Self-Hypnosis

I've been hypnotized. I've been living in a self-imposed trance. 

I was an ugly duckling growing up. My ears were too big, my body was too small and even when puberty hit, I never shook off my insecurities as an ugly duckling. I've been living as an ugly duckling.

I had convinced myself that everything that needed to be said on my blog, was said. I felt as though my thoughts didn't matter. I had hypnotized myself into believing that all things must come to an end. But life is not like that. Our journey to wellness will forever be a lifelong assignment. Constantly evolving, bettering itself, conflicting itself. Even when our bodies die and wither, our offspring will continue to live on and evolve.  Our lives matter. Whether you believe we are here to glorify God, or whether you believe we were placed here to express ourselves to the fullest, they are one in the same.  What better way than to glorify God than by becoming the best God has equipped you to be?

Have you been living in a less than ideal trance?

I recently read Psycho Cybernetics and it was the perfect refresher I needed to start feeling good again. You can read it for free on Scribd by clicking here.

Hello friends. It's good to be back. :)

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

I don't even remember how I first heard about Transcendental Meditation. All I know is that I had been wanting to learn to meditate for the longest time and the church's definition of 'meditating on the word of God' wasn't doing it for me.  I wanted to clear the mind. I researched my neighborhood libraries catalogue for anything tagged as 'transcendental meditation' or 'TM'. I came across a book by David Lynch - writer/director and actor among other roles- Catching the Big Fish.  In the book, Mr. Lynch shares how his practice of Transcendental Meditation has aided him in his creative process in writing, directing and painting. I really enjoy reading about artists and the process by which artists (anyone skilled in their trade) go about gaining and using their ideas. Although the book itself did not teach me how to practice Transcendental Meditation, it did urge me to continue my research on the subject.



I found a website which pointed me to TM teacher's within my area only to find out that it came with a price tag exceeding $1000. My DIY mentality leaks into all areas of my life and I quickly uncovered a wealth of information to learn to do-it-myself.  Transcendental Meditation is said to help reduce stress, reduce depression, increase creativity, increase energy, increase inner calm, and increase happiness and self-esteem. You can read more on the subject here.  Or on wikipedia here. It should be noted that negative perceptions on the movement have been aimed at the high cost of the practice.  However, both you and I are exempt from this burden and free to reap its benefits if we pursue it with open hearts and open minds. Afterall, Jesus himself meditated.

1. Pick a mantra. Found here.  {Mantra's are chosen by age. Existing arguments have been made over a mantra being "carefully chosen" by a trained teacher and not shared with anyone else, however, the mantras were allegedly all the same and based on the meditator's age. For example, given my age, my mantra is "shirim"}

2. Find a comfortable spot to sit down uninterrupted. Bodily position is not of importance.

3. Silently repeat your mantra over and over again for 15-20 minutes. Once in the morning and another in the evening. Pause for a moment before you begin and settle into it and pause at the end as well.

It is said you will receive heightened creative awareness and calmness once you have completed your meditation. If you gain nothing else, refer back to this calming episode whenever life gets a little too chaotic. Repeat your mantra to yourself when you are about to tackle a stressful project. Translations for your mantra can be found here and here. 

Remember to approach each day with gratitude. It is a good time to be alive.

Breakfast: How Important is it?

I realize I haven't done a health post (or any post for that matter) for some time now. When I was 18 I joined my first gym, fell in love, met a boy, fell in love and then we lived happily ever after working out together. The happily-ever-after part, obviously, is an exaggeration on my part to make a simple story sound cute. But it's all very true. So my first love was not crafting, or DIY'ing, or recycling old bikes, and my first love was not even my husband. My absolute first love was wellness.

Which is why, after one week of not writing, I have chosen a post on breakfast. And not the syrup-ey filled kind. People are always saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  I thought of the multitude of times I had left home this past year without breakfast. This is the second year I have been living in Texas and any weight gain I had experienced, I attributed it to that simple fact. Everything is bigger in Texas, obviously, so my food portions or my steak or my overall eating habits must be bigger (or so I thought). Or I attributed weight gain to the weather. Winters were now harsh. I was no longer living in sunny California with 2 days of rain a year. I was living in muggy, humid Texas, with rainfall 1-2 days a week! I found myself reaching out for all sorts of comfort foods. Since I was running on empty, having skipped breakfast, just about anything would suffice.for.the.rest.of.the.day.

