Good Grillin' Giveaway -Blogger's Wanted!!

Stay tuned for this great event!!  I'd love to win this prize myself!  I've wanted a dual grill for a couple of years now!

Good Grillin’ Event

Organized by: Mom to Bed by 8

Prize: Brinkmann Dual Function II + $100 Home Depot Gift Card

Event dates: 5/27 - 6/17

Bloggers, sign up HERE to be a part of this wonderful giveaway

CollegeIt Pro Giveaway

Welcome to the CollageIt Pro Giveaway

Hosted by: Savory Savings

Sponsored by: Pearl Mountain Technology

I think I've shown you all my love of photography! I especially like making colleges. They're so fun to put together! Good luck to all of you! Are you looking for an easy way to display your pictures?  Or have you seen the cool collage displays that some people make with their pictures and wish you could do that too, but do not know how?  CollageIt Pro is a software package that automatically makes fun and changeable collages from your pictures!  It is simple to use and quick, too!  Krista at Savory Savings recently had the chance to test out and review CollageIt Pro and really loved how it allowed her to crop, change and alter the designs and pictures within.  The best part?  She had a bunch to giveaway – and I really mean a bunch – 20 copies!  There will be 12 Windows OS Winners and 8 Mac OS Winners!

This giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 and older. 

The giveaway will run from May 12, 2013 through 8 PM on May 26, 2013.

 

Entry-Form

Savory Savings did not receive any compensation for this post.  Disclosure: I did receive the products for free and am sharing my opinion with you.  My opinion may differ from yours.  Savory Savings and The Fibro Frog are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.  This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook.  We hereby release Facebook of any liability.  Winner(s) will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours after the giveaway ends to respond before another winner is selected.  All entries will be verified. 

 

 

Magazine.Com Giveaway

Magazines.com Giveaway Hosted by Pea of Sweetness

Magazines.com offers people a fun, easy way to discover new reads and helps them track their magazine subscriptions.

Shop the great magazine subscription deals at Magazines.com for Mother’s Day 2013! You’ll find incredible savings on Mom’s favorite cooking, celebrity, crafting magazine subscriptions and more. Don’t forget about all the moms in your life—your aunt, sister and your grandmother! Give her a gift that keeps on giving!Magazines are a great gift for those hard to buy for people in your life. Good luck to everyone!

For More: Visit the Magazines.com Mother's Day Specials, connect with Magazines.com on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

About the Giveaway: This giveaway begins on 5/10 and ends on 5/24 at 11:00pm (times are Central) and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.

The Prize: One lucky winner will receive a free $10 subscription on Magazines.com!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may be different than yours. The Fibro Frog is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Baby-BeeHaven Giveaway!

Welcome to the Baby-BeeHaven Giveaway

Hosted by Miss Frugal Mommy and Sponsored by Baby-BeeHaven

Baby-BeeHaven offers four products that make your life as a parent easier. To learn more about one of their amazing products, read Miss Frugal Mommy's Cush 'n Go Review!

These products are GREAT, and I wish you all the best of luck in the giveaway! It's so fitting that this is spanning across Mother's Day!

One winner will receive a Baby-BeeHaven product of their choice. Giveaway is open to US only. Please enter to win in the Rafflecopter below, all entries will be verified, good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Miss Frugal Mommy and {The Fibro Frog} is not responsible for prize fulfillment. I was not compensated for this post. This giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. If you have any questions/concerns or would like your product featured in a giveaway, please contact Miss Frugal Mommy.

Olive and Shea Shower Wash Giveaway!

I don't know about you guys, but I have issues with my skin from my fibro and whatever else is going on inside this body of mine. I get patches of dry and/or itchy skin. This shower wash sounds amazing, and I'm even entering to win it myself!

