WEEKLY BLOG: BACK TO BUSINESS

This week the intentions are to be productive and get back to business. After being snowed in for a couple of days we enjoyed the last day of mental rest. The kids were ready to go back to school and I was ready to head back to the office. I’m not going to lie though, I needed this break.

Sunday: My husband and I did our usual waking up early and having our coffee. Having breakfast and coffee at our favorite cafe, Dunn Bros., has become an unplanned ritual for us on Sundays. I knew I wanted to get as much done as possible early. My usual weekend routine of cleaning and organizing for the week I was able to get done early. SELF CARE HABITS: 6 WEEKEND HABITS FOR A GOOD WEEK I was able to have a great reset while still being able to rest most of the day for my mental.

Monday: Had a great day!!! Although I didn’t want to go to the office it was a very productive day and I enjoyed the sunlight coming through my window in the meantime. I was able to accomplish getting out some good proposals and can’t wait to see what kind of contracts come out of it. Had been in a really good mood and very grateful as of late. The kids enjoyed going back to school after having a couple of snow days. Of course, we capped the evening off with my daughter watching the Animal Planet Channel. It’s amazing as a mom, to see their interest expand and grow. It teaches me so much about life.

Tuesday: Extremely nice and sunny outside. Really enjoyed the sunshine and the warmth melting the mountains of snow. Every Tuesday my kids go to grandma house and help her do some chores and take out trash. So thankfully, my husband and I was able to get some alone time and go have a quick early dinner date. It was refreshing, out of schedule, and needed. It’s always good to do something different and go somewhere different. Even if its during the week or out of routine.

Wednesday: Today was a true mental health day. My husband and I both took off work to do nothing. We, of course, enjoyed breakfast and coffee at our favorite coffee shop. Mentally and emotionally I think we both are going through a transition. Although we don’t know where this journey is going to lead us but we both agree on what’s important and how we want to live our life. We also made the decision to make Valentines Day all about the kids. At this point, our goal is to create memories and experiences.

Thursday: This week has went by fast and I had to take a moment let it settle in. Impromptu date with hubs was refreshing and we’ve been trying to enjoy and live in the moment. So it’s been great because I’ve kept up on my daily cleaning so I don’t feel overwhelmed. Sometimes one day of cleaning and not doing laundry can set me back a bunch.

Friday: We made it to the end of the week. It was a fast productive week for all. My son was able to pick his classes for next semester and got what he wanted. We already can’t believe it’s the middle of February and the realization that time isn’t on our side hasn’t been more evident. Creating experiences, memories, and taking time for self is top priority. We’ve already begun thinking about Spring Break and what we can do with the kids for that week.

Saturday: I chose to relax and live in the moment on this day. Of course sleep in a little bit, repot my plants, and get ready for the Super Bowl. Had a really good week of balancing work and family. Keeping up with the housework as well.

Hope you all had a great week and weekend.

Be well on your journey.

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.

WEEKLY BLOG: CALM AND STILLNESS

The last two weeks my focus and intention has been calm and stillness. I knew and felt like there was so much going on in the world that I didn’t want it to suck me in. After a busy ending of January it was time for me to pause. Taking an occasional pause is very important.

Sunday: Was a reset day for me. I didn’t want to have the day filled with ”stuff” to do. My intentions were to let the day come naturally. I woke up by asking ”God what is it you want me to do today?” And I let Him guide me. It turned out to be a very chilled day. We enjoyed breakfast and coffee at our favorite coffee shop and lounged the rest of the day. One of our rule of thumbs, is to use Sundays as a mental health rest day. We know the importance of keeping a clear mind before our routine busy week with a family of five.

Monday: It’s always busy and back to business. Really had to drag myself to the office because we have been very slow and I would prefer to work from home and get more things done. I always have to quickly remind myself how fortunate and blessed I am to be able to manage my own schedule. Because my ultimate goal is to work for myself full time , any moment I may feel I can be working towards that gets me frustrated when I can’t. Monday evenings are always chill and light because we’re settling into our routine.

