The Secret

I just received, watched and read The Secret!

The basis is what you think is what you get. So stop thinking about bad stuff! Think about all the great amazing things you want. Don't think, 'Oh but how?' Think 'It's great to have all this!'

Think as though you already have whatever it is you want, and it will manifest itself.

Interesting...

I absolutely recommend The Secret, especially for those who are just beginning on this 'path'.

The movie is well put together, it's not all FX and movie stars, but it has some great points in it. The book is just a rehashing of the movie - but if you're like me, you like ALL mediums!

I also recommend Think and Grow Rich ', which is along the same principle of asking, believing and receiving.You can either buy your very own copy from Amazon or you can download it here for F*R*E*E!

Thanks for reading.

Do You Need A Hug?

I always need hugs. I hug the people I love and care about as much as I can! Hugs just make you feel better. Why? Who knows. But imagine trying to BAN hugging? Why?

A hug brightens someones day. So go ahead...hug someone today! :-)

Thanks for reading.

The Aladdin Factor

I am in the process of reading The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen and I must say I'm impressed.

You probably recognize their names from Chicken Soup for the Soul fame. I must admit that I am not a fan of those books, I have read a couple - namely Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul - I find the stories nice but not uplifting per say, simply stories.

However, The Aladdin Factor, while mostly a compilation of stories, has exercises to practice, suggestions and tips, clear techniques on how to get what you want.

One passage is from Jim Cathcart. He tells of how one night while working in a deadend, boring job he was listening to Earl Nightingale speak on the radio. Mr. Nightingale said "If you will spend an extra hour every day and study, in five years or less you will be a national expert."

Think about that for a second. Now decide what it is you want to do and start studying!

Its true, we think 'I can't do that', 'I wouldn't succeed', 'I don't have time'. Why can't you do that? Why can't you succeed? Why can't you find the time? An hour within your day...you can't find an hour?

Go for it, whatever it is, go for it!

Thanks for reading!

Blankets For Canada

Just a quick UPDATE on my 'Request For Squares' campaign. I've received 68 (UPDATED: Feb. 2/07) squares so far and promises for many others. Keep them coming!

(If you have no idea what I'm rambling on about, please see the post under Giving Back or Personal Development entitled Blankets For Canada Society Inc., “Warming Canadians” dated Sunday, November 12, 2006.)

Thanks again to all for your kindness and generosity!

Internet Wealth

Is it possible? Yes. But not the way you think.

You can't get something for nothing. You need to do some work, or a lot of work, depending on how much 'wealth' you want.

It certainly is an interesting concept and the possibilities are endless...

Click here for your free report!

Back To Work

Troy went 'back' to work yesterday and we all miss him.

The reason 'back' is in quotations is because he worked all through the holiday, except he was at home.

We were discussing a few nights ago how lucky we are, how fortunate.

Troy and Emma were sitting at the kitchen table playing with her Play-Doh set she received as a Christmas gift and Troy just all of a sudden hugged her and said 'I'm going to miss you when I go back to work tomorrow' and Emma replied 'Miss you DaDa'.

The fact is, Troy comes home every night after work and he seldom has to travel for work.

There are plenty of people who, if they had said that to their child, would be away from them for some time and miss them, MISS them.

We're so lucky, SO fortunate and we are thankful.

Thanks for reading!

Holiday Craze

The curse of the stay at home mom, or any mom for that matter, is the guilt you feel when things don’t pan-out quite as they were supposed to.

Troy’s busy-busy at work! As in go-go-go all the time. If he’s not working he should be and if he is working, he should be working more! Its crazy! Great for profits; not so fab for the burnt-out brain.

But I digress.

We’ve been planning to Christmas shop for the last four or five weekends, but something always came up to mar our plans; Troy working insanely, Emma being sick, etc. Finally, this past weekend we got to go!

Well!

I turned down an invite to a stagette party in order to go Christmas shopping with Troy, Emma and Gavin in tow…it was not to be…

We were welcomed into the Southcentre Shopping Mall parking lot with a traffic jam! But we figured ‘we’re here now’. So instead of high tailing it out of there, we embarked on a fruitless journey.

Inside the mall it wasn’t too bad…or so I thought until I went to stand in line at Indigo Bookstore…there were 40 to 50 people standing in line awaiting their turn to hand over hard earned money for overpriced books!

