Passing Judgement and Stereotypes

I am always amazed at how we, as a society, so easily pass judgement on people and/or things we don't understand or doesn't make sense to us. We see a certain type of person at an airport or on the street and they have to be a terrorist, we see someone extremely thin and (s)he has to have an eating disorder, we see someone overweight and they have to be lazy, we see someone dressed a certain way and they have to be a thug, gang member, slut, etc., we see a woman who is bald and she must have cancer.
We too often jump to conclusions about and make judgements towards people based on their appearance without taking the time to find out anything about them. What do we think when we see someone with numerous tattoos or piercings? With dreads? Wearing dark clothing with dark makeup and nail polish? How does our perception of these people compare to someone we see wearing a business suit? Clean cut?
It is a shame that we rush to such conclusions and judgements about people based solely on their appearance. It angers me to hear someone make fun of someone who is overweight. That person may not be able to help the fact that (s)he is overweight. Their weight could be genetic, they could have a thyroid issue, there could be underlying issues causing the person to over eat. We don't know anything about this person or why (s)he is the size they are. The same goes for someone who is too skinny. (S)He could be sick or ill, have a thyroid problem, it could be a side effect of medication....who knows. And what angers me more is when we judge people based on their race, ethnicity or religion. Not every Muslim is a terrorist, not every black person is a thug, not every Hispanic person is here illegally. I posted a picture below that I love because it shows just how stereotypical and judgmental our society can be.
Before we decide to judge or stereotype someone, we need to get to them as a person for who they are and for what they stand for. We need to quit casting our judgements on them. Judging people before you know them is not positive for the person doing the judging or the person being judged. God wants us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves and yet we are quick to judge our neighbor, but not look at ourselves. There is no one perfect person and if you were too look closely at your own life, you will find areas and times in which you are not and have not been perfect. You wouldn't want someone judging you for your mistakes or the mistakes of your race, ancestors, ect. Let's think about this before we decide to judge others and the world will be a happier place.

My Personal Tips for New Moms

Having and older child and a newborn, I have found some things that work and that I personally swear by. Some things are products, some things are simple things you can do. Here are some of my personal tips for new moms....or any mom with a newborn.

Breast-Feeding:
The tank top nursing bras from Walmart (about $13 each) are awesome! They allow you to nurse, but still cover your back and stomach, so if you are nursing in public with a cover, your skin isn't showing when you raise your shirt (if you're wearing a pull over shirt).

The First Years Nursing Care Lanolin Free Nipple Butter is the best thing ever for use after nursing. It is all organic and made of 100% food grade ingredients, so it is safe to use prior to and after nursing.

Develop a Routine:
Regardless of the time, I have a routine I stick to in order to get my 8 week old to sleep. We've been doing this routine since her umbilical cord came off when she was two weeks old. She now knows that regardless of the time, when we do the following things we are getting ready for bed. Your routine doesn't need to be the same as mine. Create one that works for you and your baby.
My routine - when I'm ready to go to bed for the night and want my baby to go to sleep, I run a really warm bath and baby and I soak in the tub for about 15-20 minutes. She sits in my lap half in the water and then we play and she swims (with my help of course). I then bathe her with lavender baby soap and upon exiting the tub dust her with lavender baby powder and put on her pajamas. Then we lay in bed and I nurse her until she falls asleep and then I place her in her bed. At 8 weeks, she is sleeping 6-7 hours a night and it doesn't matter what time we go to bed as long as we follow this routine.

After Baby:
Many moms have problems losing the baby weight or lose the weight but have lost the tight and firm body they once had. It Works! Ultimate Body Applicator and supplements are AWESOME! The body applicator starts shedding inches after only 45 minutes and continues to work for 72 hours. The results last 2-6 months depending upon exercise and diet. I love the products so much, I am now a distributor for them: http://gethealthywithheathermeyer.myitworks.com.

Noise or Quiet????:
I have a very loud family, so I have never asked people to be quiet around my children when they were sleeping. Both can sleep through anything because they are accustom to the noise. We can go to loud restaurants, friends homes, etc. with our newborn and she will sleep because the noise doesn't bother her. My older daughter can fall asleep anywhere because of it.

Hope some of these tips help some of you! :-)

Starting 2013 Off Right

WOW! I can't believe 2012 is already over. What a year for me it was!
Graduated my Master's program, passed my licensing exam, started my own counseling practice and had a baby!
I'm hoping to make 2013 an even bigger and better year. Just this week, I became an Independent Distributor for It Works! Global. I look forward to working with my team to help others live healthier through diet, exercise, supplements and other It Works! products. I am trying my best to attend the It Works! Freedom 2013 conference mid-month. This would be a great opportunity since I am new to the company.
In order to make 2013 a great year, I am setting some goals for myself, both financial and personal and encourage everyone to do the same. There is a study that says a person is more likely to reach their goals if they put them on paper and read them everyday. These are not New Year Resolutions, they are simply goals I hope to obtain.

So here are my goals for 2013:
To earn a minimum $500 a month as an It Works! Distributor
To become certified in Hypnobirthing
To increase my counseling practice/hypnotherapy/hypnobirthing clientele
To implement a counseling program into a local hospital
To take a family vacation to somewhere Tropical (Bahamas, Jamaica, etc.) or to Disney
To obtain a National Sponsor for the Mrs. Colorado pageant
To win the title of Mrs. Colorado 2013 
To found a local beauty pageant (Little Miss SLV, Miss SLV Preteen, Miss SLV Teen and Miss SLV)
To award the 2nd SLV Break the Cycle Scholarship to a deserving SLV senior
To increase Break the Cycle Race against Domestic Violence 5K Walk/Run participation to at least 75 participants
To live healthier and happier
To see the positive even in the worst situations
To cut back on my addictions...........SUGAR and CAFFIENE
To be a better friend, mother and wife
To not take a single moment in life for granted
To give more to others (either financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually)
To live a more Godly lifestyle and be a good Christian role model for my daughters
To help my oldest daughter (8 yrs) set and reach her personal goals (and boy does she have some.....one of her life goals is to be on America's Got Talent)

I would love to hear your goals and aspirations for 2013. Comment on this post with them if you'd like to share!

Here is to a happy, beautiful, healthy, blessed and life changing year! Happy New Year!!!!