Unexpected Little Pleasures

I just love it when we find ourselves placed in a situation that we originally felt uncomfortable with only to be shown something far greater than our original plan. This can be a simple a having to take a detour home from work and seeing a beautiful country road that you would never have otherwise traveled, or more complex as having to meet with the CFO of the company to present an idea rather than your good college friend. No matter the situation, I believe that God places us in these situations for a reason. We need to take something away from them. It could just be that moment that we slow down and take a little mini break from the hectic life to thank Him for the beauty of the country road He put us on. Or His purpose could be much greater in that He is leading us to someone or something that is going to impact our lives. While in the moment, we may get frustrated, frightened or even angry at these little detours, we need to try and see them for what they actually are. Opportunities to follow His will rather than our own.

I want to share a specific account of a little "detour" that I recently had. Now, for any of my followers that know me, I am a planner. I like to have everything written down. Where I am going, who I am meeting, times and everything else that completes an appointment. So recently, a friend reached out to me to see if I could help her friend who was having some issues with her sweet puppy dog. Now, being a dog lover myself, I of course replied immediately to get the details of what was going on with the pup and investigated what I could do to help. It turns out, the pup had some "hot spots" from scratching and was pretty miserable over them. So, I told the pup's mom I could meet her to deliver some lavender essential oil, correct x ointment and some healing salve the next morning for her pup. We agreed on the meeting place and time and I wrote everything down in my planner. Made up her goodies and was ready to go. So the next morning comes and I am on my way to met the pup's mom. She texts me and asks if we can meet in a different place. "What"? Somewhere not in my norm? This is not what I had written down... So I said sure, because you know, I needed to be cool. It turns out that there was a coffeehouse near her work so we decided to meet up there. Now, this was a little out of my comfort zone. I had never been to this coffeehouse before. It was not a "chain" coffeehouse but a mom and pop type place. But, I talk myself through it and head that way. When I arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised! It was like taking a step back in time. The shop had all the modern amenities but what really caught my attention was the service. The owner/manager was absolutely amazing. She was genuinely interested in each of her customers and actually took the time to look them in the eye and have an actual conversation. I ordered my large Mocha, which was amazing by the way, and waited for the pup's mom to arrive. Again, the atmosphere of this cafe was great. It was open, not stuffy and everyone was just buzzing with positive vibes. So I talked to the puppy mom, gave her the goodies and had an amazing chat with her. Afterwards, I decided to stay a while and work from the coffee-shop. I chatted with the owner about multiple topics and just watched her interact with all the patrons coming in and out. You could tell who the regulars were and how much they enjoyed coming to the shop to have coffee and hang out. Overall, I have to say it was probably the best coffeehouse experience I have ever had. I know that I will be going back and if you are ever in the area, I recommend that you stop by as well.

This was just one of my little detours that God put me on. I met some amazing people and I was given the opportunity to blog about it to all of you amazing people. So don't be afraid to take those detours when God offers them, you never know where you might end up and who you might meet.

Blessings!

What's On Your List

Lists, we all have them. Grocery lists, chore lists. honey do lists. I could go on and on. For many of us things would simply not get done without our lists. But I have to pose a question here. Are your lists fulfilling you? Do they serve any higher purpose than to just receive a check mark and then be discarded? While it may be gratifying to see the lists dwindle down and become smaller, at the end of the day did you actually serve someone other than yourself? What if I gave you a new list?

Can you be gracious and display a servant's heart? It is difficult in this day and age to attempt to find time within our day to help one another, to spread joy and cheer or even to let those closest to us know that they are appreciated and loved just because they are special can seem like an overwhelming task. It is something to think about. We are in such a fast paced setting and always on the go. It is easy to lose touch and forget how much kind words and a smile can mean to those who so rarely get either of those things.

And what about yourself? Do you take the time to give yourself the love that you are also deserving of? As a mother, I tend to put myself and my needs on the back burner so that everyone else is taken care of. At the end of the day, I often have little or nothing left to give myself because I have spent the day rushing around to get my "lists" checked off and make sure that everything was done and that everyone was taken care of. Does that sound familiar to you?

If we can stop, even for a brief moment, and accept the extra hug that a child is offering us. The smile that the stranger is offering in the middle of the tantrum at the grocery store. We can actually put down the phone when our spouse is trying to talk to us instead of trying to listen with one ear. We need to reconnect with each other and just slow down, even if just for a bit.

