Muffins with Mom – 3 business tips from a teen



photo credit

“Ma, I need to be at school by 7:10 am tomorrow.” My son yelled to me from his bedroom.

“Why so early,” I yelled back. I was already in bed and was not getting up to hold a conversation.

“I have to help run the school store as part of my marketing class.”

My son arrived on time for his duty, but things didn’t go as smoothly as he thought they would. When he got home from school, he shared his experience with me.

“Let me tell you what happened at the school store. First of all, no one from my group showed up. I had to arrange the products, run back and forth to fill the orders and take the money.”

“Welcome to the world of business,” I said.

“That’s not all, everybody kept asking for change but no one want to make a purchase.”

As a result of his experience, my son came with a few tips for operating a sales business.

1.      Require that the customer make a purchase in order to receive change for his money.

2.      Have a plan in case employees don’t show up to work.

3.      Know all aspects of the job in case employees don’t show up as scheduled.

The next week at school, my son had to run the store again…at 7:10am. This time he had more help AND he told his customers they had to make a purchase in order to receive change. One student only purchased a $.25 item, but the principle of the idea was there.

What tips would you give a teen for operating a business?

Feel Good Friday – Postcards from Jesus

As I shuffled through the day’s mail, I stopped when I came across the large postcard that read, “Don’t change a thing – Jesus.” I chuckled to myself and tossed the card on the table with the rest of the advertisement mailers.

A few days later I pulled the mailbox open and on top of the pile of envelopes was another postcard. This time the postcard read, “Come follow me. – Jesus.” I looked around to see if anyone else was around. There was no on in sight.

There’s a message here somewhere. I have not yet figured out whether the message is for me or someone else, but I held onto the postcards to share here. Maybe you or someone you know is experiencing a situation you have been struggling with.

Often when we pray about a situation, the answer comes in unexpected ways. If you have had a heavy heart about something, release it now into the atmosphere and believe it is taken care of and take the advice from the post card…follow Jesus

.

Have a blessed weekend.

Wordless Wednesday - Classical Music Month

Classical Music Month was established in 1994 when President Clinton issued a proclamation. It is  a celebrated in the month of September. Enjoy a little classical music today, tomorrow or throughout the month.

Wet your appetite by taking a moment to listen below. You don't have to try to take it all in at one time. Sit back, relax and breathe slowly.

YouTube Video Credit: by Just Instrumental Music

Muffins with Mom – World Gratitude Day

The weather forecast called for a temperature of 84 degrees and lots of sunshine. The radio alarm popped on with the sounds of Kirk Franklin’s I smile, filling the bedroom. I snuggled closer to my pillow for a few more minutes, then rolled out of bed. Thankful for a brand new day.

It’s almost World Gratitude Day, celebrated September 21^st. It’s a day designed to show appreciation for things large and small that you are grateful for. Today, I am grateful for yet another year to celebrate my son’s birthday. It has been seventeen years of laughing, crying, praying and celebrations.

I woke my son early to tell him happy birthday and give him a grab bag of goodies. I waited eagerly for him to open his birthday card (actually I’ve waited two weeks to see his expression). It was a car with a photo of a T-Rex dinosaur on the front and the words, I love you this much. As you may know the T-Rex has short arms. The inside of the card explained that the love expressed was more than it appeared.



My son smiled at my sense of humor, but he also smiled at the contents of his card. He tucked that away and we headed to Granny’s house for his lunch outing. Thankful for my mom who is there to pinch hit quite often. I am starting early with my celebration of World Gratitude Day with a few thank yous.

Granny and her grandson

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful to my blogger friends for stopping by and spending a little time here.

I am thankful for my health.

How will you celebrate World Gratitude Day? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

·         Text, tweet, or e-mail a word of gratitude to a friend.

·         Start a gratitude journal.

·         Reflect on the positive things that have occurred during the past year.

·         Do something nice for someone who cannot repay you. I went through the drive-thru at McDonald’s the other day for an iced tea. As I handed the cashier my money, she said, “The car in front of you already paid. We do drive-thru blessings. Have a great day.”

·         Share a word of thanks with community workers – policeman, fireman, mail carrier, etc.

On World Gratitude Day, begin your day with a smile and a thankful heart for what you have at this moment.

YouTube Video Credit: Kirk Franklin VEVO

Fun Friday – 5 Nutritional tips from a teenager

“Ma, what’s for dinner?”

