How does she fly without fear?

Hi! Trina here all the way from ‘down under’ or more commonly known as New Zealand.

New Zealand often feels like it’s a million miles from anywhere. We are a tiny little country at the bottom of the world. Yes, we have a stunningly beautiful country. Yes, it’s clean and green and full of sheep. Yes, it has just 4 million people. And yes, we are an island. But we are still miles away from most places.

Because of this, I made a promise to myself at university that I would travel at least once a year for the rest of my life. I guess you could call me a traveloholic. Now this would normally be fine, right? Hop on a plane, take off and see the world…. that is unless you are afraid of flying.

And it was fine, until one day I grew terribly anxious when hopping on a plane. Does anyone else feel the sudden urge to jump up out of your seat when on a plane that’s at the end of the runway, just about to take off and scream … “let me out of here”.

It only got worse when I had children and had to leave them behind. My biggest fear - leaving them motherless was on my mind the whole time. I would get horrible for days before the flight. Nervous, grumpy for no reason, sleepless etc etc.

But I refused to let the fear get to me and instead did something about it. I took a course called ‘flying without fear’ and I learnt all about flying. I learnt about myself and what makes me afraid and I learnt I could do it. I thought there were some really valuable lessons that have helped me fly calmly (still not unafraid, but at least comfortable) that I just had to share some tips with you….

1. Learn some stats….

• Did you know that you are more likely to be kicked to death by a donkey than die in a plane crash?
• That you are more likely to crash on the way to the airport than in a plane?
• That if you were to fly every day, it would take approx. 19,000 years to succumb to death on a plane?
• Pretty good stuff to know huh?!

2. Learn how to breathe.

• Most of us who are afraid of flying tend to hyperventilate. This causes anxiety, which causes panic. If you learn to breathe, or at least breathe calmly and specifically when anxious, it will easy a lot of that fear.

3. Sit on the plane with your hands in your lap, palms facing up, unclenched.

• When you clench your hands, the hand of your flying partner, or the seat, you are telling your body you’re anxious, which in turn makes you hyperventilate which in turn makes you scared and panic. Relax those hands!

4. Rescue Remedy.

• I’m not sure if this is commonly found around the world, but it’s a super homeopathic remedy that helps calm your nerves. Again, by being calm and breathing calmly, you are less likely to freak out. This is a wonderful tool for anytime I find myself nervous.

And so I continue to travel. And meet wonderful people from all around the world. My family and I have just returned from the most amazing adventure to Lapland.

We went to the Arctic Circle to meet Santa, have a white Xmas (Oh wow!) and see something totally different to our culture. It was AMAZING (you can view more pictures of this trip on my blog).

What fears have you overcome?

Reach more about one of the newest BPC teachers on her bio page and make sure you check out her class, You Changed my Life.

In Turkish, we have a saying. It loosely translates to:

"Drop by drop, it becomes a lake."

This is how time works. Negligible amounts of time dedicated to the small task can end up amounting to tangibile, visible changes in your life.

I wanted to share some examples of my personal projects with you today. I will share three different examples with you. Just to show you that the idea applies across the board.

One of my goals this year was to learn how to sketch. I can't draw at all but I've always wanted to. I loved watching people sit with a piece of paper and pencil and create works of art within moments. I saw other people's sketchbooks and felt a strong desire to have my own. I was quite scared of this goal and postponed it for a while. Finally, on April 10, I decided enough was enough and I would start sketching every single day. Here are the two sketches I made on that day:

Yes, I told you. I can't draw.

Alas, I kept trying. I dedicated 15-30 minutes a day to it. Every single day since April 10. I took other people's sketches and tried to create my own versions. I used charcoal, colored pencils, pastel pencils, and eventually watercolors. I used photos as inspirations, too.

In the process I found artists that inspired me and I copied their work. Since I wasn't selling anything and made sure to give credit, I didn't worry about copying.

my version of the amazing sketch by Andrea Joseph

Then I started to draw off of photos:

and finally moved to watercolors:

With just 15 minutes or so every day, I was able to improve my sketching significantly. To the point that I am no longer scared to sit and draw. Yes, I still have days where I hate my creations and I have a long way to go before I can use my own imagination, but I am no longer scared when I see something. I no longer think "I could never do that." I know it's just a matter of time, patience, and dedication.

All it took to have faith in myself (and to draw better) was 15 minutes a day.

