This has been quite a long week for me. 🕔🕙
Finally returned to work (virtually) after being off more than two weeks and I am super proud I didn’t let myself work outside of work hours or become overwhelmed. 👏🏽
Excited about starting my Pinterest business page which has already made more impressions than I thought I could get. 🥳
I am also proud to have found motivation to work out every day. Thank you to @masterconsistency for the push on Tuesday! 💪🏽
Happy Friday! 💮
At quick glance, you see calm water and the bright sun, could be warm and cozy, however, it was windy and freezing. This quick snapshot just captures a single still moment in time but doesn’t define or tell what else is going on.
We live in a world where we are lead to believe everyone is living their best life (and hey, some probably are). Seriously though, everything posted on social media (for the most part) indicates everyone is just achieving all of their goals and doing great things, traveling to amazing places, and dressing nicely.
I received a message from one of my chapter sister’s this week that inspired this post. She said we don’t share our downfalls or losses often enough. I also listened to a podcast where someone shared how they don’t compare themselves to what they see because they don’t know what those people went thru to get to where they are. And they are both absolutely right.
So many people are fighting silent or hidden battles, illnesses, losses, and just plain daily struggles. Pictures are just single still moments and nothing else. We don’t know the work that was put into it or what someone had to overcome or what someone feels they have to prove to actually post that one picture. We also don’t know what struggles someone had to learn and surpass to achieve an accomplishment they share. But so often we catch ourselves getting consumed with this and feeling down about ourselves. You should just remember we are all works in progress and you may be envying or jealous of something that doesn’t even really exist.
So today try to think about the following:
Remember: We all have our own struggles but sometimes reaching out to others can be just the medicine they need which in turn fulfills us as well.
It seems like we can’t catch a break this year. From the deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and others in a horrific helicopter accident at the end of January to the take over of COVID-19 shortly after. It seemed as if things could not get much worse but HA! we were so wrong!
Many callous acts against people of color specifically Black have come back to light. This time causing an uproar unlike any other in recent times. Protests, riots, and even looting have filled the streets in both the US and across the country.
I want to make it clear that I stand united with our Black community. Systemic racism has existed for far too long and change needs to happen!
Therefore, I wanted to provide some resources on how you too can help this cause. Thank you to my sorority for putting together this list. Just remember, these are only some of the many out there. Do your research. Educate yourself.
Donations:
Petitions:
Podcasts:
Books:
Articles/Websites:
If you are anything like me, you didn’t think this whole COVID-19 was going to take over the way it did. I was definitely one of those peeps who kept saying and thinking that this would blow over in a week or so. I was so WRONG!
It has now been almost 2 months since I started working at home and I am still in disbelief. Everything changed so abruptly and it literally happened overnight. One day my daughter was in school and the next we were picking up a Chromebook for her to do remote learning. One day I was at work and the next was told to stay home until further notice.
These past few months have been a rollercoaster ride. We had to start wearing masks, hand sanitizing repeatedly, wearing gloves, and even spraying alcohol when coming back into the house. Let’s not forget the mental effects this virus has had on just about everyone! I have had days where my emotions, feelings, and thoughts have caused me to have mini meltdowns. This coming from someone who didn’t take this seriously at all at first.
This virus hit a little to close to home though. At the end of March, my mother tested positive for the virus and was extremely ill. It was super scary and it was even worse because I couldn’t be by her side like I would have wanted. I had to rely on phone calls to my dad and hoping he was being honest. My sister and I would take turns checking in with them throughout the day. Once my mom started getting better, my dad began to feel sick. Fortunately, by the grace of God, he tested negative for the virus and actually felt better in about a week. Sadly, it doesn’t end there. Several of my aunts and uncles also tested positive and are still healing slowly.
This, however, is not the case for all of them. One of my uncles is still in the hospital and it has been a long 3 weeks. We have been praying for him and checking in with him every day but it is extremely difficult. We are fortunate enough to have a close family friend that works at the hospital stop in during her shift each day just so we can say hello.
I can imagine that a lot of the world has experienced an incline in so many stressors and it has truly affected our mental health. However, it has also made us open our eyes and look back at moments we may not have appreciated as much. I know for me, it’s small things such as merely stopping by my mom’s place and hanging out with the kids for an hour or even our small birthday gatherings where we could sing Happy Birthday and cut a cake. It’s these small things that I truly miss. FaceTime calls have definitely become more frequent.
I write this in hope to offer some comfort to others experiencing these same or similar things. Know that you are not alone. We are in this together. Please take some of this time to distract yourself from all the negativity that is being put out.
Find some time to turn off your television, log off of social media, and just enjoy some fresh air and some sun. One thing they haven’t banned us from doing is going for a walk (of course being safe). So go out and enjoy it! I know this works for me; it is a way to recharge.
Some other suggestions: use this time to boost your self-care, pick up a hobby, or even teach your kid(s) something new (bike riding is on our list here). Self-care was at the bottom of my priority list which is NO BUENO (not good). It took me so many weeks before I finally made time to workout again and write some blog posts. I even used a face mask a few times. Go Me!
Let us take these tough times and use it to rebuild ourselves. This way once the world opens up again, we will be ready to conquer it.
I was definitely one of the people that always wanted to have the option to work from home. Little did I know that almost a month ago, we would have to make that switch abruptly. COVID-19 came in and flipped our world upside down and inside out.
The first week was extremely overwhelming. Feeling like a slave to my laptop, I convinced myself I had to work every second of every minute of every hour from 8:30 to 4:30. It took me several days to let that mentality go and just do what I could. I had to remember that breaks were important for my mentality, my physical we;;-being, and my emotional health.
Not only was I overwhelmed with work but suddenly I also became a grade school teacher. My daughter and I had to adjust and come up with a schedule and way of communicating that worked for us. It was not easy! Being home also meant having my little guy around more. He has become so attached I cannot even imagine what it will be like once I return to the office. Nonetheless having an almost 2 year old presented its own challenges. He suddenly felt all my web conferences were meet and greets and all of my supplies were for arts and crafts.
On top of all of this, social media became hypnotizing. It was bombarded by news of COVID-19 but it was also suddenly full of people saying things like, “Now you will see what stay at home moms go through.” Wow, was that super annoying!
Now hear me out here…I do not discredit what stay at home moms do. If you can look back at previous posts, I was one for awhile before returning to work from maternity leave. But there is a significant difference if that is your only job all day everyday. It definitely cannot compare to having a full time job, being a home school teacher, and watching a 2 year old all at the same time. Trying to manage these multiple roles while still trying to stick to your work calendar has been the MOST CHALLENGING yet.
A few times in the past weeks, I have had several emotional breakdowns. I mean literally crying hysterically at my kitchen table, in my bedroom, in the shower, etc. Check-ins with my director and colleagues has been so important. Just being able to talk it out, seeing how others are managing, and feeling understood have provided a sense of relief.
So what are some key things I have learned during this transitioning period…
Let’s stay strong.
Better times will come.
Keep praying for the world.
We will get through this together.
And remember…Live, Laugh, & Love!
I wanted to share information on this new app I have been using. It’s a super easy app to use which is why I felt is was worthy of me noting. It is quite simple. All you do is download it, go shop, and then scan your receipts. You don’t have to check off specific items which can be time consuming and tedious. The app does all the work for you and even if you don’t get items that are worth a lot of points, you are guaranteed 25 points for each receipt no matter what.
Check out Fetch Rewards! Turn any grocery receipt into savings! Use my referral code, H3MVV, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points just for starting. Download here: https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referralsocial?code=H3MVV
Hi everyone!
I am back from my hiatus. My original plan when starting my leave was to blog a lot more but I decided to take some much needed time away from any commitments and just go with the flow. I didn’t want to spend time stressing about blogging when it is something that I do because I enjoy it.
This past summer was the longest vacation I have ever had from work and school and it was absolutely amazing!! I spent 3.5 months at home with my kids and although it started off extremely overwhelming, I quickly adapted.
My respect for stay at home parents has increased to another level after these past few months!!
I am truly grateful that I was able to be home to witness Baby John’s milestones (crawling to walking). I also enjoyed having time and help from my big girl Jena. I did give her a break though and she was able to attend camp for about a month which she loved!
So that is my very quick update to say that I am back and ready to blog! Can’t wait to share some incredible trips and activities I was able to do this summer and also update you all on my journey to a healthier lifestyle.
Stay tuned for some posts!!
One of my goals this year was to support more of my friends’ small businesses.
My 1st Support Small Business feature is the fashionable Francois Duperval Clothing Line. Available for men and women featuring bottoms, tanks, crop tops, hoodies, jackets, and more!
Click the link for more styles: https://www.francoisduperval.com/.
You can also find them on Instagram: @francdprvl
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