3 great books I read over the summer

Audra McDonie / Entertainment / Leave a Comment

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.
-George R. R. Martin

I spent a lot of time reading over the summer. My favorite part of reading is that it takes me to another place, and allows me to live someone else’s life for awhile. Reading has been a wonderful coping mechanism for me the last couple of years. It is a safe place to land when everything seems to be going wonky around me. I enjoyed all three of these books and I hope this blog helps when you are on the hunt for your next book.

The Paper Palace a novel by Miranda Cowley heller

The Paper Palace by first time novelist Miranda Cowley Heller is much darker than it’s pastel colored cover lets on. The book jacket synopsis seemed to promise a light love story, but this book is anything but light. Elle the protagonist is a 53 year old happily married mother of three. Her dilemma is choosing between her husband and her first love, who also happens to be her best friend. The whole story happens in one day, but Heller uses flashbacks from the past to weave an intriguing and engaging story that is hard to put down.

Miranda Cowley Heller is a talented writer. She has written a beautiful story, and she is adept at creating unique, idiosyncratic characters that could be people you know in real life.

I took this book on my vacation over the summer. I thought it was a light romance, but it is actually a heart felt and soul wrenching piece of literary fiction. It was not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it immensely and I highly recommend it.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Nine Perfect Strangers by Australian writer Liane Moriarty is definitely a page turner. It was made into a television series for Hulu and it just started streaming. I haven’t watched the series yet, but it is on my list. This is a character driven story, but it also has elements of a mystery. It puts nine strangers together at a high end “spa retreat” for ten days.

It takes a deep dive into each character’s back story, and the reasons they have ended up at the retreat. Overall, I liked this book, but it was slow moving in places and the character’s were not as interesting as I would have liked. It does pick up and get suspenseful toward the end. I recommend it, but of the three books, it was my least favorite.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Writers & Lovers by Lily King is an amazing book and my favorite of the three. I had never read a book by Lily King before, and I found this one by taking the recommendation of an employee at Barnes & Noble. Lily King has written a lot of books and I am looking forward to reading each and every one. She is one of the best writers I have read in awhile. Writer’s & Lovers is also a character driven story. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, character driven books are my favorite.)

Casey Peabody, our protagonist, is a struggling writer. She is in her late twenties, living in Boston and waiting tables. She has not given up on her dream of being a successful writer as most of her contemporaries have. It is the story of an artist living her dream and all the struggles that accompany not taking the safe route in life.

The book is set in the neighborhood in Boston where I went to college, so it was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me. Lily King’s writing is sublime. I have read several sentences from the book out loud to my son (who is also a writer) because I am astounded at the innate beauty of her writing. If you can’t tell already, I highly recommend this book.

I think reading books is one of the best parts of life and I hope that this blog has helped you find at least one book that you can add to your reading list. Happy reading!!

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The Amazing ways your child will benefit from family dinners

Audra McDonie / Self-Help / Leave a Comment

“Growing up, I learned life’s important lessons at the dinner table.”
-Chef John Besh

One of the most important things my parents ever did for my brother and I was instill the tradition of eating family dinners together. In fact, if we were all home, we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together. It is where my parents shared their stories and wisdom and also where my brother and I shared our lives with them.

I have continued this tradition in my own home, and I feel it is one of the most important things that you can do for your children. I believe that kids feel safer in the world if they have routines and traditions that they can count on.

Unfortunately, only 30% of families eat meals together on a consistent basis. Our lives are overscheduled with school, work and extracurricular activities, which gives us no time to sit down and eat together. Some families go days or even weeks without sharing a meal!

Top 10 reasons family meals are important:

Food is more nutritious and kids tend to be less picky because they eat a wider variety of food.
It strengthens family bonds and helps build better relationships.
It gives children a sense of belonging.
Parents get a chance to be role models. They can teach their kids manners and share their wisdom. They can also teach values and traditions.
Kids have a lower chance of engaging in high risk behaviors, like substance abuse, smoking and teen pregnancy.
It makes children feel loved, safe and secure because it is a routine that they can count on everyday.
Children get to talk about their day and feel important.
Young children learn more words, which gives them a larger vocabulary.
Lower rates of depression, anxiety and eating disorders in teens and higher rates of resilience and self esteem.
According to research, 80% of teens said that dinner time is the time of the day they’re most likely to talk to their parents.

