nancy, Author at Wandering Wellington County

Frozen or Warm Heart

January 24, 2014 by nancy Leave a Comment

I am sitting in front of my warm fireplace this early morning. It is yet another cold, dark day with chilly -20 temperatures. My mind and body has been busy reflecting.

I want my heart to be open this year, to feel and give love.
I want to give 110% to my family (even if I am tired and cranky).
I want to make silly frozen hearts with my daughter & son, (actually they look really cool).
I want to do more and be more.

Yesterday I heard my parent’s neighbour died suddenly. A man 60 years old, playing hockey on a Sunday night, took a shower, and fell down and that was it. I didn’t know this man very well. But he always had a friendly smile and I am told was a loving husband and father. “How could that be, I just waved to him several weeks ago”. I thought of his poor family left to carry on without him. I guess we always feel shocked when someone we know, whether they are close or not passes. I think it is our little “wake-up” call, which we all sometimes need to kick it into high gear!

Last night I was lying in bed trying to get to sleep. Maybe it was too much coffee, or yet another late night. I have become a night owl of sorts, which makes me mad as I was never one to stay up so late. I was trying to settle down, close my eyes and count my sheep. Suddenly I could feel my heart pounding so deeply, I got a little scared. I said a little prayer to myself. “Please give me more time!” Having had my kids late in life, I thought of all the things I still want to do with them. I want to stop fussing over the little unimportant things, (like the messy house or the burnt toast), and just spend more quality time with family and friends.

I guess it was my “wake-up call of sorts”. I thought of my parents neighbour who was ready to retire, just built a little hobby shop and had a new grand baby. He walked out like every other Sunday to play a game of hockey. Did he kiss his wife and hug his kids that night or did he simply walk out thinking he had some more time…….

This weekend I am going to make some frozen hearts with my Meaghan and Noah…. maybe we will will even jazz them up with some funky food colouring. My heart will be warm, even though it will be cold and snowy. I hope you can take some time and build your frozen hearts soon.

Talk soon ~

Nancy

Gratitude & Love XOXO

January 18, 2014 by nancy Leave a Comment

GRATITUDE & LOVE XOXO

We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th – we celebrate LOVE. I must admit I am not always cheery and full of love 365 days of the year. On those days when all is not going well and I want to just pull the covers over my head and stay in bed. I must remember to be grateful!

Melodie Beattie wrote:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

This is one of the nicest thoughts on gratitude I have heard; I wanted to share it with you, as I think it is a state of being and can be achieved. I know when the business of life gathers around us, it can certainly be hard to practice this gratitude. But it is there for all of us to grasp and hold if we want it.

Wikipedia lists the benefits of gratitude as well:

“Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. A large body of recent work has suggested people who are more grateful have higher levels of well being. Grateful people also have higher levels of control over their environments, personal growth, purpose if life and self-acceptance.

I try to keep a gratitude journal and write in it on occasion. I hope to write in it more often, after researching all of the wonderful benefits. Here is what my list looks like today. I encourage you to try your own list, and reap the rewards of this simple practice in your daily living.

Nancy’s Gratitude List

Meaghan & Noah (my kids)
My Dog, having a nice walk with the “old boy”
Enjoying some “Nancy time” watching (Mad Men).
Reading my Book
My Family / Friends
My “Matt”
My Health
Warm Home
My Paperwhites
Feeling love for myself, and people in my life today

I think I will send my sweetie and kiddlets a gratitude list of all the things I am grateful for. I am going to make them big fancy red heart cards using my daughter’s construction paper and decorate it with glitter, hearts and fancy lace! (Shhh.. it is a secret, don’t tell them). As we celebrate the month of love one of my goals is to try and practice more gratitude in my life today. I think it starts with self-love first and then flows into giving and receiving more love to my family and friends. I am so grateful for all the blessings in my life today and hope you will be have a wonderful month filled with love, kindness and gratitude, (Oh…. and maybe a “Heart shaped Box of Chocolates).

