How can you make Christmas gifts giving stress-free, when ads tell you to wrap up a new car for your loved one. Or, buy a new leather couch. Or washer/dryer. Now, I love Christmas – always have. But I must admit, as my family grew (I’m so blessed; 4 kids and 6 grand-kids!) it was becoming stressful to continue to spend the amount of money I was accustomed to spending on each one. Then there’s the stress of, will they like it, did I get the right color . . .the list is as long as the shopping list! Thank goodness my kids have opted out of the mass-hysteria that surrounds Christmas. They’re playing the whole thing down; limiting the number of gifts, favoring simple hand-made gifts for their children (granted, they’re all under 4 1/2) and organizing get-togethers with their siblings and friends rather than gift exchanges. This, they feel, will teach the little ones to value what they have – and I must say I agree and have happily leaped onto their bandwagon. For example, gently used books available on Amazon are welcomed – so are hand-made stuffed animals and other toys. Even grandparents are asked to pass on the noisy battery driven toys in favor of the ones that run on a child’s imagination. Let me tell you, this has certainly taken the pressure off! I’ve cut my Christmas shopping costs in half, and feel very confident the gifts I’ve chosen will be well received. You can make Christmas gifts simple or elaborate. Coupons for babysitting would be welcomed by any parents, for example. And how about a bath basket for a harried mom? Some bath-salts, soothing music, a scented candle and maybe a gently used book could be just the thing to encourage her to carve out some ‘me time’. Cookie mixes in a jar, pre-made by you, would also be a welcome addition to most households and takes only minutes to prepare. Stuck for ideas? Ask yourself what you’d want, if you were them. Remember having no time for yourself, or your partner? How great would it be if someone offered to babysit, especially if it was accompanied by a decadent dinner for 2 (made by you). For the junior set, how about homemade kits, such as a box of craft supplies for the young artist. Or a rainbow of homemade play dough. You can take this home-spun Christmas even further – I remember making wrapping paper from craft paper with my kids. We carved shapes into 1/2 potatoes, dipped them in ink and stamped the paper with these homemade stencils. The kids loved them! We also had countless hours of fun with salt bread dough – working them into shapes (like play dough) and baking, then painting them. We pierced them, then were able to hang them from the tree. The point is, we are not here to be consumers – even thought the media would tend to disagree! Do you want to make memories, or more debt? So why not give it a try this year – make Christmas gifts giving fun again! Do you have a favorite homemade Christmas gift idea? Feel free to add it in the comments! And if you haven’t signed up for my mailing list yet (using the opt-in box on the right) please do so, so I can send you my gift to you!
Wellness Tips One of the most important wellness tips you’ll ever receive is this: you can improve your health and well-being naturally, simply by listening to your body! Your body will tell you where you have blocked energy. For example, headaches are thought to indicate two conflicting internal feelings. They can be eliminated by allowing both to have a voice. Catching a cold, flu or other virus indicates your body needs a rest, an opportunity to get back into balance. When was the last time you took time out to play? If you don’t rest when you need to, your body will send stronger and stronger messages until you do – so why push yourself. Give yourself the break you need and you’ll be much more productive! Complexion problems could indicate you’re holding back your male energy (whether you are male or female). Wellness tips: take action or express yourself more clearly. If a skin rash erupts, it indicates you’re itching to do something. Wellness tips: ask yourself what, and follow your intuition. Allergies indicate a lack of trust in your intuition and repressed feelings, such as sorrow or anger, and can be eased by expressing those feelings. If your allergy symptoms include watery eyes, it indicates you are suppressing sorrow. Back pain stems from the feeling that you have to support others, and feel the need to express your feelings. Low back pain often indicates suppressed sorrow or financial fears, while upper back pain often represents suppressed anger. Menstrual cramps indicate you haven’t been listening to your inner female. Wellness tips — spend some quality time with yourself, turn your attention within and honor your emotions. Though some of these wellness tips may strike you as strange, they’re amazingly effective. But don’t take my word for it – try them yourself and see! Listen to your body with your inner knowing, and try to really hear what it has to tell you.
How do you make a vision board? They’re fun and easy to make, and by focusing on what you want to create, you begin attracting it to you. Basically to make a vision board, gather some magazines, glue stick, something to glue them onto, and your intention. What do you want to create? I like to start with a brief meditation to really get clear on what I want to manifest – your intention is what it’s all about, so you many want to do this too! Watch as a group of friends and I create our 2011 vision boards, with this short video. What ever you put on YOUR vision board, remember to take time each day to focus on it and VISUALIZE having all the things on it! And as they start manifesting in your life – and they will – celebrate those wins! Enjoy!
