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Challenge: Can you put your phone down for 2 hours – A Day?

Published on February 7, 2019April 18, 2019 by Roshonda B6 Comments

I tried it! Did I pass or fail? Well, you gotta keep reading. Hey you, no scrolling to the good stuff. Keep reading…lol..

You know, I was sitting in around one Saturday, looking at my phone. I was scrolling Gmail, Facebook messenger, Whats App, YouTube and texting. ALL at the same time, it’s like I was multi-tasking going back and forward and let’s not even discuss those FB notifications that seem to come in every second, letting you know who posted, said or did something. Answering messages here, sending messages there, reading messages everywhere. It was then that I asked myself. “Can you go 2 hours without picking up your phone?”

It was a question that I honestly couldn’t answer. You see, for the last month or so – maybe even longer to be very transparent with you. What I’d come to notice about myself is that I had become immune to my phone. Okay, I know what you’re saying “Who isn’t?” But I mean; I had become overly obsessive with the phone, it was like I couldn’t go less than a minute without checking it. Now, don’t get me wrong – I know we all have business (like real businesses) that we have to tend too and I get it. But there are ways in which we can sort of handle all that – in which I’ll get too a little later but back to my experiment.

So, I challenged myself – I said I wouldn’t pick up my phone for a WHOLE 2 HOURS, this was going to be really epic – even for me. It was now 9:55 am and I was determined from 10 am to 12 pm I would NOT pick up my phone. When 10 am rolled around, I turned my phone over and went to fix a little breakfast and wash up some dishes. Okay, so I’m lying I didn’t get up right away….Lol. I stared at it for about 3 min asking myself what the heck was I doing or trying to prove. Then I got up….

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To say I wasn’t tempted would be an understatement because I definitely was as all types of thoughts came rushing to my mind. My sister was ill during the week and the first thing I thought about was, “What if she calls me?” or “OMGosh! I forgot to text her to see how she’s doing!!! Did someone text me back on Whats App? Send an email? Did my doctor call?? – Okay, that was a little extreme, but I was going through PHONE DETOX PEOPLE!!

It was torture for sure and there were many moments where I almost broke my own deal with myself. BUT – I CAME, I CONQUERED & I SUCCEEDED!!!

Yes and I’m proud of myself but do you know what I noticed when I did turn my phone back over? Nobody texted, called, responded or emailed me – so why do I get all discombobulated about my phone, like I need to check it every minute and for what. One day as I was getting on the elevator to go to work, there were two other people that got on at the same time and believe it or not – there was no eye connection, no hello as they both were glued to their phones. It’s amazing the things that come and take precedence over our lives to the point where we become unconscious to the things around us. In life we all need breaks, even from our phones.

Listed below are two tips, one for business and one for personal that you can do to get off the phone, for a minute or two or two hours….start slow though.

Putting a “PAUSE” on your Business Responses, Maybe?

Now, this won’t work for everyone but some of it might help. If your business depends on you posting every day or every other day to keep it afloat, I would suggest scheduling tools such as Hootsuite, Buffer or Crowdfire. If you got an hour a day, you can schedule anything for the week, you may can’t pay for an assistant so why not allow these tools to do it for you – for free (starting out). I use them all the time. You can also schedule your email to send out automatic replies letting customers know that you’ll get back to them in 24 to 48 hours.

Take it from me, you don’t want to answer a business email quickly….life gets busy and if you answer it quickly, your customers will expect that of you every single time. Give it 24 hours, just make sure you stick to your word as your business reputation is on the line. If you feel you can’t do 24 then go to 48 hours, that way there’s no rush to getting back to someone right away, just in case life is calling, on your side. It’s your business, sure enough and I know you love it but there are tools you can use to still keep your business going, while you’re focusing on other things – such as, taking a painting class, in which I heard was the going thing now..

