On Halloween night, while with my son Diego, I received a GREAT reminder…..

While passing out candy, Diego got a hold of a small candy bag. This little bag had about 10 small chewable candy balls.

Diego couldn’t open it so he asks me to do it for him. I opened it and gave it back to him.

He was fine and dandy eating his candy, but then he wanted to seat next to me and on his way up to the chair, he dropped the small balls.

My first instinct was to react and say “oh no, its okay don’t worry, I’ll get it for you” but then I stopped myself just to look at his reaction.

Because I didn’t move nor did I make any comment, he didn’t know how to react and just looked at me.

I said to him “okay, you dropped your candy, just pick it up, it’s okay” so he bent down and picked up his candy without crying or nagging, instead he repeated “it’s okay, it’s okay”.

Imagined if I had made a quick reaction to the situation… he would have cried and waited for me to pick up his candy; but, by not doing so, I taught him to look for a solution to his problem instead of crying and nagging that he dropped his candy.

Why am I telling this? Because, sometimes we (adults) tend to run into problems, we cry and nag instead of looking for a solution.

Yes, I reminded myself that there is always a solution for everything; it’s your choice to either cry and nag or look for ways to make it better.

Love,

Carmen

A good mentor is always helpful!

I’m sure that you, like everyone else were a…

Bumbling fumbling mess!

Whenever you were new at something.

So here is a story about learning.

When I started to walk, I was a fumbling bumbling mess and I fell a lot

When I was potty trained, my parents tell that it was not pretty

When I started to write, it didn’t look like it made sense, and sometimes it still doesn’t

When I started to read, I didn’t understand many of the words

When I started to speak my native language (guess what my native language is and you will get the Stating The Obvious Award,) I learned from my elders

When I learned how to speak English, some people made fun of me and some helped me out and mentored me

When I became a Dad for the first time, I made a lot of mistakes that I will never make again with my younger kids

When I entered into relationship with my wife, I had to learn some very hard lessons. But it was worth it.

Every first job I had, I was lousy at it in the beginning

In every business that I started, I failed and then succeeded and some times I just plain sucked.

The first time I kissed, I left a big sloppy mess on that poor girl

This is not how it went down

The first time I had Se… Well you get the picture!

Well what I am trying to say here is that on this next stage in my life, I’m sure that I will make a lot of mistakes and will have to get past through my fears, but like all other things I will eventually get better and better.

I will use this experiences to help anyone who is willing to put their fears aside.

I have had many teachers and mentors before, I have learned much from them and I want to give back by making other peoples life’s better just like they did with mine.

I will until… I get it or until I die!

Have an awesome day.

Douglas E. Valenzuela

Last weekend I so totally got out of my comfort zone and went to a women’s conference just to see Dani Johnson. I went on a drive a bit far from home, all  BY MYSELF.

I know 35 miles away might not be too far for some, but it is very far for me. I got lost on my way there but I made it.

I got to meet a woman of God who is changing peoples lives as we speak.

One thing is to hear her audios but is so much powerful to see her live and feel her energy and passion for helping others succeed.

The main thing I received from Dani’s teaching was:

To learn to communicate, you must first learn to FORGIVE!

Forgiveness is a principle that works whether you believe in Christ or not.

It isn’t easy, but we must do it if we want to succeed.

I had lots of fun, got to meet new people and the lunch was delicious.

I can’t wait to go to Dani’s 3 day seminars First Step to Success.

I recommend you listen to her audios if you want to succeed in life or in your business.

Its so much easier to express anger than love. The minute you see your child doing something out of line, you don’t hesitate before telling him to stop in a firm voice, or before losing your temper. Most of us are able to shell out feelings of frustration and indignation at the drop of a hat but when it comes to looking at our loved ones and telling them how deeply we care, we draw a blank.

Have you hugged your child today?
And we mean really ‘hug’, not just playfully tickled him or kissed him on the cheek. Have you held him close to your heart for a few moments so he feels your love without you having to say a word? We’re just talking about the good, old-fashioned bear hut that generates nothing but warmth, affection and a feeling of acceptance.

