Now that our family vacation is coming to an end, I  feel like I am beginning a new year, instead of a new season.  The back to school process always snaps me back into a regular routine that summer and vacation has gotten me out of.  Many other Moms often feel the same way.

The end of summer becomes for many, not just for moms, a reminder of how quickly summer and our lives pass us by.  Our children are going into a new grade and we ask ourselves, “where did the years go?”

The part of summer that I have a hard time letting go off is the laid back, less hectic way of living.  Schedules are not as rigid, vacations are enjoyed and everyone you meet seems to be moving at a much slower pace.

So how can you take a part of your summer and carry it over into the fall months?

Take a mini vacation.  Vacations do not have to be saved for summer.  A few day trips on the weekends in October can be a welcome treat for parents and kids alike. Call it a vacation and treat it like that. Get out your calendar and pick a day. It is always great to have something to look forward to.

Keep a check on your attitude.  What is your perspective you carry into the fall months?  Is it all about the crazy schedule, lunches to pack, snow coming, crazy Christmas season??  It is our attitude that causes our stress so if you are dreading the summer months coming to an end, do an inventory of what your thoughts are.  Maybe it’s time, as they say, for an “attitude adjustment”

Slow down. With fall registrations for activities coming up, our schedules will soon be full. I know for our family, the fall is a very busy time as judo, dance and hockey starts up. Because of hectic schedules, it is very important to remember to take the time to slow down. Make sure you include some time to relax at home.  Being busy is fine as long as  you enjoy what you are doing and if it is balanced out with some down time.  If you or your kids are involved in activities that you don’t ‘LOVE”, consider dropping them.  If you are spending time and energy on these things, make sure you really enjoy them.                   

Summers are amazing and being away from our regular routines is what many of us need in order to recharge.  The thing is, if we live for our summers or for our next vacation, it means we are “not living” for the majority of our lives because our summer and vacations make up a small portion of our year. Enjoying what’s in front of us is really what true living is all about. And yes, that includes snow shoveling, making lunches, carting kids half way around the province and fighting with them to do their homework. And on the days when you feel like pulling your hair out…keep in mind “this too shall pass”, pour yourself a Moose Light Lime, slap on some sunless tanning lotion, crank up Bon Jovi’s “Summer Time” and dream of the lazy, hazy days of summer that are just around the corner!           

Family Add new tag, back to school, balanced, end of summer, family vacation, routine, time to relax

Contemplate for a minute the last few weeks. Have they been full of energy drainers or energy producers?

How do you feel at the end of the day? Do you fall into bed exhausted, dreading the next day? Is your mind racing? Do you wake up in the morning just as exhausted as you did the night before? Does your brain kick into overdrive as you think about your To-Do list?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you have more energy drainers in your day than energy producers.

I am a firm believer that how we go about our day is our choice. If you are feeling totally drained and overwhelmed on a fairly consistent basis, this is a clue that you need to reassess what is going on in your day.

Ask yourself these questions:

• How do I start my day?
• What do I think about when I jump out of bed in the morning?
• What nutritional choices do I regularly make throughout the day?
• How about exercise - Is it plentiful or non-existent?
• Am I always rushing through everything?
• Is there a task I want to accomplish but continue to put off?
• Do I always need to feel in control and be right?
• Does every task I do need to be accomplished perfectly?
• Do I complain and gossip more than I laugh?
• Do I spend more time watching reality TV than I do creating my own desired reality?
• Am I constantly thinking about what is missing from my life?
• Do I spend most of my time ruminating about the past or worrying about the future?
• Have I been spending more time scolding my kids than praising them?
• Does my career energize or drain me?

Give some really serious consideration to these questions and even go a step further and journal your answers, thoughts and feelings about them. What many women believe is that they are a victim of their circumstances and have little control over their lives - the absolute opposite is true.

Yes, there are situations beyond our control however it is our choice as to how we will let those situations dictate our lives. It is our choice as to whether we make decisions that will enhance our health and well-being. Anything is possible taken step by step.

Give some thought to these words…“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”

If you are not satisfied with your present lifestyle, are you ready to do things differently? You get to choose.

Balance, Wellness

If there is one word that I hear more than any other in today’s society, it is “STRESS”.

I have presented information on this topic in my job as a nurse as well in my coaching with women. Women are sometimes consumed with multiple stressors all happening at the same time. In coaching, I am often supporting women in decreasing their stressors and increasing their stress resistance so they are better equipped to handle the daily stressors in their life.

One of the greatest stress management tools you can possess, however, is the ability to put everything into perspective. How you perceive your life has a profound effect on how you deal with stress and your level of happiness.

For an event to be a stressor, we first need to perceive it as such. What if we were to take note of the little daily demands that we find stressful and experiment with changing our perception of these demands?

Look at your commute to work in heavy traffic as an opportunity to listen to your favorite music or motivational CD. How about using your supper preparation as a time to spend with the kids. Get them involved in some way. Stress is in the eye of the beholder. What may be one person’s stressor could be another’s saviour.

This week also experiment with the role your thoughts have in how calm or chaotic your day is. Notice how negative thoughts can spiral into a stressful day and when the majority of your thoughts are positive, your daily routine tends to run much smoother.

We are often doing the same daily tasks but some days they seem more overwhelming than others. Why - because of how we perceive them. Certain days preparing supper can be an enjoyable task while other times it is one more job added to my TO DO list. It totally depends on my thinking.

One simple way to reduce the stress and create more balance in your life - change your thinking. Recognize when negativity takes over your day and stop it ASAP. When we start thinking our life is overwhelming, it will become just that.

Start living in the moment and remind yourself how precious life is. Practice becoming more flexible as life always involves a series of changes. Embrace then instead of resisting them. We only go around this way once!!!

Quote by Gillian MacBeth-Louthan:

“Whenever a negative thought comes, delete it and replace it with a good thought or good
intention. This will take some practice and concentrated effort, but it can be done.
Instead of continuously manifesting what you do not want in your life, change your focus. Practice adjusting the lens of your perception.

It is Universal law that all of life will respond to our thoughts.
So hold on tight to what your heart desires.”

Balance, Wellness

Have you ever had a difficult decision to make and your head was telling you one thing while your heart was telling you another?

Recently, I had an opportunity to experience this for myself.

My son, Sam, who just finished kindergarten, was registered for French Immersion. His sister, Maggie, had just completed Grade 2 French and loved every minute of this experience. When my husband and I had decided to place Maggie in Immersion, it required some thought and discussion with the school and other parents. For anyone who has talked to parents regarding their views on French Immersion, you know that there are many opinions and in the end you just have to do what will work best for you and your child.

Because Maggie was in Immersion, we automatically placed Sam in it with little hesitation. He was a strong student and loved school. Although, initially shy, quickly warmed up and made some great friends. When I announced to Sam that he would be going into Immersion and moving to a different school for Grade One, he just nodded in agreement.

The decision to do this - which was once clear - quickly became more difficult. Sam soon found out that his three very best friends (in the whole wide world) were remaining in the English program and that is where he was going to stay!

Here is where the head versus the heart comes in. For the next few months my head spoke to me. My head told me that he would quickly make new friends; it doesn’t make sense to keep him back from this opportunity because his friends aren’t going, he would be in a different program than his sister, and on and on my head spoke very clear and logical explanations as to why I should stick with my decision.

Move over head, here comes the heart. As strong and clear as the reasoning of my head, the emotion of my heart was stronger. It became increasingly clear to me that I needed to listen to it. Yes, my son was only 6 but he knew exactly what he wanted. His heart was telling him, he wanted to be with his friends. I knew I could always choose Late Immersion. I knew that Sam would learn French fluently at some point in his life. Maybe it would be more difficult later on, I understood this. However, knowing he was starting Grade One, running onto the bus, excited to be with his three best friends, that to me was far more important.

When my husband and I finally let our heart win, all our anxieties and worries quickly melted away. When we told others, not everyone agreed with this decision, however when a mother knows in her heart what is best for her child that is all she needs to listen to.

Will Sam remain friends with these young boys? Who knows? All I know is that I have given him an opportunity that feels right for our family. In the grand scheme of things, in the words of Robert Fulghum from “All I ever really needed to know I learned in kindergarten”, Sam has learned the most important lesson already from these three boys…”When you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.” I have just given him another chance to practice.

So next time you have a difficult decision to make, no matter what area of life it may be in, listen for what feels right. Keep in mind that our head can be very influential but our heart never lies.

Balance, Family, Wellness

As women, we are often sharing our life experiences and knowledge in the form of advice. We generously volunteer information that may help a friend, co-worker or family member.

While doing a personal growth exercise during a course I was taking, I was asked the question, “What life advice would you give yourself?” Giving others advice often comes naturally, however, this question took some contemplating. I started thinking about what words of wisdom I would want my children to know.

Here is what I wrote:

Follow your dreams. Keep your goals in view. Live the life you want to live and do whatever it takes to make that happen. Don’t allow fear to consume you; instead let it propel you forward. Celebrate the successes no matter how small because small successes can be just as sweet as the big ones. Stay positive because negativity can kill your dreams and prevent you from reaching your goals. Life is all about choices. You decide how you want it to play out. Choose wisely. Concentrate each day on making a difference in someone else’s life. Nurture your relationships as they are truly what counts in this lifetime. Laugh and laugh some more. Live each day with your priorities in mind. Do not allow guilt to consume your life. Stop doing long enough to enjoy being. Lighten up and don’t take life so seriously, enjoy the process. Share your love through kind words, thoughtfulness and affection. Hug those you love and smile at strangers. Relish the memories of every stage of your child’s life. Be good to yourself everyday. Feed your body and mind with the best. Relax, deep breathe and give yourself a break. Strive to be happy, not perfect. Always be grateful and live in the moment. Tomorrow will take care of it self. Take every opportunity to spend time with those you love. The housework will always be there but those you love may not. Last but not least, pray a little every day.

Would any of this advice make a difference in your life? What wise words would you write for yourself or for your children?

The best advice I have ever heard can be summed up in a few words. They hang above the door of my living room and I read them daily…Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much. I cannot give myself or anyone else better advice than that.

Balance, Family, Wellness