Reading - A Flourishing Rose

My Favorite Things for May 2019

May 31, 2019

My list of favorites for this month will be a little different. I’m going to simply link to several articles. I will also include links to a recipe, tv shows and the books I read this month so you can check them out. My blog accomplishments this month consisted of writing a few posts and actually clicking publish. As I mentioned in a previous post on blogging burnout, I’ve been unmotivated and overwhelmed, so I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. Anyway, here is my list.

Articles

Everyone wants to be more productive and less busy. Check out these Simple Strategies to Have More Free Time in Your Day from Cute Little Paper.

If you are a parent of a child with hearing loss or want to know what it is really like to be a parent to a deaf child, read this post from MeaganDeal.com. The more we talk about disability, the more aware people are. One day, I’m hoping that awareness will turn into acceptance.

Here’s another post from my friend, Meagan Deal. If you are short on time and don’t want to spend all day cleaning, here are some Cleaning Hacks for Busy Moms. I’ve been featured on this post as well.

Are you desperately in need of some alone time? If so, you’ll definitely want to check out this list of 30 Mom Me Time Moments for Relaxation.

Finally, are you wondering what art supplies your children need? Are you crafty and looking for inspiration? Here’s a list of the Top Art Supplies for Kids put together by an art teacher.

TV Shows

I don’t watch much tv, but here’s what I’ve been watching during the month of May.

During a group discussion on Facebook, someone recommended Switched At Birth. It’s about two families who are thrown together when they realize that their teen girls were switched at birth. I was originally watching on Netflicks, but since the show is older, it was removed in the middle of the month and I was only on season 3. It was more enjoyable for me on Netflicks because of the audio description feature. I don’t usually turn it on, but since this show has quite a bit of sign language, it was really helpful. Now I’m watching on Amazon, but they do not include the audio description. If you are interested, you can check it out. Here’s an episode from the first season.
  
The other show I’ve been watching is 90 Day Fiancé. Honestly, I’m getting bored with it because they’ve been focusing on the same couples for so long and it seems more scripted than ever. I prefered it in the beginning when there were new couples and it was less about the drama and more about adjusting to life in a new culture. There is a new spin off starting in June called, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, about people who are leaving America to start new lives abroad with their partners. I’ll check it out.

Books

These are the books I’ve read this month, but I wouldn’t say any of them were my favorites. I think I’ll get back to nonfiction for a while.
   

Recipe

I tried one new recipe this month. It’s this Famous Mac and Cheese recipe from Savvy Mom Survival Guide. It took about an hour to make from start to finish. I doubled the recipe and I thought it came out pretty good. Unfortunately, Rosebud wasn’t a big fan. Usually, she doesn’t like to try new things even though she loves macaroni and cheese. She was interested in the sea shell noodles and picked at the cracker crumbs on top, but only ate a few bites. The cracker crumbs gave it that extra crunch!

That’s all I have to share for this month, but I’ll be back in June with more. As always, thank you for reading.

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Blogging, My Favorites, Parenting

My Favorites for April 2019

May 4, 2019

It’s better late than never, right? Here are my favorite things and blog accomplishments for the month of April. This time, I have another book, a fruit smoothie recipe, Peeps play-dough and several articles.

Blog Accomplishments

I’m so excited! I made enough Amazon affiliate sales to get my account approved. For those who don’t know, you need three sales within the first six month period or your account gets closed. My first time around, I only got 11 clicks and no sales. This time, I’ve gotten 69 clicks and five sales. While the clicks are minimal compared to a lot of bloggers out there and the commissions are small, it’s something. I have to start somewhere. My second accomplishment this month is the increase in traffic. It’s not a huge amount, but it’s slow progress.

Fruit Smoothie Recipe

I’m always looking for tasty recipes that Rosebud will love and if she can help me in the kitchen, it’s a bonus. We were making pretend smoothies in her toy blender and I had just bought a bunch of fresh fruit. She had never had a smoothy before, so I asked if she wanted a real one and she did. I made smoothies often before she was born and here’s the recipe we came up with.

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt,

1 cup almond milk,

1 banana,

1 half cup blueberries,

5 strawberries,

A handful of grapes.

Directions:

Chop fruits into smaller pieces and add to blender.

Blend until you get the desired consistency. I have a smoothie setting on my blender. It took less than a minute. I’ll try it with different fruits next time.

Book

I only read two books in the month of April, so there wasn’t much to choose from when picking my favorite. I enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. There were a variety of stories. Everything from his speech therapy lessons as a little boy to his days living in France while trying to learn the language.

Peeps Play-dough

I had been seeing Peeps play-dough pins on Pinterest for a couple months now and knew that we had to try it. Here is the recipe we used.

I used five of the pink bunny peeps. I added four table spoons flour and one table spoon crisco. Melted it in the microwave for 30 seconds and then mixed it up. We ended up with a small ball. I was hoping there would be more play-dough, but there was enough to try it out.

