Christmas Time Is Here!!!

Everybody cheer, Christmas time is here. Finals are done, now I start to run around that is, for gifts for friends. There is so much to grab, so much is needed I asked for so much, I begged and I pleaded. I grabbed all the tinsel and three it on the tree I grabbed a few stockings for family, friends and me. I threw up some garland and put on a Santa Hat. My friend got into the Santa suit and petted our cat I grabbed my debit card and off I ran buying my gifts with lots of bags in my hands. At home I wrapped and placed near the chimney Oh I nearly forgot to get and decorate a tree. Off on another adventure I found the right one Home to decorate and have a little fun. Once it was lit and all was hung I knew my job had just begun. wait or was it done ....wink wink

Christmas time is full of errands to run, things to do, people to see, and songs to sing. It is supposed to be one of the most exciting and fun seasons of the year. Sadly though i have run into many people who do not like Christmas. HOW CAN THEY NOT LIKE CHRISTMAS?!?

That is a good question. Who would not like Christmas? Scrooge....well before he changed. Yes that is a symptom for Christmas. People turn into Scrooge's. So How do you know if you are turning into one?

1. Do you have trouble going into a store because you cannot stand the ringing of the bells?
2. Do you have a dislike for wrapping Christmas Presents?
3. Do you dislike Christmas Trees, all even the fake ones?
4. Do you gag when you hear Christmas Songs?
5. Do you avoid going out and shopping during Christmas?
6. Do you want to scream?
7. Do you hear chains in your home?
8. Have you been visited by a ghost?

If you answered Yes to any of the above you are having a symptom of Christmas.

Remember Christmas time is a time for smiling and having fun. Yet if you are stressed out how can you have the fun? Breathe enjoy looking at all the decorations around. There are so many lights. Do not stress about small things. A nice gift for 20 dollars for most people is a 10 dollar gift card to food and a 10 dollar gift card to the movies. Gift cards are fun, you don't have to stress about not knowing what the other person wants because they can go get it for themselves.

A gift for a family under ten dollars: the dollar store

• 1 basket
• 2 movies
• popcorn
• Hot cocoa
• 4 mugs with candy in them

Arts and Crafts family:
Find a place that will teach you how to make something and you get to keep the product. Pay the ten dollars for each person or whatever the price is. I know a family that makes candles and they let people make the candle and take it home and it ranges in price. The price I did was 10 dollars. I got a heart candle and got to pick out my colors, my scent, my designs, and then I got to make it myself with the help of their time.

Gifts for the whole family to give away:

1. approx 7 dollars for the chalk spray
2. you can get jars from the dollar store or recycle jars you have
3. Marshmallows dollar store
4. Hot cocoa dollar store
5. Chocolate chips dollar store
6. Ribbon dollar store
7. Chalk dollar store

Spray the jars outside of the house the day before with the chalk spray. (only spray the OUTSIDE of the Jar ONLY) The next day: inside the jars fill up with hot cocoa, marshmallows, chocolate chips in layers. Place on lid and tie a ribbon on it. Let the kids use chalk and decorate. Dollar store mugs work as well.

You can even do these jars as surprise jars... guess what is on the inside with a clue drawn with chalk on the outside. This is a fun craft.

Good gifts right now would be gift cards to an all purpose or grocery store. Such as Walmart where they can get clothes if needed, or bathroom items, or A grocery store for food. Right now a lot of people are struggling and this can help them get by. Or be creative and make a gift basket of those items. Dollar store would be good to pick up bathroom stuff for a gift basket.

Another fun thing for Christmas is to get the kids involved in cooking and baking and make plates (dollar store plates) and fill them up with the goodies you and the kids made.

** Can you tell I like the dollar store**

So what if you don't have a dollar store where you live?
The thing about Christmas is not to stress. You can always come up with something. If you don't have a dollar store or money then think about re-gifting nice items that you have not used and would not use. Be truthful. If you had a sweater that still has the tag on it that you have not touched in three years then more then likely that should be the first thing to re-gift.
Another idea is to make a coupon book yourself add things like:

• One free day of hugs
• One hour of cleaning
• One hour help with baby sitting
• One silly song
• One hour foot massage or back/shoulder massage

****Be creative****

One year I had beads that I had not touched in a very long time and I had some of my friends kids over and decided we were going to make bracelets for everyone for gifts. In fact any crafts is good for people. I had a friend that loves to do puzzles so they put a puzzle together, glued it, framed it and gave it to me as a gift. I LOVE IT. It is hanging in the front room. Everyone gets to see it when they come in and I had a lot of people comment on how beautiful it is.

A gift could be a day together. Me and my friend took a gift day for each other and we just made food, watched a movie, and laughed talking about things that happened in the past. Remember if you have no money and you know you get paid after Christmas you can do a IOU a dinner or whatever you want to owe.

Just remember not to stress you can always do something for someone. Just think positively and pray. God always provides. An example of that is one year I had no money to get everyone a gift. I prayed and prayed and got nervous as time got closer. I started to stress but stressing was doing nothing. I prayed again asking for help. I was told to be patient, think positive and everything will be fine. Well a week before Christmas I got two gifts early, one from a secret Santa and one for a belated birthday. (My birthday is December 7th). Both were candy which I don't really like. It was the nice kind of candy that was in a box set that they order through places like sees candy and such. I was so excited because I needed two gifts for two people and I just got them from other people. I re-wrapped them still unopened and gave them to others.

Other ideas:

1. Get a notebook and write out recipes
2. Draw a note card
3. Offer to walk with a friend for a week and do other fun things like Bob Harper's or Jillian Micheal's workout (works for those who say they want to go to a gym)
4. Offer to be a chauffeur for a day
5. Offer to do some house work or garden work
6. A gaming day where you compete on video games all day at your house if you have the consoles or theirs so they have a friend to play with.
7. A day going around looking at all the Christmas lights.
   

If you need more ideas you can always ask me or a fun site for cheap gift ideas is:

http://www.saving-money-makes-cents.com/
http://tr-work-from-home-ideas.com/
http://find-your-abs-fitness.com/
http://www.online-games-your-way.com/
http://www.kidpartyideas.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for fun decorations for Christmas

~Hugs Keyria~

f ffi fifi fiinaaa I am to scared to say the word... FINALS ahhhhh!

Wow, where did the time go? Looks like my clock broke down for a long time. Finals are coming up, Christmas is coming up, and more. There is so much to do that we start to panic. Where did the time go?

What was the first step of de-stressing???? We start to panic... just remember BREATHE. Lets start with finals. If you can get into a study group. It does wonders but if you are like me and don't have a way then take the time to review your past notes. There is plenty of down time for this:

If you are a passenger in the car bring your notes.
If you are waiting for the kids at the school for pick up, bring your notes.
If you are in your car waiting for your partner to finish shopping in the store bring your notes/book. In fact, my friend and I went shopping and he took in his book (for his class) and pushed the cart and read as I shopped.
There is always a ten minute part of a day when you can read the book. Do not make excuses. Instead find time and use it.

I also learned that after I write the notes for class, I type them up. To make sure I am typing them up I send them off to friends to help them remember as well. My friends in return on days that I am sick cover for me by taking notes or if they see I left something out in my notes they send me an update. This helps me not only remember what I just wrote but it is like rehearing it and helps me to retain it better.

What really helps me learn is I try to make a study guide. I will make up questions from the notes and then have to answer them. Sometimes I will do flash cards. Yes this may seem a bit silly to others but if you really want to pass and you really are learning these methods can help. I will also put poems or songs to words or phrases that need to be remembered. We all remember some of those poems. Never Eat Sour Watermelon = North East South West. Or In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

The best thing I can tell you other then to study is come time of the test. RELAX. Take a deep breath and just relax. If you cant remember a question answer go to the next question and return to the one you cant remember later. Usually test will give away certain answers in some of their other questions. Not always but sometimes. Even still after you finish the other questions you have made time to clear your mind and when you go back you can normally remember. However if you still cannot remember, you have gone blank, do not stress!!!! The more you stress the harder it is for you to get through a test. Take another deep breath and try to remember your notes. Have patience. The more you rush the more you will forget. Patience gives you time to remember things, and it means to be calm.

