Celebrate Success

If you wish to be successful, help others to be successful. If you wish to help others to be successful, be successful yourself.

Success does not occur in a vacuum. Success is most reliably created in a successful environment.

One person's achievement does not prevent or detract from anyone else's opportunity to achieve. Quite to the contrary, every achievement creates more possibilities for all to achieve.


There's no reason to feel guilty for having achieved more, and there's no reason to feel envious for having less. Instead, be inspired by every achievement you see, and be inspiring in your own creative efforts.


Envision, create and achieve in your unique way. Encourage and celebrate the work of others who seek to do the same.


Success is not built on envy or resentment or punishment or guilt. Success is built upon success, so let the building begin.

--Ralph Marston

Isn't that Interesting - Part 2

So my life has continued to be far from a reality show with the usual carpools, work schedules, summer schools, house cleanings, meetings, practices, food preparations etc etc etc. - well until last night where we had another big coach/dad - vs. coaches kids - blow out.

This one was different though. Quite different in so many ways. I saw the boys were upset when they came in but no dad raging behind them insight so I pulled them out to the garage and asked what happened at practice. They went into the long details of feeling like their dad was picking on them more than other players etc etc etc.

Twin A was the most offended even though it "sounded" as if Twin B got the bulk of beef from coach dad. Twin B was actually pretty quiet but Twin A was fired up.

Twin A: see I was shooting and I was dribbling and I shot a 3 and I said "WET"...

Mom: You said "WET", ummm during practice? (WET means "splash" basically - three pointer in your eye/some ghetto mess that I can't stand)

Twin A: I always say that

Mom: during practice??? That's kind of rude don't you think?

Twin A: Mom it's just something I say

Mom: hhmmm, okay and?

Twin A: Then dad is saying, pass the ball to someone else, stop dribbling so much, NEXT GET OFF THE COURT. So then I steal the ball from a player and dad says foul, but I didn't foul, I stole the ball and if that same player would have stolen it from me he would have been like "good play Jim-boy" but to me he's like "foul" and I can never do anything right.

Twin B: Yeah, we can never do anything right me and "Twin A" are the scapegoats.

Mom: so have you talked to him about this outside of practice.

Twin A: I'm mad, I"m not talking about it anymore.

So then coach/dad comes outside to the garage and listens for a while before he gets angry and begins to spout back a little and I see him begin to "grow" and the kids begin to "shrink". Finally I butt in a bit but not in time. Twin A says "then I quit" I'm not playing basketball anymore. Coach/dad says that may have worked a few months ago son when I wasn't were I am now and my angry used to take over but now I know you are just angry and you'll regret saying I quit this weekend while your teammates are playing and you are sitting on the bench watching so I'm not letting you quit. Besides, I know you are not a quitter.

He went on to tell them how much he loves them and how hard it is to be a coach's kid but also that they both received a technical in a previous tournament and if they couldn't take some "rousing" in practice from him, the person who loved them, they couldn't take it from someone who hated them and wanted to see them lose. I thought to myself "wow - he is changing". Then he went on to relate some things to the bible about them being better people and even apologized to them for being a bad sportsman as a basketball player in years past and trying to correct that as a coach now. It went on a bit longer and I saw all three of them soften a bit as the conversation continued.

I was so happy when I saw them all get up and hug and have dinner with no further issues. Well at least for the night

Friday Fill - In

Click here to participate in Friday - Fill - Ins

And...here we go!

1. Phone home.

2. My favorite thing for dinner lately has been Grilled Chicken and Brown Rice.

3. I'm not a dog lover cause I hate bark! bark! bark!

4. A nice long walk at the beach would be beautiful.

5. I love some good news.

6. When all is said and done, I will rule the world!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to CHILI'S, tomorrow my plans include straight relaxin after I make some dollars and and Sunday, I want to get some good word!

