For me it meant everything because my husband proposed the day before so I woke up on Valentine ’s Day back in 1998 the happiest girl in the world.

Now with each passing year for us it still holds such magic. We both go out of our way to make the other ones feel like the most loved person on earth!

Ladies this is your chance to make your husband feel like a king. It does take a little planning, the baby sitter is coming and unfortunately it falls on a Tuesday but that’s okay dinner reservations are made at our favorite spot. By the time we get home my little ones will be fast asleep and we can turn on the fire in our bedroom light some scented candles turn on some mood music and well you know what comes next!

So what are you doing this year for your hubby or boyfriend? If you are interested in cooking a great meal in I have some incredible recipes that you will love on my site including desserts that will get you everything you want!

Let’s not forget the kids. This year I am baking cupcakes and heading over to their school for the class Valentine’s day party. My kids will have fun helping me bake them of course and I made up special Valentines bags filled with love!

Whatever you decide, it’s certainly not about spending money. Just use your imagination to guide you and remember it only comes once a year! Make this day one that you and your loved ones will remember!

XOXO
Tara Brooke

Frankly I am really proud of my age and I try to take these moments to allow myself to feel good about my accomplishments. We are always working hard to reach our goals and sometimes we just don’t celebrate what we accomplish so birthdays are really the perfect time to give yourself a pat on the back!

My day started out with early morning cuddles from my two favorite people on earth, my kids.

My husband had taken me over the weekend away to our favorite resort for a much needed couples getaway were we spent the day at the spa and by the pool relaxing and enjoying!

The night of my birthday Jason and the kids surprised me with decorating our breakfast room in all pink, mine and my daughters favorite color. He made a beautiful dinner and the cake was stunning!

Then they surprised me with breakfast with a little help from my handsome husband of course

Needless to say I was feeling the love. Jason made a special video for me of the kids sharing what they loved most about mommy wow you can’t put a price tag on that gift! All in all it was a magical birthday!

Here’s wishing that your special day and every day that follows be filled with Love, Health, hugs, kisses and happiness!

XOXO
Tara Brooke

It’s that time again as the season begins to turn the runways are heating up with the hottest looks for Spring and even if you are still bundled up for the winter here is a peek at the newest items that I have chosen from one of my favorite places on line to shop Net-a-porter.com they are always on the cutting edge with all of the top designers and have their fingers on the pulse of the fashion Industry.

If you are like me and you love fashion then allow your senses to soar with these hot picks!

Dresses are super-hot this season so now is the time to focus on your work out Pilates, yoga and strength training to get your legs looking sexy and don’t forget about your arms because these dresses will defiantly show off your hard work!

Dress pants are also in so definitely look into purchasing a few I would go with a black wide leg pant with a flare as well as a pair in white. Add some gorgeous colored bright tops and you are ready to go! As for shoes I am living in both Chanel ballet flats along with the gorgeous mui mui flats embellished with ringtones I LOVE them add a dark skinny jean with a white t- shirt.

I also love the wedge for all of these looks black, camel and maybe a snakeskin tone will be all you need for this season. And as for bags I am looking into a beautiful Blue bag possibly Prada or even Celine. Blue is so hot I think it can be considered a classic and plum is another one that you know you can pull out almost any year.

The most important thing is to be confident and wear what you know looks great on you.

Always dress in clothes that high light your best assets so if you have amazing legs show them off this season in a flirty dress or a great pair of shorts and you can even be bold and wear the wedge with them why not! Fashion is about feeling great and also having fun I love the colors that are coming out because you just can’t help but smile when you are wearing many of these gorgeous colors.

Take a peek at Net-a- porter I think you will love how they put everything together and provide great looks that you can use for yourself every day.

Go forward and be beautiful!

Tara Brooke
XOXO

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to ______ today. I am thankful for______________’

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good and can even be great it’s up to YOU!

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

14. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything – but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for ______. Today I accomplished _____.

24. Never go to bed angry.

25. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

26. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You’ll be smiling before you know it.

