The Other Place

Today I'm thinking about The Other Place, this out-of-the-way

resort on the Comal River in New Braunfels that we love.

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Breathwork With Ben

This evening I am gratefully relaxed after Breathwork With Ben.

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Empathy And Mindfulness

Today I'm thinking about empathy and feeling grateful to 

my friend Jennifer, who sent this Plato wisdom my way recently. 

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PPBF: Yoga Frog

Today's PPBF is so stinkin' adorable; prepare to fall in love with Yoga Frog.

Title: Yoga Frog

Author: Nora Carpenter

Illustrator: Mark Chambers

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Birthday: May 29, 2018

Suitable for ages: preK-3rd grade (and beyond)

Themes: mindfulness, relaxation, yoga

Brief synopsis: Travel with Yoga Frog through 19 yoga poses to help you 

re-energize and get back in touch with your happy self.

Opening page: 

Every morning, Yoga Frog wakes with the sun and stretches his arms high above his head. Sometimes he's still tired. Sometimes he's even a tad grumpy. 

He isn't really a morning frog.

When he's not feeling his happy, froggy self, or if he wants to feel better, Yoga Frog knows just what to do: yoga! Join him! 

Resources: Check out the author's website {here}.

Read a Publishers Weekly review {here}.

Do yoga with Frank the Frog and Cosmic Kids {here}.

Sing the I Am Yoga song with Emily Arrow.

Compare and contrast Yoga Frog with I Am Yoga by Susan Verde. 

Why I like this book: Such a playful way to introduce our littlest learners to the practice of yoga as a way to stretch, relax and regroup. The author and illustrator work together in harmony to explain and show the poses, sharing their everyday names along with their Sanskrit names. I loved the bonus Note To Parents in the back along with a perforated fold-out poster of the precious frog 

practicing all of the poses.

In a world in which children are increasingly stressed out,

it's so important to find ways to stay in the moment,

to relax and restore, and to unwrap the present.

Check out this book for help with doing just that.
Put it in a calm-down caddy or a Peace Room.

Then head to Susanna Hill's blog for today's other PPBF picks.

Oh, and May the Fourth be with you. 

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Fighting Fearona

Today's post will be a busy one; first, I'm excited to announce the winner of 

Bubble Gum Brain. Our random generator selected comment number 4. 

So if this is your reflection, congrats!

 Please email your postal address so I can get your signed copy on its way. 

Secondly, I'm excited to share another Vlog with you; 

in it, I ask an important reflection question about what hydrates you. 

Click the Magic Beadz image below to watch it on You Tube.

You'll also hear me talk about the book Unmapped Potential by Julie Hasson and Missy Lennard. Click the image below to download the educator's guide to this treasure that tackles those mental maps that we all have, some of which might threaten to keep us from reaching our potential if we're not willing to ask ourselves some serious map-changing questions.  

The authors, also known as the Purposeful Principals, suggest that we admit and become personally acquainted with our negative attitudes and fixed mindsets because we there's benefit in not only claiming them, but naming them. 

Then as an exclamation point on their suggestion, mindset guru Carol Dweck said the same thing in her ASCA keynote and went on to explain their function:

So I've decided to name my fixed mindsets Fearona.

Since I find myself fighting Fearona a lot lately, it really helped me to know that Fearona is only trying to protect me. I need to recognize what she's doing when she's doing it so I can step in and care-front her about it. I'm working on a script to self that goes something like this: Fearona, I appreciate that you're looking out for me, I really do, but I can't possibly grow to reach my potential if you keep getting in my way. Kindly step aside; we've got this. 

I promise to let you know if I need you. 

And then, as if the cosmos were trying to fuel my fight with Fearona, 

Joshua and I spied this banner in Aggieland yesterday. 

Most days, that's him and not me, but I'm working toward integrating that ideal into my mental map, for sure. Have you named your fixed mindsets? What's your most promising practice for unlocking those negative scripts so that you can tap into your greatest growth and become the best version of yourself?

