How much water should you be drinking?

Are you drinking enough water?  Check out this water consumption calculator I found and wrote a short blog about on my other site! 

Hydrating is very important.  If I don't drink enough, my skin breaks out and I feel drained and more easily worn out than when I'm fully and properly hydrated. 

http://www.fitdiaries.com/2011/12/how-much-water-should-you-drink.html

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Balancing Work and Family

As much as I'd like to be a full time stay at home mom, I can't afford to be.  My mom was one and I loved having her home and there for me and my brother whenever we needed her.  In these trying and uncertain economic times, families everywhere are doing all that they can to stretch their pennies as far as possible to feed their families, pay their bills and support all their needs.  Sadly many families all around the world and even in America, are falling short.

I sit here typing this on a break from my paperwork that I brought home with me while my son is showering and getting everything ready to go to bed.  He's almost 10 and every single day of life with him is a blessing and a new experience in learning how to balance work and motherhood.  How do some people do it?

There are times where I feel so overwhelmed with work that I wonder if I can go on but then I pick myself up and "keep on truckin'".  What baffles me is that I only have 1 child and he's almost 10 and it's still difficult to find that balance.  He is the absolute light of my world, the love of my life and I'd do anything for him.  On my worst day, seeing him (even if I'm irritated or angry at him) gives me comfort and I feel an overwhelming amount of love for him that I never experienced before becoming a mother.

I was watching Dr. Oz this afternoon and the topic of the episode was starving middle class families.  It broke my heart to see so many struggling.  I wish I could do more than I do.  I donate to several charities and give food to food drives but I wish I could personally feed and support all those in need.

That brings me to my second thought...how these insanely rich people can look at themselves in the mirror every day and know that they could save so many families and so many lives and yet fail to do so.  I mean sure you got your Angelina Jolies who seem to really care, really devote a large amount of time and money to helping the needy.  Then you have some who claim to donate to charity and if they do, good for them.  I watch tv and see people spending INSANE amounts of money on weddings and cars and houses.  Some make millions and millions off of wedding photos and baby photos.

I'm not saying celebrities and uber rich don't deserve to make a good living and enjoy life.  I'm sure many of them donate a large amount of money to needy people.  It's when you see people whining about how hard they have it because they chose to have cameras follow them everywhere (ahem Kim Kardashian) when there are people with REAL problems every single day suffering to scrape by.

Sorry for going off on a tangent.  Watching quasi celebs whine and complain about how hard being rich and beautiful just disgusts me.  Not hating but not appreciating their circumstance either.  Seriously, if you don't have to worry about paying your bills and feeding your kids, you're lucky.

I'm thankful for all that I do have, the job that pays the bills, my family's health and the roof over our heads.  We are truly blessed.  I pray for all those who are in need that someone gives them help and warm food to eat and a warm place to stay.

How are you doing? Are you going through the same thing as me?  Are you a working parent? How do you find balance?  If you're at stay at home mom, how do you and your family make extra money or pay the bills?

I wish you all a happy and blessed holiday season!  If you have any ideas for budgeting, any good coupon sites, any good suggestions or ideas to share with me and anyone else who reads this blog, please feel free to comment below!!

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Wish List

1. (1) Tarte The Starlet Limited-Edition makeup Vanity ($52) Sephora
2. (2) Michael Kors Fragrance:  Island Michael Kors Very Bali, 1.7 oz ($65) Neiman Marcus
3. (3) Bare Escentuals: bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 8.0 - The Playlist ($40) Sephora
4. (4) Photojojo Camera Strap Buddy ($15) photojojo
5. (5) Epiphanie Clover Camera Bag  ($184.99) Epiphanie
6. (6) Noelani Designs Jane Earrings ($70 - $76) Noelani Designs
7. (7) iPhone Fisheye, Macro, Wide Angle and Telephoto Lenses ($20-$25 ea or $49 for all three) Photojojo
8. (8) The Ring Flash Adapter ($40) Photojojo

It's the season for giving and for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in Nazareth over 2000 years ago.  Though many disregard Jesus completely (which makes me sad), most still find the time to give and receive gifts.  My wish list is quite small and rather affordable if you compare it to other bloggers.  Just the same, these are the top items that have caught my attention.  Can you tell I enjoy photography? haha

Happy Holidays to all of you out there.  

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Life or Something Like It.

My life has had many ups and downs.  More than the average person...or at least that's how it feels sometimes.

I'm not saying that I haven't had good times in my life either but the terrible ones seem to be more memorable than the happy ones...well at least sometimes this is the case.  I was sitting back the other day contemplating life while I was stressed out beyond recognition and I realized that Einstein's theory of relativity is very true.  While you're going through something that's awful, it may seem to drag on forever whereas someone else is going through a happy and amazing time and it seems to fly by.  Why is it that the stressful and sad moments linger on in our memories and seem to drag out?  Perhaps it's because when we get stressed or worried, we have a tendency to obsess over the matter at hand and it's always on our mind.  When you're happy or joyous, you live in the moment and the cares of the world seem like they can't touch you.  It's easy to forget the good times when life gives you a bag of sour lemons because you're so busy focusing on the struggle that you forget how truly blessed you really are.

Every breath of life is a blessing, even on the worst of days, you're lucky to be alive.  I could get really corny and use phrases like "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but I'm sure you know that already.  The bottom line is that through every single terrible and awful experience, I've learned a lot more about myself than I have in the good.  The tragedies and stresses in my world have truly made me stronger and strengthened my endurance through life's trials.  I believe I'm a better person for it...each and every bad day has given me a little  more character, a tad more experience and a lot more perspective.

I remember watching the movie Under the Tuscan Sun where a secondary character who's name currently escapes me tells Diane Lane's character "perspective is the difference between a happy person and a miserable one".  That line has stuck with me for several years since I first saw the movie in theaters.  It's a good quote to remember when you're dealing with life's trials and tribulations.  It's too easy to let the bad times and the curve balls and personal tragedies get you down.  It's easy to allow yourself to wallow in self pity and depression because of it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that depression is invalid and irrelevant but if you maintain perspective, it's a lot easier to work through and deal with.

In the Bible there are verses that warn to be careful about the evil one (the devil) and how he will test you and tempt you.  He tempted Jesus and thankfully Jesus did not give in or allow those temptations to cause Him to veer from His path.  I know no one is perfect like Jesus but we have to try to be more like Him.  When we are going through trials and tribulations we have to stay the course and learn from the bad experiences as well as the good.  Remember that life is not a waste of time and that every single day, every single breath is a gift from God!  The devil lies and deceives us into doubting in God and allowing the bad times get us to believe that we are doomed to suffering.  It's his attempt to drain us of hope and faith that leads so many people astray.

When I was contemplating writing this blog it was more to work out thoughts I was having than to discuss biblical events and theory but they are all as true today as they were then.  We have to stay strong and resilient through the tough times so that we can enjoy the good times.  It's the joy, the blessings, the happy moments in life that make life worth living.  Even if you experience more bad moments than good ones, you must remember that it's the quality of the happy experiences that matters more than the quantity.  Anyone can have a million random and generic decent days but I'd rather have  one really happy day, a truly blessed and perfect day than a million decent days.  Quality is better than quantity holds true in all of life's experiences.  You just have to truly cherish the good moments in life and hold on to those moments when life is throwing you a curve ball and the evils of this world have gotten you down.

Much like the photo I've posted here, we are all fragile beings capable of dying at any time.  We come and go when it's our time and like dust in the wind, we can leave this world at any moment.  If you've ever blown on a dandelion that has gone to seed and faded from it's once vibrant yellow petals, you know that the seeds float away gracefully and easily in the wind.  We are a lot like those seeds blowing in the wind.  That's why we have to enjoy and appreciate every single moment we have of life.

We have to live our lives to the fullest and be thankful to God for allowing us the time we have with all those we love.  It's easy to lose perspective in the hustle and bustle of work and life in this unstable world.  Don't forget to kiss the ones you love and hold them close when you have a chance.  Put down the phone or laptop to spend some quality time with those that matter most to you while you still can.  Every day is a gift, and that is why it's called the present. 

Just my thought for the day.  I know it's flawed and far from perfect but then again so am I...and I'm fine with that.

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