I started out with big Easter themed cookie cutters, but there wasn’t enough play-dough for that, so I took out the plastic eggs instead. We have two different sized eggs and she liked rolling balls and putting them in the eggs. Eventually, she was pretending to cook, breaking up the play-dough and putting it in her mixing bowl. This play-dough dried out quickly, but it was a different texture and fun to experiment with.

Favorite Links

This first link definitely struck a chord with me. As an early childhood educator, I see the consequences of this every day. I see the kids who have no idea how to play. They wander from place to place not sure what to do with the toys. they don’t understand that they can pretend. A box doesn’t have to be a box. The kids get frustrated quickly, have super short attention spans and for some of them, their time in our program is the only time they play outside. This article is a good read.

Loss of Childhood – Are We Pressurizing our Children Too Much?

Another related article I saw in April was, My Childhood vs My Kid’s Childhood.

I could totally relate as it was a throw-back to the 90’s. I wrote a similar post last year. If you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s, I’m sure it would take you down memory lane.

One of my sensory bins was featured in this post. Are you not sure what to do with all those Easter eggs? Check out this post for some fun ways to repurpose those plastic Easter eggs.

Since many of us have lost the fine art of socializing, I thought this article about internet friendships was a good read. I think that you can develop a real friendship online, but of course it helps if you can eventually meet them. There’s nothing like sitting down with a friend for a chat. Online friends can be a good source of support and sometimes they can break some of the isolation.

Since spring is finally here, I’ll leave you with this amazing list of 60 fun summer activities for kids. There are so many cool ideas that I’d love to try with Rosebud. There’s something for every family and I was lucky enough to be included in the round up.

As always, thank you for reading. I’ll be back next month with another round of my favorite things.

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Blogging, My Favorites, Parenting

My Favorites for April 2019

May 4, 2019

It’s better late than never, right? Here are my favorite things and blog accomplishments for the month of April. This time, I have another book, a fruit smoothie recipe, Peeps play-dough and several articles.

My Favorite Things for April, 2019 pin

Blog Accomplishments

I’m so excited! I made enough Amazon affiliate sales to get my account approved. For those who don’t know, you need three sales within the first six month period or your account gets closed. My first time around, I only got 11 clicks and no sales. This time, I’ve gotten 69 clicks and five sales. While the clicks are minimal compared to a lot of bloggers out there and the commissions are small, it’s something. I have to start somewhere. My second accomplishment this month is the increase in traffic. It’s not a huge amount, but it’s slow progress.

Fruit Smoothie Recipe

I’m always looking for tasty recipes that Rosebud will love and if she can help me in the kitchen, it’s a bonus. We were making pretend smoothies in her toy blender and I had just bought a bunch of fresh fruit. She had never had a smoothy before, so I asked if she wanted a real one and she did. I made smoothies often before she was born and here’s the recipe we came up with.

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt,

1 cup almond milk,

1 banana,

1 half cup blueberries,

5 strawberries,

A handful of grapes.

Directions:

Chop fruits into smaller pieces and add to blender.

Blend until you get the desired consistency. I have a smoothie setting on my blender. It took less than a minute. I’ll try it with different fruits next time.

A Pillow with glasses and a book ready to be read.

Book

I only read two books in the month of April, so there wasn’t much to choose from when picking my favorite. I enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. There were a variety of stories. Everything from his speech therapy lessons as a little boy to his days living in France while trying to learn the language.

Peeps Play-dough ball

Peeps Play-dough

I had been seeing Peeps play-dough pins on Pinterest for a couple months now and knew that we had to try it. Here is the recipe we used.

I used five of the pink bunny peeps. I added four table spoons flour and one table spoon crisco. Melted it in the microwave for 30 seconds and then mixed it up. We ended up with a small ball. I was hoping there would be more play-dough, but there was enough to try it out.

Peeps play-dough and cookie cutters

I started out with big Easter themed cookie cutters, but there wasn’t enough play-dough for that, so I took out the plastic eggs instead. We have two different sized eggs and she liked rolling balls and putting them in the eggs. Eventually, she was pretending to cook, breaking up the play-dough and putting it in her mixing bowl. This play-dough dried out quickly, but it was a different texture and fun to experiment with.

Boy floating in cardboard box reaching for a glowing star.

Favorite Links

This first link definitely struck a chord with me. As an early childhood educator, I see the consequences of this every day. I see the kids who have no idea how to play. They wander from place to place not sure what to do with the toys. they don’t understand that they can pretend. A box doesn’t have to be a box. The kids get frustrated quickly, have super short attention spans and for some of them, their time in our program is the only time they play outside. This article is a good read.

Loss of Childhood – Are We Pressurizing our Children Too Much?

