Friday Four: TGIF….SERIOUSLY!

I have had the

L O N G E S T

week ever.

I wasn’t sure if there would be any post made for this weeks Friday Four!

I must really like ya’ll or love to feel like there is need for me to release online in the form of a blog!  I guess it’s a resolution of the both. 🙂

Doesn’t that mean I need a life?

The above picture was Monday. The girls & I took off. We left the fellas at home  & got our Girls Night Out -on!

Can you say it was just what the Dr ordered? We had a blast. Tuesday, I had to see my mid- wife! I LOVE Melissa C. She doesn’t do all those extra things regular OBGYNs do in ya “privates” to check the baby.

Then Wednesday was Pre School Pre-view  for the boys. They LOVE the interns at Imaginon! I wish the UNC Charlotte instructors would extend their semester so they can work their magic on the kids a few more Wednesdays out of the week.

Thursday morning…was….Monkey Joes. It was free. You do NOT not PASS UP A FREE PLAY DATE AT MONKEY JOES! EVER!  We finished four hours later at Earth Fare for dinner. YUMMY! I even took my husband dinner. Why not the girls you ask? Well I’ll tell you. Because I had to pick them up for Citizens In School. It was a fantastic workshop that helped inform parents about their services and how to prepare our children for high school.  There was a nice turnout. I ate AGAIN.  Out of all the people that was there, both of my girls won prizes!  Cassie for filling out a “Did you know” type of questionnaire & getting them all correct, before anyone else- & D for answering a “You been should’ve known” question. I’ll be honest with you, I appreciated Cassie’s book. It provides in depth solutions to high school. It was comparable to a blueprint to graduation and college.  But D’s, it was a $25.00 gift card to Chili’s! Talk about a 2Fer’! I’m  glad we went.  So was one of the counselors from their school. So much so that he had them gift bags at school the next day. First stop Friday was to take a tour of the Ronald McDonald House.    I figured since we’ll be there next Saturday for the shopping trip, it would be nice to know what it looks like inside. It’s such a lovely place. They think of everything. I think we’ll have a great fundraiser! Folks seem genuinely eager to help!!!  We’ll see though. Later that evening I had to dash to the girls school for the last day of the bogo free Book Fair. YOU DON’T MISS BUY ONE GET ONE FREE FOR BOOKS!!!!! EVER!!!!! The counselor must’ve though that is coming for the gift bags because he started making them as I got closer to the front desk. Poor fella!  He obviously never seen my cape!  I don’t do bags full of candy!  I guess because I’m  8+months pregnant, I look like a unconscious slop bucket…..and my kids.  NO THANK YOU- I took much of the candy out of their bags before they even seen what was inside.  (Not all because I do like to dabble in Reese cups everyonce in a while. You can’t blame me, the baby wants it’) We ended up giving loads of  it away at the library and market.  We made a revised one & on Monday they will give  it to him  as thank you’  gift! Saturday……….we had to go the dryer——- Yes, I said Saturday.  (I’m using Sunday as my new Saturday this week, which is highly possible to be changed at any time! )

So as I was saying; the girls had training for the revised Loaves & Fishes pantry. They have a new procedure to empower more efficient shopping and family empowerment choice.  My kids have been volunteering for over 7 years now. It helps keep them humble. On our way home, we stopped at a block party!  AND YES, I ate there too. What a week!

Wednesday Wow: Bridge Building w/a Child

Hello friends, please let introduce you to my 13 year old JC. She’s a Senegalese doll baby. Right now she lives in SC with family but she’ll will be joining us for school come fall ’12…..and we have alot to do before then. I mean ALOT.  We don’t eat the same. Our household discipline styles are different. The way we spend our income is different. Talk about adjustment time?

It’s truly amazing how wisdom can only come with/ in time.  At 0ne  point in my life, I decided that 3 kids was too many for me and I had to get  rid off the extra one.

…..and I did a few days after she was born. At that time, I had JUST  graduated from college and it was all about working and building a foundation. Ignorance was BLISS!

Although I’m very thankful to have family that care that much about me to take er in as their own, I can honesty say that it was one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made in my life.  We have such a long road ahead of us. I really don’t know where to begin. But I think over the next 3 years, we’ll be fine. I don’t expect her to call me mom as my other 2 daughters do but,  we’ll be better than we have since she was born. It’s never too late !

