Fall Decorating

Fall is finally upon us, unless you live in Central Florida, like me, where it’s still hitting 93 degrees and thunder storms roll up and linger like old ladies in produce aisle. Today was the first day I’ve been able to really embrace the very slow transition and break out my fall/halloween decor, autumn music, and sweater weather candles.

🍂I love fall🍁

Everything about fall just makes my heart warm – the smells, the food, the colors, the clothes. I mean, (enter Chandler Bing voice) how could you not love it?

Today my boys and I spent the day attempting to decorate the house. We watched some of our favorite kid friendly halloween themed youtube videos and even enjoyed a completely made up halloween picnic dinner.

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decor progress…

I’ve never been one to hop on the Halloween train. When I was younger, I had a love/hate relationship with Halloween. Loved the candy, hated – nay, DREADED – the walk to the front door. I do not like to be scared, I don’t like things jumping out at me. So yes, you’ve guessed it. I’ve never been to Halloween Horror Nights (it’s a universal thing) or seen any of the typical scary Halloween movies. Freddy and Jason who?

Anyway, my mother-in-law loves to decorate for every season. From curtains to candle sticks she crafts her holiday decorations to make her home festive and welcoming. I just love it. So this year, she donated a few items to my very small halloween collection. She also suggested combining my fall and halloween decorations and then swapping my skulls and spiders for cornucopia and pilgrims in November. This stroke of genius allowed me to decorate throughout the house without the stress of halloween vs. fall decor battle.

My boys were thrilled to help hang garland and fill vases with pumpkins. So I leaned into this new-found celebration of halloween with Dave and Ava’s Halloween playlist on Youtube. My boys love Dave and Ava nursery rhymes and songs. We sing them together in the car, at the dinner table, and in public places… Matt and I have been known to break out in song without the kids around as well.

I’m sure I will have a post in the future about mealtime for the boys, however, for today I’ll keep it simple. If the food isn’t interesting, it’s less likely to be consumed. So last night (in keeping with the theme) I made “Hotdog Spiders.” I poked uncooked fettuccini noodles through the hotdog so the noodles lay perpendicular to the hotdog. I used 8 noodles (this was a mutant 16 legged spider) per dog and then cooked them for the length of time suggested on the pasta box. The boys sat on the floor on a towel (picnic style) and ate. They loved picking out the noodles and then eating the hotdog at the end. I’ll definitely be making those again.

Ahh, so glad fall is finally upon us! I’m just waiting to break out my boots and my sweaters. What’s your favorite part of fall? I would love to hear in the comments!

Happy Fall Y’all!

Being Intentional has No Calories

I believe I am notoriously impulsive therefore I struggle with being intentional with my actions.

-Me

There I said it. It feels good to just let it out. But here’s the thing, I’ve gone my whole life being the person that just “lets it out.” I’m also known as the go with the flow, happy go-lucky person too. I would just like to say that being that person is exhausting and-believe what you want-I actually think it’s possible to shift from being impulsive to intentional. Yes, some of it has to do with maturity, some of it with new behavior, but ultimately I believe it stems from attitude and sense of self.

I’m a jumper. I jump from one project to the next, one Netflix show to the next, and of course until recently, one diet trend to the next. It’s a problem and I’m working on it… Here’s a real quick example: I’m currently renovating my kitchen and I’m painting the bottom cabinet doors. I looked at my husband as I finished my first coat and said, “So, I’m thinking about painting the office while this first coat dries.” He just looked at me like, “Woman, are you nuts?!” I’m not, I mean, not really anyway, I just really like projects.

When did I realize this behavior was a problem? About a year ago I started getting really overwhelmed with simple tasks. Simple tasks that I had never had any issues with; for example, changing the sheets on the bed, doing laundry from start to finish, making lunch for two little ones… I found that I couldn’t take a deep breath without this feeling of sadness and guilt for not doing more. Turns out, I was actually taking on too many tasks. I was overloading my mommy brain with thoughts of inadequacy because I didn’t do it just right and my creative brain had no space to just let loose. I was so frustrated and unhappy with my decisions and my attitude that I was very angry and distant because I just wanted to get stuff done.

Overcoming that dark place in my life took a lot of work. Today, now that I am able to recognize my impulsiveness and how it ultimately leads to my frustration and unhappiness, I have been actively trying to work through it. It’s a process, and like I mentioned in the beginning, I believe it has a lot to do with evolving your sense of self and your attitude. Here are a few practices that I’ve found work for me:

• Simplify, Simplify, Simplify – I can’t say this enough. When Matt and I got married I brought only one small keepsake box holding just some of my many wonderful memories over the years. Granted, they were movie ticket stubs, random wrists bands to events I wanted to remember, and notes from friends. Needless to say, it was a box of clutter that I didn’t have much use for.. Now, I’m not saying get rid of all your sentimental stuff, but if you haven’t gone through it recently, you should. Be sure you’re emotionally prepared for what that unfolds, resurfaces, and you know, just come prepared… Simplifying your life by removing clutter can lead to a sense of inner peace and contentment with the environment around you. I’ve found that getting rid of unnecessary items and admitting that I really haven’t needed said items, is incredibly cathartic and makes me feel lighter.
• The Pause – Ever regret opening your big fat mouth? I have. I have volunteered for things I didn’t really want to do, I’ve said too much, and I’ve just said the wrong thing before. I think we are all guilty of speaking too quickly. My solution is to pause for just a couple seconds to really listen and process what was just said to me before creating and delivering a response. Practicing The Pause slows down the conversation and allows me time to think of a meaningful response that matches how I’m actually feeling instead of impulsively reacting to what I just heard. Try it sometime.
• Snapshot – I’m a big picture person. I love to bullet journal, but mostly for the creativity and colors that go into it. I write down goals I would like to meet and tasks I would like to accomplish every month, but just writing them down and checking them off doesn’t give me the satisfaction I crave. Instead, I like to visualize my life after the goal/task is complete. That snapshot of my future is my motivator and the driving force behind my goal. Although I’m not a big planner or tracker of goal completion (I’m working on it), this snapshot shows me how I’ll feel or what I’ll look like or what I’ll be able to do after I complete my goal. For instance, one of my goals in June is to relaunch my Pampered Chef Business. Now that I’m no longer teaching, I’ve got more time to jump (I’m a jumper, remember) back into hosting parties and creating videos and trying new PC products and recipes. I’m driven to relaunch my business because I can picture in my head the spending freedoms I’ll have have when I get my first commission check. So, if you’re a big picture person like me, try picturing how you’ll feel, and I guarantee you’ll make better decisions that respect your time and get you closer to meeting your goals.
• New Hobby – Take up a new hobby that you can’t complete in one sitting. I have decided to learn about plants. I’ve never been one to enjoy gardening or growing produce, but I’ve bought a few plants here and there and I’m just trying to keep them alive. It’s something that can’t be done instantly, and overtime I’ll get so see something grow into something beautiful (huge metaphor for this whole thing).
• Slow it down – We live in a world where we can order any type of food and have it delivered to our door, where shipping that takes more than two days is just ridiculous, and NOW we can drive up to our favorite stores and an associate will deliver our necessities right to our car. Talk about instant! There’s no wonder we struggle with patience, we hardly ever have to wait! I suggest finding a couple ways to take the longer route, don’t always go for the quickest most efficient way to complete a task. In the first few months of bullet journalling I was rushing to get my pages set up and then I wasn’t even logging my actions everyday. It was stressful and a huge waste of my time. For June, I actually forced myself to determine my theme before I began my layout. Then, I spent the week leading up to June 1 creating my pages. By June 1, I was so excited to open my Bujo and really use it the way it is intended to be used (Check out my June Bujo here). I slowed down my process, allowing me to be more appreciative of my creation. Slowing down is an effective way to lower stress and be present in the moment.

Being intentional looks different for everyone because it’s only about you and your growth towards how you spend your time. From my experience, I can tell you the only way to reach it is by looking inward and identify the things in your life that cause you to be anxious or frustrated and take steps to reach a place of balance.

Till next time,

Sarah

Patience Has No Calories

Ask anyone, I’m pretty much the most IMPATIENT person in the world. This is a product of a cut-throat (sometimes lethal) combination:

• a Millennial
• an Enneagram 7W8
• the eldest of two in a relatively small family

In short, Millennials live in a world where anything more than 2-day shipping is unacceptable. As a 7w8, I have a serious fear of missing out (FOMO, it’s a real thing), so if I’m waiting for something it means I’m missing something else. Finally, being the first born, I didn’t have to wait on anyone or anything for the first few years of my life and then my brother just went along with whatever. Makes sense, right? Back to it, my definition for patience:

Patience (n.) – the ability to wait calmly for something to happen

-Me

The whole idea of having patience or chilling out or to “STAY CALM” is just frustrating to think about when we are consumed with getting things in an (snaps fingers) instant. GET THIS, even if it’s not in an instant, we can actually SCHEDULE when it arrives so we already know when to expect it. And yes, I’m talking about food.

When it comes to lifestyle changes and eating habits, I expect results almost immediately. I expect to feel better in a few hours. I expect to lift my shirt up and see some kind of abs forming. I expect to be able to run a 5K without breaking a sweat. (What a joke!) With those kinds of unrealistic expectations, no wonder I struggle with being patient… But seriously who doesn’t? You make some effort, you deserve some change, right?

But here’s the thing, while I’m choosing to put effort into eating better, to creating healthy habits for me and my family, I can get my gratification from other sources while I (patiently) wait for the results I’m really looking for.

Let’s unpack this…

You can pray or meditate or breath for more patience, but in the end it’s about taking a step back and understanding the value of what you’re waiting for. Personally, I’m choosing to eat better so I look better and I’m happier with who I see in the mirror, I mean really who doesn’t want to look good, right? But, what’s the value of that goal? Honestly, not much, I’m only trying to make myself feel better, for me. But, who else benefits from the choices I make to meet that goal? That’s right, my family. While I’m waiting for that hot bod in the mirror and for my jeans to fit more loosely, I’m instantly getting other (IMO way more valuable) things:

• New Recipes (trying new foods with young kids is so much fun)
• Mealtime with My Family (watching my kids eat is hysterical)
• New Activities (we love to walk as a family and point out animals or cars we see)
• Home Renos (with more energy, I have more drive to get $&*# done around the house)

So yea, I may not see a “hot bod” this summer because it does take time and I’m still counting those darn calories. However, one thing is true, the value of my end result is actually found in the choices I make leading to the end result. Having patience is all about gaining a little bit of perspective. I’m sure you’ve heard some version of “its about the journey not the destination,” Ralph Waldo Emerson and T.S. Eliot both believe it and it’s time we should too. If you choose to focus and dwell on the longterm result that may take months or years (i.e. hot bod in the mirror), I guarantee you’ll miss out on the most gratifying moments that you’ll never get back.

So, think about this… What do you want? and what can you choose to enjoy along the way? How can you combat your impatience with unforgettable moments or other opportunities while you wait? *Comment below*

Till next time…