Speak to any mama about motherhood or any parenting & you’ll pretty much get the gist that they love it. It’s a tough job no doubt, long hours, no monetary pay but we wouldn’t change it for the world! I read every book on the market, a plethora of parenting articles & had countless conversations…but no one it mattered. Well, okay, that’s drastic lol. But seriously, I was NOT prepared for what smacked me in the face! This is a list of what has taken a toll on me personally & has needed the most attention to overcome.
Sleep
What does that word even mean?! I prepared myself for sleepness nights but my goodness! In my experiences at least, no matter what age your kid is, you’ll never get proper rest again. Even if you’ve passed the newborn or toddler stage, there is always something to keep you up, Be it a dream, potty calls, or just wanting cuddles. IF they actually sleep soundly-you’ll be up, with a wandering mind.
Judgers
People will judge you. It’s tough. They will criticize you & many will condemn you if they can. Other peoples thoughts, opinions, or even statements are NONE of your concern. Try your best never to let others negative words fester in your spirit. You can’t please everyone. Someone somewhere will always disagree with you or your decisions. Respectfully, agree to disagree & carry on.
Marriage
Your marriage will go through rough patches, be it due to co-sleeping & having a continental divide or Daddy unable to rest after a
longgg
day… things will get shaky…hang on tight & be strong! Learning how to live as a family after living as a couple can take some time.
Guilt
You’ll go through a considerable A LOT of feelings of guilt. Feelings of unworthiness. Like you aren’t doing a good job or not cut out for motherhood. Get that out of your head right now. You are worthy & called to do this. He who is greater is FOR you & with Him, you are enough.
Balance
Managing a home is tough work! We’re constantly playing a balancing act to keep it all together. There will be many great days…but there will also be times it’ll feel like a hot mess & times where it’ll all fall apart. But that’s okay. Rise up & try one more time. Take each day, just a day or a moment at a time. Because your limits will be pushed, Your sanity will be tested & your boundaries will be no more. Remember that family comes first.
Friendships
You may become scarce in this department. Friends who you had or thought would stick around may not. The differences in seasons of lives will make friends drift apart. Mothers & wives don’t always have a lot in common with single, child-free women. This was extremely tough for me because although I’m an introvert & never had a crowd of friends, I value relationships dearly…So when I lost touch with that, it was definitely a tough experience to overcome & a hard pill to swallow. But, dear friend- there is hope! These experiences
will create
growth in you like you never imagined! When you do make new friends, you’ll appreciate the connection of your newfound relationship as a mother 🙂
Loneliness
Despite being in a household full of children & an amazing husband, well, you will get very lonely. For me, of course, I love my children dearly & I know you do too, but we need interactions & conversations that are much deeper & thought-provoking than the dinner menu or what happened on paw patrol! LOL
Please tell me I am not alone here?! What about you?
How to make an empty house a home in just a few days!
• Can’t paint your whole house?- Add wooden borders to the bottom of walls all along house…and borders (paper or paint) along top or middle as well.
• Lighter walls make small spaces seem larger: Place furniture along walls for small spaces and embrace mirrors!
• Less is more in a home in every area
Not staying long or can’t afford to furnish immediately?
Here are some ideas…
Living room area– stop at resale shops/charity shops/garage sales/ your friend’s storage unit LOL and ask around for unused and unwanted items… you’ll be surprised at what you can find this way! Or you can furnish your home the way I have done countless times-with amazon!
Because we travel so frequently and don’t own a home, we always have a vacant apartment to fill.
This is what I’ve done:
We’ve purchased inflatable sofas.
And when dressed with pillows they can be a lot of fun!
If a television is needed- Walmart is your friend with cheap TVs and stands/otherwise your computer is just perfect!
Get yourself a picnic table for cheap- and toss a nice tablecloth over it… Any chair will do and you can place chair pillows on tops of these.
Furnish your kitchen with what the dollar store and Walmart has to offer! They can even be cheaper than the dollar store and offer better quality on some items. Like utensils such as spoons and forks but the dollar store is better for those small items like cutting boards and tongs etc
Ditto for bathroom needs such as shower curtains etc Amazon & your typical local superstore will have nice selections of rugs for cheap and bathroom essentials that go a long way to make a house much cozier.
Now, I give these suggestions, assuming you’ll be living in this new space short-term…IF it will be long-term, I’d suggest, trying as best you can to save to buy better quality items from other stores. Buying quality items may have a high up-front cost…but will last SO much longer 🙂
…Because we have strict limitations with weight and dimensions, these are some of the things I do & bring along to help make our travel homes feel more like home:
Things I Bring:
• Removable wall decals • Lightweight Artwork (This could be quality artwork that’s printed & laminated or a small lightweight canvas & photos) • Over-the-door hooks • Lightweight play-mats • 1-2 sets of sheets • Photos • Books (paperback only) • Dry-erase markers • Select toys • Poster putty • Adjustable suction cup hooks Things I Do: • Save & reuse glass food jars, buy paint & decorate • Draw, paint, color some more & display • Write on our mirrors, refrigerator, dishwasher & any other workable/washable surface • Maintain consistency with house decor
Simply put, Heights is an online platform that allows people to build and sell online courses and digital products.
