Too often, life just happens. Wouldn't it be great to "create wonderful memories on purpose"? When I look back on my life, I wasn't very aware of how my actions and reactions would play out regarding my child. I look back with the regret that I wasn't smarter, more pro-active. A friend of mine recently wrote to me "Own Your Day"! Three simple words but wow, thinking about being more empowered instead of being "washed away by the day".

Rather than "looking back", I would like to encourage you not only to "look forward" but to more importantly "Live in the Present", enjoying the space you find yourself in today. I would like to encourage you to "re-frame" your thinking. So much of the battlefield is in our minds. I was reminded by the same friend to continue on with an "Attitude of Gratitude". Living in an attitude of thankfulness is a powerful outlook.

In the interest of being proactive, I set my sights on having an e-commerce company which provides wooden playroom furniture. The more I looked at this furniture, the more I thought about children having a special space of their own and how important this idea could be for their development. I thought about what a wonderful message it would send to children and the love they would feel by being the recipient of playroom furniture their size. I look at the learning possibilities through having an art table easel or an art activity desk, a puppet theater, kitchen play set or a table and chair set. Thus, another aspect of my life has come to life.

I have no grandchildren but am totally in love with my niece, Bava Joy, who is the ripe old age of three. I invited her out this past week for a play day with her "Mimi", my sister, her Grandma. I'm an abstract artist so I have tons of art supplies. I let her paint and mix colors to her heart's content. She loved watching what adding colors to colors did. I gave her very little instruction but enjoyed her own process of exploration and discovery which is actually a name of an art class that I sometimes teach. She finally decided that she really wanted to get "into" the paint so she rubbed her hands in the paint. We made prints. I took pictures. I call her my "Bava Blue". It happens to be her favorite color as of late.

Don't worry about being an expert with paint; providing the opportunity is much more important! Children are born artists.

This is a little example of me "Creating Wonderful Memories on Purpose". It's a great memory for my sister, my niece and myself. I plan to be proactive, making more memories on purpose.

Take time out of your life to make a plan of action. Often, without a plan, we end up actually not "owning our day". Provide your child with an atmosphere to explore and discover with playroom furniture that invites them into creative play. It's amazing what you can learn about them.