Wise Words Wednesday: Uninspired

"When you've got nothing, the only place to go is up. When you're feeling uninspired, you're simply unrestrained. Try and make something stupid. Take another shot at a project you've done before. It doesn't matter that you feel uninspired. When you do things anyway, the inspiration will follow." ~ Justin David Cox, Designer

Yep, the above pics pretty much sums up how my year is going so far - lots of nose picking and lounging in bed staring at my phone. Ha! But really, 2013 is already so strange. Usually when a new year rolls around I hit the ground running on resolutions, regenerated by the prospect of a clean slate. This year, however, I am just letting the flow of everyday life carry me along, doing what I can just to make it through each day in one piece. The crazier thing is that I'm super happy about this. I've reached a lull where I feel utterly unmotivated and uninspired yet completely at peace with it. I'm just doing my thang, enjoying time with my fam, and focusing on just being happy. That being said, I could still go for a little inspiration right about now. I have projects to get done and very little brain power to do anything but live in the moment. Oh well.

How are you feeling in this new year? We're already two weeks in and I still haven't recovered from the holidays! 

Wise Words Wednesday: Time to Wake Up

"The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living the life of your dreams today, in every little way you possibly can." ~ Mike Dooley

I'm sitting in silence at home on my lunch break. The Christmas tree is gone. The house is clean. My kids are at daycare and my hubby is at work. January 2nd is always an interesting day. I consider it the real 1st day of the new year. The holidays are officially over and it's time to get back to life, back to reality.

My mind is in a fog. I drove to work this morning on busy streets. Kids were freezing at school bus stops and the drive-through line at Starbucks wrapped around the building. At work this morning the buzz of the office totally threw me off. Everyone is back from vacation and busy, busy, busy getting caught up and settled back in to the work mindset. I'm not quite there yet.

January 2nd is like waking up from a dream. For a couple of weeks we get to live in a world of holiday joy, extended family time, and glutenous ways. But now? Now we're awake. Now it is time to re-focus. For me, I feel more pressure than ever (from myself, of course) to work hard and to start making things happen in my life. I'm just having a little bit of a tough time waking up.

How are you feeling on this 1st Wednesday of the new year? Ready to get going on those resolutions yet or are you taking a break this year, like me?

Side note: How cute are my kiddos? I've been getting some great shots of them in the bath lately via the ever-wonderful Instagram (@dreamstodo).

Wise Words Wednesday: Room for Everyone

"Do what you love. Do what makes your heart sing. And never do it for the money. Don't go to work to make money; go to work to spread joy." ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love

Image via Volume Twenty Five

One thing that we all have in common is the desire to be happy. A big factor in our happiness is spending our precious time doing things that we love to do and surrounding ourselves with people we love to be around. This is powerful information. This is an easy formula for happiness. Then why is it SO hard for us to do?

For me, I have a super hard time truly believing that if I just focus on doing what I love I will be able to make enough money to be happy. But I keep reading and hearing inspirational stories of people following their hearts and going for their dreams and becoming successful. So, obviously it is doable. But like me, I think so many people just can't grasp this concept. We let the days pass in jobs that we're just content in because we feel stuck - we don't believe in our full potential. Sad stuff.

With a new year just around the corner I plan on working towards just doing what I love - whatever that may be. I want it ingrained in my soul. I want to believe in myself enough to know that doing what makes me happy (& figuring out exactly what that is) will allow everything else in my life to fall into place. I won't be driven by money. I will be driven by passion. Life is too dang short.

Have any of you started thinking about New Years resolutions yet? Personally, I'm over them. I just want to focus on being the best I can be. Does my cheesiness make you sick? I swear I'm not really as mushy gushy as a lot of my writing makes me seem. :-) Ha!

Comparison to Compassion

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." ~ Dalai Lama

This blog post came to me in the shower this morning (where a lot of my deep thoughts come from - ha!). I was thinking about how one of my biggest stumbling blocks and barriers in life is the issue of comparing myself to others. We all do it and I know I'm not alone, but it still isn't easy to admit. I mean, in today's world how can you NOT compare what you have or what you don't have to other people? Is this just an American thing? Was it an issue for our parents and our grandparents and our great-grandparents when they were growing up? Or is it just us? Today?

I hate that I do it. I hate that I see someone with something I want and think that they are better than me. It totally brings me down! Because the truth is, they aren't better than me and I'm not better than them. We are all just people trying to make it in the world. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. And the one thing we could all use a little more of is compassion.

So I thought, what if we could turn our thoughts of COMPARISON into thoughts of COMPASSION? Instead of taking a judgemental view on others and ourselves, we take a compassionate view. For example, say I'm envying the work-from-home blogging mom who runs her own business and seems to have the perfect life (totally a stretch, right? ha!). Well, instead of feeling envious of her and sorry for myself, I need to CHOOSE to be compassionate. I'm sure that momma has her days when she feels like she can barely hold it all together - days when she's busting at the seams and thinks she could snap. Days that are exactly like the days that I have. The days that we ALL have.

Compassion literally means "to suffer together with." It sounds a little depressing, but it is one of the most comforting things to know - to know that others can relate to our pain, our stress, our heartache, our strife. We are all in this crazy race together and we need to lean on each other instead of judging and comparing each other.

Okay, well I think that's enough of my deep, rambling thoughts for today. :-)

Wise Words Wednesday: Give & Take

"Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~ Alan Lakein

As you become and adult, and even more so when you become a parent, life morphs into a careful game of time management. It's all about finding the balance between work and play while taking care of your family and yourself. This requires a little bit of give and take.

Last week a Bar Method studio opened up down the street from my work (you may remember that I talked a little about it here).  I purchased a 45 day unlimited class pass and I've taken 4 classes so far. And guess what? I love LOVE love it! (Crossing off another Dream To Do right now!) If you have the opportunity to try out a Bar Method class, I highly recommend it. They are a little bit spendy, but SO worth it. I swear my bum is already firmer and more "lifted." :-)

So, in order to fit some fitness into my life I've had to make some sacrifices. I'm taking the classes on my lunch breaks - a time when I normally blog or run errands or tidy up the house. Because of this, our pile of laundry is out of control (but, isn't it always?) and my blogging and blog reading has fallen behind a little. I'm staying up a little bit later at night and getting less sleep to make up for this. But, I still feel great and know that my body is screaming THANK YOU to me.

Every day I feel like I'm getting closer to mastering the art of time management in my life. It is all about experimenting and finding a balance that works for you and your family. Your schedule doesn't have to be consistent, it just has to work.

Wise Words Wednesday: Dog-Like

“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not." ~ John Grogan

I'm finding myself feeling rather blah and uninspired this week. The weather is cold and dreary and I'm fighting, yet again, another head cold. I'm home on my lunch break and was greeted by a very happy little chihuahua who danced around my feet and bathed my face in wet kisses. I let him outside to do his business and when he came back in he ran straight for our bedroom and nestled himself in under the covers.

Oh, what a life.

Sometimes I wish I was a dog. So much happiness from the littlest of things and not a care in the world. Seeing Billy today got me thinking about how dogs can be good role models for humans. I mean, take the above quote for instance. They are professionals when it comes to appreciating the simple things in life and loving unconditionally. Something we should all learn to do a little more of.

Wise Words Wednesday: Memories

"I think the only reason people hold onto memories so tight is because memories are the only things that don't change; when everybody else does." ~ Unknown

One year ago...


The mind is an amazing thing. One minute we can be looking ahead, imaging and planning for all that is to come in our life, and the next second we can relive a moment we experienced ages ago via our memories.

Earlier this week I wrote about how I've been feeling excitement over future happenings in my life. What's funny is that at the same time, this week has been one full of reminiscing. With Landon's 1st birthday only days away, it's hard not to think about where we were one year ago (due date pumpkin patch post!) and how much our life has drastically changed.

One of my favorite things about this blog is my ability to look back on old posts I've written. It's so much fun to see how much my kiddos have changed and even to see how much my thoughts/opinions have changed over time. And even better, it allows me to remember moments that I otherwise may have totally forgotten.

One year ago yesterday was my due date with Landon. I can still remember what it felt like to have him in my belly and the stress and excitement I was experiencing knowing he could make his appearance at any moment. And now? Now he's a happy, busy almost-one-year-old. He's so much more than I ever imagined (in a good way!) and I'm so grateful for the memories I have with him already and the many more to come.

Wise Words Wednesday: The Art of Living

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both." ~ James A. Michener

This quote, my friends, sums up my life goal and my hopes for each and every one of you. I mean, who doesn't want to find the ultimate balance in their life... one in which there is no distinction between work and play?

I'm in a very optimistic up-swing in my life right now. Feeling grateful for ALL of it. And I believe that slowly, bit by bit, I am learning to master the art of living.

More to come on this.

Happy Hump Day! :)

Wise Words Wednesday: Gratitude

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." ~ Melody Beattie

I've posted about gratitude before and I have a feeling this won't be the last time I bring it up - it is such a CRUCIAL component of a happy life and something I constantly have to remind myself to take action on.

I've been super busy, busy, busy the last couple of weeks. A lot going on in my life and a lot going on in my head. My family has been sick and my work load is larger than ever. By the time I find a few minutes for myself, it has been to compose a blog post and then hit the sack. My Google reader feed is out of control.

But, this is not me complaining.

I've acknowledged the chaos in my life. Last week at work I started feeling sorry for myself at one point and I stopped what I was doing, took a deep breath, and mentally slapped myself in the face. I chose to replace the garbage in my head with these thoughts...

I am so grateful that...
my kids are healthy and happy, even if they do have nasty colds.
I have a job.
my husband knows how to, and actually loves, to cook dinner.
I have a warm, safe home.
I can afford this $5 latte I'm drinking.
my friends and family are THE BEST!
I'm not hungry.
I'm alive.

My perspective instantly shifted. Sure, I was still stuck in the middle of chaos, but I was able to get through it easier and more enjoyably.

I don't think anyone is perfect in the gratitude department. We all struggle with selfishness every once in a while. But, if we're aware of this, it allows us to shift our thinking. Cool beans.

1 year

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering” ~ Ben Okri

I remember one year ago today just like it was yesterday. My belly was stretched to the max with 36 weeks of pregnancy and my heart felt like it was crumbling into a million pieces. I spent most of the day sobbing into our couch pillows after hearing the news that our dear friend Mike, my best friend's hubby, had lost his 5 month battle with cancer.

I can't believe it's been one year.

It's a crazy thing, life and death. It's insane how someone so amazing, so full of love, so inspirational, with endless amounts of potential and zeal for life can be snatched away from us so quickly. And the craziest thing about it all is that while we feel like our world has shattered around us, life doesn't stop.

The mail is still delivered.
Our favorite shows still air on TV.
The dog still needs to be fed.
The buzz of the city still exists.

I try to think of this in moments when I'm riding the back bumper of the car in front of me which is going 10 miles under the speed limit and I'm just about to lay on the horn. What if that person driving just suffered a loss? What if the speed limit is the last thing they're thinking about because their world is crashing down around them? I think it's good to seek an unselfish perspective on life whenever we feel our frustration kicking in over silly little things.

This is what Mike taught me. This is what grieving over his loss continues to remind me. It is SO not worth stressing out over little insignificant things. And watching Jessica, my BFF (love ya girl!), pick herself up and continue to ride the wave of life after losing her soul mate has been the most inspiring and encouraging thing of all. My petty little problems are NOTHING.

Life is a funny thing. We like to think we have all the answers, but we don't. No one does. All we have to go off is faith. Faith in something bigger than all this. Personally, I have faith that Mike is in a better place - a place far exceeding even our wildest dreams.

If you feel like being inspired, read the CaringBridge journal update that my BFF Jessica just posted on Mike's page. You can find it HERE.

Wise Words Wednesday: Shine

"It's about letting God's light shine through us. It's about a sparkle in people that money can't buy. It's an invisible energy with visible effects. To let go, to just love, is not to fade into the wallpaper. Quite the contrary, it's when we truly become bright. We're letting our own light shine." ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love

I am still reading Marianne Williamson's A Return To Love and I keep falling more and more in love with it. She has such a beautiful way of putting things in perspective.

I feel like so many of us, myself included, spend time just trying to blend in. To fit in with the crowd. To not draw attention to ourselves. We just want to be accepted.

But, we weren't created to just blend in. We were created to shine. To love. To grow. To share our existence with the world.

Just a little something to think about today. :-)

Wise Words Wednesday: Workout

"Wow, I really regret that workout!" ~ No one. Ever.

Image via Design By Rita K (please pin from source, thanks!)

If you know me or you've been following my blog for a while then you know that I struggle with working out. I struggle with finding the time, but even more so I struggle with motivation. Not to mention that I just have never liked working out or any form of physical exercise. Ever.