“…is the all-in-one course creation software, built to help you sell digital products and content through your own branded online courses, on your own domain. We are the first platform designed to help students achieve results by transforming what they learn into action through project-based learning. Heights Platform helps coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs, and digital marketers create online courses and complete learning platforms to monetize knowledge, without giving away a percentage of their earnings.”
Where Can I Make My Purchase & What’s The Investment?
This course platform can currently be found on a truly* one-time deal starting at just $79 (Normally ~$1000/year). *Heights creator Bryan has already noted that this deal will NEVER be available on Appsumo AGAIN.
One code will provide you, 100-course students. When you “stack” more codes, you’ll unlock approximately 400-500 additional students with each additional code. If, for some reason, you find your brand going viral, growing, etc., and you have an influx of students, fret not! You’ll have the ability to purchase an “add-on” (which can always be downgraded or canceled at any time) for about $19/month for each bundle of 500 additional students needed. We never “lose” our lifetime Appsumo status. Phew.This makes it an incredible offer and a real steal. This deal (and company) are truly set to help us succeed in the most cost-effective way possible!
How Does Heights Compare To Other Platforms (Like Teachable, Podia & Thinkific)?
Unlike other course platforms online, Heights Platform “aims to help facilitate results for your students, because your long-term success depends on that of your students.”Heights has many unique features to help keep our students engaged. Their platform encourages them to demonstrate what they’ve learned by putting it into action and gaining peer feedback. Most, if not all other course platforms simply aren’t as robust as Heights. They can’t do EVERYTHING in one place and what winds up happening is creators attempt to close this gap by offering a “private fb community” >cue eye roll< This is SO much better than that. #ohandyouwontbedatastalked Keep reading so you can discover alllll the cool features Heights has to offer that makes them a truly one of kind platform.
How Can I Make $$$$ With This Platform?
Create a digital product
If you created an ebook, journal or digital printable of ANY kind, and priced this at say- $9 (looking at a lowww bare minimum) and made only 1 sale a day…You’re looking at over $3,000/year of a nearly passive income. You’d theoretically make your investment hundreds of times over! (Disclaimer: I’m providing these examples solely for illustrative purposes. The examples do not guarantee you will make profits of any said amounts, if anything at all.)
Create a course
Same idea here. Let’s look at another figure. If you created a course and decided to charge just $49 for it and made just 1 sale a day, you’re looking at over $17,000/year. Again, making this deal a TOTAL no brainer.
Accept payments via PayPal or stripe
NOTE: If you don’t want to use Stripe or Paypal* You, too, can still collect payments via whatever third party checkout system you’re using via Zapier. Yesss!!!!
Apply to become an affiliate if you love the platform
Heights Creator, Bryan, has been extremely active in the questions/comments/forum section on the Appsumo website. Also, every query I’ve made online-resulted with an answer within 24 hours TOPS. (Yea, I ask a sh*t ton of questions LOL & I don’t always pack them neatly into one email like this post)
For specific issues, you can email Heights Support at [email protected]
OR: Check their knowledge base at heightsplatform.com/knowledgebase Watch Bryan give an in-depth walk-through here: https://youtu.be/moVgADtCRug
If you have any questions or feature requests, they are quick to respond. Honestly, this earned high praise here. Bryan’s responsiveness has been nothing short of superb and I’ve never received service like this with Teachable, Thinkific or Podia (or any other provider I’ve worked with, including ones I actively use!)
What Are Some Pros & Cons Of Heights?
PROS:
Low upfront cost, lifetime deal, no monthly fees
Quick setup (no wasting hours upon hours on design, style or branding)
No additional plugins = no heavy non-sense slowing down your website (looking at you woo-commerce)!
Enhanced security
Community features/ discussion boards/built-in forum
No transaction fees (this is HUGE)
Cheap video hosting
No branding/White label branding
Custom domain w/ FREE SSL
fully responsive landing page banner
Unlimited courses
Unique “CLIMB” layout (gives a bird’s eye view on the overall course content and drag & drop rearrangement)
The ability to bounce around between Outline, Editor, Teacher, and Student views is fantastic. You don’t have to guess what the experience is going to look like in the end as you’re designing away. #hellofrontend&backendinone.
“Project” system
It’s robust. With a ton of in-depth features (check them out below) you’ll easily replace other services and Heights becomes an all-in-one solution.
Gamification. This goes a long way in learning environments!
Membership creation: There are tons of social/community features on this platform. You can sell enrollments to your program on a subscription basis and provide unlimited discussion boards and discussion board groups for your students. Student profiles show activity and badges earned. There’s also the unique project posts feature which allows students to share what they’ve built with their new knowledge as well as comment and vote on the posts from their peers.
CONS:
Traditional UI: Although not horrible, the UI can be improved
No examples of existing users: I was hoping to see a LIVE example and couldn’t find one. Although, Heights does say they have several clients/companies (None as large as say Apple or Google)
Certificates: One user complained about the ability to provide certificates. Or lack thereof, I should say, without the use of a third party. However, Heights continues to HEAR customer feedback and continues to add these features and more on their roadmap. So, fingers crossed.
Integrated quizzes (may not be a make or break it for some, BUT there IS a solution)
Using Heights “project” feature (instead of quizzes) you are asking your students to discover, learn, ACT and come back to share the progress. THIS is a much more effective strategy for testing and growing opposed to asking questions immediately after completing a lesson.
We have a vision of assessment tools that can provide something better than a standard multiple choice quiz -Heights Platform
The following are some popular choices for embedding quiz content into your lessons:
If you have a specific feature request email Heights at[email protected]
Mommas, if you want to make money from teaching others what you already know, then you should seriously consider Heights. <<<That’s a list of over 30 ideas you could use to create your next course (using the knowledge you already have and are probably sharing for free!)
Emotional overeating disorders can be difficult and devastating for those who suffer from them. What makes this happen? Why is it that some people, knowingly or unknowingly, turn to food for comfort? Here are some thoughts on those questions. Emotional overeating disorder is a general term that refers to any of various eating habits where genuine hunger is not the motivational factor.
It’s more common among women than men, but men are not immune – especially young men in their teens and twenties. Those who suffer from this disorder associate food with emotional comfort, and will turn to eating to escape negative feelings.
Past Trauma
For some with emotional overeating disorder, the problem stems from past traumatic events. Someone who suffered sexual abuse, for example, or some other kind of sexual trauma may overeat in response to feelings of anxiety and confusion. The result is a fatter body, which some sources suggest may cause the sufferer to feel “protected” from being attractive to the opposite sex. Subconsciously or consciously, the sufferer wants to be unattractive. Other examples of past trauma or unmet needs may cause a person to turn to emotional overeating. Have you noticed this within yourself? Or someone you know? When I first learned this, it was a lightbulb moment.
During my younger years (I feel so old writing it that way) I was abused. And I’ve struggled with emotional eating for what feels like my whole damn life. I’d never connected those dots. Maybe you haven’t either. There’s no rulebook on what this looks like. And if you’re like me, maybe you’ve never looked overweight (keyword look, as many women, especially Latinas can be technically overweight and look amazing) so you think this doesn’t apply to you. Well, let me tell you that that isn’t true.
I also remember changing my personal style, in an attempt to hide my body. But mostly I ate. I ate ice cream and carbs and then some more. It’s so easy to find comfort in food, isn’t it? It’s delicious, comforting and doesn’t even tell you-you’re well. A well-made meal, dessert or snack will welcome being eaten. As it looks so beautifully prepared ready to make your taste buds dance.
Poor Self-Image
People who suffer from low self-esteem and a negative self-image may seek escape by overeating. In a way, emotional overeating is a physical expression of what the sufferer feels inside, and the resulting weight projects the same image of self-disrespect. Ugh. You know this feeling too don’t you? Tell me I’m not alone. You staring at -said- food item and its just staring right back. Tempting you. Laughing. A battle you know you won’t win. So, hell you eat it because you look feel like crap anyway. Gosh, I hate this feeling. Being stuck. Feeling defeated. But you can overcome this. I’ve come such a long way and so can you. Keep reading.
Self-Medication
Like alcoholics, those who struggle with emotional overeating may be unconsciously using food as a drug. Eating numbs the emotions that feel be too hard to deal with otherwise. Sigh. Guilty.
Identify the emotion(s) you’re feeling
Write it down
Figure out the source. Why are you feeling this way? What’s the experience causing it?
Write down everything that can go bad
Then write down everything that can go well
Finally, make some tea, coffee or chew peppermint (I find it suppresses hunger) & LIG IT. #letitgo
Depression
Studies indicate a strong correlation between depression and emotional overeating. Ironically, sometimes as depression grows worse a sufferer loses weight; weight loss means the sufferer is not eating as much, and therefore not engaging in his or her coping mechanism. If you’re feeling depressed, obviously I recommend professional help. Seek your people. Those close to you. Ones you love. As comforting as eating can be. Trust me, I know. I know.
Stress
Prolonged, unrelieved stress can have a profound effect on the body. Stress stimulates the body to produce, among other chemicals, the hormone cortisol. Cortisol apparently has a hunger-stimulating effect, and as the stressful emotions increase along with the cortisol, a cycle of emotional eating can play out. Find your stressors! I can’t stress this enough. Once you find them, work through the exercise above and work on shifting your mindset.
Individual Triggers
There are triggers or causes of emotional overeating that are not necessarily in the categories above. Some examples might be:
* Boredom
* Oral need or a need to satisfy your mouth’s need to do something
* Social pressure or embarrassment at eating in public, resulting in overeating in private
