How do you know when to say yes...or no?

Well, it’s official – I’ve entered into more than one retail store over the past few days to find it transformed into a Christmas wonderland, complete with music, new staff uniforms, and a spirit of joy that doesn’t seem to come at any other time of the year.

But wait a minute…

Didn’t we JUST have Halloween?

I suppose it’s inevitable that the stores are always going to seem to start Christmas earlier every year – particularly this year when they’re so eager to get a jump over the somewhat dismal performance of recent economic downturn.

As much as I enjoy the early holiday spirit, I notice that it always seems to call for an increase of targeted advertising – particularly relating to children. One of the areas I’ve seen this most is among the mobile phone companies, who seem to be targeting younger and younger audiences all the time.

While these ad campaigns used to have a clear target of mostly teens and twenty-something’s, they’ve now shifted over to the ‘tween’ sector. The actors in the ads are younger – there’s even one ad that has a tween asking her dad if he signed her up for a calling plan yet. In another, the entire family is in the car with both kids in the backseat – the younger one is texting while the teen is arguing with her mom about expired minutes!

Last year, my daughter began to ask for her own mobile phone.  Her asking became begging, and her begging became desperate acts of pleading and yearning. But throughout all this desperate pleading, she could not actually tell me why she wanted a mobile phone – other than repeating, “Everyone has one – and they are cool!”

The truth was, there wasn’t really a need for her to have a cell phone. She is on a closed campus during the day for school, and has access to the office telephone should she need to contact me. When not at school, she’s with me. Despite her arguments of, “Other people in my class have one mom – it’s just not fair!” she did not get a mobile telephone. I did not feel in alignment with giving her a mobile phone, so she did not get one.

Even more importantly than my alignment with her having one, it was very clear to me that she was really not in alignment with having one. She could not give me any real reason that she wanted one, other than everyone else has one, and they are cool

It can be such a difficult struggle when your child asks you for things like this. It can feel like you’re asking your child to earn his or her wellbeing. It can feel like ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’.

But it doesn’t have to feel like any of that. Read more

How Are You Viewing Your World?

Guest Post By: Ruth Hegarty

As I meander through my days I talk to a lot of people, and I often hear how hard things/life/etc. are, especially around this time of year as the holiday bustle approaches. It seems as if life can sometimes feel like one big chore and that the holidays, which are supposed to be restful and joyful, are just a whirl of hassle and disappointed expectations.

Now, I love taking it easy and I love the holidays, and I have spent many years working with the issue of why some people find it so challenging to take it easy. So, as my gift to you today, I’m not only going to ask the question: “Why is taking it easy so hard?” I’m also going to give you the answer (just to prove how easy I love to make things!).

First, let’s make it clear that the reason so many people find it hard to take it easy isn’t what you think it is. It has nothing to do with not having enough time, having too many responsibilities, other people’s demands, or any of the other excuses that are so popular.

The real reason why you find it hard to take it easy is because (drum roll, please) you THINK it MUST be HARD. Seriously, that is the ONLY reason life feels hard. When you choose to believe that life has to be hard because that’s just the way it is, then you are deliberately (even if maybe unconsciously) creating the experience of difficulty in your life.

In order to take it easy in your life, you simply need to come from a place where you believe it’s possible. Now, I know it isn’t always comfortable to change, which is the main reason we get caught up in staying in situations that don’t feel good. However, I promise you that deliberately creating a life that you love is more than worth the initial discomfort.

There is always – ALWAYS – a way to do something that feels good and doesn’t feel like work.

The key to remember is that even actual work doesn’t have to feel like work. That is what ease and effortlessness are all about. It’s a mindset that orients you toward looking for a better way to get things done.

This mindset come through anything from hiring someone else to do things for you, finding the simplest and most comfortable strategy for getting things done, or deciding that it doesn’t even need to happen (this one is great for anything you think you “should” do.) You can delegate tasks to staff, family, etc. You can also delegate tasks to technology. This is one of the ways I get so much done myself – I take a little time to automate my systems, and then they pretty much run themselves.

