GOAL OF THE DAY POEM

Today is something simple. Just a goal for you to do.
One that will only take a second and then you will be through.
I want you to send me a message. You can choose whether it will be short or long.
A message of a question "What is the hardest thing about a goal you are working on."
To be fair I will tell you mine. That way you can see if you relate.
I am always in fear of failing, that is something I truly hate.
Yet, if I never try then I will never know. For that I have already failed.
So, instead of fearing it as I do, I face the fear and scream and yell.
"You will not scare me today! I will succeed in every way!
Even if I make a mistake and even if it takes all day!"
With that I pray to God and ask him to help me through the day
I call a friend for moral support and I work my hardest in every way.
The goal gets finished and I feel relief.
I thank the Lord for helping me.
Then I go out and what do I do?
I find a friend that needs help and I help the friend too.
Let me know what is the hardest for you
lets brainstorm to find a solution that is true
A solution to get you back on your feet
and past the goal that is stating its defeat.
We can do this yes we can
For we all have it in us, isn't that grand!?!

Catching up

First I need to apologize for not writing sooner. I have to tell you though I finally finished one major goal on my long term goals list. I am now a graduate and have my AA. YAY lol.

Now here is something I did while I was working on my goal to finish college:

Morning Goal Blues

I woke up early, gave my dog a hug

I rolled to the right and screamed, there was a bug

Just lying on the pillow I hope it had a nice nap

I threw it in the garbage then adjusted my night cap

I went to a take a shower because now I felt icky

Of course didn’t help when I stepped in something sticky

This cannot be happening I said looking down

Sure enough doggie love pile was splattered on the ground

I went to the bathroom to grab some T.P.

It was all gone, lucky me

Time for a shower, I was washing my hair

When soap got into my eyes, ahhh! This was not fair

I put on my robe and into the kitchen I went

Thinking coffee might help oh and I must pay the rent.

I go to find my checkbook and my pen

When I heard my phone ring again and again.

Now I was in a frantic as I was throwing things all around

Trying to find where my phone was by its ringing sound

When I finally found it under the cushion that I threw

I pressed talk “Hello?” “Hey Kyra, it’s is Drew,

Was wondering if you wanted to go out today

That sounds wonderful I thought then said “O.K.”

I hung up the phone with information got

Wasn’t paying attention when I grabbed the coffee “ouch that is hot”

I screamed as it shattered to the ground

More too clean up, messes were coming in mounds

But first my checkbook last night it was on the table

When I was listening to the self help tap….ahem I mean watching cable

There it was lying down on the floor

It had bite marks from my puppy ding dong, there was the door

I went to the window to see who was there

It was my land lord lady with purple dyed hair

“Hello Mrs. Micheal and how are you today?”

“I am fine, need the rent and I will soon be on my way”

I grabbed my checks with the puppy teeth marks

Looking for a pen while my puppy did bark

Mrs. Miceals left, and I turned around

Looking at all the disasters on the ground

I took a towel and cleaned up the messes

Taking away some of my stresses

Ding dong ding dong went the front door

I was surprised that I fell with a kaboom to the floor

I looked once again to see who was there

It was Drew standing with his friend Claire

I started to mumble inside my mind

I thought this was a date oh well this is fine

I welcome them in they asked “What went kaboom?”

I tell them it was something in the other room

My laundry was still going and I wasn’t prepared

To start this day oh why should I care

I get dressed, grab keys and phone

Told my puppy to be good while he is alone

Off I go to start my life

Praying that it will hold no strife

Even though not much was done

The rest of the day turned out to be fun

In the back of my mind I had much to do

So here is my quick poem just for you

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 won’t be long

Run around all through town

Sometimes I feel my world upside down.

May you have a Blessed day

With successful goals in every way.