Another related article I saw in April was, My Childhood vs My Kid’s Childhood.

I could totally relate as it was a throw-back to the 90’s. I wrote a similar post last year. If you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s, I’m sure it would take you down memory lane.

One of my sensory bins was featured in this post. Are you not sure what to do with all those Easter eggs? Check out this post for some fun ways to repurpose those plastic Easter eggs.

Two women smiling

Since many of us have lost the fine art of socializing, I thought this article about internet friendships was a good read. I think that you can develop a real friendship online, but of course it helps if you can eventually meet them. There’s nothing like sitting down with a friend for a chat. Online friends can be a good source of support and sometimes they can break some of the isolation.

Since spring is finally here, I’ll leave you with this amazing list of 60 fun summer activities for kids. There are so many cool ideas that I’d love to try with Rosebud. There’s something for every family and I was lucky enough to be included in the round up.

As always, thank you for reading. I’ll be back next month with another round of my favorite things.

0 comments

About me, Blogging

My Favorite Things for March

March 31, 2019

I want to share some of my favorite things and accomplishments for the month of March. This is something new I plan on doing at the end of every month from now on. Writing down my accomplishments will keep me accountable and moving forward and why not share some of my favorite things? You might like them as well. For this month, I have a book, a recipe, a perfume and some articles to pass along.

Accomplishments

I’ll start with my wins for the month of March. At the end of February, I started using my Pinterest account which had no views. As of this moment, there are 39,000 views. I know that’s a relatively small number for Pinterest, but it’s just the beginning. I think it’s good considering the endless accessibility issues I have with Pinterest, my limited ability to create eye catching photos and my lack of knowledge on how Pinterest works. I have been reading and researching which has given me a better understanding of strategies for using Pinterest. It’s a work in progress, but what isn’t? My second win and one of my goals for 2019 was to reactivate my Amazon associates account. I’ve been working hard to update older posts as well as create new content. Now the trick is making those sales. My third accomplishment was getting approved for ShareASale. That will be my next project.

Book

As I’ve talked about on the blog before, I always have an Audible book that I’m listening to. Earlier this month, I read the Ex-Wife by Jess Ryder. It was one of those books that sounded kind of interesting, but I wasn’t too sure about it. I found it in a two books for one credit deal. After the first couple of chapters, I really wanted to know what happened next. I listened to most of it in one weekend. I won’t give anything away, but the ending seemed to be an opening for a second book, but who knows. I’ve read a lot of books lately where loose ends aren’t tied up.

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

Recipe

Unfortunately, I did not take a picture when I cooked this, but I’m not a food photographer anyway. This Easy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese is so simple to make. It tastes good. Rosebud loved it and that is saying something. She’s going through an extremely picky eating phase. The best part is it takes about ten minutes. The other great thing is you make it in the instant pot. I love having only one pot instead of a bunch of pots and pans to wash. The macaroni comes out perfect and it is very cheesy. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Perfume

I ordered some makeup and got a sample of Viva LA Juicy Noir by Juicy Couture. I quickly used it all and then had to order more. It’s hard to describe the scent. It’s kind of fruity, but it’s not over the top sweet. It’s not too strong unless you use more than you should. I normally stick with one or two scents that I use most of the time, but this one has become one of my favorites. What are your perfumes that you absolutely love?

Articles

Okay, so I have several for this month. I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, but they all serve different purposes.

This first article is about raising daughters and gender stereotypes. It’s well written and reminds us what is important about raising a girl. Click here to read, The Trappings of Girlhood.

I saw this cool article from Whimsyroo with a list of bath time activities. I know Rosebud gets bored with the same bath toys and this post has some great ideas to make bath time more fun. I love this blog and all the fun activities she posts. Click this link for Creative Bath Time Activities for Kids.

I am a big fan of journaling and one of the benefits of journaling is gratitude. If you journal about the things you are grateful for, it can boost your mood and if you are a believer in the law of attraction, gratitude will bring you more things to be grateful for. That being said, listing the same five things you are grateful for can be a little boring and not seem worth the effort, but Monica from Mindfully Monica explains how to start a gratitude journal that actually works.

Full disclosure, I saw this one a little before March started, but I have to share it. I’m featured on this post from GROWMOMMY.COM! Rosebud’s antics earned me a spot in this list of 10 Hilarious Reasons for Toddler Tantrums.

This post from Be Anxious About Nothing brings to light the very important and overlooked issues of disabled domestic abuse. The post was written in defense of Dr. Phil and his recent show with a couple where the man is disabled and the woman is not. I knew nothing about it until seeing this post, but there has been outrage online due to the show’s supposed ablism. I say supposed because I have not seen it and don’t want to comment without viewing it first. However, I will share this post because disabled people are more likely to be the victims of abuse and that has to stop.

