Friday Fun - Friday 13th

Friday Fun: Superstitions Edition

1. Any extra precautions for Friday the 13th?
Nope, I don't believe in superstition. I respect people who do, I come from a very superstitious family. And besides, in Spain it's not Friday 13th that's trouble, it's Tuesday 13th. *lol*

2. What superstitions do you have?
None really but I avoid going under ladders, just in case something falls down.

3. Do you think there is really anything to superstitions, or is it something we just talk ourselves into?
I think not walking under ladders is a good rule, but beside that, I don't really believe there's anything to that.

4. The movies,… good or bad? Scary or just campy fun?
I HATE scary movies! So I haven't seen any of the "Friday 13th"-movies and I don't plan on watching them either, there are so many films I really want to watch so I think the "Friday 13th" movies will just be a plain waste of time.

Friday Fun Meme

Friday Fun: The All-About-You Edition

1. So, baby, what’s your sign?
I'm Leo. "A fixed (strong and solid) sign, Leo governs will and authority. It is a fire sign, which means Leo people are grand, confident and generous, although you tend to be egocentric and can be somewhat overbearing. The Sun, the ruler of our inner nature, is enthroned in Leo, the sign of its own house, or rulership. This energy is thoroughly regal, the lion being the king of beasts, for proud Leo regards himself as the natural centre of attention - and confidently expects others to step back and pay homage when his bushy mane is displayed in the limelight... Enthusiasm, generosity and your sunny disposition inspires the affection of many friends and admirers, while turning those with less popular personalities green with envy. Though full of ambition and enthusiasm, Leo has to admit to a lazy streak and, given the opportunity, will take the easy way out, especially when a situation offers little fun or glory. This is something lazy, luxurious Leo needs to watch." Actually, I think that's quite a fair description of me. *lol*

2. If you could live in any part of your country, with money no object, where would you live? In the world?
Oh, I don't know. I think that if money was no object I would probably get myself a van and travel around the world. I'd love to spend at least 6 months in India, a year in Equatorial Guinea, a year traveling around Bolivia and Peru.... But my home base would be Spain, no doubt. And probably Granada, my favorite city in the world.

3. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Oh, I don't know. I'm such a goody two shoes these days, I don't get many guilty trips any more. Unfortunately. A little bit of guilt every now and then means that you're really enjoying life, right?

4. Do you have any hobbies? What is your favorite? Is there one you want to try?
I have too many hobbies. My favorites are scrap booking and yoga but there just isn't any time for play these days. *sobbing* I'd love to learn how to take professional photos and I wish I could paint. Oh, I'd love to learn how to dance African dances and of course, belly dancing...

5. If you were to take a single college class right now, just for fun, what would you want to learn about?
Painting! And I'd love to learn a new language, no matter which actually. I love learning languages...

6. When it comes to shopping at the mall, what is your downfall?
Nail polish, ear rings, everything yoga related....

7. It is Friday night. What are you doing?
I'll take a nap in a little while and then I'm off to work for two hours. After the kids fall asleep I'll do a bit of cleaning and then it's time to get the books and continue preparing for September. I'll be busy studying all summer this year....

Sunday Scrapping # 11

Well, this week has been all about medieval literature and no play, so I've only managed to make one card and add a bit of bling bling to the cards I made last week. So sorry, no TADAs to show this week... But on the other hand I've been busy today printing out lots of Paper Piecing Patterns, layout sketches and scrap instructions I had on the kids' computer, so I can finally get it "cleaned" and I can have my scrap things organized in a note book. And woohoo, what a great inspiration that is! I have found so many great ideas and patterns I had forgotten I had saved, so I can't wait 'til I get some time to play.....

My TODOs for next week are: studying for my coming exams (Linguistics and Phonetics) and hopefully spend next Saturday making cards OR studying like crazy. It depends on how much I can study next week and how well I feel, after so many weeks cramming for my exams.

This week's question is: When do you find time for crafts?
OMG, I am really not the right person to answer this one because right now I just don't.... But I usually scrap/make cards at night, after the kids fall asleep. And when I don't study all day and I don't have to declutter and take care of the mess at home I sometimes manage to steal a few hours off my housework and I can sit down and scrap in the morning. But that was a long time ago.... I HOPE I'll be able to get back to that some time soon...

