Simple Supper Suggestions #12
This week is nuts! Nuts in a good way! JP is in Phantom of the Opera and while most of JP’s stuff comes in spurts, when it comes, well it is all consuming in a very amazing way!!!!! With that being said we will not be having our usual Spaghetti Sunday, but I will still link it here for those of you who need a meal tonight!
Since it is JP’s big week I will be making most of his favorite meals in the hopes of when he comes home, he takes a moment and eats something nutritious. One can hope!
Monday night we will be having my Chicken Feta that all the boys love! This recipe is so easy and it is such a crowd pleaser in my home!
Tuesday’s in our house is always Taco Tuesday of some sort! This Tuesday will be doing my twist on Taco Tuesday!
Wednesday we will have one of JP’s all time favorites Turkey Hash This recipe is so easy, so weird, yet so good!!!!!!
True story….I don’t have a pretty picture of this dish so I decided to post a pretty picture of the man of the hour!!!!!
Thursday we will finish the week out with one recipe that is silly easy and one that he loves and EVERYBODY loves!!!!! It is so great to use at tailgates like my friend Lyndsy does or brunches or anywhere you have a crowd! And it is B for D! Hawaiian Rolls with Ham and Cheese!!!!!!
Friday and Saturday this mama closes the kitchen!
Sorry! Closed for Business! Help yourself to some cereal or leftovers!
What are you guys eating this week?
Until Next Time!
Bon Appetit!
Amy
Iced Coffee That Will Knock Your Socks Off
It is mid September and it was literally 102 degrees today! Ok that is nuts in and of itself, but so is this recipe I am about to share with you! If you like iced coffee you gotta try this! I mean to tell you this is AMAZING and I do not like iced coffee. Swear to God! But when I had this at one of my events, it was like Jessie with IV Nutrition described. It was like drinking melting chocolate ice cream. Can you say, “Get into my belly!”
It is super easy to make and when you add my secret ingredient you will not only have the benefit of a delicious iced coffee, but you will gain energy, mental focus, and it has a huge appetite suppressant in it! So if this sounds good to you or if you love iced coffee you should give this a try!
Ann’s Iced Coffee
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup Stok Almond milk Cold Brew Mocha Coffee
(If you cannot find that you can use mocha international delight)
1/2 scoop my revitalu coffee
1/2 scoop my revitalu cocoa
Blend with ice and top with whip cream and if you are really fancy drizzle chocolate or chocolate sprinkles! So good you will want it every morning!!!!!
Try it!
And if you are not a customer of mine with my products, GOOD NEWS! You can sample them first and see if you like it!
All you have to do is text 1-515-500-5586 and type in Sample. My assistant bot Lou will get you all set up! It is that easy. Or if you would like to try my product for 30 days with a 30 day money back guarantee, email me at amy@worthyheart.com and we can get you all set up. Our company has changed the blend and it is all natural, plant based, no preservatives or colors, non gmo, gluten free, soy free, dairy free and vegan! So all natural and good for you! What does all this mean? It means my product can literally increase your energy, elevate your mood, help with your mental focus, and guess what! Curb your appetite!!!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!! And it is NATURAL AND PLANT BASED! So get yourself a sample or try it for a month! I promise you will love it!
Bon Appetit!
Amy
Stop Vaping is What the CDC says....but it is simply not that easy!
I keep seeing reports from the CDC and the news saying “CDC says to stop vaping.” While that is GREAT and I am so glad they are starting the conversation of, “This stuff is killing people.” Just telling people to stop vaping will not be enough.
Anyone who has been vaping for a while will tell you it is VERY easy to get addicted to and VERY hard to break the habit. Breaking the habit comes with some real withdrawal, withdrawal that can last 7-10 days.
The person coming off of the substance will be easily irritated and agitated. The littlest thing can set a person off and more than likely the reason they kept vaping in the first place was because it helped them to temporarily feel better. What do you think they want to do now more than ever…..Get the damn Juul. It is real and it is not their fault. Their poor brain is just sick and is sending every message of, “Get me my fix!”
The introduction of any substance in a child’s brain literally injures it. A little bit at a time. When they use it daily a switch flips in their brain and they are hooked! The good news is that even though the brain has been “hurt” by the toxins, it can go back to “normal” in about 18 months IF the individual discontinues the use of the toxin all together.
While the brain heals, the individual will more than likely experience depression, anxiety, and feelings of intense jitters or unsettledness. Compound that by being a teenager and it can be real messy. They can experience panic attacks, anger outburst, weight gain, and many other side effects of coming off the substance.
What do you do about that especially when you are a parent and your teen pretty much does not care for you 78% percent of the time? Good news. There are things you can do:
There are 12 week treatment programs for this! I was shocked because it is nicotine, but there are programs.
Getting a therapist your child likes and trusts is a huge benefit.
There are actually medications they can prescribe to help with the withdrawal and to help the individual not to have the cravings if you will.
Exercise, yoga, mediation and eating right.
Getting your child a journal to write. Writing is so healing it is ridiculous.
BUT most importantly keeping the lines of communication open and LISTENING to them.
Addiction is real and it is hard to kick this stuff.
Addiction is not poor behavior. Addiction is not a moral weakness, it is simply an injured brain. With the right treatment there is hope. There is hope for you as a parent and there is hope for your teen or loved one. But, it all starts with admitting there is a problem and getting the right help in place and making sure your teen knows you love them regardless. Kids will mess up and it is going to be ok ESPECIALLY if your kid knows you love them regardless. That is what our kids need to know so they can believe it in their hearts and begin to seek help. But you can’t help someone who you have no clue if they are doing it or not. So I will stand by my advice of you need to be testing. Without testing your child, they slowly could be getting addicted and then you have a bigger problem on your hands. If they test negative…..it is ok. At least you can start a conversation and trust me…..they will know and see you care. If they test positive….there is help and there is hope!
Until next time,
XO,
Amy
Simple Supper Suggestions #11
Ok it is September 15th and it is still hotter than you know what and I am dying to have soup, but I just can’t bring myself to make soup in this heat! Man how I miss it!!!! Not only is it easy to make and serve, but it is easy to double and have all week for lunch. That is just not going to happen yet! Ahhhh well…..such is life in Texas!
So what is for dinner at our house this week? Well for starters Spaghetti Sunday! You know the drill if you have been around for a while and if not, and if you stick around, you will find the Berry’s have a ritual every Sunday. Maybe you and your family will enjoy it too!
I never know who or how many will show, but everytime my heart is filled with love.
Monday we will be having JP’s favorite meal Turkey Squash. This dish is super unique and super easy and as odd as it sounds EVERYONE loves it.
Tuesday will be Crock Pot Taco Tuesday of course! The Berry’s love their tacos and this recipe is super simple on nights that we have activities like Tuesday night.
Wednesday I will be tied up at the school so I will make Mrs. Andrea’s Kings Ranch Chicken and everyone will get fed and everyone will be happy! I can make this before I leave to teach dance, refrigerate it until I am ready to cook it, then throw it in the oven and everyone is happy!
Thursday will be Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken. This recipe is simple, quick, easy to clean up, and oh so good!!!! Try it!
What will your family be eating this week? I would love to know!
Until Next Week!
