Support our President – Invest in America - Buy American

Good afternoon Pooka Family! At the time of reading this blog I hope you are in a positive frame of mind; enjoying the last days of summer; and preparing for what God has in store for you in these last 3 months of the year! I’m writing this blog on the day after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the entire convention each night (Taiye insisted on watching Dora) but I did catch-up on it via the internet. I am so proud of the job this administration is doing and I feel empowered to do whatever I can to support it! And that includes financially as well. Not only by making another contribution to the Obama campaign (which I will do as soon as I complete this blog) but also by buying American! Normally, I am known to be a frugalista so I will look at price first before making a purchase and not even look at whether or not the item is made or manufactured in the U.S.A. But last month I received an email from my Uncle in Atlanta entitled, “Time for a Change”. After reading that email I was determined to buy American for at least 1 month. I wonder how much impact that will have on the U.S. economy, U.S. workers, and U.S. businesses? Probably not much from 1 person so I forwarded the email to my sisters and we have committed to buying American made products for 1 month. So will you join us? Support our President, support our workers, and support our country by buying American. Below is the original email my Uncle forwarded to me. Also, next month, Donna suggested that we try buying Black for 1 month! We can do it Pooka Family! It takes 7 days to form a habit so if we can continue this habit 30 days and beyond we can make a huge impact to putting U.S. businesses back in the forefront! Did y'all see Diane Sawyer's special report? They removed ALL items from a typical, middle class family's home that were not made in the USA. There was hardly anything left besides the kitchen sink. Literally. During the special they showed truckloads of items - USA made - being brought in to replace everything and talked about how to find these items and the difference in price etc. It was interesting that Diane said if every American spent just $64 more than normal on USA made items this year, it would create something like 200,000 new jobs! I WAS BUYING FOOD THE OTHER DAY AT WALMART and ON THE LABEL OF SOME PRODUCTS IT SAID 'FROM CHINA' FOR EXAMPLE THE "OUR FAMILY" BRAND OF THE MANDARIN ORANGES SAYS RIGHT ON THE CAN 'FROM CHINA ' I WAS SHOCKED SO FOR A FEW MORE CENTS I BOUGHT THE LIBERTY GOLD BRAND OR THE DOLE SINCE IT'S FROM CALIFORNIA. Are we Americans as dumb as we appear --- or --- is it that we just do not think? The Chinese, knowingly and intentionally, export inferior and even toxic products and dangerous toys and goods to be sold in American markets. 70% of Americans,.. believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended. Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? You Can..DO IT YOURSELF, AMERICA !! Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (and that now includes Hong Kong), simply choose another product, or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products, and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without. Who needs plastic eggs to celebrate Easter? If you must have eggs, use real ones and benefit some American farmer. Easter is just an example. The point is do not wait for the government to act. Just go ahead and assume control on your own. THINK ABOUT THIS: If 200 million Americans each refuse to buy just $20 of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor...fast!! Most of the people who have been reading about this matter are planning on implementing this on Sept. 1st and continue it until Oct. 1st. That is only one month of trading losses, but it will hit the Chinese for 1/12th of the total, or 8%, of their American exports. Then they might have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness were worth it. Remember, Sept. 1st to October 1st! Send this to everybody you know. Let's show them that we are Americans and NOBODY can take us for granted. If we can't live without cheap Chinese goods for one month out of our lives, WE DESERVE WHAT WE GET! Pass it on, America ... Well, come to think of it, instead of doing it for just 1 month why not try to do it all the time.

Open letter to the president

Dear President Barack Obama, I just want to say that the Democratic Convention was awesome! The entertainment was on point with Mary J. Blige, Bruce Springsteen (Yeah America!)Among many others!And all of the speakers were great, Michelle, Bill and yourself included. But I couldn't help but to be a bit ticked because I had tickets and they were cancelled on us! Yes they had to move the convention to a smaller venue,because of a tornado/twister/end of the world storm coming. And yes there was a storm that night, and it poured, thunder and lighting but doggone it I wanted to go! I watched at home on T.V. (Weather was bad) and all I saw was bright happy faces, laughing,crying,sharing in the words that were being poured over them like honey. I watched with disgusting fascination what people were wearing in the audience (why did she wear that?)Or who they were with(really? Who let that person in?)But it didn't really make me feel any better because they were there and I was at home looking in. I say all of this to say,YOU have to win this for all of the people who couldn't make it there! We want to celebrate with you in person! P.S. Or a new job with great benefits would be nice ;)

Another "AHA" moment!

