I am not a grouch, a scrooge and I do not say bah-humbug! But for the sake of saving a great holiday, please consider holding your Christmas cheer until November 25. I love Christmas as much as the next Elf and I love Christmas music, and shopping, and putting up the tree. But something weird is happening. No one is excited about Thanksgiving.
This year might even be the start of the extinction of Black Friday. Suddenly, people can’t wait until the day after Thanksgiving to do holiday shopping; they want to do it the night of. I love shopping to, and I love getting great deals…but there is one thing wrong with this: more and more retail workers of the America have to miss a family holiday because they have to stand behind the cash register to check out your gifts. I think then, you are just as much to blame as the company who made them work. So it is my plea with you to not go shopping on Thursday…not even at 10pm. Enjoy the rest of fall. Enjoy your family. Cook, drink, be merry, but most of all…stay home! You have an entire month to shop, put up lights and sing Christmas carols. Stand up for those workers, and stand up for Thanksgiving. It should be appreciated for what it actually is, and not because it’s almost Christmas.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Give Thanks and Let Go
Quick Update on WW Wednesdays...
Okay, when I wrote my last WW Wednesday’s blog post, I was a little nuts. 3.4 lbs in one week? Ha! I was just angry at myself for gaining. But it is the only time it has happened, and I shouldn’t go crazy on myself. Anyway…I weighed in today and I have reached my 5 % goal. I’m only .2 lbs away from my 10 lb sticker (I’ve actually lost 15ish but started WW after I started losing). So that is the update on my weight.
More…
Now, on to more important things. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I think we should all think of the things and people we have to be thankful for and let go of all the things or situations we wish we had. There is a truth to life, and it is this: There are things in life you can change, and there are things you can not. If it is something you can accomplish, then accomplish it. It’s going to be hard and it’s not going to happen over night, but it can be done. So stop saying, “I want a better job,” get off your lazy butt and start looking for one. Then, keep looking until you find it. But stop torturing yourself with the dream of it all. Turn your dreams into motivation, and make a commitment to yourself.
There are also the things, people and situations in your life that you can not change. Stop wishing you had better parents or siblings. Stop waiting on a million dollars to fall in your lap. If these things happen, then great! But don’t rely on it and don’t build your life around it. Especially when it comes to people, I now believe it’s important to purge ourselves of negative energy. No matter how much you love someone or wish they were a certain way…they’re just not and they probably won’t ever be. Consider letting go of these people...even if it’s slowly. You’re not going to miss them; you’re only going to be sad for what you wish they could have been, or the relationship you want. Everything in life revolves around energy. Letting go of that bad energy makes room for good energy. If you’re receiving a lot of negative energy in your life, you have to consider the quality of the energy you’re putting out. Karma is real.
I let go of my father a couple of years ago. It was hard. I thought what about Christmas, birthdays, and
“I Love Grandpa” mugs? I want to experience those things. I want my kids to have a grandpa, and I want to have a dad. But even if I kept in contact with him, it wouldn’t be all the love and fuzziness I so deeply desire. I can’t miss those things, because I never had them. And my kids wouldn’t have it either. Keeping him in my life was a daily reminder of the pain he’s caused me all my life. So even though I feel the same desire, keeping him doesn’t make that desire come true. At least by letting him go, time slowly heals the hurt and my wounds aren’t ripped open every time I talk to him.
So I say, don’t keep these people in your life. For Thanksgiving sake…truly be thankful for what and who you have and let go of what will never be. Push yourself to open up new opportunities and let go of old hurt. I can say…it gets better. There is a reason for everything in life. You're reading this blog for a reason.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Okay, when I wrote my last WW Wednesday’s blog post, I was a little nuts. 3.4 lbs in one week? Ha! I was just angry at myself for gaining. But it is the only time it has happened, and I shouldn’t go crazy on myself. Anyway…I weighed in today and I have reached my 5 % goal. I’m only .2 lbs away from my 10 lb sticker (I’ve actually lost 15ish but started WW after I started losing). So that is the update on my weight.
More…
Now, on to more important things. In the spirit of Thanksgiving I think we should all think of the things and people we have to be thankful for and let go of all the things or situations we wish we had. There is a truth to life, and it is this: There are things in life you can change, and there are things you can not. If it is something you can accomplish, then accomplish it. It’s going to be hard and it’s not going to happen over night, but it can be done. So stop saying, “I want a better job,” get off your lazy butt and start looking for one. Then, keep looking until you find it. But stop torturing yourself with the dream of it all. Turn your dreams into motivation, and make a commitment to yourself.
