tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64730568943805342272024-03-12T19:38:46.957-05:00Connect the DotsonsErika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-5114816469451522872019-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-28T07:00:02.902-05:00For the First Year Teachers I can’t believe I am a teacher, let alone that I’ve already made it through my first year of teaching! It was an eye opening year for sure!<br />
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This was me on the first day of the school year. I was scared. I was unprepared. I worried if I would be able to touch the lives of these kids in the way I wanted to. I wondered if I was prepared for successful classroom management and if I could teach the curriculum. I was scared but I was ready to get my career started!<br />
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This is me and my homeroom class on Fun and Field Day, the second to last day of the school year. Boy oh boy, did I learn a lot. On this day, I felt so sad to be passing these kids on to 5th grade. I knew that we had made unbreakable connections and there was growth made in many different aspects.<br />
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So first year teachers, I’m about to share some of the most important things I learned this year!<br />
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1. USE YOUR PLANNING TIME FOR PLANNING!<br />
This is a big one for me. My first few weeks/months of school, I was in my classroom til at least 5, a lot of nights later, planning for the days and week ahead. I always used my planning time, but sometimes I often just used it to mentally prepare for the day and get my things organized (my “special” or “pull out” is first thing in the morning), But I’m here to tell you, when I designated a day, early in the week, to plan for the following week, and then used the rest of my planning periods that week to run of copies and prepare the necessary materials, I was much more efficient and got to get home at a normal hour!!<br />
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2. Lean on your team<br />
Whether you are departmentalized or not, lean on the people who teach the same grade level/subject that you do. I’m pretty independent and didn’t want to feel like I wasn’t pulling my weight, but my planning partner really got me through those first few weeks, and many other weeks throughout the year. When you are comfortable with the curriculum and feel like you have your feet on the ground, start offering to help plan/make copies! I promise, no one will be upset with you. They’ve all been there!<br />
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3. Make connections with your kids, but always follow through!<br />
I had the absolute pleasure of teaching some wonderful kids this year. A lot of them, I knew from the community and from growing up with people in their family. At first, we all had this sort of relationship where I wanted them to like me, but I also wasn’t gonna let them walk all over me. I felt really in control of my classroom management. But there were those few kids, who I never wanted to be in trouble, that tested me day in and day out. Some days I followed through, and some days I didn’t. But I know that had I stopped it in the beginning of the year, and followed through every single time, we wouldn’t have ever had a “struggle”, and they would have still known that I loved them and didn’t want them to be in trouble.<br />
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4. Leave school at school<br />
This goes back to using your time wisely. Especially if you have kids, do everything in your power to get your work done at work, and let your home time be spent with your family or friends. I’m not saying you won’t go to bed worrying about what the next day might bring, but you have to try your hardest to not let yourself drown in the work!<br />
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5. Survival is KEY<br />
Alright, last but not least, just SURVIVE. Don’t let this year be the judge of if you made the wrong career choice. My sister in law, Tracy, told me from the get go, you’re first year is pure survival and hopefully you have a good team to carry you through! Lucky for me, I did! And, I survived! Summer has arrived and I feel so excited to start the next year running, much more prepared, I might add!<br />
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So first year guys and gals, I hope you found this helpful and I hope you take it to heart!<br />
May you survive your first year and be ready to go back for more!<br />
Thanks for reading,<br />
AllyAlly Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-89913854813728580552019-05-27T14:57:00.000-05:002019-05-27T14:57:19.683-05:00In Memoriam of Memorial Day<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Ye have slept on the ground before,<br>
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And started to your feet</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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At the cannon’s sudden roar,</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Or the drum’s redoubling beat. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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But in this camp of Death</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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No sound your slumber breaks;</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Here is no fevered breath, </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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No wound that bleeds and aches. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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These two stanzas from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Decoration Day” strikes me. Although it was written in the 1800’s, it still captures unchanged sacrifice of those who serve. Memorial Day has always helped me remember two things: the 1.1 million service members who have died fighting for the United States, and those who are serving today that we must fight for. Today is specifically for those lost to the perils of war, and I want to share how we can help those who fight battles for their lives once they return home. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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1-800-273-8255 Press 1</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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This is the Veterans Crisis Line. You can also text at 838255 or chat online. <span style="display: inline;">Program it in your phone. Right now. Have it at your fingertips. This crisis line is 24/7 and any Veteran or family member of a Veteran in crisis can call. He/she can request to speak to who they feel comfortable with on the other side if it helps (gender, service in military, etc). The Veteran can remain completely anonymous although help is best provided if he/she gives a name. He/she can call if having suicidal thoughts but also for help on any other time that feels like a crisis. Many service member call when feeling anxious or alone. The line doesn’t hang up and stays with you as long as needed. You may get connected to services if you’re willing. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Maketheconnection.org </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This site can be truly life-changing. Veterans andfamilies can watch videos of service members telling their stories. Filter by era, gender, branch, and combat experience. Stories are also told by their family and what impact this had on them. Veterans can find help with homelessness, job support, retirement/aging, spirituality and more. Learn about signs and symptoms like difficulty concentrating, gambling, nightmares, isolation, and more. Look up trusted information on specific diagnoses like schizophrenia, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and problems with alcohol or drugs. Learn what can help and what is available. Even if you are not a Veteran or a family member of one, knowing this information yourself will help someday. I promise. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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May we honor today by honoring Veterans every day. I again turn to the words of Longfellow: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Rest, comrades, rest and sleep! </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The thoughts of men shall be</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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As sentinels to keep </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Your rest from danger free. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Your silent tents of green</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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We deck with fragrant flowers; </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Yours has the suffering been, </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The memory shall be ours. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Caroline Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13944888316206761213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-39818315958251678072019-05-25T01:10:00.000-05:002019-05-25T01:10:21.824-05:00The Year I Gave Up Fast Food and Soda<div class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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It was 2008. I was in my second year of college and had visited my brother in the military during the holidays. He wanted to run a marathon because anything physical fitness-related runs in his blood (pun intended) and I somehow agreed to run a half-marathon beside him. To remind you, my actual running experience extended to making it around the high school track four times in a row.<u></u><u></u></div>
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This was going to take some changes. Being on a student budget meant habits of grabbing the cheapest and quickest meals. I didn’t drink alcohol so a fresh fountain soda was my daily vice. I decided to make choices towards my health in addition to exercise: no fast food or soda for one full year. My definitions were essentially no eating at places with a drive-thru or of the likes. Soda was any carbonated beverage aside from carbonated water. Here’s how it went:<u></u><u></u></div>
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FAST FOOD FASTING<u></u><u></u></div>
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<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I expected this to feel difficult- it wasn’t. Other “diets” always felt restricting. But unlinke giving up a certain food or limiting caloric intake, I was changing where I frequented. By setting a goal of shifting WHERE I ate instead of WHAT I ate, I felt free to still eat what I enjoyed all the meanwhile nutritionally poor habits were falling by the wayside.<u></u><u></u></li>
<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I felt better. I’m not sure how to describe it other than feeling clean. One of the most surprising impacts was that the better I felt, the less I focused on weight and waist size. I honest to goodness don’t remember how my body visually shifted, but I can still remember how great I felt. This changed my entire attitude on health and helped me mentally shift to a better relationship with food. I saw how it related to the functions of my body instead of the appearance.<u></u><u></u></li>
<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I noticed support from family and friends. Now, this choice wasn’t rocking anyone’s daily routine other than my own, but people were accommodating and supportive. For example, I was concerned I would miss out on crunch-time midnight meal study-sesh get-togethers with my college crews. My friend instead suggested other places to grab a bite, keeping in mind my goals. One family member sent gift cards to a place still on my list of where I could eat. I felt appreciative, but the accountability factor of others contributing in this way helped me stay focused and honest.<u></u><u></u></li>
