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Monday, March 31, 2014

5 Little Grins Link Up [Week 25]

5 Little Grins



 


We'll go ahead and say it: Most people think Mondays suck / are the worst / should die a fire-y death. I'm sure you get the picture.

We've all had our fair share of bad Mondays and bad Tuesdays and just plain ol' bad days. Instead of focusing on the bad, what if we focused on the good things?

What if we focused on the little things that made us smile today, yesterday, last week? Could our whole attitude change? In time, would we find that we're having more good days than bad?

Cassandra, Paulina and I would love for you to join us on our weekly link up counting at least 5 things that made you smile in the last week. We could start our Mondays on this positive note!

Of course, this is all about encouragement, so hop on over to some other blogs and leave a positive note and make a new friend!
The Rules! (These are really just kind suggestions)

1. Follow your hosts: Cassandra, Raewyn, and Paulina!

2. Link up your post that includes 5-ish things that made you smile in the past week

3. Comment after you link up

4. Go visit some other blogs and make some friends!

5. Have fun, and don't forget to smile!!

This week's been an interesting one. My main goal has been to not be stressed with the wedding so close. I've sort of succeeded... :)

1. I got to spend a lot of QT with Iman's Persian family this weekend. That made me so happy! He doesn't see them very often [though we are changing that]. One cousin was home for Spring Break and I went and got drinks with her on Friday. (oops, we told Iman, we were getting coffee). Then we went out with her and her brother and other cousins Saturday night! Plus we saw some other Persian family members before they go back to Iran. 


Have you ever had Persian food? The crunchy rice is so good we fight over it

2. The OC Bloggers Give Back event was AMAZING. I just love getting to know those girls better, and we must hang out again STAT. 




3. We got a lot done for the wedding yesterday despite starting the day late, with our keys and id at different bars in Laguna Beach...yeah, Saturday was a fun night :P

4. We survived the earthquake. It's the biggest one we've had in a long, long time. 


I need a portable wine glass cup, because water bottles don't cut it in Earthquakes #alwaysbeprepared


5. Tiffany's giveaway ends today! We have one more week on my giveaway, and here's another great one for ya! #giveawayproblems



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Our Take On: #BanBossy

Months ago Tori @ A Little Leigh Way and I began discussing starting a possible series on all things positively influencing women in the world. Last month we talked about Dove's #Selfie Campaign and this month's topic also has a hashtag. Seems to be a new trend ;)


If you haven't heard of the #BanBossy campaign from Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg in collaboration with the Girl Scouts. The campaign's mission is to "ban the word bossy" when little girls assert themselves. 

Ending the negative connotation of words and building confidence is a Warrior Queen mission. Building children up, instead of tearing them down with words like "bossy," is necessary.

Fact: 



The campaign has been very controversial, with many people misinterpreting it. As a journalist, I can tell that they picked "Ban Bossy" because it is an alliteration. They don't want to delete the word from the English language. Unfortunately, this is what many people are focusing on. 

While there's all of this negative feedback (including those from feminists), I think that the campaign has accomplished something: we're all thinking a little harder about the word bossy and when we use it. 



The truth is, no matter if you believe that the word is negative or if you own bossy [Like I do], words matter. The words we choose to use keep us in societal norms. Bossy is to little girls as crazy is to women. 


Tons of non-profits and organizations work daily to make more girl's leaders and the #BanBossy campaign has started many conversations that needed to be had. 

But what are we going to do about it? Are we going to end the use of the word, in the same way that we think we ended the use of "fag?" Or are we going to promote thought before we speak, and more importantly thought before we act. 

I've been called bossy my whole life, yet my mom never has been. She was always shy and quiet, and I've always been loud and assertive. When I was called bossy as a kid, I would feel offended. It never stopped me, but it does stop girls with less confidence. 



My solution?  We teach girls that, despite the words that you hear, you are a born leader and don't let anyone stand in your way. With that, we'll have more female leaders, more females educated and more opportunities for women and men! 

What's your take?
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Thursday, March 27, 2014

43 Weeks of Doing Good

Erykka and I decided to do the #dogood52ways challenge from the Do Good Bus. Every Wednesday night, we draw a new paper from the jar; complete the task; and invite our blog readers to partake. For more information on how this started go here.

Last week's challenge was hopefully an easy one for you to partake in - all you had to do was see a janitor and say THANK YOU!




Of course, I wanted to challenge myself a little bit more, so I spent the week brainstorming ideas to thank Mr. Lopez our school janitor. At first, I thought "Everyone loves a Starbucks card!" but he doesn't strike me as the Starbucks type.

Then Brittany @ Life Changes suggested a Sunshine Box. I love these. I need to make one STAT. It was a little out of my budget range for this project though...

Finally, I came up with the idea (while I was looking at the gift card rack at the store) to get a grocery gift card! I purchased one for $10 and wrote a note from the tech class.



:)

This week's challenge has not yet been pulled! I left the jar in my car and forgot to pick one BUT I do have two challenges for you.


  1. I want you to challenge yourself to think differently of people this week. Look at the homeless person with the sign and don't automatically think that they want money to buy drugs. Challenge societal norms and remember, that their sign most likely speaks the truth. More people struggle with poverty than you may guess.

    If you see a screaming child at the store don't automatically think that they're a brat or their parents are  not doing a good job. Think to yourself that maybe that child has a disability that you can't see.

    If you want to even go above and beyond, help one of these people that challenge you to open your mind and push past judgment.

  2. The #dogood52ways pull will be up on Instagram this afternoon/evening (3:40PDT). Check back then!  


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#PositiveThursday and Stay Golden Link Up

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Stay Golden is a weekly linkup that celebrates positivity! Each week I'll share a prompt that is related to living a positive lifestyle. Write a post, link it up, and get hopping! We can make Positive Thursdays a thing, right? It comes after Wednesday, it’s right before Friday, why not celebrate it with some good thoughts?!
  linkup-rules

Participate! Don't just leave your link and take off - instead, spend some time hopping around to other blogs and making new connections. Leave a comment on the blog linked up before yours. This is the most important rule, because that's what linkups and hops are all about - meeting new people and new bloggers! After you add your blog's link, click over to the blog linked up before yours and leave a comment on one of their most recent posts. Grab a button. Please don't forget to include a link back to the hop in your weekly post. Just grab the code below, and throw it into your post or onto your sidebar!

Stay Gold: The Weekly Positivity Link-up!

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If you are interested in being a co-host, please check out some further information and sign up via the form right here.






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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

WW: The Best Bridal Shower Theme Ever

If you're looking for a good bridal shower host, look no further than one of my best friend's. When I got engaged, I knew I wanted my bridal shower to be a surprise, so I asked Britney, one of my bridesmaids, to throw my bridal shower. My bridesmaids have been phenomenal the whole time I've been engaged, attending events and helping me with crafts. She probably won't come and throw yours for you, but below you will find her ideas (for you or your bridesmaids). If you like it PIN it! :)

Don't tell Iman, but one of my favorite part of being engaged is all of the parties!

Invitation & Theme: 

 

Bridal Shower Decorations:







I love the advice box! 


This was outside the front door, so you knew you were at the right house! 


OMG. She made a real strawberry cake (using puree) and it was divine



All of the prizes revolved around cooking and baking

She made a chalkboard timeline!

Britney even picked out my dress to be 1950s themed!

There were aprons on the gift table :) 


This is my ecstatic face after I saw everything. I was in such a state of glee!


As a photobooth, she put up a piece of paper with an ironing board and iron prop. So in the theme!


My bridesmaids (minus one) and my honorary bridesmaid! 

Big party :) 


And here's one last super cute picture of my aunt and I!



What do you guys think? What theme was your bridal shower? 
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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Trust Yourself, Trust Your Relationship

To have trust in your relationship, you must first trust yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever had a thought that was more true. A relationship will not last without trust, but you cannot fully go into that relationship without trusting yourself. The core of all love is to love yourself.



There have been times in my life and boyfriends that I’ve dated that have done some really shady things. I’m sure you can figure out some of those shading things and understand why I may not trust another person. I might fear that they will break my trust, like everyone in the past had.

When you set a relationship up for disaster in such a way, it will end in disaster. The root of setting yourself up to have a positive relationship is to trust in you.

You must believe that you make the right decisions for yourself. You must believe that your intuition is greater than the fears. You must believe that.

When I was twenty-one I was in a very complicated relationship. If you choose to read through the archives you will find the blog posts spurred on by my anger or agony. I trusted myself and, though many people may think it strange, I do not regret one thing in that relationship.

I trusted that I would know when enough was enough. My line for enough may be different than yours, and another’s may be even further down the line than mine. We each do what we have to do. We trust ourselves.

While trusting myself, I knew I needed a reminder of my trust and of my strength. I knew the time had come for my first tattoo – my first letter to myself. After years of writing on my arm to remind me of my strength, I got it permanently engraved in my skin.



The warrior queen logo is my symbol to myself that I trust my decisions. There are days in relationships where that trust might not be apparent. There are moments when the fear takes over.

Then my voice of reason steps in; the voice that reminds me that I know when enough is enough. If I were to be hurt or fooled it is because I needed it for some greater good. I trust myself to do what I need when I need it.

And that is why I will always have trust in my relationship. If I know in my heart that things are right, they are right. If I feel like something is wrong – deep in my heart – then I trust myself to do what is right.

How do you know that you trust yourself? Do you have trust in your relationship?

______________

Tiffany and I hit it off when I first got back into blogging and I seriously think we'd hang out all of the time if she didn't live across the country from me. Endless Bliss is her corner where she shares all things happy and motivational, as well as her love of books and movies! I can't get enough of this sweet girl!

1. What makes you lucky? 

  I consider myself lucky for so many reasons. 1) I've found love. I see so many people live their lives without love. They become skeptics that it even exists. I like sharing my love story with Jon with other people and give them hope of finding their only love one day. 2) I'm so blessed to have amazing people around me. My friends and family are irreplacable. Even people that I don't talk to on a regular basis, I still love them, and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. 3) I'm not homeless. I have food to eat. I'm not broke. I'm so lucky to have so many things that a lot of people take for granted. And 4) the obvious one - I'm lucky to be alive and living a life so beautiful that I'm in awe of it every day.  

2. If you found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, what would you spend it on? 

 If I found a pot a gold, I would obviously use it for a few practical things first like paying of my student loans and car and maybe buying a house or something. Then after all of that responsible stuff is done, I would spend it traveling. I think traveling is one of the most wonderful things a person can do, and I want to do as much of it as possible.


3. What are you looking forward to most this spring? 

I'm looking forward to wearing shorts again! Spring is one of my favorite seasons (minus the bugs, the rain and the bird poop). Spring is just so beautiful with all of the flowers blooming and sun shining. I can't wait to have picnics with my boyfriend and take walks with my dog, Molly, in my high-waisted shorts and tank tops. Oh, bliss.

Go over and say hey!

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P.s. Don't forget about the giveaway!

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