Category Archives: Internet Goodness

On the life “scrub”

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Fall is always a season of renewal for me….with school and volleyball starting, I always feel the itch to try new things or switch up some patterns I had acquired during my slow summer season.

This year, it took a little longer for that itch to happen with some grief and other stressors but here we are with two months left in the year and I’m feeling motivated to make a few changes toward my better self and a more organized daily world!!

One of my favorite podcasts is publishing a week-long “scrub” of your device, calendar, home, etc. and I’ve been loving the practical ideas she has shared on staying focused and limiting distractions.

This first episode is about “scrubbing” your decide, turning off notifications, organizing your home screen, etc. and I loved taking 30 minutes during my morning routine to really evaluate how I used my phone. She shared a wonderful quote, saying “when you get back to someone right away, that is not showing leadership. That is showing that you are distracted.” This is how I’ve always viewed messages and notifications on my phone and loved the validation and common sense of what it communicates to the sender.

Are you an “eliminate all the red bubbles’ kind of person? Don’t look at my phone – they are everywhere!!! My husband cringes whenever he peeks over.

Even my new office needed a “scrubbing” after my move to a new location this Fall. The piles of papers and files were overwhelming me, so I turned off my phone, shut my door, laid everything out and finally got organized. It’s amazing how good that feels once it is done!!! I feel like I’ve gotten more work done in a faster period of time since getting my physical space and functioning organized!

Is there anything or process in your life that may need a good, clean “scrub”? Leave your idea below and inspire us all!!!

A few game-changers….

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I love when random things drop into my life and then poof! I can’t imagine what life was like before them….here are a few things (with links for discounts!) that have upleveled my work/home/foot/healthy eating game as of late.

Bombas socks have quickly become my favorite….the right amount of thickness and support so my feet don’t hurt after a day at work and practice. They just released these new “no-show” socks and I love them!!! But what I love the most is the mesh bag you can add on to your order to wash them in so you don’t lose them – genius!
Want some of your own? Click here to get 25% off your order!

A while back I was super interested in these Daily Harvest subscription boxes, that had proportioned smoothies and other meals ready to go. I love having a smoothie in the morning, but I could never keep up on having fresh fruit and greens in my fridge and ready to make quickly. Then my friend Amy posted about them and I quickly snagged my first box. I love how easy it is just to add liquid (I add half almond milk and half water), blend, pour back into the container and take with me to work!!!
I have a special code for you on this one as well – get $25 off your first box by clicking here. You will not regret trying this one out – I can’t wait for my second box to get here this week!

I know I am definitely late to the game on this one but an extended screen situation at my standing desk has been AWESOME!!! My poor eyes staring at my laptop for the past couple of years really needed an upgrade….lucky for me I found this ancient screen ready to go to surplus and I snagged it up. I have also been relying on my blue light blocking glasses to help with my headaches (my brain and body is still getting used to the new screen demands of my current position).

Do you use glasses like these? Mine are from https://ladybossglasses.com but many people have snagged them from Amazon too.

Any new game changers in your life??? Leave them below so I can go check them out – we all need to share our life hacks when we find them!!!

Yay to May!

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There are so many things I love about May. The spring sunshine and new growth. My break between club volleyball and high school seasons. People excited to be coming out of houses and socializing a bit more. Celebrating successes of students and planning for goals and growth for the coming school year.

May is also Mental Health Awareness month…one of the things I love most about my job both as a school counselor and sharing essential oils is reducing stigma around mental health. I believe we all are at different points on the spectrum from illness to wellness and that “point” can change from life season to season or even day to day. I love connecting with teachers, parents and students around their mental health and just by talking about their anxieties, symptoms, etc. we are bringing the darkness into light and finding solutions to these common struggles.

If you’re interested in learning more about mental health, click here for a 31 days of education workshop (watch videos at your own pace)! The first topic is PTSD which is the MAIN struggle in our house on a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis….loved the tips shared here. 7-8 out of 100 people struggle with PTSD (spoiler alert: it is NOT just for military personnel, but affects most foster children and first responders in a heavy way).

Next week, the girls and I get to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for this amazing conference. As most of you know, I am passionate about helping WonderGIRL turn her story into a story for good and for justice and action. She (and BraveGIRL) applied to be youth representatives for a local organization and were gifted this trip and this experience. I am so excited to support them throughout this conference and be in community with other activists and sexual violence survivors.

