Mom of 3 boys

So, as a mom of three boys, I often wonder what life would have been like for me if I had a girl or three girls instead of boys.  

Hmmmm, I would miss out on all these things I keep hearing . . . like, "ow, that was my balls!", loud bodily noises that no one should have to hear, as many phrases as you can think of that include the word "butt", playing video games like Gears of War - yes, I play with them (sometimes even by myself)!  

Wow! Life would be so different.  I wouldn't change any of it. Especially, all the hugs and kisses.  Little boys (even big ones) really do love their mamas!

Thanks for letting me share.

Being a stay-at-home mom

Love is my kids!  I'm on the computer but I can hear all 3 of my boys playing on MY bed in MY bedroom.  ???  Why does it have to be my bed? LOL

Sounds I love to hear and I'm reminded how lucky I am to be able to be home with them, that I have 3 healthy and happy boys, and that (most of the time) they like each other.  At least until one of them farts!

School starts this Thursday so not much time left to be lazy and hang out with them.  Off to go dogpile Aden!  Hey, when you have 3 boys, you do what you got to do!  And I love every minute of it!

Peace and love to all of you reading this.  Have a great Monday!  :-)

A happy tidbit . . . my 4 year old makes me smile!

One day he calls me, his mommy, "baby".  When I say I'm not a baby, he says, "yeah, but that's what guys call beautiful girls.  So I'm going to call you baby."

Ok, how can I argue with that?!!!  Melt my heart.

So lucky to be me!!!

Happy Sunny Sunday!

"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the
world. It beats money and power and
influence. It is no more or less
than faith in action."
- Henry Chester 

I hope everyone is up to having a beautiful Sunday!  It's your choice how you want to take in the day.  I hope you have happiness to share with someone.  A hug, a smile, a kind word.

Love, hugs and peace to all of you!

Lion Pride, Serengeti

Just beautiful!

www.100percent.ws

Lion Pride, Serengeti

Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic

A pride of lions rests on a kopje, or rocky outcrop, near a favorite water hole in the Serengeti. Lions use kopjes as havens and outlooks on the plains. When the rains bring green grass, wildebeests arrive in vast herds.

Feeling . . . it really is all about the FEELING, isn't it?

I'm here to share what I've learned in life and what I'm still learning.   I hope you'll share with me too.  This comes from my perspective so yours may be different so please let me know your thoughts . . .

When you think about your past, present and future . . . your regrets, those happy moments, the anticipation of something to come . . . it's all about your feelings.  

I heard this not too long ago and it really rings true.  It's about how we feel.  How someone made us feel - good or bad.  How we want to make someone feel - again, good or bad.  How we think we're going to feel.

My strongest memories in my past are either really happy ones or just the opposite.  I think I remember them because of the strength of my feelings at the time.  Those memories can take me back in time and seem so real again . . . because of how they make me feel.  

So take a moment and really think about it.  What do we want most?  For me, it really is to feel happy.  

I've realized the best way for me to go about this is to remember those things that brought me joy.  My joys from childhood are my family (of course, some more than others!), my horse, dancing in a group with my friends around home and on tour around the world, definitely my friends.  Then on to having my kids, meeting my husband, falling in love with all of them again and again.  Now, I dream and anticipate our future together.  My kids' futures.  I imagine how I'm going to feel when we are going to do something or hitting a milestone (vacation, celebrating, whatever it might be).  These are the feelings that really bring happiness into my heart.  

Of course, I want to have more money so I can buy things for myself and the kids without having to worry about our budget. Of course, I would love to have that money so we can go on crazy vacations and afford the hotels and the airfare for all FIVE of us (and grandparents too!).  BUT, is it really the money I want?  Or is it the feeling I'm going to have when we can do all of this. When I can tell my kids we can go somewhere because, yes, we can afford it.  The experience we get to share together.  That's what it's about.

So when I hear we shouldn't live in the past, I take it with a grain of salt.  I like to relive my past "Happy" memories.  Sometimes I fall into reliving negative memories, then I come out of it by remembering what I've learned since then, how I faced that challenge and how I've grown.

For me, it's all about staying positive and feeling as much joy as I can find.  It's all around me.  I don't have to look hard.  Sometimes I just need reminding.  

Peace, love and prosperity to all of you out there!

www.100percent.ws

Where do you get your inspiration?

"The greatest things ever done on Earth 
have been done little by little."
- William Jennings Bryan 

So I ask you, where do you get your inspiration?  Please share :-)

For some of us, the answer is easy.  Or maybe inspiration for different aspects of our lives comes from different sources.  Some may take more work and some may be readily available.  

Do you keep your goals organized?  They can be as small as starting a new habit of always putting one thing away on a regular basis or larger as in the dream of something much, much bigger.  Whatever it is that you want to accomplish will be much easier if you keep some kind of motivating factor in mind and readily available for you to access.

We're human and we always need reminders.  We get sidetracked and that's ok as long as we keep our goal in our mind's eye.  Perseverance and determination will get you there and having that inspiration will only make it easier.

Just take that first step.  Do something, anything that will get you closer to your goal.  It's not about beating yourself up but congratulating yourself for every little thing you have done to get you closer.  ANYTHING, small as it may be, is an accomplishment.

I know that I want to travel the world with my family.  I want to have financial freedom and I want to help other people gain the same if they so choose.  I am up in the middle of the night because my brain won't stop thinking about how I can do this and how good it's going to feel once I accomplish this goal.  

My inspiration?  Easy, my family!  My kids and the FEELING I will have when I get to tell them where we're going next.  The FEELING I will have when I see the looks on their faces.  I can imagine it and it is real to me.  That's my motivation . . . my inspiration.

I also want to help teach other people what I have already learned and what I am still learning today.  In that, I am sharing this with you in hopes to reach even just one person.

So please, oh please . . . share with me your inspiration!  We could all use some!

Peace, love and prosperity to all of you!

Nicole

www.100percent.ws

Yes! Ice cream!!!

Ok, so out here in Elk Grove, CA . . . Nugget has Ben and Jerry's on sale 2/$6.  Got me some American Dreamcone and Phish Food!  Holla!!!!   If you haven't had it, you SHOULD!

Yeah for me  :-)

Live the life you've always imagined . . .

www.100percent.ws

My wish for you:  Peace, love and prosperity

Inspiration for the day

Have you heard this before?

“I don’t regret the things I’ve done, I regret the things I didn’t do when I had the chance.” 

This is what I'm working on . . . 

There are many things that I "regret" doing in my past.  Though, I know that all of my past experiences and actions and what I have learned from them, make me who I am today.  If I were to change any one of those things, I may not be where I am today, knowing the people that are in my life.  I am SO THANKFUL for my life and those I share it with.  So, having said that . . . why would I change anything?  I may be embarrassed or even ashamed of some of the choices I made along the way, but I take them in stride knowing that the ME I love today wouldn't be the same without those experiences.

Along with that comes forgiveness.  Forgiveness to those that I feel have treated me badly or disrespected me.  Forgiveness to myself for poor decisions made or actions taken.  Forgiveness for thoughts or feelings that had no substance.  Even forgiveness for not having the courage or determination to do something that I now wish I could have done.

I take it all in as a learning experience because, even now that I am aware, I still run into these situations daily.  Then I look back and realize, most of the time, I "regret" these things because of what someone else might think of me and if they remember me doing these things.  See, I have forgiven myself.  So why the "regret"?  So then I had to learn that it doesn't matter what those people might have thought about me then or now.  What really matters is what I think of me NOW.  What kind of person am I TODAY?  Do I make good choices and how am I processing my thoughts?  That's what matters!

I am embracing this journey we call life and I am teaching my children what I am learning along the way.  I hope you can do the same and face life's challenges, big or small, as an opportunity to grow.  


http://youtu.be/RV-Z1YwaOiw

Silly some of these things we don't learn in school.  Essential life skills.  Unfortunately, we actually have to "unlearn" some of the things beaten into our brains as we are growing up.

Peace and love to you all . . . don't pass up an opportunity you might regret.  If you have doubt, there's a part of you that wants to do it . . . so as Nike would say, "Just do it!"