3 Tips for a Successful Unplugged Vacation

Whether it’s a vacation or a staycation, ramp up the relaxation by getting away from technology overload. Even if you can’t travel to a place with no cell service or Wi-Fi, you can still unplug and enjoy. Arm yourself with some survival tips for dealing with the urge to pull out your smartphone and have a wonderful time.

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In honor of all the trips we've been taking lately and just general summer fun, I have a guest blogger today!

I LOVE this post because I struggle with this A LOT. Enjoy!

 

Barbara Boser is a Presidential Diamond Distributor with It Works Global.  She has built her business online since March of 2009 and spends her time helping people get healthier and wealthier.  Her favorite past time is traveling and she resides in Los Angeles, CA.

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Go Off The Grid

A Prosper Mobile Insights survey found that nearly 80 percent of mobile users brought and used their tablet or smartphone while on vacation. If you’re an Internet power user and you just can’t help yourself, choose a place where you simply cannot connect to the web, no matter what. Plenty of popular eco-tourism destinations offer this benefit. Some have electricity and other conveniences, while others will have you roughing it in nature. If you want to get off the grid cheaply, it’s pretty simple. Buy a tent, head to the nearest state park campground and leave your tech gadgets back at home. If you’re worried about making emergency calls, grab an inexpensive, disposable phone.

Schedule Tech Time

If you don’t want to commune with nature and no 4G, but you do want your kids to stop texting long enough to enjoy some family time, then make a schedule. One hour a day is plenty for most people to catch up on Facebook and clear out their emails. If you have kids, choose a time of day appropriate for them to chat with friends, like the hour after dinner. This can let everyone have a break from each other at the end of long days. Choosing an early evening time also keeps you from viewing bright screens too late at night, which prevents proper melatonin production and interrupts sleep.

Survival Tips

Whether you go off the grid completely or just set some parameters for tech use, here are some helpful tips to keep you on track and off your phone.

●       Wear a watch. So many of us don’t wear a watch anymore. We check the time on our smartphones. If you’re going gadget-free, make sure to wear a watch, not only so you’ll be able to check the time, but also fight the urge to look at your phone at all.

●       Set a vacation email response for work and personal accounts. Make sure your response includes your return date or the date you intend to reply by. This ensures that no matter how important the email is, the sender will know why you haven’t responded and when to expect to hear back from you. This goes for voicemail, too.

●       Pack a camera. If you tend to take snapshots with your smartphone, you’ll need an alternative. If you don’t already own one, simple point-and-shoot digital cameras are very affordable now. Plus, you’ll have it on hand for your next tech-free trip. If you don’t want to buy a new camera, you could skip taking any photos at all and simply enjoy the beautiful memories.

●       Bring a paperback. Remember flipping paper pages? Tucking a book into your beach bag? Yes, that. So many e-readers are capable of web browsing. If that temptation isn’t too much for you, using the device may still kick your brain into “tech mode,” so consider hitting the local library or bookstore on your way to destination.

●       Change your passwords.  Have your family members change each others passwords and keep them a secret until you return home.  Not being able to log in to Facebook or Twitter or even your email can cure the temptation.

●       Buy a map. Try finding the locations that you want to see without following the little blue dot around.

Most importantly, stick to your decision to get away from technology. You’re just “one, quick email” away from transforming your entire mindset away from relaxed, vacation mode to work mode.

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Told you! Great Post! Ah I have to really work on this. Thank your for giving me a bloggy break today, Barbara!

Don't forget to check out Barbara on her It Works Global site and Facebook.

Vacation on your mind now? Check out my Charleston to Bahamas Carnival Cruise post for a good laugh and some pretty pictures. :)

My Story: Finding a Blogging Family {Part Three} + Giveaway

Earlier I was writing some snail mail cards to a few of my Project Dream friends and it occurred to me that this story of becoming a blogger and how I monetized my blog really isn't complete if I don't mention the amazing women/friends/fellow-bloggers/family who encourage and support me on a daily basis.

When I talked about how I monetized my blog (better than affiliate marketing, sponsorships, etc.), I introduced you to Project Dream International. If you go to the site or follow our Facebook page at all, you can see that we are clearly a fun group of women who mean business! What you might not realize is that we are all bloggers. It's how we all met!