Ease can mean different things to different people. It doesn’t mean lazy, though it can include lying around. Ease can include lots of activity so long as it feels great to you and feels effortless. All of the behaviors of ease follow naturally after you create the mindset. Read more

Molly Kite Has Faith

As a spiritual parenting coach, it’s always exciting to me to join with others who are so on board with the idea that kids can be brought up in full understanding of universal principles like the Laws of Attraction, freeing them in so many ways to grow up in the knowing of the birthright that each and every one of us were born with.

That’s why I am thrilled to share this with you today – my colleague, Tam Veilleaux, has written a children’s book I know you’ll love! She’s experienced the same vision that Law of Attraction for kids is really needed in this world, and the first Molly Kite & Co. book (written with that very intention in mind) is now available to you.

You can visit here today to pre-order your copy of the online interactive book, the paperback, or both!

Molly Kite Has Faith, written by Tam Veilleaux and illustrated by Russ Cox, is a fun and interactive story that will help bring your kids right into understanding of how to recognize unspoken energies at a young age – something that will assist them in getting into the flow of life always.

As the story goes, when Molly Kite dreams of being a potter but doesn’t know the first thing about forming clay, she decides there is only one thing she can do. Learn how seven year old Molly Kite and her constant companion, Faith, use Law of Attraction to achieve Molly’s dream in short time.

Universal Law affects each of us every day, whether we believe it or not. In this very knowing, Molly Kite is a leader for today’s youth. She is someone your children can emulate. Respectful and happy, the freckled face main character is someone you’d be proud to call your own.

Join free-spirited seven year old Molly Kite, brother Banjo, pet raven Johnny Poe, Nana Whacky and other characters as she expands her consciousness through her daily routines. Molly Kite and a cast of fun, insightful characters (including her ever-present doll, Faith) will introduce Universal themes like:

• What goes around comes around
• What you think about expands
• What you resists persists
• The power & importance of being in nature
• And many more!

Watch as your child learns the personal power of directing their thoughts and having faith.

Available October 11 as an interactive book and as a paperback, the Molly Kite & Co. team is now taking pre-orders, which means you can be among the first to own a copy of Molly Kite Has Faith.

The holidays are right around the corner; pick one up as a gift for someone special. Not only will your child benefit, but so do you, the caregiver! Choose from as many as ten different FREE BONUSES offered by friends of Molly Kite. Ebooks, audios and special reports on a variety of topics are yours at no cost when you order Molly Kite Has Faith.

Our future is a bright place when left in the hands of enlightened kids! Go now, get your copy!

Sale Prices: Online book $12.99, Paperback book $12.99, or BOTH for $21.99

Is Your Child Living an Empowered Existence?

It’s October now, and the school year is in full swing. You’re settling back into the homework and the before and after school routines. After a long break and the excitement of school beginning, it can nice to have everything settle down a bit – but with kids it also serves as a reminder of how quickly time does fly.

One of the things I’ve really noticed this year is the vast difference in how children behave from one grade level to the next. It wasn’t so long ago that my daughter was starting kindergarten, and now she is fast approaching the high school years!

This really came to light as she and I were on the way home from school the other day. When I picked her up I noticed that she seemed just a little bit ‘off’ – not her usual vivacious, outgoing, tell me all about her day self.

She was quiet – really quiet – and after about ten minutes of driving, she turned to me and said, “You know what Mom? I just don’t understand how someone can be your friend one minute and then be really mean the very next minute – like leaving you in the dust and ignoring you.” Read more

Often times a parent will find themselves in the quagmire of why things are the way they appear to be, or why “it” isn’t working. “It” isn’t working because the parent is asking why “it” isn’t working.  What ever “it” is. 

