Recessionista Moms

The creative side of me is dying to talk fashion. Fashion for me is not about expensive stuff necesassarily.. rather it is about Self Expression. I saw this piece and thought this girl was sooo cute.

You can go to Target and recreate this look very cheaply. Probably for under $50.




Right now I need to do what makes me feel good. And looking at pretty things.. brings me great joy!

Beautiful - from Oriah Dreamweaver

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

In closing, I have been spending some more time alone lately, especially while boys are at school. I am "re" getting to know this new person. Mom, professional, wife, creature of God. Take time today even if it's 5 minutes( in the bathroom) take a deep breath and say.. so who am I? and how do I feel about me? See that beautiful person and just breath for a few minutes if nothing else. Just breath................. big hug, Coach G

How do you define being beautiful?

I would love to hear from you moms. I want this site to be a place where we can meet and talk about all of life's adventures as Moms. I have been thinking a lot lately about my own definition of beauty. And I recently read a great article from another Mom Coach I love, Lori Radun. To learn more about her and see all her great Mom Life Tools see:

http://www.momnificent.com/index.php


As you may or may not know.. I love clothing and personal style. Fashion is cool but I am really into self expression through what you wear. I do not spend a lot of money on my clothes and do not think you have to. But back to my point about beauty. I define beauty as someone who is comfortable in their own skin, and I struggle to articulate what that looks like.. but I know it when I see it. A beautiful person to me loves themselves and is kind to others. Sure, I admire a well dressed woman, chick with a pretty face, or great figure but I can tell you there have been times when I meet someone and think she is beautiful and she opens her mouth and she becomes less attractive( i.e. perhaps she is mean etc.) And I am no martyr. I know we all have ugly aspects within our personality. I simply am choosing to let go of that stuff. Of course I am a work in progress, I strive to lose the last 20 pounds and look "put together".. but you know what.. right now I am BEAUTIFUL and so are you!!!!!!!! Ok back to my definition of beauty. I think in bullet points so here goes. A beautiful woman is:

• comfortable in who she is... she can be a size 0, 12, or 22..... if she is happy at this stage be happy, also she is comfortable in her Race( white, black, multiracial, Hispanic etc.)
• she is kind....to herself and to others..... does not make fun of others, leave others out etc.
• she has her own personal style.... and celebrates it...(KMART, KOHLS, Target, hippy chick, preppy, rocker, high end fashion... she knows what she likes and CELEBRATES it)
• she laughs a lot, cries a lot etc.
• she cares about herself and respects herself.....

That is my list. How do you define beauty? Respond via comments below.....

So I close today with a quote from one of the women I most admire in the world... MISS OPRAH

"Partake of some of life's sweet pleasures. And yes, get comfortable with yourself. "

Hi Lovely Moms.... How about these Mom Jeans?

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I have so much to write about and lots of ideas on Mommyhood as your Mom Life Coach more to come soon.... In the meantime I hope you laugh as hard as I did watching above video....!

PS: Bookmark my blog and come visit often... more content coming just for we Moms soon.

I saw the above video on one of my favorite Fashion Stylist Websites.....
http://www.cardiganempire.com/

Dear New Mommy... Mom Advice/Comments Sought Please

Hello Moms, please consider adding to my current post/list. All you have to do is click on "Post Comment". You may be able to post anonymously or with your name. Please be kind. This is a post for moms to support moms.

I wanted to start a post for new moms or moms who are looking for reminders and tips for when they bring a new baby home. Here are some pieces of advice that I received that have been critical as a mom:

• sleep when the baby sleeps, that is right forget the Thank you Cards unless you love doing them!
• do what feels right/listen to your inner voice
• understand that there are A LOT of different approaches and parenting philosophies(attached parenting, scheduling, cry it out/don't cry it out, vaccinate, don't vaccinate). My credo has been.. research and then decide what is right for me and family.......
• if your nursing take a peek at http://www.kellymom.com/
• if you are the "social type" consider an online social networking group for mommies. I love http://www.charlottemommies.com/ (here in Charlotte, NC)

Enjoy your coffee ... my dear friends......

