MISSED CHANCES

As soon as I read the first sentence of the caregiver’s email, I knew this message was different than any I had ever received. The hairs on my arms stood up as I absorbed each word that came uncomfortably close to home. It was a voice of heartache, wisdom, and urgency speaking directly to the parents of the 21st century: “I can recall a time when you were out with your children you were really with them. You engaged in a back and forth dialog even if they were pre-verbal. You said, ‘Look at the bus, see the doggie, etc.’ Now I see you on the phone, pushing your kids on the swings while distracted by your devices. You think you are spending time with them but you are not present really. When I see you pick up your kids at day care while you’re on the phone, it breaks my heart. They hear your adult conversations. What do they overhear? What is the message they receive? I am not important; I am not important.” In a 100-word paragraph this concerned woman who has cared for babies since 1977 revealed a disturbing recipe … How to Miss a Childhood. And because I possess hundreds of distraction confessions, including stories from my own former highly distracted life, I have all the damaging ingredients. All it takes is one child and one phone and this tragic recipe can be yours. How to Miss a Childhood *Keep your phone turned on at all times of the day. Allow the rings, beeps, and buzzes to interrupt your child midsentence; always let the caller take priority. *Carry your phone around so much that when you happen to leave it in one room your child will come running with it proudly in hand—treating it more like a much needed breathing apparatus than a communication device. *Decide the app you’re playing is more important than throwing the ball in the yard with your kids. Even better, yell at them to leave you alone while you play your game. *Take your children to the zoo and spend so much time on your phone that your child looks longingly at the mother who is engaged with her children and wishes she was with her instead. *While you wait for the server to bring your food or the movie to start, get out your phone and stare at it despite the fact your child sits inches away longing for you talk to him. *Go to your child’s sporting event and look up periodically from your phone thinking she won’t notice that you are not fully focused on her game. *Check your phone first thing in the morning … even before you kiss, hug, or greet the people in your family. *Neglect daily rituals like tucking your child into bed or nightly dinner conversation because you are too busy with your online activity. *Don’t look up from your phone when your child speaks to you or just reply with an “uh huh” so she thinks you were listening. *Lose your temper with your child when he “bothers” you while you are interacting with your hand-held electronic device. *Give an exasperated sigh when your child asks you to push her on the swing. Can’t she see you’re busy? *Use drive time to call other people regardless of the fact you could be talking to your kids about their day—or about their worries, their fears, or their dreams. *Read email and text messages at stoplights. Then tell yourself that when your kids are old enough to drive they won’t remember you did this all the time. *Have the phone to your ear when she gets in or out of the car. Convince yourself a loving hello or goodbye is highly overrated. Follow this recipe and you will have: • Missed opportunities for human connection • Fewer chances to create beautiful memories • Lack of connection to the people most precious to you • Inability to really know your children and them unable to know you • Overwhelming regret If you find this recipe difficult to read—if you find that you have tears in your eyes, I thank you, and your child thanks you. Here’s the thing: You don’t have to follow the above recipe. Yes, it is the 21st century. Yes, the whole world is online. Yes, the communications for your job are important. Yes, at times you must be readily available. But despite all those factors, you do not have to sacrifice your child’s childhood; nor do you have to sacrifice your life. It is not easy to consider the possibility that the distractions of the modern age have taken an undeserved priority over the people who matter in your life May I recommend this recipe instead? How to Grasp a Childhood: Look into her eyes when she speaks to you … Your uninterrupted gaze is love to your child.

Take time to be with him—really be with him by giving your full attention … The gift of your total presence is love to your child.

Hold her hand, rub his back, listen to her heart beat, and smooth his hair … Your gentle touch is love to your child.

Greet her like you missed her when she was not in your presence … Seeing your face light up when you see her is love to your child.

Play with him … Your involvement in his activities is love to your child.

Set an example of being distraction-free while driving … Positive role modeling behind the wheel is love (and safety) to your child.

Create a distraction-free daily ritual … Consistently making him a priority each day is love to your child.

Focus and smile at her from the stands, sidelines, or the audience … Seeing the joy on your face as you watch is love to your child.

The recipe for “How to Grasp a Childhood” requires only one thing: You must put down your phone. Whether it is for ten minutes, two hours, or an entire Saturday, beautiful human connection, memory making, and parent-child bonding can occur every single time you let go of distraction to grasp what really matters. The beautiful, life-changing results of your “Hands Free” action can start today … right now … the moment you put down the phone.

