Losing My Temper and Finding My Way

As I was laying in bed with my toddler, nursing her to sleep this afternoon, I had a head full of thoughts. I was thinking about how our morning homeschool went (not so well to start), and the hurt look on my son's face as I lost my temper and slammed the book down on the table while shouting.

I lost it earlier in the week as well. I could blame it on hormones, on stress, or I could blame it on him. The eye rolling, the heavy sighs, the constant arguing with me, his constant and incessant need to taunt and pick on his younger sisters.

But really it is about me. We cannot blame our emotions nor our reactions on others. We choose how we respond.

I am not responsible for how someone else responds or even feels. We can only accept responsibility for ourselves.

Which brings me back to my loss of control. And finding joy. And keeping life simple.
First I have to ask myself why I was so angry that I would respond in such a harsh way, causing obvious pain to a child I love (and setting a poor example for all three of my children). I could see the look of hurt on his face. He flinched, as if I had physically struck him. Tears welled. The look quickly disappeared, but I know in my heart the hurt is still there.

I cannot seem to get my son to take part or cooperate or act in a responsible way toward his school work, toward me, and toward his siblings. Day in and day out we argue, fight and I threaten and dole out punishments. "If you don't stop picking on your sisters you will not have any computer time or be permitted to see your friends today!" And then he gets "punished", his behavior improves for a short time, and then we are back where we started again.

I have searched for answers to my current problems with my son. When I search deep enough, I realize it has to do with our connection to one another. He feels I am bossy and pushing him around, and always making him do things he doesn't want to do. But when things are going well with us, we are close, physically and emotionally. We are able to talk about all kinds of things, and we feel connected to one another, safe in our closeness. During these times, he is much more willing to do what I ask of him.

Although  I have every right to ask things of my son, and to have expectations as to his actions, behaviors, and even his attitude, I also have to maintain a secure and sharing relationship with him. I could simply make demands "Do it because I said so!" But I would rather he cooperate with me out of love and not out of fear of punishment or loss of privileges.

So I spent some time cuddling my tall, skinny, awkward eleven-year old. I read to him about Greek mythology - both an interest of his and part of today's lesson. I listened to him talk about his favorite x-box game and why he likes it so much and even went so far as to offer to play it with him. I saw the look of happiness, just as clearly as I had seen the look of hurt.

I listened with genuine interest to him. I praised him sincerely for his ability to monitor his electronic use - his computer time, his x-box time, his cell phone use. When I gave this praise, I saw yet another expression on his face. He knew he had been recognized, he had been truly seen and heard, and appreciated for something. These were fleeting expressions, and had I not been paying attention, had I not been watching, I would have missed them and might never have appreciated the impact I have on my son.

It was only a short amount of time, but I felt as though we had re-connected again. This connection is fragile, I know. But it is so, so important to our relationship.

He is growing, often wiser than he should be for his still young age. At the same time, he is still a boy. A boy who loves his mom and seeks her contact and approval. While I cannot always be the perfect mom I want to be, I can pay attention. I can look for what my children need from me.

I think most importantly, my children need my time, my attention, my unconditional love. Seems simple enough, but life can be so complicated, so distracting, so busy, that we forget how to pay attention to one another. Truly pay attention, not through a text, email or phone call. Not through a conversation as we multi-task.

Attention that provides for eye-to-eye contact. Physical contact. Listening with all our senses as our loved ones speak to us. I had a moment of this today, and it felt wonderful. Simple. Joyful.

The Power of Gratitude

Sometimes it seems like every day is HARD. Being a mom, we can be pulled in so many directions. What I really want more than anything is a simple life with my family. To slow down, observe my children, sense their needs and help them become the wonderful adults they are destined to be.

I have also learned that to feel joyful, I cannot focus on what is missing in my life, what needs changing or improving, or focus on the past or future. I learn from the past, and I set goals for the future. I have plans for the direction I want my life to take. But I cannot wait until tomorrow to be happy. Today, this moment, is the moment and time to be happy. 

After I wrote this post, I came across an inspiring post from Carrie's Parenting Passageway on gratitude. I love the quote by Steiner she includes, it expresses exactly what I am feeling.

I have been trying to slow down and observe more, be present more, notice more. Instead of feeling pressure about all the things I should be doing, I want to appreciate the life we are living. And to share this feeling with my children, family, friends, and even strangers.

