I was reading an article on CNN the other day, and came across a topic that read:  5 Ways to Look Rich.  My 1st  thought was: what does rich really look like, and rich in what?  Personal Finances, Family, Character, Passion for what you do? My dad always said:  Never tell anyone you have money, or they’ll wanna borrow it.

It sparred my interest, just how many people want to be something they’re not; so I googled it and this is what I found:

How to Look Like a Big Business, when you’re really small

How to Look Sick to Skip School

How to Look like a Genius, When  . .

It’s All About Looking Like Something You’re Not.

Money, that little green paper, can buy happiness, to an extent.  It can buy you a trip to St. John’s, afford you top of the line automotives, offer you the lavish of life styles, but does it bring you the happiness, the peace, the contentment, you’re looking for.  The peace that alludes you in the night.  The guilt that won’t remove itself, like a monkey on your back.

Are you a faker?  A pretender? Are you trying to be, do, look like something you’re not? Why? Are your Facebook pictures, status quotes and tagged photo ops telling the full picture?  Or are you Authentic?

Webster’s defines Authenticity as:  Being Genuine, the Real Thing, not Counterfeit, putting on heirs, being fraudulent or deceiving.  Are you selling yourself out?  Like a snowflake, there’s no other version of the real you.  So don’t copy others and deny your uniqueness.

When you live your life in truth, it’s living a Life of Purpose, On Purpose.  Living a life of authenticity may not win you points with those heading down stream, but it will bring freedom your soul longs for. Tired of all the fake laughs, gossip and keeping your enemies closer?

Ask yourself, where do you place your focus?  Your attention?  Your time and efforts?   Live your life at your choosing, your direction, with no regrets.  At the end of your life, when you look back, will you be glad you focused on family, invested in your reputation and character, a legacy worth passing along to your children?

There’s freedom in being REAL.  You may lose a few friends, who weren’t actually your friends to begin with, but there’s freedom and libration, an unlocking, a release of sorts.  It’s like a rush of wind on the mountain top, with your hands held high.  You know that freedom.

So no more:  Seeking 5 Ways to Look Rich, 5 Ways to Fit In, 5 ways to Look like something you’re not.

Begin to access your life, and what makes you truly happy.  What puts a smile on your face, a kick in your step, a passion that knocks you out of bed in the morning?  Answer those questions and you’ll be well on your way.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.  Judy Garland

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.  Proverbs 4:23

I love to be happy, who doesn’t, right?  Webster’s defines Happiness as as state of Well-being and Contentment.  Well, sign me up.

I went to the “World of Coke” and their new slogan is “Open Happiness.”  Wouldn’t it be wonderful that every time your kid has a bad attitude, someone colors the living room wall or you slam your finger in the door, just grab a coke and “Open Happiness.”

Y, I’d have an 18 wheeler backed up to the front of my house, unloading 12 ounce cans of Happiness, quicker than he could blink.  Load me up, boys.

But it’s not that simple.  Happiness is not “The Midas Touch” where everything you put your hand to, turns to gold.  Happiness is a state of well being, wherever you are, in the moment – find contentment.

You don’t need to climb another rung on the corporate ladder, longing for a sportier car, a larger house, a shiner ring. It’s true contentment, just the joy of Being where you are, in the moment.

Try lying in in your backyard, looking up at the stars one evening.  Practice contentment.  It’s not usually a friend that’s beating down the door to get in,  but more of a quiet satisfaction.

Wherever you are, in whatever stage of life, take a deep breath, make a list of what makes you thankful; and Open Happiness, it’s zero calories.

Do you ever feel like your carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?  In my case, it came in the form of a purse.  I’ll buy this cute, sassy bag and before I know it, I’m stashing extra diapers, a pair of socks, my 10 year old’s DS, extra snacks, 9 Home Repair receipts and a big bag of change.

The very thing that was holding me down, weighing on my shoulders and hurting my back was a bag of change, $13 in quarters to be exact.

As I cleaned out my purse, it hit me, of all the junk I’m throwing out, receipts, a mis-matched shoe, the one thing I truly needed to keep – was the bag of change.  Not the endless quarters, dimes and nickels, but a BAG OF CHANGE.

I needed a Bag of Change.  What an Epiphany.  It was that simple.

We get in a rut and find ourselves driving to work without realizing the journey.  We walk down the same grocery store aisles looking for the same food, cooking the same meals, paying the same bills, folding the same laundry, when I realized, what I needed was a Bag of Change.

I needed to bring Myself back to the forefront of My Own Life.  Step outside of the “Same Ole Same Ole”, grab a new perspective, a new outlook. I was allowing chauffeuring schedules, science projects, work . . . my  kid’s needs to take the place of my own.

