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  • National Geographic Kids Cookbook Giveaway

    National Geographic Kids Cookbook Giveaway

    It’s Sunday, which in our house means brunch, and a day spent relaxing in our comfy clothes. We look forward to Sunday’s every week because it’s the day we do what we want to do. It’s the one day of the week based solely on our own happiness and not obligations.

    The girls have really been into cooking lately, especially my 9-year-old. She loves to help the Big Guy cook anytime he’s in the kitchen. I bake but the Big Guy is a real gourmet. The kid is smart she wants to learn from the best.

    Lately, she’s been asking for cookbooks for Christmas and birthdays and any other occasion that will allow her to get into the kitchen. Part of me wants to yell, no, you don’t have to cook just because you are a woman but then I realized, her role model in the kitchen is her dad and honestly, if I’m being a true feminist it’s her choice if she wants to cook or not cook so we’ve been building a small collection of kids cookbooks.

    One of our latest cookbook acquisitions has been National Geographic Kids Cook-Book A Year-Round FUN Food Adventure. It is packed full of 12 months of fun recipes for every holiday, occasion and month of the year.

    National Geographic, Kids Cookbook, cooking with kids, #NGKInsider

    Bella has been begging to cook something out of the book since receiving it, so this morning we let her help with brunch. It was a simple recipe for Sunny-Side up eggs, one of the simplest but for someone who’d never cooked it before, it was a big deal and she cooked it perfectly.

    Cooking eggs is something as grown ups that we take for granted because it’s something we feel like we’ve always known how to do, like making toast or boiling tea but it’s not. We had to learn, someone had to show us, at least once. There are lots of things we forget that you have to learn before you know.

    So, this morning as my husband made the gravy and biscuits, the girls helped. I watched. Brunch is mostly a Big Guy thing. Then when it was time to make the eggs, I watched as Bella pulled out her National Geographic Kids Cook Book and proudly asked her daddy to teach her and he did what any good daddy could, he taught her how to cook her first ever Sunny-Side up eggs and she was proud as could be with her results. I don’t know if it was the circumstances or the cook, but those were the best damn eggs I’ve ever eaten.

    National Geographic, Kids Cookbook, cooking with kids, #NGKInsider

    Do your children like to cook?

    Well, if they do, I am giving away one copy of the National Geographic Kids Cookbook A Year-Round FUN Food Adventure to one lucky reader. Contest open to readers in the U.S. and ends on November 23 at midnight, EST. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite thing to cook with your kids.

    Disclosure: I am a National Geographic Kids Insider and the book was provided to me free of charge for review purposes. However, all opinions are my own.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Halloween Whore Costumes for Kids because our Daughters Need to be even MORE sexualized

    Halloween Whore Costumes for Kids because our Daughters Need to be even MORE sexualized

    Halloween is here. Why does shark week always happen at the most inopportune times; vacations, honeymoon and every single holiday ever. I suppose that could explain it all, right? Shark week is upon us again, of course it has decided to fall right on one of my favorite holidays of the year, Halloween. I am quite realistically playing the exorcist in my real life right now, not of my own volition. Shark week has descended upon me like an unwelcome guest and I am trying my best to not hurt anyone but it’s getting harder and harder when I am faced with outlandish ignorance at almost every turn. Shark week will not be denied. Try as I may to resist the allure of Shark Week, it’s getting hard with what I have been faced with in the last couple of days.

    The Shark Week Cometh

    While I am in the throes of Shark week, I have been running like a maniac to organize the world’s greatest Halloween party because I am a total Type -A over-achieving  room mother freak. Yes, I totally brought this upon myself only if YOU are a Type -A, like me, you know that it’s near impossible for a control freak to relinquish enough control to delegate. I do. I delegate but then I go a little stir crazy waiting for people to do what they say they will do. I have learned over the years to let things go but it still makes me a little tense add to that the fact that last week happened to be one of those weeks when little mean girls decided to hurt my little girls (Yes, plural both of my girls were hurt by mean girls last week).

