Oops, Almost Forgot to Blog

It's 10:01pm on the final day of the one-week Your Turn Challenge and, after a weekend out celebrating a wonderful wedding, I almost forgot to blog today. I'll keep it brief with what I learned from blogging for seven days in a row. It was a valuable experiment. I learned that it takes dedication to blog every day, even for just one week. I learned that I do not want to continue, at least for now. I may revisit the idea of "shipping daily" later. For now, I'll return to keeping my daily writing private. It was a useful exercise to think daily about things you, dear blog reader, may want to read. My daily writing is self-centered. After all, it is personal; no one reads it except for me.

One thing I like the idea of doing in the future is a limited series of daily posts, perhaps on one topic or in one genre. Let me know in the comments if you have ideas for a future series.

Travel and Bring Back Courage as a Souvenir

It's Day 5 of the Your Turn Challenge, and the optional daily question is:

What advice would you give for getting unstuck?

I've heard this term "unstuck" a lot lately. It's either a trendy word or it's that reticular activator thing.

You feel stuck. You'd like to travel the world but you just can't get out of the situation you're in.

Everywhere you turn, you encounter another obstacle that makes it feel like you can't move.

-Your lack of vacation time

-Your fear of flying

-Your fear of getting lost, robbed, or just looking like a fool

-The 50 pound cat your mother gave you

You keep turning, and you'll keep encountering obstacles. You know there's probably a solution to each obstacle, but thinking about that hits a little too close to the truth: the obstacles are excuses.

There are two obstacles that are probably really at play:

1. No one in your circle of friends travels the way you want to travel. So you don't know what it looks like, feels like, or smells like. You have no reference and you'll have no real support.

2. You aren't willing to sacrifice what you need to give to take the trip: the difficult conversation with your boss, the time to attend the hypnosis sessions to beat your fear of flying, or the guilt and/or worry that comes with letting a stranger cat-sit.

If you have travel dreams and you feel stuck at home, know this: travel does require a degree of discomfort. Not just when you're on the road (or in the sky), but when you're interviewing strangers to look after your overweight cat, or when you are mispronouncing words in a foreign language.

So don't go. Don't do it. It's too hard. It's going to exhaust you, stretch you, and test you.

What? That's what you want? You want to get out of your comfort zone?

In that case, getting unstuck is simple. Take one step forward, even if it's a little scary and uncomfortable. Just one. And then the next.

Then bring back your courage as a souvenir. Share it with your friends. Travel - and growth -  is contagious.

Where We Are Now and The Birth of Our Son

Where In the World Are We?

We are currently staying in Lumberton, a small town in southeast North Carolina where my family lives, and where we chose to have our first baby.

The Ecstatic Birth of Our Son

The birth of our son was an incredible experience at the local hospital. We had competent and caring healthcare providers, including a nurse who told us she was leaving her job soon and wished our birth could've been her last because it was so touching.

Prince Charming held me in his arms for the ecstatic final moments (or was it hours?) of my 15 hour overnight labor. He skipped the lavish Thanksgiving feast (that he helped cook) to be there for every moment. I rewarded him by hitting him (apparently, although I have no recollection of that) when he came too close to me with breath smelling of powder-cheese snack crackers.

Magic and Romance

Parenthood has been magical. Our little boy is so deliciously perfect he's almost edible. We delight in snuggling with him and kissing his chubby cheeks. I give him new nicknames every hour. Charming likes to discuss solutions to world hunger and poverty with him.

New parenthood has also been hard. Hard, as in, sleepless and grumpy. The romance has taken a predictable hit. You know things are bad when, asked what he would like for his birthday, your husband says "just be nice to me."

Please keep in mind my sleep-deprived and cranky state as I describe our current location.

Lumberton, The Ugly

Located in Robeson County, NC, Lumberton is known for its violence, drug-trafficking, and obesity.