~Keyria Lockheart~

Phil 4:13 You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

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~

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

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

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 Methods #1-3 breathe, enviornment, change mind

Hello all. Did you miss me? I missed you. I haven’t been on in the last two days because I had a goal which had a deadline I needed to finish. This goal was to make a lesson and teach it to kids the next day. I decided to put all my focus into that and learning what I needed to make sure the lesson ran through smoothly. And great news the goal was completed successfully. Yes I did do a few other things but I didn’t overwhelm myself with trying to do EVERYTHING. I picked a few goals out and worked on them. Focusing mainly on the deadline one. I was even blessed to go see a couple of movies at the theater which I normally don’t do often. And I did a small bit of cleaning around the house. I told myself that if the other goals didn’t get done it would be ok. For those goals were not hurting anyone, wasn’t a do or die situation and it would still be there later for me to pick up where I left off.

I wanted to give you some tips on destressing. There are many ways to do this. Each person deals with stress differently as I have said before. So for the following week or so I will be giving you a tip or a way that you may destress your life. Now some of these you may have already heard before, some you may already do and some you may not do. However some of these you may have wanted to try. These are just ideas for you to go out and use and see which one works for you. People say all the time I have tried everything and I still stress…. But have they really tried everything?? For the next week or so I want you to try each one of the following and write me to say which ones worked or did not work for you. You would be surprised at what may work and what you would think does work doesn’t really work.

#1: Breathe

The very first thing we should do is focus on our breathing. As soon as you feel stress is coming on stop whatever you are doing and focus on your breathing. Most people don’t focus on breathing. They are too busy worrying that they may find that they stop breathing for a period of time. This causes your heart to overwork. It may cause many different symptoms like chest pain that we saw with Tommy or it may even cause a heart attack. Breathing is the very essential of our life. We need to breathe to live. So when you start feeling stressed out STOP whatever it is that is going on around you and focus on your breathing

A friend of mine remembered a time when she got on to her first roller coaster. She was very frightened. She started to feel very stressed and kept thinking “What am I doing? I need to get off of this thing” before the ride even started. But before she had a chance to say anything the roller coaster took off. Her friends were screaming and smiling and laughing enjoying the ride while she was holding on for her life and was tightened all over. When the first downward motion of the train happened she started to panic, turning white all over. “Relax” She told herself. Realizing that she was holding her breathe. “Just breathe.” So for the rest of the ride she focused on breathing in and out. After the ride was finished she realized it wasn’t that bad. You just have to relax and let your stress go. She actually went back on the same roller coaster!

Because I was off for two days I decided to give you two more:

#2:Change of Environment

This is one thing I can say really does help. If you are cooped up in a room all day just a step outside for five minutes to get a breath of fresh air can make a world of a difference. You need to be able to change your surroundings. When most stress it is because of the situation they are in at that moment. So to distress take away the situation. Move away from it. This change causes your body to relax more. This does not mean run from the situation but like above take a breather. Just being out in the sun can help a person who has been cooped up way from the sun. That natural light helps reenergize us.

“I work all day inside a cubicle in a office. There are hardly any windows and the lights are not the brightest. It is tedious work. It can be very mind draining at times. There is so much paper work that it can get very stressful. To help me from stressing so much I go out and take a walk around the block. I love the fresh air.This helps me to clear my mind and focus more.” ~Kimberly a business executive.

#3: Clear Your Mind

Redirect your thoughts to more positive things. It is the same aspect as looking as a child. When they have gotten something they are not supposed to we take what they are not supposed to have but replace it with something they can have. Example a young child found a pen and has started to scribble in a book. To redirect we would take away the pen and book but lead them to a table with crayons and plain sheets of paper. So to redirect your mind is to change your mindset. This can be hard at times but luckily there are many methods out there that can help you do this.

*Meditate
*Pray
*Yoga/Exercise
*Call a friend
*Read a Book
*Watch TV
*Watch a movie
*Look up jokes
* That is just a few I am sure you can make a list of more ways.

With each tip I am going to have a challenge. I want you to try and do each one of those challenges. It is only one a day and they are not very hard. We will start with today;

Todays Challenge: JUST BREATHE! Yep, it is that easy lol. All I want you to do today is breathe. If you start to feel stress come on. Stop what you are doing and breathe.

Until Next time....

