Are You Eating Something or is Something Eating You?

April 12, 2013

Good Morning Mintdom!

As many of you know, I have been sick and have been away from Mintdom for a couple of weeks. I am feeling much better although a little stuck in my writing. I started two other topics this morning; however, this one phrase sticks in my mind:

Feelings are not fact – the fact is you have feelings.

Why is this important? Well… for an emotional eater, it is very important. Many of my feelings are not a fact in my life; however, I DO have them. Today, I am learning to distinguish between feeling real physical hunger and emotional hunger. Here is a little cheat sheet for distinguishing between emotional (feeling hunger) and actual physical hunger.

Emotional Hunger          

Strong urge often paired up with strong emotions
No physical signs
Is above the neck
A desire for a particular food – you have to have it!
Is urgent – have to have it now|
Paired with upsetting emotion
Involves automatic absent minded eating
You do not notice that you are full and keep eating
You feel guilty

Physical Hunger

Is gradual – your stomach growls
Is open to different foods
Is based in the stomach – growling, gnawing, rumbling sensations
Is patient
Occurs out of a physical need
Involves deliberate eating and an awareness of eating
Stops when full
Realizes that eating is necessary

As I write this (rather long post), I decided that I need to print this little cheat sheet out and keep it with me as a reminder to eat more out of physical hunger. Honestly, I think my stomach rarely growls. When was the last time that your stomach rumbled?

AffirMINTion: I will not eat to my feelings today. 

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

PS. I would like to wish a happy birthday to JP Blankenship who is an awesome young realtor on our team and who one of the nicest young men that I know. In fact, if you ask half the builders in Loudoun County, they will say the same. JP is smart, energetic, kind, and tenacious in addition to being a wonderful work mate and friend. Happy birthday, JP, I hope it is a GREAT one!

A Mini Minty MoMINT 

My mom says…. Happy birthday, JP… AND I LIKE IT! 

Life is Minty Fresh!

xoxo

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Count Your Assets

March 11, 2013

Good morning Mintdom

I have the BEST, most generous family and friends. I am so grateful for all who helped me celebrate my 60^th birthday. You all or as some of you say, Y’all made me feel so very special. I spent so much of the weekend trying to come up with the words to say thank you. No words seem adequate. If I go along with Robert Quillen’s theory, and my family and friends are my assets, than my profit is sky-high! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ::::whispering:::: and I got a Coach bag:::::

“If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.” – Robert Quillen

Speaking of birthdays, I want to wish one of my favorite assets, my friend Ben Heisler a very happy birthday. Ben is one of the smartest, funniest, hardest worker, most loyal, friends that I get to call my friend. Happy birthday, stalker… err friend – I hope you have an awesome day!

AffirMINTions: I am 60 and loving it!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says…being happy is a choice… and I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

 

xoxo

The Year of Fabulosity!

March 4, 2013

Good morning Mintdom!

Please indulge me for a few minutes this morning. I am bursting at the seams. I had a milestone birthday on Friday. I turned 60 years old – err 60 years young that is. I had a fabulous weekend of celebrating with family and friends. I have so many blessings and so much love in my life. It started with my sister, Nancy (well, it actually started in Fort Campbell, KY with my dad and mom) and ended with Nancy and my kids, grandchildren and my brother and his family at my favorite restaurant. I had awesome Facebook messages. I read them all and I am still working on thanking you all for them. I had phone calls, e-mails, visits, outings, hugs and a ton of love.  I have to be one of the wealthiest people on this earth. Thank you so much, I am grateful for each one of you.

I have never minded birthdays in the past. This year was the exception. I was not in the best frame of mind during the weeks leading up to my birthday. I was a little grumbly about turning that number; however, I now believe that this is the year of Fabulosity! I am SO looking forward to all of the fabulous opportunities (and discounts LOL) that I will have this year. This is just my first 60 years and I am looking forward to my next 60 years!

Here are a few of the remnants of my fabulous birthday weekend! Thanks for indulging me. I will get back to my fabulous regular life now (Nancy).

 

 

 

 

 

 

AffirMINTion: I am Sixty and Fabulous!

