Staying on Task

I am adding this because I need it!! LOL.  I am sure you could use a new idea or two!! :)

I forget to do things all the time.  I have good intentions but well, I forget!

So I am going back to my note card system.  It's very simple!! (we are still using the mind map but this is more in your face)

Take 3x5 note cards and write your goals and "to dos" on them.  I tape them to my kitchen cabinet where I do all my cooking etc...

I find I forget less and it reminds me of what I still want to achieve.   HOWEVER!!! You must mix them up once a week or they just become part of the background and you forget they are there!!


So that's an easy one right?!  YOU CAN USE POST ITS TOO!!! THEY WORK GREAT!!

It's all about me baby!!

Good morning!!  Happy Wednesday.  

We have done nice things for our hubbies the last few days and I hope they appreciated it LOL!! :)  Today however it is all about US!!  

Here are your two assignments.  

#1. You need to take at least 15 min today to do something YOU love, read, write, scrapbook, rest, watch TV.... ANYTHING YOU LOVE for AT LEAST 15 minutes

#2.  I want you to take a few hours either this week or this weekend to get away from your kids.  I am going to get a pedicure this weekend! It is flip flop season and I haven't had one in YEARS!!!!  Before kids, it used to be one of my favorite treats every three weeks!! 

So that's it, as long as you have done your gratitude!  

You deserve this! You need this! You must do this!

P.S. If you are feeling up to it, please pick one more of your Goals and try to work on that today.  If not we will get back to that tomorrow!! :)

Making life a little less angry!!

Today started out a little rocky for me.  I'm super busy today and the house was a mess.  Someone is coming over tonight that I don't know that well.  That means I have to clean my butt off!! If I know you, it's different, you know I clean on a regular basis and it doesn't have to be spotless.  If I don't know you, well first impressions last!!

Needless to say when I have a lot of cleaning to do, I'm not the sweetest person.  Hubby and I got into an argument and it ended with both of us being mad.  Stupid fight over cleaning!  I need help and I didn't go about it the right way.

I know this is a common fight and that I'm not alone.  I just don't want to fight anymore, I want help and I don't want to have to scream like a Ban Sidhe to get it!

This has led me to wonder what can we work on today?  What are we doing in our own lives that is destructive to our own marriages or families and how can we turn them into a positive?

Please think of three of your biggest fights with your spouse or kids,

Write them down,

Next lets write things we think we can do to improve the situation (no forcing the other person to do as we want them to is not a solution).  How can we change or tweek what we say or do, so that it causes us, and the ones we love less stress?


I am going to do a mind map on this one too.  I find it is easier to brainstorm in a circular pattern rather than vertical! :)

That and gratitude is all I ask of you today!  Little steps to a happier you!!!

Pictures to follow later if I can get to it!! :) 

Great Deal for Mother's Day!!

This is a fabulous deal!! I use winkflash for my holiday cards.  They are nice and very quick!!   Click www.winkflash.com to go to their website!

Lets get this day rolling!

Assignment #1

GOALS FOR TODAY!

Lets start there.  Pick one that you really think you CAN complete!!  It can be on of the smaller off a major ray.  (see mindmap post if you are confused)

For example, I have added another one to my mind map!

Be financially sound:
Today I am switching to a cheaper package on my Direct TV and paying the extra money I save from that on my car payment to have it paid off by fall!!


Simple but will make a big impact later!!  We will save $342.00 a month once it's paid off.  That can go to the credit card bills to get them paid off even faster.

Assignment #2

Treating our spouses better!  

I know you are thinking "I'm nice to my spouse".  Well than this is going to be easy for you!! :)  

I want you to write a quick text, email or note to your spouse telling him/her three things that you love about them.  This needs to be about them, not really what they do for you!!

-So I did this,  I texted my DH what I loved about him... I didn't tell him why or warn him I just did it!   I just got three things he loves about me back.  They were really great things!  That make me feel good!  I hope that my three made him feel good too!!  It was a nice surprise to read three great things my DH loves about me!!  

