Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — The waves kept coming. And coming. It if weren’t for the rocky shore, I couldn’t have sat where I was. The water would have come much further. The waves would have calmly died out. Slowed down. Quietly. And then the next waves would have arrived, continuing the pattern. But, there were rocks. There was the shore. The barricade. It’s where the water churned. The waves collided. The ocean roared. These rocks are immovable, but I know they’re smaller than they used to be. The powerful water has acted as sandpaper and the barricade is smaller as a result. Some water gets through. While recently watching and … [Read more...]
The Heart of the Matter
May 13, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Did you get what you wanted for Mother’s Day? Did you give what your mother wanted? I’ve turned my blog over to Tina Hollenbeck today. She wrote this as her column for tomorrow’s Celebrate Kids newsletter, but I wanted you to read it. Not only are her ideas important, I hope it will encourage you to subscribe to the free newsletter here so you get quality thoughts like this every other Tuesday. --- The Heart of the Matter by Tina Hollenbeck A few days before Mother’s Day, my husband asked me what I’d like for a gift. I knew he wanted to show his genuine appreciation and that my daughters would want … [Read more...]
Do You Extend Hope to Others?
May 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Do you extend hope to others? If you have some, I hope you do. We shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. Does it have to be a big deal? A time consuming conversation? The giving away of something you value? No. Might it be? Yes, and it would be worth it. Can it be a smile shared as you walk past a coworkers? Yes. a genuine question, asking someone how she is, and showing with body language, eye contact, and facial expression, that you do want and care about a real answer? Yes. an anonymous gift of money to someone who needs it? Yes. asking someone for practical help so a need you have is met, but more importantly … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 8 – Self Smart
April 17, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Howard Gardner’s research that determined we each have eight intelligences has certainly encouraged thousands and thousands of people. I’ve enjoyed writing about each of the eight intelligences in detail these past two months. Today, we finish this series with details about self smart, or intrapersonal intelligence. Although last in our list, it’s not last in importance. The importance of each is determined by our call, passions, and purposes. For some people, this intelligence is key to their success so they’d rate it high in importance. Others wouldn’t. As I explained in their posts, word … [Read more...]
Letting Go to Steward Better
April 15, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Joey came to my home to cut off the dead limb from a tree in my front yard. I noticed it dying this winter as bark occasionally fell off. I wanted the limb cut off mostly so it wouldn’t break off in one of our frequent wind and thunderstorms. Of course, it was a bit ugly, too, as compared to the rest of the tree. I was concerned a disease might have caused the limb to die. I was relieved to learn that wasn’t the case. (Apparently when fruitless mulberry trees reach a certain age, limbs often begin to die.) Joey told me cutting the limb off was wise because the tree was still expending energy to that limb. By getting … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 5 – Body Smart
March 20, 2013 by · 4 Comments
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Each of our smarts, or intelligences, is born into us, but must be awakened by meaningful encounters with people and/or things. My body smart, or bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, was awakened when my parents enrolled me in ballet and tap dance lessons when I was about six-years-old. Prior to dance class, I was certainly moving, but I was clumsy and unsure of myself. Dancing increased my confidence and coordination. I went from taking lessons to becoming an assistant teacher. When I got older, I especially enjoyed softball and racquetball. I also spent years on drill teams and in marching bands. These … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 3 – Picture Smart
March 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Surrounding ourselves with people different from us enriches our personal and professional lives. I’m not terribly picture smart so I’m very grateful for the people in my life who are. To be honest, sometimes they frustrate me. But, that’s when I choose (most of the time) to appreciate our differences. It takes character. Especially before understanding that each intelligence has value, I might have been jealous of creative, artsy people. I might have avoided them because I didn’t like feeling inferior when we did certain things together. I’m not proud of that. I’m just being … [Read more...]
Kathyism #16 – 5 Core Needs: “Security”
February 21, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
In today's video Dr. Kathy continues with the "5 Core Needs Series" by addressing our first core need of "Security." In it she shares the ingredients necessary to develop a healthy sense of security within our children as well as how we can model trustworthiness. Check out today's Kathyism video and if you find the video helpful please consider sharing it with your social networks to help spread the word. Have a great day! … [Read more...]
What do you think about perfection and perfectionists?
February 8, 2013 by · 1 Comment
What do you think about perfection and perfectionists? Over the past month, I’ve posted several blogs related to perfectionism to help promote Jill Savage’s book. I hope you’ve been thinking about the topic and wondering how you’re influenced by it. Today, I’ve asked Jill to share with you directly. I love what she writes near the end: “While we’re pursuing perfection, we’re missing out on the most precious parts of life: the laughter of silliness, the joy of spontaneity, the lessons found in failure, and the freedom found in grace.” Do you agree? Read on…. Guest Post—Jill Savage www.JillSavage.org www.HeartsatHome.org www.NoMorePerfectMoms.com When child number one threw a fit in the grocery store one … [Read more...]
Parents Appreciate Learning About Their Children – Pick Up “No More Perfect Moms”
February 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Parents appreciate learning about how their children are smart for several reasons. One I’ve seen evidenced in many of my audiences is that “imperfect” is redefined as “different.” That’s a powerfully important change! Some children are very word smart so they learn to read and write easily and enjoy both. Others aren’t as word smart and they may struggle to learn and/or they may not enjoy reading in their spare time. That doesn’t make them imperfect. It just makes them different. I’ve seen children damaged by perfectionism. And, I’ve talked with more moms than I can count about the damage they do to themselves when trying to be perfect. Unrealistic expectations they have for themselves and their families are … [Read more...]
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