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Staying The Course

The last two days of Preston bliss came to a screeching halt this morning when I went down to his room for his morning wake-up call and mentioned his lemonade drink (Mars Venus Cleanse Shake) and he thrashed around and angrily said, "Why do I have to keep having that?" It obviously isn't growing on him yet but he is taking the vitamins and supplements and did reach a happy point with the Mars Venus chocolate shake by using Cacao Coconut milk instead of water. The morning unfortunately didn't improve as he was just bugged, unfocused and not happy. He came home from school hungry (and now that I think of it, probably fueled his irritability) and immediately started pushing my buttons. In the spirit of remembering that I can only control myself, I did just that and remained calm and focused and counted his behavior to a time out. He had to start the clock over three times and I did have to drag him back in there twice, but there was no talk and no emotion on my part (he tried to get me to react but I stayed the course). When he finally served his time, he came up pleasant, did his homework, had his cleanse drink and a decent snack. He's been off and on all night and just found that he had stolen his brother's DS for some sneaky personal play time and had nabbed a bag of Newman's Own Oreo cookies from my storage room. Woo hoo for him eh?! Luckily he didn't have a meltdown as I collected the contraband. I remained calm on this one too.

Life is busy. Life is challenging. I'm preaching to the choir I know but sometimes I just have to give myself that it is okay to feel the weight of it at times. My step-son goes out to visit his mom for Christmas this year and this takes some emotional preparation. He was very emotional last night and I had him do a 'What's On My Mind' map (Come to Your Senses, Stanley Block) to help him get everything out and then had him rate his body tension with each issue. There were alot of tears but he worked through it and we had a good chat about requirements. His biggest requirements are that 'I should make Mom happy' and 'I want both my families to be happy.' I told him that everyone's definition of happiness is different. To make everybody happy just isn't possible because you would have to meet that person's 'happiness requirements.' I gave him the example that if he went to a party and one of his buddies started to drink, in order to keep his buddy happy at that moment he would probably have to drink too. He would be a different person from moment to moment depending on who he was with. In the end, he has to be himself and be true to his values. He isn't responsible for anyone's happiness; we are all the master's of our own destinies. He only has control of himself.

Daily Health Tip
Last night with Brae and today with Preston did reap some stress on my little mind. During the holiday season there seems to be enough stress to go around for everybody. I know that in Utah at least, a great deal of people also suffer from SAD (a seasonal depression disorder) from lack of sunshine and Vitamin D. Lavender essential oil on the back of the neck and bottoms of feet will help with stress. I rubbed a little on my pillow last night and it is also excellent to diffuse. Wild Orange or Citrus Bliss (doTerra) are wonderful mood-boosters when rubbed on the wrists. I have been rubbing the Citrus Bliss on Preston's wrists and telling him to take a whiff when he starts to feel upset at school. Exercise, plenty of sleep and a good laugh will also help with stress and depression. For me, mind-body bridging, daily maps and sticking to a routine, not to mention prioritizing and letting things go is what is helping me get through my rainiest days.

As for laugh, I did a google image search for 'stash of cookies.' Anyone want to venture a guess and tell me why in the world this image came up? I'm diggin' the stash.
Peace love and Isagenix

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