Archive for December, 2009

Happy New Year!

Author: Sophia

Dec 31

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It is 2010 some place in the world right now, and so here’s to you…Happy New Year! I hope this year will bring more opportunities, peace and justice,  and good health to you.  

Let’s hope people will be safe tonight, drink  responsibly, and if you have to drink … please don’t drive instead call a cab,  call a friend or family member to come get you, or  sleep over if you are at a house party.

I am going to make it a quiet family night as i have to work tomorrow morning, but i will get to party tomorrow night. 

So, enjoy your night !

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Happy places

Author: Sophia

Dec 30

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Everyone needs to have a “happy place”  where they can go to at anytime of day or night to escape from just about anything .  A happy place  can be anywhere, anything,  i mean,  whatever you want it to be. You could be sitting at your desk at work , swamped with piles of stuff to do and just need an escape, you could be stuck in the middle of traffic, or just plain tired, having the worse day of your life and just need an  escape… so, just go ahead and do it. Escape.

Right now i just  escaped,  and was greeted  by Eli’s  happy face, then turned out to be sounds of his belly laugh , and that just became my moment… it  put a  little smile on my face.  My happy places change all the time. Sometime i find myself placing myself in the set of my favorite movie, and just  take that moment to goof off :)   

You may be thinking this is crazy, but happy places=happy moments= free therapy or no therapy at all.

I am planning on a trip home this coming year, so this has been an exciting time for me. I have been escaping to memory lane and just re-living great moments from my last trip home. I have been picturing how it will be for the boys, and how everyone back home will be excited to meet them for the first time. 

My husband’s happy places always end up with laughter. We could be sitting together watching a movie, or just playing with the boys and he will crack up laughing, and when we ask him what’s so funny, he will start a long spill of  ” i just remembered…. ” and the joke  is shared.

So, as for you, you can have your many happy places to go too, there  go ahead and escape to your happy place. Do this whenever you need it  as we all know life can be too hectic sometime that we forget to stop and smell the roses.

Have  a happy place and a happy new year!

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Christmas Break

Author: Sophia

Dec 28

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Hello Monday!

With Christmas falling on Friday, it feels like i should have had another extra day to get myself back to work mode,  i swear, but oh well it is a Monday and work crazy as usual.  I love hollidays, it gives me an excuse to cook huge meals, bake some goodies and of course pig out.

Winter doesn’t help much either.. There is something about Winter that just makes you want to bake, bake and bake, at least for me. I started baking cookies the beginning of last week. I tried several recipes and my husband loved the ” big fat chocolate chip and raisin cookies” that i made and has sworn to be the best cookies he has ever tasted.  Well, i have to agree :) Oh my goodness they were sinfully delicious!

Well, Christmas went well for us. It was a snowy day and  we made it a family day. Julian woke us up at 6:30am and i told him Santa came to see him that night and left him presents under the tree. He almost fell off the bed running to get to the tree. By the time the rest of us got there, he had ripped off  one of Eli’s presents and moved on to the rest. My husband got to record the whole thing for their yearly home movie. I got to admit,  just sitting there seeing how happy he was, and him yelling ” wow, beautiful, wow”  for me it was the perfect Christmas present!

Eli got to open up his presents too, just by watching his brother doing it and of course with mommy’s help. I got to cook Christmas dinner and with less pressure as it was just us this time.

Julian got a new book that is his favorite this week ” Are you my mother? by PD Eastmann i think… We have been reading it several times a day  so far since he got it and Eli enjoys it as well.  The next big thing for Julian was he got a sled and has been sledding on the snow. He thinks he is in heaven! He just loves it!

I hope everyone got to enjoy Christmas with their loved ones, lets hope the New year will bring more memories to treasure.

Happy Hollidays to you and yours!

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White Christmas?

Author: Sophia

Dec 24

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It is snowing hard outside right now. I am still at work and am dreading the drive home. I just pray by the time am on the road there won’t be that many people out there. I just have to warn the KS-MO drivers this woman here will be going 35 miles/hour, so kindly back off :)

I love the site of snow. I love it most when am just sitting at home sipping some warm tea, and not having to drive in it. 

Oh boy, it is going to be a white christmas after all. Snow is going to cover all the ground and Julian is going to remind me we still owe him a trip outside and get his snowman build. He loves it when it snow. He loves it soo much that we make a scene when we have to get him out of the snow. He screams soo loud, and reasoning with him just doesn’t cut it.  Julian’s Day out in the snow.

Whatever you are, i do hope you will get to enjoy this Christmas.  If you  don’t have to get on the roads, then don’t, just stay home and do something fun. Did i mention i am still at work, dreading the drive home? yikes! Well, maybe the roads will be  salted and since it is still falling there is traction on the roads, so it won’t be too bad.

I wish you all a safe, and a very merry Christmas!

