Well, it certainly has been a long winter! I seriously feel like I have hibernated the winter away.  Winter + me really do not get along and for some reason this one seemed to be the hardest for me yet. I take it that you all know how much I LOVE getting outside, moving in the sunshine and breathing in the fresh air. That is my number one mood booster and well that all just seemed to slip away in December and was lost for the past 3 months! I stopped walking/running, cooking, yoga, blogging, AND homeschooling. In February, I honestly felt like I has lost my life. I could blame the pregnancy and tell you that I was sick and tired, but the truth is I was scared. I guess once I realized that I was pregnant again, I felt as though I had lost everything else. I have spent the last few months focusing on all of the things that I CAN’T do anymore and worked myself into a very negative state of mind. I literally drained myself of all positivity. Once I allowed one negative thought in, it led to more and more negativity because after all, like attracts like.

Of course I was given my countless opportunities to pick myself up and get back on track, but being stuck in a vicious cycle of bad habits and thought patterns is never easy to break. I remember one time saying out loud to myself “I miss yoga” and Autumn heard me and said, “Why don’t you do your baby yoga then?” DUH! It’s like the universe is constantly reminding you of what you need to do, but it is and always will be up to you to get up and do it. I forgot that I was the only one that can change my habits and take responsibility for my junk thoughts. Inside I was feeling the spark of inspiration rise up inside of myself again, saying “Get up! get up!” but still I chose to ignore my inner voice and instead indulge my lazy selfish ego a little while more making every excuse for my actions, even though I knew that I was completely miserable. I’m pregnant. It’s winter. I’m tired. Blah, blah blah

Well, today my friend is a new day and I have chosen that I am not going to sit around and feel sorry for myself anymore! I have decided to focus on all of the things that I can do, instead of what I can’t. I realize now that I have the power to choose how I want to live my life and I am going to choose doing what I love again! I have already started  walking everyday with the family and I have been dabbling in some new recipes that I will be sharing on the blog. I am going to instead choose positive thoughts and every time I hear a parade of negative thoughts come knocking the door to my mind I am not going to let them in. This is my life and I am not going to waste another day sitting around feeling sorry for myself, hiding my light from the world and not making a difference.

As I look back on the past few months I see that everything I went through was all very necessary though because now that the sun is out again and spring is starting to appear, I feel a spring of inspiration within myself. I realize how desperately I needed that time to be in the darkness so that I could experience the light again and I truly believe that it only gets better and better! I have also learned how important it is that we take care of our thoughts and CHOOSE positive ones. Just like we need to feed our bodies with nutritious foods, exercise and sunlight to experience great physical health, we also have the even more important, though often overlooked, responsibility of feeding our minds with positive thoughts and surrounding ourselves with positive people to experience great mental health. The more positivity we allow into our lives, the more positive, happy people we will become. The more negative thoughts we allow into our lives, the more negative and miserable our lives will become. WE CHOOSE. WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. There is a light within each of us that only we can decide to shine.

So to allow my light to come forth again, I have made a list of all the things that I want for my life and am choosing to focus on those.

• Cook meals and try new recipes
• Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
• Blog
• Do crafts with the girls
• Start juicing again (a.m)
• Get outside everyday!
• Go for a walk
• Keep a clean environment
• Only have T.V on in the evenings for a maximum of 2 hrs
• Help Autumn with Piano
• Have fun!  Do more games, puzzles etc. together
• YOGA!!
• Read more and more inspiring books
• Take time to relax

I hope that this post inspires you to make a list of what you want for your life too and that you will remember that you are the only one holding yourself back from living your best life. If you aren’t feeling your healthiest or happiest, you are the only one who can change yourself and it begins by changing your mind. Choose positive thoughts. Change your mind and your life will follow. Set intentions. Say affirmations (out loud or in your head).  Allow your light to shine in the world and become a spring of inspiration for others.  We are all waiting for you!