Thank A Teacher

I couldn’t let the week go by without sending out a great BIG ThAnK YoU to all of our readers who are teachers!  As our country celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Week I want to remind you all that whether you are teaching first graders (as I did for 8 years!), Sunday school, high school, music, art, coaching little league, teaching your granddaughter to sew, or your children how to plant a garden…YoU ArE making a difference in the life of a child!

A truly special teacher is very wise, and sees tomorrow in every child’s eyes.  ~Author Unknown

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{My Published Book}

If you’ve been following the Suede Sofa, you are no doubt familiar with what we call the “LiVe-It LiSt” which is similar to a bucket list but with the focus on living every day to the full rather than on dying.  With the “Live-It List” I  was DeTeRmiNeD to take care of all my “unfinished business” in 2012.  One of those items was to PubLiSh a book that has been saved on my computer for nearly three years.  Well, I can now check that item off my list.  My books were delivered to my house this past Friday.  What made this accomplished goal even SwEeTeR is that my family, father-in-law, and Lara’s family were there to witness me cutting open the box and seeing my book for the very first time.  A very sweet moment indeed.

My book, “The Truth Behind Real Success”, compares the definition of success given to us by our society and culture with that of real, AuThEnTiC success.  For more information you can check it out at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-truth-behind-real-success-robynn-k-coates/1110419766?ean=9781619969445

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+truth+behind+real+success%22

Put Your Blinders On

Do you make decisions based on the people around you?  DeeP dOwN did you decide to buy a new car because all your friends and family recently upgraded theirs?  Did you put your kid in t-ball because you felt the pressure from the other parents?  Have you recently felt the need to go on an extreme diet because you bumped into an old classmate that lost a bunch of weight?

Whether it is what you buy, the vocation you choose, how you raise your kids, or the way you live your life, we must ask ourselves this question:

If I couldn’t see others and what they are doing, would I still be making the same decisions? 

Source

So many times we forget to think on our own because we are heavily influenced by other people.  Doug and I talk about this a lot.  In our decison making we have to constantly remind ourselves that, if we didn’t care what others thought, would we still go down the same path?

Taking buying a home for example.  Would you have purchased your home if you didn’t know what type of home everyone else lived in? Without thinking about it, you went house hunting feeling obligated to want certain things because you knew what other people have.  Even though they weren’t there, the influence talked you into buying an expensive home, and you are left with the stress of keeping up with the payments.   (If you are in a financial struggle, read our finance posts for help)

When you are at a crossroad to make a decision, ask yourself WHO you are doing it for. Like a race horse with blinders on, tune out what’s going on around you and focus on what YOU want.  It isn’t always easy, but living YOUR life will be the ulimate pRiZe when reaching the finish line. 

~Lara

Tired of keeping up with the Jonses?  Read my post called Goodbye Jonses! Hello Freedom!

Are You Focused?

Have you stayed focused on the goals you set for yourself to accomplish before the summer months hit?  Are there areas you need to target as the weather warms up and the BBQ’s get grilling?  I think we all start out with great intentions to succeed, but somehow LiFe just gets in the way of achieving our goals.

For me the struggle continues to be diet and exercise.  I’m not going to lie…It’s been weeks since I wrote a post about starting The Lazy Girls Workout and this lazy girl has not worked out OnCe since that day.  That is unless you count a few games of freeze tag around the yard with my son, but other than that…NoThInG!

I think when life gets too hectic to find time for ourselves or when we are finding it hard to get moving (in my case literally GeT MoViNg!) it is important to find things to use a motivators.  For me it is going to be my new right out of the box Lands End bathing suit.  Don’t give up on your goals…we all have time to get back in the GaMe!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Fish Tacos}

I must admit I’m not a big fish person.  But when Scott came up with this twist on fish tacos I knew this was one fish recipe I could enjoy.  (It’s healthy too!)

Fish Tacos

Makes about 6 tacos.

1.) Corn Tortillas – Scott made these from scratch. (Just follow the directions on the back of corn masa flour if you want the more authentic version.)