These are some of the wonderful moments I have experienced lately.

Big brother reading and snuggling with sisters.

The sisters enjoying a bubble bath together.

Alina in her own imaginative world of play at home.

A simple family meal together.

We have a verse we say each meal for blessing, but sometimes I surprise them with a "gratitude" moment. I will tell them something I am grateful for. Maybe the extra help I had cleaning up that day, or perhaps something I especially love about each of them. Or maybe our good health, good neighbors, and good friends. I do it for them, but by focusing on what I have here and now, I find more joy in my life.

How do you feel and express gratitude in your life? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Michelle

Media Limits and Creative Play

This family used to have a lot of media. Television, movies, computer, handhelds, you name it. First thing in the morning, afternoons, meal times, before bed, late nights.

I introduced my oldest, Sean, to "Sesame Street" when he was almost one. I was so excited, since I had grown up watching the show every morning, and now here I was sharing it with my child. It was a nostalgic moment. From that we progressed to other PBS shows. Then kid movies, then adult movies as he was permitted to watch what we were watching. How else would we get the chance to see what we wanted to watch?

I encouraged him to watch television when he was little, especially after his sister was born. I needed that time to rest. I felt it was wrong to encourage so much television viewing, but I didn't know how to give it up either.

I introduced him to Nicklelodeon online games when he was almost four. Over the years he has owned a Gameboy, Nintendo DS, two laptops, a Wii, an X-box, and now an Iphone. Most of these were purchased for him by his father (my ex-husband). In the beginning I didn't see a problem. But eventually I noticed the behavior changes. When he was "plugged in" he was content, but the moment he became "unplugged", he became bored, restless, and almost frantic. Very much like an addict. He wouldn't know what to do with himself.

And Sita, although not nearly as plugged in as her brother, loved to watch movies and television. When the television was off, she was always asking for more. She would be bored, sitting listlessly with "nothing to do". My attempts to get them to play were fruitless.

When I stumbled upon Simplicity Parenting, and then Waldorf Education and Rudolph Steiner, I decided to make some drastic changes. I eliminated the media, cold turkey.

It was really tough in the beginning, no one seemed to know what to do with themselves. There was a lot of complaining and asking for more - more TV, more games. But over time, they learned to be creative again. They pulled out the boxes of family games, the puzzles, the blocks, the card games, and the art and craft supplies that were already in our home.

We started sitting at the table for meals. They would fight over who got to set the table and work to make it attractive. They helped more with the cooking, and chores became a regular thing. We talked about our days over dinner. They built elaborate blanket forts in the living room.

Sean complains now that his friends don't want to do anything but sit inside and play on their Xboxes. He is learning to limit his own screen time, and is proud that he is so different from the neighborhood kids. We still have a lot more media in our home than most of the Waldorf families I know, but I am pleased we have made significant changes.

Occassionally the media starts to creep back in, and I have to decide how much is too much. If I had my way, we would not have a television at all, as I find it addictive myself. It is too easy to sit and watch mindlessly, even when there is nothing on really worth watching.

I could go on about the detriments of too much media in children's lives, there is certainly plenty of research available - media's impact on children, http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html,  http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/The-Effects-of-Electronic-Media-on-Children-Ages-Zero-to-Six-A-History-of-Research-Issue-Brief.pdf .

But mostly I wanted to share how much reducing the "screen time" in our home has brought positive changes to our lives. Now, instead of constant pleas for "more! more! more!" we are better able to enjoy each other, spend more time reading together, and have become a more creative family.

Sean's elaborate domino set-up. Not an easy thing to do with a very busy toddler on the loose! Notice the attention to detail - the candles, small buddha figure, and the hot peppers (he grew those himself!)

Sita started her day playing "Princess" with her sister, but ended up with a pirate theme while I was upstairs laying down with Alina...

On this particular morning, I was offered a "breakfast buffet" the girls created... 

Nothing like a big cardboard box to get your imagination going...

We still enjoy family movie night on ocassion, and a sick day is a good time for being "plugged in". But I am so happy we changed our screen time habits!

Exercise and Will Power - Part One

In Waldorf Education, we often talk about “developing the will”. This is similar to those outside of Waldorf talking about their “will power” or “self-discipline”. Perhaps it is a new diet and the “will power” or discipline needed to stick with it. Sometimes we talk about people surviving amazing circumstances because of their “strong will to live”. Or the “will to succeed” combined with strong self-discipline resulting in great personal success.

