Choose Happy

Ok, so a good lesson was relearned this week. It was a rough time for me with it being the Anniversary of the day my first son, Tyler passed away. Things happen and it is a sad time of year, however I also had a friend make a choice that really hurt me. I'm sure the hurt was a bit amplified by it's timing, but all the same I was very upset and teary.

So of course, the first wave of: I should just give up, this path is just not working, what is wrong with me and who needs the heartache. All negative, BAD thoughts and not the type of thoughts you want in your life. So I kept telling myself to try and find the positive, (besides that is what I'm always sharing with everyone else, so do it yourself). I tried...kinda and just could not find the positive in this situation. Now this was a funk I was in and a funk is NOT some place I want to be. It frustrated me even more that I was letting someone else make me feel this lousy...what?

A couple of days later it finally hit me! I CANNOT find the positive in the choice SHE made, but I CAN find HAPPY by focusing on me and my daily actions. I love to help others and do that the best way I can, but in the end what others do is out of my hands I am the only one/thing that I can control. In fact, this morning this concept was driven a bit further as I was working out to ChaLean Extreme and in the middle of the workout she says "you need to focus on you...don't worry about what someone else has done, focus only on you" (hmmm, how does she do that?) What a great lesson to remember and to pass along to our children.

I don't run into these situations very often as an adult, but goodness, our kids have so many of these situations heading their way as they continue through these school years. So it was good to let them know that people will do and say things that hurt, and it is ok to be hurt and to feel angry, but then we need to let it go and move on with what we can control...ourselves. Even as an adult if the people around you are not helping you to be a better person, are negative or are hurtful, it is time to tighten that circle of friends. We become the average sum of the 5 people we hang around with the most. When you think back to past friendships or work relationships do you see how you may have been a bit of a different person at times then you are now? When you think of what the people were like that you had to spend the majority of your time with, can you see how you became similar to them? I good lesson to be reminded of, for sure!

A Great Snack to Fuel Your Body!

With the kids having NeSA testing this week it got me to thinking about good fuel food! We discussed the importance of a good nights sleep and a good healthy breakfast so they would be ready for testing. We all remember these tests from when we were in school. Complete silence in the room, reading the passages and answering the questions and coloring in the correct circles on your answer sheet., etc. Easily, one can become unfocused, start daydreaming, drift off, and become very sleepy. So good fuel for the mind & body is in order! You are going to LOVE IT!

This is great fuel, is so addictive & it is filling too!

You will want to keep it with you always,

in your purse,

the car,

the kid's sports bags

EVERYWHERE!

Ingredients

* 2 cups baby pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

* 1 cup slivered almonds

* 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

* 6 tablespoons Pure Grade B maple syrup (I used Grade A because that is what I had)

* Coarse salt

* 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sunflower seeds and the syrup until evenly coated. Spread the nuts and seeds out, in an even single layer, on the lined baking sheetsand season with salt to taste. Bake the nuts, stirring several times with spatula or wooden spoon, until just golden, about 20 minutes.

Cool the nuts completely on the pan, then add the cherries & toss to combine. Store cooled trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson, 2009 - Pumpkin Seed Dried Cherry Trail Mix

SPRING Cleaning!

Oh the sunshine, the warmer temperatures, tulips poking up through the ground...Yes Spring is HERE! We started the first day of Spring at church...we usually go to 10:45 service, but yesterday we went to the 9:30 service so we would have more time to enjoy this day. After coming home the kids tackled their bedrooms cleaning and organizing and yes even went through their closets. I can't believe there wasn't any moaning or groaning, just music coming from their rooms as they worked away! Spring affects everyone's attitude! Yippee!

After they had worked so hard on their rooms we decided to go to Chalco Hills for a nice walk around the lake with the dog. It was beautiful! We had a great time visiting, playing, racing, just being outdoors and getting in that exercise. After our walk we came back home, the kids continued playing outside and I came in to begin supper. We got in a few games of Yahtzee then dad got home. I sat down and relaxed and it was now his turn to be active and play.

I knew once we stopped and went for our walk that the organizing would halt for the rest of they day. That was fine, the time spent together outdoors was completely worth it. However, through out this week our goal is to continue getting organized. Now have you heard that being organized can help you lose weight? Well, let me tell you after organizing for a few hours yesterday I still look pretty much the exact same as I did before, however, I can see where the idea comes from and how it could work. Let's dive into this just a bit.