~Hugs Keyria~


Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ~Proverbs 3:3 ~

Tommy's Story Conclusion

"Excuse me, But you are you are in MY tree house" This red hair boy said. "And you did not ask for permission to be here." "Oh I am sorry, we didn’t think anyone owned it, there was no houses around it and it looked old, dusty and abandoned. Come on Joshy we need to go." Tommy woke his little brother up, and tried to get him moving. "I don’t want to go Tommy, pleeeeease let me sleep a bit longer" he said as he curled up tighter into a ball. "Joshy this tree house is owned by someone. We have to leave." Tommy turned to the boy. "We really are sorry" the boy looked at both of them. He saw the dirt all over their faces and clothes and the scars from sleeping on the rough pavements at night. He could see the bags under their eyes. Joshy coughed as Tommy tried to pick him up.

The boy looked back and forth. "Are you two homeless? Where are your parents?" Tommy said sorry again and he rushed Joshy out of the tree house. "Hey wait, maybe I can help." Tommy stopped and looked at the boy. "Thanks but we are ok." He started to turn when the boy said. "Are you hungry?" he looked again at the boy. "Stay here; let me get you some food." Tommy was nervous to do so but he looked at Joshy and knew he needed to eat. Tommy anxiously stayed watching around them like a hawk. Making sure no one saw them. The red head boy returned with some food and drinks. "I am Danny what is your name?" he asked, as he watched Joshy scarf down the food. Tommy placed his food into their backpack thinking he can use it later for Joshy when he needed to eat. "Mmm this is soooo good." Joshy said. Tommy wasn’t sure giving their names was a bright idea. "Thank you, so much for your kindness. We really ought to be going." He started to move Joshy while Joshy was still eating.

"Don't leave. I can help you. Please let me help. My church is always taking care of the homeless. They give FREE bags of food and give FREE shelter to those that need it." Joshy looked at Tommy with begging eyes. Tommy knew Joshy just wanted to have one night indoors in a bed. "Thanks but..." before he could finish Danny said "I have video games! Come with me. You don’t have to stay, just come play for a small bit." "We can't...." again he was interrupted but this time it was Joshy.”Oh Please, Tommy please." he looked at Joshy. Then back at Danny. Tommy sighed "Ok but only for a small bit. When I say we have to go, then we have to leave. No complaining." Joshy grabbed his waist and hugged him. He coughed again.

Danny took them down the street to a house on a corner. Tommy started to have second thoughts. "Come on. It is ok. My big brother is the only one home. Mom and Dad went to get some groceries." Danny led them into the house up some stairs to the first door on the right. Inside was a bed and lots of toys and a TV with a video game system hooked up to it. "Sit." Danny said as they came in. Danny Turned on the video system and handed both of them the controllers. Tommy turned it down "If you don’t mind, I would rather just watch. “ Joshy and you should play.” Danny shrugged and began to play a video game with Joshy.

A few hours later Danny's parents came home. His mother heard a cough coming from his room. "Oh that does not sound lovely. It sounds like Danny has caught a cold." She headed up the stairs to see if he was ok. Danny overheard his parents coming home snuck quietly out of his room and met his mother on the stairs. He put a finger to his mouth to tell her to be quiet and led her back down stairs. As soon as she reached the bottom she heard the cough again, still coming from his room.

She turned to go back up but he grabbed her hand and led her into the front room where his dad was already sitting on the sofa. "Before you ask let me talk.... We have to help them. I found them hiding in my tree house...." "Who?" His mother asked. "These two boys: Tommy and his little brother Joshy. I think they are homeless. The little one seems really sick and the older one has grabbed his chest a few times. I don't think they have had a lot of sleep. Tommy fell asleep less than ten minutes after being here and Joshy 30 minutes later." His mother held her hands covering her mouth as Danny spoke. His father kept looking to the stairs. "Please we need to help them." Both parents went slowly and quietly up the stairs. They peeked inside his room. His mother gasped. Then she whispered to Danny "Don't wake them. I need to talk to your father."

Tommy woke a few hours later and found a blanket on him and a pillow tucked gently under his head; he looked over and saw Joshy had the same thing. Suddenly he got scared. We need to go, before they call the cops to come get us. Tommy thought. He went over to Joshy and quietly woke him up "Shhh it's time to go." "But I don’t want to" Joshy said. "Remember you promised no complaining." Joshy remembered and nodded his head. They slowly moved around folding their blankets and placing them neatly next to the pillows that were given for their use. Tommy looked around. Danny was asleep in his bed. I wonder what time it is? Tommy thought. Joshy coughed. "Shhh" Tommy said. Suddenly he noticed their backpacks were nowhere in sight. He looked at Joshy "Do you know where our bags are?" he whispered. Joshy just shook his head no. He started to quickly and quietly move around the room looking for them. Fear struck him. "We have to go now, with or without those bags. He grabbed Joshy and started to leave. He quietly closed the door behind him and turned around to see a man standing nearby. His chest shot a pain like none before. He grabbed his chest and fell. "Tommy!" yelled Joshy.

Tommy was picked up and carried down stairs. The man started checking his pulse. "I am going to take them to the doctors. Go wake Jamie to watch after Danny" he said to the lady who had come to the stairs after hearing the scream. She went and woke the older brother and told him to watch Danny. Luckily both boys slept through the scream so she didn't have them worried too. She grabbed a blanket, her purse and met the guy out by the car. He had already got Tommy into the seat and Joshy next to him. "If he starts to close his eyes I need you to tell me" he told the little boy. Joshy just nodded wide eyed. "It is going to be ok" Tommy tried to protest everything but was too weak and felt the pain attacking him non-stop.

The doctor came in with the father and mother of Danny, and sat next to Tommy's bed. Tommy looked at them then looked down. He knew this was it. They were caught and would have to return to an abusive father and a bickering mother. He was prepared to do this all over again if he could save Joshy. Then he realized Joshy wasn't in the room with them. "Where is my little brother?" "He is ok, he is being looked after by Michelle one of our nurses here. He is a very funny boy that Josh" "Joshy" Tommy mumbled under his breath. "He is very brave, just like his older brother." Tommy looked at his hands. He knew the question was going to come up and here it came. "Where are your parents?" the Doctor asked. "We don't have any...we are .... Orphans" Tommy said. Hoping that would end the questioning but of course it didn't. "Orphans huh, Well you are a very brave lad taking care of your brother. However I think there is more to this story then you are telling me." Tommy looked at his hands again.

"Your brother had a very bad cough. He could have died. I know you mean well by taking care of him but how were you going to support yourselves?" The mother spoke up. "Do you know why you were rushed to the hospital?" The father asked. "Because I fell?" Tommy asked but knew better. "You are stressing your body out, both of your bodies. Your little brother is not ready for this kind of environment and neither are you. The pain you are having is from stress." The doctor said. "What is your goal?" asked the father. "My goal was to keep us safe, to protect Joshy, to take away the hurt and pain we are having and to live stress free....." he trailed off as soon as he said stress free. "This isn't stress free is it?" asked the father. "Tommy shook his head no. "You can’t run from your problems all they do is catch up with you. Your problems hang on to you so it is easy for them to catch up." Tommy fidgeted in the hospital bed.

"Here is your choice. You can keep running and never go anywhere or you can let us help you. It is up to you. My wife and I would love to help you and your little brother." The mother reached across and placed her hand affectionately on his. He never could recall a time when he felt true warmth from love. He looked up at her. "Please, let us help. Not always are things going to be easy in life but we can help you through them."

Tommy never asked for help instead he was being asked if he could be helped. His mind processes was always put up a wall, don’t trust others and protect what you have. Here was someone telling him to take down that wall and trust others, even if things get rough there is always a way out. He was not used to this. At first Tommy struggled with opening up, later he started to open up more and more. It took a long time for him to fully trust another person.

Now I can tell you it was mostly happily ever after. Tommy and Joshy's real parents lost custody of them and they were adopted by Danny's parents. The pain that Tommy had and the cough that Joshy had went away. Their life is a lot different. The father has taught Tommy that when he stressed not to run instead to face it straight on. He showed him different techniques of how to overcome things. Like instead of struggling on not remembering things for a test he makes up a rap to remember what he has to learn, or when he gets pains he goes into the front room sits down and prays. Tommy and Joshy's life have changed for the better.

