Tag: tips

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How to find the Best Vacation Rentals

Using apps such as VRBO, Air BnB, and Homeaway have become increasingly popular.

Many people are moving away from Hotels and instead choosing a more “home feel” vacation rental.

I have been using such apps for many years. I find that vacation homes are more private and comfortable.

Through my many vacation house rentals, I have learned a few things that help when you are searching for the perfect vacation rental.

Start with the Basics

We all know first you have to choose your vacation location.

On some sites you can find specific areas to search. For instance, if I want to go to the beach in Texas, I would search Texas Gulf Coast.

You can choose from different options , just type the State you are looking for vacations rentals and it will show you different location options.

Think about your Vacation Dates

It’s always best to know when you are vacationing, because some of the best rentals go fast.

There are a couple things I go by when choosing my dates.

It’s cheaper on weekdays. Most vacation rentals will have a cheaper weekday price rather than the weekend price.

Also, they have off season discounts. I like to use this discount during Spring break. In Texas, it’s still pretty chilly during our Spring Break, so the beach rentals are still on off season prices. We usually can’t swim but it’s perfect weather for fishing and enjoying the spring air.

Use the Filter Option

Some apps and websites have a filter option, where you can choose certain items you want in your vacation rental, such as Amenities and location type.

I always use the filter to eliminate rentals I am not interested in.

You can also filter the price so that you don’t see rentals you can’t afford.

Pay Attention to Details

As I am reading the property description, I pay attention to details that I may not like about the property. Such as stairs. With my daughter being in a wheelchair, I have to pay attention to details such as bedrooms being upstairs or stairs to enter the property.

I also look at the house rules. If the house rules are a mile long, that usually means they are going to be picky about every little thing in their vacation rental. You want to feel comfortable on vacation, not worrying about every little thing you do.

Check the Map

I like to check the map, just to make sure the location is exactly where I want to be.

They won’t give you an exact address until you reserve the rental, but they do give you a location on the map.

Read the Reviews

Lastly, make sure to always read the property reviews.

I have been guilty of not reading the reviews first and ending up with a horrible rental experiences.

I hope these tips help you plan an amazing vacation!

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Mom Burnout

Have you ever felt tired of the mom life? Feeling as if the only thing you do in life is take care of everybody else?

Then you have the mom guilt, for feeling these feelings of mom burnout.

You are not alone!

For the past month I have felt the mama blues, and find it hard to just be happy.

I wake up everyday to the same messes in my house. Dirty clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, laundry to wash and fold. Then I walk past that bathroom mirror with toothpaste splatters across it and think ” why should I even clean it, it will be dirty again tomorrow.” Then I spiral into a World of self pity.

I start to wonder if this is all my life will ever be, cleaning the toothpaste off of the mirror for the rest of my life?

How do you overcome these feelings of emptiness and self pity?

I have thought about this a lot here lately. I don’t want my kids to remember me as the crazy, depressed mom, that at time holds resentment towards them for having to be a mom 24/7.

I want them to remember me as a fun, happy mom!

So, what do I do about this?

I have complied a list of what I am going to try to get my life out of the gutter and stop the Mom Burnout.

Me Time

This is so important! We moms forget to have “me time“. We focus so much energy on doing everything for our families so that they can be happy, we forget about our happiness. Believe me there is no happy home without a happy wife/mom.

Whether you read a good book or you binge a new series on TV. Take the time everyday to do something you want to do.

Exercise

I hear so many good things about that thing called exercise, but I never just take the time to do it. Okay, it may be a little laziness on my part, but I think I am ready to start exercising this frustration away.

More Friend Time

It has occurred to me that I cannot remember the last time I had a Mom night out with friends or even a lunch date with a friend. I get so consumed in life, I forget I have friends. Remember your friends ladies, support each other and have more friend time.

Fun Hobbies

This kind of goes with “me time”, but I am going to find a hobby that I enjoy. I use to enjoy baking, but now I do it so much for my family that I don’t enjoy it as much.

Find a hobby that does not benefit anybody but YOU!

Be Selfish

It is okay for us moms to be selfish sometimes! We give so much of our time to our family, why not do more for yourself. Go shopping just for stuff for you, get your hair done, get that pedicure or massage you have been wanting.

If you don’t think of yourself sometime, you feel resentful to your family and that leads to that mom guilt.

Teach Your Family to Help More

This is a tough one for me. I have been guilty of not making my family do more for their selves . I would rather pick up the laundry myself and not argue about it, but my family DOES need to help out more.

In the end they make not like me as much, but they will show more respect for all the things that I do for them.

Enjoy Family Time

After I take some much needed mommy breaks and think about myself for once, I am hopeful I can get back to enjoying time with my family. We do all this for them anyways, might as well enjoy every minute with them.

I am looking forward to beating the “mom funk” and getting back to the mom and wife I want to be.

I hope some of these mom tips can help you if you feel the mom burnout coming on.

Don’t forget to give yourself a break and don’t feel bad about the mom burnout, it happens to the best of us!

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20 Years Strong

Today my husband and I celebrate twenty years together!

On December 16, 2000, a young single mother decided to take a chance with a brave young man.

It has been a very bumpy road and has not been easy.

We have endured many break ups and had to find our way back to each other.

It didn’t help that we were hardheaded teenagers and were both use to getting our way.

