Author: MJ Jones

Fun, loving, mother. I try to live life to the fullest, like every other human on this planet, I am flawed and far from perfect. Trying hard to become a better woman, friend, mother and overall decent human being. My interests include reading, weightloss surgery ,cooking, fitness, affordable fashion, positivity and enhancing my moral views.
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Sunday Thoughts

It’s cold outside. In the state of Texas, this is a a good thing. Well, central Texas. As you might know, we get pretty high and dry temps during most of the year. As a matter of fact, so far we have yet to have Father Winter come pay us a much needed visit. In the meantime, Mother Nature has graciously gifted us cooler weather this weekend. As I sit here, I find myself enjoying my family and the current temperature outside. The only damp on my mood comes from the realization that tomorrow will be; Monday.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, we are done with our precious time off. If you are one of the lucky ones to not have to work 40 hours a week in an office, then let me say: I envy you! I so wish I had your life right now. (A small exception to this is, if you are unemployed then no, I dont envy you and I hope all gets better for you) Ok, back to you, the one that has control of his/her weekly life, I so wish I had your life..lol..and I am not ashamed to say that I go through this emotion every single sunday at around this time, everytime.

What do you do? Are you an investor? An influencer? I mean, share the secret and pass the good juju around my friend! Share your wisdom and help us out. Us meaning me and the rest of the working class souls that make up a large percentage in what we call the USA. We want a break too! ha!

Anyways, enough! I can go on and on whinning but I will stop. Because, as many of us know, being employed trumps being unemployed any and all days. Most Americans are two paychecks away from losing everything they have so yes, I am grateful and will count my blessings.

You, the one reading this blog and getting ready to start your week tomorrow should too. It really does beat living under a bridge, and trust me our homeless population issue is a whole different conversation.

So take pride in what you do, prep your meals, iron your clothes and plan your schedule for the week because tomorrow will be here in a matter of hours. You got this, I got this. Try to get an education if you can or increase your skill set. Whatever you do, dont give up and dont sit stagnant, keep moving, keep working, keep planning and keep dreaming. Dreaming is what will get you through everything until you make your dreams a reality. It can be done, it has been done. You and I, will keep moving and improving, dont give up and walk with faith into tomorrow.

Until the next time!

With Luv,

That Mrs Jones

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Rainy Days at Work


The worst day for me to be at the office is on a rainy day. I would much rather be at home, reading, cooking or even playing video games.

Coming to work on a rainy day is just so boring. Dont get me wrong, I do work and complete my tasks on time but dang it!, I prefer to be off work and at home. Or, even out walking downtown. I have never shyed away from a rainy walk while being surrounded by nature. There is absolutley something comforting about the sound of rain drops hitting the leaves and the soothing scent of wet dirt.

It never fails, as soon as I make it through what I call “Hade’s Traffic” and enter the office my spirit just fades, I know it sounds dramatic but come on, surely you feel it too?! The agony of it all, the darkened clouds and the rain tapping softly in the windows has to be a trigger for that “oh, I wish I were home today” feeling.

Ok, enough lamenting and whinning. Until the day we get to win the lotto, we must do what we have to do right? So don’t despair and keep pushing. One of these days we will find our sunshine within our rainy day 🙂

Take care,

Mrs Jones

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When Illness Strikes

Life is easy to take for granted. I am not writting about a major or life altering event, I am writing about those sudden illnesses that just pop out of nowhere and have the ability to throw off our routines, and our budgets.

Depending on where you work, a sudden illlnes can be catastrophic. Millions of Americans have little to no benefits available at work. How can we overcome these hurdles that life sets up for us? As I sit here watching over my loved one sleep on his ICU bed I do wonder, how much will this affect our income and our bills not only next month but possibly the next five months? We are at the end of July and holidays are around the corner. Its not hard to determine what is important, such as bills over holiday shopping so I won’t cry over that. Our situation could be a lot worse I am sure, compared to others we are doing ok. But I cant help to wonder the frustration and desperation many others feel when slapped with these life hurdles. How can we reach our goals when we have so little an alternative when it comes to medical bills, missed work and in extreme cases; losing a job?

I truly feel perplexed at the struggle that millions face when an illness suddenly crashes into their lives. I can only image the dire need of help and support those faced with a chronic illness or possible death (if not treated) in need of healthcare face.

Positive vibes arent enough to make things better but if you are going through this, I hope you find a way and help for your needs. I pray things work out, I pray for your sanity.

ThatMrsJones

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A fun-less Spa Day

Many of us wait for the weekend in expectation of two fun filled days. Some of us choose to go on a nature walk, a posh breakfast, shopping or in my case, a short spa day. A day for pampering myself, a day to soothe and relax my muscles. In addition, I also make sure to enjoy a pedicure, manicure and a facial massage as well.

The place I patronize serves water, wine and cocktails while they provide or are supposed to provide a relaxing experience. They have a clean and comfortable facility. They also have some unpleasant staff members.

Normally, I try to understand that the employee in charge of making sure I have a good experience might not be having the best of days and or might have personal worries that may interfere in fulfilling the patron’s expectations. However, when an employee decides and choses to be deliberately rude or condescending I draw the line.

I am not here to be treated in a poorly manner nor am I here to soothe your deflated ego. If you are not happy with your job, then do something to better yourself and find a better place to work. My patronage pays your salary. It is absolutely beyond me when an employee behaves a certain way and expects me to just pretend is not a big deal. In my younger days I worked in customer service and knew how to behave and how to do my job.

Today, perhaps things are differently and perhaps you are one of those people that think letting bad customer service go or not to make a big deal is the way to go but let me warn you that its not ok.

It is not ok for a business to assume that I will go from a customer to a consumer quietly. There is a difference in the two, and I chose to remain a customer. I ought to be greeted and treated in a respectful manner just like as a customer I am supposed to treat the employee in a friendly and respectful way.

Today, while I thought I would be indulging myself in some much needed pampering, I find myself blogging my frustration and dissapointment in the services I am paying for and have decided to address it with management. If my money is not appreciated then I will take it somewhere else, perhaps another establishment will be willing to treat me better and with a bit more respect. I am not saying that I should be treated like royalty, just to be treated with respect and appreciation.

I hope that you, my reader, will choose to speak up should you find yourself in my shoes and remember that bad customer service is never to be dismissed. Good customer service is the foundation and bread and butter of all businesses, I hope business owners and management pay more attention and train their staff better if they want to succeed in making their business a successful business.

My money helps this economy and I won’t give it where is not deserved.

Til next time,

ThatmrsJones

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Sunday’s Pains and Aches

Sunday night blues. Mind is not ready to return to our desks. Eyes are not ready to read and strain under fluorescent lights. Bodies are not ready or willing to get acquainted with a new cough or sneeze this week. Hips and lower back are not ready to plop on a chair for 8 hours. Brain is not willing to enjoy a break only to have it end at the 14 minute mark. Mind is not ready to start packing lunches already. Body is still not finished with last weeks laundry. Feet are already aching anticipating the walking and standing required during the week. Skin is not willing to accept another random burn while working the grill. Cheeks are no ready to be set on a fake smile for 40 hours. My palms are not ready to shake and or exchange dirty money next week. My stomach is not ready to drink and absorb the 15 cups of coffee due next week. Lower back is not ready to suffer my driving for 20 to 25 hours a week beginning Monday. Knee is not ready to go up and down a scaffold. Pockets are not ready to receive what will be the bare minimum to survive this expensive life. I wont be living, I will be existing after Sunday night. The poverty endless loop.

Sunday night blues, the anxiety of not wanting tomorrow to come. Food for thought.

With luv,

ThatMrsJones

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When Scary Movies Crossover

How many of us have watched a scary flick and regreted doing it by the time night time came? I love a good scary movie, I particularly enjoy demonic/ possession films. The fear that settles over me after watching the film is something like an adrenaline shot. I dont know about your friends and family but mine swear that by watching such movies, one opens up a door or invites the evil in to your life. I of course, simply ignored their comments. Until recently.

A few months ago, I began to feel an odd unease at home. It only happens at night time, rarely do I have the sensation that someone is watching me during the day. But when night time comes, and I find myself laying in bed, well, its a whole different thing.

Let me share with you all that I am a fan movies like The Conjuring. When I say like, I mean I watched this type of movies often, very often. Yes, I know that lots of people do not think its a scary movie and that is fine. We are all different. However, when you have grown up in a family that has a love/hate relationship with the dark side, this types of films have a tendency of getting me all worked up. From when I was a little girl, I heard my aunts talk about apparitions or animas lost in our world. My aunts stressed to me that this apparitions are not good and look for something or someone to attach themselves to. My aunts themselves did not watch scary movies, they simply passed down stories from generation to generation.

As time went by, I sort of left this stories behind and became a fan of horror movies completely disregarding any warning my family had given me as a child. Well, fast forward to today and here I am, blogging about what I am experiencing at home.

I don’t know what it is, or why its happening but I will be honest and tell you that the fear that comes over me is real. At night, when I lay down and the house is quite, right when I am about to fall asleep, I hear footsteps. And I mean, they always seem to come from my bedroom door over to my side of the bed. It never fails that this happens right when I am at that point of falling asleep. It has startled me to the point I jump and sit up. When I try to adjust my eyes to the dark, I see nothing. I glance around and listen to my husband’s gentle breathing and the rain sounds coming from our Echo speaker playing, but nothing else is in the room. When I hear this footsteps, my heart jumps and I can hear its beat in my ears. It has gotten to the point that I can’t even lay on the edge of my bed or allow my hand or foot to hang from it. I cuddle under my husband and pray. I kid you not, I just pray until I fall asleep. So what is it?

What are the sounds that come over at night time? I know, for a moment I thought I may be suffering from a mental condition or whatever until a couple of weeks ago when my husband mentioned to me, that he thought he had heard footsteps in the hallway. I asked him what did he mean by that, and he just basically said that he had heard footsteps and had originally figured our son was just coming home late and sneaking into the house ( our son has a curfew) so he got up and went to check the hallway, but no one was there. The house was completely silent with only a dim light coming though one of our front windows. He then asked me if I had heard the same sound, I said no.

I confess that after this conversation, I decided it was time to stop watching this movies for a while. I simply can’t figure out why this is happening or how it came to manifest in our home. I am seriously taking a break and do not regret it. The terror I have been experiencing nightly is nothing to laugh at, I mean it. It is particularly bad because I can’t see ( and I am not sure I want to see) what is stalking our home. This is the only way I can describe what’s going on, stalking. Even our dog has gone into barking fits at empty spaces and just growls at nothing. I know, a lot of people will not believe what I am typing or even laugh, trust me I was one of those people, but after what I am going through, I won’t be anymore.

I don’t have an explanation for this thing that walks at night in our home, I just know its not good. So I will end with a word of caution: Be careful of what you allow to come into your home. Evil is real and its only waiting for a small chance to be invited into yourhovome.

Luv,

ThatMrsJones

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A bitter sweet reality after weight loss- my story




Like many women all over the world, I have struggled with carrying excess weight for many years. As I get older, it becomes harder and harder to get rid of it. I remember when I was in my late 20s and was able to drop 5 lbs in a week’s time in order to get ready for a date for the weekend. Years later, I became attached to my Fitbit tracker. I strived to reach my 10,000 daily steps and on a good week, to win whatever challenge I participated in.

And then, it all came to an end. I began to have foot pain. It started as a low ache and it became a horrid pain problem. Before I knew it, I could hardly walk. I no longer was able to wear heels, wedges or sandals. My life revolved around my Brooks tennis shoes. Slowly, I gained my weight back and eventually ended doing physical therapy, getting cortisol shots and essentially praying every morning that my plantar fasciitis would not act up and allow me to just make it through the day.

