How My Children Have Changed My Outlook in The Work Place.

As I entered the office this morning, the "Super Mom" in me instantly kicked in.

Super Who? Okay, she is an innate instinct that has unfolded since having children. I opened my boss's door and noticed his prescription bottle had been sitting on his desk for weeks. I immediately had to investigate this matter. I hurridly picked up the bottle and noticed that it was his heart medication and it was EMPTY. I thought, "Houston, we have a problem." I really like my boss, but if he kicks the bucket, I'm out of a job. Wrapperlicious has been good to me, but I still need a steady income, but more importantly, I need health benefits for the entire family.

As my boss nonchalantly came in this morning, he had no idea what was to come. I walked into his office, raised one eyebrow and I asked him if he already filled his prescription and he said no. Without hesitation, I held out my hand and told him to give me some money and that I would pick up his prescription for him. He looked at me funny and said, "Joy, that's not in your job description." Now as I get older, things just fly out of my mouth, I just can't seem to control these sudden impulses. I then said to him, "Well if you die, I will suddenly be out of a job, so it is part of my job description, now give me some money!" Like an obiendient boy, he handed me $60 dollars. I took off....I mean, Super Mom took off and filled his prescription.

On the contrary, BEFORE I had children, I would have NEVER cared enough to make sure any of my boss' took their meds. I would have thought, "I'm not their mother and that's not in my job description." Now that I'm on the other side of this spectrum, caring for others seem as natural as caring for my own children.

The Moral of the Story is that our life experiences help define who we are and who we become as people. Our experiences add to our unique character. Also, our experiences can make us stronger, but unfortunately, for some they can also make us weaker. As I've said before, what matters most is what you choose to do with your experiences. Life my dear, is a priceless teacher and we always have choices.

Creating Something From Nothing

You may have already read that I can make something out of nothing. Well, I recently had a rather odd request to create a personalized candy wrapper for a client. She wanted a unique personalized wrapper created for her husband's birthday. I said that would not be a problem! BUT...she said she wanted a wrapper with her 3 year old's art work incorporated into the wrapper. I then said to myself, "Houston, we have a problem." Now this three year old is no prodigy mind you. Not wanting to disappoint my client or back down from a challenge, I said, "Bring It On!" I looked at this opportunity as a way to push the envelope of my creativity.

This is what she sent me.

When I first looked at it, I was like, "What the HELL!!"

This is what I created.

Although other elements were added to this child's amazing art work, the essence of the original scribble remained the same and the client was happy beyond her wildest dreams. Now I plan on incorporating this service into my business. See....I took what seemed like an adversity and made it into another opportunity. Although the candy may be eaten, this wrapper will always be cherished for a lifetime.

I am so grateful for every adversity I'm faced with, because you never know what will come of it. Remember what I told you, there's a reason for EVERY experience in your life. What matters the most is what you do with the experience. Now go out there and make it happen for you! God Bless!

How Was Wrapperlicious Born?

Many people have asked me the same question over and over, which is: How was Wrapperlicious started?

I am a true believer that everything in life happens for a reason. I believe that everything we experience in life is to teach us something or to make us stronger & wiser. I believe experience, both good and bad, is the wisest teacher of them all.

I've ALWAYS been a creative person. I am a true example of being a Jack of all trades. For example, I draw, I'm a licensed hair stylist, makeup artist, an event planner, a costume designer, a repair person and so much more. If you give me some aluminum foil, some string and a crayon, I could make a fierce outfit out of it...HA! I can take just about anything and create something from it. My best friend used to tease me all the time and tell me that I could make a ponytail look good. Well....she was right....that IS true...smile.

Well....when my husband lost his job last year, I was forced into finding additional means of work on top of my full-time job. I didn't know what I was going to do to make ends meet. I was desperate. I searched the internet for months and months until the customized party favor world found ME. I said, "now THAT is something I know I can do!" I knew I was good with the computer and my boss gave me the uncanny opportunity to learn photoshop. I have absolutely no use for photoshop at work, but he asked and I said, "HELL YES!" (See....another example of things happening for a reason). I then taught myself how to use photoshop, which has been the spring board to Wrapperlicious. I took all of my computer knowledge and put it into designing personalized candy wrapper favors. It has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life. It allows me to use my creative abililites to design things that I know will bring joy to the lives of others.

Wrapperlicious has been so fulfilling that it has already caused problems at home. Both my husband and my children get upset and/or feel neglected, because of the time I spend on the computer designing wrappers or fulfilling orders. It's frustrating sometimes, because I simply can not be all things to everybody. And trying to find a balance is very challenging at times too.

So as you can see, I took an adversity and made it into something positive, which brings me back to my earlier statement, that every experience that we go through in life is to teach us something or to guide us down a different path. Perhaps my husband losing his job was the catalyst to make me find my true passion in life. On the contrary, if he never lost his job, Wrapperlicious would not have been born. So thank you honey for sucking at your job! Tee...hee..hee....I'm just kidding.

