The Law of Attraction

"Everything that is coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it's attracted to you by virtue of the images you're holding in your mind. It's what you're thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you." - The Secret.

 I watched the movie "The Secret" once and thought I'd put the principles to use when I went to a homeschooling convention in Reno. My oldest was beginning Kindergarten and I planned on teaching him. They were raffling off prizes all afternoon, so I pictured in my mind being a winner. I truly visualized myself winning and, lo and behold, the very first number called was mine. I won a Fun-with-Science book that came with a stretchy, glow-in-the-dark alien. I made a mental note to be more specific in my visualizing next time.

So on the way to my favorite Cub Scout pack show of the year, the one where all the gift baskets each den put together along with an assortment of hams and turkeys are raffled off, I told the kids to really picture themselves winning tonight. Don't just wish for it....visualize it...believe it!  The raffle was for the scouts and the 'tags' (tag-along siblings). If the scout brought a can of food they got an extra ticket. This didn't apply to tags but somehow one of my girls ended up with an extra ticket. So all together we had nine chances to win something. There were a lot of kids but the odds were one of them would win.

Within the first round of drawing numbers Samuel won an entire box of the biggest doughnuts I have ever seen in my life...literally....the biggest. Oh joy. Two numbers later his other number was called and he won a reusable grocery bag loaded with snack food.

Isabelle kept asking me when they were going to call her number, and when they do, can I let her go up there by herself, "because I like to be alone" (more likely, I'd like all the attention on me). I was just about to warn her that there was a possibility that she might not win, but then they called her number.  All by herself, she went up in front of everyone and came back lugging a basket of art supplies half the size of her! I should mention here that she spends 99% of her time at home coloring, cutting, and taping. Needless to say, she was thrilled.

Withing the next twenty minutes Ben won some Sees chocolate bars, and Hunter won a smoked ham that will serve as our Christmas breakfast, lunch, dinner and leftovers. One of Hunter's other number was also called but I was clear across the room from him as he sat with his den members and as frantically as I motioned to him that they just called his number he didn't get what I was trying to say, so it went once...twice....and onto the next number.

What about poor Cece you might ask? Oh they called hers too. She won a hand full of See's lollipops...at least 6 or 7 of them.   I had that one remaining ticket that the girls got by mistake still in my pocket. I was getting a little embarrassed that my kids kept winning so I gave it to my sister Tina who is Samuel's den leader.  Not five minutes went by and that number was called! She received a ham.

I should mention here that because we were running late, we didn't have time to eat dinner before we left for the meeting at six o' clock....hmmm....I wonder what was on the children's minds when they visualized winning!? I will also remind you that I am still not eating sugar.....

Note to self: Insist that our conscience minds, not our craving stomachs, do the visualizing next time!

A Lightbulb Moment

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for". - Joseph Addison

Sitting at the restaurant the other day having lunch with a friend, I came to an important understanding that I am accomplishing what I am supposed to be accomplishing. Ever since I stood in front of the judge during one of my divorce court dates in July of 2010, I have had this nagging feeling that I should be doing more. After having been a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) for 8 years, I remember my lawyer asking the judge, "So, when does she need to start looking for work?" "Tomorrow." was her heartless reply.

And so, I got a part-time job and enrolled myself at the community college to embark on a new career. Entering the workforce after eight years of devoting every breathing moment to mothering my children was scary. I knew the minds of kids, not adults. The job I got, in-home care giving, suited me well, as it wasn't a far cry from being a SAHM. As God's design would have it, if we live long enough, our lives tend to come full circle and in our old age we are more like children than the adults we once were.

But it wasn't on my "this is what I want to do to for the rest of my life" list. That is the reason I went back to school. The fact that I already had my Associates Degree allowed me to begin studies that directly related to my new degree...Paralegal Studies. At the risk of sounding like a total loser, the reason I chose Paralegal studies was because it didn't require any math....and I love courtroom drama films. I felt like once the judge saw that I was employed and in school, she would cut me some slack.

