It's Christmas Time in the City!

I had a tough time coming up with what I was going to write about today! SO MANY topics were coming to mind; parenting, relationships, time management, how can kids stand walking in shoes on the wrong feet!, collections, Christmas shopping.. you get the idea. Well, I think it is only fitting that this be my Christmas Blog seeing as next week's post will be on the 26th!

Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday of the year! I love everything about it, the lights, decorating, the glimmering snow, Christmas trees, carols, reds and greens, presents, seeing family, and of course, celebrating Christ. I love the romantic notion of olden days, when communities would go around town singing carols together and simply spreading joy in an otherwise dreary season! I love putting on Hallmark Christmas movies and snuggling up under a blanket with hot drink in hand or bundling up on a brisk evening to head out to see the Christmas lights or the parade. I love wrapping presents. I LOVE buying them! lol! I love sneaking in the odd new item for me as it is just too good a deal to pass up! I love sleigh rides with furry winter coated horses adorned in jingling bells and I love that it is a time of year when despite any day to day stresses, I STILL feel an abundance of love in my heart!

I'm even more excited about it this year as I have kids!!! Kids who are now old enough to start to understand Christmas! I get to see and share in their excitement, their wonder, when they wake up to find their tree laden with gifts having magically appeared over night! I have kids to shop for! Woo Hoo!

All of these wonderful things are what I think about when I think of Christmas. However at this stage in my life I find myself at an interesting intersection. I grew up in an agnostic household so for my brother and I, celebrating Christmas was all about being good so Santa would reward us with gifts. I find myself now however, a Christian and a follower of Christ and I wish to teach my children the values of why this holiday exists while still filling them with the excitement of Santa, the North Pole, flying reindeer and a toy shop at the North Pole! I'm not sure, how do you blend the two?

I believe the focus should be in celebrating the birth of Jesus. That just makes sense. So how then, do I incorporate Santa and all the fun that comes along with believing in him too?

My husband and I have discussed this periodically, but have yet to come up with a clear vision of how we want to portray the Christmas holiday to our kids. Up to now we have been going to spend the day with his parents as hosting Christmas is my mother-in-law's favorite activity of the year and I love her enough to want to be there. I love my family too, however when they are unmotivated to even put up a tree I find it really challenging to want to celebrate in that environment. Fortunately, for them having grand-kids coming over is changing that! YAY! I do feel lately though, that the time is coming quickly where our family will need to change our routine. We will need to start alternating family visits each year and I would like to see us setting up a few of our own traditions before too much longer. 

Well, we do have one tradition so far. We have an unconventional tree, which despite the traditionalist in me, I love our tree. It is so personal. All of our decorations are mementos or keepsakes from experiences or times in our lives. My husband brings his Spiderman ornament from his college days while I have an elephant ornament from my Girls Weekend to NYC! We of course have collective ornaments like the kids' first hand prints or one that represents our first Christmas together in our new home. Most recently I had each girl pick her own ornament from the grocery store. Why? I look at them and am reminded of all our girls dates out getting groceries! An easy way to make a boring and sometimes frustrating ritual into a fun memory!

What traditions do you have? How do you celebrate?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Time to Start My Own Happiness Project?

Well, it took me 8 months but the book my mother in law bought me for my birthday, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I have finally begun reading and WOW, it is fantastic!

I had to chuckle when I began reading it as she started out explaining how she delved into all this research about what it means to be happy, and all the structure she put into this personal project. It seemed... compulsive! I mean I've always been a go with the flow kinda gal. I never dreamed of sitting down and writing out my own personal commandments or secrets of adulthood! However as I continue to read, and am discovering how well thought out the layout is, how each chapter reflects a particular month's goal and each goal is broken down in to sub-categories of achievement, I find myself admiring that trait! Being able to establish crystal clear focus and writing these tools out to keep one's self on track is important!

As a kid I would often go for a quiet walk in the countryside and found it incredibly therapeutic. No bustling sounds around me, just the wind, the trees and the odd bird. I could do so much uninterrupted thinking (I'm smiling just thinking about that notion).

Now, as an adult, I bet you find the same challenge, where you are constantly being bombarded with responsibilities or questions or in some cases, a little girl (or two!) who NEEDS to be held RIGHT NOW or the world will end! lol

I find myself understanding the value of structure and planning. I think for 2014 Gretchen's idea of a happiness project, is a great idea. Mapping out my business goals alongside my personal and family goals will be perhaps a challenge at first, but I can see it reaping great reward come next Christmas! 

In fact, I'm so excited for the idea that I've already begun purging my house of unnecessary items and WOOO HOOO! It is liberating! I can't wait to get started on my wardrobe! 

 

So today I begin a new venture in personal growth! I have to keep it short and sweet as family dinner awaits so I want to share this image I came across.

This resonated with me, so I figures this is a good a place as any to start something new. This past year I set a resolution for myself to 'focus on me'. It sounded selfish at first but I recognized that I wasn't happy and I needed to do something about it. The Cole's Notes version of the year: Had a great time planning the twins' first birthday. Started a new business. Lost excess weight, exercising, and started feeling good about my body again. Committed to becoming a vegetarian. Started achieving success in my business when faced with a decision to walk away from it and start something new! Talk about nerve racking and stressful! I prayed about it, discussed it with my husband, and together we decided to go for it.

Incidentally these decisions led to a LOT of stress and a strained relationship. We sought help to get us through the hurdle and I'm FOREVER grateful we did. I love my husband so much. Found out I've been struggling with dysthymia depression (which explained SOOOOO MUCH!), reconnected with friends whom I had been (in my head at least) distanced from, and was blessed with a friend showing me how I played a small but significant role in helping her get her life turned around. Ever since then, things have been right on track for reconnecting with myself and those around me and each and ever day I feel so completely filled with love and appreciation for all my life has been blessed with.

Of course life is all roses and lollipops. There are plenty of days when the last thing I want to do is parent, or make food, or at the end of the day, work my business. But in my reflection early in the year, I realized I have achieved my past 5 year plan and I had no clue what I was going to do from here on out! I needed a plan! That's where my new business fit in so perfectly. I've allowed myself to dream again, and what achieving my dreams would look like. That vision is absolutely worth working for and making sacrifices for!

Well today I am so more more connected with who I am as a person and what my true values are in life. I used to be heavily filled with self doubt, easily influenced by other people's opinions and unhappy because I felt I was living a life that was 'okay' but  not what I truly wanted for myself. We get so many opinions pressed upon us as we grow up, it's a rare few who are able to fight off those influences, believe 100% in themselves, and never give up dreaming. I have a tremendous admiration for those people and I never considered myself in their league.  Today I feel surrounded by like minded people and in Chicago I had a light-bulb moment, where I realized everything I have truly wanted in my life, I've achieved! I had never looked at it that way before so I found myself suddenly filled with confidence! 

No matter what other people say or think, I'm going to live the life I design for myself and my family. I choose to be happy. I choose to give. I choose to have faith. I choose to love in abundance. I choose to be true to me and my dreams <3