what's on jomama's mind

youer than you

2008-12-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

"today you are you, that is truer than true. there is no one aliver who is youer than you" dr. seuss

once upon a time

2008-12-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

this is a fairy tale about a shy, skinny girl named jo, who grew up in a small town in africa called bulawayo. she was the first of 3 girls and she lived in a little, yellow house with a white wall. her dad worked very hard and her mom stayed at home. mom was a good cook and loved to bake. she made biscuits, pies, and her specialty - chocolate cake! but the girls hated it when mom would give them cake for school lunch. "ah man - cake AGAIN! anyone want to trade?"

jo and her family loved dogs - pooch was a feisty white poodle (jo didn't name him pooch); sheila, a bull terrier - baby sister named her after the cartoon She-Ra (as in He-Man, and She-Ra, but she couldn't pronounce She-Ra when she was little hence Sheila); and the family favorite, teddy. he was just a mutt but when he was brown and chunky and cuddly just like a teddy bear. they loved him the best.

even though jo was a shy girl she had lots of friends. in elementary school she made friends who would last the rest of her life. she wasn't too excited about the green school uniform she had to wear with those ugly brown shoes. but she always loved the first day of school because it meant a new school case (on which her dad would print her name in white), and new books (that had to be taken home and wrapped in brown paper and plastic)...to this day she still loves to wrap things - a skill she learned way back then.

elementary school was fun, but high school was the best. she was nervous in the beginning because her mom and dad wanted her to go to a private girls school. she thought only snobs and mean girls went there and she wasn't a snob or a mean girl...but she gave it a try anyway and LOVED it! it was a small school with about 500 students at the most. she made so many good friends and had so many, many wonderful memories like the first day of cookery class when her and her best friend put ALL the milk in the scone mixture so that it was just a sticky mess. they tried to hide it from the teacher but it was no use... she always happened to break the sewing machine needles in sewing class and mrs. lewis would just shake her head at poor little jo. she loved english. her favorite teachers were mrs. edington and mrs. jones (best english teachers ever). art was also a subject she enjoyed.

jo didn't do so well on the sports field though. in elementary school she was a left wing on the field hockey team. mom would always come to watch the games but jo didn't score any goals. ahhhh. in high school she had to do cross country, but she would always wait for the teacher to run ahead and then she would walk in the back with her friends and gossip (so much more fun than running). she played social tennis which was more like telling mr. harley jokes than playing any tennis. ps - mr. harley used to sell homemade fudge during history. best fudge ever.

jo wasn't very good at learning other languages either. her mom and most of her family could speak ndebele, and some of her cousins spoke shona but not jo. she even tried to learn french in high school, but after 4 years all she could say was "dankie" - no wait thats afrikaans. jo couldn't speak afrikaans either.

jo was always very close to her family - she spent more time with them than her friends. most of her mom's family lived in bulawayo while her dad's family lived in the capital city, harare. jo liked going to her grandparents house. her grandpa was very proud of his garden. he grew all kinds of fruits and vegetables like grapes, oranges, peaches, mangoes, spinach, mealies (like corn, but better). her granny would also make her most favorite treat in the whole wide world - marsi. jo loved to eat marsi and sadza. come to think of it, eat jo loved to eat a lot of things back then, but magically she stayed skinny. it worried her mom sometimes. at one point her grandparents even had a couple of cows and a couple of horses. when jo was 16 her parents moved to an even smaller town in botswana called francistown so jo and one of her sisters lived with her grandparents for a while. its wasn't so bad, it prepared her for the day when she would move far, far away.

the years passed by too quickly, and one day jo moved away to a mysterious land called "california". after she left so did most of her friends and her family. they spread to the ends of the earth. then something very sad happened...the beautiful country that she once called home slowly began to wither away because greedy, selfish people did what was best for themselves and not the country.

when jo thinks about her home, about her friends, about her family and about her experiences she feels so grateful and blessed. she knows one day zimbabwe will be whole again and she dreams of the day when all of her family will be together again.

the end.

A Challenge!

2008-11-26T01:04:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine posted this as her Facebook status and I instantly loved it...

Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. (Richard Bach)

The perfect concert!

2008-09-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

Recently (the past 4 or 5 years), I've realised just how much I enjoy going to concerts or shows! I love, love, love listening to live music. I don't think I've been to a show that I didn't appreciate, but to be honest some shows, artists, and venues are just better than others. So I've decided to share with you my idea of the perfect concert experience!

Venue - I prefer small venues. They're just more intimate and there's usually no bad seat in the house. You get a good view of the stage from practically anywhere you stand.

Arrive early - my philosophy is to arrive early so I can be as close to the front as possible. I don't mind waiting in line as long as I get a good spot up front when the show begins. (And for goodness sake ladies, wear flat shoes because you'll be standing for a while. Trust me, I made the mistake of wearing heels once and it was torture! Don't do it).