This final link is to a Ted talk about being a good listener. Too often we forget to really take the time to listen to someone. Sometimes all someone needs is to be heard.

How to Listen Better – Tips From a Deaf Guy, from Stephen O’Keefe.

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Awareness, Parenting, Self acceptance,

The Same, But Different

March 12, 2019

There are a lot of misconceptions out there and sometimes I get questions about how I do things as a visually impaired parent. I don’t think my life is out of the ordinary, but sometimes I might have to take an extra step or think outside the box to get things done. When the idea to do this post popped into my head, I thought of a couple things immediately, but for others, I really had to think about. Here are five things I do differently as a visually impaired mom.

Reading

This is a big one because it not only involves reading stories to Rosebud, but I have to find alternative ways to read just about everything. Luckily, there have been so many amazing advances in technology since I was a kid and it has opened up the world to me, but generally, I just can’t pick up something and read it. There are several ways I read books to Rosebud. I have the regular books with Braille labels on them. The great thing about these books is that I can read them, but so can anyone else. They have the print as well as the pictures. I’ve found that this is the best way for me to read to her. That being said, the selection of books is somewhat limited and can get expensive. A great selection can be found here at BRL.

I find a lot of great books being read aloud on Youtube. I know it’s not the same as having the paper book, but it’s another way Rosebud can have access to books. There are a few books that we have the print copies of that she can follow along with them being read aloud. Here are a few of her favorites.

If You Give a Mouse a Brownie

The Very Busy Spider

Sneezy the Snowman

Big Pumpkin

Recently, I was told of a program in my area called Books on Wheels. Volunteers from the local library have started bringing children’s books to me twice per month. Although I can’t read these books to Rosebud, we can look at them and other family members can read them to her. I don’t want her to get bored with the books we have and this is another great way for her to get access to a huge variety of books. As she gets older, I plan on introducing her to audio books as well. She loves books and I want her to keep enjoying books throughout her life.

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

Safety Rules

Since I can’t always see exactly what Rosebud is doing, I take safety very seriously. This is especially the case if we are in public, outside in a play area or walking down the street. If we are walking down the street or walking through a public place, she has to hold my hand with very few exceptions. As she gets older, I’ll give her a little more space, but for now, she has to hold my hand. That way I always know where she is. Sometimes she fights me on this, but it’s for her safety and my peace of mind. If we are out at the playground, she cannot run out of the play space. If she does, I give her one warning and if she doesn’t listen, we immediately go back home. I’ve had to do this a couple of times. It may sound mean, but I don’t want to have to chase her down in places I’m unfamiliar with and what if something happened before I got to her? I’d rather be safe than sorry. As she gets older, she will understand why I have that rule in place, but for now, she probably just thinks I’m a mean mom for five minutes. As she understands more and is able to explain where she wants to go, I’ll probably relax somewhat, but I think I’ll always worry a little extra.

Nursing

You’re probably wondering, what’s so different about that? Well, nothing really. I’ve heard a lot of people say that breast-feeding is such a visual thing and it probably is, but it didn’t work that way for me. Some of the hospital staff were concerned about my ability to breast-feed and at first, I had trouble getting her to latch. Partly because we were both new at it and because I was convinced that it was a visual thing so I wouldn’t be able to do it by feel. Of course, the visual aspect wasn’t working for me, so naturally I had to feel to help her latch. When I let go of the idea that I was doing it wrong, it worked much better. We found a way to make it work for us. As I thought about it more, I wondered how do moms get babies latched by sight in the middle of the night anyway? Do they turn a light on? I doubted it. Who wants to do that when you can role over and get back to sleep.

Measuring

One question I’ve heard before and even wondered myself before I became a parent was, how would I give my child medicine? I have different techniques for measuring medicine. Whether it is for a syringe or cup, I have either the pharmacist or someone else mark the dosage with a black line. I have to keep an eye on this as the line fades after several washings. One way I’ve found that keeps the mark there is to put clear tape over the black line. The little medicine cups work the same way. For those who can’t see at all, they use a tactile marker. I’ve heard of people using puff paints or making an indentation with a knife. Also, here is the thermometer I use.

Since Rosebud was having such trouble with getting enough milk before leaving the hospital, I had to start supplementing with formula. This was not a road I wanted to go down because I did not want to have to worry about measuring the exact amounts of liquid and powder. I didn’t want to be downstairs in the middle of the night making bottles, but for the first couple months of Rosebud’s life, that’s where I was. When I left the hospital, they sent me home with the pre-made 2oz containers of ready made formula. Those were expensive to buy so I bought a larger container of the powder. I’d measure out the water using a 2oz container and then add the scoops of powder. I was lucky I didn’t have to stick with measuring out formula, but I had figured it out and it was definitely an option when I needed it.

