I’m Truly a Kid at Heart!

I’m truly a kid at heart!

I saw Santa last week with some good friends and I know I had a really big smile on my face. I was right back at that place of total excitement that Santa was coming to town. As a kid growing up in a very small town in Minnesota (population 500), it was a big occasion with lots of planning and hype about the event. And, of course, sitting on his lap and telling him what I wanted for Christmas was a super big deal.

So, this year I didn’t tell him what I wanted when I sat next to him on his sleigh. Instead, I told him “thank you” for creating so many happy smiling people, both children and adults. He was the ultimate Santa — red and white suit, white beard, twinkling eyes, nose like a cherry, and a big smile in the midst of those rosy cheeks.

I felt like I was a character in ’Twas the Night Before Christmas and I found myself laughing in spite of myself as I watched him being Santa.

He and Mrs. Claus have created the ultimate Christmas Winter Wonderland. The outside is beautiful with all of the lights and decorations and the sleigh that he pops in and out of. But what is different from any other decorated house in any other neighborhood — they open their door to thousands of visitors every year. The entire house is filled with Christmas music and some of the most beautiful displays I’ve ever seen — Santas, villages, snowmen, a holiday train, a carnival, a whole room of angels.

Edmundo, Mary Jo and Kathy start decorating in September to prepare their Christmas House. And they do it because they love to create magic and see the smiles and hear the laughter. Last year they had 44,700 visitors. How do they know? They handed out 44,700 candy canes.

Most of us aren’t going to go to that extent to bring the magic of the season into our homes and neighborhoods, but we can create the energy of  joy by just being in the space of happiness and love.

Ready to see the Rombeiro’s Christmas House and get filled with magic?  Their address is 34 Devonshire Drive, Novato, CA . They’re open every night through January 6^th, including 12/24, 12/25, 12/31 and 1/1/2016. And every single night Santa will turn on all of the lights at 6:00 pm, walk out to his sleigh and greet his visitors. Kathy waits at the front door, welcoming each and every one who walks through the door.  Mary Jo (Mrs. Claus) waits in the kitchen to see the smiles and have short conversations with those who just want to say thank you.

Yep. This Santa and his family are remarkable. They share the joy of the season and you can’t help but accept their gift. I hope you and your family have found ways to experience the magic of the season!

Joy and Magic

And remember — each of your family members can have balance and harmony by spending time every day doing self-help acupressure. You will find it much easier to have everything on the list done, to be rested, and to see smiles on each and every face. Keep it simple. Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow and remember to Jumper Cable as often as you think of it.

Sending you lots of balancing energy!

Creating Holiday Traditions for our Children

Creating Holiday Traditions for our Children

Holidays beckon for traditions. Can you even imagine a December without Christmas trees, without red and green decorations, without Christmas music, without sparkling lights? No matter the holiday, we surround ourselves with the chosen colors, music, and food that help us get into the mood, stay in the mood, and fully experience the events we create or attend.

As adults we follow our to-do list and the plan that allow us to be immersed in the traditions that make the holiday extra special for us and our families. So no wonder that our children expect to have the same, if not better, experience year after year. After all, it’s part of the plan!

It’s actually recognized that when we follow the expected we have less stress showing up. And then, when we are in the midst of full engagement, we are more likely to enjoy the experience.

Kids Need Traditions

Traditions actually have higher purposes, especially for children. No matter what you do as a family, it’s all about creating memories.  Whether you read “The Night Before Christmas,” visit Santa, go caroling, attend a special musical event, attend church, or light the Chanukah menorah you’re helping your children create a firm foundation.

That foundation builds a sense of stability, unity and connection. Each member of the family can count on the traditions happening, expect everyone to be together, and can count on being able to participate. Traditions also build unity, bringing the family together. Everyone feels connected. Have you ever noticed that because of the traditions you’ve created around the holiday experience, your kids expect them to happen? And if you change it up, do you notice that they go into reaction and question why it’s different?  They may even go into “you’re not thinking of me and what I want.” For the most part, what children want is to feel connected to the family, listened to and acknowledged.

Traditions Build Connections to the Past

They can serve as a bridge from the past to the present and from the older generation to the younger. Traditions can be as simple as the scheduled family outing to choose the Christmas tree or making a special ornament for the tree every year. Or it can be making Grandma’s extra special cookies or planning your annual Christmas party. What is important is that the holiday traditions work for your family.

You can see that one of our big traditions is decking the halls and decorating the Christmas tree! I have over 1000 ornaments, many of them from my mother, my great-aunt and my grandma.  I have stories that go along with all of them, in addition to the stories about the hand-made ornaments and the many gifts received through the years. I love Christmas! And I love everything about it!  I hope that you and your family have your traditions that make it an extra special time of the year!

