Author: admin

‘Enchanted’ beat out ‘Beowulf’ by a football field

Morning,

Well! I might have mentioned a few days ago how I was going to play hooky and escape from the daily Mom demands. My husband was taking care of the kids, and I decided to watch Beowulf in 3d. And I lasted a whole! 8! minutes!

My gosh! The gore! The violence! The undeniable ickyness! While I’m sure it must appeal to the gamer audiences, for me….it was just too disgusting. Give me Transformers any time! I walked out after 8 minutes, came home and did my circle walk. At least I got something good out of that evening!

And during the weekend, I took my kids to see Enchanted. Now THAT was a super feel-good movie – the whole family enjoyed it thoroughly.

I will confess – I have zero desire to see any blood/guts/gratuitous violence movie and am rather proud that I’m raising my family the same way. When you see such things again and again, I believe you get inured to them…and violence becomes the expected way of dealing with problems.

“Blah!” is all I have to say regarding that.

“Enchanted” is a super family film – I highly recommend it.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – some enchanted goodies!

Life, coffee and character – a great read!

Morning,

I just came across the following from Maggie West. It’s terrific!!

….It’s rather difficult for me to ignore anything that is written with life’s obvious “I could of [have] had a V8” implication in the message.

In keeping with the “giving thanks” topic for this week, I have chosen this “little” insight to post. As an ardent fan of coffee, I savor each and every drop as often as I can.

I am thankful for being able to enjoy “the coffee,” regardless of its presentation — no matter what day it is.

Hopefully, all who read the following blurb will apply some of its wisdom into their daily routines as well.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit the conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the alumni had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

“Notice that all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups…. and then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life. The type of cup one has does not define, nor change the quality of life a person lives. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your coffee.

~ Presented by Toma [The Old One]

How true, how true.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – as you know, coffee is indeed life:

Looking for The Biggest Loser resources online?

Morning,

One of the most popular shows on TV these days is the reality show The Biggest Loser – the TV show in which lots of overweight people compete to lose the most weight possible.

It’s quickly developed its own cult following and is extremely popular online. I really have to give credit to the marketers behind the scenes – you can buy Biggest Loser membership access, the Biggest Loser cookbook, the Biggest Loser DVD, the Biggest Loser apparel and much much more. It must be an awesome moneymaker for the investors!

That being said, here are some great resources if you want to commune with other Biggest Loser fans.

These links above, btw, are part of the 900+ categorized resources I offer in the Safe and Smart Internet Weight Loss Edge. Cool, eh?

Enjoy!

Barbara

ps – more BL goodies are:

What I’m thankful for

Today is Thanksgiving!

I just returned from bundling the kids and husband into the van and visiting my folks up north. We had planned on going to the local Chinese buffet but imagine our surprise when we discovered it had the audacity to be closed! Thus, instead we droveto the local Korean restaurant and had turkey-from-the-sea (shrimp), turkey-that-goes-moo (beef), and turkey-that-looks-like-kimchee (kimchee)…..utterly yummy beyond belief. I’ll have to work out later on today and work it off. No dishes to wash, yay!

As always, however, I was moved to think on that for which I am thankful this year. And you know something? It’s a heck of a lot, including:

1.) My husband, my soulmate. We’re so nutty we’re perfect together. :)

2.) My kids. “Astonishing” doesn’t even begin to describe them.

3.) My family. My parents, my brothers, my nephews and neice. How my parents survived my childhood is one of the great mysteries of life. :)

4.) My weight loss success. 11+ months ago I was 170+; now I’m 132 and in the best shape of my life.

5.) My handicap. Being forced to confront my own insecurities has made me stronger by far.

6.) My karate dojo and senseis. I have learned so much about my own abilities and courage that it’s kinda sorta impossible to believe. Never would I have thought years ago that the wimp I was back then could be the magnificent mom and warrior I am today.

7.) My friends. They been with me thru thick and thin and have really been there when needed.

8.) My technical abilities. The requirements to launch an ebook involve:

  • Writing the ebook
  • PDFing it in a marketing format
  • Designing the book cover
  • Designing the software box cover
  • Setting up the affiliate backend
  • Writing the affiliate tutorial
  • Setting up the 7 day autoresponder
  • Writing the ezine
  • Writing the customer care followup AR
  • Designing the helpdesk

I was able to do ALL of the above…by myself. No assistance needed.

9.) My attitude. No matter what happens to me nowadays, instead of panicking or feeling despondent, I react by thinking, okay, what am I supposed to learn from this today? Such a mindset makes all the difference in the world.

In short, I have a pretty blessed life…and I’m grateful to the universe for putting in my path all of the challenges and joys that I’ve encountered and dealt with. Or as my mom would say, my guardian angel works overtime. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – ‘course, smart moms would also be grateful for:

5 Days and Counting – The Gift of a Day

Morning,

Well! 5 days and counting until the slicing and dicing. And it just can’t come a moment too soon!

But in other good news, today is a positive day for me leg-wise; I woke up feeling rather refreshed and capable. After designing my FabFitMom affiliate tutorial, I went off on my beloved circle walk. It wasn’t too cold but you could tell rain was in the air with lots of gusting wind that buffeted my body while walking.

Oh, it was glorious! It so reminded me of those days in college when I’d sneak out during any rainstorms or hurricanes or what have you and experience the elements. And I realized….this morning was the Gift of a Day for me. In 5 days, I’ll be on crutches and not able to walk for the foreseeable future; I’m extremely grateful to the universe for having experienced this one adventure before I go to the hospital.

Life is never stagnant! Just because you might today possess the body shape of an overgrown eggplant and have the flexibility of a chuck of concrete…that doesn’t mean tomorrow will see you the same way.

The future is yours and what you choose to make of it. So honor yourself…and make it well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Barbara

ps – want Thanksgiving goodies? Consider:

6 days and counting – breaking your boundaries

Morning,

Well! 6 more days and I shall be sliced and diced and hopefully have my leg problem resolved.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that I’m fast running on empty with regards to all of this. I find myself besieged with emotional roller coasters…and sometimes just want to give myself permission to give up and be despondent.

Idiot me, however, can’t even manage that!! Walking-wise, my legs were quite lousy today, so I opted to miss (only for the second time I can imagine) my karate classes (even my beloved kendo). I figured I’d stay in bed and watch TV, but oh no! I had to idly glance down at my legs and think, gee, I wonder how difficult balancing on my left foot (the one with the 1/2″ shortened fibula) really has to be?

I never learn (or…I simply continue to grow). I spent several minutes trying to keep myself balanced and amazingly, was able to achieve more than 3 seconds (something I’ve never done before). But not only that – I can bend my knee a fraction of an inch more, thus helping my balance improve.

But wait! That was supposed to be impossible to achieve…I always thought my physical condition was WHAT IT WAS and it would never change. And one thought led to another which led to me thinking, gee, I wonder how hard a split would be to do?

Answer – quite difficult, I cannot achieve it. But…just because I cannot now, doesn’t mean I cannot in the future.

All these years I’ve been limiting myself by what I thought were my boundaries…and not giving myself permission to actually see if they’re rock-honest facts, or merely another challenge I can overcome.

I’m humbled by this knowledge. It’s really kinda sorta priceless….the idea that sometimes, it’s your own mind’s blindness that keeps you stationary and unmoving.

6 days and counting,

Barbara

ps – I’ve heard that yoga is great for splits:

Self-defense and being knocked flat on your rear

Morning,

Yesterday I had my last class in women’s self-defense, and let me tell you, it was utterly eye-opening to the extreme.

I’d like to urge everyone reading (men and women alike!) to take a self-defense class (mine was given by our local police); the common-sense taught on how NOT to become a victim in the first place is worth its weight in gold. And the striking techniques are also extremely useful as well, in that they show you you ARE capable of hitting strongly and with focus. ‘course, in a real life situation, things will be starkly different…but at least you’ll have a glimpse of what options are out there.

My last class had our two instructors take us one by one in a darkened room and attack us for what seemed like 5 minutes. I did decently until the last minute; when one of the guys grabbed me to trip me up, I hung on…and then was neatly flung to the ground and pinned. Talk about astonishment – this guy weighed 200 pounds and I simply could not move whatsoever. I was neutralized in the blink of an eye.

In hindsight, it happened so quickly I didn’t have the chance to react. But that can’t be right either – I had the chance alright, but I didn’t recognize that fact and make use of it! Afterwards, I thanked the instructor – it was really an eyeopening experience. I need to get better with my techniques.

Thus, I’ve been researching lots of self-defense sites online, and have come across the following great resources:

Do yourself a favor and check them out – what you learn today could be the difference between survival and not tomorrow.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – here are some more self-defense goodies:

Life is a 4 Letter Word – I think you spell it L-O-V-E

Morning,

I first came across this poem back in 1986 – enjoy!

Life is a four letter word……..
I think you spell it L-O-V-E

It’s really as simple as that……

No, I don’t really think that I can totally describe love
but I do know some things about it.

Seems to me that in order to be in love, you have to be
able to be weak. Sure, certain aspects of love take
a real strength. But, it is true that in order to
experience love at its best, you have to be able to
be weak, vulnerable and accept the possibility that
you might get hurt. If you are too tough to let
yourself be so open for attack, then I am afraid you
can never feel love to its fullest.

Is it worth it to take such a risk. I don’t know the answer to
that….but I do know that even though I have gotten
hurt occasionally, I would do it all over again. The
Joys were more memorable than the pain.

Actually, most of the times that I ended up hurt were not because
I left myself vulnerable, but rather that my stupidity tricked
me into arming myself against “the one I loved”, so that she
couldn’t hurt me. Once I let myself take the defensive,
I usually ended up causing more problems than I solved.

What should a person do: Should a person be tougher and more
protective of themselves even though they take away from
the full effect of love….Or should you be more vulnerable
and weak and open to possible attack….

I am WEAK! Not because I choose to be this way….but rather because
in all honesty, I know no other way.

I am weak….I sometimes get hurt….but I have felt love….

-JT

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want more poems? Consider:

How to get Flat Sexy Abs and a Flat Stomach and a ….

Good morning,

Flat abs. Flat abs. Flat ABS!

Turn on any TV infomercial in creation and chances are, you’ll see ads for gizmos that guarantee “flat abs” if you use it religiously (and of course, add in diet and exercise and all those goodies too).

The thing is, however, you already HAVE flat abs. Abs, by their nature, are flat muscles. Your abs, however, are probably simply covered with fat.

To get a flat stomach, you need to lose weight all around. You simply cannot decree, I shall drop the 44 pounds that are currently glomping onto my waist! Spot reduction is a myth – you cannot say from where you’ll begin to lose.

Flat AbsI wrote a free report on the ultimate Abs exercise – simply click on that picture and sign up for free to receive it! You’ll find lots of resources for other abs exercises as well…not to mention, the key trick towards successfully losing weight and keeping it off.

Remember, sellers of infomercials and other quick-fix products are often simply selling you the dream. Become a smart consumer instead – you’ll uncover the weight loss and exercise program that works best for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Still want abs stuff? Consider:

Parental resources for screening movies for kids

Morning,

Today I debated about taking my kids to the movies, and learned that a 3-D Beowulf was in the theaters.

But is it appropriate for kids?

According to many of the sites I found, errrrr…..the answer is NO WAY!

If you’re a parent, checking out what’s good for kids is always a wise thing before spending money on the tickets. Here are some resources you can utilize:

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – truly, however, the best movies are Star Wars like so: