You are what You Will!

illustration by 12ozprophet.com

Women listen up!
Pay attention be Inspired!
Don't Hate, Appreciate.!
Don't say yeah But, instead say oh Wow!
Endless Possibilities... You are what you Will!

I ran into this wonderful segment some time back on Good Morning America. An uplifting piece Robin Roberts did with Gisele Budchen and Lindsey Vonn.

Now I don't care that they are celebrities and I will not focus on you thinking "of course they have money things are easy for them" no!
I want to keep the focus on their Message!

This is what more women need to listen to, need to gravitate their attention to and on.
This is what should be heard about more and celebrated often.

These ladies are part of an empowering campaign that address all is possible if you believe in yourself, focus, work hard and are your biggest cheerleader.

Nothing is easy. No diet, no surgery, no makeup, no outfit, no shoes, will make you feel powerful and truly be powerful if your spirit, heart and mind are not in tune with such belief.

I'm not trying to be corny or simplistic but it really is simple. You must first start with a belief in yourself and build from there.

Moms stop looking in the mirror and wishing to be different, go do it and encourage your daughter to do the same. Encourage her and support her to be the best she can be no matter what others say or what may come her way.

I have nothing against entertainment but what is so entertaining about watching women degrade one another, demean their partners and themselves on some of these shows out there today?
How is screaming, throwing, yelling, crying and breaking stuff entertaining?
What is the lesson in watching men talk poorly about there women or to their women?
What power are you getting from that?
You are putting money in someone else's pocket for acting like a fool? That's empowering?
You have your kids watching you watch this crap and that is uplifting?

Perhaps we need to better utilize our so called relaxing or down time.

Here are some links for a kick start...

This is the Robin Roberts interview
abcnews.go.com

and here is a great anthem!

Always stress free xo.

The Reality of Equality

It's like every time I turn around I hear about yet another way we as women are getting short end of the stick.

illustration provided by youtube.com

-if we marry too young it's an issue, too late same thing
-if we have our babies at a young age it's a life changer, if we wait too long it might not even be possible
-men don't prefer older women, it's like after certain number our use has expired
-women are more tolerant of their loved ones gaining a few pounds or loosing some hair but ladies...tell me does the same apply to us?
-if we chose career over family we are frowned upon and vice verse same thing
-if we are assertive we are Bitches but your man does the same and he's a go getter
-the way you dress dictates how you will and can be treated...Really?!

I can add a few more things to this list but I will leave it here and touch on this link I came across a few weeks ago.
It is work force related and as usual it's a MAN discussing what WOMEN could, should or shouldn't do.
Then once the crap has spilled from their mouths, they want to try and backtrack, re tweak the words and or apologize.
This one is in regards to Women and Pay Raise.

Ladies, let's continue to raise strong young women and respectful young men so articles such as these can become less and less of the norm.
Let's associate positive words with independence and strength in our fellow females.

Here's the link tell me what you think?
Dad's you can join in the convo too, l have tons of love for you!
It isn't about believing everything we read, its about knowledge.
Staying informed and up to date so we have the power to make wiser choices.

yahoo.com

Comments rooted in ignorance must be addressed and stopped.
Support all the women you know in their life choices, in the paths they choose to achieve their happiness.

Always stress free xo.

Beautiful

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Period.

There is no getting around that. Five people can look at the same thing and you will get 5 different reactions.

I have always considered myself a fairly attractive female. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I've never suffered from self esteem issues all though Taylor Dayne a singer/song writer in the late 80's and early 90's ("tell it to my heart") had me trying all sorts of lipsticks and rollers because I was obsessed with the fullness of her "look" till I snapped out if it and said "hello Mari, you're Spanish she is White. You have different features and texture".

I've never fully put focus on another woman to then beat myself up about not measuring up. Instead I've looked and admired and tweaked to fit me.
I've talked about my hair several times on my page and about my daughter's and I've said that if we didn't work with what we have our lives would not be stress free.

I feel the same way about so called beauty products.
I ran into 2 blog posts this week and the amount of products these ladies were using on their face to either clean, stay youthful or enhance was unreal.
One of them shared a picture with what had to be at least 11 different lotions, serums etc...
I am not sharing their info that would be way too rude.
But shortly after I read them I thought about my own routine.

This is my share. This is what I use at age 43. These are my tips and tricks.

First, I will STRESS less is more. If you are piling stuff on your face you are NOT going to look youthful.
Second, work with what you have lean towards natural. If you are going to add make sure it enhances what you already have not that you will walk around like a crazy clown.
Third, foundation is your friend ONLY if you are using the right shade for you and on your face not your collar or your significant others shirt or blouse.

