Want to know more about the benefits and how to juice? This article explains it.

PREPARE TO SET SAIL:
The ocean of life is full of opinions and options. In this age of information overload, it becomes increasingly difficult and time consuming to choose a direction to head in. It leaves many drained and confused. How do you make your way?

1. First, determine that YOU are the Captain. No one else is allowed to steer your ship. Allow no one to make final decisions for you. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for YOUR happiness and has to live with the choices made.
2. Do a thorough check of your ship’s hull to be sure it is in order. It’s design affects the stresses your ship will be able to endure and the cargo you can carry. This foundation is your beliefs and values defined by your world view. Each person’s understanding of how the world works is shaped by a combination of personal experiences, observations, and the teaching they have received throughout their lives. Your world view includes your assumptions about life, love, marriage, children, career, and health, etc.
3. Once you know the overall structure of your ship, you can focus on its rudder and sails. Your ship will be steered through the experiences set by your life goals. Life goals define the ultimate destination you desire. They describe the kind of person you hope you will grow to be and the experiences you will have.  The basic structure of the vessel is likely to remain constant. In contrast, the rudder and sails will adjust in response to storms and fluctuating currents. Similarly, life goals will need to change as your development reveals your strengths, talents, and interests and as you gain new experiences or new information.
4. You must also consider the passenger list. How many passengers do you have? Who are they? Are they children, family, friends, acquaintences? What makes each one unique? Do they add value to your journey or do they just take up space on your ship?
5. The next step is choosing your crew and cargo. Who is on the crew to assist you with the journey? You will need to choose members that possess strengths and knowledge you do not. The crew is also there to take care of duties that you do not have time to do as the captain. For example, an accountant to do your taxes, a coach to guide you, a housekeeper to clean your home, a babysitter to watch your children, a fitness trainer to help keep you in shape. The cargo your ship will carry is the resources you have available. These include money, assets, your home, the environment you live in and the people around you.
6. Your final step before setting sail is charting the actual course. Long- and short-term goals will help define your course. Long-term goals are like a compass that provides overall direction and purpose for your journey. Short-term goals are the “ports of call” along the way and help measure your progress towards your desired destination. These goals should be reflected in your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and activities. They will be affected by the strengths and weaknesses of your crew, passengers, time constraints, travel schedules, illness, etc.

SET SAIL:
When you have identified your beliefs, values and world view, considered the uniqueness of your passengers, crew and cargo, determined your goals, selected a destination, and gathered resources, you are ready to confidently set sail to a life you love!

As your voyage unfolds, you will have the ability to adjust the rudder and sails to make course corrections.

Many course corrections will be needed throughout your journey as the winds and currents shift. Periodic review of your short- and long-term goals will be necessary to keep up with these changes. New information, new resources, and even new living conditions will impact your decisions. In the sailing world, if a ship gets off course even one or two degrees and does not correct it will veer out at an entirely different angle on the compass. Over time, it will end up very far from the destination intended. Conversely, to get back on course it may only takes a few minor shifts in degrees to correct. In a panic, people will “overcorrect” when they notice they aren’t going in the direction they desire. They turn the ship’s wheel too sharply and end up capsizing their ship.

As the Captain, be confident are are prepared and well equipped to weather any storm in life. Remember to enjoy the journey and the “ports of call” since you never really know when you will reach your destination.

The smell of peanut butter cookies wafting out of my oven is pure simple bliss to me.  Baking up warm bundles of sugary yum is one of my favorite past times.  I do it when I’m happy, when it’s cold outside, when I’m craving some sense of home, I pretty much do it anytime because it brings me joy.

I adapted this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite sources for yummy goodness!  No they are not low in fat.  Just bake them, eat them and en

joy them.  Just don’t eat them all in one sitting!

These are serious bliss.  They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake ‘um up and hide half in the freezer to eat the following week.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy Jif peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets (I use a Pampered Chef stone ware slab), leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

• Learn more about the issues like obesity, diabetes, foodborne illness, pesticides,and the environmental impact
• Find out what is on your food
• Support healthy food choices in school, sign the petition
• Read the latest news updates on what is being done to make our food healthier

Grief that has not been released or addressed can be a major cause of illness and pain. Whether you’ve recently lost someone or are still dealing with grief from twenty years ago, this can help you heal.

Tears, Fears, and Light: Negotiating The Holidays When Someone You Love Is Dying
Monday, December 21st- 9a pacific/10a mountain/11a cst/12p eastern

Presents and Presence: Missing Your Mom or Dad This Holiday Season
Monday, December 21st-11p pacific/12p mountain/1p cst/2p eastern

The Ornaments Make Me Cry: Getting Through The Holidays When Your Child Has Died
Monday, December 21st-1p pacific/2p mountain/3p cst/4p eastern

For parents who have experienced the death of a child of any age.

Missing Your Brother or Sister This Holiday Season
Tuesday, December 22nd – 9a pacific/10a mountain/11a cst/12p eastern

The Nights Are Too Silent: Surviving The Holidays After the Death of Your Spouse or Partner
Tuesday, December 22nd-11a pacific/12p mountain/1p cst/2p eastern

You will learn:

* what to do with all the feelings you’re having and how normal you really are even if you don’t feel that way.
* ways to connect with your loved one whether they’re still with us or not.
* three practical ways to care of yourself that don’t involve excess eggnog or running away to Tahiti.
* an activity to do on your own or as a family, one my clients say has reminded them the most meaningful and treasured gifts don’t cost any money at all.

Choose the class that best fits your situation and join in. The cost is $19. Once you sign up, you will receive a link to the conference. You can listen in by phone or on the web and can send any questions you have by email before or during the call. Everyone who signs up will receive a recording of the call.

For more information or to sign up for a class go to Martha Atkin’s website.

Goaltender

Lululemon (the fantastic yoga inspired athletic wear company) has created a super easy tool to make goal setting and achieving fun.  Check it out and get started setting your goals…

I love their company manifesto- you can read it easier here or see it below.  Very inspiring!!

So in the Spirit of Play, I set up a playdate for myself. I attended a beginners Acroyoga workshop. What is Acroyoga?! It is a unique practice that blends the spiritual wisdom of Yoga, the loving kindness of Thai Massage and the dynamic power of Acrobatics. The combination of these elements cultivate trust, connection and playfulness. And it was sooooo much fun. Mind you, I do practice yoga on a weekly basis, but never have I done gymnastics, acrobatics or “flown”.

The instructor, Arianne, assured us we would be safe and have a blast. I was game. The class started out with some trust exercises, where the group of 20 of us had to close our eyes and run around the room guided by partners, who we had just met 5 minutes prior. Then we did some partner stretching to warm up.  Then onto the lifting each other into the air, balancing on our partners feet and backs, flying and tumbling, and ending the class with well-earned Thai massage.  The 3 hour workshop flew by — time does fly when you are having fun!  I felt like a kid again.

GREEN pointers include:

1. A Healthy, Eco-Responsible Diet
2. Recycling (and reducing consumption)
3. Eco-Responsibility
4. Conservation
5. Volunteerism

1. Shopping lists
2. To Do lists
3. Christmas lists
4. Gratitude list
   
5. and now… the 43 Things I want to do list app is here on the iphone.

Cost: FREE (love it!)

Get it here :