Family * Travel * Food

You should impress the one you love

I hear people say this all the time (especially married or those on long term relationships)

"I have been with so and so long enough that he/she loves me and I don't need to impress him/her"

You're kidding me right? Think that if you want! I speak primarily to the ladies when I say this... When your husband/boyfriend first knew you and you wore makeup or dressed a certain way, chances are that impressed him. Just because you have been together for years does not mean you should feel so comfortable and think he does not care if you wear makeup or take the time to dress nicely. Don't you want your mate to still "check you out"?? I know I do! Hey, I don't ever want Dwayne to try to get me signed up to go on an episode of What not to wear. Stacy and Clinton are no joke! Then again, 5 grand to purchase a new wardrobe would be amazing!! **Dwayne I would still make you suffer if you did that to me!

I am not a know-it-all (hate those types) but I do know how to keep a relationship alive. Ladies, I know you are not a machine but you have to find a way to show that man that you get better with time (not the opposite). Fellas, we still love all the silly pickup lines you dropped to get us in the first place. My hubby tells all young men getting ready to get married, or you let him tell you get locked up for life with no parole, "Always treat your wife like she is your girlfriend". That simple advice works like a charm. Trust me, we have been together for 20 years. I still want the same person when we are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary to try to grab a little booty in front of our guests. Even though I shove him when he does it, I know I love it :) I still am impressed with the fact that Dwayne still holds the door for me, buys me flowers often, brings home 'little' things he knows I love, and behaves like the crazy fool I have always known him to be. Why would I want a different person? I expect him to still do whatever it takes to impress me. **Especially when I get fat commission checks in hand!

If you want a long healthy relationship I would suggest you always try to impress your mate. Just my two cents.
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Do kids need a boost?

The other day I was at my kids' school when I noticed a student drinking a beverage out of a skinny can. The first think I thought was that it had to be an energy drink. Why would a 12 year old need one of those anyway? As it turns out a lot of the 12-17 age group drink these drinks just because they feel 'tired'. I personally think that if kids would get outside and be active and stay away from the computer, television and game consoles that their energy would not be depleted as badly. It is amazing how simple exercise, eating properly and taking vitamins can make a huge difference in the way you feel. I would never allow my children to drink these beverages because it is kind of like giving your kid a few cups of coffee a day and that can't be good.
Now Dwayne will occasionally drink part of an energy drink *Note: I said part of one because of the effects it has on his body and he is a big grown man! The only time he really does that is if he has to work a 12 hour day to accommodate meeting with clients or mentoring a child or if he has to go out of town by car. I have even had some a few times while on a road trip. It wreaks havoc on your body once it wears off! Whew!! Imagine people that can mix it with liquor?! YIKES!
Do you or would you let your 12-17 year old drink an energy drink? What are your thoughts?
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Cutest pumpkin in the patch!

I very happily went out this morning in the 37 degree weather to take little Willam to the pumpkin patch so we could snap a few Fall photos. Well, he looked every which way except at me! LOL!! I think it was too much excitement for the little guy. There were a lot of preschool aged kids running around and cool things hanging from the trees to look at. There were dozens of painted gourds and Indian corn. Looking at the camera was just not interesting! So we walked around a bit then purchased a baby pumpkin and headed home.





Look what he did when he got back to his toasty home!




This face is my new favorite. How cute is this? Please, I want another little William because I am having the time of my life! Being a mom is the best job in the world!!