That’s when I decided to admit defeat; it doesn’t take me long to not stress myself out. I’m in no way a martyr. If something isn’t important, as most little details aren’t, I forget about them.

I like things to be nice, organized, and pretty just as much as the next person – but I’m not going to cause myself undue stress to achieve them.

So, instead of having lots ‘o gifts under the tree, Emma and Gavin will only have a few and a stocking each.

At first I was appalled at the situation and then I began rethinking why I was appalled. There is no reason for it.

I had planned to complete the Christmas shopping in October while waiting for Gavin to arrive. Gavin arrived two weeks early. Then I had four weeks recovery time for the c-section required to introduce Gav-Gav to the world. That brings us to November 15th. Then Gavin and I both had doctor appointments. Then we had a cold spell and we didn’t venture from the house at all. Then Emma got sick with the croup. More doctor appointments for all of us, and then a traffic jam. So voila!

As a new mom, struggling with sleep deprivation, I think I’ve done rather well with what we have.

We’re going to have a beautifully cooked Christmas dinner. The kids will have gifts upon gifts anyway, thanks to far-flung family and friends, and we’ll have memories. What more can you ask for?

The Christmas Season isn’t about who gets what or how much. In a world where we usually only think about others at Christmas time, I’d rather Emma and Gavin not have gifts but see me every grocery day purchase non-perishable items for the food bank.

Yes, kids should have gifts, but not to the extent that most families do it. Families go further and further into debt to give the hottest this or that to their loved ones. Shouldn’t children learn its better to give than to receive?

Instead of the newest of new, why not buy mittens for the homeless or bring cookies to the kids in hospital – and bring your children along. Make it a family tradition to help those in need!

Lots of folks, children included, would do anything to have a warm coat, let alone the newest design for the 2007 season.

There are plenty of ways you and yours can give back this Holiday Season as well as throughout the year:

Volunteer - www.volunteer.ca
Food Donation - www.cafb-acba.ca
Clothing and No Longer Used Items Donation - www.diabetes.ca/Section_services/collection.asp
Money Donation - www.canadian-charities.com/charityentry.html
Knit A Block - www.blankets4canada.ca

Its easy to forget what Christmas is really about – generosity of spirit.

Don’t get lost in the Holiday Craze Maze! Make this Holiday Season a bit brighter for someone else and teach your children to do the same.

Thanks for reading!
PS: Check back in January for a post on the subject of Tithing. Find out how helping others can help you…

Blankets For Canada Society Inc.
“Warming Canadians”

Can you help provide warmth to someone in need this Holiday Season?

Recent studies indicate that .5% of the Canadian population is homeless. Canada’s population is approximately 32,740,944 therefore approximately 1,637,047 Canadians are homeless. Homelessness affects all people - men, women, and most importantly, children. Of the estimated homeless population, 12% are children.

Blankets for Canada Society Inc. was founded in 1998 by Nancy J. Panting and was based on the Warm Up America program in the United States. The mandate of Blankets For Canada is to serve organizations that care for Canadians who have no shelter and/or are in need of warmth. Blankets are distributed free of charge to these organizations. Blankets made within a community, stay within that community.

Volunteers of all ages are always needed! Would you like to help Blankets For Canada? If so, you can:
- knit or crochet squares
- join squares together to create blankets
- tell Blankets For Canada about organizations that would benefit from receiving blankets
- donate new worsted-weight acrylic yarn *
- donate cash (it takes approximately $25.00 to make one blanket) *
- start a Blankets For Canada chapter in your community

Request For Squares
I am asking all those who knit or crochet to create at least one square and mail it to me. Once I have received 48 squares I will sew them together to create a blanket to bring someone warmth this holiday season! Just spend at least 8 minutes a day crocheting or knitting and soon you will have an 8” x 8” square. Once complete, mail your square to:

Blankets For Canada
C/o: Jody Kierstead
24 Henderson Road NE
Langdon, AB T0J 1X1

Be sure to include your full name and mailing address so that a proper ‘Thank You’ and a picture of the finished blanket can be mailed to you.

To learn more about Blankets For Canada and how you can help please visit their website at www.blankets4canada.ca.

Thank you all in advance for helping someone less fortunate!

* Tax Receipts are issued for donations of $10 or more.