From my friend and neighbor Stephanie... how I love this....



A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups- porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In mos t cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink . What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."God brews the coffee, not the cups.......... Enjoy your coffee!"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Happy Mother's Day

I was going to write up a Mother's Day Mantra and then I found this article and thought it said what I would have .... And please know I am working on this too. Sometimes I do a great job at taking care of me and other times ... I am lucky to be surrounded by people who remind me... and that is why I am here with this blog for YOU.....

Happy Mother's Day. Would love to see how you all do something for YOU TODAY. I will keep pestering you.... it is my job! Are you taking care of you???????? IF SO HOW???? Bubble baths? Favorite Book? Prayer? What are you doing to take care of yourself? Feel free to comment below you might give another mom a great idea...


Happy Mother's Day - The Importance of Taking Care of Oneself
By: Rajashree Choudhury
I’m a mom.
I am also a woman, a wife, a daughter and a friend.
I am wearing many hats and doing so is not always easy.
Being a "great mom" sounds like a lot of work. You are already do so much and still do not feel as though you fit the profile. You think there must be more to being a "great mom." You must be missing one piece of the puzzle that will give you the glory of motherhood. But what is it?
Hopefully after reading this article, you will feel energized and recharged, and you may be surprised to find out you’ve been a "great mom" all the while. Obviously, a great mom loves her kids, takes care of their basic physical and emotional needs, and spends quality time with them.
But what are the subtler, less obvious ways to become a great mom?

1. Stay true to yourself You don’t have to give up your own passions and interests once you become a mom. It’s important you find time for what YOU love to do. Reading, writing, exercising, yoga – make these a priority and find a way to incorporate these into your routine. Easier said than done, I know, but you should at least aim to keep doing what you love, even if you don’t get to do it as often as before. If you take care of your own needs, you will be happier and will function better as a mom.


2. Don’t be a martyr. Need some time alone? Let the kids watch TV for an hour and go read a book. Feel like you haven’t had adult interaction in ages? Leave them with Dad for the evening and make plans to have dinner with a friend. Getting to the point where you are utterly exhausted is not good for you or the kids.


3. Don’t try to be perfect. This is true for life in general, and is a major personal goal of mine, regardless of motherhood. Striving for perfection is always a bad idea, because life is messy and unpredictable and full of surprises. Trying to create perfection, or to maintain complete control, is seldom possible and should not be your goal. Once you become a mom, life is messier and crazier than ever before, so it’s more important than ever to let go of that perfectionism. You need to accept that the house will sometimes be untidy, that once in a while dinner will be takeout, and that the kids will sometimes have to entertain themselves while you recharge and regroup.


4. Ditch the guilt. Guilt seems to be one of the most common side effects of motherhood. Once you make a decision, whether a major one like staying at home vs. going back to work, or a small one like allowing the kids to play a computer game while you have some time for yourself, try to avoid second-guessing yourself. You are doing the best that you can. No one is perfect, and you are not expected to be a perfect mom or to never make mistakes. As long as you love them and provide their basic needs, your kids will turn out fine – really.
5. Be Patient. Raising kids is hard work. Kids are noisy, messy and incredibly demanding. Yes, you will lose your patience once in a while. Motherhood has taught me to be more patient than I ever thought I could possibly be.


6. Listen to your children. REALLY listen. We tend to assume that we know more than our kids do, which is true to some extent of course, so we don’t really bother to listen. In addition, we often act as problem-solvers, dishing immediate advice, when all they need is for us to listen to them.



7. Be their mom, not their friend. Set limits. In a way, it was easy for previous generations. Parents were parents. Kids were kids. Families were patriarchal. Everyone listened to and obeyed the father. Now, families are democratic. We negotiate, talk things over, and listen to each other. We make important decisions together. This is great, but kids still need us to be their parents and set clear limits. We should listen to them and respect them – but we are not their peers.


8. Teach them simplicity. You will do them a big – a HUGE – favor, if you teach them at a young age to avoid associating happiness with the accumulation of material possessions. The younger they are, the more likely they are to listen to you, so start early.


