Happy New Year 2016! Hope you had a wonderful last day of 2015. There is something so ripe and wonderful about the intensity + magic of the holidays, the closing of 365 days, and the beginning of a whole new 525,600 minutes With the door to 2015 closing, and the door to 2016 cracking open wide before us, here's some of my favorite ways to reflect on what was and to create what we want to be. New Year's Eve Letting Go Tradition This is the 3rd NYE's where my son and I capture all that we want to let go of from that year. The first year we did it in 2013, was a hard year. I was shocked at how much my then 5 year old got into yelling out all the painful moments from the past year. And me too. It was amazing. A release and a closing. Last year, I was really tired. We kind of just went through the motions of the traditions. That happens sometimes. I was happy I did it at all. This year was cool. My son and I wrote down general ideas to let go of. He started with,
"When you yell at me, and I yell back." Nice, let's let that go. (Children, by the way l-o-v-e to tell their parents how they messed up --and speaking of wrong-goings and mistakes aloud helps young brains integrate challenging experiences) We added in anger and arguing. I added feeling afraid + doubting myself. And we were done. Into the fire it went. With a gusto. A feeling of completion and letting go what holds us back. In 5 sweet minutes. After bedtime, I did Christina Morassi's Completion Ritual which is a ton of fun, and a great way to get clarity on 2015 to step fully into 2016. And this weekend-- after years of seeing this idea popping up on Facebook-- we're going to do it. Jar, paper, happy memories. What could be easier? Wishing you ease in the New Year, letting go of the old, and the creation of many happy memories for 2016!
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with a boost of parenting super power? Join Power to the Parents! 7 Days of Support to Renew + Re-energize. Become your finest self with a daily dose of free inspiration + empowerment from January 4th - 11th. To sign up, enter your email here. See you in one week, with your first power message delivered to your Inbox. Let's do this, 2016! p.s. Are you ready to unlock all that wisdom within you? Sign up here for 7 days of Power to the Parents to accelerate your parenting in the New Year! Hope you and your family had a most magical Christmas day. Just like this sprinkling of snow yesterday. Christmas A celebration of life and hope Renewal In the birth of a child Holy Like the potential within each of us Christmas The power of children to restore our faith in humanity. Looking forward to more celebration of the magic of families in 2016! The warmest of holiday wishes, --with a Strong + Gentle POWER to the Parents for 2016-- Megan p.s. Keep an eye out for a special invite to my 2016 Power to the Parents Kick-off Week beginning January 4th! Posing-mama-and-son-style on our Christmas Day walk in the woods with family.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is respect for the diversity of realities and truths in the world. Yet, sadly often the world map accepted as "truth" is an unfair and injustice depiction of the world, as it shows countries in false proportions and sizes. According to Many Ways to See the World, the popular Rand Mcnally Mercator Projection map used as recently as 2000, and still found on my many classroom walls, is based on a trading map projection from 1569 that was intended for use in navigation and never intended to be used as a world map. "It's an illogical use of this map that was intended to be used to create regional sea charts." The Rand McNally map that many of us have seen as "the true" lay-out of the world is based on The Mercartor projection. It compresses the region around the tropics so that when Antartica is chopped off, the Northern half of the earth takes up 2/3 of the map area. The global South then becomes diminished in size and importance when compared to the North. Arno Peters created a map that was "fair to all people of the world." Peters set out to create a map that showed the countries in true size and true proportion. Enter to win a Peters Map, and the documentary, Arno Peters: Radical Map, Remarkable Man by commenting on the Parenting for the Next Generation Facebook page by midnight on 12/22. It's an honor to interview Bob Abramms, map publisher at ODT maps about his work. And give the gift of multiple world views and greater truth this holiday season with gifts from ODT maps. www.odtmaps.com www.facebook.com/ODTmapscom Bob, what do you love