Remember You before age 11 or 12? Your child self had all the time in the world to dream and explore interests and hobbies. These days as we mother, it may feel like that high energy and exuberance is on some kind of semi-permanent hiatus. You might be asking yourself, “What happened to the part of me that used to draw, paint, write, turn
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Transitions happen all the time. Schools out. Summer’s here. Vacations, camp, back-to-school, moving, sleep schedules, birthdays, illness. All of these shifts can throw a person off kilter. Trying to get back to center where equanimity reigns can feel like an uphill battle. So many of us instinctively push away our strong feelings because they seem scary and uncomfortable. Tara Brach talks about meeting life where it is. She
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We moms are so busy that sometimes we lose the connection to our creative selves. Read on for some thoughts/resources on how to find your “flow” and help bring your heart and mind together from Guest Blogger, Amy Tatsumi. What makes you feel alive? What allows you to be connected to your true self? For some, it is singing or dancing when no one
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There is an incredible new Scorsese documentary about George Harrison called, Living in the Material World out on DVD this month. The film itself is magical and seamless; filled with never before seen footage and interviews. Harrison, who found his way to meditation and touched so many people’s lives with his generosity of spirit said in 1974, “Everybody’s looking for something…. We don’t have to look anywhere–it’s
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As busy moms we spend our days balancing our own needs with those of of others. Here’s an example: It’s 8 PM and you are exhausted. It has been getting harder and harder to get the kids to sleep on time and you feel like your spouse isn’t helping you the way you’d like. This may sound like prime fodder for a blowout fight
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Like many other topics that are covered in the media, the issue of bullying is a worrisome one. Many parents are fearful that their child will be bullied at school. Luckily, there are powerful ways we can support our children so they have something to fall back on should the situation arise. One emerging approach is that kindness and mindfulness can stop bullying in
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Becoming a mom can be a huge adjustment. While you are pregnant it is all about taking care of you. But once the baby arrives, the focus immediately shifts and all of a sudden you are spending most of your time taking care of your baby. Work, fun, and leisure time used to be relatively easy to balance. But as a new mom, it
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Last week I wrote about the new science of self-compassion in the Washington Post blog, ‘On Parenting.’ Writing that post got me thinking about how our society treats us when we first become mothers. I wonder if this could be part of why it’s so hard for us to actually be kind to ourselves? Think back to when you were first pregnant; a happy
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The early years with young kids is often remembered as a sleep- deprived time accompanied by unavoidable squabbles with our partners. This may seem like a rite of passage, but is there a way for parent couples to stay connected in the face of the everyday resentments that can pop up along the way? John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman think there is. The
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Has anyone noticed the overwhelming glut of “hot off the press” information about parenting being lobbed our way? These unsettling messages often contain the latest new study that proves we got it all wrong but there is some hope that we can get it right if we hurry up and read all about it. Why are we inundated by these messages that seem designed
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