THIS THING CALLED LOVE

Every year the last week in September is World Reflexology Week .

I first learned of Reflexology in 2002 at an Aromatherapy Conference in Seattle Washington. It was there that I learned of it's abilities, and was drawn in. I was amazed by the fact that there was an actual map of the human body on each and every persons feet (check out my cool reflexology widget on the side). That I could cause a beneficial reaction within the various systems in the body with a specified touch made me feel very useful. It all sounded so unreal but since I knew that our bodies are so wonderfully made, the potential was certainly there. So I set out to study it. Fortunately for me there was an actual Reflexology school right in the Atlanta area and as they say...the rest is history. Six years and many clients later I still love what I have learned.

There is much satisfaction in knowing that I have helped a person who has been suffering with a particular illness to gain relief. I feel good inside when it is through my skillful work that I have been able to give someone peaceful closure to a hectic day. I know the results from reflexology that I have seen with my own family, friends and clients. Which is why I try to help spread the word. Reflexology is the one therapy that works to heal the body from the inside out, opposite of massage therapy which works from the outside in. Although many of the results are the same. In one session a skilled reflexologist can cover all of your body systems, joints & muscles, providing your body what it needs to function optimally. In the past it was considered as a quack therapy, however more and more folks today are beginning to sing it's praises. The benefits of reflexology have become so widespread, that even those in the Medical profession such as Dr. Oz, are giving credit where credit is due.

So in honor of World Reflexology Week I decided to give a complimentary loving gift of touch to my friends and family. Especially the hubby and children. Often they see me working on others but have to take a back seat for their turn . So I'm giving them what they've been waiting for, and I'm promising to keep it regular.

Now, I know what you are thinking. You want something too right? Well, If I cant give you the loving gift of touch how about a Reflexology Decoder along with a 1 ounce bottle of lavender and peppermint massage oil to use on your feet or someone that you love?

This decoder supplies an instant introduction to the popular healing practices of reflexology. The reflexology decoder provides all the necessary maps for the hands and feet in considerable color coded detail. Accompanied with the aromatherapy massage oil, this package is a retail value of about $20.

To win this giveaway you must do two things.

1. Become a follower of my blog : I'm the Mommy I'll Blog if I want to
2. Leave a comment telling me one way that you give a loving gift to your friends and family.

*The giveaway ends on 10/02*

* the winner will be seleted and announced on my blogpost.*

A tall glass of cool water

There is one thing that I like about myself. Well....there's more than one thing, but you know what I mean. Really though, the one thing that I am referring to is my appreciation for variety. I have always felt that variety is the spice of life. Never could I go through life as a dull dame. I enjoy new experiences, eagerly anticipating my reactions and responses. happy to add a new notch to my belt. And don't you agree that it adds to great conversation when a person is not one dimensional?

An area that I have always prided myself for having variety, is music. I have an appreciation for good music. Maybe it stems from fond memories of my father sitting late nights at his turntables spinning out the jams that made me shake a leg, swoon & croon. Or it could be the times that my mother took me to the theater and with wonderment I tuned into the orchestra as they used instruments to say what the characters were feeling. As I grew older I ventured into all types of music of various genres and it is this type of gift that I also give to my children.

Recently I had the privilege of listening to the new CD ; YOUR SONGS from HARRY CONNICK JR.. What a delightful treat, a collection of every one's favorites sung in classic Harry style. I popped this CD in while cooking dinner, my children and I began to snap our fingers and tap our toes. It was enjoyable from beginning to end. He added his own special touch to such songs that really are my favorites such as *JUST THE WAY YOUR ARE Billy Joel * THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT* SMILE Charlie Chaplin*THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE Roberta Flack*ANDI LOVE HER the beatles * MONA LISA Nat King Cole. You can expect these hits, plus eight more grooving tracks.

September 22 was the release date of his collection of Your favorite songs, available on itunes and everywhere. Although he is singing songs that he did not write, he still is the great music arranger, orchestrator, and conductor that made him who he is. Mr. Connick is in high demand not only because of his sultry, seductive voice but because he seems to be such an awesome guy. Click his picture to check out a video clip of Harry getting personal backstage on the Oprah show.

Wow, gotta love him!

A steamy situation

There are times when I hear about certain things and I say to myself "oh what a cool idea , I'm gonna try that one day". However Last week was not one of those times. I was actually a little caught off guard by my own quick and ardent reaction.

I was visiting a fellow bloggers site and I came across a post that really caught my attention:

"It was smoking hot and I was dripping wet"

...hmmmmm, really?

I know, catchy, right? So I proceed to read the post, and well, um, hehehe, it wasn't at all what I suspected. C'mon, you know you thought it too. Well, anyway she goes on to describe what I later called one of Atlanta's best kept secrets until now.