 

 

 

 

 

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

 

 

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom says… I am fabulous too… and I LIKE IT!

Life is Minty Fresh!

xoxo

 

Minty Mondays: A Hero is Born – Tomorrow!

02/20/2012

 A Mini Minty MoMINT

 “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve

 My mom says that her brother, Jeff is a hero because he never gives up… AND I LIKE IT!

 Life is Minty Fresh!

 

 

 

 

xoxo

 

02/19/2012 – No Data

02/18/2012 – 6,258 Steps

02/17/2012 – 4,044 Steps

02/16/2012 – 7,662 Steps

02/15/2012 – 5,067 Steps

02/14/2012 – 3,080 Steps

02/13/2012 – No Data

Good morning, Mintdom!

Tomorrow, my youngest brother, Jeff, will turn 50 years old. It is so hard to believe. I remember when he came home from the hospital, shaking head, and that was 50 years ago – I barely feel like *I* am 50 much less having a ‘little’ brother who is 50.  Last night our family and close friends celebrated Jeff. He is an amazing young … ooopps I cannot say that anymore. LOL Seriously, Jeff is a miracle. While he was in high school, had a serious medical issue that left him legally blind (he sees a quarter out of each eye and only in black and white) along with other challenges. These challenges have not stopped my brother from doing what he wants to do in life. It did not stop him from graduating from high school or the University of Santa Barbara. It has not stopped him from getting married and being a GREAT father to his children. He is unable to drive a car; however, it has not stopped him in business or from traveling all over the world, even in places like India and Russia where it might be difficult for lots of us! Best of all, I have yet to hear my brother complain or feel sorry for himself.

Last week, I read a blog from a young woman who had a diving accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down.  Of course, you cannot compare the injuries; however, as I read her blogs, it was clear that she was unable to accept her condition even with the support of her family. On her 31^st birthday, she writes that every birthday is a bittersweet reminder of what she does not have. In fact, most of her blog centers on what she does not have or what she is unable to do. In the end, she made the decision to end her life by refusing treatment and food.  I thought about my brother, when I read this, and how his focus centers on the things he has, and the things he CAN do. He is an inspiration and a joy to be around!  Happy birthday, dear brother, you are one of my heroes and I am looking forward to the next 50 years

AffirMINTion:  I appreciate those around me every day!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

PS The headline for February 20, 2012 (the day before you were born) was for another hero of that time, John Glenn

Sneaking Back for a MoMint!

*Interesting Note – The last time I posted was for the birthday of my other sister!

08/31/10 – 8,757 steps

Good morning Mintdom!

I am still on my little break, but will be back full steam after the Labor Day holiday. I have been filling up on some good reading mostly about how to live intentionally. I have also enjoyed spending nice time with Minty (my puppy for those who are new) in the mornings.  She is doing very well and yesterday, I gave her all the living area for the first time. Overall, although I have missed you, it has been good and I have come to appreciate my life even more!

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” –Thomas Campbell

I had to write today because today is a VERY special day.  My sister Becky is celebrating her 50th birthday. The first word that comes to my mind when I think of Becky is beautiful.  Becky is beautiful from the inside – out.  When she was a toddler, and I was in elementary school, I remember standing in the lunch line (lunches just went up from .25 to .35 cents) at Our Lady of Lourdes School. I said to my friends, “I have the most beautiful sister – you should see her, and I am not just saying it because she is my sister.”  When she was about 6 years old, Becky had very long, light-brown hair with these little blondish ringlets at the bottom.

My (our) dad used to work in downtown DC and he went to work very early to miss the traffic. I remember Becky would get up and send him off with hugs and kisses, standing on the stoop as his car pulled away saying oooo ah oooo ah (hugs) until dad was out of site.  Becky turned out to be a beautiful wife, mother, sister, and friend. Happy birthday, Becky, I hope your day is as special as you are!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom and Becky took me on a walk this morning and I liked it!

xoxo

Happy birthday and you live in my heart too!

Birthdays Are Special!