The reason breakfast is so important is because it sets the tone for the rest of your day. Food is fuel. Often times we abuse this fact and assume we were placed here on earth to eat. We live to eat seems to be the overall mentality of mankind. Our true role in life is actually to reproduce.  Food, then, is simply fuel for our bodies to go about searching for a mate to reproduce with. We eat to live. The key is in eating something healthy. For example, let's compare a bowl of oatmeal and an egg on the side versus a stack of pancakes, a side of sausage, a cup of o.j. and a cup of coffee. Oatmeal tends to fill you up, and while a stack of pancakes might do the same, the quality is not the same. A bowl of oatmeal has not been processed. A stack of pancakes has been heavily processed and much nutrients have been lost along the way.  What you are essentially eating is a ton of empty calories.

Another reason breakfast is so important is because it wakes and revs your metabolism. According to Katherine Zeratsky over at Mayo Clinic, fasting increases your insulin levels, increasing fat storage. I like to compare this to the hibernating bear.  A bear, although he eats only berries and such, eats and eats and then sleeps away all winter long. His body stores his food as fat to help him survive the long winter. When you deprive your body from eating, it assumes it is going into hibernation and reverts to packing on the fat. So, why don't people who fast gain weight then? Because when people fast they do not trick their body by feeding it only once or twice a day, they don't eat at all for a matter of a few days or weeks.

My recommendation:

1 cup of cooked oatmeal with a dash of salt (optional: Splenda)
2 egg whites
1 cup of water

You should strive to drink about 10 cups of water per day. Water helps to flush the body and it will more than fill you up.  Eat abuot 2-3 hours later with plenty of water in between.  We need to strive to achieve a diet as close to nature as possible in order to feel our absolute best.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Christmas Homemade

 

 

Check out Martha Stewart for the latest on homemade goods for the little ones.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Global Vintage + Romans 14

Excuse me for being a bit on the busy and distracted side. I took an early vacation beginning Thursday. Did a lot of praying, then we traveled to Florida for one day to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my distant loved ones. It was the most blessed vacation we have ever taken. I hope your holiday was equally enjoyable, if not, God can provide. I know because I asked.

We were hesitant to take this mini vacation. We haven't had many opportunities to gather with family, and the times we have, it has not been pleasant. This time we didn't ponder on it too much. We did pray about the situation everyday (five days leading to the big day) at mealtime, at bedtime, and right before we arrived. We attended church the last Sunday before our holiday and asked for some additional support. We were lead to Romans 14. To summarize, Romans 14 is about a call to do what leads to peace. "Who are you to judge...he who God died for?" It was a reminder that God died not just for us, but for the sister you quarrel with, for the neighbor who jolts your nerves, etc.

But since I have been lacking in design and DIY and anything pretty (or any posts for that matter), I decided I would also share this design personality quiz (found over at Young House Love) from the Nate Berkus site. I am Global Vintage. Pleasure to meet you.  I always assumed I was Rustic Modern. It turns out the rustic is me, the modern is he -  the hubby. With this in mind, I will attempt to splatter my home with a blend of global, old world charm my husband does not approve of because I am no longer Rustic Modern. I am Global Vintage ...and I go in peace. ;)

Image: Ikat curtains from World Market... because I just learned I'm a worldly decorating kind of girl. Hear my roar.

Holli Conger {illustrator}

Once upon a time I was a stay-at-home-mom, looking back, it was the most blissful 18 months of my life. I don't know how working mom's manage to do it all. I do it (the working mom part) but I don't feel as though stuffing my face with multiple cups of stale coffee,  sneaking in a candy bar here and another meeting leftover sandwich there, while eagerly awaiting Friday...on Monday, is the definition of handling it successfully. I to have dreams of one day returning to that status of stay-at-home mom while working on some type of artsy and far more fulfilling career in life...from home.

I was so inspired when I came across Holli Conger and her site http://www.becominganillustrator.com/ where she features her life story at becoming a stay-at-home illustrator. Or you can read about her blog A Girl Who Creates or her professional site here.  Her work can be found at Target. How inspirational is that?


Leer en espanol ---->

it is so good to know you...

This Sunday's service was about believers/givers and non-believers/non-givers. There were basically two kinds of people those who give and those who don't. I once read a book that prescribed this medication for depression : to get over your depression, serve others for one week. In an effort to be a little more selfless, I will make an attempt to post more freebies on a weekly basis. I hope all will be inspired to do the same. For the above print, print here .

Mi teoria es que un hogar debe ser un lugar sagrado y la decoracion facilmente logrado con toquitos personales y una gran variedad de ideas gratis de parte de la comunidad de la internet. Es mi honor poder subir ideas que facilmente pueden ser colocados en un cuaderno o con un brochecito colocarlo en su pared. Este fin de semana pasado, en misa, el recado era sobre las personas espirituales clasifacados en dos categorias: los que dan y los que no da. Con este tema en mente, es mi intencion tener un freebie (algo gratis) semanal. Al igual, espero que usted tambien sienta el orgullo de poder dar algo, no importa que pequeno, estas celebraciones navidenas. El diseno arriba puede ser imprimido aqui.