So as you can see, family dinners are very important for the health and well being of children. Also, it doesn’t always have to be dinner. Eating breakfast or lunch together is just as beneficial. You should shoot for eating meals together five times a week to reap the benefits.

Try not to get overwhelmed, it’s okay to start out slow with one meal a week and then add on from there. The important thing is that you are using the meal as a time to come together without outside distractions like the television, computer, tablet or phones. Also, keep toys and books off the table as well. Use this time to connect as a family and give your children your undivided attention.

As a mother, I feel that eating together is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. I hope that this information has inspired you to make family meals a priority in your life! Take care and Bon Appetit!

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try grounding to realign your body’s electrical energy

Audra McDonie / Health & Wellness / 2 Comments

Electrical charges from the earth are beneficial to your body and mind. I try to spend time outside with my bare feet on the ground often. I knew that grounding (or earthing) was good for me, but I didn’t realize that it had so many amazing health benefits.

According to The National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, “multidisciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the earth produces intriguing effects on physiology and health.” Connecting the body to the earth enables free electrons from the earth’s surface to spread over and into the body causing antioxidant effects.

These free flowing electrons are always supplemented by the sun’s radiation and lightning. This is a natural healing energy that are our ancestors were connected to, but in our modern life we have gotten away from spending time outside barefoot. It has cut us off from the magical healing power of the earth!

benefits of grounding

helps inflammation
speeds up wound healing
improved immunity
improves sleep/relieves snoring
regulates hormones
improves mood – reduces stress, anxiety and irritability
anti-aging
improved cardiovascular health
improves chronic fatigue and chronic pain
shifts the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation.

The sympathetic nervous system raises heart rate and blood pressure while the parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart rate and increases intestinal and gland activity. Doctors often called the sympathetic nervous system “the fight or flight” and the parasympathetic the “rest and digest.” Grounding can help shift the body from this stressful fight or flight state to the rest and digest, which is a more relaxed and calm state. This is why grounding is so helpful for people with anxiety and depression. Just one hour of grounding can significantly affect mood.

“Earthing is a revolutionary breakthrough in the cause of health. It can change your life. Earthing can break the vicious cycle of stress and disease.”
Dr. Gallager, MD (Dr. Gallagher’s Guide to 21st Century Medicine)

How to practice grounding:

Walk outside barefoot on grass, sand, dirt and even mud.
Lie on the ground.
Submerse yourself in water. Water works the same way as the ground. Wade or swim in a clear lake or the ocean.
Use grounding equipment: mats, sheets, blanket and pillowcases. There are even grounding socks.

I bought a grounding pillowcase and I have used it for the last three nights. I got it for its many health benefits, but I was most excited to see if it helped me to sleep better. Overall, I really wasn’t a fan of the pillowcase and I didn’t see any improvement in my sleep. I prefer to practice the more natural type of grounding like walking outside barefoot or swimming in the ocean. It seems like the benefits of grounding increase over time, so I am looking forward to enjoying the benefits as I time goes on.

I hope you will give the practice of grounding a try, either by walking barefoot on your grass in your backyard or by trying a pair of grounding socks. I think that that it is something that can really have amazing health benefits if it is done on a regular basis. Please leave a comment and tell me about your grounding experience!

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How to feel better in your own skin

Audra McDonie / Self-Help / Leave a Comment

“I began to understand that the promises of the world are for the most part vain phantoms, and that to have faith in oneself and become something of worth and value is the best and safest course.” – Michelangelo

I feel a deep affinity with this Michelangelo quote. I spent a lot of my life trying to fit in and be what other people expected me to be. I felt disconnected from myself and not at peace. I knew I wasn’t living the life of the person that I was meant to be, which I like to refer to as my authentic or true self.

I have not reached my fullest potential and I probably never will, but that doesn’t matter to me. What’s important to me is that I am on a journey in which I am striving to be the absolute best that I can be. This gives me peace and makes me feel like I am living in harmony with myself.