2.) Fish


Salt fish before dredging in flour.  Saute in olive oil on high heat (about 2 minutes/side) until browned.

  • 2 Tuna steaks (tuna is are our favorite, however, you can use any firm white fish such as talapia or cod)
  • 1/2 c. Curry powder

3.) Greek Yogurt Sauce

  • 1/2 c. Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. cumin
  • 1/4 c. cilantro
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • tabasco sauce (optional)

4.) Slaw

  • 1 c. red cabbage shredded
  • 1 c. mango diced
  • 1/4 c. diced jicama or apple (optional)
  • 1/4 c. cilantro
  • 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • jalapeno

Dice your vegetables.

Assemble.

Enjoy!!

:)

Robynn~

The ReAL ME…

I recently read a facebook post from a college friend. Much like the writers of this blog, she is a “get real” kind of gal. This week she decided to go against the status quo and post the top ten “not so appealing” qualities about herself and her daily life. I know I share many HONEST moments with you, but thought this may be a different and fun way for you to learn more about the “not so appealing” parts of me! So here it goes…

1) I spend most days wearing the same outfit I wore to bed the night before (usually a t-shirt and sweats).

2) Many days I don’t look in the mirror or get around to brushing my teeth until after lunchtime.

3) Even though I was a major neat freak growing up, I go to bed with a messy house and dirty piles of laundry in my bedroom.

4) I have a major sweet tooth and often eat milk and cookies within an hour of going to bed!

5) I yell at my kids when I’m stressed.

6) I am not a very good gift giver. I’m lucky enough if I remember to buy a person a card for a special occasion.

7) I get cold sores when I am stressed and am extremely embarrassed to go out in public when I get them.

8) I eat when I am anxious, bored, upset, sad, happy….you name it!  I even eat after I am already stuffed.

9) I rarely mop the floor, even when I know guests are coming! I find it pointless since the kids will spill something on it within minutes anyway.

10) I don’t wear sunscreen every time I step out the door, even though I already had 4 pre-cancerous moles surgically removed.

11) I let my kids eat leftover homemade cookies for breakfast when I’m too lazy to make them oatmeal.

12) When I am on the phone I allow my kids get into all sorts of things they aren’t supposed to–whatever I can do to keep them distracted.

13) I make mistakes in my business (www.letterblockshop.com).  When I mess up an order I obsess about it for hours and feel like a failure.  No business is perfect.

14) Even as a grown woman, I use to be scared to stay home alone (at night) when Doug was away on business trips.

15) I always feel like I have weight to lose and areas on my body that need toned…yet…I rarely do anything about it (I hate to exercise!)

16) I don’t have a very good memory when it comes to historical facts and things I should remember from all my years of school. The game trivial pursuit terrifies me!

17) I spent 4 1/2 years to be a music teacher.  I only taught one year, haven’t played the piano in over 4 years, I rarely sing, and I am not renewing my teaching certificate.

18) Since I limit my kids to 1 hour of  TV during the day, it is very rare that I watch the news.  I usually never know what is going on!

19) I feel guilty that I don’t spend enough time with my kids, even though I am home all day.

20) I procrastinate when I write these posts. I usually get them done the night before or the morning of!

Despite all of the above, I know that I am NORMAL and that in the grand scheme of things, none of this is a big deal. Hope this list helps reassure you of the same! No one is perfect. No one has their life together as well as it appears.  Take a sigh of relief!

~Lara

Hooray For Customer Service!

In this day and age you never know what to expect when you have to call a store or company for information.  Automated systems, press the number to reach x, y, and z, endless directories leading to nowhere, give me your mother’s maiden name and the first initial of the best man at your wedding…and that is all BeFoRe speaking to a real live person!  You can easily spend the 10 minutes you set aside in your day to take care of what seemed like a simple task just trying to get through to talk to an actual human being.