Now if you are contemplating granting temporary guardianship for your minor, be sure to do it the right legal  way to avoid head and heart aches later.

• Are they willing to serve as guardian of your children?
• Do they have the maturity and stability to parent your children?
• Do they have the time and energy to take on the task of raising your children?
• Is their age or health a consideration?
• Will they love your children and provide the support, comfort and nurture that your children will need?
• Will they make it possible for your children to visit their grandparents or other relatives or close family friends?
• How far away do they live?
• Do they have room for your children, or will they need extra funds to allow them to add on or buy a larger house?
• Are their values and financial lifestyle comparable to yours?
• If your children are home-schooled, how will this be handled?
• Will one parent have to quit work in order to take care of your children?
• Do they share your religious beliefs and practices.

In closing,  remember, you can do a temporary guardianship. It’s not the same as giving up your parental rights.

Friday 4:Raising boys by Mama’s 9 Mandates.

I am raising 3 future husbands and fathers. Heavy right. No pressure there or anything. I think my oldest has turned out well. But he wasn’t one of 3 at ONE time. Time to plan my road map.  I drafted up a little reminder to them; consider it Mama’s 9 Mandates. I’m going to print this out and give it to them on the eves of their weddings and again on the days each of their children are born.

Consider this your Code of Conduct.

1. Be a gentleman at all times. Use the manners your Mama taught you. I don’t want to hear that you forgot to thank someone or that you purposely hurt someone with your words or actions. You’ll always be my son, and I’m not above calling you out for crude behavior, regardless of how old you are. You belittle someone or act like a jerk when you’re 50, you’re still going to get an earful from me. If I’m not around anymore, I’ll come back and haunt you. PROMISE. Pressley-Perkins men are gentlemen. Always.
2. Respect women. This means treating women–all women, from school teachers to little old ladies crossing the street–with kindness and respect. To be clear, you boys better treat everyone with kindness and respect, but you darn sure better be good to your wives. I don’t want them calling me up in 30 years to ask me why I didn’t teach you better. As they will NOT like my response.
3. Stay active. Remember all those afternoon water-fights you used to love? Or those games of track-ball, freeze-tag, scooter-tag and hide-and-seek? How about the countless hours we spent at the library? I loved every minute of it, I promise.  Your children are only young once; you are only young once, too, but if you’re lucky, you can drag that youthfulness out, holding old age and its dull, sedentary lifestyle at bay. When my grandchildren ask you to play, say yes.
4. Stay creative. Long trips (to come see me) can be brutal. You’ll need to remember lots of songs, stories and incredibly corny knock-knock jokes. You’ll have to build a million train tracks, contraptions and critter catchers. The more off-the-wall you can make them, the better. I know you can do this; I’ve seen you make up song lyrics on the fly. There was an overused corporate motto back when you were little:  think outside the box.  Don’t ever lose your beautiful, imaginative spontaneity.
5. Use proper hygiene. My hirsute trio, you are gifted in the ability to wash your behind. How many times have I said “Look like a champion; play like a champion”? Listen to my matronly voice chanting that through your head the next time you flinch as you pull out a dingy pair of underwear from your clothes on the floor.
6. Be responsible. This is why I made you put up your clean clothes and take your plates to the sink. Pick up after yourselves. Someone has to do it and besides, your sweaty workout clothes are gross. But I don’t mean just be responsible at home; you are responsible for others now, too. Hone up to it. You are a man now. Walk the walk.
7. Take time to relax. If you’re stressed out, your wife and kids will be stressed out, too. You are their rock, the center of the family. Your family worries about you more than you can imagine, and they cannot fathom a life without you. So don’t worry yourself into a coronary. your dad does that ALOT. Everything will be ok; really, it will. Do what you need to do to blow off steam–unless, of course, that involves getting a neck tattoo or going AWOL to Africa for 6 months.
8. Bend the rules (a little). Don’t be so wrapped up with toeing the line that you forget to look up and see the parade. So what if your child wants to draw an entire chalk city on the driveway, eat breakfast for dinner or wear a cape on the airplane? Who cares? No harm, no foul, right? The chalk will wash away in the first rain, children in costumes are adorable, (see the one you arr wearing in the picture up top) and I know you remember how I embraced homemade pancakes  for dinner. See 7, above.
9. Talk to your parents. Obviously, I won’t need to remind you of this because you’ll want me to know how much you love me. But I also want you to want to call and tell me you got a new project going on around the world. I want to know every single time the Tooth Fairy visits your houses, and I want to know when my grandchildren are awarded a game ball. I won’t be here forever; please keep me in your life as long as possible. (I promise not to be a nuisance to your wives. Really. Just remind her that I’m happy to watch my grandchildren for the weekend. That should smooth the waters again.)

