All lives matter!

    

     Today I have decided not to post about my It Works business. My heart is heavy with the way our country is going. There is so much hate and anger in the world.
     I don't understand why this is happening? For years there have been so many fights, and wars based on the differences of humans. These differences range from religious choices to the color of our skin. I can go back at least a 200 years with examples. We have the Native Americans who were forced off of their land,  the Civil War and the fight against slavery, WWII and Hitler and  his opinion of the Jewish people, the Japanese Americans who were citizens of the United States and forced into camps, and so many other examples. 

     What have we learned from our past? Apparently nothing. We are still trying to pick one religion that is better than the other. Why can't we be ok with just letting everyone having their own beliefs? None of us really know who or what God is, isn't it enough that we have something to believe in. To pray to when times are hard. Be it Buddha, a sun god, Jehovah, or the Virgin Mary, this is something that gives us hope.
     Now the focus is on skin color. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, or whatever your heritage, the color of your skin does not define which race is better than the other. It is great to have pride in your heritage, to celebrate what makes you who you are! But underneath that skin we all are made up of the same thing, we all bleed red.
     Why are we all of the sudden hating cops and shooting everyone? What is this solving? I am not saying that a few all cops are good, there are enough reports in history that prove this. But to the person who refused to set next to a cop at a restaurant, what if that is the cop that is called to your home in an emergency? To the surgeon who had to put aside his prejudice to operate on victims, shame on you! You took an oath as a doctor to save lives and it doesn't matter who it is. That is the job you chose. I am so sad that people are acting like this.
     I wish history would stop repeating itself and that people would see the negative message we are sending our kids, the world we are leaving our kids. From one of the greatest speeches ---Martin Luther King Jr.

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

 will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. This is our hope. "
 

"And if America is to be a great nation this must become true....

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

        
    

Sunday..let's make it about family!!

     Happy Sunday, I hope this day finds you full of blessings! Sunday used to be the day of rest, a day to give rejoice to God, and a day to unwind with friends and family. Now it is like every other day in many households! I do not go to church very often but I do take a few moments each day to read a quick verse and say a prayer. Also during football season Sunday is spent watching NFL games, Saturdays are devoted to my college teams! Go K-state...I may be in Iowa but I am a Wildcat by heart! We our a house divided team--I love the Packers and can you believe it I fell in love with a Vikings fan! Never a dull moment in our house during these games!!

     Now that I am off track and apparently ready for football season-I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss why we should take care of ourselves! I am a mom and I spend around 90% of my day focusing on my family, I spend another 9-10 hours a day at work, and then maybe 1-2 hours a day on my It Works business. That doesn't leave me enough time to do the things I love to do, but time to do the things I have to do. I love my family, and both of my jobs, in fact I wouldn't change a thing. We do though all need time to unwind! This goes for men, women, and children. Spend some time doing things you love, reading a book, walking, fishing, taking the family to the beach or lake. This is so important in the world we live in. To unplug from the internet, and our phones, and really focus on our families.

     I also believe in spa days, we also have pajama days! No, this isn't just for women! I found an article this morning that really describes this well! Visit http://rhagan.itworks.com/or send me a message for more information about facials and skin care products.

Read the article here-- http://beautysouthafrica.com/healthy-living/why-you-should-pamper-yourself

"Do you take as much care of yourself as you do of others? If you don’t, you could be heading for burn-out. Chances are, at the very least, you’re not experiencing much abundance and joy in your life.
So why is it so hard to pamper ourselves? Do we think of pampering as indulgent, selfish, or narcissistic? Do we feel guilty because it’s a ‘luxury’? Many of us, consciously or subconsciously, believe it’s a waste of time and money, that we should be doing something useful instead, that being stressed is ‘normal’, or – most insidious of all – that we somehow don’t quite deserve to be pampered.
Yet taking proper care of ourselves is essential for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. The better we feel, the more we’re able to engage fully with our lives and the richer our relationships with other people become. A good pampering session can balance us from the inside out, refreshing, relaxing and rejuvenating us, making us happier and saner, all of which we’ll carry with us into our dealings with the wider world.
The demands of our fast-paced lives take a toll on our bodies in many ways. Stress increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancer. When we’re stressed we don’t sleep well, we don’t eat sensibly, and we certainly don’t take the time to stop and smell the roses. We begin to feel exhausted, discouraged, bored, resentful and frustrated. Our relationships suffer, creativity dries up, productivity falls, and quality of life becomes a distant memory. We need all our energy just to get through the day, we have little left to give to anyone else, and taking care of ourselves comes last on the list."

A Christian Prayer to end gun violence - PICO National Network

     My heart is heavy for the continued violence that has been affecting our country. This prayer is wonderful and I wanted to share it with my readers-it is a bit behind the current situations but it has a very powerful message .

"Merciful Lord, we come to you heavy hearted, for we have heard the cries of the slain calling to us from the ground. We come remembering all the lives lost to the weapons of war that have flooded our communities. We come reminded of the many bodies locked in jails and prisons all across this country.  And we ask for your mercy.
Although we find ourselves in a broken world – a world in which hurting people hurt other people, it is no mystery that you are a God capable of healing our world through justice and fairness.  Your own revelation has shown us that you stand firmly with those people whose backs are against the wall. Your own life demonstrates how you came from heaven to earth to redeem creation, our communities and our own lives. So we ask for this same redemptive power to be unleashed among us as it was on the day of Pentecost. May we be empowered by your Spirit to reverse the conditions that produce young men and women who are driven to resort to violence and destructive behavior in their fight to stay alive and struggle to remain free."


