Category: Book Reviews

Book Reviews, I Am More Than Just a Girl Book, Writing

What Are Your Wildest Expectations?

Impower You

Mine are to make a positive difference in the world while creating what I love through art and writing.

According to Honie Briggs, one of her wildest expectations is “…everyone on the planet needs clean water, fresh air, nutritious food and liberty to be at their best. Each of us deserves to be free from poverty, fear and oppression.” That’s pretty wild to most people, but not impossible. I love that she writes without judgement, but is still opinionated. If you need a laugh, a mental bandaid or inspiration subscribe to her blog.

Honie is an indie author with a diverse and unique background. She is a veteran of the Air Force, a mother, a traveler and an inspiration for dreamers.  She has self published a book of fiction, “Summoning the Strength“. Her book follows Katherine Doyle  as she and the women in her life  make way through a changing world.  What I really like is when she states  “Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters make the same journey no matter the vehicle.” This is so true, but one it took me some time to learn.  We all have ups and downs, life is not perfect for anyone even those at peace because we do not live in a world of peace. We live in a world where the the one thing you can count on is we will change.  Even with cahnge, we will all take the same journey from birth to death.

🙂

This blogger has joined my blog challenge with her post, http://honiebriggs.com/2012/02/16/beyond-a-wild-expectation. She is one of 500 bloggers who will share my book with girls and young women. My book can be read for free on my website and has resources and information for empowering young women. It is non-denominational and not affiliated with any organizations.

🙂

Book Reviews

You Matter

Impower You

I have posted before about abusive relationships and I will no doubt post in the future.  Let me make this very clear for those of you who don’t get it.  You matter! You deserve to be treated like the wonderful person you are. You deserve to be loved.

I like this book that can be used for FEMALES AND MALES!  “”Ditch That Jerk: Dealing with Men Who Control and Hurt Women” by Pamela Jayne.  Look for it at your local library or it is available on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Ditch-That-Jerk-Dealing-Control/dp/0897932838

Being aware of controlling and abusive behavior gives you the power to run your life, but also saves you a lot of grief.  How many people have you met in life that were rude, mean or abusive?  I have met hundreds.  I am related to men and yes WOMEN who are abusive to their partners, children, friends and strangers.  Often they were very charming towards me, but then I learned about things they did to those with whom they had a lot of contact.

Please believe me when I say that whatever wrongs you have done in your past (rapists, abusers and child molesters not included) you DO NOT deserve to be treated badly by someone who says they love you.  You were not born useless or stupid or pathetic. Those are just the sort of things mean people say or imply to control you.  Don’t believe them.

Kick abusive, manipulative, controlling losers out of your life and do not under any circumstances turn around to give them a second chance. Love does not hurt. Love is not pain. Love is not suffering. Love is not obeying.

Love is beauty.  Love feels good. Love is comfort. Love is respect. Love is good.

“You matter. You do not have to put up with people who treat you badly.”

🙂

Book Reviews, Empowering Discussions

Anger and Stress Management

Impower You

Anger is a healthy emotion, but when you act out violently it becomes unhealthy. Violence can be expressed in an emotional or physical way. Only you can take control of your anger and choose not to lash out at other people. Take the time to think about what is upsetting you.
Ask yourself questions.
What part of this situation is making me feel so angry?
Is there another reason, maybe a previous situation that is causing me to react angrily right now?
What peaceful actions can I take to change this situation?


An affirmation can help you control your emotions in a bad situation. When you create an affirmation use positive words that reflect your goal. Leave out negative words like never, no, against or stop. Replace those with words like always, yes, for and go. Create your own or use the affirmation below. Repeat as needed.

MY THOUGHTS ARE PEACEFUL THOUGHTS
MY WORDS ARE PEACEFUL WORDS
MY ACTIONS ARE PEACEFUL ACTIONS

When you feel angry try these tips to CALM DOWN.
Walk away from the situation.
Take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. Repeat this step until you feel calm.
Talk to someone you trust. It can be a teacher, mentor, friend or family member.
Count backwards to refocus your concentration. This will give you time to think of what to do next.
Keep a journal and write how you are feeling. Keep track of what upset you and how you dealt with your anger.

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS CHANGE HOW YOU FEEL, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS CHOOSE HOW YOU ACT!

This doesn’t mean that you should ignore your feelings or pretend that you are okay when you are not.  This is advice to help you cope with bad situations in a empowered manner. This blog post is an excerpt from my book, “I Am More Than Just a Girl” available at morethanagirl.webs.com

What advice for stress or anger has been helpful to you? Please share in the comment box below.

🙂

Book Reviews, I Am More Than Just a Girl Book

You are Beautiful – book excerpt

Impower You

Go to the mirror right now and tell your reflection you love her.

Say clearly and out loud “I LOVE YOU”.