Parts of the county are considered a food desert. It's franchise fast-food for as far a the eye can see. And the eye can see far, as the land is flat here in this part of the state. My high school cross-country team would go to the man-made byway overpasses to do hill training.

There are no independent coffee shops or bookstores. Two recently opened businesses include a drive-through Starbucks and a large, almost warehouse-sized sex shop.

Lumberton, The Love

There are some things to love about Lumberton. Most importantly, my family is here, and they are immensely loveable.

It's got that slow-paced, small-town friendliness. We were standing in line at the post office, asking the attendant a question about the location of some government offices she didn't know the answer to. Three people in line behind us volunteered answers and other helpful tidbits.

People here are kind, friendly, hospitable, and truly caring. They have time for each other. There isn't much elitism, and, with a population evenly divided into four main ethnicities, the racism is, at least, a fair fight.

The town is also known for its extensive healthcare facilities. It's marketed to retired couples who make use of the healthcare facilities and enjoy relatively low-cost housing.

The landscape can be beautiful, especially if you enjoy lush fields of soft white cotton buds, lanky pines, and tastefully dilapidated tobacco barns. The Lumber River hides secrets in tea-colored water that languidly flows around knobby Cyprus knees.

The weather is mild in the winter. Air conditioning is plentiful in the summer.

The Lumbee Indian tribe here has a compelling history worth reading up on. The local, incomprehensible, deep-country dialect of English has a lilting musicality.

Lumberton isn't a place I would likely choose to spend much time in if my family wasn't here.  Sometimes it feels like I have a love-hate relationship with Lumberton. But the truth is, a place is really all about its people. And if that's the true, then Lumberton is a place to love.

Cheap Travel and Skipping the Souvenir Trap

Two travel tips for you today:

Save by Planning Ahead

According to a Wall Street Journal article published October 23, 2014, the best day of the week to buy a plane ticket is now Sunday, when prices tend to be lower. According to the Airlines Reporting Corp, you'll find the lowest price for a domestic ticket 57 days before departure, while you'll want to purchase your ticket for an international flight 171 days before departure for the best price.  Those are specific numbers. You win by being an above-average planner and counting back from your intended trip dates to get your ticket on the cheapest day.

 Avoid Schlepping Extra Stuff

I love this tip from one of my international traveler friends. She suggests taking pictures of souvenirs instead of buying them. Next time you're shopping abroad, pause before you hand over your cash. Take a picture instead. I snapped the top photo in a crazy flea market in Hollywood, California.  This photo reminds me of the visit and takes up less space in my home than if I'd brought home one of those carafes, kettles, or bowling pins.

If you buy souvenirs as gifts, instead have someone take a nice photo of you standing in front of a landmark and give that away instead.

For more simple living tips, visit SimpleLivingToolkit.com

I Got Myself Into This

Last week I wrote about how some successful writers/creatives swear by posting daily. I mentioned a few examples. One I didn't mention is Seth Godin. He calls getting his thoughts published "shipping," and does it daily. Last night found me spitballing to my family about ideas I have for Packing Lust, and about how I was playing with this idea of posting daily. My sister said that Seth Godin had a daily challenge coming up soon.

I looked it up, and of course it was starting tomorrow. With such serendipitous timing, I couldn't say no. Or rather, I couldn't just imagine I would do it at some vague point in the future. So I got myself into this 7 day challenge led by Winnie Kao, the Special Projects Lead for Seth Godin.

This is what happens when you say your intentions out loud. People give you suggestions and opportunities. It happened last night and after tweeting my intentions out publicly, I was committed.

I'm doing this as an experiment to see how the rhythm of posting daily feels. I tried it years ago and I couldn't maintain it.  Why'd I fail back then? Maybe I can explore that this week and figure out a way to avoid whatever the reason was.

It feels good to start following my own advice.

http://yourturnchallenge.strikingly.com/

Travel The World Indefinitely Packing List

To: Everywhere and AnywhereTrip Duration: Undefined

Originally Published June 2012.

This is the dream list, not the real list. I enjoy variety in clothes and shoes too much to be this minimalist, but I'm getting here one step at a time and one multi-use item discovery at a time.

The Two Bags

• One carry on size back pack

• One cross-body smaller bag, purse, or hip-bag for holding money, papers, small camera, etc.

Electronics

• Small laptop/netbook, cables, extra battery

• All necessary adapters and battery chargers

• Small camera & case

• Phone/Ipad/Iphone /kindle? For entertainment, reading, skyping?

• Doorstop alarm (or plastic door stop)

• Earphones/headphones

• Kindle and charger

Random But Important

• Passport (with copies of all documents with trusted folks back hom)

• Credit cards/debit cards

• Cash

• ID

• Travel documents

• Paper notebook

• Pencil, pen

• Jumping rope or parachute cable

• Can opener

• Flashlight

• Small matches

• Granola bar

• 2-3 gallon ziploc bags

• Very small cable lock

• Small travel candle

• Vitamins and/or emercenG

• Scissors

• tape

Toiletries

• Deodorant

• Toothbrush

• Fingernail clippers (share)

• Comb

• Solid shampoo/soap from Lush

• Razor for shaving

• Sexessories

• Lip balm - burts bees spf 8 (share)

• Tweezers

• Face/body wipes (share)

• Solid perfume

• Travel GLO brush

• GLO basic makeup pressed powder

• Solid eyeliner- brown

• GLO quadri-color eyes and cheeks

• Band-aids (share)

• Advil (share)

• Eyebrow comber/thin brush

• Small, super-absorbent towel (share)

• Lunette

• Pantiliners

 Liquids (limited)

• Hair conditioner for hair and shaving

• Nail polish

• Jojoba oil (trader joes) for moisturizing

• Toothpaste (share)

• Waterproof Mascara

• Face cleanser (share)

• Acne spot cream

• Small concealer

• SPF (recomended riemann once a day spf 20) (share)

• Neosporin (share)

Wardobe - Medium Climate

Underthings

• One strapless bra

• One sports bra that doubles as a bikini top

• One regular bra (wear)

• Four pairs of underwear, one that doubles as a bikini bottom (wear one)

• Three pairs of light-weight socks

• black stockings, one pair

Accessories

• Inexpensive/hard to steal jewelry

• Lightweight hair accessories/headbands

• Hair bands

• Hair pins

• Watch

• Running shoes

• Ballet Flats (good for walking)

• Medium weight scarf

• One warm hat

• Belt in the same color as my ballet flats

• Sunglasses

Clothes

• Black tee

• Black skirt

• Black icebreaker bodyfit crew top

• Nightgown

• Long colorful broomstick skirt (wear as skirt or dress)

• Light-weight jeans

• yoga pants - dark color

• Black workout shorts

• One quick-drying workout top

• One spagetti strap tank top

• One long (tunic-dress) tee shirt

• One tank top

• Light weight trench coat with waterproof coating for travel

• Emergency rain pain poncho (plastic)

Cold and/or Wet Climate Alterations

• Boots instead of ballet flats (boots with caribiners)

• Additional two pairs of heavy socks

• Waterproof jacket with hood or warmer rain poncho

• Gloves or mittens

• Heavier weight scarf

• Additional vest like ExOfficia women's convertible vest

• Switch out warm cap to a extra warm hat with ear area warmth

• Thermal underwear (long johns)

• Switch out nightgown for warm pajama set

Hot Climate and/or Beach/Tropical Alterations

• Flipflops instead of ballet flats

• Additional swimsuit

• Sarong/scarf instead of medium weight scarf

• Sun hat instead of warm hat

• Skip long yoga/travel pants

For more fantasy packing fun, check out my Pinterest board, What to Pack to Travel the World.

What About You?

Is there anything I left off that you think should be on there? Could you travel with this list? Need more? Need less?

The Power and Difficulty of Connecting Daily

I'm learning so much from my research into how artists make a living from their creativity. One thing that keeps coming up for folks that have quickly built a solid income up from zero is communication with their audience or fans. Not just any communication, daily communication.

 How to Get Rich Quick(er)

These creatives attribute their success almost entirely to the daily post. It's a ticket to success -- and transparency or honesty, which is a huge factor in our ability to connect with our audiences or market, no matter what line of business we are in.

I'm thinking of a copywriter/ online marketing expert who writes an email every day to his followers. He teaches all his clients to write the daily email, saying it is his key to success.

I'm thinking of the author of a diet book who posts a daily vlog to YouTube sharing what she's eating and how she's living a healthy lifestyle daily, as well as advice for those who want to be healthier. She has over 300,000 subscribers.

And I'm thinking of artist Jolie Guillebeau, who built her art business up quickly by sending a daily short email with a photo of the day's work and a story or observation about it.

She still sends those emails. I'm on her list and love the daily peek into a painter/potter's mind.

It's Too Hard

So why don't I do the daily post? Why don't most creatives?

It's like the story I heard in Hollywood. A well-known screenwriter regularly teaches a sold-out seminar where he takes hours to break down and analyse the structure of the classic film Casablanca.

At the end, he promises that if all present would just repeat the exercise regularly, they will because successful screenwriters. How can he make such a promise, he asks? He knows very few, if any of his students will follow through. No one is willing to spend the time on such a tedious exercise.

Daily posts take a lot of time. I tried it a few years ago and gave up because I felt I'd over committed and couldn't keep putting in the time to come up with thoughtful posts every day.

The other major obstacle to daily posts is feeling vulnerable.

There will come a day when you feel you have nothing to write, or that what you have to share is something that feels too honest, too vulnerable. But that just might be what connects you most to your audience - what creates a strong sense of loyalty.

I'm not saying that you have to post daily if you want to make money from your art. I am saying that if you want to build an audience relatively quickly, posting daily is a tried-and-true method. Of course, one you have an audience, you have do have to actually sell something to them. But that's another topic for another day.

 Don't Do What I Do

So, do as I say, and not as I do. Post daily if you want to quickly cultivate a passionate audience for your work.

And maybe one day soon I'll find a way to post daily too.

Adventures in the Antarctic (and what to pack)

Note: This is a guest post by Christine Bernasconi, a professional photographer, blogger, avid traveler and people lover. I'm really excited she's sharing her 2013 adventures in the Antarctic with the Packing Lust Community. I hope you enjoy! --Genevieve

Going to the Antarctic was always a dream of mine since I was 5 years old :) I'm not exactly sure why I had this dream at such a young age. I just remember looking at books and giving my Dad the 'Scott' book {not sure which one} for a birthday one year.

It obviously started something for me.

It way exceeded my expectations and I feel humble and blessed that I've had the privilege of experiencing this awesome part of our planet.

It really was the trip of my dreams. Whales, seals, penguins (lots of them) birds, beautiful landscapes and icebergs – I really, really loved the icebergs.:)

_MG_8730

We organised our trip through Quark (click here if you’re in the States) or Peregrine in Australia (click here).

We booked the ‘Crossing the Circle’ Tour  which was 14 days aboard the ‘Sea Spirit.’ – a beautiful ship. Well appointed spacious rooms, an open bar :), dining room, theatre lounge, a library, gym, a hot tub, gift shop and lots of deck areas to relax and take in the sights. The service? Seamless. Nothing was a chore for the staff and everything was done with a smile.

A zodiac heading back towards the Sea Spirit

A zodiac heading back towards the Sea Spirit

The Sea Spirit

The Sea Spirit

The ship carried 114 passengers of which 49 of them were Australian. Being such a small group meant great friendships were formed early. We were all linked by the same thread – an adventurous nature and the desire to experience the Antarctic. I met people from all over the world. I  know I will remain friends with some of them forever. We all shared something very special.