08/09/10 – 5,726 steps
6 glasses of water

Good morning Mintdom,

Going to work a little early this morning as I have a busy day ahead of me and this is going to be another very short entry today.  I DID want to give a special shout out to my sister, Nancy whose birthday it is today!  Nancy does not like to make a big deal over this day, but to me it is a very special day.  Nancy is my youngest sister.  I was 12 when she was born.  She was so cute with her little pixie haircut.  I often tease Nancy for being the youngest and that she got everything she wanted and that she was spoiled.  I really am just teasing and even if it were true, Nancy turned out to be one of the most beautiful, creative, high integrity people that I know. Of the three sisters, Nancy considers herself the serious one, and while she is serious, I consider her more thoughtful then serious.  Nancy is always looking for ways to serve others, and she is very quiet about it.  Happy birthday, Nancy, you are not only my sister, but you are a GREAT friend.  I love you.

AffirMINTion: I enjoy my family and friends!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!
A Mini Minty MoMINT

My mom told me that it is my Brandy’s mom has a birthday today and I like it!

Life is Minty Fresh!
 xoxo xoxo

 

 

Happy Birthday, Nancy from me and Brandy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWms7fJ5g2c

I Was a Busy Beaver Last Week + A Birthday Wish

05/01/10 – 6,231 Steps

One Hour of exercise 

Welcome to a Weekend Edition of Mintdom,

I had a great week last week. There was a lot on my plate at work and although I did not get everything done that I wanted to get done, I was very productive and accomplished a lot. That was on the work side.

 On my health side, I have exercised for 3 hours, and burned 1182 calories and I have until Wednesday to get my 5 hours and 1700 calories in for the week. I am hoping to go over that.

On the personal side, I had my family over for a cookout on my new grill that my dad, brother, and nephew put together. The only down side is that, that was the last dinner of the season with my parents as they just traveled to their home in Minnesota until late October. I am already counting the days until they return.

In addition, I attended a little birthday happy hour for a friend of mine; it was a lot of fun, and I met two women who are single and live in my area. I am looking forward to getting to know them.

As you can see, I was a busy beaver last week http://tinyurl.com/BusyBeaver

I was NOT like these folks who were busy doing nothing http://tinyurl.com/BusyDoingNothing

How was your week? Are you satisfied with what you accomplished? Do you think it was a balanced week? For me, I do not see how I could have accomplished more at work unless I had a couple more hours in a day! I think it was a fairly balance week. – All in all, it was an excellent week for me.

AffirMINTion: I lead a balanced life.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

A special birthday wish goes out to my cousin, Billy. Billy’s mom is my godmother and I spent some great summers in Minnesota. Billy and I stayed up most nights until morning playing the card game, Smear. It really is not a two-player game, but we sure had fun playing it. I do not remember what I drank, but Billy drank Dr Pepper all night – no wonder we stayed up all night. Billy is one of the nicest, thoughtful, and fun people that I know. He has the BEST sense of humor of anyone that I know. Billy’s life has not been without adversity, but he deals with it with a sense of humor and always seems to get through it gracefully.

Last summer while I was traveling to visit, my parents Northwest/Delta Airlines (two bad airlines merging to make an awful airline) stranded me in Minneapolis. Even though it was close to 11:00 on a weeknight, Billy did not hesitate to pick me up and bring me to his home. Although we did not stay up all night playing cards, it was fun reminiscing about those days.

Happy Birthday Billy and I wish you many more! http://tinyurl.com/HappyBDayBillyD

 

Fail to Prepare – Prepare to Fail!

04/28/10 – 8,865 Steps

04/29/10 – 7,907 Steps

1 hour of exercise

Good morning Mintdom,

I took the advice of a friend of mine and did not throw out my pedoMINTer, and now I am happy to report that it is working again! Whoo hoo! My pedoMINTer’s little toilet experience however, showed me the need for a back up. In addition, I now have a clip for the times that I do not have a belt loop.

“If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail.” – Mark Spitz

Part of preparation is planning, and my planning skills are improving each day. This is in all areas of my life, but planning for my health is at the top of my list, because without my health, I have nothing at all.

