Category Healthy Stuff

Don’t Go Anywhere

Intentergy Leave a comment

Don’t Go Anywhere

Don't go anywhere.JPG

My kids really like stay-at-home days. I LOVE stay-at-home days! It is so nice to be able to enjoy the comfort of our home and not rush to go anywhere.

There is something so healthy about lazy days. Relaxing on your couch or porch. Eating straight out of the pantry. Being surrounded by the familiar sounds of the air conditioner running or the creaks of floor boards or the hum of the fridge running stimulates your inner peace. When you can be completely at ease, your body can rebuild and replenish itself from the grind of constantly being on the run.

It isn’t always easy to find a full day to stay in, but find a morning or an afternoon where you can just be at home. Make time to soak up the simplicity of just being in your space and be grateful for all you have. Keep your car in park and station yourself in a seat or space that allows complete stillness.

The benefits of making quiet time resound in all you do. Allowing your mind and body some down time will make your busy time much more effective.

Not a quiet time kind of person? Play a board game with your family or work in your flower beds. Organize some drawers or rearrange your furniture. Freshen up your space with creativity or movement. You might find a new layout for your living room or a simpler way to sort your socks. All of these are ways to make your life better.

Keep your energy at home and your intents on gratitude and relaxation. Positive things will come from keeping yourself in park and will make revving up your engine a little easier next time.

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

 

 

Soup in Summertime

Intentergy 2 Comments

Soup in Summertime

Summertime soup.JPG

I don’t make soup very often in the summer. I don’t know why.

Yes, it is hot outside, but thanks to the miracle of air conditioning, it is plenty cool inside.

Summer is when the perfect ingredients are fresh from the garden and it is so easy to have a bowl of soup with a salad and be on our way.

We eat meals every day at home. I believe firmly in cooking and eating together, so soup is perfect. My kiddos can help prepare and add the ingredients and then we can enjoy the fruits of our labor together. Plus left overs can be a life saver on a busy day, and soup is often better the second time around.

The message of today’s post is this: Take time to consider options that are available to you which you wouldn’t normally take advantage. If there is a free service or program, check it out. Enjoy the things your community has to offer like park programs, nature talks, free concerts, art shows, car shows, or patronize a farmers’ market.

If fresh fruits and veggies make themselves available to you, be grateful for the source and share in the wealth. My father-in-law brought us a bucket of zucchini and potatoes from his garden. I prepped and froze some zucchini for us, grilled some, and shared the rest with our neighbors. Continue reading “Soup in Summertime” →

Batter Up! – First (Make change happen)

Intentergy 3 Comments

Batter Up! – First (Make change happen)

Lead Off Hitter.jpg

So excited to lead off, my son beat everyone onto the field.

 

The first batter of a team is called the lead-off hitter. At a recent game my son was awarded the honor of being the lead-off hitter. He was so excited; he beat EVERYONE onto the field.

This is a key position in the batting line-up because your team is counting on you to hit your way on base and get the game going on a good note.Being the lead-off hitter is a lot of pressure. You don’t want to start the game with an out.

In life we are offered chances to be the first to take on a task or start a movement. Do you embrace those opportunities, do you shy away from the chance, or are you empowered by the ability to start things off with change?

If you are not presented the lead-off spot, do you cheer on your teammates or those who step up to the plate before you? Are you ready to give them support for their efforts and rally them in losing situations?

Today my wish for everyone is that they would feel the same excitement and enthusiasm my son felt.

I hope that each person finds it in their hearts and minds to step up to the plate for a cause or opportunity that leads to positive change in our world. Be the lead-off player who brings it home for the underdogs or who bolsters your team with a hit to the heart of an unkind adversary. Take the lead. Make change.

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

PJ’s in the creek = Mom of the Year for me

Intentergy 4 Comments

PJ’s in the creek = Mom of the Year for me

pj's in the creek.jpg

Yes, that is my son in his Paw Patrol jammies playing in the creek. Doesn’t he look so happy?

