Wednesday, August 4, 2010
You cheated....yourself?!?
We have heard about goals and having goals our whole life. I would like to take it one step further from just a goal to an all out MISSION! Your own personal MISSION! Why is it MISSION CRITICAL to give your life some direction? The top five reasons you should take the time to make it formal (write it down, chart it out, create a vision board):
1. You need a guide to give your work a direction! Much of your everyday "busyness" fails to make a meaningful contribution to the life you REALLY want to have!
2. It will help you to objectify your work! Because goals are specific, they help eliminate the confusion of subjective expectations.
3. It will assert your intentions! What you think about you WILL bring about! It's amazing how well you can manage your priorities, when your priorities are clear!
4. Create a direct link to what is important. Individual goals can connect you to your ultimate mission and your life's purpose.
5. ACTION...it will SPUR you into action! Creating a dynamic tension that spurs you to take action steps toward accomplishment!
If you find that you are blaming others for your lack of progress, perhaps it is because YOU haven't initiated YOUR OWN direction. Self-leaders create and attract energy through defining their goals, their mission! If you don't take the time to do this for yourself, you are only cheating yourself! No one can do that for you!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Let's Share

Hi my friends! I have been CRAZY busy lately pulling together all the different blogs, posts, etc from my different sites through the years and getting ready to launch a BRAND NEW blog site! I am so so excited about the new site! The designers are putting together the layout and linking the all new twitter and youtube channels! If you were ever a part of my Myspace community you know that a long long long time ago I shared my musings. I really enjoyed being positive and sharing that with the world. I have a friend and we were talking about the different motivational speakers that we have seen and what fun it would be to do that job! I know I know...some of you would just CRINGE to do that job! So why not? I will be adding a little bit of me in full motivational form to the new site ;-)
I have also had a lot of success in my home based business and I have learned a lot about establishing an online presence and how to drive business to your home based business. So I want to share what I have learned and that will be built out on the new site as well! If you have ever blogged you know that you are always thinking of what your "latest content" is going to be about! If you have any home based business questions that you would like to know about...send me a message and I will work on putting together a post for you!
However, most importantly....I am trying to decide the best way to incorporate a "little love" and sharing into my new blog. I would like to share web addresses or information about my friends home based businesses on my blog! We all know that it IS ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW! If you are running a home based business and no one knows about it...how can they support you? You never know when someone is looking for a certain product and would buy "from a friend" if they just KNEW that that friend had it to offer. So here is what you can do for me. Leave me a comment (on facebook if you want) and let me know what YOUR BUSINESS is! Maybe even a message with a little information. I know that several people have businesses...but instead of trying to find it...you just TELL ME! I want all my friends to know each other!
Just the other day I went to a Pampered Chef party at a friends house. I didn't think the host seemed like someone she would normally be friends with...so I asked her how she knew the host. She said that she decided she needed some new pampered chef stuff and so she wanted to host a party...so she went to the internet, googled it...and took a random stranger. That mad me sad....I KNOW someone who sells Pampered Chef that would have LOVED to host her party (and would have been awesome mind you) but she didn't know who I knew...I don't want that to happen again....."share the love" and let me know what your business is so can add it to the new site!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Pay It Forward
I would ask that if you know anyone that is looking you will send them a link to the page! If I helped someone today...I did my job!
My thought for the day is "When all else seems to fail...you can always help someone else, and succeed!"
You know that I like to end my posts with what I am thankful for! Today I am so very grateful for all the mentors that have come through my life! Some of them stayed only long enough to teach me one thing and then move on. Others have become lifelong mentors and even friends! I am SO thankful for all the blessings I have achieved by becoming ALL that my mentors believed I already was! I would list them out.....but the list would be so so so long! And for that...I am thankful!!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Are you "wishing" for something?!? Go Water the Flowers!
So after taking the kids to school this morning, I stopped to water my flowers before starting my day. As I waited {patiently...tapping my foot} for each pot to fill with water {and wondering why we planted sooo many pots} I thought how this was like having a pet. You have to feed them, water them, walk them. We have avoided a new pet at all costs. I was thinking, well humpf this is like having a pet! We have to move them to mow around them, we have to fertilize them, and water them. And if I don't...they just look so sad. Then I noticed the tinest little beautiful bud opening on one of the pocket roses and thought how beautiful! I can't wait to show that to Leigh-Ann when she gets home. She loves those tight and beautiful rose buds (they are pink you know!). I decided that the joy that I get while looking at them each day, the way they make my house look special, the way the kids had so much fun picking strawberries with awe last weekend....is SSSOO definately worth the 15 mins that I have to spend watering them each morning.
And since I could not do anything but THINK while I was doing this it made me realize: The biggest difference between "wishing" for something and "having" something is often the motivation to become a doer! I read this by Og Mandino recently "Life isn't a game, is it? It's a battlefield. Instead of players and spectators, we're all soldiers, including some goldbrickers and some AWOL's! But we're all in the struggle, whether we know it or not. And the person who knows how to be motivated doesn't need any cheering section. He has motivation built in. He's not looking for that crutch that might break, a bonus that will be taxed away, he's learning motivation from within."
Instead of "wishing" for something personal and valuable to share with my children. I create it everyday in the little things that I do. Today I watered the flowers. Tonight I will be able to sit on the porch and show my children a flower blooming (children 4 and under still see the awe in this...and I LOVE that). Today I did not rush about only doing dishes, running errands, doing something a boss wanted. I took action on something that was important to me...just watering the flowers. But that ACTION will reap so many rewards.
It was just a simple thing watering the flowers today. But it made me think, I need to choose something that I "wish" for and just work towards it! Motivation and ACTION are very powerful together. Don't sit on your couch and let your life pass you by today...I want you to water your flowers too...whatever that special "little" thing is in your life!
This is going to be a most amazing summer! I am looking forward to every single day that I get to wake up and "water my flowers". I love my flowers, Lance, Leigh-Ann, Landon and Landry with all my heart. I am going to remember to "water" them too! My thought (journal take-away) is that it is 100% obvious if my flowers did not get water. It is not 100% obvious if we did not water the flowers (aka people) in our life today! If there are people in your life that make you happy...don't forget to water them! Friends add value to our life...we need to keep them alive with praise, support, and attention!
Now I am so grateful for the people in my life...I am off to schedule a few too long delayed lunches and playdates! They need some "water"!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Am I outdated?
Well today I decided I wanted to upload my first You Tube video. Now mind you that You Tube has been around forever (it seems) and even a 5 year old has probably uploaded video's. But I just spent (well I won't tell you how long...but toooo long) just trying to figure out how to add a header page so that my friends and family knew what the video was and then created my You Tube account. So my friends and family you will be able to see my daughters end of year performance in her school play very soon (after I upload it to my new "channel")!
Although I have never uploaded a video, it should be noted that my four year old can manuever You Tube on my iPhone without me! So our video, to be posted soon, is her Spanish School class doing a cute little song and she even has a "lead" kind of spot :) She has had such a breakthrough with her bilingual abilities in just the last few weeks! Now she can just rattle away at me...and I have NO CLUE what she is saying :)
Enjoy the video...we enjoyed the show!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Finding my authentic self
Below you can see the beatiful Fruit Basket I got for Mother's Day!
Lance, Landon, and Leigh-Ann bringing me my surprise!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Definately Not Cut out to be a Single Parent!
So here are some pics of our egg hunt and our time together at the park!
Here is Landon! I had to carry the basket and follow him around. But once he had his hands full he didn't really see the need to "gather" more bounty!
Here is Leigh-Ann with the bigger kids getting some eggs too!
Here is Landon going back up the stairs...so he can go back down the slide....so he can go back up the stairs....so he can go back down the slide.......where is sissy?!? Oh wait....he doesn't care.....back up the stairs.....
Thursday, April 9, 2009
I must have been too happy!
So after that the night was kinda shot. So much for my great mood. Then the lawn guys did come for their weekly time to mow the grass. Seems that I have the dinner time slot. The mow around 6:00 to 6:30...what is up with that?!? Leigh-Ann was fascinated with watching them work out the window. I thought, what are we teaching our kids, she knows that Lupe will clean the house and change her sheets and that some strange team of guys come and mow the grass while we sit at dinner and see them out the window. I don't know if the value of manual labor is being taught very well in our house.
Had my monthly doctor's appointment this morning, all is good with the growing baby! So we are just moving to July. I had however gained 5 lbs since my last visit! UGH....need to keep an eye on that. I am thinking about taking up Prenatal Yoga. My friend Margaret went to the gym like 26 days last month...I am thinking that I could use a teensy weensy bit of physical activity in my life (but not 26 days worth!). My next appt is the testing for the gestational diabetes (ummmm the yummy orange drink...not) and my shot of Rhogam for being Rh-. So that appoinment will not be too nice. Good thing after my burn incident that wasn't today!
Also, thought I would share some pics with you. In effort to be a good working full time Mommy I took some time to go have a Mommy Daughter thing with Leigh-Ann. We went to the "Doll Store" and did some shopping and then on to a Dolly Tea Party! We went to the American Girl store and I let Leigh-Ann pick a bitty baby and then we went to the Bitty Baby Tea Party!
As you can see, we ended with with TWO Bitty Babies instead of just one! They actually came as a part of the Bitty Twin Set. She had to have two girls...I really thought she would want a girl and a boy...but that wasn't the case.
Here are all the girls listening to story time and participating in some games together.
Now taking some time to color our placemat. You will also notice that the blonde baby has now changed clothes! We bought a couple of outfits before the party fot the dolls...and this one needed to wear one right now!
See that tounge hanging out while she colors? I don't know who she gets that from ?!? ha ha ha
All smiles...she is REALLY enjoying her time....she just loves baby dolls!
Snack time came. Fresh strawberry (they had some strawberry jam inside...YUMMY) muffins and even fresh strawberries! And lemonade, of course!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A New Day!
But lately I have started to realize how cathartic it was to me to blog and I miss that. So I have decided to go back to blogging and I am going to try and be more consistent with that. Only this time I am only going to maintain one “thought stream” and I am going to merge it all together. So this will no longer be dedicated just to what the kids did today, but more about where I am in my life today. Hopefully you will find that you want to read along from time to time, maybe even give me advice…..
Recently I had not been in the best mental place. Work has been very stressful as we have had a lot of layoffs in the recent months and the stress and pressure is really high. So working full time in a pressure cooker environment blended with two children under the age of three, and then now being pregnant! I think the exhaustion and stress started to put me in a negative place more often than a positive place. Recently I realized that I was missing the “passion” the all out fire that made me feel alive and start each day kicking ass and taking names. I believe that “passion” is what has made me “successful” up to this point in my life. Where did the passion go? Did I use it up, wear it out, let someone else have it?!? I don’t know, but it just felt like I let myself get on the treadmill. I have to tell you that I DO NOT find the treadmill to be the equivalent of biking through the mountains! Just kinda felt like a rat in the rat race going through the motions. Don’t get me wrong, I had good moments. The kids could do something to just melt my heart and make me smile, I would have a great meeting or accomplishment at the office…but IN GENERAL I felt like I was waiting for something to be better.
I didn’t like it. I like to feel energized, excited, happy, PASSIONATE! So I started trying to figure out how to get back to the basics. I realized that I had let Rule #1 that my Dad taught me as a kid go out the window. He told me that, You have to like yourself before anyone else can like you. He must have said that a million times. At the end of the day, I got it, the message was self-respect. How can you expect the world to respect you if you do not respect yourself? I had lost, among other things, the most basic thing, self respect. I let my boss bully it out of me. I let the Mommy’s who stay at home make me feel like I missed “special chances” with my children. And so on. There are no shortage of opinions directed at you all the time. Connecting with others attitudes of judgement, hostility, anxiety, was my new energy flow, my level of respect both for myself and for them. Negativity is low respect. I am not a low respect person…although I was starting to have a lot of that negativity in my life. So I have chosen to plug back into the positives in my life. And with that I have found more and more self-respect again. I feel PASSIONATE again, I mean really passionate about life. It feels good!
I recently read a quote by Gerald Jampolsky “When I am able to resist the temptation to judge others, I can see them as teachers of forgiveness in my life, reminding me that I can only have peace of mind when I forgive rather than judge.” So I have been finding some peace in letting the judgements go and focusing on the positive things in my life!
In my Myspace blog I always concluded with what I was grateful for. I am going to try to add that consistently here now. I am grateful that I have found some peace and passion again. I am grateful that there are things in my life to be passionate about and that I have such a loving and supportive family and group of friends in my journey through life. I learn so much from them and I can only hope that when they need me, I will be able to give them as much as they have given me!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
1st Day at Disney World
We had to wait 45 mins on our dinner reservation...so that was not too impressive. And where we were sitting it took the characters a while to make it around to our table. However, all in all, I was glad that we did this, because if we hadn't she wouldn't have seen this characters....we didn't seem them (other than shows or parades) any other time in the park!
You can see they gave Leigh-Ann a crown that said Happy Birthday! Check out dinner our first night:
Here is Leigh-Ann and Lady Tremaine (Cinderella's mean step mother!) She played the part very well!
Here she is singing Leigh-Ann's autograph book. Each page has a place for the autograph and then a place to insert a picture! Leigh-Ann was very excited to get her book signed!
Here is Leigh-Ann and Anastasia, one of Cinderella's mean step sisters!
Leigh-Ann got really good at making sure she had her book when she saw a character!
Leigh-Ann and Drizella! They all played their parts very well! It was cute.
More on our Disney Trip coming up!!!!!!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Leigh-Ann turns 3!!!!
So back to the birthday party! We had a wonderful party and I thought I would share some of the pictures with you!
Here is Leigh-Ann and Aunt I-Ya! I forgot to tell Aunt I-Ya that socks were required to jump! Oooopsss! So to be able to get in and hang out in the actual bounce houses she had to wear my socks! Hee hee hee...teach her to show up in her flip flops!
Leigh-Ann and Devin coming down together!
When we were trying to decide a party theme Leigh-Ann just kept saying, it has to be PINK!!!! So I brought home some different party plates and she picked Ariel! Now the cake was another issue! It was supposed to have Ariel sitting in the ocean....but oceans are blue...not PINK! So we had to alter it to fit our needs! ;-)
Monday, December 8, 2008
STILL Sick
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kids Update
Friday, December 5, 2008
Home with Sick Kiddo's
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Cowboys and Thanksgiving Day!!!
First began the tailgaiting! Here is Lana and Brook watching the guys get everything ready! You can see Lances new tailgaiting Cowboys Grill! I assume this means that we will be doing much more tailgaiting in the future! I actually have liked when we went tailgaiting and everyone else had to pack the grilling goodies :-)
Walking to the stadium...from our parking...far far away :-) But there was definately farther!
Yep, got in an to our seats and we are just checking it all out!
Turkey day was even celebrated on the Big Screen!
I told Lance...I didn't know they did Yoga before they started!
Lana spied them first! The Jonas brothers were in a box just right near our seats. It wasn't long before everyone was turning to check them out and they were leaning out and waving to the crowd. I thought the teenage girl behind me was going to start crying!
And the Cheerleaders...an awesome part of any Cowboys game! They make me wish I had been born coordinated....it looks so......graceful!!!