most about what you do? Changing consciousness about how people see the world around them, and in particular watching the discomfort (psychologists call it "cognitive dissonance") that arises when peoples' preconceptions are challenged, shattered, and then finally adjusted to incorporate a more expansive world view. Our maps are used not only in geography education but in Cultural Diversity Training, Corporate Culture Change efforts, media literacy programs, and numerous faith-based and mission-education efforts. How have you seen these maps change lives and the world? YES. The story at the end of the Many Ways video is only one of thousands we hear about. In this story, a man petitioned to have Tibet recognized as an independent nation in his letters, and was able to influence the Peters map. It's a beautiful story about the power of the people to wield change and influence the way we see reality. Watch the video below! According to this video, we can understand the world only if we're able to see things from multiple perspectives and understand that reality can be seen from many vantage points-- and know that one person's voice can impact the planet. One of the most powerful gifts we can give our children is to recognize the diversity of voices and multiple realities in our world, as well as challenge the racism inherent in the dominant world view as seen in the map diminishing the size and power of the world south of the Equator. Give the gift of multiple world views and greater truth this holiday season with gifts from ODT maps. Enter to win a Peters Map, and the documentary, Arno Peters: Radical Map, Remarkable Man by commenting on the Parenting for the Next Generation Facebook page by midnight on 12/22. It's about this time in the season that we get real. Real with to-do-lists. What's going to happen this season --and what can happen next year-- or live on in a joyful holiday dream. Feeling overwhelmed? Get to the heart of the magic this season, and say goodbye to the madness. How? By setting your intention for the season. It acts like an umbrella. Everything on the outside of your intention goes by-bye. It's not too late to set yours. Here's how... If the season all boiled down to ONE positive thing for you, what would it be? For me, it's.... Magical Christmas Giving.
Instilling in my son the absolute joy it is to give and receive this season. How fun it is to be a Christmas elf, spreading cheer, and gifting our loved ones with items made with love. Which means, I stick to that magic. Anything that leaves me feeling less than or stressed, or not connected to Magical Christmas Giving, gets bumped off my list. Did I really just bump Christmas cards off my holiday to-do list? Yup. Holiday liberation at its finest. Stress less to keep the magic alive. There's always next year. So... Set your intention for this season. Stick to your holiday magic. And say by-bye to the rest. Then go to your to-do-list, take at least one item off your to do list. Holiday liberation, simply fine and more relaxed. Wishing you all magic, with very little madness these last few holy days. Keep it simple. Stress less. Soak up the magic. Best holiday gift you can give ever your children. You got this parenting + holiday thing, Megan Time to Celebrate Your Power -- and the season, holiday magic, & this holy time when you're called to shine bright from deep within. The world needs you, and you need deep nurturing to help you live your best everyday. Here's your Mama Power gift basket- filled with gifts from some of the most powerful women I know- to support you living your power everyday. Enter to win by 10 am on 12/17 at www.facebook.com/ParentingForTheNextGeneration like the page, comment and tag to win the Mama Power gift basket with over $500 in goodies for powerful you. Every comment or tag is one entry to win. One mama chosen at random. Free shipping in the continental U.S. only. Power to the mamas, and to your inner strength. With gifts from: MOVE Makeup Hazeldrops ecofashion Wild Roots Organics Abigail Barella Intuitive Healer and me Enter to win the Mama Power Gift Basket at www.facebook.com/ParentingForTheNextGeneration Leah Patterson of MOVE Makeup Finishing Veil This is one of those miracle products. When you put on this AMAZING Finish Veil, any oiliness magically disappears. Your skin stays nicely matte the entire day – no need for reapplying. On days when you go without foundation, don't go without Veil – it’s so great that it reduces shadows on your face so that your skin appears more even without needing foundation. Leah, what's your favorite