I write here as a woman who finds myself using this phrase when there is no need. I am not quite sure how we got here?

Story time!  I was at a training yesterday in an environment of very accomplished folks.  I mean, we are talking A-types.  I was in the back of the room (I am not a total slacker, I wanted an easy exit… ok, I was kind of hoping not to be called on and such.  I’m that girl that feels bad when no one is participating and then feel the need to be super engaged… I digress).  From the back I could survey the goings on, and it was almost surreal as I watched woman after woman start each question for the training leader with ‘I’m sorry.  I was just wondering….’ or  ‘I’m sorry.  I had a question about…’

Why are we sorry?!  What?!

The men did not start with an ‘I’m sorry’ intro, nor should they (and I am not knocking the men here, they were lovely.  I mention it for the stark juxtaposition).

As I mentioned, in the past I’ve been the ‘I’m sorry’ girl.  In fact, I still do it and then quickly say, ‘kidding, I’m actually not sorry, what I was saying…’ and resume my thought or point.  Where did women adopt this as a filler?  I don’t suspect we women are really sorry for asking a question or sharing an idea.  In this instance, is it the natural lead in since we feel we stopped the class?  But, the instructor has said to ask questions at anytime.

**For the record, there are very reasonable times to say, ‘I’m sorry.’  I’m not saying don’t use the phrase- please do when called for!

Back to business, literally.  In business (and in life, but particularly business) we need to help women realize it’s not empowering or enhancing to use that phrase on so many levels.  Even if it is a filler, the subliminal is to minimize the woman’s smarts, capabilities, and confidence in the workplace.  Not only is this the message to those around her, but to her own self.  Consider the opposite- will people be offended if a phrase doesn’t start out with ‘I’m Sorry’?  My guess is no.

So, let’s all work on doing better.  Women- promise yourself here and now you will be more mindful about your words and mindful about getting ‘I’m sorry’ out of your filler vocabulary. Men- promise yourself here and now you will support the women around you and gently remind them of their use of ‘I’m sorry’ as a filler when it sneaks in.

Ready team, break!

Go forth and be good,

Blondeee

As we head in to Fall, I thought I’d give some ideas of fun Fall activities that are free (or mostly free).  Summer travels are over and the holidays are coming.  Fall is a perfect time to be prudent with spending.  I put some ideas together to save some money but not compromise on the fun factor.  Enjoy!

Fall Festivals

Check your local calendars because I’m pretty sure everytown USA has a Fall Fest of sorts.  Get a group of friends together and you are guaranteed fun.  After all, it’s the company you’re with, right?

Take a Hike

No, literally, like get out into nature.  Anywhere in the country, Fall is such a great time to get in outside and enjoy nature. Maybe you live in an area with leaves that change colors?  Maybe it’s just good to get out of the hot/humid temps of summer.  Check out NPS.gov for your nearest national park (I love national parks- such gems.  State parks are great too!).  There is typically some small entrance or parking fee but so worth it and mostly going to support the upkeep of the park.  Get outside for low cost fun and some mental and physical health benefit.

Picnic in the Park

Instead of a pricy brunch (where maybe you overeat and overdrink…. I’ve never done that, never…. haaa, ok yes), invite friends to get together for a picnic in the park.  The weather is great most places this time of year (maybe even time to bust out some layers) and inviting friends to do something a little different will surely bring enthusiasm.  Everyone is just waiting for someone else to make the plan.  How about you!  Ask everyone to bring something to share foodwise and/or drinkwise and a blanket. Set a time and place/park and viola! Fun and low cost!

Visit a Pumpkin Patch!

Because, duh.  Ok, maybe not free.  But, tis the season for pumpkins.  And, if you’re adventurous, you can try a pumpkin recipe with your pumpkin guts and roast the seeds.  Roasted pumpkin seeds are easy and so yummy.

Host Friends for a Fall Harvest Movie Night

It’s getting dark earlier these days which means perfect time for a cozy eve of snacks, drinks, and a movie night.  Pick a movie with a fall tie in… somehow the first thing coming to mind is Legends of the Fall (hello girls night).  Something Halloween-y… you get the idea. Again, not totally free but low cost and you can ask people to bring drinks and snacks.  People are always happy to pitch in.  And, if you’re feeling bold, make a crockpot full of soup.  Crockpots are my fave (they are so easy I promise). Check out my last post here about Crockpots (or slow cookers) if you missed it!

Please let me know your fab Fall ideas in the comments section!

