What's up world.
Well. I want to discuss procrastination. Mostly because I'm relatively familiar with it and I've been working hard to eliminate it. There is a very big difference between rest and procrastination.. by all means I'm not saying that I shall never rest or recooperate. I'm talking about "delaying action." Also. I believe that some things are better left for "tomorrow" sometimes.. Maybe as you're going through your list or whatever you realize it would be MORE CONVENIENT to put it off until the next day.. this is not the same as procrastinating because if it's the truth it will make the circumstances easier and not more difficult. {However, if it makes the situation more difficult, you have indeed procrastinated} For further clarification I'd also like to say that I'm not a procrastination specialist or anything.. I've just come to THRIVE on the feeling of accomplishment. If the definition of procrastination is delaying action then the antonym is action or according to the internet "beginning" "advance" "go" Simple stuff, but I rarely thought of it that way. My thought process was... "I don't want to" or "I don't feel like it" or "WHY NO" Haha. This thinking is detrimental to success though. More than likely this feeling will come back tomorrow.. when now not only do you have things to do today, but you've also buried yourself in yesterday's problems. Boo to that. So. What are some solutions to this madness? Well. As I said.. I'm not a specialist or a professional I'm just experienced, so I'll share what has brought me success- I find that understanding processes helps to find your own. What keeps me going in those moments when I'd rather not complete a task? That sweet and satisfactory moment when the task is done. When I can sit and bask in my own awesomeness. So if all this awesomness is for the taking why does procrastination happen? I have a few ideas. 1. The dread of the task has made it seem more daunting than it actually is. I do this to myself a lot. Dread and dread and dread and then I finally decide to conquer it before I go mad and to my surprise it's much easier than I'd imagined. How much time did I waste dreading? How much unnecessary anxiety did I cause myself over such a small matter? 2. Waiting on perfection. Guilty. Always waiting for that magical moment when every obstacle has a particular solution. Or maybe a piece of equipment or tool is acquired to make the process "better." Lies. All lies. In cosmetology school one of my instructors always said "do the best you can with what you have" because commonly we think "things" can make the experience easier or faster but I don't believe that to always be true. For example.. keeping with the cosmetology metaphor I have somehow put myself in, It's not necessary to purchase a $200 pair of shears for a haircut, basic shears and some improvision will do. It's about skill not the tools. I'm sure there will be some disagreement here but honestly when it comes down to it either you have the skills or you don't and nothing is going to change that. If your success hinges on a certain object or circumstance then re-evaluate. As for the perfection part of this-perfection is imaginary-like pink unicorns. 3. Lack of Motivation Ugh. Just not motivated. No desire to complete the things that keep popping up in your head and causing you stress. Motivation is tricky. It's personal. Individual. So do what you need to do. Motivation= motion, action. Ha! Yup the opposite of procrastination. So do something. Chances are you will motivate yourself and not even realize it. Regardless none of this is moving you any closer to completing what it is that needs completion. Your poor task is just sitting there waiting to be crossed off. And oh that feeling of crossing something off. It's amazing. It's affirmation that you have done it! Become addicted to that feeling and you will no longer find procrastination comforting. Why should anyone find "delayed action" comforting? So stop delaying yourself and your future. Now go - do those things you need to do - you won't regret it =) ❤VintageModMom
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My blog went live on March 25 2014.