Here are two more examples of how regular dedication of time can make a tangible difference in your life:

Another project I worked on this year was starting to exercise. I have never, ever exercised in my life. I don't do any sports, and I don't even know how to ride a bike. On October 2, 2010, I decided enough was enough and I would start exercising every day. I started with a one mile walk around the neighborhood and slowly increased to a 45-minute exercise of 2 miles of walking and 1 mile of running. As of July 2011, I had lost 32 lbs. I now weigh less than I did when I was 19 years old. Yes, I did watch what I was eating but I'd been doing that for years. What made this work was the 45 minutes a day I dedicated to working out. And now that my stamina is higher, I was able to change things up so I run 2 miles instead of walking so my 45 minute exercise is down to 21 minutes. I can use the extra time to be with my family.

And, finally for something different, my oldest son just learned how to read a year ago and he's becoming more and more interested in books. I wanted to spend 2010 reading books to him to encourage his love for reading. Since I didn't grow up here, I asked around a lot and made a list. It had most of the classics from Charlotte's Web to The Wizard of Oz. I dedicated 20 minutes a day to read to him. Sometimes it would be during breakfast and other times, near bedtime. Just 20 minutes a day. I'd read to him and when we finished a book, he'd tell me what he thought of the book. (you can read more about the project here:) As of November 12, we've read 48 books together. Just 20 minutes a day.

So let's summarize. With 15-45 minutes a day of dedication a day on each task, in less than one year, I was able to improve my drawing, lose 32 lbs., and read 48 books. If those are not excellent results, I don't know what is. So next time you're complaining about how you don't have time to start something, remember that it takes a lot less time to accomplish a goal than you might think.

More importantly, what I learned when I was writing the Reclaiming My Time workshop is that you have a lot more free time each day than you think. All it takes is a good, hard look at where your time goes. I promise you, you will be surprised.

As you can see from my examples above, this class changed my life. It made me more productive, happier, and more fulfilled. Remember that how you spend your time is how you spend your life. So, I hope you join me in the workshop so we can all start reclaiming our time together.
 

One of my favorite memory keeping tools is my scanner. I have used several Hewlett Packard models over the years and I currently have a HP Office Jet 6500. It’s nothing fancy, but it gives me nice results. Most scanners purchased within the last few years will do an adequate job. If you don’t own a scanner, you could always ask to borrow a friend’s scanner, or go to your local copy shop and use their equipment. Just bring along your own SD card or flash drive so you can save your images.

Why should you scan your special mementos? I think there are many good reasons to scan; it provides a backup copy, allows you to share the piece with others who might appreciate it (family, friends, etc.) and you can use the items in your creative projects. I’m a digital scrapbooker so I use scanned images directly on my pages. All types of scrappers will find uses for scanned items. You could use the original on your pages, but you are limited to a one-time use. I almost always prefer to use scans or at least have a scanned backup for special items.

When I save a ticket stub, or piece of memorabilia in scanned form, I have an image to keep indefinitely, just like my digital photos. A ticket stub like this one to a Shakespeare festival play, is just as much a snapshot in time as a photograph. I have journaling, time-capsule information on pricing, and a piece of the cultural experience I took part in. I love having a scanned copy so I can use it on my blog, include it on a scrapbook page (or two), and save it for future generations.

I scanned an original page from my own baby book because I treasure my Mom's handwritten notes about me. I could retype these, but it wouldn't have as much meaning as seeing her actual penned words on the page. Now that this page is scanned, my Mom and I can each have our own copy, and I can use this piece in my own memory projects.

When my daughter won a blue ribbon for her own cookie recipe at the Utah State Fair (at the age of 7 years old), I wanted to preserve her award for generations to come. The ribbon accidentally got folded when she carried it home, but I think that just adds more charm to the piece.

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend 2 months on a study abroad in England when I was in college. I spent a lot of time using this map of the underground to plan my stops. I love that I have a scanned copy as a keepsake.

watercolor ocean by my son in 2008

As a parent, I want to keep and cherish all of the artwork my children have created, but there simply isn't room to store it all. I don't feel guilty about throwing it out as long as I scan the original to save.

When you go to the effort to scan something, it shows the person that it belongs to that the piece really means something to you. My children know that I'm proud of their achievements when they see me rush to the scanner to save their special papers.

my son's handwriting at age 6

Without my scanner, I would be less likely to save the little tidbits from our everyday lives. Every document, creation, and memento I have scanned is like a special treasure that helps illustrate our life stories. I love browsing through my files and reliving memories when I see the things I've scanned. I hope you will make good use of scanning technology to save the bits and pieces of memories that tell your story. They will become some of your greatest treasures!

