Wow, it has been a little while since I have posted one of my fantastic blog posts! Well, today I am on a personal mission.  Being honest with yourself and others is one of the truest forms of character.  In addition,  Being noble and having character says to the world that you value yourself and the world around you.  It starts with each of us having character, living, and breathing truth.

My cousins Randall and Brittney graduated from high school this evening. As I sat there in the audience, listening to the speakers and witnessed the anticipation of the graduates,  I thought back to my high school graduation. I thought back to how excited and happy I was to finally be finished with high school and moving on to bigger and better things in life. Little did I know, HS was simply another chapter in my life which was closing and another chapter was just beginning with new excitements, new adventures, and new choices surrounding my life both, present and future.  Some individuals are 100% sure what the want to do once they complete high school..it may be college, vocational school, job, but for others..many others, they are in limbo about what direction they want their life to go in. That is perfectly okay. In time you will figure it out. Seek out your passion, do what you love, and all else will fall into place.

The summer is right around the corner and school is almost out! Many families with kids will be preparing for summer vacations and thousands of kids will be attending camps. Due to the change in the economic state of society, many families are looking for creative, fun, and reasonable summer vacations and activities.  Check out the list of ideas below and try a few!

1.      Explore Local Tourist sites in Your Area: Just about every state, town, and local

      city has a history and story. Some of the best cafés, libraries, parks, and   

      restaurants are located in small towns. So, gather the kids and enjoy a weekend of   

      exploration in your town or nearby surrounding towns! 

2.      Take a vacation to see family and friends: A great idea is to visit family and friends during the summer! You will save money on hotels, and save money on food. You could purchase groceries for your length of stay and prepare your meals at home, before venturing out during the day and night. 

3.      Timeshare: If you own a timeshare this could be a cost-effective way to travel to an otherwise pricey destination but with less financial headache. Be sure to research the amenities before booking the trip though.

4.      Weekend Getaways: Instead of planning a week long trip, plan short weekend getaways     for you and the family! This a great opportunity to get away without putting a dent in    your pocketbook and it is an opportunity to break away from work without causing too much of a stir in the office.  

5.      Make it An Arts & Crafts Weekend: Kids, especially younger kids love being creative and one of the best ways to be hone in on those creative skills is to do arts and crafts projects. My kids love finger-painting, making home-made playdough (messy for adults, but fun for them J) Spend a weekend painting, making jewelry, experiment with cool but safe science projects.

These are just a few ways to for you and the entire family to enjoy summer. Remember, keep it simply and you will create happy, whole, and loving summer memories for you and your family! 

1. You’ve created a warm and loving home.
2. You’re the one who gets up at night when they’re sick.
3. You’re also the one who misses work to take care of them.
4. You’ve taught them the value of friendship.
5. You teach them the value of hard work.
6. You demonstrate the value of money by spending carefully.
7. You help your kids make good decisions on a daily basis.
8. You read to them.
9. You know the difference between “wants” and “needs.”
10. You’ve taught your children to be responsible for themselves.
11. You demonstrate resilience and determination every day.
12. Your kids know they’re loved.
13. Your kids are proud of you, too.

I hope this list brightens your day and confirms that you are a wonderful human being and parent!

As single parents, the biggest challenge we face involves balancing the responsibilities involved in parenting and other areas in life.  Majority of the day to day responsibility of caring for our kids, transporting the kids to and from school, activities, and various appointments rest on our shoulders. It can be draining. How can we lighten the load without neglecting our responsibilties and still maintain a healthy balance. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Exercise - I almost always feel so much better after a good workout. After work, I pick up the kids and we all head to the gym. My kids enjoy it because they get to play with all of their friends in the kids room and I LOVE it because I have time to unwind by working out. A win-win situation!  

2. Prepare the Night Before - I usually pack snack, iron clothes, and prepare lunch the night before. This makes it much easier to get out the door in the morning. However, we do have our moments! 