In all these cases, it is about using our will to accomplish something despite obstacles. Doing something even when it is hard. This is certainly a quality we would like our children to develop, and often the best way to do so is by being a living example of strong will forces ourselves.

I think I have pretty a pretty strong will. Attending college in my early twenties, while simultaneously working two and sometimes three jobs to support myself required a strong will and self-discipline. During graduate school, while trying to juggle a part-time job, volunteer work, the birth of my first child and a long internship program, I often felt like giving up. But with encouragement from my family and friends and perseverance, I was able to successfully manage all of these things simultaneously.

This was soon followed by the loss of both parents and a devastating divorce. Those were tough times, but again I persevered.

But lately, despite the comfort and joy in my life, I have been struggling with my will. Perhaps it is the lack of difficulties in my life that leaves me increasingly lethargic and undisciplined. Perhaps it is the lack of urgency – parenting and homeschooling is a long-term commitment, not something with a clear endpoint.

When I think back to the consistent thread of all the challenging times, it was my exercise. I always made time to exercise. When my classmates were celebrating the end of exams with parties and intoxication, I was headed to the gym for a good long training session. After the birth of my son, I would get up extra early for a run and have my shower, breakfast, and be dressed and ready for quality time with him. Grieving for my father, it was the long walks in the woods that most soothed me. My mother’s loss was more of a shock, and the long daily runs, often ending in tears of grief, helped me to heal.

During the separation and divorce years, I managed to squeeze in moments to train for a biathlon. The music on my Ipod and the rapid beating of my heart helped me to cope with the grief of losing my family and kept me moving forward.

I know there are many moms struggling with their own will forces. Whether it is planning healthy meals for their families, meeting all the demands of parenting, balancing work outside the home, or being prepared for their homeschooling, many moms struggle to find more self-discipline and will forces to accomplish all that is required of them. And few take the time to exercise.

I can hear it now, “Exercise?! Now Michelle, how can you possibly expect me to squeeze one more thing into my day, let alone time to exercise?”

Let me tell you, if you can make time for yourself in this small way, it will spill over into other areas of your life as well. When I am self-disciplined and exercising regularly, it starts a chain reaction. I then find myself motivated to do more, accomplish more.

I thought of you and writing this post when I returned from my training last night. Last week was a typical week of lessons, chores, piano lessons, meals. I had been feeling increasingly lethargic. Late yesterday afternoon, after starting dinner, it was time for my exercise. I really didn't feel like training. In fact I would have been perfectly happy to stay in and work on my knitting, or spend some time on the computer. But I felt obligated to go and train. After all, as I mention in an earlier post Home School Burn Out, I have made the commitment to compete in a duathlon this spring. I have paid the registration fee. I have informed my family of my intentions. I really needed to take advantage of the training time available to me. So out the door I went.

An hour and a half later I returned, and I was a new woman. My thinking was clearer. I felt more like "myself" (rather than the lethargic grumpy woman I had been earlier.) I felt strong and well. I felt energetic and happy. I was proud of my accomplishment (see training log January.) I was excited to be moving toward a goal. And the feelings of health and well-being have continued with me today. Working out creates momentum - one good experience leads to another. You will look forward to your next training session remembering the sense of accomplishment from the last.

We all know the benefits of regular exercise – lower blood pressure, lower “bad” cholesterol levels, elevated “good” cholesterol levels, weight control. But what about the less talked about benefits of exercise?

The release of endorphins helps us feel better. We enjoy stress relief. Our thinking is clearer. Increased circulation aids digestion, improves mobility, and creates healthier joints. Exercise improves our balance. Our lymph system, so important to a healthy immunity, requires large muscle movement to circulate properly. I could go on and on. Many moms are devoted to working on themselves, to being better people and better parents. Exercise and being physically active are just as important as inner work.

Let me say it again. Exercise and being physically active are just as important as inner work.

There is a lot of information available out there about exercising (good and bad). I hope you will continue reading as I describe different options for exercise, how to get started, types of exercise, common mistakes, and setting realistic exercise goals.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please share!
Michelle

Homeschool Burn Out

I have been debating whether to share this or not. It’s hard to admit when we feel like we are failing at something, especially when it involves letting down those we love the most.  But I am taking a deep breath and sharing.

