More Marvelous Moments For ME!!

It's been another great M4M week!

WARNING: THIS POST IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN OR JUDGEMENTAL, OPINIONATED WOMEN. IF NAKED MEN AND DRUNK HORNY WOMEN OFFEND YOU....THEN EXIT THIS POST IMMEDIATELY.

CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!

M4M #1

I went Saturday night with a friend to a bachelorette party for my SIL's sister. We had a LAWT of fun.

From left to right: My SIL Monica,

Monica's sister and the bride-to-be Amy,

my friend Traci, and Me.

We spent the evening at their family owned bar drinking cocktails and watching each other being molested by a sweaty stripper with a mohawk and nasty, dirty, black feet.

Have I mentioned I hate feet?

I spent 5 years in college getting my BSN...it took me an extra year because I changed majors after my 1st year. I loved every minute of my college years but worked my butt off in nursing school. It was tough but I LOVED learning about the human body and what made it tick. Or not tick. Dissecting every square inch of the human body and learning about disease processes fascinated me....so studying to learn all of it was actually fun for me. I won't mention my Calculus class or Art History class as they bored me to TEARS (literally) and I just didn't "get" it. But the actual NURSING courses and clinical studies were fun. Nursing is certainly less than glamorous. In fact, it's about as UN-glamorous as it gets.....and very physically taxing. The hours spent standing were killing my feet and all the heavy lifting and bending over was tearing up my back. But I loved it. When I quit last year I was making $40/hour. I know speaking of your salary is taboo but I don't mind telling you that because I'm no longer doing it anyway. $40/hour is a decent living by anyone's standards. Not GREAT ....but decent. I would bring home about $250 for every 8 hour shift I worked....and I was happy with that.

I tell you that to tell you this....

That sweaty man with the mohawk and dirty feet charged $150 to walk in the door of the bar at 10:30pm and give the bride-to-be a "thrilling" lap dance. He then, for the next hour, made his way around the room giving women 60 second lap dances for the price of twenty bucks a pop. In the span of about 90 minutes this man had to have made at least $500.

I don't point this out to be judgemental and say "OMG he's taking his clothes off for money"....

I don't point this out to say that "I'm better for my college education".....

I point this out to say "there's alot of horny women in this world....so if you find yourself in the position of being unable to afford a college education....or if you don't think you have the fortitude to complete a tough educational program....there's still hope....God Bless America!"

K...that's enough of that.....I have many more pictures but lets just say they were even less suitable for a blog post than those that I actually posted.

M4M #2

I love summer. I love the sun. I love the heat. I love to sweat (but I do NOT like to touch other sweaty people!). This weekend was blissfully, gloriously, and fantastically HOT! Sunday was 92 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees. I also love flowers. They make me smile. So, earlier in the week I went here....

And wandered around aimlessly all by myself for almost an hour with a huge stupid grin on my face and my camera in hand. Flowers as far as the eye can see. Smiling.

So, I spent Sunday afternoon in the heat.....until sweat was dripping down from my forehead into my eyes and dripping from the tip of my nose to the cement and my shirt was soaking wet....planting my flowers uninterrupted.

My M4M was spent transforming my dull landscaping from this....

to this.....

And turning this....

Into this....


I still have 2 more flats of flowers to plant but I got a good start on it.

The last section of today's M4M post I dedicate to the delightful woman that stood in front of me in the check out lane at Meijers Sunday (yesterday) afternoon. There was a man in front of her with his items to purchase being scanned. He was an Asian man who was having difficulty speaking English. The cashier had already scanned all his items and he then said...."I no pay doze (pointing to the 2 cases of beer that she had just scanned last)...I pay deeze (pointing to the bagged items)...but my boss pay deeze (pointing back to the beer)" So I assumed he was trying to tell the cashier to put the beer on a separate bill because someone else was paying him back for them. So the cashier started deleting them from the previous order.

