"Are you an only child?"

That question always gives me pause. Yes, but also, no. I am not alone in being the child of a blended family. Nor am I the only one who’s a bit confused by the whole situation—parents included.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The back-to-school season is a mammoth shift for kids and their families alike. Even more notorious are back-to-school illnesses at all ages, which spread far beyond the home and classroom. Every company with an employee who needs to pick up a sick kid at a moment's notice is familiar with the disruption.

If you aren’t already using essential oils, time to start! They're a fantastic way to jumpstart the immune system and reinforce your children's healthy—and yours!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Have you ever felt like your emotions are in the way of true happiness? Do the daily hassles, frustrations, and disappointments seem to crowd out joy? Perhaps, anger thwarts meaningful connections with your teen or spouse. Hmm.

Maybe you're passionate about growing your business, but your fear and insecurity derail productivity and essential actions. Hmm.

Or are you stressed out and struggling with anxiety?

There is a remedy that will make a huge difference in all of the above challenges—one gateway to inner peace. 

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

“I was a little excited but mostly blorft. 'Blorft' is an adjective I just made up that means 'Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.' I have been blorft every day for the past seven years.”    ~Tina Fey, Bossypants

Stress has become the new status quo for many people and even entire populations.

Handling daily fatigue is naturally a huge concern. The skyrocketing number of prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications like Xanax is a strong indicator; so is the massive spike in cases of anti-anxiety prescription abuse [...]

Have you ever wondered why some people have knee-jerk reactions while others chill and think before they act? Do you get stressed and overwhelmed by too many demands with too little time? Or emotionally deflated for days when receiving disappointing news?

One of the best remedies for stress is resilience!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You were probably reminded to say “thank you” from a very young age. It's part of social etiquette. Gratitude is a long-standing ritual.

Those two words have become so commonplace that their meaning is often lost. “Thank you” can become a mindless, rote response. That is especially ironic considering the word "thank" can be traced way back to the Old English word for “to think” or “thought.”

The power of gratitude is all about the mind and being mindfully grateful.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Sibling rivalry is practically guaranteed as soon as a family has more than one child. But that doesn't make it any easier to handle or any less frustrating for parents! Most parents have a very different ideal home life in mind.

When brothers and sisters fight and argue, the entire family dynamic is rocked. Arguments at home can easily spill into each family member’s work or social life. Strife can make a happy, healthy family life seem like an unattainable dream. In extreme circumstances, it can even lead to enduring psychological or physical pains. This dynamic often leaves parents [...]

Psychology Today has this to say about stress. "Stress generally refers to two things: the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the body's response to it... Lifesaving as the stress response was meant to solve short-term, life-threatening problems, not extended difficulties ... Prolonged or repeated arousal of the stress response, a characteristic of modern life, can have harmful physical and psychological effects."

However, it is the perception of a threat by you and your child that determines whether or not a cascade of survival chemicals is triggered and dumped into [...]

Temperament: ten unique traits. Do you know your child's temperament?

Temperament is a lot like wrapping paper. The traits come in many colors and designs, in a multitude of hues and intensities. They are as different as the multitude of autumn leaves with varying tones and colors. Knowing our child’s unique temperament and the interaction of traits, parents are armed with a critical tool to parent more consciously and increase family ease and fun.