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Freebie

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Spring cleaning in Fall

Do you ever feel like your life is too cluttered? You have so much going on in so many directions that it makes you lose focus. In my family, we tend to 'Spring clean' all year long. We throw everything out and try not to collect stuff. The rule is if it has not been used in the past year then it has to go (with the small exception of some keepsakes). I used to be one of those people that would save things I thought might eventually come in handy one day only to find that it would collect dust and never did get used. I accumulated a box collection. A box collection? Yes, every time I would receive a package through the mail I would save the box thinking that it was the perfect size for if I was to ship something to someone. I would end up with a corner of my storage room loaded with these boxes and I never used them. My kids have even gotten into the habit in their own rooms to get rid of outgrown clothes, shoes and other odds and ends that end up creating clutter. I don't even have to ask them to do it! I have also been putting William's outgrown things in huge zipper bags separated by give aways/donations and also things to take to consignment. This ensures that he will always have things that actually fit instead of grabbing something that is too small. I figured I need to get into that habit early on so I can keep up with his room.

On another note, I know that if Dwayne reads this he will be talking about my junky drawers. Look, I have a few junky drawers in different parts of the house and that will never change. I keep random things like paper clips, pens, batteries, screws, coins, stamps, and all kids of odd items in these drawers (some things are actually useful). Shoot, Dwayne has even found things he needed in the junky drawers.

Do you keep a lot of "STUFF" that you think you need?
Do you have a junky drawer/s in your home? If so, what can be found in it?
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Televison is crap

I had a couple of moments this weekend to just lay around and flip through channels on TV. I watched bits and pieces of all kinds of shows, both for kids and adults. I came up with a conclusion. Watch Animal Planet, Food Network or Noggin (the preschool channel) or the News channels. As Dwayne would say "Those are the only channels that will not make you mad (except if you are hungry of course)". Everything else seems to be complete garbage. Don't get me wrong, I occasionally like to participate in watching mindless entertainment but some of the crap that is on these days ... ugh! I am glad I never introduced my kids to MTV, BET or VH1. I don't see how anything on those channels could be appropriate for kids. The reality shows are such an atrocity. I do have to admit though I have snuck a peek or two of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Boy, that Ne Ne is a trip! You can say that is part of that mindless entertainment I previously mentioned, hey I am not perfect!

Maybe I am just too mature (I refuse to call myself old!) to appreciate TV choices of today.
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Life's tough lessons (sorry, long post)

Yesterday afternoon was a really big day for my daughters. I have mentioned in previous posts that both of the girls are a part of the EL Wright Middle School volleyball team (Briahnna is a team manager and Chardonnay is a team player). They had their final game of the season against another team (Blythewood Middle) that was 7-0 just like their school. This was that biggest game of the season. The game that would give title to one school that would be the #1 in the district for middle school volleyball. Unfortunately our team did not win the final game. The other team had stronger serves and had a little better strategy that gave them the title. Chardonnay and her teammates were crushed and disappointed. They had to brave through doing the final handshake with their opponents. They held their tears back like champs. Once the final handshake was over they ran over to the side and sobbed uncontrollably. The reason for this is because in the last 2 years of playing, the veteran players had never lost a game. They were the reigning champions of the district for 3 years. This hit them so hard since they had never experienced loss in the sport they trained so hard for (18 hours per week not including regular school and other activities). Their coach had to tell them to hold their heads high and know that they played their hearts out and rank #2 in the district which is still very good. When I looked over at the girls' tears and pain I knew I had to hold it together.

Someone had to win and someone had to lose. It's life.

Chardie did something out there on the floor that most girls don't master until high school or are not skilled enough to attempt. She was jump serving her butt off! You should have seen the little powerhouse! She is one of the tiniest girls on the team but can play like a true champ. She received so much praise from other players, parents, and even folks from the other school! We all encouraged her and let her know that she did the best she could. This did not make her feel any better, tears were still falling. I had a small victory gift at the house for both girls for whether they won or lost. It brought a little smile to her face. We then went out to dinner and she had a double serving of dessert. Ah, ice cream covered in hot fudge sauce and M&M's the way to a girl's heart! Still, she was a little sluggish. Papo brought home a gift which was a funny card and what else but a brand new volleyball! Now the girl was looking like the child we know! She came up to our room and chatted with us about the game. Even though she was not happy with the end result she accepted things for what they were. She now knows what it is like to lose. She knows that you have to lose some time. She still wants to get out there and work hard. She is a winner.