And then, when I get my hands on those grandbabies for a weekend, we’ll have breakfast for dinner after our afternoon on the Slip-n-Slide. We’ll dance around the kitchen to the songs you 3 listened to while growing up, songs your children will invariably think are terrible. We’ll stay up late, snuggled on a pallet of pillows watching old Yo Gabba Gabba dvds and eating soy or rice ice cream at night. Weekends at their grandmother’s house will be non-stop fun; my grandchildren will be non-stop fun, all because you and your wife will be doing such an amazing job rearing them.

Apples don’t fall far from the tree, you know.

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Wednesday Wow: Thank you!

     I’m so Thankful! And it’s because of YOU! 

 

As I breastfed my baby one evening, I opened my laptop. I scoured the internet for my own nourishment: information, friendships, connections… anything. And I wrote. I started a blog, and I wrote. I didn’t write much. There were no pictures. Just words.

And then I wrote again. And then distracted with life, children, husband, church, schooling and sleep deprivation, I forgot about it. Well till my business coach kicked suggested that I get back on track with it.

As the months wore on, the writing became more regular. People started to respond and connections were made. The seeds of friendships were planted, and flowers began to blossom. Before long it was a part of my life, and one I cherished.

Enjoyment always came first. Writing was always for me, and no one else. There was no money in my bank account, and no deals being made on the side. Just writing, sharing and connecting.

The months passed by, and the flowers were soon fields of color. I began to realize there was a whole blogging community, potential friendships from all corners of the world.

Not only were there friendships, and nourishment from other people’s words… but eventually there were opportunities.

There was always a niggling concern of what I’d do when I no longer nursed or hmeschooled. I always thought I’d just end up being a play date organizer, creating and going from event to event, scouring the QC for new partner and new moms that would never pay their membership fee.  And I was okay with that. I would always do what I love, no matter what.I didn’t know what else I could do.

But then someone saw something in me, something that I hadn’t even noticed myself. And in a matter of months I went from being a professional play date organizer with a blog on the side to an  total Children Wellness Consultant with a blog on the side, and a career ahead of me.

“Dear God, please help me to be an encouraging and supporting friend to
the people You bring into my life. And help me not to be too proud or
afraid to ask for help when I need a friend to lean on. And thank You
that I can always ask for and receive Your help as needed. Thank You for
hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

And now, 100 posts later, I’m here. Still blogging away… with flourishing friendships, fellow bloggers and a whole lot of hope and promise.

 

Blogging hasn’t been easy. There have been days when I could have thrown it away. Days of self-doubt… days of seeing into the dark side {where I’ve since learnt that not all bloggers are seeds of friendships just waiting to blossom}. But the good definitely outweighs the bad.

One hundred posts on… I want to say thank you. Thank you for dropping by and reading, even if it’s only been once or twice, or even if it’s every day. Thank you for your words of support, your love, your friendship, your laughter and sharing your life. Thank you for inspiring me, listening to me, thank you for being you…

 

Raise your cup of ice water, your glass of green tea, or your sippy cup of juice and say cheers. Here’s to another 100. Here’s to living, loving and everything in between.

 

Thank you. Kelle, QC SuperMom

Upcoming shopping trip for The Ronald McDonald House

Operation PinkGrasshopper 2012: Remembering Mya & thanking Ronald McDonald House.

No renaming of streets, No trust funds, No 501c3’s. None of that is necessary to say I love and miss my child. It doesn’t matter how many others I have. With so many ways to celebrate life, i’ll share this one with you. Let me know if you want to join in.

Mission:  A Token of Love! 

In memory of my daughter, Samya Tiffanie Pressley Scott. 05.09.94  to  10 25.10

 My daughter was as special as a pink grasshopper.

We had her for 11awesome years. In 2005 she was diagnosed, treated and called back home. Mya suffered from Auto Immune Hepatitis. Something that no mother is able to protect their child from….I know because I tried.

