As moms we all have our “Can I please just have 5 minutes to breathe my own air?” times. Some days even just 2 minutes would suffice. For me personally, over the past few months those times came closer and closer together until every single day numerous times throughtout the day I found myself not just asking but literally begging for those few minutes to myself - outloud even. To my kids, hubby - honestly ANYONE who was willing to listen, which wasn’t many because between home and business I rarely saw or talked to anyone outside the family.

I’ve never been one to really keep to myself. Even though I am a Cancer and should fall into the homebody category, that’s never been me. I’m a social creature. I’ve always been the kind who is never sitting still, loves her plate full, always on the go and thrived on being with others and DOing. That is until the past few years.

I don’t know maybe it’s just getting older, having kids, settling down, working from home or a combination of all of them that’s making me this way, but I honestly don’t think growing up and having responsibility is the major reason I’ve become such a hermit. Even when Zachary was young I was a busy body. We went and did all the time. Not so much anymore.

All that slowly diminished without me even realizing it was happening until I found myself starting to fall apart - literally. I’ve gotten to the point nothing I did made me happy and everyone else was starting to see it because I wasn’t easy to be around, always in a bad mood, which as a mom you learn your kids can and will eventually pick up on no matter how good you are at hiding it. Not only do they sense your moods, they mimic them if they see them enough. Yeah my kids were beginning to do this.

Just one example: My oldest got snippy with me a lot for no particular reason, all because he saw me being that way. Yes, he’s approaching 12 and the hormones are flowing which has a lot to do with his “attitudes” lately, but if you knew my son you’d know that’s not all of it. He is his mama through and through.

It just dawned on me that he used to have an imaginary friend he called ’shadow’. Now Shadow was more than just Zachary’s actual shadow. It started that way, but then he became Zach’s best buddy. He used to eat dinner with us, take his bath after Zach and watch TV with us. I even remember Zach telling me that Shadow was on vacation in Texas or Indiana among other places when we hadn’t heard about him in a few days. Makes me wonder if there was a reason his friend was named that because I tell ya the older he gets the more he reminds me of my own shadow. - Stop laughing if you’re reading this mom!

Anyway, back on topic…sorry still have those moments where I just get on a roll and can’t stop.

During this extremely extended PMSing time, I came across a Tweet from a friend of mine who was looking for moms who were interested in reading a book that one of her clients had written. I replied that I’d love to read it (I hadn’t read a book in a very long time - since I was breast feeding Sierra so it had been months) and a few days later I was holding in my hand this tiny little pocket size book:

Rochelle Vasalek’s Frazzled Moms’ Devotions to Go was an answer to a prayer I’d been praying for months. I was definitely a frazzled mom who couldn’t tell whether she was coming or going. I had dug myself a rut so deep I didn’t even know how to begin to get out.

Rochelle has a realness that almost any mom can relate to at some point in her devotions. She’s dealt with things in her life that many of us would think we’d never make it through. As a matter of fact one of her biggest challenges she almost didn’t make it through and neither did her son.

But through it all - even at times she thought she wouldn’t need him - she had God on her side and found her way through the craziness of life with His guidance and her faith. She walks us through real life stories of her own filled with humor and encouragement to help us moms see not only are we not alone, but it’s probably not as bad as it seems.

Reasons I loved this book:

It’s little!
It is small enough to fit in my purse (I didn’t think anything else could fit there but it did), cubby hole under the radio in the van, the baby’s diaper bag pocket, just about anywhere. If I tried hard enough I could probably fit it in the back pocket of my jeans even!

It’s broken up into bite size pieces that get the point across without rambling on.
We’re moms, we’re busy and therefore we don’t have time to sit down and read an entire novel or chapter. Each devotional is 2-3 pages long and can easily be read and entered into our memory in a few minutes.

There are 30 days of devotionals.
Take it 1 day at a time, which is all we can muster the courage or time for. This makes it perfect for moms like me who didn’t need anything else unneccessary crammed into my brain to try and remember. Being able to focus on one single devotion at a time gave me the ability to do just that - FOCUS & WORK on ONE thing at a time.

You can easily keep going if one isn’t enough too.
There were some days I actually had more than a minute or two to spare (you know after the kids FINALLY went to sleep and hubby happened to doze off on the couch!) and I could keep reading more.

