Summer vacation is coming to an end for most of us in the South.  Use the last few days to organize not only you kids  schedules, rooms, clothes and lives…but yours too.  This may sound daunting but your mornings  will be easier and your evening  cooking more pleasant.

I have started not buying in bulk, this might sound crazy, we got into a rut of eating the same preserved foods…now I  shop like European folk who go grocery shopping just about every day.  I buy very small quantities and I  can cook what I feel like that day for my family.  This has made supper more fun and tasty.

As for mornings, I will simply slip on my walking  clothes, no make-up necessary which will cut lots of time in the early morning rush, and go walking straight after I drop the kids off at school.

Thereafter, I can enjoy a shower and put my make-up on in peace.

Enjoy the last chapter of that book, put all in order if you can, throw away what isn’t used or give it to someone, clean out and ponder on the more free time that you have created with more peace…hopefully.

 Vana Shipton

Our days… moms, are filled with schedules, to-do lists, school meetings, sports meetings and we are constantly doing for others, husbands, children, house, dry-cleaning.  It all sounds  pretty glamorous to some, and we may squeeze a lunch date in there somewhere,  however is it extremely time-consuming.  A very little is  left over for us,  if any at all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t enjoy exercise but I do see the benefit in it.  Our bodies obviously need it for health purposes and it will look good in turn.  One of my favorite parts is the mental silence or mental shower as  some  call it.  The bliss of no cell, no email, no computer, no tv, no input what-so-ever, just the slight cool breeze coming off the shore while I walk.  My all time favorite part is when I’m done and showering, knowing I have done it and that alone puts  my mind at ease. So go ahead  put on a great looking t-shirt, and get some mental bliss, everyone will benefit from it, most of all you and your family.  I’m sure they too will appreciate a happy mom.

Vana Shipton

Actual resolutions I am very excited about.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it in a conceited way.  More like, I will try not to rush so much, or take 5 minutes longer to exercise or shower a little longer and breathe deeply while using that special body gel I bought over the holidays.  Exercise, that’s a whole other book, never mind chapter, okay I started walking today again, it actually felt good.  Basically to try and feel better about my work, socially, my family even financially.  To try and be simpler and make life easier and therefore a little more in control in every aspect.

PURGE paper, negative people, unnecessary shoes (NO MORE black shoes till others have been worn and destroyed), NO MORE food I don’t want to eat because I read in some book that it’s good for you, PURGE movies I don’t really want to watch, NO MORE bad service at restaurants (I’m going to take cooking lessons and drink red wine while cooking, I might as well tip myself right?).  I am going to slow down, zoom out, to try and savor and enjoy.  We owe that to ourselves.  As woman we find it so difficult to let ourselves enjoy something and then try to not apologize for it.  We read it almost everyday, but do we actually do it. Well I’m going to.  Now I’m going to try and get a massage out of my husband…sweet dreams, you deserve it.

 by Vana Shipton

Can you believe that is almost the end of summer vacation. In Florida schools go back earlier than up north. In exactly 2 weeks I will have to get up at 6.42am. Oh, how I hate getting up early, I mean I loath it, I would much rather wake up at 8am and finish my day that much later. It’s still dark and the birds aren’t even awake at least not in our tree, it must have rubbed off.

Oh well, if I absolutely have too, I guess the kids have to go to school to learn how to read the McDonald value meals.

At least it’s not cold in the morning. Just 5 more minutes…..zzzzz.