Monday 30 March 2015

The Wait!

        Image result for nigeria


 I really cant believe how tensed I am. I always say you never know your response/reactions until the chips are down. Meant to be rounding up a paper if I intend to meet up with the deadline but constantly been on all the news tabs and now tired of the repetitions for the results of the Nigerian Elections. Even the world is waiting!. God Bless Nigeria.

Friday 27 March 2015

Elly's Thoughts....

(photocredit; libcom.org)
As revelations about the recent German wings crash was exposed and it was said to be a deliberate plan by the co-pilot, I can't help but reflect on not just the situation but life in general. Everyone has got plans that impact us either to our detriment or in our favor. The boss has plans for his staff and the staff equally have plans for their bosses, spouses have plans for each other, the government/politicians have their own agenda, people who claim to be in love with each other also have their own plans, it all depends on who gets there first.......


We cant go through life, without God because life is bigger than we can ever comprehend. If you are yet to make God Lord of your life, you are doing yourself more harm than good.

       
My heart felt sympathy goes out to all in mourning. I pray for the fortitude to bear the loss.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Drink Awareness...

After a hard day's work and you are crazy enough to hit the gym, like I am, nothing is as refreshing as a glass of water. Forget about all the energy drinks and so called fruit juices and smoothies. Truth is if they are not home made, you might be taking in a lot of unnecessary rubbish than you bargained for.

Now if you are struggling to get your 2 litre a day why not try adding a slice of lime, lemon, mint leaf and cucumber to warm water.

It is more refreshing than can be imagined.

*keep fit stay healthy*

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Thank You! Merci! Gracias! Grazie! Asante! Daalu! Na gode! E Dupe!Ngiyabonga

It is one thing to dream a dream and it is rewarding to see people not just believe in your dream, but run with it and support holistically. And by this I mean morally, financially and to constantly have ideas and contributions flowing in. Through this medium, we want to say a 'BIG THANK YOU' to everyone who has supported this dream, your contribution towards this dream has proved really invaluable and we cant wait to bring back the 'spark' into various families.

If you consider this project noble, please recommend it to friends and family for support as we need all the support we can get  because we do not receive funds from any organisation. Our website ellyeleanor.org will be launched soon and will have full details of our upcoming events and personal testimonies of lives that have been touched by your generosity. However the details of the major projects this year are detailed below;

UPCOMING EVENT;
Supporting mothers in the new born wards in the key general hospitals in Lagos State and Imo-State Nigeria.

DATES; 
17-31st April, 2015.

BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT;
Funding less privileged children through primary education and subsequently secondary education

DATES; 
1st-11th September, 2015

Fund Raising For Back To School Event;
Commences  on the 1st of July.

For more information please send me a direct mail via ellyeleanor123@gmail.com
Like our facebook page on pammy sparkles "just giving"
Follow us on instagram @ ellyeleanor_foundation and
also on twitter @ ellyeleanor1.

We wont stop until we fulfill our mission. Do not confuse 'small' with 'insignificant' because we believe the words of Tesco... Every little helps.....Give today and you will be amazed of the impact of your giving, to not just a life but a community.....

Once again a very big thank you from Elly & Pam


Wednesday 18 March 2015

Perfect Living!

In order to fulfill God’s will for your life, you’ll have to deal with what other people want you to be. Your boss wants you to be more productive. Your health club wants you to be fitter. Your credit card company wants you to be deeper in debt. It seems like everybody has an agenda for you, and, if you spend your life trying to meet their expectations, you’ll never be free. Sometimes loving people means having to disappoint them. Seeking to become the person others want you to be is a shallow way to live. Nobody can tell you exactly how to change, because only God knows. Even you can’t tell yourself how to change, because you didn’t create yourself. To love someone is to desire and work toward their becoming the best possible version of themselves. And the one person in the entire universe who’s qualified to do this is God. Unlike people, God has no hidden agenda or unmet needs that He’s hoping you can help Him with. He knows what the best version of you looks like. He delights in the very idea of it, and is already working to bring it to fruition in your life. The Bible says, ‘…In all things God works for the good of those who love Him…’ (Romans 8:28 NIV). That means God is at work every moment to help you become His best version of you. And you’ll only be truly free when you make up your mind to be happy about being the person God meant you to be—the one He’s working on every day. (UCB; http://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today.html)

Sunday 15 March 2015

Do Good!









All over the world and through all generations, the role of mothers has not changed and will not change either in years to come. One day out of 365 days in a year, we acknowledge the impact of mothers and the indefatigable role they play.
The truth however is that for the rest 364 days in a year, there are some who are failing at their role and others who feel they are not living up to the requirements of their role.


 This is not a direct result of their actions or inactions,  but regardless of how much we try to rationalise, life  happens and some will always be more privileged than others. For as many as are not so privileged, will you be a support to them by any possible means??Displaying IMG-20150125-WA0001.jpg

Come April, Sparkles "Just Giving" and ellyeleanor foundation will be supporting mothers and their children in Nigeria and your giving will surely make a difference in a life. We need to feel the pack with clothes, food, nappies, diapers, formulas, wipes, towels, soft toys, toiletries and all that these children and their mothers need which are actually necessities but seem like luxury to them.

Displaying IMG-20150204-WA0010.jpg   I always say that "If you keep waiting for the right time to do a good deed, you will be waiting forever". We are really so thankful for all the support we have received and we urge everyone to do a bit more. Remember every little helps.....

I also use this means to wish every mother be it single, married, widowed, divorced, abused, appreciated, loved or unloved a fulfilling motherhood regardless not just for today but the rest of your lives. Its an amazing job and the task sometimes seems daunting but God is always a present help and a rewarder of all who diligently seek him!-ellyeleanor

Tuesday 10 March 2015

Today's Thoughts.....

YOU CAN PRAY UNTIL YOU ARE

            BLUE IN THE FACE....
(photocredit;faithwithoutborders)

BUT GOD WON'T GIVE YOU CERTAIN 

THINGS, IF YOU'RE NOT MATURE 

ENOUGH TO HANDLE IT!-ucb

Saturday 7 March 2015

Listening To....

High, low, up, down in the middle of it..... Just praise Him! Yes! Constantly on the replay button in full blast lol!

Thursday 5 March 2015

A Challenge For Apple In Africa....

Michael Akindele
(photocredit:forbes.com)
I came across Michael Akindele on the Forbes site and I was so impressed on what he had achieved and how far he has come along.

I had to share the summary of my quick read, for the full details, visit (http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe).

In research, a research can only be considered valid if a gap is identified and that gap is filled through extensive research and rigorous testings. Only after the success of this can it be considered to have contributed to knowledge, regardless of how minute the contribution might be. Some of us, have taken up careers of being self acclaimed analysts. We analyse every single situation, we have an answer to just about everything, there is always an opinion on just every subject, be it politics, religion, economy, sports etc. There is really not so much of  a problem with that. For me however I love it when people look critically at flaws/ shortcomings in their environ and push themselves beyond limit to remedy the situation despite all odds. This is what Michael has done.

 
Born on the 29th of August 1984 in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. At the age of 2 years old,  he moved to Nigeria with his family and spent the next 10 years in Ibadan. At the age of 12, his family returned to the US where he continued his education in Alexandria, Virginia. After graduating from T.C. Williams High School, he attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where he  received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the Volgneau School of Engineering with a focus on Computer Science and Information Technology. He also received a minor in Business Administration from George Mason’s School of Management. While at George Mason he was a member of the Track & Field Team and competed in the hurdles and middle distance running events which gave him the confidence he needed to take on events outside of sports and a chance to win. Two days after graduating from George Mason he began his career as a Technology Consultant with Accenture where he gained valuable professional experience from being a Technology Analyst. While at Accenture, he started working on a project, which quickly progressed and birthed The Apprentice: Africa. He  returned to Nigeria January 2007 and was part of a team that developed, produced and distributed the African edition of an 18 week reality show titled The Apprentice: Africa that had a strong following in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.



In 2010 He started a company called FUSION which was short lived due to funding. Now tell me about not giving up even after a hard knock. Like I say “You gotta get yourself up and keep going….”  However, in June 2013 approached by Adlevo Capital to partner with a group of experienced mobile telecommunications professional led by Tayo Ogundipe to start a company called SOLO the DREAM was born.  And in November 22, 2013 they successfully launched a mobile device company that provides experience-driven, end-to-end digital content and services to young adults and adults who are young at heart requiring a mobile device that provides convenient, affordable gateway to the widest range of digital content that is delivered on the go, every at blazing speed to the African consumer.


The foundation of SOLO is built on delivering key value added services in critical enterprise verticals such as education, healthcare and commerce, to mention a few. Today, SOLO offers affordable smartphones bundled with free music up to 20 million songs licensed from Sony, Universal and Warner. This innovation was possible because of partners that believed in the SOLO vision. They also recently launched a Video-On-Demand App available to all Android devices in Nigeria offering the latest Nollywood and Hollywood movies from global movie studios such as Disney, Universal Studios and Sony Pictures. Their go to market strategy was to offer download powered by SOLO HotSpots. This innovation offers consumers to download movies in 3 – 5 minutes. This by far is the best offering in today’s market populated by streaming services where data costs are still extremely high. SOLO innovates by putting the consumer first and that is the premise SOLO was founded on.