Well here we go the New Year is just around the corner and I want to give you the best advice I can for the New Year. Make the decision today that in 2012 you are no longer going to allow FEAR to rob you of what you want. Fear is a dream destroyer and can rob you of everything if you let it.

The best way to push through it is to simply face your fear whatever it may be. The moment you face it head on it all of a sudden has no power over you. You can say to yourself “I can do this,” “this is easy for me”. All of a sudden you will feel that that fear is gone it’s really that simple. In this New Year expect just a little more of yourself push yourself and decide that you are going to reach your goals.

Start writing down what you want in your life put it on paper and read it every day. Take five minutes to also write down what you are thankful for. By doing this you will start to attract more opportunities into your life. Being thankful is the key really to having it all.

Never stop believing in your dreams and remember when you are writing out your goals make sure to have a short term goal like over the next two months I am going to drop 12 lbs but this year I plan on dropping 25 and running a half marathon! Why not dream big go for it whatever that challenge may be for you just go for it. Never put limits on your thinking.

Be careful not to share your dreams with people that are what I like to call “dream killers” they are not interested in watching you reach your goals. Use your inner guide and be smart about who you share these things with. Also make sure that you are not crushing someone else’s dream by making comments like “you can’t do that”, or “that will never work”.

Be respectful and always be the voice of encouragement.

This Year watch your word they are more powerful then you realize. Start to listen to the things that you say. Really make this year 2012 your best year yet! Say each morning “today something wonderful is going to happen to me.” I have new opportunity’s coming to me every day. My body is healthy and strong and I am Happy! Speak these powerful words over yourself and bless others with the words that come out of your mouth.

I happen to know a young lady that from the outside you would think she had it all. Big house, money, and beautiful family she seems to have the life that most people would do anything for and she has a loving husband. I had a chance to witness this woman’s vile rage and just how incredibly miserable she really is and it was heart breaking. For some reason she can’t seem to find it in herself to be happy. You see it’s just like the old saying “money can’t buy you happiness or class” it’s so true. This is not to say that everyone with money is not happy because that’s simply not the case. What it means is that we all are responsible for our own peach of mind, happiness and fulfillment. You can’t look to anyone else for that it must come from inside of you. No matter what situation you are in always try to see that good and make wise decisions on how you can change or transform the negative. See your cup as half full instead of half empty.

This is your year for greatness go after it all with wild abandon and decide that no one or anything will hold you back or stop you from having the life that you have always dreamed of. Remember life is short and we only get one shot to make it great.
Have a blessed Holiday and be thinking of what you want as January rolls in.

I believe in you!

To your massive success in 2012

Tara Brooke

Here is a prime example and one that I am choosing to laugh about and find the joy in even though I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome!

I pride myself on coming up with great Christmas cards I mean why not this is the chance to let all of your friends and relatives see your and you want it to be great! Well this year my kids were not having it at all.

No matter how hard I tried they simply were not willing to comply and give us the shoot we wanted. Below are the two pictures that describe it all. Having twins is so much fun but yes it’s a lot of work and there are always days when kids simply will do the absolute opposite of what you want. Being that I am a first time mom with our twins I am still learning everyday what’s right and wrong. I think that’s what parenting is all about. We are not perfect far from it but we are trying to find ways to make it all flow and work.

My goal with my children is to have them grow up knowing that they are ”God’s Loved Child” and that they have two parents that love and adore them as well as one another. I want them to have a great education but also have a heart for others. Of course we all want our kids to be leaders and I see those qualities’ in both of my kids but at the same time I have to remind myself not to put so much pressure on them. I think as mom’s we want to do it all and somehow we do feel like we can make everyone happy!

Here’s the good news just like everything in life parenting will offer us good days and bad days. There will be days that I feel like I hit a Home run in the parenting department and other days where I feel like I totally struck out. What I remind myself of now is to enjoy those moments more when I am feeling like I won the game and let myself off the hook a little sooner when I feel like I blew it. Moms don’t be so hard on you! I know so many moms’ that are doing incredible jobs with raising their families and they simply don’t give themselves enough credit. Well today treat yourself to something fun, that’s just for you. Maybe meet a girlfriend for a mani/pedi or get a message. Sometimes just going to a Starbucks and reading a good magazine for 20 minutes if that’s all you can spare will lift your spirits. Find comfort in knowing that we all go through learning curves with our kids. Not all of our experiences are the same but we still have struggles and challenges when it comes to shaping the life of that little person we love and care about so much into being GREAT! As the season of Christmas is upon us may you love each and every day with your family, try not to sweat the small stuff, set the boundaries that you need with your kids and stick to them and laugh as much as possible. Laughter can heal you and its hard to be mad or sad when you are laughing, try it I bet you can’t do it! Have a blessed and treasured season with your loved one’s.

From my family to yours,

Tara Brooke

Well just like you I am in the Christmas count down and trying to get all these last minute work obligations off my list so I can relax with my kids while they are on Winter break. Last night we made ginger bread houses and had so much fun! It is now one of my all-time favorite things to do with the kids. My husband cracked open a great bottle of wine, we had the fire on, the kids were sampling all of their favorite candies, how could the night go wrong?!

The festivities ran late into the night. I absolutely love this time of year! This year many of my family members and a few friends will be coming over for Christmas dinner and I am thrilled to be cooking for everyone! My husband is Ukraine and loves that type of food so it looks like a trip to the Russian Deli will be in my future this week to gather up some great ingredients.

I have such an excitement about the New Year! I can’t wait to hit the ground running in 2012, but until then I am planning on some much needed relaxation and possibly a mountain trip to the snow for a long weekend of Snowman building, snow ball fights and possibly skiing! I know we are all so busy running around but do take a moment for yourself and enjoy this Holiday Season with everyone you love.

Peace and Love,

Tara Brooke

Even my dog Willow is getting into the Christmas spirit!

With my children I don’t like the idea of going completely over board with gifts. Don’t get me wrong they always have an amazing Christmas but I like to really get them thinking about others as well. Here are some of the things that I do to help get my children (4 year old boy girl twins) to understand the meaning of Christmas.

The first thing we do is go through all of our current toys my kids know that before new toys come into the house we do an inventory and gather the things that they have moved on from and are not playing with for our church. This is everything from clothes to toys and if they are broken then they are tossed out. We only give away good toys that another child can enjoy. Next we set aside money for new toys for these kids and we hit the toy store. The idea is that my children know that they are shopping for another little girl or boy and they are not going to be asking on this trip for toys for themselves but really thinking about that child getting something special on their Christmas morning that they normally wouldn’t be getting. This is such a great time to talk with them about how blessed we are and about being thankful.

It’s one thing to discuss it but anther to have them put it into action.

You would be amazed how fast they not only get the idea of giving but enjoy it and that of course is a gift that we all get to enjoy feeling good and helping others.
As for family it is a great idea especially during these difficult financial times that you create a budget and decide how much to spend on each other for gifts. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and it helps everyone feel good about what they are giving. If you find yourself in a situation where you have lost your job or times are just far to lean to even buy gifts don’t worry there are so many things that you can do. Maybe put together a dinner at your place where everyone brings there favorite dish and have each person leave with a delicious home make chocolate chip banana bread or homemade cookies showing that you care is what is important not how much you spend.

There are always going to be those people even members of your family that simply don’t get the meaning and if you don’t spend ex amount on them or their children they are going to be completely upset about it. Here’s the things WHO CARES if you have someone like this is your family then you know they will most likely have a problem with whatever you did the point being that its them with the issue not you!

When shopping for a co-working I like to go with something that I know they would love if you see that they are hitting Starbucks a few times a day then get them a fabulous coffee mug that fits their personality along with a gift card. I love gift cards but I also like to include a little something extra that lets them know “wow she really pays attention” and this makes them feel special. When it comes time to buy for my kids teachers at school I like to give gift cards for mani’s and pedi’s because I feel like they need some additional spa treatments and relaxation time these always seem to go over well. I also like to bake something for the class just before winter break special cookies that I bring in for everyone it always makes it an easier day for the teacher.

Another thing that I love to do is create DVD for family and friends of my family and all that we have been up to. I like to document each year and my mom and dad LOVE this more than anything else and it’s something that you can have forever. Make sure to make extra copies to save for your children and just file them away. There are so many ways to show people that you care about that they are special to you without have to spend a fortune most of the time the one thing people love most of all is your time so maybe take a girlfriend out for lunch and treat her as your gift spend quality time with her and listen to her share her story’s with you that day just be a good friend.

Most of all remember the true meaning yourself and just enjoy we are all racing through life and these are the times that we get time off to be with our loved ones and simply breath and relax so don’t get too caught up with all the hustle and bustle just enjoy!

Over the summer I paid special attention to simply having fun! With my twins, like all children, they completely live in the moment and I decided to do the same. We went Jet Skiing, Rock climbing, had tickle time at the park, feed the ducks at least 3 times a week, went to Disneyland, Sea world, and we had Halloween in Maui (Hawaii) it was an amazing summer and one that I will always remember! Fun to be honest can be had every day at any given time you certainly don’t have to fly to Hawaii to have it and you don’t have to spend money all the time as well just like happiness, FUN is a choice!

Like every parent out there I also have times when I feel overwhelmed by raising young children. I decided long ago that I was going to raise my kids without not a nanny! I made the decision to only have the number of kids that I really felt I could personally handle and for us that number was 2 and since we have boy/girl twins it was perfect for us! Now with that said let me say that I am not against help if you are a working mother! I also don’t think there is anything wrong with taking time away from your kids for yourself and your husband. I have a great baby sitter and I count on her to help me when I need her. However I don’t count on her to raise my kids there is a huge difference. I never wanted to look back and think wow I never got up with my kids, put them down at night read stories to them gave them baths all of these things that are all part of parenting. I had help the first year with my twins that I absolutely had to have but after that it’s been my husband and I enjoying it all and sometimes pushing through the rough days. I am far from perfect and when I write all of my blogs I always discuss things that are going on in my life and I use my words as a reminder to myself as well.

Just like you there are good days and bad days high’s and low’s but I also realize that every day that passes by my kids are bigger and become more independent so I try to enjoy every day and encourage myself to have FUN!

Make sure that you are spending a good portion of your day laughing and try to let things slide if you can. I am not talking about your daily routine or allowing your kids to completely slack off but really they are children and they will get into things You can decide which battles to win and which ones to let go!. Remember this is YOUR life and these are your moments to enjoy it won’t mean that things are perfect all the time but you can find joy in even the smallest moments so look for them every day! Another was to instantly feel better and have more fun is to do something for others. Instantly you feel good about yourself. Below are a list of affirmations that you can say out loud every day to yourself when you are getting ready. The more you say them the more you will believe them and the happier you will feel. Once you feel happy then you are able to relax and have FUN!

As we now set our sights on the Holidays let’s all choose to have fun, not stress out about the little things and simply enjoy yourself. If you are one of the millions of Americans that has been hit hard financially and you are having a more difficult time staying happy and allowing yourself to have fun just know one thing this time will pass. I completely understand where you are at because I have experienced it in my life but the good news is you can still choose to be happy and work hard to rebuild. You are certainly not alone and with the New Year just around the corner I would encourage you to start building up the WISH LIST and set your goals high for what you plan to accomplish in the New Year! You can do it!

Blessing’s to you all!

Your daily Affirmation’s:

1.I love myself
2.I am a good person
3.People like me
4.Great opportunity’s come to me everyday
5.I am healthy and happy
6.I am living in total abundance
7.I am in the best shape of my life

Note:
The key here is to understand that you are amazing that you have great strength within you. The idea is not to be perfect you will never reach perfection, none of us will thank goodness because what would we have to build towards once we reached that?

The idea is to be your BEST to strive for a higher standard. You can either make things happen or watch others make things happen.
I believe in you shoot for the moon you really do have everything to gain and nothing to lose if you simply BELIEVE and take ACTION

My kids and I are starting early! I don’t know about you but at my house we like to have the holiday cheer start right away so here we are out to get our tree!

This month I will be focusing on Family because it doesn’t matter if you have a large family or if it’s just the two of you family is everything.

Tara