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Mama’s Diary Update

Author: Sophia

Dec 24

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Mommy and Eli on his play rug- 6 mos and countingMommy and Eli on his play rug- 6 mos and counting

Diary, diary, diary…

It is Christmas eve about 10 till 2 in the morning. I just finished baking some soft oatmeal raisin –chocolate chip cookies. They are completely egg free and dairy free and delicious. My husband stayed up and waited so he could have them while still warm. Julian is sleeping and has no idea there are cookies :) So it will be a great surprise treat later.

Julian has been doing great as well. He is getting a little smarter as the days go by. I need to start looking for a pre-school for him before he turns 4. He still looves his computer, books, and now Dora and Diego. He adores his little brother. He tells people Eli is his baby brother and showers him with butterfly kisses daily. When he wakes up in the morning the first person he looks for is his baby brother and of course wakes him up too. I got to admit, my heart melts with joy everytime i see them together. They are little friends, perfect for each other. Eli on the other hand can’t hide his joy either seeing his Julian around. He follows him around, and fights for his toys, and wants to touch anything his big brother has hands on.

Right now, Eli is sleeping, he had woken up and his dad rocked him back to sleep. He is crawling already and it has been awesome just watching him move. It was just the other day when i bundled him up and held him while he tried to open those little brown eyes… now he is 6 months going to 7, and yes time does pass fast!

I kept up with my workouts, i got to confess i am a sweet fanatic, and i don’t see me stopping soon, lol.  So, that being said I  cook our meals daily and i incorporate lots of proteins, and i am at least getting in 64 oz of water daily.

So far no snow yet. This Christmas we have been invited to a friends house for dinner. I bought our Holiday turkey and it is sitting in the fridge just in case the storms comes on hard and we don’t end up going to the party.

I have not put the presents under the tree yet as Julian would probably unwrap all of them, so they will go under the tree tomorrow night after he goes to sleep. I know holiday shopping can be stressfull, but just as any parent would silently confess – It is always rewarding watching your children’s faces light up with joy when they open their gifts. It makes all of it worth it- I guess :)

I am sitting here with bittersweet memories of Christmas in Africa. I miss the feeling of being home with my parents, brothers and sister. I wonder what everyone is upto now. I know my sister is in law school and she has no enough time off to be home for Christmas, so chances are mom and dad will be celebrating alone this year. I don’t want my boys grown up yet. I will be the mother waiting and hoping that my children would be coming home , too.  Children, mmmmh, one way or another they will get you emotional!

Merry Christmas to you!

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Is Christmas Just about the gifts?

Author: Sophia

Dec 23

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If my children were old enough they would probably say yes. I mean whatever happened to Christmas as a celebration of birth of Jesus Christ and giving thanks to God for everything in our lives?  Heck, I am starting to snoop around the house myself trying to find out what my husband is getting me for Christmas, and i am just dissappointed in myself. What am i teaching my own children?

The last couple of days have been about hitting the stores finding the best deals on Christmas presents and talk about the  crowds in the stores, traffic jams, and empty shelves!  Yes, it is Christmas, Modern style.

I remember growing up in Tanzania, Africa and all you really expected around Christmas, at least in my family, was new clothes and shoes. My dad was so frugal, i mean we had to earn anything that he spent his money on.  We were expected to bring home good grades first, then during the break we would work in the family business do what the rest of the workers did,  and of course put in more hours, then you can go and ask for money to buy your  clothes.  

Back then, i didn’t like my dad’s system, but as a grownup i can understand where he was coming from and what he was trying to teach us. 

So, it doesn’t really matter whether you are in Africa,  America, or Europe.  The ” modernization” of Christmas has really  blurred the true meaning of Christmas. Every business from the food industry, clothing,  toys, manufacturing etc.. They are all geared up to promote their products and services  during this time of the year, and yes we all buy it.  We stand in long lines to get the best deals, latest products, and all in the name of Christmas presents. I still have to wrap the presents by the way. I bought  Christmas wrapping paper, one roll had a picture of santa  and the rest had  white, red, and green colors of course. 

Then you have some of the other parents who may be so heartbroken that they are not going to afford to buy their children any presents this year due to the bad economy.

 How many children really KNOW the story of Christmas as told in the bible?

So, how many families out there are going to talk to their children about the birth of Jesus Christ that day? How many people will attend a church service on the Christmas eve, or that following Sunday? Oh, yes i forgot not everyone is a Christian, but for the Christians i hope you do get to attend a service and bring your children, family or friends with you, really. At some point we as a generation need to remind ourselves what Christmas is truly about.

Merry Christmas to all!

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Eli and Wheat Allergy

Author: Sophia

Dec 22

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So, the good news is no peanut allergy but yes to wheat. Do you realize how many things contain wheat? Yes. So, i am back to the beginning where now one child can have wheat the other can’t plus i am going to cut wheat from my diet as well as am breastfeeding him.  

I am going to have to buy other flours in bulk now as i still want to keep up my baking. Julian and my husband can have wheat products, but Eli is at the stage where he wants and  cries for anything Julian is eating. Julian on the other hand  loves sharing his food with the baby.

Talking about Julian, his allergy lab results came back as well and milk is still 100 points, eggs is 86 points, peanut declined from 33 points to 11, and we found out he can have Cod fish and Tuna, but still no Tilapia and also just found out he can’t have catfish either.

