Hello Peace, Welcome Back...

There was a time when I felt like my life was turned upside down. I had so many obstacles coming in my direction at one time: divorce, single parent to a toddler, increased bills and less money, bankrupt business, loss of a close friendship... Wow, that takes energy just thinking about it and when all of this came crashing at me at once, I completely lost balance and damn near my sanity.
These life experiences have taught me that we all have to go through obstacles in life, but the effects of them is based on how we react to them and if we can maintain a life balance. If we loose our balance and faith, its almost impossible to have a positive outcome. As parents, we don't have the option of a negative outcome and what happens to us, also happens to our children.

A few things that I had to implement into my life to regain my balance and avoid the insanity route were:

• Prayer- I simply talk to God everyday to maintain a close relationship. I would have definitely went the insanity route without it.
• Meditation-It is mandatory that I have at least 30-minutes each day of quiet time for meditation. (It is an enforced rule in my house that my son dare not break, although he hates it). I usually do "guided meditation" because it forces me to relax, clear my mind and listen. I would suggest this type for those that are new to the meditative experience. I can honestly say that meditation has changed my thought process, my mood shifts, my parenting skills and my general outlook on life. It is the main tool (besides prayer) that I use to help clear my mind of the garbage and help me to focus on what is important. It helps me find balance... I have found that when I have a clear mind and vision, I can conquer almost anything and life challenges are just that, life experiences that must be conquered in order to succeed.
• Reading- I am a huge reader. I love all kinds of books and will sometimes read up to 5 at a time. I want to indulge the mood that I'm in, so, usually 1 of those 5 books will do it. When I need a lift, I will read something inspirational or spiritual. If I need a laugh, I will read something with humor...It helps me to clear my mind and release the days tension.
• Exercise- I, sooo, don't like to exercise, but fortunately, I force myself... for one, to maintain my girlish figure, second, it makes me feel good. If I start exercising when I'm in a bad mood, by the time I get off of the tread mill, I'm a completely different person. A happier person. 
• Play- I have a very energetic 5 year old boy that enjoys playing with Monster Jam monster trucks and Super Mario Bros on Wii, just to name a couple. When we play together, nothing else matters and any stress that I had before is gone when I see the happiness in his face.

So, there you go... Just a few things that I do to maintain my well-being.

Below, I have included a few books that helped me find my way during my journey: