How To Keep Calm During a Pandemic

So many people are hurting from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). I know people are hurting. I know people are sad, miserable, and worried. People aren’t working, kids are home from school. Life is a MESS. I get it. We all have our own thoughts and feelings of what is going on. I am a single mother to an autistic child, I get it. My mothers surgery got cancelled… her trip got cancelled.. so many things are affecting us. Friends have gotten tested, anxiety has been high trust me when I say you are not alone. 

Everything is closing, or is already closed. Schools are being shut down, children are at home. I GET IT. Do you hear me?! I GET IT! There isn’t much of anything open and they don’t want people going out if they don’t have to. We are staying inside since my son is high risk. 

Here are a list of ideas for you to do…  FOR FREE. You can have fun and even learn with your children right at home. 

Virtual Tours FOR CHILDREN:

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN:

  • ABC MOUSE First MONTH FREE!  :More than 850 Lessons Across 10 Levels. The Step-by-Step Learning Path presents the full ABCmouse.com curriculum in a carefullydesigned program of more than 850 lessons in ten levels. 
  • Scholastic: Scholastic is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books, connecting educators and families through accessibility, engagement, and expertise. We are a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and popular children’s media.
  • Rosetta Stone: Start fine-tuning your pronunciation from the very first lesson with our patented TruAccent speech-recognition engine. That way, you’ll be confident that you know what to say and how to say it.
  • Melissa and Doug: Play ideas for when you are stuck at home, because let’s face it – you are. 
  • Crayola: unleash your imagination and create~ DIY things for the kids through coloring, drawing, and painting.ACTIVITIES FOR PARENTS 
  • InstacartGroceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Find 1,000’s of productsfrom the stores you already shop at.
  • HelloFresh: America’s Most, Popular Meal Kit. Now offering the most recipe variety

    and meals starting at $7.49

  •  Blue Apron :Choose your meals Our chef-designed recipes include balanced Mediterranean meals, quick one-pan dinners, and top-rated customer favorites.

  • Uber Eats: Order with $0 Delivery Fee. To support the community, you get a $0 Delivery Fee on any order from a local restaurant.
    This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

  • pandemic

How are you dealing with this Pandemic? —> Join me over in my private little clubhouse for FREE RIGHT NOW, before we no longer accept new members!!

Surviving Your First Holiday Alone

The first holiday time with your family after a divorce will be the hardest. You will get blank stares. People will want to ask but don’t even know what to say. You will think people are staring at you and judging you quietly. You will be over thinking, wondering what they know and if they are going to judge you.

You see how happy they are and wonder what the heck went wrong. But then someone comes up to you and tells you a story and you know it’s fine. Their story is about whatever is happening in their life and not about yours because they don’t care about yours. They want you to know that they aren’t judging you and you had to do what you had to do.

Honestly, I have always been hard on myself and always over-thought everything. The truth is people don’t care as much as we think they do. I keep telling myself it honestly does take two, and sometimes it is merely what it is, and it’s time to move forward.

 

Then… You get a call from your ex’s family to make you even more anxious and mad. You don’t know what to say other than, “Happy Easter.” The biggest phrase people always say is, ‘how are you?’ Do you want the truth or a fake statement? Fake = I am okay. Truth = I want to beep beep beeep beeeep beeeep. But I take the higher road and know that no one else needs to know our drama.

All this time, I thought no one cared or that people were talking about me. Honestly, people know it can happen, and it does take two sometimes. The best advice I can give you is to let it go and enjoy this moment. Stop over-thinking. When you are with your family, know they are ‘on your side’ and genuinely do care.

People want you to be happy. No one is going to really care about your story. Divorces happen more often than we know and others just want you to be happy. And, all in time, you will be.

holidayalone2

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Read our disclosure.

Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our  newsletter so you can stay up to date with Susie Liberatore | Entrepreneur. 

 

Losing Yourself In Motherhood, By Alexis Storms Aiger, LPC

By Alexis Storms Aiger, LPC

Becoming a mother is the most wonderful, most important thing to happen to so many of us. We were once concerned with our careers, who we would hang out with Friday night, where we’d vacation. Then, as soon as that little bundle is placed in our arms, all of that fades away. Our heart swells with a love so fierce that the focus of our world narrows to a singular entity. All that we can see is that tiny, adorable human. They are all that matters.

This narrowing of focus makes complete sense. We are biologically programmed to have this be the case. After all, our newborn child is completely and entirely dependent upon us for life. We have to be enamored with our child and engulfed in their needs–it ensures the survival of our species. Societal expectations also support this narrowing of focus. Although we, as women, have come a long way in terms of equality in comparison to past decades, it is still rather widely expected that a mother will be the primary caregiver for her children. We incorporate these expectations into our lives, whether we realize it or not. We have an idea that being a “good mom” means doing everything for our children. We give up our Friday night social hours, vacations with our significant other, maybe even our careers. Our Fridays become play dates, our daily life becomes diapers and feedings, and our idea of a vacation is a full night of sleep. We believe, wholeheartedly, that our purpose in life is being a Mom. This is dangerous.

It’s dangerous because when we wrap our entire worth up in motherhood, we feel an immense amount of guilt when we find that this life isn’t as fulfilling as we think it “should” be. You see, while you can narrow your focus onto your child in the beginning of their life and potentially not experience negative consequences, it’s only a matter of time until you do.

When someone asks you what you do for fun, you find yourself answering, “Play dates,” or “The Children Museum.” This isn’t what you do for fun. This is what you do for your child to have fun. You have no idea what you do for fun, because you don’t do anything for YOU. It’s all about your child. This leads to your existence being rather lonely. Empty.

We need emotional connection with others, and the bond between mother and child alone does not satisfy this need. When your entire life revolves around for your child for months, and then years, you lose your own sense of self. You lose who you are, other than “Mom.” You end up disconnected from yourself, your friends, and maybe even your partner. You end up isolated. Even though you aren’t alone (after all, your child is ALWAYS with you), you are lonely. Research shows that loneliness is associated with poorer physical health, increased stress, and increased depression. When you’re lonely, when your physical health is suffering, when your stress is increasing, and when your mood is dropping, you cannot be the mother you truly want to be for your child.

Even if you manage to stave off the loneliness, you’re sending a disastrous message to your child. You are your child’s most important role model. By focusing solely on them, you are sending the message that caring for oneself is unimportant–that one “should” put everything and everyone else above themselves. Your child will learn this. Your child will mimic this. Do you want your child to lose themselves in parenthood? I’ll go out on a limb and say that your answer is no.

So what can you do?

  1. Get back in touch with your personal values. What is important to YOU? Sure, family might be listed as one of your top priorities, but what else? What is it that you’re really after in life, that makes your heart sing? Pay attention to those things that you value just for YOU.
  2. Journal. Get a pretty notebook and start writing. Ask yourself what is really important to YOU. If you didn’t have to worry about time or money, what would you be doing? What do you absolutely love doing? Or, if you can’t remember the last time you actually had fun, what things did you used to love doing? When you were a kid, what kind of life did you dream of having as an adult? Your past chapters have already been written, but you are the author of your story. What do you want the next chapters of your book to say? Write it out!
  3. Visualize. Once you have an idea of what you want your future to look like, what is truly important to YOU, focus on it. What you focus on, you create. Imagine yourself living that life. What will your future self be doing with her days? Most importantly, how will your future self feel? Get inside her head, her heart, and her soul. Notice how she shows up in life and then take a step back into your current self and ask, “Where am I not meeting that vision?” Those are the places to focus in order to create change.
  4. Make time for YOU. We all have the same 24 hours in our day, yet I hear women say again and again that they “don’t have time” to prioritize themselves. I call B.S. Other women manage to be great moms, manage a household, work outside the home, and still make time for themselves. It’s not a matter of having the time. It’s a matter of making the time and prioritizing you. Let go of the stuff that is less important. Who really cares if your house is spotless all the time or if you make a home cooked meal instead of picking up takeout every once in a while? Release the idea of perfection and replace that energy with more focus on your own needs.
  5. Get help. Team up with other women to help hold each other accountable to prioritizing yourselves. A strong tribe of women around you can help raise you up and will raise up the collective whole, as well. If you don’t have women in your life who want to create their own space and celebrate your success, it’s time to start finding them. Branch out in person, find groups online, enlist the help of a life coach. Whatever you need to do to increase your support, clarify your vision, and start reconnecting with YOU, do it. You deserve it!

