30 Day Writing Challenge: Days 8- 10

Day 8: What I Ate Today

This may be breaking the rules, but I had the BEST meals I've had in a long time a few week-ends ago. It was Easter Week-end, my family was out of town, and I got my big girl dreams on. So I have to tell you what I ate over the course of those two days.q

Saturday- All I had was a bagel for breakfast, but for lunch/ dinner I went to Bankok Cuisine near my house and got me some Tai Food. It has been a long time, but it was everything! I can't remember the tai name but it was basically the chicken fried rice with onion, tomatoes and pineapple. It was so good that I didn't care about the burnt mouth I was getting from the food being too hot.

Sunday- After church, my mom and I went to the casino for their brunch buffet and let me tell you, I was so full when I walked out of there I thought I was going to need a nap in the parking garage. I usually suck at buffets because I get full too quick, and although I doubt if I ate $30 worth of food, I was satisfied, so that's all that counts. I made 3 rounds of the huge buffet. Round 1 was french toast with peaches and strawberries, bacon, egg fritatta and some fried chicken. Round 2 was full of pasta and starches: spaghetti, chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, greens, cornbread, mac and cheese, peel and eat shrimp and fried shrimp, that I couldn't even finish because I needed to leave room for dessert. And speaking of, round 3, which happened about 10 minutes after round 2 ended was the answer to my prayers. Usually when I go to buffet's I'm disappointed by the dessert options, but this one had everything: ice cream, cheesecake, several different types of cake and a crepe station. Yes, I said crepes. And since I had never had one before, I had to indulge. It was custard filled and topped with strawberries and REAL whipped cream. It covered my whole plate, so the only other thing I could fit on it was a cheesecake pop that I literally took one bite out of. I had to stop before I made myself sick. Next time I will start with dessert. Don't judge me.

Me before it went down at the buffet.

Later that day I was scrolling FB and saw that Orange Leaf was going to be open for a couple hours. Since I had been preparing to sing that morning, ice cream was out of the question all week, so I got up and got me some FroYo for dinner. 

Orange Leaf. Yumm!

Monday- As if my last two days had not been full of bliss, I was craving waffles so I made some and they were the bomb dot com. I topped them with strawberries and added scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon to the meal. It was the first time in a long time where I didn't have to share my bacon.

Day 9: How Important is Education?

As someone who is currently considering furthering my education in a master's degree program, I can honestly say that education is very important. Not just the institutional kind, either. There is too much technology, too many outlets and Google is too good of a resource for people not to educate themselves on whatever it is that interests them. Like they say, knowledge is power and if you want to be the most powerful person on your block, or in your family or at your job, then you have to take the initiative to empower yourself with information. Yes, I'm slightly a know it all, but I don't rub it in people's faces. I will take a class in a heartbeat because I am naturally curious and interested in many things. If there is something I don't know or understand, I'm not okay with just continuing to be dumb about it. I look into it and if after looking into it I find that I'm no longer interested, than so be it, at least I have the knowledge and understanding of it to know that I'm no longer interested. (Hashtag- "Message!")

I always tell my kids not to play dumb. All that "I don't get it" or "it's too hard" are phases that I don't tolerate. I will admit, it took me a minute to figure out this new math with the grouping and other unnecessary nonsense they do instead of carry the number over, but we practiced it until it was no longer hard to do.

Now, do I believe that everyone should get a college education? No, because I realize that college is not for everyone. But, there are skill trades out there that can be satisfying and financially rewarding if given the chance. And the good thing is, it is never too late. There are no age restrictions when it comes to taking a class at a community college.

Day 10: First 10 Songs that Play on My Music Player

First, let me throw out another disclaimer. I had to take a lot of my music off my iPhone so that I could make more room, so all that's left is music that I lowkey just could not remove either for sentimental reasons or it just would not let me. Plus, I'm currently a freeloader on Pandora and Spotify. So here goes.

1. "Lose Control" by Raheem DeVaughn- One of my favorite neosoul swooners turned it up with this house mix. I like to turn this all the way up and dance it out when this come on. BTW, it's 9 minutes long. Yaasss!

2. "Until Then (I Imagine)" by Jill Scott- It's Jill, no explanation needed really, but she was a little explicit on these lyrics.

3. "Love All Over Me" by Monica- I still belting this song out. It's a great love song.