3.  Quality Time - As single parents it is easy to get caught up in the routine and making sure all of the necessities get done, such as - homework, projects, dinner, baths, etc”.  However, make time to talk with your kids and find out how they are doing and talk to them about things going on in their life and at school.  I make it a point to ask them questions that are out of the ordinary, which will get them talking and laughing. I often ask “Did anything funny happen at school today?” My daughter will share interesting stories like how she once dug up a worm at recess or my son will share how one of his friends tripped! In addition, we have a “no tv during the week” rule.  However, Fridays are reserved for ”family movie nights”. This is our time to unwind from the week and spend additional quality time together as a family.

 These are just a few suggestions that I hope will help you lighten the burden and ease the load.  Blog with ya later!

I do not know which I am more sick of the snow or the dvd my daughter keeps requesting to watch! I am so over snow that I really do not know what else to do. For the first couple of days, the snow was absolutely beautiful. My kids and I watched movies,  played games, and played in the snow. It was great. My kids are very interesting and entertaining little beings! My son and daughter spent majority of the weekend watching Michael Jackson’s dvd “This Is It”. We spent Saturday afternoon remaking Michael Jackson’s song “They Don’t Really Care About Us” and dancing to “Thriller”. We had a ball! However, by Monday…all of us were over the snow, movies, and being in the house. It is one thing to have the option of going out of the house, but to be completely snowed in…is a completely different story.  By Monday afternoon my kids were driving one another craxy, and I found myself saying over and over “I will look back on these times and cherish these moments, but we have to get out of this house!” The blizzard of 2010 will definitely be a memory we will never forget.

It has been a while since I posted a blog and I thought what perfect way to express myself and share my thoughts openly, as opposed to writing in my journal tonight.  This evening I went and saw my accountant  and in the midst of our meeting, we started talking about relationships, men & women. Why is it during the times when we need to talk the most or communicate the most in a relationship, we shut down, therefore pushing the other person away.  Shutting down neither solves the issue but deepens the hurt, and pushes the other person away.   In relationships there will always be ups and downs, good times and challenging times. Men and Women have to be committed to sticking it through and being open and willing to be vulnerable and accepting of each other.  There was a moment in time when i thought that people gave up on love too easily but that is not true. The truth is that there are many, many couples who are in it for the long haul and are truly committeed to making their relationship work and I am convinced..that one of the primary keys in a long, lasting, fulfilling relationship for life is committment. 

I always cherish the moments that I have to sit in silence and just be.  Today I am doing just that and I am so glad. I have been so busy lately with life in general that I had to take a moment to re-focus.  I just recently had a birthday and in a moment of reflection on my special day  I thought about how much I have changed, evolved, and how much more of me is evolving and continuously changing. It was during my time of reflection that I thought about events of the past, circumstances, present & future. Some times it is painful for me to know that I am still dealing with choices that were made in the past, but I am thankful because I have the opportunity to create a better now moment and to make better choices today.  God is good and in the midst no matter what and for that I am thankful. When I think about how blessed I am to have life, breath, and the opportunity to orchestrate the chapters in my life with God leading the way..it makes me smile.

The last couple of months have been a challenge.  A little while ago, I was completely  knocked me off my feet by an unexpected blessing in disguise.  The situation was not a surprise but the way in which I reacted was a surprise.  I was caught off guard.  I thought that I would have handled the situation a little better than I did, because after all…I am Lady In Balance, right?! Wrong.  I am human.  I let a minor “circumstance” or “set back” distract my focus and get the best of me.  How could I do that?! I knew better. It was time to take a step back and decide what it is I really want out of this beautiful, precious gift called life. I could continue scratching the surface or really dig deep into my soul and let God continue to unveil the beautiful vessel he has called me to be. So what is it going to be? I am choosing to dig deep, and allow God to work in me, mold me, and move me. There is absolutely no turning back now…This is a journey and I am holding on for the ride :-)  

Lately, I have been thinking of what makes an ordinary person extraordinary. I am convinced that ordinary people become extraordinary when they take steps outside of the norm to change and remain committed to seeing their dreams and goals come to light. I believe ordinary people become extraordinary when they make the decision to change their mind, thoughts, actions, which lead to different results in their lives. Oprah Winfrey did not become extraordinary overnight, but her committment to growth and desire to succeed and help others transformed her into an extraordinary person. I believe that we all have the ability to be extraordinary and I challenge you today to take those steps today to become extraordinary!

If ordinary people,

Gave a Little Extra Effort,