Wow! this summer went way too fast! I guess because Alyssa went to summer school for most of the summer it didn't really seem like there was a break. Now it's back to the routine of things. As always, I make my back to school resolutions...wake up early, make a healthy breakfast for everyone, stay organized. So far I got up at 5:30 - showered and got ready, cooked some bacon for egg muffins, cut up some cantaloupe, set the juice on the table and am waiting for everyone to come to the table. Sounds so perfect...just like on TV. This usually lasts about 1 week before I start hitting the snooze button thinking I can sleep in a little while longer. Eventually these nice little breakfasts will turn into cereal and frozen waffles that the kids can make themselves while I squeeze in all the sleep I can get before I have to get ready to start the day.
For now though, I will enjoy my breakfast with my family...who knows tomorrow might be the day I sleep in!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Rearrange Your Thoughts
How many times do we look around at our furniture and think this stuff is old or outdated and then we proceed to rearrange or redecorate. Or we look at our outer shell and think, I need to change my style of hair, make-up or clothing to reflect my age or the current trend. We've all done it at one time or another but, how many times to we pay attention to our thoughts. That little voice in our head that is our constant companion telling us things. Many of us need a 'makeover" when it comes to how we think.
I know that for myself, I try to stay positive. Sometimes though the thought process creeps in and changes the positive to negative thoughts and feelings. I am currently on another attempt to lose weight. I have been here many times before and for one reason or another, have fallen off the routine. As I sit here, I think about where I'd be if I had continued last year with the work-outs and good eating habits. I get angry at myself for not following through and then I proceed to give many excuses why I had to stop. Groceries are too expensive, no time to exercise, too hot, too cold blah blah blah! The truth is that I made the choices I made because I didn't re-arrange my thinking. I let laziness and self indulgence rule me. I was basically powerless.
What am I doing different? Re-arranging my thoughts! I am in charge! I can't make excuses anymore. Groceries are expensive but instead of complaining about that, I need to ask "How can I afford to buy healthy foods?" There's many options...better meal planning to cut out take-out, use more coupons, start growing fruits and veggies at home, stop buying junk food. As far as exercising goes, I need to stop telling myself that I don't have time. I need to ask myself, "How can I make more time in my day?"
We do this with money also. We walk around telling ourselves we can't afford this or that or we don't have money for things. Instead we should ask, "How can we afford this" or "How can I bring home more money."
Four years ago, I had a good friend of mine suggest I start selling on EBAY. The suggestion overwhelmed me and my first thought was, "I can't do that." Then about a year later one of my cousin's mentioned her daughter was selling on EBAY and brought in close to $500 a month. Again, my thought was, "Well, she sells fashion and knows her name brands but I don't know any of that" Then Robert lost his job 2 years ago and I didn't know what we were going to do. As he searched and searched for work, the bills kept coming in. I tried to stay positive but the longer he was out of work, the harder it bacame. Then one day, we heard about a men's suit shop that was going out of business and went to look because Robert needed a suit for interviews. It was the last day the store would be open and although the suits were selling for $20, they still had a store full. I asked the saleslady what they were going to do with all the merchandise that didn't sell. She replied that a gentleman had made arrangements to purchase all the merchandise after the store closed and was going to sell it on EBAY. She also said that her friend sell's toys on EBAY and makes good money each month. This time instead of letting the negative thoughts over take me, I began to think "How can I make money doing that." Well, I 've been doing it now for almost 2 years . I had to re-arrange my thinking. Always look for a solution to a problem rather than looking at the problem.
I must admit, re-arranging and re-decorating are easier and much more fun but in order to have a healthy life, we must, from time to time, get rid of the old musty thoughts and allow new positive thoughts to take over.
I know that for myself, I try to stay positive. Sometimes though the thought process creeps in and changes the positive to negative thoughts and feelings. I am currently on another attempt to lose weight. I have been here many times before and for one reason or another, have fallen off the routine. As I sit here, I think about where I'd be if I had continued last year with the work-outs and good eating habits. I get angry at myself for not following through and then I proceed to give many excuses why I had to stop. Groceries are too expensive, no time to exercise, too hot, too cold blah blah blah! The truth is that I made the choices I made because I didn't re-arrange my thinking. I let laziness and self indulgence rule me. I was basically powerless.
What am I doing different? Re-arranging my thoughts! I am in charge! I can't make excuses anymore. Groceries are expensive but instead of complaining about that, I need to ask "How can I afford to buy healthy foods?" There's many options...better meal planning to cut out take-out, use more coupons, start growing fruits and veggies at home, stop buying junk food. As far as exercising goes, I need to stop telling myself that I don't have time. I need to ask myself, "How can I make more time in my day?"
