Lydia's Life Skills

This weekend is the Ybor City Cigar Heritage Festival!! on Sunday Dec 4th, 2022.  This is the first one since 2019 and we are so excited it's back! There are amazing Latin food vendors, local artists, live band and of course great local cigar businesses.  Tickets range from Free to many levels of VIP packages - I got my free tickets directly from their website here . Once I got the confirmation in me email, I added my tickets to my apple wallet.  For the day of the event, I'll be bringing a sunhat, plenty of sunscreen and a lawn chair because festivals are commonly low on seating options. I'll of course be bringing my cigar lighter and punch too. Photos from 2019: Many food vendors, mostly Latin, Drinks and Desserts Favorite festival drink, lemonade with 1/2 the sugar  Love root beer floats, especially with cigars The festival has great  shopping for cigar accessories  Review and Photos from 2022:  My Mum and I had a nice time at the festival this year! even with th

Fall is here!! So it's time to make Coquito - this spiced coconut-based drink and flavorful and great hot or cold.  Components: Blender to mix ingredients - the cream of coconut and condensed milk  Containers for storage:  - airtight containers - sterilize before use   - pick a container size that gives you a cup or 2 per container so you can enjoy some without opening up all of your coquito   - I love the 16oz seal top beer bottles for this! I was able to fill 3.5 with the recipe below. I like to make mine at least a month before I want to enjoy it. I store it in the back of my fridge in airtight bottles for safe keeping. The spices get a chance to settle in infuse over a few weeks, this makes such a difference in the flavor!  Coquito Recipe 12 oz can evaporated milk 13.5 oz can coconut milk 15 oz can Coco Lopez cream of coconut 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 3/4 tbsp cinnamon 1/2 tspn nutmeg 1/4 tspn cloves 1 tbsp vanilla 1 vanilla bean - seeds only 3/4 cup vanilla bourbon 1

  These are a collection of the worksheets I built to organize my life.  A week planner to keep me on track but give me the space to not feel pressured in the week.  Budgeting and grocery shopping guides to help me keep my finances in check, especially when I go to the grocery store.  Travel planning worksheets to make regular travel attainable for me by helping me plan and pack for trips.  If you want to learn how I use these, check out my life skills workshops where I give extra tips and details on the topics and even complete the activities with you!  Send me an email if you'd like a copy of these! I'll share them with you free for personal use. I also provide these worksheets in my workshops; more details can be found on the  Workshops Page . I hope these worksheets bring you as much peace and achievement in your goals as they have for me!  Week Planner:  Budget and Grocery Shopping Guides:  Travel Planning and Packing Sheets:  

Hurricane Season is upon us! So I wanted to share an emergency prep post. Hurricane season in the southern US is June to November and I always like to refresh my supplies for the new season. Natural Emergency Prep is stocking up your home for a hurricane or winter storm, really anything that could stop you from leaving your home for days or even a few weeks.  Below are links to government weather information:  National Weather Service National Hurricane Preparedness | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (noaa.gov) When there is a warning, decide if you are going to stay or evacuate: How at risk are you at your home - flood and utility loss risk Research and consider local shelter access/procedures and pet care  Decide where you would go to evacuate and how you'd get there and back home - especially the costs associated (gas and lodging) Plan what the minimum items you are taking and how you will transport them easily Food, water, shelter items, pet supplies, documents 

In Lyd’s Life Skills Workshops, we are building life skill self-sufficiency, in a safe space to ask questions and learn. We provide the basics and complete the activities with you, teaching you along the way. Our Workshops build confidence in your abilities! Training is given in a way that is easy to use, retain and share Class topics are presented pre class so you can choose where you want to focus the workshop Check out the workshop topics below!  Online Workshops on your schedule! Via Web Call (Zoom/Facetime) I also do group sessions at bulk rates! Travel & Date Planning - Cost: below per person per hour session  $40 General Planning Workshop  $55 Let's plan your specific trip or date  Spend Awareness - Cost: $25 per person per hour session  Grocery Shopping - Cost: $25 per person per hour session  Professional Communication - Cost: $40 per person per hour session  Business Analytics - Cost: $75 - $200 per person per hour session  Cost depending on the topics covered and lev

This weekend my mother and I went to Tampa Taco Fest! This is an outdoor group of taco vendors and other wonderful Latin fair hosted by the planner on 813tacofest.com. We had such a memorable time that I felt the need to break my rule of not blogging about something until I go a second time.   I promise my review is constructive and though honestly brutal, I felt an obligation to share my experience so others can be better prepared, I can also look back on this when I go next year.  Overall rating, I give a 6, food was a strong 9.2, the event planning failed this event. Luckily, event planning is an easy thing to fix, and I hope the hosts take the recommendations from their many 2022 reviews.  Let's start with the good... Low cost of entry of 6$ pre-sale, food and drinks were delicious; from the abundance of tacos and fresh drinks (though limited water), the quality and price was on point. I got 12 amazing tacos from various vendors that cost me about $40 total. The spirit of a tac

Women in my family have always had beautify long natural nails. Once I stopped biting them in high school, I vowed to take care of them and grow them out consistently. Since taking care of your nails can be a bit of work I wanted to share my routine so you can too! Active Care:  - Every day I wash my nails (clean underneath them) and moisturize my hands thoroughly. - Each week I remove and sand down any hang nails so they my nails don't catch on anything and break. I use a set of cutters, medium grit of nail files and a buffer block. I also seal them with a few topcoats of clear high-quality polish for the week. I prefer Sally Hansens line.  - Every week I also scrub my hands and rub castor oil into my nails and beds, usually after I get out of the shower. Over just 2 weeks it has made a noticeable difference in the strength of my nails! You can use it all over so I got a 20 oz bottle for $10 online and I keep it in the shower. Sustainable Nail Shape:  There are many differe