This song came to my mind as I was writing. If you substitute your health for ‘the man’ in this song, it brings a completely new meaning to it. http://tinyurl.com/NothingWithoutYou

AffirMINTion: I prioritize my health every day!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

What are you waiting for?

Life is good!

 

PS Before signing off I want to wish two friends of mine, a very happy birthday. Coincidently, they are both Laurens! Maybe it is in the name, but they are both very sweet people.

 

Lauren C: I have seen you go through adversity with grace and humor. You are a thoughtful friend. Happy Birthday – thanks for being my friend in health, as a neighbor and as a fellow Café World owner! I am looking forward to the opening of our pool this summer!

 

Lauren L: You and I share so many of our views on life – you are one smart cookie! LOL I love your open mind, caring heart, your keen business sense, and your view on the world! Happy Birthday today and I am looking forward to celebrating you, this evening.

What a Busy Night!

04/20/10 – 8,585 Steps

1-hour exercise 

04/21/10 – 6,346 Steps 

Good morning Mintdom 

Oh my gosh! I had such a busy night last night in my sleep. I think it might have been something I ate or maybe because I did not get in a good workout. I dreamt about helping someone with their business – you should have seen the Website I built for them singlehanded! I hired the perfect assistant for a friend of mine although; you should have seen what I had to weed through to get him. Right before I woke up, I went with my awesome boyfriend (still in my pajamas) to someone’s house where he did my laundry and then he dumped me and took me home. Needless to say, I am not only exhausted I am heartbroken! Thank God, I have training this morning – I need to work off all the tension. 

“For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe.” –Author Unknown

I needed to read that quote before bed!

 AffirMINTion: I love to exercise daily!

 Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 What are you waiting for?

 Life is good.

 One last thing – yesterday was the birthday of a very special person in my life. If you look up the words sweet and beautiful, you would see Jenn’s picture. Jenn has one of the most beautiful and gentle spirits that I know. She is the mom of three little ones. Jenn is self sufficient on one hand; however, one of the things that I admire about her is that she can ask AND receive help when she needs it. That is a GREAT attribute, and makes people feel good around her. Jenn is one of the most creative people I know. She gave my parents the sweetest card for their anniversary with the presents she gave them – actually, it was two cards that when read side by side, made a whole card – the perfect symbol for an anniversary! I always look forward to seeing Jenn or hearing her sweet voice over the phone. Happy Birthday, Jenn. I hope you had a love-filled day! I am grateful that you are in my life – BIG Love to you! xoxo

I Have Something in Common with Michaelangelo – You Do Too!

04/08/10 – 6,950 steps

1 hour of exercise

Good morning Mintdom, 

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning because all I can think about are complaints. I am having a difficult time keeping up with my life. Have you ever felt that before? Maybe it is my time management, but I just do not have enough time in my day to do all that I want to do. I feel like life is not only flying by – it is flying by a rocket speed! I am not sure what that is about but I will think about it this weekend because I do not have time to do it now! LOL I am cracking myself up. 

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H Jackson Brown

 I wish that these folks were still alive for me to ask them how they did it. Hmm… I bet they did not play Facebook games! LOL

 AffirMINTion: I appreciate my life and use my time wisely

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 What are you waiting for?

http://tinyurl.com/WhatchaWaiting4

Life is good.

 Oh… one more thing before I go. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday and I would just like to take a little time to say how much I love him. He is the BEST father in the world.

When I was a little girl, my dad would come home from work and hang his jacket on the back of the dining room chair and my brother and I would each take a side, reach into the pocket and pull out a treat of some kind. 

When I was a little older, he traveled a lot for business. Somehow, he made it seem like he was never too far away and that he was always thinking about us. When he got home, and unpacked, he would lay out all sorts of important trinkets on his bed like pencils, pads, paper clip holders while my mom looked on and smiled. You know all the stuff you can pick up at conventions. LOL

My dad is my hero. He is one of the best roll models I know for integrity, dedication to his family, and discipline (he can still fit into his army uniform). Lastly, I will be eternally grateful that my dad sent MINTy Mouse and MINTor to the big forest in the sky!

Happy Birthday, dad – I love you xoxo