Copyright 2012-2013. Powered by Blogger.

In the Blogosphere

Please click! A visit a day boosts my blog ranking at Top Mommy Blogs - The Best Mommy Blog Directory Ever!

Popular Posts

Making Your Very Own Dream Board

Hey Peeps!

Today I wanted to share with you something I have decided to begin working on. I want to make a dream or vision board. I've never done one before but I thought it would be fun and a great motivation. For those of you who aren't familiar with what that is; it's basically a visual aid to help you layout your goals and desires for any area of your life. Some people do it for their careers, others for their physical (weight loss, health) goals. I'm doing mine to encompass my whole life.

Here's my short list of instructions on how to make one....

Supplies Needed:
Corkboard or poster board
Glue
Scissors
Markers and colored pencils
Pictures of yourself
Stickers or scrap board embellishments
Old magazines and newspaper articles
Internet clippings or pictures

Let's Get Started:

1.Begin your process by gathering all of your pictures and clipping/printing them out. This may take a few days so keep them organized in a folder or envelope so you don't lose them. Think about things that represent you or things that you want in your life. Use words, pictures, symbols, anything you want.

2. Once you have gathered all of your dream clippings, it's time to really get started. Begin to organize them on your board. Starting with the center place your big focus here. Ask yourself WHAT DO I WANT? Once you have that nailed down then spread out the rest from there.You can choose to do it randomly or separate into themes or categories (romance, career, lifestyle, etc.)

3. When you are happy with the overall layout of your board, go ahead and grab the glue and make it stick. Use your markers, colored pencils, and other embellishments to make it your own. It can be as plain or as ornate as you want.

4. Now that you have made your board place it somewhere you can easily see it and check it frequently to be sure you are staying focused.


I've been looking online for some ideas and found some really great examples on Pinterest (of course). Here's some that I really liked


I love the affirmation words on this board.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68117013088512812/


 This is a very neat option if you wanted to use it as apart of you home décor. The frame dresses it up nicely.

 Mine will most likely look like this. I am so all over the scrapbook embellishments and such.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68117013084417484/


This one is mainly words. So if you aren't into the pictures this is a good option for you.
What is a vision board?    A vision board is a collage of pictures, phrases, words or items that represent you and your goals. Vision boards are for inspiration; think of it as a vision of the future if you will. These goals can be either short-term or long-term. By seeing these images on a daily basis, you will keep the motivation to reach those goals and desires.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/68117013089188771/


Sharing this over at the Link Party Palooza

What’s in the Bag? - Hospital Bag Edition


It’s been a while since I’ve done a “what’s in the bag?” post. So I’m back to share with you another helpful list. In case you missed it, here’s the link to my first post http://ourlifeourmess.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-in-bag.html

IVs, non-slip socks, gowns, and hospital food. Just a list of my least favorite things. #lupus #WalterReed #imissmybabies

 

Recently I had to take a visit to the ER which turned into a hospital stay that ended up lasting a few days. Being that I am a lupus patient I did know to bring at least an overnight bag just in case. But after having to answer SEVERAL phone calls from my husband asking "what was that you wanted?" And "where did you say it was again?" when my stay extended past the one night. I decided that it would be a good idea to also have a long term stay bag. Today I'm gonna let you know what I have put in mine.

At least try to pack for a week and let family rotate the dirty stuff home wash it and bring it back. Also, this is NOT a maternity bag! There are plenty things needed for that occasion that aren't gonna be on this list. However, this can be used as a starting point; and if I get enough interest I may do a post for a maternity hospital bag. I’ve broken the list down to two categories primary items and secondary items. No real explanation needed there. Also, to save space in my house, I store these items in labeled zip lock bags on the top shelf of my closet near my travel/overnight bags so they are easily accessible but out of the way.

 

Primary

3 pajama sets

1 comfy robe

2 comfortable casual outfits

Socks (non-slip bottoms)

Panties (at least 3 pair)

Bras (at least 2)

Panty liners (just for added protection)

Slippers

Sanitizing wipes

Toiletries

·         toothbrush

·         toothpaste

·         mouthwash

·         shampoo (can be dry or no wash)

·         soap

·         chap stick

·         face wipes      

·         lotion

·         deodorant

·         baby powder

·         hand sanitizer

·         hair tie

·         brush

·         dryer

·         makeup (just the basics foundation, lip gloss, and maybe eyeliner)

 

Secondary

Insurance card

Emergency Contact list

Current meds or at least a list documenting them

Comfy blanket and pillow (for spouse)

Medical record overview sheet

Snacks (bottled water, granola, trail mix, etc)

Cellphone and charger

Air freshener or non-flammable scented items, and Febreeze (I like for my room and sheets to smell pretty)

Tablet/laptop and charger

Notepad (for writing important information and jotting down questions for doctors and nurses)

Magazines and books

Puzzles (crossword, Sudoku, etc.)
 
Hope this helps. Are you dealing with chronic illness that requires lengthy hospital stays? What’s in your bag?
 

 

 

Summer Recap

As the summer here is drwing to a close and our kids go back to school next week. I find myself reminiscing on all the fun we had this summer and I wanted to share it with you. So here's a quick glance in pictures of what we were able to do this summer.





Starting the weekend off right!
Our favorite summer activity. Pool time!!!!
Breakfast this morning with my fellas before we head to the pool. #makingmemories #memorialday #mybabies #mysoldier #myoneandonly #hestillleaveshisplateonthetable #YESifuss
Breakfast before the pool

Love to see these two together...
Sometimes we just hung out and watched movies
 
In the studio with the Divine Vision Radio fam. #GospelRapRadio #ContemporaryGospel #DClivin #SavednHavingFun #DMV
I recently joined a gospel hip-hop youth radio station Divine Vision Radio. It's been a fun change of pace and I'm having a blast!
Waiting for my hubby. You know you look good when you walk out of the bedroom and your husband asks. Where you going dressed up like that? Side note:loving my summer hair change #summerCut #hewentandchangedhisclothes
I decided to change my hair and get a summer cut. Next year I may do a splash of color.
Didn't bring my hat and sunglasses and earned a nice crispy tan yesterday at the water park.
My niece and nephew visited for about 2 weeks and we were able to take them on our annual waterpark trip


Hope you enjoyed it! I can't wait until next summer. What did you do this summer?
 

Theme Park Week: Packing Lunch for Picky Eaters


On today's Theme Park Week post I will be sharing with you lunch ideas for a picky eater. Although we like to experience the food at the theme park; it can be quite expensive for a family of 4, and mostly not very filling. To solve this dilemma we pack our lunch and a few snacks to supplement our "fun food" purchases.
Which brings in a whole other "issue". My oldest is a super picky eater. He has a short list of foods he likes and getting him to try new foods is an epic battle of wills...
While browsing google and some of my favorite blogs for inspiration I came up with a pretty decent menu with plenty of options. We won't be bringing the food (just the small snacks) into the park. Because we know that the park doesn't allow coolers/lunchboxes.
This gives me a little more packing freedom since I won't have to lug a big cooler around with me when we're in the park.
Here are a few of the ideas I came across to get away from the typical sandwich and still give my family enough nutritious and filling options. Some of them say school lunch but the same rules apply...
For more lunchtime ideas checkout my Pinterest board here

Do you have a picky eater? What ideas have you had success with?

Theme Park Week

Greetings all!

Hope you had a great weekend. I spent the most of mine recovering from my niece and nephew's two week visit. That was 4 kids under the age of 9 for TWO WHOLE WEEKS! Phew! It was fun but I'm glad im back down to two.
Summer time and theme parks go hand and hand. Not to mention the fact that I am a theme park LOVER. So it's only right I talk about it a bit. This week in honor of our church trip to Six Flags I will be posting some tips for surviving a trip to the theme park with small children.
Today's tips are about planning. Here's a short list of things to remember when planning your trip.

1.Check the weather- 'nouff said

2. Check what time theme park opens/closes and if going to the water park check when that opens too. Most of the time they don't open right when the theme park does. Sometimes it opens up to 30 mins or more after. We made this nistake last year. We got into the park changed into water gear and walked all the way there just to wait an hour and a half in line.

3. Check the height requirements for rides you and your little one plan to ride. Nothing is more nerve-racking at a theme park than a fussy kid disappointed that they can't ride the ride they've been talking about all week.

4. Measure your child! - Now that you know the height requirements, compare that to the list of rides and talk with your little one about what he or she can and cannot ride. Stop by Guest Services and they can measure for you if you want to be sure. Most of the time you can get some type of indicator from them that ride attendants can see and immediately identify your child as a eligible rider.

