Your Daily Dose of Awesome

If you totally immerse yourself in hygge, you will feel awesome.  In fact, as I was getting my material ready for this episode, I had candles lit, the fireplace on, the station Acoustic Chill on my Alexa, and a kissed caramel hot chocolate.  Let’s talk about how you can get your hygge on!

Having a child go off to college causes the feeling of grief.  I’m thinking it just has to run its course I guess.  But there’s a twist. It feels like my son broke up with me, and I just really want him to like me.  The funny thing is, I know he likes me, in fact he loves me!  But all of a sudden he is on his own and busy with new friends (again a good thing) and classes and basketball that when I call, he is constantly rushing to get me off the phone.  He called once just to chat, and boy, was I on top of the world.  Seriously, though, it feels like I am grieving with a side of a break up.  I have been doing a ton of things just to keep myself from having to stop and cry.  Here's how I'm keeping myself from losing it...

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I am telling you about Genius Hour for so many reasons.  The obvious would be that if you are a teacher or homeschooling your child, you might want to give Genius Hour a try.  But more importantly, I am telling you this because YOU might want to give Genius Hour a try.  Listen in to find out what Genius Hour is and how you can use it to get inspired and learn something new!

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If you have been listening for awhile, you have heard me talk about the importance of journaling.  I have been journaling daily for a few years now, and it has really changed my life.  I wanted to dive in and tell you in detail about how I journal exactly, because I came to the realization that I never really explained the type of journaling that I do!

See, journaling can be intimidating, even to me.  And just so you know, when I write in a journal, I am not writing on a blank page.  Oh no, now THAT would be intimidating.  I keep a blank journal on me at all times, especially at work, but that is for jotting down the millions of thoughts and ideas that run through my mind all day.  I think often people like the idea of journaling, but really don’t know where to begin.

In today's episode, I talk about the new journal created for busy people or for anyone who sees the value in journaling, but has been intimidated by staring at a blank page.  Look no further, and watch your life change with my brand new Create the Awesome Journal!

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Am I irritated with the "new normal" that COVID as brought with it, or am I irritated because I'm not creative enough to figure out how to have a new kind of fun?  Probably both, but in today's episode, I am going to introduce you to what we have been doing lately which is getting our groove on with friends in a new and exciting way!  It has been literally and figurative like a breath of fresh air.

Today I want to talk about how I lost 7 pounds over the last 2 and a half weeks. It is a very big deal that I did this.  Here’s why:

I am the type of person who does not like to work out.  I don’t like diets.  I love bar food, fried food, homemade baked goods and so much more food that is super bad for you.  I love going out to eat.

I wonder if any of these character traits resonate with you?  If so, I bet you are wondering how I did it (and I kept it off and I am still losing).  Listen to this episode to see what I did.

In this episode, I talk about creating the “let’s see what happens” mindset, especially since I have had my life change so much lately that all I can do is change my mindset!

I think this mindset can apply to a lot of the transitions that we are all facing right now.  I am pretty sure you will be able to apply this mindset to something that is going on in your life.  Listen in about how this mindset has helped me through some major transitions.

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It is back to school season, and I really hope I can keep up with the podcast!  I have no intention of not doing it weekly, but I am feeling a little anxious about school starting just like I do every year, but there is added stress with all of the changes due to the corona virus, and that is what I want to talk about today.

If this is your first time listening, I am a mom and a teacher.  I have been teaching 5th grade for most of my 23 years.  I have a son going into college, a daughter who is in high school, and my youngest is going into 3rd grade.  In addition, my husband’s boys are going into junior high and high school.  Come the end of August and early September, many households, like ours,  will change and hopefully for the better.

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This week I want to talk about kids and their ipads.  If you have children, your March quarantine situation might sound similar to mine. Fast forward to the present, which is the end of July 2020 as I record this, my 8 year old is now full blown addicted to her ipad.  This is my story of how I am weaning her off.

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Is the pandemic, politics and all the other craziness that's going on in the world right now driving you to complete and total frustration?  In this episode, I talk about ways to calm down your mind and your life in some easy, cost-free ways!

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I like to consider myself a pretty positive person, and I, for the record saw a ton of positive things during the lockdown, but I too, got sucked into feeling kind of blue.  In Ohio, when this all went down, we were literally quarantined.  The weather was bad, everything was pretty much closed and we were afraid to go anywhere.  I am so thankful that things are starting to open up!  Then, once things started to get a little bit better, we had the riots and all the horrible things that went with that.   When I was really starting to get down in the dumps, I discovered photographer/writer/positivity psychology based coachLizzie LaRock.

Get to know Lizzie how Lizzie brings fun and playfulness into just about everything she does!  Adulting can be fun!  Listen in to find out how!

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In this episode, I sit down to chat with CEO and Co-Founders of Kindess.org, Melissa Burmester and Jaclyn Lindsey.  We talk about their mission to promote kindness through their website and new book titled Be Kind:  A Year of Kindness One Day at a Time.

This post includes affiliate links which means I make a small profit at no extra cost to you.

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I have lots of messes all around me.  I have about 5000 emails I need to delete.  I have a box (it is pretty, I should mention, from 31) full of papers that should probably be filed.  I also used to have sticky notes and to do lists all over the place.  I am more organized than I used to be, but I definitely have a long way to go.  My problem is that normally I am flying by the seat of my pants.  If you can relate, I am about to change your life!

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Today, I want to talk about the "what ifs" in life.  I used to say "what if" all the time.  For example, when starting this podcast, I had so many what ifs. Starting a podcast is so out of my comfort zone.  I felt a constant nagging feeling to start one, but I kept saying, what if I don’t have time?  What if no one listens?  What if people think it’s stupid?  I could keep going.  One thing  I never asked myself is "What if I’m a success?  What if I have lots of listeners?  What if no one hates it?"