Almost 6 months ago. Not too shabby. Lately I have been in a state of reflection. Well that's a lie I'm always in a state of reflection. Regardless. Even in this small amount of time I have learned lots of things. Things about myself. Which is good. This was kind of the point. I've been stuck in a "discovery of self" for almost a year now. Well I guess stuck is kind of a negative verb I should say I've been on a "discovery of self" journey. I started this blog because as a new mom and wife I had things to offer. I wanted to share the things I was learning.. this still holds true. However, that seems to be a very small part of me. I have been reminded of certain things about myself, for instance: 1. I hate writing in 1st person. I have always LOVED English. Everything about it. Literature, poetry, grammar, sentence structure, words in general. I'm sure I missed something but I don't think anything is lost in translation here. As an english lover.. I have written tons and tons of papers. Never have I ever written in 1st person. As an English person that was a HUGE no no. So I have found it extrememly difficult to write in 1st person. It seems so elementary.. but we all have our struggles. This discovery alone has led me to rethink my blogging process.. of course posting recipes and diy's requires some instruction and personal experience via the 1st person. I get that. A blog is loosely defined as a journal. A collection of one's experiences etc. I was always a writer.. not much of a diary/journal keeper, and the journals/diaries I did have were usually written in poetic form.. or at least literary form.. much like this post. So. On the one hand I am exploring outside my comfort zone.. and on the other hand I sometimes find adapting to this nature tedious and frustrating. Either way. It's an experience. 2. I have yet to find a consistent theme. A consistent theme that I'm truly excited and inspired by. There are times.. times that I am excited to share something new, but it's not consistent. In order to counteract this I've been on the hunt. Searching through myself to find my passions. I know first and foremost I have forever and always had a love of the arts. All arts. Theatre, Music, Painting, Charcoals, Pastels, Oils, Watercolors, {I think I covered the writing part of the arts in #1 so I won't repeat but yes huge love for that stuff as well}, Photography, Broadway & Musicals, Design {all kinds- web, graphic, interior, fashion} and since becoming a mom and wife I can also add Crochet, Knitting, Baking, Food Arts in general..and I also hope to add sewing within the next few years.. I also completed cosmetology school and considerbeauty an art as well.. which I also love..okay so I love everything artistic. Creation is amazing. Art has no rules.. it does not judge and it's the most individual experience ever. Any teacher or observant person could note that if you hand out 25 of the exact same coloring sheets to 25 individuals the odds are pretty darn good that ALL of them will be different. Yup I guess I have a thing for individuality too. Thanks for that Thoreau and while I'm speaking of Thoreau I guess I should also emphasize my love for philosophy and knowledge in general or at least out of the box thinking.. At one point I wanted to write response articles or do literary analysis. I love deconstructing words.. Finding meaning and understanding through dissection of paragraphs and metaphors. THAT is exciting. So. Here I am. Realization of being caught up in the serious and mundane.. which is mostly imaginary. I do believe reality is only your creation. My reality is my responsibility. With this in mind I think it's time for shift in my reality. I'm going to emerge myself in the arts once again. I'm not completely disconnected. I still indulge in quite a few of my beloved activities but there is still some disconnection and I intend to close that gap. What does all this mean for my blogging future? It's actually a push in the correct direction. Changes will be made and they will be fantastic! I have been working on a new design.. not that this one isn't awesome but let's face it, it's a "stock" design. I'd like some individuality. To those of you who are still reading thanks for caring =) The future is coming and it's going to be awesome. Much love to you all ❤ VintageModMom It's a new month! An opportunity to start something new! I think I have just the thing.. It's something I've already started doing myself.. and I will tell you all about it! I had grown very much in love with my snooze button. Every morning my alarm would go off and I would hit snooze. At first I used that time to wake myself up. To be thankful and go through my gratitude for the day. That worked for a while. Until I started falling back asleep... A few minutes would go by and my alarm would sound again and I'd push snooze again.. It started so subtely..Just a one time snooze.It wasn't long before I was hitting that button like I was playing a tv game show and knew the answer to every question. Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. Until one day. I woke up late. Late, because I had snoozed the maximum amount of snoozes and my alarm had eventually given up and silenced itself. How dare you technology? And not only did this happen one day... it kept happening. I don't know about anyone else, but for me, waking up late sucks. I'm in a rushed-fast forward motion most of the day and my brain is foggy. I'm not sure how long this goes on... I wasn't constantly late. But more frequently than what used to be my norm.. I'm a pretty timely lady for the most part. Finally hubbs challenges me to stop hitting my snooze button... Which I accepted. Honestly, it was getting really annoying hearing that thing go off.. over and over and over. It was actually making my mornings worse. My alarm was nagging me every 5 minutes to get up.. or at least that's what it felt like.. but really that is not the case. I made the decision that I wanted to get up early.. I just feel better if I 'm able to get up and get my shower, have some coffee and have some breakfast.. I want that. Also. I can be quite the procrastinator so it's nice for me to be able to get all this out of the way early or I would just be in my pj's until noon. Which isn't favorable for me. So. I realized that I was just fighting myself. Probably why it was so exhausting lol. The first week was a challenge... A few times I literally just layed there staring at it.. contemplating my decision. But a few minutes would pass and I would pep talk myself up to get my day started. Once I was up and about I did feel more alert even if it did take a second to pull myself out of bed. So. Everyday for the first week I had a small struggle with myself each morning, but I managed to get through all of the week without hitting my snooze button. I felt pretty good about it. And it was a small victory hubbs and I could celebrate. We like to celebrate our positives =) Week 2. Week 2 went smoothly. Monday was a bit of a drag but I still managed to get out of bed the first time. I continued through the 2nd week as well. I went Monday to Friday without hitting snooze. This was fantastic for me. Only 2 weeks ago I was indulging in my snooze button. I was even setting my alarm earlier just so that I could hit the snooze button... and I was negotiating with myself the ABSOLUTE latest time I could get up and still maybe, almost have things ready on time. {sabatoge} I was glad to be leaving that habit behind. So we come to where I am now. The end of week 3. Even before I realized August was coming up I had planned to share this anyway just because of what happened next. This week has been the best week for me so far. I can't exactly remember which day this week it was.. I may have been Tuesday or Wednesday.. either way. One morning recently, I actually woke up before my alarm. I know it sounds lame, but I didn't wake up in a panic or because I was cold etc.. I gradually and easily woke up.. and I realized that my body's internal clock was starting to set.. so I just layed there.. I started to think about my day.. go through my gratitude and thankfuls and mantras and affirmations and all good vibes for the day.. After a few minutes my alarm did go off so I was right on time.. but I was already alert. That feeling was really spectacular. I used to dread mornings.. I'm not saying I leap out of bed or anything {it's usually quite cold in the morning.. we all know that struggle lol}.. but I feel better prepared for them. I feel like my body is becoming familiar with the set time I wake up each day and it's improved my life in just a few weeks. So if you're a snoozer I suggest you give this a shot. It's a new month! You've got 30 days to do something awesome. Why not make your mornings better? Would love to hear from anyone who gives this a shot! I suggest finding some positive things to say to yourself in the morning. Some reminders, some goals, whatever will get your gears turning and get you out of bed without hitting snooze! Much Love VintageModMom Good Morning! Well this will probably be a longer post but I'm due so I don't mind. Trying to get my Monday rolling so the rest of the week just glides on from the initial momentum. Lots of keys required to unlock this door to awesomeness. Organization is key. Focus is key. Attitude is key. So. Get your coffee or tea or breakfast or whatever morning comfort you prefer.. Find a mantra or affirmation. I seem to add more each day. I really need to make a printable. Anyway. Currently mine is: *My mind is clear and flowing with bright and inspiring ideas. I am patient and well rested.* {Find something you're currently struggling with and own it} And lastly put your priorities in order. Make a few goals for the day or catch up on some things you need to do. Alrighty now let's get to work! So what's happening this week? Looks like grocery shopping is going to fall on Tuesday or Wednesday depending upon how quickly I get that together, but I've been working on it for a while so I have some worksheets to offer! So for a long time now I've been wanting to catalogue my purchases and prices. I wanted to keep a visual tally of what I'm spending on my groceries and when the prices are the best so I can attempt to be prepared for future purchases, especially when I keep hearing the news constantly tell me how much food prices are increasing... For starters I'm not a spreadsheet pro. I basically know how to add things up with the handy little feature and that's about it. Still, I've learned a little bit recently while deciding to go all-in on this venture. You can kinda learn along the way even if you're not real experienced with Excel. Basic tasks can still be functional and organizational. Side note 2.. I'm not a heavy couponer. I understand how "extreme" couponing is done I just try to stick to things that we need and buy frequently.. if I can get it free that's fantastic but I have not yet reached the level where I'm buying 30 of something... but one day. {Probably once we own a home} So with that being said this worksheet will be useful for cataloging your routine grocery purchases. You will be able to see how much money you are spending in each catergory and how helpful your coupons are. It will also help me keep track of the sales rotations. I've read that most stores cycle every 6-8 weeks but seriously.. I don't remember, by the time it comes up on me I'm unprepared so let's organize! Here is an example so you will know how to use the worksheet. It's pretty simple. I apparently love highlighting, but it helps. It makes the information easy to find. I have them highlighted per shopping trip. And so far the only "function" I'm using in Excel is sum. I've figured out how to pick where I want my total to end up etc. It's pretty simple but if you're new there's a good tutorial here. And below is the blank one I've created to share! It does consist of 12 pages. One for each catergory basically. I tried lots of different methods and ways to compact it but honestly it's just was NOT functional.. I want to be able to keep my entire month of shopping on one set. Anyway you can download here. Hope you enjoy your Monday and I hope the worksheets are helpful!