The woman in front of me was being nothing short of a bitch about this. She did the roll of the eyes and the loud obvious sigh and then turned to me and very LOUDLY said "And he couldn't have told her that BEFORE she finished ringing up the ENTIRE order??!!" If she hadn't had boobs I would have thought she was my 11 year old in disguise....I mean, she all but stomped her foot for cry'n out loud! And then shakes her head and rolls her eyes and sighs even louder in an attempt to get me to join in on her mean bitchiness. This woman was irritating me. She was being mean, nasty, and condescending.....and there are very few things in this world that piss me off more than mean, condescending people who kick other people in the shin to boost their own ego....

So, I looked her square in the eye and said....very pleasantly..."That doesn't bother me....I'm sure I've done the same thing at some point in my life....and I'm sure I'll do it again at some point in the future.... and I hope the person behind me will be understanding and patient."

This lady didn't get the hint....she then said "I've NEVER (said with dramatic hair flip) done that"....(pause)....."because the first words out of my mouth would be...'I'm not paying for that'..."

I was biting my tongue so hard I'm pretty sure I drew blood....as I was dieing to say "It must be a lot of pressure being so fucking perfect".....I'm very proud of myself for choosing to ignore her at this point. Anyone who knows me well knows how painful it was for me to keep my mouth shut. I'm pretty sure if I had opened my mouth it would've gotten ugly. There would've been a throw down between 2 middle aged women in the middle of Meijers......all for the sake of an Asian man who had no clue what we were saying. And I'm pretty sure she could have kicked my ass. (ps - would someone please teach me the proper use of the "ing" form of all the die, dye, lay, lie words?....I find it all incredibly confusing.)

Why are people so angry. What makes a person so angry and mean. At what point in this woman's life did it become OK to treat another human being like they were nothing better than the piece of shit she just stepped in. She could have just as easily smiled at the guy and given him a break.

So, I challenge you, the next time you're in a check out lane and the person in front of you does something stupid or something that makes you angry.....smile.....instead of making him feel like he's just ruined your day by taking up an extra 60 seconds of your time. Seriously....you've already lost that 60 seconds whether you choose to smile or be a prick so what would you lose by choosing to be pleasant?

Moment for Me ~ Week 6

Thank you for the well wishes and prayers. It's been a difficult weekend as there's such a void in our home. The whole family is very sad and I'm having a difficult time getting over the guilt factor as I feel partially responsible for the collar not being on her. So.....anyway.....We've been a little preoccupied this weekend so I'm a little late in getting this posted. Instead of sharing what I did for myself this week I wanted to share a piece of a book I recently read.

I bought Maria Shriver's latest book, Just Who Will You Be, nearly 3 weeks ago and it's been sitting on my kitchen counter collecting dust ever since. I've been putsing around with finishing my last book, Good In Bed, and FINALLY finished it Saturday night. Great book btw. So, Saturday night I curled up in bed with Maria Shrivers latest. It's such a quick read I read it in like 2 hours....if that. It was OK. Nothing Earth shattering. To be honest, I kinda expected more for the $15.00 I paid for it. But it does have a powerful message. "We are all works in progress. That means it's never too late to become the person you want to be." And she says that who you are is not defined by what you do for a living or what your roles in life are. Again, nothing Earth shattering, but a good reminder non-the-less.

But just when the book was about to end and my disappointment in the book was peaking I came to the last 2 pages of the book. It touched me. I want to share it with you.

"Not too long ago, I came up with a list of Ten Things I Pledge to Myself, in order to keep myself focused and centered on just who I want to be...(skipping stuff)......I'm sharing it with you with the hope you may enjoy coming up with your own pledge to yourself. But please write it in pencil ~because just like you, it's bound to change."

The following is Maria Shriver's list of 10 things she pledges to her self.

1) I pledge to "show up" in my life as myself, not as an imitation of anyone else.

2) I pledge to avoid using the word "just" to describe myself. For example, I won't say, "I'm just a mother," "I'm just a student," or "I'm just an ordinary person."

3) I pledge to give myself ten minutes of silence and stillness every day to get in touch with my heart and hear my own voice.

4) I pledge to use my voice to connect my dreams to my actions.

