The real deal about Los Angeles real estate.....really!

I just made another micro loan on Kiva.org to a man in Kenya - Pay It Forward

Fadhili is a married man with nine school going children. He owns a house with electricity but no piped water. His greatest monthly expense is school fees for his children.

Fadhili has operated a retail shop for the past year. In addition he owns a rental house. His potential clients are the local area residents. He faces a major challenge of seasonality. He dreams of owning another rental house.

With the Kshs 100,000 he wants to purchase more stocks of rice, sugar and maize flour for his shop and also renovate his rental house. He decided to join Yehu to get capital to improve his businesses.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kiva.org, definitely check it out.  You are able to make small $25, micro loans to people around the globe who are not as fortunate as most of us in America are.  Your $25 loan, along with many in your group, help to finance these small business people, and there are fantastic regulatory agencies on each continent that handle the repayment to your Kiva account so that you can keep re-lending out the funds.

Here is a link for you to check it out:  http://kiva.org/invitedby/ralph6433

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Here is your Official To-Do List for 2012

I came across this amazing To-Do list, and I had to pass it on to my ActiveRain Peeps:

 

1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways.  They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.
2. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them.  Problems will not disappear unless you take action.  Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done.  It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch.  These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.
3. Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed.  Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become.  Be honest with every aspect of your life, always.  Because you are the one person you can forever count on.  Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are.  Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter.  If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself.  Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you.  And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.
5. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.  Be yourself.  Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else.  Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms.  Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.
6. Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle.  Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  Right now is life.  So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.  Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.
7. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress.  If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning.  Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again.  Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving.  Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures.  One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.
8. Start being more polite to yourself. – If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?  The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.  You must love who you are or no one else will.
9. Start enjoying the things you already have. – The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc.  Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind.  You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now.  So take a quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and what you already have.
10. Start creating your own happiness. – If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out.  Smile because you can.  Choose happiness.  Be the change you want to see in the world.  Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow.  Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it.  If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it.  But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance. – In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.
12. Start believing that you’re ready for the next step. – You are ready!  Think about it.  You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward.  So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.
13. Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. – Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be.  Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment.  And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them.
14. Start giving new people you meet a chance. – It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made.  People and priorities change.  As some relationships fade others will grow.  Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work.  Trust your judgment.  Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory.  Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.
15. Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time.  You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself.  You are competing to be the best you can be.  Aim to break your own personal records.
16. Start cheering for other people’s victories. – Start noticing what you like about others and tell them.  Having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places.  So be happy for those who are making progress.  Cheer for their victories.  Be thankful for their blessings, openly.  What goes around comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.
17. Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations. – When things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the silver lining – the small glimmers of hope.  Remind yourself that you can and will grow stronger from these hard times.  And remain conscious of your blessings and victories – all the things in your life that are right.  Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.
18. Start forgiving yourself and others. – We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others.  And while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long.  We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go.  Forgiveness is the remedy.  It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened.  It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.
19. Start helping those around you. – Care about people.  Guide them if you know a better way.  The more you help others, the more they will want to help you.  Love and kindness begets love and kindness.  And so on and so forth.
20. Start listening to your own inner voice. – If it helps, discuss your ideas with those closest to you, but give yourself enough room to follow your own intuition.  Be true to yourself.  Say what you need to say.  Do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks. – Slow down.  Breathe.  Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose.  When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity.  These short breaks will help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can be sure they’re in line with your goals.
22. Start noticing the beauty of small moments. – Instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery – find happiness in the small things that happen every day.  Little things like having a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning, or the delicious taste and smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing something you enjoy with someone else, or holding hands with your partner.  Noticing these small pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.
23. Start accepting things when they are less than perfect. – Remember, ‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’  One of the biggest challenges for people who want to improve themselves and improve the world is learning to accept things as they are.  Sometimes it’s better to accept and appreciate the world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal.  No, you shouldn’t accept a life of mediocrity, but learn to love and value things when they are less than perfect.
24. Start working toward your goals every single day. – Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  Whatever it is you dream about, start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen.  Get out there and DO something!  The harder you work the luckier you will become.  While many of us decide at some point during the course of our lives that we want to answer our calling, only an astute few of us actually work on it.  By ‘working on it,’ I mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result.  Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
25. Start being more open about how you feel. – If you’re hurting, give yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it.  Talk to those closest to you.  Tell them the truth about how you feel.  Let them listen.  The simple act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first step toward feeling good again.
26. Start taking full accountability for your own life. – Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them.  Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will.  And when they do, you’ll become a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own.  You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life.  And no, it won’t always be easy.  Every person has a stack of obstacles in front of them.  But you must take accountability for your situation and overcome these obstacles.  Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence.
27. Start actively nurturing your most important relationships. – Bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply telling them how much they mean to you on a regular basis.  You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people.  Decide who these people are in your life and treat them like royalty.  Remember, you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of.
28. Start concentrating on the things you can control. – You can’t change everything, but you can always change something.  Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation.  Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.
29. Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes. – The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it.  The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.  Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next positive step forward.  No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things.  Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.  Read The How of Happiness.
30. Start noticing how wealthy you are right now. – Henry David Thoreau once said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”  Even when times are tough, it’s always important to keep things in perspective.  You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.  You didn’t go to sleep outside.  You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning.  You hardly broke a sweat today.  You didn’t spend a minute in fear.  You have access to clean drinking water.  You have access to medical care.  You have access to the Internet.  You can read.  Some might say you are incredibly wealthy, so remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.