Remember if you do not pass the test it is NOT the END OF THE WORLD. One of my friends didn't pass her test she was so upset about it. I told her to relax and just redo the class. She wasn't happy about it but she did follow my instructions. She came to me and said she was glad she did because she was able to not only pass but she said she caught on a lot more because she remembered stuff from the first time and then she was able to follow along with the other stuff she missed. She passed the class with flying colors and instead of getting the C she was hoping for on the first time when she got the D. She got a A on the second time and that looks so much better then a D let alone a C.

So remember life goes on and sometimes we have to redo courses to learn them better. That is the same with life sometimes we have to redo lessons in life to understand them better.

To learn about Christmas de-stressing... stay tuned to this blog and it will appear.

~Hugs Keyria~

2weeks down 2 challenges to go

Wow, I have been back and forth getting all my stuff ready for the college and having meetings that I have not had time to catch up. I am very sorry for the looooooonnnnnnggggggg gap lol.

So here we go: Goals I had for the past two weeks.

1) Get books for college- This took some time in looking for where I can find the cheapest books since most of my books were over 100 dollars a piece!!! (I dont even pay that much to do my hair, nails and get a massage lol. Gotta love places online like half.com, amazon.com, ebay.com and textbooks.com. Wonderful used books from students help too.

2) Made sure all classes I needed I was signed up for. It is easier for me to sign up online then in person. The lines for in person can be very long and sometimes the process is very stressful.

I made it into the classes I needed

3) I had to make some appointments which I did.

4) First day of classes- find class. I went early. Classes were full. Got homework first days of class in all my classes!!

5) 2nd day of classes find out I am having 3 quizes on the third day of class and that I have Tons of notes to type up plus homework to do.

6) More appointments.

7) 3rd Day of class. More notes, more homework and you guessed it the quizes. Took dog for a long walk. Took pictures. Looked for a treasure.

8) More Appointments

And the list goes on... but I am now here yay!!!

So what goals have you been achieving? What goals have you set.

I decided to set a goal for myself. I am going to learn about exercise and nutrition. One goal I have set for myself is for this semester I am going to try and not drink ANY soda!!!! Wish me luck. I am addicted to it and it is a very hard habit for me to break.

Soda has unnecessary calories and sugar that I dont need. Another goal I have for this semester is I am going to try and walk 10,000 steps each day. This is my challenge for everyone this week.

Challenge: Walk 10,000 steps each day for a week. Have fun doing it. Dance to it, walk a dog or cat lol, walk with a friend. Here is the extra kicker for this challenge, since we missed two weeks I want you to set one more goal this week. one of your choice. Maybe it is to not drink soda as well, or to eat more veggies. Maybe it is to go to the gym at least once this week.

Good luck!!! let me know about your goals and how you did at the end of this week, during this week, and starting this week. Lets encourage one another.

*Hugs Keyria*

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

Goals: Preparing for school

School can be overwhelming! You have to make sure you have the basic items (pen, paper etc), you have to know your classes and schedule and ......I dont know about you but this all can become overwhelming.

Since school is around the corner I want to talk about the college and possibly highschool. Lets break down the goals.

1) Apply in ADVANCE
Find a few schools that you like. Apply as early as possible. The reason for applying to more than one school is that schools tend to fill up quickly. Sometimes they can not add everyone. So you may not be picked to go to that paticular school. It is always good to have two or more other favorite schools to choose from.

2) While you are waiting to find out which school you are accepted to go to, go get basic nesecarry needs.
What are those? Those are the things we have had since we were kids:
Backpacks, Pens, Pencils, Markers, Color pencils, Paper, Binder, report covers, etc. If you know what area you are going to study then get some items to relate to it. Example: if you are going to study art you may take a drawing class and need professional drawing pencils, or maybe a painting class and need oil paints. However make sure what you are buying is accepted in each of the colleges you applied. For some colleges may want you to use a certain brand

3) Once you figured out what school you are going into you will need to figure out the payment schedule.
Some can pay up front since they have been saving. Others who may not have had a way to save can opt for another option such as finacial aid, student loans, scholarships or grants. I would look into each one the school offers. (Tip: I heard it is really hard to pay back on student loans. I would look for things you dont have to pay back). Also check and see if they have what is called a bog waiver. A bog waiver is a program that will pay for your tuition fee. Sometimes all or most of it. (you may have to pay your health fee yourself). Once you have the payment down it is time to move on to the next step.

4) Sign up for classes.
This is always a challenge in its own for not becoming overwhelmed. The best thing is to get a foot into the door. For each year you attend you will move up on thier priority list and soon you will be one in the first group to sign up for classes. (groups: Usually schools do a lettering system where those in group A have high priority since they have been there, in the lower levels they dont have priority do to lack of academic attendance or they were on probation)

If it is your first time I would not overwhelm yourself with alot of classes. But I would pick out several classes that you may be interested in taking and seeing which ones are available. Try to take some easy classes in with the hards. I would not suggest doing all hard classes for you will be overwhelmed and alot of people drop out because of it. I would suggest maybe a fun PE such as swimming or bowling, and a drama, music, art, or something that interest you class, then a couple of general classes.

Another thing is to see about the teachers. Ask around and see what teachers do a good job teaching on those subjects. Of course you are the final decider on that. I know one teacher I enjoyed a friend of mine didn't. But more than often you will notice the good teachers have alot of people saying great things about them.

Don't get upset if the class you chose is already filled. Try to get on the waitlist and always rememebr you can take it later when you are on higher priority on the schools list.

5) Books.
Oh the joy of books. Some like to buy thier books as quickly as possible, some like new some like old. I am one for the cheaper the better. What I typically do is find my classes out. Go see what books are needed for it by looking in the book store. Sometimes I can find some used books for half price of the original book there. I write down all the books I need (if cheap enough 1-5dollars I will pick up the book...but how likely is that?) then I will check and see what books the students are selling and see if I may find the book I am looking for at a good price, if not I take the list home. I get on the internet and look up the books. Halfprice.com is always being mentioned in my school. Look for the good deals.

Things to note: I write all this down
Same Title
Same Description
Same AUTHOR
Same UPC
Same Edition
Prices so I can compare

I once just wrote down the author and title and came out with a totally different edition and had to return it since it was not the same book for the class.

6) Breathe

Once you have:
* Your school picked
* Payment started (or finished)
* Class schedule
* Your basic needs
* Your books

It should be near time to go to school. This is the breathing stage as I call it. It is where your nerves are a wreck because you are anxious, scared, excited and so forth to go to school. This is when I say breathe. Take the extra little time you have here and do something fun. Some like to get thier hair cut, go buy some new clothes, get their nails done. So relax. Find a book and read it.

7) First day of class!
To be honest I do one step before I go into my first class. I usually either go the day before or I will go an hour before each class and go find my class doors. I like to be prepared as to where I am going into. So usually the day before is best for me. I will go over my schedule and see where each class is. I make a note on my schedule as to where it is so I will remember the first day.

*Take an hour or a day before the first day of class and go over all your rooms to see where they are so you wont be lost the first day.

* Smile (a smile will help you not only calm down, be excited but will help make a friend.) People who see others looking confident will usually smile back at you.

* listen to the instructer!!!

*Make sure to get the SYLABUS: Most important

*Take note to what is due next class (always important and most of you should know this already)

Two things I want to note here. Listening to instructer and sylabus.
Why do I think those are important?

