Lindsay's Ramblings

The Stepmom You Don't See by The StepMama Hangout When people talk about stepmoms, they often tell half the story. They might call us "bonus moms" like it’s all rainbows and perfect family dinners. Or worse — they paint us as intruders, villains in someone else’s story. But here’s the truth no one talks about: Being a stepmom is a sacred kind of hard. It’s showing up for moments you weren’t there to build, but still choosing to love fully. It’s carrying the weight of responsibility without the recognition. It’s knowing that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you’ll always be viewed through someone else’s distorted lens — and still choosing kindness over resentment. You have to learn how to love children who didn't ask for you. You have to learn how to support your partner while balancing a family dynamic you didn’t create. You have to weather storms you didn’t cause — and sometimes, you’ll do it in silence, because not everyone will understand the battles you’re f...

How g rief looks these days... always staying busy running, running, running... ...work and kids and sports and fun... In the midst of all the chaos and busyness I can almost forget the grief is there. But there's still just a feeling, a sadness that hits me at times... and I know it's the grief, bubbling at the surface. I push it down, stay distracted... tell myself to think about how great my life is, hoping maybe that will make it go away. But it doesn't. It may be just a fleeting thought, a flashback, a memory... sometimes just a quick pang in my chest there and then gone the next second. There are many good days... and then there are the soul crushing days when you still ask yourself, why? How? How is he really gone? How have I made it this far? Why? Just why? I miss him I need him... my soul hurts from the missing. But I don't want to think about it I want to ignore it, I want to pretend it isn't there push it down... It's in the silence when I feel it mo...

 There are two types of women in the gym: The women who are there to shrink themselves, to be the smallest they can be...the women sweating away on the cardio machines, trying to burn as many calories as possible, punishing themselves for something "bad" they ate, or for eating "too much"...the women who are so scared to touch a weight for fear of gaining muscle, of taking up too much space... the women trying to get rid of the cellulite on their thighs, trying to change themselves because they hate their bodies. Then there are the women who are in the gym not to shrink themselves, but to build themselves UP...the women who aren't scared to get jacked and are PROUD of their muscles...the women who are using food as FUEL to lift heavy and get strong AF...the women who are training because they love themselves, not because they hate themselves...the women who know that lifting weights is an investment in their future, because they know that being strong and having...