Entry #10

 

Professionalism in the Workplace

Most of us have had moments at work where we have had to refrain from being anything but professional. Whether it’s someone you’re speaking with over the phone or someone that you work with directly. It can be challenging to hold your tongue when you know you’ve done nothing wrong or didn’t deserve to be spoken to in a rude or unprofessional manner. Having great leaders in the workplace and make all the difference when it comes to handling issues like this. In my opinion, those in supervisory roles set the tone for others and lead you down the right path. Leaders motivate you, push you to do your best, guide you to success and prepare you for greater opportunities. Then there are what I like to call “managers” who only manage and do not lead. Over the years of working in a professional career I have had good leaders as well as managers.

Leadership

Recently, I found myself in a rather uncomfortable situation with a fellow colleague where this person relayed inaccurate information to a leader in a higher role then us. I was approached by upper leadership regarding the incorrect information and explained I had not made the error in fact it was the colleague that provided this information. There have been minor situations with this same colleague in the past, so I knew not to ask her why she provided the wrong account of what happened. Instead, she approaches me. I was asked why I provided incorrect information and advised her it was valid info. You could feel the tension in the air and could cut it with a knife at this point. I can hear her tone raise and how she was speaking to me as if she was above me when in fact, she was not. She then starts to bring up her experience and how long she has worked there as if that would make a difference as to who’s error it was. Her tone continued to raise, and she started to become very rude. Upper leadership has now returned calling her back into the office. At no point did I give in to her unprofessional and rude behaviors. I stayed cool, calm, and collective and was professional the entire time. Keeping a calm tone and responding respectfully is key to getting your point across or helping someone understand your point of view. It also helps de-escalate potentially bigger problems that could be prevented while putting you in control of the situation.

Calm 

People will test you and try to take advantage of you or a situation and it is solely up to you on how you handle yourself in the workplace. How you handle yourself will be how a company and other colleagues see you as a person and an employee. Luckily, I have had great leaders guide me and prepare me for issues like this but I have also have terrible managers who have shown me what not to do or say. As much as you may want to fire back and go willy-nilly on someone you just can’t. When you think people aren’t watching, they are. Being professional and always treating people with respect, while under pressure will take you to higher grounds. You also won’t feel awful for wrongfully accusing someone in the end. I’ll end with - I think we all know who got a promotion recently!

Entry #9

 

The $40 Billion Food Fraud Economy

Fake Food Fraud 

Have you ever thought to yourself while eating something “Is this real food?” or “What’s in this?” You probably have many reasons why you would even consider wondering about those questions. Fake food is real and so is food fraud. Food fraud is when manufactures or laborers intentionally hide stuff from us and consumers buy something although it’s not what they think it is. There is $40 billion dollars worth of food fraud where only 10% of food in the food industry is actual real food. Anything outside of that 10% is fake food that is commercially adulterated. There is a public safety concern where fake food that is also known as Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA) robs consumers of nutrients and can potentially kill them.

Fake food

In this video you see a woman who talks about olive oil. She starts to pour olive oil straight from the bottle that reads “Extra Virgin Olive Oil” and as she is pouring it into a small bowl, she “You think this is olive oil? Wrong.” She explains that in the process of making olive oil a cheaper oil is mixed in with the olive oil and how the label still reads “100% olive oil.” A second example given in this video which is parmesan cheese. Foods that say it contains parmesan cheese were found by the FDA to be false. A third example given is spices. Spices are known to be vulnerable to food fraud because they contain high levels of heavy metals and can be mixed and diluted with other ingredients like plant stems as shown in the video. Why is the FDA doing more the try to prevent food fraud and fake food from being sold to consumers? The FDA is only mandated by law to inspect 2% of imported seafood which is very low seeing that 85% of seafood in the US is imported.

