December Sanity Retreat 2012–Join us!

I tend to see the seasons through the lens of a gardener. Spring is where seeds sprout, and everything seems to awaken. All of a sudden, everyone wants to get out, have lunch and go for a walk outside. Summer has everything in full bloom, and it’s hard to resist the urge to explore, travel, BBQ, taste something ripe and luscious. Fall is harvest, change, transition, and we’re so aware of the beauty of the change of seasons. And winter is the silence—where the earth gets quiet and still, where the movement is subtle of leaves breaking down. We want to snuggle up with hot cocoa and a good book, maybe with a fireplace and a purring kitty.

Peace and calm. Time for silence and renewal. Just like the holiday season, right?

It’s ironic that the busiest season of bustling crowds, overspending, overeating, overdoing is perfectly lined up with when the earth takes a nap to recharge. When I even think about Black Friday sales, my only urge is to join G under his blankie.

And so…the December Sanity Challenge was born. It is so easy to get swept up in the tidal wave of doing that it is easy to forget about what is important to you for your health.

So here’s the scoop on the December Sanity Challenge.  It can be on whatever YOU need to work on to stay sane during the holiday season, or whatever you want to make sure to remember so that you are living life to the fullest:

1. Balancing commitments to others with commitments to yourself
2. Getting in physical activity
3. Creating a happy balance around food
4. Getting enough sleep!
5. Making wise financial choices
6. Focusing more on living beings than material “stuff”
7. Whatever else speaks to you along these lines

The challenge–blog on on what you plan to do to make your holidays sane, happy and healthy.  (if you don’t have a blog and want to play, email  me and I’ll post your goals!) Make it specific!  Not just “I’ll get more sleep”, but “I’ll get at least 7 hours of sleep, 5 days a week”.  Not just “I won’t go crazy making desserts”, but “I’ll make a maximum of XX desserts, and space them out over XX time”.  You know what you need to do to keep this doable, and writing it down will help you get there!

As a little added incentive, for each post on your intentions and your progress you link back here or one of the other co-hosts, you’ll be entered to receive a $50 gift certificate to Nuts.com  (they are not sponsoring, I just wanted something with healthy gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, etc. options). The delicious Ms. Carrie Forbes of Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl has also generously donated 2 signed cookbooks for “The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook”. I mean, what could be more sanity promoting than using a slow cooker?

I’ll also be joined by a wonderful group of co-hosts:

• Dec 1st: Valerie of City|Life|Eats 
• Dec 8th Kate of Eat, Recycle, Repeat
• Dec 15th–ME! Cheryl of Gluten-free Goodness
• Dec 22nd Iris of Daily Dietribe
• Dec 29th Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl

Last, but not least, we do have a FB group–if you’d like to join, you’re more than welcome. It’s a space to support and be supported, and it’s the same one we used during the last Self-Care Retreat.

• My Intro Post for the Dec Sanity Retreat
• Ginger Lemon Girl’s A Peaceful Holiday Season
• Valerie of City Life Eats – Sleep, move, dance, stretch
• Iris of The Daily Dietribe Join the December Sanity Challenge
• My Kickoff Post with goals
• Kate of Eat, Recycle Repeat shares her “Dos” of the season
• My post on the Zen of Candy Cane Marshmallows
• Kathryn, of chacha’s gluten-free kitchen with her goals AND German Chocolate Bites
• My post on “Being Gentle”
• Yoga Twist on Life shared December Merriment
• Lilian of Healthy Happy Vibrant shares “Self Care Continued”
• Iris of the Daily Dietribe shared on the preciousness of our moments
• I posted on the recent tragedy with “A Pause”
• Jonathan of the Canary Files joined us with Embracing the Here and Now with Love

To get a “flavor” of past retreats:
http://www.gfgoodness.com/2012/08/05/a-july-self-retreat-recap/
July Self-Care Retreat and the December Sanity Retreat.

And THANK YOU. Self-care is so primary to me, and I find that our retreats are such a great reminder to myself of the need to focus on what I value most. So whether you’re hosting, reading, posting or just stopping by, I appreciate that you’re joining us.