For more scanning inspiration, you might enjoy these other posts I've written:

Memory Monday: Scanned Treasures at scrapbookladypages.com
Memory Monday: Scan a Note at scrapbookladypages.com
Digi Scrapping Memorabilia at thedailydigi.com

Get a peak of my new Big Picture workshop, Round Up here.

GIVEAWAY!

*** winner is sts2000 ***

The Daily Digi is giving away a year long membership valued at over $80. To enter the giveaway leave a comment below sharing what you do with your memorbilia.

Giveaway ends in 48 hours on 11/7 @6:00 am PST

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The Daily Digi membership, Digi Game includes:

• The Digi Files: over $50 worth of digital scrapbooking supplies by seven of the top digital designers in the community.

• The Playbook: an interactive ebook (at least 30 pages) showing layouts created by our team and the techniques used to achieve the looks, links to more resources and tutorials, and a video tutorial.

• Exclusive collaborations: a huge exclusive kit created by past contributors to The Digi Files every four months you are a member.  You get the first kit, “Story of Everyday Life” right when you subscribe (pictured below)!

• Extra Bonus Gifts every month.

50% OFF ALL SELF-PACED DIGITAL CLASSES

DISCOUNT EXPIRES TONIGHT!!

This one time only discount still applies, all details here on all of Big Picture's Digital self-paced classes.

*Disclaimer: This coupon only applies to digital Self-Paced class; coupon does not apply towards other Self-Paced Projects, Workshops or Gift Certificates. Good for one time use, per student. Expires November 5^th 2011 at 10:00pm PT. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon must be entered in the “Promo Code” box during checkout and press “apply” button; discount will be applied immediately. Not applicable towards previous purchases. Other terms and restrictions may apply.

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I am a collector. I love saving little bits of history. Some items that may not seem important are hard for me to throw away. So when I had kids it didn’t take long to realize that I would want to hang on to bits of memorbilia from their childhood. After about 3 years of motherhood and little piles of memento’s tucked away here and there and worrying that I might lose something I came up with an idea that solves this problem. Each of my kids has a special box that I can add all these special things to as the years go by. Hoping that in the years to follow they can sift through the items and we can enjoy reminiscing together.

Some of the items in my son's box shown are:

• his ultrasound photos including the 3D ultrasound video
• hospital bracelet
• sleeper he came home in
• his birth announcement in the local paper
• a farm newspaper of him in his John Deere onesie
• a scrapbook i made for him before he was born
• his first letter from Santa
• a colouring he made for us with his auntie
• his first movie ticket
• a letter saying he is on a waiting list to get a flag from Parliament hil
• his gymnastics report
• special book from his grandparent's
• special coins
• and more

How do you save your memorbilia? Share in the comments here or stop by and share on my blog.

Learn more about Kayleigh and her classes; Template Manipulation, and Patterned Up.

It’s the little tokens of self-expression that make me feel like my best self, like a fun necklace, a cute
headband, or especially a pretty manicure. Nail polish is one of the easiest and most economical ways to
add a little punch of color to my life. But paints, adhesives, stickers, household cleaners, and a bazillion
handwashes throughout the day can give my mani a run for its money. Chipped polish that only lasts a
day or two is no fun. So what’s a girl to do?

Run to your local drug store and pick up some Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips, that’s what!

They come in a whole bunch of fun patterns and colors and are as easy to apply as a scrapbook sticker.
Seal with a clear topcoat and they’ll last at least a week, sometimes two. Seriously!

Here are a couple of my favorites in action.

I get tons of compliments, and best of all, I feel creative right down to the tips of my fingers.

This month I remembered something random: it’s been 11 years since I ran my first race. It was a 5k, and while my finishing time is lost to the vagaries of memory, I haven’t yet forgotten how nervous I was at the starting line, and the satisfaction of running through the finish line. I’m not an especially fast runner, but I’ve learned that doesn’t really matter; the person you compete against is just yourself. And quite often, that “competing against yourself” thing translates into “competing against all the 1,729 other things I have to do today.” In fact, one of the most common question people ask me, when they find out I’m a runner, is “how do you fit it in?”

