India Irie: Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

I love music I truly do, it can match my mood and lift me, create a specific atmosphere, make me laugh or cry. India Irie’s Testimony: Vol.1, Life & Relationship does this and sooo much more.

Each song relates to something that I’ve been through in my life, many of the emotions, thoughts and feelings raised are generic to most peoples lives. My kids love this album and thankfully it’s one that I can actually share with them. On our way to school in the car we listen to track six, There’s Hope!! WOW what a song to start your day with…”There’s hope, it doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you don’t have to pay to laugh, you’d better than God for that!” With this in their ear’s my girls go skipping off to school expecting great things.

Theres’ another song called “I Choose” this one get’s me going too. Life is so short and we spend far too much of it accentuating the negative as opposed to the positive, worse still, we spend much time blaming everyone else who our circumstances without taking personal responsibility for our words thoughts and actions. I have a huge part in what happens to me and when I remember this I take responsibility for myself and am left feeling far more satisfied having grown immeaserably. I choose says all this and a bag of chips more.

I Choose…

To be the best that I can be.
I choose
To be authentic in everything
I do.
My past don’t dictate who I am.
I choose.

Hey if we could just take this on in our lives how much more satisfied we would be in our experiences.

I love every song on this album, there are some songs that I think were written just for me right where I am in my life. You have hope and you have choice as long as you have breath to breathe.

Two other songs that have caught me attention are “Good Mourning” an absolutely amazinly written song that deals with life after a relationship has ended. And one of my favourites “This too Shall Pass” that reminds us that no matter what you are going through…. it will pass.

Well done India, this is an album to keep and remember!

10 Years Old – My Doesn’t Time Fly!

It’s January 5th and 10 years ago to the day Rianna Alexandra McQueen was born, a grey baby with very low agar’s who took a while to cry. Not that I would know I was knocked out under general anaesthetic since I could not no more than 2 1/2 centimetres dilated and needed to be cut open, worse still nothing but general anaesthetic worked for me in the way of pain relief!

It’s amazing the time has flown and the little baby who had such a knowing face is blooming into a beautiful intelligent young woman who likes to present her parents with challenges. She has always been able to understand the context of words and events and happily uses them back at us at the most opportune moments!!! LOL Rianna is certainly challenging, but I can truly say that I am proud of her.

She is 10, Oh my goodness, what has the next decade got in store for me and this child who as my mum would say “has been down here before”. I know that we are entering a challenging time of our relationship as mother and daughter as she seeks to work out all the changes that are happening to her physically and mentally and as I deal with the hormonal effects of adolescence and often heart wrenching acceptance that my child is becoming a woman. We I am sure will fall out the coming years over outfits, boyfriends (No way) and other such delights, but today I am thankful and blessed that God has seen us through the gift of Rianna.

Happy Birthday Baby!

The Lergie!!

OK well the lergie might be a bit of an exaggeration but hey that’s what it has felt like.

As a family we have been struck over the last week with the stomach bug from hell!! First little Lauren who’s stomach cramps, vomiting and the like started at around 2.00am last Friday morning. Poor thing she really was of no use to anyone least of all herself, to see such a vibrant child lay almost lifeless from what the bug was doing to her body was awful. But true to form Lauren never one to be kept down for long made a come back by Saturday afternoon and by Sunday was once again ruling the roost.

Not so much luck for Dave!! If he slept at all Sunday night I would be very surprised, he was it big time, the big man went down and he too became a meer shadow of his former self on Monday. Which was went I came over all strange and had some very piercing stomach cramps and by late afternoon I was of no use to neither man nor beast. Completely drained of energy, afraid to eat or drink and unable to find any respite to my suffering.

But it didn’t stop there, oh no, this bug was determined to make it’s mark and within a few hours of the assault on me, it make it’s acquaintance with Rianna our eldest. She too suffered the cramps, energy loss, vomiting and the rest that came with THE LERGIE!!!

Monday night in our house was not nice at all as three of us banished to one room (Since Lauren no longer had the bug in common with us) suffered and awful night of sickness. I cannot believe how ill I have felt over this week and how energy-less. There have been even flu like symptoms with our torso’s aching and lower back pain. It has not been nice at all.

We’re still not quite over it, but I am sure that by the weekend it will pass. I think it may have taken it’s toll of David and I as running our own business we have not been able to afford the luxury of not attending the training sessions and talks that we do. I am thankful that today my diary is clear and I can rest for the day, David has not been so blessed!!

We truly had the lergie this week and it’s been doing it’s rounds and many of the children at our daughters’ school have been off with it. So be warned…it’s out there!!!

I left my voice in Legoland

This weekend was a busy one but exciting too as on Sunday we took the girls to Legoland and it was a first for all of us.

I haven’t laughed so much in years and boy did I scream, it’s not that the rights where long or even overtly exciting. It was the sheer pleasure of being out with my family in a different environment, doing different things and having fun. My voice is completely shot!! Last time my voice was this bad was on a music day at a church in edmonton that I used to attend, its been quite some years now. I led out sang literally from morning till night and loved every minute of it. This loosing of my voice also reminds me of days when I was a basket ball groupie who followed the Leicester Riders dilligently with team members like Lonie Leggett!! Oh Wow!! It also reminds me of church socials where games like, Rythm, On the river on the bank, The Prince of Wales, One and Twenty and other such games of old where played. Gosh young people really miss out today!! Church socials was were my love of Bar Soccer (otherwise known as table football) was born, Ahhh those where the days.

I am now as horse as can be a relegated to giggling. Although I’m training at a School in Barnet on Wednesday, unable to make sales calls,  chat to my girlfriends or adequately respond to my kids I am actually as exceptionally happy. I lost my voice in Legoland having an absolutely marvelous time with the people I love the most…my husband and children. What better way to loose your voice!!

Thank you Legoland I had a fab time!

BBC Slink for teens?

My oldest daughter is about to hit puberty so I decided to have a look at what information is available for young people on the web. Well where else to look but the BBC website, it is informative, sensitive and often very well written, I use it all the time. But this time I was sorely disappointed, maybe I am getting too long in the tooth, but coming across BBC Slink made me shudder at the direction our society is taking and the general slack attitude that prevails.

So according the website this is what Slink is “Fun, Fashion, Facts of Life – Slink is an online magazine for young teenage girls, aged 13 to 16. The site aims to provide down-to-earth information and entertainment with everything from factfiles about depression and sexual health to games and quizzes.”

Now here is where my problems lie, apart from personal stories ranging from suicide to porn to sexual abuse their information on the menstrual cycle also includes;

Which days of your cycle to wear a mini skirt and flirt.

Which day you will be in the mood for sex (but remember girls it’s illegal if you are under 16 and use a condom!)

Which day you will be attracted to the bad boys

…. and so it goes on.

For me, what is the message this is sending to girls ages 13-16? No wonder we are the country in Europe with the highest teenage pregancy rates by far. The messages are so wishey washey. For example when talking about the effects of Acohol it says

“Alcohol makes you feel relaxed, cheerful and confident.”

Pardon me? Is it me or is there a word missing there? Alcohol MAY make you feel relaxed cheerful and confident! Some people drink and feel miserable!!! No matter what you follow up with after that this is one will stick!

I know that the views of this world are very different from when I was entering pubity but this does not instill any confidence in my sending my daughter to this website. I’ve worked with youth for a very long time and I know that you need to remain hip and happening, but what also youth need is a bench mark a standard that they can check themselves against to make sure that they are on the right track. They want you to be straight with them but at the same time they don’t want you to be appeasing so that you fit in with them.

Call me a prude hit and happening on this website for me has gone overboard. It seems to me that boundaries have been eroded and all hell’s breaking loose.

Back to School

On a previous blog I lemented the speed at which this years school summer holidays had passed, yesterday the girls went back to school on into year one and the other into year 5. Our youngest nearly sprinted all the way to school in excitement (put that girl in the 2012 olympics someone!) and the fresh morning really did lent it’s self to feelings of a new beginning.

What has dawned on me this morning (after the regular “get ready” battle thatb most parents experience on a school day) is the silence now that they have gone. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve been able to slip back into “my time”. How much more I am able to do without the constant questions, hugs and kisses, requests for this and that! I truly appreciate back to school and the peace that it brings.

Whoopsie Daisey Angel

Today I sat in the front row of my children’s school and watched as my four year old daughter graced the stage with her presence.

I know that every parent is proud of their child but I have to say that today was exceptional!! My girl got on that stage and was not phased at all by the peer parents and believe me there were a lot of us, all eager to see our little ones perform the songs and walk on and off of stage to show us their costumes.

Whoopsie Daisey Angel is the story of the clumsey raggedy angel that didn’t get any of the good jobs that most angels get. She was doomed to counting snowflakes and often failed to count properly. But one day she was selected for a special task, to tell the world of the birth of the Christ child. Whoopsie Daisey tells the world as best as she can guiding shepherds and wise men to where the baby lays. Today my four year old daughter was Whoopsie Daisey Angel, confident and well spoken delivering her lines like she’d walked the boards for years.

I vowed today that I would do everything I could to help maintain that confidence in my child. That I would do my best to let her know that life is only intimidating if you let it be. Some of the children cried on stage (funny it was mainly the boys!!) but my little one didn’t seem to care, she had a job to do and she did it as best as she could. I’m truly proud of her, she did a wonderful job and I hope that the composure and confidence she has age four follows her through every aspect of her life.

Kids and affirmations

OK so today I decided that since I use affirmations to help me see myself in a more positive light, I decided to tell my kids about it and give them some positive affirmations for themselves. They are 4 years old and 8 years old. Sometimes we just don’t realise as parents the negative things we say to our kids that stay with them and influence their lives just like the positive thing that we say.

So today I gave my eldest daughter some positive affirmations that she can say to see herself in a more positive light. My daughter is so clever, but sometimes she dumbs herself down, especially in maths. She tells herself it’s hard and so it is, the minute she changes her thoughts about maths she throws out the right answers like a perfect baseball pitcher. So I’ll see how it goes, and back up her positive affirmations by some from myself far more often.

We have a duty to inspire our kids, to pass on knowledge that can make a difference. So why wait until that they are 18 give them inspiration and affirmations now!