Bon Appetit!
Amy
Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken
I don’t know about you, but when a recipe calls for one pan and it’s a sheet I get a little excited. BUT, this recipe is not just one pan, however, I promise it is super easy and it so good!
Last spring I was complaining about how I needed something easy for our busy schedule and my dear friend Lyndsy, aka Blizzard, sent me a recipe for Sheet Pan Cashew Chicken. In true Amy fashion I took it and added and subtracted what I like and I have to say I am very happy with the outcome as is the rest of my family. And the most amazing thing is how easy it is to make and to clean up. So give this delicious recipe a whirl and let me know what you think.
SHEET PAN CASHEW CHICKEN
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless Chicken Breast cut into Cubes. For my family I use 4 breast.
Everything but the Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joes
1 ½ cups broccoli florets about 1 head
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
½ green bell pepper chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper chopped
Or you can cheat like I do and go to the produce section of your store where they have containers of bell peppers all chopped up for you! Hint! Hint!
1 Cup sliced mushrooms
2/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
8 Tablespoons coconut aminos or Soy Sauce.
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons honey
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon fresh minced ginger
3 Tablespoons jarred crushed garlic
Garlic Salt and Pepper for taste
Prep:
Cut and cube the chicken and sprinkle really well with the Everything but the Bagel seasoning.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it well and spread your chicken on the pan and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper for taste.
Set aside and preheat your oven to 400
In a saucepan mix your: coconut aminos, hoisin sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic over medium heat until bubbly. Spoon over your chicken really nice trying to coat as much as you can, but leave some for reserve because you will need more in a minute.
Cook in preheated oven for 8 minutes then remove the pan.
Arrange the broccoli florets, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cashews in a single layer around the chicken. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and drizzle the sauce and toss everything to coat. Return to the oven and cook for another 8-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and serve over rice.
RICE
This rice is so easy to make. All it requires is 2 cups of white rice. Put that in a medium saucepan. Add 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring that to a boil. Once it is boiling turn it to simmer and sprinkle with Lawrys Season Salt. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR! Just let it fluff!
So good!!!!!!
Until Next Time!
Bon Appetit!
Amy
Test is ??????.....Now what?
If you have been following along you know I am a mom on a mission. A mom to get the word out about the evils of vaping and Juuling. Two weeks ago I introduced the subject matter and the response was overwhelming. Everything from, “Thank you! I had no idea what that was!” to a mom in tears because her child is addicted and she is at a loss. So what did I decide to do? I decided I can’t just leave it there and I decided to dig in deeper. Why? Because the subject matter needs momentum and I am firm believer if a bunch of crazy mom’s band together people will listen! Especially if we get loud enough! And I can tell you first hand this evil can make a mom crazy! Crazy with fear, crazy with obsessive thoughts, crazy with trying to control outcomes, crazy with anger, crazy with tears, crazy with behavior, crazy with worry, and the list goes on of just plain crae crae! Which all that crazy does is put a wedge in between you and your child. Again, I am speaking from experience so I hope you will listen.
Unfortunately this epidemic is insidious and it is lurking around everywhere so the first thing to do is get the word out which I believe is starting to happen. Next parents need to be talking to their kids about it. Regardless if you think, “Not my child.” I can sit here and tell you I was one of those mamas and that is why I can say that. True story folks. Matter of fact let me give you a little background about our family.
Not my kid! We eat dinner together, pray together, do mission trips together!…..
We are and were the family that attends church most Sundays. We eat around the dinner table and pray around the dinner table with our kids. We pray with them before school and before bed. We take them on mission trips. We do family trips. We talk. We have Spaghetti Sunday, Taco Tuesday, Pizza Friday! You get the picture! It appears that we do everything right. WRONG! We make mistakes as parents. A lot of mistakes! And guess what, the kids make mistakes. Mistakes do not define who we are. A mistake does not say, “OH BAD PARENTS….BAD KIDS!” The devil does, but not the mistakes. Point is: I was the mom that thought, “Not my kid.” RUDE AWAKENING folks. One that I learned from and I hope you will learn from my personal experience.
I went to a “symposium” about vaping back in April at my church that was actually put on by the Parent Education Committee of our school district. It was eye opening to say the least. The panel consisted of a neurologist who shared the medical facts of vaping, a licensed clinical psychologist who explained how to work together as a family to treat vaping addictions, and a number of people from our school district from Vice Principals, Chief of Police, to Counselors. I remember walking out of there thinking, “Thank God I am not dealing with this.” Truth be known there was a little whisper in my head saying, “Don’t fool yourself Amy.” I remember running into a friend who had been dealing with it. Her child is the same age of my older kids and something about knowing someone in real life made me want to do what they suggested on the panel.
What was that? Test my kids! Yep…..knowing someone personally dealing with this evil and I mean really dealing with it made it more real if you will. I knew her kid in elementary and I see her kid around town and her kid is a good kid! Always polite, always looks put together, always smiling, good looking kid! But the evil had made its way into her child’s life!
Yall, this mess does not discriminate. It does not say, “Oh… bad kid, not so smart kid…..artist….introvert….quiet……different…non athletic kid.” NO! This stuff says: “YOUNG BRAIN LET ME AT IT!” If you don’t know what I am talking about click here because I took a tiny dive into the brain last week and explained why I think our kids are the makers of this evil stuff, target market, and why I think they were strategic in making that happen. This is my opinion as a mom too by the way. I am not an expert.
Point here is it got real for me when I knew someone dealing with it personally and with all the education we received that night. Trey and I talked and we agreed we needed to test. If nothing else to open up the conversation about the true dangers of vaping.
What that did for our family: Well now….that is loaded!!!!! First it opened up conversation. Conversation when the test was negative, and yes it was with one kid and has remained so, and conversation when the test was positive…. and yes it has been and still is at times. Yep you read that right! Two kids two different results BOTH raised by us!
The conversations were the same yet very different. We talked about the dangers and how autopsy reports (don’t know what I am talking about click here) are showing how this stuff is causing sores that our immune systems cannot fight all the way down into the lungs. We talked about how they don’t really know what the long term effects of this stuff will do. We talked about addiction in our family (and let’s be REAL HONEST here folks, most families have addiction SOMEWHERE in the lineage) and how nicotine is highly addictive. I even showed them what vaping does to your vocal cords (one of mine is a singer) and the irreversible damage. I will do a video on that because I have to say I got the idea from my brother Chuck and it was very empowering, especially for my singer. Point is we talked! WE TESTED AND WE TALKED!
Negative test-we had conversation-Positive test- we had conversation.
The positive conversation was the same BUT with the addition of, “Why?” And then we SHUT UP AND LISTENED! That is key! Listening to your kid. Did I every time? No! And if he is reading this he is laughing hysterically because I went downright crazy one time! Ok….maybe a few times! He also understands why….because I love him, desperately love him. But I also understand his why now too. Especially because I am getting educated and learning to listen to him and ask these questions:
“Why?”
“What do you think that is all about for you?”
“What does it really do for you?”
“Why do you think you like it?”
And then with all my might after each question I have to sit and be still and LISTEN! If you listen, and I mean really listen, you might get the answers which all go back to my article last week on the brain. You also might really start seeing the pressures they are under whether they put themselves there, you put them there, a teacher or coach put them there, the point is they are there. These kids are overwhelmed with stress and no I am not making any excuses, but if you start to ask the right questions and they start to open up, well, that alone will relieve soooooooooooooooo much pressure!
They want to talk and get it out, BUT they don’t feel safe! Why? Because we go crazy and don’t listen! Case in point: ME! We just start throwing hard facts at them and we really need to get down to the crux of why they felt the need to try it in the first place! You might be surprised! I was! I thought my kid wanted to fit in so that is why he did it but that is just not the case……his was an escape and a creative outlet….YEP an escape and a creative outlet! That was a scary thing to hear and one that I as an adult know is a lie, but his brain does not have the ability to tell him he IS creative and he IS amazing! Again that goes back to my article last week. Point here is: as a mama when you realize it was an escape and or a creative outlet, well let’s just say that is scary, it hurts your heart, and you feel like a failure….which is exactly where the devil wants you. Because when you feel like a failure you are no good to anyone…..LIES! Lies that are so easy to believe as an adult trying their best and as a kid wanting to fit in. Lies that can make you crazy and bring you to say and do things you never would do; as an adult and as a kid.
It is a vicious circle. One the devil is so proud of. One the devil relishes in. One that the only way to shut down is to stay calm. Ask questions. Open the conversation and listen to understand and then be understood. Then and only then can you take the next steps. What are the next steps? I firmly believe keeping the conversation going and getting help from outside resources which I will have below. Getting educated and getting your child educated is key.
I do believe something has to change at the state and federal levels and honestly that is way over this mama’s head, trust me if I get an in I will take it, but until then I think it has to start at home. Education and showing the risks that come with the choices. Communication and above all LOVE! Love your child and love their mistakes. Love them no matter what. I know it can be hard. Trust me I know. But they need to know we love them no matter what they say or do. We love them and they are safe. Because bottom line, we are all worthy of love!
Until next time,
XO,
Amy
Simple Supper Suggestions #10
This week we are pretty busy, honestly typing that cracks me up, because truth is we are ALWAYS busy so scratch that! Point is I am going to have Trey grill a TON of chicken to make my life easier throughout the week. Our weekend has been chalk full of sports, college visits, and conventions that the last thing I want to think about is a creative dinner schedule so when times like this happen I just buy a ton of chicken thighs, marinade them, Trey grills them, and that is my back up plan when things get overwhelming. They are quite delicious too and silly easy. I think you might really appreciate this recipe!
But! First things first!
Spaghetti Sunday! You know the drill if you have been around here long and if not, I think you might like the idea so check it out!
Love when our table is full of chaos and love!
Monday night will be the night we grill the chicken. All I do is buy a ton of thighs and throw them in a gallon zip lock bags and marinade them in this Italian dressing! That is literally it! When you are ready throw them on the grill and cook to the right temperature. On this particular night I will serve the thighs with the amazing salad I blogged about last week and my rice. So easy and everyone is happy.
Rice:
This rice is so easy to make. All it requires is 2 cups of white rice. Put that in a medium sauce pan. Add 4 cups of chicken broth. Bring that to a boil. Once it is boiling turn it to simmer and place a few lemon slices on top and sprinkle with Lawrys Season Salt. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR! Just let it fluff! Remove the lemons before plating.
Tuesday will be Taco Tuesday and this taco tuesday will be bowls or tortillas and we will keep it very simple for all! I will make rice using the recipe above minus the lemon. I will heat up a can of black beans and reheat some of the leftover chicken from Monday. I then will have each boy in my world build their bowl or tortilla like so: evenly distribute the chicken, rice, romaine lettuce, pico, black beans, guacamole, shredded cheese, and top with Cilantro, lime juice, and chopped jalapenos. So good and so easy!
Wednesday the Berry’s are going to have B for D! And I don’t know about your house, but my family digs this! This Wednesday we are going to have our Christmas morning casserole which everyone loves!
Thursday is a bit calmer so I think I will treat them to a meal Trey literally begs for all the time, especially the wasabi potatoes!!!!! Flank steak and wasabi mashed potatoes! So good and fairly easy!!!!
Friday and Saturday this kitchen is closed!!!!!
So that wraps up what we will be eating this week! What will you be serving? I can always use new and delicious ideas!
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
Laura's Beau Monde Salad
I am not really much of a salad girl, but, I was at my girlfriend Laura’s the other night and she had this salad that was to die for! I remember asking, “What the heck is this?” There was a distinct taste in it that was so good I could not get enough of it. I asked her for the reciepe which she so graciously gave me and I played around with it until it was just right for my family and me. If you like salad you really have to give this a whirl.
LAURA’S BEAU MONDE SALAD
Ingredients:
1 bag of hearts of romain
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
8 green onions chopped
2 avacados cut up
black pepper (as much as your family likes)
1 tablespoon beau monde seasoning
Shredded parmesan cheese (again as much as your family likes)
Prep:
In the bottom of a large bowl mix your olive oil, lemon juice, beau monde seasoning, green onions, avacado, black pepper. Place your hearts of romain on top and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve toss with parmesan cheese and serve.
Oh so good especially with chicken!
Bon Appetit!
Amy
You Are A Good Parent And Your Kid Is A Good Kid
Did you read that title? Did you let it soak in? If you are a parent read it again. YOU ARE A GOOD PARENT AND YOUR KID IS A GOOD KID! YEP! That is right you are a good parent! If your kid is Juuling you are a good parent! Why do I feel the need to say this?
Because last week I wrote an article on Juuling and if you missed it you can catch that here, but I got more messages, phone calls, emails, articles, thank you’s, and questions than I ever have on any other post. I got messages from parents in Alabama, Texas, Georgia, and Colorado about their kids in the hospital with a respiratory illness that they think is because of the vape. Yall, these are people I don’t even know and my heart hurts for them and for the children. But the messages that hurt me the most were the ones of parents thinking they are bad because their child vapes and that my friend is a lie from the devil himself. You are not a bad parent if your child vapes.
Kids are kids and kids will try almost anything and do almost anything to fit in. Not all kids, but most. They are so desperate to be liked, to be included, to fit in, and to be popular (GOD I HATE THAT WORD) and it just is what it is. Why? Because their brains are literally wired that way. I personally believe it is worse now than ever due to all the pressures of social media (ironic that I am a blogger) on top of the always present peer pressure, social anxiety, expectations from peers, parents, teachers, coaches, colleges, jobs, and the list goes on and on.
Did you know that it is scientifically proven that the teenage prefrontal cortex-the area of the brain responsible for planning, decision making, personality, and social behavior-is actually pruning itself during these delicate years….that’s right! Pruning itself….killing off areas to make room for adult brainhood if you will. No wonder their personality switches on a dime and their choices seem less than reasonable…While the prefrontal cortex is pruning itself, and growing itself for adulthood, our kids are super duper vulnerable! It explains why they think the world sees them as they see themselves….which by the way, more often than not, is not a pretty sight, in their eyes. No wonder they are so self conscious and this explains why they are obsessed with how others see and like them which makes fitting in top priority and in turn makes it very easy to make poor choices.
