10 ways to be happy

I came across this list of 10 ways to be HAPPY and I loved it!  My challenge to everyone today is to try and implement at least 5 of them in your life today! They are not difficult and they will definitely help you feel HAPPY and who doesn’t want to be HAPPY??!!??  

1. Accept the things you can’t change. If you can and want to change them,  do it. 

2. Let go of the people who are holding you down. If you considered them, you already know who these people are. 

3. Blast your favorite upbeat song and sing at the top of your lungs, dancing as you go.

4. Go for a run. A nice long run. Run until you feel good; at the very least, you’ll be tired enough that the feeling will seem less major. 

5. Call someone you love. Just hearing their voice can make your day better. 

6. Smile at a stranger. It will make both of you smile. 

7. Send an anonymous compliment

8. Write down everything you don’t like about yourself. Rip it up. Burn it 

9. Watch your favorite movie. 

10. Realize that you are your own biggest critic. People do not see the faults in yourself that you do; So realize that they are not faults, not imperfections. They make you, you. 

Con amor,

Vero

Let's celebrate Valentines

Valentines

When you wake and your eyes meet for the first light of Valentine’s day, give your partner a kiss (or whatever you fancy hehe) and then prepare a special Valentine’s day breakfast.

Now the cute Valentine’s Day go-to is a delicious stack of pancakes with all the toppings. Shape the pancakes in hearts, cut the strawberries in hearts and drizzle on all of your partner’s favorite things. Mine is dulce de leche. However, if they don’t like pancakes just prepare their favorite breakfast, perhaps something they never have the time to make themselves and show them that you’ve been listening to their favorite things (winner).

What’s most important with this one is that you are showing you care, showing you listen and showing your appreciation for their existence. Top up the breakfast tray with their favorite drink and maybe a little note to say I love you or some special words of your choice.

the other breakfast option (seeing as you can’t take them to their favorite local cafe right now) is to make a meal out of it, literally, and invite your partner downstairs to experience breakfast at your home cafe.

May start with a cup of tea (and a biscuit if they are hungry already) and then have them come downstairs to a gorgeous Valentine’s Day lockdown breakfast.

My adventurous friend Sue, went to Bali with her better-half  and she collected a bag of fresh rose petals and used them to lead him to breakfast and then filled the table with them and all of his favorite things.

Here are some Valentine’s Day breakfast ideas:

·       Use fairy lights and create some sexy lighting

·       Use rose petals or similar to lead them down to the breakfast spot

·       Leave a note with a time to come down if you wake up first

·       Leave post it notes with memories / love notes on their way down to breakfast

·       Create a handwritten menu for the breakfast

·       Make fresh croissants / pastries or bread to fill the house with a yummy smell

 

 know this one seems so straight forward and obvious, but flowers are just the loveliest thing to receive. They don’t need to be expensive, even just one rose or a little bouquet, it’s more the thought.

This goes beyond Valentine’s day, as a female, I can confirm that it’s so lovely to receive flowers, particularly when they are a surprise or a ‘just because I love you’.

Here are some other ideas from bloggers. 

I love inexpensive but truly thoughtful Valentine’s Day ideas like this one. I mentioned it in my Ways to show the person you love that you love them blog post.

Buy a sharpie, a post-it pack and go crazy. You could do memories, body parts, things you love about them. Whatever comes to mind. Leave them in places along their routine path e.g. on their bathroom mirror, on the toilet roll, on their make up bag etc.

Give them as many reasons as you can think of to light up with love.

Another one that I mentioned it in my Ways to show the person you love that you love them blog post.

In this one, instead of post-it notes, buy a pack of cards and write down 52 (or however many) things you love about them / want to remind them of and then hide them around the house. This can work as an activity where they know they have to find a certain amount and they have the search the house looking for them. You could even leave little gifts with some of them as an added treat.

Let’s go old school. Pen to paper.

Honestly, in a day and age where a text is all to easy to send, the time it takes to write a letter means the whole world.

It might not seem a big deal to you but knowing someone has taken the time to sit and write such beautiful things warms the soul up like no other. In a world that demands our time in so many ways, the gift of time is just the most precious of all. 

Buy a scrapbook and begin a little memory book for your relationship.

Creating a scrapbook is something that takes time but I know my scrapbooks are the most precious thing I have. You’re in lockdown after all, so if you’ve got time on your hands a scrapbook is a really special thing to bring to life.

Get a little hamper/basket/wicker box in your house, empty it out and fill it with all the things your partner loves. This could be anything! From favourite teas, body lotions and treats to new… sex toys, gadgets on their wish list and more.

You know what I’m going to say… be sure to add some thoughtful notes and bits in there too along with the ‘more expensive’ ‘wanted’ gifts.

These matches are a really cute idea to inspire some activities. I love these love tokens too.

·       love letter

·       a banana with 'i'm bananas about you' in sharpie pen!

·       personalised gifts (e.g. his and hers pilllowcases)

 

Get yourself some heart-shaped cookie cutters / heart-shaped silicone moulds and get baking!

You could make some biscuits and write little love notes in icing on them, you could do brownie popsicles, you could do a rocky road cake in a heart silicone mould. Valentine’s day baking options are endless, just choose your partner’s favourite treats and shape it / decorate it with a heart in some way!

See the best cookie recipes on the internet here.

See my love heart blueberry and banana oat bites recipe here.

You can even take the love heart theme through the day and go to town with this love heart casserole dish (use it all year round too for date nights!)

Depending on where you’re doing your Valentine’s Day lockdown, this is a great way to get outside and change up the scenery whilst doing something for Valentine’s Day.

If lockdown restrictions in your area don’t allow you to go out for anything but the essential exercise you could do a morning coffee walk and then set up a picnic in your back garden. Get creative but the emphasis on this one is to combine your Valentine’s Day in lockdown with some fresh air and outdoor activity.

Notice a pattern here? Bring back the old school loving! Love letters and films on projectors.

Having a projector at home is a game-changer for movie night. I have this portable Apeman one which I use in my van too.

Invest in one, not only for Valentine’s Day but for year-round date nights.

All you then need is to connect to your phone / laptop, bring up Netflix or a streaming platform of your choice and then buy your partners favorite treats.

Go to town and buy some cute popcorn holders too!

Con amor,

Vero

Imagine That!

Your Imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.

 

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”  – Albert Einstein 

Do you look at a blank page and see a story full of adventure coming to life?  Do you look at a blank canvas and see the colors of a beautiful picture appear?  Can you walk into an empty room and picture it full of furniture and décor?   If you said yes to any of these, then you have a good imagination. 

 

Having a good imagination is genuine gift in life.  I love how my husband can look at an empty space and see what could be built. I am not that talented. I also love how some people go to a thrift stores to try and find a piece of old furniture that could be refinished into something usable and they do it.  They could look at an ugly, old rocking chair with painted wood and peeling fabric on its cushions and just like that, transform it into a beautiful stained wood rocker with brightly colored fabric cushions. My mother in law could do that.  She also knew how to sew and made beautiful clothes for her family. She used to buy fabric and made cushions, curtains, quilts. Amazing! 

 

I don’t know exactly how she did all that but I I wish I did; because I realize what a blessing it is to learn how to do that in this life. I know that in my own life this skill has helped me to recognize opportunities of potential that exist in everything you do. My husband can see potential in people at work. It has helped him to recognize talents that people hold potential to achieve, and it has helped him to see a vision for what he needs at work. 

 

“Anxiety uses imagination to picture something you don’t want.  Vision uses imagination to picture something you do want.  Either way, you tend to get what you focus on.  Imagine a future where you shine, others thrive, and the light of hope shines brighter in the world.  If you can see it, you can be it.”  – Ian Lawton 

 

Con amor,

Vero 

Do more of what makes you amazing

There is something amazingly powerful when a person takes their God given talents and puts them to use in a big way. Every one of us came into this life having our own unique talents. Some are obvious talents such as music, or dance, or writing, while others have less visual talents such as the ability to appreciate others or a sensitivity to others feelings or the ability to recognize talents in others. Whether your talents are publicly obvious or not, the talents you have can become very powerful in your life if you recognize them, develop them, and appreciate them.

 

A few days ago my daughter posted i her blog about making a Goal Poster. I am hoping all of you were able to read it, and if you were not I would strongly suggest you take the time to read it over. It is probably the most important tip for success I could ever share with you, because making your Goal Poster is one of the most impactful things you can do for your life. I really hope everyone will decide to make one.

 

One suggestion I have as you prepare to make your poster is to sit down and make a list of each of the God given talents you see in yourself. Don’t be shy about it; you are the only one who will see this list so make sure you don’t hold back in listing your talents. Think hard about it. Make sure you remember to list every one of your talents, even the ones that are not as obvious or visual. Once you have completed your list of talents make sure that some of your goals you set on your poster tap into those special talents you have. I truly believe that people will have the greatest personal and financial success in their life when they put their talents to work. I believe there is always a reason that God gave you the individual talents you have. I don’t believe for a second that there were any mistakes made in determining what talents each of us would possess. I also believe that when we tap into the special talents we have and use them to their fullest that it makes us amazingly wonderful!

 

Keep that in mind as you set your goals and make sure you aren’t ignoring those things that will naturally make you a huge success in your life. And remember that God gave you the talents, but what you do with them is all on you. It is our job to make the most of them.

Con amor,

Vero

What have I learned as a parent?

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned as a parent? I was asked when I taught parenting classes for the Family Support Center. Here are some of the answers discussed. 

 

Kids are people too. They deserve respect and our attention. 

 

By word and example show your children that you are a person of integrity worthy of trust, so they can feel comfortable seeking your guidance as they discover themselves and their place in the world. 

 

Their feelings shouldn’t be expected to be controlled 100% of the time. Its ok for them to lose it just like us adults do sometimes. And they remember your actions more than your words. 

 

Don’t make promises you may not be able to keep, and they are so much wiser than we give them credit for. 

 

Keep the lines of communication open with your kids. Make sure they keep talking to you. 

 

My kids told me things that made me crazy but they never knew it. I listened. 

 

To relax. It won’t last forever.

 

They respond better to connection than coercion 

 

To be present. 

 

Never give up! 

 

I often thought: These kids are Heavenly Father’s kids, He knows them better than I do. He didn’t raise them just to give them to me and have me mess them up in 18 years. He believes in me, even while knowing all of my weaknesses. 

Never lose hope! 

 

Con amor,

Vero

 

 

 

 

Keep Working and Serving to be Worry Free!

Keep working and Serving to be worry free! 

 

“The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.  One of the greatest ironies of life is this:  He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”       -Gordon B. Hinckley

 

I absolutely love that quote!  And it is so true. Nothing cures a sense of worry faster than just diving in and getting the work done.  As we work we make progress and as we make progress we start to feel that sense of empowerment – that feeling of “hey I might actually be able to handle this”.  Because the truth is that when we do dig right in we usually do find that in the end we were able to handle it.  In my experience, we are always far more capable of handling things then we think we are.  And in my experience, we finish up and look back and there is a huge sense of pride and accomplishment that we handled something we thought was much bigger than our ability.  You want to point and shout with joy “I did that!…me, the person who had no idea they were capable of doing that!…I actually did it and I found out I was much stronger than I thought!”

 

Overcoming challenges and climbing mountains that at one time seemed impossible to climb is one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world.  It helps build your confidence.  It strengthens your faith in yourself and in a higher power that helped you accomplish it.  It brings those proud moments in life when you can feel good about a job well done. My  husband Daniel is proof to that! 

 

And I love the second half of the opening quote where it says that the person who serves always benefits more than who they are serving – also 100% true.  Whenever I take time to do something to help another person my own life improves tenfold.  I always feel happier and more at peace, and no question I feel that it benefited me far more than the person I was serving.  Serving others helps us become a better person and that is something that brings joy and peace into our life.

 

Remember to continue doing acts of service even when the Christmas Season is over. Do it for at least one person tomorrow and then notice the joy it brings into our lives.

 

Have an amazing, worry-free day!

 

Con amor,

Vero

 

The kindness of a stranger

Today I want to remember the kindness of a stranger over twenty years ago to commemorate Mandy's birthday! 

The setting was a busy store where my sister and her family and my girls and I went shopping for souvenirs on our way back to Miami where my sister and family lived. We had been enjoying the parks in Orlando and it was time to stop at a mall to buy a few things.

We were all together watching each other’s kids. I got destructed looking at some things to buy when all of the sudden here comes in the store a gentleman with a little girl in his arms and a police officer asking if anyone knew who this little girl belonged to?

As I looked at them, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That little one -year old little girl was my Mandy! I felt petrified and in shock to even think she had gotten out of the store into a parking lot without me knowing. Somehow I thought she was being watched by my sister and brother in law and they thought she was with me.

I can’t tell you the impact that one experience has had in my life that I have never ever forgotten about it.  First, it was a huge relief that my baby girl was okay. But second, it was an amazing thing to know the kindness of this person I didn’t know. What an angel he was to have done that. His kindness was truly humbling. He handed Mandy to me after I proved to the officer she was my daughter by showing him a picture of our family I was carrying in my wallet. Mandy was of course in the picture.  

The policeman handed Mandy to me with some hesitation as to saying to me: “what kind of a mother are you”?  I know, I deserved to be scolded. I had lost my child and didn’t even know it. Lesson learned! Never assumed you child is in the care of someone else and never lose sight of your child even for a second.

 Another lesson I learned that day was the kindness of a stranger who took the time of his day to find this child her mother. Too bad we never exchanged contact information to thank him but I hope somehow he realizes how deeply grateful I am for returning my child.

I love the scripture that reads: “BE NOT FORGETFUL TO ENTERTAIN STRANGERS: FOR THEREBY SOME HAVE ENTERTAINED ANGELS UNAWARES.” (Hebrew 13:2)

That quote reminds me that we should always be mindful of others, even strangers that we haven’t met or gotten to know, because you may be touching the life of someone very special. We just never know the impact that we can have on another person’s life.

My journal entry today is dedicated to this fellow with no name who went out of his way to reach out to find my daughter, her mother. I hope that I can take his example into my life and make sure that I pay more attention to the kind things that I can do for another; even someone  who I may not even know. Today’s challenge for me is to find an opportunity to touch someone’s life just like this person with his kindness so long ago, touched mine.

May we all do better to be more mindful of strangers…

Con amor,

Vero