CJ Sparkle
As a single mother of two beautiful girls, I am not your average, run of the mill story....I had my first child at 17, and 10 years later I have a Masters Degree, am an entrepreneur, model, free-lance write, play in a rock band, and provide my children with a full life, living and surviving by the seat of my pants-which I swear cannot wear any thinner....But we do it, day in and day out. My children motivate me and in turn I am proof that one life altering decision doesn t have to end a life full of potential. I believe less is more, and help others to organize their worlds and change the stuff dependence.
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- 6,807
- Content
- 69
- Fans
- 7
- Contributor since
- 1/23/2011
Education/Experience
ME, BS in Business MGMT and HR, and a BA in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in philosophy.Interests
Professional Organizer, minimalist, and environmentalist. I was fortunate to volunteer with homless and womens shelters during my educational ventures, which taught me the importance of a first impression, how to maximize the minimal you have or need to bMotto
Take only what you need, give what ever you have left.Favorites
Fans
Displaying Results 1 - 69 (of 69) for All Content
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First Person: An Inexpensive Prom Can Still Be MemorableIn May 2013, I have the potential to send 2 children to prom; my step-daughter and our foreign exchange student. What could have been a really expensive prom times 2, turned in to a very cost effective, savvy representation of maturity.
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How to Guide: Tax Return Spending ChecklistIf you are one of the many Americans on the recieveing end of a refund (as we are), deciding to have fun or be responible with that money can make or break you for years to come. Bad habits dies as hard as missed loan payments do.
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Military Wife to the Bitter End: How I Helped Our Kids See Divorce, like Absence, Would Be OkAs a military wife we stand by our men here, afar, in sickness, and in health. For some this ends in great triumph, for others, pain and sorrow. With children, even putting on a good mask does not hide the fear of the future. Here is our story.
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My Financial Choices as a Teen Mom Attending CollegeBeing a teen mom in college is rare. Learning to market yourself and your products, the business of money and the resiliancy to bounce back after failure, as a woman AND a teen mother, is a priceless lesson even rarer still.
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First Person: My Transition to VegetarianismIt began slowly through the course of puberty when I lost the desire to eat meat and things of this nature. Meats began to taste gritty and almost sandy. To me becoming a Vegetarian was not based on beliefs but rather in the pursuit of health.
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Diagnosis Unknown: That Heart Sinking FeelingA few general but scary symptoms, are they related? Is it stress or a physical issue? Will the tests reveal that I have medical issues in my 20's that majority of people don't get until ther 40's or 50's at least?
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First Person: How I Knew it was Time to Start a FamilyI was 17 the year my first child was born, unplanned. I was 19 when my second child was born-still and unplanned. And I was 20 when my youngest was born, planned. There was no plan to starting a family. It just happened.
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Estate Sale Tales: Upcycled Faith Through FlowersEvery rose I have received, every cross and medal I have found has been recycled in to a tangible memory of life, faith, and remembrance. These rosaries are made from dried out rose petals. -
My Largest Financial Regrets: Buying a House and Grad SchoolI have two large financial regrets: buying a house and going to graduate school. What did I learn in all of this? I have really terrible timing when doing things society deems valuable and necessary!
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First Person: Losing My Religion and Gaining New LifeI am 29, and I am an agnostic, but that was not always as such. Now there but for the grace of God go I, is my motto for more tha a religion, but for a lifestyle.
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Welcome to Wisconsin: A Day in the Life of a Mom on a MissionIt is no surprise that it is cold in winter in Wisconsin. But it makes the first decisions of the morning the hardest one of all: to get out of bed or not to get out of bed-that is the question.
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Finding an Artist-Friendly ApartmentI live in Wisconsin. Not exactly the most “artist-hip” area of the world, but still home to many artists all the same. I never really thought of myself as an artist so much as I loved the studio style home.
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First Person: A Household Illustrates Wisconsin's Political DifferencesOn the last weekend before the eve of election day, while my unsuspecting partner slept, I sought revenge for a humor filled and heated political debate. -
My 7 worst loft-decorating mistakesI live in a 2800 sq. foot, extremely high ceilinged, loft in the city. My walls are high, white, and primarily bare. A decorator's dream, but my nightmare! -
My Experience Starting a Mom-Friendly BusinessWhat started as just being helpful to a friend moving cross county, turned into a blog-tastic, “I-am-going-to-help-you-throw-out-your-stuff…” business venture.
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Apocalyptica: Blending the Lines of Formal Symphony and Heavy Metal RockSo what kind of sounds are generated when you combine the sounds of orchestra/opera and rock/metal with each other?
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Wisconsin: The Swing State that Swings at ItselfFreedom is not free. That is the beauty in choices. Sometimes they work and sometimes you fail. It is no one else’s fault but your own if you don’t get back up and move on.
