Are you Drunk and Baking?

Last week, I had a bad day. 

Most of you reading this are probably thinking something along the lines of 'So what?' or 'So did I.'  But for me to say a day was a bad day, it had to be grueling to get through.  I generally don't take things to heart.  Words don't get to me.  People don't get to me.  For the most part, I lead a fairly quiet life with minimal drama and not much to complain about.

However, this day was different.  It was one of those rare days when everything I touched went awry.  Nothing I needed was available.  I spilled things, broke things, made errors at work, ran late, lost things. You get the picture.

So on this particularly bad day, I went home and did what I always do when I need to feel better.  I had a beer and baked a cake. 
Please, like you don't drunk bake. 
I love to bake. It doesn't matter what, I try something new each time.  I don't like sweets, and I rarely eat what I bake, but something about it calms me. One day, maybe I will be able to start my own bakery.  But for now I do it because I love it. 

I am always looking for new ways to challenge myself too.  My next challenge...


It might not be your cup of tea, but what is?  What activity takes your mind off of your problems and helps you to relax?  Is it painting, or doing the dishes? 


Comment below and I will choose a response to try next time I need to relax.  I will write about it and you could see your name in my thank you section.
--M.E.
P.S.-You're awesome. 
         Pass it on.

Share this with someone today.

Find more great ways to brighten someone's day by visiting my Pinterest Page.

Dear You,

Dear You,


Hi there. 


Just some notes from me to you...


Stop worrying.  Everything may not turn out exactly the way you imagined but I promise it will turn out the way it is meant to. You have all you need to lead a fabulous life. 


Keep your head up.  I know sometimes you get discouraged and think that things will never get better, but they always have and they always will.  Life is a cycle.  It has highs.  It has lows.  Consider all of these moments before you let yourself get down.


Smile.  It makes you and the people around you happier.


Slow down.  Look around and appreciate the now.  Even when life gets busy and you can't seem to find time to shower and shave, let alone notice the picture the baby left you on the table, open your eyes. Look at your life and experience all of it. 


Keep up the good work.


--M.E.


P.S.-You're awesome. 
         Pass it on.

Happy Hump Day!

Reach, Grow, Be

Just Keep on Moving, Don't look Down.

A little Monday inspiration.

Pieces of Me

Hey to all of my readers out there!


If you like what you read on my blog but don't always have time for the full portion, you can get smaller bites of me on Pinterest and Twitter.  Follow me for great photographs, funny quotes, inspirational material and much more.  Quick and dirty like the old days. 


Thank you so much for reading.  I love you all. 


Megz

I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate

This video says it all.  Any person who is involved in, has interest in or is part of the current education system should watch this video.  Even if the message is not delivered in a traditional 'style', it is strong and to the point.  Listen to these words and understand that education reform is not just an idea on the minds of teachers or pushy parents, but on the minds and shoulders of the children we push through this antiquated system. 


I love to learn, so naturally the concepts of pedagogy, curriculum, and government involvement in the educational development of our children intrigues me.  So how is it that "the dominating world power", The United States of America is ranking 29th among the educationally developed countries in mathematics, 23rd in science and 20th in reading according to PISA assessments?


As a nation that prides itself on being the best, we are sure falling short of the mark and failing our children.  Students are not being taught the necessary skills to survive in the global economy we have created.  They are not being prepared to handle menial life tasks such as balancing a bank account, but are being thrown into a world that expects them to take out tens sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans to attend a college they were never prepared for. 


Thanks to the internet and the boundless information available, there are thousands of students that have a clear grasp of which career path they want to follow before age 15.  Do we encourage them to cultivate their knowledge and skills into a marketable trade?  No.


Our education system provides these students with outdated text books, busy work and the broadest range of subjects possible in order to give them a "well rounded education".  However, making a high school junior retake Shakespeare in summer school when he clearly excels in math, physics and chemistry is probably not beneficial to him.  Chances are his brain is just not wired to enjoy and understand the classic writing styles of Shakespeare.  Chances are he will never read or reference any of these works after passing this class.  So what is this really providing the student? None of this makes him a bad student.  It simply means he has a specialized skill set.  A skill set, I might add, that is in high demand in the job market and should be cultivated and grown, not punished for being too narrow.


We have stalled as a nation on the grounds of education and need to find a comprehensive and universal system that encourages our children to feed their minds and advance in the areas that come naturally to them. 


After all, the time between 15 and 25 flies by.  Shouldn't we be giving them the best possible vault for life in this economy?  I have solutions, but you didn't want to read any more of this today did you? 


In case you did, here is the link to the PISA article on NPR.com.