<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I discovered new places to eat. In breaking routine of foregoing the double decker taco order, I was forced to expand my horizons. I felt more connected to my community in supporting small businesses, restaurants, and cafes. It became an adventure to discover hidden gems. I also revisited a routine of grocery shopping for one meal. It was just as quick to grab an avocado, banana, and a small item from the deli than it was to sit in a drive-thru line, and my food was as fresh as it could get.<u></u><u></u></li>
<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I actually saved money. We are fed to believe (yes, pun intended) that fast food saves money because it’s “cheap”. I realized that it was truly no less expensive than a deli, and when I depended on grabbing a quick bite off the main road, I always had a fall back that kept me from planning out meals. It also allowed me time to rethink my instant gratification. My finances didn’t suffer and I was more cognizant of how much fast food ate into my budget (aaannnd final pun complete).<u></u><u></u></li>
<li class="m_-87481158589859556MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I stopped craving fast food. To spoiler-alert my own story, I made it the full year. In fact, there were many months past that year that I still refrained from eating fast food. My body didn’t desire it anymore. This was likely the most satisfying part of the entire journey in seeing a long-term shift of my body and my mind.<u></u><u></u></li>
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FOUNTAIN SODA FANTASY<u></u><u></u></div>
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The comfort of having a fresh and cold beverage at my fingertips. The comfort of liquid when I needed it. The break in the day for a little gas station love. I missed all of this for 365 days. I still maintained my goal of not drinking soda for the full year, but I REALLY felt it. The heart wants what it wants! I distinctly remember being at the New Year’s Eve party and looking around to see everyone with their fine beverage in hand to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new year with love’s kiss. I was sitting with a 2-liter of Diet Dr. Pepper counting down the seconds until that plastic bottle touched my lips.<u></u><u></u></div>
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EPILOGUE<u></u><u></u></div>
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In the end, there was no half-marathon. My brother went into training for another deployment a few months after we made our plans and so our run was canceled. I didn’t do anything touching like still running in his honor while he was gone (and he did return safely). But it wasn’t all for naught- I learned I could do something different, something hard for me, something that took daily change, and something much more satisfying than a #6 meal.<u></u><u></u><br>
<br>Pictured: enjoying a 44 ouncer of pop. <br>
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Caroline Dotson</div>
Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-78703598762179928782019-05-23T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-23T08:56:47.010-05:00It Doesn’t Make You a Bad Mom! <br />
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It’s easy to feel like a failure when it comes to all the different aspects of motherhood. For me it was not being able to exclusively nurse. I’m an RN with past experience in L&D/postpartum/nursery so with that comes a lot of lactation consulting. I felt confident in my know how of breast feeding and knew it was the best thing for my baby. So Duh! Well that was the plan. Once you become the patient, knowing and doing are very different things. Turns out breast feeding is a feat of its own!<br />
The first 2 weeks were so painful! I would kick my leg at the ground during the first latch. Luke called it my hillbilly stomp ha! Between the ice packs, lanolin, pumping, and milk increasing supplements, I was tied to the wall. Poor Boone was beyond fussy, never sleeping more than 30 minutes at a time.<br />
Turns out, he was simply hungry. His birth weight dropped significantly and our pediatrician advised me that my milk probably hadn’t totally come in and to get us over the hump we could try formula. I shuddered at the thought! Formula?! No way. But another sleepless night went by, so being frustrated with a low supply, I gave in. <br />
Hello game changer! Our little man has a big appetite and just needed his tummy more full. His weight popped back up and we all got more rest. I am able to alternate each feed between breast and bottle. Being able to snuggle and play with my baby was more important to me than tying myself to a pump. Of course nothing replaces the antibodies in breast milk, but formula has been advanced greatly to provided them with tons of vitamins. All that to say, do what works for you and baby. Stress less and cuddle more. You can’t give them too much love and attention during this time. It doesn’t make you a bad mom if breast feeding doesn’t work out for you! That’s something I had to accept and get through my head.<br />
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Here are a couple things I did to increase my supply:</div>
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1) Drink water! I mean like til it feels like you are drowning. </div>
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2) Supplements - lactation cookies, let there be milk! </div>
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As far as formula goes we had the best luck with Gerber and Enfamil for their consistency.</div>
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Mattie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833915704994164669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-30964810761191777792019-05-22T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-22T09:16:07.816-05:00The Most Perfect Mother's Necklace from Bella Vita Jewelry!I probably should have shared this oh you know several weeks ago but in true Erika fashion, better late than never right?<br />
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I had let TW know one year that for Christmas I really wanted a mother's necklace but I basically set him up for epic failure because if you've ever had to buy anything for me you know it's pretty much as possible as walking a tight rope across a pit of alligators while you are eating donuts. It's not only that I'm pretty picky but I also like to be surprised, pretty much I despise knowing what my gift is more than anything in the world.<br />
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Ok that's pretty dramatic but I'm sure it's all stemmed from peeking into all my presents under the tree one year. Oh was I sneaky. I slit the tape with a razor blade then carefully unwrapped it, checked out the goods, and then reattached the paper with new tape the same size as the existing. Now looking back as a parent I'm positive my mom would have never even known and I went through way too much effort sizing all those pieces of tape to reapply. But hey I definitely think I deserve it for being such a rotten sneaky punk kid!<br />
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So that year I was gifted a beautiful Pandora necklace with a couple charms. We were pregnant at the time so he decided to buy a June charm for the daughter who wasn't born yet. She was born in May. I ended up needing an upgrade a few years later anyways after we added two more and decided to finally just purchase what I really wanted for myself in the first place.<br />
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I stopped in at the War Eagle Fair and didn't want to stay long. I was on a mission to find a handcrafted mom's necklace that looked unique and nothing like I had seen all over Etsy.<br />
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INSERT...... Bella Vita Jewelry!<br />
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I was smitten when I walked up to her booth! I ordered a custom necklace and was so excited when it arrived! It was perfect! Each of my children's unique names on a unique shape charm along with their birthstone. It's a worn brassy look and that's another reason I loved it!<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/bellavitajewelry/about/?ref=page_internal">Go check her out on Facebook here!</a> as well as <a href="https://www.bellavitajewelry.net/?fbclid=IwAR0zPxXxJ-yI8ljrK8JLFx29K26ukNg2mkuR5Q5-VnIkW60gS7m5QOcfK08">swing by her website</a>!<br />
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I'm not getting any sort of kickback from her I promise I just love love love her jewelry so much and the fact that it's handmade and local to Arkansas are big pluses in my book!<br />
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And because I never actually took a photo of the necklace (and I need to repair it) you get to see a shameless silly selfie!<br />
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<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-6660087548954279672019-05-21T20:20:00.000-05:002019-05-21T20:20:41.508-05:00Teach me a Thing or Two’sday-<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My junior year in high school, I took a psychology course. The first day I walked in, there were four urinals drawn on the board. The teacher proceeded to explain the thought process of which one a man chooses to use when he enters a restroom assuming there are four urinals in operation. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A. If no one is there, he will typically choose stall 3 or 4 as it is further from the door. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">B. The next man who walks in will choose at least one away from the other man. If a guy is at 4, he will choose 2 or 1. If he is at 3, his only option is 1. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">C. The next man to come in finds a predicament if slots 1 and 4 are full, because he can’t show preference to either guy by choosing 2 or 3, so he will go to a stall instead and avoid the whole thing. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">D. If three people are using the urinals when guy number 4 enters, he will go with the only open slot. No eye contact, eyes straight ahead or staring up. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I asked many of my friends at the time if this were true and they all agreed that yes, in fact, it was. So there you have it. The unspoken rule of urination etiquette, courtesy of me teaching you a thing or two today. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But WAIT WAIT <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; display: inline !important;">WAIT. That’s not my actual topic (good heavens). This is only my segway to prove that although I learned in school, there were some pieces of knowledge I regret not have been taught i.e. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; display: inline;">insurance, taxes, and home loans. I could have benefited from these practical tidbits, which brings me to what I WISH I had also known- how to get your due amount from your OWN insurance company in a car wreck. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="display: inline; font-family: Times; font-size: medium;">**<i>*I’m not a professional in this area and what is listed below is only my opinion on the subject</i>!***</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was the last car in a classic conga-line rear ending this year. I didn’t get a ticket, and I walked away with no injuries. I did what my insurance card said-called my company, reported the wreck, took it to an auto shop, and waited to hear the amount I would receive since I pay for full coverage. The amount I was told was alarmingly low/ my car was in near-perfect condition before the wreck and I was livid. <b style="color: black;">But as my mom says-don’t get mad, get productive!! </b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Take photos of your entire car, inside, outside, and under the hood.</u> My company tried to give me a lower amount before the “seats had stains”. They were wrong- the seat COVERS had stains. The seats underneath were flawless. I had photos to prove it. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They said there was previous damage and some of the engine was clogged from lack of maintenance. <u>I had kept my receipts from regular oil changes and check ups</u> and I sent them back proving it false. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also realized that the employee I spoke to was in another state and specialized in only these claims. He didn’t care if I stayed as a customer of the company. My own insurance agent, though, did. I shared my concerns and he went to bat for me to keep a customer.<u> Always get your local rep involved and in the loop.</u> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Because of those three simple things, I got over $1500 MORE for the value of my car. Share your tips on the comments below! </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(60 , 180 , 75);"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br>