To end this sad story here is the best part. Briahnna is trying out for the team next year because she says "I want a shot to BEAT Blythewood!!!!" That's my competitive baby! She's got as much heart as her big sister. I love those girls!! I am proud of them always.
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Don'tcha hate it when.... Wordless Wednesday

I really don't have anything that is bothering me at the moment except I hate it when this little muffin keeps doing too much too soon. He is not staying a baby long enough :( Feel free to post your gripes anyway! I love reading what you have to say.

**Dwayne: Oh, I got something to say- (FELLAS) Don'tcha hate it when you are walking in the mall with your child, and the females come up to you and start talking , and the wife thinks you are doing something to make the women come over. For instance, William and I were in the store last weekend in the boy's section while Shell and the girls were in the Juniors' section. This store employee comes over and starts talking about how William is soooo cute. William grabs the woman's finger and is just smiling away. I try to get William to let go, then he starts whipping that killer smile (with a little laughter mixed in) on the lady, she melts, and her man (behind the counter) is looking at me like I'm trying to holla at her. Then William lets go and the lady walks off all looking back, sashaying her big butt around, now her man wants to mean mug me, and I'm like dude that's your problem. Then Shelly and the girls walk up looking at me like I'm using William as a chick magnet. Shell and the girls are like mmm hmm! So I'm like What!? I try to explain and then Shell and the girls look at William and he is like DA DA DA DA, so he is trying act like he has no idea of we're talking about. When Shell and the girls walk off, William looks at me and laughs. I'm like playa that was foul, and he just laughs. Man I hate that ! Peace
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Someone is 7 months old already

Our baby is another month old. This is such a fun time for William. He loves to play, he can sit up (with the occasional flop over!), he recognizes the people that are around him most and he has started saying his first word. Do I even have to say what that might be?? You guessed it...it's "Da Da". I'm only the one that is ALWAYS with him, feeding, bathing, teaching, washing clothes, cleaning messy faces, changing diapers, rocking, singing, carrying him around (he weighs 22 pounds) and all of the other mommy stuff I do. Of course he would say Da Da. It is just the thing babies do. Whenever daddy walks through the door William squeals with excitement, laughing and smiling. He opens his arms and leans towards his dad waiting to be picked up. I tried to capture some video footage of the boy saying Da Da but naturally the minute he sees the camera, he stops.


A funny thing about the boy too is that he likes to be called Willie. His sisters started that one and now we all call him that, ha! Any time he gets fussy we start counting and reciting the alphabet. He LOVES it and responds as if he can say it himself! I really think it is because we did it while he was in the womb. His sister Chardie speaks Spanish to him and he gets such a kick out of it! Hey, it's never too early to learn or to teach! Here are a couple more photos of our big boy
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State Fair fun and some mishaps

Hello friends. Remember my post yesterday about getting to be a kid for a day? Well I don't think kids ever feel like this! This morning has been a very trying one. I woke up to aches and pains in my back, legs and arms. I feel like I was lifting heavy weights without stretching first combined with a hangover! I could barely wake up. I managed to get the coffee made. I grabbed my favorite mug, added my sugar and then poured the steaming hot coffee in. I then proceeded to add the creamer. As I began to gently pour, I realize I was adding baby formula, not coffee creamer. UGH! This meant repeating the steps again and wasting a perfectly good cup of Joe. I am still not awake~! Well, we had a blast at the South Carolina State Fair. All of the usual stuff you see every year but there is nothing like eating certain foods unless you are physically at the Fair. One thing that was very noticeable this year was it was not nearly as crowded as in the past. You could walk up to any ride and sometimes be the only one riding. The food lines were very short and the game vendors begged for your business. Some even offered a free game just to have something to do! These were all true signs that our economy is really bad right now for everyone.
It was a very hot day (near 90 degrees) but at least William behaved very well. I really thought he would have been disgusted after the first two hours but he really seemed to have enjoyed the sights and sounds. Look at this happy boy! I tried to upload a slide show but could not get the html thingy right so here is a link to it instead. There are captions for each photo. I hope you enjoy our photos!
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Winner of BLYA Contest



Congratulations to the winner of the Business Leaders Youth Alliance traffic contest. Chryss S. She made the only comment for the contest, but her comment really captures what Dwayne is trying to do.