Don't Hate the Player - Hate the Game / My Prediction

KOBE IN SIX!!!! yes - I know it takes the whole team...but it's still Kobe's team. I told you from the start. All Championship Roads lead to KOBE. -Make no mistake- I do not believe it's the Kobe show as Ariza with a bad game is a loss and Gasol is going to tire Howard on defense so badly that he won't have much for left for offense. If Odom shows up it's a wrap and Derrick need not shoot...just pass! The bench runs too deep, no discussion is needed. Kobe was asked if he needed No. 4 without Shaq to validate him. I love his answer. "Do you think Shaq would have won 3 without me?"...

Finally Shaq tweeted today that he wants "Kobe to get No. 4"...of course he does. Nothing would bother him more than to see Van Gundy and Howard get it without him. BRING IT ON MAGIC...LAKERS IN 6 BABY!!!

That's so Interesting...

So I've had some realizations in my life...some revelations, some thoughts, some brainwork, speculations etc etc etc. and I've realized that I really want to be more of a thinking person than a speaking person. I'd love to simply think it in my mind instead of feeling the need to have it read on my face. If you know me then you know exactly what I mean. The emotion is ALWAYS on my face no matter how much I try to hide it.

I'm saying this because I went through the day and saw so many strange things that just made me say "what the hell?". I really want to be able to say "That's so interesting" and simply leave it at that.

In no particular order:

I drove past a woman who was walking next to her daughter who was riding a bike. The woman was keeping the girl near her by holding her long ponytail? WTF!!!! I'm like, "come on mom that is an accident waiting to happen."

During my daily stops at the gym there is always something comical there in the last few days I've found myself laughing hysterically or pissed off mad at some of what I witnessed. Most annoying would be the guy who walks around in jeans and a polo working out...ummm can you say "crotch rot". If you bought the gym membership buy some $10 workout shorts at Walmart. I've also been quite annoyed lately but the number of men who insist on working out with the "girl size" dumbbells. Really, why can't I get a set of 17.5's or even 15's at 7:30 in the evening. I look over to find these two guys hard at work pumping away for 30 minutes doing arm curls at *itch weight. To piss them off I finally decided to do 3 sets of 8 on the 20s (yes the same exercise they were doing and right next to them). Another peeve is people who insist on resting for 5 minutes in between each rep...uuuhhh, can I get on there while you knit your sweater?

Finally, just a little racism for the masses. I decided the boys would attend summer school at a public school instead of at their private school, which saves me about $600 this summer and they still get the same credit. I knew the school was predominantly "ethnic" but I had no idea. I drove up this morning to what looked like that scene out of "Lean on Me". I never seen so many black and mexican kids all behind one gate. Yes I said GATE they all looked like they were in prison. Yes, I said it dammit. And yes, if you said it and you aren't black I'd probably have a bit of a stank-a-tude. Truth is truth though. I almost turned around. 6 weeks of this??? hmmm. I told the boys "study hard and remember who you are and what you are" as they departed. If they weren't twins I wouldn't have dropped my baby off but I figure they were together. I promptly called my friend and said "aaawww hell no, I done dropped off my babies in the hood". She said, "stop being scared of your own people...they need a change of scenary". hhhmmm we'll see.

And here lies the problem...waisted energy - upset about things that really don't concern me. I really want to not care about the "small stuff". However, it's just not my nature. Can one CHANGE their nature? In the next few weeks I'm going to attempt it with a simply phrase. "Hmmmm, that's so interesting" and nothing further.

Music - JE

Some of My favorite Movie Scenes

Happy Birthday CJ

A picture is worth a thousand words! I asked my baby what he wanted last week for his birthday and imagine my surprise when he said he wanted an Easy Bake Oven. Yes...an Easy Bake Oven and a Snowcone Machine were at the top of his list!

Recently he had spent the night at a friend's house and his sister had an oven. CJ fell in love and has been in the kitchen with me each night and has also requested cooking classes. Wow! I love that he has his own thing!


So Saturday was filled with a house full of kids, a bounce house waterslide, gifts and a transformer pinata. The transformer cupcakes even worked out quite nice. By evening the kids had gone home, CJ - The Rockstar had a date with the movie "UP" and the rest of us crashed out by 9:30!


Happy Birthday My Sweetie Little Boy!