Check out this video for a free hijab pin with matching earring set GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! Or you can go to www.wix.com/ajavdesigns/ajavdesigns-
A Quick and Easy Chance To Win!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Favecrafts.com giveaway
If you are into crafts, or just wanting some easy craft
ideas, give favecrafts.com a try. They
have something for everyone on this site, and it is easy to use. They have a
handy dandy search feature that makes anything you are looking for easy to
find.
I will tell you something else that is great about this
site-they have give-a-ways. Yes, I mean free. This week they are giving away The
My Friendship Bracelet Maker.
Let me tell you this thing is the ultimate
threading machine! This awesome kit comes with everything your little girl
could need to make bracelets for herself or her friends. The String Holder’s
unique design holds strings firmly in place so she can knot and braid away
without worrying about her work unraveling. There’s also a cute butterfly clip
to help secure the string during the knotting process. And once again, they are
giving it away to a lucky crafter.
Now, although it is geared toward little girls, for us grown
up-soon to be crafters; this is a great starting point!
Go to the site and check it out. Even if the bracelet maker
is not the gadget for you, they have lots of fun easy and free patterns, instructions and crafty things galore-you are sure to find something fun and easy to make
on this awesome site www.favecrafts.com
! Enjoy!
Monday, January 16, 2012
A Wonderful Tool for Parents......
So, I am probably, like the last person on earth to have read
the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua. Well, let me not be soooo hard on myself. I actually read it a
year ago, and I really enjoyed the book. Although at the end of the book, in
her hindsight, she might have done some things differently; I not only applaud
her in her ethics, but I have also instilled a lot of her tactics into my own
household. Now I am not saying that everything
she did was correct-not for my family, rather taking a look at what I was and
was not doing is what I gained most from her book.
For example; over the summer I choose to use some of the new
resources I learned from her book by drilling
words with my four year old every day. I took all his toys away, and put them
in the garage. He was able to earn a few of them back every day when he learned
the words (4-7 words) of the day. We did this for most of the summer, and when
we were done, my son new approximately 40 words and could read the book Go Dog Go by Dr. Seuss.
In one section of the book, her youngest daughter is playing
tennis. She hadn’t been playing long, but apparently her lessons were going well.
Her instructor gave Amy Chua, very glowing reviews about her daughters’ determination,
loyalty and attitude to complete a task, and better herself. Amy Chua asked her daughter about it, and she
said she was just using the technics Amy taught her (or put her through) when
she played the violin. 
Now I don’t know about you, but what that says to me, was
that she learned a skill that she could apply to any area of her life, to help
her succeed. Could that have been achieved in a different way, most certainly!
Nonetheless, her method did work. I think we also forget that the time a child
is putting into all of this, so is the mom. There were a lot of things she
could have done with her time, besides sitting down practicing, whatever, with
her children.
What I recognized, from reading Amy Chua’s book, was that I
was not spending enough time with my child in educating him. I am his mother, I
am his first teacher, and if he is going to be pushed it should be by me. Speaking
of being pushed, I also learned that all kids are not the same, and sometimes
pushing is exactly what that child may need.
If you haven’t read the book, I implore to read it. Don’t
focus so much on what you think she did wrong; rather focus on what tools you
can learn from her methods, and how you can implement them into your household.
I know that will be hard to do. We as human beings are so
judgmental. Give it a try. You might just come away with some great tools your
child can use for the rest of their lives.
Paved Roads To Hell..........
I was reminded about a statement a few days ago when I said to a friend..."Sometimes we really do have good intentions, but sometimes we are unable to follow through with those intentions-whatever the reasons may be. It may be that we took on something that we later realized was way more than we anticipated, or because we simply decided we no longer wanted to do a thing. Whatever the case, that doesn't mean that your good intentions were not there in the beginning." So my friend then stated to me, "Yep, which sounds very much like that old saying....The Best Intentions Are Marked With Paved Roads To Hell!". Wow! How many times have we heard quotes and thought nothing of them, until that one day when we heard that quote and realize the enormity of the quote. Maybe something you are going through in your life has made a particular quote, an epiphany at that point. I don't know, we hear what we want to hear sometimes, right? I know that is true for me, but not on purpose, as many of my friends and family may think!
Anyway, this quote made a dramatic impact on my decision making process. It made me look at some of the choices I have made, and evaluate them-realistically, not lie to myself about them. It made me look at other people's decisions and now I am able to forgive them for making those decisions.
Sometime you have to look at your "intentions" and seriously consider if your good intented decisions are marked with paved roads to hell!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Relationships, Cultures and You...
January 2012
There have been, and will always be different opinions
regarding "how and what" a relationship should entail. I have been to
a few relationship forums, and have found them to be useful in finding out the
views of both women and men.
What those forums did not include is relationships from a
cultural prospective. We all think that our way of living is the correct way.
Come on now, really we all do-culturally speaking anyway. The Oriental culture
thinks other cultures are not strict enough on the kids. The Middle-Eastern
culture thinks other cultures lack depth. The South Asian culture thinks that
everything they do is correct. The American culture thinks everything everyone
does is incorrect.
I think all cultures have a lot to offer. There are also a
lot of traditions in all cultures that can be looked upon as not so beneficial
to the masses. We all have changes to make in our lifestyles as a culture, and
as individuals.
Think about stereotypes. While they do have some truth to
them, they are mindsets of a particular mass of people, not an individual. How
many wonderful embellishments (learning a new language, a new food, a new
clothing type, a new activity-a new friend) to your life could be added, and improved
if you didn’t automatically place a stereotype on a person that you see, or
meet.
I look at my own mentality, my own self- awareness and I love
being so open minded about people and cultures. But I also know that there are
a lot of areas, in my outlook, attitude and my approach, that could use an
overhaul.
With that being said, I think I will take a month long
challenge to try to improve on the qualities that I think are important for
healthy relationships (any kind of relationship), and that always starts with
self.
Actively looking at your thought process, and deciding to make a change, is the first step. Are you guys up for the challenge? What ideas do you have about your starting point?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
2012 Girl Scout Cookies........
There are not too many cookies that can bring on an uproar
of wondrous, lip smacking, diet halting, face stuffing cookie eating-like a
Girl Scout cookie can! I mean really, can you eat just one? No!…I said no!
As I have just started my “eating sweets in moderation”
lifestyle, the gleeful news that the Girl Scouts have started taking orders as
of January 6th, rung in my ears like the hypnotic tunes of the Pied
Piper.
The Girl Scouts organization will be observing its 100th
anniversary this year, and have made an honorary cookie to commemorate the
occasion. This new cookie; Savannah Smiles (do you guys remember that movie
comedy about the little girl, who got kidnapped and won over the hearts of her
captures?) which is a lemon wedge cookie, will be on the 2012 cookie lineup,
along with your traditional favs; Samoas, Thin Mints and all others in between.
Be on the lookout at your shopping centers in mid-February;
that is when the cookies sales should begin to take place. Go to www.cookielocator.littlebrownie.com
to find the shopping centers where the Girl Scouts will be set up. Also
available for download, on your IPhone and Android, is the free Cookie Locator
app.
I must say, I can’t wait to get my hands (and mouth) on some
Thin Mints. Well there goes my
“Eating Sweets In Moderation” Lifestyle.
A challenge well worth taking on.. Whooohoooo!
“Eating Sweets In Moderation” Lifestyle.
A challenge well worth taking on.. Whooohoooo!
this blog is not offiliated with the girl scouts. i just love girl scout cookies! for more information about the girl scouts,please visit www.girlscouts.org
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