Fake Olive Oil

The FDA uses intentional and unintentional means of tracking safety. Food fraud is motivated by the economical gain where’s the unintentional is motivated by any harmdoing of fake food consumed. Other than that, there is no way for the FDA to estimate how often fraud can happen and neither can they estimate the dilution and substitutions of food. During the pandemic there was an astonishing 21% increase in food fraud and the more companies can defraud consumers the more it will cost us. So why is the FDA not doing more to protect consumers from food fraud and contracting life threatening illnesses from fake food? The FDA says, “It’s only their job to make sure food doesn’t hurt you not police the laborers.”

FDA Approved

Before watching this video, I was completely unaware that fake food was a real thing and how dangerous it is. When I go to the grocery store to buy extra virgin olive oil, I expect it to be just that not diluted olive oil. When I want to purchase things like spices, fish or something that is stated on the packaging, I expect it to be those things as stated on the label. Not things that are loaded with high levels of heavy metals or a cheaper type of fish instead of the real thing. I don’t think consumers are completely aware of what is going on in our food industry and what they are buying and ingesting. This is not fast food so why is there such a large amount of food fraud and fake food sold in grocery stores? These are now concerns we all need to be aware of when buying groceries for your next meal. I know I'll be doing more research on fake foods and how to spot them!

Entry #8

 

The struggle was really REAL!

When I started this semester, I was confident that life would slow down a bit and not be as crazy as usual. Who was I trying to fool! Started off strong then of course this thing we call life has no limitations or remorse. It just butts right on in and does not hold back. Being a single parent of 3 kids ages 15, 12 and 11 is already a full-time job. Little did I know I was about to be tested to THE MAX!  If this was the Oprah show and she was throwing out struggles, I was the one catching them all. I had no idea how hard life would get until I knew.

You got this!

October 1^st comes and not only are bills due, but now my soon has a broken ankle. It required emergency surgery then a SECOND surgery. He has 2 pins and 6 screws. He’s young and is expected to make a full recovery, however, he is still in tons of pain and limited on what he can and cannot do. I don’t believe I have recovered from the downward spiral I was about to fall into. Shortly after that, my daughter is at cheer and has an accident. She falls hits her head and is now on concussion protocol. Now I have two kids home from school that need attending to. I work remotely and start to fall behind at work and in retrospect fall behind on homework. Eventually, they both can go back to school and return to our everyday routines. So, I thought! Here comes another injury. My other daughter slips on the basketball court at school and hits her head and now we have another concussion protocol.

Keep Going

This being my first semester and all the injuries and inconveniences thrown at me I believe I handled it the best that I possibly could. I give all the praise to parents choosing to continue their education because these last couple of months and the many situations that arose tested my every last nerve and patience. Remembering my WHY and not forgetting the goals I have set for myself to provide a better life for my children has kept me going when I was so close to throwing in the towel. I am now confident that a glass of wine and daily affirmations can get me through what may come in the following semesters because I CANNOT fall or fail. Soon we will look back on these hard times and know they happened for a reason, but we made it to the end!

Finish Line

 

Entry #7

 

Consumers Beware

    I’ve never actually sat down and gave deep thought as to how we get our food. The film Fresh matters and has made a huge different in how I see things when grocery shopping. This film sheds let on the farming industry and is targeting consumers to try to persuade them to buy from local farmers. It is important to shop local from your local farmers markets because the quality of meat is worth the higher price then it would be buying from a large grocery store. After seeing the care these farmers give to the cows, chickens and pigs makes perfect sense why we would benefit from purchasing from local farmers instead of feed lots. Hearing about the horror that goes on in the feed lots is terrifying and sickening.

 

    The sanitation problems that come from feed lots and how many different diseases like E. coli, salmonella, and mad cow disease and that these diseases kill people is unsettling. Learning that cows were fed dead cows that lead to the mad cow disease is heartbreaking to hear that animals must endure this kind of treatment. Not only are the animals not treated properly, but farmers are also having to use pesticides to be able to grow the most produce as possible. The idea of pesticides on the food we eat is concerning as it is not good for the environment, the farmers, consumers, and rural communities. Not only are there sanitation problems, diseases spread throughout the livestock but now these issues fall into an even bigger issue which is pollution.

