Last night i went to sleep by  Julian’s bed since i don’t get to spend time with  him during the week due to school,  and i fell asleep. My husband was kind enough not to wake me up when Eli woke up. I can say that is one of the few nights i truly had a mommy full night sleep…Yes 4 hrs of uninterrupted sleep can be considered ‘plenty’ of sleep to a mom or a dad.:)

I  have been doing yoga at least 3 times a week and i love it. I love how i feel after practicing yoga. I feel stronger, more centered,  and definitely happier.  In yoga you truly get to focus on your inner self, and it is amazing how much  you can just let go.  So for some of you who can’t seem to just ever stop, always on the go, shuffling life, kids, work, people etc… being able to set a time in the middle of your chaos and just draw in- meditate, breath etc  can be truly good for you, and while you are at it – try yoga, i definitely would recommend it.

Well, i better go  catch up on  my Zs, i have to get the boys ready for church early in the morning.

Have a great week! Bonne nuit!

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I actually woke up early today with some aches and pains. I need a warm bubble bath and some massage…mmmh a day spa would be the ultimate gift! So do i do now… get my butt off this computer go make some lunch then get ready to go to work, all sound like fun, huh.. it is the typical day of a mama. So when you get some quiet moments alone, it feels like serenity.

I miss my mother, she wasn’t feeling too good either when i last talked to her on Sunday… I need to call her tonight.

Did  i tell you all that i just had a birthday? Yeah i did.  The numbers are getting bigger, but i am definitely getting younger at heart and spirit, lol… Everyone’s favorite statement. Nothing is stopping me from pursuing my goals, and every day is a gift.

So, i may have some aches and pains here and there, but nothing is going to stop me from walking out of the door and carry on with my life…So no excuses for you, if you can breathe and walk, get up and do something today. Go for a walk at the park,  plan a day out with your family or friends,  hit the gym, of course  before or after work,  or like my favorite yoga instructor would say try something new!

With everything else,  bonne chance! et bon weekend!

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I can’t even begin to count how many times both boys call their daddy in a day… Daddy can you help me please? Daddy can you fix it? Daddy can you open it? Daaada.. Daddy it’s broke again! i mean that list is endless…

So, for all the daddies out there that are taking full responsibility of their children, and for the ones that have stepped into that role…I salute you. Here’s to you! May you have the strenghth to carry on this God given gift and responsibility, for as long as you shall live. It isn’t easy and it isn’t for the weak either, however one can agree, if taken seriously, it is one of the most rewarding jobs out there.  Not one single day is the same, and no matter how crappy your day can be…when you are greeted with that precious little smiley face, it is just hard not smiling back.. So Enjoy your children at every milestone in this life.

I look back at my childhood and there are soo many memories of my family and i. I can  tell you this, the ones that stand out the most are the ones with time spent with my father. For all the fathers out there, rich or poor…If there is one thing you do not want to ever regret, is not spending time with your child. I don’t care how rich you are, how many nannies or sitters your money can pay for… Your child wants YOU. Take that time to spend it with them as much as you can. If you really look at it, No matter how old we get, we always need  our parents.

Sometime you just want to talk to them, joke with them, play with them,  get a good hug, hear some  encouraging words, how about ” i love yous” , ” you can do it “, or just get a little advice.  I mean you know what i am talking about.

There’s nothing i love doing at home, than watching my boys play around with their dad. Anytime he is playing with one, the other one just doesn’t want to be left out. It is really a great way for them to bond together.

So wherever you are, whatever you do today, make sure you have reached out to your father or child and just share the love for today.

Happy fathers day to you all!

Happy father’s day dad, I will always love you!

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But this is just the beginning we have more teething to do.

He still is a good eater, so we have added meats and lots of other foods to his diet. We are trying to teach him to wave goodbye now. He is a talker and when he does, some words seem to sound real like ” hi” and “J” We call his big brother J and we think he has picked that. He says that in the morning when he wakes up, and looking towards the door, since his brother always comes in and wakes him if he isn’t up yet.

Parents keep track of the endless firsts… I mean, can you imagine being able torecord all those and share with your children when they are all grown up? I mean i think it is amazing. They will be a certain age only once , so why not enjoy as much as you can? My husband has been keeping a video diary of the boys  since birth and i think that is really cool. I never had that, so  if you are reading this and you are planning on having children of your own, or know someone that is expecting… hey i write  about my children, but video diaries are an absolute treasure!

Enjoy the firsts as they sure do pass fast!

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I am trying to travel overseas and of course, i waitd till the last minute to check my travel documents only to be greeted with an Expired passport, so of course my travel agent had to break news to me that the airline that i wanted to use will not accept travel documents, at least to get me home where i would gladly renew my good ol’ passport.

I really don’t want to have to use a different carrier as i am going to be stuck in long lay overs, and with 2 children…did i mention with a 9 month old baby? Dang! What was i thinking?

So, word of advice, renew  your IDs, passports etc  on time! Don’t do what this woman here did, now am left with limited options…. Yes i could go ahead and renew from here, but it is much longer process, and will not make it home for Easter …I know.. Yikes!

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For me it is my children, my family, my inner joy. I believe you have your own moments too.