The list was compiled by Marc and Angel.  They have a great blog that I've started to follow called "Marc and Angel Hack Life"  -  www.marcandangel.com

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I just made another micro loan in Kiva.org to help a farmer in Tajikistan - Pay It Forward

I tend to use my micro loan dollars for women in underdeveloped countries, or men and women who supply fruit and vegetable crops to their people.

I'm not a big supporter of anything to do with animal farming for reasons that are pretty obvious.

Anyway, Farhod was born in 1973. He is an honest and goal-oriented person. He is married and is a father of four children. His wife does not work; she is a homemaker and looks after the children. Farhod is involved in growing agricultural crops and also buying and selling vegetables and fruits. His previous loan from Imon International provided him with a good result. He increased his turnover, gathered a good harvest and improved his quality of life. Farhod wants to obtain a loan in the sum of $3000 for the purchase of mineral fertilizers, which would allow him to get a good harvest. He also wants to use the loan for the purchase of seeds and payment of worker wages.

Together with about 120 other micro lenders, we are supplying Farhod with the funds he needs.

You can check out the loan and Kiva.org by clicking here:  http://www.kiva.org/lend/334432

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I bought someone's Yogurt in line behind me yesterday at Menchie's - Pay It Forward

We took a walk over to the Town Center yesterday with the dogs and went over to Menchie's.

I love Menchie's because the frozen yogurt there is de-lish and you get all the free samples you want!

Anyway, while I was in line getting my yogurt weighed, I noticed a kid behind me loading up on all kinds of things!

I thought to myself "that is going to weigh a ton"

He was a young kid and so I thought it would be nice to pay for his yogurt for him.

So I told the clerk to add it to my bill.

I had left the store before he realized that his yogurt was paid for, so I didn't have a chance to see the expression on his face.

I actually went back about 15 minutes afterwards to get an extra couple of napkins and the clerk told me the kid thought it was the coolest thing ever that someone paid for his yogurt!

I hope I planted something in this young man's mind about Paying It Forward................

 

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One of my neighbors little girls was raising funds for her school program so I bought a $13 magazine subscription - Pay It Forward

She was so unbelievably cute!  She went door to door on our block with her Dad by her side, and had her little brochures and a notepad and pen.

I think she's about 8 or 9 years old. Too cute.

So I bought a subscription to Vegetarian Times for $13.

Hey, that's a bargain and at least it's going towards the little sweetie-pie's school program.

She was just a little ball of sunshine.  I think I want one of those.  Can you rent one for a while somewhere?

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 One of my favorite times of the year, besides all of my favorite holidays, is in September!

Every year the Boys and Girls Club Organization hosts its “Free Day for Kids Carnival” in September at the local park here in the Santa Clarita Valley.

 This year the “Free Day for Kids Carnival” will be held on September 17, 2011 at the Newhall Park in the Santa Clarita Valley.

 There will be free food, snow cones, cotton candy, fun games for everyone, carnival rides, raffles and so much more!

 This awesome event has become one our favorite traditions in my family!

 I just love and adore the Boys & Girls Club because of all the wonderful work that this amazing organization does for all of the local families here in the community!

 When my oldest boy was younger, the Boys and Girls Club became his little piece of paradise and a place he could call his own. For that, this little haven will always have a special place in our hearts!

 Here is a quick link for those who would like more information: http://www.dayforkids.org/calendar/find_local_event_results_details.aspx?id=1344

 The bottom line is that an organization like this is a treasure to have in any community!

 Bye for now, until next week!

 Lea Centeno

 

 

 

 

 

 With all the earthquakes shaking things up, it is important to always be prepared and have the essentials you will need after an earthquake!

 

Living in California, where earthquakes are quite a common occurrence, they can still be pretty scary!

 

Even though, we cannot predict earthquakes and when one will strike next, as we have heard or felt in the last couple of days, we can do our best to have a plan in the event of an earthquake.

 

Here is a quick checklist for the essentials that everyone should have:

 

1. Fire extinguisher
2. Adequate supplies of medications that you or your family are taking
3. Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and water supplies
4. First aid kit and handbook
5. Flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries
6. Portable radio with extra batteries
7. Water for each family member for at least 3 days (allow at least 1 gallon per person per day) and purification tablets or chlorine bleach to purify drinking water from other sources
8. Canned and packaged foods, enough for several days and a mechanical can opener. Extra food for pets if necessary.
9. Camp stove or barbecue to cook on outdoors (store fuel out of reach of children)
10. Waterproof, heavy-duty plastic bags for waste disposal
11. Cash on hand
12. Photos of family members for identification purposes
13. Health insurance cards and identification cards
14. List of emergency phone contacts
15. Don’t forget a to go bag for your pets

 

Here are some websites for more information on what to do (Prior, during and after) an Earthquake:

 

1.     http://beprepared.com/article.asp?ai=20

 

2.     http://72hours.org/build_kit.html

 

3.     http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm

 

 It is always important to have an Earthquake plan with family that does not live with you and your neighbors as well. Especially, if they are elderly or have pets!