On teaching our Wonders about money….

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Have you heard of the Greenlight debit card for kiddos???

It’s a card that you can control from your own phone including setting limits on where your child can spend amounts and how they can earn $ for certain chores. It teaches them about saving for bigger items and tracking their spending when on a card of any sort. Since we don’t do a regular allowance and offer money chores (but never have cash to actually give them) this is a great solution to keep track of their earnings/spending and keep their motivation high to earn and save!!!

Both Scott and I can add money at any time and if our Wonders are out and about or with friends that can request money if needed from an ATM or other source. WonderGIRL saved and bought a beautiful puzzle at a toy store we love in Friday Harbor. I could tell she loved the independence of handing over a card and signing for it herself. That adulting life is so fun right?!?!

Check it out by signing up with my referral link and we’ll both get $10 on our new accounts!

On tidying up

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Along with everyone else this new year, I got hooked on the new Netflix show, Tidying up with Marie Kondo. I had read the book a few years back but seeing it in action was perfect for me as a visual learner. Loved the inspiring tips she shared and how peaceful the homes she was transforming seemed to be after the big tidy.

My room and closet had exploded over the holiday season so last weekend was a perfect time to load all the clothes from all the closets into my bed and get to work. I purge my clothes often so I was surprised that I still had so much in my stash that I was unsure on….doesn’t spark joy?!?! Thank you and into the giveaway bag it went.

PS the verbal “thank you” to my clothes felt silly but was quite meaningful and therapeutic. I think clothes and material things can teach us lessons and serve a purpose and expressing gratitude for them or for yourself for purchasing was kind of cool in a way….Kondo states that this process helps counteract some shame that can come from having so many clothes or items that we don’t use and I think that’s a great way to keep the tidying process going with minimal negative emotions around it.

The reveal:Sooooo many Ferndale volleyball shirts….instead of consigning those my players will get to battle it out on the court for some free “retro” gear for their closets come this spring and summer. Scott’s mild OCD loved the new folding and drawer process. Now to see how long it lasts….

I saw many of you jumping in to the same thing last weekend!!! What did you tidy and how did it go????

On experience gifts…

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I’m not sure if I have written it here on the blog but I love gifting and also receiving experience gifts for holidays. My husband and I have always focused on doing things together for big events vs. giving gifts and this love and tradition we try to pass on to our kiddos as well.

This Christmas, I was super excited to gift my Mom and Grandma with a trip to the Sound of Music Sing-along experience at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. If you’ve never been, it’s a little like the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience but with less shocking outfits and no sexual innuendoes. People shouting at the plot lines (my favorite was when Captain VonTrapp told sweet Maria to turn around upon meeting her and an audience member yelled “# me too.” Perfect.) and an entire theatre singing along with every single song (usually I’m the weird one in the crowd knowing every single lyric….here? just normal). It was a wonderful day and a shared memory with three generations of us Weber women that I will cherish for years to come.

My sweet BraveGIRL turned 16 this January and I am continuously trying to pump the importance of personal development into both her and WonderGIRL as they grow and learn and form their identities in their teenage years. Bringing them to the Made for More documentary by Rachel Hollis (I promise I’ll stop referencing her in every post) was a great opportunity to start conversations around strong women, confidence, not being impacted by comparison to others, and other solid messages that I would love for them to adopt in their daily lives. We had a super fun dinner beforehand and they loved the movie, but my favorite moments was our discussion in the car afterward where they shared their take-aways an we got to have an open and honest discussion.

My favorite part for them to hear was how Rachel combats the old adage that “everything happens for a reason.” This common encouragement can really dismiss someone’s trauma and especially a young child who can’t even begin to think abstractly as to why something horrible has happened to them. Rachel encourages people instead to find a purpose or a meaning out of an experience. Not gonna lie – I got a little teary sitting in between these two 16 year olds, with a world and a life ahead of them, getting inspired to have a healthy view of their past and an actual encouraging way to move into their future. My two girls’ traumas definitely did not happen to them for any sort of positive reason but my biggest hope is that they can use the strength and resiliency they grew during these experiences to cruise through other smaller life stressors and maybe even use it to impact/inspire others who have gone through things similar.

