Words are powerful. The words suggested here are not just for kids! They’re for us, too. Blessings and Love, PVL

How to Change Your Child’s Mindset in Just a Few Minutes a Day, by Liz Hall

Affirmations for kids are a powerful way to help children develop a mindset of positivity and success. Here’s how to get started:

Affirmations for kids are a powerful way to help children develop a mindset of positivity and success. Here's how to get started: #affirmationsforkids #affirmations #parenting #parentingtips #children #kids

My daughter and I were sitting on the floor putting a puzzle together. We’d done this puzzle of mermaids swimming with fish countless times before, but the detailed section could get tricky. My daughter tried to shove a bluefin into a purple octopus. It wasn’t working no matter how many times she tried.

“Ahhh!” she shouted, flinging the pieces – and what we’d completed of the puzzle so far – across her bedroom. “I CAN’T DO IT.”

The words reverberated across the room. “I can’t do it.”

“Honey,” I said. “It’s okay. Take a breath.”

It took some coaxing, and a whole lot of patience, but she finally decided to try the puzzle again and eventually finish it.

I knew this frustration was partially a factor of her age. At 2 years old, she was learning so much. And new things? They could be challenging and frustrating.

But her words, “I can’t”, hit me particularly hard. I struggle with telling myself negative things about my own capabilities (parenting and otherwise), and have for as long as I can remember… and here I saw my daughter doing the same thing at the very impressionable age of two.

Why positive affirmations are important

I hated that, as a young child, my daughter was already telling herself, “I can’t.”

Enter affirmations, or positive mantras, something I’ve been practicing for a few years. Instead of using words like “I can’t,” affirmations are practicing the words that empower and uplift us instead, such as “I can.”

By practicing changing the words we tell ourselves, we can calm the negative chatter and, in turn, we talk to ourselves in a more positive way. Rather than bring us down, affirmations are the practice of lifting us up.

Studies have shown that our thoughts, on average, can be up to 70% negative. To top it off, we tend to have the same thoughts, over and over again, day after day, week after week.

One way to break this cycle of negative chatter is to do affirmations, but not do them here and there… but to make a practice of it so that our positive thoughts become another habit.

Our thought patterns start when we’re kids, and luckily for us parents, our young children are pretty darn good at speaking their minds when they want to. This provides us some insight into how they feel when they get frustrated or when they try something new.

Around the time of the puzzle incident, I decided to do my affirmations with my daughter. I knew how much I needed them to break my cycle of negative thinking, so I figured I’d help her start on the right foot by doing them with her at an early age. After all, it’s never too early to start a habit of positive thoughts.

Why affirmations work

Simply put the words you tell yourself matter. In other words, if you tell yourself you can’t, you’re completely right… because you never will! The word ‘can’t’ literally shuts the possibility down even before you’ve given yourself a chance.

But start saying what you can do? And start focusing on your positive qualities? It’s life-changing, because, your brain will believe what you tell it. It’s one of the reasons I love reading “The Little Engine That Could” with my kids. If you believe you can’t,  you won’t. But if you believe you can, you will.

Affirmations for kids are a powerful way to help children develop a mindset of positivity and success. Here's how to get started: #affirmationsforkids #affirmations #parenting #parentingtips #children #kids

How to do affirmations with kids

First, pick out which affirmations you’d like to say out loud together. Tailor this to each child, because what one kid needs to hear might be different from the other. While my oldest struggles with shyness, my youngest doesn’t, so for my oldest, affirmations like “I have a strong and important voice” are helpful. (Keep reading for some other ideas on affirmations for children).

I’ll never forget the day I was getting ready in the bathroom and my daughter came in and asked, “Can we do ‘formations’?” Even though she was working on her words and pronunciation, she loved doing affirmations, whether we did them in front of the mirror or as we walked out the door.

That said, I do prefer the mirror. After all: eye contact is powerful in parenting, including when we look at ourselves. For us, I say the affirmation out loud, and ask my daughter to repeat after me. After we got in the practice of it, she started memorizing the affirmations and started saying them right along with me.

You can also make a practice of doing affirmations while looking at one other. Encourage your child to look you in the eye and repeat after you. For kids who need help calming down, eye contact along with affirming words can help quite a bit.

Another great way to do affirmations, especially for older children who know how to read, is by creating flashcards. Write them down, decorate the cards, and make it a fun activity to do together. The bonus of this practice: the act of writing can reinforce the affirmation in their mind. Another bonus: they’ll practice reading too! It’s a win-win.

No matter which way you plan to do affirmations, make a habit of it and part of your routine. Sometimes my daughter and I do them when we brush our teeth before bed. Other times, we do them as we’re walking out the door and into the car… just find a way to fit them into your life!

Affirmations for kids: a few ideas

To get you started, here are some affirmations for kids you can say with your children. I definitely recommend tailoring them to things or ideas you know your children are struggling with. Starting with the phrase of “I am” is powerful, but not required when doing affirmations, but keeping it in the present tense helps. The point of doing affirmations, after all, is to reframe your (and your kids’) negative thinking in the present moment.

All these suggestions are short, because, especially for younger kids, they’re easier to remember and repeat:

I am strong.

I am confident.

I am worthy.

I am capable.

I am kind.

I am brave.

I am a wonderful friend.

I am helpful.

I am unique.

I spread joy.

I am a good listener.

I am talented.

I am creative.

I am loved and am loveable.

