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How to avoid Hair Damage in the Winter

Summer is gone- and gone are the chlorine, sun over-drying, saltwater and all the other issues that summer brings with it. At a first glance, you can breath in relief- your hair is safe now, ready to be shinny, fluid and as gorgeous as ever. But don't haste! If you thought summer to be your worst enemy, you haven't met winter yet. A moment of silence please- do you remember the frizz, the tangle, dandruff, oil excess? Yes, they can happen in the winter too- and hey, some of us know that winter can be even worse than summer. If in the summer your hair is mostly lacking it's moisture, winter brings twice as many problems- plus the fact that hairstyles have no chance in front of the cruel snow. While summer is known for causing hair damage, winter is your secret enemy. If you're looking for ways to keep you hair healthy and good-looking in the winter, then read on- we're listing the top hair problems winter is producing and listing the solutions for maintaining the per

Can You Build a Healthy Relationship Online?

Can You Build a Healthy Relationship Online? Let's Explore the Possibilities. Online dating sites have become a popular tool for finding love and companionship. But is it really as simple as it seems? With stories of scams and negative experiences, it's natural to wonder if it works at all. Let's dive in and find out. Looking Beyond the Scams Forget about the horror stories for a moment and consider online dating as a concept. It's a service that allows people to connect and develop relationships in a digital space. In an ideal world, it would be incredibly effective. However, like any business, there are scammers within the online dating community and even on the platforms themselves. So, the first step is to choose a trustworthy dating site. Opt for platforms that have reliable security measures like profile checks, anti-spam, and anti-fraud software. Embracing Online Dating in the Pandemic Era The pandemic has made our lives more challenging, forcing us to adapt to a

Top 5 ways to stay calm and reduce stress

Are you looking for more calm satisfying experience with you daily life? Do you get frustrated with yourself at the end of the day because you've gotten stressed, unfocused or agitated? Are you tired of getting over emotional and worn out? Whether you are experiencing one or all of these feelings here are my 5 best tips on reducing the unwanted feelings so that you will feel calm and satisfied with yourself each day. 1. Catch yourself when you exhibit a feeling of behavior that you don't like and change it. At first you may not notice the feeling until after you have gone through it, that's fine. Think about how you would rather have felt. Think about how you would rather have handled yourself. Decide how you want to do it next time. As you continue with this process each day you will find that you will notice more easily what you are doing throughout the day. You will begin to catch yourself earlier and earlier as you do this. Eventually, you will be seeing yourself while

Herbs & Spices: A Treasure Trove of Health Benefits

They say, to live right, you need to eat right but do we actually know what is right? Take a look at your kitchen cabinets; I am sure half of us won’t be aware of the benefits little things placed in our grocery shelf provide. For example, do you know that the herbs and spices flavoring your dishes are a treasure trove of health benefits? Here are a few common herbs and spices that we find easily in any household but are ignorant of the health benefits they offer.  1. Cayenne -  The famous philosopher Plato once said, “Pepper is small in quantity and great in virtue”. So is cayenne. Cayenne or popularly known as Lal Mirch relieves many gastro problems. It is quite interesting to know that Cayenne soothes the sore throat and heals other cold and flu symptoms. Apart from this Cayenne regulates the metabolism of one’s body which promotes weight loss and strong immunity.  2. Oregano  - I am sure all the pizza lovers out there are very well aware of what oregano tastes like. Oregano is rich

How To Manage Your Debt

Many consumers are overwhelmed by accumulated debts. In most cases, the problem creeps up gradually, until the total debt load reaches unmanageable proportions. Sometimes even minor problems such as temporary illness can tip the balance for the heavily indebted because they have no savings on which to fall back. Here are some suggestions to help ease the debt burden. Credit Cards If you know you are tempted to overspend on credit cards, leave them at home when you go shopping. Pay with cash and you will not have the temptation to overspend. Develop a Budget To take control of your financial situation you must have a realistic assessment of how much money you earn and how much money you have left over to spend. Calculate your total income, then list your "fixed" expenses - those unescapable charges you incur every month - like mortgage payments or rent, car payments, and insurance premiums. Next, list optional expenses such as entertainment, recreation, and clothing. Writing d

Relationships after Divorce

I literally had to grieve my divorce.  The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, letting go and acceptance. I have gone through each one of these stages. I had to remove someone from my life that had been part of it for sixteen years. I met him when I was 22 and my divorce was finalized when I was 38. The relationship had ended years before the divorce, but it took me a long time to accept it. I was gone mentally, long before I had physically picked up my things and drove off. I was hurt. I was sad. I was angry. I couldn’t understand how HE could do the things he did to me. The one person who was supposed to love me unconditionally broke me down bit-by-bit until I didn’t even understand why I was living. I didn’t understand why I was suffering. I didn’t understand why God put me in that place. I was angry with God. I felt myself breaking down and it was getting hard to pretend that everything was normal. I hated going home. I worked late and went into the office early whenever