My sixteen-year-old son held the refrigerator door open and gazed at the contents. “I don’t want leftovers today.”

“You can choose what’s in the fridge or you can cook something different,” I said.

My son proceeded to tell me what he learned in his nutrition class.

“My nutrition teacher said leftovers are not safe to eat after four days.”

This statement was all my son needed to hear to avoid eating leftovers. He even attempted to pull his brother in on his shenanigans.

“Donovan, remember when Mama would cook something on Monday and still try to get us to eat it on Saturday?” They both laughed.

Once my son recovered from his bout of laughter, he told me three tips he learned in class.

·         When storing leftovers, let them cool before putting them in the refrigerator. A drastic change in temperature before putting the food away can cause an increase in bacteria.

·         Wrap lettuce in paper towel, then return it to its usual packaging to retain freshness longer.

·         Wrap the tip of an unpeeled banana with saran wrap if you want to keep it from becoming ripe too quickly.

·         Food shouldn’t remain sitting out more than two hours.

·         Leftovers shouldn’t be eaten after being in the refrigerator more than four days.

And those are your nutritional tip provided by a teenager and his teacher. Do you have any nutrition tips share?

Words of Wisdom – New Address poem of inspiration



I have moved out from 1 Beggars Alley, located at 2 Poverty Lane at the corner of Bleak and Buster Circle.

As of today, I have a brand new home!!!

My new address is:

Living Well on 3 Abundance Drive, located at the corner of Blessings Street and

Prosperity Peak. No longer will I allow myself to travel on Begging Peter to Pay-Off Paul route, located at dead end Intersection called: I Don’t Have,

Which connects to Borrowers Junction.

I no longer hang out at Failure’s Place near Excuses Avenue, next to

Procrastination Point. I’ve moved on to an Upscale Community called Higher Heights with Unlimited Potential and Opportunities for me to succeed.

Look at me, each day that I’m awake, I am thankful to be a product of my new environment.

All my clothes are tailor made. I’m dressed in life’s finest. Let me introduce you to all of them: Conceive, Believe, Action.

Have Faith, Be Persistent, and Always Be Prepared to Achieve.

Life is good, because God is good!

Care to change your address? There are many vacancies!

This is what I’m talking about: putting god first and not letting

Other people control “your” destiny!!!

Being happy doesn’t mean everything’s perfect. It means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections.

God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but HE did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears & light for the way.

Have A Blessed Day!!!

Author Unknown.

Muffins with Mom – Dental hygiene product usage

How often do you read the manual that accompanies something new that you purchased –always, sometimes, seldom, never? If you did not answer always, there is the possibility that you could encounter a problem. That’s the way it happened for me.

At the suggestion of my dental hygienist, I purchased a Waterpik waterflosser. It was the Cadillac of waterflossers, not the very top of the line, but a good model. The flosser appeared fairly simple to assemble, I pressed a couple of parts together, then filled the reservoir with water.

Ready to test my new product, holding the handle, I turned on the power button that was located on the base of the flosser. A steady stream of water immediately shot from the handle that I was holding and onto my bathroom mirror. After a few seconds, I discovered I had to press the button on the handle to pause the water flow.

On my second attempt to use the water flosser, I aimed for my front teeth. I got some of them wet, but mostly my glasses were hit with the water…and it was cold. I screeched at the sudden temperature change in my mouth.

My teen son ran into my room find out what the commotion was all about. One look at my state of appearance and he thought this was a game in which he must play a role.

“Let me try it Ma.”

I turned the power button off and let my son go through the same process that I did. He did not disappoint me. My son turned the power button on and jet stream of water sprayed onto my mirror like a power washer. He thought this was funny, then turned the flosser toward me with the look of Dr. Jekyll in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, water was all over my face. I opened my mouth like carnival game clowns where you have to shoot the water into their open mouths. As water streamed down my chin, I rinsed and took my flosser from my son. It was becoming dangerous in his hands.

At the end of my Waterpik initiation, I took out the dental floss and went to work on my teeth.

As I prepared to throw away the box the Waterpik came in, I looked in the bottom of the box. There lay a 5 x 7 piece of paper with the words “Quick Start Guide.” It contained the instructions I was supposed to read before using my new product.

The instructions told me to fill the reservoir with lukewarm water, not cold. It also said that first time users should set the pressure control to the lowest position. Finally, the directions said the water flow could be stopped by pressing the pause button on the handle.

How often will you read your user’s manual when you purchase a new product – always, sometimes, seldom, never?