Friday, February 19, 2016

The Feelings Edition

As a way to follow up on the Valentine's Day Edition, we are going to talk about feelings today.

We are always told "Don't shoot the messenger" and most of the time we abide by that. Except when it comes to our emotions. According to the creator of feelings magnets, our emotions are the messengers that deliver important messages, and when we ignore them they persist until we can no longer ignore them.

I used to be guilty of bottling my emotions. One particular instance of this and the negative consequences that occur as a result was when my younger brother died while deployed. I was sad and grieving, but as a mother I had to put all those emotions to the side in order to perform my day-to-day functions. After ignoring those feelings of sadness and grief they started to leak out and manifest in many negative ways. I progressively became more and more moody, prone to irritation and anger. Eventually, I sought out help with handling the grief and by exercising those emotions and allowing myself to listen to them I was able to bring myself back into balance.







The feelings magnets are a tool to help one focus during a quiet meditation session. I like to sit down with my kit once or twice a week and really think about how I feel. As an adult, I find my emotions are usually complex consisting of several emotions simultaneously. The feelings magnets kit allows me to address each feeling individually and work through them.









There is also a version of the kit for children. This version of the kit while it has few emotion tiles (I guess children are supposed to have simpler feelings) they are more colorful and fun. The case for both kits are metal so the magnets can be used on them or on another magnet compatible surface.

The website for the feelings magnets also allows users to sign up for feel exercises to be done with the kits. These short exorcises teach different ways to use the kits and range from identifying the emotions you are feeling as well as listening to why you are feeling a particular emotion to finally coming up with a strategy or action plan to work through a difficult emotion.







My oldest minion is nine years old and so far as a family we have not made that big of a deal before of talking about our feelings, and this maybe by far one of the biggest oversights we have made as parents so far. I hate to say it, but I do see him struggle with managing his feelings, especially those of angers and disappointment. Not only did we find that he had a hard time describing them, but they also usually controlled him, causing a full on meltdown. For this kind of behavior to be manifesting now, so early before the tumultuous teenage years is a bit terrifying.





We started using the Feelings Magnets kit with him. I was a little surprised that even with the children's kit there were some emotions that he was not able to identify with. I worked through a few exercises that were emailed to me and we are working on expanding his emotional vocabulary. Our next step will be to start putting together a plan for him to work through his more extreme emotions so that he is not getting stuck in a vicious cycle.







You can check out the Feelings Magnets Kits available as well as sign up for the email emotion exercises at the website below.

http://www.feelingmagnets.com/


As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Sharing something that I have accomplished

I often feel like everything I am doing in life is for nothing. I feel like I work so hard to accomplish absolutely nothing. In the meantime I over look the little things and neglect to give myself credit. And when someone points out an accomplishment that I have done, I find myself writing it off. "Oh that wasn't me or by my effort that got that task accomplished". 

I often under value the effort and work I put into this blog. (Yes, I mainly write it for myself, but still.) Did you know that I started this blog at the end of September of 2015? This blog is less than 6 months old. In the short time that I have been sharing funny parenting stories and product reviews, this blog has accumulated almost 900 views. (I am trying to think of a fun way to celebrate once the blog reaches 1000) And to be honest, I didn't think the blog would take off like that. For this to be my first blog, I am kind of impressed.

Additionally, I also been sharing my reviews on Amazon.com. I started writing reviews for the items I receive for free and discounted as well as for the items I buy about the same time I start this blog. Amazon keeps track of your reviews as well as how many other people find your reviews "helpful" and they create a sort of stack ranking. These rankings are updated about once a week. My first ranking on Amazon was around 1.5mil. (yeah, you ultimately want that number to be low) This week however, my ranking on Amazon as a reviewer is #33,134. That is a huge improvement. I am now officially in the top #50,000.

You can check out my Amazon Public Profile at the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2L2WTRMI4FJAK

I know this may not mean a whole lot to you, but for me...this is me recognizing my own accomplishments, which I don't do nearly enough.




As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Valentines Day Edition


There are many different stories regarding the origins of Valentine's day. The one that I find most intriguing is the theory that Valentine's Day with the Christian martyrs is celebrated in the middle of February as a way to Christianize the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

The actual fertility celebrations get a little weird with women and crop fields getting slapped with strips of goat hide that had been soaked in dog's blood (I couldn't make this up even if I tried).



Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

All of this information and more can be read in its entirety on the History Channel's website.

