cloepottorff

Advice/Tips, Family, Opinion, Relationships

Marriage Tip #3 – Compromise

July 13, 2016July 13, 2016 cloepottorff

Every couple comes to a point when both want different things. When we reach that point, we have three options:

Argue your point and why it’s better
Give in to what your partner wants
Both of you compromise

To come to a compromise, both parties need to be willing to work together. It takes an open mind to consider the possibilities and self-sacrifice if you want to please your partner. Below are some basic steps to reaching a compromise:

Start with the right tone. Don’t come off attacking or irritated.
Find a common ground. Don’t focus on what you and your partner disagree on but what areas you are similar.
Brainstorm some new ideas for you and your partner to decide on.
Be willing to change your mind. Sometimes changing your mind becomes the best decision and you love what you thought you never would.

Some examples from my own life now to show areas where either my husband or myself has made a compromise. Let me first explain that me and my husband are complete opposites but we complement each other very well.

We have different tastes in music. I couldn’t stand his so he gave mine a chance. Now he loves the same music so there are no issues.
My husband loves computer games and I’m usually too busy to play them or care for them. He waits until the kids are asleep to play so he’s not leaving me when I need his help or want to get out. And I make sure to get the kids to bed early enough so he has time to play.
I love taking pictures of the things I love but always end up missing from them. My husband hates being in pictures. So he will ask others to take the picture for us so I am in them and he gets passed his annoyance of photos so I am happy with the photos we got.
My husband alway leaves his clothes in the bathroom and I used to continually ask him to bring it back to the room and put in a basket. Now we have a small clothes hamper in the bathroom and that’s pretty much always his clothes so no pre sorting.

I know there are probably more but I can’t think of many cuz we have always found a solution.

So, my advice to you is, don’t be so hardheaded that you won’t give the other persons perspective a chance but don’t be too passive that you become someone you’re not.

Let me know in the comments of this helped you or seems to be true or not for you. 😊

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Pokemon Go

July 11, 2016July 11, 2016 cloepottorff

As many people may already know the smart phone game, Pokemon Go, has come out recently and tons of people are jumping right into the game. I won’t deny it either, I totally have been playing it too.

It’s very simple and easy to play but a little confusing considering there are no clear directions of how to play the game.

I’m no pro but here are the few tips I have if you are gonna play and some basic info on gameplay.

When you start out, three Pokemon pop up on the screen for you to choose from. Move away from them 3 times and the fourth time they resurface, Pikachu is in the selection options.

Your main objective at the start is just collect Pokemon. Once you reach level 5, the real game begins. That is when you choose a team – red, blue or yellow. The team you choose has no effect on your game play. It just separates people so they have opponents. Then you’ll want to join a gym to gain items over time.

At a teammates gym, you will fight other Pokemon to train yours and make the gym stronger. When you duel other teams gyms, you are training yours and weakening their gym.

Then there are these poke stops. They are at local landmarks, statues and even intersections. Here you can pick up more items for free. The turn over for another pick up is about 5 minutes.

Once you have done these few steps, it’s all up to you on what you do next!

Let me know if you have any other secrets or tips! And enjoy!

Creative Writing

Letter To My Abuser

July 8, 2016July 8, 2016 cloepottorff

I still remember

That rainy, cold day

In late March.

A day that will forever

Haunt me.

•••

I remember

Every heavy hand

That crossed my face.

The powerful fists

That cracked my bones.

•••

I remember

The pain I felt

Pulsating through my body

As you forced me down

Against my will.

•••

I remember

The fear

Of how far you might go

With all your rage.

As you threaten my life.

•••

You have scarred

My life with so much pain.

A constant nightmare

That lingers in my mind.

•••

So I write to you

As a reminder of all my pain.

You have left a mark

I will never

•••

Never forget.

Opinion

Fourth of July, 2016

July 4, 2016July 4, 2016 cloepottorff

Independence Day is one of my most favorite holidays due to the reason behind it. It is the day we, the United States of America, became our own independent country. I am extremely proud to call myself an American and because of what the forefathers did, we can enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I think many people have lost that passion, that respect, and pride for representing the country they live in. It makes me sad to see that people don’t care to be patriotic and take for granted what this country stands for. Freedom! But we only have this freedom because of those who have served to protect this land. Loving this country means supporting our troops.