 

    It is critical that Americans are made aware of all these concerning conditions when it comes to the meat and produce that we eat. Things like added hormones and antibiotics given to animals in feed lots should be taken seriously the next time consumers go grocery shopping at large branch chain grocery stores instead of buying from local farmers. Americans should care about what is happening to the raise the food that we eat and how it can affect consumers. The known fact that these issues can kill a consumer should be enough for Americans to make a change on who or where they buy their meat and produce from. Joe Salatin made a very important statement that he says his father would say which is “if you’re committed to healing the land then you can do something different” and that could not be more accurate.

Entry #6

Shenanigans 

As parents all of our focus is on our children as it is a full time job in itself. We are caretakers, maids, chefs, tutors, teachers, mentors, counselors, friends, chauffeurs. Everything we do is planned and organized around our children and their schedule. Sometimes we lose ourselves in making sure our children are well taken care of. It’s important to take time to ourselves as adults to take a break and regroup.





Sometimes there can be a negative persona about parents taking some time to themselves to relax, rejuvenate, regroup and recenter. I think it’s vital for parents, especially single parents to take some time to themselves. Just to check out for a small period of time. It allows us a chance to take care of ourselves. When we take good care of ourselves we take even better care of our children. Our health is key to living longer healthier lives for our children. This allows us to think clearly and make better decisions while not getting overwhelmed. 



This is insight that was passed down to me and I cannot begin to say how effective it is to maintain a healthy balance of family life with a little bit of adult time on the side. Whether you choose to enjoy your time alone, with some friends, at a salon, or however you may seem fitting it is much needed. I call it my night of shenanigans and I typically like to spend my time outside of home with one of my sisters enjoying sushi and sake bombers or catch a dinner and some drinks with friends.

 



Parents work so hard to provide for and take care of our children and if we are always so busy doing so, who will take care of you? You is who takes care of you. How we choose to spend our time is of our choosing because parents deserve it so get out there and enjoy your shenanigans!

Entry #3

 The Cooling Odor Blasters

You’ve just enjoyed your lunch as you usually do every day. Today you decided to indulge in some extra onions on your cheeseburger, so you stop at your local convenience store to grab some breath refreshers. You’re overwhelmed by how many options there are of dissolving natural antibacterial herbs that just melt away in your mouth. You decide to go with the small round white and blue container of cooling crystals.

You open the container and poor one into your hand. It’s small, white with blue cooling crystals, round and sugar free. You pop it in your mouth and instantly feel your mouth watering. It has a sweet taste that triggers a chilly affect. As it dissolves you notice what might be a spicy sensation as the blue crystals start to break down.

The natural antibacterial herb leaves your mouth feeling clean. The onions you just devoured for lunch didn’t stand a chance. The small, white and blue, round odor blasters left your mouth feeling cool, fragrant and refreshed. You can now proceed with confidence that you nor anyone else will be reminded of what you ate for lunch.

Entry #5

  

Beauty Blogger

Social media is full of beauty bloggers and influencers of all kinds. The context of this ad is to show that accidents can happen at any time including fires from a straightener while recording a blog. The author wants to audience to be drawn in by comedic gestures of the actor who is a man, in a suit, sitting at a make-up desk with different kinds of beauty brushes on it, in a room that looks to be one of a blogger. You see him recording himself as a blogger would while holding a flat iron to his hair with under eye patches on. As he is straightening his hair he says, “this mermaid hair how to - wow it’s gonna get me a lot of likes but leaving this burning hot hair straightener on this towel, that’s a thumbs down emoji and if you’ve got the wrong home insurance coverage that’s gone leave a mark” in a very cool, calm tone as he puts the flat iron down, pitches the idea of having the right homeowner’s insurance then the towel catches fires. 

He has a cut on his forehead that is covered with a bandage. It is to aid in the idea of accidents can happen that lead to injuries and the idea that not having the right home insurance coverage can leave a mark like an injury would. The cut on his forehead is a symbol of a "mark" that is left from "mayhem". of not having proper home insurance At the end he proceeds to put on a pair of white sunglasses saying get better protected from mayhem by getting Allstate. At the very end, the screen turns all blue and you see the Allstate logo and “Are you in good hands?” in white lettering.