Phillip opened his mailbox and received a card: Hey I am stoked over the ski trip we have planned. Danny, Jamie, Joshy You, Dawn, and I are going to have a blast lol and of course our parents will too. Dad has already rented our cabins and equipment. You don’t need anything, other than yourself!! Phillip smiled.


So as you see each deals with stress differently. Phillip ignored it, and Tommy ran from it. Both learned that ignoring and running does not make it go away. They had to confront stress and work on solutions. It is not always the best idea to do it alone. You may learn so much more with others help. They can support you.

How do you cope with stress? Send me a comment or an email and let me know.

~Hugs Keyria~

I love you, Lord, You are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior. My God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies." Psalm 18:1-3

Tommys Story continued again

Tommy had thought of a plan that night.

A few days later he was in his room late at night. He had started to pack some clothes for him and his brother, he grabbed a few necessary items, and some money he had saved from doing odd jobs his parents didn’t know about. (He never did get allowance from his parents). Ok I think I have everything he thought and she shoved it into his backpack. He was all ready that morning to leave the house. He had an extra bag with more items needed and he was glad it was a bit cold outside to give him an excuse for them to have their jackets. He knew it was going to get cold for what he was doing.

“What do you go there?” His dad asked as he was heading out the door. “Oh it is my art project for school I didn’t want it to get smashed inside my school backpack.” “That looks pretty big let me see” Tommy froze right then he heard a honk. “oh there is our ride, I will show you when I get home.” Tommy said running out the door with his little brother. They ran over to the bus which his mother had agreed to let him and his little brother take this morning. They hopped on and sat down. Sharp pain happened again in his chest. He was getting used to how to stop it. He held his breath and waited. Sure enough it ended after a little bit. They hopped off the bus and started on their way to school. Before they got there Tommy told joshy to turn down a road before.

Joshy looked confused but he obeyed. They headed towards the end of the street. They walked for quite some time until they had made their way to the train station. Tommy handed a paper to the person selling tickets. She took it read it then looked at him. “Ok so you two are going to visit your grandma.” She said not really in a question but a statement. “Why can’t parents be more responsible? I know you are old enough but still I can’t imagine having my highschooler going off alone. ” She sighed and told him how much it was. Tommy was holding onto joshy’s hand tightly. He relaxed his grip as soon as she handed him the tickets. His plan was working. A few nights ago when he thought of the plan he worked everything out. One of his ideas was to call in advance the next day to order tickets. He used a pay phone near school to call in to the train station and pretended to be his father.

They sat down and waited for a train. He was grateful joshy was being so quiet and not asking questions. He wondered if joshy knew what was going on. But he didn’t want to ask him right then. Not there at the station where someone could overhear them. The train came and they boarded. A few minutes later they were gone away from the place that he had horrid nightmares from. Away from that awful stressful place.

For Tommy this was the only solution he could think of. To run away from the stress, To run away and save his brother from the pain. Many of us are like this. We cope by pushing it to the back of our heads, pretending there was never any stress or trying to run away. But is that really how we can cope with it?? In reality it comes back to us.

Sadly I would love to say Tommy’s story was a happy ever after but…

A few months had gone by they were living on the streets. Tommy was very protective of his brother and they learned where to avoid walking. Tommy found a few odd jobs but money for food was scarce, and joshy was getting sicker then he had ever seen him get. To top it off his chest pains were more frequent and he was more scared for their lives than ever. He thought this was a stress free plan but it turns out it only added stress. They were in fear of going home so they hid every time they say cops. They were in fear of certain alleys and fear of not finding a spot to sleep at night. He was able to get one blanket into a bag of course it was a light weight throw blanket but it kept joshy warmer at night. What did I get us into? Tommy Thought?

Each person deals with stress differently. Phillip at first pushed it to the back of his mind, but then he faced it head on. Tommy ran away from it. He ran to try and save him and his brother but running away and pushing it to the back of their heads seemed to be backfiring. I wonder if Tommy will find a way out of the situation, away that will cure all this stress. Guess we will just have to wait and see.

~Hugs Keyria~



"I come to You for protection, O Lord, my God. Save me from my persecutors-rescue me!" Psalm 7:1

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He recues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18