Day 7- A picture of someone or something that has an impact on you

Well I'm one week into this challenge. I can safely say that I have enjoyed doing this little thing. Its been funny to have a different thing to write about each day and even more fun to be a little creative with the way I answer those questions(check out day 6).

Today's challenge is a picture of someone or something that has an impact on me. This one is very easy for me.  See the someone or something that has the biggest impact on me are my kids.

My children impact everything that I do. They impact where I live, what kind of car I drive, when I work, what I buy, what I watch on TV, when I shower, when I eat and where I go in this world. My children are the reason I do almost anything in the world. When I cook it usually is with a thought of what they would like to eat and what they had at school for lunch. When we go car shopping it is with the kids in mind that we purchase something big enough to hold all of them. When I plan trips it has a lot to do with the comfort of my children. When I watch TV it is with the thought of do I want the kids to see this sort of stuff.

I'm sure some of my friends are probably looking at this and thinking wow, I'm glad I don't have kids. Having children doesn't make you have to change, you do it for a reason. I changed because I look at my children and see the future of the world in them. They might be future super-star athletes, or doctors, or lawyers, or teachers, or entrepeneurs, or captains of industry.

Whenever it starts getting hard, or I get frustrated with them or what I have to do, I try to think about the parents of great people. I think about the parents of notable people like Dr. King, President Lincoln, Bill Gates, President Obama, Condeleeza Rice, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. These are people that grew into greatness but they arrived like the rest of us on the this planet, they arrived as a baby needing parents to care for them.

Each day I think am I do what I can to give my children the best start in life? Am I encouraging an open mind? Am I setting high moral standards? Am I encouraging a love of learning? Am I teaching them to excel? Am I teaching them about compassion and love? Am I encouraging them to help other people, even if the people don't appreciate that help? Am I teaching them about the world? All of these questions run through my mind. All of these are important things that I want to give my children. Because someone has to be great in the next generation and who's to say it isn't them!!!!!

Day 6- My favorite superhero and why

Hum....This one is a little bit of a challenge. I have never been much into Superheros. I mean I watch the superhero movies and all but I'm not a freak about them. So since I have to pick one I'll go with

Ok so I guess this is sort of cheating since as far as I know there is no "Super Mom" character. But if there was this is a list of 10 of the "Extraordinary or Superpowers" she would need.

1. Super cooking powers(making all those meals and bake sales)

2. Super memory(remembering all the appointments for everyone in the family)

3. No need for sleep( who has time for that anyway)

4. X-ray vision(now you can really see if that room is being cleaned up)

5.Speed reading(for when you get the 2 minutes to read something you want to a day)

6. Self cleaning clothing(especially useful if this happended instantly)

7. Automatic makeup and hair (for when you see someone you didn't want to run into)

8. Auto-tune hearing( for hearing things far away and more importantly tuning out things you don't want)

9. Ability to clone (this is helpful for when you have to be at more than one place at the same time)

10. Teleporting (this would help with getting where you gotta go faster)

Ok so I know that this wasn't the real intention of the challenge question, then again the challenge is only a guide right. It's only meant to inspire me to write about all types of things. I don't think it would be hard for anyone to see why this superhero would be my favorite. Being a parent(not just mommies) is a tough job, that is to say if you are doing it correctly. I hate to say it but I know a lot of parents that didn't do it right and now have issues they are dealing with in later years.

 Raising a child is not a 9-5 job, its a 24/7/365 for the entire lifespan job. There is no day off!  There is no sick day call in. It isn't easy to have kids and it isn't always fun. The thing I can say though is that being a mom is the best job on the planet because not only do you give yourself a better life if you do it right you also give the entire Earth a better life if you do the job right.

And that to me has SUPER MOM written all over it!!!