If you have been on Pinterest at all lately or attended a blogging conference, I'm sure you've heard the blogging tribe buzz. The experts say it's crucial and for more reasons than just exposure. A blogging tribe supports you, give you ideas, picks you up when you're discouraged, helps cheer on accomplishments, and motivates you with the best training. Or at least that's what mine does.

We don't call ourselves a tribe, though. We're just Project Dream because dreams are our mission. We aren't limited to only 10 people and we don't have rules about keeping the size of our blogs near each other. Everyone is in different parts of the journey. And that's okay because we're not really a traditional tribe- we're family.

A few years ago I was feeling in a rut. My handful of good friends are ones I've had since middle school (or earlier) and the further I got into adulthood, the harder it became to make new ones. Enter Project Dream... not one of these women lives in the same state as I do, yet I talk to them on a weekly basis, texting, on Facebook, and through the cards that I sent out today. They are there for me in every aspect, not just blogging. They are amazing friends.

Well, I've gushed enough about how great they are. How about a fun look back at this last year? I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas to meet up with them and attend some conferences. Meeting in person isn't a requirement- I was very blessed to have been able to.

Dallas- Me and Katie from Building a House of Love.

Dallas- Vicki, Mary, Erin, Katie, Me, and Claire and our friend Juan who we met in Los Angeles. He's awesome.

Chicago- Krysta, Me, Jenn, Bonnie, and Mary

 We actually stayed at Bonnie's house and this was my first time meeting my PDI friends in person. It was so much fun! Mary is actually laughing in this picture. She's a hoot. :)

One of the nights we went on a field trip to Trader Joe's. It was my first time and it was awesome! Of course we were in our pj's and cracking jokes with the few people left working there that late. Always a good time. :)

The Heasleys (how cool are they!? 12 kids!), Jenn, Susie, Krysta, Mary, Bonnie, Elisabeth, and Me

 Oh yeah, and we did attend a great conference and learned a lot besides which TJ yogurt I like best. Here is even more of the group... (ignore my awkward pose)

Funny thing- I can't find any pictures of me with the ladies in Los Angeles, but I know there must be some. Maybe we were just too busy laughing to remember pictures? That was a fun and funny weekend!

Most exciting for me about this walk down memory lane is that I get to see many of these women and meet even more at the Shaklee Global Conference in just a few days!!! I'm so excited to see them all again and do some in-person brainstorming and keep building our businesses and blogs. :)

Blogging friends who I will get to see again or meet in Nashville this week:

Ring Around the Rosies; My Other Shoe; Eyes on the Source; Happy, Healthy, and Domestic; Raising Daisies; Claire's Healthy Home; Beauty Blondie; Erin Branscom; Krysta Steen; Bonnie Donahue; Blissfully Ever After; Parents of a Dozen; The Home Tipster; Pearls, Paisley, and Petticoats

If you would like to be a part of this awesome group of women, go to Project Dream's website and sign up to learn more! No feeling nervous! :) We're all strangers at first, yet all looking for the same things out of life, which is part of why it's so easy to bond. We'd love to have you!

Okay, now GIVEAWAY TIME! :)

In celebration of my first time in Nashville I am giving away a gorgeous pair of earrings from Lauren Amos Designs. These are the same that the main character, Rayna James, from the TV show Nashville wore. I bought a pair for myself because I love them so much! lol.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll be wearing these plenty while in Nashville. :) I can't wait! Good luck!!!

 

Holt International: Child Sponsorship {Charity Sunday}

Someday soon I'll tell you a little story about how Kent and I became foster-parents, but first I want to tell you about another charitable act that I love: Holt International Child Sponsorship. We were first introduced to Holt at a concert about 2 years ago. They had tables lined up with pictures of children, who live all over the world, and need donations to provide for food, clothes, and a home. I was instantly drawn to a little girl named Lucille.

As a Catholic I was confirmed into the Catholic Church taking the name of a Saint. I chose my childhood favorite: Saint Lucy. Something about Lucy's story of courage moved me as a child and really stuck with me. This child, Lucille, from the Philippines seemed like a great way to honor my faith as an adult.

