No one is coming to save us. So, we have to be willing to do the work to save each other. Get involved in your local politics. Go to city council meetings. Register and vote in your primaries. Check out @runforsomethingnow and find out more about how to get involved.
We have to start showing up in our communities instead of wasting all our energy hoping for the perfect presidential candidate. Our freedoms and our democracy is at stake.
Tonight, I will be elected as an executive committeewoman of my local chapter of the Democratic Party. Before that happens, I want to talk to you about how this happened and why this is happening.
About a year ago, a friend in my area told me about the failures of our local chapter of the Democratic Party. Like a lot of Leftist and Progressive voters in my area of Florida, they felt wholly abandoned by the Democratic Party here, and for good reason. One of the complaints they and others shared with me is how little social media presense the Democrats have in this area. And in an off-handed remark that would stay with me for over a year, they said, "They could really use someone like you to do their social media for them."
For the last year, I've sat with this, and pondered it, and tossed and turned over it. Because the truth is, I am very VERY critical of the Democratic Party. I feel like the Democratic Party has many times over failed Leftist, Liberal, and Progressive voters. I feel like as a party Democrats are being held back by outdated ideals and octogenarians who are out of touch with the bulk of the voter base. And I feel like young voters aren't being heard, taken seriously, or considered by the party at all.
I've shared these gripes privately and publicly many, many times. SO, why would I now be "throwing my lot in" with a party I am so critical of? Because this party isn't going to change by complaining about it online. It changes when small, normal people like me decide to do something. Even if that something is small. Like becoming the Social Media Manager for our local chapter of the Democratic Party.
It is time for action. Honestly, it is passed time for action. I can't continue to sit back and hope someone else is going to come in and fix the problems happening around me. If I want change, I have to be willing to be part of the change.
This is why I retired from content creation and being an influencer: I'm hanging up my ring light to serve my co
I have failed at being an influencer. And I'm okay with that. Let's talk about it.
I decided to try painting this frosted glass globe that goes with my vintage, art deco lamp, because it was just too bright. I used @pebeo_officiel Vitrea 160, Glossy Glass Paint in Ink Black and I love how it came out. I love that it looks like the moon now! 🌙 What do you think? #vintagedecor #artdeco #vintage #artdecointerior #aerdecoration #artdecodecor #thrift #thrifting #thriftstorefinds #thriftstore
I don't make spaghetti the way Mom used to make it. Or the way my Nana did. Their recipes were fine, but they didn't reflect the needs or wants of me or my family. So, I use gluten-free pasta, I skip the onions and opt for onion powder, I add pasta water to the sauce, and I cook up vegetarian sausage instead of ground beef.
It's okay for traditions to change as we change. It's okay if "the way things were" no longer work for the way things are now. It's okay to change. It's okay to grow. And it's okay to start new traditions. 🍝
#growingup #tradition #traditional #healing #therapyworks #motherwound #gettingolder #cooking
Good morning. Today I saw the sun rise, piercing the woods around our home with brilliant, golden light. I heard the birds wake up. And I wanted to share it with you. It gave me a little hope, watching the day unfold before me. I hope you find some hope today too. 🧡
Letting go of survival skills that no longer serve me is an ongoing process. Learning which parts of my behavior might have helped me get through hard times, but now limit my enjoyment of life, is hard work. But, ultimately worth it. 🧡 #therapy #therapyworks #selfhelp #selfcare #selflove #survivalskills
[Part 3 of 3] I grew up in and eventually left what I believe is a cult. This is the final part of this series. To find Part 1 and 2, go to the Reels tab on my profile and scroll until you see each part. Thank you for joining me while I shared my story with you.
[Part 2] I grew up in what I strongly believe is a cult. This is why I started the leave and how I left.
[Ft affilliate coupon code TAMRAMOON10OFF for 10% off your order] I was gifted a brand new product launch from @maryengelbreit Studio this month and it's a subscription box! I think this is a darling concept that was put together so well. The theme for this month was perfectly executed across products and packaging. A lot of thought went into building this box, and it was full of useful, unique items. I'm absolutely enamored with it.
I genuinely think this is a brilliant Mother's Day gift idea, so if you'd like to grab one, I have a coupon code that will get you 15% off your order. 10/10 subscription box!
#maryengelbreitcreator #maryengelbreitstudios #maryengelbreit #mothersdaygifts #mothersdaygiftideas #mothersday #paintbynumbers @elle.cree.pdx #ellecree #ellecreepdx #subscriptionbox
For too many years, I struggled to articulate to my spouse what I really wanted and needed for Mother's Day. And then finally it clicked: I wanna be left alone. I want space to just be Tamra. Not "Mom."
And let me be clear, I adore being a mom. Not to sound like a boring tradwife cliché, but becoming a parent is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. My life was on a downward spiral before I became a mom. I found a reason to live and a reason to grow and heal and become better.
