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20 Things to Accomplish In My 20s Project

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A new decade is on the horizon. That means new trends, new technology, new relationships, and new goals. As I approach a this fresh era, I want to have focus. The 2010s were a wild ride for everyone, David Bowie left us and Russia changed the face of Western Democracy. Minimalism and gentrification altered American culture. We became more individualized yet less recognizable as a society. In the Roaring 20s Take Two, I think we should all come together stronger and more cohesive. Let us love each other and appreciate our differences and lift each other up. Yet, we can only appreciate our place in the puzzle if we understand ourselves. Take care of our own space and do what we can. Ground ourselves and rebuild with focus. In order to do this, I have set a goal of 20 things I want to accomplish in the 20s. 20 things that will be kinder to myself and allow me to be kinder to others. 20 things that will bring stability and strength to my mental foundation. As a note, I left out publishin
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Mental realness: social anxiety in picture form

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When your stress is up, you're left with a giant post it pad, highlighters, and sharpees...  you get to work on a visual representation of the the chaotic solitude that is social anxiety. Enjoy and share, you are not alone! How would you describe how it feels? Show us your work! KimmayJ  is all about that car dancing life. Music is the constant companion that makes it all just a bit easier. She is open about her mental health struggles and finding her balance. She also has a degree in psychology and counseling.  You can also follow her on  facebook ,  instagram ,  tumblr ,  pinterest , and  twitter !
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Mental Realness Vol. 1: Who I Am is Who I Am

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Welcome to my new column, Mental Realness. Here I will be sharing my experiences of living with mental illness. I do this in hoping to reach someone so they know they are not alone or might gain some insight. I also hope to help break the stigma among those who aren't personally suffering. Together we can all get through this! So who am I? Basically, I am a 30-something mother of 3, with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Masters in School Counseling. I love, hockey, baseball, nature, painting, writing, and most people agree that I straddle the hipster and basic life. I like to re-purpose objects for art or simply for use. Halloween is my happy place and I consider tacos a personality trait. I have a pet turtle and hope to adopt a cat very soon. Me! I also have schizophrenia.  After 18 years of not feeling "right" I finally was diagnosed. I will expand on this more along the way. I'm still coming to terms with grasping all this diagnosis entails and t
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Mental Realness Project

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Hey, guys, big news! I am officially moving forward with "Mental Realness" a column for the blog that will be featuring a weekly post (or more if the mood is right) about my personal struggle with mental illness. I hope this spreads love and light and encourages people to reach out for help and break the stigma! Love and light!
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How We Pulled Off a Rainy Day Beach Day in Our Apartment (Tips, Playlist, Recipes)

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We here at sweetgirlsmirk were supposed to go camping this week. Mother nature had different ideas, and rain and flooding took over Pennsylvania and Delaware. So what did we do? Brought the beach to the apartment! Yes, if we can do this on a second floor apartment, you can anywhere. Gear: ~Kiddie pool ~Sand ~Buckets ~Party lights ~Sparklers ~Crabs ~Snow crab legs ~Beach fries ~Chili dogs ~Shrimp ~Fruit cocktail pudding ~Any tropical decor on hand ~Outdoor games (we had washers) ~Daiquiris in fun glasses ~Beach playlist on spotify ~A huge sense of humor We had such a fun time that a nap had to be included! The playlist set the tone from the start.  You can subscribe here on spotify! Start off with a cocktail hour on the beach, or just relax in the sand and water. Grill some dogs, set the table and dig in! Fruit cocktail pudding recipe: a large can of fruit cocktail and two boxes of prepared instant vani
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Punk is Dad and the Decline of the Youth: An Opinion Piece

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"The Death of the Electric Guitar" pops up on the Washington Post feed.  "Kids are just into beeps and boops" "Punk is dead" "Worse, punk is DAD" "Why don't kids do something constructive?" "Music was better back in my day" You can't go a day without hearing about {or saying yourself} one of these things. Teens are simply not into rock. First, that is the parents' fault. I'm a mother of a teenager who knows more about punk than I do, because she grew up with it and stretched out on her own while I was busy working and keeping kids clothed and fed. Play some Anti-Flag for your kid once in a while, or at least New Found Glory. Start them young! But most importantly, where did the rock music go? Every single time I see a band- in different regions, mind you (I straddle DE, Philly, Lancaster, DC)- that I would love to take her to, it is 18+ or 21+. Local bands play bars, venues d
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I'm a Grown Adult Who Had Never Seen The Godfather, Here are my 199 Thoughts When I Did

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Yes, you read the title correctly. Up until June of 2018, I had never seen The Godfather. I am 34. I love film. LOVE film. But I have been so busy watching David Lynch movies on IFC that it never occured to me to watch The Godfather. At one point I bought the DVDs to encourage myself to finally watch what many consider the greatest film franchise of all time. They sat on the shelf for nearly ten years. Thanks to a nudge from people who had me watch a random 20 minutes, and its availability on Netflix right now (cool, I don't own 3.... seriously Netflix, we appreciate you), I finally dove in. I fell asleep the first time (it's 3 hours!!! That is 2 movies!!!) but I took 3 nights to bring my ADD brain through it and took notes. Here are all 199 of them, in chronological order: thoughts, questions, and a pretty brutal drinking game that seems to emerge. Warning, if you have not seen the movie this post will spoil it for you and will probably not make any sense anyway. But,
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