A Day in My Madness

I've MOVED!

2017-01-02T14:31:00.001-08:00

I have pulled out the big guns and moved to my own domain.

Please follow me there to keep from missing out on the all the juicy tidbits of my life!

Disney Holidays

2016-12-31T09:40:00.001-08:00

I have to say, one of the best things about being a Southern Californian is the close proximity to Disneyland. I admit, even if I didn’t have kids, we’d still go as often as possible. As annual passholders, we have some perks to the park that others don’t. Such as a monthly payment plan (making it affordably easier to pay off), park hopping, discounts on dining and merchandise, not to mention occasional Disney exclusives.

The California Adventure park has been hosting it's Festival of Holidays event that started November 10, 2016 and ending January 08, 2017 with a mixture of Latin flair and Disney magic. We’ve gone a few times since it started and have found something new each time. I’m sure I’ll miss something, but below are a few of the additions we’ve enjoyed:

The nighttime World of Color water and light show in front of the boardwalk now boasts festive holiday colors and music.
Additional food and beverage kiosks have popped up all over with a delicious array of goodies, from warm tamales and sopes, pozole and ceviche, and some southern comfort food like spicy chicken sausage and sweet potato pie. With pumpkin spice hot cocoa, fruit punch, and eggnog for the kiddies and beer and wine for the adults, there’s something for everyone!
They’ve kicked up the entertainment around the park, from a stilt circus, to live acapella singers, live bands, mariachi bands, and dancers.
Let’s not forget a festive corner to visit, chat, and take pictures with the jolly ol’ man in red, Santa!

One of the perks of being an annual passholder is a special corner with exclusive activities, such as coloring, making ornaments, and a special outdoor “photo booth”, just to mention a few. Our kids are slightly older, so it didn’t hold their attention too much, but we did have a great time watching all the little kid’s faces light up by the Disney Christmas merriment in the air.

As much as I have loved the change in the Disney air for the Holidays, I’m ready for the new year and for things to go back to normal…..and smaller crowds.

Out With the Old...(you know the drill)

2016-12-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

"When things are not

+ADDING up in your life, start

-SUBTRACTING " .

-anonymous

Where has time gone? Where all times goes while living life…behind us.
I won’t try to fit in a synopsis of my life for the past four years, I’ll just update as I go about all the wonderful things I’ve seen, experienced, and learned along the way.

It’s that time of year to review the year behind us and plan for the year before us. Although, in truth, we don’t need a new year to change our lives. There is no stopping point in our lives, such as a period to begin another sentence. Just move forward. You can’t plan ahead, while looking behind you (try walking that way and see if it doesn’t trip you up). You can however, use past experiences to keep from repeating past mistakes. But keep in mind, the variables are never the same thing twice and unfortunately, mistakes can happen again.

On the plus side, starting new is always invigorating. There’s something about beginnings that give us such energy, hope, excitement that keep us moving forward. Hold on to that momentum and I can’t imagine 2017 to be a repeat of this past year. And if all else fails and things aren’t adding up in your life, start subtracting those things and see if your life doesn’t change for the better!

We're born with 2 fears

2012-04-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

...the fear of abandonment and the fear of falling, everything else we learn.

I suppose I learned this in Mr. Cook's Biology class in high school, but it's one of those things that stick in your mind every time you hear the word. For me, it was 'fear'. I couldn't help thinking at the time that if this is true, then I've learned to fear reptiles, the dark, relationships, etc, from somewhere, someone.

Sitting in my panic/anxiety group sessions (yes, 'fear' has overcome me to the point of paralysis and panic attacks), my therapist said something that struck a cord in me, "it is human nature to run from what we fear". Apparently, I miss the whole fight or flight class somewhere or forgotten it at some point. Now I'm in therapy to learn how to 'tolerate' and maybe even control my fears, but not how to face them. I've allowed myself to be drugged to the point of numbness and be questioned over and over again to the point of pain.

My dad asked me the other day, after almost two years of not speaking to me, "What happened to you? What happened to the girl that was full of fight and didn't allow anything to get her down?"

