This week is Spring Break, so we decided to continue our family tradition of going to Tennessee to visit my husband’s grandmother and family. 

Instead driving all the way through, the time we stopped and met some friends at the Creation Museum in Kentucky. It was amazing and our children really enjoyed it!!!  Then after the weekend, we trucked it to Birmingham and are spending the week there. Our children are loving on their garndparents and we get to take unlimited naps and trips to Sonic for happy hour drinks😎🙌🏾

More than anything I’m thankful. I so appreciate my family and the example that we get to show our children about marriage. I can whole heartedly say that I enjoy being married; I truly like and love my hubby. Spending time with him and just laughing is good for my soul. Even being physically attracted to each other 😍 is a blessing…I guess all of this came into play just seeing family either divorced, single or even somewhat hardened from past relationships. Just being in a good place in our marriage and growing is at the top of my “grateful list”.

So as we enjoy spring break and love on each other,  I am constantly reminded of how good God is to us and how my life is a complete testament to God’s grace. It’s good to be content and growing all that once…hoping Spring Break brings you lots of love, times of reflection and a deeper appreciation of all that you have! 

One of my biggest pet peeves has to be rude people…

I’m not saying that everyone has to be super friendly or even say anything besides hello but please, please let’s get better at simply acknowledging others.

So here are a few pointers:

•When you look someone in the eyes, in passing, say a quick hello, do a head nod or at least smile.

•Speak when you walk into a room.

•If you’re heading up an event, acknowledge when your volunteers come and when they leave.

  
Now that I’ve gotten off of my soap box and I’m no longer annoyed…👋🏾 I would like to say hello and thank you so much for reading my blog😉

“Sometimes the only way to clear your mind is by cleansing your heart” -Me 

Ever had a person or situation on your mind constantly? I mean you’re thinking about a person day and night, replaying conversations, imagining what you would say if they said a certain thing…

Yes I’ve been there and honestly it sucks To be thinking of someone that you know is not thinking of you. And I had to come to the reality that things had changed and it was time for me to move on…

And here’s what it took: 

-Praying, talking out loud, journaling and admitting that I was hurt and putting a voice to every reason why

-Affirming that I don’t talk about, think about or dwell on past offenses and/or relationships

– Positively Redirecting thoughts and conversations that may come up about person/situation

Whatever the situation,or the person, that you need to move on from, I pray that you have the strength to start the process today. 

Move on. Affirm yourself. Be Great. Have Peace in the Process.

Ever seen that commercial where the guy says that he’ll never have kids, move to the burbs, or buy a mini van???

Yep, that dude should be my brother. 

I said I’d never get married-got married after courting my hubby for only five months.

I said I’d never have children-our crew includes four kiddies…I’m an overachiever bc we have a set of twins😂

Vowed that I’d be a successful warden in a women’s prison by time I was in my mid thirties-I’m thirty five years old and I’ve been our full-time “home manager” for the past nine years.

I said I’d never drive a van, a wagon or anything shaped like an egg-well…we just got a minivan last week, a had a Pacifica that is shaped somewhat like an egg and my hubby has a Magnum, which is classified as a wagon on our insurance😂😂😂

So as you can see, so many things have changed in my life over the past ten years. So many of the things I’ve never imagined have become my reality…and for that I’m thankful.

Things have changed and will continue to do so until the end of time…and I plan to keep evolving…growing…changing…     For the Better💕💕💕

Since We’re a week away from Valentine’s Day, lets talk about Love…most times we celebrate our spouses and/or our children. 

But how often do you celebrate you?? Yes, I know that may be a shocking question…how well do you love yourself??

Let’s take a quick quiz:

•How often do you take yourself out to lunch or dinner?

•Are you and your self care a top priority?

•Do you take time regularly to clear your mind, dream and work on you?

•Do you often feel guilty about doing something special for yourself?

If you and your self care aren’t a priority, then things need to change!!! You are important and having peace of mind is important for you to be your best for yourself and for those who mean the most to you. 

So…in honor of Valentine’s Day and loving yourself well-Celebrate You!!!  Take yourself out, buy something you like and lastly tell uourself how amazing you are!!!! Love Yourself Well!!!! 

For the past two days I’ve been celebrating my children…our oldest turned ten yesterday (insert look of complete shock due to my first baby entering double digits) and our youngest turned three today!

While I’m excited that our children are growing and loving all that comes with being a year older, I’m also reflecting on being a mother…I am so blessed to be a mother and to even have days where I feel like I’m doing something right is icing on my “Mommy” cake!! Growing up I didn’t want to be a mother. At fourteen I got pregnant for the first time and had an abortion. Another abortion, a miscarriage and the reality of being told that my two previous abortions had caused major damage on my cervix and that my chances of carrying a baby full term were slim to none.

Honestly, I felt like I had ruined my chances at being a decent mom…before I even had a chance to experience loving someone I created, it was ended…by me. And for that I had so much guilt and an emptiness that I couldn’t explain. For years I blamed myself and put on a tough facade to cover the pain.

Then after I got married, I immediately got pregnant. I was so scared that something would go wrong. But it didn’t. And the same happened with my two following pregnancies-I carried full term and beautiful, healthy babies were born. 

For that I’m thankful. So as I celebrate my children, I celebrate myself and the gift of mothethood and thank God for the life that he’s giving me…I’m truly grateful❤️ 

Be Intentional…with your thoughts, time, money, planning, your goals, people and your words.

Take the time to put the time into being your best, being fully present and being fully invested. 

Be Intentional…with everything and everybody that means something to you❤️❤️❤️

Over the years I’ve been that person who just writes “Lose Weight” under my goals for the new year. 

No specific amount. No plan on how to get there. No end date…just a few words on a pretty piece of paper.

But this year I have taken a different approach

•Adjust and Make Changes Accordingly 

Well my friends, I can truly say I’m good at this place. I’ve been working on my eating habits, drinking more water, taking supplements and have started a exercise regimen. The biggest thing is I’m no longer putting off getting healthier. 

While I’m changing, I’m continuing to adjust by taking my blood pressure meds. Before I put them off bc regardless of the reasoning–I shouldn’t be 35 years old and taking 2 different medications. And I’ve also adjusted my wardrobe…can I be honest??? I hated shopping after having my children. I had went up at least 3 sizes and I hate all the weight Ive carried around my midsection. So I just wore what I had. And to be completely transparent, I was quite frumpy. There were many days where my husband would say “what happened to my sexy, classy wife??”. So as I’ve adjusted I’ve gotten my wardrobe game up. Regardless of my size, I can be cute, stylish and still turn a few heads…😉

My advice to all my fellow mamas one their weight loss journey??? 

Identify the changes that you need to make. Create a plan of action. Adjust accordingly along the way! 

🍸🍷 Cheers to a healthier 2016!!!

How you see yourself is so important. I can remember when I saw myself through the eyes of others opinions, my mistakes, shortcomings, failures, and even the generational curses that existed in my family.

The way I saw myself was reflected in what I did, how I let others treat me, my expectations and even my goals…I never really expected much from other or from myself.

How I see myself has so much to do with what I say to myself and about myself. 

So how do you see yourself? 

Is it in a negative or positive light? 

Are you seeing yourself as a success or a failure?

Do you see yourself in light of what was or what’s to come??

My turn around came when I started speaking positive affirmations out loud daily, first thing in the morning. I wrote out a list of affirmations last New Year’s Eve and I said them to myself daily…they really made, and continue to make, a difference.

So if you don’t see yourself in a positive way…what are you going to do to change your vision???