One for One

How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably have a pair to go with your favorite jeans or dress, along with a range of comfy shoes, sexy shoes, working shoes, walking shoes…you name it.  I’d bet you have several pairs that you can choose from to fit your mood.

What about your kids? Do they have shoes for every occasion?

Soccer cleats, football cleats, dance shoes, tennis shoes, sandals, winter boots, slippers…the list goes on and on – but all of them are essential!

What if you could not provide shoes for your children?  Would they be able to go to school?

I was recently made aware of an amazing company called Toms Shoes.  You may have heard of them or seen their ads on TV, but the TV ads don’t really do justice to the impact that going without shoes has on kids around the world, and how Blake Mycoskie is out to change the lives of children, one pair of shoes at a time.

Toms Shoes was founded by Blake Mycoskie in 2006.  His idea for Toms Shoes came about when he was in Argentina learning how to play polo, which he himself has been quoted as calling, ”The least noble cause in the world for me to go to Argentina, which goes to show you never know what is going to happen in your life.’

While on that trip, Blake observed the polo players slipping out of their boots into shoes called Alpargatas.  The Alpargata are traditional Argentine shoes that have been worn by the Argentines for hundreds of years.  That shoe was the basis for the Toms Shoe design.

Blake had zero experience in fashion or shoes, to which he says, “I think sometimes when you don’t have experience, you don’t know the rules; you don’t know which ones you are breaking and you end up creating true innovation.”

The name Toms Shoes actually started out as Tomorrows Shoes.  It was shortened because Tomorrows Shoes was too long for the logo tags found on the side of the shoes.

The best part is – Blake was determined to donate a new pair of shoes for every pair purchased.  One for One.  How amazing is that!

For each pair of Toms Shoes that is purchased, a pair is given to a child who does not have shoes. Blake and his team focus on three criteria for gifting the shoes:

1. Does it help a child go to school? In some places, if you don’t have shoes, you can’t go to school.
2. Does it prevent a specific disease? For example, the disease Podoconiosis (Podo) is found in Ethiopia.  Podo is caused by silica that goes through the pores to destroy the lymphatic system. Not only is it incredibly debilitating, it ostracizes people from their community.  Podo is completely preventable with shoes!
3. Does it promote general hygiene? In areas where children walk on unpaved roads, there is a higher risk of scrapes, cuts and abrasions – all of which eventually lead to disease and infection.

Toms Shoes also has a focus on sustainability.  One of their collections is 65% post-consumer plastic bottles and 35% hemp, which is more sustainable than using organic cotton.

So while you are counting your blessings, making entries in your gratitude journals and hunting down that missing shoe in your kids’ room, take a moment and remember to give thanks and appreciation for the shoes you have on your feet.  There are many children who are not wearing any.

If Blake Mycoskie has his way (and I am sure he will – with your help and the help of many others) children all over the world will be able to experience the pleasure of having a new pair of shoes.

And what a great Christmas gift – for yourself or a loved one! My personal fav is the Heller TOMS.  No surprise there – with the Peace sign right on the toe! I just picked up a new pair and I can hardly wait for their arrival.  And even better than my eager anticipation of my new shoes is the smile and joy that I know the new pair of shoes will bring to a child across the globe.

One for One shoes – magnificent indeed.

To learn more about Toms Shoes, be sure to check out their website HERE.

Just one more thought…

Everyone wants to teach their kids about the joys of giving…what better way than to find something like Toms Shoes to put on their list to Santa? What are some of your creative ideas for involving your kids in the holiday spirit of charity and goodwill to their fellow man (or fellow kids!)?

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.

Many times parents struggle with saying, “Yes, here is the money, go buy this or that.” It can be difficult to give openly. Yet many parents know that by virtue of Spirit (God, Buddha, Law of Attraction – whatever feels best for you) all things are possible. After all, if you have the means to give to your child and you don’t think that what he or she is asking for is harmful, why not?