About Alexis Storms Aiger, LPC: Alexis is a Licensed Professional Counselor who decided to take her knowledge and expertise in human behavior, mindset, and self-discovery out of the insurance-regulated mental health field, and into the broader arena of Life Coaching. Alexis is a mom of 2 a teenagers and experienced her own battle with losing herself to motherhood. She used her education and experience to learn to reconnect with her authentic self, accept herself, and a build a life she truly loves. Now, she helps other women do the same. As a Women’s Empowerment Life Coach, Alexis helps women who are sick and tired of trying to meet everyone else’s expectations, reconnect with their authentic selves, gain confidence, and start living life out loud.

momhood

Follow Alexis on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alexisaigerpage

Or Instagram at www.instagram.com/alexis.storms

Email at Alexis@AlexisStorms.com

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Read our disclosure.

Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our  newsletter so you can stay up to date with Susie Liberatore | Entrepreneur.

Asthma in Toddlers, How To Cope

Antonio was diagnosed with asthma about a year ago. We had two-three episodes where he had to be hospitalized for a few days. We had to put him on an inhaler for a long time, and we started to wean him off of it because he was doing better overall and got through some of the sick seasons without issues.

We were doing fine, alright. We went about five months off of Antonio’s inhaler when we had an episode. He was starting to get sick on and off but was acting normal. You know how sometimes being sick is crazy and unpredictable. Well, I picked him up from school, and he had a cough, the cough was worse than the day before. We went home, and usually, he takes a nap on the way home. This time he took a nap, but it was short. He woke up as soon as we got home and he was coughing horribly (almost like a choking cough) and couldn’t go back to sleep.

My husband was away for the day and wasn’t going to be home for a little while, so it was up to me to do this on my own. We came inside and tried to do activities, but he just seemed SOO tired and out of it. He started to cough more; the cough at this time was a dry cough. He didn’t have much of an appetite (which is SO unusual for him). By the end of the night, his cough worsened, and he was coughing up gunk. I started to give him his emergency inhaler, cough syrup, Tylenol, and even Claritin. He has horrible allergies and sinuses just like me.

I was worried about him going to bed; I just had a feeling. When your child coughs like that, you constantly worry if they are going to choke or stop breathing. He kept trying to fall asleep but waking up due to his cough. It was a LONG NIGHT. I brought him into my bed because he couldn’t fall asleep, and I wanted to monitor him. I thought I could get some sleep monitoring him. All that said, I started to worry more. He was wheezing and gasping for air. I was on the phone with my dad, and he said “Susie, what do you think? Don’t you think his breathing is kinda bad?” I said yeah, but no one wanted to believe me. I knew he was off and it started hours ago, but I couldn’t prevent it from happening.

It’s one of those things where it has to take its course. SO, I didn’t even think twice, hopped in the car, and took him to the ER. We were in the ER for about 4 hours (till 3 AM!). The staff did a lot of breathing treatments (with a nebulizer) and then gave him some breathing steroids. It was a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG NIGHT. I don’t even know how we stayed up that late.

