Humorous blogger Kim Reynolds says when she began writing, her son–who was 12 at the time–asked if he could approve her material before she published it. Kim’s response: “Go to LendingTree.com and get a mortgage if you want privacy.”

Kim is the funniest person I know.  She is the creator of the hilarious and profoundly relatable blog: Kim’s Crazy Life. Her watchwords are: Champagne, Spanx, and Midlife Angst.

“My children really know how to push my buttons. When I say something they don’t like, they threaten me with this promise: ‘Keep it up, Mom, and we’ll bury you in a sleeveless shirt.'”

“My children also know the only thing I fear more than my arms being exposed for all eternity is that I will linger long enough to have chin hairs sticking out. I feel so strongly about this issue that I have designated someone (outside my family) to make sure everything is plucked and polished before the funeral home visitation. Blood may be thicker than water, but when it comes to chin hairs, you’ve gotta go with someone you can trust.”

“When I was growing up,” says Kim, “I thought everyone was funny because I came from a big, loud, Southern family where everyone was funny. I was shocked when I once stayed with friends and we ate dinner in silence. I had never heard just one person speak at a time. At our family dinner table, we all talked at once.”

Once during high school, one of Kim’s friends was getting bullied by some older girls, so Kim distracted the girls by making them laugh. “They were so busy laughing, they forgot about tormenting my friend. That’s the first time I realized being funny could be powerful. It was intoxicating and I was addicted.”

In 2014, Kim attended the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Conference. She says, “I did not know one other soul that was going to be there. I packed my bags with every cute outfit and coordinating piece of jewelry I owned and headed to Dayton. When I got there, I decided I would talk to everyone I could and meet as many people as possible. I made so many new friends and learned so much about writing that it almost paralyzed me. But, after I came home, everyone I had met at the conference encouraged me, and I became a part of something so big and so powerful, it gave me confidence.”

When I asked Kim about her inspirations, she speaks fondly of her mother and grandmother. “My grandmother was one of the funniest people I ever knew. (She referred to animal prints as “varmint prints.”) She passed away in May and I was fortunate enough to get to spend a few days with her before she passed. When I got to her bedside, the first thing she said about herself was, ‘I look awful.’ I gave my grandmother a long, touching speech about how she would always look beautiful to me. How I never saw age on her face–only love. Her reply: ‘Well, you’re in worse shape than I am!'”

Kim’s Southern mother is the belle–and the bane–of her existence.  Kim says amusingly, “As hard as I work at being the best daughter I can be, I know I’m just one late birthday card away from being the black sheep of the family.”

“My mother has the ability to make me want to hug her neck one minute, and choke her out the next. She has perfected the art of the compliment/criticism one-two-punch. For example, she can’t believe as hard as I work that I’m not skinnier.”

Kim is my hero, because she was courageous in pursuing her dream. Here is a YouTube video of her very first stand-up comedy performance at the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop:

Kim says that the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop gave her a big dose of “You Can Do It.” She says anyone can accomplish their dreams, if they just go for it.

When she’s not busy writing her blog, Kim is mother, wife, and full-time geriatric physical therapist. Kim gets material for her humorous blogs from everyday life situations.

So the next time you need a little pick-me-up, pull off your Spanx and grab a glass of wine, while you take the wild ride known as Kim’s Crazy Life. 

Quintessential Kim!