Invite Kids Into the Kitchen

Have you ever wondered how to get your kids or grandkids to help you more in the kitchen? Teaching my kids to cook and letting them help me in the kitchen has always been a high priority of mine. It usually takes a lot longer and makes more mess, but the skills they acquire and the memories you share are well worth it.   

When I was growing up, both of my grandmothers would let me help them cook. It was such a treat to get to do something grownups did and to feel useful. I know my own kids have felt the same way, especially when they were very young. I remember one time when my son, Maxx was about four-years-old and we were making cookies. He looked up at me and said, “This is fun, Mommy, especially since I’m making cookies with you.”   

I’m sure he would never admit that now (at age 16) but it’s definitely a cherished memory of mine.   

One of my favorite blessings is having my daughter, Maggie, age 11, and my son, both helping me fix dinner. There is a bonding that occurs as you all work together toward a common goal—a delicious dinner. Everyone wants to puts their unique, tasty mark on the meal. What a joy! And they are learning valuable skills along the way. At least I am pretty certain that when they leave home they will at least know how to fix their own healthy meals.   

Everyday Family Meals   

A friend of mine, Brenda, has four young daughters and she involves them all in preparing homemade dinners. She and her husband are both physicians. She finds that by having her girls help prepare the healthy meals, they are more likely to try and enjoy the food.   

Brenda feels it’s a good idea to get kids interested in cooking and eating healthy meals at home when they are young, instead of falling into the trap of eating so much fast food. She says that hitting the drive through instead of preparing a healthy meal at home is one reason why our society has such a problem with childhood obesity.   

Cooking together can be a family fun activity!

They try to have at least one sit down dinner together as a family each day. In our own household, we try to do that, too, but it can be tough when our lives are so busy. But sitting down together to a meal allows us to show how to set the table, share about our day, and model appropriate table manners.
    

Kitchen as Classroom   

I have always told my kids, “When you know how to read, you can learn how to do anything!” And that is exactly what happens in the kitchen. Cooking with a recipe teaches kids how to: 
• Follow Directions
• Read
• Use Measurements
• Learn About Fractions
• Chemical Reactions
• Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem   

Steps for Success:   

Invisible Roots

Have you ever wondered why have are afraid of certain things such as bridges or heights –or in my case – snakes? Especially if you’ve never had a bad experience in that area?
Have you ever thought about why you might instantly dislike someone that you just met? Or adored someone you just met?
Do you ever have unexpected and unexplained physical symptoms that doctors can’t diagnose?

I went to hear a speaker recently at our public library. I wasn’t sure what to expect. A friend of mine who works at the library mentioned to me that she thought I would enjoy the speaker.
Dr. Barbara Stone was truly one of the  most fascinating speakers I have heard for a long while. I also purchased her newest book, Invisible Roots, which I devoured in a few days.  Dr. Stone is a psychotherapist who studied at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She also holds a PhD in clinical psychology. 

The book shares examples of how Dr. Stone has aided many of her clients who could not shake phobias, addictions, depression, pain and other physical symptoms no matter what they tried.  As she explains in her talks and in her book, she began to discover deeper realms that were causing the symptoms her clients were experiencing.  This was not something she was interested in pursuing, but as it kept surfacing, she felt compelled to explore further. She discovered that through various methods of energy psychology, she was able to uncover and release the effects of  traumatic past lives and earthbound spirits affecting her clients.

At her talk, she shared many of the concepts detailed in her book, and I felt that I have finally found out why my life is the way it is.  I feel fortunate to have discovered her and the kind of energy psychology work she is doing. My own degree is in psychology and I now feel drawn to look into energy psychology.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

 To find out more about Dr. Barbara Stone check out her book, Invisible Roots, or go to her website at http://www.souldetective.net.

Highlands Nature Sancturary

I recently visited Highlands Nature Sanctuary and Appalachian Forest Museum near Bainbridge, Ohio with my daughter and our cousins.  The Garmin GPS flawlessly guided us there, even though the road the sanctuary is located on becomes little more than a path before arriving at your destination.  Our cousins are city girls, but enjoy hiking in the great outdoors, so the adventure of exploring this site that was formerly operated as 7 Caves for over 80 years, was a treat for all of us.

The caves are no longer open to the public as the management of the site works to bring them back to their original, pre-visitor state. The hiking trails through the Rocky Fork Gorge offer breathtaking views of cliff overhangs, streams, huge Beech trees, wildflowers and rock formations.  This land is now a part of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, a charitable non-profit, stewarding over 3,000 acres of native Eastern Forest throughout southern Ohio. 

We especially enjoyed the Valley of the Ancients Trail, hiking
single file among the coolness of the huge rocks that line much of the path with my youngest cousin, age seven, singing (rather loudly) Just a Spoonful of Sugar which reverberated throughout the gorge. Something the abundant wildlife in the area probably hadn’t ever experienced before! It was truly a delightful, peaceful time shared with my family of which we will always have fond memories.

Experiencing the outdoors in this way can be a transforming experience.  When you can walk among dense nature, you begin to notice and appreciate even the tiniest creatures and plants.  Your stress and worries slip away and you experience inner peace. Hopefully, you can find a special place to visit this week and with each step along the path, you can let go of your worries and truly know that All Is Well.

Healing Your Emotions

Healing painful emotions from your past can lead to emotional, spiritual and physical healing. It is not surprising that emotional pain is the major cause of human unhappiness and depression.  However, it is surprising how difficult it can be to rid yourself of these negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, fear, hurt, bitterness, grief, and other painful memories.  We often do not even realize these emotions are lurking inside of us. They may have been such a part of our lives that we don’t know we can feel differently.

Emotional pain has a life of its own beyond our conscious mental control. It is almost like being processed. No matter how we try to shake it off, it clings to us like glue. Unhealed emotional pain can express itself as anxiety, fear, stress, anger or depression. It can even distort your energy field and can eventually lead to physical diseases and conditions that are resistant to both conventional and alternative medical care.

Dr. Walter Weston has worked with hundreds of people over the past thirty years to help rid them of these painful emotions.  His simple process is called Emotional Release Therapy (ERT). “Remove your emotional pain and your body tends to heal itself,” states Weston. “You can use Emotional Release Therapy to free yourself of negative emotions and begin reversing the course of your medical condition.”

Over the past several years, Dr. Weston has practiced ERT with more than 700 people and has written several books on the topic of ERT.  He has used his experience as the basis for teaching more than 8,000 people throughout the world through ERT workshops.

I met Dr. Weston in 1999 when I attended one of his workshops. Since then I have found numerous instances for using these simple techniques either on myself or with my children and other family and friends.  Releasing the painful emotions brings such a feeling of peace very quickly. It is easy to learn and simple to use.

Dr. Weston isn’t teaching many workshops now since he is retired.  But his ERT methods are explained in his book, Healing Yourself, which is now available as an e-book.   ERT involves simple prayer, visualizing and a releasing of emotional pain without having to share what the memory is. It can be practiced on yourself or with another person.  Dr. Weston also includes beautiful prayers in his book that can be used during the healing session and tailored to each individual and situation.  The prayers themselves are a blessing.

Some emotions to uncover and release include anger, anxiety, fear, grief, sadness, jealousy, depression, shyness, stress, worry, performance anxieties, negativity, envy, pessimism and failure.  Often you are able to release unknown emotional fixations that have been blocking your growth and best efforts without your knowledge.  Releasing these hidden emotions can be the key that unlocks the door to numerous possibilities in your life and others. Visit Dr. Weston’s website for more information on Emotional Release Therapy.

Build Fairy Houses

A great activity to inspire kids to get outside and use their imagination is fairy house building.

Build them from all natural materials such as pinecones, sticks, leaves, flower petals, stones, seashells, feathers, acorns and gourds.  Construct fairy houses in backyards, in flowerbeds, in wooded areas or even on a balcony.  Many public parks and gardens allow fairy house building and create special events around the activity. Ask your local parks about it.  Some great books to get you inspired are those written by author/illustrator Tracy Kane including Kristin’s Fairy House and Fairy Houses Everywhere.

We had Tracy Kane come to our community a couple of years ago for a weekend of fairy house building workshops at Clary Gardens, a local public garden and at the Pomerene Center for the Arts.  It was great fun and inspired Clary Gardens to continue holding similar events over the years.  A fairy house village was created throughout their wooded sections that is enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Here’s how to get started in your own backyard

1. Find a suitable spot.  The kids in your life will lead you to the perfect place.
2. Talk about what the fairies might like in their house. Let the child’s imagination run with this.
3. Gather some items from the yard that might work. Use only natural materials (no plastic or metal – keep this a non-littering activity.)
4. Have fun building the fairy house. Children may want to do this all themselves, and that’s OK. Just watch and enjoy the process. Trial and error is what makes the process fun.
5. Have the child talk about the various parts of the structure and what they are used for.   For example, a large stone could be the couch, a big leaf could be a slide, and an acorn top could be a bowl.
6. Add accessories such as small berries in the bowls, flower decorations, or a bit of moss or feathers on the beds.
7. This can become an addicting hobby. You and your child will now always be on the lookout for the perfect spot for a fairy house and will spy the ideal materials when taking walks. 
8. This is a perfect activity for boys and girls. If the boys don’t like the idea of fairies, they can build their houses for sprites or the boy fairies.  Surprisingly, when we had our big fairy house building workshop at Clary Gardens, there were just as many boys with their dads there as there were girls.  Pretty neat!  Have fun and enjoy spending time outdoors.

Prayer for Peace

Spoken prayer is one of the most powerful spiritual tools known to humanity.  It is a more powerful spiritual tool than thought, meditation, visualization, centering and silent prayer.  It has historically proven its power as the basis for religious ritual.  The spoken word in prayer an draw un the wm of sacred writings, the Word of God.

Many people have difficulty praying, especially spoken prayers.  Often it is helpful to have a model prayer to follow as a guide. Here is a prayer for peace that can be used in a group setting or alone using whatever name for God you feel most comfortable with.

Prayer for Peace

God, the creator and sustainer of all life, we come to you in prayer about the tensions existing between our nation and the nation of_______. In today’s world, we know that wars destroy people and the ecology of our planet. Most wars are fought in the national interest and out of a sense of some form of social justice. Yet the world craves peace.

We pray for our national leaders, ______, and for the leaders of the nations of _____. We ask you to fill these leaders with your love, peace and presence. Enable understanding to be negotiated so that no military operation takes place. Enable them to be responsible in recognizing the precious sacredness of every human life. We hold these leaders in oneness with you and ourselves. (Here visualize yourself being at peace and in oneness with God and these leaders.)

We also pray for the people of the nation ______. Fill them with your love and peace. Unite us as fellow sacred human beings, seeking to live daily in peace with fairness for all peoples. Thank you for hearing our prayer and for the new life you bring.  Amen.

Written by Dr. Walter Weston.

Why Would Anyone Want to go to Guatemala?

Before leaving on my trip, I tried to assure my friends and myself that Guatemala was safe. But now, as I spied the loaded revolver stashed in a pot of geraniums in the courtyard of my Guatemalan hotel, I wasn’t so sure.

 

And then there was the comment I overheard at the airport before I boarded my plane. As a young man passed by my gate he asked his companion, “Why would anyone want to go the Guatemala?”

 

As I stared at the gun, anxiety overtook me.”What am I doing here?” I thought.

 

I tried to calm these panicky thoughts by filling my mind with all the peaceful and genuinely friendly local people I had met so far in this beautiful country. 

 

First, I remembered Pedro, a man in the village market of Solola who said, “It makes my heart happy that you are coming here to Guatemala to visit. It is good for the people.”

 

Then there was Sara Noemi who was selling weavings. As I showed her photos of my children, we bonded even without being able to speak the same language. While we talked, a little girl who said her name was Jandi came up to show me an intricate lace weaving. I told her my name was similar to hers and that made her laugh.

 

In that same market in Solola, I met Jeremy, a delightful 12-year-old salesman. I bought a necklace and a toy chicken bus from him and he flashed a huge grin complete with dimples. I ran into Jeremy once more in the Chichicastenango market where he smiled again as he sold me a couple of multi colored woven headbands.

 

Another Mayan village on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Santa Catalia, revealed more amigos. At the primary

School Girl in a small Lake Atitlan Village

school there I met a classroom full of six-year-olds.
 
Rosa, Claudia, Rosenda, Juana, Carlos, Mayra and Norma, eagerly gathered around me laughing as I showed them the photos I had taken of them on my digital camera.

 

On up the street in that same village was the small home of a weaver named Sylvia. She was weaving on a backstrap loom. I pointed to the glittery, purple woven liston she wore on her head. I asked her how much. “125 quetzales,” she said. We bartered a bit to settle on a price and then she removed it from her head and wove it around mine.

As I looked around at her simple one room home, I noticed a bed, a wooden dresser, a table and a soap opera on the television. Sylvia seemed happy with her life. She smiled as I left and thanked me. As I walked through that village, several local heads turned and laughed to see a blond gringo with a liston on her head.

 

I thought of the sisters who road on our tourist boat for a whole day on Lake Atitlan.  Dalila, 14, and Selena, 12, were peddling

the weavings of their mother, Sionas.  I noticed Dalila’s worn purple toenail polish matched the horizontal purple stripes in her long black skirt. The girls shared with me that they have nine brothers and sisters and they all work on the small family farm raising corn and chickens.  Dalila and Selena grinned broadly as I showed them pictures of my family, especially my 13-year-old son, Maxx.

Dalila and Selena

I also met eight-year-old Anna Candaladia, who happily showed me a copy of a tourist map for her village of Santiago Atitla’n. Her picture was on the cover of this map and she grinned as she held it up next to her face for me to take a photo.