3 ways to deal with hardships

Hey y'all!

Have you ever had someone or something knock you down? Have you ever had your expectations lowered by an unexpected obstacle? Life can sometimes hit you with surprise problems and let downs, until it eats away at your self confidence and discourages your dreams. Here are 3 tips I have learned to deal with the hardships of life:

Find the message in the madness: Every season in life leaves a residue in your character. In order to mold you in a positive and healthy way, you must try to look objectively at your circumstance and ask yourself the question: What has this experience taught me? How can I use what I have learned going forward? Doing this, will break down the immensity of your stressor and help you cope with whatever you are going through (hopefully). In addition, it will help you avoid similar problems in the future because you will have learned how to deal with and hopefully avoid those same problems.

Find and lean on support: No matter what you may think, everyone needs someone and usually more than one person to talk to and support them through their difficult times. Having that support could mean the difference between recovery and surrender. This is so important. If you are reading this and can not think of a single person you can talk to than please talk to me. Send me a message and I will do my best to be supportive and help you in whatever way I can. Having support can help put things in perspective and shrink the problem down to something manageable.

Live in the moment: There are times and situations that benefit from planning ahead but when you are going through a hard time, sometimes thinking of the arduousness of the task ahead can feel daunting. In these cases, I suggest living moment to moment. You will find that pretty soon the obstacle is behind you and the next season has begun.

Just remember that nothing is forever and things are constantly changing. The Goliath like problem that you are experiencing today will be a distant memory tomorrow. Take courage and if you are going through hell, keep going, don't let your struggles be in vain. Continue on and see how the experience transforms you in a positive way and helps you build yourself up. Find mentors that can help guide and support you and most of all: Don't lose sight of who you are. The devil is in the delusion meaning sometimes you get side tracked and forget or forgo your principles. Don't let that happen. If anything, let this situation strengthen the morals you live by and make you a more secure and confident individual.

Well that's all for now friends!

Lots of love

Maureen

Cornbread, colours and the many faces of Eli

I absolutely love any opportunity I get to be creative. The idea of making something great and unique is super exciting and rewarding to me. Lately, within the last year or two, I have gotten into cooking and baking (one of the newest outlets I've discovered for being creative). I usually cook or bake whatever I personally feel like eating (I am in love with southern soul food) but every now and then I'll make something that the hubby or someone else will love and then I'll cook it especially for them once in a while. One example is my cornbread (it's really more like corn cake because of how sweet it is). I've made cornbread many times now because my husband loves it but this last time was the best yet! I used a recipe off the Internet and added some cinnamon and rum. *Just a warning, this corn bread is very tasty but super unhealthy so I recommend saving it for special occasions.

I wish there was some way you could smell the cake through the computer because it smells heavenly, like what I imagine a southern kitchen would smell like at momma's house right before a big family dinner hahaha. If you'd like the recipe click HERE


The other update is on Elijah, my son. He's been growing at an insane rate. He is only 2 months old but his pediatrician said he's the size of a 5 month old! He is already wearing clothing for 6 month old babies. Yup, he's my big little guy *sigh*. He is so expressive and dramatic about everything it makes me laugh. He has no shortage of kooky facial expressions to melt my heart. So I though I'd share some of my favorites with you all:

and finally.... my favorite expression.... the one I live for:

Those smiles are the best thing in life!



In other news, I think this may be the last week with my fiery red hair.

I love this colour, it makes me feel vibrant and sassy but I'm too anxious to try something new. I'm going to continue with the unnatural colours for a little while, until I get it out of my system. I absolutely love colour and the way it makes everything prettier. I'm sure my mom won't be thrilled but she'll get used to it eventually, she always does. So say goodbye to the red and I will post an update with my new hair colour once it's in effect.


Lastly, I just wanted to deliver a quick message that's been on my heart lately. So many people seem to be suffering with various illnesses from depression, to cancer and everything in between. Others have been going through financial hardships or relationship issues. I just want to let you all know that my heart is with you and to be strong through this difficult time. The great thing about time is that it is constantly moving forward, so these difficulties will soon be a thing of the past.  I can't imagine how hard life has been for some of you and I'm sure it's hard for many people to understand but I do believe in the age old adage: "whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". God is allowing you to be refined through the flames and giving you a great story of victory to tell. I hope your pain passes quickly and that your experience allows God to reveal something wonderful to you whether it be showing you that you are more loved than you thought, more resilient than you expected or any number of other things. 

ta ta for now my loves

Maureen

Amazing love

Love is a word that is hard to describe. Many great poets and writers throughout history have attempted to express this profound emotion. Now that I have a son, the word seems almost too shallow to use to explain how I feel about my baby. I have been very privileged to know love in my life. Love from my family, from my friends and from my partner. I don't want to sound like those loves were not as true or strong but the feeling I get when I see my son is more powerful than anything I've ever felt in my life. Here is God's truest form of love, without any expectations or limits. He has made me change how I feel about others and about myself.

I have a deeper appreciation for my parents and elders. I can better grasp the sacrifices and work they put in for me and my siblings and although I could never repay them fully for what they have done for me, I intend to follow in their footsteps and pray that I may be as good a parent to my baby and future children.

I am already dreading going back to work, even though I still have over 6 months of maternity leave to go. I will miss him so much. If I could work at home and get paid in baby smiles I'd be the happiest mommy ever. His smiles are worth more to me than all the money in the world. I hope and pray that all of you get to know love like this in it's all consuming and pure form.


In other news, I have made a review video of the urban decay perversion mascara on YouTube and will attempt to do more regular review videos. If you're interested you can watch and subscribe to see the upcoming videos Here and I have a second (older) channel Here.

well ta ta for now my loves

Maureen

Welcome Elijah!

On June 14th, 2014 Dumo and I were blessed to receive a new reason for living. His name is Elijah after the great prophet of the old testament. We know that he too will be great.

It has been the most challenging and yet most rewarding week of my life. We are both getting accustomed to one another and it has been an emotional roller coaster but more than anything I have felt my heart grow every time I look at him. I've experienced a lot of love in my life but I think the love I have for my son may be the most powerful I have yet experienced and it makes me wonder about the kind of love God feels for his children.

It has also taught me a great deal about myself. I've always though of myself as a pretty calm and collected person but if you looked at my behaviour this week you'd probably never know that. I have been a wreck of panic each time he does something unfamiliar which is almost everything since I've never been a mother before. But, I am slowly learning every day and I cherish every moment with him, even the challenging ones.

You guys will have to excuse me for not really posting any pictures I just feel he is too young and it's an area of my life I'm very protective of. However, if you'd like to see some just ask me and I would be happy to send some to you privately.

Well that's all for now loves

Maureen

Due date and hospital

Well everyone, today is baby's official due date and what do you know, I'm currently at the hospital with my husband. You'd think I l would be wheeled down to the delivery room with Dumo by my side making sure I'm not passing out from the labour pain. Ironically however, we are not at the hospital for me at all. Baby is still snug and cozy in my womb. We are here for hubby.

He tore his achilles tendon playing soccer  yesterday and we are now here to repair it.  He could be out of commission for several weeks or even months. Talk about timing.

I believe everything happens for a reason though and that includes this injury as well as baby still sitting in my belly. I think this will also make a great story to tell the baby when he or she gets older.

Well that was my very brief update for now. Hopefully I'll be posting a new post soon about our new little one arriving.

Much love

Maureen

I'm back

Hey y'all!

So I haven't posted on my lil ol' bloggy for ages! But I've finally decided it's time to update my humble page. If you've followed me on instagram (@iwonderifthisisthelongestname) then you probably know what has been going on. Firstly.... I GOT MURRIED Y'ALL! Lol
Yes, on December 14th (one day after my birthday) I had the privilege of marrying the love of my life before God, family and some of my dearest friends. It was the best day of my life... So far. My husband and I have been dating for just over 9 years now and we're still very much in Love... Thank God.

Secondly: We're having a baby! Yessiree I'm full of excitement, joy and a tiny human being lol We are expecting the little one by June 8th but I'm hoping they come just a tinsy bit earlier.

