Archives for November 2015

The Depo Provera Shot Sucks—Here’s Why

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There’s a lot to pick from when it comes to birth control. Unfortunately, I chose Depo Provera, a shot that last up to 3 months and is up to 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Sounds like a plus but the side effects were awful. The exact same reasons I chose to get this shot was why I ended up not liking it. Months after I got my first shot I went back in to my doctor’s asking for something else.

I’ve been off the Depo shot more than three months but my period has come back fairly quickly which was what I was hoping and praying for. My doctor said one of the reasons women like the Depo shot so much is because their periods go away. After three months of not having any period at all it didn’t feel as awesome as the doctor promised it would. My period has always come in regular and I was afraid I wouldn’t get my period back if I continued getting the Depo shots. I read countless stories online from women who said after the shot their period was irregular or came in bleeding full force.

The one plus about not getting my period was no painful cramps! However, I found if I exercise regularly throughout the month I don’t get painful cramps. Is there a proven theory out there for that?

Probably the worst thing that came out of getting this shot was that I have a deep indent in my leg from where the shot was injected. This doesn’t seem like a common side effect because I haven’t read about it too much. What seems like a hole in my leg really makes me go Come on, man! Seriously. I hope it will go away on it’s own but I’ve been trying body wraps to see if I can speed up the process.

One of the most important things that pushed me to switch my birth control method was how the long-term use of the shot affects bone density. I want my bones strong but I would be doing it a disservice if I continued to use this method. The doctor made it seem like losing bone mineral density wasn’t that big of an issue but I really wish she informed on how this could lead to osteoporosis.

When I got the shot, I could have been more informed on all its possible side effects. It’s a lesson learned and I moved on. There are plenty of birth control options out there and it’s your choice to make an informed decision.

Diana
There are plenty of things I like to do when I’m not writing. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning but what I really enjoy is food and a good book!

I post throughout the week and I share this blog with my husband Danny.

Headers for Fiverr!

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I recently put a gig up on Fiverr for headers. I had some fun creating a few sample pieces but I also included my header…because I made that one, too! Tomorrow, I’ll have a new post up of the Depo shot. Yup, that crazy birth control shot.

This may seem familiar. Created this with photoshop Nov 2015

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A sample header I made for one of my Fiverr gigs

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Felt a little Earthy with this one. Also another one of my sample headers for Fiverr

 

Diana
There are plenty of things I like to do when I’m not writing. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning but what I really enjoy is food and a good book!

I post throughout the week and I share this blog with my husband Danny.

Being a Perfectly Posh Independent Consultant: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

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      Source: Perfectly Posh

 

I’m sure all of us have our own ideas about what being an independent consultant really is. Some may think direct sales companies are all a pyramid scheme and someone else might disagree. Perfectly Posh is a company that sells body lotions, soaps, and the likes through a direct sales model. I have been an independent consultant since August of this year, I believe. So, yes I’ve only been an independent consultant for a few months but I have actively been selling! However, a few things have made me feel very unhappy about this company.

Let me start off by saying I absolutely love these products. I have tried different face masks, body lotions, and hair care products. They are so easy to sell because the products smell wonderful and the packaging is very cute. I received 20% commission for each product I sold and I got paid weekly. If I sold a hundred dollars worth of product every week I would get almost twenty dollars in commission. I especially loved their Never Grow up face cream because I felt it hydrated and really brightened up my skin. I recommended these products to my mom and her friends consistently bought this product. The best part of it all is the products are very inexpensive so I don’t feel bad about selling to my friends because I really do believe they work. Many of their products are vegan and are not tested on animals. I mean, come on. Pair that with those cute labels they use and every girl just has to have one.

One thing that did make me feel very unhappy about this company was their lack of support. Originally, I had signed up under the wrong team and I put a request in at the beginning that I wanted to switch someone else’s team. They never made the switch and after a few months of waiting I called up to let them know just forget about it, I’ll keep the team I’m on right now. So I explained why I wasn’t going to be make the switch to my intended sponsor’s team but she kept pushing. I received an email from someone else on her team asking for closure on this subject manner. When I gave my “closure” I was very upset to find out the next day I had been transferred to their team without my given permission.

Meanwhile, I had placed an order for a few different customers back in September that I did not receive until a month later! I thought their shipments had always been slow to arrive but a month later?! I was freaking out because I did not want to lose these customers. I eventually did lose them as customers because they were upset the products they had already paid for weren’t here. They asked for their money back and I did so. I was left using their products for myself.

When I tried to call Posh Support about this mess I was told the day I placed the order was a record breaking sales day for them. In other words, they couldn’t keep up with the demand. However, a month to receive a few beauty products in the mail is way too much time. I sold Perfectly Posh to make a few extra dollars for myself and it was quickly turning into a side business for me. I wasn’t told any information about my order so when my customers asked what was going on I was clueless, too. I received a few Perk points (redeemable for a free or discounted product) and that was it.

When I expressed my displeasure of this whole ordeal on the private Facebook group for all the consultants my comment was quickly erased. At that point, I started thinking This really isn’t worth it anymore. I’m all for making money but if others are thinking about joining Perfectly Posh they really to take into consideration that this company is relatively new in the direct sales market. That really was one of the selling points for me when I joined in the first place. It wasn’t like Avon or Mary Kay: this was a new company that I knew my friends hadn’t heard of. However, I really think they haven’t worked out some of the kinks when it comes to shipping and getting to support requests. Really sad because I truly wanted this to work out for me but I felt very disheartened after all of this. I’ll remain a buyer but I won’t be selling for Posh anymore.

 

 

 

Diana
There are plenty of things I like to do when I’m not writing. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning but what I really enjoy is food and a good book!

I post throughout the week and I share this blog with my husband Danny.

How to Cope with Grief and Loss

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Read me first: The purpose of this article is to share my experience with grief and most importantly be able to share ways I learned to cope with grief. These are healthy ways I learned to cope with loss on my own. I also spoke to a therapist who helped me sort out my feelings, as well. I believe that was extremely beneficial to me.

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My Personal Experience

I never expected my dad to die when he did. Although I had experienced the loss of a grandparent before, that was nothing compared to the feelings of guilt and depression I felt after my father had died. Loss is a tough journey; whether it be a parent, a break-up, or loss of a job. In this blog post I will be primarily talking about loss through death, although these tips are useful for any type of loss. Years have passed since my father died but I’ve developed skills that I can use to cope with his death. Below are some of the coping techniques I used to help me.

Don’t bottle it up, cry if you have to!

For a long time after my dad died I didn’t talk about it. At the time, I gave myself plenty of excuses why I didn’t have to talk to my mom or call my best friend. I don’t want to be sad the whole day, it’s already been so long since he died, and the worst one I don’t want anyone to see me cry. Even though I could have a seemingly normal day, my dad always seemed to be on my mind. Some days I felt like I all wanted was to cry but I constantly held it in. I didn’t give enough value to my emotions; I constantly tried to cover them up. That is not the right way to handle things, remember you are worth listening to!

Turn it into a positive

It helps to get out of the house when you have too many negative feelings stirring inside of you. It’s okay to be sad but try to get some form of exercise every day, even if it is a walk around your neighborhood. Try to make it a ritual and something that you look forward to. When you’ve lost someone close to you it is common to feel like you have to put the needs of others before your own. Join a gym, take a dance class, or even take out your bicycle for a spin. Even though you may not want to in the moment, it’s important to keep your health and well-being a number one priority in your life.

Write an email to that person

I’ve written my dad countless letters over the past years only to put them away and find them again later. My letters used to be full of anger towards him but writing those letters were a form of release for me. I started writing him emails because I realized no one would ever see them and I wouldn’t have to find them whenever I cleaned my room.  Since then my perspective has changed and I no longer feel the anger I used to.

Treat yourself with love and kindness

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Grief is not easy to go through. Some days you will feel like you are taking two steps backwards as opposed to a step forward. Always treat yourself with love and kindness. You are a human being capable of being loved and giving love; that’s why death is so hard to deal with. These three coping techniques are great things to apply to your life but time is a powerful healing tool. With time, acceptance begins to take shape. Trust me, you will get to that point.

Diana
There are plenty of things I like to do when I’m not writing. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning but what I really enjoy is food and a good book!

I post throughout the week and I share this blog with my husband Danny.

http://dianametdanny.com

It Wasn’t Love At First Sight

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Autumn is supposed to be the most romantic time of year. Everything just seems warm and cozy; candles beg to be lit and sweaters are brought out from storage. Danny and I met in the month of November, but I definitely didn’t want to sit by the fireside with him at first. He says he liked my short hair (I had just cut it into a pixie) while I liked that he fixed my computer the first time we met. I never expected Danny to be anything more than an acquaintance but at the time I was just enjoying the single life.

I met Danny through a family friend. We had breakfast all together one morning and I think my first thought was Wow He is Colombian? He sure doesn’t look like it to me! After learning he had only been in the States for a few months I was impressed at how well he spoke English. We really didn’t notice each other until a few weeks later. I guess you can say it was my mom’s makeup bag that brought us together.

Danny had a small gig driving my mom to work in the afternoon but one day she forgot her makeup bag. She absolutely needed it; any make-up addict reading could sympathize with her dilemma. I had been painting a few things I got from the thrift store and my phone was near me, of course. I picked it up to answer a text message and plop! – it fell right into the bucket of paint. I was hysterical trying to clean my phone but thankfully Danny rang the doorbell soon after. I gave him my mom’s makeup bag and he offered to get my phone over to a repair place. I remember having so much fun listening to music and talking with him on the way there. After we spent time together one on one I realized I wanted to get to know him better.

We soon started seeing each other more and more. Sometimes I wish I could go back and watch us listening to music or walking around the neighborhood. There is something so special about the beginning of something new and exciting. I wouldn’t trade that time we spent getting to know each other for anything in the world.

Diana
There are plenty of things I like to do when I’m not writing. Sometimes I go to the gym in the morning but what I really enjoy is food and a good book!

I post throughout the week and I share this blog with my husband Danny.

http://dianametdanny.com

Living in the United States: Almost Two Years Later

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     I didn’t always live in the United States; I am actually a native of Colombia. All my life I felt like I was always searching for the next thing: a new job, more money, a better house. Yet I never felt satisfied once I achieved all those goals. The opportunity to come to the United States presented itself to me when I had already established a career in Colombia, dropping everything to start all over again in a new country with no friends or family sounded scary but it was the perfect challenge for me. I wanted more than what Colombia could offer me so I started to prepare for my journey to New Jersey. The last few months leading up to the day I left, I started to become increasingly aware of the time I spent with my family. When would I see them again? Would I choose to stay in New Jersey after I finished my studies abroad? Would I get home sick? All these question ran through my mind.

I came here with my girlfriend at the time to live with her family. Things quickly turned sour between us as we realize we both wanted different things in this country. I wanted to eat at Applebee’s, watch American movies, and make new friends. I forced myself to get out of my comfort zone and speak English when I was ordering food or when I was making a bank transaction. I asked for directions in English even though I felt embarrassed when I received confused looks. She wanted to stay close to her roots and I wanted to immerse myself in a new culture.

We separated and I went through a time of my life that was lonely, depressing, and scary. I started to question myself: Did I make a mistake leaving my country? My family encouraged me to come back but something kept telling me to hold on a little bit longer. I did a lot of soul searching during that period. I felt I still had more to do here even though I didn’t know what it actually was. When I got out from work and came home I went for lots of long walks. As time passed, the long walks became a lot less dull for me as I started to come out of my depression. I thought about things I wanted to do and goals I wanted to set for myself. I started to feel the excitement of living in a new country all over again.

I leaned on people I had just met for their support. I turned my lonely habits into socializing habits. That’s how I met Diana and I found comfort when her family invited me over for dinner or a get together. Soon enough, it became just me and Diana going out to eat, or the mall, or sitting at the table playing cards. I started to feel like I was literally walking on clouds and I knew I wanted to pursue the relationship. One thing led to another and here we are together a year later.

If I could go back in time to tell myself what would have really happened when I left Colombia, I think I would have been too scared to jump on that plane. Sometimes what happens unexpectedly turns out to be what is best for us. I thought I came here to learn a new language and go back home to my family eventually. I thought living in America would be a great experience and something to add to my resume. Living here is not an experience anymore, it has turned into my life.

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