The Power of Priorities

My husband really struggles with perspective. When things are crazy at work, he is like a charging bull-

he puts his head down and charges through until the task is complete-
It is actually a quality that I admire and truly believe it is one of his greatest strengths- charging bulls do NOT get distracted by their environment. They see that bright red tease of the conquistador and that is ALL that they can see!
It is also one of his biggest weaknesses. This incredible focus and determination also prevents him from seeing a beautiful sunset or a fleeting rainbow,

dancing in the rain,

A sudden & massive downpour- gone in 5 minutes!

or sensing the needs of a struggling child!

Smiling but having a REALLY hard day :'(

Because of a recent life changing event in his life, he has the blessing and opportunity to re-invent himself a little. He has been more responsive than he has ever been before to my way of thinking (we definitely have a yin/yang relationship) and we have spent a lot of time talking about growth, perspective and priorities! On Thursday, we had the opportunity to talk about ways to set his priorities in order. Taking from Steven R. Covey's teachings and principles of balance, I suggested that hubby dear write his number one priorities. Those priorities will go FIRST into his calendar and 'to do' lists! After they have been accounted for, he can add in other tasks and chores!

As a result of our little chat, I felt the need to take a quick check into my own life balance as well. Though I study this topic thoroughly, counsel and advise others frequently, and practice all the techniques I know for physical and mental balance; it is important to check in with yourself once in awhile. It is far too easy to get distracted and have balance disturbed.

As I pondered my own life balance and priorities this past week, I noticed one thing that created within me a wake up call to awareness of my own goals and dreams. I have this dream, it's been with me for as long as I can remember- but I've always just kept it on the back burner as a "one day" type of dream! As I studied and had to report frequently on Time Management for a class I was taking last semester, I realized that not only is a 'dream unwritten merely a wish', but I also realized that by burying this dream in the context of secret life's desires, I had inadvertently tucked it a way, committing to myself that it would never manifest in my reality!!!

OOOOOOOHHHHHH! I did not like this idea at all, but I KNEW it was true! In order for anything to come into reality, it must be lived, talked about and acted upon as if it IS a reality! The problem that arises is that because dreams are often so ambiguous, it is hard to commit to them when the bills need to be paid, a child forgets their homework, or you see a spec of dirt on the floor (I'm an OCD housewife, by the way).

So acting on the advice I gave him, I sat down to pinpoint my priorities. I made a list of things that are MOST important to me. These things almost ALWAYS fall to the bottom of my lists (or worse yet, to 'tomorrows' list, which is where tasks go to die in my world)! When one of these things does make it into my day, there is a good chance that I DO NOT enjoy it as much as I should because of guilt for what I am NOT doing or fear that I will neglect something more important and let someone down!

*** Just a quick word of advice- if you hear in your mind or feel in your heart words like "fear", "shame", "guilt", or "regret" KNOW that these words do NOT exist in the current moment!! These are words that indicate you are living in the past or the future- both of which don't really exist- so do NOT let these feelings stick around. (more on this topic another day)

Because I think holistically- body, mind, and spirit- my list is separated this way as well. But here it is:

My Top 3 Personal Interests

1. Exercise

2. Study

3. Writing

My Top 3 Family Joys

1. Travel

2. Play

3. Food

and My Top 3 Spiritual Desires

1. Study

2. Worship

3. Family History (both for my posterity and my ancestors)

Eat, Sleep, Teach, Repeat

Please notice that clean floors, perfectly kept bedrooms and sparkling windows are NOT on these lists. Though a clean and orderly house is very important to me (did I say I suffer from OCD housewife syndrome?), it is NOT what is going to get me into Heaven nor is it the legacy I want to leave behind. I DO have to fit it in- I can't deny that-
BUT
...I have to make room for the true desires of my heart first. This perspective is what fuels dreams, harnesses power and drives personal success. I may not get to these items EVERY day- but if I have gone weeks without these priorities, there is a good chance I'm living a life off balance and off my chosen journey!

What would be your top 3 priorities and what can you do to make sure these priorities are making it into your daily life?
Go out and live the life you dream, the life you cherish, the YOU you were meant to be!


Blessings & Balance to you and yours,
TKP

Try Something New- Do Something Different

I taught an awesome Yoga class today-

They were as diverse a group as you can get; all ages, sizes, experience and a group of men & women!

It was a Power Yoga class, and I'm here to say- I teach a hard power class! These people are building muscle- this ain't that "stretch and sleep" yoga but a 'come out sweaty from head to toe' YOGA!

