Awareness
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How to Keep Your New Years Resolutions
Have you ever made a new years resolution before and then failed to keep it? Relax! You’re not alone. Getting caught up in the champagne bubbles and excitement of a new year is easy. Sticking to your brand new resolutions is much, much harder. It is estimated that nearly 80% of people break their new years resolutions, and 20% do so in the first week! So what can we do to buck the trend and make our new year resolutions stick? Well, you can start by making the right kind of resolutions. Try not to make blanket statements, or have an all-or-nothing approach. If you say, “I’m cutting…
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Reflections: Being Content With Our Choices
One of the reasons we have a section on dandelion moms called Reflections is for women to share in their observations about the choices they made and offer some insight to women who are in the beginning, middle or even later stages of motherhood. One of my favorite illustrations from Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts, is the one where Charlie Brown is sitting by the pond with Snoopy and says “In the Book of Life, the answers aren’t in the back.” How true is that observation! As women we need to trust our gut instincts and do what works for ourselves and our families. This might mean working at home, not working, or working outside the home. …
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The Beauty Of Being A Grandparent
A moment that I will never forget is when my three-year-old grandson, Jackson, and I were having lunch at a Mexican restaurant. The server asked me, “What would the baby like to eat?” I told her his food order, and Jackson spoke up. He looked her in the eyes and informed her, “I’m not a baby. I’m a GRANDSON!” Many ask or wonder… “What is this word GRAND all about?” As I look in the Mean Mirror of Age and see the creeping of crow’s feet and the sagging of once firm skin, I realize that being a grandmother is about regrets, second chances, and perfect patience. Regrets? …
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Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center
Charlie Brown and his friends have warmed the hearts of generations of children and adults. Charles Schulz was a genius at finding humor in the trials and tribulations we call life! I think that is part of the appeal of the Peanuts is their ability to make us laugh at life. I have been a big fan of Charles Schulz’s work and when I was a kid, my stuffed Snoopy went everywhere I went. Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my favorite holiday shows to watch with my daughter and it warms my heart everytime I see the crew dancing around Schroeder playing the piano. This week I was looking for some fun quotes…
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Letting Your Soul Show
Recently I received an email from a conscientious woman whom I know to be devoted to warming the world in her own special ways. She was venting frustration over this year’s onslaught of holiday greeting cards that felt, well, obligatory to her. To put it in her words “…it concerns me a bit that people are so busy, and/or don’t take the time to write a little personal note.” This made me smile with empathy. We are trained to live our lives a very specific way. I mean that word–trained. I speak to the homes we are raised in, the social circles that support us, the communities and societies that extend out from each…
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Snowflakes and Christmas Carols (Why We Need Christmas This Year).
Under normal circumstances, this is an interesting time of year. The idyllic mixes with reality and creates for each of us an individual holiday picture. Over the course of the past twelve months, we have lived through triumphs and hardships, trials and tribulations, all personal and all meaningful. These events set the tone for each of our respective Christmas seasons. And we, as humans, emotionally attach ourselves to material possessions to set the perfect stage for Santa. The perfect tree; the perfect gift; the perfect dinner party. Get the carols on. Send the cards out. Go through the motions, the hustle and bustle and feel good. Send the…