We do this with money also. We walk around telling ourselves we can't afford this or that or we don't have money for things. Instead we should ask, "How can we afford this" or "How can I bring home more money."
Four years ago, I had a good friend of mine suggest I start selling on EBAY. The suggestion overwhelmed me and my first thought was, "I can't do that." Then about a year later one of my cousin's mentioned her daughter was selling on EBAY and brought in close to $500 a month. Again, my thought was, "Well, she sells fashion and knows her name brands but I don't know any of that" Then Robert lost his job 2 years ago and I didn't know what we were going to do. As he searched and searched for work, the bills kept coming in. I tried to stay positive but the longer he was out of work, the harder it bacame. Then one day, we heard about a men's suit shop that was going out of business and went to look because Robert needed a suit for interviews. It was the last day the store would be open and although the suits were selling for $20, they still had a store full. I asked the saleslady what they were going to do with all the merchandise that didn't sell. She replied that a gentleman had made arrangements to purchase all the merchandise after the store closed and was going to sell it on EBAY. She also said that her friend sell's toys on EBAY and makes good money each month. This time instead of letting the negative thoughts over take me, I began to think "How can I make money doing that." Well, I 've been doing it now for almost 2 years . I had to re-arrange my thinking. Always look for a solution to a problem rather than looking at the problem.
I must admit, re-arranging and re-decorating are easier and much more fun but in order to have a healthy life, we must, from time to time, get rid of the old musty thoughts and allow new positive thoughts to take over.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
SHOPPING IN LA!
Today I spent the day in LA with Alyssa, Lou and her daughter Alyssa and our friend Liza. Took our girls shopping for school clothes at Santee Alley. This is a great place to shop (if you don't mind crowds) and find bargains on clothes and shoes. Lots and lots of really cute clothes, purses and shoes! They have everyday clothes, jeans & tops and then they have formal wear, great for homecoming and proms. This is located off the 10 fwy at San Pedro St. Take San Pedro to Maple and go left to Santee and turn right. You will see all the shops on both sides of the street. Jeans sell for $11.00 and shorts for $9.00. We found really cute sandles for $9.00 and dress style shoes for $20. Of course you can always try to bargain to try to get a better deal.
After a long day of shopping we went to Lou's and Liza made us fish tacos. Really good. For dessert, Mike made peach strudel and blueberry strudel topped with ice cream!!! Nothing like sitting around laughing with good friends!
After a long day of shopping we went to Lou's and Liza made us fish tacos. Really good. For dessert, Mike made peach strudel and blueberry strudel topped with ice cream!!! Nothing like sitting around laughing with good friends!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Summer Beach Party
Alyssa had been wanting to have a beach party and kept trying to pinpoint a date for this event. Knowing that Robert is not a big fan of the beach and not wanting to do it without him, I tried to find every excuse to not have it but just like a teenager, she had a rebuttal for every excuse. Reluctantly, we scheduled it for last week-end the 31st. I think when we schedule it, we thought somehow the day would never come but it did.
The planning started the week before. What to eat, where to go, what time to be there and so on and so on. While I was busy planning every detail so that we could have an enjoyable day, the only thing on Alyssa's mind was that her friends would find us. There was shopping, cooking, gathering supplies and equipment and making sure we didn't forget anything. Finally the day was here. We had picked up 5 pallets the night before but since they don't allow pallets at the beach, Robert had to get up early and start cutting up all the wood. Amber and Alyssa helped get the 2 little ones ready while I went down the checklist making sure we had everything. Who knew a day at the beach would require so much. It looked like we were going camping for a week!
Luckily Daniel and Jessica met us here and we put some stuff in their car. It's 11am and off to the beach we go. Arrived at 11:30 and lo and behold, people actually arrive at 6am to get a fire ring. Well, we decided to make the best of it. We find an empty area on the beach and unpack everything and set up camp for the day. Everyone is having a great time, playing volleyball, frisbee, playing in the water and sunbathing. We have a group of about 30 and about 6pm, it starts to get a bit breezy. The later it gets, the colder it gets and I realize, Alyssa's friends are not getting picked up until 10pm when the beach closes. Without a fire pit, I know how cold it's going to get. We give everyone the option to call their parents to pick them up earlier but they decide they would rather stay at the beach and be cold than to go home and be bored. Yippee for me!