I replaced my own thoughts, needs and dreams for those in my household under 4 ft. 2, allowing their emergencies to become my own.

I’m hungry, I need school supplies by tomorrow.  My days were filled with:  Don’t holler, quit fighting, drink your milk, stop touching that, put it down and before I knew it, I lost myself.  I had become one of those items in my purse, weighing Me Down!

I wanted to be the “Leading Lady” of my own life, not the Best Friend next door.  So I began to give the kid’s more responsibilities.  They could help with meals, laundry and so on.  They began to appreciate how much work it took to complete a task. I began to hear:  Thanks mom and dinner was delicious.

I began to put myself on the “To Do” list.  Take tennis lessons, set aside 30 minutes a day to exercise – in PEACE.  Read an interesting book, listen to an inspiring message, put myself somewhere on the top.  Selfish you might say: If they see a haggard mom who’s chasing her tail from here to there, I’m teaching my kids that life is no fun, once you have children of your own.  Who wants that job?

Take Responsibility for Yourself.  Show your children that life is what you make it.

Shake things up.  Try new recipes, change your “Look,” try a new style, volunteer (look outside yourself).  Life is full of Color, Adventure and Opportunity.  You just have to clean out your “Purse of Life” and remember to Keep the Change.  Here’s to Living Your Authentic Self.

It’s so easy to complain, isn’t it?  It just rolls off the tongue like a fine Wine.  I wish I didn’t have to go to work. My kids are driving me crazy.   It’s time to change the Oil, Again?  Life would be easier if I had a chef. I hate doing laundry.  It’s so Hot in the South.  Why did God make mosquitos?  Will the kids ever quit fighting?

It’s time to peek at Life’s Silver Lining and peel back the Gratitude.

The Book of Awesome, by Neil Pasricha. is a reminder to celebrate all of Life’s Little Moments,

Here is a list of  ”Awesome’s” that I’m sure you can appreciate.  Perhaps you can list a few of your own, to bring gratitude and thankfulness to the forefront of your day.

Sunday Naps

A Baby Falling Asleep On You

Feeling Grass Underneath Your Feet on the First Day of Spring

The Popping of Bubble Wrap

Singing Alone in the Car

The Fresh Smell After a Rain Storm

The Peacefulness on top of a Ski Slope

Enjoying a Fabulous Dinner Cooked by Someone Else

Rainy Pajama Day

Grandmas that Smells Like Pound Cake

When Someone Else Washes the Dishes

Sneaking Dollar Candy into the Movie Theatre

List Your Awesome’s! http://1000awesomethings.com/the-top-1000/

After 4 kids, and the fact that they EAT 24/7, eating in-between eating, it’s crazy. There are PB&J sandwiches, chicken nuggets and goldfish crackers everywhere, while the Strawberries sit nicely on the counter, waiting patiently for someone to try them.  Now that my youngest is 2, I can’t use; “I just had a baby” as an excuse for weight I had gained.

I joined an online-points tracking system.  You enter what you ate into the “food tracker” and what activities you did, in the “activity tracker.”  If I walked 3 miles, I’d type “walk” in the tool bar, to see how many points I’d earned toward my goal; and this is what the drop box said:  I kid you not:

Which did you do today?

Walk up stairs carrying 1-24 lbs (I assume kids or laundry)

Walk carrying a snow or leaf blower

Walk/Run with crutches

Walk pushing a wheel chair (didn’t mention a stroller)

Walk with a horse

Walk with golf clubs (ok, I’ll give ya that one)

I have to admit, I was hard pressed just to find:  Walking.  You know, fast paced, cardio, exercise-worthy Walking!  I’ve walked a million miles up stairs carrying laundry and children. By their standards, I should be skinny by now. It seemed as though they were giving us more excuses, for not really getting out and sweating.

Between kids and activities, school, taxi service, homework, office projects, dinner and bath time, some days it feels like there’s nothing left.  But you were a whole person with great ideas and thoughts before marriage and kids – now It’s time for You.  It’s time to write down those goals and begin accomplishing for Mwau!

I’ve spent too many years wishing this and hoping for that, without taking steps toward the goal.  I’d love to click my heels,  have a Genie in a Bottle at My Command and, Poof, the house is clean, Boom – To Do List – gone!  I could wish that I love to run, or put on gym clothes and hope to make it outside today; I think of things all day long.  But without Action, it doesn’t change a thing; except the guilt that tends to build inside.

Have you ever laid in bed, knowing you’re late to something, but didn’t want to get up? Yet, you lay there, procrastinating, not even enjoying time in bed, for worrying and thinking about how late you’re gonna be.  It’s time to Get Up, Grab Life by the Horns; Be Ahead of the Game for once.  It Feels Good.

