YAY 40 PART TWO!

courtesy of homesofozark.com

On my previous post I had to end writing quite abruptly because my twenty month old son was on my lap whining with pain from teething.

Ouch!


I was in the process of sharing what I believe to be true at the age of forty in response to The Bahamas celebrating 40 Years of Independence.

Let's continue....




What I Know To Be True At 40!

21. The older I get the more I love make-up. Hello Concealer!
22. I no longer jump out of bed. It is a slow deliberate process.
23. I wish I heard more stories from my grandmother about my history.
24. Fingernail polish or the perfect lipstick can make you feel glamorous.
25. The saying, 'This too shall pass' is true. 
26. A glass of wine can save your marriage!
27. Learn to work hard and play hard.
28. Children really do grow up quickly. I am my mother's baby and I am 40!
29. Many of us aren't as intelligent as we would like to think we are.
30. Clean the kitchen before you go to bed. Waking up to a 
      dirty kitchen sucks.
31. Our children are watching our every move.
32. Authenticity is my most important character trait.
33. Healing can come through confrontation.
34. As Maya Angelou said, 'When people show you who they are, believe 
     them the first time'
35. Forget love, you have to like the person you marry.
36. Writing in my journal is therapeutic.
37. God did not want everyone to have flat abs! If so, where are mine?
38. Having a dream for your life is easy, achieving it... not so much.
39. Hurt people hurt people.
40. I got to know Tiffany and I love her!

Until I blog again,
Tiffany

Yay 40!

courtesy of takimag.com

"We don't understand life any better at forty than at twenty, but we know it and admit it." Jules Renard

For all of my Anglican Church Members out there, today in our bulletin there was an Independence Message from Bishop Boyd. He wrote,

'This month The Bahamas celebrates her 40th Anniversary of Independence. It is a milestone and a coming of age. For human beings 40 is the age of adult maturity, although it does not mean that the person stops growing and maturing; the process continues throughout the whole of life. We can say The Bahamas has reached one stage of her maturity , but has much more growing and maturity to do; it is a process for the rest of time.'

The Bahamas has reached one stage of her maturity, but has much more growing and maturity to do... 

This applies to Tiffany too!

I turned forty in January. I am proud to be forty. I am honored to tell my age. It is an accomplishment, but as Bishop Boyd wrote, there is much more growing to do!

But today, let me share what I know to be true for me at forty.

What I Know To Be True At 40!

1. My eyes will soon need some assistance.

2. 'Give us this day our daily bread', is true. God gives me what I need for each 

    day and not anything I need for tomorrow. 

3. Dark circles under eyes are real!

4. You should have children when you are young. They require energy.

5. You should have children when you are older. You need courage to parent

    and wisdom to sacrifice for your children.

6. If I want to go out on a Friday night I need to hydrate so I am not

    exhausted the entire next day.

7. Once you break a twenty, fifty or hundred dollar bill...consider that money 

    spent.

8. We train people how to treat us!

9. There are good guys out there to be your best friend, father to your children

    and your husband.

10. My mother was right, "Don't get married before you are 30 years of age or

     atleast 28."

11. I didn't begin to know who I was until I was in my thirties.

12. My failed relationships prepared me for my one successful relationship.

13. BREASTS do not defy gravity!

14. Children interrupt marriage. That's why God made them cute.

15. My  mother was right, "There is a consequence for every choice!"

16. People do what they can get away with.

17. The career choice I made in my teens does not suit the woman I am at

     forty.

18. My circle of friends is small and that is okay.

19. If you take care of your hair it will grow.

20. I can only be who I am!

And so, as The Bahamas, I have 'much more growing and maturity to do; it is a process for the rest of time.'

My son is teething gotta go...

Until I blog again,

Tiffany

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Have a great weekend, MWMs!

GUEST BLOG: WHEN BROKE MEETS BABY

As a single twenty something recent graduate, I was committed to spending money; whether the cash was spent on buying new extensions, shoes, attending the latest events or traveling; budgeting was out of sight and definitely out of mind; along with the idea of paying off my school debt.  

When I became pregnant, the things that I considered luxuries were replaced by new things. Nothing tests your desire to spend like having a child, because now everything is a must have. My daughter must have six different diaper bags, cute pink sun shades, a Dora blow up toy, 25 sing-a- long cds (she is two and have only listened to one), and God forbid, I would never let my kid wear hand me downs, are you kidding me?

As Adaya got older, I realized how my luxury spending now became necessities; “I have to buy her fast food everyday because I am too tired to cook a meal” $$ can you hear the money adding up? Well I heard it but definitely ignored for quite awhile until broke met baby! 

There are plenty reasons why people make the decision to live a more frugal life, my reason was not a choice and believe me it surely was not welcomed.  The first frugal living decision I had to make was hard but I had to be able to identify wants and needs.  Only spend on what matters.

