Being fully alive!

We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.
~Charles Schaefer

50% Off...Little Hands Artwork!

As I have gone through this Search for Me in Mommy over the past 8 months, a lot has changed in my life.  One big change, that I announced on this blog a few months ago, is that I started a business - Little Hands Artwork!

This morning, when I checked the Little Hands Artwork Facebook page, it had just hit 100+ "LIKES"!!!
So I am CELEBRATING by offering a spectacular deal!

Anyone who orders a program by 11:59pm on Saturday, September 18, 2010 will get 50% off any CANVAS PRINT!

Just go to www.LittleHandsArtwork.com and check out the 3 different programs...

The Studio (for up to 8 pieces of artwork)

The Gallery (for 9-12 pieces of artwork)

The Museum (for 13-15 pieces of artwork)

You don't need to choose the pieces of artwork you want to use nor have gather the masterpieces today...

After you order the program, the 50% off coupon will be emailed directly to you

and it doesn't expire until December 31, 2010.

You could use this discount for

Fall & Winter Birthdays...Christmas...Hanukkah...New Years Gifts

or simply treat yourself!

Happy Shopping!

Battle Banana

I swore I wouldn't be that mom.  I knew that my kids would be good eaters.  Certainly if I just exposed them to all different kinds of food, they wouldn't be picky, whiny, or difficult at the dinner table.

Oh, Oh, Oh...I have SO eaten my words!  I am a mom of picky-eaters!  And, *gulp* that is incredibly hard to swallow!

They are SO picky, whiny, and fussy. 

Most meals, I don't even like eating with them!

Recently my 4 year old has been incredibly challenging!  It could be a perfectly prepared dinosaur-shaped chicken nugget, that he requested, and he will whine, "I don't want that..."

I refuse to be a short-order cook, knowing that I would just be encouraging the bad behavior.  So, he sits, at the table with his plate of Stegosauruses, T-Rex's, and Iquanadons FUSSING.

And, I HAVE TO HEAR IT.

He's been sent to our "fussy chair" to settle down and returns to the table only to begin the fussing again.

When it first started, I thought perhaps he was sick, or perhaps he was just over-tired, or perhaps just cranky, or perhaps....  But the meal-time-cranks, have been going on for at least one month...and that is a conservative estimate.

So, my heels are dug in.  And, the battle has begun.  This morning, it is the Battle Banana!

The banana - THAT. HE. ASKED. FOR.

I know that the whining, crying, and fussing will only get worse, before it gets better. 

I have gathered my gear - Patience (check),  Strength (check),  Focus (check) mixed with Love and Caring (check and check).

And, as he screams, for the 15th billion time "I don't want to eat my banana!"...I am trying to keep my anger in check.

Oh...and I have my MP3 player...

This time I might even have to use both ear buds!

Inspiration...

Ring the bells that can still ring.

Forget your perfect offering.

There is a crack in everything.

That's how the light gets in.

                                       ~Leonard Cohen




A big thank you to Amy Ahlers and Christine Arylo who included this inspiration in their Inner Mean Girl Reform School curriculum.  It reminds me to forget about perfection, and to embrace myself, cracks, flaws and all!

Your Night Blooming Cereus Moments...

A week or so ago, a neighbor stop by around 8:30pm in the evening.  He told my husband and I about a flower in his backyard.  The Night Blooming Cereus is a unique plant that blooms one time a year, at night, and the flower only last one night.  I was incredibly intrigued, so I grabbed my camera and headed over to witness this bizarre moment, compliments of Mother Nature.

 

When I first arrived, the flower was just beginning to open up.

 

 

And, about 45 minutes later, the flower had changed drastically...

 

Isn't it simply stunning?!!? Truly, a moment of brilliance!

 

This experience got me thinking more about moments of brillance - specifically of the human-kind. 

While, the Night Blooming Cereus is bold, obvious, and beautiful, I think that our moments of brilliance are more subtle and quiet.  Consequently, I think we have a hard time recognizing and celebrating our brilliance.

When is the last time you...

• Pushed through a challenging moment and saw the glory on the other side?
• Acted upon an inspired idea?
• Authentically shared yourself and built a connection with another person?
• Saw and encouraged the beauty and strength in someone else?
• Saw and encouraged the beauty and strength in yourself?
• Opened yourself up to new ideas, thoughts, and ways of doing things?
• Believed in and stood up for yourself, despite the fear of rejection?
• Failed, but continued to pursue and persist?
• Purposely stepped out of your comfort zone?
• Paid it forward?

Each of those times (plus many others) are your Night Blooming Cereus moments!  Moments where you showed and shared your beauty, your strength, and your gifts. 

Why not take this moment to celebrate yourself... 

 

Half Marathon Training...Self-Sabotage

We must be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.

~Unknown

 

ARGH!  I have been the queen of self-sabotage this week. 

Last week I did an 8 mile run/walk and it felt pretty good.  Then a day or two later I went out and did just over 3 miles and it felt HORRIBLE and I had to walk at the end...WTF?!!?  So between my "it's-the-first-week-of-school-for-the-kids excuse and not feeling positive or motivated, I have successfully done, basically, no training this week.

I know that I am doing this to myself...  It's all mental...

• I am overwhelmed by the concept of 13.1 miles
• I am disappointed that my vision of training for this half marathon has not been my reality
• I am frustrated that I haven't lost weight
• And, I know that I didn't really change my eating habits...probably the main reason why I haven't lost weight
• Plus, I have been trying to be in touch with my Inner Wisdom - but this week my Inner Mean Girl has camped out on my cranium, taking all other thoughts hostage and refuses to relinquish control...or maybe I am just being a little overly dramatic... 

 But the facts remain...I have paid my money, booked my flight, and hotel room, as has my husband, so regardless of my self-sabotage, I am doing this half marathon.

So I know I must move on - literally and figuratively.  This weekend, I have promised myself that I am doing a long run...err, a long run/walk.

I'd like to say "wish me luck"...but really it more about me just getting out there and DO IT!

When you feel like destroying something that you have worked on or worked for or worked toward - that is a sign that there is a need to press harder, to do more, to go past previous boundaries. It also represents that you are at the edge of succeeding.
~Gillian MacBeth-Louthan

27 days until the Half Marathon!

No Hailrails

Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.

~Melody Beattie, "Finding Your Way Home"