On My Nightstand

Lately as I think about what I might post on this little blog of mine, I have been trying to remind myself of why I started blogging in the first place. I wanted to have a place on my website to share a little more about me and my world. I wanted to give those who are interested in my art a little glimpse into the gal holding the paintbrush (or scissors or pen or... well, you get the idea). So while it may seem a little disjointed at times, I hope that the common theme is ME. You can get to know me and what inspires me, who and what I love, my dreams, fears, joys, gratitudes and beliefs. A personal hero, Brene Brown, periodically interviews those that inspire her on her blog. At the end of each interview she has a series of goofy fun questions that I love. One of them is, "What's on your nightstand?" And I got to thinking - what an awesome question to really get a snapshot of someone at this moment in time. So in hopes that this might reveal a little more about me, I thought I'd share what's on my nightstand at the moment. Of course there's a baby monitor and a box of Kleen-x. Not sure what that says about me other than I'm a mama with allergies. But then there's this: I'm usually reading at least two books at once. Not sure why I do that to myself. But I often get so excited about a couple of books at once that I just can't wait to finish one before starting the other. I just pick up one or the other depending on what mood I'm in. I just finished reading "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown for about the third or fourth time. I think I need to read it regularly to let all the wisdom and truths in that book wash over me again and again. I also just finished"Parenting Without Power Struggles" by Susan Stiffelman. (The perk about reading two books at once is that you generally feel doubly accomplished when you finish both right around the same time. Yeah, it feeds my goal oriented muse again.) That one was full of really good reminders and guidance for any parent. I read it now because we're just entering the "terrible twos" but I think I will need to read that one again when little man is a little older. Lots of good stuff for side-stepping the negotiations you can get into with older kids. The next two books are "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron and "Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting" by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn. "The Artsist's Way" is a classic, but I have never read it. So I decided it was finally time. So far, I'm loving it. If you want to feed the creative in you and give her more time/space in your life, this is the book for you. And "Everyday Blessings" is off to a great start. I love their suggestion to look at your parenting as a meditation and your kids as your (very demanding) teachers. While I do occasionally get on a fiction kick - I'm usually a non-fiction kinda gal. As for the journals, I have two going and one sketchbook. One is a gratitude journal where I try to fill a page with daily gratitudes. I am not always super diligent about this, but I do try to make a point of doing it on especially hard days. Then there's my journal for "Morning Pages" as prompted in "The Artist's Way". I wake up, meditate for a bit and write at least 3 pages of stream of consciousness, just to slow my mind and get it all out before I start. I've only been at it for about 2 weeks, but so far it's wonderful. I love it and love a regular journaling practice. So cathartic! So there you have it. So fun to share this with you, but now I'm really curious. What's on your nightstand? Please share in the comments below...