I'm still working on lots of other worksheets.. I currently just made one with my meal plan and grocery list. I'm sure I'll be adding those as well. If you have any questions please feel free to ask also feel free to comment! Much ❤ Always VintageModMom So today is blog post day. I have lots of things lined up but I'm not quite feeling them.. I'm reopening my coupon blog and I was going to unveil it today but I feel that I still need some time. I decided it doesn't make sense to open it unfinished AND new coupon month will come again. Not only will it come again but it will be back to school time next month so I'll wait for all the buzz!! As of right now I'm currently working on a new design for VintageModMom seeing as how I'm still using a "stock" design. I'm also re-learning CSS and still attempting to hash out the blogging process. I am enjoying it though. I accept that every now and again I will hit a road bump.. human nature. But I'm just gonna speed on past it and keep going. I still have lots of things to share it's just getting the momentum. Right now I'm making up a HUGE batch of freezer fries since I got a spectacular deal on them at the Farmer's Market yesterday! They are currently soaking in a cool water bath. I will definitely be sharing that later today. I'm also going to concoct some kind of cheeseburger casserole ring thingy for dinner. I bought some avocaodes yesterday and I'm feening for an avocado burger. Whataburger has one that's absolutely FANTASTIC! So it's kind of like a copy cat receipe except that I have no bacon =( But that's cool. I have avocado and cheese and jalapenos and I will make some bread from scratch to bake it all in... Yup my brain is doing it's creative cooking thing. LOVE it! ❤ Some things that I am working on that I will be offering in the future:
And I've definitely forgotten about some things but I don't want to be too ambitious or give everything away.. I find myself in that boat quite a bit but I enjoy the challenge. So I hope that you all will bear with me! I appreciate the support and plan to have some new things up in a jiffy! Much love *And as a bonus since I wasn't prepared for the big opening I want to share my collection of 30 Days of Affirmations! It's my personal collection but transformed it into a nice printable. Simply click the image to download & print =) Yay for good energy for July! Hope everyone has a fantastic day! -VintageModMom Hey there! Hope everyone is having an awesome summer! I was... until my favorite new t-shirt became victim to some kind of oil massacre. So. I don't know what happened. Maybe I washed some chap stick... maybe I made a mess cooking.. or eating.. either way... I found grease/oil stains on my FAVORITE shirt.. RIGHT out of the dryer.......ugh. The shirt and my washer and dryer are all quite new so how did this happen!?! Immediately I found myself searching all over Pinterest for a remedy. I figured if anyone could solve my problem that Pinterest could. The search began and I tried LOTS of things... Including: White Chalk Cornstarch Cornmeal Basic Stain Remover Baking Soda And not ONE of these worked. (I have had prior successes with the cornmeal so I was really banking on that) After all these washes I thought that surely this was the end for my favorite blue shirt. But then I remembered something that my gramma (well, my hubby's gramma lol) told me. Epic light bulb moment. DAWN! (Gets the grease out!) The only Dawn I had was the one with the Olay hand softeners.. so it was a gamble.. (I actually picked it up on a deal CVS was running.. I got it for $0.50 after sale and coupon) and I've already washed this shirt on 6 or 7 different occasions so the chances were quite slim. However, at this point I didn't have much to lose... so I squirted some dawn on it and rubbed it in gently with a toothbrush.. I allowed it to sit for just a little while, maybe 30 minutes max and then tossed it into the washer. Guess what? It WORKED! Gosh how I wish I would have remembered that sooner haha!! Oh well either way the evil grease/oil stains are GONE with no damage to my shirt and now I can wear my favorite shirt again. Since this event, Dawn has actually become my "go-to" stain remover.. It's removed other basic stains.. pen stains, underarm stains (which I thought were the death of my clothes) and other kid stains... I actually just keep a small bottle in my laundry room. It has definitely proven itself worthy of a spot on my stain remover remedy shelf. I'm not saying the others don't work at removing stains, I'm sure they each have their purpose, but they did not work on this particular stain, probably because it had been washed many, many times already in my attempt to remove the stain so it was SET IN. But Dawn didn't care. It came out like that grease had never existed. It was and still is fabulous!! I hope that this information can bring someone else as much joy as it brought me!!
(And continues to bring me.. with a husband and a little boy.... even though... I'm normally the one spilling things on myself haha! Please feel free to share your successes as well!! Thanks for stopping by! -VintageModMom Hey friends and supporters!! Love that you're here!