What I have come to realize is that when I continue to give and give, it feels as though I am saying, “I am doing this for you because I do not believe that you are capable of doing it for yourself.” That is a contradiction that I am feeling within myself.

I have also come to realize that I want to be a path of inspiration for my child – I do not want to be the only way in which her wellbeing flows.

• Now, I pay attention to how I am feeling when my daughter asks me for something.
• I ask her why she wants what she wants.
• I remind her to pay attention to her own feelings, because they are her built-in guidance system – her very own GPS.

When she is asking from a place of pure expectation and she can give me reasons why she wants what she wants AND she is asking with the knowing that what she wants will come to her – not necessarily through me – but it will come, then I know she is in alignment with herself and the object of her desire.

But if she gets out of whack – gets wonky or sideways with her energy and in her asking; if she comes from a place of, ‘you won’t give it to me, so what’s the point’, or if she is asking to fill a void or asking because the other kids will think she is cool, that would be off. I can feel the difference in her place of asking.

It is at that point that I need to go to my own guidance system. If I ignore my own guidance system and give her what she wants because she is nagging me to do so, when her asking is off, I am actually doing her a dis-service – a HUGE dis-service!

So what do I do?

I lovingly say to her: “I promised that I would never do anything with regard to you that feels even the slightest bit off.”

I explain to her that it’s important to tune into her own GPS and recognize whether she is asking from a place of feeling good about asking, knowing that what she is asking for will come to her, rather than a place of begging and pleading and being fearful that she will not get what she is asking for – that she doesn’t want to come from a place of being needy, because coming from that place makes it harder to get what she is wanting.

I also let her know that if I can make the whole idea of a mobile phone feel good to me, then we will move forward with the idea – but I don’t move forward with anything if it feels even the slightest bit off. I check in with my own guidance system and I give to her from my desire to give, not from a sense of responsibility or ‘giving in’ just to stop the nagging – and that feels really good to me and her.

And yes – my daughter now has her mobile phone. She got to a point where she could easily list out the whys behind the reason she wanted one – none of which included anything remotely close to ‘because it will make me cool’.

Ahhh, yes – being able to use my own guidance system and teaching my daughter how to tune into her own GPS made this an easy manifestation for both myself and my daughter in the end.

Getting your kids to tune in this way isn’t nearly as difficult as you may think. A lot of it begins with getting yourself to that place first – just like you would put the oxygen mask on yourself first in an airplane – setting yourself up to be ABLE to help the ones around you who need it.

If you want to find out how to tune into your own guidance and start getting your kids to find that GPS system of their own, I invite you to listen in on this audio – The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent – a one-hour tele-training that will teach you how to begin this process of blissful transformation within your own family.

As the holiday season approaches, wouldn’t it be nice to have these systems in place for yourself and your family before chaos even has a chance to ensue?

This could be your best holiday yet…

Sit back, relax, and listen in!

As the holiday season FAST approaches, it seems like there’s just no time left in the day to get everything accomplished. I’ll tell you a secret – while some people like to shake their heads at things like microwave steamer bags for vegetables, crock pot liners (to save on washing!) and coffee pot timers – I’ve gotta tell you, I love ‘em! As a parent, pretty much anything that can save me time is a GOOD thing.

In the spirit of saving you time, I’ve recored two audio versions of what it means to apply spiritual parenting skills and energy management practices to your experience – allowing for the beginning of what I love to call Blissful Transformation among the family life that for so many just seems to boil down to chaos!

If you’re getting tired of the chaos and looking to begin transformation, take this opportunity to listen to one (or both) of these recordings – created especially for busy parents like YOU!

It was an honor to join the Queen of Joy, Velma Gallant, on her Welcome Changes Radio show, where past interviewees include people like bestselling authors Guy Finley, Christine Kloser, and Masha Malka, as well as amazing experts like Kathleen Gage and Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein. :

Velma’s easygoing and welcoming helps make an instant connection between host, guest and audience, where you’ll be sure to feel drawn right into the conversation – just like sitting down with a good friend! It was truly a pleasure to join Velma on her show – when you listen in, you’ll hear a lot of tips I haven’t shared anywhere else!

