Enough is Enough

So there are officially 4 days until Christmas and I find myself still thinking of things I could still buy, things I should try and get done before the big day, etc. And then there was the nice reminder from the news today of did you remember to tip the trash man, postal carrier etc. And while I sat and pondered do I tip the trash man this year or give the money to a charity helping the homeless, I find myself asking the question, when is enough, enough? I had said yesterday how good I felt to be done with my shopping and ready to spend the next few days wrapping gifts, baking cookies with Cole and enjoying the last few days before the holiday and yet, here I am feeling like I need to be doing more. Is this the old overachiever in me coming out again or an overwhelming desire to please (maybe both)? What ever it is, I’m starting to reach my limit and have to say enough is enough!! The holidays shouldn’t be about killing ourselves, stressing ourselves out or over extending ourselves but should be about the memories we create, the time spent with the ones we love and remembering the true meaning of Christmas. I want to enjoy my holidays and not feel exhausted and overwhelmed, how about you?

My wish for you is that you stay true to yourself and to the meaning of Christmas and know when enough is enough! Angela

Lots to Celebrate!!!!!

This weekend included a big road opening celebration here in St. Louis (the project my hubby works on and the reason we moved to St. Louis in 2007) and my best friends “Jingle Bells for Basal Cells” fundraising run for the BCCNS organization in Bartlesville, OK. While both were for very different reasons, both were a HUGE success! And since my family couldn’t physically be at the jingle bell race supporting my friends cause, Jason, my father in-law and Cole (all bundled up from the cold) ran in the St. Louis I64 highway opening 5K run wearing their “jingle bells for basal cell” t-shirts as a way to support from afar. And wouldn’t you know it, while we are 6 hours from Bartlesville, we even received some interest from other curious runners. I guess it goes to show that even the simplest and smallest forms of support can go a long way in supporting any cause!

I’m extremely proud of my friend Christen for orchestrating such a wonderful fundraising event and of Jason and the I64 team for making the highway job such a huge success for the city of St. Louis and the state of Missouri!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!! XOXO

Saying No is Never Easy

Saying No has always been a challenge for me but I really started to explore it more and see it as a form of self care when I was introduced to the book "The Mother’s Guide to Self Renewal" by Renee Trudeau. It was obvious back then and still is today that it’s not easy for me to say No, especially when I fear that doing so may hurt feelings or upset someone. I was raised in a household where you didn’t say No often and you definitely never said NO if you thought it might upset or hurt someone’s feelings. You basically did whatever you could for others and in turn that meant a lot of times you put yourself last.

Over the past few years I’ve been practicing self care more and more and have learned that one of the benefits to saying No is that it can also mean saying Yes to me and my needs. I’ve learned gracious ways to say No and or offer alternative ways of support from Renee’s book and found the strength and courage to actually say No more often when it wasn't in my best interest to say Yes.

But recently I had to tell one of my dearest friends in the world that I wouldn’t be able to make it in town for her son’s big charity 5K run that she’s been planning all year and boy was that tough. I really hoped that I could be there to support her and the cause but things just got crazy in the last few weeks with my husbands job commitments and the realization of the amount of solo traveling this pregnant mama would have to endure. So what did I do, I stalled for days on telling her, waiting to find the right time – which never came by the way and then finally as the days drew nearer I knew I had to tell her. It wasn’t easy telling her I wouldn’t be there but she handled it as only a great friend would, she said she totally understood and reassured me it was alright. It wasn’t easy telling her No but at the same time it was what I needed to do to take care of me right now and I hope she would do the same thing for herself if the roles were reversed.

So as you embrace this holiday season, think about what you need to do to take care of yourself and see if saying No even once might help!

And if you are curious and want to learn more about Renee's book, visit her website at www.reneetrudeau.com