Identifying Colors

I have difficulty seeing color so sometimes I use an app called Seeing AI to identify colors. I use it a lot when I’m trying to match Rosebud’s socks. I try to get socks that are all white or that have distinctive patterns that I can easily match. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way so the color identifier comes to my rescue. For the rest of her clothes, I usually memorize or can see the colors, but occasionally if it’s a new outfit, I’ll use the app to tell me the colors. I worried about how I would teach her colors, but she already knows most of them. I’d point out colors of the items I knew, some of the tv shows she watches teach colors and other people would point out colors as well, so I really didn’t need to worry.

I also use apps on my phone to identify items. This was especially helpful with reading baby food jars since the labels are relatively small. I wished I would’ve had these apps when working in the infant room. I’ve also tried to use the app when reading books to Rosebud, but it’s too hard to try to read and repeat anything other than simple board books. Anyway, the app also comes in handy for reading mail, the directions on food packaging and for reading the error notices on my tv or computer screen.

As a parent with a visual impairment, I do the same parenting tasks that other parents do, but sometimes I have to do them in a different way. I think that some people equate doing something differently with inability, but that’s not the case. If we all did everything the same, no one would ever come up with anything new and then how boring would the world be? Where would our world be without any outside the box thinking? Maybe my parenting journey looks a little different than yours, but my end goal is the same. We all want to raise healthy, happy well adjusted children.

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Books, Personal Development, Reviews

Brick By Brick

March 2, 2019

At the beginning of this year, I made a list of books I plan to read in 2019. Take Control of Your Life by Mel Robbins was one of them. It’s still early in the year, but I’m glad I’ve finished it already. There were a lot of helpful tips for managing fear, changing your mindset and paying attention to what’s really going on in our bodies.

When we respond to fear, it’s our bodies that get triggered first. Your stomach may tighten, your face may get hot, some people break out in hives etc. The response is different for everyone, but it’s that discomfort that makes us not want to face our fears and return to normal as soon as possible. This is great in a situation where your safety is at risk and your gut is telling you to get away, but it’s not so helpful when you need to make changes in your life. Even positive change is scary because it takes us out of our comfort zone. There were several coaching sessions in the book, but I will focus on the first coaching session because it resonated with me as it’s where I am in life right now. I will summarize the five takeaways from the session and explain how they work.

Figuring out your Pattern

The workbook opens up with some questions. What is your biggest fear and what is your response to it? One of my biggest fears is being stuck in the same place in life and never figuring out my purpose. I can’t imagine being stuck at my dead end job for another five or ten years. I don’t even want to imagine it for another six months. I have no passion left for it. It sucks the energy right out of me. Part of my fear is that I’ll never find something that I love doing. I’d settle for tolerable at this point. This is why the first coaching session in the book, Take Control of Your Life, really resonated with me. The coaching session was with Dan, a man whose biggest fear is never figuring out what he wants to do in life. He’s currently a teacher, but wants to retire from that and wonders what else is out there for him, but what stops him from exploring other options is his pattern of thinking and rethinking. I am also an over thinker.

When I was exploring the possibility of becoming a transcriptionist, I was thinking of everything and it became overwhelming. I had so many questions floating around and instead of working on one thing at a time, I’d either jump all over the place or never get anything done. I’d worry about which software I was going to use. How I’d track the money I was making, how much money I’d make, what I’d need for my business, how to do an invoice, what would I do for a style guide? I needed to write a business plan and didn’t know which part to work on first. Basically, I had jumped way ahead of myself. Most of this was before even trying to work for a transcription company and in the end, I figured out that I didn’t want to make it my life’s work. I hated the different style guides, the low pay, the inaccessibility of so many things and how it would take me a long time to get back up to a good speed. I’d need to be transcribing constantly to get fast again and the fact was I didn’t have the time or energy to devote to it. It’s been a similar process with my interest in coaching and the possibility of running a childcare business from my home. I’m still interested in these things, but I often try to think about the big picture and analyze every detail. For example, I was listening to a podcast about how to set up a life coaching website, but I haven’t even taken the certification course yet.

In the book, Mel Robbins talks about wanting to own a small town coffee shop for years. Eventually, she got a job working in a small coffee shop on weekends, but she quickly learned that she hated working there. What she loved about the coffee shop was the sense of community and her ability to afford a daily coffee if she wanted. She also enjoyed taking the time to sit down with a cup of coffee and chat with those around her. What I loved about transcription was the flexible schedule, the ability to work from home and the idea that I’d be making content accessible to people. I was more excited about my work environment and the prospect of helping people than actually transcribing documents. These are all things I can find in other jobs that would be a better fit. Sometimes, we end up hating the thing that we think is our passion, but every time we explore a new possibility, we learn something new about ourselves.

