May 14, 2014

Shefali Tsabary will be on Super Soul Sunday on OWN to discuss her three time award winning book The Conscious Parent.



Hey everyone, a few of you may remember in December of 2010 we reviewed and had a live chat with Dr. Shefali Tsabary about her book The Conscious Parent

Back then the words "conscious parenting" was relatively unknown. Now thanks to Shefali Tsabary, her readers, readers like you who value parenting and other parenting authors, conscious parenting has caught the attention of Oprah. Yeah, you read that right. Oprah!

Apr 29, 2014

There is no path where no one has gone so stop looking for one.


I was thinking how amazing it was that 25 years have passed since my husband and I wrote our vision of what was at that time and how the future was uncertain. With all that has changed in our social structure I decided to ask my husband Ed to give me a summary of where we had began and where we are now. I hope you enjoy his response. ~ Stacy Toten


There is no path where no one has gone so stop looking for one.


Twenty years ago in the spring of 1994 Stacy and I committed to explaining what we had discovered in our pryor fifteen years of research into what was seen at the time as counter culture residue.

Apr 21, 2014

Celebrating Mother Earth on Earth Day and All Year Long.


Earth Day is upon us once again. What a wonderful day to celebrate and acknowledge our Earth planet. We should all have gratitude in leaps and bounds for without our earth we could not exist. Because of our precious planet we THRIVE.

Go outside and run barefoot, plant a tree, dig in your garden, get some new plants for your home.
Go hiking, sit on a mountain and just be!

So many choices we have to enjoy Earth Day.

In honor of mother Earth on Earth Day 2014 we would like to thank her for...
  • Nourishing my soul with endless landscapes; from the mountains to the seas.
  • Providing me a playground to grow, learn, expand and express myself.
  • For plenty of fresh air to fill my lungs.
  • Abundance of fertile ground to grow my food.
  • A special thank you for all your magnificent creatures great and small.
  • For the oceans, lakes and streams that provide us with a bounty of choices.
  • Most of all for shaking things up a bit when we become stagnant or disconnected.
Helpful Ways To Teach Children How To Connect With Nature.

  1. Take your child for a walk around your local park or out in the woods, stroll along a creek side, stream or river.
  2. Collect rocks or other earthly items and encourage learning about the mineral, animal and plant kingdoms.
  3. Every region has different kinds of animals. Pick up a book from your local library to explore the animals that live in your state. Learn what their tracks and scat look like.
  4. Talk about the importance of insects, bees and pollination.
  5. Collect wildflowers when they are in bloom. Make a wildflower book by collecting and drying flowers. Glue flowers on a blank piece of paper. Identify each flower and write notes about where you found them, possibly add a personal picture of your child picking the flower. Laminate and  place each laminated page into a plastic sleeve and them gather together in a binder for many years of use.
  6. Visit a natural museum.
Earth Day Every Day Tips:
  • Write congress - support clean energy and clean air initiatives. Your voice matters.
  • Reduce what you buy. Think about your purchases before you shop. Is your purchase going to increase or reduce your planetary impact. Questions to ask yourself.
  1. Do I really need this item? Am going to use it, pass it on or is it destined to collect dust or end up in the landfill?
  2. Am I adding to the landfill or can I recycle the packaging?
  • Reuse: Buy in bulk when you can to reduce the amount of packaging tossed into the trash over time ending up at the landfill. It is not out of sight out of mind. All trash must go somewhere and be disposed of. Landfills are piling up. Toxins are being washed into our creeks, streams and rivers and eventually into our water supply. 
  • Recycle: We all know the traditional ways of recycling our glass, plastic, aluminum cans, tin cans and newspaper, but what about household items? One of my favorite things to recycle is empty glass candle holders. After I've used my candle up. I warm up the left over wax by placing the glass candle holder on top of the stove while I'm baking. I pour out the left over wax and then wash my empty jar a few times until the candle smell is gone. Fill up your jar with a little soapy water and vinegar and let soak a few days if need be. Once your jar is clean and dry use it to store, nuts, popcorn, barley or another kitchen item. 
  • Donate your used or unused bicycle to your local free cycle group.
  • Purge your closets every six months and donate to your local thrift store or Good Will. Herberger's has a yearly clothing exchange sale. You bring in a used piece of clothing in exchange for a percentage off a new purchase.
  • Take your used unwanted blankets to your local homeless shelter, half way house or Humane Society.
  • Use cloth napkins instead of paper. They take up very little space in the washer with your other laundry.
  • Run your dishwasher with a full load to save on energy, soap and water.
  • Use nontoxic cleaning products. What goes down the drain ends up in our soil and in our water supplies.
  • Have you heard of Genetically Modified Organisms? The effects of GMO's can have negative effects on your families health and our environment. 
Final Tip: Spread joy around. Focus on what makes you happy. Happiness spreads like a baby's laugh permeating and dispersing negativity. When people are happy they are more connected to themselves, healthier and and in the end they become more connected to the planet.


Apr 13, 2014

A Fun Color Breathing Activity To Do With Your Children To Charge, Clear and Balance Their Energy Fields.

