Summer time, fun or frustrating?

Kids are excited all over the U.S. as school gets out for the summer. They are looking forward to sleeping in, no homework, hanging out with their friends and just having fun! What are you looking forward to this summer? Are you excited or stressed out? For those of you who work outside the home, it means finding someone to watch your kids while you are working. For stay-at-home moms, it means finding ways to keep them entertained all day. Summer is here and your situation, whatever it may be, is what it is. Don't let it stress you out. Instead, decide you are going to enjoy your summer with your family and trust that the right opportunities will be presented to you. If you need someone to help watch your kids, ask friends if they know of anyone. There are certainly people out there looking for a little extra income. If you aren't in a position to pay someone, what can you offer in return? Be creative and brainstorm. If you are just trying to keep them entertained, sit down with your kids and ask them what they want to do. You may be surprised at some of the simple and easy ideas they have. What do you want to do for fun this summer? How about just exploring the city you live in? There are many museums and attractions that are free. Have a garage sale to make a few bucks and spend it on something fun! Create something new out of something old with paint or decoration. Give everyone "their day" a day to do what they want, and that includes you. Decide to have a great, memorable summer and just do it!

Credit card companies out of control!

When will someone step in and start slapping the hands of the credit card companies that have yet to take their hand out of the cookie jar? How can they continue to get away with the ridiculously high interest rates, late fees, annual fees and over the limit fees? Many consumers are in a place right now where they need the credit card companies to act responsibly and start helping consumers get through this economy. I myself have called my credit card companies to ask them to lower my interest rates so I can lower some monthly payments right now. Instead of helping consumers so they can continue to make payments, they punish them by increasing fees and interest rates. How does this make sense? If someone is already having problems making a monthly payment how does it help to do nothing or increase their payment? If credit card companies were smart they would start lowering the interest rates, give consumers a month or two of no payments and work out a payment plan that works for the consumer. Isn't is better to get paid in the long run in full rather than not get paid at all? This is a premium opportunity for a few credit card companies to rise to the occasion and be the hero. It would be nice to see a credit card company separate them selves from the pack and have the guts to step forward and say "We are putting our clients first." Let's see if any of the companies out there have the guts to be innovative and rise above the vulture mentality of most credit card companies!

Are You a Bad Mom?

We all have those days when we secretly wish we weren't a mom today. It's okay, I just said it for all of us and we all say it and it doesn't mean you're a bad mom. We all have those days when, as a friend of mine says, we want to smack our kids into next week! It doesn't mean you don't love your kids anymore, but it is okay to not like them for the moment. Maybe you are just having a tough day or maybe your kids are just being brats, either way, know it is okay to secretly wish you were not a mom today. I know moms who have a lot of these moments. Some simply seem to be able to cope with more chaos, more messes and more yelling than others. God bless them. I am not in that group. I am the first one to say that I am not a not a multiple child person. I can handle two. I can handle my son and one friend. That is it. If there are more kids, I require more parents. It is just how I am built. I am amazed at my friends that can have a house full of kids running around and not blink an eye. I love them for that as my son is often one of those kids. I do my best to have my share of play dates but I have to work it around my work schedule as I have a home office. I can honestly say that I am not a big fan of play dates either as I have enough things in my life to plan let alone my son's social life. I just like to let things happen naturally like when I was a kid. Back then, a friend stopped by and asked "Do you want to play?" and off we went. What happened to that? I would like to know who started play dates! Oh well, off to run my son to practice as it is now time to put my chauffeur hat on. That is a whole separate blog!

Life is ?????

Life is ???? How would you finish that sentence? Life is hard. Life is fun. Life is not fair. Life is an adventure. How you finish that sentence says quite a bit about your current emotional state. It may also give you a clue as to why you are feeling the way you are right now. If someone asked you to finish that sentence right now what would you say? This could be one of those "aha moments" for you. If your sentence would be "Life is hard" do you think you might be creating a life that is harder than it needs to be? If your sentence is "Life is not fair" do you seem to get into situations where the outcome doesn't seem fair? How about if your sentence is "Life is fun", do you think you might be enjoying your life? Try this, just for fun, say Life is _____. Fill in the blank with a few different words, both positive and negative. How do you feel when you finish the sentence with a positive word versus a negative word? I feel a difference, do you? If you initially finished that sentence with a negative word, come up with a positive word, one that you believe. Write it down and start saying your new "Life is" sentence every day. See if things in your life start to change, especially your outlook on life. If you initially finished that sentence with a positive word than good for you!!! Write it down and start saying it every day. It is a great way to start and finish your day. Have a great day because Life is Amazing!!!

Just Walk Away

As I am now older and wiser I have found great benefit in just "walking away." There are those rare times when I get frustrated with my children, husband or work and I have come to find I can calm myself fairly quickly if I just walk away for a few minutes. I don't walk away in a huff or with an attitude. I simply say " I need to walk away for a moment, but I will be back." I find a place where I can be alone for a few minutes or five minutes if I really need it. I breathe, I talk to myself and I see the situation resolving in a way that is positive for all involved. When I return to my son, husband or work, I find I am in a calm state of mind which is conducive to a positive resolution. Physically walking away from the tense or frustrating situation releases stress for me. Removing myself changes my energy just long enough that I can clear my head. I always go back and my family knows I will come back to talk through a situation or event that was frustrating for all involved. I don't walk away and leave something or someone hanging. My family knows that when mom walks away, they better do some thinking themselves because mom will be coming back and will want some intelligent discussion. I prefer not to react to a situation because I am caught up in the heat of the moment. Walking away has proved to be a stress reducer and creates an opportunity for good communication since everyone has had a few minutes to calm down and think clearly.

Ok ladies, this may not seem very "motherhoody" but really, anything that affects our families concerns us moms. So here are my thoughts on the current leader of our country. I speak my mind about this because, like you, we all want to preserve our American freedoms and want them to be there for our children.

Many people have the idea that Obama just needs time or that he really doesn't know what he's doing. Well of course he needs time (but be wary of what he intends to do with that time) and I think he knows exactly what he's doing. The question is do most Americans know what he's doing? Do they understand what he's actually trying to accomplish with his time? That's the scary part.

It appears as though he is aggressively laying the ground work and taking action that all smell very much like Socialism. Simple as that. So the "let's just give him time" mentality is a dangerous state of mind. Go with your instincts people. That feeling of uncertainty and apprehension about the choices our new leader is making are warning signs. Don't ignore them.

No country has ever risen to the greatness that The United States has, and that didn't happen by allowing the government to dictate how much or little income we make, what kind of health care we want, running the banking systems, penalizing us to death for creating our own success and on and on. We have the freedom here to fail or succeed of our own volition. That's the beauty of America.

The more we follow Obama down HIS chosen path for us, the fewer freedoms we will have to live our lives the way we choose - for those choices will be diminished from infinite to very finite.
I'm sure Obama is a wonderful human being. Not so sure that he's the right person to make America a greater version of itself.

There is a shift occurring - we must pay close attention.

Thanks,
Loree

Laugh Until You Cry

When is the last time you laughed so hard you cried? I just had one of those gut busting laughs a few days ago. It is amazing how good you feel when you just laugh! I have two or three of these "almost pee my pants" laughs every year. It is such a release that all I can do is just sit for a moment before I can even stand up again. I think we all need to laugh more, especially now, to just release the tension. I have a few emails I have kept for a long time that I look at every once in a while because they make me laugh. I have bought a couple of movies that I watch every few months because I know they are going to make me laugh. Just talking about things that have made you laugh in the past, can make you laugh again. I suggest you take some time every weekend to find or do things that make you laugh. I love to make my son laugh because when he laughs hard it makes me laugh, which makes him laugh, which makes me laugh and, you get the idea. As we all know, laughter is contagious so start laughing more - it is free and that is something we can all use right now!