I hope you did this one!  It's just a baby step to happiness.  Being kinder to our spouses and being grateful for who they are and why we married them is more important than what they didn't do right or what little annoying habits they have.   Being a child of divorce, (while I don't think divorced parents are doing a bad job at all) I think that if we can work on our marriages, make them stronger and even better,  we give our children a truly priceless gift! 

You can do this!! Now GOOOOOO!! 

Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day! 

Mind Mapping

For those of you who haven't seen my post on mind mapping, I'm reposting it here.

What do I want out of life?

You can do a list or....
Create a "thinking space" or "mind map". I am attaching a picture. I am doing it on the computer, you can do it on paper with colored markers or pens! Here is a link to free software (you can do three for free). www.mindmeister.com ( I do get credit on my account if I invite you and you sign up, so please send me your email and I can add you!) amy@mistifaerydesigns.com.
Also Android phones have a free app called "thinking space" I love it!! I have it on my phone.

Start with a circle
What do I want out of life?
And make what I call "rays"... picture below.

after you do that, start adding more "rays" on each of you original "wants"

Please list or post a pic of your "map"! :) I would love to read it.

The point of this exercise to get your brain moving and to set goals. We all need goals or we lose hope and become stagnant.

Gratitude!!!!

 I have learned a few things over the last three decades plus of my existence.
1. Life is good
2. Sometimes bad things happen
3. No one is perfect, striving to be that way is insanity! (it will drive you insane!)
4. Being jealous is a waste of time (although I do suffer from house envy once in a while LOL)
5. If you are negative, negative things will happen.  If you are positive, positive things will happen
6. Having said that, it is IMPOSSIBLE to be happy all the time.  I am talking about a general attitude.  Optimist or Pessimist
7. You can do anything, if you believe in your self. (I will post some helpful exercises to help you as well as myself, achieve our goals and dreams!)
8. Gratitude is KEY!  If you are ungrateful you can't really be happy!! 

Lets start there, list as many things as you can think of that you are grateful for!! ANYTHING that you think of is correct.  There is no judgment, no right answer, no wrong answer, just your answer. 

I will be posting more exercises, gratitude and musings.  As well as fun things I come across.  I am like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get!! :)

Here is my Gratitude...

It's Monday morning and while I'm not totally on my game yet, I'm awake, healthy and alive! That's a great start to any day!!!




I'm so grateful for
My Health,
My family and they are healthy,
My friends,
My dogs,
Karmi for inspiring me again,
The sun and great weather,
Food,
Clean water,
A safe, comfortable and pleasant home,
Giving my kids the childhood I never had,
Being able to say I'm sorry,
Living life and learning every day,
Waking up every morning with all three of my children and my husband healthy and happy!!
My computer,
My phone,
Photoshop,
Blogger,
Facebook,
Joy,
Silliness,
smiles,
warm fuzzies,
inspiration,
learning,
internet,
email,
LOVE!!!


Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!
Amy

Being an Expert...

My husband recently told me, if I want to be good at something I need to be "an expert" have a blog, write a news letter, share what I know.

I am the type of person, when I love something I want to share my excitement with everyone I know. I have a blog for digital scrapbooking, a website for my jewelry designs, and this blog.

One of my heroes is Leonardo Di Vinci. He was a true Renaissance man! He was great at so many things, art (the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world), his inventions (flying machine before man ever came close to flying), medical man (he loved to study the human body). I could go on and on. He was a true genius!

While I will not pretend to be even remotely as diverse or as genius as the great Di Vinci, I will admit, I enjoy multiple things, designing jewelry, digital scrapbooking, writing, cooking, learning, blogging, photography, reading, knitting. There are more to come I'm sure. I am not an expert in all of these areas, I am striving to be great in a few and really good in the others!

This blog is for the other Moms like me who want to have fun, explore their creative side, try new things, get better at the things they already love and just have fun!!

I know now why it takes a village to raise a child, if I don't have anyone to talk to or relate to, I will lose my mind!!!

I hope you'll stick around and see what's coming next!!

I am thinking about adding my "guru" series on here as well! My friend Karmi asked me to be her guru. I don't know yet if I deserve the title but I am more than willing to try!!! :)

Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!