Trying to do some work outside of home!

Who goes to Starbucks during the work hours of the day? I am just curious...

I need to do my homework, so I will get some coffee to help me stay awake.

I see rich aunties, fit aunties showing muscles, nicely dressed gentlemen-  with shorts, collared T-shirts, boat shoes, people with laptops, and young adults hanging out with friends. 

I am here because I am escaping from my toddler to do schoolwork, and I wonder, the ladies over there with laptops, are there entrepreneurs? Two ladies are sitting over coffee and chitchatting- they remind me about my mom and her sister. How I wish I could see that happen soon- God, please, soon!

I have my headphones on, but the din in the room is coming through the headphones- people are talking loudly, and I am just typing away.  I turn up the volume, and what a difference this makes. 

I see some moms walk in with their kids in tow, and it brings a smile because it reminds me of going to Starbucks on the weekend with the boys after soccer practice. They get their favorite pastry, and I get my favorite iced drink... An elderly couple has just walked in, and they grab their coffees and sit down. Would that be us when we retired? Would we go to Starbucks to have coffee- Wait, Starbucks, would you still be around?

How did Starbucks figure out this business idea? How did America (or any other Western Country) become a nation of people drinking coffee all day? How did people survive when Starbucks was not in existence?  I have to find a podcast that has this information.

It is time to return to this accounting homework, but honestly, I would rather be sipping on my iced coffee and watching YouTube in peace.  I will catch up on all the podcasts about Marvel and the next phase, DCEU, and Blue Beetle coming up. How come I haven't heard about that before? Watching soap videos and how to create the next soap that can combine the magic of African Black soap and the beautiful colors that cold process soaps... 

Oh well!

I'm just here trying to do my homework that is four weeks late... If I cannot finish this, I might as well kiss this class goodbye! I will have to retake this class.

Summer Activities with the kids

Hello

I was listening to a Podcast recently, and the host was asking his guest about what he remembered about their childhood. The guest mentioned being free. He was happy and spent time with his sister in their backyard. The guest could not say if anything happened to make it memorable, but he remembered being free, and he was happy with that.

Summer for me means doing something memorable that the kids will remember- something we could do together despite our very busy schedules. For me, it means family time. Summer is almost over, and it means the kid’s birthdays, vacations, busyness at work, and hot days- my joy will be the time we spend together.

My kids are getting older, and this summer, I have been trying to find things to do so that I do not hear the dreaded four-letter words:

“ Mommy, I am bored.”

Since I work, most of my activities with the kids happen after work and on the weekend, and so far, the kids have been enjoying it- I was told :)

Here are some things we did

1. Visited a paint spot. We paid for some clay items and painted them. When we were done, we gave the items we painted back to the lady in the store and they would fire it in a kiln. We got our items after a few days

2. Made pizza from scratch (see the pictures below)

3. They went to the zoo a few times

4. Signed up for team sport- all the better to run around and get to make more friends.

5. Visited family

One of my favorite thing to do was making pizza from scratch and we had fun. There was flour on hair, faces, on the floor! I will be honest to say, I was worried about clean up at the end, but it was easy. The boys tried out pepperoni pizza, I put pesto and onions on my pizza and I loved it. Would I do this again, absolutely!

Maybe next time, I will share my recipe!

What did you do for summer? Let me know in the comments!

Stop! For a little bit.

Hey,

A few weeks ago, we discovered that a very close friend had passed away; he was not sick but was gone just like that. He was going to be 42 this month, on the 17th! We went to college together, graduated at about the same time, and he became like family to me and my brother. A few other students who and I were international students at college at that time were all pretty close because we all knew why we were here and being so far away from home; I would say we became family…

His death hit hard!

He worked hard, and I know he cared for himself and taught others to do that.

After graduating from college, we moved and lived in different states, and we would check on each other from time to time. If we could not visit, we would text. Now this. Working in pathology, I would say this should have been a case for an autopsy because I want to know why and what happened.

This has got me thinking about priorities or passions and life.