On an impromptu visit the creek, my kids found their way into the water. Slowly they “accidentally” got their toes wet. As Daddy and I were discussing the fence line, oops, their ankles got wet. Before you knew it, my oldest was up to her waist because a frog “scared” her into the water. 🙂

As the kids started splashing and finding tadpoles, crawdads, and seas shells, my husband and I enjoyed their laughter and listening to the remarks made about their nature discoveries.

It was as much fun for us to watch as it was for them to play.

Now to address my son’s pj’s.

It was a stay-at-home day and it had started out cloudy and rainy. Continue reading “PJ’s in the creek = Mom of the Year for me” →

Summer’s Downhill Slide

Intentergy 7 Comments

 

 

Summer’s Downhill Slide

Downhill summer.jpg

Summer fun going fast.

My daughter recently discovered how much fun it is to ride her bike down the hill of our drive way. She hasn’t mastered riding her bike up it, but, boy, can she ride down it!

As I watched her ride down for the second time the other day, I realized I was witnessing moments of fleeting fun. How long will she shout out, “Watch me, mama!”? How long will it be before she isn’t excited about that hill or her bike anymore? How long before the muggy, summer days start to shorten and the chill of fall sends us in early?

I know. I know. Summer is just getting started.

I thought this would be a great time to remind everyone to slow down and enjoy it because, like those rapid rides down the driveway, another summer will be in the history books too soon and we will be asking, “Where did the time go?”

Have some cold lemonade or popsicles on the porch. Catch some fireflies. Eat some watermelon and have a seed-spitting contest. Run through the sprinkler. Enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass or marvel at the rows of newly bundled hay bales. Create a masterpiece with sidewalk chalk. Feast on fresh garden vegetables. Take twilight walks and be serenaded by the crickets. Count the stars of the nighttime sky. Ride a bike down that big ol’ hill.

Make summertime last in your heart and memories.

By: Melanie A. Peters

White Puffy Cloud Days

Intentergy 2 Comments

White Puffy Cloud Days

White Puffy Clouds.jpg

There are so many beautiful days in the year. Days when the sky is the perfect shade of blue and scattered with white puffy clouds. I remember my high school English teacher talking about white puffy clouds days and about how we should be outside to celebrate them. I always wondered why we didn’t.

As a teacher and a mom, I find myself trapped inside too often on those glorious days. I have been known to say, “Ok kids, we are going on a field trip” or “It’s a white puffy cloud day and we need to write about it” and out we go. This is not popular with all the other teachers or students in my school, but it will be ok.

With my own kiddos at home, I try so hard to take walks or play ball or swing on the swings on these white puffy cloud days. Clearly the day was made for play and taking time to move lazily (like those big ol’ clouds).

If you find yourself looking out at a white puffy cloud day, find a way to be a part of that day. Take a walk on your lunch break. Assign a writing assignment or short outdoor lab for your class. Go on a nature hunt with your kids. Hold hands on the back porch with your sweetie.

Be a part of the white puffy cloud movement!

The white puffy clouds were made to be a part of your world so be with them.

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

Don’t let Your Arms Cross Your Body (a running post – sort of)

Intentergy Leave a comment

“Don’t let your arms cross your body.” – Marcus Bridges

DSC_0018.JPG

As stated in a previous post, I have gone through periods in my life where I dedicated my energy to running. I like running. I am ok at it. I would like to be good at it.

It is common in the winter months to see people running through the hallways of our school. I was one of those people running in the halls because it was too darn cold to run outside. My school has an amazing cross country and track coach by the name of Marcus Bridges. He coaches even when it’s too darn cold outside.

As Coach Bridges was shouting out encouragement and advice to his runners, he shouted out to me one day, “Don’t let your arms cross your body.” Continue reading “Don’t let Your Arms Cross Your Body (a running post – sort of)” →