Day 5-A picture of someplace I've been

I haven't been very many places. I haven't traveled nearly as much as I would like. My favorite place I have been though is

Washington ,DC!!!! I've been to Washington,DC twice. The city is such an amazing city to me. When I was younger I went with my dad and brothers on one of our yearly vacations. We went to many of the museums and walked by the capital and the Whitehouse. It was so cool to see. We also ate at the Hard Rock Cafe.

My second visit was in 2008 with Rashaan and the kids!

Here is a picture of us in the National Mall. You can see the captail building behind us. On the day we visited there was a bunch of rec leagues playing softball in the mall. I tried to imagine the lives these people lead. Are they congressional aids? Are they lobbyist? Are they teachers, doctors and lawyers? Some of my favorite activities in a city is to visit the places that people who live there visit. I love to sit back and observe the lives of people who live in this fantastic area that I came to visit.

I'm busy planning a return visit to Washington. Hoping to hit it next summer as a longer stay. The size of the buildings and the thought of what occurs inside them is enough to inspire anyone. The history of Washington,DC. The size and planning behind it. All of this inspires me.

One thing that inspires me each time I go someplace in America is how amazing this country we live in is. Just how many truly beatiful places that exist. It amazes me to see how in times of great people can unite and make something so great that it is recognized all over the world.

So with all that being said I am going to close with one thought. Well not so much of a thought but a statement. God Bless America, My home sweet home!

Day 4-A habit I have that I wish I didn't

I don't smoke, I don't chew my nails...I'm gonna have to dig deep on this one......

????????

Let's see. I guess my habit that I wish I didn't have is eating when I'm stressed out!!!!

I especially enjoy foods that aren't very good for me that make me feel awesome

like this Lava Fudge Cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes!!!!

I've been working on ways to curb the stress eating. I'm trying to replace it with healthier habits like

working out....even though those of you that read Day 1 will know that I'm not a big fan of working out.

I'm also trying other forms of reducing stress....I've been exploring things like meditation and ......

Yoga! I actually enjoy Yoga and Pilates a lot. I am getting much better at some of the poses but in all honesty I still resort to eating when I am stressed....because nothing soothes the soul like the first bite of a delicious cupcake!!!!!

Day 3- A picture of you and your friends and some info about it and them

So Day three requires me to post a picture of my friends and some info about them and the picture. Well I looked through lots of pictures and thought I'd start with this one....

(Amie,me,Beth, Andrea)

This picture is from the night of our wedding. It was after we got married and we had decided to hang out for awhile with our friends. I think this was taken at Shawbucks. These three girls with me are my closest friends from college.
Amie and Beth were my Sophomore year roomates, along with Nancy who isn't in this picture. We loved living together and I am so blessed to have had the most amazing roomates in the world...Andrea and I met through Amie and we went to Sunday night mass together every Sunday when we where in college. Andrea also happens to be Calen's Godmother.

These are my bridesmaids at the wedding. You can see Beth, Andrea and Amie in the picture. It's such a blessing to have these amazing women in my life still. Each of these girls is special to me in a different way. Andrea because she is caring and hardworking. Beth because she loves being a mommy as much as I do and Amie because she is always so kind and doesn't sweat the small stuff.

These are my friends and I love them very very much!!!!

Day 2-Meaning behind your Blogger name

Well. This is sort of not that interesting. My blogger name is "Liz" which as most people know is a common abbreviation for "Elizabeth". So what is the meaning behind Liz.....

Well Liz as actually a nickname that I got when I went to college. It mostly picked up because I had a roomate who's name is Beth....not Elizabeth, just Beth. In an effort for messages from home to get to the right person I agreed to be called Liz and she was Beth. Here's a picture from our UB days in the dorm!!!

As time went on Liz grew on me. Mostly because most everyone I met after that got the introduction that my name was Elizabeth but they could call me Liz!....My husband's bestfriend Chris(Kyra's Godfather) took it one step further and started calling me.......

You guessed it LIZARD....I think this is sort of funny and am not offended by the name at all...Although most people think I am crazy for that!!!! I think it is sort of playful...It makes me smile when he calls me Lizard now!!!

