Wednesday, January 30, 2013

WW: A problem-free life.

Hugh-Miller-Problems


A few months ago my mother-in-law gave me a 365 Day Devotional, which earlier this week, started with this:

"GIVE UP THE ILLUSION that you deserve a problem-free life."

I literally laughed out loud when I read it. First of all, it's blunt, right? I feel like it's screaming, GET OVER YOURSELF! And then as I re-read the line I felt a sense of...relief. Odd, maybe- but it kind of made me feel better just hearing that problems should be expected, and to think otherwise is just not realistic. Delusional, in fact.

We Type A personalities easily get caught up with striving for perfection and control. But becoming a parent threw that whole idea out the window, in fact it's harder and harder to maintain control, if I ever even had it. Problems start to creep in and sometimes, okay often, I get mad. I'm sure you've been there personally and professionally, when something happens in your life or to a loved one that you feel is unfair or not deserved. But the reality is that we're not promised only good moments or just happy times.

Hearing this one little phrase this week somehow took a burden off of my shoulders. A little voice said, get over it Lauren! You're going to have problems, like, FOREVER. We can't control that, but we can control how we respond to them. And ultimately it's not the problem that defines us, but the responses that we have to whatever comes our way. What a relief.

And what an opportunity to build character and teach my son that we might not always have the right circumstances, but we can always choose the right response.

After all "Life is "10% about what happens to you, and 90% about how you react to it." -Charles R. Swindoll.

[caption id="attachment_959" align="aligncenter" width="490"]Because he's cute. Because he's cute.[/caption]

Monday, January 28, 2013

Celeb crushes.

You're welcome.


Leo Golden Globes 2013

Okay can we talk about Leonardo DiCaprio for a second? So I saw him a few weeks ago at the Golden Globes and remembered how dapper he was, but then I heard he was retiring from acting which made me think of him AGAIN...and where I'm going with this? Well, he was my first. Celebrity Crush.

Ladies, remember when you watched movies as a hormonal teenager and fell in love for the first time? C'mon, Ryan Gosling- "it wasn't over, it's still not over.":

 

Sure, my loyalties changed circa 2004 when The Notebook came out. But long before Ryan Gosling, there was this guy:

Leo Sad RomeoI mean he was ROMEO, y'all. He was my youth's Ryan Gosling for YEARS. I had a whole wall in my bathroom devoted to this man; with magazine cutouts of his face from all those teeny-bopper magazines taped to my wall next to the toilet. Next to the TOILET. Leonardo Dicaprio was it for me ladies, he was my first celebrity crush. *Disclaimer below.

Alas, I saw my Leo last at the Golden Globes and memories flooded back. Of my bathroom, yes, but mainly of how obsessed I was with this guy. I mean, weird right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*If we're being totally honest here, my first celebrity crush was actually Jonathan Taylor Thomas. However, he's not really relevant anymore and definitely not as attractive.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

One year minus a month.

Today Cooper reached the 11-month old mark. That's 31 days short of one year old. Seriously? Seriously.

[caption id="attachment_920" align="aligncenter" width="490"]A picture of Coop, on his actual 11 month birthday. Hey there Coop! A picture of Coop, on his actual 11 month birthday. Hey there Coop![/caption]

Cooper spent the day with a terrible cough; poor guy barely napped a wink but somehow was still our happy, curious , and stubborn determined little boy. He wore his deer sweater today, which always makes me really happy, and continues to always, always be better dressed than his parents.

Eleven. Months.

[caption id="attachment_861" align="alignright" width="225"]Griddle? I bet I could throw that on the floor and make lots of noise... Griddle? I bet I could throw that on the floor and make lots of noise...[/caption]

Well, life changed one day after his 10-month birthday when he decided that stairs weren't so scary anymore, dishwashers are a great play area, and standing and walking around furniture is SO underrated. Like most young babies his age (can I still call him a baby)? he doesn't stop moving. He's got two bruises on his face and if he is awake anything in a bottom drawer or cabinet is on the floor. He has long hair on the bottom of his head that he's had since he was born, but hardly any on the top of his head; I like to spike it up sometimes because it tricks a lot of people into thinking he has more hair than he actually does. He likes to eat his shoes, your sunglasses, and I caught him trying to eat dog food the other day. If you're a girl, he'll flirt with you and if you're a boy, he'll flirt with you too. He's a mamas boy, and he is 100% perfect. 

Having a baby with a cough is SO painful, because there's not much you can really do to help them at this age.  However, I did come across a blog that gave some pretty good ideas. If your in our boat, take a look. It's called The Mama Dramalogues, which might be the most awesome blog name I've come across: What To Do When Baby Has Chesty Cough.