Holiday Energy Tip

AND as a holiday gift —  to help out any moments of time when a family member gets a bit anxious or unsure of “what is next” — consider following this energy tip. It will help bring breath and release tension.

• Right hand — hold fingers at right base of ribcage
• Left hand — hold fingers on right chest below clavicle
• Switch to do the left side

And to just bring “I feel good” into your body remember to jumper cable! It helps all layers, all levels, and all emotions.

Practicing to be Santa!

Practicing to be Santa!

The act of giving is a big one for children to discover. It truly can become an art — but to get to that point we have to do a lot of practicing. It’s like practicing to be Santa!

Artful Giving

When you were a child do you remember ever having that moment when you were supposed to give someone else a gift that you really wanted to keep for yourself? That was a big one — to go through that experience and then to realize that once we got over the trauma and drama, we really could feel good about it. It was the memory of the “feeling good” that created the space for more of the same to occur. And from there, the pattern of artful giving was shaped.

Experiencing Joy in our Bodies

The journey to feeling good and experiencing joy is one that is super important. All parts of our bodies (physical, mental, and emotional) want to be happy and be in a place of energetic balance and harmony. A body that is in balance doesn’t have to work so hard to not have unhappiness or stress or anxiety. It just more easily moves to that place — without effort!

Once the pattern for “feeling good” is part of our make-up, the body will  find ways to be there — including that place of “giving just because it feels good.” And, let’s face it — this is the time of year to feel really good about giving because it’s such a big part of the holiday season.

To help your children more easily discover that “I want to give” mode and be like Santa, try these energy tips:

1. Gently cup middle fingers to help let go of frustration. (Helps let go of frustration, including any that is about giving when “I don’t want to”).
2. Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest. (Helps bring in breath which will let go of any anxiety. Anxiety can come from being uncomfortable with what is happening which will cause breath holding).
3. Hold right fingers at area of heart and hold left fingers at base of ribcage. (Helps connect feelings of happiness and love with breath).
4. Hold right fingers on left cheek and hold left fingers below left collarbone. (Helps with ability to fully express feelings, thoughts, words).

Doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow on a daily basis can go a long way to helping your children be happy and healthy. That will create a firm foundation. The extra energy tips create even more “letting go and finding balance.”

Enjoy the season! And have fun giving and being Santa!

My Gift of Energy Tips for You!

My gift of energy tips for you!

Prepping for the Holidays

Prepping for the holidays is all about finding the time to do all you want to do! Maybe there’s some “I should do this” in the mix, but let’s just see how we can make it more manageable.

Your list can be pretty extensive: making the shopping list (we’re talking the gifts you’ve decided on), the shopping itself (usually requires multiple trips out), decorating, the clean-up that follows, wrapping gifts, baking, planning your own entertaining (definitely lots of steps involved including the food preparation on the day of your event), making time for all of the events you want to attend (don’t forget to make your reservations and get your tickets), getting those wrapped gifts delivered (either personal delivery or setting up shipment).  Okay — I bet there are more than a few things that I’ve forgotten.

Are You Tired Yet?

You don’t have to be. In fact you can be totally with it and ready for the next thing on the list. And you can feel that you have it handled, with no built-up stress and anxiety about anything you have planned and still need to do.

The key is to have clarity and focus, energy to do what you want to do, and feeling rested for next “thing to do.” Here are easy-to-do energy tips to help you feel great about your holiday and all of your plans.

Holiday Energy Tips

1. Start each day with the Daily Clean Your House Flow
2. Consider doing the Daily Flow in the middle of the day to give you an extra boost.
3. When you feel “out of sync” or “I’ve lost my juice” do this to help you get centered and grounded and to feel revitalized:
   With one hand: cup your sternum under your collarbone
   With the other hand: hold fingers on your tummy
4.  If you feel “out of breath” or feel “anxious about the crazy list I’ve created” do this to create breath and feel empowered:
   Hold your upper arms by folding arms across your chest
   Or gently cup your thumbs (let’s go of worry)
5. If you feel unsure and unclear of the plan and have lost track:
   With one hand: cup your forehead
   With the other hand: cup the base of your skull
6. To get a really good night’s sleep (and in the middle of the day, to feel like you actually took a nap)!:
   Place fingers on right and left base of skull
   Jumper Cable! Gently cup each thumb and finger for several good breaths.

Holiday Momentum

Okay! I hope you feel more prepared for your holiday season and for all that you want to create!