Talk soon ~

Nancy

Becoming a Mompreneur!

January 17, 2014 by nancy 2 Comments

“We gain strength and courage and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face….. We must do that which we think we cannot!” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

You are a Mom dreaming of starting your own business! Congratulations …. and welcome to the world of self-employment! Women make up a large percent of new business’s in Canada. Perhaps like me you were 9 months pregnant and ready to go on a maternity leave, your world was about to change. You were told while on your last week of work in the “corporate world” that your company didn’t receive their funding and the contract would not be renewed. Like so many people today you now find yourself unemployed.

What is a girl to do? Well she re-invents herself of course. Moms are wonderful at the act of multi-tasking, organizing and reinventing the wheel. These are great skills necessary when you are becoming the person you have always dreamed you could be! You are now in the new unknown territory of starting your new business. I remember my business advisor Valerie giving me some sage advice. She said, “Starting your own business is like having a baby”. Well I could understand that analogy. It is full of the unknown’s and also the highs and lows, but you would never want to give it up.

I have always had the entrepreneurial spirit in me; I sold Avon at an early age. I think I was 9 or 10 years old, when I saw the Ad in the newspaper, “looking for Avon Lady in your area”. My Mom told me the Avon lady called and came to our house just to meet me. She told me I was the youngest Avon lady she had ever met! I do remember in my later teens, selling Avon. I took the plunge and ordered my sales kit and I was in business. I remember selling my products to my boyfriend at the time. He purchased the newest “man spray”, just so I would make my quota for the month.

Ok so you are out of work, have a great business idea and maybe not a lot of money. Now what? Pull up your socks, say a few prayers and go for it. Yes I say go for it, what have you got to lose? Fear stops many people, from even getting to the first step of taking the plunge of self-employement. I guess it helps to have a passion, if you do all the better. If not I suggest maybe it will grow on you.

A business plan is great, supportive people, a niche market, confidence, some business savvy, and networking. If you don’t have all of these, don’t worry you can “fake it till you make it”. All of these skills can be learned too. These sound like a lot of things in the beginning but I promise you, it will turn out. If you just click your red shoes, you might just get your first sale. Soon you will be getting so many sales you will have to hire your first staff member.

So put that idea into action. Dig deep inside youself and utilize all those great resources available to women starting their own business’s. There are business community centre’s, government funded programs, libaries, and networking groups just to name a few.

Don’t be afraid and surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Who know’s you might find yourself creating the best life ever, and juggling the babies with the bacon!

Talk Soon ~

Nancy

Oh ….those Sunday Drives!

January 12, 2014 by nancy Leave a Comment

Ok kids get ready we are getting ready to go on a nice drive today – we are going on a “Sunday Drive”. Do you remember those days you would all get into the car and just go for a road trip. I remember one time when I was little maybe 4 or 5 years old. My parents and I did just that we where going for a family drive. Remembering the car like it was yesterday, it was a big old grey Oldsmobile. It was soooo big I remember one time my family drove home from Florida in the car and the back seats where huge, my brother actually slept (or farted) the whole way home in the wheel well of the car. Yep – that is right no seat belt, just lied in the back of the seat on the floor letting those little toots all along the way I-75.

Another family car road trip memory is falling out of the car. Yes you heard it right, I fell out of the car. I guess as memory serves we were on a another family car trip and I was playing with all the electronics (the power windows/locks) and guess what the door flew open and bang I hit the pavement (unscathed) except they didn’t notice I was gone. I remember looking up and they were driving away. My Mom told me “We knew you fell out of the car, we were only at an intersection and we stopped right away!”. That is not how I remembered it, I remember running up the hill yelling and waving my hands – “Hey don’t leave me here – you forgot me”, I am sure there where some crocodile tears too, and maybe a few bruised knees to go along with the bruised ego.

I wonder if that would that happen today – with the fancy car seats and the all the safety devices on the modern automobiles. I am sure if a child fell out of the car today, the modern gadgets would simply alert the driver to stop immediately and perhaps a notification would sound “child has evacuated the seat, please pick child up at next stop.” My brother would always joke with me about my falling out of the car scenerio, “well I guess that explains what happened to you!”.

Since today is Sunday I guess I should round the kiddlets up and go for a drive to visit Grandma. We are so lucky to have her in our lives. She is 95 years old and has a very sharp mind, and still lives in her home today. I will bet she has some great stories of her many Sunday drives and more! Did I mention this is her son & daughter in the picture, (just kidding – but the rest of the story is true).

Talk soon ~

Nancy

MAN Flu Vs. MOM Flu

December 29, 2013 by nancy Leave a Comment

Tis the season when everyone it seems is sneezing, coughing and holding hands or hugging each other. With all the preparation and decking the halls of family and friends gatherings, it is no wonder Mom is sick. Yes I said it, Mom is Sick! I know she is not allowed to get sick and if she is, it is “as per usual kinda of day.” The dinners need to be cooked, the house needs cleaned, the kids need entertained (did I mention they are off on holidays), and already bored.

Why is when the “Man Flu” hits, everything revolves around him. His aches are the worst, he is in bed for days at a time, I guess the “man flu” must be worse than the “Mom Flu”. I tell you it has not been nice this season, maybe you are shivering like me while I write this or sipping a hot lemony drink or popping yet another aspirin. I feel for you. Why is it when we are sick we just want “our Moms”. “Mom where are you?” …. I need some chicken noodle soup, tucked in and please read me a bed time story.

Well I must go now, Dad is lying down resting trying to get better. The kids and I are going outside for a walk today, being it is now a balmy 2 degrees. It is nicer than the -20c coming this week. Snowpants, hats, coats and boots are on. I hope this fresh air will help clear some of these lingering germs. I sure don’t want them to catch the “mom cold or the the man flu”, (I would be sick any day of the week, than my little kiddlets). Ok kids take your vitamins and drink your orange juice before we head outside, and be sure to bundle up. Stay Healthy everyone!

Talk soon ~

Nancy

What does your New Year’s Fortune say?

December 14, 2013 by nancy Leave a Comment

Fortune (For-Tune) n

1. The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; luck.
2. A person’s standing in the financial, affected by material possessions or financial wealth
3. Often fortunate, a people that is favourable or unfavourable events.
4. Fate, destiny.

I am not a huge fan of Chinese food but on occasion I do like to order a dinner for 4 or the number 604. My favourite part of the meal is opening my fortune cookie at the end. I always like to remind the person picking up the food, if it is take-out to get enough fortune cookies for everyone. I mean really who doesn’t like to indulge in this fun little game of snapping them open to reveal your destiny.

I always like to tuck my latest fortune in my wallet and carry it around. I giggled when I saw I really did have a fortune in my wallet and was still carrying it. It is crumbled and worn, but here is what it says. “Don’t worry about money. The best things in life are free. 16, 19, 23, 29, 34, 43 (I guess these are my lucky numbers on the bottom). Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket with those lucky numbers. This is a good fortune to receive for a girl like me has recently begun her own business. I better go put this back in my wallet before I loose it, (it might bring me luck!).

Did I mention my little people, Meg & Noah love for me to read their fortune’s. “Mommy… mommy what does my fortune say”. I reply, “clean your room and be a good boy and girl to your Mommy”. I tell them this even if it says, “Work will be better tomorrow, cheery smile at your coworkers goes long way!”.

As 2013 is nearing an end and we have a new year ahead of us I have been thinking on the good fortune that has bestowed me this past year. And like my fortune stated not all monetary. As this is a time to pause and reflect I was thinking the year ahead could be thought of as a blank canvas. What colours will you use to paint and create the life you want? I am going to use more reds,purples and golds. Lately I am giving the notion of “positive thinking” some more thought. I love Norman Vincent Peale’s famous quote; “You are what you think”. I have read recently in one of his books, the importance of “Believing and Creating” are paramount for success.