It all started when I was doing yoga and noticed a book under my bed, called Organizing from the Inside Out. I had bought this book years ago because of my desire to become a more organized person. The irony is I had never read it because I...‘misplaced” it! Misplacing a book on organization lets you know you really need to get organized! My lack of organization has always been an annoyance to me but starting a business has really put a spotlight on this missing skill. It was really starting to bother me. I couldn’t find anything. I was always missing bills, tickets, important papers. Since I found the book I started to read it. The book said to look for underlying reasons for your lack of organization and that every person even highly unorganized people have at least one tiny thing thats organized and they are proud of? Something that has a place and can always be found. It came to me instantly, My scissors! No matter what they go in a specific drawer and I ALWAYS put them back in the same space. In a weird way, I am always proud that I can always find them! Another thing that they said is that people have certain things organized because they like the container or that they like how the items are displayed, the aesthetic factor. When I thought again the only other 2 things that are organized in my house are, 1. My new earrings, because I made a great holder for them so I love hanging them up and now I always know where my earrings are. The 2nd are my clothes in the closet, just recently my mother told me to organize my clothes in my closet by color and I LOVE THIS, my closet has stayed neater not because I love my clothes neat but because I love how the blocks of color look in my closet! Oh the joy! 
Later in the day I was speaking to my mother and telling her about my new organizational discoveries and she, as usual, gushed about how happy she was about my figuring something out, LOL! Aways proud of me, even at this age! I went on and on about the book and about the underlying issues to being unorganized and then my mother put the “AHA” icing on my cake! She told me that, as a parent, that was something that she struggled with, with me in my youth. She would tell me where to put things and how to straighten things and it just never caught on! She layed out clothes and I wanted to wear something else, she put things here and I wanted them to go there, she said red and I said, “why not purple?” She never had that problem with my siblings Donna and Douglas, they were sticklers for the rules >:( but me? not so much! She then told me that she had actually taken a course on parenting to better understand me!!!! WOW!!! So sloppy that I put my mother in therapy, LOL!! I was amazed! Now my mother had always been in education and went back to school for classes in early childhood behavior, so when this class and my lack of organization presented itself she took advantage. She said that the teacher told her that the things she wanted me to do were a priority for her not me and until I decided things were a priority for me they wouldnt change. How could I not have known this pertinent life information, now my mother said she had told me this before, but I guess because it was’nt a priority for me, I chose not to remember LOL! This is where things began to come into focus and the AHA moment of a lifetime started to roll out. My mother and I dove into a conversation about me and this PRIORITY thing! to be continued........

Goodbye Roid!

Greetings Family!! I have missed you! I have been out of commission for a few weeks. I think you all remember the issues I have experienced as a result of fibroids or roids as Dawn has come to call them! I had surgery in the past but as most roid sufferers know....they in most cases grow back. I procrastinated for sometime and just accepted not feeling well. I experienced pain and bloating, cramps and just a lot of discomfort during my cycle. In addition though I was fatigued and often had breathing issues not realizing it was related to fibroids! I finally went ahead an had a very large Roid removed. God is good family!! When the doctor opened me she said she didn't know how I was walking, breathing and was able to function as long as I did! The Roid had spread everywhere pushing the organs up into my chest which was why I had breathing difficulty. It also had pushed into my bladder as well. The fibroid weighed five pounds in total! Five pounds! Every time I think about that I am thankful for Gods grace family! I am still recovering but almost there! I am lighter, can breath better and have my bikini stomach ready for the beach! So to all my fibroid sisters I am speaking to you. Please don't ignore what your body tells you and please don't think that it is the norm to suffer. Talk to your doctor about the options available to you. There are holistic options, there are different surgery methods available-myomectomy, laparoscopic surgery or even hysterectomy. Research and discuss what is best for you and your body because you don't have to live with the discomfort any longer! Just sharing and hope this helps someone! Now I have no excuse to get back to great physical health. Hmm I wonder if I can sign up for the next summer Olympics! Peace Family

