Sunday * February 5th 2012
Jan15
Quote of the week:
“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. There is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” -Johann Gottfried Von Herder
Health Tip:
Stress Tips: Take time out to relax and recharge your batteries. You will perform much better after a break and easily make up the time you used relaxing. -http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health
Jan14
Are you ready for a new look this New Year? Progresso®is excited to announce the return of their Souper You®Contest giving you the change to win an incredible makeover! By telling Progresso why you deserve a makeover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood this Spring!
Now that the ball has dropped and the confetti has settled, it´s time to consider how you will stick to your resolution for the New Year and maintain your weight management plan, without sacrificing on variety or the taste of foods you love. Thanks to Progresso®, you can have your soup and eat it too!
With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight management calorie goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices.
This year, the Souper You® Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season´s live finale of NBC´s The Biggest Loser
Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd
Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th
In addition, visit http://bit.ly/ProgressoCoup to download a printable coupon for $1.25 off the purchase of four (4) cans of Progresso Soup today, and feel free to share with your blog readers so they can take advantage of the savings as well
Also, tune into The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7c
Click to see the Progresso Souper You 2011 Contest Winners and watch this amazing video of the 2011 winner experience.
DISCLAIMER: I received the contest information and Progresso coupon from My Blog Spark.
Jan14
Attention ShopRite Shopper! You could have the chance to win a ShopRite gift card with a value of up to $150, just by sharing some exciting news from your favorite grocery store with your blog readers, family members and friends! As a member of MyBlogSpark, you are eligible to be entered into the ShopRite “Cans for Fans” Sweepstakes where you can win one of three prepaid ShopRite gift cards for $50, $100 or $150!
About the Can Can Sale:
In 2011, ShopRite donated 40,000 cans of food to local food banks in commemoration of 40 years of Can Can savings by way of its famous, annual Can Can Sale. Now in its 41st year, the Can Can Sale has become extra special with the “Cans for Fans” Facebook program, which enables fans to get involved in the fight against hunger. During the 2012 Can Can Sale (1/5 – 1/21), ShopRite will donate one can of food (up to 50,000 cans) to local food banks in the communities it serves, on behalf of every new ShopRite Facebook fan.
DISCLAIMER: This contest, content and image are from My Blog Spark. I am not receiving any monetary compensation from My Blog Spark or from Shop Rite.
Jan08
Avocados are packed with nutrition. They are high in vitamin K, fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and copper. They also contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help lower cholesterol.
Jan06
I haven’t had much time this week to blog. I am taking this time to reflect and answer some Reverb prompts. I started Reverb11 in December 2011. Throughout the month of December 2011, I participated in Reverb11. See this post for more information.
My schedule was too hectic for me to post everyday and since there are no rules I decided to continue.
Prompt #13 – Love
What are the things (or people or animals) in this world that you love the most.
{image: found via kind over matter, original by Lesley Myrick}
I love my family, friends, and significant other the most in this world. I love these people in my life unconditionally. Through the years, I learned about unconditional love. I grew up thinking that people loved me when I acted a certain way or if I did something nice for others. As I got older and wiser, I realized my family and friends still loved me no matter how I acted, what I said or if I helped them. There are no conditions to love.
Jan01
A New Year Every Week
Take time this week to think about your goals for the coming year. Set a healthy resolution and stick to it by evaluating your progress and setting new goals every Monday. When you refocus your intentions each week, you’re much more likely to change for good!
Dec31
I usually start my year with a word in mind. 2010 was SIMPLICITY and 2011 was ORGANIZE. Why ORGANIZE? Simply, I needed to organize my apartment and my life. I have so much papers and stuff that Eddie had to make me a bookshelf in December 2010. I spent a good part of 2011 buying organization supplies, boxes, and labeling my stuff. I ended 2011 ORGANIZING my 2012 calendar.
I clearly remember the beginning of 2011 - January – it snowed and it was cold! I started the new year in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I spent New Year’s Day with Eddie’s extended family. We had a great time and hoped I was able to help his cousin with her business. I showed her how to use social media for her business: twitter and Facebook.