My mother was a Mary Kay Consultant and also sold Avon during my teenage, early adult years.
I loved watching the parties she would host and all the goodies that were available BUT I wasn't sucked in and always stuck to 2 products...Mascara and Eyeliner.

Yes I've tried it all eye shadows, lip liners, rouge, foundation, blush you name it I have tried it but I always came back to my 2 tools. I should make clear that though I had access to all this makeup I really didnt care to use my two tools till after the age of 18, I didn't want to waste my morning time putting on makeup. My house rules for my daughter was 16 and in moderation and she didn't and still doesn't go past lipstick if that.
Simple and easy to maintain.
Who wants to invest time "putting on their face" before dropping the kids off at school? I don't.
Who wants to mistreat their face with all the tugging and wiping to get the makeup off? Not me.
Who wants to have a quickie with their sweetie and when your done your face is down your chin? Ummmm, not me!

I'm going to picture share what is in my makeup drawer and what I use to take care of my face.
Also what I use to care for my hair.
I want to shout out the follow products in no particular order and this is my own opinion no one paid me to use their stuff, it's just great and worth the money.

-oatmeal, any brand will do
-baking soda, any brand will do
-wash towels
-head wraps
-mascara, any brand the more the merrier
-eyelash curler
-q-tips
-eyebrow brush and gel (optional)
-eyelash comb/wand
-eyeliner, a variety so you can try different looks
-Eos lip balms
-blistex lip balm (you don't have to have blister issues, it's just great for your lips and compact)
-cvs brand extreme hold gel
-göt 2b hair products
-Queen Helene pink styling gel
-raw honey
-coconut oil
-luke warm water

I only use  mascara and eyeliner as I commented and I wash my face with oatmeal 2x's a day. I make a paste out of a small amount. I also leave it on as a mask twice a week for 20 minutes.
Sticking to DIY home remedies and natural products has changed how my face feels and the breakouts I experience.
Less is more on my hair has helped with dryness, damage and split ends. After all when I go to the Salon I am under the drier for more than an hour, plus blower afterwards and then the flat iron.
That is a lot of heat so I must be kind to my hair on my off days.
When I decide to leave it curly I use Queen Helene and when I go slick back and crisp I use the glue gels to keep the little hairs down.

If you look at some past posts on hair you will see I've gone from long to short and now growing back for second round of donation again. Its past my chin now so we are coming along.

Feel free to ask me specific questions if you wish. Now tell me what is in your tool bag for your natural beauty routine? Care to share a DIY body, hair or face scrub recipe?

Always stress free xo.

The Balance of Independence

As my Birth Day month soon draws to a close I wanted to sit for a moment and recap to myself what I thought were lessons I had learned this year. In the past just before my Birth Day arrives I review myself and my year and I give myself a grade.

Did I accomplish what I set out to do? Did I stick to my plans? How did I handle changes? Did I learn anything new? Did I help others? Did I make new friends and did I close any chapters in my life that needed closure?

This year I graded myself as ever changing, ever growing. Life can be bumpy as it is for me to be unkind to myself as well. Be kind to yourself, Always.

I wrote an independent piece for Women Connect Online womenconnectonline.com an awesome site dedicated to women, mothers, wives, singles etc...a great place with a vast collection of information and I am always happy to be part of anything sharing options and variations. They so graciously accepted and ran my post on 9/15/2014 that I would now love to share with you.

illustration by enpundit.com

Repost:
As a single woman in her early 40's I have found it a bit of a challenge to balance being an independent woman, strong and confident mixing in with the Dating world today.

I have been single now for over almost 3 years, dated several men during this time and chose to not date in 2014 so I could regroup and focus on what I wanted to come into my life.

I have been in 2 committed relationships in my life, one lasted 18 years and another 2 years.
What I learned from those unions was that you must accept your partner for who they are completely.
That you must not be in denial and think you will change them, yet be aware and clear that with respect and communication you can reach amazing compromises.
That relationships take effort, time and interest.

That you must like and enjoy this person outside of intimacy. That you never stop building the friendship so that all else continues to grow and flourish.

I learned that no one likes to hear and connect the words "hard work or work" when speaking of maintaining a relationship and I agree. I use to think that was the correct way to think of things but I have learned that no one really enjoys "work" and to most the idea and thought of "work" is a bit harsh and heavy.
If we are working 40 hours a week for example who then also wants to "work" at connecting with someone they love?