Sometimes I sign off as Liz, or LJ...which is just the simple abbreviation of my intitals...So this is where my blogger name came from and a little bit about it!!!!

Day 1- A picture of me

Day 1 of the 30 day challenge says "Post a recent picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts about yourself." This should be fun! So here we go....

This is my most recent photo. It's after my fabolous new makeover. For those of you that don't know I have an aversion to short hair. It took me forever to pick out this hairstyle. I used one of those nifty little virtual makeover websites and uploaded a picture. They style I choose to copy was Victoria Beckham. I always wanted to be a Spice girl...

Now on to 15 facts about me. I don't know as they will be interesting to you or not...but they are none the less 15 things that are about me. Enjoy!!!!

1. I am addicted to Unsweetened Iced Tea with lots of ice. (I easily drink a gallon a day of it)
2. I am in love with M&M's! I especially like the Peanut Butter ones.
3. I am the only left handed child of two right handed parents. (Go figure that one out!)
4. I eat Cherrios not because they are good for me but because I truly love them.
5. I love to bake and I'm pretty good at it. I have the chocolate chip cookie recipe memorized
6. I love to draw and paint, this is my personal passion and I don't do it often
7. I hate to exercise. I'm not talking about walking or stuff like that I'm talking about in the gym, running on a treadmill. It seems like such a waste of time to me.
8. My favorite type of food is italian food.
9. I can read a defense in football( this skill is credited to my husband)
10. I was a three sport athlete in high school (volleyball, basketball, track)
11. I've been with my husband since I was 19 yrs old.
12. I hate my stretch mark stomach.
13. My dream vacation is to go to the Vatican.
14. I'm a moderate democrat. ( I have conservative moral views but liberal economic views)
15. I always wanted to be model.

30 day challenge

When I first started writing this blog I began with the idea that I would write based on the things that really hit me. But as I've begun reading more blogs I decided to take part in a challenge. My 30 day challenge should give all of you a little more insight into me and hopefully will inspire me to post more regularly. Also while you are reading take a minute to click on my ads...I earn money for each click and I'd like to put this money aside for a vacation...we can all dream right....So here is what I'm gonna be writing about over the next 30 days!!!

Here is my list of things that I have to write about for the next 30 days. Some of them will be easy and some of them will be hard...but I think this should be a nice challenge.
•Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

•Day 02- The meaning behind your Blogger name

•Day 03- A picture of you and your friends and facts about them

•Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have

•Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

•Day 06- Favorite super hero and why

•Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

•Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

•Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days

•Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

•Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends, different one than before

•Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one

•Day 13- A letter to someone whom you think about a lot

•Day 14- A picture of you and your family

•Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play and what you think about when you hear it

•Day 16- Another picture of yourself (baby pic, or when you where a little one)

•Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

•Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

•Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

•Day 20- A picture of someplace you'd like to go and why

•Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy

•Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else

•Day 23- Something you crave for a lot

•Day 24- Something you'd love to learn how to do
•Day 25- What I would find in your bag

•Day 26- What you think about your friends

•Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

•Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

•Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned

•Day 30- Who are you?

To be honest

I'm borrowing this from a friends blog. Her blog had confessions. I decided to go with "To be honest" Thanks Sara for the idea!

TO BE HONEST......

 I'm more than a little worried about going back to college. I am very worried about it. I know that it may seem crazy because I love learning but I didn't do so well the first time and I have a major desire to succeed this time. I have 5 children and a husband this time and figuring out how to balance it all is going to be a huge challenge.

TO BE HONEST.....

The last two years have been the most difficult years of my life. When Rashaan made the decesion to leave Cornell and more importantly college football I knew it would be hard. I had no idea just how hard it would be. It's by our stubborness to give in that Rashaan and I are stilled married.

TO BE HONEST........

