Author Archives: Christa O'Leary

As Seen On Better Connecticut

Here are some of the great products I mentioned on CBS Better CT- WFSB!

Hunter Original Tall Welly Boot: Chocolate
Hunter Original Tall Welly Boot

Personalized Chalkboard
Contact for personalization

Custom Couture Square Pillow

Mud Trey
Good Directions 100VB Circles Venetian Bronze Boot Tray

Inspirational Cards
Quotable Card You Rock Greeting Card Quote

Beach print

Jewelry Tree

Let your light shine

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

Inspired Wisdom From a 6th Grader

Inspired Words From a 6th Grader

Inspired Wisdom From a 6th GraderSometimes we are so busy in the daily to-do’s of parenting that we can miss the beautiful diamonds that stand before us as our children’s light  and inner knowing hold more wisdom than we give them credit. It is interesting that in our society the sacredness of the inherit wisdom of the soul found in our young is lost.  A jewel of wisdom shone brightly and caught my attention when asked to print out my 6th grader’s essay due to the lack of ink in the kids’ printer. I took a minute to glance over her words and was awe struck. Behind some grammatical errors were insights that many adults miss over a lifetime. Interesting that our young often hold the key to remembering the sacredness, curiosity and willingness to explore all aspects of life, including the openness to change that creates a more meaningful and Inspired experience on our life’s journey.

In Kiley’s words…

“To change is to pass from one state or condition to another. Moving to Hingham was a big change in my life. I used to live in Glastonbury, CT. My family and I lived in a big house, in a massive neighborhood with lots of kids to play with. It was the summer of 2009 which was the summer of third grade for me. It was an ordinary day on the beach and my parents were talking. They called my three siblings and I over and told us we were moving. Lots of things changed when we moved to Hingham.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” is a famous Winston Churchill quote. In my whole life, I had never stepped foot in the town of Hingham. Now, I was driving down Main Street in search for a new place to call home. We had a very nice relator named Rosemary. The thought of buying a new house was exhilarating because I had lived in the same house my whole life. After looking at tons of houses we finally decided to move to Central Street. I started fourth grade at Foster School and loved it! My teacher was really great and I made lots of new friends. Hingham has a girls hockey team that I could play for. Also, my house is close to the town square and shops like Nona’s Ice Cream. I can walk there very easily now. I am much more social because there are lots of clubs and activities that I can get involved with. Those are a few things I wouldn’t be able to do if I still lived in Connecticut.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “When your finished changing, your finished”. My life changed in a positive way when my family moved to Hingham. I changed into a better hockey player because Hingham has better hockey teams. Also, I have become more social because Hingham offers more clubs, events, and activities that I can get involved with. I can be more active, I can bike and walk to many places like the Recreation Center. None of this could be possible if I hadn’t moved to this wonderful town!”

These words make me ask, how do I embrace change and when has change had a powerfully profound & positive impact in my life? I am thankful for the many conscious awarenesses that came from this essay. It gave me the opportunity to witness the insight and inherit wisdom a 6th grader can hold and the diamond jewels of knowledge that can shine so brightly from within if we are willing to look, listen and acknowledge.  It also gave me the opportunity to look at how I embrace change in my own life.  Change allows growth, opportunity and inspiration into our lives. Can you see the gems of light and growth in your life?

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

 

5 Tips to Help Your Kids Eat Healthy Food

shapeimage_2When I first started the journey transitioning my family from processed foods to their organic counterparts I too was met with some resistance.  Initially, my 6 year old would say things like, “Yuck, the strawberries don’t look as pretty.” Or, “Mom, why isn’t this apple perfect and shiny?”  The first time we switched from the standard blue box of Mac & Cheese to an organic version, their half eaten bowls left me feeling discouraged.  My maternal instincts knew that this path was a healthier way that could help my children and our family live healthier with increased energy and vitality.  I wanted that for my family which pushed me to continue along, experimenting with breads, pasta, chocolate and anything I could get my hands on that was organic. During those days, there were not as many organic options.  Thankfully today with increased awareness about health, whole foods, processed food and organic food our choices are much more abundant!

The first step to getting your kids to eat healthy, whole and organic food is to begin to sample a variety of many new and different items.  There are so many wonderful options out there that so many people pass by in the store aisle, opting for the same old staples.  Trying a variety of items will expand your family’s palette and increase the amount of nutrients that you are putting into your body and those in your home.  If you typically have carrots in your chicken soup, add parsnips as well.  By exposing your kids to a variety of items and options they won’t be as likely to snub their noses at something that is new and looks foreign.

