A New Beginning lurks around the corner. Unwrap it with a joyful spirit!

Farewell to 2011- to all your happy memories, the tough moments, and the love. This year past was a gift. One I will be eternally grateful for.

I look forward to the New Year- the fresh start, adventures to come, and time with those I love! This year make time for YOU to increase your well-being.  Exercise, create healthy meals, meditate or take quiet time, and spend time with friends, because our time here does not last forever. Connect with people. They need you as you need them.

Ring in the New Year with harmony, peace & love!
You are a child of the universe *~*
You are AMAZING!

Happy New Year ♥ With much Love!

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”  ~James Dean

Last night, as I laid my head down for bed a thought came over me – often I take my kids for granted. That keeps me from fully appreciating the miracle that they are.

It was a long and exhausting bedtime routine, as they sometimes are. I was looking forward too much to them being asleep instead of enjoying the moment fully with them.

When I watch my son read, slowly attempting to sound out each word, and when I hear my daughter’s imagination at work as she adds a mixture of her own words to the ones she recalls from a book, I am in awe of how adorable they are. Children are precious angels here to be with us. Here to teach us. I never want to lose sight of that!

In my mind, I thought about the possibility of hanging a sign around them that says- I never want to take you for granted! That way each time I look at them I will be completely conscious of what a miracle, a true gift they are, even when I’m tired, even when I’m exhausted, even when I don’t feel like saying one more time “Remember to flush the potty!” The fact is, my children are a miracle all of the time, and they deserve the best of me 100% of the time. At the very least the feeling of warm love and kindness emanating from my soul to theirs.

I truly believe our lives are meant to be enjoyed. That God wants the best for us if we just allow that to happen instead of fighting life or trying to force it.

Children see life as a playground and so should we. We can only see clearly when we stop taking things for granted, especially people and nature.

 
Let’s be aware today and not take the gifts for granted.



With Love ♥

What if our intuition, our higher knowing self is available to us all the time, we just have to practice connecting with it?

During a daily meditation I decided to do an experiment- an attempt to connect with my intuition. Grabbing a book out of a drawer full of books kept near my meditation space, I held the book up to my forehead, and envisioned a violet/purple light emanating from the area known as the third eye. With my eyes still closed I opened to a page at random. Keeping my eyes shut I prayed and meditated asking for guidance on what the passage was about. I envisioned the energy from the page entering my mind.

Two words came into my head- brightness and darkness. For a brief second I wondered what the chances were that those words would have anything to do with the passage on the page I opened to. Continuing on for another two minutes or so, I stayed silent keeping my energy open and clear to see if any other words would make their way into my head. Nothing more came to me.

I opened my eyes. On the page I opened to was the title- Out of the Dark, Into the Light. I was both semi-shocked and in awe. I hope these synchronicities find their way to me more often.

In my heart I truly believe my intuition is always there to be my guide, especially when I create space and stillness in my day to let it in.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”    ~Steve Jobs

“Spiritual guidance is available to you all the time, wherever you are. Call forth from your knowing self, your highest connection to source energy and love. This is always with you.” ~Erica Glessing, Happiness Quotations



Have you ever experienced a blessing from following your intuition? Please share!

Life is a funhouse. Mirrors are everywhere. What is it that you see?

Reflections of ourselves are every direction we look. Give yourself the great gift of honesty. There are times when I realize despite continual efforts I am judging. More often than not, those judgements are a clear reflection of me. Therefore, it is up to me to do the changing. When you see something you don’t like, change it.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”  ~Mahatma Gandhi

When something is bugging you about another take the judgement off of them, and send the person love from your heart- imagining your love touching and warming them. Now take a look at how you can change to do better in your own life.

Once you become keenly aware of the mirror effect, you realize what it is in your life that requires a change in perspective. When I find myself slipping into judgment I notice what it is I’m doing that I don’t like. Sometimes a self pep-talk such as “Cut it out!” really helps turn things around.

