My little Miles Everett (19 months) and big boy Maximus Henry (3 1/2 years) are the loves of my life.  I’m so fortunate to have great kids, and an amazing husband.  Here’s my top 10 reasons why I absolutely love being their mom (in no particular order)!

10.  That feeling when my children only want their Mommy.

9.  That relief when my children only want their Daddy!

8.  When I see their smiling faces the first thing in the morning, I know it’s going to be a great day!

7.  I’m completely, hysterically funny.

6.  I get to explain things like who I’m talking to on the phone and what they said…because Max just needs to know!

5.  Being around the pure, joyful, light energy that small children radiate.

4.  Because it’s the most important job I’ll ever have.

3.  Because they help to keep me grounded, and I know that nothing else matters besides the well-being of my family.

2.  Kids are so genuine, honest, and true to themselves; and I have the opportunity to teach them to stay that way.

1.  It’s a love like no other, and to have that kind of love in my heart is just priceless.

Thank you, Boys!  I love you~

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Through the greatness of Facebook I reconnected with a friend from high school.  In 2003, Peggy Hudson, wrote this beautiful note.  She just recently shared it with her FB friends and I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

I thought it would be great to share her writing with you.  Enjoy~

It’s a beautiful day! It’s inherent for me to notice the beauty all around
me. Sometimes my mind refuses to operate with my soul. That’s when I must
re-mind myself. It’s fascinating to me the control the mind can have over
the mind. Or is that some other aspect of myself that can execute authority
over mind? What is really operating here? And if we’re all connected to
each other & everything – universal energy – what is that driving force? We
categorize into “individuals” – & say I’m like you or I’m not like you -
when in “reality” we are all connected. I think most of us usually forget
this. We see each other as separate entities. Yet we all take up space on
this planet. We are like the cells of Mother Earth – moving about – part of
the life force. How come there is hate? Why would we want to hate what is
connected to us? If we remember the connection, will we learn to love one
another? My hope is that we would.

My heart becomes heavy when I hear of sadness in our world – when I hear the
hurt in my patients’ voices – when I feel disconnected from others. The connection is vital to my survival. Sure, one could exist without it – yet
a failure to thrive would be evident. We need each other. Most of us just want to be acknowledged – appreciated for who we are – & love seems rather simple. So … why is it so hard to give? Why is it sometimes difficult to receive? What blocks people from opening their hearts & being love?

I think most of it centers around fear … fear of being vulnerable … fear of
being hurt … fear of being rejected.

So … most people want to be loved & respected. & most people fear being
hurt & rejected.

What would happen if all of us loved & respected ourselves & others?

Peace! Joy! Love!

So simple: an open heart of love!

And FEAR gets in the way – creating chaos & havoc. Is fear really necessary? I mean, seriously? If we extended more love, don’t we think we could create a more beautiful world? Fear does not seem the way – love does.

It seems imperative to me that we all need love – the song was not amiss – what the world needs now is love.

One huge beating heart! Pumping life in all of us. Just like in our individual bodies. We must keep it healthy in order to live & survive & thrive. We will become sick & infected if we do not take care of ourselves. Fear is a toxin. Our immune system is becoming more & more depleted. We need to renew ourselves – replenish ourselves. & LOVE seems like the tonic.
That magical elixir that can restore our balance. We need the equilibrium restored. How can we move forward if we have become weakened? We need our strength. We cannot function if we have no genuine power. We will be deficient & unable to give our best. We will experience the feelings of illness because we are not tending to each other. Mother Earth needs our
nurture & we need to nurture her & each other.

And it can begin. It is possible. All we need to do is re-member (we are all members) that with love anything is possible. Anything! We can create a better world. A better place for all beings – a better place for our children.

I am willing to make my contribution to the whole. I am willing to be a part of the magic. I am willing to touch the divine. I am willing to extend the mysterious energy of love.

My eyes are open. & when I look through eyes of love with a hint of compassion, I see clearly. The light helps us to see. And the light is available to all of us every single day. We must take advantage of this light. It’s as simple as flipping a switch – or igniting a flame. The fire is a part of our system. Without the light, all becomes dark – we cannot see – & this can induce fear – fear of the unknown – the unseen. We just have to remember that night can befall us yet the sun will always rise – it never permanently sets – in reality, the sun never fades. It is always burning brightly. And even when we feel it is dark, Mother Moon lights Father Sky & reminds us we are never, ever alone. We can always see if we just open our eyes – open our hearts – open our minds to this marvelous universe.

The light is here – it is there – it is everywhere. Before life – after death. And now – if we remember.

~ by peggy hudson
(written april 28, 2003 after the start of the iraq war –
thought it was just as timely for today)

Wow…how we’ve grown up!

Thank you, Peggy.  You and your words are beautiful.

Peggy and I would love to hear your comments!

I’d love one.  Thanks for asking!

Okay, so here’s the deal.  My post today is about IBC (not to be confused with IBS or the root beer).  I’m talking about IndyBizChicks.com.  This cool company is ran by this “chick” named Crissy Herron.  She’s having a contest to give away a power publicity makeover.  (Think this is one of her publicity stunts??)

Here’s what I’m going to win:

It’s a six week session that will include:

• Define your target market – and learn how to reach them!
• Give your website an evaluation and make sure it is as profitable as it can be
• Learn how to write an awesome press release
• Build a media list, press kit, and press room
• Learn about social networking, article marketing, JV partnerships, and MORE!
• Build a marketing plan to help you rock it out in 2009!

I’m at a place in my life where I’m ready to take what I do to the next level.  My yoga journey is where it all started.  That’s how I got into all this cool spiritual stuff.  My yoga practice taught me to be present and to connect to my true self.  Once I found this place within, my life started to shift.  I became more grateful and more aware (among other things!).  I went for years not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life, but now I know and wow…it’s such a cool feeling.  It’s a relief, to say the least.  So coming from this place within me that is light, is positive, is love….I’m ready!  I believe the combination of yoga teaching, jewelry making, and spiritual blogging mom all come together beautifully through my website. Everything I do on my site (and in my life for that matter) is done with the intention of teaching and learning how to live life easy.  How to go with the flow and enjoy the ride.  And this, Crissy, is why I’m ready to rock it out in 2009!

You can enter the contest too, or just pay her

Go here – http://indiebizchicks.com/wp/power-publicity-makeover/

Thanks Crissy!  I can’t wait to work with you~

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Image by Hamed Saber via Flickr

I love being aware of the Law of Attraction (LOA) at work. If you’re familiar with the LOA you know that it’s working whether we know it or not. Well, it gets even cooler when you see it happening!!

Here’s the LOA at it’s finest. I received an email from a friend of mine this morning. I didn’t have time to read it so I just left it in my inbox. When I sat down to do this blog post, or at least attempt it, I was thinking about what I should write about and more so do I have enough time to devote to writing a post today (I have 2 small kids and I can’t have them watching Dora ALL day long!). Everything that I thought to write about I knew would take a while, so I decided to just let it go. Now, since I have all this “spare” extra time I decided to open my friends email and read it.

The email was a Powerpoint presentation on Great Advice. Thank you, Gail! Now I have a blog topic!! (Let’s hope I can type fast… Dora’s almost over!!)  And, thank you to whoever put this Powerpoint presentation together.  Good stuff!

1. Walk 10 – 30 minutes everyday, while smiling.
2. Sit quietly for at least 10 minutes everyday, in isolation if necessary.
3. Upon arising every morning, one must immediately say “My goal today is…”.
4. Listen to quality music everyday. This is nourishment for the soul.
5. Live with the three “e’s”: energy, enthusiasm, and empathy.
6. Play more games than last year.
7. Read more books than last year.
8. Look at the sky at least once a day, appreciating the majesty of the world that surrounds us.
9. Dream more while awake.
10. Eat more foods that come from trees and plants. Eat less manufactured foods.
11. Eat berries and nuts. Drink green tea, plenty of water, and a glass of wine each day; toast something beautiful in life, and if possible in the company of a loved one.
12. Try to make at least 3 people laugh everyday.
13. Eliminate clutter in the home, the car, and the office. Let a new energy enter your life.
14. Don’t spend your precious time immersed in rumors, things from the past, negative thoughts, or things beyond your control. It is better to invest your energy in the positive present.
15. Life is a school and we are here to learn. Problems are lessons that come and go; what we learn from them will serve us our entire lives.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.
17. Smile and laugh more often.
18. Do not let an opportunity pass to hug a friend.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating someone.
20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Nobody else does.
21. It is not necessary to win every argument. One must accept that the other person is not in agreement, and learn from his position.
22. Make peace with your past, so as not to ruin your present.
23. Don’t compare your life with others. You have no idea of the highways they have traveled during their lives.
24. Nobody is responsible for your happiness, except yourself.
25. Remember well that we have no control over what happens to us, but only what we do.
26. Learn something new everday.
27. What others think of us is not completely under our control.
28. Appreciate your body and it’s marvels.
29. Whether the situation is good or bad, it will change.
30. Work will not take care of us when we are sick. Our friends will. Stay in contact with them.
31. Reject everything that is not useful, amusing, or beautiful.
32. Don’t lose time. We already have all the things we need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. Nothing is as important as sitting, standing, getting dressed, and helping others.
35. Have fantastic sex, always in harmony with the other person.
36. Phone your family regularly, and tell them “Hi, I was thinking of you”.
37. Each day before going to sleep say: I am thankful for_________. Today, I succeeded in _________.
38. Remember that we have too much that is good to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the voyage. There is only one chance to be successful.