Thankfully in my house, there is no slapping women with goat hides dipped in dog's blood (and after three children I definitely do not need any more fertility). Instead we go for the more mundane tradition of giving gifts to each other.

Wine Glasses




 

My Therapy

As funny as this may sound, this glass accurately sums up my experience with wine. Had a bad day at work? A glass of wine will help calm you down and let it go. Kids driving you crazy? Put them to bed and enjoy that warmth and fuzzy feeling a glass of wine can provide. 









 


 What Night?


Another great and funny wine glass that helps me gauge how much wine is needed after a long day.  Most of the time, all I need is just a good night or maybe a great night. Sometime, though after a really long and trying day with work and/or my minions a what night? is needed to help unwind.






Both glasses are from GotMeTipsy and are a great quality for the price. Other glasses I have purchased at this price point felt thin and fragile. These glasses, while not overly thick or heavy feel appropriate for every day use. The designs on them are white and printed on the glass instead of etched in making the designs easy to see and read whether you are drinking a red, blush, or white or you need a refill. Best of all they are dishwasher safe so the design is not going anywhere.






Coffee Mugs 






Go Away

Much like the What Night? wine glass this coffee mug is marked with different levels communicating to everyone around you whether you are approachable or not yet. This is particularly handy after a night of indulging in "What Night?" levels of wine drinking or if you are generally just not a morning person. It is a great tongue-in-cheek gift for anyone who is not a morning person or is a coffee addict.




 

Favorite Child

This mug makes for great subtle bragging rights in large families. I have a lot of sibling and I like to joke that I am my mother's favorite. So it only seemed fitting for me to get this mug. I like to break it out during family gatherings just to show off a little to my brothers and sisters. 




 Much like the wine glasses listed above, these coffee mugs are also from GotMeTipsy. They sport the same screen printing technique for the design making them easy to read even when the mug is empty. Also just like with the wine glasses, these are dishwasher safe so the design is not going to just come off with one washing.

Both mugs, while made of glass are fairly weighty and feel well made and the handles are well crafted and not a seam can be found.



Wrist Rest


I work extensively at computers, both at my day job as well as with my hobbies.




Lately, I had started getting a little concerned because it seemed as though my hands were "falling asleep" more frequently than usual. I had also started noticing shooting pains from my wrist to my fingers not terribly often nor would they last too long, but long enough to have me concerned.


I watched my mother and her journey with carpal tunnel and it is not something that I am anxious to repeat. I know that the damage that is already done, is most likely irreversible but hopefully with the right gear I can slow down its progression. That is why this gift means so much to me.

The wrist rest pad does help me to keep my wrist in line while typing and the filling is supportive but also soft enough to yield a little to the weight of my hands. That plus the soft covering makes for a really comfortable experience. The bonus mouse pad is made of the same material and is just as comfortable.

Since I started using these items, I have not noticed the shooting pains and my hands are not falling asleep all the time. Hopefully I have bought myself a little bit of time before I will have to got for medical intervention for carpal tunnel.



My gift to everyone else was rolling sushi by hand.





Sushi knives

As with most things, what may seem like a hard task is made much easier if you have the proper tools. For example rolling and cutting sushi can be quite disastrous. I have tried to do this in the past with my other knives, and while I love them and they are great at what they do, they are not a good fit for cutting sushi rolls. They tear the wrap and all the sushi rice sticks to the blade preventing a good clean cut. This sushi knife is super sharp and slices right through the wrap. The shape and thickness of the blade is such that it helps reduce the amount of rice that sticks to the blade. The knives are lot lighter than my normal cooking knives and the balance feels just slightly off. My only other complaint is that the way the tang of the blade fits into the handle I am worried about the knife's longevity but so far it has not been an issue.




Complete with mixed drinks made with a new cocktail shaker.



Bars N Roses has a beautiful stainless steel cocktail shaker kit. The lid of the shaker fits down nicely into the bottom and the cap comes off for easy pouring through the strainer. The kit also included a smaller jigger for measuring as well as an ebook with drink recipes. Now my house is equipped for me to play bartender.






As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Caretaker Series

I recently had the pleasure is being introduced to an interesting SciFi series called the Caretaker series. It has been a little while since I had a series envelope me and transport me away into another so completely as the Caretaker series has. Below is a brief look at the two books in the series so far. (No worries, there are no major spoilers, all the specifics I mention are revealed fairly early in the plot.)




Ethan was the Caretaker that was never meant to be.