The second step is to make trying new food items fun! Make it into a game.  For example, each night at dinner play the Description Game.  Say, “Hey guys, look at this new and interesting item on our plates.  Everyone take a bite and tell everyone at the table their opinion.  What is the texture, what does it remind you of, does it taste salty or sweet?”  This allows everyone to have their opinion and honors their thoughts. Kids like to feel that their opinion matters and they are less likely to be critical when they feel they are heard.

The third step to getting your kids to eat healthier is to keep offering the healthier version of the things they enjoy.  Choose organic whenever possible.  It is amazing how different an organic strawberry or blueberry tastes verses the one grown with pesticides.     Although the initial response in my house was disappointment in the lack of luster that the strawberries or apples had, eventually the taste won them over! The organic versions just naturally taste better! Now, my kids prefer organic strawberries to their unhealthy counterparts.

The fourth step coupled with the third moves mountains.  Keep offering the healthier version, but make your life easier by NOT bringing the unhealthy version into your home.  It wasn’t an option in my home.  If you wanted mac & cheese you were going to eat the organic type.  When I became aware of the chemicals and ingredients in the name brand box, in good conscious I knew that, those types of products would not enter my home…no matter what my children said.  Well, fast forward a number of years from that initial step, and my kids snub their noses at the original chemically processed name brand box!

The fifth step is to allow your children to be active participants in food preparation.  I remember that initially the kids would look at avocados a little side ways. The texture was a little too slimy for them.  I realized that by having them help me mash, squeeze lime juice and add some spices into the mixture, they were more open to trying their new creation.  Getting acquainted with the food by helping to prepare it opened them up to the possibility, understanding and appreciation of what they were eating. This made them more willing to say yes to nutrient rich food. The added benefit is that I am able to spend time with them and we are all working together to create nutritious meals for the whole family!

These are a few ways to help your family enjoy nutrient rich super foods. These tips will help transition your family to healthier options that will create abundant health and vitality for the long run!

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

 

Manifesting the Design, Creation and Destiny of Your Life

shapeimage_2I love the fact that the Universe provides us with so many examples everyday of the wonder of Creation and our ability to create in it.  The idea of manifesting our dreams and desires is a new “buzz” word that people are excited about with the hope that they are able to create a life with more baubles, shiny items and piles of cash.

For some, the ability to visualize and manifest comes quite naturally.  For others, manifesting can be frustrating, hard to grasp and difficult to assimilate.  Why the difference?  Why the ability to manifest some areas of our lives with ease and other areas seem indiscernible? The art of manifestation can flow with grace like a stream heading towards the ocean, natural and unencumbered.  Alternatively, the journey can feel like an arduous climb to the top of the Himalayan Mountains. Let me share a story that might help you begin to make sense of this art and gift of Creation.

My audaciously daring 14 year old son, Bailey, decided to go off a 40 foot ski jump on his first run of the day 8 weeks ago.  As he often does, he threw caution to the wind (literally) and decided that it was wise to act first.  In the air, he “knew” that he was in trouble.  The rest of the family was finishing breakfast as Bailey stumbled into the lodge with a look of shear pain and agony on his face while holding both hands.  We knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had broken at least one of his hands if not both.  We were off to the emergency room…

Six weeks later, after 4 trendy colored casts, surgery and the removal of two metal pins that had held Bailey’s hand together, we sat in the hand surgeon’s office waiting to hear what we could expect next for our athletically active son.  The surgeon explained that it could take months to get a “somewhat normal” range of motion into his fingers and there was a chance that he would never have complete range of motion again.  He gave Bailey exercises to help him gain back mobility in his hand and explained that at the next visit we could determine if he was able to go back to his two loves, hockey & lacrosse.

We were forewarned that initially the exercise movements could be painful but that he would need to push through the pain to gain back a level of motion close to normal.  Out of the corner of my eye, on the ride home, I watched Bailey move his fingers gingerly.  As we got closer to home he seemed to be pushing it way beyond what the doctor said he would or should be able to.  I winced a little at the thought of what I was watching.  However, I decided to take the highroad and not tell him what to do (that usually backfires with this, “I’m going to do it my way” 14 year old). Instead, I nonchalantly inquired if it hurt at all. His response was that he couldn’t feel anything. “Ok, just don’t push it too far, you don’t want to break it again.” I figured that some motherly wisdom needed to permeate through to his seemingly imperceptible common sense.