If what you see is becoming more beautiful with a better sense of ease, you’ll know you are on your way to treating yourself with the love and kindness you deserve. The more you treat yourself with love and kindness, the more you treat others with the same love and kindness, including children and loved ones.

Stop and look in the mirrors around you. Is the reflection of love and light?

Life is a funhouse. Scary or funny, dark or beautiful- you can change it into whatever you wish! *~*

We’ve decked the halls...

Baked a few special treats...

Brownies – mmmm!

Recipe Link- Very Tasty Vegan Brownies

Cake – also mmmm!

Recipe Link- Pumpkin-Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream by Oh She Glows 

Substitutions:

• Replaced Chai Egg with a Flax Egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water)
  
• Substituted toasted walnuts for ½ cup semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips (non-dairy). 
  

Simply Divine!

Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan) – triple mmmm!

Recipe Link – Skinny-Mini Globuns by Oh She Glows (in case you couldn’t already tell, I do LOVE her recipes! Every recipe I have tried has come out great.)

We pre-made some of these bad boys for Christmas morning! Super excited - these skinny minis will replace the traditional Pillsbury (non-vegan) version we are used to popping open every year.

And this one required NO BAKING!

Who could forget the wonderful Holiday drawings?

For the bargain price of $1!

And time spent with cherished friends

We’ve still got wrapping to do, but we are soaking up every glorious moment with joy in our hearts and sugar in our tummies :).

No matter what happens, stay in your happiness. Do not give that away! Aim to avoid complaining to keep your pure joy, and truly cherish this special day. It is your gift to unwrap.

May the joy and warmth of the holiday spirit fill you from the inside out. Let your spirit sparkle and shine this Christmas.

May your day be merry & bright, illuminated by your divine self.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

Most of all, Much Love ♥

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. “ ~Norman Vincent Peale

The world needs your happiness and love now more than ever. Give from your heart. Be honest and true in your actions, even if it is not popular. If you are coming from a place of love with pure intentions you cannot go wrong.

Be you and don’t feel scared to do that. Speak how you really feel. You don’t need to simply agree and follow the crowd. If you don’t agree, if you don’t like something, say so, but say it with love.

Shine your light bright. Don’t be afraid, and dim who you really are. You are amazing just the way you are. Brilliant and beautiful you!

Pass on your love. It is the greatest thing you can do.

In giving love you will be an incredible source of joy and happiness!

Life can wear on you. Stress builds, and you find yourself exhausted. You’re caring so much for others, but what about yourself?

When sleep deprived, I get cranky and sometimes feel down. I don’t handle situations, especially with the kids, the way I would like. When a lack of sleep builds for too long I start to feel stuck in a rut.

As parents we put so much effort into bed time routines with our children to ease them into sleep, but adults can benefit too! Bedtime routines are not just for kids. Try a quiet evening bath, or a caffeine-free herbal tea such as Nighty Night. Turn the lights down low and relax. Lull yourself to sleep with a routine that brings you comfort.

Sweet dreams & Happy Sleeping!

Your body + soul will feel revived.

Today, I’m excited to share an interview with Dr. Laura Berman! Dr. Berman is a world renowned sex and relationship expert, as well as a NY Times best-selling author of many book on sexual health. She has more than 20 years experience helping couples boost their intimacy. Dr. Berman can also be found on her television show In The Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) helping people live their best love lives! Moreover, she is a wife and mother of 3 boys.

Dr. Berman exuded warmth across the phone. It was such a pleasure to talk with her! In one call I learned a lot from Dr. Berman, as I hope you will too from reading her enlightening responses.

1.     Question:  One of my favorite quotes of yours is “Focus on the present, and enhance your time and life now rather than always working toward tomorrow.”
With balancing a successful career and family, what do you do for yourself to help keep from getting stressed and stay in the present moment?

In order to keep stress from building and to stay in the present moment, Dr. Berman meditates 2 times per day. She also exercises 6 times per week with some Yoga mixed in. Meditation and yoga are the rare times during her day when she is not multi-tasking, so they help her to focus on the moment.

