A Challenge

Last January I challenged each of us to make one change to take better care of ourselves. In 2012, I want to encourage you to take one step, no matter how small, to fuel your creative fire.

Getting Started

Set a goal - What have you always wanted to try?

Start small - Be honest about how much time and money you can invest.

Maybe this year it's 15 minutes a day or one hour once a week. I know a man who wrote his first book this way when his children were still at home. Now his kids are grown and he has more than a dozen books on store shelves.

Make a plan - Subscribe to a magazine, take a class, read a book, join a group, purchase supplies, etc.

Take the first step ___________ ...

Congratulations! You're on the path toward fulfilling a dream.

OOPS All in Knots

For years, I entertained romantic visions of spinning wool on a traditional wheel like the pioneer women before me. With enthusiasm I signed up for a spinning class at our
local yarn shop. The instructor gave each eager student a piece of wool
and showed us how to start the wool on the wheel. A slow
process of spin, stop, untangle, spin, stop, untwist, and
my dreams of spinning beautiful wool yarn soon faded into
frustration.

The victory: I tried something I've always wanted to do
and discovered it's not for me, at least not at this
stage of my life.

Best Parenting Advice

Here's just a taste of the parenting tips received from last summer's drawing.

Cindy - The best parenting advice is to treat your children as individuals, let them express themselves, don't make all do sports, if they are not sports interested.

Ann-Marie - I am the oldest of 3 kids. My sister, the youngest child, developed leukemia at the age of 10 and went through 5 years of treatment, including a bone marrow transplant. She passed away at the age of 15. I remember my mom telling my brother and myself to embrace life, be grateful for our health, and most of all be compassionate. To this day, I follow her advice. I see every morning as a blessing and a new day to spread love and enjoy the beauty in this world. My sister did not die in vain. She is with me everyday, encouraging me to be positive in everything I do. I am grateful to have a beautiful mother that took a terrible loss and turned it into something positive.

Linda - The best thing I could have ever done for my children was to take them to Church each Sunday. I believe that children learn from example; and what better example than to show them how important God is in our lives.

Debbie - My best parenting advice for younger children. Do not talk to them from another room, even if the rooms are connected (like a kitchen and a great room). You must go in front of them, get their attention and say what you need to say. Also, pick your battles and let the rest go. Example, if they are jumping on the new couch, don't wave your arms and yell from the kitchen, "Stop jumping on the couch." Instead, walk into the room and talk to them about manners.

Look for more great parenting advice in the spring update!