Month: July 2015

Finding Happiness, Through Helping Others

Finding Happiness Through Helping Others

“Success has

nothing to do with

what you gain in

life or accomplish

for yourself.  It’s

what you do for others.”

-Danny Thomas

“Only a life

lived for others

is a life worth

living”

-Albert Einstein

Hello Friends,

Summer break is here, my daughters amazing Waldorf school has a small piece of heaven on the outskirts of her school. It is not the traditional playground most of us are familiar with. You unlatch the wooden gate to a small paved, path, that brings you to this magical garden, full of life, green, thriving, fairy garden. In the surrounding area stands an at least twenty foot tall, antique liberty bell, for the children to ring when outdoor play and school has ended. The outdoor play area has two sets of rolling dirt hills with tree stumps at the base, for the children to leap from stump to stump.

At the end of the school year, one of the parents volunteered to build this magical wooden boat, oh it is adorable. I just want to go for a pirate ship adventure looking at it. The children are so free to roam with their imaginations in a nature surrounded area. It is so lovely, it makes me tingle with happiness just thinking about it.

In the far end of the play area is metal half sphere, which is found in traditional public schools, where the children can climb and monkey around, the area has trees and wild flowers and giant and small stones and rocks. Finally there are swings of course, no outdoor area would be equipt for children without the ability to swing weightless in the air. One of my and now Violets favorite present and past times.

The amazing school garden is touched by the hand’s of children from Kindergarten to seventh grade along with a genuinely passionate teacher, Mrs. Season. She is a lovely grey haired earthy, free spirit, with an loving and inviting presence. In the summer time the school offered a gardening and hand work camp, the fee was $150 per child. At the time that was not in my budget, this kind woman spoke to my sister Jenny with her four children. Speaking of the group meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00 Am and 11 AM and if we were to show up it was be just fine with her. Lovely woman. When we arrived to the first session, Mrs. Season gently and enthusiastically, instructed to children to go on a magical treasure hunt, she gently showed the children how to pick peas from the vines without hurting them so they could grow us more pees. The children were allowed to eat as many veggies as they would like. I helped with Hugo on my pack, snuggled and calm just taking in the beauty of the garden. My children and my nephews were harvesting snow peas and sugar snap peas. Which I never knew the difference. The snow peas are chubby and plump and the sugar snap peas look more deflated where you can see the peas from the out side. They were all having a great time, helping one another, enjoying freshly picked peas. To the right of the pea vines was a tiny fairy garden, created out of stones, sticks, dried flowers, that had a tiny piece of twine surrounding it. So preciou!

Mrs. Season then shared an amazing story about three sisters and one represented corn and she had long golden hair, and one represented green beans, she was the strong sister and the last sister represented pumpkins small yet brave and bright in color, each representing a fall harvest vegetable. After the story each child was gently handed three magical seeds and they were placed in a circle where they took their fingers and the Moms helped guide the seeds and gently pack with dirt and say “Grow, little seed, grow, little seed.” with love from each child. Each one passed down the watering hose, and gently watered their seeds. It was such a peaceful and loving moment.

At the end of the first class, Mrs. Season, shared with my sister about how she has spent every day of her summer tending and watering this massive garden and flowers and trees galore. My sister, Jenny, offered our hand in watering once a week. Something I usually would have pass on doing, thinking about the stressors of getting all three of my children to behave for the forty five minutes that it takes to water this massive space. We looked at this dedicated woman, whom has two small children of her own, might I add, so much in love with her job her passion of gardening. Also so exhausted and needing a break herself, so she can enjoy her summer and her small children.

My sister offered our hand and I am so glad she did, now every Tuesday we are so lucky we get to help this tranquil garden, touched by the hands of this amazing woman and little children. I get Hugo packed on my back, and release the big ones into the outdoor play area. My sister and her four children show up and we each grab the endless hose that goes from path to path, the hose, stretching infinitely across the entire green, full of life area. It is a maze, of tangled up fat hoses and hand made paths with wooden trellises and tiny wooden and twine fences, separating each sweetly labeled area of the garden. The sprayer head is like the most gentle shower head you have ever used, it is attached to a long piece of metal with a soft green handle.

This watering time has been so good for me, something I almost turned my head to the idea of being too stressed out. Has helped me, and helped give an amazing, greened thumbed woman, Mrs. Season, one day off a week. She much deserves this time, she deserves more than just that. Last week during watering, Hugo was cooing at the giant bright yellow sunflowers, they were smiling at us. I imagined all of the variations of green leafs and veggies waving good morning to us. I began to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are grey, you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.” I sang this at least a dozen times, I felt so happy, so much at peace. My big children were running along with their cousins giggling and pink cheeked, scurrying, back and forth from the garden to the play area, the sun was quite hot already by 9:30 AM. So we decided to have a sprinkle over each child, it was lovely.