    Speaking of crazy little girls and their crazy mothers, one of the mean girls by association , invited my daughter to her birthday party. I hadn’t RSVPd because my kid starts rehearsals for the Nutcracker and we hadn’t found out the date. Let’s just say we’ve got a shiton of things on our plate and making it to a 7 year old mean girls birthday party is not a priority, especially not on shark week. I received a call from the kids mother to check if we were coming. Let’s get this straight now, I CAN READ. If I have not RSVPd and I knew the date of RSVP then you should assume to count us out because if we are big enough assholes not to respond then who wants us at your mean girl by association party anyway, right? Just me?

    Anyways, Mean Girl by Association Mom calls me not once, but twice to check if we were coming. I ask what the little girl would like and the Mom’s response , “Well, She loves Justin Bieber so anything Justin Bieber would be great. She is crazy for him. He’s so cute.” I am scratching my head because,as you may already know, I think kids should be kids. She’s turning 7 not 13 so there should really be no boy crazy hormones that are responsible for her underage case of raging Bieber Fever. My girls are still into princesses and Barbies. I’m not allowing any Justin Bieber posters, dolls, musical toothbrushes, or “Future Mrs.Bieber” teddy bears in my house. Not only am I not allowing it, I am discouraging it. If it’s about the music that’s one thing but to be , at 7, thinking “He’s so cute” WTF? Not appropriate. I guess whatever, it’s not my kid but this is part of the problem with our kids today. Aside from dressing them all like tiny hookers, they make it almost impossible for them to be children because they are shoving pubescence down their throats from about the age of three.

    The View from Shark Week

    Speaking of shoving pubescence down your throat and dressing little girls like hookers, have you seen the costumes they make for little girls of the “tween” age and more disturbingly for kids of the “Tween size”? My daughter is only 6 but she wears a 8-10 in a costume because she is so tall. I fear the costumes available in her size for her next year are more like something a tiny little stripper might wear on theme night at the Hustler Club than a Halloween costume for a child! Does anyone need teen pregnancy explained any further? Really, because I’m pretty sure that I know what’s going on…we are shoving sex down our children’s throats at every turn. Are we such a sexualized  society that we can’t even see that we are doing something wrong anymore?Have we crossed the line so far that we actually find a sexualized 11 year old as acceptable?

    Obviously, I don’t live in a vacuum and I know there are different strokes for different folks but I find it increasingly irritating that people complain about the state of the world; childhood obesity, over sexualized teens, global warming, the state of the economy and so much more but these are all things that we can fix, if we are willing to take responsibility for what we are doing. We are not some helpless victims of circumstances we are willing participants in the hell in a hand-basket mentality that we collectively share. I don’t think shark week is making me particularly bitchy,I just think that shark week is allowing me to see a little more clearly the cracks in the foundation. What are your thoughts on Bieber Fever for the barely in school age and Hootchie Halloween costumes for the barely pubescent? Happy Halloween and Happy Shark Week.

    Hell Hath No Fury Like  Woman on Shark Week

  • I Fell Off the Nutrisystem Wagon at BlogHer ’13

    I Fell Off the Nutrisystem Wagon at BlogHer ’13

    BlogHer, Nutrisystem, weight loss, diet, champagneI just finished week 8 on Nutrisystem and I want to be honest with you. I did not lose a pound. In fact, I went to BlogHer and gained 4.6 pounds. So, to recap I was at 235 last week when I weighed in on Nutrisystem and now I am at 239.6. I am not happy about this but I wouldn’t trade my last week in Chicago for anything, not even 4.6 pounds. (more…)

  • Nutrisystem Update~Stress Does Not do the Body Good

    Nutrisystem Update~Stress Does Not do the Body Good

    Nutrisystem, diet, weight lossI just finished up week 7 of Nutrisystem. I am down .8 pounds, with my current weight being 235. As you can see my weight loss has slowed quite a bit this week but that has to do with a few things.One, I was traveling last week and found myself at the mercy of the situation because I was eating off of restaurant menus rather than at home where I could pick and choose what to eat according to my food planner. I’m traveling again this week and I am hoping that the 5 days in Chicago and eating out will be counteracted by all the walking I will be doing. (more…)

  • Nutrisystem Week 11 Update

    nutritalapiaI just finished week 11 of Nutrisystem and I lost another 1 pound. This means I have officially lost 3 of the 4.6 pounds that I gained in that one weekend at BlogHer. It’s amazing how easy it is to gain the weight and how near impossible it is to lose it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am over 40? I was warned that women over a “certain” age have a more difficult time losing weight than their younger counterparts. Have you found this to be true?