Bring on the sweaters,

Blondeee

I just made chicken and it was so easy and so tasty.  Get this- chicken breasts, green salsa, some cumin and voila…. Awesome chicken to put on salad greens, flour tortillas, you name it!  Once it cooks for 3 or 4 hours on high, you just pull out of the slow cooker, shred with forks and your good to go.  And, if you make it on a Sunday, you can make enough to have some lunches for the week.

Taking lunch to work is a great way to save some money ($10/day x 5 days = $50/week …. I will leave this here for your consideration) and eat healthy.

#winning

Healthy, easy, and good for the pocket book.  See?  Slow cookers for the win!

There are a ton of recipes online.  And, you can purchase one relatively inexpensively at amazon like this Hamilton Beach model.

I made a kick bootie pumpkin turkey chilly from Gina Homolka’s cookbook Skinnytaste: Fast and Slow.  My boyfriend couldn’t get enough.  Find her book on Amazon here and her recipes here.

Go forth and cook slow… it’s awesome,

Blondeee

I’ve been working on my personal finances recently and getting real with saving, spending, what I envision for my future and the like.  One thing that’s really been on my mind is spending on ‘stuff.’  I am guilty of retail therapy, or buying things here and there, because I ‘had a hard day.’  But, inevitably a week later I’m like, ‘why did I buy this?’  Am I crazy or does this happen to you too?

While I could blame piles and some serious sentimental storage of things on my parents or society….. I mean, I MAY wear it again, ammIright?! …. I’ve decided to take a look at my space and my stuff and make a change.  No need to place blame, that does no good.  Time to make a proactive change.

And, that’s what I’ve been doing over the past few years with some success.  Things came to a head, and I literally purged everything (a cross country move helped prompt this).  I had two suitcases (ok, BIG ones) of clothes and shoes, a guitar, a backpack with electronics, and some boxed up kitchen goods to follow me once I found a new place.

Once I got my new apartment I made a vow to be very intentional about everything I purchased for my place.  I vowed to keep the magazine piles to a minimum and recycle once I was done reading, not buy something new for the kitchen unless I really needed it, keep hair products to a few items I knew really worked for me.  And, the capsule wardrobe I started with was brilliant!  Oh, the capsule wardrobe!

I’d like to say I lived up to my gold standard over the past few years.  Alas, the capsule wardrobe has expanded a little (ok, a lot).  But, home-space-wise, I’ve been able to stay very mindful of purchases. I always ask- do I need this?  Most of the time the answer is ‘no’ and I walk away.  And, it’s incredibly liberating! I’ve saved money by not spending on silly things that get used once.  For example, I haven’t purchased much seasonal decor, just enough to fill the festive itch.  I haven’t purchased things like wrapping paper and crafting supplies. I used to enjoy having that around, but now I just have to be organized and get wrapping supplies as a one off.  Or, better yet, repurpose shopping bags (cover with images to make a one-of-a-kind) to be kind to the environment.  These things may seem small, but they can add up.

Also, it’s been shown the more cluttered your space, the more anxious and overwhelmed one feels.  And, this can lead to unnecessary spending- either as therapy, or to try and ‘get organized.’  I know, I used to buy containers and shelving at length to get myself organized too.  But, why buy when you can just purge and achieve the same, if not better, outcome?  It will liberate you, I promise!

Also, when you purge your space, you find things that got lost in the piles- clothes to wear, books/magazines to read, gift cards to use.  This is also a great way to save money.  Use things you have, but, perhaps, haven’t explored or enjoyed in a while.  Practically speaking, it’s like new!  No need to spend money.

One more money friendly tip- if you purge clothes, do a clothing swap with your friends!  This is one of my faves!  Make a pact with your squad to all do a clothes purge.  Then, everyone bring their purged clothes to one friends pad, and everyone can pick some items to take home.  The remaining clothes can be donated to a Salvation Army or Goodwill.  It’s a win-win-win.

I wrote this little quote a while ago, and it sums things up perfectly.  It’s based on Marie Kondo and the Kondo method:

Kondo-ing your home = less stuff to overwhelm= better for your senses and your finances

Go forth and purge,

Blondeee

Often, learning comes from beyond the classroom.  This is one reason I really enjoy travel both near and far.  I love checking out new areas of the city where I live and learning about the neighborhood.  What’s going on? What’s distinct? What’s new?  In the same way, traveling beyond city, state, and country boarders really provides perspective.  How do people live their lives?  How have they adapted or innovated?  What traditions are part of the fabric of their being?