************************************************************ My life changed the day I stopped justifying my highly distracted life and admitted I was missing precious moments that I would never retrieve. I imagined my daughter standing on the stage of her high school graduation and asked myself: When she is 18 years old, will I wish I had spent more time on my phone/work/social life? Or will I wish I had spent more time investing in her? The answer was simple.

My hope is that this post inspires one person to become aware of how often he or she uses the phone (or computer) in the presence of a child. Please help spread this critical message by clicking “share.” By falling into the right hands, it could be the best gift ever received.

WaterMelon Salad...ummmmm..

Was at a friends house over the 4th and this is something that was brought. I had to share it also, as it was soooo delish...and easy enough to make. A great idea she said she got out of a Mom's blog, so enjoy and let me know if you liked it as well. Vicki Cool and crisp, this is the perfect salad to serve when it heats up outside. The sweet watermelon is balanced with tangy feta and the clean flavors of mint and lime. The vinaigrette is a delicious alternative to traditional lemon versions and would be delicious with grilled shrimp or chicken as well. Serves 6-8

Ingredients 3 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed 1 tbsp shallot, finely minced kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tbsp honey 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced 3 cups diced watermelon 1 cup feta, crumbled 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped Preparation To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl combine the lime juice, shallots, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the honey. Whisk in the olive oil to combine. Slice the fennel bulb in half through the core and use a paring knife to remove the core. Using a mandoline or slicing knife, slice the fennel into very thin pieces. In a large bowl, combine the fennel, watermelon, feta, and mint. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

The Reasons

Daily, I get people coming to me that either know me personally, or know me through something they have seen on the internet. They ask me how I am doing so well earning money from home, and I tell them this. Working from home is not as easy as some may think...after all, the farmer does it, and he is up from sunrise to sunset. The Avon lady does it, the Tupperware lady does it, etc...Other than the farmer, we are all network marketers. We have either chose to stay home, work from it, or circumstances has lead to it.Personally, it was the latter for me when I was pink-slipped. Sudden, and devastating to us. When approached to this side of the working spectrum, I was like all average people, thinking no way I could supplement my income I just lost with something like this. WELL, I WAS WRONG! Not only have I been able to do so, but have exceeded the income I was making. Nope, not been easy, but sure has not been hard. Some trial and errors, yes...and not knowing how to do such as this was hard at first. What has been a blessing though, is I joined a wonderful company first, that although was completely new to the market, has been OUTRAGEOUSLY SUCCESSFUL. It also was being run by folks just as small town as I, who were in different fields, and they were learning the marketing business as much as I was. That hard work paid off, and it is now a multi-million dollar business. Although I no longer distribute it(market it) I will tell anyone about it, and share it. I went on to look for something that would be more 'me' in terms that I am a 'help others' person. It took a couple of tries, but FINALLY I have found 'them'....lol...I didn't just find one, but two businesses that will allow me to help folks in ways that really is close to them. It is like couponing, you search for what you need, then find the best price and get it in some ways. Let me tell you though, the road I have chose here is not for everyone. I had to learn that. But what I have can be used by all, and they don't have to come aboard as marketers like myself to benefit from what I do. They can be free customers for their personal benefits. It is still helping them, and allows me the satisfaction knowing I am still doing what I love by helping. I hope to just share this ability with you today. I want to ask you to just look at my 2 wonderful reasons below that allow me to be here when Larry comes in for lunch. Allows me to keep my awesome grandson 2 days a week, getting to know him, play with him, bond with him. I love what I do, and the freedoms it has given. I thank God daily for the truth here as everyone told me nearly 4 yrs. ago....'When one door closes, another one opens.' "Have faith, for God will show you something new." He did...and I am loving it. Thank you to all who gave me back my faith then, and now. Thank you for taking the time to read this far. I hope you will take the time to see what has given me my income, my free time now with my family, and my sanity back! God Bless to you all! Vicki. http://ultimatepowerprofits.com/GreatDailyDeals http://greatdailydeals.igoshopping.info/ (both are with Global One Companies above) http://ilivingapp.com/vickicurry Mobile apps are a modern phenomenon. In a short period of time they have changed the way we do business, communicate with people, search for information, entertain ourselves and more. They are exciting and people naturally share or recommend a good app to others just because they like it. iLA. iLivingApp is a company that wants to do all of this and more. I want to encourage people with hope, a hope that they can reach new levels of success in their life — a hope to improve relationships, achieve goals, be motivated, increase finances and break free from debt while working with an exciting, cutting edge technology. If these things excite you and give you hope than welcome to iLA!