There are also the things, people and situations in your life that you can not change. Stop wishing you had better parents or siblings. Stop waiting on a million dollars to fall in your lap. If these things happen, then great! But don’t rely on it and don’t build your life around it. Especially when it comes to people, I now believe it’s important to purge ourselves of negative energy. No matter how much you love someone or wish they were a certain way…they’re just not and they probably won’t ever be. Consider letting go of these people...even if it’s slowly. You’re not going to miss them; you’re only going to be sad for what you wish they could have been, or the relationship you want. Everything in life revolves around energy. Letting go of that bad energy makes room for good energy. If you’re receiving a lot of negative energy in your life, you have to consider the quality of the energy you’re putting out. Karma is real.
I let go of my father a couple of years ago. It was hard. I thought what about Christmas, birthdays, and
“I Love Grandpa” mugs? I want to experience those things. I want my kids to have a grandpa, and I want to have a dad. But even if I kept in contact with him, it wouldn’t be all the love and fuzziness I so deeply desire. I can’t miss those things, because I never had them. And my kids wouldn’t have it either. Keeping him in my life was a daily reminder of the pain he’s caused me all my life. So even though I feel the same desire, keeping him doesn’t make that desire come true. At least by letting him go, time slowly heals the hurt and my wounds aren’t ripped open every time I talk to him.
So I say, don’t keep these people in your life. For Thanksgiving sake…truly be thankful for what and who you have and let go of what will never be. Push yourself to open up new opportunities and let go of old hurt. I can say…it gets better. There is a reason for everything in life. You're reading this blog for a reason.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Listen to the Whispers in Your Life
I’ve been watching Oprah’s Life Class again. I’m telling you people, this is quality TV. Anyway, one of the topics was about listening to our gut. All of us have heard that tiny voice in the back of our minds. It’s a tiny little part of ourself that says, hmmm, that’s not right. Something is off. Something is not as it was. I don’t know about you, but a lot of times I ignore that voice. Yesterday I asked myself why. Why, Ashley, do you ignore your inner voices? And then I answered myself: because I don’t trust them. I don’t trust myself. Now that I have discussed it with myself, I think it’s absurd. No one knows me better than me. Why in the world shouldn’t I trust myself? It seems as though we are the only animals in the world who sense danger, and walk straight into it.
An example of this is from a lady who appeared on the show. Having children, this story terrifies me. She was at home alone and playing with her two girls outside. The kids were very young. One is a baby, and the other 2 or 3 years old. They lived on a farm and had a long driveway. One day she noticed a truck driving up her driveway. She didn’t think anything of it because she said a lot of people drive up your driveway and then turn around when you live out in the country. But the truck kept coming towards them. She began to feel nervous but didn’t run into the house yet. She thought that might be silly. The truck came further and further but she still didn’t run inside because if this person needed help, it would seem very rude of her to leave. The man stopped his truck and got out. He could tell at this point that she was frightened and immediately said something like, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m lost, I’m looking for such and such…etc. She felt relieved because he was acting so nice. It occurred to her, who would want to hurt someone with two children? At this point I think she gave him directions and then turned around with her girls in arm, to walk back into the house. Suddenly she heard what she described as “thunderous” running footsteps coming up from behind her. The man pounced on them from behind and tackled all three of them to the ground. Feeling as a terrified mother would feel, this woman kicked, screamed, scratched, bit and fought this man as hard as she possibly could fight. It must have been intense, because luckily, the man got up and left.
How many stories have you heard of women who were victimized? And of those who survived, how many said, “I knew something wasn’t right.” I now believe that tiny voice is our first warning. Women worry so much about being polite and approachable that we overshadow our own instincts. Don’t ignore that voice. It could be the tiniest signal, the tiniest feeling of uneasiness. You don’t have to be an intelligent person to avoid danger.
This isn’t just a lesson for life or death situations. Despite what our insecurities tell us, trust yourself. Trust your voice. Life is sending us signals. It's speaking to us all of the time. There is a reason you're watching that show on TV or hearing that conversation on the radio. There's a reason you're unsure. There's a reason you're unhappy. There's a reason for your job, your spouse and the place you're having lunch today. There is a reason for all of it. It's not a mistake, it's not a coincidence. Treat your life as if it were specifically designed for you. Take it in. Listen to the whisper.
An example of this is from a lady who appeared on the show. Having children, this story terrifies me. She was at home alone and playing with her two girls outside. The kids were very young. One is a baby, and the other 2 or 3 years old. They lived on a farm and had a long driveway. One day she noticed a truck driving up her driveway. She didn’t think anything of it because she said a lot of people drive up your driveway and then turn around when you live out in the country. But the truck kept coming towards them. She began to feel nervous but didn’t run into the house yet. She thought that might be silly. The truck came further and further but she still didn’t run inside because if this person needed help, it would seem very rude of her to leave. The man stopped his truck and got out. He could tell at this point that she was frightened and immediately said something like, I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m lost, I’m looking for such and such…etc. She felt relieved because he was acting so nice. It occurred to her, who would want to hurt someone with two children? At this point I think she gave him directions and then turned around with her girls in arm, to walk back into the house. Suddenly she heard what she described as “thunderous” running footsteps coming up from behind her. The man pounced on them from behind and tackled all three of them to the ground. Feeling as a terrified mother would feel, this woman kicked, screamed, scratched, bit and fought this man as hard as she possibly could fight. It must have been intense, because luckily, the man got up and left.