Since getting my DSLR camera I wanted to practice taking pictures so I gave myself a project calleded “365 Days Photo Project“. I took pictures everyday, posted them on my blog and saw my progress. It was definitely a lot of work but worth it in the end.
In January, I was obessed with crocheting and knitting so I went to a meetup on learning how to crochet a scarf. I didn’t get very far but at least I got the basics. From this meetup, I met some new friends in New York City and learned about swap-bot. On the professional front, I continued with my software certification.
February brought Valentines Day and sharing the day with Eddie. Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday and ate dinner with Eddie at a sushi place. My first vacation of the year was in Charlotte, North Carolina with Eddie and met his college friends. I got to see what Charlotte had to offer and also went to Charleston, SC. It was a nice vacation since it was cold in the north. On the blogging front, I received many sponsorships in February and finally made some money.
In March, I received many guest posts and sponsorship posts. I continued with my crafts. Professionally, I passed my software certification and officially “certified” in the vendor software.
In April, I attended Creative Estates with Lori. We met many new crafters and bloggers and made some new friends who I still keep in touch with on twitter.
I was also invited to a Lencrafters event in April where I received Tory Burch sunglasses and met Joan Rivers, up close and personal. I have to thank my Today’s Mama editor for inviting me to this event.
May – brought not only warm weather but the chance to review some cool jewelry from Luna and Stella. My niece celebrated her bat mitzvah early this month in Cleveland, Ohio. I also started my sewing classes and after learning about sewing, my life was never the same.
Professionally, June brought a go-live in my hospital and found myself working long hours for only a few weeks. Then, it was back to normal hours.
July – I continued to sew in July and found some cool fabric stores in Manhattan and Astoria. I have a few favorite stores that I frequent a lot. I continued with my sewing projects and photography projects. My cousin from Arizona made a trip to Maryland for my aunt’s one year death anniversary. I was able to hang out with her for a few days in Annapolis, Baltimore, and Washington DC.
Still fresh from excitement from sewing, I continued to buy fabric for my latest projects. August was the month for vacations. I traveled to San Diego with Eddie and met up with Lori and her husband. I met up with my friend Andra and visited the San Diego Zoo.
We also attended BlogHer 11 together for the second year in a row and met Rebecca and Rachel.
Of course after BlogHer, came a big win for my blog. I had received so many blogging opportunities that I didn’t have the time to write in my own blog.
My second vacation in August was with my family in Williamsburg, Virginia. I haven’t been to Williamsburg since I was a child so learning about history is refreshing. I can’t believe I remember so little history. This was a fun and relaxing family vacation. We were also able to go to Virginia Beach and hang out there for a few hours.
September brought the 10th year anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks and also my birthday. My birthday turned out to be fun since Eddie surprised me with a dinner with friends.
I was also nominated from SHAPE magazine as best healthy living blogger. It’s always nice to be recognized even if I didn’t win. In September, my first biggest blog visits ever – over 50,000 visits in 1 month! The sad news in September was the sudden death of my uncle. He has just arrived in the United States early this year and passed away in September.
October started off visiting Boston, seeing friends and attending an art show in Lowell, Massachusetts. Eddie and I met a photographer during this art show and had a professional shoot. The pictures turned out well as you can see from my twitter and Facebook profiles.
November came a big win for me. My biggest highlight in November was being offered a blogging job for Masters in Health Informatics. As you can see, my life has been non-stop and hectic in 2011. My sister was able to visit me for a few days and we watched a few Broadway and off-Broadway shows. It was nice to hang out with her. I was able to go to see my family in Maryland and spend Thanksgiving with them. It was fun playing games, eating, and just hanging out. And of course, I had my brother’s famous turkey again. This Thanksgiving was even more special as my grandmother got to spend it with us.