Ismail, I am glad that you have come up with something for our youth. Being a single mother, I am always seeking different avenues for my children to explore to aide them in being productive citizens/youth in our community. I am just so glad that this program will not only reach the youth, jobs skills, but also teach them how to utilize what they have learned in everyday life. Ismail, you the man!!!! Thank you again for a program that will open may opportunities for our youth!!!!

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I get to be a kid today

Today is going to be a fun day. I am taking the girls out of school early and the hubby and father-in-law aka "ATM" are taking half days. We are heading out to the State Fair to enjoy some family time and a whole lot of fun! Since the boys don't do rides, they will be security and I am sure each time you look at them they will have a corn dog, turkey leg, elephant ear or funnel cake in their face! Of course I will be in true mom fashion by packing up drinks, snacks and hand sanitizer. There is NO WAY anyone will be spending 3-4 bucks for a soda. If the kids want a sausage dog because the smell of it is calling them I will shove a granola bar in their mouth and tell them to play pretend! No, I'm kidding. I won't be that cheap!

Today will be my day to behave like a kid and just enjoy life with my family. I will post some photos tomorrow. I hope you all have a great day!

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Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Don'tcha hate it when...

  • you are getting ready to cook or bake something and you realize you are all out of something important like flour, sugar or rice.
  • you catch yourself singing songs in the car off of Noggin/Nick Jr (preschool songs mind you). Can't get enough of those Blue's Clues.
  • you are ready to take a sip of your nicely chilled, been waiting to drink you all day wine or cocktail and you suddenly hear baby cries or whines. Beverage gets warm :(
  • you accidentally spill perfectly good adult beverage. What a waste!
  • one of your family members did not cover their food when they used the microwave and tried to do the quick wipe up instead of a full clean, and think I would not notice those nasty streaks.

Well that about does it for me, it's now your turn to gripe. You know you want to. Hit us up in the comments :)

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cell phone charges- Warning

The other day I called up Verizon Wireless to inquire about megabyte charges. I have a cousin that recently racked up a $70 charge from browsing ringtones. You would think it was free to do this in hopes that you will buy something right? Wrong. It used to be free and now anytime you browse or look up anything you accumulate megabyte charges at $1.99 per megabyte. I had the customer service rep tell me if we had any of those charges and she said from all 4 lines we had a total of $10. The rep explained that I could avoid megabyte charges if I got the Vcast unlimited package at $15 per phone (times 4 phones?? Uh, NO!) I was really lucky that I got this particular rep because she encouraged me to get a free block added to all lines and did not push me into getting the Vcast package. Had my cousin not mentioned this whole thing I could have racked up a HUGE bill! We never thought about it when the kids would ask to browse ringtones because we thought it was free. If you are a Verizon customer please be aware of this and call customer service to get a block if you don't have the need for unlimited browsing. My rep said that she has received dozens of calls from people that accumulated almost $1000.00 in charges! I guess mine could have been worse. You live and you learn.
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Flashback Friday

This is one of my favorite photos from 2 years ago. Have a great weekend folks!

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Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Don'tcha hate it when....
  • you get in the self checkout lane at the store (especially during the busier hours) and you get behind a "first timer" that not only does not know what she is doing, but dares to have like 20 items over the limit. Idiot.
  • you buy something today (open it up and use it) only to find it on clearance the next day.
  • you get all showered, dressed up, and pretty then your precious baby spits up all over you.
  • you neatly pack up a box for shipping to someone special and after you tape it up, you realize you forgot to put the card in the box.

