Photo by photographer Roger Kisby @Rogerkisby on IG

This past weekend Jordyn and I took part in the Womens March On Washington in Las Vegas. It was equally amazing and inspiring to be a part of something so impactful. And while I looked down at my daughter who chanted and cheered loudly, I felt a sense of pride. She had just played a basketball game and was tired but she wanted to be there. I gave her the option of sitting out because I knew she was tired but she wanted her voice to be heard. So we marched and chanted alongside thousands of our sisters and occasionally looked at one another and smiled. 

And I was proud because I raise Jordyn to be confident in herself, to know that she is in charge of her body and what happens to it and to believe that there should never be limitations on her success because of her gender and to see all of that coming to fruition, i've never been more proud. 

I wasn't always a strong woman. I can't even say I was always a feminist. When I was younger, I was in a shitty relationship. I wasn't aware of my self worth and allowed him to run all over me. I dated him.....and he dated everyone else. While it was a bad time in my life, it did play a role in molding me into who I am today, so i'm thankful for it.. It took a while but overtime, I realized my self worth and learned to love myself. I became more and more aware of social issues surrounding women. I became more and more aware of women, who like me, didn't know their own self worth or their own power. I started to see the double standards, the slut shaming, the lack of equality and was outraged. 

Feminism grew on me...but it was just in me...I never protested, spoke out to the people in my life or even posted about anything I thought would offend people on social media. I was afraid of coming off as rude or that people wouldn't agree with me so I would let sexist actions slide...I would let dehumanizing "jokes" go without standing up for myself. 

It wasn't until I had Jordyn that I started to voice my opinion and stand my ground. It wasn't just about protecting me, now I was protecting her. My feminist stance grew. I was adamant in teaching Jordyn her worth. I taught her to never be afraid to speak up, ask for what she deserves, and that when boys are mean to you, it does not mean they like you!! 

I did all of this but still....while the people around me knew where I stood on issues, I wasn't doing anything about changing them..... I never did anything about it....but I was a feminist I told myself. I care about womens rights, i'm raising my daughter to care about womens rights!....in all actuality I was just an idealistic young girl who was still afraid to get out on the front line and fight for my rights to be protected. 

Jordyn is an inspiring little girl. She has never been afraid to stand up for what she believes in..she is  much stronger at 9 than I was at 18, thats for sure. She never backs down, she lets her voice be heard, she stands strong in her beliefs even if her beliefs aren't aligned with the popular opinion. 

And it was her that inspired me to not only label myself as a feminist, but to become an activist. It was her that made me realize that yea, while the idea of fighting for equality for all is nice, it means nothing if I am not out there actually fighting for it. She made me realize that my silence will not protect me and that if I wanted change, I had to do something about it. 

And so now I do my part to fight for our rights..... I use my platforms to spread knowledge, i'm out there at these protest trying to change the world, I engage in actions and efforts and campaigns that are trying to bring about social change because now I realize that it's not just what I think, its what I do! 

I may have taught my daughter feminism, but she taught me activism and with Donald now in office, activism is crucial. 

The Womens March on washington to was a great first step but it doesnt stop there. If you're interested in creating change, head over to womensmarch.com to participate in a new campaign, 10 actions/100 days. Every 10 days, we will all take action on issues we care about. The first action is to write a postcard to your state senators about what matters most to you and how you're going to continue to fight for it. womensmarch.com is even offering free printable postcards to make it easy to get your voice heard!

We can do this, together. 

Remember;

Justice, peace, and equality for all. Stronger together, we won't fall.

Xo, Jeanice

Making technology time, family time.

 

It is no secret that we live in a time where technology reigns supreme. 

It's also no secret that we rely so heavily on technology that it becomes both a blessing and a curse and, if you let it, can cause a huge divide in families. The man works a very corporate job which requires him to do a ton of work on his laptop..If I let him, he'll lock himself away in his office and work away on that thing for hours. Jordyn tends to have a lot of online homework and enjoys gaming....again, if I let her, she'd click away on her laptop and tablet for hours. And I, as a blogger, Instablogger, influencer, and owner of a Youtube channel, always seem to have an email to respond to, some writing to finish, or some editing I need to get done...If I let myself, I can spend hours on my devices.
Yeah ok, if you let it....technology can negatively affect the way your family interacts with each other, so the key is to NOT LET IT!
But how?

In our home, we limit time spent using technology.
 Jordyn is allowed only 1 hour of tech time during the week and 2 hours on weekends,theres a firm, no phone/tablet rule in place while we eat meals,  and during our weekly family game nights ( where I kick butt in Uno) Phones, tablets, and laptops are banned. But, we also use technology to our advantage, using it as a bonding tool rather than treating it as some taboo thing that should be banished. I'm not talking about being in the same room together but all being tuned into different cyber realities because honestly, that isn't family time. I'm talking about finding ways to be tuned into cyberspace.....together...essentially turning tech time, to family time.