As for my diet, I have to be absolutely honest it has been virtually non existent and I've been indulging in a lot of unhealthy foods but I absolutely try to incorporate healthy foods and movement to my day as much as possible. I am however completely committed to getting my body back once baby comes and I have recovered from labor.

Well that's all for now my friends.

I hope you've all been having a great year so far.

Till next time
Toodles

Maureen

Motivation and health

Hey y'all!

So again, I've been neglecting my blog :-s but I'm here now so I wanted to post about the latest health venture in my life.

Firstly I'll start off telling you guys why I decided to do this. I recently started working as a flight attendant with WestJet and as great as the job is, it was damaging to my health for a variety of reasons. Mainly because it stressed me out, so I turned to food for comfort but also because the scheduling is all over the place and very unsteady. Flying is unlike any other job I've ever done. It's physically demanding on my body and takes a toll on my sleeping pattern.  People don't realize how utterly exhausting it is. I come back from 12 hour work days and all I want to do is plop down on my bed and sleep. As a result I gained about 10-15lbs over the fall and I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life (I'm not sure how heavy exactly since I don't have a scale that works properly but I estimate about 170lbs). To be perfectly honest with you all, it didn't really bother me at first. I was willing to overlook the tight fitting clothes and the chubbiness as long as I could eat whatever I wanted. Then, the wake up call for me was seeing pictures of myself at my cousin's birthday. (Pictures are always the trigger for me it seems). Seeing that image just flipped a switch in me. I didn't recognize myself. In my mind I'm a bubbly, quirky young lady but I didn't see that in the image staring back at me. I told myself it was time to make myself look on the outside, the way I feel on the inside. It was time to get out of this rut and return to the real me.

My first change was my diet. I had heard of the 4 hour body from a friend online a couple years back and I had used the diet before my trip to Europe with great results. By the end of February I slowly started back on the 4 hour body diet which is very restrictive.

Secondly, (and to me this is the most significant) I was inspired by my cousin Sandra to try Insanity. I remember her telling me at a cafe that she could barely move her arms after the first couple days and that intrigued and inspired me. By March 3rd, 2013 I started my Insanity journey.

After a couple weeks of Insanity I quickly learned that the 4 hour body diet needed to be amended so I have enough fuel for my workout. It took a few weeks and a few different tries but I think I've finally figured out a diet and exercise plan that is sustainable and practical. I still don't eat carbs (except legumes) but I have added fruit to the diet. My cousins were also helpful in shedding light on a few things I may be doing wrong or I could change to get better results. For example, on the 4 hour body diet you get one cheat day a week. However, I realized through the wise words of my cousin George that cheat days shouldn't be incorporated until I've "earned" them. I thought that was great advice and so obvious since most of the time after my cheat day I felt so guilty. I decided I'm going to go at least one full month without a cheat day and maybe see how things go after that.

Obviously like everyone else, there are days when I don't feel like working out or I really want a piece of cheese cake. At those moments of weakness I go online and look up stories of people who have had inspiring weight loss and fitness successes. It's a constant battle (although I must say it's much easier to say no to a burger after you've completed such a challenging workout.)

Many mornings I'm practically looking for an excuse not to do my workout but I force myself to do them anyways because I know I'd regret not working out. Even if it was a slower day or my energy level was lower for some reason I still always come out of it feeling empowered and proud of myself.

Currently I've done the full round of Insanity but I'm still not where I want to be. I am currently in the process of doing month 2 again and following that I will try a new circuit training workout called Turbo Fire which is another Beachbody workout program that lasts 90 days. After that I'm not sure what I'll do but I am sure I will find a way to maintain this new fitness lifestyle because it has not only strengthened my body but also my mind.

I'm always amazed by what a little bit of exercise does to us mentally. I challenge you, if you are down in the dumps or just feeling sluggish. Turn on some fun music and dance. A great song that is also meant to be used as a mini workout is:

Give it a try.

I have taken photos of myself before my fitness journey and I will post before and afters eventually. I hope my journey inspires some of you to strive to be the best version of you that you can be, mentally and physically.

That's all for now!

Love'

Maureen