Case in point: Juuling! And honest to God, our kids don’t have a chance if they buy into the marketing that the makers of Juul have so eloquently come up with. And they will because their poor brain is in pruning season! And the marketing is literally geared towards taking advantage of that fact! They have bright fun colors, amazing fun taste, and young beautiful models, not to mention they claim that it is better for you than traditional cigarettes! Honestly, how can than say that? Because the traditional cigarette has 8 cancer causing chemicals and the Juul only has 5! Well from where I am sitting 5 vs 8 cancer causing chemicals….cancer still wins! But I don’t really matter now do I!? I am just a mom with kids who the makers of Juul would rather make millions off of regardless of if they die or their friends do. Point being if our kids brains are already wired towards just being included regardless of the consequence, even if that is your life, if it is flashy, pretty, tasty, oh and you get a quick buzz, well their brain says, “I am in, what do I got to do!”
Here’s the deal, we can’t change their brains, but we can open up communication and shut down this epidemic.
This epidemic is real and it is scary and I think it might be scarier than the CDC, surgeon general, or whoever ever thought. Something has to happen!
What is that something? I do not know quite honestly. What I do know is alot can happen under your own roof and it starts with talking. Plain and simple. Talk to your kids. Educate yourself. Educate them. Tell them you are going to test them. YES! Test them.
Why do I say test them? Well, I am working on a post to show you how they are hiding this evil and it will blow your mind. Kids are doing it under their parents nose and parents don’t even know! Trust me! I know. And the thought of, “Not my kid.” I will still challenge you to talk to your kid, educate your kid, and yes test your kid. Help them. I explained to you above how their brains just can’t reason so why not give them an out. The worst thing that will happen is they will test positive and guess what, now you have something to talk about. Just like if they test negative…..you still have something to talk about.
So will you join me in my mission? Will you start the conversation under your roof? I promise our kids are depending on us to do this and I promise lives are depending on us to do this. Who’s with me?
Until next time,
XO,
Amy
August Book Review
What does a new month mean? Well, it means alot, but what it means for Worthy Heart is it is time for my book review! I just love this post because it takes me back to the delicious stories, the positive mental thinking, and the sad and tragic stories that have so much hope coming from them. If you are a reader and you are like me and love to escape in a good book then I would love to see you at the first of every month as well as I would love to hear what you are reading! I can always use another book on the night stand!
This month I did mainly self improvement with a little bit of chic lit. Not really sure why, maybe because it was the end of the summer and I just really wanted to pretend I was in the Hamptons and Rich and that I could afford the Hamptons!!!! :) Or maybe it is because I want to grow my business and while I do that I want to escape into romance…..who knows! Funny thing is the one fluff book I got had little to no romance, but it was a great book about old friends, new friends, breaking bad habits and relationships, and believing in yourself and your dreams. Great book! It was Lighthouse Beach by Shelley Noble. The basic premise is a young girl who is about to embark on her new life with her new husband and realizes before the “I do’s”, this is the worst possible decision she could ever make. From there the story unfolds to a tale of 4 girls, their history, their current situations, and their potential future, which if I had one complaint it is that it kind of leaves you hanging there. Maybe the author has hopes for a sequel, which I would love as I personally fell in love with three of the girls. One gal I could do without, but I think that is because her story was not told much. All I really knew was she had lost her husband, has a child, lives and works with the in laws, and ya, that was pretty much it. But, again, maybe the author has something up her sleeve, which I would be so down with! Over all it was a great read that did what I like and took me to another world and on an beautiful adventure. Easy, fun read with some twist and turns, but not a lot of juicy love, but I was ok with that as the friendships that were forming and the different personalities that were coming out were very intriguing. Bottom line, if you like stories about friendship, change, and hope, get this book!
Next I picked up a book per the suggestion of the number 7 earner in my company. Go Pro: 7 Steps to Becoming a Network Marketing Professional, by Eric Worre. This a great book chalk full of information if you are in a MLM or in sales of any kind really. It will help you understand relationship building and the importance of follow up. The author has some very insightful thoughts about the way of the future from college to corporate america that were eye opening to me as well as thoughts about coporate america in general. If you are stuck in corportate amercia and want more, grab this book and let’s talk. I think the book is a bit outdated with the dawning of social media, but in all reality people need people and not just a computer so it is still full of great information, ideas, tips and techniques. Again, I will stress if you are wanting a side hustle or are feeling stuck in corporate america I highly suggest this book and suggest you getting with me. I have begun an incredible journey with a new company that I am loving the products, the money I am making, the friends I am making, and the overall growth I am having and I would love to have you on my team and together we can hustle and grow!
Along the lines of growth I chose another book for my business and self improvement mainly because the author does a training with our company twice a month on Zoom Calls and I find her fascinating, sharp, whitty, real, and someone I can relate to. Her book was no different. Grow Rich Thinking: Mindset + Action= Outrageous Achievement, by Leslie Zann. You guys this book is a simple, short, quick read, FULL of good stuff! Good food for the soul and for the mind. This book is for anyone wanting more! You do not have to be in an MLM or sales for this book. The only requirement is hunger! That is it! If you want to experience a breakthrough in life or in business this book is for you! GET IT!
That pretty much wraps up August and I know it was heavy on the self improvement, but hey, I am in a growth spurt! That is a good thing right?
Until next time,
XO,
Amy
Simple Supper Suggestions #9
Simple Supper Suggestions #9
Wow! I was overwhelmed with the response on the meal planning! I had no idea how much people really liked it. Which is odd because before I started doing mine I was just like you watching other moms and using their recipes and their technique’s on planning. I remember thinking to myself one day, “I can do that! I know how to cook and I plan at the begining of the week, why don’t I do this for my readers?” So I started back in the spring and here I am back at it thanks to you guys…..AND I LOVE IT TOO! Nothing makes my heart swell more than knowing I am helping someone! So if you are that someone, thank you for fulfilling my dream of helping people’s lives become better, easier, or more fulfilled!
So back to what today is all about....Today I would like to try throwing out simple supper suggestions for you all. You can take what you like and leave the rest. I promise I will not get my feelings hurt. Point is every Saturday, Trey and I along with the boys sit down, or text if I am being honest, ideas for supper the following week. What this does it is helps me to plan, shop, and be ready for whatever comes at me. Does it always work out? Heavens no! But, as I always say....Progress not Perfection and every step in the right direction is a step in the right direction!
So without futher talk....let's get this party started!!!!!!
Spaghetti Sunday! It is a staple in our house and super easy for Sunday night! We LITERALLY do this most Sundays!
Healthy Chicken Feta! A winner for a Monday night!
Sausage Stuffed French Loaf is perfect on a busy Tuesday night!
Blueberry Salmon is so delicious and so nutrious and since Trey is in charge of the grill it gives me a night off which is sooooo GREAT!
Easy and Quick Carbonara! Perfect on Thursday night game night!
Friday and Saturday this girl’s kitchen is closed for business! So I always double up so we have plenty of left overs for the nights I like to kick my heels up and chill!
Kitchen is closed and mama is writing!
Here is to hoping these suggestions will get your week started off right and help you get everyone fed! After all isn't that what it is about? Keeping it simple in the kitchen so everyone is fed and it is at home and not going through a drive through!!!!!