The JeJu Home of well being, a Korean style spa, sauna & bath house. She was so descriptive with the serenity and tranquility of the environment. Peace washed over me like I was there. She explained so perfectly how purifying and uninhibiting the total experience was. I was beginning to feel the rush of liberation. I just had to try it for myself. Right away. Seriously. Right away. Between homeschooling, being mommy, wifey, and trying to run a business, needless to say I was very anxious. So two days later I grabbed my # 1 home girl and we went to indulge ourselves.

It all played out just as Lisa so vividly described. We were given our supplies for the duration of our time there; an exfoliating wash cloth, a uniform, a toothbrush and keys for the lockers. Once in the women's area we had to remove our shoes, and our clothes, and then it was FREEDOM! Yep! In all our NATURAL BORN GLORY we were free to use the Korean bath house area of the facility. Mentally I was prepared for that because I had been forewarned, that was actually a bonus to me. It was sheer bliss immerging myself in the three mineral water tubs. Hot, warm and cold. There is a Shower and bath area, fa infrared lights, traditional dry and steam sauna's and an area for professional services such as polishing body scrubs. It was a requirement for all to shower before taking part in anything. VERY clean. I took my time and soaked it all in. Literally it was a pampering session to myself, for myself. I saw there, women of all races, several of which were non American. I was amazed to see small groups of women washing each other's back, and each other's hair , all with a sense of sincerity and a genuine reciprocity that is often lacking within the western culture. No one acted as if it was weird or as lesbianism. It was natural. It was an act that I viewed as a beautiful form of bonding, compassion, a loving act of kindness exchanged within the sisterhood. Those profound thoughts rang the bells of enlightenment within my mind.

Unbelievably we spent a couple of hours in that one area before we dressed in our scrubs and moved on to the unisex area where there are 6 therapeutic dry saunas. Each with it's own personality, unique and healing in it's own way. Available to all, are plump vinyl pillows and sleep mats to take to the room of your choice. I spent time and laid down in every sauna room and my favorites are ; the baked Korean clay sauna, the rock salt sauna, the jade sauna, and the charcoal sauna. I took the opportunity of the solace to reflect, ponder and appreciate. Oh, it was certainly soothing to my soul. Within those walls we felt no urgent needs, no schedules to keep up. Plain and simply no pressure. *Sigh* Honey, it was about this time you could've blown me over with a feather! Before we knew it, a total of eight hours had passed and that was all without even getting the luxurious spa services. Wow! what a night. When we finally left, our bodies felt like it had been thoroughly massaged and our skin felt velvety smooth.

With such a great experience, I am eagerly anticipating my return because at a cost of $25, why not? Check out the photos that I got from the website or better yet go there to see it for yourself. You will be thrilled. If you would like to read the very delicious post that sent me in search of my sanity, Check out LisaCwrite's blog.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

I have something I need to say.

I am concerned about some of the websites that are designed for young girls, specifically targeted at the age group of 7-17. Many, if not all of them seem to focus heavily on materialism and what I call the "Paris Hilton life style". These websites although designed with good intent to boost self esteem and stir up creativity, appear to also stimulate a sense of discontent. I say this because I have watched my 8 yr old on these sites. Generally I believed them to be cute and entertaining. My daughter received much joy from creating new hairstyles, designing fashionable outfits, and being a makeup artist. She really is a Fashionista in the making.

I never really thought too much into her time spent on these sites. I mean, I always checked to be sure they were sites suitable for children of course. And to be frank, I enjoyed the free time that it gave me when she was engrossed in "designing". However, it was not until recently that I began to think twice about what was really going on. How she was being affected on an emotional level.

Recently, my daughter came to me and asked if she could become a superstar. I did not know what she was talking about. I told her; "you're already a superstar honey." Her emphatic reply was that she wanted to be a REAL superstar and she needed my credit card to do it. Hold up! What? My credit card? OK, now she has my attention. She eventually was able to show me what she was talking about. On this site there is a lot of basic fashion pages, equiped for a paper doll type avatar that each girl can call her own. However, every girl can move on to superstar status if they pay $5.95 per month. "huh?" I questioned what was this fee for? Indya, went on to tell me that the fee will enable her to have bigger and better things. A nicer apartment, furniture, expensive clothes, a nice car etc. etc. As she was relaying this information to me, she appeared to be a little bit too desperate for my liking. Am I hearing this right? This is supposed to be child's play, right?

