Motivational Monday – Success Check-up

Photo Credit: Psychology Today

“The secret to success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Today I’m your accountability partner, mainly because I need to hold myself accountable as well. We are half-way through the year, are you working toward your goals? I know you’ve identified something that you hope to accomplish this year, no matter how small or large.

If you have not done so already, create a success journal. In your journal list two or three goals that you want to reach by the end of the year. Each week set small objects, things that you will do to bring you closer to reaching your goal.

Don’t wait until you reach your end goal to reward yourself. Celebrate small success along the way to keep yourself motivated. It’s never too late to get started. Go ahead, make your list of goals or review the goals you set earlier in the year.

“He who wants to finish the race must stay on track.” Author Unknown

Stay focused and go after what you want.

Fun Friday - 3 Unplanned things I brought home from vacation

Have you ever gone on vacation only to return home with more of some things and less of others? It’s vacation week here at my blog, as you may have noticed after reading Monday’s blog. Preparing for vacation is like preparing for a Holiday. You scramble around getting everything in place before the big day…finally the day arrives.

It was the night before Christmas and…oh wait that’s a different story. It was the night before vacation and all through my house, there was luggage and people; thank God not a mouse. My mom slept soundly, the boys ran around; my head hit the pillow, but no rest was found.

Okay, that’s the end of my rhyme. After a drive to the airport, four hours of air travel, and a shuttle to the ship, we were on our way. It was the first time my young adult sons had experienced a cruise. They had a blast and returned home with souvenirs, pictures of their parasailing excursion, and smiles on their faces.

For me, there were items that I came home with less of and items that I had more of. There was less money in my pocket after purchasing those cruise photos that make everyone look so glamorous.

I also came home with less hair. Yes, you read that correctly, I lost a braid. It happened during my attempt to pull my hair into a ponytail. No worries, it just a hair extension that wasn’t secured tightly.

As for the things I returned home I with…

1.      Relaxation – vacation is a time to do whatever you want or nothing at all and that’s exactly what I did. I read a book. I soaked in sunshine. I sipped a fruity beverage. I asked the waiter for a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri. He responded with, “I’ll be right back with your Smoothie.”

2.      Extra Baggage – my journey home included four extra pounds of body weight. I’m surprised I didn’t have to declare this excess baggage through customs. I’m wondering whether the added pounds had something to do with the Melting Chocolate Cake with ice cream or the apple pie a ’la mode that I ate. I know it couldn’t have been the Orange Sherbet ice cream, its less calories than regular ice cream. I think.

3.      Irreplaceable Memories – creating memorable moments are a treasure. As part of our family vacation, we traveled with a family that I grew up with as a child. There were 40 us total. Our children had the opportunity to meet each other and hang out together. New friendships blossomed.

The airplane ride home was smooth, back on dry land, my body still felt like it was on the ship, and I was sleepy for the next few days. Jet lag. Even after all of that the positives outweighed the negatives. I experienced a family vacation that I would repeat again.

What’s your vacation story? Even if you decide on a stacation, make it a time of enjoyment and creating memories.

Muffins with Mom – How to vacation with young adult children

“Do you have your passport, your driver’s license, and money?”

“Yes Ma, we have everything,” my son said.

That was the beginning of our travel journey.

As I sat with my sons on the filled to capacity airplane, I took selfies of our smiling faces. Well, my smiling face, and their look of annoyance at my taking their picture. I remarked, “This is the first family vacation we’ve had in a long time.”

“This is the only vacation we’ve had,” said my son.

In spite of sarcasm, our family vacation was filled with fun and excitement. I even discovered a few tips for traveling with young adults. Our vacation included a cruise.

·         Let them chose some of the activities – as soon as we stepped off the ship at our first port, my sons noticed a sign for parasailing. They wanted to sign up immediately. Not really sure that I wanted them to do that, I stalled. “Let’s tour the island first.”

We walked a short distance then saw a business where we could rent a golf cart for a self-guided tour. I looked up and around us, and what I saw was mostly mountains and hills. I did not want to drive through the mountains, nor did I want my sons to drive me. We walked around the island more and discovered another parasailing location that offered a better deal. I told my sons to go for it and I took pictures from the shore. They had an awesome experience.

·         Remain calm – there may be hiccups in your schedule where things don’t go as planned. Don’t let these things steal your joy. Remember you’re on vacation. This is a time for relaxation.

·         Don’t overbook yourselves – it’ easy to pack so much into a vacation that you rush around trying to see everything and become overwhelmed. There were times when not all of us wanted to do the same activities. We paired up and engaged in different things – some relaxed while others played games. Build in time to relax.

·         Have separate rooms – as much fun as it is to spend quality time with family, it’s also good to have separate space to unwind at the end of the day.

The best way to vacation with your young adult children is to be sure they are included in the planning process in some way. Even though you may be terrified about the high risk activities that they want to engage in, listen to their input.

What tips do you have for vacationing with young adult children?