Slow Down

If we keep ourselves too busy, we don’t have to think about what scares us. If I’m busy, I don’t have to apply for jobs. I don’t have to think about what I want to do next. I don’t have to financially plan for how I’m going to get there. If I’m busy, I keep things the same. They are comfortable because they are familiar, but they are uncomfortable at the same time because I feel the tension in my body. If we slow down, we can figure out what we really want to do. You can slow down by taking a walk in nature, meditating, spending time with those who support you, write in your journal, take a hot bath etc. Whatever reenergizes you.

State It To Create It

In the coaching session, Dan says, “don’t laugh” before he states his dream out loud. His passion is wine and he’s interested in taking a class or opening a wine bar. I didn’t think it was laughable. It’s his dream. Mel discussed how we under state our dreams or never state them out loud at all for the fear of being judged. What if we never achieve our dreams, what then? We’ve already stated what we want and now others might hold us accountable. We also fear that people may think our dreams are stupid or crazy.

What if you don’t know what your dream is? Follow what you enjoy. What are you interested in? What have you always wanted to do? Well, I’m in that boat. I don’t know exactly what my dream is. I’m interested in coaching, so my first step would be to figure out one thing I can do to explore it. Maybe it’s taking a class. Maybe it’s talking to a coach. Maybe it’s watching youtube videos. Once you start, it leads to something else.

Brick By Brick

Don’t think too big. Break your goals down into achievable steps that you can work on each day. When you have a box of legos, you construct your building brick by brick. That is how to pursue your dreams. If your dream is starting a blog, sit down with a blank document and write. Then when you have a few entries written, then worry about the next steps of setting up the website, promoting on social media etc. My interest is coaching, so I signed up for a couple of free webinars. It’s not a huge step, but it’s exploration and it’s one action I can take so I’m not just spinning my wheels.

Passion is not a Person, Place or Thing.

I needed to hear this. It’s not the job, a big house or the new relationship that brings passion into your life. It’s what you have within. You grow in to your passion by following your Curiosity. If you are wondering about your passion, try answering these questions. What are you curious about? What would you do for free? Whose life are you envious of and why? Follow the energy inside of you. That’s where passion lives.

Summary

To summarize, there were five takeaways from the first coaching session in Take Control of Your Life.

1. What is your biggest fear and what is your response? The first piece is to figure out your patterns.

2. Some of us use being busy to cover up our fears. Slow down. Take the time to listen to your inner voice in order to figure out your next steps.

3. State your dreams out loud in order to create them.

4. Achieve your goals brick by brick. Instead of thinking big, think small. Break actions down into small achievable tasks. If the task seems to overwhelming, break it down further.

5. Remember that passion is inside of you. Follow the things you are curious about. Follow the things that energize you and that will lead you in the right direction.

If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to listen to Take Control of Your Life and download the companion workbook. The questions are thought provoking, the tips are super useful and Mel and her coaching clients explain and demonstrate these concepts in a way that I can’t. Each person has a way of sharing their own personal stories. It’s conversational and relatable, so definitely check it out if you are interested in working on your mindset and breaking through fears. Have you read the book yet? What did you think? Tell me in the comments.

16 Comments

Books, Personal Development

To Be Read List for 2019

January 27, 2019

Recently, I posted about the memorable books I read in 2018. I got a lot of great feedback from that post and one of my readers left me a comment wondering what I would like to read in 2019. Her comment got me thinking that a to be read list would make a great post. So, here it is. There is plenty of self help with some novels and nonfiction thrown in.

1. Take Control of Your Life
This is the latest release from Mel Robins that will be out in February. I’m a fan of her previous books. She has a direct style and practical advice. Some of the things covered in this book are fears of rejection, being alone and the dreaded, but all too common fear of change. Why not read it? Who doesn’t want to bust through fear and take control of their lives?

2. The Desire Map Experience
It’s not about the goals, to do lists or new years resolutions, but how you want to feel in every part of your life. I think this book will have a lot of useful exercises.

3. The Five Love Languages of Children
I read The Five Love Languages for Singles a couple years ago because I was curious as to what my love language was. It turns out, my love language is receiving gifts. I find the concept interesting and it makes a lot of sense. People have different ways of expressing love and of course, people have different things that are meaningful to them. I saw that Gary Chapman wrote a version for children and now I want to read it. I want to find out what Rosebud’s love language is. Maybe she’s still too young for me to know, but maybe not.

4. The Woman in the Window
A novel written by A. J. Finn, about a woman who lives alone who spies on her neighbors. She believes she has seen a crime, but has she? The book is a best seller and I want to read it to find out why.

5. The Perfect Roommate
Last year, I read a couple of books by Minka Kent and this is the third one I found on Audible. It doesn’t have as many good reviews as her other books, but I figured, why not give it a try? A girl knows some dark secrets about her roommate.

6. Writing creative nonfiction
The title makes it obvious what this book is about. It’s more of a course than a book, but I’m interested in ways of making my writing better. Even though it’s not my day job, why not improve my craft? These lectures include writing samples and exercises that help you with all stages of the writing process.