This next audio is a recording I created especially for my community – a one-hour tele-training called “The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent“. You’ll find a wealth of useful information here – and best of all, the tips and tools you get in this call are fast, easy, and ready for you to apply right away for almost immediate results!

Listen in to the recording by visiting here now: The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent

If you have any comments or questions on what you are hearing, please feel free to get in touch with me  at Cyndi@blissfullytransformchaoticfamily.com. I look forward to connecting with you again soon!

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.

The ease mindset begins with your intention – your unequivocal decision – to live joyfully and meaningfully no matter what your current situation. Joy and meaning breed ease. The bottom line is that ease is about choosing to adopt a particular perspective on life and then following through with only the actions that support that mindset. To help you get started creating this mindset for yourself, I’ll share something that helped me tremendously when I began my own journey. It’s a quotation from the Dalai Lama:

“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience, I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”

Creating an internal landscape that highlights your desire to live happily, prosperously and with ease is the first step toward manifesting an outer life that includes all of the people, places and things that you desire. Doing the inside work first allows you to effortlessly manifest the family, work, and life of your dreams.

This quotation from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is one of my personal inspirations for my inner life:

“How we feel about ourselves, the joy we get from living, ultimately depends directly on how the mind filters and interprets everyday experiences. Whether we are happy depends on inner harmony, not on the controls we are able to exert over the great forces of the universe.”

What this means is that your mindset/attitude is what creates the internal landscape that allows you to manifest ease in your life. You absolutely get to choose what mindset you will adopt on any topic and how you view the world. Is your glass half full or half empty? Since I’m on a quotation kick with this article, here’s one of my favorites on choice by the very wise Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft & Wizardry:

“It’s our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

So, where do you begin to create a mindset of ease and joy in your own life? Start with what makes you happy.

• What makes you smile?
• What brings on a deep belly laugh?
• Who, when you think of them, makes you happy?
• What is your favorite color and do you see it every day?
• What is your favorite food and when was the last time you ate it?
• What about your favorite client makes him/her your favorite client?
• What tasks do you absolutely love to do in your life/business, and how much of your day do you get to spend doing that?

Are you starting to see a pattern here? You begin to create a mindset of ease and joy by thinking consistently about the people, places and things that feel joyful and effortless to you. Once you get to that amazing feeling place of ease and joy in any area of your life, you can begin to deliberately apply it to any and all of the other areas of your life.

Ask yourself what is effortless and joyful about your home, your relationships, your community, your stuff, etc. Spend more time around the joyful and effortless stuff and less (if any) time on everything else.

As you are asking yourself these questions, begin to imagine what your life will look and feel like once you are living with ease. For example, picture yourself in the perfect work situation with a family life full of love and cooperation and lots of free time to relax and play on your own and with loved ones. How will it be when you are experiencing more freedom, fun, financial bounty, energy and recognition in your life?

Imagine all the outrageous possibilities for your life!

Ruth Hegarty helps women entrepreneurs work smart, earn more money and have more time for fun, self and family. It’s what she calls Effortless Success. Ruth has an MS in Education and is a certified educator, as well as a certified Law of Attraction coach and practitioner. She is founder and lead coach of the Effortless Success Business Building Club for Women Entrepreneurs, a nationally known speaker, and co-host of the popular Law of Attraction radio show: The Art of Joyful Living. Ruth is a leader in entrepreneurial women’s empowerment and an avid promoter of self-determination for women. Learn more at http://www.CoachRuth.com

Ruth will be joining me tonight on my complimentary teleclass, The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent. We would love to see you on the call – find out how you can join in by visiting here now!

What's Your Wish?

For the past nine years, I have been a mother, business woman and executive at a Fortune 100 Company. As a Coach and Energy Worker who is at the forefront of spiritual training, it is my passion and my purpose to discover and introduce programs that will enrich and bless your parenting life.

Today, I want to ask you a few questions and then tell you a personal story…

• Have you ever wished parenting could be easier?
• Have you ever thought, “There has got to be a better way!”?
• Have you ever wished LIFE could be easier?
• Have you ever wondered – as I did – why some people always seemed to have that golden touch – always being in the right place at the right time – something it seemed would never happen to you?

Nine years ago, I felt the same way.  My marriage was ending, my father had just been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, I had a newborn, and I was making a career move! Against all odds and conventional wisdom, I doubled my income in less than one year.  In less than 2 years, I was elevated to an executive position at a Fortune 100 company.

People were surprised at what I accomplished; they even congratulated me.

But I didn’t have the energy to congratulate myself. I was just exhausted – and I couldn’t imagine how in the world I would manage another year of the same. It was just not possible. All I wished for was an end to what seemed like constant chaos.

In hindsight, I know I did lots of things the hard way. I worked late nights and weekends – and I felt guilty ALL the time. When I was with my family I felt guilty for not working and – yep, you guessed it – when I was working I felt guilty for not being with my family!

On more than one occasion, I was ready to give up. I knew I couldn’t continue much longer at the same frenzied and chaotic pace. Then, it dawned on me!

I realized I needed to apply the same process to my personal, professional life and business that I had successfully used with my clients to help them overcome personal challenges and explore pioneering solutions for their problems.

And it WORKED!

It worked so quickly, so silently and so smoothly, that I wasn’t sure at first that it was working at all!  But the results spoke for themselves.  It was a powerful domino effect!

In fact, there was no denying the results. I applied a systematic, highly successful method to my life as a parent that I came to know, if shared, would without a doubt transform the lives of millions more parents globally – it was that big.

This whole system – The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent – is about creating what I call an AWAKENING REVOLUTION.  I’m not talking about the violence typically associated with revolutions. I’m talking about a nonviolent, peaceful effective revolution that allows you to reinvent yourself from the inside out.

So many parents have come to me, telling me that they are sick and tired of trying to do it all. No matter what they do, they can’t seem to maintain thriving personal and professional lives – finding the right balance between being the best parent to their kids, actually enjoying their work, and truly living the life of their dreams seems so completely out of reach that most people don’t even consider it as a possibility.

The truth is, having all of that doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. You can bring transformation from the chaos, stress, and trouble you may be experiencing on a daily basis along with so many parents – and a big part of doing that is bringing a powerful, synchronistic, inner and an outer approach to everything you do. That’s the Magnetism of the Awakening Parent!

As the founder of the Blissful Transformation of the Chaotic Family programs, I am here to support you to accomplish your goals with more ease and flow by tapping into The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent.

I have been called to make an individual contribution to your empowerment. I am driven by my passions to continue to make a difference in the world … in your world. I know from firsthand experience what it’s like to want so badly to do the best for your kids, and feel like you’re falling short every time. I want you to experience the peace and true bliss that IS possible in your family life – and I’d like to give you the opportunity to find out how as a special gift to you today.

This Thursday, October 29th, at 6:00 pm., PDT/9:00 pm., EDT, I will be hosting a one-hour FREE call to offer you practical pointers and tangible, easy to implement How To steps in bringing blissful transformation into your life.

I invite you to join me on this special call – to sit back, relax, and soak in the love and support that will be there for you, along with tools you can begin using right away to transform your experience from the inside out. Visit here today to find out more about this call and how you can join in.

What standard are your kids measuring themselves up to?

One of my favorite times of the day is when I get to go and pick my daughter up from school. It is during the drive home that she and I get to catch up on the day’s activities. Our conversations at these times are totally open and honest.

One of the most recent conversations started out with the typical, “Mom, can I ask you something?” To which I always reply, “Of course honey, you can ask me anything.”

