List's and Schedules Archives - Page 2 of 5

September 27, 2016 · in homeschooling· Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe· List's and Schedules· Uncategorized

The Importance of Being Vulnerable

About 6 years ago I branded myself as The Wannabe Balanced Mom. This blog has been a way for me to share my messy imbalanced life and my attempts to clean it up. Like most women, I crave productivity. I like getting things done and checking things off my to-do list. But often times that triggers major imbalance in my life. Balance seems like one of those things you can’t quite grasp. It’s like trying to be perfect. We all know it’s impossible to achieve, but we continue to strive for it each day.

Blogging has filled a need for me and has been a great asset to our business. My husband and I are proffessional network marketers, and I say proffessional because it is our bread and butter income. It’s all we’ve done our entire marriage and it is our legitimate profession. It’s not just something we do on the side. We put in full time hours in the beginning and have now reached a level where we could actually retire. We choose not to because we simply love what we do. We have created the FREEDOM though. The financial freedom and time freedom to do what we want when we want. Like spend 3 weeks in Hawaii without it affecting our income at all. One of the beauties of residual income.

In our line of work it’s all about relationships. We call it relationship marketing. We’re creating friendships and building trust. We don’t sell a product necessarily, we are selling ourselves. And the only way to do that is by being genuine and real.

So today I want to talk to you about the importance of being vulnerable and open. Vulnerability breeds true connections.

What holds us back from putting ourselves out there in a real, raw, uncut way?

FEAR!

We are afraid of what people will think of us. How we will be percieved.

When I first started homeschooling I was so excited and passionate about it. So of course I blogged about it and loved talking about all the reasons why I thought homeschooling was so great. Then after a few years and 2 more kids later, I realized I was at my breaking point. I no longer felt I had what it took to homeschool my children. I was completely overwhelmed. So instead of coming out and blogging about my decision to put my kids in public school, I kinda just quit blogging. I was afraid to admit that I had quit. But finally when I DID get real and blog about it, I had an incredible response. People were messaging me like crazy saying, “thank you for being real”. So this experience taught me the importance of sharing my real life and how it can help others and create a stronger connection with my friends/audience.

(Girls outfits from www.joanieandburt.com)

But it’s importanct to understand that social media shouldn’t be a place of complaining. It’s funny how people are always saying that everyone posts their best selves on social media, like it’s a bad thing. Let’s be honest, do we really want to get online and read about everyones sad stories and problems. Not really right? There’s a difference between complaining and being real. The difference is that you take your MESS and turn it into your MESSAGE!

A few weeks ago I was dealing with feelings of jealousy. What I didn’t do, was get on social media and vomit all my negative emotions.

I WAITED…

I PRAYED…

I STUDIED…

THEN I SHARED…

I needed to give myself time to find answers and feel at peace with what I was experiencing. I wanted to turn my negative feelings into a positive message, for myself and for my friends on social media. I realized that by sharing these real life experiences in a positive way is how we create real life connections with people. Social media is a great platform for business builders, but even more importantly it can be in incredible place to build long lasting friendships and to leave our positive footprint in the world.

August 15, 2016 · in back to school· Fashion· List's and Schedules· routines

Back to School

Here are the top 3 things I’m doing NOW to get ready for school to start. Only one week left?. This summer went by way too fast.

Declutter and Get Organized

It’s time to get rid of some things and reorganize. I’ve been doing this all summer. Seriously, I do not know how we have accumulated so much stuff. It’s so overwhelming for me when I’m surrounded by so much clutter. My brain just functions better when I see clean empty space.

“Whether it be your closet or office desk, excess things in your surroundings can have a negative impact on your ability to focus and process information. That’s exactly what neuroscientists at Princeton University found when they looked at people’s task performance in an organized versus disorganized environment. The results of the study showed that physical clutter in your surroundings competes for your attention, resulting in decreased performance and increased stress.

A team of UCLA researchers recently observed 32 Los Angeles families and found that all of the mothers’ stress hormones spiked during the time they spent dealing with their belongings. Similar to what multitasking does to your brain, physical clutter overloads your senses, making you feel stressed, and impairs your ability to think creatively.”

Info from Lifehacker.com

I’m most excited about the new look in our school room/ homework station. I’ve been working with my multitalented friend Amy @lovethelifeilive , who is a proffessional organizer and interior decorator. Here is a sneak peak, but stay tuned for a full detailed post about this room, including some pretty awesome before and after pics.