As we opened the practice, I encouraged them to do a body scan of their body. This is easy to do- close down your eyes and as you begin to pay attention to your breath, travel up your body from toes to forehead, concentrating on one body part with each inhale/exhale breath cycle. As you scan, just pay attention to anywhere in your body where you might be storing stress, guilt, tightness, anxiety! You'd be surprised, we hold a wad of emotional garbage in our bodies- this awareness allows you to send that (fillintheblank) out of your body with each exhale-

We then set an intention for our practice to replace all the emotional garbage we just emptied with creativity and adventure! "We are going to need this creativity and adventure later in the practice" I warned them!

(I'm afraid I may have scared some people with that comment- but luckily they ALL stayed)

Because I had such a diverse group, I gave them variations on our poses depending on their abilities and experience. Though I gave them a wide range of options, I encouraged them to draw upon that "creativity and adventure" that we had brought into our minds and now bring it to the mat.
I was SO excited as I saw most people at least attempt an arm balance or a bind or any variety of NEWNESS to their practice.

This philosophy doesn't just exist on the yoga mat however. I have a FAV instructor at the gym and she reminds us often to add more weight if we are comfortable or mix up our workout routines. There is NO growth in comfortable and NO excitement in complacency.

I love this web talk by David Eagleman about How to Slow Down Time! It is worth the ten minutes it will take you to watch it. I love that the simple and VERY conscious act of switching up our routines can add enough impact to our lives that time literally slows down.

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I am taking a Time Management class for school and we have been discussing just how many decisions we make on a daily basis that we DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT! These are BIG decisions, some with BIG consequences! Have you ever been driving down the road and all of a sudden realize you're on the way to the wrong place? Or wondered how you got to where you are? Life is RACING before us because we live on autopilot more than we live in the moment.

Take a moment today, just a few moments to do a body scan-
Where do you feel tension? Where do you feel ease?

Encourage the ease, release the tension and than go forward with your day with an eye to Newness, and eye to Adventure, and eye to Enjoying the very moment you are in RIGHT NOW!
Where you are going WILL happen! What you need to do WILL get done! The difference you're going to make is that you are going to ENJOY the JOURNEY-
I'm telling you, this is a GREAT JOURNEY of life we are on,
it just takes a little balance to see it-

Find your Balance &
You'll see the Beauty

Blessings & Balance,
Treisha

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I have been thinking about this for several days
and decided that the thought needed to be put
into writing- maybe just for me-
but hopefully for you too.

I am almost 100% sure that I am not the only
mom/woman/human/adult (pick your noun)
who worries about the life they are living
and if it is the life they should be or COULD be living!

I have been really been struggling since we made
this most recent move!
It's been almost 2 years, for crying out loud-
and I just can't seem to get any semblance of
BELONGING!

Honestly it is the weirdest thing...
I wish I could explain it without sounding WEIRD!

Anyway,
I have offered many prayers on this matter and
a few days ago, I feel that I got a mini-answer
Maybe not an answer,
but definitely a little bit of an understanding.

You see,
I feel like I've been holding back since we moved to Texas-
definitely not on purpose,
and definitely not on everything...
but I've been holding back those things that I love-
love to share, love to create and love to do!

For 9 years we lived somewhere that we loved-

Our beautiful home in small town MN

kind people, great friends, awesome experiences!

Pig Roast in a garage- classic MN entertaining venue

I loved to decorate, craft, scrapbook, sew

Ten years of Ornament Exchange ornamentation- my favorite tradition EVER!!

and mostly I loved to host...

Andover Ward Ten Year Anniversary

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING-

I loved to find a reason to have a bunch
of people together laughing and having a good time!

6th Annual 4th of July Bike Parade

We had a lot of space,

Human Foosball at our 'Nothing Like a Good Friend Party'

a lot of flexibility

Ice Hockey on our Front Yard Pond

and it was simply what I LOVED to do...

Every good Bike Parade ends with a game of Water Baseball

I started hearing some pretty unkind criticism of
the things I loved to do,
and I noticed that I started to hold back and feel
anxious when I wanted to host a party or an activity-
I tried so hard to not allow the unkind remarks of some
to influence my heart,
but I fell prey to human emotion
and the remarks left a sting.

And then we moved...
No one knew me, which meant
no one knew what I did in my spare time
or what talents or skills I had or didn't have

and I found that I became a different version of ME!

