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2020, Who Hurt You?

Hi there! Remember me? The girl who set up this blog and had huge plans. Life likes to hear us making plans and then just laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Things are a little crazy right now, huh?

My state is currently on lock down due to this pesky Coronavirus. Stay Home, Stay Safe, as the governor says. With physical therapy being considered essential medical however, I’m still making the commute to work each day. It’s been rough, and I know I’m not alone. It makes me feel a little better to know that there are other essential workers out there making things work, too. Shout out to all the retail, food, and medical employees working hard during this difficult time!

I’m so excited to announce I’m now a very proud homeowner! I stumbled into homeownership with a small three bedroom, one bath slice of heaven not far from my family about a month ago and can’t wait to get my hands dirty. Very literally. The place is a mess. There’s water damage to be fixed, flooring to be replaced, paint to be touched up, wallpaper to be ripped up. I’m even more excited to walk you through all the trials and errors of the big projects I have planned – this crazy girl plans on painting some tile flooring, tiling her own backsplash, and building her own standing desk, for starters.

2020 was going to be my year. And while things like a house and a fresh job have been a blessing, I can’t help but remember just how hard the first three months of the year have been. But 2020 is about pushing through and working hard. 2020 is about making changes and hustling hard. I can’t wait to really get things going this year.

But really, how are you? What’s going on in your life? I hope you’re all doing okay out there, wherever you are. 

Life

Goodbye, 9-5!

Hey everyone. 

I took a huge step. It was a very scary and slightly foolish step, but boy do I feel good!

I quit my job. 

That’s right, I quit my 9-5 job. I walked into my supervisor’s office and gave my two weeks. I quietly packed up my desk ahead of time and I did my best to finish out my two weeks with grace.

Although I often loved my job, there were many days where I just wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the day. Rough clients, rough coworkers, and rough patients all made the days get a little… well, rough. And when I expressed genuine concern for the welfare of our practice, I was shut down. When I spoke candidly about the harassment and bullying around me, it was dismissed. 

I came to realize I was working for a company that would put one person above the mental and physical health of others around them. They weren’t looking out for me. 

So two weeks from today, I put in my notice. Friday was my last day. 

And while it’s been an incredibly scary process – one I almost didn’t go through with – I’m hoping this will be a fresh start. I’m hoping it’s a sign that I shouldn’t be stuck in this 9-5 rut. I’m excited for the chance to spend this time Marie Kondo-ing my entire life, focusing on passions that have been put on the back burner, and really giving this blog the chance it deserves. 

Did you ditch the 9-5 to focus on something else? Are you thinking about giving it a go? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments!

17 Before 2017 Challenge
Life

17 Before 2017 Challenge

I, for one, can’t believe how quickly this year has gone by. Really, it feels like it was just a couple of months ago when the year began! But today is the first day of SEPTEMBER. If you’re like me, you had good intentions for the year. You promised yourself you’d start on a good note. You’d exercise more, eat healthier, put more time into your blog, spend more time with your family, etc. Sometimes these things actually do work out, and if they did for you this year, congrats! Sometimes, however, we fall flat. Now, I won’t say I fell flat. I worked my butt off. But there’s still a lot left to do. So I’ve decided to truly challenge myself. And I want to challenge you, too.

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Practical Preparedness Series: Creating a Go Bag
Organization, Preparedness

Practical Preparedness: How to Create a Go Bag

Welcome to our final week of our Emergency Preparedness series. Our final post is going to be covering the go bag. These handy kits have gained a lot of popularity in the last few years, and for a good reason. Imagine there’s a flash flood in your area and you’re forced to evacuate. You have a very short time to get the belongings you need and leave your home. What do you pack?

Did that take a minute to figure out? Of course! Now imagine you also have small children to pack for, and someone in your family has special needs, allergies, or dietary restrictions. If I was to take off in an emergency and forget my inhaler at home, I might not survive.

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Practical Preparedness: Creating an Emergency Pet Kit. Useful kit caring for an evacuating with your dog or cat in the event of an emergency.
Organization, Preparedness

Practical Preparedness: Creating an Emergency Pet Kit

For those of you who aren’t already painfully aware, my dogs are kind of my life. They just turned 6 years old last month, and they just complete me. I rescued them as puppies, and it’s ridiculous how spoiled they are. So when I started researching this whole prepping business, I kept wondering to myself, “what do people do to prep for their animals?” Surely, an emergency pet kit must be a thing, right? Continue Reading

Practical Preparedness: Creating a Storm Kit. Useful storm kit for staying safe during storms, flooding, and power outages.
Organization, Preparedness

Practical Preparedness: Creating an Emergency Car Kit

Welcome back! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been having fun so far with the Practical Preparedness Series. I’ve even been motivated to take on my big task I’ve been putting off for almost a year — my 72 hour kit. This week we’re talking about creating an emergency car kit. These kits are small, inexpensive to prepare, and possibly the most useful of all the kits we’ll be talking about this month. Disclaimer: I am not a prepping expert. I would still consider myself a beginner. I merely intend to share my experiences and [limited] knowledge in order to help others prep on a budget. Continue Reading

Practical Preparedness: Creating a Storm Kit. Useful storm kit for staying safe during storms, flooding, and power outages.
Organization, Preparedness

Practical Preparedness: Creating a Storm Kit

 

With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, it’s time for the storms to start rolling in. Literally. With them these storms bring flooding, power outages, and other dangerous situations that could leave you stranded in your house without the basic necessities we’ve become so accustomed to. It’s important to have some basic preparations at home in order to keep yourself and your family safe in the event of a flood, hurricane, or tornado. By having a storm kit on hand, you’re preparing for the worst in the best possible way. Disclaimer: I am not a prepping expert. I would still consider myself a beginner. I merely intend to share my experiences and [limited] knowledge in order to help others prep on a budget.

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Practical Preparedness: 3 Tips to Budget Your Preps. Great ways to get more for your dollar when preparing for a natural disaster, power outage, or other emergency.
Organization, Preparedness

Practical Preparedness: 3 Tips to Budget Your Preps

 

One of the most common concerns people have with prepping is the cost. It can add up. Shows like Doomsday Preppers show people who have spent millions to stock, fortify, and even build “bug out” locations. Fortunately, we’re here to talk about practical preparedness. Prepping, if done correctly, is not only easy to do but affordable! Disclaimer: I am not a prepping expert. I would still consider myself a beginner. I merely intend to share my experiences and [limited] knowledge in order to help others prep on a budget.

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Why I Prep: A Guide to Practical Preparedness // Maddy Creates
Organization, Preparedness

Why I Prep: A Guide to Practical Preparedness

prep·pingˈ. noun.  

The practice of making active preparations for a possible catastrophic disaster or emergency, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies.

The word prepper is a very slippery slope. As soon as I bring up the word in casual conversation with new people I get that look. Expressions can say a lot, and this one says ‘nut job.’ I get questions; what do you think is going to happen? Zombies? What do you stockpile? Why? Continue Reading