My husband, Terry and I took a road trip to the Oregon Coast for our anniversary a couple of years ago and while he was driving I suggested we play a gratitude game. 

 

“Is this gonna be some lady’s magazine deal?”  he asked with a sense of apprehension.

 

“No, I’ve been reading Deborah Norvel’s book on the power of being thankful.”

“So Deborah told you to do this?”

“Nope, I thought this game up all by myself. In fact it'd be a great family game.”

“Okay, what do I do?” 

“So, I’ll tell you something I’m grateful for about you and then it’ll be your turn and you have to tell me something you’re grateful for about me and the guy who can’t think of something loses and the other guy wins.”

“What’ll he win?”

“He’ll get taken out to dinner when we get to the beach.”

We probably traded 15 thankful comments with each other and what was very interesting to me was how much I loved hearing his comments for me and I couldn’t wait for the next one. 

I was telling Marla, the Flylady, about the game and she suggested we play it with our inner child. So I had a session with Nelly (she’s my inner child, in case you don’t know). Here’s what happened.

 

Did you know breads and grains turn into sugar?

 

Eating sugar in all its sneaky forms spikes your insuline and that's one of the main reasons our bodies store fat. Lower your intake of sugar in all of its tricky forms and you'll lose weight. 

In this cooking video you'll see how easy these tortillas are to make.

No flour. Low carbs. And they're delicious.

 

Your appearance is tied to your age. 

 

 

Right now, how old would you like to look? If you ask a 30-year-old, she’ll probably say, “25.” Ask a 40-year-old and she’ll say, “Between 25 and 30.” A 50-year-old generally wants to look 35 to 40. When you ask a 21-year-old, she absolutely won't want to look six or 11 and could almost want to look older!

This issue for women wanting to look younger than they really are is surely a desire that’s been perpetrated (especially on women) by the media. Do you think our early ancestors worried about looking younger than they actually were? Doubtful, because when you’re in survival mode you’re more worried about staying alive than how long you’ve been doing it. 

 

Do you like to shop for spring at Ross Dress for Less? Do you make the same mistake I make, if I'm not careful?

The other day I had a half hour to kill before I had to be at my chorus practice, so I decided I’d go to Ross and just browse. I’m sure this isn’t right, but I do it often, especially at Ross; I buy something not because I really love it, but because its original price is horrifyingly high and the mark down is too good to pass up.

 

The first item I put into my shopping cart was a good example. It was pajamas by Ellen Tracy (she’s expensive) originally $70.00 for $21.99! How could I pass up a savings of $48? Never mind the designer brand sleepwear was in a leopard print in purple and lime green and just about the ugliest pajamas I’ve ever seen. (Sorry Tracy.) But in my mind, the $48 savings canceled out the obnoxious look of them. Besides pajamas are worn in the dark and I did love the luxurious feel of the fabric.

 

The next item that went in the cart was a bath lotion I swear smelled just like a cinnamon roll. I think I was especially attracted to it because I was hungry and I hadn't had a cinnamon roll in years (and won’t in the future because my husband Terry and I are low-carbing it these days). I didn’t stop to ask myself why it’d be cool to smell like a treat, but I’ve noticed recently that many toxic-free health care products often smell like some kind of food like lime, caramel, cloves, chocolate, apples or pumpkin pie. 

 

 

 

Don't miss this final video on getting to know your inner child. In it you'll learn how to talk to her when she's about to put cookies in the cart at the grocery store and how to remind her who's in charge before you even go in the store.

If you're just starting to wrap your mind around this concept of having an inner child, this video will really help!

 

Turn dreary into fun!

 

Make memories you'll talk about for years to come.

 

Living in the northwest, we learn early on, we can’t let the rain dowse our fun outdoors. Just make sure you all have play clothes, so you don’t have to worry about messing up your good clothes.

Whether it's just misting or pouring cats and dogs make the most of the wet weather  and play with your kids in the rain with these family-tested outdoor activities.

 

1. Puddle Play

Mom, you usually discourage your kids from jumping in puddles, so they’ll be shocked and excited when you suggest a splashing contest. Get your play clothes and rain boots on and head out looking for the biggest puddles you can find. Let your kids get soaking wet! Let the child who makes the biggest spray, get to pick the movie the family will watch or be freed from some chore. Give points for the one who gets the wettest. If you’ve got dancers in the family, have them practice some steps they’ve learned.

Mom, come on; get in the puddles with them! Motherhood is not a spectator sport. Let your kids splash you. All it takes is saying, “Don’t you splash me,” in a way they know you’re daring them to do it. Oh and just think how good a hot shower will feel after the fun!

Everyday I receive emails and comments from happy, enthusiastic, positive women who earnestly want to become more organized, efficient and happy in their homes.

They’re so optimistic about a new way to be organized because they get inspired by others who have experienced success in their homes. Thank you to all of you who send those kinds of sentiments to me!

 

My goal in spending most of my days writing is to encourage positive change in a lighthearted way and I appreciate all of your kind words and that you take the time to write to me.

“I’m completely overwhelmed with my situation!”

Occasionally I receive comments from overwhelmed, unhappy women who just don’t realize the power they have to change their circumstances. I answer every email and when I receive the sad negative ones, the only thing I can do is turn it over to God and write with love.

 

Top 10 Sidetracking Distractions and How to Deal with Them

 

 

 Thank you for coming over! 

Now that you're here, imagine with me that you have a free half hour specifically slotted for housework. You’ve got four 3x5 cards with specific chores on each to direct your work. There's an estimated time telling you how long each task will take written on each card. You’re dressed for housework, so you won’t wreck your good clothes and you’ve got sensible shoes on. You're a SHE (Sidetracked Home Executive) and you're easily distracted.

According to your math, you can do the tasks on the cards in half an hour, but what has happened to your good intentions when you find yourself at the mall getting a pedicure? WHAT HAPPENED?

 Read on to find out.

 

A good rule of your green thumb is Plan, Prepare, Purchase, Plant. If you try to prepare and plant at the same time, you’ll poop out and then those plants that you’ve taken into your care face possible death. Of course it’s not premeditated, but the plants will be just as dead.

 

 Death by good intention

Have you ever seen a honey bee that’s got so much pollen on her feet and thighs that she can barely fly? I often wonder if some of them never make it back to their hives they’re so overloaded. 

 

 

 

Have you ever caught yourself in the middle of doing something you didn’t want to do?

 

 

It happens so easily, especially at the grocery store. Oh, the temptations! Especially in the bakery department! You're on a low-carb diet and a mission to lose weight, and all of a sudden you wake up and realize you put a cake in your cart! Most people don't wake up and they head right on through to check-out.

But if you're serious about losing weight, this behavior has got to stop. If you don't buy it, you can't eat it.

 

If this or something similar has happened to you, then be sure to watch this video and I’ll explain what really happened and what you can do about it.

 

Before you watch the video, here’s an email from a woman who figured out how to handle those grocery store temptations. 

 

I've always known that Torie (my inner child) was there, but I never thought about how old she was! Thanks to you, I now know she is 12... and LOVES to make 'deals'.

Checking out at the grocery –

Torie: “Oooh! Snickers!”

Me: “No, you know that makes us feel horrible.”

Torie: “Just a small one?”