Tuesday: Was very busy as I finish up a contract and submit more proposals. Had a learning experience on what to look for when submitting proposals. This freelancer journey is teaching me a lot about business and people in a different way than corporate America. But I’m enjoying it. I had to finish things up at the office because we are expecting a snow storm and everything is going to shut down. After work I made sure we had everything we needed to be snowed in for a couple of days. Of course, my anxiety is up because no matter how much snow and ice we get, my husband has to go to work.

Wednesday: As expected we are snowed in, there’s no school, and my office is closed. I’m happy because I get to spend the day at home, with my kids, and have a mental break. WEEKLY BLOG: BALANCING EVERYDAY LIFE I enjoy waking up, still early, working on the things that make me happy, cooking breakfast, and of course baking a cake. I was able to maintain my midweek clean, relax, and make it a fun successful snow day. While still having my moments of calm and stillness.

Thursday: Another snow day. You better believe I’m loving it. I took advantage of these last two days by setting goals and intentions on how I plan to eventually be able to work for myself full time. Still loving being a mom, cooking, baking, and making sure we soak up every moment we have together. My kids usually love going to school being with their friends, but to my surprise, they are loving the snow days. Even as a mom, I am learning from my kids about life.

Friday: We weren’t sure, but they cancelled school again. I decided to stay home with the kids and work from home. Later on in the afternoon, we decided it was time to go out and play in the snow, shovel ourselves out, and get some fresh air. Although it was still brutally cold, we had fun. Finally the snow has stopped and everyone was ready to get out and breathe some fresh air. In the evening, we enjoyed the beginning event of the Winter Olympics. Just as the Summer Olympics, we love to hear the inspiring stories about the athletes and attempt to learn something from them.

Saturday: Was a much better day. The temps are up and the sun is shining bright. So that helps much of the snow and ice to melt. The kids were having cabin fever. Therefore we decided to go have lunch at Panera. It was a great, quiet, calm afternoon lunch. My husband and I were absolutely excited because the kids chose Panera. The rest of the day and evening enjoying each other, watching the Winter Olympics, and doing nothing. My husband and I use to always think on the weekends we had to go go go. We are more happy binging watching an old tv show from our childhood and drinking coffee.

When I was younger I wish the importance of peace, calm, and stillness was highlighted. Yeah, they tell you to rest, but at the time I was growing up, it was all about grinding and working yourself to exhaustion. If you work yourself into exhaustion, no one is going to benefit from you being in the hospital or having a nervous breakdown. Part of self care is finding that balance of work and stillness.

Be well on your journey.

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.

MID WEEK MENTAL HEALTH REMINDERS

For the last couple of weeks I’ve really had to be intentional about pausing and taking a couple moments to gather myself. I thought I’d share some mid week mental health reminders that we all can use.

Relax. Seems simple enough right. When I say relax I don’t mean in literal since of laying down and going to bed. Whatever it is that has you worried, afraid, or anxious just breathe and let the circumstances play out. Worrying isn’t going to speed the time up. Getting anxious and pacing the floor isn’t going to change the outcome or determine the outcome. Instead, what I did was plop down on the couch and binge watch Law & Order. Then I decided to have a bowl of ice cream. TGIF: SELF CARE IS ALL AROUND YOU I even relaxed my mind by not even posting my weekly blog. I took a break and didn’t even do my routine laundry. And guess what, I was just fine. The world didn’t end or stop.
Give Yourself Permission to Have a Bad Day. This may sound counter productive. But no one on this earth will have a great day everyday. We all will have a bad day and then some. It’s perfectly ok. Embrace that bad day. Don’t be afraid to admit you are in a mood, don’t want to wake up, don’t want to cook, clean, or go to work. Acknowledging we are having a bad day gives us the power and insight on where we need to show some love and care to ourselves. Not recognizing or denying ourselves a bad day will hinder our ability to point out triggers, insecurities, and unawareness. Once you admit you’re having a bad day, can identify why, then make it a point to make tomorrow a better day. SELF CARE HABITS: 8 DAILY HABITS TO FEEL YOUR BEST
Accept What is the Now. Stop and be present in the moment. Don’t worry about what you have to do or want to do. Give yourself permission to be present, accept where you are and what you have, and learn how to be content and appreciative of that. If we are always wanting more, looking for more, then we’ll never be grateful and appreciative of what we have now. It’s great to have goals and plans, but what we have now we didn’t have before. So we are in an abundance.
Embrace the Uncertainty. Especially right now we have no idea what our days are going to look like. We can plan and outline but if there is a detour you must take, don’t let it ruin your day or week. At a moments notice my kids can be in school, then have a day out, or do virtual learning for a couple of weeks. Or you may even have a snow day. I’ve learned to embrace what the day brings. The best way to do this is be present, make the decision that no matter what, you are going to embrace the moment. The idea I get to be home, cook, and spend time with my kids is a luxury. So for that I am grateful. I know there will come a point in time where my kids leave the nest. Whatever your uncertainty is, embrace it, because you can handle it.
You Have Everything You Need. God has provided and equipped you with everything you need in this moment. If you needed more, right now you would have it. When it’s time for you to have more, then God will deliver. He’s always on time. He won’t leave you in lack or without. If you’re in a situation to where you don’t think so, then how are you reading this. God has never failed to deliver. Remember He is the source that uses resources. God is the source that uses your job as the resource. If you lost your job then God has another job (resource) that’s better waiting for you when you are ready to receive it. You are here today when you thought you wouldn’t make it, so He will continue to guide you. Trust Him.