I have to admit, what came out of my daughter’s mouth was unexpected. “Mom, what are carbohydrates?”

“Okay,” I thought, “What is prompting this question? Maybe the kids had a discussion about carbohydrates in physical education? That must be it,” I thought to myself. “What is making you ask about carbohydrates, honey?”

Was I shocked to hear what came out of my ten-year-old daughter’s mouth as she continued, “Well, Janie* is only allowed 15 carbohydrates a day, and she says carbohydrates make you fat.”

“Wow!” I thought, “Oh my goodness – these are only 10 and 11 year old girls!” None of which (I can assure you) have any weight issues. So how did I handle the question about carbohydrates? Simple. I explained that carbohydrates are energy, just like all food. It takes energy for your body to function, for your brain to think, and for you to be able to do physical activities.

My daughter seemed to be satisfied with my answer and we continued on to different topics of discussion. The very next day, my daughter announced that Janie has taken up label reading and had begun offering nutritional advice to her classmates. Seems like Janie has become a self appointed dietitian, telling the kids what is good or bad for them to consume. My daughter also announced that she (my daughter) thinks her (my daughter’s) legs are chunky.

What?

I immediately went into one of my processes, shifting my perception and reminding myself that my child is not me. I am a recovered anorexic. My anorexia was the result of a few really awful things I heard as a kid – not things I got from my parents, but things from other kids and their parents. In fact, one adult nick named me ‘blimpo’ – and I heard those things beginning at the age of 12.

So, it was time for me to manage my own energies around my own old stories and old programs. Once I did that, I was better equipped to help my daughter begin to shift her focus on what Janie had said, and start the work on my daughter’s own body image.

From the time that my beautiful child was able to identify herself as separate physically from me, I had begun to tell her that she has a strong and healthy body. I made a point of focusing on what a great job she did when she ran or was jumping rope or whatever activity she was doing.

This recent conversation surrounding carbohydrates and her legs would be no exception. I began to ask my daughter what her favorite sports activities were, to which she answered without hesitation, “Oh volleyball and soccer, Mom, you know that.”

We started talking about the first time she scored the winning point in volleyball and her first goal in soccer. We also talked about how she was such a great server in volleyball (she had used visualization techniques to help her perfect her serve), and how much fun it was when she got the first one over the net.

I then asked her what she thought made her so successful at her favorite sports. Her reply was, “I love to play them! I have so much fun with the girls on the team, I like to practice, and I have a strong healthy body that helps me play”.

Soon, my daughter had shifted her focus from her perception of her legs being chunky to how her strong and healthy body serves her in such a magnificent way.

Personally, I am one of the lucky ones; I have been able to overcome a severe eating disorder, one that I do not wish to pass on to my child. I have never used the word diet in my home. We also limit our television time. There is such focus on being über-thin in the media; it is in print, video, commercials and tween shows. It is really a driving force in advertising. In fact, total tween spending power is said to be more than $221 Billion annually (de Mesa, 2005).

Here are some additional facts that I found to be alarming:

• Adolescents watch an average of 28 hours of television per week.
• American youth spend, on average, 900 hours a year in school, and an average of 1,023 hours a year watching television.
• The average American consumes 11.8 hours per day of media of all kinds.
• Children view more than 20,000 commercials per year.
• 75% of all adolescents spend at least 6 hours a week watching music videos.

In childhood, popular toys such as action figures and dolls have similar body shapes: tall and slender for female figures and tall, slender, and muscular for male figures. The body shapes advertised by these toys, dolls, and media sources are not realistic.

If Barbie were real, her neck would be too long and thin to support the weight of her head, and her upper body proportions would make it difficult for her walk upright. If Ken were real, his huge barrel chest and enormously thick neck would nearly preclude him from wearing a shirt.

