Holiday Energy Bzzz...

So, I'm literally as full as a tic. Oh, I did fill up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies first. But I really went to town on my Mother-in-Law's delicious American-Japanese-Hawaiian fusion cuisine, as usual. She is the sweetest lady ever, and full of "aloha." She spoils us and really knows how to care for others.

A sign of everyone getting older was apparent in each corner of the room. My youngest son immediately starts going to the candy dishes and jumping around, because he gets hyper in small spaces. He decided to grab a tennis ball and go into the carport to play hand ball (they call it butt's up, go figure). My young teen slouched down in an easy chair with iPod turned up on full blast. My MIL scurried about in the kitchen, cheerfully pulling out dish after dish of food. And my dear 80-year old Father-in-Law proceeded to tell me of his cholesterol and more recent enlarged prostate woes (in graphic detail) and excruciating inability to, uh, pass liquids.

The food was served as we all gathered at the table, blessed the food (silently) and each spoke on what we were each grateful for. It was a peaceful end to an otherwise energetically stressful day. On the way home, we even did a fly-by past the local Best Buy. I just figured at 630pm, there's no way anybody would be lined up for those laptops and flat screens so early, right? So wrong! There was a line of at least 40-deep!

As far as actual activity level, my day was quiet on the surface. Got up and made the kids breakfast, hubby was at work all day, watched this week's episode of Glee on Tivo (loved the Bootylicious number), did a little laundry and surfed the web for deals. I checked all the circulars, but Best Buy's Black Friday laptop deal worked me into a bit of a frenzy. All of a sudden, I HAD to have a laptop. Of course it would be nice, but do I really HAVE to have a laptop...today? Not really.

I've never even shopped on any Black Friday, ever. Over the course of the day, I felt myself becoming more and more ungrounded, anxious, irritable and "intruded" upon. I finally realized I was picking up on what I call the "holiday frenzy" energy that builds beginning today through the first of the new year. It's extremely uncomfortable, obsessive and honestly, quite upsetting.

So my remedy? Grounded out the foreign energy, ran some gold Universal energy (of the Highest level), removed all extraneous energies piggy-backing for a free wide on my heightened anxiety, cleared my aura (and my home), owned my crown and solar plexus chakras (and trans medium channels) so that nobody else could "tap in," and moved my awareness into my body in present time. Sounds wordy, but the whole process took about 60 seconds.

Whew, felt much better after that! So now, after dessert and driving by the ridiculous line camped outside Best Buy, I've come to my senses and own the fact that fear-based decisions are not part of my experience. I'll get my laptop for sure, Santa's already promised. But my energy is not for sale.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! God bless you, and please enjoy your own version of cornucopia for me! Turkey, or vegetarian; with family, friends, neighbors or strangers...we are here to enjoy another holiday season gathering and I'm glad to be part of your radar!

Between the food, the wine, the dessert, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and the secret viewings of the online Black Friday Deals in the bedroom...a fantastic day of just chillin' (as my teens say) and soaking up the atmosphere. Of course, my hubby's glad the Cowboys will be on later, and by then I'll just grateful I'm wearing elastic-waist pants! I was touched by a Dallas newspaper article that tells of one player's tattoo's in homage to his loving grandparents. Read the article HERE.

Have a safe and fabulous day. And let's talk later tonight about those incredible (or not) deals for Friday!!

Kids Bored? Make Winter Break a Blast

Kids Bored? Make Winter Break a Blast

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Mental Chatter Holiday Style

Did you realized, in exactly one week, it will be over and just really beginning all at the same time?!

The Thanksgiving Day turkey remnants, football games and that last piece of pound cake will be finished off. The busiest travel day of the year will have come and gone. Black Friday will be winding down. And the official "holiday season" will have begun. Shopping, cleaning, preparing. And in some cases, going into stress, debt and general overload status will be alive and well.

Like many of us, the mental chatter will be in high gear, in full effect. The lists and "to do's" can all get to be much too much. So much so, it can literally drain the fun and energy out of us and all that we intend this time of year to mean for our families. We want the picture on the front of Good Housekeeping to magically appear in our livingroom. I want the picture perfect meal and table setting from Martha Stewart Living, bam! Right on my diningroom table! But the amount of primping, planning and thinking needed to make it happen...whew. I'm already pooped just thinking of it.

Times like this, where stress, media and the ideal of what we think others want to see appear in our lives...calls for peace during the storm. I use 10 minutes each morning to set my intention for a relaxed, organized and stress free day, before my feet even hit the floor. Beginning with a prayer of gratitude for restful, safe healthy sleep for myself and my loved ones. Then I visualized how I want my day to proceed and how I want to feel. I get grounded and set my intention to be purposeful, useful and positive in all I do for the day. Then I get up and move about in a way that is present and in the moment. When my mind begins to race, I take out a little notebook I keep in my purse (with a cute purple gel pen), and I list whatever seems so urgent that I can't focus on the issue at hand. Over the course of the day, I add to it, review it, prioritize the items that MUST be handled the same day, then let it go. It seems to help to get the chatter out of my head, and thus away from my present awareness.

Yesterday, I attended a presentation by a Life Coach Leslie Pogue. Her website Conversations with Myself also has a CD and some good tips. The goal is to help take things down a notch when we begin to feel overwhelmed. She reminds us to be our own best friend, self-nurture and to use the available help resources that are already accessible to us now, in order to lighten our load and relieve stress, anxiety and tension.

So, ladies, let's remember to keep a little holiday cheer for ourselves this season as we enjoy friends and family and set sights high for what we wish to bring into our lives in 2010!

Sex, Power & Women: What's Self-Love Got to Do with It?

Sex sells. That's what male advertising execs have been quoted as saying for the last 30 years, right? Did they mean selling masculine, feminine or androgynous sexiness? Did they ever hint that, if they could legally get away with it, they would in fact sell sex itself for a handsome profit? We all know prostitution is the world's oldest profession. But is it the sexual act, the fantasy of "forbidden" sex or the power that is really for sale?

So we've seen the Newsweek issue this week with a perky Sarah Palin in a red, short-short running outfit. Sexist, maybe. Did it sell? Yep. What's scarier? A sexy woman speaking her mind in a red business suit or a powerful woman in red booty shorts?

Today, as I do every Thursday, I took the first few hours to clear the Tivo of "mom shows" over breakfast before starting my day. On the tasty menu today, three Tyra Banks shows: 1) featuring Halle Berry (and her new "sexy" perfume), 2) Tyra going undercover as a stripper and 3) Tyra interviewing women who work in the sex industry. Was the Universe showing me a theme, or what?

First off, Tyra and Halle on one screen, in HD, at the same time...too beautiful to even believe. I almost felt unworthy of even watching them, as the fabulousness was just unheard of. On the flip side, Halle made me aware that my recent move to cut my hair extremely short, was indeed a good one. Helping me to see more of who I really am, removing one more layer of masking and hiding. The energy in the studio was electric as women from all backgrounds, shapes and sizes admired and soaked in all that powerful, beautiful and successful women (and mother) can be.

In contrast, the gasps of shock, tears of pain and empathy of the audience members for the young women pimped and prostituted for their lack of self esteem and deep lack of self-love, was moving and palpable. The women on the stage began with such bravado and defiance, that at first, they felt in control and powerful over their lives, bodies and destiny's. Over time, the shame, hopelessness, abuse, and often drugs and alcohol took their toll. The self-loathing that was always there became the power tool. And it was used against them in a way they never saw coming. How many times in our lives, do we sell our soul or heart for something? Acceptance, attention, money, status? Is it not the same exchange of personal power for a shiney bauble?

In truth, on a daily basis, I recognize this low self esteem and void of self-love is at the root of so many conflicts many women's lives. It's a tricky varmint to pinpoint. And even trickier to corral and eliminate. But with resolve and effort, it can be done. In my case, it took prayer, meditation and energy work to just allow the validation and God-Love to wash over me without fighting it. It's the first step to healing and to truly having the kind of life we want. Owning our own power indeed originates in Divine Self-Love. And when called for, a hot red power suit and the perfect pair of sassy (I prefer leopard print) pumps help too! I think of my girl Heather Locklear's return to Melrose Place as a placeholder.

Pop Quiz on Feminine Power

Today is only Tuesday, and already this week, we women (our health, welfare and politics) are splashed all over the news and radio.

Now, I'm the first to admit, I am probably the most educated, ignorant, smart dumb person, when it comes to this mind game called "politics." (oooooohhh) This is mostly because, whomever is the best at selling themselves (and their agenda), has the best spin team and tells the best tall-tales seems to be the toastmaster of any given election. There are plenty of good people who seem to truly be interested in service and caring for "the little guy," but it all gets so silly. You know, believing and trusting in the puppet show called the political arena.

Having said all that, Sarah Palin is showing herself to be quite the shrewd ingenue. Some hate her, love her, admire her or loathe her. I'm enthralled by her ability to command attention and weild her feminine power so masterfully. She has a new book on life as a mother and govennor, she is actively seeking Facebook followers, and she blasted Newsweek today for being overtly sexist. They utilized a fitness photo she posed for last year to do a spread in Shape magazine.

In other news, Reuters reports that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women begin getting mammograms at age 50, and every other year, as opposed to every year beginning at age 40 suggested by the American Cancer Society. Over the centries, the woman's breast has always symbolized nuturturing, beaty, comfort and in fact the sustance of life itself. They are portrayed in our historical documents and our greatest works of art as the quintessential representative of a perfect creation. So, to see an act meant to reduce the importance (symbolically speaking) of protection of such a natural resource is an interesting concept in itself.

The Earth is making a huge shift in utilizine more of its Divine Feminine Energy, versus the more forceful, angry Masculine energies of the past. masculine energy "assertive, logical, analytical, doing, controlling, aggressive, striving, projecting, hard, organizing, rushing, thrusting, always pushing us to survive, and has its origin in our minds." While on the other hand, Feminine energy is "creative, delicate, intuitive, nurturing, receptive, tender, surrendering, synthesizing, integrating, soft, feeling, and the part of us that "knows" without explanation." It originates in our hearts.

Of course balance is key. I just found it very interesting in the last few months, how the empathy and fairness cards are playing out more often in very public ways. It reminds me to also take a little for myself. I've often become angry with myself when I've felt the self-nurturing side come out for my own needs. The call to achieve, accomplish and "make it happen" has been a driving force for most of our lives. Recently, I gave myself permission to sit back, self-soothe and just BE instead of always trying to DO. It will be interesting to see what the year 2010 shows us on this newly emerging paradigm.