As we go through life it’s not about what we are going through or what’s happening to us. But more of how we handle it, what we do with our time, and how we learn. So just know you are doing fine, you will be ok, you have the strength to overcome, tough times are temporary, and you were put here to be happy.

Have a great day!!!!!

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.

WEEKLY BLOG: WORKING WITH A SHORT WEEK

This week was all about getting as much work done as I can on a short week. My weekly blog intentions have been amazing and I’m learning so much about myself. My goal and intentions this week were to submit as many proposals as possible and land as many contracts as I could. I knew I had to take advantage of the short work week with Monday being a holiday and Friday was my daughters birthday.

Sunday: My week started busy with work, cleaning, and enjoying time with the family. I was still finishing up on a previous contract and I was very excited on how well it went. With each new freelance contract I get, the more confident and excited I get about how far I can go. Of course it was Sunday, so naturally football is always a focal point. All around I felt good going into the week.

Monday: I decided to split my day working from home and going to my day job. My husband took off to be with the kids to allow me to balance both. I knew I wanted to get work done from home and at my day job. I’m more than grateful that we have the flexibility in both our jobs to do so. I was able to hit my goal on submitting as many proposals as I can. In my head, if I submit proposals at the beginning of the week, that will set me up to have contracts by the end of the week. Leading into each week I already have work set up.

Tuesday: Back to business as usual. Routine, school, kids, and bitterly cold at that. Today was the day I wanted to wrap up my daughters birthday plans for Friday. I needed to make sure I had her gift and everything ready to go for dinner on Friday. Though the last two days I’ve been grappling with not wanting to go to the office. I’ve been having this urge to stay home and get more work done at home as to it’s picking up. All while things at my day job have been very slow. But I quickly gathered myself and reminded myself of how blessed and grateful I am to have the ability to create my own schedule.

Wednesday: Was hump day realness. Today I was in tidy up mode. My midweek clean up is the best thing I could’ve done for myself. It gives me a moment to recoup, gather myself and the family, and get through the rest of the week. However, we did have moment of adjustment when we received notification that the kids would be out of school on Friday due to staffing shortages. So thank God first, that I wrapped up my daughters birthday earlier in the week. But now I had to make sure she felt extra special since she was going to be home and not school during the day. This interruption is the reason why I began my journey and setting intentions weekly. Change is going to happen and you have to be able to adapt quickly and take advantage of the positive.

anonymous woman reading magazine in cafe

Thursday: There was another quick interruption as a coworker of mine fell ill, and I had to fill in longer than expected. Once again my husband and I made some adjustments at home for the unexpected day out of school. Today was actually my rest day. I decided to order out and just enjoy my evening. That was my self care moment for myself. TGIF: SELF CARE IS ALL AROUND YOU

Friday: My daughters birthday. So because of my coworker being out I had to go into the office. However, my husband decided to take off. Before I left we had a good breakfast as a family for my daughters birthday and I was able to watch her open her gifts. My mommy guilt of going to work quickly went away because I knew she’d be occupied with her gift and wouldn’t be thinking about me. (Yes, I can’t help it, I still get mommy guilt.) I was able to have a great day at work and then come home and enjoy the birthday plans we had made.

