Let's Dance: Good Morning Song - HOPE

Hello all you lovely ladies that watch this. This is a great wake up song and dance to get your body moving and your mind tuned in to Hope. It is not the best quality, video, or leading. But I've been wanting to share it for a few years now so I just quickly recorded me doing it to capture it. I'll eventually get a recording where it's actually done in a class with people--cues and all. But this is better than nothing, hopefully! 

The goal with this song and any others I have made is to get people enjoying moving to hopeful and empowering songs. The moves are supposed to help reinforce the feeling and words of the music. Only positive, uplifting, empowering songs here for that reason.

When I make up moves, I have to feel the music. Sometimes I have friends help finesse the moves, or borrow ideas from other people who I feel have done a great job capturing the feeling and beat of the song. The goal is for it to be somewhat simple and enjoyable (though it maybe easier for those who are use to moving their bodies through dance. Ideally all can pick it up after just a few go-throughs.

So enjoy this wake-up song about HOPE and feeling it rise within you as you "wake up to a brand new day" full of opportunities and new chances. God is with you and "Gives [you] strength. He gives [you] just what [you] need."

"Good Morning" - Mandisa

-section 1-

Wave away my yesterday (A=walk foward: large arm waves R,L,R,L)
Cause I'm leaving it behind me. (B=walk backward: shoulder roll back R,L,R,L)
Hello sunshine, come what may. (repeat A)
I feel something new inside me. (Repeat B)

I hear the birds singing (v-step: L hand up, R hand up; L down, right down)
Now my alarm's ringing (repeat v-step)
Get up, get up, hey! (pause to stretch)

-section 2-
It's a good morning! (stop; grapevine R two steps on "morning")
Wake up to a brand new day (continue grapevine step 3, tap L on "to", tap R/L-strong arms during taps) 
This morning, (revers grapevine L: step 1-2 on "morning)
I'm stepping, stepping on my way (step 3 on "stepping"; tap R,L,R-strong arms during taps)
Good morning (reverse; grapevine R two steps on "morning")
You give me strength, (continue grapevine steps 2-3) 
You give me just what I need (tap L,R,L-strong arms)
And I can feel the hope that's rising in me. (stop: R hand on heart "I", L hand on heart "feel"; R arm down by side on "hope," L arm down on "that's"; lift/pump both arms up "Rising up in me")
It's a good morning (stop; reset for section 1)

--repeat section 1 movements--
Slow down, breathe in, Don't move ahead
I'm just living in this moment
I've got my arms raised, un-phased, Jump out of bed
Gotta get this party going

I went to bed dreaming,
You woke me up singing
Get up, get up, hey!

--repeat section 2--
It's a good morning!
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I'm stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength,
you give me just what I need
And I can feel the hope that's rising up in me.
It's a good morning

--section 3: stop: squat, legs wide--

(punch down L/R, lift both hands to chest--hold two beats; repeat this whole section each measure)
Now I'm smiling, and I'm kissing all my worries goodbye 

Got the feeling, if I spread my wings I might even fly
You are my truth, my way
Give me the strength to say
Get up, get up, get up
Cause it's a good morning, hey (pause; clap and bounce until next part)

Mr. Mac to the mic

[Chorus-Toby Mac]
Hey, top of the morning to you 'disa (C: R knee up, Left knee up; R punch, L punch)
You smoothie, me ice cold pizza (D:Dbl R shoulder bump, Dbl L shoulder bump)
Cafe au lait, latte dah (repeat C)
You do the zumba, but I do not (repeat D)
Give me like half a marathon, (repeat C)
I'll give you the gospel of St. John. (repeat D)
Hits me like a wake-up bomb (repeat C)
Cuz' we both know that His mercy flows, (repeat D)

--repeat section 2--

In the morning.
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I'm stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength,
you give me just what I need
I can feel the hope that's rising up in me.
It's a good morning
Wake up to a brand new day
This morning,
I'm stepping, stepping on my way
Good morning,
You give me strength you give me just what I need
I can feel the hope that's rising up in me.

It's a good morning (stop for chorus)

[Repeat Chorus - Toby Mac]
Top of the morning to you 'disa (repeat C/D)

Hey, top of the morning to you girl (repeat C/D)

To-to-top of the morning to you 'disa (repeat C/D)

Morning little Miss Sunshine. (repeat C/D)
[Spoken]
Man, you morning people. (stop; relax)
No, I'm serious.

Natual Vision Improvement

So, I actually never wanted LASIK until just last year, when I got the strong urge to get it. BUt...I wasn't able to at that time because I was nursing. So I made a commitment to look into it as soon as my baby was weened. So I did.

After getting through the process, the day before the exam was my second appointment and they led me through the two waiting rooms and visits with three different people. I got checked by one of the eye Doctors who would perform the surgery...and he had glasses! I was a little baffled, so I asked. He said he had LASIK done twice and loves it! But that once you pass the age of 40 farsightedness catches up to EVERYONE, and you need to get surgery done again most likely. What?!?!

I was confused. I'd never heard of that--the general assumption that everyone's eye sight goes bad after 40. Well, I wasn't buying it. Strike one! Then I got to the end of the appointment 2 1/2 hours later (and after waiting two different times) and was told to pay for everything. The lady ran me through the papers, which mentioned having see the video explaining the process. What?!?! No one had shown me any video! I told her I hasdn't been shown a video, and she told me to finish the paperwork and then we could watch it. So I told her "no thank you," and that I'd like to see the video BEFORE I signed my life (and wallet) away. Strike two!

Then I watched the video and it was mostly what I was aware of, but there were other things in it that felt a little like when I met with the Doctor. And I just didn't feel settled about things. So...I cancelled my surgery (which was actually PRK, not LASIK. PRK is similar, but they don't cut a flap). And that night I went home and did lots of research. And now...strike three! I have a very different view about eyesight and eye doctors.