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
What is Juuling? And How Bad Is It?-A Mom's Persepective
Do you know what a Juul is? Have you heard of an e-cigarette? If you have not heard of this and you are a parent you need to get educated. Honestly if you are a parent and you have not heard of this you might be living under a rock and I am coming at you hard with REAL TALK to get you out from under the rock. There is an epidemic and it is killing our children. You heard me, killing them. And it is time to bring light to it. The media has started and I am here to join forces because I am scared. I am a parent of two teens and an eight year old and I am in fear for them and their friends.
If you are a parent and you have heard of this, you need to get to talking to your kiddo. I am not kidding when I tell you this. Education is key and communication is crucial. Why? Because the makers behind these devices and the liquids going into them are out to get every kid in the world! All to fill their pocket books for life. Our children, yours, mine, your neighbors kids- kids, every kid is who they want!
Why? Because they have discovered kids are easy to market too. They are gullible, and our kids believe it if it is in writing (ie. false advertising) that it claims to be safer than a good ole fashion cigarette then that is just what it is. They are risk takers and their poor frontal lobes are not developed enough to tell them otherwise.
Something to keep in mind….how easy these are too hide. I honestly thought it was a gadget for the computer! NO LIE! Education is important.
Want to know what happens when they try it? They get a buzz they can’t resist and they love. The odds are stacked against them immediately and more than likely they will get addicted to the Juul and the people selling it, the people making it, the people investing in it because they are excellent marketers and excellent at telling our kids what they want to hear and when they do right…..well, they will have a client for life. They want your money and your childs brain. You think I am kidding? Consider this.
In December 2018 it was announced that each Juule employee would receive an average of $1.3 million in bonuses because Altria, the parent company of Marlboro, invested $12.8 BILLION in Juul, giving the tobacco giant a direct line to millions of youth e-cigarette users. Now if that does not get your attention I don’t know what will. I find that very scary and downright disturbing.
What can we do about it? Well, I am a firm believer and always have been that it has to start at home. This is hard when you are dealing with a teenager. Trust me. I can 100 percent say I know and understand. I have two at home right now as I type this and YES hands down they think I am the biggest idiot on the face of this earth and honestly probably do not like me. Not always, but most of the time. My job however is to say, “Hey, that is ok, I am not interested in being your friend, nor am I interested in being your friends friend, or your friends parents friend! I am interested in being your parent and keeping you alive so YOU and I can see what your amazingly, wonderful, future has in store for you!”
I believe whole heartedly that opening up the communication on this is crucial. I want to educate you a little bit about what they are dong so maybe you can get the courage, the gumption, the guts, the whatever it is you need to begin the conversation. You never know, maybe they want you too because they don’t know where to go. They are scared if they come to you! They are fearful of any kind of negative reaction. What they don’t understand and maybe you don’t understand is that you are the most influential person in your kids life. Yep! You are! Even on the days they think you are just plain dumb! You can influence your child. You just have to be ready to listen first, try to understand your child and why or how it started, and THEN you can try to help them understand you and the facts. But, if you miss the first part of listening you lose the entire battle before you even begin.
Facts to kids are not as important as their feelings. WE need to be listening to their feelings and trying to understand where they are coming from. Ask questions that do not require a yes or no. Ask, “Why?” And then listen. Ask , “How come?” And then listen. Ask, “Tell me more about that.” And then listen. Ask, “Help me understand.” And then listen!
Get curious. Show them compassion and THEN share your concerns and facts.
But in order to be able to do this you need to understand vaping. Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the heated nicotine liquid (or other liquids) by means of a vape pen or e-cigarette (aka:Juul). Also known as JUULing.
So now that you know what vaping is….Did you know that most kids start by vaping an innocent flavor? A delicious flavor too I might add! They have everything from mint, to cucumber mint, to fruity pebbles to who knows what else. It is not nicotine it is a simple liquid flavor. My first reaction to this was “WHY!?” Why on earth would you vape and inhale a heated liquid for its flavor! Chew gum for crying outloud! Well here are some of the reasons:
“It’s cool”-there is no negative stigma amongst young people associated with vaping
It’s easy to hide
Flavors are delicious (cherry, peppermint, cucumber, fruity pebbles)
Easy to acquire
Aggressive marketing campaign
Highly addictive
Provides a means to smoking tobacco or marijuana
I have to be honest when I see all this I still scratch my head. I keep thinking why would anyone want to inhale heat? So I asked my own son why kids do this and his response was, “You get a good buzz”. That buzz is hard to compete with friends. I am hear to tell ya it is a battle and a battle that will destroy your homelife and your child. It is a battle that will drive you insane! Trust me. We are living it and it is hard to type that but we are. My heart hurts and my heart is in fear, but what can I do?
I will tell you. First thing Trey and I can do is open up conversation. Before we could do this though, we had to get educated. I am hoping this little blog post will be cliff notes for you all so you can start talking now because I see this epidemic getting out of control. Did you know there has already been one confirmed death of a child from the Juul and there are many kids in hospitals across the country with a “mysterious” upper respitory virus that presents like walking pnemonia that they are thinking it is tracing back to the Juul? Are you aware of this? It is seriously worse I think then they thought 3 months ago and the longer the makers of Juul are allowed to market it our kids are at risk! So get educated…Let me see if I can help you get started:
STATISTICS:
At least 38% of high schoolers and 13% of middle schoolers have tried vaping and the percentage is seriously low because it is based on self report. Personally what kid is going to admit this?!!!! (My money says it is 80-90% of both middle and high schoolers….but that is my opinion)
Legal age for buying a vape pen juuls is 18 years of age
Twice as many high-school students vape as smoke
Over the past 5 years e-cigarette use has not dropped
Teens who vape are three times more likely to later smoke cigarettes
Along with educating yourself, you and your partner need to come up with boundaries and consequences that you both agree on in the event that you discover your child is involved with juuling. You need to know what they are and you need to be prepared to stick to them. This is hard, but it is key. If you don’t have this discussion with your parnter your child will come between you both and he or she will have the upper hand. So know what your consequence and boundaries are together as a united front.
So here is the deal plain and simple: YOU HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS. Your are the biggest social influence in your child’s life contrary to belief. You can be a huge influence in your child’s decision on whether to vape or not. BUT YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THEM.
This is hard. I KNOW! TRUST ME I KNOW. Reasoning with a teen or preteen is almost impossible and aruguments almost always break out. They just do. What is something you can do to help. Start by catching them doing something RIGHT! Start there….then when the timing is right open the conversation. For instance you see someone using an e-cigarette in person or on TV or in the movies….or you pass an e-cigarette shop while driving or see an advertisment. These opportunities will help the conversation be more natural if you will….but be prepared to ask questions and then listen. Listening to their answers will give you more information on why they are doing it. Maybe it is to feel “cool”, maybe it is due to stress from a relationship, maybe it is simple “peer pressure”, maybe it is a way to escape, or maybe it truly has become an addiction. Whatever the case is continue to be curious. The more curious you are and the more questions you ask will help them in communicating back to you what they are thinking and maybe even their why.
You also need to be prepared to answer their questions. Here is a slide as to how to answer some of their questions.