I don't know. Maybe after 15 years of marriage, of living in a promise to God, of being absolutely, positively, 100% sure, that this is the right person for you, then finding out that it's not, does something to you. Maybe it's that the person I'm with has my heart convinced of the same. How can fear not paralyze me? How can I not be terrified of allowing myself to be happy with this person, or letting the thought of marriage and the rest of my life with him scare the life out of me? How do I stand in front of God, family and friends with him and make a promise that I already broke once? How can I promise something to someone and not doubt myself that I'll take it back one day?

How do I teach my children to trust their instincts, choices and decisions when I doubt mine? I don't know.

I don't know how to fix my broken heart, promises and dreams or to encourage my kids to follow and believe theirs. I'm working on it though. I know that they deserve to have a whole mother and my love deserves to be loved with no reservations. I know that if I don't learn from this, then I can't possibly make myself or anyone else happy.

So off I go to therapy and to surround myself with family and friends that know and believe in who I use to be. If I can get back an ounce of the girl that was so full of life and so sure of herself, if I can glimpse a former time and place where I was completely happy, I can build from it. I'm working on unlearning my fears, I know it's hard, but not impossible. On the bright side, I'm no longer drowning, I'm treading water and when I'm strong enough, I'll swim again. Baby steps...

Another year has come and gone...

2012-02-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

With all that has happened, another year has come and gone. This past year has been full of challenges I never thought I'd face.

When you hear the word Divorce, you never stop to think of what it all entails. How hard it can truly be for everyone, not just to two married people going through it. I've learned the hard way, just how truly heartbreaking it can be. Worse of all, I've had to watch my precious little girls have their heart broken daily by it.

However, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, it's ALMOST over. The finality will come with a judge putting a nail in the matrimonial coffin.

What no one ever tells you is the positive that comes from divorce. The weight that has been lifted, the happiness that can come from being alone and the sense of control. Sure, there are moments when I allow myself to miss what I had, the sense of security, a complete family, my ignorance to it all, but then I get over it and realize that I'm happier without the misery that all came with him.

I'm looking forward to teaching my girls how to be strong, how you don't need to have a man to feel complete, or that you shouldn't depend on others for you own happiness. But that if you do have it all and you're happy, then that's a bonus!

Did I make a mistake?

2011-01-31T23:34:00.000-08:00

I can't stand second guessing my decisions. I don't know how many times this question has gone through my head in the past few weeks.

Did I make a mistake? Did I give up everything I wanted to begin with for something I thought I did? Can I go back? Do I want to go back? Is this just the fear of moving forward that's paralyzing me?

I know what I don't want in my life, everything I gave up to move forward, to be here. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time though.

Out With The Old, In With The New.....

2011-01-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

YEAR, people, I'm talking about new year, old year...you know....

Of course, there are a lot of other things in my life that I'm weeding through, but I consider that spring cleaning and it'll probably take me 'til then to get it all done.

I had a great New Years kick off; surrounded by lots of love, hugs and kisses. I decided the only resolution I'm making is to not to make any resolutions. Of course, I'm still promising myself to eat better, workout more, live with less guilt and all the other stuff that resolutions are made of, but I don't consider them resolutions because I normally stick to promises.

There are a lot of new experiences ahead of me that I'm absolutely terrified about, but extremely excited about as well. I know I've kind of hinted as to what I'm going through, but I'm still not exactly comfortable just saying it (baby steps remember), but it is life altering and I'll be venting a lot more before I can admit to myself (out loud) and to all of you of it. 'Til then, take care everyone and make the best of the New Year ahead of us!

Off Track....

2010-12-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

"Sometimes you have to forget what you want, and remember what you deserve."

I keep hearing this over and over again! Sometimes when you're told something long enough, you start to believe it, I'm so sick of doubting myself! How is it that everyone else thinks they know what I need in my life?

The more I think about what I want and how it affects everyone else, it makes me sick to my stomach. I start to beat myself up for being so selfish for wanting a little bit of happiness for myself. As a Mom, my job is to make sure everyone around me is happy first, so what's wrong with me?

Then I spend a day surrounded by my happiness and I allow myself to believe that it's what I deserve. After all, how can I make sure my kids are happy if I'm not?

Life is divided for me right now, I live in stolen moments of euphoria, but mostly in the reality that everyone else is right. I know, I know, I'm allowing myself a moment of self-pity, but mostly to remind myself how off track I am. I know what I want, I know how to get there, why can't I just pull the trigger? Why can't I get my head out of my ass long enough to see that I'm just delaying the inevitable? Why don't I just redefine what I want and go for it?

I mean, do I want what I want because I can't have it? Which is usually the case with me, as soon as I get it, boredom sets in and I'm no longer interested. In that case, should I just leave my happiness to stolen glimpses of what won't be, just to keep it that way and from getting disinterested in it? Sometimes I stare at my happiness for so long, I don't even recognize it as the object of my affections. I don't see myself in it or remember why I want it. Or I convince myself that I'm better off without it and I grieve the loss of something I didn't even know I ever wanted.

Yes, these are the diluted thoughts I allow myself to think, the thoughts that make me so sick and indecisive. In the end, I see I'm truly off track, everyone is right and I should just let my life play out as it is, even at the risk of losing everything I love. Of course, I'll change my mind tomorrow....

Eat, Pray, Love

2010-11-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."

— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)

My sister told me about this book a long time ago and for whatever reason, I resisted reading it for the longest time. I think the thought of reading about someone that had a life altering epiphany scared the hell out of me. When the movie came out, I think I rescheduled a few times to see it with her and when I finally did go, she did what all big sisters do.....she held my hand throughout the movie and let me cry.

I know it sounds silly to have a movie impact you so greatly, I thought so too, so I bought the book thinking there had to be something different....something lost in translation and I was just awed by the scenery and magnificence of the big screen. Nope! No such luck...the book was just as good, just a little more in depth. I can't wait to buy the movie, the DVD comes out next week and I'm sure it's one of those that you get more out of every time you watch it.

The quote above just about describes where I am in my life. I'm taking back control of the things I stopped controlling a long time ago. I'm choosing to take my life back and no longer leaving my decisions up to others to make for me and then getting upset when things don't go my way. How can I teach my girls to be strong women, if I can't even do it for myself? So this is me.....off to take control of my life.....

If we knew beforehand, would we still make the same decisions?

2010-11-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

"That's the thing about a human life-there's no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any variables had been changed." — Elizabeth Gilbert

I love this quote, it really is a question of making the same choices and decisions if we knew beforehand the outcome. I mean think about it....we are who we are because of the mistakes we've made. If we never made those mistakes because we could see the variables for what they are and where they lead, would we still be the same person in the end?

I don't know how many times I wished I knew the outcome of things to save myself the heartbreak ahead of time, but then I wouldn't be the person that I am today. I am who I am because I've survived those heartbreaks, because I learned the lesson and licked my wounds. Would I have preferred the easy route in a lot of my mistakes, OF COURSE. Life doesn't come with an instruction booklet, there is no race to the end and the best way to learn the lesson is to make mistakes to grow from....I know this, but it doesn't keep me from trying to control my fate.

It's easier said and done to fully entrust yourself to God, Fate, Life and Love. My instinct to run has never been greater when facing my fears, but sometimes you just get tired of running. Guess what? I'm tired of running and terrified of facing my fears, but no one can do it for me, so both feet in it is.

I'm Twittering!!!

2010-11-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

Check me out...I'm officially Twittering....now if I can only figure out what that means....hahaha!!

I'm Back....

2010-11-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

Okay....so I totally lied about my last hiatus being over....but WOW has life given me a curve ball, so now it's officially over! Tons to talk about....tons to say...

Since I was last on, my girls have gone back to school, I've gone back to school (yes, still chugging along on my Bachelor's Degree), I'm working and have experienced some heartbreak!

I'm learning to be me again. It's been a while since I've been comfortable in my own skin and thanks to a great support system, I'm starting the see the vibrant, confident, happy-go-lucky person I used to be. I'm learning that with such extreme highs comes extreme lows....that I can cry and pick myself up and not wait for someone to rescue me....that I can love completely without losing myself.

I'm going through an extremely tough time and I have to say, it's a humbling experience. I don't have the luxury of laying down to die like I use to, I use to let life consume me and I'd allow myself to fully grieve, I can't now. I'm a mommy with responsibilities, I don't have time...so I grieve little by little, between dropping off my girls at school and making my way to work, before I pick them up, while I shower, but mostly when I cry myself to sleep at the end of the day. I concentrate on making sure I'm busy, busy, busy....so busy that I can't think about those things that drag me down under.

I'm learning to take baby steps in my life. I've always just jumped into life full force with both feet, but now I'm taking things slow, over-thinking things mostly, but making sure I don't make the same mistakes. So bare with me everyone, I will try to keep my posts positive, but I'm sure those days will creep up on me when I just have to vent. Stay tuned to my drama....there's plenty more to come!

Griffith Park Observatory

2010-07-28T09:57:00.000-07:00


We hung out at the Griffith Park Observatory yesterday and the girls had a blast!

Since it was a full moon, we decided to get there a bit early and take a quick hike, but of course, we didn't foresee the nightmare parking issues the park has, so the only hiking we did was up the hill to the Observatory.

We got there just in time for sunset and took some great pictures of the girls in front of the Hollywood sign. It was the perfect night for some great night shots of the city under a full moon, but of course, these came out a bit dark.

After our photo shoot (yes, yes, I'm a major tourist!), we waited out the 45 minute line to see the view from the Hubble telescope. The girls were so excited to see Venus and Saturn....they had no idea you could see stars and planets in the daylight!!!

Later, we caught a show in the Planetarium, which gave us a bit of motion sickness, but we all really enjoyed it. All-in-all we had a really great time.....other than the traffic there (what can I say about our famous 5 fwy!) and the lack of parking of course...

Hiatus Officially OVER!

2010-07-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....it's been a while. What can I say? Life got in the way!

Since my last post, I've spread myself a little thin....I started working part-time for a finance company selling insurance, then I started and quit a 2nd job working (full-time) with nuns (yes, as in Catholic Sisters...lol...I can't begin to tell you what an experience that was!), and now my 2nd part time job is working as an Executive Assistant for a web designer.

My girls have since ended a school year and are about three weeks away from going right back in. So back-to-school shopping is in full swing. YAY!!!

With summer coming to an end, we've been taking full advantage of the free movies Tues. and Wed. at the Regal Cinemas, Movies in the dark, Concerts in the park and eventually will make ourselves over to O.C. Fair.

Since my hiatus is officially over, I'll be posting frequently (hopefully) and keeping you all abreast of my madness! By the way, you can all follow me on FaceBook as well.

Me and My Dirty Mind!

2010-04-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

I wake up to find my precious 5 year old Izzie doing this to me with a huge smirk on her face:

The conversation that follows is such:

Me: "Who taught you that?"

Izzie: "Mom, look!"

Me: "I see, where did you see that?"

Izzie: "Right here!"

Me (getting more upset now): "Toria? Did you show her that?"

Toria (confused): "No, she showed me!"

Me: "Izzie! Stop doing that, it's not nice!"

Izzie: "Okay Mom"

Then she proceeds to put on the band-aid shes holding in her other hand on her middle finger she's so proudly showing off....as you can see, I have yet to organize my gutter brain!!!

Happy Birthday Victoria!!!

2010-03-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

My princess is 8 years old now!!! I can't believe it's been 8 wonderful years since the midnight birth of my baby....where did the time go?

As you can tell by the background...there's only one place we spend birthdays at......Disneyland! I'm all about the Anaheim Rat (Mickey), so we went to the happiest place on earth. Although this particular day was overly crowded, we still managed to have a great time. We got on some rides, had dinner, and went shopping. Since we have the annual pass, it doesn't bother the girls much how crowded it is or how many rides we get on because we can always go another day. We were all just happy being together and enjoying what turned out to be a gorgeous day!

I did however have an epiphany! I figured out why Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth.....it's not because you have such a great time, or the great rides, or even the food....it's because they make so much damn money!!! It's the Happiest Place on Earth for them, not for us! It's like Las Vegas...yeah, you have a great time while you're there, but once you leave (with empty pockets) you find it really wasn't that great now that you're broke. Either way, the novelty of it is wearing off of the girls; they could care less how many times we hit Peter Pan or swirl around on Dumbo. They still love it, but it's not as exciting for them anymore. I'm sure once a new ride is put in; they'll be excited all over again....

Anyhoo, all that just to say...Happy birthday Toria!

Looooooong Day!

2010-03-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

You know it's been a long day when you scream at your kids to "put on your seatbelts" when I really meant p.j.'s!!!!