I’m tired. Tired of all the work and planning that goes into a lesson that is over so quickly. Even if it is met with enthusiasm. I’m tired of all the plans that don’t get executed. I’m tired of always feeling like I am never doing enough. I’m tired of feeling so isolated and lost, and not feeling like I have the time (or energy) to connect with other homeschooling moms. I’m tired of always striving, aspiring, but still feeling inadequate. I’m tired of beating myself up for all the parenting mistakes I make. I’m tired of not having quality time with my husband. I’m tired of not having time to pursue the things I am interested in, and when I do take time, feeling guilty for all the other things I am not doing. I’m tired and I just don’t feel like trying anymore!


Whew! Do you ever have days (weeks) where you feel like this? OK, so what to do?

Donna Simmons has a great article on the  September Boom and Bust.

These words especially spoke to me:

“At home isolation can mean that one feels utterly alone in making decisions and teaching and even if one has a supportive spouse and perhaps a Waldorf co-op, at the end of the day, it's just you and your child staring at each other across the dining room table, crayons and main lesson books spilling out between you.”

It’s more than just the schooling. It’s the rhythm of the days, the constant demands of family, home, and work. I am a very strong introvert, and even as an active child had a need for a lot of downtime to recharge myself. But how to make time for oneself, without neglecting the needs of family, friends, spouse and work? And shouldn't I just will myself into moving forward, giving freely of myself to my loving family, after all, they are only young for such a short time right?

So, what to do? Last year I attended this wonderful health conference sponsored by the hospital I work for. The first speakers were a group of yoga instructors. Not just your ordinary lithe yoga instructors - these three women were all over the age of 72. They were special, you could see that the moment you looked at them. They carried themselves with confidence, grace, and a freely expressed joy that you don't often encounter. The lead instructor asked the listening group to write down on a piece of paper the one thing that we considered the most important in the whole world. She then collected the papers and began reading them randomly. Many said things like family, relationships, and love. But many also mentioned Health. Yes, our health is the most important thing to us. But that sounds so selfish doesn't it? But as she pointed out, our health is the most important thing, because without good health how can we share all the other important things like caring for our families and friends, loving and helping others?

I try to remind myself of this as I consider what I need at this moment in time to feel healthy and whole again. I know for a fact that how I feel - happy, sad, excited, silly, serious, grumpy, resentful, affects the mood and atmosphere in my home. From the baby to my spouse, I have the POWER to influence how everyone else in my home feels. Sometimes I can will myself into positive feelings. But sometimes I cannot. And when I chronically neglect myself, it becomes harder and harder to will myself into feeling positive.

Melissa Nielsen does an excellent job of encouraging mothers to care for themselves in her curriculum guides.


So, I am thinking I need to take a little time to renew myself. 

I will find a way to balance the needs of the family with my own needs. I will take time to pursue activities that are meaningful and important to me, without feeling guilty. I will continue to strive for more knowledge – of child development, of Steiner’s teachings, of healthy eating, of clinical nutrition issues (for my clinical work)…but I will balance this with joyful and renewing activities.

·         I am registering myself for a spring duathlon – 5K run, 30K bike, 5K run

·         I am starting a yoga class

·         I am reaching out to more of my mom friends and planning activities with them

·         I am scheduling a date day with my husband at least once a month (this is a start, considering our work schedule)

·         I am learning to ask for help (always a problem for me, passed down from my very independent and stoic mother)

I am hoping that by having more renewing activities, I can better approach my home life with joy. I have experienced joy in the ‘work’ of parenting, home-making, and home schooling, so I know it is possible. Remembering to feel gratitude everyday is extremely helpful, but difficult to maintain when you are tired and feeling burned out.

I am wondering if anyone else has these moments of wanting to give up? And what do you do to overcome them? How do you regain the confidence and joy in your home life? How do you balance your own needs with those of your family? What excites you, makes you feel refreshed? And how do you find time for these things in the midst of schooling, cooking, cleaning, being present for your family?

Thanks for reading,

M

Eat, Sleep, Knit

It happens every year. First a day here and there, then several days, then a week or two. The blues. Melancholy. Dragging myself through the day, lethargic. The sky is pushing gray clouds. I am feeling heavy like those clouds.