How many stories have you heard of women who were victimized? And of those who survived, how many said, “I knew something wasn’t right.” I now believe that tiny voice is our first warning. Women worry so much about being polite and approachable that we overshadow our own instincts. Don’t ignore that voice. It could be the tiniest signal, the tiniest feeling of uneasiness. You don’t have to be an intelligent person to avoid danger.
This isn’t just a lesson for life or death situations. Despite what our insecurities tell us, trust yourself. Trust your voice. Life is sending us signals. It's speaking to us all of the time. There is a reason you're watching that show on TV or hearing that conversation on the radio. There's a reason you're unsure. There's a reason you're unhappy. There's a reason for your job, your spouse and the place you're having lunch today. There is a reason for all of it. It's not a mistake, it's not a coincidence. Treat your life as if it were specifically designed for you. Take it in. Listen to the whisper.
Halloween 2011!
The kids had a great time. We stayed right in our little neighborhood for the first time this year and it was plenty enough.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Love Love and Love
Have I ever told you how much I LOVE my kids? Oh my gosh. The galaxy isn't a big enough place to hold the love I have for them. So instead of explaining it, I will show you with adorable pictures. Love, of any kind, is the greatest thing on earth. It's the secret you've been waiting for someone to tell you. So spread it and accept it in your life. Here's some of my Love...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Halloweeeeeen!
I would have to say that one of my favorite parts of having kids is that it gives me an excuse to do kid things. Going to pumpkin patches, watching Disney movies, watching cartoons, eating candy, and trick-or treating are just a few of my favorite avtivities.
This year Halloween is on a Monday, which kind of bites. Normally I would take the next day off but my sick kids have used up all my vacation days so we will just have to have fun and be tired the next day without worry. Briana is going to dress up as a Vampire Princess, and Hudson is going to be Pooh Bear! They will look somewhat like the pictures below, but way cuter. I will post actual pictures after the holiday. Happy Halloween!
This year Halloween is on a Monday, which kind of bites. Normally I would take the next day off but my sick kids have used up all my vacation days so we will just have to have fun and be tired the next day without worry. Briana is going to dress up as a Vampire Princess, and Hudson is going to be Pooh Bear! They will look somewhat like the pictures below, but way cuter. I will post actual pictures after the holiday. Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
WW Wednesdays
For the first time, since I first weighed in, I actually gained weight. It was kind of a gradual process. I did so well the first week, I thought..."well, this is cake!" But I was wrong. Slowly I would let bad habits creep in. One week I would eat too much of my portion sizes, the next I would choose more and more food that didn't support my goals, and the next I would eat things that I didn't count on my points plan. Finally, with all of these bad habits eventually coming together, it caught up to me.
But it's okay. I'm not mad at myself. I know that I'm in control, and I can control what happens the next time I weigh in. I have a goal to reach and it's up to me to get there. It's not the scales fault. It's not the food's fault. It's all on me. So far I have lost 6.6 lbs (from the time I started WW).
Goal for next week: 3.4 lbs.
If I reach this goal it will make up for lost time, allow me to achieve my 10lb sticker, and my 5% sticker. Plus it will be my greatest weight loss in one week so far.
How I'm going to achieve this: I'm not going to use any extra weekly points, I'm going to count every single thing I put into my mouth, and exercise everyday. I realize this is going to be a difficult week, but I will tell myself that it's only ONE week. It will be like my little test. It will be the extra credit I need to make up for lost points. Wish me luck.
But it's okay. I'm not mad at myself. I know that I'm in control, and I can control what happens the next time I weigh in. I have a goal to reach and it's up to me to get there. It's not the scales fault. It's not the food's fault. It's all on me. So far I have lost 6.6 lbs (from the time I started WW).
Goal for next week: 3.4 lbs.
If I reach this goal it will make up for lost time, allow me to achieve my 10lb sticker, and my 5% sticker. Plus it will be my greatest weight loss in one week so far.
How I'm going to achieve this: I'm not going to use any extra weekly points, I'm going to count every single thing I put into my mouth, and exercise everyday. I realize this is going to be a difficult week, but I will tell myself that it's only ONE week. It will be like my little test. It will be the extra credit I need to make up for lost points. Wish me luck.
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