7. The Best Friend
This one is by Shalini Boland. A woman has a new best friend who seems to have it all, but as she learns more, she finds out her best friend has dark secrets.

8. The Introvert’s Way
A book that helps us introverts to embrace our quiet nature and honor what is unique about us. This book has been on my wish list for a while and I’m hoping to read it this year. It sounds like it will be a refreshing perspective on those of us who are quiet.

9. The Boy who Loved Too Much
A boy has Williams Syndrome. I’m not familiar with it at all, but it causes him to be trusting and overly friendly to everyone he meets. He doesn’t have the natural skepticism that we usually have with strangers. This book is about him and his mother’s challenges in parenting him. Like all parents, she has to choose when to be protective and when to let go, but his condition adds an extra layer.

10. Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul
It seems as though there is a chicken soup book for everything and of course, they have one for travelers. I don’t get to travel these days, but I like learning about other places, so reading about it will have to do for now.

In reality, I have a wish list a mile long, but I’ve picked these ten to start with. I’m sure I’ll read more than ten books this year and will end up reading plenty that aren’t on this list. What have you read so far this year? What books are you planning to read? Tell me in the comments. Happy reading.

11 Comments

About me, Books, Personal Development

10 Memorable Reads of 2018

January 6, 2019

I know 2019 is already here, but I wanted to share some of the books I read last year. I read close to 50, but here are ten of the books I really enjoyed or were the most memorable. I wasn’t much of a reader until my late 20’s. I mostly read nonfiction and rarely branched out. Lately, I’ve been trying a bit of everything and read quite a few novels last year. I’ve branched out into self-help as well. With those books, I take the gems that resonate with me and leave the rest.

In 2018, there were a few that stood out to me and I found lessons that I could actually apply in real life. Since I am talking about self-help, I’ll start with those in no particular order.

Self Help

The 5 Second Rule

Listening to this book was like having Mel Robbins sitting right here talking. It was relatable and practical. The 5 second rule is a great strategy to help you stay motivated and last year, there were a lot of times where I put it into practice. Especially surrounding my morning routine. If you haven’t heard it, you should check it out and maybe you’ll find it helpful.

Kick Ass With Mel Robbins

This Audible original consists of several coaching sessions with Mel Robbins. This was interesting because Mel is more confrontational than most coaches I’ve heard of, but she made a lot of valid points with these particular clients. There were a variety of topics discussed and overall, it was an interesting listen.

Light is the New Black

Throughout this book, there were many thought provoking questions posed. This gave me lots of journal prompts to work through. There was some awesome quotes and affirmations that I really like. I enjoyed answering some of the questions in this book and it helped me to realize that I needed to get back to writing and journaling.

Attached

This book is written by Amir Levine and Rachel S. F. Heller. I’m cheating a bit. I read this book towards the end of 2017, but I am including it on this list because I found it insightful. I thought I had one attachment style, but after answering the questions in the book, my results were much different than I expected. It made a lot of sense to me. This knowledge will definitely help in the future. It was an eye opening read.

Nonfiction

When the Air Hits Your Brain

This was a well written account of one doctors experience being a Nero surgeon. His stories about his patients and colleagues were real and and at times filled with a lot of emotion. I cried during chapter 10. The story about the baby just got me. There were instances of sadness and death, but there were medical miracles too. I enjoyed this book.

The Sound of Gravel

This book was more shocking and disturbing than enjoyable. I love documentaries and and reading stories about people’s lives. At times that includes a lot of sadness and shocking and scary things. A lot of negative stuff that happens in this world is preventable. Especially when it comes to children. This book was proof of that. Spoiler alert! The author does find a better life, but it was a long hard road.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I learned from the Cat

I love these Chicken Soup books when it comes to stories about pets. I’ve read Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. There were amazing stories in all three of these books. Some were sad enough to make me cry and others made me laugh out loud. It’s amazing how pets can comfort, rescue, create bonds, play and help heal us. If you are an animal lover, I’d definitely recommend this series of books.

Fiction

The Perfect Mother

This book was a thriller with a few twists. A group of mothers meet up for play dates and one of the babies disappears. Some of the mothers come together to try to solve the case which takes you in a few different directions.

Little Fires Everywhere

A Chinese mother places her baby up for adoption and a white family is in. the process of adopting her. It becomes a controversial issue in the small town where the book takes place. The focus is on one family. An unusual woman and her daughter are new in town and they have a major impact on the whole family. This story has lots of layers and deals with a wide variety of issues both within a family and in the wider community.

The Memory Watcher

A young mother puts her child up for adoption. It seems that the perfect family has adopted her, but there are issues that get uncovered throughout the book. The characters were complex and no one was who they seemed to be. It was a fast read and the ending felt like the author could continue the story if she wanted to. If you like suspense or family drama, you’d probably enjoy reading this book.