New Clothes and Supplies

This part is the most fun! Well if you can do it without spending a ton of money right? I recently found a great online shop called Joanie and Burt and they have the cutest and totally affordable clothing. I pretty much got everything in their shop. Check out all the adorable pics taken by my sweet friend Kallie Cooper. You have got to check out some of her videos she makes. She is seriously so talented.

All other supplies I bought from Walmart cause it’s cheap and Amazon Prime because it saves me time. Hey that rhymes !

Routines and Chore Charts

Since reading the book The Power of Pause I have cut back dramatically on my overzealous “to do” lists and routines, but understand that there must be some sort of structure in our home. So I put together these charts to help remind the kids what they should be doing in the mornings, after school, and at bed time. They are not the prettiest and defintiely not Pinterest worthy, but hey, it gets the job done.

I’m going to do some homeschool pre-school with Brooklyn while we’re here in Salt Lake. We plan to do lots of reading, fun crafts and feild trips. I’ve recently picked up a few children’s books that I’d like to read to her often. I love ones that have a positive message like this one called The Little Tree That Smiled. My kids really like this book and the illustrations are awesome! They were all done by the author herself. I just love that it teaches kids to dream and that dreams can come true.

“For Every Child Who Likes To Dream! Imagine a special little tree in the forest who could talk! This little tree was so special that he not only could talk, he could laugh and have a good time just like any kid. Then one day a new friend came into his life! He wanted to be so much a part of his new friend’s life that he thought there had to be a way he could run and jump just like his new friend. And, you know what? THAT IS WHAT DREAMS ARE FOR! We all love to dream and we all should have dreams and that is what this children’s story is all about! The forest comes alive for you with the beautiful, brightly colored illustrations. An enjoyable and fun read for every child who likes to dream!”

My sweat suit I’m wearing is from DressedwithAmore.com Use coupon code: crystalescobar2 for 20% off and FREE shipping.

May 5, 2016 · in Life of a Wannabe· List's and Schedules

Why I Quit My “To Do” Lists

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning of my blog back in 2009. You know that I’m a routine lover and proffessional list maker. I’ve been known to be quite OCD at times. This year though, has been the beginning of a new way of life for me. I have changed things quite dramatically. Recently I blogged about how moms just LOVE to be amazing at EV.ER.Y.THING and in the process we unintentionally run ourselves into the ground.

So this year I decided to make some changes, starting with my “to do” list. I came to the conclusion that my routines and mile long lists of things I needed to do were not serving me well. I felt busy all the time and I didn’t like the affect it was having on my spirit and the way I treated my husband and children. I knew that some things needed to change. I wanted to be more present and relaxed without feeling a constant pull to get things done. So I let everything go. Well not everything, but I’ve made some major progress. I’m simply trying to allow room for God to guide me in my every day. Trying to become MORE by doing LESS.

To be clear, I didn’t give up ALL lists. I still use them when necessary like to ensure I don’t forget things, or when it comes crunch time and I MUST get certain things done. Basically I’m just a lot more selective. My lists and schedules got pretty ridiculous at times. Like writing down what time of day I would say a prayer, or when I would sit and play with my kids. I’d even go as far as mapping out everything we were going to do during the hour of play time. Although this method can actually be really good, for me it was removing myself from the actual moment. I was constantly thinking about what I needed to do next, had timers going all the time and I would never just sit and relax. It also made me extremely frustrated because the TIME schedule with my kids never went as planned.

I just want to simplify my life, and be happy with doing NOTHING once in a while, or having no plan for the day. Doing nothing can be very good for the soul.

The book I’m reading right now has been extremely helpful in this endeavor. It’s called The Power of Pause by Terry Hershey.

“We live in a world that urges us to admire and pursue whatever is faster, whatever is newer, and whatever is bigger~ the underlying idea being that we should be living a different life, not the one we’re living now. This is no surprise given the model by which we quantify success. Since we crave speed and we see productivity as our objective, these things become our standards for measuring how well we’re doing.”

By giving up my obsession for “to do” lists and schedules I have opened up a whole new space in my life that I didn’t know existed. I’m leaving room for creativity and spontaneity. It’s quite refreshing. Not an easy task but it definitely has it’s rewards.

