New Year - New Format!! The Journey Continues...by Liimu

So, my new commitment to this journey of learning how to lighten my load, so to speak, in a healthy, intuitive way is going to be very interesting. At least, to me, anyway. I thought I would just jot down my thoughts throughout the week in a much more personal way. I hope you don't find it to be overkill. I am really excited to share with you as I transform into my best possible self in the most loving, intuitive possible way.

Thursday:

Thank God the holidays are almost over. I can start to feel myself getting back into my own groove after several days at my mother-in-law’s house, where there were literally counters covered with cookies, brownies, pies and cakes. I fell into the habit of eating a cookie or two here and there every time I went into the kitchen. It added up. By the time we checked out of the hotel, I was feeling bloated and no longer positive that intuitive eating was going to work for me. I did hang in there with the whole thing and resisted the temptation to resubscribe to Weight Watchers, call and beg my trainer to take me back, or attempt the Master Cleanse for a week or two. I even got to the gym a couple times, thanks to having the company of my nine-year old – don’t be alarmed, we just walked on the treadmill and did a few jump squats and ball crunches.
Back at home, I apparently needed some extra rest, because I slept until 10 am on Thursday and ended up just doing a little bit of exercise here and there throughout the day – jumping rope for a minute, 25 squats in the shower, that type of thing. It’s unorthodox, and much different from the 90 minute workouts I used to push through, but it felt right.

Friday:

I’m feeling much more solid, much more on my game. I ran across a wonderful blog called Deliberate Receiving that really helped me get back on track with what I need to be doing to stay the course of intuitive eating. Essentially, the first and most important thing to do is to avoid processed foods and any chemicals you can’t pronounce. I presented my kids with my new food philosophy: “If you can’t read it, don’t eat it.” (They are willing to try adopting it, but I’m not going to force the issue. Just a gentle reminder now and again.) As for me, it was very easy to stay on track with intuitive eating by following that simple philosophy. I can really complicate things and so I need to find ways to keep it simple. I thoroughly enjoyed the choices I made today – shrimp gumbo, Ezekiel bread with peanut butter, extra veggies at dinner instead of bread. Yum! I also enjoyed intuitive exercise – on the way to the gym, I turned to my daughter and asked if she’d rather go for a walk along my favorite trail. We ended up walking 3 miles, with a couple 8-minute intervals of walking and jogging. Later in the day, she suggested we walk to the playground to meet her sisters, rather than drive. She even suggested a couple bursts of running along the way! While at the playground, I actually joined them in a game of tag, rather than sitting on the side reading on my iPhone, like I usually do.

The Law of Attraction is law and it is working. My weight loss journey has finally begun.

Saturday:

Happy New Year! My family celebrated the new year in style at Dave and Buster’s. I was underwhelmed by the nasty buffet that offered cheap chicken nuggets and mini pizzas, and not a vegetable in sight unless you count salsa or ketchup. I did manage to work up a sweat on the Dance Party Fiesta video game, however. Yay, me.

Sunday:

I kept my promise to myself of trying at least one of the recipes using my Christmas gifts from Hubby – the Best SlowCooker Recipes cookbook and a top-of-the-line Set and Forget crockpot. Tonight, I made sweet potato soup. Tomorrow, I plan to make easy chicken and rice, which is a meal my mom used to make and I used to love. Not sure my kids will be into it, but so what – at least I’ll have a nice hot lunch option. Tomorrow starts my resolve to start eating natural sugar only, at least for awhile. One more week till I check in on the scale. I have done a great job staying away from it, at my trainer’s suggestion. I do look forward to seeing how I’m doing from that perspective.

Monday:

I’m about to get my period. I realized this in a quick bathroom moment of meditation after about two hours of feeling like everyone in my house was completely annoying and out to make my life miserable. I finally realized that the common denominator was my complete lack of tolerance for any of them. I also remembered that this feeling of intolerance, combined with the feeling that I’ve suddenly expanded to twice my size, and the extra couple of zits that are no longer the norm thanks to my steering clear of hormone-laced dairy products, could only mean one thing. I’m probably still a week away from relief, but I am feeling the hormonal shift.