From my very core I was disturbed. What kind of message is this really sending to young girls? I asked a friend about my feelings and she understood my thoughts. I have always tried to help my daughter create a strong sense of self. And believe me she does have a strong sense for an 8 year old. But I do not care for the idea that she could possibly gauge her worth by the material things she possessed ( virtual or not). Too many girls today are growing up with the idea that more is better and bling is bliss. Focusing on the external and not enough time spent on developing the internal. Early on girls are forming cliques in schools based on status (believe me, I've seen it even in 1st grade), the mean girl mentality is evident. Remembering my days as a young girl/young adult with low self esteem, it just is not a path that I want to see my child going down. She needs to feel, know and believe that regardless of what she has, or what group she fits in with, she is still a superstar at all times. In real life, material things come and go. They can only carry a person to a point. However, strong character and inner beauty will never stop pushing a person ahead. Finding pleasure and happiness in the simple things that make life truly enjoyable and meaningful is priceless. Worth more than silver and gold. That is the area that I want her focus on.

I began thinking that maybe I'm taking this a little too serious. After all she is just a little girl having fun on a website that I allowed her to be on. But still I felt uneasy. So I pondered on that, but decided that a mother can't ever be too sure. sometimes the very simple signs are the very things we tend to take for granted and often can be what will snowball into something bigger later on. How many times has it been said "if I knew back then what I know now, I never would have allowed...". Yeah, I know I can't predict the future of my daughter, nor shield her from all the emotional curves she will encounter. However, what I do know is that I can be mindful of the example I set and the role that I play. Keeping an eye on how I feed into behavior patterns.

There for I decided I would not purchase the superstar status for her. For me, it just felt like going too far. I believe I would be contributing in some way to some unhealthy ideas. I recognize that perhaps I will even need to reevaluate some of the sites that she visits and set some new guidelines for her. None of which is limited to just the websites, but television, and music videos too. This will cause some upset, but this mom has got to do what she has to do. If my daughter wants to continue to play virtual dress up, makeup artist, etc. she will still have the freedom to do so. However it will have to be done within what I deem to be healthier parameter's.

With the increase of technology and media our children are being exposed to more and more ideas and values that are not our own. Those of which creep up into our lives oh so subtle. Which means we have to be that much more aggressive or quick to correct, encourage and refine the fibers that create a strong foundation. I don't know all the answers, but what I do know is that I want to build something more substantial within my little girl so that she can soar and be the woman that I know she can be. And I definitely don't think that buying her way to SUPER STARDOM is going help her to do that. I'm just saying...

If he told me once, he told me twice

Don't you hate when you have been told the right way to do something, and because of stubbornness, you find out the HARD WAY, why it was the RIGHT WAY in the first place?

You do?



Whew! Glad to see I'm not the only one!



My dilemma began on Tuesday night.



Convo recap:

Hubby- "are you driving on E? You really shouldn't do that"

Stubborn wife(THAT'S ME)- "oh, well, it'll be alright. The gas light should come on and tell me when I've gone too far right?"

Hubby- "um, maybe. you never know. what if it stops working. This is dangerous. You should always keep a good amount of gas in the car. You wont like to be stuck somewhere"

Stubborn wife- "I'm not worried, I'll get it tomorrow on my way out"



Wednesday, Mid morning, while schooling the kids I realized rather abruptly that there was an important matter that I needed to take care of. In haste I run out of the door...grab the keys...Grab the purse...Run out the door...jump in the car...crank up and pull out of the drive way...



NOT!

(oh no, not today!)



e-e-e-e-aaaa- e-e-e-e-aaaaaa! stupid car wont crank. I pump and pump the pedals to no avail. I try to do everything from "kick starting the car to getting a push from the kids.(yes, i had my kids pushing) We finally decided to get a gas can from the garage which had gasoline in it and pour it in. Oh hurray! we are on our way. The car cranks and we take off and then SCREEEECH! WHOMP! The car cuts off after moving about 3 feet.



OH WHY DIDN'T I LISTEN? WHHHYYYYYYY?!



I called a friend for a ride to run my errand and fill my gas can. Just shortly after this fiasco, I had to go back out. Frustration. Fear. Embarrassment. We put-put-ted, sputtered, cut-off, jumped & jerked all the way to our destination.



Reluctantly I called the hubby and gave him the 4-1-1.

I'll let you use your imagination as to how that conversation went.

You don't need a RECAP from me...

Hmph!**arms folded, eyes rollin'**

The Good, bad and just plain stinking ugly

My 2 cents on the VMA's. I just had to.

The GOOD: Beyonce, for stepping back and giving a young entertainer her chance to shine.

The BAD: KANYE WEST = Insensitive, immature, unprofessional. Need I say more? Well, I could but, I'll just leave it at that. You get the point.

The STINKING UGLY: Lady GaGa. Enough said....

dropping the mic and walking away.

*sigh*

Theyyyyy'rrrrrrrrre Heeeerrrrrre!

No. No one scary. In fact they are completely sweet and lovable. At least my kids and their friends think so. Who am I talking about?

The Zhu Zhu Pets!