We became Beach Bumms to the MAX

To be honest, I liked this version of me quite a bit too...
weekends at the beach,

Muscle Beach... always a FAV

Any Day is a Beach Day

lunch with friends, shopping in the city-
my husband has teased that I was on a 3 year play date :)

And because I felt like a blank slate,
I incorporated some things into my life that I hadn't
taken enough time for before-

Yoga moved from an exercise routine to a way of life

Over time, I started to add some of the old me back
into my life and things were really starting to click
that this could be my new HOME!

Pasta Parties before a Swim Meet

Kids in the Kitchen cooking classes

AND THEN WE MOVED AGAIN!

and I feel like a clean slate that just doesn't dare to be
inked up or colored on.
But I also feel a little lost and a lot lonely-


Now I want to take a minute to say, that
there are some things that I have added to my life
because of where I am emotionally that I LOVE-

So I'm not a male accordion player- but I do spend a lot of time in peaceful contentment

and honestly I wouldn't trade these things for the world-
or for either of my past lives!
 
But it doesn't change the fact that I feel a little disconnected...

So as I was praying one day,
desperate for guidance or understanding,
I envisioned a beautiful flower-

alone in a meadow.
Though the flower was alone amongst all the green foliage,
it was blossoming in it's full glory-
big, colorful and full of God's splendor.

I realized that not for one moment did that flower
hesitate to bloom,

never once did it question how long it
would be able to sustain that blossom nor did it ask
how many people would get to see it's beauty-

The flower blossomed because it was time
AND that is what it was created to do-
to reach it's full potential,
to magnify the measure of its creation.

I thought about this ALL day-
and I asked myself a lot of questions.

Why am I holding back?
What am I holding back?
Who am I waiting to give me permission to live the life
I want to live?
Why do I think it matters where I live to fulfill the full
measure of MY creation?

I loved this visual aid that Heavenly Father gave me.
I do better when I can SEE the lesson-
and I could SEE this!
Not only could I see the flower imagery,
but I could apply it into my own life.

I understand a little more why I feel so disconnected
AND more importantly,
I understand what I need to do to fix it-

I need to consider my life as a wonderful journey-
similar to a walk in a park with little kids!

My kiddos could walk along and gather
anything and everything-
rocks, sticks, leaves...
At the end of the day they were the same
beautiful kids they were at days beginning
(probably a little dirtier)
BUT they had gathered a lot of little treasures to take home with them!
Some treasures we keep,

It's not what you do, but who you do it with that really matters

some we outgrow or leave behind

These treasures moved on to their own bigger and better...

and some are precious enough to display...

Some people come into your life long enough to make a forever imprint on your heart

I just happen to be walking through a much larger park :)

I just need to remember that we have gathered some amazing treasures over the years

Enjoy your day
Enjoy where you are right now
And never let a single day pass by
without living up to the full potential of THAT DAY

Sunday Sundae- Healthy Style

I'm going to tell you about it someday!

One day when I am sure that I can speak about it
with some level of confidence and humility-
right now it is still pretty personal,
But I joined An Addiction Recovery Program.

One reason I don't want to talk about it
YET...
Is that my Addiction is a widely debated topic
in the diet, nutrition and addiction fields

Some say "ABSOLUTELY" and others
laugh and scorn and say things like
"You don't know what you're talking about"

So I've kept it relatively to myself-
I've teased with my friends for a long time that
I was going to do it,
and Finally, I decided it wasn't a joke
(at least, it wasn't to me)
and I joined a program sponsored by my church-
You can learn more here if you are interested

My addiction is to Sugar-
To me it is a real, powerful and to easy to ignore problem-

But like I said,
more on that later!!

I have found that there are a few things I can
do to enjoy Dessert Time with my family on
Sunday evenings.
This is one of my Favorite-

The Waffle Bowls are Homemade

My Hubby is the Master at Waffle Bowl Making

and are made with alternative ingredients for me
but honestly, I don't often eat mine anyway
(I've just learned I'd rather not eat,
than deal with all the substitutions sometimes)

I add some delicious Fruit-
a hearty and healthy serving thank you very much!

I add lime juice and lemon & lime rind 20 minutes before I serve it

I top my "Sundae" with Plain Greek Yogurt
flavored with Cranberry Balsamic Vinegar
or Vanilla Bean Paste and Lemon Extract

What's Not Fabulous About This?