This is a time of year for much reflection on the things which have come an gone, and we wonder what the year ahead will bring to us. Will your year be filled with “Good Fortune”? If you think it will, so be it! I hope it will and if you need to see it in print for reassurance, why not order some Chinese food and ask for some extra fortune cookies.

My wish for this year ahead is that it will be a postive year, filled with possiblities just waiting to be created. But first we have to believe before we create. Or is it first we create and then we believe? Here is my recipe for ‘Golden Good Fortune Cookies”. Don’t worry you can make it later, you will find the time this year.

Golden Good Fortune Cookies

1 pound of Lucky Pennies
1 1/2 cups of Friendship
2 spoons of Hope
1 cup of Fresh Abundance
3 Teaspoons of Hugs & Kisses
Pinch of Kindness

Stir the Good Fortune Batter in a big mixing bowl, remember to make a wish before you put it in the oven. Fold each piece together – leave space for good fortune. Check often to make sure it is golden brown on top – sprinkle some love on top, tuck in Good Fortune. Serve to family and friends.

Talk soon ~

Nancy

Who would you Label as your Superhero?

November 27, 2013 by nancy 2 Comments

SUPERHERO
: A fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly).
: A very heroic person

Several weekends ago I watched Spiderman for the first time with my kiddlets. They loved it! They were giggling and cheering on Spiderman when the villains where upon him. I must admit I have never been a big fan of Spiderman, however since watching this film thru the eyes of my kids, my thoughts have changed. I am now a big fan. Peter Parker who played Spiderman in the 2012 film was just an ordinary young high school man trying to find his way. He was not the most popular but that all changed once he found his superpowers he could do anything he put his mind to.

I have always been someone who has looked out for the underdog. To me this movie was the epiphany of the ordinary who became the extraordinary. I loved it! I loved how my kiddlets just had such respect for this great force. Hopefully they could see too that anything is possible with hard work, determination and a few super powers.

Growing up my favorite superhero was Bionic Women. I remember coming home from school and flipping the channels till she came on. She was so beautiful and strong. She had this amazing ability to jump huge walls and could use her bionic powers whenever she needed them. How cool is that?

This month a real superpower captured many of our hearts as he walked the streets of San Francisco. A 5 year old Boy, named Miles celebrated the end of his cancer. In remission from his ongoing battle with Leukemia he has had since he was one year old. He was the “Bat Kid for a Day!” With the help of the Children’s Wish Foundation he proudly walked with his father the streets of “Gotham City Wonderland”. He donned his batman cape and soared to great heights that day.

This life can be hard enough at times. Who would you label your superhero (s)? If you don’t have one I encourage to look around they might be closer than you think.

Talk soon ~
Nancy

The High’s & Low’s of Motherhood

November 16, 2013 by nancy 3 Comments

Hello –

I am reflecting on my day today. The kiddlets and I “hung” out with Grandma. We went touring around enjoying the nice weather for November. We decided to include a little shopping outing. My little 3 year old man was pretty tired after playing in the park and didn’t have his regular afternoon nap. I could tell as we where driving around when those little eyelids closed he needed a little shut eye. Well 10 minutes later his eyes peeked open and he was ready to go shopping with Big Sis and Grandma. We decided to wait in the vehicle as I could see that look in his eyes he wasn’t ready to be on his best behaviour. After waiting a long while for Grandma we decided that we would go in. He did promise, (pinky promise) to me “he would be a good boy” and that he would sit in the cart.

Off we went looking for them, we thought we would cruise on over to the checkout area to scout them out in the big store. What did we see first, the Biggest of Big Trucks perched high on a glass shelving unit. God bless the store clerk who after I gave her a wink, agreed with Mom that we were not allowed to play with it in the store and that it was just for us to add to the list for Santa. Mr. Noah took 2 steps and started a full out tantrum, on the floor screaming, crying and not a happy camper. Well we finally did see my daughter with Grandma their cart full of holiday items, saying “did you find what you were looking for?” I don’t think they really saw us, they were in the full Christmas decoration shopping mode; sparkly deers, nutcrackers, and wreaths. Noah was now leaning and pouting on yet another glass shelf, I thought leave now or else.