No more whining, complaining, waiting, thinking, pondering, lying around perpetuating GUILT and knocking yourself over all the Energy You Place into Doing Nothing.  Become the Productive Citizen you always Hope for your own Children; get off your Rear and Take Action Today . . . Now . . . For You!  Be the Example.

Wanna own a business, write a blog, a book, join a team, invent a product, start a club . . . be the NFL’s oldest cheerleader?

No more “walking with crutches or pushing a wheel chair.”  This behavior offers very few rewards.   It’s time to Get Up, Lace up those Running Shoes, Open the Door Of Life and Take On what you’ve been mulling over for years.  You know what it is.  Write it Down and Trump It.

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”  Dr. Seuss

The Fabulous – Facebook – Fasade

Have you ever taken a photo of yourself and saw all the flaws and thought . . .  I wish I could photoshop that?  But it’s real life, right?  The Fabulous Life of Facebook works the same way.  We take our ordinary life, flaws and all, and write a fabulous post – minus the mundane – and thus, tweak our “picture of life.”

Who wants to hear that you can’t think of another way to make “Chicken” for dinner?  Who wants to hear that you have 9 more loads of laundry and you haven’t washed your hair since Wednesday? or that you ran out of gas on the way to soccer, and you feel like a dummy.

My life is pretty average.  I have 4 kids, and like most, I spend my days doing laundry, cooking dinner, making school lunches, running kids to and from soccer practice, art, music lessons, help with school projects, throw in a daily workout, write articles and try to scratch off the “To Do List” faster than items HOP on it.

In between all the laughter, the tears, the 2 year old hollering “EAT” EAT” EAT” & the 3 boys running in the house with new “tree house” ideas & school projects, something out of the ordinary will happen, that I need to post to Facebook; something fabulous, something worthy of celebration, that’s outside the realm of my laundry-piling, meal-cooking, diaper-changing day.

It reminds me of planning our Annual Family Photo;  it takes a couple of weeks to figure out what everyone is wearing; we have to match colors on some level,  organize outfits, have backups in case there are food spills and . . . you know the drill.

We typically do outdoor shots, and though the picture turns out fabulous, because our photographer, Crissy, is so talented, what I remember most are the gnats swarming around our heads, the dog spotting a duck across the pond and racing like a grey hound to catch it, the kids begging to play at the park and the baby crying because we had placed her in a red wagon, where she thought we were leaving her forever.

I remember after arranging all the clothes, loading everything in the car and arriving at our location, we had forgotten the babies’ pants.  Oh Dear God.  A turtle neck and a diaper, NICE!  And yet, the picture you see, is the Great American family, well put together – Living the Dream.  That’s right . . . Livin’ the Dream!

We get our kids all dressed to see Santa Claus.  They’re in red and plaid; the older kids are posing because you want them to – and the baby is screaming like mad, while the Santa Helper is clanging a bell to get their attention.  It’s all about the “Money Shot.”  Getting the kids to smile at the camera, all the while your upper lip is sweating.  It’s craziness.  This isn’t real life.  But we need to get the “Facebook” moment.

I have a friend that sends Christmas pictures of what REALLY happens when their family photo is taken.  It’s hilarious.   There’s always someone crying, one kid is goofing off and it’s AWESOME.  To be honest, it makes for a better story.  It makes me laugh so hard and the memory of that day is more precious.

So instead of “photo shopping” your life for the “Facebook” Moment, post the good, the bad and the mundane.  Just as “Chicken Soup” is Good for the Soul, posting “Real Life” is Good for the Spirit.    We’re all in This Together.  Here’s to truly living your life, inside out!

Live Your Best Life

I’ll be 40 this year.  I know, I can’t believe it myself.  I use to say:  Yes, Ma’am to those people.  My heart tells me I’m younger, but the lines on my face and the amount of energy, tell me otherwise.  I’ve been mulling it over for about a year, what to do for my 40th birthday.  Something radical? Out of this world? Never been done? I need to scrape together a bucket list, and FAST! I’m gonna be 40 people!

I could jump from a plane, learn a new language.  Maybe climb the Himilayas . . . Heck, I’m not even sure how to spell Himilayas.

Then I realized if 39 is anything like 40, it should feel like 38 or 37 for that matter.  It’s just a number and I didn’t need a number designating what “Crazy Act” to perform, at least not in the next 30 days.  Whether I learn to Salsa Dance or ride a Gondola in Venice, I have lived a great life, full of stories, adventures and friendships.

I don’t need a red convertible or seats to the U.S. Open, to tell me I’ve lived life.  Everything I have, (my kids, my family, my hobbies, my friends, my journey in this life) is right where I want it to be.