Concert buddy - I like to go with friends who share my "front of the line"philosophy. It stresses me out if I plan on being at the show early and my friends don't care. It works both ways though, because I tend to stress out if I keep my friends waiting. Whatever your philosophy or plan is, make sure you're all on the same page!

Tickets - Two things here - 1.I love general admission shows because the tickets are usually a great price. 2.Always buy your tickets together! I almost got separated from my friends at a recent show because I inadvertently bought tickets in a different section (that's another blog)!

Crowd - Even though I go to concerts to see my favorite artist/band my whole experience is also affected by the people around me. Unfortunately that's something I have no control over. I'm stuck next to joe shmoe for a good couple hours in very close proximity. So I can only pray that my neighbor is there to enjoy the music just like myself and isn't obnoxious, irritating, stinky or sweaty :( There's a lot more I could say about concert etiquette...

Artist/Band - I love it when artists share the stories behind their music. It's what sets a concert apart from just listening to an album or watching a music video. You get a little bit of insight into them and you get to see if your interpretation of the song is in line with the artist vision. Its the best part.

I've been to many shows that have had all these components, but it took me a while and a lot of concerts before I realised what worked for me. What are the ingredients of your prefect concert experience? I'd love to know :D

you know how i love a good quote...

2008-09-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

I was in Target the other day shopping for a baby shower gift when I found a metal plaque with this awesome quote

To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act - Anatole France

I love it and of course brought it home with me. Now I just have to find a good place to hang it!

My Playlist

2008-03-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

I’ve been listening to a lot of different music lately, and here’s a list of some of my favorites.

Chainsaw by Daniel Merriweather - once I started listening to this song I couldn’t stop. I LOVE the intro, and my favorite part of the song is -"giving myself to you is like giving myself to a chainsaw - you keep cutting me open wide. Is it the only thing that you’re good for?" Sounds gruesome, but its a great song.

Who am I to say, and Bring me Flowers by Hope - It seems like everyone knew about Hope before I did. I just recently started listening to her music and fell in love with her voice. I couldn’t stop singing "bring me flowers, and talk for hours, ooh I like you, ooh I like how you make me feel"

Storybook Fiction by Sachal Vasandani - I think I’m starting to like jazz. Never been a big fan of that genre, but Sachal Vasandani has inspired me to give it a chance. He has a wonderful voice. You should also check out Naked as We Came. It's the first song of his that caught my attention.

First Dance Song by Nya Jade - Just recently got Nya’s new CD "The Road to Adam", and this is one of my favorite tracks. I’m excited to go see her perform @ her album release on March 27th. Its going to be a fun night.

Go on girl by Ne-yo - I’m beginning to realize more and more just how much I like Ne-yo’s music I couldn’t stop listening to this song yesterday. Just over and over and over. I should start paying more attention to him.

Suffocate by J.Holiday - I love this song, but I’m not so excited about the rest of the album.

Lets Stay together by Al Green - some good old school

These arms of mine by Otis Redding - I’ve been wanting to find some of his music and the other day I went into Best Buy and found an awesome collection of about 30 of his songs. Now I’m happy :)

Everything by Humble - "Life is everything...we can be anything when Jah is the pilot of your plane". Great inspiration. I LOVE REGGAE MUSIC. You can’t be sad and you can’t sit still when you listen to it...or at least I can’t.

You're not the boss of me!

2008-02-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

This is a classic, comical, moment in my life too cute to pass up writing about it.

Saturday night I decided to go to bed early (8:30pm). I was so tired I thought I would fall asleep right away, but I ended up reading "O" magazine and then a book I got as a birthday present, "Eat. Pray. Love." by Elizabeth Gilbert. Its such a good book I couldn't put it down. Two or three hours later I walked out of my room to go pee and little Ben (not yet 3 years old) says to me "Auntie Jo, what are you STILL doing awake?" And of course I answered like any 30 year old woman would... "you're not the boss of me!"

Classic.

motivation

2007-11-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is collect inspirational quotes because they give me a kick in the butt and remind me to get back on track. Today's quote comes from Denzel Washington. They are words he lives by and also words that he managed to squeeze into his new movie "The Great Debaters"

"Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do"

a perfect saturday night

2007-10-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

I'm having a wonderful night. got home @ 7pm. had a hot, yummy bubble bath, put on some mellow music, ate chips and delicious habanero chile and lime salsa, and I'm now online sipping perfectly chilled white wine. life is good :)

now that we found love...

2007-10-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

...what are we gonna do with it?

So I'm excited because it looks like TNT has a chick-flick marathon going on this weekend :) If you're not doing anything Sunday, get comfy on the couch with some popcorn, and a box of tissues (just in case) and enjoy an afternoon of completely, cheesey, predictable...but oh so enjoyable romantic comedies.

1.Hitch - I just finished watching it, and I laughed and laughed as if I was seeing it for the first time again. Will Smith and Kevin James were adorable. I love the dancing scene, and the kissing scene when Kevin James flings his inhaler on the ground. The first time Will Smith and Eva Mendes kiss...aaahhhhh. "Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away."

