• Blog

    Mindful habit making

    January 5, 2020 - By 

    Since choosing my Word of the Year for 2020, I have been working at keeping that word in the forefront. You could say I have been MINDFUL of my word.

    One of my goals in this coming year…and basically every year previous is to make healthier choices. I don’t want this to fall to the wayside at my first slip-up as has happened so many times in the past. I decided to take a cue from some of the successful behavior modification programs I’ve been a part of with students. I’m focusing on the positives…not the negatives.

    Often students will have a sticker chart or a ticket system to earn breaks, trinkets or game time. I thought this could work with myself as well after realizing how much the silly achievement badges from Fitbit actually motivated me.

    I wanted to get a planner to record my achievements in but haven’t had the chance. I decided not to let that stop me and grabbed a journal/notebook that I’ve been using for random bits.

    I set myself up with a box of supplies so it is at the ready when I am to sit down and record. It’s not pretty or even neatly planned but sometimes life isn’t either.

    I feel that setting myself up to be successful will enable me to create this mindful habit of celebrating life’s little achievements instead of beating myself up about my shortcomings.

    It’s said that it only takes 21 days to create a habit…looks like I’m on my way.

  • Blog - Creativity

    A second look: Summer of Love ATC swap

    January 2, 2020 - By 

    Because it’s January I start to think about summer. You always want what you can’t have..right?

    So let’s have a Second on the 2nd look at the summer of love swap

    9/27/2009 Summer of Love ATC swap

     

    These were so fun to make!!

    I started with an 8.5×11 sheet of periwinkle cardstock. With an old credit card, I spread out some orange and yellow craft paints.

    After that was dry, I used rubber stamps, more paint, markers, and stencils to create lots of background interest.

    When I was happy with it I cut 9 ATC’s from my full sheet of cardstock.

    I freehanded a VW bug to make a template then cut little bugs out of discarded book pages. Paint and marker were applied in a very loose manner.

    I punched wheels from black “handmade paper” …I put that in quotes since it was actually store-bought. I then used little flower sticker for some fun hubcaps.

    The part that I love the most is the genuine VW key attached to each one. I grew up with tons of Volkswagons. My dad and his friend would buy them cheap, fix them up and resell. Sometimes they would just part them out. Dad never threw out anything so I had just enough VW keys laying around to give these ATC’s just a little extra punch!

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    Won’t you going me in linking up with Second on the 2nd?

    Second on the 2nd

     

  • Blog

    New Year…New Word

    January 1, 2020 - By 

    Each year I select a word to be my guide throughout the year. Some years I do better than others to keep my word in the forefront.

    This year I chose Mindful.

    Being mindful has a place in all aspects of life.

    Mindful of the products I bring into our home.

    Mindful of the words I choose to use.

    Mindful of the impact I have on others and others have on me.

    Taking time to be mindful of how much I consume, meaning both internally and externally. It all has an impact.

    Mindful of the legacy I leave.

    Give mindful thought before making commitments.

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    The end of the year…the decade…it should give us all pause. Time to think back on the past decade…the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course, things are already set but think of what could we do better, do more of, do less of? What has changed…10 years is a long time especially when you have kids. I came into this decade with kids in the single digits…now I have an adult, nearly 20, and another, close to adulthood.