My Personal 2020 Recap

January : I started the year off at an RMA networking event at the Pyramid Club. I could have sworn I would be doing fabulous Banker stuff all year 🤔 ....2020 had other plans. The World Health Organization announced on January 9th that a deadly coronavirus had emerged in Wuhan, China.  Then, on January 26th, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, three members of the Altobelli family, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester & the pilot all lost their lives in a ass helicopter crash. It was devastating news and the entire country mourned.  February :  For Valentine's Day I got some beautiful roses from Vaughn. I love flowers so much and red roses are my favorite!  My grandma wasn't doing well in February and we spent a lot of time at the hospital.  On Feb. 24th Harvey Weinstein was convicted rap and sexual abuse which started the #MeToo movement.  I paid little attention to this, because on Feb. 24th, my grandma passed away.  March :  I was so heart broken when my grandma passed. I know s

Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your Christmas Eve was amazing.  I was so exhausted by the end of last night.  I had planned such a fun time, but two of my daughters weren't speaking when we started. Then my mom hurt one of my daughters feelings. Another one was being rude to her sister for no reason. I tried to pull it together with some board games, but one daughter was shut in her room and another left to go upstairs after Clue. I have three daughters and the third one was so hurt by her sister's rudeness she started crying. My mom was starting to feel a little down after that.  The pizza came around this time and I pulled out my phone for a game of Heads Up! My son sat this one out but I was okay with that because the had participated in everything,

Ex... (P1.3)

I knew it.  All the signs were there.  This man flipped the script so fast!  We were just in love and planning on starting our business so we could really build something.   Ex had enrolled in school and began classes.  Soon after, he started going out without me.  He was staying out really late.  At family events he sat in a corner with his face in his phone texting and smiling instead of talking with the guys.  I wasn't stupid.  I confronted him and he denied any wrong doing.  I waited up for him so many nights.  The bars closed at 2:00 am.  Sometimes he didn't make it home until 5 or 6.  He said he was at the "after hour."  I called him a liar.  I argued with him every day.  I bitched and yelled, and he wouldn't tell me the truth.  I tried talking and reasoning with him, but he wouldn't tell me the truth.  I had to find out on my own.  So I did.  After only three months of marriage Ex was cheating on me.  He was cheating on me with a girl from North P

Compromising vs Changing Yourself

In my novella, "The Story of Ex," I write about a woman changing herself to keep her partner happy.  I, myself, have done that in more than one of my relationships.  That was wrong.  You should never have to change who you are to keep your partner happy.  If that person loves you he/she is going to love you as you are. You don't fall in love with someone while having a list of things you want them to change in the back of your mind.  That's not love.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't change some of your behaviors, or compromise with your partner.  You can change your behaviors to improve yourself and your relationship without changing yourself.  For example, if one of the partners in a relationship drinks a lot, and their significant other is like, "You're drinking way too much.  I worry about if you'll make it home driving. It's affecting our children and our finances."  That is a behavior that a person should change for the betterment

Ex... (P1.2)

Sometimes I think Ex loved me more than I loved myself.  He loved me so much that he put me on a pedestal and held me to a higher standard. There were so many things that I was supposed to be.  Pretty but humble, kind-hearted but unyielding, well kept but natural, conservative but open-minded, reserved but out-going, strong but soft, cordial but not too friendly.  It was almost impossible and quite draining to keep up with.  Still, I was determined to keep it up.  Ex thought more highly of me than I thought of myself and I wanted to be everything he thought I was.  So I did....or at least, I tried. Sometimes I was too friendly or didn't say the right thing.  Other times I held back too much and came off as awkward.  It was a little nerve-racking to not know when I should or shouldn't speak to someone.  Normally, I would just speak to store clerks to be polite.  Now, I needed to make sure I wasn't being, "joe."  It really wasn't a big deal I guess.  My need to

Ex ...(P1.1)

I feel compelled to fill you in on what happened to change me as a person and stop me from writing for so long.  It has been a long journey and I think you will understand me more if I explain. Let me tell you about my marriage... I met Ex long before we got married.  We married in 2011 in a very rushed ceremony while he was on house arrest fighting a case. (He was later aquitted of all charges). You will never hear me say that I did not love my ex-husband. I loved that man. From the moment I met him, I felt like no one else on the planet understood me the way he did. The night we met, we sat on bar stools next to each other and talked for an hour and a half. We talked like we had been friends for years. We talked about life and family, about current events and politics and about music and movies. I wondered why I had not met him sooner. I was 22. Now, here I was, at age 30, feeling doubt in my heart while standing at the alter holding his hands. The doubt was not from me thinking that

