I'm presenting a POWER OF MOMS workshop on Taking Care of the "ME" Inside the Mom!

Ready to become the mom you really want to be?

Come enjoy laughter, learning and light refreshments at an unforgettable gathering that just might change your life in some very important ways.

What:

A fabulous, interactive Power of Moms workshop that will help you learn how to effectively develop and take care of that little “me” inside the mom. Just like everyone else in the family, moms need nurturing and support as they strive to meet their personal goals and become all that they’re meant to be. At this workshop, we’ll help you assess how you’re doing mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually, help you learn to say “yes” and “no” to the right things, and help you more fully accept yourself as you celebrate your own unique talents and abilities.

Next Saturday, March 10th, from 9:00-12:00 at Meradith Christensen's home!

Go here to register. And remember that you get $20 worth of POM online resourses!

POM Couples Retreat

This past weekend was the Power of Moms Couples Retreat that I had posted about. It was such an amazing experience to be in a room with such amazing parents. It was an experience like non other where you are able to discuss and talk about parenting issues with other couples openly. When was the last time you got together with your friends (men included) and had a good discussion on how you can be better parents. Probably never. And it was so fun to hear from all of the dads. They actually have a voice to heard and I found that in our discussion groups, they almost always had more to say than the women. After the retreat, I was talking to Miguel to get his take, and he said it was a neat experience to actually sit and talk with other families on the subject of parenting. Most men never get that kind of opportunity.

(that's us sitting in the very back. Miguel's got the red shirt on.)

 The Eyres are always inspiring and I came away with all new insights this time around about how to build a unified partnership in our parenting efforts. Have you ever asked your spouse what their favorite part of parenting is? What parts do they enjoy doing? Maybe they are the things you don't really like doing and you can just hand that responsibility over to them. For example, I really like to read to the kids. But I've always felt like I was hogging that opportunity and would encourage the kids to go read with dad sometimes to allow him that chance. Well come to find out, he doesn't even like doing it, so there  you go. I'll just take that on and he can take on the jumping on the trampoline and wrestling around with the kids.

We also talked about how to establish a family that functions like any other successful enterprise. What do you need to do that? A good Legal System (rules and consequences), Financial System (a family economy), and a Family Culture (mottos, songs, traditions). Why do people want to work for Pixar, Disney, Google...it's probably the company culture, right? You've got to create something that makes them want to keep coming back, even after they've moved out. We got a ton of ideas and probably one of my favorite parts of the day was the break out discussion groups, where we got to exchange ideas on certain topics that being discussed. Oh, and ask me about Middle Management...that was one of my favorite ideas of the day!

At the end of the day, it was so refreshing to come home and know that Miguel and I were on the same page. We could move forward together. I encourage everyone to save and make it a priority to attend one of these retreats. With or without your spouse. It will change your life and your families life for the better.

Plus I'm super excited, because I'm going to be bringing the Power of Moms to the great state of Georgia next spring (I'm thinking sometime in April), so plan now to attend. It will be awesome!!!

Here's your chance!

I know I've talked a lot about the Power of Moms on my blog, and you know that I'm a big fan of the retreats that they host (I've been to two). Well they are doing something extra special by hosting a COUPLES RETREAT in September! I know all you mothers out there have read a dozen or so parenting books and have secretely wished your husband would read it and get on board so you wouldn't have to regurgitate the entire thing to them. Well this is your chance to go to something great and uplifting, hear from some amazing parents, Linda and Richard Eyre, and have your husband sitting right next to you. Then the two of you can discuss all the wonderful things you've learned TOGETHER! Isn't that great!?

Miguel and I will be there.

Will you?

(Click on the links above to find out more. Let me know if you have questions.)

The Power of Deliberate Mothers

As many of  you know, I was away over the weekend at a Power of Moms Retreat, up in Park City, at Richard and Linda Eyres home. They are the authors of many New York Times Best Seller books and they run a site called http://www.valuesparenting.com/ that everyone should check out. It was an amazing weekend filled with old and new friends. This retreat was a different experince for me. The same curriculum was taught that I had heard last June, but this time I really felt validated in the efforts I have made as mom over the last year. I was surrounded by other women who believed in the same parenting philosophies as I do and were doing the best they could to raise amazing kids and create amazing families that can influence the world. It made you feel stronger, more capable, and more "powerful" as a mom.

Women are very powerful and being a mom is a great priviledge and challenge given from the Lord.

 Here are quite a few of the board members behind the Power of Moms website. Many came from all across the country to be there. We had a wonderful board meeting where we all got to meet each other, talk about our visions and ideas, and enjoy cooking and eating a wonderful meal together. They are all such great women and it was uplifting to be with them.

 It was a fun experience to be in the kitchen cooking with all these women and chatting. I could use that more often for sure. There is strength in numbers.

Some of the things I took away from the weekend were:

As mothers, we need to figure out what we need to "THRIVE" not just "SURVIVE," in the everyday challenges of motherhood.

We have got to restore margins to our lives, so that we have the ability to create space for serendipitous moments and leave room for the spirit to speak to us. We too often stretch ourselves and overcrowd our lives, that we don't have moments where we can feel the spirit and really know how we can best utilize our abilities.  We need to evaluate our responsibilities and delete the things that are not helping us achieve our greater purpose, as an individual, and as a family.

We need to create a Family Culture that is stronger than our kids, peer culture, media culture, celebrity culture, ...

I also highly recommend the Mind Organization for Moms, that is featured on the site. I know it works, I've tried it and things run so much more smoothly in my life when I'm doing it. Check it out here. You actually can free your mind, and be present for your kids throughout the day, instead of constantly swimming in what you have to do, or trying not to forget everything, which is what I've been doing lately. So, so, good to go over the system again. If you would like to know more about it, please let me know, and I would be happy to share.