And, teaching is a neat way to stretch your boundaries by articulating what you’ve learned.  Teaching is a cool meeting of basic mastery and sharing understanding with others such that they may pursue their own learning on the topic.

I thought I’d try my hand at teaching about making vision boards!  As I wrote about in my post What’s Your Vision, vision boards are a great way to keep your goals, passions, and dreams in front of you.  And, until someone helped get me started with making a vision board, I had zero clue nor idea this was even a thing.  I wouldn’t have known where to begin.  I am so thankful for friends!  I have been making vision boards for about four years now and have found them to be an awesome tool in envisioning and creating the best life for me.  I highly encourage you to try your hand at making one.  And, for a little help on how to get started, check out my Skillshare class on making a vision board to envision and achieve your goals here.

What have you been learning about lately?  I would love to hear in the comments section below!

Cheers,

Blondeee

I had been curious about the buch home-brew for a while, and, fortuitously, a co-worker was offering SCOBYs (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast= SCOBY) up for grabs.  The SCOBY is the culture which ferments a normal brew of tea + sugar + vinegar into kombucha.  I figured, why not?  I quickly amazon primed a couple of glass gallon jars like these and googled my way on to my first batch.

I thought for sure I was going to kill my first round of SCOBYs (yes, they are live cultures).  There was little doubt in my mind something would go wrong.  And, get this, I started my first batch with a flavored tea, which I found out is a no-no (something about the flavor add and the SCOBY no likey).  But, guess what?  Despite my unintended efforts at SCOBY death, SCOBYs are tough little suckers.  First batch success!  Woah!  A few days after I kicked off my starter batch, the SCOBYs were doing their fermenting thing (the good-for-your-gut-stuff) and creating new SCOBYs. Side note, SCOBYs grow fast as all get out and multiply each batch.

Behold my new SCOBY friends.  Yes, they are kind of gross, but one gets acclimated.  They are quite remarkable when I really think about it.

Here is my process for 1/2 Gallon of Kombucha:

What you Need
– 6 to 7 cups hot to boiling water
– 4 tea bags (many say black tea but I say experiment)
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 1 cup distilled white vinegar

Instructions: Combine hot/boiling water, sugar, and tea bags in your lovely glass gallon container for 10 minutes to whenever the water cools to room temperature (see, you really can’t go wrong with Kombucha.  Steep tea for as long as you like.  It’s so easy and forgiving).  Remove the tea bags and add the cup of white vinegar.  Add the SCOBY, cover with cloth or a coffee filter (something breathable- SCOBYs need air too), and set aside out of the direct sun.  You want to keep the tea + SCOBY in the range of 68-85 degrees.

You can leave the brew doing it’s thing anywhere from 7 to 30 days.  The longer you leave it be, the move vinegary the kombucha.  I typically let it sit for 7 to 12 days.

Optional step: Once happy with the fermentation, I suggest pouring into grolsch style beer bottles (seen in top photo) for a second fermentation period without the SCOBY.  This is where you get the carbonation action, aka the fizzy good stuff.  Leave the kombucha in the grolsch bottles for a few days for some carbonation.  I pop the tops each day or so to allow some depressurization.

And there you have it, I feel like I am making moonshine but it’s just some yummy homemade kombucha.

Final thought: What are you learning these days?  Beyond the health benefits and money savings of brewing my kombucha at home, I feel empowered by learning something new and making something from scratch instead of defaulting to buying it in the store.  Keep your minds and lives expanding my friends.  It’s a wonderful thing.

Leave any questions or comments about your process below.  I would love to hear from you.

Cheers,

Blondeee

How is it almost June?!  How is it almost half way through 2018?!  Perhaps you’ve set some goals for the year and find the halfway point sobering.  I get to this time of the year and realize, as my dear Grammie would say, you’ve got to get on your bicycle and start peddling!

Fitness, health, creative pursuits, business endeavors, sleeping more, morning time…. whatever it may be, what did you hope to set in motion this year?  How’s it going?

I found a planner last year I wanted to share (disclaimer- I use it and endorse it, no kickback here)- Conquer Your Year: The Ultimate Planner .  It’s really well laid out and helps you break down big picture goals for the year into digestible pieces to accomplish each quarter.

The planner starts by having you write down your big picture goals and then outlining some strategic milestones and actions to achieve that big picture goal.  One can select up to five big picture goals.

Then the year is broken into four 12-week sprints.  At the beginning of each sprint, you write out the big picture milestones you’d like to focus on for the sprint.  You also set some balanced ambition desires (health, giving back, and the like) and a visualization (what will life be like when you reach your goal?).