I want you to just think about that. Just think about taking 5 genuine minutes with your child, your children, your spouse or best friend. Even your parent or sibling. How about 5 minutes with God. 5 minutes to re-connect with each other's hearts. I think you will be amazed at how you will feel after taking this time. And, once you see how good it feels, you will want to do it more and more. Take 5 minutes to yourself. Meditate, breathe deeply, picture yourself somewhere beautiful and just relax.

Taking this time can reconfigure your entire day. It can help you be less anxious, less stressed and feel better overall. You are worth it.

Eat That Frog

If you are like me, we start out with the very best of intentions. We set some resolutions for the new year and we just know without a doubt that this is the year for us. We will follow through and get things done. Then, as nature would have it, something happens. We get sick, a little one gets sick or the car breaks down or it could be any number of other "little things" and then all of the sudden a month into our new year we find ourselves right back into the old habits and routines and we ask ourselves how we ended up right back there. The answer, although annoying, is quite simple. Habits. Studies will tell us that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. 21 days of consistency in the new forming habit for it to become a ritual. But, what that particular study fails to point out is that if you don't replace the old habit, it stays there lurking just waiting to slide back into place and fit. Ah, that old familiar feeling. So how in the world do we break the old familiar habits and begin anew? Well I will quote another cliche for you. It just takes time. Oh and effort and consistency. You really do have to want to change for it to happen. Easy to say, harder to do. Personally, I can tell you that the struggle is real. I want my clothes to fit better! I want my house to be cleaner all the time! I want to get to bed at a decent hour each night! I really want each of these things. So where is the magic? Is it in a schedule? If I put it to paper does that make it happen? Not for me. Maybe for you it will. For me, the aha moment happened when I looked around at my house, myself and my children and realized that I really wanted more for them. And for myself too. I didn't want to feel so overwhelmed inside my own home. I wanted to feel blessed in my home and be able to bless them inside their home. The answer for me came in two parts. The first, minimize.

Simply put-we have too much stuff! When you have more things than you can manage to store there is a problem. You can't organize clutter. Yep, I have tried. I bought all the cute little tubs from Target and you know what happened, they are strewn about the house with the contents outside of them! So for me, the answer was clear, we needed to get rid of stuff. And so I began the journey of clearing out. And do you know what I found? Freedom! Every box and bag that I filled to donate was like a weight off of my shoulders. Suddenly, I could breath easier and I could actually "see" what needed to be done rather than just seeing all the mess! I worried at first that my kids would not want to get rid of their things, but amazingly there were all for donating their clothes and toys to Haven Hospice so that others might benefit from it. (insert proud mom moment here) Some many boxes and many bags later, I finally have a starting point. And once I was out from under all that clutter, the task before me was actually not all that daunting.

The second part to this journey was a little more challenging but able to be accomplished. In the past, if there was a task that I was not particularly fond of doing, I would do everything else to avoid that task. So in essence, it did not get done. And it just built up and grew. So as I was evolving on the journey, I spoke to a friend about the issues that I found that were just really frustrating me. And she said to me "sometimes you just have to eat that frog". I thought to myself, what a strange thing to say. Then, she began to explain the meaning to me and you know what, it summed me up to a tee! So I learned to just start eating the frog. Each day as I look at what needs to be done, I take the least appealing task (my frog) and I will do it first. Then everything else seems to be a piece of cake from there. I often feel so accomplished from eating the frog that there is pep in my step as I accomplish each of my other duties.

So as you are trying to start your new year and wrap your life around your new goals and resolutions, define your "frog". Once you find it, eat it first no matter how distasteful, then move on. See if it makes a difference in how you move throughout the rest of your day. It has certainly made a difference in me.

For those of you looking to get your house on a schedule, there are so many programs/systems out there to help. My favorite is the Flylady system because you are never behind and you are encouraged to just jump in where ever you are. The Flylady system also incorporates getting the kids involved which I encourage for 2 reasons. They like to help and it teaches them responsibility. They will be grown-ups one day.
Pinterest is an amazing source for all things printable if you are looking for task lists and maintenance schedules.

For getting your body on a new schedule whether it is fitness related or whole health related, there is certainly no shortage or workout programs that you can incorporate into your home. Many are free and can certainly make a huge improvement in your life. If you are looking for classes for all fitness levels Zumba is an amazing workout that incorporates dance into fitness and there is simply no right or wrong. Please be sure that you consult with your physician and use a licensed instructor before beginning any program.

