100 Days of Gratitude

I believe that showing gratitude of everyday experiences can revitalize my commitment to living life in a sensational way.  I believe in God, a higher being, our creator with a master plan. My mother, my sister and I pray, !are spiritual and we are also strong believers of "The Secret". We have all been convinced, by witnessing it firsthand, that we've been graced with goodness--- by "putting it out there in the universe."  I'm always thankful for what I have, but I wanted to share my joy with others by doing a 100 Days of Gratitude Photo-Journal. Every day, I consciously spent a few minutes to count all of life's little blessings. This year, I received my license as a registered nurse, got hired in on a medical surgical-floor and just today- at the operating room department!  Last month, my adorable little nephew was born, I bought a car that I was imagining to be mine, and my husband and I just bought a house!  Our kids are happy.  We are all healthy.  Surrounding me is my very close family (who literally live nearby) and I have amazing friends who are always by our side.  There's no doubt - I'm grateful for the life I am living.

 

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is "Thank You," it'll be enough. - Meister Eckhart

You can see my photo journal here: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155608804485574.1073741858.604765573&type=1&l=93c19e823f

Grateful for my mind, body and soul

Health- the most important thing that should never be taken for granted.

Family.

Warm blankets- especially straight from the dryer

Chocolate

Books - Nobody can take away your knowledge

My parents who are healthy and active

Waking up at 4.00am and realizing there's still a couple of hours of sleep left.

My bed.

My husband

Saturday afternoons.

My 5 senses

Spontaneous get-togethers

Long walks.

My sister

Rumba and Bachata

Hot tubs.

My dog.

Sleep....even a nap will do!

Old photographs

Weddings

Finding a parking spot right away.

Uncontrollable Laughter

Being able to help others.

Makeovers

Feeling loved.

Cuddling and giving loves

Fireplaces and firepits

Ice cream Shops

Dancing....anywhere...anytime

A cup of really good coffee.

Baby's giggles

A good pair of jeans

Peanut butter & Jam...or Nutella

Great conversations.

Takeout.

Childhood memories.

A great zumba session.

Nail polish.

Fresh air and nature

Rainbows- don’t they always make you smile?

Scrapbooking stores

Fruit market

Beautiful sunsets.

The moon and the stars.

Slow dancing

Orchids

Living in a multi-cultural city- Montreal

Bad days- because the good days are then much more appreciated.

My future- what's to come and places I've yet to discover.

Freshly baked chocolate-chip banana bread.

Red Wine in Good Company

Great Friends

Mom’s cooking.

Hugs

Light snowfall

Packages in the mail

Music

Candy stores

Heating and hot water

Sushi cravings satisfied

Baby Showers

Romantic-comedy Movies

Falling rain

Kisses on the forehead

Seafood Feast

Fresh laundry

Kind strangers

Cookies and cupcakes

Wonderful co-workers

The Sun.

Sand under my feet.

Going out for breakfast

Cozy sweaters

Facebook and Pinterest

Hawaiian Luaus

Smoothies and bubble tea

Vacation travels

Free shipping and Discounts

Driving on an open road

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?
What would you have...Tell me.

MCB xo

Baby Shower- Minions & Ducks

My Love

#AtLast, Happy anniversary, my love.  I am grateful that you are a very supportive husband and a very loving papa.  There are forces that brought us together and so happy that we've chosen each other to be partners for life.  I am thankful that we've already started celebrating since midnight with great food, lots of wine and being #foreveronthedancefloor. We've passed the #infamous7yearitch and have beautiful little loves together.. I want to grow old with you so let's keep celebrating.  

Love you Always xo 

What's on my Night Table

Relationships are important. The past few years have felt like a whirlwind for me---juggling school, home and events but I've been able to catch up on my family time, my friendships with my girlfriends and most importantly my husband and my children.  Now that I've graduated from Nursing and have finished studying for a little while...I was finally able to read for fun!  Mind you, with a full-time job, a house to tend to, and a family who definitely need my attention....I didn't breeze through these books very quickly but they're worth the read.  These were sitting on my night table when I wasn't reading past my bedtime.  

MCB xo

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

by Eckhart Tolle

Ekhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, supportive voice and enthusiasm make this an excellent manual for anyone who's ever wondered what exactly "living in the now" means. Foremost, Tolle is a world-class teacher, able to explain complicated concepts in concrete language. More importantly, within a chapter of reading this book, readers are already holding the world in a different container--more conscious of how thoughts and emotions get in the way of their ability to live in genuine peace and happiness.

Tolle packs a lot of information and inspirational ideas into The Power of Now. (Topics include the source of Chi, enlightened relationships, creative use of the mind, impermanence and the cycle of life.) Thankfully, he's added markers that symbolise "break time". This is when readers should close the book and mull over what they just read. As a result, The Power of Nowreads like the highly acclaimed A Course in Miracles--a spiritual guidebook that has the potential to inspire just as many study groups and change just as many lives for the better. --Gail Hudson

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate

by Gary Chapman

Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? While love is a many splendored thing, it is sometimes a very confusing thing, too. And as people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver and the receiver express love in two different ways. This can lead to misunderstanding, quarrels, and even divorce.

Quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch are the five basic love languages. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies these and guides couples towards a better understanding of their unique languages of love. Learn to speak and understand your mate's love language, and in no time you will be able to effectively love and truly feel loved in return. Skillful communication is within your grasp.