Last summer I bought an AdoRaBle pair of Lindsay-Phillips SwitchFlops (flip-flops that have removable straps that can be changed to match any outfit) that wore out in the toe on one shoe.  Since I had invested in the SwitchFlops and a variety of straps to coordinate with different outfits I was upset that the shoes only lasted half a season.  I went onto the website and looked up the phone number for customer service.  I left a message explaining the situation with my shoe and was pleased to receive a call back within a day.  Not only was the woman who I spoke with friendly and helpful, but since the pair of SwitchFlops that I purchased last season was no longer available she let me pick out TwO pairs in place of the pair that I had!  How’s that for customer service?!!!

In this fast paced, high-tech world we live in, it is nice to be reminded that there are still smaller companies out there that DO take the time to put their customer’s satisfaction first.

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Your Favorite Name}

Do you know what the all-time FaVoRiTe name is that people like to hear?  If you said, “Their own” you are right.  There is just something about a person’s name.  Remember someone’s name and you will have their instant friendship.  Forget or mispronounce a name and you will have committed a grave offense.

Remembering names in not an easy task.  It takes WoRk.  And because of that we like to justify it by saying, “I’m not good with names.”  The fact of the matter is that there are very few people who are naturally good at remembering names.   So, unless you are one of those people with a knack for remembering you are going to have to work on this if you want to be good at it.

If you read books on PeOpLe skills you see this principle of remembering names appear over and over.  It is that important.  If you want to improve your people skills start practicing remembering names.  How?   The same way you would prepare for a test:  to study.  When you meet someone, try to associate their name with something that you can easily remember.  {For example, you meet a Karen at Pre-school and you associate her with your mom, whose name is Karen}.  Then as soon as you can, write their name down along with where you met them and the thing you associate their name with.   As you read their name over and over, you will be better at remembering.

It may take a little extra time on your part, but the ReWaRd will be well worth it!

:)

Robynn~

Want to learn more about people skills?  Check out Dale Carnegie’s book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People”

If You Say It, Mean It

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about how society overuses certain phrases and responses.  For example, when someone asks “How are you doing?” don’t you normally reply with “I’m good”?  Whether or not you truly are GoOd, out of habit, your response is always the same.

Another habitual phrase is “We should get together sometime”.  How often do you say that but never follow through?  Do you really mEaN it or are you just saying it to be nice?  Maybe you have good intentions but life gets in the way before remembering to schedule a specific date.

On the flipside, have you ever tried to follow-up with people who wanted to ‘get together sometime’ and it was almost like they fOrGot they ever suggested it?!  That was a little awkward, wasn’t it? The situation may have even made you question your relationship with that person.

We have all made pRoMiSes that we can’t keep but how often do we consider how it makes the other person feel?   Next time your routine conversation comes into play, stop and ask yourself if the words you speak are siNceRe.  By doing so, following through with your commitments will comfort the other person that you value the relationship.

(*I am writing this post because I need this reminder, not because I am trying to hint around that you have broken a promise with me :) No worries!  And if I haven’t been prompt on following up with you, please forgive me!)

~Lara

(Up for an additional challenge?  Take your relationship one step further and read my other post If You Feel It, Say It.)

Icing Cupcakes Made Easy!

Whenever I have to bring a dessert anywhere I AlWaYs do cupcakes.  Not just because I love to eat them, but because I have found a FaSt and SiMpLe way to make them look like they were done by a professional!

Use your favorite store-bought icing, disposable cake decorating bags, and a large-sized decorating tip.
Cut the tip off of the disposable decorating bag and slide the decorating tip to the end of the bag.
Fold the plastic decorating bag over the edge of a cup so that your hands are free to scoop the icing into the decorating bag. Once you have filled the bag with icing simply take it out of the cup to use.
Squeeze the icing to the tip of the bag when you are ready to decorate the cupcakes.
Start on the edge of the cupcake and move in a circular or spiral motion ending in the middle of the cupcake.
Add toppings and serve!

Try not to get frustrated on your first few attempts!  After a few tries you’ll be decorating like a professional and your friends and family will be asking you how you make it look so EaSy!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)