Category: Home & Fashion

Every year I hear many say, “New Year, New Me!”  I do agree each year one should make positive changes to become better, but it holds no merit if it’s just mere words.

Yes, I am changing the way I think, watching what I eat, and being careful of what I speak.  However, in retrospect, I realized nothing much had changed for me internally or externally in previous years.

In the days ahead, my focus is not to get rid of certain people in my life, but rather remove all the filth in me.  Chris needs to become the best Chris she can be.  Will people, places and things dissipate?  Possibly, but my intent is not to carry the “chopping ax”.  I plan to zoom in on everything I want to accomplish.

So instead of creating yearly goals, I created quarterly objectives this year in the following areas:  financial, spiritual, and physical.  My family and I agree to work as a unit towards meeting all of our individual and combined family goals.  We will be accountable to one another.

 After reflecting on the past, I clearly see I was a sailor without a ship.  I was the one who said, “This year I am going to do this and that”, and then made zero progress.  My fears and unbelief’s held me hostage and did not allow me to fulfill those well-intended desires.

 So now my focus resides on not talking about it, but being about it.  I am a writer, so I will make these visions plain by writing them down.

One phrase I choose to live by is, “They will know me by my fruits”.  I desire for my fruit to be positive and life changing, while providing freedom from bondage–you know, good looking and tasty fruit.

After I turned 30 years old, I decided I want others to remember more of what I do and less of what I say.  I strive to become a Doer and not a Sayer!

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DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what life would be like if I went back to work. Would my house be more or less clean? Would my children continue to thrive in school?  Who would pick up and drop off three kids at three different schools, during three different times, twice per day?

Who would potty train my 2 year-old and continue to home school my 4 year-old to prepare him for kindergarten next year? Who would cook the meals, do the laundry and clean the house during the week?

Often I hear, “Oh, you’re just a mom” as though what I do is less important.  It is very annoying. Annoying because, sometimes I feel the same way about myself. So hearing someone say, “When I see you, all I see is mommy”, makes me feel unappreciated.
I know “they” don’t mean any harm, but inside I’m thinking, “Hello people, I have earned a Masters degree in Finance so I know when someone is making less of motherhood versus people who work a “real” job!!!”

Before the kids, I worked outside the home for several years and even a couple of years in between my two oldest and three younger children.

When I worked, my days were just as long and my house looks about the same (not any cleaner or dirtier, lol). However, my kids do eat more healthier, home cooked meals most days, and they each spend extra time with mommy; not to mention, their clothes are always clean and ironed😉.

Even after saying all of that, I see my doctor, lawyer, the kids’ social worker, guidance counselor, and some of my relatives and friends who are professional educators who work outside their homes.  I look at their accomplishments and I often compare myself to them. I have the most kids out of all my girlfriends and I no longer work in a professional setting.

It seems as though no one really understands the real struggles I face on a daily basis.  Staying at home to raise 5 kids is more than one full-time job.  It involves non-stop work, endless days and sleepless nights, 365 days with no overtime pay, no paid time off nor year-end bonus.

I don’t do the “clubbing” thing. Heck, I don’t get out much, if at all, lol.

As much as I love being with my kids, I feel I am missing something.  Has my destiny been put on hold?  Is it sitting on a bookshelf waiting for the duster?

Recently, I started this activity for myself.  I write five different questions once a week as a reminder to keep me thinking about my purpose and to encourage myself.  Here are five examples:

1. What did I enjoy doing before I had children?

2. What gives me excitement and fulfillment outside of my children?

3. What relieves my stress when I have long, tiring days?

4. Where do I see myself when the kids get older?  In 1, 5 or 10 years from now?

5. What am I doing now to prepare for the next 1, 5 or 10 years?

I realize going to and finishing college, getting married, having children and staying at home with the kids are only the beginning of my journey.  As I answer these and similar questions, my goal IS NOT to forget I have purpose and stay the course.

Destiny, I hear you calling and I am on my way!

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.

So it’s official!!  I am a Pinterest Junky!  From looking for man cave ideas to searching for affirmations to put on my daughters’ bedroom walls–I am hooked!

I know, I know, some of you may be thinking it’s just pictures and ideas, right?

Wrong.

What began as a single idea has now become my reality, which has quickly fastened itself to my family’s personality.

When I’m done with my projects, I will have a prayer nook, a game area, and a reading room for my daughters to learn how to be comfortable in their skins–a getaway designed just for them.

As I pondered through these ideas, it reminded me of how I create different pins for various boards of my thought life.  Some of my thought processes are positive, while others are negative.  Usually the dominate one is the one you see in my actions and reactions to whatever is going on externally at the time.  What I soon discovered is my life is an inside job.

Let me explain what I mean by inside job by asking you this question. What visions are forming inside of YOU based on the boards you have embedded in the depths of your minds?  You know, what goes IN must come OUT!!!

Are you experiencing doubt, fear, love or peace?  Or a combination of them all?  Perhaps, there’s a battle within struggling to see which one will control the others?

How does negativity make you feel?  In control or out of sorts?  Sad, disappointed, lazy or frustrated?

I want positive and hopeful boards, not sad and pathetic ones. So when you go back to your thoughts, I mean boards, be sure to pin what you truly want and not what you will soon regret.

Thoughts from a Pinterest Junky.

DISCLAIMER:  This information is not intended to offer any advice, but intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.  These are only our suggestions.  We do not advocate any particular service or site.