The Moral of the Story is, no matter what ordeal you're going through in life, you should try your hardest to take something positive from the situation. Every life experience gives us a chance to grow, but the key is what you choose to do with that experience. It's very easy to accept defeat, but fighting the battle with every fiber in your being makes you a true warrior. Don't get me wrong, you may lose the fight, but doing your best ALWAYS makes you a winner.

Unique Party Idea!

I am very excited to share this unique party idea with you. Okay, it may not be unique to some, but it's a way to appreciate things you don't take the time to see all the time. When my precious little girl turned 5, I wanted to throw her a party. Not because she's my daughter, but she is one of the most precious and mature little girls I have ever met. Even her teachers say they wish they had an entire class full of Bobbi's...smile.

Okay, getting back to the topic. So....I wanted to do something special for my daughter. I wanted to take it back to the Old School way of throwing a party - right in the house! I currently live in Texas and the majority of the parties I've attended have been at indoor play spaces, so I wanted to break that mold and show people how to really get down!!!!

What I did took a little time to prepare, but I went through all of Bobbi's photos from birth to present. I then downloaded the pictures and created a slide show, which was displayed on our flat screen television in the living room. How did I do that? Well, I currently have AT&T & Dish Network for internet and cable. This combination enables you to download your pictures to a database, which can then be viewed on the television. This gave the guests an opportunity to view pictures of Bobbi throughout the party. The pictures were on a continuous loop. I downloaded about 300 pictures of Bobbi. Can you think of a better way to share photos of your children with 30 people all at the same time. No photo albums needed here! Everyone was super impressed. I was tickled pink with the way it turned out.


The other thing I did to fuse the New School with the Old School was purchased the Cha Cha Slide Song and other familiar songs that all the children knew. I moved all the furniture out of the way and the kids went WILD. We danced and sang and danced some more. The kids had an incredible time and no one noticed that there were no incredible slides, bowling balls, video games or whatever they're used to at these indoor party places. In addition, let's not mention the amount of money that was saved having a party at home. More importantly, we were not on a set time schedule, which is usually the case when reserving a space at the indoor play spaces.

I also made a promise to myself that when I began having children, I would ALWAYS make their birthday cakes. Seven years later, I still make EVERY cake my children have on their birthday. It's so bad, that my children will not eat store bought cakes. They LOVE mommy's carrot cake and that's the only cake they'll eat. I feel proud...smile.

Fusing the Old School with the New School was a party that's still talked about to this day!

So the next time you consider having a party for your child, skip the indoor play spaces, throw a bash right in your own home, with good food, music and lots of love & laughter. They'll remember that party for years to come!

I almost forgot the most important part of this entire article...make sure you have personalized favors from http://www.wrapperlicious.com/. The favors were the icing on the cake! Carrot cake of course!

Growing Up In Brooklyn, New York

Growing up in Brooklyn was like a game. You either survived or you didn't. What does that mean? Well I'll tell you. When I was growing up, Brooklyn was rough. I remember I used to hear sirens & gun shots at night as if it were my lullaby music. The noise was so loud that it would sometimes wake me from a deep sleep. I was surround by crime and drugs. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like war or anything, there are great memories there too. But when your entire life is submersed in a situation, you don't know any better. I thought everyone lived like that.

There were not only drugs in the street, but they were in my home too. Both my brother and my sister fell prey to this ugly addiction. I am the youngest in the family, so as you can see, I had the most perfect role models in the world and I honestly mean that. But unfortunately, it did not stop there; my father was also a victim of the same vicious life style. So let me break this down to you. Being submersed in a negative environment made me rebel...................FOR THE BETTER. I looked at my brother and my sister as people I did not want to become. I looked at my father as a man I would never want to marry. And lastly, I looked at my mother, a strong black woman trying to keep us together and hold everything down, as someone I didn't want to become either. But unfortunately, sometimes the good guy loses. Due to my father's life style, my mom contracted AIDS from the only man she ever loved, my father. I never understood why she never left him, but that's another story.

What did I do? Did I join their drug fest? Hell to the No, I stayed in school and wouldn't stay home even when I was sick. I would go to school for an escape from my reality. I involved myself with dancing. No not ballet. Hip Hop fool! I was known as the Dance Machine in High School. Dancing was in my soul, it was something I loved then and that I continue to love.

I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school and the first to get accepted into college. Here's the twist. I was accepted into both Howard University, which is predominately Black and I was accepted into University of Texas at Austin, predominately White. Can YOU guess which school I chose? No not Howard fool! I wanted to escape my familiar surroundings, step out of the box and try new experiences. And I'm still experiencing culture shock going from Brooklyn to Texas. What the Hell!

The Moral of the Story is, no matter where you come from, if you have it set in your mind and in your heart, all things are possible. It is very important that you walk to the beat of your own drum and not be a follower, but a trend setter. So again, I thank my now deceased brother and deceased sister for unknowingly showing me not to follow in the same path they walked in, but to make my own trail in life. Both of my parents eventually passed away from their disease and other complications.

So no matter where you come from and no matter what background you have, you can make it if you try. Stay focused on the bigger picture and dance to YOUR beat and no one else's. And if you do.....YOU win the game.