5) I pledge to use my voice to empower myself and others.

6) I pledge to serve my community at least once a year in a way that will benefit other people.

7) I pledge to ask myself, "Who am I? What do I believe in? What am I grateful for? What do I want my life to stand for?"

8) I pledge to sit down and write my own mission statement.

9) I pledge to live my own legacy.

10) And I pledge to pass it on.

If nothing else this book inspired me to try to come up with my own pledge to myself (hope she doesn't mind if I borrow a few of hers). That'll be next weeks M4M post. I will have a "ten things I pledge to myself" list ready for next week. I would love to see what your pledges would be. Play along next Monday if you're interested.

Moments for Me Monday - week 5

It's Monday again already!? Time sure is flying by. It must be all the fun..... All my Moments for Me!

Moment #1

I'm slowly trying to ease my way back into the running routine. I had hoped to get four runs in this week but only ended up doing two. Partly because I ended up back at the doc's office Friday with ANOTHER sinus infection. So I'm BACK on antibiotics....this would be the fifth round of antibiotics for me since December. UGH! So...I only got in two runs....it's better than nothing. I'll tell you, the hardest thing about running is getting out my door. Once I get out the door I'm fine. I'm always grateful that I didn't talk myself out of it. I love to sweat! I love to be outdoors! I love to push myself! But getting out the door is a challenge. I ran 3 miles both days which took me about 40 minutes. Which translates into 40 minutes of time by myself. Time to enjoy my music. Time to organize my thoughts. Time to enjoy the sunshine. And time to enjoy this....

Moment #2

Friday evening I went to a friends house to do some scrapbooking and got hooked on Creative Memories Digital Scrapbooking program. I spent a lovely evening (6 blissful hours) with lovely ladies doing one of my favorite hobbies.....scrapbooking. It's kinda funny, me and my friends enjoy our scrapbooking evenings out because it gives us a chance to get out of the house and away from the parental duties for a few hours but then we usually end up spending the entire evening talking about our kids and getting very little done.

Moment #3

I drove to IKEA on Saturday (a 50 minute drive) ALL. BY. MYSELF! I jammed Eminem and Eagles Greatest hits all the way there and jammed AC/DC all the way home....ALL BY MYSELF! And spent ninety glorious minutes in between wandering aimlessly around the 8th Wonder of the World ....IKEA. "O" how I love that place. I then spent the rest of the day putting together my purchase(s). I'll share my purchase(s) with you on "Tackle it Tuesday". I still have to take pictures and I'm still working on getting some stuff out of the basement to prepare for the pictures. On a side note....I gotta say....I LOVE Craigslist. I just listed a stove and 4 pieces of furniture yesterday afternoon (it was my first time listing on Craigslist) and already have the stove and one piece of furniture outta here. YEAY!

"When from our better selves we have too long

been parted by the hurrying world, and droop,

sick of its business, of its pleasures tired

How gracious, how benign, is Solitude."

- William Wordsworth

So how did you spend your Moments for YOU?! Link up and share!

Moments for Me Monday - Week 4

Today's Moments for Me post is inspired by Heather J. She posted her experience with her very own runner's high! She was high as a kite when she wrote that post. There were no joints, needles, or huffing involved. Just high on life. Running will do that to you.

Here's an Article from Runners world entitled Get Some Running Therapy. "Exercise - induced happiness fights anger, sadness, and anxiety. Who needs a shrink."

When I started training for my first marathon I had heard the expression "running is cheaper than therapy" from other veteran runners. But I didn't quite "get" it. Not until I experienced my own very first "runners high". Many times during training I'd experience a state of total euphoria. I was on top of the world. The grass looked greener, the sky looked bluer, and all was right with the world. All was right with MY world. Maybe it was the rush of endorphins.... or maybe is was the pride I was feeling in myself for all the progress I could see myself making....or maybe it was the connection I was feeling with my lost loved ones because of the good that would come with my fundraising efforts....whatever the reason, I was HAPPY!