The other big tip Dr. Berman has for keeping stress at bay is to schedule at least 30 minutes with a girlfriend every week. Even if you are running an errand together or doing an exercise class, that woman to woman connection when you are not in Mommy mode or responsibility mode helps replenish you, which is very important to your overall health!


2.     Question:  Oprah believes the universe whispers subtle clues to us about the direction we are meant to go. What were the whispers that lead you to becoming a sex educator and relationship therapist?

Dr. Berman’s family growing up was open, creating little shame around the subject of sex. Sex in her family was viewed as a natural, normal, beautiful part of life. Once she became aware that other people were not as open to talking about sex as she was, she wanted to help them overcome that.

Dr. Berman recalled one of her early childhood friends from Kindergarten or 1st grade that she connected with on Facebook telling her that she changed her life! At a play date during naptime Dr. Berman’s friend told her she was having trouble falling asleep. Dr. Berman told her friend to touch a certain part of her body to help her relax. Dr. Berman was a natural sex educator from an early age!

Through her education Dr. Berman found that many therapists had a hard time talking about sex, and avoided the topic with their clients. She felt compelled to help people relax and talk openly about it.



3.     Question:  Sex is a topic many of us feel uncomfortable talking about. How can couples begin to overcome that and learn to talk more openly about their sexual needs with their partner?

Practice! Practice is her biggest advice for overcoming the unease.

First, individuals need to do their own work on their journey to understanding that sex is not shameful, bad, or dirty, and talking about it should not be either. In sessions, she’ll ask her clients to write down all the messages they received as children about sex. All the shoulds in one column, and in the other column write down where the message came from. Is it when Mom pushed their hand away, or something their Aunt said? Where did these messages come from? In doing so you can begin to become conscious, and understand where the message came from and if it is really your own voice affecting you, or someone else’s. Being conscious of the messages we received as children is an important first step- it enables us to take ownership at the effect of things.

Dr. Berman remarked how important it is that we take a pro-active role in our sex lives!



4.     Question:  Does birth control impact your sex drive?

Part of enjoying sex is being relaxed and not worrying about getting pregnant (if it is something you are trying to avoid!). Knowing you are protected can help you to relax and enjoy sex. ParaGard® - an intrauterine contraceptive (IUC) has a 99% effective rate (the interview was produced in association with ParaGard®). It does not contain hormones and has the benefit of not having to take a pill every day, and because it's hormone-free, ParaGard® will not stop your body's natural menstrual cycle. If you are ready to start trying to have a child, once the IUC is removed you can start trying to get pregnant right away.

An interesting synchronicity for myself about this interview it that in the last 2 months or so I have been personally thinking of switching from a birth control pill to a non-hormone IUC such as this one, because I often feel nauseous taking my birth control pill, and I don’t like the effect the hormones have on my body. I’m going to think it over more to find some clarity within about what direction I want to go, but part of me couldn’t help but wonder if it is a sign? One of my close friends uses an IUC and speaks positively of it. Plus, there have been one or two times my kids were jumping on my head early in the morning for breakfast and I forgot about taking the pill until much later in the day.

Dr. Berman stressed it is important for women to take ownership of their reproductive health!



5.     Question:  For all the busy parents out there, what tips do you have for overcoming a lack of energy in order to keep sex a priority?

Replenishing your energy stores is key! For example, doing the things she mentioned previously, such as meditation, exercise, yoga, and time with girlfriends. She also mentioned that sex rarely happens spontaneously and that having a sex date at least once a week can be a really fun way to keep sex a priority. It simply requires a mind shift that sex does not have to be spontaneous to be good. Dr. Berman stated that scheduled sex is better than no sex! When you know your sex date is coming couples often get playful and flirtatious with each other (maybe even shave their legs!).  A sex date can be a really fun way to make intimacy a priority.

Dr. Berman talked about the importance of carving out time to talk with your spouse or partner about things other than your children, such as your life dreams and passions. Making time in your day to connect is invaluable!

Thank you, Dr. Laura Berman!
www.drlauraberman.com