Getting outside once again has not failed me. So get out doors and smell the fresh air, water the flowers, and sing to yourself, and lend a helping when you can. Even if you don’t think you can, even if it seems oh so small to you. You might in turn help out someone in need, and help yourself at the same time. So just try, thats all we can do, and see how it turns out. Notice how you feel and you might just bring yourself tiny bits of happiness, tiny pieces of heaven we can keep with us forever. That in turn will help your everyday happiness, you can enjoy the now and being yourself, and help bring you closer, to the happiest you, and the happiest life. Until next time friends!

Art Can Bring You Happiness!

Art Can Bring You Happiness!

“Every

ARTIST

was first an

amateur.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

“She decided

to start living

the life

she’d imagined.”

Hello Friends,

Finding happiness in these amazing lives of ours, can be quite tricky , it can be down right a treasure hunt. If you find yourself not enjoying things that make you happy, no not everyone else around you happy, but you happy. Today is the day to start, right this very moment, look deep into yourself notice how you feel. Do you feel happy? You don’t have to answer this minute, take as long as you need.

Notice how you feel throughout your day, do you feel better when you get up and walk, run, or go to the gym before you start your day, half way through your day, in the evenings? I do, I notice significant,happiness increases when I run and move my body vs not. And I always find myself in extreme happiness bouts, when I finish my runs or work out of the day off with some body freeing dance moves. Dorking out I call it! Sometimes my husband catches me on my way home from my runs and he makes fun of me. But I notice he likes it, because he is always extra grinny, when he is poking fun at me. And when I am happy I can make him happier, oh the chain reaction of happiness and smiling.

Get in tune with your body notice how you feel, if you find yourself less productive on days think back to what you did that day. (PS the news is depressing I had to cut myself off from it. I find myself significantly happier not hearing about the horridness of the world. I will leave that up to my husband, he has a better filter than I do, he can inform me of any word changing events.) Try something new, pick up a book for a change, your imagination is so much freer when you are reading vs. watching tv. If you don’t know me by now, try journaling on, even if you claim not to be a writer. You don’t have to be, this is just you and your thoughts.

If you have ever found yourself interested in painting or drawing, today is the day. Try it out, your first session is not going to be your best. But if you find yourself smiling while doing it, well then there you have it. That is the point after all. I have found when I paint, draw, color, or write, it allows this amazing mental freedom and happiness and I love every moment of it. I feel like me, I feel so much happiness. I have found on days where I find myself so wrapped up in my busy life of, Momming and Wifing that I am significantly grumpier, and short fused than I am day where I take the time to release my mind.

The quote,” When you find something you love, you will never work a day in your life.” I now understand the true meaning of that. In my roughest years of marriage, art, saved my soul it saved my sanity. I know understand why I wasn’t meant to draw and how it just came to me overnight. Legit, I went from not even wanting to pick up a pencil, to needing to paint to release my mind of whatever needs to come out. One of my first solo paintings I created without, my amazing talented inspiring painter, sister, Jenny. These paintings are my favorite and most beautiful paintings in my home. The night I created those pieces, I found a small piece of me hidden deep below my misery and I found a tiny piece of happiness attached to it. That in turn brought me closer and closer to this strong, amazing, woman I am becoming today.

I found two old pictures that were framed hanging in my bathroom, that I had lost taste to and a feeling of painting over came me. I took the two six by six pieces of shiny paper that were matted into the frames out and turned them over. One evening after my two children at the time were safely tucked in bed. I layed, the two flimsy pictures on a painting drop cloth and went to the garage and found some old house paint with an image of a dandelion floating in the sky I turned on some mellow music and a calming, peaceful wave overtook me. With my different variations of blue, turquoise, pale yellow and white paint, I freed my mind followed by a new-found passion I never knew existed. To this day I amazed myself.  Who knew I was an artist? I sure did’nt. Some days while preparing meals for my family, with these amazing pictures hung on my kitchen wall,  I find myself lost, in those paintings they help remind me of my hidden powers and talents deep inside myself.

So go and find yours, you might just surprise yourself, and find happiness on your way! Until next time my friends!

Inspiration From My Babies!

“Dream

Beautiful Dreams, and then

Work

To Make those

Dreams

Come

True”

“Everything that you

IMAGINE

that you can do…

and whatever you

Dream

will come true”

Hello Friends,

Feeling so motivated and inspired by my babies, well they are not all babies, but I will always see them like that. Summer is bring such amazing time and memories. I feel so inspired from my children and in reading to Violet, Barbara Park’s, “Junie B. Jones” series to write a young middle grade, children’s book. Watching my children evolve everyday is amazing, I want to look back in ten years, or I should say read back, and have these memories. So what a better way than a fun book they can enjoy, now and in the future! Here is a little peek into my current mind-set! I hope you smile as much as I have writing this!

“Juniper June”

 “Summer Fun”

                                                                                      by Shelly Bond

Hello new friend, when I was still  in my Mommy’s tummy she named me Juniper June Bond, except when I was born my Daddy called me June and it just stuck. So now my name is just plain June, and that’s all. It is only Juniper when I am being naughty. I have wiggly hair, as copper as a penny. It is my most favorite hair in the whole world, no one has wiggly hair as special as mine. My Mommy told me that when I was being made, she picked my wiggly hair especially for me, it feels, squirmy, and fuzzy and wiggly and bendy all around. When I wake up in the morning it makes me giggly and smiley and have butterflies in my tummy. My Mommy helps me put water and her special Mommy lotion that makes me soooo super beautimus and helps my fuzzies, wiggle all around. I love my wiggly hair.

Oh and I get to wear, sparkly, pink and purplish oh so beautimus glasses. My eye’s need help seeing the world better, so this summer I got to go to the special eye’s doctors and choose my very own special pair of glasses, can you believe it? Her name is Dr. Abby, she looks in my eyes with a special, teeny light and I get to use a pirate patch and look at pictures of teeny and biggie animals, and then tell Dr. Abby all about them. I got to climb up a very sticky, blackish, giantly tall chair, all by myself, because I have superhero strength that’s why. Oh and guess what? I also go my own most beautimus flower case and I have a special wipe for my glasses too, and they are just for me and not for my stinky little brothers. I can’t hardly believe it, I am a big sister with responsibilities now. Yay for me! Oh and  Dr. Abby has penny colored, wiggly hair too, except it doesn’t look so wiggly to me, she told my Mommy she straightens it, that sounds silly.

This is the summer before I am going to be a big Kindergarten girl, I get to go to Kindergarten because I am smart and because I am five. See I can even count to five, one..two…three…four…five…

I have been out of pre-school for a month and a half,  I am having so much fun. Except some days, I even miss my friends a teeny bit. I love my bestie, friend’s. They are called, Ava, and Riley. There were two Riley’s in my pre-school, one Riley, girl and one Riley boy. My favorite Riley is the girl, Riley. She is sweet and we hold hands and she even has wiggly hair too, not the same wiggles as mine. And Riley has a baby brother too, his name is Landon, my Daddy has a friend named Landon. My other bestie is Ava, she has brownish colored hair as long as a ponies tail, she is real brave and a little salty too. Ava’s Mommy even braids it oh so beautimus, somedays. We make potions and build rock gardens and we are Mommies and make our babies take rests and change their diapers. They are my favorite,sweet and salty girls. I miss my friends, I love them so much.

I even miss my old teacher Ms.Kastle, she was real nice to me. She would tell me stories about bunnies and turnips, and the bunnies sharing the turnip with his friends. He is the sweetest fluffiest white as the snow bunny I ever saw. I love that bunny, I miss him. My, Ms.Kastle even taught me how to plant a teeny, weeny, seed, that grew and grew into the most, beautimus purple flower. I can close my eyes and smell the purple. She is a sweet and lovely lady, almost as sweet as my favorite Mommy. One time Ms. Kastle gave me a band-aid, I was running as fast as a cheetah and my shoes tripped my feet and made my knee start bleeding everywhere. I had so much red blood, I even saw two drops right on the ground. Ms. Kastle saved me, and hugged away all of my tears. I love her very much.

Until next time my friends! : )

To My Fears And Doubts

To My Fears And Doubts

“You gain, strength, courage,

and confidence by every

experience in which you

really stop to look fear in

the face. You must do the

thing which you think you

cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear”

George Addair

Hello Friends,

Through my daily life changing journey and my ever so changing self, I find myself day upon day, minute upon minute doubting myself. My dreams are focused on becoming a loved, world-changing, Author and illustrator, I find myself questioning if I am good enough to be a writer, if my pictures are good enough? I have wanted to submit my work to a literary agent for the past year of my life, it has haunted my mind on a daily basis. With worries and doubts I can not write the letter that is my segway into getting published. What is good enough anyways? Good enough for who? When I draw, when I paint, and now with my new-found love for writing, well, I get this feeling of calmness, of peace, I feel happy I smile more when I am writing, I get butterflies in my tummy and my heart beats faster and faster. (As it is now) I feel I was born to do this, it just took me most of my life to find it. But now that it is here, I am never going to let it go. Am I scared? Yes… Am I worried about being rejected? Yes… Am I in fears of others judgment? Yes…But I will not that trump my dreams and my feelings. As for good enough, I would say blow it away, I am realising my mind and body of those fears and doubts, what could be life hindering. I will not allow them to be.