 

This ad is to target the audience of bloggers and influencers as we have all seen on social media platforms accidents like this can and do happen. The actor pulls the audience in with the humor of pretending to be a beauty blogger while relating to real life incidents that have occurred while creating a beauty blog. The home insurance world has changed and has had to adapt to the new reality of people working from home. Bloggers and influencers in this day and age is now also be their place of work.             

Entry #4

 Thank you for your service!

The Forgotten Promise

As the daughter of a veteran and a healthcare worker, I have seen firsthand how our veterans are mistreated. There are over 19 million US veterans with 13% of that being women. Thinking about our veterans and raising public awareness, the percentage of veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as the other percentage who now have disabilities as a direct result of their service of fighting for OUR country is alarming. It’s heartbreaking. The most patriotic thing one can do in America is serve your country, yet we underserve our vets. Suicide is already a crisis in its own, however, 22 veterans commit suicide on a daily basis with 1 suicide occurring around every 80 minutes. 30% of veterans have some kind of disability that comes from being in the service and of that 30%, 13-20% suffer from PTSD with the numbers being higher for those who served in Special Forces. Over 48,000 vets are either already homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. 22% of our veterans have been diagnosed with Depressive Disorder. Since 2002, over 200,000 of our service men and women suffered from Traumatic brain injuries where 1/3 of them need some type of mental health treatment.

 

I have worked in the healthcare industry for over 13 years and worked directly with veterans for more then 4 years. I have seen the complete disregard and pure disrespect that comes from our healthcare workers when working with and for our vets. As a nation, we should be saluting and thanking our vets every chance we get, yet we don’t. Recently, my father fell ill, and I was responsible for taking him to our local Veteran's Affairs care facility for treatment. Let me start off by saying, just to get ahold of anyone via telephone is a complete nightmare. The runaround is never ending. Long story short, we go to the ER at the VA, where we were greeted and directed where to go. My father was seen by a medical care provider and instead of trying to figure out the cause of his pain he was given opioids and sent on his way. Weeks go by and he is still the same. We try contacting the VA, with no luck yet another runaround. Back to the ER we went for the same thing to happen, he’s given more pain medications and sent home. By this point the frustration and urgency has forced us to see a non-VA doctor that gave him the information and care that he needed.

Thank You Veterans

In my experience with working with veterans as a health care professional, also as a daughter of a veteran, our government should be ashamed. The nightmare of trying to get the care my father needed was so extreme that he gave up. It made me give up working with the Veteran’s Affairs and I decided to seek help for him outside of the VA with a public commercial doctor. The care he received at the VA was little to none and while I was with him each time, I quickly realized not one person working at the VA thanked any of our veterans for their service. I have not served and do not suffer from the disabilities and disorders that our service men and women suffer from, yet I gave up seeking help from our Veteran's Affairs medical center. Imagine being one of these service men and women suffering from illnesses, trying to seek help with no avail and you give up. Now the risk of suicide is even higher as it’s that hard for them to get the proper care and treatment. Our nation needs to do better to provide the resources and care that is needed by our vets along with showing our gratitude and respects to each vet who has served by thanking them for their service.

Entry #2

 In the heart of the home

the kitchen

 It’s the heart of the home. That’s where is all happens, in the kitchen. Whether you are cooking a Sunday dinner or talking about one’s day, we always seem to find ourselves gathering around the kitchen to enjoy one another. We eat and drink together. We sing and dance together. It’s where we laugh and sometimes cry together. Majority of our memories, good and/or bad, are made in the kitchen. Around the holidays the kitchen is always full of family making traditional recipes or even trying new ones. Times like these are moments that can never be erased or forgotten and if they somehow get lost, there are plenty photos to remind us.

family dinner

Sometimes we are alone, in the early morning hours, brewing a hot cup of coffee in silence to collect our thoughts and plan out our days. Scheduling appointments or tasks that need to be completed. It’s where so many great ideas are made. Sitting at the dining table for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner time, talking amongst ourselves about work, school, goals, or ideas are the moments that you will grow to love and cherish. It’s a place where all are welcome, and everyone is treated like family. It's the kitchen, the heart of the home.

