What Is Your Platform? - Aloha

1. Are you on Wordpress or Blogger? or other?
2. Which platform do you prefer?

  

And a little about me :)

 
1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?

I decided, felt it was time to forgive my in-laws. I was very angry at what happened, but for me, it's ok and I can let go. Doesn't mean I will forget. But I don't want them to think that I hate them or anything like that.

2. What is your favorite way to work out? Or if you don't workout, what are you wanting to try?

I watch the tv and follow along in my living room. Is that how you mean? :)

3. If you knew you best friend was cheating on spouse would you tell?

I would speak to her about it and let her know I'm very uncomfortable with it. I am not sure if I'd tell. It depends on the relationship I have with her spouse, if he was a friend or a relative, or if he was a honest person or if he was just *#$"*#$#@

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny, would you have one?

No...maybe if we both were working and I couldn't manage.

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?

I sometimes don't even remember mine until others do. I need to learn how to celebrate myself as an individual.

And, a bonus question from Scott, that I wasn't brave enough to put in as a regular question...answer at your own risk, or not at all! (Or something...)  Bonus: Lights off or on?

Off.

   

 

 


About the author: Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Wedding Trends for 2012

12 Wedding Trends for 2012

Economic woes continue to play a part in today's weddings.
Couples are opting for smaller weddings and choosing to spend their money more wisely. According to a recent study from  TheWeddingReport.com, brides and grooms are paying for more of the wedding bill themselves (to the tune of $10,000 - $20,000), and they're having more fun with it.
 
"We are seeing couples move away from formal and traditional type weddings to fun, romantic, simple, casual, and unique weddings with a touch of formal and tradition," the report reads.

Here are more trends forecasted for 2012, as couples scale back, simplify and reflect their personalities.

1. It's a small world.
Couples are keeping a tight rein on guest numbers (under 150), as the overall cost of the wedding is directly affected by how many heads are in attendance.

2. Autumn leads.
While June is the reigning month for marriages, September is a close second, and other months including August and October are on the rise.

3. Rustic and vintage themes.
Rustic themes and vintage touches continue to trend. Kellie Hanley of Orlando, Fla., is planning a "rustic, country chic" wedding this June at the Mead Gardens Amphitheater in Winter Park, and a reception at the local Farmer's Market "to tie in that 'barn' feel we wanted," she says. To pull off the theme, she's opting to do most of the decorating herself.

4. DIY reigns. 
"You can do things for so much cheaper yourself!" says Hanley, who relies on sites like  Pinterest.com for ideas. She's not alone. Megan Knight, from Coppell, Texas, is taking on most of the wedding day tasks. "Flowers, invitations, website, so far, perhaps even the cake," she says. "We haven't decided if we're going to take on that yet."

5. Tech love. 
Today's brides (96% of them according to  Weddingwire.com) are planning, shopping and registering online and even incorporating technology into the wedding day itself. Online blogs are providing the inspiration brides are looking for to piece together their day. Hanley's other favorites include  Sparkle & Hay,  RuffledBlog.com and  TheKnot.com.

6. Sweet endings.
Dessert buffets continue to take a bite out of receptions, with nontraditional choices like: square mini-cakes and cupcake tiers or pies, macaroons, Whoopie Pies, cake pops, color-coordinated candy and even ice cream sundae stations or a cookies and milk bar. The dessert choices reflect the whimsical, fun nature of today's weddings.

7. Color me vibrant.
Knight, who describes her upcoming Texas wedding as "laid back" and "casual," is using a formal royal blue theme, and softening it with yellow and white accents. Some of the biggest colors this year are purples and green as well as jewel tones, according to  TheWeddingReport.com.

8. Casually groomed.
Much to the relief of grooms everywhere, tuxedo rentals are out and suits and casual wear are in. TheWeddingReport.com states demand for tuxedo rental is down 11% over 2010 numbers (61% to 54% in 2011).

9. Candid cameras.
Formal photos are out and candid shots are in that fit with the look and feel of the wedding day. Demand for photo booths continues to rise as a fun way to capture memories.

10. Non-traditional gifts.
Non-traditional gift registries like  CardAvenue.com are popping up, allowing couples to register for gift cards according to their tastes and needs, as research shows that couples are waiting longer to get married (brides are 27 on average, grooms 29).

11. Close to home. 
TheWeddingReport.com predicts destination weddings will decline or remain flat in 2012 as couples are sticking close to home for the wedding day. They're also choosing more outdoor and/or all-inclusive locations to simplify their weddings and save money.

12. Staying put.
Not only are couples staying close to home, they're opting to host the ceremony and reception in the same location - again, to save money and simplify. Cindy Vega, who describes her upcoming wedding as "a little nontraditional" and "simple" has chosen Ashton Gardens in her hometown of Houston, Texas, because the on-site chapel and reception hall will allow them to keep the festivities in one location. "It was voted 4 years in a row as the top venue in Houston," she adds.

Weddings expert Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and blogs from her home in Orlando, FL, about cheap ways to spend and save at CheapWaysTo.com.

For more information, to book a segment, or arrange an interview, email Cara Davis atcara@cheapwaysto.com.

About the author: Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Challenge Yourself and Cry When You Feel Like It

Our children deserve better. We can't just let them do what they want because we can't bother as parents. We have to push and challenge ourselves to get in there and correct the behavior, teach, listen, love, wait, give consistency.

