February- Show me some love, please

Okay. I am a day late and more than a few dollars short but here's my entry anyway. I feel like Mother Nature dislikes me very much so. My allergies are worse right now than I ever remember. I can finally successfully breathe through my nose for about eight hours before needing to take some medicine. This is vast improvement from last week and the weekend. The only downside is that when I do finally need to take my medicine, it renders me of any use to anyone or myself. SO, I am trudging on and only taking once a day now to see if I can hold strong. You may be asking why I just rambled about my health for too long focusing on my health is part of February.:) Sadly, although I am not actually sad about, I will fail my attempt to run 1 mile before the end of the month. On a happier note I am still using many of my attitude exercises from January. My favorite attitude move is to keep my mouth shut and walk away. You have no idea how helpful this simple move is and it WORKS!

This week I've been making an effort with my kids. I do not necessarily think that the connections with them are frayed but instead I am approaching it as I do not want those connections to fray. And things are working. It really is true that if we look for the good we find it and vice verse, so, this past week I've been looking for good in each of them and I am finding it.

Just the other night, I was looking for a new book to download to my amazing Nook (thank you sweetheart) and Sebastian came to look with me. So, there we were mother and son searching through Barnes and Noble e-books. I loved it. And interestingly enough before I could state the title of the one I wanted, Sebastian said "I know you want that one on Paris and Love," and he was so correct. It was the exact book I wanted. Those several minutes we spent scrolling the site together were and are very important to me. Bash is growing up. Literally. He has grown three inches since May and seems to be growing more each day. He will be a teenager soon and before I know it he will be a man. I am happy to see him excelling; however, sometimes when I look at him I still get a glimpse of the four year old little boy who loved Monster Trucks more than anything.

February - Love is in the Air

February is my relationship month. And I want to make clear that I am also examining my relationship with myself. I realize this is an obvious observation since this whole blog is dedicated to the discovery of happiness within myself and in my environment; but I feel it necessary to state that it is important to have a grasp on our relationship with our own self. If we do not trust, love and respect who we are then I truly believe we cannot receive trust, love and respect from others and furthermore, it seems unfair to do so.

So, I am examining the relationships and bonds that are closest to me as well as creating new ones. I made a new friend last week. We met for coffee and chatted and shared business ideas and the differences we face as women in our careers and in our lives. She and I shared traveling memories and stories of Katrina and more. It was a very pleasurable meeting that inspired me. I hope to see her next week at a meeting she invited me to attend.

I love my siblings. I have fond memories with each of them. It often feels hard to get connected. I see other families that have an effortless connection. They meet on one coast for a family vacation or the girls all meet up and share a girls dinner while the guys watch the kiddos and play cards, or families who live near one another and see each other constantly and sisters who share clothes and books and such. I think this is beautiful and I hope and pray that my children are able to capture and maintain a bond that strengthens with love and joy. So, in an effort to let my siblings know I think of them and love them. I emailed or briefly messaged with all but one of them this month thus far. It isn't that there was anything profound to say and I am not interested in debating the past or discussing what we should of done or should do, but I want them to know I love them and I am proud of them. I have two strong sisters who are very successful in their chosen professions. I have a brother who one of the most talented artists I know and a great Daddy to his little girl and I have one other brother who is doing what he can to discover what he wants in the world through a carefree vagabond lifestyle. I think we are all progressing and that is great to me.

I've realized that I can only control my aspect of the relationship. I cannot place an unfair or unclear expectation onto someone else. I am the commander of me and I can choose what I want in life. I can choose to move forward and make the best of situations. I can choose to embrace love and celebrate my relationships. I can choose to connect consistently with the ones I love. I do not have to have relationships like those of my peers. Their relationships may not work for me. I need to be true to myself and appreciate my connections.

Being true to myself also aligns with taking care of myself. I owe it to me to make me priority. I can set my own pace in life and I am responsible for achieving the most of my days. Productivity in my life starts with yoga. I use yoga to reflect, embrace, let go, push, recharge and relax myself. For me, it is best that I practice at night. I sleep so well and best of all wake up well when I am consistently practicing. When you are feeling well and healthy you change small things, you eat healthier because it continues to make you feel better, you pay attention to your body and are able to maintain ailments better. Even if I can get fifteen minutes of yoga in before settling in for the evening it is worth it. Being me and remembering to enjoy who I am is critical in relationships with myself and others.

And lastly, I celebrated the most amazing Valentine's Day of my life yesterday. Thank you baby.

Snowmagedon will make you smile

So I realize it is Friday and I typically post on Mondays, but this is a happiness emergency! Snowmagedon has reached the South, I'd like to call it Baby Sneauxmagedon, and the kids are off school for a real SNEAUX day! Usually the snow days drive me insane because of the obvious, it never actually snows at our place and it either rains or is the brightest day you've seen in weeks, but today is different. Today, we woke up and there were and still are huge snow flurries falling and everything looks like a freshly dusted beignet.

It is great. We went outside, the kids played together. Sebastian taught Bai how to properly make a snowball. Bash attempted to slide on the snow in the grass like you do at the beach, and it was so pleasurable. And now, I am making cinnamon rolls that are smelling delicious and warming the house. Snow really does bring out the kid in you. And what makes you happier than remembering how carefree you played as a kid.

You may be thinking, this girl will have a great day. Here is my only problem.... I am almost out of Diet Coke.

February - The Ties That Bind

FIRST OFF!!!! Who DAT!!! Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and all who Believe!


Relationships are the center of February with Valentine's Day falling in the middle of the month and are the focus of my February resolutions. I am a work in progress. Waking with the proper attitude is beneficial and critical to completing any of my other resolutions. Being the stronger/bigger person in a difficult situation or confrontation is not easy but it is rewarding. I feel good at the end of those days that I do not lose my temper. I feel more zen-like and my health benefits directly.

I am reaching out to loved ones and friends this month and it is in no profound way even at the least a simple two line email saying hello. Life is short and often the tiffs we have in life with those we care deepest about are no longer important or were so silly and small in the beginning we were just to full of ourselves to realize at the time. While there are so many things in life that we cannot control, we can control our actions. We can show love to those who are important to us. And we must practice this affirmation in our relationships because we can never count on our tomorrow and we should never put off what can be done or said today.

Continued focus on my health feels great. I feel better. Reminding myself to do yoga and taking the time to enjoy the breathing and the stretches is so relaxing.

February Focus Areas

February --->Strength and Relationship (and strengthen relationships)
*Make an effort with important connections that are frayed
*Focus on my health and strength (be able to run 1 mile and still breathe)
*Acts of love (so those I love see my actions and intentions of my heart)

Jan - Attitude (still a work in progress)

January is officially over and my attitude resolution is a work in progress. I am pleased with my choice to focus on attitude first in my project. Doing things "with a good attitude" or waking up "with a good attitude" is not as easy as it seems. This month I evaluated many areas of my life that impact my attitude. Coincidentally, most of the areas are individual focus areas on my year list. So, at least I know where to look to address my less than perfect qualities.

I learned that being happy with me and having a good attitude toward myself is the most important step. How can I expect someone to be nice to me if I am not nice to myself? I cannot. But having a good attitude with myself and toward myself are different. I know now that I can be me. I can be just that. There is no need to compete with the image I think I should be when being the me that I am is enough. I am loved and am loved because of the unique and individual person I am. If I am uncomfortable with a trait I have or a personality flaw that I dislike, I can change it. But the flipside is that I can keep all that I love too. I am learning to be more comfortable in my own skin and just be me.

Raising my energy level this month was really nice because I walked the lakes or did yoga. I truly love how I feel after walking the lakes and I promise myself to make more time for walks. The cold weather and sinus troubles of the past few weeks did little for my energy level but I realized sometimes life settles us down and we should embrace that too. One night I was feeling under the weather so I made popcorn and we watched a movie. Bai thought it was amazing and I was able to relax. Another time when I didn't feel well we slept in and then started our day. And all was right with the world and life went on.

As I move into February, I will focus on relationships, the ties that bind, and acts of love. Seems like a great place to be since Valentine's Day is there to remind me of my focus.