This week's Creative Adventure Sunday assignment was to celebrate ourselves and the dreams that we dare to dream (because they really do come true...get it? Wizard of...oh nevermind).
I have to admit that I put this one off so far that I technically didn't do it in the week it was assigned! I did it today. I went to the mall...and I bought nothing but bath stuff and chocolate! It felt so decadent!
I went to Lush and got a couple of bath bombs and a sugar scrub, and Papa Bear and I have made a pact that he'll give me a chance to have a nice, soaky bath every weekend (incidentally, this fulfills one of the things on my "to-do" list). I will also not save the bath bombs for "a special occasion"...nope! I'm going to use them ASAP...they smell AMAZING! I also got some satsuma body butter from the Body Shop, so I shall smell DELICIOUS. And I have cocoa butter lip balm for my poor, chapped lips. AND I got two champagne truffles and two French mints from Laura Secord and ate them on the way home. It was blissful. Happy celebration to me!
How did you celebrate yourself and YOUR dreams? (or, if you didn't know you were supposed to, how do you PLAN to celebrate?)
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
What You're Doing Matters.
Playing around online tonight, searching for (and finding) magic.
Here.
And here.
And here.
My favourite line? "Every life matters. You matter. What are you waiting for?"
Well, that, and the text of the entire first video (this is from a novel? I must find and read said novel.)
ETA: Ah, no it's not...THIS is from her novel. My sentiment still applies.
OK, bedtime! Stay tuned for Creative Adventure Sunday...where I celebrate dreaming with...a blog post about dreaming! Woohoo!
Here.
And here.
And here.
My favourite line? "Every life matters. You matter. What are you waiting for?"
Well, that, and the text of the entire first video (this is from a novel? I must find and read said novel.)
ETA: Ah, no it's not...THIS is from her novel. My sentiment still applies.
OK, bedtime! Stay tuned for Creative Adventure Sunday...where I celebrate dreaming with...a blog post about dreaming! Woohoo!
Six-Word Saturday!
Fighting off a cold WITH DETERMINATION!
Hanging out with a toddler -WHEEE!
MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW BOOK! (Little Bear's contribution)
Hanging out with a toddler -WHEEE!
MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW BOOK! (Little Bear's contribution)
Friday, February 5, 2010
A coincidence! I love coincidences!
So, yesterday I wrote about stories...and today I got this in my Atrraction Parenting newsletter:
:: The Power of Story (Part 1) ::
Children love stories for their power to evoke
creation: Stories told with conviction inspire
imaginary worlds that feel real and shape one's
sense of truth.
Anytime you talk *about* anything, you are in essence
telling a story that "in-forms" your world...
* You tell a story when someone asks you,
"How've you been?"
* You tell a story whenever you chat with
your friends about how difficult or easy
it is to parent your child.
* You tell yourself stories when you recall
good or bad memories, worry about tomorrow,
anticipate fun, etc.
Whatever story or theme you repeat most often becomes
the story of your life. That means you can change your
life by changing your story!
Things are falling into place :-)
:: The Power of Story (Part 1) ::
Children love stories for their power to evoke
creation: Stories told with conviction inspire
imaginary worlds that feel real and shape one's
sense of truth.
Anytime you talk *about* anything, you are in essence
telling a story that "in-forms" your world...
* You tell a story when someone asks you,
"How've you been?"
* You tell a story whenever you chat with
your friends about how difficult or easy
it is to parent your child.
* You tell yourself stories when you recall
good or bad memories, worry about tomorrow,
anticipate fun, etc.
Whatever story or theme you repeat most often becomes
the story of your life. That means you can change your
life by changing your story!
Things are falling into place :-)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wishcasting Wednesday...on Thursday!
So, yesterday was Wednesday...and I didn't post anything. Know why? Little Bear is going through a MAJOR "I am almost 18 months old and I am learning how to talk" milestone right now, and he barely napped....and when he WAS napping he needed my boob. *Sigh* I try to remember that one day nursing will be a fond memory...but when I'm stuck in the bedroom and can't get out and don't have my glasses on...it becomes challenging.
