Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?- Frida Kahlo

October 28, 2017

Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?- Frida Kahlo

We Never Know the Impact of Simple Acts Awakening Joy For Kids takes moments and builds a framework of well-being and love. Today I received a note from a student I had taught 13 years ago. Dear Michele, I’ve been meaning to send this to you forever, but it kept slipping my mind. Last year, I got Frida Kahlo tattooed on my leg. She’s continued to be a massive source of inspiration and strength to me. My first introduction to her was through you in elementary art in grade four. I remember you introducing our class to her. Frida’s story, her art, and her life left me feeling puzzled, as I found her ugly and her art unattractive. As time passed and you explained more about her and her work, I gained a new perspective. It was my first experience where art allowed me to think and digest…. and dissect what it is that we consider beauty. Her work allowed me to look deeper into what “normal” beauty standards are. This was the first time I saw that art could reflect something other than happiness. Over the following years, her art seemed to constantly present itself in […]

September 14, 2017

Back to school and self care.

Most parents have now let go of the lazy days of summer and are full on into the new school year. This is the time of year where things seems to speed up faster and faster. Teachers are settling new classes and families are getting used to routine. Take deep care during this month. Partake in naps and slow down. It will pay off in spades. Below are a few excerpts from my book with James Baraz, Awakening Joy For Kids, that will give you a few more ideas on ways to simply be present to yourself and your children. I just spent a week at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California with James Baraz, Howie Cohen and Sharda Rogell. What an absolute delight to access my inner quiet again. In the quote below, James shares how to come back to our center. “The Gift of Your Beingness One of the great benefits of accessing the joy of being is that you not only find peace inside of you, you also affect everything and everyone around you. By accessing that calm center, you remind others that it is there in them as well. Think of the most centered […]

January 22, 2017

Chores: The Inside Scoop

I asked my grade threes the other day if they did any chores. Guess what? Fewer than half of the kids said they did any regular chores. I told them when I was a kid, 100 years ago, everyone had chores; at least, the children I knew did. I had a list to do every week and I knew it was a contribution to the running of our home. Did I like it? NO!!! But I did it. What I didn’t know at that time was my parents were instilling in me a deep sense of contribution, competency, maturity, and the awareness of others’ needs. Is it sometimes easier as a parent to just do the job yourself? Of course it is. Who wants to hear, whining, excuses, and resistance? If you can hold in your mind, that in the long run you are doing a SERVICE, to your children by having regular chores, you may find the whole exercise much easier. Research indicates that children who have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, are better able to deal with frustration, and can delay gratification. They are building GRIT. Wow! That is a full line up […]