You can read the full review here

Now for the giveaway: One lucky person will win Tree Hut: Olive and Shea Hawaiian Kukui Moisturizing Shower Wash. This is open to US and ends 5/20/13 @ 11:59 pm est. To enter, Simply do the tasks on the Rafflecopter widget below and you're set to have a chance to win! Remember you can't win if you don't enter. It only takes one entry to win! Good luck to all of you! Like I said, I'm even entering to win this one, and I just may buy it and give it a try even if I don't win!  

Good Luck, SaraLee's Deals Steals & Giveaways readers! Thanks for entering! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Please note that SaraLee's Deals Steals & Giveaways are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize.

Planes, Trains, and Automobile's - Part I

Yep, I experienced all of these ways of transportation within the past week.  A good friend of mine has been going back and forth between Ohio, where she lives, and Maryland, where her mother, brother, and sister live.  Her mother has dementia that's rapidly progressing, and needs a knee replacement.  Her brother is the top salesman in his company ...which ironically one of his biggest accounts is Stryker, who makes the knees and hip replacements.  Needless to say, he's a very busy man.  Her sister is in ailing health and it's really hard for her to take care of their mother on her own, while her brother is at work.  So my friend has been spending a couple of months at home, then goes to help out for a couple of months at a time.

My friend is nearing the end of her two month stay, and wanted me to come visit for a vacation for a week, then drive back home with her so she wouldn't have to make the trip back here alone this time.  I've never flown before, and was scared to death.  A fear of heights didn't help any.  So, on April 24th I climbed aboard a Southwest Boeing 737 and prayed for the hour and a half flight to Baltimore.

I didn't necessarily like the flight, but I didn't out & out hate the flight either.  It was raining when I departed Detroit Metro, and we had some turbulence.  For quite awhile, the pilot wouldn't allow the flight attendants to get up and move around because of it.  I'm not going to lie, it scared me a few times.  In the end, I was fine though, and made it safely to plant my feet on the ground on the other side.

I had fun while I was there.  I loved her whole family, and they really took to me as well.  The mother and sister kept trying to marry me off to my friends son, who's been my bff for close to 18 years now lol.  The sister cried when I left, which made me feel good.  The mother, got angry with her dementia and was yelling at me "You not go.  You stay here.  This is your house.".  She has a pretty bad accent, but it's so cute!  This ladies' brother was a diplomat, and brought her and his other sister (who's been gone now for 20 years) to the U.S.  She lived most of her life in the U.S. around embassy parties and dinners.  She has class.  Yet, the dementia now makes her spout out cuss words when she's upset.  -Cuss words that she'd faint if she was in her right mind, and even thought of saying lol.  I'm not going to lie, I laughed so hard the entire time I was there.  Not because I was making fun of this poor, sweet woman, but because it was just honestly funny listening to her.  I've brought back two sentences that I'll never forget for the rest of my life.  I will mis-spell the first word of the first sentence, and the last word of the second sentence, although I'm sure you'll know what I mean.  Now, I'm typing this as it comes out with her cute little accent.  "Fcuk the shut up!"  "You sella ma bi!*h".  A lot of the time, those two sentences were ran together as one.  I have a bad sense of humor, you may say?  Well, maybe.  I still think it's the funniest thing I've ever heard ...especially coming from this little old lady who has photos of her brother with kings, photos of big dinner parties hosted in her home for wives of diplomat's, a personal photo her mother took of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in her home, etc. hanging on her walls.  Her father also had held a very political position as well.  

I learned so much from Grandma B while I was there.  Oh, the stories she shared with me. At times, it sounded as if she was reading from a fairy tale that was etched in her head. With the political problems Italy faced in the late 1920's-1930's, Grandma B's father packed up his family and moved them to Baghdad, where he took on a political position.  So of Palestine and Italian decent, Grandma B grew up in Baghdad, learning to speak Arabic.  Her father died when she was a around 5 years old, and her older brother took her and her sister under his wing, and stepped into a father figure role.  He also, followed in his father's footsteps in the political arena.  Although living in a Muslim country, with their heritage they are Christians rather then Muslims.  They followed the Catholic church.  One story that was recited to me, was about her brother saving the life of a 30-some year old school teacher in Baghdad.  One day, a lady showed up at Grandma B's house.  She said when she answered the door, a very distraught woman was begging to speak to her brother.  She calmed the woman down enough to find out what was wrong.  The woman said that "they" had her son, and was going to kill him the next day.  She said that her son didn't do anything wrong except to be a Christian.  She said he was a good man, a school teacher that loved his profession.  She said she'd been told that Grandma B's brother was the person to go to, if her son was to have a chance at having his life spared.  Grandma B's brother was home, taking his afternoon nap.  She went upstairs and woke him, and told him of the situation.  He picked up the phone, made a call, then told Grandma B to go downstairs and tell the lady to go pick up her son.  That he would be released to her upon arrival, and his life would be spared.  Grandma B said when she went downstairs and told the lady she said "That's it?  My son won't die?" then fell at Grandma's feet crying.  A few days later, trays of jewelry and food was delivered to the house, in thanks from the lady who's son was saved.  Her brother made them return everything to the lady, saying that they didn't need this stuff, and it was very valuable to the lady and her son where he was supporting his family off of a teacher's salary.  He refused to take it and said "thanks" was enough.  Just so much history.  So many interesting stories I heard.

I'd arrived on Wednesday, and on Friday, my friends cousins had a get-together for dinner and drinks at a restaurant called Chadwick's in Alexandria, VA.

 

We all met upstairs,

and sat along this wall, with the tables all smooshed together.  

I knew that most of the cousins at this get-together were very wealthy and influential.  I'm just a poor broke white girl that's over-weight and doesn't have a "real" job due to countless health issues.  I was very nervous to go with my friend and her brother to meet the rest of the family.  My fears were for nothing though.  By the end of the night, I had one of her male cousins sitting on either side of me, and we were immersed in conversation.  The one cousin, is a big realtor and restaurateur.  The other cousin, owns a home here in the states and one in London and splits his time between the U.S. and England.  At first, I couldn't understand why they'd want to talk to me.  I soon figured out though, that they're just people.  They're just regular men like any other I've ever known.  By the end of the night, I'd heard all about the wedding of Michael's daughter the summer before, at The Four Season's Hotel, and about London from Elkon.  They'd heard that Fibromyalgia was a neuroimmune disorder, and what living with it or autoimmune diseases such as Lupus really was like.  They'd heard about my desire for advocacy.  The night ended with me receiving hugs from everyone, an invitation for my friend and I to come spend a few days at Michael's estate, and an invitation from Elkon's wife for my friend and I to come to London any time we wanted, and spend time with her and Elkon, there.  It was a night like none I'd ever had before in my life-time.  Michael wanted his picture taken with me (for some unknown reason lol) so my friend took one with her cell phone.  When she forwards the photo to me, I'll post it.  

Stay tuned for Part II, my day in D.C., tomorrow.

Am I As Invisible As I Feel?

I know that many who will read this post, know me well.  Those of you who are new to this blog, may start reading this, and ask yourself "What is this lady doing? If she's an advocate for chronic pain and research, then why isn't she being all super happy and over the wall professional?".  I'll answer that for you right now, so you don't have to pause and ask yourself this question a paragraph or two into things.  Yes, I'm a chronic pain advocate. Yes, I will do anything and everything within my power to advocate for further research to find a cure for chronic pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Lupus, RA, CFS/ME, CRPS, Osteoarthritis, ...and the list could go on forever and ever unfortunately.  What I am not, is a doctor.  Or a scientist.  Or any type of medical professional.  I've never had a college writing class other then English composition I & II.  I've never had a public speaking course.  In fact, I don't have any fancy initials of any type behind my name at all, except for those I've jokingly donned as CPS (Chronic Pain Sufferer).  

