Camp With Your Family... Really!

Every year for 9 years now we have taken our family to Florida for vacation. We do Disney and Universal Studios mostly, and it’s always lots of fun! By then end of the week I am usually ready to be home. This year’s vacation was different. This year my husband Tim and I took the kids to Montana to camp for a week. Yes… camp. Yes… in a tent! And, no, I was not ready to come home.

Before we went we had some concerns: All 5 of us in one tent? No shower? One potty for the entire camp (and not a flushing potty)? No computers? No microwave? These all became non-issues the first night.

As we got into our tent with out flashlights on, Tim said, “Turn the lights off.” I, of course, asked why. “Trust me,” he said. So we turned them off and stood there for a few minutes in complete darkness. Finally he stepped out of the tent and called for us to come out. I walked out first, looked up, and screamed! The kids thought there was a bear or something. Then they came out – they didn’t scream, but they did gasp! What was it? Stars. Simply stars like we have never seen them before. The Milky Way – it was breathtaking.

And while we were taking in their beauty we were soothed by the sound of the river. Each night we were lulled to sleep by its quiet roar, and each day we were delighted by discoveries of its coolness, slippery rocks, and slimy fish. Yes, Tim and the kids caught them and we cooked them – right over the open fire. It was awesome!! We even cooked eggs, bacon and pancakes most mornings right there on the fire!

You learn a lot about your family when you spend 24/7 together for a week. I learned about Tim’s relaxed fly fisherman personality. I learned that my 20 year old son Jamie is tireless, even when he and I hiked 6 miles up a mountain! Lindsey, my 19 year old daughter, can indeed survive without makeup! And my youngest Michael (17) really does care if his hair isn’t clean and his teeth aren’t brushed – who knew!

We all need time to get away from "everyday life." It rejuvenates us and reminds us how amazing this world really is! So, camp with your family or friends! It’s cheap (and who doesn’t need that right now), and you’ll make memories you could never make any other way!

Essentials for Women....... Seriously?????

So I was looking at some old pictures yesterday - I forgot I had this one. My husband and I were in California last July and we went into a pharmacy. As we were walking by the counter this display caught my eye. I asked if I could take a picture - they thought I was a little weird but let me.


Just in case you can't see it all, let me run down the items considered "essential" for women:

• Tylenol
• Pain reliever
• Deep wrinkle serum
• KY Jelly
• Aquibeads (another version of KY???)
• Viactive
• Monistat (again.... seriously??)
• Motrin (actually, I admit this one is sort of essential for me!)
  

OK, one more time..... SERIOUSLY??? What do these people think of women? That we are always in pain, have old wrinkly skin, and... well, it's really hard to write about some of the other underlying messages sent from this cute little display :) I would LOVE to hear what you think about this!

Michael Jackson's worth

Welcome to my first blog!! This is a very exciting day for me – one my son has been pushing me toward for at least a year. Today we watched the Michael Jackson memorial service, and I thought this is something I should blog about! So I am.

I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, and I love his music – he was very talented. I can’t even recall too much about all the trouble he has been in over the years. What I paid attention to today were the comments from his friends and family. Sometimes I instruct seminar participants to write their own epitaph – what would they want on their tombstone. A better question is what will people say at your funeral?

Let’s go even deeper. Why do you want to be loved? What makes you important? Where should your self worth come from? This question is so intriguing to me that I began a PhD program just to check it out!

So, here it is – here’s what I’ve been noticing. We are living in a world that tells us that we should gain value from living a stressful life. This is especially true for women. I have been speaking to women’s groups around the world for several years now, and I see this trend everywhere I go. We don’t know where our self-worth should come from. Is it from being a good mom or wife? Is it from work? I see women getting value from their stress. We compete with one another for how stressed we are!

How do you know if you are getting self-worth from stress? Here’s one quick little test. Let’s say your friend tells you, “Wow! Today I had the most relaxing day. I went shopping and saw a movie – all by myself.” If you reply, “Must be nice!” or anything like it you may be getting value from your stress!

Maybe Michael Jackson got his self-worth from his talent. Maybe he got it from the causes he supported. Or maybe it was from his relationships with friends and family. Who knows. Where do you get yours? I will have SO much more to say about this as time goes by. Stay tuned……….

Welcome to my blog!

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my new blog, Life Without the Monsters.

Monsters are self-imposed barriers that hinder personal growth and success. We all have them. The secret is to figure out what yours is. In the coming weeks, look out for new posts on the most common Monsters that effect women like perfectionism, guilt, worry, and out of control emotions.

I'm looking forward to chatting with you,

Best,

Tami