ANYWAY. There was a point to this...and the point is that it feeds into my answer to yesterday's Wishcasting Wednesday question: "What story do you wish to live or let go of?"
I often feel like I'm stuck in recurring patterns of reaction. You know how it is, "I had a bad night, therefore I'm cranky and will have a bad day" or "Little Bear isn't sleeping today therefore I will barely keep it together and will freak out at Papa Bear tonight." It all feels very heavy and out of control and BAD. But the thing I've realized this week is that IT DOESN'T HAVE TO. No one says that just because I had a crappy night's sleep I HAVE to be cranky. No one says that not having a break means I HAVE to lose it (losing it NEVER makes me feel better...I have come to the firm belief that that whole "anger catharsis" thing is crap). All it takes is a shift in perception, some mindful breathing, some positive rephrasing, and (sometimes) a well-timed mug of tea or piece of dark chocolate and the possibilities open right up! It happened the other day when I wrote about my gratitude practice, it happened last night when Little Bear woke up at 3am and started practicing his words, and Dear LORD did it ever happen yesterday when he wouldn't nap! I took some deep breaths, I reminded myself that, while I can't control what happens I have the Inner Freedom to control how I handle it, and I handled it better than I could have imagined (OK, OK, I still snapped at Papa Bear when he came home last night. I'm only human, and this is all new to me!).
So, this is my (belated) wish: to live a story where I don't mentally skip straight to the worst possible ending and then manifest it. I wish to live a story where I am able to enjoy (or at least appreciate) every single moment for what it is, to find the silver lining, and to creatively handle any obstacle. Just writing that makes me feel more free.
As an added thought, I've been reading about the way Buddhists handle anger and thinking about (and feeling) the difference between repressing anger and admitting, feeling, and releasing anger. It really is tangible -the hard, tight, out of control feeling of repressing (and ultimately exploding), vs the soft, accepting feeling of breathing deeply, thinking "I'm angry...it's OK to be angry...", allowing myself to feel anger and then mindfully choosing to re-centre myself. When I pick Option #2 I inevitably end up feeling better faster. Interesting stuff.
ANYWAY. There was a point to this...and the point is that it feeds into my answer to yesterday's Wishcasting Wednesday question: "What story do you wish to live or let go of?"
I wish to live a story of infinite possibility.
I often feel like I'm stuck in recurring patterns of reaction. You know how it is, "I had a bad night, therefore I'm cranky and will have a bad day" or "Little Bear isn't sleeping today therefore I will barely keep it together and will freak out at Papa Bear tonight." It all feels very heavy and out of control and BAD. But the thing I've realized this week is that IT DOESN'T HAVE TO. No one says that just because I had a crappy night's sleep I HAVE to be cranky. No one says that not having a break means I HAVE to lose it (losing it NEVER makes me feel better...I have come to the firm belief that that whole "anger catharsis" thing is crap). All it takes is a shift in perception, some mindful breathing, some positive rephrasing, and (sometimes) a well-timed mug of tea or piece of dark chocolate and the possibilities open right up! It happened the other day when I wrote about my gratitude practice, it happened last night when Little Bear woke up at 3am and started practicing his words, and Dear LORD did it ever happen yesterday when he wouldn't nap! I took some deep breaths, I reminded myself that, while I can't control what happens I have the Inner Freedom to control how I handle it, and I handled it better than I could have imagined (OK, OK, I still snapped at Papa Bear when he came home last night. I'm only human, and this is all new to me!).
So, this is my (belated) wish: to live a story where I don't mentally skip straight to the worst possible ending and then manifest it. I wish to live a story where I am able to enjoy (or at least appreciate) every single moment for what it is, to find the silver lining, and to creatively handle any obstacle. Just writing that makes me feel more free.