Listening to instructor:
If something seems out of place then more than likely it is. Listen to your feelings if you dont think you should be there then leave. Find another teacher that is teaching the same class and see if you can transfer.

I once walked into a class and listened as the instructer pointed to several students and told them they were going to pass, he then turned and told the rest of the students they were all going to fail.....At the end of his class those he pointed to Aced his class the rest did not. ~Cameron

I went to a class where the instructor made fun of his students. It was the first day and he already was pinpointing out students. He said here is my email but i never check it, here is my phone number but I will never answer it, here is my class schedule but do not disturb me and my office hours are on the back but it better be important for you to go there. Then one student got up to leave, he took the sylabus with him. As the boy was leaving the teacher said "Oh you are leaving? That sylubus will look good pinned up to your failure picture on the wall" I waited until class was over then I went and transfered to the night class. The teacher there was wonderful. ~Judy

NO STUDENT SHOULD PUT UP WITH MOCKING TEACHERS>>>>> Same goes for NO TEACHER SHOULD PUT UP WITH MOCKING STUDENTS. If you see this happening please report it. You can do it anonomously.

The sylabus:
This is important because it tells you what your class is going to be like.

When reading you will see what all you need: if you have the right book, what test sheets, or other items that are needed that you didnt know about before. It also breaks down how many assignments and when they are due. Pay attention to all the rules. (Even though most sylabus are the same, some teachers are different and may throw something different into a sylabus)

I went to school one day and the teachers instruction was: I want you to read the sylabus I have placed in front of you. Make sure that you do as it says...like no cheating, the assignments and so forth. After you are done doing so you may leave. Quite a few students got up and left. As I was reading it I noticed something odd. It said: if you are reading this like you should please take out a sheet of paper and write your name on it. The more I read the sylabus the more I had to do. It was kinda fun and like a treasure hunt to go through the sylabus and see what we were supposed to do. When we finished we turned it in he gave us an A for our very first test in the class!!!! Then we were allowed to go when he stamped a star on the paper we left. It was great. Alot of students were upset they didnt stay and tried to redue it but the teacher said only those that followed the instructions got an A... the rest had to do a differnt test and got points off of it. After that day EVERYONE followed the instructions. ~Kiley

I hope you all are getting prepared or have been. I know for us here classes are right around the corner. Have a wonderful day and I will see you next week!!!

~Hugs Keyria~

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. ~Phillipians 4:13

Goal: Throwing a party

The other day I was going to talk about having a birthday party. Your goal would be set up a birthday party and successfully run it. First and foremost we need to make sure we can do it stress free.

The first thing I always do when planning anything is make a list. Since this is a party my list will include the following:

When and where I can have it.
Decorations and what kind of party (costume, birthday etc)
Foods
Prizes and gifts
Who is invited and how to invite
Games and props
How much I am willing to budget for everything.

Most of the time it is hard to have a huge party due to lack of funds. I find it more creative when you can have others particiapate. Here is a fun stress free party idea that may help you see what I mean.

Problem: I don't have money to take all my friends to the movies, bowling or some other activity.
Solution: Instead of them bringing a gift maybe they can use that money to pay thier own way in. Remember the fun is having friends there with you!

For my party I invited 7 friends to do bowling and movies. I knew I could not afford to pay for it. My friends and I decided that we would have fun by doing a carwash. We asked a store if we could use thier parking lot and we would give them 10% of our earnings. The store agreed. We then made signs saying birthday car wash. We used the theme that every car has a birthday and needs to be cleaned. It was great! We had a lot of fun. We were able to pay for not only the movies and bowling but also for food. After all of it was over we still had enough for each of us to have 20$ in our pockets. It was the best birthday I had ever had.

Problem: I can't have a party at home for personal reasons and I don't know what else to do since I dont have money to go do things.
Solution: Have it outside at a park, or maybe at a friends house or even in the backyard. There are alot of places you could have a party. Maybe just a few of your friends are invited and you can all car pool (all chip in for gas) and go have a beach party.

I did the beach party I invited four girl friends and we all carpooled up to the beach. We had a blast. Girls day out. What made it even better was the surfer guys we met that taught us a bit about surfing. A girls dream come true.

Problem: There are too many people invited and not enough food
Solution: Potlucks are best. Cheap snacks from a local dollar store such as cookies are good for layouts. Or do pizza but cut the pieces into smaller slices.

I once had a party that was themed as a casino. The only way you were allowed in was the cover charge of $2.00. This would enable each guest to play all the games inside and gave them $20 in chips to play with. Plus one free soda. After that we charged .50 for every can soda after and $.25 for every extra needed chip. This helped us make the money to order the pizza that they got to eat. Basically the guest paid for thier own meal.

Problem: I can not afford alot of decorations. I am on a very tight budget. Balloons alone are very expensive.
Solution: Sometimes we have to get creative. If you can't afford much the dollar stores have some fun party supplies and some even have balloons. Get creative with what you have. you can make confetti by shredding papper or cutting it into odd shapes. You can make streamers out of popcorn and ribbon.

For my childs birthday I had some colored ads that I normally toss but instead used the back of them and cut out each letter shape in Happy Birthday. I taped them to the wall. I bought a teenbop magazine. I cut out The pictures and taped them to the walls, chairs, tables, and hung up with ribbon the poster ones. I got some fun eyeshadow, blush and lipstick from the dollar store and layed those out along with nail polish. I put up pictures of her and her friends around the room as well. I used some dollar purple (her favorite color) material to cover the table where they could do thier make over. She was estatic when she came home and saw all the fun surpises.

Problem: Can't afford any decorations.
Solution: Become Creative. Use your mind. What pictures do you have that you can place out, what colors of materials can you use to decorate. What ribbon do you have left over from christmas, what about wrapping paper that you can use to cut out words and decorate walls with?

I just moved into a new studio. I had nothing on the walls yet because I had not unpacked. My friends thought this was perfect. I had no decorations and they had tons. They all came over with decorations and decorated my new apartment for my birthday. We had such a good time that we planned to do this for each time we get a new place. Mark who posted a picture of Santa Clause on the fireplace and his pic on my cieling said he is next. I am already getting ready to get him back for all the silly decorations he did to me.

Problem: Not sure what kind of theme to do
Solution: Be reasonable. Don't pick a theme that you can't afford to pull off. Costume can be fun, that way the decorations are basically on the person themselves lol. Game night have everyone bring thier favorite game over, Casino, Character night... are just a few fun ones

I did Casino and character. Both are fun to do. Character night is when you give each person that comes a certain idenity. Only they know who they are at the beginning of the night you have them reach in a hat and pull out a piece of paper. On that paper is an identity of who they will play the rest of the night. (course you and someone else has to put in identities so that you have some you know and some you dont. All night they have to go with that character. Then at the end you have everyone guess who they were. If you ever seen whos line is it anyways then you already know how to play. For the casino we had gone to the dollar store and picked up games.. tried to find casino type games, but used other games as well. We bought alot of cards and then enough so that each person can have a deck of thier own as a party gift.

Problem: What can I give as a party favor when dealing with a tight budget?
Solution: Alot of fun stuff can be from the dollar store. Since that place is cheap and you can find some fun things. Another idea is stuff that you may have that is in good standing that you may not want anymore.

The one I recomend is brown bag byes. Everyone invited brings a brown bag with an item in it. The idea is that there is a set budget on it like five dollars to a bag. So someone may put in a five dollar bill or another person may have put in a five dollar item. How it works is all the brown bags are the same but what is inside is different. They are mixed up and before each person leaves they get to have one of those bags. You never know what you may find. But it needs to be appropriate. (exp: Rags, makeup, hammer are not appropriate for a 7 year old all boy party.) This way you dont have to spend alot on party gifts instead you just do the one for the children of the household that are throwing the party.

