Do you feel scattered or lost at times?   Life can be complicated.  Just when everything seems fine…BAM! … change (like losing a job, home or relationship) can leave you dizzy and confused. To make sense of if all, you start labeling things and experiences as GOOD or BAD.

But really, if you take a step back and look at ALL the pieces of your life, you can see they each serve a purpose in growing you into the beautiful being that you are.  The DARK times make you stronger and teach you important skills.  The LIGHT times reward you for your hard work and faith that all will be well.   We need both.

If you look at a mosaic art piece, you will see it is made up of dark and light pieces.  When brought together and arranged, all the pieces have beauty and worth.  Together, they enhance each other creating a beautiful and powerful existence.

Instead of focusing on your life being GOOD and BAD, try taking a step back and seeing how your life experiences are arranging themselves into a masterpiece.

Trust all will be perfect and beautiful, and it will.

The gorgeous Swan Lake mosaic is by Laura Harris of Melonhead Gallery.

That has got to be one of the biggest desires of my “mom” coaching clients. Well, actually now that I think about it, just about everyone would put time on their Christmas list if they thought Santa would bring it.

Do you know the secret to getting back your time? Answer this question.

How can you find more time?
a) Find a better time management or organizational system. Check out some of these great systems…
b) Get up earlier in the morning.
c) Take something off your full plate.
d) Stop multi-tasking and only do the things you value most.

If you answered A, Maybe. There are some good systems out there to help moms manage better.

If you answered B – Possibly. The early bird usually does catch the worm. The house will be quiet and no one will be awake to bug you to do something for them.

If you answered C – Most Likely. Too many things on your plate means something is likely to spill off and create a big stressful mess.

If you answered D – CORRECT! If you really want to take back control of your life. STOP MULTI-TASKING!

“But, but, but! That is impossible,” you recoil in fear of not getting it all done. The truth is that the TO DO list never ends. So the trick is to take a good, hard, honest look at what your values and priorities are and only DO those. The rest of your list needs to be DUMPED or DELEGATED to someone else to do (isn’t that what kids are for?). Less to do means more time for you.

I know we women pride ourselves on how well we can multi-task. However, recent studies prove that multi-tasking creates symptoms closely resembling attention-deficit disorder (ADD). The result is distractibility, impulsiveness, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy. All of which create stress and reduce the quality of life. Stress can lead to fatigue, insomnia, weight gain, depression and medical conditions such as adrenal fatigue.

When I look back at my life, I see a direct correlation between my busiest times and my inability to recall precious memories during that period because I was not present in the moment.

Now when I focus on one thing at a time, I notice I enjoy life and my kids more and I make fewer mistakes!

The solution to creating more time:
1. Do one thing at a time.
2. Reduce the TO DO list to only what you love or absolutely must get done.
3. Don’t say YES to something when you mean NO.
4. Be present in every moment.

My new life coaching show, Delicious Life Challenge, airs this week on SheKnows TV! It is all about helping 4 women transform their lives. I love these women!! I’m truly pumped and honored to be a part of their BIG life changes. The episodes will air over the next several weeks. And along the way, I will give you the inside scoop on the show.

Plus, I am really excited for YOU to watch for these reasons:

1. You will see that change is possible in just a couple of weeks. The four Delicious Life Challenge women’s lives started shifting in a BIG way. And for the better!!

2. You are not alone in your struggles. The life issues the Delicious Life ladies are battling are the ones I commonly see in the women I coach. I show them how to overcome theses obstacles in easy, practical ways.

3. You may glean a few insights that you can apply to your own life. These women had HUGE AHA moments. Some were so simple, yet in the midst of life’s stressful confusion, the ladies couldn’t see the solutions without my help.

4. FREE COACHING TOOLS for you will be included in my newsletter updates. (Sign up in teh upper right hand corner of this page, if you haven’t already) As each episode airs, I am going to give you the behind the scenes coaching tools that I gave the DL women.

MEET THE WOMEN
Which woman are you most like? Or are you a combination of ALL 4?  Please leave me a comment below and tell me which woman you identify with the most.  And I would love your feedback on the show!

Lindsey (see her video intro)

• “Picture perfect life”
• Scared of change
• Struggles with creating good habits
• 29 year old, Newlywed, Public Relations professional

Susan (see her video intro)

• Separated and divorcing husband
• Ready for a new, healthy lifestyle
• 41 years old, looking for a new job

Anna (see her video intro)

• Military Mom of one son
• Ready to take control & struggles for balance
• Wants to get healthy and reconnect with husband
• 28 years old, married, teacher

Melanie (see her video intro)

• “Supermommy” of three children
• Struggles with Fear of Failure
• Guilt eats her alive, and sometimes never feels like she does enough
• 32 years old, married, online teacher

When I need a good boost of energy,  I reach for my Omega juicer.  In just a few minutes, I make a glass of fresh juice chock full of live enzymes, vitamins and minerals!  I just made this yummy concoction of what I had in my fridge: carrots, spinach, kale, celery and apples.  If you want kids to like the taste, add apples for some sweetness.

Want to know more about the benefits and how to juice? This article explains it.

Charting your course in life is very much like making a journey in a sailboat. Here are some steps for making the trip smooth and fulfilling.

PREPARE TO SET SAIL:
The ocean of life is full of opinions and options. In this age of information overload, it becomes increasingly difficult and time consuming to choose a direction to head in. It leaves many drained and confused. How do you make your way?

1. First, determine that YOU are the Captain. No one else is allowed to steer your ship. Allow no one to make final decisions for you. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for YOUR happiness and has to live with the choices made.
2. Do a thorough check of your ship’s hull to be sure it is in order. It’s design affects the stresses your ship will be able to endure and the cargo you can carry. This foundation is your beliefs and values defined by your world view. Each person’s understanding of how the world works is shaped by a combination of personal experiences, observations, and the teaching they have received throughout their lives. Your world view includes your assumptions about life, love, marriage, children, career, and health, etc.
3. Once you know the overall structure of your ship, you can focus on its rudder and sails. Your ship will be steered through the experiences set by your life goals. Life goals define the ultimate destination you desire. They describe the kind of person you hope you will grow to be and the experiences you will have.  The basic structure of the vessel is likely to remain constant. In contrast, the rudder and sails will adjust in response to storms and fluctuating currents. Similarly, life goals will need to change as your development reveals your strengths, talents, and interests and as you gain new experiences or new information.
4. You must also consider the passenger list. How many passengers do you have? Who are they? Are they children, family, friends, acquaintences? What makes each one unique? Do they add value to your journey or do they just take up space on your ship?
5. The next step is choosing your crew and cargo. Who is on the crew to assist you with the journey? You will need to choose members that possess strengths and knowledge you do not. The crew is also there to take care of duties that you do not have time to do as the captain. For example, an accountant to do your taxes, a coach to guide you, a housekeeper to clean your home, a babysitter to watch your children, a fitness trainer to help keep you in shape. The cargo your ship will carry is the resources you have available. These include money, assets, your home, the environment you live in and the people around you.
6. Your final step before setting sail is charting the actual course. Long- and short-term goals will help define your course. Long-term goals are like a compass that provides overall direction and purpose for your journey. Short-term goals are the “ports of call” along the way and help measure your progress towards your desired destination. These goals should be reflected in your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and activities. They will be affected by the strengths and weaknesses of your crew, passengers, time constraints, travel schedules, illness, etc.

SET SAIL:
When you have identified your beliefs, values and world view, considered the uniqueness of your passengers, crew and cargo, determined your goals, selected a destination, and gathered resources, you are ready to confidently set sail to a life you love!

As your voyage unfolds, you will have the ability to adjust the rudder and sails to make course corrections.

Many course corrections will be needed throughout your journey as the winds and currents shift. Periodic review of your short- and long-term goals will be necessary to keep up with these changes. New information, new resources, and even new living conditions will impact your decisions. In the sailing world, if a ship gets off course even one or two degrees and does not correct it will veer out at an entirely different angle on the compass. Over time, it will end up very far from the destination intended. Conversely, to get back on course it may only takes a few minor shifts in degrees to correct. In a panic, people will “overcorrect” when they notice they aren’t going in the direction they desire. They turn the ship’s wheel too sharply and end up capsizing their ship.

As the Captain, be confident are are prepared and well equipped to weather any storm in life. Remember to enjoy the journey and the “ports of call” since you never really know when you will reach your destination.

The smell of peanut butter cookies wafting out of my oven is pure simple bliss to me.  Baking up warm bundles of sugary yum is one of my favorite past times.  I do it when I’m happy, when it’s cold outside, when I’m craving some sense of home, I pretty much do it anytime because it brings me joy.

I adapted this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite sources for yummy goodness!  No they are not low in fat.  Just bake them, eat them and en

joy them.  Just don’t eat them all in one sitting!

These are serious bliss.  They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake ‘um up and hide half in the freezer to eat the following week.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy Jif peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets (I use a Pampered Chef stone ware slab), leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Shocking, informative and a key to understanding why Americans have high rates of disease, like diabetes, and obesity. I was saddened and shocked by the information in this film.  As a fitness instructor, I have seen the harmful effects that modern day food has on our children.  I urge you to inform yourself and see where you can take one step of action.

• Learn more about the issues like obesity, diabetes, foodborne illness, pesticides,and the environmental impact
• Find out what is on your food
• Support healthy food choices in school, sign the petition
• Read the latest news updates on what is being done to make our food healthier

Goaltender

I know you think you are too busy to sit down and plan where you will be in 10 years.  But if you don’t take the time to think about it, what you really want may never happen.

Lululemon (the fantastic yoga inspired athletic wear company) has created a super easy tool to make goal setting and achieving fun.  Check it out and get started setting your goals…

I love their company manifesto- you can read it easier here or see it below.  Very inspiring!!

In the adult world, play is often frowned down upon — it is expected that we grow up, get a job and be serious. But most adults are just kids trapped in a big bodies wishing they could go out and play. Isn’t that why we all countdown the days to our yearly vacations? And who hasn’t had the Sunday night blues, while thinking about the upcoming workweek? Perhaps the epidemic of depression amongst adults is due to lack of fun and play. So much joy is felt when you become present to the moment and lose yourself in play. You become ageless, fearless and childlike.

So in the Spirit of Play, I set up a playdate for myself. I attended a beginners Acroyoga workshop. What is Acroyoga?! It is a unique practice that blends the spiritual wisdom of Yoga, the loving kindness of Thai Massage and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. The combination of these elements cultivate trust, connection and playfulness. And it was sooooo much fun. Mind you, I do practice yoga on a weekly basis, but never have I done gymnastics, acrobatics or “flown”.

The instructor, Arianne, assured us we would be safe and have a blast. I was game. The class started out with some trust exercises, where the group of 20 of us had to close our eyes and run around the room guided by partners, who we had just met 5 minutes prior. Then we did some partner stretching to warm up.  Then onto the lifting each other into the air, balancing on our partners feet and backs, flying and tumbling, and ending the class with well-earned Thai massage.  The 3 hour workshop flew by — time does fly when you are having fun!  I felt like a kid again.