I’m often asked how to attract money when it seems to disappear as fast as it comes. How do you focus on wealth when it seems debt is all around you? A great Law of Attraction technique I use is to pay myself first. This is not a new concept- my father, an accountant, stressed the importance of this to me regularly. One benefit of this practice is, it shifts your focus from how much you owe to how much you already have. It’s so much easier to feel gratitude for what you have – and feeling gratitude for the money in your life now is how to attract money! I’d recommend anyone struggling with money to start this practice, no matter how small the amount. Having a goal for this income, such as a home improvement or a holiday, gives you something positive to focus on, giving that positive vibe even more juice. However, there’s a difference between having that savings account, and it having you. Sometimes you have to compromise – that’s when one of my favorite Abraham Hicks processes, ‘What thought feels better’, comes in very handy! I found it very helpful when faced with what seem to be conflicting desires recently. I have a savings account reserved for a particular income stream that I use for household projects. I figure money is energy, so a great way to attract money is to give it a happy place to hang out! Over a period of time I amassed a nice sum, enough to pay for a this year’s up-grade in full. I have no immediate plans for the reno, but liked the security of knowing the money was there waiting for me. Then, as they say, life happened – in this case, my dishwasher broke. This unexpected expense went onto my credit card. Watching the number climb was not a good feeling. Neither was dipping into my savings to accommodate the extra expense – because it felt like putting my vision on hold. Though I actually had more money than usual, I felt financially pinched. That is SO not the vibration I want to be sending out to the Universe! It’s no way to attract money! I’m well aware that what I put out I’ll get right back – I definitely don’t want more reasons to feel lack, when my goal is always to feel abundant and happy. So I played the Abe ‘What thought feels better’ process. Did I feel richer knowing the money was safely tucked away, or using it to pay down my credit card? Was there a way I could enjoy both, thereby keeping my vibe positive? In the end, I made an executive decision – since I won’t be moving forward with the project (new kitchen floor) till spring, I decided my money would serve me better applied against my debt – but in a way that didn’t compromise my future vision. I decided to take the majority, leaving a respectable chunk of ‘seed money’ in reserve. I also made minor improvements; a fresh coat of paint and refinishing the cupboards made a dramatic impact with minimal costs. And, I rationalized, a new dishwasher was one of the items on my dream kitchen reno, so I was still moving forward with the big picture.
As soon as I made the decision, I felt immediately lighter. Suddenly my feeling was that I had MORE THAN ENOUGH money. Now that’s a vibe I can milk! As in proclaiming, “I have Tons of money! I don’t have to hoard it, there’s plenty more where that came from!” Not only that, I also felt so financially responsible – in a good way! “I am a master money manager!” Thinking these kinds of thoughts habitually is how to attract money!
Last but not least, I felt pride and satisfaction in making the home improvements myself, and the beautifying impact they had. These thoughts definitely feel better than the feeling of not having enough! They totally freed up my energy. The next time you feel conflicted about anything, weight it out and see which thought feels better. It’s my experience that what is true for you feels light, what isn’t feels heavy. Try this and see how it works for you! And if all else fails, try the time-honored coin flip! While the coin is mid-air, you’ll know whether you’re hoping for a yes or no answer!
It’s true, Gratitude changes everything. I’ve always believed it doesn’t pay to force feelings of gratitude for situations you aren’t happy about. In my understanding, the Law of Attraction responds to your vibration, which you can’t fake, so it just doesn’t work. Well – so much for that! Yesterday I tried a technique Rhonda Byrne recommends – pick a situation you aren’t happy about, and find 10 things to be grateful for about it. So, I was feeling frustrated because finishing touches to my spring flooring project still haven’t been done (by my husband, who insists on doing the doing). I had told him we’re hosting our grandson’s birthday party in two weeks, and said it would be nice if the 1/4 round was installed by then. He basically said forget it, his list was too long, he’d get to it whenever. Not what I wanted to hear! I just said ok, it’ll sure look good when it’s done, picked up my notebook and went off to do the technique Byrne suggests in her new book The Magic: list 10 things you’re grateful for in a negative situation, then writing Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for the perfect resolution. My list looked like this: “I’m glad the old wall-to-wall carpet is gone I’m glad (or grateful) I already have the wood for the bedroom I’m glad Tony bought his new table saw so he can finish this project” You get the idea! In other words, I didn’t nag, sulk or complain, I just went about shifting my vibration around the situation. Almost immediately when I was done, my husband announced he was off to shop for 1/4 rounds. He returned saying he’d hit on a fabulous clearing sale (he didn’t say fabulous, that’s my word!) getting each length for $1 that usually goes for $10 each (adds up when you need 22 of them!) Not only that, they were already the dark walnut color we needed them to be, without my needing to paint them! And they’ll be installed today! Yay! So, the moral to this story is – gratitude changes everything! Try it for any situation you’re uncomfortable with – anything you want changed. Then drop me a line & share your successes! Love & Light, Alexandria http://AlexandriaBarker.com
How can you make Christmas gifts giving stress-free, when ads tell you to wrap up a new car for your loved one. Or, buy a new leather couch. Or washer/dryer. 
I have a savings account reserved for a particular income stream that I use for household projects. I figure money is energy, so a great way to attract money is to give it a happy place to hang out! Over a period of time I amassed a nice sum, enough to pay for a this year’s up-grade in full. I have no immediate plans for the reno, but liked the security of knowing the money was there waiting for me. 