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Showing posts from 2011

The History of New Year's Resolution

With 2011 coming to a close i have been reflecting on quite a number of things. These things include: my life, personal goals, my financial standing, my professional goals, my blog and the list goes on. I promised myself that this year i will not make any resolutions. Why? In my reflecting i have come to the realization that I cannot even remember my New Year's resolution for 2011 or even if i made any. I have realized that I have made quite a number of errors in making my resolution. I am sure some of you are in the same boat. So I decided to try one last time. Here goes....  What is a New Year's Resolution? A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year's Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year, and new beginnings. People committing themselves to a New Year's Resolution plan to d

Three Inspiring Activities for Life and Work

I am so and thankful that you took the time to read this post and others. Today's post is from Mariana Ashley. I know you will enjoy it.  Please stop by her website. Whether you are a student, employed full time, or a homemaker, we are all in need of a little motivation and inspiration every now and then. So much of our lives are about routine and productivity that it can be easy to slip into the same old boring pattern day in and day out. While this pattern can be the best way to get things done each day, it can also slow us down eventually. We have to find ways to inspire ourselves to do the best job we can and to be as happy as possible each and every day. While this may sound sentimental or silly, it is undoubtedly true. Inspiration and motivation in our lives is found through our senses. We have to see, feel, touch, smell, and hear new things in order to find new inspiration. Use these three activities to add a little excitement, energy, and inspiration to your everyd

How to Gain More Readers (Blogging Communities)- Networking 101

If you are a new blogger you must be wondering, why is it you are writing great posts and you are not gaining readers. It is simple. At this point your blog is a needle in that hay stack. I say this because I, along with many others were once in your shoes.  Even if you are not a new blogger, you will find that over time the number of readers who generally come to your blog might fluctuate. With all of this in mind, we will be looking at using blogging communities for networking.  Blogging Communities Blogging communiites are websites that creates a virtual community where bloggers can interact with each other. The beautiful thing about these sites boasts a wide variety of bloggers. Therefore, these are great places to gain exposure for your blog and gain meet follow bloggers. Here are a  few blogging communities that you can join: Gather.com Blogengage.com Fuelmyblog.com BlogHer.com 20somethingblogger.net Mombloggersclub.com Shewrites.com Brandbuzznetw

Do You Want to Merchandise Your Blog?- DIY SUNDAYS

I know we all dream as bloggers to make money from our blogs at one point or another. However, oftentimes teaming up with advertisers do not always give you enough buck for your bang, as one of my readers pointed out. What to do next, you might wonder. If you are not sure here are some suggestions. Have you ever thought about using your blog to create a business or brand? I know that often times businesses create blogs to promote their business. However, often we forget that we can create a business from our blog. Today we will explore how to do just that. Build Your Brand You have a loyal following and regular traffic, have you ever thought of of creating your own brand? When I speak of 'brand' I am referring to a product that is manufactured under a particular name. Do you know that you can create your own tag line, logo or use your blog name on various products such as t-shirts, caps, pens, mugs and buttons? The interesting thing about all of this is that there are a

Five (5) Websites You Can Use To Monetize Your Blog

In blogging, content is KING. Without great content,  readers will not want to return to your blog. Therefore, you will have to know your market or niche in order to provide the content they are interesting in. Just looking around the blogging community I am in awe of some of the content that is out there.  On the other hand, I am also aware that there are bloggers that place more emphasis on promoting products instead of writing the content we love to read. I am in no way judging these bloggers, it works for them. However, if your like me you are afraid to cross that line, because somehow you are afraid of betraying your loyal readers. With all of this in mind,  I wanted to provide the information about sites that assist in monetizing blogs. In my opinion, you can monetize your blog without 'selling out' so to speak.       What does it mean to monetize your blog? Website monetization is the process of converting existing traffic being sent to a particular website into

What is Your Guilty Pleasure?

