Monthly Archives: March 2015

Another candle on the cake

March 23, 2015family, food, life, Perfect Momentgetcluedin

20150317_084417 Well, to be exact, there was only one candle in the cupcake, but another birthday has come and gone. 24 backwards is not a milestone birthday, but I do enjoy birthdays. After getting married, and having children, there is really no excuse for the world to celebrate YOU! Birthdays are about it. Of course, I create excuses to make each day special – see all my posts on the 100-day course I took, but there’s no better excuse to eating cake and ice cream than your birthday.

I generally start my birthday the minute the first free item coupon rolls in – $15 at Ann Taylor, or $10 at Kohl’s, and free dinner at Rubio’s, free burger (yes, this vegetarian loves her veggie burger) at Red Robin, free scoop at Baskin-Robbins, free Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts coffee, Lamar’s donut (yum!), and the list just goes on and on. While I celebrate bit by bit all month-long, this year was just not the same without my best friend. I miss her terribly. When it’s a work day and you have to be at work on your birthday there’s just something to be said about having a best friend to do lunch with, or get pampered with on your special day. But, sob story aside, it was so nice to celebrate this year with friends and neighbors. Earlier in the week, I also got to do a painting and wine event and painted a beauty! Also, I am so blessed to live near and around so many cool people who are not just great to have as neighbors, but whom I get to call friends. A bottle of wine outside on the porch after an 82-degree day set the scene for a perfect birthday and flowers from a good friend ended the perfect day.

An entire weekend of perfect weather with family preceded this, mind you. And I finally got to try a place I have wanted to try for sometime. The meal was so great, I promptly passed out afterwards. Another candle on the cake, another fun day, week and month celebrating. We ended it with a family cruise. Here’s to birthdays!

Life After YOU @ The Center Course and a $500 Giveaway

March 4, 2015consumer, giveaway, lifegiveawaygetcluedin

My earlier post on this amazing course with Rachel Davis was as it was ending and the things I was still learning. So, here I am about 45 days post-course, with time to reflect and take inventory. The key benefits of the course were (1) knowing I was not alone, and meeting so many people who were experiencing overload; (2) learning that it is okay to say NO and set boundaries and limits in my life – I cannot do it all; (3) it is okay to create time for myself and unplug; and (4) to create and have success in all I do, I must focus on one thing at a time. The lessons learned and what I experienced really go to the core of why Rachel created the course: http://www.youatthecenter.com/center-life-created/

What is most important is sustaining what I learned during the course, and I feel I have regressed on some days, but I am able to get on track easier. If I feel overstretched, I am able to identify this immediately, and I can say no. I feel more positive even when things are tough. I am still practicing some of what I learned such as not letting others get to I encourage you me or make me feel guilty I am able to identify when I feel overstretched or out of control. When I feel this way, I am able to put into practice what I learned and use the skills I learned in this course to get back on track. Ultimately, I am able to put ME at the Center. The techniques have made me more productive at work, and able to balance more with work, life, home, and my second job. And better yet, I am healthier, and able to practice a healthier lifestyle.

Giveaway:

We have an exciting opportunity at Get Clued In! for you to take this 100-day life-changing course for free ($495 value). The course starts May 12, and you can win it here for FREE! Rachel created this course with YOU in mind: http://www.youatthecenter.com/center-life-created/

For one entry: To enter to win, please do the following – Leave a comment below answering why this course is right for you. NOTE: I will be able to see you name and email address – you do not need to leave it in the comment for privacy reasons.

For a second entry: Please sign up for Rachel’s mailing list – here is the link if you need to cut and paste it into your browser: http://youatthecenter.us9.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=6b3196e6f73747c083721a156&id=9ba9c72f85 In the comments below, add a 2nd comment that lets me know you subscribed.

For one more entry: Please tweet the following, and leave in the comment the link to your tweet(s). “Life Changing Course, YOU@The Center course, enter to win priceless 100-day course here: http://getcluedincolorado.com/?p=4553 @getcluedin”

Giveaway is open NOW until March 18, 2015 10 p.m. MDT (winner will be announced the next morning).