Finally, they said, “You need to go to Akron Children’s Hospital and get admitted for the night.” I tried talking myself and them out of it mainly because I wanted to sleep. I said okay let’s just go. They put him in an ambulance while I ran home to get an overnight bag and let the dogs out (again, my husband was gone, so I was the caretaker).

Once I arrived, I was panicked. I didn’t know where my son was, the hospital was all locked up (which is good), but I literally couldn’t get in or find my son!!! It was so quiet and dead during the 4 am rush. I was worried… Is my son here? Is he sleeping? Did he throw tantrums? Did he scream the whole way? What was really going on? I just want to sleep. My hands are full. All these thoughts running through my mind.

I finally got to his room and let out a sigh of relief. He was SOUND ASLEEP. The ambulance ride put him right to sleep. I was so worried that he would need me, or be scared, but he wasn’t!  The nurses said he was a champ. I won’t get into too much detail about asthma because it is complicated. I crashed hard for the night and relaxed finally knowing that my son was in good hands and recovering.

They kept giving tons of treatments through out the night. People kept coming in and getting vitals. The saying is you won’t get any sleep while you are in the hospital. I felt this. I woke up next morning, knowing that we could go home soon. BUT, he wasn’t passing his tests for breathing.. I thought he was fine, but it was better safe than sorry. It was better to leave it to the professionals…

We had to stay ANOTHER NIGHT. There were lots of things happening, and, again, I won’t get into much detail. But, I realized that Akron Children’s Hospital took incredible care of us.

Here are the elements I liked the most about our stay at Akron Children’s Hospital:

  • The food…

Hospital food isn’t horrible. We were able to order food up to our room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We had access to the kitchen on the floor so that we could get other food at any time as well as drinks. There were so many options to choose from for food! It even had healthy and heart recipes noted on their menu.

  • The people…

The people were the NICEST and answered all of my questions. This instance wasn’t his first time for admittance, but I still needed my nerves to be calmed, so I kept asking questions. Talking to people calm me down and I needed this at that moment in time.

  • The overall feeling…

I felt safe, secure, and on top of the world. The hospital isn’t meant to be fun by any means, but I honestly can say that we were taken care of and had the best two days there considering. I left the facility knowing that my son was well-provided for, and they REALLY did care.

All in all, here is something that I took away from this horrible visit:

Always follow your gut and motherly instinct. I second guessed myself and tried to explain it to my husband and parents; they didn’t understand because they weren’t there. I kept talking myself out of going to the hospital, but I needed to go.I knew I needed to, but kept trying to talk myself out it. I was so glad that I was able to take him to the ER.
antonio asthama

 

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Read our disclosure.

Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our  newsletter so you can stay up to date with ways to make money AND save money!

8 Fun Activities For Kids

I don’t like having my son watch tv or play on the iPad all day – or even simply just play with the same toys every day…. I was having a hard time finding what to do to keep him occupied, so I created a list of activities/exercises that we have enjoyed.. and they are SUPER simple.

Try These For a Fun Screen-Free Time:

  1. Create a Gymnastics Area in the House. Lately, Antonio has been loving the gymnastics thing and likes to pretend to walk on a balance beam + do somersaults so we set up an area and take it down as needed.
  2. Paper Plate Ring Toss. This is super easy and enjoyable. Just cut the plates in the middle and toss on to an old paper towel roll. You could even color the plates and make it more fun and colorful if you’d like!
  3. Masking Tape Car Track. This is uber entertaining for boys especially. You just grab masking tape and put it all over with a line in the middle. Have the kids put their cars on the “tracks” and play away.
  4. Under Hammock. You put a hammock under a table, square, bed, or even a playground. This will be a sure hit for warm days; let them bring a toy or book with them.
  5. Pool Noodle and Rubber Band Activity. This is a cinch, a delight, and great for fine motor skills. Cut pool noodles in half and let the kids put rubber bands on the noodles. You could even get creative and have different colored rubber bands!
  6. Cardboard Tube Drop Chute. Collect all the paper towel rolls throughout the week and put the little brown pieces on a wall, or floor, etc. Allow them to create a chute with about 5-6 of them. You will need to tape them together, so make sure you aren’t worried about possibly losing some paint on the wall. Once again, have a good time with painting the paper towels!
  7. Cardboard Bead Threading Activity. All of those extra toilet paper rolls now have meaning and a purpose. Save them and allow the kids to make a really large thread. You will need to put the paper rolls on a really long and strong piece of string or yarn.
  8. Pool Noodle Stringing Activity. Cut the pool noodles into about 10-15 pieces. You will need to put the noodles on a really long and strong piece of string or yarn just like you did with the toilet paper rolls.

