Guest Host- Weekend Gathering Hops!!!!!

Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This hop is hosted by Beauty Brite, Fire Butterfly Jewels, A Mom's Menu Planning, and Gifts by Tracia to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

This week's guest co-host is Lioness Rebirth: The EVOLUTION! 

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As you will see below, there is a separate linky for your Blog and Facebook! Add your links below and visit as many links as you wish!  Be sure to leave a comment after you follow someone so they can follow you back.  Have fun!

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Positive Wednesdays +Blog Hop

Today's Positive Wednesday is a two in one. I wanted to share my positivity, as usual, but i also want to have a meet and greet in the form of a blog hop. This is my first time hosting a blog hop, so i decided i wanted to share the experience with three other beautiful bloggers.

Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

It's easy to recognize a perfect candidate for your support team. Just look for someone who has a way of making everyone else around them better: someone who succeeds by developing other people and letting them in on the fun; someone who is genuinely happy when other people succeed. That's the person you want on your side. The pages of history are heavy with tales of the misguided who were proven wrong while insisting something couldn't be done. Why put up with that? Believe in your goals enough to know that you shouldn't stomach people who don't. It's okay if you're the only one who believes in your dream. But someone who truly believes in YOU should help you believe that if anyone can do it, you can.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you, too, can become great.

- Mark Twain, writer and satirist

Tips for being an Organized Queen

I have said it before, i would like to think that i am an organized queen. However, that is far from reality. In reality i live with organized chaos.  Therefore i have used various tools to help me remember the important details. Here are a few ideas that work well for me. I would love if your shared  your tips.

Set up a reminder system

 

Remembering multiple birthdays and anniversaries can be difficult. There is an easy way to remember these dates by only making a note once. That is by putting each date into a computer calendar or PDA (personal digital assistant). You can then set the system to remind you of each date a set time beforehand to allow you time to purchase a card or gift.
 
Write it down

Nothing beats the tried and true method of writing information down and making a list. Not to mention the added bonus of the good feeling you will have when you start crossing off the things you have completed. When you keep a written list, your brain becomes free to remember other things. 

Also, when you are in a lecture or a meeting, take a notebook with you and take notes. This will help you to remember key points. (By the way, a handwritten sticky note stuck on your exit door will ensure you remember the things you need to remember on any given day--which is the system I used this morning.)

Be sure you understand

It is easier to remember information when you understand it well. If you are confused by something you are trying to learn, break it down into smaller parts. If needed, ask for assistance in understanding a part. If you do not understand something completely, the more likely you are not going to remember it.


Set an alarm 

A sure way to remember a time to do something is to set an alarm. Whether it is an alarm clock, a PDA or other device that contains an alarm, it's is the easiest way to help you remember a time.

Focus on performing one task at a time

When you try to do too many things at one time, your mind will become distracted and you will become overwhelmed, thus making it difficult to remember.

Reduce stress

  Remember to reduce the stress in your life by simplifying systems, delegating duties to other family members, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. 

This will help you to concentrate better, think clearer and help you to better form memories and to recall them later.

Get lots of sleep

 Remember to always get a good night's sleep. Your brain uses sleeping hours to regenerate and stores new information into long-term memory. Studies show that sleeping helps in retaining and recalling information.

Resourse sites: www.getorganized.com and www.screenhog.com

Positive Wednesdays- Power of Positive Thinking!!

I am sure you have heard more than once that your should think positively. However, what exactly is positive thinking, you might wonder.  Read and find out.

 Positive thinking means having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." Positive thinking in the typical sense of the word, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation.

 

 The Victor

by: C. W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

 

Positive Quote:

" What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be."
-Mark Victor Hansen

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Tips for Organizing Your Hangbag

I don't know about you, but i love big bags. But, the down side to having a big bag is not being able to find anything. Well i say the it's time to organized.Here are a few step that i found useful from About.com:

STEP 1: Go through your bag and take everything out. You'll likely be looking at a lot of "junk" or items you just don't' know what to with. Toss the junk and put the not-sure-what-to-do-with-these aside for now.

STEP 2: Think about the bag you're using for everyday use.

• Wallet
• Cell Phone
• Keys
• Writing utensil and small notebook
• Small pack of tissues
• Neosporin
• Lip balm
• Ask yourself: Is it big enough? Is it too big? Do you like the way it looks? Are the straps digging into your shoulder uncomfortably?