In this blog, I "talk" about real problems.  Real feelings, that sufferers of chronic pain conditions feel.  If everyone out there that suffers from Fibro, or Lupus, or what-have-you, is all happy and positive in all of their posts, then they aren't being honest.  If they aren't going to be real about the facts, feelings, and challenges we face, then why write or try to advocate at all?  Because in my own personal experience, as a person, not as an advocate, people are not going to be able to really grasp the true concept of this illness if you don't tell them what the true concept of this illness is.  If they don't suffer it, they don't know it.  It's that simple.  If someone reading this can't connect with me, and really understand what I'm going through, then how can I expect them to help?  If this illness (any of these illnesses) aren't bad enough that you're still all happy and strong every day, then why should they bother wanting to contribute funds to further research?  After all, our life must not be so bad if we can remain so strong.  That said, you won't get any "sugar coating" of my life or of this illness on this blog.  What I put, is how I feel.  What this illness has done to me.  How it's made me feel.  

So how am I feeling?  I'm feeling really sad.  Not just Fibro, but almost all chronic pain conditions run the co-morbidity of depression.  If you hurt every single day of your life, and you've had to give up things and people you love because of your health, you'd probably be depressed too.  No joke.  I'm not embarrassed, nor am I ashamed, to admit that I suffer, horribly, with depression. I can't begin to tell you the amount of tears I've shed off and on all night tonight.  Right this very minute even.  I've gotten so good at crying, that I do so silently now.  The tears slide down my face, and no one would be any wiser if they weren't looking at me.  Sometimes, like tonight, I often wonder if I'm invisible.  If my tears are invisible.  

I feel as if I'm stuck all alone, confined to my dining room because God knows the pain I'd be in if I tried to sit comfortably in my living room.  This computer, it's my gateway to the outside world.  The real world, where people go places, and do things, and have friends, and date, and enjoy life.  Where I can look, and read, and see that people still go places.  They still have friends.  They still have fun.  If I didn't pop online and make a status on facebook, or post on this blog, then I'm not sure that anyone would even know that I exist anymore.  This illness, it's taken so much from me.  I sure didn't let it.  I didn't want to give up a happy, fun, carefree life.  I didn't voluntarily hand it over.  Heck, two years ago I would've laughed if someone had told me this would be my life now.  This.  I don't even know what else to call it.  

This crap with my body, ...the fibro, ...the still unnamed autoimmune disease that's putting calcium deposits in my lungs, and on my bones.  It's created the most lonely, miserable, low self-esteem life that I could ever dream of.  I'd love to blame it for stealing my marriage.  I have blamed it for stealing my marriage before.  Right here on this blog even.  I don't think so any more though.  He'd left me before, when I wasn't this sick. If he truly had loved me, this wouldn't matter.  No, in the past year he's been gone, I've come to realize that this was just his excuse.  His idea to blame, so that he didn't have to shoulder the burden of guilt himself.  His excuse that my health was just too "stressful" for him was just an easy out.

One time when he left me, we divorced.  We were divorced for a year, then decided to give it another try and remarried.  In retrospect?  A horrible idea.  Still though, things were hard for me.  I had four children.  I went to community college for nursing during the early morning hours.  I went from there, to a 2nd shift factory job Monday-Friday.  On Friday night when I'd get off at the factory I'd go straight to work as a waitress and bartender until close.  I'd go to work at the same bar much earlier on Saturdays and worked until close.  On Sundays, I worked at a different bar that served a lot of food and worked a 12pm-5pm shift.  It was hard.  But I could do it.  I did do it.  I had plenty of money to support myself and my kids.  I was out among the living.  I had friends.  Friends from college.  Friends from work.  Friends from high school.  The kids and I went places and did things.  I was asked out on dates. I was pretty. I had a great attitude and was fun to be with. If I was alone, it was by choice.  

