Saturday, June 30, 2012

bE the iNsPiraTion!

Go(o)d dAy, aMaZiNg yOU!
Have you thought a little bit about your mantras? You may have even written them down! I have been working on writing mine on my driveway in chalk (but more about that later . . .)!
When I was teaching 8th grade last year, we were talking about cool sayings that have been passed down in our families. SO many of my students told awesome and amazing stories about where they had first heard their special words to live by.

First, I showed them this amazing 
SoulPancake (OprahWinfreyNetwork)
video called Big Think:
Check it out!

Then, I had each of my kids write down a mantra or special saying that speaks to their heart
or that they try to live by.
Here's what it ended up looking like by the end of the day!
Here's a couple of close ups . . . 
By the end of the day, look at what we had--over 200 !! 

Even teachers came to add their special sayings to our board!

Some words to live by from my fAbuliscious 8th grade kiddos!
  • Chocolate makes you happy!
  • Everyone smiles in the same language.
  • Be the person you want to be.
  • Freedom is not free.
  • Let your wings soar to the sky!
  • Be yourself; don’t change for anyone. 
  • Live life strong, or when you are old you will regret it.
  • Breathe!
  • Choose the life you want to live.
  • The only responsibility you have is to be the fullest expression of yourself.
  • Immature love is I love you cause I need you; mature love is I love you cause I love you.
  • Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star. For it is not by size you win or fail; be the best at whatever you are.
  • Yesterday was the past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift--that’s why they call it the present.
  • Keep calm and carry on.
  • There are 7 billion people in the world why are you letting one ruin your life?
  • Working hard is smart in the end.
  • Pick flowers instead of fights!
Do you have a favorite inspiring phrase? Would love to hear it below in our comments!

So mUcH LoVe!
;) dana

Friday, June 29, 2012

mAntra-La-La-LisciOuS



Snatam Kaur: The Sun Shines On Everyone


Hey Fun and free Peeps All! --
Above is a beautiful meditation about how there is enough SUN in the world for All of Us! You can actually substitute any word for sun--for example, lOvE, tIme, mOnEy, rElAtionShip, . . . (chocolate, blankies...!). 
So, this is my last installment about Chloe's mantras. Yesterday, I unpacked the first few . . . but there's more! BONUS! You know, like, extra credit, or two for one, or B(uy)O(ne)G(et)O(ne)!


  • Have fun!: Like--as in--enjoy life! Too many people are into the drama that life should be sososos hard and complain about everything that is wrong when there are sososo many BLEssIngs! Why can't we focus on the positive?
  • Speak up to them!: Speak your truth without apology--even if you have made a mistake. You are human and you get to screw up. Knowing that and learning is part of being a hu(wo)man or kid. So, apologize when you need to, own your part, and move on. If others cant move on, it's not about you!
  • Who cares what they say? Don't live from the outside in. Your words and actions should come from amazing and powerful YOU and not from what you think others will think or feel about you. YOUR LIFE IS NOT ABOUT OTHERS! IT'S ABOUT YOU--TAKING YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN! YOU DESERVE IT!
  • Love people that don't like you! Understand that how others feel about you is not actually about you--they don't like you 'cuz they've seen something in you they don't like about themselves, yo.
  • Like and love you so much! You are a human and the most important thing is that you accept and like and love yourself before others. You have to loVe you before U can love others. This may sound weird-- but your first relationship is with yourSelf...and then--after you love YOU, you can loVe otHeRs!
So, FFPs, I hope you have a beautiful moment/day today! The YOU-niverse lOvEs--LovEs--loVES you so mUcH!
:) dana

Thursday, June 28, 2012

maN-Tra-La-La (cOnTinuEd . . .)


~Gandhi

Hey All--got maNtrA?



Yesterday I blogged about a mantra, or a special saying that we cary with us to ground us. Kind of like a pErSoNal cOde oF tRuTh! Gandhi calls a mantra a "staff of life"--kind of like a walking stick that supports you through life's not so super fun challenges.
So when Chloe, my daughter, wrote her candle prayer (here's another small picture---sososos cOoL! nOte: you can see my toes at the bottom 'cuz I'm just polishing up my ultra amazing photographer sKiLLz!) btw: I think feet are so grOsS!

Anyway, below in BOLD are Chloe's mantras that I told you about yesterday. I'm gonna write a bit about each one--and especially since they came from a kid they are for sure true 'cuz it's my firm beLiEf that sometimes, 
KiDs kNow a heckuva lOt mOrE
than the ridiculously grown up gRoWnUps!


  • Dream Big!--so like, don't ever limit yourself, and know in your heart that you were born to do amazing things (remember: your life is a miracle!)
  • Praise God and You!--I think this means to always remember that there is a You-niverse that is larger than you (like God) and that higher power has your back and your best interests in mind--always! The second part about praising yourself means that there is God and the divine right inside of fabulous You, and you can check in to it anytime 'cuz it's always available to guide You!
  • Meditate and think who You are--instead of running around like a crazy person doing a buzzillion activities all the time, make sure you take quiet time to listen to your heart and gut--this quiet time is super important to get to know YourSelf!
  • Live the life you love, love the life you live!--do all the stuff you love that fills you up with joy and energy (this includes spending time with peeps who adore and support you!). Loving the life you live means celebrating the stuff that's in front of you and living in the moment--not worrying about the past and freaking out about the future!@#$!
There are 5 more of Chloe's mantras, and I'm gonna write about those 2-morrow! 
  • Have fun!
  • Speak up to them!
  • Who cares what they say?
  • Love people that don't like you!
  • Like and love you so much!
I wonder how she got so smart? I'm so grateful and lucky for her and my son, Max! I'm a bleSSeD mOm!
Today, I wrote down my PersOnAL cODeS of tRuTH in sidewalk chalk  on my driveway (I'll share them with you in a few?!) What are some of your own personal codes of truth? Write 'em down! 

So mUch lOvE 
;) dana

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

whaT's Ur mAn-TrA(LaLa)! lol ;)

Chloe's Mantras

hEy and duBBLe Hay-yo--


HAve you ever been with, say, your Grandma Phyllis or your Great Uncle Bob once removed and they tell the same dang story over and over? And . . . when they are done with the story, they, like, tell yOU the leSSon of the sTory, or what they LEarNed from the exPerience? 
Like, for example, "That's the way the cookie crumbles," or "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
When I was teaching 8th grade, I asked my kids what their family sayings were, you know, like what phrases were passed down from their relatives and repeated through the generations. These sayings are kind of like mantras.


Here's a definition of mantra:


man·tra  (mntr, mn-) n.
Hinduism. A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities.


Chloe, my daughter, made a candle prayer (with no candles, but whatever!!)--see above picture--about her mantras and this is what they say (going from left to right up to down):

  • Dream Big!
  • Praise God and you!
  • Meditate and think who you are
  • Live the life you love, love the life you live!
  • Have fun!
  • Speak up to them!
  • Who cares what they say?
  • Love people that don't like you!
  • Like and love you so much!
What special sayings have been passed down in your family?
What promises do you try to keep to yourself?
Guess what? The worst thing you can do is break a promise with U! More about that 2-morrow!

uR sUper!
hearts! :) dana

Saturday, June 23, 2012

gOt dRaMA? ChOOse pEEps wHo R fUn & fReE!

“When it rains, most birds head for shelter; 
the Eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, 
starts flying above the cloud.”

-Unknown

Hey fUnFreePeePs!


Yesterday I wrote a little bit about breaking free from the relationships that don't feel positive and that do not support your highest good. Sometimes, we keep friends around, even when we are uncomfortable for whatever reason--we give too much, we are criticized or told what to do, or we just can't be ourselvesSometimes, we hang on just because we are afraid of being alone.

Someone is better than no one, right? No Way!  Yikes!  RED FLAG!!!!!!
If we are mean to ourselves, and pay close attention to and listen to our inner mean girl, why shouldn't others be treat us in the same way, as well? We draw into our lives people who reflect or mirror how we treat ourselves. 


We need courage to let go of those friendships ##$?! And guess what? Then we make room for other peeps who are a better fit!

