Own Your Weaknesses

The following is something that I try to live by: 
In order to be happy, you have to own your weaknesses and stop comparing them to strengths of others. 


And when I think of my weaknesses, I also think of my quirks. 


Today I am writing about our Family Camping Binder for two reasons: 1) My OCD with lists of one of my quirks that I "own" wholeheartedly, and 2) when I mentioned I was working on it, I had many requests of what I had in it. So here it is. Hope it helps anyone else who either loves to be organized, or really needs to get organized.  


Family Camping Binder


* A calendar of the summer month with all camping trips noted, reserved campsite information (including driving directions and other pertinent information if needed)
* A "Beginning of the Season" packing list (includes what we keep in the RV all season)
* A checklist of the items to pack for each camping trip
* Separate checklists for the girls (they pack their own stuff and are great at using mom's checklists)
* A menu for the weekend
* Grocery shopping list* A quick "Before we pull away from the house" list (all door and compartments closed, vents closed, etc)
* Activity lists for "On the Road" and "While Camping"
* Journal pages that we fill out on our drive home (who, what, where, when, favorite memories, etc)
* "What did we forget?" pages. Seems like there is always something we'd like to add to the next trip.

And of course, the binder cover and back are decorated with kid drawn pictures of us camping. 


I love it! It helps keep us organized and sane, while still letting us get the best from our family trips.

Wow! That is a lot. No wonder I get picked on so much. :)  Thanks for reading.

Happy Mother's Day - Power of Moms Style

In honor of Mother’s Day this year, I wanted to let you know about a great resource that I have been SO lucky to be working with. The Power of Moms, a website and “gathering place for deliberate mothers, ” is the “professional organization for moms who take motherhood seriously.”  They offer great resources to help moms take care of the person inside the mom while being the moms they really want to be.

Here are some of the wonderful things you can find and benefit from...

* Many (SO MANY) thought-provoking and practical articles they offer (there’s something new every day – often from some of my favorite bloggers and women I met at the Power of Moms Retreat in April).  

* I’ve also benefited from setting up my own Learning Circle (sort of like a book group, but we read and discuss an article on motherhood each month and have such a great time learning and laughing together). We still have a few open spaces in our group if you are local and interested in joining. I'd also be happy to help you set one up in your area.  

*They also have an amazing program that helps moms organize their time and tasks better called Mind Organization for Moms. I love the way it helps me clear my mind and be present when I'm doing family activities instead of worrying about all of the things on my to-do list. 

* The Bloom Game, where you get points for setting and accomplishing simple but meaningful goals each week.  Anyone want to play on my “Bloom Team” and compare points?  I've just started and really like it.

I know that as we all share the most helpful resources and ideas we can find about motherhood, we can help ease each other’s load and feel more joy and progression as mothers.  I hope you’ll enjoy the following little “gift” of links to some of my favorite articles on The Power of Moms.  Grab a favorite treat, put up your feet and read some of these suggestions! And if you are interested in more...click any of the Power of Moms link on the right side of my blog :)

Mommy is a Person

It’s Going to be Hard – and That’s OK

The Perfect Mom (Is There Any Such Thing?)

Organizing Tips to Match Your Style

HAPPY MOTHER’S  DAY!

Love, Chantol

Guest Post on Small Fry & Co.

I’m guest posting over at Small Fry & Co. today. Stop by and check it out. She has a lot of great ideas over there!