Why I Refused to Wear a Purple Ribbon This International Women's Day

International Women's Day was yesterday, Wednesday, March 9. On Tuesday, I was handed a little purple ribbon with a note to join in "wearing the ribbon in support of International Women's Day" the next day. I took the ribbon, said "thank you" and as I continued walking, I started to ponder awareness ribbons in general. What do they mean? When do we wear them? What types of causes are they typically associated with? After some light Googling, my questions were answered.

According to the Smithsonian, awareness ribbons can date back to the Medieval Ages, when a knight would receive a ribbon, or a piece of fabric, after jousting. In the United States, the tradition of the ribbon began in the 1970's when yellow ribbons were tied around trees to welcome home veterans. The folded lapel ribbon, popular today, dates back to 1991, when the red ribbon became the icon for AID Awareness. 1992 became dubbed "the year of the ribbon" as organizations scooped up colors and ribbons to tie to their cause.

Today there are hundreds of colors and patterns of awareness ribbons. When I scrolled the list of colors, hues, and patterns and their associated causes, I found a general theme. These ribbons were to raise awareness (obviously) for victims of disease, disorders, and conditions. There are 33 causes associated with the purple ribbon (I'll gladly slap on my ribbon for any of those causes) but womanhood is not one of them. In fact, womanhood, is not associated with any color ribbon. Womanhood is not something to raise awareness about. Being a woman is not a condition, an incurable disease or something to fight. I am not a victim of being a woman; I am proud to be a woman, and for that reason, I did not wear my purple ribbon. 

#BeBoldForChange IWD 2017

Monday Vibes!

Happy Monday! Only five days until Friday 😆

Nuts About Chai Chia Pudding

I have jumped on the chia seed train and it's hurdling along at full speed. If you're thinking "ch-ch-ch-chia", we're talking about the same shit...I just don't rub them all over myself and wait for them to grow. Instead, you can find me sprinkling seeds into my recipes and atop my salads, and now concocting chia pudding recipes.

AchieveMint: My First Rewards

I joined AchieveMint back in October thanks to an ad on Facebook. This is a website (app available for Apple users on the App Store) that links to your apps and fitness trackers, imports the data and rewards you points for "healthy activity".  I have linked my Garmin Connect, Twitter, Foursquare, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness for maximum earning. I earn about 115 points per day with my healthy activities. On February 20, 4 months into my AchieveMint use, I earned my 10,000 points required to cash out a reward! I cashed out via PayPal and have an extra $10 to spend this month! I can now say for sure, AchieveMint is legit!

Finally Mrs. Benjamin - Tips for Changing Your Name

Did you run away in a fit of passion and elope over Valentine's Day weekend? Now you're trying to figure out how to go from Ms. to Mrs. as the dust of your nuptials settles. Did you get engaged over the weekend and you're anticipating what is to come? Congratulations! I am Mrs. Benjamin (yes I said Mrs., that was not a typo. I changed my name successfully and on the cheap) and I am here to say, (1) I figured it out, (2) I did not pay anyone to do it for me, and (3) it did not take very long.