So there you go. That's my weekend review! It was great and exhausting (did I mention I didn't get to sleep on Friday night until midnight and then couldn't fall asleep until 3 AM because of reflux and was up and at it at 6 AM for a another full retreat day). I was kind of a zombie by two in the afternoon, but I was more on the team helping to run the retreat and wasn't too upset that I wasn't catching every word the speakers said.

All I can say is great weekend, great women, and a great feeling knowing that I'm on the right path doing the right things. I'm just greatful for the opportunity given me.

Power of Moms

As many of you know, I'm an ambassador for the Power of Moms. It's a website for deliberate mothers. Mothers who care about their job and look for ways to be better each day. The women behind it are amazing. I know, because I've met them all. I promise it's worth your while to check out the site. They have tons of articles that give you the boost and pick me up you might need each day.

We've just launched the new site and it is more accessible than ever, so please do me a favor and check it out. I would love to hear your feedback. Just click on the widget on the sidebar and enjoy yourself. I promise you will come away uplifted.

Remember when I went to this?

Well I'm going again! Woo-hoo! Last summer, I went to a Power of Moms retreat down in St. George. This was such a good experience, with great women, and a great organization. If you haven't checked out the Power of Moms yet, then click on the tab on my sidebar and see what you've been missing.

On April 15 &16 they are hosting another retreat right here in our area and it is at Linda and Richard Eyre's home in Park City. It's going to be amazing. They always are. I know spots are filling up quick so act fast and check out the details here . If you want to come away feeling great about your job as a mom, if you want to get more organized, or just need a day or two away, then this is the thing for you. I'm really excited to learn from my favorite mentors, the Eyres. Anyways, COME WITH ME!!!

More thoughts on the Retreat!

If you are waiting for Vacation (Part I), well you'll have to wait a little longer. I just wanted to jot down some of my thoughts a week out from the retreat, now that I've had some time to reflect. One of the most powerful moments I had, was when I realized that my children are not going to look back and know that their mother loved them by the fancy car that she drove (I don't drive a fancy car), or the perfectly accessorized wardrobe she had, or the six pack abs she had going on. Nope! That's not how I knew my mother loved me. It was her availability, her hugs, her listening ear, her spending time with me. So why should I be stressing out about all of that stuff. It doesn't make me a better mom. (Well a new pair of shoes might make me feel better, and then I'm in a better mood, and I can deal with my kids a little longer), but in the long run it won't make me any happier than I am today. It was a powerful moment and I could feel the stress melt away. Thanks Allyson!

I also learned a lot about giving my children ownership. Ownership of everything really. I've been a little stressed about trying to get my kids to do chores and how to do rewards and such. This was a great topic and I've already used some of the ideas I got. For example, yesterday the girls room looked like I bomb had went off. I really wanted them to feel some responsibility for it and didn't want to just clean it up for them. So one of the ideas I got was to write down the specific chores on pieces of paper, like put movies away, pick up Legos, help Mom with the clothes, etc.  I then layed them face down on the floor and let them choose four. Out of those four, they could put one back, and well that was what Julianne got. I still had to stay on them to keep them on task, but overall, I didn't get much complaining, and the "I can't do it"s this time. It was GREAT! and they got their jobs done.

I learned a lot about organization and have implemented Mind Organization for Moms. My head is so clear now! I know what to do next and feel on top of things instead of behind them. That's worth a million bucks in and of itself. Check it out here.

In short, I feel at peace in what I'm doing as a mom. It really is the most important job out there. Mothering is a career and should be treated as one. We have to be deliberate these days in order to create the kind of family we desire. I often see pictures of an older more established couple surrounded by their children and then their grandchildren and think to myself, "Yes, that's what I want someday!" I want a close knit family that is bonded by traditions and love and memories. I can't just wish for that...I've got to make it happen. It's exciting. It's challenging. It's often times difficult. But it's all worth it!

Power of Moms Retreat

This weekend, I was priveledged to attend a mother's retreat with the Power of Moms. It was my Mother's Day gift from Miguel and the girls. All I can say was that it was AMAZING!!! I feel so renewed and refreshed. I think my self confidence was given a boost. I met about 33 other amazing moms from around the country who all aspire to be the best moms they can be. These were women with passion and amazing talents. Every mom I know should attend one of these.

Our's was held at the beautiful Red Mountain Resort and Spa in St. George, Utah. There was a mornng walk at 7:00 in the morning and only five of us were up early enough to do this, but the morning sun was beautiful on the red rock. So glad I did it. I had actually been up since five in the morning and had already been swimming and had showered by then, thanks to my roomie and good friend Amy.

During the retreat, I was able to sit and chat with some of my heros. Here is Linda and Shawni Eyre. You have to read their book, A Mother's Book of Secrets, it changed my whole perspective on being a mother. I love, love, love these women and I would never had imagined that I would be talking about family traditions and service projects with them over dinner. It was so fun to get to know them personally.

And here is my dear friend, Amy, who was so willing to accompany me on this little getaway. She's such a sweet girl and it was fun spending some good quality time with her as well.

I also was certified as a Power of Moms trainer while at the retreat and will soon be starting up a Learning Circle here in my community. It will consist of a group of moms motivated to be the best they can be. We'll learn and share, along side each other, as we discuss how to take care of ourselves, as well as discuss better ways to raise our children. If you are at all interested, leave me a comment, and I'll get to you know when it is up and running. It is sort of like a book group, where we will have material to read through and study (3-6 pages max) and then come prepared to share and discuss different ideas. Like I said before, let me know if you are interested. It will be an amazing experience I can guarantee.