4. "There Goes My Baby" by Usher- This was the ringtone for my hubby for a few years. Can't go wrong with Usher, baby.

5. "Super Hero" by Raheem DeVaughn- I have to admit, I usually skip this song, not because it wasn't nice, but it's a ballad about his mama so I can't get turned up or chilled out on it. No shade.

6. "Golden Days" by Kem, feat Jill Scott- So imagine this: Kem is sing/scatting over this slow, mellow jazzy beat and then Jill comes in and  just kills you with her spoken word poem. Hashtag they did that.

7. "Let Me In" by Anthony David- I love this man's voice. It's this perfect combination of smooth and raspy, mellow and harsh and just plain butta. If you've never heard his voice, do yourself a favor and get your life.

8. "Long Hard Road" by Sade- The Smooth Operator killed me softly with her latest album. I felt like I needed to sit in the dark, sipping on a glass of wine to listen to this song, but when I emerged, I felt better about life. I guess if you needed to compare her, she is the original Adele.

9. "Matter of Time (Unplugged)" by Kem- Kem's voice over guitar strings and a drum is the definition of soul music.

10. "Le BOOM Vent Suite" by Jill Scott- This is my JAM! I always imagine myself performing this at a small jazzy type venue. I especially like when the beat changes to a whole nother song and it goes from an up tempo jazzy beat to this slow and sexy R&B swag. 

Until Next Time!

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,

Rhonda

30 Day Writing Challenge: Days 4-7

***Disclaimer- Yes, I realize that I started this last month, but I told y'all I have never been successful with these challenges. (Insert shrugging emoji.)

Day 4: Bullet your whole day

So a regular day for me usually consists of work, choir, kids, husband and food. I decided to bullet point my day off instead. My hubby had the day off too, so he treated me to breakfast. And I actually got pictures before I devoured it.

7 am- Woke up the kids for school. We had some time to kill after breakfast so I sent them and hubby out to clear the snow off the front porch but it had turned to ice. The put down salt instead.

I decide to try and finish my coloring journal.

9am- After dropping off the kids, Hubby treated me to Cracker Barrel. I had been dreaming about this French toast with peach topping all week!

11 am- We needed to walk down that breakfast so we went out to Lakeside Mall with the retirees and stay at home moms. 

12 Noon- (Clears throat) Quality time with the hubby.

4 pm- Bed: Hubby picked up the kids from school. We (hubby and I)watched a few comedy specials on Comedy Central including Kevin Hart and Trevor Noah. We ate chicken salads for dinner and pretty much chilled the rest of the night. It was the perfect day off.

Day 5- Things You Want To Say To An Ex

Well, I don't have an ex. My husband was my one and only boyfriend. But, there were dudes that figured out that they would forever be in the friend zone so they stopped reaching out. So to those guys I guess I would insert the peace fingers emoticon and say, "Hope all is well...Deuces." 

Day 6- Views on Mainstream Music

There are two occasions where I listen to mainstream music: (1) when I'm at somebody elses house and I don't have a choice and (2) when I'm in a funky mood and I need to twerk it out. The rest of the time I am listening to neosoul, gospel or smooth r&b. 

I was a senior in college when I realized that the mainstream, popular urban hits were not for me. I had a one hour commute to school and became disgusted on many occasion and just rode in silence because I din't understand how people can wake up to Lil Wayne at seven in the morning. As I became a parent, I knew that what I introduced my children too was important to their upbringing and I knew that songs like "Lollipop" and "Get Low", AKA "To the windows, to the wall", were not songs I wanted my children to recite in preschool. 

Something happened where we lost all our integrity, hold nothing sacred and started creating a code for everything: "superman" and "watermelon" have taken on brand new meanings and it is just too much sometimes. I'll stick to my Neo Soul, Gospel and Smooth R&B.

Day 7- Five Pet Peeves

1. Wasted food- When my kids come home with uneaten lunches, it drives me crazy. 

2. Holey socks- there is nothing more uncomfortable than having your toe sticking out that hole in your sock all day, or when my kids have their entire heel sticking out of their socks. Even though I fuss about not having money to waste food, throw the sock away. We'll be alright. 

3. People who don't discipline their bad kids. This really needs no explanation, but if you know your child needs to be snatched up, don't bring them around me because my reflexes might kick in.

