Fun Friday

Last week I was reading The Art Lesson by Tomie DePaola with my son Aidan. It's all about little Tommy's passion for art as a young boy and his quest to become an artist. Tommy is always drawing and coloring and sharing his artwork with others. He is excited to go to school and have an opportunity to learn to be a "real" artist.

When we finished the story I told my son that the story could be about his mom. I could really relate to the little boy's story and his great love of art. You see, when I was little, I loved to draw! I used to draw, and draw, and color, and color some more.

When we would go out for dinner in the Greek coffee shops (which was a lot) my favorite thing to do was to flip over the paper place mat and create my masterpiece. My mom told me that I would sometimes finish my drawings and go over to another table and give them away.

The best times of my high school education were my art classes. I took them all and loved every minute of them. Of course there were a couple of kids in my class that were phenomenal artists and I figured I could never be as good as them so I decided to become a teacher instead of an artist. I thought about becoming an art teacher, but everyone knows they aren't in demand so I dropped that too.

Over the years I have dabbled in art here and there with drawing, painting, photography, and collage. I even spent some time as a mosaic artist but I never really felt confident enough to really give it a go.

It's funny how we can let our fears stand in our way of doing the things we love. I think that would be an even better children's story; how to feel the fear and do it anyway.

As part of my Fun Friday quest, I headed off to an art show at the Water Street Studios in Batavia. It is a really great place with all kinds of artists working and showing their art. It was nice to do something out of the ordinary.

I can't say I wasn't a little pulled to start creating some art of my own, maybe take a painting class and just have some fun with color. Maybe I will...next Friday! :o)

What's the one thing you would do if you knew you couldn't fail?

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!
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I am so very thankful for the relationship that I have with my daughter.
Laura

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I am thankful for my mom, the sweetest, kindest, most generous, free spirit on earth!! She rocks!

Kelly
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Thursday is my day to see my grandkids, which brings me a lot of joy.Their funny stories and antics and their enthusiasm about life in general is so refreshing.

Bryce, who is 6, just started T-ball for the summer. I drove him to practice last week and stayed for awhile to watch. The coach had the boys line up along a fence to talk to them. One little guy starting harassing Bryce, grabbing his arm. Bryce kept telling him to stop but the kid was paying no mind. The coach wasn't saying anything either.

I turned to talk to someone behind me for a minute and when I turned back, there was Bryce sitting on top of the antagonist. All you could see of the boy was his little head and arms flailing about. Both boys were laughing. At that point the coach finally seperated them.

I chuckle everytime I think about that scene. Maybe the big leagers could learn something from the littleguys.

Bev
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I am so grateful for a wonderful day of health coaching some of the most amazing women! And I get to do it all over again today! Yay me!!!

Michelle

Life Lessons From American Idol

If you watch American Idol, you're familiar with Lee Dewyze from Chicago. If you don't watch the show, I am including some videos for you.

Lee is a sweet guy with a really great voice. I have always liked him and have been rooting for him from the beginning. The thing about Lee is that he came on the show with a bit of a self esteem and confidence problem. He didn't believe in himself and he didn't realize how good he was. Check out this video to watch one of his earlier songs.





Pretty good, right? You can hear the nice quality of his voice but it's a bit lackluster. He looks scared to death and not really sure of himself. You can see it on his face, you can feel it in his performance.


Each week the judges would tell Lee that he has a great voice and that he just needs to believe in himself, to have some confidence, and to really allow himself to shine. It was as if Lee was hearing the words but not allowing them in. He wasn't owning it.


Then came his performance of Treat Her Like a Lady. It was like a different person was standing there in front of us. You could see the confidence on his face, he had a bit of swagger and he sounded amazing.



I felt it. I knew that something had shifted in him and he was believing in himself. It gave me goosebumps. I turned to my family with a big smile on my face and said, "He did it. He finally believes in himself!" Simon said to him, "This is the night that your life may have changed forever."







What a difference some self confidence can make!




I have been working with an amazing group of women who are currently going through the program at IIN. These women are bright, beautiful, healthy, strong, and so much more. They are going to be fantastic health coaches and the world is lucky to have them.




Some of these ladies remind me of Lee a little bit. They don't necesarily believe in themselves. They are afraid to put themselves out there and they worry that they don't know enough to go out and start seeing clients. Each week I tell them how they know as much as they need to know and that they are going to be fantastic. Sometimes they hear me and sometimes they don't.




Gaining self confidence is a journey and I know they are on their way. My greatest wish for them is to have that moment when it all comes together; to know that they are the amazing women that they are; to see themselves as others see them and to believe in themselves.




