Doesn’t Get Any Sweeter Than This!
Accidentally came across this today with my daughter and she asked me to share it with you.
We were so moved by Kai’s passion, we could barely see through our tears of joy.
Kids are truly amazing, and Ellen is a lucky girl!
Do Something Special for Your Mom
I don’t think I really appreciated all a mother is until I became one. Even then, I experienced anger and resentment towards my mother more than anything else in the beginning. I started raising my own children and suddenly I saw the things that didn’t work about my own upbringing, the flaws, the seeming mistakes that were made. But then, one day all that disappeared. I woke up and realized there are no accidents, every lesson good or bad brought me here to this moment and made me what I am today. I have a deep and rich understanding of the sacrifices, the giving, the non-judgement and the unconditional love that my mother had for me growing up, and has for me today as a grown woman.
Mother’s Day is coming up and I invite you to do something special for your mother. This 2-minute video clip will help you come up with something tailor made just for her, whether it’s a party, brunch or a gift. It’s a little exercise I like to call “Filling the Senses” and it’s designed to provide happiness. The perfect gift to give a mom!
A Reason Not To Judge Ourselves & Others
WE LIVE IN A VIBRATIONAL UNIVERSE,
AND WE CAN ONLY EVER BE WHO WE ARE.
AT SOME POINT, THAT HAS TO BE GOOD ENOUGH.
Let’s teach this to our children.
Abundance is Everywhere
I received an email last week about a new book coming out called “Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think” and I had to have it! While I’m waiting for my copy to arrive, I’ve been doing some research about the book’s authors, Dr. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler.
Dr. Peter Diamandis is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and launching large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. He is also an international leader in the commercial space arena; the Founder and Chairman of Singularity University, a Silicon Valley based institution partnered with NASA, Google, Autodesk and Nokia; and an MIT and Harvard Medical School graduate degreed in molecular genetics, aerospace engineering, as well an M.D.
Steven Kotler is a bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. His articles have appeared in over 60 publications, including: New York Times Magazine,Wired, Discover, Popular Science,Outside, GQ, and National Geographic. He writes “The Playing Field,” a blog about the science of sport and culture for PsychologyToday.com. He is also the co-founder and director of research at the Flow Genome Project.
So inspired by the message of the book, I also watched Dr. Diamandis’ TED Talk. Watch it if you have time, as it puts a new perspective on things. We are living in an age where science and technology are making it possible for more voices to be heard, educated, and connected. It’s a beautiful thing!
The Daily GOOD is Really Great
This is one of my FAVORITE new websites! You gotta check it out. Everything on it is GOOD. Now how great is that?
I love today’s article about a traveling Science Lab called The Think Tank. If you’re a fan of experiential education or a proponent of STEM, take a peek. You’re gonna love this!
http://www.good.is/posts/this-mobile-think-tank-will-give-science-experiments-street-cred/
Merge Conference For Women
MERGE!
A 2 day Conference for creative women who want to merge their true passion with their profession.
Sat & Sun, March 2nd & 3rd. in Culver City!
Who is this conference for?
This conference is for women who consider themselves cultural creatives / social artists and are thinking of or in the process of changing into a more fulfilling career! Whether you are creators, designers, artists, storytellers, caregivers, big picture thinkers, career switchers and or corporate executives looking for a change – this conference is for you!
Early Bird Price: $215 (Regular $449)
Use the code: partners
Find out more at: http://www.TheMergeConference.com
Easy Ways To Praise Your Child
It felt like a very long holiday break at my house. At one point I thought my girls would never stop fighting. They fought with each other, the neighbors, me. Very few moments of love, peace and joy. If I heard “it’s not fair” one more time, I thought I was going to drop kick someone. (Again, no love, peace and joy there!) Of course, as their levels grew, so did mine. By the end of vacation I was beginning to wonder if they’d make it to puberty.
Then I read something that changed everything. I happened upon a list of Ways to Praise Your Child that I received from my daughter’s 3rd grade teacher. I’m always looking for good words and phrases to use, let’s face it, you can only say “nice effort” so many times, and my girls have out grown every standard line I have in my arsenal. So eager to learn I read:
Wow * Way To Go * Super * You’re Special * Outstanding * Excellent * Great * Good * Neat * Well Done * Remarkable * I Knew You Could Do It * I’m Proud Of You * Fantastic * Super Job * Nice Work * Looking Good * Beautiful * You’re On Top Of It * Now You’re Flying * You’re Catching On * Now You’ve Got It * Incredible Thinking * Bravo * You’re Fantastic * Hurray For You * You’re On Track * You’re On Your Way * How Nice * How Clever * Good Job * Nothing Can Stop You Now * Good For You * You’re A Winner * Remarkable Thinking * Remarkable Work * Spectacular * Great Discovery * Fabulous Connection * You Figured It Out * Way To Show Good Judgement * Bingo * Magnificent * Marvelous * Terrific * You’re Important * Phenomenal * That’s Sensational * Super Work * Creative Thinking * You’re A Real Trooper * You’re So Responsible * What An Imagination * Keep Trying * What A Good Listener * You Made That Fun * You’re Growing Up * You Tried Your Best * It Shows You Care * Nice Sharing * Outstanding Thinking * You’re Such a Good Friend * I Believe In You * I Trust You * Your Opinion Matters * I’m Listening * You Mean A Lot To Me * You Make Me So Happy * You Make Me Laugh * You Brighten My Day * You Make My Heart Sing * I Respect You * That’s Correct * You’re A Joy * You’re A Treasure * You’re A Winner * You Made My Day * That’s The Best * You’re The Greatest * You Deserve A Hug * You Deserve A Kiss * I Love You
I realized while reading this list that I wasn’t seeing Spirit in my girls. I had forgotten how to see their magnificence. Instead I was solely focused on what needed to be fixed in them, or better yet, what my interpretation was of what needed to be fixed. I had forgotten to light up when they walked in the room, remembering that they are truly gifts to the world…like we all are.
