Teen Dating Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month.  I know, it's a topic we all love to discuss and hear about, right? And February may be over as a Domestic Violence Awareness month but it is topic and cause that is never far from my heart because it is part of my story. Did you know that nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year? In cases like those, there's child sexual assault, too. What’s even more alarming is that 81% of parents believe teen-dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.  I know my parents didn't. No one talked about it then and they still aren't talking about it enough today. I believe that it’s important to educate adolescents about abuse from partners, but it’s just … [Read more...]

How to Stop Fear and Doubt from Ruling Your Life

Fear and Doubt.  Two of our worst enemies.  Are they ruling your life?  I know that if I don't watch myself and stay vigilant they begin to creep in and start their own podcasting duo in my brain that I do not want on my playlist. No, really. How do we stop fear and doubt from running their crappy commentary in our life and sucking up our energy and brain power?   Here's what happened with me and how I'm dealing with it. Subscribe to my channel for more from me on cars, fitness, fashion and more. So daily, I'm using my mind, body and soul to kick ass and kick fear and doubt to the curb.  I listen to lots of podcasts each day and read a lot while I work to combat them.  I have practically wall papered my office with quotes and images that assist with this ass kicking … [Read more...]

Beauty and the Beast Review

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of taking in a matinée for an advanced screening of Beauty and the Beast. I've been dying to share my thoughts about this film starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast ever since. The magic of Beauty and the Beast begins right away when we are whisked into the world of Prince Adam before he became the Beast.  I loved seeing this aspect come to life in all its gorgeous detail with the set and costumes. From there we are taken to Belle and her provincial village. Here we find our heroine yearning to break free from her life in a small town.  It's also where the audience gets its first look at how much more independent and multi-dimensional our characters are versus their one-note animated predecessors.  To me, this made the film even … [Read more...]

Upcycling Chick-fil-A Salad Container

Yes, you totally did just hear me say I'm upcycling a Chick-fil-A salad container.  No, you have not reached the wrong blog.  And we all know that I'm not the crafty sort.  I would rather spend the day painting furniture or demo-ing a wall and be in that DIY mode than kids crafts. Except it is unusually warm here right now and spring already feels like it is in the air.  You make one small trip to the Dollar Store after Chick-fil-A and suddenly you have an idea. Terrariums! "Hey kiddos, let's take those plastic containers from Chick-fil-A and upcycle them into terrariums and grow some flowers!!" I totally went there.  Just four items were needed and a set of little hands to create tiny terrariums to usher in spring! Gather supplies. We used two small Chick-fil-a Super … [Read more...]

That Annoying Post About Gratitude

Gratitude. One word and so many eye rolls and heavy sighs. At least from a lot of people I know. It's a great idea in theory they chant. "Oh right, that journal thing?" Is another one I hear often. Yes. That's one way to look at it. Or you could think of gratitude like this instead. I get it. I really do. I find 30 days of gratitude sappy and I often end up feeling like a failure at it because after day 4 or 9 I have forgotten about posting my daily gratitudes. Is that a word? But what about looking at it this way? Subscribe to my channel for more good stuff, more information and if you have questions just hit me up in the comments. What if you start your day not turning on your phone and searching social media and emails first thing? Those two things create feelings of … [Read more...]

Stop Feeling Guilty

Raise your hand if you have ever felt guilty about doing something nice for yourself. I think it is safe to say that we have all been there, done that.  Knock it off and change-up your behavior. Like, right now. Here's why you should stop feeling guilty and start being healthy. Subscribe to my channel for more good stuff, more information and if you have questions just hit me up in the comments. This isn't groundbreaking stuff or new to anyone.  We all know we need to take care of ourselves, but somehow we get these mixed messages from the outside world that tell us that to be a good person, mother, wife, friend, co-worker we need to be giving to others all the time.  If not, then we are selfish. That's a bunch of bullshit right there.   If you feel guilty trying to eat … [Read more...]

Work Out to Work Better

Ask yourself this question. Do you do it to stay fit or just fit into your pants?  Are you maintaining or achieving? Do you do it to perform better or just like the challenge of taking a new class or getting to the next level? Think about what you just read.  There's a correlation between how you work out and how you work and perform at your job.  If you are just biding time, getting in your 30 minutes in on the treadmill, so that you can say you 'hit the gym' then you might be doing the very same thing at the office or on the job. You clocked your hours, have a few power days, but overall you are coasting along. Did you ever consider how if you push yourself harder at the gym you might approach your work differently? Maybe you'll decide to make a leap to something new or … [Read more...]

3 Ways to Work Smarter

I said it before and I will keep saying it.  2017 is all about the hustle.  That means working smarter is absolutely imperative.  This video I created just for you my lovely readers is all about 3 ways to work smarter and be more productive and it applies to all areas of life. Some days I feel like a shark swimming through the water. My goals are like tiny drops of blood that I'm tracking down and tackling one by one, day by freakin' day.  Chomp!   Bonus tip! Each day I write out my tasks for the day and check them off as I complete them.  At the end of the day I'm writing down all my accomplishments in a notebook. That notebook is for accomplishments ONLY.  It helps to keep me accountable but also to see the progress I'm making in small ways that add up to the bigger … [Read more...]

Disney Movies for 2017

If I could, I would spend much of my day in front of a movie or TV screen.  Some days I walk around with my tablet or laptop watching something as I cook, clean or even batch work.  I told you before that 2017 was the year I was going to incorporate some of my #geek on you. That brings me to Disney.  They typically bring it each year, but 2017 looks like a tsunami of AWESOME when it comes to family and kid fare. I can't wait!  Let's see what is in store, shall we? First up- Beauty & the Beast My girls are so excited for this one.  Arriving in theaters March 17.  My oldest is beside herself that "Hermione" is playing Belle.  While she was never a Disney Princess girl, Belle is her favorite because of her "love of books and her empathy towards others".  She told me this … [Read more...]

Create Different

New Year. New Ideas. That's what is all about, right?  Now, I don't make resolutions but sometimes I create goals.  This year I'm feeling different.  I need to be different and create differently.  SO! Here's what I'm going to do.  Just watch... Subscribe to my channel, learn with me and let's create something different here in this space. *What I didn't mention in this video is that I'm also writing a book. Time suck? Yes! Worth it?  I think so. … [Read more...]