Sunday, February 28, 2016

Birthday Q & A

Life, lived on your own terms, is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Valiantly striving to be your best version while surrounding yourself with people who inspire and lift you up is a sure way to living well.

Birthdays are an excellent time to reflect, bathe in gratitude, and solidify the direction of your life story.

These are the questions I asked and answered for myself this morning :-)

Who do you want to be?

I want to be the heroine of this riveting adventure I call my life. I want to stay focused on striving valiantly toward life affirming goals. I want to spread love and light everywhere I go and inspire others to do the same. I want to be fearless in living, loving, giving, and receiving. I want to make meaningful connections with others and most especially nurture the people I cannot live without.

What is your definition of success?

My definition of success is loving deeply, giving from the heart, and being free.

I need to have a general sense of forward progress (physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, intellectually, socially, personally, and professionally).

What inspires you?

Others who awaken something in me I want to develop.

Children at play.

Athletes in movement.

Artists at work.

Generally, connecting with smart, motivated, and kind humans inspires me. 

 What excites you the most?

The process of learning/mastering new skills and sharing with others.

If today was your last day on Earth, how would you like to be remembered?


I want my husband and children to know deeply that they are my world. I want my parents, siblings, close friends, and extended family to think of me with a loving fondness. I want to have made my corner of the world better through my work professionally and personally. 

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Struggles


One of my many struggles is positively dealing with my five-year-old's disinterest in writing. His teachers praise him for how smart, kind, participative, and insightful he is but when it is time to write he becomes like a deflated balloon. 

I know the root cause is his lack of confidence in this skill so he becomes easily frustrated. My husband and I are both teaming up to provide the encouragement, discipline, and practice he needs to get better.

If anyone has had personal experience with this challenge and have found ways to overcome this, please share! 

We would be ever so grateful, thank you!



Thursday, October 15, 2015

After School Programs

Dear Forest Park PTA Family,

Putting on a PTA-sponsored After School Program for over 60+ children most definitely takes a village!

Our team needed to secure approval from school administration, iron out logistics, create and distribute marketing material, create an online interface for sign ups, track these sign ups, obtain sound equipment, create easy to follow and engaging fitness routines, teach routines, and check in/register all participating members.

I am happy to report that it was pure magic yesterday! The first of our After School Programs, Family Fitness, was a smashing success and was extremely well received by our community :)

On that note, please remember how important you are to the success of our organization. A heart-felt thank you for your generous donations, the sharing of your talents, and service with us!

When we are old and gray, our children will reflect fondly on how we "gave them the world" with our presence, time, and love throughout their formative years.

Holding you all in high esteem,

Millie

-------------------------------------------
Millie DePerio
Forest Park PTA
Chair, After School Programs
Email: 79millierose@gmail.com
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."~Aristotle


-------------------------------------------
















Saturday, October 3, 2015

DePerio Art Gallery

Welcome to our collection of paintings my husband and I created together in in 2013 and 2014.



We were only supposed to paint one turtle but that was too lonely-looking for me. I did my own thing and painted the four of us as in our "turtle forms."




Gerald followed the rules and wondered why I was taking so long to complete my painting, lol ;-)

My favorite subjects to paint are items found in nature: trees, sunsets, rocks, and landscaped mountains. 










We painted the trees below for my 35th birthday Paint Nite Party.

The pink tree signifies feminine energy and the fiery-orange is the corresponding masculine energy.










When you put them side by side the white flashes of lightning in the background are supposed to connect.

Cool huh?


:-)

Thursday, June 25, 2015

My Hero (one of them)

Every heroine obtains her super-powers from someone, or something. I, luckily, have strong parents who have bestowed upon me some awesome qualities that I have honed and made my own. Since today is my dad's 60th birthday, I would like to honor him by writing this post.

Millie, Erle, Lyle, April- 1988

My sister was the most prolific writer when my dad was in New Zealand in 1988

Erle's drawing to Papa, 1988

Lyle's drawing to Papa, 1988

My earliest memories of my dad was doting over us and telling us the BEST made up stories. He'd tell us about giants, little people making footprints on the floor, and witches whose bodies would fly off at midnight seeking the blood of a pregnant woman. His flair for language and creative plots were endless. We, my three siblings and I, were always mesmerized. He worked hard to provide a good life for his family and everyone knew he was (and is) the go-to-guy for sound advice. He continues to be this way and has amassed a close-knit circle made up of family and non-family members.

Our long time mechanic Rick, expressed his deep concern for him when he was recently hospitalized earlier this year. He said, "Your dad is like a dad to me too. Please help him get healthy as much as you can." I nearly lost it right then and there but kept myself in check only because I was soooo not expecting him to get that emotional. (I lost it, privately, on the drive home.)

We have another long time associate, our broker Mansoor, who has the same birthday as my dad. This guy is super-soft-spoken, many times unprofessional, and always slow in his service but no matter how demanding my dad can be, Mansoor is (always) naturally and un-flinchingly-kind, competent, and closes deals left and right for us no matter what snags we face.

And the list continues. I don't want to get too personal here because my dad hates that. Just think, if this is how his associates feel about him, think about how his "inner circle" feels about him. He is just absolutely BOMB.COM. With all of his idiosyncracies and dysfunction (we all have them), I can say that my dad has showed tremendous love (the Rough-Around-The-Edges-Kind "RATEK"), compassion (RATEK), and a fluid-competency in almost all of his dealings with his loved ones.

Also, I have learned that you don't need a butt-load of friends or associates. You just need a good handful who are trust-worthy and naturally "gel" with you.

TO PAPA: Without further ado, I want to wish you, my hero, a Happy 60th Birthday! We can't wait to celebrate YOU and really hope you get your health action plan truly dialed in this time around. God has been more than gracious to you these past few years. Please know that that all of the good and success you see in all of us have been directly from Yours & Mama's efforts. We love you immensely and wish to celebrate many more blessed birthdays with you.

Love, your adopted daughter

:-) Millie

*For the record I am not adopted. This is an inside joke as he introduces me to people as his "adopted daughter." As though that would faze me ;D