Halloween is not a holiday.

I know I’m going to ruffle some feathers today. But ultimately, this post IS NOT about whether or not you should celebrate Halloween.  That’s not my point.

But if you want to get to the good point, you’ll have to hear me out about Halloween….

We don’t celebrate Halloween at our house.  We haven’t for years.  My kids don’t dress up.  They don’t go trick or treating.  We don’t have parties or decorations. 

We DO have a family fun night on the 31st though (so don't worry, my kids are not deprived).

It’s not because I stand on some morally high ground and oppose the “holiday” (Even though I don’t understand why you want to celebrate ghosts, scary monsters and skeletons.  I bet you’ve never seen a dead body with its skeleton coming out.  If you did, I bet you wouldn’t want to use it as...

**If you would like to listen to this blog post, scroll to the bottom for the audio version.

The day after Mother’s Day, I get to wrap up this beautiful series I have been writing about for the last six weeks.  I wanted to use this blog post today to review, but also to give a few final thoughts that I pray will help you on this crazy, beautiful journey of motherhood.

 Let's dive in...

The first essential I discussed is by far the most important in my book.

Love yourself. 

You can’t truly love others unconditionally, if you don’t love who God made you first.

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:37

My best...

**If you would like to listen to this blog post, scroll to the bottom for the audio version.

One of my favorite things to do is hike.  The best hikes, in my book, are the ones in which you get a view at the end. 

The last hike I did was in a little town in Minnesota called Red Wing.  It was a short, straight up the hill climb to the top of a bluff. The top was beautiful.  The view was expansive and invigorating.

The hike itself was nothing special though.  A whole bunch of trees with the occasional view of the busy highway. I’m glad it was short because the actual hike was pretty boring. Once I was at the top, I realized I had to make the tedious trip back down. I told myself that at least down is easier and I already know the way.

I think about this when I talk about perspective with my clients.  When we start coaching I have them come up with goals.   Not because I need my clients to hit them, but...

**If you would like to listen to this blog post, scroll to the bottom for the audio version.

Let’s recap the last four weeks in the series – Six Essentials Every Mom Needs to be the Best Mom for their Kids. 

1. Love Yourself
2. Mindset Matters
3. Ditch the Manuals
4. Take Care of your Temple

This week, let’s dive into letting go of other people’s opinions.

Letting this go; that’s a hard pill to swallow for a recovering people pleaser like me. 

Honestly, a lot of my time was spent unconsciously figuring out how I could get people to like me.  I would pretend and twist myself into a mold I thought they would want me to fit.  Ultimately, it was lying.  The problem with lying, you get caught and eventually realize you don’t even know the truth any more.

This really hit home when my oldest started school.  I noticed that she would come home very upset most days.  I learned that her...

**If you would like to listen to this blog post, scroll to the bottom for the audio version.

Are you ready?! 

Week 4 of the six part series:  Essentials Every Mom Needs to be the Best Mom for their Kids

Take care of your TEMPLE.

It is my FAVORITE thing to do so I can regroup, refocus and become re-energized.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought with a price.  Therefore, honor God with your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have so many favorite verses, and this is one.  It reminds me that the Holy Spirit LIVES IN ME.  God gave me this body to steward as a place for the Spirit to reside in.  He also gave me this body as a vessel in which to complete His work.  This body was bought with a price.  If God sees my body as precious and wonderful, then so should I.

Do you ever...