Sometimes we just need a time out

Moms and Dads of small kids you know what I mean here, sometimes you just need a time out.  It happens we get run down, cranky, and loose steam but all too often we keep on running until we are exhausted. I know it happens to me, work all day, come home rush through dinner, play time, bath time, medicine doses, late nights working my home business or up late with a child that is sick or can't sleep...and then there it is out right exhaustion only to get 6 hrs of sleep and start the process all over again.  Sometimes as parents we need to take a time out and sometimes we need someone to tell us to take a time out.  

I recognized it as soon as I walked in from work today, everyone was at the dinner table eating a breakfast dinner, not talking, holding their heads in one hand and fork in the other.  I realized my honey was exhausted and needed his time out.  My honey is the best, he is always getting things that need to be done ...well done, takes care of the house the kids the yard all of it.  He is a stay at home dad but rarely takes his time alone to just relax.  I don't know if many parents do.  Sometimes he is able to take time out and work on the yard, or wash the cars or build something in the garage but that is not down time that is man time.  So tonight I forced him into a time out to his room. No kids, no wife, no responsibilities, just rest.  Which now makes me wonder if I am going to have to sleep on the couch tonight because he is taking up the bed?  Oh well, he deserves his rest.  I think we all need a time out once in a while.

First Run

So today  I had my first run. It wasn't long about 1 mile and I am sure my RA will kick in and be hurting later but it felt so good to just push myself.  Lately I have been feeling blah. I know many of you have been feeling the same way from what I am reading out there. So a co worker suggested that we go the gym at lunch, yesterday we went and I did so well at the elliptical that I decided maybe I could do more. I  have been inspired by my lovely neighbor Lauren who blogs at http://moderndaywife-lauren.blogspot.com/ , (she is training for a 5 K.) Although our schedules have clashed recently and we haven't been able to run together yet she has inspired me to train for my own 5 K as well.

 Ok time for some back history here....ready ?....I can't run. Never have been able to do it, I can't regulate my breathing, I run like I have cement feet, and it really is kinda ugly.  Now my brother was always the graceful athlete.  He was a record breaking high school track star, has done multiple marathons and triathlons  he can run, he can swim, he can bike almost effortlessly it seems from my view point. I swear when I run it is like my brain shakes in my head and all coordination is lost.  So lately I have been visualizing myself as a runner before bed.   So today I hit the Gym, got on the treadmill and ran until I felt like I had really had to stop and walk, so that was for about 1 mile.  That is so amazing for me!  Yay me! Perhaps because it was a treadmill mile, and perhaps on the road some people could walk faster than my run, but I don't care it was awesome!  From sitting in a chair for 50 hours a week sometimes my body just craves to run a full sprint. So this is my new addiction.  I am off on Saturday to go buy me some new Running Shoes  whooo hoooo.

Using this Couch to 5 K guide to get me going. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
For me it isn't about time but about actually running a full 5 K would be awesome.

Write it, read it, believe it!

2013 is all about a whole new me on the inside and out.  Getting things done that I have been procrastinating on, getting healthy in spirit, mind, and body, and taking life by the reigns.  I have dived deep into the world of self help and motivation.

I am a very easily motivated, but on the flip side I am very easily let down also.  I can swing from Fantastic to Doom in a matter of 30 seconds flat!   That is not easy to live with ,my husband  can vouch for that :)   But I never feel better or more energetic than when I am motivated. So what is it that keeps me on the swing down?  Well I figured that it is mostly myself. How I feel about things in the moment and how I let the little disappointments crash a whole day.  You know what they say ....



They just don't tell you what the small stuff is, could everything be so small that you don't worry about it?  Well on the flip everything couldn't possibly be so large that you have to let it ruin your whole day!