Happy Frog Eating!

In Sickness and In Health

Everybody is being plagued by sickness these days. The Flu, a sinus infection or the Stomach Bug. It is tough. You can take the little ones to the doctor but oftentimes are told "it is viral, it just has to run it's course". So you, as a mom, are stuck watching your little ones suffer and cleaning up the mess. Well, I have found a better way. And, I am going to share it with you.

Have you ever heard of Essential Oils? Snake oils, Hippie Oils? Yes, they are out there and yes they work. They have given me back control over my family's health. Now, do we still go to the doctor? Of course, when we need to we go. But we no longer rush to the pediatrician for every cough and every sniffle. We are able to use all natural oils in the comfort of our home to sooth many ailments that would have previously landed us in the doctor's office.

So how do they work? Good question. Here is a really simple graphic that breaks it down.

Now for me, there are a ton of really big words there. But I get the gist. Here is another one that reads a little easier. 

All right so are you with me so far? Good. Now I have a family of five. All 3 of my children are 6 or under. Do you know what that means? The share and swap everything. So when one gets sick, yes you got it, they all get sick! That used to mean 3 trips to the doctor, 3 co-pays and 3 prescriptions. Now, it usually means 3 drops of oil a day. Pretty impressive right. 

So here is another tidbit about my little old life. 2 of my 3 children have Autism. They both are high functioning and do extremely well in school. But it does rear it's ugly head at times in terms of focus and settling down when necessary. This in another area that I have found my essential oils to be invaluable. A little wild orange or peppermint in the diffuser and the calmness and focus envelops us within about 10 minutes. We are good to go with studying and homework. Autism also presents its own set of problems with digestion and immunity. We struggle with both. Thankfully, once again I have my oils to the rescue. 

I chose to go with doTERRA Essential Oils because they are CPTG and many of the oils can be ingested and cooked with. I also wanted to ensure purity because I knew that I would be using these oils on my babies. I had to be certain that they were safe. I have been and continue to be astounded by the role that my oils play in our everyday life. I welcome you to join us on this journey. If you are interested or even curious about what essential oils can do for you, check them out. Contact me, I would love to send you a sample to try. You can go directly to www.mydoterra.com/lisashealthandwellness and just take a look around. Ask me questions, ask others. There are so many testimonials out there.

Lastly, I want to share the amazing promotion that doTERRA is offering this month. The New Year New You promotion is a fantastic way for you to get started using essential oils. And it is simple. Place a qualifying order of 100PV or more in January, have a 100LRP order in February and earn 100 in FREE Oils. That's it! 

This is an amazing offer and a great time to get your family started on essential oils. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. 

lisaalvord@outlook.com

Be Kind To You in 2015

So today marks the beginning of 2015, a new year, new opportunities and all that comes with that. Let me give you a little background about me. I am a mom to three beautiful wonderful children. I have twin boys who are six years old and a daughter who is 5 years old. I am happily married to my husband of 8 years. We also share our home with a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Rebel. I am really looking forward to the new year. I am happy to begin anew. 2014 revealed many great things to us. We saw great progress in both Aaron and Andrew. They began the 2014 school year in separate classes and time has shown that this was one of the best decisions we could have made for them. Each of them have grown into their own unique personalities and have revealed themselves, mostly in a fantastic nature, others not so much! Ashlyn has also grown so much from a toddler still learning about the world to a kindergartner who loves reading and shows great empathic tendencies towards others.

I hope to accomplish many things through this blog journey. I want to connect with others on their journey where ever you are out there. Parenting is very rewarding but also very challenging. I would love to be able to offer comfort and understanding to others that you are not alone in this journey. Yes, there are days when you are going to feel like you have managed to mess up everything, but tomorrow you can try again.

A great friend of mine gave me some very sage advice. Since we tend to be so critical of ourselves and we really beat ourselves up she asked me to stop and think about something. She asked me if I would ever speak to my daughter the way I was speaking to myself. I immediately said a resounding NO! So she asked me, Why I would speak to myself so harshly?

So for this first day of 2015, I want you to think of that when those negative voices rise up in your head. Stop and visualize your very favorite person, someone you love so dearly and stop, ask yourself, would you speak to them so harshly? If your answer is a resounding NO as mine was, then stop talking to yourself that way. You are worthy of that same love that you bestow on others. Be kind to you to.