As it turned out, I never had my day in court to let her see all the hard work I'd been putting in (but that's another post for another day). With all of my personal trips to the courthouse, I developed an aversion to everything "legal" and did not enroll in the next quarter of school. More importantly I realized that my children are only young once and I was fearful that those taking care of them while I worked or went to school were spending more time with them than I was. The reason I chose to be a SAHM when I had my first son was because I wanted to be the one who raised my children, not someone else.

I spent the summer continuing to work part-time and spending the rest of the time with the kids.
But when school time came around again, I knew it was time to do something more. I volunteered to work two days a week helping with the Primary Grades at my children's school. This was important to me because the boys felt I was near even if I wasn't with them, and I could spend my lunch with the girls who were watched by my dad a block away. So, now it is as if I have a full-time job; Monday and Friday at the school, Tue.-Thurs. as a caregiver....and yet, up until the other day, I still felt like I should be doing something more.

My dream is to have a career in photography, own my own business and work my chosen hours. At lunch, I was telling my friend, Aaron, that I didn't feel like I was accomplishing much toward that goal. I saw him and others moving in the direction of their goals and I felt stagnant, unmovable. He said one thing that has now changed the way I see my life. He said, "You are doing what you're supposed to be doing, you're holding it all together...and you're doing it well."

He was right. I am holding it all together, and that is not a minor task. My job right now is to raise five spiritually, physically, and emotionally healthy human beings. There is nothing more daunting than that, and nothing more rewarding. I want to thank my family and friends who help and support me in all I do, and my children for simply loving me. I am blessed. 

Day Off

The kids are at their dads.

My house is quiet.

Nobody is telling me they need something, right now!

I don't have anywhere I have to be.

What do I do?

........

That's right :)

Happily Sugar Free!!

It's day 6 of my "No Sugar" eating plan. Days 1-3 were wrought with fatigue, headache, and severe irritation with everything and everyone who dared cross my path. The night of the third day was characterized by restless sleep and a series of awful nightmares that made me feeling exhausted upon waking up. They say that when you close your eyes and visualize something you really want, if you do it well enough, your brain can't tell if it's real or not. I wonder if the same is true for dreams. If so, I spent the third night getting in a car accident, being helped by a very buff but very creepy man, only to find that as the kids and I arrived at home that same creepy man was setting fire to our house! Then I spent the the rest of the night trying to rescue my children as they ran into the burning house to retrieve their precious toys, and just as I would get one child to safety, I'd realize there were still four in the house!

Needless to say, as tired as I was, I was glad when morning came. That day I continued to have a headache though, and all I wanted to do was put my pajamas on, curl up on the couch and watch a movie.

Alas! Day five I awoke with no headache and I didn't even feel the need to call upon my old friend, the snooze button! I got up and Tina greeted me with, "Good Morning! How do you feel? I feel great!" I did too. For us, day five was the magical day. Our bodies have been detoxified and we felt pretty good.

One big thing I've noticed today (day 6) is when I went out to lunch with a good friend, I didn't even think about perusing the entire menu, I went straight to what I knew I could eat and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

The holidays will be the big challenge. I won't say that I won't enjoy a piece of pumpkin pie this year, I will. But it will be a piece, not my slice and all the leftover's that my picky children left on their plates (something, at times, I used to appreciate!).

Happy Saturday to all,

Gina

Wisdom from the Weary

Today is the end of day two of my "Say No to Sugar" lifestyle. This morning I started out a bit on the cranky side. I didn't want to equate it to my lack of sugar, being that it had only been one full day, and I couldn't blame it on the kids because they were all very cooperative getting ready for school this morning, I couldn't even blame it on "that time of the month", but that's T..M..I. So I figured I just needed more sleep.

After my sister picked the boys up for school, I set my alarm and went back to sleep. When my alarm went off (mind you it's 9:30 am by this time) it took all the energy I could muster to pluck myself off the couch and get myself and the girls dressed. I could feel a dull headache coming on but I drank a bunch of water and ignored it. Fast forward to 2:15.....

I took my client to her doctor appointment and parked the van. I ate my salad, with chicken, broccoli, avocado and salsa and it was quite satisfying. I've never been a vegetable person, but in the past two days I've found I LOVE broccoli! I mean, I've flirted with the "little green trees", as the kids call them, for awhile, but now it is true love.