When you get done with these fun activities, there are so many other great and engaging activities:

Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of visions2images.com

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Read our disclosure. 

 Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date with ways to make money AND save money!

The Best Gifts For Mother’s

Mother’s Day is a fun time for all mom’s! We all need to feel special and pampered, we need more than one day with all the hard work we do. Most of the times people find themselves wondering what to get their Mother for Mother’s Day, we have put together a list for you.. You’re welcome. We are the hero and you can get all of these in time for Mother’s Day! 

giftsmom

 

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

Read our disclosure. 

 Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date with ways to make money AND save money!

The newest way to color!

I am always constantly looking for new and fun activities to do with my almost two year old. I try to keep him away from the television and iPad whenever possible. We are just getting into coloring and making a lot of arts and crafts so I was incredibly happy when I found Kids Devar ; Play With Bookz. I never knew how fun coloring books could be!!

DSC_9889-1e

Quick overview – you get to color like a regular coloring book then once you are done with it you see the image come to LIFE! It’s so freakin cool! My kid was GLUED to the phone.

It’s super easy! You download the app and find the book in the app, enter the code that is on the back of the book, and point it over the picture! I was really hesitate as to how it would really work. But in all truth, it was super easy and fun. I couldn’t believe it! I never experienced anything like this.

DSC_9908-1

It defiantly was a fun filled activity for the family. They have so many coloring book options: Fairytale Land, Cars, Winged Friends, The Purple Island, and so many more. There is such to be a great book for everyone!

The best part is that the app is FREE, so all you have to purchase is your coloring book, which is just $15.99. Not sure how it really works? There is a great demo on their website where you can try it for yourself! Go get started!! 

PS Hurry there is a MEGA giveaway going on right now via Instagram! 

Read our disclosure. 

 Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date with ways to make money AND save money!

5 ways to change your daily routine

Are you not happy with where your time has been going lately? There once was a time when I felt like I could get everything done and then some. Lately that has not been the case by any means. I have really force feed myself to get things done and I am wondering why.. Things have of course changed! Being a wife and mother is no easy task. I literally have to take notes of things to get done such as laundry.

I have decided to find out where my time is really going.. I promised myself that I would now start to have a schedule and stick to it. I have had major anxiety over the last couple of months and I realized that in order to motivate myself and get in the frame of mind that I need to be, I need to manage my time and set schedules and set goals.

The problem is that when you work from home you realize it is harder than you think. When you have a toddler or dog running around you forget things. When the laundry is over flowing full of stuff, do you do that or work? These are all things that run through my head constantly. I have to dedicate time to certain projects throughout the day or else nothing will get done and my anxiety will increase.

calendar-app-business-time-management-workspace-picjumbo-com

I get so distracted easily these days.. I sit in my home office and want to decorate my walls, like really!? I need to stay focused and it is super hard sometimes. Just like anything we need to stick to it and get a schedule going. I am sharing with y’all my schedule… and how I am getting motivated and going. YES there are time slots for lunch, dinner, meds, etc. I have alerts because y’all I am that forgiving these days. And it IS okay!

