Here’s the recipe:

4 tablespoons of vinegar

2 tsp Borax

10 drops of essential oils

32 oz. hot water

Pour it in the bottle and give it a shake!

Today, my daughter had to do a bible presentation in school, she;s in the first grade, and she chose to be Samson. she had to come up with 10 facts  and put it in story form so that she could  present it like a story.  one of the facts was that after Samson was brought to the temple to entertain  for the rulers, he said that he turned to God and he received his strength back.  As she said that I was sitting there like  “Duh” as many times as I had read that story I never picked out the simplicity in it.  Samson turned to God and he received his strength back. The bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength,  however this can’t come without relationship.  We must  continue on a daily basis to turn our hearts to  God to get our strength, so that we can continue to  move forward in the things that he has equipped us to do.

How many of you have hobbies?  Some of you may call it your release…  Today we are going to discuss the importance of having a hobby, or a positive release for yourself.

Who should have a hobby or a release?

Everyone should have some sort of  positive hobby that helps balance out the everyday hustle and bustle of life.  Ever heard the saying ” All work and no play , makes jack a dull boy!” it’s  very true.  Except  it can mean actually more. The key here is that if you are dull, guess what, you are of no use!  If you are consistently working  hard with no type of  positive release.  You are doing more harm to yourself than good.

Why should you have a hobby?

You should have a hobby  or  positive release because the effects of the everyday hustle begins to effect you physically , emotionally , and mentally. Have you ever noticed that when you are stressed out it’s hard to make good decisions, or if you make good decisions, you found it hard to get there. or your mind seems clouded, or you feel extremely tired all the time. The benefit of having a positive release, or a hobby is that it allows your mind to transfer to a more relaxed mindset, and sometimes that is the time where  the best thoughts are thought and answers to the questions that you have had for a long time finally pop into your head.  The point is that  we have to get to a point of balance,and that means to balance our time  with ourselves  so that we are able to be the best women, mom (or whatever hat you where ), that we can be.

How long has it been since you have taken yourself to lunch?

When was the last time you  just sat in silence to experience peace and quiet?

When was the last time that you  did something for yourself ?

These are questions that are looked over but are important to the mental, emotional, and physical health of all women.

My Challenge:

Take a moment and explore the things that you like to do,and this week try and accomplish one thing.

See ya next time!

Jamila

What are your dreams?   I remember watching  the movie “Last Holiday.”  The thing that stood out the most to me is that she waited until she thought something was wrong before she started living.  She began to pull out her book of “possibilities”  and going down her list of things that she wanted to do before she passed.  My challenge to you is to dust off your dreams that are on the shelf, and begin to move forward. Live life now.  You may say “It takes money to achieve the goals that I have. “  Well take time and look at the little things that you wish you could accomplish like:

1. Getting into bed on time

2.  Writing that long needed business plan.

3. Conquering procrastination

Simple things like these are a great start.  The small steps  make the stairway to your dreams.

To sum it all up! GO FOR IT!

quoted by: samwilson213

need we say more!

Have a great day!

For a couple of month now the the kids have been wanting  this playset above.  My husband and I have been going back and forth about it because  first it is and investment, second we didn’t want them to thing that things like these just fall out of the sky.  As I was sitting under the hair dryer at the salon ( where I get a lot of Inspiration) I called my husband with an idea. We decided that we were going to have them work for it. Now we knew that they wouldn’t be able to come up with all of the money, but we gave them a plan. This is the plan for the playset that should arrive June 1st.

1. They have to call 5 relatives and explain to them what they are saving for and that they would like to know if there are any chores or spring cleaning that they needed help with. (I will call first to give them a heads up) *note- it’s not about the money it’s just helping them to equate that they have to work for things.

2. They have to keep up with their everyday chores, and display great character and of course do the best they can at school.

This may seem a little light  but my kids are just 8,7,5 . You can add as many chores as possible or whatever fit’s your family.

The purpose of this is to show them that if you want something it  simply will take work.

the funny part: I was sitting here cooking dinner and my oldest went down to the office and  got an envelope and was collecting money from her siblings for the playset. I heard her ask each of then now what are you gonna put in.  Between the three of them they came up with 31 dollars. lol! I thought that was a great start!

be blessed, not stressed!