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Caroline Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13944888316206761213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-9181775036690143652019-05-20T10:18:00.000-05:002019-05-20T11:08:24.102-05:00Mommin’ on a MondayHappy Monday y’all!<br />
I’m celebrating today cause it’s the last Monday of the school year (of my first year of teaching)!<br />
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Today I wanted to tell y’all about my journey through motherhood!<br />
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I became a mom when I was 19, just a few months shy of 20. At the time, it didn’t seem young but when I look at my 19 year old niece or 21 year old sister I think whoa, I had a kid at that age?! Haha<br />
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As a girl, being a mom was my biggest aspiration. I dreamed about my future family and picked out kids names like everyone else did! Now, with a 6 year old and 3 year old, I couldn’t have imagined this life in a million years! Motherhood is full of love, joy, exhaustion, fear, stress, anxiety, and frustration. Some days feel like I did everything right and I’m raising great kids and other days feel like I’m a total failure as a mom and my kids aren’t gonna grow up to be respectful and successful adults. Who knows, I can’t worry myself with that just yet. I know right now that all I can do is my best! I will try to teach my kids to be kind, have manners, and show them the fun in playing in the rain and jumping in mud puddles. I also have to teach myself that even through the stitches and skull fractures, I can’t wrap my kids in a bubble! I have to let them be boys and try my best to hide my fear from them. Let me tell you, that is the HARDEST part. I'm trying my best not to raise "woosies" as TW would say, but also teach them that they are surrounded by all the love in the world and that their family is there to support them and kiss their booboo's every step of the way!<br />
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Now I want to highlight the FUN part of motherhood. I love Birthday party time! We got to celebrate Sterling’s 6th Birthday this past weekend! We are so grateful to all of our friends and family that show up every year to celebrate! This was also the first year Sterling invited school friends and he had a great turn out! Enjoy some pictures from our fun day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm-fp_PRFeEM17x6UU9DmXsWL_fkZvJIOCLmq-BIfH4euToZ01oYc02KKx5Zxt5VT4OodDZIfeKCq6HJ0USHhGcwtX5Q_i-72q1H-iENuAZC8eTHXN-DxNGfDF6qV1ohqpexBOUFvnzhj/s1600/0F8FDBAC-8244-4757-8F01-7996A5DB3649.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm-fp_PRFeEM17x6UU9DmXsWL_fkZvJIOCLmq-BIfH4euToZ01oYc02KKx5Zxt5VT4OodDZIfeKCq6HJ0USHhGcwtX5Q_i-72q1H-iENuAZC8eTHXN-DxNGfDF6qV1ohqpexBOUFvnzhj/s640/0F8FDBAC-8244-4757-8F01-7996A5DB3649.jpeg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgys4drrwgk7tswrS6SXoD8-zEAeGDb0v51r6XjzMGO7_kBcYbW4dwy2mp13qnwdqe7XKRK3uej8XtwLfzhUa5mrDznE0-Ki821BpE50ahaXXk2lb4x9U12myEadGRBIPqBT9dUI9WJMV8x/s1600/2CE8C6C9-6596-47E7-87CE-957444F13281.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgys4drrwgk7tswrS6SXoD8-zEAeGDb0v51r6XjzMGO7_kBcYbW4dwy2mp13qnwdqe7XKRK3uej8XtwLfzhUa5mrDznE0-Ki821BpE50ahaXXk2lb4x9U12myEadGRBIPqBT9dUI9WJMV8x/s640/2CE8C6C9-6596-47E7-87CE-957444F13281.jpeg" width="424" /></a></div>
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My sweet boys. Sterling (right) and Paxton (left) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXH1oJKDC_778I1N1YZ-Ld6EzHgnhj-PVkmWJkGa-dcgRg_26yzNeL7SGjMnXQaPQ5F6bRdNCK2qNUu8RyjcjvO7SrsNuhQwQRGyBS_CedQfLSfxVdHj5xbMtnwbrJBEEYU1VQQqK4KXp/s1600/6A5C5161-E5D7-4251-B49F-84C19F08F531.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXH1oJKDC_778I1N1YZ-Ld6EzHgnhj-PVkmWJkGa-dcgRg_26yzNeL7SGjMnXQaPQ5F6bRdNCK2qNUu8RyjcjvO7SrsNuhQwQRGyBS_CedQfLSfxVdHj5xbMtnwbrJBEEYU1VQQqK4KXp/s640/6A5C5161-E5D7-4251-B49F-84C19F08F531.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was so busy that I forgot to get pictures of Sterling with all of his friends but he had so many of his besties and best cousins show up to show him some love yesterday!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFgO73LsDeH_OzzRkxn10oqLFE83TIIHeCKC-mrSHBe23bzV2XJL6bW57ngp0juUhK7NZ_b9IGdyrYlXuA10eKpQ6-2kbwYymd3TYR4f3A3GHdzspFohgRDgOEefkKmyHz4SKChDTs8U8/s1600/0886DAA4-81B6-411C-B8AA-3B3B0989DF57.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFgO73LsDeH_OzzRkxn10oqLFE83TIIHeCKC-mrSHBe23bzV2XJL6bW57ngp0juUhK7NZ_b9IGdyrYlXuA10eKpQ6-2kbwYymd3TYR4f3A3GHdzspFohgRDgOEefkKmyHz4SKChDTs8U8/s640/0886DAA4-81B6-411C-B8AA-3B3B0989DF57.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">It wouldn't be a Dotson party if somebody wasn't boxing or wrestling. Good news, no one got mad and all relationships are in tact! HA!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkaF7EEgRhLSGIxqV6ibYsKWhptHBg44ELQh6lkxZHhHaSU46w8uIGTrfvaktTg3957bTIRs4lrivS4K9P2MAEpv9Vn00h4x07y8GF5PNlvySBQhTzNvFMy90h4Z1Nikm3aFT4eF8-U37/s1600/85955131-32FE-454C-801C-A0BB356CED9A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkaF7EEgRhLSGIxqV6ibYsKWhptHBg44ELQh6lkxZHhHaSU46w8uIGTrfvaktTg3957bTIRs4lrivS4K9P2MAEpv9Vn00h4x07y8GF5PNlvySBQhTzNvFMy90h4Z1Nikm3aFT4eF8-U37/s640/85955131-32FE-454C-801C-A0BB356CED9A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Handsome birthday boy and HOT hubby 😜</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOXY1jsHklrJABMNR_JVtI7o5pem_R4b_Tc_Gh9TTlV28ak_1VSiSKR90BMFafGUxwfdSNsE0fWp5Tm0-KPfNzHwHdYqAQu9Cko7oasAosgfMNUE6fpWHUD-sxdeRjHIQw8Yt9fFgLXyY/s1600/B8CE6950-482A-4FA4-BC01-25429F068D5B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOXY1jsHklrJABMNR_JVtI7o5pem_R4b_Tc_Gh9TTlV28ak_1VSiSKR90BMFafGUxwfdSNsE0fWp5Tm0-KPfNzHwHdYqAQu9Cko7oasAosgfMNUE6fpWHUD-sxdeRjHIQw8Yt9fFgLXyY/s640/B8CE6950-482A-4FA4-BC01-25429F068D5B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I hope there’s some moms out there who can relate with my thoughts today!<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
Ally<br />
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<br />Ally Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-71991416119858762172019-05-17T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-17T07:00:11.004-05:00Fitness Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegWI3p2vaM2zrYv9-lmTbCM5NzUfkwpXBrYMKEvCgu_EiILYwjsZ98o0u0CoXST16In5ay9KlNpkAH5q-SytAQbhM8Lenu8bokJS50A0WcFYQEOVAPJf6SLydfEQX9q8MqGMBTxb3XjDY/s1600/give-a-girl-the-right-shoes-and-she-can-conquer-the-world-quote-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="640" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegWI3p2vaM2zrYv9-lmTbCM5NzUfkwpXBrYMKEvCgu_EiILYwjsZ98o0u0CoXST16In5ay9KlNpkAH5q-SytAQbhM8Lenu8bokJS50A0WcFYQEOVAPJf6SLydfEQX9q8MqGMBTxb3XjDY/s400/give-a-girl-the-right-shoes-and-she-can-conquer-the-world-quote-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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If I could shout this from the rooftops you would hear me around the world!<br />
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First things first, please get in the proper shoes. A trip to <a href="http://rushrunning.com/">Rush Running</a> in Northwest Arkansas and they will hook you up. I will NEVER run in a regular tennis shoe again. I used to get shin splints really bad until I finally caved and bought shoes created for runners!<br />
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Before you walk in there for your first time repeat this in your head "If you run, you are a runner, it doesn't matter how fast or how far, and it doesn't matter if you started today or you've been running for 20 years. You are a runner!"<br />
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When you enter their doors you will say hey my friend suggested I get properly fitted for some running shoes.<br />
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They will proceed by taking you to a treadmill and have you start running, try your best to run as you normally would, your steps are being recorded. They will then show you where your foot lands and suggest the proper type of shoe for you. (I am in need of a new pair of shoes so my memory is foggy from my last visit but I believe I over pronate). <br />
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They will then measure your foot and bring you a good sample of shoes to try on. At this moment you should get over having "cute" tennis shoes, those are for lifting days or for casual outfits, because running shoes are anything but "cute".<br />
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If you buy shoes at Rush Running be prepared to spend over $100. <br />
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But you can find some of the top rated running shoes on Amazon for a fraction of that! Bam shipped right to your door in two days time! Hello fellow prime members!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017UT19LM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B017UT19LM&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=1af3eadf1a0dda2ae4e14d478fa6f41e" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B017UT19LM&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" /></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WORGP8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B017WORGP8&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=02f88de2c4f0b285d3bf8b814732edd2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B017WORGP8&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" title="top rated running shoes for 2019" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017N00W1G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B017N00W1G&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=e26a3e68b93b27116931f351d5c3f88a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B017N00W1G&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B017N00W1G" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4GPVTG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01N4GPVTG&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=e667840293f88fb3ec8714033f12368e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01N4GPVTG&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01N4GPVTG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-41917290422586764682019-05-16T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-16T22:06:50.216-05:00Food for Thought Thursday-Words of Advice for Your Travels in Life<div style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I don’t consider myself to be travel-savvy. </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">After all, <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">I’ve only been on three international trips</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">and I completely missed the “spring-break in Mexico” memo.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">I don’t speak foreign languages and I stick out like a sore thumb in general as a 5’11’ tall woman that wears heels, and as a person so pale, it took me</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); display: inline; font-style: italic;">years</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">to</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">color-match </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">the right foundation. But as this is post is being broadcast for the internet to read, I will be cruising on the coasts of Alaska so I figured this is as good a time as any to share one of my most</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">bizarre <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">vacation stories. Happy summer vacationing!!:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">During a backpacking trip to Europe<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, my cousin and I wanted to make the most of our 14 days. We chose</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">to visit eight countries </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">and jam-packed the essentials. W</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">e</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">obviously <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">need</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">ed </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">light, sturdy, and versatile shoes</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">. I</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">chose</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">strappy</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">sandals</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">and one pair of boots. Fashion boots</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, that is</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">As you might guess,</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">I had never</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">been backpacking before</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, I wanted to look cute in pictures</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, and I needed style on my side to find a European lover.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Of course, I never considered <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">that r</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">ain</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">would <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">relentlessly followed us to every single country. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">Only five days in and w</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">e found ourselves</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">feeling more</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">defeated</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">in </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">Austria than excited at the</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">amazing culture we were temporarily immersed in. I was cold, worn…a</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">nd then something happened. BOTH</span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">of the soles of my boots <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">disintegrated </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">at</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">the same time<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">. My feet were</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">completely </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">exposed <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">on the</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">cobblestone road and I</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">became c<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">ertain that my toes would actually turn into prunes.</span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNlHrH7y0uljhNBkujOQifs2_UCvrmy1YwLj7iwBf6WDEUi3O_CRIITlfQV6BRyvErZyLQjaNWiOMlzx7NsdW1_WHWQ1L76mC4Tf8RLTyfMRq9QWSIiqmD0BzeG1UJoV07Y7LIE9zXq0B/s1600/IMG_1546-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNlHrH7y0uljhNBkujOQifs2_UCvrmy1YwLj7iwBf6WDEUi3O_CRIITlfQV6BRyvErZyLQjaNWiOMlzx7NsdW1_WHWQ1L76mC4Tf8RLTyfMRq9QWSIiqmD0BzeG1UJoV07Y7LIE9zXq0B/s640/IMG_1546-2.jpg" width="359" /></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">My <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">only option was to trash the boots</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">and <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">walk in dirty</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, soaked socks. The thought that we had</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">4 </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">miles</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">of walking in a remote area </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">until reaching the opera house had me ready to</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">give up and go home.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiuFUBDLLmuQxP98grl4SXjp4croyfOUtLNLzZzI46VLPOEL4HeK2u2ZGgMB01CfbSCHlPG2rXHX0M9j1KO2DcPoT0YNZ1-I48W2Yt1-UbdnN9sJewT6rsYKTWOl3mTUxE36aRKeyI_nX/s1600/IMG_1547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiuFUBDLLmuQxP98grl4SXjp4croyfOUtLNLzZzI46VLPOEL4HeK2u2ZGgMB01CfbSCHlPG2rXHX0M9j1KO2DcPoT0YNZ1-I48W2Yt1-UbdnN9sJewT6rsYKTWOl3mTUxE36aRKeyI_nX/s640/IMG_1547.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"><br /></span></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">What occurred next was either</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">the greatest miracle </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">of my life </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">or my cousin and I shared the same visual hallucination. A </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">single,</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">bright pink trolley car <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">rolled up to us </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">and three</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">young ladies in bubblegum-colored dresse</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">s (</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">speaking in perfect English</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">) </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">offered a free ride to our destinatio</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">n</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">After staring at each</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">other in confusion</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, we hoped on.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">Not </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">only <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">were we taken</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">to the epicenter of Vienna </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">where we were headed</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">, we did so while</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">being served <span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); display: inline; font-style: italic;">complimentary chocolate bars</span></span></span></span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> and hot cocoa<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Db55hFZabAwqy8M6ZaKmf49qIXCFqHVmX3PImSU8V9mJyDsjJ4jdy14TOmH9UmNcHXsGTx9UHBn12gQHi8rEeD8ba9umZ5FPuf_UvL7MICw_mtAyVPioXMgvdugG3CK2I72i1W4o-zTF/s1600/IMG_1549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Db55hFZabAwqy8M6ZaKmf49qIXCFqHVmX3PImSU8V9mJyDsjJ4jdy14TOmH9UmNcHXsGTx9UHBn12gQHi8rEeD8ba9umZ5FPuf_UvL7MICw_mtAyVPioXMgvdugG3CK2I72i1W4o-zTF/s640/IMG_1549.jpg" width="354" /></a></div>
<span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The angels of Austria left without a trace and we never again saw a similar streetcar throughout the rest of Europe. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">L</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">i</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">fe lessons I learned:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1. Practicality ALWAYS supersedes fashion. You are how you feel, and if you feel like a wet dog, you probably look like one. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">The</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">rainy</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">days</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">of </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">life </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">will</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">make you second</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">guess </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">where you are and what you’re doing. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">The important thing is to keep walking, even if it’s with shoes off. Sure enough, your pink trolley</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">is sure to </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">come along.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3. Chocolate never hurts, either.</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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Caroline Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13944888316206761213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-77434918962890960482019-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-15T07:00:01.151-05:00Whatcha Wearin’ Wednesday Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. What day is it Mike? HUMP DAY!<br />
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Fun fact: my dads name is Mike and he thinks that commercial is pretty awesome.<br />
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Anyways, happy hump day y’all!<br />
I’m kind of all over the place on this one. I can’t decide if I want to feature my outfit I wore this past weekend or if I want to share with y’all what I “wear” on my face every night before bed. The “content creating” side of me is saying pick one and save the other for next time. BUT, I feel like telling y’all about both today so here we go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl8kQ622JH9UebWTmWApqhBcMjVn_BAzuStb8iBMs0gCeieNFAuJOnE9unUMzr3WnzZpd2onKB5xJHSLMZuN8IGtlAugFy4XSLI4L2UREXW05G-hyMKPTUXW_34SoQgqKWLvoBhyphenhyphenzsEEw/s1600/AE3F0D8C-8FBC-478B-97A7-17367ACEE2DB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl8kQ622JH9UebWTmWApqhBcMjVn_BAzuStb8iBMs0gCeieNFAuJOnE9unUMzr3WnzZpd2onKB5xJHSLMZuN8IGtlAugFy4XSLI4L2UREXW05G-hyMKPTUXW_34SoQgqKWLvoBhyphenhyphenzsEEw/s640/AE3F0D8C-8FBC-478B-97A7-17367ACEE2DB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We went to the casino this past weekend for my baby sister’s 21st birthday (we got to take the kids too, cause hello Mother’s Day) so I got to get all dolled up! I wore my new pair of Kancan bell bottom jeans, tucked in a basic tee, and threw on a cute duster! Of course, my twin sister looks super chic in her dark bells and satin black tank!<br />
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Alright, on to my face! I just recently went to Ulta in search of some good stuff. I used to sell Senegence and LOVED their products, but the cost just got to be too much for the amount of effort I put into selling it! SO, I started using this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078MW1MTY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B078MW1MTY&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=3e3da6aa962fd164412dc1759ed2aa2b" target="_blank">No7 Early Defence GLOW ACTIVATING Serum 30ml</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078MW1MTY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006URBSC6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006URBSC6&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=5b5265356304441baaf49d9aa2a4eda0" target="_blank">No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream for Normal/Oily Skin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B006URBSC6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (I cheat and use it day and night)! I’m loving it so far and it didn’t totally break the bank! Check it out if you’re looking for something new!<br />
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Hope y’all got some outfit inspiration or maybe a desire to look into some skincare! You’ll never regret taking care of your skin!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
Ally<br />
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<br />Ally Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-14238341317991715452019-05-14T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-14T09:59:03.926-05:00Teach Me a Thing or "Two"sday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are having a yard sale this weekend so I decided to teach you a thing or two, (or ten things) about hosting a yard sale. Over the past few years we've had yearly yard sales and they've been quite profitable so I'm going to share with you my top ten tips for a successful yard sale!<br />
