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Thanksgiving Ideas, Resources, and Gratitude (With a Free Gratitude Journal)

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Thanksgiving 2021 is a shaping up as closer to what we used to have, since many of us are now vaccinated. Precautions are still very important and we can make modifications that will keep us safer and perhaps even discover things we enjoy that we’ve not done before as we gather. Last Thanksgiving I shared a collection of online resources to engage and entertain children and the whole family for the day and the entire… Continue reading

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Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere – Facts, Fun and Uses

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Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are in stores, decorating our outdoors, and being carved by children of all ages during the fall months. There are pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! What are pumpkins and why are they superfoods, not just activities and decorations? Pumpkins Are a Type of Fruit Definitely one of the more surprising facts about pumpkins is that they are fruit, not vegetables. Many people consider pumpkins to be a vegetable, along with squash… Continue reading

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Simple Fall and Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

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I love fall decorating in my home. It adds warmth and coziness before the rush of Christmas or other holiday decorating. It can be simple and inexpensive, and other family members can get involved. Here are several ideas to try or to inspire you to think of additional things you can do right now. 1. Outdoor Display Decorate the front yard with harvest-type items like a hay bale, pumpkins, gourds, etc. You can arrange seasonal… Continue reading

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Celebrate and Enjoy Autumn

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No matter what the year has been like up to this point, I hope that all of us will celebrate and enjoy autumn! Various polls over the years have indicated that the season most cited as “favorite” is autumn/fall. There are a variety of reasons for this: relief from extreme heat, beautiful fall colors as leaves turn, return to school and fall schedules, the multiple holidays of the season, and more. Even in this most… Continue reading

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The Benefits of Elderberries Throughout the Year

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Elderberries are on my mind. In late summer and early fall when I was growing up in southern Wisconsin the elderberries were ripe and ready to pick along the rural roads. It was always such a treat to find them and bring them home to be carefully taken off the stems, washed and readied for pie or jelly. Elderberries then were a treat which we looked forward to. Until recent years, when I found and… Continue reading

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Using Planners and Journals to Make Fall/Autumn Most Enjoyable

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Now that we are into a new season, it is a good time to reflect on your regular routine and what you anticipate in the coming few months. Even if you have not used a daily planner before, now is a great time to start creation a fall journal and planner routine. Fall truly is the season of comfort and change. The weather gets cooler, and you want to get warmer and cozier in your… Continue reading

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Feeling Overwhelmed? Quiet Your Mind With a Brain Dump

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Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed? Maybe occasionally, maybe more often? As we move into a new season within the reality of the COVID pandemic, it’s easy to feel like it’s all too much. Things are still uncertain and subject to change at any moment. Conflicting opinions and beliefs about our current reality cause stress and many emotions. Finding calm can be next to impossible when you have a million thoughts swirling around in your… Continue reading

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Understanding How Deep Breathing Works to Reduce Stress

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Deep breathing techniques are often cited as an important tool that can help you to immediately alleviate stress, anxiety, frustration, and anger. Yet, many people have difficulty practicing deep breathing exercises because they either don’t believe that it’ll help or they try once and then don’t try again. Understanding deep breathing at the biological level makes us more likely to do it. I’ve written about deep breathing before here: https://carolbrusegar.com/deep-breathing-for-stress-relief/ That article included benefits to… Continue reading

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The Practice of Deep Breathing for Stress Relief

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“Calm down, take a deep breath.” “BREATHE.”  We often give or receive this advice when we or someone else is stressed, irritated or angry.  As the pandemic continues, we have a group of stressors that we may not have experienced before. Expanding our repertoire of tools to deal with them can only be a good thing. The practice of deep breathing is an important one. A few breaths in the midst of a stressful situation… Continue reading

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Nature and Fractals Reduce Overwhelm and Stress

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Many of us have times of overwhelm and stress during these times of uncertainty. It may be only sporadic or more pervasive. Overwhelm is the consistent state of feeling in over your head, overburdened, and unable to sustain manageable control over the various expectations in your day. It has a domino effect. Usually beginning in one area of life, it can extend to all areas as the body begins to fatigue from the chronic stress.… Continue reading