Not a better note to start on than this one.

My Nae went on her first non-family sleepover this week.  It was next door.  At the house of one the best and most trusted people I could ever ask for as a neighbor.  Her little, Ms Kay, and Nae are pretty tight.  So they danced the night away in the playroom and fell asleep to movies.  Well, Kay did.  Nae could stay up forever.  So Shay shut it down and Nae drifted to bed.  Shay told me she was great, behaved very well.  And when she came home today, she was all smiles and has been so very agreeable all day.

She wanted to be close all day.  We made lunch together, started some art projects.  And  when she wanted to step away from the intensity of her artwork she asked me if she could listen to music on Youtube.  Child is a Youtube fiend.  No worries, she has to surf with me or Dad.  What may you ask does this kid listen to?  Well, we have Mary Doodles we watch, Epic Rap Battles also.  But Music?  She is in love with Lindsay Stirling at the moment.  !!!

Absolutely beautiful music.  Her own pick.  She loves Penatonix. !! And of course there is the currents on the radio she loves to re listen to on the Vevo channels.

What else could bring me to tears than spending time sitting next to my daughter while she is plugged into awesome music?  I'll tell you what.   It's that the kid has her own opinion, style and taste.  Did I mention that she is only 6?!  

Yes, yes, we are going through the motions and will continue to remind her that she has to respect others views, beliefs and ideas.  But, I love that she is growing into a person uniquely her.  That my friends is "suck the wind" inspiring.

What once was this little wee baby of 4 pounds, 15 ounces can now think freely and ask questions and read for 20 minutes out loud.

I could start the blog out with what I will be changing this year, but I think its over played.  Instead, I'm going to start mine being Grateful for what is in front of me.  Life brings us change, always.  Its is what is the single most constant thing about our lives.  If we can learn to have Gratitude for what we have already been given, Life has no choice but to gift us more of that.

So, help me.  Rather, help me to help you. Take a minute, and recount all the things that you already have in Life that you are grateful for.  I promise, its worth it.  Chances are, it will make you feel amazing too!

Bright Blessings,
Norms

And just like that, the Holidays are over and the New Year is upon us.

I had a whole entire post as a year in review.  It was good for me to see, good to get on the screen and actually read for myself.  For me.  Then I deleted it. 

We all have had one heck of a year.  In all honesty, I'm pretty struck with Gratitude.  There have been ups and downs, and man have I been lucky to be here to experience them.

I don't make resolutions anymore.  I haven't for a few year now.  Instead, I make improvements.  I improved quite a few things this year from last.  So, I'm going to call this year yet another success!

I'm going to end 2013 reflecting how Grateful I am.  And begin 2014 knowing how Grateful I am.  Everything else will fall into place or fall away.  You know what?  I'm good with that. :)

If you are reading this,Thank you.  Not just for reading it, but for being a part of my circle.  For checking in every now and then.  For being you and letting me be me and still being my acquaintance sans the judgement part.

Happy New Year! From Our Home to Yours.

Bright Blessings,

Norms

Not yet Thursday, but oh so Grateful

I'm so glad I've learned lessons early enough in Life to use them as tools to protect my daughter.  That I'm not so ruled by what others may think of me that I don't do what I know is right and just for her.  That, even thoughh, I do indeed worry about who it upsets, I can shake off the guilt fast enough to understand that worry and guilt don't help a situation anymore or less.  I have to let go of those feelings and wrap my brain around trying to move forward.

This is the part about small town living that for others gets tough.  Because now, I', looked upon as the crazy parent that goes spazoid when the boat is rocked. Hippie Mom who needs to be in the know when it comes to her bear cub.  The only thing saving me here, is I'm not related to anyone, so I could careless. :)

I get that many older generations believe we are raising a generation that feels "entitled" to things and jobs.  I see it, I know its very real.  I will help shape that future with the daughter that we are raising.  Hubby are trying very hard to teach her lessons we see are laxed with kids just a few years older than her.  However, we are not in an era of non information anymore either.  It's difficult to sort through it sometimes, picking and choosing battles.  I just thought this battle was done with.  Lesson learned, and acknowledged. 

Moving on.

Man am I so Grateful that I can see this within a day, it no longer takes me days to work through it.  I'm sorta glad that I got to see the learning experience in it for me too.  So Grateful for that.

The events that transpire, and how they make us better people... My Thanksgiving Post.

I have had a few Life challenges to get through the last couple of days.  I've noticed that when I go on the defensive, have to defend against something I think is wrong, it feeds a part of me the is ugly and negative.  It can make me feel ill.  For a few short hours, in the aftermath, it did.  Headache, tummy roll, tension in the shoulders.  I wanted to cook to relieve the stress, but I'm a firm believer that if I cook feeling that way, the emotions could very well manifest in the food.  Last thing I want my family eating is more hate and negative.
So, Hubby cooked, and I stepped away and calmed down.  I went to work and helped another human.  That human, the wonderful person they are, helped me.  We giggled, and laughed and were honest with each other as I did what I do best, helped improve quality of life.
That did the trick.  I came home and was in a way better place. Until I opened up FB and fed into some other human's negative.  I was vulnerable and I let that nasty stuff that they were spewing get to me.  And I went to bed mad, upset, angry and resentful.  I woke up this morning thinking.
If that person's posts were so strong in hate to me, that I went to bed like that, how on Earth is that poor human Living?!!  If they are in that process of thought all the time, what kind of horrible things are they attracting to themselves?  To the people they love?  My heart then ached for them.
So, I made a very conscious choice, to be Happy, and Grateful.  To change it.  My Life is not for anyone else to ruin or control.  Are there circumstances that may lead to temporary road blocks? Yes.  Do have days where I feel a bit down? Yes. Is it harder some days to choose Gratitude and Happy? Sure. The longer I stay in a Positive, Grateful mindset, the easier it is to stay there.
But, I can change my attitude.  By changing that, I can change the way my Life sways.  Then you get to see Magic.  When you change, others change.  You appreciate the ones you love most, and they see it.  Then, because they see it, they reciprocate.  Its an endless, Beautiful cycle. 