Today, I consider myself to be fairly frugal and to be honest, I think I take it too far and cross into the realm of cheap! For example, I have a pair of black shoes that I got about three months ago that were $35.00 and they are busted! I know they are busted, I can see it, people comment on it every day, yet I won’t invest in a new pair; mainly because it’s a shoe and in my mind it really doesn’t matter!  Now, I am not suggesting that you live a pauper life like this, however I would suggest as a mother, father or family with kids (especially the younger ones) it is important to take on a more frugal lifestyle.

Frugal Living is not suppressive! In fact it is the complete opposite. Here are a few ways that you can live a more frugal life:

·         Track Your Spending and I mean everything. See where you can cut back and find ways to eliminate unnecessary spending

·         Attack Your Debt easier said than done right? Nope. Take it from me, it’s much more rewarding to pay off your car loan than to have $800.00 in your bank account and have bill collectors calling.

·         Buy in Bulk. My parents together have six kids, so it was necessary that they purchase things in bulk. From toilet tissue to snacks and even kool-aid, every couple months, we would get a shipment. Learning from my mom, I found the saving sense in bulk buying. Not only are you saving lots of money, but you also eliminate the hassle of going to the food store every week! For you new moms, I am sure you understand the importance of this.

·         Think about Why You Buy. Every parent wants the best for their child. But are what we considering “the best” really necessary?  When I had to return to work from maternity leave, in selecting a school for Adaya I wanted the best. In my mind, the best meant more money. That being said we opted for a nursery that was said to be “one of the best” on the island, four days into nursery, $745.00 spent (uniform, registration, seat fee, and a month of care)  Adaya got really sick and had a diaper rash that was so bad she lost skin! So much for “the best”. Needless to say, I have learnt my lesson. Big bucks don’t always mean the best.

Frugal living means spending considerably less than what you earn, which equates to unlimited opportunity for saving, creating memories and following your dreams. My tip to all parents and families, spend when needed and enjoy the best that life has to offer; most of which are free!

Written By

Ms. Worrell

Ms. Worell is a freelance Public Relations & Creative Guru,  blogger, and JazzyMOM. Born and bred in Nassau, Bahamas, studied International Business and Marketing at Saint Leo University,Tampa Florida and is now completing her MBA. She has one little princess buttercup that has made her life complex, entertaining and most of all AMAZING! She loves makeup, fashion, hair (particularly extensions), blogging,and all things girlie! 

Visit her blog at: http://annisbuble.blogspot.com

Twitter Handle: @annisbubble
Instagram: annisbubble

I AM A BAHAMIAN

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As we countdown the days to our Independence, I reflect on all things Bahamian.  What does The Bahamas mean to me? What makes us who we are?  

For me, it's the people.  

www.takegreatpictures.com 

I love how colourful we are.  By colourful, I mean our personalities, the way we talk, the way we walk, the way we dress, and just the way we interact with each other.  You will always hear a Bahamian say they can spot another Bahamian no matter where they are in the world.  We laugh and make jokes about how true that is!  Some days driving around town, the sights and people  you stumble upon make you either laugh or shake your head and say to yourself, "only in The Bahamas".












Here is my list of a few things of when you know "you is a" Bahamian:

A potcake, stray dog

1.  When fire engine is something you eat (corned beef and rice!)

2.  When "potcake" is a stray dog, burnt rice at the bottom of the pot, or a person mixed with different ethnicity's.  Oh and we can't forget the Potcake, the man with the shopping cart filled with car rims

3.  When 5 dogs laying in your yard and none of them are yours 

4.  Gives directions like this "You know the blue and white building on the   corner with the laundry mat and liquor store? Yea, Ok.  Don't turn through that corner, my house through da next corner" (hehe)

Make shift store, this time in the centre of a median

5.  When you put up a make-shift store on the side of the road selling the same merchandise for half the price than the big time (legitimate) store across the streets.

6.  When you trying to find the best "asue" to join

7.  When you can be heard saying "well muddasick" (an expression used to emphasize every kind of emotion)

8.  When you start or end a sentence with the word "Bey"

9.  When you say you "gern unda da dock".  No, not under the bridge...unda da dock!

10. When you going "unda da dock" for one conch snack and one cold Kalik

11. When you switch your accent to an American one when speaking to a tourist

12. You come back from Miami with three big suitcases (full) and claim you only spent $300 to the customs officer

13. When you use the plastic bag from the grocery store as a garbage bag.

14. When you go buy a $100 bathing suit only to go in the water with a T-Shirt over it.

15.  When you party all night on Christmas Day until it's time to go to Junkanoo at 1:00am on Boxing Day

Gotta love my people!


I will leave you with a video from one of my favourite local artists, Papa Smurf.   I love that you can hear his authentic Bahamian accent as he raps.

Here is one of his songs, "I am a Bahamian" featuring Da Element & Sherrol Rahming.  Enjoy!

Happy 40th Anniversary Bahamas!

Signed, 

A Bahamian Gal, Candilaria