After the ship's assigned caretaker dies suddenly, the ship's computer assigns the only human who is not asleep the position. Ethan was the last passenger scheduled for stasis after seeing his pregnant wife safely to her slumber, and so the role of caretaker fell to him.

What he had thought would be just a quick nap until he and his wife reached the new planet, he was now facing 50 years of solitude, during which he would age and his wife and the other passengers would not.

As circumstance would have it, one other passenger would wake up early providing him with some companionship.

This book covers complicated themes of human loneliness and the bonds formed out of necessity and circumstance. In many ways this book reminded me a lot of Z for Zachariah, where relationships and emotions get confused when two people are isolated with each other for long periods of time.

The book further covers the events of trying to go back to original relationships after forming new bond and memories. Ethan has so many shared experiences with the other passenger who awoke early, how can he ever recover the intimacy and closeness he once shared with his wife?

The depth and detail that Josi Russell put into the ships and these other worlds immersed me a science fiction fantasy. There were times when things felt a little too contrived (Deus Ex Machina if I may) but for the most part the action and the pace of the book made sense and kept me turning pages.




You can check out Caretaker on Amazon: http://amzn.to/20QmrpS






After the hero saves the day, he is supposed to go home and live happily ever after. But life is never that simple.

Ethan had just settled in to what was supposed to be his happily ever after with his wife and their new family. He was adjusting well to the side effects with which his adventure where he saved 4000 people in stasis left him, when the planet, home to his sunny meadow with the little blue cottage starts to show her ugly side. Natural dangers abound and Ethan once again finds himself in a position where he is responsible for a small group of people.

To further complicate things, the settlement of the planet was privately subsidized. Leaving just about everything owned by major corporations. However, corporations rarely care about much beyond their bottom line in their profit margins. Cutting corners and over promising available jobs has left the economy in a dire state where most citizens find themselves in an indentured servitude position.

In this book Josi Russell explores economic hardships and how they might look on another planet. She also pulls in themes of how do those with super abilities and fame assimilate as they strive for "normalcy"

The book is well written, and I really do like the characters. Josi has a way of creating a bevy of unique characters that you can't help but love (or love to hate in some instances).

You can investigate Guardians on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1K6EdkM

This second book was released earlier today (February 11th) and to celebrate, Future House Publishing is offering a discount for both titles.

Both Guardians and it's prequel, Caretaker, will be available for $0.99 February 11th - February 17th.


The publisher will also be giving away some physical copies too on our Goodreads giveaway starting February 15th.

Click on the link below to enter to win a copy of Guardians on Goodreads.


Caretaker on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26215914-caretaker




As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Girl Time


 My daughter an I are outnumbered in our family. A girl to boy ratio of 1:2 for children will do that. That often leave me and her to deal with boy things for entertainment. Sword fights and nerf gun shoot outs are common occurrences.

This past weekend, my husband took minion Number 1 to visit some friends out of town finally giving her and I a chance at some girl time (well after minion Number 3 went to bed).

We watch girl targeted tv shows. Surprisingly enough my daughter at 6 years old really got into the Amazon Original TV show "Just Add Magic". We binge watched the show for a few hours and at the end of each episode she would look at me and ask "What happens next?"



The show is about three friends who have an amazing talent for cooking who find a magic cookbook and the trouble they cook up. It is light and fun and in a way brings on the same spirit of friendship that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books did.

We also played a fun Yoga game from ThinkFun.


 

ThinkFun has finally provided me a way to incorporate my daughter in some of my Yoga exercises. The goal of the game is to collect a card of every color. Each color focuses on a different aspect of yoga (strength, flexibility, and balance). It also add a fun little competitive side to it by allowing you to steal others' cards, or getting to choose which color card they have to do.  The game was perfect for my 6 year old and it ended in just the right amount of time to where she didn't want to play again immediately after it was over nor did it bore her to where she didn't want to finish. 


The last thing we did for the night was beauty stuff (as she calls it). My daughter gets eczema flare ups from time to time. It generally get worse during the winter and she complains about it itching a lot. I try to keep her from scratching at it with her nails because that just causes things to get worse. I have found that finding a good loofah and having her use that to scrub (scratch) to her hearts content during her bath time and then having her apply a good moisturizing lotion as soon as she gets out works wonders. 

 

Green Heart Labs has an amazing exfoliating body cloth called the ExfoliMate. It is just the right amount of roughness to really satisfy itchy skin while also sloughing of scaly dead skin build up. It leaves skin beautifully primed to accept moisturizers better than just washing alone.



 As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update. Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.