I know many of you love gifting experience gifts too – what’s been your favorite to give????

On getting control…

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of my calendar and our time!! I’ve been joking lately about the need for a personal assistant just to schedule and drive to the crazy amount of appointments our kiddos have. But since thats not a reality, Scott and I have been trying to stay on top of the schedule with weekly discussions around the calendar and recently with a new app we love called Cozi.

Each kiddo and family member (even the cats) get their own color and you can add all sorts of things to the calendar for everyone to see. What I love is that our teenage daughters can add things to their calendars and be in the know about all family events so they’re not surprised by any appointments. Plus they (and we) can add items to the grocery/Costco/Doterra shopping list as soon as they run out for everyone to see.I still love love love my paper planner and we reference both things when chatting about our schedule!!! But when scheduling with multiple people, the ease of the app that everyone can add to is amazing.

Calendar audit:
I got this idea from Rachel Hollis’ podcast (are you sick of me referencing her yet?) but she recommended looking at all of your appointments and activities from the previous year and assigning whether or not they were valuable and an effective use of your time. I did this with my professional calendar and it gave me great clarity on starting this new year with some purpose at work. I haven’t yet done it with our personal calendar but I plan on doing it soon!!! There are so many things we fill our time with and I am always looking for ways to make sure those choices are good ones.Any other suggestions for time and calendar organization???? Bring them on….also, since I’ve been looking at a computer screen WAY more than I ever have in my new role, more headaches have been popping up. I’m trying these LadyBoss blue light filter glasses at work to see if they help. Wish me (and my eyes) luck!!!

On complaining

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A few different messages in the form of this excerpt from my morning reading and a video I saw at a recent training has me thinking about complaining. And although I don’t think of myself as a “complainer”, I do hope to be mindful and intentional this month about staying positive and looking for strengths and wins over dwelling on the negatives and failures.

I love this spoken word video (warning – swear word included) and hope you can gain some perspective from it as well. Although it diminishes some very real suffering many are going through, I think it also highlights a gratitude for being alive and in community, no matter what our circumstances.

Mindy Maes sale!!!!

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My favorite doublehoods. Size up (I wear their XL if that’s helpful). Sale sale sale today!!!!!

we’re ready, are you?!

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS…

The first 1,000 orders will receive a 25% off coupon code to use on any future order.

The next 1,000 orders will receive a 20% off coupon code to use on any future order.

Then, 10 random orders EVERY hour will be selected to be totally refunded –

so those lucky winners get their order for FREE!

Here are the details:

(read them, it’s all important)

TUESDAY : MAY 8TH 

The site will be shut down from 8:45am (MST) until launching at 10 am (MST)! 

(We gotta get those markdowns in for ya!)

Sale will launch May 8th @ 10 am (MST) & will run until May 8th @ 10 pm (MST)

…

Don’t forget all this really important stuff:

• Items do NOT hold in your cart & are very limited, if you’re 100% in love with something check-out quick then go back for more! (shipping is FREE, so no biggie!)

• We cannot adjust, combine, cancel, or add to existing orders once the order has been placed, as we start shipping immediately. So, please double check your order (size, color, address, etc).

• We will not be price adjusting any items purchased prior to the sale.

• We will not be restocking any items during the sale, everything available will be listed.

• Please refer to the item sizing guidelines and model’s sizing on the site when choosing a size.

• Orders will still (and always) ship FREE! (US only) (Canada ships FREE over $100)

• We will ship in the order received, but please allow 7-10 day shipping time frame (unless otherwise noted on a listing – such as a PreOrder item) just in case!

• Most items we are unable to receive anymore of, we got the last of what they had… so, get it now!

• Due to the deep discounts, ALL items during this sale are FINAL SALE! (again, double check your order – no exceptions will be made! no returns. no exchanges.)

• Sale will run from 10:00 am (MST) May 8th to 10:00 pm May 8th (MST).

• Discount codes will NOT be active during this sale.

• Oh, and don’t forget… ALL SALES FINAL. (no returns OR exchanges)

P.S. Items often sell out crazy fast – If your coveted items are sold out, don’t fret. We are already working on more New Releases (yay!).

Lots more goodies are coming your way!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!!! Sale starts at 9am this morning……