This post is a super quick one. I really mean it. The Merriam-Webster.com defines the term Guilty pleasure (Noun) as follows : something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt.   We all have those things that we secretly do and greatly enjoy. We enjoy them so much that they are deemed a guilty pleasure. Here are a couple of mine: Watching YouTube Gurus when i should be doing something more important. Watching Star Trek, Eureka, Sanctuary, Syfy movies is general. Everyone around me thinks i am weird but i just love them!!!! Reading Harlequin romances when i should be reading Caribbean Literature text. I did say a couple didn't I? I would love to hear about your guilty pleasures.

DIY Sundays - Five Useful Websites for Bloggers

Todays DIY Sundays post will be a quick one  i guess not. Here are five websites that I found; I thought they could be very useful for bloggers like myself. I am  NOT being paid/compensated  to write about these sites.  With that said, here they are: Number 5 Fiverr.com - This website cracked me up because i could not believe a website would exist where people share things they are willing to do for $5. Fiverr.com is a place where buyers and sellers of pretty much trade any service or thing they can trade, for a minimal cost of five dollars.   The Website Comments: The place for people to share things they're willing to do for $5. Buy. Sell. Have fun. Number 4 Punchtab.com - This is a website that offers users the ability to include a loyalty points program to their blog, website, etc. These loyalty points can be converted to any prize. This,  I thought was very interesting. The Website Comments: Your readers spend more time on Twitter and Facebo

The GREAT Divide

I have been thinking about writing this post for a while now. However, I have not been able to sit down long enough to allow the words to flow.Here goes. I have been comparing my everyday personality to the blogger you see. Somehow, i have been seeing a divide between Lioness and Antoinette. When I think of Lioness, i think about the part of me that always tries to put the best foot forward. The part of me that is more welling to take risks, more willing to bare my soul to the world. Lioness is an extrovert, with smart ideas, great tips, and lots of positive vibration . Whereas, Antoinette is very private with build in walls of steel. My family will tell you that i speak my mind and i am not afraid to burn bridges. I love to taken the unbeaten path. I am strategic in my planning. I often pretend that things slip off me like water; but truth be told, i internalize every single thing. I have very few friends but many acquaintances. I know that some of my readers might be doing a d

Finding a Needle in a Haystack.... The Search for Prince Charming.

We each have that ideal image of ' THE ONE '  burnt in our brains. For some of us, it seems we have been wired as a child, probably even from birth, to seek out curtain qualities that when fused together results in our version of Prince Charming . With this ideal image in mind, we grow up searching for our ideal partner, a soul mate so to speak. Than reality hits. Oftentimes, the reality is not that there is no one to meet our unattainable standards. No my friends that is not it. The reality is that there are no hunting grounds, no green pastures, no flowing brooks in which to meet our ideal mate. In lay terms, the single man or woman is faced with the stark reality that in a city or town that is well populated there are no dating opportunities.    Unwilling to allow our dreams to wither and die; we often find ourselves moving to the virtual community. Here, like a cruel twist, is often populated with potential mates of all sizes, shapes, colours and skills. By just browsing

Sorry

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Sometimes you just have to say i am sorry.

In Time!!!!!

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The movie 'In Time' has got be thinking how much we relied on time as a people. It almost seems now that i do not have enough hours in the day to complete the tasks i have to do. I thought about what we would do if there were no time pieces to regulate every hour, every minute, or every second. Would it really make a difference? 0r would it still feel like we are in a crazy rush to met our time quota? Would it still be like our lives depended on meeting a time deadline that we or society as set? For me, it's like in the mornings i feel like i am in a crazy competition with my watch to get to where i am going. I often feel like time is cheating. It's like the seconds are rolling away, in essence slipping trough my fingers like gains of sand. Then, there are those days when i refuse to acknowledge that the system (time) really exist. I love those days!!!!!  Unfortunately, today i will be rushing against the system. I f your reading this today, November 23, 2011. I wi

Flu Remedies- DIY SUNDAYS

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I am currently battling the flu. It was so bad that i took some of my kids on a field trip and i left my cellphone. The worst part of it all was i did not realize what i had done until a colleague tried to call me and got someone else. With this in mind, i wanted to share some flu remedies that i know. Please bear in mind that i do not have a medical certificate and therefore this is not an expert opinion. Please do your own research before trying these. Garlic and Honey This is a stable in my home. I grew up with my mom using it for our colds and flu and now i use it for my daughter. 1 head of garlic 1 cup honey The garlic should be crushed and added to the honey. This mixture should be sealed in an air tight container and allowed to sit for a day. The longer the mixture is allowed to marinade the strong the potency and the better it is at treating the ailment. I usually take 1 tsp of the honey three times daily. Hot Ginger cinnamon tea 1 teaspoon of ginger

Fall in the tropics..........

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It's like the heavens knew i needed a relaxing day. So, from last night it has been raining none stop. This i think is crazy awesome!! I live in Jamaica and i must say the weather has been unbelievable hot. With this in mind, a rainy for us is like a refreshing fall day.I know it sounds crazy but it is true. Therefore, it is back to bed for me. I will snuggle up under the covers and cough my throat out. I promise i will not feel pity. I will just smile at the knowledge that today will be one of those days when time stands still. Even if it is only for me.

Cruel to be Kind?

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Lovelies, Your girl had a rough week and an eye opening day. I really wanted to cry because i could not believe people can be so hateful and cruel. It makes me really wonder what has this world come to, when people tear others down just to feel good about themselves. I really don't want to go into details because, to be honest, they are not worth my blogging time. So i will wipe my tears and COUNT DOWN the weekend. Have a fabulous weekend!!!!!

Are you your own obstacle? - Positive Wednesdays

First, thanks to all my fellow bloggers for their comments confirming that i was not the only person experiencing problems with blogger. Second, sorry for the late posting of this weeks postive wednesday. I am fighting the flu, well to be honest, it's not a fight. The flu is whipping my you-know-what!!!!All of this is smack in the middle of my new role of events planner. I promised, you will get detailed updates soon. Right now i want to share what i found. I hope it helps. Are you trying to stick to a fitness plan, improve a relationship, eliminate fast food from your diet, or be a better parent?  Whatever your goal, was there a time when you thought you couldn't do it? This is a natural reaction when things get tough. It's easier to find ways to justify your actions than to get over the hurdle. This week, eliminate the hurdles and barriers you've created. If you find yourself saying, "I can't" or "I don't have time," then re-analyze

Dealing with Computer Addiction - DIY Sundays

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The personal computer can be an incredible time saving device. You can use it to bank online, order refills foryour prescriptions, shop for clothes, gifts or food. You can send an e-card, email or read a newspaper. The downside to this incredibly helpful technology is that it is so easyto get swept up into the cyber world and lose track of thereal world that is right in front of you.   1) What does your computer mean to you? The first thing you should do is sit down and give some serious thought to exactly what your computer means to you and how it functions in your life. Is it just an entertainment tool or are you using it for business? 2) Set ground rules. You want your computer to benefit your life which will mean setting some ground rules. These will vary widely per your individual circumstances. Give yourself an appropriate timelimit when online. If you have a family at home, don'tallow your computer time to take away from real face-to-face quality time with them. Noth

Do You Look in the Mirror?

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What do you see when you look in the mirror? We often see what we want to see when we look in the mirror. For some of us, we see lines that are not there or weird shadows and minute flaws that in fact makes us prefect. Many say it is society that has created a era of women who are chasing after the myth, perfection. But we cannot blame society for all of our ills. Well we can but let's be real. We have to instead weak up and decide what we want. Or better yet, we need to decide which you, you want to be. Last year, i did just that. I decided to step outside the box and be who i want to be. So i cut my permed hair and started to lock my hair. Now let me tell you,  it was not an easy progress. I turned up at work and everyone did a double take. Basically i had little or no hair. Kids started to laugh and my colleagues looked at me weird but i did not care. I knew what i wanted and society's perception of beauty was not going to stop me. So i walked out proudly and eventually

Positive Wednesdays- Knee Jerk Reaction

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I wanted to share this video because I use it to keep me grounded. It is not my view to force religion down any ones throat but i thought there are some great points that are worth hearing. I hope you find it as valuable as i have.