Our voyage left from Ushuaia (the bottom of Argentina) and it was a two day trip to the Antarctic Peninsula across the Drake Passage. I loved watching the mainland of Argentina disappear behind us. To me it felt like a true adventure. We explored many bays, islands and channels of the Antarctic Peninsula over the 14 days of our voyage.

Leaving Ushuaia and the South American Continent behind

Leaving Ushuaia and the South American Continent behind

The most amazing part of the trip however (besides the scenery) was the service and professionalism provided by the expedition leader and her team. Cheli is a true leader and a wonderful, passionate individual. All of her staff have an expertise, whether it be birds, whales, glaciers, photography or history. They have all done many similar trips and their experience and knowledge is second to none.

Each day in the Oeanus lounge, one of them would present a lecture on a particular aspect of the Antarctic – marine mammals, the great Antarctic explorers or sea birds – just to name a few. There were even some documentary movies about this fascinating part of the world. It was wonderful to be educated and to hear them speak so passionately.

Most nights one of the expedition staff would sit at your dinner table to get to know you and mix with the passengers. This really personalised the trip and within a few days, they were also friends.

Each day we usually had two zodiac expeditions to an island or part of the Antarctic mainland. Getting everyone in and out of the zodiacs plus keeping everyone safe and informed was handled brilliantly by the expedition staff.

Each disembarkation and embarkation meant going through a disinfection process (you had to step in a solution) to protect the fragile environment.

These outings were fantastic. Whilst you saw lots of scenery from the ship, getting out on the water, feeling the wind in your face and observing the scenery and wildlife from this low perspective was awesome :)

Hootin along...

Hooting along

Every single island or mainland excursion offered something individual. The landscape was always vastly different, and yes, there were always penguins :)

_MG_0556

I never tired of looking at the endless beauty that surrounded us. I loved being on the shore and exploring. Lots of the islands had relics from days gone bye – old whaling boats and whaling stations, whale bones and huts that would have housed the brave people that spent part of their lives living here.

An old hut - Deception Island

An old hut – Deception Island

The wildlife was spectacular. Albatross flying at the back of the ship, humpback whales, Minke whales and even Orca’s! Wedell, Leopard and Crabeater seals and of course, penguins. Sometimes these animals were seen from the decks of the Sea Spirit. At other times you were up close and personal with these animals in the zodiacs.

Imagine being in a zodiac – drifting through the brash ice – icebergs all around you and a humpback surfaces around 50 metres away? What a scene. Absolute magic.

This humpback whale was so close to our zodiac...

This humpback whale was so close to our zodiac…

_MG_8260

Look at the size of him…

So close...

So close…

The Albatross. What a magnificent bird

The Albatross. What a magnificent bird.

The staff organised trivia games, we danced the night away a couple of times , met the Captain at the ‘Cocktail Party’ and I got ‘over enthusiastic’ in an auction to raise money for the penguins (I really wanted that Antarctic water.)

Other nights we sat in the bar talking to our new friends over a glass of wine (or two) – well, you couldn’t go to bed early as there was up to 18 hours of light per day!

We celebrated Australia Day on board with a BBQ up on deck and one patriotic Australian had our flag – I certainly won’t forget Australia Day 2013 in a hurry!

I also participated in ‘The Polar Plunge’ – yes, you could dive into the Southern Ocean (with a rope tied around your waist) to experience the ‘coolish’ waters of the Antarctic. Yep, I did this too. Click here to read about that adventure.

I slept a night on the ice – yes, I did. You can also read about that here :)

I also also slid down a mountain at Neko Harbour (it was so much fun, I felt like a 5 year old)

Yours truly...

Yours truly…

One of the highlights (there were so many) was Crossing the Antarctic Circle. That was a great day. The weather was really cold (-2) and it was a fantastic to think we were at 66 deg 33’44′ S.  To mark this occasion, the crew organised a fantastic event called ‘Kiss the Fish’. We all grouped outside on the bow of the ship to Cross the Circle and the crew dressed up in various ‘fishy’ style outfits. King Neptune was there and we all had to ‘Kiss the Fish’ before being given a red mark on our foreheads which denoted ‘Crossing the circle.’ One word – hilarious – especially kissing a frozen fish!!

Me, taking a pic and kissing the fish

Me, taking a pic and kissing the fish

The most common question I’ve been asked since being home is ‘How cold was it’? On the warmest day it was 8 degrees and the coldest -2. Nowhere near as bad as I thought. The only time I felt really cold was on the ‘crossing the circle day’ and at times in the zodiacs when we were going a little faster than the normal trawling speed. Quark supplies you with a parka (yours to take home) that really does the job. They also lend you ‘boots’ for the duration of the trip. These are used every time you leave the ship.

For anyone that's going on one of these trips, here is what I took with me…..

• All the sea sick medication I could find (travel calm, the wrist bands, ginger tablets) – It worked for me, I took one travel calm the first night – just in case and a couple of other ‘rougher’ sea days wore the wrist bands – all good.

• 2 sets of thermals – bought from the Kathmandu store – black bottoms and pink/black/white and blue/black/white long sleeve tops.

• 2 really warm zip up hoodies – one from Kathmandu and the other from the gift shop on the ship.

• 4 pairs of super warm socks (Kathmandu store.)

• 2 pairs of warm track suit pants.

• A warm hat.

• 2 pairs of water proof gloves (only ever wore one pair) and they were too cumbersome to take pics with, so I bought a fingerless pair from the gift shop on the ship.

• A warm sleeveless vest (bought from a shop in Ushuaia.)

• Waterproof pants – if you're an Aussie, you will pay a fortune at home for these. I bought them in Ushuaia the day before we left at around $50AUD – bargain – (there were plenty of sizes and choices and plenty of shops selling this gear in Ushuaia.)

Check out the sunny weather...on this day I just had a tshirt on under a hoodie...

Check out the sunny weather…on this day I just had a tshirt on under a hoodie…

Each day when we went on a shore excursion off the boat I wore…

• A thermal top and bottom and trackpants over the thermals.

• Waterproof pants over the track pants (the track pants tucked INTO the boots.)

• A warm sleeveless vest over the thermals or, if I felt a bit colder a long sleeve hoodie.

• 2 pairs of socks (always.)

• The parka, hat and gloves.

Here I am in one of my 'thermal tops'

Here I am in one of my ‘thermal tops’

On the ship (which was as warm as toast) I wore…

• Jeans and a tshirt and sometimes a hoodie. I dressed up one night for the Captains cocktail party  (if you call a skirt and top seriously dressing up.)

• Closed in shoes (my rockports.)

Back in Buenos Aires and Santiago I wore….

• shorts and tshirts (super humid.)

So if you’re interested in going and want to know more – I'm gonna have to come with you to show you the ropes :)

Please feel free to contact me in the comments section below or on Facebook , twitter  or pinterest.

Me in action...

Me in action

8 Tips for Creativity + Stress Management During Pregnancy

Prince Charming and I, adventurers that we are, created a perfect storm of stress by following this recipe:

Take 5 of the unofficial list of the top 10 most stressful life events you can undergo:

1. Having a baby.
2. Leaving a job.
3. Moving to a new continent.
4. Writing a book while launching a separate product.
5. Moving back in with the parents as an adult.

Stir. Then bake under an oven set at 350 degrees of jet lag and reverse culture shock.

My pulse is racing just listing out this recipe for stress.

So what's the recipe for serenity?

I've had an extra push of creativity these past few months, probably because I'm anticipating being completely and happily lost in baby-la-la land for a while once the little elf gets here sometime in early December.   Stress stifles creativity, so it's important for me to keep those stress levels as low as possible. (Oh, and that's right, it's good for the baby too.)

These tips might help you even if you aren't pregnant, but just going through a stressful time, as all of us normal human beings tend to do from time to time.

Here are some things that have worked for me to keep stress levels at bay so I can stay creative and keep working on the latest book and finish the 30-Day Map to Get Rid of Your Crap. I'd be lying if I said the following keep me in a state of queenly serenity 100% of the time, but they do keep me royally calm at least 3% of the time. Or maybe I just do them 3% of the time and it would help if I...

Do These Things More

1. Marrying well.

Well, this is actually not a habit I do regularly, but something I did once, and did well, even if I do say so myself. He recently asked me "what do you want for lunch, baby?" And I said, "Hmmm... I think Shrimp. Lime Cilantro Shrimp." This exchange happened in front of my mom, and she immediately laughed and said something like "If you can give that answer, you know you married well."

Besides keeping me well-fed, Prince Charming is incredibly supportive about all my creative endeavors. And even my eccentric pregnancy plans, like studying hypnosis for a more comfortable birth.

2. Yoga

Somehow it feels like cheating to call it yoga, because it's mostly stretching and deep breathing for me since I don't know the names of any of the poses. (Except for shivasana, my favorite.)  I've taken a lot of yoga classes, so I just do a lot of yogic stretching of any part that is soar or tight. It feels great and seems to help everything in life.

3. Sleeping a lot and taking naps.

I have always slept a lot, and of course now I'm sleeping for two, so I take as much horizontal time as my body wants. For a while in Palestine my  sleep pattern was bimodal. According to Wikipedia, "Along with a nap (siesta) in the day, it has been argued that this is the natural pattern of human sleep. A case has been made that maintaining such a sleep pattern may be important in regulating stress."

My body naturally started bifurcating my sleep when I was worried about our friends in Gaza during the ethnic cleansing massacres there this summer, worried about Prince Charming working in Gaza, and anxious about where and how I would bring our baby into the world. Now that I'm back in the US and feeling that my family is safer, I've been sleeping through the night and not needing naps so much.

4. Ability to work on the floor of a closet.

I'm writing this while squatting in front of my computer on the floor of a large walk-in closet. I love it. All I need to write is a private space, even if it's small.

5. Writing every single appointment down in Google Calendar.

I love Google Calendar. It did take me a while to get used to checking it and adding everything to it. But now that it's habit, it helps so much because otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep track of appointments, travel plans, and birthdays. Even if I'm not in a particularly busy phase of life, I rely on Google Calendar and tend to forget things when I don't use it.

6.  Eating tons of fruit and vegetables.

I have our nugget to thank for this, because the little monkey loves bananas and other fruit. I wake up craving a big fruit smoothie that I often add greens to like spinach and kale. I still eat plenty of pizza, I just try to load up on fresh produce as well. I polished off a watermelon this morning.

7. Meditation.

This one is so hard for me to do regularly. I skip days all the time. But if I can sit down in a quiet place for even 10 minutes, it seems to help. I don't really follow a particular technique. Sometimes I sit and breath and clear my mind. Sometimes I pray. Sometimes I meditate on things I'm grateful for, or do a forgiveness meditation. I just got an email from Charming's mom about this free meditation series. Maybe I'll do it.

8. Just doing it. (The creative work.)

Have you heard that the concept of will power is a myth? People who are able to stop procrastinating have learned skills to get the work done. I sometimes think of those skills as tricking myself, or turning things into a game. I don't sit down to write books because I have more will power than all the other people who want to write books, but don't. I sit down to write, probably because I told myself there might be chocolate involved, or that maybe after writing I'd get to belt out "Let it Go" with Elsa from Frozen one more time.  (I don't even have a kid I can blame that on yet.) Or, like right now, that I'll just START this blog post and it will be just a few words then I'll get up. And here I am at the bottom of the post.  Ha ha, Genevieve. Tricked ya again!

 What do you do in stressful times to stay serene? Please share in the comments so everyone on the internet can learn from your experience.