If Barbie and Ken Were Real:

If Barbie was a real female       Barbie            Real female

Height (ft, in)                                    7′2″                       5′2″
Chest (in)                                            40                         35
Waist (in)                                            22                         28
Neck Circumference (in)             12                         12.2
Neck Length (in)                             6.2                        3.0

If Ken was a real male                   Ken                 Real male

Height (in)                                          7′8″                          6″
Chest (in)                                            50                           40
Waist (in)                                            43                            33
Neck Circumference (in)             23.4                        15.5
Neck Length (in)                             6.35                         5.5

Source: Statistics from Brownell KD, Napolitano MA. Distorting reality for children: body size proportions of Barbie and Ken dolls. Int J Eat Disord 1995; 18(3):295-298.

So what can you do as a parent to help your children to have a healthy body image?

First, start with yourself and your own body image. Focus on what a magnificent body you have. Your body is what created your children. Acknowledge that as you mature, your body matures with you.

It is as equally important for you to remember that what you see in the media is all an illusion. Print ads have been photo shopped and retouched. What you are viewing is also an illusion, camera angles, lighting, etc. It is all an illusion.

Be supportive of each stage of development that your children are experiencing. With your positive encouragement and focusing on having a strong healthy body, you will be giving your children a foundation of health and acceptance of themselves physically.

Maintain open communication with your children. Listen to the queues they are giving you. Listen to adolescents talk about their health or about any particular health concern; determine if their concerns may be body image related or affecting their behaviors.

Young people may talk about a particular diet they or someone they know are trying, or would like to try; again, seize the opportunity to provide them with nutritionally sound information about myths, misinformation, and dangers related to fad diets. Avoid saying things like, “Don’t eat that – it will make you fat”.

Adolescents may speak in a subtle or a strong way about a disliked part of the body or a concern about eating or food; use their comments as a starting point from which to explore their perception of their body.

In general, be attentive. An adolescent may make a brief comment that could serve as a terrific entrance into a valuable conversation about body image.

Use perceptual shifting to shift the focus off of the negative body image. The conversation I shared with my own daughter is an example of perceptual shifting.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use the Perceptual Shifting tool, along with more simple energy management tools that can make the task of parenting turn from chaos into bliss, join me this Thursday, October 29th, at 9:00PM EST for a complimentary tele-training: The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent. Visit here to find out more!

How do you cope with these kinds of situations?

Do you find yourself striving to have a more patient, gentle approach to your parenting?

When I first began on my journey to applying universal principles to family life, I found this to be one of the major hurdles that I HAD to get over. Yes – there was a lot of stress in my life. Single mother, full time corporate exec, dealing with family health issues – you name it. But I didn’t want all of those things continually coming together to create a short fuse that was ready to blow just when it could affect my daughter the most.

Let’s face it – as a parent, it can often be difficult to keep your cool – but it can be done. There are many ways to relieve stress and improve your overall parenting experience. Here are 8 parenting tips you can act on right now to start finding more bliss within the chaos during your parenting journey.