This was really a large part of why I procrastinate, loose steam, get derailed from a project and so on. It is because if everything isn't perfect I throw in the towel and stop making progress.  And mostly it is not that the situation is all that bad but I make it out to be more than it really is.  I have such great intention how could it be that I do this to myself?  Well actually I have found that this mindset is quite common. So my first task was to overcome this bad habit.  First I would wake up and say "it is going to be a glorious day!" that lasted for a day if that long.  Then I wrote positive affirmations on post it notes in my bath mirror (after the 3rd day I stopped seeing them as if they were a fixture and not a message) . I tried to be a positive influence on others looking at the good side of things, only to have them look at me funny, laugh and say "yeah right".

The next thing I came across was writing each day.  No not a journal, and not a story. Now each morning over coffee I write 5 positive affirmations, and 5 things I am thankful for. I have heard variations of this mentioned several times, but finally put them to use. You can call it a blessing book, a affirmation journal, what ever you want. The point is that IT IS WORKING! So that is all that really matters.  The idea behind the book is that by writing 5 positive affirmations down ( not typing them)  actively engages your brain. You are telling yourself the phrase, you are writing it down, and you are reading it. Therefore imprinting it on you subconscious mind. I have been putting this simple practice to use each morning this month and it is making such a difference. My affirmations and blessings are personal to me, are for my future, contain my dreams, and basically everything I want out of life.   Honestly I think I could write them 3 times a day. But for now we are sticking with morning coffee.  The point is I am a much happier person today than I was a month ago, I have a more positive outlook on life living in the present and looking into my future. I am more calm and I am more at peace. I don't feel like life is running away in a hurry anymore.  My honey is trying it too and mentioned this morning how we have such a better outlook on things since we have been writing and that it was nice.

If you are looking for some inner peace, looking for a way to make positive changes, I highly recommend that you give it a try

WW Journey a whole New Year 2013

Ok so my worst attribute is that I am not consistent with much of anything. I get on kicks to diet or work out and it soon fades away. I am definately not a multi task person because I take on so much at once and then everything falls through the cracks...no suprise I can't juggle either.

But this is a whole new year on my WW journey and I have some great supporters out there so while I am finding new things to keep it interesting for me to not feel deprived I will continue to share them. The good news is that I have not gained since I started ww and took off during the holidays so that is promising to me that the weight lost on ww is good weight lose.

I found this today on SkinnyTaste.com http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/egg-tomato-and-scallion-sandwich.html#more, I could spend hours on this site. But I found this simple idea for breakfast which is my weakest meal. I have done much better at eating breakfast since Riley has been in school this year and I have to make sure she eats, I am just so bored with it. Really we both are dreading this part of our morning. So much that more than one occasion I have resulted to ego waffles to make her eat something.

This is what I am having tomorrow AM take a peek.   Only 6 pts.. Love it!

One of my goals this year is to read the whole Bible.  I like to listen to Kenneth Copeland and found this great resource on KCM.org. that breaks the Old and New Testament down for each day. You can access it here:  http://www.kcm.org/bible/january-bible-readings.  I like to read first thing in the morning when my mind is clear or right before bed to wind down.

January readings will be as follows:

This will be a big challenge for me and my time management, usually I have lots of great ideas and aspirations during the day while I am at work then when I get home it is a mad house because the kids are excited to see me and hubby (who is a work from home dad with out home based business) is ready for his time and eagerly awaiting my help.  I am happy that we get to sit down and eat dinner as a family. That is our 30 minutes of sanity for the night. Then it is a rush all evening and when the kids are down for bed time and it is 9 pm before the house is cleaned up then I am exhausted and have no energy to focus on any one thing. I decided that I must go exercise for me time during my lunch hour, hopefully I will have more energy when I get home in the evenings. I am a creature of habbit though and I feel more in control of life when I have things schedules. So it is my goal to get a schedule that works for me and I don't feel like I am doing a bunch of things and getting nothing done.

Happy New Year

Here we are in a New Year, YAY 2013!  

So what are your New Year resolutions?  Mine is to lose 30lbs, become better at managing my time, Spend more time outdoors playing with the kiddos, to take the time to be thankful for each day, read the whole bible, and to live life to the fullest with enthusiasm.  That is not necessarily the order of importance but there you have it.

