Motivational Monday - How do you vacation? 3 Simple tips for a fun vacation

I need a vacation, was the statement I made to my inner workaholic self; then I called a couple of girlfriends. We decided on a weekend getaway by train.

We scheduled a Zoom session to plan the details of our trip. One friend said, "I'm not taking my laptop." The other said, "Yeah, I'm leaving mine at home too."

I began to twitch, tingle, and twist, anxiously...no laptop? My laptop is like American Express - I don't leave home without it.

What if...I get a story idea, need to write a blog post, or need to research ideas? I needed my trusted companion...or did I? Nope. I decided to leave my pal, my old reliable writing companion at home.

After all, I had my phone as backup. This leads to the question of the day - How do you vacation? Decide what you want from your vacation. Do you want to go shopping, sight seeing, active events, or more relaxed?

Here are my 3 Simple tips for a fun vacation:

1.  Create a plan - only if it makes you feel better, but be willing to deviate from it. Remember, you are on vacation. Don't be rigid.

2.  Break away from routine - flexibility is key for a great vacation. Do something differently than you usually do. Is your favorite breakfast oatmeal and toast? Live on the edge - add garlic butter to your toast (for example purposes).

3.  Allow yourself to have fun - you don't have to fill every moment of your schedule. It's also okay if you choose to do nothing at all. Sitting on a beach with your toes in the sand, or sitting pool side sipping a smoothie can be relaxing.

On our girls trip, having fun, and relaxing were our highest priorities. Early Saturday morning before the sun reached its brightness, we took a power walk along the beach, through a memorial park, and past a dozen skyscrapers.

I stopped frequently to take pictures and soak in the wonder of the architecture of the buildings and the aesthetics of the flowers.  

After the walk we stopped at a nearby Starbucks and sipped flavored coffee as we chatted and watched as birds swooped down in anticipation of a dropped crumb. 

"What if everyday was Saturday? That's how I imagine retirement," one friend said.

"We could meet up once a week for coffee and conversation, " said the other friend.

We breathed a heavy sigh and said, "This is what vacation is all about."

On the ride home at the end of our vacation, I twitched, tingled, and twisted. This time it was due to the jerkyness of the train. 

Overall the trip included friendship, fellowship, food, and lots of laughs.

What would you add to the list of tips for a fun vacation?

Words of Wisdom - Motivational Quotes on Success

 

YouTube Video Credit:Brainy Dose

Wordless Wednesday - World Photo Day

How would you caption this photo?

How will you celebrate World Photo Day? This special day is regognized on August 19th. Below are 3 ways for you to celebrate:

1.  Create a DIY photography project.

2.  Create a collage of your favorite photos.

Determination

Agility

3.  Tell s atory thorugh photos.

Laughter is contageous, spread it now.

Muffins with Mom – Sharpen Your Math Skills – 3 Ways to Survive Parenting a Young Adult

 

A family moment - sometimes you just have to go with the flow

An aunt and her nephews

My math skills are rusty. I know addition, subtraction, and multiplication, but there’s a situation that has me boggled. Perhaps you can help me. If there are two people at my house, why are there nine pair of shoes scattered near the front door, and none are mine?

There was one pizza box and two drinking glasses on the kitchen table. This led me to the conclusion that at some point two sons visited me in the middle of the night. When I awoke there was only one son present. I let him sleep a while longer so I could enjoy the quiet of the early morning.

The sound of my tea kettle and the smell of bacon, must have awakened my sleeping prince charming. I say this dripping with sarcasm. He came to life as he entered my quiet space, “Are you making breakfast?”

“Yes, and what time did you get home last night? Did you take Granny where she needed to go? How long did you stay? Who else went with you?”

“Ma, catch your breath. You missed your calling. You shouldn’t be in recreation; you should be in investigation or interrogation.”

“Investigation, interrogation, and perspiration, are some of the skills, knowledge and abilities required for the job of parenting.”

My son gave his typical rolling of the eyes, and heavy sighing; then moved on to prepare for breakfast.

How do you survive parenting young adults? You beat them at their own game. Here are 3 survival tactics:

1.      Promise to spoil their children rotten, then send them home.

2.      Give them the same blessing your parents gave you – may your children be just like you.

3.      Handle the craziness with humor.

You can sharpen your math skills when parenting a young adult. Here’s how:

1.      Subtract knee jerk, negative responses.

2.      Add positive comments.

3.      Multiply the amount of times you express your love and support.

 

What are your tips for parenting a young adult?

Feel Good Friday – National Relaxation Day

 

Weekend grocery shopping, paying bills, driving kids to practices…if these were statements on Jeopardy, what questions would you come up with? Here’s the category question I’d come up with, what are things that can cause stress? Now that you have stress at the forefront of your mind, let’s discuss the opposite of that – relaxation.

National Relaxation Day is celebrated on August 15^th. This is an opportunity to focus on your health and well-being. Below are 3 ways to celebrate this national holiday.

1.      Create an at home retreat – one thing I like to do is go in a quiet room, hang my shingle on the door that says, “Gone Writing,” and listen to quiet music as I create. Your retreat could include sitting and looking out at nature. You may see something amazing happening, or at least interesting.

