Style & Serenity

Mother’s Day

May 8th, 2015

Ever since I can remember, even as a small child, Mother’s Day has been a significantly special day for me. Like many who are lucky enough to have an amazing mom I feel blessed to have mine. This has always been the case although I’ve admittedly had a tumultuous relationship with my mother in adolescence.

Even in my rebellious years my mother always showed her love and never gave up on me. She also never waivered with her strict rules. Looking back it must have been difficult for her. I know it’s hard for me to say no to my daughter! I also know that if it wasn’t for my mother, I probably would not have made the best choices in life. I’m thankful to her and when it comes time for me to keep my daughter safe I’ll do the same. Although I don’t plan to be as strict as my parents, I’ll do the best that I can, just like they did.

My mother has always been my champion. She has always pushed me to shoot for the stars. Even when I thought something was impossible to achieve she would say, ” no it isn’t! Anything is possible as long as you want it, you can achieve it.” My mom is an educated, stylish, beautiful sophisticated woman who has spent her life giving to others. She worked professionally as a teacher but she always says her greatest job is to be a mother. She has raised five children including her nephew for seven years of his life. She is the person I look to for strength, comfort and advice. She is my best friend. Not a day goes by that we don’t talk. Some people think that’s too much and that we are too close but for me, every day spent with my mom in this world is one that I cherish.

There is a song by Celine Dion that always makes me think of my mom “Because you loved me” by Diane Warren. It’s almost like the lyrics where written about our relationship.

You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall, you’re the one
Who saw me through, through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see

You saw the best there was in me
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky

I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love, I had it all

I’m grateful for each day you gave me
I was blessed because I was loved by you
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me

Thank you mom for always believing in me. You continue to be my strength and example of what a mother should be. I hope I’m half the mother you are to my Sophia. Being Sophia’s mother is a privilege and being your daughter is an honor.

I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you hardworking moms…and to my friends that have lost their precious moms…..you are in my heart and prayers.

Our children

May 6th, 2015

I love taking pictures of beauty and innocence. I’ve captured some lovely moments with the children in my life. With a blink of an eye they grow and move on to make a path of their own in the world. This poem expresses what it means to have these little gems in our lives for a beautiful yet brief time.

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, “Speak to us of Children.”
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. -Khalil Gibran

An ageless life

April 28th, 2015

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

Does your age limit who you are? Remember the time when you couldn’t wait to celebrate your twenty first birthday?

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.

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.

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!

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

April 19th, 2015

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.

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.

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.

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