Re: how to perform puja?
Namaste Christine,
You might find this weblink useful. It's from Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's instruction on worship of Ganesha, and it includes a basic outlight of puja for Him: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/reso..._contents.html. I'm sure this could also be tailored to include worship of Mother Parvati, if you so wished. As for your worshipping Shiva, that is entirely your choice. It is common for the three to be worshipped as the Holy Family (often alongside Lord Kartikeya/Murugan). But there are no hard and fast rules for worshipping this Deva or that Deva. My advice would be to do what you feels most comfortable for you, especially if you are still finding your feet around actual worship.
The link I've included above should include the basic mantras for Ganesha, as well as special ones that use Gayatri metre. The most common ones are either: Om Gam Ganapataye namah or Om Sri Ganeshaya namah. Shiva's mantra is: Om namah Shivaya. I am not sure what mantras are used for Parvati. Maybe you could try posting this question in the Shakta forum?
I should mention that with regards to conducting puja at home, no strict rituals are required, other than you are clean and wearing fresh clothing (take a shower first, or at least wash your hands, legs, feet and mouth) and in a calm, peaceable state of mind. Worship can be as simple as lighting a candle in your shrine. What counts more than any physical show of devotion is what's in your heart, so concentrate on that and the names of God. Having a steady flow in puja ceremony will take practice and experience, so enjoy your time learning and don't be too hard on yourself for not knowing! There is a beautiful prayer you can say after puja to ask God's forgiveness for having made any mistakes or spoken prayers incorrectly.
I had the same problem with lighting incense in my home. You could try opening your bedroom window and another window in your house to create a draught to move the air around, that way the incense won't hang around and make a huge smell. Otherwise, you could try stuffing towels or whatever in the crack underneath your door to stop the smoke escaping out to the rest of the house. Better yet, why not light incense outside (weather permitting, of course)? I'm just throwing ideas out here, you don't have to do any of this, of course.
Om namah Shivaya
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye namah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ।
Lokaah SamastaaH Sukhino Bhavantu
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