Just look at the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock signed his name overly large out of pride for what this new country was standing for.

So while we are all out enjoying the BBQ food, sun and the fireworks, we need to remember what it means to be proud of our country. Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!

Food

Simple Homemade Orange Chicken

July 2, 2016July 2, 2016 cloepottorff

As a mom, anything I can make that is quick, easy and not too unhealthy is a win for me. For when you are craving some orange chicken, this one hits the spot!

You only need 4 simple ingredients:

Boneless chicken breast
Bbq sauce
Orange marmalade
Soy sauce

This recipe serves 3-5 people. In one sauce pan, mix 1 cup bbq sauce, 1 cup sweet orange marmalade and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce together and let simmer.

Then chop chicken breast to desired size and grill. Optional: you can coat with flour and water mixture to have a bit more breaded texture.

Once all chopped, toss into simmering sauce and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Once it is done, you can serve as is or with a side of fried rice.

Let me know if you enjoy this or have another recipe I should try! 😊

Opinion

The Worlds Wrongful View of Christians

June 29, 2016July 2, 2016 cloepottorff

In today’s society, everyone argues for equality, fairness and tolerance. If anyone disagrees with a viewpoint then they are a “hater” or are being “racist”, “sexist” or “homophobic”. I don’t have a problem with anyone stating their opinion but there is a difference between stating an opinion and stating something but not accepting a different opinion. This is where I get frustrated with today’s society.

I am a Christian and really try to hold true to what Christ has laid out for us to behave like. That does not mean I am perfect. I fall and have to work better the next time. But, I do have a strong opinion on controversial topics as it relates with my faith. The topic I want to cover today is homosexuality. I am wanting to clear up the issue with why we believe against it and touch on some of the common responses from homosexual people.

The most obvious and most heard reason is that it goes against the Bible.

1 Timothy 1:10
1 Corinthians 6:9
Leviticus 20:13
Leviticus 18:22
Romans 1:27

These Bible verses state that it is immoral to have sexual relations with the same sex. But there are many other verses that tell us, as Christians to not judge others. For this reason, I do not “hate” homosexual people – in fact, I have a few friends that are homosexual and bi – but they all clearly know I don’t agree with them. We stay away from the topic and neither one of us shoves our opinion down the others throat. More people need to be like that.

Without further ado, I just want all homosexual, bi, and transgender people out there to know that we don’t hate them but we can just agree to disagree. I don’t tell you how to live but don’t tell me I need to be all for homosexuality either. Just as some people like a certain style doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s just what they like and stand for.

So I will not and do not post things like “Love Wins” or “Love is Love”, not because I hate them but because I won’t post something I don’t believe in.

I know many of you will have different opinions and I welcome them! Please be kind as I have been. 😊

Opinion

Vidcon 2016

June 27, 2016June 27, 2016 cloepottorff

I haven’t written in a few days because I was attending Vidcon 2016. It has been two years since I attended but this year my husband was able to watch the kids. I was able to see my brother for some of his appearances and he had gotten me a full access pass. This pass meant I was able to go wherever I pleased including backstage, eat and drink for free and skip lines.

I was able to meet a few people and hangout with my brother and his friends. It was a busy day of talking to companies, brands and influencers. I had a wonderful time and met amazing people from all over. Can’t wait for next year!

Below are some of the people I was able to meet and hangout with.

@rickydillon, @andrearussett, myself and my brother levi

But as always, my family is a crazy bunch so we have our own set of photos 😋

If you’d like to share an experience or just have something to say, comment below! 😊

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Tips and Advice for Coping with PTSD

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016 cloepottorff

To conclude my series of PTSD Awareness Month, I’ve decided to write some tips for people dealing with PTSD – coping skills – and what you can do to help others with this issue by understanding components of PTSD.

Part 1 – Dealing with PTSD

Exercise – It will release endorphins and help you focus your thoughts.
Self soothe – Finding what calms you down will help when you really need to get back to what you were doing.
Connect – Find others who share the same struggle to connect with and help each other.
Self Care – Take time to relax, eat healthy, stay away from alcohol and drugs, get a good amount of sleep.

Different things will help depending on what caused your PTSD.

For abuse, writing out the whole traumatic experience will be difficult but is a great way to feel like you’ve moved past the event.

For combat, connecting and seeking out some kind of counceling will help. Finding the right counselor is a big part of getting better.

Part 2 – Supporting Someone with PTSD

Don’t pressure – It can be difficult to express what exactly they are feeling or what they experienced.
Listen – Most of the time, someone dealing with PTSD need to talk about their issues. Help guide them with what to do by their cues. They may need to just talk about the event over and over again, other times they just need someone to hangout with that doesn’t pressure them.
Understand Triggers – This could include anniversary dates; people or places connected with the trauma; and even certain sights, sounds, or smells. By being aware of the triggers that may cause a reaction, you are better able to help and understand them.
It’s not Personal – Dont take certain behaviors personal like anger, irritatable or being closed off. Accept you may never fully understand what they are going through.
Balance – Taking care of yourself and keeping a level head works wonders. Also, learning more about PTSD will help you to understand better.

So I hope you can go out there and use these tips to help aid yourself or someone else deal with this issue. It can be difficult but with support and determination, you can accomplish a better life. 😊

Let me know if you found these to be helpful or if you have your own tip to add. Just comment below 👍

Family, Opinion, Relationships

Found My Half Sibling

June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 cloepottorff

For many people, finding a long lost relative can be challenging and an emotional journey. I have my own story that I’d like to share because it has been life changing.

My biological dad has never been in the picture since I was about 2 years old. So when my mom was dealing with some issues she came across some information that didn’t make sense to her. Under my fathers name it showed he had two children. My mom looked up the other baby and found out I had a half brother a year and a half younger than me. So when I was three she found some information of the mother to the child. My mom worked at getting in touch with the boy’s mother and when she did, the other lady didn’t want us to contact them again because she was remarrying and didn’t want her son to know her husband wasn’t his father.

Fast forward about 17 years, my mom and I are talking about getting in touch with him again because he would be 18 years old now. We didn’t know where to start, so I figured best bet would be a Facebook search. Entered his name and up came 6892 matches. This seemed like an impossible task but we decided we would take turns going through each profile looking for someone that possibly resembled myself. Hours passed and then days. On the third day, I got home from work and my mom is standing there smiling. “I think I found him!” My mom rushed me to the computer and showed me the profile she thought was it. I click on the profile picture and he is tall, thin and in a military uniform. It was like looking at a male version of myself. I think I found him. My mind was racing.

I waited a full day before I took my chances and send a message to the guy I believed to be my half brother. It was a few hours before I received a response. He was so unsure of everything because he had never heard of me but he did know his father was not the one that raised him. So we talked for a few hours, sharing information and finally came to the conclusion that we were half siblings. I had found him!

This started our crazy but wonderful sibling relationship. We talk every single week and really want to plan meeting up. It has just been difficult since he is in the Air Force and I’ve got kids now. But we share so much in common and I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life now.

So for anyone out there looking for someone, don’t give up hope. I thought it would be impossible but through some tough digging, it was accomplished. Perseverance is what makes miracles happen.

Share your story below or let me know if you are looking for someone. 💜
By perseverance the snail reached the ark. -Charles Spurgon

Family, Opinion, Relationships

Fathers Day 2016

June 19, 2016June 19, 2016 cloepottorff

First and foremost, Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers and to the men that have stepped up to be one. I know some people might not have a good father figure but Father’s Day is to celebrate the man in your life that has filled that role and been there for you. I have a few people I’d like to personally thank.

Great grandpa – Thank you for all that you did to raise us all right by teaching us the Word of the Bible. You were my number one role model and I am so proud of everything you have accomplished. Thank you for fighting for this country and risking everything for our freedom. You are a true hero and wonderful grandpa. Love you and miss you!

Grandpa – Thank you for being my personal mentor when it comes to my faith. You are always there for me and willing to help. I love our random calls with each other and am so happy for the bond we have. Thank you also for being a great dad to my mom 😊

Dad – Thank you for raising me and being there for most of my life. I know things have gotten rough but I will always love you and am glad to call you my dad.

Aaron – Thank you for being the best husband and father. I am so thankful to have someone by my side that loves our kids so much! The way Leo loves playing with you and somehow you always get Lexi to fall asleep when I can’t. You are so good to them and couldn’t ask for a better dad for my kids. I can’t wait for what our future holds.

Comment below with who you would like to say happy Father’s Day to! 😊