Hello!
I wanted to write a quick post. I know I have been away for so long. Most of you probably thought I fell off the face of the earth. And I did for a little while.
Sometimes, life catches up to you and knocks you over like a giant wave. I've been struggling just to get air but I found a reprieve in my Esthetician, Monica Esfahaniha at For the Love of Skin here in San Diego county.
I went to her wanting to find someone who could help me fight the on going battle with again and wrinkles and gosh knows what else. I came across Monica and emailed her.
She quickly emailed me back and we set up an appointment. She explained to me that she uses BioElements products for her facials which I had never used before. Well, let me tell you I am IN LOVE with BioElements. I use the following products:
Decongestant Cleanser
Then I use the Create Firm which helps keep my skin firm hence the name.
Then I finish with a moisturizer called Beyond Hydration which isn't a cream but a gel and my skin loves it. I am usually very sensitive to moisturizers but this one soaks right in.
And of course, I use the Multi-Task Eye Cream to help out with my dark circles and puffiness. Gotta love genetics.
I would highly recommend that if you are the San Diego area to contact Monica. But you can also order products right off her website and they will ship directly to your door!
Click on the next link to learn more about BioElements Skin Care products!
Remember you have to care of both the inside and the outside!
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda ;)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Endurance
Hello!
It's been awhile since I last posted. Please accept my apology. On Amanda B Stuckey - Reclaiming Me - I want to talk about endurance for a moment.
Endurance applies to many areas of life. Most people automatically think of athletic venues.
Today I want you to direct your endurance definition to the mind.
The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin in 1902, was the image that popped into my head while I was "thinking" about this blog post.
I can not imagine the time and endurance it took him to create this magnificent sculpture in bronze. Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
Mental endurance is a skill set that can be developed and is an necessity of survival. If you mind breaks then your spirit and well being quickly follow. Trust me, I've had that happen before and it manifested itself into something called Bell's Palsy.
Bell's Palsy is when the 7th cranial nerve gets inflamed and swells, cutting of the circulation to one side of you face thus paralyzing one half of your face. The 7th cranial nerve is the only nerve in the body that is housed by a bone. Anyway, this has happened to me 3 times and on alternating sides of my face. As a result of the second time it happened, the right side of my face has some residual paralysis and doesn't move like the other side of my face. Talk about a real downer.
Anyway, my point in sharing this with you is looking back on those 3 times, I could pin point the exact moments where my mental endurance caved in thus my body quickly followed in caving in.
How do you build mental endurance?
Quite honestly, I am still trying to figure that one out. But of what I have experienced, I believe that effectively managing the stress in your life is an exercise that will build mental endurance.
--Controlling your reactions to disastrous events as best you can
--Taming your temper if you have one (like me)
--Learning how to stop and think instead of instantly react
All of the mental exercises will eventually become habit forming and your endurance will prove to be a great asset to your life in general. This year has been a particularly opportunistic year to practice your mental endurance I think.
If you have any suggestions please feel free to share them. I am always up for learning and growing.
Thanks for listening.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda ;)
It's been awhile since I last posted. Please accept my apology. On Amanda B Stuckey - Reclaiming Me - I want to talk about endurance for a moment.
Endurance applies to many areas of life. Most people automatically think of athletic venues.
Today I want you to direct your endurance definition to the mind. The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin in 1902, was the image that popped into my head while I was "thinking" about this blog post.
I can not imagine the time and endurance it took him to create this magnificent sculpture in bronze. Anyway, I'm getting off topic.
Mental endurance is a skill set that can be developed and is an necessity of survival. If you mind breaks then your spirit and well being quickly follow. Trust me, I've had that happen before and it manifested itself into something called Bell's Palsy.
Bell's Palsy is when the 7th cranial nerve gets inflamed and swells, cutting of the circulation to one side of you face thus paralyzing one half of your face. The 7th cranial nerve is the only nerve in the body that is housed by a bone. Anyway, this has happened to me 3 times and on alternating sides of my face. As a result of the second time it happened, the right side of my face has some residual paralysis and doesn't move like the other side of my face. Talk about a real downer.
Anyway, my point in sharing this with you is looking back on those 3 times, I could pin point the exact moments where my mental endurance caved in thus my body quickly followed in caving in.
How do you build mental endurance?
Quite honestly, I am still trying to figure that one out. But of what I have experienced, I believe that effectively managing the stress in your life is an exercise that will build mental endurance.
--Controlling your reactions to disastrous events as best you can
--Taming your temper if you have one (like me)
--Learning how to stop and think instead of instantly react
All of the mental exercises will eventually become habit forming and your endurance will prove to be a great asset to your life in general. This year has been a particularly opportunistic year to practice your mental endurance I think.
If you have any suggestions please feel free to share them. I am always up for learning and growing.