    The Nutrisystem food makes it easier than it would be trying to figure this all out on my own but it is still hard losing weight the right way. What I mean is that when you eat right, move and are accountable to yourself it forces you to take stock of who you are and why you are doing this; how you got where you are and why you want to change. It’s been a real eye opener for me.

    I used to want to lose weight to look good in my clothes. That was it. There was a time when I thought the motivation behind wanting to lose weight had something to do with appearance and then I realized it had more to do with control and other times I was using my weight as a disguise, to hide from others and hide from myself. The weight was like a giant warm, safe snuggy that I wrapped myself in for protection and then one day, it just became cumbersome and I wanted rid of it. I want rid of it.

    How did you decide that you wanted to lose weight? Why? What motivates you to get healthy?

    Want to join me in losing weight and getting healthy on Nutrisystem? You can join Nutrisystem by calling 1-888-853-4689 or visiting https://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

    Disclaimer: Nutrisystem is providing my program free of charge for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program but all opinions are honest and my own.

  • Nutrisystem Week 12 Update

    Nutrisystem Week 12 Update

    I’ve lost one more pound during week 12 of Nutrisystem. Only six more ounces and I will be back to my pre-BlogHer weight. Sounds like I am trying to lose my baby weight, only I have no baby to show for it just a belly full of rich foods and a weekend filled with great memories so I guess it was sort of worth it, right? Only no! I mean, couldn’t I have done exactly the same thing on salad and grilled chicken, minus the alcohol and added in a lot more exercise. If only hugging were a calorie burner, I would have hugged myself skinny at that damn conference.

    So, do you think people use traveling and special occasions as an excuse to put off weight loss? Do we procrastinate until tomorrow because we secretly hope tomorrow will never come? Why do we always try to eat all the food the night before we start a diet? What the heck is that about? I mean that can’t be good for you and I know I am not the only one who does that. I start a diet tomorrow, well then you can guarantee that I am eating carbs and sugar tonight. It’s ridiculous, right?

    Nutrisystem is changing the way I am looking at food. It’s forcing me to not only take culpability for my eating habits but know that your weight is a direct result of your eating and workout habits. This is obvious from that BlogHer trip. I don’t think I realized how immediate the consequences were apparent.

    What is the one thing that you know will derail you every time when trying to lose weight?

    Want to join me in losing weight and getting healthy on Nutrisystem? You can join Nutrisystem by calling 1-888-853-4689 or visiting https://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

    Disclaimer: Nutrisystem is providing my program free of charge for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program but all opinions are honest and my own.

  • Les Misérables Proves that Where there is Love there is Hope

    Les Misérables Proves that Where there is Love there is Hope

    Earlier this week, we took the girls to see Les Misérables, the musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo. This has been one of my favorite musicals since I first watched it on PBS as a child. When I watched the movies with my daughters and the Big Guy, we all sung along and laughed and cried. But nothing beats seeing Les Misérables from any seat in the house at the theater. The voices on stage transport your soul back to a time of civil unrest during the French Revolution.

    With glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, this breathtaking production of Les Misérableswhich broke box office records during its pre-Broadway tour, has left both audiences and critics awestruck, cheering “Les Miz is born again!”

    Nick Cartell, Josh Davis, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Les Miserables, Les Misérables tour, Jean Valjean, why everyone should see Les Misérables, Cosette, Mary Kate Moore, Fantine, Eponine, Paige Smallwood, Joshua Grosso, Marius, Jillian Butler, Broadway, Les Misérables U.S. Broadway Tour

    Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption-a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Featuring one of the greatest scores of all time, with thrilling and beloved songs including “I Dreamed A Dream,” “On My Own,” “Stars,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Do You Hear the People Sing” and many more, this epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Along with the Oscar-winning movie version, it has now been seen by more than 130 million people in 44 countries and in 22 languages around the globe. Les Misérables is still the world’s most popular musical, breaking box office records everywhere in its 33rd year.