In middle school, I used to wonder why other girls were so mean to me; I believed the rotten stuff they said about me, and I never stuck up for myself or argued with them (btw, I think I made up a lot of this dRaMA up in my own head!)
This kept happening over and over again. 
Hmmmmnnnnnn...
Have you ever noticed that the SAME stuff keeps showing up in your life until you learn your lesson ?!!!!?
Funny how that works! Thanks You-niverse!
It doesn't matter whether the friends are girls or boys--people treat us the way we allow ourselves to be treated (BTW--it's the same when you are grown up!...)! So, if you notice that you hang with peeps who aren't very nice to you, ask yourself "Why?" MAybe they aren't your pEEps, after all! 
They are a reflection of how you feel about you! So, what if you love yourself enough to rise above the storm--like an EaGle! 
fLy hiGh and fRee little cHickaDee!
Love U,
;) dana

Friday, June 22, 2012

gOt feAr? U (fe)AR(E) nOt uR fEaR!

Yo fUn & fReE fOlkS!


This has definitely been a month of fAcIng my FeArS! Like, as in doing what's right for me (despite what other people say about it, how they judge me, and the stories (lies) they make up about mY TrUtH!) I am not really sure why it's anyone else's business, but it keeps happening, so I must still need to work on thAt LeSSoN. Thanks, You-niverse! (not . . . jk . . . but I'm a bit sick and tired of it . . .)


I used to:

  • try to be perfecKt so nobody would find fault with me
  • when people did find fault or criticize me, just deny it, or make an excuse for it, or kiss their butt enough to change their mind about how bad or wrong or stUpiD I was . . . super InAuTheNtiC of me . . . but it was how I survived . . . ;( BTW: I wonder why I allowed these people to hang around me in the first place when it felt like such crap. Can you relate? 
  • NOTE TO SELF: gEt these iCky tOXic people oUT! Send them off with loVE and comPAssIOn, but SHOW THEM THE freakin' DOOR!
What I'm learning, is that just 'cuz someone think or says something about me, doesn't mean it's automatically true! That includes the mean crappy crap I tell mEself!
Also, I am learning to not even waste my EnergY defending mE(self) to these people 'cuz it is draining, not true, and the stuff people say and do to me isn't really about me, anyway.

Do you know that the way people treat and what they say @ you isn't ever really about you? It's about tHeM and who tHeY are and what stories they make up about You! Isn't that weird? Which means by default (scary thing to tell you, here, but I'm just being real . . .) the way yOu treat others is neVer about ThEm and wHo you are and WhAt storiEs you make up about them!

My daughter was noodling (thinking) out loud in the car yesterday and she was telling me about some kids who talk "stuff" about her at camp--and she felt kinda bad. And I asked her if the stuff was true.
She said, "Nope." 
Then, I asked her this: "If someone told you your skin is purple, would you believe it?
She laughed and  said, "Of course not, 'cuz it's not true.
And I said, "Same thing. If you know it's not true, then it's not!" Then, she told me that some of the spiritual stuff I talk about is confusing for her--and, of course, I told her it's confusing to me, too! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

To be clear: setting boundaries around how others treat you is totally healthy (see above about showing them the door . . .). AS my biG bRo told me this morning (we both have recently "broken up" with some ickies in our lives and we were sharing our war stories . . . 'sup Christopher? I KNEW you'd be pleased!), you get to be youR LOveLy seLf, BUT YOU ARE NOT A DOORMAT FOR PEOPLE TO WALK ALL OVER!

So, MEet you fears and follow your dreams, ffps--one teeny tiny baby step at a time, and finD pEaCE in what's right fOr you!

LoVe U to the mOOn and bacK!
;) dana

Sunday, June 17, 2012

liSteN to yoUr gUt!

The soul knows everything. 
Be who you are and your life will transform forever. 
~Deepak Chopra

hEy tHeRe!

