Romy Raves

This is my last and final Beautiful Change Challenge and the topic centers around exploring ways to make lasting and beautiful changes within my own community, and quite frankly I found this Challenge the hardest one of all. It is much easier to focus on ourselves and our own selfish needs rather than putting our emphasis outward, and taking the time to notice the world around us and what we might be able to do to make it a better place for us to live.

So I sat and thought about it for a while, and I realized that one thing that really bothers me is the trash that I often see sprinkled throughout our community. The junk and paper that people mindlessly discard of without a care for how awful it looks or how it cheapens our environment. A dear friend of mine is so green and conscientious that whenever she is out and about and sees an out of place piece of trash, she takes a moment to pick it up and properly discard of it in the trash can. I have always admired this about her, her awareness of what is around her and her willingness to handle some gross stuff in order to beautify our planet. Most of us don’t take this kind of time to notice, let alone pick up trash and clean-up after others.

So I decided that my last and final Beautiful Change Challenge was going to emulate the actions of my dear altruistic friend: I am committing to make a conscious effort to pick up unwanted trash that crosses my path on an ongoing basis! So simple yet SO impactful. I am going to train myself to notice and beautify as much as I can, and I am hoping this will  motivate and inspire others to do the same.

Continue Reading »

“Slow down, you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last. 

Just kickin’ down the cobble-stones, lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy”

I just couldn’t resist starting off this post with the lyrics from the Simon and Garfunkel song Feeling Groovy because it just perfectly captures this week’s challenge for me. In fact, this is my biggest challenge in life right now: Slowing down, saying ‘NO’, taking the time to be in the moment and just be calm and peaceful. It is SO hard for me to slow down the cadence of my life and be present without thinking about the next thing(s) I have to do. Believe me, I am working on it, but it is hard, can you relate? The Eastern culture calls it ‘monkey mind’ swinging from one thought to the next without staying focused on one thing. Ahhhh-ahhhh-ahhhhh (said in a Tarzan-like chest banging yell)

So I thought to myself, what changes can I make or what step’s can I take to meet this week’s challenge? What can I do to be more present, less stressed and more peaceful? The first thing that always comes to my mind as a way to calm my mind is meditation. I have tried this before and even taken a meditation class, but it will come as no surprise to you that I found this incredibly challenging. Next, I thought about how much I adore beauty treatments and pampering but that doesn’t quite fit the challenge, too simple. So, what can I do on a semi-regular basis to combat stress and an overly packed life???

So I decided to create a list of things that make me feel peaceful that I can consult whenever I need it, to shift my perspective, shake off my stress and bring me to a calmer state of mind and I am delighted to share it with you:

Continue Reading »

No, I am not talking about switching up your beauty routine or getting a new lipstick to freshen your look. Today, I am changing things up a bit and talking about relationships and romance. I am talking about switching up your normal routine with your spouse or mate and looking for fun and creative new ways to spice up your relationship. We all get in a relationship rut from time to time, right? Honestly, we all get tried of doing the same old, same old dinner and a movie or dinner after the kids are asleep, right?

Well, recently my hubby started a new job and we were beginning to realize that our quality time together was happening less and less. Since we have pretty good communication, we talked about wanting to make sure that we planned special date nights on a regular basis to stay connected and keep things inspired. So it was rather serendipitous that Cottonelle Ultra contacted me, and offered to host me and my hubby on special date night to show how little switches can really make a difference (whether it be a special date night or plush toilet paper). After our date night, they wanted me to share my story to see if this special night out made a difference in your relationship. I really liked the sound of that, the timing couldn’t be better and although I don’t typically respond to toilet paper pitches, this one was creative, inspired and resonated with me, so I happily accepted!

So what did we do?? Well being a girl that loves her pampering, we decided to have our sitter come early and treat ourselves to massages before our date night. We wanted to do something special just to set this night apart from our typical night out. What a treat it was! We emerged relaxed and ready for our night, and even had time for some smooching before our car picked us up, another luxury we typically don’t have time for! 

So we sipped bubbly on the drive over to the restaurant (love that!)

 and arrived at Fig & Olive, a new swanky Mediterranean hot spot in West Hollywood, California

I had heard amazing things about this place from my foodie friends and it did not disappoint! The decor was gorgeous and modern and I loved the olive tree in the middle of the restaurant

The meal began with a delicious trio of house-made olive oils and fresh baked bread

and then we shared about 4-5 other gorgeous dishes with fresh cheeses, homemade pasta, meats, fish and fresh sauces. I can still taste these inpsired bright flavors on my palate! We also enjoyed a lovely red wine blend with our meal, and it was a nice treat for my hubby to imbibe without worrying about having to drive home.

We made an effort to really be present and enjoy each others company as well as absorb this gorgeous setting. I took the time to really drink it all in and absorb (no pun intended ) the moments more than we typically do. I made a conscious effort to stay focused and enjoy my wonderful man and this beautiful night. When the car picked us up a couple of hours later, our bellies were satiated, our hearts in sync, and we felt relaxed and at ease. We even enjoyed some nice smooches on the ride home, ooh la la!

As I sit here writing this and reminiscing about that night a few weeks ago, I realize it really was a special and different night. I think because someone else was hosting it, this made us absorb and appreciate the evening more than we typically would. Also making an effort to plan a full night out, go to swanky spot and have the luxury of someone driving us made all the difference. It really helped us relax and let our guard down. This little switch truly inspired us to make the effort to try and do this on a more regular basis and showed that a small shift can have a big impact.

Disclosure: Cottonelle Ultra sent me gift cards to cover our delicious dinner, car service, pizza for the babysitter as well as twelve pack of Cottonelle toilet paper.  All opinions and inpsired switcheroos are my very own.