Of course you don't have to be Catholic to love Holt International! In fact, I'm pretty sure Holt isn't with any particular denomination- they're just Christian. James 1:27

You can choose a child from Holt's sponsorship page here. I know it might seem a little funny to be choosing the "golden" child, but it really keeps you interested. Every few months or so we receive updates on Lucille's health. Unfortunately, she has some very serious issues and will likely not be adopted. But the child you choose could be, so you can continue to choose new children over the years. One speaker at the concert even talked about how they sponsored a child for a while until they eventually felt a calling to adopt the child themselves, so they started the adoption process. Woah!

via Holt

You don't have to go that far, but you can help. We put Lucille's picture on our fridge. We sent her a card on her birthday, we tell our son that we are helping this child (planting seeds), and we pray for her. As our son gets older and we have more children, I hope to continue with this charity and teach my kids that these sponsored children are spiritual siblings in a way. I want my kids to learn how to pray for them and care about these children that they don't really know. Call it stepping blocks to a faith-filled life.

Since I know $30/month can be hard for many of us, I'd like to also mention Holt's Gift of Hope program. This can be a great program to teach kids how to save money for a goal. Oh that's hard! With a gift of hope, your family can work to save money year-round, pick out a gift together, and then celebrate the purchase together once enough money is saved. Having a goal to work towards may be more intriguing for some kids. :)

via Holt

Whether you donate with Holt or research to find someone else, I hope this gets you thinking of great charitable activities that you can be doing with your children, even as young as 1 and 2yo.

Happy Sunday!

Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse- Master Bedroom + Laundry Room

The Master Bedroom is a very tricky room (in my opinion). On one hand you may want it to have it's own style, very different from the rest of the house, but on the other hand it still needs to be able to flow together all right. The Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse has a master bedroom that I would definitely love to call home! Complete with a giant bathroom and a back deck escape.

What would your husband have to say about those pink chairs in the bedroom? :) I love them, but I'm pretty sure they would get an eyebrow raise or two out of Kent. lol Oh well, he could always just relax in this bathtub and get over it...

Check out my Instagram feed for a video of the bathroom. My photography skills aren't quite good enough to capture the enormous closetS, but wow were they awesome!

On the opposite side is the entrance exit to the back porch. Swoon with me.

The porch goes across the back of the house with doors leading in/out from the hallway and one of the other bedrooms.  I'm saving the other bedrooms for tomorrow, but here is the stunning hallway... Can you imagine reading a book here while the breeze blows over you?

The pink benches are quite genius really. The hallway was a perfect place for a blank canvas, to start all over with colors and get away from the ones that overtook downstairs (blue, green, yellow, coral). By placing these stunning benches in the hallway, the bright pink seating in the master bedroom seemed less shocking when walking through.

I'm not sure how much use the benches would get, but this area was a favorite for visitors. Everyone wanted to stop and have a seat to admire the rooms from the hall. And that plank siding- EXACTLY what I've been dreaming of doing to one wall in our bedroom.

Since tomorrow's post is going to be jam packed with two bedrooms, I'm going to share the laundry room here. If you're standing on the porch, looking straight into this hallway/sitting area, the stairs to the third floor and door to the laundry room are right in front of you...

Hello beautiful storage! EVERYone was opening the cabinets in the stairs. Some were drawers and some were just big, open spaces. A certain other blogger (ahem, Lianne) may have stepped inside one of them. :)

Whew! Are you on picture overload yet? I hope not! We still have 2 more posts to go- Bedrooms and the Studio Apartment are up next Friday and Saturday!

Pillows and Cushions- Sunbrella /  Outdoor Lighting- Bevolo /  Outdoor Seating- Lloyd Flanders

Faucet and Sink- Moen / Furniture- Laura Ashley / Lighting- Circa Lighting

As always, I'd love to know what your favorite part was! I think I'm going with the porch this time- it had the most amazing breeze up there, even in the dead of summer. 

Part One- Outside / Part Two- Office + Den + Mudroom / Part Three- Living room  

Part Four- Kitchen + Dining

Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse- Kitchen + Dining

No long waits this time! I'm back with the kitchen and dining areas of the Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse! With all of the bold colors that we saw in Parts 2 and 3, the design team took a more subtle approach to the kitchen, allowing the small accents to be the color highlights.

The tile is a lot like the quatrefoil I love! It was an inspiration for our DIY backsplash which I will be sharing next week! :)

Music throughout the house? Woohoo! Party time.

So what do you think? I like that they let the blue ceiling from the outside flow to the dining area. And I also like that there's just one, nice, big table instead of this and a larger one in a formal dining area (which is where the office is). Beautiful, subtle touches in this part of the house- exactly what was needed!

Faucet and Sink- Moen / Furniture- Laura Ashley / Lighting- Circa Lighting

The tour is far from over! Tomorrow we'll head upstairs to the Master Bedroom. ah, luxury.

Part One- Outside / Part Two- Office + Den + Mudroom / Part Three- Living room

Stage My Home: Straighten Up {Week 3}

In Week 1 of Stage My Home we talked about cleaning up, but unfortunately some home owners also need a lesson in straightening up. I can't say it enough- that MLS picture you are posting online matters! As the market is heating up, staging your home is more important than ever. The real estate schools in Charleston are completely booked through the end of July already. Unfortunately, they apparently don't give the realtors many lessons in good home staging and picture taking. Shame.

This post is particularly painful for me since I did something weird to my neck in Pilates last night. Particularly painful post post-Pilates pain. Say that 5 times fast. I dare you.

Oh yeah, back to today's lesson- try not to strain yourself with this one...

via Charleston MLS- Asking $265K

There are only 3 possible explanations for this-

1. They're too lazy to hit the rotate button.
2. They don't care enough to learn how. OR
3. They have some serious grounds for a lawsuit against that builder!

I can't believe I just had to say that. Tragic. These homeowners aren't alone in this though. I saw WAY TOO many MLS listings with this same pain-in-the-neck type of photo. Dear Seller, I want to think of your home as my dream home retreat (or at least potentially), not as a pain in the neck. That makes sense, right?

Okay, now on to the beauty. Although I think I might be spoiling y'all with the Coastal Living Showhouse Tour that is also going on!

376 Ralston Creek

That staircase is gorgeous! Oh and that pool! aahhh. Yet another $5M Charleston real estate beauty. And none of the pictures caused me neck pain. Winner!

Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse- Living room

It's back! You've been so patient waiting for the rest of the Coastal Living 2013 Showhouse tour! All eyes are on the living room today. It was gorgeous! I want you to keep in mind two things: 1. Besides the bold colors, what stands out as the most different to you about this living room? 2. Does this make you think of any designer in particular? (thinking a well-known HGTV one) And yes, I deeply wish that "living room" was just one word! gah that's so annoying.

I love that there is bronze, silver, and gold in the room. As someone who frequently mixes metals just because I feel like it, I appreciate the affirmation. :)

Anyone else considering painting their living room completely white now? Oh so gorgeous! And those kids' seats under each window- Adorable!!!

I'm in love with a couch. This fits perfectly with my plan to decorate my house like Good Luck Charlie.

Furniture- Laura Ashley / Eco Furniture- Lee Industries / Lighting- Circa Lighting

I LOVED those framed maps! So simple and yet the simplicity is what draws the eye to them amongst all those bright colors. I've been thinking of adding maps somewhere in our home and now it's a definite!

Okay, I turned into chatty cathy for this post. :) I just love every bit of this room so much! This last picture brings me to- Did you notice what's so different? The fun part is that it's the lack of noticing that made me notice the difference. lol Go with me here...

Notice that there is a fireplace? Yet, no big mantel, huge mantel decorations, extravagant things around the fireplace. In fact, they placed 2 giant poufs right in front, as if to say the fireplace isn't even there! Yes, that painting on the mantel is beautiful and surely caught your eye, but did you really even notice the fireplace? I feel like most homes place such importance on the hearth as the center of the decor. Many even flag the fireplace with a giant flatscreen (oh the horror!- I'm not judging, I just can't stomach it in my own home). I love that they placed the importance on seating- and lots of it.

Okay, so what was your favorite part from today??? Mine is a toss up between that amazing couch and those maps. Tomorrow we move into the kitchen and dining area!

Oh yeah! And that second question- Remind you of any designer? I couldn't stop thinking about Emily Henderson! In a totally platonic, I love your designs skilz, can I be your BFF way.

 Part One- Outside / Part Two- Office + Den + Mudroom