    READ ALSO: Phantom of the Opera a Family Review

    Nominated for three Tony Awards, this latest Broadway production is a more than worthy chapter in Les Miserables’ long history. It debuted at the Imperial Theatre in 2014 and ran for two years, drawing huge acclaim for its stripped-down storytelling, which jettisons some of the bloat attached to previous productions, and the atmospheric video projections that lend the show a hugely cinematic backdrop.

    Nick Cartell, Josh Davis, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Les Miserables, Les Misérables tour, Jean Valjean, why everyone should see Les Misérables, Cosette, Mary Kate Moore, Fantine, Eponine, Paige Smallwood, Joshua Grosso, Marius, Jillian Butler, Broadway, Les Misérables U.S. Broadway Tour

    Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original Les Misérables orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker.  The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt and projections by Fifty-Nine Productions. Music Supervision is by Stephen Brooker and James Moore, with casting by Kaitlin Shaw for Tara Rubin Casting.

    Nick Cartell, Josh Davis, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Les Miserables, Les Misérables tour, Jean Valjean, why everyone should see Les Misérables, Cosette, Mary Kate Moore, Fantine, Eponine, Paige Smallwood, Joshua Grosso, Marius, Jillian Butler, Broadway, Les Misérables U.S. Broadway Tour

    Speaking of the cast, Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean, was probably the best I’ve ever heard. He moved everyone in the theater the way he told the story of Jean Valjean with his amazing voice. He presented Jean Valjean in an underdog way that made you really want to take him in and help him out. You rooted for him. You wanted to see him get the redemption he so desperately seeked. Another big voice was Paige Smallwood’s, Éponine. I would say she was equal to Cartell’s Jean Valjean. Her voice gave you all the feels and, even though we all know how it turns out for Éponine, I found myself wishing for a plot twist.

    READ ALSO: Wicked, Good for the Entire Family

    Josh Davis was a powerful and unrelenting Javert and while you want to hate him, you felt this underlying sympathy for him. Josh Davis’ performance was stellar. J Anthony Crane and Allison Guinn, Thénardier and Madame Thénardier, were hilarious and perfectly cast. They masterfully delivered every joke to perfection with bold, vibrant voices and impeccable timing. Other stand out performances were delivered by Matt Shingledecker, as Enjolras, Mary Kate Moore, as Fantine, Joshua Grosso, as Marius, and Jillian Butler, as Cosette. Really the entire cast was stellar. I could watch and listen to this casts’ production of Les Misérables over and over again.

    One last cast member that I need to mention, Parker Weathersbee, as Petit Gervais, Gavroche, captivated me. He is making his national tour debut with Les Misérables and he brought the house down with his performance. He is such a big personality in such a young performer.

    The new production is currently playing to sold-out houses across North America, Mexico City and on tour in the U.K. To date, Les Misérables remains the 5th longest-running Broadway production of all time. If you’ve never seen Les Misérables, I highly recommend that you go see it on tour.

    Nick Cartell, Josh Davis, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Les Miserables, Les Misérables tour, Jean Valjean, why everyone should see Les Misérables, Cosette, Mary Kate Moore, Fantine, Eponine, Paige Smallwood, Joshua Grosso, Marius, Jillian Butler, Broadway, Les Misérables U.S. Broadway Tour

    It has something for everyone; drama, a revolution, history, a love triangle, unrequited love, humor, tenderness, parental love and, my personal favorite, a man doing his best to survive the human condition while chasing redemption with a passion. A theme I think everyone who’s ever lived can relate to some degree. It’s hard to find the words to encompass such an amazing production with such a powerhouse cast. I was moved to tears throughout the show and it wasn’t just me, the Big Guy and my girls were tearing up several times. We were absolutely blown away.

    READ ALSO: The Aladdin Experience

    For me, giving my girls the gift of the theater is one of my favorite things aside from travel. But in a way, aren’t we transported to different spaces and times when we see a Broadway show? The memories of laughing, singing and crying in the theater together, looking over and sharing a smile, giving a standing ovation to a well-deserved group of performers, there is nothing quite like it. We will share those memories forever and one day, when I am gone, my girls will hear Fantine’s Death and think of me and the time we saw Les Misérables together when they were children, well, somewhere between children and women.

