Just 4 Laughs...

"To Do"

Truth be told most of us constantly make "to do" lists that we try to follow and consistently frustrate ourselves in doing so. Yet we continue to make our "to do" lists in hope that this is the day that we WILL get it ALL done! Believe me, I am there with you.

I am so anal and such a firm believer of having a plan. I strive to stay "organized" and consistently frustrate myself to tears (sometimes) because I get so overwhelmed. Trust me, I've been stressed out about this a lot more frequently than I care to admit.

I've read somewhere that it is best to make a short list of your "to do" list. That is, 3-4 important things that you MUST get done that day. Try to stick to that list and after you've completed those 3 or 4 things then rest. Relax. Try not to think about those other things that you have on your "to do" list.

Here's my problem: I can't relax. I drive myself nuts trying to get everything done. I always "over -plan" by assuming that I can complete more things on my list than I even have time or energy to do. Then of course with young children, there's always "additional to do's" that pop up each day. These "mishaps" happen all the time and things you didn't plan to do that day show their ugly heads and suddenly they seem more important and the other so-called important stuff gets shifted to the back burner for another day. Then they get added to the "to do" list again. And the cycle begins all over.

Why? Oh why?

It's frustrating and very overwhelming.

I'm learning to lower my expectations.

I'm learning that I can "ignore" some of these "must-get-done tasks" and the whole world does not come to an end.

I'm learning that my kids are more important than laundry and cleaning the house.

How do I know this? Because I heard myself telling a friend of mine, who was sharing her frustration about being a stay-at-home mother, not to worry about getting it "ALL" done today. That there will be tomorrow. I was rather stunneed by this advice because for years I struggled with this same concern. It's definitely not easy juggling everything. It really does seem that I can never get it ALL done. That's the real truth: you can never get it ALL done. No matter how depressing it sounds, it's true.

Finally, I'm learning to accept this and I was advising her that the sooner she did as well then the easier things will be for her. Of course, it's not always easy because there are days when I still get overwhelmed and frustrated. But, I am changing and growing. I've learned that I am human, not superhuman.

Happy Birthday To Greg!

We are celebrating my husband's birthday today. The kids were so excited this morning to wake up and wish Daddy a happy birthday. We had to wait a while though because obsessive Daddy went running.

When he got back we greeted him at the door and shouted "Happy Birthday!" really loud. Sorry neighbors. lol. Of course the kids sang as well and it was just soooo beautiful to hear them. Arjay can finally sing the words so that in itself was just really sweet to hear.

We have been just hanging at the house but we will get to go out later. My BFF is going to baby-sit the kids. I'm looking forward to our date night.

Anyway, it's great to celebrate another birthday with my husband. I love you so much Greg. May God bless you today and always. Know that you are loved and cherished!

Proud Mama!

Warning!!! Bragging Post Ahead...Proceed with caution!

I had to get on blogsville today and share with my blogging friends that my daughter is Student of the Month.

She got home less than an hour ago, all excited about it.

I was so surprised!!! I am elated and cannot even begin to describe how proud I am.

She's a really hard worker and for her teacher to acknowledge that and pick her for the first Student of the Month for her class is so wonderful.

She got to eat lunch today with her principal and other students who were selected from their classes.

She's extremely happy about her accomplishment and said that her teacher told her that it is because she makes good choices. Yeah!!! Go, Adryana!!

I am so proud, did I say that already? Well, I cannot say it enough.

Next Thursday they will have a celebration with all the families of the children who were selected. I cannot wait to attend.

I am beaming with so much pride right now, I am sure it's shining all over Tampa.

I asked my daughter how it felt to be Student of the month and she said it quite simply: "it feels great!" Yep, it feels great to Mom too!

Be Encouraged...

I received this in my e-mail and wanted to share it with my readers. Thanks for reading! I hope this will speak to your heart as it did to mine. Be blessed!