Anywho. Recently I was given some pretty awesome advice about my blog. Now my hubbs will be the very first person in line to tell you that I'm not one for taking much advice BUT I'm trying to humble myself and understand the reality of situations that I am (gasp) novice at... I have serious quarrels with perfection... I want to be awesome immediately. I guess that also confirms my quarrel with patience as well... I have a serious lack thereof. But you know as they say "it is what it is!" I am most certainly just getting my feet wet as far as this blog thing is concerned but I'm LOVING it! I love having an outlet for my creations, whether it's food or crafts or whatever pick your poison. SO. Without further ado.. on with the advice already. I was told to pick a certain day or certain days that I wish to post. This way my readers (all 3 of you haha) can become more comfortable with my schedule and know what to expect. It sounds so simple. Yet ritualistic and boring. I know in the long run that particular format would prove to be more successful so I'm going to give it a shot. I know this could also prevent burnout which sadly kills most novice bloggers.. not literally, but you know. HOWEVER. I can't guarantee that I won't at times have "impulse" posts. Sometimes I just get a thought or an idea and I feel that I MUST SHARE MY SELF IMPORTANT SPARK WITH THE WORLD!!! LOL. Complementary to that thought.. I will do the best of my ability to post in regards to the scheduled post that I have promised... impulse post the day before or not. lol. So with all this in mind.. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to post 3 days a week or 2.. or if it should only be once.. But I feel I have so much going on during the week that I could share! Should I just save them up to keep great content continuing for a longer time or will I become so backed up that my creativity is ready to burst at the seams? That is indeed a question. I suppose all I can do is leave it up to my dearest internet junkies. (I'm not insulting.. I think we can all identify;) ) I can easily manage what is popular and what isn't... and hopefully over time create an excellent inspirational experience. Patience and time will be required. Bleh. Well truth is truth. I thank thee for reading =) -VintageModMom <3 So. Let's take something generally despised and dash some positive energy on it! MONDAY!! Alright so let's start the day off with some Mantras.. I normally just scour the web for some.. or Pinterest =D Some that I'm using this morning are: “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a different way to stand.” ~Oprah Winfrey “I change my thoughts, I change my world.” – Norman Vincent Peale “I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” ~Madonna (That's what's up Madonna... I feel that.) *And although these are general quotes I found them here and would like to give credit =) So just a few mantras.. they help me get my spirit going.. they remind me to accept things as they are instead of stressing over imaginary solutions to temporary problems. Some things can't be changed and the stress is useless. Wasted energy that could be used for GOOD!! So take a deep breath and focus on acceptance. I know it sounds so easy. It's not, I guarantee but with practice.. daily.. it can become easier. We all fall.. it's the getting back up that counts. Alrighty! Now that I'm motivated and ready for my day I have lots to get started on! I have buttermilk recipes to get a start on and I will be sharing them here with you! (Even if they fail.. at least then you will know what NOT to try LOL) I'm also about to post a segment on the Math Monday activity I did with my preschooler this morning!! So if you're interested in that stay tuned the link will be posted promptly today or tomorrow (today hopefully)! I hope that you can now look at your Monday's as an opportunity for a great start! If you need more tips on how to make Monday Awesome you can check out my previous post here! Thanks for stopping by! Much Love 💜 -VintageModMom I love to celebrate! National Upsy Daisy Day is definitely a reason to celebrate! To focus on positivity and being grateful!! Take today to reflect on all the reasons to be positive! To wake up with a grateful heart! 💜 I can definitely say that even though we're experiencing some turbulence in our current journey I can still find reasons to be grateful! I know we're experiencing what's necessary to build our best future!! And speaking of future... tomorrow is... MONDAY! Yes I hear you. I know we are still early into Sunday but nothing makes a great day like preparation and planning. So take a few minutes to prepare for your Monday. Treat it like the first day of school! Allow the positivity you create today to overflow into tomorrow... To help you prepare I'm offering a free Sunday printable! It will get your wheels turning and hopefully help you create not only a great Monday but a wonderful week! Think about your future self!! I hope you find these useful! Please feel free to leave feedback! I'm still in the training wheel stage but I'm determined to create a better future self and share the tricks of my trade! I'm going to continue working on providing printables to help create a happy future! Thanks for stopping by! If you enjoy this printable you can find more here! -VintageModMom Sooo it's the weekend... That's always an awesome reason to celebrate, but today I wanted to take a moment to celebrate National Drawing Day and spotlight my little brother =) Well I say little.. he's actually in his 20s and has a Bachelor's degree in Art.. Since we were wee tots his passion was art. And years later he's living out his dream and doing what he loves! (Isn't that the reason for living?) I wanted to share a few of my favs with you.. and hopefully inspire someone.! Anyone!! LOL. So these are just a few of my favs.
I hope that you jump on over and check out his other works! He posts vlog's, instructional videos, special techniques and lots of things to be inspired by!! He also has all of his former works posted, if nothing else just drop by and enjoy the view! And do some drawing today!! Visit the links below to check out his work!! YouTube FB Personal Website Thanks for stopping by please feel free to comment!! <3 -VintageModMom |
Planner Things.Life. |