I guess with that thought in mind, the small amounts of chocolate I consumed today should be considered commendable, and huge progress over years, even months past. I also made it to the gym and had a pretty respectable workout. So, all that to say – it’s ON, folks. I am officially on my game.

Tomorrow, I meet with the nutritionist. Cannot imagine he will tell me anything I don’t already know, but my friend Joan from the gym swears by him, so who am I to think I know it all? I am nothing if not teachable.

Tuesday:

Met with the nutritionist today. He’s a smooth one, that John. I tell him my diet and he notices that I usually have no snack between breakfast and lunch and an extra snack at night. After quite a long conversation about the benefits of eating sooner after waking and not letting more than five hours go by without eating – so as to keep the metabolism from slowing down – he tells me that as long as I eat a structured diet, I should be fine. Although it would be better if I could eliminate one of the two nighttime snacks. In other words, I should eat three meals and three snacks, spaced 2-3 hours apart. Brilliant. Why have I never heard that before? Oh yeah…I have. To be fair, it really hit home with me this time and seemed like a reasonable request. So, I’m trying. I’m noticing that I could work on my portions. Baby steps.

Wednesday:

I’m doing really great. Making small changes, working out nearly every day, even got my water intake up to four liters today. I went to the gym for a workout class today and I actually didn’t hate what I saw in the mirror. I still look pregnant to me, but according to one of the trainers at the gym who’s certified in prenatal instruction and assessment, that’s partly due to the fact that I have ab separation, also known as diastasis recti, which is a common occurrence after having children. Mine is fairly severe, so I am limited to only certain ab exercises (no crunches – only planks and leg lifts) until it closes up. Hopefully that will also help lend me the appearance of a smaller waist. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised to see changes happening in my body when I scanned the workout room, which for some evil reason is walled in mirrors. Doesn’t the fact that we are paying to workout suggest that we might not be vain enough to want to be able to see our thighs jiggle from every possible angle?

The other thing that’s been helping is that I’ve been working out a lot with my sister lately. She and I had an opportunity to try this cool new product, “Cool Off,” a post-workout wipe that’s individually wrapped and is small enough to fit several in your purse. My skin is very sensitive, so I had a slight allergic reaction to the alcohol in the product (hoping they come out with an alcohol-free version). My sister, however, really loved the scent and said it left her feeling refreshed enough to squeeze in a couple of errands before heading home for a shower. You can get them on Amazon or directly at their website.

Next week’s update - the post-holiday weigh in!! You don't want to miss it!

Love Will Lead You Back...by Liimu

I’m being led.

I’ve shared before about how things just weren’t flowing right with my weight loss efforts and I have been really trying hard to get in better alignment with my intentions. I’ve been reading Geneen Roth, Women Food and God, listening to Abraham-Hicks MP3s, and even hired a new trainer. She’s wonderful and high-energy and positive. She is giving me all sorts of guidance around how to exercise (high-intensity, less time), how to eat (supplements, enzymes, probiotics) and most importantly, how to stay focused on the positive.

The negative talk in my head is LIES. Am I perfect? No. Am I doing all I can do? Yes. Is it enough? HELL YES. I have a wonderful, beautiful family including a 9-month old son who brings me joy just by shooting me a cheesy grin. I have a thriving consulting business doing work I enjoy making great money in any economy, especially this one. There are so many reasons to be grateful (not the least of which being that I just found out my meetings with the Philippines scheduled from 10 pm to 12 am were cancelled – woo hoo).

So, when I was working out with my new trainer, I broke down in tears several times. She asked why I was crying as I struggled through the second set of burpees. “You’re not supposed to be at my level of fitness. I hope you’re not comparing yourself to me…” “No,” I sobbed. “I’m comparing myself to me. To what I was before I got pregnant.”

I will get there. I. Will. Get. There. And there will be many tears shed along the way. And you know what? I can live with that.

BodyMedia update: My trainer is excited at what the armband can do. She might end up getting one for herself! Check it out here at http://www.bodymedia.com/.

I've Fallen and I WILL Get Up (Week 9)...by Liimu

PMS hit me hard this month. I swear, I turned into a whole new person. I was so tired, I was counting the minutes to bedtime before I'd even finished breakfast. Literally. I was craving salted chocolate balls. I found myself getting weepy as I watched my kids do their homework. Worst of all, I had no idea I was suffering from PMS. It all seemed like I was just entering a new, horrific, emotionally charged phase of life and so I decided to just go with it.

When I finally realized what was happening, the damage had been done. I had already woken the sugar monster, and so I now find myself struggling to get the nasty critter to go back to sleep already. (The bowl of cereal with raisins I just ate to sustain my writing of this blog did not help matters any.) I have a wonderful, miraculous angel of a friend who is helping me to learn how to work with the Law of Attraction, seeking only joyous eating and exercising experiences. I'm still not sure how to distinguish between joy and comfort, but I am working on it.

I went to the gym today and literally looked around as if I had just hopped off the bus at Port Authority after never setting foot out of Podunk, Iowa. You'd think I had never seen a treadmill, let alone spent 6 days a week at the gym for the past 15 years. I'm not sure what's happening to me, but I know it's good. Change is always good. I've always been passionate about getting in my best shape and now is no different. It just seems to be taking shape in a different way than what I'm used to, pun intended.

As a huge fan and advocate of the Law of Attraction, I get and read daily messages from Abraham sent by Esther and Jerry Hicks, co-authors of the wonderful book, "Money and the Law of Attraction." This one I got a couple days ago and it really resonated with me:

"Don't try to recreate peak experiences. Instead, just accept them as the gift that they are, and don't beat up on yourself for not being able to stay there. Because if you stayed there, they wouldn't be peak experiences. They would be normal, every day in time hum drum boring, experiences. So, savor the peak experiences and compliment yourself upon your achieving of them, and expect more of them, and leave everything else out of the equation."

I've been trying to recreate the past experiences I've had of losing weight successfully, and I'm clear now on the fact that however it's going to happen this time, it's going to be completely different from times in the past. It's going to be joyful, gentle, and awe-inspiring. I will continue to share it with you!

BodyFit Update: Still wearing the BodyFIT band, though I don't have many steps to proclaim this week. I was interested to see that I got more exercise than I thought I had on my days "off." This weekend is the big 1/2 marathon for which I've been faithfully training all these many weeks. I look forward to wearing my arm band and logging all my steps. For more information on the BodyFIT armband, click here.

Weight Loss and The Law of Attraction (oh, and Money and Abundance, too)...by Liimu

Both because my blogging day is nearly half over and because I recently downloaded and listened to Esther and Jerry Hicks "Think and Get Slim," I am inspired to share a blog I posted to my own site, Recreating Liimu, not long ago.

While I am still waiting for the scale to show the numbers I want to see, I remain as confident as ever. I recently ran 5 miles outside ofr the first time, and just a couple days ago ran 2 miles in 20 minutes! That's my first time running my old 10 minute pace I was happy to be running before I got pregnant. I am SO happy with that because I know I will be ready for the half-marathon in November.

I have really made some significant progress since I had little Max. My body has definitely toned up and I have lost 15 pounds since the beginning of June, more than 30 pounds overall. I still have 40 pounds to go, but I know the Universe is going to suck that off of me with the quickness. One reason I know this to be true is that I have experience with affirmation prayers of abundance working WELL and now all I have to do is come up with an equally powerful prayer around my weight loss.

