- 110 Points

Of course I woke up at 2:30 a.m. this morning. I cannot tell you how many times I wake up between 2:30 and 3:30. I know I have said it a million times, but I do not know if I have ever successfully slept through the night. I normally fall asleep rather quickly, but then once I wake up, I find it extremely challenging to fall back asleep. Normally it lends itself to first trying to fall back asleep in frustration. Stage 2 is when I turn the t.v. back on and put a re-run on. Preferably one I have seen a million times in an effort to not need to watch it, or care and fall back asleep. Step 3 is to roll onto my right side. I normally fall asleep on my right side. If that still doesn't work, I will check my phone, e-mail, Facebook and last but not least blog or read. I should probably start with blogging or reading, at least they are both active and may tire me out.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.....

Everyone has their "thing". For some it is clowns, for some people it is Styrofoam, for people like me, it is mirrors. I am fairly confident I am not the only person that is slightly freaked out by them. I find them fascinating. They have the potential to have so much power over how we feel about ourselves each and every day, yet in reality they don't even accurately reflect what we look like. Reason number a million to realize once and for all, you are more than your looks! You are so much more than what you see in the mirror every day.

If you are having real trouble remembering this, why don't you try writing some encouraging words or quotes with a dry erase board marker on the mirrors you use most every day. Words like "kind," "intelligent," "funny," "good friend," " great at 80's trivia," "patient," "good mother," "hard worker," "love myself" and "love my kids." These are the things you should focus on in the mirror each day!!

A super dooper day

The older I get the more I realize it is truly the little things in life that make each day. It is truly the special moments and little victories that may me smile and make each day memorable.

I often hear that Americans live to work, versus much of the rest of the world, that work to live. I have really been trying to focus on the hours spent out of work lately. I still am not great at making the most out of the pre 8 a.m. and post 6:30 p.m. hours each day, but I am trying to really start thinking about how to make the most of my non-working hours. That is, until I can figure out a way to shrink those working hours even more. How can I be more motivated and energized before and after work to not fall into the nightly food and t.v. commas. How can I resist the urge to get home and put my slippers and p.j.'s on immediately? How can I maximize every moment of this wondrous life I have?

Wake up...wake up

This blog isn't going to be all that deep. Its title may give it more weight that it realistically deserves. This blog is just about one of the most important skills my mother ever taught me. I feel like my parents taught me so many important things as a child. Things I have carried with me and things that have helped me to get where I am today. How to tie my shoes, how to brush my teeth and maybe most importantly how to say "please" and "thank you" and be a gracious winner and loser.

Who knew the one special skill would float to the forefront in today's blog. I know I have spoken of my  night terrors so many times over the course of this past year. As a child, I had so many nightmares. So many scary dreams. Many of them would repeat from year-to-year. The one I continue to remember most vividly, is the one that would occur on my b-day each and every year. Like clockwork. I would go to bed that evening, knowing that I would have the scary dream again. I would tell friends about it and I would basically anticipate the dream.

Storage USA

I have been grappling with the concept of "stuff" for so long. As a kid, thinking about all the toys I wanted for Christmas and birthdays--which is probably where when my fascination initially began. There were two times a year when people would bring me things??!! How amazing! Or so I thought. I had so many toys that my toys required a box, it even had a name, a "toy box", along with shelves, closets and drawers. Even while I felt like I had so many "toys" I am uncertain how much "stuff" I really had.

Their eyes are watching us...May Cause Miracles

I think this blog post is coming from a few places. First and foremost, thanks to my recent readings of Gabrielle Bernstein's "Spirit Junkie" and my continued reading of "May Cause Miracles," I have been thinking a ton about my own childhood and starting to dig down deep into where many of my quirks and nuances came from.

I also had a very interesting conversation with my co-worker last week. She is the mother of two young children and she was talking to me about how fascinated she was when she realized how her children play house, vs. how her sister's children play house....I will leave you all in suspense for a bit on that one.

Sex and Sexuality

I am not totally sure why I am finding this blog so important to write at this moment. I have an entire list of other topics I need to get out of my head at some point, but here goes nothing. I am sure I am already beginning to blush and turn red as I even think about where this blog is going to go. Maybe it is part of me thinking about my self and my fears and reading "May Cause Miracles" that is bringing up this topic, or perhaps it is the bizarre dream I had last night, regardless....here....goes....nothing.