We spent Xander's 9th birthday at the FABULOUS Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio! Here are a ton of pics from our stay. Please note: This trip was NOT sponsored in any way. I paid for the entirety, and am just sharing pics because we had a blast! If you are near a Kalahari Resort, we definitely highly recommend! This was a wonderful way to celebrate, and a great escape from the Cleveland cold! 

It's 2020, everyone! With a new year comes new goals and resolutions. I personally hate the term "New Year's Resolution", as it seems too daunting and I end up setting myself up for failure that way. Every positive change I've ever made, from eliminating soda pop to quitting smoking for GOOD after many years of partaking in that nasty habit, came from focusing on creating better habits rather than having some unrealistic yearly assignment that I absolutely HAD to succeed at. That is just too much pressure, and no one has time for that, right?!

The dedication to replacing bad habits with much better ones has always been easier for me than sticking to those pesky, and often fleeting, New Year's Resolutions. Sounds silly, I know, but sometimes just the way you talk to yourself and choose to see things makes all the difference in the world. They say it takes 3 weeks to form a new habit or lifestyle change, and for me, that's been about right. 

Now that the Holidays are behind us, and life is finally back to normal, I do have some personal changes I'd like to make. For one, I need to up my water game. I actually drink a TON of water, but it's always in the form of what I call "Snob Water". You know, those fancy, flavored seltzer waters that come in pretty cans and cost way too much? Yep. Those. I spend entirely too much on those, and don't drink nearly enough plain old water. This is a habit I'm trying to curb because not only do these waters cost an arm and a leg to buy regularly, they also produce a lot of unnecessary waste. As a fairly eco-conscious consumer, I care about the environment and want to create better, Earth friendly habits. Single use vessels are just not it, and it can take single use plastics up to 400 YEARS to break down. No bueno. 

This is where the Genesis Hydration System from Zak! Designs swoops in to save the day! If you're not familiar with Zak!, I highly recommend checking them out. They have a wide range of fun, yet functional tableware and drinkware for the whole family. Their designs are aesthetically pleasing, durable, and built to last. They even have amazing products with the kiddos in mind, too! 

All-New Harlem Globetrotters Pushing The Limits World Tour

This is more than a basketball game. It is more than a show. It is the one and only Harlem Globetrotters in an all-new, larger-than-life world tour. You'll be on your feet, out of your seat, laughing until it hurts and loving every moment. The 5th Quarter - The game isn't over after the final shot! Meet your favorite Globetrotter courtside after the game to get an autograph and photo.

We will be attending the show in Canton, Ohio later this week, and cannot WAIT to see what the Harlem Globetrotters are all about! Be sure to keep your eyes out for a post recapping the highlights and talking about our experience! 

Start the New Year off right and set your family up for a healthy life. ​

It’s that time of year again, time for us to start reflecting on the previous year and start making plans to improve ourselves for the new year ahead of us. For many, these plans include eating healthier and exercising more frequently. 

While New Year’s resolutions are a great way to get motivated, many find that within a month or two, they’ve fallen short of their goals. To stick with your resolution and stay motivated to meet your end goals, whether that’s to lose weight, improve cardiovascular health, or manage stress, it needs to be a lifestyle change. 
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But a healthy lifestyle promises more than just fitting into the jeans you wore three years ago. It will help improve your health and set your family up for a long, healthy, and happy life.

The entertaining season is in full swing, with tons of Holiday gatherings, parties, and other fun meet ups with those we hold near and dear. There are office parties, family get togethers, fundraisers, and even local events designed to bring communities together. For many folks, this is a great time to try new cocktails. For those who don't drink, like me, other non-alcoholic options are always appreciated.

Personally, I like to indulge in other beverages, like fancy coffee drinks. Yep, I may not do alcohol, but I sure do love my coffee. The kids call it Mommy Go Juice, and to be frank? Well....They're not wrong! My coffee does, in fact, help me motivate. No lies detected. 

As far as coffee goes, I'm not a black coffee gal. Oh, no. I like all the bells and whistles like whipped cream, flavored syrups, and even special coffee blends from World Market that are sure to tantalize the taste buds. 

Do you enjoy grocery shopping? 

I know. Weird question, right? 