4. Bad drivers- I know my blood pressure goes up during my commute. People just can not drive. Here are a few things to consider. Do not drive slow in the fast lane. Do not switch lanes like you are having a seizure or other medical emergency. Do not do the most to get in front of me, then ride your brakes for 2 miles before you turn. Do not stare at me and think I'm going to be intimidated and let you in. I am opposed to road rage, but God ain't thru with me yet. This ain't what you want.

5. Liars- Once I catch you in a lie, you will forever be known as a liar and anything you say or do will be suspect. It's better for everyone involved just to be honest. 

Until next time!

Wishing you Love, peace and Soul Deep Beauty,

Rhonda

30 Day Writing Challenge Days 1-3

Source

So you all know how I am with these challenges (#EpicFailures) but, I'm a persistent person. I will keep trying until I get it right. So, I found this challenge via Pinterest and I figured I would give it a try.  So wish me luck on successfully completing this writing challenge.

Day 1: Five ways to win your heart.

My husband may not believe it but, I am very easy to please. He might not even realize it but, he won my heart simply by doing the following:
1. Make me laugh. Why? Because Laughter is good for the soul. I prefer comedies over chick flicks any day.
2. Be honest. I can't stand people who lie. It's an ugly habit and shows weakness.
3. Buy/ cook/ bring me food. No explanation necessary.
4. Be a good kisser. Again, this needs no explanation but, if you need one- a good kiss can make you forget your nightmares and relive your dreams. (I know, I'm deep.)
5. Keep your promises. Being able to follow thru on your word shows character and strength.

Day 2: Something you feel strongly about.

This is a very vague statement that can be interpreted many ways, but being in the social climate that we are in, I would say that I feel strongly about racial intolerance. I do believe that racism still exist. People who say, "I don't see color" are not helping the situation. I'd rather you say, "I see people of a differ color and I still respect them despite, and because of our differences." That would be more acceptable and let me know that you get it.

I also believe that other races will respect us more when we start to respect ourselves. I wrote a post about this some time ago. You can read it here.

Day 3: A book you love

As an avid reader, it's hard for me to just pinpoint one book that I love. But, the book that has given me the most guidance in recent years is Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success by Steve Harvey. His information was timeless and it got my gears going and inspired me to not give up after my business failed.




 Chime in! Do you have any input on any of today's topics? Or will you join in with me for the writing challenge? Share your blog info below.

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

Encouraging Daddy-Daughter Relationships

I'm proud to be a daddy's girl. My dad and I didn't always see eye to eye, especially when I came to the driving and dating age, but I could always count on him. When I was into sports, he was there for the games and the practices. He was in attendance for every recital and talent show, and he screened every boy who called the house. Before he passed away, he often gave me a heads up on men and how they act in marriage. Of course, he was right, so when things started to happen I was already prepared and was able to handle certain situations with a calm reserve. The advise he has given me through my lifetime has been immeasurable and I appreciate the relationship that we had. I could only hope that all girls get to have that relationship with their dads.

That's why I'm so glad that my daughter is a daddy's girl, too. Of course she's too young for deep life lessons, but the relationship that she and her dad share is setting the tone for the relationships she will have with men for the rest of her life. He understands the importance of it as well, and I was so proud of him when he took her to their first Daddy-Daughter Dance last week.

The week leading up to it he knew he had to do it right and wanted to not only show her a good time, but show her how a gentleman should treat a lady. They were dressed to the nines, he bought her a corsage (#DaddySwag) and actually did a little two step with her on the dance floor. (Believe me, that alone is huge for my slightly rhythmically challenged husband.) They both came back with big smiles on their faces, showing off pics and videos from the night.

I didn't even know that they still had events like this, but I'm glad that they do. This is one tradition that should never die. Dads all across the world should make it their mission to help nurture the relationships between their daughters. Your dad is supposed to be your protector, your teacher, your provider. Some would even say that your husband should reflect the relationship that you have with your dad.

So if he's was never present or active in your life, how do you know what to model that relationship on? There is no such thing as a perfect parent but, if you never even try to be that example in your child's life you've already failed.

Chime in! Do you believe that daddy-daughter bonds are important? What's the most memorable moment you've had with your dad?

Forever Loving my B.A.D.D. Kids,

Rhonda

Setting Goals With The Passion Planner

I am a goal orientated list maker. I have several small notebooks that I jot things down in, and to top that, I have sticky notes falling out of them of ideas I had when one of my 3 notebooks weren't available. I also use my notes app on my phone, but I'm a paper and pen type of girl at heart and to me, it means more when you write it by hand.

