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the big mama blog

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You are here: Home / About Me

About Me

My name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA. She is now seventeen years old and a senior in high school, but I can’t talk about it or I will need to curl up into the fetal position and rage at the passage of time.

When I began writing this blog I thought it would last a week and eventually fall into the category of things I have started and not finished. It is a lengthy and distinguished list because I am very disciplined and task oriented, except not at all and essentially have the attention span of a feral cat on cold medicine.

However, I told my best friend, Gulley, about it. Then I told my husband. And here I am fourteen years later. No one is more shocked by this turn of events than me.

Anyway, this is about me trying to live life with some semblance of grace and dignity while finding plenty of time to watch a lot of shows on Netflix, waiting for things to go on sale at Anthropologie and trying every beauty product I hear about because aging is for real.

I am a child of the 70s, a teenager of the 80s, and a college student of the 90s. This explains my love of bad T.V., novelty rap music, and the denim vest in my closet with which I cannot part.

I married my true love, Perry, in August of 1997 and gave birth to my other true love, Caroline, in August of 2003.

August is a big month for me.

I’ve lived in the great state of Texas all of my life. There is nowhere else I’d rather call home. And I’m a proud graduate of Texas A&M, class of ’93.

Except I didn’t actually graduate until 1994 because I stayed to experience one more football season. Because I am dedicated to great causes like that.

I worked as a pharmaceutical sales rep for ten years and finally, mercifully, retired in April of 2007 after way too many years of trying to intelligently answer questions about the pharmacodynamics of various medications and hauling Chinese food around in my car in a futile attempt to appease nurses. Since then, I have spent most of my time in my car driving my child to all her various social and sporting events.

That’s who I am. Feel free to stick around.

Oh and I guess I should add that I’ve written three New York Times bestselling books, Sparkly Green Earrings, The Antelope in the Living Room, and Nobody’s Cuter Than You. I’m also the author of Church of the Small Things, On the Bright Side, Everyday Holy and Fearless Faith. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any other questions that I haven’t already covered here.

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Who is Melanie?

Melanie ShankleMy name is Melanie and, in some strange twist of fate, I’m also known as Big Mama because I started this blog in July of 2006 when my daughter, Caroline, was not quite three years old and I was in the process of convincing her that BIG girls use the potty and BIG girls don’t have pacifiers, thus she thought BIG was the highest compliment in the land and began referring to me as BIG MAMA.Read More

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Last night was Senior Night for soccer. Alamo Heig Last night was Senior Night for soccer. Alamo Heights won 5-1 but the real win was that I managed not to cry. Caroline asked me before it began if I was going to cry and I told her there was a 72% chance I could hold it together. ⁣💙
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(In fairness I did get teary earlier that afternoon and about ten minutes before we walked on the field)⁣
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Having a senior is a weird mix of emotions. I know I’m going to miss her like crazy, but there’s also a bigger part of me that sees how ready she is to go. She’s ready for new adventures and new beginnings and I want those things for her. ⁣💛
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I know from our brief tenure of owning hermit crabs that they eventually outgrow their shell and go in search of a new, bigger shell. I’m not sure why my mind goes to hermit crabs for parenting analogies, but that’s what this is like. She’s outgrown her shell and is ready for a bigger space with more room to move and grow. ⁣💙
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It’s this weird dichotomy of being sad to see the beginning of the end and being so excited for what she has ahead. As C.S. Lewis said “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind”. ⁣💛
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Photo by Mary Candee
I know I’ve over posted but two snow days in one I know I’ve over posted but two snow days in one week is truly a once  in a lifetime event. ❄️
I have to say it’s been snow fun and a week off school  and getting to share this with Caroline, knowing her time at home is coming to an end, feels like the most gracious of gifts. ❄️💙❄️
#onthebrightside #snovid21
I promise I’ll stop with all the snow pictures ( I promise I’ll stop with all the snow pictures (maybe) but Caroline and I started off our day determined to build a snowman. We found out it’s harder than it seems, especially because our snow was so powdery. ❄️⁣
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But we persisted. Or rather we waited until late this afternoon when the snow was a little easier to pack. ⁣
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And we were more proud of this modest little Aggie snowman than I really should admit. What she lacks in structure, she makes up for it in heart and Aggie spirit. 
👍🏻❄️💙
Hoped all day for snow and it finally showed up ab Hoped all day for snow and it finally showed up about 10:30 tonight. A reminder that sometimes the best moments in life are the ones that catch you by surprise. ❄️❤️❄️⁣
Also, a reminder not to eat the yellow snow.
A few weeks ago, Caroline and I went to Round Top A few weeks ago, Caroline and I went to Round Top with my friend @doubllel and her daughter to take Caroline’s senior pictures. ⁣
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The girls @junkgypsy were kind enough to let us use their fabulous @wanderinn as our setting and the whole day was magical. I knew Leslie would get the perfect shots of Caroline and she did all that and more. I don’t know how I’ll ever choose a favorite. ⁣
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When Caroline was a toddler she used to throw these huge fits and then look at us after she had calmed down and ask, “Happen? Happen?” That’s how I feel when I look at these pictures. What happened? When did my wild little toddler grow up to be this beautiful woman inside and out?⁣
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What happened was I blinked and I have a high school senior. 💙🎓💛⁣
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Thanks @doubllel for these great pictures and thanks @junkgypsy for letting us use the @wanderinn. It was perfect as always. 💙
Since I mentioned our engagement photo on the podc Since I mentioned our engagement photo on the podcast, several of you have asked to see it. Here it is in black and white from the newspaper like we did in ye olden days of 1997. ⁣
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“Have you or someone you love recently been in a car or truck wreck? Have you been in a tractor/trailer accident? Have you been victimized by seeing too many Bernie Sanders memes?⁣
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Call the law firm of Marino, Shankle & Aquanet  today. We will get you the cash settlement you deserve.”⁣
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It’s hard to tell if we were opening a law firm or getting married. Either way, we were very serious about it. ⁣
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The Latest on Twitter

Alamo Heights Soccer@AHgirlsSoccer·

Congrats on pulling out a win in difficult conditions! 1 game down, 2 more to go this week... Tomorrow your lady Mules take on Boerne Champion at home. Come out and show your support for the blue and gold! Let’s Go Heights!!!! JV 5:30 / V 7:15 🐴 🆙

Reply on Twitter 1366586755978321922Retweet on Twitter 13665867559783219223Like on Twitter 136658675597832192222
Melanie Shankle@BigMama·

Great job @AHgirlsSoccer 💙⚽️💛

Reply on Twitter 1365505281854218240Retweet on Twitter 13655052818542182402Like on Twitter 136550528185421824029

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