I was shopping at Michael’s (the craft store)in the late afternoon when I heard a conversation in the next aisle between a mother and her six-year-old daughter.

As I listened to the excitement and love for her mother in the child’s voice and the drone of her mother’s responses, tears welled up in my eyes. I thought about how many times I’d done the same thing with my children when they were young. After all, I had a centerpiece to make, a decoration for the coffee table to think about, colors to consider, people to impress and not enough time!

December 12, 2014

Want to simplify this Christmas? No problem! My granddaughter Kaytee proudly demonstrates that even those of us with butterfingers, can decorate beautifully with...well....butterfingers! Watch her create a magical gingerbread house using that stash of Halloween candy we told you to save.

You still have that candy right? Well, if not, don't worry, we'll wait for you to go get some more and then get ready to have fun putting together this festive holiday favorite.

Ready to watch this fun video....to see how 9-year old Kaytee orders her older brothers around?   

The best gift you can give the world is to be healthy and happy.

December 11, 2014

Consider this: What if you chose to come to this planet at this specific time, in this specific body with this specific life? And what if you knew before you came that you would never be alone, that you would be protected and loved every moment of your experience during your stay?

 What if this life experience you are having as you read this blog is exactly what you signed up for? Shakespeare said, “Life is a stage and we are actors upon it.” So imagine before you came here that you went over a bunch of scripts and you picked a play that really intrigued you and after much consultation with your fellow actors and from your angels you decided to come here and be YOU in this play called This is Your Life.

I had a dream many years ago on this topic. I walked into a large conference room where there was much laughter. I focused in on a very large black man dressed in a glorious, white African tribal chief’s robe. When I approached the oval table he looked at me with great love and his eyes sparkled with joy. He asked me if I had any questions about my life, so I asked him, “What happens to evil people when they die?”

Posted by Pam Young

Have you heard people say, “The kids today have short attention spans and because of quick-paced television, they’re used to watching three to four-second bites and become restless when the action is diminished.”? HOG WASH! As I sat in an Amtrak station waiting for a train that was 38 minutes late, I watched a grandmother read Curious George to her five-year-old grandson.

From my vantage point, she appeared to be a rather listless reader, void of expression, sound effects and lifted eyebrows accompanying some of Hans and Margaret’s incredible thoughts, yet the child was glued to his grandma’s side listening to the story.

When that book was finished, he pulled another from his backpack and she proceeded to read it in the same mundane way. The train turned out to be an hour late and the child remained interested in her reading the entire time. So much for the short attention span.

So here are what I believe are 6 benefits of reading bedtime stories to your children.

1. Cultivates Imagination

Now that visual stimulation is served up via television, IPads, IPhones, Xbox etc., children rarely get to tap into their imaginations unless we read to them, or until they can read. As a child, I loved radio (it was before we had television) because my imagination provided the visuals. Because we don’t have kid radio, unless we read to our kids, their ability to use their precious imaginations and be able to visualize will weaken.

I remember one Christmas, my daughter Peggy bought a bunch of children’s books at a neighborhood garage sale and recorded reading them on a cassette tape recorder for her non-reading cousins as gifts for Christmas. As adults, those cousins still speak of how they loved her gifts of being read to.

My husband Terry and I recorded books on CDs, the same way Peggy did with a cassette recorder. This way our grandchildren could listen to us read the books we gave them as gifts.

"Mmmm.... what's cooking?" That's the question you're bound to hear as this simple dish simmers on the stove sending a savory smell that truly excites the senses. One bite of these sautéed onions and mushrooms and you'll forget you ever craved those carb laden side dishes of the past.

Recipe:  

Mushroom and Onion Side Dish

4 large mushrooms sliced thinly

2 cups thinly sliced onion

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

One quarter cup almond flour

Melt coconut oil in large frying pan on medium high. Fry mushrooms and onions until they begin to brown. Add cheese and almond flour and seasoning. Keep cooking until the contents are a delicious brown. Serves four.

Hope you enjoy the video!

Lack of motivation causes procrastination!

I’m always trying to figure out ways to use my creative mind to motivate me and then pass my discoveries on to you. I’m sort of like a walking SHE (Sidetracked Home Executive) research lab.

As you know, if you’re a SHE, you have a retarded concept of time and then it’s, “Holy Smoke! It’s December 23, Christmas is in two days!” So why not use your divine gift of imagination to quick-start your motivation? 

Here’s my idea and it’s so simple, just pretend it’s December 23, and evoke a little panic and a good dose of adrenalin into your system. Because you’re a SHE, you know that familiar terror you’ve felt over years of last-minute shopping for holiday gifts. You’ve experienced that very un-Christmassy feeling you get from dashes to the mall with its irritating marketing to get you to buy “mine,” “mine,” “mine,” like those seagulls in Finding Nemo.

And don’t beat yourself up for knowing exactly how horrible that feels; according to the National Retail Federation, nearly 32 million people will not have started their shopping by Dec 9! (I should get them on my mailing list.)

Just thinking about the chaos of post-Christmas morning, I wrote this poem in the hopes that while you shop this holiday season you’ll think of ways to cut down on the clutter of it all. Here’s the video of me reading that poem. I think you'll like it...especially if it reminds you of your Christmas mornings past.

To hear Julie Andrews sing this lovely song click on Julie:

One of the best ways to cut down on Christmas clutter is to give cash as your gift. My Stick it Right on the Money Gift Giving Kit will help you give money in a funny way.

There are almost 100 clever, fun stickers.   You put them on cash (yes, they peel off easily without damaging the money.)   Here is one of the stickers....see me behind them? The recipients of your disguised cash gift will roar with laughter.

You probably don’t need me to talk you into getting your rest during this holiday season, but I decided to give it a shot on this video clip anyway, because you do need your rest! Hey maybe just listening to me go on about something you already know will help put you to sleep.

 Sometimes things can get a little hectic on a holiday, especially if the gathering is at your house. Here is a grand idea to keep children busy for an hour or so before the festive meal is served. All you need is a sheet, some butcher paper (or newspapers) and marker pens. Let your little artists take over.