    Nick Cartell, Josh Davis, Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Les Miserables, Les Misérables tour, Jean Valjean, why everyone should see Les Misérables, Cosette, Mary Kate Moore, Fantine, Eponine, Paige Smallwood, Joshua Grosso, Marius, Jillian Butler, Broadway, Les Misérables U.S. Broadway Tour

    I encourage you to share these experiences with your children if they are able to stay up, stay still and mature enough to appreciate the themes. My girls are 11 and 14-years-old but we’ve been taking them to Broadway shows and the ballet since they were preschoolers. This is how their love of the theater began.

    Les Misérables will be at the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend from March 19- March 24, 2019. If you miss it there, check out the Les Misérables website for future dates.

    I do know that the Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon Les Misérables will return for its much anticipated Chicago engagement at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W Randolph) July 9-27, 2019, direct from a celebrated two-and-a-half year Broadway engagement.

    Individual tickets for Les Misérables will go on sale at a later date.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

    IfLes Misérables teaches us anything, remember always, that where there is love, there is hope.

  • Walmart Savings Catcher Works

    Walmart Savings Catcher Works

    I have partnered with Walmart to bring you this sponsored post and information about this awesome new program Savings Catcher ; as always, all opinions are my own.

    A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about trying out this new Savings Catcher program at WalMart. There is a WalMart just a stones throw away from my house, so I go there often for the staples like paper products and hygiene products. I won’t lie, I spend a lot of money there.

    My mother-in-law is always raving about how WalMart price matches, the only problem is that you have to remember to bring in the ad and remember to tell the cashier and then you hold up the line and you become “that” person. I’m about as good at remembering the ad as I am remembering to actually bring my bags and coupons to the store. I have great intentions but I just don’t have the brain power on most days to remember those little things. It’s a great idea but I just never can remember to bring the paper, besides most of the ads I view are online anyways so Savings catcher is awesome because I don’t have to lug coupons and ad matches (though I could to get the best deal EVER!)

    With Savings Catcher, I simply do my shopping and then within the week, I log on and enter my receipt number and voila…the savings catcher lets me know if I’ve actually gotten any savings that week. If anything goes on sale or gets marked down during that week, the savings catcher “catches it” and I save money. Now, I know in theory, I am putting the effort in, just like I would if I were price matching or clipping coupons. The difference is that I can do this from the comfort of my own home and not hold up any lines.

    So, since I’ve started using it, I’ve earned about $10, for doing nothing other than buying what I was already going to be buy at the lowest price already so, if you ask me, it works. I like it. The holiday season is right around the corner and Walmart always has great Black Friday sales that we hit for toys and kids electronics and we all know how at that time of the year, sales are changing constantly, I will be putting my savings catcher account to work. Maybe I’ll even earn enough to buy myself something.

    I’d recommend that you log into www.walmart.com/SavingsCatcher today and enter any receipts you have from the last 7 days, and let Savings catcher check to see if you’ve earned any savings. Just remember, it has to be within 7 days so do it at least once a week if you are a frequent Walmart shopped.

     

    Photo

  • New Year + New Perspective + Gratitude + Positivity = Happiness

    It’s January 2, 2019 and I am finally physically (and mentally) released from restrictions. New Year + New Perspective + gratitude = Happiness! This is what I’m living by these days. My word of year for 2019 is positivity and I want it sprinkled all over my world like confetti.

    My priorities are myself, my family, good friends, my health and pursuing my passion in a way that allows me to stay open to all opportunities. I want to be the best me there is. I want to grow deeper in my faith and stiller in my soul. If you’re ready to invest into making changes and personal improvements to your life with the help of life coaching, visit www.hellomanpreet.com for free consultation.

    “I refuse to waste another new year with an old mind. I will rejoice.”

    This is my mantra. This year, as the end of 2018 approached, I wasn’t disgusted by 2018. I wasn’t waiting for 2019 to start anew. I had a peaceful feeling wash over me sometime between the time I had my hysterectomy and Christmas where I just started feeling better, more positive. I think I finally hit my rock bottom and just let it all go.