Here's a few simple ways my family bonds via technology.

1. FAMILY GROUP TEXT. 

Our family group text is mostly filled with funny pictures of animals and Jordyn asking what time either one of us is going to be getting home from work but it's a fun way to share things we find funny or communicate when we aren't near each other. 

Jordyn is only 9 but i'm sure this is something that will continue throughout her teen and young adult life. In fact, A 2014 study from the University of Kansas found that teens and adult children who talk with their parents through texting and social media tend to have better relationships than those who don't. 

2: COMMUNITY LAPTOP TIME.

Most days, Jordyn has computer homework and Zeke and I both have work to do on our computers. We all have laptops so it is very easy for us to all sit around together either in the living room or at the dining room table and get our work done while also being present with each other. While it may look like we are all focused on our own thing, we're actually still very present with each other. We will talk about our day, tell jokes, make dinner suggestions, and bond...all while getting our work done on our computers.

3. PLAY VIDEOS TOGETHER.

I am not a gamer. I've never been super into it...but let me tell you, the times all 3 of us spend snuggled together on Jordyns bed playing Mario Kart on her Wii U are some of my favorite times. We laugh, scream, and encourage each other to beat Bowser...Throw in some Mario Party and its a whole new ball game....Jordyn is super into gaming but rather than just allowing Jordyn to get sucked into this virtual world of games alone in her room, we enjoy them with her. We cuddle in her bed while she proudly builds and shows off her world in MineCraft, and we all vote on outfits while she plays the Roblox fashion show game. 

4: VIRTUAL SCAVENGER HUNTS
These are pretty cool. They combine technology and being outdoors!
 It's like a double win. Virtual scavenger hunt apps from apps like Geocaching to Klikaklu make it so easy and fun to spend a day out, exploring new places in your city with your family. Even apps like the super popular Pokemon Go game acts as an on the go, scavenger hunt type of game! We love spending a few hours out together hunting. We even get our friends involved and go out in big groups for hunts! We love it!

We enjoy our bonding time via technology, we like to use it to our advantage rather than letting it consume and divide us.
Do you all use technology to bond in your homes?
How is technology affecting or benefiting your family?

Xo,
Jeanice :)

Simple DIY Daily task board.

Happy Monday, guys! I hope your new year has been going well.

Lets jump right into it....

 I don't know about you all but one of my biggest peeves ever is having to repeat myself. I HATE IT!!! I don't like to ask people to do things more than once...I hate it....I hate it..I hate it!... and that is no exception in the home. I potty training and teaching Jordyn her initial responsibilities when she was younger was the worst time of my liiifeeeee. Ok, probably not the worst time but it was an extremely frustrating time. Then, when she got braces...ohhhhhhh man.....let me tell you!!...I had to stress her and stress her about brushing and flossing SO much until she got to a point where she did it without having to be reminded...Listen, when she finally did get to the point where I know longer had to remind her.....it was GLORIOUS! 

Jordyn is 9 now and all of the chores and responsibilities i've instilled in her, she's pretty much got down so we have no need for an actual chore chart. I have however, been trying to teach her to contribute more to the household but sadly in an effort to not end up repeating myself, I just end up doing what i've asked her to do myself. *sigh...

I needed a solution that wasn't a chore chart but something more like of one of those little charts you see in bathrooms at stores...You know, those checklists that show how many times the bathroom has been cleaned and at what time?....Yea, one of those. I also knew that I needed this chart to be placed in her space so that I didn't have to remind her to go look at it...If it was placed in her room, she would see it without having to go out of her way. 

I couldn't find a board with all the lines I needed so I just grabbed a plain dry erase board and created my own lines.....which is why they look so crappy. HA! 

I made the lines with dry erase marker but i'll probably be going back in and re-doing them in permanent marker.

I then broke it down into the morning, afternoon, and night tasks she's responsible for. Once she's done with each tasks she simply checks off the box. I like that its big and she can visually see how responsible she is being. Clearly, she was slacking at the beginning of the week but she got it together towards the end. I asked her how she felt about seeing all the check marks and she said " I feel like a responsible woman!" lol!!

I also included a "Tech Time" section. During the week we only allow Jordyn to use her technology equipment ( iPad, Nintendo DS, Laptop, ipod) for things other than homework, for one hour. On the weekend, its 2 hours. If she wants to earn additional tech time, she can complete a task each worth 15 mins. She is only allowed to earn up to 1 additional hour a day.
When we first made this rule, Jordyn thought it was the worst!...Come to find out, most days, she doesn't even use up her first hour!
This daily task board was super easy to make and is working great so far....I mean, this morning, I didn't have to remind Jordyn to replace the toilet paper in her bathroom so i'd say thats a success.

Have a wonderful week, guys!

Xo, Jeanice :)