But, it's still a job that takes a lot of work. And I realized I needed days (or weeks sometimes) of rest. Dedicated time to set down my Mom Sash. I think some of us need that this Mother's Day. It is an especially tough time to be a mom right now so, if you need some space to just BE, don't be afraid to ask for it.
Or just send this Reel to someone who needs to hear it. 😉
(By the way, if you're thinking about getting a paint-by-number kit from @maryengelbreit, I do have a coupon code, TAMRA15, that gets you 15% off.)
#mothersday #maryengelbreit ##maryengelbreitstudios #maryengelbreitcreator #mothersdsygift #mothersdaygifts #mothersdaygiftideas #mothersday
My complicated relationship with girlhood and the color pink is finally becoming less complicated. And it feels so good. 🩷
Dress: @uniquevintage Smak Parlour Plus Size 1960s Pink Rainbow Polka Dot Babydoll Dress (item # 254452) in 3X (gifted by UV)
Tights: Walmart (purchased)
Shoes: Torrid (purchased)
Jewelry: @rocksbox (purchased)
#uniquevintageplus #uniquevintagefinds #uniquevintage #uniquevintageclothing #plussizeinfluncer #plussizevintage #plussizestyle #plussizefashion #plussizedinfluencer #plussizecontentcreator #ootd #motd #plussizeootd #ootdfashion
[Part 1 of 3] I grew up in what I believe is a cult. My spouse and I began leaving it in 2011 and have been completely free of it since 2015. This is a three-part series about my life before, during, and after living inside of this extremist belief system.
It is very important to me that I tell this story. I believe there is hope for people like me who were, or still are, swept up in that belief system. It's not too late to free yourself from it. I am a walking testament to it. And I can assure you: it's worth it. Whatever you may lose by walking away, it is so worth it.
A reminder that having bangs will bring out new and interesting sides of yourself. 😅😅
I remember the night I did this back in 2020. I was in a pretty dark place and I needed a shake-up. Sometimes a new haircut is just the fix we need to help us get through our darkest days. I've been in a rough place these last 4 months and I'm thinking it's time to break out the kitchen sheers again. ✂️ #bangs #bangcutting #fringe #haircut #haircuttutorial #bangtutorial #howtocuthair
Today we chose ourselves. We chose love, peace, and hope. We chose the family we built from the ruins of the ones we came from. I'm proud of us. And if I'm proud of you too.
[Ft. gifted items] After 7 years of grief, I'm ready for joy. And dressing up in bright colors is one of the ways I'm embracing joy again. Outfit derails below!
Romper: @uniquevintage @smak_parlour Smak Parlour Rainbow Floral Sweet & Sassy Skirted Romper (item # 208825) in 3X (gifted)
Cardigan: Unique Vintage (tagged but can't find it online anymore so it may be sold out on their site.) (Gifted)
Tights: Smak Parlour 1960s Pink & Green Flower Power Tights (item # 240574) in 2X (gifted)
Shoes: @torrid
Bag: thrifted
#uniquevintageplus #uniquevintage #uniquevintageclothing #vintageplussize #plussizethrifter #plussizevintage #plussizefashion #plussizestyle #plussizecontentcreator #plussizeinfluncer #plussizedcontentcreator #plussizedinfluencer #plussizemodel #plussizedmodel
I was raised with traditional family values about family and blood, y'know? Family means everything to me. I love the family I've made and I will always be there for my flesh and blood, my child, but like I said, that's just because I was raised with traditional southern values. You could say my mama raised me better than to put my child away, disown them, or let some strangers at a pulpit or on fake news tell me there's something wrong with my baby.
I really think we need to make America have traditional family values again. Choosing a politician over your child is so un-American to me. That's so weird. But, like I said, I was raised in a more traditional Southern environment so maybe that's why I could never let someone else tell me my child isn't good enough. That's enough to get you hauled out and beat black and blue where I'm from. 🤷♀️
I need to hear this today. And I thought maybe you do too. Your pain isn't invisible. Your efforts aren't invisible. The way you've been growing isn't invisible. How hard you've been working, how much you've sacrificed.
You are not invisible. I see you. I'm proud of you.
I asked myself recently, "Why is it that I can invest in Person B and it makes an impact and it matters, but when I spent years investing in Person A, it's like it didn't even make a difference?" The answer came to me finally, after spending the last few years agonizing over how much I'd poured into people who couldn't hold it: some vessels are too damaged. Hopefully not forever, but for right now, their vessels are too broken to hold the love, support, and investment I poured into them.
And so I made the choice to stop pouring. Because I was emptying myself out over and over again, and it didn't matter. Because they couldn't hold it. It was never enough. And it never would be enough. Not until they were ready to patch up those cracks and do the work to repair themselves.
It hurts to stop pouring into someone you care about. But, because I stopped trying to fill them up, I now have enough to pour into other people who ARE ready to hold it and use it. I hold out hope that one day those people I love can be ready to hold what I pour into them, but I'm no longer putting pressure on them to change, and I'm no longer wasting what I have to offer on them until they do.
#relationships #friendship #family