But, still dealing with a headache, I set my alarm, and took a nap in the van. I seriously had a dream of pumpkin pie ice cream! But I woke (right before I was about to take a bite) to the roar of a speeding train rushing in front of me about 30 feet from where I was parked. I could literally feel the van quivering as boxcar after boxcar raced by. In the silence of its passing....I wanted ice cream....badly!!

So I went back to sleep. My sweet slumber only lasted for 12 more minutes before my alarm went off and I had to carry on with my duties. The headache intensified, as did the fatigue.

As I drove from work to pick up the fabulous five, I had a stark revelation. I really was am addicted to sugar! I was told these symptoms of withdrawal only last about 4-7 days. I'll let you know. Tomorrow, the children and I are staying the night with my sister, Tina, who is also cutting out sugar. This should be fun....sorry kids! Muhahahahahhah!!

 

Oh What a Difference Growing up Makes!

All Hallows Eve, 1991

The air was crisp and and leaves were bright. Some leaves had already fallen and blanketed the ground with the crunchy curls of the years' foliage. Excitement and fear were the emotions of the day as we were finally allowed to put on those costumes we've been planning for months. The house, inside and out, front and back, were decorated 'to the nines'. The pumpkins have been carved for almost 2 weeks, the meal we planned last month was on the table, and the bowl of candy wasn't going to make it to the trick-or-treaters if we had any say in it.
The party, well under way, included creepy soundtracks, games, holiday themed food like 'Mummies in a Blanket' and 'Witch Finger Breadsticks'. When it finally got dark enough, we grabbed the biggest bag we could find (usually a pillow case!) and headed outdoors in order to make it to as many houses as we could before we were expected back home. It was usually pretty predictable. There was the 'lady who cries', the sweet old lady who passed out info on Jesus with her bagged candy and begged us to be safe (we always dreaded this place, but went out of guilt, thinking she was just sitting there, alone, waiting for us) and there was 'the King-sized house', no 'fun' sized candy bars here! And there were the ones who gave three or four pieces at a time and then there were the cheap skates....we knew them all.
Upon our return home, we sorted, traded, and ate...and ate....and ate. It was fun times had by all.....or was it?

20 years later.....

The air is crisp, the leaves are bright, some have already fallen. "I'm running late", and "I've so much to do!" were the emotions of the day.  The house was decorated a few days ago after Hunter pleaded and begged me to dig the 'Halloween stuff'' out of the garage. The kids fought over who got to put what, where, so I finally had to regulate who did what...and..."if this is how it's gonna be I'll do it myself next year!".  Oh dear, did I actually say that!? I still didn't know what the kids would wear to the Cub Scout Trunk n Treat the day of the event..."If you want to dress up, you need to put something together out of the dress-up box." And, I didn't even know what two of the boys would be wearing for their All Saints Day costumes the evening before that event!  On top of it all, I had three sick children, one who had been keeping me up for three nights in a row.  Although the kids would be with their father on actual Halloween night, we still attended three parties, and by the third, I was done with the holiday altogether....and done with candy!

Now, after having written the second Halloween account, I feel like this holidays' version of Ebeneezer Scrooge! The truth is, the children and I had a wonderful time at the pumpkin patch, and an even better time carving our pumpkins with our closest friends. I enjoyed seeing the kids in costume and marveled over how it all seemed to come together...even though I procrastinated to the last possible minute.  And when the kids were gone for the night, I enjoyed a quiet evening at home with two of my closest comrades, Emily and Aaron. We watched uber cheesy 'Hocus Pocus', practiced the dance moves to Michael Jackson's Thriller (until I threw my neck out), and then settled down to watch the once-scary-now-super-goofy movie Ghostbusters.

Although maybe not as much as long ago, I still enjoy All Hallows Eve, and I'm even planning my costume for next year....stay tuned.

Side note: If you drove to my house, don't come a trick-or-treat'n....BAH!. (Is it just me, or are trick-or-treaters getting older?)