I am always so happy to participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge. It's wonderful to connect with other bloggers, to see my old challenge friends again, and to have discussions with them on my blog and theirs.

I wasn't able to do weekends this time (so no completion ribbon this time), but it helped a lot to have that two-day break. And I still enjoyed the month of blogging.

Possibly the best part of all, more people came to visit me here at my blog. :)

I think at last count, I got about 4400 pageviews and a thousand new visitors a week. It started to taper off as we got toward the end of the challenge, but I am still grateful.

If you're reading this, and you're a UBC blogger, how was your experience this month?

If you're not, join us for the next challenge in April. You can register at ultimateblogchallenge.com.

One thing this month of blogging did for me, personally, is help me get clearer about what I want to blog about and how often I would like to do it. But it also reminded me of how much I need to write in advance. So I have some posts ready for next month, starting tomorrow.

Hope to see you here! :)

Love to you!!

Jeanine

You might remember from a previous blog post that my goal is to spend $1 each on dinner, for both me and my son. In an average month, that's going to be $60.

Update: we are at the end of the month, and I have not yet managed it, but it's definitely  still a priority. There's a book in the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle called Dinner for a Dollar, and I am reading it to help me do it.

What's your dinner or general meal-planning budget?

"To do this, look at your income against all your bills, and ask yourself this: Without making more money, reducing other expenses, or going into debt, how much money do you have available to spend on food? "
- Shelly Longenecker, Dinner for a Dollar

I admit that, in the past, I have been careless about spending money on food, even though we were eating or meals at home. Sometimes, I didn't do any meal planning for dinner at all, and just bought whatever seemed good at the time.

So when I decided to take a careful look at where I was throwing money away, dinner came to my attention. This is the one meal where my son and I are sure to sit down at the same time, and eat together.

So it's important. And maybe I wanted to fill it with love and joy.

But as a single mom, I have had to get serious about how to control my food budget, and it looks like I will need to squeeze my dinner budget the hardest.

The book, Dinner for a Dollar (DFAD), and the system that goes with it, are helping me see things more clearly, stay committed and figure out what to change.

In the Healthy Meal Planning bundle, which is where I got the book, there's also a budget-friendly meal planning ebook.

But to be honest, I wouldn't even take a look at that, until you have read DFAD. It walks you through the process of making the commitment, choosing your budget and making the changes.

Once you have done that, then you can get creative with your meal planning. The goal - and the book helps with this, too - is how to buy the best food and get it for the best prices.

Last week, several of my meals were actually dinner for a $1.50. but this week, because of BOGO deals I bought last week, a couple of meals have been a dollar each. So I'm encouraged! I'm making progress.

I just need to keep it up and get that to happen for every dinner.

What's the hardest part of budget meal planning for you?

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

We've been talking about stress, relaxation and gratitude during the past week or so. Today, I want to share a brief meditation you can try right now that may help you replace stress with the energy of love. Take a moment to check in with yourself. Are you experiencing any stress or tension or discomfort? If so, as you try the moment of guided meditation, see if you can let it go.

(1) Close your eyes, sit fairly still, and breathe deeply and slowly. If you have any rose quartz crystal, hold on to it in one hand. If not, you could diffuse a few drops of rose oil. Continue to focus on slowing down your breathing until you feel yourself relaxing.

(2) When you are calm, lightly tap on your heart space (the center of your chest) and imagine that your heart is filling with a rosy pink light.

(3) Imagine a rosy pink beam of love connecting you to the people in your life, flowing from your heart to theirs.

(4) Next, send that wave of love to the world in general and to any concern you have about what's going on in the world.

(5) Finally, send love to your life, your career, etc. Visualize the love transforming it into what you would like it to be, into what it is meant to be.

On days when you are able to set aside more than five minutes, give each part of the process more time (especially the time you take to relax) , and when you are finished, journal about what the experience was like.

Wishing you peace!

Love, Jeanine

One way to make sure stress and other challenges don't steal your happiness is to pause for gratitude moments. I talked a little abut that in a post about hygge earlier this month. Even during a day that seemed all wrong, you can probably find a few things to be grateful for and that can change everything.

Jasmine can be used to clear away any thoughts and feelings that might get in the way of feeling grateful. After putting a drop or two in your hands, rub them together, cup your hands over your face and breathe it in deeply for a minute or two.

First, imagine that the jasmine is filling the space in your hands and absorbing everything that needs to heal in order for you to experience joy and gratitude. Then, close your eyes and sit quietly and ask for scenes and images to remind you of the abundance you already have in your life. Mentally give thanks for each image or scene that presents itself.

Once you have experienced this process a few times, it may get easier to do it from memory, even when you don't have your jasmine oil with you. If you can do that, then you can create a moment of gratitude anytime you notice stress or its results.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at how to bring the energy of love to your moments of stress. See you then!

Love, Jeanine

In yesterday's post, I pointed out how powerful the relaxation response can be for anyone who ever experiences stress. It's only as I am getting older that I understand that our bodies are more fragile than we often think. And only Timex continues to take a licking and keeps on ticking.

After my body's rather extensive complaints, I have decided to be kinder to it, and that means crushing stress with  daily blow. :) Don't put off finding your own ways to do the same. And if you want a way that sneaks in past your resistance, dive into aromatherapy. Let me explain what I mean...

Aromatherapy is an ancient practice which uses distilled and concentrated plant oils, essential oils, to treat physical and mental ailments. It works so well because it taps into the olfactory system, the group of organs and tissues associated with your sense of smell. And the olfactory system also shares an almost immediate connection with the limbic system, which controls the parts of the brain related to your memory, your feelings, breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

Each essential oil possesses characteristics which make it most effective for treating certain physical conditions and feeling states. Choosing which ones to try should depend on which scents you like and can be reasonably certain you're not allergic to in any way.

For example, lavender promotes calm and has been said to soothe hurt feelings.

But I get a headache if I go anywhere near it, so I'd have to choose a different oil that is calming or soothing.

When you’re looking for oils to combat anxiety and stress, choose oils with relaxing, calming, and uplifting properties. The oils should soothe while shifting your awareness in a way that grounds you and replenishes you.

The scents that work best for anxiety and stress relief tend to have light and bright floral, citrus, or woodsy scents. My favorite relaxation scent is orange essential oil.

The following oils may be used alone or in combination with the other oils listed as well as others that are not part of this list. Keep in mind blends should contain a complementary mix of oils in both scent and therapeutic characteristics...

Bergamot: calming, alleviates depression, anxiety and stress. Blends with: jasmine, juniper, chamomile, cypress, ylang ylang, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon, palmarosa, and patchouli. I like Bergamot & Ylang Ylang together.

Lavender: alleviates stress, anxiety, promotes relaxation and calm. Blends With: most oils, especially good with citrus oils, chamomile, and clary sage.

Roman Chamomile: relaxing and rebuilding. Blends with: Rose, lavender, rose, clary sage, and geranium.

Rose: alleviates depression and stress. Blends with: cypress, frankincense, juniper, citrus oils, cedarwood, clary sage, patchouli, pine, rosewood, and sandalwood

Sandalwood: calming and relieves stress and depression. Blends with: mandarin, myrrh, patchouli, cypress, frankincense, lemon, spruce, and ylang ylang.

Ylang-ylang: relieves anxiety, depression, and stress. Blends with: sandalwood, anise, chamomile, cumin, bergamot, geranium, grapefruit, lemon, and marjoram.

Orange: alleviates anxiety, boosts mood, and promotes a sense of happiness and wellbeing. Blends with: other citrus oils, bergamot, clove, cinnamon, and lavender.

CAUTION - never use an essential oil neat, unless you are putting it in a diffuser. In order to use it on your skin or in a bath, you'll need to put it in a carrier oil (like sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil, for example) or a bath oil to make sure they don't sting or burn your skin.

Here's a link you can use to order therapeutic-grade essential oils. Since I am a DoTERRA consultant, that is my link.

Have you ever used essential oils to help you relax? If you were choosing one to try, which ones would appeal to you?

Have a great weekend!

Love, Jeanine

When we encounter a life-threatening situation, a surge of stress hormones prepares us to fight or to flee, an automatic fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. It used to happen in caveman times when there was an immediate danger. But now, we activate this fight-or-flight response every day, several times a day, not because of real danger, but in reaction to situations that are not life-threatening. To everyday stressors.

The good news is that you have a relaxation response that you can use to counter, prevent or get rid of the effects of the flight-or-flight response. And if you have chronic daily stress that you cannot change, finding ways to relax is your best way to avoid damaging your health.