  1. Set food breaks!! This is a MUST. Get out if you need to..
  2. Hire a Nanny or daycare.. This is A MUST.! I have antonio in daycare three days a week. Those three days are dedicated to work! The other two are dedicated to mommy and antonio!
  3. Set Goals for the week. Set personal and business goals for the week. IF you need to do laundry but have a huge deadline, manage the time efficiently.
  4.  Ignore social media. Only go on social media if you need to post things, then GET OFF IT. This KILLS time y’all! Set social media schedules if you need to (Facebook 10 minutes, etc).
  5. Wake up earlier. I wake up earlier than anyone in my house. I have to unload the dishwasher get ready for antonio to wake up, etc. AND eat breakfast. I can get a lot done before anyone else wakes up!

Read our disclosure. 

 Like this blog post? Want more like this? Sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date with ways to make money AND save money!

 

Family time:: parents visiting is the BEST

This past week my parents came into town. It was such a great visit I guess time flies by and you never realize how much time flies by! I wish I could hold onto memories and cherish them forever. I never realized how fast time flew by until I had my own baby!

I had some of the greatest childhood memories the greatest and I sit here and wonder how Antonio will be! I love watching him grow grow each day. I see my parents feeding him and playing with him and wonder where has time gone!? It feels like yesterday I was the one being feed by my grandparents.

DSC_5087

I see how emotional my mother gets every time Antonio does something new. I see how she cares for him and me at the same time. They both get so excited whenever Antonio does something new or old. HAHA! There is quite the stories when it comes to parenting. I now have a new bond between my parents because. My mom always tells me “you did the same thing.” By the way.. mom’s are ALWAYS right 😉

DSC_5094

I see how my father acts silly just to make him laugh. Here I was sitting on the couch taking it all in with tears in my eyes knowing that we are all so loved and blessed.

DSC_5098

You see. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how what needs to get done life is perfect if you look around and really take in every single movement. Hold your little babes tonight because it goes too quick!

signature-01

 

SS-180x150_1435887479BB-180x150_1435887486CC-180x150_1435887354NP-180x150_1435887481UC-180x150_14358874830300x250_0001_graphic-resourcesfiverrunnamed

A cleaner toothbrush?! Germ free! IntelliDent Products

I never really enjoy brushing my teeth but have to do it at least three times a day just because I hate the way it smells or feels sometimes. I don’t like talking about teeth or the products there are out there, it is just one of those things that I don’t like to talk about! I hate going to the dentist and wonder how people could be in that field!!! Have you ever thought about how dirty your toothbrush is? Seriously I cringe thinking about how dirty it is!

However, when I found out about IntelliDent Products I thought it could solve a lot of my problems!! Seriously, no lie! We all know the struggle that goes into keeping your toothbrush clean. We use it several times a day all the time. It needs to breathe and it needs to be cleaned, but how can we do that? They have some simple and affordable products.

DSC_5065

IntelliDent has two primarily fantastic products: IntelliDent MouthGuard Shield and ToothBrush Shield. The IntelliDent MouthGuard Shield protects the mouth guard that you might have. Instead of having plastic containers for your mouth guard they have these disposable covers for your mouthguard that you can use. It is so much cleaner than anyone can ever imagine! The mouth Shield gets rid of moisture, but also protects the harmful germs and bacteria that are within locker rooms, etc.

DSC_5070

Seriously this is pretty awesome. IntelliDent Toothbrush Shield is perfect for when you are traveling or when you want to keep it safe from germs. It keeps your brush clean right after you are done brushing. There is no need to place your toothbrush in containers where bacteria can’t breath, this is your savior!

Go ahead and check them out on the web:

Website: www.intellidentproducts.com

Twitter: @IntelliDent1 @IntelliDent2 @SusanKlinsport

Facebook: www.facebook.com/IntelliDent

signature-01

SS-180x150_1435887479BB-180x150_1435887486CC-180x150_1435887354NP-180x150_1435887481UC-180x150_14358874830300x250_0001_graphic-resourcesfiverrunnamed