Problem: I want the gifts to be originals not just same for each child.
Solution: You can go pick up some cheap gifts that are all different, or you could create crafts with your own supplies at home. (Sometimes you can get coupons for supplies at art stores)

The party favors I did for my children were they got to make things and take them home. I did alot of arts and crafts (cutting magazines, glitter, ribbons, beads etc) and alot of food crafts (we did worm in the dirt plus some other fun. These they got to take home and keep and it was arts and craft stuff I already had. I still can use the left over for children school projects and more.

Problem: Who should I invite.
Solution: Depends on what your planning for the day. If it is an out of town trip I suggest not taking as many kids. Where as if you are planning a home party then I say go ahead and invite more. Also pay attention to the ages. For a four year olds birthday you would not want to mix with alot of 10 year olds.

WHY?
Out of town trips are different when it comes to numbers. The more kids you have the less time for activities. It is easier to keep an eye on a few then on alot of kids plus it is safer. Unless you are in a school setting I don't suggest having alot of kids. Sometimes they can be overwhelming especially when there is not enough supervisors.

At home party is best for alot of kids. You have a set time of when you will start and end the party. Kids can come any time in between those hours. That helps you not to be overwhelmed with an all day trip, plus you have more supervisors as some parents like to stay with thier kids. This also helps kids to be available to participate since some parents wont let children go on long trips away.

The same concept goes throughout kids to teens to adults. If you go on a trip I suggest a few very close good friends this is so that you wont get drowned out by a crowd. Where as if you are close to home you can have people come and go as they please.

Age appropriate is meaning if you are throwing a party for a kid, then have kids around the same age. A young child will not understand if there is all adults and no one to play with, same with age difference. Kids like certain things at certain ages. You can't expect 10 year old boys to want to play dolls with a little four year old girl on her birthday. If it is an all boy party do things boys like... lazer tag, water balloon fight etc. If it is all girls then do girl stuff: Makeover with hair, nails, and makeup. Make sure it is age apropriate.

Problem: Invites are expensive these days
Solution: One of the fun things about doing a party is sending out the invites. You don't have to buy invites. Instead you can make your own. Draw different things and then write the info on the oppisite side. Get creative and pull out art supplies, glitter, beads, coloring pencils etc. Have fun making invites. Hand out instead of send... or do a singing invite on phone message machines.

My child once went to class and this person walked in all in a cowboy outfit. He sang to them about a wild west party. Then handed out hand made invites to a birthday party thrown by another boy in his class. He was so excited that he came home asking me to make his outfit right away. My older daughter thought paper invites were outdated so she text her friends which was the cheapest invites I ever had to pay for lol

Problem: What activities and games to do?
Solution: That all depends on you and what kind of party you want to have.

If you are planning on staying home for the party:
Any games can be fun: board, cards, video system like the wii
Casino party: play card games (solitare, black jack, poker, etc)
Wild West: Western dancing
Safari: Scavenger hunt, Picture find
Princess: Makeover
Outer Space: Crafts Outerspace Mobile
Cooks: Make differnt kinds of fun food (Playdough for in between while things are in the oven)
The most important question to ask is:
How much I am willing to budget for everything.

This will be your main focus on all that you do. From Decorations, Food, Party favors and more.

Free-$10
Place: House, backyard, park
Decorations: Ads cut into shapes, letters and confetti, old magazine pictures or pictures of family, friends or birthday child
Invites: Text, handmade on paper at home
Food: Pot luck
Party favors: Brown bag byes (one persons junk is another persons treasure)
Games: Scavenger hunt

Whatever you plan on doing have fun :)

~Hugs Keyria~
Oh yes and before I forget. I am going to be doing blogs once a week for a bit. I am starting up some new goals in my life and I have to get them in a routine that works. This is why this weeks blog is so long. Once I have the routine down of my new goals I should be back to once a day or once every several days. We will see how it goes.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~Matthew 6:19-21~

Happy Birthday To you

You know there is alot of work that goes into a birthday.

You have to order the supplies, rent a place or prepare a place (if you plan on doing it outside of your home. Put up streamers, banners, balloons, confetti. Not to mention all the food that goes into preparing for it.

Well tomorrow I think I am going to do a blog about birthdays as of today. I have a very special birthday for me to get ready. My brothers!!

My goal for today is my brothers birthday... So I would like for all of you to go wish him a Happy Birthday.... Go to his site: www.online-games-your-way.com and wish him a very special happy birthday.

Todays Challenge: Take today off. You worked hard this pass week. Today is an off day. Unless you have a fun goal that you want to do such as a mini vaccation, a birthday bash needed to get ready, or a paper due.

~Hugs Keyria~

Phew

What a week!!!

How did you do on your challenge? Were you able to save a few dollars? What about do a few things around the house? Were you able to complete a goal?

My friend had a goal of signing up for classes at a college and for applying to a job. That was his goal for this week. Two small achievable goals. He went and got the application but that was it. The rest of days he just worked and rested at home. I decided I would help him finish the goals.

So I told him I wanted to hang out this afternoon. From 2 to 6pm. I told him we had some errands to run and his reward would me treating him out to eat. Lol Men and thier stomachs :)That gave me time in the morning to do some of my own goals (taking meds, cleaning, and doing other chores).

He showed up around 2 and we went straight to the college. We went in and found out what classes he needed and which ones were open. We then proceeded to fill out the paper work and get a councelors signature and sign up for classes :)

I was excited to see that he was able to get into one of the classes he really wanted to be in. Especially since most classes were full right now. He did sign up for a class under waitlisted. I was happy to see that it was not waitlist full either.

From there I helped him fill out the application and then turned it into where the drop off was.

Surprisingly he treated me to a quick look around the zoo. (I love animals) and then I took him to go eat.

I just walked throught he door not to long ago and finished getting my laundry together for tomorrows goal.

It was really nice to have a friend to go do things with. I know he was happy. He told me that I completed him. He means that without me going with him he may not have gotten these goals done today. This worked for me, I needed a break from my goals and wanted to visit with a friend. We both had a good day and both achieved goals.

The reason why todays was more of a journal entry is because I want you to see that you can achieve goals and still have fun doing so. Goals do not have to be stressful.

My friend kept pushing them off which would cause them to be stressful come the deadline. Instead we took a day that normally we would have gone to the movies or just goofed off and used it to achieve goals... plus we squeezed in fun with food and going to the zoo.

We made the goals into a fun day!

Ok Now your turn. Write me and tell me what goals you finished this week...or made progress on. It doesnt have to be fully achieved even if you just moved and only unpacked one box that is an achievement in itself.

I will try and post pics of some of my goals that happened last week for you during this week
.
Cant wait to hear from you!!!

~Hugs Keyria~

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"~Phillipians 4:13

Check up#1

How are we doing? Are we still doing good? How is that fifteen minutes a day? I hope it is going well. Remember don't loose hope or give up. Even if you slip up and missed the 15minutes. It is ok. Just start again. We all make mistakes and if we all gave up on the first try then we would proably not succeed at much. That is why we have sayings like:

If at first you don't succeed, try try again- This I hear a lot!

Never say never whatever you do - Course that is from a song

It is better to have tried and failed then to have failed to try -learned this one from my parent

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try- I like this one it reminds me of the "You will never know if you dont ask, dont do, dont try"

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need- this one is true. I mean there are many times we go for something and something else happens that is better for us

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try - If you don't try then you will never know At least that is what I always say.

If you trust before you try, you may repent before you die- I like this one. I think it is a Proverbs quote

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try! - Can't leave out a Dr. Suess quote.

As you can see there are many encouraging things about trying. Focus on your goal and keep trying! If you want write 15 good reasons why you want to achieve your gaol and then post them up to remind you everyday. Write 15 nice encouraging quotes and post them up as well.

