Thankfulness Project Tuesday

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens

Well, my Thankfulness Project post is coming to you on Tuesday instead of Monday this week due to Christmas and spending time with my family. I hope you each had a good Christmas, and enjoyed your day spending time with family, friends, or celebrating in whatever fashion you chose to!

 

This is what every night of Christmas break looks like:)

• REAL fires in the fireplace: I don't have a fireplace at my house, so when I'm at my parent's house I soak it in for all it's worth. Christmas break to me means having a fire every night while we watch movies, and I love the warmth and glow the fire gives off! 
• Time With My Family: It's been a fun last week, and I'm soaking my last few days of it before heading back home! It's been a great week of eating, watching movies, exercising, and hanging around the house together. 
• The presents I received for Christmas: I hate to be materialistic at all about the holiday, but I AM so thankful for the items I received for Christmas. It's a great time to get some things for the house that I can use on a regular basis, and some other things that I know I will regularly enjoy throughout the year. 
• Pilates: I love it, and wish I could take classes a few times a week! I love how I feel when I do it, and I enjoy the strength I see that comes from doing it. Seriously, you all should try taking some reformer pilates classes- they're awesome!
• Christmas: I'm thankful for the entire season of Christmas. I love the parties and time to celebrate with family & friends. But more then anything, I am thankful for the reason we even celebrate Christmas! I look forward to this month for the entire year, so I'm feeling a little sad that it is over now. 

Now it's your turn:

What're some of your favorite Christmas break traditions? Have you ever tried pilates? 

Friday Favorites

Favorite Tiny Delight of the Week

Working out with my family! One of my family traditions is to work out every day together once we all get to my parents house for Christmas. We've been going to the gym every day, and spinning, doing yoga, pilates, and weight-lifting together. Not only do we get in some quality time together, but we also stay healthy! It's a great time of fun, laughter, and sweating, and it's good to see each family member choosing to be healthy!

Favorite Quote of the Week

"It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you... yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand." -Mother Teresa

While this is the season of gift giving, I'm wondering if you can think of some "gift of love" that you can give 

others this season.

Favorite Post By Someone Else

Time In The Dark - An excellent post on the shortest day of the year, and how it can remind us of important things in life. Check it out!

Favorite Past Post

Thoughts Of A Perfectionist - I included this post this week because during the holiday season, people tend to stress about doing things the "perfect" way or have high expectations of themselves of others. Check this post out, and develop realistic expectations for yourself! 

Favorite Search Term

• who I am changed
• "hi I'm ___ and I" quotes
• 15 days of reducing stress over the holidays (great tips for this month. The link will take you to "part 3" of this series, and you can access part 1 and part 2 from there!)
• anyone can hide. facing up to things, working on things
• template for self care

This post is short & sweet today. I know that, with these last few days before Christmas comes a lot of busy and hectic schedules. Enjoy time with your family & friends as you do your final preparations for Christmas. I know I'll be spending my day shopping & wrapping!

Now it's your turn!

What're some of your "favorites" for the week? What's a "gift of love" you can give to another person this Christmas season?

Thankfulness Project Monday

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude."

-Unknown

An attitude of gratitude. What would that look like in your life? Part of the practice of listing what I'm thankful for is to create a mindset of always acknowledging what I've been blessed with in my life. I wonder what our lives would look like if we lived in an attitude of gratitude... how would our health and wellness change?

Here are a few of the things I'm thankful for right now:

• Greek Yogurt: This stuff is DELICIOUS! It comes in many different flavors, which I love! Plain yogurt is also fantastic because you can add all sorts of nuts or fresh fruit to it. Delicious and SO healthy! I could eat this stuff every day. Oh wait...I already do... :D
• New Swimsuits: This past week was spent doing a whole lot of swim suit shopping. While I don't like the whole trying it on experience (bad lighting, tons of mirrors, unflattering angles...need I say more?), the getting to wear it part is lots of fun! And of course it only means one thing: SUMMER! 
• Family Workouts: Ok, so we don't necessarily all go to the gym and do the exact same workout. But if my brother is there lifting, he'll run a lap or two with me. My mom will come and do weights. We'll do pilates or all go to a yoga class. It's fantastic! I think it's so important for families as a whole to work on health and wellness together, and I'm thankful that my family does!
• A Phone Call From My Brother: One of my brothers has been overseas for awhile, and I haven't had much of a chance to talk to him. We're really close, and it's been a little sad for me to not really know where he's at or what he's doing. A phone call this weekend made it MUCH better, and it was fun to hear his voice & catch up on what's going on in his life. I'm thankful for a fantastic relationship with all my siblings, and specifically right now for a phone call this week from one of them. 
• Movies: This weekend I watched the most recent Harry Potter Movie (anyone else REALLY excited for the final movie?), which in my mind is always a fun choice. I also watched a movie I had never heard of before entitled Like Dandelion Dust. It's FANTASTIC. Not funny, certainly, but it was an incredibly interesting movie, with an issue that was thought provoking to me as a counselor. It's fun to be able to lose yourself in the story lines of movies, or simply sit back and take a break from life for a bit. 

What I'd like to know:

What was your favorite part of the weekend?

What genre of movies do you like best?

What are you thankful for right now?

Working Out While You Work

Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it.  ~Author Unknown

The last two evenings I've spent shoveling mulch from a huge pile on the driveway into a wheelbarrow. Then the mulch was dumped in the backyard. This morning I will spend the morning spreading the mulch...I'm trying to not get too excited about it:) Also, please try to not be jealous as you think of me sweating away in piles of wood. Seriously. 


Ok, enough of the sarcasm. As I was shoveling yesterday, I began to think of the nature of household chores, and how easy it is to complain about it. We can't avoid the housework (ok...I guess we can avoid it, but not if we want clean, safe, and healthy houses!), but we CAN make it fun. Why make it a miserable time for ourself, our significant other, or our children? 


I got to thinking. What could possibly be remotely "fun" about shoveling mulch? Well, I was complaining in my head about not getting a workout in, and then realized that I could use this as my workout. This immediately shifted my focus. I got into a healthy and safe position, and focused on different muscles as I shoveled. I did yoga and pilates like moves while I was waiting for the mulch to be dumped in the backyard. Did I look a little stupid? Sure. Did I feel better about the time I spent shoveling? Absolutely. I got my heart rate up, and threw a little strength training in there too.


My point is this. You can make healthy choices even while doing your household chores. Better yet. If someone else is there with you, try to make a game out of it. There's no need for the chores to be a waste of time and not fun! Summer is a great time to set a new, healthy pattern for your work, so take the first step today and try to increase health in this area! You'll dread the housework a lot less... 


Do you ever do a workout while doing a daily task or chore? What's your most dreaded chore?

Thankfulness Project Monday

I'm so very sorry for my lack of posting this past week. I've had a few major projects that I've been working on, and this has made free time very scarce. I hope to get back to a more regular posting schedule soon. That being said, I of course couldn't miss the list of things I'm thankful for:

• Easter Weekend: I had a long weekend, and spent some time with my family. It was fun, relaxing, and the perfect break for an incredibly hectic week for me. It was much needed!
• The Hope & Promise in Easter: I'm so thankful for the cross and all the promises and hopes that it means in life. 
• Spring Dresses! Ok, I understand that this may seem just a little pathetic, especially following the first two on my list. BUT, they are fun, and can help brighten my mood:) After months of the cold, snowy winter, it's finally time to break these out! So, while this isn't something of great substance, right now it warrants a spot on my list. 
• Yoga: I like to mix pilates lessons in with yoga to create a great workout for myself. Although I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with it (see my post here on this relationship). It's relaxing, helps me practice mindfulness, and I can tell that I'm developing strength from it. 
• Life: I'm thankful for life. Sounds a little funny I guess on this list, but I'm so thankful for the chance to live and experience love, relationship, travel, and everything in between. Living is hard, for sure, but it's beautiful as well. I'm thankful for the living that I've had a chance to do. 

So, there you go. A few of the things I'm thankful for on this Monday morning. 

How was your Easter weekend? What are you thankful for today?