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As I’ve gone through my spiritual journey (and still on it!) I’ve learned so much.  Early on, though, there’s one thing I learned from a book by Don Miguel Ruiz called The Four Agreements that really changed my life.  Actually, his entire book changed my life, but one the the agreements, in particular, made my life easier!

DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

“Nothing others do is because of you.  What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.  When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.”

This is a HUGE statement!

Have you ever tried to do something only to have someone tell you what a terrible idea it is?  Have you ever been cussed at and wondered what the *%$? you did?  When you begin to understand that it’s not personal, you begin to have less stress in your life, and like the book says, you begin to suffer less.

I remember when my husband and I were just dating and he told me he “needed some space”.  What?  Really?  That freaked me out.  I took it so personally.  I would sit and stress about what I did wrong, and I truly suffered over it.  I felt awful.  Now, looking back on it, it had absolutely nothing to do with me.  He was going through whatever he was going through and it wasn’t about me at all.

It’s so refreshing to know that whatever someone says or does is not about you.  That person may be having a bad day and take it out on you, but if you know that it’s not you, it’s them, then it makes your life so much easier.  What that person most likely needs is compassion, rather than you yelling back, getting defensive, or copping an attitude.

I know this is easier said than done, so here’s a few tips to help you let it go and show compassion.

1.  You are inherently a good person, so have confidence.  What others say to you or about you does NOT define who you are!

2.  Take a few deep breaths before responding or reacting.  This will give you a few moments to relax and get grounded.  And, in that time the other person may cool down a bit too.

3.  Ignore the situation.  If you stay positive and don’t give attention to what the other person is saying or doing, this may actually help that person, and it’ll no doubt help you.

4.  Realize that the person may be exhausted, pressured, or just immature so what they really need is your help, advice, or a shoulder.

So the next time you’re feeling sensivite, just remember what Eleanor Roosevelt said “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” When you take things personally, you’re allowing someone else’s opinion of you be more important than the opinion of yourself.  What you think and believe about yourself is so important.  You are worthy.  You are love.  You deserve the best.  So don’t take anything personally!!

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I love it because little kids are absolutely living in the present moment, you can learn so much from them, and them from you (be careful of this one!!).

Since little ones don’t understand time, they have no stress and are always happy (as long as all their needs are met!).  They are totally playing in the moment – living in the moment.  My kids play well by themselves (fortunately!), but I’ve noticed that if they need my attention I can either completely give it to them or I can be there but have my mind elsewhere.  If my mind is on something else I’ve noticed that they need me longer.  If I am there for them completely, in the present moment with them, then the amount of time they “need” me is less.  If I’ve got things to do around the house, jewelry to make, or a blog to write I am able to get those things done if I just spend a little quality time with them.  It makes them happy, I feel great, and in turn I’m more productive.  It’s such a relief for me too because in that moment there’s absolutely nothing lacking…I have no stress and life is perfect!

Lately, my sweet Max (he’s 3) has been teaching me to let go.  His new saying is “but it’s okay”.

“Max, you’ve got food all over your face.” – “yeah, but it’s okay!”

As he’s hitting his brother with a stuffed animal (Miles is mildly laughing) – “Mommy, it’s okay”.

We’re running late for school – “but it’s okay!”

And what’s really cool is that as soon as he says that, I relax and say you’re right IT IS OKAY.  Sometimes we get so caught up in looking perfect, always doing things right, and everything being a certain way but does it really matter?  Can we just let go and have fun?  Because ultimately, it is okay!

Kids watch, learn, and sense our energy too.  The more rushed I am to get out of the house, the more uncooperative they are.  If I’m relaxed and calmly explain how we need to leave immediately, they listen and work with me.  The way I do something, they do too.  For example, I always rinse off the tooth brush and tap the brush on the counter before putting it up.  Max does this too, and can point out that his Daddy doesn’t.

I also came to the realization that Max got his new expression (it’s okay) from me.  I say it quite a bit – like if he drops his food, or can’t find a toy.  So it comes full circle!  I’m teaching him that it’s okay and he’s teaching me the same.  How awesome is that?

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Think about this scenario for a moment…every month your bills are due, and every month you’re worried about not having enough money to pay them.  In your mind there’s constant worry.  Every time you buy something (lunch, gas, or a cup of coffee) there’s anxiety as you hand over the money.  You’re in a constant state of feeling lack.  This feels horrible, right?

Now, think about this…every month your bills are due and every time you write a check, pay online, or use your debit card you feel gratitude for having the money to spend.  You reflect back on what you’re paying for and have great appreciation for whatever it is (how great is it to have electricity, food, & water?).  You know there’s always a flow of money coming in and money going out.  You have a feeling of abundance and you know deep within that you’ll always have whatever it is you need at that moment.  This feels good, right?

You can always choose to feel good.  It takes no more energy to feel the second scenario as it does to feel the first one.  In fact, I would think the first scenario would take a lot more energy, and it’s such a draining energy at that.  The second scenario may take more discipline, but I would way rather be disciplined than have that negative, stressful, draining energy.

I think back to my younger years right after high school (sounds funny for me to say that as I still think of myself as young!).  I had a roommate who would always worry about how we were going to pay rent.  She had a hard time sleeping, and I know now it was because she worried so much!  Sometimes she would ask me if I’m worried about it and my answer to her was always no.  This would freak her out!  How could I not be worried??  One day I turned to her and asked her if we’ve ever gone without paying our rent.  Her answer was “no”.  I told her this is why I’m not worried.  We’ve never gone without paying our rent.  We always ended up getting the money (we both waited tables at the time).  I remember telling her that I had never gone without, so I just wasn’t worried.  I knew I would get the money somehow.  I didn’t always know how I was going to have enough, but I always did and that’s all that mattered.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE YOUR LIFE HOWEVER YOU WANT IT!  When we begin to understand that it’s all in our mind, we then realize we can live our life however we want.  We can live in stress, worry & anxiety or we can live in freedom from those things.

My husband always tells me “it’s sunny and 70 in Katland”!  He jokes with me about it, but I seriously take it as a great compliment (thanks, Honey!).  It’s your choice.  Do you want to live where it’s sunny & 70, or dreary & 48?  Do you want to live in constant fear of lack or in continual abundance?

There’s really nothing to worry about!  If you can keep your eye on what you want, if you can keep your mind in the light rather than the darkness, and truly believe that all is good then I promise you you’ll always have what you need (if not more)!

It’s all just a perspective!  You choose how you want to perceive something.  I’m choosing sunny & 70!!

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Watching the Oscars a few nights ago I noticed how most of the winners came up to accept their award and said “I’ve been dreaming about this day my whole life.” (okay, so I probably shouldn’t quote this as I don’t know that’s exactly what was said, but you get my drift).  My point is…this is the Law of Attraction (LOA)!

Anyone that has ever taken a yoga class from me knows how much I’m into LOA.  For those of you that are wondering what this is, here’s a short definition… like attracts like!  Everything that you experience, you bring about by your thoughts.  If you’re a positive thinker, then positive stuff always happens to you.  If you’re more negative, then you have more negative experiences.  It’s that simple…or is it??

The LOA is working constantly, whether you know it or not.  And it works because our thoughts are energy ( just like everything else in this universe).  The energy we emit (through our thoughts, actions, or words) is on a frequency, much like that of a radio signal.  So when we emit a high frequency (positive thoughts & actions are on a higher frequency) , we are attracting back to us high frequency energy (experiences,  stuff, or whatever you want to call it).  Side note…parenthesis are my new favorite thing!!

How AWESOME is this?  Do you understand what this means???  It means that you can have whatever you set your mind to.  Now I’m sure you’ve heard that before, but just kinda brushed it off.  I know I did to some degree, but now I get it.  And, now that I’m aware of the LOA, I see how it’s working all the time.  I got the car I wanted, I’m living in the house I want, this blog came about by the LOA…the list goes on because everything that I have and experience is because it started with a thought.  I do this, you do it, Einstein did it!  So the question now is can we deliberately create what we want?   Absolutely!

In my coming posts I’ll let you know exactly what I did to get the car I’m driving.  It’s a great story that gives me goosebumps everytime I think about it.

Until then, HAPPY thoughts!

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