*I am unsure of who all the quotes belong to above. I have heard them from time to time or have found them off of a book, mag or other. *

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. I KNOW WE CAN MAKE IT THOUGH THE WEEK

~Hugs Keyria~

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

Random: WEEK

I decided to let you take a week and do 15 minutes a day for a goal. Using the same concept as yesterday. I want you to pick ONE goal.

The reason Why I want to do it for a week is so you can see the difference 15 minutes can make.

If you are cleaning 15 minutes a day by the end of the week you are going to see a big opening in your room all because of 15minues. If you can expand do 15 minutes in more then one room or try doing 15 minutes more than once a day. It is the same concept in exercising. You are to do 30 minutes three times a day.

Or if you are saving since I know we all dont get paychecks throughout the week I want you to try something. I still want you to put 15dollars into a bank account each check but for this week I want to show you how much 7 checks will get you. But instead of putting dollars into a bank throughout this week. (other then the actual paychecks) I want you to put 15 cents into a jar. From today until next friday. I want you to do this each day dont count it. just place it in. I know some of us are math wiz and can already know the answer to how much it is going to be on friday. this is just to show you how much you could save if you were placing it in each paycheck. Remember this would be savings for not a week but for almost two months made into one week of savings.

Whatever your goal is try and do 15 each day this week.

I once read a card that said:

You can do it!
Yes you can!
Just ask me your biggest fan!
Step right in and dont be afraid.
If I know you, you have it made.
Trust in yourself!
Just wait and see,
how proud of you we are all going to be.

~Hugs Keyria~

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:9-10

Random Challenge: 15

Today all I want you to do is focus on ONE goal. You can choose your own goal. Be realistic with it. After you choose your ONE goal I want you to spend 15MIN. Working on that goal. That's it! Seems simple right?



Lets say your goal is cleaning your room. Take 15 min and pick up all the pieces of garbage you see laying around, or sort through clothes throwing dirty into the hamper and clean onto hangers. Or if your goal is to clean any other room take 15 minutes and work on one area.



Maybe your goal is to save money. Take the next pay check you have and take 15 dollars out of it and put it into a separate account. Do not use that account. But each pay check put 15 dollars into it.



Maybe your goal is to do a vacation trip. You have the money and the time you just haven't sat down and done the budget up. Well today's that day. Take that 15min and start typing or writing. Look up discounts, put money aside for food, hotel, souvenirs. (We like to look for hotels that include free food like breakfast. It helps save that extra bit) Maybe look up package deals.



Maybe your goal is to have 15 min to yourself. Take that time. Go do something for you, or to a secluded area so you can have your alone time



Whatever it may be take 15



~Hugs Keyria~



Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms118:24

Stress Tip #30 Soft

Did you all have a nice three days off from the blog? I had a few Goals I needed to finish. I am glad to be back. So where was I oh yes that is right, I was right here...... #30 SOFT

When you look at the word "soft" what do you think of?
Blankets
Fur ~ Pets
Rugs ~ Carpets soft
Bed ~ Some are firm, some cushioned, some real soft
Robe ~Fluffy
Skin ~Smooth and soft
Paint ~ Liguid
Flour ~ Fun to squish through your fingers
Sand ~ Sometimes

There are quite a few things. Name three more just for fun. Those above were what people told me when they think of soft. Soft is to each person something that is normally gentle, delecate, smooth, and can be fluffy or furry.

When you wrap yourself up in a robe or blanket you feel calm, protected, comforted like if someone was hugging you. You even feel kinda lazy and just want to relax on the coutch, by a pool, or anywhere reading a book.

Soft could be the carpet that you just got on your floor. Oh how you first place you feet gently on it moving your toes back and forth. Then you start to really get into it by sitting down on it and rubbing your fingers through each twine of yarn or material used. Then you start to progress and use your whole hand until you cant help it and you are lying directly on the ground on the soft carpet.

A person skin can be soft and smooth however it can also be hard and bumpy. So people use lotion which makes thier hands and body soft and smooth. Flour and some sands will feel very soft as they fall in between your fingers. As you dig your toes into the sand near on the beach watching the waves rolll in.

Soft can be running your fingers back and forth slowly and very gently into clear waters like a pool. You can feel only grace all around under the water how you move slowly and calmly. You feel the gentle movement of the waters going through yoru fingertips.

When I go to bed I like a soft matteress that I can just sink into. I like how gentle it is on my body. It usually forms into my position. I love also how my cat will lay with me all cuddled up as I gently stroke his soft hair.

Speacking of hair...It is soft and silky too. To run your fingers through your hair especially after getting a haircut. You like the style and all the stress seems to vanish as you embrace a new look.

Todays Challenge: Go get a haircut, go wrap yourself into a robe, go lay down on soft carpet or on a soft blanket. Today just feel good by being around soft things :)

~Hugs Keyria~

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:5

Remember A Time

This morning I would like you to remember a time when you had to overcome stress to achieve a goal this year. How did you do it? How did you feel? What actions did you take? Then I want you to just breathe for a while today. Go back and read the first stress tip up until now.... Use one of the methods mentioned for today. You can just breathe for the rest of the day, go on a mini vaccation, go get a massage, sit under your favorite tree, do a hobby, write and much much more. Pick at least one and just relax today. Keep yourself calm.

~Hugs Keyria~

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalms 37:3-6

Stress Tip #29 Two day blog day 2

#29 Fantasy Vrs Reality

In our world it is hard to grasp what is real and what is not. What is achievable and what is unavailable to achieve. We sit there and dream more we do when we apply. We sit and say if I can only just win the lotterey then I could have everything I ever wanted... It would be nice if that were to happen but to be honest not many get to have that fantasy become reality. So most of us have to work for what we want. We cant wiggle our nose, blink our eyes, point a finger or even touch a picture and suddenly it appears. It is not that simple.

We live in a world that is confusing. It says you can have whatever you want... than in tiny print aka fine lettering it says restrictions may apply, batteries not included. We try to please others but we need to realize that fantasy and reality are two seperate things. Sometimes they can merge but it is highly unlikely that it will happen....

Todays reality was there was a blog to be posted. My fantasy that it would be perfectly posted this morning with no problems. That I would have all my goals finished by the end of the day. But unfortunately reality took ahold. I ended up not getting the blog posted until late because of a friend that was in need of some help, errands to run and health problems that decided to occur.
I may dream for that perfect house, backyard, car, mate, children, job, money, etc. It is a nice dream but dont consume yourself into it. If it happens be greatful but if it doesn't don't stress about it. Somethings come easy others come harder. We have to practice those harder things to make perfect.

Our fantasy: All goals achieved succesfully
Our reality: Goals are in progress, daily life stressors needing to overcome.

As one reader wrote: Be content with what you have. Take small steps to get to our goals. ~T

Don't go to fast for you may fall and miss something important. So take your time, be strong and you will succeed remember the story of the turtle and the hare?

Todays Challenge: See if you can find the difference of reality vrs fantasy in your goals right now.

~Hugs Keyria~

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13

Stress Free Tip #29 Two day blog

Haley peered closer to the picture. She was looking into a princess book her mother had got her for her birthday. The picture she had been engulfed in was that of the princess bedroom. With wonder in her eyes she looked at all the clothes in the closet. "Oh what beautiful dresses" she thought in her head. She looked over at her closet to see the most common clothes then back at the picture. She looked at the huge bed in the middle of the room with the veil lace around it and on top as if it was its own secluded room. Her bed was a simple small bed no lace veil or anything. She sighed. She looked at the huge rug on the floor and the chandelier light. She looked at the huge mirror and how the room was all glittery pink and white. Her room was a disaster zone: clothes lying on the floor, toys everywhere, no real color but a throw up of random colors everywhere. Again she sighed. She crossed her legs as she peered back into the book. Then all the sudden she jumped up. Almost knocking the book off the bed.