My Children and I were delighted when selected to host a Zhu Zhu pet party. These cute little toy pets are a much cleaner, and hassel free way to introduce a pet into your home. Each Zhu Zhu pet comes with a name, and rolls around by itself on a hard surface (we had to use our kitchen floor). They also make little noises, over 40 sounds varying from little chirps and beeps to actual cow and chicken sounds. I think I even heard a train sound one time. My kids thought they were really adorable. What I like is that unlike a REAL hamster, there is no mess to clean up and food to buy, and we certainly don't have to deal with it dying. My children had a real hamster once...So! like I said, these are so much easier to care for.

One of the Attachable accessories that the pets can play on. A ramp and twisty slide.It actually goes up the ramp and down the slide on it's own.

A activity center / habitat for the pets

The display of the Zhu Zhu pets

Once all of the party guests had arrived, the mayhem began! Every kid wanted one, and they all received a accessory for their pet. There was a car with a garage that the pet could ride in. A slide, A surf board, a Giant activity center and even a ball for the pet to roam around the house in! What's great is that the accessories are all attachable, which means each piece can connect to the other piece to create a very big activity center with plenty for a pet or two, to do. Some assembly is required and a little help is needed by an adult to put the accessories together, but it was not overly difficult. The children loved racing their pets too! I could tell that these pets would be a good way to keep the kids entertained.

At the end of the day, my children slept with their pet...Something I NEVER let them do when they had a real hamster.

That Says it all Folks!

**For more information about the Zhu Zhu pets go to www.zhuzhupets.com

Oh Happy Day!

Mozzarella cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives and white wine

A bouquet of Flowers that was given to me a couple of weeks ago.

I took a picture of these two items because looking at it made me feel happy. Feeling happy about this bouquet inspired other happy thoughts and so one happy thought turned into another and another. So I came up with ten things that made me happy.

1. A lovely bouquet of flowers, given to me unexpectedly.


2. A well balanced check book.


3. A Freshly made bed, with 600 thread count linens.


4. A Picnic in the park.


5. To be wrapped in a warm embrace by the luvofmylife.


6. Watching my children sleep peacefully in their own beds.


7. Sharing happy memories of times past with my family.


8. A hot cup of Caramel Machiato with heavy whipped cream and drizzles of caramel from Starbucks, as I curl up with a good book on a really cushy sofa.


9. A clothing sale so good that I walk away from the register feeling like I stole something.


10. Having good friends that see me for all that I am and love me anyway.

Happy thoughts beget happy thoughts and happy thoughts make life easier.

What spurs your happy thoughts?...

Somebody should'a told me

Soooo, this holiday weekend I am on a very spur of the moment getaway. I drove up to Pennsylvania with my cousins. A long drive indeed. I took the first stretch of driving, because if I gotta drive long distance I gotta get to getting, while the getting is good. Basically...I have to drive while I am awake and alert otherwise I'm no help at all.
I drove from 7am to 3:30 pm, not too bad right? But what made it GREAT was having XM radio!

OMG

Very little DJ interruptions and no static when traveling from state to state. You know how it is when going out of a certain area. Constant fidgeting with the radio dial to pick up whatever the local station is, carrying a bunch of Cd's just to hear what you like. So frustrating. Well, when you have XM radio, all of that is eliminated! It was smooth sailing. We started off listening to Oprah radio and then moved on to some smooth r&b. When we didn't know the singer of a particular song, it was OK because with the press of a button my cousin could tell me the name of the singer and the title of the song. There were so many channels to choose from. Pretty much anything you want to hear. I really love the radio talk show feature. It sure beats listening to sports radio with my husband. of course xm has sports channels too, but it's nice to know I have such a good variety on talk radio. How awesome is that? I was thoroughly impressed. XM radio is available in your car, online,satellite cable and on your iphone. All of that for a very reasonable price too.

I know some folks out there may already be accustomed to this type of technology and are thinking that I am so late and living under a rock or something.

Well this is new to me. I'm just sayin'...someone should'a told me...

Divalicious!

I feel pretty! I feel pretty! Yeah, it's amazing what a simple change can do for a girl. I recently added some glam to my life and added extra lashes on my eyes. I know a few ladies that use them and I've always admired them.

What a difference they make...I asked my cousin to "install" the individual ones for me and I must say, "I have found my new obsession."

Like seriously, I don't think I'm gonna be able to do with out them for a while. I feel like I am always made up even when I don't have on any eye make up. I feel like at any moment I may break out into Beyonce's;

I'ma a DI - Vah, I'ma I'ma a DI -Vah!

I'm just giving you fair warning, if you see me walk past you and suddenly break out into my Tyra Banks strut don't be alarmed. Just know that I am feeling "FIERCE....really FIERCE"