The God of Wooden PlowsThe Splendor of the Ordinary
By Chuck Colson
September 1, 2008
If you saw the movie The Passion of the Christ, you no doubt remember the film's powerful and overwhelming depiction of Jesus' scourging and crucifixion. But the film does contain one humorous moment, which hints at the high value God places on work.
The scene, you may remember, shows Jesus at work as a carpenter, finishing a table. His mother comes over to examine it. Her opinion? The table is too high. Not to worry, Jesus responds; He'll build tall chairs to go with it. Mary is not convinced. As she walks away, she mutters, "It'll never catch on."
The scene is a reminder that Jesus spent most of His life engaged in manual labor. The Christian apologist Justin Martyr said that during his lifetime, back in Galilee in the second century it was still common to see farmers using plows made by the carpenter Jesus of Nazareth.
In his book The Call, theologian Os Guinness reminds us that even the humblest work is important if done for God. "How intriguing," Guinness writes, "to think of Jesus' plow rather than His Cross—to wonder what it was that made His plows and yokes last and stand out." Clearly, they must have been made well if they were still in use in the second century.
Today, Christians typically exalt spiritual work above manual work. After all, what is making a plow compared with preaching to multitudes, feeding the five thousand, or raising someone from the dead? But the very fact that Jesus did make plows—and made them well—suggests that any work can be done to the glory of God.
Any work can be a genuine calling. A calling, Guinness writes, is anything we do "as a response to God's summons and service." When God calls us to do some task—even if it is something the world sees as lowly—that task is invested with what Guinness calls "the splendor of the ordinary."
"Drudgery done for ourselves or for other human audiences will always be drudgery," he writes, but "drudgery done for God is lifted and changed."
Accepting drudgery is one of the ways we practice discipleship—learning to offer it up sacrificially to God. "We look for the big things to do—[but] Jesus took a towel and washed the disciples' feet," Guinness writes. "We like to speak and act out of the rare moments of inspiration—[but] He requires our obedience in the routine, the unseen, and the thankless." We, His followers, must be willing to take on the humble and thankless tasks as well—and not become impatient with changing diapers, doing homework, or taking out the trash.
On Labor Day, we tend to relish our time off from a job we may not find significant in the grand scheme of history. But we should never forget that the second Person of the Triune Godhead spent much of His life laboring in a woodshop.
If you are frustrated in your job or think the work you have to do is beneath you, just remember that for a season the One who turned water into wine and raised the dead to life . . . also made wooden plows.
From Breakpoint, September 1, 2008, reprinted with permission of Prison Fellowship, www.breakpoint.org.

Meme- Me & My Kids

Pastor Deanna at Lifetime Intimate Portraits tagged me to do this Meme.


First: post a picture of you and your kids.

Second: Answer the questions.

1. How many children do you have? Two & 1 on the way ~ Adryana, and Arjay.

2. What are their ages? Adryana is 5 going on 15 and Arjay will be 3 in October.

3. What time of day do you start your day? 7:00 A.M.

4. What do you eat for breakfast? Depends-I eat 2 hard-boiled eggs if I have time. When in a rush, which is most days, I eat toast & grape jelly and of course must have my coffee.

5. Do they watch TV? Yes, but my husband and I are avid TV watchers as well so it's a family trait. lol. I'm not as concerned about it as some Moms are as long as we maintain a balance in their lives.

6. What are their favorite activities? Adryana loves to read (like her Mommy), she plays with dolls, likes to dress-up and is constantly writing/drawing on a notepad (just like Mommy again, the writing part not the drawing!). Arjay is very active and enjoys every kind of ball activity (baseball, basketball, soccer, just throwing balls, etc.). They both enjoy dancing too!

7. Do you get a break during the day from them? Yes I do. Adryana is in school and Arjay goes to part-time preschool on T/TH for 3 hours each of those days.

8. How do you end your day? Long shower or bath then reading. I also spend some time with Greg (mostly we talk about our day or we watch a favorite TV program).

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip? I always tell new Moms to enjoy every single moment with their child. They grow so quickly so do not spend too much time on the mistakes. Relax. Kids won't be little forever. Things are replaceable but you never regain moments passed unless you make use of the moment when it's here so it will be etched in your memory. Memories will last so make as many as you can.

Third: Tag 5 people.

I'm not sure I have 5 but here goes:

Greg @ Running & Rehab

Melissa @ Quiet Time Cafe

Pursuit of Meaning

O Happy Day!

Today is a happy day for me because I was able to eat pizza last night. I know it sounds trivial but believe me when I tell you it is a triumph for me. Many of you already know that the last several weeks have been difficult since I have not been able to eat normal "food." On Sunday I felt like eating fries and had some and later regretted it.

Well, since Saturday I have been craving pizza and I've been patient, mostly from fear that it would cause distress to my uncooperative stomach. Yesterday my patience ran out; I could wait no longer. I was ready for the night of terror. So, I was beyond excited when I ate the pizza (after dabbing away a lot of the grease with paper towels and also swallowing several Tums, lol). Anyhoo, I am elated that I was able to have pizza after months of doing without it. I know it's not that significant but it made me happy all the same.


Most importantly, today is my BFF's birthday. She turns 30 today and coincidentally is off from work. It has been a while since we've seen each other since she finished nursing school and got her "grown up" job. smile. I will be heading over to her place later after Adryana gets home from school so that we can celebrate. So excited that my stomach is feeling better because I'm sure I'll want to have some cake with her. Although it wouldn't matter if we didn't eat anything because whenever we get together we have lots of fun doing absolutely nothing but "chatting and laughing." Laughter is good medicine so I might need that if the cake disturbs my stomach.


