My Monster Green Smoothie

I’ve been experimenting with different fresh fruits and veggies while making my own healthy smoothie recipes at home. For lunch today, I made my own Monster Green Smoothie and these are the ingredients I used: 

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2 celery sticks

Couple leaves of green Kale

Handful of Spinach

1 mango

1 pear

1/3-1/2 cup Almond milk

5 pieces of ice (I like mine cold)

 Blend and enjoy! Mine turned out creamy and yummy! 

 

***I don’t have a juicer yet, but for those who do, try it that way too :).

CHER-Life and live WELL \o/

Cheryll  

6 Ways to Keep Your PEACE In Traffic

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As a society, we are stretching ourselves to the limit while trying to achieve all that we can either materialistically, financially, relationally, or in other ways just to find some sort of life satisfaction. As I continue my journey to find the right job, the stress I have today is different from the stress I used to have while working full-time, attending school full-time, and being a single parent.

Today, I am much more relaxed. I know my situation is temporary and there will come a day when I will wish for this extra time back...But for now, I’m learning to be content in my current situation. 

By being more relaxed, I have become even more sensitive to the stress-filled world of today. All you have to do is get in your car and drive somewhere. Stress-filled people are everywhere! The moment you pull out of your driveway and enter into traffic it’s only a matter of time until you witness one of them...Someone weaving in and out of traffic just to get one car ahead so they can make it to their destination, maybe a few seconds or minutes sooner, with the possibility of causing an accident…Or you get to experience the fun of tailgating! (and I don’t mean the kind of tailgating you do before a game ;). 

We are one stressed out society, and it’s only going to get worse unless we start doing something about it. I wonder how many of us would have been able to endure living in the days of horse-drawn buggies and carriages?  Hmmm…Just take a moment and think about that...

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Just this morning I had a lady, who looked to be in her 50’s, riding on my bumper for a few miles until she sped around me only to make it to the red light just a few seconds ahead of me. Needless to say, for some reason, this morning it really got to me again. So, here I am blogging about it :)

One of the benefits of not having a job that I have to be at is I don’t have the sense of urgency to get to work at a specific time, or to hurry home once I leave work. During this time, I’ve become less stressed, but don’t get me wrong, I still have stress…So, one day while I was driving, I decided I needed to find ways to enjoy my time in the car and not let the other stressed-out drivers bother me (and for the most part, it’s working ;)…But when it doesn’t work, and I start to lose my inner peace, then what? I will admit we all have our limits. 

So, what can we do when we are out in this stress-filled traffic? 

Six Ways to Keep Your PEACE:

  

1. If the passing lane is open and the person behind me chooses not to pass and continues to ride my bumper, I will move over into the passing lane and let them pass on my right. Let me tell you, when I do this, initially the car behind me tends to back off and slow down, I’m sure they are wondering why I moved over (as unfortunately some road rage has turned into unnecessary violence – I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories). Eventually they pass and I move back into the right lane and proceed to my destination much less affected...And I’m sure they got the hint. 
2. Give yourself enough time to get ready before you have to leave for work or wherever you have to be. Don’t lie in bed hitting the snooze button until you know you have to jump out of bed and hurry to get ready. This will only cause you to rush out of your house already feeling anxious and stressed out because you might be late. Not only will you have a more peaceful drive, the strangers you encounter on the road will thank you for it too! And really, what did that extra 5 or 10 minutes get you?
   
3. Pray for the person who appears to be stressed out as shown by the way they are driving. Prayer is effective, even if we will never see the end result in their situation.
   
4. Listen to Christian music or educational Cd's and when someone approaches too closely, worship and praise God even more! Remember, the enemy is trying to steal your peace and get you upset, and will do it in whatever way possible. 
5. If you are already going 5 miles over the speed limit, slow down and go the speed limit. At times, I have done this to show the person that I do not appreciate being tailgated, what they are doing is ineffective, and I will not allow them to intimidate me. Tailgating is not only frustrating, it is very unsafe! If you are the car in front of them and have to stop quickly, they will end up right in your bumper! I’ve been rear-ended in the past at a roundabout and it is not fun. When I had to yield to oncoming traffic, they just kept driving, right into me! This has made me much more aware and cautious of tailgaters.  
6. If you can’t move over into the other lane because traffic is heavy, just continue to drive your normal speed and find some way to remain in peace. There are times I avoid looking in my rear view mirror as much as possible as I know it will only cause me more stress. I state to myself the facts of the situation, such as, “I can’t go any faster, there are cars to the left of me and in front of me." 