March 1, 2016 · in Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe· List's and Schedules

Discovering Who We Are

This is the time of year we get to celebrate all the Pisces out there, myself included. Wahoo! Can’t believe I’m going to be 35, WHAT???? When did this happen? Well as I mentioned on Periscope a couple days ago, I just realized that I achieved a goal I set for myself. About 5 years ago I announced here on the blog that I wanted to write a book before I turned 35. Well guess what!? I wrote a book!!!!

Okay, well it’s not exactly the kind of book I had in mind but I decided to make it count anyway. I made a little instruction manual on how to make fermented foods and also about sprouting and cleansing. So I was pretty excited when I figured out how to do this AND how to make it available on Amazon. If you have a book on Amazon you officially gain the title of “Published author” right? Well if you disagree then please don’t burst my bubble. I like feeling all smart and sophisticated.

So the book is $5 free shipping for prime members, but trust me, I aint gettin rich off this. I think I get like less than $1 for each book sold, but that’s okay. My purpose in writing a book is not to make money. I’m just trying to share what I know in hopes to help others. The process of self discovery and how we can help others do the same provides great fulfillment in life.

So now let’s talk about the Pisces horoscope. It’s funny, because everything that my horoscope told me, seemed to be VERY comforting, and in fact answered many of my questions.

My NEEDS as a Pisces, is: A purpose, so as to focus thoughts and avert boredom. Quiet intervals, to foster a sense of identity and peace. To feel ENCOURAGED, trusted and loved. Pisces needs to stick to a schedule or they’ll get lost in their own dreams. Too much regimentation, however, will crush their creativity.

I mean seriously! This is exactly what I’ve been struggling with lately. Being TOO regimented and not allowing God and creativity into my life. I was just too busy following my schedule. So a few months ago I threw out my “to do” lists and schedules was so liberating. But then I just craved ROUTINE. So now I’m just trying to find the balance between routines and “fly by the seat of my pants”. Ugh, it’s that word again, BALANCE… the unattainable goal. One day y’all… I’m gonna find that balance I so desperately need in my life.

“THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE” John 8:32

Horoscopes and patriarchal blessings are very interesting. If you choose to believe them, it unwraps the truth about ones self, and in a sense, setting us free to do MORE with the gifts/ talents we’ve been given. It enhances faith in our own abilities, giving us the reassurance that, YES, we are special, and even GOOD at certain things. It gives us affirmations of what we can ultimately become, and perhaps unveiling the hidden obstacles holding us back.

RISING ABOVE
I laughed when I read in my horoscope that I NEED to feel encouraged 🙂 I’ve noticed that about myself and I believe it’s a weakness. It holds me back a little in life, provoking me to second guess myself A LOT! I remember when I first started telling people I wanted to serve an LDS Mission. People literally laughed, thinking I was joking. This caused me to really doubt my abilities and think maybe I was fooling myself at thinking I could ACTUALLY do something like this. I knew I had to rise above the negative comments and go forth with my endeavor. It’s not easy for me to ignore the nay sayers, or my own self doubts, but I know it’s the only way to succeed.

COMPARING OURSELVES
I think it’s human nature to compare ourselves with others, and in so doing, we tend to compare our weaknesses with others strengths. Why not be happy with who we are and what we have been given? I ask myself this all the time. It’s hard to always be aware of the unique abilities we each have, and not be jealous of others gifts. I’m always doing this to myself, not realizing at the moment the harm it’s doing to my self confidence. I read other blogs and I’m completely blown away by the talent these other women have. I can’t help but feel less as a person and completely inadequate in every way. Comparing yourself to others is guaranteed to bring you down and make you feel worthless, therefore leading you in the opposite direction of finding true fulfillment in life.

HURRY LESS

In a world that’s ever changing and clocks that seem to be going 100 miles a minute, it’s hard for us to take time to relax and enjoy the little things. Maybe I should just speak for myself. I’m constantly trying to remind myself to slow down and relax a little, always feel like there’s something more I should be doing, like there is never enough time in a day to accomplish it all. I’m reminded of the quote by President Ezra Taft Benson, “When we put God first, all other things fall into place.”

Hurry Up and Slow Down

SEASONS OF LIFE
I know I’m in the season of motherhood and that in and of itself is something to be grateful for and proud of. I also believe very strongly that it’s so important for us mothers to have other hobbies that don’t include wiping bums and cleaning up messes. It’s important for us to set aside time for ourselves to refine our minds and develop talents.

“Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children.”
-Elder M. Russell Ballard

I want to try harder to fulfill my purpose by allowing the truth to set me free, rising above the negativity, quit comparing myself to others, and hurry less in my season of motherhood.

January 12, 2016 · in Life of a Wannabe· List's and Schedules· Mom Stuff· skincare· Spirituality

Feeling Overwhelmed?

As mothers it is hard for us NOT to feel overwhelmed. We wear many hats and the responsibilities are endless. In my ten years experience as a mother I have learned a few things about myself. One is that I create the overwhelm myself and I can be a little overzealous when it comes to fulfilling my roles as a mother. We are constantly advised by older and much wiser women to SLOW DOWN and enjoy the precious moments we have RIGHT NOW. For one day we’re going to ache for the sound of little feet running around our home. When ever I hear this advice I always think to myself, yes, I know, I’ve heard it before, but I’m different you see. I can slow down AND accomplish a lot at the same time.

Back when I was pregnant with my first baby I remember hearing a talk in church on this topic. The person giving the talk shared a poem that completely caught my attention. I’ll share it here below.

This poem was presented at the 2007 Women’s Conference
at the campus of Brigham Young University.
To be read in the style of Dr. Seuss:

The Perfect Mormon Woman
.by Vickie Gunther.
(gently edited by Dr Matt).

Look at me, look at me, look at me now.
You can do what I do, if you knew how!
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake and upholster and scrub, and I pray.
I keep all commandments you see, quite completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
Design all their clothes and sew all they wear,
I drive them to practice and cut all their hair.
I memorize names of the General Authorities;
Order each goal to be done by priorities.
I play the piano, bless all with my talents.
My toilets all sparkle! My check books are balanced.
One day a week every child gets a date;
Attend all my meetings — on time, never late!
I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh no, that is not all:
I track my bad habits till each is abolished;
Iron every t-shirt. My toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are ever delightful;
The lessons I plan are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully too.
It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
Up early each morning, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of the youth in my stake.
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors.
I bless the community too, with my labors.
I exercise daily, cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
I also go do it for someone who misses,
The least I can do for my caring ward sisters.
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I search for “lost lambs” on my Primary roll.
I store home-grown produce in summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh no, that is not all:
I write in my journal and sing in the choir;
Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen.
My kids get straight A’s, and their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I rotate car tires, fix each plumbing leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure to rotate our two-years supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard; it’s good if you do them.
You can if you try. Set your goals and pursue them.
It’s easy to do all the things that I do.
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all too!
“It’s easy!” she said . . . and then she dropped dead.

* * * * * * *
Would you believe my first thought after hearing this poem was, Where can I get a copy of this because I’m going to use it as my daily check list!!!? I wanted to hang it in my office and read it every day so I could become “the perfect” Mormon women, except for the dropping dead part of course. I thought well, SHE may have kicked the bucket, but I was going to figure out a way to DO IT ALL…

Without dying…

In my several attempts to fulfill every responsibility and worthwhile goal as a mom, I literally drove myself and Sean insane. I would crash and burn but continue trying. That’s the definition of insanity, you know that right? Doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.

It took me ten years to learn this lesson, but I think I’m finally catching on. I don’t need to keep adding to my list. I don’t need to do it all in one day or one month. I want to focus on ONE thing at a time and give it my all. Quality over quantity. Not try to do as many things as possible until I run myself into the ground. I guess I couldn’t distinguish the difference between passion and obsession. To me being laid back was laziness, contentment was idleness, and removing things from my list was simply giving up. In my mind, admitting I couldn’t do it all was a lack of confidence and faith in myself.

Let me walk you through a series of events that lead me to this “AHA” moment. About 4 months ago I made the decision to get my tubes tied and close the baby making door. Immediately I thought to myself, YES! Now I can go back to DOING MORE! Since I will no longer be making babies, now I’ll finally have time to be the amazing mom I always aspired to be. What I failed to remember was the fact that I STILL HAVE babies. I may not be making them anymore, but I still have them and they require A LOT of time and energy. I just began piling on more and more without acknowledging the reality of my situation.

