Leslie's Litter

  2021 will be the sixth year that I have decided to choose a word for my year.  I have read about this for years, and have found that the practice has been more helpful for me over the years then making resolutions that I forget about by Mid-January, or goals that get sidetracked with the first misshapen. However choosing a word.... it allows you to just go back to it day after day for motivation and hope.  More often then not the word I focus on will mean something completely different by the end of the year, but it will still  exactly what I needed. In 2020 my word was Organize.  I planned to organize my goals, my house, my pictures, my computer, anything that needed to be decluttered and organized, I was going to get it done.  Instead, everything shifted with the onset of the Pandemic.  I had plenty of time, but the motivation and energy were being pulled in all different directions.  I quickly realized that I needed to organize my priorities.  I needed to put my self and my family

 Over the years since I have started this blog I have gone from posting daily, weekly, randomly, and sometimes not at all.  I have always had the hope that I would be able to turn my blog into an income stream that would not necessarily support me and my family, but at least support my passion - traveling.  However, with my lack of consistency I have lost out on opportunities over the years, but it has all been at my own hands. I would like to say that 2021 is going to be THEE year.  The year that I focus on my blog. The year that I put my own wants first.  The year that I find consistency.  The year that I earn any kind of income from all of my writing.  However, in actuality, how do any of us know anything?  Who knows what 2021 will bring.  Who knows what TOMORROW will bring?   We can only control our attitude and our effort.  So, yes, I am going to go into 2021 with a positive attitude.  And yes, I am going to put forth the effort to make 2021 a year of growth.  With that in mind...

  We all seem to have something that we find enjoyable or peaceful, that others think is strange, or just don't understand. Mine is surveys and product reviews.  I love doing this, and have done it for years!  It is calming, and a form of self-care.  I also love the benefits that I get from taking the surveys, and offering product reviews.  Yes, it can be time consuming, and sometimes I go weeks or months without logging into my accounts, but they are always there when I want to pick them back up. Just this year I have earned over $1,000 in gift cards to Target, Amazon, Macy's, Paypal and more.  I have also had the excitement of trying out new products including shampoo, conditioner, face lotion, and most recently an electric toothbrush. My husband used to make fun of me because I would sit up at night and do my surveys while we watched TV, or while he was out of town with work and I would be up all hours of the night.  Now, he enjoys the perks, and we even used most of this ye

In 2017 my team was tasked with exciting job of catering to the LPGA Marathon Classic for their week long golf tournament here in town.  We had less then 4 months to prepare, and we had never done anything on such a large scale before.  It was both exhilarating and terrifying, especially for an Enneagram 6 like me.  We are loyal and committed, but our biggest needs are security, and we fear not having the support and guidance needed.  What a way to walk into a task like this.   I was suddenly tasked with finding organizations to fill close to 200 shifts for concession stands, as well as around 75 employees to help me make this event a reality.  It took a lot of time, planning, questions, stress, and a roller coaster of emotions, but we did it!  It was amazing the feeling that you have after you accomplish something like that. Since then we have continued to receive this job each July, and each year has gotten a little easier.  We have had the time to plan, the staff knows what to expec

I continuously make a commitment to myself to work on this blog... and I continuously fail to follow through.  Does anyone else have problems keeping promises to themselves? Now, here I sit at 11 p.m., on August 1st, writing a post.  Earlier this week I told myself (yet again) that I need to make my blog, and myself a priority, and yet I never took the time to sit down and write until I was ready to crawl into bed.  I forced myself to turn my computer back on and KEEP MY PROMISE TO MYSELF! So, here we are.  The beginning of another month.  Another opportunity for each of us to create our goals, organize our thoughts, and get back on track.  I find that every month on the First, I get to re-group, and realize where I stopped, and think about which parts of life I actually want to start up again. This month, I am going to remember to make time for myself.   It has been quite the year so far, for everyone, and so why not just take some time for yourself.  Maybe you have been working so ha

This will be another fun holiday to celebrate, in quarantine. Luckily, things are starting to loosen up around our area so we are able to spend quality time with some of the family that we normally celebrate with, I was gifted a beautiful cart that we have had for close to 10 years sitting in our backyard.  My husband refurnished and repurposed it into a garden area for me so that I can enjoy my plants, without rabbits eating them, and without having to bend over to weed them and take care of them.  I also get the bonus of it having wheels, so when it decides that it is going to snow in the middle of May, I can just wheel it into the garage! This afternoon B decided to decorate the side of it with chalk, telling me how much she loves me, and that I am the best Mommy.  I planted tomatoes, mint, rosemary, kale and cucumbers.  Let's see how much of a green thumb I actually have! I was also given some lavender plants, as I have fell in love with lavender over the last coup