I have put this small shift into place this week and boy what a difference it made! I’m convinced! I’d rather live in a house where I’m loved and adored for who I am, rather than one where I am judged and constantly improved upon too, even if it was for my own good.
So my New Year’s resolution for 2013? Remember to find G-d in my beautiful children.
Happy New Year!
Spirit Bodies
I was reliving an experience I had in my intuitive meditation class last week. We were asked to postulate sitting our bodies in a chair as if they were separate from us and stand with our hands on their shoulders. As I approached my body, I began to cry.
At the end of the exercise, I received validation from my teacher that my tears were confirmation of my connection with spirit. Just as many of us get “confirmation chills,” I have been learning that when I see the spirit in others, I cry, that is my confirmation sign.
So this morning, as I was reliving the experience during prayer, I received the following message. It was powerful and simple, and I thought I would share.
“When our spirit bodies connect, we want to celebrate what they do, or don’t do every time, as it is a gift to have recognized one another.
To let that energy flow, to not control it, to be open to the message, for there is always a message. Some are subtle, some are not. Prepare yourself to listen with an open heart and a quiet analyzer mind, and you will hear the divine wisdom meant for you at the perfect time.”
My message ended with “namaste.” So I decided to research the origin and meaning of the word. I loved what I found so much that I decided to share that too.
“Originating in India, the gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka to increase the flow of Divine love, close the eyes to help the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect.
Nama means bow, as means I, and te means you. Therefore, namaste literally means “bow me you” or “I bow to you.”
For a teacher and student, Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.
The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart.”
Namaste my friends, Namaste.
A Chilling Affirmation
This affirmation, when read aloud with intention, sent chills down my arms this morning. If you feel them too, let me know.
I am a host for the Host of Love Intelligence that assembles within the heart of every man at this blessed time of year.
My consciousness spreads w i d e with the gift of divine connection – so wide that It’s very presence engulfs and transforms even the smallest atomic particles within my domain.
I am the true gift of Spirit this season and I am grateful for the infinity of opportunities to be such a carrier medium this day.
One by one, love touching love, we move into the Higher image and likeness of God Intelligence. And so it is.
If you’d like to be inspired every morning by Reverend Angela’s Blessings, sign up at www.angelaperegoff.com.
Shopping For The Holidays
My friends at MissRepresentation.org have been diligently working to challenge the media to portray women and girls in a positive light, to show them expressing important ideas and opinions, instead of being hyper-sexualized and objectified.
I stand with MissRepresentation.org, ToGetHerThere.org, SeeJane.org, and many others, who believe in that inspiring future. With MissRep’s recent victory in persuading Spirit Halloween to remove unnecessarily sexualized language describing children’s costumes from their website, worldwide film screenings reaching thousands of viewers, and recent power plays on Black Friday to avoid sexiest products, I’d say progress is being made.
To that end, with December upon us, it’s essential that we continue to stay aware of the media we are consuming and sharing with our friends and family. We hold the purse strings. We vote with our dollars. We can send the biggest message of all by NOT buying. Millions of movies, books, music, magazines and video games will be given as gifts over the next few weeks. We must be conscious of the way our women and girls, our sisters, cousins, mothers and friends, are represented in every THING we buy and make sure to support products that inspire and empower the gender.
A Mighty Girl.com has lists of girl-positive gifts in almost every category of media — check it out! #MediaWeLike on Pinterest highlights media recommended by the MissRep community for people of all ages. Lastly, of course, MissRepresentation itself is currently available on DVD and can be a great way to talk about media awareness with the ones you love because Media Literacy is an important human issue.
So as you shop this holiday season, keep in mind the old character building adage what I say and how I say it, tells others the kind of person I am. Before you buy ask yourself this question, “Does this gift acrately reflect the kind of notions, ideas and values I want to perpetuate in the collective consciousness of life?” If so, then give freely and with an open heart. If not, then thank you for being honest, and maybe you can find something else that better reflects who you are and the kind of world you’d rather live in. We are the change. Happy shopping.
queen of connection | Shelby L. Phillips 