Motherhoood beyond blood ties

My Aunt had tried to conceive for over a decade, when she and her husband decided to adopt a baby. The process took about a year, but they eventually had a beautiful six month old baby boy to call their own. I was only sixteen at the time, but the way Aunty Oge dotted on her son, you would never know that she didn’t carry him in her womb. The love was real! My Aunty who had practically stopped living at that stage of their TTC journey bounced back to her former self; she looked happy and healthier, and was at least eating now! Even her hair stopped thinning and breaking out. For her, Sochima was the answer to her prayers. I remember one day she was gushing about him, and till date, I have never forgotten what she said “Sometimes we pray to God, but His answers are not wrapped in the gift bags we want. Praying to an All-knowing God often requires that we keep an open mind”. For her, it wasn’t just about having her prayers for a child answered, it was about the life she had rescued her son from. Motherhood, has being blissful for her!
His biological mother didn’t want him, and had dropped him at the gate of a convent. One of the Reverend Sisters at the convent worked as a doctor at the hospital my Aunt used, and she knew all about her TTC journey. After the baby was attended to, and checked medically, she called my Aunt and told her of the beautiful boy God had dropped on their doorstep. At that moment, it wasn’t just about having a baby to love and cater for; her heart was immediately filled with compassion for the boy! She couldn’t imagine how a human being could give up a baby, when she had given up her whole life to get one. So she said yes, and the paper work started. The part I do not understand and can only attribute to God’s mystery is how Sochima totally looks like my aunty right now; eyes, complexion, behavior, everything. You would think she spat him out!
Motherhood is way beyond the blood ties. I remember when I was TTC and wanted so much to be a mother, my husband and I explored the option of adoption and gave ourselves a timeline. Like if we didn’t get pregnant at so and so time, then we would adopt a baby. I was so sold on the idea that even after having my daughter, we are still open to adoption and have promised God that we would adopt a baby eventually. The realization I have made is that being a mother isn’t solely about a baby growing inside you for nine months, and then birthing that child. I have a friend whose mother abandoned all four of them, after their dad died, and ran off with a boyfriend. My friend, the eldest, was only fifteen at the time, and found herself doing odd jobs to make money in order to feed her siblings.
She got married at age nineteen to a guy she didn’t love, just because he was willing to put her siblings through school. After the wedding, her mother re-surfaced and proceeded to milk her and her husband. “She is still my mother” was what she told us whenever we tried to make her see how the woman was basically using her. Fast forward a few months later, when she had a baby and invited her mother for Omugwo, and this wonderful mother of hers requested for half a million naira, because according to her, her coming for Omugwo meant she was going to close down her shop for three months. She wanted her daughter and husband to pay her what profit she would have made in three months, and of course, they were also requested to pay in the money before she would grace their house with her presence. Scales fell off my friend’s eyes and today she says about the woman “She gave birth to me, but she is not my mother”. This friend is more of a mother to her siblings, than the woman that gave birth to them.
What makes a mother is the heart; the sacrifices she is willing to make for others and the abundance of love her heart carries. Pregnancy and childbirth are biological occurrences which, by no means, dictate who and who should be a mother. Today, lots of TTC couples are embracing the idea of adoption, and I think that is beautiful. It doesn’t stop you from trying to conceive, after all, your adopted baby would also appreciate having a sibling or two. Some children are born from the womb, some others are born from the heart. Opening your heart and home to a child is a blind path, and one that you walk through in faith, hope and love. It is a test that you can love unconditionally, and that you have enough love in your heart for another individual.

God is still in the business of performing miracles; who knows what parcel His gifts would come wrapped in?
I have added below, a beautiful poem I found online written by a woman Cheri, for her adopted son, Michael who she calls the light of her life. Enjoy!!

Before I was a Mom…

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous…

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom…

I had never been thrown up on…

pooped on

spit on

chewed on

peed on

or pinched on by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom…

I had complete control of my thoughts…

My body

My mind

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom…

I never held down a screaming child so the doctor can give shots…

I never looked into teary eyes and cried…

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin…

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom…

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put him down…

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt…

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much…

I never knew you could love someone so much that you just met for the first time…

I never knew just how much I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom…

I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body…

I didn’t know how special it would feel to feed a hungry baby…

I didn’t know that bond between a Mother and her child.

Before I was a Mom…

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was ok…

I had never known the warmth…

the joy

the love

the heartache

the satisfaction

the total fulfillment of being a Mom.

I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much…Before I was a Mom.

 Source: Ipheoma

Mouth-watering Nigerian cuisines to quench your hunger online

You know I care a lot about those who view my blog posts. I love you & in the spirit of love, I decided to send forward pictures to quench the hunger I know you must be feeling now😉😉 Thank me later darlings, anything for you guys. Lol.
My fave anyday is the steaming hot peppersoup or amala with gbegiri and ewedu, oohh take me to heaven😩😩

Review: Thoughts from a wealthy perspective

I'd be reading this book for the 4th time & this time, dropping some lines for those who haven't got the book to hold on to.
It was autographed & gifted to me by the author himself, Sam Egube, after I won his online debate contest sometime last year.
This would be done with the heading Thoughts from a wealthy perspective.
This is one of the books I'd recommend to any youth I find myself around..

Who knows this fruit o??

Pepper Fruit .
From a 9jafoodie
If you know a thing of two about this fruit, PLEASE educate a sister. What is it supposed to taste like? Do you eat the seeds alone or the whole thing? Does it have culinary applications etc etc 🙏🏾
I had it for this first time when I went home this year and I think Issa no from me... but then again I feel like I might not know enough about it to make that call 🤔. #pepperfruit

Beautiful piece on keeping a Godly relationship

For a Godly relationship, you can read this.

... If you're interested in keeping sex out of your relationship, or you're having challenges keeping your hands to yourself whenever you're alone together, i think you should read and borrow this idea, if it doesn't work i wouldn't have shared;

I have this amazing friend Jayson:
He's been dating this girl Ella for more than a year now on the low and they're both strong believers in the Word. The thing is that Ella is one of those incredibly sexy sisters that speak in tongues, 😃😃 you know what i mean, and Jay is gorgeously cute too, every time they're alone together it's difficult for them to keep their hands to themselves, they were always doing touching touching, you know how you people use to do it, so don't look at me with that eyes 😃😃😃. Many times from touching body it will enter deep romance before the Holy Ghost slaps them back to their senses.

For believers who have been in this sort of 'near sex' situations before you know how unworthy it can make you feel, Jesus-guilt will nearly kill you two, the next time you want to approach God in prayer you'll just be dragging your feet, because you know hmmm "Lord, that thing i apologized for last week i have done it again, to talk sorry now is harding me",  uhmmmm, you know right? That was what Jayson and Ella use to feel, they were no way comfortable about it at all because it was slowly killing their love walk with God. They were still both active workers in church though, it didn't stop their service to God, but you know when your father is not too happy with you if you like polish all the shoes in his cupboard and wash his old Guinea brocade he will just be looking at you with one kind of eye😃😃. When other people are shouting 'Amen' during prophesy you cannot shout well because your case is different, hehehehe 😃😃😃, and the worse thing about this situation is that the devil will just take advantage and be doing you any how, when you try to shout Amen he'll just appear from nowhere and be like "see this one, you that somebody almost removed your pant yesterday, shout Amen let me see" ... Oh Lord! We must kill this devil guy one day, he's not encouraging at all 😃😃😃...

So here's what Jay and Ella did;
They both made a plan.
And the plan was simple.
To stop visiting each other's house every time.

They both agreed to be spending more of their time together outside of the house than stay in. They learnt how to use the Church as an advantage; first they meet at Church on Sundays, spend time together after service and maybe walk each other home; at midweek services on weekdays too; they had different unit meeting days,  when Jay felt the need to see Ella he'll go to church after work and wait for her to finish her departmental fellowship, this helped him too, because while he waited for her he will always use the opportunity to spend some quiet time with God. Many times they both join the Church evangelism team on weekends, not only are they leading other people to Christ, the bonding experience they share doing God's job together with other people is exciting, guys you have no idea, that's how well they used the church to bless their relationship.

