A win - win situation

I just found an interesting website: Boat Angel. It's a place where you can donate your old boat and they fix it up so it can be sold. The money they get for selling it goes to the charity of your choice. Their list of charities is quite extensive so you have a good selection to make sure the money goes to something you like. I just had a quick look at it and found charities for drug treatment programs, animal shelters, free facial reconstructive surgery, reading and math tutoring and lots more!

So, how does it work? Well, imagine you have an old boat cluttering your backyard. *lol* You need to get rid of it but don't know how to do that. You don't have the time to fix it so it will look good enough for sale and you can't give it away because, after all, you did pay a good amount of money for it. No problem! The people from Boat Angel come to your place, pick the boat up and get it ready for sale. And what about you? You get to feel really good about yourself for donating money to a good cause and a fair market value as a lawful IRS tax deduction for your boat donation. Isn't that a great arrangement?

If you have a boat you don't need -
Donate my Boat!

Boatangel also has several outreach centers for at risk kids, drug addicts and homeless people.

It's HOT in here!

Today is the end of procrastination in this home!!!! I'm a SHE (Side Tracked Home Executive) and I tend to pretend I don't "see" the mess at home. Well, not any more! I can't go on like this,becusemy messy home is really taking its' toll on me. I feel stressed out and depressed and I don't want to have anyone over. I LOVE to have my friends over but right now I'd rather walk barefoot on fire than let anyone in. And this morning my SIL came to visit..... You can't even begin to imagine how embarressed I was.... So NO MORE!

I've started in Gs room. It's getting a total make over, a much needed one I tell you. It started to smell in there, so I don't know what was in there really. Anyway, I took away the carpet, and his floor is empty, vacuumed and mopped. The sheets are in the washer and later today I'm going to wash the curtains as well. And the furniture will get their wiping down as well. And I'll see if I can move things around a bit.

Bs room is also getting a good cleaning. And B cleaned the balcony this morning the Moroccan way - you take a bucket of water and throw the water on the floor. Then you take a broom or a cloth and push the water towards the door and let the water run down the stairs, pass below the entrance door and out in the street.

It's HOT in here. I'm sweating and it's not only because of the cleaning. I guess we have like 30 degrees C (90 degrees F) inside the house and today is a very humid day (around 70 %). Oh well, they say sweating is a good way to lose weight - so I'd better look at it in a positive way, I'm getting fit cleaning my house. *lol*

Time to get back to my chores. I've put the kids in the living room, without TV, because they're getting on my nerves. Instead of helping me out or doing their chores they add to mine, like throwing out a whole bucket of water in the dining room and not telling me or throwing out their toys instead of picking them up. They are 8 and 10 so they really should know how to help a bit, shouldn't they? I don't give them difficult chores but they just don't want to do them. So I've had it! If they don't want to participate, there will be no TV or music for a week and I get to do whatever I want in their rooms (I get to pick how many toys they'll have - and the answer is less than half of what they have right now. If they can't pick their rooms up it's probably because they have too many toys. No toys = no picking up. *lol*).

Oh well, time's up!

Christmas cards in July?

Oh yes, now is the time to start working on those Christmas cards! At least I should get going and stop joking around. I NEED to make at least 100 cards before the end of October - and I've got stampers block!!!! I'm in desperate need of stamping inspiration: card proyects, techniques, blogs, stamping boards, shops - whatever. I used to have lots of links but lost them in a computer crash a few months ago. And now I just go blank whenever I look at my messy living room table, which is where I work on my cards.

Please, please, please - help me out! I need LINKS! And encouragement. And a bit of Christmas spirit - hohoho......

And the winner is....

Thankful Heart! CONGRATULATIONS! I left you a comment on your blog. Please tell me which key ring you prefer - the book, another slipper, the sandal or a "hand of Fatima". Oh, and please tell me which color you prefer and the name you want written on it.

I will go across the border next week so I want to mail it out to you then. Hopefully you'll have your prize by mid August (snail mail is just that, SNAIL mail).

This giveaway thing has been so much fun!!! I'm thinking about having another one soon so keep your eyes open and please come back again.

Now I'm off to have a look at the list on Rocks in my Dryer to see if I won anything. Not that it matters really because I had so much fun visiting lots of great blogs I didn't know off so I'm updating my list of favorites. *lol*

12 more hours

It's 9 AM here in Morocco and I'm havig breakfast. *lol* At 9 PM I will close the giveaway and start writing all the names down. And then I'll ask my kids tomorrow morning to draw a winner. The winner will be announced some time tomorrow and I'll also write an email to the lucky girl so she can decide which will be her second key ring.