Love your body, it’s the only one you have. Be grateful for your body. Tell yourself that you are beautiful. Say clearly and out loud “I AM BEAUTIFUL”.

There are images everywhere of how people are supposed to look. You see models and movie stars with perfectly smooth skin, skinny bodies, wearing revealing clothing, painfully high heels and a gallon of makeup. This is only one idea of beauty. It is not real though. It is an illusion. You are being sold a way of looking and told you will only be beautiful if you look that way. It is just not true. You are beautiful. Look around you at your family, friends and strangers on the street. What do you see? Do you see perfection or do you see people who look different and beautiful? We are all beautiful in our own unique packaging.
We have different skin colors, heights, weights, hair colors, and textures. We have scars, some of us have lost limbs or lost hair, but we are still beautiful. We are not all shaped the same way. Some of us are very curvy, some of us not so much. We like to dress in colorful scarves, jeans, skirts, boots, sandals, T-shirts! We are casual, elegant, messy. We stand out! Beauty is up to you, the individual. It is what you see and love. We create our own definition that belongs to each us and it is not the same.
Don’t believe that you have to look a certain way to be beautiful.
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL no matter what anyone says.

Read more from my book here: MoreThanAGirl.webs.com

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FEATURES?  WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR BODY?

🙂

Art, Book Reviews

Love to Shop?

Impower You

When you need a gift for  a wonderful friend or when words do not feel like enough gratitude, check out the Live Laugh Love To Shop blog and website. They have a great selection of products for just about everyone. The name is a good indication about how much fun this blog is! You will find a wide assortment of beautiful gifts.  *Most are from small business owners and solopreneurs.

There are coupons and freebies as well. I suggest subscribing to the blog to stay updated.

If you are a blogger,  join in one of their blog hops to expand tour audience and find new blogs to follow.

http://livelaughlovetoshop.blogspot.com/

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Can you help us get to 500 and join our blograiser? You will also be part of our goal of empowering young women with resources and information. Check out this post for more information: https://writewhatuknow.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/the-500-blog-raiser-challenge/

Book Reviews

WooHoo for the #5!

Impower You

I love the #5 because Scully@Large is the 5th blogger to join my blograiser challenge.  Also with two more 0’s after 5 we will have reached 500!

If you are interested in a fresh view on politics as well as need some inspiration than Scully is for you!  One of my favorite inspirational posts from Scully is about the possibilities life has to offer everyone. My favorite quote from this post is  “Don’t be so zealous that you forget to do the little things that will make accomplishing the big things as special as you want them to be.” Because I think everyone can see how easy that is to do. We get so caught up in being the best and fulfilling our dreams that we can forget the little joys that make each day brighter, even the days where we fail.  http://scullynne.blogspot.com/2012/01/infinite-possibilities-of-life.html

After you have read the blog, you can subscribe to it in the sidebar area.  This is the easiest way to keep track of your favorite blogs.

Thank you for joining our challenge Sully and helping to empower young women along the way. You rock!

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Can you help us get to 500 and join our blograiser? You will also be part of our goal of empowering young women with resources and information. Check out this post for more information: https://writewhatuknow.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/the-500-blog-raiser-challenge/

Book Reviews

Bookend- What your teens are reading

Impower You

A great big SHOUT OUT to Dani at the blog, Bookend: A Teen Book Review Blog. She posted a wonderful review of my book, I Am More Than Just a Girl.
http://bookendbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-am-more-than-just-girl-empowered.html

On Bookend you will find a varied selection of great reads for middle school on up. She doesn’t just blog about teen romance, her topics range from humor and friendship to thrillers and politics. There are some that even adults will enjoy. The reviews are well written and comprehensive. There are several books she has reviewed that I recommended to my niece and my roommates daughter.

Dani herself aspires to be a published novelist in the future, so keep an eye on this blog.

YAY!This puts us at 4 blog posts about “I Am More Than Just a Girl” Can you help us get to 500 and join our blograiser? Check out this post for more information: https://writewhatuknow.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/the-500-blog-raiser-challenge/

Book Reviews

Banana Pudding!

Impower You

Banana Pudding is the first recipe I got to preview in this great cookbook. I am drooling with the idea of cooking some banana pudding right now. The book is titled “Stir, Laugh, Repeat” by Martha Cheves. What I love about this book is it has clever tips with the recipes on how to do things like peel a ornery egg or using seasoned stuffing mix instead of bread crumbs for meatloaf. As a vegetarian I love to make faux foods like soyloaf, using soyrizo instead of meat. It’s such a clever idea to add seasoned stuffing instead.

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Check out Martha’s book here: http://www.amazon.com/Stir-Laugh-Repeat-Martha-Cheves/dp/1604628189/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t/177-7096573-5175849

It’s the season for cooking, so this would be a great time to buy this book for yourself or a friend.