STEP 3: Now, take those items you're not sure about and decide to keep or toss them. Separate the remaining items into an "All The Time" pile (read: the items you need to have in your bag daily) and a"Sometimes" for the items you use less often.

STEP 4: Create a Launch Pad in your entry way to cut down on the amount you have to carry everywhere. This was originally suggested to me by Lisa Zaslow of Gotham Organizers. A launch pad is a home for the items you need to carry sometimes but not all the time. All-the-time items can stay in your bag, but sometimes items need a place to sit while they're not in use.

TIP: My launch pad is a storage box near my front door full of lip glosses, tissue packets, my gym lock, digital camera and spare keys. A launch pad is a great place to store keys, cell phones, mail, umbrellas and newspapers. I use several different bags a week, so I dump everything out into my storage box when I walk in, this means:

• Handbag essentials are always in the same place.
• I can customize what I want to carry on my way out the door depending on what I'm doing.

STEP 5: Edit and clean your bag frequently. You want to carry as little as possible to spare your back and make things in your bag easier to find. If you repeatedly find you need an item on-the-go (your coupon folder, or your cell-phone charger) then by all means make room for those items you need all the time. On the other hand, do you need to carry your gym lock with you everyday? Probably not. Store that in your launch pad.Go through your bag weekly to clean it out.

TIP: Look for a bag with separate pockets for your cell phone and keys so you're not rooting around for your phone mid-ring in the middle of quiet movie theater or locked out of your home with a bag full of perishable groceries. It's important to always put your keys and cell phone in the same spots! This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed at the amount of people I know who habitually can't find these items in their bags.

So i did this video way back: My Handbag. Please check it out.

Positive Wednesdays-Overcoming Abuse

Last week a Policeman walked into his in-laws house and shot his father, mother, brother in- laws, his 16 year old step-daughter and his estranged wife. They all died except the wife. Then, he went over to his sister- in- laws house to shoot her too. He was unsuccessful, so he killed himself.

Later it was reported that he verbally and emotionally abused his wife of 14 years. With this in mind, i wanted to focus on overcoming abuse. I will not begin to think, i understand what someone who is being abused or has been abused is going through. I just want to offer a word of support (a virtual shoulder of so to speak).

Are you a lion or a lamb?

 

You wake you up and look a the dull walls smiling back at you.

The voices say,  it's time to end it all.

You are nothing!!!

The world can go on without you.

My question is how will your life be remembered? 

Will your story be lost among the millions, who were afraid to take a chance?

Or will you leave something noble behind? 

There's everything to gain by believing that you're king or queen of the jungle, even if just for a day. (Go ahead and roar if you want to.)

Each of us has an amazing opportunity to live large, if we allow it.

But, it takes leaving the comfort of our familiar meadows and walking into the unknown. 

Once you take that chance, you've made your days worthwhile.

Even if you have few resources, adventure is around every corner, and life is waiting to be devoured. 

Each time you overcome an obstacle, a fear or a step back, you gain confidence.

Every small victory helps you feel more certain of yourself and your direction, pushing you further and faster than you ever thought possible. You can do it!  

 

If you were to write the book of your life, would you want to read it?

 

It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand days as a lamb. - Roman proverb

 
See below for more Positive Wednesdays :

• Be Positive 
• Say No to Negativity 
• Never Give Up

Resource Site: sparkpeople.com
 

   

Tips for Organizing Excessive Paper

I am plaque by the paper demon. It seems the more i throw away, the more i accumulate. Here are some tips you can use to address the problem.

Shedule It

1. Set aside a certain amount of time each day to process paperwork. 
2. Open and sort mail on a daily basis. 
3. Immediately recycle anything you do not need.
4. Keep and handle all important documents in one designated area.
5. Divide the papers into main categories of action whether it is to Read, Pay, File or simply Do.

  

Evaluate It

1. Evaluate your current magazine and newspaper subscriptions. 
2. Consider keeping only the subscriptions that you read on a regular basis. 
3. Donate old magazines to senior centers, shelters or doctors offices after you have read them. 
4. Keep in mind that more and more magazines these days carry many of their articles, if not the whole issue, online.

Organize It

  

1. Do you cut coupons, but don't use them? It is a great way to save money, but if you are not using the coupons, do not save them. 
2. If you do want coupons, make sure to keep them in an easily accessible location so they will be used.