When your home is cluttered you feel out of control and we all know that losing weight is about being IN CONTROL. You need to be in control of what you eat and the amount of exercise you are do. So having your home organized gives you a sense of control in you LIFE. Hmmm see a correlation here?

When we are not organized we then run into situations like: I can't find my car keys, it's time to leave for baseball practice and we are still searching for a pair of cleats, school is about to begin and now you get handed the note you need to sign along with sending money...sound familiar? Please say yes, I don't want to think it is only me running around like this! Yes, this is my family I am describing to you. I told you we are working on the healthy family recipe...we have not figured it out yet!

Ok, so situations like what was mentioned above cause STRESS! Oh yes STRESS! So when we invite stress into our lives, it causes us to eat more, it causes our bodies to hold onto weight, and it does not make for a pleasant family environment. So I am beginning to see how organization relates to weight loss/gain.

Now Nobody's perfect and who wants to be absolutely clean & organized? Where's the fun in that? There is no need to lead a sterile life as life is for LIVING, but disorganization can cross the line...that's what I'm talking about.

I know what some of you are thinking...I DON'T HAVE TIME! We work long hours, we run to the kids' activities, cooking, laundry, dishes etc., I understand that completely, but again remember this is about you being in control! So choose something, a drawer, a cupboard, a closet and give yourself the week to organize it. It doesn't have to ALL get done today or tomorrow, just get started. After cleaning that first drawer you will feel more in control, you will feel like you just gave yourself a treat (a treat with zero calories) and you will be ready to move onto the next item on the agenda!

I know you can do it! Take Charge! You are Worth It! Get the Family Involved, the kids will have a huge sense of accomplishment from this too! Good Luck with your Spring Cleaning!

(don't forget to follow this blog or leave a comment...I want to know what you think)

Getting Creative

This weekend was so enjoyable. We got a little creative as a family this weekend. (well minus one child, as he was off enjoying time with his best friend and we ALL know spending quality time with a best friend is Extremely important!) So Curt, Nick, Kati and myself went to the "It's Yours Pottery" place and had some fun. Now yes, this ended up being a bit of a splurge and I am sure many of you could come up with great family crafting ideas to do at home...we, on the other hand, needed someone who had it planned out and we could just go for it & get it done. It seems like so little time is available on the weekends, with Curt's schedule & the kids' activities, that this is what worked for us! Planning crafting time at home hasn't always been my strong suit. I have tried many times & it happened more when the kids were younger, we always had fun, but it was SO NICE to enjoy the painting and then leave all of the clean up to someone else. Smile, Wink, Grin!

Kati, Nick & myself each got a plate and got to work, each of us with something completely different in mind. We were having fun picking out our paint colors and beginning. Then we wondered where on earth Curt was? Of course, he was up visiting with one of the employee's about his design. By the time he finally began working on his coffee mug, the rest of us were more than half way done. I do have to admit, my computer geek husband came up with a wonderful coffee mug and I can't wait to post a picture when we get to pick them up next week. Yes, my computer man made an "iCup" with the Apple logo...love it.

It was so nice spending the time together and in the process were making something that we will always have to remember this day together. The kids are already asking if they can go back and make something else. (Need to put a jar on the counter to collect our change for the next trip to It's Yours Pottery)

Bullying

Question: How many of you visit with your kids about bullying? How often? Have you had to deal with any instances?

This is a topic we discuss quite often in my home. There are two things that really get under my skin and it is bullying and leaving someone out just to be mean. My kids have known this since they were very little. When I did daycare in my home and we ran into situations where some kids were leaving others or someone out they found out quite quickly that this was completely unacceptable in my home and of course still is.

This week I saw a situation happen outside as kids were walking home from school. It involved 3 kids that were hanging out together, then as another child was approaching them on his/her way home from school 1 of the 3 kids decided to scare & chase after him/her. I flew out of my house to stop it & to make sure the one child was safe. My kids were home at this time and saw what happened, listened to what I had said etc.

Now after coming back inside it is time to visit with my kids about the situation we just saw occur. There were two things to teach in regards to this situation; one, of course, being the actual bullying that occurred and how wrong it is to make someone feel afraid and how it made us feel to see that. The other teaching aspect was about the two kids that were hanging out with the bully & although they did not participate in the chasing & scaring they just watched and did & said nothing to their "friend" who was behaving this way. They even hung out and waited for him to come back.