When you relax, your mind calms and your emotions stabilize. That makes you better able to think through situations and modulate your emotional responses.

When your mind is calm, it’s easier to feel content.

Your brain exhibits certain predictable responses when it is calm. These responses or signals, which activate the relaxation response, are tied to the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve connects the brain to most of the body’s major organs. It tells your brain how your body is doing.

Meditation, mindfulness practices, and deep breathing are simple methods that activate the vagus nerve and its calming effects. These practices teach the body what to do to create a relaxed state.

Once you can reliably create the relaxation response, you won't be held hostage by your stress, and you'll know how to release it, so you can get back to feeling calm. You become a peacemaker in your own life.

There are many methods, techniques and tools you can use to create relaxation, and he one that's best for you is the one you'll keep doing. :)

Tomorrow, I'll tell you about how you can use essential oils to create stress relief almost effortlessly. See you then!

Love, Jeanine

A couple of weeks ago, or so, I bought the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle, for which I am an affiliate. Each week, I've looked for a recipe to try and this week, I wanted a slow cooker recipe.

I saw Cheeseburger Macaroni and couldn't wait to see how to do it. But I was disappointed to find that it was an Instant Pot meal, and I don't have an Instant Pot. So I found a slow cooker recipe online and tried it, instead, altering it a smidge to make it vegetarian. Plus, I used spaghetti instead of macaroni.

Recipe from SlowCookerKitchen.com

The cool thing about this meal is that it's a one-pot meal, but for the slow cooker. Much less mess to clean up when the meal is over - and my chief bottle-washer appreciates that fact. :)

Slow Cooker Kitchen says you can turn this into a freeze-ahead meal, too. I like that idea. In fact, I want to learn more about how to do the freeze-aheads, too. There's an ebook for that in the Healthy Meal bundle, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

a pound of macaroni (it can be uncooked or you might want to cook it for a few minutes_

3 cups of milk (I used my regular Lactaid 2% milk)

a 1/2 stick of butter, melted

2 cups of shredded cheddar (or more if you want - I used two)

a cup (or two) of shredded mozzarella

a pound of hamburger, precooked (I used veggie burgers)

salt, pepper and garlic to taste (3 tsp, if you're using garlic powder)


Slow Cooker Kitchen suggested adding cream cheese, bell peppers and paprika, none of which I used when I made it. She also mentioned Italian seasoning or taco seasoning as options. I have some Italian seasoning, but didn't use it.

Mix the butter and the milk together, and then add the salt, pepper and garlic. Stir it and then put it aside for a bit. Put butter on the sides of your slow cooker insert and then, add the pasta, the meat and half of the mozzarella & cheddar. Toss and combine it.

Then, pour the milk mixture over it and add the other half of the cheese. Cover it, then let it cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

I'd buy or make some rolls to go with it. There's an all-natural grocery store whose rolls I love!!

Which way would you make it? With cream cheese or not? Would you add Italian seasoning?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

Have you ever tried journaling your affirmations?

I have and there's one way to do it that doesn't seem to work at all. I don't recommend it...

"I am so happy I'm wealthy! I have been able to buy a mansion, ten cars, a home for my parents, and a yacht. Life is so thrilling now."

Just as I mentioned the other day, I find that I have to find the truth in my affirmations. So, writing ahead what I am going to feel on Dec. 31st doesn't quite quite work, either.

What works better for me is to tell myself a story. So if wealth is your intention, and your affirmation is something like, "I have all the money I need," then you might write that at the top of a journal entry & then tell yourself the story of how it's true.

Let's imagine that I am working on wealth as an intention, using that affirmation, and I want to imagine that I won the lottery (gotta admit, I like the sound of that.)

Here's a way I might write it...

"The abundance I want comes to me effortlessly...

Right after we won, the first thing my son wanted to do was buy a new car. We certainly needed one, but I just wasn't ready yet. After daydreaming all my life about the perfect home, and watching all those House Hunters episodes, all I could think about was buying a house. It's so much fun to walk into a model home and imagine yourself there. So I loved every minute of looking at houses, and then finally decided which one I wanted. Only then, did I get around to looking for a car, and thank goodness, we found one in the perfect color."

In that example above, not only did I tell myself a story, and place myself in it, I also wrote it fairly close to the way I think I would describe it if it happened.

When you write yours, the most important thing is to be able to believe it.