Time went by, and I ended up with knee pain along with the foot pain. My life was in shambles, or at least that’s how it felt to me. I felt powerless to lose weight. I was becoming desperate seeing my face and body get bigger an heavier. Every month I added a couple of pounds and every month I hated myself a little more. Life was increasingly difficult, just the thought of going up the stairs at home was enough for me to dread the out of breath experience that was sure to follow the climb.

Eventually in October 2018, out of desperation, I began an intensive weight loss plan that included exercise and a drastic cut in calories. I was invited by one of my best friends to try it out and I liked it, I was amazed at the fact that my foot was not hurting as much after the workouts and that it was something that I could really do. I just knew this was the perfect way to lose weight. So, I joined the program and became physically active again. I was working out 5 times per week and was consuming about 1200 calories daily. I was restricted to eating complex carbs, lean protein and greens. No fats, absolutely no fats. No avocado, nuts, dairy or any oils. I was fine with this restriction because you know, I was losing weight and all so it was worth it.

In a matter of 12 weeks I lost over 38 pounds! I was excited and so happy to see my clothes fitting lose and big. I still am happy for the weight loss, however, I also regret doing this in such a drastic manner. I did not only lose much of my excess weight but also much of my hair. And I do mean, much of my hair. It has thinned out so much it hurts me to look at it. I don’t even want to brush it, wash it or even touch it for fear of losing a few more precious strands. Even though I was a heavy woman, I was fairly healthy. Labs were good and immune system was good. My family does not have a history of hair loss, so what is the problem? After reading several articles online, I have come to the conclusion that the rapid weight loss is the culprit. The caloric restriction and lack of fats has severely affected my hair growth. The good news is that I can help my hair by eating a nutritious diet and possibly taking vitamins.

I will now incorporate lots of veggies, fruits, complex carbs and healthy fats to my diet. I am still working out 5 times a week at the same gym where I began my weight loss journey but now, I will change my diet to what my body needs in order to function properly. I don’t regret dropping my weight the way I did, I only regret not paying attention to my hair before it got to where it is today. I am now on a path to help and nourish my hair growth.

Now that I know better, I will do better. Remember, if you are on a path to lose weight, do it right and do it responsibly. Feed your body with good foods and vitamins. We only have one body, one life. Lets take care of it.

With luv,

ThatMrsjones

Excessive Weight Loss & Hair Loss: Is There a Link?

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Dreaming

The time has finally come for me to begin my journey in writing. Like millions of other people, I too dream of becoming a writer. But, not just any writer, a world known writer.

How and where do I start? What should I write about? Will anyone read my blog?

This were the questions I had over 6 years ago. I had talked myself into becoming a blogger then, I stopped. Well, here we are in 2019 and I am just now finally starting my blog. I confess I felt scared and overwhelmed. Why would anyone be interested in what I write, right? Aren’t there lots and lots of bloggers, vloggers, freelancers and writers? Why would my thoughts matter? I had convinced myself that the thought of writing was simply ludicrous, it was dumb and a waste of time. But, as time went by, I realized that fear would stop me from my dream. Fear was a barrier and the root f my doubts. Fear has been the root of many of my fears and ultimately, my failures. Some of us were brought up with the mentality that we ought to make sure others accept us, accept our thoughts and ideas. This is a flawed way of parenting. I for one have changed how my kids see life and their own personal goals. I have made sure they are secure in their ideas, their own dreams. I no longer expect for everyone to enjoy what I write or to even look at my blog. I now understand that by simply choosing to “blog” I have crossed my comfort zone and can’t be more proud of myself. I will be blogging often, about most topics. I am a woman with her own mind that can’t be constrained to something specific, but rather I am like butterfly: moving from one flower to the next. How far will you go to reach your dream? What steps will you take?

With luv,

ThatMrsjones

Heels/silver