You Need The Power To Say No

My new post on the Moms 'N Charge blog is all about the power of NO.  


There has been quite a bit of talk about coming from a place of yes. Say yes. The year of yes. Yes to the dress. Whatever, Yes, Yes, Yes. That’s all really fantastic but, sometimes NO is absolutely necessary.

Where is this coming from, you ask? Recently, I was asked if I could do something for someone and my gut reaction was no, but my mouth said SURE! (*eye roll*) I was so annoyed with myself I started talking out loud, to no one in particular (I do that a lot), asking myself and, no one in particular, why the hell I just did that! Sometimes I make myself crazy!! I have my moments, sometimes I say no. If our children ask to go somewhere I think is unsafe, or they want candy for dinner or Pizza for breakfast, I’ll say no! But when it comes to me, even when it affects me, my very state of being, my time, my energy, my personal space in a way that is not positive or productive, more often than not I say yes either literally or with my silent acceptance.

As I have grown more mature in age, I’ve discovered I have a lot less patience for nonsense and I have become in some ways more concerned with self. I am definitely becoming more vocal about what I want and need. I am a perpetual work in progress. So, I must confess to the entire world, I still have this thing where I say yes way too much. I have decided it just needs to stop. Grown people can say no to stuff. I teach our children to say no…say no to anything that does not feel right, say no to anything they do not want to do. Say no. Meanwhile… I am over here like… sigh.

Click here to read my entire post on Moms 'N Charge ...

My Guest Blog Post: #DearBlackGirl You Are More Than A Pretty Young Girl

I am so excited to announce I am one of the new contributors to the Moms 'N Charge community!

Moms 'N Charge was founded by Christine St.Vil, she teaches moms across the country how to feel good without feeling guilty. I met Christine last year at a Fashion show/Fundraiser, Runway Moms for a Cause. Her energy is contagious and I am addicted to her blog!  Needless to say, I was thrilled when she welcomed me as one of the new contributors!   And today... my fist guest post went live!! 

#DearBlackGirl  You Are More Than A Pretty Young Girl

How many times have you referred to a little girl as pretty? I will be the first to admit, I have done it a million times or more, I have even used this seemingly harmless word to describe our own daughters on more than one occasion. It’s the natural thing to do, we complement young ladies on their physical attributes as the default. Girls are pretty, boys however, are most often referred to as smart, funny, ambitious or strong among others. Why do we compliment girls on their physical characteristics but we compliment boys on their personality or skills?

Young girls are bombarded with multiple images of physical beauty every day. Beauty is redefined in their world every moment. This fuels the obsession more and leaves young women objectified by a voyeuristic public arena. There are more than enough studies out there suggesting that these images can and do negatively affect how young girls (and grown women) see themselves.

I want to suggest that the words we use can also have a negative effect on how young girls see themselves. Words are powerful, so we should use words wisely. We should use words to inspire, uplift, transform, and instill confidence. We should use words to empower our young ladies. They should look in the mirror and see beyond the pretty girl.

I’m wondering if we paused for a moment the next time we think about complimenting a young lady on how pretty she is if we instead focused on alternative characteristics. The things we can’t “see” but are not difficult to identify. I wonder if by simply changing the conversation we could encourage our young girls to learn to appreciate all the wonderful qualities they have as human beings. There is not much we can do about the external images and advertisements waiting for our young ladies around every corner. But there is something we can do to help build them up and redirect their attention to something other than pretty....  You can read the entire post by clicking here.

Please share your thoughts in the comments, I would love to hear from you! And remember, sharing is caring so spread the love!  

Fitting Room Confessions

Dear designers,

Please design blazers for people with real arms!

Thank you!

I love blazers, jackets and sweaters. Love them!  For a number of reasons, one, in particular, they are a great way to camouflage stuff.  In my case, I am looking to camouflage my arms.  

This is not a self-hating body shaming post, I'm just not comfortable showing my arms.  They are two perfectly good arms, they do the job they were put there to do and...that's about it. I just happen to think they look really great inside a blazer or a jacket or something.  