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1) SIGNS!!! This is a big deal! We ALWAYS have signs that match and there's a reason for this, people don't always have time to read what your sign says but as they are driving they can follow a fluorescent pink sign all the way to your house!<br />
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a) Be sure to make sure your signs are <b>BOLD </b>lettered so others can see them!<br />
b) Use fun creative words to intrigue your customers, our signs usually say things like "treasures this way", "bargain hunting", "LOOK", and "put our junk in your trunk"<br />
c) We tape pasteboard signs to diaper boxes and fill them with bricks so they don't blow away.<br />
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2) Grab a cooler with cold beverages for sale or better yet throw in a bake sale too! Often times we have guests visiting that can't wait to get to their next sale and will grab a little something from us so they don't have to delay their quest for the best goods!<br />
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3) Label everything. I know it takes time but just do it. Often times you'll have people who want at least a starting price for your items.<br />
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4) If you are having a multi-family yard sale my best advice is to assign each person a certain color sticker, then as someone comes to buy that item you simply remove the sticker and place it on that person's page in a notebook. This makes tallying so much easier at the end of the day!<br />
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5) We always start our yard sales on Thursdays and they are often times our busiest days! You'd be surprised!<br />
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6) You know this one but posting about your yard sale to social media and even creating a page for it can help you boost sales and provide people with a visual that may not otherwise come check it out!<br />
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7) Line your driveway with all the big furniture to entice people to pull in and check it out.<br />
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8) Hang your clothing up, do not fold it up on tables unless it's neatly organized and you intend to keep up with it all day.<br />
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9) We suggest having tables, people will be more likely to spend time perusing around if your items aren't on blankets on the ground.<br />
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10) Have some spare walmart bags ready to bag items up, that customer service goes a long way and will keep people coming around for years to come!Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-44731052068932506062019-05-13T07:00:00.003-05:002019-05-13T07:00:07.600-05:00Mommin’ on a Monday <span style="font-family: "times";"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Hld116H0F8vARPLpbld-rEBKg_abXM2z" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Hld116H0F8vARPLpbld-rEBKg_abXM2z" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times";">The baby carrier of my dreams! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Yep those are the things you dream of after you become a mom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">I have 2 other soft sling carriers that were great for a fresh newborn. But Boone is close to 13 pounds now and he sinks lower and lower after only 15 minutes. I wanted a structured backpack like carrier that would hold him for a long period of time. </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times";">Reasons why I chose this carrier:</span><span style="font-family: "times";">1) It has a hip seat to properly position my baby and not rub his little thighs raw.</span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times";">2) It has a bottle holder and two pockets for your phone! Or it can second as a Red Bull holder if my hubs is carrying him ha!</span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times";">3) If your baby is like mine, he only wants to face forward so he can see the great outdoors. But this also allows for front facing and other positions. </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times";">Overall it’s been a game changer for me. You just can’t beat being hands free! </span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZsFK2PjrB0lT-5iXFe1COfV2iseEo6gS" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZsFK2PjrB0lT-5iXFe1COfV2iseEo6gS" border="0" height="640" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZsFK2PjrB0lT-5iXFe1COfV2iseEo6gS" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="415" /></a><a href="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ZsFK2PjrB0lT-5iXFe1COfV2iseEo6gS" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077VMRLF2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B077VMRLF2&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=3ba7d5c581173027f0f8631ff95af079" target="_blank">SUNVENO Baby HIPSEAT Carrier Ergonomic Baby Carrier 3in1 Safety Infant Baby Hip seat for Outdoor Travel(Green)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B077VMRLF2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<br />Mattie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01833915704994164669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-88860629299851884632019-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:002019-05-10T07:37:24.983-05:00Fitness FridayMore like, just working on “fitness” booty in dem jeans.<br />
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Let's get real for a minute. Around February I started feeling really bad about what I saw when I looked in the mirror. So, I finally decided I was going to do something about it. I bought a Beachbody on Demand membership and started the LIIFT4 program. I stuck to it for 8 weeks and made some serious body changes.<br />
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But THEN the 8 weeks were up...and the motivation kind of plummeted. Luckily, I had a friend reach out that she wanted to start running so I jumped into that and here we are. I am no professional runner, and I've only ever ran a 5k race, but I just wanted to share some tips with y'all that help me get through the mental hurdle of it!</div>
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1. Listen to something: some days I listen to a cardio station on IHeartRadio and sometimes I listen to my favorite podcast hosted by a Bachelor/Bachelorette contestant (Ha!)<br />
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2. Get that breathing down at the beginning: in through the nose and out through the mouth<br />
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3. Set your distance/pace goal BEFORE you start: this is a great mental reminder to go faster and not stop<br />
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4. Drink plenty of water leading up to your run: I always try to drink tons of water on running days (just try not to drink too much right before cause you will have to make a pit stop or two)<br />
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5. Just get out there and go: most days the hardest part is just getting started, once I'm going I feel so much better<br />
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I hope these tips help you when you decide to get out there and get your cardio on!<br />
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Erika is the half-marathon runner of the fam so if you have any questions about how to get motivated, drop some comments below!<br />
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ALSO, if you're into fitness trackers, I just recently got the Fitbit Versa that has been so awesome in keeping me on track for my exercise and step goals!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=connectthe07d-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07NFS451V&asins=B07NFS451V&linkId=4274851671fa9d41ab490adffda0ede5&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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Thanks for reading,<br />
Ally<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Disclosure:</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Please understand that I regularly purchase from Amazon, and I recommend these products because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help make your life easier.</span>Ally Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-45913334360151840712019-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:002019-05-08T12:47:50.396-05:00Food for Thought ThursdayHow does what you eat affect how you feel?<br />
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I know we all have good times and bad times and that's just life isn't it? But maybe you've got caught up in a moment you can't snap out of? Did you ever stop and think that maybe what you are fueling your body with is keeping you from feeling well? I'm here to give you a handful of tips to consider to help you snap out of that funk!<br />
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But first let me give you a little background about myself and why food is important to me. I truly believe that food is healing and transforms your body. I graduated from the U of A in..... ohhhh a few years ago....ahem...2008, with a Bachelor's degree in food and human nutrition that I was going to use to continue to move forward and become a dietitian. Well during that time my husband had just finished his Master's degree in education and had been hired on at the Huntsville school's. I also had been growing this budding passion for photography and well I didn't end up pursuing that plan any longer. There would be stints of working in a hospital here and there trying to make sure I was sure I no longer wanted to do it. Then just last semester I decided once again I would go through the process. I was a college student again, I made a couple friends, rekindled some relationships with old teachers, and once again decided it wasn't for me. I obviously still have the love for real food, I just don't like the schedule, and that's going to be hard to break coming from being self employed. So instead I've found a new way to share my desire to help educate others about food on my time.<br />
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So back to your regular broadcast.....<br />
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Food and Feelings, I promised a handful so here it goes.....<br />
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1). Eating. Yes eating makes you happy. lol but what I really mean is not skipping meals. Keeping our body's blood sugar stable is key to preventing tiredness, crankiness, and mood swings. Reach for a meal or snack every 2 hours. The biggest culprit is skipping breakfast. Just don't do it. And by breakfast I am not talking about coffee and a doughnut. A few good choices are a high fiber cereal with a cup of fruit or some oatmeal with some milk stirred in and berries on top! Ok for those of you saying well I skip breakfast because I don't have time. I have a couple ideas for you!<br />