Motherly Affirmations

Being a parent is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. The hours are demanding. No matter how hard you try, you can never separate yourself from it. It infiltrates every part of your life and changes your habits forever. And unlike any corporate position, it is a job you can never truly quit.

It is also, probably the hardest field to gauge success in.

Its not like anyone is walking around to give you a quarterly review with a list of required minimum performance specs.

_X_ Kids on time for school each day.

_X_ Balanced meals eaten 3 times a day.

___ Children kept out of harm.
(Minus 10 for Johnny's sprained wrist.)

While it would probably be nice to have a written guide or checklist to help us with our day to day parenting dilemmas, there could never be an all inclusive, say-all, end-all guide to parenting. Children provide entirely too many variables. 

Here's the secret, there is no such thing as the perfect parent.

So how do you know if you are a good mom? (or dad?)

Look to your children for those answers. Believe it or not, your children will tell you if you are a good parent, not with their words but with their actions.

My eight year old daughter came home from school a few days ago and told me about a food drive her school was hosting. "They are collecting food for people that can't buy food," she said. "And the class that collects the most food will get a party, but I don't think that's right." 

Of course I had to ask why. All kids love school parties. Why would my child not think it was a great idea?

What she said to me next changed the way I saw myself as a mother.

"Because they are just going to give them a party so they will participate," she said, "but they should do it to get the good feeling of doing something good for someone else, not just to get a party. They should do it because those other people need help and it's the right thing to do."

I was so amazed and proud of my little girl at that moment that it brought a tear to my eye. That was my moment of mommy affirmation. No matter how many things I might think are wrong with my parenting, and no matter what our situation may be financially and what I may or may not be able to provide her with because of that situation, she made it all disappear with one statement.

My child has a good heart and has learned the concepts of right and wrong, responsibility and empathy. If I were to fail her in every other aspect of parenting from this point forward, she would still have this foundation to base her life upon. In my eyes, that means I must be doing something right. 

What signs are your children leaving you?  Look for them closely, good or bad.  Your children will let you know if you are a success in the great big

 world of parenting.



Be Brave

Sara Bareilles has the right idea with these lyrics.  How many of us honestly, and openly live everyday? 


There is something truly beautiful about being a genuine person in the world today.  So many of us arbitrarily keep things bottled inside out of fear.  The worst part is, it is a subconscious fear.  It is a subversive reaction to our own thoughts and feelings on the most basic level.  That is no way to live.


I would love to live in a world where people were honest and simply said what they were thinking without worrying about everyone else.  In a world where you could be true to yourself first and smooth it out with others second.  Sure, you might not like everything you hear, but who said that was a rule of life?


Be true.  Do you.

Jessie J - Price Tag ft. B.o.B.

I was definitely feeling this song today.  Hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite songs...

Accepting the Unacceptable

PLOT TWIST!


Your mother has decided to go off of dialysis and will essentially be ending her life by doing so.  What do you say when she informs you of her decision?


After almost 30 years of marriage, your parents have just told you they are filing for divorce.  What do you do?


Your baby sister is pregnant by a man she barley knows who is twice her age.  How do you react when she breaks the news?


Everyone experiences moments in life where news hits them in the chest like a speeding truck.  Some of us are blessed with the ability to step away from the situation and process the information without saying or doing anything until we have come to grips with it. Then again, some of us are not. 


When I am confronted with news of impending doom or catastrophic failure of the decision making process by those closest to me, I have a tendency to do two things.
                        1. Panic.
                        2. Ask Questions.


I ask the questions to ease the panic.  I ask the questions because I am a journalist and that is my nature.  Journalists ask questions, not because they are nosey, but rather as a means of clarification and understanding.  And I want to understand everything.


So when I ask bluntly if you have been on birth control or using a condom, it is because I want to know how a girl I love with all my heart who never wanted children managed to get pregnant in less than 90 days by a guy she barley knows.  When I ask how the expectant father feels about this pregnancy, it is not because I care how this stranger feels, but because I want to know what my sister is up against.  And when I ask what the next step for your life will be now that you have come to terms with being pregnant, it is not because I am trying to lead you one way or the other, but rather so that I can prepare myself for the ways that I can help.


Sometimes when you feel as though life has just led you or someone you know done a path of certain destruction, all you can really do is breathe.  DEEP BREATHS. 


It may take a day or two to accept the information that just sent your world view into a spinning vortex of horror.  One thing I have learned (and I am finding I learn more each day) is that you can not change the decisions that are not yours to make.  In these situations, all you can do is step back, take a deep breath and accept the unacceptable.  Rant to a close friend or family member, take a hot shower, go for a run.  Do whatever you have to do to come to terms with what is happening and move forward from that. 


Only then will you be happy with the life around you.  And that's what it's all about.