PINTEREST

FB PIXEL CODE

WINTER BREAK ACTIVITIES AT HOME WITH YOUNG KIDS


Hope you enjoyed the holidays this season. It is always a special time to celebrate with family, friends and children, no matter which holiday you choose to celebrate. It is always a joyous time and a welcome break from the hectic life during the rest of the year.

 However, if you have kids, you know that the winter break can sometimes feel long and drawn out if you don't have any vacation plans or set up schedule. Once the actual holidays have passed, children are still on winter break here in the U.S.A., and you may be wondering how you can entertain your young children, these last few days, while they are still at home from school, especially the younger ones.

If you are running out of ideas on what to do with your little ones at home, here are some fun ideas for you to try with them.  If you little ones are in daycare/preschool, they will be familiar with some of these activities.


Here are 7 engaging activities:

1. Winter Wonderland Sensory Bin - In keeping with the winter theme, try to create a sensory bin filled with items like cotton balls (snow), small plastic animals, and winter-themed toys. This is a great way for kids to explore and play while improving their sensory skills.

2. Ice Painting - I am sure you have tried regular painting with your kids, but have you ever tried "ice painting?"  It is really simple. You freeze trays of water, mixed with food coloring to create colorful ice cubes. As the kids use the colored ice to paint on paper, they’ll enjoy a unique and tactile art experience.

3. Storytime in a Fort - Help them build a cozy fort using blankets and cushions and host a story time session inside. Choose winter-themed books and let the kids snuggle up as you read aloud. This can be done at any time, but if you work outside the home, perhaps you can use it as a motivational tool to get them excited for bedtime.

4. Nature WalkTake a nature walk to explore the winter landscape. Encourage the kids to collect pinecones, twigs, and leaves, which they can later use for crafts or decorations at home. If you don't have a place to take a nature walk, maybe you can take a walk around the block or even at a local park. Collect some rocks to paint at a later time. You can play games on your walk, like "I spy" or counting how many trees or different little creatures you see on your walk (ie: squirrels, lizards, bugs etc..) You can also have them practice their colors and or numbers by implementing the questions, as you "spy" different items.

5. Snow Science ExperimentIf you have access to snow, conduct simple science experiments, like melting snow with warm water or observing how snowflakes fall. If not, you can simulate snow with baking soda and water for a fun indoor experiment!

6. Holiday Movie Marathon - This is one of the easiest go-to activities. Set up a cozy movie day with winter-themed films or family favorites. Prepare some popcorn and hot cocoa for a perfect movie-watching experience. Or bake some cookies before movie time.  Have them pretend they are at the theater, and they can prepare the snacks for "movie night" of they are old enough.

7. Winter-Themed Bingo - This is a fun activity when the kids are old enough to know how to play Bingo.  You can create bingo cards with winter-themed pictures (snowflakes, mittens, sleds, etc.). Play a fun game of bingo with small prizes for the winners.





We hope these ideas inspire some wonderful winter break activities for you and the little ones 
or for anytime you are home with the kids and need fun activity ideas!









(Sponsored by Creative Learning Place)  




10 FUN IDEAS FOR TODDLERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR'S EVE

New Year’s Eve is a special time for families to come together and celebrate the upcoming year. While the festivities can be exciting, it’s essential to plan activities that are enjoyable and age-appropriate for toddlers and young children. 

Here are 10 fun ideas to help your little ones ring in the New Year with joy and laughter!


1. DIY Party Hats
Get the creative juices flowing by making colorful party hats. Provide construction paper, stickers, markers, and other craft supplies. Let the kids decorate their hats and wear them during the celebration.

2. New Year’s Eve Countdown Jars
Create a countdown jar with small treats or toys. Fill a jar or container with 12 items, one for each hour leading up to midnight (or a more toddler-friendly time). As the clock ticks down, let the kids open a new item every hour. This adds excitement without keeping them up too late! This is also a great idea for any other special occasion.

3. Dance Party
Host a family dance party! Create a playlist of fun and upbeat songs and encourage your little ones to show off their best dance moves. Consider adding some glow sticks or disco lights to make it feel like a real celebration.

 4. Craft a New Year’s Resolution Tree
Set up a small branch or tree as a focal point for the evening. Provide colored paper leaves where children can write or draw their hopes for the new year. Help them express their wishes and hang the leaves on the tree for all to see.

5. Sensory Play Stations
Set up sensory play stations (at home) with different themed activities. For example, you could have a glitter sensory bin, a "snow" table with cotton balls, or a sound station with instruments. Allowing children to explore textures and sounds can keep them engaged throughout the evening.

6. Family Photo Booth
Create a DIY photo booth with props and costumes. Use items like hats, sunglasses, and boas to dress up for silly photos. Capture these memories with your cell phone or polaroid camera, as a fun way to commemorate the event.

7. Fireworks Craft
Instead of actual fireworks, create art using fireworks-themed crafts. You can use paint splatter techniques or toilet paper rolls dipped in paint to create fireworks designs on paper. This allows kids to have fun with the idea of fireworks without the noise.

8. Balloon Drop
Prepare a balloon drop to welcome the new year! Fill a large bag or net with balloons and hang it from the ceiling. At your chosen “midnight,” release the balloons for a colorful and cheerful surprise.

9. Storytime Celebration
Gather your little ones for a cozy story time session featuring New Year-themed books or any book that your family loves. Choose stories about celebrations, friendships, and hopes for the future. This can be a calming activity amidst all the excitement.

10. Celebration Snacks
Make the evening special with festive snacks. Let the kids help prepare bite-sized treats, like fruit skewers, mini sandwiches, custom candy or decorated cookies. Encourage them to assist in choosing toppings or arranging the food on platters.

---

With these ten creative ideas, you can create a magical New Year’s Eve celebration for your toddlers and young children. It’s all about making joyful memories together while managing the excitement of welcoming a new year and sharing with others to spread kindness!

Cheers to fun, laughter, love and good health in the year ahead!










ABUNDANT LIFE, NO MORE

Source: Associated Press/Dec. 16, 2024

There comes a time when I have to stop all my online work, writing and motivational posts etc... and SPEAK OUT on the things that REALLY matter! And to me, that is the safety of our children...ALL of our children. And that time is now, again! It is insanity that I have to have so many blog posts/articles that reference school shootings. It is just that I find it incomprehensible to just sit by and not say or do anything at all, while innocent lives continue to be lost (and in school no less!)

Did you even hear about this one? A 15-year-old student opened fire inside a study hall at a small Christian school in Wisconsin on Monday, (Dec. 16, 2024) killing a teacher and teenager and prompting a swarm of police officers responding to a second grader’s 911 call. 

There are too many sh**tings in this Country to keep track, but to continue to ignore them and pretend it's not happening is unconscionable.

Sooo many things wrong here:

1. The obvious, is the injury and death of innocent people (children)
2. That a SECOND GRADER had a cell phone and had to use it to call (the police) 911!
Let that sink in! (What are we doing to our children!?)
3. That this teenager had easy access to a weapon
4. That this teenager is so mentally unwell and unhappy that the first option is to take the lives of others?!
5. That G-d and religion can't do sh*t about gun violence.
6. Thoughts and prayers are too little too late.
7. That most people didn't even hear about this incident.
8. That we have accepted this violence as the "norm."
9. The irony that this happened in a 'Christian" school called "Abundant Life."
10. That most people are going to keep scrolling, reading...while victims of gun violence continue to grow in this Country, until one day, it will be too close to your home, children and/or loved ones.

Every SINGLE time there is a school sh**ting, not only does it add to the list of victims of gun violence in this Country, but more and more children suffer from PTSD and the trauma of going to school.

How did we reach a point in this Country where kids have to be FEARFUL of attending school?! Why is this okay?

I don't even know why I bother writing about this anymore. We vote and it doesn't mean anything. We try to pass gun law reform and background checks and other common gun law reform, and the people obsessed with gun ownership, get in a twist over it all.

The conclusion (IMO) is that, in THIS Country, people value their weapons and money more than the safety and mental well-being of our children and that was more than evident during #SandyHook

Until you have been through it, or loved someone who has been through it, you will never understand, how incredibly frightening and traumatic it is for a child (or any person) to live through such unimaginable violence, where you go to school and/or work.

Whatever the solution is, we must DO SOMETHING! Children DESERVE to be SAFE and PROTECTED! Thus far, we have failed too many of them!

GET YOUR 5- DAY EXPERIENCE FOR BRAIN HEALTH & MENTAL WELLNESS

High quality nutrition is 
🔑 and as a brain tumor survivor and living kidney donor, I have had my fair share of health issues, so I am always looking for alternative health options, to stay as healthy and as energetic as possible, especially when it comes to brain health and mental wellness.

I think those two things are something we could all use help with, especially as we start getting older, even without any pre-existing issues. 

When I learned about Nootropics, it was a few years back. However, last year, I learned about a specific brand of Nootropics that supports healthy cognitive function, mental clarity and overall brain health that has Frequency charged nutrition in its products!  It is actually a company that has all the things I was looking for and more! 

This frequency charge drink is going viral and even has a popular actor from one of my favorite soap operas (GH) on board at this company, as well as some top-marketing professionals in the industry, who also believe in these products, wholeheartedly.

Imagine all the goodness of clean nutrition with adaptogenic mushrooms, combined with harmonizing frequencies to help heal the body - mind, body & soul!  Exactly what my brand name motto is: The Power to be Happy: Mind, Body & Soul.   

One of my favorites in this line is a mango-lemonade drink that is formulated with a blend of seven different organic mushrooms, B vitamins, amino acids and 100 mg of caffeine from organic green coffee bean extract. Everything comes together with delicious fruit and citrus flavors to make this lemonade a healthy and tasty treat for your body and mind.

These are all the things drinking this lemonade daily, can help with:

  • Mental Performance 
  • Brain Health 
  • Energy 
  • Mental Clarity 
  • Creativity 
  • Motivation 
  • Concentration 
  • Alertness 
  • Mood 

I am forever in a state of gratitude that I am still blessed to be here on Earth to continue to make a difference.  The fact that I survived a brain tumor makes me humble and grateful EVERY single day, (many are not so lucky.)  

I am blessed and with that said, it is my mission to give back to others in the best way I can and that is through education on alternative health and wellness, specifically, holistic health options, sharing my writing and bits of wisdom I have acquired in my double nickel (and change) years of life and offering you the best nutritional supplements for health and mental wellness on the market.

If you would like to try the 5-day experience of these amazing nutritional products, just fill out the form here

Awaken your best life!










LOOKING FOR THE LIGHT IN TOWER MOMENTS

"Sometimes it’s difficult to be positive, and to be patient or to comprehend the challenges we are faced with, in those "tower moments" of life that make us feel overwhelmed. Those "tower moments" are moments that can feel like everything around you is crumbling, and getting more difficult at every turn, but the key to overcoming these moments, is to make space for more light to enter, to move to a new higher frequency with an upward and forward movement. It is important to always keep moving forward towards that light. ("Nunca para atrás como el cangrejo!”) Moving forward is not the same as moving on. You can “move on,” physically, but emotionally, you may not have moved forward. Forward is progress.

It is where we need to go as things change and move in different directions with the ups & downs of life. We need to learn to look for the light and move forward in progress. And that doesn’t mean the “light” they talk about at death. When I refer to the light, I am referring to the light of LIFE, of love, of hope, of motivation, of kindness, of compassion, of happiness, of better days yet to come. It is the light that sparks you from the inside out! 


We all have that "light" within in us, but sometimes we just need that spark or switch turned back on. Often, we forget who we really are supposed to be because we got lost in the chaos of life. It takes conscious effort to look for the things that “light you up,” and bring you joy. It also takes plenty of self-love and personal development to nurture your soul. We are a work in progress.

Ask yourself this? If you treated a project at work or at school with attention, care, and focus to make sure it was successful and turned out well, why wouldn't you do that for yourself? If you are doing it right, when you complete a job, a project or levels in school, you keep going up and forward in progress. You either work towards a goal, good grades, a promotion or different levels of success, so why wouldn't you put in the same or better effort to the ultimate project in your life? YOURSELF!

If you don't put yourself first, why not? Well, maybe you feel stuck...but guess what? When we feel stuck in life, it is because we are not putting in the work. We are not putting in the work to better in our relationships, our jobs, our health, our friendships - none of it. Sometimes our hearts can't accept what the Universe has planned for us but it is our job to We are just letting old patterns of behavior steer the wheel and become complacent with the status quo. Complacency is a killer. That doesn't mean that life has to be perfect to be wonderful. It means, that we learn how to maneuver through those tough tower moments and find something wonderful in the journey. It is possible even in the darkest of days. We are not here on Earth to just get by and complain about the rough moments in our lives. Like the saying goes, "We are here to thrive, not just survive."

And News Flash: no one gets out alive We're not usually here for a long time, (unless you are my grandmother! LOL!) So, we should make every effort to make it the best time possible. Actually, what I have learned, is that we are here on Earth to learn to manipulate energy and become better versions of ourselves. If you are religious, then perhaps that better version is the goal of becoming God like. And if you believe in Source, then you know that we are all God and have that power within us to achieve a higher frequency.

But let me not digress into religion...the bottom line is you have to do what lights you up.

You (and by you, I mean you, me, we,) have to make a conscious effort to look for the things that “light you up,” and bring you joy. Even with all the craziness and frustrations, we go through in life, it is about surrounding yourself with people who make you want to be better and do better. It is about moving away from the dark energies and things that bring you down.  It is about appreciating those people, who genuinely love you and treat you well, who check on you and want to see you succeed in life. There is plenty of good in the world, we just have to look for it! And there is also great abundance in the world, (if only greed and power would take a back seat.) Love, abundance, kindness, it's all there waiting for you, for me, for us!

Looking for the light is about finding “your tribe” and thriving there, whether that be with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, teammates, and so forth. Having a tribe is about having that support that we all need at one time or another in our lives. And if you don’t like the “tribe” you have, get a new one or find one! Reach out to me and will help you find one.

There will always be some cloudiness, and even some dark days, but it is in that “darkness,” that we must learn to manipulate our Energy, so that we can attract the good, (“the light”) and the higher frequency in life, which IMO, is THE goal. That higher frequency is in reference to a higher spiritual plane, not a physical state. And with that said, our physical state is also an integral part of our journey.

It is true that health is indeed our greatest wealth, and without that we have nothing, which makes it that much more difficult to stay motivated and happy when we are not in good health or not feeling our “best.”

This is why we should try to do everything in our POWER, to be as willing and as healthy as possible to put in the WORK: mind, body & soul.  Feeling good and having a positive mindset is hard work. No one said it would be easy; but it is definitely worth it, when you are able to shift your paradigm - to change your thinking and perspective from what it has always been, that is progress - that is success. It is learning to have a growth mindset over the same old stagnant mindset we have been conditioned with, that says things are the way they are, and that they have to stay that way.



This is not true. We can change our mindset at any time we make the DECISION to do so. We have the POWER! The power to be happy, to be healthy, to be kind, to spread love and happiness and to make every day count.

We are not here on Earth to just survive and get by. IMO, we are here to make a difference, to make a positive impact, somewhere along the course of our lives.

