Rant Wednesday: More Than a Coffee Pot

Today's Rant Wednesday is a special treat and is presented by the one and only Brett Schnebelt. I saw this on Facebook and immediately asked Brett if I can share this with everyone.

Check it out:

"Okay, get ready. Are you ready? I'm about to get deep. Super legit analogy ahead...you've been warned!

Now take a look at this coffee pot, it's empty. despicable isn't it? Now i know what you're thinking, 'Brett it's just an empty pot, refill and make another. Don't make such a big deal out of it'. Now you are absolutely right, I will make another,

In fact I find myself refilling this sucker nearly every morning, because some people are just too lazy to make a new brew after using up all the corporate coffee (1st world problems) But isn't that a problem? it's more than just a coffee pot.

It's people not taking the extra five seconds to hold the door open for some one, or even saying 'thank you' to the person who held it open for them. It's people not holding onto that bottle to put it in the recycle bin, because the trash bin is just conveniently right there.

You could say this is just some stupid rant about empty coffee pots, which really does grind my gears, but it's something I'm passionate about. And you know what, I'm damn proud to be passionate about taking a few extra steps, a few extra gestures...to make the world a better for every one and not just themselves.

Can't we agree that if more people were passionate about 'coffee pots', the world would be a better place? You may now resume your regularly scheduled Facebook stalking.
'Murica ♻✌🍵🌏"

Pretty awesome stuff, right?! Brett's post is so on point because it reminds us all that the seemingly small things matter. What if we were all more considerate of one another?

The challenge for the week is to stop and refill that metaphorical coffee pot, and the real coffee pot as well. :) Respect for each other and for the world we live in goes an awful long way.

Thanks for the great post, Brett! You make the world a better place :)

Monday Fitness: Mental Health and our Children

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Today is the last Monday Fitness blog for April 2016. We have spent this past month focused on our children's health. We have had some great conversation about activities with our children, and cooking with our children.

Today's focus is on our children's mental health. All of us have young people in our lives who may struggle from time to time. The issue could by bullying, or focus, negative peer relationships, home or school life struggles, etc.

How do we identify and help our children with these issues?

There are a lot of great programs out there to help with our children's mental health. The best thing we can do from them though is talk to them. I know it sounds simple but many of our children need much more of our time than they get.

What small thing can you change to redirect time?

One thing I have needed to change is turning off sports radio when my girls get in the car and talk to them about their day. My oldest likes to talk sports so often we have conversation about what is on. My youngest, however, needs me to turn that off so we can talk about her day.

It is amazing bonding time for us and it is a seemingly small change that has helped us all when it comes to communicating about any and every thing.

The young people in our lives are so important and they have to know that we are there for them above anything. Let's encourage each other and encourage our young people as well. Truth be told, we need them as much as they need us.

Rant Wednesday: Bad Customer Service is a Two-Way Street

It is often said that good customer service no longer exists. I say that a part of that reason is that bad customers killed it.

I know this is a strong sentiment but it really is a two-way street. I still believe that most people are good, honest, and caring.

That being said, everyone has their limits. When you are a dedicated person who wants to help, you become worn down when you are subjected to verbal beatings each day.

There are times that despite your best efforts, you cannot give a customer what they want. Now, if you are not giving your best then that is a completely different issue.

I have often been told that I put my heart in my job too much. This never made sense to me until a couple of years ago. I realized I was always stressed and bringing my stress home when other people who barely tried, at work, were happy.

Now, I am NOT saying the answer is to barely try. However, I realized that a lot of  people who do not try hard, are still very good people, but they have gotten tired of being beaten up for things out of their control.

Often, as a method of coping, people may pull back from giving their best and simply just give enough. This can make the experience sad for the good customers and the person giving the service.

While there are times when a customer is upset for a legitimate reason, and we do our best not to take it personal and understand the person is angry at the situation, we all know there are times where everything is perfect and people can be mean, condescending, and unappreciative.

My rant on this topic is for people who behave like the customer that they despise dealing with on their own jobs. Why can't we just all treat each other with respect? Also, think about your own job for a moment. Are you more apt to go above and beyond for someone who is angry, but respectful, or someone who yells and curses because they believe this is the way to get results?

Now, it is your turn to rant. Thoughts on this?

Monday Fitness: Cooking Parents and Kids

Hey Guys,

Monday Fitness is a day late. So, it's like the club on a Tuesday.....going up. LOL (forgive my lame joke :)

My sincere apologies for the delay.

For everyone who participated in last week's Active Parents and Kids challenge, Thank you!!!

It was so awesome receiving everyone's updates about being outside with their kids and having fun.

This week is another challenge for parents and kids and it involves getting in the kitchen together. This is another one that helps us with both mental and physical fitness.

So, the challenge is on to get in the kitchen with your kids and create healthy meals. Cook, learn, and bond together.

Post pictures of your meals, share recipes, and talk about the benefits and the challenges of making healthy meals together.

Also, feel free to share pictures of your family enjoying this healthy meal together and how you can continue the challenge after this week.

Let's share thoughts on healthy meals and desserts to share with our friends and family. Most of our children love fast food, and honestly, many of us do as well.

Let's talk about how to transition from that so we have healthy food options without feeling like we are missing out on the things we, and our children, normally like to eat.

It is time to get some new favorites. Who is in?

Have ideas for a Monday Fitness blog post? Email me at michaidanawrites@gmail.com

Rant Wednesday: Ridiculous Memes

Hey Everyone. Welcome to this week's edition of Rant Wednesday. If you missed last week's Rant on the super short shorts debate you can find it here.

