Monthly Archives: April 2015

An ageless life

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“Getting older is inevitable, aging is optional.” Dr. Christiane Northrup, MD

232323232fp537;4_nu=3285_359_557_WSNRCG=345643799_32_nu0mrjDoes your age limit who you are? Remember the time when you couldn’t wait to celebrate your twenty first birthday?

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You proudly announced your age to anyone that would listen to you. It’s different when you hit your 30’s, 40’s and beyond. Many of us don’t really want to shout out our age. Although there are a handful of friends that say they feel empowered when they “own” their age.

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Next Friday is my birthday. I’ve always hated getting older, even in my twenties. Unlike those that feel empowered to “own” their age I want to forget it! Don’t get me wrong, I like celebrating my birthday. I especially love getting presents! Honestly, I think moving through time is an opportunity to increase our value and our confidence. I just don’t want to state my age out loud. In fact, I’ve decided not to from now on! That’s because the second someone asks your age and you tell them they put you in a box and label you.  Our culture is all about the war on aging. How do we stay young? But why fight getting older? Everyday we all get older.

As the years pass we experience life, the good and the bad. With those experiences we become more wise, sometimes we are left with both emotional and physical scars. We really begin to know ourselves. We start to evolve and look within ourselves instead of looking out. We realize that the world does not revolve around us and we look to better ourselves as human beings. We learn to let go of our ego. We care less about what people think of us and more about how we feel about ourselves. We seek spiritual guidance. We realize change is inevitable and learn to become more flexible.

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What I wanted in my twenties is not what makes me happy today.  I’m much closer to knowing what really matters in life now. I’m not there altogether yet, but I’m close. So it’s not that I don’t embrace getting older it’s just that announcing my age makes me feel like people put me in a box. “Oh she is 34, 38…oh she is 40..(none of them are my real age by the way.) A box of what I’m supposed to wear, where I’m supposed to be in life. How I’m supposed to act. I just want to be me. Take me as I am, don’t worry about my age. The essence of who I am will never change, no matter what age I am.

I’ve heard so many of my friends say “well, it’s all downhill from here…we aren’t as young as we used to be.” No we aren’t, but we don’t have to curl up and die! My parents often say ” well these are the last days of our lives”. I think why say that? Why think that way? It only brings you and others around you down. You are alive today, be in the present!

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Do something that makes you feel great! One of the best ways to feel younger is to sourround yourself with things and people that bring you joy. The best is yet to come. It’s not over until it’s over. Don’t dwell in your own hell. Own the pain you have gone through. It could be a divorce, or a broken friendship, or a loss. We have to let ourselves feel the pain in order to heal. How you deal with loss and pain creates how you age. Burning off or letting go of the pain is how you heal and stay ageless. Let it go and live. That is the only way to live your life happy.

It’s not something I’ve mastered but it’s something I try to practice. Leave it to God.

 

 

Doll Face

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Sonia Singh is an artist, illustrator and scientist in Tasmania. She’s also a woman who is doing something that may change the way little girls see themselves.  When Singh was a child she says her mother didn’t let her play with Barbie dolls because of their curvy shapes and overt makeup. She says now she can understand that those are some things that can affect the way young girls perceive themselves.

Our daughters are influenced by celebrities, models and dolls like Barbie. With these unrealistic expectations projected onto them, how are they supposed to feel when they look in the mirror? Looking at Barbie with her unrealistic body and the Bratz dolls with all their overly done made-up faces and inappropriate clothing, you have to wonder if the girls who play with them, believe that is what they are SUPPOSED to look like.

I love that Singh navigated the world of hyper-sexualized dolls and decided to turn them into something that resembles what a little girl really looks like. She recycled, then repaired old dolls to resemble a child.

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She uses nail polish remover and erases away their overly done made-up faces. She then uses her artistic skills to make them under with new age appropriate styles.

It gives the dolls a new lease on life and gives young girls something that they can identify with.

 

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I love her idea and her dolls!  The recycled dolls are beautiful and ready for little imaginations to take them for an adventure. They are gorgeous dolls that I hope will take flight with mainstream doll manufacturers.

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My daughter Sophia thinks the new look is pretty and natural….”just like all my friends” she says. The overly made-up dolls looked scary to her. That’s my girl! See what your daughters say about the make-under look.

You can support Sonia Singh and her work by going to the Tree Change Dolls etsy shop and ordering a set of greeting cards or limited edition prints that features her original photos of some of first Tree Change Dolls. Every month she lists a Tree Change Doll on Ebay with most of the proceeds going to charity.

Want to give your child’s dolls a make-under? If you’re interested Singh has created some DIY videos to show you how. I know I’m going to give it a try.

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqiNDsTcknk – – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bduNyTTIvF4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqYp7XTQNu4

 

 

Birthday Girl

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On April 4th my little girl turned 9. I can’t believe just how fast time went. It feels like she was just born yesterday. I remember the exact moment I laid eyes on her beautiful face. The feeling that came over me was one that is indescribable, but I’ll try. I felt as if my heart was going to come out of my body. I couldn’t believe she was ours. A symbol of the love I shared with my husband. She was now our entire world. All I was focused on were her big dark eyes and pouty pink lips…and just how little and delicate she was. She was like a perfect little doll.

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It amazed me how her birth had changed our lives forever. I remember my best friend had sent me a card before I had her. In the card she had written something like get ready for your life to turn upside down and for your heart to burst open with love. Her description of how it was going to be from now on was perfect. It’s exactly what had happened. Her birth changed us from being a couple, to being parents. We would never sleep soundly again!

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I wondered how we were going to take care of her and keep her safe. I’ve continued to wonder about that every day since I’ve had her. I’ve focused on keeping her healthy,  only giving her foods that are organic and fresh. I had played classical music the entire time I was pregnant and I continued that tradition during her infancy. I sang to her all the time, still do but now she asks me to PLEASE STOP! I tried to teach her everything I can since the very beginning. I took her to “Mommy and Me” music classes beginning at 3 months of age. Thank Goodness for those classes and “Not Just Art” a place in Oyster Bay that provides the class. It helped keep me sane for the first few years of being a parent.  I met some of my dearest mommy friends there. Liz, Lisa, Maria, Christine, Dina, so many great women that have traveled the crazy road of motherhood with me. I cherish them and their friendship. In fact, I’ve met a lot of amazing women because of my daughter, Jaime, Amy, Kerri, Tatiana, Francesca, Sine, Sue, there are so many more I’ve not mentioned but they all help me in my journey as a mother. We learn from one another, we give support to each other but most importantly we try to be the best parents we can be for our children. I hope I always have these amazing women in my life.

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Since Sophia’s birth, I’ve tried my best to be a good parent. I’ve worried about giving her too much, or too little. I worry about her being an only child, I try to surround her with positive friends so she is not too lonely. Her friends are little girls that are kind, considerate, inclusive people. I’ve done my best to help her bond with her cousins by spending ample time together.  I’ve tried to instill in her the importance of family and being there for each other, always having one another’s best interest in heart.

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She has great relationships with her grandparents, aunts, uncles a plenty. So much love. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. In the end, that is the most important thing to give our children, our love.

I hope be a good influence to my daughter and lead her into the path meant for her and share all that I learn to help others raising children. After all, we all want the best for our little ones.