Oh and P.S. Did you know you can schedule a text message? I do this all the time when I send out inspirational messages to our singles group at church. All of those messages are constructed and scheduled; I got messages scheduled up until the second week of March…

Taking a Break from Your Device…Just for a Little While

As you can see from the experiment I conducted above with myself. Taking a break from the phone or social media could be great for your mental health. This could be time that we use to focus on other things, such as completing that long to-do list of chores we’ve been putting off or catching up on some much needed rest or a movie (away from your phone). It could be time to get out and go visit a friend or just to get some fresh air and clear your mind.

Put yourself on a timeout from those things that take too much of your time, space and energy. Only you know what those things are and how much space you’ll need from them. So, I challenge you – can you put your phone down for two hours a day? And No, sleeping doesn’t count! You have to be fully awake. Hence this post, I’ve been doing it for a week. It’s been very challenging but rewarding as well.

Will you join me? Let’s get back to really interacting with what’s in front of us and not on a device. Let me know below what strategies you do to disconnect and/or if you’ll be taking the challenge!

The Moment I Grew Up & Started Putting My Foot Down.

Published on February 4, 2019April 18, 2019 by artempleLeave a comment

Okay, let’s get honest here…

Being a grown-up can REALLY suck!

I’m saying that in jest but it can. I have been an official grown-up for nearly 22 years and at times I have wished that I can just run into one of my parents’ arms and stay there forever enjoying the protection. It just feels so good!

But any wise person would tell you permanently staying in that position isn’t possible. After a brief consoling period both of my parents would say “Welcome to adulthood”. And that folks is it in a nutshell…

If you’re 20 or older, welcome to adulthood! It’s going to be quite the bumpy ride so grab a hold of something and hang on tight! as it’s not going to get any easier as you get older either. I was raised in the typical middle class lifestyle. Mom and Dad are truly the best parents anyone could ever ask for. I have truly been blessed.

As those of you who have read my previous blogs may know, I have a learning disability and have dealt with my fair share of discrimination and rejection. I have wasted way too much time trying to understand why having learning disability can be considered such a black mark but it is. However, I’ve learned to just keep plowing through.

One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had as an adult was coming to the realization when it’s time to let something go. As I’ve mentioned previously, I have been self-employed in the dog care field for the past 12 years.

I’ve been tested on numerous occasions in reference to “letting go”. I remember I had this one client in the beginning of my career, who was VERY particular. They had a Boston Terrier who was older and they hired me to care for her.

It was the easiest job! She wasn’t a picky dog unlike her owners! Quite frankly, these two could have learned a lot from her! Unfortunately she passed away last June and to be perfectly honest -as much as I missed her. I was happy not to be working for her owners anymore…..but that happy thought was short-lived.

A few months later, they got another Boston Terrier – 3 months old.

To make a very long story short, I was pretty much in charge of caring for him while they worked and did whatever else they wanted to do. One time they left him with me for a full 4 hours!! Did I mention that this was on the first day? The hours were brutal and quite frankly, ridiculous! as this charade went on for quite some time..

It would’ve been different if they were my only clients, but they weren’t. I had other clients who also needed my attention. It was then that I decided that enough was enough. Finally, I put my foot down and explained to them that their “rigorous” schedule could not continue. An agreement was finally made by all parties.

The Epiphany of me putting my foot down came when I realized that this puppy was becoming too much for me to handle on my own. It all started when he and I
were walking around the retirement community, when he go loose somehow
and boy did he GO WILD! I’m still recovering from very sore legs after chasing him!

There I was, a 40-something year old woman, trying to run after a 7 month old puppy. Oh my poor legs! After that day, I came to a very hurtful conclusion “I cannot take care of puppies anymore, at least not on my own. It would be a completely different story if I were 10, 15 or even 20 years younger but unfortunately, that boat has sailed on into the abyss.

So, basically the moral of the story is, I’ve gotten older and there’s just some things that I can’t do anymore like taking care of a hyper-active puppy. It doesn’t suck to confess that I am older. I mean, it is what it is.

On that note, getting older also means getting wiser. I’ve learned that I must put my foot down more and not agree and say YES to everything. In fact, none of us should. You are the only one in control… well, up to a point. God has the final say in all things.