The month of December was a whirlwind for me. I started the month off by vacationing in the Grand Cayman. It was nice to go back after a year’s hiatus. It’s also nice going to a tropical island when it’s freezing cold in New York. I had a nice few days with my sister and brother. It was too bad I had to go back home. After my trip, I continued with my daily life and squeezed in Christmas shopping and sending out Christmas cards. Well, I was too late for the Christmas cards so I opted to send out New Year’s cards. Professionally, December was a busy month for me as we prepare for our upcoming project to go-live in 2012.
I was able to spend Christmas with my family in Maryland and to finish out the year in New York. I have to say I cleared out the majority of my to-do list. Nothing like the deadline of the new year for me to take action. I end the last day of 2011 writing this blog post from Boston, Massachusetts.
I thank you all for reading my blog and for making 2011 such a success for me. I look forward to 2012.
Dec31
{image: found via Kind Over Matter, orginal created byDawn Smith}
Below are the goals I posted in January 2011 and each quarter I re-read each goal to see if I reached or at least working on that particular goal.
1.) Nutrition and Diet
2.) Exercise
3.) Simplify
4.) Organize
5.) Hobbies – Photography
6.) Crafts
7.) Read
8.) Savings
9.) Career
10.) Blogging -
11.) Freelance writing
12.) Stop procrastination and do things in the moment before it piles up – I have caught up with my to-do list
13.) Be a tourist in my own city
Dec31
In keeping up with my theme of New Year’s rituals, below are 10 steps to let go of 2011 and to bring in positivity in 2012. This ritual is from Debbie Ford. Take time out for yourself today and experiment with this ritual. You never know, it may bring you what your heart desires.
{image: found via kind over matter, original created by Lori Portka}
The Ritual
1.) Begin by taking some slow deep breaths. As you breathe out, use your exhales to breathe out who you have been in the past, all that you know yourself to be, all the decisions you’ve made in the last few years that are old decisions by now, anything that stands between you and the you you don’t know yet. As you breathe in, allow yourself to breathe in new energy, inviting a state of consciousness you’ve never known.
2.) Now allow yourself to see all that you’ve done in 2011 that you’re proud of. Make a list of the courageous acts, the changes, the breakthroughs, the accomplishments and the achievements in 2011.
3.) Read this list out loud to yourself in the form of “Thank you for.”. Thank yourself – the you of 2011 – for all that you’ve done this year. As you thank yourself for every item on your list, allow yourself to feel like you’re being tickled in the heart.
4.) Take another few slow deep breaths and let yourself to see what you would need to let go of and leave in 2011 so that you can feel the gratitude and appreciation for being you and for getting to play a role in this universe. Make a list of the thoughts, beliefs, habits, addictions, grudges, resentments or harsh internal dialogues that are robbing you right now of a new future. What is in the way of you standing in the joy and magnificence of life?
5.) Now imagine that your list represents a weight keeping you stuck in your current reality, a weight that keeps you attached to the you that you are right now. See the items on your list as anchors that are weighing you down and then imagine that by unhooking from these anchors, you will be able to float to a whole new reality that is just waiting for you. Let yourself see what you would need to do — what actions do you need to take — in order to unhook from these anchors and move forward in your life. Make a list.
6.) Take another sweet, strong breath and give yourself permission to expand beyond the you that you’ve been. Put all your energy around your heart and invite an inspired vision to come to you. As you see this new future for yourself, feel the energy and the light around your heart. Notice what makes your heart happy and joyful. See what turns your light on. Make some notes.
7.) Feeling this love in your heart, ask yourself if you are willing and ready to be guided by this love in 2012. Are you willing and ready to be guided by this love in 2012? If you are, affirm that to yourself out loud seven times. “I am willing and ready to be guided by this love in 2012.” As you repeat this phrase, let your inner smile emerge on to your face.
8.) Now let yourself see all your friends, all your supporters, all the gods and goddesses, and all the angels cheering you on, telling you it’s safe to let go and open up. Spend a few minutes basking in the love of this cheering squad.
9.) Send deep love to all of your selves — the self you’ve known and the self that will emerge in this new year. As you’re giving yourself this love, allow a short statement — a love mantra for 2012 — to come into your awareness. Write it down and then repeat it to yourself seven times.