Don’t have time to make your own affirmations? Check out these printable affirmation cards specifically for kids. Simply print them out (I prefer heavy stock paper), cut, and you’ll have 101+ cards to share with your kids. The printable package also includes a few blank cards to allow you to write affirmations specifically for your child. (Click the image below to see the cards)

This article was originally published in 2019: https://selfsufficientkids.com

Living Raw. Sweet, beautiful, infinitely kind to body and soul…

RAW VEGAN BOUNTY SLICE!

 

Raw Vegan Bounty Slice!

This healthy decadent slice will leave you wanting more and more! Prep Time 30minutes Servings 16 Author Sharlene Fletcher

Ingredients

Base

  • 1 cup desiccated coconut Organic
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds Organic
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews Organic
  • 2 cups pitted dates Soaked/Organic
  • 1/4 cup cacao powder Organic

Bounty Filling

  • 2 cups desiccated coconut Organic
  • 1 cup raw cashews Organic
  • 1/2 cup rice malt syrup Organic
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean powder or paste Organic

Vegan Vanilla Chocolate

  • 1/2 cup cold pressed coconut oil Melted/Organic
  • 1/2 cup cacao butter Melted/Organic
  • 1 cup cacao powder Organic
  • 1/2 cup rice malt syrup Organic
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean powder Organic

Instructions

  1. Place all ‘BASE” dry ingredients into a food processor.Blend until it forms a biscuit crumble.Add pitted dates.Blend until your mix forms a soft dough.TIP: If the mix is still crumbly, keep blending.Remove blade and press mixture evenly into a square silicon mold.Set aside while you make the ‘Bounty Filling”

Bounty Filling

  1. Place all dry ingredients into a food processor.Blend until it forms a biscuit crumble.Add rice malt syrup.Blend until your mix forms a soft chewy dough.TIP: If the mix is still crumbly, keep blending otherwise it will be to crumbly to cut into perfect squares when set.Remove blade and press mixture evenly and flat over the top of base.Place flat in freezer overnight or for at least 6 hours.

This article was first published in November 2018 on Live, Love, Eat Raw: https://liveloveeatraw.com.au/

Gorgeous, Strong, Healthy Hair!

Cutting Hair by the Moon – 3 Easy Steps

Anthony Morrocco June 25, 2013 Lunar Hair Chart

Cutting hair by the moon is not a recent phenomenon, but it has become a forgotten secret to growing long, luxurious hair.  The moon is a powerful force, both scientifically and spiritually, but let’s be honest: Do you believe the moon cycle can influence hair growth cycles?  If you’re curious about cutting hair by the moon and looking for seriously luxurious hair then you might want to give the Lunar Chart for Cutting (www.thehairshaman.com) a second glance. The Lunar Hair Chart is created from the wisdom and math of the Farmer’s Almanac, Western Astrology and the Mayan Lunar Calendar for optimizing hair cutting. The chart utilizes the moon’s natural cycle and applies it to hair care. In conjunction with the Blunt Snip technique this provides the ultimate hair cutting result for any hair type.

Cutting hair by the Moon
The Moon has a powerful affect on Hair Growth

The Lunar Hair Chart is a timeline and calendar for the best time to cut hair by the moon depending on your lunar goal. It’s advisable to trim your hair once a month for ultimate hair health, but this doesn’t mean you need to cut much–an 1/8th of an inch will do the trick!

By removing dry, dead, and split ends, your hair can focus on growing, instead of trying to restore those ends that are beyond help. Similar to a plant in a garden, “deadheading,” or removing dead blooms allows the plant to focus on growth.  This cut helps to jump start the growth cycle by shocking your hair from the tip to the root.  Cutting hair by the moon on a specific lunar day will multiply these effects.  Ready to start?

1. Goals for Cutting Hair by the Moon

There are five hair goals with corresponding dates to choose from:

Shocks and excites your hair growth patterns, causing your hair to grow two to three times faster than normal.

Promotes the activation of new growth cycles in your bulb and hair follicles that thicken the follicle.

Enables roots, follicles, and bulbs to increase and strengthen your growth patterns, producing stronger and more resilient hair.

Shocks the entire growth cycle, aiding your hair and scalp in all aspects of hair growth and scalp improvement, this should be a base in your cutting routine.

Improves and evens the texture and sheen of hair as well as enhances and refines waves and/or curls.

Unsure what goals to start with? We recommend Root Work as this is where your hair grows from–you can’t have healthy hair without a healthy scalp. In fact, you should alternate your main goal with Root Work because it provides a good foundation for your main goal to grow from!

You might notice these dates don’t sync with the astrological calendar. This is because modern calendars are based on a 12 moon cycle, and the Mayan Lunar Calendar uses 13 moon phases. The Lunar Hair Chart is optimized for haircutting.

2. Create a Plan to Cut

Now that you know your goals, you need to look at the lunar hair chart for cutting hair by the moon. The most powerful times to cut your hair are during full moons, and especially on equinoxes and solstices.  Plan out your hair cutting routine based on these dates.

You’ll notice there are usually several days you can pick from for each goal. This is helpful for those who have busy schedules and need the times to be flexible, but the middle date is always the most powerful in the group.

Our general recommendation is to cut or trim seasonally. This translates to four times a year, or every three months. If the dates correspond to your lunar goal or goals, it is preferable to cut on the corresponding solstice or equinox.

As with shampooing and conditioning routines, your cutting frequency may vary depending on your needs and the needs of your hair.

3. Cut your hair!

We don’t mean hacking off inches at a time. Quite the opposite! Trim your ends using the blunt snip hair cutting method  blunt snip method anywhere from an 1/8th of an inch to 1 inch to seal the ends.

This article was first published in 2013 by Morrocco Method International:

https://www.morroccomethod.com