Each week is a full two pages to set intentions for the week and outline the three main focuses of the week.  Each day provides space to record activities which will help you meet your weekly priorities, and you can record exercise and water consumed (both very important to a balanced life).  Also, super wonderful, there are spaces to write three gratitude each day.  I love doing my daily planning in the morning.  Writing gratitudes is the best way to start the day.  And, noting what I need to do for the day is a great way to keep me on track.

At the end of the week, you reflect back on the week and evaluate.  I love this part of the week and the planner!  It’s a solid way to record the greats, goods, mehs, and ewwws of the week.  And, sometimes things happen through the week that were not even on the radar.  It’s pretty cool to be able to reflect and see what the week brought to your life.

Also, you can start using this planner anytime because it does not have dates!  You write in the date each week as you start it.

I’ve enjoyed this planner so much and found it so valuable to keeping me on task to reach my big picture goals, I’m now on my second planner.  And, I got my boyfriend hooked.  As an unintended benefit, it’s fun to do together!  Sometimes we will share our focuses for the week to help keep each other on track.  And, we will share our gratitudes (I know, too cute… or you’re rolling your eyes.  But, for realz, he’s awesome and this has been an effective tool to support each other).

It’s $10 or less on Amazon right now.  Go get one.  Use it.  You won’t regret it.

Get out there and get after it.  What do you want to accomplish this year?

Blondeee

I am pretty excited- I just finished my latest Vision Board!  But, Lisa, it’s April….. lagging much for the year?  Ha, yes.  But, dreams don’t have a start/stop date, right?

Let’s take a step back- Vision Board?  Maybe you’ve heard people throw this word around.  Maybe you’ve even seen one or pinned images to a Pinterest digital Vision Board.  I highly recommend making a physical Vision Board and putting it up right where you see it every day.  It’s important to keep your goals, dreams and vision in front of you.

This is my fourth Vision Board over the years.  Each one is special to me, and it’s fun to watch the evolution.  I can honestly say, as I create a new Board and reflect on my last one, I can see accomplishments and progress in each area I’ve envisioned be it career, health & wellness, love, music, creative time, home space, cooking, adventure, travel, or greenery and plants (working on that green thumb).

Without further ado- how to make a Vision Board!

In General- There’s no exact formula, and that’s the beautiful thing.  The one thing you will need is images, a board of sorts and glue or tape.

• Images- I like ripping images, words, and designs out of magazines or mail catalogs (I’ve gotten in the habit of tearing images out over the year in anticipation of my next board).  I also have friends who will print things out on paper.
• Board- I use a 22in x 28in poster board found at any Target or the like.
• Adhesive- I use a glue stick.  Tape would work too.

Design/Layout- How do you design a Vision Board you may ask?  Really, this is up to you!  I know, that’s soooo not helpful.  That is to say, let your creativity take over.  Do your thing.  But, I will offer a few helpful ideas- I like to group images in areas i would like to focus on or desire for my life in the next year or so.  There always tends to be a health & wellness area and a love section as well as a career section.  One good example- one year I put a music area on my board.  Sure enough, that year I recorded and released my first music album of singer/songwriter music- how cool is that?!

I also have friends who just paste on images that speak to them in one way or another.  And, some friends create cool graphics and such with images.  I am quite deliberate and linear with my layouts as you will see.  The options are endless!

Below you can see the beginnings of my most recent Vision Board.  I have images I’m starting to lay out by areas of focus/desire.  I also like to anchor my board with an image smack dab in the middle of the board that is me, that speaks to the essence of me.  This year, it’s a surfer girl enjoying the beauty of the ocean, the stoke of the wave, and the joy of physical activity in nature.

My Vision Board takes form!  I lay my images out and then tack them down with glue once I am mostly set on the layout.

Ta-dah!  And, you can see my finished Vision Board as the first image.  It’s on a wall in my bedroom, and I look at it every day.  I love it.  It centers me.  It reminds me of my desires.  It motivates me.  It makes me smile.

I encourage you to make your Vision Board!

And, one last thought-

Laminate! If you feel so inclined, it’s pretty groovy to laminate your Vision Board.  It looks clean and stores well for memory sake.  I take mine to Kinkos and it costs about $12.

Spend some time with yourself and get a bit more clear on your vision.