As an added thought, I've been reading about the way Buddhists handle anger and thinking about (and feeling) the difference between repressing anger and admitting, feeling, and releasing anger. It really is tangible -the hard, tight, out of control feeling of repressing (and ultimately exploding), vs the soft, accepting feeling of breathing deeply, thinking "I'm angry...it's OK to be angry...", allowing myself to feel anger and then mindfully choosing to re-centre myself. When I pick Option #2 I inevitably end up feeling better faster. Interesting stuff.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Proof that gratitude practices are completely worthwhile:
...After a less-than-stellar night's sleep my Little Bear woke up an hour early. And instead of griping to myself and making things worse the first thing I thought was "OK, so what's good about today? What am I going to put in my gratitude post on Facebook?" And I immediately felt better.
If I'd known the practice of writing one sentence every morning would transform my life so completely I would have started years ago. It's true: you can change your life without "Changing Your Life."
:-)
If I'd known the practice of writing one sentence every morning would transform my life so completely I would have started years ago. It's true: you can change your life without "Changing Your Life."
:-)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Creative Adventure Sunday!
Happy Sunday!
This week's Creating Dreams Come True assignment was to try something new. I couldn't take a different route to work, as my work is my life (no, really, that's what a stay at home mom is...at work all the time...luckily it doesn't FEEL like work). But I did find some fun ways to change things up a bit:
-I did a dance "workout" every single day (usually I exercise very VERY sporadically)
-I wrote a little bit of my novel every day instead of leaving it all until Sunday afternoon (SO MUCH BETTER THIS WAY!!)
-I tried a raw dessert recipe using dates (it was truffles made of ground nuts, dates, and cocoa, and it was AMAZING!)
-I crocheted instead of knitted (and I'm getting MUCH better at it! And best of all, it's SO much more babyproof than knitting!)
-I took a book into the bedroom at naptime...so that when Little Bear woke up after the first hour (which he ALWAYS does) I could lie there and read while he nursed back down. Best idea EVER.
-instead of squeezing in a shower once or twice a week I washed my hair in the sink every other day and took sponge baths...result: I was cleaner and felt more human. I'd tried this before, but this time I did it regularly.
-I shopped at a new store: The Local Source Market. I've been trying to get us more local and organic foods, and this was a wonderful place to shop. The free-range bacon they sell is AMAZING.
Now that I've started doing these things, I really think I'll keep on doing them. The changes I made weren't radical, and they were ones I probably would have eventually made...but this assignment inspired me to get going on them. It just goes to show that outside of our everyday routines there are habits that are more supportive of the dreams we have and the life we want to live...if only we take the time to step outside our boxes and TRY them.
Oh, and P.S.: Last week's success tracker? I did it every day this week, and it has made a HUGE difference.
This week's Creating Dreams Come True assignment was to try something new. I couldn't take a different route to work, as my work is my life (no, really, that's what a stay at home mom is...at work all the time...luckily it doesn't FEEL like work). But I did find some fun ways to change things up a bit:
-I did a dance "workout" every single day (usually I exercise very VERY sporadically)
-I wrote a little bit of my novel every day instead of leaving it all until Sunday afternoon (SO MUCH BETTER THIS WAY!!)
-I tried a raw dessert recipe using dates (it was truffles made of ground nuts, dates, and cocoa, and it was AMAZING!)
-I crocheted instead of knitted (and I'm getting MUCH better at it! And best of all, it's SO much more babyproof than knitting!)
-I took a book into the bedroom at naptime...so that when Little Bear woke up after the first hour (which he ALWAYS does) I could lie there and read while he nursed back down. Best idea EVER.
-instead of squeezing in a shower once or twice a week I washed my hair in the sink every other day and took sponge baths...result: I was cleaner and felt more human. I'd tried this before, but this time I did it regularly.
-I shopped at a new store: The Local Source Market. I've been trying to get us more local and organic foods, and this was a wonderful place to shop. The free-range bacon they sell is AMAZING.
Now that I've started doing these things, I really think I'll keep on doing them. The changes I made weren't radical, and they were ones I probably would have eventually made...but this assignment inspired me to get going on them. It just goes to show that outside of our everyday routines there are habits that are more supportive of the dreams we have and the life we want to live...if only we take the time to step outside our boxes and TRY them.
Oh, and P.S.: Last week's success tracker? I did it every day this week, and it has made a HUGE difference.
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