I won the “Mom of the year award again!” I decided to carry him out of the store, kicking and screaming. I felt quite a few stares and wished I could have practiced the 1,2,3 method a little better today. I must admit I felt like melting and wished Mumma had more patience than she did today, I too just wanted to throw a tantrum of my own.

I chose to write about the highs and lows of motherhood. I put my little guy to bed tonight, held those little sweet hands, cuddled him and said to him “We will try again tomorrow and do better”. He said to me “Yes Mumma I will do better tomorrow!”. I love that little man, more than I could ever imagine or describe. I don’t know what I would ever do without those 2 little kiddlets of mine. So tomorrow I will do better!

Talk to you soon ~

Nancy

At the end of the day ~ would I have been labelled a “Kind Person?”

November 10, 2013 by nancy 4 Comments

KINDNESS: The quality or state of being warm hearted, considerate, loving and sympathatic. 1. The quality or state of being kind. 2. An instance of kind behaviour.

We all have 24 hours in our day; we choose our thoughts, our actions, our words, in that time. Some of us have more flexiblity or freedom in our days. My day goes smoother when I choose to be kinder to myself and others around me. What is kindness, is it an action, a feeling a word?

This month marked “Random Acts of Kindness Day”. What did you choose to do on that day? For me it represented much reflection on “how kind am I to others?”. Being human I am not always kind to others or myself. When I have had a bad day, and my expectations have not been met or I have had an arguement with my spouse or family member, it is difficult to act kindly. When my basic needs have not been met, when I haven’t had enough sleep or haven’t ate properly I am not “a happy camper.” I have found that I must look after myself first before I can help others around me. It is imperative for me to try and find a balance. I feel this starts with showing loving kindness to myself first.

November 11th is Remembrance Day. It is a day to reflect on the many brave men and women who have given their lives to help us have a better life. Thank you for giving me a life of freedom and choices today. I am truly grateful to live in such a wonderful Country! I reflect on what our world would be like if we could be kinder to each other, would it be different? It seems so many wars and discord in our world are a result of opposing thoughts on religion and politics. I leave you with the below quote on kindness.

“My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.”

~ Dalai Lama

Meditation on LOVINGKINDNESS:

May I be filled with lovingkindness
May I be safe from inner and outer dangers
May I be well in body and mind
May I be at ease and happy

Talk soon ~

Nancy

What does a School House have to do with Labels?

October 10, 2013 by nancy Leave a Comment

I love this picture as it makes me reflect upon school days gone by. Did I mention to you I live in an old schoolhouse. Our house is well over 150 years old. When we first walked thru the house I could feel the good vibes in the home. Sometimes I think I can hear the chuckles of those young kids playing ball outside. I am not sure if you believe in energies around us? One night I was up late, as usual in the shop getting some of our label packages out. I could definitely feel the presence of spirits gone past. It was as if I wasn’t alone in the room. Did I mention it was the first week of school as well.

I remember my early school days being carefree and joyful. I associate many good memories with my younger school years. I still remember the Kindergarten room with Mrs. Watson, she was so beautiful. We had the most amazing “play” helicopter in the room. We played in the kitchen making lunches and dinners. I remember those little wooden cubby holes where my blanket was and those wonderful story times. Now that I am writing this I remember looking at that wall, high above and seeing my name on top of the huge shoe pictures with the real laces. It would be mine when I first learned to tie my shoes.

Childhood memories can be such a wonderful thing aren’t they? Well since it is past midnight I think I must lay my head down to sleep and dream of those carefree days with the wind blowing while I played hopscotch with my giggling school friends.

What a lucky girl I am to live in such a great historical place today. I hope the many souls which have gone to school here have shared their stories and great memories with their loved ones.

Sweet Dreams……………………………

Talk soon

Nancy