We have to be the teachers best back up. Let the teacher be able to teach. Let your child understand their challenge and responsibility to learn and excel.

Don't leave it to the teacher. Can you imagine what it's like for a teacher to have 20 something kids in one class all day???????? or however the cycles run.  Help your child and you'll be helping society on a whole.

Parenting is easy and tough as hell. Get it done! Cry when you need to. Shoot get upset if you can't help it, but always learn, apologize and forgive and move on.

Parenting is responsibility.

Make a plan and parent responsibly.

About the author: Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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How Would You Choose To Die?

Gunshot? Hanging? Injection? Stoning?

What if you weren't given a choice.

This true story ripped my heart out.

The Stoning of Soraya M

A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive tyrant had a tragic ending.

The book:
Soraya M.’s husband, Ghorban-Ali, couldn’t afford to marry another woman. Rather than returning Soraya’s dowry, as custom required before taking a second wife, he plotted with four friends and a counterfeit mullah to dispose of her. Together, they accused Soraya of adultery. Her only crime was cooking for a friend’s widowed husband. Exhausted by a lifetime of abuse and hardship, Soraya said nothing, and the makeshift tribunal took her silence as a confession of guilt. They sentenced her to death by stoning: a punishment prohibited by Islam but widely practiced.

Day by day—sometimes minute by minute—Sahebjam deftly recounts these horrendous events, tracing Soraya’s life with searing immediacy, from her arranged marriage and the births of her children to her husband’s increasing cruelty and her horrifying execution, where, by tradition, her father, husband, and sons hurled the first stones. A stark look at the intersection between culture and justice, this is one woman’s story, but it stands for the stories of thousands of women who suffered—and continue to suffer—the same fate. It is a story that must be told.

I was born in the Caribbean and even though the odds are still against women in many areas, we definitely aren't treated less than animal to our spouses and family.  As a woman I feel I can make a choice to do what I would want.

It's terrifying to think that so many woman cannot and yet they survive...thrive...

How you are stoned to death:

First, you get buried. Iran's Islamic Penal Code states that men convicted of adultery are to be buried in the ground up to their waists; women, up to their chests. If the conviction is based on the prisoner's confession, the law says, the presiding judge casts the first stone. If the conviction is based on witness testimony, the witnesses throw the first stones, then the judge, then everyone else—generally other court officials and security forces.

Stones must be of medium size, according to the penal code: Not so big that one or two could kill the person, but not so small that you would call it a pebble. In other words, about the size of a tangerine. The whole process takes less than an hour. One possible upside of getting stoned is that people who manage to escape from the hole are allowed to go free. But this applies only to those who have confessed to their crimes. (If you were sentenced to stoning on the basis of witness testimony, then digging out of the hole does you no good.) In any case, it's very difficult for anyone to escape the punishment: Prisoners are wrapped in a white cloth sack with their hands tied.


About the author: Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.

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Whole Grain First Ingredient Review & #GIVEAWAY

If you know me, you'll remember that I only eat one cereal.  Basic from General Mills. I used to get it at Walmart and then they stopped carrying it. I was so sad.  I stopped eating cereal (Yes I did try others and never liked them until I found Basic) and kept searching other stores for my Basic. I finally found it at Target and there began my love affair with Target because it turned out they sold my chocolates too! And those chocolates are the only one I'll eat. So these days I go to Target for my fixes :)

Would you believe that General Mills sent me some cereal and I have some to share with you too, so don't worry, and NOT one of them is my BASIC!  Sigh. Anyways that wasn't the point of this right.
The point was about choosing healthy ingredients for your meals to help you have healthy bodies.

Whole grain is very good for you and trust me, even if it's not your taste, just give it a few tries and it will become your taste. Taste buds need training too. Habits don't break in one taste.

We know whole grain is important to you, and the Dietary Guidelines recommend choosing products with a whole grain listed as the first ingredient. Now every cereal with the white check has more whole grain than any other single ingredient with the same great taste. You will see “whole grain” as a part of the first ingredient on the ingredient list, indicating that whole grain is the first and most prevalent ingredient.

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

With all the health messages facing grocery store shoppers, it can be confusing to translate what appears on food labels into nutritional needs, and hard to determine which foods have a meaningful amount of whole grain. Dr. Stork has some additional recommendations to help you include whole grain easily into your diet. They include:

• Start Early! The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine. For instance, when choosing cereal make sure whole grain is listed as the first ingredient. One easy choice is cereal with the white check, which have more whole grain than any other single ingredient.
• 
  
• Make Simple Swaps. Choose whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.

• Don’t Judge a Food by Its Cover. The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information. Cereals with the white check even include the amount of whole grain per serving on packaging.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check

Make a commitment to add more whole grain to your diet by simply pouring a bowl of cereal with the white check including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Total®.   For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com. You can also enter their sweepstakes while you are there.

Now since you just had all that information. Let's make you a winner!

GIVEAWAY:
5 boxes of General Mills cereal with the white check

Enter below in rafflecopter form

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.



About the author: Owner of JamericanSpice. Sharing my journey in the present, from the past or thoughts for my future. Mom of two who loves to travel and read and decipher people.
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