It wasn’t until my husband had given a sermon on waste and excess, that I realized that I was one of those people that he was talking about. I realized that the solution to me being stressed out was that I just had way too much stuff, along  with trying to look at every detail in my family and figure out how I’m going to meet the needs of the people in my home first, without even adding the other things that needed to be done.  However, I am still simplifying, I have realized through this simplification that I found peace, in the areas that are now simplified.  I can walk into certain rooms and they are not  over decorated, to make me feel closed in, but it’s not totally empty  to where it would feel that  the house is empty. I can wake up in the morning and know I’m not defeated from the start.  I am satisfied in these areas and I feel a lightness when I come home. I  have some more areas to simplify , but I see progress and that is great.

Did you know???

- An unorganized life effects your health.  I think that many  of people wouldn’t have some of the health problems that are arising if we could just find the peace in simplicity.

- Simplifying allows you to save money….

Simple Questions

What areas  of your life do you need to simplify ?

How are those areas that are unorganized  affecting you ?

Peace Plan:

1.Write down your problem areas ( these are the areas that are affecting you the most)

2.  Pray, Meditate and  Determine how you can simplify in that area, whether to delegate, give it away, or change how you are doing it.

3. Start with the one of most importance and simplify and watch how peace will start to manifest in your life.

Remember that the ultimate peace come from GOD and he says in psalms 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.  (KJV)

Enjoy your peace!

Yesterday we went to the grocery store and we were on a mission to purchase healthy foods ,  and snack for our  family. It it kind of hard to get the kids NOT to want all the junk foods that they see, on television, in the stores or even from grandparents.  It was a great experience to teach the kids what was healthy and why.  So to reinforce what we taught them yesterday.  I came up with a chart that they can cross off to show how much fruits and veggies that they need, or how much water that they need.  After they have accomplished the healthy food goals then they can have a treat out of the jar. I realize that they will have junk, and other “unhealthy foods” but  my  goal is to insure that they have more healthy foods than ” unhealthy, processed foods.”  My hope is to train them in a way  that they make healthy food choices automatically as they get older.  It reminds me of the scripture  proverbs 22:6 that tells us to point our kids in the right direction , so that when they are away and older they will not be lost. I think that this is a very important part of raising kids. So I’m gonna take on the challenge along with them because remember they do what they see, not what they hear.

This afternoon they had a pretty healthy lunch, they had tuna salad,  organic orange slices, organic celery, a few potato chips and a 4 oz. cup of water. We used the celery instead of the crackers for the tuna. It turned out to be great and actually refreshing.

Now I am not a strict , strict parent where they can only have  certain things. I just want them to have a healthy  balanced diet. You may not be able to buy organic,  or even see the need to, but try it. It definitly has it’s benifits.   That is just a personal  preference  or conviction of mine. I may not buy everything that has the word organic on it, but certain things like my produce and meats  I will.  Do your research , there are mixed opinions , however everyone has to make their own choice.

resources: for  more information about  heathy children here is a link to a website that has a weath of information

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/habits.html

Tomorrow I will post an example of my chart in the catergory of resources on this blog!

see ya soon!

See ya tomorrow!

proverbs 31:27

My family and I were  at a museum today, and they had what they called  the “Healthy House” and in this house there were several fact about raising healthy children. I had been praying and asking God to show me where I could do some touch ups in certain areas of my life. As we were walking into the healthy house I noticed a display on the table that said ” Why Family Meals Matter”   It immediately drew my attention and it talked about three things that happened when family meals were eaten together.

1. Children who eat with their families do  better in school

2. Children who eat with their family make better food choices. – On this one I couldn’t necessarily say that this was all the way true because if the parents aren’t setting an example of healthy eating, and proper habits, the child will take right after what is being represented.

3. Children who eat with their Families-feel more of a connection with them.

I thought that all of these were good, of course #2 struck me though because you can have all of the family time you want, but  there has to be examples set and carried out by the parent.  The old saying is true they will do what they see and not what they hear.

My family eats together regularly, my husband and I are real sticklers about family time and creating an environment for our children that is not always hussle and bussle , but of balance.  After I read this display  I realized that I was seeing these benifits working in the lives of my children.  i was humbles and thankful at the same time!

My challenge to you: 1.Think about what healthy habits do you want to be instilled in your child.

2.Write them down.

3.Observe where you are in those areas. If you are doing great then they most likely they will do what they see you doing.  however if there are some areas that need to be  touched up, then  work on you first , then it will be alot easier to get them to move forward in those habits.

Remember  proverbs 22:6 says:Point your kids in the right direction– when they’re old they won’t be lost.  the (message version)

See ya next time!