Entry #1

 

    Hobbies you ask?

Growing up with seven siblings, I never had a space to call my own. We had to share everything whether it was a bed to sleep in, the clothes we wore or the food we ate. My father was an engineer that would work long hours, so my mother stayed home with us kids. She was never good at organizing or keeping the house clean but always made sure that dinner was on the table before Dad got home. As I became a teenager, I grew to absolutely HATE clutter or anything unorganized. This is when my OCD for tidiness and organization really began. It then snowballed into my adult years creating a bad retail habit.

 

    Everything being so accessible on social media like Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok has just fueled my fire! Don't even get me started on Amazon! I am completely and utterly OBSESSED with home décor and organization. At night scrolling down Instagram and Tik Tok, I tend to get lost down the rabbit hole of Amazon influencers. I bet you can guess what happens next. Yep! Straight to Amazon I go! I love the latest gadgets that just make life so much easier. For example, an acrylic sink organizer, a wine bottle opener that can open up to 40 bottles on one single charge! How could I not buy this! Another recent purchase is a mini shower head for my sink, and is why my kids have now called me "extra". That’s okay just take all my monies Amazon! Really though, I needed a new wine bottle opener to be able to open some wine so that I can work on organizing more stuff and put together new gadgets! HA! Side note, all three of my kids use all items that made them label me as "extra" so in my eyes money well spent. 

Amazon images

    If I'm not binge shopping on Amazon then you can catch me at local stores like Home Goods, Tuesday morning or home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. I love to work with tools, big and small, to make something out of nothing. Wood working is a therapy for me. As kids we would sit outside, in the garage, with Dad while he would build things. I enjoy building things that most people would hire someone else to do. This is a big reason I decided to go back to school and learn the Construction Carpentry trade. While learning this trade I got to experience working with an awesome instructor and a great team of people to build a 750 square foot apartment home in the "lab". It was definitely tough, but to see it standing when it was completed was such an accomplishment!

    Obviously, I could have made this about being a mom of three kids and all the joys that comes with being a parent, but I felt that it would have been a bit cliché. All that goes without being said. Family, home décor, organization, DIY, home improvements and wood working are all among the long list of things that I really enjoy spending my time on.

Blogs. YAY? or NAY?

    Blogs are a great way to accomplish many things. Whether it’s to spread awareness, discuss politics, share opinions on specific topics, share recipes, recommend tips and tricks in fashion or what the hottest new trend is for DIY home décor. There are soooo many reasons to name why or how they can be a great thing and why I, myself, enjoy them. However, there are blogs that I don’t find as appealing, like entertainment news or celebrity gossip.

A Beautiful Mess                                                         A Beautiful Mess

    One blog caught that my eye is A Beautiful Mess  as it’s very well organized and has A LOT of topics that I enjoy myself. It separates the many topics the author discusses by classification. It’s a straight to the point kind of blog with direct links and images of specifics that is talked about. In particular, 10 Things I Love Sunday is a great read. The author creates a mashup of items that she enjoys and provides where to get it from. It doesn’t feel like an ad or like she is trying to promote sales like many other blogs. You can find crafts, décor and DIY, recipes, advice, and style. I mean, who doesn't love a delicious Pumpkin Cold Foam Coffee recipe? If you have similar interests, you should check this one out!

People

    When it comes to entertainment news and celebrity gossip, I skip right past blogs like People. It’s very overwhelming to see so many stories of real people and their lives on display for the world to see. How does one properly organize gossip? A lot of those kinds of blogs could be misleading with information that isn’t always accurate to the fullest extent.  Gossip is a complete waste of time. Who really has time for it? If that’s your cup of tea, this is where you need to be!

    Blogs are great and I enjoy reading about other’s who share similar interests as me. They aren’t for everyone. There’s good blogs and bad blogs. Informative and not so informative. Find a great blog and I’m sure you will get lost down the infamous rabbit hole as well!