WINNER IS: Chrissy Morin – CONGRATS! I will Email you with details! Enjoy this life-changing course!

Disclaimer: I was compensated with a free course with Rachel Davis in exchange for four sponsored posts and a giveaway (if I wished). The opinions and life lessons expressed here in are my own.

I gave up Facebook for Lent

March 3, 2015blogging, life, technologygetcluedin

It’s not a big deal at all, but it kinda was. I left my personal Facebook for lent. I had to keep up my Ratna GetCluedIn profile but only because I have an automatic post to Get Clued In! on Facebook. It has been two weeks since I last posted and I have to go until at least April 5th. The hardest day was a snow day we had here in Denver. I so wanted to post all the snowy goodness that had covered our city, but could not. But, so far it is so refreshing and nice to be off of Facebook. At a minimum, I am glad the app is off my phone – deleted/uninstalled. It is NOT coming back even if I come back to the desktop version in 35 days. Here are some things I have learned through this experiment so far and I will do an after-action post when this is all said and done.

1. First, it’s amazing how much people rely on Facebook for their social life. It is a sort of alter-social life. No need to meet in person or call, just check Facebook. Done. It is nice to be in touch with good friends during this time, but they had to pick up the phone and call me, text me, or oh the horror, E-mail me. It is nice to get E-mails from friends that I used to just direct message on Facebook. Oh, the latest is that family members and friends are trying to friend me on my facebook account for my blog- Ratna Get Clued In. I am not checking that site though either and apparently they are all messaging me there. I have no idea why people can’t just email or call – oh the humanity!

2. Other than grandparents, most everyone missed my daughter’s birthday. I think because they are so used to relying on my posts sharing too much information all the time, they just expected to see it as a reminder. Of course, the converse is true too. I missed many of my friends’ birthdays too. Hmmm… here is a thought in spite of Facebook, if we were real friends, why would I need a reminder. Shouldn’t I remember such things? I really wanted to wish my dad a Happy 70th Birthday on Facebook because the phone calls, card and planned cruise in three weeks are simply not enough. It didn’t happen if it isn’t on Facebook, right? My birthday falls in the next 2 weeks too, and my page is deactivated, so it will be interesting to see who remembers. My guess is just close family. It’s okay. It’s really no big deal.

3. We have become so dependent on social media that we do not even want to see people in person anymore or call. A friend of mine who never saw my post that I was leaving Facebook for lent texted me and asked why we are not friends, and why I cannot be found anymore. It is distressing I suspect for all those who did not see my farewell post before deactivatng. I mean no harm – I come in peace. No, I did not “unfriend” you, I just need a break from all the stuff and information overload. Frankly, I grow weary of over sharing my information too. I am sure I am not even missed.

4. But I do have friends who still call, E-mail, and text and we stay in touch. This is slowly but surely teaching me that IF I return to Facebook, I will be scaling back. It’s not that I do not like you, but I like myself more. I respect myself enough that if I do not remember you, I will not let you into my every thought. So, yes, it is okay to “unfriend.” When did that become a word anyway? How can I “unfriend” you if I do not even remember you nor remember the last time you called me or spent time with me, or what you meant to me 25+ years ago, right? A good friend has a rule for FB and I think I like it, “if I do not hear from you (phone/email/text) or see you in person at least once every few years, I am not going to allow you to see my life on Facebook. I like it! Why do we hold on to the past through social media if we do not do it in real life?

5. Finally, what I have found so far is that I am not curious at all. I really do not feel that I am missing out on Facebook, other than for my blog and my blogging mom friends who may post exciting local events. Other than that, I really do not feel I am missing anything. Maybe all the over sharing just did me in and I think as 2016 approaches, it may prove to be a good idea to be off of social media altogether anyway. Politics – sheesh!

I am so glad I gave up Facebook for Lent. Stay tuned…