Everyone in the house felt the weeks drag by as we waited for Bailey’s next doctor’s appointment. I was frustrated that he would often loose his splint even though he was supposed to keep it on “at all times”.  I would find him bouncing balls off the lacrosse rebounder as he practiced lax or I would see pictures of him on Facebook jumping his mountain bike off big logs.  Again, I would shutter and wince at the idea of any impact on his fingers.  He would come home elated from a friend’s house excited to share with me that he had just learned to do a flip on a friend’s trampoline. I would try to patiently remind him that the surgeon had said, “No impact, don’t do anything where you could fall on it.”  Bailey’s response would be, “Mommm, I am fine! It is fine! It doesn’t hurt! It is totally normal.” I would have to walk away from these discussions because although I knew (or at least thought I knew), how the healing process worked, I was very conscious of how my words could plant seeds, negative or positive, that could activate the process of manifestation for him and I certainly didn’t want to put negative ideas in his head.

Finally the day arrived for the recheck.  The surgeon was astounded at Bailey’s recovery.  The x-ray’s showed a full restoration without a hint of any break or pins.  Again, with complete astonishment the surgeon watched the unimpaired mobility of the fingers that could stretch in one direction and contract in another.  In disbelief the doctor begin to manipulate the hand himself asking if it hurt at all.  The surgeon was given the same response that I had been hearing for weeks, “It is fine, I don’t feel anything.”  The hand surgeon shared with us that he was amazed because he had an identical case to this one with a child of about the same age.  The other child was three months out from surgery and was experiencing a very limited range of motion.  He had expected the case to be the same today with Bailey.  He was baffled at the miraculous healing that had rapidly occurred.

This story poignantly illustrates that the art of manifesting is in the unfettered belief that ‘It’, (whatever ‘it’ is for you) is possible, probable and unequivocally going to happen! Manifesting materializes in whatever form when you can feel it without a shadow of a doubt in every cell of your body. Actually, every cell of your body “hears” and feels your command thus, reacting to your command. Even the ancient Book of Proverbs (23:7) teaches us that, “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.” The idea that we can “think” the design of our whole life and as long as we can feel it in our hearts is really the basic tenant and message of this phrase.  It means that if we don’t naturally have thoughts that create an ideal life in all areas, we need to practice this mindfulness.

Take a look at those around you living vibrantly, joyful, successful lives full of vitality and good health.  Are they naturally inclined to a positive outlook?  Is one of their core beliefs that everything always works out for the best? Do they know, without a shadow of a doubt that they will be healed? These people are living examples of proof positive. As the Buddha shared, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

Bailey knew in his heart and mind that his finger’s would be healed. He had no doubt that he would join his team at lacrosse practice the same afternoon that he had his recheck with the hand surgeon. He knew it with every inch of his being. He felt it to his core. His thoughts created his reality, “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.”

Do the dreams you wish to create radiate from your heart with the unfettered knowing that anything and everything is possible? Maybe we all can take a lesson from an audaciously daring and confident teen who unabashedly believes that he is in charge of the design, creation and destiny of his life.

If you haven’t already signed up to receive solutions & tips to help you live your best life, click here to receive your FREE E-Book and Bonus Gift, plus our weekly Home in Harmony Lifestyle Newsletter!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

 

5 Ways to Feel Blessed Instead of Stressed During the Holidays

shapeimage_4The holidays can be a hectic time of year filled with social commitments, family obligations, to-do lists that are miles long and full of unhealthy indulgences that make you feel tired and overwhelmed.  Here are 5 tips to help you manage the holidays and allow them to flow with ease and be filled with grace.

 

 

1. Gratitude Journal

The first suggestion is to give yourself a few moments at the beginning of each day to write about a few things you are grateful for…maybe it is a loved one or special friend that fills you with gratitude or maybe it is a cozy cup of tea that warms your soul.  Whatever it is, write it down. Focusing our thoughts on what we are grateful for places our attention on something positive. The things we place our attention on in our lives expand.  By doing this each morning before we start our day helps to set the tone for the rest of the day bringing more experiences into our lives that will fill us with gratitude. Taking this time each morning to focus on the things that are truly important to us and fill us with gratitude allows us to be more aware of what is really important.