The best advice I can give at this moment is to listen to your gut. It won’t steer you wrong. I should have listened to my gut when I first saw that puppy…

Don’t be afraid to stand your ground and if someone doesn’t like it…

Tell them GOOD-BYE!

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Amy is a resident of Florida. Since 2006, she has been self-employed in the dog care field. In May 2017, she self-published a memoir titled “I Am Not Stupid” which is available through Amazon. She writes for seethegoodinfo, an inspirational website and the Learning Disabilities Association’s newsletter LD Source.

Lunch and Soup – 4 Different Ways

Published on January 24, 2019April 18, 2019 by Roshonda B11 Comments

I have a couple of questions for ya..

Are you on a budget? This girl definitely is!
Do you like Soup? Of course I do…(anything dealing with food really…haha)

So, yes…I’m on a very tight budget and I can’t or don’t I should say always have money to go and break a 20 on lunch only to have a couple of dollars left – Yesssss, food establishments make a killing off of our “lunch” dollars because they know 1 of 2 things to be true…

You either left your lunch at home. -or-
You were too lazy to cook.

And let me just say that I have been at the helm of both of those statements. And after going through what seemed like fifty dollars or more a week for lunch; I decided that enough was enough!

In which inspired this post >>>>> Lunch on a Budget for $20 or LESS!

With the cost of food seemingly going up every second it seems, it can be challenging to try and map out meals to bring to lunch everyday. I mean, who really wants to munch on PB&J or slurp up salty Noodles and Oodles. So, while shopping the aisles for lunch choices one day, I decided to get a couple of staple items and mix and match the ingredients for each day of the week – I even had a solution for snacks in between.

I have to be honest with you, shopping for food for lunch can be a little crazy; because you want to eat something different every day of the week and depending on your tastes buds, that can get a bit costly as well. So, listed below are a couple of things I picked up off the shelves and freezer section that lasted me all week and guess what (all of it was well under 20 dollars!!)

Here are my buys for Lunch:  Total Cost: $10.08

Minute Rice – Multi Grain Medley – 2 @ 1.84 each
Bag of Mixed Vegetable – 1 @.57 cents
Green Giant Steamers Vegetable Medley/Broccoli Cheese – 2 @ 1.18 each
Green Giant Harvest Protein Bowl (Vegetarian) Southwest Style – 1 @ 3.47 each

Here are my buys for Snacks:  Total Cost: $8.81

Great Value No Sugar Added Pear Cups – 2 @ 1.43 each
Great Value No Sugar Added Mandarin Oranges – 1 @ 1.43 each
Great Value Dry Roasted & Lightly Salted Almonds – 1 Bag @ 4.52

What I had at Home:   
Sam's Choice Organic Bone Broth Chicken Total Cost: Free

Overall Cost: $18.89

So this is how I did it:

First, let me start with snacks. It’s 4 cups of fruit to a carton, so I had two snacks a day. A fruit cup and some almonds. I measured the almonds out according to the serving suggestion and put them in zip lock bags and took them all to work along with my fruit so I wouldn’t have to remember to take it everyday. So there were my snacks for the week. Two cups of fruit and almonds a day.

And then there was lunch. So for lunch, it was pretty easy. 1st Day: I had a cup of rice medley and some steamed veggies. 2nd Day: I had the steamed veggies with some chicken bone broth ( I made it like a soup). 3rd Day: I had the broccoli cheese and rice medley. 4th Day: I had the rice medley and the bone broth. 5th Day: I changed it up and brought in the Green Giant protein bowl, which was very delicious by the way, see below….

Green Giant Harvest Protein Bowl – Southwest Style

So, as you can see – lunch was not only cost efficient but different as I didn’t feel like I was eating the same thing every day……ever felt that way about a salad?? Any-who, the key to making this work is making sure you choose what it is you want to eat for the whole week. For instance, I knew that I wanted veggies – the only thing I needed to do next was find a partner to go with them and once I did….everything else was simple.

Don’t forget to incorporate items you may have at home, so another suggestion I would make is to check your cupboards before you go shopping. That frozen broccoli that’s been in the freezer for a month, could be paired with something delicious.