10.) Pick one dramatic action to take in the first 24 to 48 hours of the new year to demonstrate your seriousness to the universe about allowing a 2012 version of yourself to emerge. Maybe you will take all the beer out of your fridge if your 2011 self drank too much. Maybe you will remove your television from your bedroom if your 2011 self used it to avoid caring for yourself. Maybe you will write a letter of forgiveness to someone your 2011 self harbored a grudge against. Let yourself see the dramatic action you can take.
Dec31
image found via kindovermatter and originally uploaded from Therese’n
This post was originally written on December 31, 2009.
Yesterday, I wrote about my own cultural New Year’s rituals. Today, I will share other rituals from different religions and culture. Again, I want to thank Michelle Pessin, life coach specializing teachers and special needs children, for the inspiration. Thanks, Michelle!
Rituals that have personal meaning for you makes the BEST rituals. It helps you to consciously clear your mind, FOCUS, and to move forward to the new year and new decade. These personal rituals can be anything like choosing a word and to embody that word throughout the year, letter to yourself, letter to your future self, prayer, affirmation, choosing a symbolic image, or planning a trip somewhere that has special meaning for you. It does not matter what your ritual is, it just needs to have meaning for you! New Year’s rituals can be by yourself, with friends, family, or your significant other. I assembled some New Year’s rituals for you below. Write me a comment if you have one that is not on my list or comment if you adopted one from the list. I would love to hear from you. Continue Reading »
Dec31
image found via kindovermatter originally uploaded by bird flew
This post was originally written on December 30, 2009.
My friend and fellow life coach, Michelle Pessin emailed me an article called rituals the other day and I was inspired to write this post about it. Rituals. What is it? Some people associate rituals in religious ceremonies. Another definition of ritual is “any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner”. This posting will be about cultural rituals but there are many other types of rituals such as Cleansing Rituals, Rituals of Closure, Rituals for New Beginnings, or a Meditative Ritual.
We all have some kind of ritual that we do daily, weekly, or once a year, really. Maybe we don’t realize it. Filipinos have MANY New Year’s rituals that my family performs every year. I adopted a filipino New Year’s ritual of opening up the kitchen cabinets and bedroom drawers to bring in food, money, and good luck for the New Year. Another Filipino ritual that I adopted from my family is to have MANY round fruit in a basket in the kitchen. These round fruit are oranges, grapefruits, clementines, or apples. The significance of this ritual is to ALWAYS have food in my house. I also adopted from my family a New Year’s tradition of putting money into my pockets. The reasoning behind this ritual is to have A LOT of money for the upcoming year. Now, you are probably wondering if these rituals work. Well, I can say for the past 25 years of performing these rituals with my family, we ALWAYS have money in our pockets. These are my cultural rituals that connects me with my ancestors to preserve my identity in the future.
There are many other New Year’s rituals such as leaving the “old” behind and bringing in the “new”. In the past three years, Times Square in New York City have had a ritual called “Good Riddance and placed a HUGE shredder. It welcomes people to write what they would like to get rid of in 2010. Some people have written that they would like to lose pounds or their ex-husbands, wives, boyfriends, or girlfriends. After they write what they would like to get rid off, they shred it in the giagantic shredder. This ritual is symbolic with the “in the moment” of getting rid of my “old, unwanted, stressful life” to my “new and improved life”.
What is your New Year’s rituals? Please comment below. I would love to hear it!
Dec30
Note to my new readers: Throughout the month of December, I am participating in Reverb11. See this post for more information. Although, I will not post daily due to my schedule, I will post as much as I can. Since there is only one more day in 2011 and 18 more prompts to go, I will continue Reverb11 in 2012. I want my prompts to be authentic and unrushed.
{image: found via Kind Over Matter, orginally uploaded by acoate}
Prompt #11: Anticipation
What is the one thing that you are most looking forward to in 2012?