So come on, there are still 12 hours to go. If you haven't participated yet, write a comment on ON LINE FRIENDSHIP and I'll enter your name tonight.

More prizes

Well, this time it's not about giveaways but it includes free gifts and sweepstakes. Don't you like the sound of those words? I do.... *lol*

Well, I found this website which gives you the opportunity to win lots of prizes and there are new ones out there every day. All you have to do is to bid on things and try to get the LOWEST bid. That sound's quite strange to me, being used to the highest bid is the winning one. Anyway, you go to the website and have a look around. When you see something you like (and they have GREAT prizes - Apple I-Phone’s, HDTV’s, Designer Bags, SCION XB’s and Cash prizes). If your bid is the lowest when the time is up, that item is yours! As simple as that... It's all for free - except that you have to pay the shipping charges. Otherwise it's completely free. If I had lived in the US I would definitely have had a go at this but I don't think they ship to Morocco.:-(

This is a sponsored review.

Tackle it Tuesday

Finally I've been able to do something about the chaos in my home. Since I've been working I've totally neglected my home and it's a disaster.... But on Sunday I decided that I couldn't put it off any longer (and besides, I had a computer free day and was a bit bored) so I grabbed the broom and mop and started working on my favorite room in summer - the balcony. During winter I use it to dry my laundry and as a place to put all the things I don't know where else to put. It was really dirty, because at this time of year we have sand EVERYWHERE! That's the down side of living by the beach.... If you want to have a clean house without sand you need to vacuum and mop your house TWICE A DAY! Well, I gave up that fight years ago....

This is sort of a Before picture (taken after about one hour of hard work, you can't even imagine what that place looked like before!):


And this is what it looks like now. It's not totally finished, but at least we can us it as a summer room now since it's the coolest room in the house. I love to have my morning tea there, watching the sky over the mountain...



I had forgotten to water my plants so most of them were dead... I decided I had to start all over again, so I took out my seeds and planted basil, sage and chamomile. I hope it will work, after all we're almost in August. But we have at least 2 or 3 more months of summer so maybe there's a chance...

Finally!

It took me about 20 shots to get a sort-of decent photo of the key ring slipper I'm giving away in the great Blogger Giveaway. There are some bling bling on the top side of the slipper and that made the flash go crazy. The color is not right either, but at least you can get a slight idea of what it's like. I hope you like it and decide to participate in the giveaway.

Actualy, this is so much fun so I'm thinking about having another giveaway soon. But more about that later.

I just entered another great contest. The chance to win a custom made template. Lindsay is a very talented designer, check her website out!

WW - The amusement park

Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway

Welcome to my blog! In case this is your first time visit to my Moroccan corner of the world, please come in and have a glass of Moroccan mint tea while you take a look around. I'm mayogi, which is NOT my real name but we all need a name on the 'net, don't we? So that's the name I chose. One of these days I might tell you why. *lol*

I'm married and I live with my two sons in Morocco. My husband works abroad. I'm a SAHM officially, but I do lots and lots of other things too - like teach Spanish at a culture center, do private tutoring for kids, make cards for sale and try to make a few cents writing on the 'net.

Anyway, kick off your shoes and feel at home. If you're here for the Blogaway, the photos will be up late tonight.

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer has started a whole week of giveaways. And since I LOVE giveaways I thought I had to participate too. *lol*

I'm giving away the cutest Moroccan key rings, 2 of them. One of the key rings is a lime green Moroccan slipper with the word Morocco written in Arabic (that's the one in the photo). The second keyring will have the winner's name on it, so I can't go and buy it until the winner is drawn. You can chose from: another slipper, a sandal, a book or a "hand of Fatima". It's your choice! And you decide what name to put on it.

International players are more than welcome. *lol* I will cross the border and post it next week, since the postal service here sucks and most things get "lost".

All you have to do is write a comment to this post and tell me about your experience with on line friendship. Have you made any friends on line and then met them IRL? What are your experiences? I want to make sure there are real persons entering the contest, not just a robot or something like that. *lol* You don't have to have a blog to enter, but you do have to give me your e-mail address so I can contact you in case you win.