My Biggest Mistake

Morning Pooka Family! Hope everyone is enjoying the dog days of summer…whoohoo! So, I have made the biggest mistake of my life as a mother! Taiye’s hair!!!! She has the most beautiful, thick, curly, tangle hair! I mean, when it comes to beautiful natural hair, Taiye can rock any style. It looks so cute in a bun or in two afro puffs, twists or braids. But what did I do… I let her rock those afro puffs for too long and now it is tangled and matted! I’ve tried everything to get her hair untangled but nothing is working!! HELP!!!!! And yes, she is tender-headed so it hurts her which in turn hurts me! I started trying to untangle her hair one night and at 1 AM we were still at it! Then I tried again one Sunday morning and 2 hours later, I had only gotten thru 1/8 of a section! This is my crux…I have to get it untangled. Then came my “aha” moment from Auntie Dawn….don’t try to do everything all at once. Just do a little at a time every day. This way it won’t hurt her as much. So this week every night before we go to bed, we will sit on the bed, watch Super Why and Dinosaur Train and take one section and try and untangle her hair. Pray for me family! Hopefully I will be able to get a comb thru it by September!

Changes I CAN SEE!!!

Well Pooka family, this marks an historical month for me! This month for the first time in 10 years, I officially have HEALTH CARE! I am overjoyed. For the last 10 years, since I’ve been an entrepreneur and left corporate america, I’ve been uninsured and by the Grace of GOD, I haven’t had to have a surgery. Being an entrepreneur obtaining health Insurance is expensive and hard and for me, since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 7 years ago, I have the double wammy. Even If I could afford health care, no companies would give me insurance because of my Pre-Existing condition. I have been paying close attention to the Health Care debates going on in Washington and I am so PROUD and GRATEFUL to my president for fighting to get me coverage! Yes I say “Me” because this is personal. Sometimes we don’t see how policies in Washington directly impact us. In this case, I have directly benefited from this groundbreaking healthcare decision, the Pre-existing condition plan and I am so glad that our President fought for it. This will change a lot for our country, with this healthcare bill, If you have a pre-existing condition you can get health care and If you have children they can now stay on your policy until they are 27, that is HUGE and will offer so many more americans the opportunity to have health care, which I feel is a RIGHT not a PRIVILEGE!! THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA, Dawn Fitch is officially covered!! 
ps tomorrow I’m going to the podiatrist, gynecologist, optometrist, neurologist even a meteorologist(i know to know if my internal weather system is working!) and any other “gist” thats in my insurance handbook, LOL!!!

My Raggedy Ann Lesson!!

Well folks you know I always have a “story”. So this weekend I went to visit my cousin and spend some time with the family. As always we had a great time friday and saturday and then came.....what we now call the “Raggedy Ann” Incident!! I got up on Sunday and was preparing for my cousins BBQ and while curling my hair, my hand slipped and my curling iron dropped ON MY FACE!! I was mortified and in pain! It happened so quick and it barely touched my cheek. I quickly applied some lavender essential oil so that it wouldnt blister. I couldn’t believe I had done that and as the day went by it got darker and darker, when I woke up the next morning I walked past a mirror and just screamed! I had a complete round circle scar on my cheek, now I’m not talking about a little dot, I’m talking about a quarter sized, dark mark! I just didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to go outside but I had so much to do. I tried putting on make up but the mark just sucked it up! I went to Pooka and they tried to make me feel better by telling me that it like “cute” like raggedy ann!! They even suggested I mark the other cheek to match! I was so annoyed all day and so self concious but then I started thinking about people with real scars or who have been disfigured and what they go through every day or those who have been really burned and the pain that they had to suffer, instantly I became very aware of how blessed I am. Sometimes it takes something small to appreciate all that we take for granted, so as I wait for my Raggedy Ann cheek to heal I will not complain, I’ll just grin and bear it! Lesson Learned!