My Irish Pug

2010-03-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

St. Paddy's Day Cupcakes

2010-03-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the Irish, I thought we'd get punch drunk... on sugar! Check out my cupcakes...

No, they're not from scratch, but they are made with love. I ran out of time (and got lazy), so these are courtesy of the cheater's route (a.k.a Betty Crocker).

The Pink Parlour Festival

2010-03-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

We had the best time at The Pink Parlour Festival! I love all things that are handmade and I have to say, the caliber of artists that held booths at the festival was amazing!

First off, if you've never been to the Santa Anita Race Track, go.

My kids loved the experience, being able to see race horses in action is really exciting (no we didn't gamble). It was gorgeous! Very green, old style Copa Cabanish and a gorgeous day over all!

The event was in doors (away from the horse smell) and very pink. There wasn't a corner of the festival that wasn't draped in pink...I loved it! It very much had the air of entering a dressing room or someone's boudoir. They had everything from tutus for the girls, organic soaps and lotions, vintage style purses and hats and pin-up posters, drawings, and photos for the hubby. I don't know if the theme is intentionally Pin-up-ish (very Dita Von Teese-esque) or what, but for the most part, most of the vendors were.

My girls spent most of the time going from vendor to vendor getting free candy, my niece looking for all things Elvis and my hubby making himself scarce (it was a girly event). Although it was small, we spent most of our time stopping and talking to the vendors about their products, how they were made and the sort.

The event was a first for us and we enjoyed the new experience. It will definitely be something to look forward to next year!

Below are the links to a few of the vendors I just absolutely adored!

-Chula Inc

-Curioddities

-Lil' Darlin' Accessories

-Mango Pop

-Miss Alphabet

-My Mayan colors

-Tattooed Beauty

A face only a mother could love….

2010-03-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Roscoe Jenkins! My little man is the cutest ugly dog I’ve ever seen! I never knew dogs could have such personalities!

This week in the adventures of Roscoe, I was given the silent treatment!

Here’s the low down….I made Roscoe a new bed and finally got rid of his thin generic doggie bed (he basically slept on the floor, his bed was so thin). Anyhoo, on one of my IKEA runs, I hit up the AS-IS section and got a display foam mattress for .25 cents and a broken door (about the same size) for about $1.00, then headed over to JoAnn’s and got a doggie print piece of fabric for about $3.00, and furniture legs at Michael’s for $8.00. After I put it all together (and tons of eye rolling from my hubby), I presented it to Roscoe and he LOVED it!!!

That’s not when he gave me the doggie silent treatment…. That came a few days later when I kept him from peeing on my kitchen floor. He was so mad, he went on strike!!! He tugged and pulled his doggie blanket off his new bed, curled up on it on the floor and this is the look he gave me…

…he spent the whole night on the floor on this blanket! I could not believe he was so mad at me that he rejected his nice new bed! Could you believe me that only cuddling and playing with him all day calmed him down!?! I never knew dogs could go on strike or harbor feelings of resentment! It was so cute; it was hard to keep from laughing! My hubby of course says that it’s only a product of a spoiled dog, I agree, but it was just so funny that this little man has such character!

Just one more day in the life of my Madness!

Season's Best Recipe Collection Giveaway!

2010-03-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

Okay here I go everyone…my first giveaway! This one is on me everyone, I wasn’t contacted by The Pampered Chef to do this giveaway, it’s all my doing (in other words...I purchased these and I'm giving them away to my dedicated readers). I decided to promote The Pampered Chef primarily because I love it (it’s an awesome product) and secondly to promote my sister Fabiola Maidlow, a Pamper Chef consultant.

I don’t know anyone that’s not currently trying to cut back on expenses and is looking for ways to save time. I know at least for my family, eating out has been one of the first things we put a limit on, so cooking at home has become a daily routine (I know, I know, it should already be a daily routine). But one of the things that got me excited about cooking at home daily was all my cool tools and gadgets from The Pampered Chef. Hands down, I have to say the Food Chopper is my FAVORITE! My hubby even joins in on the action!

Here are the Top 5 reasons I love The Pampered Chef products:

1. Easy to use
2. Great and inventive tools
3. You get free recipes with every product
4. They carry warranties on all their products
5. Easy access (my sister’s a consultant)

What am I giving away?

