We all get crazy busy with the holidays, right?  Remember this:

Just do your best to keep yourself in balance. One of the first things that causes Energy misalignment, is asking or demanding too much of yourself in terms of time and effort. In other words, you just cannot burn the candle at both ends, so that you are physically tired, and then expect yourself to have a cheerful attitude. So, the rule of thumb has to be: “I’m going to be very, very, very happy, and then do everything I have time to do after that.”

This is from Abraham (Ester & Jerry Hicks) at an LOA workshop in 2005.

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Today I’m grateful that my youngest son turned 2 years old.  I’m grateful that we had an “intimate” party for him that was SO much fun.  I’m grateful that we were able to buy him lots of gifts, had a fabulous dinner (I made chicken with spinach, pears & feta – yum!), that my mom-in-law joined us, and that we were all together.  I’m grateful that we’re all healthy, happy & enjoying each other.

I’m so grateful to have my children in my life.  They have brought me so much joy.  They mean the world to me, and I’m so grateful that I’m responsible for them.  They have taught me patience, compassion, how to let go and how to be more present.  They show me what’s truly important.  And, they have taught me that love is infinite!!

I can’t thank you enough!  I love you, Max & Miles

*********************************************************************************************************************

So I didn’t skip out on day 6 of this 21 day gratitude challenge.  The assignment was to call someone and tell them how much you appreciate them.  I did.  I called my mom.  Made me feel good and I know I made her day!  Thanks again, Mom.  I truly appreciate you.

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I was going to name this post “A Little House Cleaning” because really that’s what I should be doing BUT I would first like to tell you a bit about what else I’ve been doing.

At the beginning of this year I got involved with an organization called Spirit Jump.  I’ve blogged about it before so maybe you’re familiar.  If not, you need to read my blog more!  (HA Just kidding, or am I?)  No really, if you’re not familiar with Spirit Jump it’s an organization designed to “jump” or lift the spirits of cancer patients by sending them cards, gifts, and positive energy.  I have teamed up with a new found friend, Cherise, and together we have been able to send 10 or more pieces of jewelry per month to people that need “jumps”.  It’s been so much fun doing this and I can’t thank Cherise enough for all the financial help she has been able to provide.  It’s been really amazing and I just hope that the people on the receiving end are getting as much out of it as we are!

Besides the overall greatness of feeling good for giving, I’ve also recently been featured on a couple different blogs.  One of them is Foxy G Knits.  Lois, of Foxy G Knits, does a weekly tribute to different artists that pay it forward.  She calls it “Art from the ♥”.  I am honored to be one of Foxy G Knits featured artist!  You can see my feature here.  Thank you so much, Lois, for the write up!

Lois is an artist herself.  She hand-knits, one-of-a-kind shawls, wraps and scarves.  And she pays it forward to.  She sends hats and scarves to homeless shelters.  What a great idea!  Check out her beautiful creations!

Another blog that I have had the pleasure of being featured on is “Our Daily Blessing…Life“.  I met Amy through Spirit Jump.  She is battling cancer right now, and one of her sons has had 15 brain operations.  She blogs about her life, and all she’s got on her plate (4 kids and a 21 year marriage).  I have so much respect for her.  I can’t even imagine doing all she does!  She is as positive as she can be, and I truly have a lot of compassion for her and her family.  She is actually doing a giveaway…that giveaway being a $45 Self Symmetry gift certificate!  Get the details here.  I’d love to have you win.  Plus, it’s a great blog to follow!

That’s a little of what I’ve been doing lately, and why it’s been a while since I last posted.  That, and I’ve been cleaning…yeah right!

So my point here is that when you give what you can, you get a lot out of it.  I’ve not only been featured on these fabulous blogs, but I’ve been selling a lot of jewelry, getting custom orders, feeling good, and just enjoying my life!

If you’d like to be a Spirit Jumper too.  It’s so incredibly easy.  Visit their website, get on their email list, and start sending jumps!  You’ll be glad you did

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No matter how “bad” things seem to you, or to someone else looking at your situation, you have a choice.  You can choose to accept the situation and find a positive perspective, or you can choose to look at the situation as awful.  Regardless of what you choose, you are right!

