Women’s History Month

    Earlier today I attended an event held at the Georgia Highlands Library in Cartersville. This event was a presentation given by volunteers who read aloud the thoughts and ideas of several women. One by one a speaker would stand up among his or her audience and with great emotion, quoted women from our past and present. Each quote reflected on how a woman views herself and how she is viewed by society. The tone and attitude towards these views changed per speaker, due to the time era being represented. I wish I could give more depth on the names and dates of these women. While at the library my two year old started working on a poo poo, as I like to call it. I did not want to offend anyone, so I moved off to the side and away from the crowd of audiences. I was able to continue listening to the speakers, but I could not hear them as well as I would have liked. Even though I could not hear every single word, I comprehended that this presentation gave honor and acknowledgment to the ongoing history of women. This history includes where women were and are going based on the issues and expectations women faced and continue to face. Women's history focuses on the progress women have made on issues like women's rights. I began to wonder if I should even be at the library for this special event while having my son with me. Then it dawned on me that all I'm trying to do is balance my work of being a full time mom, with my work of being a part time student. Sometimes I put too much expectation on myself, thinking I have to perfectly balance work, home, and school. I'm glad I came to the event because it was a reminder of how far women have come and that the ideas of past women do not go in vain. I hope everyone who participated and attended this event received a feeling pride and honor towards women's' history. I know I did and I enjoyed how at the end of the event all the speakers came together and with one voice gave the last quote of vision for women today and in the future.

I am BLESSED

    I have days when I complain over the most insignificant things. There have been occasions on the weekend where I'm up and upset because my two year old woke me up too early. I overlook the fact that from my deck is a beautiful view of the sun rise and that the birds are singing good morning to me, or that I'm waking up in a house and not on the streets, and most importantly that I'm ALIVE!!! Other times I'm at school frustrated because my notebook or phone is not working properly. Instead of being annoyed because I'm waiting only a few minutes for information to come up on these devices, I should be thrilled that I'm attending school. I have been given the opportunity to better my life through education. I have financial aid which I am very grateful for and all that is required from me is hard work in studying. I am blessed beyond measure and I know I am undeserving of it all. I am blessed to live in a free country. I am blessed to have healthy children. My husband and I are blessed to be physically and mentally able to work. Too often I overlook these blessings that so many others do not have.

    When I stop focusing energy on my troubles (if I can even call them that) and begin focusing it on what others need, I accomplish great things. When I serve others I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. This makes life so much more enjoyable. I wished I followed this advice all the time but I know some times I forget and get wrapped up in my life. I'm thankful though, that I realize when( me, myself, and I )has had enough attention and I begin making a difference in someone else's life. For me there is truth to finding the silver lining and making lemonade out of lemons. It is my prayer that everyone can see the blessings in their life and use them to bless others as well.

    

Spring Time

    Spring is here and so is the pollen. Like most I am battling allergy symptoms due to the tree pollen but if you ask me it is a small price to pay to see the earth become a canvas of beautiful colors. I have seasonal allergies and if it's not tree pollen this season it will be grass this summer and mold this winter. I've suffered with allergies for the past ten years but have discovered a few helpful tricks along the way that ease my symptoms. Honey in tea comforts my throat and if its local honey it provides local allergen immunity due to the local pollination of bees. In other words if you live in Bartow County and buy honey made in Bartow County then the honey contains the same allergens in pollen that you are being attacked by and this results in a gradual buildup of immunity towards the allergens in local pollen. I also take a daily regimen of Allegra and for emergencies I keep on hand sinus headache medicine. Another useful tip I learned is from my chiropractor who suggests applying a small amount of Vaseline along the inside of your nostrils. Notice how I underlined small; there is no need to complicate things by making it harder to breath: ) The Vaseline catches up the pollen and when you blow your nose the pollen leaves with the Vaseline.

    I not only enjoy the beautiful blooms this time year but also the gardening and planting. I do not have a green thumb but my husband does. We usually begin to plant a few fruits and vegetables around this time. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash are a must and this year we are adding cabbage to the list. I'm also ready to take on the challenge of growing blueberries and strawberries. How nice would that be? I could make blueberry pancakes and strawberry milkshakes. OK I know that's not the healthiest way to eat them but I'm just saying occasionally it would be a nice treat. We already have blackberry bushes that ripen in the fall which make the BEST blackberry cobblers. I recommend gardening for everyone because it's therapeutic, good for the environment, and you are rewarded with delicious food to eat for all your hard work. I wish a happy spring to all and hope it's filled with few allergies and lots of soon to be YUMMY home grown fruits and vegetables. Don't forget to take in all the beautiful colors…

Spring Break

I had a wonderful and relaxing spring break even though I did not go away on vacation. I took the opportunity of having my evenings free from school to spend well needed time with my children. I enjoyed cooking a few homemade meals and sitting down with my family during dinner time. After dinner my family and I would watch a movie. I did rent a few movies over the break. I usually use the Red Box even though I am subscribed to Netflix. Lately I have found it difficult finding new release family movies but I did watch a few favorites among my family. "Finding Nemo" and "Earnest goes to camp" played several times at my house last week.

My children enjoyed the extra time I was able to give them before bedtime. We played the Wii which kept us moving. I bought "Just Dance" for the Wii last month and my family and I have the most fun dancing to it. My youngest son Trevor gets so into it. I have videotaped him a few times while he dances. I also had time to focus on helping my oldest son Gavin with his homework. Gavin, Trevor, and I took time with art and craft projects during the evening hours. We also went to the park a couple of times because the weather was definitely spring like. It's the little things in life that mean so much.

Believe it or not I also enjoyed getting some spring cleaning done in my house. All I can say is it gave me instant gratification. I guess you could say my spring break was ordinary but I enjoyed it to say the least. I spent time with my family which is priceless. I got some deep cleaning took care of and plenty of rest at night. Like I said earlier I had a wonderful and relaxing spring break and hope it was the same for all of you!!!