In the past, I would medicate myself - food, alcohol, caffeine. Each has it's own price. In the end, you feel worse. These days I take better care of myself. I have to. I am Mom. The little ones rely on me. Husband relies on me. I want to be a good care-giver to them, and a good role-model.


So I take good care of myself. I stay in more. Cook nourishing meals. Drink warming teas. Bake, paint, roll around on the floor with the kids. Eventually my energy and enthusiasm returns, just as the clouds roll away and the blue sky returns.

In the meantime, my favorite things are eating, sleeping, and knitting.

Bad Language, Two-Year Olds, and How Do They Know?!

Recently my very articulate two-year old has been trying out new words. "Shut-up!" being one of them. Now, I don't approve of saying "shut-up", I believe it is extremely disrespectful, and I get upset when I hear Sean saying it to his sister. But I have to admit that I have had those words exit my mouth once or twice. As soon as the words left my lips, I internally cringed and then backtracked. "I'm sorry, I should not have said that. It is never the right thing to say."

None-the-less, the next day, Alina is running around shouting (with the same amount of expressed frustration as I had obviously demonstrated) "SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP!" My darling Sita and Sean are anxiously trying to stop her with pleas of "No Alina, that is not a nice word, don't say that, you can't say that..."

To which Alina responds with even more exuberant shouts of "SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP!"

So I explain to Sean and Sita that it is best not to make a big deal about the words, because it just makes it more fun for her to say them and watch our reaction.

I wish I could say it stopped there. But we have had a few moments where other words have come up. Now to my husband's credit, he is an extremely articulate, intelligent, sensitive, and well-mannered man. In fact he is an extremely considerate gentleman, through and through. On cold mornings he will run outside in the freezing air in his morning t-shirt to start the car and scrape snow if there is any, just so I can get into a clean and toasty warm car on my way out to work. But the soup incident and the assembly of a difficult and very large kitchen island brought out some otherwise unused obscenities.

Soup incident? Take an entire bowl of creamy corn chowder, open the refrigerator door, make sure you are wearing your favourite new Appalachian Trail t-shirt, wool socks, and then drop the bowl of corn chowder so that it literally explodes everywhere. "I couldn't have made a bigger mess if I had tried," he tells me as I return home that evening. It was as if the large bowl had magnified into a tsunami of chowder - every nook and cranny and condiment in the refrigerator was coated, his socks soaked, front of his shirt soaked, even the ceiling got hit.

So he must have said a few choice words...

And the assembly of the kitchen island, it took all day, the instructions were written poorly, the parts didn't always fit together properly....

Now we have days of Alina quietly playing with her dollies, blocks, horses, etc and suddenly she lets fly "Dammit." Always with the correct inflection, and at an appropriate moment (she has dropped something). We calmly tell her that is not a nice word and we shouldn't say it. Which just makes it all the more interesting to her of course.

She has also become the word police. Expressions like "darn it" sound her alarm, and she will inform us "don't say darn-it, that's a bad word."

I am sitting at the computer the other morning and sweet Alina comes over and drops the F-word. My eyes widen and I am calculating my response when she then follows that with "I say F-". Obviously she knows it is not a nice word, and is waiting for a response from me.

"Mmm, that's not a very nice word. We shouldn't say that word," I reply as calmly and serenely as I can. She wanders off and returns to her play.

That evening dear husband and I have a talk. Somewhere I read someone speaking about young children and the power of imitation. "If our children, young and old are going to imitate us, let us be worthy of their imitation." That has really stuck in my head, and I aspire everyday to be worthy of their imitation.

My husband wholeheartedly agreed.

As we are finishing the dinner dishes together, I wonder out loud. "You think she'll say it in front of Oma (Dutch grandmother) tomorrow?" 
M

Voices In my Head

The Voice in My Head

No wonder I walk around tired and tense so often. Have you ever stopped to listen to the voice inside your own head? The one that talks to you all day? I have, and it’s not very nice.

I don’t know if I was born with the self-esteem I have or if I have cultivated it over time. But here is a recent “talk” I overheard (or at least was present and conscious enough for a moment to take notice of).

“You know you have always been a late bloomer. You are always behind in the maturity scale. Why did you say (or not say) what you did? How many of the decisions you are making daily will you come to regret later? Are you truly focused on the right things? Remember in the past how you made so many mistakes and …”

How can I possibly talk to myself this way? I would never talk to a friend, child, sibling, spouse, client or even a stranger in such a harsh and unforgiving way. I have tried self-help and those “positive aspirations” before. They seem so hokey. “OK, now tell yourself out loud ten times what a great person you are”. You feel so silly.

But something has to change. I do need to change the dialogue in my head. I am an intelligent strong woman. I learn from mistakes. I am evolving. I strive to improve myself in big ways and in small ways. I set goals, I meet them.

What I should be saying to myself is more along the lines of this:
“Wow, you are really doing some great things with your life. You are accomplishing so much. You have work that is meaningful and benefits others. You are doing a fantastic job raising your kids, educating your kids, and providing meaningful values to them. You are a good listener, compassionate, funny, and humble. You are working hard to learn new things every day. You are working hard to bring good things to your family including good meals and nutritious wholesome food. You care about the environment…”

What is your voice telling you on a daily basis? Could your voice use a little boost of positive enthusiasm? Listen closely to your thought patterns and see what happens.
Michelle

Looking Back - Looking Ahead

If you are like many people, you find yourself doing some reflection at this time of the year. Many of us are thinking about the new year and possibly some "New Year Resolutions". What are your goals, aspirations, and hopes for the coming year?

Although I am constantly aspiring to better myself, this year I decided to give myself a little credit for all that I have accomplished. Instead of focusing only on what more I can improve upon and change, I am taking a moment to look back and acknowledge everything that I have already accomplished, changed for the better, and improved upon.

Let me share some of my story.

Although I knew I wanted to home school when my oldest was a toddler, circumstances prevented me from devoting myself to home education. Losing both my parents within 18 months, a divorce, single parenting while working two jobs, a child custody fight, several major moves and job changes, all within three years, kept me mentally and emotionally drained.

I remarried, had a new baby and was presented with the opportunity to stay home with my children. It was wonderful! The stability of our days, the time together, improved relationships. Taking a deep breath, I was able to start focusing on our home and family life.

Some of the positive changes we have experienced:

• decreased media - no more handheld gaming devices, no more television morning and night, no more inappropriate movies, no Ipods.
• increased routine - family meal times at the table with a candle and a blessing; regular bed-times and waking times; outside time daily; chore schedules; lots of read-alouds and daily imaginative play times.
• improved nutrition - less packaged "convenience" foods and more made-from-scratch foods, garden grown vegetables, weekly farmer's market visits, pick-your-own farm visits, organic and local food purchases, and family discussions about why all this matters.
• home education, including joining a local Waldorf home school cooperative that meets weekly.

This may be something that you have experienced from the beginning with your family, but it was missing from my life for a long time. When contemplating changes, in the beginning I felt so overwhelmed, where to start? But one change leads to another, and before you know it, things start falling in to place.

But I am still aspiring. What changes am I looking for in the coming year? I will be thinking about this over the next several weeks. I would love to hear what others are aspiring to, as they contemplate the new calendar year. And don't forget to take some time to focus on what you have accomplished this past year.
Michelle

Seasons of Life

We are approaching a new year. I love new beginnings. Like the seasons of the year, the cycles are ever consistent and there is something special to enjoy in each of the seasons. I lived for several years in Northern California as well as the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and I always missed the sense of the constant changing of seasons.

I notice myself in a new cycle in my life as well. I’m not sure how long this particular season will last or where it will take me. I would call it my season of self-reflection. I have always been a strong introvert and a goal setter. I love to write down my goals and dreams and then work to achieve them. I am happy to say I have completed many of the major goals I have set for myself, whether they were athletic in nature, my education and career goals, or the smaller more personal goals – learning to knit, cooking homemade meals from scratch, gardening for my family, reducing the media exposure in our home.

Unfortunately, despite my many successes, I would say I tend to dream small. I have heard the stories of highly successful people and have read my share of self-help books over the years. And they all recommend you should dream big. But I find I talk myself out of the big dreams with a whole host of reasons why “that would never work!” I appreciate that I am a practical person, but what would happen if I did dream big? What would I dream for?

I’m not talking World Peace here, I’m talking personal goals that have the potential to affect not only the direction of my own life, but also of the lives of everyone who is close to me, including my husband, children, siblings, friends and acquaintances.

What would you dream for if you knew you could not fail? I challenge you to consider this between now and the new-year. I will be.