First, let me say that eye surgery may be very helpful for those who need it! Some people have had life-changing experiences because they can now focus on the people and things they need to without the hassle of glasses and contacts. That's a miracle and super helpful for many!

And I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but where eyesight is about -3 diopters or better, I think a natural eye improvement course is definitely worth consindering--if you are patient and disciplined in doing the exercises and things required to improve. (As with any exercise routine to strengthen muscles and get "fit.")

So what is this eye improvement mumbo-jumbo? 
Well, it started with an Eye Doctor Names Mr. William Bates, from the early 19th century. He believed that vision can improve by strengthening your eye muscles. He wrote a book called "Perfect Eyesight Without Glasses (free online version).

Basically each eye has two muscles  opposite each other on the sides, two opposite each other on the top and bottom, and two oblique muscles that wrap around the eye. So as you do exercises to strengthen those muscles you can naturally improve your eye sight. (think about it...our eye sight changes as our eye shape changes.)

A good way to check your eye muscles and see which are your weakest is to hold your thumb just away from your face and move it in a large circle, following it with your eye, without moving your head, so see/feel when your eyes feel sore. Mine were most sore as I looked up/up-diagonally. Mine were not too sore looking down or sideways. So I knew that my upper muscles and obliques needed the most help.


EYE EXERCISES
So to strengthen all your eye muscles, do a little eye yoga: stare at your thumb held out in front of you and breath in and out slowly as you go up and down, three times. Then do it sideways three times. Then do it on the diagonals each three times. (don't do it so long your eyes strain too much)
You could also do some eye tracing: use your eyes to trace sideways figure 8's (infinity sign). (You can pretend your nose is a paint brush.) This will use all those eye muscles.


EYE RELAXATION
Once you are done exercising you should do some eye relaxation. Your muscles need to rest. Like any good workout, have a cool down. Just rub hand together to get warm and then place your hands over your eyes so it's pitch black. Total darkness, plus warmth, allow your eyes a comfortable setting in which to fully relax. You could also do sunning, which allows the warmth of the dawn or dusk sunlight to warm your eyes in a gentle and safe way.

There's also the Long-Swing, which you basically stare at a wall to your left, while body faces forward, and then turn your head and stare at the wall on your right, still standing forward. You go back and forth, like you head is a swings from right to left, left to right. You do this for a minute or two, then you put your thumb up and and keep doing it for another minute or two. Then you close your eyes and do it a third time. (followed by palming) This allows your eyes to relax and not try to stare and focus at one static thing for so long.

In fact, another helpful activity similar in effects is "Magic Eye" pictures. Although it may take time to get it down, if you don't know how to do it. (My husband is awesome at it, but I had to work at it. But I can tell it's helped me by practicing a little everyon few nights---I keep a book by my bed, which my kids come and enjoy with me too.)

Massage is also excellent! Just take your thumb and pointer finger and put it under your eyebrow and push along the bone above and below the eye. you can also do some tapping along the that bone in a sideways figure-8 pattern while taking deep breaths (and I like to says some affirmations about seeing clearly and loving my eyes--which is funny because I normally don't love saying affirmations because it feel silly to me. But I do love my eyes...so why not?) :)

I knew this basic stuff three years ago and had a really great experience with it when I tried it for a week. But then life happened and I forgot all about this stuff. So after this near-LASIK experience I did lots of YouTube "natural eye improvement" video searches and read some articles and websites and books.I also joined some facebook groups for natural vision. This guy has a lot of helpful tutorial videos on some of the exercises I shared. So if you are confused about any, look them up.


VISION SELF-CHECK
It was interesting to me to learn that our vision fluctuates. It is actually not as static as we think; and that is why at the beginning of the day we usually see better than after a long day staring at screens. You can test this by taping up an eye chart in your bathroom, and every morning, afternoon, and evening staring at it from the same distance. You will see different lines differently. This is a great way to check your eyesight daily, but also with improvement over time. (My eye chart is about 10 ft away...because that's at what distance I could read the top letter. So do what works for you.)

Since starting my eye exercises two months ago, I've noticed my eyesight fluctuate a lot during the day, and I'm aware of my eye muscles better. I notice eye strain better than before, or atleast understand better what it is and how to counteract it. And as with any pain-awareness...now I can use that signal as a chance to change some behaviors.


BUILDING GOOD VISION HABITS
There's a few helpful habits that will reduce eye strain.
1. 20-20-20 Rule: If staring at a screen for 20 minutes, stop and take a short break (twith your eyes trace something atleast 20 feet away). Then you can return to your screen staring, should you choose. But also, try to make sure computer screens are atleast 20 inches away from your face if you can.
2. Active Vision: Always hold your books or hand-held devices far enough away that you can read the words, but they just start to get a little blurry. This is helpful because it allows your eye muscles to keep to actively working, instead of getting lazy. (sidenote/plea: please don't let your children sit with their nose practically touching the media screen! This litterally is ruining their eyes!
3. Media Light: Short wavelength blue light produced by low intensity displays such as smartphones and televisions has been identified as being damaging to human eye cells (rods and cones which receive light). The light is more damaging in low-light scenarios, so smart phones are starting to have better night-setting features to make up for this. But it may be a good idea to not read or watch things on your phone at night time...bad for the eyes (quite literally).
4. Reduce your dependence on Glasses: You should literally get reduced-perscription glasses. Zenni.com is the only place I know that you can enter your perscription. Both my eyes were -3 diopters, so I just go -2 for both. And my eyes are so much happier. I knew the -3 diopters were too strong for my eyes--which is why I would frequently pull them off. I always hated how eye doctors give you super strong perscriptions and now you have to test them every year. Hated it! And now I'm loving my reduced glasses. I can still see so much, but I don't need to see fine details far away the whole day. So not wearing them allows my eye muscles to actively be engaged all day (instead feeling like they are getting weaker--like being in cast). So try limiting how much you wear your glasses. (there are other alternative methods that allow you to wear glasses or contacts, if you'd rather take a different approach; but I'm not doing that method so I can't tell you details about that). 



