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Big Mama

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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I’ll apologize in advance because the next few m I’ll apologize in advance because the next few months will have me awash in nostalgia as Caroline moves through the last of the firsts. ⁣
Tonight is the first high school soccer scrimmage of the season. The last first scrimmage. ⁣
And so I made her let me take a picture because she knows her mom is deep in my feelings as we round the corner of senior year. The fact that Perry jumped in was a bonus. ⁣
Also, she scored two goals. Go mules 💙⚽️💛
Look who’s officially a Fightin’ Texas Aggie. Look who’s officially a Fightin’ Texas Aggie. 👍🏻❤️⁣🎉
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As a parent, I don’t know if there’s anything better than watching your kid have a dream and then seeing them work hard to make that dream a reality. She’s wanted to be an Aggie from just about the day she was born. It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears and prayer but she did it. ⁣
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I couldn’t be prouder of our Texas Aggie. Gig’em! 👍🏻 #Classof2025
Eye of the tiger. Happy Halloween! Eye of the tiger. Happy Halloween!
So this photo session just happened today. I’m So this photo session just happened today.  I’m not crying, you’re crying. 💙💛💙#alamoheights #classof2021
Number of times I will get tired of watching Carol Number of times I will get tired of watching Caroline play soccer? ZERO. It is my favorite. ⁣
Add in a huge Aggie win over Florida and it’s been a nice little day. ⁣
Yay for sports!! ⚽️💙👍🏻🏈
This little guy running through the bluebonnets wi This little guy running through the bluebonnets with the unfortunate bangs he cut himself is fifty years old today. ⁣Those bangs speak volumes about who he would become. He never does anything halfway. 
⁣
I am so grateful that boy grew into a man who loves God, loves his family and leads us with unwavering loyalty and love. In a year full of chaos and uncertainty, he remains steadfast, solid and full of opinions he is never afraid to express. I’m thankful for all of it. Except maybe some of the opinions. ⁣
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I also love that he hates social media and won’t see this until I say “Look! I posted about you on your birthday!”⁣
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Happy 50th birthday, P! I love you. I’d say let’s grow old together except I think we already have. 😂❤️
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TexAgs@TexAgs·

Texas A&M, Orange Bowl Champions 🏆

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Melanie Shankle@BigMama·

This has been me for the last three and a half hours.

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