As many of you face these same stressed-filled people on your daily commutes, or are one of those stress-filled people, try your best to remain in peace. I’ll be the first to admit, it isn’t easy and I haven’t always handled it correctly...But, the more you practice it, the easier it will get. If we can work together and realize the effects we have on others by the way we drive, why not affect others in a positive way?

Remember, their actions are not about you. You just happen to be the one in front of them.

CHER-Life and live WELL \o/  

Cheryll  

SMOOTHIES!

As I continue to do more research about all of the health benefits of "raw" fruits and vegetables, I've started to incorporate more of them into my daily dietary intake. I've always known about the importance of a well-balanced diet...But as obesity continues to rise, and death from obesity now the #2 cause of preventable deaths among Americans...It's time to get serious about our health and do what we can do on our part to ward off disease, to feel better, and to live healthy, energetic lives! :) I know I'm tired of feeling tired and sluggish, how about you?

To start off, I've decided to include many types of raw foods into at least 2 of my daily meals - breakfast, lunch, or dinner. My goal is to increase this as I go, but it's better to start off with what you feel you can do. Depending on the area you live in, you may or may not have access to as many fresh fruits and vegetables, or the types available may differ depending on the season you are in, but find ways to use what is available. Find recipes and then change or add the fruits and vegetables you have access to. You will be amazed at what you can create and make taste good!

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This morning I made a YUMMY breakfast smoothie consisting of:

• 8 oz Coconut water
• 3 ice cubes
• 1 medium banana
• 3 large strawberries
• 1 mango

This has become a new passion of mine, and I will continue to share what I'm learning with you! I would love it if you would join me on this journey to better health...


CHER-Life and live WELL \o/  

Cheryll  

10 Things to Think About to Make Your DREAMS a REALITY

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Taking the step to start a blog has been really helpful for me and I am hopeful it has helped some of you too! It’s like journaling, but with the goal of helping others through my thoughts, words, and experiences. Journaling is insightful and helpful with your own private journeys and struggles, allowing you to reflect back and see how far you’ve come. It allows you to vent your frustrations and voice your successes, and what you write doesn’t have to make any sense at all! You don’t even have to capitalize the first word in your sentences, put in the correct punctuation, or care if you spelled a word correctly! It is a piece of you no one else will ever see unless you choose to share it. It belongs to you.

So, one of my current struggles has been finding and securing a new job. As some of you know, I have been unemployed for about six months now, and I feel for those of you dealing with this same struggle. As I send out applications and resumes to no avail, I find myself asking God why the doors aren’t opening for me. In the past, it seemed as though I would apply to a job, get a call for an interview, and, “voila”, get hired! Well, that is not at all how it is going for me this time around. 

I have many desires stored up in my heart to start my own business (and many different ideas – which is part of my problem). I love the thought of being my own boss, one day having employees I would treat the way I always wanted to be treated, to really enjoy what I am doing, and have the ability to give back to the community and help others. So, as the doors continue to close in the areas I am applying to, I've decided it’s time to step out and see if other doors are meant to be opened.

The next step in my journey is to branch out and start my own business. I know it won’t be easy and will take time to grow. I know there will be days I will need strength and continued faith to press on when it seems as though nothing is happening. But I am so excited about this new venture that I wanted to share it with you! 

So, out of all of this, my hopes are for you to start to follow your dreams too! If you are like me, you probably have so many of them you don’t even know where to start, but there is no better time than now! The longer I (we) wait to start on any of our dreams, the more the minutes, hours, days, and weeks are passing us by. If you have a job, do not quit until things are up and running. If you are in a situation like mine, there's no time like the present to start the planning process! And you can continue job hunting in the meantime...Time is so very precious and I don’t want to waste another minute of it…How about you?

10 Questions to Think About: 

 1.  What are you good at?

 2.  Do you have a talent you could share with others? 

 3.  What do you have knowledge and experience in? 

 4.  Is there a need for what you have to offer? 

 5.  How can you start your "idea" with little to no money? 

 6.  Are you willing to put in the time necessary for your business to grow and become profitable?   

 7.  Are you self-motivated?

 8.  Do you have family/friends who will support you in your new venture? 

 9.  Are you able to face rejection from others?

10. If you never step out and at least try, will you wake up one day regretting it?

CHER-Life and live WELL \o/  

Cheryll   

The Power Of Your WORDS

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If you are like me, many times you've said things you wish you could take back. But as we all know, once it’s been said…

I’ve been on both the giving and the receiving end of hurtful words…Over time, some people forgive and forget, but there are those who will hardly ever forget and when you least expect it, remind you of something you did in the past. As Joyce Meyer has said, “The power of life and death are in the tongue”, and this is so true. We can either build someone up with our words, or we can tear them down. 

