Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother’s Path to Self-Discovery

Today I have the great pleasure of being a host of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Tina M Games whose book Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother's Path to Self-Discovery (and its accompanying deck of 54 journaling prompt cards) is celebrating its 1st birthday on Amazon on Tuesday May 3, 2011.

Author Tina M Games is certified creativity and life purpose coach. She calls herself the "Moonlight Muse" for women who want to tap into the "full moon within" and claim their authentic self, both personally and professionally. Through her signature coaching programs, based on the phases of the moon, Tina gently guides women from darkness to light as they create an authentic vision filled with purpose, passion and creative expression.

Yesterday, Tina visited Dawn Espelage at http://lifelinesjournaling.blogspot.com/ , where she answered about how this idea took shape, astrology’s role, tapping into intuition and thoughts on living an authentic life.

Today, I'd like to share with you a recent interview I had with Tina when I got to ask her some questions on importance for kids to follow their heart, journaling importance for moms, moon in our lives and Tina’s on learning lesson. I hope you enjoy it.

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Tina M Games: Thank you, Pat, for your interest in my book, Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother's Path to Self-Discovery and its accompanying deck of 54 journaling prompt cards.

I believe that mothers are a significant part of the "ripple effect" - that will transform the world into a more loving, more nurturing place. Imagine for a moment a "pebble thrown into a pond." It creates a ripple that goes on and on and on.

When a mother is living life with complete authenticity, she's subconsciously giving permission for her kids to do the same. She's truly at her best - creating powerful change for her family, her community, and for the world at large. It's all part of "the ripple."

It's my belief that "a happy mother makes the best mother" - and our kids really do want to see their moms happy!

Pat Montgomery: Why is it important to teach our kids to follow their hearts?

Tina M Games: Wouldn't the world be a much better place if we were all following our hearts? If we could truly live life with passion and purpose, everything would have a richer and deeper meaning. It would create a ripple of positive and loving energy that could literally heal the world.

I believe that mothers are a significant part of the "ripple effect" - that will transform the world into a more loving, more nurturing place. Imagine for a moment a "pebble thrown into a pond." It creates a ripple that goes on and on and on.

When a mother is living life with complete authenticity, she's subconsciously giving permission for her kids to do the same. She's truly at her best - creating powerful change for her family, her community, and for the world at large. It's all part of "the ripple." And if our children could live life in a way that honors who they really are, it would make the ripple even bigger because they would touch lives in a positive way, too - just by living authentically.

Because moms are natural role models, our kids are observing all the time. There's a lot of truth in the saying, "Monkey see, monkey do." In other words, when a mom is modelling the value of following her heart, her kids "get it" - much more than they would if she was just saying it. Kids feel energy. They know when a person is happy and when they're not. So why not be happy - and get the ripple going!


Pat Montgomery: Why is it important for moms to journal—aren’t their days busy enough?

Tina M Games: As a busy Mom myself, I know the value of time. But I also know the value of prioritizing. Moms are at the beginning of the "ripple effect." Each and every one of us has the power to create great change in the world. And this change is most impactful, when we begin with ourselves - looking at the mirror and honoring the person who is staring back at you. This is WHO will create great change in your life. So why not honor yourself with the gift of time?

A journal writing practice can begin with only five or ten minutes a day. One of the techniques that I use with my clients is called a "five minute writing sprint." I invite my clients to close their eyes for a few seconds and ponder a question or a quote. What immediately comes to mind when they think about this question or quote? Then I ask them to open their eyes and begin to write for five full minutes. No censoring, no corrections in spelling - just writing, whatever comes to mind. Then I ask them to go back and read it, paying close attention for little nuggets of wisdom, often hidden in rambling thoughts.

If we can take 30-45 minutes to have a pedicure, we can journal write. I do it all the time. The ladies at my local nail salon know that I will come in with my journal - and I will sit and write while getting a pedicure. They honor my time and they give me the space to "be" with my thoughts while taking care of my desire to have a nice pedicure. And I can't begin to tell you how much wisdom I gain, how many answers I receive, when I slow down and give myself the gift of time.

We all are busy and we all want to get "there" (wherever "there" is) in the fastest way possible. But true wisdom and real clarity only come in the "slowing down" and in the "listening and paying attention." If we're too busy speeding ahead to the next place in life, we're going to miss an awful lot along the way.

Pat Montgomery: You based your book and your advice on the phases of the moon—what is so important about the moon in our lives?

Tina M Games: The moon brings a very feminine energy to our lives. She tugs at our emotions, moving with the ebbs and flows, and mirrors our menstrual cycles (the lunar calendar follows a 28-day cycle just as our bodies do). In astrology, the moon represents our emotional nature. It also shows the type of relationship a woman may have with her own mother as well as the type of mother she may be herself (her style, her demeanor, her strengths, her weaknesses).

My work with the moon phases came out of my own experience of connecting with the moon during a really dark period in my life. Shortly after the birth of my first child, and after making some fairly significant life changes at the same time, I fell into depression - a place that felt so foreign to me, a place where I felt like I had fallen into a black hole with no way out. It was during this time, a period that spanned over two years that I had disconnected from everything that made me happy. Because my son suffered from chronic illnesses related to serious colds and severe ear infections, I made a very difficult choice to give up a successful career in order to care for my son full-time. I hadn't realized until this experience how much of my identity was tied into my career. Without it, I felt very lost and very unhappy.

It was during this time that I fell back on a great passion of mine - journal writing. And as a mom of a baby who did not have a normal sleep schedule, I found myself exhausted and emotional much of the time. So night after night, after I'd get my son settled and after my husband went to bed, I'd grab my journal and retreat to my favorite chair - beside a big bay window where I caught a glimpse of the moon. It was the moon that taught me the meaning of transition. I'd watch this beautiful lunar goddess, night after night, move in and out of her various phases. And before long, I began to connect her phases with my own emotional tides.

I noticed that the moon always began in darkness and gradually, she'd move into full light - and cycle back around again. And I noticed the contrast between dark and light - the darkness of the night sky against the beautiful full moon light. I started connecting to this - as if I was being divinely guided through my own transitions of dark and light. I began to notice the ebbs and flows of my emotions. There were good days and bad days.

So when I came to the point of writing my book, I wanted mothers to realize that every human transition begins in darkness and gradually moves into light, where we get a glimpse of what is possible. And then we retreat, to ponder the many ways we can manifest these possibilities into reality. This requires deep work, where we step into our own truth and into our own power - and where we can emerge in the most authentic way possible. This is what I call the Blue Moon phase - when we finally realize that we are here on this Earth to be WHO we are, to put our personal thumbprint on the world in the most truthful, most authentic, most unique way possible. Each one of us are individuals being divinely guided on our own purposeful path.

Pat Montgomery: What have you learned along the way?

Tina M Games: What really changed things for me was the discovery that my life had a bigger meaning, a bigger purpose - and motherhood was only a part of it. By journal writing through my two-year depression, I began to discover the synchronicities in my life. I started exploring my life story - up until that point.

I began having rich conversations with my mother and learned about the depression that she had battled, trying to raise four kids with very little support. We discussed the importance of having a personal identity - a connection to something deeper within ourselves that was expressed fully in the outside world.

This led to other dialogues with other mothers - and I was fascinated by the similarities in our stories. While we all loved being moms, we all desired "that something else" - that something that connected all the dots, that brought all the life experiences together to create a path toward a bigger purpose.

Here in 2011, I can look back on those two years of my life where I fell in complete darkness, floundering, trying to find my way out - and I can say, it was all part of my life's journey. It's what led me to my life purpose - to empower mothers to step into their greatness. It's a ripple effect. A mother touches so many lives - and when she's down, it affects the flow of the ripple in a significant way. And when she's up, the ripples go on and on and on.

My experience with depression - that feeling of being totally disconnected to myself and the world around me - led me to the pages of my journal. It led me to asking the question, "I'm a Mom, but who am I really?" And by "being" with the truth of the reality and by listening to my intuitive wisdom, I found my voice. I found my bigger purpose in life.

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I hope you enjoyed this interview with Tina M Games and that you’ll check out her book and card deck Journaling by the Moonlight: A Mother's Path to Self-Discovery this month at http://moonlightmomscircle.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Here's why:

FREE 3-DAY PASS
When you visit the page at the link above and request a "launch reminder", you will automatically receive a FREE pass to Tina's 3-day "I’m a Mom… But Who Am I Really? Telesummit" with 11 creative writing moms and grandmothers speaking on how to use intuition, journaling and creativity to explore life purpose. You can listen to the telesummit online in the comfort of your own home, and even ask questions during the broadcast.

This telesummit is a completely free "no purchase necessary"
gift from Tina, to celebrate the 1st birthday of her book.