Saturday: Of course I’m going to sleep in. This was a busy day as I had errands and finishing up a contract. The only thing that I didn’t get done was repotting my plant and I’ll probably do that tomorrow. I was able do everything I needed to do plus relax and sit down early.

Once again this week has taught me life is going to throw curve balls, its all about how you catch them. If I don’t handle the ever changing days of life then my children won’t be able to adapt either. I’m very aware of how I respond because I know they are watching me.

Setting my weekly intentions, staying on track, and allowing room for adjustment has helped me stay calm and work through everything. If you’re struggling week to week on keeping up or not handling situations that arrive, I encourage you to set intentions at the beginning of the week. You don’t have to be a CEO of a large company to set intentions, goals, or an agenda. You are the CEO of your life and you need to manage it.

Have a great week everyone!!!!!

Be well on your journey.

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.

WEEKLY BLOG: BALANCING EVERYDAY LIFE

After tracking my first week, I felt pretty good. Setting my intentions and goals in the beginning and writing things down daily really made me hold myself accountable. We hear so many say write things down, its the best way to filter your thoughts amongst other things.

The one thing I will say is from week to week, I’ve learned to keep things realistic and attainable. What may seem like a small goal or intention is actually an accomplishment. Even sitting down thinking about what I wanted to accomplish this week was very therapeutic. It’s a great way to give yourself an outline or guide. WEEKLY BLOG: RECIPES, REST,& ROUTINE

This week my intentions were to hone in on some financial goals and set things up. We have some plans for this spring and summer so making sure we set ourselves up for success we had to begin now. Also this week marks the one year anniversary of my mother in laws passing and my husband wasn’t doing too good. I knew it was going to be a little rough leading up to the day so I was trying to prepare for that. Lastly, my daughters birthday is next week, and we had been waiting on her to tell us what she wanted to do. Finally she gave us a some hints and ideas.

Sunday: Happened to be a very chill day. We are a sports family, so of course football is always a highlight. My husband and I opted not to do date night out, instead have it inside. We have been really focused on us and our next phase as our kids are teens. There had begun to be chatter about him feeling down dealing with the one year mark. Helping a loved one through grief is very difficult, eye opening for myself, and therapeutic. We both made the commitment to feel every emotion that comes.

Monday: Was back to business as usual. But of course I had the Monday blues. You know? When you have to get yourself back into the mindset of the everyday commute, going to the office, activities, what’s for dinner, and everything else. As my husband asks everyday, ”what’s on the agenda for today.” We made progress in finding my daughter birthday gift. I was super stoked about having dinner ready at a decent time. Without question, we had to watch the National Championship game.

Tuesday: Finally was able to make head way in our financial plans and what we wanted to do. Still trying to cope with grief and give my husband his space. The kids and I are trying to keep him talking, entertained, and help him remember the good times. At the end of the day, he was actually better than he thought. That’s the key, just let the day come to you. Don’t try to anticipate or control how you’re going to respond.

Wednesday: Was a great hump day. Accomplished getting another contract as a freelancer. Really been enjoying my late night time with my daughter. We now have this ritual after both of us shower for the night we spend time together. Of course doing my usual mid week cleaning and laundry because that’s never ending.

Thursday: Really began focusing on pausing for a moment. Things can be so chaotic and you just going like a hamster on the wheel. Me settling in and stopping everything for a moment is a great way for me center myself. Today I had my moment at work. It’s been very quiet and you feel like you need to be doing something. I’m trying to plan things for my new contract, still working on my daughters birthday, and oh prepare to be shut in this weekend because of an expected snow storm. I found myself being very anxious. So I closed out of everything on my computer, put my phone down, and just looked out the window at the sun. Soaked in the quietness, prayed, and gathered myself.

Friday: It was a little busy, but accomplished. Went to the grocery store for the long weekend my kids will have. It was crazy busy like Christmas eve out there because of the anticipation of the snow storm. Had a very quiet week at the office, but grateful for the down time. I knew we wanted to have a chill day in as the kids were tired, and everyone just wanted to relax.