And lastly...

Mental Vision
It's easy to do physical exercise and think that's it. Life is phycial and that's where we focus a lot of time and energy. But, great athletes know that envisioning the win, the victory, the goal is as important to success as if the physcial daily exercise. It's said that 80% of our vision we can control, but 20% is subconcious...so why not work on visualizing. Do some meditation/thinking in your mind. Mental creation is work. Just because it isn't physical, doesn't mean it isn't hard. IT takes practice, but the more you can work on your imagination and actually visualizing things in your mind, the more that works on the subconcious 20%! Cool huh? It's not all in your head...but some of it is. (Like that author who wrote the books...Change your brain, change your life. He's got a point!)


And a Side note:
Flashes of clarity
As you work on improving your vision you may get flashes of clarity. This is where you may look at a word and see it super clearly for a second or even a half-second, and then it gets blurry again. I've experienced this recently, at the end of my second month doing all these things regularly. Basically when I started I could only read the top letter of the chart from 10 ft away. But now I'm reading the seoncd or third row. But, with a flash of clarity I read some of row 5! It was awesome! I was so excited I had to share with my husband. (I don't think this means my eyesight is improved right this instant, but its a step along the long path and gives me hope that my eyes are getting stronger--even if it takes a few years. (Just like taking time to do a 60-second wall handstand each day will slowly over time help your arms be stronger and give hope that you may do/hold a real handstand for longer than one second.)  :)

motherhood Parable: The Snowflake Experience--Tradition

Motherhood parable: the snowflake Tradition

Today we cut paper snowflakes to decorate our windows with. This is a yearly tradition we do every winter, as many others do as well.

As we were cutting white paper I was trying to instruct both my four-year-old and my six-year-old how to do this. For my six-year-old it was a reminder from last year. But my four-year-old… This was her first experience doing it by herself.

No there are many variations of snowflakes and how to cut them even how to fold them. Do you want a six sided snowflake? An eight sided snowflake? Etc. We start out with the eight sided because it is easiest to fold in half then in half then in half again. But for my six-year-old I was showing him a new level how to fold in thirds which would make sixes. It was a little bit more difficult, But he was ready for this next level.

For my four-year-old I had to prep her snowflake and actually help her fold half and half and half again. And I showed her how to cut a circle or square or triangle out of each side. And we stopped with that.

For my six-year-old I told him to cut a snake and one side and I showed him how you can cut something that weeds from one side through the middle and opens up huge and goes back skinny again to the side. So I was helping him see how to fill the space better. I also was helping him cut from the top edge more so that the snowflake edges would not be flat like typical hexagons or octagons.

For myself I was folding my six or eight again so that it would be more 12 or 16 sided. The complexity for mine was definitely a lot more compared to my four and six-year-old. I would include very similar Lee shaped variations on my snowflake to bring about a pattern that was very well ordered and coordinated. Because I can be anal like that sometimes. I love seeing the patterns and order in a well coordinated snowflake. :-)

But the random ones are just as great. And we could see that from my four-year-olds for sure… As well as my six-year-old.

As I thought about the snowflakes I realize that our kids learn a lot from us, but it's best to start with simplicity. Then build layer upon layer over time. This allows us to focus on teaching our children solid foundational principles that matter most...over and over again.

But what principles do you want our children to get deeply embedded into their soul more than anything else? That is a question that each of us has to ask ourselves.

I found that love is the key behind all things. And I wish I would teach more for love and with love. I fall short much in this regard… But I am trying. And this parable helps me realize once again that love is a foundational principle.

Two other principles that I have found over and over in my life are both hope and faith.
Hope is based in knowledge--it's based in truth. When we have hope it's because we have learned something that might be true or we have seen an example or caught a glimpse of something we want to receive or we want to work towards. Hope is positive. It is looking towards the future and potential. Stirs up our desire and motivations. Then our faith is that fuel and energy to act on such hope.

If we are doing something… we are showing faith. Even if that doing something is choosing to be still and take time with our children. Or too quiet our minds and meditate. That is still action among stillness. It is the purposefulness through which we make our choices that we show our faith.

So those are three principles which like the Scripture says in the book of Mormon faith hope and charity bring us into me the fountain of all righteousness. This is true. If we are having hope and acting and hope out of love and pure motivation… We are reaching our potential and coming closer to Christ.

So… Back to the snowflakes.
I love establishing traditions, because traditions are things that are comforting, that bring great memories, and that establish deep patterns and embed richness into our lives.

Our snowflake tradition is great because it provides a similar experience over and over again, but we are able to further deepen our understanding with each renewal of the tradition.
not only can we make a paper snowflake out of white paper, but we can change the color paper, we can change the results and color the snowflakes at the end. We can use different materials like cloth and wax paper. We can change the theme of the snowflake and try to create a shape snowflake, or a triangle snowflake, or a squiggly snowflake, or even try to make pictures out of it. I saw a YouTube channel just for Star Wars shaped snowflakes. Woah! Deep experiences like this allow our children to Gain new perspectives. It teaches mastery. It shows children the process by which to think through things differently each time. It is mind opening with each renewed experience. It allows them to see strengths and weaknesses of different approaches each time. It's a deeper, more holistic experience.

