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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!