I will enter all the names in a hat and have one of my kids chose one on Friday night around 9 PM GMT. Then I'll write an e-mail to the winner and announce the lucky person here on my blog on Saturday morning.

More information on the Giveaway is found here. And here you find the complete list of participating blogs. And wooohooo, there are more than 350 different giveaways!!!!!

I hope YOU're the lucky one!

My home....

Well, no. Not really. This is one of the many palaces you can hire for your wedding party. We went to a party here last year and wow, is this place big or is it BIG?

This is the front porch. Wouldn't it be nice to sit here and read a good book? And yes, those are the doors. They are divided so if you're just a normal human being you open the smaller part of the door on either side, but if you're a giant or riding a horse or just want to show off you open the entire door. *lol*




This a shot of the back yard. With a swimming pool and a HUGE garden.... Unfortunately the water was really dirty - or maybe that was for the best, because I think my kids would have taken a bath if the water had been clean.


Actually I'm glad my home is a bit more modest. Can you imagine cleaning a place like this? You'd need a whole staff of cleaners.... Not my cup of tea. I prefer to have something smaller and be able to do the cleaning myself. Yes, I actually like to do my housework. EXCEPT ironing! I HATE to iron. I do own an iron but I think I've used it twice in about two years. *lol* My only problem with housework is that there are so many other things I want to/need to/ought to do (like blogging, reading, watching TV, scrapping, playing with my rubber stamps, meeting friends, having tea on the balcony....) so there really isn't any time to do my housework. And my house gets cluttered and totally out of control.

It's Monday today. Time for the weekly Homeblessing Hour. Are there any other FLY Babies around? I LOVE FLY Lady and her philosophy. It's the only thing that works for me. What about you?

Sunday Seven 2

It's Saturday night and it's 11.45 PM. I really should be off to bed, because I'm very tired, but I'm also very busy. Today I've spent most of the day by the computer. I've finished a lot of work I had been putting off so now I feel a lot less tied to my laptop. Because of that I'm taking tomorrow off. No computer for a whole day.... Woohooo, that's going to be a tough one! I've done that before, when I've realized that my home has been totally neglected. It's hard when you're used to spending hours and hours by the computer, but it's really good for your soul. So tomorrow I'll spend the whole day with my boys and my home.

I hope we can go to church tomorrow. I'm really lazy in the mornings and I don't like to get up too early. Sometimes I just can't get out of bed on time. Going to church is a bit complicated, because there's no church in my town. We have to go to the capital and it takes us about one hour to get there and then another hour to go back home, so when we go to mass we "lose" half a day... But it's worth it, I know!

Anyway, this has been quite a good week,so here's my list of things I'm grateful for:

1. We're in good health.
2. My boys are such a blessing and have been really good all week.
   
3. I got paid at work and it turned out to be a lot more than I had expected.
4. My students love the class and we're having a lot of fun. I'm definitely going to miss them when this course is over. Only 10 days left...
5. I've completed 5 days of a 60-day study to address bad eating habits from a spiritual/biblical perspective. It's really interesting!
6. I'm so happy to have great friends who are really supportive and helpful.
7. I'm so happy I found FLY Lady over a year ago, because when my home is a disaster I just think about her words ("Babysteps", "You can do anything for 15 minutes", "No whining allwed") and in a few hours my home is looking a lot better.

So, see you all on Tuesday! Now I'm off to have a look at some of the other moms in Sunday Seven and then I'll log out for about 24 hours.

iPod giveaway

Since I'm new to the English speaking blogging community I'm still in awe every now and then. Like right now - I just found out that Productivity501 is giving away an iPod Shuffle. I don't own one of those things and I really would like to win one. Don't you? It seems really easy to win - they have 5000 chances to win and one of them will be the lucky one! All you have to do is to visit the site and write a review on your blog, that will give you 10 chances. A simple link to the site and contest (like this one) will give you 5 chances to win. So if you have a blog and don't have an iPod, what are you waiting for?

Moving can be easy

Oh yes, it can. At least if you hire someone to do the job for you. *lol* So far I've never been lucky enough to move that way but I'd sure like to try some day. Just imagine, you walk around in your home and you tell people what to pack.... And within a few hours your whole home is reduced to some boxes already om a truck on their way to your new home. Isn't that a beautiful dream? *dreaming*

In real life moving usually is just about everything but easy. I've moved several times, both within the same city and across the continent. I actually like to move, the feeling of moving into a new and perfectly clean home, being able to make a fresh start and decorating your home so it will fit you and your needs.