Mine is going forward with full steam ahead momentum! I love this time of year and I love being fully engaged with each and every part of my list. In fact, the list is “just there” and the time somehow appears for the items to be taken care of.  As you can see, decorating my tree is an important item on my list. And the rest of the house reflects my love of “decking my halls!”

I wish each and every one of you a magnificent holiday season!

Gratitude Creates Smoother Days

Day of Thanks

’Tis the season for recognizing all the good that we have in our lives! In this country, we are taught from a very early age that Thanksgiving Day is for giving thanks for all we have and to give to those who don’t have enough to have a comfortable, safe life.

How about being in that “place of gratitude” daily? Take time each and every day to recognize something that is really good and positive, something that puts a smile on your face, gives you good feelings and helps you truly appreciate how blessed you are. You’ll discover that it makes the whole home environment smoother and calmer.

Family Project For “Tracking The Good Things”

When we recognize the good things that have happened, we automatically go into a place of gratitude. When we’re in that place of gratitude, more good keeps on coming. What you focus on expands.

Start a family practice that allows each of you to get in the habit of looking for the “good things.”

Three Ways to Track Good Things

1. Set up a “good things jar” for each family member or each member could have their own journal.
2. Have a special place in the house for everyone to write their day’s good thing.
3. Spend time when you’re sitting at the dinner table to say “this was good for me today” and “I did this good thing today.”

You’ll notice that your household has a lot more smoother days. You’ll probably discover that each and everyone of you have easier, calmer days at work and at school.

Positive Versus Negative

Have you ever noticed that when you’re in a place of being positive, everything in your day goes smoother and easier? And that on those days it’s easy to find things to be grateful for? On the other side of the coin are those days when nothing seems to go right and your thoughts are negative. That’s because negative thinking creates more negative thoughts, actions, behaviors, and responses. In that environment, not much positive can take place because there’s only room for the negative to live. And where there is a preponderance of negative, how can there be anything much to be grateful for?

The trick is to stop any old negative pattern you don’t want and to have the space for a new pattern to be created and to grow. It is in that place that we can create positive. And from that space, more and more will arrive in your life to be grateful for.

My Gratitude Jar

This past year I have been filling a gratitude jar with “daily good things”. And when I take the time to do it, I find that it is hard to write just one good thing because one thing breeds another and another. My piece of paper can get really full on those days. And when I miss a day (and especially when I miss several days in a row) it is noticeable to me that it’s easy to get into “not enough, or this is rough, or I wish this was different.”

A Balanced Body Creates a Positive Life

Make a difference in your life, your kids’ lives and in how the whole family moves through the day. Find a way to track the good things and you will be in gratitude.

To create the space for more good things, consider walking around in a body that is in a state of balance and harmony. When your body is in balance, being positive is just easier. Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow as a family and see that it makes a big difference. See what parents and kids are saying at www.dailycleanyourhouseflow.com

Gratitude is an Attitude

Gratitude is an Attitude

Yep! I’m a lucky girl. I’m healing from that accident of one month ago though I’m often hurting and needing to watch what I do. Exercising is pretty much out of the picture — at least for right now. Mild stretching is about the extent of what my body will let me do. My garden beckons me but luckily it’s time to prepare it for winter, and I can hand the clean-up to someone else. Decorating for Christmas? I’ll just have to see what can actually get done. Time will tell.

My Healing Journey

I feel so blessed that my treatment plan is helping me get beyond the injuries and even more blessed that I have the healing team I do. They literally have my back. And all of that self-help acupressure I do is getting me through the days and helping me sleep at night. I can feel how the energy flows help me prepare my body for what I’m going to ask it to do and prepare it for what might come at it. I’m getting more out of each appointment I receive, whether it’s acupuncture, physical therapy, massage or chiropractic. I will get on the other side of this thing called “the accident.”

Creating Positive Energy

Yep. I’m in gratitude. And I know that my gratitude will bring more good things my way because positive energy draws more of the same towards it. Positive energy occurs when there is balance and harmony which naturally happens in our bodies when we help the energy flow.

So do your daily energy work! Start with the Daily Clean Your House Flow to give your body a firm foundation. Then do the following to bring even more good things your way:

• Right hand – hold fingers on right mid back
• Left hand – hold fingers on left mid back
• Right hand – hold fingers on left base of ribcage
• Right hand – cup sternum directly below collarbone
• Left hand – hold fingers in a vertical pattern on tummy

The Attitude of Gratitude

When we’re in a space of gratitude we have an attitude that is all about contentment. We’re contented with what we have in our life, what we’re experiencing and how good and happy we feel. That attitude draws more good into our lives that allows more gratitude. That is a beautiful cycle to create and make sure continues! And another huge benefit — there’s not much space to experience stress. Each day has more and more room to just be.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Ensuring Student Success

Thanks to our School Professionals!!!

