Holiday Ideas

7 Tips for Creating the Best Holiday Season

December 1, 2013 By Rosie 1 Comment

I’m figuring right about now you are experiencing lots of feelings.

Maybe you are saying one or all of these things:

1.“OMG! I ate so much this weekend“. You didn’t intend to BUT you did… and now you’re feeling stuffed from too much food.

2. “OMG! I can’t imagine why she married that guy” (you may be speaking about your cousin or whoever was next to you at that Thanksgiving table) and UGH…you’ve had way too much of the extended family dining experience.

3. “OMG! I’ve got to get a deal!” You may feel you are missing out on some 75 % discount somewhere and YIKES. You may be seeing red in the relentless Black Friday and continuing thru to Cyber Monday’s purchase opportunities infiltrating and smothering your inbox.

I mean really.

Can I put the dinner dishes away first? Can I breathe? I’m still swallowing that forkful (okay, okay, it was 2 forkfuls of my brother in laws infamous pecan pie) and I haven’t had a second to breathe in the beautiful events and overflowing lessons of the Thanksgiving Day’s experience before icing it over a shopping-frenzied cherry!

I am not in the mood to jump in just yet. For me that’s a very huge discovery, as you are talking to the quintessential LOVER OF THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE and COLLECTOR of PRETTY THINGS. Oh and I love a bargain, too, but not today.

TODAY, I am practicing the art of savoring the moment, and living in the NOW. So shopping TODAY for a holiday that is 25 days from now seems excessive in my new place of being present. YES, I used to do it! But since deciding that this old “tradition” or “ritual” is now out of control and no longer works in my life, I don’t choose ’ participate in the shopping frenzy on Thanksgiving weekend.

I want to practice this every day. This practice of living in the moment stuff. This NOW stuff.

It’s powerful. It’s amazing. It’s life changing.

And it’s friggin’ hard to do.

I REPEAT, “STAY IN THE MOMENT and LIVE NOW”.

I REPEAT, “ STAY HERE. STAY NOW.

You may choose to use today in anyway you choose, but please be sure YOU CHOOSE. Be sure not to get swept up by the drama, exaggeration, obligation, guilt of all the rush rush, save, save.

I prefer to slow time down, but not by rushing the season… Hmmm, you say! How’s that possible? You may be thinking that you never have enough time. And that’s the point, if you think you don’t have time, then you’d be right.

YOU can change that.

SLOW THE FRIG’ DOWN. BE. EXPERIENCE. FEEL.

I’ve got a few tips to share and please don’t think I am preaching from a soap box or pulpit on what you SHOULD do for your holiday season. I have no idea what you should do. And neither does anyone else. ONLY YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO.

But there is one thing I know for sure… and that is… YOU SHOULD FEEL AMAZING about whatever you are doing… (even if it is that you are still washing the guests dishes and putting them away slowly for next Turkey Day).

I am sharing these tips and offering the suggestion and invitation in the hope that you’ll slow down and think about what you want. I invite you to open up to the possibility that you can CREATE the holiday season that feels AMAZING and fits and honors your life.

What is the point of working till exhaustion, over-whelm, over-eating, over-stressing, over- inviting, over attending?

Get the frig’ OVER IT….

Let me be clear that I do enjoy a hustle bustle experience, beautiful lights, sparkly clothes, and fun gift ideas, but not because you tell me to HURRY UP or else I’ll miss out on something.

THE SLEEPING NAKED AFTER 40 LIFE-STYLER has a take on this…

TAKE IT FOR WHAT’S WORTH…. and if you find some golden nuggets and gems at the end of this season… wear them well and send me a sparkling picture of yourself.

There are 7 TIPS FOR GETTING THRU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH EASE GRACE and OF COURSE LESS WEIGHT ( I am talking more than physical weight. I am talking the weight of the whole season that could (if you allow it) feel quite heavy and taxing on your one very precious bod)

YOU ARE THE CREATOR OF OUR OWN LIFE. Create a celebration that resonates with who you are.
BE FLEXIBLE AND WILLING TO LET GO OF WHAT IS NOT WORKING. – stop doing something that doesn’t work for you just because you think that everyone else wants it to and that you are obligated to do it.
FALL IIN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF CREATING NEW RITUALS THAT FEEL REALLY SPECIAL. Don’t be afraid to let go of things. Open your heart to new possibility.
RESPECT THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE OPINIONS but you don’t own their opinions. Don’t feel like you HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
YOU DECIDE… what works for you and your loved ones. YOU make the final decision on who the holidays are spent with and how they are spent.
LET GO OF EXPECTATION and DON”T BE ATTACHED TO THE OUTCOME. Try new things and have fun with them.
ENJOY EACH MOMENT of every day and treat each a holy-day.

P.S. My own personal shout out to Nordstom for not decorating or advertising about Christmas, until after the turkey was digested and enjoyed. THANK YOU NORDSTROM; you have the promise of my discretionary income… because YOU chose to honor a season and cherish a moment and I appreciate that. I’ll put my money where my mouth is and fire up my gratitude with a shopping wee-hee spree to your beautiful store.

Here’s the sign that was posted at the store last week. I LOVE IT!

P. S. S. UH Ohh! Did I just see a 75% off shoe sale? hmmmm….

Make every moment count,

3 ThingsThat You Can Do On New Years Eve to Help You Lose Weight

December 31, 2012 By Rosie Leave a Comment

Got nothing to do tonite?

And even if you do, make room for 15 minutes and get out a pen and paper.

I am a huge fan of writing things down. It makes them real. It makes them happen.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in rip roaring partying mode or calm, quiet reflective mode, you can do these 3 things that will help you feel amazingly better ~ about everything.

These 3 small things (and a bonus) mean a lot and can be the very thing that changes your nite (and quite possibly your life).

Don’t do the same old “I ate and drank too much”…that will produce the same old “I feel like crap” results. That just sucks and you’re never happy after you do that. Just because it’s the stand-ard “new years eve” thing to do, doesn’t mean you have to do it. Stand out and stand up for yourself – and do something different. Something important and nice and kind for yourself instead.

Here are 3 tips and a bonus for making this New Years Eve the best ever no matter what plans you have or don’t have.

No 1. BE THANKFUL…

This is the perfect time for a list.

Reflect back over the year and be so very thankful for all that you have accomplished in the past 12 months. Get out that pen and paper and make a list of 10 things that you accomplished this year. (they can be as small as a phone call you made or an article you read, so don’t wrack your brain for the big things, because you know that the best things come in small packages) You’ll feel amazing as jar your memory and say, “Oh yeah, right, I did do that. Yay me!”.

No. 2. LET IT GO..

This is the perfect time for a handwritten letter to whomever and/or to yourself.

Put it all out there on the paper and let it rip and let it go, writing to anyone who needs forgiving or anyone you feel hurt by. Yourself included. Forgive yourself for whatever it is you are blaming yourself for doing or not doing. Right! and write ! NO one is going to read this letter, so feel comfortable dumping it all onto the paper and out of that beautiful body of yours. It’s a fantastic release and you’ll feel so good letting it all go.

No. 3. SWITCH THE FOCUS…

This is the perfect time to focus and write it down.

It takes the same amount of focus and time to think about what you don’t want (and whine about it) as it does to focus on what you do want (and be excited about it). Be less interested in the things that you don’t like or want. Think often and mostly always of what you do want. Get a designated note book and start your new process of writing down the things you want to experience in your life. How do you want to feel when you are experiencing these amazing things? Just thinking about these good feelings will help you feel much better.

BONUS: No. 4 COOK NAKED…

This is the perfect nite for Cooking Naked.

If you are parting tonite, cooking naked can be a smash hit… and if you’re not that brave to go there haha, at least bring a naked dish with you so you can indulge with pleasure and not feel guilty tomorrow. Here are 2 last minute ideas that you can whip up in no time.

And if you are bunkered down and cozied up in your home, cooking naked is the best. Try this salmon idea and of course add some beautiful greens, a tossed green salad, some “naked” cookies, a fine glass of wine and some decadent dark chocolate.

Whatever you do…I am wishing you a blessed and prosperous new year!
Live every moment with love, grace and gratitude,

ROSIE

Attention all New Years “Resolution” ists.

January 10, 2012 By Rosie Leave a Comment

If you are one of the many that has the same ‘ole weight loss goal ever single new year or every single Monday, you might need to change your strategy.

Here are 3 secrets to a sustainable, implementable successful New Years weight loss goal:

1. Fall in love with the idea of building your healthiest, sexiest body ever at any and every age and stage, right now, at this very moment. Love makes any task feel simpler, easier, lighter and wonderful.

2. Become less interested in why you can’t. Stop making up ridiculous excuses for not making this moment the very best moment it can be. Can you imagine if you made each moment the best, what kind of life you would be living? WOO HOO.

3. Loose the fake stuff and get real. When my daughter says, she’s eating whatever the *blankety, blank* she wants, she doesn’t mean some processed, fake, phony box of chemicals. She won’t eat that crap because we don’t eat crap. But we will have yummy treats and decadent dark chocolate, and homemade healthy killer bean brownies, naked pizza, and irresistible brown rice krispy treats and healthy, delish, naked versions of snack food.

When you begin to acknowledge that the body that you live in is the only one you got, you’ll be more apt to put the crap where it belongs, in the trash. You cannot treat your body like trash or feed it left over garbage without having some adverse affects. For your one very precious body, you want the good stuff, and you’ll want to cook naked. For the game of weight loss to work you need your body, mind and heart in the game, not a list of restrictive resolutions.

P.S. Some Rockin’ Hot Daily messages of inspiration, knowledge and support can help to.

This Chick is a Piece of Trash

April 22, 2011 By Rosie Leave a Comment

I found this chick and she was quite a piece of trash. As a matter of fact, I will even call her a fake, phony and a fraud. This chick got my goat and my daughter had to drag me out of the grocery store kicking and screaming. Let me back up and tell you what happened. I need to preface the story by telling you that I love chocolate. One might venture to call me a chocoholic/addict/something along those lines. So I know what goes into making chocolate and although the ingredients can vary somewhat, you always need cocoa, butter, a sweetener and vanilla. At least I thought so, until I met this chick who tried to convince me otherwise.

Here she is looking sweet.

Well in all seriousness, I just could not get over this. Check out the label clearly stating MILK FLAVORED CANDY. (oops, its a duck not a chick, but for the purpose of this blog, chick worked out better!) I picked up the box and looked at the ingredients- There are more colors in there than in a rainbow.

Check this out:

Sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, skim milk, soy lecithin, and US CERTIFIED COLORS: FD&C YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, BLUE 1, BLUE 2, RED 40 AND RED 3, Vanillin (an artificial flavor).

Is that even anything that resembles anything that you would want to eat?

OMG! This would be so hysterical if people weren’t actually giving this to their kids. I mean, lets get real. Give them real chocolate if you want to give them something.

Why are manufacturers even allowed to pretend that this is chocolate?

Clearly if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s a DUCK, but it is not edible!

This Easter, do yourself a favor and get the best chocolate you can find and afford. It will be worth the taste. And your body will thank you too.

Happy Easter!