Running, or any strenuous exercise, has been shown to increase the release of endorphins in your body. One encyclopedia definition of endorphins, found on the internet, states that "Besides behaving as a pain regulator, endorphins are also thought to be connected to physiological processes including euphoric feelings, appetite modulation, and the release of sex hormones. Prolonged, continuous exercise contributes to an increased production and release of endorphins, resulting in a sense of euphoria that has been popularly labeled “runner’s high".”


As much as I'd love to say that I was out there running this week....Well....I can't. I didn't run. I had hoped to get out there on Saturday to get back on the training wagon but my lungs were still healing from the chest cold. SO...tomorrow! I'm running! This week I'm climbing back on the training wagon and hope to be back next Monday with reports of at least 4 runs. NO MORE EXCUSES!


On another related topic....I had a fabulous Mother's Day. I woke up to an egg, bacon, and toast breakfast. I spent the morning figuring out how to download the video on my camcorder to my laptop. We've had this camcorder since December and had over 100 video clips on it because I couldn't figure out how to download them. Then we went to a hall for brunch with my entire family. When we got back I purchased Video and Photo editing programs and loaded them on my laptop. And then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to edit videos and make DVDs. It's a work in progress. Then, Smurfette and I watched Mary Poppins. =)



Papa Smurf got a kick out of this....he walked into the great room and found Hefty Smurf and I bonding to a Tivoed episode of Oprah. It was the "what would you do" episode. Hefty would never admit it but he likes Oprah almost as much as I do.




To share your own Moment for Me inspiration link up to your post below!


I've been trying for the last 1/2 hour to get the spacing right in the post...and it can't, I give up!

Moments for Me Monday - week 3

I'm editing this post to add a Make Me Laugh Monday tidbit....My daughter made me laugh and I want to share!

I walk into the kitchen and my daughter is found giggling in her shy demure way with her hand covering her mouth and giggle.

Me: "What's so funny"
Smurfette: "I burped from my butt" (giggle giggle)




I had a difficult time this week squeezing in a Moment for me...Papa smurf was in Europe all week so I was playing the single parent role. And then when he finally returned Friday night I was sick....again....with a nasty head and chest cold that has me down and out. So my Moment for me was spent curled up in bed beside a mountain of snot rags....I don't think that counts! So, I leave you with this.....


Another Happiness Now quote...pg 34....

"True happiness is also very attractive in that it literally attracts great things. Happiness, by its very nature, encourages trust, spontaneity, optimism, and enthusiasm - all of which bring great gifts. In particular, when you dare to be happy, you find that people instinctively gravitate to you and like you, although they may not know why. Maybe it's something to do with your smile. Whatever it is, your happiness is an inspiration and a gift to everyone. Everyone benefits from true happiness...everyone benefits from your happiness."

This paragraph reminded me of one of the greatest complements I've ever received. I was a fresh college grad and interviewing for a RN position at a hospital. I had already been working at this hospital for 2 years as a Nurse Tech and thoroughly LOVED my job. My manager that was interviewing me told me that she liked me and was giving me the position because she thought "my enthusiasm and positive attitude were contagious". That one simple complement has stuck with me all these years....13 years to be exact.

Negativity and Positivity ARE contagious. It's extremely difficult to maintain a positive attitude when you're surrounded by negativity. Nurses tend to be an unhappy bunch. Complaints of being over worked and under paid are an epidemic. I certainly don't deny the nursing shortage ....BUT.... I remember as a nurse constantly observing the same group of nurses standing at the nurses station complaining about how short staffed it was and all I could think was....if you spent half as much time getting your work done as you do standing behind the desk complaining about the understaffed situation you'd have nothing to complain about. They literally made the situatuation worse than it had to be with all their complaining....because complaining takes time and effort.


It takes far greater time and energy to be negative.


So smack a smile on that kisser and just BE HAPPY!


