Mentoring Summer Classes

I am thrilled at the opportunity to mentor with Cathy and Angie for online summer classes called Healing Hearts and Homes and Energy Management.  By providing classes online, we can connect with each other from differents states!  There is power in sharing the journey together : )  I love the beauty of working in a small group setting, as we are uplifted and edified together.    The 1828 Webster's Dictionary definition of edify is "to build, to instruct and improve the mind in knowledge..."

I'm especially excited about the Energy Management class. Creating a personal foundation and learning to manage physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional energy can be tricky. Throughout each day, we are busy ‘doing' as wives, mothers, and sisters. Yet, our children learn so much by what we are and the feelings they experience with us.  We all desire to be present in the moments and choose to respond in a way that will edify. This class is broken into four sessions, once a month, allowing ample time to process and apply the principles and patterns.

If you feel these classes are a good fit for your summer renewal, we still have a little space and would love to have you join us!  Click the blog below for more info on the classes : ) 

www.myheroisyoumom.blogspot.com

Much Love!

Mother's Oxygen Mask

My handsome husband has always wanted to take me back to where he served his mission - after having five kids in seven years, we finally found the right time to go!  (Calgary, Canada ~ Spanish Speaking)
I laugh every time the flight attendant says, "Please secure your own mask before assisting others." 

This rings SO true for me as a mother.  The very bottom of the Mothering Pyramid is Mindful Foundation.  It consists of Daily Foundation Time, The Power of Calm, and Self Nurturing.  Our children learn so much by what we are and the feelings they experience with us.  It's easy for us, as mothers, to secure the children's oxygen mask, and let's face it, sometimes even our dear husband's oxygen mask, before ensuring we have enough oxygen of our own to create a positive experience for everyone.

For me, my Daily Foundation Time is key to being calm and truly aware of the needs of others.  My favorite time of day, when I have the quiet all to myself, is in the early morning before my busy young family wakes.  I read, listen to soft music, and visualize who I want to BE throughout the day, amidst the urgent 'doing'.  Only then can I fully embrace the next level of the Mothering Pyramid - Be Present in the Moments.  We all have the desire to be present in the moments and respond in a way that will edify.  More on that soon :)             

Lake Louise, right outside of beautiful Banff in Alberta, Canada.  Breathtaking!  We timed it just right and missed the rain by a few hours.   The water was a beautiful blue and the sun was setting just over the mountain.  A peaceful hour of heaven on earth.  And, a much needed get-away.

As A Woman Thinketh

"The thought in your mind at this moment is contributing, however infinitesimally, almost imperceptibly to the shaping of your soul..." 

President David O McKay

Four years ago, shortly after the birth of my fourth child (four in five years :), I was given an assignment by a wise friend.  She challenged me to carry a small notebook with me and record all of my self talk for two straight days, especially negative thoughts.  After two days of scribbling into my notebook, I was shocked at the amount of insignificant thoughts I had throughout the day.  Did it really matter that my husband forgot to take out the trash?...  I discovered that I usually started the day out with energy and light and then slowly sunk into periodic negative thoughts as the day progressed into the low blood sugar afternoon hours.  I learned that I ask myself countless questions throughout the day.  I realized that I was often thinking of how I could help a friend or family member, but often got busy with the urgent things and didn't always follow through on the simple impressions I received.

My next assignment was to REPLACE the negative thoughts with positive thoughts through daily Gratitude Journaling.  
I started my thought replacement by studying powerful scriptures on Thoughts: 

Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

D & C 121:45  "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly: then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God: and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."

Alma 37:36 "let thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord"

Mosiah 4:30 "if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts,... ye must perish."

D & C 88:69 "cast away" our idle thoughts

2 Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"

At that time I also read the classic As A Man Thinketh by James Allen.  He said, "Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this - that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny."

Now, four years later, it's still easy to get caught in the urgent DOINGS of the day, but I am continually reminded that I can CHOOSE JOY in the moments, simply by replacing and refining my thoughts!  : )