As I looked out my kitchen window one sunny morning, I saw a bunny sitting in the middle of my backyard. I watched a couple minutes as it chewed on a blade of grass, then stretched its hind legs, and back to chewing.

A chuckle escaped my throat as I thought, is that bunny doing yoga in my yard? She was relaxed and so was I.

2.      Spend time with family and friends who make you laugh – My crew keeps me laughing. Check out the faces in the photo below, each one of them has a story (as we all do). They frequently do or say things that cause them to end up in a blog post or comedy set. When I mentioned this to my son he said, “so I guess you’re not really funny, since you get all your material from us.”

3.      Get a massage – no explanation needed. This is something you deserve.

Whether it’s the beginning, middle, or end of your week, press pause on your busy life, and make time to relax.

You could probably think of a dozen other ways to add relaxation to your agenda. What would you add to the list above?

Wordless Wednesday - Vincent Van Gogh - An art immersive experience

 When was the last time you explored art? I captured my experience to share with you.

Beyond Van Gogh exhibit from my experience

Fun Friday – The lighter side of parenting – A first birthday party

 

While doing a little spring cleaning, which turned into summer cleaning, I stumbled upon old photos of one of my sons. All the memories of his first birthday party came tumbling back, I wanted to cry…because I was stressed that day. We both were.

The invites were sent out, the cake was ordered, all we needed to do was how up at the location and have fun. Ha! Before we could arrive at the fun part, I had to wrap my son in a bear hug to comb his hair. Tears streamed down his face like a rain shower as I pulled on his tangled mound.

It took several wrestle holds to get my son dressed. “Put your leg in,” I said as I guided his little leg into his corduroy pants. He was not providing an assistance at all. Was I expecting too much?

We were getting closer to the hour of fun. We lived a couple of hours from family, so the party was planned closer to them. I packed my over night bag and crammed, bottles, formula, and diapers into my sons’ bag. A December birthday meant pulling on bulky coats and stuffing our feet into boots.

Finally, I strapped my son in his car seat, and pulled his coat back off, so he wouldn’t get too hot during the ride. It was like a parenting Olympics – Next up is Angela, in lane one of the marathon called getting through the toddler years.

Sunshine warmed the car, hints of snow cover the trees along the highway. My son dropped his head and drifted off to sleep, and I listened to a book on tape. We were in our happy place and 60 miles closer to our fun spot.

Upon arrival at our destination, part two of the parenting Olympics began – unloading everything from the car. However, this time we had help. Joining Team Verges was my mom, my best friend and whomever else was standing around. We got settled in and ready to greet guests.

More toddlers arrived in their parents’ arms. Bigger kids came, carrying the diaper bags that belonged to their sibling toddler. We had party hats, streamers, noise makers, and of course cake. It was soon time for everyone’s favorite part of the party – singing happy birthday. Everyone except my son, was happy.

The chorus of friends and family screamed, I mean, sang happy. My son began crying. I’m not sure whether he didn’t like our voices or we just startled the poop out of him. We rushed through our version of happy birthday, I helped him blow out the candle, then gave him one of the toy trucks from his birthday cake.

First birthday party was a success…I think. People had fun, it just wasn’t the guest of honor and his parents.

We survived the toddler years, the school-aged years, and we’re now growing into adulthood. As he grows, I grow. I wouldn’t trade anything for my journey.

Go through an old photo album and see what fond memories you stir up. Remember…Laughter Helps, in any situation.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - A Dose of Laughter: Comedian Jason Earls

 

YouTube Video Credit: Jason Earls - Jesus in my Hood

YouTube Video Credit: Jason Earls - Use your gifts

Motivational Monday – National Play Outside Day

What is your favorite way to play outside? Get ready for National Play Outside Day, celebrated on August 7^th. You don’t have to be a child to play outside, but you may need  to lose any inhibitions you have. Don’t worry about looking silly, or what someone else may think.

Do you remember playing outdoor games as a child? On my block the favorites were – Hula Hooping, Hopscotch, playing Jacks, and Four Square. I remember playing hopscotch in front of my house as a young child. We used a thick stick of white chalk to draw a giant “X” in each of three sections of sidewalk.

We wrote a number in each section of the “X”, then grabbed a small rock and tossed it onto a section of the hopscotch grid. As I walked through my neighborhood, that childhood memory resurfaced. A few blocks from my house, someone’s child had drawn a hopscotch grid, waiting for me to try it out.

I didn’t think about whether the neighbors would think I was Cuckoo for CoCo Puffs. I hopped in each one of the patterned spaces like I was 10 years old. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to play because you think its only for kids. I invite you to join me in celebrating National Play Outside Day.

You don’t have to go back to your 10-year-old self. Perhaps there is something that you used t enjoy doing but haven’t done it in a long time. Did you play softball, tennis, enjoy hiking? How about a game of kickball? Make adaptations as needed. No matter what you do, get outdoors. Here are 3 ways to celebrate National Play Outside Day:

1.      Create an outdoor scavenger hunt.

2.      Go to a lake or beach.

3.      Take a bike ride.

4.      Join a game of sand volleyball – no sand or beach nearby? Play over your backyard fence.

5.      Play your favorite childhood game with your kids or younger relatives.

Share an idea for an outdoor play activity that you would recommend.