Well, I'm one of those weird people that actually enjoys going to get groceries. Not only does it get me out of the house, it allows me to plan what delicious meals I'll prepare for my family throughout the week. 

The only thing I hate about shopping, particularly at ALDI? Making sure everything is bagged well, secure, and not rolling aimlessly around the trunk of the car. Things can break, breads can end up crushed, and things can even got lost, just to be discovered later....Sometimes, much later....Eww. 

Like many people, we try our best to avoid single use plastics, and opt for reusable bags. Not all reusable bags are created equal, though. Have you ever wished for a simple, streamlined solution that's durable, strong, and keeps your groceries perfectly organized from cart to trunk? 

Meet the Lotus Trolley Bag. 

The patented Lotus Trolley Bag features egg and wine pockets, an insulated cooler bag, mesh bottoms to prevent mold after spills and a faster, easier and more organized method of bagging groceries. Our four-bag system is versatile for other uses and rolls up to the size of a yoga mat, while these multi-purpose produce bags are great for storing fruits, veggies and more. 

Gone are the days where you passed your exams, got a job for life and retired at
60 or 65. Now, we all have to be continuous learners and most of us can expect
to go on working until we are well into our 70s. In all likelihood, this will be the
case for your children too. So, it is very important to teach your children how to
become lifelong learners. Here are a few things you can teach them to help them
to be ready for that and improve their ability to pass exams and secure good
qualifications.

Show them how to produce good-quality work
Your children need to know how to produce work that is accurate and well
written. If they write a paper that will go towards their grades encourage them
to get it proofread. We are all, to some extent, blind to our mistakes. So, it is
always a good idea to get someone else to read through what you have written.
Usually, they will pick up errors that you have missed. For really important
academic papers like dissertations, it is wise to have the proofreading done by a
professional.

Help them to develop good communication skills
Passing exams is rarely all about learning a series of dry facts. Far from it,
usually, you also have to communicate how you arrived at an answer or why
you reached a certain conclusion. Teaching your children good reasoning skills
and how to get things down on paper in a clear, concise way is essential.
Help your children to explore memorisation techniques

Being able to quickly absorb information is a very useful skill to have. It can
really give you an edge and make learning almost effortless.

Encourage your children to explore the different memorisation techniques that
are outlined here. Importantly, the methods you will find there have all been
tweaked to make them suitable for children to use.

Encourage them to capture important thoughts and facts
When inspiration strikes, for example, a storyline for an English paper or the
solution to a maths problem it is important to be able to capture that thought.
Getting your children into the habit of writing down their ideas and important
thoughts will prove helpful for them. Encourage them to keep a diary. When
they are old enough to have a phone, suggest that they use an app to keep a
record of their ideas and things that are likely to come in handy later.
Explain how to keep good research notes

For certain projects, your children will have to carry out a lot of research. Teach
them how to do this effectively. For example, how to take notes that are orderly
enough for them to reference later when it is time to write up their essay or
another type of academic paper.

Help them to understand the need for a good work-life balance
Your children also need to understand that they need to pace themselves. You
do not want them to end up feeling that they must use every spare moment they
have to study. They need to learn how to pace themselves and recognise when it
is time to take a break. Doing this greatly reduces the chances of them burning
out because they have pushed themselves too hard academically.

While some people only consider Poshmark to be a way of getting rid of the clutter that they've accumulated over the years, there are others who view this platform as a legitimate source of income. In fact, it's reported that many full-time sellers are raking in six figures each year. If you're a Poshmark seller who's interested in making more money on this platform but aren't quite sure how to do it then check out these essential tips.
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1. Research Demand
There are a lot of sellers who tend to rely on their own sense of fashion when deciding what they want to sell. However, if you want to sell more clothes then you need to focus on what brands people are the most interested in. Log on to Poshmark to find out which brands are popular all year long. This way, when you shop for more merchandise, you can keep an eye out for these specific labels. Another way to figure out what people want is to check the closets of other sellers. Which items seem to be selling the quickest? Which brands do the top sellers they seem to always have in stock?

