Hi Reader,

It's a foggy morning day today. It felt like I was driving inside a cloud on my way to my daughter's school. We pretended we were inside a cloud for fun, humor and playing pretend are the best ways to stay connected and happy (possibly with anyone at any age). I have to admit, I'm not a natural morning person and find it easier to stay up late. However, having the responsibility of being the morning routine leader or "boss" has forced me to be better at being a "morning person." It's a skill that I'm still working to master so that we can all be calm and unhurried.

Are you a morning person? A natural early bird? What helps you stay consistent?
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Here are a few things that make waking up before the sunrise not so dreadful:​
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•I limit my coffee intake, usually to one or two small tea-cup-size servings.
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•I stop drinking caffeine late in the afternoon and have started to replace it with boiled Cinnamom bark tea. It's spicy and refreshing!

•I aim to go to sleep before midnight (as much as possible).

• I give myself something to look forward to in the morning. Usually a fresh and bold cup of coffee is all I need to feel motivated.

• I put on music after waking up to get my body in a happy mood. It works like a charm!

Out With the Old in With the New

I recently replaced my 13-year-old imac for a new one. It was long over due. I'm a penny pincher when it comes to buying things for myself. So, naturally, I waited until my computer started dying (consistently) on me to consider replacing it. I can't work without a computer. Even though my work is mostly analog or handmade it needs to be scanned and digitized in some way, and stored.

The history of my original imac:​
I was fresh out of college when I originally purchased my imac. At the time, I was a typical broke 20-something, living amid a recession, dreaming of being an artist, a starry-eyed romantic, working multiple odd jobs to barely make ends meet. I read somewhere about the importance of a vision board and decided that a proper desktop would help move me closer towards my dream of having a creative job full-time. So I pinned a picture of a computer on my wall where I could see it everyday before going to work. I worked long days round the clock as an art teacher, after-care teacher, a summer school art teacher, a shop manager at several retail stores, and freelanced as an artist.

I waited until I had saved half of the full price, back then a grand and some change. Then I financed the other half and diligently paid it off over the course of 4-months.

Voilá! I had fulfilled my tiny dream of having my own work computer capable of handling huge digital files and projects, plus I got a nice credit boost. Since that day, I vowed to care for it and keep it as long as possible and here we are, 13-years later.

I plan on donating my old imac to someone who will care for it. It's still good for web browsing, my projects and files have outgrown the operating system though.

I've come to appreciate the value of taking care of the things we already have as best as possible, with as much love, tenderness, and attention as we can. Especially those beautiful people in our lives we sometimes forget about. Just like my old computer, if I would've taken it for granted it probably wouldn't have lasted as long as it has.

Moment I Treasure this week

I had the privilege of babysitting my daughter's cousin who's almost the same age. I learned three things that day. 1.) my daughter needs a sibling! 2.) To me, it felt easier to care for multiple kids than just one. 3.) Dancing is the best medicine for grumpiness and other big emotions.