Progress? Kind of...

So, it's been almost two weeks since I got started counting my points. I think I have done pretty well as to what I'm eating but I haven't included my drinks. Sodas, alcohol, milk...
And I haven't been drinking water... I have got to do better.
I just still get caught up in whatever and don't pay attention to how many drinks I have throughout the day until, well, I just don't think about it. I know I'm not eating and to add up the empty calories would be too much of a reality check perhaps.
SMH. Well, since I put that into the atmosphere I better get to it.

Life has been moving at a pace I'm enjoying. Since I left my full time office job I have really tried to focus on family and my new business. I am enjoying meeting new people in all different stages of professional accomplishment. I'm young in the world of local business owners and that has its own advantages. I understand a lot more about SM than a lot of the older crowd and that's no surprise since I started to use sites such as Myspace when I was in my early twenties and gradually have integrated all the sites into my daily and weekly routines.
I love being able to communicate with family, old and new friends, and SM is also a place to build business relationships. Well.. I could go on about the benefits of using SM and I will leave that for my work blog :)

The kids are wonderful. They are in their own zones and it's all good.
A few more weeks of BBall season for my daughter to cheer for.
Spring concert for my son coming up for chorus.
All my youngest talks about is starting school.... I'm going to have to get him in an Early Pre-K.
Sigh... I love being a mom and I feel so blessed to be able to take care of them, teach them lessons they need in life, and they make me so very proud.
Being a wife is my hardest job. It is a lot of work and dedication. He's my best friend and I love him.

It's Saturday night so time to get a movie on with my sweetheart and enjoy some cuddle time.
Nite nite.

J

MLK Day 2015

I appreciate that there is a day of the year to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. for the amazing strides he made for racial equality in our country. I believe if not for his leadership, there may not have been someone in that time that could influence and inflict the type of change needed in America in the same way. 

The Dream Is Alive. 

My family lives his dream every day.

Our friends live his dream every day. 

  We are all One Kind... Man Kind.   Love knows no color and sees no shades.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Growing up in the 90's

Sometimes you think you know someone so well until one day they make a comment or share something on social media that completely throws you off and leaves you mystified.
First of all, let me start by saying that I love people. All people. All colors, all sizes, even different religions. My Momma raised me right and taught me to get to know each person individually and judge them on how they treated me and no other reason. The best lesson I've ever learned.

It is time for some soul searching.

When I was a kid my best friends were black and white girls. I never had just a certain type of friend. I wasn't raised any certain "kind" of way... people were always people and if they were nice, I was too. I had tons of friends in different places - Greendale, WI; Franklin, WI; Apalachicola, FL; Winter Garden, FL; Orlando, FL; Fayetteville, GA; Newnan, GA; and those places in my youngest years on the West Coast. I was always good at keeping in touch with my friends and cousins with letter writing. Now in the day of Social Media it is so easy to IM someone or text their cell... most don't take the time for a phone call (me included sorry to say).

The first fight I ever got into told me a lot about the part of life that I didn't understand. I think that also had a lot to do with my relationships going forward with black girls (I'm generalizing for a reason). I will never forget it. I was in 6th grade and got my ass kicked by a girl who basically just wanted the jump rope I had so her and her friend could use it. I remember her pulling my hair and hitting me and all I thought was - seriously, a jump rope? But there was more to it.
When we got into the office the principal asked her what started the fight. She said I called her the N word. I didn't even know what that meant. I had never heard it. EVER. Until that day.

The Principal (who happened to be a black woman and new to our school) called my Mom and she came to the school immediately. My Mom is a whole nother level and I am so much like her it can be scary. She went off. She told her - Do you not know who my child is? Do you not know her best friend is also black? Have you asked my daughter what happened?? I remember how the Principal took pity on the other girl even though I was the one with a swollen face and crying so hard I could barely talk because I couldn't understand why someone would be so hateful to me. By the end of that week I understood. As word got out about that fight, most of the black girls stopped speaking to me and it was the black guys that took up for me when the story circulated. I stood my ground and told the truth to any who asked. I appreciated my mom for having my back and knowing that she raised a good girl. I knew as each second passed that I was not going to win that battle in that office. I couldn't understand it then but looking back I feel it was just easiest for that girl to say whatever she could to keep herself out of trouble and why not through the white girl under the bus with a semi-believable story. BUT she didn't know me. She didn't know I was stronger than what she thought. I was never scared of her, didn't try to avoid her, and also never attempted to be any kind of friend to her - all I knew was that she wasn't someone I wanted to be associated with, and that was that.

I had my first boyfriend in 8th grade - you know, the hallway kind of relationship. He was sweet, tall, and black. I thought he was tough and funny. It only lasted a few weeks which is pretty good for 8th grade. The comments that were thrown my way were from the black girls... that was fine. I didn't understand why I never saw any black girls talk to the white guys - It seemed like a non-option for them. I remember my friends that year saying things like "my parents would disown me" "my grandparents would never speak to me again"... Huh? They are your family. They love you. Why??

People are people. And completely unexplainable sometimes.
The summer before freshman year was the best. I went to Florida on vacation with my dad and met a gorgeous Italian with whom I shared my first real kiss. He had a low cut and goatee - and 19. I was officially falling for boys on the regular.

High School was crazy because I moved at the beginning of 10th grade to Florida and then each year it was a new school due to moving, moving, moving!!
My freshman year was full of relationship lessons. I fell hard for my best guy friend who lived in Milwaukee after spending every night on the phone with him during 8th grade summer break and when school started it was hard to deal. I wanted just as much attention but we were FRIENDS and BEST friends which made it awkward on my behalf. So we stopped talking completely until about half way through football season (I was the Team Manager/water girl lol) and then I was able to move past myself as only a 14 year old can. I had a lot of friends who were all different but one thing started being more consistent and that was the types of people I became more comfortable with. White girls and Black guys.
I left Wisconsin after six years and a ton of friends who threw me the best going away party ever and had me walking the school halls with at least a dozen balloons. We also hit the mall (where I ran into yet another guy who happened to be a super sweet heart (white guy may I add) and got a hug bye which my girlfriends freaked out about to head to Apalachicola.
That is where I began to understand why what the girl said to the Principal back in middle school could be so believable. Something about me that people try to block out or just arent' aware of is that whether White, Italian, Mexican, Black... it was about the person and how they treated me.
I dated a white guy at school in Apalach and he was so sweet. But he wasn't the one for me. A few other guys tried to talk to me but I just wanted to enjoy the attention for a while. I really liked a guy at church in Tallahassee. We were already friends after meeting him at multiple times while taking vacations to see my family previously to moving down.
I have never been a person to hide anything from anyone and was very proud of the guy I started dating. He was very sweet to me, protective, a Godly young man (we met in church and both were very involved), and we enjoyed spending time together without any heavy duty stuff. At school, I heard that I was a N Lover... that was so stupid. Really?? People say that?? But yes, in that part of the country at that time (1995), they did and more. It was common knowledge that unless you lived in Eastpoint that black folks didn't too much come over the bridge at night. Why not was not discussed.

I was motivated to be part of a change the attitude and mindset of the kids my age and had a very diverse group of friends. It helped me a lot that I had cousins at school with me and Aunts and Uncles very involved in the community. I say it helped me because even though I was openly in a interracial relationship in the deep south, I didn't have to deal with negativity being thrown my way openly - it was more of a step in the right direction. The direction of knowing that it's not about the past, or how the older people felt, it was about that moment in time. Each day getting to know more people that you may not have talked to before or ever imagined you could have relationships with. It was eye opening for the adults in the way that they now had to answer the tough question of what would you do?. And being a Christian family as ours was - the answer was always love and acceptance. I had a blast my sophomore year at Apalachicola High School and loved my time spent on St. George Island and Apalachicola.

Then it was time to move again.... Winter Garden here I come.

My Mind Is Everywhere

This past weekend was wonderful!

We had our lil man's third birthday party and it was small yet perfect. He said it was the best day ever so I had to smile for sure. A few friends came but no family. They were all busy or didn't have a way over. :( Jayden didn't seem to notice, call it age or maybe it was all of the attention he was getting from who was there.

Football games in the afternoon Saturday. I was just glad to see Carolina go down after putting my Falcons out. Yes, I am a Football Fan! And not by the I just want to watch occasionally or only follow in football season. I am the one to keep up with changes all year long. The free agents, College Draft Day, workouts starting, contracts renegotiated, and so on. I am a member of the Atlanta Falcons Nation and I'm proud to support my team!! I was labeled a traitor this season because my oldest was drafted by the Saints in Rec. Football and I was the team Mom which forced me to rep the black and gold for a couple months. BUT I told everyone that is Saturday and Sunday is all red and black.. if it sounds serious, it's cause it is.

It was a great couple games then Sunday came. I had to take home a sleepover sweetie and pick up my oldest son then it was game time again. I was glad to see the Pack take the win over the Cowgirls. I grew up in Wisconsin so if my Falcons are out I really should get behind the Packers to win the NFC. 

I did some work to check on if any of the businesses had new reviews, followers, messages, etc. It was a quiet weekend on Social Media with the exception of the Unity Rally in Paris, France this weekend. That was quite a site and brought tears to my eyes to see the hundreds of thousands of people walk together in love.

I must say I am one of the many puzzled by why the U.S. wasn't represented but they say they have their reasons. SMH. The United States of America is not the one I grew up in the 80's in.

Today is the first Weight Watchers day and I counted points on two pieces of pizza for lunch. Dinner is collard greens and baked chicken - so fancy!

My parents live near and will help me up picking my daughter up from cheer practice today and my baby is having a night at his Godmomma's house so my mind is everywhere. (as you can tell)

Mommy Meltdown Day

Today was a tough day. To be fair, I knew that it was going to be a bit different because my hubby had to head out of town and I was preparing for three days of double parenting. 
So it was all good until after lunch. I had an afternoon appointment (phone call only) that was supposed to be at 1:30. No problem! Well, until I was put on hold for the representative and 2.5 hours later still hearing "the calls are being answered in the order received, we appreciate your patience". OMG... OMG... the first hour was fine then my middle child came home and my well behaved three year old became not so well behaved.
Before I knew it - SNAP, CRACKLE, POP!! I don't think I have ever had such a meltdown so quickly. It may have been the terrible elevator music or could have been the fact that every four minutes the same recording came on the line requesting patience. Before I knew I knew it my voice was on a whole nother level and it was about to be on. Thankfully my daughter arrived home from school and was the breathe of fresh air. Usually it is my ten year old who makes sure I don't have a stress attack but today wasn't that day.
I love my kids. They balance each other out so well. And they don't hold it against me when I end up in some type of rage because it's not often that it happens. Or maybe it's love, I'm not quite sure.
I never did get through to the person I was on hold for all that time but did get a promise for her to call me directly tomorrow which is fine. I know that everyone has a job to do - I just wish that everyone felt that others time was just as valuable as theirs!! Sigh. Life.

Today is a special day. It is my babys birthday! He's three now so I guess technically he is not a baby anymore but he is my youngest so... you know how that goes. He is still in sleep mode from the oldest two's Christmas vacation so taking a nap at six p.m. is a habit I'm currently trying to break. Sigh. We had a great day today. We headed out early and ran errands, got lunch, went by my daughters school to drop off something for her basketball game (she cheers), and played outside for hours. That may also contribute to him crashing at this time of day too.

I met my girl from TA (my old job) at BK today and she hooked me up with her Weight Watchers books so I will read up tomorrow and start fresh this upcoming Monday. 
Only because the groceries are on minimum until this weekend and I need to prepare myself. 
Yeah, that may sound silly but for this whole past year the word healthy has not been in my vocabulary. I hadn't avoided it, I just never had it on my mind. It was more of a system of I knew when it was meal time and I ate what everyone else ate and to be honest, I can't do that. 
My body is just not set up to be able to eat like that without gaining weight. 

I realized in high school that I was going to have to get strict and impliment diet and exercise. I do have big women in my family and that will no longer be a justification to why I continue to yo-yo from a 14-20. I am beyond frustrated with the hard work I put in twice after pregnancy and with a consistant result of another pregnancy. I love my kids I just don't love what it did to my body.
Toxemia with my first child contributed to a 105 lb. weight gain. I lost eighty of that and got pregnant with my second which added 42 back and I only lost 30 of that before gaining that 30 back. Then came my youngest.... every woman has a pregnancy story, a weight gain story, a reason why they want to lose a few pounds or more.

I am going to set my goal for my birthday mid July and take a current photo next week. I'm excited! 
I hope to hook up with more people who use Weight Watchers to talk. I could use the support for sure.

J

A Little Intro

This is a blog just for me but it's really not because I am sharing this with whomever decides to read. I am a 34 year old mother of three. My oldest is a teenage girl (she's awesome even when she's moody) then I have a ten year old son and my youngest will be three tomorrow.
He is actively trying to take over my labtop to play Angry Birds... smh.. technology.

It's the beginning of 2015 so this also is a place I can track my progress for personal goals.
I started a business last February and becoming a business owner while managing home life has been quite the adventure. I have loved every minute.

I own an Internet Marketing business and the goal is to help business owners go online with their business. What is unique about Learn. Grow. Shine. is that we put the control of the programs (SEM, SMM, SEO, Website Design, Email Programs) in the business owner or company representatives hands once all programs are set up and in place. If the owner chooses too he/she can choose for us to manage the programs and we provide 24/7 Social Media Support.

My kids - they are the easy part of my life.
My daughter is perfectly perfect for me. She is a beautiful girl with an even brighter personality. I'm not quite sure what she would like to be in the future... so many ideas are exciting to her now - although I'm positive that being a cheerleader has made her happier than anything else so far in her school years. She's the best! (Duh, I'm her mom so ofcourse I will say that)
My oldest son is the one who looks most like me.
He is my gentle giant. He is about 5'3" and 145 lbs at ten years of age.... he plays football, enjoys  video games, riding bikes, and spending time with myself and his dad. I think he could do without his brother and sister most of the time.
My youngest... he is so special. He is our ten year anniversary gift :) I know that God really tested me from the beginning with him and continues to do so. He is so very smart, curious, busy, trusting, shy, and loving. He is his dads mini-me.

I also have to make time for my hunky hubby. I have been married for thirteen years... will be fourteen in April. I love him. He has made me smile 1,000 times more than ever made me cry. Yes, even in the happiest homes you go through times that are tough. It is all about how you move forward and we work hard every day on our marriage.

You'll find out more I'm sure. 
Till next time, 
Janet