Gratitude

This Challenge thing is great - I am feeling good about this commitment as I have been keeping up with my challenges fairly well and building confidence with these weekly inspiration. Thank You so much to Deb!! Our Home Life Simplified assignment this week was to  incorporated Kindness and Gratitude into your daily routine. Once again I have ventured into my momcave to create - this time actually got my hands into it (felt so good to feel the paper and the glue!!) and created a Gratitude Journal.

I have spend a little time at the end of each day reflecting on 5 things that I am grateful to/for each day. Saying a little pray to God thanking him for each of them. And after making a conscience effort to do this each day I realize I am feeling a sense of calm. Peace.
Random acts of Kindness is a easy thing for me - I have long since learn that one of the things that gives me peace is doing something small like opening a door or helping someone with a small task makes me feel good inside. In our house RAK's (random acts of kindness) earn you feathers for your wings when you get to heaven. This week I have done some RAK's such as tape quarters to a pop machine so the next person can have a free pop - sent some "just thinking of you" cards, help the elderly at the grocery store etc. I love Deb's idea of leaving notes in a book at the library - going to have to do that one!

Once again I can't say enough how this challenge has calmed me. Peace.

May Peace be with you this week.

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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ Melanie

Fears

This weeks challenge was on Fear - Deb at Home Life Simplified has challenged us to honest with ourselves and face our fears. I fear I will never get over my snake fear - I seriously have a hard time breathing just seeing the snake on the children's animated movie Jungle Book. But some of the other fears I have identified with and I feel I can work on these - one way I use to give myself confidence is to use a mantra or saying - so I have found some that relate to my fears and one that relates to them all together.
 And the momcave is finished enough for me to start creating again -insert - one very happy mama -  Life is much better - so I have created a page:

I've posted my strength phrases around and on some days they help and on some days it is a challenge. But as long as I am continuing to move forward - I am facing them.

Do you have fears and how do you deal with them - I'd like to hear from you.


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(¸.•´ (¸.•´ Melanie

Letting Go . . .

This week Deb's challenge was as follows:

"Take time for some self reflection and see if there is anything in your life where changing your expectations / standards / approach could change your life. Is there something you can let go of  (or approach differently) that does not currently serve you?"

This week is starting out with a feeling of being overwhelmed easily -  I missed last weeks challenge by what I am sure was just the international date line - I have a list that doesn't end - I have a momcave that I am trying to simplify and still have a room full of stuff I can let go of - but have no room for it in the momcave. 

So the question arises "Is there something you can let go of or approach differently that does not currently serve you?"

Yes - I am blinded by a curtain of overwhelm - I need to update my daily decor of life - so i step back take a look at it - breathe - and say this is just a curtain - open it up to God's big beautiful life  - pick up one thing and deal with that - then pick up another. Pretty soon my curtain will look like a blind!!

The stuff that overwhelms me is really quite trivial - I just need to realize that at the moment. It is not the stuff that really matters in life.

Open the blinds and let the sun shine.

I feel better already - Thanks for listening.

Happiness Defined

I  have a favorite book titled  How We Choose To Be Happy

 by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks.

 I reread this book at least once a year - when I need to be grounded  in what makes me happy. The main theory is how we get to choose to be happy - and it covers the nine choices of truly happy people.

1. Intention

2. Accountability

3. Identification

4. Centrality

5. Recasting

6. Options

7. Appreciation

8. Giving

9. Truthfulness

 I go over this list when I am questioning my happiness and like I said grounds me  - I have no false happiness.

My list for what makes me happy is this:

My two beautiful children and everything about them - good and bad - God made them special and he gave them to me to rejoice in.

My soul-mate - we were created for each other

Taking care of my loved ones and friends doing things for others - this includes little stuff like helping with homework to washing the college girl clothes - I find great joy in doing things that make someones day a little easier. And that makes me happy

Creating - makes me very happy - it is part of the talents God gave me - and I enjoy using them

 Of course there is lot more that makes me happy - I am a find the happy in any situation kinda girl. But this is the root list - - I too am still trying to find my momcave - limiting my time on the computer - so this is a short post with no creative hands on artsy stuff to add - but I am still playing the challenge and it makes me happy for staying on task. 

Thanks for checking out my post and if the challenge interests you - join in over at Home Life Simplified- Its great and fun also if you are a reader check out How we Choose to be Happy  and great book and staple in my llife.

Have a Great Week and remember