Rumors of Sunshine

Hold onto your hats! The sun has been spotted, albeit infrequently, on Maryland's mid-shore! This has been the rainiest April in recent memory (which may not be saying all that much). It's reported an incredible double rainbow was spotted last night over Easton (I missed it, though). Today has been rain-free, but chilly.

According to the song, "April showers bring May flowers". At our house - a month of rain has resulted in an overly healthy yard. The grass is growing so fast you can almost see it! The flies and mosquitoes are already gathering - the chickens are happily pecking for bugs - and the multitudes of birds in the treetops fill the skies with song. It feels like...Spring!

Having said that - there's a frost warning for tonight - so don't get carried away gardening! According to my cold toes - it's not THAT much like spring!

Gifts

Rain...sunshine...rain...fog...rain....sunshine....snow....rain...

I'm afraid the weather has been mimicking my emotional state lately - up, down, up, down. Sorry, everyone! (although I DID get a kick out of the snow flurries) For the emotional and meteorologic fans out there - I predict increasingly warmer weather and calm seas ahead!

There's nothing like a change of scenery, good friends, good news, and a bulldog to help you find the sunny side of the street! And...it's good to be home again!

Thank you, Universe!

For everything.

Daring to Disagree

Here's a question for the Universe...

How do you disagree with good friends without things turning ugly? It's taken me a long time to get to the place where I'll actually tell a friend they've hurt my feelings - that the situation could have been handled differently. I used to always bury my feelings and pretend nothing had happened - because I knew the friend would feel attacked if I dared to share that I felt hurt by her words or her choices.

Now I speak up, rewriting many times, until I'm able to share my feelings with a friend without sounding accusing. (because I don't filter too well face to face) Doesn't seem to matter. No matter how gently I think I'm treading I squash someone's tail.

What's the solution? Not saying anything in the first place? Letting things blow up, then moving on without addressing the problem?

Disagreements are a part of life, a part of relationships. What's the best way to handle them???

Know What?

My kids are cool. They make me crazy - but they're awesome. This just came in my email - which means I'll have to keep them, I guess!

Actually, they're turning out to be more computer savvy than I - it's a bit scary. The youngest is running around in a too short spiderman suit. He looks like a blue and red string bean. He's very funny.

As for me - I had a tooth rebuilt this morning - and it hurts a bit. AND...I have to go back next week for more work. Did I mention I am TERRIFIED of the dentist? Cold sweat and heart palpitation afraid? Yup....that would be me. So...the card from the girls is quite a boost to my day!

Now all I need is wine...

It's a Brand New Year!

There's nothing like a new year to have you scribbling away madly at goals and to-do lists! I always feel like I'm torn in so many directions at once; how do I juggle homemaking, homeschooling, extended family, writing, business goals, creative projects, errands, non-profit commitments and friends into something that occasionally works??? Oh wait - I forgot home maintenance and renovation! (and probably at least 20 more "hot" topics that require my attention!)

For housecleaning, there's Flylady & Motivated Moms that provide me with daily lists of things to accomplish. There's also the time commitment of assigning the kids rotating chores - then making sure they actually do them! For homeschooling I've devised my own schedule of activities - but they tend to take a LOT longer to muddle through than I'd like! How many hours does it take to do two pages of math, anyway! The errands just fall where they will - but they almost always take an entire day! (by the time I have to drive an hour to get anywhere - I try to get the most bang for my gasoline!)

Let's not forget COOKING! One must figure out WHAT's for dinner, assemble the ingredients, cook the food, then deal with clean-up, leftovers and complaints from small people who hate onions and mushrooms. Even though they ate onions and mushrooms two days ago, without pause.

Then we get to the tricky stuff - 1)earning money and 2)fulfilling lifelong goals & dreams. If you work someplace other than the home your tasks are separate and distinct. If you need to find time, place & brain power to accomplish this amidst kids & chaos, things get more complicated. I'm still trying to figure out a reasonable schedule & to-do list that incorporates business into 24/7 kids.

And then there's your lifetime goals - which get more urgent as more birthdays creep along. For me - writing. And publishing. When do I do this? And is this more or less important than the business goals which actually feed our family?

I've decided that 2009 will be the year of abundance - the year of the Midas Touch. The year that everything I dedicate my time and energies to will bring forth fruit - and success. I'm done spinning my wheels - it's time to burn rubber and move!

Therefore, this year's blog will help me - and you - find methods that allow us to live the lives we imagine - filled with purpose, abundance, love and joy!

And so here's to 2009 - and US!

Namaste!