 Do It Online

  

1. Sign up to pay your bills online with your financial institution. 
2. This eliminates the need for envelopes and postage, thereby saving money and time. 
3. You can have your statements sent electronically as well.

Create a System

1. Create a message taking system. 
2. Instead of having scraps of paper and Post-it notes all over the place, use a spiral notebook for posting messages. 
3. Even if you do scribble a note or number somewhere else, you can transfer it directly to the notebook.   

Here are some DIY Sundays you might have missed:

DIY Facial 
DIY Makeup Remover 
DIY Organization

Resourse site: www.getorganizednow.com 

The Dreaded Blankie Syndrome

I have been wanting to write this post for quite sometime but life happened. You know what i mean.

For the last year i have been dealing with the blankie syndrome.When children are babies it is extremely cute seeing them cuddled up with their blankies.However, as time progress, those cute babies often grow into busy toddlers, who cann't live without their blankies. Parents are then caught in a do or die situation. I think i am in that situation now. My daughter is 4 and she is totally hooked on her blankie. As i write this post, she is fast asleep with her blankie in hand. 

I find myself caught between taking the blankie and putting it up or allowing her to grow out of it. I guess my fear is she might not grow it out. Yet, i do not want to take it away and cause her to be psychologically in balanced(i know it sounds crazy but that is what i think). This is what i mean when i say i am caught in a do or die situation.

I am also aware that i am an enabler and most parents are without realizing it. I often try to rationalize my daughter's blankie syndrome by comparing her to other kids. I went to pick up my sister at work and saw this lady with her daughter. The little girl was clad in a school uniform with a blankie in hand. Immediately i asked her age. 7 years old the mom replies. Some how, i started thinking that my situation was not so bad, after all my daughter was only 4 and she does take her blankie to school. 

At the end of the day, i guess i want my daughter to be happy and healthy. 

Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Positive Wednesdays - NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!

I read this and it literally spoke to what i was thinking. So, I wanted to share it with you. If you can  relate let me know.

Do you ever get frustrated because things are moving too slowly in your life? Many people don't realize that building a foundation for success does not happen overnight. It is a slow process in which you are constantly working and learning. After all, that foundation must remain strong, even in times of failure or crisis. This takes time! 

You may have to remind yourself that "failing" is only failure if you quit; otherwise it's a learning opportunity. So don't worry if your life seems to be moving in slow motion. Concentrate on building a solid foundation and learning from your back steps.

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.

- Chinese Proverb



Resource site: sparkpeople.com   

DIY Sundays

I am late with posting this week's DIY Sundays because i was not sure what i wanted to blog about. I also did not want to blog about something just because i had to write a post. Call me an idealist but i would like to think that every blog post i write has meaning and worth. Anyways, let me not ramble on.

Today's DIY Sundays is a little different. It is not about beauty or makeup but about organization. I would like to think that i am an organized diva, however that is not quite reality. In reality i am a procrastinator whose every day life is made up of structured chaos. 

Here are five tips that help me function. I hope you will find them helpful.

Subtract Steps. 

• Carry all of your cleaning supplies in a bucket rather than walking back and forth to the cleaning supply area. 
• Fold clothes as you take them out of the dryer.
• Unload groceries directly into the pantry or fridge rather than putting them on the counter first.

 

Make Standard Lists:

• Make standard lists for anything that you rewrite often. This would include grocery lists, instructions for the babysitter, instructions for the house or pet sitter, etc.
• That way you don't have to completely recreate them each time.

Put It Away, Now:

• Whenever you're finished using something, put it away. This will save you time and energy at the end of the day when you tidy the house since things should already be in their proper place.
• This will also save you time when you need to find something. You won't be late because you were frantically searching the house or your office for a missing item.

Get Things Ready the Night Before:

• Mornings can be hectic and seem unproductive. Prepare lunches, pack schoolbags and briefcases, plan breakfast, and make your To Do list before going to bed. 
• Your morning will be less stressful and everyone should be able to be a little bit more self-sufficient and organized.

  

Create a 'Free Time Bag':

• Instead of wasting your free time by running around the house looking for something to do, grab your 'free time bag.' 
• A book you're reading, your crocheting project, magazines, crossword puzzles, and stationery and pens can all be held in a tote bag. 
• Keep the bag in an easily accessible place and you'll always be ready when you have a little free time.

     

Resource site:http://www.getorganizednow.com