"Snowflake experiences" can change the way in which our children see the world, and see themselves in the world. "Snowflake experiences" and traditions are important--they are foundational to family and to our journey of learning and living.

What are your traditions?
What does your family love doing together?
Enjoy them, and you can build and strengthen your families' foundations in many rich Ways

Motherhood Parable: Parable of the Cold Hands

I was just standing in the kitchen, enjoying my patch of sunshine that shined through my back window and warmed my toes. When I heard a faint "knock, knock" coming from my back door. I don't mean the sound of knocking...I mean the literal words! My little almost-two-this-month year old was standing at the back door, shoeless, in a shirt and pants only. She looked at me with her big beautiful eyes and smiled, while her hands hung red and limp from holding cold snow.

Ahhh..childhood. To enjoy being cold and wet--at least at first. Luckily she hadn't hit that climactic tipping point when cold and wet soon becomes more overwhelming and uncomfortable than the joys of the moment. So...I opened the door and let her into the warm kitchen, quickly looking outside at the snowy hill that butts up against our backyard and just as quickly closing the door to keep the cold out.

My little Leya held up her hands and said "cold hands." Still smiling, with the full expectation that I'd hold them in mine and blow my warm breath into our cupped hands. So cute.

So I did blow. But I didn't stop there.
I remembered what my elementary school teachers always said to us in the cold Alaska winters, when we came in from recess, shaking and cold, "If you're cold, put your hand under your armpit. It's the warmest place on your body." That always stuck with me.

So I lifted her cold little hand up to her armpit and put her other arm down tight over it.
She winced at the coldness, but then smiled.
I smiled. Then did it with her other hand as well.
She smiled again (no wincing this time), and gave a little child-like chuckle. Her big blue eyes still beaming with curiosity, innocence and light from the winter sun through our window. So cute. And yet there's more to learn from this little experience...

Hence...this is why I'm writing this post.

And even now she comes to me again with cold hands, expecting a warm-breath.
Warm breaths are so comforting and warming. The feel great. But...at what point is she ready for more?
She knew mama had the answer and gave warm breaths. And she even tried to use her own breaths, which were still cold and weak and with un-cupped hands. She still had much to learn.

But this last time she now learned the warmth of her own body and armpit. She learned another way to warm up her hands. She was empowered with knowledge. Granted...she had no initial intention of purposely putting her own hand under her armpit to warm herself because she also knew the initial coldness and uncomfort she first felt, with hesitation, when I tried to put her hand up there.

But now she was more open to putting her hand under her armpit to warm it up.
And I even went ahead and showed her how to rub her hands on pants to warm them up with friction.

Now she wasn't just a cute little helpless girl needing mama. She was still cute, but now empowered. Empowered with knowledge of how. But empowered also with experience too. Knowledge plus application.

What? There are degrees of empowerment? Come again?
A resounding yes!!!

She was also empowered with more knowledge, through alternative ways to warming herself (more perspectives), and having now various experiences (that were still similar experiences).
She was gaining depth.

What do we look for in our learning and teaching? Do we scour the buffet and taste everything, merely to leave without a favorite to delve into and find comfort in? Or do we dive deeply into one delectable dish, ignoring all the other possibilities? It's a fine balance, but one key is to find both depth and breadth.

The other key, which is why I started writing this post, is learn and teach for empowerment.

When seeking an answer to a question or problem in life, what do we (or our kids) look for?
A quick warm-breath solution, so we can go out and play?
Or perhaps a life-changing, but empowering experience that enables us to be more independent and stronger in our minds and abilities.

Again...my post runs long, and now my kids have noticed I am missing...
Alas, I must end.

Happy discovering and experiencing. May you find and give empowerment to all, especially those you truly love!

Motherhood parables: Parable of the Peanut

I was sitting outside eating peanuts (with shells) with my son yesterday. He was trying to crack them. I asked him where the seam of the peanut was and he seemed confused. so I pointed to his pants and showed him where the seam was. I asked if it would be easier to pull apart his pants in the middle of the fabric or where the seam was--where two pieces attach together. He said at the seam. So I said it was the same with the peanut.

I then went on to explain that where things are divided, that is where potential weakness lay.

I then remembered plastic cups that we can hang on our fridge. They are plastic cups, but the part that hangs is a circle--the bottom half of which is plastic, the top half of which is some type of rubber compound. The rubber on all four of our cups have broken off from a plastic,  so that now we cannot hang these cups. All of them broke in the same spot… The same weakness (which happened to be the seam where plastic met the rubber.)

Three examples: a true principle.

This is a characteristic/principle of the number two. Two can mean opposite, differences… But it can also mean connection and partnership. Think of a marriage relationship between a husband and a woman. Both are opposite and different, yet there is potential for both partnership and division.

Weakness, is not inherently bad. It helps to be aware of the principle of number two being that within partnership there is also a potential weakness for division.

I've always loved the scripture ether 12:27, which states that God gives us weaknesses and if we have faith he will make them strong for us.

Do not condemn yourself because of weaknesses. Rather seek heavenly fathers hope and truth that he gives to humble and willing seekers. He will turn weaknesses into strengths. But that can only happen if we are first aware of our weaknesses and have faith to face them...in order that we might find greater partnership, and thus greater wholeness.

Christ-centered Meditation

Anyone think meditation is totally foreign and weird and wonder why we need it? Well, there is a good book that explains how many people value and participate in meditation already, without realizing it is meditation. Here's the book and my notes and thoughts...

CHRIST_CENTERED MEDITATION, by Pam BlackwellI love in this book that she talks about what meditation is...

• Seeing God's Hand in all things: awareness of truth and goodness--of God
• Being Present: fully aware ourselves, those around us and our surroundings and situations
• Paying Attention/Focus: paying attention to the little things and having a love and respect for them
• Observation: using our senses to the fullest and noticing the sound of a bird or bee
• Gratitude: the result of seeing and acknowledging of God's miracles in everyday things
• Stillness: seeing greatness in small and simple things
• Scripture Study: coming unto Christ and his truths
• Being "with" a person: fully being/talking with the person you are with
• Purposeful: knowing the purpose and meaning behind things you do or stuff you have. living more deliberately and having priorities aligned.

And then there's what meditation is not...

• Ignoring/Checked-out: tuning out to things or people
• Irresponsibility: not being responsible for the effects of your actions
• Ignorance: lack of noticing God's little miracles
• Ingratitude: lack of appreciation and acknowledgement of God's hand
• Rushing/panic: frantic accomplishments of tasks just to get things done, without enjoying the journey or noticing details

This graphic from the book isn't the greatest quality, but it compares the "levels" and chakras to physical structure of the temple and courts. Super interesting.

here is a graphic I made to represent part of her graphic, but compared to our physical body

The book suggests a 30-Day Meditation to Come Closer to Christ. (The is a book called "Becoming His" by Emily Freeman which kind of does her version of this) But I love the idea of just setting the intention to Come Unto Him and setting our own goal and timeframe. I think you can accomplish the same thing. But her "meditations" include a question, thought to ponder and a scripture. 

In a scripture study class in College we were told to get a journal and start each study session with a question and prayer and even song if we liked. And I did that every day of the semester and it was amazing how often times I would find either a direct answer, or at least further direction in my ponderings. Questions are powerful when accompanied by sincere desire to come closer to Him and His truths.

FAMILY "MEDITATION"

Taking time to more fully love and be with each other is a great "family meditation." She talks about two types of meditation: passive (stillness and letting thoughts go) and active (creating with your imagination). Here are some ideas for those two areas:

• Passive--Breath counting together (we do this count to 8 before yoga sometimes)
• Passive--Walking Meditation (think about your step as you lift foot, then as you move foot, then as you place foot, then as you press down. Break the process down and take sllllooooow steps around the yard together. Talk about what you noticed. This can be adapted to any process or nature observation)
• Active--Visualization Exercise (imagine how you will feel when you see Christ)
• Active--Family Circle (invite Christ into the family circle and imagine energy through your hands as you join them together)
• Active--I Am poem

I thought of a few ways to boost what I'm already doing with my family to be more still/purposeful...

• Lunch: sitting and eating with my kids, asking them to use their senses to more fully be aware of what they are eating (colors, shapes, textures, sizes, smells, tastes, etc.)
• Nature time: asking them to observe the shapes, light/shadows, distance of things. Drawing once a week has helped me!
• Family Dinner: We sometimes use a candle to help it be peaceful. WE also play the "ungame" (?'s in a jar) to get to know each other better). And we have map placemats (that I hope to put family history fan chart/pedigree photo charts on--thanks Sally!) that we use to discuss things about the world and where we've lived or travelled or about things we are learning in homeschool. 
• Sunday Gratitude Prayers: we only say things we are grateful for and make it a "popcorn" style prayer, so we all take turns acting as voice. This helps us be more aware of our week and to celebrate God's hand in our family's life.
• FHE: We are trying to decide what is really important to us and plan in things we really want and need for Family Home evening. One focus we are doing this year if Family History, so there will be a regular Family History Moment/focus (at least once a month) where we share a story of an ancestor and have an object that goes with it to help kids remember. I will keep them in my special Temple Box that sits on the shelf.
• Family Journal: Emily and Tiffany mention family journaling. I think it would be great to write one line in a family journal each night as we gather. Then we will have a record and build a journalling habit of reflection, gratitude and record-keeping.
• What do you already do as a family that you can just add greater meaning and purpose to? (That could be your meditaion--way of creating greater awareness, intention and stillness)

She has an awesome Mandala (fancy word for a visual used for meditation in Tibetan Buddhism of a square within the circle). Hers looks like the temple. I love it!

What the Heck is Awareness Yoga?

So, I've been something I call "Awareness yoga" for about a year now. It's nothing set in stone, but a way in which I come to better understand what my body needs as I stretch.

I've never really been one for going and exercising at a set time or anything. Rather, I just prefer to be busy and active and get my movement in during my day, or through dance. However...here are a few things I've found in the last few years which have taught me the importance of exercising, but more importantly of being more aware of my body.

Yoga Awareness Benefits

• Correct Posture. A Healthy spine is the avenue for healthy nerves. All our our nerves run through our spine and then branch out into various parts of our body and organs. But if our spine is kinked somewhere, then the nerve in that area is pinched (which means pressure or blockage for those nerves to send the communication from you brain to that coressponding area of your body). This is why someone with neck problems could have a hard time hearing if that particualr neck kink in your spine is affecting the nerves associated with your ear. (that is one of the stories from the first days of chiropractic care). See my post on Chiropractic care for more info.
• Muscle Flexibility & Yoga.  I look at my little kids and think... "woah! They can do all sorts of things in their God-given flexible body. What happened to me?" haha. Wouldn't it be great if we could encourage that in our kids by helping keep their muscles supple and help them be aware? I've encouraged Ethan with yoga. He's grown up doing it and it is play for him. We just create animal poses or mimic nature (like tree or flower pose). Here is a link to help you encourage your kids with yoga. The post also mentions Cosmic Kids yoga stories to watch on you-tube that totally engage my kids. I also got a great, simple ipad app for $4 called Yoga Studio, for myself. It's very simple, versatile in length and area of focus.
• Body Awareness & Pilates. I remember a time in my life that I didn't pay attention to my hunger cues (too busy and/or stressed). This led to me losing weight. In fact, this happened to me twice in my life. Both times it was because I ignored my body's cues. I find myself trying to help my children understand their body and when they need to eat or go to the bathroom, and yet I realized that I'm not paying attention to my body as much as I'd like. So, a year after I had my second child I finally felt I could get a full night's sleep, and therefore had more energy to wake up on time. So I started waking early and exercising with this simple book of exercises for each area of the body (The Way of Stretching: Flexibility for Body and Mind, by Ann Rush). Another great thing is Pilates. They are awesome because they don't use fancy equipment and blah, blah, blah. Pilates use your own body to provide the right amount of natural resistance for your muscles. I love it! So Each week I would focus on one area of my body, until I felt I could do some basic stretches that I felt were good in that area. I'd do this along with my mindfulness routine (see later bullet point).
• Scripture Study/Notebook. Also during those mornings I started a study journal and would read my scriptures and study, capturing my thoughts (which helped me retain and go deeper). I wish I could do this consistently, but the nature of my study shifts with each new season of my life, and that's ok...because (as with all change), it gives me new opportunities to approach things differently and glean new perspectives. Regardless of how I study, I always find that those days I can put my heart into my priority relationship (with Heavenly Father), especially first thing, are the days I am most calm, happy, and life-oriented in what matters most. I hve come to love my mindful mornings. I need them to start my day right (80% of the time--allowing 20% fudge factor. ---Oh fudge....yummm! side note.) (another side note: It was fun and insightful to do a weekly focus on spiritual armor for each area that related to the body area I was stretching.)
• Mindful Morning & Slowing Down. I would love to jump out of bed singing songs and throwing open windows as I dance around the house with a big smile on my face. But...let's be honest, that usually isn't the case. I do like waking up to the sun, but it takes my body longer to wake up than my brain. So, I listen to that and honor the fact that my body needs a little longer. I lay down on my great room floor and relax my body while I think, without thinking. :) I first try to just think about my body and visualize the different parts of my body from feet up to head doing the relaxation technique where you flex for three seconds one part of your body, then relax, then continue up until you've gone through all the areas of your body. This gives awareness for muscles. But then I'd visualize my heart being a ball of bright warm energy, like the sun and I'd "track" it mentally travelling down through the parts of my body out through my feet and rooting down into the earth (like tree roots). Those roots I visualize as being grounded in Christlike attributes of Faith, Hope and Charity (and others, esp. depending on what I need that day). Then I continue the ball of warmth going through my hands to do good things that day and up through the body (keeping in mind God's spiritual armor mentioned in the scriptures--that I had been studying to give me greater insight to the importance of those areas physically and spiritually). And by the end of thinking through that, I feel more fully armored mentally and spiritually.
• Letting go & Feel the Rhythm. Once I had done all this for awhile and felt familiar with different stretches and yoga postures for each area and felt like I had created my own visualizations (rather than someone else's set ones) then I could just lay and relax and totally just feel what my body wanted needed. I'd just lay down and think about what areas of my body felt needed more energy and warmth and also what stretches I could do. I just did them, without needing a set plan. And the more I do this, the more I feel it overflows into my life: the ability to just let go of set things and find freedom in exploring and trusting my God-given intuition in knowing how to spend my time mentally and physically. There is true rhythm in life, beyond that set by alarm clocks and to-do lists. By bringing in what matters most and then letting go of all the other ideas and superfluous things I greater access my own personal "Rhythm of life"--and that is a beautiful thing.

SO that is my "yoga Awareness" program in a nutshell. And it works for me. But the principles can work for you in your own way. 

Spring Cleaning: Time to Declutter

It's refreshing clearing out clutter. Spring brings new beginnings. With this thought I've been learning a bit about feng shui.

The Idea of Feng Shui (literally "wind" and "water") is to arrange things so as to maximize the energy ("chi") in your space.  Your space could be a physical location like each of the areas of your house, or it could be your schedule and how you use your time. This means minimizing clutter (physical "junk" or mental clutter or time/busy-ness) that obstructs the energy flow and motivation in your life.

Life is a continual process of de-cluttering and prioritizing, but once you make a decision to live this way it is just a matter of continually checking yourself and maintaining balance in each area.  The idea is to live in the present without a lot of things undone or to-do. If you've been "sitting" on something for a year and never got around to it...it might be a good idea to get rid of it. Whether or not we realize it these things left undone actually can weigh on us mentally and have us living in the past, rather than moving forward.

The most familiar area for feng shui is your house, so let's tackle how to do that. First of all, don't expect this process to be easy and quick. It may be, but might not. Just allow yourself a little time in each room of your house asking questions about what you have stored there. 

Create Space--Declutter. 
Two Basic Questions: Do I use it? Do I love it?

1. Is this item something I use regularly?
2. If not, is it something I love?
3. Am I keeping this out of obligation or expectation?
4. Am I holding onto this because I think I should love it?
5. Am I saving this just in case?
6. Do I have multiples of the same thing?
7. Could something else I own do the same job?
8. Am I holding onto a broken item to fix one day?
9. Is this item worth the time I spend cleaning/storing it?
10. Could I use this space for something else?

Once you ask these questions about each item in a room, then put the items in one of three categories: Keep, Get rid of, or undecided. There will be a few items that are hard to categorize at this time (some for personal or emotional reasons, that you may just need to "sit" and wait on), and that's ok. You can revisit the undecided category after awhile.
I keep two boxes in my Garage: one to take to the thrist store and one above it to hold for a little while (Although many people say you shouldn't hold on to them).


Define & Improve Space
Beyond de-cluttering, there is the idea of strengthening and being an active creator of your space. This involves taking inventory of your house and energy mapping what you have vs. what you want (using the bagua). If you're interested in finding out more then google it. I won't go into specifics. But you lay the map over your house with the career place in the position of your front door. Then you draw the diagonals of your house to find the center and other correlating areas in your house with those on the map.




Notice which areas in your haouse draw the most clutter. These places have stuck "energy" and need to be de-cluttered. This same bagua map can also be used in each room aligning the door with the carrer space again...in minature form. It's amazing to see which areas in a room have clutter adn how those align with which main house areas also have clutter. Try it.


Once you have a plan and direction to move forward you can choose specific themes and colors to bring in certain "energy." Here are the colors according to the five elements and also according to emotion associated:


Or another view: pay attention to too much or too little. Some colors can adversely affect people.

15 Great Principles Shared by All Religions

I came across this list of common principles found through religions.  it was from a website dedicated to integrating truth from various religions.

1. The Golden Rule / Law of Reciprocity – The cornerstone of religious understanding. “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” – Christianity
2. Honor Thy Father and Mother – Knowing them is the key to knowing ourselves. The day will come when we shall wish we had known them better.
3. Speak the Truth – “Sincerity is the way of heaven, and to think how to be sincere is the way of a man.” – Confucius
4. It’s More Blessed to Give than to Receive – Generosity, charity and kindness will open an individual to an unbounded reservoir of riches.
5. Heaven is Within – “Even as the scent dwells within the flower, so God within thine own heart forever abides.” – Sikhism
6. Love Thy Neighbor / Conquer With Love / All You Need is Love – Acts of faith, prayer and deep meditation provide us with the strength that allows love for our fellow man to become an abiding part of our lives. Love is a unifying force.
7. Blessed Are the Peacemakers – When people live in the awareness that there is a close kinship between all individuals and nations, peace is the natural result.
8. You Reap What You Sow – This is the great mystery of human life. Aware or unaware, all are ruled by this inevitable law of nature.
9. Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone – The blessings of life are deeper than what can be appreciated by the senses.
10. Do No Harm – If someone tries to hurt another, it means that she is perceiving that person as something separate and foreign from herself.
11. Forgiveness – The most beautiful thing a man can do is to forgive wrong. – Judaism
12. Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged – This principle is an expression of the underlying truth that mankind is one great family, and that we all spring from a common source.
13. Be Slow to Anger – Anger clouds the mind in the very moments that clarity and objectivity are needed most. “He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; others only hold the reins.” – Buddha
14. There is But One God / God is Love – Nature, Being, The Absolute. Whatever name man chooses, there is but one God. All people and all things are of one essence.
15. Follow the Spirit of the Scriptures, Not the Words – “Study the words, no doubt, but look behind them to the thought they indicate; And having found it, throw the words away, as chaff when you have sifted out the grain.” – Hinduism

All credit to Jeffrey Moses. Www.Onenessonline.com

Martial Arts: Aikdo

Im sure most people have heard of karate and maybe jujitsu or taekwando. But have you ever heard of Aikido? Well...I've never been interested much in martial arts. That is I never thought I was until I heard about Aikido. It was developed by a Japanese man who studied many of the various martial art forms, fought in military and fought off many robbers and people during his life. Eventually he gained a greater desire to practice non-violence instead of violence and he sought greater wisdom and spirituality. It was this combination of experience and desire that helped him create what he calls Aikido. 

The practice of Aikido involves non-violence. One never attacks, but waits until someone attacks. When a blow is directed towards one, the receiver merely becomes one with the blow and thereby redirects the force away from self.  I really like this. It seems both efficient and polite. :)

Most Aikido dojos (training huts) have the word "kan" in the name, which means " hall of learning." The founder believed thoroughly that one must conquer body, mind and spirit and was frequently found studying all sorts of subjects to gain deep understanding in many areas. This helped him best see universal principles through which to approach life. He also spent many hours daily in nature, especially farming and hiking.

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Here are a few great principles/quotes I came across:

Aiki is the process of eliminating discord and enmity. Aikido is the discipline of perceiving the true nature of the cosmos. Enter right into the heart of things, make that your base, and open your own door to truth. Create a universe within, and remain in tune with the universe at large. 

Aiki, the art of harmonization, is the key. When one's ki is circulating freely, sickness does not arise. We want to cure the world of the sickness of violence, malcontent, and discord--this is the Path of Aiki. Let go of petty thought and selfish desires, and you can live in true freedom.

Aikido techniques must always be true (executed and effective), good (not to inflict injury), and beautiful (executed gracefully and with style and artistic sensitivity). It must also reflect the natural rhythm of the universe.

In Aikido there are no enemies. Real Aikido is the function of love. The Way of the Warrior is not to destroy and kill but to foster life, to continually create. Love is the divinity that can truly protect us.

Aikido must be practiced in a bright and joyful manner. The atmosphere in the dojo is typically bright, open and friendly, and the proper training generates light (wisdom), warmth (compassion), and energy (true strength).

We constantly need to purify our senses. Our sense organs allow us to function in this world, but as soon as they are disturbed we lose our bearings. This causes confusion and disorder In the world, and that is the worst sin of all. Continually polish your spirit, keep your senses fresh and bright, and you will bring light to this world.

First of all, you must put your own life in order. Then you must learn how to maintain ideal relations within your own family. After that, you must work to improve the conditions in your own country and harmoniously with the world at large. This is our duty as practitioners of Aikido.

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I love this picture and how the symbols represent great principles...(as described in caption)

General Conference Family Center Board

It's Conference time! And what a great time to build in family traditions! I know there are tons for various people. Although we haven't started any of our own yet. Until now....

So after seeing General Conference Center Boards on Pinterest so much, I was so happy to finally sit down and create one my own way, jumping off from great templates others had used. I sat down and thought about the purpose behind having one and why. I'm super visual, so I love this idea of having a central area of focus along with the other stuff we do. 

Here's a at-a-glance version of the GC board...that I will explain. But basically there are three panels:

One for Gospel principles to listen for and be aware of.

The middle for current leadership (to update as needed) and current session happenings.

The right panel for review.

overview of the board

Middle of board with current leadership

Prophet and counselors with 12 Apostles

Pres. of 70 on top, with each Auxilliary below: men and women

Left panel: Gospel principles organized into the basic Preach My Gospel Outline breakdown. This makes the principles easy to find and organized so kids can inherently learn the PMG lessons as they grow up too. This will help them better learn and teach the principles in a good order that makes sense. And you can adapt which principles you put on there (only a few for little kids, so not as to overwhelm them with too many pictures). This photo shows all of them on the board, but I think for Ethan, since he's only 4 I will just focus on 4 per lesson and christlike attributes...or something like that.

Main 3 Lessons (1-3), commandments and laws (lessons 4-5),
Christlike Attributes (Chapter 6), and "Other"

Close up--lesson 1: Restoration (there are ~5-8 principles/lesson)

I copied an idea of the family couch photo for the current session.
NO, I don't own that couch, but a yellow couch sure sounds fun!

Place speaker photo and principle symbols here during the talk

This is the right panel: for review of each session (to add speaker photos too, so we know who still hasn't spoken and who has). 

area for each session

The purpose of review to to help kids apply GC to their lives.
So I added a family question spot where we can answer something
we want to work on in the two greatest areas/commandments
(love God and love others). For Dry Erase marker.

Paul made me pose--matted hat hair and all.

This is a little overkill for Ethan at the moment, but this will be the same thing we pull out every General Conference as our Family Center. And Ethan will have the coloring pages and Bingo, etc. to keep him occupied most of the time. But it will be fun to use it more and more as he gets older. He already mentioned tonight that he wants it to be GC tonight so he can look at the board.

And the cool thing is that we can take the principles and photos off and use them for other games or FHE stuff because I just covered them in the sticker lamination stuff and taped them to the board (that has the sticker lamination stuff over all the main areas too). We may go through lots of tape and eventually upgrade to velcro or something, but for now I liek this and it's versatility.

Simplicity Parenting Notes: Rhythm

Here are some more notes from a great book I enjoy rereading every once in awhile to make sure I'm slowing down and simplifying. These particular notes are just on the Rhythm Chapter. 

I apologize if not all the sentences are complete, but these are just my notes from the book, starting with a list of highlighted principles about rhythm.

Simplicity Parenting: Rhythm

1. Increasing the rhythm of your home life is one of the most powerful ways of simplifying your children’s lives
2. Rhythm and ritual are what we aim for; predictability may be what we can achieve (children under seven need a preview/visual of the day so they know what to expect)
3. With ‘predictability,” a child knows what to expect (reduce the ways your children are caught by surprise by providing advance notices)
4. Rhythms establish a foundation of cooperation and connection
5. Any repeated “note” or activity of the day can be made more rhythmic
6. Rhythm builds islands of consistency and security throughout the day
7. The rhythms of family life provide consistency; the best ones also offer connection
8. Relationships are often built in the intervals, the spaces between activities, when nothing much is going on
9. Simplification established an unspoken emphasis on relationship
10. Committing to rhythm builds trust and relational credits: a connection that is “bankable”
11. The magic of rhythms is in the process, not the particulars
12. Food is meant to nourish, not entertain or excite. As parents simplify, their kids’ food issues diminish or resolve quite naturally
13. Consistency reinforces value that are larger than personal preferences
14. Two or three “pressure valves” built into the day will help a child fall asleep at bedtime (activities where a child can “lose himself in” allows for a release of tension, and the mental ease needed to process the day’s events.)

Even if rhythm remains elusive, you can still provide your kids more security by increasing predictability in their daily lives. 

The implication of rhythms is that there is an author behind how we do things as a family. Parental authority is strengthened by rhythms: there is order and safety. Rhythm carves the necessary channels for discipline, making it more intrinsic than imposed and much less parent verbiage, effort and fewer problems around transition.

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A rhythm’s value comes from the intention behind.

Do we have intention in our daily and weekly family life and rhythms? If we haven’t thought about it, maybe we need to. Here are some ways to think about it in regards to our family life being compared to a musical piece.

· Main Chords: What are the consistent chords of your day and week?
For most it is generally meal times and bed time. Having these times set helps kids order their day and better place their physical, emotional and intellectual view of the world.
Stable foundation to facilitate their own mapmaking. Meaning hides in repetition

·         Notes: What melody or events are you creating in your week?
events and activities planned in

·         Rests and Pauses: Are their periods of rest in your day?
These moments during the day give more meaning and emphasis to various parts of the music. IT shouldn’t all blur together as one long day. Take time to breath between each activity by not scheduling too tightly. We normally stick to one main activity each morning or afternoon and rarely back-to-back time-sensitive activities. The afternoon (12-2) is always quiet-time: naps for those who need it and just reading time and personal quiet time for those who don’t nap. This is a great time to rejuvenate and act like “pressure valves.”

·         Tempo: What is the speed of your week?
Some days will be fast and some slow. Be sure to add variety and plan in a few slow days to follow a crazy weekend rush of activities that had you flying all over. Think of them as A and B days. We try to plan one day in and one day out with friends so we’re not always out and about. It might help to break your days into AM, Afternoon, PM…but we try to limit evening activities (so PM for us means afternoon, before dinner).

Here’s an example of a weekly tempo:
A Days (slow): Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday
B Days (fast): Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday

Here’s an example of a week rhythm: 

And a video introduction to ours https://youtu.be/zgeSN1TDuFE

 simplified view of the rhythm schedule