MOVE Makeup product for the holidays? My favorite MOVE Makeup Holiday Special is the On the MOVE Kit. This kit includes everything you need for a glowing, put together beautiful look. You'll have everything you need for a weekend party or a day at the office. It comes with foundation, Amazing Finish Veil, A perfect pink blush that looks great on all complexions, Brow Pow multipurpose eyeshadow, an all-day concealer, plus two eyeshadows - one neutral color and one bold color. It also comes with instructions on how to create eyeliner, nail color and lipgloss with your kit as well. So it really is everything you'd need. I put this set together specifically for the Holidays so priced it to be affordable for Holiday Shopping at $49! To order, visit www.mymovemakeup.com/shop . Tanja Suhm of Hazeldrop eco fashions Upcycled Scarf (54 inch long x 7 inch wide) Lovely multi colored joy scarf. Great length to wrap around your neck, keep you warm or drape as accent piece. Contains Wool, Cotton, Acrylic Blends, Cashmere. Enjoy the vibe! Tanja, what's your favorite holiday gift that you make? It sure is the SKAPE: one-of-a-kind design to be worn as a Skirt or Cape! Maybe even as a Dress, Shawl and decorative art throw and cozy blanket. The Skape is very versatile, fits most and suits lots of styles. Shauna Spier of Wild Roots Organics Bar of Orange Blossom Chai Soap made with pure orange essential oil delicately blended with cardamom, turmeric, poppy seeds, saffron blossoms, calendula blossoms, and organic chai tea; topped off with pure essential oils of cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, raw local honey, African karate (shea) butter... and love. Shauna, what is your favorite Wild Roots Organics product for the holidays? I really love the western red cedar candles right now, and the thieves blend. Abigail Barella of Abi Barella Intuitive Healing A One Hour Intuitive Healing and Guidance Session (phone or in person). A spa treatment for the soul to help you sparkle and shine, remember who you really are, infuse more creativity into your life, and bring more personal power into all you do. Abigail, are you offering any holiday specials? Yes when you buy a one hour session, you get a free 1/2 hour follow-up ($75 value) if you schedule the first session in December. Phone or in person for any service offered. Visit www.abigailbarella.com/services.html for more information about Abigail's services for individuals and couples. Megan Barella, Parenting for the Next Generation Get Centered in Your Parenting Session to transform stress and misbehavior in your home, bring gentle power to your life, calm + confidence to your parenting, and positive change to your family to last a lifetime. 4 Week Online Class + Community to learn positive parenting and mindfulness tools to bring more peace, fun, respect, and cooperation to your home, plus joining an amazing positive parenting online community! Megan's Holiday Specials: Enroll in the Parenting for the Next Generation Online Class + Community beginning in January for just $47 ($147 value). All my coaching programs are at a special rate to encourage holiday giving that supports and empowers families. Specials run until December 21st only. Give the priceless gift of parenting power at an awesome rate this holiday season. Enter to win the Mama Power gift basket by liking the page www.facebook.com/ParentingForTheNextGeneration and leaving a comment or tag by 10 am on December 17th. One winner chosen at random. Free continental U.S. shipping only. Here's to Mama Power, and to the power within you. And remember to shop from these power women this holiday season and beyond. Leah Patterson of MOVE Makeup www.facebook.com/leahrpatterson www.facebook.com/mymovemakeup1 www.twitter.com/naturalblkgrl www.mymovemakeup.com www.leahpatterson.com Tanja Suhm of Hazeldrops www.facebook.com/hazeldrops hazeldrops - enjoy the vibe! enviro & social conscious fashion Shauna Spier of WildRoots Organics www.facebook.com/WildRootsOrganics @rootsmahmah www.WildRootsOrganicsLLC.etsy.com www.facebook.com/sparkleandshineguidance
