To live a well balanced, rewarding life of our dreams by day and sleep restfully at night.
As this evening begins, I believe these three things…
Published March 19, 2013 | 
As this day comes to an end, I do believe:
1. That I am exactly where I need to be right now.
2. That God and the universe are working with me.
3. People are basically good (don’t believe everything we see and read in the media).
Much love and peace to you friends.
I am glad you are here.
Rest well. Be well.
Debra
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This day is just for you
Published March 17, 2013 | 
Be blessed today,
have rest today,
and enjoy an adventure or two.
Don’t worry about a thing,
for this day is just for you.
Give thanks to life and
hardships lessen…
rejoice in the joy
that is yours…
This new day.
In peace,
Debra
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Five ways to treat others for a good night sleep
Published March 12, 2013 | 
How we treat others during our day will affect how well we sleep at night.
Are we spending the time with the people we love complaining much of the time?
Are we criticizing?
Are we working too many hours and neglecting our spouse and children?
Are we on the road impatiently speeding, passing, beeping our horn, or distractedly (and putting others in danger) by being on our phones texting when we should have our eyes on the road?
photo credit: Meshbesher.com
This list, unfortunately can go on…
This morning, I am setting an intention to:
1. Treat others with patience
2. treat others with dignity
3. Treat others with my full attention when I am with them
4. Treat others with an open mind
5. Treat others with a compassionate heart.
I will keep it simple. If I do these five things today I am certain I will sleep well tonight.
Oh, and I will remember to apply these five intentions to myself as well.
Have a blessed day and restful night!
In peace,
Debra
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Guilty Pleasures, Good Night Sleep?
Published March 11, 2013 | We all work hard. We owe it to ourselves to let loose a bit and pamper ourselves.
I truly believe that if we indulge ourselves regularly on things we enjoy we will be more productive workers, more attentive parents, more giving citizens, and more creative artists,writers, and entrepreneurs.
All of God’s children like their creature comforts and we like our guilty pleasures too… what do I mean by guilty pleasures?
You know… the things you really enjoy that perhaps you don’t want to confess to… but you really enjoy them and they are truly the icing on the cake of life…
Just for the fun of it, I thought it would be fun to share a few guilty pleasures that we enjoy. I can’t help but think that if we permit ourselves these pleasures, we are enjoying life more and sleeping better at night as a result.
As I frequently do, I will share a bit. Please feel free to comment and add your list here as well!
Let’s see…a few of my current guilty pleasures are:
1. high quality milk chocolate
2. high cotton thread sheets
3. really plush pillows
4. sitting outside on my back patio or nearby beach…
5. my afternoon Starbucks Venti Cappucinno (with an extra shot of espresso)…
6. playing Words with Friends late at night
7. a glass of wine in the early evening
8. petting and cuddling my cat, Mew, who is the softest most luxurious creature
9. going on adventures with my husband (even if it is discovering new things here in our hometown of Jacksonville, Florida).
10. the hot tub at my new LA Fitness club…
Your turn! Have fun… and sweet dreams tonight!
P.S. Don’t forget to write in and share a few of your guilty pleasures…!
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We are supported and life is working with us!
Published March 7, 2013 | 
Life is truly amazing. Like all humans, I have certainly had my emotional ups and downs this week… I am working hard as a teacher, writer, mommy, etc…
My husband is working hard in the real estate world and it seems that both of us kind of hit a wall this week. At mid-week we felt a little burned out, a little cranky with each other (can any of you relate)?
Then, it seems, just when I needed it the most, I would receive the sweetest emails or comments from readers here at The Warm Milk Journal that let me know how this site has helped or inspired them… (I am glad)! 
At work, I have the most wonderful principal, colleagues, students, and parents in the world. Just when I think I have had enough, I get a kind email from a parent, a smile from a colleague, an unexpected hug from a little student…
At home, my husband and I drop the mid-week grumblies and grab and love each other!
We are all human. We are all working so hard: at our jobs, our home life, working on our big goals (remember those new year resolutions we made not that long ago)?…
We may be firm on the the big picture and that is great.
The day to day grind can get to us, however…
When it (inevitably does)… it is important to sit back, breathe, and remember…
1. Life is working with us
2. We are supported
3. We are doing great work and it makes a difference (even if on a particular day or week we don’t see any evidence of it)
4. If we are putting good stuff out there, that is really good! It will come back to us…
5. We are all connected. Think of a ripple in a beautiful still pond after a stone has been tossed into it… ripple upon ripple occurs…
We never really know how something we did today or something as simple as a smile to a stranger will affect the world…
On that note, I wish you all a beautiful evening!
In peace,
Debra
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Posted in Affirmations, Happiness, Love, Positive living, security | 
affirm, feeling supported, love, we are all connected | 
Leave a commentWhen we stop trusting… that is when we start losing sleep at night.
Published March 6, 2013 | 
Anxiety and insomnia come when we are afraid. We are afraid when we stop trusting.
When we stop trusting, we start losing sleep at night.
Examples of this are when we stop trusting:
1. our abilities on the job
2. our spouses
3. our kids
4. our country’s leadership
5. our media
6. God
Now, a healthy dose of skepticism is prudent, but when we stop having faith in the hull of our life, the rivets start coming out and things fall apart…
The result? Anxiety. Insomnia. A lack of confidence in ourselves, others, and life in general.