Think of things that you can use multiple times throughout the week without breaking the bank and going to the store everyday for items to eat (I’m still working on this feat for dinner as I do this currently). Don’t look at me like that, I’m a work in progress – say a prayer for me…lol.

Well, I hope your lunch time can now be an adventurous one. Oh and psssstttt, by the way, don’t be afraid to shop the yellow tags. I got some soup on sale last week at Wal-Mart for $.86 cents that usually run $2.87 cents. Now you may want to hurry and eat it up, because I mean, they put yellow tags on items for a reason, right???? rightttttttt…..but it can also save you loads off your pocket, especially for LUNCH!

Below is one of the creations with the products I purchased up top:

Soup and Broth Ingredients
Soup and Broth

BON APPETITE!!

Learning to Be ME

Published on January 22, 2019June 18, 2019 by artemple3 Comments

by Amy R Temple

As anyone of you who may have read my previous post about living with a learning disability may recall, I have had to deal with numerous discriminatory situations as well as being rejected; simply because I didn’t “fit” the status quo.

And please don’t ask me what “status quo” is because I have no idea and even if I did, I would totally ignore it!

Anyone who knows me would tell you (my parents, especially) that I don’t like being told what to do, I just hate rules! But let’s back up a sec, I’m not saying that I will purposely go do something completely stupid and get myself arrested, Of course not. Although I have been tempted to strike someone for looking down on me for not meeting this ridiculous status quo!

It all began when I was little…

Whenever my parents would take me to this one particular pediatrician, I would be fine…until he walked in. And then I would begin to cry. Let me rephrase that…I would wail!

After a while, he asked my parents, “Have you ever considered the possibility that Amy may not be educable?” Yeah… no, I very seriously doubt that EVER crossed my Mom and Dad’s mind. Needless to say, calling me stupid didn’t win the man any brownie points. Then there was the psychologist who was going to base my intelligence on whether or not, I knew what a frankfurter was. “Did you know that Amy doesn’t know what a frankfurter is?”

“That’s because we have always called them hot dogs”, my mom said. “Oh… good point.”

Again, no brownie points were scored. To make a very long story short, what they were trying to indicate was that I was going to be in a nutshell…..pretty much, a waste. According to them, I wasnt going to amount to absolutely nothing!

“Amy will not be able to be independent.”

“Amy will always need help taking care of herself.”

“Amy will have a tendency to get lost”.

Have any of you seen the movie, “Top Gun”?

Remember the scene where Val Kilmer coughs the phrase “Bull—-”?

Mom, Dad and I have made the facial equivalent numerous times! I honestly could not have asked for a better set of parents. Other people may have given up on me, but they haven’t and won’t let me do it either. And I will always be grateful to them.

I was diagnosed 36 years ago. I have dealt with these disabilities for over half my life. It’s who I am. It’s me and if someone created an operation where you could rid me of them…

Offer it to somebody else!

What is the big hairy deal about having learning disabilities? It’s not like it’s contagious or anything! How can they think that we are not going to amount to anything because we don’t fit their ridiculous notions? They wouldn’t hire me because of them?

Fine…

I started my own dog care business nearly 13 years ago where my main focus is on walking, feeding and playing. And that just gives me more time to write. Now I may sound as if I have all my ducks in a row and yes, that is true. But that doesn’t mean, I haven’t been affected by it. I am ashamed to admit that I wasted a lot of years wondering what was wrong with me and I tried to change myself to fit other people’s approval and acceptance. I thought, what is wrong with me?

I am ashamed to admit that I wasted a lot of years wondering what was wrong with me and I tried to change myself to fit other people’s approval and acceptance. I thought, what is wrong with me? What was it about me that made them think they could do this to me? I can’t do anything about the learning disabilities, but I thought if I could change this or that, maybe I would be accepted.

I royally messed with myself mentally and emotionally for years. I don’t know how many self-help books I read, trying to find THE cure. As much as I think it stinks that I am rejected because of my learning disabilities, there is nothing I can do about it but just move on with my life. I don’t have any more time to waste.