What about you? What area of your life could benefit from a self confidence boost? Maybe you're not the greatest singer in the world but I know for a fact that you have something you are good at, something that comes natural to you, or something that other people admire about you. How do I know? Because everyone has something. We are all here with something to share.




How would your life be different if you started believing in yourself? What are you waiting for? Start your journey today!

Cooking Made Easy

Photo by Emily Kovache

I was working with one of my clients last week and we were talking about getting dinner on the table. She is a single, working mom who is stretched thin trying to get everything done and often it is dinner that gets pushed aside.

She is tired of ordering take out or popping a pre-packaged meal in the oven and she really wants to give her son healthy meals but she can't seem to find the time to dig into her cookbooks, find recipes, shop for the long lists of ingredients, and put it all together. I can totally relate!

I gave her some tips on how to make dinner time a little easier and she said she felt like a weight was lifted off of her when we finished up the call. She felt like the pressure to make difficult meals was released and she was excited to start simplifying dinner time.

So what did I tell her? Here are some of the tips I shared with her:

1. Explore the Spice Aisle- There are some great spice mixtures available today that really make cooking so easy. Try out some new flavors, sprinkle them on your meats, veggies, and grains and viola, dinner is done. I just got my Penzey Spice catalog and they have some new summertime mixes that look really good. One of my favorites is Herbs de Provence. I sprinkle that on a piece of white fish with some lemon slices, throw it in the oven to bake and it is delicious!

2. Dust off your Crock-Pot- If you haven't tried slow cooking, you've got to give it a try. It is so easy and can be so good. I love making my pasta sauce in my crock pot and these days I've been just throwing in whatever I have and it's actually good. My current favorite is chicken breast with chopped up veggies like onion, peppers, and mushrooms. I throw in a couple of can of Muir salt free, fire roasted tomatoes and a can of tomatoe sauce and it is so good. I serve it with a veggie and some brown rice.

3. Cook Once, Eat Twice (or Three times)- When I make a pot of rice for a side dish, I make a BIG pot and I use the leftovers for another meal later in the week. You can make a rice salad for lunch, fried rice with loads of veggies, or even a nice breakfast rice porridge with fruit, cinnamon, and milk. I also make extra chicken breast or fish fillets so I can heat them up for lunch or chop them up in a salad. In fact, every meal I make has leftovers!

4. Remember K.I.S.S- Who says dinner has to be some elaborate meal? It is so easy to grill up a chicken breast and make a salad. It's delicious and healthy. You can throw some fish in a baking pan and while it cooks prepare a salad or a side of veggies.

5. Package Your Dinner- I like to make fish packets. I throw some veggies in parchment paper, put a nice piece of fish on top, sprinkle with spices and lemon, fold it up and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I let the kids pick what they want on theirs and they get to fold it up. They love opening it up and eating their own package. The best part is it's a one dish meal and there is no clean up. Just throw the paper away!

Inspirational Music on Monday

In an effort to share inspirational music with you, I would am posting a video I created a couple of years ago. It is a beautiful song called Second Chance by Miten Premal. I hope you enjoy it.

Fun Friday

When I was a kid no one had to tell me how to have fun. I woke up in the morning and hit the door. I ran around all day with my friends catching frogs, going fishing, riding our bikes, dancing, swimming and hanging out. Fun was easy.

So often as adults we lose our sense of fun. We are so busy with our schedules, our to-do lists, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, and on and on. We forget how to just let lose and have fun.

Recently I found myself with a free Friday with nothing to do. I started thinking about the things I normally like to do...head to the bookstore, no, I didn't feel like doing that...explore the craft store, nah, didn't sound good...go for a walk in nature, who was I kidding? It was freezing out! What the heck? I couldn't even think of anything fun to do. I ended up sitting around my house watching TV. BORING!!!

I decided it was time to spend some time creating my nourishment menu. A nourishment menu is a list of anything and everything that feeds your soul. It can be relaxing, fun, rejuvenating, social or solitary. Whatever gets you excited.

Once I got started it was pretty easy. I came up with some things I am actually excited about and I am looking forward to some more of these Fun Fridays.

I decided to start with something I love to do but always seem to forget about...photo hunts. It is such a great adventure to walk around and look at my surroundings with different eyes. Things come to life. I start thinking about getting low and shooting up or zooming in and filling the frame. I especially love to do this in nature.

Today I headed off to one of my favorite garden stores in the area called The Growing Place. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and I just spent some time wandering around and looking for beauty. What a joy! Everywhere I looked I saw something lovely.

I created the above collage with some of the pictures I took. The whole thing was so fun and I feel very happy and content. Fun just got easy again!

What kinds of things are on your nourishment menu? If you don't have your own list, now is a good time to get one started. Get started now and don't forget to tell me all about it!

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!
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I am thankful for my new haircut. I got a mohawk and I got my baseball number carved on the back. Now when I go to school everyone is calling me number 7. I like it.

Liam age 9
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I am thankful for my gecko Rocco. He is cool looking. I like to take him out of his cage and let him crawl on me.

Aidan, age 7

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Last weekend I was lucky enough to take a trip to Florida with my hubby. We got last minute tickets on Spirit Airlines for $37 each way. We called my mom and she agreed to watch the kids and then I called my dad and he said we could stay at his place in Florida. Everything fell into place effortlessly.

We had a relaxing trip. We hit the beach and the pool when it was sunny and we stayed in and talked and read when it was raining. We saw a couple of movies, ate some amazing meals and just connected. It was fabulous!

Michelle

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!
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I am thankful for Facebook...for me, it's given my authentic identity a re-birth :)

Kim Kogut Bronk

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I am thankful that I was able to spend the whole day with my dad yesterday during his experimental drug infusion for Alzheimer's. We watched Second-Hand Lions while we were waiting, and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

Melissa Kaiser

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I woke up this morning to the sounds of birds chirping. I looked out my window at the fresh, green earth, trees in blossom, and a parade of hyacinths, daffodils and tulips; it felt great to be alive. After saying good morning to Mom and my little bird, Pookie , I made a cup of coffee and went outside. What greeted me was a wheel barrow full of dirt clods, mud encrusted work gloves and shoes, shovels, rakes, edgers and other assorted yard tools, myriad plants in pots waiting to be planted, and a trail of dirt that led across the driveway and all the way up the front sidewalk. Where do I start?

The fact that I'd spent the past few days planting, edging and moving a whole lot of dirt didn't change the fact that there was still a lot left to do. My back was aching and my legs were sore but still . . I felt happy. I realized just how lucky I am to be able to be outside working in the garden on such a beautiful day. I felt grateful to be able to fulfill Mom's passion for the garden — she is 88 and can't get down on her knees anymore, but she can enjoy the garden through my efforts. All the more reason to be grateful that I still have the physical capacity and energy to get the job done.

It is 6:00 PM and the garden is shaping up. I am tired but jubilant, and Mom is excited to see things popping out of the ground. Tomorrow is another day, but already there is much joy in it. These are the grateful moments I wanted to share with you.

Pam Pulice

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I am thankful that spring is here. I am so lucky to be able to drive down this street that is lined with these gorgeous trees. I love waking up to the sound of the birds singing, and the sun, oh the sun! It is so great to have it back, shining down and warming me. I can't tell you how thrilled it makes me to see a blue sky instead of the dreary grey one that I have grown so accustomed to over the winter. It's glorious. There is something about the air in spring. It is full of inspiration and excitement. It makes me want to do a happy, spring dance!

Michelle Geoffroy
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This is the Time Of My Life

Today I am sharing a little inspiration with you. I know this song is a couple of years old but the words are so inspirational. So crank it up and sing along for a little boost to your day!





I've been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn't see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I'm coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin' my world start to turn

And I'll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

Holding onto things and vanished
Them to the air
Left me in pieces
But now I'm rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart

And I'll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

And I'm out on the edge of forever
Ready to run
I'm keeping my feet on the ground
My arms open wide
My face to the sun

And I'll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
This is the time
This is the time of my life.
This is the time of my life.
Life
Time of my life
Time of my life

Thankful Thursday

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!

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This week I am most thankful that no one on my street was hurt when a young, 19 year old boy crashed into a tree while he was driving drunk.

Normally there are kids all over the neighborhood outside playing. Within a 10 house radius there are over 25 kids and they are always out playing ball, riding bikes and all that fun stuff.

On Tuesday, the only one out there was my 7 year old. He was playing basketball in the driveway. He came running in and told me what had happened. I went outside right away and it was immediately apparent that the boy was altered in some way. A neighbor called the police and the boy was arrested. The above picture was taken over an hour after the accident happened.

I couldn't help but be grateful that my son's basketball didn't roll out into the street while the boy barreled down the block. It was quite apparent he was going very fast by the looks of the car. It was totalled.

As I stood by watching what happened one of the neighborhood teenagers said, "Thank God no one got hurt. This would have been a whole nother situation." Truer words were never spoken. It really makes you think about what is important and how things can change in a blink of an eye.

That night as I tucked the boys in bed we sat and talked for a little longer than normal. I just didn't want to let it end, so grateful for having them.

In the Company of Consciousness

I am really excited to share a new teleseminar event that begins on Monday, April 12th.