Finally, this month's Free Spirit Press guest post went live this morning, so click the graphic below to go and read my mindfulness suggestions for all students, but especially to assist our learners with ADHD.

Happy 7/13/17; 

don't you love that this week's dates are palindromes?

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Inspiring Mindfulness

Today I'm thinking about mindfulness.

About being in the moment.

About savoring every second.

About the power of deep breathing.

You see, chaos has come calling a lot lately; 

October tends to be like that.

Lots of planning, lots of running around.

Football games.

Band competitions.

Homecoming Weekend.

Character Counts Week.

Red Ribbon Week.

Hometown Heroes pep rally.

Fall festivals.

At-risk data collection.

SOCKtober.

Halloween.

But just because chaos invites us in

doesn't mean we have to go, right?

I found myself helping some fifth-grade girls

breathe through their drama today,

and wondered why I don't do more of that for myself.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

And be.

Just be.

I often wake up craving a nap.

To get away.

To relax.

To restore.

And I think it's a wake-up call

to do a better job with mindfulness and self-care.

So in my research, I've found these resources:

Click {here} for a post for ideas to help us pause & refocus.

Help manage big emotions with these yoga poses.

Check out these fun mindfulness exercises.
A meditation for your wandering mind {here}.

***************************

In case you missed my guest post at Free Spirit Press last week on the importance of teaching fairness, click {here} to go there.

And, as an update in our personal journey,

Joshua's high school marching band

qualified as one of the 39 6A bands to march in the

Texas State Marching Band Competition.

So next Tuesday, they'll take their show called

Dot To Dot

to San Antonio to perform in the Alamodome.

As the dots on the field during this year's poetry-in-motion unfold,

engaged spectators are visually inspired with reminders to

Look Forward,

Trust In Something,

Follow Your Heart,

Connect The Dots.

We are so proud of their hard work,

their determination and drive,

their passion and perseverance

in their quest for the best

and we thank the dedicated directors,

the proud and very patient parents,

and the valued volunteers

for giving of their time and talent

to be that village that every child needs.

Good luck, Band.

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The Practice of Mindfulness

Today I'm excited because I'm on assignment again at Free Spirit and, this time, I'm talking about the practice of mindfulness. Click the graphic below to go there and read my guest post.

What are some ways that you help yourself stay in the moment?

Check out Go Zen {here}, 

Goldie Hawn's MindUP curriculum {here}, 

and HeartMath Tools {here}.

Then, before the week is out, challenge yourself to actively notice

five new things about a loved one, a favorite activity, or a place that you frequent. Predict what might surprise you. How might doing this more often help you? How does being in the moment and getting in touch with all of your senses enrich your daily habits and routines?

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Being Strong

As I close my eyes for the night, I've got this weekend's renewal retreat on my mind. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to go. I told myself it wouldn't be the same without my cousin Amy, who went with me last year. I told myself that I didn't have the energy to go. I told myself I wasn't feeling strong enough right now, to be social, to connect, and to share. The truth is that I needed to go, Amy or no Amy, to find that energy, to regain that strength. It wasn't by accident that I wore my Ellie's Explorers shirt to climb the Challenge Tower yesterday.

Click the t-shirt to support Ellie's Stroll Against Epilepsy.

Ellie is one of my heroes; 

I wrote about her {here} back in 2012.

She was on my heart as I ascended that fifty-foot tower.

I decided to take the climb slow and steady,

to stay in the moment.

I noted the breeze as I rested on the ledge

and was keenly aware of the warm sun on my skin.

Sometimes those blocks seemed just out of reach

and at one point, I almost said enough.

That's when the coach on the belay pointed out that

I was only a body's length from reaching my goal.

So despite shaky legs and weakened hands, I kept going.

You'll have to take my word about the breathtaking view at the top.

Life's a climb like that.

Sometimes things get challenging and it seems like our goals are

 just out of reach.