I am looking forward to my intentions and goals coming to fruition. I am looking forward to changing my life and my current situations that do not bring me joy or satisfaction. I am looking forward to my adventure in Africa. I am looking forward to my blog becoming bigger and better in 2012.
It’s easy to focus on our mistakes—to reflect with 20/20 hindsight and berate ourselves for what went wrong. Bring your awareness to a mistake you’ve made over the past year. Unveil one positive lesson from that mistake. How can you actively use this lesson moving forward?
Prompt: #12 Mistakes
It’s easy to focus on our mistakes—to reflect with 20/20 hindsight and berate ourselves for what went wrong. Bring your awareness to a mistake you’ve made over the past year. Unveil one positive lesson from that mistake. How can you actively use this lesson moving forward?
One mistake that I made this past year is to not love people in my life unconditionally, especially the people close to me. I have taken the people in my life for granted that they will always be there for me. I need to accept people as they are and to not change them for my own reasons.
Dec27
{image: credit}
Note to my new readers: Throughout the month of December, I am participating in Reverb11. See this post for more information. Although, I will not post daily due to my schedule, I will post as much as I can.
Prompt #6: Ease
What can you do to add ease to 2012?
2012 will be an incredibly busy year for me professionally. Without giving too much detail, I have a full-time job as a nurse informaticist and this year, my hospital is installing a new electronic medical record. At the end of 2012, we will finally turn it on and go-live with the new system. Implementing a new inpatient system is both challenging and rewarding at the same time.
For me, what can I do to add ease to 2012? I need to take the time to relax and not stress out over minor details. I am a perfectionist by nature and I know this will be a challenge for me. I need to have a work/life balance and I need to schedule time for my crafts.
Prompt #7: Giving
“The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” (David Viscott) What is your gift to give?
My gift to give is my creativity. Creativity in photography and in all of my crafts. Without creativity, my life will be meaningless. God gave me talent and I shall use it to help others.
I have a certificate as a life coach and lately I have been thinking about becoming a career coach and helping out people who want to break into the health informatics world. I can give free advice and information to others and help them succeed in the field.
Prompt #8: Limits
We often learn about our limits the hard way. Were there any limits you realized this past year? Alternately, what self-imposed limits were you able to move beyond this year?
There are limits and obstacles that come our way but it is up to us to decide to break those obstacles. I give myself limits if I think I cannot succeed. I am currently studying for a professional certification exam and have always thought to myself that I will not pass. I am going beyond that thinking and taking the exam in early 2012.
Prompt #9: Superpower
If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
If I were a superhero, I would want to be able to read people’s minds. That way, I don’t have to ask them what is going on. I would already know.
Prompt #10: Soul Food
How do you nourish your soul? What activities are essential nutrients for your soul’s well-being?
I noursih my soul my reading sentimental or philosphical books. I also nourish my soul my keeping a journal and writing down my thoughts and feelings instead of keeping it bottled inside of me.
Dec26
Quote of the week:
“Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.”
- William James
Health Tip: Exercise safely outside, especially when it’s cold. As we adjust to the colder temperature, our bodies burn additional calories, rendering a ten minute walk in cold weather worth as much as 7 percent more than the same walk (run, football game, or other
movement) in warmer weather.
-
http://www.familyresource.com
Apply at MORE TH>N life insurance and we'll give you the best quote from our panel of leading insurers to help find you the cheapest policy. Prices start from only £5 a month
Buy MORE TH>N pet insurance online and benefit from a 20% discount! From 8 weeks old onwards, your pet cat or dog will be covered regardless of its age (covers each new injury or illness up to £7000).
Free helplines for legal advice, medical advice and post-accident counselling, and discounts on our car breakdown cover with MORE TH>N car insurance.
With a MORE TH>N home insurance policy, when you buy buildings insurance, we'll give you home contents insurance up to £75,000 absolutely free!
Buy MORE TH>N van insurance and benefit from up to a 20% discount when you buy online as well as other great offers when you buy a MORE TH>N BUSINESS insurance product.