The Pampered Chef’s new Season’s Best Spring/Summer recipe collection! Not one, but 5 recipe books! A few of the recipes are Fresh Mango Margaritas, Warm Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad, and Chipotle Chili Cornbread Bake….YUM! What I love most about The Pampered Chef recipes is that they’re original and all tasted and tested in test kitchens by The Pampered Chef!

Here’s how to enter:

Required entry:

Go to the website here, then come back to leave a comment and let me know what your favorite The Pampered Chef product is (if you own any The Pampered Chef products) or which one you liked best from the site.

For Additional entries:

-Subscribe to my blog (notify me in the comments section)
-Add my blog to your blog roll and leave me a link to your blog
-Blog about this giveaway and leave me a direct link to the post

Good luck everyone!
Last day to enter is Thursday March 25th, 2010 by 12 (noon) PST.
The winners will be picked through Random.org.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

I'm Watching you!

I'm SO over CHAOS!

2010-03-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Flylady defines C.H.A.O.S. as Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome and I’m determined to beat it. My house is not extraordinarily messy; actually, I don’t believe it to be messy at all. However, it’s a constant issue in my home because my dear hubby grew up in an immaculate house, the kind you could literally eat off the floor because it was so clean. I didn’t. So we’re constantly arguing over it and in the grand scheme of things, it’s a ridiculous thing to put so much energy into fighting about. In my defense, I have come a long way and have made great strides, so much so, that I’m happy to say that most of the time we don’t live in CHAOS. Of course, it never fails that those are the times when no one happens to pop in. And in the few (and rare) instances that CHAOS has taken over my house, it never fails that we have unexpected guests left and right.

My friend sent me this quote and said that it describes me to a ‘T’. We adore chaos because we love to produce order. --M. C. Escher She said that I subconsciously let chaos build up around me so that I can break out my organizational skills and organize, organize, organize. Of course, at first I denied it, there’s no way that I intentionally let it build and instigate arguments with my hubby over it…..but, the more I thought about it, the more I think she’s right. If I had nothing to organize (or obsess over), I’d probably have nothing to do.

With that said, I’m determined to keep CHAOS from running my life. And in the event that an uninvited guest drops in on the day that it does, then oh well! I’m not perfect (gasp!) and I don’t live in a museum. If my house looks lived in, it’s ok, because at least it’s a happy healthy home, with or without CHAOS. Now to get my hubby to see it that way is another story…

Free Your Mind and the Rest Will Follow...

2010-03-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

As En Vogue so eloquently put it in the 90’s, freeing your mind is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I just can’t seem to catch up on any sleep. I’m constantly reminded of what my mother said to me just right before the birth of my first daughter, “sleep now because once you’re a mom, you’ll never get another good night’s sleep”. Of course at the time, I just thought she was being facetious, but as the ol’ saying goes….Mom really does know best!

Don’t get me wrong, my girls were great as babies and are great sleeping through the night now. But it’s my mind that never sleeps. I’m constantly replaying the day in my mind as I try to fall asleep, or making mental lists of what needs to get done tomorrow and such. I'm running a million miles in my head daily, no wonder I’m so exhausted!

I’m determined that this needs to stop! So one of the ways I’m reorganizing my mind is to work on my habits.

-More exercise! Not because I need to do it (lord knows I do), but maybe if I exhaust my body enough throughout the day, it’ll beat out my mind and I’ll get the rest I need.

-Keep a notepad with me at all times. I figure, I have somewhere to put all my mental lists, then my mind can rest at ease knowing it’s going to be addressed eventually.

-Stop thinking!!! If I keep my brain from thinking about anything right before bed, then hopefully I’ll have nothing bouncing around in there when I lay down for bed.

I’m not going to do the usual things that all the experts say to do, like drinking warm milk (I’m lactose intolerant), taking a warm bath (that only wakes me up), etc, those just don't work for me unfortunately

So the mission this week…if you chose to accept it…lol! Finding ways of freeing your mind from clutter; write down mental lists, shrug off any dramas that surround you, limit what you have to remember by keeping it written down in a safe place, and/or keep a daily calendar. By keeping our minds free from clutter we can focus on things that need and deserve our full attention, like our precious kids!