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Yogurt with a drizzle of granola on top and this brand sneaks in a little protein!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjC5yhKYfEy3986qK8SqXITzkV5qhgmpYIoWB63K0taXJ0m_uMkEsYhqqJwP5SBOUUvmPS7OKa1OGG5eSyourp3O6MUYmX7POummsBz1K1i4qj5UT3dgbE840FL7ovYMCBGvFKUU1Hvfv/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.21.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1147" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjC5yhKYfEy3986qK8SqXITzkV5qhgmpYIoWB63K0taXJ0m_uMkEsYhqqJwP5SBOUUvmPS7OKa1OGG5eSyourp3O6MUYmX7POummsBz1K1i4qj5UT3dgbE840FL7ovYMCBGvFKUU1Hvfv/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.21.36+AM.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4TwlV2VJYsxAc8X4TvPa7-YftPjVFQxg5u25WR5uqL42UkpnkCwGr6EaxL4UEtoSGUOu2hcXwHciI8zANC1TNZ_BU8604R4PB21zYpCVnkUqeqRI_KQoqpYuM7btXdS4p2kmrJssgW-H/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.28.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="763" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4TwlV2VJYsxAc8X4TvPa7-YftPjVFQxg5u25WR5uqL42UkpnkCwGr6EaxL4UEtoSGUOu2hcXwHciI8zANC1TNZ_BU8604R4PB21zYpCVnkUqeqRI_KQoqpYuM7btXdS4p2kmrJssgW-H/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.28.03+AM.png" width="143" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wEWAAEWk5x3F5pJcCu7suKAA-yZFpQraf3nU7838eznzyB-Xv_F2ulJRIf__ST3HRMRbQz5BySM66mOzRd5JfwSOpkQGo1FSd62gN0c-aKrfyWpjq1zIFoR5FDlw6dux-yrX5RS_Pex-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.33.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wEWAAEWk5x3F5pJcCu7suKAA-yZFpQraf3nU7838eznzyB-Xv_F2ulJRIf__ST3HRMRbQz5BySM66mOzRd5JfwSOpkQGo1FSd62gN0c-aKrfyWpjq1zIFoR5FDlw6dux-yrX5RS_Pex-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.33.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wEWAAEWk5x3F5pJcCu7suKAA-yZFpQraf3nU7838eznzyB-Xv_F2ulJRIf__ST3HRMRbQz5BySM66mOzRd5JfwSOpkQGo1FSd62gN0c-aKrfyWpjq1zIFoR5FDlw6dux-yrX5RS_Pex-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.33.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Next is a peanut butter sandwich with a banana (this is one of my favs!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wEWAAEWk5x3F5pJcCu7suKAA-yZFpQraf3nU7838eznzyB-Xv_F2ulJRIf__ST3HRMRbQz5BySM66mOzRd5JfwSOpkQGo1FSd62gN0c-aKrfyWpjq1zIFoR5FDlw6dux-yrX5RS_Pex-/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.33.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="264" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wEWAAEWk5x3F5pJcCu7suKAA-yZFpQraf3nU7838eznzyB-Xv_F2ulJRIf__ST3HRMRbQz5BySM66mOzRd5JfwSOpkQGo1FSd62gN0c-aKrfyWpjq1zIFoR5FDlw6dux-yrX5RS_Pex-/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.33.18+AM.png" width="118" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4y-JeACQDezQ37q-ZwL8WjncSjxJNItihdYEu9YejfW0D9vsc-XyPedLL2FX7gyOzx_PqhJwP6fSpiIntbzeWFEehBVekkRPRKuHul5zlB6U24E_zQmudzXn7hpyh5ysSKNx-lj8i0mj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.32.06+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4y-JeACQDezQ37q-ZwL8WjncSjxJNItihdYEu9YejfW0D9vsc-XyPedLL2FX7gyOzx_PqhJwP6fSpiIntbzeWFEehBVekkRPRKuHul5zlB6U24E_zQmudzXn7hpyh5ysSKNx-lj8i0mj/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.32.06+AM.png" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-G7bHO4rdtpwPf9iR4SHpQ0Y6ebG19o4xpLczA8_h-wtw0Wu9rygxTA21PZqdxiSCgv_6HY0UZqPQHloACUPD0NI2hCyxVk_qX5uSWCkV7uG_XSGBIUtscyaxS8ODB9R_ljXf6FkJrN3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.29.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="463" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-G7bHO4rdtpwPf9iR4SHpQ0Y6ebG19o4xpLczA8_h-wtw0Wu9rygxTA21PZqdxiSCgv_6HY0UZqPQHloACUPD0NI2hCyxVk_qX5uSWCkV7uG_XSGBIUtscyaxS8ODB9R_ljXf6FkJrN3/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.29.43+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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2). Carbs. Yes I know we love and hate them. Like we love to eat them then we hate them and deprive them from our bodies. But your body NEEDS carbs! Carbohydrates help your body create serotonin and we all know that hormone helps make us happy! There's a reason that keto diet is really hard a couple days in! Based on a 2000 calorie diet you should be consuming around 900-1,300 calories of carbs. Your carbs should be complex carbs meaning they should be packed with whole grains and fiber. Again I have a couple ideas for you!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KSCZP4AxrcdwJ0ZQc67y3si7jkLTDCoUS35QNlwbI79OTig8-7h3ipzmSX3ksqKk06lBEXWlAOFn7w5R6Z1qrFwf5nsWmR90MTfcmxm_FTkOQ_GwYMlZrpUQ_84JIHRsH9LmFjIHJwiB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.41.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="442" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KSCZP4AxrcdwJ0ZQc67y3si7jkLTDCoUS35QNlwbI79OTig8-7h3ipzmSX3ksqKk06lBEXWlAOFn7w5R6Z1qrFwf5nsWmR90MTfcmxm_FTkOQ_GwYMlZrpUQ_84JIHRsH9LmFjIHJwiB/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-05-08+at+11.41.29+AM.png" width="200" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01IDUY1VC" style="border: none; font-family: roboto, "helvetica neue", helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FLHNYST/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07FLHNYST&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=0a2c07dc625f11039c0deaa469629912" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07FLHNYST&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" width="200" /></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RPYX4W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000RPYX4W&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=ddb3afaae1f46be2918e81ad1dbf3357" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B000RPYX4W&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" width="200" /></a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000RPYX4W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
*affiliate <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B000RPYX4W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />link because that microwaveable popcorn popper looks amazing! It's transparent so my kids can watch it pop, it folds up for easy storage, and it's not another huge bulky appliance!</div>
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3). Omega-3-fatty acids. For a girl like me who doesn't like fish they are a little harder to come by which could explain my memory loss and moodiness. If you are a fan of mackerel and sardines then you are probably covered! For the rest of us, a handful (1 ounce) of walnuts can give us a full serving of omega-3s and you can find fortified foods with the omega-3s added, like margarine (this brand is also dairy free). </div>
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4). FAT. Eating too much fat, well saturated fat. So think bags of chips (which are a current crutch for me at the moment...do sun chips count lol), greasy foods, and whole milk. Foods high in fat are not helping your waist line but also your mind as they contribute to depression and memory loss. Terrifying. (currently putting that chip bag down) So a few tips would be to try to convert to 2% milk, doing so will almost cut the amount fat in half. We do almond milk because we have a dairy allergy in the house and it has zero saturated fat. And AVOID the big mac, nearly half it's calories come from fat! </div>
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5). Caffeine. Yes some can help us perform mentally and physically but too much makes us anxious, nervous, and moody. It is recommended to make water your drink of choice, but if you aren't a water drinker try and add the flavored water packets. </div>
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I really hope having a visual was helpful for you! Maybe you can stroll the grocery store and spot a few of these things and give them a try next time!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
-erika<br />
<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-23070608092067165122019-05-08T08:00:00.002-05:002019-05-08T09:00:17.192-05:00Watcha Wearin' Wednesday <div style="color: #455154; font-family: HelveticaNeue; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
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<span style="display: block; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFH-TT4SWuDZMKCv-CrVaseLvPHuO3EamsljOsZCML4cdmZJz-zV6EhhLC1_IAppViMWR21FqpKgg6gWlmfM40qy_xMS5k-nzMwTUOi5KwmSDZFvdEtKic8J99LrngRpqpCFbdDl78I1G/s1600/1024px-Friends_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="1024" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFH-TT4SWuDZMKCv-CrVaseLvPHuO3EamsljOsZCML4cdmZJz-zV6EhhLC1_IAppViMWR21FqpKgg6gWlmfM40qy_xMS5k-nzMwTUOi5KwmSDZFvdEtKic8J99LrngRpqpCFbdDl78I1G/s400/1024px-Friends_logo.png" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="display: block; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">One of my favorite FRIENDS episodes of all time is The One with All the Wedding Dresses. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="display: block; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">Here’s a quick recap: Monica is annoyed because her roommate doesn’t do the dishes. Phoebe is pregnant with triplets and is presumably NOT feeling <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">fantastic. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Rachel’s romantic life is going up (or is it down?) in flames. Then comes the iconic scene: all three women change into beautiful wedding dresses and </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">sit on the couch <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">together </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">with popcorn in hand </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">and the <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">TV </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">on. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">Rachel comments “You know, I</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">gotta </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">tell <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">ya,</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;"> this really does put me in a better mood.”</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; display: inline; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m not focusing </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; display: inline; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">today on the fashion aspect of Whatcha Wearin Wednesday. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; display: inline; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">No, I’m sharing with you HOW to turn what you wear </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; display: inline; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">into </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; display: inline; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">a positive mental health habit. </span></div>
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<span style="display: block; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">We all have <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">shared experiences at some point of not liking </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: inline !important;">how we look or struggling with our mood. When we’re busy and stressed, our self-care can take a hit. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From my own life, when am in that funk, staring into in a full-body mirror does not tend to help in the moment if I already feel critical. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><u>What to do?!</u></span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="display: block; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">1. Paint your nails. This is truly a great mindfulness exercise (more on that later!). It helps take focus off of our torso and rather on to beautifuing another part of our amazing bodies in a healthy way. After you’re done, reflect on the finished product and actually say out loud “my hands look fantastic today!” When you feel the urge to become critical again, return back to complimenting yourself on this piece. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">2. Put on high heels or something fancy. . . around the house. Often, we can change our mood by first DOING. When you’re still in pajamas by noon and the </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">to-do list seems too overwhelming to even approach, STOP! Take two minutes to thoroughly brush your teeth and put on one fancy thing. I often vacuum in my favorite boots, even if the rest of my outfit means sweats and an oversized shirt. It gives me a little boost mid day, plus a laugh at how ridiculous it is but more fun the task can seem. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;">3. Wear lotion. Give yourself permission to take a few minute break from judgment and trade it in for moments of positive self-soothing. Focus on and enjoy the little life pleasure of soft skin with a mini foot rub and some elbow attention. You’ll likely get some aroma therapy, lowered blood pressure, and sometime away from those unhelpful thoughts. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); display: block;"><b>Comment below with what you tried and how it helped, or your own positive methods you’ve discovered!! </b></span></span></span><br />
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Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-60379844662875926782019-05-06T08:00:00.000-05:002019-05-06T10:08:15.071-05:00Mommin' on a Monday<br />
Mommin' on a Monday what does that even mean? Who knows? Anyways I decided that today it meant sharing a little something that helps this momma of four out at the ballfields.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JWBP66/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B072JWBP66&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=17c0986d36abca3f66a035264d94dbd1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="275" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B072JWBP66&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had seen these before and thought, you know I"m just not the type of mom that brings the entire kitchen sink with me to places" thinking I didn't need one. <br />
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Fast forward to this season strolling through Sam's Club with my mother in law, again I stood there and talked myself out of purchasing one yet again.<br />
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Then there I was juggling the baseball bag, my camera bag, gatorade, my purse and I'm sure a few other random things so I immediately called my mother in law (who magically happened to be at Sam's Club again) and begged her to pick one up for me!<br />
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My two favorite aspects include: the drink holders for the two year old who isn't playing to store her drink and snack and it not get all over the ground or the bleachers and that it lives folded up in the back of my Yukon!!! (if you didn't know there's not a ton of spare room back there!)<br />
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Now I walk up to the field not carrying a thing and my kids are excited to pull the wagon! I call that winning!<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B072JWBP66" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
This is an affiliate link but I promise you I wouldn't be sharing this with you if I didn't LOVE it! It seriously makes my life easier and once I stopped talking myself out of it, it was a game changer!<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B072JWBP66" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=connectthe07d-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B072JWBP66&asins=B072JWBP66&linkId=0392a6ee5e69c278833386306d41d2a3&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-63775097033732878512019-05-03T08:00:00.000-05:002019-05-03T08:24:23.864-05:00Meet Mattie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="display: inline; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">Mornin y’all! My nature is to be an early bird. I love a new day, a good sunrise, and a fresh start. So similarly, here is my blog opener to you all. I’m Mattie Dotson, a wife to my best friend Luke and a new mother to my greatest accomplishment, Boone. I start most of my days as a registered nurse. In the afternoons my role is usually a farm hand to my dad or husband. Then I like to wrap up evenings by being a homebody. We are currently building our forever home on my family’s farm in Marble, Arkansas. A daunting task I hope to share with you all at some point. While I love to dip my hand in beauty, wellness, and apparel, I don’t consider myself to be an expert on anything. I’m just a simple girl that likes to keep herself grounded with faith, family, and fur babies. Join me as I try to keep up with my talented sister-in-laws and share my takes on motherhood, home, or any other random thing that suits my fancy. </span><span style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); display: inline; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">🐤🐛 </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sdzEMsrutJs_lETJPN8t2KAjRHRFLvIVcdIuFd7TCqepedR5uTHqasY8C6S99IreThYoL4P0SfqEi5Ew4uWliB2OaEOeu-zT9ABBjYrkv-GQ8UbSXfzxywUJtLfbnEyJZztbdWTJ0CSk/s1600/Boone+Baby+Blessing-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sdzEMsrutJs_lETJPN8t2KAjRHRFLvIVcdIuFd7TCqepedR5uTHqasY8C6S99IreThYoL4P0SfqEi5Ew4uWliB2OaEOeu-zT9ABBjYrkv-GQ8UbSXfzxywUJtLfbnEyJZztbdWTJ0CSk/s640/Boone+Baby+Blessing-7.jpg" style="height: auto; max-height: 80%; max-width: 80%; width: auto;" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-12656068431895412402019-05-02T07:00:00.002-05:002019-05-02T07:00:05.431-05:00Food for Thought Thursday<div>
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Insta pot is a mad genius. If you haven't purchased one of these for yourself or your family yet I don't know what's wrong with you?!?!?! </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FLYWNYQ&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=385d011551894618f34dfdbbbe2b7e14" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B00FLYWNYQ&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" /></a></div>
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Ok but why do you need one? Let me explain: I can cook fresh perfect broccoli in 2 min, I can cook raw chicken that just slides apart in no time at all, I can hard boil eggs, the inside pot and the lid just get tossed into my dishwasher, and there are entire facebook groups to share recipes and get new ideas (here's just a few for you to check out)!</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/InstPot4beginners/">https://www.facebook.com/InstPot4beginners/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1213221555427266/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1213221555427266/</a><br />
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I want to share a few of my go to's when I've got four kids (one with a dairy allergy) and a husband to feed at 7pm after tball games......<br />
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1) BBQ Chicken Sliders, I throw the chicken and ingredients in the insta pot and use hawaiian rolls similar to a sloppy joe fashion<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2014/06/best-crockpot-bbq-chicken.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The Best Crockpot BBQ Chicken</span></a></span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Ingredients</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />1 cup BBQ sauce<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />1/4 cup brown sugar<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />salt to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">2) Southwest Chicken, I usually serve this with white rice and my kids love it</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-slow-cooker-southwestern-2-bean-chicken/#more-14800" style="font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.4000000059604645px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">SLOW COOKER SOUTHWESTERN 2 BEAN CHICKEN RECIPE</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ingredients</span></div>
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<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(8 oz.)</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></span></li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(15 oz.) can</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">pinto beans, </span>rinsed and drained</span></li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(15 oz.) can</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">black beans, rinsed and drained</span></span></li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(28 oz.) can</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">diced tomatoes in juice, low sodium is better for you </span></span></li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lb.</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">frozen corn</span></span></li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient wprm-list-checkbox-container" style="background-position: 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; line-height: inherit; list-style-position: inside; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">(12 oz.) jar</span> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">of your favorite salsa</span></span></li>
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If you already have an insta pot or someone in your family does this accessory kit makes for a perfect Mother's Day gift!</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K5G6Z13/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07K5G6Z13&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=3582c76040ece21bd9baf954f9289a33" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B07K5G6Z13&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=connectthe07d-20" /></a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00FLYWNYQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<img a="" alt="" border="0" height="1" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YP92Y6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B078YP92Y6&linkCode=as2&tag=connectthe07d-20&linkId=369968dca733d1aa7f9f6e23491f95c2" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B079CLQJ5Z" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" target="_blank" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078YP92Y6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B078YP92Y6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 21px;">Disclosure:</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(119, 119, 119); color: #777777; font-size: 21px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 21px;">Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Please understand that I regularly purchase from Amazon, and I recommend these products because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something through my links. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help make your life easier.</span></span><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=connectthe07d-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B07K5G6Z13" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-36265162190014379262019-05-01T07:00:00.003-05:002019-05-01T07:00:04.714-05:00Meet Caroline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well, hello there! I’m Caroline. I’m not sure what to focus on in my introduction- that I pretty much lived as a child in the funeral home that my parents ran? That I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have worked in foster care, prison, and with severe mental illness? Or maybe how proud I am of my roots, growing up in a small Arizona town where it’s so hot that it was 117 degrees on my wedding day?! </span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That brings me to my next point; I became a Dotson when I married Tyler, who is a cousin. The fun part is his mom is a twin, his dad is a twin, and then twins married twins! All that to say the family is close because they are family on both sides!</span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">All of this is why I am ecstatic about this blog- a platform to share my life lessons from what I’ve learned and continue to learn, to give practical tips and tricks from my professional life in how to maximize mental wellness, and lastly to draw inspiration from my sister-in-laws. </span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></font></div><div class="m_-5532961039972382767separator" dir="auto" data-removefontsize="true" data-originalcomputedfontsize="16" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><font color="#000000" face="sans-serif" size="3"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’ll be posting weekly, so until then! </span></font></div></div>
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<br>Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-47671323391154768132019-04-30T06:57:00.000-05:002019-04-30T06:57:42.644-05:00Teach Me a Thing or "Two"sdayHey there! Tuesdays are going to be our day to "teach" you guys about something we've been up to. Tracy and I are both teachers, so you will often see stuff about teaching. However, you will also find tips and tricks about other fun things such as, makeup/hair, home decor, skin care, etc!<br />
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Today, I'm going to share a quick bit about how I decided to wrap up my first year as a teacher! We finished our state testing last week, so my planning partner and I wanted to make sure and finish out the year fun with some project based learning! I decided to use an idea that I did in my internship (shout out Sonora Scholars) last year, which is do a book study on the book "The Lemonade War" and then have the students actually participate in a lemonade war. We are going to group the students and have them start a "lemonade business". They have to research a lemonade recipe, pick a business name, and create advertisements that will sell their lemonade! Our school is an intermediate school that serves 3-5 graders, so the third and fifth graders will each receive one lemonade buck to spend at the lemonade stand that catches their eye most, based on recipe and advertisement! We are just starting on it this week and the kids are so excited! I'll be sure to keep y'all posted on how it goes!<br />
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This is the <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lemonade-War-Novel-Study-2965155">Novel Companion</a> I purchased from TpT!<br />
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Thanks for reading,<br />
Ally<br />
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Ally Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-57389702989684032682019-04-29T08:43:00.000-05:002019-04-29T09:24:40.193-05:00Meet Erika.......(again)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I've been the main blogger over on this site originally but that's been YEARS ago and life has changed quite a bit since then so it's time to reintroduce myself. I'm Erika Dotson, wife to the oldest Dotson brother and mother to Titan, Acadia, Aspen, and Jetta. I am a photographer specializing in weddings but I've found a new passion in capturing kids and families also. We are working on opening up a gym in Huntsville, so I'm excited to share all about that soon, as well as fitness and nutrition tips. Life is crazy with four kids and I'm here to share the ups and downs and just keep it real. I can't wait for you to follow along on our journey! I hope you find inspiration, motivation, humor, and realness from us! </div>
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<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-46588528565270009422019-04-25T13:00:00.000-05:002019-04-28T21:27:42.346-05:00Meet Ally <span id="docs-internal-guid-10f47c92-7fff-cb66-9ad5-0f448391f81e"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hey there! I’m Ally Dotson. I am married to the youngest Dotson brother, Andy. We got married in 2011 at 18 and 19, fresh outta high school! Since then we’ve had two adorable little boys! Sterling is almost 6 and Paxton is 3. It’s a wild ride with my three guys, for sure! I am wrapping up my first year teaching fourth grade and I’ve loved (almost) every minute of it. I decided to hop on and join the blog with Erika, so y’all can make some more “connect”ions about who we are and what we love. In my posts, I hope to share my success’ and shortcomings in the things I am most passionate about. These things include: being a mom and wife, teaching fourth graders, fitness, and fashion. I am excited to jump right in and share my crazy awesome life with you guys! I hope you’ll follow along! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Come back on Monday for a new post from Erika! </span><br />
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Ally Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065717230546422969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-65738756972983545842018-04-28T21:38:00.000-05:002019-04-28T22:07:15.594-05:00Thanks Be To God - 4th Sunday Relief Society Lesson<br />
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I have recently been called as a <a href="http://www.lds.org/callings/relief-society/getting-started/introduction-to-relief-society?locale=eng" target="_blank">Relief Society</a> teacher for the 4th Sunday of the month! I've found lots of help from others' blogs when discussing Relief Society Lessons, however it's be a little far and few between when searching for MY lessons - since they are all from <a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng" target="_blank">General Conference</a>. So I decided maybe I could help someone else in preparing for their lesson by posting mine on here!<br />
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<a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/thanks-be-to-god" target="_blank">Thanks Be to God - By Elder Russel M. Nelson</a><br />
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I started my lesson by greeting each sister at the door and handing them a copy of the talk from the Ensign with either a "physical, spiritual, or gospel" slip of paper. I just printed out the copy below and cut each word out and attached it to their copy of the talk. This was to divide the class into 3 groups.<br />
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When it was time to start my lesson I announced that they were all put into 3 groups and that I would like those groups to assemble. Once in their group I gave a brief lesson about...... </div>
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This talk one of those talks that's a serious eye opener! I am really guilty of getting so busy with my day to day duties that I often forget this life is precious and certainly a huge gift to me! I have so many wonderful things to be truly thankful for and I should try to always remember that! So, I made the image below with some Pinterest inspiration and printed the text on colored card stock for my handout. I framed one copy in an 8x10 frame as an example of what you could do with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDz03REYmvNMvLEqIuHCb7RQUj66TsI88E2gJkGLU5w1UNJXJ91yqM7WX5eA8PWoU2wJsr9ta6x6v0IM0BLIY4pYuhWf6KSogAjfarscnmxPsC6IylF9hr1RkJLCzIOkrAOzK4l8J1efA/s1600/Thank+You+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDz03REYmvNMvLEqIuHCb7RQUj66TsI88E2gJkGLU5w1UNJXJ91yqM7WX5eA8PWoU2wJsr9ta6x6v0IM0BLIY4pYuhWf6KSogAjfarscnmxPsC6IylF9hr1RkJLCzIOkrAOzK4l8J1efA/s400/Thank+You+God.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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We continued as I assigned each group to:</div>
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1) Define what a "physical gift" is.</div>
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2) Share a scripture with an example of a "physical gift".</div>
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3) What "physical gift" are you thankful for?</div>
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I printed out these <a href="http://whiskergraphics.com/blog/2011/11/free-printable-and-divine-twine-candle/" target="_blank">free printables from Whisker Graphics</a> for each person to write down what "gift" they were thankful for. </div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-2976" height="282" src="https://whiskergraphics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Thankful-for-cards-1024x682.jpg" title="Thankful-for-cards" width="423" /></div>
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I think overall the lesson went really well. Let me know if you came across this and it was of any help to you!</div>
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Thanks!</div>
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Erika</div>
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<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-92069233080180344932017-12-14T00:13:00.002-06:002019-04-28T21:46:53.853-05:00Starting OverI've been contemplating blogging again for years and finally it hit me, why don't you get all your sister in laws in and co write a blog thus eliminating some of the stresses of keeping up with a blog....you know trying to think of something to write....every....day....<br />
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So group text was started and lots of brainstorming ideas were thrown around and here I am writing in my old blog (which I last posted to in 2014).<br />
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We are planning on revamping a lot of things and I'm excited about this! For starters we will have 5 contributing authors! AWESOME!<br />
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Meet our family! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBAUalSq6_Cjud49VoJoZHVdMWiMkiINkMdi5SSdrtJ2XkmVG195Hw4G3ZUPp0b4D4NEGrLmV0xb4rb6pzohiNGZAm8uM5H40BiQtRzX1n1AkOVOiwBWiftIl1E_vODkQkUYj4ypnUfJp/s1600/Dotson+Family+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBAUalSq6_Cjud49VoJoZHVdMWiMkiINkMdi5SSdrtJ2XkmVG195Hw4G3ZUPp0b4D4NEGrLmV0xb4rb6pzohiNGZAm8uM5H40BiQtRzX1n1AkOVOiwBWiftIl1E_vODkQkUYj4ypnUfJp/s640/Dotson+Family+-+1.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div>
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Mattie, the wife and school nurse, who is the cowgirl fashionista.</div>
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Ally, who is finishing up her teaching degree, wife and mom of two boys, and a lipsense distributor.</div>
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Tracy, is the Pre-K master, wife and mom of 5 girls.</div>
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Erika, the wife, mother of four wild ones, and photographer.</div>
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not pictured is Caroline, also wife, communication expert and veteran lover.</div>
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Should make for an interesting lineup. We plan to bring you some real life content!<br />
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-erika <br />
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<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6473056894380534227.post-82601654766298427142014-02-05T09:29:00.000-06:002019-04-28T21:41:55.446-05:00Rare Disease Day is Coming Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeT8RxBoE9rwp1iAxSLHH4sKpKWL9_Fo0C6DyZAIJ2BhImEAiyEf4K5s_6tPmDvJDtGlbi3SxWgHFzbS9whal6LdARWhKO2Z1XJ0AUacyqLPqHIGAB6NWTdUGhvNDZgJqFd5-2iAYKHbH/s1600/rdd-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeT8RxBoE9rwp1iAxSLHH4sKpKWL9_Fo0C6DyZAIJ2BhImEAiyEf4K5s_6tPmDvJDtGlbi3SxWgHFzbS9whal6LdARWhKO2Z1XJ0AUacyqLPqHIGAB6NWTdUGhvNDZgJqFd5-2iAYKHbH/s1600/rdd-logo.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.rarediseaseday.org/article/what-is-rare-disease-day" target="_blank">Rare Disease Day</a>
was established to raise awareness amongst the general public and
decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives. <br />
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Help me <a href="http://mastokids.org/awareness2.html" target="_blank">spread awareness about mastocytosis</a> so maybe one day there will be a cure for it! Go ahead and share this little blog post, pin it, share it on facebook, do whatever you can to help spread the word!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD_raFjtKD47mJp6e4T5HHF96egK3KMJt1LxPgS19TcIxc35iux4DVlrd1LwIR3bBSANC1cZHbB1rvPWeNdFut2SCkOf6En3ZbR78zDbXoN0Y6GCG_pKN9qPdwADqaUDfjSTL8PDEgRlc/s1600/clip_image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD_raFjtKD47mJp6e4T5HHF96egK3KMJt1LxPgS19TcIxc35iux4DVlrd1LwIR3bBSANC1cZHbB1rvPWeNdFut2SCkOf6En3ZbR78zDbXoN0Y6GCG_pKN9qPdwADqaUDfjSTL8PDEgRlc/s400/clip_image002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Often times when we visit with doctors (especially those outside our usual visits) we are more knowledgeable about Titan's disease than they are. It's very nerve racking to think they don't know what to do to help you! Often times I have to go in prepared and have a plan I'd like to try since they don't have a clue about triggers and what they do to his body. I'm finding with this disease you always have to be prepared!<br />
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Rare Disease Day is February 28th so let's get this thing rolling and get people to notice Mastocytosis so maybe one day we can find a cure!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKx3JGSeE3bLggHm9NyADrYwDdMNwgX2P7zeuz6zRuqQg_rYH3kC8zNyIAQS2zYRw5zI1Y7ljaNXMGPO3CI7vUHg1zKJz65QT7v2aNBVfEEJf9AkMPmRBMaLX5cP5Cz9D1TuVvtYP8e9Tb/s1600/Find+a+Cure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKx3JGSeE3bLggHm9NyADrYwDdMNwgX2P7zeuz6zRuqQg_rYH3kC8zNyIAQS2zYRw5zI1Y7ljaNXMGPO3CI7vUHg1zKJz65QT7v2aNBVfEEJf9AkMPmRBMaLX5cP5Cz9D1TuVvtYP8e9Tb/s1600/Find+a+Cure.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thanks!<br />
-erika<br />
<br />Erika Dotsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06912856477982924235noreply@blogger.com0