So Long, Farewell!

This is it folks! This is my final blog post. My two year journey of blogging has finally come to an end. I finally reached my goal of writing 100 blog posts and I’m ready to say farewell. 

Thanks to everyone who read my blogs – whether you read one, two or all of them. 

Now it's time to tackle my other goals for the year. 

Ready. Set. Focus!

What was your all time favourite post?

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

Let's go green!

For the past few months, I noticed that I would get very nauseous when using cleaning products. I dismissed the feeling for a good while but knew it was time for a change.

I no longer wanted to expose myself - or Zendaya - to the smell of those toxic chemicals. I decided it was time to go “green”.

I found the “27 Chemical Free Recipes for DIY Spring Cleaning" last November. 

I was amazed when I realized I had most of the cleaning agents sitting in my cupboard and fridge.  

The only items I had to purchase were some spray bottles, Dr. Bonner’s Pure Castile Soap and an essential oil. 

So far I’ve tried the cleaning recipes for toilets, tub and shower, countertops, floors and hand soap.

I wish I knew about this sooner. I could have saved myself a whole lot of money.

Here’s to a “greener” household in 2017 and beyond!

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Focus, Consistency & Change

The first month of the year is almost over. That means a lot of the resolutions or goals people set for the new year will soon be forgotten. 

Not me. I’ve been meaning to share my words for the year for the past month but just couldn’t get around to it.

December 2015, I  came across this exercise of choosing one word to live by for an entire year. 

My word for last year was positivity. Despite the many challenges I faced, I kept a smile on my face and kept the spirit of positivity alive.

This year I’ve chosen three words:

Focus

I’m a little bit of a scatter brain. I always come up with these great project ideas, start and take forever to finish. Or, sometimes I just have too many projects on the go and lose focus. Or, I’ll set a finish date for one and end up making excuses as to why I can’t finish it, extend the finish date and it still doesn't get done. 

Well,  enough is enough. Not this year. I’ve already taken baby steps with simple projects and now I'm ready to move on to my bigger projects. I'm excited for all that I will accomplish this year all because I’m going to focus on one thing at a time. 

Consistency

There’s a few things I want to be consistent with this year. Being on time for my appointments (yes, I still struggle with this), cleanliness (no, my house isn’t a pigsty but I’m not a stickler about my house being dust free 24/7) and being consistent with my savings.

Change

This one was a debate because I absolutely hate change. I won’t be mentioning the changes I would like to see at this time. Instead I'll be praying about them because only God can answer my prayers.

Even though it’s the end of the month,  it’s not too late to pick your word (s) for the year. Join me and let’s make 2017 the best year yet!

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Meet Santa Larry

Okay…I’m laughing as I write this post. I just can’t help it. Let me just start with: I’m glad I don’t live in the U-S of A.

Folks, meet Larry Jefferson. He’s a retired U.S. Army Veteran from Irving, Texas.

If you live in the States, you’ve probably heard of him on the radio or seen him on the news. I actually learned about him on one of my Facebook friends timeline a few weeks ago.

While this story is almost three weeks old, I thought it was still worth mentioning because I just can’t stop thinking about how ludicrous this whole story is.

Why is Larry Jefferson headline news? He was the first Black Santa to ever grace the Mall of America in Minnesota from December 1^st -4^th. Apparently a lot of Americans had a hissy fit about this whole ordeal. 

Here are some of the comments I came across on the internet:

A sampling below from CBS and Twitter:

 

This one is my favourite:

These Americans need to relax and remember that Santa is not real. 

I wrote a post last year titled, “Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy aren't real?” about parents lying to their children about these fictional characters. 

While I did take Zendaya to meet Santa Claus twice over the past few weeks, I still plan on telling her when she gets a bit older  that Santa is not real.

Does it really matter what colour Santa Claus is? 

I’ve read articles in relation to this story about how there should be a Santa to represent all the different nationalities. I’m sure this suggestion was coming from an adult and not a child because children don’t care.

I thought about how I would react if I took Zendaya to meet Santa Claus and he happened to be black. I know I would be shocked at first but I would have her take pictures with him just the same because after all, Santa Claus isn't real.