I have learned in 2012 that the most important influence in your life is yourself.  So I am taking life by the horns and directing my future where I want it to be.  A big part of that is shaking off all of the negative in my life.  To be honest I have a very good life. I have a wonderful family a beautiful home a good job , a thriving home business, and what I believe to be the most wonderful hubby a girl could ever have. But I think all of us from time to time get stuck on the small moments in life that just are negative.  I realize that negativity is a huge drain on your energy. Why spend time worrying about what might be and who said what or thinks what.  I would much rather focus on the positive parts of life, and if you stack them up they really do out weight the negative things that we dwell on.

I don't know what anyone's preference is but I watch a lot of self help videos on youtube now, I tap in to motivational speakers and ask myself where can I apply these lessons and tricks.  When I signed up for direct sales with Scentsy Wickless, someone said to me exactly this " but you are not the outgoing type" I didn't let that statement deter me, I just thought wow really?  I think about that a lot. Why is it that some people are magnets for other people?  I have a friend from my early twenties ( I will call Nancy for privacy purposes) who I no longer live near but we keep in touch through social media. She is successful, happy, kind, has a beautiful family and apparently is a magnet for attracting others to her.  People can't say enough of the sweetest things about her and she has a great time at life. So I have thought what makes her different than me?  She is perpetually positive and people love that about her.   So how do we go from where we are today to being a Nancy? Well we can start by understanding that we are the most influential person in our lives. The little voice in your head that speaks to you all day long, have you ever listened to what it is saying to you?  I have put a lot of attention on that little voice in the last few months. Sometimes it says good things and a lot of the times it says not so good things. Things like "you should be enjoying this moment but you are not" or "today is going to be dreadful because it is a Monday" or, " If you do that then you are just going to be let down"  So in 2013 I am turning that little voice from "you can't " to a " you can".   It heard on a video recently to keep a notebook and list 5 positive affirmations and 5 things you are thankful for. when I find the video again I will post it, it was a great video. Doing this exercise will retrain your brain to think positive. As you write the affirmations it is hard coding it to your brain as your inner voice recites the phrases as you write them and read them.

The other tip I have learned is to have positive notes in a place you will look at everyday, you can change them up if you like but the idea is to reinforce the phrase visually.  So I have placed a post it note on my bathroom mirror. That says " I am a positive thinker"  so I have this reinforcement first thing in the morning.



You can do this exercise with what ever phrase you want as long as it is positive.

I also have a dream board in my room where I can see it each day of things I want to be real in my life. I want to go on a vacation so I have scenes from my dream vacation on there, I want to be physically fit so I have images of physically fit athletes on there and so on, you get the idea.

Well that is just day one of the new year,  keep thinking positive!

Sincerely Scent Cards

I am so excited to do our Christmas Cards this year with Sincerely Scent.  For those of you who have 

struggled like I have with forgetting dates, not having stamps on hand, and losing cards after you buy them, 

this is the perfect option for me that you may want to check out.Sincerely Scent is a Greeting Card website 

where you buy credits from your Scentsy rep.  Use the credits to send out your cards that you can 

personalize with photos.

  I will be using this photo on my cards this year.  I just love it, I just feel like it was one of those Norman 

Rockwell moments. We were trying to get the kids to pose for a pic for Grandma and ended up with this in

there.

This picture captures their two personalities perfectly,  she ( with a crooked smile)  is trying to be good and

pretty and he just wants to climb all over her. Ryan loves his big sister and loves touching ( and sometimes 

that involves pulling) her hair.

 You can check out more of Sincerely Scent cards and options here https://www.sincerelyscent.com Buy your credits, Pick your card, Personalize, set when you want to mail it out and your done!  This new Scentsy card feature is really going to keep me organized with mailing out my cards this year.   oh yeah , the best part....they are Scented !!!  

You get to choose your favorite scent to include from the top seller list.  So when I sent my mother in law her birthday card, we included Perfectly Pomegranate ( her favorite scent). Our Christmas cards will be Festival of Trees I believe.  You can get your own credits by  contacting me directly here: https://scentescapecandles.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Contact.