Autoimmune hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that occurs when immune cells mistake the liver’s normal cells for harmful invaders and attack them. Symptoms: Abdominal distention; Dark urine; Fatigue; General discomfort,…

In 2005 I found myself in UNC Chapel Hill, NC.  My family enjoyed the service we received from Ronald McDonald House Chapel Hill. Although we did everything possible from alternative treatments, diet, fasting and praying to trying my best to get along with her father. (We were in a huge custody war over her)

She waited at UNC Chapel Hill to get a new liver .While there she singlehandedly planned an entire surprise birthday party for my mom from her bed and as weak as she would be at times, would still go to hospital school and keep a journal were she asked for a healing. This went on for 5 months.

In a newsletterI did.in 2005, I talked about her room:

Walking into her room quickly you’ll rejuvenate all five senses. Relaxing lavender in the air, powerful, uplifting affirmations singing in your ears, for eye candy, there are live plants, vibrant posters, of sport teams, favorite characters, or motto’s. Then you’ll notice how comfy her bed looks with the Bratz Pack all over the mattress and pillows.

If someone would have told me that she would be leaving us at just 11years old. I’d ask if they were on medication. This child extra special.We laugh more than we cry when talking about her.

• A lovely dancer
• traveler
• comedian
• a hair dresser
• “Bratz in training”
• both big and younger sister
• beloved cousin, niece, grand daughter, god-daughter & friend

Her teacher would call one day asking me to pick her up, talk to her. The next she would call & ask if she could take her to dinner or hang out with her over the weekend.

 It’s her 18th birthday,time to celebrate!

Although she’s no longer walking the earth with us any longer. Each year, we celebrate her life. We’ve done everything from releasing balloons in the air to attending a WNBA game. With this being her 18th birthday. We wanted to do something greater.This year we’ll shop!  I asked all the mothers of Charlotte, NC to join me in a little shopping trip, all I asked for was coupons and a shopper. Guess what? Help is on the way.

This shopping trip will benefit the families that visit Ronald McDonalds House in Charlotte, NC. It will allow families to face the weight of illness together.

Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning or cooking meals.

My personal budget is $180. Sure, its not much, but I know with the right help, it will make a huge difference. I along with a mom /master shopper (friend from my church) and my online buddies at Diva’s Doing Coupons

will be shopping and delivering everything on this day.

Dominant Impression Number: 9
The Pink Grasshopper reflects idealism, the good of mankind. The Pink Grasshopper is the humanitarian with the power to make things happen and the integrity to stay the course. A mover and a shaker, without a selfish bone in its body; the name The Pink Grasshopper attracts respect, support, and devoted fans. It seems even that the Universe tends to support what the name The Pink Grasshopper represents. Speaks to people of all walks of life. Tolerant and broad-minded.
This name pursues goals other than money and power. It seeks justice. It wants to feed the hungry and heal the sick. And yet, the resources it needs to do the job seem to always magically appear.
Most positive characteristics: Integrity, love for all, charisma. Encourages the best in people.

 

Sesame Street Live – Elmo’s Super Heroes in the QC review

TeHun and Telly

Did you answer the call?

  We did.  

Super heroes from all over the QC showed up in wonderful and colorful attire to greet Super Grover and his Fabulous 5.

Poor Elmo lost his super-ness, and everyone was sad but the reminders the kiddos got today will help them remember the rules to being a super hero for a long time to come.

They answered the call! Eaim 5 and Amen 3 wore capes and cuffs.Amen had on super underwear.

Brush your teeth kiddos...I mean private super heros!

It was simply amazing to watch as my boys sat, dance, sung and cheered in acceptance of the messages of wellness. The fabulous friends sung,danced, hugged and shook hands with the kids while sharing fun lessons on healthy habits, exercising, resting, nutrition and good hygiene!  I’m so happy I was able to take my boys to see the show.  I think it will make my job a whole lot easier.  My 5 year old actually began explaining events in the show to me.  How cool is that?  Every parent with small kids should’ve been in the house. It was totally worth it! 

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In short, the show was really  great!  It was just 90 minutes; and offered affordable food,souvenir items, interactive entertainment, educational intensive theme  fun and oh so wholesome! I felt like a big kid myself  recalling my younger days sitting in front of the t.v., waiting for Hooper’s Store to open for the hour. 🙂

Until next time folks!

Did you like the review? It was my very own opinion (with the help of my sons of course) I was lucky enough to be selected to be a part excitement. Till next time Be Well! -QC SuperMom