To all those angry Americans who threw temper tantrums, get over it.

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In Everything Give Thanks

Yesterday was one of those days that I just wanted to scream. I was feeling very overwhelmed.

To make matters worse, my car wouldn’t start while at the grocery store. Everyone I called didn’t have a jumper cable. Everyone I asked that was leaving from the grocery store also didn’t have one.

 I finally called one of my clients who came to our rescue. Once my car was up and running again, I just started to complain in my mind.

When I got home, these four words came to me – “In Everything Give Thanks”.

My day could have been worse but it wasn’t.

With so many deaths this year, I've really had to examine myself. So many times I've asked myself if I’ve accomplished everything I want to in this life. Most importantly, if I were to die right now, am I ready for Heaven? I believe that I am so let me continue to live life and do the best that I can while I still have time.

So many started 2016 but didn’t get to see the end. While the year isn’t quite finished yet, I thank God for bringing Zendaya, my family, my friends and myself this far.

With the recent passing of Alan Thicke, I was reading the details of his death online. I came across this quote he posted on May 29, 2012 on Twitter:

“Live life so completely that when death comes to you like a thief in the night, there will be nothing left for him to steal (anon)”

Powerful words and so true.  

It doesn’t matter what kind of year, month, week or day you’ve had so far, just remember, "In Everything Give Thanks".

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The Power of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is such a powerful thing. When you can forgive someone, there’s a sense of freedom that goes along with it.

On the flip side, it’s not always easy to forgive. Carrying bitterness and anger because of unforgiveness can destroy you.  

If we want to maintain healthy relationships with others, forgiveness is a must.

When I struggle with forgiveness, there are two scriptures that I always turn to but find hard to live by: 

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive you your sins.” 
~Matthew 6:14, 15 (NIV)

“Get rid of all bitterness rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ forgave you.” 

~Ephesians 4:31, 32 (NIV)

I know when I've had a hard time forgiving someone, I found it hard to pray. I didn’t see the point. How could I ask God to forgive me of my sins knowing that I was holding bitterness and malice towards someone? 

I always had to remind myself that no one is worth the stress or the headache. I refuse to lose my soul over anyone because of an unforgiving spirit.

Forgiving someone doesn't mean you'll forget the pain. It just means that you're no longer allowing that person and situation to control you. 

The next time you struggle with this sin, just remember that there's no better cleanser for your mind, body and soul than forgiveness.

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About that birth plan...

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow will mark six months since I was in the hospital anticipating Zendaya’s arrival.

I went in with all these ideas about how my labour and delivery would go. Being the organized woman that I am, I had put together a birth plan.

I remember giving my birth plan to one of the nurses. She looked at me, smirked and started reading it.

I was hoping for my water to break naturally. There was a possibility that they would have to break it the following morning because my contractions were only 45 minutes apart on the eve of Zendaya’s birth.

I was determined that I wasn’t going to get the epidural even though I have zero tolerance for pain.

I was praying that I wouldn't have to have a c-section because I didn’t want them to cut me open and deal with the pain for six weeks or more.

I wanted to cut the umbilical cord.

I wanted to hold Zendaya immediately after delivery.

I also wanted to see the placenta before it was discarded.

These were only a few of the things listed on my birth plan.

After the nurse finished reading it, she looked at me and laughed. She told me that most times, what women want to happen during their labour and delivery doesn’t happen. She went on to say that I should go in with an open mind to avoid disappointment.

It was my turn to laugh.

She clearly didn’t know me. I’m all about being in control and I was definitely going to be in control of this situation. 

Fast forward nine hours.

The next morning, my OB had to break my water.

After four hours of enduring the pain, I asked the nurse how fast could she get me the epidural.

Due to some complications with Zendaya’s birth, I didn’t get to cut the umbilical cord nor did I get to hold her or see until ten minutes after her delivery.

I only got to see a picture of the placenta.

The only thing I was able to tick off my birth plan was not having a c-section.

 My nurse was right. Creating a birth plan is great but you definitely have to go in with an open mind. Never again will I create another. 

Lesson learned.

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)