Make hugging your child a daily ritual. In fact, stop for a moment and think – “did I hug my child today?” and if not, why not? What held you back? Pure thoughtlessness, or was the thought  “give a hug, spoil the child” running through your mind? Surprisingly, a large number of parents shy away from being too affectionate with their children because they believe their children will develop a swollen head. If you fall into that category, can you honestly say that you’d rather your child have low self-esteem than an ounce of overconfidence? Yet others feel that too much physical affection may make the child someone who grws up letting his emotions take charge. He may grow up to be someone who thinks from the heart, not the head. Not True. Hugging people doesn’t stop them from using their mind any more than being rational doesn’t stop them from being emotional.

Enough studies have been conducted to conclusively prove that human touch heals and increases one’s life span. Not only that, human touch is also essential for human growth and development.

The benefits of a hug
Hugging is health, for the body and the soul. Hugging is hygienic. Hugging won’t give you AIDS and it won’t increase the population. It boosts self-esteem and brings about a sense of security in a way no word can. Hugging reaches inside and touches your soul. The world may heal a bit if hugging increases, so do your bit. Get your body into action. Start hugging.
After reading this article, give your child a hug. Then hug your spouse tight. When you meet friends at a party or a nightclub, don’t just kiss the air on their cheeks or shake their hands Open your arms wide and, that’s right, give them a hug.

Everybody loves a hug
Hugging can do wonders for a relationship. Watch your bond with your children strengthen as your hugs increase. Everybody loves a hug, not just your children. Extend your hugs to other family members as well. You find it difficult to hug your sister because it’s not part of your greeting ritual and you feel awkward? Remember, the person who is the hardest to hug is usually the one who needs it the most.

Work at it
If you’ve decided that you want to start hugging more, realise that it may not be easy at first. Of course, if you’re the bold type and walking up to friends and giving them a hug when you’re used to “air-kissing” doesn’t bother you a bit, get into action! But if you are slightly more reserved, you may find it difficult to b reak the mould. This is because we are so used to behaving a certain way with certain people in our lives, that we can’t suddenly change our actions towards them without the thought, ‘Oh my god, whatever happened to her!’ running through their brain. So if hugging someone has not been a part of your communication with certain people, it will be difficult to start – but not impossible.

Try this out:

• Say good morning with a hug

• Say good night with a hug and a kiss

• Say thank you with a hug

• You can never hug your children too much

“it takes 4 hugs a day to survive, 8 hugs a day to maintain, and 12 hugs a day to grow.” Truer words were never spoken.

By: www.indiaparenting.com

October is here and so are the pumpkins. As much as I like the cold season, I rather bake and smell the aroma of the season in my kitchen – pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

I love baking and trying different recipes and ingredients. I enjoy watching kids as well as adults, savoring the delicious desserts I make with one of my favorite fruits/vegetables, the pumpkin.

There are so many dessert recipes you can make with Pumpkin, but too bad not everyone knows about them and miss out on such delicious and curious desserts.

Some desserts are heavy but some are not. Take for instance Kabak Tatlisi, this recipe is from a favorite country of mine, Turkey. This is a great, light and very easy to make dessert and another way to make use of a great fruit/vegetable.

Here is a list of awesome desserts you can make with pumpkin:

- Pumpkin pie

- Kabak Tatlisi

- Pumpkin “Panna Cotta”

- Pumpkin Dump Cake

- Pumpkin almond tart

- Pumpkin bread pudding

- Pumpkin sponge cake

- Pumpkin waffles

- Pumpkin pancakes

- Pumpkin muffins

- Pumpkin Chai Latte Cake

- Pumpkin yogurt

- Pumpkin pudding

Pumpkin fun facts:

- Pumpkins originated in Central America.

- The name pumpkin originated from “pepon” – the Greek word for “large melon.”

- Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.

- Pumpkins are fruit.

- Pumpkin flowers are edible.

- Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

 Go a head and start makind delicious pumpkin desserts for your family and friends. Discover pumpkin a whole new way.

Love,

Carmen