(http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2015/03/02/the-30-year-old-nigerian-mobile-phone-entrepreneur-who-is-challenging-apple-in-africa/4/)

Wednesday 4 March 2015

When Your Spouse Feels Like A Roommate.....

(photocredit;examiner.com)
 I came across this article written by  Jenny Schermerhorn, but the timing I would say was divinely orchestrated. I believe God indeed orders the paths of His children. I say this because before I came across this article, I had a few people at the time who shared the challenges they were experiencing in their marriages with me. Some were actually at the verge of giving up. But amazing things happen I say when we pray and decide to view the glass as half full rather than half empty. Sometimes really, all we need is to "take a chill pill" and not get worked up about every single incidence. After reading the article, I had to write Jenny personally and gain her consent to share this. I hope it blesses a relationship. Always remember, no relationship is beyond repair especially when we make God the centre of it all. 


“I want a husband, not a roommate!” I thought. Young kids, busy jobs, and church commitments left my husband and me as little more than two adults sharing the same house. We occupied the same space, talked in short directives like “she needs a diaper change,” “grab that will you,” “the van needs gas,” and filed jointly on our taxes, but our relationship was thread bare.

The onslaught of needs started early with our two little girls bursting into our bedroom, and my attention shifted to caring for them as we moved through our morning routine. I could see Stephen brushing his teeth, eating his breakfast, and filling his coffee mug, but only through a haze of brushing hair, spilled orange juice and lunch making. Insert pre-school drop-off, work, pick-up, afternoon errands, loads of laundry and dinner-prep and by the time he arrived home in the evenings, I was toast. As an introvert who needs time alone to recharge, being with co-workers and children all day is especially challenging. At 6 pm, the inside of my head was roaring staticand I even had trouble stringing words into complete sentences. Bleary eyed, I looked longingly at quiet spaces in our house: my bed, the laundry room, even the bathroom, aching for solitude.

But dinner and bedtime still loomed. We’d finish (or start) dinner side by side, but “how did your day go?” inquiries were always interrupted by crying children or burning bread. By 8 pm dinner would be cleaned up, and the kids would be in bed. But our emotional and physical energy was gone. The best we could do was sit side by side to watch television while falling asleep. Very romantic.

(photocredit:relationshiprocketscience.com)

I thought back to quiet dinners, holding hands on walks, Saturday projects that included lots of laughter, and felt hollow inside. Yes, I knew that having children changes the time and energy you have to invest in each other, but I had a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong.

Was our husband-wife intimacy and oneness, dissolving? No big fights, seething hatred or infidelity, but would our exhaustion and distance degrade further to hard-heartedness and ambivalence? I brainstormed what we might do to re-connect, but the regular prescriptions of “plan a date night”, “go away together” or “find a common hobby” all seemed to require money or energy we didn’t have. (Who knew eating Subway could still cost you $30 by the time you include a sitter!?) The thought of adding one more thing to my daily “to do” list made me weepy. What were we going to do?!

I approached an older couple from our church and asked if they might be willing to come to our house and give us some guidance. We had sat under their teaching in several different classes, and I valued their honesty and transparency. Ensconced on our sagging couch one evening, sipping coffee, they listened to our fears and asked a few questions about our routine and commitments. They comforted us with the assurance that many spouses feel this distance, pressure and stress while parenting young children. As they shared some of their own memories of years with small children, traveling spouses, and low energy, I felt some of my fear dissolve. It is deeply comforting to be understood and advised by someone who has traveled through a similar struggle and come through with a blooming marriage.

Towards the end of our time together they asked us, “Could you get up 15 minutes earlier?” They encouraged us to connect with each other before the needs of each day sapped our focus and energy. “Drink some coffee, do a short devotional, pray for each other. Hold hands. Look each other in the eye. Ask what the other has on their plate for the day.” We promised to try it, and they prayed for us before they left. I wondered what fifteen short minutes could do, but we set the alarm those few minutes earlier that night.

A year later I can’t say we start every day this way. But most mornings we do, and it’s changed our perspective on each day. Instead of feeling like two adults staggering under the weight of separate commitments and then falling into bed each night, we feel more like a team, a couple, aware of the other’s needs, and prayerfully supportive of each other’s daily challenges.


Now that my husband doesn’t feel like such a stranger, I’ll hug him in the kitchen with little kids hanging off my legs, begging me for Oreos while we make dinner. I grab his hand while we hustle the kids into church, or text him at work to let him know I’m thinking of him. We didn’t have to find $50 “extra” bucks in the budget to go out once a week, or book a Bed and Breakfast, we just sliced out a tiny space in our routine to re-commit to doing life together, and not just somewhere in the proximity of each other. (extract from ibelieve.com)

Jenny Schermerhorn 

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If I have not learnt a lot in life, I have learnt that every single thing as well as every single person in our lives, happens for a reason....