I don’t need to fly with Virgin Air on their first outer space mission, to know I’ve lived life to its fullest.  As I struggled with this concept, (Have I truly embraced all life has to offer?  Am I missing out on the excitement that’s out there?) I took a stroll one evening.

As I entered the house from the back porch, I looked through the window and saw my kids running around in the living room, jumping on my husband like a jungle gym; they were so happy, giggling about nothing and everything at the same time; the baby was dragging her blanket in one hand, while holding a baby doll in the other; the dog was barking, trying to get-in on the action; and that’s when I realized, my Bucket List was being checked off the entire time.

While it’s important to integrate some of those crazy “bucket list” adventures into your life, you don’t have to crunch them into a couple of months to prove your youth or vitality.

40 is the new 30.  But even if wasn’t, I have happiness, joy and love all around me, and if that’s not a goal to achieve, then what else is there?  Embrace today’s moments, and be thankful for all the Goodness in your Life.  Here’s to 40 and Beyond!

Have you ever been driving to your kid’s school or your parent’s house, and without thinking, you just ended up at your destination?  You don’t really remember the journey, because you drove in a daze and appeared there?  That’s when you know it’s time to shake it up a bit.

We get in Life’s “Rut” taking the kids to sports and ballet, running to the same grocery store, the same office, making the same 5 meals and wondering:  How did we get here?  It’s time to “Jump the Curb” girls. Get out of Life’s “Rut” and challenge ourselves to think outside the box.

My husband has traveled to NY on business, for years – and I never go, because . . . who’s gonna keep 4 kids for 4 days?  Besides, you’d spend hours pulling together medical information, school projects, little Henry has to be at baseball on Thursday, you know the gist.  It’s more work to pack and make lists, find baby sitters, write down “what-if” scenarios that will probably never happen and the list goes on.

But I did it.  I bit the bullet and wrote it all down, made all the arrangements and flew to NY for a weekend of adventure with my hubby.  And the return on the investment was priceless.  It was worth all the work.  As I walked through Times Square, I felt liberated.  I found the “Fun Girl” again, that lives life “off the cuff”, not worrying about changing diapers or making dinner.

My husband found his “girlfriend” again.  We dated that weekend and it was fun to hold hands and just go back in time to the way it use to be, without a million responsibilities.

On Friday, my husband went into the office, which gave me a day to myself to wonder the streets.  I got up early, went to NBC Studios, picked up standby tickets and hoped for the best. To be honest, I was nervous to leave the hotel, navigating all the streets, looking for buildings and entrances, all by myself.  But if I had not done it, I would have missed a day of adventure.

Instead of watching Dr. Oz on TV, I got to see him in person.  And that made for a fun story.  “Jumping the Rut of Life” is free-ing and fulfilling and will go along way, in taking care of your kids.  It’s makes you a better provider, heck, a better person for that matter.

It’s fun to let it all go and find your “core self” again.  Repeat this:  I’m Free to Be ME!!!!!!!

So when you’re up to your neck in mommy duties and you need a break, big or small “Jump Out of the Rut.”  Find yourself!  In doing so, you’ll gain liberation on your journey to adventure.

Empowering moms for success – while making lunches kid’s will eat.

Click Link Below for Lunch & Snack Ideas:

Kid’s Lunch Ideas

I’ve received a lot of tips, tricks and ideas over the years, regarding school lunches and thought I’d share them with you.  Too often, I was the ill-prepared mom who couldn’t find 2 pieces of bread the morning of, to make a simple sandwich.

Providing a variety of healthy meals your kids will actually eat – is not easy.  At the beginning of the week, the kids and I collaborate on menu ideas:  criteria is based on healthy, tasty, do-able lunches.

I typically marinade and grill all my chicken on Sunday afternoon, and place them in sealed containers.  I’ll go ahead and cut part of the chicken into stripes or nuggets, for the kids lunches and set them aside in different zip locks, for the week.

I wash all the fruit and divide them into zip lock bags also.  I do the same with cookies / crackers – making the vanilla wafers with peanut butter, cutting the cheese, and dividing them into enough zip locks to handle 4 kids for the week.

I also make lunches for the little ones who stay at home.  This way, when they’re hungry, they just go pick up their lunch box out of the fridge and no one misses a beat.  If we’re running errands, I just grab their lunches and they can eat on the way.

After school, my older kids read the menu and grab the pre-made lunches already divided up – and place them in their lunch box.

It’s not easy being a mom.  Let’s stick together girls.  I’d love to hear your ideas.

Here’s to empowering moms for success – and lunches kid’s will eat.  : )

Sample Responsibility Chart for kids 2 to 10.

Click Link Below for Full Sample Chart:

Kid’s Responsibility Chart