On Monday I took my first ever Bar Method class. And let me tell you, it kicked my ace! If you aren't familiar with the Bar Method, it "integrates the fat burning format of interval training, the muscle shaping technique of isometrics, the elongating principles of dance conditioning, and the science of physical therapy to create a revolutionary new workout that quickly and safely reshapes your entire body." It is serious business people!

My friend Mary is training to be a Bar Method instructor at a new studio that will open this fall. So, she has been teaching practice classes and I got to take one. Two days later and I am still sore. But ya know what? I loved it! And I loved how it made me feel afterwards. I was so proud of myself for surviving the class and every sore muscle that I still feel 2 days later is proof that I got a good workout. I am super excited for the studio to open in a couple months! It is just right down the street from my work, so I can take classes over my lunch break. Maybe I'll finally be able to cross something else off my Dreams To Do list!

I've been feeling a little bit down lately and I know it is directly related to my lack of physical activity. I'm very hopeful that my new double stroller along with The Bar Method classes will help turn this frown upside down!

Wise Words Wednesday: Strategy

"What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desired results? The answer to this you can call strategy." ~ William E Rothschild

I have never been a very strategic person. I'm not good at following through with things because of this. I guess I'd rather just "wing it" in life and see where it leads me. Okay, obviously this isn't true otherwise I probably wouldn't have started this blog. I want very much to make things happen - to accomplish some of my "dreams to do." The problem is that I'm not a planner. I guess I'm lazy. I guess I just suck at strategy.

Unfortunately for me, all of the people out there who are making their dreams a reality are doing so via careful planning. Of course, there are always those lucky few who get their date with fate (why can't that be me?) and things just fall right into their lap.  However, I think for the most part those who accomplish their dreams do so with a lot of hard work and a little bit of strategy.

So what brought this topic to mind? I was sitting down the other night with my nifty new blog planner and I started jotting down some ideas and some of my goals for next week. I thought to myself, "Go me! I'm planning ahead!" And then I thought, "Why don't I do this more often?"  I guess I had a little bit of an epiphany that setting small goals, even on a week-by-week basis, is better than nothing... all of these small little goals can lead up to accomplishing the big goals.

I'm thinking even just a little bit of strategy can go a long way.

Wise Words Wednesday: Childlike

"When we were born, we were programmed perfectly. We had a natural tendency to focus on love. Our imaginations were creative and flourishing, and we knew how to use them. We were connected to a world much richer than the one we connect to now, a world full of enchantment and a sense of the miraculous." ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course In Miracles

I just started reading Marianne Williamson's A Return To Love. I'm only a few pages in, but I can already tell that it is going to inspire me. I've only read the introduction, but it already has me taking a step back and observing how I embrace life.

In the very first sentence (above), she brought up a point that I've thought about before. We are born into this world so innocent. All we know is love. It is up to our parents and the people around us to reinforce what we are born already knowing - LOVE.

Every now and then I have a flashback - a déjà vu glimpse of what this childlike innocence feels like. It happens in moments when I'm watching my kiddos roll around on the bed, laughing and playing. Moments when I sit back and watch Landon bang a spoon on the floor and smile as if it is the greatest thing in the whole wide world.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I think it's important for us to try to look at life through the eyes of a child. To remember the wonder of it all. To feel and know nothing but love.

Wise Words Wednesday: Wonder

"If we experienced life through the eyes of a child, everything would be magical and extraordinary. Let our curiosity, adventure and wonder of life never end…" ~ Akiane Kramarik

Watching my kiddos enjoy the summertime brings me back to memories of my own childhood, when I had not a care in the world. Days spent at the lake splashing in cool water. Popsicles dripping down my chin and onto my clothes without a care. Listening to the chirping of crickets outside my bedroom window as I fell asleep at night. Man oh man, those really were the good ole days.

Now, instead of as many carefree days, I get to spend the bulk of my time closed up in an office at work or trying to maintain my sanity with chores at home. Despite this sad fact, I can easily say that I'm enjoying the summer just as much as I did when I was a kid, just in a different way. I'm experiencing it through my little ones - living vicariously through them. And seeing them experience things like putting their feet in the sand for the first time, napping under an umbrella on the beach, or sliding down a slip 'n slide with their cousins, is about 500 times sweeter than experiencing it myself.

I hope I never forget to seize the wonder.

Wise Words Wednesday: Reunion Time

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." ~ Nelson Mandela

It's been 10 years since I graduated from high school. This weekend I will reunite with people I haven't seen since then and spend time with some of my best friends still to this day. My 10 year reunion - WOW.

Right now I actually feel a little bit emotional about the whole thing. I think growing up in a super small town makes the class relationship as a whole that much stronger. We all knew each other and a good chunk of us are still close friends. I have some great memories from high school. I guess you could say I hung out in the popular crowd. I didn't have an athletic bone in my body (and still don't), but pretty much all of my friends were athletes. Hubby (who graduated in the class behind me) was a star football, basketball, and baseball player. I remember the moment he played in the 2001 state basketball championship and WON like it was yesterday. I, on the other hand, was a straight A student with no extracurricular activities who loved art classes and who didn't know what the heck I wanted to be when I grew up (and obviously I still haven't quite figured that one out).

I remember thinking about the future at my high school graduation - wondering where we would all be in 10 years. How different we would all be. I really was clueless where I would end up and only had a few set-in-stone goals: marriage, kids, own a home. Check, check, check. I guess I feel successful in that respect.

I'm excited to see everyone this weekend - to see where the crazy road of life has taken each of them. And I can't wait to laugh, and maybe even cry, reminiscing the good ole days in our small country town.

Wise Words Wednesday: Firsts

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The other night we took Leila out for her first bike ride. The excitement on her face was priceless and I think Andy & I were equally as excited. And ya know what? This experience made me realize something. The other day I posted about how I am waiting for my 2012 "big moment" to happen - something that will define this year and make it memorable. Well, as I watched my husband help my daughter steer her bike and teach her to peddle for the very first time I realized that this was a big moment. We were all experiencing this together for the very first time. It was Leila's first time riding a bike and our first time teaching someone to ride a bike (and Landon's first time watching someone ride a bike).

Life is full of firsts. Sometimes we are so caught up in looking ahead or stressing about nonsense that we overlook these special, little, new moments.





So, at least for today I am SO over stressing out about the future, about my dreams, about my goals. I just want to soak up the little moments with my family and savor all of the firsts that life has to offer.

Wise Words Wednesday: Independence Day

"If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." ~ Hamilton Fish

Red, White, & Blue...


Happy 4th of July! I hope you are off work today and out enjoying some Summer fun with your family! I am home with a very sick little one (who is surprisingly still all smiles), so won't be doing much of anything today except for making sure he is comfortable. So, have a little extra fun for me! :-)





God Bless America!

Wise Words Wednesday: Clouds

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

Lately I've been looking up at the clouds a lot. First of all, there have been some amazing displays in the Spring/Summer skies. Second, I find a good moment spent gazing up into the sky very therapeutic. I mean, if you really think about it, clouds are amazing. The sky is amazing. It is physical proof that there are things SO much bigger and greater in this world than our measly little day-to-day problems. A good cloud gaze can really help put your life in perspective.

Wise Words Wednesday: Anticipation

"Such is the state of life, that none are happy but by the anticipation of change: the change itself is nothing; when we have made it, the next wish is to change again." ~ Samuel Johnson

I'm falling into a rut. I'm craving some change - something to look forward to. Like the above quote states, we live our lives in a constant state of anticipation. Growing up we look forward to school breaks and holidays, the start of a new school year. Once school is out of the way, we get high on job changes, new babies, weddings, family vacations. So what if you can't see anything in your immediate future to look forward to? Ya just feel kinda bla.

I'm coming down off of my excitement over having the end of last week off from work and now I'm grasping for something else to be excited about. I know I've preached to myself about living in the moment and not dwelling on the future so much, but sometimes you need something to look forward to in order to get you through today. Yes, I'm excited about Summer weather and Leila's upcoming 3rd birthday and a family trip in August, but I'm craving something bigger.

I think that is my favorite part about being pregnant. For 9+ months you have something HUGE to look forward to - the biggest life change imaginable. Hmmm, maybe I should have another baby? Ha! Not quite sure about that one yet. I'm working on getting the one I do have to sleep through the night first.

What I should do is get going on some of my Dreams To Do. Like start making jewelry and maybe explore some new business ventures. But that all takes time. And that's not something I have much of these days.

Okay, I think that's enough stream of consciousness from me for today. I'm hoping some passion and inspirations will strike within me soon enough to add some excitement to my life and this here blog.

Do any of you ever fall into a rut like this? Lacking motivation/inspiration? Any tips or tricks to spice life up a bit?