Getting Creative

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"Creativity is not in competition with anyone else or anything else - it is happy just to be what it is"


I recently took my girls to the book store. They both had gift cards they wanted to use. Whenever I go into Chapters or Indigo I LOVE to head over to the clearance/bargain books section. To be honest, it is where I like to go to browse for hidden gems and I am often successful. It is where I found Mike Dooley's book Choose Them Wisely. I picked it up for $4.99. Great price! If you have never read this book you need to pick it up. It is a collection of messages from the Universe or inspirational quotes, passages and mantras. I LOVED it and often pick it up as a fresher. I even have many, many pages in the book dog eared or marked so that I can go right to them when I need inspiration. If you are not familiar with Mike Dooley and his website TUT.com  you should check him out and sign up for his messages from the Universe. They are emails that come daily to your inbox and they are truly inspirational.


So this time while I was cruising the bargain book shelves I noticed this book..

It is almost like the Universe sent this book to me. You see I am working on launching something pretty cool, I think. It all has to do with getting creative. It is all about creating amazing content and creating an amazing life.

 STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS VERY SOON!

So naturally I snapped up this book. It is small and mighty! There some amazing statements, quotes, tips and tricks to find your way to creativity. A real gem for sure.

It was the right book at the right time for me. A message from the Universe for sure. 


Have you ever had a message from the Universe speak right to you? Have you ever had something happen to you when the time was just perfect... exactly what you needed at the time you needed it? 

It is all about YOU!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. 

                   There is no one alive who

                        is Youer than You.” 

Dr. Seuss


This quote comes from his book Happy Birthday To You

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dr_seuss.html#xRSDqgPudSYYoOPy.99

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dr_seuss.html#xRSDqgPudSYYoOPy.99

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/dr_seuss.html#xRSDqgPudSYYoOPy.99

I. AM. BEAUTIFUL.

Take a minute to watch this great video put together by the fantastic Laura Berg of My Smart Hands. 


Some really fantastic women took part in this project.

This just makes me DANCE!!

This is the song from the 2014 Joe Fresh commercials. 

It is so catchy!

Anna Ihlis "Dance" official video

Wise Words

“No one can make you feel inferior without 

 your consent.”

 

Eleanor Roosevelt

Are You Happy?

Are you happy?

I LOVE this song. It just makes me feel happy. Does it make you feel happy too? 

But does feeling happy really mean you are happy? 

I think being happy is a complex thing.... it is simple and yet not all at the same time.  I think that we sometimes fall into the trap of what should make us happy. I mean that many people think the big PERFECT house, the perfect yard, a car, vacations, the perfect child/children and well, perfection, are all the things that represent a happy life. Let's face it, go on to Facebook or Pinterest and you will see status updates and photos showing people living what appears to be a perfect life. Is it real? That is a good question. Does it mean these people are happy? I don't know. Maybe.

I really think being happy means finding what makes YOU happy. It isn't about what other people are doing. It isn't about what other people have but what really makes you happy. You can't compare yourself to anyone else. It has to be about you. As the title of James Alchuter's books says "Choose Yourself", you have to choose yourself and be happy with what you are and have in order to be truly happy in my opinion. 

And that is the key to happiness I believe. It is learning to be grateful for everything you have RIGHT NOW! The only way to move toward better and brighter things is to see how your life is truly filled with great things now and by doing that more great things will be drawn into your life.

Action For Happiness recently posted a piece on the 10 Keys to Happier Living. Among the ten keys is taking a positive approach to life. Positive emotions - like joy, gratitude, contentment, inspiration, and pride -  do more than just make you feel great at the time. Recent research shows that regularly experiencing them creates an 'upward spiral', helping to build our resources.

Am I happy? I am happy but there are still things I am not happy with. It isn't that I am unhappy. I love my family, my husband and my children. I love that I get to create content and write every single day. I am learning to be happy about the things that I want to change. It is a journey. The path to complete happiness is never ending in my opinion. You take steps every single day along the path. It isn't about perfection and I often have to remind myself of that. Happiness is being grateful for everything life hands you every single day. 

 
What makes you Happy? 



What are you grateful for today?

March Break... there is excitement in the air

Today is the first official day of March Break for my kids. 

"WOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHooooooooooooo",  screamed the children.

OK, that is from me too! 

This is my week to sleep in. And I am loving it already. As I have mentioned more than a few times, I work late. I don't get home from work until about 1:15 a.m. When the kids are in school it means getting up early in the morning to get the kids up and out the door for school. I usually only get about four to five hours of sleep most nights, except during March Break and summer vacation. Those days I get to sleep in and it is glorious. Yes, glorious. My children are old enough now to be self sufficient in the morning. They have been taught well. They have been taught not to wake up Mom early. They get up in the morning and are allowed to go downstairs to watch a movie and have breakfast. They usually get at least one movie in before the need to get me up. That need usually comes in the form of a fight (or more like bickering).


Today was a lazy first day. The kids (and Mom) stayed in their PJ's until late in the afternoon. There has already been a long list of movies watched and many more still to come. 

Tomorrow, the kids are going to go to a local shop for a gardening workshop. They are very excited. There will also no doubt be a lot of hanging out with friends this week. 

Here are a few of my March Break survival tips....

1. Be Flexible
I try not to plan too much for the week. This is for two reasons; my sanity and the kid's sanity. I am still working this week so I don't want to have too much on my plate during the day. I also think that if we do too much then the kids burn out or melt down and then no one has fun. I like the kids to have a chance to unwind during March break.

2. Have Fun
This is so important. The whole point of planning activities for the kids is so that everyone has fun. It is a chance for the kids (and Mom) to let loose.

3. Get Active
OK, I know this is not exactly what we did today. Today was all about tips number one and two; having fun and being flexible! There is always so much to do this week that gets everyone outside. Today the weather where we live was beautiful. After spending much of the day on the couch, the kids did get outside to scooter, hang with friends and enjoy the sunshine. There is nothing like fresh air to keep everyone happy and healthy.


What are you and your kids doing this March Break? 

What are your March Break survival tips? I would love to hear them, please leave me a comment and share!