Yes, my two  little boys confirmed this research African-American boys at highest risk for food allergies  is very true.

We can manage it.

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Another Celebrity Death- Brittany Murphy!

Author: Sophia

Dec 22

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Brittany Murphy's Husband Tells PEOPLE: 'We Want to Know Why We Lost Our Baby' | Brittany MurphyBrittany Murphy and Simon Monjack

This photo and news  were reported on People.com.

Oh Snap! I loved this girl! I loved her characters. Apparently her mom found he collapsed in her bathroom on Sunday, the Doctors said she died from cardiac arrest. They have to perform an autopsy to truly find out the cause of death.

Her husband Simon Monjack, a photographer, denies any allegations of drug use, or stories about Brittany being anorexic, in stead he stated that Brittany was trying to gain more weight, but has a high metabolism, and that they had plans to have a baby next year. Aaaw,  how sad she didn’t get to do this.

Man,  she was only 32 yrs old this is truly sad and devastating. You know when someone is sick for a long time or is at a very old age, you at least get mentally prepared for that day when you will have tgo say goodbye, but all this sudden deaths….aargh. Oh well, it is all part of this journey and God’s plan for us on earth.

My sympathies, to the entire  family and friends of Brittany, may her Soul rest in Peace!

For the rest of us, let her death be a reminder that our life on earth is just loaned to us, so let’s try to live a good, happy life. Let’s be thankful for everyday, spend time with those we love every chance we have, and of course fall in love with someone or just life!

Happy Hollidays!

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Dear Santa…

Author: Sophia

Dec 18

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This year has been tough, due to the economic crisis across the globe, so Santa this Christmas you have a lot of work to do and yeah, tough.  For starters how about  a Best buy gift card for my electronic junkie husband, and wait while you are on  it throw in one of my own as i need a good laptop so i  can stop waking up from bed to go use this desktop. Stop it Santa. The other laptop is strictly for work, plus i am writing my novel, i don’t want to use my work computer for that, that won’t be such a good idea.

Julian will have to tell you what he wants, plus this year he gets to pick something for his brother Eli  all by himself, so hang on for those two for now. Santa! I know they have plenty of stuff already, but it is Christmas and they were so excited to put up their Christmas tree, we definitely don’t want to disappoint them…we could use some beautifully wrapped boxes under  that tree, so Come on and get on it Santa!

On a more serious note…

I wish many things for my own family and many other families out there. I wish for the basic needs. I wish for those who have lost their homes, find shelter and a place to call home soon. For those who have lost their jobs, or on the verge of losing theirs, help them find a decent job soon. For the children without food and clothes on their back, i wish  that Santa will  deliver a hot meal and clean clothes for them. For those who have enough to share with the less fortunate, i hope that they get touched by spirit of giving and bless someone needy this Christmas.

Santa, i promise to do some good as well. I sit here writing about doing good deeds for others, and i promised to do this by example. This weekend i will cook a hot meal and feed the homeless. My husband told me  a good spot would be downtown Kansas City, around the evening. So Saturday evening we will drive out on a mission to make a little difference. I can cook, so i may as well share that with someone  that could use help.

So, if you are reading this, please note that there is a little Santa in everyone of us, the question is are you willing to give a gift to someone else , that you may not even know this Christmas? If you can, please go ahead and do so as there are a lot of families out there that are without just the basic needs.

Give a break!

Stay blessed and Thank you Santa!

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Man exonerated, freed from prison after 35 years- Not Angry?

Author: Sophia

Dec 17

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Oh, i am mad for him!

index.html.jpgExonerated man 'not angry' after decades in prison

Can you imagine spending 35 years in prison, i mean that is  a lifetime, in prison for a crime you did not commit!  I mean, he must have so much faith and patience. All he could say was “I got God in my head” Wow!

I just read this story on Cnn.com  James Bain, 54  who sentenced to life in prison after being convicted  on charges of kidnapping, burglary and strong-arm rape  when he was 19 years old.  Bain was set free after DNA test showed he did not kidnap and rape  the  9-year-old boy accused of,  in 1974.

It is stories like this that make you stop and think, How many other innocent people are still out there serving life sentences for crimes that they did not commit. This man went to jail at 19, and now he is coming out at 54 years old.  Very sad indeed. This is someone’s son, cousin, uncle who missed a lot of family moments serving time for something he didn’t do.

As reported on CNN, In 1974, the 9-year-old Lake Wales, Florida, victim had told police that his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache. After being shown five photos of potential suspects, the victim picked out one of Bain, the police report said.

So, some outstanding issues here, for one  the real criminal here went free and innocent man served time. This boy who is now what 44 is going to have to re-live all that ordeal and am thinking maybe full of  Guilt for causing someone else to  be wrongfully punished, and the fact that he may never get real justice for the crime commited against him.

One thing is for sure, James Bain’s mother is in cloud 9 right now. I mean, this  is the perfect christmas present for this entire family!

I wish all of the people affected here  some peace.

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