So obviously this time of year I'm usually putting my yearly planner away from the previous year and getting myself together for the upcoming months. Normally, I just buy a planner from Target or the $1 bin at Michaels, but this year I stumbled upon THE planner that has me feeling like I might just get my life together.

It's called the Passion Planner and it is the bomb dot com. I have had my nose in this planner every free second I've had and I am getting super excited just thinking about the year ahead.

So here's the deets.

- Instructions on how to use it to its best potential. Really? Instructions on how to write in a planner. Yes, because she (creator Angelia Trinidad) has the planner set up with a Passion Roadmap and Reflection Pages. 

- Monthly and Weekly Layouts. I love how  alongside the layouts there are quotes of inspiration, to do lists and plenty of space to obviously plan your passions.

-Several buying options. There are 2 different sizes and a few cover choices ranging in price from $24- $29.

passionplanner.com

-Also, for those of us who are financially challenged there is a FREE option! Yes, I said free. I chose this option as I already had a binder that I use for my blog planner so it worked out perfectly for me. Plus, I find it very hard to turn down anything that's free ninety-nine.

You may be asking yourself, "Why do I need a planner? I already know what I need to do." Yes, you do but without a concrete plan and setting small goals you will just be going around in circles. When you write your dreams and goals down, you set yourself up for success and make yourself accountable. If I don't do something that's in my planner, I can't blame anybody but me and it makes me work twice as hard to make sure I don't fail again. So do yourself a favor, go to passionplanner.com and order this planner. It is so worth the investment.

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty, 

Rhonda.

Skin and Hair Care Resolutions

We are in the 2nd week of a  new year and in true fashion I am taking this time to reflect and determine the things I want to do better in this upcoming year. I want to be better mind, body and soul and since I work daily on my soul and I focused on mind/life goals via my Passion Planner in my last post, I figure it's time to focus on body today.

I'm not saying my body is perfect, but I really don't focus on it like I used to. My curves are in all the right places and I physically feel good 80% of the time, but stress and bad habits have had my skin and hair suffering lately. With that being said, here are a few skin and hair care rules I plan to live by this year. 

I will wash my makeup off every night. Why is this so hard to do? Cause your girl be tired, but I will try my best.

I will drink water everyday. I don't think an explanation is necessary with this, it's just a healthy thing to do.

I will do more mole checks. Dark skin can get skin cancer too, so doing monthly checks on those new moles that keep popping up will pay off in the long run.

I will exfoliate twice a week. Nothing keeps that skin looking baby fresh like scrubbing that tough layer of rough skin off.

I will not become a product junkie. I repeat, I will not become a product junkie. Because of the way my bank account is set up, this shouldn't be a problem, but I still have to remind myself.

I will stress less. Easier said than done.

I will not pop my pimples. Again, easier said than done. Popping them makes them worse before they get better but it is so satisfying when you do. #struggles

I will always keep my eyebrows on fleek. Yaaasss!

I will continue knowing that what works for some may not work for me. And that's okay. All skin and hair was not created equal.

I will wash my hair more often. Once or twice every two weeks is my usual schedule. Anything past that and it's a mess to deal with.

Water will be my main moisturizer. Water is my friend.

I will wrap/ cover my hair nightly. Even if I do look like Aunt Jamima, I have to protect my hair at night. And for added protection, a satin pillowcase will help too.

I will learn the true meaning of protective styling. Braiding my hair up and not cleansing or moisturizing my scalp defeats the purpose.

I will stop being lazy. See above.

And most of all, I will love the skin I'm in and rock whatever texture grows out my head.

Those are my skin and hair care resolutions. What are yours?

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

My Summer in Photos

So, It's been a while since I posted, and since summer is officially over, I just wanted to catch you all up to the goings on of me and family this summer. Now is a good time to reflect on the fun we had.

1. Baby girl completed her hip hop class. Unfortunately for me, my phone had an attitude and would not record the video of their final performance. She said she likes hip hop better than ballet, so I'm trying to see if we can get her signed up again.

2. Hubby and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary with a nice dinner at one of my faves, Bahama Mama- their shrimp and grits gave me all my life. I also made an anniversary video...major brownie points were given.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOxz1l9fdQA&sns=em

3. Then we hit the road with our first family road trip. Despite the thirteen hour drive and the "survivor" type conditions the first night in town, our trip to Alabama was one for the memory books.