But there are people and companies who try their very best to make your move as easy as possible. TopMovingCompanies.com is a website where you can find licensed movers all over the US. They even take your stuff abroad, if you need to! Just imagine, you no longer need to borrow your uncle's old pick up truck and carry all your belongings yourself. A professional mover is only a few clicks away. And much more than that - they help you find local and long distance moving companies, storage rentals, supplies, rental trucks, realtors, appraisers, and even local schools! Doesn't that sound great? They even offer a really good "how to" so you can plan your move and feel less stress.

This is a sponsored post.

WW - Modern life

The first McDonald's opened in Tetuán last week.

Mommy Talk 4

July 16: What sacrifices have you made as a SAHM or a Working Mom?

I was a SAHM for the first 4 years after B was born. He was a very sick baby and needed special care 24/7 so we would never have made it without me staying at home with him. The biggest sacrifice those years were both economical and social, because in Sweden (where we lived at the time) SAHMs are frowned at. A woman who stays at home to take care of her child/children is lazy and a menace to society, because no income = no taxes and if all the moms would stay at home there wouldn't be enough children to fill the nurseries = unemployment. So SAHMs are a danger to society! *lol* I had to give up my job as a freelance interpreter and translator, so I didn't get any money from the social benefits, because I gave up my work voluntarily.

Then when B was 4 and G was 2 I studied for a year and had them in a nursery for a few hours a day. The following year I went back to my former job, working part time in different nurseries and schools in my area. B still could not manage to be among so many people for more than a few hours a day, so I never had a chance to go back to full time. Not that I ever wanted to, because I want to raise my kids.

And then we realized that we just could not handle the situation economically. We were spending too much money so I either had to get a full time job or the boys and I had to move to Morocco. And well, here we are today, living in Morocco while my husband is still living and working in Sweden. That is the hardest sacrifice I've ever had to do in my life, but I'd do it again if I had to, because my kids are EVERYTHING to me. Life is cheaper here so the money my husband makes is enough for the whole family. I know that in the end it will all have been worth it.

Dog Days of Summer

I just found a great thing. Shannon on Rocks in my Dryer is organizing a carnival of Giveaways, all starting on Monday, July 23 and on Friday, July 27, the winners will be announced. A winner on each blog participating in the carnival.

I'm in! So check back next week, post a comment on the giveaway post and on Friday I will enter your names in a hat and one of my boys will pull out the name of the winner. I haven't decided the prize yet, but I guess it will be something Morocco related. *lol*

A good neighbour?

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

I went to mass today. Yes, I confess I'm a lousy Catholic since I don't go to mass every Sunday and sometimes I forget to pray. But I'm working on it...

I belong to a very tiny parish, we're only about 20 "regulars" and some times tourists come to mass as they pass by the church and find out there's actually a Catholic church here in Tetuán. Being a Catholic in a Muslim country is not easy, because we're not allowed to talk about our faith in public and we can't walk around with a Bible, showing it to people. Anything that could be considered trying to convert people to Christianity would lead to deportation right away or some time in jail. So we're really like a small secret club. *lol*

Anyway, today I managed to go to mass on time and as always it was the best time of the week. Our padre Jesús is half blind but he knows how to make a great sermon. Today he talked about neighbors and how we, as Christians, should help anyone who crosses our path, no matter what religion he belongs to, his social status, the color of his skin, if he's a sinner or a saint or whatever. Our first duty is to work enough to feed our family and when we have that basic need fulfilled we should give the rest to the ones in need. No, he didn't mean that we should give all our earthly belongings to charity. *lol* There is so much more than money. Sometimes spending time with a friend or a stranger can make a huge difference. But whatever you do you, you should give it for free, without wanting anything in return. Only then you're treating others like they were your neighbors.

Now I see clearly that I've been doing God's will all along. I've been working for free for some months now, as a volunteer teacher, and so many people have told me I'm crazy to work for free. Well, obviously I'm not crazy. Next time someone calls me crazy I can say I'm only doing my duty as a Christian. Hopefully I'll be able to be a good role model to the other Christians in this area who have lost faith.

Sunday Seven

I just found the meme, Sunday Seven and I just had to join. I think it's such a great way to sum up the week and prepare yourself for the coming week. You write 7 things you're grateful for or 7 things that have been of great value to you .