Here at The Warm Milk Journal we envision a wholeness: well balanced healthy people living the life of their dreams by day and sleeping restfully and peacefully by night.
Alas, to counteract all of this anxiety and lack of trust, we need to start trusting again. We need to regain and get solid with our faith,
with our power …
To do this we need to get straight and simply KNOW a few things…
Repeat and affirm…
1. I Am love
2. I Am loved
3. I Am safe
4. I am right where I need to be right now
5. Life works with me
6. I am doing my best and that is good enough
7. Other people are doing their best. I pray and bless them. We are all in this together…
8. All things pass…
9. A pendulum is at work all the time (if something is not to my liking, the pendulum will swing the other way in due time)
10. I am a gift and have so much to offer others.
In Peace,
Debra
To me faith means not worrying. ~ John Dewey
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Posted in Affirmations, Affirmations, anxiety, Depression, Getting a good night sleep, Happiness, insomnia, panic attack, Peace, Positive living, safety, security, Self-empowerment, Spirituality, worry | anxiety, faith, god, trust, worry | Leave a commentI feel most alive when… this evening’s journal writing exercise.
Published March 5, 2013 | 
Good evening. It’s time to have a little time to write and focus on what is important, what really turns us on and brings us to life! If we focus on these things we will go to bed tonight eager and looking forward to the new day. Living our passions gives us purpose. There will be no room for boredom, depression, or anxiety… Ready?
In your journals, simply write: I feel most alive when… then write,write, write! Have fun.
Let’s see…
I feel most alive when…
1. I am writing.
2. I am riding my bike.
3. I am taking a walk outside.
4. I am gazing out at the ocean, my back patio garden, a beautiful night sky…
5. My husband smiles at me
6. I’ve just had a great yoga class, swim, or workout at the gym
7. I feel like I have put in a good day at work.
8. Going on a trip, or even planning for a trip. I love adventure!
9. Trying new things.
10. Dancing around and moving my body.
Your turn!
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At the end of the day, I am thankful for these ten comforts…
Published March 4, 2013 | 
So it’s the end of they day and there is not much getting in the way
of my welcoming in the evening.
There are so many things I appreciate about this time of day.
Right now, at 7:19 PM, I appreciate:
1. Being home
2. the good work out I had a little while ago at the gym
3. the quiet I am enjoying before I start cooking (tonight it will be a healthy tofu stir fry)
4. the glass of pinot noir I am sipping as I write this.
5. My husband, daughter, and sweet cat who are close by (but leaving me alone so I can write)
6. The comfortable couch I am sitting on
7. My plush green blanket that is on my lap (it is actually a cool night here in North Florida)
8. The view that I have of my eccentric neighbor’s Christmas tree fully lit outside my back patio window across the pond…(why not Christmas in March, right? I laugh and feel full of love when I see those lights come on at night. This neighbor, by the way, will take the tree down in august sometime… ha!lol)
9. The peace that I feel inside knowing I had a good day.
10. My laptop computer here which faithfully works for me…
What comforts are you thankful for this evening? (feel free to comment and share with us…!)
Much love and peace to all of you. Have a lovely night! It is time I get going with my stir fry…
Debra
Twilight drops her curtain down, and pins it with a star. ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery
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Posted in Family life, Gratitude list, Happiness, Love | evening, happy at night, peace, transitioning from day to night | Leave a commentI let it go!
Published February 28, 2013 | 
If I’ve had too much…(demands from others)
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I’ve been too hard on myself lately…
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I’ve lost sleep over worrying about stuff (job stress, other people’s opinions or expectations…)
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I start thinking back, and regretting decisions I made…
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I’m impatient and loading up stress (on myself and others)…
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I find myself racing around and stuck in the grind (of daily life)…
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I start feeling sorry for myself (due to a small paycheck or a body that doesn’t want to shed the weight)…
What do I do?
I let it go!
If I start feeling upset with my husband over something really small…
What do I do?
I let it go!
Let it go, oh yes, I let it all go!
Wishing you all a peaceful night,
Debra
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Posted in anxiety, Happiness, Peace, Peace, Positive living, Self-empowerment, stress, Ways to relax, worry | letting things go, peace of mind, release | 1 CommentSweet is… a journal writing exercise
Published February 19, 2013 | I love free writing exercises where a simple prompt can just get you going. Tonight, I just feel like writing in my journal any response that I can think of in response to the prompt: Sweet is…
In a writing exercise like this, there is no telling what will come out. You just have to start writing.
So, let’s see..
Sweet is…
1. My sweet cat Mew who is always at my side, no matter what.
2. That first cup of coffee in the morning
3. When you look in the mirror and you think to yourself: “I look alright”!
4. Being able to sleep in on a weekend or holiday
5. When people really listen to you
6. Your spouse out of the blue tells you how much he appreciates having you in his life
7. Your teenager is being loving and peaceful
8. Warmth: in the air, underneath a favorite snuggly blanket, in a favorite sweater, a smile on somebody’s face, in the arms of a loved one.
9. Reading or hearing about good news for a change!
10. A perfect glass of wine, nice jazz music, dinner cooking, and great conversation
SWEET!
Your turn…
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