At some point in life, you may have inspired or motivated someone and not even known it. And sometimes, you might even have to “toot your own horn,” to keep you going with self-talk, personal development, daily affirmations or even just coming back to read this blog.

So even if you feel things are crumbling around you or getting more difficult, and those “tower moments,” seem to be growing, remember that we don’t grow or learn when things are easy. We grow when we learn to overcome the obstacles with grace and grit. We learn when we can recognize the lessons, as difficult as some of those may be.

The Earth, Gaia, G-d, Source is shifting us to become better versions of ourselves.

My advice is "do more of what makes you happy every day" and be like a sunflower - always looking for the light, that brings you joy, health and happiness. Stand tall, even if sometimes you may feel like you are wilting. 


It’s all part of the process.  Inhale Love, exhale negativity."

🌻

-LR



"Happiness depends upon ourselves." —Aristotle




(Source:  Re-post from The Power to be Happy blog)

ARE YOU STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY?


Do you often feel like you are struggling to make ends meet
in today's economy? Do you ever wonder why you can’t seem to unlock the vault to true wealth and abundance? Does it seem like you can never catch up to pay your bills, or that somehow the money seems to disappear so that you are struggling again, every month? Do you spend days surfing the internet trying to find ways to earn extra money to supplement your family's income? I know I did!

Maybe it's time for a money mindset reset! 

As a mom, I always want to be able to provide and supplement my family's income and to have the luxury of providing the extras for my kids, (even though they are not little anymore.) That extra money can facilitate opportunities like family vacations or paying for college or even car insurance, which is extremely expensive for young people.

My dedication to the study of the Law of Attraction, as well as my love of personal development teachers like, Jim Rohn and Bob Proctor, combined with wanting to have extra money to splurge on non-necessities and the desire to learn to attract abundance, were some of the reasons why I was attracted to the video course I am sharing with you by money manifestation expert and top earner in the network marketing industry, Megan DeSart.


Meet Your Manifestation Coach!

This course is guided by Megan DeSart, an entrepreneur, Manifestation Business Coach and online course Educator who has dedicated herself to helping people transform their lives through this work. Meagan has a master’s in psychology and is a certified Belief Clearing Practitioner, who worked closely with the late Bob Proctor of "The Secret,” becoming one of his success coaches. She also had the opportunity to be hired as a Tony Robbins coach.



If you are like me, you may automatically hesitate and think to yourself things like, "You don't need more money, you have enough to get by," or "look at all the poor people in the world, you should be grateful for what you have." While it is true that there are other people worse off than you or I, that doesn't mean that you can't live your best life.

You can live in gratitude and still live in abundance. It is just a matter of learning how to stop the negative beliefs we have conditioned with in society about money and learning how to reset our vibration.

                                            

In my honest opinion, I feel that we are here on Earth to thrive and to attract miracles, that will allow us to become the best version of ourselves.

No matter what your income level is, when you experience that feeling of scarcity, it can be super stressful to feel like you don't have enough or that you can't provide for your family the way you would like. Obviously, there are a lot of people in society really struggling but everyone's' ceiling is different. Each one of us has our own perspective of how much wealth is necessary to survive or to thrive. You can own a million-dollar home and feel like you don't have enough. And that is not because you are not working hard enough, or you don't have a master's degree or whatever degree you think you need for success.

It is because you and I have been programmed our whole lives to have a "broke mentality," - by our upbringing, by television, by movies, and even by the friends we may have grown up around. And that program is playing out because you don’t even know how it is happening. 

Here is an analogy for you. If you cook or watch someone else cook, you know that if you have a recipe, but are missing ingredients, or if you use the wrong ingredients, then you will get something completely different or not what you intended. You might think you know part of the recipe for attracting money, (I thought I did, just because of all the Law of Attraction videos I watched,) but if you do not have the money in the bank that you want, then something is missing. There is a simple recipe for attracting money and creating true wealth.

If you are not living the life that you want, on your own terms, then your money vibration blueprint is incomplete. 

 

What does that mean? When your money vibration blueprint is incomplete or out of alignment, you will always struggle with money. 


What I know is that the after-effects of the pandemic has affected so many families' financial situation, especially families that were once in a comfortable economic position. Not only has a left a lot of people feeling financially drained but also emotionally drained as well.

There are those who have been struggling with lack of wealth and abundance their whole lives, but what I have noticed is that since 2020, more and more people are struggling paycheck to paycheck and just can't find a way to earn extra income no matter how hard they try, but more importantly they are struggling with the shift that is going on in the world. Many people, myself included, are feeling like something needs to happen. If people don't learn to change their stagnant mindset to a growth mindset, they will stay stuck and keep missing part of the recipe for true wealth and abundance. This is why this manifestation course is key to changing your view on the way you see things.

  

If you are not taking the vacations, you know you deserve, and you are not living the life that you want, then your money vibration blueprint is incomplete. 

 

What does that mean?


When your money vibration blueprint is incomplete or out of alignment, you will always struggle with money. 

The fact is that in today's world there are SO many ways to make money (especially online,) if you are resourceful, have the right tools and the dedication to make it happen. But the truth is, you also have to have a good relationship with money and be aware that money is energy and not have a scarcity mindset. If you are one of those people who feels like there is never enough money or abundance to go around, I want to share with you just one of the ways you can change that immediately, with the digital wealth building blueprint course.

It's time to learn how to break free from the struggle of just living paycheck to paycheck. The system was created to keep us in and endless loop of struggle, to keep most people just barely surviving. It is also important to note, that you have to believe you are worth the investment to make yourself better and to live a more prosperous and abundant life.
 
The reality is, if you have just enough, you are not likely to complain too much. You’re not likely to demand more. There is not enough pain to motivate you to break out of the system - the matrix we live in. This is how most people live, just getting by. But guess what? Sometimes that is just not enough! Why do we have to sit by and watch other people live their best abundant life, while struggling to make ends meet or not be able to pay for extra gymnastic lessons for our kids or not be able to go on the family vacation you have been dreaming of in your mind?
I am telling you now, we are not here to just survive, we are here to thrive and grow and be our best selves, mind, body & soul and that includes abundance in our lives.
 
You do not have to stay in the struggle, in mediocrity or in the endless financial struggle. You can break free! 
 
Here’s how!

In order to become wealthy, you must do what wealthy people do. 
 
And no, that doesn't mean go out and spend a ton of money. No, I don’t mean filthy rich like flying in private planes or sailing the world in a yacht (although there is nothing with wanting that too, if you like!) I am referring to the everyday millionaire, the person, who has broken out of the system to create true financial freedom.

My definition of "wealthy" (of financial freedom,) is first and foremost, to have good health but also to have the freedom of time to do what you want, when you want and to not be slave to a 9 to 5 job.


“See yourself living in abundance and you will attract it. It always works, it works every time with every person” 
-Bob Proctor

Personal development is key to a growth mindset and to changing your relationship with money. And that all starts with learning to love yourself and - learning to change your frequency to a higher vibration to increase the flow into your life.


In order to change yourself and your situation, you have to do something different! We often cannot change the circumstances around us, but we can change ourselves! What we have at the moment, we have attracted by the person we have become. You have attracted these things because of the person you are. If you change what is inside of you - you can attract abundance, wealth, success, whatever you desire.

When you elevate your vibration, you begin to attract abundance

We can't always blame the marketplace or our circumstances. We have to learn to work on ourselves, and on the right things, regardless of the economic marketplace or the year we are in.

"Success is something you attract by the person you become. Success is not something you pursue, or chase...Success is something you develop, something you become. You attract success." - Jim Rohn

The key to attract treasures (economic treasures, spiritual treasures, financial/social treasures,) is by your own personal development.

Your mind and emotions impact your reality.