 

Most importantly, the bottom line is, to keep as calm as you can, so that you can keep a level head when dealing with the after effects for the sake of everyone around you!

 

Bye for now, until next week!

 

Lea Centeno

 

 

 

 

 

I got someone 30% off of their bill - Pay It Forward

This week, while I was in line at the checkout at Kohl's there was a mother and her daughter buying back to school clothes in line in front of me.

I noticed that they were buying quite a few items.

I had one of the best discount coupons that Kohls offers - 30% off, and it was the last day of the sale.

The daughter seemed so excited about her new school clothes, and I know clothes are expensive for young girls.

So I politelly stepped in and told the checkout clerk to let her use my 30% off card.

They were thrilled, because after the discount, they ended up saving over $100 off their bill!

 

 

 

 

Well it’s me again, here to give you some tips on how to create your own at home day spa with the ingredients right in your own kitchen!

 I was feeling kind of blah this last week and decided to give myself a day at the spa or in my case, a spa day at home. It has been a crazy but good week that called for a little rejuvenation for my skin and soul. Oh yeah!

 I wanted to use natural ingredients that I could mix up and use from my own kitchen, so I started Googling for websites that provided me with such valuable information to help me accomplish my at home day spa and yes, I said Googling!

 I came across this great website that had every recipe for creating your own ingredients from homemade exfoliant scrubs to anti-aging natural serum.

 Here are a few recipes that I really loved and felt like I needed to share:

 Sugar Facial Scrub Recipe

 
 Ingredients:

 

3 tablespoon of Milk

 

 2 cups white sugar

 

1.5 teaspoon of olive oil

 

1 tablespoon of honey

 
 

Instructions:

 

Mix all the ingredients until it's not runny(more sugar may be needed...apply to dry face, in a circular motion wash off with warm water then cold water pat dry.....Do Not Heat...store in refrigerator).

 
 Olive Oil Apple Face scrub Recipe

 

  Ingredients:

 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

 

2 tablespoon Apple sauce

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

 
 

Instructions:

 

Combine all ingredients. Scrub face with mixture for 1 minute then rinse.

 
 Honey Face Mask Recipe

 
 

Ingredients:

 

1 egg

 

2 tbs. powdered milk

 

1 tbs. honey

 
 

Instructions:

 

Mix all ingredients well until creamy. Smooth on the face and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water the cold water.

 
 

Here is the website that I found: http://naturalfacialrecipes.homestead.com/facescrubrecipes.html

 
 After my little day spa at home, I felt like a million bucks. The best part, I did not have to spend a million bucks to get that little boost I needed!

 
 In fact, I did not have to spend anything because I had everything I needed at hand, right in my own kitchen!

 
 Bye for now, until next week!

 
 Lea Centeno

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Well it is officially that time of year again for our kids to go back to school!

 I don’t know about you guys but I have mixed emotions. I am both happy and sad because the summer season is slowly coming to an end and the homework and schedule blues will creep up on us soon enough!

 Lucky for me, I have a young man who will be a senior in high school this year and a little one who will start preschool as well. So that is not so bad because my youngest will not be starting Kindergarten until the following year. This is cool because I will be having one going out into the world and another one just starting out in school.

 Over the years I have picked up a few tips for those first week “Back to School” morning Blues:

 

1.     Get back into your school routine: Another words, summer vacation is over and it is time to get organized, focused and determined to have a great school year!

 

2.     Get organized: Have your child or children put out the clothes they are going to wear to school as well as backpacks, school supplies etc. out in a neutral zone the night before. What is a neutral zone you may ask! It is a place that you and your child agree on to put their belongings in an easy accessible spot so that they are not spending an hour in the morning trying to find everything.

 

3.     Make lunches the night before: One thing that was an issue in my household in the past, was that everyone was in the kitchen in the morning trying to toss whatever they could find in their lunch bags, crowding up each other’s personal space.  We have it down to a science now, we just prepare lunches at night! Pretty simple and easy.

 

4.     Take baths and showers at night: If you get everyone bathed and showered the night before it helps free up bathroom time for everyone in the morning. Plus, it helps every one sleep better as well!

 

5.     Get to bed early: The main important key to a better tomorrow is to make sure that everyone gets a good night sleep by going to bed early. This means shutting off all electronic devices and other distractions that will prevent your child from sleeping and not getting the proper sleep they need.

 
 

Well I hope these tips will help all the parents out there reading this blog as much as they have helped my clan throughout the years!

 
 

Bye for now, until next week!

 
 

Lea Centeno