5. If packing a lunch, check park policies for coolers and lunch bags. Also find out where the designated eating areas are.

6. Have some sort of plan worked out if you get separated and go over them with your child a few days before. Dinner time is a good time to bring it up and reiterate everyday leading up to the big day.

7. Read the park website's FAQ section- it's always a good idea to be armed with that general knowledge.

8. Make a list and pack at least two days before. So you can be sure you have everything you need. Or at least have time to add what you've forgotten.

Hope this helps.

Have any more tips? I'd love to hear from you.

Spring is Finally Here!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

I am so glad to be back on here talking with you all. I won't go into a lot of details about my absence. But I will say this LUPUS STINKS!!!

Moving forward the weather is finally starting to resemble the season we're in. The snow is gone, the animals and children are frolicking, and the flowers are blooming. Despite a few days of undesirable weather; we had a wonderful spring break taking the kids around Baltimore. The week ended with church celebrating Resurrection Sunday and an Easter egg hunt. I enjoyed spending time with my wonderfully awesome husband and our two amazing little rascals.

I look forward to celebrating my son's 6th birthday, Mother's Day, and my birthday in a few short weeks.

My First Style Post

Going out on a limb and diversifying my blog in efforts to keep it from being just a “mommy blog”. I want my blog to represent my life; which includes more than being a wife and mother. Which I thoroughly love and is a big part of my life; but it isn’t my whole life. My life also includes me simply being me. A girl who loves GOD, reading, chocolate, fashion, hanging with my girls, and singing among other things. So, in addition to my usual “domesticated mommy topics” I will give you a glimpse into me.


 I wanted to start simple and share with you something every girl loves….. Fashion!

Now I do not in any way consider myself to be a fashion guru. But I do love clothes, shoes, and feeling pretty. The latter being a thing I’ve been struggling a lot with since the birth of my youngest. I’m currently at the largest I’ve ever been in my life and I’m struggling to find my pretty. I won’t go into that now though. I’ll just say I used to take tons of pictures (especially selfies) and now I only have a few recent pictures of myself and maybe one or two that I’m willing to share with the rest of the world. So I find it a small victory when I pull together something and I have the confidence to want to share it with the world.
I don’t know if this will be a weekly or monthly thing; and I’m not really in a rush to decide just yet. So I will just take it one post at a time.
This time, I’m sharing my “Sunday Best”, basically my Sunday church attire. I grew up in church and it is still a big part of my life today. So this style of wardrobe takes up a large portion of my closet. Therefore, why not start here.

I want to give a precursor to these pictures by informing you my 5 yr old son was the photographer today as my hubby was M.I.A.  Also, this was after we got home from church in the rain so my lovely curly do is no more. I'll do my best to make sure the photos are before I leave the house and by someone over 4 feet tall.....

Today is the first Sunday of the month; which is Communion Sunday for us. I usually try to keep in line with the traditional colors of black and white on these days.


 
The suit is by Kasper purchased at Macy's. My necklace and bracelet (although you can't really see it) are from Charming Charlie and similar ones can be purchased here and here. I saw a similar bracelet in-store at Old Navy for the same price.


 The shoes are an online purchase from Target on sale right now for $14.95.
 
The bag is by Steve Madden and comes from a shopping trip I wrote about here a few months back.


Well that's it! I hope you liked it and I definitely promise to work out the kinks on the next one.


As always I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form for this post. Links are not an indication of sponsorship or support by myself or the companies listed. It's just me sharing my stuff with you.
 

 

2014!!!!!

Hey People!

I'm so glad and grateful to be talking to you all from this side of 2014. Thanks for stopping by to see me and I hope to share more with you in 2014.

If you read my last post then you know my family and I unplugged and took a hiatus on all things electronic and nonessential to focus on each other, prayer, and setting goals. This is something we do every year and it's a great thing for us.

I also took this time to get some new ideas for the blog and I can't wait to share them with you.

But today is a day for my little ones. Who want to go play in the fresh powdery snow. So, I will talk to you awesome people tomorrow.

Have a great day! And for those of you in the upper east coast like me, BUNDLE UP

Grab My Button!

Our Life Our Mess
<a href="http://ourlifeourmess.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/8940/6pdu.png" alt="Our Life Our Mess" width="150" height="150" /> </a> </div>

Search