My dreams and my feelings are what I am in control of, I may have these fears, doubts, stressing worries but I will not be overtaken by them. Release, release, release! I free myself from you!I am focusing my brilliant mind on success, on happiness, on calmness. I am choosing to respond to my life and not to react to it. Yes it would be much easier to return to the old me, the lifeless, easy-going me, the go with the flow, and not a passion anywhere in sight. I refuse this path, the happiness I have found over the last five months is amazing.

As for good enough, I would say blow it away, I am realising my mind and body of that fear and doubt, that hindering notion. I am good enough, I am great enough, I am the best! : ) I finally did it I submitted my work to five literary agencies! It was nerve racking, I was sweating the entire time. But I did it! It can take up to eight weeks for a response, wish me luck and send your positive thoughts out there for me!

If you find yourself with an urge to do something you have never tried before, follow your instinct. You may find yourself closer to happiness, calmness and peace. You can do it you are GOOD enough, your are GREAT enough, you are the BEST! Until next time friends!

Fire Steal My Gaze

“I survived because the fire

inside me burned brighter

than the fire around me”

“Love is ever the

beginning of

knowledge as fire

is of light.”

Thomas Carlyle

Hello Friends,

Just another early morning with my lovely routine of hydration, meditation, soaking up my affirmations and visualization. Snuggled up on my favorite cozy chair, with a warm, comforting cup of coffee in my left hand with my other hand I reached for my read of the moment. Gretchen Rubin’s “the Happiness Project” a great read by the way, this book will help you gain a new perspective on happiness and understanding yourself better to help get closer to your perfect happiness. I found myself with one of my spiral drawing pads, which I had filled page upon page with journal entries, children’s stories and even poems.(ps I would never in a million years think I would have had a poem hiding inside of me.)

These entries are a significant part to my mind, body, and emotional change. Journaling has slowly helped me find who I am and gain perspective. I am finding where my place in this world is . (Other than being a strong and loving Mommy and Wife, I work hard for this everyday, some days better and some days worse, but I still work for it every day!) I release my mind onto my paper to help me gain perspective, focus, clarity, calmness, and peace within myself. Mostly getting things out of my busy mind has enabled me to know who I am better. It is so easy to get caught up in the busy life of being a Wife, a Mommy, a housekeeper, a grocery shopper, a life organizer, passionate for my work. Take all of this away, and who am I?

Journaling, has slowly helped me gain strength from within. My mind for years was dull, lifeless, and mindlessly set on autopilot. Journaling was something I had not intended on finding, she found me.(She being my beloved journaling friend.) During one of my life changing reads, Hal Elrod’s, “the Miracle Morning.” This book was brought to me at the perfect time in my life, I was open to change and positivity. If you are open to change in your life (we all need change in our lives.) This read will inspire a new you.

I want you to start with a blank journal and a lovely black inked pen. If you already have one YAY for you, you are that much closer to a better you! Everyday release  your emotions, your thoughts, your memories, anything that is on your mind. Let it out, let it flow from your mind to your fingertips to your paper. Do this every day, even if you are not a writer. You don’t have to be, this is not a contest, start with one sentence if you find yourself with writer’s block. This is just you and a blank sheet of paper. Think of  your journal  as your new-found friend, now tell her what is on your mind, release yourself. She is open to hear all and judge none. Now see how you feel after, you will surprise yourself.

This entry was approximately two months in to my big life changing emotional, self and soul-searching, mind and body change. The children were warmly tucked into their cozy beds, and my husband  had spent the previous twenty minutes preparing this amazing outdoor fire. The sun was down, and the amazing crackling sounds of the golden, amber, dancing fire in our amazing backyard sanctuary. Surrounded by the shadowed, dark hunter green, billowy trees. With an unknown poem hindering in my head, I had my lovely journal and favorite black ink pen. Escaping from my mind onto my paper.

May 29th 2015

Fire Steal My Gaze

Flicker, flicker, fire, light,

flicker, fire through the night.

Crickle, crackle,

smokey, billow,

ashy, mashy, mallow.

Transcending, gazing into your amber light

Billowy, pillow, fluffy and light,

smokey, charkey, marky,

fills the air.

Ash blows through the breeze,

as gently as can be.

Fire, fire, flaming light,

steals my gaze throughout the night.

Flicker, flicker, fire, light,

free and weightless.

I float upon your ambery abiss.

These deep journaling moments, have day by day, slowly made me realize who I am as a person. The small moments we do not pay attention to can end up being the most important moments. These self revelations, emotional, mental breakthroughs. Be awake to your life make sure your eyes are open, your ears are listening, your body is feeling, your lungs are breathing, your heart is beating. Awareness is everything, until next time my sweet friends!