2. Research Pricing
There's nothing wrong with listing an item at an extremely high price, that is, as long as someone is willing to purchase it. One problem that a lot of Poshmark sellers tend to face is pricing items too far above or below what they're actually worth. If you price the item too high then people will assume you're trying to take advantage of them. If you price the item too low then your buyers will assume that there's something wrong with the item. So how do you reach the perfect balance? You have to research prices according to other Poshmark sellers.

Even if you believe that the item you're selling is rare, there's bound to be someone else who is offering the same thing or something similar. If you want to ensure that the item doesn't sit in your closet for months then you need to base your pricing on those of others. This way your merchandise will be competitively priced.

3. Be Willing to Compromise
A lot of people are drawn to Poshmark because it gives them the ability to negotiate prices. Unfortunately, sellers can sometimes be too rigid when it comes to negotiations. In fact, some people state that all of their prices are non-negotiable. As a result, they'll scare buyers away and their item will sit for months at a time before it finally sales.

Before creating a listing, you need to take a serious look at the item and estimate its true value. Search Poshmark to find the average cost. Search the retailer's website. This way, you'll be able to set realistic expectations for yourself. Of course, you should never give an item away, but it's a good idea to do practical research on the front end and be willing to compromise with the buyer.

4. Ship as Soon as Possible
One of the keys to making more money on Poshmark is to pay attention to what happens after the sale. This is because the majority of your sales will likely come from repeat buyers. So it's important that you deliver an excellent experience with each transaction.

A huge part of the customer experience is the shipping phase. The customer is often anxious until they receive the merchandise that they've paid for. If you want to ensure that they make another purchase from you it's a good idea to ship the item as quickly as possible. Luckily, Poshmark makes this process easy as they provide free shipping materials. You should also communicate with the customer from time to time until you're sure that they've received the item. One of the benefits of having fast shipping times is that it results in great reviews.

5. Be Extremely Descriptive
One of your biggest selling points is your item description. And there's a good chance that you haven't used this section to its full potential. When it comes to creating a captivating description you need to do more than state the color and brand. You need to use this space to make sure that the customer is completely familiar with the item. What are the measurements? How can it be accessorized? Are there any flaws? Try to answer any question that you assume your potential buyer may have. The more thorough you are, the higher your chances of selling the item quickly.

6. Share at Parties
If you ask the most seasoned Poshmark seller about the secret to their success, they'll likely tell you that it's engagement. Specifically, they share their closets in Poshmark parties. What makes parties so popular is that it exposes you to an extremely large group of people. You get to sell to people other than your followers.

Currently, Poshmark hosts four parties each day. Each party has a theme so it makes sharing much more interesting and engaging. However, you shouldn't just share your own items, you should also share the items of others. Sometimes people will share back. When you share regularly and consistently it usually results in more followers. So the more you share, the more popular your closet becomes and the more sales you make.
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Conclusion
There's no way around it, if you want to sell more clothes on Poshmark then it's going to take a significant amount of time. This is especially the case when it comes to things like sharing and following. Poshmark is a platform that requires constant engagement so it can be somewhat overwhelming at times. If you want to cut down on the stress you can always use a Poshmark bot to carry out a sharing and following schedule. A Poshmark bot can take care of the tedious parts while you focus on interacting with your customers and ensuring that you're delivering great service.

At seven years old, Ryan is the most popular kid in the world...ever. As a top creator on YouTube, his channels receive 1 billion views per month, and have amassed over 27 million subscribers. His Ryan's World universe spans everything from toys to toothbrushes. Expanding Ryan's World into console games is yet another way pocket.watch and Ryan's family fulfill the mission to bring kids more of what they love.

And now, just in time for the Holiday giving season, Ryan has created his very own video game, Race with Ryan, which is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOX ONE, and PC. 

Race with Ryan is every bit as colorful, fun and fast as has come to be expected from the teams behind Ryan's World. Race against family and friends in up to 4-player-split-screen mode as all the beloved characters from Ryan's World created by Ryan and his family including Ryan, Combo Panda™, Gus the Gummy Gator™, Red Titan™, Mo™, Peck™, Alpha Lexa™ & Gil™. Step on the gas and collect Mystery Eggs full of surprises such as Sticky Ooze, Burger Shields and much more to help you power up and show who the fastest racer really is.