Here they are, my secrets for fitting running (or any kind of exercise, really) into a busy life:

Making Time
• Get your family involved. When I first started running, my oldest daughter would say “Oh, no, Mom! You’re not going running again are you?” Over time, though, that’s evolved into all of my kids asking me “Mom, did you go running today? How was it?” Explain to your family why this is important to you and they’ll become your greatest supporters.
• If you have small children, join a gym with a good daycare. I don’t say that lightly—there were many years in my life when this was a painful expense for me. But it’s the very cost that keeps you going back, because you don’t want to waste it. Your kids will make new friends while you’re counting miles on the treadmill.
• Go in the morning, as early as you can stand it. Another thing I don’t say lightly, because I hate getting out of bed. I think it’s physically painful to open my eyes at the abrupt sound of the alarm clock. But if you do it early, it’s done for the day.
• Go in the evening. Say you’ve tried all day to squeeze your run in, but stuff just kept you from it. Don’t hesitate to put your shoes on at 8:30 and hit the road for a half hour. This is why I have a headlamp with all my other running gear.
• Go at any opportunity. Around the soccer field during your son’s practice, in the neighborhoods around the mall while your daughter is shopping with friends, or while you’re waiting for your husband to finish up at work. Be willing to take advantage of spare time and you’ll be surprised what you can fit in.
• Write it on your calendar (whatever form “calendar” takes for you!). This is the easiest thing to do and I believe the one that will help you the most. Writing it down helps you remember to do it, but it also makes it more important. You probably keep track of everything else your family members do—why are you less important?

Motivation
• Get some exercise clothes that you love. Slipping on something that’s cute and functional will make you more excited about your workout.
• Listen to something. I have a small, inexpensive, and seemingly-impervious (it was once thrown into a glass of cold milk!) MP3 player that I take on every run. It’s not fancy, but it keeps my mind entertained and my pace fast. You’ll have to play around a bit to discover what sort of music works for you; my perfect combination are songs that have both an upbeat tempo and some sort of personal connection to my history. Don’t limit yourself to just music, however. Audio books are great running companions!
• Sign up for a race. Knowing that in five weeks you will be running 6.2 miles will help you stick to your schedule. Plus, trust me: once you’ve run a race or two, you’ll get slightly addicted to them. There’s an energy that you don’t get running on your own.
• Subscribe to a magazine about your sport. Runner’s World is my favorite magazine about running, but there are publications for hiking, biking, weight lifting, and yoga. Having that monthly infusion of information helps keep your feelings about exercising fresh.
• Keep track of your progress. I use www.mapmyrun.com to find my running routes and record my workouts. It has a monthly summary of all the workouts I’ve logged, and seeing the miles add up keeps me motivated to add more. One caveat with the record-keeping: don’t get too obsessed with jumping on the scale. Weigh yourself at most once a week; that way, your daily fluctuations won’t leave you feeling discouraged, and then weekly number will be bigger (and more motivating) than the daily one.

Inspiration
The second most-common running-related question people ask me: “How do you do it?” I usually give some vague answer, but in my head my answer is always “how do you not?” I literally cannot imagine myself without running, and the truth is that it has almost nothing to do with the physical benefits. Sure, I run because it means my heart is healthy and my lungs strong and my legs not as jiggly as they could be. Running means I can eat an occasional cheeseburger and fries without feeling guilty.

But really, I run because it keeps me mentally healthy. The 45 minutes or so of solitude give me time to think. While I’m running, I’m also figuring things out. The argument I had with my husband two days ago falls into perspective; my teenagers’ heartaches become easier to understand; solutions to whatever problem I might have rise to the surface. My anxieties and issues settle down. My creativity also swells—I can’t count how much inspiration for scrapbook layouts and quilting projects and blog posts I’ve discovered during a run.

Perhaps most important, though, is how running (or hiking or biking or even my occasional attempts at swimming) keeps self-doubt at bay. You can’t keep up an hour’s worth of exercise if your internal mantra is negative. You have to keep up a mental conversation with yourself that is full of positives: you can do this, you can do this, you can do this.

Once you figure out what your inspiration for exercise is—the real, non-cosmetic, deeper-that-the-obvious reason—you’ll find it so much easier to fit into your day. It doesn’t ever become easy. But as it becomes essential, it also becomes inherent. You won’t be able to imagine yourself without it either!

If you’d like to learn how I incorporate text onto my layouts, make sure to check out my Textuality class. It starts next month!

Or, to learn more about my running and other exploits, check out my blog.

As someone that travels often and juggles a busy family life, things can often become hectic in my home, as I know it does in many homes. I’m often asked how I keep everyone on track and everything running smoothly. My key piece of advice - make sure everyone knows what they are doing and when they should be doing it. Include everyone in communication, put it all out there, make lists, make sure everyone knows what to expect.