4. I went to the Women's Empowerment Expo and had a wonderful time. My friend and I did breakfast at a local bakery, met Zane (author of book turned into movie, "Addicted", and got to see Ayanya Vanzant dance down the isle.

5. We had our annual family picnic, complete with my higly requested cupcakes and our family obstacle course.

So that was my summer, how was yours?

Forever loving my B.A.D.D. Kids,
Rhonda

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Tomorrow is our 10th anniversary and I am so surprised happy that we made it this far. Our story is 20 years in the making, with many more to come. To commemorate this milestone, I made a video. Take a look and experience the best story ever told.





Forever loving my B.A.D.D. Kids (and My Husband),
Rhonda

How to Turn Your Fear Into Motivation

What would you do with your life if money was no object? I don't know about you, but I could spend hours pondering the possibilities. The dream vacations, the business ventures, endless opportunities for my kids, good credit, shoot you wouldn't be able to tell me nothing. So what's stopping me from having all the things I desire? One word: fear.

Fear is a frequent topic at bible study and it is a frequent emotion in my life. Scratch that, as I just learned, fear is a spirit, not an emotion. Only fear has the power to erase your plans and turn them into self-doubt. Well, I have decided that I'm taking my power back from fear. I'm tired of writing in my journals all these dreams and goals for my personal and business life and just simply letting them continue as words on a page.

It is time to put into action all those dreams and it's time to stop letting fear win. I want to share 5 simple steps that I will use to turn my fear into motivation.

1. Daily Affirmations- An affirmation is a statement that you are declaring is true. When you constantly feed into yourself positive affirmations, it leaves little room for doubt. Saying to yourself, "I am capable. I am wonderfully made. And I already have everything I need to succeed," would be a great start to each new day.

2. Vision Board- I am a true believer in vision boards. So much so, that I had a vision board party back in February. Along with affirmations, putting images and quotes up where you can see them on a daily basis adds more positive thinking to your daily process.

3. Face Your Fear- You know how they say that the only way to fix something is to admit that there is a problem? This is certainly true with fear because we may not realize why we do the things we do, but once we can recognize it and call in out as fear, we will know how to handle it. It's hard to admit that you stayed in a bad relationship because you were afraid of being alone or you never went to the doctor for that pain because you feared what the test results would say. You have to face fear and decide to take it head on. You do that with the next step.

4. Step Out On Faith- Faith and fear can not co-exist. Faith trumps fear every time by being one of the most powerful spiritual tools you can receive. The Bible says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". (Hebrews 1:1) To have faith in not only yourself or an idea, but also in a God who will never steer you wrong is the perfect answer to combat fear.

5. Embrace Failure- No one likes to admit it, but sometimes, even when we affirm, face our fears and step out on faith, we can still fail. But, when you understand that failure and rejection is a part of life you will be able to learn from the journey. Failure is not easy, especially when done in front of others, which most failures tend to do. Just consider it a stepping stone, a change lane signal or an event that needed to happen to develop you character with humility.

I hope that I shed some light onto the subject of fear and helped you start your journey to a more faith driven life. Don't give up and remember that everything you ever wanted is just on the other side of fear.

Wishing You Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty,
Rhonda

My Life in Photos- June 2015

1. Talk about real life goals, this would be a true blessing. All shopping decisions I make are based on my budget, so not having to check the price tag or my account would definitely put me at success status. This quote is going on my vision board ASAP!

2. So somebody at Matel came up with the bright idea to put false lashes on Barbie. I don't know whether to say, "aww, they're cute" or "bye, Felicia!" While I love wearing lashes myself, that's not the image I want to put out to my daughter that she has to wear falsies to be beautiful. I already have to fuss at her about staying out of my makeup, I don't need to have to hide the lash glue, too.

3. I decided to get my Janell Monae on and try out this protective hair style. It was super easy, only took about 20 minutes to style and only $15 in braiding hair. All the questions and compliments about my hair skills have also made me rethink my future in styling natural hair. To be continued.

4. It was my daughter's birthday and as much as I tried to make her celebration a small, nothing special, with just ice cream and cake, the more the grocery and guest list grew. It also didn't help that it rained ALL day, but it was a good turn out and a great non-party if I do say so myself.

That was my week in review, how was yours?

Wishing you Love, Peace and Soul Deep Beauty, 

Rhonda