2.  Give to Someone in Need

The second suggestion is to take a moment to really give to someone in need.  I know it might seem counter intuitive to add something to your ever growing list.  If you are feeling exasperated by the notion of spending more time or money on another charity or person, let’s look at this a little closer.  In the past, as a family, we have given to many charities and written many checks.  Although these are important, I have found that it has really grounded me and the other family members to give when we have a better understanding of the people or person we are helping.  I want to feel that connection because it touches me at my core and makes me realize that my crazy schedule or commitments really are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  I am blessed to be healthy and have people around me that love me.  When my children were young we had a wonderful woman who would come and help me around the house.  She was a beautiful soul who loved to watch my children play.  She and her husband had come upon hard times because he had been diagnosed with a severe form of Lou Gehrig disease. It was sad to watch this beautiful soul take on the weight of taking care of the man she loved and their financial situation that was now her responsibility. I knew that she loved to cook but couldn’t afford many of the healthier options and she was unable to prepare a big Christmas dinner that she had once enjoyed serving her family.  Our family decided that we wanted to give this beautiful soul the gift of a Christmas dinner and we would provide the ingredients for her to create her tradition for those she loved.  We surprised her at her home with loaded down with all of the fix-ins she would need… a turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, eggnog, cakes and pies and anything we could think of that would help this women and her family enjoy their Christmas Day.  Each year this tradition would help me to look outside of my own busy schedule and crazy circumstances which helped me look at the bigger picture in life.  It helped me to see and appreciate my blessings more clearly.  The gift we gave her each year was really a gift given to us. It made the idea tangible for my children that there really are people in the world who are suffering and we can be part of the solution. I would drive away from that home with tears streaming down my cheeks understanding that my to-do list was really insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

3.  Create a Priority List

Speaking of to-do lists.  If yours is a mile long, then it is time to sit down and examine, prioritize, structure and eliminate.  For this suggestion you will need a calendar to help structure your list.  First, go through your list and determine which items are the most critical and need to get done right away. Add these items to your calendar where they will get completed in the coming days.  Now go through the rest of your list and prioritize the rest of the items. Can you break some of the larger items into smaller parts.  For example, holiday shopping is too big a criteria.  Look at how you can make that big umbrella turn into smaller components. Christmas shopping can include, stocking stuffers, presents for friends, presents for the young kids, presents for the teenagers and food shopping.  Notice if there are items that can wait until after the holidays to lighten up your load. Now put the remaining items on your calendar to be completed on or by a specific day.  This will give you relief in knowing that you have a date scheduled to complete each item.  You don’t need to stress about when you are going to get it done because you know exactly when you are going to complete each task. Enjoy crossing the items off your calendar!

4. Set a Holiday Intention

I was inspired on my yoga mat today which brings me to my forth suggestion. The yoga instructor suggested that we set an intention for not only our class but for the day ahead. She also suggested that we choose an item that we look at often throughout the day, that could help remind us of our intention. I pondered on this for a bit realizing that this was a great way to bring our attention not only to our intention but to the here-and-now at any moment of any day. It made me realize that this idea was applicable and helpful for the holiday season. As I began to slowly exhale, my intention for the season began to surface  ~flow with ease~ As I took a deep breath in the second part of my intention emerged ~filled with grace~. I wear a special necklace that reminds me of my connection to the Infinite. During this season I intend to remember my Holiday Intention whenever I see my necklace or rub it with my fingers. This will ground me and act as a constant reminder that with this holiday season I am going to Flow with Ease and be Filled with Grace. What is your intention for this holiday season?

5. Take Care of Your Body

As we get caught up in the festivities and enjoy many social obligations we can eat rich sugar and fat laden foods, overindulge in drinks and deprive ourselves of sleep.  This coupled with the stressors that the holiday season can bring are a recipe for exhaustion, sickness and depression. Give your body the added boost and benefit of mindfully choosing healthy options to eat and drink.  If you know you are going to be in a situation where good healthful options are not going to present themselves, plan ahead.  Eat something healthy before you walk into that soiree.  When ordering drinks, ask for an extra splash of soda water or juice, and try having a glass of water between each cocktail.  It is important to keep your body hydrated so that you don’t turn to other things that your body really doesn’t need.  This will help you to eliminate extra calories, fat, salt, sugar and alcohol that can be so prevalent during a holiday party. Also, remember that our sleep is extremely important in keeping our bodies and minds feeling balanced, vibrant and healthy.

I hope these five suggestions will help you move through the holidays experiencing flowing ease in all areas of your life and filling your days with grace, joy and peace.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary