Seven Years Later

I have been blogging for seven years!!!!! 

January 7th will be my seven year anniversary on blogger. So much as changed in seven years. Some of the people that I have started with in the community are no longer here. The nature of the blogging landscape has changed. Mom bloggers are now mom entrepreneurs. I am so happy for this. 

I have grown tremendously over the seven years. One thing that stood out for me is that over the last seven years, is that blogging gave me a voice when I thought I had none.  This was the space I felt like I could be me and a community of strangers totally understood and accepted me. This was the place that helped me through my depression. This is the place that I dreamed and dared to create a new life.

If you are reading this blog now I want to take a second to thank you. Thank you for joining me on my journey. 

16 Things I learnt in 2016

One of my favourite YouTuber did a video post entitled '16 things I learnt in 2016'. This video inspired me to write this blog post. Here are  sixteen (16) things I learnt in 2016 that changed my year. Leave a comment below telling me some of the things you learnt in 2016.

1) Be Positive

I have learnt how powerful positive thinking can be. I always thought I was a pretty positive person; however 2016 taught me that I harboured a number of negative thoughts in my mind that held me back from achieving greatness.So, everyday I try my best to project the thoughts that I want to materialise in my life. It is a work in progress but my life has improved as a result of positive thinking.

2) Change is Good

I have said this countless times. I fear change. I like the certainty that comes from familiarity. However, in 2016 I changed jobs, friendships and relationships and now I understand that in order to grow and improve you have to make changes to your overall life.

3)Vision Boards are a Must

If you don't have a vision board what are you doing with your life? I created my vision board on Canva and used it as my computer background and within six months I started ticking off things from vision board. It does work and it makes you actively pursue your dreams and goals.

4) Leave Your Comfort Zone

Sometimes we are happy with just getting by. That has been me for a few years. I was hiding out in my comfort zone and i did not want to leave. Leaving your comfort zone is the walkway to achieving your dreams.

5) Experiences are Better than Stuff

Do you realize that we have got very good at collecting stuff and the more stuff we have the more trapped and depressed we are? However, experiences is what creates memories, facilitate growth and shapes our core selves. So, in 2016 i started going on road trips, exploring my city, taking small excursions and experiencing life.

6) Choose Your Inner Circle Wisely

I have always known this but in 2016 I really realized that the wrong friends and relationships can ruin your life.

7) All that Glitters is NOT Gold

I have learnt that not everyone, everything and every situation that appears to be great and prefect is actually that.

8) Don't Let Others Control YOUR Life

Yes!!!! I said It. This is so important. Often we allow others to control our major decisions, etc. It is key to remember that you have one life to live and you have to live it.

9) Planned Vacations are a Must

This allows you to gain more experiences.

10) Don't Allow Fear to Control Your Life

This quote says it all!!!

11) Dream Big

12) Go Get It

13) Be Your Authentic Self

14) Be Kind

15) Live

16) Love Life

Creating the Ultimate Girl Squad

Blogmas - Day 3

Squads are the new hit thing among the millennial. Being a child of the 90's I did not get the whole squad trend or maybe I could just be weird (LOL). Seriously though, I have analysed the concept and now I can see the merit in having a squad.

Now, let me break it down for you. A squad is a group of common friends that you have, that you hang out together at the same time. Now I think about it, I remember Carrie and the girls from Sex and the City. Those girls would be the ultimate 90’s girl squad.

With that in mind, girl squads can be great if you have the right type of squad. So, today I am going to lay the ground work of how to create the ultimate girl squad.

In creating my Ultimate Girl Squad I have painstakingly compiled five types of girls who would comprise the squad.


These girls are (but are limited to):

Xena Warrior Princess

At the top of the list, I have Xena Warrior Princess type of girl. This girl is a bad*ss. 

She is strong, fierce and downright brave. 

She is also the explorer who just gets up and goes.

Charlotte

Then, you have the cheerful cheerleader. She is the positive point of the group. She is also supportive and kind. Just think of Charlotte from Sex and the City.

The Planner Girl

You cannot forget your planner girl. She is systematic, organised and efficient. You aspire to be like her because she amazes you with her creativity. 

You are amazed at how on point she is and so you are motivated to get you sh*t together.

Posh Spice

Three words: prissy, pretty and posh. This is the lady of the group. Her hair, nails, clothes and speech is always on ‘fleek’.

                             

The Ride or Die Chick

This type of girl is LOYAL. Notice that the word loyal is in all caps. This is because this friend can be your vault. She is also the one that you can call at a moment’s notice and she will be there. She is the type of friend that will be there though the ups and downs.

                                                            

Please offer your own girls' squad suggestions. Also, tell me which one of these type of girls you are?

Finally, remember to share your thoughts in the comments and stop by tomorrow for another Blogmas post.

Three Tips to Staying Positive throughout the Day

Have you ever noticed that when you start your day on a positive note there is always something or someone who tries to suck your positive energy from you? I guess it is the nature of life. However, it is important to note that positive energy attracts positive energy. Therefore, as we countdown to Christmas and then the new year we have to allow good things to come into our lives. Additionally, I am learning that staying positive is an important practice that one needs to engage in on the road to happiness. 

Here are three tricks you can use to stay positive throughout the day:

Music

Did you know that music can influence your mood and attitude? With this in mind,  you can create playlists of your favourite feel-good songs that you can play throughout the day. I love YouTube and I am always using my laptop so I have created a number of playlists for my different moods and I find that often it takes just popping in my headphones to put a positive spin on my mood.

Free Playlist Makers

http://neverendingplaylist.com/

http://www.listube.com/

Meme Me

A few months I started to follow some positive thinking posters on the gram and can I tell you that they have worked wonders for my mindset. 

In the mornings while I scroll through my posts I see all the funny memes that crack me up along with the positive ones. 

I in turn share them and spread the positive vibes. This makes me feel great and I am also encouraging the group of people that I surround myself with to be positive by sharing with them. 

Walking Away

What?!! Walking away? 

Yes, I said it. Sometimes you have to walk away from a negative situation or person to maintain your positive mindset. 

Case in point, I woke up feeling like crap; so I decided to change my mood. I was off to a great start with positive memes and thoughts. I was thankful and expressed gratitude through prayer. 

I was off to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with my positive mindset. Then, wave after wave of negative people and situations came rolling in. 

On a side note, have you ever realized that the moment you choice to be positive it is the moment crap starts to rain on your parade. 

Anyways, I just started walking. I walked away and it worked. The long and short of it is that in all situations you need to preserve your peace, joy, happiness and positive mindset.  

Stop by tomorrow for another post in this journey. Also, please remember to live a comment and sign up posts to be emailed to you. 

Blogmas Begins......

Blogmas- Day  1

For the first time this year I will be doing Blogmas on Lioness Rebirth. Heeeeyyyy!!! 

Can you check out the Lioness Rebirth Blogmas poster? Can you say fierce?!!! I usually go girl and cute. However, I love it! Tell me what you think about it in the comments below.

What is blog? You might ask. Well, Blogmas is basically a bloggers way of counting down the days to Christmas by posting a new blog every day. 

Guys, this is going to be a serious challenge for me; nevertheless I am excited to share all of what I have planned for you. This Blogmas celebration is my way of giving the blog a new birth.  So, stop by everyday with a cup of tea or coffee and celebrate Blogmas with. I am so excited to take this journey with you. 

The Countdown Begins...........

How to Eat Healthy Fast Food this Summer

Summer is a time for fun, sun relaxation and eating anything we see without thinking about the consequences for our bodies. 

Am I the only one who does this?

If you are like me or if you want to eat healthier this summer these tips will help to eat healthier fast food this summer: 

 Control Your Portions

Do not order extra large combos or go to those all you can eat buffets and try to eat everything in sight. Instead, select the smaller sandwiches and meals that contain less fats.  

Eat More Jerked or Grilled Meats

You can have jerk chickens, grilled vegetables, or seafood; instead of deep fried chicken or chips. Remember the goal is to eat less fatty foods without punishing yourself.

Check to Make Sure the Dish is Actually Healthy

Remember, not because a dish proclaims that it is a healthier choice that does not meant it is actually healthier. Find out about the nutrition facts of that smoothie or salad that you are about to consume. For example, many fast food salads are a diet minefield, smothered in unhealthy dressing and fried toppings. 

Don’t be afraid to special order. 

Finally, many menu items can be made healthier with a few tweaks and substitutions. For example, you can ask to hold the sauce or dressing or serve it on the side. Or you can request a wheat bun for your hamburger or whole-grain bread for your sandwich.



resource site: www.helpguide.org

How to Design Your Blog Yourself

It turns out that you can design your blog yourself without needing to have any expertise in blog design whatsoever. After paying to design this blog, I was faced with the challenge of having two other blogs with no way to formally pay to design them also; so I decided to do the job myself.  Let me just say I had no formal training or expertise in this area. However, I was able to transform these two blogs into a space that was uniquely what I wanted to present to my readers. 



Here are some tools that I use to help me:

Free Templates

It was important to me to have my blog design looking visually appealing. I found that there are blog designers that actually gave away free templates that were first rate quality. You can find great free templates on these sites:

• Blogger Candy
• Wordpress Templates
• Blogger Themes
• Free Templates

I have used Blogger Candy and I have found they offer a number of templates that are well designed and easy to change to suit my preferences. 

How to Install Templates in Blogger

Here’s how to install a Blogger template you’ve downloaded from another site:

1. Log in to Blogger, and on your Blogger Dashboard, click the Design link.

2. Click the Edit HTML tab.

3. Click the Download Full Template link and save it to your computer.

4. Make a note of the file name and where you saved it in case you need it later!

5. Unzip the template file you downloaded from another site.

6. Back on the Edit HTML page, click the Choose File button.

7. Navigate to where you saved the unzipped files on your computer, and double-click the one that ends in .xml.

8. Click the Upload button.

Creating Specialized Headers

Sometimes you find a great free blog design or a design on blogger that you love but you want to personalize it with your own unique blog header.  Canva is one of the websites I used to create my headers. I find that the website tools are easy to understand and very user friendly. Plus, I do not need to know anything about design to use it. I can upload my images/logos to the site and use them. You will however need to know the dimensions for your header so that you can have the right size and you will need to save the header you have created in Canva as a picture (jpeg/png format) .

How to Install a Header in Blogger

Go to the LAYOUT window and click on “EDIT” in the header widget (little blue link). The following pop-up will open:

Browse for the header image file on your computer and make sure you select “Instead of title and description” (also, do not select ‘shrink to fit’).

SAVE! ALL DONE!


 Sources:

 http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-install-a-google-blogger-template.html

http://www.bloggercandy.com/faqs-how-to/how-to-install-a-header-image/

How to Review a Poorly Written Book

source

You are excited because you have just received your first book to review. You quickly start reading the book with bated breath because you can barely contain your excited. Ten pages into the book you find that you are struggling to move on to the next page. With each page you become more disappointed with the writer's craft. You shake your head at the poorly written plot and the conflict that you are waiting to see develop but seems nonexistent.  Finally, at page 100 you give up. You just cannot keep going. You have 100 pages left and it is too painful to continue reading. Then, you remember that you have a write a review on the book. 

What then? 

How do you review a book that is poorly written? 

That is a dilemma that a number of bloggers face. Today I want to address that issue. Here are some tips on how to review a poorly written book:

 

Your Audience

 Always remember that your loyalty is to your audience; it is not any company, author, friend, etc. Bloggers tend to develop a relationship with their core followers; while your core followers depend on your honest points of view on the products, services that you review on your blog. So, your loyalty is to your audience. You must always remember that you should always the true to your readers.

Integrity

In business and in blogging integrity is everything. It is important that you state before accepting any product (book) or service to review that you will give your honest opinion (no matter what). By doing this, you are making it known that you will not write a great review of a book that is sub-standard because you are being paid or you are requested to do so.

Decline

After reading the book you can decline to review it. This is easier if the book was given to you by the author.  You should contact the author and explain your experience and decline to write the review or explain the type of review that you plan to write. I find that the author will understand because he/she does not want a bad review to be published.

Be Unbiased

 You can also publish the review with your honest opinion. You can state to your readers that although this is your experience it might not be the same for them. If the book is from an author they are familiar with you can suggests that they can read the book and share their own experiences. 

Tips for Managing Multiple Blogs

Here are some tips on how I manage my multiple blogs:

Use One Blogging Platform

I find it more manageable to have all my blogs on one blogging platform (Blogger). My blogger dashboard has where I can see all my blogs at a glance and I find this very handy and useful.
So I suggest have all you blogs on one blogging platform that way you can see all your blogs and you can better track your blogs that way. I find that blogger helps me to do that.

Never Post Substandard Content:

 When you have multiple blogs you might feel like you have to post to keep your readers coming back; however, if you post content that is below your standards you will find that your loyal readers will lose interest and stop reading your blog. It is better not to post than to post content that is not in line with your blog just  because you feel like you have to post something.

 Set scheduled posts

 I am bad at this. But I have found that it is great when you stagger your posts if you have multiple blogs. This is especially good if all of your readers are from one Google + profile. This way you won’t overwhelm your readers. Pretend that you are a reader and you see four different posts from someone you follow from four different blogs on the same day.  I am sure you do a double take and become so confused. In short, don’t overwhelm your readers (Google +).

Find Your Niche

You need to have a clear purpose for your blog that way you will definitely know your niche and you will target that niche. When I first started blogging I had no purpose for my blog, Lioness Rebirth. I just wrote about things that interest me. However, over time I realized that my readers gravitated to posts that provided information that they found useful. So, I then focused my blog on that niche.

Network Based on your Blogs

It is good to join different communities on Google + based your different blogs. This helps because you can share with members of that community so that they can read posts that interest them from your blog. Remember to get involve. Do not make it a one way street. That way you can get a discussion going on your blog and in the community itself.

I hope these tips were helpful. Please let me know if there are any posts you will like me to share.

5 Face Scrubs Recipes

Summer is almost over, however that does not mean you cannot keep summer with you through out the year. Here are a few simple D.I.Y. scrub recipe you can create at home to beautify yourself: 

Recipe 1- Tropical Face Scrub

• Olive Oil
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Lemons

You can use your desired measurement. You cannot go wrong. Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance

Recipe 2- Quick and Easy

• Cornmeal
• Condense Milk

Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance. Then apply to the skin. It might get hard and tighten the skin. Following this, watch with warm water for a smooth youthful look.

 Recipe 3- Summer Fun

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 10-15 drops essential oil (optional)

Combine the coconut oil and one cup of the sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy. Then, add the essential oil while continuing to stir. After, add the remaining sugar until the formula reaches the desired consistency. Finally, scrub away and love your super soft skin! Store the remaining scrub in a tightly sealed container for later use.

Recipe 4- Clean & Cool

• 2 cups of white sugar

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/8 cup rosemary essential oil

• 2 Tbsp. baking soda

 

Combine all of these ingredients until the mixture forms a paste-like substance.  Place in a mason jar.  Because of the olive oil ingredient, it is ideal to use this body scrub while showering, and to clean the tub thoroughly when you are finished to get rid of any oily or slippery residue. This body scrub may be used before shaving to leave your skin feeling soft and resilient.

Recipe 5- Simply the Best

• Baking Soda
• Rag

Wet your rag and pour two teaspoons on the rag (or as desired). Also, rub baking soda into the rag. After this, use the rag to rub your skin. Then, wash your skin with water. This can be done before or after your bath.

 

 

I hope you find these useful. Remember, I am not a trained professional and I am sharing my thoughts and opinions.

 

Resources:

http://www.morethanmundane.com/2013/12/09/101-diy-scrub-recipes/

http://saltlicklessons.com/2014/09/23/homemade-sugar-scrub/

How to Write a Blog Post

So I have been blogging now for about four years on and off. It is something I enjoy doing and it is purely my hobby. However, over my four year journey I have learned a few tips and tricks that have helped me when writing my blog post. 

 Getting Started

• Sometimes it is hard to get started on writing your blog post especially if what you want to say is not actually what you are typing on the page. You find that you type and delete continuously; before you know it, you are at square one. So what to do?

Brainstorm Ideas

•  It is good to have an idea of what you want to write before you begin writing. Basically, brainstorming is writing down your ideas and organizing them before you start writing.

•  I find that brainstorming saves you a lot of time and energy. It also prevents you from having writers block in the middle of writing your post.

•  Brainstorming helps you to focus your topic, eliminate ideas that are not in line with what you want to write about and also to find an innovative way to present your topic.

 Creating Your Title

•  You can start writing your blog post by creating the title of your blog post. It is important that you ensure that your title concise but it most also convey what you blog post is about.

• A good title is one that is also search engine friendly meaning it could be similar to a search query that someone would type to find information on the topic you are writing about. 

•   When you create the title first; it also helps to frame the content. Creating the title first is also very helpful because you can always refer to your title when writing content to ensure that you do not include unnecessary information.

After Starting

•  Once you start writing make sure your language is simple and easy to follow. It is important that you write in a way that your readers can understand exactly what you are trying to say. 

Creating your content

• There is no hard or fast rule that says you have to begin writing your blog post by creating your title first. Sometimes when it comes to a title you can be blank. Therefore, you can write your content. Depending on your blog, you can decide to write your content based on any topic. After you have written your content you can examine what you have written and create the most suitable title for your blog post.

Do your research

• If it is an informative post you are writing it is good to ensure that you have the most current and relevant information on the topic. Therefore, please ensure that you do adequate research.

Edit! Edit! Edit!

• Editing your blog post is essential. I type my posts in blogger then sometimes I copy it and paste what I have typed into Microsoft Word. That way I can see not only the spelling errors but also the sentence structure errors. I them proofread my post in Microsoft Word and paste it back to blogger.

• I know it sounds tedious but I find that when I type in Microsoft Word and paste it in to blogger that my margins are off and then I have to go back to word and do more aligning to get it to align properly on my blog. 

Preview

• After this I preview my blog post clicking the button on the top right hand corner of blogger that says preview. This allows me to see what my post will look like when I post it. I can adjust the paragraphs and check grammar again. I try to check my grammar as much as possible because this is my weakest area. 

Visual Appeal

• I find that adding pictures add to the visual appeal of the post. Ensure that the size and the colour of the words on your blog post makes it reader friendly. If you have written a long post you can include subheading to break up the paragraphs and to grab the reader’s attention.