I know by now you're thinking "haba, so they won't visit each other at all?" , all this children of Abraham! 😃😃😃😃.

So here's the interesting part;
They agreed to have one weekend in a month where she either comes over to his house, or Jayson visits her. But it came with a small condition.

Before now what they do is to plan visits when nobody is around, so they can have the whole house to themselves and enjoy their life,  Hehehe listen guys, this is exactly what the devil wants, Me+You+High Emotions, don't give him that opportunity to mess you up.

Ella and Jay agreed to visit each other only when there's a third person in the house, it was either a brother or sister was around, parent's where home, or a friend came around to hangout too, you're getting the trick now right?

The idea is that they were never alone, and if they were never alone it means they was no room for deep romance or sex. These guys were clever mehn, best they could do was to rest on each other while watching a movie, sit close, cross legs or something, you know, they could still share come physical intimacy, only that this time there was a limit, their respect for God will first of all humble them, and then the presence of the third person in the house will make them behave.

This is a great love idea you can borrow, beyond studying the Word and speaking in tongues, this is a practical way you can help keep your relationship godly... And do you know one beautiful thing about making an effort to serve God in your relationship? He never leaves you alone to do it all by yourself, because He sees your intentions, He'll always support you, always always, all little David needed was a catapult, and God provided support by turning the stone into a missile, so find a way to keep sex out of your relationship, plan a system that works, and God will provide support, why won't He? The key is to be with a partner that clearly understands the goal, one who is willing to agree with you, that's all you need.

Did anybody catch this sweet stuff?
#ConfessionsOfAGoodMan

Photo: Nigerian Billionaire, Tony Elumelu, was present at Mayweather's 50th fight yesterday, posts picture/video

First Giveaway: Recharge cards

I was thinking of posting recharge card pins of all networks at random times everyday for one week starting from today. Who's interested??
And please, if you're the winner, kindly indicate in the comment section😘😘😘

Photo: Lol.. It must have been brutal back then

So, this photo I got from a WhatsApp group got me thinking & I ended up laughing real hard😂😂😂

Hmmm, Fulani herdsman cuts off farmer’s five fingers at Enugu State

There is tension at Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, following reports that a Fulani herdsman, cut off five fingers of a farmer, identified as Ndubueze Oboro in the area.

Oboro was in a bush at Ozalla in the area when the unidentified Fulani herdsman accosted him and gave him a deep cut on his back shoulder with his machete, before cutting off his five fingers.
The state Police Spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu declined comments on the issue saying that he was attending a course at Abuja.
However, other police sources  confirmed the incident, adding that the victim was attacked at about 1.30pm.  The victim is now at the UNTH. Three of his fingers were   cut off from the right hand while two were cut off from the left hand.
“We were at the market square at about 1.30pm when we were alerted that Oboro was attacked by an unidentified Fulani herdsman in the bush. When we rushed there, we saw Oboro in serious pains as his five fingers had been cut off apart from the deep cut on the back of his shoulder.
“The suspect had eloped soon after committing the offence but as the victim was about to be taken to hospital, irate youths sighted one Abdulrahman Usman another Fulani herdsman passing-by and pushed him down, inflicting injury on his head.
“However, Usman was immediately rescued together with another Fulani who was released to go home, while Oboro and Usman were taken to hospital for treatment,” the police sources said in Enugu, yesterday evening.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that police men at Ozalla had already visited the scene of the crime and recovered two of Oboro’s severed fingers and deposited them at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku -Ozolla, for preservation while investigations into the incident had commenced.

Lol.. Former CIA agent hopes to buy Twitter to kick Trump off

Remember Valerie Plame Wilson?

The former CIA agent, who got involved in what became known as the “Plame Affair,” has a solution for ridding Twitter of America’s favorite troll.