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Halloween, Soccer, and a Day to RememberI will never forget that moment, being stuck between responsibility and fun, adulthood and a child. But what I learned from it has stayed with me, and what those parents taught me was that rewards do come from responsible choices.
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First Person: My Masters of Education Isn't Getting Me a JobAs a Master’s of Education (ME) Graduate of 2012, my prospects locally of finding employment in the teaching sector at any level are slim to none. I live in Wisconsin.Also published on:
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Stages of Loss: My Story of DivorceDivorce is awful. Divorce is relationship death. And with death there are stages. Below is my story. A first person look in to divorce.
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Wisconsin’s Recall: A Slap in the Face?What is this world coming to when a person who stood by you and your campaign decides to hit you for graciously accepting loss.
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First Person: I Am Shopaholic for My Children's Future and I Am Broke Because of ItSo, let me tell you about my disease. It is called Affluenza. I want so bad to be wealthy, to appear mysteriously made of money, yet minimalistic in all other forms.
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First Person Experience: My First and Favorite Car!The best vehicle I have ever owned was my first car. A lot of learning, financial maturity, and love went in to that car.
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Let’s Talk Attachment: Are You Still on the Nipple?http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/jamie-lynne-grumet-defends-her-time-magazine-breastfeeding-180300346.html A commentary based upon the Time Magazine breastfeeding cover.
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The Workout Plan: A Single Working Mother on a Mission for Health and WellnessLet me introduce you to my lifestyle. My workout includes daily exercise choices incorporated in what I already do, and then some fun and relaxation techniques on the side. As long as I am healthy, I live fully.
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The Family Budget: A First Person Glimpse of a Single Parent Household Budget During a RecessionAt the close of 2009, I became a divorced single mother of two girls, and I was inches from losing our home. Something had to change quickly. A new life and a new budget, here we come.
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Depression from the Eyes of a MotherThe following story I am about to tell you is real. It is also not uncommon. Depression is a state of sadness and hard to break the cycle of, but can be done. This is my story.
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Eating Club Med…. Mediterranean that IsI have never been a person to restrict what I eat; I eat whatever I want whenever I crave it but on the flip side of this I don’t like the taste nor textures of a lot of foods, many of them are common practice foods in America. -
Unwavering Mother, Unparalleling WorldsA poem for mother's.
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First Person: I'm Living for the Future in My Dying TownRacine, Wisconsin is situated on the banks of Lake Michigan housed between Milwaukee and Chicago and is the fifth largest city in Wisconsin. Unemployment here is at 14.1%.
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A Lovely Wedding on the CheapHow we spent less than 1000.00 on our wedding in 2003.
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Marriage, Divorce, Kids, and Kurt CobainCalling it quits before the result is an "emotional holocaust" for the child.
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Reusable Easter Dresses for Girls Under 7In a time where wallets are closed to many extra purchases, if you do it right, your daughters Easter dress can be so much more!!!
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Wisconsin GOP: Romney or Santorum, and the Walker DivideI have been a Wisconsin registered voter for 10 years. In that ten years a lot has changed in my mind and for me personally that has taken me from Democratic utopia thoughts to Republican freedom and wealth.
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A Sample of Influential Children's AuthorsMy favorite and my children’s favorite author is Kevin Henkes, but those books that have influenced both my parenting and my children’s imagination that cannot go without mention, have come from the authors Maurice Sendak and Leslea Newman.
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The Non-Conventional Religious ConversionI explored through food, art, and reading the vast worlds of religions, and lifestyles, and cultures. But it was due to a course in philosophy of religion that I really felt the most comfortable with the fact I did not have to have one. -
Wine All You Want To, Wine Around the World-Picnic StyleWhether you bring a book, a person of great conversation, or just a meal and an afternoon to kill, there is something to be said for the simple pleasure of a picnic.
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Bow Button Boxers: April's FoolThey say vengeance is best served cold. I agree. Cold, unexpected, and miles from point of origin. Simple, sweet, and to the point with love..
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Hot Water on Demand: My Energy Efficient Choice for Hot WaterDo you dislike how you always get cold water as the last one to shower? With a tankless hot water heater, there is no longer that issue. Frees up space and water usage.
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Undoing Reliance Project (URP)Hi. I am a teen mom. I am successful. I have made mistakes along the way. I want to help others find the peace and happiness I have found even under the daunting circumstances of teen-parenthood.
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Siren: A Starbuck's Stir Stick SongHave you ever looked closely at the green thing in your morning starbucks?
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First Person: Home Prices in Racine County, Wisc. Are Still Half the National AverageAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average price for a U.S. home was just about $248,000 as of 2010. Where I live during that time frame it was about $132,000. I live in Racine County, WI.
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Sonnet: On Through Drunkin' WeatherA fantastical description of walking against the weather.
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A Correlation in the Change of "parenting".....Obesity And Thank You NotesAs a parent , you never want to bury your baby. Make the time to help them, their life depends on it. They are worth every second of the fight. And if to you, the parent, they are not then you should never have had the privilege to have them at all.
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Rebuilding a Financial Life: Part 2: Divorce and AdditctionsPart two: Rebuilding a Financial Life:(see part one here: http://voices.yahoo.com/rebuilding-financial-life-part-1-7802862.html?cat=3 )
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Vegetarian V. Meatitarian: My Path to Many Meatless NightsI became a vegetarian by accident. But what I found along the way became a more important passion.
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Technoloy, Technology - Oh How You've Blessed and Cursed Me!Hello cloud, and central bearer of my information, today was the day my internet ran away, and no longer could I reach you.
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Cost-Effective and Eco-Friendly Packing and Gifting SuppliesBeing an eco-advocate, it have found much fun and creative stimulation by figuring out a secondary life for items, while not collecting and cluttering up my house. There is a fine line between waste and hording.
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The Anti-Decorating Approach: White Walls and No ClueI live in a 2500-square-foot loft apartment with my two daughters. I have huge spanning super high ceilings, white walls, and no decorating skills. -
A Parent's Guide to Fighting the Winter BluesIt is time to remember as parents, what playing looks like. Here are some ideas for fun interactive snow day activities!
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Good Clean Fun! Fighting Winter Blues for Kids Ages 4 and UpI live in Wisconsin. Thus cold and snowy winters are normal and expected. This is what my kids and I call “hibernation season.” This results in issues of inactivity and stir craziness.
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Snowy Day Crafts for Girls, Ages 4-14I am a mom. I have been snowed in multiple times. Some creative ways to play the day away and bond with your daughter(s) are below. I have done them all with mine over the years!
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2012 Green Goals for Personal GrowthGoals for a green life are not easy. They take time and thought. Remember, you have to crack a few eggs to make a cake, but the cake will taste better if the eggs came fresh from the farmer’s nearby. -
Parenting Gone Awry: I Wish My Kids Came with Directions!I wish my kids came with directions! But because they do not, I get a good giggle.
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Farm Fresh, Even in Winter!I live in Wisconsin, enough said. In winter, finding "fresh" is like finding the wind chill above 25 degrees!
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Dying to Quit: The Story of How and Why I Quit SmokingI started smoking "for fun;" or so I told myself, as a handful of us preteens huddled in a corner with a stash of cigs stolen from our parents, shivering in the bitter cold, talked about boys and when and how we were going to get more smokes.Also published on:
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Memories of ChristmasI was raised Roman Catholic, Italian, and Christmas as a child, I remember tables of food all over, a tree stuffed with presents, lit up and a warm house a glow with the most welcoming noises of family gathered and the smell of tradition.
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1 Million Tears, 1 Million Fears: A Mother's Take on How Sept. 11th Changed My Perspective in ParentingSept. 11th and the 10 years that have followed has changed and affected my life in many ways. I was not there that day, but the arms of conflict from the nuclei of the towers, would tear apart my family years later.
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A Prayer to Mother Nature:A Prayer to Mother Nature: a poem reflective of the indistinguishable culmination of weather posisbillities.
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Religion's Path to MeMine is not necessarily a story of conversion, but rather a story of religious development and the focus on self-peace, God, and a code/lifestyle to which to try to live by.
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Beneath the MistA story about a girl who stumbles upon her secret past and the murder of her twin sister when they were babies. I wrote this story in 8th grade for a literary competition. -
To My Friends Service BoundA tribute to the soldiers My friends in all the branches. -
When the Time Has Come to Say Good ByeHow do you know when it is time to quit your job? Better yet, how do you know if it will serve you better to not only quit your job, but make a career change?
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Whatever Weather WisconsinMy advice to anyone with children, show them how important being prepared is. Make them aware by being a living example to your children the importance of planning ahead. Pro-act don't react.
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A Social Distortion Ethnographic EncounterWhat was the susceptibility for normal humans to go feral? It was as if the music had somehow hypnotized the normality and created these animalistic behaviors that were being played out before me. -
Rebuilding a Financial Life: Part 1About 8 years ago, I laid the groundwork financially that would save me, multiple times.
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What is One Man's Trash is Another Man's TreasureTwo loves diverge at a yellow road-the friend kind and the relationship kind.
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A Case Study on Ethics and MoralityThis is a case study written for a presentation in an MoE program; based upon what happens when the lines blur in a teacher, parent, and student relationship. The insightful thinking questions follow.
