As we here in WI have hit a cold stretch in the middle of our long winter, with it many kids are hitting the peak of the boredom blues. “There’s nothing to do.” “I’m bored.” “I can’t do anything.” Surely these words are being echoed in various ways by kids of all ages in many homes. While many are still choosing to stay home and do less because of various Covid restrictions, there certainly might be some truth to the inability to go do things. Parents can choose to stay in the battle of explaining options of things kids can do and sharing perspectives of how lucky kids are to have all they ar ..read more

“I’m too anxious to do that.” “I can’t do that because I’m so nervous.” “I was so mad I just couldn’t do it.” “Her anxiety took over and she couldn’t go.” “His anxiety kept him from joining.” “She froze because of her fears and I couldn’t do anything then because I felt so badly for her.” Do any of these sound familiar? In my opinion, in each of these situations, someone is giving too much power away to a feeling. And although I 100% believe in being aware of how we feel and honoring that feeling, I also believe as strongly that we can learn not to become victim to our feelings. How do we hon ..read more

One of the greatest gifts we are given is the ability to choose our response to events, people and situations that instill fear in us. Although it takes practice to utilize this gift and doesn’t mean we don’t experience uncomfortable feelings. Still the opportunity is present for each of us. There is great freedom in being able to choose how we handle fearful news, situations or people. Fear has the ability to freeze our brain. Literally. When in a state of fight or flight, we aren’t able to fully process things that are said, perceptions shared, potential threats, situations we enter. Instea ..read more

Kids are feeling so disconnected. And they don’t realize it on many levels. Yes, they realize (for many) they can’t see their friends. They realize (for many) they can’t go to school. Still, there is too much busy-ness. Constant looking for things to DO. Not enough quiet time. Stillness. Time simply BEing. Why is this needed now more than ever? Energetically our world is shifting tremendously. The energy is rising and changing. In March and April the world slowed down. Covid definitely changed the pace, but now it’s led to an even stronger disconnection because now we’re in our houses togethe ..read more

Words. They hold tremendous power – and the effects can last a lifetime. Whether spoken. Thought. Written. Typed. Texted. How do kids learn this?  Well, usually we try to “teach” through consequences, right!?  Say mean things to a sibling or to parents and kids lose privileges.  Get grounded. But did they really learn anything about the power of words this way?   “I hate you soooo much!  You always get me in trouble with your crying and tattling!  God! I JUST HATE YOU!” Ugh…I was sitting on my balcony when the neighbor kids were letting their dogs out.  ..read more

“If you shield a mountain from the windstorms, you’ll never see the beauty of the carvings.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross I thought this quote was a good perspective for parenting. Often times parents want to keep their kids from making “mistakes” or “poor choices” ~ windstorms in their own right. Whether these are with friends, school, temptations, boyfriends, girlfriends, sports or other areas of life, it seems to become most parents’ mission to shield their kids from these. As an adult it is easier to see, both from an outside perspective and also based on our own experiences, the impact of mista ..read more

April 24th, 2019 a fire destroyed the building my office was in. You can see my sign in the window with the lights still on as the building is engulfed in flames. The picture on the right shows what was left. Everything was lost in the fire, while thankfully everyone is safe. I don’t believe things happen to punish us. I believe very much that what we focus on expands and what we put out into the world, comes back to us. With that being said, I know bad things still happen. (The cause of the fire won’t be determined until early June.) But good can come from loss. I am searching for the meanin ..read more