9. Teach them self-esteem. High self-esteem is the single most important gift that a parent can give their kids. A person with a high self-esteem values herself and will not get into, or stay in, an abusive relationship. A person with high self-esteem is more likely to be happy and to reach her full potential. How do you teach your kids self-esteem? By showing them that you value them, by spending time with them, and by talking with them and listening to them.


10. Laugh and have fun! When you’re a mom, it’s easy to become so absorbed in the logistics of taking care of your kids – the “mom stuff” we deal with every day - that you forget to relax and have fun. But kids are fun. They give you a wonderful opportunity to be a child all over again, and to do things that you never thought you would do as an adult (jumping in puddles is so much fun!) and see the world through their innocent, curious eyes. Haven’t noticed interesting insects and colorful butterflies in several years? You are going to start noticing them again once you have kids.

How many hats are YOU wearing? Do you have any tips for doing it all and keeping your sanity? Do you ever feel guilty because you are not giving 100% to any single aspect of your life?
Please contact me at rajashree@bikramyoga.com to learn more about how to better juggle all the conflicting demands made on you.

Rajashree Choudhury is the wife of Bikram Choudhury, the founder of the world's "hottest" school of yoga. Rajashree conducts seminars on yoga and personal development worldwide and is well-known for her highly-acclaimed pregnancy yoga class. Look for Bikram Yoga Studios in your area.

Meet my friend John...

Although not really someone I know.. a friend at work sent this to me and I have had requests for repost.....

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'He was a natural motivator.If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time How do you do it?He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood I choose to be in a good mood.' Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested. 'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.' I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars? I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live. 'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked He continued, '..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action. 'What did you do?' I asked.'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.' He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.> > > > > > Attitude, after all, is everything. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34. After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
Make your weekend great. Hugs and love, Gigi P

Handbook for Living 2009

Hi BEAUTIFUL MOM/DADS/ People. I hope this blog entry finds you well. With all that is going on in the world right now I am really finding that I need to practice EXTREME SELF CARE. Meaning I am really working to take good care of myself.. maybe even better care than I usually do. Yes I still have a lot of sleep deprived nights and heck I have two small children so it is really hard to take care of myself.. but I really work to drink my water, think good empowering thoughts... and do my yoga and meditation even if its just 2 minutes of sitting quietly before I go to bed and allowing myself to breathe deeply....

I wanted to share the Handbook for Living 2009 version. My dear work friend, Zuni sent it to me. I think I received it back at the beginning of the year but I am glad it came across my desk again.

READ IT. Are you practicing any of these? What would you add? Would love your comments.

PEACE and LOVE, Gieselle/Gigi

HANDBOOK 2009 Health: 1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.( I know your saying WHAT?)
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits..
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society: 25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life: 32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.



SENDING YOU LOVE.. LOTS OF LOVE on this journey of parenting and living FULLY and WONDERFULLY.... Gieselle/Gigi

Hey Mom Are You Living a Life You Love???????

Welcome to my new blog... Pretty & Pink Mom Life Coach. For several years now I have had the plan to eventually launch my own business as a Life Coach. A life coach is not someone who has their own life so together but rather someone on the journey to create a great life for themselves and those they love( as much as they can for others anyway). Life coaches are good listeners (or try to be). They are often mirrors for people, playing back what they hear and being honest about what the person is saying. They will often work on a specific issues, confidence, public speaking, wardrobe, interviewing etc. Or they can just be with the person. Are you living a high quality life? Is your life joyful? Are you focused on your true priorities? I would love to work with you to:

• find YOU in your life. Find what brings you joy and ensure you include joyful elements in your day.
• get clear on who you are, identify strengths, development areas , and find your life's work.
• build a plan to ensure you are taking care of yourself.
• build a transition to maternity leave/ post maternity leave /transition from stay at home to outside of home work world.
• create your Family Mission Statement/ Goals or Personal Mission Statement.
• work on any aspect of Career Development( resume writing, networking, marketing yourself, interviewing).
• improve your communication skills, public speaking as well as interpersonal skills.
• provide a confidential space where you can cry.. laugh or any version of the two.
• improve any aspect of your life that is important to you and helps you to live your best life!