    READ ALSO: Resolving to Incite a Revolution

    It was weird because I’ve been feeling pretty negative since I broke my leg in 2015. If were being completely honest, I haven’t felt myself since my miscarriage in 2012. I’ve been surviving, making it just in time to put out each next fire. Trying to fake it until I make it but I never really felt like I was going to be myself again. I just kept thinking of that old adage that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I took comfort that someday, I would be stronger.

    But after what seemed like forever of feeling like I was hidden from the sunshine under my own personal cloud of despair, suddenly, I felt elated. I felt hopeful in the realest way that I have in years. I felt positive. Positive that my situation was not unsurmountable. That through determination and purposeful intentions, I.Can.Do.Anything. More importantly, I could be fully happy without remorse, pain or guilt.

    Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t sitting around giving up. I kept fighting to come back to myself from all the things that were holding me back and pulling me down. I never gave up on myself because I’ve hit rock bottom before and I know that you can come back to a world of beauty and blessing and I know that my life is full of blessings; the Big Guy, my girls, my parents, my siblings, my friends, my health, my career and my opportunities. Things may not be where I want them to be but they could be much worse.

    I needed new perspective to overcome the situation. Mentally, I knew that none of these situations were unsurmountable but spiritually, I felt deflated and weak. I knew that I needed to see things from another side to appreciate what I have. But how do you get a new perspective from the bottom of the same hole that you’ve been living in for the past 6 years. The hole that you’ve desperately been trying to pull yourself out of, so much so that your arms are too weak to any longer pull you up but you aren’t ready to give up? That is the question. I didn’t have an answer and then my salvation came from an unexpected place, as it always has for me.

    In came in the form of a letter, from my priest reminding me that I needed to attend mass more regularly. It came in the form of a gynecologist who kept her sense of humor when I was desperate for answers. It came in the form of my parents showing up to take care of me when I had my surgery. It came in the form of a friend online who checks on me weekly to make sure that I’m ok and another who sent my family food when I was unable to cook. It came in the form of a husband who never complained when he had to pick up all the slack and always put my health above his sheer exhaustion.

    READ ALSO: Best Tech to Help you Get Healthy in the New Year

    It came in the form of my daughters making me laugh and talking to me about everything happening in their lives. It came in random hugs, kisses and smiles. It came from a friend online who inspired me with her beginning and her results. It came in the form of a mother-in-law who let me know she always had my back. It came in the form of our dog who sat by my side the whole time I recovered. It came in the form of fresh air and twinkling lights. It came in the form of late night talks with my sister in law, the smiles of my nieces and nephews and my family dancing in the kitchen for no reason at all. It came in the form of more love being bestowed upon me than I thought I deserved.

    It came in the form of one editor telling me how important my words were and another giving me a job when I needed it most. It came in the form of a tattoo that helped me process my grief; to let go of the sadness and replace it with peace. It came in the form of driving the entire break to see family and finally on th last day of 2018, driving a couple hours to meet with a couple of my closest friends and talking…letting it all out. These small things, hundreds of what may seem like inconsequential things, filled my soul, gave me a life buoy when I was drowning and gave me the new perspective I needed to push through the misery and into the light.

    I’m a work in progress. This is just the beginning. Or maybe it’s the middle because when I think of it, this shift in perspective started when I got my memorial tattoo in November 2017. I’m not sure what the future holds for me, this may all be some foray back into mania, though I hope not. For now, I am being purposeful with my intentions. I am choosing my path instead of running down the dark alley of someone else’s expectations.

    Last month, I wrote a list of things that I want to accomplish personally and professionally this year. I’m working on putting my intentions and goals out into the universe, I’m taking action and I’m willfully remaining positive. I’m staying open to all opportunities and saying yes. I’m turning my struggles into fuel that feeds my soul. I am a survivor.

    READ ALSO: Firework

    Today, I was finally released from physical restrictions and I feel like I can breathe again. I’m moving. I am prioritizing myself. I am not allowing myself to be distracted by things that don’t better me. I am leaving behind people who are toxic to my soul and embracing those who empower and inspire me. Today, I start my journey to becoming more healthy, self aware and not letting fear stand in the way of my dreams.