Yesterday I wrote about one of my lunch club gals who worked her butt off trying to be friends with everybody--which was exhausting for her 'cuz she couldn't keep up with everyone's dRaMa! She also ended up being kind of L(one)Ly 'cuz her friendships didn't go very dEEp. ;( Can you relate? 
So, she kind of BROKE UP with many of her fake friends, and decided which friends really loved, celebrated, and TRULY connected with her, and kept them as close companions.
RESULT: less draMa and ChaOs, more authentic friends, CALMer life. Whew! 
Only when we choose a calmer life can we actually listen to and get to know oUr(goOD and bAd)selves. 
When I was younger, I used to keep super busy (so people would know how much I had to do 'cuz i was so important and so responsible and I could multitask) all the time and make lists of stuff I had to do, check my lists off and make new ones...I even had lists of lists! I also tried to be friends with everyone (just like the girl in my lunch club). And guess what? It was exhausting for me 'cuz I couldn't keep up with everyone's dRaMa! I also ended up being kind of L(one)Ly 'cuz my friendships didn't go very dEEp (sounds familiar, right? that's the point, yo!). 
Anyway, looking back, al this business was really a way for me to run away from me. Like, as in, run away from getting to know myself and loving myself. Somewhere I learned that if I kept busy, if I did all this stuff for other people all the time, and if everyone liked me, I would be oKaY---problem is, I was living OUT:SIDE IN not IN:SIDE OUT.
We have to make friends with and LoVe ourselves, before we can LoVe others. I wish I would have known that when I was younger--but now I know (and I still have to practice, btw . . .) and, I know the You-niverse gives me everything in my own perfect time! And, I'm super blessed 'cuz now I kind of understand some of this stuff, and it helps me write this blog so I can share the You-niversal Go(o)dness with you! No coincidence about that!
So, tomorrow we'll start checking in with oUrselveS and getting still to listen to our hearts and gUts and our inner GPS(elves)!


So blessed to bLoG & thankful 4 U!
huggers! 
;) dana

Saturday, June 9, 2012

gr(ATTITUDE)



“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. 
It turns what we have into enough, and more. 
It turns denial into acceptance, 
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
 It can turn a meal into a feast, 
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” 
Melody Beattie


Hey FFpeeps (I missed you on the riPcOrD, kYlE!)! 
I hope you have an amazing day! I want to get back to grATTiTUde (funny how I always come back to that!...) I am grateful for the things I have, even when I can't see them. And, just because I can't see something, DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT THERE OR IT DOESN'T EXIST. Remeber when I was looking and looking and looking for a 4-leaf clover the past couple of weeks? I found it! (and it wasn't actually a real 4-leaf clover . . . it was my beautiful son, Max, wishing that he would find a 4-leaf clover...same same!)

And! and...and...(top secret information): I know I will see my 4-leaf clover when it's the right time, and I am grateful for it  in advance! And my grattitude will pay it forward and 
make it happen sooner and help me see it faster!

Here's an amazing poem about gratitude. . .

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don’t have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something


For it gives you the opportunity to learn.



Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.  

---Author Unknown
I M sososososos gratefUl for U!
Hearts! 
:0 ) dana

Friday, June 1, 2012

(im)PerFeCkT!

Hey All--


Hope this beautiful day finds you amazing! 
I have been thinking and experiencing a lot about being iMperfeCkt. I've been feeling a bit beat up this we(a)k!
And, I am reminded and reminded about my imPerFeckTion! (but i might be making this up!?)
We all have blind/blonde spots, and mine seems to be tEcHnoLogy lately--phones, lights, computers, monitors, you name it. I have been trying so hard to do the right thing around teChNology--but I keep screwing up! I keep forgetting to tuRn thinGs off lately, which wastes energy. noT cOoL...
Even though I have been doing my best around this--to the point that I have made notes to myself, had others help me out, and texted myself about it. But I still have been screwing up! What the heck?
I could:
  • Continue to try to figure this out...
  • Be mad at the people who keep telling me I'm screwing up...
  • Let go of the drama of this and quit thinking about it...
  • Or, just keep learning about this blind spot and accept that I am hu(wo)man...
  • Get defensive... but that's me entering into my own DrAma (DharMa)
...which reminds me about the powEr of SouNd!


Hear is some amazing meditation music for you! I will be listening to it tonight for sure! 


Happy almost summer, y'all!
;) dana