FREE GIFTS
When you buy Tina's book or the card deck during its birthday celebration on Tuesday May 3, 2011, you can ALSO receive a complete library of beautiful personal development gifts from authors, speakers, coaches and other enlightened professionals from around the globe.

To claim your 3-Day Pass and read about the free gifts, go to: http://moonlightmomscircle.com/book-launch/pages/pre-launch.html

Thanks for reading! As usual, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.

AND… be sure to follow Tina tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Andrew Mondia who will be interviewing Tina on inspiration by connecting moon with journaling, personal growth and the intention for readers. To visit that "stop" on the tour, go to http://www.andyinspire.com/?p=315

A World Without Fish: How Kids Can Help Save the Oceans

Mark Kurlansky, renowned author of the award-winning bestseller Cod, has just authored a forthcoming family book called WORLD WITHOUT FISH which is a children’s book that includes — biology, economics, evolution, politics, climate, history, culture, food and nutrition — in a manner that is instantly understandable and appealing to kids. Below is the interview about his new book with questions asked from his 10-year-old daughter and fishing companion, Talia:

What Inspired you to do the book and what made you decide to make it a young adult book? I have been thinking about these issues for 45 years since my first job as a commercial fishermen. I have often written about them, especially in Cod and The Last Fish Tale. But it is an enormously complicated issue and one that needs explaining. I find that kids are particularly interested in it and in environmental issues in general. They understand that we are leaving them a mess and are not particularly happy about it. So I decided to write a book for the whole family that would give an understanding of the problem of what is and isn’t being done about it and what can be done by us as individuals and as families. I think that it is a writer’s job to work toward a more enlightened society and that begins by feeding the hungry minds of children and then helping families to find their direction. A society of enlightened families is a healthy society.

How did you decide to weave in a graphic novel and how did you decide the story and characters? I am a great believer in storytelling and in a sense all of my text is connected circles of storytelling so that a book is constructed a bit like an onion.. But a graphic novel was an opportunity for a more pure form of storytelling. It is about a father teaching his daughter as she confronts the realities of the world and the daughter than teaching her daughter. So on one level it is about you and me except that I promoted myself to distinguished marine biologist, which, of course, I am not. On another level it is about parents and children, which is what all environmental issues are about. The central issue is what kind of planet do we pass on to our children.

Do you really believe that if we work hard enough even us kids can make a difference? Kids can make an enormous difference if they proceed with gentle and respectful determination. They can teach their parents, and families are the building blocks of society. But also they are the inheritors of the world and will not only have its enormous problems but its enormous responsibilities. Technology is changing the world a at faster pace than has ever happened before and your generation by controlling and directing that change can have a greater impact than any generation in history. We could feel sorry for all the problems you are getting but also envious of the exciting opportunities. You begin this process of becoming a responsible and significant force for change as a child. It begins by learning.

What do you believe is the most effective thing that we all can do? Talk. Of course first you have to study and learn so that you know what you are talking about. Then talk with your family, with your friends and neighbors, get your parents talking with the store keepers, asking about the fish they buy and why everything has to come wrapped in plastic. Is your yellow school bus painted with chromium? Isn’t there a safer paint? Do we have to be using so much energy? Should we shut off lights, walk instead of riding. Everybody needs to be talking about these things.

What are the fish that we should eat? There are two considerations.—your health and the health of the planet. For your health you should eat low on the food chain. Fish is extremely healthy but certain pollutants such as heavy metals concentrate as they go up the food chain. So large fish are less healthy than small ones. Also you should eat fish from sustainable fisheries, fishermen who are careful to preserve the species they fish. Line caught is preferable to other kinds of net fishing although smaller fish are caught with different types of netting that may not be harmful. Alaskan salmon are well managed and delicious. California sardines are also well-managed and being fairly low on the food chain and rich in oils extremely healthy.

Is their anything that is scarily bad to buy and eat? Blue fin tuna are endangered, hard to regulate because they migrate all over the world and so high on the food chain that they are probably bad for your health. Avoid eating fish from chain restaurants and cheap frozen fish.. They need to get low priced fish and this usually leads to abusive fishing. Beware of overfishing inexpensive pacific pollack.

Do you recommend anything? Such as companies to buy from etc. There are organizations of fishermen specializing in sustainable techniques. Unfortunately many do not create brand names so they are hard to identify. Thos who do are often more expensive but they are worth it both for their good fishing practices and the high quality of their fish. Two examples are Chatham cod from Massachusetts and Copper River Salmon from Alaska.

