Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there!!  May today be filled with love, happiness, and a wonderful feeling of contentment!!  May you remember to cherish your children exactly as they are and know that you are the absolute best mother they could have had!!

Celebrate life today and enjoy!!

Why are kids so stressed today?

Kids today are much more "stressed" and they are much less like "kids" than when I was growing up.  I think that is why we see so many who are prescribed anxiety and depression medicine.  I know that some of it may have to do with nutrition but I think a lot has to do with what is expected of the children of today.

You don't see all the kids outside playing with their friends like they used to.  The consequences are many but we have a higher rate of childhood obesity (due to lack of exercise as well as poor nutrition), increased type 2 diabetes in children, and increased anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other diagnoses.

Today's goal is to get your kids outside and play - if you can get other kids, too, that's even better.  Everyone can play something fun and non-competitive.  If the wind is right, fly a kite : )  Have fun and laugh - enjoy the day!!  Just be and don't worry about "doing"  just for today!  See how it feels and let me know.

Have an incredible day!!

World Laughter Day 2011

Today is the 2011 World Laughter Day.  Laughter Yoga International is set up to help spread world peace through laughter. 

In honor of the day, try to laugh more.   If you find yourself thinking about anything that is stressful or makes you upset, laugh.  That's right, laugh.  Laughter yoga teaches us to laugh for no reason.  Our bodies naturally respond by releasing "feel good" chemicals into our body even when we are faking the laughter!!  So try it.  Laugh in the shower.  Laugh in your car.  Laugh for no reason!!   When you are laughing and feeling good, you will be at peace.  When you are at peace, you will show peacefulness to others.  Enjoy the day and laugh.  Laugh for all of us to hear!! 

Have a fabulous, joyful, laughter-filled day!!

Namaste!

Smile

Do you know that your body doesn't know the difference between a fake smile and a real smile??  That means that when you smile, your brain is releasing neurochemicals that actually elevate your mood.  I know, you don't always feel it immediately but it happens immediately and you can use your own smile as a wonderful stress reliever!!  It's true.  So next time you don't feel like smiling, smile anyway.  Walk around with a huge smile on your face and soon you'll be feeling great!!  (By the way, it helps your kids, too!)

Have a fabulous day!!

Have you ever hugged a tree??

My kids thought I was crazy when I went over and hugged a tree.  I found the biggest tree at the Audubon and went to hug it.  I invited my kids to do the same.  One refused, one reluctantly hugged it, and the third joyously hugged.

I told them that this tree has been around for hundreds of years and has gathered the wisdom of the ages and by hugging it, we can reconnect to that wisdom.  (Okay, my four year old had no idea what I was talking about, I admit it.)  But when asked them what they felt when hugging the tree, they felt good.  They felt love.  They felt a connection to nature that they hadn't experienced before.  Yes, my nine old also said he felt really silly but in a good way.  If mom can let go of what people might think and go hug a tree, then he can, too!!

Try it and let me know what you think.

Have an awesome day!

Spend some time in nature with your children

If you can spend some time with your children outside, away from the TV, computer, and phone, you will benefit not only from the time together but also from nature. Just being in nature and in the fresh air has a way of lifting our spirits and rejuvenating us!  Many time we don't realize the positive effect of just being nature.  That doesn't mean you need to travel to the mountains or the ocean either : )

You can benefit from going to a park, walking on tree-lined street, or if it's feasible going on some type of nature walk.  Look up at the color of the sky and just take it in and enjoy it.   Yes, even if it is cloudy and grey or raining.  It really is magnificent!!  When you are breathing in, imagine pulling the air from a place high up in the sky, filled with love and peace.

Have a spectacular day!!

What are you going to do today??

Many schools are on vacation this week.  What do you have planned to do with your children?  It doesn't really matter what you do as long as you're giving them your full attention.   Giving your children that undivided attention actually builds their self-esteem and makes them feel special and loved.

Too often we are distracted with work or other obligations and don't actually give our children our full attention.  In fact, not much gets our full attention since we are trying to do several things at once!  Take time today (even if it's only a few minutes) to really give your full attention to your children.  Take a few minutes to really quiet your mind and give yourself some attention, too!!  Enjoy the day!

What do we expect from our children?

I know this is not a unique title for my blog but I want to ask it again since I didn't get any responses : ) I also like to ponder this myself. So often we don't sit back and appreciate the uniqueness of each of our children - or any child for that matter. We try to push them into behaving in "acceptable" ways that are often no in line with who they are!

We expect that they will conform to the masses. Is that really what we want? Don't we want more for our kids? Don't we want more for ourselves? Have you bought into this and find yourself limited by your own limiting beliefs? I want you to look around. There are people who have gone beyond what we see as possible for us. We can, too! Our children can, too! I believe the key is not to keep throwing more limiting beliefs at them of what they can and cannot do.

My goal for today is to look at one behavior, for each of my children, that I'd like to stop and find something praiseworthy about it. I'm going to try to find what special quality of theirs is exemplified in this behavior and if I really don't like what they are doing (jumping from high places), perhaps I can find another way to exhibit that quality. Today, I will look for a positive in everything and I invite you to do the same!

Have a wonderful, glorious, positive day!

What questions to we ask each other??

As parents we often ask each other - how do I get my child to ...? Or how do I get them to stop doing...? What questions do you most often ask? What would be helpful to you?

Sometimes I think that it would be nice to allow them to simply be themselves and not try to make them do anything. I realize that's not always possible but wouldn't it be nice??

I do think that we should take full advantage of the law of attraction and not focus on the behaviors we don't want to see but focus as much as possible on the behaviors we want to see more of.

Have a wonderful day! Just for today try to focus on the best behaviors of your child(ren). Smile often and laugh!

When you make mistakes...

Okay - so how do you handle it when you make a mistake with your children? Do you admit it and apologize? Do you beat yourself up about it?? I'm curious. I know most of us beat ourselves up when we make mistakes. But we are human. I think it is also a wonderful opportunity for our children to see that it is okay to make mistakes. If we berate ourselves for our mistakes, that is how they will learn to treat themselves. If we show them that to err is human and to forgive divine - then they will see the divine nature of each and every one of us. They will also see that we are human and that is wonderful, too. Each mistake is a wonderful opportunity to see another way of doing things...

What do you think the pros and cons of having children are?

I'm looking to see what people think about the pros and cons of having children or if you don't have any or don't want any - what are the pros and cons of that?

There are no right or wrong answers and so much has to do with our own personalities and who we are and what we want. I think we need to cherish and honor who we are and what works for us. I have three wonderful children but I have so much respect for those individuals who know they do not want children and therefore don't. Again, it is a matter of honoring who we are! I love to hear other opinions because we all grow from understanding each other. I have one son who said he wants 10 children and one who says he definitely does not want any : ) I respect both opinions and also know that they can change their minds many times before adulthood!

Please let me know what you think. Have a wonderful day and honor who you are and who your children are!

What do we expect from our children?

What is it that you are expecting from your children? Why do you have those expectations? Are they realistic? Are they yours? Are they based on what other people think? Do your children know exactly what you expect of them? Just some food for thought.

Enjoy the day and laugh with your kids! Be in the moment and see how precious it really is!

Okay - I haven't been on here much but I'm going to start... I'd love to hear answers to the questions I pose. I want to find out why people decide to become parents? Do you think about it much? Do you just know that you always wanted kids and so you have them? As an adult have you thought about what it means to be a parent? What does it mean to you? There are no right and wrong answers to any of these questions but I think it is interesting that many of us decide to have kids when we are a kid and just bring that forward with us rather than really making a decision as an adult. Let me know your thoughts.

Have a wonderful day!

Remembering the child within

It seems like in today's world, it is hard for us to remember that we have a child within us who is still as curious and spellbound by life as our children. It will do them and us good if for today we try to see like through their eyes. Remember that life is meant to be enjoyed. Remember that some of those rules are really meant to be broken. Today - have fun with your children and have fun in general! It is a wonderful new day.

Today's parenting thoughts

Very often as parents we have trouble letting go of what others think. How often have we felt embarrassed by our toddler's tantrum? Yet most of us parents are very aware of the fact that tantrums are "normal" toddler behavior. So why do we cringe when others look at us funny?

Because somehow we fear that people think less of us (and our children) because our kids are not conforming to their expectations! It's really ridiculous when you think about it. We should not care about what others think. We do the best we can and that is all we can do.

Once we allow ourselves (and our children) to simply be - we'll all be much happier.

We need to relax and remember that no one has control over another person. I don't think we really want that for our kids anyway. (Maybe in some situations but long term we don't.) If we control our children when they are with us they may no know how to control themselves when they are on their own. Often children (and adults) rebel when they feel controlled.

Our job is simply to teach them (as best we can) to control themselves and behave in ways that they believe are right. After all that is what "discipline" means - teaching.

In short, be gentle with yourself as a parent and do the best you can. You and your children will be happiest when you do that. We all mistakes and it is okay. We need to teach our children that it is okay, too.

Have a great day and I welcome your feedback!