Scriptures & Spirit Builders
Each day started with a scripture and was followed by Rochelle’s story. These alone would be enough to get you thinking and really motivated, but that’s not all. At the end of each day there is a spirit builder. These are only a paragraph long and give you advice and specific activities to do to help strengthen your relationship with God and build on the scripture and story before it.

The only thing I found a bit on the negative side of this tiny bundle of joy (yes I found great joy in the things I read and took from Rochelle’s book) was that there were a few typos. Now, this was not enough to make me stop reading and some nights it even gave me a little chuckle. However, I have writer’s blood AND I’m a perfectionist so I notice the little minute details like this. Sue me!

I will tell you it took more than JUST this book to get me out of my funk but it absolutely helped the process. Along with a few dear friends (you know who you are T & N) who were there when I needed them most, kids who loved me unconditionally and a loving husband who even though he doesn’t deal well with my regular PMSing was willing to stick with me even though I was bringing him down as well, Frazzled Moms’ Devotions to Go showed me there was light at the top of the hole. It showed me that we all have our times when no matter how hard life is we’ve always got a helping hand reaching down ready and willing to pull us up and show us the way.

I highly recommend any mom who is feeling like she just can’t think inside her own head for being so frazzled, grab this tiny piece of heaven on Earth. You are NOT alone, we all have these moments, but there is a way to relieve the stress and get through even the toughest of times as moms.

Why God Made Moms
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?

• She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
• Mostly to clean the house.
• To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

• He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
• Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
• God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

• God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
• They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

• We’re related…..
• God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

• My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
• I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy..
• They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

• His last name.
• She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
• Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

• My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot..
• She got too old to do anything else with him.
• My grandma says that mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.

Who’s the boss at your house?

• Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.
• Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
• I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What’s the difference between moms and dads?

• Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work..
• Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
• Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power ’cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
• Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

• Mothers don’t do spare time.
• To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

• On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
• Diet. You know, her hair. I’d diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would i t be?

• She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that..
• I’d make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
• I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

How many times a day do you complain? How many times a day do you say something negative? How many times a day do you react to a situation as opposed to learning how to be proactive?

Maybe you need an understanding of reactive and proactive. To be reactive means a reverse or opposing action. It also means opposition to progress. On-the-other-hand, to be proactive means Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty.

Now when we look at these definitions we see that we have a choice to either negatively act out or to consider the situation and move forward in a more proactive manner. Instead of reacting to a situation and taking chance on causing conflict hurt or pain, you can choose to take the steps necessary to avoid such issues before they occur.

Being proactive helps you in so many ways. It keeps you level headed, it helps you to keep your emotions in check, it helps you to hold steady to God’s hand because you know you will need Him to make it through. Being more proactive helps you to think before you speak and it may even help you to just shut your mouth.

When you are proactive you know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will do as He promises. He will help you carry out the call he has put on your life. You know that your part is to step through the doors He opens and do the work necessary for completion of the task at hand. When you are proactive you know that you have to have a complete spiritual paradigm shift – mind, body, and spirit to effective carry out the will of God in your life.

There will be no excuses flowing from your lips because when you are proactive you know that you are responsible for the outcome in your life. You understand that the way your life is lived falls on you and no one else. You know that you have a choice.

Determine today be more proactive in your life!

Every now and then life throws you a curve ball. You have a choice to hit a home run or foul out. Hitting the home run is not always an easy feat.

The ball may come too fast you don’t see it or it may come so slow that when you hit it is an automatic out. Then there comes the moment when you hit the ball and you start running to home plate. It is at this moment that you run for toward the prize…a home run!

Before you reach that pinnacle of joy, you must first get past the hurdles. First base is where you find out if you have what it takes to really get around the bend. Second base is your challenge of waiting for the end to come near. The third base is where you see the way to go and home…well home is the place of sheer joy.

Change is seldom easy and very challenging. The challenge lies in how you handle the change that is thrown your way. How do you take the moments handed to you during the change? How do you deal with the dust that flies in your face? How do you focus as the challenge comes your way?

God never intended for life to stop when the ball comes our way. It is His not intention to allow a challenge in our lives so that we cower in corner and give up. We don’t serve a God that gives up, so why would He want His children to give up.

