January 2013

Last day of the first month of 2013!

How's your year going? How was this month for you? Anything new? Are you keeping with what we've left in 2012?

I AM!


Let's MOVE in 2013...keep the momentum!

Get A Clue! Edition 2

Floss!
-Many people don't realize the effects of a healthy mouth. Our mouth is the gateway to our body! Brushing minimally three times a day is just a start...you NEED to floss as well!
The main purpose of flossing isn’t just to get rid of irritable food stuck in your tooth that you can't suck out or wiggle free with your tongue; it's about removing plaque; which dentist find is the leading causes of decay to the teeth, gingivitis, which is inflamed gums, sometimes bleeding gums, various other disease, including heart, tooth loss, and also bad breath! (yuck)
This is a movement: Floss! Save your life, save embarrassment, save your smile! If eyes are the window to your soul, then your smile is the lamp to your soul!!<-You READ it here first folks! Copy written lol just serious! (Khrystian Tid-Bit)

Get A Clue! Edition 1

As we all should know cleanliness is next to Godliness! However, I am well aware, as you are, that the days of Big Mamma, Granny, Ma'Dear, etc are over and as girls and boys have chirren, more Glam mom's, Katie's (call me by my first name), and any other figure that represents someone older than the prior generation, those that just sort of "watches" children grow up as opposed to raising them, training and rearing them.
When you know better; you ordinarily DO better, but because no one really has "time" to train anymore- life has become an on-the-job training situation. That may very well be a good solution but my vision is crystal clear and it's not looking good for the home team! Each one should Teach one, real talk!
So anywho, I'll get off the soap box and give my first edition of "Get A Clue!" this is just helpful hints that I've found can only improve your well-being. There are a plethora, I'm sure you have many in mind. It could be cooking tips, study habits, test-taking strategies, professional development; let's just say: It'll be anything I choose, when I choose it!

Edition 1:
Clean your neck.
-In the tub or shower and don't forget when washing your face, venture to the neck, especially the back of the neck; CLEAN there too. Lift up your hair, pin it, wrap it up, whatever you must do...but clean your neck in it's entirety. It doesn't matter if you wipe straight across or move in circular motions, suds the neck up along with the rest of your body.
Often times we neglect that neck, which is an ultra important to our head! Please don't neglect the neck...it needs love too

Natural Nail Debacle

As the day progresses and goes into the night...this natural nail kick is turning into an epic Fail for me!!! I can't win for losing!! Today four nails chipped. Three snagged my clothes, I cut myself on the index finger with one and two broke off! This natural nail crap SUCKS monkey balls! ...the journey continues tomorrow...

Oh! Happy Day!

What an amazing day to be a Pretty AKA!! Celebrating 100 years of Incorporation! Existing in perpetuity and deepening our LEGACY! I'm dedicated to the commitment of life-long sisterhood and service! We are all thankful for the vision of outstanding women! Skee wee my Sorors!!

Alpha Kappa Alpha- Founded January 15, 1908
~Incorporated January 29, 1913

Tireless dedication and effort to Supreme SERVICE to All mankind!

I'm a PROUD member!

Natural Nail Massacre

Damn all the natural nails! Lol!
I've worn acrylic nails since the fifth grade (Hey! Don't judge me! My mom was a nail salon owner/technician and practiced on me, haters LOL)
Leave that as it may I've gone back to my roots, or better yet, er...cuticles ;-) and with that said. It's been difficult and it's just been a day!!
I woke up this morning with my skin burning! I'd cut myself all in my face and arms with these sharp dog'on nails! Neosporin to the rescue!
I won't let it discourage me however. I'll continue with these stubs! Hopefully, I won't hurt myself too bad...let's stay in prayer!

PINK Goes Red for a Day

This is more than a reminder to save the date. It's a reminder to save lives, lives tragically lost to heart disease, the No. 1 killer of American women. Please
take a moment to give National Wear Red Day® a place on your calendar and in your
life.

February 2013 marks the 10th Year of the American Heart
Association's Go Red For Women® movement.
Here's what you can do to make this year the turning point:

•Wear red on Feb. 1

•Continue to help raise funds through donations and fundraisers for
lifesaving educational programs and the development of new treatments to fight
heart disease.

•Raise awareness about
heart disease, its impact on women and how we can fight back.

•Walk the talk by being physically active, eating a heart-healthy diet and
learn more about heart disease and its risk factors.

•Invite others to get involved, so we can advance further, faster.

Please feel free to share this information with your family and friends as well.

Together, we can end heart disease. Go Red.

A Hard Act to Follow

Beautiful is one of those acts that's hard to follow
...and keep up. If you allow it; it can be a ton of pressure to maintain, it comes with a price (let's face it- everything does, even your life; Jesus DID pay it ALL), and it takes much work or werk to live up to.
The one great thing is: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
When you find those that coin you beautiful, those that believe you're beautiful, the ones that greatly value your beauty: Treasure them.
The treasure isn't that they're using the adjective beautiful flippantly or providing you with a compliment... The real golden nugget is that you are your natural self, flaws and all, without additives being Beautiful!

Toast to Us, Beautiful-Ones that know how how to Werk-It!
;-)

Gone With the Wind...Fabulous...but Why?!

I'm REALLY not feeling, or for that matter getting the statement Kenya Moore has coined, and now has people saying; "Gone With the Wind Fabulous"
I understand the book was a best-seller and the motion picture stellar but to be "gone with the wind" means out of there, disappeared, removed! Most times if something is "gone with the wind" it's frazzled, tussled over, and in disarray, or worse...lost forever!!! Who thinks that's fabulous?!

*Disclaimer* I like Kenya Moore as a person. I've actually worked alongside her in a film. She's gorgeous, humble, and her accomplishments are amazing. This post has everything to do with the phrase!

A Monumental Day

So poetic that the man whom had a dream but never lived to see it in living color and the man fulfilling that dream because of courage, determination, intrinsic motivation, love and support are being celebrating, unbeknownst to them, Today! Look at God and how He works! No man could have master-planned it better! It's true; your dreams and thoughts are just small fries compared to what God has on store!
If Disney didn't convince you...looking at today, knowing this day came through much heartache, pain, strain, drain, and only by great faith; a faith the size of a mustard seed! The faith of people, one man that spoke it into existence; he spoke LIFE! He had a vision...a dream...
Dreams DO come true!! Believe that!

*An added bonus was seeing the strength and hearing the invocation of a widow, who's husband was gunned-down in front of her and their kids! Myrlie Evers-Williams! She's not a minister and this was the first time, historically, that a minister did not give the invocation. That, in itself, shows God's faithful and just promises!

Love and Laughter...Even

It's been a rough week to say the least with all the devastating news starting Sunday that I've been getting! All I can believe is that God humbles you through these type of events and circumstances to get your life RIGHT! Quick, fast, and in a hurry!
Tragic, sudden loss, almost especially that of those young or in their prime, urges you to not take for granted each day on this earth. Each moment is special! You don't get moments back! Live life to the fullest.

Living life to the fullest is not some idiotic excuse to run amuck. For us Believers, we understand we're held accountable in the end for all of our actions and decisions.

Living life to the fullest means to spend time with your loved ones, love hard, travel, don't harbor anger and resentment, treat others the way you desire to be treated, give off positive vibes and extinguish negativity, laugh hysterically, etc!

Life in itself comes with expectations and judgments so don't box yourself, nor the people around you, in to rigid criteria!

With the breath you have, speak life and LIVE!- Khrystian Tid-bit



RIP beautiful Souls Tanisha and Tamaya Davis and ShaShandra Ford
"To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord"

Happy Birthday MLK

I sure do appreciate having this upcoming three-day holiday weekend...and your Legacy! Lol (just kidding get your panties out of a bunch)
Tomorrow I'll ask the kids do they know who he is and see what answers I get!!
"I have a dream..."

Happy Founders' Day AKA

Sending an extra squeaky Skee Wee to ALL my Pretty Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as we celebrate 105 years of Supreme service!

That Awkward Moment #78

...that you realize being sentimental about what you believe to be their genuine actions and original words is pointless because it's all apart of their ammo used to pick-up any and everybody.

As The World Turns (in real life...) Episode 4

"I've been living with this man for two years. I love him very much but here lately I've found bank statements from out of town ATM's on days and nights he was supposed to be at work. My EZ tag has to be added to or charged double time, he also has a number on his cell phone bill, that I pay, where he is talking all day and night for extensive amounts of time. He gets upset with me for any little thing, especially if I question him about about anything and lately he sleeps on the couch. Our work schedules have been crucial, but I feel there's something else. I prepared and had his entire family over, including out of towners for holiday dinner and spent a lot of money on their Christmas gifts.  I called the number in his phone that's listed as a male name, but when I called a female answered. On top of all this; our sex life has declined drastically."
Enough! (and) TMI on that note :-) You have ALL the evidence in the world to convict and yet you want my answer....a deliberation! Come on! There's no easy way to say that he's seeing someone else. I don't mean to sound curt; but he's probably been buying time through the holidays to either keep his little honey dip around, and/or planning some sort of breakup with one of you. Clearly he can't continue on the way he's going...or perhaps he can; if you'll allow it! No need to go through his phone (although I can understand why if he's constantly lying AND you're paying the bill) but it would seem as though he didn't want to abruptly change holiday plans, you're making it real EASY for him to do as he pleases: footing the bill, allowing him to sleep on the couch (what is that?!). Hey, I'm not advocating fornication, pre-marital sex, and such and such, but I will say; you already bought the cow, so why would you not drink the milk?! Accepting his downright rude behavior. I understand you began saying you love him...but he's NOT displaying love and certainly not with you!  Take it from me...the "new" male name in the phone is the woman he's seeing! Let them live happily ever after...he'll see the grass isn't greener on the other side. Whether the other woman knows about you or not...HE should know better and HE'S as wrong as two left shoes! First for not being man enough to tell you if he wasn't happy with you, second for abusing your kind, giving, supportive nature, third for being a giglo and fourth for being all of that wrapped into an arrogant asshole. How dare he assume an attitude with you?!
Move on girl. That's not love...he's using the hell out of you!

New Relationship Rule::::

If you enjoy each other's company- Spend time together! Spend time together without concerning yourself with outside voices, opinions, or interference. Not everyone has great chemistry with their mate, so if you're fortunate enough to enjoy each other's company doing absolutely nothing. Ride that mofo to the wheels fall off! That just means...ENJOY the moment!
XOXO,

Questionable Motives?

You never truly know what someone's motives are for the things they do or say. It's always questionable!
To the person with motives- I say, expose them! 2013 is all about advances and growth! Get beyond your petty motives! You find more with light on than rummaging around in the dark anyway!
To the target, er...I mean, person whom the motive is intended- I say, live in love, eyes wide open, and grow beyond their pettiness. Give them a show, give them something to talk about...Be yourself! They're watching it all anyway :-)

The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord

After a few years of holding on to a book that was given to me, merely thumbing through it or glossing over particular sections over the years; I decided to finally sit and read entirely T.D Jakes' The Lady, Her Lover, and Her Lord.
As with any book I currently read, with the exception of a few (I plan to catch up), I tend to either give a review or jot down and essentially blog key points, tags, questions I pose, or drop golden nuggets of information I deem invaluable!
Here are a few lines I pulled from the book to share:

Part One: The Lady
There is nothing worse than giving the right thing to the wrong person

A positive self-image is necessary in order to procure a healthy relationship with others

The thing you want MOST is the thing that you must give!

The antidote is made from the venom

A good wife is a diamond, a treasure that must be mined. Anything else is just a rhinestone

Words are a powerful tool for evil. Beware!

Any womanizer will tell you you his hook is in his conversation.

The enemy is at work when anyone uses words to deceive you, mislead you, or cause you pain.

Behind every great man is a woman

It takes a woman to help a man meet his goals


Part Two: Her Lover
Friendship makes a marriage worth fighting for. Sex lasts mere minutes, a few hours at best, but friendship is for a lifetime!

What makes a lover wonderful is when he can kiss the body and reach down deeper to kiss the soul

In marriage, a man and wife are partners, lovers, friends. It is a bond so powerful, so special, that it is meant to last forever

Encouragement yields results

Resolve conflict but don't abuse each other with words


It is dangerous to refuse to forgive a truly repentant person. You might later have to reap the ridigity of your own judgement.

Pray to God for the strength to forgive him and the patience to teach him.

We enrich the one we love, but we do it by spending ourselves in them

It is far easier for a man to give his money, his body, his advice, but when he gives his heart; he is terrified

It is not her size that makes him vulnerable it is her importance to him

What a man doesn't realize is that a woman's love is a shelter, protection from the wind.

Love is not a monologue it is a dialogue

Make sure the room in your life is well lit and easy to see

A man doesn't have to fear virtuous woman. No reason for him to be guarded. Her intentions are clearly seen. She has a commitment to assisting him, completing him, renewing him. He has to value her

A weary soldier never wants to come home to a fight. He has fought his way to you


Part Three: Her Lord
Run as fast as you can, walk if you must, in fact crawl if necessary to get to the Word of God

Caution! God is at work.

Maximize opportunities so you do not marry out of financial need

A successful man is attracted to a woman of worth and not women of weight

God blesses what you think, but he praises what you do

Eros love is no replacement for Godly love

Of course, and with great certainty, there are other lines in the book that are useful, enlightening, and/or comforting. For a greater value or understanding of the lines I've pulled I'll more than likely spend some time individually blogging each one! Those further intrigued -get the book and read it for yourself!

XOXO,

Response to a Question via Twitter

Jacqueline Laurita of the Real Housewives of New Jersey posed a question on Twitter:
@JacLaurita: "If Autism is a social and communication disorder, Shouldn't social skills and functional language be a main focus taught in a schools curriculum?"

To that I answer:
Social skills are ONGOING starting with kinder-care! In the beginning; primary years are spent teaching functional language (abc's, numbers, sight-words, colors, shapes, etc.) The list could continue, but I'll stop there.
Parents, then, must work alongside teachers to reinforce social skills, functional language, as well as, further teach; etiquette, manners, and morals.

Around 1st grade, there may be some struggling students either observed by the teacher in comparison to student development among peers and/or parental observations. When this happens; those students that "struggle" are then evaluated for possible reasons why!

Learning disabilities, dyslexia, autism, etc. these aren't the first red flags or deductions! There are SEVERAL factors that play into a student diagnosis and evaluation and EACH student is quite different. Many students fall under the socially awkward umbrella, however; in time, they generally evolve from that to be adamant social climbers. For some it takes time, others it doesn't. Home-life, visual or hearing impairments, birth defects or complications, traumatic experiences, or circumstantial factors also play MAJOR roles in a child AND, for that matter, adults functionality!

Not everyone is autistic, just like not everyone is dyslexic or good at math, or a great speller, or avid readers, or an awesome artist, or able to keep a rhythm, or have perfect hand-writing, or capable of staying on-pitch! Programs are provided based on NEED especially in public schools!

As an educator, I often find my self thinking; if parents want personalized training and teaching for their one child, they really need to either place them into a special school! Not even private, but special. Because private schools tailor their curriculum to fit the needs of either, their student population and demographics or, they have a ready-made academia that they use.

There is no perfect way! But thank God for the infinite resources available to help meet the needs of all individual students! Thank God for educators that are personally invested in the welfare of your child in your absence for the four to eight hours a day, five days a week, and thank God for the supportive parents that understand by any means necessary your child can and WILL succeed BUT, you must do YOUR part in fostering education, reinforce social skills and relying on functionality to aid that success!

Yours Truly,
A Highly Qualified Educator