Life Tips

Hello all~ I just read this on a friend's blog ... so true.  I think that I'll have to revisit this post very often.  It blends in well with my own "happiness project". 

40 Tips for a Better Life - 2010

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2009.
7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants. Eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime .
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. (This, too, shall pass.)
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life, so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
40. Please forward this to everyone you care about. (Instead, I blogged the list!!!)

Just Thinking Aloud ...

Amazing my excitement when I found this on our photographer's website last week.  It's our family!  It's our summer photo session - ok - some people think I am over reacting about it but I think it is sooo cool.  Our pictures came out good enough to use for promotional purposes?  Holy cow!  I am amazed - I am humbled - I am downright excited as heck!  I always thought I had the cutest kids on the block and the most beautiful family but our photographer thinks were hot stuff too.  LOL 

Had a great weekend.  Saturday we went out to dinner at a fabulous steakhouse.  SweeTart made it almost to the end ... she started having a few minor meltdowns before Dinoboy had a wrestling match on Sunday so we missed church and Sunday school but were able to have a relaxing afternoon afterwards.  The kids were excited because the Husband was going on an overnight trip to the John Deere plant in NC on Monday and supposed to be coming home today - a quick trip.  Yesterday, Mother Nature had other plans though.  After waiting patiently in the airport for a few hours, their flight to NC was finally cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.  Better safe than sorry!  I am not sure who was more excited to have him home last night: the kids or me?  (I am pretty sure it was me!!)

Three short list items for January

Hey there - I have decided that I have three other short list items for January.  They're easy:  1) no slouching - literally - sit up straight, tummy tight; 2) use my DEMY and 3) use my crock pot more often, for something more exciting than chili or taco soup.

Sitting up straight is just a given.  I often find myself slouched over, hands in front of my belly like I'm in pain or something.  Not true.  Just comfy.  But I am sure that I can be just as comfy sitting up straight, with correct posture.  I can only benefit from it in the long run and I don't look like I was just punched in the stomach either.  Win/Win situation.  Now to implement it .... starting .... now.  If you see me slouching, remind me please.  (Thanks to my loving husband for often pointing my slouching out!  Keep up the good work and keep me in line, please.)

My DEMY is an electronic cook book whick links up to a personal account on KeyIngredient.com.  It is very cool.  With Keyingredient.com, you can either search their site for user input recipes or you can enter your own recipes onto the website.  You create your own personal "cookbooks" however you want to arrange them.  I think so far, I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails.  I don't have many of my own recipes entered but I did hi-jack some recipes from a recipe site which gave Weight Watchers point information for each of the recipes.  Its just a matter of deciding what to include and doing it.  Using the DEMY is easy but that means I would have to PLAN dinner.  Something I'm not very good at.  I guess that could go on my list for next month.  I will have to put some thought into that one.

Lastly, my crock pot.  I love the crock pot.  I am clueless on how to best utilize it's convenience.  I've only made a few things in the past few months in it and they've generally resulted in either chili or taco soup.  Nothing over the top - nothing crazy - nothing .... different.  I have my eyes peeled for good crock pot recipes.  Does anyone have any to get me started?  Using the crock pot during our busiest nights (Mon, Wed and Thurs) would be a Godsend ... although Monday is taco night at our house and any type of deviation from that gets me in a world of trouble from DinoBoy.  Let the crock pot recipe search begin ... resume ... continue ...

2010 - A Year of Challenges

Although we're already past the mid-way mark into the first month of the new year, Happy New Year! Best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy and safe 2010.

2009 was a year of challenges in our household, to say the least. Those challenges have put a great many things into perspective and caused growth that I didn't know was even possible at this point in my life. Without getting into the nitty gritty, I am thankful for the growth opportunities yet looking forward to a new year with a clean slate and plenty of more growing, learning and loving.

On this note, I am reading a new book, called The Happiness Project. It is the story of how one woman searches for her happiness. This is not to say that she is not happy in her life already but that she's reached a point where she wants to know "can I be happier?" and devises a plan, after extensive research on the subject of happiness, of how she can be happier by doing different things each month in order to be happier. They're not life altering goals but little by little she is striving toward smaller goals which make not only her, but those around her happier as well.

While I have not finished her book, but I intend to quite soon, I know that I want to embark upon this journey as well. Let's start with what might not always be as obvious as I want it to be: I am not unhappy. I love my husband, my kidlets, my dogs, my house, my work, my friends and family. I think that there is room in my life for more happiness. The way I figure it, the more I have, the more I emit, the more I can give to those around me who may not be quite as happy as they want to be.

I haven't come up with an entire short list of goals yet, but I can tell you that one of my January goals will be to update my blog more often than quarterly. Last year my blog was sadly forgotten in the hubub of life, even though it is one of my ways of releasing stress - talking about my day's journey or my week's journey ... it was pushed to the wayside because I thought there were other, more important things that needed to be done.

So, today is the first of my many new blog entries. Sit back and enjoy the happiness, confusion and craziness that has become a part of the daily life in our household. Feel free to give your comments, I love to see them.

Happy Hump Day!