One thing that I have found is that many times parents-people in general are seeking out alternative ways, energetic ways  of re-parenting themselves in such a way so that they can be empowered adults who lead by example free of the old chains that had them bound so tightly.  Freeing oneself from the quagmire of how we think things are is exhilarating.

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine just the other day about how many people are recognizing that they are now finally ready to accept what many call their “birthright.”  I really like the term “birthright.” It feels as natural to me as breathing in and out.  At any rate, here is what I said during the conversation:

” It all begins with empowering people to be the magnificent beings that they truly are. Reminding people how to shine. It is then that the dramatic shift happens, folks realize that they can create the life they thought only other people had. People are more open now, they are even energetically seeking solutions that are spiritually based using the principals of Universal Laws.”

Yes, I do believe that there is a powerful shift going on.  A shift in the way folks like you are thinking.  It reaches beyond our own individual lives.  When a person re-parents him or herself  it is then they can begin to view their world from a different perspective.

~Peace

Cyndi

Something that I would call divine intervention occurred within the past 24 hours in my life and I wanted to share it with you.

Many of you know that I am a single parent.  My daughters father is involved in her life and they are together every other weekend.   Many weekends they go away to one of his vacation homes.  Such was to be the case this weekend. 

My daughter and I are very energetically connected, she being an Indigo child is fully connected to who she is and I just love that.  One of the things that she does is to call me and say good morning or good night or just let me know what she has discovered.  So it was not unusual for her to call last night and let me know that her dad and her were going to head out to his river house.  Nor was it unusual for her dad to decide to head out on the road at 8:00 PM. 

What was unusual was that I felt compelled, strongly compelled to ask that her Angels surround her for this trip.  So I asked and released the request then I went on about my evening.

There was no surprise when my daughter called me early this morning, I was expecting her call which would let me know that all was well and they were about to go and play on the river. 

Boy did the Universe have another thing instore for my daughter to share with me!  The call started out with her ever so cheerful “hi mom, whatcha’ doing?” to which I responded to that which I believed to be where she was “oh I see you guys are at the river.”

Well not exactly-

You see her dad decided to grab a couple of hours of sleep before heading out.  Both he and my daughter had agreed to leave around 1:00 or 2:00 AM.  That would put them at the river by 6:00 AM, they’d have a full two days to play.

Well, he slept until 5:00 AM giving them a much later start than originally intended.  Nontheless they set out for the river.  About two hours into the drive the left rear wheel came off of the truck.  He was able to maintain control of the vehicle and got it over to the roadside.  Of course the vehicle had to be towed back to his house and the trip was cancelled.

It would have been very easy for any parent to react to my daughters big adventure from a fear based perspective.  Instead of reacting from a fear based perspective I simply listened to my beautiful powerful Indigo child recount the adventure she had just been on. 

I felt complete utter joy and took comfort in the knowing that I had infact trusted my own inner guide when I felt the pull to ask for the Angels to be with her on this trip.  I did not dismiss the pull thinking that there was no need to ask or that I was simply hearing or feeling that pull based on my own fear of the trip that they were going to take.

We all have the ability to tap into our inner guide.  Some call it Source Energy or All That Is.  Whatever you may call it, GOD, Budda, Abraham, it matter not.  It is all the same.  It is the basis of all creation and I for one am so very joyful to be connected to that loving flow of energy.

~Peace

Cyndi

I was just thinking about trusting. Really trusting that all is well…really trusting that I could do what I was feeling called to do and trusting that the Universe would provide joy for my child.

As I write this it struck me that I am doing exactly what I am feeling called to do and my daughter is dancing her little heart out in the next room.  I heard the music being slowly turned up, little by little and when I took a peak into the next room she was really getting into it.  She was totally unaware of my observing her~I had to cover my mouth to keep from giggling aloud.  Her dancing is very dramatic.

We can all learn from our kids~ turn the music up and dance dance dance!