Oh how the years change and complicate things.  This time when he left, I hadn't worked in years.  It hurt my body too bad.  I didn't know what was wrong with me, but it hurt to work and my husband told me "Well, don't work then.  I make enough for us to get by".  I didn't work.  I sat home, taking care of the house and the kids.  I engrossed myself into their school activities, and their friends.  I had supper ready for my husband damn near every night by the time he walked in the door from work.  I filled my life and my heart with being a wife and a mother.  By the time he left this time, there's no way I could work.  No way.  It puts me literally in tears to stand long enough to fry an egg.  I don't have any "outside" friends, because my husband and my kids were my life.  I concentrated for years on nothing except for them.  I truly believed my husband was my best friend.  I'm not pretty any more.  My dad's side of the family is blessed with the fat gene curse.  Before I was sick, I kept my weight off.  I had to work my ass off to stay nice and curvy with a flat tummy and legs of steel, but I did it.  Now, I can't exercise like that. Some days I honestly have to have my youngest child, the only one who still lives at home, come into my room and help pull me to a sitting position in the morning because my lower back hurts too badly that I can't sit up on my own. When you're in that kind of pain, exercise is not an option. I'm fat.  I'm more then fat, I'm obese.  If anyone tries to say that doesn't carry a stigma with society, they're out and out lying!  

How am I ever supposed to meet new people?  How can I make friends?  I can't go get a job, and meet people in the work place.  Heck, I wouldn't even begin to even know a shift I could work because sometimes with my insomnia I'm not able to go to sleep until 8am.  Sometimes it's noon the next day.  Other times, last night for example, I actually was able to fall asleep around 12:30am, but then I was awake again by 5:30am.  By 1pm today I couldn't stand it and fell asleep for 2.5 hours.  What job would be able to accommodate me?  Even though I believe in God, and I pray, I can't even commit to going to church because I never know if I'd be awake or not. Even for evening sessions.  Or if the pain will be too bad to go. How am I supposed to meet people to make new friends?  As for dating?  Huh.  Yeah.  I couldn't buy a date to McDonald's.  They'd take my money and throw me out of the car before we got there.  Seriously though, what man, what good man would want a 42 year old woman who's fat, sick, and can't work to support herself?  Not much of a catch.  This illness, ...or these illnesses, have stripped from me every single shred of self confidence and self worth I've ever had.  

Still, I don't lose hope.  This hope, drives the fire in me.  It pushes me to tell my story.  It forces me to swallow my pride and not care what some may think of me for admitting my weaknesses and feelings. For admitting my physical and emotional pain.  This hope is what's motivating me to organize a walk/run in September to bring about awareness of chronic pain conditions and to raise funds for further research.  I have the hope of a cure to be found in my lifetime. I have the hope of a treatment plan that will actually work, to be found yet in my lifetime.  I don't have a clue how to organize this thing, but you can bet your ass that come September this thing will be happening, because I will never give up.  Never.  If I give up, then I'm letting go of hope.  I can't just sit back and depend on others to create enough awareness and research for a cure to be found.  I have to do my part in this.  A cure may not be found in my lifetime, but it sure as hell won't be from my lack of trying to do all I can.  

See, no matter how sick, or how sad or broken I may seem at times, I still have hopes and dreams.  I'm fighting tooth and nail right now, to try and ensure that my hopes and dreams come true someday.  I hope to live without debilitating pain every single day of my life.  I hope to be able to work again someday.  I hope to be able to exercise and get down to a healthy weight.  I hope that someday I can show the world that I'm still that same fun, funny, fly by the seat of her pants girl that wants to go on vacations.  Go out to eat and to movies and dancing on dates.  That I still have a huge heart where I like to put those in my life ahead of myself.  That my true joy stems from making others happy.  I have hope ...for a full, fun, life with a loving relationship in it at some point.  That is why I sit here behind my computer, and I post about how important it is to educate others, anyone who will listen, as to what it's really like living with a chronic pain condition.  That is why I open myself up on this blog.  It's my hope for a cure. For now, I'll sit here invisible to the world, hiding behind a computer screen.  I'll cry my silent tears, and I'll hope and dream for the day that I can run outside and jump up and down!  For the day I can take my life back from Fibro and autoimmune illness. The day that living a life with chronic pain is behind me and I can look to the future.