I think people of today tend to forget to be grateful for what they have. Life is spinning so fast and we just don't realize just how lucky we are to be alive, we only think about getting more and more things so our homes get cluttered and we get depressed. I know, I've been there... :-(

These are (some of) the things I'm grateful for this week:

1. My son B turned 10 years today.
   
2. I managed to give him a special day, in spite of being on a tight budget.
   
3. My boys are not only brothers, they are best friends and always stick together.
4. Our padre Jesús at church is almost blind but still manages to make going to mass one of the best moments of the week.
5. The sermon this week was really beautiful and made me think a lot.
6. My students love my class and make me feel like a great teacher.
7. Yesterday a lady in a shop told me she was impressed with my Arabic, that I pronounce it like a native. *proud*
   

Volunteer work

Nowadays most people seem to think only about making money and getting a better job. And that's perfectly fine. But sometimes I think that this world that we all share would be a much better place if we all could spare a few hours a month and help other people - your neighbors, your in laws, your kid's school, the local shelter and so on.

I've been working as a volunteer teacher for a few months now and it's great! I have gained so much more from this experience than I've ever done teaching before. Knowing that you're able to help people gives you a deep satisfaction, which is worth much more than money.

Morocco is still a poor country, at least in the rural areas. About 80 % of the women in Morocco don't know how to read or write. Public school is free but you have to buy the books and the material and many families can't afford that, so they don't send their children to school. Everywhere you go you see kids working or begging, because they have to help their families. Some of the kids get into drugs, so they won't feel how hungry and tired they are. Seeing those kids makes me want to cry but my tears won't help them... They need books, material for school, clothes and other basic stuff.

Even in Europe and the US there are kids who suffer and need help. YOU can help and make a difference in a kid's life. Just look around and you'll find someone who needs a helping hand. Reach out and give someone a little of your time.

Remember, no one can help everybody, but everybody can help someone. What have you done today to help the people close to you?

My birthday boy

My oldest son, B, turns 10 tomorrow! I can hardly believe that, considering how sick he was when he was born.

I will never forget the first time I had a look at him, several hours after giving birth, because he was barely alive when he was born and the doctors ran off with him to the NICU right away. He was violet and swollen and seemed huge in comparison to all the other babies in the NICU. I only caught a glimpse of his feet, due to all the alarms and machines surrounding him. The first doctor I met in the NICU told me he would probably not live for more than a few days so it would be best if I didn't get too attached to him.

Every year, when his birthday comes closer, I get really, really stressed, because I remember her words and that reminds me of the futility of life. My baby does not belong to me. I just borrowed him for a while and God can take him back without a moment's notice.

And I love my son so very much! He is my most precious treasure and my biggest joy in life. I'm so proud of him!

I want to share with you a chapter from one of my favourite books, "The Prophet" by Gibran Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese Maronite who lived 1883 - 1931.

And a woman who held a baby against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Working on a new look

I don't like the way my blog looks right now. I think it's quite ugly and I want to make something totally different. But things are not working out the way I want! And it makes me want to scream!!!! Why does it have to be so complicated? *lol*

I think I'd better go and make myself a nice cup of tea and maybe, just maybe, things will work out the way they should....

The first week....

It's Friday today and I've survived my first week as a payroll teacher. I've worked 13 hours this week, without counting all the hours I've spent preparing the classes, reading books and looking for material... In all I'd say I've spent nearly 50 hours doing things related to my work as a teacher or volunteer worker. *phew* I just hope next week will be a bit less stressful!

I have 3 students in my Spanish class and so far only 3 or 4 students in my computer class. But we're having such a great time! I really, really do enjoy teaching! I think I've found my call in life. *lol* A bit late maybe, but late is always better than never, right?

Now I have another 2½ weeks left of work and then I'm free for about a month. After that my boys will be back in school and I'll start private tutoring again.

BTW, are there anyone out there interested in learning Spanish? If you are, maybe I could start an on line class, like the Spanish word of the week or something like that. I think that would be fun!

Money makes the world go round

I've been working really hard these past weeks to earn enough money to go back to university. So far I haven't earned much, because this year only a few students wanted to take Spanish classes, unlike former years when Spanish has been the biggest language with more than 15 students in each class. Most teachers are away on vacation now but in June we're 5 language teachers (Spanish, English and French) and so far I'm the one with the smallest group. We get payed according to the number of students. I had wished for 10 students in my group and ended up with only 3. We're having great fun, so I guess I win in other areas instead. I know my students love their classes and that makes me very happy. But I still haven't haven't found the solution to my economical problem. Hopefully I will, in due time, because I don't have to pay the school fee until October.