So this year has been a great lesson, those men I dated also taught me some great things.
Get to know yourself, be ok investing time on you, be clear in what you want and live life.
Be open to all possibilities, let go of the idea you have all the control because in reality we only have plans and goals but Life has its own way of sometimes presenting some bumps on the road and we must be able to breathe and be ok with that, let go and move on.
You attract what you put out, so make sure you are baggage free.

I have finally found the Balance of Independence.

Always stress free xo.

Your own worst Enemy

I found myself yelling at the television this morning as I was getting ready for work. My daughter and I just couldn't get the words out of our mouths fast enough. Yet another segment, depicting catty women and mothers on Good Morning America. This time the evil “mother” was Gisele Bundchen .

It always ignites something in me to see women be so hateful, bitter and mean to one another. Catty women, the one’s with the claws (their mouths) ready to tear into you every chance they can get. The ones that feel that expressing themselves in a negative fashion is the way to go and the words that come out of their mouths should be the rules that all women, all mother’s must follow.

We live in a World, let me repeat that again, we live in a World where we get paid less than our male counterparts, where freedom due to our gender sometimes is nonexistent, where our rights can be disregarded, where in certain places what we can do with our bodies is dictated, where we are told we are not complete without a man, where our lives at times have less value.

Being aware of all these obstacles, why on earth would we be so harsh amongst ourselves?

Self-esteem, as my daughter’s friend once commented in a discussion they were having, is esteem of the self, how is it that I am affecting yours?

How are the following women affecting me? Maria Yang, Lee-Ann Ellison, Caroline Berg Eriksen and Gisele Bundchen?

Why because you don’t look as they do, feel as they do and express yourself as they do you find it wrong or obnoxious? Why is it wrong of them to share as they wish what they feel is a grand accomplishment?

You want abs like these women, legs, hair or boobies? Then go and do what they do. Work your butt off and you will achieve the same. Have the life style they have and you will be just as happy and proud. If you are not willing to put in the time, effort or money…then please just try and retract your claws because that right there already makes you unattractive.

I am not a size Two, I don’t work out at a gym, I don’t diet and I eat a pint of ice cream any darn time I feel like it. What I do practice is Yoga, Pilates and Meditation. I also walk around my neighborhood park at least twice a week for about an hour and a half. I don’t eat red meat very often, I don’t eat take out or fast foods very often either. I believe in moderation and I am beautiful inside and out. How do I know that? Because I am confident in my own skin and I love who I am. I don’t strive to be anyone other than Mari Corona.

Women look within yourselves for a role model first. No one is going to make you feel anything you already don’t feel yourself. These women didn't wake up and say “oh let me hurt so and so today”, they woke up and said “wow I look good, period”. Work on why you felt such negativity when you saw those women because trust me when I say the problem isn't them, it’s You.

Breast Cancer Awareness

I wanted to acknowledge Breast Cancer Awareness month in some way shape or form. Usually I do so by participating in the Making Strides for Cancer walk in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, here in Queens, New York where I live.

I had been supportive of this cause for many years always in a monetary way until my oldest friend since 2nd grade named Cynthia, got sick with some form of cancer among other things over 6 years ago and passed away. At that point I chose to put my best foot forward and walk. 

During my annual walks I have seen and met some wonderful people. Survivors and their families, families who have lost loved ones, students and their school bands, men supporting the wonderful women in their lives, even pets!!! I have enjoyed every minute of it and my fund rising hasn't been too bad either!

This year my team and I somehow someway could not get our acts together so I opted to show my support in other ways. I decided to make some purchases for the cause and at the same time add some new accessories to my already fashionable collection this is what I bought…

I am also including in this post some pictures and links to a variety of information and sites.  Please visit them and show your support. We all have women we love in our lives. I chose NOT to be too graphic on my picture share because I am always looking at the brighter side of things but if you Google Breast Cancer images, you will see that the devastation is far from PINK.

Women let’s do our part to remain proactive in our health. Annual mammograms and monthly self -examinations. I am the first to admit I don’t like performing the self -exams, I always feel Something, am scared to find Something and I am always afraid I am doing it wrong anyway. That said I still force myself to perform them in the shower. Speak to your doctor, watch videos whatever it takes but Do it.

1-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001911/

2-http://www.cancer.org/involved/participate/makingstridesagainstbreastcancer/

3-http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month?gclid=COPWnIDDuLoCFdKf4AodZ20AwQ

4-http://ww5.komen.org/

5-http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/politics-policy-issues/planned-parenthoods-breast-health-initiative-40102.htm

6-http://thebreastcancersite.greatergood.com

7-http://healthfinder.gov/NHO/OctoberToolkit.aspx