So, once you have chosen an affirmation and are journaling about your intention, how could you make it sound real enough that you not only start to believe it, but you can feel it as you write it?

(1) Use experiences you have had already, weaving them into the reality you are describing in your journal entry.

(2) Do it often, but vary the story each time.

For instance, if your intention was to find love, you might write a journal entry about getting ready for your second date, dancing to your favorite song, how you each take turns choosing the movie you'll watch, the moment when you got engaged.

Journaling in this way helps you practice having the intention come true and gets you used to the idea.

Using affirmations, and journaling and/or meditating about them will change the way you think at other times, too, and may lead to your making choices that make the manifestation more likely.

What do you think? Is journaling your affirmations something that might work for you?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

Do you get winter blues each year, too?

It starts in the fall for me, but the winter months are the most difficult, followed by March when it seems like it should be over, but isn't yet. Though the worst winter depressions are likely to need medical or therapeutic intervention, here are a few things you can do on your own...

(1) Surround yourself with light - if you can actually get outside for half an hour of sunshine, please do. But a light box may help, too. I use mine every day. I also light candles & hang up fairy lights to add even more light coming my way.

(2) Do something hygge - wrap yourself up in something warm and cozy, have a hot cup of cocoa, or a big cup of tea. Watch a family movie with the kids, or plan one for when you get home from work.

(3) Have a day of Christmas - play "Christmastime is Here" and make Christmas cookies. Wear red, and watch a Christmas movie.

(4) Dance - moving physically can sometimes help you change the way you feel emotionally, just long enough to create a shift that will last all day. I have friend who dance for 15 minutes when they first get up and they tell me it helps a lot.

(5) Eat carbs - many people are missing serotonin in the winter, and find that carbohydrates may help to replace it. Plan a potato-based meal. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top may feel like a special treat.

(6) Laugh - search YouTube or Netflix for your favorite comedian and watch 15 minutes or so, at a time, throughout the day.

Here's my 7th suggestion for feeling better today.

Every time I think about him, and listen to that speech, I am moved by it, proud of the work he did in the world, and happy to know that our world, imperfect as it is, is nonetheless forever changed because of him. Love, Jeanine

Watch the "I Have a Dream" Speech

Ive been sharing a series of posts about affirmations this week, and I have one more coming next week. I wanted to take a break today to talk about the super blood moon and eclipse we have coming on Sunday...

During the next few days, you may find that challenges are coming to an end. One of the articles I read suggested that things may resolve on a national level - which would be great - but here, I prefer to focus closer to home, in case there are things that will be meaningful for you, personally.

Because these are predictions that may or may not seem to come true in any particular person's life, I think of them as possibilities. And what I do is set an intention to be open to those possibilities.

I have quite a few challenges I'd like to see turn the corner and/or come to an end, so I will offer them up for completion. Do you have anything like that in your own life?

Another article suggested that if you look back over the past few years, you may notice your own personal growth in areas that had been a challenge for you. That sounds good, right?

And for me, there has been a spiritual shift that's connected to a challenge that began just before the time the article mentions (early 2017). Are you beginning to resolve any challenges that began a couple of years ago?

Apparently, it could be easy to get into arguments and feel the need to prove yourself right over the next few days. I always cringe inwardly whenever I hear something like that because it's so easy for me to fall for that trick.

I have an intention to be careful this weekend - but I can be so unconscious at times, without even meaning to be, and I find myself wandering into a disagreement and then thinking, "what just happened?" Does that ever happen to you?

I am sick most of the time, so I am often not really paying attention, or I'm distracted by something I am worrying about, so if I can stay present, I might have an easier time of it. And isn't that the truth all the time?

It's also going to be a full moon, which offers its own energy. The full moon will marry the sense of completion and resolution to the opportunity to celebrate. You may see glimpses of new moon intentions coming true or being empowered.

And for this full moon, take a moment to celebrate any completions, closure or shifts you experience. If you have moonstone, it would be good to have it nearby to keep you calm all weekend and lean into the curve in an emotional sense, where the moon is concerned.

In fact, here's a quick ritual you could do - grab moonstone & amethyst, and place a slip of paper underneath them that offers up whatever you want for completion during the eclipse and the full moon.

I also suggest resting this weekend. Sounds like there could be changes. You'll need your sleep.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend!

Love, Jeanine