Have you ever had fear just show up unexpectedly and paralyze you? There was always a little voice in my head that said I wasn’t good enough and no one valued what I had to say. Whenever I tried something new, it would start to creep in and take over. Then, I would quit and it would validate all of the fears that I had.
I quit!!
I took a hard look at what I was doing, and the patterns I was following and realized that there are so many people who are just like me and really do want to hear what I have to say. I have learned a lot about so many things, and I have a gift that can be shared with others.
I started telling myself the truth. I had to really look at what those closest to me were saying and change my thoughts to match theirs. I was always getting compliments and thanks, as I would help others, but in the past I would downplay it so it didn’t matter.
I am enough!
I began to be aware of what my thoughts and my inner voice was saying. When I caught myself saying negative things, I turned it around and chose to say something positive instead.
Not just positive, but true!!
I started to only tell myself the positive truths that were always there, but I didn’t see before. I wrote them on my bathroom mirror so I could say them to my face every time I went in that room. I recorded my truths on a voice recorder app. I listen to it everyday on my way to work.
As my mindset started to shift, I started looking inside to find what that fear was really all about.
Not being good enough!
Letting someone else down.
Settling.
Failure!
And those are all things that I choose to leave behind. I am changing them to;
I am enough!
I live my best and authentic life!
I choose my success!
I use my tools everyday to focus on the now and the truth. I am worthy of everything that I desire. As I go through each day I am turning my fear into strength. I know that I can do it all. I am capable of having it all and when I focus on the positive, I am finding that I attract more positive into my life.
Focus on the good and good will flow to you.
Your energy will flow and show what you focus on. I choose to focus on success, love and courage!!
What are you going to focus on?
Join my Facebook group Naturally Chic Moms for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
So our world is changing again! It seems that every time we turn around there is a new mandate, and something else for us to get used to. Right now we are only supposed to be around only those in our immediate household.
And it’s the holiday’s!!
Well, we can’t change what is going on outside of ourselves, and in our community, but we do have the power to control how we react.
I choose to show kindness to others right now!!
There have been times I could have been crabby or angry at others for what was happening, and the truth is they might be feeling the same way too. I only know how I am feeling and what is happening in my life, I can only imagine what others are going through.
I only know my story!
My story is finding ways to make this an exciting adventure, even though the change is a lot to get used to. I can lead by example on how to grow into these changes.
I am enough!
I shine my light through the darkness!
We created a new tradition for the Thanksgiving holiday. We stayed pretty similar to our previous tradition, there were just a few pivots. Instead of going to the movie theater for the newest blockbuster, we stayed home and had a movie day in the living room.
We watched family favorites to lighten our mood. We made the movies come to use, and had junk food from home. Well, it was more of a light lunch than snack foods. No popcorn or candy this time. Instead, we snacked on a variety of meats, cheeses and crackers.
It turned into a fantastic memory that we will all fondly look back on.
It was a time of togetherness and laughter. I will remember the smiles and that is what I choose to look back on when we remember the year of 2020.
This may be the new tradition for Thanksgiving. We can be cozy at home and be a bit healthier, too. Oh and the best part is we can talk during the movie if we want to! It is family etiquette that dictates how you watch!
Join my Facebook group Naturally Chic Moms for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
Hey, hey everyone...I hope you were able to find some tips in Part 1 of What to put on your Christmas list, without forgetting anything!! I know you want to hear more about it.
There are still 3 more categories that we need to talk about. We saved the best for last...Santa.
Now let’s dig in.
Need:
For my family this is probably one of the easiest categories to fill out and shop for. This can be anything from a simple wine stopper that really seals the bottle again to a new tool for working on a project. There are so many tools on my husband’s list each year. I love that he is always making sure that working on projects is efficient, so we can have more time together.
But mostly, most of the need items are things to wear that the kids need. I usually see snow pants, winter boots or hats (even though we have boxes full of hats and gloves). I also will sometimes see something like knit sheets. My kiddo loves to keep warm, so he wanted to try something new.
If your family is still having trouble thinking of what they can add to the need category, they can think of hobbies or activities they want to try. Anything arts & crafts would fall into this.
We love to get outside and enjoy nature. In the winter we like to go skiing as a family, and one year the need was ski boots for everyone. Then we all were able to go skiing together. Then my grandparents bought us some ski lessons, so it was really a wonderful way to get outside and enjoy winter.
Want
The sky’s the limit on this category. I know we can get some really cool things on the want list. This can be anything from some Legos (I have Friends Central Perk on my list) to some cool merch from your favorite Youtuber. There are some pretty cool things that they come up with.
A big hit at our house is all things video games. We love everything from Pokemon games on the Switch to Madden 21 for the Xbox One. They also always have some accessories on the list too. This year it is all about things like a gaming headset to connect with others and game online with friends.
Santa
The Santa category has evolved as our family has grown. When the kids were little Santa was all about toys. And there was so much magic that would happen when Santa brought those toys that the elves made.
If that’s where you are, enjoy those years. The magic will always be there, but it changes as your kiddos grow into themselves. Seeing their smiles and feeling their joy will always be there even as they grow.
Things change!!
Now the Santa category is different every year. It evolves based on what we are doing as a family. We like to come together and talk about different experiences that we want to have together, and memories we want to make.
We might go on a weekend trip to take advantage of a pool at a hotel. I love it when we get to make memories with our family and start new traditions. Plus, sometimes it’s great to have the day flow when there are no expectations. Fun and Love show up in those moments.
Santa can be whatever fits with your family and your values. Keep the magic alive to keep your kids ever excited about Christmas at home!
Join my Facebook group Naturally Chic Moms for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
The holidays are approaching, what are you going to even put on your list? My family started doing this tradition, and we have some great ideas to share with you on what can go on your list.
Let’s look at the categories one by one, so you can get a better idea!!
Read:
With the read category this can range from an individual book to a series of books. For avid readers...you know those kids who just devour any book you put in front of them, a multi-book series like, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series are great. Then it will last all of winter break.
Then it’s time for the library!! Or rereading his favorites.
For kids who don’t like to read, these are a few great titles The One and Only Ivan, The One and Only Bob (sequel to The One and Only Ivan) and the Five Nights at Freddy's Book Series. My son is a fighter when it comes to reading, and he was super excited to find these books. Those went to the top of his list. I was very happy that he could find something that he was interested in. At least I know he will gobble them up!!
A few years ago I bought my husband The Complete Calvin and Hobbs box set, and whenever he is having a rough day, or just needs a laugh, he will pull it off the shelf and get lost in the comics. It was very nostalgic for him to get this, since it was one of his favorites to read in the funny paper as a kid.
If you are leaning more towards self-development and a growth mindset, you might like Conscious Language or Oola - Find Balance in an Unbalanced World. Everything Oola is high on my list for learning about. And I am on my 2nd read of Conscious Language and I am growing with each page!!
Boom!!!
Wear:
In the wear category, you can really put so many different things. On our lists I usually see more fun things on the wear list. Maybe a great sweatshirt for an elementary age kiddo. My son loves to get the brightest sweatshirt around.
Or for those teens or hubby, a great Spyder Sweater Jacket is the key. My husband has 3 already, and he is asking for another one this year. He wears them all the time. They look great and are super comfy. Now, my teen son has them on his list too.
I know I will have some well dressed companions when I can drag them out on the town!!
For you ladies, it can be hard to come up with something to wear, but remember you can always add a cute sweater to your Amazon cart and let your hubby find it. Then your size will be right! I have gotten a few surprises over the years by doing that. Something will just appear in the mail.
Hints get noticed!!
More tips to come in Part 2: What to put on your Christmas list, without forgetting anything!!
Join my Facebook group Naturally Chic Moms for more on this journey. We are a fun community of women supporting each other on our journey to find balance and purpose.
Christmas shopping!!
It is something that is on many people’s minds right now. You might be thinking, “How am I going to budget and get all of the things they want?” Or you might be thinking that your kids want so much and it is time to get back to the season of “Giving” and not getting.
For my family it was a little bit of both. As the kids got older, their “wants” got more and more expensive. And there was always something new and exciting that caught their eye. Then after Christmas, they would love and play with their gifts. But soon the novelty would wear off and we would be back to the beginning...wanting more.
We spilled the beans!
We told them the TRUTH about Christmas and got back to the reason for the season. Having them say, “I’ll just ask for it from Santa, then it will be free.” was over. And do you know what, it was so much harder on me than it was on them. They were ready to hear that Santa is a feeling of giving and sharing with others.
As we talked to our kids, we found that their favorite part of Christmas was visiting family and playing with their cousins. It wasn’t even about the presents at all. It was about the memories that they were creating.
We know they still liked the presents part, but it wasn’t what they remembered most or what they looked forward to the most.
So we made a change.
We decided that as a family we were going to focus on the good parts of Christmas and be purposeful with the gifts we asked for. We decided to only get 4 gifts under the tree each year. We did decide that we would all get a bonus Santa gift too. But everything was less.
The four gifts were put in specific categories and they are read, need, wear, want and Santa. Each of us gets one gift from each category.
Last year was our first year doing this and it was a big hit. So we are doing it again. Everyone needs to spend time and really think about what they want, since there will only be one gift from each category. I have them write their list early, so I can really budget and plan for the holiday.
If you want to start this tradition and help budget your holiday spending without losing the magic check out the Christmas List that I use for my kids. They love it. My Christmas List.pdf