Well, I want everyone too see that I did not use my Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday to trash talk my hubby. **Of course this has nothing to do with that FAT bonus check you have sitting in the bank that I am forbidden to touch even though it's calling my name

Now folks, it's your turn to let us know what drives you mad. Hit us up in the comments...

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Do you have a tattoo?

Do you have a tattoo? Well, both Dwayne and I have one. Actually he has more than one but you can say it is a cluster of them. I got mine about 7 years ago when we were down in Miami. Our state (South Carolina) did not allow tattooing at that time. As a matter of fact, it has been about 2 years now since the law was passed legalizing tattooing. I guess when you live in a conservative Southern state, that's just how it is.

The day Dwayne and I went to get my tattoo was really exciting. Nobody thought I would go through with it. I already knew exactly what I was getting and where. I took into consideration that it had to be in a place that could easily be covered up when it was inappropriate. I got Dwayne's name in my right ankle. I know some of you are gasping and saying "What in the world were you thinking getting a man's name on your body?" Perhaps it was a crazy move on my part, but I don't regret it. We both look at it as a tribute to the struggles we went through to be together and how long we have come (20 years).
*Dwayne's says "S C B" on the top for the girls & myself. He will eventually get one for William.
As my crazy hubby says, at least if he ever passed away, I could still find another Dwayne. He on the other hand would be out of luck finding another Sheliza! And the only other Sheliza we know would never be able to deal with Dwayne. ha ha!
What do you think of tattoos? If you have one, where is it and what is it of? Please share :-)
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Could you live off of fast food?

This week has been a very hectic week for me. I have had several events that I have had to attend or drop off/pick up children to and from. This has lead to us eating out for 2 days. Now this is very unusual for my family since I cook daily and take the occasional Friday night off. Yesterday Chardie looked at me as she placed the last bite of her chicken sandwich in her mouth and said "Bawbi, I think I am done with fast food for a good while now". I agreed with her. We discussed how we don't think we would ever be able to live off of fast food for more than a couple days (in extreme circumstances). We know a lot of working families that eat out every day of the week and I don't know how they do it! It is amazing the things you can make at home with minimal ingredients, very economically at that. One sad thing is our nation will continue to develop heart disease and high blood pressure because of how enticing fast food dollar menus look on folks' pocketbooks.

Do you eat out a lot? Could you and your family live off of fast food?
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Don'tcha hate it when.... Wednesday

Don'tcha hate it when... (Sheliza)

  • you get the opportunity to shop on another person's dime and can't find a single thing you want?
  • you go take take the last sip of your what was once steaming hot coffee and it's cold. UGH!
  • you have like a couple dozen blog stalkers that visit everyday, yet have never left a single comment?
  • the day you actually order fast food (cause you were craving those crispy fries) and you get home and guess what? No fries.
  • you try to sneak and get some crispy fries (because if the whole family knew you would end up spending like $30) and you still end up getting caught. Now I look like the bad mom.

Don'tcha hate it when....(Dwayne)

  • you need 5 more minutes of sleep and all you can hear is your wife yelling your name..Example "DWAYNE? - DWAYNE?! .. Get Up!!!"
  • after you don't get up, your wife strategically places coffee next to the bed and stirs the cup like it's an Olympic event.
  • your wife finally gives up trying to wake you up, and you think you can get 5 more minutes to sleep, and then the dog starts barking. (I think my wife taught him that). Y'all say it with me .. Now that's some BullS%#t!
  • your wife smiles when you say 'OK OK I'm up'.

Don'tcha hate it when.... (Sheliza)

  • your hubby thinks he can use hate it when Wednesdays to bash his perfect wife.
  • your dumb ass hubby has the nerve to complain that the coffee is cold by the time he finally gets out of the bed.

Alright, we better stop before things get too ugly around here. Y'all know what to do, hit us up in the comments...

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