Thank Goodness it's Friday

Yay!  We made it through another week!  I have lots and lots of cleaning to do today to prepare for my brother and nephew to be spending the weekend with me and my family!  My 3 boys absolutey love seeing their older cousin (he's 17)!  There is a lot of wrestling taking place, tackle football (in the house mind you!) and then there are the infamous video games being played with the utmost excitement, a.k.a yelling, cheering, arguing...you get the picture.  We plan on getting lots of take-out tonight and having a fun "sleep-over" weekend!  However, before the fun begins, I have the never-ending pile(s) of laundry to do, vacuuming, dusting, washing, all the fun activities that come with home ownership and motherhood!  Hooray for me!  Wishing you all a very happy Friday!

"Now I lay me down to sleep......"

.....I wish!  It's only10:40pm and I feel completely and utterly exhausted, like I haven't slept in days!  The pounding headache and throbbing eyes are making it almost impossible to post this blog!  Hmmm....so...why don't I just go to bed, you ask?  Well...this is what I like to call "me" time.  Something I only get when all my kids are fast asleep, including the dog, and my husband is off to bed!  I will force myself to stay up just so I can enjoy being "alone" with my thoughts, or surfing the net, or watching really bad reality t.v.!  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my kids and my husband to pieces, but it's nice to have time just for me, too.  Tomorrow, however, I will pay for it...as I am NOT a morning person, in the least.  I confess that I HATE getting up in the morning, being spoken to, looked at, gestured towards, anything...LOL!  It's awful I know, but seriously...it will set the tone for the whole day if I'm bothered first thing in the morning...and just to clarify, I need a good 2 hours to wake up...haha!  My poor husband and kids...it's amazing that they put up with it and accept it...then again, they don't have a choice!  I do try really, REALLY hard to put on a happy face in the morning for my kids, though...they are just so sweet and I just want to smother them all with kisses and hugs and thankfully they still let me!  Three boys letting their mom smother them with hugs and kisses...gotta love that!  Well...off to take a little "me" time before heading off to count sheep!  Good Night!

Good Morning

Bravo to me!  I actually went to the gym this morning for an hour AND took my dog out for 15 minute walk around the neighborhood!!  Yay!  I feel very proud of myself, seeing as how I haven't been to the gym in a LONG time!  Well...in about 45 minutes I'm off to pick my youngest up from preschool.  I can't wait to hear about what he did today.  He is very animated when telling me what goes on in school...the good and the bad!  But, for now, I have mountains of laundry that needs to be folded and put away.  UGH!  I think the worst part about laundry is having to put it all away.  It's tedious to me.  Oh well...ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!  Off to do laundry!

My Time IS Valuable....Why Don't People Get This?!

I'm a very busy person.  I schedule my day around my kids, my business and my personal life.  Nothing irritates me more than scheduling an "office" meeting/interview only to have the person leave the "room!"  After spending nearly 25 minutes helping my prospect into the online virtual office (it usually takes no more than 2 minutes!), and showing my prospect how and where to communicate with me and others in the room, and explaining that I will do a follow-up call directly after our appoinment, my prospect exited the room.... after no more than 5 minutes of listening!  It was the very, very beginning of the informational interview process.  I tried calling my prospect 2x to see if perhaps they were having technical difficulty, but I was NOT successful!  I couldn't even leave a voicemail as the mailbox was full!  Argh!  I wish people would take my time seriously!  I am a mother and a business owner (well...new business owner) and my time is precious! 

Let's Start Over

Ok...I'm going to start all over!  I was sitting here (well....I'm still sitting here) thinking about how I can make my blog interesting.  Like I said yesterday, I am VERY new at blogging (as I'm sure you noticed) and am trying hard to figure out how I can keep in interesting!  People enjoy reading about other peoples lives (I know I do!), whether it be funny, sad, annoying...whatever....so I decided, that is exactly what I'm going to do....this is going to be the story of "My Life....For Better or For Worse!"  Stay tuned.......!

I'm New to Blogging....Bare with Me!

I am so new to blogging....I'm a "virgin" blogger if you will!  However, I am slowly but surely getting the hang of it.  I want to keep the reader interested and intrigued with my posts w/out overwhelming them with too much information.  I will be talking about things that are important to me, such as my family and health and wellness.  I struggle in those areas, don't get me wrong...but I'm always willing to pick myself up and continue moving forward, for myself and my family!

Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!

We all know how important exercising is in order to maintain health and physical fitness.  But, have you ever wondered what your workout says about you?  I never gave it a second thought until I came across the article "What Does Your Workout Say About You?"  Well, I've come to realize that not only do I need excitement and intensity in my workout regime, but I also need someone in my face yelling at me, pushing me and not giving up on me!  If I am left to my own discretion, chances are, I wouldn't go to the gym, and even if I did, I wouldn't push myself the way I need to be pushed.  I have to take a stand and come to terms with the fact that my health and wellness are important just as much as anyone elses.  I need to finally put my foot down and dedicate to take care of myself! 

I recommend everyone take a look at this link to see what type of "workout" personality you have and work really hard to exceed it or to maintain it!


What Does Your Workout Say About You?

My "Why"

Ok, I sit here and contemplate how and when I'm going to start to take control of my physical and emotional well-being.  Yes, I want to lose weight!  Yes, I want to exercise more!  Yes, I want to be more emotionally available for my family!  But how?  What am I going to do differently?  Why is this year going to be "the" year for me to make change.  The longer I sit here, the more I realize that the most important reason to take care of "me" is my family.  If I'm not taking care of "me," then how can I take care of my family?  I want to have the energy to play with my kids!  I want to teach them the importance of taking care of themselves.  This is it!  The time is now!  I will commit myself to eating healthier and control my portion sizes.  I will commit myself to exercising at least 3 days per week.  I am going to educate myself on safe, natural alternatives to achieve my weight-loss goals, which will result in a happier, healthier "me" and a happier healthier life with my family!   

Here's to a Better You!

Well, here we are, the start of a New Year...a time for many to start fresh or resolve to get out of debt, eat healthier, exercise more, improve their mental well-being, to basically make a positive change in their lives and/or environment.  We all have that certain "thing" we want to change about ourselves, our struggles, even our environment.  Many don't know where to start or how to start (I use to be one of them!) and ultimately, never start!  So, I am here to say "you can do it!"  Anything you put your mind to can be accomplished with hard work, perserverance, determination and faith!  Be confident, be positive and be enthusiastic about changing your life, for the better!   
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Did you Know.....?

• Cleaning products are necessary for maintaining attractive and healthful conditions in the home and workplace. In addition to the obvious aesthetic benefits of cleaning, the removal of dust, allergens, and infectious agents is crucial to maintaining a healthful indoor environment. But cleaning products can present several health and environmental concerns. (epa.gov)
• Certain chemicals in common cleaning products have been associated with increased prevalence of asthma, exacerbations of asthma symptoms, and respiratory ailments. (womanandenvironment.org)
• We live in a world polluted by toxins. We're exposed to pesticides and carcinogens in the foods we eat and the clothes we wear; in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the substances we use to clean our houses. The deadly chemical cocktail building up in our bodies is causing us great harm, manifesting itself in... everything from asthma to cancer. (msnbc.msn.com w/enviromentalist Deirdre Imus)
• Exposure to household toxins is linked to just about every disease that we know of, most notably cancer. Numerous animal studies have linked many of the more than 24,000 toxins that exist in our environment to negative health effects on the following systems: Cardiovascular; Nervous; Endocrine; Respiratory; Reproductive; Immune (drbenkim.com)
• The Consumer Product Safety Commission connects 150 chemicals commonly found in our homes to allergies, birth defects, cancer and psychological disorders.

What are you going to do to provide your family with a safer, healthier home environment?  The health of you and your family is worth making the change!  http://www.livinghealthy2day.info/

Starting 2010 Off Right!

Every year, since my kids were born, I've always said "this is going to be the year for change." I had no idea what that change would be, but I knew I wanted to make one. I knew I wanted to make a change that would benefit me and my family. A change that would provide us with a better, brighter future. So, here I am, 7 1/2 years later and I finally realized what that "change" was going to be when I was presented with an amazing opportunity. I was educated on the importance of "green" products and how much safer and healthier they are over the products you buy in the store. I was educated on the harmful and dangerous affects that "toxins" in everyday household and beauty products can have on my health and the health of my family. It scared me to think, that while I thought I was providing a safe, clean, healthy, happy home for my family, I was actually polluting my home environment with dangerous toxins that could potentially have a detrimental affect on my families overall health. It was clear to me at that point that not only did I want to provide my family with a safer, healthier home by switching to "green" products, but I also wanted to help educate others on the importance of using "green" products, too. My mission is to spread awareness on the importance of providing natural, safe, healthy products that will benefit the home and the environment.