I have always envyed those people who have amazing weddings and go on fantastic honeymoons. Our wedding was a wedding that was done on a small budget. It fit the needs of the wedding although it didn't really give me what my heart truly wanted. I am appreciative of the money that was spent and hate to seem ungrateful but would love to have had something nicer. We didn't get to go on a honeymoon because we couldn't afford to pay for one. It has always bothered me some that I never got that time.

TO BE HONEST.....

It bothers me to no end when people call their pets their children. This is a pet peeve of mine. I have to bite my toungue when I hear people talking about doggie day care and playdates...Give me a break! One day I'd like to say if your pet was truly your child you wouldn't be able to leave them at home by themselves while you go to work, you'd have to feed them more than twice a day and don't even get me started on the waste of money on dog clothes...please!

TO BE HONEST.....

I love spending time with my children and husband. I don't like doing things without them. I haven't spent a single night away from all of my children since 2003.(Except for the hospital stay for delivering them that is.) When I think about going on vacation I plan a family vacation instead of a solo vacation! I love my children and would much rather spend time with them than most anyone else on the Earth!

TO BE HONEST....

I actually prayer that my husband gets a job that will take him away from us more. This may seem odd to most people but Rashaan has a passion for coaching football and he's very very good at it. For those of you not familar with it trust me it is very time consuming. It requires a lot of energy and effort and I know that it would do away with weekends for the entire fall and most of the winter.

TO BE HONEST.....

It annoys me when some parents get upset that their now teenage children don't want to spend a lot of time with them. Especially when as a child you taught them that work, or going out with friends was more important to you than spending time with them. If we teach our children that sacrifice and making due with less is important when it ensures that we can have time with our families then we teach them the value of family.

Well I could go on for hourse with lots of things I'm being honest about but I figure that this is good enough for awhile. Thanks for reading

LJ 

Day 1 crash and burn

   Okay this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Yesterday was an epic crash and burn in terms of banishing my all too familar foe Negativity. He seems to hang around and almost inevitably starts fights between me and my husband. Last night he decided to bring along his pals self doubt and anger. Needless to say after spending way too much time with these all too familar people I failed miserably at my attempt to banish him from my life.

  Waking up this morning I could see traces of their visit on my face. The saggy dark bags under my eyes, the blotchy skin and a splitting headache. But as I moved into the day a new friend showed up and started to erase those signs. That friend is my dear friend Hope. She arrived bringing the unexpected guests of compassion and forgiveness with her. After consuming several glasses of caffeine and enjoying a breakfast of french toast ( hope knows this always makes me feel much better) I am prepared to tackle the challenge anew..

Even though I am assured that at some point Negativity will try to sneak back in today, I am starting to believe that as long as I have hope, compassion and forgiveness on speed dial I might be able to banish him just as fast as he showed up. Well as my dear friend says "One can hope anyway!!!!"

Lent- A choice

For many a Christian today marks the start of Lenten. It is after all Ash Wednesday and for those of you who don't know it isn't meant as a day of recovery from Mardi Gras. Ash Wednesday is the first day of the 40 day period in which we are meant to prepare ourselves for the Easter miracle. It is a time of prayer, penance, and fasting.

Traditionally we give up something that is a part of our lives. It is meant to remind us and bring us closer to god. I've made some small sacrfices, count them as red meat and swearing. I've also made some greater sacrifices, such as chocolate and caffeine ( if you knew me you'd know that is a big deal). People give up all kinds of things, although most people I know give up something material.

This year I have chosen to give up negative thoughts and judgements(I'm also including chocolate in there as as side bet). I know that the negative thoughts and judgements will be a challenge for me. I realize the injustice of the world and am quick to become negative. My goal this year is to refrain and retrain myself from becoming negative but instead take those injustices and fight for a better equality.