Cheers,

Blondeee

Clarity 

So there I was.  Meditation time into journaling was bringing clarity.  Why move?  I live by the magical Pacific Ocean in San Diego!  Why not move?  Listen to your spirit and the universe.  It has a message for you.  You’re restless for a reason.  Ok.  Where would I want to move?  I narrowed it down to DC and San Francisco based on some qualifiers (again, all clarity out of mediation).  I would look at cities I have at least a few friends/acquaintances, cities with good opportunities in my field of work, and cities where I could see myself enjoying life (getting rid of my car, walkability, arts, outdoor).  Ok!  This was working.

Once I had some clarity on direction, my morning time became peaceful time before the buzz of the day to make baby steps towards my idea of my next life step.

Morning time continues to evolve as the needs in your life are changing

Action

Gaining clarity in my morning time helped me map out steps to take action-

It was time to spruce up the resume.  I invested a little (well worth it) in a resume consultant through Career Contessa, and she was amazing. After sending my resume and LinkedIn, doing a one-hour Skype session, emailing about clean-ups and tweaks, I was looking fab on paper.  I felt like a million bucks with my resume resources.

I networked.  I identified folks in my industry I wanted to try and talk with or learn from.  I read and listened to podcasts .  And, ultimately, I reached out to folks to see if they would be up for coffee.  I reached out cold, and, you know, people actually responded!  Now, I wasn’t overtly reading out for a job.  I was reaching out to learn from them.  People looooove to share their knowledge.  They are so happy to help. Reach out.  It’s a good thing.  And then people introduce you to people.

Next thing you know, you’ve been introduced to someone who is looking to hire.  And, maybe that position is something interesting for you?  At this point, you’re looking good with your resume and LinkedIn and ready to go when they say, ‘hey, send me your resume.’

That’s basically how my morning time parlayed me to my next career step.

I have continued to refine my morning time and I cannot do without it.  It kicks my day off right and helps me map out baby steps to accomplish so by the end of the week I’m that much closer to where I would like to be personally/professionally/etc.

Rising with the Sun,

Blondeee

In my last post, morning time for productivity (episode 1), I started the story of how a dedicated practice of ‘morning time’ has helped transform my life for the better.  After a little more of my story, I will provide some pieces to what I like to call ‘morning time’ and how to start one of your own.  And, I hope you come here for more ideas and support you in your endeavor.

A very long story short, venturing in to meditation and journaling helped me start to process my inner thoughts and desires.  I can’t complain, I’ve had a very good life, and my natural decisions over the years didn’t fail me.  But, with the addition of journaling and meditation, I began to become a bit more raw with myself- my desires, my insecurities, my talents, my frustrations, and the like.

My personal low point….. 

I had been looking at buying a place three years ago.  I was excited and working hard to find a good situation at my price point.  I am always looking for the best value!  But,  it was a real mess of a time with what I could afford in areas I wanted to live and family projecting their desires for me instead of being stoked their daughter was making a big adult more and being ‘responsible’.  I put an offer on a cute little spot.  Exciting! Alas, things ultimately crashed and burned, and I pulled out before I was locked in.  I was crushed.  I had worked so hard to save the money, do my research, look at places, etc.  I was doing everything I thought I was supposed to be doing!  What the heck?!   I felt betrayed by family being critical and sabotaging my progress (in my mind).

And, there I was- alone and feeling pretty down in the dumps.

I didn’t know what to do.  But, I had this gut feeling I needed to shake something up.

My climb out of the abyss…..

A few friends had recently shared the benefits they were seeing of meditation.  I was open to trying anything.  I made a commitment to myself:

get up a little earlier in the morning and invest that time in YOU

And, so it began.  Morning meditation.

I’ll admit, it took some adjustment.  It wasn’t all meditation bliss right off the bat.  My mind ran free, and I felt like I wasn’t doing things right.  Thankfully, Lynne, the voice leading the meditation, has a good pace of keeping one on track and reminds you it’s ok and natural for a mind to wander.  Cool, I’m normal.

As the mornings went on, it seemed more natural to calm my mind and literally check out from the world for moments, or even minutes, at a time.  Woah!  Cool!  And, then, some wild things started happening.  I started having very clear thoughts after calming my mind.  Clear and creative thoughts were hitting me during and right after meditation.  I was surprising myself in the best ways possible.  Not everyday, but enough days to start listening to what, it seems, was pent up inside.

Some Mediation Resources-

Breethe Meditation App (what I use)

Headspace App (app that gets a lot of buzz- I imagine it’s a good one)

Transcendental Meditation (this is a whole program, more of an investment but people who have gone to the training swear by it)

Have you tried meditation?  How has it helped you?  Leave any other meditation resources you like in the comments!

Celebrating Clarity,

Blondeee