There are so many people who play a part in ensuring the success of students. American Education Week is a dedicated time to recognize all those professionals who touch the lives of our children: teachers, administrators, counselors, office staff, food service employees, health care employees, safety officers, custodial and maintenance employees.

Each and every one of them help keep schools running and students safe, healthy and ready to learn. Student achievement is a reality when they receive quality education. Without all of these professionals we would not have a school environment that creates the space for education to be a journey in discovery.

Good Memories of School

Do you have memories of school being fun, engaging, beneficial, and worthwhile and that you wanted to be there? I’m lucky to say those qualities are what I experienced when I was a young student, and that it was primarily the adults who were on the school campus who brought that to fruition. They fostered my desire to study and learn, and to have fun doing so.

Creating Success for Our Kids

Maybe its those memories that brought me to the place of wanting to create a program that allows teachers to have classrooms that are calmer and more productive, to have students who aren’t anxious and stressed and have more clarity and focus. However I got there, I am passionate about bringing the possibility of that environment to our schools. My animated video of a self-help acupressure flow is helping teachers and parents create a balanced calm space — at school and at home.

Check out the first 90 seconds of the six minute video called the Daily Clean Your House Flow. Teachers and parents are saying, “This makes a huge difference at school and at home.” And kids are saying, “Everything is easier.” Studying, doing homework, taking tests,  sports, music – kids are having more success in all they do. And they’re having fun learning an easy way to get there!

And that’s what they should experience! Life should be filled with successful moments that give them the inclination to keep on being involved, trying, learning and stepping into their potential. I love hearing kids telling me the good things, the happy moments, the “I like being in school,” and “my teacher is the best,” and “I’m doing better.”

And I know that teachers and school staff feel the very same way. Otherwise they wouldn’t be doing what they do – helping children step into being the best they can be. Thanks to ALL of you who are there every day for your students!

Homework Battles – A Thing Of The Past!

Homework Battles – A Thing Of The Past!

Has homework made your household a daily battleground?  Let’s face it — for your children to be successful at school, homework is a necessary thing to do. But a lot of kids have a real hard time getting beyond the “it’s no fun.” Guess what? It often times isn’t fun for them! But then here you come — requiring an action that butts up against their belief and you have a battle.

The key is to help them change their belief  from “it’s no fun” to “it is a part of the day that is enjoyable.” It’s all about changing their perception which in turn can change the pattern that is in place.

Change the Pattern

Here’s the clincher, patterns can be changed! We can do it by moving the blocked energy that has been getting and keeping your children stuck in their old way of being. And, even better — it will be super easy. It’s all about getting the mind and actions to match up so new patterns have a chance to become automatic and natural for your child. To help that new pattern replace the old one, you can do self-help acupressure. And, it will happen faster if you have a consistent daily practice.

The Power of a Daily Practice

I know a lot of families who are doing the Daily Clean Your House Flow to start the day and then again before homework. The Daily Flow is a acupressure flow that adults and children can easily do. One parent says, “I’m blown away by how much easier it is to start the day, get my kids to school, and then how there are no more bouts of anger and frustration around homework. It just gets done and I’m no longer the mean mom. And it only takes us 6 minutes each time. That is good use of time for all of us.”

To see how easy the whole process is, try holding these acupressure points to help open up and expand breath.

• Hold your upper arms by folding your arms across your chest.
• Then, while still holding your right fingertips on your left arm, move your left hand to the base of your right ribcage.

You have just touched three separate points that when held in conjunction with each other, remind your body to breathe.

See How Easy It Is To Not Have A Battleground!

It’s that simple! I have a lot of other “pointers” (pun intended!) on my website. Go to www.dailycleanyourhouseflow.com to see what I suggest for you and your family! And see the first 90 seconds of a 6 minute animated video of the Daily Clean Your House Flow.

You will discover that you no longer need to be the battalion chief. And that you and your kids will have more fun — even when doing homework!

Self-esteem and Gratitude

Self-esteem and Gratitude

Self-esteem and gratitude. Those two really “big words” are being batted about. Have you ever thought of how they go together?   

The Building of Self-esteem

First off, let’s look at self-esteem. It is a real important attribute to have, especially for children. A child with a high level of self-esteem will easily be able to step into all the possibilities available to her because she can actually see her options. But even before she can get to that place, that thing called self-esteem needs to be shaped by perception — her own and those of important people in her life.

Then comes a sense of security and belonging, a place where there is a degree of safety and comfort. From that space, your child can move into having goals that give her purpose and direction and allow her to achieve her desires. “Your child will feel empowered and in control of events when she is able to make or influence decisions that she considers important.”