I have found that 3 principles are helpful to this pursuit.These priniciples which come from both Christian and non Christian teachings are as follows:
 1. Do for others as you would want them to do for you, even if they may not seem to deserve it (I think the last part is particularly important in this process)
2.Only those free from sin and wrong doing should judge others( this is a combination of some teachings but it is how we present it in our group study)
3. If we adopt the view of compassion and love for others than we will see the world in a more compassionate and caring manner.

The first two should be clear to most of my Christian friends. Infact I doubt there are many people out there that have not heard of these ideas at some point in their lifetime. The third one is something I ran across recently when I began reading a text by the Dalai Lama. It seems like a fairly simple idea doesn't it. That we have more to do with our own happiness than do outside factors.

As I was reading earlier it is not by accident that this time was chosen for us to begin the Lenten process. It is a period of rebirth on much of the Earth. It is a time when the long, cold nights start to get shorter and shorter and the sun begins to brighten the world around us. Can we not say the same for our spiritual world. Can the long, cold nights of  our problems not be shortened by the increasing love and faith of the light of God?

If everyone sat out each day to do just two acts of kindness for someone, without expecting anything in return, wouldn't we see a glorious change on this Earth? Wouldn't the world in which we live become more tolerable? I honestly believe it would. If we gave from our hearts and not our wallets wouldn't we be able to move mountains? I truly believe that we would. If we looked on that drunken welfare momma with the compassion that Christ looked up us wouldn't we be more willing to give her money to help he feed her family.

Yes we all have choices. I challenge a single person to say that they have lived according to god's law fully. I surely know I have not. I also know that it has been those people that spread the love of god that have made the most impact on me. Not the ones preaching for you to repent but those preaching that god loves you and will help you if you come back and trust in him. After all isn't the old adage of you catch more flies with sugar water than salt water true???

So as I begin anew this season of promise I am going to chronicle my journey of change. I hope by the end of these 40 days that I will have made significant changes in my life. I challenge all of you to give up something too...even if it isn't for Lenten!!!!

Final Friday

Today is my final Friday as a person in my 20's. It has lead me to a slight bit of looking back. I've had roughly 520 Fridays in my 20's. I tried to look back at what I might have been doing for most of those day. So I included a list of some of those memorable Friday's.....

July 17, 2009- On this Friday I gave birth to baby number 5. The morning started out with a lot of scary thoughts, I was scheduled for a c-section. It ended with considerable amount of pain, a very tired mommy and a healthy 9lb 2oz baby girl.

August 5th, 2005- On this Friday Rashaan started football camp at Wingate. It was a big deal because I had just got home from the hospital with the twins on Wednesday August 3rd. It was going to be a big deal for all of us.

June 4, 2004- On this Friday I came home from the hospital with my second son, Calen. Rashaan had to leave for his friends wedding so I came home from the hosptial with my mom and grandmother. I was glad to be home but experiencing the trials of having a newborn and a toddler.

July 4, 2003- This was the last Friday before we got married. It was a hot day and it was filled with a lot of tension and stress. So many things had to be finished. I remember sitting up till about 10:30 that night tieing candy into pouches for our favors.

March 7, 2008- This Friday was my 27th birthday and it was also the day that Rashaan got offered the Cornell Job. It was filled with some choices, sadness and excitement. It was a day that changed the course of our lives forever.

January 16 2009- This may be one of the worst Friday's I had. On this day Rashaan resigned from Cornell. It was probably one of the saddest days I can remember. It was filled with a lot of crying and unhappiness. This is surely one Friday I'd like to forget.

May 4th 2001,--On this day I loaded my stuff in the car and left behind my family and friends. I moved to North Carolina with Rashaan and I remember how much promise and joy this day had. I remember how excited I was to be moving into my new apartment...

These are just some of the over 500 Fridays I had in the last 10 years of my life. Many of them happy, many of them sad. The point is that each of these many Friday's has added up to be a point in my life. In ten years I will look back and say another 500 Fridays have gone by, what do I have to show. So with that being sad its time to start making new Friday memories!