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Mark Kurlansky is a former commercial fisherman and New York Times bestselling author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, Salt: A World History, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, and 16 other books. He’s won numerous awards, including the James A. Beard Award, Glenfiddich Award for food writing, ALA Notable Book Award, The New York Public Library Best Books of the Year Award, Los Angeles Times Science Writing Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He has illustrated many of his books himself. Kurlansky lives with his wife and daughter in New York City and Gloucester, Massachusetts. His website is http://www.markkurlansky.com/

Talia Kurlansky is 10 years old and working her way through the fifth grade. An adept Editorial Advisor, she vetted each chapter of WORLD WITHOUT FISH, helping her dad (bestselling author Mark Kurlansky) ensure that there were no boring parts and that the book would be equally enjoyable to children and adults.

Tame the Power of Technology

Nine Top Tips to Tame the Power of Technology When It Interferes with Homework by Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed.

Technology has transformed our world, but for our kids, life without gadgets would be unimaginable. They expect to have access to these devices 24/7, but their expectations and reality are very different. Tech¬nology can be an asset to learning. It can also be a significant detractor unless parents establish clear policies and consequences. If the overuse of technology is af¬fecting your child’s schoolwork, try these simple solutions:

• Set limits starting with an electronics-free routine. When your child returns from school, allow screen access for an agreed upon period of time, and then the electronics go off. In many families, it is a half hour, but whatever time allotment you determine, stick with that time limit daily. You may also want to have a small box or container labeled “electronics go here”. That way, you’re not holding out your hand asking for your child’s beloved cell phone. Having a neutral place for it to be placed makes the transition less confrontational. It also limits the child’s temptation to sneak calls, texts, or games while doing homework.

• Trust but verify. After homework is completed, your child can retrieve his electronics after an adult has verified that the work is done. This usually includes checking completed assignments against what has been recorded in your child’s planner or posted online by the teachers.

• Consider returning electronics later in the evening. If your child is one who will rush through homework just to have access to his gadgets, consider a later time for returning them. You may find that about an hour after dinner works well. By this time homework should be out of the way unless an extracurricular activity is thrown in the mix.

• Having a routine decreases battles because kids know what to expect. Even if your child’s schedule is different every day, stick to a routine as much as possible. For example, if your child returns home from school at 4:00 and has a half hour of screen time, then homework would start at 4:30. The electronics can be collected from the basket by your child at 7:00 p.m. Now, if he has soccer practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30, allow him access for a half hour after school. Expect that he start his homework before practice and then work on it again immediately after dinner when he returns. On those evenings, he may not earn screen time until his work is completed. Depending on the age of your child, you may be wondering…

• What if he needs the computer for research? The answer is to allow him to print out information needed for the writing portion of the as-signment. That way, he’ll have the information, but won’t have con¬tinuous and distracting access to the Internet.

• What if he needs to type his homework? If your teen has a desk and computer in his room, but is constantly surfing the Internet when he should be doing homework, disable the Internet and only run word processing programs only. This isn’t hard to set up.

• What should I do if I see him online or texting when he should be doing homework? After you’ve established a “no screen time” policy and window of time that this rule is in place, you must enforce it. Let’s say your policy is in effect from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. If he breaks the rule, penalize him an hour and restrict his use until 8:00 p.m.

• She says she focuses better when multitasking. Could this be true? No. In fact, studies show that when kids continually multitask, they lose the ability to focus on one thing at a time. Picture your daughter with earphones in while listening to her iPod, texting furiously, and checking her Facebook page all at the same time. This is common, but not pro-ductive. The problem is that when kids try to concentrate on just one task, such as reading or studying, they’re less able to sustain attention because they are so accustomed to stimulation from multiple sources. Even though you can discourage this type of behavior, you cannot stop it. You can, however, eliminate it during homework time.

• She says she can’t focus without music. Should I allow her to listen? There may be something to her claims. Studies show that the majority of kids do attend better with background music. If your child is productive when listening to her iPod, allow its use; however, if she is constantly distracted, then consider soft background music only. By setting limits and boundaries now, you’ll be helping to create a positive and production homework environment in the future. Good habits now will pay off throughout the high school years and in college, too.

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Ann K. Dolin, M.Ed., is the founder and president of Educational Connections, Inc., a comprehensive provider of educational services in Fairfax, VA and Bethesda, MD. In her new book, Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework, Dolin offers proven solutions to help the six key types of students who struggle with homework. Numerous examples and easy-to-implement, fun tips will help make homework less of a chore for the whole family. Learn more at anndolin.com or ectutoring.com.