The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- To Four-Year-Old

by Harvey Karp, Paula Spencer

Toddlers can drive you bonkers...so adorable and fun one minute...so stubborn and demanding the next! Yet, as unbelievable as it sounds, there is a way to turn the daily stream of "nos" and "don'ts" into "yeses" and hugs...if you know how to speak your toddler's language. In one of the most useful advances in parenting techniques of the past twenty-five years, Dr. Karp reveals that toddlers, with their immature brains and stormy outbursts, should be thought of not as pint-size people but as pintsize...cavemen.
Having noticed that the usual techniques often failed to calm crying toddlers, Dr. Karp discovered that the key to effective communication was to speak to them in their own primitive language. When he did, suddenly he was able to soothe their outbursts almost every time! This amazing success led him to the realization that children between the ages of one and four go through four stages of "evolutionary" growth, each linked to the development of the brain, and each echoing a step in prehistoric humankind's journey to civilization:
- The "Charming Chimp-Child" (12 to 18 months): Wobbles around on two legs, grabs everything in reach, plays a nonstop game of "monkey see monkey do."
- The "Knee-High Neanderthal" (18 to 24 months): Strong-willed, fun-loving, messy, with a vocabulary of about thirty words, the favorites being "no" and "mine."
- The "Clever Caveman" (24 to 36 months):
Just beginning to learn how to share, make friends, take turns, and use the potty.
- The "Versatile Villager" (36 to 48 months): Loves to tell stories, sing songs and dance, while trying hard to behave.
To speak to these children, Dr. Karp has developed two extraordinarily effective techniques:
1) The "fast food" rule--restating what your child has said to make sure you got it right;
2) The four-step rule--using gesture, repetition, simplicity, and tone to help your
irate Stone-Ager be happy again.
Once you've mastered "toddler-ese," you will be ready to apply behavioral techniques specific to each stage of your child's development, such as teaching patience and calm, doing time-outs (and time-ins), praise through "gossiping," and many other strategies. Then all the major challenges of the toddler years--including separation anxiety, sibling rivalry, toilet training, night fears, sleep problems, picky eating, biting and hitting, medicine taking "-- "can be handled in a way that will make your toddler feel understood. The result: fewer tantrums, less yelling, and, best of all, more happy, loving time for you and your child. "From the Hardcover edition."

My Nursing Career Begins!

From nursing student to working on the wards...

I graduated from my nursing program, took my nursing board exam, wrote up my CV and cover letter (with several edits) until I finally had the courage to send it.  As confident as I wanted to appear at my job interviews, my knees were shaking.  I had hoped to give them a good first impression but did I have what they were looking for?  After only a few days of the waiting game, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders because I landed my first job in my nursing career.

I was nervous about being the "rookie" since I wasn't at the same level of experience as the nurses on the ward.  Just listening to the nurses morning report on their patients sounded impressive.  So many questions went through my mind.  Would I fit in with the healthcare team? Would I be a burden to my preceptor?  Will I be able to manage my time well? What if I made any errors?  I was now responsible for patients’ lives and no longer had a nursing instructor by my side.  

As part of my orientation, I was paired with a nurse preceptor to help guide me through my first six weeks of my career. We worked closely together and she helped me organize my plan of care among our patients. Every day I arrive a few minutes earlier to see my assignment and get settled on the floor. By being on time, I want my colleagues to know that I'm reliable and have a strong desire to work with them.  I ask questions and take notes along the way to help my training go as smoothly as possible.  The hardest part is convincing myself that I'm competent ----rather than worrying about a new nursing intervention- I just have to do it! My commitment I've made for my patients is that I'd maintain current knowledge of every action I do and provide a safe environment.  Our continuing education is mandatory so it's a good thing I'm still in the mode of active learning.  A novice nurse couldn't know everything so sometimes I ask, "Since I've never done this before, could you please walk me through it?" It's all part of the learning process. If I know of a certain procedure being done with a patient that wasn't actually assigned to me, I take initiative and ask to observe and assist, in order to gain experience.  I was now out of school but is when the real learning begins ...and after every new skill I've accomplished so far, I think to myself, "that wasn't so bad at all" and move beyond many of the fears that I initially had.  Presently, the tough thing for me right now is that I often get attached with some patients and think of them after my shift has ended.

If I plan on having a long healthy career in nursing, I must be mindful of burnout and take care of myself as well.  Us nurses need to take our breaks, enjoy our lunch, take a breather and have "me time" after work.  It's not a selfish approach because my time is demanded both at work and at home.  It's also important that an open line of communication with friends and family is established about what's being asked of me and how I could meet their needs without giving too much of myself.  Besides, we have to stay positive and motivated in every way.

Since I was a unit co-ordinator a few years ago, in the very same department I currently work at, I was familiar with my surroundings. However, this time I needed to know where all the supplies, equipment and medication were stored in, as a nurse.  I also knew more than half of the staff so being sociable was not very difficult.  They knew I enjoyed sitting with them during lunch, and bonded by getting to know one another.  After all, I spend 12 hours every work day and need to stay connected with my "family" of nurses.   Fortunately for me, with the endless support from my fellow colleagues, transitioning from student nurse to registered nurse has been a lot easier than I had anticipated. I've got a lot to learn in the next few months but my colleagues have told me that I'm better prepared than I realize.  Here goes....My first year on a neurology/neurosurgery department...

MCB xo

Rest and Relaxation

Living life to the fullest. This post entry IS an event because it's been a long time coming and one that'll be remembered - I needed this!  Hubby decided to treat me to rest and relaxation,at Spe le Finlandais, but he deserves this just as much. Thank you for dealing with me when I needed to meet deadlines, when times were nerve-racking before exams or when my knees were shaking before interviews...and for being so patient with our brats - whom we love so much. More importantly, I am grateful for all the moments we create and share together as a family. Who loves you? I do.

MCB xo