1. Admit That You Aren’t Perfect. Only a superhuman could juggle every aspect of their adult lives in perfection. It’s just not realistic to feel that you should be the one exception – and incredibly freeing to admit that you don’t have to. When you do find yourself making a “mistake” acknowledge it – not only to yourself, but also to your children.
2. Allow Yourself Some Time Off. Whether it’s an uninterrupted bath or simply allowing time for daily meditation, you are permitted and entitled to some personal time once in a while. In fact, your mental well-being depends on it!
3. Engage the kids in “Family Meetings”. Children as young as 2 or 3 have opinions – and they can and should be taken into consideration. You can engage your children during family meeting time. Make them a part of the decision making process. For example, let the kids decide on a family activity, like choosing the board game or card game on game night. Family meetings foster healthy communication and problem solving between adults and children.
4. Support. Make sure you have a support network. Support networks that offer unbiased suggestions and support are invaluable! Engage a mentor or other parenting expert for unbiased support. You’ll be glad that you did.
5. Stay Rested. Sometimes eight hours of sleep every night isn’t realistic for parents of young children. So you need to be able to catch a cat nap or a few moments of quiet time whenever you can. Even if you sit quietly for just a few moments in your car before you transition from the office to the drive home, you’ll be recharging your batteries. If you can, take a 10 or 15 minute power nap during your lunch time. Sleep whenever you get the chance. Sleep deprivation can tremendously shorten your fuse.
6. Eat Well. Proper nutrition helps keep you focused and it helps your immune system function at optimal levels. Don’t skip meals when you’re running behind or because you get distracted. If your immune system gets run down, you are more susceptible to getting sick. When you get sick, you’ll still be responsible for being a parent. You wouldn’t send your child off to school or to bed without eating, and the same goes for you – you need to eat balanced meals.
7. Exercise. You don’t need to join a gym to reap the benefits of exercise. Putting some music on and dancing with your children is a great way to exercise and engage your children at the same time. Many parents think they don’t have time to join a local gym, and many times parents are in situations where a sitter is not available. The truth is, most gyms offer child care so you can take your child along with you. Get some regular exercise to keep your energy level up. Regular exercise helps alleviate stress in a big way.
8. Learn To Laugh. Laugh at yourself! If you can think of the absurdity of things like they are a grand comedy and laugh at the craziness of it all, you’ll be in a much better mood. Life is supposed to be fun! So what if your toddler is having the melt down of all melt downs! Remember that young children are learning how to express themselves and leave it at that.

Once when I was shopping during the holidays I noticed a young mother and her young son moving pretty quickly through the store. It was obvious that her son had been asking her repeatedly for a toy. The boy was standing in the area of the cart where you place your items. He was a really cute kid. After hearing his mom say over and over again to him that he was going to have to wait for the toy he’d been bugging her to buy him, he raised his arms to the sky and in a very melodramatic voice said, “For the love of humanity, won’t someone help me out here?!”

Well, that just cracked me up! I looked at his mom and at first glance she seemed completely unfazed by his performance. She had a small, almost unnoticeable little grin on her face. Smiling silently to herself, she was laughing on the inside I am sure.

When life comes at you too fast, step away and take a break. Do yourself and your kids a huge favor get to the place of knowing that everything really is going to be okay – that this too shall pass. After all, what’s the worst that can come of spilled milk? It is not the end of the world. It is just a minor hiccup in the day of a parent.

Seeing you as having the parenting experience you dream of.

~Peace

Cyndi Cerny
Founder Blissful Transformation of the Chaotic Family
www.BlissfullyTransformChaoticFamily.com
Cyndi@BlissfullyTransformChaoticFamily.com

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 it Even Possible to Find Bliss in Homework?

Just last week a friend came to me with an interesting question: “How can is it possible to tell if your child is following their bliss? What is it that I will observe my child doing as well as BEing while she is following her bliss?”

Thanks to Steve for asking a great question! Realizing that other parents out there may have the same questions, I decided to blog about it.

Observing my daughter or any child living their bliss is actually a relatively simple thing to do. For example, I know when my daughter is in her bliss or in alignment by:

• The tone of her voice
• The way she is carrying herself – her body language and posture
• An easy and relaxed expression on her face is a key indication of her bliss – she appears to be glowing – just radiating happiness.

Other indicators are when she sings and dances – her creative sense of self is predominant. Lots of artwork, song writing, and improvisational skits are bestowed upon me. When she is doing homework and is in her bliss or alignment, the homework is done lickety split and with accuracy! She trusts and knows that she has the answers to any homework questions or assignment.

When she is in her bliss, people are drawn to her. Teachers ask her to do the coveted duties for the classroom and schoolmates want to be around her. The telephone rings off the hook with invitations to various events.

Most parents can easily identify when their children are in a blissful state. The tricky thing for parents to do is to allow their children to continue to live in their bliss.