The journey is not an easy one. I have had to give up bad habits and relationships that were not good for me. It also required taking the time to get to know myself, so I knew what I wanted out of my life. As Michelangelo said in his quote, “to become something of worth and value is the best and safest course.” I have found that the most important thing for me in this life is to become something of worth and value to myself. To become someone that I am proud and happy to be.

At night when my head hits the pillow, I know that I am making a real effort to be the best version of myself, and this gives me a deep sense of peace. I think there a lot of people who are just like me. People with feelings of unrest and pain because they are living life in opposition to their inner voice, which longs for them to be their best selves.

Changing yourself and becoming the person you know you were meant to be is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult and comes with its own pain, but it is a healthy pain that makes you grow. Instead of that pain of discontent that gnaws at your soul.

“Be who you were created to be and you will set the world on fire.”
-St. Catherine of Sienna

I decided to write this because making the decision to try to become the “best version” of myself was an amazing turning point in my life. I was unhappy, unhealthy and at odds with myself. Now, I have an inner life that is at peace and I feel aligned with myself -not at odds. My life is still difficult at times and there are problems and obstacles to overcome, but I have an inner peace within myself that is very rarely disturbed.

All it takes to begin this journey is to tune in to who you really are. Deep down you know who you are meant to be. When I began, I decided to give up or get away from anything that went against who I knew I was meant to be. Habits that didn’t align, People who made me feel less and activities that didn’t bring me joy – My circle got smaller and I was a lot more discriminating in everything I did. I became happier and more at peace with every decision I made that aligned with my true self. Another important aspect of my journey has been working on my spirituality. It has also made all the difference in my life. I wrote a blog last year called Something to do Daily for Your Spirit, you can read it here: https://www.introvertview.com/something-to-do-daily-for-your-spirit/

My goal in this life is to become something of worth and value to myself. Making a commitment to my higher self and becoming more spiritual is the secret to a peaceful life for me. It also is what gives my life meaning. I hope that you are able to find something in what I wrote here, that will help you on your journey. I would love to hear your thoughts – there’s a place to leave a comment at the top of this blog.

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My closet Looks amazing thanks to the magic of tidying up

Audra McDonie / Just For Fun / Leave a Comment

“Putting your house in order is fun! The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own, identifying those that have fulfilled their purposes, expressing your gratitude, and bidding them farewell, is really about examining your inner self, a rite of passage to a new life.”
Marie Kondo

I read Marie Kondo’s book “the life changing magic of tidying up” a few years back. I have tried her method on a couple of closets in my house, but I have done it half-heartedly. My bedroom closet was a complete disaster and organizing it had been on my to-do list for ever. So I decided to commit one hundred percent and use Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method to declutter and organize my closet!

1. put all clothes in one pile

Gather all your clothes together and put them on the floor or the bed. It is important that you handle each piece of clothing. It is easier to begin with off season clothes. Marie Kondo recommends asking yourself these questions: “Do I want to see this outfit again next time it’s in season?” or “Would I want to wear this right away if the temperature suddenly changed? When going through all your clothes the most important question to ask is does this article of clothing spark joy in me? If you answer no to any of these questions, then throw it in the donate or discard pile.

You may worry that you’ll have no clothes left when you finish the process, but as long as you’re choosing clothes that actually give you pleasure, you’ll end up with the right amount. After off season clothes you can do this same process with all your categories of clothes; tops, shirts, clothes that should be hung, socks, underwear, bags, accessories, swimsuits, shoes.

Note: Marie Kondo frowns upon downgrading clothes to loungewear. I have been guilty of this when cleaning out my closet in the past. This time I donated anything that didn’t spark joy.

2. how to store and fold clothes

“By neatly folding your clothes, you can solve almost every problem related to storage.” Marie Kondo

I spent some time learning to do the KonMari fold. Below are two of Marie Kondo’s videos. She shows how to fold every piece of clothing. I was amazed at how much more space I had when I folded my clothes this way!

3. How to arrange clothes

The KonMari Method says to arrange your clothes so that they rise to the right, which means hang heavy items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right. By category, coats should be on the far left, then dresses, jackets, pants, skirt and blouses.

I hope that I have inspired you try Marie Kondo’s magic of tidying up on your own closet! I am unbelievably happy with the way my closet looks and feels now. It is an absolute joy to only have clothes and accessories that spark joy within me! I would love to hear your comments and experience with the KonMari Method. Please let me know at the comment tab at the top of this blog!

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declutter your mind with a bullet journal

Audra McDonie / Health & Wellness / Leave a Comment

A bullet journal is a journal, a to-do list, a calendar and a piece of art all in one. It is a place to dump everything that is running around in your head. The bullet journal allows you to deal with your mental minutia in an organized and creative way.

I have always written lists and used an organizer, so I am familiar with the idea of the brain dump. I figured out a long time ago, that the only way I was capable of getting anything done was to write it down. I am also a fan of crossing things off my to-do list. The difference between what I do and the bullet journal is that it allows for creativity. It also helps you get in touch with things within yourself that have more meaning than appointments and a list of things to do for the week.

“Leading an intentional life is about keeping your actions aligned with your beliefs. It’s about penning a story you believe in and that you can be proud of. Writing things down is a way of externalizing our thoughts. A way to declutter our minds. We can’t be true to ourselves if we don’t know what we want and more importantly, why we want it.”
-Ryder Carrol, Author

Ways a bullet journal makes You more self aware:

It helps you look at things more clearly.
A place to track actions and decisions.
Seeing your decisions and actions in black and white makes it easier to learn from your experiences.
You can track how you feel on a daily basis.
A place to write down your dreams.
A page where you can write down your bucket list and then happily check items off one by one.
You can write down all the places you want to travel and make those travel dreams reality.
Pages filled with quotes and pictures will inspire and motivate you
Each day you have a living autobiography unfolding in front of you. If you don’t like the narrative you can change it.
You can fill the pages up with whatever will help you live your life with more intentionality (which according to Ryder Carroll is “the power of the mind to direct itself toward that which it finds meaningful and take action toward that end.”)

Materials needed for bullet journaling:

Blank Journal with dot grid paper or regular lined (to help with layout and design). You may like this one – Paperage Dotted Journal Bullet Notebook

Markers/Colored Pens: Check these out – iBayam Journal Planner Pens Colored Pens Fine Point Markers 18 Colors

Colored pencils: A great option – Crayola Colored Pencils, Adult Coloring, 50 Count, Multicolor

Washi Tape: You may like this – 40 Rolls Washi Tape Set – Colored Masking Tape for DIY Supplies, Bullet Journals, Planners

Micropen: These are great – Set of 10 Black Micro-Pen Fineliner Ink Pens, Anti-Bleed & Waterproof

Stickers/photographs: You may like these – Planner Stickers – 28 Sheets, 1378 Stunning Design Accessories for Journals

Ruler

some bullet journal page ideas

These ideas come from YouTuber Natalie’s Outlet. These are pictures of her pages from her video titled How to Bullet Journal for Beginners. I looked at a lot of different videos and a lot of pictures of other people’s bullet journals and I really liked what Nathalie does. She is creative, but you don’t have to be an artist to replicate her pages. You can watch her video at the end of this post!

YEAR AT A GLANCE AND KEY – This page gives you a yearly calendar and also a key for your scheduling pages.

2. MONTHLY AND DAILY CALENDAR PAGES AND A QUOTE PAGE

3. BOOKS READ PAGE – Having a books read page is a great way to keep track of the books you’ve read.

4. IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE PAGE – This is a great page to help you get the most out of every morning!

5. NEW YEAR’S GOAL PAGE – Instead of forgetting them after January, this page will allow you to look at them all year long!

6. PLACES TO TRAVEL PAGE

These are some great ideas to incorporate into your bullet journal, but there are many more online, or you can create ones that work for you. Bullet journaling is a great tool to use to get more in touch with ourselves and to become more self aware. It gives us a place to organize all the wonderful ideas and thoughts going through our minds. If there is no place to catch our inspiration, many times the best intentions and ideas just disappear into the ethers. I hope that you give bullet journaling a try and that it helps you on your self discovery journey! Also, I would love to hear from you, please comment on this post (comment tab is at the top of the blog under the title) and let me know what you think of bullet journaling!

How to bullet journal for beginners – nathalie’s outlet

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