In case I don't get the money in time I guess I'd have to consider taking a loan. To tell you the truth, I'm not very fond of being in debt but sometimes you have no other choice. And when you have to chose between two bad things, always try to go for the better of the two. A quick short term cash advance can be the best solution. You get the money you need straight away, deposited right into your checking account. It can't get any easier than that, can it? That way you get out of trouble. And then, as soon as you have the money, you pay it back and that's it! In many cases a small loan in time is better than a huge loan when things have gone really bad.

Pay day loans are short term loans you can apply for on the Internet and if you're approved you'll have the money in your account the very next day. The best part about it is that you do it "anonymously" from your own home and don't have to ask your family and/or friends for money. I think that's the most humiliating part of asking for a loan, when you have to tell people that you're in trouble, specially if you don't have a good relationship with your family. Cashadvance-fast.com is a group of lenders which work with smaller loans. Visit their homepage and take a look. It might be just what you're looking for!

This is a sponsored review.

Once a punk rocker, always a punk rocker. *lol*

Am I the only one who grew up in the 80´s and still think that the best music was done back then? These past days I've been in a very nostalgic mood and surfing YouTube I've found so many of my old favorite songs. And they are still great! I know lots of people are ashamed of what they used to listen to but I'm not. I can't think of any group from back then that I don't like anymore. Maybe because I somehow got stuck in the 80´s and never really got out of there. *lol*

I was a punk rocker. Oh yes, with multicolored hair, LOTS of makeup, black nailpolish, and 3 earrings in each ear. My biggest dream was to go to London and start a band. You really didn't need to know how to sing or play an instrument to start a band in those days and some of the best bands really didn't know how to play but somehow they managed to create great music.

I guess you all have heard of the Sex Pistols, haven't you? Oh,maybe not... If you haven't, I'll spare your ears. And if you have and you did love them back then you can easily find their music on the net.

One of the first groups I fell in love with was Adam & the Ants, a group of "pirates". *lol* I don't know if they were that famous outside the UK. I think they made some really, really good songs. I guess I still have all their LP:s somewhere. *lol* They also made some very funny videos. This is the one for "Stand and deliver". listen to the lyrics, this is what I grew up with. Maybe that's why I live my life like a modern Robin Hood.*lol* Listen to the drums! Just brilliant!



One of my favorite groups was The Clash. This is a great song! I hadn't heard it for years but it still makes me feel soooo good! It gives me so much energy. And I LOVE Joe Strummers voice.


But my obsession for many years was The Cure. Oh, I had a mayor crush on Robert Smith. I thought he was so cool and the cutest thing on Earth. Oh well, times change... Here's a funny video for "Close to me".


And for all of you cat lovers, here's "Love cats". Just listen to that bass!!! This is great music. Why don't they make music like this anymore? Besides Mika, who makes music like this these days?

More Mika *lol*

I just discovered that there have been over 25.000 visitors to another of my blogs and that made me very happy. So I decided I had to celebrate... And since I'm a complete Mikamaniac I have to jump around the living room listening to Mika himself. *lol*

Here's a great video from a French interview:


And another interview with more songs:


And a Japanese interview. I LOVE Japanese interviews, i think they are hilarious. *rotflao*

Happy Birthday Linda!

My friend Linda turns 20+ today. Happy Birthday my friend! I hope you're having a great day with lots of good coffee,cake, friends and family.

GRATTIS PÅ FÖDELSEDAGEN!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!

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My blog is worth $3,951.78.
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A gadget i found on the 'net.

Wordless Wednesday - Natural beauty

The weather is driving me crazy!

Do I live in Malaysia or what?... I've heard that it's a very humid climate in that part of the world, but to tell you the truth - we have the same problem here in the north of Morocco! I guess that's not the idea most people have when they think about Africa. *lol* It's 5 PM and I don't do anything right now, I'm just sitting on my bed blogging and I'm sweating like crazy. Sorry to be so explicit! But it's the truth and it's driving me nuts! According to the weather pixie I have on another blog the humidity level is over 89 % right now. Phew! I guess it's because we live just by the beach, less than 100 meters away from the water. And on the other side of the house we have a river, so we are surrounded by water on two sides and by mountains on the other two.