"I can do this." She said to no one in particular. She made a goal to make her room into the same looking room of the one in the book. She started to clean. As she cleaned she found toys she hadn't seen in a while and would be distracted playing with them. After a while she would realize she was forgetting to clean and start to clean but get tired real soon. Weeks went by and she did try to clean but it was not going like she had expected. after a month she looked in her room. There wasn't much that changed other then the clothes were now in a pile on the floor instead of spread out. She sighed. Nothing is ever going to change.

When her mother came in she saw that Haley was down. She asked " Why the sad frown darling?" With a sigh Haley explained she wanted the princess room. She said but she can't because of the mess. Her mother smiled. "I seen you did try. So why not if we can get a hamper so you have something to throw your clothes into. And a Toy box for the toys. Lets see and we can move those there and this here..." Her mother went to work planning. She explained that even though she had ideas that meant full commitment on Haley to do as she is told.

A couple days later her room was cleaned with a new hamper and toy box. She looked at her room then at the picture then back at her room. She sighed once again as her mother came in to wish her a good night. "What is wrong dear?" Haley shrugged and turned away. Her mother looked down and saw the picture of the room. "Oh that is a pretty room. Still I like yours better." Haley squished up her face. There was so much more to do. She had to paint, get fancy dresses, a rug, chandelier and more. Oh why couldn't her mother see this isn't even close to a princess room. Her mother seeing her daughter disappointed still kissed her forehead. "When I was younger I wanted to have a pony. I had to have a pony. It was my dream." Haley turned and looked at her mom. Her eyes were now in wonder. Her mother wanted a pony? That is silly where was she supposed to keep it? She had seen her grandmas house where her mom grew up. There was no room inside or out for a pony.

"I wanted it sooo bad. I didn't understand the reality of my situation. I never asked myself: Where would I keep my pony and who would care, clean, feed and pick up after it and how could I afford it." I was to busy dreaming of having a pony that I never thought about those things. Your grandma got me a stuffed horse for my birthday, a rocking horse and a tkt to the fairgrounds to go ride the ponies. As much as those were wonderful gifts I was not happy. I wanted the real pony not a fake one. I wanted to own not just ride one." Haley's mother stopped and smiled. "It took me some time to realize what I had was wonderful. Not many kids in my class had a rocking horse of their own, nor did the get to go to the fair. Yes it would have been fun to have a horse but allot of work goes into having one and I know I would not have been prepared for it. We don't always get to have everything we want but we do get to have things and make them our own special things. I never got a pony but that birthday ended up being one of the funnest birthdays I ever had. Everyone wanted to come over and play at my house with the rocking horse, my friends were all jealous I got to ride on a pony and everyone believed I was a true cowgirl. I believed it too. I didn't have to own a horse for that."

Haley looked at her book. She sighed again. "I just wanted to be a princess" she said softly. "But you are. You are my princess!" She looked at her mother and smiled. She sat up and hugged her.
"You know, I think I have a crystal ornament we can hang from the wall to make into the chandelier, and that pink rug at the store would go good with the pink paint we found for your walls. And I was thinking maybe we can invite a few of your friends to come over and help put glitter on your walls. What do you think?" Haley's eyes widened and excitedly she said "Mom I love you! You are the best. You are my Queen and I am your princess. This is going to be better then that princess room." Her mom stood up and started to go for the door. "You know I was going to save these for your birthday in two days but I think you might want to see how they will look now." Her mother left the room for a second then came back with some wrapped boxes. "Go ahead open them up" Haley started to unwrap the three boxes in front of her. Each box had two princess dresses in them. Her mother hung them up in her closet then kissed her night. As Haley was lying she stared into her closet. The nightlight glow made a soft glow around the dresses. Haley fell asleep peacefully.

Todays challenge: What do you think this story is about that could help us to be stress free? leave a comment or email me. I just want you to enjoy the story today and tomorrow I am going to discuss the tip.

Stress Free Tip #28 Read

"Hahaha lol Hahha I love 'Zits' it is the best comic strip out there" Jenny kept laughing. She had the newspaper in her hands. She smiled at some of the other comics but 'Zits' was no doubt her favorite comic of all times. She had to read it first before any of the others or sometimes she would savor the wait and read it last so she would end on a good note. Her father liked reading about investments, her mother about world crises, and brother the sports, but comics was her thing. Each of them would sit and enjoy their section of the newspaper. It was a daily family thing that they did. It relaxed them and got them all prepared for the day... (well sometimes her mother wasn't relaxed because of the horrid stuff she would read, or her dad because of investments going down or even her brother if his team did bad... still more than often it was a quiet peaceful time)

#28 Read

I love to read. I love that you can actually get into a book and feel as if you were someone else for a while. How you can actually become that person you feel what they feel as you read their life. You become that character yourself and you relate to the character. Reading is a past time that most find very relaxing.

When I was little I would read alot! I loved all the different books. However as I got older I stopped reading and more stress came into my life. I started to read again and the stress lowered. Whenever I start to stress I sit down on my couch grab a good book and blanket and start to read. I became a different person. Then when I have read a chapter I get back up and start to refocus on what it was that I was having trouble with. Normally I fix it as if I never had the problem after I read. ~Mel Smith

There are many books out there: mystery, sci-fi, romance, childrens, comics, self-help, biography's, etc. There are different books for different people. Not everyone likes the same things, not everyone will relax to a book about romance, some will relax to a book about how to beat a video game, how to fix up old cars, how to play the piano and more. You have to go and check out the books yourself to see what will relax you. Maybe you like the how to books, or magazines about clothes, maybe you are a child at heart and love the children books.

When I was little I enjoyed reading Dr. Seuss and now as I am older I still do. I see more of wisdom in his words and not just fun sayings as before. Dr. Seuss books are amazing you can enjoy them all through life. Mark Twain did a great job on Tom Sawyer, and the Adventures of Huck Finn, and Robin Jones Gunn was wonderful in doing books for all ages, children, teens (Christy miller series) and adults (SisterChicks). Of course then there is the greatest book of all (to me that is) Called the Bible. I look up to these authors. Their joy for writing, where it came from and how I could get it. I love to write but when I can not write, I enjoy reading. ~Kristina Hollon

I could feel the seamist breeze of the ocean as I watched the sea gulls fly above me. I looked back out at the gentle waves. Oh how the sun glimmered across the water. I dug my toes deeper into the wet sand and wiggled them around a bit. It felt good. How I wish I could stay here forever in this moment. I wonder what it would be like to live out there in such a different world. I looked down at the sand all around me. There was a few shells near by, but not many. I knew where to go if I wanted shells instead in fact it just amazed me that right here was not hardly any shells but not more then a few steps away over the rocks was another sanded rocky beach that had lots of shells. Not many people knew of this place. Nor was I about to spill my secret to them. It was my hiding place. Oh what a perfect hiding place it was. No one around to bug me, just the sound of the waves as they roll in and the seagulls talking to each other. I seen a crab scurry by busy with its ocean life. I looked back out at the ocean. I wanted to savor every bit of this moment. This was my home. This was where I was meant to be. ~Author Kristina Hollon from "Seamist of Oceanbreeze" ~ (Story is copyrighted, if you would like to know where you can read more from her, Send me an email and I will give you information on how to order her books)

You can find yourself in new wonderful places you have never been before if you open a book and begin to read. In fact alot of movies out now a days are originally from books or made into books. I am sure you can name a few like Twighlight series, Harry potter series, Lord of the Rings, Notebook, A Walk to Remember...the list can go on for hours.

Reading can also help you to expand your knowledge, learn something new, try something new, and live outside of the box for a bit. Turn your world upside down for a bit. Be an adventure, become involved in a mystery, fight for justice, become a princess rescued by a prince. Enjoy a good laugh, cry, a learned lesson from the moral. Just like the tale of Despereaux, the little mouse begins to read and learns how to be a gentleman and more, from reading a book and putting it to life.

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities. ~Dr. Seuss: US author & illustrator (1904 - 1991~)

Today's Challenge: Go read a book. Take a chapter a day. Find a fun book that looks interesting and start to read. It can be a story, a biography, a how to, mystery, or anything else that catches your eyes. Just go out and read a book. Have a little imagination today.

~Hugs Keyria~
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, & he shall meditates day & night ~Psalms 1:2~

Poem Time

This I must confess

that sometimes life can be a stress

With all our promises and all our goals

We walk around counting Woes

I have this to do and that to have done

I have this to get and that to have run

Work, school, errands, meetings

Hello! Goodbye! Oh Simple quick greetings

In and out of stores

in and out of doors

Clean the house, mow the lawn

Run another errand wont be long

I forgot this and that

I think I left it under the hat

Run around all through town

Sometimes I feel my world upside down.

To face my goals I must prepare

For stress to leave and me to share

my fustrations, and concerns to a friend

so they can help, they jump right in

Soon my stress seems far away

and goals are completed each new day.

Here I am to tell you

dont be afraid to ask too

With a prayer, meditation talk to a friend

somehow stress starts to end

And a smile appears upon your face

as relaxation is in your body from grace

May you have a Blessed day

With sucessful goals in every way.

Stress Free Tip #27 Fish Tanks

Yesterday we talked about water well I thought I might add this one in.

"Blub Bloop blub bloop" four year old Kalvin said. He was looking into the fish tank. "Are you talking to the fish? Have they said anything back?" Kasandra, kalvins older sister asked him. She had just turned six and her family had gotten her a fish tank. Kalvin loved going into her room and watching the fish. Kalvin didn't respond. he was to busy looking into the fish tank. "Which one is your favorite?" Kasandra asked. She already knew the answer for she had hasked it many times before. She just wanted him to talk. He was not much of a talker yet. He pointed to the small guppy. She smiled. Her favorite was the algae eater. She could not pronounce its full name so she named it plexy for short. She got closer to the tank like her little brother and they both peered in. "Do you know how many fish are in there?" Kalvin held up four fingers. "That is right. The same number as your age!" Kasandra answered back. They peered into the tank for quite some time.

"Time to get ready for bed." Thier mother said as she entered the room. "Can Kalvin do a sleep over again?" The kids had seperate rooms and at night Kalvin would sneak into her room to watch the fish. Thier mother found out and started to let him do sleep overs. "Kalvin would you like to stay in Kassys room tonight?" Kalvin nodded not taking his eyes off the fish tank. A smile spread across the mothers face and she started to get his bed set up in Kasandras room. At night all you could hear was the water running through the filter and see the fish swimming around. This soothed both kids and put them fast asleep.

Within a few months Kalvin had gotten a fish tank of his own. It calmed him when he felt like crying, it calmed him when he felt like screaming. The fish tank calmed him as he watched the fish swim in circles. His mother seemed to notice this helped him to think more and stay calm and relaxed more. You see before he would scream and cry all the time. In a few days they had a small fish tank in almost every room of the house.

#27 Fish Tanks

There is something magical, mystical, something just plain peaceful about fish tanks. We love to see what kind of fish are in there and we are glued to thier every move. They glide so peacefuly around in the tank. So graceful that we are at ease. There are all different kinds of fish; big, small, round, long, brightly colored, dull colored, some with long noses, some with a wave to thier movement. Yet we are all entranced into thier world of magic. We sit and wonder what it may be like to be a fish or we just enjoy the serinity of it.

I like a ghost fish. They move while staying in one spot. My younger brother loves sharks. typical boys lol. My little sister loves our guppies. She thinks those are the prettiest things ever. One of our guppies had babies, we were not at home when it happened so when we got home we only saw one left. So my sis got to keep it in a smaller tank in her room. We didn't tell her the other ones may have been ate. Our molly had babies too. We found two and saved them. -Brenda

My favorite fish is the plecostomus. Alot of people that don't know fish really well ask me "What is that?" A plecostomus is a fish that eats algae from your tank. they are not much of swimmers but you will find them on inside of the tank walls, on the rocks, and any decoration you have in your fish tank. They are good at cleaning it so you don't have to clean as often. I think they are gorgeous and they can grow to be quite huge. There is this game I like to play online called fishworld and you can actually buy fish and one of them is the plecostomus. If you get that fish your tank will be clean and you dont have to clean it lol. -Kiley

I have a small fish tank and keep hardy fish like a betta or gold fish. However I love to go to the aquariums at zoos. Especially Monterey Bay. They have such a wide view of OCEAN fish and I love it. I think my favorite is the sun fish and the jelly fish. Those jelly fish are so amazing to watch. They move slowly and gracefully that I am hypnotized by them. In fact it is hard to move me away from that tank once I have seen it. My friend gets the same way with the Dolphins at Discovery Kingdom. She says she loves to just sit in front of the tank and she would sit there all day everyday if she could. -Trista

There is just something about fish that makes us forget about the world around us. It eases our minds and stress.

Todays Challenge: Watch fish! Go visit a pet store and look at all the different fish, if you have your own tank watch your fish, or go online and watch a video on fish. Today just look at the fish and watch them move.

~Hugs Keyria~

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10

Stress Free Tip #26 Water

It's Summer time here
so there is nothing to fear.

I am all set....to get wet.
Jump in the pool just to stay cool.
The water is refreshing,
an honest true blessing.
The water how it shimmers.
Oh look at all the swimmers.
They jump in, for a swim.
Grab your bathing suit, trunks & fins
then come on over and lets begain;
To have fun ....in the sun.

#26 Water

I love water! I love to go to the ocean, lake, rivers, pools and just to watch how the water shimmers from the sunlight that hits it. I get filled with joy. In fact Incubus said my exact feelings in thier song "Wish you were here." Thier lyrics "I dig my toes into the sand. The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket. I lean against the wind. Pretend I am weightless and in this moment I am happy happy" is exactly how I feel.

Most of us don't just like to look at the water but we love to jump in. We go out to the lake, ocean, sometimes rivers but mostly pools and we dive in and have fun. Splashing about enjoying the feeling of being light as a feather. Almost like flying but in water. We love how it cools our bodies. It even helps us stay fit. Amazing how water can be so healthy for us.

When you are stressed out have you ever noticed that if you go take a warm shower, get into a hot tub (even a pool) and slowly move around or just stay in one spot letting the water hit you sooths you. The shower is like a warm massage against your back, the jacuzzi is the same. The pool you slowly move and can just feel grace. By being in water you calm yourself down. (of course some have exceptions like being afraid of water, stranded, or not able to swim but you can still enjoy water)

When you swim you feel different then when you are out of the water walking. It is a different kind of feeling. You feel graceful, peaceful, and some feel mighty. Maybe that is because you can lift heavy things in the water easier then out of the water.

Water is a way of health. You should be drinking water all throughout the day to stay healthy, also you can use water as a form of exercise. You can swim, do areobics in the water, use water wieghts, water fights, go on water rides, water rafting, kanoeing, sailing, or water slides, water parks, water is a great source of fun.

So what are you waiting for? Go have fun with some water lol

Todays Challenge: (You have two this time)

First Drink a cup of water. Your choice of how cold warm or hot you want it to be.

Second have fun with water by: jumping into some water if you can or just got and watch it shimmer in the sun! Go to the lake, to a pool, a beach. However if you can't do any of those things set up a sprinkler go run through it or even just get the water hose and spray it on yourself. You could get friends together and go to a water park, go have water guns or even water balloon fights.