I am Thankful all year long.  Thanksgiving means more to me than most.  It has its very own meaning to me.  Its one day in a year that I can say, "I do this all year long!". I'm so proud when  look back at the year and see that YES!!! I did it! I had many more Thankful days than crappy ones!!  Its the day I get to pat myself on the back and do a quiet cheer that I didn't take a year in vain.  I spent it doing the things that brought Happy to me and mine.
I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you see the Gratitude in the holiday and everyday.  If you agree, pass the note along. 
Bright Blessings,
Norms

A whole entire month of Gratitude!!! Thankful November 2013

This year marks my 3rd year partaking in 30 Days of Thankfulness on FB for November.  I'm late!!  Two days behind!!  I'm not that worried.  What am I then?  Rejuvenated!! Inspired!!  Why?  I have seen SO many start their month with their Thankfulness, I'm SO Grateful to be a part of Lives, even if its in cyberspace, that take the time to be Grateful.  It's awe-inspiring!!
This year has been busy, my sweet little business, my Naenah, my Hubby, and all the things that go with Life have kept me on my toes.  I've had less time to sit and write on Thankful Thursdays.  However, I have had more time to fellowship with other Grateful humans.  To hear what they are Thankful for, and to learn something everyday from being part of their Lives, even if it's in just a quick, simple way.
Just the other day, I went in to pay the electric bill and had the most wonderful convo with a lovely gal about how awesome the fall colors were this year.  She then told me how lucky she felt to be able to stop and really notice that.  I told her that, that is indeed the lesson.  She couldn't have agreed more!!
If we open up to a positive note, positive will come back.  Gratitude is the same. The more we practice giving Thanks, the easier it is to see it, the more of it arrives right in our lap.  My sweet little Family is Living proof of that.
So, with that being said, shall we begin?  Would you like to give it a go?  You don't have to post them online, just jot them down on a piece of paper, in a notebook or journal.  So you can go back through and see, how much there is to have Gratitude for.  I promise there is good at the end of the task.  I can't say what it might be, that is up to you and what you need, but if you really put your effort into it there will be something for you.

Bright Blessings to you.... Let's begin.

Always, Norms

Thankful Thursday..... Clarity.

 Even someone like me, who tries her hardest to be Grateful, still loses the path at times.  The last couple of days have been rough.  I'm just glad that my inner dialog is a Positive one.  I'm still at a loss at what drives others to throw off their insecurities and misgivings onto others, but its proof that I am just as human as the next when I catch myself playing into their bullshit.
And I played.  On all levels, they got me.  Then, it attracted more bull, and before you know it, I'm a ball of nerves, anxious and stressed, full of worry on whether or not anything I'm doing is the right thing.
WHA?!!! 
Guess what brought me back to center?  I got a text from Hubby.  Its not what he said in the text that brought me back.  Its what I hear in my head that he would say to me if he were here to hear me vent about all of it.
He would say "What the hell are you doing?  Do you really think that?  Why would  you let anyone sway you from what you and I already know is right and what we want?  You have this, you know what you are doing, don't give them that kind of space in your head, heart or spirit."
He's right.  I do know what I'm doing.  I can fix it, I've fixed it before.  Incessant worrying about  people who don't understand and things I can't control will help nothing.....
Back to our Regular Scheduled Programming....
Man, I'm really Grateful I have one amazing Man that loves me enough to keep at me, to keep me on track to being the best me I can be.
To always be there, even just in thought, to provide that moment of Clarity.
And there is always my Naenah, what a gift.
See, already, the calming vibe returns.  I wish you Peace of Mind and Bright Blessings.

October...its right around the corner.

It will be 3 months since I last had a chance to write here.  Again, it is not without notice that I write on a Thursday...Thankful Thursday.  Even if I haven't been writing it here, the Gratitude is still always given.  I still take the time during the week, even if its not on a Thursday, to be in awe of what Gratitude can do.
Today was a mile stone for us as a family.  I won't share the actual milestone, its personal enough to garner respect of privacy.  However, it has indeed made me come, full circle in my Gratitude.
When Hubby and I decided to have a baby, we kind of knew how we wanted to live our Lives.  When Baby was born, we knew that the choices we made were the direction we needed to go.  We just had to figure out how to get there.
Never, ever did we think we would have to go so far to gain so much more than we ever dreamed possible.  And that is the moral of today's lesson.  It has got not a damn thing to do with money or what you own. 
Nothing.
Are you Happy?  If your answer to this is yes.... Good. For. You!!  Keep on doing it, whatever it is that is keeping you there.
If your answer to this is no....change it.  Fix it.  Shake it.  Stand on your head.....whatever it takes to get you to happy..... Do it.
We are not defined by what we own now, what we can show as worth to others. That stuff stays here when we move on.
Do what makes this Life worth Living.....what makes you lay your head down at night with a sigh of content.  That you were the best possible version of you today.
I'm beyond Blessed.  Hubby is happy.  That Milestone,  what was said to him, that matters way more than the pennies. 
Happy Thankful Thursday!!!
Bright Blessings,
Norma