things to remember.

tres leches cupcake with dulce de leche frosting & grated chocolate….i'm renaming it "lots of leche cupcake"…

I am always inspired by Andrea Scher, but it seems that her last few posts have been so insanely spot on that I have to remind myself that I don't actually know her, so she can't know what I'm thinking. I adored her things to remember post, so I'm borrowing that inspiration. Things that I want to (need to) remember right now…

Eat veggies. Feel better. When the temperature dips to the 20s, I hold on to bread for dear life. I love the comfort of carbs, but I need to remember that veggies make me feel better.

Hibernating is okay. I've graduated from the days of trudging between kid events/games on the weekends. I need to remember that it's not only okay to plan a day of reading by the fire, but it's okay to do so without guilt.

QTIP. Quit Taking It Personally. Yesterday, I emailed Becky saying "I've taken about 5 things too personally today, and I'm on the verge of tears." I'm working on challenging those beliefs that sneak into my head about people not believing in me, or wanting me to fail. Is that sometimes real? Yep. Most of the time, though, it's prety likely that what they're thinking/saying/doing has nothing to do with me.

Coffee, then tea. Along with the aforementioned carbs, my coffee consumption goes up (and trust me, it's already high) in the winter. I'm keeping a stash of tea at my desk, and switching over by 11am. I'm not eliminating caffeine, merely reducing it – but it's the warmth that I'm ultimately looking for.

Holidays are not one-size-fits-all. This one is always a struggle for me. Our holidays don't involve large family gatherings. I don't shop until I drop. The game of "my holiday is more magical than your holiday" bores me. It's okay to be sad that Hope won't be home (silly Canadians with their October Thanksgiving). It's okay to not make a turkey. It's okay to enjoy the smallness, and the quiet.

Smile, and say thank you. I say thank you a lot. I thank the person who holds the door for me at the market. I thank the cashier. I thank the kid that bags my groceries. I say thank you when someone asks if I can find something. I say thank you for asking when someone asks how I'm doing. Say thank you more.

And my final thing to remember…it's okay to have cupcakes for breakfast.