~Hugs Keyria~

With joy you will draw water from wells of salvation~ Isaiah 12:3

Stress Free Tip #25 Addictives

"Mmmm Coffeeeee" "No way SODA is the best!" "You both wish. Pixie stix are the best" Melanie, Kindra, and Josie were all sitting in a circle talking about thier biggest crave and which was the best. "Pixie stix?" Melanie asked sarcastically? "Yes, Pixie stix. Have you ever heard of it?" Josie asked back sarcastically. "Isn't that the candy that is basically just sugar? It comes in a small tube and is all different colors?" Kindra asked. Both Josie and Melanie nodded their heads. "Oh I love that candy. Ooh now I want that and soda" Kindra said. Both Melanie and Josie started to laugh. Kindra joined in.

#25 Avoid addictive activities

Ok most of us love getting either coffee, soda or candy. We love the way it taste and we become addictive to it. Sugary items are definitely not healthy for us to have a lot of. Yet we all have a lot of it and before we know it, we are out of control with it. How can coffee, soda, candy or whatever it is you are addicted to get out of control? Glad you asked, lets look at soda:

If you live in America most if not all have tried soda at least once. Those of us that drink soda usually start off slow and have a soda every now and then. However soon we start to have soda once a day. That once a day soda then turns into three times a day. Later on it turns into seven times a day and so forth. Or the soda may stay at three times a day but now we start using a bigger cup then before. Ok, so we drink alot of soda. No biggie right? Wrong, It wouln't be a biggie if you were not addicted but since you are then there is a problem. WHY? Glad you asked again:

We are so addicted to these items that we cant handle being without them. And when a health issue or some other reason arrives that says "Sorry you cant have that anymore." We become angry, aggravated, irritated, annoyed and so forth. Not fun to be around and we are very upset that we start to stress.

I know a person that is so addicted to sodas that if they don’t have their sodas they get really bad Migranes. They also become very cranky until they have thier next soda. Migranes, emotions are your body fighting the withdrawal of the addiction. Though these are small addictions they can lead into more unhealthier addictions like Drugs and alcohol. Some can even skip the small and go straight into addictions that are more harmful then just a migrane.

You can have these items however do so in a appropriate manner. Take notice to how much you consume. I know a person that does a journal. She writes all the foods, drinks, and activities she did that day. She says this helps her monitor her addictions.

Did you know activities other then eating and drinking can be addictive? I am not just talking the typical drugs or smoking but other activities. Some run to get healthy, others run cause that is an addictive behavior for them. It gets thier adrenaline going. Some use not eating and become very unhealthy. They stress thier own body out by doing this. Some get so addicted to the television set they forget thier reality and the television series become thier reality.

Some love drama and they gossip just to have that drama in thier lives it is a addictive behaviour, Some prepare for a concert so much that winning is all they care about and forget their friends this is an addictive behaviour, Some lie so much they forgot the truth this is an addictive behaviour, Some what to look the best that they stress thier bodies and some love money so much that if you don't help them succeed with that then they have no want or use to be your friend. These are a few of addictive activities.....What is yours??

We have to watch what we do and only do it in moderation. Be aware of our surroundings, our actions, and our consumption. Alot of us become to addicted to something that we forget about our life. By doing this we stess us, our bodies, and our family and friends out.

Todays Challenge: What are you addicted to? Is it soda? Coffee? Candy? Money? Shopping? Your challenge is to give it up for a whole day. If you love to play video games for one day you are not allowed to play them, love to shop, for one day dont shop. It may be hard because you are addicted if it is not then try something more challenging give it up for a week. See how well you do. If you become upset, cranky or irratible try having a friend help you out or take and make substitutions. You cant shop but you can go window shopping, you can play a game about shopping. Try Super Poke Pets, or Petville both are shopping and decorating. Can't drink soda then try lemonaide or punch. Can't have candy try a fruit it is just as sweet. Good luck.

~Hugs Keyria~

For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. Isaiah 31:7

Stress Tip #24 Dim the lights

"Hahaha that is great do it again of on of on of on!" Tabitha said to her older sister Danielle. Her older sister was making her laugh as she turned on and off the lights to make a strobe look for her. "haha I love it. I wish it could do that all the time." Danielle turned on the lights full and left them there as she went over to her bed. "O.K time for us to do homework." She said and pulled out her workbook. Tabitha giggled then calmed down. Tabitha got up went over to the lights and started to flicker them on and off. "Come on Tabby we had fun lets do our homework before mother yells at us." But Tabby kept going. She giggled and giggled. Then she stopped the lights went off and there was no sound. "Tabby?" Danny said confused. She could barely make out the form near the light switch. "Turn on the lights" but the form didnt move. Danielle got up and moved slowly to the lights. Her sister still didn't move. "Tabby, are you ok?" She said as she turned ont he lights. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Her sister screamed at the top of her lungs. danielle got scared. Something was wrong. "Turn them Offfff!!!! Tabitha screamed. Danielle could see the tears coming from her sisters eyes. She shut off the lights quickly. Tabitha was still making noises but she wasn't screaming. "What is going on?" Danielle asked after a while of waiting with her sister in the dark. "My head hurts" Tabitha said through the sobs. Right then Danielle understood...Migrane. "lets get you to the bed. Lets lie down and relax you can see the glowing stars on our cielings it will relax you because it is not to bright. I will go get mother for her to help with meds." Danielle got Tabitha into bed and went and got her mother. As her mother talked to her they realized the flickering lights were fun at first but then they caused a migrane on tabby and that wasn't fun. Her head was hurting when they first started but because Danielle kept stopping it was slowly becoming intense. Then with Tabby she kept going which caused it to peak. After sleep and her medication Tabitha felt better. But to be on the safe side they lowered all the lights and made it a calm setting house for her.

#24 Lower the lights

You know how when you have a migraine you can’t handle sound or light. Well to relax yourself you turn off or lower them both. We do this cause it causes more of a relaxed calm setting. This helps wtih the pain we have to lower itself or vanish completely. In this same way we can relax by doing the same. We feel at ease after we lower the lights.

Bright lights are good for certain activities but we lower the lights for alot. I like to watch movies but I dont like bright lights in the room. It draws away from the movie and distracts me. It makes me to focused of what I may need to do around me then for me to relax. So if I lower, dim, or shut the lights off and watch a movie. I am more relaxed and focused on the movies. -Jim

The only bright light I want to see is Jesus Christ. There are so many bright lights that they do give headaches. You walk into a store and thier lights are on so bright that you are blinded and want to leave as quickly as possible. I tend to shop in a low light setting stores. I like when they have one light on one light off throughout the store. For one it feels like they are saving energy and for two it is not so bright that it hurts me. Usually they tend to be the smaller stores. It does help cause if you want to draw attention to a paticular selling items you can use a light right there and it drowns out what you may not want to be noticed around it. But dont think it will drown out all things. When I go into a dim lighted store I want to stay in there longer checking everything out and seeing what I want whereas when I go into a bright light store I may quickly walk out or I may try to grab what I want really fast and then run out. (of course I pay for it first). -Amy

I like when the lights are low or off because you get to see more light! What I mean by that is we just had fireworks for the Fourth of July. If we did it during the day it just would not look as nice but at night it looks wonderful. At Christmas we use lights to decorate our houses. During the day they are not much to look at but at night they are bueatiful and we have gone to a black light mini golf. It is dark but bright on the course. It is neat to see these things. Had the lights been on brights we would not see them to thier full potential. -Chris

I love candles. I use them to unwind at the end of the day. Instead of having on all the lights I put on a candle. Read a book and just injoy. Besides candles are very romantic and what girl does not like romance? -Elaine

Bright lights, Low lights, no lights. It is amazing how a light can affect us in different ways:

• No lights makes us want to sleep
• low lights we are at eased (typically romantic, relaxed or stress free)
• Bright lights is more for having fun (waterpark, concerts here we come!)

Todays challenge: Take 15 minutes or more and lower the lights at your workplace, home or where ever you may find you need. Sit back and relax. You can put on music, watch a movie, just do something in low lights. Check out the difference.

~Hugs Keyria~

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12