The abundance is prayer is amazing. Since I have been saying it consistently, I have been seeing contracts that were already for a good amount of money get DOUBLED by the client, have seen checks come in weeks early that were for thousands more than I expected them to be, have seen small projects pop up out of nowhere for work I've already completed. It's amazing - like magic.

I have a friend who is skilled in the Law of Attraction and she swears that since she figured out how to apply the Law of Attraction principles to her weight loss, she now has the figure of a Victoria's Secret model. She says what she does is to put on the best music she can think of (for me, that's currently "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5), gets all into an uber happy state of mind and then and ONLY then, she envisions herself at her perfect weight.

I know for a fact that I have been disallowing my ideal body to manifest by making the mistake of thinking and talking about weight loss from a negative mindset. Only starting today, I have started getting really excited about the fact that I KNOW the Law of Attraction works, so it absolutely has to work in this area if I am diligent about keeping my thoughts and words positive.

I know how it feels to be in really good shape. I know how it feels to be eating healthy and exercising, to look in the mirror and like what I see. I know that's right around the corner. I'm just going to focus on how good it's going to feel when I get there. I have seen it work with regard to manifesting abundance. Now it's time to see it in action with regard to achieving my ideal body. Oh, and case you're wondering, it looks like THIS:

These Dreams Part Two .. by Liimu

Last week, I told you how I didn't make the cut in the recent auditions for the Voice, and how I drew upon that experience to comfort my 8-year old daughter when she found out she would not be participating in A-level champs for swim team.

I'm a huge proponent of the Law of Attraction and teach my children to tell only the story they want to be telling and to be careful to cast only positive words into their Universe. For instance, if my daughter is worried about doing well in her swim meet, I encourage her to say how well she wants to do, not that she's afraid of failing or being disqualified.

So, when we were at B champs watching her swim and she took off like a rocket off the block, landing in the water a good ten feet in front of the next competitor, we screamed with glee to see her manifesting the dream she'd been talking about all week - coming in first. We jumped up and down and cheered her on as she stayed ahead of all the other girls all the way to the wall. You can imagine how confused I was, then, when she emerged from the water wet not just from swimming but from the tears that streamed down her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked my daughter, concerned and bewildered by her tears that were very obviously not tears of joy.

"I think I touched the bottom - I think I DQ'ed." I hugged her and then took her face in my hands.

"Before you worry about that, look at me. YOU SWAM GREAT. You did what you said you were going to do. You came in first! You swam strong the whole way and no matter what happens, you swam GREAT." I led her over to the coaches to see what the rules were. A very sweet man - a dad of one of the swimmers on the opposing team - gently touched my daughter's elbow.

"It's ok if you touched the bottom. It's not disqualifying for this event, I don't think." There wasn't 100% conviction in his voice, but I appreciated the idea and him sharing it with my daughter. She seemed to calm considerably and certainly enough to ask her coaches what they thought the outcome was going to be.

"Well, I didn't see the judge raise her hand on the event so either it's not a disqualifying event, or they didn't see it happen. Either way, let's hope for the best and we'll find out soon enough."

I urged my daughter to remove "DQ" from her vocabulary until the official results were in. The next day, I couldn't wait to open the e-mail that arrived with the official results. I pulled the document up on my iPhone and scrolled down, visualizing seeing her name in the number one position. Sure enough, there it was - a full two seconds faster than any of the other girls in the league. We went out that night to celebrate what was a huge accomplishment for so many reasons, not the least of which being that she had manifested the reality of her dreams both through visualizing it and through months of hard work.

I guess I should have been more surprised when I received a call saying that she'd also be competing in A champs, after all. She'd be the fourth swimmer in the relay event. I wasn't surprised, though, because I had seen how she could manifest her own desires. She had done it effortlessly at 8. Who knows what it will look like by the time she's my age. I'm thrilled to stand by and see.

I continue to be amazed at how well the Law of Attraction works. I hope to be able to continue to model for my children how to apply it in my life so they can live out their deepests dreams.

