). So now Elizabeth and Sarah are gone so I’m down to 3 girls!!!! Everyone else in my league picked Corinne so I’m getting my trash kicked, obviously. Hopefully Raven, Rachel, and Jasmine can hang for a while and get me some good points.

So my message is: find your thing. Whatever it is. A stupid show you watch with girlfriends. Trying makeup tutorials you find on YouTube. Reading YA novels. Practicing splits and cartwheels from your preteen gymnastic days. Just find something that is just for you, especially if you can drum up some kind of friend/support group for it. It makes you so much better for your husband, your kids, your family, your work, your callings, your everything. Fill up that cup so you can fill up others’.

I fill mine with Diet Coke and Bachelor b*tching.