But we forge on,

cheered on by those who love us,

stopping to rest when we need to,

and making sure 

to be in the moment,

to breathe in the journey,

to enjoy the view along the way.

Thank you, Ellie, for showing me what

being strong 

looks like, sounds like & feels like.

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A Cushion Of Calm

Words aren't flowing as freely as I'd like them to as I attempt to recap the renewal and restoration I experienced at last weekend's retreat, so I'm borrowing the phrase ~ a cushion of calm ~  from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young to describe what has enveloped me.

The invitation came last July as I was sitting in the airport awaiting my flight to Santa Barbara for a kindness training: Would you be willing to be the featured speaker at our annual Women's Retreat? And my answer, without giving it any thought at all, was yes! The theme would be Real Grace and I'd have three one-hour sessions throughout the weekend to share relevant reflections that would help the women renew and restore. For nine months, seeds of grace germinated in my heart and mind. I prayed and prepared and prayed some more. I hand-picked some inspirational verses and made this interactive vision board.

Thanks to social media, my cousin Amy, whom I'd not seen or interacted with in 25 years, found out about and was able to register for the retreat. I'm still in awe of how similar she and I are in personality despite the distance of years and miles between us. Our reunion instantly felt like we'd known each other forever! 

 A teacher from our school family, Ann, also came along. A relaxed Friday night, with ice breakers and a touching candle-light devotion prior to an early tuck-in time, started the retreat off on an incredibly high note. Of course, Amy and I had a lot of catching up to do, so it was just way past midnight when we finally fell asleep. We woke up to this beautiful canvas just outside our window.

It set the scene for an equally-gorgeous day filled with food, fun, festivities and faith. My interactive sessions {Grace & Gifts, Grace & Gratitude} went really well, the weather cooperated for the nature hike and the scavenger hunt, and the songs of praise and worship throughout the day tugged at our heartstrings and left not a dry eye in the group of women, two-dozen strong, as we connected with our innermost being and with the gift of one another.

I made it a little farther up the Challenge Tower than this picture shows and feel certain I could have made it to the top, but a victory for me personally was allowing myself to be done before I'd finished. 

Permission. 

To say enough. 

And be okay.

After a Bunco tournament, S'mores by the fire, and a thunderstorm complete with a grand lightning display, we were ready for a good night's sleep. Sunday morning brought us back to the table for biscuits & gravy, then into our last session to talk about Grace & Glory. I shared the story of my great Aunt Norma before turning it over to the ladies for a recap. They found their partners by connecting the pieces of a puzzle that they would find inside an empty plastic heart and tying the verse in to a take-away from the weekend.  

Their heartfelt thoughts were more powerful than anything I could have come up with and they totally put the exclamation point on our time together. We talked about the metaphor of the heart, how there is strength in our brokenness because it's through those cracks that Light can shine. The ballad Tell Your Heart To Beat Again by Phillips, Craig & Dean, followed by an emotional circle-up Benediction, 

launched us into greatness.

Such a blessing, to be saturated in grace 

and enJOY that cushion of calm.

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The Summertime Shine

Happy July!

Today I'm wondering what makes you shine. 

From the inside out? 

And then back again. From the outside in?

For me, it's working hard. Really hard.

And then knowing when to stop. To relax. And refuel.

Summertime provides a platform for just that.

It's a time to relax.

Rejuvenate.

Refresh.

Renew.

Restore.

Remember.

Because August comes around again quickly enough.

And we want need to be ready to shine.

For ourselves and our future.

From the inside out.

And from the outside in!

Shine on, friends.

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A Stress-Free Me

The calendar tells me that Christmas is officially just a week off and I'm staring at it in disbelief, because, how can that be? And as joyful as the end-of-the-year festivities can be, they can also bring with them a certain amount of stress.

Stress balls or busses, stars or spacecraft anyone?