Dreams come true - so I pose this question to you...what are your dreams, and what are you doing to make them come true today?

These Dreams ... by Liimu

Last week, I told you guys how excited I was to audition for the Voice on NBC. What an experience that was. On my way up to NJ, I heard Alicia Keys ballad version of “New York State of Mind” and got chills –this was really my time. I was going to be the one to make it! I got to Jersey City about 7 pm the night before and picked up my friend, Gabbi, who would be hosting me for the night. We went by the stadium to see if people were already lined up. They were, but for the Rihanna concert rather than the auditions. The security guy said we couldn’t line up for auditions before 3:30 the next morning. I was thrilled that I wouldn’t have to get in line at midnight.

Before turning in for the night, I sang my audition song for my friend and she said I’d never sounded better. I slept only a couple hours, I was so excited that my dreams were finally going to come true.

My friend and I met at the stadium at 4 am and were told that we couldn’t line up for the auditions until 5. We parked in a nearby hotel parking lot and I applied my makeup and redid my braids (it was going to be 102 degrees later that day so I wasn’t taking any chances with curls). As it turned out, we were near the front of the line so we were in the stadium by 7:30 am. The guy in front of me in line asked me if I had ever auditioned for anything before and I told him no, I hadn’t. “But hey, it only takes one time,” I said with confidence, truly believing that this was the only time I would ever have to stand on line to audition.

When we got inside the stadium, I had to go to the bathroom, but everything moved pretty quickly. We stood in corrals waiting for our registration bracelets and were told that we would be auditioning in groups of ten. I remembered to put my high heels on while we stood in line and danced to Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” along with a friendly child psychiatrist in a wheelchair in the line next to me who had driven down from New England and was auditioning for the first time.

When we were finally shuttled up to our audition room, I could feel the adrenaline begin to rush through my veins. The assistant producer was counting to ten to determine who would be in the first group and thanks to the fact that the girl in front of me was a minor and her mom wouldn’t be counted, I was lucky number ten. Because I was the last to be welcomed into the audition room, I was the first to audition.

The assistant producer asked me my name and age. When I told her I was 41, she said I didn’t look it. “Great,” I said. “Then can we say I’m 26?” Polite laughter. I sang my song as I had practiced it, and the room erupted in applause when I finished. “Nice,” she said. “Do you have anything else?” I told her I could sing a faster song, either old school or new school. At this, she turned to face the room. “We want contemporary songs. We want to be able to picture you as an artist performing a song that would be on the radio today, so don’t just pick a song that allows you to sing the big notes. Pick a song that shows who you are as an artist.” So why, reader, did I then choose to sing “Forget You,” by Cee-Lo? Any of you who have checked out my reverbnation page (www.reverbnation.com/liimu) know that I am nothing like Cee-Lo. The reason I sang it is that every other current song I know jumped right out of my head at that moment. Of course, driving home I remembered I could have sung “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus or “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood or “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson. But in that moment, I didn’t know any contemporary songs at all.

Still, I have to admit that I was stunned silent with surprise when we got to the end of the auditions and she said, “Thanks to all of you for coming, we’re not going to ask any of you to come back. Hope to see you for Season 3.”

I was devastated. I called my friend Kelly, who is an absolute guru with regard to employing the law of attraction to manifest the reality of your dreams. She had called me the night before to say she had goosebumps and that meant I was going to get it. When she heard I had been rejected, she was truly shocked, she said. I told her I was feeling like giving singing up for good, and I was mad that it’s so deeply in my blood that I knew I’d never be able to do that. It’s like someone who has come to such a low point in their life that they want to kill themselves, but they have been raised to truly believe it’s a sin and so they know they must go on.

