Sing Celebrate

What an amazing MLK weekend.  Started it early and ended it late.  Went to see a taping of The Doctors with my homie Thursday afternoon (I enjoyed spending time with my friend.  Spending time watching the taping of The Doctors..not so much).  Then raced through traffic to meet the man at the movies (I loved "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Some scenes were racy so beware)  Friday afternoon, went to Roscoes Chicken and Waffles with some college friends that were in town (I inhaled them chicken wings! I don't play around on my off days for my fast). 

That night, celebrated Delta Sigma Theta Sororities 99 years of service with my sorority sisters at a great restaurant in Bel Air (Vibrato restaurant is a beautiful place with awesome musicians and great food.  But the portions...yikes.  Three raviolis on a plate! Really?! What am I suppose to do with that..hey Mona). 

Saturday, sorority chapter meeting in the morning followed by a  play date that started in the afternoon and went well into the evening (when cocktails are involved you lose track of time).  Sunday I hung out with my sorors again at a clothing line launch and had a great time. (Thank you Miss Jessie's for the hair care product gift bag.  My hair thanks you). 

Then finally today, Monday, hung out with the family at the MLK Parade on Crenshaw this morning and then celebrated a dear friends birthday at a small gathering this evening.  

I am feeling so blessed so far this year! The time I have been spending with family and friends is recharging me.  It's making me feel like I am somebody outside of being someones mom.  Love my babies but I am loving, loving life again(my social life that is).....Now to get a job so I can afford some more hanging out:-)

PS:  Last few days of the fast.....No slipping this week! Let's go!

10...the not so perfect number.

So today is the 10th day of my "fast".  It is amazing how I allow "my thoughts" to overrule "the plan".  After the first week of the fast, I knew I was going to have to make a few "adjustments" to the set menu.  I was going to only eat one meal a day (still no "meat") and continue with no food past 7pm.  Cool.

It's been working out great this week.  Until today.  Today my mind was telling me that my earth would crumble if I didn't have more than one meal.  I was feeling week and sleepy and I just knew that if I had something in my system I would be back to normal.  Well, 2 slices of pizza later, I figured out hunger wasn't my issue.  IT'S PMS!

I swear, as soon as I finished that pizza, the PMS kicked into high gear.  Without giving you TMI, my "time" can consist of horrible mood swings (a new feature added to my system post having babies...Yippee).  SO EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY IS WORKING MY NERVES RIGHT NOW.....wooooo saaaaaaa!

Needless to say, I will be obedient tomorrow and I will stick to my one meal. And if I feel a little lethargic, I will not combat that with food, how about I  just take a nap. HOW ABOUT THAT!

FAST and furious

Day 3 of my 21 day fast was a beast of a day.  WATER AND JUICES ONLY!  It was tough.  Started my day off totally wrong.  Not thinking before I acted, I woke up, drank some tea and took my vitamins.  WHY DID I TAKE VITAMINS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! 2 seconds later.....it was not a pretty picture.  But I can promise you that I will NEVER do that again.

The rest of the day just felt soooooooo long.  No food can make for a grouchy household.  Between the many bathroom breaks and watching my kids eat the juicy hamburgers I have seen in my life, this day was truly a test of will power and strength.  Well, I passed the test, but not with an A:-(.  I'm sorry but I needed something.  So a baked potato with broccolli caused me to have a less than perfect grade.

But I'm still standing.  And I'm able to make it through the day.  This is teaching me that I don't NEED half of the stuff that I eat during the day.  And I think the same can go for things in my life.  I don't think I need half of the things that I have in my life.  Do I really need over 20 scarves,  do I really need 30 hats.    So I am not only purging my body....I'm purging my life.

21 Days of Silent Sunshine

Today I started a 21 day fast.  It is a time of prayer, reflection and cleansing.  The fast was prepared by a local church and they have a set meal plan for the next 21 days.  Well, day one was quite interesting.  I could only eat salad and fruit.  My body was craving a snack in the worst way.  Oh Lord, who knew you could miss a chocolate chip cookie like this.  But I stayed strong (except for a small piece of corn bread that I ate when feeding the kids...moment of weakness....oh and the bagel that I didn't want to go to waste....I'm a mess).  But I had fruit for breakfast and a salad for lunch and dinner.  Even with the mis-steps, I am very proud of myself.

I also learned a valuable lesson today.  SILENCE IS TRULY GOLDEN.  When you don't tell other peoples business, you don't have to worry about what you said coming back to bite you.  And for me, a person with HORRIBLE memory, I can't remember half the conversations I have, so if you said I said it, I can't remember if I did.  So in this moment of cleansing clarity, I will learn to shut my mouth to other peoples business.  I will not jeopardise any of my relationships by having conversations and revealing more than what their eye can see.  I AM A GREAT FRIEND but I am also human and I make mistakes...I am learning from them :-)