God’s Word says in James 3:8-10 (Amplified), “But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness! Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.”

The next time you have the urge to “speak your mind”, STOP and THINK first. Ask yourself these questions before you speak: “Is this something that will help or hurt the other person? Will my words benefit them in a positive way? Is this something I want to say in order to ease my mind, to make me feel better?” I can tell you from my own experience, it may make you feel better initially to speak your mind, but after the initial good feeling passes and the reality of what you just said sets in, along with that sinking feeling in your gut...it goes something like this, “OH, I really shouldn’t have said that!” 

Now there are definitely situations that need to be talked about and dealt with, and times when it would be detrimental to “hold your tongue”, but once you’ve discussed a situation and found some type of resolution to it, don’t continue to bring it up. I used to do this to the point of continual conflict, and I can tell you, it wasn’t worth all the pain, sleepless nights, and gut-wrenching stress that came with it! 

Today, I try to stop and think before I speak (I call it taking a Time Out) and have avoided many “unnecessary” conflicts in the process. Do I still slip up? Of course! But I can tell you the slip ups are getting less and less. The more we speak positive words into others lives, the more joy and peace we will find in those relationships and in our own lives. And, I’m even finding those positive words spoken to others starting to come back full circle! 

So, the next time you want to tell someone “exactly what you think of them” or bring up “all of their past faults and failures”:

                    S - Step away from the situation                                  T - (take) Time
                      T - Think about what just happened                            H - (is it) Helpful
                        O - (am I) Overreacting?                                              I -  (is it) Important
                          P - Pray about it                                                           N - (is it) Necessary
                                                                                                                 K - (is it) Kind
 …THEN make a decision about how to proceed...

CHER-Life and live WELL \o/  

Cheryll   

You DON'T Have to Stay the Same

No matter how young or old your children are, they really are watching and observing what we are saying, doing, and how we are living our lives...I know I've made some "not so good" choices throughout my life, but I also believe we CAN still turn things around (no matter how old we are and no matter how far gone we think things are)! 

It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen! It may not happen the way you want it to or as fast as you want it to, but don't give up! I've been seeing the benefits of the "positive" changes and choices I've been making in my life after years of "other" choices, and how they are now having a "positive" affect on my children. Yay!!!..I received confirmation of that again today :)

So don't ever get stuck thinking, "This is just the way it is. This is just the way I am. Things will never change!" God is greater than our circumstances and He can turn situations around and change the things you've been working so hard to change! Ask Him for His help. I am living proof that change does happen. That you don't have to stay the same...(And yes, I am still a work in progress ;)) 

Here are 5 steps to help get you started:

1. Surrender your situation over to God and allow Him to do His part while you do your part. For example, tell Him, “God, I need your help in this (be specific) situation or habit I have. I want to change, but I need your help. I’ve tried so hard to change (this) on my own and it hasn’t worked. I surrender this (be specific) over to You." 
• Look up scripture verses on the specific area you want to change and write them on index cards and read them daily. (I know I've mentioned this one in a past blog, but it is an important one :) 
2. Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself falling back into old patterns and/or habits. The first thing is to recognize what you are doing when you are doing it which will allow you to begin the process of changing it.
3.  Replace the old habit or negative pattern with a new habit or positive pattern. You’ve heard it said it takes 21-30 days just to start forming a new habit, but to really make a life change you have to stick with it much, much, longer than that (I've learned it can take up to 3 years for your brain to complete the process of a new behavior pattern - but don't let that discourage you!).
4.  Have someone you know hold you accountable and help encourage you on your journey to change. Make up some type of “sign” between you two, so when they notice an old behavior coming out they can help "redirect" you and get you back on track! I did this, and it was helpful. It can be a simple word, a hand signal, just something that will help to catch you and redirect you...Be creative!
5.  I highly encourage getting involved in a Life Skills program. Yes, it is a time commitment, but well worth it! If you start today you are one day closer to reaching your goals of change.

 **REMEMBER – You are forming a LIFELONG change!**

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