Also, my husband had to adapt to being with a single mom and having a child in the mix. He had to step up as a step dad at 17 years old.

After twenty years I finally feel as if we have found balance in our relationship.

It’s still hard and we are not perfect, but we’re learning from our mistakes.

Marriage is hard and it’s a struggle everyday, but I have some tips I would like to share that has helped us over the last 20 years.

Put Your Pride Aside

That dang pride can ruin a relationship. Sometimes you just have to put that pride aside and know when your wrong.

Apologize

Why is it so hard to say “I’m sorry“? I guess it goes with putting that pride aside, but learning to say “I’m sorry”, helps your partner know you care about resolving the issues.

Listen To Each Other

One of the biggest problems for us was we never listened to each other’s concerns. We would jump to conclusions or blow up instead of just listening to each other’s issues.

Communication

Communication is key in a relationship. It goes with listening to each other. I am all about voicing my opinions and problems, while my husband bottles it up. We all know the problem with bottling up your problems, you eventually blow up! So he still doesn’t tell me All his feelings like I do, but he communicates more instead of holding it all in.

It’s Okay To Be Different

One of our biggest struggles as a couple was we would fight over our differences. When we first started dating, we had the same interests. As we grew up, our interests changed. We have learned to accept our differences. He accepts that I don’t like fishing and I accept he doesn’t love watching horror movies all the time like I do.

It’s Okay To Do Things Apart

This kind of goes with having differences. We always thought we had to do everything together. So one of us would be miserable and it would lead to fighting. We now know it’s okay to have different interests and we don’t have to always be together. He can go fishing and hunting while I go shopping or get my hair done.

Make Time For Each Other

So this one is hard for us and we are still working on this. We have let our kids take over our lives. Finding alone time is hard! It’s so important to find time for each other. This weekend my husband and I are going to enjoy a weekend together, without kids, for the first time in years!

Support Each Other

A hard part in any relationship is supporting each other’s decisions. We always try to support each other. He supports my blogging and any other projects I have going and I support him. Of coarse we always communicate our choices but we come together and support each other in the end.

Have Fun

One of my biggest regrets is that we ruined moments that should have been fun and memorable by stressing and fighting. Life gets pretty stressful with a special needs child, but we have adapted to our life. We find ways to get through the stress and just have fun.

Forgive

Last but not least, learn to forgive each other. Every relationship is going to have problems. We have both said and done things we now regret but we have learned to forgive each other for all the bad moments in our relationship. Holding on to anger will only lead to resentment. Learn to forgive, so your relationship can grow stronger.

Thank you for letting me share my relationship tips with you!

I am sure our relationship will have more struggles and hardships, but I look forward to another twenty years with my best friend!

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6 Ways to Beat Depression

Depression sucks, plain and simple! I have suffered from anxiety and depression for a very long time, and I am done with it controlling my life.

Today I turned 36 and while some people feel happiness for their Birthday, I feel sadness. Sadness to be another year older, sadness for all I didn’t accomplish in that year, and sadness another year has flown by in the blink of an eye.

A year ago I was faced with the news that I may have cancer. After all the tests came back and I was told there was no cancer I was so thankful. At that moment I was so ready to live my life to the fullness and never take life for granted. I would be happy for every day that God blessed me on Earth. Now here I am a year later finding it hard to find my happiness and searching for myself in a sea of darkness.

My husband will ask ” Why can’t you just be happy?“, for him it is a choice to be happy, but for someone with depression it takes strength just to get out of bed daily. I ask myself the same question every day, “why can’t you just stop with this!”, “What is wrong with you!”. 

I want happiness and I want to feel joy again! If medication is not going to work for me, I am going to fight depression!

I have made a list of 5 ways I am going to kick depressions butt!

Exercise

I have heard that exercise is a great way to clear your mind and get rid of stress. I am going to sweat out the stress and anxiety!

Find Support

Having support to lean on is very important. In the past, I didn’t want my friends or family to know what I was going through so I hid from the world. Not anymore. I am going to reach out to my friends and lean on my family support more.

Get out of the house

This one is a biggie. Anyone with anxiety and depression knows how hard it is to get out into the World of the unknown. Trying new restaurants, overly crowded places or just simple traffic can make you want to curl up in bed. I have spent too many weekends in bed! Staying cooped up in your home may feel safe, but is adding more triggers for your depression. Such as feeling like your missing out on life or feelings of regret when you cancel an event. I am going to start getting out and doing more no matter the anxiety!

Make A Journal

I am thinking of starting a journal to keep a log of my feelings and my blessings.  A journal could be a great way to express the feelings when your down and also keep track of how you came back up.

Make a daily goal list

Make a daily goal list of achievable goals, such as take the trash out, load the washer. Keep your goal list small, don’t overdo it with a mile-long list. Reward yourself for achieving your goals, such as Mani or Pedi.

Remember to take care of yourself

It is so important to have activities or hobbies just for yourself. If you like listening to music, allow yourself time in the day just to listen to music and enjoy it. If you like painting, sign up for a painting class. Don’t feel guilty to do things for yourself.

My hopes are that by the time my 37th birthday rolls around, I will have fought my depression down and will enjoy my next birthday.

These are just my opinions, you still should consult with your doctor to have a plan of your own for fighting depression.