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.

Food Revolution

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's new show? I loved it and I am so excited to have him on television bringing awareness to healthy eating. I commend him for his courage and his perseverance. I have to say there were times that I felt exhausted just watching him go against the system.

It is a sad but true fact that change is difficult. We don't like change even if it is for our own good. Sometimes we can't see beyond our own safe little box to see what's on the other side. That seems to be what is happening in this town. The suspicious radio DJ and the obstinate school lunch cook are perfect examples of why it is so hard to push change.

The truly exasperating part is the bureaucracy that is in effect in the name of protecting our children. The school lunch guidelines are a joke as is the amount of money these schools are given to purchase food for our children. Seriously, we as a country need to come to grips with the fact that the less money we spend on food, the more we will be spending on health care, not to mention having to deal with illness and early death.

Industrialized farming, genetically modified crops, fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, government subsidizing are all reasons why we spend less of our income on food. These are the same things that are giving us food that is nutrient deficient and contribute obesity, pollution and antibiotic resistant microbes.

In my school district, lunch costs $1.80. $1.80?!? You can't get a happy meal for that. What makes us think the lunch they provide will be any better than a fast food meal?

In fact, I got my district's monthly lunch menu and it is appalling! Here are some of my favorite lunch choices:

• soft pretzel bites with cheese
• home run hot dog on a bun
• fly ball cheeseburger on a bun
• french toast sticks with sausage
• ballpark beef nachos
• string cheese, yogurt and Pretzel meal

This is not lunch food! It is snack food at best and more honestly it is a bunch of chemicals, preservatives, sugar and fat that is giving children no nutritional value.

And people wonder why I make my kids' lunches!

What's going on in your school district? Are your kids getting food for lunch or are they getting garbage? I have to say, the lunches that I saw on Jamie's show look actually better than the ones they serve in my district. Scary stuff! Tell me what's going on in your neck of the woods.

If you haven't watched the show yet I encourage you to head over to ABC and watch the first two episodes in their entirety. If you've already seen the show and are as thrilled as I am with the content you can go over to Jamie's website and sign his food revolution petition.