Between 2 PM and 6 PM most shops and cafés are closed. People stay indoors to watch TV or take a nap. There just isn't anything else to do. And then after 7 PM the temperatures starts to drop a bit so at that time we're able to go outside again. The temperatures are great between 8 PM and 8 AM, so many people tend to stay up half the night...

Back links

I feel rather stupid right now... I have just missed a very important setting here on my blog - the back links. I must have unchecked that option without noticing it and when i looked through my statistics I noticed that I have no back links to my posts.... That's a really bad thing for someone like me, trying to get a good page rank because they look at how many blogs link back to yours and well, there just weren't any links. *hitting myself hard on my head*

Anyway, if you like my blog you are more than welcome to link back to me on your blogs. *lol* I wil update my favourite blogs list soon, one of these days. As soon as things settle down a litle. Promise! *lol*

My first day at work

I survived my first day at work! It was hard and I was sooooo nervous, but it all went rather well. No, actually it didn't. I think it was a complete desaster because we were two teachers and we had only 6 students and ther'y are at completely different levels. Two of them don't understand a single word of Spanish, one of them has studied for several years and only need to practise a little and the other 3 are somewhere in between. How do you do anything useful in such a situation? Well, we didn´t. Or at least I don´t think we did, but the students seemed to be ok with the rather strange situation.

Tomorrow I will have a group of 3 (or more students) with at least a little knowledge of Spanish. It´s going to be an interesting day. *lol*

My kids are taking French so I can work. I can´t afford a baby sitter for 2 hours a day so they have to come with me. Luckily enough there is a French class for kids more or less at the same time and the teacher is a friend of mine so he´ll come to my class to pick my kids up, because my class starts at 9 o´clock this week and his at 10.

Well, I'm really really tired now and I should try to get some sleep. I just have to finish preparing my class for tomorrow and then I'm off to bed. Tomorrow will be another day and probably full of new experiences. *lol*

It's over 30 degrees C and its almost midnight. There are lots of kids out in the street playing football. This is really the best time of day, because during the day it's hot and the humidity is over 50 or 60 % so you sweat a lot, no matter what you do. But since I start work at 9 I have to get up before 7 AM and therefore I need to get my beauty sleep. *lol*

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Mingle² - Online Dating

Update on the Summer Challenge

Mama Bright started a Summer Challenge one month ago and since I need to get back on track I didn't have to think twice about it. *lol*

My goal is to do some sort of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. That means walking or doing yoga, since I don't have the time to go to a gym during summer and even if I had, what would I do with my boys while I was working out.

So far I'm doing okey - 750 minutes. My goal is 2000 minutes before September 3, which is less than 2 months away. To tell you the truth I think/I hope I will achieve my goal before that, so I might change my goal to 2500 minutes. What would that make? Some 40 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Right? I could do that.... At least I hope I can.

The strangest thing is that since I begun this challenge I've gained a lot of weight. I think it's because I haven't done any yoga for a LOOOONG time, I've been way too busy at work, I haven't slept more than 4 - 5 hours a night for ages and I definitely don't eat right. July is going to be a LONG month.... I'll teach 2 hours of Spanish 5 mornings a week and then 2 hours of Computer Science a week in the evenings. And when the temperatures rise over 30 degrees C my brain just isn't working as well as it should. Like right now... It's 10 PM and I haven't had any dinner yet, my sink is definitely not shining and I have to prepare 2 classes for next week, read a lot of notes and prepare the guidelines for an exam.... I think I NEED a coffee and a doughnut!!!! Or chocolate... Or whatever, as long as it's stuffed with calories. *lol* I'm definitely NOT losing weight this summer....

I "dig" Jesus

I have been tagged! Oh, this is so much fun, my first tag ever on this blog! Thanks Melly!

Here are the Rules:

Those Tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus.

Those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers.

Those tagged will provide a link in the comments section here with their name so that others can read them.

So Here Goes: 5 Things “I Dig” about Jesus:

• I know I'm saved through his great sacrifice
• I'm never alone, he's always by my side
• I don't have to bear the guilt of sin, thanks to the sacrament of confession
• His words teach us how we should live our lives
• Thanks to Jesus I'm part of a worldwide community and I have brothers and sisters everywhere.

I tag: Courtney, Mama Bright, Carolyn, Heather and Amy. I hope you haven't been tagged already.