Thanks for listening.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda ;)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sucker!
Hello!
I swear the one thing I absolutely just want to kick myself for is when I feel or think I have a great idea and WHAMO! I find it somewhere else and it's been there for a long time.
KEY EXAMPLE: Today, for no reason at all, I thought let me "Google" my name and my blog name, Reclaiming Me, to see if anyone else out there is using it.
Come to find out there are quite a few people out there doing the same thing I am - using the same name and have the same focus. While I know that being unique is one thing that can get you noticed...OBVIOUSLY I am not unique today.
*SIGH*
Therefore, and it's probably really bad practice to do this but I am chancing my blog name slightly to my name, Amanda B Stuckey, and then Reclaiming Me. Probably a bad move but seriously, this just plain blows.
I sure hope this isn't what my whole day is going to be like.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
A;)
I swear the one thing I absolutely just want to kick myself for is when I feel or think I have a great idea and WHAMO! I find it somewhere else and it's been there for a long time.
KEY EXAMPLE: Today, for no reason at all, I thought let me "Google" my name and my blog name, Reclaiming Me, to see if anyone else out there is using it.
Come to find out there are quite a few people out there doing the same thing I am - using the same name and have the same focus. While I know that being unique is one thing that can get you noticed...OBVIOUSLY I am not unique today.
*SIGH*
Therefore, and it's probably really bad practice to do this but I am chancing my blog name slightly to my name, Amanda B Stuckey, and then Reclaiming Me. Probably a bad move but seriously, this just plain blows.
I sure hope this isn't what my whole day is going to be like.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
A;)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Journey...NOT THE BAND
Good Morning!
I wanted to put out a post today just for the fun of it and it ended up being a good one, I think. Let me know and type a comment on my Facebook page or here if you can.
Reclaiming me is supposed to be about the trials and tribulations of losing yourself and rediscovering yourself.
How do you lose yourself you ask?
Gosh...let's see your job, your boss, your co-workers, your home, your kids, your spouse, your house, your pets, your parents, your grandparents, your in-laws, your cousins, your friends, your town, your church, your social life (or non-existence of one), etc..
I think you get the point.
When you're young, you have dreams and goals. What's great about that time is there is
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
stopping you. You can't see the pitfalls, the tragedy, the dark times of life. You are carefree and pure in your own thoughts and feelings.
Then people, things, and events start to mold your from this divine being into something NOT DIVINE. Thus, the beginning of you begin to losing yourself. Responsibilities over take your life and you forget about you.
It's kind of an "oxymoronic" occurrence really. You know like jumbo shrimp (oxymoron).
Think about it for a sec here. You start out with good intentions. As a child, your going to be a surgeon (that was mine). Then your conscious begins to develop and you start seeing other kids who want to be firemen or dancers. You start to doubt your choice of surgeon. You go into middle school and high school and become preoccupied with the opposite sex (which unfortunately never goes away).
Then, in college (if you get to go) you revisit your original goals to find out that it's too hard or more "fun" to hang with the "cool" kids. Some of you may have done this in high school too. You change your major 5-6 times. End up graduating only to find out, that it's nearly impossible to find a job in your major. Or the competition is so fierce that you get out ranked and out scored by hundreds of others.
So you lose a little bit more of yourself because you have to compromise to just make a living.
Enter responsibilities.
You meet the right person.
Start a family.
Buy a house.
Get a dog.
Have more kids.
Change jobs.
Etc, Etc, Etc...
Responsibilities are escalating at a fierce rate, huh?
And during all this, you put yourself and your wants and needs aside to make sure that everyone else in your life has their wants and needs.
This is wrong. Very wrong. Now I'm not saying be totally 100% selfish and let the crying infant fend for itself, but you have to make time to reclaim who you are and what makes you happy.
The problem I am having (and I see others having too) it that you are so far removed from yourself that you don't know, or remember, what it was you wanted in the first place. And the journey back is much harder than arriving at your current destination.
So take time for yourself. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 Hour. Make sure you hold onto you. It will make you stronger for all of those around you.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda :)
I wanted to put out a post today just for the fun of it and it ended up being a good one, I think. Let me know and type a comment on my Facebook page or here if you can.
Reclaiming me is supposed to be about the trials and tribulations of losing yourself and rediscovering yourself.
How do you lose yourself you ask?
Gosh...let's see your job, your boss, your co-workers, your home, your kids, your spouse, your house, your pets, your parents, your grandparents, your in-laws, your cousins, your friends, your town, your church, your social life (or non-existence of one), etc..
I think you get the point.
When you're young, you have dreams and goals. What's great about that time is there is
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
stopping you. You can't see the pitfalls, the tragedy, the dark times of life. You are carefree and pure in your own thoughts and feelings.
Then people, things, and events start to mold your from this divine being into something NOT DIVINE. Thus, the beginning of you begin to losing yourself. Responsibilities over take your life and you forget about you.
It's kind of an "oxymoronic" occurrence really. You know like jumbo shrimp (oxymoron).
Think about it for a sec here. You start out with good intentions. As a child, your going to be a surgeon (that was mine). Then your conscious begins to develop and you start seeing other kids who want to be firemen or dancers. You start to doubt your choice of surgeon. You go into middle school and high school and become preoccupied with the opposite sex (which unfortunately never goes away).
Then, in college (if you get to go) you revisit your original goals to find out that it's too hard or more "fun" to hang with the "cool" kids. Some of you may have done this in high school too. You change your major 5-6 times. End up graduating only to find out, that it's nearly impossible to find a job in your major. Or the competition is so fierce that you get out ranked and out scored by hundreds of others.
So you lose a little bit more of yourself because you have to compromise to just make a living.
Enter responsibilities.
You meet the right person.
Start a family.
Buy a house.
Get a dog.
Have more kids.
Change jobs.
Etc, Etc, Etc...
Responsibilities are escalating at a fierce rate, huh?
And during all this, you put yourself and your wants and needs aside to make sure that everyone else in your life has their wants and needs.
This is wrong. Very wrong. Now I'm not saying be totally 100% selfish and let the crying infant fend for itself, but you have to make time to reclaim who you are and what makes you happy.
The problem I am having (and I see others having too) it that you are so far removed from yourself that you don't know, or remember, what it was you wanted in the first place. And the journey back is much harder than arriving at your current destination.
So take time for yourself. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. 1 Hour. Make sure you hold onto you. It will make you stronger for all of those around you.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda :)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Internal GPS Defective
Good Morning,
I am currently not in my normal location but needed to do a blog post. I have a question to pose...
Has anyone felt like they don't know which was was up, down, left, right, in, out, or any other direction?
That's where my internal GPS has had some sort of malfunction. Reclaiming Me has had a serious internal GPS defect surface.
At least in the past, I've been moving forward. Just one direction. It's been foggy, couldn't see my hand in front of my face, taking baby steps, but now...nothing.
I'm am truly lost. What do you do?
I am honestly asking anyone out there in cyberspace...
What do you do?
I refuse to curl up into a ball and sit still because I feel like if I do, then I will get stuck there inevitable. Frozen in place. Time standing still. And I know that's just not right, not right for anyone.
I had an aunt say to me, "You're going through one of those dark periods that life gives you from time to time."
That's a scary thought.
I believe her but it doesn't lessen the intensity of the situation. I asked her, "Any idea how long these last? I am about tapped out."
She responded, "What's that saying, God only gives you what you can handle."
While I find some comfort in that statement, it's still frightening because of the unknown.
--Don't know how to react
--Don't know what's ahead
--Don't know where our lives are heading
--Don't know how we are going to survive
--Don't know what to decide
--Don't know...
--Don't know...
--Don't know...
Man am I rambling today. Sorry everyone. Well, I think you get what reclaiming me is trying to get at today.
The one thing I, you, anyone, cannot do is give up.
HOPE that it will work out. FAITH that the good people of this world will be rewarded. PATIENCE that perseveres through this dark time.
Stay strong my friends (I feel like that XX Dos Equis beer commercial dude saying that). The advice for the day. Just stay strong today and see what tomorrow brings.
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda ;)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
"Fishpaste!"
Hello!
Well let's see here - it's been what about three/four weeks since my last post to reclaiming me. Not that anyone is really interested in my personal life but the last month has been full of "fishpaste".
If your not familiar with the term - watch Spongebob Squarepants. It's his swear word. And a darn good one.
Let see what happened (and I'm going to generalize so as not to get personal because I really don't want to relive the details). Yes, I am selfish that way.
#1. Got hopes up
#2. Hopes got crushed by emergency surgery
#3. Learned I could have died
#4. Reality strikes
#5. Find out something tragic has happened to a loved one
#6. Approximately 2 weeks later that loved one is gone
Yup...that about covers the ENTIRE month of March and a little extra just in case you really didn't get the depth of what was happening.
All the while, I've had one company take a serious look at me after 4 months of consistent searching.
OFF THE SOAP BOX NOW
So what did we learn during this episode of reclaiming me...
-> Life if just a bunch of "fishpaste"?
NO. Don't take for granted the little things in life that surround you each day. The most powerful thing that happened to me was realizing that I may have left this earth, my husband, my children, even my dog without ever saying goodbye. And that's when the tears started and still have not stopped. But I put on my brave face and keep on moving forward.
Take a moment out of your day and look at what's around you. Be thankful for the little, common, there everyday consistently, things in your life and appreciate them.