So I didn't love Coop any less when he turned 10-months- but I did stay far away from computers because it was Christmas and we were in Texas. Most days we were eating Mexican food, drinking margaritas or thinking about when and where we were going to do both next. Obviously, this took most of our time. Anyways...here are just a few pictures of Coop's 10-month(ish)  and his first Christmas.

[caption id="attachment_860" align="aligncenter" width="490"]Christmas Eve with Nanna. Christmas Eve with Nanna.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_848" align="aligncenter" width="490"]Annual Christmas Eve lunch with the girls...Mexican style:)! Annual Christmas Eve lunch with the girls...Mexican style:)![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_857" align="aligncenter" width="490"]Coop with his Kennedy Aunties Coop with his Kennedy Aunties[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_854" align="aligncenter" width="490"]Breakfast with the boys :). Breakfast with the boys :).[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_850" align="aligncenter" width="490"]I have a buffalo on my head. Mom made me. I have a buffalo on my head. Mom made me.[/caption]

Many blessings...Lauren

 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happy at home.

Happy Wednesday folks! Our computer crashed recently so it has been quite difficult blogging without it; thus the lack of posts. I'm sure as soon as this problem corrects itself pictures of Cooper will be overflowing on the blog. Until then...

"Home is where the heart is."

It's so cliche but true. I know many of us always have "interior home improvement" on the brain, I see your pins, people. Well I too, am one of them. I'm constantly trying to find ways to improve our home, always with the goal of making it warmer, more inviting; a place that we love to come home to. But, y'all these things don't come naturally to me. I have to work hard to find the right fit for a corner, accent item on the shelf, and have spent a year-and-a-half staring at brown curtains in our room because no fabric looks quite right.

But when I came across this article (via the blog Headed Somewhere), it was refreshing and reminded me of the small things we can do at home each day to make us happier folk!

1. Make your bed. In a popular post last month, I explained the many benefits of daily bed-making. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.

2. Bring every room back to "ready." I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul's clever book, It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys. It's a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to "ready" before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)

3. Display sentimental items around your home. One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal. Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, "What was the best part of today?") Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

5. If you can't get out of it, get into it. This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting "Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!" and pretend you love it.

6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day. In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says ""Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it." Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, "Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!" Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like "be productive" or "enjoy today's delicious moments" or it could be something more specific like "say thank you to my loved ones today." But it should not be another "to do" item on your list.

7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!). (That's right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don't expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don't try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It's YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It's a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

8. Call at least one friend or family member a day. You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don't feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home. Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don't forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)

10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself. Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

You can find the original article at Aparmtent Therapy (another blog I am now following). And if you're adding charm to your home another blog to follow is the Endearing Home.

I love these little tips on bettering your days and creating a calm and happy home and self.

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Happy day!
Lauren

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Welcome 2013!

"And now we welcome the New Year, full of things that have never been." -Rainer Maria Rilke

Well hello there 2013!

It has been a few weeks since I've written and life has been full. We had safe-travels to and from Dallas for the Christmas holiday, with wonderful time spent with family and friends. I've been soaking it in. Enjoying every second. Being thankful.

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." -Benjamin Franklin

We celebrated NYE last night in wild fashion, with two of our friends, a home-cooked meal and a feisty board game.

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It got crazy y'all...and it was just perfect.

Now I know this is the time when resolutions are made for the upcoming year, but I've never been a big New Years resolution-gal. But this year there was a lot to reflect on and I felt like I needed to pen-to-paper some "things to accomplish." In 2012 I became acutely more aware of the fragility of life, the importance of not taking any day, moment, time- for granted. Thus, in the spirit of celebrating the moment, I thought what better time for a family tradition than the present! I mean, now that we have this third person hanging around, I want to start traditions with him and our family that are special- that he'll one day look forward to. So what did I decide to do? Wait for it...cook dinner.

Now, not just dinner, a SPECIAL black-eyed pea casserole (because everyone needs a little good luck in the New Year), with a little Texas-twist. Yep, that's it...JUST dinner, but y'all I got my husband to eat black-eyed peas with this recipe (thanks Pinterest) so I would highly recommend it. (PS if you have any NY traditions that you do, I would LOVE to steal hear them. Not for the lack of creativity, of course).

So, 2013, welcome! Tonight we celebrated you with year ONE of our 'New Years day black-eyed-pea-casserole tradition'- we ate, toasted the past year, talked about things we are looking forward to in the New Year, and ate our peas. And sitting in between us was this guy:

IMG_5930

...our greatest blessing in 2012. Though he didn't have much to say today during our toast, I am so looking forward to the time when he will. 2012, you were good to us and we did not take one single day of you for granted.

"Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”―Brad Paisley

[caption id="attachment_872" align="aligncenter" width="571"]Lounging with this happy baby kicked off 2013 pretty darn good. Lounging with this happy baby kicked off 2013 pretty darn good.[/caption]

Best to you and yours in the New Year,
Lauren