Seriously, though I really love the way a blazer, jacket or cute sweater can change up or create a look.  I truly think these are among some of the best accessories created!

On a recent shopping trip, I was hoping to pick up a few cute blazers to add to my closet.

To say it was frustrating is an understatement. I need to know exactly WHO these designers are designing for?! Granted, I am in a weird space size-wise, I’m not plus size but I’m not "average" either (whatever average is).  Maybe, my arms are extra special and unique making them really hard to fit...or something.   *rolls eyes*

Exhibit one....

Super cute blazer.  It zips up and everything! SOOO cute! Now, notice my arm? It looks like it's inside a navy blue  sausage casing!

  Sigh.


Do you have a hard time finding clothes that fit in all the right places?
Do you have favorite designers that always get it right for your body type? Please share in the comments! 

Art is Everywhere.

This past weekend was so beautiful we jumped in the car and hit the streets.

With no particular plan in place we landed in DC where we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful spring like weather, while taking in the sights and sounds of the city.  We stopped to capture some beautiful street art along the way. ‪Art is everywhere.  

#Art is everywhere. #streetphotography #StreetArt #inspiration #WashingtonDC #mobilephotography #iPhoneography pic.twitter.com/9XEeNgry35

— ChristineInProgress (@ThisIsCIP) February 21, 2016

Have you found beauty in an unusual place?

Someone has a ‪Crush‬ on me!

Someone has a crush on me, and I'm crushing right back!

 Thank you Bliss Magazine for picking me as your ‪#‎WCW‬

 

Bliss magazine:


 Our #WCW today is Bliss contributor Christine! In her words:

"In my blog, Christine in Progress, I write about finding my healthy balance. I share everything from, cooking adventures, dressing room confessions, life lessons, exercise adventures and more. Christine in Progress is a #judgment-free zone! I am very transparent in my posts, and I Invite my readers to join me in the journey; and share their life experiences as well.

Who am I? I am a mom who sometimes doesn’t know what she is doing but my children love me anyway. I am a wife who is not perfect but, I am perfectly made for him. I am a good friend, I am a worker bee, I am an introvert, I am a funny girl, I am a drama queen (sometimes), I am a writer, I am a dreamer, I am an amazing shower singer, I hate walnuts, I love red lipstick and I love a good vanilla soy chai latte!

I find my Bliss when I am able to drop my guard and truly be myself. I make it a point to surrounding myself with people who accept me just as I am no matter who I am that day! :) "
 

Happy Valentine's Day! #OOTD

Happy Valentines Day!  

I was feeling pretty cute in my outfit of the day! 

xoxo ‪‎

Red skirt and xo lips tee-shirt: @torridfashion
Vegan Leather Jacket: New York & Company
Eyes: @julepmaven 
Lips: @maccosmetics
Handbag: @oryanyhandbag

Bliss Magazine!

I am so excited to announce, my recent blog post on failure was republished by Bliss Magazine!   

Thank you Bliss Magazine for showing me love!

 

Blogs We Love:

"Bliss contributor Christine talks about failure, overcoming our setbacks, and learning from them."
http://pureblissmag.com/latest/so-here-i-am-a-failure/

Friday night is for...

Wine, music and crafty projects! :)

Every now and then after a long crazy week, of juggling life and work I just want to spend my Friday evening doing...not much of anything.  In the spirit of the chill out, I recently spent a very low key Friday night at home listening to Maxwell sing while I moisturized my face and organized my life. There may have also been wine involved...maybe.  :)  

My Friday night chill resulted in this really cute re-purpose project that I just had to share with you!  

Manicure essentials organizer: (Wine is optional for this project.) 

This plastic cube organizer was just sitting in my home office collecting dust so I decided to re-purpose it to hold my nail-polish and other manicure necessities: 

 

Just a small selection from my nail polish collection.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This organizer holds quite a few bottles of polish, this thing is two layers deep!

 

Just enough room to hold cotton balls,Q-Tips, a bunch of nail polish, cuticle oil, nail clips, files and even a full size mail polish remover. 

Are you crafty? What type of items have you re-purposed?  Tell me about it, share in the comments!