Invitations are going out to over 2 million people in over 130 countries to come together and take part in this transformational global awakening of consciousness. There is great power in an event of this size with an intent of this magnitude.

It will:

* inspire and guide you towards self-discovery, uncovering any story of suffering and revealing who you really are.

* encourage you to live in consciousness and authenticity, speaking and acting with courage, passion and truth…living your full potential.

* help you recognize your choices in life and make the ones that serve you best.

This totally FR*EE teleseminar series begins Monday, April 12 and continues for 11 weeks.

It will give you personal access to 20 of the world's leading experts in consciousness and awakening. These best-selling authors and powerful speakers, all leaders and pioneers in their field, have made a choice to help make a shift in consciousness in this world.

Sign up to be part of this here.

Speakers will unleash powerful principles and practices to use in your everyday life. A few of them are:

Mariel Hemingway is at the forefront of the Body Mind Spirit (BMS) Movement, she is a lifestyle expert and a wealth of information on creating a balanced and healthy life.

Colin Tipping, Best selling author and Creator of the ground breaking Radical Forgiveness.

Peter Russell, physicist and leading thinker consciousness andcontemporary spirituality.

Marci Shimoff, a celebrated transformational leader and one of the nation's leading experts on happiness, success, and the law of attraction.

Kevin Billett, CEO and co- founder of The Journey with Brandon Bays, author and acclaimed seminar leader for awakening, empowerment and leadership.

Dr. Sue Morter, is a leading authority and Master of the Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.), a neuro-emotional process that addresses the mind, body, and spirit and their integrated influence on health.

Jennifer McLean, is a healer, speaker, author and entrepreneur trained in several modalities of healing including H'oponopono and her own creation, Body Dialoging.

Maureen Moss, globally acclaimed author, national speaker and the Owner and Executive Producer of The World Puja Network.

Guy Finley, best-selling author of The Secret of Letting Go, The Secret of Fearless Living and more than 36 other books and audios that have sold over a million copies in 16 languages worldwide. His ideas cut straight to the heart of our most pressing personal and social issues.

Victoria Lichtman, founder of the globally acclaimed Nightly Healing call and your host for this event, will share the tools that allow her, and you, to go past life’s fears into the miracles waiting.

And many more experts in consciousness.

This series offers some powerful and practical techniques, meditations and healing exercises to help you discover the ultimate truth of who you really are. Each speaker has made astounding discoveries that have contributed to their leading edge thinking.

During ‘In the Company of Consciousness’, you will hear how these conscious leaders overcame their own personal challenges and still found their dreams and achieved their goals. They will share the very practices they apply to their own lives to evolve, grow and find personal freedom and joy.

AND, now you can apply the same principles these teachers will reveal to your own life to achieve more than you could ever dream...

Come join this gathering. Reserve your online pass now.

Believe it or not, this is actually a totally F*R*E*E event! The calls will take place live every Monday and Thursday at 3pm EST.

* If you can’t make the live calls, don’t worry! They will all be recorded and available for an additional 48 hours for you.* you can listen by phone, but also via the internet...so NO long-distance telephone calls required!

* Each call begins with a connection and shared intention to create instant shifts in awareness.

* The interview style is warm, relaxed and unscripted. It's a dynamic conversation that elicits depth & flow.

To take advantage of this invitation to tap into the minds of these phenomenal masters, simply register here today.

Inspire Your Kids Creativity With Food

It's funny how life takes over sometimes. We are so busy running here and running there that we are often going through the motions, getting things done. That's how it is around here with getting food on the table.


I must confess, I am not in love with cooking. I grew up in a restaurant family. We ate out every day. There wasn't a lot of cooking going on in our house. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that we ate dinner at home on Christmas and Thanksgiving, maybe Easter. That's it.


Now that I have 5 kids, that is simply not an option so I cook dinner most nights and I make lunches most days so my kids can have healthier foods. I tend to go for what is quick and easy and I do most of it myself because it is just easier that way.


I do let the kids get their own snacks. We always have fruit and veggies available and some healthy chips etc. Most of the time they grab an apple but sometimes they will get creative and make a smoothie.

The other day they really impressed me with their creativity when they came up with this snack idea. They cut up their apples and bananas. Spread some peanut butter on the apple slices, topped them with the banana and sprinkled some ground flax seed and cinnamon on top.

They loved eating the snack and it was amazing to see the pride in having come up with it all on their own. I think they enjoyed it even more.


This incident has got me thinking about taking time out of the day and giving them the materials to create their own meals. They can take ownership of what they are eating and it will help them to think outside the box.


I am thinking about giving them a challenge with different ingredients and giving them a time limit to create their own special dish. What fun that would be. I will keep you posted.