Once you get through this process it is WAY ok to share your concerns. Just remember to stay calm. Especially when you are discussing the rules of your home and the consequences if your child decides to partake in this behavior.
IF you are highly suspicious of this behavior already, did you know you can test them? There are nicotine test on the market and yes it is ok to test your child! Does it send the message that you don’t trust them? NO! Actually I really wish I would have been testing my boys since middle school. True story! We told them in middle school we would be drug testing randomly for their safety. We explained it was our right and that it would allow them an out should they ever be pressured. Did we do it? God’s truth no and I am so sad we did not. WE waited until it was necessary and that is never fun.
Here is what testing them actually does though. It opens up communication. If they are negative you approach it with “YES! I am so proud of you as this stuff is no joke!” And you feed them the facts. IF they are positive, well, now you know and you can have even more to talk about.
This is hard and never fun. I know. Raising kids today is scary, but you know what’s even scarier? Losing your child to something that could have been prevented if we just knew the facts. As God as my witness, just today a dear childhood friend called and I discovered her son is in the hospital right now for a respitory condition they think is a result of Juuling! When I got that call I told her that she was a sign from God I needed to get this post out. I have been sitting on it for months for fear of backlash or people saying I am over reacting. Well, I am not sitting anymore nor should you!
Here is some information about that Juul that I find very disturbing hence this blog post.
Ok if that does not scare you listen to this! Autopsies were performed on indivdiuals who had passed away (not of juuling) and they were aware that had used the juul. These individuals had the sores that people get in their mouths from juuling and they went all the way down their mouth, trachea, esophagus, and into their lungs! These sores are the sores that the doctors cannot figure out how to get rid of them. Why? Because they are finding that the metal that the juul makers use is cheap and toxic. When the metal and the toxic chemicals heat up they have no idea what is happening when it turns into a gaseous form. That is stupid scary and these people are marketing this to our kids! And our kids are falling into the trap and becoming addicted. It is a problem friends and one that I hope you all will join me in fighting. Our kids are depending on us too.
Remember this: “The hardest part of parenting is raising children.”-Anonymous
Until Next Time,
XO,
Amy
I would like to thank our church Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas for hosting our amazing School District, Highland Park ISD, and their Parent Education Committee in a discussion on vaping in the spring. I would also like to thank Sparrow House Counseling and EnterHealth Addiction Treatment Center for the slides used in this blog post
PS. If you suspect your teen is juuling and you need help here are a few resources:
https://www.sparrowhousecounseling.com/
http://www.mend-counseling.com/ -Jennifer Blazek. LPC-S
http://www.harbergcounseling.com/
Is The Heart Ever Ready?
WHOO HOO! OR BOO HOO? I am not really sure! All I know is I have major mixed emotions! I need the kids back in school for some kind of routine, but if they go back to school that means my oldest son will be starting his senior year and after that is college. I know he is ready and that is not the point. The point is my heart is not. I cannot believe he is already a senior! It feels like just yesterday I was living in Dallas, pregnant and sick, waiting for Trey to return from being away for 6 months in the war. Seriously! And it was 18 years ago! Man when they say time flies…..they mean it! Especially when you have kids!
So today starts a new chapter. The chapter of getting Will ready to leave the nest and getting my heart ready for my Will to leave…..NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I am so not ready! I am so fearful he will pack his bags and just never look back!
Why? Well, I have to tell you life has been tough with us lately. This is REAL TALK now and if you are not a mama you might not understand this. BUT….I really think something happens psychologically when a son is preparing to go to college. I can’t speak for girls other than I am one, but honestly it was a different time when I was going to school. For starters I didn’t even think about what college I would attend until January of my Senior Year where now a days they start preparing these kids their sophmore year of high school. It really is ridiculous as far as I am concerned, but hey, nobody is asking me! I digress! Point is Will and I have had somewhat of a push and pull. One minute we are talking like normal people the next minute I have said something to really upset him and before you know it we are not talking.
He is becoming extremely independent, which I know is a good thing and what I want, but he does not really need me anymore. He could survive without me. That hurts. Part of me says, “Amy, this is good. This means he is capable.” The other part of me says, “I know he is capable! The point is he does not need you!” (Knife to the heart!) Man, it feels like just yesterday he was telling me he loved me more and he would never leave me and that he would always live in our blue house with me. Sweet memories.
So as we embark on this new school year I need to remember to stay present. To focus on the good and not go to crazy when I need to be a parent, but to remember we have three great young men who are kind, sensitive, compassionate, talented, respectful, and extremely capable. I need to remember I too was a teen once and how exciting that was……so exciting that sometimes I did not make the best decisions, but I always learned from my choices and grew. I hope the same is true for my boys. We all have to learn through choices and next year Will will be on his own and I have to rest in the peace of knowing we have raised him to know God, to understand consequences, to work hard, to be a leader not a follower, to follow his dreams, and to never quit.
So as our new chapter begins I will ask that you pray for us. Pray that all three boys have an amazing school year, pray that my heart is ok and understands this is good, and pray all three of them, but especially Will at this time knows:
I love them no matter what
I believe in them more than they believe in themselves
I want them to follow their hearts and their dream
If they do that all will be well in the world
Until Next Time,
Amy
My July Book Review
Again! Better late than never!!!!! I mean who made the rule that I had to tell you what I read each month and post it by the first of the next month! ME!!!!! Geez!!!! Well, at least I am getting it to you before the double digits! Maybe once the kids are back in school I will flow a little better, but I cannot apologize for taking time with them. I really have enjoyed my family this summer and hey that is pretty important in my book!
Speaking of books, I read some great stuff in July! I think you will like most if not all of them! Especially the first one I read. I think I read this little bad boy in 2 days it was so good! Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate. You guys this book was amazing. It was so good that I could not put it down. After reading it I realized that it was based on true events which oh man that rocked my world even more because while I was reading it I kept thinking this is so “real” the way it is written. It was that good. Not to give too much a way, but to give you an idea of what the book is about, the book is based on true stories of children being stolen from their famililes and families being lied to that their children were dead. The children then were sold off to very wealthy families and their biological families never found them. This story is a story about one family’s fight to stay together. Heart wrenching story that will have you talking and thinking about it long after you finish.
Next I decided to read Hum If You Don’t Know the Words by, Bianca Marias. Now I honestly would not have picked this book, but it was given to me by my dear friend Lyndsy. Come to think of it so was Before We Were Yours, but honestly this is not a book I would have picked for myself, however, I am SO glad Lyndsy did! You guys this book was just as moving and just as deep! I am not sure it was based on true events like Before We Were Yours, but it would not surprise me if it was. It is based out of South Africa in the 70’s during the Apartheid regime. It is a story of two characters. One is white, one is black. One is a mom and one is a little girl who lost her mom. This might be my second favorite book and really it is a toss up between this and Before We Were Yours to be the best. I mean as I sit here and type all I want to say is go get this book and take a journey with Beauty and Robin. It is a beautiful journey, one of making the most out of life and your circumstances no matter what they are. And while you are doing that, Hum……because you will never know all the words to in this world….only the ones in your world.
