Take Care.

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Over the last 6 months I have been working with a Health Coach. I am so happy to have Morgan for guidance in all things from food to life to exercise. She’s become a friend to me!

We focus on things to improve on and how to do it. One of the things we do is set goals for myself. One of the goals I’ve had for myself over the last few months is self care.

Self care helps control our mental, emotional and physical health. It’s often something overlooked. I admit, I definitely wasn’t worried about it before I started working with Morgan. Self care can be different for everyone. For me, I’m a big music person, so normally when I’ve taking 20-30 minutes “for me” I am jamming some music and just letting go of everything that’s on my mind at the time. Or sitting in the quiet and just closing my eyes. Let go of everything around you. During a stressful time just taking a step back and breathing helps tremendously.

I get overwhelmed EASILY. It’s something I have noticed more as an adult than I ever have. Taking 20-30 minutes every few hours out of my day to “turn off” life and just breath, relax and unwind helps me tremendously. I wear my heart of my sleeve and a lot of things bother me that I can hold on to that until it emotionally makes me ill. Since I have started self care for myself, I can let go of things a lot easier.

Self care is different for everyone! What works for me may not be enough for you. It could be physical exercise, writing, meditation, cooking, reading, driving, etc. Find what’s best for you. Care for yourself. Taking a care of me has helped a lot. Does it fix everything in life and make it perfect? No. But it makes things a lot easier!

Don’t run yourself ragged. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t care for others. Remember there is always someone who needs you in their life. For me, my son and my husband are the two most important people.

If you are interested in seeing what Morgan has to offer, reach out to her!
www.keepitpurely.com

Marriage Can Be Tough.

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  • Marriage isn’t fairytales and everything Disney makes it out to be. Couples can face trials and tribulations that no one expects or prepares for. Facing trials should be lessons in life that we learn and grow from.

    • My husband and I have been together for 7 years. Rumor has it that once you make it past 7 years you’re golden because you made it past the “7 year itch”. The only itch I have is my back and he scratches it!

    In our 7 years, we’ve endured much more than most couples see in a life time. Those trials we faced together made us stronger as individuals and a couple. When I was at my lowest of lows and highest of highs, he was there. He is the person I’m most comfortable with. Couples should have that with their significant other. We can talk about everything. We don’t keep secrets, we’re open to each other, we listen to each other and love hard. I have a love for my husband like no other. Because of how we’ve handle our relationship and grown together, I never picture life with anyone else.

    When times seem hard, people are too quick to jump to quitting. This is also a time where people start to wander and become unfaithful. If there’s one bit advise I can give is be honest with each other and don’t hide anything. Is our marriage perfect? Absolutely not. But you know what? We’ve made it us and as perfect as we could. No relationship is perfect.

    Remember you aren’t alone when you have a little argument. It’s ok to disagree. Just don’t let it consume you. The little saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is ironic because truth be told words can hurt and what you say when you emotions are high can change a whole relationship. Once words are said you can’t take them back. Never go to bed mad. Don’t fight over the little stuff. We don’t argue often at all, but our biggest arguments have been over little things that shouldn’t matter. We sit back and laugh at how “dumb” we were arguing over laundry!

    All relationships are different. What works for me and my husband may not work for you and that’s ok! You have to find what works best. No two couples are alike. Just remember, stay true to yourself and each other. Don’t give up when times get tough!

    I’m thankful my husband never gave up on me when he could have MANY times!

    Check on Them.

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    Being a mom is a great feeling, BUT it also comes with great trials at times. Parenting isn’t always sunshine and fairytales.
    If you have friends that are momma’s, Check on Them.

    You never know when a mom is at her whits end from getting constant sass from their child, fixing to break because no matter what you do your kiddo won’t stop crying, scared because you aren’t sure you’re making the “right choices”, worried that the “spanking” you just gave your kid will hurt society’s view on you or if you’re just having a tough day.

    Being the mom of a young toddler, I know all to well the roller coaster ride of emotions you get taken on with your kiddo. They can go from being in the best mood to melting down because the lego building broke and I’m not a “lego master builder” yet so I can’t fix it.

    Ever see (or hear) a mom in WalMart with a screaming child? Been there done that and the only thing I didn’t get was the t-shirt. I have LEFT MY BUGGY at Walmart full of stuff because my kiddo was screaming. Trust me, I didn’t want to be there just as much as you didn’t want to hear my screaming kid. No one likes being in those situations. Think about it next time you want to make a smart comment about how “someone needs to shut that kid up” remember there is a momma on the other end of that kid that wants nothing more than that. She doesn’t want to be apart of the crazy show you are witnessing either.