I am writing this post and feeling such an overwhelming sense of peace and joy knowing that my child is connecting with her own joy.

We can all learn from our kids~ turn the music up and dance dance dance!

Yes, we have come far…and what a fun trip it is. 

Peace~

Cyndi

Were you aware that 80% of everything that we learn in life we learn in the first 5 years of our lives? 80% of what we believe is possible, everything we learn to believe about what it is that we deserve we learn in the first 5 years?

Just think about it for a moment…What do you hear yourself saying to your own kids? Are you uplifting and supporting? Or do you catch yourself sounding just like your parents did? Ugh-I know that I have stood in a place and thought, Oh my gosh, I have become my mother!

Here is something that I found really interesting: On average kids are hearing 14 negative comments from well meaning parents and teachers to just ONE positive and uplifting comment. There are 14 of those “get outta there’s, why can’t you understand, don’t touch that, what part of no don’t you understand?” compared to just one “you can do it or I believe in you.”

It is no wonder that so many adults are living lives that frustrate them. Adults who really want to do something different-maybe start a business, maybe rediscover what really makes their heart sing, like painting or writing that book and getting published or even finding the courage to quit that dead end job and follow their dream. But there is a deep seed that was planted so many years ago. All of the negative support that folks heard in their early years has become what binds them to living a life of frustration.

Imagine what you could be doing if you would have been totally supported in the first 5 years of your life and beyond?

What would it be like to be supportative of your own children, no matter their age? The time is now to empower your self and your kids.

Like most parents, mine did the best that they knew how. Afterall, there is no instruction book that will cover any and all situations that parents are faced with. There are no perfect parents. We are after all human. Take each bump in the road as a learning oppertunity. Learn how to step into your full power as a parent, learn how to empower your child to be the best that they can be.

Now, please don’t get me wrong, this is not about blaming anyone for anything. It is about getting real, real about what kind of a parenting experience you want to have. You can choose to carry on with the generation(s) of old school parenting, or you can choose to create a parenting experience that will bring you peace of mind, joy and huge rewards. Break those chains that have you bound. Change your beliefs, change your parenting.

Parenting is supposed to be fun.

Peace~

Cyndi

Many of my friends are asking what they can do to reduce the anxiety they feel when back to school time rolls around. It has become such a topic of conversation that I thought I’d share some tips here.

First what a parent needs to do is determine what their own (the parent’s) beliefs are around their children returning to school.

Here are a couple of questions that a parent can ask themselves:

Does the idea of homework provoke anxiety in me?

With the resumption of school am I finding myself feeling anxious about getting everyone out of the house on time?

Since my son/daughter will be entering high school, am I fearful of the peer pressure my son/daughter will be faced with to participate in drugs or alchol use?

You see, it is the stories that the parent is telling themselves about what their child can expect to experience in the returning to school process that is really the driving force behind the anxiety the children feel.

Children learn from their parents what anxiety is. Kids are not anxious by nature. It is a learned pattern of behavior.

When a parent can begin to control their own anxiety-their own story about what their kids will experience then the whole experience shifts in really big ways.

Once a parent can acknowledge that they are connecting to a really old story; an old belief pattern that they learned from their own parents, they can ask themselves, is this MY story or is it my childs story?

So if a parent can ask the questions and go a bit deeper into the why’s behind their feellings:

Does the idea of homework provoke anxiety in me? Why? What was homework time like in my house as a kid? Did I get the support I needed? Did I feel like nobody wanted to help me do my homework? Was getting straight “A’s” all that mattered in my house? Am I overcompensating and making the homework my homework instead of letting my child do their best?

What can a parent do to ease the anxiety that they are creating for themselves and their children?

They can begin to create their own new beliefs around back to school. They can begin to model more positive behavior for their kids. Doing so becomes like a huge ripple effect. Soon the parent finds that their own anxiety level has decreased which will decrease the anxity level in the household.