Now looking back I recognize the slippery slope I once again found myself falling down. I was feeling constant stress, overwhelm, and my confidence began to waver. After about 2 months, my internal stress began to reveal itself externally. My skin broke out so bad. All over my face, neck, chest and back. I began my usual remedy that always works when I break out around that time of month. Quit sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine. I went all natural in my skin care products and make up. I supplemented with everything I knew that helped with skin health, Zinc, Vitex, Cleansing minerals, Omega’s, Vitamin B, Chlorophyll, Colloidal Silver, ect. I sanitized all my pillowcases, sheets, blankets, make-up brushes. I did EV.ER.Y.THING! And my skin only got worse. Pure break outs for 2 months until I finally realized that maybe it’s not what I’m consuming or putting on my skin. Maybe it’s something emotional. So that’s when I made the decision to go see someone who specializes in energy work, muscle testing, Kinesiology type stuff.

Last week I spent two hours with this women and I must say, I feel like a new women! Within DAYS my skin started clearing up. She helped me pinpoint what kinds of emotions I had trapped within my body and how to release them through energy and intention. It was absolutely incredible. So much so that I’m going to go see her again tomorrow.

So the moral of the story is. You may have good intentions and believe that you are motivated and determined enough to DO IT ALL, but ultimately, will you be happy? In my case I was NOT happy and felt stressed and completely out of balance.

It’s the most liberating thing to throw out that list, and appreciate what it’s like NOT to have a schedule. To just BE, FEEL, APPRECIATE, NOTICE, and relax. Sometimes you just need to let go of it all and start over. Start fresh, with new intentions, purpose, and mindfulness of your surroundings and most importantly, the people you love the most. I am literally trying to make myself MOVE slower. I’m trying to gently glide around my house instead of rushing around like a mad women. I’m really trying hard to be more relaxed, in the moment without any thought of the millions of things I THINK I should be doing. Because the thing I should be doing in this season of my life is slowing down and appreciating the fact that I still have babies in the home and the wonderful blessing that is.

November 30, 2015 · in 52 Weeks of Balance Project· Health· Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe· List's and Schedules· Mom Stuff· My Thoughts and Feelings· Uncategorized· Weight Loss

December Challenge

Wannabe Balanced Challenge

This month I want to really focus on being balanced and enjoying every moment. Each day we will post a picture on our Instagram and or Facebook accounts that applies to the daily prompt. Just post a picture on facebook/instagram each day. Elaborate a little and share your thoughts or a positive quote to go with your picture. Use the hashtag #wannabebalanced so that we can easily find each others posts and support one another by liking and commenting. If you’re new to our challenges then I’d highly recommend you start with our Wannabe Fearless Challenge first.

Instead of stressing out and over doing it on the treats, take one step toward staying healthy physically and mentally this month. Get FREE daily inspiration from me, your fellow Wannabe Balanced Mom.

How it works:

1. Use the daily prompts to inspire you.

2. Inspire US with your pics, and or thoughts.

3. Share on Facebook, Instagram, or even Periscope using the hashtag #wannabebalanced (November Wannabe Fearless challenge had 1k people talking about it!)

4. Encourage balance in others with likes + thoughtful comments. (most supportive tribe of women here)

5. Share this post on Facebook, or share this picture on Instagram so you can help your friends and family stay a little more balanced this month. Also, Join our Facebook group Wannabe Balanced for more support and inspiration throughout the year.

· Selfie: Tell us a little about you.
· What are you reading?
· Push yourself really hard in your fitness routine. Sweat!!!
· Focus on mindfulness today. Enjoy the present, practice mindful listening and eating.
· Go on a long run.
· Write in your journal.
· Meal prep for the week.
· Call a friend or send a hand written letter.
· De-clutter a space in your house.
· Spend 10 minutes meditating. Eyes closed, doing and thinking about NOTHING. Set your timer.
· Write out some positive affirmations today.
· Make a colorful salad.
· Wake up early.
· Do something different with your husband.
· Share a childhood memory.
· Share a healthy treat.
· Do something festive and fun with the kids.
· Say a 10 minute prayer.
· Do a service project with your kids.
· Show us a DIY project.
· Wrap presents
· Have a family movie night with pop corn and hot cocoa.
· Get bundled up and play outside with your kids.
· Share a tradition.
· Show us your Christmas morning aftermath.
· Do Yoga.
· Write down your game plan for 2016
· Go to bed early
· Listen to a podcast
· Best bit of today.
· Last moment of 2015

The Importance of Being Vulnerable

(Girls outfits from www.joanieandburt.com)

Back to School

Why I Quit My “To Do” Lists

Discovering Who We Are

Feeling Overwhelmed?

December Challenge

Looking for something?

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