For the entire article “Helping Your Child Develop a Healthy Sense of self-esteem,” go to https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Helping-Your-Child-Develop-A-Healthy-Sense-of-Self-Esteem.aspx. The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that our children need to be fully engaged with recognizing their possibilities before they can even take the steps to reach their end objectives.

Creating The Space For self-esteem

How do we help our children have a sense of purpose that allows them to channel their energy toward achievement and self-expression?

All of us, no matter our age, are walking around in bodies that are hungry for an energetic balance that will enable us to have clarity, have direction, be creative, be productive and experience success. We can more easily be there when we help our bodies discover what it feels like and then consistently remind them how to be in that space.

There’s an easy-to-do self-help acupressure flow called the Daily Clean Your House Flow that helps our bodies create the foundation for all that we want for our children. Check it out! There is a purpose for each of the nine poses that will assist your child to reach her full potential. And the animated video of the Daily Flow makes it a real easy and fun way to bring the routine into home life and into the classroom.

Bringing self-esteem And Gratitude Together

Now For Gratitude

It’s really quite simple how self-esteem and gratitude go together. A person who has healthy self-esteem is happy and easily functions in her day-to-day life. And that person can more easily see all the good things that happen. When we recognize and acknowledge those good things, we truly are in the space of “being in gratitude.” And that is the space where more good things come from.

In this season that is so much about recognizing what the good things are, let’s help our children discover how easy it is to be there and consistently live in a state of gratitude.

I was just telling one of my clients who is an amazing writer and poet about my self-esteem and gratitude article. Vilma proceeded to say, “self-esteem without gratitude is egoism.” There you go — self-esteem and gratitude are two really great partners in life!

May all of you have the best of the two in YOUR lives! Sending “good things energy” your way! Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo credit: Frederick Homes for Sale / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Life is Full of Surprises!

Life is Full of Surprises!

Accidents are not planned so when they happen life changes. You have a list of what you need to do in the next few days and within the week. You have plans and then all of a sudden you have to make new ones. My car accident of two weeks ago has created a bit of a scheduling chaos. My calendar now needs to handle doctors, physical therapy, energy work, and massage. Whiplash creates a need to for immediate treatment. I don’t want to wait for the muscles to tighten up even more.

Where’s My Car?

Then there’s the car issue. I really didn’t expect to hear that my car is a total loss after being rear-ended. How could that have bent the frame? After the crash, I was able to drive my car to a meeting and then to my home. Now I get to deal with replacing my car when that was the farthest thing from my mind. I thought my Subaru was going to give me another ten years. I don’t know as of yet what I’ll be driving next.

Ripples and Repercussions

Any of this sound familiar to you? Dealing with repercussions from an accident is a lot of “this wasn’t part of any plan I had in place.” But that’s life: it’s like a box of chocolates. You don’t know what you’re going to get until you take a bite of whichever piece you happen to choose or are given.

Harvest Time and the Holidays

It’s November and my time is supposed to be used finishing the harvest, cleaning up the garden, getting plants into the greenhouse, prepping for Thanksgiving and creating holiday gifts.  And, of course, if you know me, you know that decorating for Christmas is of major importance. And top of the list is seeing my clients and spreading the word about my animated video of the Daily Clean Your House Flow.

Day by Day

So what to do? Take each day, one at a time, just like picking out a piece of chocolate. And I thank my lucky stars that my body is on a fast track to healing. All things considered, my life COULD be a lot worse. I have a treatment plan and I’m doing my energy work around the clock. Whatever gets accomplished from my list is still in up for grabs. The key is treat the list in way that keeps it from turning into stress.

Energy Balance and Healing

I’m doing the following to help my body be in energetic balance and heal.

Breath, Relieve Shoulder and Neck Tension

This flow will help you to be in breath and relieve tension in your shoulder and neck:

• Hold upper arms by folding arms across the chest
•  Left hand: cup right shoulder with fingers at top of right shoulder blade
  • Right hand: cup sternum below collarbone
  • Left hand: move to right upper arm
  • Left hand: hold fingertips in a vertical pattern on tummy

Clarity, Focus and Release Tightness in your Neck and Head

This flow will help you create clarity and focus and relieve neck and head pressure:

• Left hand: cup back of neck
• Right hand: cup forehead

Gratitude is an Attitude

By the way, you don’t have to be healing from an accident for any of this to work! Try these steps any time you want to expand your breath and improve focus.

I’m hoping YOU have a beautiful November! This IS the month for gratitude. See what each day brings and look for the good.  Enjoy!