Preparing for class

Yesterday I went to work to talk to my boss. Finally I got the books we'll use in my next class. Oh boy, am I nervous or what? This will be the first time I teach Spanish to a whole class. So far I've only done private classes or small groups and without following a special book or predetermined plan. This time everything will be different.

My boss thinks I will have about 8 or 9 students in my class and they will probably know a little Spanish, enough to make simple phrases but that's it. So I just can't base my classes on conversation, I need to work on all the language skills. Besides, each lesson will be 2 hours long and 5 days a week, so it's going to be HARD work to plan my classes! But such a great experience for me. If I do good at this one, I know I'm a great teacher and then going back to school will be worthwhile. But if I fail - is there any use going back to university for 5 years, spending thousands of euros and not having any free time for myself? Well, I guess there is, because I really do want to become a teacher and every step on the way will be a useful experience, one way or another.

I will read through the books tonight, to get an idea of what I'm supposed to teach my students. And then I'll have to begin to plan the classes for the first week and look for more exercises and stuff.

I'm so terribly nervous and at the same time I'm thrilled! It feels like a new beginning.

BTW, I might not update my blog as much as I usually do next week, I guess I'll be pretty busy with my classes and going to the beach with my boys. I just hope I can throw in some yoga time for myself because I really, really do need my yoga now. I'm so glad I found yoga and made it part of my life.

Wordless Wednesday - Zarqa

I took this photo in February when I visited Zarqa, a tiny village in the mountains very close to where I live.

Eat right and lose weight

I just came across a great website, My Fitness Pal, which is a free on line calorie counter and fitness site. The timing could not have been better, after my post about losing weight after giving birth which I wrote this morning. Losing weight after having a baby can be a problem for many new moms, because the whole life has just been turned upside down and the baby takes almost every minute of the day. There just isn't any "mom time" to exercise or energy to start a diet. But My Fitness Pal takes care of that, because it’s a free calorie counter and it works with every diet you can imagine.

After I had my second son I lost my pregnancy weight in a few months and went back to my before-pregnancy weight. But since I have always been a bit big I decided I wanted to lose a few extra pounds (well, I wanted to get rid of 30 pounds to be exact). And I did, thanks to a program very similar to My Fitness Pal which took care of the calorie counting so I didn’t have to worry about that part. And the best part - the program teaches you the nutritional contents of what you are eating, and consequently, how you can make better food choices. I just can't get any better than that, can it? And yes, it's F R E E E....

Arabic Music - Cheb Mami

I know that Arabic artists aren't all that famous outside the Arab speaking world and that really is a pity, because there are many, many great Arabic artists who really deserve to get more fame. And since I'm a music freak and I LOVE Arabic music I just have to share some of my favorite songs with you.

Today I want to introduce you to CHEB MAMI (real name Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed), an Algerian raï singer born in 1966. Raï is a very popular music style in North Africa and France today and the songs are sung in a mix of Arabic, French and Berber. Visit Mami's official website.

First of all, this is a great song by Cheb Mamy. The song is called "Douhi Aliya" and was released as part of the soundtrack for the French/Arabic film "100% Arabic". A great movie!!!! It also featured Cheb Khaled, my all time favorit Arabic artist.



Sting is an artist who knows how to appreciate good music, no matter the origin. Here's Sting singing a duet with Cheb Mami.



Samira Said is a Moroccan singer who is very famos in the Arabic world. Here's one of my favourite songs, a duet with Cheb Mami.



Cheb Mami also sang a duet with Italian singer Zucchero (Remember him???) and here's the result:

Mommy Talk 3

July 2: How hard was it for you to lose your pregnancy weight and keep it off?

I got really HUGE during my pregnancies. When I was pregnant with B I gained over 35 kgs (about 70 pounds I think, please correct me if I'm wrong) and since he was so sick I could not go to the gym or anything. His defenses were so low so for many, many months I could only meet my friends outdoors so we used to talk long walks while we were talking. That way I lost my pregnancy weight in about a year and I stayed atthe same weight as before getting pregnant.

When I was pregnant with G I "only" gained 27 kgs (about 50 pounds) and I lost that weight in less than 10 months and I kept on losing weight, due to the special diet I had to be on because of G:s food allergies. I breastfed him until he was about 2½ years old and during that time I didn't have any milk products, soy or candy. Wohoo, that is really a great diet if you want to lose weight! *lol*