Active Mommas Podcast

... what do you think? How do you equip your children with the tools they need?

Mentally ill or ill-equipped? Anxiety top issue in schools, says guidance counsellor Children are being treated with anti-anxiety medication to avoid healthy stresses early in life, says a guidance counsellor.

I have empath friends... I have seen this play out,

15 Things You’ll Notice When You’re In The Presence of an Empath “As much as we notice, consciously or subconsciously, there are some things you’ll notice about us too.” I remember an instance when I rang the cable company to ask about upgrading my service. Afte…

So true. I am who I am, please accept me for who I am and I will do the same for you.

Has this happened to you?

B. Oakman ♡

Great advice...

🎅 💖 🎄
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www.myincrediblerecipes.com

I'm a healthy eater...I encourage my kids to be healthy eaters and to bring nutritious snacks to school. But that doesn't always happen.
We were a paleo family for 5 years, and now, I am eating more plant based, so, my kids food choices have also changed. I am one of the food gatekeepers in the house. What was considered healthy on Paleo is not necessarily healthy as a vegetarian. My boys tried and true lunch ideas are sometimes no longer an option.,( since I am not cooking meat every night, there are no leftovers to bring.) They now need to create their own new " go to" snack ideas. As an adult, I am finding it hard... It must be a challenge for them as well.
I'm also trying to teach my kids to make their own decisions within the parameters I set for them. My boys choose to eat their "snack type" food at school instead of apples, berries and avocado, because they simply transport better. They save the berries apples and avocado for their after school snacks.We sometimes like to have hot lunches in a thermos, but, that is not always possible. I can't pack them at 4:30 am as I am heading out the door, because the food WILL be cold by lunch time.... and not all babysitters feel comfortable heating my kids food.
Sometimes... Life just happens. Hectic schedule, poor planning or simply the kids left the empty containers in the fridge/pantry and I was simply unaware that we ran out...(until it was 9pm and 5 minutes before bed).

The point is, school lunches are not always the healthiest, but that's ok... As long as the child eats. A hungry student is a grumpy student. Grumpy students tend not to pay attention to the teachers.

We need to stop criticizing each other and learn to work together for a greater good. In the end...it's all about the child, the student.
( end of rant)

A handful of Simcoe County parents are flabbergasted after their kids’ school lunches have been critiqued and sent home uneaten.
http://www.simcoe.com/news-story/6906617-simcoe-county-parents-frustrated-after-kids-lunches-critiqued

Please use an alternative. Any suggestions?

Throw away that wire bristle BBQ brush, surgeons urge backyard chefs Alliston doctor says wire-bristle barbecue brushes can pose a serious threat when tiny strands of wire fall off and stick to grilled food. He has had to remove the needle-like bristles that became lodged in patients' throats

Motherhood: The Big Fat F**k You I lost it this morning. Really lost it.After the kids were all dressed for school, breakfast eaten, teeth brushed, backpacks packed, I turned on the TV. I have a rule that the kids can only watch certain channels. There is so much crap on TV – shows geared towards teens and preteens, shows that show…

Thanks for sharing Malvina Major

7 Signs The Law Of Attraction Is Working For You While you might immediately think that it’s obvious when the Law of Attraction is working for you, those with years of experience in manifesting note that the process is often so much more subtle than you might first suppose. If you’re waiting for your dreams to manifest, look out for the following…

Reading this... I think I am doing pretty good parenting my boys.

Your Kid Is A Brat, And It's Your Fault I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your kid is a brat. Worse than that? It is your fault that your kid is a brat.

Babysitting Rate Calculator | babysitting-rates.com Babysitting Rate Calculator | Calculates a fair babysitting rate to pay a babysitter based on a number of important factors.

Too funny not to share.

ep 76 NLP with Lori Bertoni

Yes.. Yes... Yes.

Just read the highlighted paragraph. No hashtags needed.

Yupe!

www.busymomgetsfit.com ⬅️ diet, workout, and core recovery plans for busy moms.

"Today I put on a pair of mid-thigh denim shorts, a flowy white blouse, flip flops and left the house to run a couple errands.

Let me pause for a moment to tell you it took some courage to both purchase and wear said shorts because my legs, while tan from swimming and muscular from dancing, are (1) not where I would like them to be and (2) are not up traditional beauty standards (read: Photoshopped) because cellulite.

My second errand of the morning was a drop off at the UPS store. I stood in line between two women. Woman #1 in front of me was about sixty. As I took my place in line behind her, she smiled and complimented me on my tan and my hair. We chitchatted about the weather and children until it was her turn at the counter.

It the spirit of paying it forward, I turned to Woman #2 behind me and smiled. Woman #2 was probably about 30-35, very attractive, about a size 8, wearing a shirt that says "COEXIST".

She says: "Your hair really is amazing. ::c***s head to side:: "You should probably rethink the shorts though."

Yeah. Read that again.

My face instantly flushes, not out of embarrassment but anger. No, not anger. Rage. This as my head slowly tilts to the side. If you've seen me really angry you know what I mean.

My fists clenched up. I know this because I felt my nails digging into my palms. So many things ran through my head. Because I don't have time to get arrested today, what came out was this:

"You should probably rethink your shirt."

I turned around and ignored her until I left the store. I wanted to say more but was afraid, of all things, that I would start crying. All I wanted to do was go home and change my clothes. And THAT made me angry.

Gender doesn't matter.
Race doesn't matter.
Religion doesn't matter.
Sexual orientation doesn't matter.

But fat?
Apparently fat matters.

And I'll go a step further and say it especially seems to matter as an actress. Matters more than talent. Than attitude. Than pretty much anything else. Because fat girls are not believable heroines, ingenues, or objects of sexual desire. But that's a whole other post.

Listen, people.

Especially women.

Plus sized doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy.
Plus sized doesn't necessarily mean lazy.
Plus sized doesn't mean ugly or undesirable or untalented or uncoordinated or LESS. THAN. HUMAN.

You might have an issue with my body. I don't. And I've worked very hard past judgmental family and friends, past divorce, past depression to NOT have an issue with my body.

Women. Do not tear each other down.

Celebrate each other.

Every day."

To support our mission, Pre-order the Love What Matters book in time for Mother's Day: http://a.co/48yVIfR



Credit: Brynne Huffman

What a great way to teach a complex subject.

Today in one of our classes I introduced the children to two apples (the children didn't know this, but before the class I had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor, you couldn't tell, both apples looked perfect). We talked about the apples and the children described how both apples looked the same; both were red, were of similar size and looked juicy enough to eat.

I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, that I thought it was disgusting, it was a horrible colour and the stem was just too short. I told them that because I didn't like it, I didn't want them to like it either, so they should call it names too.

Some children looked at me like I was insane, but we passed the apple around the circle calling it names, 'you're a smelly apple', 'I don't even know why you exist', 'you've probably got worms inside you' etc.

We really pulled this poor apple apart. I actually started to feel sorry for the little guy.

We then passed another apple around and started to say kind words to it, 'You're a lovely apple', 'Your skin is beautiful', 'What a beautiful colour you are' etc.

I then held up both apples, and again, we talked about the similarities and differences, there was no change, both apples still looked the same.

I then cut the apples open. The apple we'd been kind to was clear, fresh and juicy inside.

The apple we'd said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy inside.

I think there was a lightbulb moment for the children immediately. They really got it, what we saw inside that apple, the bruises, the mush and the broken bits is what is happening inside every one of us when someone mistreats us with their words or actions.

When people are bullied, especially children, they feel horrible inside and sometimes don't show or tell others how they are feeling. If we hadn't have cut that apple open, we would never have known how much pain we had caused it.

I shared my own experience of suffering someone's unkind words last week. On the outside I looked OK, I was still smiling. But, on the inside someone had caused me a lot of pain with their words and I was hurting.

Unlike an apple, we have the ability to stop this from happening. We can teach children that it's not ok to say unkind things to each other and discuss how it makes others feel. We can teach our children to stand up for each other and to stop any form of bullying, just as one little girl did today when she refused to say unkind words to the apple.

More and more hurt and damage happens inside if nobody does anything to stop the bullying. Let's create a generation of kind, caring children.

The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.

********EDIT********

Wow, I didn't expect this to get this kind of reaction, but as there has been many questions popping up I thought I'd clarify a few points.

The apple was a red apple and to ensure it remained looking like there was no damage inside it was tapped repeatedly (but gently) on the floor over and over again. To touch you could feel the bruising, but you could not see it. No one noticed this within the class.

After the apple was cut open and the impact was made, we discussed how I'd purposely bruised the apple before the session to make the point that we don't often see the pain our words cause people. It had a very powerful impact. Children got it and children understood.

During this Relax Kids class (and every class) we offer children tools and techniques to manage their feelings and emotions, and through our unique seven steps we offer children strategies and solutions to manage any stress or anxiety. All of our activities promote teamwork, respect, peer support, conflict resolution, self-esteem and confidence, and children know where to go for support, if needed.

Thank you for all your amazing support and kind words.

I am aware there are similar activities that have been done many times before me, by fellow coaches and educators. I saw an activity years ago where the apple was thrown to the floor by children to emphasise physical pain. I was extremely grateful for this visual and it really struck a chord with me over the years.

But, within my lesson I really wanted to focus on the power of JUST our words and the damage they may cause us inside, the pain no one can see.

I’m a Mom of 4 Boys. I’ve Been to a Child’s Funeral—& I Have a Message for “Perfect Parents” I’ve had enough of scrolling through comment threads and seeing over and over again questions like, “Where were the parents?” and thoughts like, “This is what happens when you don’t watch your kids.”

Read.

FRODO: I can’t do this, Sam.
SAM: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
FRODO: What are we holding on to, Sam?
SAM: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

What are you? I alternate between early bird and pigeon.

Yes.....

I'm not the only one, right?!

Great article.

Mind Your Own Womb Somewhere there is a woman: 30, no children. People ask her, "Still no kids?" Her response varies from day to day, but it usually includ...

Ah...Retirement will come soon. Another 10 year and I will be living that dream.

I remember the days/ months before and after my back surgery. I would rest all day and take my meds to be able to watch my kids play soccer and baseball. I would manage to sit for an hour and walk a bit. I would go home and be done.. Needing to rest for several hours before I could do anything else. From the outside... It looked like I was "fine".
I know I can't compare what I went through to someone who has a permanent disability, but the 2 years of injury has given me an insight of what others are going through. It has also taught me not to be fooled or make assumptions from the brief glance that I see.

Living My Life in the Grey Area of Disability "Seeing me in the chair one minute and then walking the next has confused a lot of people."

I've done this and feels great.

There comes a time..

Great advice.

Brain Drain on Amazon: amzn.to/1adJW5M
Blog: bit.ly/CoachMDBlog

When you're feeling down do as many of these as possible.
Dr. Charles, Coach MD

Kids do pay attention to what's going on. They know more than we think they do.

When My 4-Year-Old Defended My Chronic Illness to a Restaurant Manager "Did our sweet 4-year-old just leave a grown man speechless?"