About 7:15, Jessica and Daniel decide, it's too cold for them and they pack it up to leave but will look for an empty pit on the crowded beach on their drive out. Feeling hopeful, I tell everyone to please say a prayer that they will find an empty pit or at least one we can share with someone. About 10 minutes later, my phone rings and it's Jessica. "Hurry Tori, we found a pit!" I load 12 teenagers into the truck and drive them about 1 mile to hold the pit with Jessica and Daniel. Then I go back so we can load everything into the truck and move to the new spot. We get to the new spot thinking we'll just take the wood and some chairs since we only have 2 hours but everyone is hungry and they want to eat. We take the bbq and ice chest and decide we need the tables to put the food. We end up unloading the whole truck. We're enjoying a bonfire, smores and hot dogs when the lifeguard drives by announcing the beach is now closed. We all have to hurry and pack it all up. Parents are trying to pick up their kids but they are not allowed to enter the beach so we have to walk the kids to their parents cars while still trying to pack it all up. At one point the lights at the beach are shut off and boy is it dark! We finally get everything packed, kids are with their parents and we load up the truck.
On the 1/2 hour drive home, we are beat. Our feet are killing us as the sand was full of debri and was hard to walk on. We are recapping the day and still can't believe we found a pit but somehow are not too surprised because that's how God works in our lives. We may not get what we want when we want it but we always get what we need when we need it. Just as each kid is dropping to sleep and it begins to get quiet, we hear Alyssa in the back seat say "Thanks mom and dad for today!" I in turn thank God for all he did today. I look at Robert and we confess that we had a really good time and it was well worth the work to see our kids happy!
The planning started the week before. What to eat, where to go, what time to be there and so on and so on. While I was busy planning every detail so that we could have an enjoyable day, the only thing on Alyssa's mind was that her friends would find us. There was shopping, cooking, gathering supplies and equipment and making sure we didn't forget anything. Finally the day was here. We had picked up 5 pallets the night before but since they don't allow pallets at the beach, Robert had to get up early and start cutting up all the wood. Amber and Alyssa helped get the 2 little ones ready while I went down the checklist making sure we had everything. Who knew a day at the beach would require so much. It looked like we were going camping for a week!
Luckily Daniel and Jessica met us here and we put some stuff in their car. It's 11am and off to the beach we go. Arrived at 11:30 and lo and behold, people actually arrive at 6am to get a fire ring. Well, we decided to make the best of it. We find an empty area on the beach and unpack everything and set up camp for the day. Everyone is having a great time, playing volleyball, frisbee, playing in the water and sunbathing. We have a group of about 30 and about 6pm, it starts to get a bit breezy. The later it gets, the colder it gets and I realize, Alyssa's friends are not getting picked up until 10pm when the beach closes. Without a fire pit, I know how cold it's going to get. We give everyone the option to call their parents to pick them up earlier but they decide they would rather stay at the beach and be cold than to go home and be bored. Yippee for me!
About 7:15, Jessica and Daniel decide, it's too cold for them and they pack it up to leave but will look for an empty pit on the crowded beach on their drive out. Feeling hopeful, I tell everyone to please say a prayer that they will find an empty pit or at least one we can share with someone. About 10 minutes later, my phone rings and it's Jessica. "Hurry Tori, we found a pit!" I load 12 teenagers into the truck and drive them about 1 mile to hold the pit with Jessica and Daniel. Then I go back so we can load everything into the truck and move to the new spot. We get to the new spot thinking we'll just take the wood and some chairs since we only have 2 hours but everyone is hungry and they want to eat. We take the bbq and ice chest and decide we need the tables to put the food. We end up unloading the whole truck. We're enjoying a bonfire, smores and hot dogs when the lifeguard drives by announcing the beach is now closed. We all have to hurry and pack it all up. Parents are trying to pick up their kids but they are not allowed to enter the beach so we have to walk the kids to their parents cars while still trying to pack it all up. At one point the lights at the beach are shut off and boy is it dark! We finally get everything packed, kids are with their parents and we load up the truck.
On the 1/2 hour drive home, we are beat. Our feet are killing us as the sand was full of debri and was hard to walk on. We are recapping the day and still can't believe we found a pit but somehow are not too surprised because that's how God works in our lives. We may not get what we want when we want it but we always get what we need when we need it. Just as each kid is dropping to sleep and it begins to get quiet, we hear Alyssa in the back seat say "Thanks mom and dad for today!" I in turn thank God for all he did today. I look at Robert and we confess that we had a really good time and it was well worth the work to see our kids happy!
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| Frisbee! |
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| Smile! |
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| Giving massages to the one in front |
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday Mornings
Monday mornings are hard after a fun week-end. I'm glad I took care of business last night that I normally would do in the morning, like check emails, balance checkbook after week-end spending and doing week-end laundry. I had to stay up a bit later to do it but it really pays off this morning. Now I just need to continue with my late morning activities and I don't feel guilty about sleeping in a little.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Welcome
Hi and welcome to my blog. My hope is to share tips and stories that will simplify your life. I believe that life is all about lessons learned. Hopefully the more lessons the better your life becomes. I look back at my life and marvel at all I have seen and learned and am excited about what lies ahead. I strive to become a better person today than I was yesterday and hopefully, through example, others can learn from me as much as I learn from others.
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