Daily Practical Mystic™ Tip:
Create an affirmation that supports your path, like “I am successful and surrounded by abundance.”
www.susanmarek.com

We all want it. Some of us spend years looking for it in the bottom of empty bottles, relationships, family, careers, or hobbies only to finally figure out happiness isn’t something that can be manufactured or produced. It must be perceived in the mind and felt in the heart.
For centuries, people have searched for a magical elixir or holy grail that would suddenly make their lives more joyful and exuberant. Sex, money, success all appear to be the winning ticket to a happy life. But once most people have these …

If you want to alienate your child, create an atmosphere that says “I am the boss and you will obey!” On the other hand, if you want a relationship with your child, create an atmosphere that says “I am here to help you!” Communicating with your child is what will determine the type of relationship you will share. On going communication is what will allow the relationship to deepen and strengthen.
Parents are often so busy they forget the need to consciously cultivate a relationship with their children. It is certainly …

“Integrity simply means not violating one’s own identity.” – Erich Fromm
Late one night an old and very wise master teacher took his students into the village, saying to his young protégés, I am old and helpless and have no money. Go and follow people who are walking alone along the dark side streets and when no one will see you pull them into a dark corner and take their money. Do them no harm, but bring me the money. All the students readily agreed but one who replied, but master, …

Few of us are especially adept at setting boundaries with anyone, and for good reason. Let’s back up a bit.
When you were growing up, were you told that other people’s needs were more important than yours? Were you rewarded for self-sacrificing and people-pleasing? Were you taught to obey and then shamed, hurt, or punished if you didn’t? Were you chided for questioning authority? Were you taught to avoid conflict at any cost? Were you often told that you were responsible for someone else’s feelings or behaviors? If you answer yes …

Home school, or home education (the terms are used interchangeably), is gaining momentum. A once secluded means of educating children is now very much in the mainstream. The numbers on home schoolers in the United States are conflicting but estimated to be around two million. For some, the idea of home schooling may conjure up images of Little House on the Prairie, but today’s home schoolers do not necessarily live in rural America. Every race, ethnicity, and religion in urban, rural, and suburban settings participates in this growing lifestyle. In …

When I first became a parent, I remember very clearly my mother advising me to “choose my battles carefully”. It was her belief, and soon became mine, that when raising children, you must not put yourself in a position of “dictator”. “Growing up shouldn’t be a battlefield” my mother would say.
Her words were always in the back of my mind as I was raising my daughter (now 32) and are still a very large part of my parenting philosophy as I now raise my grandchildren.
The theory is still very much …

Agatha Achindu loves making fresh foods that are healthy for people.  So it’s no doubt she would pass this same love along to her children and others.  A Cameroonian-born woman who worked in corporate American for years, Agatha decided once her child was born to focus on what was available to feed him.  She was so concerned about the lack of freshness that she started cooking for her child.  After parents around her began contributing money to feed the same foods to their children, the idea for a company was …

When August arrives, many parents start to prepare their children to return to school. This year I have a returning student added to my household, and a lot of attention has been focused on his developing body and the need to replace the clothing that he is outgrowing. As he is also starting Middle School, we also are paying attention to the upgrade in school supplies from Elementary School. As a conscious parent, I have begun to think about other ways to support Justin as he transitions back to school, …

One afternoon a few years ago, when we lived on Coffee Pot Bayou in St. Petersburg, Florida, there was a sudden storm, short but fairly severe. We looked out of the window and saw there was a little blue sailboat, just a very tiny one, out on the bayou. There was a man and a little child in the sailboat. It looked like the sailboat was in trouble and the man couldn’t get it where he wanted it to go.
I went down to the dock, and by that time he’d …

Have you ever used your magic mama powers to stop everything that was going on around you and take a moment to reflect on the reasons you decided to go into business for yourself while raising your children?  If not, let’s summon those powers now.  I invite you to stop multi tasking and breathe.  As you breathe and reflect on your reasons, ask yourself:  Did I go into business because I wanted to be out of balance and out my personal care last, let my business consume my life, have …