Wilson launched a fundraiser last week to buy the social media service, tweeting:
So far, Wilson has raised just $12,000 of the $1 billion she’s seeking.

It’s unclear whether Wilson is doing this to pressure Twitter to block Trump or if she actually believes her mission will pan out. Twitter, of course, would cost much more than $1 billion. (Its market cap is about $12 billion right now.) But Wilson says that if she owned a significant stake, it would put pressure on the company.

“If we can’t get a majority interest, we’ll explore options for buying a significant stake in the company and champion this proposal at the annual shareholder meeting,” Wilson writes on her GoFundMe page. “If that’s impossible for any reason or if there is a surplus from this campaign, 100% of the balance of proceeds will be donated to Global Zero, a nonprofit organization leading the resistance to nuclear war.”

Wilson’s complaints about President Trump’s use of Twitter are not uncommon, but CEO Jack Dorsey has said that Trump’s tweets that suggested violence toward journalists didn’t break the rules.

Wilson says it’s the threat of nuclear war with North Korea that “takes it to a dangerous new level.”
White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders disagrees, unsurprisingly.

In an emailed statement sent to news outlets earlier today, Sanders called Wilson’s endeavor  “ridiculous,” and suggested the shortage of funding for Wilson’s idea underscores that Americans are satisfied with Trump’s Twitter use.

Research: Dancing can revert aging in the brain to an extent

Physical exercise has an anti-aging effect on the hippocampus region of the brain -- an area that controls memory, learning and balance. A new study, comparing different forms of exercise -- dancing and endurance training -- undertaken by elderly volunteers for eighteen months, shows that both can have an anti-aging effect on the brain, but only dancing corresponded to a noticeable difference in behavior. This difference is attributed to the extra challenge of learning dancing routines.
As we grow older we suffer a decline in mental and physical fitness, which can be made worse by conditions like Alzheimer's disease. A new study, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, shows that older people who routinely partake in physical exercise can reverse the signs of aging in the brain, and dancing has the most profound effect.

"Exercise has the beneficial effect of slowing down or even counteracting age-related decline in mental and physical capacity," says Dr Kathrin Rehfeld, lead author of the study, based at the German center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany. "In this study, we show that two different types of physical exercise (dancing and endurance training) both increase the area of the brain that declines with age. In comparison, it was only dancing that lead to noticeable behavioral changes in terms of improved balance."

Elderly volunteers, with an average age of 68, were recruited to the study and assigned either an eighteen-month weekly course of learning dance routines, or endurance and flexibility training. Both groups showed an increase in the hippocampus region of the brain. This is important because this area can be prone to age-related decline and is affected by diseases like Alzheimer's. It also plays a key role in memory and learning, as well as keeping one's balance.

Giving up should not be an option.. MUST READ!

Never give up on your dream just because you failed at it before. It is your dream; dont give up.
Think deeply about how to succeed at it. Play in your mind every strategy for moving further. Dont stop. Keep trying, keep walking. Imagine what you can become by succeeding. What a great story your success will tell! Make failure not an option. Its better to die trying in the right jungle than to eat the bread of those who never tried.
There is no trophy for losing, so dont cherish the relief it brings or use it as a point of escape.

Man arrested while attempting to commit suicide over a N50,000 loan in Ogun. This is heartbreaking..