(An example of handy colored items found around the house.)

Color Breathing With Your Children.

Here is a fun simple color breathing activity to do with your child to clear, charge and balance their energy field. 

You are going to need a container to hold your colored objects. A plastic bowl, bucket or basket will work just fine. Next, gather 7-10 colored objects. Choose any color you would like such as blue, green, yellow, Indigo, purple, rose, gold or white. The colored objects can simply be colored paper, pieces of cloth, toys or handy items found around the house. Together with your children choose the colors you will be using and send everyone on a scavenger hunt to find items of these colors.

Mar 31, 2014

Simple Energetic Tools For Promoting Physical And Energetic Health.


Chakra painting by Carol Lawrence


"Whenever anything is out of balance In your energy bodies or in your physical body, it automatically seeks to regain balance. Most of this system runs beneath the level of your conscious awareness. The wisdom held in this area of your being is probably much greater than you realize. We are just beginning to learn how to utilize it consciously." ~ Barbara Brennan 

Chakras


Chakras look like funnels of energy. They exist on the seven levels of your energetic field. They extend out in the front and back of your body.


Chakras take in and absorb energy (Chi) from the universal life energy field. If a Chakra stops functioning properly or becomes clogged the intake of energy will be disturbed. The body organs served by that Chakra will not get their needed supply. If dysfunction continues, normal functioning of the organs and body parts in that particular area can become weakened, as will immune defenses. Over time disease can set in, in that part of the body. - Excerpt from Light Emerging: The Journey Of Personal Healing


We feel Chakra health is so important we have a page dedicated to it. 

Mar 24, 2014

Fun Ways To Celebrate Spring Break Without Breaking The Bank!


  • Get outside. Turn off the TV! If weather permits take advantage of the nice weather and take the kids on a hike, visit a zoo, go to the park, go camping, even camping in the backyard can be a lot of fun.
  • Look for free or inexpensive activities taking place in your area.
  • Host a potluck and invite friends, family and neighbors.
  • Family fun game nights are a blast. Both our families have held game nights since our kids where little. Even as grown adults they love participating in playing games.
  • Cook dinners or bake together. Make a home video to capture the memories.
  • Spend quality time together. Participate and engage with your children. Listen to them. Ask them questions. These are the kinds of memories your children will remember.
  • Do you have budding entrepreneurs? Encourage their entrepreneurial skills by brainstorming some ideas on how they can make a little extra money. Such as setting up a lemonade stand, helping out with chores. Two young ladies came to our houses the other day selling homemade marbles made out of play dough for .10 cents. Of course we supported their entrepreneurial spirit. Make sure your ideas are safe and appropriate for your children’s ages and neighborhood.
  • Plant a garden or begin by growing herbs in the house.
  • Draw on the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk.

Mar 13, 2014

Colors can be used for supporting a purpose, treating disease, balancing dysfunctional Chakras and enhancing your home and life.


As I grab a cup of coffee and sit down to write today I'm drawn to the topic of color and healing. We've touched on the subject of color before but it's prevalent in my mind today so I'm listening to my intuition and exploring it even deeper. Maybe it's because I have an arm sprain that's been needing some attention this past week. Maybe, it's because I'm energetically shifting from Winter to Spring with mother earth. I'm craving to be surrounded by strong brilliant bold colors. Today i'm surrounded by purple. I'm wearing purple and drinking out of a purple coffee cup. Soon very soon I'll be able to fill my flower pots and revel in the visits from the bubble bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Every day the snow is melting more and the birds are returning here to Montana.

The funny thing is when I began to write this post for you today I was drawn to a favorite book of mine that I haven't opened in years. Light Emerging-The Journey Of Personal Healing by Barbara Ann Brennan. I randomly opened it to page 114 and was nearly brought to tears as words and colors popped out at me. Words and colors not just for me but for others in my life. Maybe you'll benefit from them as well. :)

Sound and color are created by vibrational waves, they both have structure and a frequency of vibration. Color is essential for health. We need all the colors in the auric fields, when we are clear, we are automatically attracted to the colors we need.

Mar 6, 2014

Intentional Conscious Parenting Tip For The Day!




"It feels good to know that I am safe and I am loved." ~ Louise Hay

Just a friendly reminder children feel safe when you do. If you are nervous and anxious they are going to feel this. Whatever you put out they receive vibrationally, energetically and physically.


Feb 28, 2014

Record Breaking Snow! Winter 2014.

This is Carol's swing and fire pit in her back yard.


Here in Missoula, Montana we are having record breaking snow levels. We haven't had this much snow in February since the 30's. It just keeps coming. We'll get it cleared out, have a little break and then another storm will roll in. As I type this blog post we are under a severe blizzard warning. 50 mile an hour winds are supposed to be blowing in this evening. Time will tell. Here is several pictures of the snow just in our little neck of the woods. To see more Missoula 2014 snow pictures go here! Just to give you a heads up, there is a lot of pictures. We wanted to make it easy for family and friends to see the pictures in one convenient space instead of emailing each and everyone of them.

The front of Carol's house. We had to dig our way out this morning.