Saturday: Was an amazing cold snow day. We actually woke up early to watch to pretty snow fall and had coffee. It was a great way to start the weekend. I finally finalized my contract and began working on that project. We found the perfect gift for my daughter and made her dinner reservations to the restaurant she wanted. Of course, we are a sports family so we enjoyed football. We ended the night binge watching ”The Secret Life of Zoo”, it is very interesting to see how animals relate.

Well that was my week. I enjoyed it very much. At the beginning of the year I wanted to set weekly intentions. These last two weeks I have enjoyed and not once felt like I was overwhelmed or couldn’t get something done. These weekly intentions allow me to maintain some balance. Life is a roller coaster and its all about how you respond and handle those highs and lows.

Be well on your journey.

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.

WEEKLY BLOG: RECIPES, REST,& ROUTINE

Just like everyone else I had plans to get back into routine and start the new year off ”right.” So I thought I’d start doing a weekly blog roundup to track my progress to hold myself accountable. One of the things I wanted to begin doing is expressing or verbalizing the positive. After a conversation this week, I wanted to challenge myself.

If we think about it, it is easier to point out what we don’t like about ourselves. But if someone asked you what are three things you like about yourself, you’d have to think. So instead of saying what’s bad for mental health lets talk about and do what’s best for mental health.

Starting the week off Sunday into Monday I was under the weather, really bad. No I don’t have C****. But my throat was raspy and I began to lose my voice. Thank God I was off on Monday to recoup. So I began drinking tea and kind of relaxing. I knew I’d be able to relax because the kids started school back Monday.

On Sunday I did my weekly weekend routine SELF CARE HABITS: 6 WEEKEND HABITS FOR A GOOD WEEK and cleanup. Also I began working out again, because over the holiday I didn’t get to workout as much. In my mind, I was thinking I could workout and sweat this mucus out.

On to Monday, I took the kids to school and literally laid down until it was time to pick them up. I had all these plans on what I wanted to get done but my throat and sinuses had other plans. It ended up being a good thing because I laid down the entire time. Normally I would be up cleaning and working from home on my own projects. But I’m proud of myself for doing nothing.

Tuesday I made plans to perfect my baked sweet potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes. I accomplished my goal. They turned out really well. I was still feeling under the weather but pushing through. Had a really good day at the office after being off a couple of days.

Wednesday I did my midweek cleanup. As a family of 5, laundry, dishes, and clutter happens fast with everyone going to school and work everyday. I’m still a little hoarse and coughing but nothing to severe. All this time I haven’t had any other symptoms. The working out hard and sweating seems to help greatly. Also accomplished some goals on some other work I’ve been trying to do.

On to Thursday I had to refresh my manicure for some reason my polish began to chip. Usually when I do my manicure on Sunday it will last for about 10 days. I took another day of rest. After working out for several days I like to give my body a break. Also going everyday it’s good to just sit and be. I made a pasta dish that didn’t take long and relaxed the rest of the evening.

The weekend finally arrived and Friday was much better for me. I felt much better but not quite 100% yet. My work week wrapped up quietly by surprise. After the holiday season and being off, I was expecting a busy week. But it turned out to be the complete opposite. I really don’t have much plans for the rest of the weekend. Rest and relaxing will be the priority.

Saturday was a bitterly cold day. We all slept in as there wasn’t much going on. I had a couple of errands to run but nothing too major. I’m not quite a 100% but close to it. Still have a little congestion but its taking its course. My husband and I didn’t get to do our weekly date night because he had to handle some business for work. I don’t know maybe we’ll do it tomorrow. Either way I am happy with this week.

**My goals were to begin taking breaks. I have so much I want to do that any free time I get, I feel like I have to be doing something. I’m proud of myself for doing that.

**Also at the first of the year I made a decision to give my hair a break from heat styling. So I’ve been wearing my curls and been loving it again. I want to take this break and focus on health instead of aesthetic. My hair isn’t damaged, right now it’s the best thing to do for my lifestyle. I’m proud of myself for doing that.

**Lastly I love my manicure. I have perfected it to the point some think I go to the salon. It’s a great time for me to do something for me and have time to myself.

P.S. Another moment I’m proud of is I had a very rude and demanding client that took up an hour of my time and not once did I let them change my mood.

What are three things you did great this week? What are three things that made you proud of yourself this week?

Be well on your journey.

RosalynLynn

Be you so you can be free.