Anyway, my dear friend you know I love you like a sister. I wish for you everything magnificent that God has in store for you. Enjoy your special day and know that you are loved and cherished. I am honored to be your friend and thank you for being my friend.

Trapped!!!

This is the title of my devotional that I recently read. I must say that this really resonated in my heart. Feeling trapped is never a nice feeling. We've all had one or more of these moments in which we feel that our life is spinning out of control. If you asked a bunch of people right now if they've ever felt trapped before, chances are you will find that several people will say yes. As humans, it is very hard for us to deal with the feeling that we are not in control of our lives. Many people have fears about this type of feeling. No one wants to feel trapped.

The truth is there are many of us today that are presently trapped and not even aware of it. We are trapped in a sense that we might not even consider being trapped.
Here's what my devotional had to say:
"Traps work because they take hold of us when we least expect it. It's possible to be caught in a greed trap. Let's say you just bought a new house. It was a little more than you planned on paying, so you started working a few more hours to cover your payments. Not long afterward your neighbor showed you her new car. You couldn't shake that restless gnawing at your insides. So you got a new car too. Now by the time you finish work each day you drive your nice new car back to your new house, you have neither time nor energy for anything else. You're so strapped financially that you can't begin to think about helping the poor in your town or city, let alone the starving masses around the world. Tapped!"

Let's face it, some things are about making better choices so that you never have to feel trapped. You have to be content with what you have and not always seeking more. The need for greed is many people's downfall. Don't get trapped in this web of deceit that the devil created for you. So, how can we avoid this greed trap? Here's what my devotional had to say:
"The apostle Paul tells us how to avoid being trapped by greed when he says, "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." So take a few moments and ask how it is with you and your family? Are you content? Or has greed got you in a corner? Don't let the love of money pierce you with grief."

The bottom line is our country's economy is spiraling downward and we have no idea when or if it will get back to a decent level. Even more than ever we need to look within ourselves and see how we can make changes in our life. It's never easy cutting back but life is about making choices. We can all learn to live with certain adjustments; it may be difficult in the beginning but it will be a huge benefit in the end. Be wise and stay in constant prayer.

"Father, you have taught us to pray for our daily bread, and you have promised to provide all we need. May we be content to trust you for all things. In Jesus, Amen."

What's Happening?

After having a week of ups and downs, I finally started feeling better yesterday. I'm now 14 weeks (tomorrow) and my body is now tired more than usual. I try to stay off my feet as much as possible because my body is also weak from not being able to eat "normal."
Yesterday I felt the desire to do something to lift my spirits. I asked my husband if we (meaning him) could get us a baby-sitter because my best friend was unable to baby-sit. It took some work on his part but he was able to get a co-worker and his wife to agree to watch the kids for a few hours. We dropped them off at their house so the kids could play with their daughter and eat pizza. Then we headed to Muvico over in Wesley Chapel (its' close to where we dropped the kids off). We usually go to Citrus Park so just being at a different theatre was very nice because it really made me feel like I was going some place different. We've actually been to Muvico before so it wasn't entirely new. For me, it was exciting all the same.
My husband was making a sacrifice for me because by the time we headed to the movies he had to miss the game (Miami Hurricanes vs. Florida). The Miami Hurricanes is one of his favorite teams and he had to miss it for precious me. He didn't complain about it. It was all for the greater good, right? I mean, getting out and seeing a movie really helped to lift my spirit. Hanging out at home while not feeling "normal" was taking a toll on me not only physically but mentally too. I've been feeling really down about it and getting out yesterday felt awesome. Thank you husband and thank you Jesus.
Today was off to a good start for me but unfortunately I pushed the envelope and ate some fries after church. Needless to say, my stomach has been wreaking havoc on me and I am really paying the price. Still I will not get down about it. I know that I am getting better, I may not be a 100% yet but my goal is to stay positive this week. I will push forward and take it one day at a time.

How Am I Doing?

--My journey with morning sickness has been such a roller coaster ride. Waiting for it to be over. Holding on to hope that this too shall pass. Trusting God to get me through it. It's taking a toll on me and I just want to feel better soon.

--I'm so tired of politics...just want the election to be over!

--Checking out some blogs. I found this one post quite interesting. I'm sharing here. Go check it out.

-- I'm very annoyed by alot of things (blame it on my raging hormones). Just need some peace. Jesus, help me.

Full Original Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.
This is my prayer for today.