Homeless Encampment Receives Final Notice to Vacate

UPDATE:  Philly is open to giving 50 homes to Encampment Protesters The homeless encampments in center city and north Philly received their final notice from the city this morning. It has been a couple of weeks since the City of Philadelphia won the right to forcefully remove the people who have taken up camp in both locations.  Last night I toured the Center City encampment. They have some ideas about where they will set up once removed however the fear is that no matter where they go, the city will make them leave. There were Uhaul trucks waiting outside of the encampment to transport the campers' tents which were donated or purchased with donated funds. The camp is well organized. They have a kitchen where they provide meals and they ask that everyone mask up. They also provide free masks. The donation booth is easily noticed. The people in the encampment are not bad people. While I was in the encampment I was asked not to video record so out of respect for the people I won'

Unalienable Rights

Way back in 1776 the Continental Congress voted in favor of its independence from England. Two days later on July 4th, the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence which states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATER WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS." With stolen land and free labor white supremacists built the very system that we still use today. People of African decent were not considered to be American citizens. We were property. Natives were killed and forced into small areas; their kids taken and put into orphanages where they cut off their hair and abused them. White women couldn't vote, work or inherit any of their family's estate. The only people who had inalienable rights in this country were white men. People: It is 244 years later and many Americans are still fighting for their basic God given rights!  🔸The r

Good Things are Coming!

What a day! Look at my hands! I was leaving a meeting at our corporate office in Souderton when my tire got a big 'ol hole in it!! 😞 I was able to pull over at Wawa when I noticed the Low PSI warning, but when I got out of the car I could hear air seeping out!!  Their air pump would not do.  Fix-a-flat would not do.  I don't have AAA (anymore ☹).  I would have to get out the donut 🍩 and change the tire myself!!! 😭😭😭😒.   "This will definitely delay my afternoon meeting in Mt. Airy," I thought.  Not to mention, my outfit looked really cute!  Plus, I did my hair & make-up so nice!! 😍 Even the security guard noticed when I got to Souderton this morning she was like, "You look different. Did you straighten your hair? It looks good!" The last time I had to change my own car tire I was 21!!  And even then someone pulled over and helped.  No such luck today. 😠  I guess I didn't look cute enough! 😮  After it took me like, FOREVER to change the

Time to Rebuild

Why do we give ourselves to people who don't deserve us?  It changes us.   It chips away at us piece by piece until we are shaped into something else;  something different.   We don't even recognize the old person.   Who was that girl?   My, how she's changed. I feel like everytime that I've accepted something I didn't deserve it took away from who I was.   I don't know when I started allowing people to treat me so badly.   It just sort of happened and then it never stopped. I guess it doesn't really matter when I started it, what matters is that I stop.   I'm done letting people take from me!  My time, my love, my attention; is valuable.   I will not let anyone else hurt me, or make me feel like I am beaneath them.  It hurts so much when the person you love makes you feel like you are nothing.  I've decided, that's over.  It's time to rebuild.  And rebuild, I shall. 

Fashion Designers won't Dress Melania Trump - But why?

Yesterday, Tom Ford joined a growing list of high-end designers refusing to dress the soon to be First Lady, Melania Trump. I am not sure why they are doing this.  I honestly think its kind of stupid. This is how I see it: A Yugoslavia girl who had a modest upbringing lands an international modeling contract at the age of 18 and builds a successful modeling career that lands her in New York City by the age of 26 attending affairs with New York's elite.  She then meets her future husband at age 28 and gets married at 35. She becomes a mother at age 36, with enough excitement under her belt, and money in her accounts to settle into motherhood quite nicely.  Her son will have the best education and live in the most afluent neighborhoods.  Then, on top of having an already fabulous life, she is soon to make history as the only foreign born First Lady of the USA. I think that's pretty damn awesome!  I am not about to judge this woman based off of who her husband is. Mela

How Hillary Clinton lost the Respect of the People, and the Election

A lot of people I know are unhappy with the outcome of this past election.  They're blaming Libertarians, they're blaming the Green Party and they're blaming people who didn't vote.  But the only person they should be blaming is Hillary Clinton. Clinton's campaign had more funding than any other candidate running in the primary and in the general election.  Hillary Clinton had more experience than any other candidate running in the primary and in the general election.  The Clinton's were well-established politicians that had a lot of support from democrats, because of their years in public service.  This should have been a cake walk. In 2015 when she announced that she would be running for president both my husband and myself were happy supporters.  Hillary offered pretty much the same platform as the candidate before her with less enthusiasm.  And if Bernie Sanders had not run for president then perhaps a self-righteous, typical Democratic politician wit

Places in Philly: Nook

One of my favorite cafe's to visit in this city is Nook. It has a very nice atmosphere. The drinks are delicious especially the chai latte,and I love love the chocolate loaf! I have some photos from different times when I visited. I believe someone told me that the art work was painted by the owner, or someone in the family. I can't recall. I'll have to ask again when I go back.

"Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper"

Once upon a time, America forgot that Beyonce is black: Then she reminded them: Everyone got upset 😡 Then they got the f*ck over it: Like I said before, no one really cared about Pete King's opinion.   I love Beyonce! Click images to view source.