    I’ve been listening to this song “Rejoice” for inspiration and reflective introspection. Maybe it will inspire you to follow your bliss too because we are good enough. We deserve all the blessings and we can make all of our dreams come true.

    What inspires you? Are you embracing  New Year + New Perspective + Gratitude + Positivity = Happiness ? If so how?

  • What Every Tech Savvy Adventurer Will Want this Holiday Season

    What Every Tech Savvy Adventurer Will Want this Holiday Season

    Can you believe it’s already almost Halloween? This weekend, we’re doing the city’s zombie walk at the girl’s request (because we are the coolest parents ever) and then it’s hay rides and pumpkin carving at the neighborhood fall festival. Before too long, I’ll be hosting Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Christmas??? I’m still dreaming of beaches and water parks! Where did summer go?

    Every year, I know that I am going to get lost in all of our “obligations” that I purposely focus even harder on making sure the girls remember baking cookies with grandma, making fudge with daddy, singing carols and just a general feeling of warmth rather than the chaos. I try to make each holiday season fondly memorable even if that just means the four of us preparing brunch and watching Christmas vacation together. What I inevitably forget to do every year is give my family a list of what I’d like for Christmas.

    Sure, I can say that all I really want is my family to be healthy, happy and together and that is true but of course, there are things that I would like but who ever has time to make a list. It feels so unimportant amongst everything else but really, it would be nice to actually get something that I’ve wanted. The thing with moms is that we are so busy taking care of others that we often forget to take care of ourselves and while we’ll bend over backwards to make our family happy, we just never seem to take the time to do the same for ourselves.

    GoPro Hero4Black, GoPro, tech, blogger, camera, photography, action photography, video, holiday wish list

    Not this year. This year, I am not only making a list. I am making a pin board of all the stuff I’d be thrilled to have and a lot of it is tech toys like the GoPro HERO4 Black, an iPhone 6 Plus, a conference ticket or two and a few other tasty treats to kick my blog up a notch.

    GoPro, tech, blogger, camera, photography, action photography, video, holiday wish list, GoPro Hero4Black

     

    GoPro has unveiled its new line of action cameras at Best Buy stores, just in time for the holidays. Best Buy will also have the latest accessories and mounts to help you capture immersive footage of the moments that matter most like skiing in Aspen,  ringing in the  New Year some place warm or maybe spring break at Disney World.

    GoPro, tech, blogger, camera, photography, action photography, video, holiday wish list, GoPro Hero4Black

    GoPro cameras make the perfect holiday gift for everyone, my girls would love it to take action video while flipping on the trampoline. I’d love it to take stunning action photos for my blog. GoPro’s new line of cameras allow you to beautifully and authentically capture and share the experiences that bring purpose, adventure, and joy to your life.

    GoPro has 3 new cameras out this holiday season:

    • GoPro HERO4 Black is the most advanced GoPro ever, featuring improved image quality and a 2x more powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates1, HERO4 Black takes award‐winning GoPro performance to a whole new level.

    GoPro, tech, blogger, camera, photography, action photography, video, holiday wish list, GoPro Hero4Silver

    • GoPro HERO4 Silver is the first-ever GoPro to feature a built-in touch display. Controlling The camera, playing back footage and adjusting settings is ultra-convenient—just view, tap and swipe the screen. With 1080p60 and 720p120 video, and 12MP photos at a staggering 30 frames per second, HERO4 Silver combines powerful, pro-quality capture with the convenience of a touch display.

    GoPro, tech, blogger, camera, photography, action photography, video, holiday wish list, GoPro Hero4

    • GoPro HERO: Featuring high‐quality 1080p30 and 720p60 video, and 5MP photos up to 5 fps, HERO captures the same immersive footage that’s made GoPro one of the best-selling cameras in the world.

    It has 12x more powerful processor with 2x faster video frame rates. This is action photography at its best. I can’t wait to get my hands on one.

    Well, I’d better get back to sorting my Blogger’s Wish list Pinterest pin board

    Learn more at www.bestbuy.com/GoPro or visit your local Best Buy to check out the latest cameras in person.

     

     

    I’ve been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card , which I am putting towards buying myself the GoPro HERO4 Black.