Oooo...birthday banana bread. A la mode

 Soooo... someone served up a la mode like I've never seen before on his birthday

Presentation really matters for this guy.

#familychef #cafestyle #glutenfree #vegan #bananabread

A blossom is but a glimpse...

 

I saw the poppy and I knew...I didn't have long to capture its beauty.

I kissed the peony before I departed as well.

My gratitude was overflowing...and it felt good to be in appreciation

#gardening #flowers #inNature #Awe #appreciation #gratitude

Heat wave dinner

Dinner tonight on the patio...in the shade...with a cool breeze

#familymeal #vegan #vegetarian #plantbased #eatyourgreens #glutenfree #heatwave #gratitude

(It is a "pattie"..... used bean flours and spices...added in onions and cabbage... and sauteed)

Being present for the milestones

 Good mawning!

This week is a milestone week.

Hubby with a window in his schedule to be participating in all of it. Educational, age-wise, and spiritual.

And in it all, it's all comes back to the relationships we have and the connections we have maintained.

Heart and soul connections that are both supporting to our family AND come alive seeing us and celebrating with us no matter how things may be going.

It IS our great gift in this life. And we build on and invest in our relationships...in increasing measure. Nothing's perfect, and growing better and better at it is really rewarding.

Who around you are you happy to celebrate? Who are some of your key relationships? Touch base a little extra today

#ThankyouGod #gratitude #Divinegifts #INjoy #raisingmen #familymeal #fathersday #birthday #spirthday #baptism #connect #compassion #Sawubona #lifetothefull #relationships

"Just tell me what to do!"

 

Good mawning!

"Just tell me what to do!"

LOL. I love this phrase.

20 years of hearing this phrase. And 20 years of learning a valuable lesson from those who have chimed in with it. .... Is that it doesn't always work that way .

Currently, life with teenagers/young men

The dishes getting "done" is taking a hit. Or at least it was. They agree to doing it because in our house it counts as "currency".

However, when we experience choosing to give our attention "more" to something else or when we just don't "feel" like it, sometimes the "good" things get set aside.

Drinking enough water, doing that errand we said we would, eating more greens, working out, doing chores, doing homework... Sometimes the good we know we "ought" to do goes undone.

So, what I have learned is...? When THEY choose to do the "thing", even if at first they begrudged it, it gets done better and faster than if I was to "tell" them to do it.

And yes, I did "chime" in with "reminders" LOL. But if it gets to the point of "nagging", it turns into a hot mess. And it's doesn't need to be hot or messy, especially with dishes ....it would just be nice if it was DONE.

The same goes for making changes as adults.

We don't necessarily like being "told what to do". Even if it's good for us to do it. Even if it is something we asked for. Even if we wanted someone to just "tell us what to do"... it's very often resisted and that type of "authoritative" motivation is short lived. It's not sustainable.

Because we know.

"We know what is good to do." "We heard what you said the first time." "I know what I have to do" ....and then "Stop telling me what to do" starts getting thrown around as two brothers start going back and forth as to who is responsible for which part of the task...especially now that it has been neglected.

Oh sorry....was getting personal there.

So what DO we like? "We" like to know we have a voice. A say in how things are done, even if the instruction has been laid out. That we can contribute value and input even inside a framework or suggestion...that we are making a worthy contribution. We like to be in charge of our choices. We get feedback from our own choices. We stand "informed" when we make our own choices. And we are more likely to take action when we present ourselves with reasonable choices.

Sometimes that "balance" gets a little off. Sometimes the stories we have been listening to and the things we are more familiar with will take charge.

Allow yourself the space to negotiate.

I allow the boys "space" to decide for themselves and have that internal "negotiation"...especially from a space of already knowing what "good" would serve best in the current situation.

This morning the dishes are being effortlessly attended to.

...because it's what's needed and it's what they said they would do. When we decide to just simply DO the thing, it CAN be effortless. (And rewarding, just sayin')

What have you been having resistance with?

What could you choose to just "do" that you have been having resistance with? Is it simple or is it being made complex?

As for me, I have "homework/play" to do

#ThankyouGod #biggerpicture #simpleandconsistent #YOUhavechoice #Agency #ofgreatvalue #contribution #resistancetraining #teenagers #livebyexample #accountability #trusttheprocess #geterdone #LoveFirst #youGotThis

Standing in celebration of wholeness

 My morning vibe...

Golden

Monday "me" time. Spent a good amount of time just appreciating "her" in her awesome "as-is-ness".

Purely compassionate... remembering the call I had made to all parts of "me" to be held in a loving and accepting embrace.

To bring all bits and pieces together with all their hardships and experiences. All of it. Any "fragments" to be welcomed back into the collective of my being to be seen and heard fully.

And there,in the early part of the day, "we" stood. Nodding "our" head in celebration of wholeness. All parts of me are valid contributors to this life journey...no matter what they have been through.

All that energy of separation being transmuted and used to build up...strengthen...encourage.

I am me...and enjoying it.

#wholeness #wellness #vitality #compassion #Sawubona #LoveFirst #Divinegifts #acceptance #respect #selfcare #fromwithin #greaterstill #lifetothefull #mentalhealth #mindsetmatters

Who do you CHOOSE to be?

 Good mawning!

Who do you CHOOSE to be?

My ALL-TIME favourite movies series...

I'm so glad that my kids wanted to watch it on repeat LOL. And then it was me letting it repeat itself as they became distracted.

AND....I may or may not find myself curled up watching it this weekend.

So why is this so significant to me this morning? Because I just hit a new "starting point" milestone in my fitness journey for 2021. And I "rewarded" myself with going through my closet and trying on all the clothes I have wanted to since last year's health crisis.

My body is finally showing signs of healing and homeostasis, and I am loving how I feel in my skin (minus a bug bite I got that went a little messy )

And the FIRST outfit I reached for was... an outfit I tried on almost a month ago that HIT me with a rush of inspiration. It came with a theme song and everything. I even set my FN avatar into this new outfit and it kept evolving too. And today, it all parts of that outfit fit effortlessly.

My milestones are always "next steps".

I absolutely give myself the mini celebration and have fun with it, and, it's not the end. It's the beginning of my next level of potential and that REALLY excites me!!

And the reason why this is SO important for me to not just share with others, but also to live out is because....

...

...

I didn't come from a space of being celebrated in my own skin. I was a chubby/stocky child (I'll post the pics one day... I was so dang cute ) and there were a lot of people that held that "image" of me, even when I was in high school. Even though in high school I was a size that I haven't been at since after my first child was born.

I did experience personal and community celebration years ago from my fellow FYM ladies and coach. That was great!

And that's why I personally recognize now, that there is such a huge value, not only in who you surround yourself with, but how you personally choose to be in and for yourself at the same time.

WE "get" to choose! Who we want to be, who we will be, AND the story in and around that as well

So....... WHO are YOU choosing to be?

Okay! I'm convinced! It's raining and dark outside and that has shifted my plans for now....maybe a movie?

#thankyouGod #nolongermorningtime #biggerpicture #giftofchoice #Agency #MindsetMatters #Playwithit #Itsuptoyou #mindsetcoach #heretosupport #divinelysupported #oneanotherlove #lovefirst #chooseyourstory