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This post contains affiliate links which means that I make a small profit with no cost to you.

I have been made very aware of birds lately, (Thank you, Dale Garret for making me more aware). I have added a new awesome thing to my morning routine! The past few days have been gorgeous in northern Ohio, so when I have my morning coffee, read my devotional and write in my journal like I have been every morning for awhile now, I take it outside to my front porch.  This is an awesome way to start the day. In this episode, find out why birds can be very soothing to the soul!

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Today I want to talk about 2 really awesome things that happened this past week!  The first is a new discipline technique that was a little crazy.  I am thinking that the stay at home order has gotten to me and I have lost my mind.  The second is a mindfulness activity that my husband and I did that took our minds off the negativity for a while.

Mother’s Day is next Sunday.  For some of you, this will be challenging because you might not get to see your mom, or you have been in the home with your mom for 8 weeks straight and it will be challenging to surprise her.  I’ve got a few solutions!

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I love working through my 100 Life Challenges book!  It is a book full of 30 day challenges!  I learn a lot each day, improve my mental health, and I have some fun!  My next challenge is to write a letter each day for 30 days.  In this episode you'll learn the importance of letter writing, who to write, and what to write about!  I hope you'll join me in this 30 day challenge!

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I’ve enjoyed doing new things with my family.  People that I see on Facebook have also been doing things for fun that they don’t normally do.  I really love the creativity, and I challenge myself to make everyday activities a little more interesting.  I have compiled a list of fun things that either I have done, or plan to, along with some other suggestions from my Facebook group.

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If anything positive is going to come out of this corona virus catastrophe, it is up to us to do something.  How can we make a difference right now, while in quarantine? I think part of the reason many of us are down, presently, is because we kind of feel like we don’t have a purpose. I have discovered that we can all make a difference in our homes all over this land.

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How are you all doing with the corona virus shutdown?  It’s such a strange thing isn’t it?  I have had probably every emotion possible all in a week’s time.  But I refuse to become a victim.  Listen in to hear how I'm doing that.

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Last week, I talked about ways to get your child to get their school work done at home.  Today I want to talk about all the other things that may be going on in your home outside of the school part such as meals, laundry, quality time and just plain old getting IT DONE!  In this episode, I talk about some fun things that we have added to our new routine to bring back the awesomeness!

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I have been practicing ways to get happy.  Yes, practicing!  I think when one is sad, it’s okay, but just don’t hang out there forever!

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Shawn Achor, psychologist and the author of the book titled The Happiness Advantage, talks about the science behind happiness.  He’s done a ton of research and experiments on how to get happy.  He says that we need to be happy first, and then we will find success.  Shawn Achor suggests is to do at least 15 minutes of cardio a day, but it has to be something that you actually enjoy. He calls this the Fun 15!

There are a variety of very doable things one can do to get happy.  One of them is practicing gratitude which I talk about a lot on this show. I can tell you that it works because I have been practicing gratitude on a daily basis for years now, and it has really changed my life.  Author and psychologist Shawn Achor suggests to write for 2 minutes about a positive moment that happened in the last 24 hours.  Listen in so see how this trained my mind to look for the positivity in my day today!

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So today, I want to talk about getting a positive mindset.  I should start off by saying that this is not always easy for some.  And I can say this due to experience.  People who know me well know that life has not always been awesomeness this and awesomeness that for me.  I have had my struggles just like everyone else.  I still do, but now, with a positive mindset, I look at struggles more as challenges that I will overcome. Creating a positive mindset can take work.  Lots of work.  I had to claw my way out of a very deep and dark hole to get where I am today.  And I am still working on me.  Everyday.

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Last week I talked about 3 things that I stopped buying.  As I wrote the outline for the episode I discovered that I actually quit buying more things than what I wanted to fit into just one  episode, so today will be part 2.

This post includes affiliate links which means I make a teeny tiny profit at no additional cost to you;)

In this episode, I am going to talk about a few products that I stopped buying and why.

I am going to explain what I learned about mindfulness this week and how I had to put it into use!

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In today’s episode, I am going to talk about the art of waiting, and yes, I think I may have turned it into an art!  I’m not sure how I managed to do this, but I actually enjoy waiting.  I have turned it into some quality free time, with and without kids!

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In this episode, I am going to talk about 3 books that are part of my life right now.   If your not a reader, only 1 of them are your traditional reading type of a book, so don’t stop listening!  The other book will help you connect with a loved one, and the last one will help you become even more awesome!

This post contains affiliate links meaning  that I could receive a small profit at no extra cost to you.

In today’s episode, I am going to share my goals for the new year with you as well as any resources that are going to help me accomplish them.  Everything will be in the show notes and on my website at yddoa.com/69.

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My son recently watched a documentary on Netflix called Game Changer.  It’s all about how amazing athletes switched over to a plant based diet and all the benefits that go with it.  I have been on the Keto diet off and on for about a year or two, and my son eats a ton of protein.  After watching the Game Changer, we have decided to try the plant based diet that everyone is talking about.  In this episode, I talk about how we are going to get it done!

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If you are struggling with getting motivated to declutter or if you are having trouble finding the time to do it, then this episode is definitely for you.

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Hygge?  What?  “What did she say?” you might be thinking.  What’s that? Hygge is the Danish word for the art of cozy and I am completely obsessed with it.  Listen in to see how to maximize the hygge in your life!

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Has laundry taken over your life?  There are 4 people in my home.  Three of them are in sports.  This makes for a ton of laundry on a daily basis.  My home life seemed to be consisting of making meals, cleaning it up, doing the laundry and repeat.  Does this sound familiar?  I have not put an end to the laundry.  It will always be there.  I have, however, figured out to make this necessary task awesome!