She said it was good for me to honor my feelings and be sad, but that she wanted me to work on getting back to positivity and hope in the coming days. That she wanted me to google how many people got famous after 40 (not many, I’ve since come to learn). She said she believed in me. I started to feel better, and hopeful again. Then I got a text from my husband, saying he was genuinely surprised, and even more surprised by how disappointed he also was. Considering the fact that passing the auditions was going to mean many weeks away from home for me and many weeks managing all four kids for him, this was a big deal. He said, “Next year, Max will be better able to travel, anyway.” It was decided. I would audition again. I still cried for about 20 minutes before hitting the road to make my way home.

When I got home and told my children, they cried nearly as hard as I had. This was a family dream, not just mine. We were all convinced it was going to come true. None of us is ready to give up on it. I just have some work to do between now and next year, and I am prepared to do it. I will take voice lessons, I will lose the rest of the baby weight, I will have more songs prepared, I will have a better handle on our finances. This dream is far from over.

When I was helping my sister manifest the job of her dreams, she interviewed for what she thought was her dream job about a year into the process. When she didn’t get it, she was devastated. She pressed on, and I reminded her daily that if her plan was not being realized it’s because an even better one was in the works. How could God’s plan be worse than ours? Sure enough, 6 months later, she landed an even better job that continues to challenge and amaze her. For the first time in her life, she can imagine staying in this job for the rest of her life. If she’d given up on her dreams and taken a safe job at that point, she would have turned off the path right before she happened upon the oasis she’d been promised. I have enough experience with the Law of Attraction and manifesting my desires to know that the only way I can fail is if I give up on my dreams. I’ve come too far to give up now.

A couple days ago, my 8 year old daughter found out she did not make elite championships in swimming. She swam hard and well this season, coming in at the front of the pack in all her events. She was sure she would be in A champs this year. Finding out she was at the top of the pack in B champs gave her little consolation. What did console her was when I reminded her of my experience with the Voice audition, and that in the same way, I had worked hard and was surprised and devastated to find that all my hard work wasn’t quite enough. “Honor your disappointment,” I told her. “You have every right to be sad. For a period. Then it’s time to start focusing on what you have to do between now and next year to be in A champs next year.” She smiled. She had seen me go through that disappointment and come out the other side optimistic and determined. Plus, she always likes to think that she’s just like me. I feel honored to think that she thinks that highly of me. Truthfully, I feel the same way about her.

And we are just alike. We’ve got dreams and we are determined to make them come true.
In the past, I have gone after my dreams half-heartedly and then when they didn’t come true, I would blame it on the fact that I didn’t give it my all. It’s really painful and sad when I give it my all and they still don’t immediately come to fruition, but I hold on to my belief that if I continue to believe and continue to pursue my dreams with passion and heart, the will one day come to pass. And that’s not just my dream, that’s the family dream.

To hear my audition song, click here. Please leave a comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel!

What's On YOUR Mind? by Liimu

I know I've blogged about this before, but it's really important.

What we think about, we bring about.

How many times have you found yourself facing a horrible situation - financial crisis, sick child, or just general feeling of overwhelm - and then started "venting" to people about it, lamenting how horrible the situation is, and how horrible you feel as a result? What I have learned, and experienced, is that "venting" only makes the situation worse. That the more I talk about it, the more I wallow in it, the worse it gets.

Take this past week. We got back from Martha's Vineyard - a wonderful family vacation - only to find that all three of my girls somehow had gotten lice. Can you say, nightmare? To make matters worse, my babysitter had also gotten it, so I was faced with a Monday where I had an important meeting to go to in Delaware, and I had three children who desperately needed serious treatment for their conditions, a three-month old who is still extremely clingy and unpredictable, and no one to help me. Add to that the fact that it was my husband's first day back after paternity leave and you can understand why I began to feel like my life was spiraling out of control. I started to worry about my finances, my weight, my parenting skills - basically, I started to FREAK OUT.

Years ago, before I learned The Secret and the Law of Attraction, I would have let things continue to spiral, wasting days or even weeks whining to friends and family about how horrible everything was, and lo and behold, it would have gotten worse and worse. As a devout believer and practitioner of the Law of Attraction, I know better. I know to work my tushy off to change my feelings and my attitude and get my mindset back on a positive vibration as soon as possible. That's exactly what I did. I got help, did my part to take care of the situation and started praying, meditating and visualizing a better situation for me and my girls. It worked. Not even a week later, I am feeling on top of the world. Things in my life aren't much different (aside from the fact that we are all lice-free, thanks to RID, Nix, LiceMD, olive oil and shower caps, and good old fashioned nit-picking). I can FEEL things moving in a positive direction, and thankfully, the Universe is kind enough to show signs that I'm not imagining things. For instance, someone I had all but forgotten I loaned money to 9 months ago decided to start sending monthly payments! And suddenly, it doesn't feel so hard to resist the chocolate and whaddyaknow? The weight is finally flying off!

It's a choice we can make to decide to stay in the positive. When someone tells me I look skinny (which they have been recently - go figure), guess what? I don't say, "Oh, no - I still have tons of weight to lose." I say, "Thanks! I feel skinny!"

Here's the best example of this positive thinking at work in my life that I can recall. Forgive me if I've shared it with you before.

In May 2009, my 5 year old daughter began to complain of headaches. This wasn't unusual - she'd had a history of migraines. We gave her motrin and thought nothing more of it. Then, she started to run a fever for several days. We figured it was a virus and hoped the motrin would take care of it. When it hadn't lifted by day 5, we realized it might be something more serious. Long story short, she had contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever thanks to a dog tick bite we hadn't even realized she'd gotten. Less than a week later, the Fever had spread to her brain and her spine - she no longer recognized us and wasn't moving from the neck down. Teams of neurologists and doctors came into her room every couple of hours, each time with more depressing, scary news. She could need MRIs for several months afterward to rule out brain damage, she might need long-term physical and speech therapy, she was at risk of a stroke, which could even kill her. My husband and I cried, and kept saying to each other, "How did this happen? How did this happen?"

At some point I realized that I was getting caught up in the drama of it - not to be callous, I know that it was a dramatic and genuinely scary situation. But getting caught up in the drama of it wasn't helping her, and thank God I knew that getting into a positive mindset just might. I turned to my husband said, "That's it. I'm done with this way of thinking. I don't know about you, but from here on out, I don't want to think about anything else but her getting better. I don't want to imagine her doing anything but sitting up playing Uno and watching SpongeBob. If you can't do that, you should maybe go home for the night." He did go home for the night, not because he couldn't think positive about her - he could and did - but because he knew that in addition to thinking positive, we needed to also begin to take care of each other and ourselves.

That night, after hours of praying and visualizing her recovery, I sat next to Amelia's bed and asked her, "Which would you like me to read, Winnie the Pooh or Knuffle Bunny." To my delight and surprise, she said the first word she'd said in days - "Knuffle Bunny." I immediately began texting everyone to let them know she'd spoken as tears of joy spilled down my face. The next day, the doctors were amazed at her exponential progress. Within 48 hours, she was walking. When she left the hospital less than a week after she was admitted, they were amazed to proclaim her restored to nearly fully functioning. No additional therapy of any kind would be needed.

I always think back to our Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever experience when things start to look bleak - it helps me to remember how important and powerful the mind is, and to remember that life really is as good as I can imagine it to be.

Rainmaker - by Liimu

I am traveling again this week, hence the lateness of my post, this time with my family on Martha's Vineyard to celebrate my sister's birthday. On my way up here yesterday, I could not believe it when the rained poured down upon our car the entire 7.5 hour drive, despite the forecasts, which insisted it would be a sunny day. Those of you who know me well know I also enjoyed a rainy Italian vacation a few weeks back, during the month that is supposed to be the most beautiful of the year in that region. Not when I come to town. This is our third annual trip to Martha's Vineyard, we have come twice before in June and once in July, and it has rained every time.