Sunday Scrapping # 10

My TADAs for last week: 3 cards I made last Sunday night. I wanted to do more, but I guess that 3 cards are better than none... After all, I'm in the middle of my exams and don't have ANY free time at all. :(

As you can see, I used the same stamp for all three of them and it's basically the same card, but since I never manage to do the same card twice there's something different in every single one. I really do like this stamp. My mother bought it for me last year and I haven't had time to play so much with it yet. But just you wait. *lol* As soon as I finish my exams I will spend a WHOLE weekend just scrapping and making cards.





My TODOs for this week: Not much. I have a HUGE exam on Thursday and that's about everything that's on my mind right now. And as soon as I finish that one I need to start with the exams I have within 3 weeks from now. So I guess my crafting weekend will have to wait until mid February.

This week's bonus question: Which of your recent projects were you the most proud of? (Any photos?)
I'm sorry to say that here haven't been any "recent projects" on my table, I've been too busy with my studies. Hopefully that will change soon.

Sunday Scrapping

Amy at Tiny Blessings has started a new meme called Sunday Scrapping. I really love to scrap, it makes me so relaxed and focused on the things I have to do afterwards, so I wish I could scrap regularly. It definitely would be great for my sanity. *lol*

I hope to participate in this meme from time to time. It's easy - just post your TO-DO's and TA-DA's for the week. And if you want to share, post some pictures of the things you have achieved. I need to get my Christmas cards done. So far I've done like 0 cards for myself.... And lately not many cards for sale either. Oh well, I can't do everything, can I? Right now my studies and work are my highest priorities, besides my kids of course.

Sunday Thoughts

It's Sunday again and I feel a little confused. This week has gone by so fast and I don't even know what I've done.

Well, that's not really true. I do know what I've done - I've been to Ceuta twice and lost a lot of time doing paper work. But now I finally have a new ID card and I've been able to access the virtual classrooms. That's great but I feel rather overwhelmed. I've lost so much time and I don't know how to make up for that. Please please, say a prayer for me and help me find the strength to catch up on my studies.

I know I have so much to be grateful for. I have:

1. a wonderful family who tries to help me as much as they can
2. 2 wonderful kids
3. friends that stand by my side, no matter what
4. a plan for my life
5. a payroll job I really like, which doesn't interfere with me being a WAHM
6. good health
7. a nice home, in spite of still being in a mess due to the makeover

But I also have several things I worry about:

1. how on Earth I'm going to catch up on my studies and find all the books I need?
2. why nobody is coming to my blog anymore and why there are hardly any comments? Am I really that dull?
3. how to find time to study with my kids at home?
4. am I really going to be such a great teacher as I hope to be, will my students enjoy the classes, will they continue the whole year?
5. when is this makeover going to end and when can we live in a tidy, clean home again?
6. how am I going to get organized and stop being a SHE?
7. when will I find time to start the Christmas preparations?

My kids have Autumn vacation now, 10 days without school. I want to spend more time with them and not being locked up in the bedroom with the computer. I think I'd better log out and go and play with them for a while.

Take care all of you! Life is short and should be enjoyed to it's fullest. Carpe diem!

Bloggers unite!

Only 3 days left now! Why don't you join us for a good cause? On September 27th we are writing about different types of abuse, to make our readers aware of the problems. If we bloggers unite and work together, across the borders, this world would be a much better place to live in.

I'm working on my article right now. It requires a lot of research but I hope it will be a good one. I won't tell you what it's all about, I'll let that be a surprise. :-)

A race against the clock? Not anymore!

Mornings in my house used to be a complete mess, with all of us running around like chickens with their heads cut off. And then I discovered Fly Lady! I know, it sounds weird that a person you have never met can have such an impact on your life but she has. She gave me the tools and I learned how to use them,one baby step at a time.

My morning routines nowadays actually start the night before. I spend a few minutes every evening preparing things for a calm morning. I lay out the clothes the kids and I are going to wear, after consulting our schedules and appointments for the next day, and I put whatever extras they may need by their backpacks. I put towels by my kids clothes if they are going to have a shower in the morning. I also lay the table for breakfast, so I won't lose precious time on that.

