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!