Accept me or don’t. It’s your call.

Me? I’ve got a life to live. So, excuse me while I go live it.

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What’s Up With Your Winter Skin Care Routine?

Published on January 17, 2019April 18, 2019 by Roshonda B5 Comments

Yes, Lordy! Winter time is officially in FULL swing – I just heard earlier this week that Baltimore, Maryland got dumped with 6-8 inches of snow…..YIKES!! So, yes – winter is here and determining it’s on again, off again relationship here in the Carolina’s with cold whether one minute and 70 degree whether the next, it’s hard to figure out what to wear on a given day. In which speaking of something to wear, can I ask?

How’s your skin holding up in all this chaos! I know winter time is the time for soups and crackers and bundling up and I mean ALL the way up, especially if you’re in Baltimore. It’s the time where we forgo skin care and just throw on anything that will keep us warm. I don’t know about you, but I hate when my skin feels dry, scaly or ashy. I’m sure you do too but where is the time to take care of it when the winter is having a field day with it’s mood??….

At Night!!!

I’m a huge fan of skin care and feel as though we have to take care of it before the summer time rolls around and catch our skin care off guard! Remember how quickly the spring/summer came last year? It wasn’t enough time to get anything together. BUT! there’s hope. Good skin care in the winter will definitely show up in the summer, trust me. Will yours have a great story to tell?

Listed below are just a couple of things that I do to make sure that my skin is noticeably soft underneath the gear.

A moisturizer for this and for that

There was a time in my young life…lol, where I would use one lotion for my whole body and to make matters worse, it had no “umph” to it. Meaning, it was the watered down lotion that would go on like it was doing your skin a huge favor, only to dump it later with an ashy look. I would always have to re-apply and re-apply. I came to the realization that there’s a lotion for different parts of your body. Such as hand-cream, foot-cream and face-cream. (Yes, I would use regular lotion on my face). So first, you have to either get a lotion or body butter (my favorite) that’s thick and has olive oil, coconut oil and vitamin e in it. The thicker the better to me….

Foot Care at it’s Best

When you get out of the shower, the best moisturizer for your feet is Vaseline or a foot cream or oil and cover your feet with a sock. Now if you’re hot natured, then a nice oil or Vaseline will work without a sock. The sock keeps the moisture in and makes your feet feel noticeably soft the next morning. Make sure you add extra on those heels…

Hot Showers are a NO NO for Winter

I absolutely LOVE me a good hot shower, however – a hot shower in the winter time can damage your skin as it can severely dry it out. Lukewarm water for winter skin is the perfect temperature.

Moisturize while skin is still damp

I’ve been doing this for years. I do not dry off with a towel when my shower is done, the first thing I do is moisturize immediately after. What I’ve found is that this process makes my skin feel soft all day long without the ash effect. The damp water and my moisturizer help lock in the moisture so I won’t lose it. My favorite moisturizer after a shower is Baby Oil or Baby Oil Gel – they are my staples outside of Bath and Body Works =)

Other things you can do to make sure your skin is on point, is to use an exfoliate – I love body washes or soaps that have exfoliate beads in them. It makes my skin feel extra soft and removes dead skin cells. I also take out time and use a foot scrub as well while in the shower. Sometimes regular showers don’t do the job and can miss dirt build up around the ankle area of our feet.

A great hand-cream is good for throughout the day. Don’t trust the harsh soaps in the bathrooms when you wash your hands at work, those soaps are not only rough on the skin but leaves your hands severely dry afterwards, it’s good to have a good hand-cream on hand to add that moisture back into your most precious assets. Our hands tend to get dry throughout the day as well, so it’s good to show them a little love by dousing on a little moisture.

That wasn’t bad, right? As stated – those are just a few tips that I do to make sure my skin is well nourished during the winter months. Good skin care in the winter, determines it’s outcome in the summer. Get a good routine going now, your skin will show it’s appreciation to you months from now!

Do you have a winter skin care routine? Share in the comments below.