Turtle Time

Last week was very stressful at work for me with a lot of deadlines due.  Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in the workload and get bogged down.  At one point I just needed a break in the middle of day.  We have been having some unseasonably warm weather here and decided to take advantage of it and go outside and get some fresh air.  It was such a beautiful day that I ended up walking down the street where there is a little pond between 2 office buildings.  I have driven by before and noticed ducks on the pond, but as I got closer to my amazemaent I saw tons of turtles sunning themselves on the bank of the pond.  What a beautiful sight.  It really made me smile and realize that I needed to take more time to appreciate the little things in life and not let the things don't matter get me down.  By just taking 20 minutes to walk outside and enjoy God's creation I went back to my desk re-energized.  Sometimes, you just need to look around and take a deep breath!

Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Taking A Break

It is important to take the time to cut yourself a break.  I know I am always trying to do more better, faster or sooner whether at home or at work.  Lately, however I have been making myself a priority and don't feel  guilty about it.  I deserve to have my own time for my self and in the end I am better for it.   Don't get me wrong I still make sacrifices for my family, but I balance that with me time.  The important thing is to communicate what you want, and if you need help ask for it.  Don't expect your husband, child, boss, etc to read your mind.  It is ok to delegate.  I now have more time for the things I enjoy doing from going to a yoga class, reading a book or cooking a new recipe.  Before, I would not do things I wanted because I needed to do the dishes or start a load of laundry.   Now, I make time for me a priority those other things can wait or someone else can help out.  I deserve that time to myself and it has really helped me with relieving stress and being better in my relationships.  The same goes for work.  I could stay at work all night and still not have everything complete on my to do list, but it is ok to shut it down and go home and enjoy life.   I also try not to think about work once I walk out the door, leave it at the office.  I try not to talk it about at home and enjoy my family and my own interests.  Amazingly, my to do list is still there the next day and I have fresh perspective and am re-energized because I took time for me.  So, go ahead and try something new, take that class or enjoy a new book!  It's not being selfish, it's self preservation.

Proverbs 19:8  Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.

What's For Breakfast?

Lately, I have been getting up a little bit earlier in the moring and taking some time for myself before I start my crazy work day!  As part of my new routine I have added a quick 10 minute yoga workout.  I use Tara Stile AM Yoga Workout on youtube.  I also take time to sit down and eat a good breakfast.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Studies have linked eating a healthy breakfast with less chronic disease, increased longevity and better health.  When you start your day with a good breakfast it boost your energy, increases your attention span  and heightens your sense of well being.  As Mom's we make sure our kids get off to school with a good breakfast, don't we deserve one too.  Don't you think your worth it.  Take the extra time, the benefits are worth it!

Below are some pics of what I had for breakfast last week, I like to mix it up:

 1.  Oatmeal with mixed nuts and dried fruit.  Added some dark chocolate peanute butter scoops, but you can add regulat peanut butter, both are yummy!

 2.  Berry flavored Almond Yogurt with granola and raisins.

 3.  Cheerios with sliced bananas and chia seeds.

 4.  Van's Waffle with peanut butter and sliced bananas.  Then drizzled agava nectar and threw on some chia seeds.

 5.  Whole wheat pancakes with 100% maple syryp and a side of fruit.

6.  Tofu Veggie Scamble with toast and a clementine.

Don't leave your health to chance, make the choice to start your day right!

John 21:12
Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast."  Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.

Negative Energy

No matter what you do in life you will alway encounter negative people.  I used to always dread dealing with these types of people and would try to avoid them at all cost, but sometimes that is not always possible.  What if that negative person is someone you have to work with on a daily basis or it is a good friend that just can't seem to get out of that negative funk.  Then what do you do?  Negative people always seem to bring me down and before I know it I am being negative and spreading gossip.  This is just something I don't want to engage in, it's not healthy and it's just not productive.  So, instead I have tried to turn the conversation around, put a positive spin on it.  If that doesn't work sometime you just have to walk away.  There are some people you just can't change, but you can change how you respond to that person and that can make all the difference in the dynamics of the relationship.  I found an awesome article on http://zenhabits.net/negative/.
 It details 7 very helpful tips on how to deal with negative people that I encourage you to try.  It worked for me.  I have changed relationships in a positive way that others are also benefiting from.  Life is too short to get bogged down in negative energy, remember the big picture and what is truly important!

Matthew 15:11  It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.

It Started with a Tattoo....

So, you may be wondering why my blog is called My Red Lotus Life.  Well, it all started with a tattoo, let me explain.  For years I had been talking about getting a really rockin' tattoo on my arm.  After hearing me talk about it forever my husband took action and made me an appointment.   At the time my husband was going thru a lot and some days it was hard to see how it was all going to work out.  We had also recently reconnected spiritually with a church.  So, I decided to go with a red lotus flower as the centerpiece in the tattoo to represent a sign of faith for my husband that we will get thru this and a sign of rebirth in regards to our new spiritual connection.

My husband emerged thru everything and together we are stronger in our relationship both as husband and wife, but also with our connection to God.  Now, with everything going on with me I also have faith that we will get thru this and I have comfort knowing I have the support of my family and friends.    In the years I have been with my husband we have gone through a lot of challenges and every time we have emerged stronger in our love for each other.  Therefore, the lotus flower is red to symbolize LOVE.   This blog is about my love for life.  Remember life is a gift, enjoy it every day!

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.

What's for Lunch?

Lately I have refocused my intentions on eating healthy.  Not that I was a junk food eater before.  I have been vegeterian for a few years now and did a year as a vegan.  For 2012 I am going to re-commit to a vegan diet.  I am not going to be a vegan snob about it though.  If I go out to eat and my food has a little cheese on it or was maybe cooked with butter, I am not going to freak out about it.  To help with this eating healthy vegan transition I invested in a mini fridge to keep at my desk at work.  I love it!

I keep it stocked with fresh veggies, hummus, fruit and single serve salads.   My weakness was afternoon munching, but now I just pull out some carrots and munch away guilt free!

It is amazing how much better you can feel when you know you are eating right!  For lunch today is homemade spicy bean soup full of veggies and beans and a side salad, YUMMY and filling.  What are you having for lunch today?

Costa Rican Christmas

Costa Rica for Christmas, what perfect timing!  I had been looking forward to this trip since we booked it in June!  So, when I started to not feel good around Halloween just thought can't wait until vacation and then I will feel better.  Then Thanksgiving came, I had dropped 10 lbs and wasn't feeling better.  Still thought this was contributed to stress since I work corporate retail and just needed some time away.  Luckily, my husband knew better and made me go to the doctor.  Not to go into too much detail I ended up being spending Thanksgiving in the hospital and am now going thru treatment to help me get better.  It was all pretty scary.   Needless to say getting away from the stress of the holiday and relaxing on a beach in Costa Rica for Christmas was perfect.  I know Christmas was a month ago and I am just now posting my pics, but I felt this was really worth sharing (even a month late).  Enjoy...PURE VIDA!