This year, I hope to read many more books and by next year, I will have created another list. I just started reading My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward.” What are you reading right now? What have you read that you’ve loved? Tell me in the comments and happy reading.

29 Comments

Activities, Books, Education, Parenting, Toddlers, Winter

Five Interactive Winter Books for Toddlers

November 29, 2018

As I’ve written about before, Rosebud and I love to read. I often buy her new books based on the season and or if there’s a holiday coming up. For the spring, I get out her books about birds, plants and baby animals. In the fall, we read books about pumpkins, leaves and of course Halloween. The winter is no exception. The books we are reading right now are related to snow, Christmas and her birthday coming around the corner.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’m visually impaired so I don’t see the pictures very well. In children’s books, one could argue that the pictures are the most important thing. Well, they are to the child at least. Since I can’t see all the little details, I love to find books that are more interactive. Not only does it help me, but these extra elements make reading more fun for the children. Here are some great interactive winter books I’ve found along the way.

1.

That’s Not My Snowman by Fiona Watt.

This book shows a snowman on each page with a different tactile element. the mittens are too fuzzy or the buttons are too bumpy. The book is short, but it’s great for infants and toddlers. Rosebud still loves this book.

2.

PeekaBoo Christmas!: Touch-and-Feel and Lift-the-Flap by DK Publishing.

This book is large, sturdy and has illustrations that are shiny and colorful. Some of the pages include touch and feel elements like the pompom on the hat or the ornaments on the tree. Kids love to lift the flap to see what’s inside. Rosebud has always loved the different peekaboo books and this one did not disappoint her.

3.

Little Critter: Just a Snowy Day by Mercer Mayer.

I bought this book many years ago to read to the kids I was working with at the time. Now I get to share it with Rosebud. I love all the interactive elements in this book. You get to spin a wheel to make it snow, smell a cup of hot chocolate and pull Little Critter’s sled. My only complaint about this book is that the pull tabs can be easily broken. This book has always been a hit with any of the children I’ve read it to. The book is now out of print, but you can still find it on Amazon.

4.

The Gingerbread Family: A Scratch-and-Sniff Book by Grace Maccarone.

This story is of a day in the life of a gingerbread family. There is a scratch and sniff sticker on each page. The scents aren’t very strong, but the story is cute. When I was a kid, I never had books like these. I always loved scratch and sniff stickers and am glad I’ve been finding these cool books for Rosebud. She loves the pictures in this book as everything is made up of candy. We like to see which candy we can pick out. When she asks for this book, she says, “Let’s read about cookies.”

5.

The Sweet Smell of Christmas (Scented Story Book) by Patricia M. Scarry.

Many people seem to remember this book from their childhood. I do not and I have not read it to Rosebud yet. It will be a stocking stuffer for her this year. This book is filled with scratch and sniff stickers and I know Rosebud will be excited to read this one.

What are your favorite winter and holiday books? Let me know in the comments.

7 Comments

Activities, Education, Fall, Recipes, Toddlers

Pumpkin Spice Play-dough

October 30, 2018

I love anything pumpkin spice, so I couldn’t let fall fly by without making this play-dough. For some reason, it took me forever to get all the ingredients on hand to make this play-dough, but I’m glad I finally was able to make it. It smells fantastic and goes great with any Halloween or fall themed activities.

As soon as I opened the container, Rosebud said it smelled good enough to eat. And yes, she took several bites even though I kept telling her not too. I’m sure it smells way better than it tastes. I set out some play-dough tools. We have rolling pins, mini spatulas, play-dough scissors and cookie cutters. I found any Halloween related trinkets I found in my kitchen as well. I have a tiny ghost cake pan and some ghost and pumpkin rings that came on a cake.

We tried making pumpkins. Well, I would and then Rosebud would squish them.

We made ghosts, squished them up and then filled the pan again.

Finally, I made different shaped pumpkins like in the book, The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. It’s a book about a square pumpkin who saves the day for a farmer because of his differences. It’s a great book for Halloween, but the underlying theme is diversity. Even though we may look different, you can find something wonderful and worthwhile in those differences.

Here’s the recipe I used.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour,

1 cup salt,

2 table spoons cream of tarter,

1 table spoon Pumpkin Spice,
2 table spoons vegetable oil,

1&1/2 cups boiling water,

A couple drops of glycerin to add shine,

Red and yellow food coloring.

Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

2. Stir in oil.

3. Add water and stir until the lumps are gone and it comes together.

4. Kneed. Add food coloring, scent, glitter and or glycerin at this stage.

Store in an air tight container. All of my batches of play-dough have stayed good for a couple months at least.

Enjoy and happy playing. What are your favorite fall activities with play-dough? Let me know in the comments.

9 Comments