Shelbi Thomas
Bio
Caffeinated and Hyper-fixated
Stories (8/0)
Journey to Off Grid Living
So towards the end of 2022, my husband and I decided we were tired of working between 70-80 hours a week and still struggling financially. After the birth of our second child, it became apparent that it would be cheaper for me to quit my job and stay at home with our kids since the price of daycare was rising and the availability of trustworthy options were dwindling. Our house, which we had only just purchased at the end of 2020 was starting to feel like a prison and we were only digging ourselves deeper into a financial hole with the economy going in the direction it was going. We didn't have much of a savings so we thought we were stuck, but luckily my mom gave us a solution to our problems.
By Shelbi Thomasabout a year ago in Longevity
The Crash
My chamber was comfortable, I have lost track of time I have been held here, but I have grown accustomed to it. I just float here in this chamber filled with some liquid that is preserving my body while listening to the rhythmic beating of the only form of music I have ever heard. In my curious days, I would outstretch my body to try and learn the shape of my surroundings; in my earliest memories, I could feel nothing, then I was able to grace my fingertips against a wall, and now I feel highly confined as I assume I am growing, soon to be too big from this prison if I do not find a way out. All my nutrition comes from a tube keeping my body alive, but for what? The darkness all around me prevents me from knowing the amount of time that has passed since I was put in this chamber; my memory before the chamber is non-existent; I don’t remember how or why I was put in here, but I am starting to accept the fact that this I will be inside this chamber for the rest of my existence if there ever will be an end.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Fiction
Summertime Stew
Summertime for my family means lots of time outside, in nature, camping from the back of our minivan, and sleeping out under the stars with our only cooking vessel being the thing that gives us s'mores and toasted hotdogs for snacks: the campfire. Cooking over the campfire in a big cast iron pot some stew or soup is a staple for dinner in my household while camping because it allows us to make some quick snacks during the day still while having a hearty meal that evening.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Feast
I am Not a Bad Mom
Everyone I look I see what kind of mom I should be. I went from climbing the career ladder to staying at home with my children due to the rising cost of childcare. It just didn't make sense for me to go to work since I would just be working to pay for the daycare, and my fiancé makes enough money to support us. We agreed that I would stay home until both of the kids were old enough to be in school, then I would go back part time, so I can still be there for the kids when they got off the bus and for whatever after-school activity they wanted to be a part of.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Families
Dear Dad,
Dear Dad, Raising me was no easy task, especially with you growing up in such a traditional household, and I am anything but a conventional daughter. You were raised that a woman belonged in the home, and if that wasn't financially available, some work involved cooking, cleaning, sewing, or even just taking care of someone like a nurse. I know that being your first and only child, that was what you expected was going to happen when I got older, but I am so happy you were open to change.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Families
Growing it Yourself 1
I would be lying as much as I would love to say that we ditched the grocery store and have become entirely self-sufficient. Most people are limited in space, time, and equipment to be fully sustainable on their own, but that is ok. Taking that first step into growing your own food is a great start, and even if you only have room and the means to grow one type of herb in an old water bottle, that is still a step in the right direction.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Lifehack
Sustainable Living Intro
When some people think of sustainable living they think of people living off in the woods with no power, no running water, and eating nothing but mushrooms and berries they find in the woods. While that may be a form of sustainable living, you do not have to go to such extremes to help the environment and also to help your wallet.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Longevity
Queer Without Community
I grew up in a small rural town that consisted of mainly heteronormative citizens whose main focus was the high school Friday night football game. Everyone in town either worked as farmers, factory workers, or the just above minimum wage jobs of keeping the local stores running. As a kid the main entertainment was going to the park or a friend’s house, as a teenager it was driving around with no where to go on back roads avoiding horse and buggies, and as adults it was hitting one of the two places in town that served alcohol.
By Shelbi Thomas2 years ago in Pride