DIY Sundays- Essential Oils

Essential oils are liquids that are distilled (by steam or water) from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark and roots of a plant. Highly concentrated, these oils contain the 'life force' of the plant and are one of the great untapped resources of the world. This life force contains the powerful healing properties of the plant and helps provide our family and home with health and pleasure without polluting our bodies or the environment. Here are my top 4 Essential Oils and why you should have them in your home: 1. LAVENDER: If you have nothing else, this is the oil you should have at home. Not only does it smell out of this world but lavender is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, antidepressant, sedative and detoxifier that promotes healing and prevents scarring. It also helps with burns. I use it when my kids have cuts or sunburns. I put it on my pillow at night to help me sleep, and if I had a particularly stressful day. You can use it as a spray (add distilled water and p

Acceptence (Managing Stress)

Adjusting Your Attitude How you think can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as "always," "never," "should," and "must." These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts. Stress management strategy: Accept the things you can’t change Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our con

Positive Wednesdays + BLOG HOP 3rd Edition

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Positive Hops A blog hop is when bloggers enter thier url, blog name or their name and often email address in a linky. This information comes up as a list. Bloggers then click and follow other members on the list. You should leave a comment on the person's blog and he or she will follow you back. Jioning a blog hop enables bloggers to meet fellow bloggers, increase their reader base and following. It also helps bloggers to find blogs that they might not necessarily find. So, if you have not entered your link please do so or you won't be listed on the hop. RULES There are NO rules. If you are a new follower leave a comment and I WILL FOLLOW YOU BACK. Have FUN!!!!!  

Have You Found It?

Guys i am feeling so blessed at this moment in time. It is unbelievable! I have always heard that you should find your passion and stick with it.  I am excited because i think i have finally found my passion. Guess what,  it is blogging. This is coming from a person who went through a period of not wanting to write even a sentence.  But, i am loving it. Recently, i had to take a little time off because of personal and professional engagements. Guys i literally ached. I know it sounds crazy. But i did. That is how i knew. I LOVE this!!!! So thank you all for coming to my blog and reading my rants, my thoughts and just for sharing in my personal journey. I am blown away that people actually take the time to read my words. Thanks You All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DIY Sundays- Cutting Your Phone Bill

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk . All opinions are 100% mine. I find that i spend quite a lot on mobile calls. It has got to the point where i have not been in contact with close friends unless they call me. Not only are my friendships dying but also i am losing the comfort of my inner circle. With this in mind, i thought that many of my readers might be having a similar problem.  That is why i jumped at the opportunity to share what i have learnt about this amazing company called Straight Talk. no they are not paying me to say they are amazing. But just think about it. Any company that offers products and services for the budget conscious person is definitely amazing in my book.  Here are the reasons why i am impressed:  cell phone bills are cut in half there are no contracts Great nationwide coverage and excellent reception/connectivity. Hook, line and sinker  Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola,

The Journey Continues!!!!!

Firstly, Somehow i feel like i have been saying this quite a lot but nonetheless i will say it again. I have not given up on blogging and sorry that i have been M.I.A. There are days when i want to blog so much it hurts. But, I am finding it hard to pencil in blog time on my busy schedule. I would like to think that this situation is a work in progress. I am sure, you will be tired of seeing me pretty soon. Just to say however, that I am currently working on some personal projects and i look forward to sharing them with you soon. Secondly, I know that for my United States readers, especially, you are preparing for fall and then winter. But, i just wanted to know if the climate has changed for you as yet. I swear that the sun is literally sitting on Jamaica.The days are blazing hot! I know that the summer equinox was on the 21 of September and therefore summer has officially ended. However, i am still waiting for summer to go to sleep or at least take a nap; so i can get a breath of