I’m about to leave for another overseas trip and I’m incredibly lucky that my parents will look after my three children. Like any mother, I miss my children dearly and they miss me also. By giving the kids a visual reference of when I’m away, they can easily see how many days until I return. The best part? A treat for each child is provided for each day – when the treats are gone, it’s time for me to return home! Such a fun way to let everyone know what is happening!

I’d love to have you visit my website or my blog. Oh and check out more new workshop, Double Take plus my self-paced classes below.
Enjoy your day!

Conversation

Constant Reminders

Confessions

Cluster Embellishing

Over the years I’ve tried several different systems for keeping track of my family’s schedule—a large white board, a wall calendar, a cute altered corkboard, to-do lists.  The only problem is I forget to look at my calendar, lists, or notes (embarrassing, I know).  Recently I’ve found a system for keeping track of things that really fits my personality and needs, so I thought I would share that with you today.

I spend a lot of time staring at my computer screen so I decided to store my calendar, notes, and to-do lists on my computer! 

My husband and I keep a family Google calendar where we both are able to add and edit events so he knows the kids music, soccer, and ballet schedules, and I know when he’s working late or has church responsibilities.  We can even schedule email reminders.

I have my browser’s home page set to igoogle where I have customized my page to include a to-do list, among other gadgets.  I keep a running list of my scrapbooking deadlines on my to-do list so I’m reminded of them every day. 

To keep track of my creative inspiration, new recipes to try, and home décor ideas I have a Pinterest account.  It’s just like my corkboard but it’s easier, paperless, and has unlimited storage. 

I know technology doesn’t work for everyone, but I absolutely love this system.  Not only do I keep better track of our schedules, but I’m helping the environment and saving money.  Gotta love that.

Check out my first class, Doable DIY Decor

When people ask me how many hours a week I scrapbook, I never know what to answer because I feel like I'm ALWAYS scrapbooking -- making memories, taking photos, thinking of how to record them, or actually creating layouts. I don't see a separation between my scrapbooking and non-scrapbooking times because I've found ways to integrate my passion with my family. To me, saving time is all about integration. Some people call it multi-tasking, but don't you think "integration" sounds so much more slick?

Here's a list of some easy ways you can integrate scrapbooking into "the rest" of your life:

• Have your kids help you with your scrapbook pages -- let them select the brads, count out buttons, punch shapes... it makes scrapbooking fun "together" time.
• Save items like to-do lists, shopping lists, and recipes for journaling on your layouts.
• Look for unique embellishments around the house -- LEGO pieces, hair barrettes and ribbons, and even old school papers can be turned into cute and innovative decorations.

There are tons of ways to bring scrapbooking together with "regular" life. All you have to do is get a little creative - and we're good at that, right? :)

Lain

Want to learn more ways to save time while scrapbooking meaningful pages? Join Lain and a few hundred other hearty souls as they take on the MotherLOAD Scrapbook Marathon this summer!

 We have a very busy household so everything is about making things run smoothly...well smoother at least!

Between sports schedules, school schedules, family events, hot lunch menu’s, etc there’s a lot to keep track of. I do my best to keep track of it in my personal calendar and on my iPhone calendar app, but the rest of the family needs access to these schedules too. So, I keep a really large bulletin board in our laundry room so everyone can know what’s going on. Some of these things aren’t things I’d include in an actual calendar (like lunch menu’s) so this system works well for us!

Right now this is about 1/2 of our normal schedules. As soon as my daughter starts t-ball and my son gets his travel baseball schedule, there will be even more that we need to keep track of. So this system is a must!

Another thing that helps our family run smoother is this...

Both my husband and I work full time out of the house, so our mornings are very fast-paced and start at 6am. None of us are really morning people (except my lucky husband) so we tend to be in a hurry to get out the door. I’ve learned that it helps if my daughter has her clothes picked out ahead of time. She’s very particular about what she wears and can spend a long time picking our her outfits. She even checks the weather forecast every night to make sure her outfit choice still works (she’s only 5!!). Having her outfits picked out ahead of time has helped our mornings run a whole lot smoother...and gives us a few extra minutes to sleep in!

With our busy schedules and my extra scrapbooking deadlines, it is important to me that the kids can be near me when I work on my stuff, but that we also have our own space! When we put in two extra rooms in our basement, I turned one into my scraproom and one into the kids’ play room. I also put in a door in between to the rooms to connect them. Having these rooms located near each other has helped me be able to find time for myself and get my deadlines met a lot more efficiently!

My newest class, 28 Days of Sketches, starts May 5.