So I am really hoping to get some feedback on this topic. I know that these issues are huge these days, especially with cyber bullying. The social network makes it SO EASY for kids who get mad at someone to then type it on a social media site for all to see. Now kids are kids and they are going to get upset with each other and they are going to say things that are not so nice. I'm sure each of us remember going through this growing up, hearing that so & so is saying this or that about us and it was devastating. I can't imagine coming home to see it typed out in black & white staring you in the face. I just hope that casually talking about it will help them to then talk about it when and if it does happen to them.

So comments, thoughts, idea's, suggestions??? Would love to hear from you. Maybe you think I'm just WAY overreacting or maybe you are have the same concerns. I am welcoming any point of view. Just be nice and No Bullying!

Girls on the Run!

Thomas Elementary is finally participating in The Girls On The Run Program. I am so excited for this. This is a program to help young girls with self-esteem, body image, self-confidence etc., and also train for a 5k run. Kati had her first day of GOTR Monday. She absolutely LOVED it, she talked about everything they did and the other girls in the program. I love seeing her passion for this, she is so excited to do the run in May. She talked me into going out and buying some fun running clothes and as you can see in the pictures she is a "tad" bit excited...ok, the excitement is oozing out of every pore in her body. What is exciting to me is seeing her journey and confidence build. She was a girl that has really been painfully shy most of her life and this year she has broke out of her shell. She has a wonderful teacher who has made her feel extremely comfortable and I will never forget the day she came home during that first month of school and said "I really feel like I can be 'myself' in Mrs. Shickert's class." WOW! That was a huge moment. Now GOTR is bringing "her" personality & confidence out even more and it makes my heart smile. When we went shopping for some shorts and running shoes she also brought her personality by picking out these long socks that she is wearing in the pictures. I love that she having fun and has the confidence to wear what she wants and feels good about it. One more thing to make this even better is we now have more wonderful mother/daughter moments as we get to run together. Bring on the nice weather I have plans with my baby girl!

Check out their website and maybe get GOTR into your school!

By the way...Kati came home today from her second day of GOTR and we talked...or I should say she talked with me for at least 20 minutes about what they did, what they learned, what she will do in certain situations etc., she was so excited and speaking so fast it was almost hard to catch it all. lol

Let's play a Drinking Game

WATER...we all know it is so good for us, the only liquid our body really, truly craves, yet so many of us have an extremely difficult time getting in our daily amount. I know not everyone struggles with this, I have a great friend who LOVES water and never has to "try" to get the correct amount throughout the day, however I have more friends that see this "water intake thing" as a huge struggle.

So let's have some fun and play a drinking game. Oh I know you remember those days...way back when or maybe just last weekend...this time however we are using water. Smile...Wink (I have friends who stay at home/work from home and friends that go to an office...I want everyone to play...my mama always told me to include all and never leave anyone out...so we need rules for both places.)

Object of the game: Drink all of your water & have fun doing it

"Drink" means a good swig or two of your water

"Kill It" means you finished what you have in your glass

AT HOME

1. You get on facebook - Drink

2. You get an email - Drink

3. You let the dog out - Drink

4. You let the dog in - Drink

5. The buzzer on the dryer goes off - Drink

6. You mean to turn off the t.v., but accidently don't & watch an hour of Golden Girls. - Kill it

7. You get a call from your kids school. - Kill it

8. You are watching the Disney channel and finally realize the kids have left the room and you are the only one watching it -Drink Twice

9. You pick up dirty socks - Drink

10. Text your friends or post "SOCIAL" - Everyone drinks

AT THE OFFICE

1. The person in the cube behind you lurks over your shoulder to see your computer - Drink

2. You lose the call you transfer or the transfer to you is lost - Drink

3. Finish a project - Drink Twice

4. The boss emails you to "come see me" - Kill it

5. Pick someone not playing from another department. Anytime he walks into your game room rest your chin on your fist (as if thinking) the last person to do this - Drinks

6. First person to "break the seal" and head to the restroom, before you go. - Kill it

7. Look at the clock...should have been out the door 5 minutes ago - Drink

8. Can't find the paper you just put on your desk - Drink

9. The copier jams, or their is a line at the copy machine - Drink

10. You get a call from your kids' school - Kill it

Have Fun!!! Share this with your friends and get started on that water!

(adapted from Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat?)