Memes can be fun, right?! They are a way to express creativity and share thoughts or laughs. There are some really awesome memes that I see from time to time and there are some pretty awful ones. My favorite memes are typically motivational. As far as the terrible ones, they are usually one of three types.

1) "Type Amen and God will give you $5000 by 2pm tomorrow" - As a proud Christian, this drives me nuts. I do not understand the thought pattern of someone who would post something like this. That being said, I love the meme of a baby that appears to be screaming that says "stop saying forward and God will bless you. God is not your fairy godmother and it doesn't work that way."

Kudos to whoever created that one :)

2) Kermit drinking tea - These memes typically sound like "You can't pay your bills but have money to drink, but that is none of my business." This meme is way over done and is contradicting for the people who create and post them. They are also counterproductive because no one would read that and think "Good point. I should stop drinking and allocate my funds in a more productive manner."

Instead, the thought is usually that this person is likely in everyone's business and is very judgmental.

Thoughts?

3) Hate Memes - I sincerely dislike memes that speak ill of any particular group of people. It is just wrong to try and use a cartoon character or a specific actor's picture and add your own quote that is discriminatory in any way.

I don't think this one needs any further explanation.

Yes, as adults, we have the freedom to post whatever we want, but no one is free from consequences. We are all accountable for our actions. These kinds of memes promote unrealistic or negative thinking.

It is your turn to chime in on this subject. Share any bad meme experiences or defend your right to post these types of memes.

Want to rant about something in a future edition of Rant Wednesday? Email me at michaidanawrites@gmail.com.

Monday Fitness: Active Parents and Kids

Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope you all had amazing, productive, and even relaxing weekends.

If you missed last week's edition of Monday Fitness you can find it here. Last week, I reached out for some feedback on what we can do to help our children who are struggling with fitness issues.

This extends farther than weight. It impacts how they feel and impacts the health decisions they will make as they continue to grow and mature.

Many of our children struggle with health issues that have arisen from poor eating habits and/or from excess weight that impacts their joints, their circulation, and even their mental health.

Let's face it. We all have to do a better job of this. Even if our own children are not struggling with fitness issues, we have nieces, nephews, cousins, friend's children, students, etc, that we influence in one way or another.

While many of us, and I am the first to admit I am guilty, have not taken care of our own fitness to the level we should, we are accountable for the impact of our choices on the children around us.

That being said, here is the challenge I am issuing to myself and others this week: Get Outside or Be Active Inside! Activity is the name of the game.

It is time to put down those electronics and get busy. For my challenge, I am participating in dance practice with my daughter this week. Two practices and one performance to total three active days. Feel free to do more or less, just do something.

What will you do this week to get active and encourage kids to do the same? This can be sports, dance, swimming, or even video games if they are the type that has you physically up and active.

Let's do this! For ourselves and for our children. Our future depends on it.

Side note: If you have current health concerns, please follow your doctor's instructions and your instinct on physical activity. No one knows your body better than you.

Rant Wednesday: The Super Short Shorts Debate

Happy Wednesday, Everyone. Welcome to the 4th installment of Rant Wednesday. Seeing as it is spring time and getting warmer each week, this week's rant is on the super short shorts debate.

It happens every year. As soon as the temperature is a bit warm the clothes start coming off. While each adult has the privilege of doing what they want to do, the debate is typically surrounding young girls.

As I drop my oldest daughter off at her high school in the mornings, there are many girls being dropped off by their parents with shorts that are literally so short that they do not cover anything more than undergarments would cover.

Depending on who you ask, this is too much. My concern is the type of attention it brings to our young ladies. While no one has a right to make them uncomfortable, regardless of what they wear, it seems that these super short shorts easily distract the young men at school and promote an environment where hormones run higher than normal.

Is this making sense or am I way off track here? Maybe I am getting older than I thought and not remembering what it was like to be that age...LOL...

One thing I remember, in school, is having to put our hands down by our sides and if our fingertips touched our skin then our skirt or shorts were too short and we would get sent home.

Maybe the answer to this, like many other things, is just to limit it to a time and place. For starters, we could say that school and church are not the right place for super short, barely there, shorts.

What do you think?

Want to sound off in a future edition of Rant Wednesday? Email me at michaidanawrites@gmail.com.

Monday Fitness: Let's Do it for the Next Generation

Happy Monday Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend and are meeting your fitness goals. If you have gotten off track, start again today and recruit those around you to team up for success.

With today being the first Monday in April, I wanted to focus on our children for the next few blogs. Many of our children struggle with fitness, in the same manner that we struggle. This extends to both mental and physical fitness.

While there are many reasons for that it is so important that we spend more time focusing on our children and helping them create healthy habits. Over the month of April I would love to hear from you about ways to help our children, areas where you may have struggled, and advice for other parents, family members, teachers, and others who have the privilege of being able to have a positive impact on our children.

As I spent time thinking about this over the last week, I realized this is so much bigger than just this topic, as teaching them to have healthy habits when it comes to food, exercise, time spent on electronics, etc, directly influences other areas of their lives. Right now is when we are influencing them the most and it will impact their thoughts on relationship and financial decisions as well.

So, let's get the conversation going. Comment below with questions for the group, success stories you would like to share, or concerns that you see when observing other children and adults.

I look forward to hearing from you and having some great conversation this month that will have a positive impact for a long time from now. The time is now to be raw and real about what is happening and how we can set our children up for a brighter future in more ways than one. We are on the clock.