After reading those two I needed a bit of a break from the heavy stuff and decided to change it up a bit and grab a book for self improvement. I grabbed a little book I have been hearing about and yall this book is short, but mighty!!!! It is so good and so easy to read and FULL of good stuff! It is You2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps, by Price Pritchett. You guys you can literally read this sucker in 30 minutes, but if you are like me you will read and re read it a dozen times!!! If you have dreams and you need some motivation along the way this book is for you! It is short and to the point. You could literally read this book everyday and get something new from it. Now some might argue this book is just an agenda for this guy to get you to sign up for his course, and maybe it is, which honestly is brilliant, but I am not signing up for the course and I am still getting good stuff! So if you like your motivation to be short, direct, thought provoking, and to the point….get this book! It will do you good!
Now for our cruise I need fluff and I chose the perfect book! It was an easy light read that had some twist, some turns, some curves, and even a loopty loop! The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews is in my opinon the perfect vacation or weekend read. If you have teens or pre teens, you might relate to this book even more, because let me tell you the little teenage brat in this book has attitude. But, hey, they all do right? The story in general is about an upper class family and their relationships and their life. Their struggles and how just when you think you know someone, even a family member, well….think again….Great read, especially if you are going on vacation and all you want to do is take your mind off your life and enjoy your time away. Why not get into someone else’s drama with this book? Easy, fun read. Go get it!
So that wraps up July can’t wait to see what August brings….it has already started off good I have to say!
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
Tell Them....
As I sit here writing this Sunday, I actually started out trying to finish my July book review, but I just cannot. After learning about the news of not one but two mass shootings, my heart is crushed. If you can think of a word worse than crushed, defeated, broke, shattered, you get the picture, that is my heart, mind, and soul, and I am sure most of you, if not all of you feel the same pain. If you are like me you are asking yourself and God, “What is happening? What is going on? Why are these YOUNG people feeling the need to kill? What is going on in their brains and why is it happening? Is it drugs? Is it influence? But from what? Video games? Social media? Why?” OR an even bigger question, “Where are you God? Where are you in this?” Yes, I find myself asking that and if you are too I don’t blame you. There are families out there who have lost a loved one to a senseless act. All for what? Who knows.
There is so much hatred in this world. So much! I just don’t understand. And trust me, I know life is hard. I know bad things happen. But gosh dang it, I feel like it is out of control. I can’t help but start wondering as a parent with teens is it the substances and the drugs these kids get into? Look I know kids are gonna be kids. I was one once. I did dumb things, made dumb choices, tried things, but now a days I feel like the stuff our kids experiment with really changes them if they get bad stuff. And honestly that is another blog all by itself. Point is I am so sad and I know you are too. I just needed a minute to vent. That is all. Maybe me admiting I am wondering where God is will bring someone else comfort and know they are not alone in this.
As I sit here I will voice that I am in the valley of the unknown and I know God knows me and loves me. He understands me and is listening to my every tear and He will help my unbelief. He will do the same for you. So if you are like me and thinking, ‘That could have been me grocery shopping at Walmart or my son out on the town, that could have been me shot and I would never see my family again or worse my child could have been shot and killed.” As you think that and as I think that, remember this, tell your loved ones what they mean to you. Tell them how much you believe in them and how much you love them. Tell them how proud you are of them and how lucky you are to have them. Tell them. Because you may never get a chance to again. Satan is alive and he is attacking America. Evil is on the rise and we need to rebuke it through prayer and through love. So tell them you love them……
Until Next Time,
XO,
Amy
The art above was done by my son Will. To say I am so proud is not even enough. So proud.
Long Time No Write....
It has been a while since I sat down to really write something. I decided at the beginning of the summer I was going to focus on my family knowing when school started back I could pick right up where I left off. What has changed? Well a number of things. First and foremost I love it when I receive a DM on the gram or a DM on the book of face that says, “I miss your writing”, “I miss your inspiration”, or “I miss your recipes”. You guys have no idea what that does for me! But, trust me, I have been working on content and ideas here and there and I have hired a phenomenal coach who is helping me and I am hoping to blow this blog UP!!!! But, the other thing that has changed is I realized how much I personally need this blog. It is so healing for me and so cleansing and I need it!
How do I know this? Well, today is my sweet Mama’s birthday. She would have been 83…..and for those of you new here, she passed away in December of 2016. It still hurts. It hurts so bad sometimes that I can’t breathe. As I sit here writing this I wonder if some people get sick of hearing about it? Honestly, it does not matter because I know there is someone else reading this who is still missing their person as much as I am missing my mom and they need to hear it right here right now that, that is ok. My mom and I had such a neat relationship and we had great talks….everyday at 3 to be exact….and I miss that. And it is ok.
So today I decided to sit down and write because writing is cleansing. And honest to God yesterday in my “special journal”, the question was: Reflect upon your family. It could be a parent, sibling, grandparent, or someone else. How do they help shape your life? YALL!!!!!!! It is my mom!!!!!! I am going to take a picture and show you what I wrote!
My mom was AMAZING! Still is in my eyes and I truly believe my mom’s spirit is in me. She is in my heart and she is in my soul and that makes me so happy. Because anyone who knew that little red headed firecracker knows there was not a more pure spirit in this world. My mom loved ALMOST everybody. I can name one person, which I will not, who my mother did not have compassion or love for. Other than that, my mom never spoke ill of anyone. She loved the weak, the strong, the poor, the rich, the dumb, the smart, the homosexual, the hetrosexual, the Christian, the Jew, the Buddhist, the non Christian, the addict, the black, the white, and the brown. My mom was the epitome of love. Was she perfect? No, but in my eyes she came close. Did she have faults? Yes, but her strengths sure out weighed her faults. And her love was pure and real. Her love allowed me to be free to be who I am and I really think her love is part of the reason I march to my own beat. I will forever be grateful to my mom for this gift. My mom is part of the reason I know deeply that I am worthy of love and goodness in my life. She gave me so much love, support, and compassion, in the 46 years of life I spent with her that I truly believe she is the reason I am able to survive whatever comes at me. So today, on her 83 birthday I would like to say, “Thank you Mom! Thank you for loving me for me and for passing on the gifts of love, compassion, and forgiveness.'“
Happy Birthday Mom!
Love Always,
Amy
This journal is amazing! If you are really looking for growth, healing, or reflection, this journal is it. It gives you a prompt and the prompts are very good and very powerful!
June Book Review
Better late than never I guess! This summer I have decided to slow down and boy have I! I am realizing my kids are growing up and will be gone before I know it so I have taken some time to enjoy them, or if I am being honest my little guy as my teens really don’t want to hang with me! I get it, but if I get a chance the phone goes down and the computer goes off so the blog has slown down tremendously and so has the reading. For a good cause though!
I did get two books read this June and I have to say they were both awesome! Probably not a beach or pool read, but awesome!
The first book I chose was my monthly personal development pick. Intentional Living (Choosing a Life That Matters) by John C. Maxwell. I LOVED this book! What I loved most about reading this book was it felt as if my father was speaking to me! It was almost everything my dad taught me growing up as a kid and it was AMAZING! This guy and my father think so much alike and it really gave me comfort. Having a dad with memory issues is hard sometimes. There are times when the man I am talking to in my father, but most of the time the spark and fire that I remember my father having is missing so reading this book not only grew me as an individual it truly brought me comfort. I would imagine my father’s voice reading it to me and every once in awhile there would be a line my dad use to say and I would get chills! If you are wanting to make a difference in this world, I know most of us are, then this book is for you! Grab it! Grab a pen and take some notes and together we can all make this world a better place!