The last time we had ice cream Sundaes,
three of my five kids at home
opted for my version and said no
to the ice cream :)
Oh happy DAY

Good as it Gets Granola

I have been avoiding Wheat and Wheat Products
for quite some time.
I can tell within two days when I am cheating
because my fingers and knees HURT,
my ankles and hands swell and I feel all over ACHY!

I can tell I've gone really too far outside of my
eating goals when my ears start to itch, my nose runs
and I break out in an all over rash (this is usually when
I am eating wheat and sugar). Add in soy to the mix
and you will quickly find me in an all over body rash
that has an itch to it that rivals poison ivy-
Though there is NO WAY
(at least that I know of)
to prove that preservatives and additives also make
me sick (its hard to find a food with preservatives that
does NOT contain one of the aforementioned products).

For me, this ain't NO DIET TREND-
it's a Quality of Life Trend!

But anytime someone asks me for menu ideas for
going Gluten Free, I panic just a little bit-
Gluten Free is a much bigger topic than simply
avoiding wheat products-
Gluten can be found in a wide range of products,
including make-up and deli meats.
For our friends with Celiac Disease (an auto-immune
disorder that causes damage- to the small intestine and
disrupts the absorption of foods; gluten is responsible
for the damage) being gluten free isn't a trend or a
dietary statement, it is a way of life.
I also highly advise those with Lupus or Crohn's Disease
to avoid gluten as much as you possibly can!

I can't guarantee the Gluten Free-edness of this
Granola Recipe-
BUT I can totally guarantee the YUMMY factor
that this recipe holds-

Really, granola is about as individual as the person
who makes it. Add whatever you like as fillers, I'm just
sharing my favorites.
I know you can buy granola at the store-
and it may even be comparable in cost-
But for me-
there is nothing like knowing what is in the food
that I eat and what I feed my kiddos!

It's a simple recipe, use whatever add ins you like best.
I love that this has no junk in it- it's just good for me,
good for you, good tasting...
It's simple Goodness
Now for Goodness Sakes go make some quick before
the kids get home from school!

Save Me Some... Granola

8 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (I use coconut sugar or sucanat)
2 cups add ins *
*** Mix these ingredients together.

In a small pan, combine
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
*** Heat these four ingredients until butter melts
(P.S. The last time I made this,
I added some cranberry balsamic vinegar that I LOVE-
the granola had a darker color, but tasted so good)

Pour over the oat and yumminess mixture.
Divide between 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper

My 12 year old made this batch. How easy is that?

Bake at 300 for 30 minutes (I almost always
cook it longer than that!
Store and Enjoy

Makes me want to grab a ramekin and dish up...

Oooops! I guess I did grab a ramekin...

* Really, the sky is the limit for add ins.
If you like it,
I say it is fair game for granola!
My favorite mix ins include, but are not limited to...

 

Sunflower Seeds, Flax Seeds, Pignolias

Chopped Pecans & Large Flake Unsweetened Coconut

Coconut Oil & Pure Maple Syrup

 

Extra Thick Rolled Oats & Dried Berry Medley

The Complete Cast of Characters...

I shouldn't have, but I did

I know better-
I really, really know better!

But I did it anyway-
and you know what,
I am DARN glad that I did!!

I bribed my 8 year old son

to try to eat healthy for ONE full week-
NO sugar,

The Makings of Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

NO artificial food
 
and LOTS & LOTS of
Fruits & Veggies

You see, we eat healthy-

at least mostly-

here at Chez Peterson,

But my two youngest-
well they are the shame of our Chez,
they are the pickiest of the picky-
so I got desperate and
I bribed him!!

In exchange, I offered a treat
at the local Yogurt Stop that he
has wanted for SOOOOOO long-

This is a treat I always say 'NO' to-
Not to mention,
in January, we stopped going for
store bought treats completely,
so he has been YEARNING to
go and get a big ole' yogurt smoothie!

I NEVER bribe healthy for junk-
I mean
REALLY- where is the logic??

But desperate times called for desperate measures-
and this mom saw NO other option.

He has been amazing-
He is bound and determined to succeed.
He has eaten veggies at EVERY meal,
he has tried cantaloupe, blackberries and green grapes-

he has eaten cucumbers, celery and avocado!

You don't live here, so you don't realize it
BUT this is BIG

Today is Day 4-
one more school day to go,
Next week we are going at it again-
we'll make it longer-
TEN DAYS!

There is hope yet that he won't turn to plastic
because of all the fake food he eats!