I get up at 5.30 AM and then wake the kids up at 6. That gives me about half an hour to myself every morning and that's wonderful! I get up, get washed and dressed, prepare myself a cup of tea. Sometimes I do a short yoga routine or just meditate for a few minutes. That half an hour of ME-time really recharges my batteries and helps me feel good about myself in the morning. I'm really a night owl so getting up in the morning has always been a struggle for me. But thanks to my precious minutes in the morning I'm able to start the day in a great mood.

When I wake the kids up I try to do that in a calm way, giving them lots of kisses and talking to them, giving them time to be fully awake before they even attempt to get out of bed. B always wakes up right away while G often needs about 15 minutes of talking and hugging before he manages to open his eyes. He's just like me!

While the kids go to the bathroom I serve breakfast. Usually I'm having just my second cup of tea and a little something, because I usually have my breakfast after I leave the kids. I have divided my morning routines in "with the kids at home" and "with the kids in school". While the kids have their breakfast, brush their teeth and get dressed I do the beds, prepare their snack for school and wash the dishes. I check the calendar to see if I've missed something. The kids watch TV when they are ready. I want us all to be dressed and ready by 7, thus leaving a margin of 15 minutes in case something unexpected occurs. At 7.10 I tell them to turn off the TV, go and get their backpacks and jackets and put on their shoes. By 7.15 we're ready and lock the door. Then we have 15 minutes to get to my friend's house, which actually takes less than 10 minutes. See, I like to have extra time in the morning, I hate to rush! If we are ready too early we just go for a walk or talk until it's time to go to school.

This works for us. My kids know the routines and they know at what time things have to be done. Usually they obey the rules because they too appreciate our calm mornings and don't want to go back to the chaos. It took me some month to make the mornings work but now I can see it was worth it!

More about Morning Routines at Morning Routines with your Kids Tips & Tricks

Sunday Seven 4

Time to summon up the week, its Sunday Seven. It has been a very stressful week so I'm glad it's coming to an end. Hopefully next week will be easier, with my husband and parents here.

Praise God, this is my list:

1. I've been blogging for 3 months now and I LOVE it! It is truly an addiction but a healthy one. I'm getting lots of new friends all over the planet and that makes me realize how small our world actually is.
2. My husband is coming tonight. We haven't met since January so we have lots of family life to catch up on.
3. My parents finally decided to come back and see us here. They don't approve of us living here and they certainly don't think this is a good place to raise the boys, but hopefully they'll change their minds this time.Please, pray for us!
4. I have GREAT IRL and on line friends and I'm so grateful for having them in my life. They really know how to pick me up when I'm sad and rejoice with me when I'm happy. Love ya all! Os quiero! Älskar er! You know who you are.
5. I'm grateful for internet which allows me to keep in touch with people I love, no matter how far away they are.
   
6. I'm on vacation - no more class preparation for 2 months. But at the same time I miss teaching and my students.
7. We have great health and I'm so full of energy right now. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

Sunday Seven 3

I missed last week because I was too busy at work,but this week I'm back at being grateful for the week gone by.

Well, this week has been rather busy and I've been so tired due to all the work I've done these past weeks. So I've just tried to work as much as I could and get some rest, so I'll be fit for fight again next week.

This is my list this week:

1. We have excellent health.
   
2. I finished my Spanish class and my students were all very satisfied with my teaching. That was a boost for my self esteem.
3. We went to mass today, in spite of all 3 of us being very tired.
   
4. I've got several assignments for blogging ads this week,which takes me one step closer to going back to school. I need the money so I can pay the fee and buy the books.
5. It rained a little today. Not enough to really get us wet, but at least the ground got a few drops of water and the air is not as full of sand as it usually is this time of year.
6. I got a great book from Trish - "God's Garden of Grace" by Elizabeth George. I will start reading it next week.
7. I feel alive and able to feel all kinds of feelings: hapiness, sorrow, love, longing, joy...
   

Life is such a gift!

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.

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!

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.

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*

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*
   

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.

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*

New meme: Friday Fill In

I just found a meme at Fond of the Beach and these are the blanks for this week:

1. Such a long time without meeting my friend C!
2. Occasionally, I enjoy having a beer.
3. Unexpected new friends can be interesting!
4. Daydreaming is great, too!
5. Where do you go when you want to relax. --> To my yoga mat. *lol*
6. Oh my god, he just ate a whole watermelon!
7. What are you doing this weekend? Tonight I'm looking forward to go to bed early, tomorrow my plans include a long walk along the beach with my kids and Sunday, I want to go to church!