Many times, a well-meaning parent can pull a child away from being in a state of bliss or state of alignment. Most times this occurs when a parent is wanting their child or children to “do” something that the parent has placed more importance on than the child’s own scale of importance.

Take homework, as an example.

Homework is part of the school system. Even if you are homeschooling your child, certain curriculum standards have to be met. So how do you as a parent make sure the homework gets finished and allow your child to stay connected to their bliss?

There are several ways to go about this – but the first thing you might want to take a look at is the story you are telling yourself about the homework. Really take a moment and look at the “What will happen if the homework doesn’t get done?” story that you are telling yourself:

• Are you projecting what happened in your own school experience onto your child?
• What were the repercussions you experienced as a child if your homework didn’t get done?
• Are those the same repercussions your child will experience? Are you sure?
• Was your homework experience fun and joyful? Did you enjoy doing your homework?
• Did you have support from family members during homework time, or was it a battle of the wills – yelling matches?

Now that you have surfaced all of that up, you have a pretty good idea of what it is that you do NOT want.

Now it time to shift the focus to what it is that you DO want to experience in connection with your child’s homework. You might want more ease, more fun, to support your child from a positive platform; to encourage rather than discourage.

At this point, begin writing down what it is that YOU want to experience as it pertains to assisting your child with homework. Really amp up what it is that you want to feel.

Focus on the feelings you want to feel – focus on the feelings that you are beginning to feel – and you will experience a shift. Even the slightest shift can bring a sense of relief!

Pay attention to your body as you go through this process. You might feel an easing of your breath or breathing – maybe a loosening of your muscles. However slight it may be, the important thing is to tune into yourself and recognize it.

At this point, because you have made a shift, you can begin to have access to inspired action.

Ask yourself: “What are some steps I can take to have a more joy-filled homework experience with my daughter/son?” You can start by asking “what if” questions (just remember – you are in a positive place now, so the questions will be of a positive nature).

• What if we played school and I was the student?
• What if we made flash cards and every correct answer earned points toward a favorite meal?
• What if we used sheets and blankets to make a tent and did the homework inside it?
• What if…?

The possibilities are truly endless! Choose the “what if” that feels best for you and follow through with it. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much fun homework can be!

Remember, you have already been through school. Your experience does not have to be your child’s experience. When you effectively manage your own energy, you are being a positive up-lifter and positive role model for your child.

The exciting thing is, you can apply this type of energy management and shifting to all areas of parenting – not just homework! If you’d like to find out more about the blissful transformation of the chaotic family, join me on Thursday, October 27th at 9:00PM EST for a complimentary tele-training: The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent. Visit here now to find out more.

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.”

To this I replied, “Hummmm” – wanting her to get in touch with her own feelings (and not wanting to influence her away from her own guidance).

Within seconds, my daughter’s eyes lit up and she said, “Well Mom, you know something? What I think is that the way my friend was acting wasn’t about anyone else. It was really about how they were feeling about themselves; about what was going on inside themselves.”

She went on to say, “And I know that I can choose to look at all of the things that make me happy about being her friend. Plus, tomorrow is a new day, and I believe everything else will turn out just fine!”

WOW – what a rewarding thing to hear from a child!

This is what raising and empowering children in spirit is all about. When I think back on my own childhood, I know I would never have had an awareness of the kind of inner resources and guidance that allowed my daughter today to come to that conclusion.

This is the amazing reward – for both her and me – of taking simple steps in allowing kids to grow up in real awareness of the guidance and power that exists inside of them. It reveals that the chaos on the surface – the popularity contests, the acting out, the low self-esteem that many children experience, does not have to be the reality for everyone.

You can gift your child with this knowing. If you want to learn more, I invite you to join me for a complimentary tele-training I’ve created just for you – a loving parent who is searching for a better way for your kids, and yourself. Join me on Thursday, October 29th at 9:00PM EST for The Magnetism of the Awakening Parent free event. Visit here now to find out more.