When we moved out of our home countries in search of a better life, I will tell you by God’s grace that God has been good to me and my family. When I take a moment to reflect, I see that sometimes my passions and priorities get all mixed up, and I get stressed. I go back to my foundation of praying to God for help and guidance and recenter to what is necessary.

My friend’s passing is causing me to re-evaluate the meaning of work, the meaning of rest, and taking care of myself.

   Work is good, and I will encourage everyone to work. (Genesis 2:15 (NIV): “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it.

1.      Do not let the American Dream become the American Nightmare

2.      Work hard and remember our families are essential; they should not just get the leftovers from me after a grueling day at work.

3. When home, be present. This is not the time to catch up on social media

What does rest mean to me? I need to find that and work hard to keep it. I have heard people say sleep is overrated, and at one point, I believed it, but now I do not. If God rested on the 7th day after all He had done at creation, who do I think I am not to need rest? See Genesis 2:2-3

And finally, taking care of myself.

I believe my friend would tell me to do this. To stay healthy, to eat right, and most especially, to exercise. He would encourage me not to let the stress of life get the best of me!

He would have been 42 this month- it is still difficult to think he is no longer here…

 These tips are what I am doing now… Do you do anything differently?

How to Make Father's Day Special

Hello!

Are you trying to decide what gift will be better than last year’s? Or is this the first Father’s Day for someone you love and cannot decide what to get? Here are a few no-nos:

1. Gift Cards. These are the easiest and safest gifts, but most people get this when they do not know what to get. If you must, put a good chunk of change in it and gift it. If it is what Dad asked for, go for it!

2. Neck Ties. Does anyone wear ties today? If someone wears a tie for work, I will say they have all the colors they like, and another tie on Father’s Day is ok, to add to the collection. If it does not have something special- kids’ names embroidered, handmade by the kids, etc. please do not get this.

3. Golf clubs. Do they play golf? Do they need another golf club? Think about this! If it is not signed by Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy, Lydia Ko, or someone famous- no!

4. Toolboxes. Is there something special in the toolbox that you are about to get that is not in the toolbox they already have? Look for a different item if you do not mind seeing what you spent good money on in the corner.

5. Gadgets- these are cool, but are they practical? Most men want something practical, so cool is good but get a practical gift.

With a list like this, you might think, this makes it difficult to get a gift. I will say, you know this person, get them something they will like. In case you do not know what to get, here are some tips:

1. Get an annual subscription to an event they love to participate in or something they love to watch. If they love sports, you can get an annual subscription to the sport they love to watch- these days, Paramount Plus, Peacock TV, and Amazon Prime can get you the sports shows they like.

2. Get Experience gifts- I know a colleague who told me they were going to a special location with their dad, and he gets to spend time with his kids and grandkids in one location.

3. Gifts to show that you know him- I saw a show on YouTube (@Deep pocket monster) where this guy customized a Pokemon card for a friend who loved Pokemon. I thought that was so awesome!

4. Make something! My kids and I stumbled upon soapmaking and made a mustache soap for Dad! See it below

5. Send money- if they live overseas, send them money to spend on themselves. In some countries, currency exchanges make some currencies more valuable, and a monetary gift goes a long way.

6. If you must get a tie, try something different: go for a bow tie. Here is a link to one of my new favorite shopping sites to get bow ties.

And I will say, sometimes; it is the thought that counts. My dad passed away when I was a toddler, and I never got to celebrate him.

Enjoy your time with your dad, and hope this helps!

Always,

E!

Mustache Soap

Hello!

It is June 2023!

Hello and thank you for stopping by!

Please introduce yourself and tell me where you are reading from!

The school year has ended for the kids, and now the thing to do is to plan activities for the kids to do during this break from school and to reduce screen time. After a long day at work, it can be difficult but with good planning and organization, a lot of things can be done.

We are in the middle of the year and as I post my blogs, you will see the focus is on

1. Managing time, and being a good steward of my finances

2. Spending time with family- intentional time

3. Continuing on my healthy eating journey and being accountable.

So welcome and I hope you can find something that helps you and makes life a little bit easier for you!

Always,

Ezanya