Here it is perfectly said by Ester & Jerry Hicks:

Nothing needs to be fixed. Everything is unfolding perfectly. So when you stand in your now accepting that all is well, then from that vibration, you become surrounded by more and more evidence that all is well. But when you’re convinced that things are broken, that there is pollution, or that things have gone wrong, or that the government is doing conspiracies… then what happens is you get caught up in that vibration, and you begin to manifest that kind of stuff, and then you say, “See, I told you that things were going wrong.”

— Abraham (this excerpt was taken from a workshop they did in LA in March of 2000)

I choose wellness.  What do you choose?

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One of the things I’ve learned, and still practice, in yoga is to be nonreactive.  As I practice breathing, relaxing, and letting go while my shoulders are burning and my thigh is yelling at me, I become aware that my mind is more calm and I get a sense of ease, strength, and peace.  It can be so easy to have a negative reaction when the teacher calls out a pose I don’t like, or when a sub walks in that I wasn’t expecting, but all that does is make the situation worse.  If I change my reaction to these things and make them more positive, or don’t react at all then my outcome is way better.

You choose how you want to respond.

As I take what I’ve learned on my yoga mat and apply it to real life, I realize that everything we experience (good or bad) is because of our reaction or response to it.  This same nonreactive principal that I’ve learned in yoga can also be applied to our life.  Jack Canfield has a formula that he teaches:

E + R = O  (Events + Responses = Outcome)

The idea is that everything you experience is because of how you responded to an earlier event in your life.  If you aren’t enjoying the outcomes that you are experiencing right now, there are basically two choices you can make.

1.  You can blame the event for the outcome.

There’s a ton of external factors that we can blame.  We can blame the economy for not having a job.  We can blame our boss or our clients for having a bad day.  We can blame the rain for not working out.  We can blame our lack of money for not starting our dream business.  We can blame a lack of time for eating fast food.  Excuses.  Excuses.  Excuses.

We’ve all done this right?  I know I have.  Going back to yoga…I was in a workshop last week and I noticed I was making excuses for why I wasn’t getting into a pose.

There’s no doubt that these blame factors exist, but it’s up to us to overcome them.  There are tons of people who are still employed and very successful.  I see people out walking in the rain all the time.  For every impossible thought we have, there are many out there that think it is possible.

OR

2.  You can change your responses to the events until you get the outcomes you want.

Can we respond differently to the events that happen?  If we get fired, maybe we take the time to educate ourselves and learn a new skill.  If the boss is being a hard ass, maybe we have some compassion for him rather than gossiping with other coworkers about how awful he is.  He may be having a lot of personal issues at home, or had a father that was hard on him.

We can change our thinking, the way we communicate, and our behavior because really that’s all that we have control over anyway.  We don’t necessarily have control over any extremal event.  All we have control over is our responses to them!

We tend to get stuck in our habits and the way we respond  to our children, our spouses, the traffic, and our bosses.  So we must gain control of our thoughts, our behavior, the images we hold in our head, and our dreams.

We need to know what we want, and then everything we think, say, and do needs to align with our goals, our intentions, and our values.

In the words of Jack Canfield: If we all experience the same EVENT, the OUTCOME you get will be totally dependent upon your RESPONSE to the situation.

If you don’t like your outcomes, you must change your responses.  It’s that simple!

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I was listening to 1310am The Ticket this morning (sorry, Honey!).  It’s sports talk with lots of guy talk mixed in.  They had a segment about men going through mid life crisis, but then the segment turned more into how they are so unhappy in their marriages.  There were tons of emails coming in about how these guys hate going home because all their wives do is bitch, yell, and complain.  I would hate to come home too if I had to come home to that, so I don’t blame them at all!

It reminded me of what a lot of my female yoga students have told me.  They’ve told me that their husbands really encourage them to come to yoga class.  Their husbands say they’re a lot more relaxed and just better after taking a class.  I can totally see why!

As women we’re expected to basically do everything, especially if you’re a working mom…that’s a lot of work!  There’s so much that goes on from the time “work” is over until the time we lay our head down at night.  Where is “me” time??

So there’s work stress and then all the stuff that needs to be done once you get home but don’t have time to do it.  You’re just happy with getting dinner on the table, kids homework done, and baths!  Not only does stuff pile up in the house, but “stuff” piles up on your shoulders, in your hips, on your back & neck, and in your head!

Stuff piling up for a little while is pretty manageable, but eventually you bust.  You bust out yelling.  You bust out bitching, you bust out your back, you bust out headaches, and possibly even bust out a heart attack.

Ladies, we need “me” time.  Seriously.  You have to make time for yourself.  If you’re not good, how can you expect to be good for your kids, your family, or anyone else that needs you?  I understand it may sound selfish, but it’s not!

I obviously think yoga is one of the best things you can do for your “me” time.  It not only gets you moving and exercising, but it is so unbelievably awesome for your head…your mind.  It’s basically a moving meditation.  It takes you away from your worries, your to do lists, your responsibilities, and your stress.  It gives your thinking mind a break, and in doing so, you’re more productive and you can creatively come up with solutions to your problems.  It may give you a different perspective and you may even realize that everything is okay.  It’s okay to not be perfect.  It’s okay to just let go and not be so uptight.  It gets you connected to your true self and makes you feel more confident.

It gets all that “stuff” out of your body and out of your mind.  At first it may just be temporary, which is great…a little relief before you go home to your kids and hubby, but the more you practice yoga the more the “stuff” stays away.

I can’t stress (no punn intended!) enough how great yoga &/or meditation is for your “me” time, but it can be anything from a pedicure, to a massage, to just taking a long, hot bath.  I know it can be hard to find time, especially if you’re a working mom, but this is a must.  I promise you…you will be more productive (mentally & physically)!

I would love to hear your feedback.  Do you currently do yoga &/or meditate and if so, how has it made you better?  Are you one of those people whose husbands (or wives) encourage you to go take a class?  What else do you do for “me” time?  Has your marriage or relationships improved once you started doing yoga?  Let’s talk!!

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I rarely go on a rant.  In fact, I can’t even remember my last one.  BUT – OMG!  So my lovely husband and I went to the movies on Sunday for our 6th wedding anniversary.  We saw The Hangover, which is great.  I loved it.  However, I was disturbed the entire movie & here 2 days later, I’m still disturbed!  We saw a family walk in with 2, yes 2, small girls.  I would say they were probably 6 years old, give or take a year.  I couldn’t believe it.  How is it ever okay for an innocent child to see a rated R movie?

If you haven’t seen The Hangover, it’s a movie about a BACHELOR PARTY IN VEGAS…HELLO???

Do people really think the “f” word, nudity, sex & violence are okay for children?  I guess so because my sister witnessed the exact same thing this past weekend.  WHAT?

I know I can’t control what other people do.  I just feel so sorry for these kids.  Children are so innocent, so full of life, so confident, and so spiritually connected.  And then life happens.  For some, they learn how “bad” they are.  They learn disrespect and how to stress.  They’re taught they’re not good enough, and that they don’t matter.  They’re stripped of their innocence, and some are even taught the “f” bomb!

And now, those kids are going to be in class with my kids.   Am I going to have to have the birds & bees talk at age 5?

Since I can’t control what other people do (including other kids), the only thing I can do is be the best mom I can for my kids.  To me, that means being the best person that I can be.  I see children (including my own) watching every move their parents make, so being a role model is SO important.  I want my kids to see my confidence.  I want my kids to see how calm & happy I am.  I want them to watch me interact with other people and see how I react (or don’t react) to situations that arise.  I want them to see how grateful I am for the things we have, and I want to be connected to my true self and take action based on inspiration.  I want to be honest, to love, and to give.  I want my children to see me exercising and eating healthy.  Basically, I just want them to see me staying true to myself, and staying connected to a higher power than myself.  If I am completely aware of me (I am aware of my behavior, my thinking, and just how I’m being) then my kids will do & be the same.  They will be the best people that they are!

I just hope & pray that when my children get into school and are around these other kids that are cussing, disrespecting, and have bad behavior that they stay true to themselves.  That they treat everyone with respect and have compassion, but at the same time know right from wrong.  That they stay full of love and light!

Okay, I’m done ranting and feel much better!  Now, if you haven’t seen The Hangover, go see it immediately…just make sure you get a babysitter!

Love, Kat

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So I want to follow up to a blog post I did a little over a month ago.  I, along with some other lovely internet people that I don’t really know, committed to a 30 day giving challenge.  Basically the idea was to give for 30 days…give a smile, kind words, a helping hand, just whatever you can give at any moment.  Here’s the actual post if you’d like to read it: CLICK HERE FOR 30 DAY CHALLENGE POST

I’m a pretty nice person in general (anyone that knows me can attest to that, but don’t ask the following 76 people…  j/k) so giving a smile or kind words wasn’t much of a stretch for me.  But I wanted to do the challenge because I wanted to see what it would be like to be aware of the giving rather than just going about my day.  And, I wanted to see if I could give more than I usually do.  Here’s what happened:

The first day was really good.  I smiled more at people and was kinder on the roads.  The second day was more interesting.  There was a guy in his car that was pulled way out from where he was suppose to be.  As I drove by him I gave him a dirty look and threw a hand up in the air meaning WTF!  As soon as I drove past him I realized what I had done.  I felt awful.  Did he really deserve a nasty look & a WTF sign (I didn’t flip him off if that’s what you’re thinking…just you know, a WTF)?  I mean, we all make mistakes, right?  I’m sure there’s been a handful of times that I’ve done that exact thing.  I wanted to turn around and give him a big smile and a “I’m so sorry” wave but I didn’t.  I thought that might be a little weird…he might have even given me a WTF sign then!  HA  I did, however, apologize to him and wish him well in my mind.

A few days later I was taking my little Max to school.  We were driving down the alley and there was a huge trash can in the way.  I decided to drive around it…after all we were running a bit late.  But, as I’m driving around it I’m thinking to myself “I know what I need to do.  I need to move it out of the way.”  I didn’t!  Again, I felt awful.  Luckily, it was still in the middle of the road on my way home from taking him to school so I was able to redeem myself!  (It’s an even better feeling when you give without someone looking.)

I loved doing this.  It’s such a good feeling to make someone’s day and to just be more polite in general.  I gave several spirit jumps (sending a small gift to a cancer patient to lift their spirits), and I always did my best to make the cashier, at Target, Walmart, or wherever I was, to feel better about their jobs (especially if I could tell they were just totally beaten down).  Being aware of what I was giving made me feel a sense of lightness, like everything is good and I’m not weighed down by negativity.  I just felt happier!

On the other side of the giving coin is receiving!  Here’s what I received out of this challenge:

–People were so nice to me on the roads.  I was going first at stop signs, people were waving me in to get in front of them, & I was even given a parking space when we both got to it at the same time!

–My husband took me on a surprise date because he wanted to let me know how much he appreciates me!

–On our date we went to an awesome sushi restaurant (Kenichi) and our entire bill was comped!

But…most importantly,

–I felt good.  I felt happier.  Period.

If you have stories on giving & receiving I’d love to hear them.  If you took the challenge with me, what did you experience?  Make a comment.

Now, let’s go out and keep giving…what have you to lose?

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Since getting a new laptop, I’ve fallen in love with the internet again!  I’m finding that it has opened my eyes to so much creativity.  I’ve been in a blogosphere and haven’t emerged (sorry hubby and sons — there’s so much to see in this blog world that I may not be out for a while…a long while!).

I’m seeing creativity from handmade things, to amazing writings, to enlightening ideas.  I’m so INSPIRED!  So, I thought I’d list several (if I can narrow it down) of my favorite blogs &/or blogs that have opened my eyes.  These are in no order!

Tip Junkie

Stem Parties

We Heart This

Hostess with the Mostess

Created by Mom

Mom Made That

Etsy Item of the Day

Thoughtfully Simple

Share Yoga

Spirit Jump

The SITS Girls

The Secret Resource

Then I found Twitter…. OMG!  I’m following a ton of amazing, positive people that are inspiring as well.

What inspires you??

What inspires me now is my kids!  Gotta run~

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My little Miles Everett (19 months) and big boy Maximus Henry (3 1/2 years) are the loves of my life.  I’m so fortunate to have great kids, and an amazing husband.  Here’s my top 10 reasons why I absolutely love being their mom (in no particular order)!

10.  That feeling when my children only want their Mommy.

9.  That relief when my children only want their Daddy!

8.  When I see their smiling faces the first thing in the morning, I know it’s going to be a great day!

7.  I’m completely, hysterically funny.

6.  I get to explain things like who I’m talking to on the phone and what they said…because Max just needs to know!

5.  Being around the pure, joyful, light energy that small children radiate.

4.  Because it’s the most important job I’ll ever have.

3.  Because they help to keep me grounded, and I know that nothing else matters besides the well-being of my family.

2.  Kids are so genuine, honest, and true to themselves; and I have the opportunity to teach them to stay that way.

1.  It’s a love like no other, and to have that kind of love in my heart is just priceless.

Thank you, Boys!  I love you~

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