For my “light” read I chose Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb. This book was so interesting to me! It is basically about a therapist, her therapist, and life. While I think it is fiction there is alot of real life talk in here and it really had me thinking, but at the same time cracking up! So it was not the light read I thought it would be. It was light and fluffy at times and deep and thought provoking at others. Really quite interesting! I am a firm believer in therapy! If you are you will love this book. IF you are on the fence about therapy I think you will love this book. If you think therapy is a load of crap, well this book will have you laughing! So yes I think this book is a great read for anyone…..just maybe not for the beach as I kept expecting a love story and that just never came! Ah well! Such is life!!!!! Get it though! Great read that will have you looking at yourself in a different light! One that is realizing not to take life too seriously and to just enjoy it! Enjoy the ups and the downs, the twists, the turns, the beginnings, and the endings! Great Read!!!!!
So thanks to these two books this gal is slowing down and living life intentionally and fully this summer! Who’s with me?
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
The Upside of the Side Hustle
You might be asking yourself, “Why on earth is Amy selling this coffee?” Trust me, I asked myself that for about 29 days after I signed on to do it, then I got paid! That day changed everything! Truly! But I guess I should start at the beginning for you to truly understand that.
It all started back in college when my bestfriend Ginger and I signed up to do Amway! Yep! I sure did! And NOPE I did not make any money! Then it was after college while I was at Buzz Print and my mentor and dear friend Lori Clark talked me into signing up to do Advocare! Yep! Back in the 90’s I sold advocare….well….not really! I did not do anything but take the products myself, however, looking back as I type this I realize now I was sitting on a gold mine! The 90’s people! That program is still around, or at least kind of. I just heard they are going retail, but not real sure what that means for its distributors. Next I was in the military and I was talked into selling Southern Living. I did one party, got all the goods I wanted for my house and was done! Then I did Once Upon a Family and while I did make money, the problem with that company was I had to do inventory and that drove my husband me crazy! I am not organized enough for that! So after that I hung up MLM and swore I would NEVER do it again! How does the saying go? “Never say Never!” Well it is true! Never say Never….
Side note: When I married Trey he was a pilot in the Navy and he would be gone for 6-9 months at a time on a ship so when we got married he said, “We will NEVER go on a cruise!” He meant it too people….guess what….we have been on 5 since we have been married!!!!!
Funny how that works! Now back to the story. In December, I was approached by my sweet student and friend Beth Hall about this coffee she wanted me to try AND she threw in with her little southern drawl, “And if you want you could sell it on your blog and make some extra money…” I laughed and said, “Ya no, I don’t like selling to my friends. I have done that mulitple times and it just did not work out for me. Tell me to sell to a company and I can do it….ask me to sell to a friend and I am not your girl.” She just smiled and nodded very elegantly like she does.
GIRLS TRIP!
Fast forward to February and it was her third follow up with me and I said, “You know, I have not tried it yet, but I am going on a girls trip this weekend and I am happy to bring some and give it to my friends to try and I will get back to you.” Well, guess what! I didn’t give the samples to the girls, nor did I try it myself.
In March I got pneumonia and I was down for the count and when I started healing and coming back to life I started reading alot. I came across a quote by Forbes that went something like this: “There is no downside to a side hustle. There are only benefits to building more than one source of income. A side hustle is the new job security.” That really reasonated with me for a number of reasons. Reasons I will not go into detail now, but they are real and they are worthy.
So I decide to give Beth a call. I think she probably fell off her chair when she heard why I was calling, not to mention I had lost EVERY sample she gave me and NEVER tried it for myself! No lie! But I knew it intrigued me because it was coffee and coffee is the most popular beverage in the world with more than 400 billion cups consumed each year with 450 million cups of coffee being consumed in the US DAILY! Yep! That is right. How do I know this? Well some of you know I am obsessed with Bullet Proof coffee so I have kind of studied weird things about coffee and the fact that Reviatlu was selling coffee that is healthy, well that intrgued me more.
I liked what it could do and I liked that she was giving it to me for free to try!
So what do you do when you have never tried a product but you know the benefits of the ingredients and you know that tons of coffee is consumed daily and the product is coffee….well if you are Amy Berry you say, “Hey can I sign up to sell this stuff and could you give me some samples to try it while I wait for mine to come in?!” Yep that is pretty much how it went down and the rest is history. I have been with the company since April 19 and I have made back my initial investment times 2! Not bad! Considering my history with MLM and the one I did make money with I saw no money for the first 9 months. So I consider this a win!
It is a win because the money potential is GREAT! It is a win because the product is AMAZING and does what it says it will do! It is a win because all I have to do is hand out samples and the samples sell themselves! It is a win because I can do it from the comfort of my couch, my bed, the park, on vacation, whenever and wherever I want! It is a win beause I am meeting some amazing people! And it is a win because it is taking me out of my comfort zone and I am getting past the fear of “what will my friends think and say.” So I am growing and my family is benefiting! So can you say, “Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!” And it is a win because it means more income for my family which in turn means more options! So everybody wins!!!!! So bottom line….even if it was just $500 a month I was earning I have to ask myself what else would I be doing with that time that could have earned me that…..just some food for thought……
So, if you are like I was and wanting to earn some extra money for your family and yourself, let’s talk. This company might intrigue you like it did me and it might not, but it is a win either way because we will have had some time together! If you want to sample any or all of the products, message me! I promise you will love all the benefits it can and will give you! Besides what do you have to lose? It’s free!
Until next time!
XO,
Amy
Wendy's Frosty for Breakfast
Who does not want a Wendy’s Frosty for breakfast? I know I would LOVE to be able to eat/drink one Eeeriday!!!!!
The beauty behind this recipe!
Guess what friends! I have cracked the code to a healthy one thanks for my dear friend Rachael! I owe ya big girlfriend!!!!!! This smoothie is DELISH! And it has soooooo many benefits i can’t even believe it!!!
Let me tell you what the benefits are and then you can decide for yourself if you want to try it!
Surpress your appetitie
Boost your energy
Stay focused
It tastes like a Wendy’s frosty!
That’s right! It is absolutley amazing! It is delicious! It is great for weight management and it can help boost your energy and increase your focus! Who wouldn’t want to start their day drinking this amazing drink!?
Check it out and try it for yourself! Let me know what you think and if you have any morning smoothies that you love, please send me the recipe! I would love to try them and share them!
Wendy’s Frosty Only Healthy
Blend:
Ice Cubes
70g of Frozen Mango
1/2 cup of almond milk
Scoop of cakepop protein powder by PEScinece protein powder (Or whatever protein powder you have)
1 Scoop of my Revitalu cocoa (ask me for free samples! I have them!)
Top with dark chocolate sea salt Granola
Can you say “GET INTO MY BELLY!”
Oh the chocolately goodness!!!!!
So if you are looking for a healthy alternative to start your day I promise this is one way and you will be so happy!
Enjoy!
Amy