I remember watching an Oprah show (surprise, surprise) and she had a guy on the show (can't remember who or what he was...so if someone reads this and can shed some light....I think he may have been a pastor) who was trying to promote happiness through the symbolism of a very simple bracelet. He was challenging the world to put the bracelet on and the goal was to keep the bracelet on the same wrist for X amount of days straight (I think it was like 30 days but I'm not positive). Everytime you complain about something or say ANYthing negative you have to switch the bracelet over to the opposite wrist. So the challenge was to try to go 30 straight days (or something like that) without a single complaint or negative statement. I didn't actually go out and buy a bracelet but it certainly made me more aware of my own negativity. Try it! It's not as easy as it sounds!


Again, I feel like I need to add a disclaimer here. I'm NOT trying to insinuate in any of these Moment For Me or Happiness Now posts that I walk around all day with a blissful smile and never complain about a thing and my life is just all roses and sugar! It's not. EVERYone has bad days. EVERYone complains. EVERY mom out there feels the fleeting urge to drop kick one of her children out the front door. And, EVERY wife gets an occasional itch that can't be scratched until she bips her husband in the head (figuratively speaking) for being stupid. These posts are about changing your general outlook on life and recognizing how your general outlook attracts negativity/positivity in your life.


So, come on, link to your own "Moment for Me" post...share your own smile today. Inspire others to do the same.

Moments For Me Monday Week 2

Here it is! Week two! Better late than never. I'll work on my own "Moments For Me" post today and hopefully get it posted before the end of the day. And I know I said I'd post the winner of the giveaway today but it'll have to wait till tomorrow morning.

Put the link to your own Moments for Me post below.

AHHHHHHH! I'm back! I'm refreshed! I had an UNbelievable Moment for Me experience this week! No....an unbelievable WEEKEND for me....NO!.....an UNbelievable 4 1/2 DAYS for me!!! Blissful I tell you!

Waiting for our flight to Florida

I spent the last 4 1/2 days in Florida with four wonderful friends. We started these girls weekend trips four years ago and decided back then that it was an annual necessity! Our usual group of six was down to four this year due to a pregnancy and a previously planned vacation....but we still had a fantastic time. The only stress we experienced over this weekend was trying to strategize our SPF usage for our days on the beach....

The weather was perfect. High 80s and sunny!

Most of our days were spent on the beach. Sleeping, relaxing, chatting, swimming and sizzl'n. We spent one of our afternoons at a spa being pampered. We all got an hour long massage and a pedicure.

Gotta tell you about this pedicure. So, I'm sitting in very cozy chair soaking my tootsies in a hot bath while sipping some red wine and in walks Anna. Anna is a 60 something y/o very short and round Russian woman with enormous boobies (boobies that were dangerously close to spilling out over her shirt neckline) who doesn't speak very good English. I tried to make small talk with her but she struggled to understand me and I struggled to understand her so I gave up and just closed my eyes to enjoy this pedicure. With my wine in hand and having just finished my massage I was quite relaxed and happy. The first half of the pedicure was uneventful...clip, file, scrap, sand....you know the drill.....when she finished with the instruments on my feet she motioned for me to pick my feet up off the towel...I was peaking through half an opened eye as I was almost asleep at this point....

UNTIL.....

This woman picked up the towel....you know....the soaking wet footfunkified towel....rung it out in the tub and then proceeded to wipe her sweaty brow and forehead with it!!!!!!!!

OMG! ....... @@ ......... YOU. DID. NOT. JUST WIPE YOUR BROW WITH THAT FOOT FUNK INFESTED TOWEL!!!

EWWWWWWWWWWWW!

I was dangerously close to high-tailing it out of there with a mouth full of vomit when she began my foot and leg massage. She was man handling my feet and calves and OMG giving me the best damn foot massage these feet have ever felt. My feet were having sex with this woman's boobies and I didn't even care. My feet and calves were being molested by this woman's boobies and all I could think to myself was......you're forgiven.....I forgive you for wiping your brow with my foot funk and I forgive your boobies for molesting my feet.....just please don't stop........

ever........

It was quite the experience. Had another interesting experience at this spa that I'll have to tell you about some other time...quite freaky...but I need to hurry up with this post so it'll have to wait.

We also all went parasailing for the first time ever. It was a BLAST! SO much fun!

Getting a boat lift to the parasailing boat

The four of us on the parasail boat

UP....

UP.....

And AWAYYYYYYYYYYYY.......

Dinner at an outdoor grill/bar off the boat harbor.

No girly vacation would be complete without a little bit of shopping in town! We found and bought the greatest shirts. They were black tank tops with rhinestone martini glasses on the front and under the glasses it says "GROUP THERAPY"....that's our official girly weekend motto from now on!

And then, of course, were our nightly therapy sessions complete with vodka and cranberry and pineapple and rum concoctions! We spent our evenings blissfully drunk during our group therapy sessions and spent our days recovering in the sun. Life is good.

Women, mothers, and wives....hear me now....TAKE A VACATION!....AWAY FROM YOUR KIDS AND SPOUSES! It's good for the soul I tell you!

I'm a little rushed in posting this as I have a lot of catching up to do on laundry, grocery shopping, house keeping, etc. And having been gone for the last 4 days I missed my kids and need to spend some time with them. I returned home to pig sty....sink full of dishes....a mountain of dirty laundry in every room....every room is a mess. Normally this would have sent me over the edge as this is NOT exactly how I'd choose to spend my birthday....BUT....hubby got sick with fever/flu/cough 2 days ago and has been down and out since. And now the poor thing has to fly to Europe for work. He's forgiven for leaving me a mess.

A little birdie told me I'm getting a late birthday present when he returns from his business trip......A LAPTOP! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Oh yeah! He's definitely forgiven!

I don't know what I did but when I came back to edit this post to add my own "Moment for Me" post I somehow deleted the mister linky and lost the links that were already posted! I apologize! Please link up again! I'll get this down eventually....I hope!

Moments for Me Monday - Week 1 AND Bloggy Giveaways all in ONE!

It's week one of this new challenge! Click the meme sign above to read the meme instructions. Write your "Moments for Me" Monday post on your blog and then link up to this blog by clicking the Mister Linky below. Share your stories! Inspire and be inspired! I'm kinda cheating here and posting this early because I'm taking the week off from any blog posting starting tonight!

AND for some added incentive .....I'm celebrating my first "Moments for Me" post with a bloggy GIVEAWAY!

Now, before you go getting all excited.... it's a used book....a previously read book...by yours truly. I enjoyed this book so much that I wanted to share it with one of you.

It's written by Rebecca Wolf ....an amazingly talented mommy blogger.....I've been enjoying her blog, Girl's Gone Child, for a while now and her book is partially responsible for inspiring this challenge. Reading the following couple of paragraphs (pg 265 & 266) made me smile....

"A child is not an excuse for a mother's fading ambition. a child is
a huge responsibility, yes, but so is a dream. So is every goal we give
ourselves, every wish we make on glow-in-the-dark stars.

Martyrdom does not bring into the world children with a strong sense of
self. A mother who sacrifices her livelihood for her children is risking
not only her own loss of identity but also the well-being of her children.
No child deserves to be resented. It IS possible to do it all well.

Having a family is a choice. Happiness is the most underrated
accessory to success. It is paramount to be inspired by life in order to
be an inspiration to a child."

So I found it fitting to pass on this book to someone who participates in this challenge today. Anyone who posts a link to their own "Moment For Me" post will be entered twice. If you don't want to link up then just leave a comment on my post I'll enter you once. If you tell me how someone else's post may have inspired you I'll enter your name twice in the drawing. And, actually, now that I'm thinking about it.....I think I'll include next week's "Moment for Me" challenge in this too since I'll be gone this week anyway. So if you link up both this week AND next week...you'll have 4 entries in the drawing....I'm taking this week off from blogging after this is posted because I'm leaving Wednesday for my annual 4 1/2 day "Weekend for Me" trip to Florida with some friends. So I'll do the drawing next Tuesday or Wednesday .....OOOOO..... NO....I'll do it on Monday night the 28th.....IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! How fitting is THAT! I'll do the drawing Monday night after all comments are in and post the winner before I go to bed!

As part of this meme I decided to try out this meditation thing. Meditation has intrigued me for a while now. Those who meditate swear by it. Learning how to meditate has been on my "to-do" list for months. I just never got around to it. To be honest....I felt a little foolish. Picturing myself sitting in the middle of a silent room Buddha style just made me laugh at myself.

And I just know that my friend Kelly is sitting in her basement right now laughing at me.

LOL!

Heck, I'm laughing at me.

It's foolish....and I don't care! So I sat at my computer and googled "learn to meditate" and found this web site. I learned that there are MANY different styles of meditation....who knew?! But beginners usually start with "breathing meditations" before moving on to more difficult styles.

Cool.

I can breathe.

In fact, it's something I'm actually quite good at.

Why learn to meditate? The very first paragraph on this site says: "The purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful. If our mind is peaceful, we will be free from worries and mental discomfort, and so we will experience true happiness; but if our mind is not peaceful, we will find it very difficult to be happy, even if we are living in the very best conditions. If we train in meditation, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness. Eventually, we will be able to stay happy all the time, even in the most difficult circumstances."

Sounds good to me! So I read through the material...took notes...plopped my butt on a pillow in the middle of my great room.... closed my eyes in silence....and.......

giggled....

and giggled......

and giggled......

K....this isn't working for me.....

So I decided I needed to take baby steps. And decided to meditate in my master bath jet tub. Lavender Candles lit....lights dimmed low....ahhhhhhhhh.....k.....this I can do.

And here's the conversation I had with my self...

"Clearing my mind. Thinking nothing. Relaxing my toes. My nose itches. Am I allowed to scratch my nose in the middle of meditation? I don't remember reading anything about this. If I don't scratch my nose I won't be able to clear my mind. I scratch my nose. Now my nose is wet. It's bugging me. Dry it with the towel. K. Relax. Clearing my mind. Thinking nothing. Focusing on my breathing.... ooooohhhhhhmmmmmmm.......I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. Gotta get some pasta salad for dinner at Mom's. Stop it. Clear the mind. Relax. This is hard. How exactly does one discard of all thoughts. This is tough. No easy task. No-sir-ee. ooooohhhhhhhmmmmmm. That really helps. So that's why people say oooohhhhhmmmmmm. It's hard to have a thought when your saying ooooohhhhhhmmmmmmm. I laughed at the woman who wrote Eat, Pray, Love for talking to herself during meditation and now look at me....I'm doing the same thing. Stop it. Why do you always see people meditating with their middle finger and thumb touching? Should I be doing that? I didn't read anything about that either. I'll try it. I don't feel any different. Am I suppose to feel an epiphany of sorts when my fingers touch? The water's getting colder. Maybe I should run some more hot water. I don't think it's been 10 minutes. I wonder how long I've been here. That candle smells wonderful. I didn't look at the clock when I got it. Hm. Maybe it's been 5 minutes. Oooohhhhmmmmmm."

I'm a work in progress. Clearing your mind is much harder than it sounds. And not feeling like a fool while your trying to clear your mind is even harder. I'll have to keep practicing. But I can say that I did feel extraordinarily good when I got out of the tub. I don't use my tub nearly enough!

My second "Moment for Me" activity was going for a pedicure. This is my favorite thing in the world to do for myself. You know me and feet. Gotta have me some perty toes. And I just went to my kitchen pantry to grab myself a Dove's dark chocolate...my favorite thing in the world to eat!....and you know what the message on the inside of the foil said??.....it said "get your feet messaged!".....Well....HELL!....you don't have to tell ME twice!

Can't afford to splurge on a pedicure? Then give yourSELF a pedicure. Soak those feet, rub and massage those feet, pamper those feet! Or team up with a friend and have a pedicure party. Swap pedicures! Gotta make sure this friend doesn't have a problem with feet though. I would need a whole lot'a alcohol to be rub'n on anyone's toes but my own thankyouvurymuch....and gloves....gloves would be good!

"Unhappiness is a symptom of forgetfulness, as much as joy is a symptom of
remembering. When we're unhappy, balance gives way, perspective collapses, faith
falters, communication often breaks down, doubt doubles, panic ensues, and a thousand different symptoms spill all around us. The disharmony we feel is ultimately a disharmony with our self. We've stepped out of our center; and we "lose heart," "lose spirit," and lose our Self."

Happiness Now, pg 23, by Robert Holden, Ph.D.

Moments For Me Monday!!!!

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 6

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 5

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 4

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 3

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 2

Moment for Me Monday ~ week 1

Moments for Me Monday!

I realize today isn't Monday! But I wanted to get this out there now so there's time before Monday to start thinking about your own "Moments For Me" post.

I'm so excited to start this challenge and I really hope there are others out there that are just as inspired by this...and if not, that's OK too. I'll continue doing it even if it's only for my own sake!

The purpose of this Meme is to be inspired. I believe, PASSIONATELY, that life is meant to be a celebration. A HAPPY celebration. Our time on this Earth is short and there are so many people out there who are having a difficult time finding their own "happy place". This is about discovering yourself, finding happiness in yourself, discovering who you are outside of your roll as a parent, spouse, or career woman/man, and then sharing your discoveries and/or the methods you used to discover that knowledge to hopefully inspire others to do the same.

So the rule is...There are no rules!

I couldn't decide if I wanted to make this strictly about:

* Taking an hour for yourself each week and sharing how you spent your time, or....
* Learning how to be alone with ourselves and sharing those silent moments and your discoveries, or ....
* Sharing things that have helped you find happiness within yourself in the past, or....
* Sharing "ah-ha" moments, or
* Sharing excerpts from books that may have helped you in the past, or...
* Maybe just sharing a simple act of kindness that made you smile....

.....so, since this is my blog...I say there are no rules....all of the above are acceptable. Share, inspire, and be inspired.

And what I hope happens eventually is that we will read something in someone else's discovery that will inspire us to try THEIR method.

OK...I'm changing my mind....this challenge has ONE rule...Well.... kinda..... I'm not going to be enforcing rules or sending out the Gestapo to seek out the rule breakers...obviously...but I'm asking for everyone to TRY to make the "Moments For Me" posts about YOU....and ONLY you. No mention of kids or spouses in your "Moments For Me" post. The rule is "Be selfish"!!!

Alright, two rules....so sue me.....NO NEGATIVITY! Remember, we are trying to spread happiness!

This is a learn as we go challenge. I'll start it this Monday April 21st and continue it weekly. I know some people think weekly is overwhelming but you don't have to participate weekly. If monthly is all you can handle for now then come participate monthly. Or, if you have nothing to post and just want to be a lurker then come on by and lurk and be inspired.

So come back on Monday with your happy stories...what did you do for YOURSELF that made you happy this week? What did you read that gave you your "ah-ha" happy moment? Do you have any words of happy wisdom to share? Do you have any links to some fantastic happy websites out there that you'd like to share? Did you participate in a random act of kindness that put a smile on your face? Did another blogger inspire your own happy moment.....SHARE! SHARE! SHARE! Just click the Mister linky at the bottom of my post on Mondays and put the link to your own "Moments For Me" post.

I only ask that if you write a post for this "Moments For Me" challenge then please include a courtesy link back to my blog so others can share in the inspiration. I'm still trying to figure out how to create a cool & happy looking little button linky thingy for this Meme but am failing miserably in my attempts...I'm still slightly blog illiterate. If someone out there would be kind enough to show me how....or, better yet, if someone can do it FOR me I'm willing to pay....I'd SO appreciate it.................Anyone...............Beuller........

Now I'm gonna share an "ah-ha" moment of my own....from Happiness Now by Robert Holden (pg. 6)

"As long as you believe that it's the world that must make you happy, you
leave yourself open to great disappointment and much sadness.
Why? Because as long as you refuse to see you inner potential for
happiness now, you will not see it in the world. How can a
mirror change the way you look? Think about that, for the world
is only a mirror. You will only see in the world what you're prepared
to see in yourself - nothing more and nothing less."