www.twitter.com/sparkleguidance www.pinterest.com/sparkleguidance/ @abisparkleguidance www.abigailbarella.com Megan Barella Sarah Loumena is a mom and Jamberry Independent Consultant In Portland and Gina Buono is a mom, teacher, and Independent Consultant with Rodan + Fields from my hometown of Utica, NY. Sarah and Gina share their love of their companies, favorite products for the holidays, and sweet family holiday traditions. Pamper yourself this season! Enter to win two sheets of Jamberry wraps (excludes premium licensed wraps), and a Rodan + Fields mini facial & lip microdermabrasion paste by commenting on my Facebook page by midnight on December 13th. Rodan + Fields® brings dermatology-based skin treatment to everyone. Originally available as a top-selling clinical skincare brand in high-end department stores, the company realized their vision could never be fully realized when confined to the department store counter. Rodan + Fields became the first prestige skincare line to exit the department store for the world of direct selling. The holiday order deadline for Fedex 2 day priority is December 21st. Jamberry was started by three sisters in 2010, after an expensive trip to the salon they designed one-of-a-kind nail wraps that truly represent your signature style. Jamberry nail wraps are made with durable materials, so smudges and streaks are never an issue, have no dry time, and can last for up to two weeks on fingernails and four weeks on toes. There are juniors sizes for little kids as well as regular sizes. Besides the wraps, there's lacquer, their own line of Gels, and lots of amazing nail and hand care products! With over 300 nail wraps in an incredible variety of designs, you can customize, pair, and layer Jamberry nail wraps to create a look that’s all your own—all from the comfort of your home. The holiday order deadline is December 18th for standard and the 21st for expedited. What do you love about being an independent consultant with Jamberry, Sarah? I love making women feel pretty! We lead such busy lives, that we often don't make enough "me" time! Plus, I get to have fun parties with all sorts of women (and men!), showing them just how easy and awesome these products are! Some pampering, good laughs and girl time! What could be better?! What is your favorite Jamberry product for the holidays? All the products make great gifts and stocking stuffers, but our New Years glow in the dark wraps are gorgeous and amazing, and still non toxic, even though they glow! And our limited edition Now I Can wraps, where $2 of each wrap purchased this month go to the Now I Can Foundation helping children with disabilities reach their full potential and independence through therapy, make especially wonderful gifts. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I LOVE the holiday season! Spending time with family and friends, baking, watching my kids fall in love with the magic that is Christmas. But perhaps one of my favorites is a tradition that my mom and I started when I was in high school! We head downtown for a girls night for holiday gift shopping, usually a play or show, dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and then we stay at our favorite hotel. It's such a special time for us to get away and spend together. I cherish it! What do you love about the work you do for Rodan + Fields, Gina? I absolutely LOVE being an independent consultant with Rodan+Fields. I am allowed to work when I want, where I want, and fit it in whenever I can in my busy life. I love helping people with their skin concerns and seeing their results from our products. I do not have to keep inventory because all orders are shipped directly to the customer. Even though I own my own business, I never am alone because the support we have with this company is amazing! I also love that this is something so different than anything I've ever done in my life (I work full time as a teacher) and how much I am learning along the way about business, skin, and networking. I have stepped way out of my comfort zone and am so glad I did! What is your favorite Rodan + Fields product? My absolute favorite product is our Microdermabrasion Paste. It is a sugar and salt exfoliant that is used a few times a week in place of your cleanser. It removes dead skin cells and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. It can be used on your heels, elbows, and face!!! Can you share a holiday family tradition? One holiday tradition my family has is our Christmas morning scavenger hunt. After we are done opening all of our gifts, Santa leaves a letter on the tree for us to open. It has a message for each person in the family and a clue to our next hidden letter. There are usually like 5 hidden clues which eventually lead to our "big gift." It's so much fun. My parents started it with my brothers and I every year and I have continued it with my own children. Pamper yourself this season with Rodan + Fields and Jamberry! Enter to win two sheets of Jamberry wraps (excludes premium licensed wraps), and a Rodan + Fields mini facial & lip microdermabrasion paste by commenting on my Facebook page by midnight on December 13th. And place your holiday Jamberry orders by December 18th and your Rodan + Fields orders by December 21st! Enter to win a 30 minute Tweak Your Self Talk session ($70 value) with Shannon Meade by commenting by midnight on 12/12. Every comment on my Facebook page is one entry. Winner chosen at random. Enjoy Shannon's gift for you or a loved one this season of 2 for 1 "Tweak Your Self Talk" sessions. Visit supportingbalance.org for more information and to schedule a session with Shannon. Do you ever have a negative, self-judging, or critical thought about yourself? We all do from time-to-time. But when those self-judging thoughts become the dominant conversations with ourselves, our quality of life can quickly go down the drain. The fix to your inner critic? Shannon Meade's Tweak Your Self Talk work. Shannon's vision is "to share self affirming practices with others and inspire small shifts that add up to big changes in individual lives, and eventually in whole communities." Her work is nourishing and transformative to our inner landscape-- which is the foundation for our outer reality. Shannon's work helps me when I feel stuck or overwhelmed, depleted or stressed. She shows me how to switch the way I'm talking with myself to a voice that facilitates my own acceptance and empowerment. Shannon's a word magician, and with a few simple phrases I can radically change the way I'm interacting with me, which is the foundation for how I'm feeling about life. Learning how to ease up on myself, and talk to myself like I would a dear friend, makes all the difference. Simply profound was Shannon's suggestion that instead of saying "I should do this" and then having judgement against myself when I don't do---that I simply try saying, "I wonder..." Shannon's work and the power of "I wonder" helped me calm down and feel good in my skin again. With goodness as my foundation within, I could get back to the state of mind that facilitated me taking care of me. Shannon's Tweak Your Self Talk work helps women open up doors to new realities, affirming the power of support for us moms and the radical gift of our own thoughts to create our life. Sound awesome? Enter to win a 30 minute Tweak Your Self Talk session ($70 value) with Shannon by heading over to my Facebook page. Every comment or tag by midnight on 12/12 is one entry into the drawing for the session. Winner chosen at random. Or take Shannon up on her gift for you or a loved one this season of 2 for 1 "Tweak Your Self Talk" sessions. Shannon, what do you love about your work? I love helping women shift the way we think about and talk to ourselves. When you are mindful of the way you speak to yourself, you can also be mindful of the negative messages you perceive or hear directly from those around you. And you also may recognize the messages you communicate to your children or your spouse or others in your life. Once this process starts, it trickles down into every area of your life. I love being a part of this process! Do you have a holiday special or gift readers could give a loved one? For this holiday season I am offering Tweak Your Self Talk sessions at a 2-for-1 price of $35 ($70 value). You can schedule 2 sessions with me yourself, or you can gift one to a friend. In these sessions, I help you dig into an area of your life where you tend to be judgmental or critical of yourself and then invite some wonder and even creativity into that space so we can create an affirmation that really speaks back to your self judgement and invites instead greater self love. In some ways, we are all still children in need of love and acceptance-- except that many of us actually cut ourselves off from the acceptance others might be extending to us because we've already internalized a message that we are unworthy. Could you share some affirmation work for the busy holiday season? I use affirmations and essential oils to reduce stress, and the holiday time is no exception. Start with something simple, "I am enough." This is really helpful for me when I start feeling overwhelmed with my to do list or with everyone's expectations for me. Another powerful affirmation in this regard is one that everyone could start their day with: "I have ample time today for the things that really matter." This can serve to narrow our focus to just those things that we actually value. Head on over to my Facebook page and leave a comment by midnight on 12/12 to be entered into a drawing of a free Tweak Your Self Talk session with Shannon ($70 value). Winner chosen at random.
Give the gift of positive self talk this holiday season with Shannon's awesome buy 1 get 1 holiday special. Your thoughts create your reality---let's make 'em good, positive, and life-enhancing this holiday season and into 2016! Visit supportingbalance.org for more information and to schedule a session with Shannon. I have been enamored with HiiH Lights (pronounced "hi hi") since my early days in Portland. Their artisan lights mirror back something deep within myself. Part fairy-elemental, part flower-plant, and all artwork, these lights are a sacred gift to every home and business they touch. What a joy to feature HiiH Lights in the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway. I interviewed Kestrel, of the husband and wife duo that is Hiih Lights, about their family business and holiday traditions. To win a candelabra and bringing tranquility to any room in your home or office, leave a comment on my Facebook page by midnight on December 11th. Thank you, HiiH Lights for gifting us with peace, lighting as artwork, and sense of the light within us all this holiday season. What do you love about what you do? We love that our lives are spent together as a family and that our children are growing up in this creative environment. And we love making lights! What's your favorite HiiH Lights gift for the holidays? Our favorite projects during the holidays are when people commission us to make custom lights for their loved ones. Could you share a family holiday tradition? On the Solstice we do our best to only use candle light -it makes the day feel magical. Comment on my Facebook page by midnight on December 11th to enter to win a HiiH Lights Candelabra Latern. And during this season of peace + joy, give the gift of artwork as sacred lighting with botanical, abstract, lantern or custom lights. Your loved one's souls and homes will thank you. Roxy Roodle are awesome, soft, durable toys made with love that foster imagination and healthy eating! Carlie, creator of Roxy Roodle, shares what she loves about her business, her favorite Roxy Roodle items for the holidays, and how she celebrates the holidays. Toys that foster creative, imaginative play are some of the most important + special Christmas gifts you can give your children! Play kitchen food is a staple toy for children, so start your children's collection this holiday--or add to it--with 20 % off at Roxy Roodle by entering in the coupon code "mamamegan" at your check-out. To win this sweet fruit set of a banana, pear, and apple, comment on my Facebook page by midnight on December 9th. Thanks Carlie for gifting us with your soft, creative toys that foster imagination + healthy eating, and that children love to hold and play with! What do you love about what you do? I love that every day I get to play with my kids, and the kids that I nanny for, watching them learn and grow though imaginative play. I started making play food to provide kids with play food that represents healthy things like fruits and vegetables. Exposing kids to those foods to explore in their play translates into a willingness to eat those same foods at meal time. I was shocked and sad that all I could find for play food was plastic junk foods. One of the reasons that I chose to make my toys out of fleece was it feels nice and is durable, which eco felt just isn't. As a tactile person I have never liked the way plastic toys feel. I have, even as a child, felt they lacked soul. I wanted my toys to stand up to lots of play and love, as well as being able to throw them in the washing machine and dryer. I started making other toys out of fleece, as my oldest child has grown and started asking if I could help him sew props for his play like tails, capes, and masks. I love that he is just as excited as I am to find fabric and figure out how to sew it into something new. How do you balance being a business owner and mom during the holidays? As a single mother and a business owner It is hard to find balance between work and life. I try really had to have a strong rhythm for my kids so our days flow in a predictable way. I try to sew mostly when they are napping or after they go to bed. It makes for long days but allows me to devote the time they are awake to them. For us the holidays are about the little things, like opening a new window on our advent calendar, the ginger cookies we only make this time of year, and we always donate supplies to the animal shelter. By keeping our holidays about little traditions, kindness, and family it keeps it from being a stressful time of year for us. What is your favorite Roxy Roodle toy for the holidays? Pears, bananas and fresh onions are always our best sellers. My personal favorite are the marble mazes. Getting to pick out fun prints and sew a unique maze on each one is a favorite way to spend my sewing evenings. I really like them as a mom too. They are great to keep in my bag and pull out for a kids who is getting antsy while we wait in a long line or at a restaurant. Since the marble is double sewn into the maze there are no small parts and is safe for even my toddler to play with. Comment on my Facebook page by midnight on December 9th to enter to win a sweet and soft fruit set of a banana, pear, and apple hand-made with love by creative Carlie of Roxy Roodle. Give the gift of imagination + kitchen play while supporting a single-mom run business by entering "mamamegan" in your check-out for 20% off! What could be better? |
Mama Megan
Hi friends, I write from the heart to tell my life story, and the story of those in my neighborhood called life. Research shows that our children's emotional & mental health is contingent upon us parents being able to tell our life story, or "coherent narrative." This is my coherent narrative, my life story in the making, with some of what I love in life too. My goal is to share my life in a way that is real, uplifting & positive- sometimes serious, sometimes fun. In my practice, I inspire parents to empowerment through reclaiming our life stories and learning respectful discipline. My work is my offering to our children- our future. Wishing you all a happy family! Archives
May 2021
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