Here's the good news: 
Stress is a choice!
You can choose to not let holiday stress to ruin your fun.
What are your best practices for keeping stress at bay?

I wrote a guest post with my suggestions {here}.
E-learning online has an interactive page about stress relief {here}.
And there's a calendar of ideas to help you de-stress {here}.

Additionally, here's a post I received by email this week:

Parenting Tips For Stress-Free Holidays

Prevent Child Abuse Texas offers the following tips to help families enjoy the holidays while keeping tension to a minimum:

1.   Establish a budget for holiday spending. Be realistic about what you can afford to spend on gifts, entertainment, decorations for the home, special foods, travel, etc.

2.   Hold a family meeting to discuss holiday plans. Ask for ideas from the children for family activities that would appeal to them.

3.    Post a calendar of family activities in a place where all family members will see it. Ask each person to remind you of school events, church activities, parties, etc.

4.    Remind children that a gift’s importance is not determined by the amount of money spent on it. Handmade gifts and freshly baked cookies are welcome and appreciated by friends and relatives.

5.    Check community calendars and local lists of events to find inexpensive or free activities for children. Write all possibilities on individual slips of brightly colored paper and put them in a “holiday fun jar.”  When children have been especially cooperative with other family members, allow them to choose a slip of paper from the jar. Then, the family can enjoy an afternoon of skating, sledding or other fun activity together.

6.    Have your children make a list of elderly or shut-in neighbors in your area. Plan to share a meal, some of your time, or run errands for these neighbors. Explain to children that helping and sharing are important elements of special holidays.

7.    Find time to relax and reflect on the simple joys of the holidays. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, take a break to get a better perspective on what needs to be done and what can be done.

8.    If you find that it is becoming difficult to avoid being verbally or physically harsh with your children, STOP. Don’t take out your anger on your kids. Instead, try the following:

·         Take a deep breath and count to 20.

·         Phone a friend.

·         Take a walk outside, or use another form of exercise.

·         Laugh. Even a comedy show on television will help relieve stress.

·         Spend one hour doing something you really enjoy.

Prevent Child Abuse Texas is the leading organization working to prevent the abuse and neglect of our state’s children.

More information is available by accessing the organization’s web site {here}.

Cheers to a stress-free we! 

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Connections Countdown Calendar

Today I'm excited about getting back to work after a week off and sharing a spinoff of my Kindness Countdown Calendar from last December. 
It's a Connections Calendar; click it to download.

And while we know that kindness, joy, love and caring certainly aren't exclusive to (nor can they be constrained by) an end-of-the-year calendar, here are some links to other festive December ideas:

An Advent Calendar at 100 Days of Real Food {here}.

Christmas Countdown Activities at Living Montessori Now {here}.

Pennies of Time Holiday Service Projects Pinterest Page {here}.

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Squirrels and Owls and Snakes, Oh My!

The pleasant drop in temperature has allowed for more time outside in nature's backyard recently, and that makes my heart happy. Many days after my after-school power nap, I sit on our porch swing or by the pool, doing nothing but watching the sun set while the bats and other flying friends glide effortlessly through the air. I especially like the yellow-crested night herons; 
they're majestic, in an awkward sort of way. 
I love the sound of the bird calls, 
of the cicadas' song, 
and of silence.
Here now, a picture walk from the last few weeks 
at our home in Friendswood, Texas.

After taking a rest on our okra plants, this Monarch lady evidently laid her eggs on our butterfly weed;

I was shocked to see these very hungry caterpillars in September.

These adorable little lizards always come 

to my breakfast nook window to watch me blog.

They are so much fun to watch.

This squirrel came a knockin' last Saturday,

because guess whooooo was hunting in the tree nearby?

Yep, a Barred Owl had its eye on one of that squirrel's furry friends.

And while I'm pretty sure this slippery snake got away ...

... it left something valuable behind.

{And I'm still not sure why John felt the need to bring it inside}.

Talk about falling to pieces ...

Happy Fall y'all!

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