Downy Unstopables

BzzAgent gave me the opportunity to give my laundry 12 weeks of freshness, from wash to wear!

If you haven't tried these babies, you don't know what you're missing!!

#FeistyFreshness, #GotItFree, @PGunstopables

My new love ♥️

I have to kind of laugh at myself because I used to always wonder how people could drink coffee all day long . . Sadly, I have become one of those people lol . . It started with a morning cup of coffee to get me going . . A few days later, I needed an I-just-got-home cup of coffee to get me through my after-school To-Do list . . Then, I added the with-my-dinner cup of coffee lol . .

It's official - I've become my GanGan lol . . I don't think I'm on her level yet, but it seems to be heading that way . . My GanGan would consume no food all day long, but drink 2 whole POTS of coffee lol . .

I look forward to my coffee and it truly makes it all better 😁

One year . .

It has officially been a year since I first twisted my hair . . This has been an incredible journey . . I am so glad I didn't back out . . When I first twisted my hair, I struggled with wondering what people would say or think . . But I have grown to not care what people say because I love my hair and what it represents . . I'm truly happy to be nappy!!

So much has changed . .

I just spent a little time scrolling through my old posts . . most of what I wrote was heavily laden with Christian beliefs and values . . I was, after all, raised in a Christian family . . however, I no longer identify as a Christian . . some of the posts that I've written actually made me cringe, knowing what I know now . . I may discuss my reasons for this change at some point or another . . You should know that I am pro-choice and there's no judgement on anyone who believes differently than I do, and I don't try to force my beliefs on others . . so don't worry about that . . if you respect me, I'll respect you . .

I may possibly go back and delete those posts because that is not who I am anymore, so if some of my posts go POOF!, you'll know why . . or on the other hand, I may leave them, just to remember where I came from . .

Tired of Starting Over . .

. . in regards to weight loss . .

My weight has been a struggle for the majority of my life . . it's something that I've always felt self-conscious about . . I've always been the tallest girl in the group, plus I have a larger than average frame, so compared to everyone else, in my mind, I was HUGE!

I have even been told - through a mutual friend - that I would be a dime if I lost weight. Wow! For real?! Luckily, now I have a strong support system in my life and I am learning to love myself as I am.  I'm already a 10, whether I lose the extra weight or not. 😛

Beyond all of that, I want to lose weight to be more healthy and be a positive example for my boys.  Both of my parents were diabetic and struggled with high blood pressure.  My dad had heart disease and suffered a massive heart attack, and my mom had both breast cancer and ultimately succumbed to her bout with pancreatic cancer - all of which were the result of a poor diet and not taking care of themselves properly.  That alone is motivation for me to clean up my diet and live a healthier lifestyle.

I want to live a long, prosperous life.  I want to be around to watch my grandkids grow up.

I have the want, but the struggle for me is breaking those nasty bad habits of unhealthy eating - sweets are a severe weakness for me - and being inactive - me? run? why? lol.

So I'm just taking it one day at a time. I have incorporated a few things into my life to embark on this journey.  I'm not so much caught up on the numbers on the scale or the size of my clothes.  I'm just going to stick with my plan and see how I feel in a few weeks.  If it seems to be working, I will continue to stick with it.  If it's not, I'll revamp and try something else.

Is anyone else on a weight loss journey?  Share your thoughts/ideas.

5 years . .

. . since my last post . . WoW!! 😮 . . well I can say that a lot has changed . . I've been through a lot of ups and downs . . many challenges . . but I have survived it all . .

I hope to renew this blog that I had completely forgotten about lol . . posts will most likely be random, as they have been in the past lol . .

I hope you'll continue to stick around!

Back to School!

So the time has come! . . summer had ended and we have headed back to the books for another school year! . . we have one week down already - 35 to go! LOL! . . but seriously, I had a wonderful first week back at school . . my students have been awesome so far and I couldn't be more thankful to have a good bunch of kids this time around . . on the parent side, I have an excited first grader who couldn't wait for school to open and a pre-schooler whose birthday was too late to start school this year . . but things are going exceptionally well and I'm so glad!

Speaking of school, my co-workers started a Biggest Loser competition . . if you've been following my blog, you know that my weight and being more healthy is something that I have been working on - inconsistently - but I've been working! lol . . anyway, so the competition started a week ago, and I had my first weigh-in this past Thursday and I'm TOO PROUD to announce that the girl has lost 2.25 pounds! . . it may not seem like much to you, but to me, any small step in the right direction is worth a victory dance! . . I'm so stoked! . . at first glance, it really wasn't obvious what contributed to the weight loss . . I haven't been exercising or doing anything out of the norm . . but when I sat and thought about it, I remembered that I haven't been snacking as much as I had been and I've also stepped back from the kool-aid and I'm drinking more water - lemon water to be exact! So yes! I am excited and I'm looking forward to getting back on the scales next week . . I can feel a difference through my torso, but it's not time to go buy that new wardrobe yet! lol

So anyway, just wanted to drop in with a little update about what I've been up to . . hope to be posting more frequently in the near future . . but until next time, smooches!! xoxo

I've been MIA . .

Wow! Almost 4 months since my last post! Lol! . . there's been a lot going on . . for those of you who don't know, I am a high school math teacher and the end of the year (May-June) is always hectic with state testing, final exams, graduation . . so yeah, that was a pretty busy time for me . . but now summer vacation is here! Woohoo!! Lol! . . I've been enjoying the extra time with my family . . I've picked up a new hobby and just loving this time of relaxation . . so I just wanted to post to let everyone know I'm still around . . I will be back with more updates in the next few days . . until then, smooches!!

So what?!

So what if you're not perfect . .

No one else is either . .

Baby Boy's Latest Style

This is the style that I did today . . I got the idea from a page I follow on Facebook (Mane Kreations) . .

I have to admit that I'm more and more amazed at myself every time I braid his hair . . considering a few years ago, my attempts at corn rows looked NOTHING like this! . . my skills improve every time . .

My son's hair is so long and thick . . I can't even describe how hard it was to do that last braid down the middle . . my fingers were cramping so bad! . . but the end result was well worth it!

Yup!

A conversation with God

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won't get mad
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Hmmm
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right

Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one
of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that

Me (humbled): OH

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.

Me: (ashamed)

God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.

Me (embarrassed):Okay

God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.

Me (softly): I see God

God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I'm Sorry God

God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust Me.... in All things , the Good & the bad.

Me: I will trust You.

God: And don't doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.

God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children...

REPOST if you Believe in HIM ♥

I ♥ snow days!

Not everyone shares the same sentiment, and that's ok . . I don't really care about the snow . . I just love having a "weekend" in the middle of my work week! . . maybe even an extended weekend! . . I don't think this particular snow storm is going to grant me that luxury, but we shall see!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss' simple rhymes are full of the best advice and he continues to be a favorite among children today . .
Happy Birthday!!  :)