    I recently ran into a momma that I know and her sweet girl, who has always been sweet every time I see her, was having a tough day. Screaming and kicking and nothing the momma was doing would work. I couldn’t just leave her there by herself to deal with that. Mrs. Katlyn may not have got her to stop screaming, but at least I knew that momma wasn’t alone anymore. Being a mom in a situation like this before, sometimes it’s nice to have someone just be there with you.

    Mom’s have tough days emotionally. Remember them. Make sure they are doing okay.

    And momma’s remember, you are the best! Hang in there! Never give up on your kiddos. AND REMEMBER, they grow up quickly so cherish every minute, even if it involves tantrums in public.

    Start the Day. Downtown Grounds.

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    When this little place opened up, my husband used to pick at me for my “basic white girl coffee selfies”, BUT Ms. Dolly has it going on at Downtown Grounds. The atmosphere here is so warm and inviting. The transformation this building has gone through is incredible. Little Downtown DeRidder got hit with the best coffee in town and it came with a cute updated building!

    Obviously this place has some great coffee, BUT the menu Dolly has is incredible as well! From HOMEMADE biscuits, cinnamon rolls, FRIED GREEN TOMATO BLT’s, beignets, salads and more, you can’t go wrong by stopping here for a quick drink or something to eat.

    When I decided to start a blog, I was thinking about different things I could write about and where I wanted to do “launch pictures” at and Downtown Grounds immediately came to mind. I have gone in and sat in their cozy place with my laptop and headphones and worked when I just wanted to be in a new environment and get things done. It’s the best place to just sit and relax and occasionally you’ll catch a live music performance on the weekend as well!

    Go check them out! Tell them I sent you and ask about their rewards program 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/dtgcoffee/

    Garlic Honey Chicken

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    I made this DELICIOUS Pinterest inspired dish in my Pampered Chef Quick Cooker! Recipe is below! I am trying to choose “cleaner” ingredients so I substituted a few things. Instead of soy sauce and vegetable oil, I used coconut aminos and avocado oil. I also use whole grain brown rice as well as free range chicken breast!

    This was literally done in 20 minutes and my HUSBAND AND SON APPROVED! Win Win! Enjoy!

    Ingredients
    ·       3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    ·       Salt and pepper to taste
    ·       1/2 cup honey
    ·       1/3 cup soy sauce
    ·       1/3 cup onion, diced
    ·       1/4 cup ketchup
    ·       2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    ·       4 garlic cloves, minced
    ·       3 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
    ·       Sesame seeds for topping (optional)
    ·       Rice for serving
    Instructions
    1.              Start by placing your chicken in the bottom of the Quick Cooker. Season well with salt and pepper.
    2.     In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, and garlic. Pour the mixture over chicken and put your Quick Cooker lid on and set to seal.
    3.     Cook on the Chicken setting for 15 minutes and then quick release once the 15 minutes is up. Remove chicken from pot, leave the sauce in the pot.
    4.     Dissolve 3 teaspoons of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and pour into your Quick Cooker. Stir to combine with sauce. Put it on Saute and cook sauce for about 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
    5.     Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.

    *Can also be made in an Instapot*

    Smiles are Contagious

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    Growing up I used to hide my smile. After lots of begging and thousands of my parent’s dollars later…I show those suckers off.

    I used to think my gapped, crooked teeth were a flaw and it embarrassed me. Once that was fixed, I found something else to pick apart. The “flaw saga” was always continuing. It was easy for me to pick myself apart. I was and AM my biggest critic. I spent a lot of my “younger” years worrying about what people thought of me and how I looked. Heck, I still find myself at time worrying what people will say about me or how they think of me. Being closer to 30 than 20, I realize I spent way too many years “growing up” worrying about others thoughts and not caring more about myself. I conformed to different styles, different people, just a different me. The real me got put on the back burner a lot because I never knew what people would actually think of me.

    I was once told, “You may be the biggest, juiciest, tastiest peach, but someone isn’t going to like peaches.” This is so true! Be true yourself. You can’t please everyone.

    The one person you should worry or care for most is yourself. I find myself often caring about others over myself. You have to be pleased with yourself first.

    Self care is a very important part of my life now. Even if it’s just 20 minutes a day, I take time for ME. Caring for others is fantastic, but if you don’t care for yourself there won’t be a you to care for others. Take some time each day. Focus on you. Unwind, rejuvenate and refresh your mind. I like to JAM music and sing to the top of my lungs. It’s a stress reliever and a way to just forget the things that are on your mind. Disconnect. Turn off your phone, step away from the computer. Just focus on you. No matter how you do it, take a minute for you. Realize how amazing you are and how you are making your mark on this earth. If there’s one piece of advise I could give, it would be to take it easy on yourself. Don’t be so hard and give yourself the care your body, mind and soul need.

    P.S. Open the sunroof, roll down the windows, JAM some music and jut drive. That’s a great stress reliever for me and it’s how I unwind when I feel like I can’t go anymore.

    Love yourself. Love, Kate.