Bring On Lemons

Well, hello there! I missed you! I've been busy cleaning and packing and cleaning some more. The last few weeks have been crazy (in a good way) and I haven't found much time to touch base with anyone. I did tell my husband that the next time we move, I'll need a good tranquilizer or a case of wine about a week in advance, and just keep me 'on cloud nine' until everything is cleaned and organized and all the final papers have been signed. I enjoy moving believe it or not. This will be my 28th address in only 18 years, so I am no stranger to boxes, bins, tissue paper, bubble wrap, newspapers, and duct tape. However, this is the most stressful move to date. Of course I put the stress on myself, I know that...but moving with school age children is totally different than a single girl packing up throughout the night, loading up her hatchback, and taking up residence in a cozy new apartment. These children seem to unpack faster than I pack, dirty faster than I clean, ...

It’s not him…it’s me…reflective parenting A few years ago, someone provided me with their opinion about my parenting. From their vantage point, I clearly favored my daughter who is the oldest. The individual providing the advice felt that I didn’t give my youngest (my son) the same attention I gave his sister who was 14 months older. Most people would argue the case in the other direction. They would tell you that I baby my baby and have unrealistic expectations for my oldest. Regardless… Two children, two different personalities, and yet I love each of them with 110% of my being. That said – my son is very accustomed to getting his own way and he has my bad temper and short fuse. Today, I cut the bottom of his shirt off instead of arguing about the shirt being too long. It was then that I realized that it’s not him, it’s me. I give into him WAY more than I do with my daughter. It’s definitely not right and I will work on it. I’m all about root cause though – asking WHY – so… ...

Today's journaling lesson included an explanation of the mind body connection. Mari McCarthy writes: "You'll notice yourself feeling more relaxed after you journal, because you have just released tension that you may not have even known was there." (here is a link to her site if you'd like to learn more:) http://www.createwritenow.com/peace-of-mind-and-body---27-days-of-journaling-to-health--happiness/ Today's exercise was less of a journal entry and more about writing down things that cause you stress and then reflect on them and when you notice yourself getting stressed out, make a promise to yourself that you will stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and take ten breaths. As I like to keep this particular blog as upbeat and positive as possible, I am going to share with you a story about how my amazing husband deals with stress...he handles himself with such grace and composure that even the gravest or most stressful situations don't bother h...

I love getting emails from other authors asking if they can be a guest on the blog - and today is one of those days that makes me smile...because one of their stories is being published - check out the great blog story below, by Maria Hammel! (Thanks for the submission Maria!) Are We Really That Stressed? by Maria Hammel During the holiday season, I quite frequently hear on the news experts giving advice on reducing the “stress of the holidays”.  I’ve seen magazine article after magazine article about ways to handle the stress of our busy lives.  But what I never see is advice on changing the way we perceive what is going on around us.  Maybe we need to alter our perception of our world so that what is going on in your life is not stressful.  After all, aren’t things like the holiday season things we are suppose to enjoy?  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that stress does not exist.  We all have busy lives, between jobs, kids, and the occ...

Each day is a gift in and of itself. Each day is actually a two-fer...as in: the day is a gift, and the day brings you a gift. The key is finding the gift some days. Today we received some bad news about the farm transition and expansion. I won't go into details, but there were so many gifts buried beneath the superficial struggles throughout the day. The struggle: The cows were too hot and not milking much The gift: Mark got to spend time with his Dad putting together the sprinkler system The struggle: Financing problems we had not planned for The gift: a team of professionals on the county/state/and bank level who pulled together to help us understand what we can do moving forward to make this less problematic. The struggle: Finding time for engagement pictures The gift: We scheduled them...and it means we have an afternoon together (may not be the location or time of day we originally planned, but it will be perfect since we are together) The struggle: No help for mil...