A Christian Prayer to end gun violence - PICO National Network

Beauty

    

      I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday! It was definitely an interesting day! I always love ending the day visiting with my boys and my love. As much as I love my alone time, I must say I miss having everyone home. Not seeing my kids for the summer is hard, I miss them so very much! This is partly why I decided to start selling It Works! It keeps me busy and provides some extra spending money ( who doesn't love a that)!
     As hard as this is to type, last summer was a rough one! It was my first summer without my kids and I worked all week, while my boyfriend worked nights every weekend. I was sad, lonely and angry. It took me having a huge life change to realize I had to change. Have you ever felt like you were so angry and you know it's wrong, but you can't stop? That was me a year ago. I never want to feel that way again!  Does it make me a weaker person- no. I had to admit to myself I needed to change and like all things you really have to want it! I now take Zoloft everyday and I don't feel ashamed. I spent many years feeling that way off and on, and now I can rationalize without getting upset.
     Fast forward to now and life has changed 100%. I had to fix my internal me before I could focus on my external self. We always find flaws with ourselves when we look in the mirror or wish we looked different in pictures. I know I am not the only one. I am woke up every morning with a " good morning beautiful". Do I feel that way? He makes me feel loved but I see 100 things I wish I could change every time I look in the mirror.  So in addition to losing weight I am going to work on feeling more beautiful!

From http://www.wikihow.com/Feel-Beautiful---- read more at this link! Great advice!
The greatest beauty tip of all is knowing that you are already beautiful as you are! Sometimes, though, it's hard to acknowledge your own beauty when you just don't feel beautiful. Here are some things you can do to remind yourself that you're already beautiful and that everyone is beautiful in some way or another. I love this!!

Journal about your positive attributes.^[1] Start a gratitude journal that highlights your appreciation for what you love about yourself the most. By staying grounded in your good qualities, both your inner and outer beauty, you will keep these things more present in your mind. This way, each time you have a moment of self-doubt or face an rude remark from someone else, the things you cherish most about yourself will be ready at hand.

Take a look at your relationships. If you have steady doses of fondness and acceptance, you will always be able to see yourself in the positive light that your loved ones do. Similarly, if you spend lots of time with overly harsh or judgmental people, you will learn to view yourself according to their rigid, critical standards. If you are filled with the notion that you are unattractive or unworthy, question whether or not someone in your life bolsters this idea.^[3]

• Make sure that you have a good support system of friends and loved ones. There’s nothing more effective than social support to make you feel strong, capable, and beautiful.

Get active. In addition to benefits like weight loss, exercise has also been linked to fewer depressive symptoms and a lowered risk of heart disease.^[8] This means that keeping a regular exercise routine will keep you feeling uplifted, energized, and secure in your good health. If you find it difficult to find the motivation to begin, try starting small by adding brisk walks to your week. Then, you can gradually increase the amount of cardiovascular or strength training exercise to the degree that your lifestyle permits.

• Try to exercise in ways that increase your flexibility. This way you will learn to see your body as something that is always evolving and changing.

So here is my challenge----I want each one of you to post one thing about yourself in the comments that you find beautiful about yourself! Let's get positive!

Fitness Walking!

     Good morning!! I wanted to bring up some helpful tips about walking. I originally started out just going for a nice walk every day. The past 2 weeks I have started kicking up my pace. Let me tell you, I can tell a difference! My legs feel the burn by the end, and trying to hold your abdomen in the correct position is definitely a challenge! These are two great sites with tons of fitness advice. I also love Map My Walk! You can do this!

http://thewalkingsite.com/beginner.html


"The hurry-up pace will be the one that demands more oxygen to working muscles, and that’s how fitness walking gets you big results.
Here’s my most important tip for walkers. It’s not the foot strike. It’s not the arm swing. It’s the “belly-button-to-spine” action that will make the walk more effective, protect your back, and get your abs in on the action. I call it a “tummy tuck.” Draw the belly button toward the spine. That deep layer of muscle is key to supporting your back. It stabilizes the middle of the body so that the legs can move with much more power."
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/so-you-want-to-start-fitness-walking/?utm_source=silverpop&utm_medium=email&utm_content=walking_button&utm_campaign=newsletter

Some Recipes!!

     I love to eat, I really do! Do I make some better choices now,? Absolutely! I also love Pintrest---it's so addicting! I have so many projects and recipes I want to try. I may have to walk an additional  10 miles if I ever find enough time to make them!

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”
― David Mamet, Boston Marriage    
    









     The first recipe I made was perfect for this hot weather we are having, and great for summertime! Weight Watchers Lemonade pie! Yes, it was fantastic and I didn't feel guilty about eating it! I had one piece, no more!
Here is the recipe--
http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/dessert-cake/lemonade-cheesecake-weight-watchers.html?p=23

This is what the finished product looked like!

 

 

Ok, now I have to include one of my favorite breakfast recipes, I love smoothies! I stay full until lunch and I get my fruit and veggies! I like frozen fruit and I can skip the ice! I even throw in strawberries or cherries!