This morning, as my sister and I ran in the rain, we were talking about my belief in the Law of Attraction, my unwavering faith in the goodness of the Universe, and my ability to thank It for and subsequently manifest miraculous abundance in my life. I have been consciously working to manifest abundance for the past couple of weeks and yesterday and today I received miracle after miracle - checks coming in that had only been mailed the day before, for twice as much as I expected them to be. Phone calls out of the blue from work colleagues who were going to not only contract me for work, but forward me on to their colleagues, who would also be in need of my services. I could go on and on.

My friends call me the Rainmaker. And so, perhaps that's why it rains wherever I go. So, if you see someone kicking up wet sand and splashing in the ocean as the rain drops around her and her kids, that would be me. Cause if you wanna be a rainmaker, you better learn to have fun getting wet.

Baby Steps -- by Robin

In case you are yearning for a basement update......we finally had our plumbing inspection done today. Unreal....it took nearly a month to get the guy here. Next up is the town inspection, and then we're good to go....with some minor items yet to be done by the contractor. Everything will be moved back downstairs, and life will resume.

That said, I'm now in the throes of attempting to organize.

I feel like we've moved. Not only do we have to get things in order upstairs since so much was moved up to the main floor for safe-keeping, but we (I) then have to decide what goes where in the basement.

We went to Target this weekend and bought a ton of plastic bins...varying sizes...to store Seth's toys. I am spending this week pouring through the bins of toys we have in the living...and then his bedroom....to create a place for each of them. Of course, in the mix, I'm finding tons of little and big pieces with no obvious home.

I'm not great at just throwing out stuff. It's something I'm working on...not just for Seth, but myself. I can't live well in a state of clutter. I don't know how anyone can. But, it's also not easy to take the bull by the horns and devote the time that is needed to create a sytem in your home. Ultimately you'll be all the better for it, but it's a painstaking process.

And, Marc (my husband) isn't overly up for the task. And, Seth can only do so much. So, it's on my shoulders. And, I must admit, I have moments where I feel resentful. This is not fun. But, then I remind myself that lots of life's projects require major time and effort and are not always a joy, depending on the stage you're in.

In a perfect world, we'd all have the opportunity to focus on our passions, but we do have responsibilities. And, since I've become a mom, I'm all the more conscious of that.

I feel like there is so much that I take care of. My husband has his share too. But, since I'm the one working from home, I'm constantly bouncng back 'n forth from activity to activity.

I was part of a "prayer" call this week that a friend of mine arranged. She was in need of the empowering energy of a group to help her attract more money into her life. Who wouldn't want that?! But, she truly is in need.

So, I participated. Not being sure what this would entail. While the focus was on my friend, it's interesting how you can take away even when you're not the center of attention. We each had a chance to introduce ourselves and then share ideas and thoughts for my friend. Then, the facilitator shared her sentiments, and it hit home for me.

In the midst of all the tasks of life that we have on our plates, as women, we are often hard on ourselves. She emphasized the need to be self forgiving. To cut ourselves some slack as we endeavor to be all things to all people.

And, one of the gals added the importance of making time for self and having fun or just chilling.

I know I can be hard on myself, and it's something I need to work on. And, I could use more belly laughs for sure. And reflexology massages.

While a big part of me wishes I could just snap my fingers and have my house (and basement) in tip top shape, if I focus on what is realistic for me to accomplish today and each day, little by little, step by step, things will get done.

It might feel like baby steps. But, I remember when my son took his first baby steps, and now, in the blink of a eye, as the years have quickly passed, he's itching to play football.

PS -- Check out the MotherhoodLater.com October featured later mom, Marissa Janet Winokur, actress/singer/Luv's spokesperson. A cancer survivor, she and her husband used a surrogate, and she shares her story with us.

PPS -- Thanks to http://awholevillage.com/ for the October giveaway on MotherhoodLater.com. They produce lovely one-of-a-kind custom keepsake books that feature your personal wisdom.