2.Wedding Planner - Matthew McConaughey, and J.Lo make a cute couple in this movie. I haven't seen it in ages so I can't remember any fun scenes. All I know is I watch it every time its on tv. I have no idea why I haven't bought it on DVD yet. Its a keeper. ps - All you Greys Anatomy fans Justin Chambers (aka Dr. Alex Karev) has a small part

3.Kate and Leopold - Hugh Jackman - 'nugh said!!!!!!!!!

4.My Best Friends Wedding - I've watched this movie a million times, and each time I hope something will change and Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney will end up together :(

5.Wedding Date - Dermot Mulroney GETS the girl this time - I love happy endings

6.Somethings Gotta Give - I didn't want this movie to end the first time I saw it. Its just beautiful :)

Now if this was my chick-flick movie weekend I would add just a few more movies to the list.

The Notebook - I cried big crocodile tears when I read the book, and I cried even more when I saw the movie. "oh Noah"

Someone Like You - my favorite Hugh Jackman movie (I should buy this one too)

Love Actually - This movie is amazing and wonderful and delicious!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart broke into a million pieces when Andrew Lincoln showed up at Keira Knightley's door with the Christmas Carole music and the big cards telling her about his "wasted heart". "To Me, You are Perfect"

Pride and Prejudice - The BBC version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. There is no better love story than Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen was a genius, and she will always remain my favorite author.

Everyone needs a good chick-flick once in a while.

something to think about.....

2007-10-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

"Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change"

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

my two cents

2007-10-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

I noticed last week that I kept finding pennies on the ground. I know, I know, who doesn't find spare change on the ground - right? Well, every time I would pick up the penny I would turn around and give it to someone else, and still they continued to pop up everywhere. So I've decided to save them this week and see just how many pennies show up in my life :)

tea stories

2007-10-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

so I'm being blamed at work for introducing one of my friends to tea. I guess she saw me drinking tea one day. tried it. loved it. and now we bump into each other several times a day in the kitchen filling up our tea cups.

I hated tea when I was growing up because the adults in my family would always have the kids make tea for them. I can't even tell you how many times I've had to make tea at my grandmothers house while the aunts, uncles and other adult tea drinkers were sitting outside, under the tree, enjoying themselves. My family likes to drink their tea with hot milk and sugar. I don't care for milk, so my ideal cup of tea is black, with a slice of lemon, and some honey.

umm, umm, good.

overcome your ego

2007-10-10T23:19:00.001-07:00

So here's one quick thing I want to share before I go to bed tonight. This evening I was listening to "the secrets of the power of intention" by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. I am very interested in spiritual self improvement so I was excited to borrow this 6-CD set from a friend on Sunday. I haven't had a chance to sit down and listen to it all at once. I've been listening to it in bits and pieces - mainly in my car to and from work. The basic idea is to "change the way you look at things and the things you look at change". So if you've read, listened to or watched The Secret - its the same idea.

One of the points Dr. Dyer stresses is that you have to overcome your ego in order to reach your full potential. Your ego gets in the way of your good intentions. Here are the 7 points he mentioned about overcoming the negative impact of our egos.

1.Stop being offended - you have a choice, you don't have to put up a wall and get offended by ever little thing.

2.let go of the need to win

3.let go of the need to be right

4.let go of your need to be superior

5.let go of your need to have more

6.let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your achievements. - You are not what you achieve - you are Divine

7.let go of identifying yourself on the basis of your reputation. - You are not your reputation. You are not what others think of you.

The operative word or idea in these points is "NEED". Winning is good, just let go of the NEED to always win. Having abundance in your life is good...but the NEED is always have more is where the problem lies.

Very, very interesting. Definitely made me go "mmmmmmm". One of my favorite quotes is

"Compare yourself to the person you were yesterday. If you are better in some way than that person, then you are a success today"

I don't know who said it or where I got it from but they are words to live by. It reminds me there is always room to grow and learn more, and at the same time it also reminds me not to compare myself to anyone else.

blog stress....

2007-10-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

So ever since last Thursday when I posted my first blog on here, I've been stressing out about what to write. I think it all started after reading so many other talented bloggers who have insightful, meaningful blogs. How am I going to live up to that standard? Then I remind myself that blogging is just like journaling. There are no rules, no set format. I've had a journal since I was 14 years old. I've been writing about my thoughts, feelings and experiences for nearly 16years now - I should be a pro at this - right? I think its the public forum that's daunting as well. Writing in a journal or expressing myself in private blogs is one thing, but to now put myself out there for public scrutiny - eek!

I've also been thinking about what I want to accomplish here. I've called my blog "whats on jomama's mind", so I intend on sharing the random thoughts that go through my head on a daily basis. Sometimes they are deep, serious and thought-provoking. Other times they are just plain silly. So I hope I'll make you laugh but I also hope I'll make you go..."ummmmm".

When I shared these fears with a good friend, she said this simple phrase "you have to start somewhere"...so here goes!!!!!!!!!!!!