God’s desire is for you to embrace the change. Take it, work through it, work with it, and live your best life in spite of and because of.

Sister…EMBRACE YOUR CHANGE!

Many people wonder why I love the New Kids on the Block. Of course I could sit here all day and give you all the reasons, but today I want to tell you one of the biggest and non teenage girl  (yes, I’ll always think Donnie Wahlberg is HAWT!) ones.

Let’s Get This Foundation

The funny thing about this particular reason is that I have been contemplating how to get involved in charity/volunteer work, get my oldest son involved in the ‘net and helping others a lot lately.  The things I’ve come up with fit perfectly with this. When I got on the computer this AM and saw this I just knew the one thing I had been leaning towards the most was THE right one for us.

Now as a writer I am one of those who once I start writing about something (especially something I believe so strongly in) I have a tendency to just go and go and go. Some call it rambling..Call it what you want - little NK humor there couldn’t resist.

Trust me this is NOT the problem you want to have when you are limited to only 100 short words and your heart is aching to say and do so much more.

Getting my thoughts into 100 words for this was extremely difficult for me, but I finally did it. I want to post it here, however, unlike the majority of NKOTB fans, there are some out there who are not very nice and so I will refrain until I see what, if anything, becomes of my entry.

Just know that even if I don’t get to help with this specific cause (NKOTB’s that is) I AM going to continue on and have things in the works to keep going with this. I truly believe after a very long time wanting to do something for a worthy cause I finally have been reassured that THIS is what I NEED to focus on.

Onward & Upward (My new motto by the way!)

Arika

Hi there! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted to this here blog, but I’m still kicking. As a matter of fact, I’ve made some serious business and personal changes that I’ll tell you about in future posts. The planning and leaps of faith these changes required left me little time to get much more accomplished so with my apologies I bring you the first of many posts as a new and improved online business owner!

Just this week we’ve released some new packs at YummyPLR & our sister site EasyPLR.com. Check ‘em out!

40 Memorial Day PLR Recipes
With recipes like these you’re sure to find a few your readers (and you) will love:

1. Red White and Blue Cheese Spread
2. Cinnamon Apple Cracker Bites
3. Memorial Day Floating Ice Punch
4. Fruited Tea Sangria
5. Ranch Turkey Sandwich Ring

Hot Video Game PLR Mini Article Pack
From Pokemon (my 11yo is a Pokemon addict!) to Street Fighter & Resident Evil, you’ll find information about some of the top video games on the market right now!

Video Games & Our Kids PLR Mini Article Pack
You’ll find the following 5 articles in this mini PLR pack:

1. Kids and Video Games: The Couch Potato Syndrome
2. Play Active Video Games with Your Kids
3. Start Educational Video Games at an Early Age
4. Increased Video Game Usage Limits Kids’ Social Growth
5. Choosing Age-Appropriate Video Games for Your Kids

Ok, it’s off to put more of these plans I’ve made over the last few months in action - will be back to tell you more soon! Of course I know a lot of you may follow me on Twitter (If you don’t, why not give it a try? @ArikaL) and may already know part of my new choices but shhh don’t spoil it for those who don’t know yet!

Onward & Upward,

Arika

When you are dwelling in the negative you cannot win. Nothing you do will work out right because that is the way you have trained your mind to think. Negativity clouds godly wisdom and the sound mind he has given you. Your thought process runs your life; and if you are negative then…well…let’s take it to the word. A Simple yet profound verse in Scripture states As a man thinketh in his heart so he is.

So what are you? How do you think? What dwells in your heart?

Negativity brings unnecessary DRAMA. Let me repeat that Negativity brings unnecessary DRAMA!

How much junk is going on in your life that does not need to need be there?

Now let me say that the negativity not only dwells from the inside but it can be all around you as well. Who or what in your life is a positive energy drainer? In other words who or what clouds your godly wisdom and the sound mind you were blessed with.

If you want to find out more about your authentic self, you have got change that negative mind set.Be transformed into a more viable alive abundant you by no longer conforming to the ways of this world but by Renewing your mind so that you will be able to prove and be a witness to what is good and what is acceptable and what is perfect in the will of God for your life and those whom you will serve through your calling.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, my sister whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.