A man identified as Abiodun Onipede has been arrested for attempting to commit suicide over his inability to refund a N50k ‘Lapo’ loan. .
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Onipede was arrested by the Anti-Vandal team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ogun State, command, while attempting to mount a rope in the bush along Ayetoro road in Abeokuta.
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It was gathered that he had tied the rope to a big tree and was about hanging himself when a member of the team who wanted to ease himself in the bush stumbled on him.
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It was further gathered that, the suspect, a commercial Tricyclist dropped out at 200 level, Federal College of Education, Osiele, due to financial incapability. Onipede had lost one of his children due to his inability to pay the hospital bills. .
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While speaking with Vanguardngr, Onipede, a 34-year old father of five, said he was a former staff of Traffic Compliance and Agency in the state. He added that his failure to pay the ‘Lapo’ loan, an informal money lender syndicate, forced him to take the decision to take his life. .
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"I am frustrated because am owing a lot of people ranging from house bill to electricity bill, and some other bills. I am ashamed of myself because am not a responsible man, I cannot cater for my family as a head. .
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The Lapo officials have used OPC to arrest my wife because of the money, if not for the help of my pastor. Am just frustrated because I have to pay N3,000 every Friday and I am presently jobless. And I still have like N24,000 to balance. .
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I cannot pay the hospital bill of my mother, I can’t take care of her, I was told she is now on the street begging to survive.
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What added to my conclusion to commit suicide was due to my inability to refund the ‘Lapo’ loan I collected when I wanted to start my tricycle business," he said. He however, said he regretted his action. .
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Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Ogbonnaya Dyke, described it as a crime against the state for someone to try to take his life. He added that the suspect will be handed over to the police. Crdt: Vanguardng

Awww.. this couple had to cancel their wedding three times because of flooding..

Texas couple, Jenny Swarers and Dustin Morgan have had to cancel their wedding three times due to flooding.  The couple met in high school and started dating about five years ago.

After getting engaged, they spent a year planning their dream wedding, only to have their hopes dashed when the Sabine River flooded in April 2016. "The venue had 6 feet of water in it," Swarers said.

They decided to reschedule the event for the following April at the same venue, but construction to fix the flooding damage wasn't complete and the venue wouldn't be ready for their date. So, Plan C was a Houston wedding this Saturday, with 150 people set to attend but Hurricane Harvey struck yet again.

Even though Houston isn't directly in the storm's path, the threat of flooding is massive and since Wednesday, they have seen their guest list reduce from 150 to 40, then to 15.

'After the preacher canceled, we thought maybe we'll just Skype him in, but we knew we had to cancel' Swarers said.

Not everyone on Social Media is alright. What exactly is this???

Stumbled on this on Facebook.. Smh

The world celebrates Floyd Mayweather on the 50th victory of his boxing career as he defeated Conor Mcgregor

Haha, in his return from a two-year retirement, Floyd Mayweather improved to 50-0 with a 10th-round defeat of Conor McGregor in their pay-per-view superfight at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
The victory means Floyd Mayweather officially ends his career with an undefeated record of 50 fights and no loss and the world is celebrating his stellar career with glowing tributes, memes and several accolades.


https://twitter.com/ORTIZ_881/status/901680077196455936

Appreciate People while they're still here..

Let's appreciate people while they're here.. Tomorrow's never a promise
Appreciate people while you can, don't wait for the corpse to arrive, you don't know their personal struggles, their challenges, their problems, no matter how deep their smiles are, Appreciate!
What you would write on their social media page when they die, why dont you tell it to them now so they'd have a reason to live? it would make a lot more difference and little by little, this world would be better. I know that sounded cliche, but its a basic truth. Even a compliment as little as "hey, i love your braces or your bow legs or your eyes or your song or your blog or your skin or your hair or your earrings or your updates"! It goes a long way. Make people know they matter no matter how little and give them A reason to live or MORE reason to live.

Photos: Weirdest pre-wedding photos ever seen in my life

Lmao!

Smh tho

WTH is all of this??????

Photos: Cookie Lyon, Empire star stuns in a totally new look! Black women really rock!

See photos:

 

You like?.. because I love it!

Photos: Beauty blogger, Teena ties the knot the traditional way with her heart throb Daniel in Nnewi today

Having known Teena as someone who pays attention to detail as with her ever-lit makeup and hair, she pays attention to detail again as she ties the knot the traditional way with her heart throb.
Self-taught beauty blogger, Teena had her traditional wedding with award winning actor Daniel K. Daniel in Nnewi, Anambra state today. They both looked really awesome. God bless their union. Trust me, the kids gonn be hella cute😉😉😉
See photos from the wedding..

   

See photos of Teena in her Royal slayage everytime: