Saturday, August 24, 2013

My Request For 3 Extra Hours A Day Has Been Denied...Again.

Oh boy. I have been SA-LACKING on this blog. Naughty Arielle! Naughty! 
I have A TON going on right now. Can I tell ya how STRESSED I am?! First of all, this whole home buying thing is crazy. We have no idea what's going on. Like ever. And when someone actually tells us something it's like our brains have no idea how to process the information. We just stand there and I can actually feel drool coming out of my mouth. I feel like I look like this:
 If you do not know this SNL skit you are fired. Go do some YouTubbing and then you may return...and if you don't think that Rachel Dratch is one of the FUNNIEST women of all time, we are over.

So yeah. There's that plus the transition into a new job, starting up my Social Media Management  business, oh and I have been sick since the beginning of August. Yeah. That's been fun. I'm now extremely paranoid that my lungs are just going to fall out of my butt soon. Whether or not that happens, I am still super overwhelmed.
Here is the thing, it doesn't take much to get me stressed out. You can tell me it going to be a little rainy this afternoon and here is what I will picture:

Not even kidding you, one time I was so paranoid I made Taffy sit with me in our bath tub for 3 hours....I can't live in Oklahoma or Kansas.

And you know what adds to the stress? My horrible time management skills. And my A.D.D. I start on one thing and then get distracted by another. Such as this blog post. I Googled "tornados" and ended up watching 3 episodes of The Office and 20 minutes of Sharknado...Tara Reid...just stop. I have tried a planner, but I forget to look at it, I don't even know where my planner is....hmmm....
I have tried using my phone I have like a gazillion apps that try to help me organize my life, and I forget to use them...
So you see, I have a dilemma. I need to find a way to organize my life to where I can balance work, home, business and blog. 
I will be doing a 30 day challenge starting Sept.1st (let's wait til after the move, and the new job and maybe I won't be hacking up a lung every 30 seconds by then..) I will be implementing the following things EVERYDAY for 30 days and hopefully after 30 days it will just be a habit:
A strict cleaning schedule (I'm doing this too: http://bit.ly/LZxJBV )
A planning strategy, I'm not really sure how I will go about this, i have seen some cute printables but I might try and utilize one of my million apps. 
The planning strategy will also include a schedule mapping out time for my business, my blog, and most importantly time with Brody, family and friends. 
I tried doing a blog a day challenge in July but then the house buying got in the way, so starting September 1st I will be doing blog posts everyday during the week. 
This is going to be hard and will take a TON of focus for me. But hopefully it helps. 
What are your tips for staying organized and keeping on top off things? Comment below and I will try them out!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

WHO WANTS $50?!

A few days ago I wrote about a project that I am SO in love with. If you didn't read it, stop, click here: http://bit.ly/1cdkSMV and then when you are done you may come back....
Did you read it? There's going to be a quiz....Just kidding. I don't have that kind of time. Anyways, as of right now they have less than $20,000 to go and 20 days left of their kickstarter program. So in order to bribe all ya'll to go donate here is what I am going to do..
WHO WANT'S $50?
WHEN Dogtown Redemption makes their goal, I will giveaway a $50 Visa Giftcard to one lucky donor. Here is how you enter:
  • You MUST donate at least $1 to be entered and eligible...ok, so you'll win $49 and get your dollar back....
  • Once you donate you MUST do the following or your entry will NOT count:
    • Like the Not Yo Momma's Blog Fan Page on Facebook
    • Follow me on Twitter @itsme_arielleb
    • When you make a donation afterwards it will tell you to share it with Facebook or Twitter if you share it on Twitter make sure to 1.) tag me in the tweet (again it's @itsme_arielleb) and 2.) use the hashtag #redemptiondoc
    • Post on my Facebook Fan Page IN THE COMMENT SECTION OF THIS POST"S LINK. It will say: WHO WANT'S $50?! Tell me how much you donated.
    • Comment in this section how much you donated, and 5 people you will tell about this awesome documentary.
You have until the 28th to make a donation. I will make the announcement on Aug.29th of the winner. (PS: The more $$$ you donate the more entries you get...and I will have ANOTHER awesome giveaway for the reader who donated the most...hmmmmm...)

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Emancipate Yourself From Mental Slavery, None But Ourselves Can Free Our Minds.

One of my first long term jobs was at a Domestic Violence Shelter. We would take women and children who were fleeing domestic violence and needed a safe place to stay. My job was to answer the crisis line, perform intakes on potential clients and basically make sure everything in the shelter was running smoothly. I've done everything from break out fights, to unscrew deodorant bottles to find baggies of cocaine, talk people out of committing suicide, and making phone calls to Protective Services about bruises on children. All while making a colossal $8.37 an hour. It was THEE toughest job I ever had. 
The burnout was constant. And seeing your paycheck only made it worse. You were emotionally, mentally and physically drained at the end of every shift. Some days you were told "Thank you." Some days you were called a "bitch" and had to avoid being bit. I've seen women come running in with only pajamas on and no shoes. But...it was also the best job I ever had.
I had a better understanding with those with PTSD and mental illness and drug addictions. Hell yeah I can now understand why someone would turn to a substance that would numb them after a day of being beaten and abused. I can understand how someone would become mentally ill after YEARS of being manipulated. 
Not only did this experience open my eyes to Domestic Violence, but it also opened my eyes to homelessness. Domestic Violence is one of the many factors that lead to homelessness. As is mental illness, loss of job, foreclosure, drop in assistance programs, the list can go on and on.
While working at the shelter my biggest wish was to have every person required to work in a shelter for a day. Mostly because I wanted them to see what they had to go through to make $8.37 an hour. Now because I want them to see what it's like to be in a shelter environment.
When you leave a situation like domestic violence you are looking for a place that is serene and calm and quiet. As much as I would love a shelter to be like that, most of the time it is not. Babies and children are screaming and crying, as are women sometimes. There's little privacy if the shelter is full, and many times there is tension between other women and workers. I know what it is like as a worker to be in that environment but to have to LIVE in it. Those women are definitely stronger than I am.
The fact is, is that there is no way for everyone to know what that is like, unless they live it, and I don't wish that on my worst enemy. But it is something that needs to be discussed. And now there is a group of people trying to. 
It's called Dogtown Redemption. And they made a film based in Oakland, California. They have followed the lives of individuals who are living on the streets, doing what they can to survive. They are telling the stories that need to be told. But in order to tell it to the masses they NEED YOUR help. In order to have this film finished they need $47,775. They already have $24,620. They only have 24 days left to go. I have on average 4000 views a month. If every one donates $1 that's $4000, if you tell 1 person and they donate $1 we now have $8000 if they tell 1 person and they donate $1 that's $16,000 and so on and so forth. In order for them to reach their goal they need almost $1000 a day. SO easy if everyone does it. So here's the plan:
1.) Watch the trailer: if you aren't inspired to help...check your pulse
http://www.redemptiondoc.com/trailer.html 

2.) Go to their kickstarter page and donate, for those who donate will be entered to win a prize (prize TBA Tuesday)
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/22534752/dogtown-redemption-0 

3.) Tell your friends: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter ( use #redemptiondoc if you want in on the contest), or use the whole that makes the words. 

This is something that is SO important! We are all equal. We all deserve the same amount of love and happiness and success. We all deserve a place called home and to feel safe there. We are all divine. NO one is lesser than or more than.