This is so true! Don’t be “green with envy” this week. Instead, tend to your own grass and water it. You may find that it is as green or even greener than what you think you see on the other side.
Photo credit: http://spirituallythinking.blogspot.nl/
Remember – YOU are in control of how your day goes. Start off the week running your days your way. Happy Monday!
We’ve Gone Bananas Over This Recipe!
Came across this heavenly recipe this morning from @Shugary Sweets. It’s a quick and simple recipe using basic ingredients that most every household should have on hand. It’s a winner! #banana #streusel #coffeecake
How many photos do you have on your mobile devices right now? What about the card in your camera? I’m afraid to look at mine, but a quick glance at my iPhone shows I have 1,327 on that device alone. If I had to guess, I’d say about 250 of those are worth keeping, and I’m not talking by professional standards, but by sentimental value.
My husband and I take more photos now than we ever have, but we rarely use our 35mm camera or digital video camera. It’s no one’s fault but our own. We forget to grab our “good” camera, as we’ve gotten in the habit of using our iPhones and iPads. I’m sure you can relate – these devices take great photos and videos and they are always handy. And when we do take our “good” camera with us, it just adds an additional source of photos that have to be organized. It can be overwhelming!
What’s worse, we haven’t updated the photos in the frames that adorn our walls, bookshelves and table tops in quite some time. Instead, our photos end up just on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. We had to scramble before the holidays this past Christmas to make sure we had current photos of the grandkids up on the mantle before everyone showed up.
I read a techlicious.com article recently by Kristy Holch that provided great tips on organizing digital photos. I’ve started using these tips with new photos we take, and I like the way our photo files are starting to shape up. I’m storing all of our photos in Picasa. My top three takeaways that I’ve starting using immediately are:
Another great reference source for organizing digital photos is this post by Delightful Order. I like DaNita’s tip about keeping a log tracking when photos were uploaded and which ones you printed.
Start taking the time soon after you’ve taken photos to upload only the best shots, tag and star them, and document when you uploaded them and which ones you printed. My guess is it will save you countless hours of searching for those best photos when you are in a pinch in the future to put together an album or photo board for that special birthday or anniversary event.
One of the prettier sunset photos I’ve taken recently. Taken while visiting my sister last week. She has the perfect setting for sunsets.
Have you read The Matheny Manifesto? This hit a nerve for me, in a good way. I had to share!
If you are a parent or grandparent of a child who plays youth sports, a current or future coach for baseball or any other sport, stop what you’re doing and read it! You owe it to your kids.
I’m not saying that you are a bad parent, grandparent or coach, but I would venture to guess that you’ve witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly on and off the baseball diamond and other sports venues across America. I know I have over the years, and have no problem admitting that from time to time I was that parent Mike describes. You know the one. “Hey coach, when’s junior going to bat in the clean up position?” Or, ” He’s got a great arm and is so accurate in the backyard. He’s got what it takes to pitch. How about giving him a shot during next weekend’s tournament?” I’m sorry, did you get promoted to assistant coach? I must have missed that memo.
Let’s face it. We’re all guilty at one time or another. Some just verbalize their feelings more than others. We want the best for our kids, especially those of us who are frustrated athletes and see potential in our kids. We want it so badly for them. Sometimes we do need to be an advocate for our children, because unfortunately some coaches are nothing more than parents who have volunteered because they have their own agendas. (If you know one of these guys, ask them if they’ve read The Matheny Manifesto and have a copy to share with them in case they haven’t!) But what often happens is our good intentions roadblock our kids from having what could have been a great experience. And suddenly, out of nowhere, they aren’t having any fun. Hmmm…could it be because it’s suddenly become all about us?
It’s so easy for us to lose perspective. Remember the good ‘ole days? If we played organized sports, we respected our coaches. We learned how to work hard, respect authority and had fun doing it. We learned to win and lose with dignity and class. Remember? Our coaches had the opportunity to work with us during “teachable moments” without our parents or grandparents stepping in on our behalf. We learned to speak up for ourselves.
What happened to those days? Winning and losing is part of life. And neither is a good experience for our kids if they aren’t having fun doing it, and building character along the way.
As you cheer on and support your kids and grandkids during this upcoming baseball and other seasons, take yourself out of the equation. As Mike says, “…be a silent source of encouragement.” Because at the end of the day, the youth sports experience is ALL about the kids.
The Matheny Manifesto. Mike’s philosophy is “about respect, ownership, self motivation and no-nonsense sportsmanship, that all go into the definition of CHARACTER displayed on a playing field.” Sounds like a great approach that could go far beyond the playing field in developing future leaders, huh?
Take a few minutes, read it and share your thoughts and experiences here. Or better yet, share them on Mike’s website.
Today’s inspiration comes from The Better Man Projects!