I still wake up at night and sit by my boys and watch them sleep, and as a mother a lot go through your mind. You want all that is great for them,  and you worry about everything about them. When they are safely sleeping, this is when i am able to even rub their backs and their little feets, their hands and just give them even more little kisses on their cheeks.  When they are peacefully sleeping, it is when i let it sink in that these two little gifts are truly my Daily Blessings.

It is funny watching my own husband sleeping on the couch right now, and yes he reminds me so much of our two boys. I am seeing a lot of resemblance especially in Julian, i guess it is not a surprise they are conencted and will always be part of each other’s lives. I see the bond and love they share every day and i can’t help but recognize and thank God for all this and more, as i know it is truly a blessing. My children. My husband. My family. Good health, and joyful moments.

Take time daily and reflect on your own blessings.

Sleeping Angels…

Enjoy the week. Good night!

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Most of us are quick to see our own flaws, our problems,  what we don’t have, and just about anything negative about ourselves. We worry  sick about everything,  day in and day out, we worry about things that we can’t even control, things that  would clearly survive us.

Good example right now, have you watched the news lately about what is going on  in Haiti? Iraq? some parts of Africa?  Well even here at home, in your own  neighborhood? I bet you, someone out there  has  it worse than you. 

You complain that you have no life…At least you woke up this morning and took a breath of fresh air, Thank God for that as someone else is probably in a coma right now and can’t  do any of that.  For the folks that complain about how much they detest their cars, are you one of them? You hate your car right now  for one reason or another, some  hate their car  because it is not  brand new, or doesn’t  have all the knicks and knacks, it is not an SUV or a BMW etc…well at least you have a car. I grew up with folks that walked miles and miles away with luggage on their head , and children on their back,  just to get to their destination, so thank God you have a car.

I know, i am guilty here. I complain about my children, sometime. I complain how Eli kept me up all night, and complain how Julian won’t  listen sometime, but at least i have them to keep me on my toes day and night. They have definitely made me appreciate my parents even more than ever. They have made me stop and get me  grounded,  and pretty much made me a better person. I can’t pretend that i don’t realize that  there is someone somewhere right now, who  would love to be able to have her own children, and would  gladly stay up the whole night holding and cuddling  them up…so yes be thankful for what you have, and i am!

Be thankful for where you are in your life. So you just hit 50  and  now you look back and find yourself  filled up with regrets of what you didn’t get to do, or what you don’t have yet. Stop yourself, and just look back at what you got to do. You chose a certain path in your life and i bet you, there are great memories there. Own that up and be grateful you were given that gift of life. Whatever else you have not accomplished yet, if you really  want it bad enough and want  to go for it, you can.  What is it that most say… you don’t have a degree? …go back to school and go for your degree, who said it is too late for your dreams? It  is never  too late for anyone to go after their hearts desires! By the way,  your neighbor just turned 77 and am sure he  would want to be 50 any given day! So love the age you are, everyday.

So you do not have a house yet,  your credit is very bad right now and no one would give you a loan, or maybe you were foreclosed.  All these are  temporary situations, they shall pass too. Credit can be repaired. If you want a house so bad and can’t afford to buy, go ahead and rent one. If you are already renting and are just stressed out because you can’t afford to buy your own house…please be gratefull you have a roof over your head. There was a quake that destroyed a lot of  houses in Haiti and the folks there were already poor to begin with, so trust me…you have it way better than you think!

So you hate your job…at least you have one! There is someone somewhere right now that would gladly switch places with you, so be grateful you have that job. Some people are in positions that pay 6 figures and still find something to complain about their jobs. It is like  the human nature to  not be satisfied with what we have. We are always looking outside our lives and just focusing on the cons. We stay up in bed tossing and turning over little things that we probably shouldn’t even worry about.  The funny thing is, when we wake up the next day, they will still be there waiting for us.. all the things that keep us tossing.

The point here is, take your time and see how blessed you are. You  have everything that you need to keep you content. Right in front of you.

Enjoy life!

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How do people live with themselves? How can people just take advantage of others especially when they know deep in their hearts how  much you have helped them  over and over again. I mean, whatever happened to just  common decency, how about the basic life values? Honesty.Integrity.Trust.loyalty…etc

All i can do right now is just pray, just to keep me from exploading with anger.

It is one thing to ask for help and receive it, but to go stand in a crowd of those close to you and just lie about it, or how much help you got and just tournish other people’s names is just plain selfish!  I mean as we get older,  many things change. Families grow larger,  we find ourselves opening up our hearts. letting our guards down, and letting more people in our inner circle and simply love them.

I am the type of person that if i like someone, i like them wholeheartedly. I am the type of friend that treat friends like family. I would give  my friends and family anything they truly need, if i could. Then there is the  other side. Once that trust is gone, that’s usually it for me.

I grew up watching my mother giving soo much, over and over again, but seeing people betray her all the time, but she would just take that all in. I could see her hurting, but she never said anything .  I don’t think i could say that about myself, in this situation…I would gladly say, i am my father’s daughter. My father doesn’t get stung twice.

If you have people in your life that love you, make sacrifices for you, are willing to go without so you can have in abundance…Don’t take advantage of that, the list you could do is let the rest of the people around you know how lucky you are to have such people in your life! Just be honest!

Huh, I feel much better now. Thanks for lending me an ear!

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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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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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