Until Next Time
Stay Cool.
Amanda :)
Well let's see here - it's been what about three/four weeks since my last post to reclaiming me. Not that anyone is really interested in my personal life but the last month has been full of "fishpaste".
If your not familiar with the term - watch Spongebob Squarepants. It's his swear word. And a darn good one.
Let see what happened (and I'm going to generalize so as not to get personal because I really don't want to relive the details). Yes, I am selfish that way.
#1. Got hopes up
#2. Hopes got crushed by emergency surgery
#3. Learned I could have died
#4. Reality strikes
#5. Find out something tragic has happened to a loved one
#6. Approximately 2 weeks later that loved one is gone
Yup...that about covers the ENTIRE month of March and a little extra just in case you really didn't get the depth of what was happening.
All the while, I've had one company take a serious look at me after 4 months of consistent searching.
OFF THE SOAP BOX NOW
So what did we learn during this episode of reclaiming me...
-> Life if just a bunch of "fishpaste"?
NO. Don't take for granted the little things in life that surround you each day. The most powerful thing that happened to me was realizing that I may have left this earth, my husband, my children, even my dog without ever saying goodbye. And that's when the tears started and still have not stopped. But I put on my brave face and keep on moving forward.
Take a moment out of your day and look at what's around you. Be thankful for the little, common, there everyday consistently, things in your life and appreciate them.
Until Next Time
Stay Cool.
Amanda :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Simplicity of a Dog
Good Afternoon Everyone!
Man...talk about a crazy, hectic week. This has been one for the books. And it's primary theme:
Patience
Which, by the way, I have none or atleast very little of. Today's reclaiming me is all about patience and finding it when you need it. That's why I'm going to breifly talk about what I mean by "simplicity of a dog".
Honestly, reclaiming me is really about you and everyone reading this blog. You're looking for someone to relate to or for a solution that just might work this time that someone else has pioneered. Here's yet another suggestion on how to look at life. Sometimes all you need is a little perspective change.
Imagine you're a dog. First, of course, pick what kind of dog you want to be. What are your primary concerns? Food.....(yup).....Water......(yup)......AFFECTION.......(Totally).
And if your lucky, a nice, warm, dry, comfortable place to sleep. Other than those needs, nothing else really matters.
And when you spot a bird and start a chase - that's a luxury and a highlight of your day! Or maybe you get to go to the dog park and sniff a few new butts...right? That again, is the best day of your dog life up until this point! What's tomorrow going to bring! It's all so exciting.
So, as I am learning, slowly, enjoy life's simplicities. Both the good and the bad. As I am sitting here, outside, watching my chocolate lab Daisy, and she is splayed out in the sunshine, litteraly smiling. Sniffs the air. Barks at the neighbors then promptly returns to lay by my feet. The only thing missing right now is a large, fuzzy tennis ball in which she can retrieve and go again. (But we will do that once I'm done with this post - little does she know)
So take a lesson from our finely furry friends, the canines, as I have today in reclaiming me and getting closer day by day.
ENJOY THE SIMPLICITY OF LIFE
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda (BARK!)
Man...talk about a crazy, hectic week. This has been one for the books. And it's primary theme:
Patience
Which, by the way, I have none or atleast very little of. Today's reclaiming me is all about patience and finding it when you need it. That's why I'm going to breifly talk about what I mean by "simplicity of a dog".
Honestly, reclaiming me is really about you and everyone reading this blog. You're looking for someone to relate to or for a solution that just might work this time that someone else has pioneered. Here's yet another suggestion on how to look at life. Sometimes all you need is a little perspective change. Imagine you're a dog. First, of course, pick what kind of dog you want to be. What are your primary concerns? Food.....(yup).....Water......(yup)......AFFECTION.......(Totally).
And if your lucky, a nice, warm, dry, comfortable place to sleep. Other than those needs, nothing else really matters.
And when you spot a bird and start a chase - that's a luxury and a highlight of your day! Or maybe you get to go to the dog park and sniff a few new butts...right? That again, is the best day of your dog life up until this point! What's tomorrow going to bring! It's all so exciting.
So, as I am learning, slowly, enjoy life's simplicities. Both the good and the bad. As I am sitting here, outside, watching my chocolate lab Daisy, and she is splayed out in the sunshine, litteraly smiling. Sniffs the air. Barks at the neighbors then promptly returns to lay by my feet. The only thing missing right now is a large, fuzzy tennis ball in which she can retrieve and go again. (But we will do that once I'm done with this post - little does she know)
So take a lesson from our finely furry friends, the canines, as I have today in reclaiming me and getting closer day by day.
ENJOY THE SIMPLICITY OF LIFE
Until Next Time.
Stay Cool.
Amanda (BARK!)
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